A method and a circuit for detecting the state of supply of a load by a variable voltage, including measuring the difference between values representative of the variable supply voltage and of a voltage across the load.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to the detection of the supply state of a load supplied by a variable voltage (A.C. or unipolar) and more specifically the supervision of the state of this load and of one or several switches controlling it.
The present invention more specifically applies to the detection of possible failures of the load or of switches in series with this load.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
FIG. 1 shows a conventional example of an assembly of supervision of the state of a load Q supplied by an A.C. voltage Vac under control of two switches T and SW. This example relates to the control of the motor (load Q) of a washing machine under the action of a first switch formed of a triac T receiving a control signal CT from a programmer (not shown). A second switch SW symbolizes a door-opening detection contact of the machine to interrupt the motor supply in case of an opening (turning-off of switch SW). Triac T is in series with load Q and switch SW between two terminals 1 and 2 of application of A.C. voltage Vac (generally, the electric distribution mains voltage).
The supervision of the respective states of the motor and of the switches is performed by analyzing the voltage at point 3 of interconnection of triac T and of motor Q. Two resistors R1 and R2 (generally of identical values) are respectively connected between terminal 2 and node 3, and between node 3 and a node 4 for sampling an analog measurement voltage Van. Voltage Van is applied to input IN of an analog-to-digital converter 5 (ADC). Converter 5 is supplied by a D.C. voltage Vdc, applied between terminals 6 and 7, which is low as compared with A.C. voltage Vac (typically 5 to 10 volts, to be compared with 110 or 220 volts). To provide a voltage Van of relatively low level with respect to voltage Vac, node 4 corresponds to the midpoint of a resistive dividing bridge, formed of two resistors RH and RL generally of the same value, in series between terminals 6 and 7. Accordingly, the quiescent level of the converter approximately corresponds to half voltage Vdc (Vdc/2). Voltage reference input VREF of converter 5 is connected to terminal 6 and its digital inputs are intended to be interpreted, for example, by a microprocessor or microcontroller PC (not shown). In the example shown, an 8-bit converter is considered.
The selection of node 3 to supervise the analog voltage across the load enables reading several voltages according to the respective states of switches T and SW.
FIG. 2 shows examples of shapes of analog voltage Van along time in a period of A.C. supply voltage Vac.
When triac T is on, whatever the state of switch SW, voltage Vac is found at node 3 and at node 6. Accordingly, voltage Van remains constant at quiescent median value MED of the converter (full line TON in FIG. 2).
When triac T is off, voltage Van follows an A.C. course having its amplitude depending on the other states.
If, the triac being off, switch SW is on, load Q which exhibits in normal operation a low impedance with respect to resistor R1 brings, in a way, node 3 to the voltage of node 2. Sinusoidal voltage Van (dotted line SWONLOK in FIG. 2) varies between a voltage THH slightly smaller than voltage Vdc and a voltage THL slightly greater than ground. Difference Vdc−VTH corresponds to the minimum voltage drop in resistor RH. Level THL corresponds to the minimum voltage drop in resistor RL.
If, the triac being off, switch SW is also off, a sinusoid (shape in full line LDEF) of amplitude smaller than that of the preceding operation (shape SWONLOK) is found on input IN of converter 5. This case also corresponds to the case where switch SW is on, while load Q is defective, that is, it exhibits an impedance greater than that of its normal operation.
In the case where switch SW is correctly on but triac T is defective, that is, it has a diode behavior, voltage Van has a median level MED in one halfwave and, in the other halfwave, follows previously-described shape SWONLOK. This shape of defective triac T is shown by a stripe-dot line TDEF in FIG. 2.
Finally, if voltage Van remains constant at a level comprised between threshold THH and voltage Vdc, this means that resistor RL is broken (off circuit). Similarly, if voltage Van remains constantly under threshold THL, this means that resistor RH is broken.
A problem of conventional circuits for supervising the state of a load and of its switches is linked to the tolerances of the different components and mainly to the possible variations of the voltage reference of converter 5 which is provided by voltage Vdc, likely not to have a perfect stability.
Such imperfections result in that the different cases of operation described in relation with FIG. 2 are likely to translate as sinusoids strongly different from one another.
FIG. 3 illustrates, in the case of an A.C. voltage of a 50-Hz frequency, the possible ranges of variation of the different shapes.
To be able to exploit the results of the detection, voltage Van is compared with threshold voltages, and more specifically the digital outputs of converter 5 are compared with digital values. In addition to thresholds THH and THL, intermediary thresholds THIHH and THIHL are set between threshold THH and median value MED, and thresholds THILH and THILL are set between the median value and threshold THL.
If voltage Van ranges, in positive halfwaves, between thresholds THIHH and THH and, during negative halfwaves, between thresholds THIHL and THL, this means (SWONLOK) that the triac is off while switch SW is on, the load being normal.
If voltage Van ranges, in one of the two halfwaves, between thresholds THIHH and THH or THILL and THL, and remains between thresholds THILL and THILH in the other halfwaves, this means (TDEF) a malfunction of the triac which does not turn on one halfwave out of two (or which is defective in diode mode).
If voltage Van ranges, in positive halfwaves, between thresholds THILH and THIHH and, in negative halfwaves, between thresholds THILL and THIHL, this means (LDEF) that switch SW and triac T are off, or that switch SW is on (triac T off) and that the load is defective.
If voltage Van constantly is between thresholds THIHL and THILL, this means (TON) that the triac is on.
If voltage Van is constantly between thresholds THH and Vdc or smaller than threshold THL, this indicates a defect of the measurement circuit.
The above tests are only valid at given times of the halfwaves. Indeed, the A.C. shape of the measured signal Van and the possible variation ranges of these shapes result in that, in practice, a possible detection time window is limited to each halfwave in the vicinity of the maximum of this halfwave. In the example of FIG. 3 applied to a 50-Hz frequency, it can be seen that the possible detection window (W) is of approximately 2 milliseconds around the maximum of each halfwave.
A disadvantage is that there are significant risks of false detection in case of a loss of synchronism of the measurement or in case of a distortion of voltage Vac (wrong shape factor).
Another disadvantage is that the possibility of performing a single measurement per half period slows down the detection. The reliability of the detection thus is sensitive to a possible variation of A.C. voltage Vac.
Another disadvantage is that a circuit of supervision of the load state is not transposable without modifications to a mains voltage of different frequency or amplitude.

Detection of the supply state of a load supplied by a variable voltage


A method of generating a port knocking sequence which includes providing a port knocking user interface which allows a user to enter an input string, mapping the input string received via the port knocking user interface to a corresponding port knocking sequence, and generating the corresponding port knocking sequence which is sent to a target system is disclosed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to information handling systems and more particularly to the use of port knocking in information handling systems.
2. Description of the Related Art
As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available to users is information handling systems. An information handling system generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, information handling systems may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in information handling systems allow for information handling systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, information handling systems may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
One issue relating to information handling systems is how multiple information handling systems can efficiently and safely communicate. When communicating, information handling systems can be configured to respond to requests on open networking ports. However, having the open port allows for malicious entities to detect the existence of the system through exhaustive port scanning, and subsequently launch an exhaustive authentication attack on the open port. Because of this possible security threat, it is desirable for systems to be configured to have all networking ports closed with the help of firewall technologies. Closing the network ports can prevent other systems from creating network connections to that system, as any attempt to connect will fail as no ports are set to respond. While this blocks malicious connection attempts, such a method also prevents valid connection attempts from trusted systems from gaining access via the port.
One known method of addressing this challenge is port knocking. Port provides a method of authentication that works while all networking ports are closed at the time of the remote login attempt. The authentication is provided by having the remote system attempt to connect, or knock, on the closed ports of the target system in a particular pre-determined sequence. The target system can monitor these port knocks via standard logs generated by the firewall technology, and if the pre-determined sequence is recognized, the target system allows a connection by the remote system. The probability of an attacker generating the correct knock sequence is very low assuming the sequence length is sufficient.
While port knocking represents a valuable technology, currently its use is relatively limited. One reason for the relatively limited use of port knocking is a lack of a simple user interface. With known port knocking techniques, users need a script on the remote system that performs the knocks and monitoring software on the target system interpreting the firewall logs to recognize the incoming knock sequence and perform the appropriate action.
It would be desirable to provide a user friendly interface for using port knocking technology.

Keypad user interface and port sequence mapping algorithm


Disclosed is a gravel pack service tool that utilizes an internal closure device to set a packer. One disclosed system includes a completion string including at least one packer, a service tool configured to be arranged within the completion string and having an interior that provides a flow path for fluids and a crossover tool, and a closure device arranged within the flow path and being actuatable between an open position and a closed position in response to a signature pressure pulse detected by the closure device, wherein, when the closure device is in the open position, the fluids are able to bypass the closure device and flow to lower portions of the service tool, and wherein, when the closure device is in the closed position, the fluids are prevented from bypassing the closure device and a pressure within the service tool is increased to set the at least one packer.

The present disclosure is related to wellbore completion operations and, more particularly, to a gravel pack service tool that utilizes an internal closure device to set a packer.
In the oil and gas industry, particulate materials such as sand and other wellbore debris are often produced to the surface during the extraction of hydrocarbons from a well traversing unconsolidated or loosely consolidated subterranean formations. Producing such particulate matter can cause abrasive wear to components within the well, such as tubing, pumps, and valves, and can sometimes partially or fully clog the well creating the need for an expensive workover operation. In addition, if the particulate matter is produced to the surface, it must be removed from the extracted hydrocarbons by various processing equipment at the surface.
In order to prevent the production of such particulate material to the surface, unconsolidated or loosely consolidated production intervals in the well are often gravel packed. In a typical gravel pack completion, a completion string including a top packer, a circulation valve, a fluid loss control device and one or more sand control screens, is lowered into the wellbore on a service tool to a position proximate the desired production interval. The service tool is then positioned within the completion string and a fluid slurry that includes a liquid carrier and a particulate material (i.e., gravel) is then pumped through the circulation valve and into the well annulus formed between the sand control screens and the perforated well casing or open hole production zone. The liquid carrier either flows into the adjacent formation or returns to the surface by flowing through the sand control screens, or both. In either case, the gravel is deposited around the sand control screens to form a gravel pack, which is highly permeable to the flow of hydrocarbon fluids but simultaneously blocks the flow of the particulate material often carried in the hydrocarbon fluids. As such, gravel packs can successfully prevent the problems associated with the production of particulate materials from the formation.
Before gravel packing operations can begin, however, the completion string must be secured within the wellbore by setting the top packer. To accomplish this, a wellbore projectile, such as a ball, is usually introduced into the wellbore and pumped to the service tool until landing on a ball seat adjacent a setting tool associated with the service tool. Once the ball sealingly engages the ball seat, the service tool can then be pressurized from the surface to force the ball to open a sleeve that enables the pressurized fluid to set the top packer and secure the completion string within the wellbore.
In some wellbores, however, the ball has difficulty reaching the ball seat. For instance, some wellbores have sections that are deviated, sections that run uphill, and/or sections that are u-shaped. In such wellbore sections or areas, a large amount of fluid circulation is required to keep the ball moving within the wellbore in order to pump the ball to the ball seat. Moreover, when the ball eventually arrives at the ball seat, it is sometimes damaged and therefore unable to generate a seal on the ball seat. In other cases, debris is pumped along with the ball toward the ball seat and subsequently obstructs the sealing engagement between the ball and the ball seat.

Gravel pack service tool used to set a packer


A piston for use in a compressor that compresses gas containing lubricating oil is disclosed. The compressor includes a housing having a crank chamber and cylinder bores, and a swash plate located in the crank chamber. The swash plate is operably connected to the pistons by shoes to convert the rotation of a drive shaft to the reciprocation of each piston. Each piston has a head for compressing the gas supplied to the cylinder bore and a skirt projecting from the head toward the crank chamber. The skirt is connected to the swash plate. A restrictor is provided on the skirt to prevent the piston from rotating in the cylinder bore. The restrictor has a pair of arched surfaces slidably contacting an inner surface of the housing and a recessed surface located between the arched surfaces and free from contact with the inner surface. The recessed surface defines a gap for allowing passage of the oil between the recessed surface and the inner surface. The gap leads the oil in the crank chamber toward the shoes when the piston moves from a top dead center position to a bottom dead center position.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to piston type compressors that convert rotation of a rotary shaft to linear reciprocation of a piston with a driving body such as a swash plate, and more particularly, to pistons used in such compressors.
2. Description of the Related Art
Compressors are employed in air-conditioning systems for vehicles. Piston type compressors are used in such systems. A typical piston type compressor is provided with a driving body, such as a swash plate, to reciprocate pistons. The swash plate is supported by a drive shaft in a crank chamber and converts the rotation of the drive shaft to the linear reciprocation of each piston in an associated cylinder bore. The reciprocation of the piston draws refrigerant gas into the cylinder bore from a suction chamber, compresses the gas in the cylinder bore, and discharges the gas into a discharge chamber.
The typical piston type compressor draws the refrigerant gas from an external refrigerant circuit into a suction chamber by way of the crank chamber. In such a compressor, in which the crank chamber constitutes a portion of a refrigerant gas passage, the refrigerant gas from the external refrigerant circuit passing through the crank chamber sufficiently lubricates various parts in the crank chamber, such as the piston and the swash plate, with the lubricating oil suspended in the gas.
There is also a type of compressor that draws in refrigerant gas from an external refrigerant circuit without having the gas flow through its crank chamber. In such a compressor, the driving plate, or swash plate, is supported so that it inclines with respect to the drive shaft. The inclination of the swash plate changes in accordance with the difference between the pressure in the crank chamber and the pressure in the cylinder bores. The displacement of the compressor varies in accordance with the inclination of the swash plate. The difference between the pressure in the crank chamber and the pressure in the cylinder bores is changed, for example, by adjusting the pressure in the crank chamber using a control valve. Since the pressure of the crank chamber is adjusted to control the inclination of the swash plate in such type of compressor, the crank chamber is not included in the suction passage. Therefore, the various parts in the crank chamber are lubricated mainly by lubricating oil that is included in blowby gas. Blowby gas refers to the refrigerant gas in the cylinder bore that leaks into the crank chamber through the space defined between the outer surface of the piston and the wall of the associated cylinder bore when the piston compresses the refrigerant gas in the cylinder bore.
The amount of blowby gas, or lubricating oil, supplied to the crank chamber is determined by the dimension of the clearance defined between the outer surface of the piston and the wall of the cylinder bore. Accordingly, it is necessary to increase the dimension of the clearance to supply a sufficient amount of lubricating oil for satisfactory lubrication of the various parts in the crank chamber. However, a large clearance between the piston and the cylinder bore degrades the compressing efficiency of the compressor.
To cope with this problem, compressors such as that shown in FIG. 8 are known in the prior art. The compressor has a swash plate 100. The swash plate 100 is mounted on a drive shaft 104 in a crank chamber 103, which is provided between the cylinder block 101 and the front housing 102, and supported so as to rotate integrally with the shaft 104. Single-headed pistons 105 are each accommodated in a cylinder bore 101a, which is provided in the cylinder block 101. A skirt 105a projects from the rear side of each piston 105 (to the left as viewed in FIG. 8) toward the crank chamber 103. The skirt 105a is operably connected to the swash plate 100 by a pair of shoes 106. Each shoe 106 is slidably clamped between the skirt 105a and the swash plate 100. The rotation of the drive shaft 104 is converted to the linear reciprocation of the piston 105 in the cylinder bore 101a by means of the swash plate 100 and the shoes 106.
An annular groove 107 extends along the outer surface of each piston 105. Lubricating oil applied to the wall of the cylinder bore lOla is collected in the groove 107 and guided toward the crank chamber 103 during reciprocation of the piston 105. The lubricating oil lubricates the connecting portion between the swash plate 100 and the piston 105. Accordingly, in compressors that employ pistons having such structure, the various parts in the crank chamber may be satisfactorily lubricated without enlarging the dimension of the clearance between the piston and the cylinder bore, or without reducing the compressing efficiency of the compressor.
As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the skirt 105a of the piston 105 has an arched surface 105b, which is defined on the surface facing the inner surface of the front housing 102. The arched surface 105b slides against the inner surface of the front housing 102. The radius of curvature of the arched surface 105b is the same as that of the inner surface of the front housing 102. When the piston 105 reciprocates, the arched surface 105b slides against the inner surface of the front housing 102 and prevents the piston 105 from rotating about its axis.
The arched surface 105b extends along the entire width of the skirt 105a that faces the inner surface of the front housing 102. However, it is difficult to accurately machine the entire arched surface 105b so that it has the same radius of curvature as the inner surface of the front housing 102.
Furthermore, the entire arched surface 105b, which extends for a wide range, slides against the inner surface of the front housing 102. Thus, when the piston 105 moves from the top dead center position to the bottom dead center position, the lubricating oil on the end face of the skirt 105a and the lubricating oil that collects at the bottom of the crank chamber 103 is dispersed toward the left, as viewed in FIG. 8. The lubricating oil is not guided to the connecting portion between the piston 105 and the swash plate 100. Accordingly, this oil is not used efficiently, and the connecting portions between the pistons 105 and the swash plate 100 are not lubricated to the degree that is desirable.

Kabushiki Kaisha Toyoda Jodoshokki Seiksakusho


A medical manipulator system that includes a joint, a first sensor that detects an amount of rotational motion of the joint, an actuator that drives the joint via a wire, a second sensor that detects an amount of operation of the actuator based on a rotation angle of the actuator, an input device, and a controller. The controller generates a control signal based on: an operation mode in which the control signal is generated by a transfer function that receives an input target value of the rotation angle of the joint and the amount of operation of the actuator, and a calibration mode in which the transfer function is adjusted based on comparing to a predetermined threshold value the amount of rotational motion of the joint and the amount of operation of the actuator. The controller then transmits the generated control signal to the actuator to drive the joint.

There are well-known medical manipulator systems in which a joint provided at the distal end of an elongated insertion section is moved by pulling a wire by means of a motor provided at the proximal end of the insertion section.
In order to prevent a discrepancy between the amount of operation and the amount of curvature due to looseness and friction of the wire, such a medical manipulator system has a sensor mounted in the vicinity of the joint at the distal end of the insertion section to detect the amount of movement of the wire by means of the sensor and an encoder mounted in the motor for pulling the wire, thereby feedback-controlling the motor in a real-time manner on the basis of signals detected by both the sensor and the encoder.

Medical manipulator system and method for operating same


A mass spectroscopic reaction-monitoring method including: forcing charge-laden liquid drops to move along a traveling path; exposing to a laser beam a region to be formed of a liquid sample surface, the laser beam having an irradiation energy sufficient to cause analytes present behind the liquid sample surface to be desorbed to fly along a flying path; introducing to the region at successive points of time a liquid sample containing one reactant that undergoes an ongoing chemical reaction as a first analyte to form one product as a second analyte; and positioning the liquid sample surface relative to the laser beam at each point of time such that the flying path intersects the traveling path for enabling occlusion of at least one of the first and second analytes in at least one charge-laden liquid drop to thereby form at least a corresponding one of first and second ionized analytes.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to amass spectroscopic method, more particularly to a mass spectroscopic reaction-monitoring method.
2. Description of the Related Art
For a liquid sample undergoing a chemical reaction, composition thereof varies over time. State of the chemical reaction can be monitored by monitoring the presence/absence of substances in the liquid sample and quantity changes of the substances.
Various methods, such as classical analysis, Ultraviolet (UV), Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), Infrared (IR), and neon spectroscopic analyses, have conventionally been used individually or in combination for monitoring chemical reactions. However, time-consuming steps such as separation and purification are required. In addition, instantaneous monitoring of the chemical reaction cannot be conducted. In other words, relative quantities of various substances in a liquid sample cannot be acquired, and the growth and decline of the quantity of each of the substances over a certain period of time cannot be determined.
Although Electrospray Ionization (ESI) mass spectrometry can be used to monitor chemical reactions by making the liquid sample an electrospray solution, the following shortcomings occur as the composition of the liquid sample may be very complicated:                1. it is difficult to remove the liquid portion of the droplets formed by electrospraying (e.g., if the liquid sample is non-volatile);        2. the chemical reaction under monitor is easily affected by the addition of other solvents into the liquid sample for speeding up the removable of the liquid portion of the droplets, and by the addition of acidic substances into the liquid sample for enhancing ionizing efficiency of analytes in the liquid sample, thereby adversely affecting the credibility of the results obtained; and        3. it is prone to misinterpret the obtained mass spectrum when the liquid sample contains salt.

Mass spectroscopic reaction-monitoring method


Temperature controller apparatus for generating a control signal for supply to a control device which controls the temperature inside a chamber. The apparatus includes a plurality of input devices each receiving an indication of the temperature at a respective location in the chamber. Each of the received temperature indications is processed so as to form the control signal. In the event that any of the input devices fails to receive the respective temperature indication, output signals from such input devices are not utilized in forming the control signal. If all of the input devices fail to receive the respective temperature indications, the control signal is obtained from either previous control signals or previously stored control data.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a temperature controller apparatus and, more particularly, to such apparatus which provides multiple back-up modes in the event of a detected failure or failures for use with a temperature chamber.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the prior art, temperature chambers, which may be used as refrigeration units, for example, in trucks, railroad cars or the like, to temporarily store perishable food goods while being transported to a desired destination, typically include a chamber which may have an insulated outer shell, a thermostatically controlled valve and one or more canisters having a supply of coolant contained therein. In such temperature chambers, the flow of coolant into the chamber is regulated by the control valve. That is, the thermostatically controlled valve monitors the temperature inside the chamber and, when the inside temperature rises above a predetermined set temperature, the control valve opens so as to allow the coolant to flow into the chamber, thereby lowering the inside temperature. The valve typically remains open until the inside temperature is reduced below the predetermined set temperature. A temperature probe, which is coupled to the control valve, may be utilized to enable an indication of the temperature at a particular location inside the chamber to be supplied to the control valve.
However, as is to be appreciated, a single temperature probe may not provide a reliable indication of the temperature inside the chamber. That is, depending on the location of the temperature probe inside the chamber, the probe may "sense" a temperature which is different than a temperature at other locations within the chamber. This may be due to the conventional positioning of the temperature probe proximate to the inlet of coolant flow into the chamber.
To provide a more accurate temperature value, multiple temperature probes which are located at respective locations inside the chamber may be utilized. In this situation, the temperature values from the probes are averaged and the averaged temperature is utilized to control the valve. However, if one or more of the multiple probes become defective or inoperative, the temperature obtained therefrom, even though it is erroneous, may still be utilized in computing the average temperature and supplied to the control valve. As a result, the flow of coolant into the chamber may be improperly regulated, thereby causing the inside chamber temperature to be improperly controlled. As is to be appreciated, this may damage the perishable food goods or other items contained within the temperature chamber.
Such problems also exist when the temperature chamber controls the temperature inside the chamber at relatively high temperature values. As is to be appreciated, in this situation, the temperature chamber includes a heat source whose operation is regulated so as to control the chamber temperature.
The prior art has therefore failed to provide a means for receiving temperature information from a plurality of temperature probes provided in such a temperature chamber and for providing therefrom a reliable temperature control signal for supply to a control valve or other similar device which, in turn, controls the temperature inside the temperature chamber even when one or more of the temperature probes are inoperative.


An optical disk apparatus includes an optical detector which has light receiving areas divided nearly concentrically with an optical beam and outputs a signal corresponding to the amount of the reflected light from an optical disk. A surface vicinity detecting section adds up signals from all the light-receiving areas of the optical detector and outputs a detection signal. The detection signal continuously varies so as to have one maximum level while a beam spot of the optical beam moves from the surface of the information medium to the information plane. An information plane detecting section judges that the focus or the beam spot of the optical beam comes closer to the information plane of the optical disk by detecting the gradient of the detection signal. An approach of a condensing lens and the optical disk is judged based on the judgment results, and thus a collision of the condensing lens and the optical disk can be prevented.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical head and optical disk apparatus for recording to or reproducing from a rotating disk-form information medium (hereinafter called the "optical disk"), and in particular, relates to an optical head and optical disk apparatus which carry out focus pull in action without causing collisions between optical disk and condensing lens for collecting optical beams when recording or reproduction (playback) is carried out.
2. Description of Related Art
In a conventional optical disk apparatus, when signals are reproduced, the optical disk is irradiated with an optical beam of comparatively weak specified light amount and the reflected light modulated strongly or weakly by the optical disk is detected. In addition, when signals are recorded, the light amount of optical beams is modulated strongly or weakly in accordance with signals recorded and information is recorded in a recording material film on the optical disk. This is described in, for example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 52-80802, etc.
The read only optical disk records the information on pits recorded in advance in the form of a spiral. In addition, the optical disk which can be recorded and can be reproduced has optically recordable and reproducible material film formed on the substrate surface with spiral-form track of patterned indented structure by techniques such as evaporation. In order to record information on the optical disk or to reproduce information recorded, focus control is required to control optical beam in the direction normal to the optical disk surface (hereinafter called the "focus direction") so that optical beams achieve constantly the specified convergence condition on the recording material film.
Referring now to FIG. 17A, a control of conventional optical disk will be described. Optical head 10 is provided with semiconductor laser 11, coupling lens 12, polarizing beam splitter 13, ¼ wavelength plate 14, condensing lens 15, focus actuator which is a focus moving means (hereinafter called the "Fc actuator") 16, tracking actuator (hereinafter called the "Tk actuator"), detection lens 18, cylindrical lens 19, and optical detector 20.
The optical beam generated from the semiconductor laser 11 is made into parallel beam by the coupling lens 12, passes the polarizing beam splitter 13 and the ¼ wavelength plate 14, and is converged onto the optical disk 1 by condensing lens. The optical beam reflected against it again passes the condensing lens 15 and ¼ wavelength plate 14, is reflected at the polarizing beam splitter 13, passes the detection lens 18 and the cylindrical lens 19, and is applied to the optical detector 20 with a light receiving section divided into four. The condensing lens 15 is supported by elastic material such as springs, When the Fc actuator 16 is energized, the condensing lens 15 moves to a direction substantially perpendicular (focus direction) to the optical disk 1 by electromagnetic force. The optical detector 20 which has a light receiving section divided into four sends each light amount signal detected to the focus error generator 30 (hereinafter called the "FE generator 30").
By using each light amount single from a light receiving section divided into tour, the FE generator 30 obtains error signal (hereinafter called the "FE signal") that indicates the converging condition of the optical beam on the information plane of the optical disk 1 and sends it to the Fc actuator 16 via the focus control filter 31 (hereinafter called the "Fc filter"), the drive signal selector 32, and the focus drive 33 (hereinafter called the "Fc driver"). In addition, the FE generator 30 sends the FE signal to a pull in signal generator 71.
FIG. 17B is a diagram showing a light receiving section of the optical detector 20. As shown in the figure, the optical detector has four light receiving sections 201a through 201d. Because the astigmatism is generated due to a cylindrical lens, if the condensing lens 15 moves in the direction that approaches the optical disk 1, the focus of the optical beam on the optical detector 20 becomes ellipse elongated in directions of a light receiving section 201a and a light receiving section 201c. In the event that the condensing lens 15 moves in the direction separating from the optical disk 1 with respect to the focalized point, the focus of the optical beam on the optical detector 20 becomes ellipse elongated in directions of a light receiving section 201b and a light receiving section 201d. FE generator 30 generates the FE signal by calculating the difference between the light amount sum in light receiving section 201a and light receiving section 201c and light amount sum in light receiving section 201b and light receiving section 201d. This technique is called "an astigmatism method". The Fc actuator 16 drives the condensing lens 15 in the focus direction so that the optical beam converges on information plane of the optical disk 1 in the specified condition. Focus control is done as described above.
Search-driving generator 64 which is a means for generating search driving operation generates a drive signal for driving the Fc actuator 16 in the approaching direction or separating direction at a specified speed. The search-driving generator 64 sends a signal to the Fc actuator 16 via the drive signal selector 32 and the Fc driver 33. The signal from the optical detector 20 are sent to the reflected light amount detector 70. The reflected light amount detector 70 operates sum signals from all the light receiving sections of the optical detector 20 and sends the summed signal to the pull in signal generator 71. The pull in signal generator 71 sends a low-level signal to the drive signal selector 32 when the signal from the reflected light amount detector 70 is greater than the specified level L1 and until the FE signal from the FE generator 30 passes the reference level from positive to negative. Thereafter, pull in signal generator 71 sends high-level signals to drive signal selector 32. Drive selector 32 sends a signal from the Fc filter 31 which is a focus control driving means to FC driver 33 when the signal from pull in signal generator 71 is of a high level, or sends the signal from the search-driving generator 64 to the Fc driver 33 when the signal from the pull in signal generator 71 is of a low level. The Fc driver 33 drives the Fc actuator 16 based on the signal selected by the drive signal selector 32.
Referring now to FIGS. 18A and 18B, description will be made on FE signal from the FE generator 30 and signals from the reflected light amount detector 70, which are detection signals. FIG. 18A is a diagram showing one example of FE signal output from the FE generator 30 and FIG. 18B is a diagram that shows one example of output signal from the reflected light amount detector 70. The abscissa of FIG. 18 is the relative position in the focus direction of the optical disk 1 and the condensing lens 15 and is an approaching direction from left to right in the figure. In addition, the ordinates of FIG. 18A and 18B show the respective signal level. As shown in FIG. 18A, the FE signal from the FE generator 30 is positive in the separating direction from the focalized point and negative in the approaching direction. As shown in FIG. 18B, the signal from the reflected light amount detector 70 becomes cone-shaped signals in the detection range nearly same as that of the FE signal.
Referring now to FIGS. 19A through 19D, the focus pull in operation is described. FIG. 19A is a diagram showing one example FE signal output from the FE generator 30, FIG. 19B is a diagram showing one example of an output signal from the reflected light amount detector 70, FIG. 19C is a diagram showing one example of an output signal from the drive signal selector 32, and FIG. 19D is a diagram showing one example of an output signal from the pull in signal generator 71. The abscissa of each of FIG. 19A through FIG. 19D shows a time, and the ordinate shows a level of the respective signal. The polarity of the signal from the drive signal selector 32 required for condensing lens 15 to move in the approaching direction to optical disk 1 is positive in FIG. 19C. As shown in FIG. 19D, because the signal from pull in signal generator 71 is of a low level at the start of focus pull in, the drive signal selector 32 sends the signal from the search-driving generator 64 to the Fc driver 33. As shown in FIG. 19C, the search-driving generator 64 generates driving operation so that the condensing lens 15 moves in the direction for approaching the optical disk 1 from the condition in which the optical disk 1 and the condensing lens 15 are sufficiently separated. When the focus of optical beams approaches a focalized point on the information plane of the optical disk 1, as shown in FIG. 19A and FIG. 19B, a change occurs in the FE signal from the FE generator 30 and a signal from the reflected light amount detector 70.
The pull in signal generator 71 makes a signal to drive signal selector 32 to a high level when the signal level from the reflected light amount detector 70 exceeds L1 and the FE signal from the FE generator 30 crosses the reference level from positive to negative. Thereafter, the signal from the Fc filter 31 is selected by the drive signal selector 32 and focus control is brought into an active condition (an operating condition).
In recordable optical disk 1, recording action is carried out by absorbing optical beam with which the information plane of the optical disk is irradiated, that is, by changing the phase of recording material by heat accumulated by the absorption. Consequently, the absorption ratio of information plane of the optical disk 1 must be increased to improve a recording speed, and in such event, the reflectivity tends to lower. Furthermore, since in the optical disk which has a plurality of information planes for improved recording capacity, the information planes on the far side as seen from condensing lens 15 must be irradiated with optical beams, transmittance on the information plane on the near side as seen from condensing lens must be increased. That is, the reflectivity of the information plane of the optical disk tends to lower as the recording capacity and recording speed are improved. In addition, the reflected signal of the optical beam occurs not only from the information plane of the optical disk but also from the surface of the optical disk. Because when the reflectivity in the information plane of the optical disk 1 lowers to the level equivalent to the reflectivity at the surface of the optical disk, the FE signal from the FE generator 30 and the signal from the reflected light amount detector 70 begin to have same waveforms on the surface and the information plane of the optical disk 1, they are unable to be distinguished during focus pull in operation, and the focus control is carried out to the surface of optical disk 1. As a result, a problem of long time required for irradiating the desired address with optical beams occurs.
Furthermore, a beam spot of the optical beam must be made smaller in order to improve recording density of the optical disk 1. In general, achieving a small beam spot by shortening the focal length of condensing lens 15 shortens the distance from a focalized point on the information plane to colliding position and increases the possibility of collision between the condensing lens 15 and the optical disk 1. Consequently, a means to solve the problem for the equivalent reflectivity on the information plane and the surface of optical disk is proposed by carrying out focus pull in operation while the beam spot of the optical beam is kept away from the optical disk 1 after the condensing lens 15 is moved in such a manner that the beam spot of the optical beam is located on the optical disk 1 side rather than on the information plane of the optical disk. However, in the case that the distance from the focalized point on the information plane to the colliding position is smaller than the face-runout of the optical disk 1, it is impossible to bring the condensing lens 15 to the optical disk 1 from the information plane focalized point without collision and thus there is a big problem of inevitably damaging optical disk 1.

Optical head and optical disk apparatus for performing focus pull in

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


There is provided a work vehicle including: an engine in which a pulley for transmitting power is fitted to an output shaft disposed in such a manner as to project downward from a bottom; and a mount surface at which an opening, into which the pulley can be inserted, is formed, and further, on which the engine is mounted in the state in which the pulley is inserted into the opening from above. The work vehicle is further provided with a fixed plate that is fixed to the bottom of the engine and joined to the mount surface so as to fix the engine onto the mount surface. The output shaft is inserted through the fixed plate, and further, the fixed plate is interposed between the bottom of the engine and the pulley.

(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a work vehicle provided with an engine that is mounted on a mount surface and has an output shaft projecting downward from the mount surface.
(2) Description of Related Art
United States Patent Application Publication No. 2013/0047568 discloses a work vehicle provided with a pair of right and left main frames, a prime motor frame connected to the rear ends of the pair of right and left main frames, and an engine mounted on the prime motor frame. The prime motor frame has a through hole formed thereat. The engine is disposed such that the output shaft of the engine projects downward of the prime motor frame through the through hole. An output pulley is disposed at the lower end of the output shaft (i.e., a portion projecting downward through the through hole) from the lower portion of the prime motor frame. The power of the engine can be taken from the output pulley via a belt.
In the above-described conventional work vehicle, the through hole is formed to such an extent as to enable only the output shaft to pass therethrough. As a consequence, when the work vehicle is assembled, the output shaft is first inserted into the through hole, and thus, the engine is disposed in the prime motor frame. Next, the output pulley is fixed at the lower end of the output shaft at the lower portion of the prime motor frame. In this manner, the number of man-hours for fixing the engine to the prime motor frame is large with complicated work in the conventional work vehicle.
Moreover, when the engine is detached from the prime motor frame, the output pulley is first detached from the output shaft. Next, the engine is lifted upward, and thus, it is detached from the prime motor frame. In this manner, the conventional work vehicle needs a process in which the output pulley is detached from the output shaft. Consequently, the number of man-hours for detaching the engine from the prime motor frame also is large with complicated work in the conventional work vehicle. Thus, the maintenance for the engine or the work vehicle becomes difficult.


Provided is a high-strength steel sheet having high impact resistance. The steel sheet includes: by weight %, carbon (C): 0.05% to 0.14%, silicon (Si): 0.01% to 1.0%, manganese (Mn): 1.5% to 2.5%, aluminum (Al): 0.01% to 0.1%, chromium (Cr): 0.005% to 1.0%, phosphorus (P): 0.001% to 0.05%, sulfur (S): 0.001% to 0.01%, nitrogen (N): 0.001% to 0.01%, niobium (Nb): 0.005% to 0.06%, titanium (Ti): 0.005% to 0.11%, and the balance of iron (Fe) and inevitable impurities. The steel sheet has a microstructure comprising ferrite and bainite in a total area fraction of 90% or more. The steel sheet has a value of 0.05 to 1.0 as a shear texture ({110}<112>, {112}<111>) area ratio of a center region (ranging deeper than 1/10t to ½t in a thickness direction, t refers to thickness (mm)) and a surface region (ranging from a surface to 1/10t in the thickness direction).

High-strength hot-rolled steel sheets are mainly used for automotive parts such as chassis members, lower arms, reinforcing materials, or connecting materials, and techniques for improving the formability of such high-strength hot-rolled steel sheets have been proposed.
For example, techniques for improving the stretch-flangeability of steel sheets by forming the steel sheets as complex-phase steel sheets having a ferrite-bainite dual phase as a microstructure, or techniques for manufacturing steel sheets having high-strength and high-burring properties by forming ferrite or bainite as a matrix have been proposed.
Specifically, in Patent Document 1, a steel sheet is maintained in a ferrite transformation zone for several seconds under specific cooling conditions immediately after hot rolling, and then the steel sheet is coiled at a bainite formation temperature such that bainite is formed in the steel sheet, thereby forming a complex phase of polygonal ferrite and bainite as the microstructure of the steel sheet and guaranteeing the strength and stretch-flangeability of the steel sheet.
In addition, Patent Document 2 discloses a high-burring steel having C—Si—Mn-based bainitic ferrite and granular bainitic ferrite as a matrix, and Patent Document discloses a method for improving the stretch-flangeability of a steel sheet by forming bainite in an area fraction of 95% or more and minimizing grains stretched in the rolling direction.
To manufacture the above-mentioned high-strength steels, alloying elements such as Si, Mn, Al, Mo, and Cr are mainly used, which are effective in improving the strength and stretch-flangeability of hot-rolled steel sheets.
However, it is necessary to add such alloying elements in large amounts to improve the above-mentioned physical properties, causing segregation of the alloying elements, non-uniform microstructures, or the like and thus results in deterioration in stretch-flangeability. In addition, automobiles using steels containing large amounts of such alloying elements have poor crashworthiness because when automobiles crash, fractures easily occur in regions in which the alloying elements are segregated and regions having non-uniform microstructures.
In particular, the microstructures of high-hardenability steels sensitively change during cooling, causing the formation of uneven low-temperature transformation phases which results in deterioration in impact resistance.
In addition, if precipitate-forming elements such as Ti, Nb, and V are excessively added to increase the strength of steel, although the impact resistance of the steel increases owing to the increase in strength, the formability of the steel deteriorates because recrystallization is greatly delayed during hot rolling and thus microstructures are stretched in the rolling direction.
(Patent Document 1) Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 1994-293910
(Patent Document 2) Korean Patent Publication No. 10-1114672
(Patent Document 3) Korean Patent Publication No. 10-1528084

High-strength steel sheet having excellent impact resistant property and method for manufacturing thereof


A method of retrofitting a finished shoe to provide additional cushioning material. The method includes: providing a curable composition; providing the finished shoe; placing the curable composition directly on at least a portion of the finished shoe that is configured to contact a wearer's body when the finished shoe is being worn; and allowing the curable composition to cure and form a cushioning material adapted to facilitate wearing of the finished shoe with increased comfort.

The present invention is generally directed to shoes and, more specifically, to a method of retrofitting a finished shoe to provide additional cushioning material.
Shoe designers continue to try to develop comfortable shoes that consumers can wear without pain. Unfortunately, it is rare that a finished shoe does not aggravate the feet of a significant portion of potential consumers. Conventional finished shoes often rub and abrade a wearer's skin. One common example of shoe irritation is the rubbing against calves by the top of boots. More problematic is the rubbing caused by straps of women's shoes, such as high heel shoes. Often, high heel shoes can only be worn for a short period of time before the associated foot pain increases beyond the wearer's endurance. When a finished shoe aggravates a wearer there are no conventional solutions that are satisfactory.
Some conventional pads that are used when a finished shoe aggravates a foot have three layers. The pads include a solid paper or solid padding layer; an adhesive layer; and a release paper layer. These pads are not very useful because it is difficult to trim the pads down to a small size and because removal of the release paper is often problematic. Additionally, the use of an adhesive layer that is separate from the padding layer often makes it difficult to properly secure the padding layer to the shoe. The padding layer either falls off too easily or the adhesive layer damages the shoe upon removal. The solid padding is also inadequate and unsightly for use in small discreet portions of the shoe, such as the top of a toe box or on a thin strap, such as those found in high heels or sandals. The physical, sheet like properties of solid padding layers makes it difficult to properly place the padding on curved surfaces, such as along the inner sides of shoes near the front of the foot. In addition, the inability to place the padding layer directly onto the shoe limits the ability to provide precise spot coverage in trouble spots.
It would be advantageous to provide method of retrofitting finished shoes to provide additional cushioning material that preferably reduces foot and leg irritation caused by the rubbing of a finished shoe against the skin; that can preferably be used on straps such as those found on finished high heel shoes and the like; that preferably positions cushioning material directly onto the shoe without the use of additional adhesive layers; and that is preferably applied in a liquid and/or gel curable composition that rapidly cures to allow last minute touch ups to shoes close in time to when they will be worn.

Method of retrofitting a finished shoe to provide additional cushioning material


The present disclosure provides a pixel arrangement, including repeating units each having a first to sixth pixel columns. The first pixel column includes a first sub-pixel of an ith pixel row and a second sub-pixel of a (i+2)th pixel row; the second pixel column includes third sub-pixels of a jth pixel row and a (j+2)th pixel row; the third pixel column includes a second sub-pixel of the ith pixel row and a first sub-pixel of the (i+2)th pixel row; the fourth pixel column includes a first sub-pixel of the jth pixel row and a second sub-pixel of the (j+2)th pixel row; the fifth pixel column includes third sub-pixels of the ith pixel row and the (i+2)th pixel row; and the sixth pixel column includes a second sub-pixel of the jth pixel row and a first sub-pixel of the (j+2)th pixel row, where i=1 and j=2; or j=1 and i=2.

For an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display panel, a light-emitting material should be deposited to apertures of a pixel definition layer (PDL) by means of a vapor deposition mask to form a light-emitting layer of sub-pixels of different colors (R/GB). The conventional pixel arrangement is limited by the openings of the mask and the distance between the openings, and the current pixel arrangement cannot correspond to the manufacturing of the mask and vapor deposition process of a product with high pixels per inch (PPI).

Organic light-emitting display panel and pixel arrangement thereof


A liquid cooling system for an internal combustion engine of an outboard motor is disclosed. The cooling system includes a pump for delivering coolant to one or more coolant passages in the engine. At least one thermostat is provided for controlling the flow of coolant through the engine to one or more return lines which extend to a coolant pool extending about a lubricating oil reservoir. A pressure relief valve is provided between the pump and thermostat for relieving coolant from the engine upon excessive coolant pressure. The relieved coolant is preferably either delivered to a drain, a second coolant pool extending about a muffler, or the first coolant pool. Preferably, a diverter is provided for controlling the flow of the relieved coolant. When a temperature of the lubricating oil is high, the relieved coolant is preferably diverted to the first coolant pool for additionally cooling the oil in the reservoir, and when the temperature of the oil is low, the relieved coolant is preferably either diverted to the second coolant pool or the coolant drain for passage out of the motor.

Watercraft are often powered by outboard motors positioned at the stem of the craft. These motors have an internal combustion engine positioned within a cowling of the motor. Among other reasons, because the outboard motor is positioned at the stem of the craft, and because the motor is tiltable, it is desirable to keep the engine's size and weight to a minimum.
In order to keep the engine small, its various parts are typically mounted much closer to one another than might be the case with similar types of engines utilized in other settings. One problem which arises in these engines relates to keeping various of the components of the engine cool when they are so close to one another. The cooling problem is further aggravated by the fact that the engine is positioned within an enclosed cowling, trapping the heat therein.
It is especially important that the combustion chambers be cooled adequately, and be isolated from heat transfer from other portions of the engine. If the combustion chambers become too hot, the combustion efficiency is greatly reduced, lessening engine power output. In addition, if the combustion chambers become too hot, the lubricating oil may be scorched and burned, reducing its effectiveness. In addition, the cylinder walls, pistons or rings may be warped or damaged. The lubricating oil must be adequately cooled so that it does not break down and so that it does not transmit heat to the engine.
At the same time, when the engine is first started, it must heat up to a desired operating temperature in order for it to run efficiently. The lubricating oil is also desirably heated to a somewhat elevated temperature so that it flows freely throughout the engine.
A liquid cooling arrangement for an internal combustion engine which both cools the engine and yet provides for engine warm-up, is desirable.


A clamp fixture for supporting a baseball type cap of the type having a crown portion and a brim portion that extends outwardly from the crown on an embroidery machine includes a brim band having a curvilplanar configuration to resiliently urge the bill of a cap out of the path of a embroidery machine head, and allows embroidery on the lower portion of the crown portion, adjacent to the brim portion.

It has become increasingly popular to place logos or other graphic or printed content on the front crown portions of caps and hats. The logos, designs or other printed content typically show affiliation with a team or organization. One type of cap for which a name, logo or other written indicia is often desired is a soft cap with a rounded crown and a stiff brim projecting in front. This will type of cap is typically referred to as a baseball cap. Members of baseball teams have long worn these types of caps as part of their team uniforms. When used as part of a uniform, it has long been common for the front crown portion of the camp to display a design, logo, word or letter that symbolizes the team.
In more recent years, this same type of cap has been increasingly worn by casual wearers who are not necessarily baseball team members, but who are merely wearing these types of hats as part of their casual attire. These types of caps also are worn causally by non-players with team logos or designs of their favorite team as an indication of their support or affection for that team. The identifying logo or design most typically is located on the front of the crown portion of a cap. Using logos or designs on baseball caps to show affiliation extends beyond baseball teams. Baseball type hats are also widely used today as instruments of commercial advertising and promotion, wherein company names or logos are on caps in a similar manner, and used to promote organizations or products.
Most commonly, display logos or designs are placed, at least, in the front, center portions of the cap crown. As the myriad of contemporary uses of baseball type caps expands, there has been increasing interest in placing larger designs, or multi-component designs or textual matter on the front crown portion of baseball caps. For this reason, there has been increasing interest in enlarging the portion of the cap's crown used for display of the logos, designs or displayable textual material.
Embroidery is most often recommended and often most preferred way of decorating crown portion of baseball type caps and applying logos designs or displayable textual material thereto. When sewing baseball and other types of caps on an embroidery machine, it is common to secure and control the position of a cap during the embroidery process with a specially designed fixture, such as that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,819,675, assigned to the assignee of the present invention. While the fixture shown and described in this patent has been very successful, it is not without its disadvantages when attempting to sew about the lower portion of the crown portion of a baseball type cap, adjacent the brim. Due to the size and thickness of sewing heads on many embroidery machines, it becomes problematic with these types of fixtures to position a cap so the head of an embroidery machine can be put into an optimal position to sew the lower portion of the cap crown, particularly in the area adjacent to the cap's interface with the brim or bill of the cap. There therefore is a need in the prior art for gaining access to the lower portion of a cap crown with an embroidery machine.


A device is provided for use in a helical antenna having an antenna element wound about the periphery of a dielectric support post, the post being in the form of a tube or cylinder. The device has an electrically conductive member electrically connected to one end of said antenna element. The conductive member is of any appropriate shape or configuration and is operable to increase the loading on the antenna whereby standing waves on the antenna element are reduced and a more uniform electrical current is produced along the antenna element.

The increase in demand for mobile communication devices and in particular aeronautical satellite communication devices, which may be installed on light aircraft, has required that these devices become smaller. One of the larger components in these devices is the antenna. Antennas used for this type of communication are often large diameter helical antennas. The installation of these devices on light aircraft has thus created a need for smaller antennas and lower wind resistance. Further desirable qualities of a helix antenna for mobile communications devices would be reduced axial ratio, improved gain, wide bandwidth and reduced beamwidth.
Conventional helical antennas having the required gain, beam width and axial ratio performance would not fit into the space allotted within a radome of an aircraft or similar restricted space. It is also known to improve the gain of a helix antenna by tapering the helix pitch along the length of the antenna in the axial direction. This also provides reduced beam width.


A system for automatic detection of drill pipe coupling on a drilling machine is disclosed. The system may include a rotary head, a drill pipe, a display, and a controller. The controller may be configured to: automatically identify a coupling or decoupling condition of the drill pipe; monitor motion and forces associated with the rotary head during a coupling or decoupling action of the drill pipe; automatically identify a fully coupled or fully decoupled condition of the coupling or decoupling action based on the monitored motion and forces of the rotary head; terminate the coupling action based on the identification of the fully coupled or fully decoupled condition; and update the display to indicate the fully coupled or fully decoupled condition of the drill pipe.

Drilling machines, such as blasthole drilling machines, are typically used for drilling blastholes for mining, quarrying, dam construction, and road construction, among other uses. The process of excavating rock, or other material, by blasthole drilling comprises using the blasthole drill machine to drill a plurality of holes into the rock and filling the holes with explosives. The explosives are detonated causing the rock to collapse and rubble of the collapse is then removed and the new surface that is formed is reinforced. Many current blasthole drilling machines utilize rotary drill rigs, mounted on a mast, that can drill blastholes anywhere from 6 inches to 22 inches in diameter and depths up to 180 feet or more. In order to drill holes to a sufficient depth, the blasthole drilling machine may include one or more drill pipes and/or other drill components that are removably coupled to a rotary head to form a drill string.
The drill pipes may include threaded connections at a top end and a bottom end to facilitate coupling (and decoupling) of the drill pipe to the rotary head, a drill bit, and/or to other drill pipes in the drill string. Coupling or decoupling (e.g., screwing or unscrewing) the threaded connections of the drill pipe while the drill pipe is being added to or removed from the drill string can require intensive labor input, time, and complexity of control to ensure the drill pipe is fully coupled or decoupled. For example, a lack of accuracy in detecting an initial loosening of thread necessitates stopping the operation and repeating the operation manually, thus reducing efficiency. Further, a lack of accuracy in detecting the thread tightening impairs the dependability of the threaded joint, thereby creating a hazard for attending personnel and may result in failure.
An exemplary automatic drill pipe add and remove system is disclosed in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2014/0338973, published on Nov. 20, 2014 ("the '973 publication"). The system of the '973 publication automatically adds a drill pipe to or removes a drill pipe from the drill string by using a control module to interpret signals from a sensor assembly and to control one or more components of the drilling rig. For example, the control module may control a rotary head to couple a drill pipe to or decouple a drill pipe from the drill string based on the signals received from the sensor assembly. However, the '973 publication does not disclose the control module accurately detects and indicates when the drill pipe is fully coupled to or decoupled from the drill string.
The systems and methods of the present disclosure may address or solve one or more of the problems set forth above and/or other problems in the art. The scope of the current disclosure, however, is defined by the attached claims, and not by the ability to solve any specific problem.

Automatic drill pipe coupling detection control system


Circuit elements including a plurality of semiconductor devices and passive elements embedded in an insulating resin film are formed on a metal substrate having a surface roughness Ra of 0.3 to 10 μm. This produces an anchoring effect occurs between the substrate and the insulating film, thereby improving the adhesiveness between the substrate and the insulating resin film.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a circuit apparatus and a method of manufacturing the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Portable electronics equipment including cellular phones, PDAs, DVCs, and DSCs has been advancing at increasingly fast speed. Under the circumstances, miniaturization and weight saving have become essential in order for these products to be accepted in the market. To achieve this, system LSIs of higher integration have been sought after. Meanwhile, enhanced usability and convenience have been desired of such electronics equipment, and functional and performance sophistication has been required of the LSIs to be used for the equipment. Consequently, while the LSI chips of higher integration have grown in the number of I/Os, miniaturization has been highly required of the packages themselves. For the sake of satisfying both the requirements, there has been a strong demand to develop a semiconductor package suited to packaging semiconductor parts on a board at a higher density. To meet this demand, various types of packaging technologies called CSP (Chip Size Package) have been developed.
Among the known examples of such packages is a BGA (Ball Grid Array). In the BGA, semiconductor chips are mounted on the packaging board and molded with a resin before solder balls are formed over an area on the other side of the board as external terminals. Since the BGA realizes a planar mounting area, the package can be miniaturized relatively easily. Besides, the circuit board need not be rendered in narrower pitches, which eliminates the need for high-precision mounting technologies. The BGA can thus be used to reduce the total packaging cost even when the package itself costs relatively high.
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the general configuration of a typical BGA. The BGA 100 has the structure that an LSI chip 102 is mounted on a glass epoxy board 106 via an adhesive layer 108. The LSI chip 102 is molded with a sealing resin 110. The LSI chip 102 and the glass epoxy board 106 are electrically connected with metal wires 104. Solder balls 112 are arranged in an array on the backside of the glass epoxy board 106. Through these solder balls 112, the BGA 100 is mounted on a printed wiring board.
In such a package, semiconductor chips are sealed by using such techniques as transfer molding, injection molding, potting, and dipping (for example, see Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Hei 8-162486).
Techniques for achieving a low-profile system LSI of even higher precision and performance have also been disclosed. In the techniques, thin-film technologies and thick-film technologies are used to cover a base board unit with a layer that contains passive elements composed of resistor parts, capacitor parts, and/or pattern wiring parts which are supplied with power or signals from the base-board side through a dielectric insulating layer (for example, see Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2002-94247).
Moreover, as an approach to an improved heat radiation characteristic of the system LSI, technologies for using a metal or semiconductor board have also been disclosed (for example, see Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Hei 10-223832).
According to those conventional CSPs as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Hei 8-162486, however, it has been difficult to achieve portable electronic equipment and the like that are reduced in size, profile, and weight up to the levels desired at present. The improvement to the heat radiation characteristic has also been limited.
In the techniques of forming a layer containing passive elements composed of resistor parts, capacitor parts, and/or patterned wiring parts as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2002-94247, highly complicated processes are used for forming the thin films or thick films. In terms of the manufacturing cost of the passive elements, there has thus been room for further improvement. These complicated processes also have difficulty in flattening the surfaces of the passive elements. There has thus been room for further improvement even in terms of manufacturing stability.
When a metal or semiconductor board is used as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Hei 10-223832, the adhesiveness between the board and insulating films may be insufficient, possibly causing exfoliation and contributing to a drop in yield. Furthermore, when electronic parts such as an IC chip are mounted on the board, the electronic parts may fall outside their predetermined positions due to insufficient position accuracy. This can also contribute to a drop in yield.

Circuit apparatus provided with asperities on substrate surface


Apparatus for performing magnetic resonance imaging are disclosed. In one aspect coil antennas for use with a horizontal field magnetic resonance imaging apparatus are placed in proximity to the scanning region to obtain magnetic resonance images. The coils are arranged in quadrature geometry and housed in a planar structure.

The present invention relates to magnetic resonance imaging apparatus and procedures. In magnetic resonance imaging, an object to be imaged as, for example, a body of a human subject, is exposed to a strong, substantially constant static magnetic field. Radio frequency excitation energy is applied to the body, and this energy causes the spin vectors of certain atomic nuclei within the body to rotate or "precess" around axes parallel to the direction of the static magnetic field. The precessing atomic nuclei emit weak radio frequency signals during the relaxation process, referred to herein as magnetic resonance signals. Different tissues produce different signal characteristics. Furthermore, relaxation times are a major factor in determining signal strength. In addition, tissues having a high density of certain nuclei will produce stronger signals than tissues with F a low density of such nuclei. Relatively small gradients in the magnetic field are superimposed on the static magnetic field at various times during the process so that magnetic resonance signals from different portions of the patient's body differ in phase and/or frequency. If the process is repeated numerous times using different combinations of gradients, the signals from the various repetitions together provide enough information to form a map of signal characteristics versus location within the body. Such a map can be reconstructed by conventional techniques well known in the magnetic resonance imaging art, and can be displayed as a pictorial image of the tissues as known in the art.
The magnetic resonance imaging technique offers numerous advantages over other imaging techniques. MRI does not expose either the patient or medical personnel to X-rays and offers important safety advantages. Also, magnetic resonance imaging can obtain images of soft tissues and other features within the body which are not readily visualized using other imaging techniques. Accordingly, magnetic resonance imaging has been widely adopted in the medical and allied arts.
Several factors impose significant physical constraints in the positioning of patients and ancillary equipment in MRI imaging. Many MRI magnets use one or more solenoidal superconducting coils to provide the static magnetic field arranged so that the patient is disposed within a small tube running through the center of the magnet. The magnet and tube typically extend along a horizontal axis, so that the long axis or head-to-toe axis of the patient's body must be in a horizontal position during the procedure. Moreover, equipment of this type provides a claustrophobic environment for the patient. Iron core magnets have been built to provide a more open environment for the patient. These magnets typically have a ferromagnetic frame with a pair of ferromagnetic poles disposed one over the other along a vertical pole axis with a gap between them for receiving the patient. The frame includes ferromagnetic flux return members such as plates or columns extending vertically outside of the patient-receiving gap. A magnetic field is provided by permanent magnets or electromagnetic coils associated with the frame. A magnet of this type can be designed to provide a more open environment for the patient. However, it is still generally required for the patient to lie with his or her long axis horizontal.
Recently, ferromagnetic frame magnets having horizontal pole axes have been developed. As disclosed, for example, in commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/978,084, filed on Nov. 25, 1997, and U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,414,490 and 6,677,753, the disclosures of which are incorporated by reference herein, a magnet having poles spaced apart from one another along a horizontal axis provides a horizontally oriented magnetic field within a patient-receiving gap between the poles. Such a magnet can be used with a patient positioning device including elevation and tilt mechanisms to provide extraordinary versatility in patient positioning. For example, where the patient positioning device includes a bed or similar device for supporting the patient in a recumbent position, the bed can be tilted and/or elevated so as to image the patient in essentially any position between a fully standing position and a fully recumbent position, and can be elevated so that essentially any portion of the patient's anatomy is disposed within the gap in an optimum position for imaging. As further disclosed in the aforesaid applications, the patient positioning device may include additional elements such as a platform projecting from the bed to support the patient when the bed is tilted towards a standing orientation. Still other patient supporting devices can be used in place of a bed in a system of this type. For example, a seat may be used to support a patient in a sitting position. Thus, magnets of this type provide extraordinary versatility in imaging.
Another physical constraint on MRI imaging has been posed by the requirements for RF antennas to transmit the RF excitation energy and to receive the magnetic resonance signals from the patient. The antenna that receives the signals is positioned near that portion of the patient's body that is to be imaged so as to maximize the signal-to-noise ratio and improve reception of the weak magnetic resonance signals. The antenna that applies RF excitation energy can be positioned in a similar location to maximize efficiency of the applied RF energy. In some cases, the same antenna is used to apply RF excitation energy and to receive the magnetic resonance signals at different times during the process. However, it is often desirable to provide two separate antennas for this purpose.
The antennas are typically formed as one or more loops of electrically conductive material. Such a loop antenna must be positioned so that the conductor constituting the loop extends along an imaginary plane or surface having a normal vector transverse to the direction of the static magnetic field. Stated another way, the antenna must be arranged to transmit or receive electromagnetic fields in a direction perpendicular to the direction of the static magnetic field if it is to interact with the precessing atomic nuclei. This requirement has further limited available antenna configurations and techniques. For example, in a vertical-field magnet such as a ferromagnetic frame magnet having a vertical pole axis, it is impossible to use a loop antenna with the loop disposed generally in a horizontal plane below the body of a recumbent patient. Such an antenna has a normal vector which is vertical and hence parallel to the direction of the static magnetic field. A loop antenna which encircles the patient with its normal vector extending horizontally can be employed. Also, planar or saddle-shaped loops extending in generally vertical planes or surfaces, and having normal vectors in the horizontal direction transverse to the long axis of the patient can be positioned on opposite sides of the patient. However, these antenna configurations do not provide optimum signal-to-noise ratios in some procedures as, for example, in imaging the spine, head or pelvic region.

Coils for horizontal field magnetic resonance imaging


The present invention provides a LCOS structure and a method for fabricating same. The LCOS structure includes: a silicon substrate; a liquid crystal layer and a transparent conductive layer both disposed above the silicon substrate. In the silicon substrate, there are formed a conductive pad, an opening where the conductive pad is exposed, and at least one metal layer. The opening is located peripherally around the liquid crystal layer, there is no portion of the metal layer located under the conductive pad. The conductive backing is located at the same vertical level as one metal layer in the at least one metal layer and electrically connected thereto, a conductive adhesive fills in the opening and a gap between the silicon substrate and the transparent conductive layer. The transparent conductive layer is electrically connected to the conductive pad by conductive metal particles in the conductive adhesive.

Liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS) display devices are reflective liquid crystal display (LCD) devices that "project" color images based on liquid crystal control accomplished by semiconductor silicon crystal technology. Electrical connection of a transparent conductive layer (e.g., ITO) on one side of a liquid crystal layer to metal pads on the other side of the liquid crystal layer forms an important part of the fabrication of an LCOS display device.
In an LCOS display device as shown in FIG. 1, metal pads 12 are formed on a silicon substrate 11, a liquid crystal layer 13 above the silicon substrate 11 and a transparent conductive layer 15 above the liquid crystal layer 13. The transparent conductive layer 15 is electrically connected to the metal pads 12 by a conductive adhesive 14 (e.g., a silver adhesive). The fabrication of this LCOS display device is carried out at a die-level and suffers from low productivity.
In another LCOS display device as shown in FIG. 2, metal pads 22 are formed on a silicon substrate 21, and a number of metal layers (not shown) are often formed under each metal pad 22. A liquid crystal layer 23 is formed above the silicon substrate 21 and a transparent conductive layer 25 above the liquid crystal layer 23. In this LCOS display device, the transparent conductive layer 25 is electrically connected to the metal pads 22 by a conductive adhesive 24 using a wafer-level process with higher efficiency. However, empirical testing has found that under the action of a vertical pressure applied to bond the upper transparent conductive layer 25 (e.g., ITO) to the lower silicon substrate 21, conductive metal particles contained in the conductive metallic adhesive 24 tend to pierce the metal layers under the metal pads 22 like spikes, leading to cracks in the metal layers under the metal pads 22, which often become a cause of low reliability at a later time.
In a further existing LCOS display device (not shown), a glass substrate has portions, which extend beyond a silicon substrate, for example, respectively on left and right sides of the LCOS display device, in order to accommodate electrodes to be connected to peripheral circuitry. Since these glass substrate portions designed only for connection but not for display extend from the silicon substrate in opposite directions, they may take up a significant area and lead to bulkiness of the LCOS panel.

LCOS structure and method of forming same

OMNIVISION SEMICONDUCTOR (SHANGHAI) CO., LTD.


A training system for the solo operation of a powered vehicle, wherein the system includes: —providing means for electronic control of the speed and orientation of a ground vehicle or of the speed, orientation and height of a flying vehicle; —providing a virtual enclosure training area delineated by a plurality of spaced sensors; —providing means associated with said vehicle for communicating with, and receiving instructions from, each of said sensors; —whereby instructions received from said sensors may be used to control said means for electronic control such that movement of said vehicle is restricted to said virtual enclosure training area, and within said virtual enclosure training area, the speed and orientation of a ground vehicle or the speed, orientation and height of a flying vehicle controlled within preset parameters.

The Martin Jetpack presents particular problems in the training of pilots, in that it is a solo vehicle and cannot readily be adapted as a dual trainer vehicle.
The Martin Jetpack is shown in FIG. 1 of the drawings, and consists of a pair of spaced ducted fan assemblies connected to a central housing which supports an engine and a radiator and also provides protection for the pilot, who is strapped to a harness mounted on the housing. The Jetpack controls are mounted on armrests secured one to each side of the housing.
Hitherto, pilots have been trained to use a Martin Jetpack by a number of different methods, using one or more of: overhead wires to restrain and guide the Jetpack; tethers; learning trolleys which support and limit the scope of movement of the Jetpack; and training assistants who physically restrain and guide the Jetpack. The most effective training aid has been found to be the training assistants, since they can limit the range of movement of the Jetpack but still allow the pilot sufficient feedback to learn to fly, and of course are capable of varying the degree of help they give as the pilot gains confidence and competence. However, a physical assistance of this type is very labour intensive and also is very tiring for the persons providing the assistance.


Fuel cells and methods of operating fuel cells are disclosed. In one aspect, the invention features a fuel source for a fuel cell including a housing having an outlet, a structure having a portion in the housing, the structure defining a cavity and having a surface defining an opening in fluid communication with the cavity, and a fuel in the housing. The fuel is in fluid communication with the outlet through the opening and the cavity of the structure.

A fuel cell is a device capable of providing electrical energy from an electrochemical reaction, typically between two or more reactants. Generally, a fuel cell includes two electrodes, called an anode and a cathode, and a solid electrolyte disposed between the electrodes. The anode contains an anode catalyst, and the cathode contains a cathode catalyst. The electrolyte, such as an membrane electrolyte, is typically ionically conducting but electronically non-conducting. The electrodes and solid electrolyte can be disposed between two gas diffusion layers (GDLs).
During operation of the fuel cell, the reactants are introduced to the appropriate electrodes. At the anode, the reactant(s) (the anode reactant(s)) interacts with the anode catalyst and forms reaction intermediates, such as ions and electrons. The ionic reaction intermediates can flow from the anode, through the electrolyte, and to the cathode. The electrons, however, flow from the anode to the cathode through an external load electrically connecting the anode and the cathode. As electrons flow through the external load, electrical energy is provided. At the cathode, the cathode catalyst interacts with the other reactant(s) (the cathode reactant(s)), the intermediates formed at the anode, and the electrons to complete the fuel cell reaction.
For example, in one type of fuel cell, sometimes called a direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC), the anode reactants include methanol and water, and the cathode reactant includes oxygen (e.g., from air). At the anode, methanol is oxidized; and at the cathode, oxygen is reduced:CH3OH+H2O→CO2+6H++6e−  (1)3/2O2+6H+6e−→3H2O  (2)CH3OH+3/2O2→CO2+2H2O  (3)As shown in Equation (1), oxidation of methanol produces carbon dioxide, protons, and electrons. The protons flow from the anode, through the electrolyte, and to the cathode. The electrons flow from the anode to the cathode through an external load, thereby providing electrical energy. At the cathode, the protons and the electrons react with oxygen to form water (Equation 2). Equation 3 shows the overall fuel cell reaction.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


Provided are a computer program product, system, and method for performing code load operations on managed components in a system. A first node group comprising at least one computational node in the computer system performs code load operations for the managed components. Status of the code load operations at the managed component is written to a status data structure while the code load operations are being performed at the managed component. The first node group transfers control of the code load operations for the managed components to a second node group comprising at least computational node in the computer system while the code load operations are occurring at the managed components. A second node group reads the status data structure for the managed components to determine the status of the code load operations and continue the code load operations at managed components.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a computer program product, system, and method for performing code load operations on managed components in a system.
2. Description of the Related Art
In complex systems having numerous components, such as enterprise storage servers, the code load operations must be performed to update the code level at the different components. The code update operation, such as a firmware upgrade, takes that component offline and may disrupt the system operations. Such disruptions can be problematic for enterprise storage systems that require high availability. Further, expanding system components requiring code update operations can impact code load performance.
There is a need in the art for improved techniques for performing code load operations on managed components in a system.

Performing code load operations on managed components in a system

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION


A refrigeration cycle apparatus (1A) includes: a main circuit (2) composed of an evaporator (25), a first compressor (21), an intercooler (8), a second compressor (22), and a condenser (23) which are connected in this order; and an evaporation-side circulation path (5) that allows a refrigerant liquid retained in the evaporator (25) to circulate via a heat exchanger for heat absorption (6). The intercooler (8) is a heat exchanger that allows a refrigerant vapor compressed by the first compressor (21) to be cooled by the refrigerant liquid. A supply path (71) supplies, to the intercooler (8), a portion of the refrigerant liquid flowing in the first circulation path (5), and a recovery path (73) recovers the refrigerant liquid from the intercooler (8) to the evaporator (25).

Conventionally, refrigeration cycle apparatuses in which a chlorofluorocarbon or an alternative chlorofluorocarbon is used as a refrigerant are widely used. However, such refrigerants are responsible for the problems such as ozone depletion and global warming. In view of this, refrigeration cycle apparatuses have been proposed in which water is used as a refrigerant that places only an extremely small load on the global environment. As an example of such a refrigeration cycle apparatus, Patent Literature 1 discloses an air conditioner specialized for cooling.
When water is used as a refrigerant, a large amount of refrigerant vapor needs to be compressed at a high compression ratio. Accordingly, the air conditioner disclosed in Patent Literature 1 uses two compressors, i.e., a centrifugal compressor and a positive-displacement compressor, and the compressors are arranged in series so that a refrigerant vapor compressed by the centrifugal compressor is further compressed by the positive-displacement compressor.
In addition, when water is used as a refrigerant, the temperature of the refrigerant discharged from a compressor is high due to the physical properties of water. Therefore, the durability of members constituting a high-pressure part of the air conditioner is reduced. In order to address this problem, it is effective to dispose an intercooler between the upstream-side compressor and the downstream-side compressor as in the air conditioner disclosed in Patent Literature 1, and thus to temporarily reduce the temperature of the refrigerant vapor in the course of compression process.

PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.


The present invention is directed to nucleotide sequences coding for a bacterial enolase enzyme. These sequences may be used in improved methods for the fermentative preparation of amino acids using coryneform bacteria.

L-amino acids, especially L-lysine, are used in the feeding of animals, in human medicine and in the pharmaceutical industry. They are typically produced by fermenting strains of coryneform bacteria, especially Corynebacterium glutamicum. Because of the great importance of amino acids, work is continually being done to improve production processes. Improvements may concern measures relating to the fermentation process (e.g., relating to stirring and oxygen supply) or the composition of the nutrient medium, (e.g., relating to the sugar concentration during the fermentation). They may also concern the purification of product (e.g., by ion-exchange chromatography) or the intrinsic performance properties of the microorganism itself.
To improve the performance properties of amino acid-producing microorganisms, methods of mutagenesis, selection and mutant selection are often employed. These methods may be used to obtain strains that are resistant to antimetabolites, such as, for example, the lysine analogue S-(2-aminoethyl)-cysteine, or which are auxotrophic for amino acids which are important in terms of regulation, and produce L-amino acids. In addition, methods of recombinant DNA technology have been used to improve the L-amino-acid-producing strains of Corynebacterium glutamicum by amplifying individual genes of amino acid biosynthesis. General articles on this subject include Kinoshita ("Glutamic Acid Bacteria," in: Biology of Industrial Microorganisms, Demain and Solomon (eds.), Benjamin Cummings, London, UK, 1985, 115–142; Hilliger, BioTec 2:40–44 (1991); Eggeling, Amino Acids 6:261–272 (1994); Jetten, et al., Crit. Rev. Biotech.15:73–103 (1995); and Sahm, et al., Ann. New York Acad. Sci. 782:25–39 (1996)).

Nucleotide sequences which code for the eno gene