A combined welding method with a filler wire using both a YAG laser and an electric arc, and a combined welding device with a filler wire using both a YAG laser and an electric arc. The welding is performed by directing a laser focus of a YAG laser on base materials and for welding in the vicinity of the focus by a filler wire, connecting a power source for applying a voltage to the filler wire between the filler wire and the base materials for welding, irradiating a YAG laser on the base materials for welding in the connecting condition, whereby an arc is induced to the filler wire by a plume (plasma-activated gas and the metal vapor), and holding the plume generated by YAG laser inside and outside of a keyhole.

YAG laser welding has characteristics mentioned below, and the welding is predominantly used in robot welding of steel materials used for automobiles, etc.
1. The welding can provide a focused laser, whereby high speed welding with low distortion can be performed.
2. Laser absorptance of the YAG laser welding is several times of that of CO2 laser welding, whereby efficient welding can be performed in the YAG laser welding. Moreover, the wavelength in the YAG laser is a tenth of that in CO2 laser welding, whereby the YAG laser welding is not susceptible to an influence by plasma generated in the welding.
3. The laser beam can be transmitted by a flexible optical fiber in the YAG laser welding, whereby handling is easy and an articulated robot can be used. Moreover, transmittance to a point as far as 100 m away can be performed.
4. Time sharing and power sharing can be exhibited by the laser, whereby high usability can be obtained using separated units together in multiple processing stations.
However, when YAG laser welding is applied to laser welding processes, joint accuracy is necessary in many cases, whereby the process is restricted to processing of thin sheet layers in comparison with other types of welding, for example, gas welding, electric welding and arc welding. As a technique to overcome the restriction, welding methods using both a laser and an arc have been conceived and disclosed.
For example, in Japanese Published Unexamined Application No. 53-137044, Japanese Published Examined Application No. 56-49195, Japanese Published Unexamined Application No. 61-232079, Japanese Published Examined Application No. 4-51271, and Japanese Published Unexamined Application No. 5-69165, welding methods, in which welding is performed by using both a TIG arc and a laser, and base materials are melted by using the TIG arc and a laser is irradiated on the melted pool, whereby penetration depth is increased, is disclosed.
In Japanese Published Unexamined Application No. 53-137044, Japanese Published Unexamined Application No. 61-232079, and Japanese Published Unexamined Application No. 7-246484, welding methods in which welding is performed using both a plasma arc and a laser, and base materials are melted by using the plasma arc and the laser is irradiated on the melted pool, whereby penetration depth is increased, is disclosed.
In Japanese Published Unexamined Application No. 10-216972, a combined welding method, in which welding is performed with a butt welding by combining a laser and a consumable electrode type arc, that is, a combined welding method using a laser which is used first and a consumable electrode type arc which is used second, is disclosed.
In Japanese Published Unexamined Application No. 2000-233287, a welding process device in which an optical axis in a laser system and a nozzle electrode is contained and a laser and an arc are used, is disclosed. In the Application, the nozzle electrode is at a coaxial position with the optical axis, and is set at a position against a work piece. Moreover, a high voltage for arc discharge is fed to the nozzle electrode. Furthermore, a laser is irradiated, whereby the work is melted, resulting in performing welding and processing by arc discharge while maintaining the melted condition.
On the other hand, a welding process technique in which both a laser and a filler wire are used is applied to margin expansion to fluctuation, etc., of a groove gap, suppression of weld bead width in high speed welding, and improvement of under-cutting in the butt portion. As the filler wires used in the technique, a filler wire in which current heating is not performed, a so-called "cold wire" or a filler wire in which current heating is performed, and a so-called "hot wire", are disclosed.
For example, in Japanese Published Unexamined Application No. 4-344873, a hot wire TIG welding, in which power supply is performed from a DC power source to a wire having a diameter of 0.4 mm, wire feed is initiated, contact of wire edge to base materials are detected, and after that, TIG welding is started (p. 4, fifth section, 1.9 and 10), the wire is set in a semi-solid condition by the above-mentioned current heating of the wire from a contact tip, and the wire is fed to a weld pool formed by TIG arc welding, is disclosed. In the Japanese Published Unexamined Application No. 4-344873, it is described that a current heating is performed to an added wire having a diameter of not more than 0.6 mm to form a deposited metal, the added wire is depressed to an edge portion of the contact tip with a wire contacting member through an elastic body, thereby performing the current heating of the wire, plasma arc, electron beam or laser, and in addition, a TIG arc can be used in the melting of the base materials.
The welding in which only a YAG laser is used has the problems mentioned below.
1. In the YAG laser, welding is performed by focusing a light beam, thereby increasing energy density. However, the spot diameter in the focused laser is 0.3 to 1 mm.
Therefore, in the case of the butt welding, when a butt gap (for example, FIG. 3C) exists, the laser goes through the gap, and welding defects are generated. Accordingly, the cutting of edge in a weld zone in the welded material 41, 42 and method for holding the weld zone is rigidly requested.
Moreover, in the case of a lap welding, a joint boundary face width of a penetration bead from an upper plate 44 to a lower plate 43 (for example, FIG. 3D) is narrow, whereby excellent joint strength cannot be obtained.
Furthermore, also in the case of a fillet welding of members 45 and 46, the penetration width (for example, FIG. 3E) cannot be adequately obtained similar to the lap welding, whereby excellent joint strength cannot be obtained.
Additionally, when a welding is performed by simultaneously feeding filler wire to a YAG laser weld zone for the purpose of improving reinforcement of the weld and surface bead, energy is consumed in melting of the filler wire, whereby weldability is decreased.
2. Initial cost is high for the YAG laser device, whereby equipment cost is extremely high in the case of introducing multiple units for an installation, for example, in an automobile production line.
In Japanese Published Unexamined Application (utility model) No. 62-82194, a nozzle structure mentioned below is disclosed. That is, a laser beam is absorbed by a plasma-activated gas and a metal vapor, that is a plume, in a keyhole generated in base materials for welding by laser irradiation or above the keyhole in the laser welding, whereby it is regarded that a welding in which the penetration is deep cannot be performed, the plume is guided to an exhaust path formed outside of a laser path by blowing a shielding gas into the keyhole, and an aspiration and exhaust are performed. The structure aims to effectively increase laser heat input for the base materials. In the YAG laser wavelength, a YAG laser is rarely absorbed by a plasma-activated gas and a metal vapor, that is a plume, in the keyhole or above the keyhole. When exhaust is performed by absorbing a YAG laser by a plasma-activated gas and a metal vapor, strength for holding the keyhole down disappears, whereby the depth of the penetration becomes shallow.
In the Japanese Published Unexamined Application No. 53-137044, the Japanese Published Examined Application No. 56-49195, the Japanese Published Unexamined Application No. 61-232079, the Japanese Published Examined Application No. 4-51271, and the Japanese Published Unexamined Application No. 5-69165, a combined welding by a TIG and a laser in which base materials are melted by using a TIG arc to obtain a weld pool of the base materials and a laser is irradiated on the weld pool, whereby the penetration depth is increased, is disclosed. The disclosure in the documents aims to form a shallow and a broad weld pool by the TIG and to obtain a narrow and deep penetration by the laser. Melted width of the surface of the base materials is increased by the TIG and by a broad weld pool, for example, the butt gap shown in FIG. 3C is filled up, deep penetration is formed by the laser, for example, the penetration width shown in FIG. 3E is broadened, that is, penetration is deepened, whereby weldability and weld quality are increased in comparison with using the laser alone.
However, only the laser penetrates to deep locations, whereby penetration width is narrow and welding strength is low. For example, joint boundary face width in the lap welding shown in FIG. 3D is narrow, whereby increasing of the width is desired. The demand exists similarly for the plasma arc in the Japanese Published Unexamined Application No. 7-246484 and the Japanese Published Unexamined Application No. 10-216972, and in the Japanese Published Unexamined Application No. 2000-233287.
As a welding method in which a laser and a filler wire are both used, conventionally, a filler wire in which current heating is not performed, that is, a so-called "cold wire" is generally used, a part of the laser energy for melting the base materials are consumed by the melting of the filler wire, whereby there is a problem in that weldability is decreased. On the other hand, in the Japanese Publication Unexamined Application No. 4-344873, hot wire TIG using a filler wire having a diameter of not more than 0.6 mm with a purpose of forming a fusil and stable welding bead in high speed welding of a thin plate is disclosed. Moreover, in the document, changing the TIG arc to a laser irradiation is proposed.
However, sufficient penetration depth cannot be obtained, whereby welding strength is low. Specifically, the technique in the proposal is unsuitable for the lap welding and fillet welding in which deep penetration depth is desired.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

YAG laser induced arc filler wire composite welding method and weldimg equipment


A diagnostic system for a discrete variable valve lift system of an internal combustion engine is provided. The system includes: a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) module that generates a frequency content signal based on a FFT method and a valve impact sensor signal; and a malfunction module that selectively diagnoses a malfunction of a discrete variable valve lift system based on the frequency content signal.

Common modes of vehicular transportation may include internal combustion engines that generate drive torque based on a two or four stroke cycle. These internal combustion engines typically have a poppet valve arrangement to facilitate the induction and subsequent exhaust of combusted air and fuel.
For example, engines can operate based on the Otto air-standard thermodynamic cycle with real working fluids. The engine includes a poppet valve system coupled to a slider crank mechanism that forms variable volume in the rotational domain. A piston is stationary at the top of its travel (Top Dead Center—TDC) and begins to travel downward. An intake valve is selectively opened such that air can be inducted into the cylinder by the downwardly moving piston. During the induction process the inducted air mixes with a predetermined amount of fuel to form a combustible mixture. The intake valve closes at the bottom of the piston's cyclical travel (Bottom Dead Center—BDC). The piston reverses direction and then travels upward. The fuel-air mixture is compressed within the cylinders and is combusted when appropriate. Once at TDC, the piston reverses direction. Pressure rise during the quasi-fixed volume combustion process acts over the area of the piston and creates a differential force (this can be described as boundary work). This force is transmitted via the slider to the cranktrain. When coupled to a moment arm, this force forms motive torque. Once at BDC the piston stops and reverses direction. An exhaust valve is selectively opened (specifically the timing and lift) to allow the combustion products to be expelled from the cylinders by the upwardly moving piston. Once at TDC, the exhaust valve closes and the intake valve opens. The piston reverses direction and the mechanical cycle begins anew.
The rotation of a camshaft regulates the opening and closing of the intake and exhaust valves. On a multi-cylinder engine, the camshaft includes a plurality of cam lobes (typically one for each valve) that are affixed to the camshaft. The profiles of the cam lobes determine the profile of the valve lift and are kinematic-ally related by the geometry of the valvetrain. Important parameters associated with valve lift profiles include the period that the valve is open (duration) as well as the magnitude that the valve opens (lift). In the mechanical configuration described herein, these two parameters have significant influence on the gas exchange processes of ICEs.
Manufacturers typically incorporate a fixed valve lift schedule for the engine due to design complexity, cost, and durability constraints. From a gas exchange process perspective, a fixed valve lift schedule may not be optimal for all engine operating conditions encountered. For example, during steady-state highway travel a vehicle may typically require a motive torque that is significantly less than the full capacity of the powertrain. In typical fixed duration and lift valvetrain systems, this demanded load is usually meet via throttling of the engine. When a single (exhaust and intake) valve profile (duration and lift) are chosen for a particular powertrain, compromises are made to provide the best overall (based on load regimes) performance. Performance metrics may include specific torque and or fuel consumption. At these part-load operating conditions a significant amount of work is required to throttle the engine to insure that the proper amount of air into the engine to meet the desired road load.
A variable lift valvetrain can be described as one that has the capability of selecting multiple profiles (with variable duration and lift capability) associated with each intake and or exhaust valve(s). These profiles may be optimized for various load regimes and are specifically chosen to minimize the amount of work required for the gas exchange process and or to support multiple combustion modes.
A discrete variable valve lift (DWL) system enables the engine to operate on more than one intake and or exhaust valve lift schedule. More specifically, a DVVL engine system switches between different valve lift schedules based on the desired load of the engine. This has been shown to minimize pumping losses of the engine and or to support multiple combustion modes.
A malfunction of a DVVL engine system may occur when a component of the DVVL system fails to change to a different valve schedule on command. For example, a malfunction may occur when a switchable roller finger follower (SRFF) of the DVVL system switches from a low-lift (LL) valve schedule to a high-lift (HL) valve schedule thus causing one or more of the valves to fail to switch from the LL schedule to the HL schedule.

Discrete variable valve lift diagnostic systems and methods


The invention fully humanized monoclonal antibodies that neutralize Bacillus anthracis. Also provided are methods of treating or preventing a Bacillus anthracis infection. The invention also provides methods of passive vaccination of a subject against Bacillus anthracis.

Bacillus anthracis, the virulent, endospore-forming bacterium notorious for its recent use as a bioterror weapon, has plagued humans and livestock from antiquity (Friedlander 2000). The bacterium was associated with the founding of the sciences of bacteriology and immunology, highlighted by Pasteur's famous demonstration of vaccine protection of sheep at Pouilly-le-Fort, France. Since then, the attention Bacillus anthracis has received has largely revolved around its properties that make it ideally suited as a biological weapon as it forms heat resistant spores that are easy to produce and to transport, and can infect via the aerosol route.

Human anthrax toxin neutralizing monoclonal antibodies and methods of use thereof


A breakdown protection circuit for a source follower comprising a field effect transistor (FET). The protection circuit comprises a plurality of PFET's and NFET's that are controlled to exhibit on and off states for advantageously configuring a gate, source, drain and body of the source follower FET, to avoid breakdown of and forward biasing of certain FET junctions.

Integrated circuits (chips) comprise active transistors and passive components. The chips are designed and fabricated according to conventional design parameters and semiconductor process technologies that determine operating parameters and limits for the constituent transistors. Operating power is supplied to each transistor from one or more external power supplies such that each transistor is responsive to a specified power supply voltage that is below a maximum supply voltage limit for the transistor. To accommodate different transistor designs and their associated operating limits, the chip provides multiple power supply voltages, with each transistor connected to the appropriate supply voltage for safe and reliable operation.
As is known, a transistor comprises at least two pn junctions through which current flows to achieve transistor action. A MOSFET (metal-oxide semiconductor field effect transistor) comprises doped source and drain regions formed in a well of the opposite doping type. A region of the well between the source and drain is referred to as a channel. A conductive gate overlies the channel and is separated therefrom by a dielectric layer. Application of a voltage to the gate inverts the conductivity of the channel permitting current to flow between the source and the drain.
The equation for current flow for both an n-channel (NMOS) and a p-channel (PMOS) MOSFET is:I=K(W/L)(Vgs−Vt)(Vgs−Vt),where: K is a constant for a given technology, Vgs is the voltage between the gate and the source, Vt is the threshold voltage (the Vgs at which current starts to flow through the channel) and W/L is a width/length ratio of the MOSFET structure. The quantity (Vgs−Vt) is commonly known as Veff.
Application of an excessive voltage to a pn junction (such as the source/well of a MOSFET) can cause the junction to fail or break down, possibly resulting in transistor failure. Thus a maximum junction breakdown voltage is an important MOSFET operating limit.
Transistors designed to operate with different supply voltages may exhibit different breakdown limits, as there is a direct relationship between the transistor's nominal supply voltage and its junction breakdown characteristics. Transistors designed for operation at higher supply voltages generally exhibit higher breakdown voltages. Transistors can be operated near the maximum permitted supply voltage to increase operational speed in the case of a digital circuit and to provide maximum voltage headroom in an analog circuit.
Supplying a MOSFET with a voltage in excess of a breakdown voltage can shorten the transistor's life and cause performance limiting effects, all apparently related to an excessive electric field intensity within the transistor. The electric fields of interest include vertical and lateral fields within the transistor structure and fields across transistor junctions. Three known deleterious effects associated with high intensity electric fields are described below.
An excessive electric field across the gate dielectric causes current flow through the dielectric, possibly leading to dielectric breakdown. Also, in the case of a reverse biased pn junction, when the electric field across the junction is sufficient to cause either Zener or avalanche junction breakdown, excessive reverse current will flow, possibly leading to the generation of excess heat in the transistors or components with which it operates.
A MOSFET having a relatively high source-drain voltage creates a relatively large electric field intensity that accelerates the carriers through the channel from source to drain. If such a field is present while the MOSFET is operating in saturation (i.e., a high current flow from source to drain) the carriers may attain a sufficiently high energy such that upon collision with the channel silicon lattice atoms a fraction of the carriers are deflected into the gate dielectric (e.g., silicon dioxide). These high-energy carriers, referred to as "hot" carriers, degrade the quality of the gate dielectric, leading to premature failure of the transistor.
Continued operation of a transistor that is subject to one or more of these breakdown conditions will likely shorten the transistor's life and alter its performance over time.
Generally, there are three known approaches for overcoming the effects of an excessive electric field intensity within a MOSFET. One solution fabricates multiple MOSFET's on the chip, with each MOSFET having a different gate oxide thickness. Selection of the operative MOSFET for a specific circuit is based on the gate oxide thickness required to withstand the effects of the electric field generated by the circuit. While this technique provides a MOSFET capable of withstanding breakdown effects, fabrication process costs are increased by the extra masks and extra processing steps required, and an area penalty is incurred due to the increased chip area required to fabricate the multiple MOSFETS.
An extended-drain MOSFET includes an integrated resistor in series with the MOSFET drain. When a high current flows from the drain to the source, the voltage drop across the integrated resistor reduces the voltage at the drain and thus the magnitude of the source-drain electric field intensity. Generally, the simultaneous occurrence of a high source-drain voltage and a high drain current occurs only under transient operations. Thus, the only significant detrimental effect of the drain resistor is a slight reduction in response time, but the extended-drain MOSFET introduces an area penalty due to the area required by the integrated resistor.
A third solution uses a controllable protection circuit that prevents the application of excessive voltages to the MOSFET terminals. Within the protection circuit, voltages across transistor terminals are limited to values below breakdown.
A transistor's output voltage is related to its supply voltage, i.e., a first transistor operating at a first supply voltage provides a higher output voltage than a second transistor operating at a second supply voltage lower than the first supply voltage. In a circuit configuration where the first transistor output is supplied as an input to the second transistor, care must be exercised to ensure that the input does not exceed a breakdown voltage of the second transistor. For example, in a circuit where a signal is communicated between a first chip operating at 3.3 V and a second chip operating at 2.5 V, an input interface that can tolerate a 3.3 V input signal is disposed between the two chips to reduce the input voltage seen by the second chip, thereby limiting the breakdown effects on transistors and other components within the second chip.
One circuit configuration in which multiple transistors share a common output terminal is referred to as a "net." In the net, multiple output drivers (i.e., transistors) drive (i.e., supply an input signal) to a network of components. At a given time, one of the output drivers drives the net while the others are in an off condition. Since all output drivers may not operate at the same power supply voltage, under certain operating conditions one or more of the off-state output drivers may be exposed to an excessive voltage, which can develop an excessive electric field in the transistor and possibly cause junction breakdown.

Apparatus and method for breakdown protection of a source follower circuit


A composite semiconductor element includes a semiconductor substrate having a single crystal region projecting in the form of an island, an epitaxial growth layer formed on the semiconductor substrate so as to surround the single crystal region, an insulating isolation layer formed in predetermined regions of the epitaxial growth layer, of the single crystal region, and of the semiconductor substrate so as to insulate/isolate the epitaxial growth layer and the single crystal region from each other and to form a plurality of island-like element regions in the epitaxial growth layer and in the single crystal region, an n-channel MOS transistor and a CCD element respectively formed in element regions in the single crystal region, and a p-channel MOS transistor and a bipolar element respectively formed in element regions in the epitaxial growth layer.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a composite semiconductor element obtained as a monolithic integrated circuit by forming a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) element, a CMOS element, and a bipolar element on a silicon semiconductor substrate and, more particularly, to a composite semiconductor element used for a TV or VTR.
2. Description of the Related Art
A composite integrated circuit element used for a TV or VTR is used as a monolithic integrated circuit obtained by forming a CCD delay line and a MOS transistor on a silicon semiconductor substrate. This CCD delay line serves to delay a signal and has an input/output circuit and a clock circuit respectively constituted by MOS transistors. With a recent tendency to reduce power consumption, these elements are constituted by CMOS elements so as to reduce the power source voltage from 9 V to 5 V. In addition, a circuit obtained by mounting a plurality of semiconductor elements in one package is currently available.
For example, a BiMOS element shown in FIG. 1 is designed such that the major surface of a p-type silicon semiconductor substrate is divided into a plurality of island regions A, B, and C by a selective oxide layer 2 for isolation, and a p-channel MOS transistor 3, an n-channel MOS transistor 4, and a CCD 5 are sequentially formed in the island regions A, B, and C, respectively to form a monolithic integrated circuit. The p-channel MOS transistor 3 is designed such that a so-called n-well region 6 is formed on the silicon semiconductor substrate 1, and an end portion of p-n junction formed by the n-well region 6 and substrate 1 is exposed on the upper surface of the silicon semiconductor substrate 1. This p-n junction end portion is protected by the selective oxide layer 2 for isolation to constitute a so-called planar structure. Since these structures are not different from known structures, a detailed description thereof will be omitted. Note that the MOS transistor includes a source region 7, a drain region 8, and a gate 9, and the CCD includes an extracting portion 10, thus constituting the BiMOS element.
In a conventional technique, a CCD element is formed on a silicon semiconductor substrate together with an n-channel (channel will be referred to as "ch" hereinafter) MOS transistor so as to constitute a monolithic integrated circuit. According to an arrangement of this circuit, a driving circuit, a clock driver, a sample/hold circuit, and an output circuit are generally arranged in addition to the CCD element. As described above, the power source voltage is changed from 9 V to 5 V for the following reason. With a recent tendency to form CMOS circuits so as to realize low power consumption, the power source voltage for, e.g., a bipolar element used together with such a CMOS circuit is required to be set to 5 V.
If, however, the power source voltage is set to 5 V, linearity of an operational amplifier used for the sample/hold circuit or the output circuit is degraded, and degradation of element characteristics is caused to decrease the yield. Furthermore, a delay line serves to only delay a signal, processing of this signal is performed by a circuit constituted by a bipolar element formed on another semiconductor substrate.

Monolithic IC formed of a CCD, CMOS and a bipolar element


An integrated circuit includes an NMOS transistor, a PMOS transistor and a vertical bipolar transistor. The vertical bipolar transistor has an intrinsic base with a band barrier at least 25 meV high at a surface boundary of the intrinsic base, except at an emitter-base junction with an emitter, and except at a base-collector junction with a collector. The intrinsic base may be laterally surrounded by an extrinsic base with a higher dopant density than the intrinsic base, wherein a higher dopant density provides the band barrier at lateral surfaces of the intrinsic base. A gate may be disposed on a gate dielectric layer over a top surface boundary of the intrinsic base adjacent to the emitter. The gate is configured to accumulate the intrinsic base immediately under the gate dielectric layer, providing the band barrier at the top surface boundary of the intrinsic base.

Some integrated circuits contain vertical bipolar transistors, along with n-channel metal oxide semiconductor (NMOS) transistors and p-channel metal oxide semiconductor (PMOS) transistors. The vertical bipolar transistors used in circuits such as bandgap reference circuits, require high gain, for example greater than 5, and low noise, for example a signal-to-noise ratio greater than 70 decibels (dB), at collector currents of 100 picoamperes (pA) to 100 microamperes (pA). Vertical bipolar transistors in such integrated circuits are particularly susceptible to burst noise, also referred to as random telegraph signal (RTS) noise and popcorn noise. Moreover, it is desirable for the vertical bipolar transistors to occupy as little space as possible to reduce the cost of the integrated circuit. Simultaneously attaining desired levels of gain, noise and size has been problematic.

Method of improving bipolar device signal to noise performance by reducing the effect of oxide interface trapping centers


In an image forming apparatus and a computer program, extraction of information about distortion in a charged particle beam scan area can be implemented. An image forming apparatus integrates image data obtained by a charged particle beam apparatus and calculates, from a plurality of images with different scan directions of the charged particle beam apparatus, first information about the amount of change in a feature quantity in accordance with the time of irradiation of the charged particle beam, second information about the amount of change in the feature quantity before and after a change in beam scan direction, and/or third information about a position error of a pattern on the image before and after the change in beam scan direction.

A charged particle beam apparatus represented by a scanning electron microscope scans a sample with a thinly converged charged particle beam, and forms a sample image on the basis of a signal emitted from the sample. Such charged particle beam apparatuses have an increasingly higher resolution, and increasingly higher ratios of magnification for observation are required.
As a result of the increase in the observation magnification ratios, the issue of sample image reliability has arisen, as described below. When the sample is scanned with the charged particle beam, depending on the material of the sample, the sample may be shrunk or a carbon-based deposit may become attached to the surface of the sample (contamination) due to dissociation of hydrocarbon-based residual gas in the apparatus and the sample caused by the energy of the beam, such that the observed image of the sample may become different from its shape prior to observation.
Further, when the sample is scanned with the charged particle beam, a charging bias may be produced in the observed area, resulting in a sample image different from the actual shape of the sample. It is known that the charging bias is dependent on the following various contributing factors.
a) Changes depending on the energy and current density of the primary electron beam, observation magnification ratio, and the secondary electron/backscattered electron yield of the sample.
b) Temporal changes depending on electron movement or diffusion, annihilation by electron hole recombination and the like.
c) Changes depending on scan method.
As a result of the above phenomena, observation of the sample causes sample image distortion and a significant decrease in sample image reliability. Various methods for decreasing the sample image distortion have been considered.
Patent Literature 1 describes a technique for suppressing the sample shrinkage or contamination due to electron beam irradiation. In this technique, the scan interval of the electron beam is increased and the length of the scan area in the Y-direction is increased compared with the length in the X-direction such that the scan area is rectangular, and the amount of electron beam irradiation per unit area of the sample is decreased.
Patent Literature 2 describes a technique for suppressing sample image distortion due to the influence of localized charging of the sample by electron beam irradiation. The technique involves setting the order of raster scan in the vertical direction of the screen such that the center of arbitrary two lines that have been previously scanned is scanned at all times.
Patent Literature 3 describes a technique for suppressing sample image distortion due to changes in charging potential in sample areas with different charge characteristics when the sample is scanned with electron beam. The technique involves measuring the charging in each area of the sample and grasping electric characteristics so that setting conditions for charging or neutralizing means can be optimized.

Image forming device and computer program


The present invention relates, in general, to a method of selling commodities and sharing sales profits using the Internet and, more particularly, to a method of selling commodities and sharing sales profits using the Internet, which not only allows a commodity purchaser to give a predetermined deposit to a commodity seller, to purchase commodities at low prices, and to be issued both a dividend and an award for contribution previously stipulated by the commodity seller, depending on the contribution level of the amount spent purchasing commodities and the deposit after a predetermined period has elapsed, but also allows the commodity seller to finance a business using funds obtained on the basis of the credit thereof, thus maintaining continuous business relations between the commodity purchaser and the commodity seller.

Generally, the distribution of commodities is performed in such a way that a commodity seller purchases commodities from a commodity provider at predetermined prices, and resells the commodities to purchasers at prices obtained by adding costs required to distribute, keep and sell the commodities and sales profits to the purchase prices of the commodities. Such selling of commodities has been primarily performed in retail stores, such as agents, stores, discount stores and department stores. A commodity seller makes efforts to continuously maintain transactions between commodity purchasers and the commodity seller through the use of a method of selling commodities while issuing coupons each corresponding to a certain percentage of the price of a commodity sold or applying certain discount rates to favored clients or clients purchasing a considerable number of commodities. However, such a typical selling method is problematic in that discount rates must be differently applied depending on profits generated by respective commodities, and the contribution levels of commodity purchasers for business activities cannot be precisely calculated, so that compensatory policies, such as the application of discount rates to commodity purchasers, cannot be precise and scientific. Therefore, indisputable motives for allowing the commodity purchasers to maintain business relations with the commodity seller cannot be induced. Further, in the case of the method of issuing coupons depending on the prices of commodities sold, there are problems in that it is inconvenient for each commodity purchaser to carefully manage coupons, and profits obtained by the commodity purchaser through the coupons are typically small, so that this method is not sufficient to induce continuous business relations as in the above-described case.
Recently, due to the rapid development of the Internet, electronic commerce through the Internet has been actively performed. Electronic commerce through the Internet is advantageous in that preferences and contribution levels of commodity purchasers can be precisely evaluated through member subscription and a database of sales records, as well as convenience in purchasing and selling commodities and reduction of distribution costs, and compensatory policies for preferred members due to the evaluated preferences and contribution levels are carried out, thus maintaining continuous business relations. However, such compensatory policies for preferred members or simple discounts of certain percentages of the selling prices of commodities are not sufficient to continuously guarantee profits of commodity purchasers, thus preventing continuous business relations between the commodity purchasers and the commodity seller from being reliably maintained.

Method of selling commodities and sharing sales profits using internet


Systems and methods are provided for operating a pulse width modulation (PWM) circuit in a direct current (DC) to alternating current (AC) power inverter to reduce the magnitude of harmonics. The PWM circuit operates using a reference signal having an irregular period. In one implementation the irregular periodicity includes a sequence of periods uniformly distributed about a target period.

1. Field of the Invention
This disclosure relates to the field of electrical power conversion, specifically to power inverters and methods to reduce harmonics in a direct current (DC) to alternating current (AC) power inverter by providing a reference signal having an irregular period.
2. Background of the Invention
Power inverters are a commonly used device for providing alternating current (AC) power to devices which utilize AC power input when traditional AC power grids or other infrastructure are not available. In particular, a power inverter is designed to take in direct current (DC) power and convert it to a form which approximates traditional AC power.
The DC power source supplying an inverter may be provided in any format and from any source. In many common applications of power inverters, the DC power source is an alternative electrical power generator such as a fuel cell, solar panel, or wind turbine. In other applications, the DC power is obtained from an internal combustion or similar engine that mechanically drives a permanent magnet alternator. These systems are commonly used to provide for readily available AC power in emergencies or in locations lacking reliable power infrastructure. DC power may also be obtained from rectified AC power. DC to AC power converters are also commonly used on board vehicles where DC power may be readily available from the vehicle's engine compartment but AC power is generally not easily obtained.
AC power is often a more useful source of energy than DC power for a variety of reasons. The most common is often that AC power allows the use of standard off the shelf equipment designed to operate off a power grid providing AC power. DC powered versions of these appliances are often bulkier and less efficient, incurring higher energy losses. Further, certain types of appliances require AC power in operation as only an AC voltage provides the required operational characteristics. While the general concept of AC power is fairly common, AC power may be provided at a variety of different voltages and frequencies in different parts of the world, and with specialized applications such as for use on aircraft.
In remote areas where power infrastructure may not exist, or may have been disabled due to military action or disaster, it is generally necessary to provide generators to produce power to operate electrical devices. In many of these situations, AC power is necessary because devices to be operated were previously used with an AC power grid which is no longer operating. Further, as the military, and other groups, become increasingly reliant on electronic technology and other electrical devices to operate efficiently, the need for AC power generators has increased dramatically in order to allow them to carry out necessary tasks.
While the ability to produce AC power from DC power through the use of an inverter is a relatively simple basic technology, many modern AC powered devices are sensitive to the "cleanliness" of the power provided to them and to the electromagnetic interference (EMI) present in the environment in which they operate. Advanced electronics including, but not limited to, communication devices, computers, and sensing equipment may have their performance impaired by electrical noise and EMI if their AC power source is not of sufficiently high quality. This noise can be distracting to the operator and can reduce the operating effectiveness of the device. In many modern applications, this is unacceptable as it can cause problems in using devices essential for military, disaster recovery, medical, or other critical applications.
The problem of noise in a DC to AC power converter often arises because the power inverter, while producing an AC power output, does not actually produce a "true" AC voltage signal. A "true" AC power source such as a power utility grid generator transfers power in a form closely resembling a sine wave. Therefore, the AC voltage signal is considered an alternating signal with a predetermined frequency. DC power, however, generally is transferred at a constant voltage signal. Therefore, when starting with a DC power source, the power inverter will generally provide some form of square wave output signal instead of a sine wave.
In creating from a DC power source AC power that is similar to that obtained from a true sine wave, one technology which is particularly useful is pulse-width modulation (PWM) which is also called pulse-duration modulation (PDM). The PWM circuit provides a set of electronic switches, typically insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs). A control logic, such as, but not limited to, processor or electronic system is used to turn the switches on and off in a well orchestrated manner to produce a sequence of pulses of a fixed positive and negative magnitude and a varying duration whose root-mean-square (RMS) value approximates that of a sine wave.
While this system is effective at producing relatively good AC power at a desired frequency, there is a significant presence of undesirable signals in the resultant AC voltage signal from this methodology due to the switching action generating other constructive interactions. The frequencies of these signals are generally integer multiples of the frequency of the switching signal. For instance, if the desired AC signal is at 400 Hz, as is commonly used in many aircraft applications, and the reference frequency is 10 kHz, then the switching frequency is 20 kHz and undesirable signals are usually seen at 20 kHz, 40 kHz, 60 kHz and other integer multiples. The first harmonic (20 kHz in this case) is often the most problematic due to its relatively large magnitude. The interference can range from a simple nuisance noise such as a hum or static on a communication channel, to actually causing overheating or other dangerous situations in the device and therefore control of harmonics is quite important.
Traditionally, harmonics have been dealt with by attempting to remove or attenuate them from the AC voltage signal prior to power use by an electrical device, instead of trying to eliminate their production. IEEE standard 519-1992 for example, the entire disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference, provides for suggested practices for dealing with harmonics. The standard generally recommends filtering of power lines prior to power use to attenuate problematic harmonics, and to design switching angles to eliminate some harmonics. Further, internally wiring structures to handle harmonics is also recommended.
While these standards are a logical way to attempt to deal with harmonics, they all suffer from the fundamental flaw that they do not eliminate the generation of the harmonics, instead they simply try to attenuate them from the power line after generation. These processes, therefore, require the use of altered construction methods of AC powered devices and additional components to provide for filtering. It would be desirable to instead eliminate or minimize the generation of harmonics in the beginning as fewer downstream components and modifications would be needed.

Systems and methods for reducing the magnitude of harmonics produced by a power inverter


Methods are provided for accurately predicting efficacy of chemotherapeutic agents. Methods of the invention increase the positive predictive value of chemosensitivity assays by assessing both the ability of a chemotherapeutic to destroy cells and the genetic propensity of those cells for resistance. Results obtained using methods of the invention provide insight into the in vivo effectiveness of a therapeutic, and lead to more effective chemotherapeutic treatment.

Cancer chemotherapy involves the use of cytotoxic drugs to destroy unwanted cells in patients. Treatment may consist of using one or more cytotoxic drugs, depending on the nature of the disease being treated. However, drug toxicity and drug resistance are significant barriers effective chemotherapy.
Toxicity from chemotherapeutic agents produces side effects ranging from mild trauma to death. Moreover, repeated exposure to chemotherapeutic drugs is itself often fatal. As chemotherapeutic drugs are carried in the blood, they are taken up by proliferating cells, including normal cells. Tissues with high growth rates such as bone marrow and epithelial tissues, including the gastrointestinal tract, are normally most susceptible to toxic side effects. Some drugs have additional toxic effects on other tissues, such as the urinary tract, myocardium, or pancreas. Chemotherapeutic agents may cause direct injury to the heart, either acutely, in the form of myocardial tissue injury or dysrhythmias, or in a delayed or chronic fashion associated with congestive heart failure.
Target cells, such as malignant or diseased cells, may be intrinsically resistant to chemotherapeutic drugs or they may acquire resistance as a result of exposure. A target cell may be genetically predisposed to resistance to particular chemotherapeutics. Alternatively, the cell may not have receptors or activating enzymes for the drug or may not be reliant on the biochemical process with which the drug interferes. Additionally, individuals may be inherently resistant to a drug due to altered disposition of the drug in organs other than the tumor. These mechanisms include, but are not limited to, rapid metabolism to inactive species, failure to metabolize to an active species of drug, and rapid clearance or sequestration. Many of these aspects are encoded genetically by normal polymorphisms in metabolic genes that act primarily, but not exclusively, in the liver and gastrointestinal tract and the kidneys.
Acquired resistance also may develop after cells have been exposed to a drug or to similar classes of drugs. One example of acquired drug resistance is the multiple drug resistance phenotype. Multiple drug resistance is a phenomenon of cross-resistance of cells to a variety of chemotherapeutic agents which are not structurally or functionally related. This phenomenon is typically mediated by p-glycoprotein, a cell membrane pump that is present normally on the surface of some epithelial cells. The protein actively removes drug from the cell, making it resistant to drugs that are substrates for the cell membrane pump.
A critical issue in cancer chemotherapy is the ability to select drugs that not only affect cancer cell phenotype in cell culture assays, but are also not subject to resistance whether in the tumor or intrinsic to the patient. The present invention addresses that issue.

Methods for assessing efficacy of chemotherapeutic agents


The present invention is directed toward a stable calibrator and/or control, kit and process for using in a glucose monitoring instrumentation. Principally, the instant invention teaches a glycolyzed red blood cell component which has been treated with a glycolysis stabilizing effective amount of at least one non-crosslinking aldehyde compound which may be added to fresh plasma along with an amount of glucose to form a simulated whole blood glucose control product, effective for maintaining a particular and essentially stable glucose concentration over a period of time sufficient for accurate measurement and calibration of a glucose measuring instrument.

There are numerous commercially available systems and/or devices for diagnostic testing of analytes in tissue samples. Currently, a growing number of manufacturers sell single-use lateral flow devices, or test strips, for glucose monitoring. These test strips are part of a segment of in vitro diagnostics called Point-of-Care (POC) devices. Test strips are typically read by either reflectance or electrochemical POC measurement systems.
Reflectant-based glucose strips are composed of three distinct layers; an absorbent pad, a reagent-impregnated membrane, and an enzymatic membrane. Reflectance photometric systems quantitate glucose concentrations by measuring the amount of light reflected from the reagent membrane surface.
Electrochemical systems utilize amperometry or coulometry to quantitate glucose amounts. For amperometric systems, a constant potential is applied to the electrodes and the current flowing through the electrochemical cell is measured. For coulometric systems, the amount of electricity passing between the electrodes is proportional to the quantity of substance manufactured or used by the reduction-oxidation process. In order for POC devices to achieve glucose agreement with central laboratory analyzers, it is often necessary to employ a whole blood control or one that provides close mimicry to whole blood.
Unlike remotely located central laboratories, POC measurement devices provide immediate analyte concentration. These test strips are designed to accept and test whole blood specimens for immediate results. Often such instantaneous glucose level determination is vital for proper diabetes management.
In contrast to POC devices, the methods and "wet" chemistry analyzers used by central laboratories are often less sensitive than POC systems to the "matrix" of the specimen. A "matrix-effect" results when other constituents of a sample besides the analyte tested for produce a matrix shift, or a measurement bias, thereby reducing the accuracy of the analyzer to correctly measure the analyte concentration. Matrix-effects caused by the interaction of processed material and the analytical system may generate an underestimation, or overestimation, of true glucose levels leading to possible misdiagnosis in the patient.
Thus, matrix effects are especially troublesome with Quality Control and Proficiency Testing materials as well as for POC glucose strip manufacturers. The matrix-effect makes it extremely difficult to achieve agreement between the various POC glucose strip systems using a stabilized blood material. Test strips are made by a complicated process of assembling different laminates and/or substrates for removal of cellular components, red blood cells (RBCs) or erythrocytes, enzymes for metabolizing the analyte and reagents to signal a reaction detecting the presence or absence of analyte. By the very nature of the process, significant lot-to-lot variability can occur.
Currently, providers of Glucose Measurement Proficiency Programs must use stabilized materials that exhibit significant matrix effects. The administrators of these programs thus find it necessary to separate the reported results according to the make and model of the glucose monitoring devices. Ideally, the proficiency material should mimic fresh blood so that a single assay value could be used to evaluate the performance of all systems.
POC glucose test strip/instrument manufacturers have a problem in that each lot or batch of strips can differ from others in response to glucose. Variations in manufacturing conditions and materials accounts for this difference. To account for the variations in response, calibration codes are assigned to each strip lot number. Currently, fresh blood samples are used for this assignment. Due to the rapid deterioration of the blood samples, often the only relatively reliable calibrator and/or control is fresh human blood, frequently obtained from POC strip manufacture employees themselves. Precise control of the glucose level is especially difficult since the RBCs in whole blood continue to metabolize. If left at room temperature, the collected blood samples undergo glycolysis. That is, glycolytic enzymes in blood convert the glucose to pyruvic acid and other products by a series of reactions known as the Embden-Meyerhof pathway. To prepare this calibrator, blood is drawn into an anticoagulant to form a suspension. The suspension is then incubated for a few hours to reduce the glucose level, preferably to 50 mg/dL or less. Glucose is then added to achieve the various levels desired for calibration. To maintain the glucose level for future use as a calibrator and/or control, the blood must be immediately stored on ice. While this method can reduce glycolysis, long-term storage on ice can eventually degrade the sample.
Other methods and procedures have been described in the prior art for preparing stable controls and/or calibrators, especially in glucose monitoring instrumentation. One such method has been to immediately completely remove RBCs from fresh whole blood by centrifugation. Since RBCs can comprise up to 50% of the whole blood, the remaining primary components, mainly plasma, do not adequately mimic whole blood in analytical systems. The RBC component contributes to the viscosity, ionic strength and absorption. Because there is failure to achieve total accordance, matrix-effects result.
In glucose lateral flow devices, the presence of the RBCs in the whole blood affects the regulation of sample flow through the various strip layers. That is, the RBCs physically fill and/or plug the pores of the reagent membrane, thus regulating the flow dynamics to the subsequent layer. Moreover, the ionic strength of the RBCs impacts reaction kinetics that in turns shortens, or extends, the reaction phase (i.e. impact slope and time to reach endpoint).
Therefore, in the absence of either the RBCs or ionic strength, sample migration through the test strip layers is markedly different. Rate of absorption, sample delivery through the reagent membrane and flow rate of the enzymatic reaction is changed. Hence, the creation of a stable, control solution that closely simulates cellular components, function characteristics (i.e. size, density, charge and concentration) while operating universally across different POC glucose monitoring devices and maintaining agreement with results obtained from a central laboratory has been heretofore lacking in the prior art.
In accordance with the instantly disclosed invention, a glucose control will be understood to comprise a stable suspension of red cells and plasma, or components which may be combined to produce said stable suspension, that can be analyzed for glucose over a time period of several weeks, with recovery of a consistent value.
In the past various glycolytic inhibitors have been utilized in blood samples to inhibit glycolysis in a sample before the sample is tested. Some common inhibitors include, sodium fluoride, sodium iodoacetate, sodium oxalate, 2-iodoacetamide, d-mannose, either alone or in combination with an anticoagulant. Although these inhibitors will stabilize the glucose in blood specimens, they are usually identified as "incompatible" and/or "interfering" substances when used in combination with many commercially available POC glucose monitors. Therefore, although they inhibit glucose metabolism they do not provide an acceptable control material. Furthermore, it often takes approximately three hours for these glycolytic inhibitors to become fully effective and stabilize glucose levels. During this three-hour lag time, approximately 0.5 mmol/L of glucose can be consumed.
Some cross-linking aldehydes, for example formaldehyde and glutaraldehyde, have been employed to inhibit glycolysis in blood samples. These aldehydes "cross-link" with cellular surface proteins and amino acids. For the purposes of calibration, cross-linking of cellular membrane proteins is not desirable since the characteristics of the whole blood (RBC) would be changed and possibly impact the behavior of the various glucose monitoring systems. While, glyceraldehyde does react with some amino acids to form Schiff bases, it does not "cross-link" with cellular surface proteins. That is, it is mono-functional. In addition, it is rapidly transported through the red blood cell membranes to quickly inhibit glycolysis.
Thus, it has been discovered by the present inventors that not only does the use of non-cross linking aldehydes stabilize glucose values by inhibiting the glycolytic process, but these aldehydes do not affect the rheology (i.e. flow properties) of the RBCs through testing devices. Therefore, it is possible to make a calibrator comprising at least one non-cross linking aldehyde for calibration with the various methodologies ranging from the analyzer in the central laboratory to the POC monitor.

Process, composition and kit for providing a stable whole blood calibrator/control


A projection image display apparatus is equipped with a light shielding member for partially shielding the illumination light from the illuminating optical system so as to reduce the image brightness in a region where the intensity of the reflected light reflected between the on-light and off-light becomes strong, and making the intensity of the illumination light emitted to the respective mirror elements uneven.

1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a projection image display apparatus equipped with an image generation part in which a plurality of mirror elements are arranged, the mirror elements moving between an on-position at which illumination light from an illuminating optical system is reflected toward a projection optical system and an off-position at which the illumination light is reflected toward the outside of the projection optical system, whereby on-light is reflected from the mirror element located at the on-position constituting an image.
2. Description of the Related Art
A DMD projector provided with a DMD (digital micro mirror device) as the image generation part has been known. The DMD is composed by arranging, in a matrix state, many light reflection angle variable mirror elements capable of being changed between the on-position at which the received illumination light is reflected toward the projection optical system and the off-position at which the illumination light is reflected toward the direction out of the projection optical system. The projected image is composed by the group of the on-light reflected from the mirror element located at the on-position.
The DMD projector has a high optical utilization efficiency since the DMD projector uses the simple light reflection due to the mirror element. Therefore, as compared with an LCD projector, the DMD projector has an advantage that the high-brightness of the projection image can be realized. On the other hand, the DMD projector has a problem in that the off-light reflected from the mirror element located at the off-position is mixed with the on-light and the quality of the projection image is reduced. Therefore, devices are disclosed, in which a shielding film and a light absorbing member are provided between the DMD and the projection optical system, and the off-light from the DMD is absorbed (see JP-A-9-98442 and JP-A-9-96867).
However, the related art devices absorb the off-light, and flat light reflected between the on-light and the off-light is not considered. The flat light is reflected light from a cover glass or the like for mainly protecting the DMD, and a problem exists in that the flat light is mixed with the on-light and thereby the brightness unevenness is generated on the projection image.


An electronic still camera is disclosed for recording image data on a recording medium. A photographing optical system is provided for passing therethrough light from a photographing object and forming an image of the object. A pickup element such as CCD (Charge Coupled Device) is provided for receiving the light passed through the photographing optical system and outputting an image signal corresponding thereto. The image is to be formed on the light receiving surface of the pickup element. A drive mechanism drives the pickup element to be shifted between at least a first position where the light passed through the photographing optical system is incident to the pickup element and a second position which differs from the first position. A recording circuit records the image signal outputted from the pickup element onto a recording medium such as a magnetic disk.

The present invention relates to an electronic still camera capable of recording images of objects on a recording medium such as a magnetic disk.
In a conventional electronic still camera of a so-called single-lens reflex type as illustrated in FIG. 1, a lens 1 causes light from an object, not shown, to be incident on a pickup element 2. A quick return mirror 3 reflects the light from the lens 1 and causes it to be incident on a finder 5. A shift mechanism 4 drives the quick return mirror 3. A mirror 6 is fitted to the back side of the mirror 3 and capable of revolving, so that part of pickup luminous flux is caused to be incident on a photometric element 7.
While a release switch (not shown) is not held on, the quick return mirror 3 is located as shown by the solid line in FIG. 1. As the light passed through the lens 1 and is reflected from the quick return mirror 3 and caused to be incident on the finder 5 in the way stated above, the subject can be monitored via the finder 5, the quick return mirror 3 and the lens 1.
Moreover, the light passed through the quick return mirror 3, which is a half mirror, is reflected from the mirror 6 and caused to be incident on the photometric element 7. As a result, aperture value, shutter speed and the like can be computed from the output of the photometric element 7.
When the release switch is turned on, the shift mechanism 4 operates to move the quick return mirror 3 together with the mirror 6 upward (to the position indicated by the dashed (imaginary) line). Consequently, the light from the lens 1 is caused to be incident on the pickup element 2; thus the output of the pickup element 2 can be recorded on a recording medium such as a magnetic disk.
After this pickup and recording operation has been terminated, the quick return mirror 3 is returned back to the original position.
Since the quick return mirror 3 is thus disposed between the lens 1 and the pickup element 2 in the conventional electronic still camera of the so-called single-lens reflex type, the distance (back focal distance) between the back surface of the lens 1 and an image forming position (where the pickup element 2 has been disposed) has to be set large. In order to obtain a desired f-number with the large back focal distance, a large lens 1 will have to be used accordingly. Further, the quick return mirror 3 must be large in size. Although the back focal distance may be decreased to a certain extent by reducing the size of the quick return mirror 3, the amount of light incident to the finder 5 decreases, thus causing the brightness of the finder field to be reduced. Consequently, the size of the quick return mirror 3 cannot be reduced so much as desired.
In the conventional electronic still camera, the photometric element 7 has to be equipped besides (adjacent to) the pickup (photographing) element 2. Further, a TTL (through the taking lens) system is required in order to obtain an accurate exposure time. Still further, if the camera employs the quick return mirror system, additional mirror 6, as described above, is necessary for directing the light to the photometric element 7, which makes the mechanism more complex.
As above, it has been hardly possible to make a compact electronic still camera of the single-lens reflex type.


Applicant's invention defines a barrel support rack made of non-metallic, non-corrosive material with rubberized cradles to keep barrels from shifting during movements such as stacking or transport. The support rack is modular in that a component useable as either the front or back of the rack is interlocked with a second component useable as either side to form a rack assembly. The side components protrude through opening in the front and back components, interlocking each thereto and are secured with a plurality of dowels. The simple doweled assembly allows rapid and economical take down and subsequent compact storage of said components when not in use. The ease of assembly and disassembly facilitates repair or replacement of damaged components. The non-metallic nature of the components allows the washing down or sterilization of the rack for beverage industry applications where a high degree of cleanliness is essential.

At present, various rack designs are utilized to store and transport cylindrical containers. A traditional and very simple approach can be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 4,190,165 ("the Collins patent"), which discloses a method of stacking pipes utilizing chocks. The Collins patent discloses an improved chock "stick," but the overall chock concept is not new. Cylindrical objects such as pipes have been transported or stored with chocks, which are employed to keep the objects from rolling. This very simple method of retaining one or more cylindrical objects is useful in only certain applications where transport or storage is the primary objective. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,431,107 ("the Bergstrom et al. patent") is a modular rack array with limitations in that the rack may be used primarily for storage, but does not facilitate easy or convenient movement of the barrels. In the Bergstrom et al. patent, a base configuration used for the lowest tier of barrels is different from the supports for upper tiers. Many barrels may be stacked, one upon the other, but moving select barrels is not easy, particularly when the barrel to be moved is in the center of a large array of barrels.
Several patents disclose ways of handling several barrels without the limitations of the Bergstrom et al. patent. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,488,649 ("the Mark patent"), utilizes tubing in a configuration such that when reels are loaded onto the rack, another rack may fit on top of the first rack, resting on the reels themselves. In this way, the reels form part of the stacking system, and may be moved a few at a time. A limitation of the Mark patent is that in certain configurations, the racks may only be accessed by a fork lift from a single direction, the front.
The Mark patent also discloses a tubular system which can be disassembled and reassembled in differing sizes. While it is attractive to be able to store unused racks in a disassembled state, because the racks in the Mark patent are held together by traditional hardware like nuts and bolts, the racks demand significant time and labor in their disassembly and reassembly.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,019,916 ("the Malcher patent") discloses a rack which also facilitates the stacking of drums utilizing a fork lift. Such a rack is an improvement over the Collins patent, the Bergstrom et al. patent, and the Mark patent in that Malcher allows stacking to be accomplished from the front or the side of the rack. In this method, a few barrels may be moved at a time from a variety of directions. Malcher also teaches a rack which is assembled with traditional hardware, and can be broken down for storage.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,506,796 ("the Thompson patent"), discloses another rack structure allowing access by a forklift on four sides. The "V" configuration of the Thompson patent allows a variety of sizes of barrels to be stored, an improvement over the Malcher patent's round "cradle." However, the Thompson patent also teaches an assembled rack which requires significant labor to prepare the rack for storage.
A rack which is widely used in the wine industry is the subject of U.S. Pat. No. 3,476,260 ("The Jay patent"). The Jay patent is a welded metal rack which provides very good strength, necessary for stacking wine barrels. Because it is welded, the rack disclosed in the Jay patent does not break down for easy storage.
All of the previously mentioned patents except Collins (not really a rack) teach the use of metal for the rack material. While stronger than wood, a disadvantage which comes from using metal for a wine barrel rack is the leakage of liquid attendant to wine making. For example, when new barrels are used, and in the case of premium wines, often, new barrels for each vintage are employed, the barrels absorb enough wine that "topping off" the barrels is done often, which means spillage. Also, often times wine makers will move wine from barrel to barrel in the fining process. As a result, wine is sometimes spilled during its transfer. Because of all the operations attendant to the making of wine, and resulting in spillage of wine, yeast or chemicals, from time to time barrel racks must be sterilized. This is typically accomplished by steam cleaning. Because metal is easier to clean than wood, metal racks are superior to wood in terms of preventing bacterial growth. However, metal racks rust, requiring maintenance in the form of sandblasting or painting. Such efforts are expensive, not just in the actual maintenance itself, but also in the consequential unstacking and restacking of barrels required to free up racks needing attention.
In the wine business in particular, it is desirable to leave a barrel of fermenting or aging wine undisturbed. Consequently, this means that the need for servicing barrel racks should be minimized to prevent disturbing the wine. This also means that a barrel rack should preferably be accessible on all sides by a forklift to minimize the moves required in handling the barrels, and the potential for dropping a barrel.
Because of the need to service barrel racks, a preferred design would accommodate the rapid assembly and disassembly of the rack to prevent floor space from being used up by empty barrel racks.
Further, because of the need for servicing, a preferred barrel rack would employ a material of high strength, but resistant to corrosion, and which could be easily chemically treated or sterilized.
What is needed is a rack which allows stacking of various sized barrels, accessible by a forklift from all four sides, which may be stored without great time or labor, using minimal floor space, and which is resistant to corrosion thereby needing little maintenance. Such a rack should also provide secure retention of the barrels or containers which are to be stored.

Back system for storing and transporting cylindrical containers


A motor vehicle with a device for influencing the viewing direction of the driver has a hazard detection and warning output device and a display unit for displaying information contents and/or entertainment contents. The display unit is arranged essentially centrally in the dashboard of the motor vehicle. The passenger compartment of the motor vehicle has a lighting device that is suitable for outputting a dynamic light animation and extends essentially from the display unit to the driver's field of vision on the windshield of the motor vehicle. A light animation that constitutes a movement of light in the direction of the driver's field of vision can be outputted, in order to output a warning about a hazard that relates to or could relate to what is happening on the road in front of the motor vehicle.

The invention relates to a motor vehicle with a device for influencing the viewing direction of the driver. The motor vehicle has systems and devices for detecting hazards and systems and devices for outputting at least one warning of a detected hazard. The motor vehicle further has a display unit for displaying information contents and/or entertainment contents, and this display unit is arranged essentially centrally in the dashboard of the motor vehicle.
The current trend in modern vehicles of making available the possibility of displaying information contents and/or entertainment contents enhances the comfort of the vehicle occupants, but can also distract their attention from the traffic scene. In particular, it allows many modern vehicles to display information contents and/or entertainment contents on a display unit that is disposed more or less in the middle of the instrument panel or, more specifically, the dashboard, and, if desired, slightly tilted towards the driver. Such a display unit is also referred to below as the central information display (CID). Any movement of the driver's eyes to look in the direction of the CID automatically results in the driver no longer looking directly at what is happening on the road in front of him.
Even if a vehicle has means for detecting hazards and means for outputting warnings of detected hazards, it is frequently not sufficiently possible to draw the driver's attention to the traffic situation at the appropriate moment.
The object of the present invention is to provide a motor vehicle that improves attention control in the event of a hazardous situation.
This and other objects are achieved with a motor vehicle having a device for influencing the viewing direction of the driver, wherein the motor vehicle includes devices for detecting hazards and for outputting at least one warning of a detected hazard, as well as a display unit for displaying information contents and/or entertainment contents, and the display unit is arranged essentially centrally in the dashboard of the motor vehicle. The passenger compartment of the motor vehicle has a lighting device that is suitable for outputting a dynamic light animation and extends essentially from the display unit to the driver's field of vision on the windshield of the motor vehicle. A light animation that constitutes a movement of light in the direction of the driver's field of vision can be output in order to output a warning about a hazard that relates to or could relate to what is happening on the road in front of the motor vehicle.
In the motor vehicle according to the invention, the passenger compartment of the motor vehicle has a lighting device that is suitable for outputting a dynamic light animation and extends essentially from the display unit to the driver's field of vision on the windshield of the motor vehicle. Upon detection of a hazard that relates to or at least could relate to what is happening on the road in front of the motor vehicle, a dynamic light animation that constitutes a movement of light in the direction of the driver's field of vision can be outputted, in order to output a warning about this hazard.
As a result, the driver's eyes are drawn away from the display unit to the traffic scene with the aid of the dynamic light animation. In this context, it is assumed that the driver can survey the traffic situation the best, if his eyes are focused on the so-called driver's field of vision on the windshield of the motor vehicle, i.e. the region of the windshield, through which an imaginary connecting line typically extends between the eyes of the driver and the traffic-related objects located in the foreground or, more specifically, in the direction of travel of the motor vehicle.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the lighting device extends at least partially in essence in a line-like manner along an extension line from the display unit to the driver's field of vision; and the light animation is configured in such a way that the depicted movement of light occurs along the extension line. In this case the term "in a line-like manner" is defined as essentially long and narrow. Preferably, the lighting device extends at least partially more or less straight along a straight line of extension. However, the term "in a line-like manner" is not to be construed absolutely in the sense of a straight line, but rather the line can also extend, for example, in a curved fashion, with corners and/or in a serpentine manner.
The lighting device can comprise a row of several light emitting diodes that can be arranged individually along the extension line and can be lit sequentially, in order to contribute to the light animation. Light emitting diodes are very small and can be manufactured in such a way that they have a low installation height, have fast reaction times, and, hence, can be operated in a "flash mode" manner, and require a small amount of energy. Therefore, they lend themselves extremely well to making a row of small light sources, through which a light animation "travels" by means of a sequential illumination of the individual light sources. What is meant by a sequential illumination also includes the case of an illumination that is offset in time and in which two or more adjacent light sources glow simultaneously in a transition period. It goes without saying that the use of other light sources that exhibit the same suitability for implementing the present invention is equivalent to the use of light emitting diodes.
According to a first design variant of the present invention, the lighting device consists of the row of light emitting diodes, i.e. does not comprise any additional light sources; and the light animation consists exclusively of the sequential illumination of the light emitting diodes.
According to a second design variant of the present invention, the lighting device comprises, furthermore, the display unit itself; and in order to show the movement of light, a graphics animation can then be output on the display unit; and this graphics animation comprises a graphics movement that flows into the extension line and is continued by way of the sequential illumination of the light emitting diodes. Then, the driver's eyes are drawn first to the graphics animation, then follow the graphics movement that flows into the extension line and finally follow, guided by the sequential illumination of the light emitting diodes, the extension line.
In this context the graphics movement can comprise, in particular, a compression and/or movement of a screen image, shown beforehand by the display unit, if desired also an edge trimming. The screen image, shown previously by the display unit, is simply "removed" from the driver's view. If the graphics movement runs more or less in the direction of the extension line and flows, from the viewer's point of view, even into the extension line, then the viewer or, more specifically, the driver, may get the impression that the screen image, shown by the display unit, is being literally "absorbed" along the extension line or rather is being drawn into this extension line. Then, the rest of the light animation along the extension line can be perceived by the viewer or more specifically by the driver (even though this perception is no longer based on the graphics, but purely on a light effect, in particular, the sequential illumination of the light emitting diodes) as an additional movement of the "absorbed" screen image along the extension line.
If the motor vehicle has a head-up display, then it may be advantageous, if during and/or after the output of the light animation, an image of the screen image that was shown previously by the display unit is presented at least temporarily by the head-up display. Then the screen image that has "travelled," as described above, along the extension line actually appears again in the driver's field of vision, or optionally somewhat below the driver's field of vision, in any event in the vicinity thereof. The image in the driver's field of vision can be shown, if desired, with less resolution, less true to detail and/or less color (if desired, also in monochrome), without diminishing the desired effect.
After a defined display period, the display of the head-up display can be hidden again, in order to be able to actually release again the driver's gaze, which is now diverted in the direction of the driver's field of vision, for this field of vision.
If the lighting device comprises a row of several light emitting diodes, which are arranged individually along the extension line and which can be lit up sequentially, then it may be advantageous, if the distance of the individual light emitting diodes to the driver's field of vision increases. On the one hand, the desired "pivoting" of the driver's eyes towards the end of the extension line has already been introduced and does not require any close guidance. On the other hand, the driver's view of the individual light points, which he perceives as being farther away from him, can be brought visually closer together in many cases, if the light emitting diodes are arranged along the surface of the dashboard of the motor vehicle. This applies especially if the dashboard is curved in a convex manner.
From viewpoints relating to, among other things the design and ergonomic operation, it is, furthermore, advantageous to embed the light emitting diodes into the material of the dashboard in such a way that the result is an essentially flat surface of the dashboard. To this end it is possible to use, in particular, light emitting diodes that have a flat design, for example, made according to SMD [surface mounted device] technology and that are inserted, in particular, adhesively cemented, into suitably provided recesses of the dashboard. The insertion can be carried out subsequently or as early as during the fabrication of the dashboard. If a thin and totally or partially transparent material layer is applied over the light emitting diodes, then the result is a homogeneous surface of the dashboard without having to tolerate too great a loss with respect to the visibility of the light of the light emitting diodes.
If the motor vehicle has devices for outputting different warning stages for the warning of a detected hazard, in particular, for outputting an early warning and an acute warning, then the light animation is output preferably exclusively in the case of a low warning stage; if an early warning and an acute warning are available, then only in the case of the early warning.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the motor vehicle has a device for detecting the viewing direction of the driver, and the output of the light animation is executed as a function of the detected viewing direction. On the one hand, the output can take place simply and easily, only if the driver's eyes are actually drawn away from what is happening on the road, in particular, when the driver's eyes are focused on a CID of the motor vehicle. On the other hand, the light animation can begin, if desired specifically, at the place, at which the driver's eyes are currently looking. However, on the other hand, the light animation can be configured, if desired, in such a way that the depicted light movement can run at different speeds. Then the light movement could be depicted at such a speed that the driver's eyes could, in fact, also track it. If the driver's eyes fall behind the light movement, this light movement is slowed down, as required. If the driver's eyes move ahead, the light movement is speeded up, as required.
The invention is based, among other things, on the following considerations.
The current state of the art relating to driver assistance systems (FAS) and driver information systems (FIS) has made great strides independently of the manufacturers. For example, the following driver assistance systems are already being offered on the market by leading automobile manufacturers in the area of active safety: collision warning systems, lane change warning systems, lane departure warning systems, night vision including pedestrian warning systems. Furthermore, the following types of FIS are already being offered on the market: navigation system, entertainment (radio, TV, DVD . . . ) systems, telephones, internet, etc.
Even with respect to warning strategies in the event of a risk of a collision, various approaches are known from the prior art. All of the aforementioned FASs have as their goal to warn the inattentive driver of a potential hazard, such as a collision with other traffic participants or a leaving of one's driving lane. In the case of a collision warning system, the distance to the traffic participant driving ahead is detected by way of a radar sensor; and a time to collision (TTC) is computed from the speed differential. Based on this TTC, the result is a time-based warning threshold. At almost all of the leading automobile manufacturers the two stage warning concept has become a standard, before a (partially) autonomous braking action may or may not take place. In a system offered by the applicant, the driver receives an early warning (stage 1—visual cue) in the form of a symbol in the instrument cluster and in the head-up display (HUD) in the event of a critical rear-end collision situation and upon undershooting a first warning threshold. If the driver fails to react and, as a result, a second warning threshold is undershot, an acute warning (stage 2—visual and auditory cues) is sent in the form of a high frequency warning sound and a flashing symbol in the instrument cluster and on the HUD. In addition, in many of the known systems the driver's viewing direction is analyzed by use of a camera in the passenger compartment; and the warning is sent earlier in time when the driver takes his eyes away and in critical situations.
With respect to a display and operating concept (ABK) for a driver information system (FIS), the prior art also discloses a multitude of solutions. The IDrive concept that was originally introduced by the applicant has become the standard in the automobile industry for operating FISs. It is based on a clear separation between the operating elements (in the center console) and display (display in the middle of the instrument cluster). The most important entertainment, communications, navigation and comfort functions can be activated and controlled by way of the IDrive controller.
Based on the current state of the art and the increasing availability of inexpensive high-technology automobile components, it is assumed that the majority of the modern vehicles will have in the future a camera in the passenger compartment that "watches" the driver and that can be employed to analyze the driver's state (fatigue, degree of attentiveness, viewing direction, blinking, etc.). Furthermore, it is most likely that in the very near future the installation of full color HUDs will be possible or even common. Such features will make it possible to display graphics in different colors on the HUD (for example, images that can be shown only with a so-called CID [a central information display] in the middle of the instrument cluster in vehicles with the technology that is currently available on the market).
The warning concepts that are available on the market today still have drawbacks in certain situations. For example, when using an FIS during a trip the driver's eyes typically move back and forth between the CID (central information display) in the passenger compartment and the traffic scene that is located in front of the vehicle (seen through the driver's field of vision in the windshield). In the case of functions (for example, destination input, navigation) that require a relatively long total operating period), the maximum amount of time that the driver's eyes are drawn away from the road lane or more specifically the traffic scene can be relatively long.
A purely visual early warning (for example, in the form of a yellow symbol in the instrument cluster and on the HUD) that is outputted upon undershooting a first warning threshold, cannot be perceived in every practical case, because at this instant the driver's eyes are not focused on the CID. If upon undershooting a second warning threshold an acute warning is outputted in the form of a non-directed auditory output (for example, a gong) and, if desired, combined with a visual warning that is more intensive now (for example, a red flashing symbol in the instrument cluster and on the HUD), the driver perceives, first of all, the spatially non-directed auditory output with a high degree of certainty at least in cases, in which the early warning was not noticed and the driver's eyes were still on the CID. This auditory output can lead to a relatively long processing time or, more specifically, reaction time. In the final end the driver has to interpret first the purely auditory output and then compare with the situation ("What is the reason for the gong"). Therefore, the driver's reaction (braking action) may come too late, thereby increasing the risk of an accident.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of one or more preferred embodiments when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Motor vehicle having a device for influencing the viewing direction of the driver

Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft