An improved method and a cassette assembly for protecting electronic components, comprising of a housing that encloses the electronic components disposed over an insulator. The housing also encases a scissor jack component that can move from a first to a second position to enable actuation and unmating of the cassette assembly, such as to a next level of packaging. The housing has an overhang design, having complementary upper openings and lower cable shroud areas for supporting cable connections and for providing heat dissipation relief and EMC containment. Alternate designs provide for other components such as a honey comb screen and an EMC gasket to further enable EMC containment. In addition, other components such as an actuation trap door, a retention feature and card support members or support struts can be added to the design to enable better actuation and provide for an improved structural rigidity.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to packaging of electronic components of a computing system and more particularly to packaging of input/output tailstock areas of large processor cards.
2. Description of Background
The industry trend has been to continuously increase the number of electronic components inside computing systems. A computing system can include a simple personal computer, a network of simple computers, or one or even a network of large computers in processing communication with one another that include one or more servers having central electronic systems (CEC). While increasing the components inside a simple computing system does create some challenges, however, such an increase create many problems in computing systems that include one or more large computers. The evolution of high end computing systems especially, including servers, have imposed particular packaging challenges with respect to a variety of problems that are seemingly isolated issues but affect one another a single assembly environment. Thermal management, mechanical integrity and electromagnetic and electrical shorts have been some of the challenging issues that have created special design concerns for the developers of such systems.
Each of these issues are further exasperated in the future by the development of next generation processors that require increased packaging density, causing more concerns especially in the area of heat dissipation. Heat dissipation if unresolved, can result in electronic and mechanical failures that will affect overall system performance. As can be easily understood, the heat dissipation increases as the packaging density increases. In larger computing systems, such as servers that include next generation processors, the problem of heat dissipation becomes of particular concern.
An increased package density has also placed increased demands on the manner the computing systems are packaged. One key problem area in large computers is how to best utilize the tailstock areas of large processing cards where traditionally input/output (I/O) areas are also located. As mentioned, thermal management in dense packages have put increasing demands on mechanical designers to utilize unique approaches to maximize cooling. Combined with the concerns in the manner that the processing cards need to be populated, thermal management has often led the designers to provide air-cooling capabilities within a predefined footprint.
A recent popular prior art approach has been to place the I/O tailstock areas in what is known as the "windward" side of the processor cards, where they are in direct contact with an air input stream. Unfortunately, in this approach, the I/O tailstock areas are governed by the amount of available air for cooling the electronic packages contained within a particular packaging assembly and depending on packaging flexibility, this approach may lead to inefficient heat dissipation.
In addition, the problem of heat dissipation is further exasperated by the recent prior art orientation of cards. Historically, the orientation of the processing cards has migrated form the more traditional in-line plugging approach to a more recent version that utilizes a blind-mate style to allow for other processing and packaging needs. The key difference between these two approaches is the fact that in the former approach, the in-line plugging connects by mating the interconnect to a card that typically lies perpendicular to the air-stream. The latter approach, however, does so in a parallel fashion which minimizes the air flow impedance.
Another development that causes additional concerns is the advancements in cable operation speed. The rise of processor and cable operation speeds, especially in the ranges exceeding 5 GHz, not only creates additional thermal management concerns but also creates issues relating to electromagnetic interference containment and mechanical support in a structural sense.
The mechanical concerns are derived from both obvious and non-obvious sources. For example, a contributing factor that may not be as obvious as the traditional mechanical support concerns stems from the fact that the increased system operating speeds have driven the necessity of implementing surface mount technology (SMT) style connectors, whose predominant mechanical support must be derived from the card's mechanical structure. This is mostly necessary in order to isolate potential damaging strains at the soldered interface.
Currently, there is no single design that can efficiently address all problems as enumerated above. Attempts to improve packaging designs to resolve of one set of the previously enumerated problems, often cause other such problems to worsen. Consequently and in light of the prior art current designs that affect overall system performance, a packaging concept is desirous that can address all such issues including but not limited to thermal management and cooling concerns, electromagnetic interface concerns and mechanical and structural support concerns in such computing system packaging but especially for those that include the next generation of blind-mated I/O card cassettes as part of their packaging and assembly.

Enhanced blind-mated input/output card cassette packaging concept

International Business Machines Corporation


A method of casting metal material wherein metallic metal is deposited on a foil moving underneath the feeding means for the molten metal and is supported on a supporting substrate. The foil is formed with side edges before receiving a deposit of molten metal to contain the flow of molten metal thereon in a direction transverse to the direction of movement of the foil.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the casting of metal sheet or strip, and more particularly, to an improved method and apparatus for the casting thin metal sheets or strips in a continuous operation.
2. Background Information
The metals industry has been developing processes and apparatus for producing an as-cast product that needs little or no additional processing such as hot rolling that reduces to strip or sheet form. One such process that has arisen as a result of this development is the single or double belt thin strip casting system. In such a process, molten metal is caused to flow onto a moving horizontal surface in the form of an endless belt whereupon it solidifies as it moves along with the belt. The elongated solid strip of metal is removed from the continuous belt for further processing as desired. The endless belts used in these processes provide a substrate through which the heat of solidification is transferred. In order for the belts to have an acceptable service life, intense cooling is required. This intense cooling causes the bottom layer of the incoming liquid metal to freeze very rapidly. Consequently, any folds, oxides or other defects typically caused by the turbulence of the liquid are frozen in. In a thin gauge product, such defects may comprise an unacceptably large proportion of the strip thickness.
Another concern with moving belt systems involves the use of moving or stationary side dams which contain the lateral spreading of the molten metal. Flashing at the joint between the belts and side dams can occur resulting in edge defects in the solidified metal. In the case of stationary side dams, the molten metal may solidify and freeze to the side dam and sticking is possible which in some instances can be severe enough to cause strip separation and termination of the cast.


A foam sprayer apparatus comprises a container and a manual air pump carried by the container. The pump is operable to manually pump air into the container and create an air head therein. A discharge channel establishes fluid communication between the interior and exterior of the container. The channel contains an air opening located inside the tank and above a level to which a supply of foaming composition is to be filled. An inlet of the discharge channel is located below the level to which a supply of foaming composition is to be filled. A foaming chamber is also included for causing turbulence in a fluid received from the discharge channel. A discharge valve controls the flow of fluid through the discharge channel and foaming chamber. When the valve is open, fluid flows from the discharge channel to the foaming chamber, and from the foaming chamber to a nozzle. The nozzle is in fluid communication with the outlet of the foaming chamber. The nozzle is normally coupled to a spray wand which is placed between the discharge valve and nozzle. The nozzle functions to discharge, under pressure, foam received from the foaming chamber when the discharge valve is opened. Methods of applying foam are also contemplated. One such method concerns the treatment of insects using an insecticidal foaming composition and a manual compressed-air sprayer which has been modified in accordance with the present invention.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to foam generating apparatus and methods of applying foam produced by said apparatus, including the application of insecticidal foams for the treatment of insects. The present invention also has a particular application in the field of treating fire ants.
2. Background Art
There are numerous apparatus available for generating foams for various applications. Such applications include, for example, cleaning, fire extinguishing, chemical containment, and insect treating. Many of these apparatus require electric or gasoline power sources for operating compressors and pumps to produce and deliver the foam. As a result, these apparatus must carry batteries, electrical cords, internal combustion engines, and the like. Examples of such devices are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,319,878 to Moffett et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,346,699 to Tiernan et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,688,349 to Renth; U.S. Pat. No. 3,618,856 to Sachnik; U.S. Pat. No. 3,589,054 to Pascucci; and a product brochure published by B&G Equipment Company, Plumsteadville, Pa., entitled, Trouble-Shooter Portable Foaming and Liquid Borate Unit. Such apparatus are expensive, cumbersome, and they usually require training to operate and specialized maintenance.
Inexpensive and easy to operate apparatus, employing manual pumps, have been used to produce foam for cleaning applications. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,222,633 to Blake, U.S. Pat. No. 2,653,848 to Lee, and a product catalog by The Fountainhead Group, Inc., New York Mills, N.Y., entitled, Professional Applicators Catalog ("Convenience Applicator"), all describe such foaming devices. However, the utility of these devices are limited to cleaning applications. Such devices are not suitable for producing and delivering foams for other applications, such as the treatment of insects.
The application of insecticidal foams for the treatment and control of insects has been known for a number of years. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,822,613 to Rodero describes an insecticidally-active foam for producing a positive insect barrier in a cavity. U.S. Pat. No. 5,346,699 to Tiernan et al. describes an insecticidal foam for treating termites under concrete slabs or around concrete foundations. Other insecticidal foams are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,116,618 to Hagarty, U.S. Pat. No. 5,104,658 to Hagarty, U.S. Pat. No. 5,094,853 to Hagarty, U.S. Pat. No. 4,975,425 to Barnett, Jr., U.S. Pat. No. 4,889,710 to Hagarty, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,524,911 to Leavitt. The apparatus suggested for the application of these foams are aerosol cans, spray pumps like those used for household cleaners, spray guns, and electric or gasoline powered pumps. As mentioned previously, the electric or gasoline powered apparatus are expensive, cumbersome, and usually require training and specialized maintenance. Aerosol cans and household spray pumps suffer from the drawback that they do not hold a large capacity of foam composition. In addition, household spray pumps would require constant trigger pumping for most insect treating applications. Finally, spray guns do not suggest any advantages over such apparatus. None of these insecticidal foam patents suggests a suitable apparatus for treating ants inside the ant mound.
The injection of liquid insecticides (rather than foam) into ant mounds has been accomplished by using apparatus as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,624,070 to Query et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 1,290,544 to Graumann. This method of treating ants is much less efficient than employed by the present invention because liquid insecticide is absorbed by the soil and is thus drawn away from the tunnels and chambers inside the mound. Penetration of the insecticide is also limited because of absorption. As a result, much more liquid insecticide is needed to treat an ant mound than if an insecticidal foam is employed. This leads to waste and an increased threat to the environment. Moreover, the apparatus proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,624,070 to Query et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 1,290,544 to Graumann are not very portable or convenient to operate.
Another aspect of the present invention pertains to applying an insecticidal barrier around a structure, such as dwelling. Conventional methods of producing such a barrier involve spraying liquid insecticides along the target area. Liquid spraying can be inefficient when laying down a barrier, because some of the sprayed contents may be blown away before reaching the ground or other target area. In addition, a sprayed liquid barrier is virtually invisible, and thus makes it difficult for the operator to determine whether the barrier has been properly laid down. An insecticidal foam has been proposed to avoid some of these drawbacks in U.S. Pat. No. 4,997,592 to Woogerd. However, this patent does not suggest the use of foaming apparatus that avoid the problems and drawbacks hereinabove mentioned.


The present invention is directed to the use of betaine or its physiologically acceptable salt for enhancing endurance during exercise, enhancing muscle mass and reducing muscle soreness and muscle fatigue. It is also directed to the use of betaine or its physiologically acceptable salt for enhancing the flavor of a food or beverage.

Athletes who participate in sports at any level, amateur or professional, strive to bring their bodies to a physical state which is optimum for the sport or activity of interest. One factor which enables athletes to participate effectively is a high degree of development of the aerobic capacity and/or strength of skeletal muscle.
Both aerobic capacity and strength, especially the latter, is a function of training and of muscle mass. These in turn require net synthesis of proteins in the muscle. Strenuous exercise is an effective stimulus for protein synthesis. However, muscles require a large array of nutrients, including amino acids (which are derived from protein) for protein synthesis. These nutrient substrate have been supplied by ingesting diets which provide the necessary amounts of protein, calories, and other nutrients.
The desire to attain, in a rapid manner, the maximum degree of skeletal muscle adaption to exercise has led some athletes to resort to the use of drugs. Such drugs, particularly steroids, are known to "force" muscle growth (protein synthesis) to degrees greater than can be achieved by exercise and diet alone. The use of such drugs is both illegal and dangerous. The use of steroids causes the body to be in a constant anabolic state. The side effects of steroids are dangerous and unacceptable.
Thus, it is desirable to apply training programs which employ a combination of specific exercise technique and a diet without steroids which will enhance the stamina of the individual for exercise, enhance the body mass, and decrease fatigue. The present inventors have found that the use of betaine or its physiologically acceptable salt achieves these objectives plus, in addition, has several advantages.
Betaine is widely distributed in plants and animals, and is a natural component of many foods, including cereals (e.g., wheat, oat), seafood (e.g., shrimp, salmon) and vegetables (e.g., spinach, mushroom). It is also found in sugar beets. Also known as trimethylglycine, it has a molecular weight of 117.15 g/mole. Together with L-glutamine, betaine forms the major component of nitrogen compounds in sugar beets that are soluble in water. Betaine has been known for over a hundred years; in 1866 for example, betaine was isolated from concentrated juices of Beta vulgaris (sugar beet).
Betaine has been used clinically for liver disease. Betaine has been found useful in other applications. For instance, it has been discovered that betaine plays an important role in life maintaining processes in nature. For example, various microorganisms depend upon betaine for their survival. Betaine is important for the control of respiration, osmoregulation, and nitrogen fixation of several useful bacteria. The function of useful microbes in soil that fix atmospheric nitrogen necessary for plants to grow is stimulated by betaine.
It has been found that betaine does not possess any skin irritating properties when used in cosmetics, improves the skin compatibility thereof and has moisturizing properties. Betaine has beneficial effects in toothpaste; it appears that betaine not only reduces the skin-irritating effects of toothpaste components, but also is useful for relieving the symptoms in patients with dry mouth.
Betaine is a lipotropic agent. It increases the level of beneficial SAMe (S-adenosyl-methionine) in the liver, and enables the liver to metabolize fat and protect against many challenges, such as alcohol induced cirrhosis. It also decreases bilirubin and alkaline phosphatase and several other liver enzymes related to a large variety of liver disorders. In addition, it appears to have a key role in protecting kidney cells against highly osmotic urine. Further, its biochemical derivative formed in the liver, dimethylglycine, is known to enhance immune response.
Although betaine has been known for over a century, no one heretofore has suggested or used betaine for the enhancement of an individual performance during exercise, that is, to enhance stamina to participate in exercising, especially strenuous exercise. The present inventors have found that the administration of betaine or its physiologically acceptable salts promotes muscle adaption to strenuous exercise.

Use of betaine to enhance exercise performance


An object-naming network infrastructure and a method of responding to queries for object names. In one embodiment, the infrastructure includes: (1) a central object name server coupled to a computer network and constituting a first hierarchical level and (2) peripheral object name servers coupled to the computer network and constituting a second hierarchical level, the central object name server responding to an object name query received from a querying system by directing the querying system to query instead one of the peripheral object name servers in the second hierarchical level, the one of the peripheral object name servers either responding to the query with an object name or directing the querying system to query instead further peripheral object name servers constituting a third hierarchical level.

Familiar to all are the various bar codes and magnetic strips employed by businesses to perform identification functions and the various devices used to read them. Generally, magnetic strips are read by swiping a card with the strip on it, such as a credit card, through a reader. Magnetic strips can also read by contact or proximity devices where the card, such as a parking or access card, is placed on or held close to the reader. Bar codes are generally read by using a "light gun" to read the code and identify the item associated with that particular code. Bar codes and magnetic strips are presently the identification systems of choice because they are cheap.
The applications for which bar codes and magnetic strips are useful is limited, however, by the relatively small amount of data they can encode and by their inherent readability limitations. One such readability limitation is the range at which they can be read. Both are short range systems that require the reader to contact or be very close (a few centimeters, at most) to the bar code or magnetic strip in order to decode data. They are also limited by the fact that no obstruction can exist between the reader and the bar code or magnetic strip for the reader to accurately decode data. The orientation of the reader relative to the bar code or magnetic strip can also impose a significant readability problem. If the reading device is not properly aligned or is held at an incorrect angle, the encoded information can not be read. Because of these problems, each individual read operation requires manual scanning by a human operator if high read accuracy is needed. The various limitations of bar codes and magnetic strips have prevented their use in a wide range of applications for machine readable tags that need highly reliable and totally automated reading at read ranges up to several meters.
The radio frequency identification ("RFID") tag is another prior art type of identification device. When interrogated, RFID tags reflect or retransmit a radio frequency signal to return an encoded identification number to the interrogator. A good example of RFID tags is their usage in the collection of highway and bridge tolls where an RFID tag is positioned on a user's vehicle to respond to an interrogation signal when the vehicle passes through a toll collection point. A reading device connected to a computer processes the tag identification number and uses the decoded information to charge the toll to the user's credit card.
Prior art RFID tag devices are of two basic types; those that contain a microchip and those that do not. There is a radical difference in cost and performance between these two types; to such an extent, in fact, that they rarely compete with one another as to the appropriate type of use. As a general rule, chip tags cost more but have a larger data capacity than chipless tags. Chip tags, for example, are usually not available below a unit cost of about one dollar each when ordered in a quantity of less than one million; whereas many chipless tags are projected to cost less than 20 cents each, even when ordered in quantities as small as one hundred thousand.
Most RFID tags will have a longer reliable range than magnetic strips and bar codes. As a rule, RFID tags can be interrogated without having as significant line-of-sight and orientation problems as are evidenced by bar codes and magnetic strips. Although chip tags do have a longer range than magnetic strip and bar code systems, the range at which they can be reliably used is still a limiting factor.
Chip tags are by far the most popular of the two types of RFID tags. A chip tag consists of four elements or features: (1) a computer microchip; (2) circuits for converting radio signals to computer data signals and back to radio signals; (3) an antenna; and (4) a means for providing DC power to the chip circuitry. In low cost RFID chip tags the first two features are often partially or totally integrated into a single microchip, which integration requires certain compromises in tag performance (read range, number of bits, etc.). This combination of features also leads to certain integrated circuit (IC) cost and/or design compromises to accommodate both digital and radio frequency circuitry on a single IC. The impact of these design compromises can be partially compensated for by use of low radio frequency (RF) operating frequencies that, in turn, lead to rather large and expensive antennas.
The most daunting problem with chip tags is the need for DC power for the chip circuitry. The combination of environmental issues coupled with severe constraints on cost, size and weight usually require that the tag not have a battery or other on-board power source. The only generally useable solution is to obtain DC power by converting RF power received from the tag reader signal into DC power within the tag. Those skilled in the pertinent art term tags without a battery or other power source as "passive" tags, while those that contain a battery or other source are termed "active" tags. The passive method of providing DC power to a chip tag requires a more efficient tag antenna (i.e., larger size and cost) and higher transmitted power levels from the reader. It also requires added components that either add to the cost of the microchip or to the cost of the tag, which additional components also result in an increased tag size. The most important limitation of passive powered chip tags is the severe restriction on the read range of the tag because a signal that is sufficiently strong enough to power the tag will only extend a short distance from the tag reader antenna. Thus, while chip tags have the dominate share of the RFID market, their high cost and limited read range combine to prevent them from replacing either bar codes or magnetic strips in any significant manner.
"Chipless" RFID tags do not contain a microchip but, instead, rely on magnetic materials or transistorless thin film circuits to store data. A major advantage of chipless RFID tags is their relatively low cost. The disadvantages of chipless tags include that they are range limited (several centimeters at the most) and only contain limited amounts of information. The severity of these problems has prevented market acceptance of chipless tags in spite of their low cost potential.
In the year 2000, the global market for conventional RFID systems and services was in the order of 500 million U.S. dollars. This market was largely for chip tags that typically cost from about one dollar to tens of dollars each. While chipless tags are not selling well, they have generated great interest from a number of potential users because of their low cost potential. A huge gap exists in the automatic identification market between the very low cost bar codes and the higher performing RFID chip tags. The overall market is clamoring for a technical solution to fill that gap.
The critical characteristics of any new automatic identification technology that will fill this gap are: (1) a cost of between one cent and ten cents per tag when manufactured in large quantities; (2) reliable reading without the need for manual scanning by a human operator; (3) reliable reading without requiring a line of sight between the tag and tag reader (i.e., reliable reading even if the tag is scratched, or covered with dirt, or on the wrong side of the package, etc.); (4) a reliable read range of at least one to two meters; and (5) a tag data capacity of roughly 100 bits. Such tags are of vital interest to postal authorities, airlines and airports, mass transit authorities, animal breeders, the livestock industry, delivery businesses, any business with significant supply chains, particularly those that maintain inventory or handle fast moving consumer goods, and so on. These are all applications where a high priced tag is not practicable, particularly where the tag is disposable or is going to be sold with the product.
The limitations and problems with prior art identification systems has been the major factor limiting their widespread usage. Although prior art identification systems are frequently associated with computers and computer networks, there has been a very limited demand for access to identification information provided by such prior art devices. In short, the distribution and use of such identification information is limited by the limitations inherent in the devices. What has been needed in the art is a reliable, economically priced, small identification tag upon which can be encoded substantial identification data that can be read at an adequate range and that can be used in a variety of environments and for a variety of applications. As will be discussed herein, such devices and readers for such devices have been recently developed and will soon be available. These identification tags can be encoded with substantial identification data and can be read at an adequate range for use in a variety of environments and for a variety of applications.
Because such identification tags can be used to identify with global certainty a very large number of objects, a system to provide widespread access to the data and other information made possible by such tags is necessary. The volume of information and data made possible by this new identification technology makes the Internet, as currently structured, of marginal usefulness because of the slow speed at which the Internet can be accessed to secure pertinent information.
Therefore what is needed in the art is an object-naming computer network infrastructure for identification tags and a method of operating the same.

Object-naming network infrastructure for identification tags and method of operation thereof


A station (STA), which supports multiple spatial streams, can, and sometimes does, re-advertise the station as supporting less spatial stream (SS) than the actual number of spatial streams that the device does actually support. In some embodiments, a station's maximum advertised maximum number of spatial streams is proactively reduced based on the station's throughput being below one or more thresholds. In some embodiments, the analysis and level of spatial stream value to be reported in a re-advertisement is determined by the access point. In some other embodiments, the analysis and level of spatial stream value to be reported in a re-advertisement is determined by the station. The access point allocating its limited supported spatial streams among stations is able to more efficiently allocate the air link resources.

Stations (STAs) advertise their radio capabilities to the access point (AP) in order to properly place the STA into grouping used for multiple user multiple-input and multiple-output (MU-MIMO) transmissions. The AP will initially place the STA into grouping based upon the maximum number of spatial streams the STA advertises it supports. Some APs will reactively reduce the number of spatial streams it uses to communicate with some STAs based on poor environmental conditions.
Current systems take interference reduction (i.e. complex zero forcing) into account when optimizing the ecosystem. This function can be affected by a large sum of environmental influences that result in an improper stream selection. Since current systems are reactive, the optimizations mostly occur after the device experiences poor network quality. Optimization can have a long training period and adaptation timeframe for feedback systems. That time is spent retransmitting frames and taking up airtime that could be better utilized by other transmissions.
Based on the above discussion there is a need for new methods and apparatus related to optimizing MIMO systems.

Methods and apparatus for supporting multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO) advertisements


A hydrodynamic torque converter including a housing connectable to a drive element for rotation in common around an axis of rotation, the housing being fillable with a fluid; a pump wheel in the housing; a turbine wheel in the housing and connected to a takeoff element; and a supporting/sealing hub area on an axial side of the housing and facing away from the drive element, the supporting/sealing hub area comprising a first hub element permanently connected to the housing; and a second hub element connected to the first hub element for rotation in common around the axis of rotation, the second hub element being axially movable relative to the first hub element, the second hub element comprising an outside circumference, a sealing surface on the outside circumference, a first axial end facing away from the drive element, and a rotational driver formation at the first axial end.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a hydrodynamic torque converter, comprising a housing arrangement, which is or can be filled with fluid, and which is to be connected by a connecting area to a drive element for rotation in common around an axis of rotation; a pump wheel; and a turbine wheel, which is to be connected to a takeoff element in the housing arrangement. A supporting/sealing hub area is provided on the axial side of the housing arrangement facing away from the connecting area.
2. Description of the Related Art
A hydrodynamic torque converter of this type is known from DE 199 08 123 A1. The hydrodynamic torque converter, which is to be connected on the drive side to the crankshaft of an internal combustion engine and to be connected on the takeoff side via the turbine wheel to a gearbox input shaft, has, on the axial side facing the gearbox, an essentially sleeve-like or hollow shaft-like hub, which is intended to fulfill various functions. This hub is attached at one axial end by welding to the radially inner end of the housing arrangement, and at its other axial end, which, in the assembled state of a drive train, is located inside a gearbox housing; the hub has a rotational driver formation, which, during rotational operation, drives an oil pump located inside the gearbox housing, so that oil, as the working fluid, can be transported into the interior of the housing arrangement. Between the two axial ends of this hub, the outside circumference forms a sealing surface, on which a sealing arrangement acts to establish a fluid-tight connection with respect to the gearbox housing. The end surface at the axial end of this hub which is connected to the radially inner area of the housing arrangement forms a bearing surface or support surface for a bearing, which axially supports a stator located inside the housing arrangement. This hub, furthermore, is mounted or supported on its inside surface with respect to a support shaft by another support arrangement. The support shaft carries the previously mentioned stator but is fixed in position on the gearbox housing and thus does not rotate along with the other components during rotational operation.
Various problems arise as a result of this integration of a large number of different functions in a single component. For example, slight displacements of the gearbox housing with respect to the hydrodynamic torque converter can lead to damage to the sealing arrangement which rests on the sealing surface of the hub, because this hub projects into the gearbox housing more-or-less freely, that is, without additional support. In addition, because of the various functions which it must fulfill, the hub must be manufactured with a high degree of precision and must also be subjected to expensive grinding and deburring operations especially so that the sealing arrangement, usually designed as a sealing ring which rests on the sealing surface, can be installed properly. This also applies to the axial end surface which provides the bearing surface for the axial bearing which supports the stator.


The present technology is directed to high performing trained machine learning models for information retrieval in a web store. In some embodiments, for example, when a search query is received from a user of an online retailer, a computer system associated with the online retailer accesses measurements of performance of sets of search results returned in response to previous user search queries. Each of the previous search results set is a set that was ranked by a machine learning model selected from a store of machine learning models that are each trained to rank search results. Based on the measurements of performance, the computer system selects a machine learning model to rank search results for a response to the received search query. The ranked search results are provided for output to the user.

Online retailers often providing searching capabilities through their web stores for their customers to search for products or offerings available through the store. These search capabilities can include both basic search functionality—where, for example, the web store processes a query received from the user to identify any products that match the query—as well as boosting rules that support the basic search. An example of a boosting rule that may be used by an online retailer is promotion of certain brands for certain demographics of users. Other common techniques used by search systems include using deep learning model to add context aware results for the search queries, and using a ranking function to generate a score for each document in the data store and sort to generate a ranking that determines which products are output as search results for a given user query and how the search results are arranged. As more features are input to search result scoring and ranking functions, these ranking functions also become more complex. Machine learning models have been introduced to learn the parameters within a ranking function. However, existing search systems are typically limited to a single trained machine learning model and do not provide the flexibility to have multiple trained machine learning models operating in parallel in a search system.

Utilize high performing trained machine learning models for information retrieval in a web store


An ultrasonic probe includes a piezoelectric oscillator layer having plural arranged piezoelectric oscillators for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves and plural electrodes formed in the piezoelectric oscillators, an acoustic lens for focusing or diffusing the ultrasonic waves, and an acoustic matching layer that is provided between the piezoelectric oscillator layer and the acoustic lens and includes a resin base and fine particles, which have electric conductivity, mixed in the resin base.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ultrasonic probe and an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
There is known an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that scans the inside of a subject with an ultrasonic wave and visualizes an inside state of the subject on the basis of a reception signal generated from a reflected wave from the inside of the subject. Such an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus transmits an ultrasonic wave into the subject with an ultrasonic probe including piezoelectric oscillators and receives a reflected wave, which is caused by mismatching of acoustic impedances in the subject, with the ultrasonic probe to generate a reception signal.
In the ultrasonic probe, plural piezoelectric oscillators, which oscillate on the basis of a transmission signal to generate an ultrasonic wave and receives a reflected wave to generate a reception signal, are arranged in a scanning direction. For example, such piezoelectric oscillators transmit an ultrasonic wave having a rectangular sound pressure distribution, which is uniform in a direction perpendicular to the scanning direction, and form a focus at a predetermined depth in a subject when the piezoelectric oscillators are given a differential delay by an acoustic lens.
Incidentally, for the purpose of realizing acoustic matching of an acoustic impedance of the piezoelectric oscillators and an acoustic impedance of the subject, an acoustic matching layer having a multilayer structure is provided on the piezoelectric oscillators to transmit and receive ultrasonic waves via the acoustic matching layer. As the acoustic matching layer, an acoustic matching layer consisting of two layers has more satisfactory acoustic matching than an acoustic matching layer consisting of one layer. An acoustic matching layer consisting of three layers has still more satisfactory acoustic matching. This is because an acoustic loss is less when acoustic impedances change from the piezoelectric oscillators to the subject in three stages than in one stage.
The acoustic matching between the piezoelectric oscillators and the subject is made satisfactory in this way. This is because, if a difference between the acoustic impedance of the piezoelectric oscillators and the acoustic impedance of the subject is large, a reflection loss of an ultrasonic wave in the subject increases when the ultrasonic wave is transmitted from the piezoelectric oscillators to the subject. Consequently, the transmission of the ultrasonic wave to the subject cannot be performed efficiently, and a high quality image cannot be obtained.
FIG. 9 shows a structure of an ultrasonic probe including an acoustic matching layer having a multilayer structure. FIG. 9 is a front view of the ultrasonic probe. The ultrasonic probe includes a back material 32, a piezoelectric oscillator layer 33 that is divided into plural layers to be arranged in a scanning direction on the back material 32, an acoustic matching layer 34 that is divided into plural layers to be arranged in the scanning direction on the piezoelectric oscillator layer 33, and an acoustic lens 35 provided on the acoustic matching layer 34. The acoustic matching layer 34 includes a first acoustic matching layer 34a, a second acoustic matching layer 34b provided on the first acoustic matching layer 34a, and a third acoustic matching layer 34c provided on the second acoustic matching layer 34b. In such an ultrasonic probe, the piezoelectric oscillator layer 33 performs transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves via the acoustic matching layer 34.
In general, an acoustic impedance of the piezoelectric oscillator layer 33 is about 30 Mrayl and an acoustic impedance of a subject is about 1.5 Mrayl. In order to make acoustic matching between the piezoelectric oscillator layer 33 and the subject, it is necessary to form the acoustic matching layer 4 in a multilayer structure and gradually reduce acoustic impedances from the piezoelectric oscillator layer 33 to the subject. In the case of the ultrasonic probe shown in FIG. 9, it is necessary to gradually reduce acoustic impedances from the first acoustic matching layer 34a to the third acoustic matching layer 34c to set an acoustic impedance of an acoustic matching layer on the subject side (the third acoustic matching layer 34c) of the acoustic matching layer 34 to 1.5 to 3.5 Mrayl. In addition, in the case of an ultrasonic probe including an acoustic matching layer consisting of two layers, it is necessary to set an acoustic impedance of the second acoustic matching layer to 1.5 to 3.5 Mrayl.
Conventionally, an acoustic impedance is set low by using a soft resin film of polyurethane or polyethylene in the acoustic matching layer 34. However, since the resin film is poor in machinability due to its flexibility, it is impossible to subject the acoustic matching layer 34 to machining by dice cutting (array machining) in order to divide the acoustic matching layer 34 into plural layers to be arranged in the scanning direction. In other words, after stacking the piezoelectric oscillator layer 33 and the acoustic matching layer 34 on the back material 2, it is impossible to subject the acoustic matching layer 34 to dice cutting at a desired pitch. Therefore, there is a problem in that acoustic crosstalk between the piezoelectric oscillator layer 33 and the acoustic matching layer 34 is high. In addition, since machinability is poor, it is impossible to manufacture the ultrasonic probe easily.
In addition, since polyurethane and polyethylene do not have electric conductivity, it is impossible to draw out a ground electrode from the acoustic matching layer 34 side. Here, even if conductive particles such as a metal filler is mixed in polyurethane or polyethylene in order to give electric conductivity to the acoustic matching layer 34, a desired acoustic impedance is not satisfied because a density of the acoustic matching layer 34 increases.

Ultrasonic probe and ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus


A DC digital starting device includes a voltage-increasing circuit, a first feedback control circuit, a frequency-varying circuit, and a second feedback control circuit. The voltage-increasing circuit provides a voltage for a load in a starting state and a normal working state. The first feedback control circuit detects voltage signals of the voltage-increasing circuit and the load and controls output voltage of the voltage-increasing circuit. The frequency-varying circuit is electrically connected to the voltage-increasing circuit for modulating frequency of the output voltage of the voltage-increasing circuit. The second feedback control circuit receives a voltage signal from the frequency-varying circuit and controls frequency of output voltage of the frequency-varying circuit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a starting device and, more particularly, to a DC digital starting device that uses a DC power as an input power source.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional starter for a fluorescent lamp is filled with inert gas such as neon and includes two movable electrodes made of metal plates. Electric current causes reaction of the inert gas and generates heat to cause expansion of the metal plates. The expanded metal plates come into contact with each other and light the lamp.
The starting speed of the conventional starter largely depends on the actual starting voltage. The starting voltage is generally increased to create higher starting power to shorten the time for lighting the lamp. However, electronic elements of the starter are liable to be damaged by the high starting voltage. Further, the conventional starter does not include functions of varying voltage and frequency and, thus, cannot provide energy-saving effect, leading to a waste in resources.


The invention relates to a method for operating an inverter (1), in particular a pulse-controlled inverter, comprising multiple phase systems (2, 3, 4), each of which has an outer conductor (7, 8, 9) and at least one semiconductor component (12, 13), and a temperature monitoring device (15) that has multiple temperature sensors (16, 17, 18) which sense the temperature of at least one part of at least one of the phase systems (2, 3, 4). In said method, a temperature gradient is determined from each of the sensed temperatures, the difference of the determined temperature gradients from each other is ascertained, and if the difference exceeds at least one threshold value, a fault of a cooling device of the inverter (1) is identified. The invention further relates to an inverter (1).

The invention relates to a method for operating an inverter, particularly a pulse-controlled inverter, wherein the inverter has a plurality of phase systems, each with an outer conductor and at least one semiconductor component, and also a temperature monitoring device that has a plurality of temperature sensors, wherein the temperature sensors are used to sense the temperature of at least one portion of at least one of the phase systems. The invention also relates to an inverter.
Methods of the type cited in the outset are known from the prior art. They are used for operating the inverter. In this case, the inverter has the task of converting a direct current into an alternating current. The reverse direction may also be provided, that is to say conversion from alternating current to direct current. The inverter has a plurality of phase systems, wherein each phase system has an associated outer conductor. The outer conductors have the alternating current applied to them, and in this respect they are situated on an alternating current side of the inverter. Each phase system has the at least one semiconductor component associated with it. By way of example, in order to convert the direct current into alternating current, the semiconductor component can be used to periodically connect the outer conductor such that the alternating current is present on the outer conductor. The semiconductor components of the plurality of phase systems are usually controlled such that the alternating current applied to the outer conductor is present with a phase offset between the phase systems. However, further, non-switchable semiconductor components may also be provided. The inverter and the semiconductor components are actuated using an appropriate control circuit or a controller on which a control program is executed.
The semiconductor components have a characteristic nonreactive internal resistance that, when a current flowing through the respective semiconductor component is present, results in the introduction of heat into said semiconductor component and hence in a rise in temperature. When no current is flowing through the semiconductor component, on the other hand, it emits heat to its environment and matches its temperature to the temperature of the environment over the course of time.
In order to protect the inverter and particularly the semiconductor components from overheating, which involves the inverter or at least a region of the inverter exceeding an admissible maximum temperature, the inverter has the temperature monitoring device. This has a plurality of associated temperature sensors that can be used to sense or are used to sense the temperature of at least one portion or region of at least one of the phase systems. Preferably, each phase system has at least one of the temperature sensors associated with it. Owing to heat conduction effects and/or heat transfer effects, the temperature sensed by means of the respective temperature sensor usually corresponds not to the temperature of the overall phase system but rather to that of only a portion of said phase system. However, if the phase system has an associated element made of a material that is a good conductor of heat and that is in physical contact with regions of the phase system that are to be cooled, and if the temperature sensor is arranged on said element, then it can at least approximately be assumed that the sensed temperature substantially corresponds to the actual temperature of the phase system. By way of example, the element is a heat sink for the phase system or for the inverter and may be part of a cooling device thereof.
If a defect in or damage to at least one of the temperature sensors arises, said temperature sensor cannot be used, or at least can no longer be used, to reliably sense the temperature. For example, the case may arise in which the damaged or defective temperature sensor transmits a constant temperature to the temperature monitoring device. If this constant temperature is not above a maximum temperature that is the maximum admissible for the inverter, the temperature monitoring device permits further operation of the inverter or cannot deactivate the inverter in the event of the corresponding phase system overheating. Hence, the inverter or at least the respective phase system can sometimes be damaged by the overheating.

Method for the operation of an inverter, and inverter


An image input/output apparatus processes a job stored in a storage unit capable of storing plural job data, including first-type job data, output from a scanner unit, and second-type job data, output from an external apparatus. The apparatus designates any of the plural job data, and causes a printer unit to print the designated job data, according to a process condition set for the designated job data. A disabling processing on the designated job data stored in the storage unit is performed, and the storage unit is caused to store the designated job data even after the designated job data has been printed by the printer unit, so that the print processing on the designated job data can be repeatedly executed by the printer unit from storage processing of the designated job data in the storage unit to the disabling processing on the designated job data.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image input/output apparatus, an image input/output method and an image processing system which input and output various image data through a storage medium.
2. Related Background Art
In connection with digitization of a copying machine in recent years, a multifunctional machine having plural functions has been put to practical use. In this machine, facsimile transmission and reception are performed by using a scanner and a printer of the copying machine, and PDL (page description language) data from a computer or the like is expanded (or decompressed) and printed out. Such the multifunctional machine is structured to be able to operate not only for a single function such as a copy function, a facsimile function, a PDL printing function or the like, but also for plural functions. For example, the multifunctional machine can operate when a PDL expanded image is facsimile transmitted. Further, it is structured that, if the multifunctional machine is connected to various apparatuses such as the computer and the like through a LAN (local area network), also such the computer and the like can use the functions of the multifunctional machine.
Further, in such the multifunctional machine, by sharing a control program of a printer part with the copy function, the PDL printing function, a facsimile printing function and the like, and by sharing a control program of a reader part with the copy function, a facsimile reading function, a scanning function and the like, a capacity of the control programs for realizing these functions can be reduced, whereby it is possible to economically and simply realize a desired function.
Further, such the multifunctional machine includes an image storage unit such as a large-capacity hard disk, a semiconductor memory or the like for storing image data. Thus, by inputting a read image transferred from a scanner, the PDL expanded image, a facsimile-received document and the like into the image storage unit, and by repeatedly outputting or facsimile-transmitting the stored images and documents to a printer, it is possible to perform effective image processing.
In the multifunctional machine which includes such the image storage unit, an image data input operation to store the read image from the scanner, the PDL expanded image, the facsimile-received document or the like into this image storage unit and an image data output operation to repeatedly output or facsimile-transmit the stored image and/or document to the printer can be performed at different time. Namely, it is possible to store the image data into the image storage unit and thereafter read and output the stored data at arbitrary time.
However, after the input image data is stored into the image storage unit, if the body structure of the multifunctional machine is changed because option equipment is installed in or released from the multifunctional machine before the image data is output, it is impossible to take adjustment between the body structure for the image processing at the image data input time and the latest body structure, whereby an error state that desired image processing can not be performed occurs. As a result, it is possible to cause the problem that the image output stops at that time and thus obstacle comes to following image output operations.
Further, at the time when the image data is input, only the image processing function which is practicable by the multifunctional machine at that time can be set. In other words, even if option equipment which has a function which is practicable after the image data is input is added, the image processing using such the function can not be set at the image data input time. Therefore, for example, even if a user foresees the change of the body structure of the multifunctional machine beforehand and thus wishes to submit a job which is supposed to be practicable after the body structure of the machine is changed, he can not submit (or input) such the job.

Image input/output apparatus, image input/output method and image processing system


A trolley includes a basket having a rear portion of the basket secured to a rear frame having a pair of rear wheels rotatably mounted on a lower portion of the rear frame, and a handle pivotally secured to the rear frame having a pair of front wheels rotatably mounted on a lower portion of the handle having a bottom supporting rod transversely formed on a lower portion of the handle for normally supporting a bottom portion of the basket for loading materials in the basket, the handle being pivoted about the rear frame to retract the front wheels rearwardly to approximate the rear wheels for inclining the basket rearwardly for moving a gravity center of the basket towards a position between the front wheels as rearwardly retracted and the rear wheels, suitable for a safer climbing or descending on a staircase.

A conventional shopping trolley as shown in FIGS. 5, 6 may be used to load foods, vegetables, and other daily commodities when buying somethings from a supermarket or shopping center, having a pair of rear wheels 3 and a pair of front wheels 5 rotatably mounted to a basket 1 and a handle 4 pivotally secured to the upper bars of the basket 1 by pivots 40. When using such a conventional trolley for climbing a staircase S as shown in FIG. 6, the front wheels 5 is separated from the rear wheels 3, unstably rested on the staircase S and the gravity center W when loaded by heavy materials in the basket 1 will be moved outwardly, possibly causing an outwardly deviating gravity center W of the trolley and possibly causing a rearwardly collapse of the trolley carrying person, especially dangerous for a weak old woman, when climbing a staircase.
Even though the basket 1 may be folded as shown in dotted line of FIG. 6 to move the gravity center rearwardly, the materials such as foods stored in the basket 1 may however be compressed, squeezed, or even damaged or broken.
It is therefore expected to disclose a safer trolley climbable on a staircase.


On a gas engine in which the liquid gas is vaporized and introduced to a mixer 74, a thick plate shaped vaporizer, which is made of a material with high thermal conductivity and formed with a fuel passage 80e therein, is fixed to a cylinder body in such a manner that heat is conducted to the fuel from the cylinder body. The inlet of the fuel passage 80e is connected to a liquefied gas vessel, and the outlet thereof is connected to the mixer 74. Thereby, the liquid fuel is heated in the fuel passage 80e in the vaporizer, or heated by a heat transfer plate provided in an exhaust passage.

The present invention relates to a liquefied fuel vaporizing apparatus for vaporizing a liquefied fuel contained in a liquefied gas vessel and supplying the vaporized fuel to a gas engine.
FIG. 8 is a schematic view showing an example of a liquefied fuel supplying apparatus for a conventional gasoline engine. A 2-cycle engine B mounted on a portable work machine includes a crankcase 23 connected to the lower part of a cylinder body 20 having many cooling fins, a recoil starter 24 for starting the engine connected to the front end of a crankshaft (not shown) via a clutch, and a blower connected to the rear end of the crankshaft.
The blower, which is contained in a fan case 22 connected to the back of the cylinder body and crankcase 23, sucks outside air from the rear end of the crankshaft. The cooling air from the blower is sent from the back of the cylinder body to the front part of the engine through the spaces between the cooling fins. A suction port provided on the left-hand wall of the cylinder body 20 is connected to a mixer C via an insulating tube 17, and an exhaust port provided on the right-hand wall is connected to an exhaust muffler 21. Reference numeral 19 denotes a spark plug.
A liquefied gas vessel or cylinder 3, which is similar to a cylinder used for a household portable cooking stove or the like, is mounted under the engine B by a holder 2. The holder 2 has a fuel cock 5 and a fuel outlet 6 on the right-hand wall thereof.
The liquefied gas vessel 3 is mounted elastically between the left-hand and right-hand walls of the holder 2 so that a fuel suction pipe 3a is below the liquid level. When the fuel cock 5 is opened, the liquid fuel in the vessel 3 is supplied to the mixer C of the engine B through the fuel suction pipe 3a, fuel cock 5, and fuel outlet 6. When the temperature of outside air is low (lower than about 10), most of the fuel at the fuel outlet 6 is in a liquid state.
A vaporizer 7 for vaporizing the liquid fuel sent from the liquefied gas vessel 3 is disposed on the front wall (the opposite side to the blower attaching portion) of the cylinder body 20 of the engine B. The vaporizer 7, consisting of a metallic tube bent into a U-shape, is disposed in a substantially horizontal position in front of the cylinder body 20.
An inlet 7a at one end of the vaporizer 7 is bent downward and is connected by a pipe 6a to the fuel outlet 6 of the liquefied gas vessel 3. An outlet 7b at the other end of the vaporizer 7 is connected to an inlet 12 of a primary pressure governor A. The primary pressure governor A includes a diaphragm 10 held between a housing 13 and a bottom plate 13a so as to define a fuel chamber 11 on the upper side of the diaphragm 10 and an air chamber on the lower side thereof. The primary pressure governor A also includes a valve element 8 supported on the wall of the fuel chamber 11 by a shaft 14 which is connected to the diaphragm 10 by a rod. The valve element 8 is urged by the force of a spring 9 so as to open the inlet 12.
The fuel chamber 11 supplies fuel to a constant-pressure fuel chamber 38 of a secondary pressure governor E through an outlet 12a, a pipe 15, and an inlet passage 44a of the secondary pressure governor E. The secondary pressure governor E is integral with the mixer C and includes a valve element 44. The mixer C includes a suction air passage 36 passing through the body 35 and connected at one end to an air cleaner (not shown) and at the other end to the insulating tube 17. The body 35 incorporates a publicly known piston type throttle valve 37, which protrudes into the suction air passage 36 through the upper wall, for heating the fuel and air supplied to the engine. The throttle valve 37 has a needle valve that protrudes into a fuel passage 37a, described later. When the throttle valve 37 is slid vertically by an accelerator lever (not shown), the air in the suction air passage 36 is accelerated so that the fuel is sucked from the constant-pressure fuel chamber 38 to the suction air passage 36 through the fuel passage 37a.
The secondary pressure governor E includes a diaphragm 40 held between the lower wall of the body 35 and a bottom plate 39 so as to define the constant-pressure fuel chamber 38 on the upper side of the diaphragm 40 and an air chamber on the lower side thereof. The constant-pressure fuel chamber 38 is provided with a lever 41 supported by a shaft 42. The left end of the lever 41 is engaged with the diaphragm 40, and the right end of the lever 41 is engaged with the valve element 44. The valve element 44 is urged by a spring 43 to close the fuel inlet passage 44a. When the fuel in the constant-pressure fuel chamber 38 is reduced in quantity and the fuel pressure is decreased, the lever 41 is turned clockwise by the diaphragm 40 acted upon by atmospheric pressure, so that the valve element 44 opens the inlet passage 44a to replenish fuel to the constant-pressure fuel chamber 38. The constant-pressure fuel chamber 38 opens the fuel passage 37a to the suction air passage 36.
An oil passage 34 opens into the suction air passage 36 to lubricate the engine. The oil passage 34 communicates with a transparent tube 33 connected to the upper wall of the body 35. The transparent tube 33 supports a valve casing 32 for an oil regulating valve D. A needle valve 31 threadedly supported by the valve chest 32a of the valve casing 32 regulates the quantity of oil flowing from the lower end outlet of the valve chest 32a to the transparent tube 33. Further, the oil from an oil tank 61 is supplied under pressure to the oil chest 32a through an outlet pipe 63 and pipe 45. For this purpose, pressurized air is supplied from an air pump F to the oil tank 61 through an inlet 62.
Next, the operation of the fuel apparatus for an engine configured as described above will be explained. When the engine B is running, the cooling air sent from the blower in the fan case 22 to the cylinder body 20 strikes a cover 18, and cools the cylinder body 20 when flowing in the substantially horizontal direction from the back to the front of the engine. When the cooling air is heated and discharged from the cover 18 at the front of the engine, the air heats the vaporizer 7. The liquid fuel from the liquefied gas vessel 3 is heated and vaporized by the vaporizer 7, entering the fuel chamber 11 of the primary pressure governor A through the inlet 12. When the pressure of fuel in the fuel chamber 11 becomes higher than a predetermined value, the valve element 8 closes the inlet 12 to keep the pressure of fuel in the fuel chamber 11 almost constant.
The fuel in the fuel chamber 11 enters the constant pressure fuel chamber 38 of the secondary pressure governor E through the valve element 44. When the pressure of fuel in the constant-pressure fuel chamber 38 increases, the diaphragm 40 is pushed down. The lever 41 subjected to the force of the spring 43 is turned by the diaphragm 40 to close the valve element 44, so that the pressure of fuel in the constant-pressure fuel chamber 38 is kept almost constant. The fuel in the constant-pressure fuel chamber 38 passes through the passage 37, and is mixed with the air in the suction air passage 36, and further sucked into the combustion chamber of the engine while being mixed with the oil from the oil passage 34.
The conventional gas engine shown in FIG. 8 is constructed so that the vaporizer 7 for vaporizing the liquid fuel is disposed close to the cylinder body 20 of the engine, and is subjected to the high-temperature cooling air after the cooling of the cylinder body, so that liquid fuel passing through the vaporizer is heated. The liquid fuel is vaporized completely when the outside air temperature is high as in the summer. However, in the winter or in other cases when the outside air temperature is lower than about 16, there is often insufficient heating of the fuel, so that often the liquid fuel is not vaporized completely.
When this happens, liquid fuel flows into the mixer, and therefore the mixer malfunctions, causing the engine to stop.

Liquefied fuel vaporizing apparatus and gas engine provided with the same


An sensor assembly according to one embodiment includes a sensor, an analog-to-digital converter configured to digitize a data signal received from the sensor, and an array of logic elements configured to receive a first data transmission over a serial bus and to transmit a second data transmission including information in the digitized signal over the serial bus. The array of logic elements is configured to transmit the second data transmission according to information received in the first data transmission.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a system and method of transmitting data in a lithographic device.
2. Background Information
A lithographic apparatus is a machine that applies a desired pattern onto a substrate, usually onto a target portion of the substrate. A lithographic apparatus can be used, for example, in the manufacture of integrated circuits (ICs). In that instance, a patterning device, which is alternatively referred to as a mask or a reticle, may be used to generate a circuit pattern to be formed on an individual layer of the IC. This pattern can be transferred onto a target portion (e.g. comprising part of, one, or several dies) on a substrate (e.g. a silicon wafer). Transfer of the pattern is typically via imaging onto a layer of radiation-sensitive material (resist) provided on the substrate.
In general, a single substrate will contain a network of adjacent target portions that are successively patterned. Known lithographic apparatus include so-called steppers, in which each target portion is irradiated by exposing an entire pattern onto the target portion at one time, and so-called scanners, in which each target portion is irradiated by scanning the pattern through a radiation beam in a given direction (the "scanning"-direction) while synchronously scanning the substrate parallel or anti parallel to this direction. It is also possible to transfer the pattern from the patterning device to the substrate by imprinting the pattern onto the substrate.
A lithographic apparatus may include several sensors to monitor conditions within the apparatus such as local temperature and received light. The sensors are typically coupled to an electronic rack outside the apparatus, wherein the rack may include one or more cards inserted into one or more backplanes. Lithographic devices typically use an analog signal path to couple the sensors to the electronic rack.
As extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography develops, problems arise that are related to the vacuum environment in which EUV exposure is performed. In a vacuum, cables give rise to outgassing, which may cause contamination of the vacuum, potentially leading to problems such as fouling of optical elements. Another problem associated with the operation of electronics in a vacuum is the lack of an atmosphere to support conductive heat transfer, which may complicate the use of heat-generating circuit elements.
In a sensor bus, reliability and support for real-time operation may also be desired.

Sensor assembly, digital serial bus and protocol, sensor network, and lithographic apparatus and system


An information recording medium wherein the key information is recorded by arrangement of a unit area recorded irreversibly and a unit area not recorded irreversibly to effect the truth judgment of the medium in accordance with the result of whether or not the reproduction of the key information can be effected, the information recording medium where the illegal usage of the medium is adapted to be prevented without inputting the information on to the medium truth judgment into the processing apparatus by provision of the medium firm information, a reproducing method for the same, a truth judging method for the same, and a recording/reproducing apparatus for the same.

The present invention relates to an information recording medium where key information is recorded in a medium disk-shaped, tape-shaped or card-shaped, a reproducing method and a truth judging method for the information recording medium capable of preventing illegal usage of the information recorded in the medium by reproducing of the key information, and a recording/reproducing apparatus for recording, and reproducing the information recording medium provided with the key information.
An optical disk, capable of recording mass information with a portable size, is examined for practical use as a recording media core of the rapidly developing multi-media. The optical disk is considered important for managing of the recorded information such as prevention of illegal usage of the information, because the optical disk is capable of recording mass information.
The applicant of the present application proposes a copy preventing method of forming artificial defects in the optical disk by Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-26676 (1993) with an eye to preventing the illegal use of the information. The method judges it genuine that both the addresses agree through comparing the respective addresses of an address registration part and a PDL area in the optical disk use with the address registration part with artificially defected addresses recorded on it and the PDL (Primary Defect List) for recording the artificially defected addresses detected by physical format being formed in the optical disk. The medium truth can be judged due to disagreement between both the addresses, because the illegal copy does not allow the PDL area to be copied as the PDL area is formed in non-access area where users cannot access in a normal method. But the information may be used illegally when the user manages to access to the PDL, area of the optical disk by some methods.
Also, the applicant proposes a method of protecting information with the use of media identification codes by Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-257816 (1993). The publication describes a method of producing media inherent keys in accordance with the media identification codes inherent to the optical disk to encode, record the information to be recorded with the use of the media inherent keys, and a method of reproducing the encoded information recorded to decode with the use of the media inherent keys. But the methods could not realize the prevention of the illegal use without description of a method of forming medium identification codes.
To establish a method of preventing the illegal usage of such information, the applicant proposes a method of forming medium identification codes by U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/620,08. This method records the medium identification code of a predetermined hit number irreversibly, namely, unrewritably on the optical disk. The truth or false judgment as to whether or not an optical disk to be used is a genuine product is effected by conduction of an erasing operation on an area where the medium identification codes are recorded, the optical disk proves to be genuine when it is not erased, and the optical disk is prohibited from using the information as an illegal copy when it is erased.
The proposition can prevent the illegal usage of the information. But the reproducing signals of the medium identification code recorded irreversibly may not be recognized as medium identification signals because of smaller signal amplitude.
Also, when reproducing such an optical disk, a special reproduction processing, namely, recording operation and reproducing operation after the erasing operation is effected on the specified area where the medium identification codes are recorded. Thus, a program instructing what type of reproduction processing in which area should be effected is recorded in the optical disk. The data of the program is sent to a computer connected with the recording/reproducing apparatus of the optical disk. The computer gives to the recording/reproducing apparatus instructions for special reproduction processing in accordance with the given data to judge whether or not the optical disk is true or false as described above.
In the above described processing, the data on the medium truth judgment using the medium identification code can analyze data on the medium truth judgment with some operation of the user, because the data are transferred between recording/reproducing apparatus and the computer. There has been a problem where illegal copy can be used by the analysis and information copied illegally from the genuine product can be used.

Information recording medium and method for recording and reproducing information to a medium to prevent unauthorized copying


The invention provides methods and compositions for molecular resonance imaging of membrane potential. The compositions comprise an indicator moiety attached through an optional linker to a macrocycle component that binds a lanthanide. The indicator moiety changes conformation in response to alterations in membrane potential and alters the interaction of the bound lanthanide with water. This alteration produces a detectable change in MRI signal , notably the T1 value. A preferred indicator moiety is spiropyran as it exhibits membrane-potential driven interconversions between the closed-ring spiropyran conformer and the extended merocyanine conformer. A preferred macrocycle is DO3A, known to bind gadolinium and an established MRI contrast agent. The methods of the invention comprise in vivo and in vitro uses of compositions of the invention to obtain MRI images that provide information about membrane potential.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to methods and compositions useful for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of membrane potential.
2. Description of the Related Art
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agents are known in the art and are used to improve contrast amongst various soft tissues. Conventional magnetic resonance contrast agents interact with water to alter the signal from water protons that provide the image. Such contrast agents, however, are insensitive to membrane potential. Consequently, magnetic resonance imaging, while providing excellent spatial resolution in images of biologic structures, provides little or no information about the electrical activity of the imaged tissues. For electrically-excitable tissues such as neurons, and muscles it would be advantageous to obtain molecular resonance based images of membrane potential from which tissue function could be assessed in a non-invasive manner.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,325,854 to Enholm titled "Magnetic Resonance Imaging" provides ionic or ionizable paramagnetic substances capable of associating with cell membrane lipids to provide a contrast agent that has an electron spin resonance (ESR) signature. The association of the ESR component with the membrane changes the ESR signature. These substances can be used with a modification of molecular resonance imaging known as electron spin resonance enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (ESREMRI) to image biological electromagnetic activity, but cannot be used with conventional MRI equipment.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,532,006 to Lauterbur et al. titled "Magnetic Gels Which Change Volume in Response to Voltage Changes for MRI" relies on electric-field induced volume changes of a matrix in which is distributed a superparamagnetic component. Changes in the specific volume of the matrix affect the response of the distributed component to the magnetic field and so provide a basis for imaging membrane potential. The requirement in that the compositions be a matrix, however, may limit the ability to safely administer the disclosed compositions or to have them partition readily out of the vasculature into other tissue compartments.
Thus there is a need in the art for contrast agents that act as MRI probes of membrane potential that can be used with conventional MRI equipment and that do not rely changes in matrix volume to produce a signal. The present invention provides for these and other advantages over the prior art.

The Regents of the University of California


A tilt sensor including a body, an LED, a first photosensitive device, a second photosensitive device, and a moving thin-element is provided. The body has a movement region, a first containing region, a second containing region, and a third containing region. The first, second, and third containing regions have an opening respectively and are connected with the movement region through the openings. The LED providing a light beam is disposed in the first containing region. The first and second photosensitive devices are disposed in the second and third containing regions respectively. When the body tilts toward different tilt directions, the moving thin-element moves in the tilt direction, allowing the light beam provided from the LED to reflect directly to the first and second photosensitive devices, or shielding the light beam provided from the LED from being transmitted to the first and second photosensitive devices.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention generally relates to a sensor, and more particularly, to a tilt sensor.
2. Description of Related Art
Generally speaking, commercially available tilt sensors are usually dual-phase sensing, meaning the sensors can only sense two tilt directions. These sensors are typically quite bulky. Regarding the current consumer electronic products such as cellular phones, conventional tilt sensors may find difficulty for applications in such devices where a thin and sleek profile is usually preferable.
Furthermore, if a quad-phase sensing tilt sensor is required, the four directions being up, down, left, and right, then usually two sets complementing dual-phase sensors are needed. However, in this implementation, costs cannot be lowered, device bulk cannot be decreased, and fabrication steps cannot be reduced.
Accordingly, an important issue is to design a suitable tilt sensor which has small size and low cost, and is adaptable in consumer electronic products having a thin profile and low cost.


A cross-platform management system that handles cross-platform management of client requirements receives a request corresponding to a plurality of client-defined requirements to be achieved in a flight. The request for the plurality of client-defined requirements is associated with one or more request parameters. The system generates a proposal plan corresponding to the received request based on adjustment of the one or more request parameters. The proposal plan corresponds to at least a distribution of target audience across a set of delivery platforms. The system executes the generated proposal plan for a first time period in the flight on one or more delivery platforms. The system re-optimizes the generated proposal plan and controls execution of the generated proposal plan for a second time period in the flight by an in-flight re-distribution of the target audience across one or more delivery platforms of the set of delivery platforms.

Recent advancements in accessibility of data on multiple communication platforms has pushed for distribution of audience on these communication platforms. Examples of such communication platforms may include, for example, a linear platform (such as a television), a mobile platform (such as smartphones, tablet, wearables, handheld devices, and computers), and a digital platform (such as personal computers, gaming consoles and social platform). Such distribution of audience has led to an evolution in traditional marketing and platform-based advertisement campaigns (such as social media marketing campaigns, digital marketing campaigns, television marketing campaigns and the like).
Traditionally, such advertisement campaigns are independently managed on different platforms to achieve various goals of an advertiser, a promoter, or a brand owner. Examples of such goals include reach of target audience, impressions, sales, outcome, brand promotion and the like. In certain scenarios, a promoter may wish to shift the target audience and budget requirements from one platform to another platform, for example from a mobile platform to a linear platform or from a linear platform to a digital platform. However, current systems are inefficient for optimally shifting the target audience with due considerations of different costs, budget, and associated constraints. Thus, there may be required an optimal system to address the aforesaid problems.
Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditional approaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, through comparison of such systems with some aspects of the present disclosure as set forth in the remainder of the present application with reference to the drawings.

Cross-platform proposal creation, optimization, and deal management


An image forming apparatus is provided that forms an image with liquid developer, and a method thereof. The image forming apparatus includes a plurality of photoconductors on which developer images having carrier rates different from each other are formed with corresponding liquid developers. An image transfer member is disposed to form transfer nips with the respective photoconductors in such a manner that the developer images of the respective photoconductors are overlappingly transferred onto the image transfer member according to a transfer order predetermined on the basis of the carrier rates thereof. The developer images from the respective photoconductors are moved to an image receiving medium. Since the developer images formed on the plurality of photoconductors are overlappingly transferred onto the image transfer member according to the predetermined transfer order, the developer images previously transferred at the prior transfer nips are substantially prevented from generating a squeezed carrier beyond a predetermined limit at the posterior transfer nips. The squeezed carrier is substantially prevented from accumulating beyond the predetermined limit at the inlet side of the posterior transfer nips when the developer images are transferred from the respective photoconductors to the image transfer member.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, such as an electrophotographic printer. More particularly, the present invention relates to an image forming apparatus that forms an image with liquid developer and a method thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, an image forming apparatus, such as an electrophotographic printer, forms an electrostatic latent image on a photoconductor, such as a photoconductive belt or an organic photoconductive (OPC) drum. The latent image is developed with developer having a predetermined color. The developed image is transferred onto a sheet of record paper, thereby obtaining a desired image.
Such an electrophotographic image forming apparatus is classified into a wet type or a drying type depending on the developer employed therein. A wet type electrophotographic image forming apparatus uses a liquid developer formed by mixing powdered toner with a liquid carrier having volatile components as the developer.
FIG. 1 shows a conventional wet type electrophotographic color printer using a liquid developer.
As shown in FIG. 1, the wet type electrophotographic color printer 1 includes an image forming unit 5 and an image transfer unit 10.
The image forming unit 5 includes four image forming units, for example Y, M, C, and K image forming units, to form an image of four colors, that is, yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C) and black (K).
Each of Y, M, C, and K image forming units is provided with a photoconductor 9 having a surface on which an electrostatic latent image is formed. An electrification roller 12 is disposed adjacent to the photoconductor 9 for electrifying the surface of the photoconductor 9 with a predetermined electric potential. A laser scanning unit 11 emits a light beam onto the electrified surface of the photoconductor 9 to form the electrostatic latent image thereon.
Below the photoconductor 9, a developing device 13 is disposed for developing the electrostatic latent image with liquid developer 48 having predetermined color, that is, Y, M, C, or K and a density in the range of, for example, 3 through 20% solid, thereby forming a developer image 49 (see FIG. 2) having a density in the range of, for example, 20 through 25% solid.
The image transfer unit 10 includes four first image transfer rollers 8, a second image transfer roller 23, and an image transfer belt 17. The image transfer belt 17 rotates along a path of endless track on a support roller 21 driven by a belt driving roller 22. As shown in FIG. 2, each first image transfer roller 8 applies predetermined voltage and pressure to the developer image 49 of Y, M, C, or K formed on corresponding photoconductor 9 to form developer image 49′ having a density in the range of, for example, 25 through 30% solid, and at the same time transfers the formed developer image 49′ onto the image transfer belt 17. The second image transfer roller 23 transfers the developer images 49′ transferred onto the image transfer belt 17 to an image receiving medium P, such as a sheet of record paper.
According to the conventional printer 1 configured as described above, when the developer images 49 formed on the respective photoconductors 9 are overlappingly transferred onto the image transfer belt 17 by the voltage and pressure of the respective first image transfer rollers 8, they are squeezed at transfer nips between the respective photoconductors 9 and the image transfer roller 17 by the pressure of the respective first image transfer rollers 8. As a result, the density of developer images 49 is changed from 20 through 25% solid to 25 through 30% solid.
At this time, however, at inlet sides of the transfer nips between the respective photoconductors 9 and the image transfer roller 17, liquid carrier 48′ (referred as "squeezed carrier" below) is squeezed and generated from the developer image(s) 49′ which is or are previously transferred onto the image transfer belt 17 and/or the developer image 49 which is newly transferred thereonto, and accumulated. The accumulated squeezed carrier 49 affects the developer image(s) 49′ that is or are previously transferred onto the image transfer belt 17 and/or the developer image 49 that is newly transferred thereonto, thereby producing image defects.
More specifically, for example, when a developer image 49 (referred as "M developer image" below) of the photoconductor 9 (referred as "M photoconductor" below) that is at a second position from the leftmost side in FIG. 1 is overlapped and transferred onto a developer image 49′ (referred as "Y developer image" below) previously transferred onto the image transfer belt 17 from prior photoconductor, that is, a photoconductor 9 (referred to as "Y photoconductor" below) that is at the leftmost side in FIG. 1, a squeeze carrier 48′ is squeezed and generated from not only the newly transferred M developer image 49 but also the previously transferred Y developer image 49′, and accumulated at an inlet side of transfer nip between the M photoconductor 9 and the image transfer roller 17. As a result, the newly transferred M developer image 49 and/or the previously transferred Y developer image 49′ are affected by the squeeze carrier 48′. Therefore, image defects, such as flow pattern, image dragging and the like, result from an increase in the amount of carrier that may be produced as the developer images are overlappingly transferred onto the image transfer belt 17.
Such an image defect due to the squeeze carrier 48′ is produced more severely at the posterior transfer nip rather than at the prior transfer nip. The reason is because at the posterior transfer nip, the newly transferred developer image 49 is squeezed along with the developer image 49′ previously transferred at the prior transfer nip as the developer images 49 of the respective photoconductors 8 are overlappingly transferred onto the image transfer belt 17. The squeezed carrier 48′ accumulated at the inlet side of the posterior transfer nip includes a squeezed carrier 48′ squeezed from the developer image 49′ previously transferred at the prior transfer nip as well as the newly transferred developer image 49.
Also, the more print, that is, the amount of the developer images 49 transferred to the image transfer belt 17 from the respective photoconductors 9, the greater the image defects produced due to the squeeze carrier 48′. The reason is that the more the amount of the transferred developer images, the greater the amount of the squeezed carrier 48′ accumulated at the transfer nip.
Accordingly, there is required an image forming apparatus that when the developer images are overlappingly transferred onto the image transfer belt 17 from the respective photoconductors 9, the squeezed carrier 48′ in liquid state is not accumulated at the inlet side of the respective transfer nips beyond a predetermined limit, thereby preventing image defects from being produced.

Image forming apparatus and method thereof

Maetan-dong, Yeongtong-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do