Provided herein are cyclosiloxane-substituted polysiloxane compounds, compositions that include the polysiloxane compounds, and methods for preparation and use of the polysiloxane compounds. Provided are mechanical lubricant compositions, hydraulic fluid compositions, anti-foam compositions, water repellant agent compositions, release agent compositions, personal care compositions, cosmetic compositions, household care compositions and drug delivery compositions that include one or more of the cyclosiloxane-substituted polysiloxane compounds provided herein.

Organosilicone compounds and their use are well known in the art. Among the uses of organosilicone compounds are as lubricants, anti-foam agents, release agents, and for applications including cosmetics and personal care compositions, household products, in personal lubricant compositions, and as lubricants in mechanical applications and as hydraulic fluids. U.S. Pat. No. 4,514,319 describes alkyl and polyether functional silicones for the reduction of the surface tension of hydrocarbon oils when they are used in connection with organosilicones. U.S. Pat. No. 5,645,842 describes cosmetic and pharmaceutical preparations.
Silicone lubricants are well known for hard metal surfaces. Such silicone lubricants usually contain an organopolysiloxane polymer which may be dimethylpolysiloxane polymer, a methyl or chlorophenyl or tetrachlorophenyl substituted polysiloxane polymer. Also, there are silicone lubricants in which the base lubricating fluid is composed of a trifluoropropyl substituted organopolysiloxane polymer. U.S. Pat. No. 2,837,482 describes dimethyl-polysiloxanes with various chlorinated additives for lubricating hard metal surfaces. Although methyl- and di-methylpolysiloxanes can be used as lubricants, it often is necessary to also add a chlorinated additive. Conventional chloride additives also are added to methyl tetrachlorophenyl substituted polysiloxanes to form ferrous chloride hydrate compounds at the surface of the hard metal which is being lubricated so that the oxy chloride will shear off under stress and prevent undue wear against the hard metal surface (e.g., see U.S. Pat. No. 4,138,349). Accordingly, a need exists for a polysiloxane that does not require a chlorine additive in order to function as an effective lubricant for hard or soft metals.
Silicone fluids also are known to be beneficial in release coatings (e.g., see U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,933,702, 4,256,870 and 4,413,086). Silicone based release coatings are useful in applications where relatively non-adhesive surfaces are required. Single sided liners, for example, backing papers for pressure sensitive adhesive labels, are usually adapted to temporarily retain the labels without affecting the adhesive properties of the labels. Double sided liners for example, interleaving papers for double sided and transfer tapes, are used to ensure the protection and desired unwind characteristics of a double sided self-adhesive tape or adhesive film.
Improvements in the performance of release coatings are continuously being sought with respect to, for example, ease of cure, i.e. the decrease in cure times at relatively low temperatures, release performance and anchorage of coatings to various substrates, including polypropylene, polyethylene and polyester as well as paper and metals. Accordingly, a need exists for a silicone based release coating with improved release performance.
Silicone fluids also are used in hydraulic fluids (e.g., see U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,759,827 and 5,130,041). Hydraulic systems, in which power is transferred from one place to another, are used extensively in industrial equipment, farm equipment, and transportation equipment. Examples of such equipment are lifters, jacks, elevators, mills, presses, and braking and power steering systems for vehicles. High pressures and temperatures, which are frequently present in hydraulic systems, place high demands on the thermal and oxidative stability of the fluid used as the hydraulic medium. In addition, the lubricity of the hydraulic fluid is especially important with hydraulic systems where a pump is used to pressurize or move the hydraulic fluid from one place to another.
Polyorganosiloxanes have been recognized as having exceptional thermal and oxidative stability, compatibility with seal materials, and high viscosity indices, and properties make polyorganosiloxanes useful as hydraulic fluids. Many of the polyorganosiloxanes known in the art generally exhibit low surface tension, which tends to cause them to have marginal lubricity on metals. Many applications of hydraulic fluids require that the viscosity of the fluid change as little as possible over the intended operating temperature range. Many of the known polyorganosiloxanes exhibit viscosity variation as a function of temperature relative to organic oils. This property makes many of the polyorganosiloxanes unsuitable for use as hydraulic fluids. Accordingly, a need exists for a polysiloxanes that exhibit low viscosity variation as a function of temperature and good thermal and oxidative stability for use as a hydraulic fluid.
Silicones are widely used as anti-foaming agents. Examples of silicone anti-foaming compositions are for instance to be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,894,913; 3,423,340; 3,076,768 and 3,856,701. Dimethylpolysiloxane polymers are widely known in the silicone industry for use as anti-foam agents. The chemical, food, petroleum, textile and pharmaceutical industries in many cases during the processing of material experience the undesirable formation of foam in some parts of its processes. A foam is formed when the rate of decay of foam is slower than the creation of new foam bubbles. Accordingly, when you have such a condition in a chemical or mechanical process there results the creation of an ever increasing foam, which is so stabilized that it does not decay very rapidly. It is desirable to remove or reduce the foaming in many processes, since the unwanted foam may create a hazard, such as a fire hazard, or the foam can take up a considerable amount of space, thus requiring more space in which to carry out the process. Further, the presence of foam may make the process itself difficult to operate efficiently. In such cases, it is desirable to use some means of reducing or completely removing the foam. Although there are many ways of defoaming a process, the most desirable is a chemical means, such as addition of an anti-foam, since this usually is the most efficient way to remove the foam. Thus, as is well known in industry, the addition of a small amount of an anti-foaming agent to a foamed composition, results in a rapid break-up of the foam. Improvements in the performance of silicone-based anti-foams are continuously being sought. Accordingly, a need exists for a polysiloxane compound that exhibits improved anti-foam activity when compared to conventional anti-foam agents.
Silicone fluids also are known to be useful in making a substrate water repellant. Examples of substrates for which it can be desired to treat to render the substrate water repellant include concrete, textiles, paper objects, wood objects, metal, ceramics, and masonry surfaces such as the exterior of buildings. Such surfaces are adversely affected, progressively degraded and ultimately deteriorated by exposure to water. For example, in masonry applications, repeated wetting, water penetration and absorption, and freezing and thawing results in erosion and scaling, spalling and cracking, peeling and flaking, efflorescence and crusting, soiling and staining, warping and splitting, and corrosion. Such damage can be substantially prevented by properly treating the substrates to render the substrate water repellent.
In general, it has been necessary to prepare a special and individual composition for treating a particular type of surface to render the substrate water repellant. Thus, for example, in the treatment of exterior surfaces of buildings, a different composition is normally used for treating the concrete, bricks or other masonry surfaces than is used for treating wood or metal surfaces that may be a part of the exterior of such buildings. This is largely due to the fact that different water repellant compositions will have different degrees of effectiveness on different surfaces to be treated. Up to now, no universal water repellant composition is known which can be used on such diverse surfaces as, e.g., masonry, wood, paper, textiles and glass. With respect to the water repellant compositions used in the building and the construction field, the known compositions usually require several days to several weeks at ambient temperature to cure or dry. An example of such prior art composition is the methyl silicone resins disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,574,168. Such prior art silicone compounds have relatively good water repellant properties but they usually require several days to cure or dry at ambient air temperature. If such prior art silicone compounds are applied to a wet surface, or if they are wetted shortly after they are applied to a dry surface, they tend to be relatively ineffective to render the coated surface water repellant. It is due to this relatively long curing or drying time requirement that silicone water repellant compositions have been limited in their usage. Particularly in areas where there is a wet or rainy season, such silicone compositions are often not employed at all. Accordingly, a need exists for a polysiloxane compound that exhibits good water repellent activity, good film forming and rapid drying when compared to conventional silicone agents.
Silicone fluids are used in personal care and cosmetic compositions. Some of the silicone fluids of the prior art are of low viscosity. While these low molecular weight silicones provide the desired feel characteristics, they are also highly flowable liquids. Thus, they are not easily held in a formulation, preferring rather to separate and flow out of a given container or flow uncontrollably across the skin when used in a specific application. Accordingly, a need exists for a polysiloxane compound that exhibits good spreadability, good film forming and that provides improved feel characteristics compared to conventional silicone agents.

Cyclosiloxane-substituted polysiloxane compounds, compositions containing the compounds and methods of use thereof


Methods and systems that utilize explosive and cryogenic means to establish fluid communication to areas away from the well bore walls are disclosed. A first fracture is induced in the subterranean formation. The first fracture is initiated at about a fracturing location and the initiation of the first fracture is characterized by a first orientation line. The first fracture temporarily alters a stress field in the subterranean formation. Explosives are then used to induce a second fracture in the subterranean formation. The second fracture is initiated at about the fracturing location and the initiation of the second fracture is characterized by a second orientation line. The first orientation line and the second orientation line have an angular disposition to each other.

The present invention relates generally to methods and systems for inducing fractures in a subterranean formation and more particularly to methods and systems that utilize explosive and cryogenic means to establish fluid communication to areas away from the well bore walls.
Oil and gas wells often produce hydrocarbons from subterranean formations. Occasionally, it is desired to add additional fractures to an already-fractured subterranean formation. For example, additional fracturing may be desired for a previously producing well that has been damaged due to factors such as fine migration. Although the existing fracture may still exist, it is no longer effective, or is less effective. In such a situation, stress caused by the first fracture continues to exist, but it would not significantly contribute to production. In another example, multiple fractures may be desired to increase reservoir production. This scenario may be also used to improve sweep efficiency for enhanced recovery wells such as water flooding steam injection, etc. In yet another example, additional fractures may be created to inject with drill cuttings.
Conventional methods for initiating additional fractures typically induce the additional fractures with near-identical angular orientation to previous fractures. While such methods increase the number of locations for drainage into the well bore, they may not introduce new directions for hydrocarbons to flow into the well bore. Such conventional methods are generally used for placing additional fractures at the approximate same location after a very long production of the fracture or used for placing additional fractures in the well at that same time frame but far away from the location of the previous fracture (such as in a different zone in the well). Conventional methods may also not account for or, even more so, utilize stress alterations around existing fractures when inducing new fractures. Moreover, placing additional fractures that are located at the same location as the first will simply reopen the first fracture. Hence, conventional methods are usually applicable for refracturing after a long term well production (after it is depleted) or for fracturing in a completely different zone.
An improved method and system for inducing a first fracture having a first orientation and a second fracture having a second orientation is disclosed in U.S. application Ser. No. 11/545,749 ("'749 application") which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. In accordance with the invention disclosed in the '749 application, Pin-Point stimulation technologies such as hydrajetting operations are used to establish the first fracture, and after a short time delay, the Pin Point stimulation technology is used to establish fluid communication to areas which have been modified by a first fracture. Specifically, a first fracture is used to modify the local stresses to allow the subsequent second fracture in a direction different from the first fracture. In this manner, the second fracture will reach more productive regions in the formation. The Pin-Point stimulation technology was particularly selected because, as the first fracture starts to close, the stresses near the well bore quickly return to their original condition. This is caused by the fact that the fracture mouth is "dangling" or unsupported; thus stresses normalize quickly. Mere pressurization of the well bore such as by using conventional methods would just re-open this first fracture. Using the Pin-Point stimulation technology, a pressure point is created away from the well bore by reperforating using Bernoulli pressurization, thus reaching locations with modified stresses and hence capable of initiating the second fracture into a completely different direction.
One suitable hydrajetting method, introduced by Halliburton Energy Services, Inc., is known as the SURGIFRAC and is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,765,642. The SURGIFRAC process may be particularly well suited for use along highly deviated portions of a well bore, where casing the well bore may be difficult and/or expensive. The SURGIFRAC hydrajetting technique makes possible the generation of one or more independent, single plane hydraulic fractures. Furthermore, even when highly deviated or horizontal wells are cased, hydrajetting the perforations and fractures in such wells generally results in a more effective fracturing method than using traditional perforation and fracturing techniques.
Another suitable hydrajetting method, introduced by Halliburton Energy Services, Inc., is known as the COBRAMAX-H and is described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,225,869. The COBRAMAX-H process may be particularly well suited for use along highly deviated portions of a well bore. The COBRAMAX-H technique makes possible the generation of one or more independent hydraulic fractures without the necessity of zone isolation, can be used to perforate and fracture in a single down hole trip, and may eliminate the need to set mechanical plugs through the use of a proppant slug.
However, Pin-Point stimulation techniques such as SURGIFRAC and COBRAMAX-H may not be appropriate in certain circumstances. For instance, the wait period for the requisite tools may be too long. As a result, the well operations may be delayed in order for the necessary tools to be prepared and delivered to the field.
While embodiments of this disclosure have been depicted and described and are defined by reference to example embodiments of the disclosure, such references do not imply a limitation on the disclosure, and no such limitation is to be inferred. The subject matter disclosed is capable of considerable modification, alteration, and equivalents in form and function, as will occur to those skilled in the pertinent art and having the benefit of this disclosure. The depicted and described embodiments of this disclosure are examples only, and not exhaustive of the scope of the disclosure.

Methods of initiating intersecting fractures using explosive and cryogenic means


A system and method to dispense, mix, and inject liquids and force them into a vented investment pattern mold cavity comprises a source of raw materials in fluid communication with an injection unit for metering and delivering the raw materials. A mixing and injection head receives and mixes the metered raw materials. A movable molding cart upon which an investment pattern mold is mounted is disposed adjacent the injection unit and proximate the mixing and injection head. The movable molding cart includes a fill cup that may be engaged by the mixing and injection head. A displaceable gating tray provides fluid communication with the fill cup and a sprue aligned with an investment port on a lower portion of the investment pattern mold. The system also includes a digital computer control by which the injection process may be controlled.

Recently, the metal investment castings industry has begun to employ the use of cellular foam patterns around which a ceramic mold can be produced for the purpose of pouring investment castings of commonly used metals. The cellular foam pattern, often comprised of a polyurethane composition, is intended to be substituted for wax patterns used in the lost wax process. Wax patterns have long suffered from the disadvantage that wax patterns tend to distort when removed from the investment pattern mold cavity and thus fail to provide a faithful reproduction of the intended component or product configuration. However, the formation of cellular foam patterns using a polyurethane material has been found to be problematic, in that the A component (isocyanate) and the B component (typically a polyol such as glycerin, soybean oil, or other polyol), and potentially a catalyst, must be immediately and thoroughly mixed prior to such injection. An improved dispensing, mixing, and injection system and method to achieve timely delivery of the fully mixed polyurethane material to the investment pattern mold cavity, particularly a system and method that simplifies use and increases repeatability of the overall process, was desired.

Polyurethane injection system and method


This optical disk device includes an examination means which examines a first physical characteristic of an optical disk, and a servo means which starts servo control based upon that first physical characteristic. This optical disk device includes a read means which incorporates the examination means, and which reads type information from the optical disk under that servo control based upon the first physical characteristic. This optical disk device includes a control means which decides whether or not a second physical characteristic of the optical disk, which is determined as a standard for the type of type information read, and the first physical characteristic, agree with one another. And, if the control means has decided that these two physical characteristics do not agree with one another, it commands the read means to read replay data from the optical disk, under that servo control based upon the first physical characteristic.

The present invention relates to an optical disk device which reads data recorded upon an optical disk under servo control.
In the prior art, optical disk devices are generally widespread which, under servo control, irradiate laser light upon optical disks and read and replay data from the optical disks.
When an optical disk is loaded into this optical disk device, first, the optical disk device examines a first physical characteristic of that optical disk. The physical characteristic may be, for example, the reflectivity of the data recording surface of the optical disk to laser light, the wobble frequency of its data recording surface, or the rotational speed of a spindle motor when a constant voltage is applied to the spindle motor. Next, the optical disk device executes servo control based upon this first physical characteristic, and, under this servo control, reads type information which specifies the type of the optical disk. The type of the optical disk may be, for example, DVD-ROM, DVD-R, or DVD-RW. And the optical disk device makes a decision as to whether or not the first physical characteristic agrees with a second physical characteristic of the optical disk which is determined as being the standard for that type. Moreover, the optical disk device only starts reading replay data from the optical disk, if it has been decided that the first physical characteristic and the second physical characteristic agree with one another. Due to this, replay starts, and the user is able to view video and audio recorded upon the optical disk.
It should be understood that, in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication 2006-120225, there is proposed an optical disk device which decides whether or not the physical format information and the logical format information of an optical disk specify the same type of optical disk.
However, sometimes the type information described above is inaccurate due to a cause such as a recording failure of the data upon the optical disk, or the like. In this case, the first physical characteristic and the second physical characteristic do not agree with one another, and an optical disk device according to the prior art described above is not able to start reading out the replay data.
Thus, with an optical disk device according to the prior art described above, if the optical disk type information is not accurate, it has not been possible to replay that optical disk. Accordingly the user has been obliged to abandon his attempt to view the video and audio recorded upon the optical disk.
The objective of the present invention is to provide an optical disk device which can start reading replay data from an optical disk, even if the type information on the optical disk is inaccurate, and which is still capable of replaying the video and audio recorded upon the optical disk.


A compressor drive torque estimating device suppresses a discrepancy between an estimated drive torque, which is based on a torque estimating device of a compressor, and an actual drive torque of the compressor. The discrepancy is due to delay in switching between employment of the torque estimating device and the actual drive torque of the compressor in judging the compressor torque. Thus, even in a transitional state immediately after the start of compression, the idling speed of an engine driving the compressor is controlled based on an accurate estimate of the compressor torque, to improve the stability of the engine idle speed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a torque estimating device for estimating the drive torque of a compressor.
2. Description of the Related Art
Since the past, the compressor for a vehicular use air-conditioning system has obtained its drive force from the vehicle engine. In this type of vehicle, in general, the drive torque of the compressor is estimated and the estimated drive torque is used to control the engine output so as to prevent fluctuation of the engine speed even if the drive torque of the compressor changes. For this reason, suitable estimation of the torque of the compressor is an important task.
From this background, it is known to successively switch the torque estimating means after startup of the compressor so that a startup stage torque estimating means estimates the torque of the compressor in the initial period after startup of the compressor and a stable stage torque estimating means estimates the torque of the compressor in the steady state and thereby enable suitable estimation of the torque in accordance with the stage after compressor startup (for example, see Japanese Patent Publication (A) No. 2006-272982).
Japanese Patent Publication (A) No. 2006-272982 utilizes the property that the high pressure side pressure of the refrigeration cycle rises and peaks somewhat delayed from the actual rise of the torque of the compressor at the time of startup to deem that the startup of the compressor has been completed when the rise of the high pressure side pressure becomes 0 or less and switches the torque estimating means of the compressor accordingly. However, since the timing of switching the torque estimating means of the compressor is not based on the actually measured value, the precision of estimation deteriorates due to the delay of the switching timing.


Disclosed is a limited slip differential connected to a transmission of a vehicle for distributing torque transmitted from the transmission to first and second drive wheels in accordance with a driving state of the vehicle. The limited slip differential includes a torque distributor for controlling a differential operation which suitably distributes torque of the transmission between the first and second wheels when turning the vehicle, the torque distributor including a torque input member connected to the transmission to receive torque therefrom, a first torque transmitting member transmitting torque from the torque input member to the first drive wheel, and a second torque transmitting member transmitting torque from the torque input member to the second drive wheel. The limited slip differential further includes a differential limiting device for limiting the differential operation of the torque distributor by rolling and contacting between the first and second torque transmitting members when either the first wheel or the second wheel is on a slippery surface.

Because inner and outer wheels rotate at different speeds when turning a vehicle, torsion in the driving system negatively affects driving performance. Accordingly, a differential gear is used in the conventional powertrain. However, if one drive wheel is on a slippery surface, such as ice, snow, or mud, a coefficient of road surface friction decreases on the wheel and it can easily slip even with a small amount of torque. To prevent this problem, a limited slip differential is used.
A power lock-type limited slip differential is most commonly used. This type of differential uses a plurality of friction clutches to perform its slip-preventing function. As a result, the power lock-type limited slip differential has a complicated structure and is heavy.
In a 4-wheel drive vehicle, a specific tight corner braking phenomenon occurs due to a difference of radius of gyration between the front and rear wheels, and more particularly due to the difference of the number of rotations according to the big radius of gyration for the front wheel and the small radius of gyration for the rear wheel when turning the vehicle.
The difference of radius of gyration causes forced slipping of the wheels or torsion stress of the driving system in parts like the propeller shaft. This results in locking the driving system and thereby braking the vehicle. The braking of the driving system has a harmful influence upon rigidity of the propeller shaft and also on smooth turning of the vehicle, and causes loss of power.
As the rear wheels of the 4-wheel drive vehicle have small rotative speed slip because of the speed difference between the front and rear wheels when turning the vehicle, driving performance and stability of the vehicle deteriorate.
In addition, because torsion stress occurs while turning the vehicle causing the vehicle body to vibrate, when designing the vehicle, the size and weight of the propeller shaft should be increased to reduce vibration.
A center differential gear has been used to solve this problem. However, a lock system must additionally be mounted to temporarily stop the differential operation.
In recent years, a viscous coupling has been used to solve the problem. However the viscous coupling has a complex structure and increases manufacturing costs.


Substantially pure conotoxin peptides are provided which inhibit synaptic transmissions at the neuromuscular junctions and which are useful both in vivo and in assays because they specifically target particular skeletal nAChRs to the exclusion of neuronal nAChRs. The peptides are of such length that they can be made by chemical synthesis, and the preferred peptides have formula: H-His-4Hyp-4Hyp-Cys-Cys-Leu-Tyr-Gly-Lys-Cys-Arg-Arg-Tyr-4Hyp-Gly-Cys-Ser-S er-Ala-Ser-Cys-Cys-Gln-Xaa.sub.24 -NH.sub.2 wherein Xaa.sub.24 is Arg or Gly.

Mollusks of the genus Conus produce a highly toxic venom which enables them to carry out their unique predatory lifestyle. Prey are immobilized by the venom which is injected by means of a highly specialized venom apparatus, a disposable hollow tooth which functions both in the manner of a harpoon and a hypodermic needle.
Few interactions between organisms are more striking than those between a venomous animal and its envenomated victim. Venom may be used as a primary weapon to capture prey or as a defense mechanism. These venoms disrupt essential organ systems in the envenomated animal, and many of these venoms contain molecules directed to receptors and ion channels of neuromuscular systems.
The predatory cone snails (Conus) have developed a unique biological strategy. Their venom contains relatively small peptides that are targeted to various neuromuscular receptors and may be equivalent in their pharmacological diversity to the alkaloids of plants or secondary metabolites of microorganisms. Many of these peptides are among the smallest nucleic acid-encoded translation products having defined conformations, and as such they are somewhat unusual. Peptides in this size range normally equilibrate among many conformations, and proteins having a fixed conformation are generally much larger.
The cone snails that produce these toxic peptides, which are generally referred to as conotoxins or conotoxin peptides, are a large genus of venomous gastropods comprising approximately 500 species. All cone snail species are predators that inject venom to capture prey, and the spectrum of animals that the genus as a whole can envenomate is broad. A wide variety of hunting strategies are used; however, every Conus species uses fundamentally the same basic pattern of envenomation.
The major paralytic peptides in these fish-hunting cone venoms were the first to be identified and characterized. In C. geographus venom, three classes of disulfide-rich peptides were found: the .alpha.-conotoxins (which target and block the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors); the .mu.-conotoxins (which target and block the skeletal muscle Na.sup.+ channels); and the .omega.-conotoxins (which target and block the presynaptic neuronal Ca.sup.2+ channels). However, there are multiple homologs in each toxin class; for example, at least five different .omega.-conotoxins are present in C. geographus venom alone. Considerable variation in sequence is evident, and when different .omega.-conotoxin sequences were first compared, only the cysteine residues that are involved in disulfide bonding and one glycine residue were found to be invariant. Another class of conotoxins found in C. geographus venom is that referred to as the conantokins which cause sleep in young mice and hyperactivity in older mice and are targeted to the NMDA receptor. Each cone venom appears to have its own distinctive group or signature of different conotoxin sequences.
Many of these peptides have now become fairly standard research tools in neuroscience. The .mu.-conotoxins, because of their ability to preferentially block muscle but not axonal Na.sup.+ channels, are convenient tools for immobilizing skeletal muscle without affecting axonal or synaptic events. U.S. Pat. No. 5,432,155 discloses a group of bioactive conotoxin peptides which are extremely potent inhibitors of synaptic transmission at the neuromuscular junction and/or which are targeted to specific ion channels. Many of them appear to be members of the known class of .mu.-conotoxins.
Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) are ligand-gated ion channels which are key components of nervous systems. The classical role for these receptors was defined at the neuromuscular junction: nicotinic receptors concentrated on the muscle end plate serve as the key macromolecules that detect release of a neurotransmitter from the presynaptic terminus of the motor axon. However, in addition to these skeletal muscle nicotinic receptors, many other molecular forms of nicotinic receptors exist; these are generally referred to as neuronal nAChRs.
The .omega.-conotoxins have become standard pharmacological reagents for investigating voltage-sensitive Ca.sup.2+ channels and are used to block presynaptic termini and neurotransmitter release. The .omega.-conotoxin GVIA from C. geographus venom, which binds to neuronal voltage-sensitive Ca.sup.2+ channels, is an example of such. The affinity (K.sub.d) of .omega.-conotoxin GVIA for its high-affinity targets is sub-picomolar; it takes more than 7 hours for 50% of the peptide to dissociate. Thus the peptide can be used to block synaptic transmission virtually irreversibly because it inhibits presynaptic Ca.sup.2+ channels. However, .omega.-conotoxin is highly tissue-specific. In contrast to the standard Ca.sup.2+ channel-blocking drugs (e.g. the dihydropyridines, such as nifedipene and nitrendipene, which are widely used for angina and cardiac problems), which can bind Ca.sup.2+ channels in smooth, skeletal, and cardiac muscle as well as neuronal tissue, .omega.-conotoxins generally bind only to a subset of neuronal Ca.sup.2+ channels, primarily of the N subtype. The discrimination ratio for .omega.-conotoxin binding to voltage-sensitive Ca.sup.2+ channels in neuronal versus nonneuronal tissue (e.g. skeletal or cardiac muscle) is greater than 10.sup.8 in many cases.
The .alpha.-conotoxins have various clinical uses. One such use is their utility as clinical muscle relaxants because of their ability to achieve antagonistic blockage of the mammalian neuromuscular junction nAChRs. Another use for the .alpha.-conotoxins is in the diagnosis of myasthenia gravis. Some .alpha.-conotoxins have been found to bind preferentially to neuronal nicotinic receptors rather than to neuromuscular receptors.
Examples of such peptides are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,432,155; 5,595,972 and 5,633,347, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Additional conotoxin peptides having these general properties continue to be sought.

The Salk Institute for Biological Studies


An electronic equipment communications system consists of electronic equipment and at least one or more control terminals and external storage devices connected via a repeater. Communications between the repeater and electronic equipment is performed by an external storage device communications system that connects the entertainment system to external storage devices connected to the external storage device connectors of the repeater, and control signals output from the electronic equipment are input to the repeater via this external storage device communications system. The data rate of the external storage device communications system is higher than that of the control terminal communications system, so high-speed switching of the repeater can be implemented by control signal from the electronic equipment.

Conventionally, standard home entertainment systems and other electronic equipment consist of controllers or other control terminals connected to the system, and various types of data regarding the control environment of the control terminals and the progress in a game being executed by the entertainment system are stored in memory cards or other external storage devices connected to the system. However, in order for a plurality of people to play a game simultaneously, there is a known method whereby the control terminals are not connected directly to the entertainment system, but rather a repeater is connected to the entertainment system so it is possible for a plurality of control terminals to be connected simultaneously to this repeater, which repeater is then connected to a control terminal. By using such a repeater, a plurality of control terminals can be connected to one repeater, so a plurality of people are able to play games with the entertainment system, giving an advantage in the diversity of games.
However, in such a prior art electronic equipment communications system wherein a plurality of control terminals can be simultaneously connected to the entertainment system via a repeater, the external storage device is conventionally connected directly to the entertainment system. Therefore, when data for each control terminal is stored individually in the external storage device, there is a problem in that it is necessary to divide the storage area of the external storage device and store data individually in each storage area, or reconnect the external storage device for each control terminal, and thus it may not be possible to allocate sufficient storage, or it may be necessary to reinsert the external storage device for each control terminal.
For this reason, technology has been proposed whereby a number of external storage device connectors corresponding to the number of control terminal connectors are provided, and by connecting a number of external storage devices corresponding to the number of connected control terminals, the complexity of reinserting the external storage device is reduced and storage area is provided for each control terminal as described in unexamined Japanese patent application No. JP-A-H8-191951. In the technology disclosed in the '191951 publication, by connecting the system-side connecting plug provided on the repeater to the control terminal connector of the entertainment system, communication among the electronic equipment, control terminals and external storage devices via the repeater is implemented. However, in such prior art disclosure, the electronic equipment and repeater are connected by control terminal connectors, so the control signals output from the electronic equipment are input to the repeater via the communications system used for control terminals including this control terminal connector. There are several problems inherent with such an arrangement.
First, the electronic equipment of the communications system used for control terminals is not normally provided with circuitry for suppression of unwanted radiation, so there is a problem in that the data rate of this communications system is extremely slow. Specifically, while the data rate between the electronic equipment and external storage device is roughly 24 Mbps, the data rate between the electronic equipment and control terminal is usually a maximum of 500 kbps. Accordingly, when switching control of the repeater is performed by means of a control signal output from the electronic equipment to the communications system used for control terminals, the data rate is slow, so there is a problem that high-speed switching of the control terminal connector or external storage device connector in the repeater cannot be achieved. In addition, key input data from the control terminal is constantly broadcast to the electronic equipment so the data density is high, so on this point also, there is a problem in that high-speed switching of the control terminal connector or external storage device connector in the repeater cannot be achieved. In particular, as the central processing units of recent electronic equipment reach higher processor speeds, an electronic equipment communications system that is able to achieve high-speed switching of the control terminal connector or external storage device connector in the repeater is desirable.
It is an object of the present invention, therefore, to provide an electronic equipment communications system that is able to achieve high-speed switching of the control terminal connector or external storage device connector in the repeater, and a repeater and electronic equipment used therein.
Still other objects and advantages of the invention will become clear upon review of the following detailed description in conjunction with the appended drawings.

Electronic equipment communications system and repeater


A problem has been resolved by providing a folding cell phone having a position detecting unit which detects the coupling state between the first frame part and the second frame part and a communication controlling unit which performs processing to control enabling or disabling of the configuration to stop the functions necessary for communication only, according to the results of detection by the position detecting unit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a folding cell phone and other folding mobile terminal which allow the user to control enabling or disabling the configuration to stop the functions necessary for communication only, by changing the coupling state between the two frame parts of the cell phone or the mobile terminal.
2. Description of the Related Art
Talking on a cell phone may cause a nuisance to others, particularly in a public place, such as on a train. Most hospitals require people to turn off their cell phones within their buildings in order to prevent possible malfunction of medical equipment. Users may turn off their cell phones simply because they do not want to answer any calls.
In recent years, cell phones have become increasingly multifunctional; they commonly incorporate camera, notebook and various other features, in addition to calling and other functions for communication. In places where calling on cell phones is inhibited or where radio wave emitting functions must be turned off, users still may want to use the functions other than those necessary for communication.
Under these circumstances, the demand has been increasing rapidly for a cell phone which can restrict use of its functions necessary for communication only, while allowing the user to use the rest of the functions as usual.
Some cell phones available on the market can deactivate the functions necessary for communication only.
For example, Japanese laid-open patent application publication (Kokai) No. 2003-298729 (Literature 1) discloses a cell phone which allows the user to deactivate the functions necessary for communication by the operation of its output radio wave stop button.
However, these cell phones currently available on the market require the user to undergo a very complicated procedure before he or she can enable or disable the configuration to stop the functions necessary for communication only, inevitably leading to infrequent use of this option by the user.
Even on such a cell phone as disclosed in Literature 1 with an output radio wave stop button in a conspicuous place, it would be much more convenient if the user is not required to perform any key operation in order to enable or disable the configuration to stop the functions necessary for communication only. Some cell phone users may not be accustomed to key operation; others may have difficulties in using many operational keys; still others may be elderly people or the physically challenged. For these people, it would be a must that their cell phones have the ability to disable or enable the configuration to stop the functions necessary for communication only without performing any key operation.

Folding cell phone and other folding mobile terminal


A solid-state imaging device includes a light sensing unit generating a signal charge by performing a photoelectric conversion of an incident light; a conductive material in the vicinity of the light sensing unit; a first light-shielding film formed to cover at least a portion of the conductive material; and a second light-shielding film formed on a part of or all of a surface of the first light-shielding film.

The present technology relates to a solid-state imaging device and a manufacturing method thereof, and an imaging unit, in particular, relates to a solid-state imaging device in which the opening of the pixel is able to further widen, and a manufacturing method thereof, and an imaging unit.
In recent years, miniaturization of imaging devices such as a charge coupled devices (CCD) has been progressing. Along with this, focusing properties such as sensitivity or smear noise of the imaging device have become highly dependent on the opening size of pixels which is determined by the shape of a light-shielding film or the like in the vicinity of each pixel.
Therefore, by setting the wiring structure to commonalize a transfer electrode and a light-shielding film to be used to transfer a charge accumulated in each pixel, a technology for widening the opening size of each pixel has been proposed (for example, refer to Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2009-252840)
In this technology, an insulation film is deposited in order to cover the transfer electrode provided on a substrate of the imaging device, the insulation film formed on an upper surface portion of the transfer electrode is removed and a contact is formed on the transfer electrode. Further, the light-shielding film is deposited in order to cover the contact and the insulation film, the light-shielding film also functions as a signal line to apply a voltage to the transfer electrode and shields unnecessary light which is incident toward the inside of the substrate. That is, since the light-shielding film and the transfer electrode are electrically connected to each other through the contact, the voltage may be applied to the transfer electrode.

Solid-state imaging device and manufacturing method of the same, and imaging unit


A syringe and a method of using the syringe are disclosed. The syringe includes a longitudinal body having proximal and distal ends and including an aperture between the proximal and distal ends. An injectable material, such as an adhesive bone cement, may be loaded into the body of the syringe through the aperture. After the injectable material is inserted, the aperture may be closed by covering the aperture with an aperture cover. The aperture cover may be configured to slide into a position covering the aperture, or the aperture cover may be placed in a position covering the aperture, such as by pivoting about a hinge. After the aperture is closed, the injectable material may be dispensed from the distal end of the syringe body by depressing a plunger. Depressing the plunger may initiate the closing of the aperture, or the aperture may be closed independently of plunger movement.

Bone cement is commonly used by surgeons in order to fill voids in bone. It would be desirable to use bone cement, such as an adhesive bone cement, to hold small bone fragments in place to allow for healing, when methods such as traditional plate and screw methods of reattachment are not feasible. Only a small amount of bone cement may be required to fill small gaps between the bone fragments in order to glue the fragments together. For example, volumes of cement under one cubic centimeter may be used. In such applications, the cement material may be delivered to the repair site through a delivery system, such as a syringe having a cannulated needle.
The bone cement may be a mixture of different ingredients, and, before applying the bone cement to a repair site, the cement may be prepared by mixing it in a bowl with a pestle. Prepared bone cements can have various viscosities, and some may have quite a high viscosity, with a consistency like a tacky paste. For example, a typical adhesive bone cement may have a viscosity greater than 80 pascal-seconds. The prepared bone cement can be transferred to the syringe through the opening in the proximal end of the syringe, which is made accessible by removing the plunger from the syringe.
The prepared cement material can be difficult to pour into the proximal end of an application syringe, especially when it has a high viscosity. Additionally, the opening at the proximal end of the syringe may be quite small, thus making the pouring of the bone cement into the syringe even more difficult. The pouring of the bone cement into the proximal end of the syringe can also be time consuming, which can be problematic when the curing time for the cement is relatively short. Furthermore, the material which is poured into the proximal end of the syringe can develop air pockets along the syringe barrel. Air pockets can detrimentally cause pressure spikes during injection of the cement. These pressure increases can cause filter pressing, where the liquid portion of the cement separates from the powder portion. This can result in the liquid being squeezed out of the syringe, leaving behind a dense mass of powder, which can jam the syringe.


According to the invention, there is disclosed a leg stretching device 10 characterized by a leg support arm 34 mounted to a primary shaft 36 at a first end, the leg support arm having a leg support 38 secured to the leg support arm at a second end; and structure for rotating the primary shaft from an initial position to a final position so that the leg support arm moves through a range of about 30 to 70 degrees and preferably about 40 to 60 degrees. In addition, there are provided structure for adjusting the location of the initial position of the leg support arm 34. In addition, the length of leg support arm 34 is adjustable.

It has long been known that for individuals who have limited mobility of their limbs, regular exercise can provide significant benefits. Such individuals, who may have suffered a spinal injury, stroke, multiple sclerosis (MS), muscular dystrophy (MD), or other similar injury or disorder that impairs mobility (either temporarily or permanently), may also find that their impairments can even present significant obstacles to exercising other relatively unaffected body parts.
Regular movement of all major body parts has been shown to be necessary to promote the comfort, health and general well-being of individuals suffering from such disabilities. A failure to do so can have painful, even unhealthful and dangerous consequences. For example, immobility tends to lead rapidly to stiffened and painful joints and tendons. In the longer term, atrophy of unused and underused muscles can occur. A greater susceptibility to the formation of blood clots has been demonstrated. Long-term immobility also leads to an overall deterioration of the cardiovascular system.
By way of contrast, when impaired limbs are regularly exercised (e.g., when subjected to repeated manual extensions by a physical therapist), joints tend to become more flexible, circulation is improved, the tendency to atrophy is reduced, the heart tends to work more efficiently, and the patient tends to experience less pain and discomfort. While the benefit of such exercise is indisputable, it can require considerable time and effort of both the afflicted individual and the assistant (therapist or volunteer).


A vertebral distractor-inserter comprising a housing, a pair of opposing arms in mechanical communication with the housing, a driving rod extending through at least a portion of the housing and between the arms, wherein the driving rod comprises an axis and a surface with a plurality of angled ratchet teeth on at least a portion of the surface, and a ratchet drive mechanism in mechanical communication with the driving rod. A vertebral distractor-inserter comprising a pair of opposing arms, a housing in mechanical communication with the arms and rotatable about an axis extending between the arms, and a driving rod extending through at least a portion of the housing and between the arms. A vertebral distractor-inserter adapted for single-handed use. A vertebral distractor-inserter having an implant depth adjustor. Methods for distracting adjacent vertebrae and inserting an implant using the devices described herein.

Spinal disc replacement and/or spinal fusion are sometimes necessary for patients having lumbar degenerative disc disease. It has been estimated that at least 30% of people aged 30 to 50 will have some degree of disc space degeneration, although not all will have pain or ever be diagnosed formally with degenerative disc disease. After a patient reaches 60, it is more normal than not to have some level of disc degeneration. A twisting injury often starts degenerative disc disease, but it can also be initiated by everyday wear and tear on the spine.
Lower back pain is the most common symptom of a compromised disc emblematic of degenerative disc disease. For most patients with lumbar degenerative disc disease, the pain is for the most part tolerable and low-grade, but continuous with occasional flaring of intense pain. Pain can be simply centered on the lower back, or it can radiate to the hips and legs. It can get worse by sitting, or it can be intensified by twisting, lifting, or bending. For some, the pain from the disease decreases over time, since a fully degenerated disc has no pain-causing inflammatory proteins, and the disc usually collapses into a stable position-eliminating the micro-motion that often generates the pain.
For many, non-surgical care can successfully treat the symptoms associated with degenerative disc disease. Doctors will often prescribe a regimen of anti-inflammatory medication, pain medication (injected or oral), exercise, physical therapy, and/or chiropractic manipulation. For others, however, surgery is the best option for treatment once the non-surgical care has not resulted in relief and/or the patient's normal activities have been significantly constrained by his symptoms.
One option for surgical relief is lumbar spinal fusion surgery. This treatment stops motion at the painful segment of the spine by fusing two or more vertebrae. Depending on how many segments of the spine need fusion, and which specific spine segments are to be fused, this surgery may remove some of the normal motion of the spine. Additionally, where multiple segments are fused, back movement may be significantly diminished, and may itself cause pain (fusion disease). Nevertheless, single-level fusion at the L5-S1 segment, the most likely level to break down for degenerative disc disease, for example, does not significantly change the mechanics in the back and is the most common form of fusion. While lumbar spinal fusion surgery is a major surgery, it can be an effective option for patients to enhance their activity level and overall quality of life, particularly when performed using minimally invasive techniques. However, while spinal fusion surgery has its benefits, and is effective in carefully selected patients, the cost of this success is the risk of accelerated degenerative change at adjacent segments.
Thus, another option to treat lumbar degenerative disc disease through surgery is disc replacement using either an artificial disc, a bone graft from the patient's own iliac crest, or a cadaver bone. One potential benefit of disc replacement is the decreased risk of adjacent segment degeneration. It is postulated that replacing the disc, instead of fusing adjacent vertebrae together, maintains more of the lumbar spine normal motion, thereby reducing the chance that adjacent levels of the spine will break down due to increased stress.
The standard surgical procedure for disc replacement approaches the cervical disc from the front (i.e. anterior approach). The entire worn-out disc is removed. A replacement disc is placed into the intervertebral disc space after the worn-out disc is removed. One goal of this procedure is retention of as much normal motion as possible, while keeping the motion segment stable.
As currently practiced, replacement surgery and spinal fusion from the anterior approach require simultaneous use of multiple tools to keep the spine exposed, to prepare the site for implantation, to distract the vertebrae, and to implant the new disc or graft in the vertebral space at the proper orientation and to the desired depth. For example, several tools are often used to prepare the intervertebral space through removal of the cartilaginous endplates of the vertebral bodies. These tools may include rongeurs, rasps, and curettes. Another tool, such as a sizing gauge, might be used to determine the appropriate position and size of the implant to be used. Another tool is used to distract the vertebrae. While this distracting tool is holding the vertebrae apart, yet another tool may be used to place the implant in the distracted space. In some instances, a slap-hammer type tool, or an impact-type driver is used to place the implant between the vertebrae, or to prepare the intervertebral space for the implant.
There is a need for improved tools to aid in disc replacement and/or spinal fusion, which allow a spinal surgeon to more easily access and position a replacement disc or bone graft within the vertebral space. Additionally there is a need for tools that allow a spinal surgeon to control the implantation depth of a replacement disc or bone graft. There is also a need for a tools that are multifunctional and allow for single-handed operation to reduce the number of tools required for performing multiple functions during disc replacement surgery or during spinal fusion surgery and to improve the ease and speed with which disc replacement and/or spinal fusion can be completed.


A flooring substrate comprising a coating of a curable composition that comprises (a) a reaction product of (i) a polyisocyanate, (ii) one or more perfluoropolyether compounds having at least one hydroxyl group and (iii) an organic compound having one or more free radical polymerizable groups and at least one hydroxyl group; and (b) a compound capable of free radical copolymerization with the reaction product and comprising at least two free radical polymerizable groups.

In recent years, many efforts have been made to provide hard surfaces with a repellent coating. These coatings are typically resin-based mixtures that can be cured using ultraviolet (UV) radiation or heat. In order to improve repellency properties, resin-based mixtures comprising fluorochemical compounds have been proposed.
For example, US 2005/0260414 discloses a coated flooring substrate, comprising a flooring substrate and a coating on said substrate, wherein said coating comprises a cured resin and a low surface energy additive having a fluorocarbon functional group, in which said cured resin and said low surface energy additive each comprise a cured form of a substantially reactive group.
WO 2006/007507 relates to a method of protecting a flooring surface and flooring materials by providing a hardcoat surface layer comprising a perfluoropolyether.
US 2005/0137355 discloses coating compositions that can be used to impart hydrophobicity, oleophobicity, stain resistance or combinations thereof to various substrates. The coating compositions include an amino resin and a reactive fluorinated copolymer. The reactive fluorinated copolymer has pendant perfluoropolyether groups as well as pendant groups capable of reacting with the amino resins.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,238,798 relates to ceramer compositions comprising a plurality of colloidal inorganic oxide particles and a free-radically curable binder precursor. The free-radically curable binder precursor comprises a fluorochemical component that further comprises at least two free-radically curable moieties and at least one fluorinated moiety. The compositions are said to provide excellent stain, oil and/or water repellent characteristics as well as a high level of abrasion resistance and hardness.
There continues to be a need for curable coating compositions that can be applied to a flooring substrate and cured to provide good or excellent repellency properties such as water-, oil- and/or stain repellency to the flooring substrate. Desirably, these properties are durable, i.e., the coating composition has good abrasion resistance properties as well. It would furthermore or alternatively be desirable to find coatings that can provide good or excellent stain release properties to a flooring substrate. Desirably, the coating compositions are environmentally more benignant and/or can be produced in a reliable, convenient and cost effective way. In particular, it is desirable to provide a flooring substrate having a curable coating composition that contains low levels of volatile organic solvents (VOCs) and that can be easily cured without complicated or special measures.

Flooring substrate having a coating of a curable composition


A housing of the device receives a pressurized air flow which is filtered and directed past a pressure reducing valve prior to delivery to a purge valve assembly. The purge valve assembly includes a connector configured for endwise engagement with the specific handpiece being purged. The connector is removably mounted in the purge valve assembly which also includes a valve member displaced by the connector during a purging operation from a spring biased closed position. Various connectors are interchangeable to adapt the device to service a variety of dental handpieces.

The present invention pertains generally to equipment for servicing of dental handpieces.
For optimum life and operation of dental handpieces it is recommended by the various manufacturers that same be cleaned and lubricated on a daily basis in addition to autoclaving. Currently dental handpieces are being serviced preparatory to autoclaving by the temporary coupling of a pressure hose to the handpiece and the manual actuation of a valve control to administer a reduced pressurized airflow to the handpiece. The pressurized airflow enters the handpiece passageways, normally carrying during use both an air and water flow , to purge same of any debris or lubricant being forcefully ejected from the handpiece. The repeated steps in coupling several dental handpieces to a pressure hose and the actuation of an air valve by a technician takes considerable time each day. Further, particles discharged from a handpiece during purging can be ejected at considerable velocity. Further, as air pressure used for purposes of purging can be 50 psi or so the connection between hose and handpiece must be made positive manner to avoid accidental separation.


Methods, systems, apparatus, and computer-readable media for providing a redundant power solution for an expansion card installed within a host computer. The expansion card has a hardware device and a power control mechanism. The power control mechanism provides power to the hardware device from a conditional power source when available, and from computer system standby power when the conditional power source is unavailable. The power control mechanism may comprise a power sensing mechanism to determine when conditional power source output decreases below a threshold level and a switching mechanism to switch from the conditional power source to computer system standby power when this happens. The hardware device may enter a low power mode upon receiving computer system standby power.

Computer systems are often upgraded by installing an expansion card into the host computer. Expansion cards are circuit boards that are plugged into a host computer's bus in order to add a desired set of functions to the computer. Expansion cards typically contain any number of hardware components and connect to the motherboard of the host computer via an expansion slot on the motherboard. An expansion card includes a bus connector that inserts into the expansion slot on the motherboard in order to electrically and communicatively connect the hardware components on the expansion card to the motherboard. The bus connector enables power and/or data to be transferred between the components on the expansion card and the motherboard. When the components of the expansion card utilize computer system power transferred via the bus connector, then these components will only be operational when the computer system is powered, unless an external wall power adapter is connected to the expansion card. This limitation restricts a user's ability to utilize an expansion card when a host computer system is powered down. This restriction is particularly problematic when the expansion card is a remote server management card used to control and monitor the host computer system.
It is with respect to these considerations and others that the various embodiments of the invention have been made.

Redundant power solution for computer system expansion cards


A control apparatus with a fast I/O function is adapted for storage of a control program, and to input a status of a target to be controlled as an input data from an I/O device, follow the control program to execute an operation of the input data, and output to the I/O device a result of the operation as an output data for controlling the target to be controlled, and includes a batch I/O buffer memory 201 having an output data register for storing an output data of the I/O device, and a batch I/O buffer memory controller 203 for controlling a writing of output data to be written to the batch I/O buffer memory 201, the batch I/O buffer memory controller 203 being adapted to control the writing of output data to the batch I/O buffer memory in accordance with a comparison output of control data of a control program executing circuit 14.

1. Field of Art
The present invention relates to a control apparatus that has wide applications to controls in iron and steel plants, and paper manufacturing plants, as well as for industrial systems, such as in the automobile industry, and public systems encompassing water supply and sewerage systems.
2. Description of Relevant Art
FIG. 1 shows configuration of a conventional control apparatus 100. In the control apparatus 100, a control program executing circuit 114 is adapted to process input data from a plurality of I/O (input/output) devices 200, which data are input via I/O interfaces 117 and a system bus 119 to input registers in a control data memory 116, where the input data are used for implementation of a control program stored in a control program memory 115 to be executed in the control program executing circuit 114, of which operation results are written to unshown output registers in the control data memory 116.
FIG. 2 shows associated data flows. For this, before the execution of operations of the control program, input data from input devices 200, as the whole, are input from the input devices 200 to the input registers 116a, and after the execution of operations of the control program, whole data stored in the output registers 116b are output to the I/O devices. This process is referred to as a batch I/O.
Therefore, whole input data are input to the input registers 116a even if input data from the input devices 200 include no variations, and whole data stored in the output registers 116b are output to the I/O devices 200 even if output data include no variations.
The control apparatus 100 has for the I/O devices 200 a total number of I/O connections about 1000 even for systems of an intermediate scale, thus taking much time for the batch I/O, unsuccessfully achieving a shortened control period.
To this point, there has been disclosed a programmable controller (refer to e.g. Japanese Patent Publication No. 3317601) for data transfer along a batch I/O between I/O devices and I/O registers in a control apparatus, that includes, when executing a control program, monitoring operands of specific sequence instructions, and discriminating a state of execution of CPU, to set up flags of an instruction for data transfer on I/O registers needing data transfer, and when making data transfer between those I/O registers and I/O modules, executing data transfer to I/O modules with respect simply to I/O registers having data transfer instruction flags set thereon, allowing for a minimized data transfer rate, as necessary.
The above-mentioned programmable controller reads whole I/O registers to check status of their transfer instruction flags. This disables reduction of the time required for checks of transfer instruction flags on I/O registers needing no checks, as a problem.
Further, in the case of a read/write instruction for reading a control data from a control data memory and writing-back a result of an operation process executed thereon to the control data memory, the programmable controller writes the result to the control data memory unconditionally even if the result of operation is identical to the read control data. This operation prevents from achieving omission of unnecessary writing, as a problem.

Control apparatus with fast I/O function, and control method for control data thereof


A method for controlling a laser profiler, the laser profiler being configured for generating a laser line on a surface to be inspected, the method comprising: receiving an image of the laser line; determining an actual intensity of the laser line; calculating an amplification factor for the laser line based on the actual intensity of the laser line, a target intensity for the laser line, a power of the laser, a camera gain of the camera and an exposure time of the laser line on the surface to be inspected, the amplification factor allowing the actual intensity of the laser line to reach the target intensity while minimizing the power of the laser; and based on the calculated amplification factor, adjusting at least one parameter of the laser profiler so that the actual intensity of the laser line corresponds to the target intensity.

Laser profilers are used for sensing the surface of objects or elements such as roads and generating a 3D map or image of the sensed surface. In order to obtain a precise measurement of the surface, a large and constant laser power is usually used. While it ensures a good quality of measurement, using such a large laser power usually reduces the lifespan of the laser in addition to generating heat that needs to be evacuated.
Therefore, there is a need for an improved method for controlling and operating a laser profiler.

Method and system for controlling a laser profiler


A bearing assembly includes a sleeve bearing (2) having a mating portion (22) and a center bore (20), a shaft (1) disposed in the center bore, and a rotary block (3) mounted on the shaft and being rotatable therewith. A gap exists between the inner circumferential surface of the bearing and the outer circumferential surface of the shaft to allow the shaft to be capable of rotate in the bore without scrapping the bearing. The rotary block includes a mounting portion (30) engaging with the mating portion of the bearing, whereby the rotary block is rotatably supported on the bearing.

With the improvement of operation speed of recent electric devices such as data storage devices, the speed of the reading-writing and locating is accelerated accordingly. Thus, more and more heat is generated. In order to maintain the electric devices work normally, the heat generated by the electric devices must be dissipated rapidly. Fans act an important role during the heat dissipation. The design and lifetime of bearings in the fans determine the performance and the life of the fans.
An example of a conventional bearing structure is shown in FIG. 8. The bearing structure comprises a rotary shaft 1a and a stationary bearing 2a which defines a central bore 3a for receiving the shaft 1a. A small gap is formed between the shaft 1a and the bearing 2a for holding lubricating oil therein. However, when the gap is too narrow, the lubricating oil will be extruded out of the gap so that large-area dry friction exists between the shaft 1a and the bearing 2a. This results in the bearing structure wearing out to thereby reduce the lifetime of the bearings structure and generate undesired noise. On the contrary, when the gap is significantly wide, the shaft 1a is prone to sway radially or unsteadily to generate noise as well.
A new bearing structure that overcomes the above-mentioned disadvantages is desired.


An auxiliary lighting system for a high-intensity discharge lamp. In one embodiment, the auxiliary lighting system has an auxiliary light source, an HID lamp status circuit having an input for connection to a status signal representative of the operational state of a high-intensity discharge lamp wherein the HID lamp status circuit determines whether the status signal meets predetermined signal criteria, a switch circuit having a first state that effects application of a voltage source to the auxiliary light source, and a second state that isolates the voltage source from the auxiliary light source, and a control circuit responsive to the HID lamp status circuit for controlling the switch circuit. The control circuit has a first state when the HID lamp status circuit determines that the status signal meets the predetermined signal criteria and a second state when the HID lamp status circuit determines that the status signal does not meet the predetermined signal criteria. When the control circuit is in the first state, the control circuit outputs a control signal for input into the switch circuit that configures the switch circuit into the first state. When the control circuit is in the second state, the control circuit outputs a control signal for input into the switch circuit that configures the switch circuit into the second state.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to an electronic auxiliary lighting system for a high intensity discharge lamp.
2. Description of Related Art
Generally, high-intensity discharge (xe2x80x9cHIDxe2x80x9d) lamps will extinguish when power to the HID lamp is interrupted. Power interruptions of even a very short duration, e.g. milliseconds, will often extinguish the HID lamp. As is well known in the art, generally, an extinguished HID lamp will not immediately re-ignite upon the restoration of power to the HID lamp because gases within the HID lamp must be cooled before the HID lamp will re-ignite. Furthermore, when the HID lamp is re-ignited, its lumen output is usually only a fraction of the normal lumen output and gradually increases until the HID lamp is at full brightness. Typically, it may take several minutes after restoration of power to the HID lamp before the HID lamp actually attains full brightness. Accordingly, auxiliary lighting control circuitry has been used for automatically lighting an auxiliary light source, such as an incandescent lamp, following a brief power interruption of an HID lamp.
Many standard magnetic HID ballasts provide an auxiliary tap to power an auxiliary light source if the HID lamp extinguishes. The auxiliary light source is controlled by the auxiliary lighting control circuitry that is external to the ballast. Typically, the primary winding of a current transformer is connected in series with the HID lamp. The auxiliary lighting control circuitry senses the ON/OFF condition of the HID lamp by sensing the HID lamp current available at the auxiliary tap. During normal operation of such an auxiliary lighting system, the HID lamp is ON (i.e. energized) and the auxiliary light source is OFF (i.e. de-energized). However, such external auxiliary lighting control circuitry increases the per-unit cost of the HID ballast system. Furthermore, external circuitry may cause additional problems pertaining to packaging and limited available space.
What is needed is an auxiliary lamp system that does not require an auxiliary tap or external circuitry.
The present invention is directed to, in one aspect, an auxiliary lighting system for a HID lamp, comprising an auxiliary light source, a switch circuit for controlling the application of a voltage source to the auxiliary light source, the switch circuit having a first state that effects application of the voltage source to the auxiliary light source, and a second state that isolates the voltage source from the auxiliary light source, and a control circuit having an input for receiving and being responsive to a signal that indicates the operational state of a HID lamp, the control circuit controlling the duration of time in which the switch circuit is configured in the first state and in the second state wherein the duration of time depends upon the operational state of the HID lamp.
In a related aspect, the present invention is directed to a method of operating an auxiliary lighting system for use with a HID lamp, comprising the steps of providing an auxiliary lighting system comprising an auxiliary light source, and a switch circuit having a first state for effecting application of a voltage source to the auxiliary light source and a second state for isolating the voltage source from the auxiliary light source, providing a status signal that indicates the state of energization of a HID lamp, and controlling the duration of time in which the switch circuit is configured in the first state and the second state wherein the duration of time depends upon the state of energization of the HID lamp.
In another aspect, the present invention is directed to an auxiliary lighting system for a high-intensity discharge lamp. The auxiliary lighting system has an auxiliary light source, an HID lamp status circuit having an input for connection to a status signal representative of the operational state of a high-intensity discharge lamp wherein the HID lamp status circuit determines whether the status signal meets predetermined signal criteria, a switch circuit for controlling the application of a voltage source to the auxiliary light source wherein the switch circuit has a first state that effects application of the voltage source to the auxiliary light source, and a second state that isolates the voltage source from the auxiliary light source, and a control circuit responsive to the HID lamp status circuit for controlling the switch circuit. The control circuit has a first state when the HID lamp status circuit determines that the status signal meets the predetermined signal criteria and a second state when the HID lamp status circuit determines that the status signal does not meet the predetermined signal criteria. When the control circuit is in the first state, the control circuit outputs a control signal for input into the switch circuit that configures the switch circuit into the first state. When the control circuit is in the second state, the control circuit outputs a control signal for input into the switch circuit that configures the switch circuit into the second state.
In a related aspect, the present invention is directed a ballast system, comprising a high-intensity discharge lamp, power feedback circuitry that provides a status signal that represents the state of energization of the high-intensity discharge lamp, an auxiliary light source, a voltage source for energizing the high-intensity discharge lamp and the auxiliary light source, a HID lamp status circuit having an input for receiving the status signal and determining whether the status signal meets the predetermined signal criteria, a switch circuit for controlling the application of the voltage source to the auxiliary light source wherein the switch circuit has a first state that effects application of the voltage source to the auxiliary light source, and a second state that isolates the voltage source from the auxiliary light source, and a control circuit responsive to the HID lamp status circuit for controlling the switch circuit. The control circuit has a first state when the HID lamp status circuit determines that the status signal meets the predetermined signal criteria and a second state when the HID lamp status circuit determines that the status signal does not meet the predetermined signal criteria. When the control voltage is in the first state, the control circuit outputs a control signal for input into the switch circuit that configures the switch circuit into the first state. When the control circuit is in the second state, the control circuit outputs a control signal for input into the switch circuit that configures the switch circuit into the second state.
In a further aspect, the present invention is directed to a method of operating an auxiliary lighting system for a high-intensity discharge lamp, comprising the steps of providing an auxiliary lighting system comprising an auxiliary light source, a HID lamp status circuit, and a switch circuit for controlling the application of a voltage source to the auxiliary light source, inputting into the HID lamp status circuit a status signal representative of the operational state of a high intensity discharge lamp, determining whether the status signal meets predetermined signal criteria, and controlling the switch circuit to apply a voltage source to the auxiliary light source if the status signal meets the predetermined signal criteria.
In yet a further aspect, the present invention is directed to a method of operating a ballast system comprising the steps of providing a ballast system comprising a high intensity discharge lamp, a voltage source for powering the high-intensity discharge lamp, circuitry for controlling the application of power to the high-intensity discharge lamp and providing a status signal that represents the operational state of the high-intensity discharge lamp, an auxiliary lighting system having an auxiliary light source, an HID lamp status circuit for determining whether the status signal meets predetermined signal criteria, a switch circuit for controlling the application of the voltage source to the auxiliary light source, and a control circuit for controlling the switch circuit. The method further comprises the steps of determining whether the status signal meets the predetermined signal criteria, controlling the switch circuit to apply the voltage source to the auxiliary light source if the status signal meets the predetermined signal criteria, and controlling the switch circuit to isolate the voltage source to the auxiliary light source if the status signal does not meet predetermined signal criteria.

Auxiliary lighting system for high intensity discharge lamp


The present invention relates to an electronic advertising system. More specifically, the present invention provides a computer based matching system that is significantly more convenient for the advertiser. In the present invention, when a person places a personal ad on the system, either via a telephone or via the Internet, the person creates a personal profile of himself by answering questions about himself and the type of person he wishes to meet. At the conclusion of the ad taking process, the system automatically finds other advertisers (whether they placed their ad via audiotext or the Internet) that match the new advertiser's profile, and the system gives the new advertiser information on how to contact his matches. Conversely, the system notifies existing advertisers when a new ad is placed that matches their profile. The system also assists users by automatically finding ads similar to those to which users respond. Finally, the system assists advertisers by automatically notifying an advertiser when a response is left to his ad.

Audiotext personal ad services are a popular way for people to meet, and are available in most newspapers and on many cable television systems. In a typical service, an advertiser calls a live operator and places a text personal ad. An advertiser then calls an audiotext system and records an audio message, often referred to as a greeting, which expands upon the advertiser's text ad by describing in more detail the advertiser and the type of person he is seeking. Personal ads are then published in a newspaper. A personal ad includes a 900 telephone number and an ad mailbox number permitting a caller to listen to an advertiser's voice greeting. A caller can respond to an ad by recording a reply voice mail message for the advertiser. An advertiser retrieves a message by calling the audiotext system and entering a password given at the time of ad placement. In another format, live operators are not used. Instead, an advertiser first records an audio greeting via telephone. An operator then listens to the audio greeting off-line and writes a text summary of the audio greeting for publication in the newspaper.
With the expansion of the Internet and other on-line services, personal ad services have been created to take advantage of this new medium. A typical service allows an advertiser to place a text personal ad that is published on the Internet on an HTML (HyperText Markup Language) page. An Internet user may respond to a personal ad by sending an advertiser a message via electronic mail. The limitation of this approach is that an Internet user cannot listen to an audio recording of an advertiser, a feature that is the central to audiotext personal ad services. Another limitation is that telephone users cannot exchange messages with Internet users. Another limitation is that many people do not have Internet access, thus limiting the number of advertisers and respondents.
In another format, an attempt is made to integrate audiotext personal ads services with the Internet. Using this approach, a newspaper publishes personal ads in both the newspaper and on the Internet. Each personal ad includes a 900 telephone number and an ad mailbox number permitting a caller to listen to an advertiser's voice greeting. This approach still has the disadvantage of not allowing an Internet user to listen to an advertiser's voice greeting via the Internet. Moreover, an Internet user can only respond to a personal ad via a telephone.
To summarize, existing Internet personal ad services are limited in that they lack many of the features available on audiotext personal ad services. Also, existing personal ad services do not provide a means for those using an audiotext personal ad service to effectively communicate with those using an Internet personal ad service and visa versa. Therefore, there is a need for a personal ad system that seamlessly integrates an audiotext system with an Internet server, allowing straightforward communication between those using a telephone and those on the Internet. Such a system has been proposed in detail by the present inventor which comprises U.S. application Ser. No. 08/744,879. However, there is still the need to address some of the problems inherent in an integrated audiotext and Internet based personal ad service.
A basic problem is that when a person places an ad, he must wait for his ad to be published and then for someone to respond to it in order to meet someone. A second problem is that if an advertiser wants to meet someone by responding to other personal ads, he must scan a large number of ads to identify a relatively small number of ads that meet his criteria. In addition, if an advertiser does not locate a suitable ad on a given day, the advertiser must in general do a complete search on the following day, since ads are generally not segregated based upon whether they have been newly placed. Moreover, since new ads can be placed both via an audiotext system and via the Internet, the advertiser might need to scan both the audiotext system and the Internet to find new ads. Finally, advertisers are not notified when they receive a response to their ad, thus requiring advertisers to check their mailbox frequently so as not to miss a message.

Internet-audiotext electronic advertising system with enhanced matching and notification


A direct sequence spread spectrum (DSSS) system which uses PN sequences to encode data so as to increase data throughput. In particular, a system for communicating a plurality of data values using multiple spreading sequences is provided. The system transmits data by selecting at least one of the multiple spreading sequences based on at least one data value included in the plurality of data values; and transmitting other data values included in the plurality of data values using the at least one of the multiple spreading sequences to spread the other data values.

In recent years, the use of cellular communication systems having mobile terminals which communicate with a hardwired network, such as a local area network (LAN) and a wide area network (WAN), has become widespread. Retail stores and warehouses, for example, may use cellular communications systems to track inventory and replenish stock. The transportation industry may use such systems at large outdoor storage facilities to keep an accurate account of incoming and outgoing shipments. In manufacturing facilities, such systems are useful for tracking parts, completed products and defects.
A typical cellular communication system includes a number of fixed base stations interconnected by a cable medium to form a hardwired network. The hardwired network is often referred to as a system backbone. Also included in many cellular communication systems are intermediate base stations which are not directly connected to the hardwired network. Intermediate base stations, often referred to as wireless base stations, increase the area within which base stations connected to the hardwired network can communicate with mobile terminals. Unless otherwise indicated, the term "base station" will hereinafter refer to both base stations hardwired to the network and wireless base stations.
Wireless communication systems such as the cellular communication system described above often involve spread spectrum (SS) technology. An SS communication system is one in which the transmitted frequency spectrum or bandwidth is much wider than absolutely necessary. Generally, SS technology is used by those who wish to communicate in the unlicensed bands provided by the FCC. These bands include the 902 through 928 MHZ and 2.4 through 2.48 GHz ranges. The FCC requires that information transmitted in the bands be spread and coded in order to allow multiple users to communicate in these bands at the same time.
One type of a SS communication system is known as a direct sequence spread spectrum (DSSS) system. The coding scheme for a DSSS communication system utilizes a pseudo-random binary sequence (PRSB). In a DSSS system, coding is achieved by converting each original data bit (zero or one) to a predetermined repetitive pseudo noise (PN) sequence or code. A type of PN sequence is illustrated in FIG. 1. For this example, the digital data signal 110 is made up of a binary "1" bit and a "0" bit. A PN sequence 120 representing the digital data signal 110 is comprised of a sequence of ten sub bits or chips, namely, "1", "0", "1", "1", "0", "1", "1", "1", "0", "1".
The digital data signal 110 is coded or spread by modulo 2 multiplying (e.g., via an "EXCLUSIVE NOR" (XNOR) function) of the digital data signal 110 with the PN sequence 120. If the data bit is a "1", then the resulting spread data signal (PN coded signal) in digital form corresponds to the PN sequence 120. However, if the data bit to be coded is a "0", then the spread data signal in digital form will correspond to a code 130. As can be seen, the code 130 is the inverse of PN sequence 120. That is, the PN sequence and its inverse are used to represent data bits "1" and "0" respectively.
FIG. 2 schematically illustrates a transmitter portion or assembly 100 of a DSSS system. Original data bits 101 are input to the transmitter portion 100. The transmitter portion includes a modulator 102, a spreading function 104 and a transmit filter 106. The modulator 102 modulates the data onto a carrier using, for example, a binary phase shift keying (BPSK) modulation technique. The BPSK modulation technique involves transmitting the carrier in-phase with the oscillations of an oscillator or 180 degrees out-of-phase with the oscillator depending on whether the transmitted bit is a "0" or a "1". The spreading function 104 converts the modulated original data bits 101 into a PN coded chip sequence, also referred to as spread data. The PN coded chip sequence is transmitted via an antenna so as to represent a transmitted PN coded sequence as shown at 108.
FIG. 2 also illustrates a receiver portion or assembly, shown generally at 150. The receiver portion 150 includes a receive filter 152, a despreading function 154, a bandpass filter 156 and a demodulator 158. The PN coded data 108 is received via an antenna and is filtered by the filter 152. Thereafter, the PN coded data is decoded by a PN sequence despreading function 154. The decoded data is then filtered and demodulated by the filter 156 and the demodulator 158 respectively to reconstitute the original data bits 101. To receive the transmitted spread data, the receiver portion 150 must be tuned to the same predetermined carrier frequency and be set to demodulate a BPSK signal using the same predetermined PN sequence.
In order to receive an SS transmission signal, the receiver portion must be tuned to the same frequency as the transmitter assembly to receive the data. Furthermore, the receiver portion must use a demodulation technique which corresponds to the particular modulation technique used by the transmitter assembly (i.e. same PN sequence length, same chipping rate, BPSK). Because mobile terminals communicate with a common base station, each device in the cellular network must use the same carrier frequency and modulation technique.
A PN sequence length refers to a length of the coded sequence (the number of chips) for each original data bit. As noted above, the PN sequence length effects the processing gain. A longer PN sequence yields a higher processing gain which results in an increased communication range. The PN sequence chipping rate refers to the rate at which the chips are transmitted by a transmitter portion. A receiver portion must receive, demodulate and despread the PN sequenced chip sequence at the chipping rate utilized by the transmitter portion. At a higher chipping rate, the receiver portion is allotted a smaller amount of time to receive, demodulate and despread the chip sequence. As the chipping rate increases so to will the error rate. Thus, a higher chipping rate effectively reduces communication range. Conversely, decreasing the chipping rate increases communication range.
The spreading of a digital data signal by the PN sequence does not effect overall signal strength (or power) the data being transmitted or received. However, by spreading a signal, the amplitude at any one point typically will be less then the original (non-spread) signal.
Data throughput rate has become an ever increasingly important factor in the communication market. Market forces have been dictating the need for the ability to communicate in real-time and to be able to exchange data with high speed, low error and efficiency. In order to increase data throughput rate, conventional DS systems and/or hybrid systems using conventional DS technology typically have accepted a loss in transmission range or used larger amounts of bandwidth to transmit the data. However, transmission range and spectral bandwidth efficiency are also important elements to DS systems. Therefore, there is a strong need in the art for a method and system for improving data throughput rate without necessarily sacrificing data transmission range, spectral efficiency or other critical elements of a DS system.

Direct sequence network and method using PN sequence selection to represent data


An organic light emitting display device comprises a common voltage line formed over a peripheral region of a substrate; a passivation layer formed over a pixel region of the substrate and the peripheral region; pixel electrodes formed over the pixel region; and a pixel defining layer formed over the pixel region and the peripheral region. The pixel defining layer defines pixel openings overlapping the pixel electrodes, respectively. The device further comprises organic light emitting layers formed over the pixel region, and disposed in the pixel openings and over the pixel electrodes, respectively; and a common electrode formed over the pixel and peripheral regions. The common electrode is disposed over the pixel defining layer and the organic light emitting layers. The common electrode contacts the common voltage line. The passivation layer comprises a portion overlapping the common voltage line but not overlapping the pixel defining layer.

1. Field
The present disclosure relates to an organic light emitting diode display.
2. Description of the Related Art
An organic light emitting diode display includes two electrodes and an organic light emission layer interposed therebetween. Electrons injected from a cathode that is one electrode and holes injected from an anode that is the other electrode are bonded to each other in the organic light emission layer to form excitons, and light is emitted while the excitons discharge energy.
In the organic light emitting diode display, each unit pixel includes transistors including a switching transistor and a driving transistor, a capacitor, and an organic light emitting diode OLD.
The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the disclosure and therefore it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art.