A synchronized reciprocating sawing device having at least one drive plate, saw retaining plates, and a plurality of blades which exhibit little or no vibration during the application of high torque and high revolutions. This device is comprised of one or more drive plates mounted between two mounting blocks which contain grooves that form a channel within which saw retaining plates are constrained to move as a reciprocating force is transmitted from at least one drive plate to saw retaining plates. The force is transmitted in a plane defined by the plane of each drive plate and the saw retaining plates to which each of said driving plates is operatively attached.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,503,294 of Joseph Vinciguerra and James A. Henigan discloses a sawing machine having several blades with serrated edges capable of producing closed figures cut from a flat surface as, for example, squares, rectangles, polygons such as pentagons, hexagons, and the like, and circles or ellipses. In this device, the drive plates may be star shaped.
Unfortunately, U.S. Pat. No. 3,503,294 has the following drawbacks:
1.transfer of rotary torque power from a rotating shaft assembly to a reciprocating driving plate is not uniform and often gives rise to severe vibrations when operated much in excess of 1200 revolutions per minute; PA1 2.the driving plate may directly contact a wall's surface while such wall is being cut by reciprocating saw blades and become damaged; PA1 3.there is a tendency, in some instances, for the driving plate or the saw retaining plates to twist and bind when certain torque levels are exceeded; thereby limiting the degree of useful torque that can be utilized; PA1 4.any angled contact of the cutting edges with the surface which is to be cut usually results in a buckling of the drive plate and a binding of the cutting blades.

Synchronized reciprocating saw mechanism


A machine tool includes a spindle having a cutting tool for cutting a workpiece. For fault detection, a control unit of the machine tool detects a value representing a torque applied on the spindle while the spindle is stopped in a state the cutting tool is engaged with the workpiece. The control unit further compares the detected value (representing a torque) with a predetermined threshold thereby to determine that a fault has occurs. Since the detection of the value representing a torque is performed while the spindle is stopped, the detection is free from the effects of acceleration or deceleration of the spindle.

The present invention relates to a machine tool such as threading machine.
There is a type of a machine tool provided with a rotatable spindle having a cutting tool for cutting a workpiece.
Generally, the quality of the machining operation is affected by the occurrence of various faults, such as, cutting chips being caught between the workpiece and the cutting tool or a worn-out cutting tool.
It is known that, if a fault occurs while the machining tool is cutting the workpiece, a torque required to rotate the spindle is increased. Therefore, a conventional machine tool is arranged to detect a torque applied on the spindle while the spindle is rotating, thereby to determine that a fault has occurred.
Since the torque applied on the cutting tool may be affected by the acceleration and the deceleration of the spindle, it is necessary to detect the torque while the spindle rotates at a constant speed.
However, in some cases, such as in threading a short thread, the time interval while the spindle rotates at a constant speed may be relatively short. In such short time interval, the torque cannot be detected accurately.


A compression tool having a pair of jaw arms pivotal between side plates and having inner edges provided with laterally inwardly open opposed spring pin recesses providing an opening therebetween for a spring pin, and a spring associated with the pin and biasing the jaw arms in a closing direction and biasing the spring pin rearwardly of the spring pin opening has one or the other or both the spring pin opening and spring pin modified for the pin to be displaced from the spring pin opening or canted therein in response to a fracture of at least one of the jaw arms outwardly from the corresponding pin recess toward the outer edge of the jaw arm.

This invention relates to the art of compression tools for joining pipes and couplings and, more particularly, to improvements by which a failure of one or both pivotal jawarm members of a compression jawset is indicated to a user thereof.
A compression tool of the character to which the present invention relates is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,434,998 to Amherd. Such tools include a compression jawset removably mounted on a drive mechanism by which the jawarms of the set are displaced into compression about a pipe and coupling to join the latter. The jawset is comprised of a pair of jawarm members pivotally mounted between a pair of side plates and having laterally inwardly open opposed jaw recesses at one end and laterally inwardly facing cam surfaces at the opposite ends. The jawarms are pivotal about pins located in openings through the jawarms between the opposite ends thereof, and the jawarm members have laterally inner and outer edges between the opposite ends thereof. The inner edges of the jawarms have inwardly open opposed spring pin and spring recesses which accommodate a spring pin and a spring extending across the forward end of the pin and having legs extending rearwardly along the inner surface of the corresponding jawarm, whereby the jawarms are biased toward the closing direction relative to workpieces to be joined together. The jawset is mountable on the drive mechanism by means of the side plates and at a location relative to the jawset which is laterally between the pivot pins and cam surfaces of the jawarms. The drive mechanism includes cam rollers which are displaceable axially forwardly and rearwardly along the cam surfaces of the jawarms, and when displaced forwardly of the cam surfaces, the cams engage the latter and displace the opposed jaw recesses toward one another and constrictably about a pipe and coupling interposed therebetween. During operation of the jawset to compressibly join a pipe and coupling, the area of each of the jawarm members between the pivot pin opening and inner edge thereof and along the inner edge between the jaw recess and cam surface thereof is under tension, and the area of the jaw arm laterally outwardly of the pivot pin opening is under compression. The side plates are also stressed during operation of the jawset in that pivotal displacement of the jawarm members about the pivot pins to produce compressive engagement between the jaw recesses imposes laterally outwardly directed forces through the pivot pins to the side plates.
At some point during the life of the jawset, failure will occur. Such failure may be in a side plate of the jawset or in a jawarm member. With respect to failure in a jawarm member, the latter is initiated by a fatigue crack at a location along the inner edge thereof and fracture of the jawarm from the fatigue crack toward the outer edge thereof. In the absence of intentionally designed structures for controlling the location of the fatigue crack and the direction of the fracture therefrom, as shown for example in co-pending patent application Ser. No. 10/364,008 filed Feb. 12, 2003 and assigned to the same assignee as the present application, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein for background information, the location of the fatigue crack and direction of the fracture is unpredictable. In testing 38 jawarm members of different sizes and of the structure shown in the patent to Amherd, it was noted that a majority of the jawarms of each size either failed from the spring pin recess to the pivot pin opening through the jawarm or from the spring pin recess across the jawarm towards the outer edge thereof. Moreover, such failures outwardly of the spring pin opening are not visible to a user of the compression tool in that the spring pin and pin recesses and areas of the jaw arm outwardly thereof are covered by the side plates of the jawset. Accordingly, by the time a user of the compression tool becomes aware of such failure, a number of unacceptable, oversized crimps can be made, and the replacement thereof is unnecessarily time-consuming and expensive. The pin spring biases the pin rearwardly of the pin opening defined by the opposed pin recesses, and deformation of the jawarm following a fracture will be such that the recesses will spread apart sufficiently for the spring to eject the pin from the pin opening. While this visually indicates a failure to the user of the compression tool, such deformation to the extent necessary for ejection of the pin is preceded by the making of a number of unacceptable, oversized crimps.


The present invention relates to protection circuit and method for the EMI/RFI suppression system (2) of such a five-conductor electrical system in which the neutral conductor (N) is provided with a bandstop-type filter circuit (2) for the suppression of a harmonic interference current component. According to the invention, on the neutral conductor (N) is placed a current transformer (CT) having over its secondary a resistive branch (R.sub.1), and in parallel therewith, a filter branch (5) comprising a bandpass filter (LC) tuned to the fundamental frequency of said neutral-conductor filter circuit (2) and said filter branch (5) having in series with said bandpass filter branch (LC) a switch element (4) suitable for short-circuiting said neutral-conductor filter circuit (2) when current in said filter branch (5) exceeds a preset upper limit level.

The present invention relates to a protection circuit for an EMI/RFI suppression system.
The invention also concerns a method for protecting an EMI/RFI suppression system.
Nonlinear electrical loads having a non-sinusoidal input current such as a steep-rising current pulse, generate harmonic distortions of the nominal frequency on the power network. Such load are, e.g., miniature fluorescent lamps equipped with an electronic ballast. These lamps consume a current pulse of only 1.5 ms duration at the peak of the 50 Hz sinusoidal mains voltage waveform. In a modern office environment, the entire environment may consist of similar low-quality loads such as computers, copiers, printers and air-conditioning systems equipped with electronic fan speed controllers. The dominant harmonic current component caused by such loads, specifically the third harmonic, is summed almost arithmetically on the neutral conductor of the power network. In practice, current peaks which nearly double the phase leg current have been measured on the neutral conductor. Since the conventional neutral conductor has no overload protection, a potential hazard is created under high-load conditions. Moreover, the third harmonic has been found to cause disturbances in data-processing equipment and communications facilities.
Conventionally, such disturbances have been overcome by connecting a bandstop filter, tuned to the third harmonic of the mains frequency, between the load grounding point and the star point of the main transformer.
This arrangement, however, creates a problem if, e.g., in a five-conductor system the protective-earth-grounded equipment housing is incorrectly connected to the neutral conductor, that is, if an improper grounding connection is made. In such a situation, since the neutral connector is essentially isolated from ground for the third harmonic due to the tuned nonstop filter, the distortion current component at this harmonic is reflected back to the point of the incorrect connection, thereby creating a hazardous situation.
Networks may be provided with earth-fault detection systems which are mandatory, e.g., in medical installations and explosion-hazardous environments. Such systems are conventionally based on either a sum current transformer or a current transformer placed on the protective earth (PE) conductor. The low-resistance circuit (water piping, conductive building structures) connected in parallel with the PE conductor make it very difficult to detect fault situation. Therefore, conventional earth-fault detection systems are frequently hampered by false fault alarms.

Protection circuit and method for an electromagnetic interference suppression system


Scintillators that can support up to 20 MHz count rates, which is significantly faster than the required 100K counts/second needed for single crystal diffractometers and methods for fabricating them.

These teachings relate generally to scintillator materials with fast decay time. Novel detector technologies that can provide ˜300 μm or better spatial resolution with gamma rejection better than 10−6 are needed to enable efficient measurement of small single crystals for diffraction and diffuse scattering measurements. Due to recent advances, large area neutron sensitive Anger cameras at ORNL based on silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) arrays have reached intrinsic resolutions that can fulfill the diffractometer requirements. However, currently used GS20 neutron scintillator limits the performance, with a maximum resolution of 0.6 mm to 0.7 mm FWHM. These performance limitations arise from the low brightness of GS20 glass, measuring only ˜6,000 optical photons/thermal neutron interaction. In low light yield scintillators, the statistical variation in the number of optical photons, or quantum noise, for a given energy deposition sets the limits on energy and position resolution in scintillator-based Anger cameras. Because the resolution limit is due to the quantum noise from the scintillation process, increasing the pixelization will not improve the resolution of an Anger Camera detector. GS20 based Anger Cameras therefore cannot take advantage of newer sensors that are now available in 1-3 mm pixelization. As was shown recently with a 3 mm sensor, resolutions near 350 μm could be obtained by using a brighter scintillator. Further increases in brightness could allow detectors to achieve resolutions near 100 μm when coupled to 1 mm thick sensors. These higher. resolutions are critical for new instruments proposed for the second target station at SNS such as EWALD, where detectors requiring resolutions near 300 μm have been proposed. Such resolutions, it should be repeated, are unobtainable with available lithium glass scintillators, such as GS20.
Some scintillators with high resolution suffer from other difficulties. While the desirable scintillator properties of 6LiI:Eu have been known for some time, the extreme hygroscopic nature of the material has prevented the realization of thin films of this exciting material. While even a single crystal of 6LiI:Eu is vulnerable to attack from moisture, a thin film has a surface area that is many times greater than that of a single crystal. This means that the hygroscopic nature of 6LiI:Eu has historically prevented growing 6LiI films with the anticipated properties.
Neutron scattering is a powerful technique used to study the atomic and magnetic structure of novel materials. For such experiments, neutrons are typically produced at a spallation source, such as the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The single crystal diffractometers at SNS along with those proposed for the second target station seek better spatial resolutions with a goal of allowing the routine measurement of samples of the order of 0.1 mm on a side. Samples of these dimensions are routinely grown for experiments with x-rays, but their small size makes it impossible or problematic to measure them with scattering instruments that have detector resolutions that exceed the dimensions of the sample. To enable the instruments to investigate new areas of science such as diffuse scattering, they seek to dramatically lower backgrounds. Diffuse scattering which examines defects in lattice structures through measurements of weak background structures requires low background sensitivity. Reducing the gamma sensitivity in Anger Camera detectors would greatly expand the science capabilities in this important field of neutron scattering.
The scintillator component of the detector converts neutrons into visible light that can be readout using a SiPM. The challenge is to develop an efficient neutron sensitive scintillator that can effectively reject gammas. However, because most scintillators exhibit small neutron cross sections, the scintillator should also be thick enough to capture the neutrons, but not so thick as to absorb gammas. A scintillator with a high neutron cross section that does not generate or detect gammas is, therefore, essential.
The two reflectometers at SNS serve rapidly growing communities in the fields of nanoscience, membrane bioscience, surfactant chemistry, and related areas. The instruments are optimized to investigate magnetic and chemical density profiles in surfaces, thin films, interfaces, and multilayer systems, including free-standing liquid surfaces and interfaces. Most importantly, they are capable of routinely detecting weak off-specular scattering signals from chemical/magnetic structures within the layer plane. Primarily due to rate limitations of the detectors, such experiments are unreasonably slow on many extant instruments. Scintillators that can support up to 20 MHz count rates, which is significantly faster than the required 100K counts/second needed for single crystal diffractometers, and address one of the important limitations of the detectors for high data rate neutron reflectometers are needed.


The present disclosure provides, inter alia, compounds with MASP-2 inhibitory activity, compositions of such compounds and methods of making and using such compounds.

The complement system plays a role in the inflammatory response and becomes activated because of tissue damage or microbial infection. Complement activation must be tightly regulated to ensure selective targeting of invading microorganisms and avoid self-inflicted damage (Ricklin et al., Nat. Immunol. 11:785-797, 2010). Currently, it is widely accepted that the complement system can be activated through three distinct pathways: the classical pathway, the lectin pathway, and the alternative pathway. The classical pathway is usually triggered by a complex composed of host antibodies bound to a foreign particle (i.e., an antigen) and generally requires prior exposure to an antigen for the generation of a specific antibody response. Since activation of the classical pathway depends on a prior adaptive immune response by the host, the classical pathway is part of the acquired immune system. In contrast, both the lectin and alternative pathways are independent of adaptive immunity and are part of the innate immune system.
Mannan-binding lectin-associated serine protease-2 (MASP-2) has been shown to be required for the function of the lectin pathway, one of the principal complement activation pathways (Vorup-Jensen et al., J. Immunol 165:2093-2100, 2000; Ambrus et al., J Immunol. 170: 1374-1382, 2003; Schwaeble et al., PNAS 108:7523-7528, 2011). Importantly, inhibition of MASP-2 does not appear to interfere with the antibody-dependent classical complement activation pathway, which is a critical component of the acquired immune response to infection. As described in U.S. Pat. No. 9,011,860 (assigned to Omeros corporation), which is hereby incorporated by reference, discloses a fully human monoclonal antibody targeting human MASP-2 has been generated which binds to human MASP-2 with high affinity and blocks the lectin pathway complement activity and is therefore useful to treat various lectin complement pathway-associated diseases and disorders.
MASP-2-dependent complement activation has been implicated as contributing to the pathogenesis of numerous acute and chronic disease states. Therefore, a need exists for small molecule compounds which are suitable for administration for treatment of subject suffering from MASP-2 complement pathway-associated diseases and disorders.
An important protein for mammalian immunity is the mannan-binding lectin-associated serine protease-2 (MASP-2), which has been shown to be required for the function of the lectin pathway, one of the principal complement activation pathways (Vorup-Jensen et al., J. Immunol 165:2093-2100, 2000; Ambrus et al., J Immunol. 170: 1374-1382, 2003; Schwaeble et al., PNAS 108:7523-7528, 2011). Inhibition of MASP-2 does not appear to interfere with the antibody-dependent classical complement activation pathway, which is a critical component of the acquired immune response to infection. Inhibiting human MASP-2 to block the lectin pathway complement activity is useful to treat various lectin complement pathway-associated diseases and disorders.
Therapeutic compounds and methods of identifying small molecule inhibitors of MASP-2 are needed as they are important to treat various lectin complement pathway-associated diseases and disorders, including diseases that are not suitably or efficiently treated with large molecule biologic inhibitors.


The present invention provides a method of constructing a circular DNA library having an increased content of a desired first dsDNA by removing a second dsDNA using RecA protein to introduce a target single strand nucleic acid by homologous recombination at the 3′ terminal portion of the second dsDNA, whereby the target DNA has a 3′ terminal portion that differs from the 3′ terminal portion of the second dsDNA to prevent circularization, thereby creating a triple stranded DNA portion at the 3′ terminal end of the second dsDNA, adding Exonuclease I to digest the displaced first strand of the second dsDNA, ligating the DNA fragments to circularize the desired first dsDNA, removing the linear second dsDNA, thereby constructing the circularized DNA library having an increased content of the desired first dsDNA.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of removing a gene and method of obtaining the gene by partial homologous recombination of a DNA chain.
2. Description of the Related Art
A DNA library, in particular, a cDNA library, is an extremely useful tool for cloning a gene. Numerous genes have been so far cloned from a cDNA library. A cloned gene is used for determining not only the sequences of the gene but also the amino acid sequence of a protein encoded by the gene, and also used for producing the protein in bacterial and yeast cells in a large amount.
However, cDNAs easily cloned from a cDNA library are limited to those prepared from mRNA (used as a template) expressing in a large amount in cells. Since numerous genes have been now cloned, almost all of the easy-to-clone cDNAs have been cloned. Therefore, it has become difficult to efficiently clone a novel cDNA.
To efficiently clone a novel cDNA from a cDNA library, it is necessary to remove cDNAs already cloned from the cDNA library. To attain this purpose, the following techniques have been established.
As a basic method for removing a cDNA, subtractive hybridization is known.
In the method, mRNAs are prepared from both cells (or tissues) expressing and not expressing a desired gene. Then, cDNAs are synthesized from one of the mRNAs and hybridized with the other mRNAs; with the result that the common cDNAs in both cells are exclusively removed. In this way, a gene expressed specifically in certain tissues and cells can be condensed and isolated.
As the subtractive hybridization, subtractive hybridization performed on membrane and subtractive hybridization using a hydroxyapatite column are known (Hedrick S M et al., Isolation of cDNA clones encoding T cell-specific membrane-associated proteins, "Nature", (UK), 1984, Vol. 5955, p. 149–53; and Bonaldo MF et al., Normalization and subtraction: two approaches to facilitate gene discovery, "Genome Res", (USA), 1966, Vol. 9, p 791–806).
However, the on-membrane subtractive hybridization has a problem in that it is difficult to treat many colonies at a time and therefore it is not suitable for reconstructing the entire library. In addition, false positive or false negative error signals are frequently observed. The analysis takes a long time.
On the other hand, the subtractive hybridization using a hydroxyapatite column has a problem. In the case of a cDNA library containing relative long sequences exceeding 3 kb, the possibility of nonspecific hybridization becomes high. Therefore, this subtractive hybridization has been applied only to cDNA library constructed by relatively short cDNAs within about 0.4 to 2.5 kb. A long sequence has a high possibility of containing functionally important genes that encode multifunctional proteins and complex structure proteins. Therefore, the feature of this method which is not applicable to a library containing long sequences is a serious disadvantage of this method. This method has another disadvantage: even though cDNAs are short, the cDNAs derived from the same gene and have the same 3′ terminal and 5′ terminal, but differ in the middle sequence, cannot be distinguished from each other by this method.
Besides these, there is another method frequently used to achieve the same purpose, a differential display method is known (Liang P et al., Analysis of altered gene expression by differential display, "Method Enzymol", (USA), 1995, vol. 254, p. 304–21). Furthermore, subtractive hybridization method using PCR, which improves the differential display method is also known (Diatchenko L et al., Suppression subtractive hybridization: a versatile method for identifying differentially expressed genes, "Methods Enzymol", (USA), 1999, Vol. 303, p. 349–80).
However, these methods mentioned above have disadvantages: unless the expression levels of genes significantly differ, electrophoretic patterns show no difference. In addition, false positive and false negative error signals are frequently observed. Furthermore, since clones are not directly obtained, they must be cloned by any means based on PCR products thereof.
On the other hand, as a conventional technique for obtaining a desired gene from a gene library, the on-membrane hybridization is known (Hedrick S M et al., Isolation of cDNA clones encoding T cell-specific membrane-associated proteins, "Nature", (UK), 1984, Vol. 5955, p. 149–53).
In this method, colonies or plaques appearing on a plate where Escherichia coli (used as a host) are grown are transferred onto a membrane filter. A detection probe is then hybridized to the membrane filter. It is presumed that the colonies or plaques expressing signals may contain a desired gene fragment. Therefore, the colonies or plaque are isolated and cultured, thereby obtaining the desired gene fragment.
However, in this technique, it is not suitable for obtaining a rare gene, since it is difficult to treat a large number of colonies at a time. Furthermore, false positive and false negative error signals are frequently observed, so that analysis requires a long time.
Furthermore, a method using liquid phase hybridization is known (Invitrogen Instruction Manual, Gene Trapper cDNA Positive Selection System, Cat. No. 10356-020).
In this method, a library is constructed by using a vector having an M13 replication origin. This is converted into a library containing circular single-stranded gene fragments within Escherichia coli (E. coli) or in vitro. The obtained library is then subjected to hybridization with a labeled probe in a liquid phase, and then, hybridized DNA is isolated by binding the label onto a solid phase via a substance recognizing the label. After it is recovered from the solid phase, the hybridized DNA is converted into a double stranded DNA, which is then introduced into E. coli to transform it. In this manner, a desired gene can be obtained.
However, this method has a problem: when no less than 70% of sequences of DNA are homologous to other DNA, the probes non-specifically hybridize to homologous DNA. Therefore, the probe cannot be designed so as to bind to an desired portion.
For other methods to obtain a desired gene from a library, a cloning method using a RecA protein is disclosed (National Patent Publication No. 6-500926).
In this method, first, a triple-stranded DNA is formed with a labeled probe in a liquid phase, and then isolated by binding it onto a solid phase via a substance specifically recognizing the label. The DNA is recovered from the solid phase and thereafter introduced into E. coli to transform it. In this manner, a desired gene can be obtained.
However, this method also has a problem. A circular double stranded DNA is only used in the reaction. Therefore, the specificity and efficiency are not always high.
Furthermore, cloning in which a DNA extension reaction is inhibited by a triple-stranded structure is disclosed (Japanese Patent Application KOKAI publication No. 11-206381).
In this method, a library gene is cleaved with a restriction enzyme and a triple-stranded structure is formed at a cleaved site. A triple-stranded structure will be formed in a clone containing a desired gene fragment. Consequently, the clone having a triple-stranded structure formed therein will no longer used as a substrate for a DNA polymerase extension reaction. Therefore, other clones will be only extended. After the reaction, the triple-stranded chain is dissociated and DNA is re-annealed. In this manner, a desired clone can be obtained.
However, this method has a problem: as a degree of specificity increases, the efficiency is decreased. In other words, as the efficiency increases, a degree of specificity decreases.
The present inventors have already disclosed a method of constructing a DNA library having an increased content of a desired gene by using a RecA protein; however, this method fails to use a linear DNA library and thus a further improvement has been desired (Japanese Patent Application KOKAI publication No. 2001-346576).

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Partial homologous recombination of DNA chain

Kazusa DNA Research Institute Foundation


Described herein are systems and methods that employ a widgetless and buttonless multi-touch interface for constrained manipulations of 3D objects. The widget-less multi-touch user interface can map different multi-touch gestures to different 3D object manipulation tasks, allowing a user to manipulate 3D objects without operating widgets or performing mode switchings or tool selections. User interaction is greatly simplified by using single touch actions that simultaneously specify the transformation constraint, the transformation type, and the magnitude of transformation and apply the transformation to the focus object. Additionally, the axis-based constrained manipulations support active snapping and axis transfer. Active snapping allows the user to draw a free touch path connecting two 3D objects to be snapped together, avoiding tedious operations required with standard transformation manipulations. Axis transfer provides a simple solution to achieve relative transformations between objects, allowing an object to be transformed along a specific predefined axis of another object.

Three dimensional (3D) modeling is an important tool utilized in the engineering, design, entertainment and other industries. With 3D modeling, a user can create, position, scale and orientate 3D objects in virtual space. Existing 3D modeling solutions are generally limited by a 2D display and single-point 2D input (e.g., mouse, pen device, or the like). Because of these limitations, 3D modeling software packages are often difficult to use, relying on small control widgets and a large set of keyboard shortcuts or mode-switching buttons.
Many new digital devices are equipped with touch pads, touch screens or the like, which have very different input properties from keyboard-, mouse- and pen-based input systems. Since the input properties are so different, traditional 3D manipulation interfaces must be re-designed to adapt to the tactile paradigm. Further, the small control widgets and the large set of mode-switching buttons employed by standard interfaces are difficult to operate on a muti-touch device due to the "fat finger" problem of touch devices where the input resolution is not sharper than a fingertip-blob.
The above-described deficiencies of traditional 3D manipulation interfaces with respect to touch input devices are merely intended to provide an overview of some of problems of current technology, and are not intended to be exhaustive. Other problems with the state of the art and corresponding benefits of some of the various non-limiting embodiments described herein may become further apparent upon review of the following detailed description.

System and method for constrained manipulations of 3D objects by multitouch inputs

THE HONG KONG UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY


The invention relates to an organic electroluminescent device which contains 2,5-diaminoterephthalic acid derivatives of formula 1a as emitter substances in one or several emitter layers in a pure or doped manner. The ring A is a triple unsaturated benzene ring wherein R4′ and R8′ are zero or ring A is a double unsaturated ring respectively provided with a double bond in the 1,2 position and 4,5 position, and wherein R10 is a nitrile radical —CN or a radical C(═X1)—X2R1, R11 is a nitrile radical —CN or a radical —C(═X3)—X4R5, X1 and X3 are oxygen, sulfur or imino, X2 and X4 are oxygen, sulfur or optionally substituted amino, R1–R8, R4′ and R8′ are H, C1–20-alkyl, aryl, heteroaryl, R4 and R8 can be halogen, nitro, cyanogen or amino, R2–R4, R6–R8, R4′ and R8′ can be trifluoromethyl or pentafluorophenyl, and wherein certain radicals can form a saturated or unsaturated ring. The devices are characterized by narrow emission bands, low driver voltages, high photometric efficiency and high thermal stability within a broad spectral range

Organic light-emitting diodes, which have long been known, use the electroluminescence of certain organic compounds. An OLED's structure and the tasks of its individual layers are exemplified in FIG. 1:
A layer sequence of organic substances is arranged between two electrodes, of which at least one must be translucent, each organic substance having a specific function within the device.    1. The cathode consists of a base metal or an alloy (e.g. aluminium or calcium) and has the function of injecting electrons;    2. The buffer layer consists of certain metal salts or the oxides thereof, e.g. LiF, and has the function of improving the electron injection into the layer 3;    3. The electron conductor can e.g. consist of Alq3 (tris-(8-hydroxychinolinato)-aluminium) and conducts the electrons from the cathode to the emitting layer or the hole conductor inside the device;    4. The hole conductor mainly consists of triphenylamine derivatives; several hole conductor layers can be provided whose characteristics are adapted to the device and whose function is to transport the holes to the emitting layer;    5. The anode consists of ITO which injects the holes into the hole transport layer;    6. The substrate consists of a transparent material, e.g. glass.
An arrangement of the type described above emits green light generated due to the excitation of Alq3 by the excitons formed from the holes and electrons.
However, such a simple arrangement has several drawbacks:    1. Alq3 only emits light in the green spectral range;    2. The emission band of Alq3 is too broad.
Said drawbacks can in part be eliminated by doping. This means that one or more substances are co-evaporated during the diode's production process. In general, these substances are contained in the Alq3 layer in an amount ranging up to a few percent. Said co-evaporation process is difficult to control.

Organic electroluminescent device based on 2,5-diaminoterephthalic acid derivatives


In accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention, an apparatus is disclosed that includes a resource module configured to allocate a first resource and a second resource that are at least partially synchronized in at least one of a time domain and a frequency domain in such a way that the first resource and the second resource share at least one of an overlapping frequency band and a same time slot. The apparatus also includes a transceiver configured to transmit a first signal on the first resource and receive a second signal on the second resource, wherein at least one of the first signal and the second signal is at least partially orthogonalized with respect to a third signal that is transmitted on one of the first resource and the second resource from a neighbor network device.

Some wireless systems such as the local area networks may utilize the license-exempt spectrum or white spaces made available as television is converted to digital broadcasting to take advantage of the additional available bandwidth. The local area network may offer an efficient device-to-device operation, particularly in establishing ad-hoc network operations. Often the deployments of local area wireless networks are uncoordinated and various wireless network devices may be put in use on a temporary or semi-temporary basis with little consideration of the resource allocation and interferences among network devices.
One recent trend is to use the same wireless technology for both cellular network and local area network to promote seamless integration and interworking. One example technology that is being considered for both cellular network and local area network is long-term evolution—advanced (LTE-A). As such, dynamic time division duplex (TDD) switching points, which demarcate uplink resources and downlink resources for a network device, may be used in local area network.

Method and apparatus for interference-resistant wireless communications


The present disclosure relates generally to compounds which bind to the NR1H4 receptor (FXR) and act as agonists of FXR. The disclosure further relates to the use of the compounds for the preparation of a medicament for the treatment of diseases and/or conditions through binding of said nuclear receptor by said compounds and to a process for the synthesis of said compounds.

Multicellular organisms are dependent on advanced mechanisms of information transfer between cells and body compartments. The information that is transmitted can be highly complex and can result in the alteration of genetic programs involved in cellular differentiation, proliferation, or reproduction. The signals, or hormones, are often low molecular weight molecules, such as peptides, fatty acid, or cholesterol derivatives.
Many of these signals produce their effects by ultimately changing the transcription of specific genes. One well-studied group of proteins that mediate a cell's response to a variety of signals is the family of transcription factors known as nuclear receptors, hereinafter referred to often as "NR." Members of this group include receptors for steroid hormones, vitamin D, ecdysone, cis and trans retinoic acid, thyroid hormone, bile acids, cholesterol-derivatives, fatty acids (and other peroxisomal proliferators), as well as so-called orphan receptors, proteins that are structurally similar to other members of this group, but for which no ligands are known. Orphan receptors may be indicative of unknown signalling pathways in the cell or may be nuclear receptors that function without ligand activation. The activation of transcription by some of these orphan receptors may occur in the absence of an exogenous ligand and/or through signal transduction pathways originating from the cell surface.
In general, three functional domains have been defined in NRs. An amino terminal domain is believed to have some regulatory function. It is followed by a DNA-binding domain (hereinafter referred to as "DBD"), which usually comprises two zinc finger elements and recognizes a specific Hormone Responsive Element (hereinafter referred to as "HRE") within the promoters of responsive genes. Specific amino acid residues in the "DBD" have been shown to confer DNA sequence binding specificity. A ligand-binding-domain (hereinafter referred to as "LBD") is at the carboxy-terminal region of known NRs.
In the absence of hormone, the LBD appears to interfere with the interaction of the DBD with its HRE. Hormone binding seems to result in a conformational change in the NR and thus opens this interference. A NR without the LBD constitutively activates transcription but at a low level.
Coactivators or transcriptional activators are proposed to bridge between sequence specific transcription factors, and the basal transcription machinery and in addition to influence the chromatin structure of a target cell. Several proteins like SRC-1, ACTR, and Gripl interact with NRs in a ligand enhanced manner.
Nuclear receptor modulators like steroid hormones affect the growth and function of specific cells by binding to intracellular receptors and forming nuclear receptor-ligand complexes. Nuclear receptor-hormone complexes then interact with a HRE in the control region of specific genes and alter specific gene expression.
The Farnesoid X Receptor alpha (hereinafter also often referred to as NR1H4 when referring to the human receptor) is a prototypical type 2 nuclear receptor which activates genes upon binding to a promoter region of target genes in a heterodimeric fashion with Retinoid X Receptor. The relevant physiological ligands of NR1H4 are bile acids. The most potent one is chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA), which regulates the expression of several genes that participate in bile acid homeostasis. Farnesol and derivatives, together called farnesoids, are originally described to activate the rat orthologue at high concentration but they do not activate the human or mouse receptor. FXR is expressed in the liver, throughout the entire gastrointestinal tract including the esophagus, stomach, duodenum, small intestine, colon, ovary, adrenal gland and kidney. Beyond controlling intracellular gene expression, FXR seems to be also involved in paracrine and endocrine signalling by upregulating the expression of the cytokine Fibroblast Growth Factor 15 (rodents) or 19 (monkeys, humans A).
Although numerous FXR agonists are known, there is a need for improved FXR agonists.


A lighting apparatus for providing uniform irradiance is provided. The lighting apparatus includes a light source configured to emit rays toward a polygonal target region, and a lens configured to uniformize irradiance from the light source to the target region, wherein sag of the lens and normals along a boundary of the lens are arranged so as to illuminate a perimeter of the target region based on an edge-ray mapping, wherein a lens surface is formed based on polyharmonic spline interpolations so as to smoothly illuminate an interior of the target region, wherein the irradiance is uniformized by argumenting light field tailoring of the lens, wherein the light field tailoring is augmented to maintain to maintain the irradiance perimeter.

Optical designers have long sought a class of lens and mirror shapes that can redistribute light from a spatially extended light source to illuminate a specified polygonal target region with high uniformity and minimal spill. There is need to develop how to produce such optics, ideally from a specification of perimeter polygons of the light source, optical surface, and irradiance target.

Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories, Inc.


Providing for read/write access to captured free variables expressed as environment data objects is disclosed herein. By way of example, free variables can be rewritten as a field of a private class, and accessed via an instance of the private class captured within the environment data object. In such a manner, no need of a placeholder or proxy function is required to access the free variable. Consequently, the subject innovation provides a simplified method for capturing free variables within expression trees and providing read/write access to such variables.

Programming languages originated within the concept of sequential instructions delivered to a machine for execution. These sequential instructions were typically rooted in logical expressions and functions that could be quickly turned into low-level machine code. For example, machine code typically utilized some form of assembly language and/or binary machine language executed by processing hardware. Such languages were efficient for instructing a computer to sequential logic, but were difficult for programmers to utilize in representing real-world functions to be performed by an executing machine.
In order to facilitate comprehension and development of sophisticated logic viewed from a functional perspective, languages were introduced that provided various layers of abstraction. Accordingly, programmers could write programs based on logical operations associated with function, utilizing a relatively higher level source language. Such source language could then be converted to machine language by way of a compiler or interpreting device. Further advances in programming have created additional advances in programming logic to facilitate further abstraction and abstraction with respect to various functional perspectives. However, such advances can often be limited by contemporaneously available processing capabilities.
Compilers and/or interpreters bear the burden of translating high-level logic into executable machine code. In general, a compiler and/or interpreter is a component that receives a program specified in a source programming language (e.g., C, C#, Visual Basic, Java . . . ) and converts the logic provided thereby to machine language that is executable by a hardware device. However, the conversion need not be done verbatim. In fact, conventional compilers and/or interpreters analyze the source code and generate very efficient code. For example, programmers write code that sets forth a logical flow of operations that is intuitive and easy for humans to understand, representing a function of a program or process from a perspective external to a device for instance, but that is often inefficient for a computer to execute. Compilers and/or interpreters can identify inefficiencies and improve program performance at the hardware level by eliminating unnecessary operations and/or rearranging the execution of instructions while still achieving the intended results. In this manner, programmers can create robust and efficient software programs.

Fully capturing outer variables as data objects


A printhead mainly includes at least two ink supply holes on a single semiconductor substrate, a first signal processing circuit laid out at least at one corner of the semiconductor substrate to arbitrarily select a heater for heating the ink, and a second signal processing circuit, other than the first signal processing circuit for arbitrarily selecting a heater, that realizes a function without dividing an arrangement. The lengths of signal lines are minimized to realize a printhead free from any malfunction.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a printhead for printing data on a printing medium by discharging ink in accordance with an inkjet printing method and, more particularly, to an inkjet printhead characterized by the layout of circuit blocks on the semiconductor substrate of the printhead having a plurality of electrothermal converters.
2. Description of the Related Art
A printhead mounted on a printing apparatus according to a conventional inkjet method has a circuit arrangement like the one shown in FIG. 4. The electrothermal converter (heater) of this printhead and its driving circuit are formed on a single substrate 400 by a semiconductor process technique, as disclosed in, e.g., Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-185594. In FIG. 4, reference numerals 401 denote electrothermal converters (heaters) for generating heat energy; 402, power transistors each for supplying a desired current to a corresponding heater 401; 404, a shift register for supplying a current to each heater 401 and temporarily storing image data representing whether ink is to be discharged from the nozzle of the printhead; 405, a transfer clock (CLK) input terminal formed in the shift register 404; 406, an image data input terminal for inputting serial image data for turning on/off the heaters 401; 403, a latch circuit for latching image data for each heater in units of blocks; 407, a latch signal input terminal for inputting a latch timing signal (LT) to the latch circuit 403; 408, a block selection circuit (3-input 8-output decoder) for selecting a block; 409, 410, and 411, block selection circuit input logic signals, among which the signals 409 and 411 respectively correspond to the most and least significant bits; 419, a circuit for receiving a block selection output signal 416 and latch output signal 417 and outputting an AND; 413, a switch for determining a timing for flowing a current through the heater 401; 415, a heat signal input terminal (HEAT) for inputting a timing for controlling the switch 413; 414, a power supply line for applying a predetermined voltage and supplying a current to the heater; 412, a GND line which receives a current via the heater 401 and power transistor 402; 420, a circuit unit around the heater that includes the components 401, 402, 412, 414, 413, and 419; and 430, a unit which includes all the circuits 403, 404, 408, and 420 necessary for controlling discharge of one type of ink.
FIG. 7 shows an example of input and output waveforms to and from the block selection circuit 408 that is shown in FIG. 4. Reference numerals 409, 410, and 411 denote block selection input signals; 700 to 707, block selection output signals; and 710, a virtual timing signal which explains the timing, and takes values up to 7 such that it takes 0 for a period during which the block selection output signal 700 is at xe2x80x9cHixe2x80x9d level, and 1 for a period during which the block selection output signal 701 is at xe2x80x9cHixe2x80x9d level.
Operation of the shift register circuit 404 and latch circuit 403 that are shown in FIG. 4 will be described with reference to FIG. 8. FIG. 8 shows timings when the timing signal 710 has a value of 0. Also when the timing signal 710 has one of values of 1 to 7, signals are input at similar timings. Reference numeral 405 denotes a shift register transfer clock (CLK) signal; and 406, an image data input signal. The transfer clock input terminal 405 receives transfer clocks (CLK) by the number of bits of one block of image data stored in the shift register 404. Data is transferred to the shift register 404 in synchronism with the rise timing of the transfer clock (CLK). Image data (DATA) for turning on/off each heater 401 is input from the image data input terminal 406.
Image data stored in the shift register 404 will be called one image block. In this case, the number of heaters for one image block is eight, but can be arbitrarily set in practice. Transfer clock (CLK) pulses equal in number to the heaters 401 for one image block are input to transfer image data (DATA) to the shift register 404. Then, a latch signal (LT) is input to the latch signal input terminal 407 to latch image data corresponding to each heater in the latch circuit 403.
Referring back to FIG. 4, operation will be described again. Anyone of eight outputs 417 of the latch circuit 403 and anyone of eight outputs 416 of the decoder 408 are input to the AND circuit 419. When both the two inputs to the AND circuit 419 are at xe2x80x9cHixe2x80x9d level, a xe2x80x9cHixe2x80x9d signal is input to the switch 413. While the heat signal (HEAT) 415 for controlling the switch 413 is at xe2x80x9cHixe2x80x9d level, the switch 413 is kept on. By keeping the switch 413 on for a proper length of time by supplying the heat signal (HEAT) 415, a current flows into the power transistor 402 and heater 401 via the power supply line 414 during the ON period of the switch 413, and flows into the GND line 412. At this time, the heater 401 generates heat necessary for discharging ink, and ink corresponding to image data is discharged from the nozzle of the printhead.
The number of heaters which can be independently controlled by the latch circuit and decoder is determined by the product of the numbers of outputs 416 and 417, and in this case, 8xc3x978=64 at maximum.
Reference numeral 502 denotes an ink supply hole formed at almost the center of the chip by anisotropy etching or sandblasting in order to supply ink from the rear surface of the semiconductor substrate. Inks that are supplied from the ink supply holes are supplied separately to the heaters 401 that are formed on the substrate 400 through ink passages (not shown). In accordance with the drive of the heaters, inks are supplied from orifices which are formed in the position corresponding to each heaters.
The unit 430 includes circuits necessary for discharging one type of ink that is supplied from the one ink supply hole. In FIG. 4, the circuit blocks 420 are laid out on the two sides of the ink supply hole 502. In this case, a total of 64 heaters are laid out on the two sides of the ink supply hole 502. The block selection circuit (decoder) 408, and the latch circuit 403 and shift register 404 are laid out on opposite sides via the transistor section 420. If they are laid out on the same side of the transistor section 420, the latch circuit 403, shift register 404, and decoder 408 have many elements, and the large area is required for arranging the units. Further, the latch circuit output line and decoder output line cross each other, which reduces the area and degrades reliability. Still further, the input terminals 405, 406, 407, 409, 410, and 411 must be arranged in a region on the same side of the substrate, which requires a large substrate size. For these reasons, the decoder 408, latch circuit 403, and shift register 404 are generally laid out as shown in FIG. 4.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the inkjet printhead which has circuit arrangement explained in FIG. 4 taken along the plane ABCD for descriptive convenience. The flow of ink will be explained with reference to FIG. 3.
An orifice plate 300 is mounted on the surface of the substrate 400, and a space for flowing ink, i.e., an ink passage 301 on the heater is defined in the orifice plate 300. An ink tank (not shown) is mounted on the lower surface of the semiconductor substrate 400, and from the lower surface side, the ink is supplied to the ink passage through the ink supply hole. Ink is guided onto each heater 401 via the ink passage 301. A current is flowed through the heater to apply heat to the ink, and ink droplets are discharged from an orifice 302, which is formed in the position corresponding to each heaters, in a direction perpendicular to the substrate plane by bubbles produced by boiling ink. Ink droplets 303 attach to a printing medium (not shown) such as a paper sheet placed parallel to the substrate plane to print data.
FIG. 5A is a block diagram showing the whole layout of a circuit that is not publicly disclosed, FIG. 5B is a block diagram showing a part A in FIG. 5A in detail, and FIG. 5C is a block diagram showing a part B in FIG. 5A in detail (to be simply referred to as xe2x80x9cFIGS. 5A, 5B, and 5Cxe2x80x9d).
The arrangement in FIGS. 5A, 5B, and 5C is obtained by simply laying out two arrangements in FIG. 4 side by side into one chip.
Reference numeral 501 denotes an ink supply hole for guiding, from the lower surface, ink different from ink of the ink supply hole 502; and 431, a unit which includes all circuits necessary for controlling discharge of one type of ink electrically similar to the block 430, and can control discharge/non-discharge of ink different from ink of the block 430 independently of the block 430.
The arrangement of FIGS. 5A, 5B, and 5C can determine the relative positions of heaters for controlling discharge of the ink of two colors by photolithography precision of the semiconductor process, and can attain a higher alignment precision than the case of laying out two arrangements in FIG. 4 side by side. A region near the cut surface must be set as an ineffective region where no element is formed because even slight chippings are generated upon cutting off a chip from a wafer. Thus, the arrangement in FIGS. 5A, 5B, and 5C requires only a smaller area than that twice the arrangement of the each unit in FIG. 4.
FIG. 6A is a block diagram showing the whole layout of a circuit that is not publicly disclosed, FIG. 6B is a block diagram showing a part A in FIG. 6A in detail, and FIG. 6C is a block diagram showing a part B in FIG. 6A in detail (to be simply referred to as xe2x80x9cFIGS. 6A, 6B, and 6Cxe2x80x9d).
The arrangement shown in FIGS. 6A, 6B, and 6C is obtained by adding functional units 601, 602, 603, 604, 605, and 606, other than a circuit for selecting a heater, to the arrangement shown in FIGS. 5A, 5B, and 5C. The circuit units 601, 602, and 603 are laid out by dividing one functional unit into three parts under limitations on a free layout region. Similarly, the circuit units 604, 605, and 606 are laid out by dividing one functional unit into three parts. An example of the functional unit is a circuit for correcting variations in heater resistance caused by variations in heater manufacturing process, e.g., variations in the film quality and film thickness of a heater material, photolithography, and etching.
The heater resistance variation correction circuit in FIGS. 6A, 6B, and 6C is constituted by a circuit 801 for detecting a heater value, a memory 802 storing the detection result, and a correction circuit 803 for making energy applied to ink uniform by changing the time for flowing a current through the heater in accordance with the value read out from the memory. The circuit 801 is formed from the same conductive film as the heater, and when the resistance of the heater varies, the resistance of the circuit 801 also varies. A voltage at the detection terminal 811 is externally read out by flowing a current through a detection terminal 811 connected to the circuit 801. The calculation result of variations in heater resistance from the voltage of the detection terminal 811 is written in the memory 802 via a data terminal 812 and write permission terminal 813. The memory 802 is a nonvolatile memory which holds the memory contents even after the power supply is turned off. The multiplexer 803 selects arbitrary one of signals 815, 816, 817, and 818 on the basis of the contents of memory outputs 820, 821, 822, and 823, and controls the switch 413 by a selected heat signal (HEAT) 830 or 831. The signals 815, 816, 817, and 818 have different pulse widths. For example, a heat signal having a small pulse width is selected for a heater having a low heater resistance because this heater flows a large current and generates a larger power in a unit time than the remaining heaters. To the contrary, a heat signal having a large pulse width is selected for a heater having a high heater resistance. In this way, the heat generation amount of the heater is controlled to be uniform in any manufacturing lot.
In the prior art, however, when a signal processing circuit other than the heater selection circuit for selecting any electrothermal converter is to be arranged, the signal processing circuit unit like an adding functional unit must be divisionally laid out into several parts because the layout region is distributed. Wiring for connecting divided units must be prolonged to transfer a signal. Compared to one unit without any division, the wiring region, substrate size, and cost increase are problems encountered.
The inkjet printer must handle a large current through the heater 401 in order to realize reliable ink discharge. This current flows into the GND 412, generating a large GND line noise. To prevent this, a circuit arrangement resistant to noise is demanded. When the signal processing circuit unit is divisionally laid out into several parts, a critical signal line such as an analog signal line or high-speed digital signal line susceptible to disturbance must be bypassed over the unit in some cases. If switching noise is induced from the power supply line 414 or GND 412 to a signal line susceptible to disturbance, the circuits may malfunction, which is another problem.
If the signal processing circuit unit includes an analog circuit, the temperature difference between elements within the unit, and characteristic of the element by the influence of the production process variations are increased by dividing the signal processing circuit unit into several parts. Different element operating points requiring relative precision cause a negligible offset in terms of characteristics, and the characteristics of the signal processing circuit unit degrade, which is another problem.
It is the first object of the present invention to realize a low-cost printhead by reducing the substrate size by eliminating ineffective regions formed by divisional layout of a signal processing circuit unit like a adding functional unit. It is the second object of the present invention to realize a printhead free from any malfunction by minimizing the length of signal lines susceptible to disturbance. It is the third object of the present invention to realize a printhead having excellent characteristics by reducing the temperature difference and difference in characteristic of the element by the influence of the production process variations within a single signal processing circuit unit.
To achieve the above objects, an inkjet printhead according to the present invention has the following arrangement.
That is, an inkjet printhead which discharges ink and implements a recording comprises a substrate as an element, the substrate having a plurality of ink supply holes for passing the discharged ink, a plurality of heaters arranged in the vicinity of the ink supply holes for discharging ink that is supplied from the ink supply holes by heating, a first signal processing circuit laid out, at least, in one corner of the substrate to arbitrarily select and drive the heaters, and a second signal processing circuit other than the first signal processing circuit to arbitrarily select and drive the heaters.
A printing apparatus comprises the inkjet printhead, and a carriage to installed the inkjet printhead.
In the inkjet printhead according to a preferable aspect of the present invention, the second signal processing circuit has a control circuit arrangement laid out in a region which is interposed between the first signal processing circuits or adjacent to the first signal processing circuit.
In the inkjet printhead according to another preferable aspect of the present invention, the first signal processing circuit is made up of a shift register circuit and latch circuit.
In the inkjet printhead according to still another preferable aspect of the present invention, the first signal processing circuit includes a decoder circuit.
In the inkjet printhead according to still another preferable aspect of the present invention, the first signal processing circuit includes a buffer circuit.
In the inkjet printhead according to still another preferable aspect of the present invention, a signal processing circuit is laid out inside the first signal processing circuit.
In the inkjet printhead according to still another preferable aspect of the present invention, a control circuit for controlling the inkjet printhead is laid out inside the first signal processing circuit.
In the inkjet printhead according to still another preferable aspect of the present invention, the second signal processing circuit detects manufacturing variations.
In the inkjet printhead according to still another preferable aspect of the present invention, the second signal processing circuit predicts or detects a temperature of the printhead or a printing apparatus.
In the inkjet printhead according to still another preferable aspect of the present invention, the second signal processing circuit predicts or detects the type of ink or characteristics of ink.
In the inkjet printhead according to still another preferable aspect of the present invention, the second signal processing circuit predicts or detects residual ink amount.
In the inkjet printhead according to still another preferable aspect of the present invention, the second signal processing circuit predicts or detects exchange time of the printhead.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the figures thereof.

Inkjet printhead having a substrate with advantageously ordered signal processing circuits


A tray unit includes a first tray, a second tray, and a cover. The first tray includes a first holding surface for holding thereon a first sheet. The second tray includes a second holding surface for holding thereon a second sheet. The second tray is configured to slide above and along the first holding surface between a first second-tray position and a second second-tray position, and is configured to pivot between the second second-tray position and a third second-tray position in which the second tray stands upward with respect to the first holding surface. The cover is configured to cover from above at least a part of the second tray when the second tray is in the second second-tray position, and is configured to pivot between a first cover position in which the cover extends along the first holding surface and a second cover position in which the cover stands upward with respect to the first holding surface.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tray unit for storing recording media, e.g., sheets, and relates to an image recording device configured to convey a recording medium stored in a tray unit and to record an image on the recording medium.
2. Description of Related Art
A known image recording device comprises a tray unit comprising a main tray and a second tray each configured to hold thereon recording media. For example, A4 and B5 size recording sheets are placed on the main tray, and postcards are placed on the second tray. The second tray is disposed above the main tray and is configured to slide above the main tray between a position allowing a feed roller to contact the second tray and a position separated from the feed roller. The feed roller selectively feeds the sheets from the main tray and the second tray depending on the position of the second tray.


An actuator for use in a fuel system. The actuator has a first metallic section adapted to be coupled to a motor, a second metallic section adapted to be coupled to a valve, and a nonmetallic section coupled to the first and second metallic sections for transmitting torque from the first metallic section to the second metallic section.

Fuel system valves, located in airplane fuel tanks, allow the transfer of aviation fuel from the tanks to the engines. Fuel tanks may be located in the fuselage, in the wings, and in other locations on the plane. Typically, electrically operated actuator drive shafts are used to drive the fuel system valves in airplanes. These actuator drive shafts are manufactured from electrically conductive metallic materials. The metallic drive shafts allow the possibility, under certain conditions, that electrical current may pass through them and into the fuel tank, resulting in an ignition source.
Various devices to protect airplane fuel tanks against sparking have been developed.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,971,268 issued to Dobrowski et al. is concerned with preventing sparking caused by tubing within a fuel tank. It uses a sleeve having sufficiently high dielectric strength to prevent electrical arcing between the tubing and any immediately adjacent structure.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,709,356 issued to Avenet et al. discloses an anti-spark structure including two elements of composite material. The structure forms part of an aircraft's fuel tank. A metal screw is placed within the two elements of composite material. When lightning reaches the head of the screw, the current passes into the two elements. Gasses created by heating due to the current flow are removed toward the outside of the anti-spark structure through a passage within the screw.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,141,194 issued to Maier discloses an aircraft fuel tank protective barrier which includes a transformer. The transformer limits an amount of energy delivered to the fuel tank in the event of a fault experienced on the wiring. The core saturation of the transformer is utilized to limit the energy transfer to the tank during power fault conditions while the common-mode rejection of the transformer is used to block lightning strikes.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,343,465 issued to Martinov discloses ducting, one end of which is in communication with the aircraft's fuel tank and the other end is coupled to the engine air intake area. The operating engine's intake suction force is used to drive the system of purging and removing dangerous fumes and heat from the fuel tank areas and conducts them into the engine's combustion chamber areas for combustion and exhaust. The removed fumes and heat are replaced by ambient outside air, mechanically refrigerated air or cabin-cockpit overflow air through the tank intake valves.

Electrically isolated actuator output shaft


A method and apparatus are provided for convolutionally encoding digital data with a rate 5/8 convolutional code. A standard rate 1/2 convolutional code is punctured to rate 5/8 using a puncture map of ##EQU1## and octal generators 133, 171 wherein the constraint length K=7. An incoming data stream is processed using the rate 5/8 code. In another embodiment, a rate 1/3 convolutional code is punctured to rate 5/8 using a puncture map of ##EQU2## and octal generators 117, 135, 161 wherein the constraint length K=7.

The present invention relates to the communication of digital data using a rate 5/8 punctured convolutional code, and more particularly to such a code that is obtained by puncturing a "standard" rate 1/2 or rate 1/3 convolutional code.
Pragmatic Trellis-Coded Modulation (TCM) is a combined Forward Error Correction (FEC) coding and modulation scheme that utilizes a well-known and "standard" underlying convolutional code applied to certain bits of M-ary Phase Shift Keyed (MPSK) or M-ary Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (MQAM) symbol mappings. It's utility is in providing increased data rate over bandlimited channels using nearly standard off-the-shelf decoding hardware. Viterbi et. al. proposed this scheme and gave an example of applying the output of the underlying standard rate 1/2, constraint length K=7 encoder as the two-least-significant bits (LSBs) of each 3-bit 8PSK symbol and using an uncoded, or parallel branch, bit to choose the most-significant-bit (msb) of the 3-bit 8PSK symbol. Viterbi, Andrew et. al., "A Pragmatic Approach to Trellis-Coded Modulation," IEEE Communications Magazine, July 1989, pp. 11-19. Viterbi's design takes two information bits to produce three channel bits or one 8PSK symbol (one parallel, uncoded bit and one bit that is rate 1/2 encoded into two bits) giving a code rate of 2/3. This code has been employed as a standard in an Intelsat satellite service. Intelsat Earth Station Standards (IESS) Doc. IESS-310, "Performance Characteristics for Intermediate Data Rate Digital Carriers Using Rate 2/3 TCM/8PSK and Reed-Solomon Outer Coding (TCM/IDR)," Approval Date: Sep. 16, 1996, pp. 14-22.
A later work by Wolf et. al. extends pragmatic coding to higher rates, e.g., a rate 5/6 code is built by puncturing the "standard" rate 1/2, K=7 code to rate 3/4 and applying its output along with two uncoded, parallel branch bits over two 8PSK symbol periods. Wolf, Jack Keil and Zehavi, Ephraim, "P.sup.2 Codes: Pragmatic Trellis Codes Utilizing Punctured Convolutional Codes," IEEE Communications Magazine, February 1995, pp. 94-99. Other references of interest include U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,233,629 ("Method and Apparatus For Communicating Digital Data Using Trellis Coded QAM")to Paik et al., 5,396,518 ("Apparatus and Method for Communicating Digital Data Using Trellis Coding with Punctured Convolutional Codes") and 5,408,502 ("Apparatus and Method for Communicating Digital Data Using Trellis Coded QAM With Punctured Convolutional Codes") to How, and 5,511,082 ("Punctured Convolutional Encoder") to How et al.
Puncturing a code is a method for deleting (i.e., not transmitting) certain encoder outputs in a regular manner such that the code still has good distance properties. This can be accomplished, for example, by deleting one of the two rate 1/2 encoder outputs on every other encoder cycle. In this manner, three output code bits are formed for every two input information bits (or every two encoder cycles) giving a rate 2/3 code. Punctures for the "standard" rate 1/2, K=7 code that provide good Hamming distance are well-known. See, for example, Yasuda, Y. et. al., "High-Rate Punctured Convolutional Codes for Soft Decision Viterbi Decoding," IEEE Transactions on Communications, Vol. COM-32, 1984, pp. 315-319.
Trellis coded modulation (TCM) can be used to achieve increased throughput over a given bandlimited communication channel. The rate 2/3 code delivers 60 Megabits/second (Mbps) when used with an 8PSK symbol for a baud rate of 30 Megasymbols/second (Msps); the 5/6 code delivers 75 Mbps when used with a 30 Msps 8PSK rate. In comparison, a non-TCM scheme using a standard rate 7/8 coded, 30 Msps Quadrature PSK (QPSK) signal delivers 52.5 Mbps. The increased throughput achieved with TCM over standard coded QPSK imposes an increase in the required Signal- or Carrier-to-Noise Ratio (SNR or CNR) for a given Bit Error Rate (BER) performance value termed "threshold". Rate 2/3 pragmatic TCM has a CNR threshold that is slightly worse than standard coded rate 7/8 QPSK but is 3 dB lower than rate 5/6 pragmatic TCM.
Both of the pragmatic TCM example designs (rate 2/3 and 5/6 8PSK) have been proposed for use as standards in satellite transmission of digital television (DTV) signals. These existing pragmatic schemes are found through computer simulation to require a 3 dB difference in the CNR for threshold BER operation. CNR is related directly to the required receiver antenna size, receiver noise figure, and satellite transmit power.
Moreover, past implementations of pragmatic TCM have been performed on the "standard" rate 1/2, K=7 convolutional code using "standard" puncture maps found to be optimum for this code in a Hamming distance sense (i.e., for use in schemes in which the coding is decoupled from the modulation scheme instead of integrated as in TCM). See, e.g., the Yasuda et al. article referred to above.
It would be advantageous to provide other code rates between and above 2/3 and 5/6 that offer varying requirements on threshold CNR and bit rate throughput so as to offer flexibility in operation with various communication channels. It would be further advantageous to puncture the "standard" code and other codes to achieve, e.g., an overall rate 3/4 8PSK TCM code that delivers 67.5 Mbps for a 30 Msps baud rate and has a threshold CNR lying midway between the rate 2/3 and 5/6 pragmatic implementations.
The present invention provides a trellis-coded modulation scheme having the aforementioned and other advantages.

Intermediate rate applications of punctured convolutional codes for 8PSK trellis modulation over satellite channels


In accordance with the present invention, there are provided methods for enhancing the color of minerals useful as gemstones. Invention methods are relatively inexpensive to carry out, avoid the use of hazardous materials, and require no specialized equipment.

A variety of materials having the physical and aesthetic properties desirable for use as gemstones are widely available. However, many of these materials but do not always have an aesthetically pleasing appearance. A variety of procedures have been employed in the art to improve the physical and/or aesthetic properties of minerals, e.g., electron beam irradiation, Cobalt-60 irradiation, neutron bombardment, exposure to intense heat, and the like.
Each of the above-described prior art methods suffer from significant drawbacks in terms of cost, safety, efficacy, and the like. Therefore, it would be desirable to be able to readily impart enhanced and/or modified color to materials useful as gemstones employing readily practiced methods which do not suffer from the drawbacks of prior art methods.

Method for enhancing the color of minerals useful as gemstones


An ice maker includes an ice tray which is moveably mounted to a housing and operable between ice forming and ice harvesting positions. The ice tray comprises a generally planar body portion having a plurality of ice forming cavities disposed thereon. A harvesting mechanism, including retractable or fixed contacting members, is adapted to engage and deform the ice tray when the ice tray is in the ice harvesting position for facilitating release of formed ice structures during an ice harvesting process. The ice tray is a thin mold ice tray which is flexibly resilient, such that the ice tray is adapted to return to an at-rest position from a deformed position when the ice tray is no longer being urged to the deformed position by the harvesting mechanism.

Refrigerators requiring lower energy are needed to meet government and consumer needs. An area of high potential to reduce energy consumption from the refrigerator lies in the ice maker. Current ice makers use a heater to melt the ice to icemaker bond formed during ice formation and a motor to remove the cubes from the mold. This method requires power for the heater and then power for the refrigerator/freezer to remove the excess heat from this heater. Another common type of ice maker is the twist icemaker, which uses a plastic tray that is twisted by a motor to help remove formed ice structures.
During the ice harvesting process, formed ice structures are generally released from an ice tray into an ice storing container. As most ice trays include several ice formation cavity structures, each ice structure formed therein must be separately released during the ice harvesting process. Several methods of facilitating the release of formed ice structures from the ice tray have been used including tray inversion, heating of the ice tray to break bonds with ice structures formed therein and specific coatings used on the ice tray to facilitate release. While these methods have generally facilitated the release of formed ice structures from an ice tray, improvements on the consistency of ice structure release from the ice tray, prolonged ice tray use life, and overall reduced energy consumption is still desired.
The present invention provides a thin mold ice tray that is flexibly resilient such that the ice tray can be deformed during the ice harvesting process to better ensure consistent release of ice structures from the ice tray.


A technique for evolving XML schemas is disclosed. The technique involves methods for performing schema manipulating operations and for validating the schema changes so that the current XML documents remain valid against the new schema.

1. Technical Field
The invention relates generally to XML schema evolution technique. More particularly, the invention relates to an apparatus and a method for providing schema manipulation operations and validating schema changes.
2. Description of the Prior Art
XML (Extensible Markup Language), developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), is a system for organizing and tagging elements of a document. It allows designers to create their own customized tags, enabling the definition, transmission, validation, and interpretation of data between applications and between organizations. It is a flexible way to create common information formats and share both the format and the data on the World Wide Web, intranets, and other networks. For example, computer makers might agree on a standard way to describe information, such as processor speed, memory size, and so forth, about a computer product and then describe the product information format with XML. Such a standard way of describing data enables a user to send an intelligent agent to each computer maker's Web site, gather data, and then make a valid comparison. XML can be used by any individual or group of individuals or company that wants to share information in a consistent way.
XML elements and attributes can be identified and accessed with XPath expressions. XPath is a language that describes a way to locate and process items in XML documents by using an addressing syntax based on a path through the document's logical structure or hierarchy. This makes writing programming expressions easier than if each expression had to understand typical XML markup and its sequence in a document. XPath also allows the programmer to deal with the document at a higher level of abstraction. It uses the information abstraction defined in the XML Information Set.
XPath uses the concepts of node, i.e. the point from which the path address begins), the logical tree that is inherent in any XML document, and the concepts expressing logical relationships that are defined in the XML Information Set, such as ancestor, attribute, child, parent, and self. XPath includes a small set of expressions for specifying mathematics functions and the ability to be extended with other functions.
The XML language itself does not limit set of tags for element and attribute names. Due to lack of a definite set of element and attribute names and lack of structure definition, confusion may arise when two different party communicate via XML documents. This has lead to the provision of many schema definition languages, one of which is the XML Schema that specifies how to describe the elements in XML document formally. This description can be used to verify that each item of content in a document adheres to the description of the element in which the content is to be placed.
In general, a schema is an abstract representation of an object's characteristics and relationship to other objects. An XML schema represents the interrelationship between the attributes and elements of an XML object, for example, a document or a portion of a document. To create a schema for a document, its structure must be analyzed and each structural element must be defined. XML Schema has several advantages over earlier XML schema languages, such as Document Type Definition (DTD). For example, it is more direct: XML Schema, in contrast to the earlier languages, is written in XML, which means that it does not require intermediary processing by a parser. Other benefits include self-documentation, automatic schema creation, and the ability to be queried through XML Transformations (XSLT).
For an XML schema to endure over time it must be capable of evolving to reflect the changing information requirements. A set of operations, such as, Insert, Delete, Update, Query has been proposed for manipulating XML documents. However, no mechanisms have been defined for manipulating XML schemas.
To allow XML document to contain extended data, XML schemas could have various data types with <xsd:any> as its subcomponents. <xsd:any> are served as place holders for any extended data because an any type does not constrain its content in any way. An extremely extensive XML schema is illustrated as follows:
<xs:element name="myData"><xs:complexType><xs:sequence><xs:any processContents="skip" minOccurs="0"maxOccurs="unbounded"/></xs:sequence></xs:complexType></xs:element>
Although this approach does allow extended data to be contained in XML documents of the schema, it does not provide any control of the extended data.
What is desired is a technique for performing schema manipulation operations so that an XML schema can be evolved in a controlled, pragmatic way. Because there might be lots of XML documents, e.g. thousands under an existing XML Schema, XML Schema must evolve in such a way that ensures all existing XML documents remain valid under the new XML schema that results from such schema manipulations.
What is further desired is a technique to determine whether all XML documents are still valid after schema manipulation without individually examining these XML documents. It is time consuming to examine thousands XML documents. In certain applications, for example Web Services that use XML to represent user data logically in a distributed set of computers, it is substantially impossible to examine XML documents individually.

AOL LLC a Delaware limited liability company


A method and associated apparatus for use in an automated sign generator to produce enhanced special effect graphics and single layer multi-color signs on a vinyl sheet material uses a paint pen carried by the tool head of the generator which in coordinated movement with the vinyl sheet traces the shape of the sign. In one embodiment, the sheet material is cut along a line falling within the painted stripe defining the graphic. The cut graphic having the desired visual special effect is removed from the sheet material along the cut line. The apparatus further includes a guide wheel assembly located between a material deflector and a feed roller for riding along the marginal portions of the sheet material causing it to move along a broken plane path to prevent buckling as it moves relative to the tool head and to prevent smudging of the painted graphic. A cam clip assembly is located behind the feed roller and intermediate the feed roller and a cam shaft and rides along the marginal portions of the sheet material to cause the material to move along a broken plane path to prevent its buckling and avoid smearing of a painted graphic on the surface. A paint pen which is interchangeable with a cutting tool is carried by the tool head and includes a number of interchangeable paint nibs.

The present invention relates generally to sign making and sign making apparatus and deals more particularly with an improved method for producing enhanced graphics. The invention further relates to such signal making apparatus for producing the enhanced graphics.
Automated sign generating apparatus for producing large scale text on sheet material, such as vinyl, is generally well known. U.S. Pat. No. 4,467,525 assigned to the same assignee as the present invention discloses such as automated sign generator wherein the vinyl sign material is supported for movement in one coordinate direction relative to a cutting tool which is moved in accordance with pre-programmed data. The vinyl sign material is pierced in accordance with the program data to cut the vinyl in accordance with the desired size and shape. The vinyl sign material is generally releasably secured by pressure sensitive adhesives to a paper release liner. For further details of the operation of such an automated sign generator, reference may be made to the above-referenced patent and which disclosure is incorporated herein by reference.
In order to provide enhanced or special effect graphics, such as outlining, shadowing and so forth it is generally necessary to cut several different color vinyl sheets and apply the cut portions in layers in registration. Such procedures are time consuming, require additional amounts of vinyl sheet materials and require a high degree of skill on the part of an operator to produce the enhanced graphic.
Another disadvantage of known methods for producing special effects is the inability to generate single layer multicolor signs.
A further disadvantage with known sign generating apparatus is the inability to paint a graphic without smearing or smudging the graphics as the sheet material moves.
Accordingly, it is general aim of the present invention to provide a method and improved apparatus for use with an automated sign generator to produce enhanced or special effect graphics.

Method and associated apparatus for use with an automated sign generator to produce enhanced graphics


A method for manufacturing a heat sink including heating a metal base to melt solder in grooves formed in the base. The base has a first coefficient of thermal expansion. The solder has a second coefficient of thermal expansion lower than the first coefficient of thermal expansion. The metal base and the solder are cooled and the metal base experiences tensile stresses and the solder experiences compressive stresses to form a concavity in a thermal face of the base. The thermal face is then planed. Over time, the tensile stresses and the compressive stresses reduce such that the thermal face becomes convex.

The present disclosure relates generally to heat sinks and more particularly to heat sinks having a convex contact surface and a method of making the same. Heat sinks are used to conduct heat away from a surface of a device such as a microprocessor. Heat sinks feature a thermal face, which is in thermal communication with a device from which heat is to be conducted.
FIG. 1 depicts a conventional heat sink 10 having a thermal face 12 that is concave. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the distance d is about 25 um. Heat sink 10 includes a base 14 made from a metal (e.g., copper) having a plurality of metal (e.g., copper) fins 16 secured to the base 14. Fins 16 are positioned in grooves 18 and secured to base 14 by solder 20 which is a Pb—Sn solder.
FIGS. 2a–2d illustrate the manufacturing process for heat sink 10 of FIG. 1. The upper portion of base 14 including grooves 18, solder 20 and a portion of base 14 is represented as region 22 for convenience of illustration. FIG. 2a depicts heat sink 10 heated above a melting temperature of Pb—Sn solder 20. Fins 16 are then placed in solder 20 in grooves 18. The heat sink 10 is then cooled to room temperature as shown in FIG. 2b. Due to the differing coefficients of thermal expansion (CTE) between solder 20 and base 14, the solder 20 goes into tension and the base 14 goes into compression. The CTE of the solder 20 is about 25 ppm/C and the CTE of the copper base 14 and copper fins 16 is about 17 ppm/C.
The thermal face 12 is then machined to be planar as shown in FIG. 2c. Over time, the tensile stresses in solder 20 relieve and solder 20 stretches. The compressive stresses in copper base 14 relieve over time and the copper base 14 shrinks. This results in thermal face 12 being concave as shown in FIG. 2d. The concavity of thermal face 12 results in reduced contact between the heat sink 10 and the surface from which heat is to be transferred and poor heat transfer performance.

International Business Machines Corporation


The invention relates to an internal combustion engine comprising a valve drive which is arranged in the region of the cylinder head and is used to actuate a valve. Said internal combustion engine comprises a first drive means that can be rotated about a first rotational axis, a connecting rod that is connected to the first drive means in an articulated manner by means of a first connecting rod articulation, and a guiding element which is used to guide the connecting rod, can be pivoted about a guiding axis, and is connected to a second articulation of the connecting rod in an articulated manner. The position of the first rotational axis can be modified in relation to the cylinder head.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a combustion engine, in particular to a combustion engine with a valvetrain. In particular, the present invention relates to a combustion engine with a valvetrain with variable valve control.
Typically, in combustion engines, valvetrains are provided that generate a valve lift of fixed lift height and duration using a camshaft. The inflow by volume of the air fuel mixture is controlled by a throttle valve. Such a valvetrain, however, has disadvantages regarding an optimal adjustment to different load regimes of the combustion engine. Such disadvantages can at least partially be avoided by a valvetrain of variable valve lift.
2. Description of the Related Art
Valvetrains with variable valve lift are known in the art. The Valvetronic system of BMW, for example, is a valvetrain with variable valve lift, which is being produced in series. It allows a variable adjustment of valve lift and duration of valve opening in response to a number of drive parameters, such as rotational speed and the position of the throttle control. Further, valvetrains with variable valve lift are known for motors of low rotational speed with cam in block. Cam-in-block motors, however, generally have a number of disadvantages, in particular in the regime of high rotational speed. For example, relatively large masses generally need to be moved when opening and closing the valve.
Further, EP 1 350 928 describes an apparatus for smoothly varying the valve lift in combustion engines. Therein, a linear cam is pushed more or less deeply between two rollers by an actuating member, wherein one of the rollers is movable in the sense of the valve lift. Thereby, a lift curve on a roller, mounted in a rocker level or another actuating member towards the valve, actuates the valve lift.
A further valvetrain for a combustion engine is described In U.S. Pat. No. 5,357,915. The valvetrain described therein allows modifying the valve synchronization and the valve lift of the intake and exhaust valves, which are driven by rocker arms and overhead camshafts.
PCT 2002/053881 describes a variably adjustable mechanical valve gear for a gas-reversing valve with a closing spring on a piston engine, in particular a piston-type internal combustion engine, comprising a driving mechanism for generating a lifting movement that is effective counter to the force of the closing spring on the gas-reversing valve and a stroke transfer means arranged between the driving mechanism and the gas-reversing valve, which acts upon the gas-reversing valve in the direction of its movement axis and for which the stroke distance can be adjusted in the direction of the movement axis via an adjustable guide element and which is realized with a pivoting element that is connected with its end facing away from the gas-reversing valve to the driving mechanism and is guided so as to pivot back and forth on the guide element designed as control curve.
Further, FR 1 284 700 describes a valvetrain for combustion engines, which allows to adjust automatically the duration of the valve lift and the lifting height of the valves, in order to adapt them to the rotational speed.
A valvetrain for a motor according to EP 1 515 008 is composed as follows: An intermediate rocking element is interposed between a pivoting earn surface and a rocking surface of a rocking arm. By shifting of contact spots an opening duration and an opening height of the valve can be adjusted continuously.
DE 23 35 634 relates to a valve adjustment for combustion engines, comprising a driving shaft, an arrangement for transforming the rotational movement to a pivotal movement actuating the valve, and an arrangement for modifying the valve lift in response to the rotational speed and the load of the combustion engine.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,684,832 describes a valvetrain of a combustion engine, which allows modifying the lift and the opening and closing angle. To this purpose, the camshaft is not mounted fixedly on the cylinder head, but it oscillates about an axis, and by this oscillation the valve lift and duration of valve opening are modified.
The valvetrains mentioned above, however, are deficient in several respects, for example regarding their space requirements, their weight, susceptibility to wear, and limitations of the variability of the valve control.
The present invention attempts to reduce at least some of the above-mentioned problems. Further, the present invention attempts to provide a combustion engine, which has good properties with respect to motor performance, wear, and/or other aspects. The object is solved by a combustion engine according to independent claim 1. Further advantages, features, aspects and details of the invention as well as preferred embodiments and particular aspects of the invention are evident from the dependent claims, the description and the drawings.

Internal combustion engine comprising a variable valve drive


A pH detecting device includes a supplying unit to supply a pH indicator, with an inkjet head, to a surface of a material to be processed on which acidification is performed; a color information detector to detect color information of the pH indicator supplied to the surface of the material; and a pH specifying unit to specify a pH value of the surface of the material based on the color information.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a pH detecting device, a printing system, and a method for manufacturing a printed material.
2. Description of the Related Art
The conventional inkjet recording apparatuses employ a shuttle structure that causes a head to reciprocate in the width direction of a recording medium, such as paper and a film. This configuration makes it difficult to increase throughput in high-speed printing. To support high-speed printing, there has recently been developed a one-pass printing system that performs recording at a time with a plurality of heads aligned so as to cover the whole width of a recording medium.
The one-pass printing system is effectively used for high-speed printing; however, before a previously ejected ink permeates into the recording medium, adjacent dots are ejected at short time intervals. This mechanism is likely to cause unification of adjacent dots (hereinafter referred to as droplet interference), resulting in reduced image quality.
Therefore, there is a need to detect the state of the surface of a material to be processed to manufacture a high-quality printed material.

pH detecting device, printing system, and method for manufacturing printed material