The invention provides halogen-free, flame-retardant flexible polyolefin-based formulations.

Thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO) formulations from polypropylene/propylene-based elastomer blends are commonly used in TPO for the extrusion of roofing and waterproofing membranes. In general, they are filled with 30 to 45 wt % of halogen-free flame retardants like aluminum trihydrate (ATH) or magnesium hydroxide [Mg(OH)2], and have a flexural modulus in the range of 80 to 100 MPa. They pass standard fire resistance requirements as e.g. Euroclass D and E according to EN 119256-2, as well as ASTM- and EN-system tests, e.g. ENV 1187 t1 to t4. TPO formulations are in use for thicker membranes like single-ply roofing when installed on substrates, or when reduced fire resistance requirements are applicable. Until now, Euroclass A2 fire-resistance levels according to EN 11925-2, or similar demanding and vertical fire tests could not be matched with halogen-free olefin formulations. Table 1 gives an overview of the European fire standards.
TABLE 1European Fire Standards and Classes and for Infrastructure MembranesSystem TestsEuro-Laboratory TestsGermanyclassSmall burnerSBI (EN 13823)OtherDIN 4102UKFranceNordicA1EN 1182Non-Non-Non-EN 1716combustiblecombustiblecombustibleA2Figra0.2 MJ =< 120EN 1182A2Non-M0/M1WsEN 1716combustibleTHR600 s =< 7.5 MJBEN 11925-2Figra0.2 MJ =< 120BS 7837B1BS 476 part 6M1Class 1(30 s/30 s)Wsand 7THR600 s =< 7.5 MJB-S1-d0CEN 11925-2Figra0.4 MJ =< 250B1Class 1M2Class 2(30 s/30 s)WsTHR600 s=< 15 MJDEN 11925-2Figra0.4 MJ =< 750B2Class 3 ENVM3/M4Class 3(30 s/30 s)WsENV 1187 t11187 t4ENV 1187 t3ENV 1187 t2EEN 11925-2B2M4not allowed(15 s/20 s)ENV 1187 t1FB3
Coated fabrics for applications like architectural textiles, banners, tarpaulins or artificial leather may require higher loadings of flame retardants to pass stringent test requirements like EN 11925-2 (small burner test) according to Euroclass B or BS 7837. EN 13823 (single burning item test) is required to be passed in a classification of B-S1-dO.
Flexible, coated fabrics for applications demanding fire resistance at the level of Euroclass B are commonly made from polymers with intrinsic fire resistance like polyvinylchloride, polyurethanes, fluoroelastomers or silicones.
At the same time, compounds for such applications have to show processability in extrusion coating, and good fabric penetration and adhesion. In the final application, they usually have to fulfill various properties like flexibility (a common target is a flexibility modulus below <30 MPa), weldability, abrasion resistance, mechanical strength, printability, weathering- and UV-resistance, and fire resistance. To fulfill these demanding combinations of requirements, polyvinylchloride, fluoropolymers, or even silicones, are in common use today. TPOs were not used as they could not comply with the demanding property requirements. In particular, they lack flexibility in combination with sufficient fire resistance.
WO 2005/090427 describes a multi-block copolymer comprising in polymerized form ethylene and one or more copolymerizable comonomers, said copolymer containing therein two or more segments or blocks differing in comonomer content, crystallinity, density, melting point or glass transition temperature.
WO 2006/101924 describes blends of at least two polyolefins with ethylene/α-olefin (multi-block) interpolymers with improved compatibility.
WO 2006/101932 describes compositions comprising ethylene/α-olefin (multi-block) interpolymers and fillers.
WO/2011/008336 describes a multilayer structure comprising a top skin layer comprising a propylene/alpha-olefin copolymer blended with at least one other component; a middle foam layer comprising a propylene/alpha-olefin copolymer; and a bottom fabric layer comprising a nonwoven, polymeric, spunbond material.

Polyolefin based formulations for membranes and fabrics


A drive head for a downhole rotary pump operated by a drive string rotatable in a production string includes a hollow rotatable drive shaft having an axial bore for a polished rod, a housing attachable to a wellhead assembly, radial bearings centering the drive shaft in the housing and one axial thrust bearing to support the weight of the drive shaft and the drive string suspended therefrom. A pulley mounted on the shaft for the driving of the drive shaft, which includes a chuck arrangement for the concentrical clamping of the polished rod in the drive shaft. The drive head is used in combination with a polished rod clamp which is affixed to the polished rod for the suspending of the weight of the drive string and rests on top of the chuck arrangement. This construction substantially prevents polished rod wobble and the associated stuffing box leakage as well as accidental downward slippage of the drive string which could lead to serious damage of the downhole pump.

Downhole rotary pumps, such as progressing cavity pumps, are used for the conveying of different types of liquids, but are especially well suited for the pumping of very viscous or thick liquids such as crude oil admixed with a large portion of sand. A downhole rotary pump is driven by a drive string, generally consistent of a rod or tube string having a polished rod at its upper end. The drive string rotates in a stationary production string and is suspended from, and rotated by a drive head assembly associated with the wellhead. The drive head assembly must be able to suspend the weight of the drive string which can become quite substantial for deep wells, while allowing it to be rotated in the production string. Furthermore, the drive head must include a structure permitting the transmission of sufficient torque to the drive string for the pumping of thick liquids.
A drive head assembly for use with rotary downhole pumps is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,372,379 by Kulhanek et al. The assembly includes a hollow spindle through which the drive string may extend, a frame supporting the spindle on a wellhead and a sprocket connected with a motor for rotation of the spindle. The drive string is suspended from the spindle by a polished rod clamp which rests on top of the spindle. The polished rod is of rectangular shape and is received in a complementary recess in the top end of the spindle. This dog clutch arrangement permits the transmission of torque from the spindle to the drive string. Although this drive head arrangement performs the desired functions of suspending and rotating the drive string, there are certain problems associated with its operation. The polished rod clamp, which is designed to hold but not rotate a drive string, may slip on the polished rod at high torque. As a result, the drive string may slide down through the spindle, which may lead to serious damage of the downhole pump. Furthermore, the drive string cannot be exactly centered in the spindle, since the bore of the spindle must be sufficiently larger than the polished rod diameter to permit insertion of the polished rod in the field and the fit of the rectangular polished rod clamp in the recess of the spindle generally cannot be made close enough to avoid radial movement of the clamp in the recess. However, insufficient centering of the polished rod results in polished rod wobble which is the principle cause of stuffing box leakage and has been a persistent problem for the industry.
Thus, a drive head assembly is desired which substantially prevents polished rod wobble and drive string slippage.


The invention provides a method/system for measuring torque. The method/system includes providing a first rotating disk having a target pattern and providing a second rotating disk having a target pattern. The method/system includes providing a first set of at least three sensors, comprised of a first disk first sensor, a first disk second sensor, and a first disk third sensor, the first set of at least three sensors for sensing the first rotating disk target pattern with the first set of at least three sensors fixed around and encompassing the first rotating disk. The method/system includes providing a second set of at least three sensors, comprised of a second disk first sensor, a second disk second sensor, and a second disk third sensor, the second set of at least three sensors for sensing the second rotating disk target pattern, with the second set of at least three sensors fixed around and encompassing the second rotating disk. The method/system includes measuring an apparent twist of the first rotating disk relative to the second rotating disk with the first set of at least three sensors and the second set of at least three sensors, and determining an actual twist angle from the measured apparent twist.

There is a need for a system and method of accurately and economically measuring torque in a high speed rotating shaft system. There is a need for an economically feasible method of dynamically measuring torque in a high speed rotating shaft system. There is a need for a robust system and method of measuring torque of a rotating drive shaft coupling in the propulsion system of a fixed wing vertical short take off and landing aircraft vehicle, such as for monitoring a fixed wing vertical short take off and landing aircraft vehicle rotating drive shaft propulsion system flexible coupling.


A three-dimensional optoelectronic device package is disclosed. The three-dimensional optoelectronic device package comprises a first board having at least one surface on which a plurality of optoelectronic devices is disposed, and a second board having at least one surface on which a plurality of optoelectronic devices is disposed. A side of the second board is attached to the surface of the first board on which a plurality of optoelectronic devices is disposed to form an angle between the surface of the first board on which a plurality of optoelectronic devices is disposed and the surface of the second board on which a plurality of optoelectronic devices is disposed. A method for manufacturing a three-dimensional optoelectronic device package is also disclosed.

Optoelectronic devices such as a light emitting diode (LED), a laser diode (LD), a photo diode (PD), an optical sensor, or a photo detector are used as optical transmitters or receivers for various applications.
LEDs are junction diodes made from III-V compound semiconductor material such as compound gallium arsenide phosphide, and are used a optical fiber transmitters emitting infrared radiation. Also, LEDs are cheap and convenient source of light. They are also used for data transmission.
A photodiode (PD) is a PN-junction diode that consumes light energy to produce electric current and a type of light detector that converts light into voltage or current, based on the mode of operation of the device.
A Semiconductor laser is an opto-device often referred to as laser diode or LD. In general, two types of the LD are commonly used. One is called edge emitting laser (EEL) diode and the other one is called vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL). The rectilinearity, monochromaticity, coherence, condensation, and pulse response characteristics of laser light allow it to be used in optoelectronic discs, laser printers, multi-function equipment, and more. Particularly in recent years, laser diodes have been increasingly used as light sources for measuring distant or speed of an object from the sensor and other sensing applications. Using light triangulation to measure distant requires the precise placement of the LD/LED relative to PD: distant and angle.
A typical laser sensor system has packaged or bare semiconductor laser diode and photo diode are integrated in one module; optical lens and filter are also used for directing emitting light from the module LD or LED to the object or directing the incoming/reflected light to the appropriate PD. Therefore, it is important to align these devices to each other so that accurate and precise measurement could be calculated.
A conventional optoelectronic device package comprises a circuitry substrate, optoelectronic devices, namely, LEDs, LDs, or photodiodes, etc., gold wire, and encapsulant. Conventionally, optoelectronic devices usually disposed and aligned on the substrate in two-dimensions.
For example, the light device package illustrated in FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B comprises optoelectronic devices 3 disposed on an electrically conductive substrate 5, gold wires 4 connecting the optoelectronic devices with lead electrodes on the substrate 5, and encapsulant 2 for protecting the optoelectronic devices 3 and gold wires 4. In this kind of conventional optoelectronic package, the emitting or the receiving plane of optoelectronic devices 3 are usually in parallel each other. Therefore, when an array of optoelectronic devices is disposed on a substrate, its dimension becomes long along the length of the array.
Another prior art of an optoelectronic device package, an optoelectronic sensor, is illustrated in FIG. 1C. In this kind of package, left one is a laser diode 3A packaged in TO (Transistor Outline)-CAN, in which the laser diode 3A is wired to a lead and the leads 6 are connected to the electrode of a circuit board such as PCB (Printed Circuit Board), and provided with a glass cover 7, and the right one is a die attach package such as a SMT (Surface Mount Technology) package with vertical photo-diode 3B mounted on a substrate having encapsulant 2.
This kind of optoelectronic sensor is easy to produce. However, a precise alignment is limited because of SMT (surface mount technology) process. Also, the distance and height control between discrete components of photodiodes and laser diodes in high precision is very difficult.
Another prior art of an optoelectronic device package is illustrated in FIG. 1D. As an integration package, the package includes different types of optoelectronic devices 3 which are disposed inside a cavity of a substrate 5 in vertical manner or horizontal manner on demand or request, and a glass cover 7 seals the cavity. The cavity of the substrate 5 is made by step-process, then build the 3-D circuit on vertical or horizontal surface of the substrate 5. The die attached process such as SMT to fabricate the optoelectronic device on the horizontal surface and the vertical surface together as a package is difficult and complicate. With this design, the cost and difficulty in packaging process is much higher than conventional 2D package. Low throughput manufacturing is a big issue. Also, the 3D substrate is more expensive than conventional 2D substrate. Also, the variabilities of the devices height, size and SMT process effecting the device location and height (due to solder thickness) would result in the distance and height variations between discrete components of photodiodes and laser diodes.
Generally, a process to mount and align optoelectronic devices in three-dimension is difficult and expensive due to the device mounting and wire bonding in different dimensions of surface. On the other hand, the 3D circuitry substrate is hard to make and very costly.
Thus, a solution for providing a three-dimensional optoelectronic device package in which the optoelectronic devices can be integrated for three-dimensional operation (emitting or receiving) and can be multi-function in one module with small and compact size is required.
Also, a solution for providing a three-dimensional optoelectronic device package in which a light emitting device and a light receiving device are disposed closely, and of which size is minimized with high precision alignment and low cost is required.
Also, a solution for providing a three-dimensional optoelectronic device package in which the distance and height between the optoelectronic devices can be controlled with high precision is required.

Three-dimensional optoelectronic device package and method for manufacturing the same


A high-voltage generating circuit includes a high-voltage production circuit, a high-voltage detecting circuit and a control circuit. The high-voltage production circuit includes clamping diodes to provide a good response for stabilizing a high voltage. The control circuit applies pulse-width control to a power source voltage. The high-voltage detecting circuit has a high-voltage circuit section to which a voltage of 1 kV to several tens of kilovolts is applied and a low-voltage circuit section to which a voltage of several tens of volts is applied. The high-voltage circuit section comprises a parallel circuit including voltage-dividing resistors and a speed-up capacitor. The speed-up capacitor is set to 1000 pF or less.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to high-voltage generating circuits, and more particularly, to a high-voltage generating circuit for generating a high voltage applied to the anode of a cathode-ray tube (CRT).
2. Description of the Related Art
A high-voltage generating circuit shown in FIG. 10 is conventionally known. This high-voltage generating circuit 141 roughly includes a high-voltage production circuit 160, a high-voltage detecting circuit 161, and a control circuit 162. The high-voltage detecting circuit 161 detects a fluctuation of a high voltage output from the high-voltage production circuit 160. The control circuit 162 controls a variable DC power source 146 according to a detection voltage output from the high-voltage detecting circuit 161 to compensate the high voltage output from the high-voltage production circuit 160 for its fluctuation and to make the high voltage stable.
The high-voltage production circuit 160 is formed of a switching device 142, a damping diode 143, a resonant capacitor 144, a flyback transformer 145, the variable driving power source 146, a smoothing capacitor 158, and rectifying diodes 156 and 157.
The high-voltage detecting circuit 161 includes voltage-dividing resistors 147, 148, 149, and 150 for dividing the high voltage output from the high-voltage production circuit 160, and speed-up capacitors 151 and 152 for increasing the rise speed of the high voltage output from the high-voltage production circuit 160. voltage-dividing resistors 147, 148, and 149 are connected in series, and together with the speed-up capacitor 151 form a parallel circuit serving as a high-voltage circuit section 161a. The voltage-dividing resistor 150 and the speed-up capacitor 152 form a parallel circuit serving as a low-voltage circuit section 161b. The voltage-dividing resistor 148 also serves as a focus resistor, and the voltage-dividing resistor 149 also serves as a screen resistor. There are also shown a focus capacitor 154 and a screen capacitor 155. The high-voltage generating circuit 141 is of a so-called +B control type. The control circuit 162 controls the voltage of the power source, and the voltage is smoothed by the smoothing capacitor 158 and supplied to the flyback transformer 145.
A cathode-ray tube (CRT) generally has a capacitance of several hundreds to several thousands of picofarads. When a screen A of the cathode-ray tube has a white portion W having a high luminance level (hatched portion B is black) as shown in FIG. 11, a large beam current flows at the white portion W in the cathode-ray tube and a high voltage cannot quickly be generated if the high voltage drops. As a result, the contour of the white portion W on the screen is distorted as shown by dotted lines, which is called a trapezoidal distortion, and the image quality deteriorates.
It has been proposed as a countermeasure to use a capacitor having a capacitance of as large as about 1500 to 3000 pF for the speed-up capacitor 151 of the high-voltage generating circuit 141. However, in that case, the rise speed of the high voltage decreases and it is necessary to extend the blanking period so as not to clearly show a change on the screen until the high voltage rises. Alternatively, a smoothing capacitor having a large capacitance may be provided in addition to the speed-up capacitor 151. In this case, since a high voltage of 1 kV to several tens of kilovolts output from the high-voltage production circuit 160 is applied to this smoothing capacitor, it must satisfy a high dielectric voltage specification and is expensive and large. Therefore, the high-voltage generating circuit becomes large and expensive.

High voltage generating circuit including high voltage circuit section having voltage dividing resistor and speed-up capacitor


A method is provided for retrieving information from massive databases (i.e., databases with millions of documents) in real time, that allows users to control the trade-off between accuracy in retrieved results and response times. The method may be applied to databases with contents, i.e., documents which have been modeled with a clearly defined metric that enables computation of distances between any two documents, so that pairs of documents which are “closer” with respect to the metric are more similar than pairs of documents which are “further apart”. Our method can be applied to similarity ranking and/or can be combined together with other methods to increase the scalability of information retrieval, detection, ranking, and tracking.

Recently, information processing systems are increasingly expected to handle large amounts of data such as, for example, news data, client information, stock data, etc. Users of such databases find it increasingly difficult to search desired information quickly and effectively with sufficient accuracy. Therefore, timely, accurate, and inexpensive detection of new topics and/or events from large databases may provide very valuable information for many types of businesses including, for example, stock control, futures and options trading, news agencies which could afford to quickly dispatch a reporter without being able to afford a number of reporters posted worldwide, and businesses based on the internet or other fast paced environments, which need to know new and important information about competitors in order to succeed.
Conventionally, detection and tracking of new events in enormous databases is expensive, elaborate, and time consuming work, because searchers of the database usually need to hire extra persons for monitoring thereof.
Most of the recent detection and tracking methods used for search engines use a vector model for data in the database in order to cluster the data. In vector space models, each document in the database under consideration is modeled by a vector, each coordinate of which represents an attribute of the document. Ideally, only those attributes that can help distinguish documents from one another during information retrieval are incorporated in the attribute space. In a Boolean model, each coordinate of the vector is zero (when the corresponding attribute is absent) or unity (when the corresponding attribute is present). Many refinements of the Boolean model exist. The most commonly used are term weighting models which take into account the frequency of appearance of an attribute (e.g., keyword) or location of appearance (e.g., keyword in the title, section header or abstract). In the simplest retrieval and ranking systems, each query is also modeled by a vector in the same manner as the documents.

Information processing using a hierarchy structure of randomized samples

International Business Machines Corporation


An array controller including a novel data path structure for effecting data transfers between a host computer system bus and four array busses associated with a RAID level 3 disk array without the utilization of a buffer between the host system and the array. The data path structure includes a host register associated with each array bus, each host register being connected to the host bus for receiving data therefrom; a first array register associated with each array bus, each first array register being connected to a corresponding host register for receiving data therefrom and connected to its associated array bus for providing data thereto; and a second array register associated with each array bus, each second array register being connected to it associated array bus for receiving data therefrom and connected to the host bus for providing data thereto. A state machine coordinates the operation of the host and array registers to effect RAID level 3 read and write transfers between the host system and four array channels. The state machine includes logic for generating, in response to a write request from the host system, strobe signals for effecting the transfer of data from the host bus into the host registers, for effectuating the transfer of data from the host registers into corresponding first array registers, and for bringing about the transfer of data from the first array registers onto their corresponding array busses. In response to a read request, logic within the state machine generates strobe signals which are provided to the second array registers for effecting the transfer of data from the array busses into corresponding second array registers and the transfer of data from the second array registers onto the host bus.

Disk arrays comprising a multiplicity of small inexpensive disk drives, such as the 51/4 A or 32/3 inch disk drives currently used in personal computers and workstations, connected in parallel have emerged as a low cost alternative to the use of single large disks for non-volatile storage of information within a computer system. The disk array appears as a single large fast disk to the host system but offers improvements in performance, reliability, power consumption and scalability over a single large magnetic disk. Several disk array alternatives are discussed in an article titled "A Case for Redundant Arrays of Inexpensive Disks (RAID)" by David A. Patterson, Garth Gibson and Randy H. Katz; University of California Report No. UCB/CSD 87/391, December 1987. The article, incorporated herein by reference, discusses disk arrays and the improvements in performance, reliability, power consumption and scalability that disk arrays provide in comparison to single large magnetic disks.
One such array system described in the incorporated article, identified as a RAID level 3 system, comprises one or more groups of N+1 disks. Within each group, N disks are used to store data, and the additional disk is utilized to store parity information. During RAID level 3 write functions, each block of data is divided into N portions for storage among the N data disks. The corresponding parity information is written to a dedicated parity disk. When data is read, all N data disks must be accessed. The parity disk is used to reconstruct information in the event of a disk failure. A RAID level 3 system including five drives is shown in FIG. 1. The disk drives are labeled DATA I through DATA 5. Data is striped across disks DATA 1 through DATA 4, each data disk receiving a portion of the data being saved. Parity information, generated through a bit-wise exclusive-OR of the data stored on drives DATA I through DATA 4, is saved on drive DATA 5.
In order to coordinate the operation of the multitude of disk drives within the array to perform read and write functions, parity generation and checking, and data restoration and reconstruction, complex storage management techniques are required. In many of the disk array systems described in the prior art, the host operates as the array controller and performs the parity generation and checking and other storage management operations. Other systems, such as the system illustrated in FIG. 1, employ a separate I/O controller associated with the disk array for controlling the operations listed above.
Currently available array controllers for RAID level 3 disk arrays utilize a buffer between the host and the array. As storage is a key determinate in system cost and performance, a transfer scheme which eliminates the requirement of a large expensive buffer between the host and the array channels is desired.

Bufferless SCSI to SCSI data transfer scheme for disk array applications


The invention relates to rationally designed polysaccharide lyases and uses thereof. In particular, the invention relates to modified chondroitinase B. The modified chondroitinase B enzymes of the invention are useful for a variety of purposes, including cleaving and sequencing polysaccharides such as glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) as well as removing polysaccharides from a solution. The invention also includes methods of inhibiting anticoagulant activity, inhibiting angiogenesis, treating cancer, and inhibiting maternal malarial infection.

Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) are linear, acidic polysaccharides that exist ubiquitously in nature as residents of the extracellular matrix and at the cell surface of many different organisms of divergent phylogeny (Habuchi, O. (2000) Biochim Biophys Acta 1474, 115–27; Sasisekharan, R., Bulmer, M., Moremen, K. W., Cooney, C. L., and Langer, R. (1993) Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 90, 3660–4). In addition to a structural role, GAGs act as critical modulators of a number of biochemical signaling events (Tumova, S., Woods, A., and Couchman, J. R. (2000) Int J Biochem Cell Biol 32, 269–88) requisite for cell growth and differentiation, cell adhesion and migration, and tissue morphogenesis.
Dermatan sulfate (DS) and chondroitin sulfate (CS) are related glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) that are composed of a disaccharide repeat unit of uronic acid (1→3)-linked to N-acetyl-D-galactosamine (GalNAc). These disaccharide repeats are (1→4)-linked to each other to form polymers of chondroitin sulfate or dermatan sulfate. Epimerization at the C5 position of the uronic acid moiety during the biosynthesis of dermatan sulfate leads to a mixture of L-iduronic and D-glucuronic acid epimers (Ernst, S., Langer, R., Cooney, C. L., and Sasisekharan, R. (1995) Crit. Rev. Biochem. Mol. Biol. 30, 387–444). In addition to C5 epimerization, C4 sulfation of GalNAc is another hallmark modification of the DS backbone. Rare sulfation at the 2-0 and 3-0 positions of the uronic acid moiety has also been reported (Sugahara, K., Tanaka, Y., Yamada, S., Seno, N., Kitagawa, H., Haslam, S. M., Morris, H. R., and Dell, A. (1996) J. Biol. Chem. 271, 26745–54; Nadanaka, S., and Sugahara, K. (1997) Glycobiology 7, 253–63). CS/DS polysaccharides have been implicated in a variety of biological phenomena ranging from anticoagulation to osteoarthritis (Mascellani, G., Liverani, L., Bianchini, P., Parma, B., Torri, G., Bisio, A., Guerrini, M., and Casu, B. (1993) Biochem. J. 296, 639–48; Achur, R. N., Valiyaveettil, M., Alkhalil, A., Ockenhouse, C. F., and Gowda, D. C. (2000) J. Biol. Chem. 275, 40344–56; and Plaas, A. H., West, L. A., Wong-Palms, S., and Nelson, F. R. (1998) J. Biol. Chem. 273, 12642–9). In fact, specific sequences of highly sulfated dermatan sulfate from a variety of invertebrate and mammalian sources are being pursued as pharmaceutically viable treatments for specific blood coagulation disorders (Monagle, P. et al. (1998) J. Biol. Chem. 273, 33566–71; Gandra, M. et al. (2000) Glycobiology 10, 1333–40; and Vicente, C. P. et al. (2001) Thromb. Haemost. 86, 1215–20). Changes in the dermatan sulfate side chain of the small proteoglycan, decorin, have been observed in human colon cancer (Daidouji, K. et al. (2002) Dig. Dis. Sci. 47, 331–7). And modification of existing GAG sequences by chondroitinase B and chondroitinase AC may inhibit angiogenesis and tumor metastasis (Denholm, E. M. et al. (2001) Eur. J. Pharmacol. 416, 213–21). Overall, the role of GAGs as specific mediators of tumorigenesis and other biological events is an emerging field that offers great potential for the development of novel therapeutics (Shriver, Z. et al. (2002) Trends. Cardiovasc. Med. 12, 71–7; and Liu, D. et al. (2002) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 99, 568–73).
Flavobacterium heparinum is a common source for GAG-degrading lyases, producing both the extensively characterized heparin-degrading heparinases (Sasisekharan, R., Venkataraman, G., Godavarti, R., Ernst, S., Cooney, C. L., and Langer, R. (1996) J. Biol. Chem. 271, 3124–31; Shriver, Z., Hu, Y., Pojasek, K., and Sasisekharan, R. (1998) J. Biol. Chem. 273, 22904–12; Pojasek, K., Shriver, Z., Hu, Y., and Sasisekharan, R. (2000) Biochemistry 39, 4012–9; and Gu, K., Linhardt, R. J., Laliberte, M., and Zimmermann, J. (1995) Biochem. J. 312, 569–77), as well as the CS/DS-degrading chondroitinases (Gu, K. et al. (1995) Biochem. J. 312, 569–77). Chondroitinase B is the only member of the chondroitinase family that degrades DS as its sole substrate (Jandik, K. A., Gu, K., and Linhardt, R. J. (1994) Glycobiology 4, 289–96 and Pojasek, K., Shriver, Z., Kiley, P., Venkataraman, G., and Sasisekharan, R. (2001) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 286, 343–51).

Methods for purifying and isolating recombinant chondroitinases


In one embodiment, an inertial switch of the invention includes a MEMS device manufactured using a layered wafer. The MEMS device has a movable electrode supported on a substrate layer of the wafer and a stationary electrode attached to that substrate layer. The movable electrode is adapted to move with respect to the substrate layer in response to an inertial force such that, when the inertial force per unit mass reaches or exceeds a contact threshold value, the movable electrode is brought into contact with the stationary electrode, thereby changing the state of the inertial switch from open to closed. In one embodiment, the MEMS device is a substantially planar device, designed such that, when the inertial force is parallel to the device plane, the displacement amplitude of the movable electrode from an initial position is substantially the same for all force directions. Advantageously, inertial switches of the invention can be designed to have a relatively small size, e.g., less than one millimeter, and be relatively inexpensive. Due to the small size and low cost, several inertial switches of the invention may be incorporated into a corresponding switch circuit, thereby providing protection against mechanical failure and/or malfunction of any individual inertial switch in that circuit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to switches and, more specifically, to motion-sensitive switches. The present invention also relates to micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS).
2. Description of the Related Art
An inertial switch is a switch that can change its state, e.g., from open to closed, in response to acceleration and/or deceleration. For example, when the absolute value of acceleration along a particular direction exceeds a certain threshold value, the inertial switch changes its state, which change can then be used to trigger an electrical circuit controlled by the inertial switch. Inertial switches are employed in a wide variety of applications such as automobile airbag deployment systems, vibration alarm systems, detonators for artillery projectiles, and motion-activated light-flashing footwear. Description of several representative prior-art inertial switches can be found, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,354,712, 5,955,712, 4,178,492, and 4,012,613, the teachings of all of which are incorporated herein by reference.
A conventional inertial switch is a relatively complex, mechanical device assembled using several separately manufactured components such as screws, pins, balls, springs, and other elements machined with relatively tight tolerance. As such, conventional inertial switches are relatively large (e.g., several centimeters) in size and relatively expensive to manufacture and assemble. In addition, conventional inertial switches are often prone to mechanical failure.


According to one aspect of the invention, health insurance claim data for a first group of individuals is obtained to generate a training corpus, including a training set of claim data and a holdout set of claim data. The first group of individuals represents enrollees of one or more first health insurance plans and the health insurance claim data represents historic insurance claim information for each individual in the first group. A Bayesian belief network (BBN) model is created by training a BBN network based on the training set of claim data using predetermined machine learning algorithms. The BBN model is validated using the holdout set of claim data. The BBN model, when having been successfully validated, is configured to identify at least one of individuals with risk for a disorder and individuals with risk who are most likely to benefit from intervention and treatment for the disorder.

A Bayesian belief network (BBN) is a directed graph and an associated set of probability tables. The graph consists of nodes and arcs. The nodes represent variables, input data for which can be discrete or continuous; however the BBN must segment continuous data into parameterized ranges. The arcs represent causal or influential relationships between variables. More specifically, a BBN is a probabilistic graphical model that represents a set of random variables and their conditional independencies. It is a way of describing complex, probabilistic reasoning.
Machine learning is a field of computer science that uses intelligent algorithms to allow a computer to mimic the process of human learning. The machine learning algorithm allows the computer to learn information structure dynamically from the data that resides in the data warehouse. The machine learning algorithms automatically detect and promote significant relationships between variables, without the need for human interaction. This allows for the processing of vast amounts of complex data quickly and easily.
The machine learning models can be scored in different ways: Minimum Description Length (MDL), also known as the Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC), as well as Bayesian Scoring (BDe). Minimum Description Length scoring provides a measure of the quality of a model. It trades off between goodness of fit and model complexity (parsimonious scoring). Goodness of fit is measured as the likelihood of the data given the model. Model complexity equals the amount of information required to store the model, subject to an inflator/deflator set by the user. The BBN networks and/or machine learning models have not been previously utilized in policy decision making processes of insurance plans or in selection of enrollees for disease management or care interventions.

Application of bayesian networks to patient screening and treatment


A radiant cooking unit comprises a heat insulating material forming a heating element carrier to which electrical heating elements are secured. It is surrounded by a ring-shaped bordering element of a heat insulating material relatively rigid in design. Both moldings are molded together by a ram. In another aspect the outer ring is divided into several ring sectors. A hoop of flat material clasps this ring-shaped bordering element on all sides, the latter being configured as a single-turn induction coil for a pot sensing system and simultaneously clamping the unit together.

The invention relates to a radiant cooking unit comprising at least one electrical heating element arranged on a heating element carrier and including a ring-shaped bordering element surrounding the latter at least partly.
Usual cooktop units of this kind consist of a sheet-metal bowl on the underside of which a glass ceramic plate is arranged or carrying the latter itself and in which the individual radiant cooking positions are arranged, these themselves featuring a sheet-metal carrier dish in which the heating elements are applied to the heat insulation material. Each individual radiant heater is pressed against the underside of the glass ceramic plate by spring retaining parts engegaing the carrier dish (cf. DE 27 60 339 C2 and DE 36 13 902 A1).
Also known already are radiant heaters which comprise several heating zones within a cooking position which can be selectively switched ON/OFF to alter the shape and size of the cooking position (cf. DE 29 43 477 C2). From DE 27 60 339 C2 it is further known to dispose rings on the insulation located in a carrying plate which define several heating fields of a multi-unit cooker provided with heating conductors. The concept of such cooktop units hitherto has always been based on the radiant heaters forming the cooking positions being individual units manufactured and functioning as such which are provided with the corresponding proportion of control, monitoring or regulating units or the sensors and terminals thereof as allocated. These units are manufactured, tested and stored independently of each other. In a second production stage these units are then arranged in a sheet-metal bowl and, in conclusion, provided, independently thereof, with control, input or setting units together with the associated power terminals. This applied, and still applies, in conjunction with the present description both for independent cooktops (drop-in cookers) insertable in the opening of a worktop of an item of kitchen furniture and for the range cooktops of a separate cooking range or cookers mountable individually having several cooking positions, all of which are termed cooktop units in the present context.


A technique for correcting the sampling time and carrier frequency error in a receiver for digitally modulated signals. Discrete-time, complex-valued samples of the incoming signal are fed to a pair of non-linear operators such as correlators. The first correlator provides a signal having a first phase component related to the symbol timing error and a second phase component related to the carrier frequency error. The second correlator provides a signal having a first phase component related to the symbol timing error and a second phase component related to the negative of the carrier frequency error. The phase components are then separated and detected to extract an estimate of the symbol timing error and the carrier frequency error. In the preferred embodiment, the complex-valued samples are frequency-shifted, before being fed to the correlators, so that the phase components of interest appear at zero frequency. The invention satisfactorily demodulates transmitted digital signals in applications, such as cellular time-division multiple access (TDMA), where they are susceptible to multipath fading.

Communication through the use of modulated digital signals continues to find new and wider application. For example, explosive growth in the use of mobile radio telephones has lead to the adoption of time division multiple access (TDMA) cellular signalling standards, which allow several users to share one radio frequency carrier signal. A transmitted TDMA cellular signal typically consists of an audio signal which has been converted to discrete-time, or digital, symbols. The digital symbols are compressed in time and then typically phase- or amplitude-encoded by quarternary phase-shift keying (QPSK) or quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM). The encoded digital signal is then radio-frequency modulated and is often transmitted in bursts during time slots which have been pre-allocated to each transmitter.
Carrier frequency recovery and symbol timing synchronization and are two of the most critical functions performed by any digital signal receiver In order to properly demodulate any incoming radio frequency signal, the phase and frequency of the carrier signal must be accurately tracked by a local oscillator. In addition, if the incoming signal is digitally modulated, a sampling clock in the receiver should be adjusted continuously in order to maximize the probability of correctly detecting the digital symbols. Accurate recovery of symbol timing information can be particularly difficult in certain applications, such as TDMA cellular, where the radio frequency signal has been subjected to sharp roll-off filtering in order to minimize spectral overlap in adjacent frequency bands.
Most present-day receivers use continuous-time methods for carrier recovery and symbol synchronization. For example, carrier frequency information is typically recovered through the use of a phase-locked loop, and symbol timing information is derived by band-pass filtering the demodulated signal, or other analog techniques.
Certain discrete-time correction techniques have recently been proposed by others. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,977,580 issued to McNichol, and assigned to Northern Telecom Limited. The technique shown in that patent is to estimate a symbol timing error by interpolating successive samples of the incoming signal. A carrier phase error is then estimated from the symbol phase error. The sampling rate required for such techniques to adequately operate is typically much greater than the symbol rate.
However, these known techniques have been found to be less than satisfactory in certain environments, such as large cities, where TDMA signals are quite susceptible to fast multipath fading.
Other principles of communication theory are of interest as well. In particular, the article by Gardner, William, A., entitled "Exploitation of Spectral Redundancy in Cyclostationary Signals", IEEE Siqnal Processing Magazine, April 1991, pp. 14-36, explains that most signal processing detection methods treat the incoming signal as though it were stationary, in which case the underlying parameters of the physical mechanism which generated the signal do not vary with time. However, as the article points out, most man-made signals, such as periodic modulated carrier signals, are cyclostationary, in that they exhibit second-order periodicities. These second-order properties can be determined by the use of so-called cyclic correlation, which introduces a cyclic weighting factor in a conventional correlation calculation. The Gardner article also points out that certain types of digitally modulated signals, such as the QPSK and QAM signals used in TDMA systems, exhibit second-order periodicity when they undergo a non-linear transformation, like a signal squarer. However, that article does not explain how these periodicities can be exploited to perform carrier recovery and symbol synchronization efficiently.
What is needed is a discrete-time technique for carrier frequency recovery and symbol timing which can adequately tolerate fading and other channel impairments. The technique should be capable of correcting frequency offset and sampling time in as short a time as possible, so that it may be used in certain types of digital signal receivers, such as those used in TDMA cellular systems, which may need to reacquire synchronization at the beginning of each burst. The sampling rate of the carrier recovery and symbol timing technique should also be as small as possible, to minimize the cost and complexity of the receiver.

Timing and automatic frequency control of digital receiver using the cyclic properties of a non-linear operation


A body fluid absorbent garment includes a topsheet, a backsheet and a core disposed therebetween, the core is formed with a pair of protruding barriers spaced from each other and extending parallel to the side edges and has a density lower in the protruding barriers than in its zone free from formation of the protruding barriers.

This invention relates to a body fluid absorbent garment adapted for absorbing and containing of body fluids discharged thereon, such as disposable diapers, urine absorbent pads for incontinent, diaper liners, panty liners or sanitary napkins.
Japanese Utility Model Application Disclosure No. 1994-21626 describes a disposable diaper comprising a liquid-pervious topsheet, a liquid-impervious backsheet and a liquid-absorbent core disposed between these two sheets. A pair of absorbent auxiliary members transversely spaced from each other and longitudinally extend on the topsheet at least in a crotch region so that these auxiliary members may protrude upwardly of the core and have a compressive modulus higher than that of the core. Such high compressive modulus ensures these auxiliary members to fit to a wearer""s skin and to prevent excretion from leaking sideways even when the auxiliary members are deformed under a wearer""s body weight since the auxiliary members can rapidly restore their initial positions and function to absorb or barrier off excretion.
If a relatively large amount of urine is discharged, a rate of urination will exceed a rate at which the core is capable to absorb urine. As a result, an amount of urine staying on the upper surface of the core may flow backward and cause undesirable leak. The diaper disclosed in the above-identified Disclosure includes no means promoting urine to spread over the entire surface zone of the core defined between the auxiliary members. If the amount of discharged urine is too large to be absorbed by the auxiliary members themselves, the rest amount of urine may stay on the core at its zone onto which urine is discharged, then spread and leak outward sideways beyond the respective auxiliary members. Furthermore, if the amount of urine absorbed by the auxiliary members can not be smoothly transferred into the core, such amount of urine staying in the auxiliary members may exude as the auxiliary members are collapsed under the wearer""s body weight.
The object of this invention is to provide a body fluid absorbent garment including a liquid-absorbent core formed with a pair of protruding barriers adapted to barrier off liquid excretion such as loose passage, urine or menstrual discharge so that such liquid excretion may rapidly spread over the entire surface zone of the core defined between the protruding barriers and be absorbed from the surface zone into the core well before undesirable leak of excretion might occur.
The object of this invention is also to provide a body fluid absorbent garment ensuring that the amount of excretion having been absorbed by the protruding barriers to be smoothly transferred into the core without any possibility that the amount of excretion might exude from the protruding barriers.
According to this invention, there is provided a body fluid absorbent garment having transversely opposite and longitudinally extending side edges and longitudinally opposite and transversely extending ends, comprising: a liquid-pervious topsheet; a liquid-impervious backsheet; a liquid-absorbent core disposed therebetween; the core being formed on a side thereof immediately underlying the topsheet with a pair of protruding barriers spaced from each other along at least said transversely opposite side edges of said transversely opposite side edges and said longitudinally opposite ends; and the protruding barriers having a density lower than that of the core in a base zone thereof free from formation of the protruding barriers.
With the body fluid absorbent garment according to this invention, excretion rapidly spreads over the surface of the core and is rapidly absorbed by the core in its zone other than its protruding zones. Even if a relatively large amount of excretion is locally discharged onto the garment, it is not apprehended that the excretion might stay in such zone onto which the excretion is directly discharged and leak beyond the protruding zones.
The amount of excretion having reached the protruding zones is successively absorbed by these protruding zones before any amount of such excretion might leak sideways beyond the side edges of the garment. The excretion having been absorbed by the protruding zones having a relatively low density is immediately absorbed by the rest zone having a relatively high density and therefore it is not apprehended that the excretion might exude out from the protruding zones even if the protruding zones are collapsed under a wearer""s body weight. The protruding zones are more soft than the rest zone and, in addition, have their corners appropriately rounded, so give the wearer no feeling of discomfort as these protruding zones come in contact with the wearer""s skin.


A computer-implemented mapping method comprises determining a fixed reference point, displaying a static-scale map on a display screen of a computing device such that the map always includes the fixed reference point, and displaying a graphical discontinuity indicator on the map to represent a discontinuity in the map, the graphical discontinuity indicator dividing the map into a first map area surrounding the fixed reference point and a second map area that is geographically spaced apart from the first map area.

With most current mapping applications, it is frequently the case that the user may lose a sense of scale (or zoom level), which is particularly exacerbated on mobile devices with small display screens. The user zooms in to view map details and then zooms out to orient oneself. Having to repeatedly zoom in and out is thus inconvenient and time-consuming for the user of the mapping application. A technical solution to this problem would thus be highly desirable.
It will be noted that throughout the appended drawings, like features are identified by like reference numerals.

Reference-point-based static-scale mapping application


Provided by the disclosure are compositions and methods for modulating differentiation of regulatory T cells. In some embodiments, methods include selectively decreasing IL-23R activity and/or IL-23R expression without significantly decreasing IL-12RP activity and/or IL-12RP expression.

Regulatory T cells (Treg cells) are critically important for maintenance of a balanced immune system, in part because they help to dampen excessive immune responses and prevent autoimmunity. However, immune suppression exerted by Treg cells can impede anti-tumor immune responses and promote cancer growth. The efficacy of several successful immunotherapies has been associated with depletion or blockade of CD4 Treg cells (Mahoney et al., Nat Rev Drug Discov 14:561-584).

IL-23R antagonists to reprogram intratumoral T regulatory cells into effector cells


The electric connection block includes: a plurality of layers, each layer consisting of a plurality of terminals bent in an L-shape arranged in a line, each terminal having a first end portion for electric connection and a second end portion for connection to a circuit board; an electrically insulating terminal holder including receiving surfaces arranged in a stairs manner, each receiving surface placing a first section of the terminal thereon, and through holes each permitting a second section of the terminal to be inserted therein, the through hole being adjacent to the receiving surface; and a cover which includes hole parts each permitting the first section of the terminal to be inserted therein and joins the terminal holder.

(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electric connection block, in which terminals connecting an electrical component such as a fuse, a connector and so on to a circuit board are laminated and arranged in a plurality of layers.
(2) Description of the Related Art
FIG. 8 shows an example of circuit board assembly including a fuse block as a conventional electric connection block (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-333583).
A fuse block 77 includes: a fuse holder (i.e. block body) 78 made of electrically insulating resin; a plurality of L-shaped terminals 76, one end part of which is inserted in the fuse holder 78 and an opposite end part of which is soldered to a circuit board 73; a comb teeth-shaped busbar (not shown in the figure) made of metal inserted in the fuse holder 78; and a connector 80 for receiving power supply, which receives one side part of the busbar.
The fuse holder 78 mounts a plurality of blade-shaped fuses (not shown in the figure) in two steps up and down in parallel in a left-and-right direction. Corresponding to a pair of the terminals situated up and down of the fuse, respective tuning fork-shaped clamp terminal parts of the pair of the terminals situated up and down and a pair of the busbars situated up and down are received in receiving chambers 77a situated up and down. The connector 80 is connected to circuits of a battery power supply-side and of alternator power supply-side.
A circuit board assembly 71 includes: a circuit board 73 mounting various electronic components 72; the fuse block 77 connected to the front side of the circuit board 73 by the terminal 76; and a connector block 75 connected to both sides left and right of the circuit board 73 by a terminal 74. The circuit board 73 and each block 75, 77 are covered by a cover (not shown in the figure) made of electrically insulating resin situated up and down on a condition that an opening 75a, 77a-side of each block 75, 77 is exposed, thereby constructing a junction block.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-333583 described above shows an example in which a terminal holder is joined to the fuse holder 78 on a condition that L-shaped terminals 76 (instead of the busbars described above) are received in a terminal holder (not shown in the figure) made of electrically insulating resin in a plurality of steps. The circuit board 73 is provided with a copper layer (not shown in the figure) at a middle part thereof in a thickness direction.
FIG. 9 shows an example of a fuse block structure, in which clamp terminal parts 83-side of respective L-shaped terminals 82 is press-fit into and fixed to a horizontal hole part 81 of a fuse holder (i.e. block body) made of electrically insulating resin (for example, see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-217437 as to the press-fitting of the terminal).
The hole part 81 is formed in a rectangular slit-shape. An electrically insulating part 84 of the block body is positioned between the respective hole parts 81. A projection 85 is provided at both sides of the terminal 82. The projection 85 is press-fit into the electrically insulating part 84 so as to prevent the terminal 82 from coming out.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-187050 discloses an example of a fuse block structure, in which a terminal is fixed to a fuse holder (i.e. block body) by insert molding instead of press-fitting. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-282908 discloses an example of a fuse block structure, in which terminals (or busbars) are arranged on a wiring board per layer.
As for the fuse block (shown in FIG. 8) described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-333583, it is demanded that the terminals 76 are correctly positioned with respect to the fuse and the circuit board 73 while the terminals 76 are received in a terminal holder (not shown in the figure) in a plurality of steps and that the terminals 76 of the respective steps are assembled to the terminal holder securely with good workability.
As for the fuse block (shown in FIG. 9) described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-217437, there is a possibility that when a pitch between the terminals 82 is made small, the electrically insulating part 84 between the terminals 82 becomes thin, causing deterioration in press-fitting property of the terminals and in electrical insulating property between the terminals.
As for the fuse block (not shown in the figure) described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-187050, there is a problem that it is difficult to insert-mold the terminals simultaneously in two or more layers.
As for the fuse block (not shown in the figure) described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-282908, there is a possibility that when the terminals are arranged on a wiring board per layer, the number of components is increased, a structure of the fuse block becomes large, an accuracy of dimension between the terminals is deteriorated, and assembling property (connection property) between the fuse block and another component such as a fuse or a circuit board is deteriorated.
The problem or undesirable possibility described above may similarly take place even when an electrical component such as fusible link or a relay is used instead of a fuse and even when a connector is being connected instead of an electrical component.


An electrode includes a collector that is substantially flat and electrically conductive, an inner intermediate layer that is substantially corrosion resistant and conductive and that is on at least part of a surface of the collector, and an outer intermediate layer that is substantially corrosion resistant and conductive and that is on at least part of the inner intermediate layer. The electrode also includes an electrode layer containing carbon, which is on at least part of a surface of the outer intermediate layer that faces away from the inner intermediate layer.

The electrode material for the electrodes of many electrical components, for example of electrochemical double-layer capacitors or pseudo-capacitors, is carbon, such as activated carbon. In this case, the electrode material is often applied in powder form to collectors with good electrical conductivity or produced by chemical or electrochemical deposit processes. The electrically conductive collectors are often in the form of thin metal foils such as aluminum foils. If aluminum foils are used, the aluminum oxide on the surface of the foil, which increases electric resistance, is removed, for example by etching, so that the electrode material can be applied subsequently. Often the surface area of the aluminum foil is enlarged by creating a surface topography, for example by etching. This also enlarges the surface area of the electrodes and results in capacitors with a higher capacity. When processing the aluminum foils coated with the electrode material, but also when using these electrodes in electrochemical double-layer or pseudo-capacitors, it is absolutely essential to ensure that the surface-related electrical resistance between the collector, and thereby the aluminum foil, and the electrode material remains at a minimum level during the lifetime of the capacitor.
However, during operation of electrochemical double-layer or pseudo-capacitors, the result is often a de-lamination of the electrode material from the aluminum foil and the creation of a layer between the aluminum foil and the electrode material that has poor electrical conductivity. This deterioration of the contacts between the electrode material and the collector often increases the series resistance of the capacitors, thus resulting in a higher ohmic loss when operating these capacitors.

Electrode and method for the production thereof


An evaluation method, e.g., for a driver assistance system of a motor vehicle, is provided for object detection using a radar sensor, which synchronously emits at least two separate radar beam lobes, that cover an angular range to be scanned, and which receives respective target responses as measured values. At least two target responses of the at least two separate radar beam lobes of the radar sensor are arithmetically superposed in such a way that a synthetic radar beam lobe is created having at least one predetermined zero value in the scanned angular range.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and an evaluation system, e.g., for a driver assistance system of a motor vehicle, for object detection using a radar sensor.
2. Description of Related Art
An evaluation method for object detection, or rather an object detection system, may be applied, for example, within the scope of an adaptive cruise control and/or vehicle-to-vehicle ranging, or a driver assistance system of a motor vehicle. Such a control system is able to regulate a previously set travel speed and/or a previously set distance from a preceding vehicle or from objects located in the travel direction, or from target objects. This takes place while appropriately taking into account the surroundings of the motor vehicle and additional parameters, if necessary, such as the current weather conditions and visual conditions. Such a regulating system is also designated as adaptive speed regulation or an ACC (adaptive cruise control) system. In the publication of Robert Bosch GmbH, "Adaptive Fahrgeschwindigkeitsregelung ACC, Gelbe Reihe, Ausgabe 2002, Technische Unterrichtung" ("Adaptive Speed Regulation ACC, Yellow Series, 2002 Edition, Technical Instruction") such adaptive speed regulating devices are described. Particularly in view of the increasing traffic density of current times, the ACC system has to be flexible enough to react suitably to all traffic situations. This, in turn, requires an appropriate object detection sensor system, in order to supply in each travel situation the measured data required for the regulation, with respect to detected target objects or obstacles.
A method for collision avoidance may also be implemented within the scope of a driver assistance system for a motor vehicle, in which, in the case of at least one obstacle approaching during travel, a driving maneuver is carried out or proposed autonomously or semiautonomously. The at least one obstacle is also recorded using an evaluation system for object detection or rather an object detection system.
Such object detection systems or distance sensors are frequently implemented using radar sensors. Published German patent document DE 195 30 065 proposes a monostatic FMCW radar sensor for a vehicle for detecting objects, in which at least one antenna feed, in conjunction with a dielectric lens, is developed both for transmitting and for receiving a corresponding echo signal. A plurality of send/receive antennas are focused via a common lens. The FMCW radar sensor described has three side-by-side radiation lobes, which are partially able to intersect and which represent an active area in which an object is able to be detected. Consequently, when this is used in a motor vehicle, a plurality of objects may also be detected simultaneously. It may be distinguished, in this context, whether the objects are traveling in the travel direction of the motor vehicle, are standing at the side of the roadway or are approaching from the opposite direction.
It is desirable to make these radar sensors as small as possible in their dimensions, particularly in view of the space they require and the place of installation for them, that is to be selected. The relatively low aperture conditioned by this, particularly of the beam-forming optical elements or of the radar sensors, results in a low angular separation resolution capability, based on the respective radar beam lobes or beams that are relatively broad with respect to the angular range. Beams are usual that have 6 dB widths and an angular range of clearly more than 5°. Using known evaluation methods for object detection, target objects, for instance, which are at a distance of 2° from each other are not able to be separated. However, this could perhaps be important in the case of a so-called lane situation, especially on a multilane expressway or the like, if one's own vehicle is located in the middle lane and if there are also vehicles in the right lane and the left lane ahead of one's own vehicle in the travel direction. Depending on the distance from the other vehicles, it may happen, now, that the individual radar beam lobes cover several vehicles and that it therefore can no longer be ascertained whether the detected target objects are located in the right or the left lane, or whether an additional target object is located in the middle lane, that is, the lane traveled by one's own vehicle, since the target objects melt down to one target, and are no longer able to be separated into individual measurements, with respect to the angle.
Additional information regarding object detection systems, especially for a motor vehicle, is disclosed in published German patent document DE 199 34 670.

Evaluation method, particularly for a driver assistance system of a motor vehicle, for object detection using a radar sensor


Disclosed is a method for preparing a rare-earth modified Keggin-type heteropolyacid-supported catalyst. Carbon nanotube is used as support, and is oxidized to form openings and cut into short tubes by an acidic solution. Under the action of metal chlorides and alcohol solvents, the end and the defect sites on the side walls of the carbon nanotubes are combined with hydroxyl groups to obtain hydroxylated carbon nanotube. In this way, the surface properties of the carbon nanotube are changed, and the active components are more easily and firmly adsorbed on the carbon nanotube, thus the stability of the catalyst is improved.

Heteropolyacid is an oxygen-containing polyacid consisting of heteroatoms or central atoms (such as P, Si, Fe, Co, etc.) bridged with multiple coordination atoms (transition metals such as V, Nb, Mo, W) and oxygen atoms in accordance with a specific coordination, and has high catalytic activity. Keggin-type heteropolyacid is currently the most widely used type of heteropolyacid having a molecular formula of HnXM12O40.nH2O, such as phosphotungstic acid, phosphomolybdic acid and silicotungstic acid. Keggin-type heteropolyacid has not only redox properties, but also strong Brönsted acidity. Keggin-type heteropolyacid has "pseudo-liquid phase" behavior, allowing some smaller molecules to enter and exit its interior freely and to react on acidic active sites in the surface and internal thereof. Therefore, Keggin-type heteropolyacid can be used as a catalyst for homogeneous reaction and heterogeneous reaction, and even as a phase transfer catalyst, which is environmentally friendly and is a promising green multifunctional catalyst.
However, Keggin-type heteropolyacid is easily soluble in water, difficult to recycle and reuse, and easy to react with water and thus loses activity since it is a Brönsted solid acid. In order to improve the catalytic activity of Keggin-type heteropolyacids in an aqueous reaction medium, heteropolyacids are usually mixed and doped with an alkali metal or a rare earth element metal in the prior art. For example, Chinese patent application CN105854943A disclosed a method for preparing a rare-earth modified Keggin-type heteropolyacid catalyst, comprising modifying heteropolyacid with a compound comprising rare earth M in the presence of a strong acid solution to form a stable M-O bond between the rare earth M and O in the heteropoly acid, thereby improving the activity of the catalyst. However, the resulted catalyst also has the problem that the catalyst is difficult to be separated from the product and is difficult to be recovered, like traditional homogeneous catalysts. To solve this problem, a rare-earth modified heteropolyacid-supported catalyst was proposed, comprising multi-walled carbon nanotubes as a support. The carbon nanotubes were treated with a strong oxidizing acid to remove carbon deposits on the surface area thereof, increase the oxygen-containing functional groups and allow the active components to be firmly adsorbed on the functional groups, thereby improving the stability of the catalyst. However, the acid treated carbon nanotubes did not show catalytic activity in subsequent reactions, and thus did not have synergistic effect to further improve the catalytic activity of the catalysts. Therefore, improvement in the catalytic performance of the rare earth modified heteropolyacid-supported catalyst obtained by treating carbon nanotubes with strong oxidizing acid is not obvious.

Method for preparing a rare-earth modified Keggin-type heteropolyacid-supported catalyst and method for preparing a biodiesel

JIANGXI UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY


A first switch group includes switches provided on a path for charging a flying capacitor using an input voltage. A second switch group includes switches provided on a path for charging an output capacitor using charge stored in the flying capacitor. A pulse modulator generates a pulse signal having a duty ratio adjusted so that a feedback voltage corresponding to an output voltage of a charge pump circuit matches a given reference voltage. A driver receives the pulse signal from the pulse modulator, and turns on either one of the first switch group and the second switch group during a period corresponding to a high-time of the pulse signal and turns on the other switch group during a period corresponding to a low-time thereof.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a charge pump circuit.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, in electronics such as a mobile phone and a PDA (Personal Digital Assistants), are provided with devices requiring a drive voltage higher than a battery voltage, like an LED (Light Emitting Diode) used in a liquid crystal backlight. For example, in such a small information terminal, a lithium-ion battery is often used. An output voltage of the lithium-ion battery is approximately 3.5 V in usual condition and approximately 4.2 V in full charged condition, while an LED requires a higher voltage than a voltage of the battery. Where the higher voltage than the battery voltage is required, the battery voltage is stepped up by a charge pump circuit or a switching regulator, thus a voltage required for driving an LED is obtained.
The charge pump circuit generates an output voltage obtained by multiplying an input voltage by a given step-up rate. For example, if a battery voltage is 3 V and a step-up rate is two, an output voltage is fixed to 6 V. Accordingly, when a load circuit requires a drive voltage lower than 6 V, conventionally, a power transistor needs to be inserted into input side or output side of a charge pump circuit to adjust on-resistance and thereby adjust output voltage. For example, Japanese Patent Application (laid Open) No. 2000-262043 has disclosed a related technique.
Use of the technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Application (laid Open) No. 2000-262043, requiring a power transistor, increases the number of circuit components and a circuit area.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Control circuit and method for charge pump circuit with pulse modulation


A switchable bandpass filter includes a first stepped-impedance resonator, a second stepped-impedance resonator wirelessly coupled to the first stepped-impedance resonator, and a first diode connected to one end of the second stepped-impedance resonator.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to bandpass filters, and more particularly, to a switchable bandpass filter having stepped-impedance resonators loaded with diodes.
2. Description of Related Art
A microwave switch is one of the most dominant building blocks in a radio-frequency (RF) front-end for time-division duplexing (TDD) communication systems. Recently, several works using passive field-effect transistors (FET) or p-i-n diodes have been reported for microwave and millimeter-wave transceiver applications (referring to F. J. Huang et al., "A 0.5 μm CMOS T/R switch for 900-MHz wireless applications", IEEE J. Solid-State Circuits, vol. 36, no. 3, pp. 486-492, March 2001; C. Tinella et al., "A high-performance CMOS-SOI antenna switch for the 2.5-5-GHz band", IEEE J. Solid-State Circuits, vol. 38, no. 7, pp. 1279-1283, July 2003; Z. Li et al., "15-GHz fully integrated nMOS switches in a 0.13-μm CMOS process", IEEE J. Solid-State Circuits, vol. 40, no. 11, pp. 2323-2328, November 2005; J. Kim et al., "A high-performance 40-85 GHz MMIC SPDT switch using FET-integrated transmission line structure", IEEE Microw. Wireless Compon. Lett., vol. 13, no. 12, pp. 505-507, December 2003; K. Y. Lin et al., "Millimeter-wave MMIC passive HEMT switch using traveling-wave concept", IEEE Trans. Microw. Theory Tech., vol. 52, no. 8, pp. 1798-1808, August 2004). Most of these switches are based on wideband design, implying that their operating bandwidths are over 50% and cannot provide sharp cutoff outside the operating band. Such a wideband switch shows poor band selectivity for system applications. Therefore, a bandpass filter is needed to be cascaded with a switch to reject out-of-band signals. Planar filters are popular in millimeter-wave filter designs because they are easily fabricated using printed circuit technology and integrated with other circuit components. However, conventional design of planar filters suffers from spurious responses in the upper stopband due to the nature of distributed elements (referring to S. B. Cohn, "Parallel coupled transmission-line resonator filters", IRE Trans. Microw. Theory Tech., vol. MTT-6, no. 2, pp. 223-231, April 1958; E. G. Cristal et al. "Hairpin-line and hybrid hairpin-line/half-wave parallel-coupled-line filters", IEEE Trans. Microw. Theory Tech., vol. MTT-20, no. 11, pp. 719-728, November 1972). Therefore, several techniques have been proposed to resolve this problem (referring to J. G. Garca et al. "Spurious passband suppression in microstrip coupled line bandpass filters by means of split ring resonators", IEEE Microw. Wireless Compon. Lett., vol. 14, no. 9, pp. 416-418, September 2004; T. Lopetegi et al., "Microstrip wigglyline bandpass filters with multispurious rejection", IEEE Microw. Wireless Compon. Lett., vol. 14, no. 11, pp. 531-533, November 2004; K. F. Chang et al., "Miniaturized cross-coupled filter with second and third spurious responses suppression", IEEE Microw. Wireless Compon. Lett., vol. 15, no. 2, pp. 122-124, February 2005; P. Cheong et al., "Miniaturized parallel coupled-line bandpass filter with spurious-response suppression", IEEE Trans. Microw. Theory Tech., vol. 53, no. 5, pp. 1810-1816, May 2005; C. F. Chen et al., "Design of microstrip bandpass filters with multiorder spurious-mode suppression", IEEE Trans. Microw. Theory Tech., vol. 53, no. 12, pp. 3788-3793, December 2005; S. C. Lin et al., "Wide-stopband microstrip bandpass filters using dissimilar quarter-wavelength stepped-impedance resonators", IEEE Trans. Microw. Theory Tech., vol. 54, no. 3, pp. 1011-1018, March 2006).
From the above discussion, a switchable bandpass filter that integrates the functions of a bandpass filter and a switch is desired to perform a bandpass filter function with wide stopband extension in the ON state and provide a good isolation while in the OFF state. T. S. Martin et al. develop a ring resonator loaded with a p-i-n diode as a switchable filter (referring to "Theoretical and experimental investigation of novel varactor-tuned switchable microstrip ring resonator circuits", IEEE Trans. Microw. Theory Tech., vol. 36, no. 12, pp. 1733-1739, December 1988). By mounting the p-i-n diodes across the gap at 90 degrees from the feed point, the odd modes can be switched according to different bias conditions to control the ON and OFF states. However, it occupied a large layout size, and a high-order implementation is difficult. Y. H. Shu et al. present a coplanar waveguide-slotline switchable filer, in which p-i-n diodes are mounted over the end of the open stubs to make the circuit switchable (referring to "Electronically switchable and tunable coplanar waveguide-slotline bandpass filters", IEEE Trans. Microw. Theory Tech., vol. 39, no. 3, pp. 548-554, March 1991). J. Lee et al. propose a switchable microstrip bandpass filter based on quarter-wavelength short-stub structures (referring to "A bandpass filter-integrated switch using field-effect transistors and its power analysis", IEEE MTT-S Int. Microw. Symp. Dig., June 2006). The quarter-wavelength resonators were replaced by inductive short-stubs shunt with passive FETs to make it switchable. However, these previously mentioned designs mainly focus on designing the performance around the passbands, meaning that only the ON-state filter response and OFF-state isolation in the vicinity of the center frequency were considered. Consequently, those designs would suffer from unwanted spurious response and narrowband isolation in the ON and OFF states, respectively.

Switchable bandpass filter having stepped-impedance resonators loaded with diodes


An aqueous composition suitable for use, when dry, as an improved elastomeric coating, caulk, sealant, or pressure sensitive adhesive is provided including a predominantly acrylic aqueous emulsion polymer, the polymer having a glass transition temperature (Tg) from xe2x88x9290xc2x0 C. to 20xc2x0 C., formed by the free radical polymerization of at least one ethylenically unsaturated nonionic acrylic monomer and 0.5-5%, by weight based on the total weight of said polymer, ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid monomer until 90-99.7% of said monomers by weight, based on the total weight of said polymer, has been converted to polymer and subsequently at least half of the remaining monomer is converted to polymer in the presence of 0.1-1.0 wt %, by weight based on the total weight of said polymer, t-amyl hydroperoxide. A method for preparing the emulsion polymer, a method for coating a substrate to provide an elastomeric coating on a substrate, a method for applying an aqueous caulk or sealant composition to a substrate, and a method for providing a pressure sensitive adhesive on a substrate are also provided.

This invention relates to an aqueous composition suitable for use when dry as an improved elastomeric coating, caulk, sealant or pressure sensitive adhesive, a method for preparing an aqueous emulsion polymer suitable for use as an improved elastomeric coating, caulk, sealant or pressure sensitive adhesive, and a methods for providing an improved elastomeric coating, caulk or sealant, or pressure sensitive adhesive. More particularly this invention relates to an aqueous composition suitable for use when dry as an improved elastomeric coating, caulk, sealant or pressure sensitive adhesive including a predominantly acrylic aqueous emulsion polymer, the polymer having a glass transition temperature (Tg) from xe2x88x9290xc2x0 C. to 20xc2x0 C., the polymer formed by the free radical polymerization of at least one ethylenically unsaturated nonionic acrylic monomer and 0.5-5%, by weight based on the total weight of the polymer, ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid monomer, until 90-99.7% of the monomers by weight, based on the total weight of the polymer, has been converted to polymer; and the subsequent polymerization at least half, by weight, of the remaining monomer to polymer in the presence of 0.1-1.0%, by weight based on the total weight of the polymer, t-amyl hydroperoxide.
The present invention serves to provide an aqueous composition suitable for use when dry as an improved elastomeric coating, caulk, or sealant so as to retain its integrity without cracking under stress even at temperatures below 0 C. Elastomeric coatings, caulks, and sealants are frequently applied to buildings and other constructions subjected to outdoor temperature extremes and desirably retain their integrity under such conditions. Also, the present serves to provide an aqueous composition suitable for use when dry as an improved pressure sensitive adhesive having improved tack which may be desirable in itself or, alternatively, provide the basis for enhancement of other adhesive properties such as peel or shear strength with retention of useful levels of tack.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,540,987 discloses emulsion polymers having low residual formaldehyde and providing saturated cellulosic webs having improved. tensile strength. The polymers are formed by the use of an hydrophobic hydroperoxide and ascorbic acid initiator throughout the course of the reaction.
The problem faced by the inventors is the provision of an aqueous composition suitable for use when dry as an improved elastomeric coating, caulk, sealant or pressure sensitive adhesive. Unexpectedly, the inventors found that the use of t-amyl hydroperoxide in the last stages of the polymerization was sufficient to provide polymers which led improved elastomeric coating, caulk, sealant or pressure sensitive adhesives.
In a first aspect of the present invention there is provided an aqueous composition suitable for use when dry as an improved elastomeric coating, caulk, sealant or pressure sensitive adhesive including a predominantly acrylic aqueous emulsion polymer, the polymer having a glass transition temperature (Tg) from xe2x88x9290xc2x0 C. to 20xc2x0 C., formed by the free radical polymerization of at least one ethylenically unsaturated nonionic acrylic monomer and 0.5-5%, by weight based on the total weight of the polymer, ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid monomer until 90-99.7% of the monomers by weight, based on the total weight of the polymer, has been converted to polymer and subsequently at least half of the remaining monomer is converted to polymer in the presence of 0.1-1.0%, by weight based on the total weight of the polymer, t-amyl hydroperoxide.
In a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a method for preparing an aqueous emulsion polymer suitable for use in an improved elastomeric coating, caulk, sealant or pressure sensitive adhesive including forming a predominantly acrylic aqueous emulsion polymer, the polymer having a glass transition temperature (Tg) from xe2x88x9290xc2x0 C. to 20xc2x0 C., by the free radical polymerization of at least one ethylenically unsaturated nonionic acrylic monomer and 0.5-5%, by weight based on the total weight of the polymer, ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid monomer until 90-99.7% of the monomers by weight, based on the total weight of the polymer, has been converted to polymer; and subsequently polymerizing at least half of the remaining monomer to polymer in the presence of 0.1-1.0%, by weight based on the total weight of said polymer, t-amyl hydroperoxide.
In a third aspect of the present invention there is provided a method for coating a substrate with an aqueous composition to provide an elastomeric coating on a substrate. In a fourth aspect of the present invention there is provided a method for applying an aqueous caulk or sealant composition to a substrate. In a fifth aspect of the present invention there is provided a method for providing a pressure sensitive adhesive on a substrate.
This invention relates to an aqueous composition suitable for use when dry as an elastomeric coating having improved low temperature elongation including a predominantly acrylic aqueous emulsion polymer, the polymer having a glass transition temperature (Tg) from xe2x88x9290xc2x0 C. to 20xc2x0 C., formed by the free radical polymerization of at least one ethylenically unsaturated nonionic acrylic monomer and 0.5-5%, by weight based on the total weight of the polymer, ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid monomer until 90-99.7% of the monomers by weight, based on the total weight of the polymer, has been converted to polymer and subsequently at least half of the remaining monomer is converted to polymer in the presence of 0.1-1.0%, by weight based on the total weight of the polymer, t-amyl hydroperoxide.
The predominantly acrylic aqueous emulsion polymer contains at least one copolymerized ethylenically unsaturated nonionic acrylic monomer. By xe2x80x9cpredominantly acrylicxe2x80x9d herein is meant that the polymer contains greater than 50%, by weight, copolymerized units deriving from (meth)acrylic monomers such as, for example, (meth)acrylate esters, (meth)acrylamides, (meth)acrylonitrile, and (meth)acrylic acid. The use of the term xe2x80x9c(meth)xe2x80x9d followed by another term such as acrylate or acrylamide, as used throughout the disclosure, refers to both acrylates or acrylamides and methacrylates and methacrylamides, respectively.
By xe2x80x9cnonionic monomerxe2x80x9d herein is meant that the copolymerized monomer residue does not bear an ionic charge between pH=1-14.
The ethylenically unsaturated nonionic acrylic monomers include, for example, (meth)acrylic ester monomers including methyl acrylate, ethyl acrylate, butyl acrylate, 2-ethylhexyl acrylate, decyl acrylate, lauryl acrylate, methyl methacrylate, butyl methacrylate, isodecyl methacrylate, lauryl methacrylate, hydroxyethyl methacrylate, hydroxypropyl methacrylate. Other ethylenically unsaturated nonionic monomers which may be incorporated into the polymer with the proviso that the polymer must be predominantly acrylic in composition include, for example, styrene and substituted styrenes; butadiene; vinyl acetate, vinyl butyrate and other vinyl esters; and vinyl monomers such as vinyl chloride, vinylidene chloride. Preferred are all-acrylic, styrene/acrylic, and vinyl acertate/acrylic polymers.
The emulsion polymer contains from 0.5% to 5%, by weight based on total monomer weight, of a copolymerized monoethylenically-unsaturated carboxylic acid monomer, based on the weight of the polymer, such as, for example, acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, crotonic acid, itaconic acid, fumaric acid, maleic acid, monomethyl itaconate, monomethyl fumarate, monobutyl fumarate, and maleic anhydride.
The emulsion polymer used in this invention may contain from 0% to 1%, by weight based on monomer weight, copolymerized multi-ethylenically unsaturated monomers such as, for example, allyl methacrylate, diallyl phthalate, 1,4-butylene glycol dimethacrylate, 1,2-ethylene glycol dimethacrylate, 1,6-hexanediol diacrylate, and divinyl benzene.
The glass transition temperature (xe2x80x9cTgxe2x80x9d) of the emulsion polymer is from xe2x88x9290xc2x0 C to 20xc2x0 C., as measured by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) taking the mid-point in the heat flow versus temperature transition as the Tg value, the monomers and amounts of the monomers being selected to achieve the desired polymer Tg range as is well known in the art. Preferred Tg of the emulsion polymer for elastomeric wall coatings is from xe2x88x9240xc2x0 C. to 20xc2x0 C. of caulks and sealants is xe2x88x9260xc2x0 C. to 20xc2x0 C.; of pressure sensitive adhesives is xe2x88x9290xc2x0 C. to 0xc2x0 C.
The polymerization techniques used to prepare aqueous emulsion-polymers are well known in the art. In the emulsion polymerization process conventional surfactants may be used such as, for example, anionic and/or nonionic emulsifiers such as, for example, alkali metal or ammonium salts of alkyl, aryl, or alkylaryl sulfates, sulfonates or phosphates; alkyl sulfonic acids; sulfosuccinate salts; fatty acids; ethylenically unsaturated surfactant monomers; and ethoxylated alcohols or phenols. The amount of surfactant used is usually 0.1% to 6% by weight, based on the weight of monomer. Either thermal or redox initiation processes may be used. The reaction temperature is maintained at a temperature lower than 100xc2x0 C. throughout the course of the reaction. Preferred is a reaction temperature between 30xc2x0 C. and 95xc2x0 C., more preferably between 50xc2x0 C. and 90xc2x0 C. The monomer mixture may be added neat or as an emulsion in water. The monomer mixture may be added in one or more additions or continuously, linearly or not, over the reaction period, or combinations thereof
Conventional free radical initiators may be used such as, for example, hydrogen peroxide, sodium peroxide, potassium peroxide, t-butyl hydroperoxide, cumene hydroperoxide, ammonium and/or alkali metal persulfates, sodium perborate, perphosphoric acid and salts thereof, potassium permanganate, and ammonium or alkali metal salts of peroxydisulfuric acid, typically at a level of 0.01% to 3.0% by weight, based on the weight of total monomer. Redox systems using the same initiators coupled with a suitable reductant such as, for example, sodium sulfoxylate formaldehyde, ascorbic acid, isoascorbic acid, alkali metal and ammonium salts of sulfur-containing acids, such as sodium sulfite, bisulfite, thiosulfate, hydrosulfite, sulfide, hydrosulfide or dithionite, formadinesulfinic acid, hydroxymethanesulfonic acid, acetone bisulfite, amines such as ethanolamine, glycolic acid, glyoxylic acid hydrate, lactic acid, glyceric acid, malic acid, tartaric acid and salts of the preceding acids may be used. Redox reaction catalyzing metal salts of iron, copper, manganese, silver, platinum, vanadium, nickel, chromium, palladium, or cobalt may be used. However, after 90-99.7%, preferably 95-99.7%, of the monomers by weight, based on the total weight of the polymer, have been converted to polymer, at least half of the remaining monomer is converted to polymer in the presence of 0.1-1.0%, by weight based on the total weight of the polymer, of t-amyl hydroperoxide. This part of the reaction may be effected as soon as 90-99.7%, preferably 95-99.7%, conversion of the monomers to polymer is completed in the same reaction vessel or kettle. It may be effected after a period of time, in a different reaction vessel or kettle, or at a different temperature than the preceding part of the polymerization. Preferred is the presence of t-amyl hydroperoxide only after 90%, more preferably after 95%, conversion of the monomers to polymer is completed.
Chain transfer agents such as, for example, halogen compounds such as tetrabromomethane; allyl compounds; or mercaptans such as alkyl thioglycolates, alkyl mercaptoalkanoates, and C4-C22 linear or branched alkyl mercaptans may be used to lower the molecular weight of the formed polymer and/or to provide a different molecular weight distribution than would otherwise have been obtained with any free-radical-generating initiator(s). Linear or branched C4-C22 alkyl mercaptans such as n-dodecyl mercaptan and t-dodecyl mercaptan are preferred. Chain transfer agent(s) may be added in one or more additions or continuously, linearly or not, over most or all of the entire reaction period or during limited portion(s) of the reaction period such as, for example, in the kettle charge and in the reduction of residual monomer stage.
The average particle diameter of the emulsion-polymerized polymer particles is preferred to be from 30 nanometers to 500 nanometers, as measured by a BI-90 Particle Sizer.
The aqueous composition is prepared by techniques which are well known in the coatings art. First, if the elastomeric coating, caulk, sealant or pressure sensitive adhesive composition is to be pigmented, at least one pigment is well dispersed in an aqueous medium under high shear such as is afforded by a COWLES(copyright) mixer or, for more viscous compositions such as caulks and sealants, a high intensity mixer or mill. Then the waterborne polymer is added under lower shear stirring along with other elastomeric coating, caulk, sealant or pressure sensitive adhesive adjuvants as desired. Alternatively, the aqueous emulsion polymer may be included in the pigment dispersion step. The aqueous composition may contain conventional elastomeric coating, caulk, sealant or pressure sensitive adhesive adjuvants such as, for example, tackifiers, pigments, emulsifiers, coalescing agents, buffers, neutralizers, thickeners or rheology modifiers, humectants, wetting agents, biocides, plasticizers, antifoaming agents, colorants, waxes, and anti-oxidants.
The solids content of the aqueous coating composition may be from about 10% to about 85% by volume. The viscosity of the aqueous composition may be from 0.05 to 2000 Pa.s (50 cps to 2,000,000 cps), as measured using a Brookfield viscometer; the viscosities appropriate for different end uses and application methods vary considerably.
The aqueous composition may applied by conventional application methods such as, for example, brushing and spraying methods such as, for example, roll coating, doctor-blade application, printing methods, air-atomized spray, air-assisted spray, airless spray, high volume low pressure spray, air-assisted airless spray, caulk guns, and trowels.
The aqueous composition may be applied to a substrate such as, for example, plastic including sheets and films, wood, metal, previously painted surfaces, cementitious substrates, asphaltic substrates or the like, with or without a prior substrate treatment such as an acid etch or corona discharge or a primer.
The aqueous composition coated on the substrate is typically dried, or allowed to dry, at a temperature from 20xc2x0 C. to 95xc2x0 C.
The following examples are presented to illustrate the invention and the results obtained by the test procedures.
Abbreviations
AA=acrylic acid
BA=butyl acrylate
MMA=methyl methacrylate
AN=acrylonitrile
EHA=2-ethylhexyl acrylate
DI water=deionized water

Method of coating substrate with polymer from nonionic acrylic monomer and unsaturated carboxylic acid monomer