An apparatus for supplying a constant amount of abrasives that can accurately control the amount of the abrasives to be supplied to a blasting machine is provided. A horizontally rotating disc 20 is provided in an abrasive tank 10 so as to be embedded in the abrasives. An opening at one end 11a of an abrasive transport path 11 is formed so as to be close to or in contact with one surface of the disc 20, an opening at one end 12a of a supply channel 12 for transport air flow is formed so as to be close to or in contact with the other surface of the disc 20, and an abrasive retrieve section 5 is formed between the both openings. Furthermore, measuring holes 21 penetrating the disc 20 in the thickness direction are formed at regular intervals along a rotation orbit of the disc 20 passing through the retrieve section 5, and an introduction path 17 for compressed gas which is ejected to the abrasives disposed above the measuring holes 21 and outside the retrieve section 5 is provided.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for stably supplying a constant amount of abrasives, and more particularly, to an apparatus that is adapted to a blasting machine or a shot peening machine (hereinafter, simply referred to as a "blasting machine") for ejecting a mixed fluid composed of compressed air and the abrasives from a blasting gun provided with a nozzle so that the amount of the abrasives ejected from this blasting gun is controlled to a constant amount.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a blasting machine for ejecting the abrasives together with compressed air, any variation in the ejected amount of the abrasives results in a change in the amount to be processed, leading to variations in processing accuracy. In order to prevent these variations, there is proposed an apparatus for merging a predetermined amount of the abrasives per unit time with compressed air that is ejected from a blasting gun so that the ejected amount of the abrasives always becomes constant.
As one example of such an apparatus, a known apparatus for use with a suction blasting machine will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6. Referring to FIG. 5, a known type of apparatus 1 for use with a suction blasting machine, as described above, includes in a blasting gun 40 a flow channel 41 for compressed air and a branch channel 42 branching off this flow channel 41. When high-pressure compressed air is introduced into the flow channel 41, negative pressure (suction force) generated at this time causes some abrasives to be sucked through the branch channel 42 and to be ejected together with the compressed air. This known type of apparatus 1 for use with the suction blasting machine includes a transport path 11 for the abrasives, which is a branch channel merging with the flow channel 41, an abrasive tank 10 communicating with this transport path 11, and means for transporting and supplying a constant amount of the abrasives in the tank 10 per unit time to the transport path 11.
As the means for transporting a predetermined amount of the abrasives in the tank 10 per unit time to the transport path 11, a drum 20′ having a plurality of V-shaped measuring grooves 23 formed on an outer circumferential surface thereof is embedded into the abrasives in the tank 10 such that a part of the outer circumferential surface is exposed from the abrasives. The drum 20′ is rotatably housed in this embedded state. Furthermore, one end 11a of the transport path 11 is arranged so as to face the measuring grooves 23 on the outer circumference of the drum 20′ exposed from the abrasives. When the drum 20′ rotates, the abrasives collected in the measuring grooves 23 is sucked into the transport path 11, merged with compressed air flowing in the flow channel 41, and is ejected from the tip of the blasting gun 40.
As a result, by controlling the rotational speed of an electric motor 30 which rotationally drives the drum 20′ by the use of, for example, an inverter, the amount of ejected the abrasives can be adjusted in such a manner that the number of times that the abrasives is collected and transported per unit time follows a change in the rotational speed controlled by the inverter (refer to Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. H9-38864).
Referring now to FIG. 7, to adopt the apparatus for supplying a constant amount of the abrasives for use with a direct-pressure blasting machine, a drum 20′ having many bottomed measuring holes 21′ for measuring a constant amount of the abrasives per unit time, formed on the outer circumference thereof, is disposed in a tank 10. Then, the opening at one end 11a′ of a transport path 11′ for the abrasives is arranged to face the measuring holes 21′ provided on this drum 20′. Furthermore, the other end of the transport path 11′ is made to communicate with a compressed-air flow channel 41 in which compressed air to be ejected from the front-end nozzle of a blasting gun (not shown) flows. Furthermore, the transport path 11′ is provided with a conduit 43 into which compressed air is introduced, so that compressed air introduced into the transport path 11′ through this conduit 43 is forced into the measuring holes 21′ and blows up the abrasives collected in the measuring holes 21′, thereby causing the abrasives to merge with the compressed air flowing in the compressed-air flow channel 41. In this manner, a constant amount of the abrasives merged with compressed air can be ejected per unit time from the blasting gun.
As with the apparatus for the suction blasting machine, the apparatus 1 for this direct-pressure blasting machine is constructed such that the amount of the abrasives ejected from the blasting gun can be adjusted by controlling the rotational speed of a motor that drives the drum 20′ by the use of, for example, an inverter (refer to Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. H11-347946).
For measuring holes used to measure the amount of the abrasives, there is also proposed an apparatus for allowing the abrasives to be collected via through-holes, instead of the bottomed holes described in H11-347946, formed so as to penetrate a disc in the thickness direction thereof (refer to Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. H10-249732).
In the known apparatus 1 with the above-described structure, as well as the apparatuses 1 described in H9-38864 and H11-347946, the amount of the abrasives is measured by means of the bottomed measuring grooves 23 or the measuring holes 21′ formed on the outer circumference of the drum 20′. However, extremely high processing accuracy is required to form the measuring grooves 23 and measuring holes 21′ on the entire circumference of the drum 20′ such that they have a uniform height at any position. Thus, errors in formation of the measuring grooves 23 or the measuring holes 21′ generated during processing directly lead to errors in the amount of the abrasives measured.
In addition, as shown in H11-347946 in particular, when the measuring holes 21′ are formed as relatively deep, bottomed holes, the abrasives does not easily enter the holes, thus causing the amount of the abrasives collected in the measuring holes 21′ to vary from hole to hole. What is worse is that not all amounts of the abrasives, once collected in the measuring holes 21′, can be blown out even with compressed air. This makes it impossible to ensure that a constant amount of the abrasives is collected in each of the measuring holes 21′ or that a constant amount of the abrasives is acquired from each of the measuring holes 21′.
In contrast, the apparatus 1 for supplying a constant amount of the abrasives described in H10-249732 includes measuring holes for measuring the amount of the abrasives in the form of through-holes that penetrate a disc-shaped member in the thickness direction thereof. In this apparatus 1, therefore, the measuring holes that are formed can be endowed with a constant depth (length) by making the thickness of the disc constant and, furthermore, can easily introduce the abrasives thereinto and blow out the abrasives therefrom compared with the above-described bottomed holes.
However, even if substantially no variation in the amount of the abrasives can be seen among the measuring holes, an insufficient amount of the abrasives may be collected in the measuring holes. Furthermore, even if a required amount of the abrasives is collected in the measuring holes, the abrasives may fall out from the measuring grooves 23 or the measuring holes 21′ before the abrasives collected is transported to the transport path 11 (11′), thus failing to ensure with the above-described conventional structure that the amount of the abrasives that has reached the transport path 11 (11′) is always constant.
It is proposed, also with the above-described conventional structure, that vibration be applied to the tank 10 or the drum 20′ to allow the abrasives to be easily collected in, for example, the measuring grooves 23, thus preventing a situation where an insufficient amount of the abrasives enters the measuring grooves 23 or the measuring holes 21′, and to allow excess the abrasives heaped above the level of the measuring grooves 23 to be shaken off (refer to H11-347946). When the tank 10 is to be vibrated in this manner, the abrasives is compressed hard and clumps together in the tank 10 depending on, for example, the material of the abrasives, which may undesirably decrease the fluidity of the abrasives.
Furthermore, when vibration is applied to the tank 10 or the drum 20′ as described above, some abrasives that have been collected in the measuring grooves 23 may be shaken off. This means that applying vibration as described above does not always ensure the desired performance of supplying a constant amount of the abrasives.
In addition, in the known apparatus 1 for supplying a constant amount of the abrasives with the above-described structure, a slider 27 provided at the edge of the opening of the transport path 11′ is slidably in contact with the outer circumference of the drum 20′ to prevent the pressure in the transport path 11′ or the flow channel 41 from leaking into the tank 10. For this reason, both the drum 20′ and the slider 27 become seriously worn and need to be replaced frequently. In particular, since the above-described slider is made of relatively expensive boron material, frequent replacement of the slider leads to extremely high operating costs.
Furthermore, when the abrasives to be transported is delivered into the tank 10 and is left in a lump, the abrasives may aggregate and become hard over time. This aggregation significantly decreases the fluidity of the abrasives.
If this aggregation occurs, it becomes difficult to collect the abrasives in the measuring grooves 23 or the measuring holes 21′, making it more difficult to accurately measure the amount of the abrasives. Consequently, the amount of the abrasives supplied to the blasting gun is subjected to variation.
In particular, the abrasives to be used may be an elastic abrasives produced by forming an elastic base material having abrasives grains compounded and dispersed therein into a predetermined grain size or an elastic abrasives produced by carrying, e.g., depositing abrasives grains on a surface of the elastic base material formed into a predetermined grain size. Such elastic abrasives are more easily subjected to aggregation as described above, compared with normal abrasives. Consequently, when blasting is started or resumed after the abrasives has been left in the tank for a relatively long period of time without allowing the abrasives to flow, the amount of the abrasives supplied becomes unstable or supplying the abrasives itself may become impossible in an early stage after the blasting has been started or resumed.
To prevent such failing supply of the abrasives, the following extremely time-consuming procedures need to be performed. That is, the elastic abrasives remaining in the tank of the blasting machine is completely removed when the blasting machine is to be stopped for a certain period of time, for example, at the end of the working day. Then, when the blasting machine is to be started again, the tank of the blasting machine is refilled with the abrasives before working is resumed.
The fluidity of the abrasives changes according to the grain size. Consequently, if the grain size of the abrasives is so small that relatively high fluidity is provided, the amount of the abrasives that is introduced into the tank 10 increases, thereby causing the amount of the abrasives in the tank 10 to become higher. On the other hand, to prevent this from occurring as far as possible, vibrators (not shown) are provided to apply vibration to the above-described known tank and a recovery tank (not shown). In this case, the vibrators that apply vibration to the above-described recovery tank are adjusted. This adjustment is so difficult that if adjustment causes the fluidity to decrease, the abrasive level in the tank 10 decreases. Furthermore, an aggregation phenomenon as described above may occur at the branch channel 42 (the transport path 11), causing the abrasive level to become seriously unstable.
In the above-described known apparatus for supplying a constant amount of the abrasives provided with for example, a drum that is not entirely covered or embedded with the abrasives but is partly exposed from the abrasives, the partial embedment state of the drum into the abrasives changes as the amount of the abrasives in the tank 10 changes (e.g., decreases), thereby inducing a change in the manner that the abrasives is collected in the measuring grooves 23, thereby the amount of the abrasives to be supplied is increased. For example, when the drum is disposed relatively deep in the abrasives, some abrasives may adhere around the measuring grooves 23, and such abrasives around the measuring grooves 23 may be supplied along with the abrasives in the measuring grooves 23. If this is the case, a change in the amount of the abrasives supplied will be induced according to a change in grain size of the abrasives to be supplied.
In order to overcome this problem, in the known apparatus for supplying a constant amount of the abrasives with the above-described structure, the grain size of the abrasives to be used needs to be taken into consideration to accurately control the amount of the abrasives supplied, which requires complicated adjustment.
Any apparatus for supplying a constant amount of the abrasives with the above-described conventional structure is constructed so as to arrange drums or discs for measuring the amount of the abrasives partly embedded with the abrasives and partly exposed from the abrasives as described above, so that the portions exposed from the abrasives function to recover the abrasives collected in the measuring holes or the measuring grooves. For this reason, when a constant amount of the abrasives is to be supplied to a plurality of blasting guns simultaneously, a plurality of the above-described apparatuses for supplying a constant amount of the abrasives needs to be provided according to the number of blasting guns. Alternatively, the above-described tank may be shared. In this case, however, the number of above-described drums and discs housed in the tank that need to be prepared is the same as the number of blasting guns. This increases the number of components and causes the size of the blasting machine to increase.
In view of these circumstances, the present invention is conceived to overcome problems associated with the above-described conventional techniques. A first object of the present invention is to facilitate introduction of the abrasives in measuring holes. A second object of the present invention is to make the abrasives in the measuring holes be taken out easily. A third object of the present invention is to prevent a change in the amount of the abrasives in the measuring holes while the abrasives are being moved to the transport path. Thereby, a fourth object of the present invention is to accurately transport the measured amount of the abrasives. A fifth object of the present invention is to ensure satisfactory fluidity to achieve supply of a constant amount of the abrasives that is easily subjected to aggregation as described above, for example, the above-described elastic abrasives. A sixth object of the present invention is to supply a constant amount of the abrasives irrespective of a change in the amount of the abrasives in the above-described tank 10 resulting from a change in grain size of the abrasives. A seventh object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for supplying a constant amount of the abrasives for a blasting machine that can supply a constant amount of the abrasives to a plurality of blasting guns simultaneously.

Apparatus for supplying constant amount of abrasives


A portable receptacle for receiving and containing emesis has a main body member defining an emesis containment chamber, a neck connected to the main body member, and a mouthpiece attached to the neck at an end thereof opposite the main body member. The neck defines a conduit communicating with the chamber. A baffle structure and/or one-way valve is positioned substantially within the conduit to allow emesis to move therethrough into the chamber and to minimize spillage and leakage outwardly through the conduit from the chamber.

The present invention deals with the field of devices utilized in the health care field generally for receiving bodily fluids. Devices for this purpose have been used primarily in hospitals but also in doctors' facilities and smaller clinics and the like. Currently, it is common to use basins, which are open, shallow, kidney-shaped, plastic pans for collection of bodily fluids, such as sputum and emesis. The present device is specifically usable for collecting of emesis. This is particularly important in view of disease control considerations, such as the likelihood that emesis might contain blood, which may present a risk of contamination by HIV, Hepatitis B, and/or pathogens not carried in the blood. As such, the present invention provides a unique configuration solely utilized for the purposes of safe and efficient gathering and containment of potentially dangerous spewed emesis.

Portable receptacle for receiving and containing emesis


Systems and methods for obtaining location information for a communication station in a first domain by a communication station in a second domain are provided. The communication station in the second domain embeds a location request message in a message formatted according to a first communication protocol, and transmits the message formatted according to the first communication protocol to a proxy server. The proxy server removes the embedded request message and forwards it to a location server, which is located in the first domain. The proxy server receives a location response message and embeds it in another message formatted according to the first communication protocol. The proxy server then transmits the another message formatted according to the first communication protocol to the communication station in the second domain, which can remove the embedded location response message.

Modern communications technology provides a number of different ways for people to communicate. One popular form of communication is instant messaging, which is a text-based form of communication. Users employ instant messaging clients, which communicate with each other via an instant messaging server. Typically, in order for people to communicate with each other using instant messaging, their instant messaging clients must use the same communication protocols.
Currently most instant messaging clients and servers operate using proprietary protocols. Proprietary protocols are those which operate according to specifications that are not freely available to the public. In contrast to proprietary protocols, open protocols are based on specifications which are freely available to the public. Instant messaging clients operating according to different proprietary protocols cannot directly communicate with each other.
A number of different solutions have been developed to overcome the problems of proprietary instant messaging protocols. For example, instant messaging clients which operate according to different proprietary protocols have been developed. Accordingly, a single instant messaging client can be used to communicate with a variety of different instant messaging clients which operate according to a variety of different proprietary protocols. However, the operators of the instant messaging servers, which operate according to proprietary protocols, can modify their protocols, thereby preventing the use of these multi-protocol instant messaging clients.
Another technique for communicating using instant messaging clients, which operate according to different protocols, is to use a gateway. A gateway is a hardware devices that translates between the different protocols. However, changes to either of the different protocols results in costly upgrades to the gateway. Additionally, the owners of the proprietary protocols may modify their protocols to prevent the use of gateways.
While instant messaging clients which operate according to open protocols have been developed, the ability to add new features is quite limited. Specifically, open protocols are typically developed by standards bodies in a manner which requires years of work before publication of the final specification for the protocol. Accordingly, changes to the open protocols can likewise require a long time before they are approved by the standards body. Additionally, a client operating using an open protocol cannot easily communicate with a client operating using a different open protocol, or even a proprietary protocol.
Although it is possible to add features to open protocols which are not covered by the final specification of an open protocol, the additional features would only be supported by clients designed to support the additional features, and would require either an instant messaging server which supports the additional features or a gateway that can translate the protocols of the additional features between the compatible instant messaging clients. Accordingly, every time a feature is added to an open protocol instant messaging client outside of the final specification, the instant messaging servers or gateway must be updated to support the new features, both of which can be quite costly.
Dispatch communications are voice communications that are similar to text-based instant messaging communications. Dispatch communications are typically provided in wireless communication networks, although they can be provided between a communication station supported by a wireless communication network and a communication station supported by a wired communication network. Like instant messaging, dispatch communications require communication devices to operate according to the same protocol or employ gateways. Similar to instant messaging, dispatch communication protocols can be either open or proprietary. The use of open or proprietary dispatch communication protocols have similar advantages and disadvantages to those discussed above in connection with instant messaging protocol.
In view of the above-identified and other deficiencies of conventional instant messaging or dispatch communication systems, it would be desirable to provide systems and methods that can support additional features in an open protocol instant messaging or dispatch communication system which does not require upgrades to the instant messaging or dispatch communication server, or require a gateway.

Systems and methods for providing location information


A cyclic peptide capable of binding specifically to the α2 I domain of a collagen binding integrin receptor may be conjugated to a drug containing particle via a linker moiety. The conjugate may be used to target a therapeutic drug to a cell expressing a collagen binding integrin receptor on its surface.

The integrins are a family of integral membrane receptors which mediate cell-cell and cell-extracellular matrix interaction by regulating cell adhesion, differentiation, migration and the immune response. The integrins are heterodimers composed of α and β subunits. Different combinations of subunits are expressed by different cell types generating a family of 25 different heterodimers. Some integrin receptors from the RGD binding subgroup, such as the α5β1 and the αvβ3 integrin receptors, recognize the arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD) motif in extracellular matrix proteins such as fibronectin. Peptides comprising the RGD motif or structural mimics thereof have been prepared and proposed as therapeutic entities binding to integrins, primarily the α5β1 and the αvβ3 integrin receptor, thereby inhibiting the integrin-mediated cell attachment to extracellular matrix proteins such as fibronectin (cf. U.S. Pat. No. 5,536,814; U.S. Pat. No. 5,627,263; U.S. Pat. No. 5,817,750; U.S. Pat. No. 5,955,572). These peptides are proposed for use in wound healing and to prevent tumour cells from binding to fibronectin, thereby inhibiting metastasis. By binding integrin receptors expressed on proliferating endothelial cells, these peptides can improve the drug delivery during cancer progression and inflammation (G. A. Konning et al., Arthritis Rheum 54 (4) 2006 pp 1198-1208 and X. B. Xiong et al., J Pharm Sci 94 (8) 2005, pp 1782-1793).
The integrin α2β1 receptor belongs to the integrin subgroup of collagen binding receptors. It binds several naturally occurring ligands such as collagen I, through the extracellular I domain of the integrin α2 monomer (the aα2 I domain), which is conserved in all collagen binding integrin receptors (M. Barczyk et al., Cell tissue Res 339 (1) 2010 pp 269-280). The interaction occurs in a cation-dependent manner, the interaction between collagen I and the integrin α2β1 receptor being mediated via Mg2+-bridged interactions supported by the MIDAS motif residues (Asp 151, Ser 153, Thr 221 and Asp 254) (L. J. Lambert et al., J. Biol. Chem. 283 (24), 2008, pp. 16665-16672). Solving the structure of the integrin α2 domain in complex with a collagen triple helix of three 21 amino acid collagen-derived peptides revealed that the α2 I domain undergoes conformational changes upon interaction with collagen (Emsley et al., Cell. 101 (1), 2000, pp 47-56). Such conformational changes in the receptor on interaction with the collagen peptide were confirmed by NMR spectroscopy (Lambert, supra). The presence of the triplex peptide also inhibits interaction between the integrin α2 and full-length collagen (Knight et. al., J. Biol. Chem. 275 (1), 2000, pp 35-40).
Binding of collagen and fibrinogen-dependent platelet activity may be inhibited by polypeptide toxins derived from snake venom, contributing to the anticoagulant effect of these venoms. These polypeptides (termed disintegrins) are functional homologues of the RGD motif found in extracellular matrix proteins. The jararhagin protein isolated from the venom of Bothrops jararaca (the Brazilian pit viper) has been found to inhibit collagen I interaction (J. Ivaska et al., J. Biol. Chem. 274 (6), 1999, pp. 3513-3521). A basic motif, Arg-Lys-Lys (RKK), in jararhagin is important for the interaction. A nine amino acid long cyclic peptide (C241TRKKHDNAQ249C)(SEQ ID NO: 3) has been found to inhibit the interaction between collagen I and the integrin α2β1 receptor in the presence of 2 mM MgCl2 (Ivaska et al., supra) by binding competitively to α2 I domain and disrupting cell adhesion to collagen I.
The nine amino acid peptide containing the RKK motif disclosed by Ivaska et al., supra, and other cyclic peptides containing the RKK motif derived from jararhagin are disclosed in WO 99/02551 and proposed for use in therapy to block integrin interaction with collagen and laminin, more specifically to block cell migration on collagen, e.g. as seen in periodontitis, or to block migration of malignant cells, e.g. as seen in osteosarcoma or malignant melanoma, or to prevent platelet adhesion to collagen, e.g. as seen in thrombosis and stroke. The peptides disclosed in WO 99/02551 preferably contain a cysteine residue at both ends such that the peptide may be cyclized by disulfide bond formation between the two cysteines.
The integrin α2β1 receptor has been found to be expressed in high amounts in skin keratinocytes (F. Watt, EMBO J., 21 (15), 2002, pp 3919-3926). In normal skin, the receptor is confined to the proliferating basal layers of the epidermis, but during wound healing and in psoriasis, the receptor is expressed on keratinocytes in the suprabasal layers correlating with an altered keratinocyte differentiation. Transgenic mice expressing the integrin α2β1 receptor under the involucrine promoter have previously been demonstrated to spontaneously develop a skin disorder resembling psoriasis (J. M. Carroll et al., Cell 83, 1995, pp. 957-968). It has furthermore been shown that in integrin transgenic mice a mild epidermal wounding leads to chronic inflammation similar to the Koebner phenomenon in psoriasis patients in whom wounding of non-lesional skin often results in the development of a psoriatic plaque at the site of the wound. The mice were followed for five weeks and throughout that time exhibited substantial keratinocyte hyperproliferation, inflammatory infiltration and high cytokine levels within the skin. Furthermore, the systemic immune response was very much affected with increased spleen size, elevated cytokine levels in serum and altered lymphocyte trafficking resembling what is seen in psoriasis patients (I. Teige et al., Int. Immunopharmacol. 10, 2010, pp. 107-114).
It is an object of the invention to provide a dermal drug delivery system utilizing integrin receptors expressed on keratinocytes in the lower epidermis as well as on inflammatory cells present in skin to target pharmacologically active compounds to this specific layer of the skin with a view to treating dermal diseases located in the lower epidermis (e.g. psoriasis, wounds, skin cancer and atopic dermatitis).

Cyclic peptide and conjugate thereof for binding to keratinocytes


A server-based car security service provides for image and position information to be provided to the server. The server uses the image information to make an authorization determination with respect to the current user. When the user is determined by the server to be an unauthorized user, the server alerts the owner or primary user of the car by sending the alert to a remote user device. The user device displays the image of the current user, and the owner has the opportunity to indicate whether the user is actually an unauthorized user or whether the determination at the server was a misrecognition error. When the user is unauthorized, the owner can request real-time monitoring of the car's position, and also the image inside the car, as well as an outside-of-the-car image.

1. Field
The inventive concept relates to data communication between devices via a network.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, machine-to-machine (M2M) related techniques and services have been receiving more attention. M2M technology refers to a novel network infrastructure. M2M allows a network infrastructure consisting of wide band networks (such as a mobile communication or a WiBro network) and an Internet addressing system to expand or associate with areas between a human and an object or areas between an object and an object. M2M is capable of conveniently sensing and transmitting the objects' data by using the mobility of the object. This secures the expandability of a network at low cost. M2M technology is being actively researched and developed, by mobile network operators, using communication networks and IT systems, due to its business potential as a new profit source.

Server and method of providing server-based car security service, car device and method of using server-based car security service, user device and method of using server-based car security service


A pepper mill including a hollow body having a through hole formed thereon, a clockwisely and counterclockwisely rotatable transmission unit mounted therein, and a grinding device mounted therein corresponding to the transmission unit. There is a base including a pivot having a free end inserted into the hollow body via the through hole and fixedly coupled to the transmission unit to enable the base and the hollow body to be pivotally rotatable, whereby the transmission unit is driven to perform a grinding action on the grinding device clockwisely and counterclockwisely.

Many different types of commercial pepper mills are disclosed in, for example, Taiwan Pat. No. 416,299, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,443,377, 6,443,378, and 6,830,205. The gear sets of these conventional pepper mills are composed of cone-shaped grinding blocks and grinding rings attached thereon, wherein the peppercorns are ground by the engagement motion between the respective protrudent gears of the cone-shaped grinding blocks and grinding rings. The above-mentioned engagement motion is performed only along arc-shaped tracks in a unitary direction since no reverse thread is formed on the cone-shaped grinding blocks and the grinding rings. In other words, if the conventional grinding blocks of the conventional pepper mills are rotated reversely, the grinding blocks cannot engage with the grinding rings. Therefore, the idle grinding blocks may be damaged easily by the friction between the grinding rings and the grinding blocks.


There is provided a polymerization process for the production of olefin polymers using a catalyst composition comprising: a) (i) a catalyst containing at least one cycloalkadienyl ligand substituted with at least one electron donor residue and coordinated with a metal selected from the group consisting of scandium, yttrium, and lanthanide metals; or (ii) a catalyst containing two cycloalkadienyl ligands coordinated with a metal selected from the group consisting of scandium, yttrium, and lanthanide metals, said cycloalkadienyl ligands connected by a bridging group comprising at least one Group IVA element and at least one electron donor residue; and b) an activating cocatalyst of the formula R.sub.x M', wherein R is alkyl, aryl, or hydride; M' is a Group I, II, or IIIA metal or a Group I, II, or IIIA metal complexed with oxygen, nitrogen, or a halide; and x is equal to the valence of M'.

Certain catalysts containing cyclopentadienyl ligands, rare earth metals, and electron donors are known to polymerize olefin monomers. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,109,085 and Pettijohn et al., "Rare Earth Metallocene Polymerization Catalysts," a paper presented at Metcon '93 in Houston, Tex. (May 1993), describe olefin polymerization catalyst systems comprising a catalyst having the formula Cp.sub.n MX.sub.4-n.M'L.sub.x, wherein Cp is a cyclopentadienyl ligand, M is a metal having an atomic number in the range of 58 to 71, M' is an alkali metal, L is an electron donor ligand, and X is a halogen, along with a cocatalyst comprising an alkali or alkaline earth metal alkyl. These references describe the use of such catalyst systems in solution or slurry phase polymerization to generate olefin polymers of narrow molecular weight distribution.
Although cyclopentadienyl ligand/rare earth metal catalysts have demonstrated good polymerization activity, catalysts of this type are highly electrophilic and undergo destructive C--H activation, in which the rare earth metal center of the catalyst attacks the cyclopentadienyl ligand or the allylic hydrogen of a comonomer. To prevent this, workers in the art typically have loaded the cyclopentadienyl ligand with sterically bulky groups. For instance, Olonde et al., "Ethylene Polymerization on Neodymium-Metallocene Based Catalysts," an abstract of a presentation at the "Rare Earths '92 in Kyoto" Conference (Kyoto, Japan) describes the use of Cp*.sub.2 NdCl.sub.2 Li(OEt.sub.2).sub.2 with LiR or MgR.sub.2 as a catalyst composition for ethylene polymerization, in which Cp* is pentamethylcyclopentadienyl. However, use of bulky ligands like pentamethylcyclopentadienyl on such catalysts tends to lessen their ability to incorporate comonomers effectively.
Paolucci et al., J. Organomet. Chem., 471:97-104 (1994) describes the synthesis of certain bis(cyclopentadienyl)lanthanoid chlorides in which the cyclopentadienyl ligands are linked by a 2,6-dimethylenepyridyl group. The publication states that such compounds "may have catalytic applications (olefin hydrogenation or polymerization)." However, no further information is given on these applications, such as appropriate cocatalysts or reaction conditions.
It has now been discovered that olefin polymers may be produced using a catalyst composition comprising: a) a rare earth metal/cycloalkadienyl ligand catalyst in which an electron donor residue is attached directly to the cycloalkadienyl ligand or is attached to a bridging group connecting two cycloalkadienyl ligands, and b) an activating cocatalyst containing a Group I, II, or IIIA metal. The above catalyst is advantageously less electrophilic and therefore less prone to C--H activation than conventional cyclopentadienyl ligand/rare earth metal catalysts, yet allows comonomers sufficient access to the active metal center.

Process using a rare earth metal catalyst for olefin polymerization

Union Carbide Chemicals & Plastics Technology Corporation


A tarpaulin cover system includes a transmission assembly associated with a cable pulley system for selectively moving the tarpaulin to a covering and to uncovering position over the top of a vehicle bed. The transmission assembly includes an upper rod secured to the tarpaulin and a lower rod mounted to the cable. A spring interconnects the upper rod and the lower rod to dispose the two rods in general alignment when the tarpaulin is being moved and to permit the upper rod to be moved toward a horizontal non-alignment condition when the tarpaulin is in its completely covering and completely uncovering positions.

Tarpaulin cover systems are used for selectively covering and uncovering objects. A common use is in connection with open top beds, particularly vehicles beds such as truck bodies. One advantageous form of mechanism for moving the tarpaulin selectively to its uncovering condition is through the use of a cable system wherein the cable is mounted to a pulley at each end of the bed with a crank connected to one pulley to cause the cable to move in either a forward or a reverse direction. The tarpaulin is provided with a plurality of spaced bows which would extend over the top of the bed. The cable is mounted to the bows. The lead most bow is secured to the cable so as to cause the lead most bow to move in conjunction with the movement of the cable. Thus, the cable movement can cause the bows to be pushed together with the tarpaulin being in an accordion type fashion for uncovering or exposing the top of the vehicle of the bed. Alternatively, by pulling forward on the lead most bow, the remaining bows follow and the bed is covered. This basic system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,189,178 which issued to Nello Cramaro.
A variation of the above basic system includes the provision of a mechanism associated with the lead end of the tarpaulin for selectively elevating the lead end of the tarpaulin. As a result, when the tarpaulin is moved to its covering or uncovering condition at least a portion of the tarpaulin is elevated above the top of the bed. Once in its final covered or uncovered condition the lead end is lowered to contact or go over the top edge of the bed.
It would be desirable to provide a transmission assembly for selectively elevating the lead end of the tarpaulin during its movement and then lowering the lead end in a simple and convenient manner.


The invention provides a touch sensing circuit and method, a touch screen and a display device, the touch sensing circuit comprises: a touch sensing unit, an output control unit and a detection unit; the touch sensing unit is configured for providing a touch current, and transmitting the touch current to the output control unit; the output control unit is connected with a second control line, a read-out line, the touch sensing unit and the detection unit, for outputting the touch current to the detection unit; the detection unit is connected with a reference voltage terminal, an output terminal, the read-out line and the output control unit, for detecting significant change in the voltage output by the output control unit, thereby determining the location where the touch occurs. The detection accuracy of the detection sensing circuit in determining the occurrence of touch is improved.

LCD display screen has been widely used in various display fields, such as home, public places, offices and personal electronics-related products. As people's increasing demand for display, touch operation has been used more and more widely. Touch screen is usually implemented as resistive, capacitive, optical, acoustic wave, etc., in which the capacitor is embedded in the touch screen, i.e., the embedded capacitive touch manner can make the touch screen to be thinner, lighter than the touch screen of other touch manner, and save more cost, and therefore the embedded capacitive touch screen draws more and more attention.
FIG. 1 is an embedded capacitive touch sensing circuit in the prior art, as shown in FIG. 1, the circuit comprises: a first transistor M1, a second transistor M2, an amplification transistor M3, a fixed capacitor C1 and an variable capacitor C1c, wherein the gate of the first transistor M1 is connected to the first control line, the source of the first transistor M1 is connected to the voltage line, the drain of the first transistor M1 is connected to the node c, the first transistor M1 is used to implement the initialization process. One terminal of the fixed capacitor C1 is connected to the first control line, and the other terminal of the fixed capacitance C1 is connected to the node c, so as to hold the gate-drain voltage of the first transistor M1. One terminal of the variable capacitor C1c is connected to the node c, the other terminal of the variable capacitor C1c is connected to the bias line. The gate of the amplification transistor M3 is connected to the node c, the source of the amplification transistor M3 is connected to the voltage line, the drain of the amplification transistor M3 is connected to the source of the second transistor M2; the gate of the second transistor M2 is connected to the second control line, the drain of the second transistor M2 is connected to the read-out line. The operation of the circuit is as follows.
When the first control line is applied with high level, the first transistor M1 is turned on, the fixed capacitor C1 and the variable capacitor C1c are charged, the node c is charged to V1; when the first control line is applied with low level, due to the capacitive coupling effects, the voltage on node c becomes: Vc=V1−C1*ΔVp/(C1+C1c), wherein ΔVp is the difference value between the pulse high voltage and low voltage on the first control line. When a touch occurs, the variable capacitance C1c changes, the node voltage Vc is changed, resulting in a change in the gate voltage of the amplification transistor M3, thereby the source current flowing through the amplification transistor M3 is changed, i.e. the source current from the amplification transistor M3 to the second transistor M2 is changed. When the second control line is applied with high level, the second transistor M2 is turned on, the current from the drain of the second transistor M2 to the read-out line is changed, and the changed current is detected by the detection unit connected with the read-out line, such that a detection of the touch location and subsequent operations can be performed.
Those problems exist in the prior art: compared to the Vc value when no touch occurs, the change in Vc value generated by change of the variable capacitor C1c when a touch occurs is relative small, change in the current flowing through the amplification transistor M3 and the second transistor M2 to the read-out line is small, such that the accuracy of the touch sensing circuit in determining the occurrence of touch is not satisfactory.

Touch sensing circuit and method, touch screen and display device

HEFEI BOE OPTOELECTRONICS TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.


A light bulb or fixture design is presented with dual types of light spectra (visible and invisible UV), having economic benefits stemming from the use of a single bulb, single bulb socket, and single fixture capable of providing selection of different spectra type illumination states and other types of adjustability with a minimum of additional bulbs, additional wiring, additional fixtures and additional instruction in use.

The parents of this application, as enumerated above, relate to an upgraded form of light control for the configurations of one or more electrical devices such as ceiling fans and light bulbs, alone or in a fixture, lamp, wall or ceiling, with power controlled by one or more switches.
There are prior art multiple color emitting light bulbs, for example adjustable White color, or RGB (Red Green Blue) any color light bulbs. The light from those light bulbs is direct and visible and visually aesthetic or pleasing or provides a beneficial effect, whether people view it transmitted through various diffusers or after being reflected off objects in the room or vicinity. One such type of light spectrum is the Red+Purple light of Grow lights and fixtures. This light specifically benefits plants. In fact, various spectra are tailor made for different plant phases such as the growth and flowering phases. Green wavelengths, most appreciated by humans when looking at vegetation, are mostly ignored and reflected by plants, hence their green color.
Another such not-directly-for-humans light spectrum is the primarily invisible spectrum ultra-violet (UV). UV light is arbitrarily categorized by the center of its wavelength as UV-A, UV-B, and UV-C, for long, medium, and shortest wavelengths, respectively. All three have non-beneficial effects for humans according to the WHO (World Health Organization) and are of varying degrees of exposure safety. Low level "black light" in the visible portion of the UV spectrum (UV-A), is often used at parties, and thought to be the safest. When reflected off white clothes or fluorescent paints and dyes, these objects appear to light up, adding to a more exotic or interesting mood. UVB and UVC light have much stronger effect, but are strongly indirect and generally invisible. They do have a direct germicidal effect, destroying viruses, bacteria, and fungi, life forms, thereby being of benefit by providing safer, more sanitary environments. Exposure to such light is thought to be detrimental particularly over long durations.
Another type of light, infrared light, is also beneficial but in a less invisible and indirect way. It is minimally visible, yet penetrates skin and warms body tissue, expanding blood vessels, thus increasing circulation to parts of the body, providing them with more nutrients, oxygen, and CO2 and waste removal. Because of their very low wavelength solid-state emitters of infrared are also ceramic rather than just LED at this time.
A distinction has thus been made between 1) light bulbs offering adjustable White (Cool-Warm-Natural) or RGB (any color you want) light, both of which are for the direct and visual effect (i.e., visible); and 2) light bulbs whose spectra of light states includes some light having the aforementioned, as well as other non-direct and/or non-visual effects (i.e., invisible, or of low visibility).

Multiple spectrum (visible and non visible) lighting with adjustable control system


An optical information recording and reproducing apparatus for recording information pits on an information track by irradiating a light beam focused into a fine spot onto the information track of an optical information recording and reproducing medium, includes a device for forming a plurality of recording light spots on the information track transversely to the information track.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for optically recording and reproducing information, and more particularly to an optical information recording and reproducing apparatus which is suitable to a magnetic field modulation system.
2. Related Background Art
An optical memory such as an optical disk or an optical card has been recently attracting notice as a large capacity memory having a low cost per bit. Among others, a magneto-optical disk, which is a magneto-optical recording medium that permits erasing of information and an application thereof to an external recording unit of a computer and a memory for an image file, has been extensively studied.
The magneto-optical disk recording system includes a light modulation system and a magnetic field modulation system. In the light modulation system, an intensity-modulated laser beam is irradiated while a constant biasing magnetic field is applied to the magneto-optical disk. In the magnetic field modulation system, a modulated biasing magnetic field is applied while a constant intensity laser beam is irradiated. Of those two systems, in order to overwrite information, that is, record new information while erasing previously recorded information, the magnetic field modulation system is advantageous because the medium structure of the magneto-optical disk may be simple. A common information recording method is a mark interval recording method in which an interval (or position) of a mark called a domain on the magneto-optical disk is modulated to record information. On the other hand, a mark length recording method which can increase a recording density by approximately 1.5 times by modulating a length of the mark to record information has also been studied. In high density recording by the mark length recording method, the magnetic field modulation system is also advantageous because it is hardly restricted by the size of a light spot or light intensity distribution.
FIG. 1 shows a configuration of a magneto-optical disk and peripheral units in the magnetic field modulation system. In FIG. 1, numeral 7 denotes a semiconductor laser used as a light source. A laser beam thereof is collimated .by a collimator lens 6 and converted to a circular light beam by a beam shaping prism 5. It passes through a beam splitter 4, is focused by an objective lens 3 and is directed to a recording layer of a magneto-optical disk 2 as a fine light spot. A magnetic head 1 is arranged above the magneto-optical disk 2 to face the objective lens 3.
On the other hand, the light reflected by the magneto-optical disk 2 passes through the objective lens 3 and the beam splitter 4 and is directed to a beam splitter 9, which splits the reflected light into two light beams, one of which is directed to a reproducing optical system through a one-half wavelength plate 10 and the other is directed to a controlling optical system through a condenser lens 15. In the reproducing optical system, the light transmitted through the one-half wavelength plate 10 is directed to a beam splitter 12 through a condenser lens 11 and it is further split into two light beams. The split light beams are detected by photo-detectors 13 and 14, respectively, and an information signal is derived from the detection outputs. In the controlling optical system, the light transmitted through the condenser lens 15 is split into two light beams by a beam splitter 16. One of the split beams is detected by a photo-detector 19 and the other is detected by a photo-detector 18 through a knife edge 17. A servo signal is derived from the detection signals of the photo-detectors 19 and 18.
When information is to be recorded, a laser beam of a constant intensity is irradiated by the semiconductor laser 7 to apply a thermal bias to the magneto-optical disk 2. As a result, temperature of the recording layer rises beyond a Curie point. Under this state, a biasing magnetic field is applied from the magnetic head 1 to the high temperature region. The biasing magnetic field is modulated by a recording signal and the orientation of magnetization of the recording layer is aligned to the direction of the biasing magnetic field. When the temperature of the recording layer goes down below the Curie point, the orientation of magnetization is held and a domain is formed. Since the light spot usually has a Gaussian distribution of light intensity, a temperature distribution of the heated medium reflects the light intensity distribution and it is gentle. Thus, an isothermal line of the Curie point is not rectangular. As a result, the recorded domain has an arrow shape as shown in FIG. 2A and 2B. FIG. 2A shows domains recorded by the mark interval recording method. The mark shapes are equal and the mark intervals are modulated. FIG. 2B shows domains recorded by the mark length recording method. The length of the marks are modulated and the edge intervals represent the information.
In the prior art magnetic field modulation system, however, when the arrow-shaped domain which corresponds to an information bit is to be reproduced, the arrow-shaped domain is scanned by the circular light spot having the Gaussian distribution in the light intensity distribution. As a result, correlations between the light spot and the domain are different after the arrow and the before the arrow, crosstalk from front and rear adjacent domains are asymmetric, and the sharp portion of the arrow-shaped domain, that is, a high spatial frequency portion is a stable in shape. Accordingly, because of those problems and a poor MTF of the optical system, the prior art apparatus cause an increase in signal jitter, an increase in error rate and a decrease in reliability. Particularly, in the mark length recording method shown in FIG. 2B, the increase in error rate caused by jitter is remarkable because the edge position of the domain represents the information.

Optical information recording and reproducing apparatus utilizing a plurality of recording light spots


A capacitor device with a capacitance is introduced. The capacitor device includes at least one capacitive element. The at least capacitive element comprises a pair of first conductive layers being opposed to each other, at least one first dielectric layer formed on a surface of at least one of the first conductive layers, and a second dielectric layer being sandwiched between the first conductive layers. The first dielectric layer has a first dielectric constant and the second dielectric layer has a second dielectric constant. The capacitance of the capacitor device depends on dielectric parameters of the first dielectric layer and the second dielectric layer. The dielectric parameters comprise the first dielectric constant and thickness of the at least one first dielectric layer and the second dielectric constant and thickness of the second dielectric layer.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to capacitors, and more particularly, to capacitors that may be embedded within printed circuit boards or other microelectronic devices.
2. Background of the Invention
Capacitors are devices used for introducing capacitance into a circuit. Capacitors function primarily to store electrical energy, block the flow of direct current, or permit the flow of alternating current. They comprise a layer of dielectric material sandwiched between a pair of spaced conductive metal layers, such as copper foils.
Capacitors are common elements on printed circuit boards (PCBs) and other microelectronic devices. In recent years, substantial efforts have been expended in the design of such PCBs and devices arranged thereupon to compensate for voltage fluctuations arising between the power and ground planes in the PCBs. One common type of voltage fluctuations include "switching noises," which may be caused by switching operation of transistors in the integrated circuits. A common solution to this problem is to place one or more capacitors serving as a decoupling capacitors or bypass capacitors, which may be coupled between the power and ground terminals in proximity to the integrated circuits.
Capacitors may be electrically connected either as discrete elements on a circuit board, or may be embedded within the circuit boards. Of these options, forming embedded capacitors within the circuit boards allows increased surface area of the board for other purposes.
Two main factors for selection of a capacitor include the capacitance and the frequency bandwidth of a capacitor. The frequency bandwidth of a capacitor depends on its self-resonance frequency because a capacitor behaves properly when it operates in a frequency below the self-resonance frequency. Equation (1) below shows the relationship between capacitance and self-resonance frequency of a capacitor:
                    fr        =                  1                      2                        π                                      LC                                                          (        1        )            where fr represents the self-resonance frequency, L represents the parasitic inductance (i.e., equivalent series inductance "ESL"), and C represents the parasitic capacitance (i.e., equivalent series capacitance "ESC"). According to Eq. (1), a capacitor with smaller capacitance may have higher self-resonance frequency, thereby having a broad frequency bandwidth. On the other hand, a capacitor with larger capacitance may have lower self-resonance frequency, thereby having a narrow frequency bandwidth. However, for decoupling capacitors, it is highly desirable to have a high self-resonance frequency and high capacitance.
Capacitance, in general, can be determined by the equation below:
                    C        =                  ɛ                                                                          A            d                                              (        2        )            where C represents the capacitance of the capacitor in Farads, ∈ represents the dielectric constant of the dielectric material, and A represents the surface area of the dielectric material held between two conducting plates and d represents the distance between the plates. According to Eq. (2) above, capacitance is proportional to the surface area of the conducting plates and the dielectric constant, of the dielectric material, and inversely proportional to the distance between the plates. Thus, in order to increase the capacitance of a capacitor, one may increase the area of the conducting plates or select an extremely thin layer of a dielectric material with a high dielectric constant. However, each of these approaches presents difficulties. First, increasing the area of the conducting plates departs from the object of compact designs. In addition, the selection of the dielectric material is often limited by many production and configuration limitations. Additional difficulties arise when the thickness of a dielectric layer is reduced. In particular, the thickness of a dielectric layer on a circuit board can be difficult to control because dielectric thickness may be dramatically changed due to the shapes and dimensions of the patterned features (e.g., capacitor electrodes) over which dielectric is deposited. A thin-dielectric layer design usually comes with the danger of having metal-to-metal shorting through the thin dielectric layer and of having microscopic voids or other structural defects in the layer that may impact capacitive effects and characteristics.

Industrial Technology Research Institute


The apparatus, system and method is capable of providing power from a directional or vertical drilling apparatus at an origin above the ground to an electronic device located in a drill head of the directional or vertical drilling apparatus located below the ground. The apparatus, system and method is also capable of providing an electrical signal from below ground back to the origin, above ground, from the electronic device. Accordingly, the mechanism for feeding electrical power down a hole to the electronic device located in the drill head and transmitting a signal back to the origin, greatly enhances the drilling process making it faster, more reliable and more efficient.

The present invention relates generally to directional or horizontal drilling devices. More particularly, the present invention relates to an electrical transmission line for use with directional or horizontal drilling machines.
Directional or horizontal drilling machines are used to drill holes along a generally horizontal path beneath the ground. After a hole is drilled, the hole is back reamed and then a length of cable or the like can be passed through the hole. Such directional drilling machines eliminate the need for digging a long trench to lay a length of cable or the like.
A typical directional drilling machine includes an elongated track that can be aligned at an inclined orientation relative to the ground. A drill head is mounted on the track so as to be moveable along the length of the track. The drill head includes a drive member that is rotated about a drive axis that is generally parallel to the track. The drive member is adapted for connection to a length of pipe, or drill stem. For example, the drive member can include a threaded end having either female or male threads.
To drill a hole using the directional drilling machine, the track is oriented at an inclined angle relative to the ground, and the drill head is retracted to an upper end of the track. Next, a length of drill stem is unloaded from a magazine and is coupled to the drive member of the drill head. Once the drill stem is connected to the drill head, the drill head is driven in a downward direction along the inclined track. As the drill head is driven downward, the drive member is concurrently rotated about the drive axis. Typically, a cutting element or drilling/boring member, is mounted at the distal end of the drill stem on the drill head. Consequently, as the drill head is driven down the track, the rotating drill stem is pushed into the ground thereby causing the drill stem to drill or bore a hole. By stringing multiple drill stems together, it is possible to drill holes having relatively long lengths.
After drilling a hole, it is common for a back reamer to be connected to the end of the drill string. Once the back reamer is connected to the end of the drill string, the directional drilling apparatus is used to pull the string of drill stems back toward the drilling machine. As the string of drill stems is pulled back toward the drilling machine, the reamer enlarges the pre-drilled hole, and the drill stems are individually uncoupled from the drill string and loaded back into the magazine of the directional drilling machine.
In order to accurately guide the drill string, an operator must monitor the position of the drill head. The principal means for locating the position of the drill head for guiding it is to equip the drill head with an electronic device that emits electromagnetic energy. Typically, the electronic device is a radio transmitter or sonde mounted within the drill head. The sonde emits electromagnetic energy at radio frequencies which can be detected above the ground by an operator using an electromagnetic wave detection device, or the like, tuned to the same radio frequency emitted by the sonde. Accordingly, by providing feedback of the drill head's position, the drilling machine operator can make the required adjustments such that the hole is bored at the proper depth and in the proper direction.
Electrical power required to operate the sonde has typically been supplied via a conventional wire line, or a battery placed within the drill head. Several problems are associated with the conventional wire line in that it is cumbersome to feed the wire line through the drill stem. In order to extend the drill string, sections of drill stem are added at the drive head of the drilling machine. Therefore, a new length of wire must be spliced or connected to a previous length or wire in the drill string. This takes time and is not generally an efficient process, thus reducing the overall productivity and slowing down the drilling process.
Providing power to the sonde via a battery is problematic in that the energy delivered to the sonde is limited to the energy capacity of the battery. Therefore, the output signal strength emitted by the sonde is practically limited to the battery's energy capacity. Since electromagnetic waves are emitted from a source (the sonde) beneath the ground, they are greatly attenuated by the time they reach the detection device above ground. Accordingly, it is desirable to increase the energy or power delivered to the sonde to increase the strength of the electromagnetic waves emitted therefrom.
For the foregoing reasons, there is a need for an apparatus, system and method capable of providing electrical power to an electronic device located within a drill head of a drilling machine that greatly enhances the productivity of the drilling process. Furthermore, there is a need for providing power to the electronic device that is not limited by the energy capacity of a battery.

Apparatus and method for providing electrical transmission of power and signals in a directional drilling apparatus


A method for molding a tire tread element by injecting a rubber mixture through injection holes of an injection mold formed by moving two cooperating mold elements toward a cylindrical drum disposed therebetween. The mold elements sealingly match to an outer surface of the inflatable drum to define a mold cavity of a cross-section and length selected to form a tread element of precisely defined shape and size. A breaker layer may be integrated with an injected rubber mixture and the tread element may be made to be completely circular or linear with matchingly formed end surfaces enabling secure adherence thereat.

Generally, the procedure for molding a radial tire involves manufacturing a green tire, i.e., a tire before to be subjected to a curing process, which consists of first and the second steps.
The first step is that an inner layer, a carcass layer, a bead, an apex layer and a sidewall layer are assembled on a cylindrical drum to form the first case as shown in FIG. 1. The second step is that said case manufactured by said first step is shaped to the same type as nearly completed product, and a breaker layer and a tread layer are adhered, in turn, to said carcass layer as shown in FIG. 2(a).
Then, as shown in FIG. 2(b), said breaker layer and tread layer are adhered completely by pressing of a stiching roller thereto to complete forming of shape of a green case. Said tread being used in the second step is obtained by extruding a shape as shown in FIG. 3, by a conventional extrusion process, and then cutting the resulting product with a knife. Said tread is cut in bias manner as shown in FIG. 4, in order to maximize an area of end contact when the tread is adhered along the circumference of a circle in the second step of the molding procedure.
However, after the extrusion molding, both ends of the tread cut by the knife cannot readily be placed at a bias angle sufficient to extend the contact area of both ends of the tread.
Furthermore, in the conventional radial tire, the proportional weight of the tread is also very high, wherein it has a range of 30.about.40% per total tire weight, and thus it exerts an important effect on uniformity and balance of the final tire.
A method for manufacturing the conventional tread will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Referring to FIG. 1, tire components are assembled on a cylindrical drum in the first molding step for manufacturing a conventional tire. The first case thus defined is one in which an inner liner layer, a carcass layer (2), a bead(3), an apex(5) and a sidewall(4) are assembled on the cylindrical drum(1).
FIG. 2(a) illustrates the second molding step, wherein said first case is shaped in a form similar to the completed tire wherein a breaker layer(7) is adhered on said carcass layer and then a tread(6) is adhered on said breaker layer(7). FIG. 2(b) shows that after the second type said breaker layer(7) and tread layer(6) are adhered completely by the pressing of a stiching roller(16) to form a completed green tire.
FIGS. 3, 4 show perspective and sectional views of a tread element (6) cut in regular lengths after extrusion of the tread by the conventional method.
However, as mentioned above, since the tread shaped by a conventional molding process and cut by a knife generally has a low rubber contractile rate and low precision in cutting, its requisite length and cutting cannot readily be obtained in the second molding step.
Due to the above-mentioned reasons, when the tread is assembled in the second step, it is adhered by extending or reducing its length little by little as required depending upon the original length.
Accordingly, the tread sectional profile and its weight distribution along a circumference of the tread are not uniform.
Uneven sectional profile and weight of the tread exert an important effect on uniformity and balance of the final product because the tread has a high weight ratio relative to the whole tire. Furthermore, if adhesive force in the tread is lowered across its section or alien substances penetrate, they cause tire disintegration within a short period of time.
Furthermore, an extruder for manufacturing a tread being utilized in the prior extruding method has a large volume, and requires auxilliary equipment such as facilities for a cooling, cutting, preservation and the like, passing through a conveyer system after extrusion.
Accordingly, it occupies a large space as well as a cost price increase, and maintenance and repair also are difficult.
The present invention solves the defects of the conventional molding method employing the method described above.

Method for molding a tire tread by injection


Starch containing amylopectin is hydrolyzed with an alpha-amylase, preferably derived from Bacillus stearothermophilus, under conditions which cause a non-random cleavage of the starch molecules to yield fragments (molecules) having similar size and branching characteristics and a molecular weight range from about 20,000 to about 50,000 daltons are made. All of the desired molecules have (.alpha.1,6) linkages. The hydrolysate is treated to enrich the concentration of the desired fragments and the enriched portion can be processed further to make a maltodextrin having a D.E. of less than about 8.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a non-random starch hydrolysis process for preparing low D.E. starch hydrolysates and low D.E. starch conversion products, also known as low D.E. maltodextrins. D.E. is an abbreviation for dextrose equivalent, which is a common expression in the art for describing the total reducing sugars content of a material, expressed as percent dextrose, dry basis. The invention also has to do with the low D.E. maltodextrins themselves and to compositions employing them, such as fat mimetics and bulking agents.
2. Description of Related Art
Low D.E. starch hydrolysates and starch conversion products are known in the art. Generally they are produced by the hydrolysis of starch with acids or enzymes. Such products have a bland taste, low sweetness and low hygroscopicity and are useful for a variety of food applications. For example, they are useful as bulking agents, carriers, film-forming agents, encapsulating agents and the like. Typical of the early processes for preparing low D.E. starch hydrolysates are those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,853,706 and 3,849,194. Both patents describe processes utilizing certain bacterial alpha-amylases to treat starch hydrolysates and provide products having a D.E. between 5 and 20-25.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,284,722 discloses the use of an alpha-anylase derived from Bacillus stearothermophilus to hydrolyze starch at a pH between 3.5 and 6.5 and a temperature between 100.degree. and 115.degree. C. for 160 minutes. Thereafter the temperature is dropped to 80.degree.-100.degree. C. prior to subsequent treatment with additional enzymes to prepare various end products.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,756,919 discloses the use of molecular extrusion to reduce a starch hydrolysate having a D.E. of from about 20 to about 43, to from about 5 to about 18. Molecular extrusion is an essential technique in that patent since the product being separated does not have a sharp differentiation in molecular size. The use of extrusion separation techniques is also described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,109,075 and 4,840,807.
The known methods of starch hydrolysis by acids or enzymes cause random cleavage of the starch molecules. This results in the formation of linear and branched fragments of various chain lengths and properties. Depending on the chain length and degree of branching present, the resulting starch hydrolysate may be soluble or insoluble in water, may or may not be resistant to hazing, and so forth. Accordingly, a method of starch cleavage having more specificity is needed to prepare starch hydrolysates having more uniform and predictable qualities.
Various low D.E. maltodextrins are available commercially. For example, Maltrin M040 maltodextrin, available from Grain Processing Corporation, Muscatine, Iowa, is disclosed to have a D.E. of approximately 4-7. Nevertheless, there is a need for low D.E. hydrolysates having high concentrations of high molecular weight, branched molecules and having a reduced amount of high molecular weight linear molecules and low molecular weight linear or branched molecules. A means of making such low D.E. hydrolysates has now been developed according to the present invention. The hydrolysates of the invention have improved properties over other types of low D.E. hydrolysates such as lower color, higher clarity and cleaner taste than currently available products, and could be used in new applications such as stable, low D.E. syrups.

Low D.E. starch conversion products having a sharp differentiation in molecular size


A fragrance delivery system comprises a suspension concentrate including a suspending matrix and a fragrance material which system can be diluted with water to form a use composition such as a body wash formulation.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a fragrance delivery system, and, more particularly, to a suspension concentrate and aqueous use composition for delivering a fragrance in an effective manner.
2. Description of the Prior Art
M. Jurek et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 6,875,732, described a laundry product containing a fragrance-containing composition which deposited a substantial proportion of its fragrance onto the fabric in an etherically pleasing manner. The fragrance delivery system was a concentrate of fragrance plus microemulsion matrix including Microflex™ (International Specialty Products) microemulsifier in compositions having a particle size of <0.1μ. This Microflex™ based system included N-octyl pyrrolidone as an essential wetting component.


A spiral rebar weldable metal rod with a constant or variable pitch of between 1 and 10 times a diameter of a cylinder into which the rod is inscribed; with a planar cross-section having at least two petals connected to the central section and separated from each other by gaps. The triangular petals are connected with the central section by their vertices; the petal edges distant from the central section are circular. The rebar has ribs; the ribs' height is between 0.5 mm and 1.0 mm and distances between the ribs are between 5 mm and 15 mm.

Reinforced concrete is a popular construction material. It typically uses embedded reinforcement structures that have high tensile strength and ductility to reinforce concrete.
One popular type of reinforcement is a steel reinforcement bar (i.e, rebar). A rebar may be a hot-rolled or cold-drawn metal rod with circular cross section and ribbed surface. The ribs of various shapes enhance bonding between the rebar and concrete for joint performance under tension and flexion or bending. However, due to small height of the ribs, the bonding between the ribs and concrete can break under the stress, causing slippage of the rebar inside concrete, which weakens the concrete. To obtain the necessary tensile strength of the reinforcement, the amount of rebar must be increased, which adversely increases weight of the reinforcement and cost of construction of the reinforced concrete.
Another popular type of reinforcement may be manufactured from tubular blanks with hot-rolled corrugated ribs. This manufacturing method provides a reduced weight of the reinforcement. However, such a tubular reinforcement structure typically cannot be made with a diameter less than 20 mm. Furthermore, the economic gain is insignificant, due to the increased complexity and energy consumption in the manufacturing of such reinforcement.
Another type of reinforcement is a cable reinforcement, which includes several metal wires wound into strands. This type of reinforcement structure provides a more effective reinforcement than the rebar, but has much higher cost of manufacture.
The main drawback of all these kinds of reinforcement is the ineffective use of the material: under combined loading of a reinforced concrete structure, such as under combined bending and tension, only the surface layers of the reinforcement are in fact working. The strength properties of the structure are not fully utilized.
In the past century, a substantial number of efforts have been made to develop spiral reinforcements whose structural quality coefficient (load-bearing capacity per mass) is substantially higher than that of the ribbed rebar currently being used.
One known rebar design is a steel band of rectangular cross-section twisted into a spiral, whose ribs after twisting are subjected to a deformation pattern. This technical solution also does not optimize the use of the material in the reinforcement structure.
Thus, there is a need for an improved reinforcement for reinforced concrete, which has lower weight while fully utilizing the strength properties of its material.


A gas turbine engine rotor disc (20) is provided with a plurality of cooling air supply passages (32) which are generally radially extending but are inclined in the downstream direction. Each passage (32) has a cross-sectional configuration which renders the ends (34) of the passages (32) less likely than normal to act as the site of hoop-stress induced cracks.

Gas turbine engines typically include several rotor discs which carry a plurality of radially extending aerofoil blades on their periphery. Those aerofoil blades can be in the form of compressor blades or turbine blades. In the case of rotor discs carrying turbine blades, particularly turbine blades for use in the hotter, higher pressure portions of the engine's turbine, it is usually necessary to provide at least some of those turbine blades with internal cooling. Typically, that cooling is provided by cool air tapped from the engine's compressor and directed into passages within the blade interiors. The air is thus placed in intimate heat exchange relationship with the blades, so bringing about a reduction in their operating temperature, before being exhausted into the general hot gas flow through the turbine.
Cooling air is often supplied to the turbine blades through supply passages provided in the rotor disc carrying the turbine blades. Typically, cool air extracted from the compressor is directed along a path close to the engine's longitudinal axis before flowing in radially outward directions and into the disc supply passages. The disc supply passages are generally radially extending so as to direct the cooling air to the radially inward portions of the blades where they communicate with entrances to the cooling passages within the blades.
In use, gas turbine engine rotor discs rotate at very high speeds and are consequently subject to major hoop stresses. The cooling air supply passages within the disc are, of course, subject to the influence of those hoop stresses. Since the passages extend generally normal to the direction of the hoop stresses, there can be a tendency for portions of the passages to act as sites for the initiation and propagation of cracks within the disc. Such cracks are clearly undesirable in view of the limiting effect that they can have upon the life of the rotor disc.
The cross-sectional configuration of the disc passages can be an important factor in the tendency for such cracking to occur. Typically, the passages are of circular cross-section since this is frequently the cheapest and easiest configuration to produce. Under certain circumstances, depending upon the passage diameter and the anticipated rotational speed of the disc, such passages are acceptable. However, there may be other circumstances in which such circular cross-section passages can give rise to cracking.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,344,738, the problem of rotor disc cracking is tackled by changing the cross-sectional configuration of each disc passage from circular to elliptical cross-section. The major axis of the ellipse extends in a generally circumferential direction so that under the influence of hoop stresses, there is a reduced tendency for cracks to be initiated.

Gas turbine engine rotor disc with cooling fluid passage


A communication system receives and codes a plurality of information signals according to coding assignments to produce a plurality of coded baseband signals. From these signals, a simulated composite carrier signal is formed which has all the characteristics of an actual composite carrier signal which would have resulted if the plurality of coded baseband signals had been formed. The simulated composite carrier signal is analyzed to determine its peak-to-average ratio. The communication system selects a different coding assignments for coding the plurality of information signals if, based on the determined peak-to-average ratio and a selection criteria, the coding assignment does not produce the desired results. The communication system selects a different coding assignments until at least one or several desired coding techniques have been identified, ranks the coding techniques and makes a final selection of the coding technique to meet the peak-to-average ratio requirements.

In modern digital and analog cellular telecommunication systems, a cellular base station communicates with multiple mobile units while maintaining exclusive communication links with the mobile units. A base station may transmit a carrier signal that is a composite of all the exclusive carrier signals. Each receiving unit receives the composite carrier signal and extracts a desired information from the composite carrier signal. The composite carrier signal is the combined carrier signals that are transmitted on different carrier frequencies, or common carrier frequency. The composite carrier signal is amplified through a linear power amplifier that has a finite peak power capacity. The linear power amplifier should be operated in its linear region as such to prevent the composite carrier signal distortion, which also creates undesired spurious radiation. Therefore, the highest possible peak of the amplified composite carrier signal amplitude should be below the peak power capacity of the transmitter linear power amplifier.
In systems where the amplified carrier signal is a composite of multiple carrier signals, the highest possible peak amplitude, also defined as peak power, of the composite carrier signal may be substantially large. The peak power of a composite carrier signal increases as a square function of the number of carrier signals combined thereof. For example, the peak power of a composite carrier signal is approximately one hundred times larger than the average power of the individual carrier signals when a base station transmitter is transmitting a composite carrier signal comprising of ten carrier signals. In such a system, the linear power amplifier should have an arduous linear operating region, that places extreme burden on designing and keeping the linear power amplifier within its operating requirements. As a result, the cost and efficiency of the linear power amplifiers, in such a system, are substantially increased.
A clipping technique is a commonly used method for relaxing power amplifier operating requirements. In this method, if the composite carrier signal peak amplitude is above certain level, the signal would be clipped prior to being input to the power amplifier. However, a significant signal degradation often results from the clipping technique.
In another technique for controlling the peak power level of a composite carrier signal, a scheme of block coding is utilized. In the block coding scheme, each carrier signal of the composite carrier signal is coded with a code; as a result, the peak power level of the composite carrier signal may be changed to a level that the resulting amplified composite carrier signal would not be distorted. In this method, the codes are predetermined and trivially selected before any knowledge of the content of information signals; such that, it is possible to have the amplified composite carrier signal distorted at a level far above any acceptable level. The implementation of block coding scheme has been impeded due to the unpredictable results, because the codes are perfunctorily selected for each carrier signal.
Thus, a need exists for an improved method and apparatus for analyzing a composite signal to effectively reduce the peak to average amplitude ratio of a transmitted composite carrier signal.

Method and apparatus for analyzing a composite carrier signal


An optical connector has a ferrule, an optical fiber connector disposed at an back end of the ferrule, an internal optical fiber inserted into the ferrule and the optical fiber connector, the internal optical fiber being adapted to butt-connect at a back end face thereof to an external optical fiber to be inserted into the optical fiber connector, and a refractive index matching body attached to the back end face of the internal optical fiber. The refractive index matching body has a cross-linked and hardened cross-linkable refractive index matching agent including a stress-strain relaxation agent.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an optical connector and, in particular, to an optical connector that is capable of easy connecting a holey fiber at a setting site thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
At present, in order to connect optical fibers, a physical connecting method is widely used that is conducted by butting against each other end faces of the optical fibers.
The physical connecting method includes a connecting method using a mechanical splice and a connecting method using an optical connector.
At the connection work site of the optical fibers, for example, an optical connector is used that is composed of a ferrule and an optical fiber connector which is connected with the ferrule and in which an internal optical fiber is housed. The connection work is conducted by butting the end face of another optical fiber against the end face of the internal optical fiber (the housed fiber) in the optical fiber connector.
In the physical connecting method, a profile of the end face of optical fiber can seriously affect its connection characteristics. For example, when an angle (i.e., an angle to the optical fiber axis) of the end face of the optical fiber deviates from a right angle or the end face of the optical fiber is highly roughened, air may enter in a space between the end face of the optical fibers to butt and contact each other. As a result, Fresnel reflection increases at the end face of the optical fiber to cause an increase in connection loss of the optical fiber. A method for preventing the increase in connection loss of the optical fiber due to the roughness of the end face of the optical fiber is known that the end face of the optical fiber or the ferrule is polished after cutting the optical fiber.
Another method is known that the optical fibers are connected each other without polishing the end face of the optical fiber or the ferrule after cutting the optical fiber. This method is conducted such that a refractive index matching agent in liquid or grease state is interposed between the end faces of the optical fibers, where the agent has a refractive index similar to that of a core of the optical fiber (See JP-A-11-72641 and JP-A-11-101919). In this method, the refractive index matching agent is coated on the end face of the optical fibers, or filled into a connection portion of the optical fibers, and then the optical fibers are butted each other. Thus, air can be prevented from entering into the space between the end faces of the optical fibers, the Fresnel reflection caused by the air can be lowered, and the connection loss of the optical fiber can be reduced.
Another method is known that uses a refractive index matching film (See JP-B-2676705, JP-A-2001-324641 and JP-A-55-153912).
However, the method of polishing the end face of the optical fibers is not suitable in case of using a holey fiber as the external optical fiber or in case of conducting the connection work at the setting site of the optical fiber.
When the optical fibers are connected at the setting site, a lot of time consumption and labor charge are required for polishing the end face of the optical fibers etc., and a polishing device must be prepared at the setting site for polishing the end face of the optical fibers etc. Thus, the method is not suitable for connecting the optical fibers at low cost and simply.
Further, when the end face of the holey fiber is polished, a polishing residue generated during the polishing process and an abrasive agent used during the polishing process may enter the hole portion of the holey fiber to cause an increase in connection loss and a reduction in reliability.
On the other hand, the method of interposing the liquid or grease refractive index matching agent between the end faces of the optical fibers has the following problem. Since the refractive index matching agent generally is formed of a silicone or paraffin agent in liquid or grease state, it can enter into the hole portions of the holey fiber with time. Further, this method has the problem that, since the refractive index matching agent generally has a temperature dependency in refractive index, transmission loss of the holey fiber is extremely changed according to a change in refractive index of the refractive index matching agent entered into the hole portion of the holey fiber. Furthermore, this method has the problem that, when the refractive index matching agent enters into the hole portion of the holey fiber, the refractive index matching agent between the end faces of the optical fibers decreases so that air gaps and air bubbles are easily generated between the end faces of the optical fibers to cause the significant lowering of optical characteristics of the holey fiber.
As a measure against this problem, a method may be devised that the hole portions at the end face of the holey fiber are sealed before connecting the holey fiber. However, such a method is not suitable for connecting the optical fibers at the setting site since a dedicated connecting device is needed for performing the method and a lot of time consumption is required for sealing the hole portions at the end face of the holey fiber. Thus, the method is not suitable for connecting the optical fibers at low cost and simply.
Furthermore, the methods of using the film have the following problem. Since the diameter of the optical fiber is as fine as 80 or 125 μm, it is very hard to attach the film onto the end face of the optical fibers at high dimensional accuracy. Further, the film needs to have an adhesive ability or stickiness in order to attach the film onto the end face of the optical fibers. Therefore, when the optical fibers are connected each other at the setting site, a foreign substance such as a dust can easily adhere to the film to reduce reliability of the optical fiber and workability during the connection process of the optical fibers.
In addition, stress (strain) will apply to the resin used as the film when the optical fibers are connected. Since the refractive index of resin generally varies due to the stress applied, variation in transmission characteristics increases due to temperature change when the relaxation of stress is slow.
As an alternative method, fusion splicing may be used for the connection work.
However, since this method needs a fusion splicer, it is not suitable for an optical connector to be used at the setting site simply and for general purposes.
As described above, all the conventional connection methods have the problem in case of using the holey fiber as the external optical fiber or in case of conducting the connection work at the setting site of the optical fiber.