An electronics assembly for integration with a tire structure or in another environment includes a condition-responsive device, an RF source, an antenna, and at least one controllable switching element. The condition-responsive device may comprise at least one acoustic wave resonator that is configured for monitoring such parameters as pressure and temperature within a tire or associated wheel assembly environment. The frequency and bandwidth of the RF source is preferably inclusive of the respective resonant frequency bands for each acoustic wave resonator. An antenna may also be connected to the condition-responsive device for facilitating the transmission of electric signals generated therein. In some embodiments, a switching element is coupled between the condition-responsive device and the RF source. Selective control of such switching element results in the modulation of data on the RF carrier, causing the condition-responsive device to transmit both sensed condition information as well as some other predefined digital data signal. Another controllable switching element may be provided in parallel with the condition-responsive device to selectively cloak the device for predetermined amounts of time, thus offering an anti-collision solution for multiple transmitting condition-responsive devices. The switching elements and corresponding control elements may respectively correspond to such devices as a field-effect transistor with a programmable microcontroller input or as an RFID transponder.

The incorporation of electronic devices with pneumatic tire structures yields many practical advantages. Tire electronics may include sensors and other components for relaying tire identification parameters and also for obtaining information regarding various physical parameters of a tire, such as temperature, pressure, tread wear, number of tire revolutions, vehicle speed, etc. Such performance information may become useful in tire monitoring and warning systems, and may even potentially be employed with feed back systems to regulate proper tire parameters and vehicle performance.
Yet another potential capability offered by electronics systems integrated with tire structures corresponds to asset tracking and performance characterization for commercial vehicular applications. Commercial truck fleets, aviation craft and earth mover/mining vehicles are all viable industries that could utilize the benefits of tire electronic systems and related information transmission. Radio frequency identification (RFID) tags can be utilized to provide unique identification for a given tire, enabling tracking abilities for a tire. Tire sensors can determine the distance each tire in a vehicle has traveled and thus aid in maintenance planning for such commercial systems. Vehicle location and performance can be optimized for more expensive applications such as those concerning earth-mining equipment.
One particular type of condition-responsive device that has been utilized to determine various parameters related to a tire or wheel assembly is an acoustic wave device, such as a surface acoustic wave device (SAW). Such SAW devices include at least one resonator element made up of interdigital electrodes deposited on a piezoelectric substrate. When an electrical input signal is applied to a SAW device, selected electrodes cause the SAW to act as a transducer, thus converting the input signal to a mechanical wave in the substrate. Other electrodes then reverse the transducer process and generate an electrical output signal. A change in the output signal from a SAW device, such as a change in frequency, phase and/or amplitude of the output signal, corresponds to changing characteristics in the propagation path of the SAW device. In some SAW device embodiments, monitored resonant frequency and any changes thereto provide sufficient information to determine parameters such as temperature, pressure, and strain to which a SAW device is subjected.
Acoustic wave devices in the tire industry have typically been implemented as passive devices, as it has often been challenging in the past to implement complex electronic assemblies within a tire structure. Such passive acoustic wave devices are not provided with their own power supply. Instead, passive acoustic wave devices are interrogated by remote transceiver devices which transmit an energizing signal from a remote location to the acoustic wave device. The acoustic wave device stores some of this transmitted energy during excitation and may then transmit output signals indicating the resonant frequencies at which each resonator element in the acoustic wave device is excited.
Providing signals from a remote transceiver to an acoustic wave device often requires complex integrated circuitry as the interrogator must include electronics for both transmitting a signal to the acoustic wave device as well as for receiving a signal therefrom. Interrogation by a remote receiver often results in high levels of electromagnetic emissions as the transmitted signal must typically be characterized by power levels high enough to propagate through the communication channel formed by the tire or wheel assembly before reaching and energizing the acoustic wave device. Such high levels of electromagnetic emissions characterize a relatively inefficient means to interrogate the SAW transducer and may provide a potential source of interference in other nearby wireless communication systems. Thus, it may be desirable to provide an alternative system for relaying data between such tire electronics assemblies and a remote receiver location.
Another concern associated with passively operating acoustic wave devices is that many such devices typically exist in the same energizing field. This situation could occur when one sensor is provided in each of four or more tires on a given vehicle. When a remote transceiver emits an energizing signal to interrogate a given acoustic wave device, a plurality of signals may be received from multiple acoustic wave devices. A fundamental problem lies in the ability to distinguish among the received signals. For instance, since a shift in frequency output of an acoustic wave device is often being used to measure a physical phenomenon such as temperature or pressure, when several such acoustic wave devices are in the same energizing field at the same time conflicts such as overlaps in the respective resonant frequencies of the acoustic wave devices may exist, preventing resolution of unique frequency shifts for each respective acoustic wave device.
One known method for addressing the problem of utilizing multiple acoustic wave devices in the same energizing field corresponds to adding phase shift reflectors around planar antennas associated with the acoustic wave devices. This technique utilizes addressing functionality to overcome the problem of identification of various transmitting acoustic wave devices, but may limit other aspects of acoustic wave operation and is fundamentally limited by the number of available addresses. Thus, it may be desirable to provide an alternative solution for utilizing multiple acoustic wave devices in the same energizing field.
While various implementations of acoustic wave devices such as SAW sensors in tire electronic systems have been developed, no design has emerged that generally encompasses all of the desired characteristics as hereafter presented in accordance with the subject technology.
It should be appreciated that although examples of sensors have been described above with regard to potential application in a tire or wheel environment, the improved electronic assemblies and related aspects of the present invention as hereafter described can be utilized in any application in which it is desired to remotely sense physical parameters such as temperature or pressure. Examples of such application environments include, without limitation, tire or wheel assemblies or other locations associated with a vehicle, oil wells, refineries, water plants, etc.

Acoustic wave device with modulation functionality


A user terminal equipment and a method for antenna selection are provided according to the disclosure. The user terminal equipment includes a first signal transceiving antenna, K second signal transceiving antennas, and a rotating assembly. The first signal transceiving antenna and the K second signal transceiving antennas are disposed on the rotating assembly and configured to be driven to rotate by the rotating assembly, where K is a positive integer. The first signal transceiving antenna is configured to operate in a first frequency band, the K second signal transceiving antennas are configured to operate in a second frequency band, and the first frequency band is different from the second frequency band. The first signal transceiving antenna and the K second signal transceiving antennas are carried on a same rotating assembly to realize simultaneous rotation of two antennas operating in different frequency bands.

Customer premises equipment (CPE) is a terminal equipment for wireless broadband access. Generally, the CPE converts a network signal sent by a base station into a wireless-fidelity (Wi-Fi) signal. Since the CPE is capable of transceiving wireless network signals, cost for construing a wired network can be saved. Thus, the CPE can be widely applied to occasions where there is no wired network, such as rural areas, towns, hospitals, factories, districts, and the like. The fifth generation (5G) mobile communication technology is favored by users due to its high communication speed. For example, a transmission speed of 5G mobile communication is hundreds of times faster than that of 4G mobile communication in data transmission. Millimeter wave signal is a prevalent means to realize 5G mobile communication. However, when the millimeter wave antenna is applied to a user terminal equipment, a signal received is weak because it is easily blocked by objects, which in turn makes the communication effect of the user terminal equipment poor.
With the rapid development of mobile communication technology, requirements such as higher data transmission rate and lower communication delay have been proposed. It has become an industry trend to apply fifth generation (5G) communications to a customer premises equipment (CPE). The 5G spectrum mainly includes the sub-6 GHz spectrum and the millimeter wave spectrum. A CPE supporting millimeter wave communications usually requires millimeter wave antennas to be arranged in multiple directions, resulting in increased cost of the CPE.

User terminal equipment and method for antenna selection

GUANGDONG OPPO MOBILE TELECOMMUNICATIONS CORP., LTD.


A grease absorbing system for disposing of excess cooking grease or used cooking oil includes a grease absorbing member. In embodiments of the invention the grease absorbing member comprises an inner portion constructed of a grease absorbent material and an exterior layer enveloping the inner portion or a pair of exterior layers on either side of a plurality of medial layers. The exterior layer or layers are constructed of a grease permeable material for permitting grease to permeate through the exterior layer and into the inner portion or medial layers.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to disposable cooking grease traps and more particularly pertains to a new grease absorbing system for providing a system for disposing of excess cooking grease.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of disposable cooking grease traps is known in the prior art. More specifically, disposable cooking grease traps heretofore devised and utilized are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
Known prior art includes U.S. Pat. No. 5,814,396; U.S. Pat. No. 3,613,555; U.S. Pat. No. 4,950,524; U.S. Pat. No. 5,093,176; U.S. Pat. No. 3,209,978; U.S. Pat. No. 3,127,828; U.S. Pat. No. 3,415,662; and U.S. Pat. No. Des. 395,715.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not disclose a new grease absorbing system. The inventive device includes a grease absorbing member. The grease absorbing member comprises an inner portion constructed of a grease absorbent material and an exterior layer enveloping the inner portion. The exterior layer is constructed of a grease permeable material for permitting grease to permeate through the exterior layer and into the inner portion.
In these respects, the grease absorbing system according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of providing a system for disposing of excess cooking grease.
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of disposable cooking grease traps now present in the prior art, the present invention provides a new grease absorbing system construction wherein the same can be utilized for providing a system for disposing of excess cooking grease.
The general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new grease absorbing system apparatus and method which has many of the advantages of the disposable cooking grease traps mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a new grease absorbing system which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the prior art disposable cooking grease traps, either alone or in any combination thereof.
To attain this, the present invention generally comprises a grease absorbing member. The grease absorbing member comprises an inner portion constructed of a grease absorbent material and an exterior layer enveloping the inner portion. The exterior layer is constructed of a grease permeable material for permitting grease to permeate through the exterior layer and into the inner portion.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the scientists, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application. The abstract is neither intended to define the invention of the application, which is measured by the claims, nor is it intended to be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new grease absorbing system apparatus and method which has many of the advantages of the disposable cooking grease traps mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a new grease absorbing system which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the prior art disposable cooking grease traps, either alone or in any combination thereof.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new grease absorbing system which may be easily and efficiently manufactured and marketed.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new grease absorbing system which is of a durable and reliable construction.
An even further object of the present invention is to provide a new grease absorbing system which is susceptible of a low cost of manufacture with regard to both materials and labor, and which accordingly is then susceptible of low prices of sale to the consuming public, thereby making such grease absorbing system economically available to the buying public.
Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new grease absorbing system which provides in the apparatuses and methods of the prior art some of the advantages thereof, while simultaneously overcoming some of the disadvantages normally associated therewith.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new grease absorbing system for providing a system for disposing of excess cooking grease.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new grease absorbing system which includes a grease absorbing member. The grease absorbing member comprises an inner portion constructed of a grease absorbent material and an exterior layer enveloping the inner portion. The exterior layer is constructed of a grease permeable material for permitting grease to permeate through the exterior layer and into the inner portion.
These together with other objects of the invention, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be made to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there are illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention.


A Macadamia integrifolia whitening extract and a preparation method thereof are disclosed. The preparation method includes: S1: carrying out a hot extraction on a crushed Macadamia integrifolia green peel using an ethanol solution as an extraction solvent to obtain a crude green peel extract; then enzymatically treating the crude green peel extract using a snailase to obtain a enzymatic hydrolysate; finally extracting the enzymatic hydrolysate using a petroleum ether, and taking an aqueous phase to obtain a green peel extract; S2: carrying out a hot extraction on crushed Sichuan lovase rhizome decoction pieces using an ethanol solution as an extraction solvent to obtain a Sichuan lovase rhizome extract; S3: dispersing the green peel extract and the Sichuan lovase rhizome extract in water to obtain a whitening extract.

The Macadamia integrifolia green peel contains a lot of phenolic compounds, such as arbutin which has the functions of repairing sun damage and whitening. Green peel is the peel of Macadamia integrifolia, which accounts for more than 50% by weight of the fresh fruit. Although the green peel has a relatively large biomass, the resources of the Macadamia integrifolia green peel are not fully utilized. Most of the green peel is discarded and only a small part is used for fertilizer production. A large number of discarded green peels are accumulated, decayed and deteriorated in the natural environment, causing a severe environmental pollution. Therefore, the first step in the comprehensive utilization of Macadamia integrifolia resources is to realize the comprehensive utilization of its discarded ingredients. If the functional ingredients in the Macadamia integrifolia green peel can be fully developed, it is possible to improve the additional value of Macadamia integrifolia and thereby expand the Macadamia integrifolia industry chain. In the prior art, the refined products obtained by extracting and preparing from Macadamia integrifolia green peel have limited content of substances with a whitening effect such as arbutin, and thus the whitening effect thereof cannot meet application requirements. In addition, due to the complex composition of the phenolic substances in the green peel, a more complicated operation process is required to extract, separate and purify the target components, which increases the cost of recycling Macadamia integrifolia green peel. In addition, the existing extraction and separation technologies for the whitening components of Macadamia integrifolia green peel is not applicable for industrial production, which hinders the comprehensive utilization of resources of Macadamia integrifolia green peel. There is an urgent need to develop a low-cost, convenient and quick preparation method of whitening products from Macadamia integrifolia green peel to meet the needs of practical applications.


Within a network environment, redundant capabilities for exchanging call-processing signals enhance reliability of telephony support for telephony endpoint devices. A data network, such as a telephony-over-local area network, provides primary support for the telephony endpoint devices, which may be telephony-enabled computers or Internet Protocol telephones. A second network has a first mode in which it is inactive with respect to telephony traffic to the telephony endpoint devices, but has a second mode in which call-processing signals are routed through the second network in response to a determination that the data network is disabled. As a result, telephone features such as call deflection may be continued when the primary support is disabled. In some implementations, the second network includes a third mode in which the voice information is also carried as a response to determining that the data network is disabled and the currently available bandwidth of the second network exceeds a threshold bandwidth level.

The invention relates generally to systems and methods for supporting telephony for an enterprise and relates more particularly to reducing the susceptibility of telephony systems to data network failures.
There are a variety of alternative approaches to supporting call sessions for telephones of an enterprise, such as a corporation. A traditional approach is to use a private branch exchange (PBX) to provide all of the call processing for telephony devices. The call processing by the PBX includes supporting call-related features, such as call forwarding and voice messaging, in addition to the required routing of incoming and outgoing calls.
Another known approach is to integrate the call processing with a data network, such as a local area network (LAN) of an enterprise. The separate components that are used to form a particular telephony-over-LAN (ToL) system will vary from implementation to implementation. Common components include gatekeepers, gateways, legacy PBXs, Internet Protocol (IP) phones and endpoints, and messaging servers.
An example of a ToL system is shown in FIG. 1. The ToL system includes a number of endpoints 10, 12 and 14, with each endpoint including a personal computer 16 and a telephone 18. The personal computers are configured to run ToL software. Thus, each computer may be equipped with a telephony application programming interface (TAPI) that allows the computer to have telephone capability. The telephones 18 may be digital phones. While the system of FIG. 1 includes linked computers and telephones, the device endpoints of a ToL system may alternatively be standalone IP phones, and/or the computers may be equipped with microphones and speakers that enable the computers to function as telephones.
The endpoints 10 transfer non time-critical data (such as electronic mail) and time-critical data (such as voice information) to each other using communication resources 20 of the data network 22, which is represented as a bus. The communication resources may include routers, switches and other conventional components. The computers 16 and telephones 18 are network endpoints that have unique addresses. For example, each of the computers may have a unique IP address that is used to uniquely identify the computer as the target endpoint for particular data and voice transfers.
In the example of FIG. 1, the data network 22 is a LAN. The system includes a gateway 24 and a gatekeeper 26. The gatekeeper maintains a database of the unique addresses for the endpoints of the network. Upon receiving a request for a data or voice transfer from an external telephony device to one of the network endpoints, such as the telephony-enabled personal computer 16 of the first workstation 10, the gatekeeper translates an endpoint alias (such as a host name or e-mail address) or translates a telephone address (such as an address in a telephone number format) to identify the network endpoint. The various functions of gatekeepers are known in the art.
The gateway is used to provide protocol conversions, when necessary. The gateway may translate call-processing signals and voice information from a packet-switched format used within the data network 22 to a circuit-switched format that is used by some external networks 28, such as the public switched telephone network (PSTN). The protocol conversion enables endpoints of the network 22 to communicate with external telephony devices, such as telephones, workstations of other enterprises, or workstations of the same enterprise (corporation) having facilities in more than one city. If the data network 22 is only connected to another data network, such as when networks are interconnected to form a wide area network (WAN), the gateway 24 may not be necessary, since protocol conversion may not be required.
The system of FIG. 1 also includes an off-network messaging system 30. The workstations 10, 12 and 14 may be configured to allow a user to automatically transfer incoming calls to the messaging system when the user is going to be unavailable or when the user wishes to remain undisturbed. Messages that are recorded by the system 30 may be retrieved by the appropriate users at a later time.
The utilization of a data network 22 to support telephony capability for various endpoints 10, 12 and 14 has a number of advantages. System upgrades are easily implemented. Often, the upgrade only requires the installation of software at the computers, with the software being downloaded and installed at the user's convenience. Moreover, sophisticated telephony features can be provided inexpensively, since the processing power of the computer may be employed.
Avoiding communication isolation is an important concern for corporations, whether the corporation employs separate data and telephony systems or integrates telephony and data communications support. U.S. Pat. No. 6,301,352 to Chung et al. describes a method and system that addresses the concern as applied to a network of computers that are not used for providing telephone conversations, but are linked to the PSTN in order to receive data from other computers or computer networks. Thus, there is a path from the PSTN to the LAN of computers. If the path to the LAN is disrupted, the computers will be able to interact with each other, but will be isolated from the PSTN. The Chung et al. patent specifically addresses the problem in which the path from a common channel signaling gateway to the LAN is disrupted. The Chung et al. system provides a second path to the LAN. The alternative signaling paths provide improved fault tolerance for connecting LANs to external networks.

Systems and methods using secondary signal backchanneling


The present invention aims to provide a method of producing a fluoropolymer aqueous dispersion having a significantly small particle size and excellent dispersion stability without using a long-chain fluorosurfactant. The present invention relates to a method of producing an aqueous dispersion containing at least one fluoropolymer selected from the group consisting of polytetrafluoroethylene and melt-processible fluororesins excluding polytetrafluoroethylene. The method includes polymerizing a fluoromonomer in an aqueous medium in the presence of a fluorosurfactant having a Log POW value of not higher than 3.4 and a polymerization initiator. The amount of the fluorosurfactant corresponds to 4600 to 500000 ppm of the aqueous medium.

Fluororesin aqueous dispersions are usually produced by emulsion polymerizing a fluoromonomer in the presence of a fluorosurfactant. Conventional fluorosurfactants are long-chain fluorosurfactants such as perfluorooctanoic acid or its salt.
However, Patent Literature 1 discloses that the persons and parties involved have proposed to control disposal of ammonium perfluorooctanoate, which does not exist in the natural world and is difficult to decompose, in consideration of the environment, and they also have indicated that the substance is highly bioaccumulative.
Thus, Patent Literature 1 discloses a polytetrafluoroethylene aqueous emulsion obtained by emulsion polymerizing tetrafluoroethylene alone or with a monomer copolymerizable therewith in an aqueous medium using a fluorinated emulsifier represented by the formula (1): XCF2CF2(O)mCF2CF2OCF2COOA (wherein X represents a hydrogen atom or a fluorine atom; A represents a hydrogen atom, an alkali metal, or NH4; and m is an integer of 0 or 1) in an amount of 1500 to 20000 ppm based on the final yield of polytetrafluoroethylene.
Patent Literature 2 discloses a low molecular weight polytetrafluoroethylene aqueous dispersion produced by a method of producing a low molecular weight polytetrafluoroethylene, comprising emulsion polymerizing tetrafluoroethylene alone or tetrafluoroethylene and a modifying monomer copolymerizable with the tetrafluoroethylene in an aqueous medium in the presence of a reactive compound and a chain-transfer agent, wherein the reactive compound has a hydrophilic group and a functional group that is reactive in radical polymerization, and the amount of the reactive compound is more than the amount corresponding to 10 ppm based on the amount of the aqueous medium.
Further, Patent Literature 3 discloses an aqueous dispersion of fluoropolymer particles produced by a method of producing an aqueous dispersion of fluoropolymer particles, comprising the steps of: preparing dispersed particles of a fluorinated ionomer in an aqueous polymerization medium; and polymerizing at least one fluorinated monomer in the presence of the dispersed particles of the fluorinated ionomer and an initiator in the aqueous polymerization medium to form an aqueous dispersion of fluoropolymer particles.

Production method for fluoropolymer aqueous dispersion


The deployment mechanism comprises three identical operative assemblies mounted on a fixed main frame. Each operative assembly comprises a linear actuator and first and second links disposed in such a manner as to ensure self-locking in a deployed position by causing the axes of the following three hinges to pass to or slightly beyond a dead point where they are in alignment: the hinge between the main frame and a first zone of the first link; the hinge between the upstream end of the second link and a second zone of the first link; and the hinge between the downstream end of the second link and a link support mounted on the deployable portion of the nozzle. The actuator is secured and anchored to a non-deployable portion of the nozzle and it includes a drive member whose free end is hinged to a third zone of the first link, and it is deactivated in both of the final positions, i.e. when the deployable portion is deployed and when it is retracted.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a self-locking and reversible mechanism for deploying the diverging portion of a rocket engine nozzle, the mechanism comprising three identical actuation assemblies mounted on a main frame fixed on a non-deployable portion of the nozzle.
It is common practice, in particular with the intermediate stages of launchers, to use rocket engine nozzles with deployable diverging portions that enable the outlet section of the nozzle to be adapted as a function of ambient pressure, which pressure falls off in going from low altitudes close to earth to high altitudes where the space vehicle leaves the earth's atmosphere, such that optimum thrust is conserved in spite of changing altitude.
The deployable portion of the nozzle must therefore be capable of being deployed automatically and reliably with minimum energy expenditure electrical, hydraulic, or pneumatic control means.
2. Prior Art
Different types of mechanism have already been proposed for deploying the deployable diverging portions of rocket engine nozzles, and in particular deployment mechanisms that are based on cable systems, ball screw systems, extensible beam systems, membrane systems, or spring systems.
Such known mechanisms are generally non-reversible, in other words once they provide a locking function, as with an extension beam system, for example, such locking in the deployed position is irreversible. These types of deployment mechanisms are therefore not adapted to vehicles such as space aircraft for which it is necessary both to deploy and to retract the diverging portion. In addition, some deployment mechanisms are fitted with electrically controled auxiliary locking devices that complicate implementation of the assembly and increase its mass.
Overall, the deployment mechanisms that have already been proposed are complex to implement, and are bulky or give rise to an increase in mass that constitutes a severe penalty for a space vehicle.
There is also known from document FR-A-2 568 316 a deployable diverging portion system having a single moving part that moves in translation parallel to the axis of the nozzle. Actuators displace the part along fixed columns disposed parallel to the axis of the nozzle.
Mechanisms have also been proposed for deploying a diverging portion that comprise actuator-and-linkage assemblies. Nevertheless, known mechanisms of this type are also bulky, not simultaneously lockable and reversible, and are not always adapted to rigid type deployable diverging portions.
Document U.S. Pat. No. 4,489,889 discloses a non-reversible deployment mechanism for the diverging portion of a rocket-engine nozzle, which mechanism makes use of an actuator associated with a linkage-and-cam system. Nevertheless, that relatively complex mechanism provides no self-locking, and in the deployed position the actuator must continue to be actuated, which tends to reduce reliability.
Document FR-A-2 622 931 describes an actuating mechanism for an extensible thrust nozzle of a rocket engine, comprising a linkage driven by actuators. The actuating mechanism described in that document includes separate control and guidance members which creates additional bulk, both in the folded position and in the extended position, without neither ensuring that the moving portion is automatically locked in its retracted and deployed positions, or providing reliable guidance on reaching its extreme retracted and deployed positions.

Self-locking and reversible mechanism for deploying the diverging portion of a rocket engine nozzle


An integrated circuit package has a top die attach area and a bottom heat spreader thermally coupled to the die for conducting heat generated by the die through a thermal interface in the main circuit board to a heat sink or heat pipe mounted underneath the main circuit board. The preferred thermal interface is a thin, thermally conductive slug mounted through an opening formed in the main circuit board. The heat spreader spans the bottom surface of the integrated circuit package substantially parallel to the main circuit board and preferably extends substantially to the inner periphery of the pin arrangement which preferably, although not exclusively, is in a ball grid array. The opening formed in the main circuit board through which the thin, thermally conductive slug is fitted, is preferably substantially flush with the bottom surface of the main circuit board and juxtaposed against the heat spreader. A thermally conductive adhesive is preferably applied to the adjoining surfaces of the heat spreader and the slug.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to integrated circuit packages, and more specifically to an integrated circuit package having a top cavity die attach area while sinking heat through the bottom of the package.
2. Description of Related Art
Packages for integrated circuits have evolved over the years from the simplistic single and dual inline packages (SIP) and (DIP) respectively, through the more sophisticated and denser pin grid array (PGA), staggered pin grid array (SPGA), and ball grid array (BGA). The so-called tape carrier package (TCP) is used in small form-factor products such as laptop computers, due to its small footprint and low clearance characteristics. The TCP is produced through the so-called Tape Automated Bonding (TAB) process that is pervasive in portable electronics. An exemplary, but not exclusive application of the TCP can be found in the mobile Pentium.RTM. processor from the Intel Corporation of Santa Clara, Calif.
Referring now to FIG. 1, a TCP device 10 (such as the mobile Pentium.RTM. processor) is constructed from a flexible tape 12 that is laminated with a copper foil on its bottom. The flexible tape 12 has an opening 14 formed near its center for attachment of a die 15. The copper foil is photo-imaged and etched forming an arrangement of pads around the opening 14 with gold plated electrical traces extending therefrom to conductive fingers 16 formed at the outer borders of the tape 12. The fingers 16 are bent in a gull-winged fashion for attachment to a circuit board 18. Special "gold bumps" 25 are deposited on standard aluminum bond pads formed around the top periphery of the die 15. The gold bumps 25 are then attached to the arrangement of pads formed on the bottom of tape 12 through so-called thermal compression bonding. After the die 15 is attached, a blob of encapsulant such as polyimide siloxane 20 is applied to the opening 14 to protect and seal the die 15.
To attach the TCP 10, special tooling presses the gull-winged shaped fingers 16 to the circuit board 18 and applies heat to fuse the fingers 16 to pads formed on the circuit board 18. In its installed position, the bottom of the die 15 is directly attached with a thermally conductive adhesive 26 to the top of a plurality of thermal vias 22 (i.e. metal-plated through holes) formed through circuit board 18. The bottom of the thermal vias 22 are coupled to the top of the heat sink 24 through thermal plane 27 and thermal grease. The TCP device 10 sinks heat through its bottom due to its die 15 being in direct contact with thermal vias 22 on the circuit board 18, and ultimately through the heat sink 24 disposed underneath the circuit board 18. Alternatively, a heat pipe (not shown) could be coupled between the thermal plane 27 and a remotely located heat sink 24.
By way of further background, a standard Ball Grid Array (BGA) package (not shown) is a piece of "circuit board-like" planar laminate material (however much thicker and sturdier than the TCP tape) with its bottom (i.e. the side towards the main circuit board in its mounted position) having a die attach cavity formed thereon with electrical traces etched from the die attach area to an array of solder balls (ergo BGA). After the die is affixed to the die attach area, the aluminum bond pads are bonded out to the etched traces on the laminate material by well known wire bond techniques and a resin encapsulant is applied over the die for protection. A thin piece of metal acting as a heat spreader is attached to the top of the BGA package and a heat sink is typically attached to the heat spreader to further dissipate heat.
The BGA device is attached to the main circuit board by placing it so that its solder balls are aligned with attachment pads formed on the main circuit board and passing the entire circuit board through an oven that re-flows the solder balls. The BGA package, which has a small footprint, low clearance, and is easier to install than the TCP, sinks heat through the top mounted heat spreader in contact with a top mounted heat sink--as is conventional with most integrated circuit packages. Consequently, a drawback with switching a design with a part having a TCP to a BGA package in a tight form-factor product (e.g. a laptop computer), is that it requires extensive mechanical and thermal changes to the internals of the product (e.g. case size, circuit board mounts, and heat sink/heat pipe designs).
Another drawback with the TCP is that it requires special tooling to: cut the assembly from the tape, form the leads into a gull wing like shape, and to place and solder the assembly onto the circuit board. Moreover, the thin flexible tape used as the substrate in a TCP is subject to warp under heat. Consequently, an attempt to adapt a TCP into a BGA arrangement is undesirable since standard re-flow soldering techniques would most likely warp the tape substrate thus skewing the solder balls off of the attachment pads--making attachment unreliable. Moreover, the attachment process becomes more complex and ostensibly more expensive if stiffeners are added to the tape substrate after the part is already formed and cut with the special TCP tooling.
Another drawback with TCP is the die is required to have special gold bumps deposited on its aluminum pads for thermal compression bonding--adding complexity and cost to the product.
Yet another drawback with the TCP is that the yield rates for successful circuit board installation are typically much lower as compared to more conventional packages such as the BGA since, among other things, the die which is brittle, is directly attached to the main circuit board which may be subject to twisting and shock.
Yet another drawback, particularly with devices which have high power consumption requirements such as a processor, is that heat is dissipated through thermal vias which are formed in the circuit board--potentially weakening or causing damage to surrounding components.
Accordingly, it can be seen from the foregoing, that there is a need for an alternative integrated circuit package that minimizes mechanical and thermal changes to systems originally designed for low profile TCP devices.

Attachment assembly for integrated circuits


A method of selecting a commercial clothing pattern size for a user includes the step of comparing a neck size of the user to a numerical table, wherein the numerical table has a range of neck sizes corresponding to a corresponding range of clothing pattern sizes. A clothing pattern size corresponding to the neck size is then selected from the numerical table.

To date, sewing pattern sizes are determined according to the bust size of the user. Once pattern size according to bust is selected, the pattern template is adjusted to provide a customized fit, typically by folding, cutting and pasting the various pieces of the pattern. Bust sizes vary greatly on women and when patterns are determined by bust size, they typically do not fit the neck, shoulder and armscye of the user and cannot be adjusted easily. This is because the user must adjust curved lines which get distorted. On the other hand, using a pattern closest to the user's neck size according to the present invention, the user generally only has to add or subtract circumference to the bust, waist, hips and sleeves to adjust the pattern to obtain a customized fit. Using sewing patterns according to the present invention results in a re-usable personal adjustment code for application to sewing patterns which is a result of comparing the user's personal measurements against the corresponding pattern measurements.

Method of determining the correct size in women's sewing patterns


An epitaxial layer with a doping of approximately 10.sup.12 atoms per cm.sup.2 is used in accordance with the resurf condition for the high-voltage circuit element in high-voltage integrated circuits of the resurf type. If the circuit comprises a zone which is provided in the epitaxial layer, which is of the same conductivity type as the substrate, and to which a high voltage is applied, the doping between this zone and the substrate must in addition be sufficiently high for preventing punch-through between the zone and the substrate. A known method of complying with these two requirements is to make the epitaxial layer very thick. It is found in practice, however, that this method is often not very well reproducible. According to the invention, the epitaxial layer is provided in the form of a high-ohmic layer which is doped from the upper side (3a) and from a buried layer (3b). The buried layer is blanket-deposited, which dispenses with a masking step, and is locally redoped by the island insulation zone (4).

The invention relates to a method of manufacturing a high-voltage semiconductor device of the resurf type whereby a silicon body with a substrate of a first conductivity type is provided at a surface with a surface layer of the opposite, second conductivity type whose thickness and doping concentration are chosen such that the surface layer can be depleted at least locally throughout its thickness without breakdown, whereby the layer is subdivided into a number of mutually separated islands by means of insulation zones of the first conductivity type which are diffused into the surface layer, and whereby a circuit element with a surface zone of the first conductivity type which extends from the surface into the surface layer over part of the thickness of the surface layer is provided in at least one of said islands. The invention also relates to a semiconductor device manufactured by this method. Such a method and a device manufactured thereby are known inter alia from the article "A versatile 700-1200-V IC process for analog and switching applications" by A. W. Ludikhuize, published in IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices, Vol. 38. No. 7, July 1991, pp. 1582-1589.
The resurf principle is described inter alia in the article "High voltage thin layer devices (resurf devices)" by J. A. Appels and H. M. J. Vaes, (Techn. Digests IEDM 1979, pp. 238/241) and is based on the phenomenon that electrical breakdown in a comparatively thin layer is avoided by means of depletion of the layer throughout its thickness, so that an electric field distribution is obtained at the surface such that the breakdown voltage approaches its theoretical maximum value. It follows from calculations that the product N*d of the thickness d and doping concentration N must be of the order of 10.sup.12 atoms per cm.sup.2 for resurf. Owing to the high breakdown voltage, the resurf principle is highly suitable for use in high-voltage semiconductor devices such as indicated in the above publication by Ludikhuize. This describes integrated circuits in which the surface layer is provided in the form of an n-type epitaxial layer of silicon on a p-type silicon substrate. Various circuit elements for high-voltage applications are provided in the epitaxial layer, such as transistors of the LDMOST (lateral DMOST) type. Such a transistor has a p-type channel region or back-gate region in which an n-type source is formed. The drain lies at some distance from the back-gate region, separated therefrom by an interposed drift region. As is noted in the cited publication, some transistors are used under operating conditions different from those for other transistors. Thus the same voltage (ground) is applied to the back-gate region and to the substrate in a number of transistors, which may give rise to a high voltage between back gate and drain. In other transistors, for example transistors operated in the source-follower mode or transistors at the high-voltage side in bridge circuits, a very high voltage may also be applied to the back-gate region. A high voltage may be present between the substrate and the back-gate region in this situation, which renders it imperative that no electrical breakdown (punch-through) occur between the substrate and the back-gate region. A similar situation can arise in the source and drain of HV p-channel MOS transistors. To avoid punch-through, the product N*D, in which D is the thickness of the portion of the epitaxial layer between substrate and back-gate region, must be sufficiently great. This is achieved in the known device in that the epitaxial layer is made comparatively thick while N has a low value, so that sufficient charge remains below the comparatively thin back-gate region; in the embodiment described, however, the epitaxial layer has a thickness of no more than 23 .mu.m for N.apprxeq.7*10.sup.14 per cm.sup.3. It is found in practice, however, that it is comparatively difficult to manufacture such a device with a sufficient reproducibility owing to fluctuations in the doping, i.e. to keep. fluctuations of the total doping N*d within 20%.

Method of manufacturing a high-voltage semiconductor device


A modular drive system for a self-stacking conveyor belt adapted to travel at least along one non-linear path segment includes at least one drive cassette adapted to removably engage sidelinks on an edge of the conveyor belt, and preferably at least a first drive cassette engaging the conveyor belt sidelinks at an inner curve of the segment and at least a second drive cassette engaging the conveyor belt sidelinks at an outer curve of the segment.

Known self-stacking freezer systems appear, when viewed from above, to resemble a donut, i.e. each tier of the freezer conveyor belt stack providing the "donut's" circumferential shape and defining a "hole" in the center. Sidelinks of the belt are made from various materials and the construction of same and the known freezer systems limit airflow for cooling or freezing(collectively "freezing") of products, such as in particular food products. There has also been to date no economical way to provide for accurate and reliable horizontal and vertical alignment of the tiers when such are being driven for a freezing application. Known freezer systems also include drive assemblies which require the complete cessation of the conveyor belt and therefore the system when the drive assembly must be stopped and removed for maintenance or repair.
Known systems that are made of stainless steel have each of the sidelinks welded to the belt independent of each other. Should damage occur to either a sidelink or the belt, the belt must be removed completely from the freezer system for repair or cut while in the freezer in order to accomplish the repair. The former option is most commonly employed, while the latter is the most dangerous. In either instance, the choice is undesirable due to the entire system having to be shut down and the process being costly, time consuming, unwieldy, unhygienic, and possibly dangerous.

Self-stacking spiral conveyor with modular drive system


An apparatus and process for isomerizing a hydrocarbon stream rich in a C4 hydrocarbon and/or at least one of a C5 and C6 hydrocarbon which includes a first drier and a second drier; and a reaction zone communicating with at least the first drier. The first drier operates at a first condition to dry the reactant and the second drier operates at a second condition during regeneration. The used regenerant remaining in the second drier after regeneration can (1) pass through a vent-to-flare assembly in a batch-wise manner; (2) pass through a downflow-depressure-to-low-pressure-device assembly in a batch-wise manner; (3) pass through a cross-over piping purge assembly to minimize upsets in the reaction and fractionation zones when the second drier is placed back in operation; or any combination of (1) (2) and/or (3) to minimize upsets in the reaction and fractionation zones when the second drier is placed back in operation.

Isomerization of light paraffins is often conducted to increase the octane content of gasoline. Generally, such isomerization processes are conducted on separate light hydrocarbon fractions. As an example, isomerization of butane, or pentane and/or hexane (hereinafter may be abbreviated pentane-hexane) is undertaken in separate isomerization units to improve the gasoline quality. Typically, both the isomerization of butane or pentane-hexane are conducted in a fixed-bed liquid/vapor phase or vapor phase process. The reactor can receive a feed of the light paraffins mixed with a gas including a substantial amount of hydrogen.
In the isomerization of butane or pentane-hexane, water is a poison that can reduce the life expectancy of the reactor catalyst. As such, it is desirable to remove water before the hydrogen rich gas and/or the paraffin feed reaches the reactor. Consequently, typically both the feed and the gas are passed through separate drier units to remove water.
Often, two driers are utilized in either series or parallel with alternating regeneration operations, whether the fluid being processed is a gas rich in hydrogen or a hydrocarbon containing butane or pentane-hexane. As such, one drier can be in operation while the other drier may be regenerating. At the end of the regeneration, the drier can contain a gas regenerant if the drier is a gas drier, or a liquid regenerant if the drier is a hydrocarbon feed drier. Depending on the hydrocarbon fraction being isomerized, the regenerant can include mostly an isomerized product, such as isobutane, or at least one of isopentane and isohexane (hereinafter may be referred to as isopentane-isohexane); or the regenerant can include a mixture of one or more different branched, normal, and cyclic compounds. In either instance, generally the regenerant is flushed out of the drier before or as the regenerated drier enters into service. The regenerant may be removed from the system as a net stream.
The gas regenerant can cause upsets in the downstream vessels. Particularly, the gas regenerant can cause a drop in reaction temperatures as the regenerant replaces the hydrogen used in the reactor, and disrupts the hydrogen:hydrocarbon mole ratio in the reactor. In addition, generally the gas regenerant has a heavier molecular weight than the hydrogen rich gas. As a consequence, replacing the hydrogen rich gas may upset the gas flow controls, such as the make-up gas flow, as well as disturbing the pressure controls in a distillation column, which is typically used downstream of the reactor. Thus, there is a desire to lessen the impact after the regeneration of the gas drier to minimize upsets of the downstream vessels.

Apparatus and process for isomerizing a hydrocarbon stream


A system that can receive information from a plurality of simultaneous remote conferences and scan the information for a key indicia. Upon determining that a key indicia is present in the information, the system is operative to alert a user.

This invention relates in general to remote conferencing and in particular to a system and a method for simultaneous monitoring of multiple remote conferences with a capability to alert the user to the occurrence of a pertinent discussion.
Remote conferring is increasingly being utilized to improve communication between physically separated sites while reducing time loss and costs associated with travel between the sites. Eliminating travel time also increases employee productivity while eliminating travel arrangement uncertainties. Such remote conferences may be as simple as a teleconference between several participants that utilizes conventional telephones. It is common for such teleconferences to involve multiple locations with speaker equipped telephones allowing access to the conference by a number of individuals at any one location. With increased communication capabilities, videoconferences that provide an image of the conferees with the audio are becoming more wide spread. Many global companies have conference rooms equipped with video equipment to support and encourage videoconferencing. Additionally, it is possible to communicate over the internet, as demonstrated by the proliferation of "chat rooms" dedicated to particular subjects.

Conference multi-tasking system and method


A method for harvesting weighting agent fines includes milling weighting agent into a plurality of pieces, classifying the pieces based on size to extract those particles having a particle size less than an acceptable maximum diameter, reclassifying the pieces based on size to extract those particles having a particle size less than an acceptable minimum diameter, collecting the particles having a particle size between the standard acceptable minimum and maximum diameters, and collecting the particles having a particle size less than the acceptable minimum diameter. A system for harvesting weighting agent fines includes a mill to reduce the weighting agent particle size, a first classifier to extract particles having a particle size less than the acceptable maximum diameter, a second classifier to extract particles having a particle size less than the acceptable minimum diameter, a fine particle collection area, and a coarse particle collection area.

A variety of materials are used to increase the density of well bore fluids. Well bore fluids are used for well bore stability, control the flow of gas, oil or water from the formation in order to prevent, for example, the flow or blow out of formation fluids or the collapse of the formation itself. Conventional weighting agents such as powdered barites and calcium carbonates (d50 10-30 μm) will settle in minutes over several inches when mixed with a carrier fluid such as water or oil. This can be largely predicted by Stokes Law. Therefore, in order to suspend the weighting agent particles, a gellant such as bentonite or a soluble polymer such as xanthan gum may be used to increase the viscosity of the carrier fluid. However, as more gellant is added to increase the suspension stability, the fluid viscosity (plastic viscosity) increases undesirably resulting in reduced pump ability among other fluid mechanical properties.
The sedimentation (or "sag") of particulate weighting agents becomes more critical in well bores drilled at high angles from the vertical. For example, sag of one inch can result in a continuous column of reduced density fluid along the upper portion of the well bore wall. Such high angle wells are frequently drilled over large distances in order to access remote portions of an oil reservoir. In this case, it becomes even more critical to minimize a drilling fluid's plastic viscosity in order to reduce the pressure losses over the borehole length. This is also important in deep high pressure wells where high density well bore fluids are required. High viscosities can result in an increase in the effective density exerted by a circulating fluid against the formation, accounting for the pressure drop in the annulus above the point being considered, or the Equivalent Circulating Density. Such high viscosities can result in formation damage and fluid losses.
The conventional view held that reducing particle size in drilling fluids would lead to an undesirable increase in viscosity. However, it was determined that very finely ground particles (d50<2 μm and d90<4 μm) coated with a deflocculating agent or dispersant generated suspensions or slurries that reduced sag while the dispersant controlled the inter-particle interactions that produced lower Theological profiles. Thus, the combination of the fine particle size and the control of colloidal interactions reconciled the two objectives of lower viscosity and minimal sag.
To date, such finely ground, coated particles have been produced using stirred media mills. It is known, however, that such finely ground particles are a natural, although undesirable, byproduct of regular API weighting agent production. According to current API standards, particles having a effective diameter less than 6 microns, also known as "fines," may make up no more than 30% by weight of the total weighting agent to be added to the drilling fluid. Thus, while it is acceptable to have fine particles in the weighting agent, it is preferred that the relative quantity of such particles be minimized. It would be beneficial to the production of the API weighting agent to harvest a substantial quantity of the fine particles created during production for use in a different product wherein such fine particles are desired.
A particle size distribution chart for the API weighting agent barite produced in a typical process is shown in FIG. 1. As can be seen within circle 600, nearly a third of the particles have a particle size of less than 6 μm. From a careful examination of the chart, one of skill in the art can see that particles less than 4 μm in size make up approximately 18% of the API Barite produced in this particular run. Thus, there exists a percentage of barite that is usable in alternative drilling fluids if it were separated from the API Barite. Such separation would simultaneously improve the quality of the API Barite, as the existence of such fine particles is undesirable in regular drilling fluids.
The concentration of fines in typical non-deviated drilling applications is problematic. An increase in fines results in an increase in chemical consumption for virgin drilling fluids, undesirable Theological properties while drilling, increased fluid loss, and increased reliance on mechanical separation equipment and ongoing dilution rates while drilling. This is universal for both water and oil or synthetic based drilling fluids. Therefore, the removal of fines is desirable. Such a low concentration of fines could reduce drilling costs, increase rate of penetration, reduce drag and incidents of stuck pipe.
Referring to FIG. 2, a typical process 500 for the production of commercial-grade weighting agent is depicted. Commercial-grade weighting agent is defined as weighting agent a maximum of 30% by weight of particles less than 6 microns and a maximum of 3% by weight of residue greater than 75 microns. The minimum effective diameter that weighting agent particles are permitted by API standards will be referred to hereinafter as the "minimum acceptable diameter." The maximum effective diameter that weighting agent particles are permitted by API standards will be referred to hereinafter as the "maximum acceptable diameter." It will be understood that the minimum and maximum acceptable diameters are determined by the API standards and do not reflect control limits as determined by statistical process control of an ongoing process.
In a precrushing step 510, relatively large pieces of weighting agent, typically barite or calcium carbonate, are released into a primary crusher to reduce the size of the larger pieces thereby obtaining a more uniform particle size going into the downstream processes. From the primary crusher, the particles are milled 520. Heat and additional crushing devices are used to reduce moisture and the particle size of the weighting agent even further. Typically, the secondary crusher utilizes heavy rollers that pulverize the weighting agent against an outer wall of the crusher.
The milled weighting agent is classified by size 530 in a classifier internal to the mill. Particles that have a size exceeding the acceptable maximum diameter remain in the mill for further milling 520. The particles that are less than the maximum size specified for commercial-grade weighting agent are discharged from the internal mill classifier 540 to a cyclone. The weighting agent entering the cyclone includes a relatively low concentration of undersized particles, known as "fines."
In the cyclone, the larger, heavier particles fall to the bottom, where there is typically a rotary air lock valve, dual flapper gate valves, or other means for discharging predetermined quantities of weighting agent particles 550 separated in the cyclone. Some of the undersized fine particles, or fines, are carried to the bottom of the cyclone by larger particles to which the fines are attached or fall there individually. Predetermined quantities of weighting agent are released from the cyclone in bulk to a conveyer belt either periodically, such as by the rotary valve, or when the amount of weighting agent reaches sufficient weight, such as that needed to open the dual flapper gate valves.
A majority of the fines, are carried along with air currents from the cyclone into an adjacent baghouse rather than falling to the bottom of the cyclone. The baghouse retains a number of bags that filter the fine particles from air that is released from the process, thereby trapping the fine particles 560. At predetermined intervals, the bags are subjected to a sudden force that causes the fines collected thereon to be released to the bottom of the baghouse and onto the conveyer belt 570. The timing of the application of force necessary to release the fines is coordinated with the release of the larger particles from the cyclone to ensure that the overall quantity of weighting agent particles, coarse and fine, is within the tolerated limit of acceptable fines.
The discharge of larger weighting agent particles to the conveyor represents a majority of the overall flow rate onto the conveyor, while the discharge of fines to the conveyor represents a very small percentage of the flow rate on a mass basis. Although it is desirable to eliminate the fines from the commercial-grade weighting agent, disposal of the fines has heretofore been an issue environmentally and economically. The commercial-grade weighting agent released to the conveyor and the fines released to the conveyor are commingled and conveyed 580 to a packaging area where they are packaged 590 for distribution.
As commercial applications of fines have been discovered, processes to create fines from commercial-grade weighting agent or non-processed weighting agent have been evaluated. Given the fact that fine particles are created as part of the process to mill and package commercial-grade weighting agent, it would be an improvement to be able to modify existing processes and equipment to harvest a majority of the fines from the commercial-grade weighting agent process while producing a premium weighting agent product having a lower percentage of fines rather than reintroducing the fines to the commercial-grade weighting agent.

Method and system for harvesting weighting agent fines


This invention relates to a tri-cone bit for high RPM drilling applications, which comprises three head sections and three cones. Cutting elements are arranged on each cone. Upper parts of the three head sections are joined together to form a bit body, on which nozzle sockets are provided, and nozzles are installed in bores of the nozzle sockets. A bearing between the cones and the head sections is a composite roller-journal bearing which is formed by rollers and arc-shaped slides arranged in an alternating way, and a seal means for the bearing is of metal face type. The composite roller-journal bearing of the invention can withstand high RPM and high load, and also has a higher resistance to impact, thereby ensuring longer working life of the bearing under high RPM and medium-high WOB. The six-point gage protection structure enhances stability of the bit and reduces cutting element breakage caused by bit vibration. The above tri-cone bit is suitable for high RPM and medium-high WOB drilling applications and features high drilling efficiency and long service life.

1. Field of the Invention
The disclosure herein relates generally to a tri-cone bit. More particularly, the disclosure relates to a tri-cone bit for high RPM drilling applications in subterranean exploration and petroleum drilling industries.
2. Description of Related Art
Current tri-cone bit typically comprises a bit body. The bit body has three head sections, with a cantilevered bearing shaft at a lower end of each head section, and three cones each of which is mounted on a corresponding bearing shaft. A bearing couple is formed by the bearing shaft and inner bore of the cone. The bearing couple transfers WOB and torque to the cone. At present, journal bearing and roller bearing are two major bearing types for roller cone bits. Cones can be machined with steel teeth or mounted with carbide inserts as cutting elements. Drilling fluid enters water course of the bit from drilling string and is then jetted out from three nozzles which are mounted in nozzle sockets on the bit. After impinging on the bottom of the well, the drilling fluid flows back upwardly from sides of the nozzle socket. The jet from the nozzles is directed to impinge on the space at midway between two adjacent cones in the vicinity of borehole wall. Three points on heel row inserts of the cone contact the borehole wall at a leading side of the cone.
Following problems occur when the existing bit is used on turbo drills or high speed down hole motors for high RPM drilling applications. (1) The bearing life is greatly decreased because a journal bearing cannot withstand high RPM and a roller bearing cannot withstand high WOB. (2) High RPM drilling is generally accompanied by high WOB. This would considerably increase the impact force acting on cutting elements of the bit, and thus the lateral and longitudinal vibrations of the bit become more serious. As a result, cutting elements of the bit wear fast and can be easily broken, consequently reducing the drilling efficiency. Besides, when high RPM bit is used to drill hard formation, heat can be generated on cutting elements fast by wear and if timely cooling cannot be achieved, premature failure of the cutting elements would occur.

Tri-cone bit for high RPM drilling applications


A surface-contact connector comprises a plurality of terminals 50 and a housing 11. The terminals 50 are made of an electrically conductive, resilient material and are formed in an identical shape. These terminals 50 are retained in the housing 11 in a row. Each terminal 50 includes an anchoring portion 51, an resilient portion 54, and a contacting portion 55. The anchoring portion 51 is fixedly retained in the housing 11, and the resilient portion 54, which is capable of elastic deformation, extends from the anchoring portion 51. The contacting portion 55 is continuous from a front end of the resilient portion 54 to protrude in the direction of engagement with a part to be electrically connected to. The housing 11 is provided with protrusion-regulating portions 16 and 17 which meet with the resilient portions 54 or contacting portions 55 of the terminals to regulate the amounts of protrusion of the contacting portions 55 in the direction of the engagement.

Lap-top computers, because of their portability, have rapidly gained popularity. This type of computer usually incorporates a battery, which enables them to be operative anywhere irrespective of availability of an electrical power supply outlet, e.g., a wall outlet. Rechargeable battery packs are designed to be removably mounted in such computers, along with connectors to connect such battery packs to the main bodies of the computers. In general, this type of battery pack has only a plurality of electrically conductive pads (hereinafter referred to as "conductive pads") for electrical connection on the surface, and a mating connector engages with these conductive pads to establish electrical connection. This type of connector has been in use and known as "surface-contact connector".
Main roles of such battery pack are to supply electrical power to the computer in one direction and to receive electrical power for recharging itself in the other direction. However, there is a type of battery pack which includes a sensor to detect changes in the temperature during recharging process. In this battery pack, signals from this temperature sensor are conveyed to the computer through one of the conductive pads to control the supply of recharging power. Yet, there is another type of battery pack which further includes a CPU to estimate the amount of remaining charge and to control the recharging and discharging of the cells. Signals used for this control are conveyed through some of the conductive pads of the battery pack.
Here, it is clear that a surface-contact connector which is to be used for connecting such battery pack must include a plurality of terminals in correspondence with the number of conductive pads provided on the battery pack. For this reason, surface-contact connectors are generally designed in the following manner. A row of terminals, each terminal having a contacting portion, are retained in a housing to construct a surface-contact connector so that the contacting portions protrude from the housing in a row. When the battery pack is inserted or mounted into the main body of the computer, the contacting portion of each terminal of the connector is brought into engagement with a corresponding conductive pad of the battery pack to establish electrical connection.
In this type of surface-contact connector of the prior art, all the terminals are formed in an identical shape. Thus, when they are retained in the housing, the contacting portions of the terminals have the same amount of protrusion. Therefore, when the battery pack is inserted into a respective position, all the terminals of the surface-contact connector are brought into engagement with the conductive pads of the battery pack, simultaneously.
This type of surface-contact connector presents a problem when such a connector is used for a battery pack which is designed not only for charging and discharging electrical power but also for transmitting various control signals through conductive pads as previously mentioned (i.e., some conductive pads are used for connecting signal transmission in addition to a conductive pad for connecting electrical power supply). If all the conductive pads of this battery pack are brought into engagement with the terminals of the connector simultaneously as practiced in the prior art, noise caused from the power line may get onto a signal line, or even worse, discharge from the power supply may come onto a signal line and may damage an electronic device, e.g., CPU, which is connected to the signal line.
Therefore, it is desired that a power line, a grounding line, and signal lines be connected sequentially with some time differences (connection carried out in this way is hereinafter referred to as "sequential connection") while the battery pack is inserted. It is possible to achieve this sequential connection by forming the terminals of the connector in various shapes so that each terminal comes into engagement with a corresponding conductive pad of the battery pack at a different position specific to the individual terminal. However, this approach involves use of several types of terminals, which certainly increases the production cost of the connector as well as the inventory cost of the terminals.


A system for measuring voltage includes a pulse-width modulator or voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) configured to receive an input voltage waveform from a DUT, and to output a pulse-width modulated (PWM) signal or frequency modulated (FM) signal mapped to the input voltage waveform, respectively; an optical transmitter configured to be modulated by the PWM signal or the FM signal to output an optical pulse signal having pulse widths corresponding to pulse widths of the PWM signal or equal to the frequency of the FM signal, respectively; an optical receiver configured to receive the optical pulse signal over an optical link and to convert the optical pulse signal to an electrical current; a transimpedance amplifier (TIA) configured to convert the electrical current to a voltage signal; and at least one filter or detection circuit configured to recover the input voltage waveform or provide numeric values corresponding to the input voltage waveform.

Conventional voltage measurement systems are not able to provide measurements involving an isolated remote voltage probe, where the probed voltage is in a high voltage floating environment, and measurement instrument is at ground level. For example, in a measurement use case involving electric vehicle power train electronics, high-power field-effect transistors (FETs) convert stored battery power into the three-phase electrical drive powering the drive motors. High-side FETs connected to the battery voltage present a challenge for measuring gate-to-source voltage (Vgs) (gate control voltage of the FET with respect to the source node voltage) because the common-mode source voltage changes with a fast slew rate. This requires a differential voltage measurement across the gate-source nodes with very high common mode rejection. To achieve this requirement, the measurement system must have low capacitance, implying a physically small size. Also, the probe of the measurement system must be electrically isolated from the receive side and the measurement host (test instrument), which is receiving the probed signals, because the source voltage of the high-side FETs can slew between the battery voltage and close to ground.
Attempts have been made to address this measurement challenge using an amplitude modulated laser. While amplitude modulated lasers may meet some isolation and bandwidth requirements of the measurement, achieving accurate direct current (DC) measurements is challenging. This is because lithium niobate based optical modulators commonly used in optically modulated systems have inherent charge storage effects that alter their DC responsivity and can exhibit measurement drifts. To get around this flaw, additional circuits containing a slow traditional analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and another communication path are used to accurately capture the DC portion of a measurement. This adds costs and complexity at both the probe side and the receive side that typically connects to an oscilloscope channel.

System for measuring voltage using pulse width modulator or voltage controlled oscillator


An alternate formulation is derived for predicting acoustic radiation from a vibrating object in an unbounded fluid medium. The radiated acoustic pressure is shown to be expressible as a surface integral of the particle velocity, which is determinable by using a non-intrusive laser Doppler velocimeter. Solutions thus obtained are unique. Moreover, the efficiency of numerical computations is high because the surface integration can be readily implemented numerically by using the standard Gaussian quadratures. This alternate formulation can be desirable for analyzing the acoustic and vibration responses of a lightweight, a flexible or a structure with a hostile environment for which a non-intrusive laser measurement technique must be used.

A. Background
The Kirchhoff integral formulation is one of the most widely used methods for predicting acoustic radiation and scattering from an elastic structure in engineering practice. The advantage of using this integral formulation is a reduction of the dimensionality of the problem by one. The first step of this approach is to determine the acoustic quantities on the surface. For an acoustic radiation problem, the normal component of the particle velocity (or the surface acoustic pressure for an acoustic scattering problem) must be specified. Since the surface is impermeable, the normal component of the particle velocity is equal to that of the surface velocity, which can be measured by an accelerometer. Next, the surface acoustic pressure (or the normal component of the particle velocity for acoustic scattering) is determined by solving an integral equation. Once these quantities are known, the radiated acoustic pressure anywhere can be calculated by the Kirchhoff integral formulation.
It may be difficult to use a conventional accelerometer to measure the vibration response of a flexible or a lightweight structure such as a loudspeaker membrane or a passenger vehicle fuel pump, because the weight of the accelerometer may alter the desired signal. In other cases, it may be unfeasible to use an accelerometer on a structure with a hostile environment such as an engine oil pan, where the temperature on the surface is extremely high. Under these circumstances, we must rely on a non-intrusive measurement technique.
One approach commonly adopted in practice is to use a laser vibrometer to measure the normal component of the particle velocity, which is equal to that of the surface velocity at the interface, and then solve an integral equation for the surface acoustic pressure. The shortcomings of such an approach are well-known: (1) the surface Kirchhoff integral equation may fail to yield a unique solution whenever the frequency is close to one of the eigenfrequencies associated with to the related interior boundary value problem, and (2) the numerical computation may become quite involved. This is because for an arbitrary surface, we must discretize the surface into many segments with several hundreds or even more nodes. Accordingly, we must solve a large number of simultaneous integral equations for the acoustic pressures at these nodes using boundary element method (BEM). Since the central processing unit (CPU) time increases quadratically with the number of the nodes, the computation process may be excessively time-consuming.
Actually, the laser technique can be used to measure the displacement and velocity vectors of a suspended microparticle in an insonified medium. The work in this area, however, has received much less attention than that of measurements of the out-of-plane motion of a vibrating structure. Summarized below are the basic principles and applications of the non-intrusive laser measurement techniques to measurements of the particle displacement and velocity vectors both in fluids and in air.
B. Laser techniques
1. Laser Doppler velocimeter (LDV)
LDV has become a standard tool for non-intrusive measurements of fluid particle velocities. The basic premise in the LDV measurements is that motion of the microparticles in the fluid (either due to natural impurities or due to seeded particles) will scatter the incident light, and produce a Doppler shift in the scattered light which can be detected with appropriate electronics and signal processing. LDV used in the fluid mechanics was extended to the acoustics by measuring the in-air particle velocities associated with steady-state time-harmonic standing waves and travelling waves inside a tube. Laser Doppler anemometry (LDA) has been used for the remote detection of sound. The technique of LDA consists of measurements of the velocity of neutrally buoyant microparticles suspended in an acoustic field by analyzing the spectral content of Doppler-shifted laser light scattered by the microparticles. LDV has been used to measure the acoustic particle velocity in fluids. In particular, the measurements of acoustic particle displacements using different LDV systems has determined that LDV was capable of detecting the particle displacements in the order of a few nanometers with a bandwidth of several kilohertz. The performance and limitations of LDV systems were also analyzed, and the effect of Brownian motion (i.e., thermal agitation in the fluid) on the measured data was shown to produce only negligible broadening of the spectral density of the signal of interest. An equation of motion of microparticles in suspension in an insonified fluid has been derived and it has been determined that the motion of neutrally buoyant microparticles closely emulates the displacement of the surrounding insonified fluid and confirms the basic tenet associated with the laser detection of sound.
2. Differential laser Doppler interferometry (DLDI)
DLDI is evolved from the principle of LDA and used to measure simultaneously the out-of-plane and the in-plane velocities on the surface of a vibrating object. The principle of DLDI is to measure the phase shift of the reflected or scattered light from the surface due to surface vibrational motion. The main component of a DLDI system is a probe head that has three illuminating single mode fibers. Prior to launching, the laser beams are frequency shifted by three acousto-optic Bragg cells by 40.0, 40.1, and 40.3 MHz, respectively, so the interference between the first and second beams occurs at 100 kHz, while those between the second and third and the first and third occur at 200 and 300 kHz, respectively. Geometrically, the first and second beams are positioned symmetrically with respect to the unit normal on the surface at an angle .alpha., and the third beam is aligned with the first and second beams at an angle .beta.(.beta.<.alpha.) with respect to the unit normal. In the differential configuration, the 100 kHz carrier will be modulated by the in-plane motion, and the 200 and 300 kHz carriers will be modulated by both in-plane and out-of-plane motions, respectively.
Mathematically, the surface displacement vector can be written as EQU x.sub.S (t)=u.sub.in (t)e.sub.in +u.sub.out (t)e.sub.out ( 1)
where u.sub.in (t) and u.sub.out (t) represent the in-place and out-of-place components of the surface displacement, respectively, and e.sub.in and e.sub.out are the unit vectors in the corresponding directions.
Accordingly, the phase terms .phi..sub.ij, where i, j=1 to 3, in the 100, 200, and 300 kHz carriers can be written as EQU .phi..sub.12 =2ku.sub.in (t) sin .alpha. (2a) EQU .phi..sub.13 =(sin .alpha.+sin .beta.)ku.sub.in +(cos .beta.-cos .alpha.)ku.sub.out (t) (2b) EQU .phi..sub.23 =(sin .alpha.+sin .beta.)ku.sub.in -(cos .beta.-cos .alpha.)ku.sub.out (t) (2c)
where k is the optical wavenumber. Hence by measuring the phase shifts .phi..sub.ij in the 100, 200, and 300 kHz carriers, one can determine the displacement vector on the surface. Since there are only two unknowns, one can use any two equations, say, Eqs. (2a) and (2b) to specify u.sub.in and u.sub.out.
In one optical system, the demodulation is done by using a combination of filters and the phase-locked loops (PLL). The PLL demodulates the signal with phase .phi..sub.ij and generates an output which is proportional to the time rate of changes of .phi..sub.ij. From Eqs. (2a) and (2b), one finds ##EQU1##
Therefore, by measuring the instantaneous frequency deviations d.phi..sub.12 /dt and d.phi..sub.13 /dt from the carrier frequencies at 100 and 300 kHz, one can determine simultaneously the in-plane and out-of-plane components of the surface velocity. A three dimensional laser vibrometer was designed based on this principle to measure simultaneously the three components of the velocity on the surface of a vibrating structure.
The DLDI technique can be extended in principle to the measurement of the velocity of a microparticle in the vicinity of a vibrating object. Imagine that an object is surrounded by neutrally buoyant microparticles. As the object vibrates, the acoustic pressure fluctuations will excite the microparticles into oscillations. Suppose that we define a control surface and focus the laser beams on a microparticle lying on that surface. There is no restriction on the formation of the control surface so long as it completely encloses the vibrating object. In the special case in which the control surface coincides with the vibrating surface, the normal component of the displacement of the microparticle will be equal to that of the surface displacement, while the tangible components may be different. In any event, the microparticle displacement in the directions normal and tangential to the control surface will cause a Doppler shift in the phase .phi..sub.ij of the reflected light, which is modulated in the frequency carriers. Once the signal with phase .phi..sub.ij is demodulated, we can calculate the microparticle velocity which is proportional to the time derivative of the phase, d.phi..sub.ij /dt.
3. Electronic speckle pattern interferometry (ESPI)
Alternatively, we can use ESPI to measure the phase term of a microparticle, which is an established optical technique for measuring static and dynamic deformations and surface shapes for more than two decades. Specifically, we can utilize the stroboscopic technique, which "freezes" the dynamic motion of a particle at one position so that during other times of the movement cycle, the particle is not illuminated and therefore is "invisible" to the imaging device. In practice, this technique can be implemented by using a pulsed laser or a light shuttering device with a continuous wave laser. The time interval between two consecutive pulses or shutters is typically in the range of nanoseconds, so ESPI can capture very high frequency oscillations. By using an additive-subtractive speckle pattern interferometry, the accuracy of the phase measurement can be further enhanced.
Suppose that we take five frames of additive speckle patterns of the motion of a microparticle in suspension S.sub.j, j=0, 1 . . . , and 4. Here the speckle pattern S.sub.o is taken with the laser illumination pulsed at the instant when the microparticle reaches its zero amplitude of a harmonic oscillation. The remaining four speckle patterns, S.sub.1 to S.sub.4, are taken with the laser illumination pulsed at the instants when the microparticle reaches its maximum and minimum amplitudes. During the acquisition of S.sub.0 to S.sub.4, the phase of the reference beam is shifted appropriately and is synchronized with the pulses. Accordingly, the displacement-induced phase term .phi. of a microparticle at any surface point x.sub.S can be written as ##EQU2## where F.sub.n, n=0, 1, 2, and 3, are the additive-subtractive fringe patterns which have the same form as that of the Michelson interferometric fringe pattern, except for the randomly distributed modulation term B/cos .psi./ contributed by the speckles, EQU F.sub.n =B.vertline.cos .psi..vertline.1-cos (.phi.+n.pi./2)!(5)
Once the phase term .phi. is determined, the microparticle velocity which is proportional to the time derivative of the phase can be specified.

System and method for predicting sound radiation and scattering from an arbitrarily shaped object


A multi-chamber pacing system has a pulse generator for successively delivering pacing pulses to chambers of a patient's heart. Evoked response detectors having blanking intervals following the delivery of pacing pulses include sensing elements for sensing IEGM-signals from each of the heart chambers and an integrating unit that integrates the IEGM-signal within evoked response detection time windows after delivery of pacing pulses for detecting evoked response. The evoked response detection time window for a heart chamber contain at least one blanking interval resulting from delivery of a pacing pulse to another chamber and each of the sensed IEGM signals having a generally known morphology. An integral reconstructing unit reconstructs the time integral of the IEGM signal from one of the heart chambers in the blanking interval following delivery of a pacing pulse to another heart chamber.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a multi-chamber pacing system of the type having a pulse generator for successively delivering pacing pulses to chambers of a patient's heart, and evoked response detectors having blanking intervals following the delivery of pacing pulses and including sensing elements for sensing IEGM signals from each of the heart chambers and an integrating unit that integrates the IEGM signal within evoked response detection time windows after delivery of pacing pulses for detecting evoked response, the evoked response detection time window for a heart chamber containing at least one blanking interval resulting from delivery of a pacing pulse to another chamber, and each of the sensed IEGM signals having a generally known morphology.
In the following, "chambers of the heart " denotes right and left atria as well as right and left ventricles of the heart.
2. Description of the Prior Art
U.S. Pat. No. 6,148,234 disclose a dual site pacing system, either bi-ventricular or bi-atrial, wherein signals are sensed during the refractory period following delivery of stimulation pulses. Pacing pulses are delivered substantially concurrently to both the heart chambers, although it is mentioned that for patients with an intra-atrial block, the left atrium may be stimulated up to 90 msec later than the right atrium. If capture is achieved in both chambers no intrinsic depolarization signals can be generated during the following biological refractory period of the cells of he heart. If, however, the threshold of one heart chamber has risen above the level of the delivered pulses, that chamber will not be captured and will not have a biological (heart cell) refractory period following that delivery of the pulses. In this case, for patients having a conduction delay from one chamber to the other, the propagated signal from the other chamber will be sensed in the non-captured chamber during the pacemaker refractory period, that is started by the stimulation pulse delivered to the other chamber. Such sensing during the pacemaker refractory period is interpreted to be the result of loss of capture.
If two heart chambers are stimulated at somewhat different times, one of the chambers will be blanked when the other one is stimulated. Most pacing systems are constructed such that all signal channels are blanked when a stimulation pulse is emitted. Consequently there will be an interruption in sensed IEGM signals and that will influence the evoked response signals obtained by integration of the IEGM signals. This occurs in all dual or multi chamber pacing systems, e.g. at both bi-ventricular and bi-atrial pacing. If sensed signals are integrated in an evoked response detection time interval from e.g. 4 msec to 50 msec after stimulation to determine evoked response, and if a stimulation of the other chamber takes place at 10 msec after the first stimulation, there will be an interruption of the signal in the above mentioned detection time interval.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.