An ultrasound cardiac stimulation system comprising: a spatially selective ultrasound source comprising at least one ultrasound transducer located outside the circulatory system; and a controller; where the controller generates an electrical response in the heart by directing the ultrasound source to transmit a high enough power level of ultrasound to one or more locations in the heart.

The myocardium is susceptible to mechanical stimulation: case reports have detailed incidents of cardiac arrest due to a ball or a fist hitting the person's thorax. Physiological studies have reported initiation of an action potential due to a mechanical stimulation such as tapping of the epicardium [Avitall, B., Levine, H. J., Naimi, S., Donahue, R. P., Pauker, S. G., and Adam, D. R., "Local effects of electrical and mechanical stimulation on the recovery properties of canine ventricle," Am. J. Cardiology 50, 263-270 (1982)], or due to stretch. Separately, high energy ultrasound pulses have been reported to shatter kidney stones, while also affecting inner cellular structures and membrane properties. In particular, it has been reported that ultrasound pulses increase membrane permeability and specific ion flow. Ultrasound transducers attached to cardiac catheters have been used to induce electrical activity locally in the heart, for diagnostic purposes. External ultrasound transducers used for imaging have also been observed to induce action potentials in the heart, inadvertently, especially when contrast agents containing small bubbles are injected into the bloodstream. Because of the danger of inducing action potentials in the heart in an uncontrolled way, great care is taken during ultrasound imaging of the heart not to induce action potentials.
Direct electrical stimulation of the heart is done for cardiac pacing, usually via electrodes implanted during surgery. Electrical stimulation is also used to measure cardiac response, as a diagnostic, and for this purpose electrodes may be inserted by catheters via the venous or arterial system. Catheters are also used to carry laser or RF or ultrasound energy to specific sites in the heart or elsewhere in the circulatory system, in order to ablate tissue for therapeutic purposes. All of these invasive procedures involve obvious risks and expenses.
Ultrasound energy from external transducer arrays has been focused on tumors in order to destroy them by heating.

Technion Research & Development Foundation Ltd.


To assure that electrical connection and disconnection can be achieved without any removal of dark current fuses from a fuse holder, a mechanism for connecting them to and disconnecting them from opponent contact terminals. The mechanism includes a fuse holder having the dark current fuses received therein, a fuse block having the contact members received therein, provisional engaging mechanism serving to hold terminal tabs of each dark current fuse in the electrically disconnected state and firm engaging mechanism serving to hold the terminal tabs in the electrically connected state. The provisional engaging mechanism is constructed of provisional engagement projections on the fuse block and engagement pawls on the fuse holder. The firm engaging mechanism is constructed of firm engagement projections on the fuse block and engagement portions of engagement wall portions on the fuse holder. Alternatively, the provisional engaging mechanism may be constructed of guide projections and engagement projections on the fuse block and cutout grooves and provisional engagement projections on the fuse holder. In this case, firm engagement projections are formed at the position in the vicinity of the terminal ends of the cutout grooves.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a mechanism for electrically connecting and disconnecting dark current fuses. More particularly, the present invention relates to a mechanism for electrically connecting and disconnecting dark current fuses employable for circuits in electrical equipment connected directly to a battery mounted in an automobile.
2. Background
To facilitate an understanding of the present invention, a typical conventional mechanism for electrically connecting and disconnecting dark current fuses, as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Publication No. 62-18947, will briefly be described below with reference to FIG. 11.
Referring to FIG. 11, reference numerals 45 and 46 designate fuse insertion blocks arranged in an electrical connection box 47. As is apparent from the drawing, the fuse insertion block 45 for receiving a dark current fuse 48 extends upwardly to a greater extent than the other fuse block 46 which receives an ordinary fuse 49.
The dark current fuse 48 is practically used to maintain a dark current component, such as a clock, connected directly to a battery in the electrically OFF state until an automobile is delivered to the user after completion of production of the automobile. Usually, the dark current fuse 48 is disconnected from the fuse block in the production factory, and is reinserted in the fuse block later by a dealer before the automobile is delivered to the user. To assure that the dealer can easily insert the dark current fuse in its fuse block 45, the fuse block 45 is intentionally designed to protrude relatively high so as to enable the dark current fuse to be easily distinguished from the other ordinary fuse blocks by the dealer.
With the conventional mechanism constructed in the above-described manner, however, a problem occurs in that the dark current fuse is often lost since there is no means for retaining the dark current fuse after it has been removed from the fuse block.

Mechanism for electrically connecting and disconnecting dark current fuses


A particle photographing device 2 includes: an illumination optical system 13 that illuminates particles with sheet-like illumination light based on laser light from an end of an optical fiber 7; an imaging portion 6 that images the illuminated particles; and a regulation portion 14 that changes the distance between the end of the optical fiber 7 and the illumination optical system 13.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a particle photographing device that photographs particles dispersed in a fluid, and a flow velocity measurement device that measures a flow velocity distribution in the fluid using the particle photographing device.
2. Description of the Related Art
A flow velocity measurement device that photographs tracer particles dispersed in a fluid using a particle photographing device, acquires the amount of movement of a tracer particle group based on the imaging data, and measures a flow velocity distribution in the fluid based on the amount of movement has been conventionally known (for example, see Patent Document 1).
The particle photographing device described in Patent Document 1 includes: a probe portion placed in a fluid in which particles are dispersed; an optical fiber that introduces laser light into the probe portion; and an imaging portion that images the particles in the fluid illuminated based on the laser light. The probe portion includes an illumination optical system that illuminates the particles in the fluid based on illumination light generated by diffusing, by a diffuser plate, the laser light emitted from an end position of the optical fiber. In the particle photographing device in Patent Document 1, a slit formed in the probe portion limits the photographing range of the fluid to a band-like area.
However, since the illumination light for illuminating the particles is generated by diffusing the laser light by the diffuser plate, the energy of the laser light available for illumination is lost to some extent by the diffuser plate. The particle photographing device in Patent Document 1 thus has the drawback of low illuminance of illumination light, as compared with a particle photographing device using no diffuser plate.
On the other hand, in measurement of a velocity distribution in a fluid by typical particle image velocimetry (PIV), laser light output from one end of an optical fiber is formed into sheet-like light having an appropriate thickness by an illumination optical system including a plurality of lenses, and the range illuminated by the sheet-like light is photographed. By limiting the photographing range of the fluid to a band-like area in this way, the velocity distribution can be measured accurately.

Particle photographing device and flow velocity measurement device


An optical device has a base body with a surface, a first optically effective, multilayer system in the base body, terminating at an intersection, and a second optically effective, multilayer system. The second system has a layer along the base body surface, spanning the intersection. The surface of the base body, including the intersection, are jointly treated by at least one of: milling, grinding, polishing, and lapping. A further base body with a further surface and a third optically effective system terminating at a further intersection area at the further surface also has a further layer between the second optically effective multilayer system and the further surface.

The present invention concerns an optical element that comprises a base body and an optically effective layer system of which at least one layer system surface contacts the base body according to features of the invention.
The invention also comprises a related manufacturing process the utilization of such a component or process as well as an optical projection arrangement with such a component.
In DE-40 33 842 a cuboid optical element composed of dichroitic layers is referred to as a xe2x80x9cdichroitic prism.xe2x80x9d
In this application the term X-cube is used.
The present invention starts with the problems that exist with known X-cubes, for example, as described in DE-40 33 842, or that occur in its manufacture. The present invention which was developed in order to find a solution to the problems with such elements, can be applied to a number of other optical elements.
For this reason this description begins with the specific problems to be solved on X-cubes and based thereon explains the application of the invention in more general terms.
Based on FIG. 1 the functional principle of an X-cube is explained. Optical elements of this type are principally used in projectors in order to recombine the red/green and blue channels in the spectral range of the visible light. As shown in FIG. 1 such an X-cube 1 comprises-four individual prisms 2a to 2d which can, for example, be made of BK7 glass. In their cross-section they form right-angled isoceles triangles with an angle of 90xc2x0, usually with a tolerance of over xc2x160 angular seconds and hypotenuse angles of 45xc2x0 with tolerances of a few angular minutes. The length of the hypotenuse is typically between 5 mm and 50 mm, preferably 40 mm. Embedded between the two prism pairs 2a and 2b on the one side, 2d and 2c on the other side, there is an optically effective system 5 that largely reflects visible light in the blue range but largely transmits visible light in the green or red range. FIG. 1 shows a part of the blue reflector layer system as a color splitting system, labeled 5xe2x80x2, the other 5xe2x80x3.
Embedded between the two prism pairs 2a and 2d on the one side, 2b and 2c on the other side there is an additional, optically effective layer system 7, that largely reflects light in the red range but largely transmits light in the green range and the blue range. In FIG. 1 also the two legs of the red reflector layer system are shown as a color splitter system, labeled 7xe2x80x2 and 7xe2x80x3.
On the X-cube there are three input channels for red, green and blue light from corresponding sources, for example, LCD controlled, and an output channel with the recombined input signals. On the reflector systems, between each of said prism pairs, the correspondingly colored light, and particularly S-polarized light with an incidence of less than 45xc2x0 is reflected. In addition the hypotenuse surfaces of the prisms 2 can be and usually are coated with an antireflection layer system.
Because the pixels of the red-blue-green input channels should converge as accurately as possible, the angle tolerances on the prism 2 and in the assembled X-cube must be very narrow.
Large tolerances result in a poor imaging quality, because the pictures do not accurately converge: blurring or color fringes occur.
Location 9, shown with dashes in FIG. 1 where the four individual prisms 2 meet, is also located within the imaging optical path. Optical interferences created in this location manifest themselves, as mentioned for example, as a blurred picture in the output channel OUT. It is a requirement of such elements and their manufacturing process to minimize the interferences, particularly in this location 9.
From DE-40 33 842, for example, it is known that X-cubes can be manufactured from four prisms 2 according to FIG. 1. The four individual prisms are first manufactured in their exact dimensions through milling, grinding and polishing. Subsequently they are coated with the appropriate layer system along their legs, and possible on their hypotenuse surfaces with an antireflection coating. Finally the coated individual prisms 2 are cemented together.
Disadvantages of the Known Processes and Known X-cubes
The handling effort required for manufacturing the X-cubes as described, for example, in DE-40 33 842, is very high: First, each of the three lateral sides of each individual prism 2 must be mounted or fixed by plastering, blocking or wringing as shown in FIG. 1 before the glass can be worked. Subsequently the surfaces must be cleaned for coating the individual prisms 2, and then mounted and dismounted for the coating process. On an average two sides per individual prism need to be coated. This laborious handling considerably raises the production costs for such X-cubes.
From FIG. 1, particularly location 9, it is evident that the coating of the red and blue reflecting layer systems must be executed in such a way that the coating does not wrap around the 90xc2x0 edges of the individual prisms. This requires sophisticated coating fixtures or masking of the legs on which no coating may be deposited. In this respect we refer to U.S. Pat. No. 2,737,076 (Rock et al.).
During the coating and the entire handling of the individual prisms 2, the 90xc2x0 prism edges are exposed without protection, that is, especially those edges which according to the foregoing explanation must be very accurate. This inevitably leads to chipping unless laborious precautions to protect these edges are taken, which again increases the costs.
If, for example, anything goes wrong during the coating of the individual prisms 2, such an individual piece must be remounted, ground, and repolished, otherwise it would have to be discarded. Correction processes are at best very difficult to implement.
Cementing in the exact relative position of the individual prisms 2 is very difficult and laborious. Complicated processes such as described in DE-40 33 842 are required. Prisms are cemented individually which is time-consuming and therefore costly.
Independently of said disadvantages the known process results in a structure in location 9 shown in FIG. 1, as can be seen from the detail in FIG. 2. The same reference marks as in FIG. 1 are used. Item number 11 identifies cemented joints.
From this it is evident that the cemented joints 11 cause an interruption of the red light reflection layer system 7 (consisting of 7xe2x80x2 and 7xe2x80x3) as well as the blue light reflection layer system 5 (consisting of 5xe2x80x2, and 5xe2x80x3).
As the X-cube is manufactured by cementing the individual prisms 2 whose 90xc2x0 edges have been exposed to external influences without protection, faults occur almost inevitably in location 9 due to chipping defects along the 90xc2x0 edges of the individual prisms.
The purpose of the present invention is to propose an optical element, in particular an X-cube, which is not afflicted by the disadvantages explained on the basis of FIG. 2.
It is also the objective of the present invention to propose a manufacturing process that is not afflicted by said disadvantages in production, in particular of said X-cubes. The manufacturing process to be found should by highly economical, afford greater accuracy, and require fewer process steps.
In an optical element of the type referred to at the beginning, this is achieved by depositing on the body a second layer system that adjoins the surface of the first layer system at an angle. In this way the first mentioned, optically effective layer system is areally continuous and the second layer system adjoins one of the surfaces of the first one without gap. A structure as has been explained based on FIG. 2 is avoided: According to the invention, with reference to FIG. 2, one of the layer systems, preferably 7, is continuous; individual sections 7xe2x80x2, 7xe2x80x3 no longer exist. According to the invention a second layer system, preferably system 5, 5xe2x80x2 adjoins that continuous layer system 7, and in the case of an X-cube also a third layer system, 5xe2x80x3. This is not illustrated in FIG. 2 which shows the familiar intersection structures.
Characteristic for the process according to the invention is that for solving the aforementioned task one surface each is created on at least two sub-bodies of the base body of the element, where said two surfaces are complementary to each other on at least two sub-bodies, that is, they fit together with close tolerances. Subsequently at least one of these complementary surfaces is coated with an optically effective layer system, in particular the red or blue reflection layer system, if the element to be produced is an X-cube.
Subsequently, said sub-bodies are joined, for example, by cementing along said complementary surfaces with their now embedded layer system. A composite sub-body is thus formed. On the composite sub-body one surface that is common to at least two sub-bodies is processed which is at an angle to the complementary, interconnected surfaces, so that the complementary surfaces along which the sub-bodies are connected intersect the common surface to be processed. Finally another optically effective layer system is deposited along this jointly processed surface.
The preferred design versions of the element or process according to the invention are specified in the dependent claims. The element according to the invention is preferably used as an X-cube, or the process according to the invention is preferably used for manufacturing such X-cubes.
An optical projection arrangement with at least one element designed as an X-cube according to this invention has significantly reduced optical interference, especially in the center area 9 shown in FIG. 2, and due to the proposed production process it can be manufactured more economically and more accurately.

Optical element and its manufacturing process


This invention is directed to characterizing a host system suitable for the production of functional transgenic proteins, such as anti-human IgG, for use in applications requiring Government regulatory approval. It is well known that regulatory agencies required stable, consistent master cell banks and master cell lines for the production of transgenic proteins in order to ensure sufficient material for appropriate characterization, clinical trials, and potential sales. Current plant production systems require the establishment of seed banks for this purpose. However, there are many draw backs related to such a system for the production of a continuous reliable transgenic protein source. An aspect of this invention is directed to characterizing a plant production system suitable for transgenic proteins that meet the stringent regulatory requirements. Another aspect of this invention exemplifies the production and characterization of an anti-human IgG for use as a blood grouping reagents, through the expression of corresponding genes in transgenic alfalfa plants. The cDNAs of the heavy and light chains of a human IgG-specific IgG2a(kappa) murine mAb (C5-1) were transferred into alfalfa through Agrobacterium infection. Transgenic plants expressing the light- and heavy-chain encoding mRNAs were obtained and plants from the F1 progeny (obtained by sexual crossing) were found to express fully assembled C5-1. Furthermore, the transgenic protein was stable in vivo, as well as during extraction and purification procedures. Purification yielded a unique H2L2 form with a reactivity indistinguishable from hybridoma-derived C5-1 in standardized serological tests. Results indicate that plant-derived transgenic proteins, such as mAbs can be used as diagnostic reagents as effectively as hybridoma-derived mAbs, and demonstrates the usefulness of the transformed alfalfa system to produce large amounts of proteins, including multimeric proteins such as mAbs.

Full citations for references appear at the end of the examples section.
The use of proteins for use in a range of pharmaceutically related applications is subject to stringent regulatory requirements established by the Government. For example, in the U.S, the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER) publishes a set of documents outlining the requirements regarding the production and monitoring of proteins produced transgenically (see fttp://www.fdagov/cber/cberftp/html), a similar set of regulations are related to the production and use of biologics in Canada. The CBER documents indicate that a biologic be produced from a reliable and continuous source, in order to ensure that a consistent product is obtained (ftp://ftp.fda.gov/cber/ptc/ptc.sub.-- mab.txt). This is because the product must be extensively tested and verified prior to its approval for use, and be available in the same form for future sales. There are several well established expression systems for the production of a biologic including master cell banks for cell culture, seed banks for transgenic plants, virus seed stocks for transgenic expression systems, and founder strains for transgenic animals. Master vector seed stocks must be generated for the use of transient expression systems, with the stability of the expression constructs routinely tested. If a protein such as a monoclonal antibody is to be produced from a cell line, documentation regarding the characterization of the parent cell line, cell production protocols, purification and quality control are required both of the master cell bank and working cell bank. Any changes to the manufacturing or formulation, especially if clinical trials are initiated require extensive re-characterization of the master and working cell banks and product, since these changes may result in significant changes of biological activity. It is stated within the CBER document "Points to Consider in the Manufacture and Testing of Monoclonal Antibody Products for Human Use" (Feb. 28, 1997), that "[i]t is recommended that the material used in the preclinical studies be manufactured using the same procedures as used or intended for use in manufacturing material for clinical trials". Furthermore, if any scale up is to take place, for example for Phase 2 studies, "that product comparability may have to be demonstrated . . . [which] may or may not require additional clinical studies" (ftp://ftp.fda.gov/cber/ptc/ptc.sub.-- mab.txt).
Plants have been used for the production of transgenic proteins, however, the same considerations that apply to the maintenance of master cell lines as discussed above, apply to the plant equivalent (see Miele, 1997). Seed banks for transgenic plants require periodic amplification since seeds can not be stored indefinitely. The storage of seed stocks must reduce potential genetic damage of the transgene of interest. Any other factors that may affect the seed bank must also be controlled including contamination of the seed by insects, fungi or bacteria. Furthermore, the stability of the transgene must be determined, as well as the levels of product expression in representative plants of a given seed lot, or between seed lots following reamplification of the seed bank. Additional data may also be required that compares the product prepared from different seed banks. This latter characterization also applies to year to year variations in harvested seed stocks. In general product development requires the constant monitoring of the biochemical and biological properties of the transgenic product (Miele, 1997). When these criteria are coupled to plant systems for the production of multimeric proteins the problem is compounded, since, in order to produce hybrid seeds capable of producing multimeric proteins, transgenic plants obtained from homologous seed lots, which require re-amplification and maintenance as outlined above, need to be crossed in order to produce the final hybrid seed, which again must be maintained as defined above. Clearly an alternate source of transgenic protein that is stable, and results in a continuous supply of protein without necessitating the extensive maintenance of multiples of seed banks is required.
The preparation of transgenic proteins with plants is well established within the literature and several successful transformation systems have been established. For example, multimeric proteins have been prepared via sexually crossing progeny of tobacco plants (Hiatt 1990, Hiatt and Pinney, 1992; Ma et al 1995), however, all plant sources to date that have been used for transgenic protein production for pharmaceutical applications have utilized annual plants. This necessitates the constant reamplification and reverification of seed bank stocks as described above. Clearly if an perennial plant species is utilized for the generation of transgenic proteins, the overall maintenance costs, and lot-to-lot variability would be greatly reduced. Furthermore, if vegetative structures of the perennial plant are harvested as a source of the transgenic protein, the regulatory requirements are reduced even more. In order to ensure the production of a perennial source of transgenic protein many factors must be taken into account that relate to the above requirements regarding reliability consistency of the product derived from a stable, continuous source.
One of the most important blood grouping reagents is the anti-human IgG reagent used for the detection of non-agglutinating antibodies. Mouse mAbs with suitable anti-human IgG specificity have been obtained and are gradually replacing the rabbit polyclonal anti-human IgG traditionally used in the Coombs' reagent (St Laurent et al 1993). These mAbs are produced by large-scale culture of B cell hybridomas. While reliable, this process is costly due to the need for sophisticated equipment, expensive culture media and trained personnel. In comparison with other diagnostic applications of mAbs, the market for proteins used in blood bank testing is highly competitive; consequently, prices for proteins are relatively low and the cost-efficiency of mAb production has become a critical issue.
The isolation of cDNA clones encoding the light and heavy chains of mAbs has allowed the expression of antibody genes in various heterologous systems including bacteria, fungi, insect cells, plants and non-lymphoid mammalian cells (Wang et al 1995; Wright et al 1992.). Amongst these systems, plants appear to be one of the most promising for cost-efficiency. However, following the initial demonstration in tobacco, it became important to find crop plants in which this technology could be brought to face modern demands for marketability. Hiatt et al (WO 96/21012, published Jul. 11, 1996) disclose methods for, and the preparation of therapeutic immunoglobulins ("protection proteins"), for use against mucosal pathogens, in plants. In EP 0 657 538, Galeffi and Natali disclose the production of antibodies for therapeutic or diagnostic use that recognize HER-2 oncogene present in mammary and ovary tumours. It is important to find crop plants in which recombinant proteins can be produced and that can face modem demands for marketability. These demands not only include competitivity of production costs, but also reliability, which implies that unless long-term stable supplies of the purified recombinant molecule can be established, means of insuring the perenniality of the homologated source material from which clonal populations can be derived must be developed. For B cell hybridomas, perenniality is insured by the establishment of a master cell bank, which consists of aliquots of cells taken from homogeneous pool and cryopreserved in liquid nitrogen. Hiatt (1990) suggests that alfalfa, soybean, tomato and potato may be useful alternatives as hosts for the propagation of antibodies. Alfalfa is one of the cheapest plant biomass to produce in current agro-ecosystems, and its perenniality in most climatic conditions makes it an attractive crop for sustainable agriculture. Furthermore, alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) does not require annual tilling and planting, and the use of residual plant tissue for animal feed is well established (Austin and Bingham, 1997). However, several studies have examined the degree of proteolysis in ensiled forage species, and it known that proteolysis is more extensive in legume forages species than in grass species, with alfalfa exhibiting the highest rate and extent of proteolysis (Jones et al, 1995; Papadopoulos and McKersie, 1983). Furthermore, it is well known within the art that not all alfalfa plants are perennial, and of the perennial alfalfa plants not all are amenable to transformation protocols (Desgagnes, 1995).
The stability of transgenic proteins within plant tissues, and upon its extraction has been of concern in the literature. However, little is known about antibody stability in plant cell systems (Wongsamuth and Doran, 1997). Several workers (Hiatt et al (1989), During et al (1990), Ma et al (1995), Ma and Hein (1995), Schouten (1996)) have observed that chimeric constructs containing signal sequences for directing co-translational insertion of the constructs within the endoplasmic reticulum increase the stability of constructs within transgenic plants. In the absence of leader sequences, transgenic protein recovery is very low (Hiatt et al, 1989). It is a general practice to include protease inhibitors within the extraction cocktails in order to maximize protein recovery from transgenic plant tissues. However, marketable production of transgenic proteins from plants requires simplicity. For example, Austin and Bingham (1997) review large scale maceration and juice extraction protocols at the field site with final processing taking place at a processing plant several hours later. Such protocols employ the use of water and mechanical maceration and would be impractical if proteolysis within the extract was of concern, or if protease inhibitors were required during extraction. This is especially true for the application of alfalfa species known to exhibit high rates of proteolysis, especially after harvest (Jones et al 1995; Papadopoulos and McKersie 1983).
One kg of mAb has a present market value of $1,000,000 to $10,000,000. When production costs are estimated per gm of C5-1 produced under greenhouse conditions, including heating, manpower and consumables for extraction and purification, in a 250 m.sup.2 with an expected yield of 100 g per year, the cost per g of C5-1 would be between $500-$600, yet yield a market value of $400,000. Such estimates demonstrate that recombinant proteins could be produced cost-effectively in plants, however, a suitable plant system needs to be established. An aspect of an embodiment of this invention is directed to determining the characteristics required for a suitable transgenic plant line that can be used to produce a transgenic protein of interest that meets many of the criteria established within the CBER recommendations for a biologic compound.

Protein production in transgenic alfalfa plants

Her Majesty the Queen in right of Canada, as represented by the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food


Systems, methods, and computer program products for capturing and analyzing image data, preferably video data, are disclosed. The inventive concepts include using multiple frames of image data to generate a composite image, where the composite image may be characterized by a higher resolution than one or more of the individual frames used to generate the composite image, and/or absence of a blurred region present in one or more of the individual frames. Inventive techniques also include determining a minimum capture resolution appropriate for capturing images of particular objects for downstream processing, and optionally triggering generation of a composite image having sufficient resolution to facilitate the downstream processing in response to detecting one or more frames of image data are characterized by a resolution, and/or a region having a resolution, less than the minimum capture resolution appropriate for capturing images of those particular objects.

Modern mobile devices are well adapted to capturing images of a variety of objects, including documents, persons, automobiles, etc. Improvements to the mobile device camera capabilities and/or processing power make applications for capturing and/or processing digital image data using a mobile device increasingly attractive in an increasingly mobile-device-driven economy.
However, limitations of the mobile device hardware and practical limitations of capturing images using a mobile device present major challenges to efficient and effective digital image processing. For example, digital images captured using a mobile device are often of insufficient quality for subsequent processing due to one or more artifacts such as blur, uneven illumination, insufficient illumination, oversaturated illumination, insufficient resolution, projective effects, etc. Attempts to process digital images including such artifacts may fail completely or produce inadequate quality results for the desired application. At best, the user may be required to repeat the capture operation and attempt to improve the quality of the image, but in some cases recapturing the image may be impossible, resulting in lost opportunity for acquiring images of important but transient circumstances, such as the location or condition of a person or vehicle before, during, and/or after an automobile accident.
Accordingly, it would be beneficial to provide systems, methods, and/or computer program products capable of capturing and/or processing data other than still digital images in a manner that overcomes the challenges presented above and improve users' ability to capture and process data, especially using mobile devices.

Systems and methods for improving video captured using mobile devices


Disclosed is a flooring system consisting of a slab (or base) floor, a floor covering, and a composite underlayment extending between the slab floor and floor covering. The composite underlayment may include, for example, one or more set gypsum layers with embedded fibrous mats. An exterior plastic coating is mechanically adhered to an underlying set gypsum layer. The plastic coating chemically bonds and cross-links with polymer additives within the set gypsum core. The result is an underlayment that is a fully integrated polymer matrix with greatly improved durability and surface strength with only minimal increases in cost or weight.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an improved flooring system. More particularly, the present invention relates to a flooring system that utilizes a composite underlayment.
2. Description of the Background Art
Flooring systems generally include a structural subfloor, which can be a concrete slab or wooden foundation. An underlayment is then installed over the subfloor to provide a smooth surface for the application of a floor covering. It is known in the art to use gypsum-based building materials as a flooring underlayment. Gypsum-based building materials are generally constructed by depositing a layer of cementitious gypsum slurry between two opposing paper liners. Gypsum slurry is the semi-hydrous form of calcium sulfate and has many physical characteristics that make it suitable for use as a building component. For example, gypsum boards generally have a smooth external surface, a consistent thickness, and allow for the application a covering, such as tiles or wood flooring. Gypsum-based buildings materials are desirable because they provide a degree of fire resistance and sound abatement.
An example of a gypsum-based floor underlayment is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,651,564 to Francis and assigned to Georgia-Pacific Gypsum, LLC. The Francis patent illustrates a high strength floor underlayment comprising a dry mixture of beta type gypsum, fly ash, a water reducing aid, and a conventional set retarder.
U.S. Pub. No. 20060264548 to Liu discloses a surface enhancing coating for gypsum-containing floor underlayments. The coating prepares an underlayment to receive an adhesive and includes a water-soluble latex primer, a defoamer, and a dual-function surface enhancing agent. The surface enhancing agent includes a set accelerator that also functions to cross link the adhesive and harden the surface of the underlayment.
Additionally, U.S. Pat. No. 6,673,177 to Buckwalter and assigned to Armstrong World Industries, Inc. discloses a preglued underlayment assembly. The assembly comprises a substantially rigid underlayment having an adhesive layer disposed on the upper surface. A release layer is disposed over the adhesive. Another pressure sensitive layer and another release layer are optionally provided on the lower surface of the underlayment. Furthermore, one or more performance enhancing layers, such as a foam layer or solid layer, can be disposed between the underlayment and the adhesive layer.
Although the above referenced flooring constructions achieve their own individual objectives, there exists a need in the art for a flooring underlayment with improved physical properties. More specifically, there exists a need in the art for an underlayment that can provide enhanced flexibility, water repellency, fire resistance, friction, shear resistance, and load carrying capacities. There is also a need in the art for an underlayment that provides these physical properties without unduly increasing weight or cost. The present invention is aimed at achieving these and other objectives.

Composite floor underlayment with thermoplastic coatings


An article is protected with a wear-resistant coating. The wear-coated article is thereafter treated to produce a chemical conversion coating on any portions of the surface of the article accessible through micropores in the wear-resistant coating. For steel articles, the wear-resistant coating is preferably a titanium nitride-based intermetallic compound such as TiN, Ti2N, (TiAl)N, Ti(CN), (TiAl)(CN), ZrN, and CrN, and the chemical conversion coating is preferably a phosphate-based compound.

This invention relates to the treatment of articles to provide a wear-resistant, corrosion-resistant surface.
Some steel compositions, termed xe2x80x9cstainless steelsxe2x80x9d, are inherently partially corrosion resistant, which others, termed herein xe2x80x9ccommonxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9ccarbonxe2x80x9d steels, are not. Articles made of the stainless steels are more expensive than comparable articles made of the common steels. To achieve some of the benefits of stainless steels with reduced cost and also to further enhance some of the stainless steels, the surfaces of steel articles may be treated to improve their corrosion resistance.
In one approach widely used to treat steel articles, such as components of firearms, the article is carefully cleaned in a series of steps, and contacted to a hot, acidic phosphate solution. The phosphate solution reacts with the steel to produce a phosphate-based chemical conversion coating on the surface of the steel. This approach, commonly termed Parkerizing, improves the corrosion resistance of the steel to some corrosive environments. In another approach, the steel article is oxidized in a controlled manner to produce an iron oxide coating, a process termed xe2x80x9cbluingxe2x80x9d after the resulting color. Many other types of corrosion-resistant coatings for steel and other metals are known.
The commonly available coatings for steels and other metals produce improved corrosion resistance, but they are removed relatively easily by abrasion and are therefore less durable than desired. Additionally, many have colors and physical appearances that are unattractive. For example, Parkerizing may result in a relatively rough surface that does not resist wear well.
On the other hand, there are many approaches that increase the wear resistance of surfaces. Common steels are often carburized or nitrided to produce a carbon-rich or nitrogen-rich region at the surface, which is harder and thence more corrosion resistant than the underlying metal. Unfortunately, such wear-resistant coatings do not have good corrosion resistance in many commonly encountered corrosive environments.
There is a need for an improved surface treatment for metals such as steel, which is both wear resistant and corrosion resistant. The present invention fulfills this need, and further provides related advantages.
The present invention provides an article having a surface that is both highly wear-resistant and highly corrosion resistant. The color and appearance of the surface may be varied over a wide range by controlling the processing. If, after a period of service, the corrosion resistance of the article is reduced, it may be restored with a relatively simple, inexpensive treatment. In a preferred embodiment, the surface absorbs and retains oil to further improve its corrosion resistance.
In accordance with the invention, an article comprises a substrate having a surface, and a wear-resistant coating on the surface of the substrate, preferably an intermetallic compound, wherein the wear-resistant coating has micropores therethrough. There is a corrosion-resistant coating on that portion of the surface of the substrate accessible through the micropores.
In the associated processing, a method for preparing an article comprises the steps of furnishing a substrate having a surface, wear coating the surface of the substrate with a wear-resistant coating; and thereafter contacting the wear-coated surface of the substrate to a reactant operable to form a corrosion-resistant inorganic coating on the substrate.
The preferred substrate is a steel, preferably a common steel (as distinct from a stainless steel). The wear-resistant coating on the steel is desirably a titanium nitride-based coating including at least one compound selected from the group consisting of titanium nitride (TiN), di-titanium nitride (Ti2N), titanium aluminum nitride ((TiAl)N), titanium carbonitride (Ti(CN)), titanium aluminum carbonitride ((TiAl)(CN)), chromium nitride (CrN), and zirconium nitride (ZrN), and mixtures thereof. These compounds have good wear resistance and their color and physical appearance may be controllably established by the selection of the compound and its processing. The corrosion-resistant coating is preferably a conversion coating such as a phosphate.
The wear-resistant coatings such as the titanium nitride-based coating impart good wear resistance and, where present on the surface, good corrosion resistance. However, the inventors have observed that there may be, and usually are, small openings or cracks, collectively termed xe2x80x9cmicroporesxe2x80x9d herein, in the wear-resistant coating. The underlying surface of the article substrate is exposed to the external environment through these micropores. The micropores may be present even in carefully coated articles, or the micropores may be intentionally introduced to retain oil therein. Such micropores may result from irregularities in the coating operation or from subsequent cracking of the wear-resistant coating due to its relatively low ductility. Whatever their source, the micropores provide locations for the initiation of corrosion of the underlying surface, leading to its corrosion damage.
Without this knowledge, the formation of the corrosion-resistant coating after the wear-resistant coating has been applied would seem to be redundant, inasmuch as the material of the wear-resistant coating itself has reasonably good corrosion resistance, and there would be no reason to apply the corrosion-resistant coating after the wear-resistant coating. The subsequently applied corrosion-resistant coating has little effect on the surface of the wear-resistant coating, but it has a significant effect in the portion of the surface of the substrate that is exposed through the micropores. The great majority of the surface of the coated article remains the wear-resistant coating, and consequently the article has good wear resistance to both wearing and erosive damage. Yet it also has excellent corrosion resistance because the otherwise-exposed surface of the article is protected.
The present treatment process of application of a wear-resistant coating followed by application of a corrosion-resistant coating is preferably performed on new articles. At a later time, additional micropores may be produced in the wear-resistant coating by hard use or for other reasons. New unprotected surface regions of the substrate are thereby exposed, and corrosion of these regions may result. In that event, the corrosion-resistance coating procedure may be repeated to protect the newly exposed surface regions.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following more detailed description of the preferred embodiment, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention. The scope of the invention is not, however, limited to this preferred embodiment.

Surface treatment for improved hardness and corrosion resistance

deceasedby Jeanette Louise Campbell, administrator


Apparatus for configuring input/output signal levels of interfacing logic circuits operating at different voltage levels comprises: a logic circuit for operating at a first voltage level; a bank of input/output gates coupled to the logic circuit for interfacing input/output signals at a second voltage level, different from the first voltage level, to the logic circuit, the bank of gates including a port for setting the operational voltage level thereof; and a control circuit coupled to the port and governed by a control signal to configure the operational voltage level of the bank of gates to render the logic circuit and the interfacing input/output signals voltage level compatible.

Interfacing logic circuits with different I/O voltage levels is a problem that arises frequently, especially in the design of printed circuit boards (PCBs). Contemporary PCBs are designed with logic circuits in the form of fixed I/O integrated circuits, like application specific integrated circuits or chips (ASICs), for example. Because of rapidly changing integrated circuit technology, creating a design that is forwards compatible or backwards compatible with such fixed I/O devices presents a challenge. Often times, to achieve forwards and/or backwards compatibility, a new PCB design and/or added voltage translators are required.
These solutions involve either redesigning a PCB or using a PCB that can be loaded with different circuit components to interface with the different logic circuits of different PCBs. Generally, each board redesign includes increased design time, cost, added product inventory and qualification. Using the same PCB loaded with different circuit components may reduce design time, but still requires added inventory and qualification, which will increase cost.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Apparatus for configuring I/O signal levels of interfacing logic circuits

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


A power reduction system for a UART system having a controllable oscillator for producing free-running clock signals. A controlled clock synchronizer having an output terminal is coupled to the oscillator and responsive to both a first control signal thereto and application of the free-running clock signals thereto to provide synchronized pulses and is responsive to both a second control signal different from the first control signal thereto and application of the free-running clock signals thereto to cease production of the synchronized pulses at the output terminal. A UART core controls the oscillator and the clock synchronizer and is operated under control of clock signals from the clock synchronizer. The controllable oscillator includes an inverter having a feedback circuit thereacross including a switch responsive to the third control signal to cause the oscillator to cease oscillation. The synchronizer includes a bistable circuit responsive to the first and second control signals and a gate responsive to the bistable circuit and the clock signals for controlling the status of the synchronized pulses at the output terminal.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a system for reduction in power dissipation for universal, asynchronous transmitter/receivers (UART) applications when in the standby mode.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
UARTs are interface circuits, generally in the form of integrated circuit chips, which are disposed between a data providing circuit, such as, for example, a personal computer (PC) and a modem to provide parallel to serial and serial to parallel data conversion. UARTs generally include an oscillator and a crystal to synchronize data conversion and therefore consume power when idle as well as when providing their data conversion function. It is desired to minimize the power dissipation of such UARTs when there is no data transfer at both serial and parallel ports, this feature being particularly useful in battery operated systems wherein power conservation is of great significance.
The prior art has attempted to minimize power consumption in UARTs by providing a UART having a sleep power mode wherein the power is turned off when in the standby mode (no data transfer). While this type of operation conserves power, it presents the problem that the system requires wake up time (time for transition out of this sleep mode and into an operational mode) to be fully operational and to operate at full speed. Accordingly, either a delay in operation is required or, if there is no delay, there is the possibility that data will be lost and/or mutilated during the wake up period (especially when the transfer rate is at high speed, such as, for example, in the megabaud range). Neither possibility is desirable and, often, neither possibility is acceptable.

Power reduction for UART applications in standby mode


The invention described in the specification provides an improved coating for an electrophotographic photoconductor printing system. In particular, a blend of polycarbonate-A and polycarbonate-Z binders according to the formula: ##STR1## wherein R.sup.1 is selected from the group consisting of CH.sub.2 an alkylidene group, a cycloalkyl group and a substituted cycloalkyl group, R.sup.2 and R.sup.3 are selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, halogen and an a CH.sub.3 group provides increased durability and wear properties to a charge transport layer coated onto a charge generation layer of a photoreceptor drum. The polycarbonate blend may be used with amine and hydrazone charge transport materials and the charge transport layer may include additional additives which further improve the wear properties of the photoconductor coatings in a laser printer.

Electrophotographic machines generally contain an electrophotographic photoconductor comprising a two layer coating of material on a metal substrate or photoreceptor drum. The drum itself may be anodized or may be coated with a sub-layer to assist the adhesion or binding of the two layer coating to the drum.
The two layer coating on the photoreceptor drum is made of a charge generation layer (CGL) and a charge transport layer (CTL). The CGL contains a pigment such as squaraines, phthalocyanines, azo compounds and the like dispersed in a polymeric binder. The CGL provides charge carriers or electron hole pairs upon exposure of the photoreceptor drum to light.
The CTL contains a charge transport material (CTM) selected from arylamines, hydrazones and the like and a polymeric binder material which is coated from a suitable solvent or a mixture of solvents onto the CGL. In some cases, the durability of the two layer coating is improved with a protective overcoat. Because the CTM often does not possess adequate mechanical properties, the polymeric binder is required to impart suitable mechanical properties, such as hardness, abrasion resistance and durability to the CTL. The polymeric binder for the CGL and CTL may be selected from polycarbonate, polyester, polystyrene, polyvinylchloride, polyvinyl acetate, vinyl chloride/vinyl acetate copolymers, polyvinyl acetal, alkyd resin, acrylic resin polyacrylonitrile, polyamide, polyketone, polyacrylamide, butyral resin and the like.
The use of polycarbonate-A (PCA) as a binder for the CTM has been well documented in the literature. PCA is a commercially available engineering thermoplastic, used in a variety of applications. The polymer is inert and affords good mechanical properties to the photoconductor. However, during the life of the photoreceptor drum and photoconductive coating thereon, the polymer exhibits wear under the end-seals in the cartridge containing the drum. This results in the charge-roll making contact with a ground plane of the metal of the photoreceptor drum resulting in arcing. Arcing causes severe print-defects and can shorten the life of the photoreceptor drum and coating.
Polycarbonate-Z (PCZ) has been used as an alternate binder to PCA and PCZ tends to mitigate wear problems associated with the end-seals of the photoreceptor drum. However, the use of PCZ results in wear in the paper area or circumferential surface of the photoreceptor drum in contact with paper thereby causing print-defects. Another problem observed with the use of PCZ is the presence of a high amount of residual solvent in the cured layers on the photoreceptor drum. The residual solvent slowly escapes from the CTL as the drum is used thereby causing the photoconductor coating to fatigue and the residual voltage to increase with drum life which, in turn, disadvantageously decreases the isopel optical density, i.e., the printed copies appear lighter towards the end of the photoreceptor drum life.
Blends of polycarbonates have also been suggested as binders to improve the wear properties of photoconductor coatings. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,851,314 to Yoshihara describes use of a mixture of polycorbonates, a high molecular weight polymer having a number average molecular weight (Mn) of 45000 or more and low molecular weight polymer having a Mn of 15000 or less with the low molecular weight polymer being present in an amount ranging from 30 to 95 parts by weight of the composition comprising the high and low molecular weight polymers.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,382,489 to Ojima et al. describes use of a mixture of polycarbonates derived from 4,4'-isopropylidenediphenol (Resin I) having a viscosity-average molecular weight ranging from 30,000 to 90,000 and a polycarbonate derived from 4,4'-cyclohexylidenebisphenol, 4,4'-(1,4-phenylenediisopropylidene)bisphenol or a copolycarbonate based on a diphenylether (Resin II) having a viscosity-average molecular weight ranging from about 20,000 to about 50,000. It is said to be necessary that Resin I have a viscosity molecular weight at least 10,000 to 20,000 higher than that of Resin II.
Despite the resins and combinations of resins suggested for use as binders in for charge transfer layers of electrophotographic machines, there remains a need for improved compositions which dramatically increase the life of the photorecepter drums without adversely affecting the quality of printed copy produced.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an improved compositions for use in electrophotographic applications.
Another object of the invention is to provide improved binder compositions for a photoreceptor drum of an electrophotographic machine.
A further object of the invention is to provide a charge transport layer having improved wear properties.
Another object of the invention is to provide a charge transport layer which has a higher tolerance for abrasion both in the paper area and in the seal area of the photoreceptor drum.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a composition which improves the wear properties adjacent the end seals of a photoreceptor drum and which exhibits a relatively longer coating life.
Another object of the invention is to provide an improved photoconductor coating for an electrophotographic machine which exhibits improved wear properties and life without having to increase the coating thickness of the coatings on a photoreceptor drum.


A transmission for an auxiliary device arranged for transmitting a driving force of an engine to an auxiliary device has a planetary-gear-type speed increasing mechanism having a first gear driven by the engine through an input shaft, a second gear connected to the auxiliary device and a third gear for locking. It is further provided with a friction clutch for connecting the third gear to a stationary member, a hydraulic actuator for pressing the friction clutch and an oil pump for feeding an oil pressure to the hydraulic actuator. A damper is disposed between the stationary member and the friction clutch.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a transmission for an auxiliary device for transmitting a driving force of an engine to an auxiliary device of an automotive vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
A transmission for an auxiliary device in accordance with the related art comprises a planetary-gear-typed speed increasing mechanism, a multiple disc clutch, a hydraulic actuator for pressing and engaging the multiple disc clutch, an oil pump for applying an oil pressure to the hydraulic actuator, a pressure adjusting valve for adjusting the oil pressure applied to the hydraulic actuator from the oil pump, a controller for adjusting an opening degree of the pressure adjusting valve so as to adjust a pressing force of the hydraulic actuator and the like, and serves to transmit the driving force of the engine to a supercharger.
A pinion carrier of the speed increasing mechanism is connected to the engine, a sun gear is connected to the supercharger and the multiple disc clutch is disposed between an internal gear and a casing of the transmission for an auxiliary device.
When the multiple disc clutch is engaged, the driving force of the engine is increased by the speed increasing mechanism so as to drive the supercharger and the driven supercharger supercharges the engine by pressurized intake air.
Generally, when the engine is in an idling state or in a low speed rotation, a rotation speed is greatly varied. As is well known, the variation of the rotation speed is particularly greater in a diesel engine than in a gasoline engine.
If the variation of the rotation speed is generated in the engine, a rattling noise of gear is generated in a timing gear set of the speed increasing mechanism or the supercharger due to a variation of a torque so that a sliding is generated in the multiple disc clutch or a press fitting portion of a gear.
Then, in the transmission for an auxiliary device, the controller monitors a torque applied to the internal gear through a torque sensor, and loosens a pressing force of the hydraulic actuator so as to slide the multiple disc clutch when a great torque is applied. Accordingly, it decreases a range of the variation of the torque by loosing a peak of the torque.
However, since the above transmission for an auxiliary device decreases the variation of the torque by sliding the multiple disc clutch, a clutch disc of the multiple disc clutch is greatly abraded by a frequent sliding so that a durability thereof is greatly lowered.
Further, in order to adjust the pressing force of the hydraulic actuator, it is necessary to provide various kinds of sensors and a controller for calculating so that a structure thereof becomes complicated and a cost therefor or becomes expensive.
Still further, since the pressing force control of the hydraulic actuator is performed by an oil pressure, a control response of the pressing force is bad so that the variation of the torque is insufficiently reduce.
Furthermore, in a structure using a viscous fluid clutch or a magnetic fluid clutch, since the torque is transmitted through a fluid in both cases, a transmission response of the driving force is bad. When a fluid resistance is set great in order to improve the response, a reduction effect of the torque variation is deteriorated.


Lossy materials can be used to suppress EMI transmission. Disclosed are methods for applying lossy materials to EMI shielded enclosures to improve EMI shielding effectiveness and the EMI shielded enclosures so produced. In some embodiments, the EMI shielded enclosure includes a printed-circuit board mountable device. In one embodiment, lossy material can be applied to the interior of an EMI shielded enclosure using an adhesive. In another embodiment, lossy materials can be applied to the exterior of the EMI enclosure to suppress EMI incident upon the EMI shielded enclosure, thereby reducing the susceptibility of electronics contained within the EMI shielded enclosure. In yet another embodiment, lossy materials can be applied to both the interior and exterior of the EMI enclosure.

As used herein, the term EMI should be considered to refer generally to both electromagnetic interference and radio frequency interference (RFI) emissions, and the term "electromagnetic" should be considered to refer generally to electromagnetic and radio frequency.
During normal operation, electronic equipment typically generates undesirable electromagnetic energy that can interfere with the operation of proximately located electronic equipment due to EMI transmission by radiation and conduction. The electromagnetic energy can be of a wide range of wavelengths and frequencies. To minimize the problems associated with EMI, sources of undesirable electromagnetic energy may be shielded and electrically grounded. Alternatively, or additionally, susceptors of EMI may be similarly shielded and electrically grounded. Shielding is designed to prevent both ingress and egress of electromagnetic energy relative to a housing or other enclosure in which the electronic equipment is disposed. Since such enclosures often include gaps or seams between adjacent access panels and around doors, effective shielding is difficult to attain, because the gaps in the enclosure permit transference of EMI therethrough. Further, in the case of electrically conductive metal enclosures, these gaps can inhibit the beneficial Faraday Cage Effect by forming discontinuities in the conductivity of the enclosure which compromise the efficiency of the ground conduction path through the enclosure. Moreover, by presenting an electrical conductivity level at the gaps that is significantly different from that of the enclosure generally, the gaps can act as slot antennae, resulting in the enclosure itself becoming a secondary source of EMI.
Shields are generally constructed to reduce EMI at a particular wavelength, or range of wavelengths. EMI shields are typically constructed of a highly-conductive material operating to reflect the radiation component of the EMI and to drain to electrical ground the conducted component of the EMI. For example, EMI shields are typically constructed of a metal, such as copper, aluminum, gold, tin, steel, and stainless steel, sheet metal and nickel. EMI shields may also be constructed of combinations of different metals, such as nickel-coated copper, and combinations of a conductive material with an electrical insulator, such as metal-plated plastic. In the abstract, an ideal EMI shield would consist of a completely enclosed housing constructed of an infinitely-conductive material without any apertures, seams, gaps, or vents. Practical applications, however, result in an enclosure constructed of a finitely-conducting material and having some apertures. Generally, reducing the largest dimension (not merely the total area) of any aperture, as well as reducing the total number of apertures, tends to increase the EMI protection or shielding effectiveness of the enclosure. Apertures may be intentional, such as those accommodating air flow for cooling, or unintentional, such as those incident to a method of construction (e.g., seams). Special methods of manufacture may be employed to improve shielding effectiveness by welding or soldering seams, or by milling a cavity. The shielding effectiveness of an EMI enclosure having an aperture is a function of the wavelength of the EMI. Generally, the shielding effectiveness is improved when the largest dimension of the aperture is small compared to the wavelength (i.e., less than one-half the wavelength). As the frequencies of operation increase, however, the associated wavelengths of induced EMI decrease, leading to a reduction in shielding effectiveness for any non-ideal EMI enclosure.
EMI shielded enclosures are typically constructed of conductive materials that induce resonances of the electromagnetic energy within the cavity. For example, reflections of the electromagnetic field at the boundaries of the cavity can create standing waves within the cavity under certain conditions. Such resonances tend to increase the peak amplitudes of the electromagnetic energy through additive effects of the multiple reflections. These resonance effects, by increasing the peak energy levels within the enclosure, can reduce the apparent shielding effectiveness at the resonant frequencies because the same enclosure is shielding a larger source of EMI—the resonant peak electromagnetic energy.
EMI protection is particularly important in small, densely packaged, sensitive electronic applications operating at high frequencies. In one application, a communications transceiver, such as a Gigabit Interface Converter (GBIC), converts electrical currents into optical signals suitable for transmission over a fiber-optic cable and optical signals into electrical currents. GBICS are typically employed in fiber-optic telecommunications and networking systems as an interface for high-speed networking. As the name suggests, the data rates of transmission are greater than one gigabit-per-second (Gbps). In some applications GBIC modules are installed within an EMI enclosure. One particular form factor for an EMI cage 50, or housing, shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B is described in a Multi-source Agreement (MSA) prepared by several cooperating members within the related industry. As shown in FIG. 1, one end 55 of the housing 50 is opened to accommodate the insertion and extraction of a GBIC transceiver (i.e., a transceiver having a form factor compliant with the Small-Form-Factor-Pluggable specifications described in the "Cooperation Agreement for Small Form-Factor Pluggable Transceivers," dated Sep. 14, 2000, the contents of which are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety). The MSA-recommended EMI cage 50 offers a design level of shielding effectiveness for GBIC operations at 1 Gbps; however, as operating frequencies increase, the shielding effectiveness of the recommended EMI cage, without modification, will be inadequate. For example, emerging applications using the optical carrier protocols described in the Synchronous Optical Network (SONET) standards can operate above 1 Gbps (e.g., the OC-48 protocol supporting data rates of up to 2.5 Gbps and OC-192 protocol supporting data rates of up to 10 Gbps).
There exist certain methods for providing EMI shielding to electronic components. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,639,989 issued to Higgins, III, the disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. Higgins discloses the use of a housing wherein all interior surfaces are conformally coated with a first EMI material consisting of a polymer containing filler particles. The method disclosed in Higgins applies the first EMI material as a conformal coating. The disclosed method also indicates that selection of different materials for filler particles results in the attenuation of electromagnetic energy within specified frequency ranges.


The invention relates to a device for spot size measurement at wafer level in a multi charged particle beam lithography system. The device comprises a knife edge structure on top of a scintillating material, such a YAG material. The knife edge structure is arranged in a Si wafer which has a top plane at a sharp angle to a (1 1 0) plane of the Si. In an embodiment the angle is in the range from 2 to 4 degrees, preferably in the range from 2.9-3.1 degrees. The invention relates in addition to a method for manufacturing a device for spot size measurement at wafer level in a multi charged particle beam lithography system.

The invention relates to a device for measuring the spot size of a charged particle beam at wafer level in a charged particle beam lithography system, and a method for manufacturing such a device.
In order to measure the spot size of scanning electron microscope columns, and those used in electron-beam lithography machines, the reflected or transmitted current of a beam is measured as the beam is scanned across a sharp edge, also referred to as 'knife edge'. Such a method is for example described in J. Phys. E: Sci. Instrum. 17 296, 1984, by S. A. Rishton et. al.
Applying such a method for spot size measurement in a production charged particle beam lithography system, in particular a lithography system having multiple beams, is not straight-forward and poses problems and challenges unknown in research lithography systems:
On the one hand, a production charged particle beam lithography system may use more than 10,000 charged particle beams. In view of this it would be highly desirable to be able to measure a set of charged particle beams simultaneously.
On the other hand, these large number of charged particle beams have a very small spot size and are very tightly packed. The spot size of each charged particle beam can be down to 20 nm or even less, and the pitch between adjacent charged particle beams can be smaller than 100 nm.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a device and a method for spot size measurement at wafer level in a production charged particle beam lithography system.

Device for spot size measurement at wafer level using a knife edge and a method for manufacturing such a device


Provided herein are high performance direct deposit electrodes that do not require the use of a binder, as well as processes of manufacturing the same by an electrospray process.

Batteries comprise one or more electrochemical cell, such cells generally comprising a cathode, an anode and an electrolyte. Lithium ion batteries are high energy density batteries that are fairly commonly used in consumer electronics and electric vehicles. In lithium ion batteries, lithium ions generally move from the negative electrode to the positive electrode during discharge and vice versa when charging. In the as-fabricated and discharged state, lithium ion batteries often comprise a lithium compound (such as a lithium metal oxide) at the cathode (positive electrode) and another material, generally carbon, at the anode (negative electrode).


A fastening arrangement of a pipe is provided. The fastening arrangement is coaxial to a longitudinal axis, on a shaft step, which is rotatably mounted around the longitudinal axis, for connecting of the two component parts, with a coaxial circumferential surface located on the shaft step, upon which circumferential surface at least partially lies the inner side of the pipe end which faces the shaft step. In order to disclose the creation of a fastening arrangement which is especially simple and inexpensive to manufacture and also free of wear during operation, it is proposed that the pipe end has notches distributed over the circumference, and an encompassing annular slot on the inner side of the pipe in the region of the notches, with a sleeve which is installed in the annular slot, covers the notches, and at least partially lies on the circumferential surface of the shaft step.

For power generation, stationary gas turbines are known, the rotors of which are assembled from abutting compressor disks and turbine disks. These rotor disks are clamped to each other by a central tie bolt and on their periphery carry rotor blades, which in the compressor are for compressing of ambient air, and which in the turbine are for conversion of electrical energy into mechanical energy by the expansion of a hot gas which is produced by the combustion of fuel with the compressed air. In order to protect the component parts of the turbine against the temperatures of the hot gas, these are actively cooled, for example by means of cooling air. For example, the rotor blades of the turbine are cooled by compressed air. Some of the air required for this is extracted from the compressor on the rotor side and guided into the inside of the rotor. The rotor disks have central holes by which the extracted air can flow through the rotor in the axial direction. Since the combustion chamber is located between the compressor and the turbine of the gas turbine on the casing side, the rotor in this axial section has a pipe which is coaxial to the longitudinal axis, for transmission of the extracted air, which pipe is supported between the oppositely disposed end faces of the last rotor disk of the compressor and the first rotor disk of the turbine. For this purpose, it is known that the two rotor disks have an annular slot located in the end face, in which engages the pipe for guiding of the cooling air. The cooling air separation pipe is provided with a special shrink fit so that it has an antirotation or antislip seat on the rotor disk, as the case may be.
Despite the shrink fit, operation-induced displacements or slips, as the case may be, of the cooling air separation pipe in relation to the rotor disk can happen, which occurs on account of the different thermally-induced expansion of the two component parts, especially during starting (cold start) and during shutting down of the gas turbine. These displacements can lead to a permanent plastic deformation of the pipe end in the comparatively thin-walled cooling air separation pipe. Different operating modes also lead to such wear so that leaks in the connection between the cooling air separation pipe and the rotor disk can occur. The leaks lead to losses and leakages in the cooling air flow, as a result of which the efficiency of the gas turbine reduces.
Furthermore, the manufacture of the shrink fit, by which the cooling air separation pipe bears under a pretensioning upon a supporting surface of the turbine disk, is costly, since the fabrication of the shrink fit requires a tolerance range of a few hundredths of a millimeter.

Fastening arrangement of a pipe on a circumferential surface


At a service provider, a system receives recipient information containing preferences to be used in an online transaction. The recipient information is received from a client. At the service provider, the system associates the recipient information with the client from which the recipient information was received, and stores the recipient information at the client. The recipient information contains preferences to be used in the online transaction.

Conventional technologies for interacting with users who visit a web site utilize the technology referred to as a 'cookie'. Within the realm of computer science, the definition of a cookie is an opaque container of data held by an intermediary. Within the realm of web sites, a cookie is data that is stored on the user's computer. Within the realm of web sites, a cookie can also be an opaque container of data. When the user visits a web site, information about the user (i.e., the user's mailing address, etc) is stored on the user's computer. When the user revisits that web site, the web site 'remembers' those details (i.e., the user's mailing address, etc) about the user.
Conventional technologies for online shopping allow a user to enter details, such as mailing addresses of the user and/or recipients for whom the user is purchasing items online. Users can assign names to individual mailing addresses, such as "Mom", Aunt", etc, such that when the user orders an item online, the user can specify, during the ordering process, which of the stored addresses should be used as a shipping address, when the selected item is shipped.

Methods and apparatus for maintaining online preferences


A liquid crystal polyester resin composition comprising a liquid crystal polyester (A) in a continuous phase and a rubber having a functional group reactive with the liquid crystal polyester (B) in a dispersed phase. A liquid crystal polyester resin composition of the present invention is excellent in heat resistance, molding processability and mechanical properties, particularly in impact resistance and tensile property, capable of improving anisotropy of a molded article. Furthermore, film formation processability can be improved at a low cost, and a film produced for the composition has excellent gas barrier property, drawing property and flexibility.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid crystal polyester resin composition useful for forming to films or molded articles by injection molding or extrusion molding.
2. Description of the Prior Arts
Unlike crystalline polyesters such as polyethylene terephthalate and polybutylene terephthalate, a liquid crystal polyester consisting of rigid molecules does not become entangled even under the melting condition, but forms a polydomain in a liquid crystal state and has low shear properties to realize a remarkably high orientation of molecular chains towards the flow. So, the liquid crystal polyester is called thermotropic liquid crystal polymers. This specific behavior causes excellent melt flow properties and gives thin-wall molded articles of 0.2 through 0.5 mm in thickness having high strength and high rigidity easily. Molded articles of a liquid crystal polyester, on the other hand, have various disadvantages, including extremely large anisotropy. The insufficient vibration-damping properties and the high molding temperature undesirably restrict its applications to various fields. There have been a problem of manufacturing cost of a liquid crystal polyester.
In the market, there has been a strong demand for an improved liquid crystal polyester resin composition, which is manufactured at low cost and exhibits improved vibration-damping properties and anisotropy in the form of molded articles while maintaining the excellent heat resistance and mechanical properties of a liquid crystal polyester.
A resin composition disclosed in JP-A-56-115357 includes a melt processable polymer and an anisotropic melt processable polymer. The processabilities of a melt processable polymer have been enhanced by mixing an anisotropic melt processable polymer with the melt processable polymer. An example of such resin compositions is a mixture of polyphenylene ether and polystyrene blended with a liquid crystal polyester.
Another resin composition disclosed in JP-A-2-97555 is prepared by mixing a variety of polyarylene oxides with a liquid crystal polyester to improve the solder heat resistance.
Any conventional resin composition prepared by mixing a liquid crystal polyester of a high molding temperature with a non-crystalline polymer of a lower molding temperature, such as polyphenylene ether, results in poor appearance of molded articles due to pyrolysis of the resin mixture during the high-temperature molding while having the improved melt processability. Other drawbacks include insufficient heat resistance, mechanical properties, and impact resistance of the resulting composition.
Proposed resin compositions including a liquid crystal polyester and an aromatic polycarbonate, as disclosed in JP-A-57-40551 JP-A-2-102257, do not have sufficient heat resistance or mechanical properties.
JP-A-58-201850, JP-A-1-121357, JP-A-1-193351, the EP 67272/A2, and JP-A-7-304936 disclose a composition comprising a liquid crystal polymer applied with a copolymer of an .alpha.-olefin and, for example, glycidyl methacrylate. However, the composition needs further improvement in terms of mechanical properties such as impact resistance and tensile strength.
Furthermore, the U.S. Pat. No. 5,216,073 discloses a blended product comprising an epoxidated rubber applied with a liquid crystal polymer. However, the product is insufficient in heat resistance and mechanical properties.
On the other hand, liquid crystal polyesters have characteristics such as molecular orientation in the molten state owing to a strong molecular interaction. Therefore, application of the liquid crystal polyesters in the industrial field as a film material having functions such as a gas barrier property in addition to known properties such as excellent strength, elastic modulus and heat resistance has been desired.
However, unlike aromatic polyesters such as polyethylene terephthalate and polybutylene terephthalate, since rigidity of molecules in liquid crystal polyesters prevents entanglement even in a molten state and allows significant orientation of molecular chain to the aligned direction, they show behaviors such as drastic decline of the melt viscosity by slight shear increase and drastic decline of the melt viscosity by temperature rising, resulting in an extremely low melt tension in a molten state. Therefore, in the field of film molding or blow molding there is a problem of practicability due to difficulty in maintaining a certain shape in a molten state, and difficulty in balancing properties in longitude and latitude due to the molecular orientation, which may result in rupture in the alignment direction of the molecules. Accordingly, films comprising a liquid crystal polyester utilizing advantageous properties of liquid crystal polyesters has not been applied to a practical use sufficiently.
Concerning such liquid crystal polyesters, JP-A-52-1095787 and JP-A-58-317187 disclose a laminated product having uniaxially aligned liquid crystal polyester films attached so as to cancel a high anisotropy. However, such product is not efficient in terms of productivity and has a problem of peeling of the films.
The U.S. Pat. No. 4,975,312 and WO 9015706 disclose a technique to cancel the anisotropy of a liquid crystal polyester by a method of rotating ring dies, and JP-A-62-25513, JP-A-63-95930 and JP-A-63-24251 disclose a special technique in a T die method. However, these are methods of alleviating the anisotropy with a special molding method, and have drawbacks in practicability such as high cost and limitation in formation of a thin film.
JP-A-62-187033, JP-A-64-69323, JP-A-2-178016, JP-A-2-253919, JP-A-2-253920, and JP-A-253950 propose a multilayer (laminate) sheet comprising a liquid crystal polyester and a thermoplastic resin and a multilayer (lamination) film. However, these sheets have problems such as peeling caused by a large orientation of a liquid crystal polyester or by the existence of an adhesive layer between the layers, declining in properties inherent to a liquid crystal polyester such as gas barrier property and heat resistance, and difficulty in the thin film production.
On the other hand, an inflation film formation has been attempted for obtaining a liquid crystal polyester film having an alleviated anisotropy of a liquid crystal polymer and an excellent strength.
The inflation film formation method refers to a method in which a resin melt-kneaded in an extruder is extruded from a die having a circular slit to form a tubular molten product, which in turn is expanded by supplying certain amount of air therein while cooling periphery of the tube to produce a tubular film.
As examples thereof, JP-A-63-173620, JP-A-3-288623, JP-A-4-4126, JP-A-4-50233, and JP-A-4-49026 disclose a method of inflation film formation of a liquid crystal polyester. However, these film formation methods cannot be used widely since the methods require a special film formation device and a very severe condition owing to a characteristics of liquid crystal polyesters. Besides, films obtained in the methods have drawbacks such as insufficiency in stretching property, flexibility and gas barrier property, difficulty in thin film formation and high expenses.
Many researches and developments have been conducted on wrapping materials for pouching and standing pouching.
For example, JP-A-62-103139 discloses a wrapping material for retort pouching comprising a resin film having silicon dry-plated on the surface thereof.
JP-A-1-308826 discloses a wrapping material for retorted product mainly comprising an ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer.
JP-A-2-180129 discloses a retort pouch selected from the group consisting of an ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer film and a vinylidene chloride copolymer film.
Regarding aluminum deposition films or films having an inorganic material such as silicon deposited or coated thereon, many problems are pointed out such as inapplicability to a micro wave oven, insufficient heat resistance of a base resin film, and residual ash component after incineration.
Further, in the case of using a polyvinylidene chloride film, insufficiency in heat resistance in the retort processing, and a waste gas issue at the time of incineration after use are pointed out. In the case of using an ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer film, an ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer film, or a polyester film, the films are insufficient in heat resistance, water vapor barrier property and water resistance.
On the other hand, although aluminum foil is broadly used as a wrapping material for pouching, they have many problems such as inapplicability to a micro wave oven or disposal by incineration, and sensitivity to a metal detector.
JP-A-2-261456, JP-A-5-278747, JP-A-7-237281, and JP-A-7-241967 disclose a standing pouch or a wrapping material comprising a multilayer laminated film.
However, as to multilayer laminated films, various problems, such as difficulty in production and generation of peeling-off between the layers, have not been solved so far.
Therefore, wrapping materials for pouching, with good gas barrier property and molding-processing property, and excellent heat resistance, and applicable to a micro wave oven, are strongly demanded in the market.
Although containers having a gas barrier property are broadly used in the industrial fields, conventional gas barrier type containers do not satisfy the needs of the market. That is, requirements toward a gas barrier type container include not only an excellent gas barrier property but also applicability to a micro wave oven, heat resistance for allowing the use as a wrapping material for a retorted food to endure heat processing, molding-processing property for facilitating film formation a the base of a container, recycling after use, and easy disposal. Conventional gas barrier type containers do not sufficiently satisfy these requirements.
For example, polypropylene is insufficient in terms of a gas barrier property, and an ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer has a drastic decline of a gas barrier property in the moisture absorption and is insufficient in heat resistance. Poly(vinylidene chloride) has a low heat resistance, and further, has a problem in terms of environmental concern after disposal due to comprised chlorine.
Polyethylene terephthalate (hereinafter abbreviated as PET) is insufficient in terms of heat resistance and water vapor barrier property.
A gas barrier material comprising an ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer or PET having an inorganic material such as silica and alumina deposited thereon, and a gas barrier material comprising a thermoplastic resin attached with an aluminum foil are insufficient in heat resistance, have a problem of peeling-off of a film, besides, in the case of a material comprising a metal, there is a problem of inapplicability to a micro wave oven.
Hollow molded containers comprising a resin having a light weight and a gas barrier property are used in the application for food, beverage, industrial chemicals and cosmetics. For example, hollow molded containers comprising an ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer, vinylidene chloride or polyethylene terephthalate are known. However, hollow molded containers obtained by blow molding these resins are not sufficient in heat resistance and gas barrier property. Further, in the case of filling contents to a hollow molded container at a high temperature, or washing the container with a liquid of high temperature, the containers of these resins may not be sufficient in heat resistance.
Although liquid crystal polyesters have been known for having a good heat resistance and an excellent gas barrier property, it is quite difficult to have a good hollow molded container of a liquid crystal polyester by blow molding due to a large anisotropy and a low melt viscosity of liquid crystal polyesters.
Concerning molded bottles comprising a liquid crystal polyester or a liquid crystal polyester resin composition, JP-A-61-192762 discloses a hollow molded container obtained by melt-molding a resin composition comprising a liquid crystal polyester and a polyester having a specific structure.
JP-A-2-260646 and JP-A-3-269054 disclose a container having an excellent gas barrier property obtained by molding a blended product of polyethylene terephthalate and a liquid crystal.
JP-A-1-289826 discloses a molded article of a laminated product comprising a polyethylene terephthalate layer and a liquid crystal polyester layer. Further, JP-A-4-166320 discloses a production method of a container comprising a liquid crystal polyester having a specific structure.
However, in either case, due to poor molding processability of the resin, there are problems such as difficulty in producing a molded container having a good appearance, low production efficiency, and an insufficient gas barrier property of a container. And thus requirements from the market have not been sufficiently satisfied.
On the other hand, in the field of automobile industry, examination has been made for a long time on a plastic gasoline tank for a light weight, molding processability, strength and freer designing so as to meet the requests from the market.
For example, polyethylene is excellent in molding processability and strength, but insufficient in the gasoline barrier property, which is the barrier property with respect to gasoline.
JP-A-1-14049 discloses a fuel tank comprising a multilayer hollow molded article formed with a barrier layer comprising a material selected from the group consisting of polyamide, polyester and an ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, and a modified polyolefin layer.
JP-A-4-47938 discloses a fuel tank comprising a multilayer hollow molded article formed with a polyamide layer, a high density polyethylene layer, and a modified high density polyethylene layer.
However, these fuel tanks comprising a barrier layer of a polyamide layer are insufficient in the gasoline barrier property, and further insufficient in the barrier property with respect to an mixture fuel comprising alcohol such as methanol.
JP-A-6-191296 discloses a fuel tank for automobile of a hollow molded article comprising a multilayer structure with a barrier layer of a copolymer polyamide layer of aromatic polyamide and nylon 6, further comprising a modified high density polyethylene layer and a high density polyethylene layer.
Further, JP-A-6-218891 discloses a fuel tank for automobile of a multilayer molded article having a barrier layer of a blended product of polyethylene and polyamide.
JP-A-7-52333 discloses a fuel tank of a multilayer structure having a resin composition layer comprising an ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer applied with a thermoplastic resin. And JP-A-7-40998 discloses flame retardant foam plastic.
However, these fuel tanks have shortcomings such as insufficiency in gasoline barrier property or gasohol barrier property, which is the barrier property with respect to a mixture of gasoline and methanol, and the need of having a very thick resin layer so as to maintain a high barrier property.
Furthermore, various problems such as peeling between layers due to the multilayer structure of the tank exist, which have not been solved yet.
Since molded articles such as sheet and film of a foam resin are lightweight and comparatively strong, they are broadly used in the fields of wrapping material, construction material, industrial equipment, business equipment and cushion material. However, in particular, in the fields of electric or electronic equipment and automobile parts, a foam resin having heat resistance and mechanical properties superior to conventional products are desired in the market.
Liquid crystal polymers are resins basically capable of satisfying such required properties, and thus foam products thereof have been examined conventionally. For example, the U.S. Pat. No. 4,429,061 discloses a foam product of aromatic polyester, having a specific naphthalene skeleton structure. The Japanese Patent Publication Hei No. 2-42099 discloses a polymer foam product comprising a specific liquid crystal polymer. JP-A-3-179042 discloses a production method of a foam product of a liquid crystal polymer. Furthermore, the Japanese Patent Publication Hei No. 5-25901 discloses a foam product containing a liquid crystal polyester and an inert filler. JP-A-4-318039 discloses a liquid crystal polymer foam product defining a diameter of a cell of the foam product. The Japanese Patent Publication No. 7-74285 discloses a foam resin molded article comprising a liquid crystal polymer with a specific structure.
However, conventional liquid crystal polymer foam products still have problems such as a large anisotropy of the foam product, insufficiency in mechanical properties, poor appearance, and a high cost.

Liquid crystal polyester resin composition


There is provided a bio-signal detector to detect a heart rate and a respiratory rate so that the determination of a kind of a seat load placed on a seat can be made. That is, whether the seat load is a human or an object is determined, and if it is the human, then the physique size is determined to be small or large (the level of the physique size is determined). Accordingly, as compared with the means based only on a weight of the seat load, the determination result is highly reliable. Besides, with the use of the bio-signal detector, the discrimination between the human and the object is ensured. Moreover, a structure additionally including a weight sensor allows the determination of the physique size in more accurate manner.

It is pointed out that an airbag of a vehicle has a potential for disturbing smooth breath if a passenger is for example a child and if the airbag is inflated. Also, it is pointed out that there is a potential to give a shock to a child who is seated on a child seat installed on a front passenger seat backward and if the airbag is inflated since the child seat is thereby pushed rearward. In addition to these problems, the airbag is devised to be equipped with an ON/OFF switch for controlling actuation of itself by turning on or off the switch.
However, actuations of conventional airbags are mostly placed under manual control as described above, which brings about no effect when failed to switch on or off when getting in the vehicle.
Also, such a technique is known that automatically determines whether a passenger seated on the seat is an adult or a child to feed the result back to an actuation control unit of the airbag for automatically switching the actuation control of the airbag. The conventionally proposed means uses a weight sensor which measures a displacement amount of a spring supporting a polyurethane foam used as a cushioning member and detects a weight based on the level of the displacement amount. Specifically, a threshold value in weight is predetermined and preset so that the load on the seat is determined to be the adult or the child by comparing the weight of the load on the seat with the threshold weight value. However, there are a light adults as well as a heavy children leaving a problem in reliability when depending only on the weight sensor for determining whether the occupant is an adult or a child. In addition, the actuation control of the airbag is required only for the child as described above, this is because the child has a small physique size in general. Therefore, preferably, actuation control of the airbag or the like is performed by taking account of the physique size, whether the physique size is an adult-level or a child-level, instead of just determining either the adult or the child. However, when such a determination is made only by the above-mentioned technique of detecting weight only, there is a problem in accuracy since an adult having a tall upper back and a light weight may be determined to be a child and vice versa.
In addition there is known another technique in the limited case where the child seat is installed backward in which a radio wave is sent from the child seat for controlling actuation of the airbag automatically. This is effective only when the child seat is thus installed but unable to control automatically when the child is seated directly on the seat.
Further, in the case where the load on the seat is not a human but an object, there is no need to inflate the airbag. For example, when the vehicle crashes and the airbag is inflated only for the object just placed on the front passenger seat, unnecessary repair costs are required. However, conventionally, no means is known for automatically determining whether the load over the predetermined weight placed on the seat is of the human or the object. Even a means employing the above-described weight sensor is difficult to control the actuation of the airbag since the means determines an object having the predetermined weight to be the adult, as an example.

Device for determining kind of load on seat, seat, and bio-signal detector