Method and device for the determining a maximum allowed velocity (Vmax) for a vehicle (1) when going downhill (2). The invention includes a detector (11) for detection of current inclination (alpha) of the vehicle (1) in relation to a horizontal plane (3), and means (10) for the determination of a value relating to the maximum allowed velocity (Vmax) of the vehicle in dependence of at least the value of the inclination (alpha). The invention also relates to a procedure for the control of the velocity. The invention provides a procedure for velocity control that takes the inclination into account when going downhill.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an arrangement for determining a maximum allowed velocity of a vehicle when going downhill when braking capabilities are considered. More specifically, the invention relates to a method for determining a maximum allowed velocity of a vehicle taking into account the inclination of the vehicle and at least one other aspect of the vehicle's braking capability.
2. Background Art
The transportation of heavy loads, such as that often performed commercially by contractors, can and is frequently performed using vehicles of the articulated hauler type. These types of vehicles may be chosen because of their capabilities to operate with large and heavy loads in areas where there are no roads. Example settings for such implementation include load transport in connection with road and tunnel building, sand pits, mines and similar environments.
These types of articulated haulers are typically constructed with a forward vehicle section, often referred to as the engine unit and including a forward frame that supports an engine and a front wheel axle. Further, haulers of this type normally have a rear vehicle section taking the form of a load-carrying unit including a rear frame that supports two wheel axles, a forward bogie axis and a rear bogie axis. The vehicle is commonly designed for switching between operations using various driving wheel combinations, all six wheels on the three axes being selectively operable as driving wheels, depending on the prevailing operating conditions. An articulated hauler may have a weight in the order of 15–30 metric tons and may be loaded with a payload in the order of 20–35 tons.
In a typical articulated hauler, the frame of the engine unit is connected to the frame of the load-carrying unit by means of a special articulation joint. This joint allows the engine unit and the load-carrying unit to pivot in relation to each other about an imaginary longitudinal axis essentially extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. This articulation joint also allows pivoting about a vertical axis for steering of the vehicle. In this manner, the engine unit and the load-carrying unit are allowed to move substantially independently of each other. This reduces the stress loads acting on the vehicle, especially when operating in difficult or complex terrain.
Normally, an articulated hauler is equipped with a diesel engine and an automatic transmission having, for example, six forward gear ratios and two reverse gear ratios. For braking of the vehicle, an operating brake system is used, preferably of the hydraulic type and divided into two circuits; one circuit intended for the engine unit and another circuit intended for the load-carrying unit. The brake system includes conventional disc brakes arranged for braking the respective wheels. With respect to the transmission, there is normally an integrated retarder; that is, an hydraulic brake device that acts on a turbine shaft of the transmission for braking the vehicle.
During braking of the hauler, the driver uses a brake pedal designed in such a way that when depressed, it initially causes activation of a retarder. When depressed further, the mechanical or operating brakes are also activated and caused to operate in cooperation with the retarder. The reason for first activating the retarder is to help control the high thermal loads affecting the operating brake during mechanical braking. Thus, by primarily using the retarder, or at least initially using the retarder, reduced wear of the operating brake system is achieved and an increased operator braking comfort is also realized.
Such haulers are also often suitably equipped with a separate retarder pedal that, when depressed, will only cause braking by means of the retarder.
Further, the hauler normally includes an additional brake function in the form of a motor-brake that is a typically occurring braking function of diesel engines. A motor-brake is controlled by means of a separate control and includes a throttle that, when actuated, will restrict the flow of exhaust gases from the engine during its exhaust phase. This creates a back pressure in the exhaust system that in turn causes a braking effect.
In the case of articulated haulers, it is a general demand that the machine be able to be run at as high a velocity as possible. The choice of velocity, however, has to be made considering expected costs that may occur as a consequence of service and possible repairs required if too high a velocity is chosen.
In order to limit the velocity of an operating hauler, the driver can brake entirely with the operating brake. This way of braking however, presents a problem because the ordinary disc brakes of the operating or mechanical brake system is not designed to be continuously used for extended periods of time. This can particular be the case when braking occurs while the vehicle is traveling downhill while burdened with a heavy load. In such cases, the mechanical brakes may become overloaded, which in turn can result in a reduced braking ability and/or an unnecessary increase in brake-component wear.
To spare the operating brake, the retarder or motor-brake should be predominantly utilized. An existing problem, however, is that drivers do not always pay attention to directions given regarding which kind of brake that is the correct at different situations. Instead, they use the operating brake too frequently. Furthermore, there is a risk that drivers will not pay attention to the instructions and directions regarding braking procedures, and also run the vehicle at too fast of speeds and use the operating brake too much which compounds the detrimental effects that are suffered by the vehicle.
The above problem is especially serious when the hauler is traveling downhill with a heavy load. In such situations, it is possible for the velocity to become too high, while there is also a risk that the retarder and the exhaust gas brake will not be capable of delivering sufficient brake power to bring such excessive speed under control. From an alternative perspective, it may be considered that the retarder and the motor-brake have insufficient cooling capabilities regarding the overall braking functions. In any case, because the operating brake must also be used to reduce the machine's velocity, a risk for excessive wear and damage to the operating brake system exist.

Device and method for determining a highest allowed velocity of a vehicle


A disaster recovery system providing remote data shadowing between a primary and a secondary site uses a method and apparatus for swapping, or switching, host directed I/O operations from a primary data storage device to a secondary data storage device in a remote copy duplex pair. Application programs running in a host processor at the primary site first quiesce all I/O operations and record updates targeted to the primary data storage device. The remote copy duplex pair is checked to verify that the secondary data storage device is a fully synchronized copy of the primary data storage device. The secondary data storage device is then swapped with the primary data storage device by terminating the remote copy duplex pair, establishing an opposite direction remote copy duplex pair such that the secondary data storage device is a primary device of the duplex pair and the primary data storage device is a shadowing device, and updating the application programs running in the primary host processor with a device address of the secondary data storage device substituted as a device address of the primary data storage device. Finally, the primary host processor resumes its application programs such that subsequent I/O operations and record updates targeted for the primary data storage device are directed through a secondary storage controller to the secondary data storage device, and copied to the primary data storage device.

Data processing systems typically require a large amount of data storage. Effective data processing systems efficiently access, modify, and re-store data within the data storage. Data storage is typically separated into several different levels depending on the time to access the data or the cost to store the data. A first, or highest level of data storage involves electronic memory, usually dynamic or static random access memory (DRAM or SRAM). Electronic memories take the form of semiconductor integrated circuits wherein millions of bytes of data can be stored on each circuit, with access to such bytes of data measured in nanoseconds. The electronic memory provides the fastest access to data since access is entirely electronic.
A second level of data storage usually involves direct access storage devices (DASD). DASD storage, for example, can comprise magnetic and/or optical disks. Data bits are stored as micrometer sized magnetically or optically altered spots on a disk surface which represent the "ones" and "zeros" that comprise the binary value of the data bits. Magnetic DASD includes one or more disks that are coated with remnant magnetic material. The disks are rotatably mounted within a protected environment. Each disk is divided into many concentric tracks, or closely spaced circles. The data is stored serially, bit by bit, along each track. An access mechanism, known as a head disk assembly (HDA), typically includes one or more read/write heads, and is provided in each DASD for moving across the tracks to transfer the data to and from the surface of the disks as the disks are rotated past the read/write heads. DASDs can store gigabytes of data with the access to such data typically measured in milliseconds (orders of magnitudes slower than electronic memory). Access to data stored on DASD is slower due to the need to physically position the disk and HDA to the desired data storage location.
A third or lower level of data storage includes tapes, tape libraries, and optical disk libraries. Access to data is much slower in a library since a robot is necessary to select and load the needed data storage medium. An advantage of these storage systems is the reduced cost for very large data storage capabilities, on the order of terabytes of data. Tape storage is often used for back-up purposes. That is, data stored at the second level of the data storage hierarchy is reproduced for safe keeping on magnetic tape. Access to data stored on tape and/or in a library is presently on the order of seconds.
Having a back-up data copy is mandatory for many businesses as data loss could be catastrophic to the business. The time required to recover data lost at the primary storage level is also an important recovery consideration. An improvement in speed over tape or library back-up, includes dual copy. An example of dual copy involves providing additional DASD's so that data is written to the additional DASDs (sometimes referred to as mirroring). Then if the primary DASDs fail, the secondary DASDs can be depended upon for data. A drawback to this approach is that the number of required DASDs is doubled.
Another data back-up alternative that overcomes the need to provide double the storage devices involves writing data to a redundant array of inexpensive devices (RAID). In this configuration, the data is written such that the data is apportioned amongst many DASDs. If a single DASD fails, then the lost data can be recovered by using the remaining data and error correction procedures. Currently there are several different RAID configurations available.
The aforementioned back-up solutions are generally sufficient to recover data in the event that a storage device or medium fails. These back-up methods are useful only for device failures since the secondary data is a mirror of the primary data, that is, the secondary data has the same volume serial numbers (VOLSERs) and DASD addresses as the primary data. Data recovery due to system failures or storage controller failures, on the other hand, is not available using mirrored secondary data. Hence still further protection is required for recovering data if a disaster occurs destroying the entire system or even the site, for example, earthquakes, fires, explosions, hurricanes, etc. Disaster recovery requires that the secondary copy of data be stored at a location remote from the primary data. A known method of providing disaster protection is to periodically back-up data to tape, such as a daily or weekly basis. The tape is then picked up by a vehicle and taken to a secure storage area usually located kilometers from the primary data location. This back-up plan has problems: it could take days to retrieve the back-up data, additional data is lost waiting for the back-up data to be recovered, or the same disaster could also destroy the storage location. A slightly improved back-up method would transmit data to a back-up location each night. This allows the data to be stored at a more remote location. Again, some data may be lost between back-ups since back-up does not occur continuously, as in the dual copy solution. Hence, a substantial amount of data could still be lost and this may be unacceptable to some users.
More recently introduced data disaster recovery solutions include remote dual copy wherein data is backed-up not only remotely, but also continuously (either synchronously or asynchronously). In order to communicate duplexed data from one host processor to another host processor, or from one storage controller to another storage controller, or some combination thereof, a substantial amount of control data is required for realizing the process. A high overhead, however, can interfere with a secondary site's ability to keep up with a primary site's processing, thus threatening the ability of the secondary site to be able to recover the primary in the event a disaster occurs.
Disaster recovery protection for the typical data processing system requires that primary data stored on primary DASDs be backed-up at a secondary or remote location. The distance separating the primary and secondary locations depends upon the level of risk acceptable to the user, and can vary from several kilometers to thousands of kilometers. The secondary or remote location, in addition to providing a back-up data copy, must also have enough system information to take over processing for the primary system should the primary system become disabled. This is due in part because a single storage controller does not write data to both primary and secondary DASD strings at the primary and secondary sites. Instead, the primary data is stored on a primary DASD string attached to a primary storage controller while the secondary data is stored on a secondary DASD string attached to a secondary storage controller.
The secondary site must not only be sufficiently remote from the primary site, but must also be able to back-up primary data in real time. The secondary site needs to back-up primary data as the primary data is updated with some minimal delay. Additionally, the secondary site has to back-up the primary data regardless of the application program (e.g., IMS, DB2) running at the primary site and generating the data and/or updates. A difficult task required of the secondary site is that the secondary data must be order consistent, that is, secondary data is copied in the same sequential order as the primary data (sequential consistency) which requires substantial system considerations. Sequential consistency is complicated by the existence of multiple storage controllers each controlling multiple DASDs in a data processing system. Without sequential consistency, secondary data inconsistent with primary data would result, thus corrupting disaster recovery.
Remote data duplexing falls into two general categories, synchronous and asynchronous. Synchronous remote copy involves sending primary data to the secondary location and confirming the reception of such data before ending a primary DASD input/output (I/O) operation (providing a channel end (CE) and device end (DE) to the primary host). Synchronous copy, therefore, slows the primary DASD I/O response time while waiting for secondary confirmation. Primary I/O response delay is increased proportionately with the distance between the primary and secondary systems--a factor that limits the remote distance to tens of kilometers. Synchronous copy, however, provides sequentially consistent data at the secondary site with relatively little system overhead.
Synchronous remote copy for disaster recovery also requires that paired DASD volumes form a set. The DASD volumes at the secondary site essentially form a "duplex pair" with the corresponding DASD volumes at the primary site. Forming such a set further requires that a sufficient amount of system information be provided to the secondary site for identifying those DASD volumes (VOLSERs) which pair with DASD volumes at the primary site. The secondary site must also recognize when a DASD volume is "failed duplex", when a DASD at the secondary site is no longer synchronized with its primary site counterpart. The primary site can suspend remote copy to allow the primary site to continue transferring data updates while these updates are queued for the secondary site. The primary site marks these updates to show the secondary site is no longer synchronized.
Synchronous remote copy disaster recovery systems have the desired ability to suspend the remote copy pair and queue the updates to be subsequently transferred to the secondary site because of their synchronous design. The host application at the primary site cannot start the next I/O transfer to the primary storage controller until the previous I/O transfer has been synchronized at the secondary site. If the previous I/O was not successfully transmitted to the secondary site, the remote copy pair is suspended before the subsequent I/O transfer is started. Thus, the subsequent I/O transfers to this remote copy pair can be queued for later transmittal to the secondary site once the remote copy pair is re-established.
Asynchronous remote copy provides better primary application system performance because the primary DASD I/O operation is completed (providing a channel end (CE) and device end (DE) to the primary host) before data is confirmed at the secondary site. Therefore, the primary DASD I/O response time is not dependent upon the distance to the secondary site and the secondary site could be thousands of kilometers remote from the primary site. A greater amount of system overhead is required, however, for ensuring data sequence consistency since data received at the secondary site will often not be in order of the primary updates. A failure at the primary site could result in some data being lost that was in transit between the primary and secondary locations.
Further, certain errors in the data processing system at the primary site, either in the host application or in the storage subsystem, can cause the termination of the remote copy function. Unlike synchronous remote copy designs, current asynchronous remote copy systems typically cannot suspend the remote copy duplex pair. Once remote copy has been terminated, resumption of the remote copy function requires all data from the primary DASDs to be copied to the secondary DASDs to ensure re-synchronization of the two sites.
While remote data duplexing provides sufficient solutions for disaster recovery, remote data duplexing does not provide an efficient means for recovery when the storage controller at the primary site becomes inaccessible. Two common reasons for the primary storage controller becoming inaccessible are an error occurs in the storage controller or the storage controller is temporarily disabled for planned maintenance. In either a dual copy or remote data duplexing environment, either planned maintenance or an error in the storage controller causes the applications running in the attached host processors to terminate their I/O to all data storage devices connected to the storage controller. In addition, all duplex pairs associated with the primary data storage devices connected to the primary storage controller are failed and reported to the associated host processor applications as failed duplex. Thus, when the storage controller has recovered from its error or planned maintenance, all primary data storage devices must be re-synchronized with their corresponding shadowed data storage devices at the secondary site before the data processing system may continue as a synchronized disaster recovery system across the two sites.
Accordingly, a method in a remote data duplexing system is needed to provide access to data stored on a primary storage device from an application running in the primary host processor when an error occurs at the primary storage controller. In addition, such method may also provide more direct access to data on a failed primary storage device for an application running in the primary host processor.

Concurrent switch to shadowed device for storage controller and device errors

International Business Machines Corporation


A method for restricting the completion of a call made to a subscriber is disclosed. The method includes activating a termination attempt trigger, requesting call-processing instructions in response to detection of the activated termination attempt trigger, receiving call-processing instructions, and redirecting the call responsive to the call-processing instructions.

The present application is related, generally, to systems and methods for restricting incoming calls. For a variety of reasons, there are times when a telephone customer may not want to be disturbed by the ringing that announces an incoming telephone call. To prevent the receipt of such calls, customers have resorted to unplugging the jack, leaving the telephone off-hook, turning off the ringer, or subscribing to a call forwarding service. Although such remedies can be effective in stopping the telephone from ringing, each remedy has shortcomings associated therewith.
Unplugging the jack from a telephone disconnects the telephone from the telephone system. During the time the telephone is disconnected, no outgoing calls can be placed from the telephone, and no incoming calls can be received at the telephone. Leaving the telephone off-hook allows for the placement of outgoing calls but prevents the receipt of any incoming calls, including calls that the customer may have wanted to receive. In addition, leaving the telephone off-hook typically results in the generation of a beeping sound, a sound some customers consider to be more annoying than the ringing that announces an incoming telephone call. Call forwarding services allow for the placement of outgoing calls and can automatically redirect all incoming calls, even calls the customer may have wanted to receive, to the customer's voice mailbox. Although a calling party can leave a voice message for the customer, the customer does not know who called or why they called until the message is retrieved.

System and method for restricting incoming calls


A machine tool for processing workpieces comprises a stroke drive device with a pressing tool, with a motorized drive including two motorized drive units which are controlled independently and wedge gear elements between the motorized drive and the pressing tool. The wedge gear elements comprise two drive-side wedge gear elements, each one being associated with a motorized drive unit, and two output-side wedge gear elements attached to the pressing tool, with each output-side wedge gear element opposite to an associated respective drive-side wedge gear element and forming a gear element pair. The wedge gear elements of each gear element pair are opposite each other inclined at a wedge angle with respect to a positioning axis and inclined in opposing directions with respect to the positioning axis. The motorized drive is configured to move the pressing tool along a stroke axis and position the stroke drive device along the positioning axis.

WO 2007/122294 A1 discloses a punching press having a horizontal workpiece support above which a plurality of punching stamps are arranged in rows in a horizontal direction. Above the punching stamps, a stroke drive device which is provided for the punching stamps can be moved along the punching stamp row. Part of the stroke drive device is a ram carriage which can be displaced along the punching stamp row. A ram is movably guided in a vertical direction on the ram carriage. The lower end of the ram faces the punching stamps. At the upper side thereof, the ram is provided with two gear type wedges of a wedge gear. The two gear type wedges are combined to form a structurally unitary wedge arrangement. The wedge arrangement is delimited at the upper side thereof by the wedge faces of the two gear type wedges. The two wedge faces are inclined in opposing directions relative to the horizontal and form at the ram-side wedge arrangement a roof-like dual wedge face. In a vertical direction, a drive-side wedge arrangement is opposite the ram-side wedge arrangement. The drive-side wedge arrangement is also constructed as a structural unit comprising two gear type wedges having wedge faces which are inclined in opposing directions relative to the horizontal and which abut each other in a roof-like manner. Using a motorized spindle drive, the drive-side wedge arrangement can be moved along the punching stamp row and consequently in the displacement direction of the ram carriage. Close to the roof-like dual wedge face, a protrusion protrudes downwards at the drive-side wedge arrangement. A recess on a base plate of the ram-side wedge arrangement is associated with this protrusion. The drive-side protrusion and the ram-side recess can be selectively brought into engagement with each other or out of engagement with each other.
If a selected punching stamp of the punching stamp row is intended to carry out a working stroke for the workpiece processing, and if the ram which is guided on the ram carriage is arranged remote from the selected punching stamp, the ram must first be moved in a horizontal direction into a position in which it is located above the punching stamp which is intended to be actuated by him. To this end, the drive-side wedge arrangement is moved by the motorized spindle drive along the punching stamp row into a position in which the protrusion which protrudes downwards on the drive-side wedge arrangement is arranged opposite of the recess provided in the base plate of the ram-side wedge arrangement. The base plate and also the ram-side wedge arrangement itself are in this instance first lowered in a vertical direction so far that the drive-side protrusion can travel sufficiently far over the base plate of the ram-side wedge arrangement. Subsequently, by a lifting movement of the ram-side wedge arrangement and the base plate thereof, the ram-side recess and the drive-side protrusion are brought into mutual engagement. If the drive-side wedge arrangement is now moved in a motor-driven manner, it carries, via the base plate of the ram-side wedge arrangement, this and the entire ram carriage in the displacement direction. The displacement movement ends as soon as the ram on the ram carriage has reached its desired position above the punching stamp to be actuated. In order to secure the desired position of the ram, the ram carriage is secured on the guide thereof. Subsequently, the ram-side wedge arrangement and the base plate thereof are lowered to such an extent that the protrusion on the drive-side wedge arrangement can leave the recess in the base plate of the ram-side wedge arrangement. Regardless of the lowering movement of the ram-side wedge arrangement and the base plate thereof, the ram is spaced apart as before at its lower side from the punching stamp associated therewith. If the drive-side wedge arrangement is now driven in a motorized manner in the displacement direction thereof, it moves relative to the ram-side wedge arrangement on the ram carriage which is secured in the displacement direction. When the drive-side wedge arrangement moves relative to the ram-side wedge arrangement, owing to the cooperation of the wedge faces at both sides, the ram which is guided in a vertical direction on the ram carriage is moved downwards with a working stroke being carried out. In this instance, the ram acts on the punching stamp opposite it in the vertical direction and this stamp carries out the desired workpiece punching processing operation.


Within examples, a system to provide filtered air to an enclosure for a passenger of a vehicle is described that includes a collapsible canopy hood attachable to a support structure of a vehicle, and a filter unit mounted to the support structure of the vehicle and having an output coupled to the collapsible canopy hood. The filter unit includes an air filtration component to filter air that is then output to the collapsible canopy hood.

Cabin air systems in example aircraft are designed to provide a comfortable cabin environment at cruising altitudes. In some examples, the cruising altitudes reach upwards of 40,000 feet. At these altitudes, the aircraft cabin is pressurized to enable passengers and crew to breathe normally. Air enters a passenger area from overhead distribution outlets that run a length of the aircraft cabin. The distribution outlets are designed to generate circular airflow patterns within the cabin. Air supplied to the cabin thus contains a mixture of re-circulated air from within the passenger cabin and air from outside the aircraft. Air is exhausted through air returns located in sidewalls near a floor of the cabin within some examples. The air returns can be located along the length of the aircraft cabin and on both sides of the aircraft cabin. In operation, air is supplied and exhausted from the passenger area on a continuous basis.
Other vehicles, such as trains and buses, have alternate air circulation systems that also tend to circulate air for purposes of passenger comfortability
In many existing vehicles, there is only a centralized air filtration unit for the entire vehicle. The centralized air filtration unit is required to filter contaminants present in the air inside the vehicle including both external air introduced inside the vehicle as well as air re-circulated inside the vehicle.

Systems and methods for providing filtered air to an enclosure for a passenger of a vehicle


A broadband antenna including both electric and magnetic dipole radiators is provided herein. The broadband antenna may be referred to as a “P×M antenna” and may include a pair of magnetic loop elements, each having multiple feed points symmetrically spaced around the loop element. The broadband antenna may also include an electric dipole element arranged between the pair of magnetic loop elements. In general, the electric dipole element and the magnetic loop elements may be coupled together through a network of transmission lines, as opposed to being incorporated into a single radiative element.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to antennas and, more particularly, to a practical implementation of a low-loss, broadband antenna incorporating electric and magnetic radiative components.
2. Description of the Related Art
The following descriptions and examples are not admitted to be prior art by virtue of their inclusion within this section.
Electrically-small antenna elements are utilized in many low frequency (e.g., mobile communications) and high frequency (e.g., EMC testing) applications. For example, an electrically-small antenna may be used in low frequency applications to accommodate space, durability or other concerns, or in high frequency applications to achieve a particular frequency level, which may be desired for EMC testing purposes. As used herein, the term "electrically-small" refers to an antenna or antenna element with relatively small geometrical dimensions compared to the wavelengths of the electromagnetic fields they radiate. Quantitatively speaking, electrically-small antennas are generally defined as antennas which fit inside a so-called radiansphere, or a sphere with a radius, r=λ/2π, where λ is the wavelength of the radiated electromagnetic energy.
Unfortunately, electrically small antennas tend to have relatively large radiation quality factors, Q, meaning that they tend to store (on time average) much more energy than they radiate. This leads to input impedances that are predominantly reactive, which can make it difficult, if not impossible, to impedance match an electrically small antenna to an input feed over a broad range of bandwidths. Furthermore, due to the large radiation quality factor, the presence of even small resistive losses leads to very low radiation efficiencies in electrically small antennas (e.g., around 1–50% efficiency).
According to known quantitative predictions of the limits on the radiation Q of electrically small antennas, the minimum attainable radiation Q for any linearly polarized, omnidirectional antenna, which fits inside a spherical volume of radius, a, can be found by:
                    Q        =                              1            ka                    +                      1                                          k                3                                                          a                3                                                                        (                  EQ          .                                                    1                )            where k=1/λ, the wave number associated with the electromagnetic radiation. Thus, the radiation Q of an electrically small antenna may be roughly proportional to the inverse of its electrical volume (a), or inversely proportional to the antenna bandwidth. In order to achieve relatively broad bandwidth and high efficiency with a single-element, electrically small antenna of a given size, it is desirable to utilize as much of the volume (that the antenna occupies) as possible. This may be achieved, in some cases, by increasing the size of the antenna elements, while retaining an electrically-small status.
In order to achieve the fundamental limit on radiation Q given in EQ. 1, an antenna would have to excite only the Transverse Magnetic (TM01) or Transverse Electric (TE11) mode outside of the enclosing spherical surface and store no electric or magnetic energy inside the spherical surface. So while, a short linear (electric) dipole excites the TM01 mode outside of the sphere, it does not satisfy the criterion of storing no energy within the sphere, and thus, exhibits a higher radiation Q (and narrower bandwidth) than that predicted by EQ. 1.
In general, all antennas that radiate dipolar fields, such as electric and magnetic dipoles, are limited by the constraint given in EQ. 1. Though some broadband dipole designs have been successfully implemented and approach the limit given in EQ. 1, it is currently impossible to construct a linearly-polarized, omnidirectional antenna that exhibits a radiation Q less than that predicted by EQ. 1. However, while EQ. 1 represents the fundamental limit on the radiation Q for a linearly-polarized, omnidirectional antenna, it is not the global lower limit on radiation Q. For example, a compound antenna which radiates substantially equal power into the TM01 and TE11 modes can (in principle) achieve a radiation Q of approximately:
                    Q        =                              1            2                                          [                                          2                ka                            +                              1                                                      k                    3                                                                          a                    3                                                                        ]                                              (                  EQ          .                                                    2                )            or roughly half that of an isolated electric or magnetic dipole, which radiates the TM01 or TE11 mode, alone. In other words, the impedance bandwidth of a compound antenna can be nearly double that of an isolated electric or magnetic dipole.
Ideal compound antennas having a pair of electrically-small electric and magnetic dipoles, which are co-located and oriented to provide orthogonal dipole moments, have been theoretically and numerically examined and found to provide useful features. Such antennas are often referred to as "P×M antennas," due to their orthogonal combination of electric (p) and magnetic (m) dipole vectors. Desirable characteristics of P×M antennas may include, but are not limited to, a useful radiation pattern (e.g., a low-gain, unidirectional radiation pattern) and a relatively broad impedance bandwidth for a given electrical size. As noted above, the radiation Q of an electrically-small P×M antenna is approximately half that of an isolated electric or magnetic dipole. Though the reduced Q should improve broadband impedance matching (at least in principle), practical implementations of P×M antennas have been problematic and have not been thoroughly investigated.
In order to provide broadband P×M operation, the dipole moments of the electric and magnetic radiators must be orthogonal in spatial orientation, substantially equal in magnitude, and in phase-quadrature over the desired operating frequency range. It is not difficult to specify the relationship between the magnitude and phase of two isolated radiators in a numerical or analytical model. In practice, however, such an antenna is usually driven from a single radio-frequency (RF) source, whose finite output impedance must be matched to the combined electric and magnetic radiator. This tends to be a particularly difficult problem due to the resonant nature of the combined electric and magnetic dipole radiator.
In some cases, a low-loss, passive feed or matching network may be used to combine the electric and magnetic radiators. However, such matching networks are often difficult to implement, due to the frequency-dependent variation in the input impedance of the two radiators. For example, variations in input impedance can make it difficult to maintain the proper magnitude and phase of the feed currents supplied to the electric and magnetic radiators. Furthermore, even when a matching network is used to combine the radiators, residual impedance mismatches may still limit the efficiency and power transfer of the antenna/matching network, and thus, the overall efficiency of the system. Although possible matching networks have been suggested, none of the currently known designs allow the combined radiator to operate efficiently over a broad range of frequencies. Therefore, the use of such designs often negates any improvements in bandwidth that may be provided by the lower radiation Q of the P×M radiator.
In principle, it should be possible to utilize electric and magnetic dipoles with complementary input impedances to provide the desired broadband operation. One such proven approach is the monopole-slot combination. This configuration is, in the ideal case, a true P×M radiator. For example, the monopole-slot antenna may be considered a two-port T-network formed with the radiation impedance of a slot antenna in the two series arms, and the radiation impedance of a monopole antenna in the shunt arm. The two-port T-network is usually terminated in a resistive load, whose value is equal to the image impedance of the T-network. However, use of a resistive load causes the antenna to have a lossy, low-pass characteristic. For this reason, the monopole-slot combination typically suffers from relatively low efficiency, even though the input impedance is more or less constant and matched. While the monopole-slot antenna is known to demonstrate a useful pattern behavior, the design is further burdened by the requirement of a ground plane.
Thus, two problems must be overcome to successfully implement a practical P×M antenna. First, practical electric and magnetic radiators must be found or designed, and second, a low-loss passive network to combine the two radiators must be implemented in such a way that P×M operation is maintained over some reasonable bandwidth. If resistive losses are to be kept to a minimum, the circulation of reactive power within the matching network must also be minimized.
As used herein, "P×M operation" is maintained when the electric and magnetic dipole moments are substantially orthogonal in spatial orientation, substantially equal in magnitude, and in phase-quadrature over a desired frequency range. In other words, the component radiators themselves must behave correctly—like electric and magnetic dipoles—so that the magnitude and phase of the far field components produced by each radiator will be in proper magnitude and phase for the superposition of the two to provide the desired performance. This enables the far field components of the electric and magnetic radiators to add up in phase.
For an isolated electrically-small electric or magnetic dipole, the above requirements are reduced to providing a matching network, which stores an opposite form of energy to that stored by the antenna. In other words, if efficiency is to be maximized, and both capacitive and inductive elements are available with the same radiation Q, a short electric dipole should be matched with an all-inductive matching network. Unfortunately, the situation is more complex with P×M antennas, since they store both electric and magnetic energy. Moreover, if the individual elements themselves are not electrically-small, each element will not store predominantly one form of energy. For example, a linear or tapered electric dipole of moderate electrical size will not store predominantly electric energy, but rather, will store both electric and magnetic energy with equipartition of energy achieved at resonance.
Thus, a need remains for a practical antenna design, which combines electric and magnetic dipole radiators to provide a low-loss, broadband implementation suitable for high-power applications.

PxM antenna for high-power, broadband applications


The present invention relates to a method for producing an optical member wherein an optical substrate having a light-blocking part on the surface is bonded to an optical substrate for bonding. The method for producing an optical member uses a UV-curable resin composition and comprises specific (Process 1) through (Process 3). The present invention also relates to the use of a UV-curable resin composition comprising a (meth)acrylate (A) and a photopolymerization initiator (B) for the production method, and a UV-curable resin composition. It is possible to produce a bonded optical member having good curability and adhesiveness, such as a touch panel or display unit having an optical substrate comprising a light-blocking part, with good productivity but with little damage to the optical substrate. It is thereby possible to obtain an optical member having a high degree of resin curing at the light-blocking part and high reliability.

In recent years, a display device capable of screen input by bonding a touch panel to a display screen of the display device such as a liquid crystal display, a plasma display, or an organic EL display is widely used. This touch panel has a structure, in which glass plates or resin films having a transparent electrode formed thereon are bonded to one another with a slight gap, and if necessary, a transparent protective plate of glass or resin is bonded onto the touch surface.
There is a technique, in which a pressure sensitive adhesive double coated sheet is used to bond a glass plate or film having a transparent electrode formed thereon to a transparent protective plate of glass or resin in a touch panel, or to bond a touch panel to a display unit. However, there is a problem that air bubbles are easily generated when a pressure sensitive adhesive double coated sheet is used. A technique, in which a glass plate or film having a transparent electrode formed thereon is bonded to a transparent protective plate of glass or resin with an ultraviolet curable resin composition having flexibility, or a touch panel is bonded to a display unit with an ultraviolet curable resin composition having flexibility, has been suggested as an alternative technique to a pressure sensitive adhesive double coated sheet.
Meanwhile, a light shielding portion of belt shape is formed at the outermost edge of a transparent protective plate in order to improve the contrast of a display image. In a case in which the transparent protective plate having a light shielding portion formed thereon is bonded with an ultraviolet curable resin composition, insufficient ultraviolet rays reach the ultraviolet curable resin in the light shielded region, which corresponds to the shade of the light shielding portion, because of the light shielding portion, and thus the curing of the resin in the light shielded region is not sufficient. If the curing of resin is not sufficient, problems such as display unevenness in the display image near the light shielding portion occur.
As a technique to improve the curing of resin in a light shielded region, Patent Literature 1 discloses a technique, in which an organic peroxide is contained in an ultraviolet curable resin, and the resin thus obtained is irradiated with ultraviolet rays and then heated, whereby the resin in a light shielded region is cured. However, it is concerned that a heating process causes damage to a liquid crystal display device and the like. Moreover, there is a problem of poor productivity since the heating process requires generally 60 minutes or longer time to secure sufficient curing of resin. In addition, Patent Literature 2 discloses a technique, in which the resin in a light shielded region is cured by irradiating with ultraviolet rays from the outer side surface of the light shielding portion forming surface. However, there is limitation in this technique since it is sometimes difficult to irradiate the resin with ultraviolet rays from the side surface depending on the shape of a liquid crystal display device. In addition, Patent Literature 3 discloses a technique, in which slow acting property of a cationically polymerizable ultraviolet curable resin is used, but the resin after curing is poor in flexibility.

Method for producing optical member and use of UV-curable resin composition therefor


A variable-crown roll including a stationary roll axle, a tubular roll mantle rotatably mounted by its ends on the roll axle by end bearings and hydraulic loading shoes arranged between the roll mantle and the roll axle. The loading shoes act upon an inner face of the roll mantle in a direction toward a nip defined in part by the roll, are supported on the roll axle and are loaded by a hydraulic pressure medium. The nip pressure is profiled in the axial direction of the roll by regulating the pressure of the pressure medium passed into the loading shoes. The roll mantle is made of a fiber-reinforced composite material so that the stability of shape of the roll mantle in the direction of the circumference is good, i.e., it maintains its shape, and the rigidity in the axial direction is low, i.e., it is profitable.

In a variable-crown roll loaded by means of shoes, and in particular from the mantle of such a roll, different properties are required in the direction of the circumference of the mantle and in the direction of the roll axle. Variable-crown rolls are used commonly as nip rolls, and in such a case the shape of the mantle must remain unchanged even at high nip loads. However, when the nip pressure is to be profiled in the direction of the roll axle, the rigidity of the roll mantle in the axial direction must be low to enable the profiling. Conventional variable-crown rolls are thick-mantle steel rolls, in which case the profiling of the nip pressures requires that very high forces be applied to the roll mantle. For this reason, in certain cases, it would be advantageous if the roll mantle could be made thinner. The technique of manufacture of a mantle of a variable-crown roll that is currently used, however, restricts any reduction of the thickness of the steel mantles.
A second problem existing in the prior art variable-crown rolls is the high weight of the thick roll mantle and the drawbacks resulting from this weight. It is a significant drawback arising from the weight of the roll mantle that the properties of oscillation of the roll mantle are poor.

Variable-crown roll loaded by means of shoes


The present invention provides a surface following nozzle, an observation device for a moving object surface, and an observation method for the moving object surface that can remove water in the vicinity of the nozzle while following changes in the shape and changes in the distance of a moving object. A surface following nozzle includes a nozzle that injects gas from a tip end thereof, a separating part that closes a base end of the nozzle, and an extending and contracting part that is provided at a rear side of the nozzle via the separating part, and extends and contracts along an axial direction of the nozzle. The extending and contracting part includes an elastic body that applies a forward force with respect to the nozzle.

In rolling mills of steel sheets, in order to manufacture rolling steel sheets having an excellent surface and an excellent shape, it is important to grasp a surface state of a rolling roll and accurately grasp a profile, in other words, a radius distribution in a roll axial direction, thereby enabling a replacement timing of the rolling roll to be determined and enabling control with a feedback to a rolling condition or a cooling condition.
For example, a rolling roll during hot rolling at the high rolled material temperature of approximately 1000° C. receives a severe thermal influence regardless that the rolling roll is cooled as the time elapses, and thus becomes a surface roughness degradation in which a surface thereof is uneven. When rolling is performed using the rolling roll on which such roughness has occurred, a scale generated on a convex portion is pressed by the rolling roll, is pushed into a rolled material, and is bitten into the steel sheet surface, whereby scale defects are generated. For this reason, the rolling amount until the roll is replaced has been determined in advance, and the roll is replaced in a planned way, however, in this method, the rolling amount needs to be set focusing on the safe side, which has caused lowering of the availability factor.
In a rolling roll during hot rolling, when a rolled material is stretched with a high rolling force, the roll expands in the radial direction by heat, and a roll diameter decreases by wear only at a portion through which the rolled material has passed. Changes in a diameter in the roll axial direction, in other words, a profile, cannot be accurately grasped to cause the generation of a thickness failure in the rolled material and a shape failure. Therefore, the expansion and wear amounts by heat have been conventionally estimated by a computer from data such as the actual condition of the rolled material and the roll coolant amount to obtain a rolling roll profile, however, the accuracy of this method is not high, and thus a shape failure has occurred.
As measures to such problems, have been proposed a roll surface observation method in which a roll surface is photographed by a camera, and a method in which a distance from a predetermined position to a roll surface is measured by an ultrasonic range finder or the like to calculate a roll radius, and a roll profile is measured on the basis of the calculated value.
A device for observing a surface of a rolling roll described in PTL 1 supplies water to the rolling roll from a nozzle, forms a water column between the rolling roll and the nozzle, and photographs a roll surface by a camera via the formed water column.
A method of measuring a roll profile described in PTL 2 includes generating a water column between a probe into which an ultrasonic range finder is embedded and a rolling roll, obtaining a distance from the time during when pulsed ultrasonic emitted from the range finder reciprocates between the probe and the roll surface, and scanning the range finder along a guide rail in a roll axial direction, thereby measuring the roll profile.
A surface inspection device described in PTL 3 includes an inspection device having a light source and a light receiving part, a cylindrical nozzle provided along an axis of light beams that are emitted from the light source, and a movable nozzle provided in the inside of the cylindrical nozzle. The movable nozzle is pushed out toward a rolling roll by water passing through the movable nozzle from the cylindrical nozzle, and a gap between the movable nozzle and the rolling roll is adjusted by the flow velocity of the water.

Surface following nozzle, observation device for moving object surface, and observation method for moving object surface


A computer carrying case having a battery assembly integrated into a panel of the case. The battery assembly forms a structural component for the panel of the case into which it is integrated. In one form, the assembly is made of first and second nickel zinc battery modules. These modules are integrated into the top and bottom panels, respectively, of the case. Each module is of molded plastic form and includes a number of planar batteries each having insoluble roll bonded nickel electrodes.

This invention relates to a battery and, in particular, to a battery for supplying power to a mobile or laptop computer.
The mobile or laptop computer market has two major trends. One trend is towards smaller, lighter computers, such as palmtop computers, and the other is towards more powerful integrated functional systems, incorporating peripheral devices such as CD-ROM drives, cellular FAX/modems and color printers. These two trends are divergent with respect to system requirements and serve two specialized markets. Highly functional integrated systems serve a unique segment of the business market that actually rely on mobile computing, the "mobile office" concept.
The typical laptop computer has an operating time of two hours or less with currently available batteries which are housed in the computer. This brief run time greatly limits the usefulness of the device, and in fact may defeat the purpose of having a laptop.
A possible solution to the short operating run time, which becomes even shorter with the addition of peripheral devices, is to increase the energy storage capacity of the battery. This necessitates making the battery larger, thereby increasing the physical size and weight of the computer and is not an acceptable approach. Another approach is to carry along extra batteries. This approach is extremely inconvenient.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a battery for a mobile computer which can be of higher power, but which does not necessitate increasing the size of the computer.

Battery incorporated into computer carrying case


A bank note stacking and sorting device, comprising a bank note feeding unit, a bank note stacking unit, and a bank note sorting unit; the bank note feeding unit comprises a bank note guiding table, and a wind wheel sleeved on the bank note guiding table; the bank note stacking unit comprises a bank note stacking rack, and a bank note baffle plate disposed on the bank note stacking rack; the bank note baffle plate is perpendicular to the bottom surface of the bank note stacking rack; the bank note stacking rack is disposed in the bank note feeding direction of the bank note feeding unit for stacking bank notes; the bank note sorting unit comprises a limiting plate; the limiting plate is disposed on the bank note stacking unit, and is perpendicular to the bank note baffle plate.

With the development and progress of science and technology, in some occasions that need to handle large amounts of cash, conventional manual procedures, such as sorting and counting, hundred separating, and bundling, have been gradually replaced by various types of advanced automatic processing systems. In the process of handling cashes, it is required to stack and arrange the banknotes.
Referring to FIG. 1 together with FIG. 2, FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a banknote stacking and arranging device in the prior art, and FIG. 2 is a schematic view of conveying wheel shown in FIG. 1 viewing from a sectional direction. The banknote stacking and arranging device includes a banknote conveying unit 10 and a banknote stacking unit 20 arranged behind the banknote conveying unit 10. The banknote conveying unit 10 includes a banknote guide platform 12 and a conveying wheel 14. The upper surface of the banknote guide platform 12 is a banknote guide platform surface 121 with a wavy arc. The conveying wheel 14 is provided on the banknote guide platform 12 at a protruding arc-shaped portion of the banknote guide platform surface 122. The banknote stacking unit 20 includes a fixing frame 22, a banknote stacking shelf 24 and a banknote baffle plate 26. The banknote stacking shelf 24 is fixed on the fixing frame 22 and is of an "L" shape, and is adapted for the stacking of banknotes A thereon. The banknote baffle plate 26 is arranged on the banknote stacking shelf 24 and is located behind the conveying wheel 24 for stopping and holding the banknotes A.
As shown in FIG. 2, when the conveying wheel 14 rotates clockwise along the direction B, vanes of the conveying wheel 14 carry the banknotes from the banknote guide platform surface 121 and rotate together with those banknotes. Due to the action of centrifugal force, the banknotes are thrown towards the banknote stacking shelf 24 while rotating. The banknote baffle plate 26 stops the further backward movement of the banknotes, so that the banknotes are stacked on the banknote stacking shelf 24. However, during rotating at a high speed, due to the flexibility and elasticity of the banknotes themselves, the banknotes not only move backwards, but also move at an upward velocity component. Further, bounce movement of the banknotes may occur after falling on the banknote stacking shelf 24. Hence, the banknotes may obliquely and disorderly lie on the banknote stacking shelf 24, which may affect the next handling operation of arranging and stacking the banknotes.

Bank note stacking and sorting device and bank note stacking and sorting system


To provide an ionizer wherein an air flow path in a hollow casing is formed so as to be pressure-resistant while ensuring an effective cross sectional area without becoming voluminous, and the flow path is ensured simply and easily. In an ionizer including a hollow casing that contains a high voltage power unit and a control unit inside, along the longitudinal direction of the casing, a plurality of electrode units each including needle electrodes and an air outlet for blowing out an air stream around the needle electrodes are arranged in a line. A part along the longitudinal direction of the hollow casing is formed of a synthetic resin, and a resin casing composed of the synthetic resin is integrally formed with a conduit of an air flow path extending in the longitudinal direction of the casing so that a part of the inner wall of the resin casing serves as a wall of the conduit and that the air flow path communicates with the air outlet.

Conventionally, as means for decreasing the amount of electric charges in objects requiring electricity removal close to zero, there has been known an ionizer wherein high direct current or alternating current voltage from a high voltage generating unit is applied to a needle electrode and corona discharge is generated, and positive or negative ions are output by the needle electrode, and these ions are blown on charged objects with an air stream.
Further, for convenience in using the ionizer, there has also been known an ionizer structure wherein a hollow casing to contain a high voltage power unit and a control unit therein is arranged, and along the longitudinal direction of the casing, a plurality of electrode units each having a needle electrode for generating corona discharge are arranged in a line. (For example, refer to Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-260821).
In the case when an ionizer is structured as one contained in such a hollow casing as above, because it is necessary to make air flow around the needle electrode and thereby make generated ions flow in the direction of charged objects, an air flow path from a supply source for generating the air flow is opened around the needle electrode, and for this purpose, as shown in the Patent JP 2002-260821, it is usual to form the air flow path by joining upper and lower flat plate shaped flow route forming members that are joined with each other, wherein the portion for supporting the needle electrode in the air flow path is formed as a sleeve or the like.
However, in this case, the air flow path is formed by joining the upper and lower plate shaped flow route forming members whose areas are relatively large, and so, the force applied onto the corresponding flow route forming members becomes extremely large owing to air pressure that is supplied to the inside, therefore, the members cannot endure the inside air pressure unless their joining strength is increased sufficiently, and as a consequence, there are conditions that the flow route forming members must be formed large enough to have high strength, or the air pressure to be supplied must be lowered.
Further, because the flow route forming members are made separately from the hollow casing, they must be connected to the outside via a part of the hollow casing, and so for this reason, complicated assembly work such as connections with tubes or the like are required.


In a method of preventing extraneous detection of signal information from raster scan signals in a plurality of consecutive line signals intended to form an image or partial images there is generated a random signal sequence, correlated with the information-carrying raster scan signals, but without information content, which is transmitted as protection for the raster scan signals. An apparatus for this purpose includes a generator (10, 12) adapted for generating a random signal sequence synchronous with the raster scan signals, and a switching element (5) adapted to transmit the random signal sequence round the equipment containing the raster scan signals that are to be protected.

Field of the Invention
The present invention includes a method and apparatus for preventing extraneous detection of signal information from raster scan signals in a plurality of consecutive line signals intended to form an image or partial images.
Discussion of Related Art
Raster scan signals may be divided into video, telefax and laser print signals. Common to all of these signal types is that an image or text page is built up from a plurality of consecutive lines, the least element of which comprises image dots, i.e. pixels. A special case of such raster scanned signals is video signals, the latter also having, apart from the consecutive lines, a consecutively repeated image field. The raster scanned signals result in high information redundancy.
Raster scanned signals in display screens, laser printers, telefaxes and other computer and IT equipment contain radio frequency components, which are radiated to the surroundings and are propagated through the air and via conductors connected to the object in question, or situated close to it. The information content in these signals can be intercepted and interpreted remotely, without the user noticing anything, which is a great hazard to data security.
A previously known method of reducing the emission of these information signals is to encapsulate and screen the equipment, so that only negligible signal levels reach the surroundings. This technique is however only utilisable for newly manufactured equipment, and is generally very expensive, both in production and maintenance.
It is also previously known to emit around the equipment an interference signal having the characteristic of white noise. This technique is also burdened with considerable drawbacks. The protective effect that can be achieved by this method is thus limited, since the collective mean value of white noise is zero the mean value formation will reduce the protective effect obtained.
A still further known method of protecting signal information is to transmit a bit stream sequence of pseudo-random character, the clock signals thereof being of the same order of magnitude as the display screen pixel clock frequency but frequency modulated, see SE,B, 8900288-5. There are weaknesses in the protection obtained by this method as well, as signal processing with mean value formation is used.

Method and apparatus for preventing extraneous detection of signal information


A mass flow meter for flowing media that works on the Coriolis Principle includes a line inlet, at least one Coriolis line carrying the flowing medium, at least one line outlet, at least one oscillator, influencing the Coriolis line, at least one oscillating transducer detecting Coriolis forces and/or Coriolis oscillations based on Coriolis forces and a meter housing. The Coriolis line is connected to the carrier system and the line inlet and the line outlet are connected between the carrier systems and the housing. The flow meter is largely "oscillation self-sufficient" because the carrier system has a natural frequency that is substantially greater than the Coriolis lines natural line frequency and the Coriolis natural frequency. Also, the natural frequency of the flow meter as a whole is substantially smaller than the carrier-system natural frequency.

Mass flow meters for flowing media that work on the Coriolis Principle are known in various embodiments (see, for example, German Disclosure Documents 26 29 833, 28 22 087, 28 33 037, 29 38 498, 30 07 361, 33 29 544, 34 43 234, 35 03 841, 35 05 166, 35 26 297, 37 07 777, 39 16 285 and 40 16 907, European Disclosure Documents 0 083 144, 0 109 218, 0 119 638, 0 196 150, 0 210 308, 0 212 782, 0 235 274, 0 239 679, 0 243 468, 0 244 692, 0 271 605, 0 275 367 and 0 282 522, as well as U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,491,009, 4,628,744 and 4,666,421), and are increasingly being used in practice.
In mass flow meters for flowing media that work on the Coriolis Principle, there is a basic difference between those instruments whose Coriolis line is designed as a straight pipe and others whose Coriolis line is designed as a--single or multiple--curved pipe and as a pipe loop. For the mass flow meters in question, there is also a difference between those that have only one Coriolis line and those that have two Coriolis lines; in designs with two Coriolis lines, they may be connected in series or in parallel to one another, according to the flow technology. All these different flow meter embodiments have advantages and disadvantages.
The embodiments of mass flow meters in which the Coriolis line is designed as a straight pipe and in which Coriolis lines are designed as straight pipes are simple to produce as far as their mechanical constructions are concerned and consequently cost relatively little. For example, the inner surfaces of each pipe can be processed easily, e.g., polished. Also, their pressure loss is low. They are disadvantaged in that at a certain structural length, their natural frequency is relatively high. Embodiments of the mass flow meters in which the Coriolis line(s) is/are designed as a curved pipe(s) have disadvantages where the embodiments with straight pipe(s) have advantages; but their advantage is that at a certain structural length, their natural frequency is relatively low.
Mass flow meters that work on the Coriolis Principle have an oscillating system or one capable of oscillating. The Coriolis line has a natural line frequency and an oscillator oscillates the line at a selected driving frequency. Usually, the oscillator oscillates at the natural line frequency, i.e., the Coriolis line is excited by the oscillator at an oscillation frequency that corresponds to the natural frequency for the Coriolis line. The Coriolis natural frequency should be the oscillation frequency preferably excited by the Coriolis force. The fact that mass flow meters that work on the Coriolis Principle represent an oscillating system or one capable of oscillating leads to the fact that, on one hand, the oscillations are transferred to the line into which the mass flow meter is inserted, and that, on the other hand, oscillations in the line in which the mass flow meter is inserted are transferred to the mass flow meter and distort the measurement results; naturally neither one of these effects is desired.

Krohne Messtechnik Massametron GmbH & Co.


An apparatus for increasing a load bearing capacity of a tubular string having a first body coupled to the string, two or more members coupled to the first body, and wherein the two or more members are configured to move with respect to the first body. The two or more members each further include a distal end having one or more of an acute, pointed, tapered, or sharp configuration. In addition, a second body is configured to cause the two or more members of the first body to move radially outwardly, wherein the distal ends of the two or more parts penetrate the earth and thereby increase the load bearing capacity of the tubular string.

This section is intended to introduce the reader to aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the present invention or present solution, which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present invention. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.
During the construction of a well, particularly oil and gas wells, tubular pipe, which is also known as a joint, conductor pipe, conductor casing, casing, and/or tubing, are joined together to create a "string", which is a long section of connected tubular pipe that is lowered into a wellbore and eventually serves as the foundation and production conduit for the well. The most common and traditional method for placing a tubular string into the earth involves drilling and creating a borehole in the earth and placing and cementing the tubular in the borehole to the earth. Other traditionally prevailing methods for placing a tubular string in the earth include jetting and piling, although these methods are typically only for the first and uppermost tubular string in a well. This first and uppermost tubular string is also called the conductor string, conductor casing string, conductor casing, conductor pipe or drive pipe. This section of the well is known as the top-hole section. Specifically referring to the top-hole section, the conductor string plays a very critical role in the further drilling, construction, foundation, and short and long term integrity of the well, in that along with serving as the initial foundation, permanent structure, and outermost connection to the wellhead and/or blowout preventer of the well, it must bear significant loads during each and every phase in the life of the well, which includes drilling, construction, and the production operation.
These loads can include the weight of the conductor string itself, drilling and production risers, wellhead, blowout preventer, casing strings, platform structure, and other various drilling and production operational equipment. When placing the conductor string into the earth using the aforementioned traditionally prevailing methods, conductor strings generally appear to provide adequate load-bearing capacity for the aforementioned operational equipment, although from time to time it is also common even in these traditional methods for conductor strings to sink after they are initially set, in some cases occurring immediately to during the drilling and well construction process up to decades later during production or even abandonment, always due to inadequate load-bearing capacity. As drilling depths increase, more complex and heavier operational equipment, especially wellheads, blowout preventers, and casing strings are being employed. Also, referring to well design, with the proliferation of directional drilling, non-vertical, extended reach, horizontal, slant and or angled wells are becoming more common requiring an early or shallow drilling bit exit from the top-hole conductor string bottom or shoe. This early or shallow drilling bit exit is required in order to begin to build angle in the subsequent borehole for the eventual reach of the intended target, which could only be reached due to this early angle build due to a maximum allowable inclination, bend or slant due to equipment limitations. Specifically referring to the early or shallow drilling bit exit from the top-hole conductor string bottom or shoe, this may limit the conductor string total length and depth in the earth, as a predetermined top-hole conductor string setting depth, total depth, or shoe point becomes a priority and takes precedence over a deeper more adequate setting depth to ensure proper load-bearing capacity.
Also, in some instances, unforeseen and/or unique circumstances involving formation, formation plasticity, formation set-up, cement job, cement composition, cement bond, conductor pipe, conductor pipe bond, connectors, assemblies, and other down-hole variables may cause inadequate load-bearing capacity in a conductor string. For example, formation set-up is a direct function of time in that the greater the time a tubular pipe or string remains in undisturbed contact with the earth, the greater the load-bearing capacity of said tubular string. This varies depending on multiple factors, mainly formation plasticity, but typical well construction procedures do not allow time for a tubular pipe or string remaining in undisturbed contact with the earth after placement mainly due to the economics of the practice. As a result down time or non-productive time costs associated with the practice would be realized in such a case, as further drilling operations must be halted to keep the tubular pipe or string in undisturbed contact with the earth. These costs can include but are not limited to drilling rig day rates, other daily spread costs and opportunity costs associated with late delivery of well production. An additional outlying reason includes the impossibility to calculate set-up effects on load-bearing capacity due to multiple unique factors associated with each and every well design and the area geology, which can vary even on wells drilled on the same exact platform only feet apart. Consequently, there exists a lack of expertise in the practice.
Hence, what is needed is an apparatus, system and/or method for increasing the load-bearing capacity of a tubular pipe or string that can be quickly deployed and is cost effective.

Method and apparatus for increasing load bearing capacity of a tubular string


An array configuration capable of supplying a necessary and sufficient current in a small area is achieved and a reference cell configuration suitable to temperature characteristics of a TMR element is achieved. In a memory using inversion of spin transfer switching, a plurality of program drivers are arranged separately along one global bit line, and one sense amplifier is provided to one global bit line. A reference cell to which “1” and “0” are programmed is shared by two arrays and a sense amplifier.

Among non-volatile memories, MRAM (Magnetoresistive Random Access Memory) using changes in magnetoresistance is a possible RAM capable of high-speed operation and programmable/erasable for unlimited programming/erasing cycles in practice. An existing cell configuration of MRAM includes one magnetic tunnel junction element TMR, a select transistor MCT for read, a program word line WWL, a bit line BL, and a source line SL. As illustrated in FIG. 34, the magnetic tunnel junction element TMR has at least two magnetic layers, one of them being a fixed layer PL having a fixed spin direction and the other being a free layer FL having two states of spin directions of a parallel direction to the fixed layer and an anti-parallel direction to the fixed layer. A tunnel barrier film TB is provided between these layers. Storage of information is achieved by a direction of spin of the free layer, and an electric resistance of the magnetic tunnel junction element TMR is in a high-resistance state in the anti-parallel state and is in a low-resistance state in the parallel state. In a read operation, magnitude of a resistance of the magnetic tunnel junction element TMR is read. Meanwhile, in a programming/erasing operation, current is flowed in the program word line WWL and the bit line BL and directions of spin of the free layer is controlled by a resultant induced magnetic field in the magnetic tunnel junction element TMR upon flowing the current. However, in this programming/erasing method, since the size of the magnetic field necessary for programming/erasing is increased as the magnetic tunnel junction element TMR is miniaturized, there is a problem of an increase in current to be flowed in the program word line and bit line. Regarding this problem, there is a spin-injection RAM or SPRAM (Spin-Transfer Torque RAM) utilizing the spin-injection magnetization inversion technology changing directions of spin in the free layer by perpendicularly flowing current in the magnetic tunnel junction element TMR as introduced by Non-Patent Document 1 (2005 International Electron Device Meeting, Technical Digest Papers, pp. 459-462). As illustrated in FIG. 35, this programming/erasing method can control directions of spin in a free layer by current in a direction perpendicular to the fixed layer PL, the tunnel barrier film TB, and the free layer FL. In a memory chip, a bit line and a source line are provided, a select transistor and a magnetic tunnel junction element TMR are arranged between the bit line and the source line, and current is flowed from the bit line to the source line or from the source line to the bit line to perform programming and erasing. As the current required for programming/erasing is proportional to magnitude of the magnetic tunnel junction element TMR, the programming/erasing current can be reduced along with miniaturization of the magnetic tunnel junction element TMR, and it is excellent in scalability. As the tunnel barrier film TB, MgO is used.

Semiconductor device with low voltage programming/erasing operations


An apparatus for operating a cryptographic engine may include a key generation module for creating key pairs for encrypting substantive content to be shared between two users over a secured or unsecured communication link. The key generation module may include a point-doubling module as part of an elliptic curve module for creating and processing keys. Hash functions may be used to further process ephemeral secrets or ephemeral keys that may be used for transactions, sessions, or other comparatively short time increments of communication. The keys generated by the key generation module may be configured to be processable by an encryption system for divulging independently to two independent parties a secret to be shared by the two independent parties. A single-inversion, point-doubling algorithm may be provided to reduce the operation count of a cryptographic process.

1. The Field of the Invention
This invention relates to cryptography and, more particularly, to novel systems and methods for increasing the speed of cryptographic key computations by computers.
2. The Background Art
The science of cryptography has existed since ancient times. In recent years, cryptography has been used in special purpose software programs for a variety of purposes, such as hiding underlying contents, limiting access, inhibiting reverse engineering, authenticating sources, limiting unauthorized use, and the like.
Cryptographic Processes
Modem cryptography protects data transmitted over a network or stored in computer systems. Two principal objectives of cryptography include (1) secrecy, e.g., to prevent the unauthorized disclosure of data, and (2) integrity (or authenticity), e.g., to prevent the unauthorized modification of data. Encryption is the process of disguising plaintext data in such a way as to hide its contents, and the encrypted result is known as ciphertext. The process of turning ciphertext back into plaintext is called decryption.
A cryptographic algorithm, also known as a cipher, is a computational function used to perform encryption and/or decryption. Both encryption and decryption are controlled by one or more cryptographic keys. In modem cryptography, all of the security of cryptographic algorithms is based on the key(s) and does not require keeping the details of the cryptographic algorithms secret.
There are two general types of key-based cryptographic algorithms: symmetric and public-key. In symmetric algorithms, the encryption key can be calculated from the decryption key and vice versa. Typically, these keys are the same. As such, a sender and a receiver agree on the keys (a shared secret) before they can protect their communications using encryption. The security of the algorithms rests in the key, and divulging the key allows anyone to encrypt and decrypt data or messages with it.
In public-key algorithms (also called asymmetric algorithms), the keys used for encryption and decryption differ in such a way that at least one key is computationally infeasible to determine from the other. To ensure secrecy of data or communications, only the decryption key need be kept private, and the encryption key can thus be made public without danger of encrypted data being decipherable by anyone other than the holder of the private decryption key.
Conversely, to ensure integrity of data or communications, only the encryption key need be kept private, and a holder of a publicly-exposed decryption key can be assured that any ciphertext that decrypts into meaningful plaintext using this key could only have been encrypted by the holder of the corresponding private key, thus precluding any tampering or corruption of the ciphertext after its encryption.
A private key and a public key may be thought of as functionally reciprocal. Thus, whatever a possessor of one key of a key pair can do, a possessor of the other key of the key pair can undo. Accordingly, secret information may be communicated without an exchange of keys.
An asymmetric algorithm assumes that public keys are well publicized in an integrity-secure manner. A sender can then know that the public key of the receiver is valid and not tampered with. One way to ensure integrity of data packets is to run data through a cryptographic algorithm. A cryptographic hash algorithm may encrypt and compress selected data. Various cryptographic hash algorithms are known, such as the Secure Hash Algorithm (SHA) and Message Digest 5 (MD5).
A certificate is a data structure associated with assurance of integrity and/or privacy of encrypted data. A certificate binds the identity of a holder to a public key of that holder, and may be signed by a certification authority (CA). In a public key infrastructure (PKI), a hierarchy of certification authorities may be provided, each level vouching for the authenticity of the public keys of subordinate levels.
A certificate may contain data regarding the identity of the entity being certified, the key held (typically a public key), the identity (typically self-authenticating) of the certifying authority issuing the certificate to the holder, and a digital signature protecting the integrity of the certificate itself. A digital signature may typically be based on the private key of the certifying authority issuing the certificate to the holder. Thus, any entity to whom the certificate is asserted may verify the signature corresponding to the private key of the certifying authority.
In general, a signature of a certifying authority is a digital signature. The digital signature associated with a certificate enables a holder of the certificate, and one to whom the certificate is asserted as authority of the holder, to use the signature of the certifying authority to verify that nothing in the certificate has been modified. This verification is accomplished using the certificate authority""s public key, thus providing a means for verifying the integrity and authenticity of the certificate and of the public key in the certificate.
Various cryptographic techniques rely on elliptic curves. Code and documentation for the use of elliptic curves in cryptography are available. For example, standard references, including certain algebra texts discussing Galois Fields, sometimes called xe2x80x9cfinite fields,xe2x80x9d are available in the art.
One reason for interest in acceleration of elliptic curve processing is the increasing size of cryptographic keys. Mathematical calculations often increase geometrically with the size of the keys. Accordingly, if the speed of elliptic curve processing can be increased, less processing time is required for more secure, longer cryptographic keys. Thus, what is needed is methods and apparatus for accelerating computations associated with creating, weaving, and processing of cryptographic keys.
In view of the foregoing, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method comprising an elliptic curve, point-doubling system.
Consistent with the foregoing object, and in accordance with the invention as embodied and broadly described herein, an apparatus and method are disclosed in certain embodiments of the present invention as including a method and apparatus for operating a cryptographic engine supporting a key generation module. The key generation module creates key pairs for encryption on substantive content to be shared between two users over a secured or unsecured communication link.
A principal feature provided by an apparatus and method in accordance with the invention includes a point-doubling module as part of an elliptic curve module within a key generation module for creating and processing keys. Hash functions may be used to further process ephemeral secrets or ephemeral keys that may be used for transactions, sessions, or other comparatively short time increments of communication.
The keys generated by the key generation module may be configured to be processable by an encryption system for divulging independently to two independent parties a secret to be shared by the two independent parties. In various embodiments, a single-inversion, point-doubling algorithm is provided to reduce the operation count of a cryptographic process.
In one aspect of the invention, the point doubling module may include a register for storing an ordered pair of variables selected to be operated on for executing single-inversion point-doubling. The ordered pairs may represents a set of coordinates corresponding to a point on an elliptic curve.
In another aspect, the point-doubling module may include a plurality of ordered tuples reflecting points on an abelian variety. The ordered tuples may include ordered pairs. An ordered pair may include a first element and a second element, wherein the value of the second element may include the result of an exclusive OR operation on the first element and a previous value of the second element. In various embodiments, the abelian variety may include a hyperelliptic curve.
In yet another aspect, the ordered pair may include first and second elements, wherein the second element is a ratio reflecting coordinates of a first point on an elliptic curve. In various embodiments, the ratio may be a quotient of a Y coordinate divided by an X coordinate on an elliptic curve. Moreover, the first point may be computed by a computation method selected from the group consisting of a multiplication, a division, and a multiplication and a division. The computation method may operate on first and second points on an elliptic curve.
In still another aspect, the apparatus may include an application module programmed to execute a function selected from encryption of a substantive content, decryption, maintaining privacy of private information, authentication of received information, validation of exchanged information, a digital signature, hashing, key distribution, random number generation, determining the order of a curve, determining the order of a point, determining the discrete logarithm of a point, and breaking a cryptographic system.
In another aspect of the invention, the elliptic curve module may include a point multiplication algorithm using two distinct representations of a selected points on an elliptic curve. In various embodiments, the two distinct representations include a first representation and a second representation, wherein the point multiplication algorithm selectively alternates between processing the first representation and the second representation.
The above objects may be met by one or more embodiments of an apparatus and method in accordance with the invention. Likewise, one or more embodiments of an apparatus and method in accordance with the invention may provide the desirable features as described.

Cryptographic elliptic curve apparatus and method


The present invention relates to a thrust reverser for a turbojet engine having a cowling bounding a gas flow duct, the cowling having at least one reverse thrust opening communicating with the gas flow duct. The thrust reverser has a thrust reverser door with forward and rear portions, a first opening in the forward portion, a second opening in the rear portion and a passage communicating with the first and second openings. The thrust reverser door is pivotally attached to the cowling adjacent to the rear portion of the door so as to be movable between a forward thrust position, wherein the thrust reverser door covers the at least one reverse thrust opening in the cowling such that an inner surface of the thrust reverser door forms a portion of the boundary of the gas flow duct and wherein the first opening is blocked by the cowling, and a reverse thrust position wherein the forward portion of the thrust reverser door extends into the gas flow duct to direct at least a portion of the gas in the gas flow duct into the passage so as to generate a reverse thrust force. A panel is located so as to cover the second opening in the thrust reverser door when the thrust reverser door is in the forward thrust position and to uncover the second opening when the door is in the reverse thrust position.

The present invention relates to a pivoting door thrust reverser for a turbojet engine, more particularly a thrust reverser having a passage in the pivoting thrust reverser door to deflect gases in a reverse thrust direction.
Turbofan-type turbojet engines are well known in the art and typically comprise a fan at the front of the turbojet engine which directs a flow of bypass air through a duct bounded by the engine cowling on the inside and a fan cowling on the outside. The generally annular duct bounded by the engine cowling and the fan cowling may channel both the bypass flow and the primary exhaust gas flow at a downstream portion or may channel only the bypass flow.
In aircraft on which the turbojet engine is mounted outside of the airframe structure, the fan cowling and the engine cowling are configured to form boundaries of the bypass flow duct and to provide aerodynamic outer surfaces to reduce drag.
FIG. 1 illustrates a known pivoting door-type thrust reverser associated with the fan cowling of a turbofan-type turbojet engine. As illustrated, the forward portion of the fan cowling 1 defines the outer limits of the bypass flow duct and is generally concentrically arranged about the turbojet engine (not shown). The cowling 1 comprises an external cowling panel 4 and an internal cowling panel interconnected by a frame 6. The outer surface of the external cowling panel has an aerodynamic surface over which the air external to the engine passes during aircraft flight. The inner surface of the inner cowling panel defines the outer boundary of the bypass flow duct through which the bypass air flow passes in the direction of the arrow.
The fan cowling also comprises a thrust reverser, illustrated generally at 2, and a rear fairing 3. The thrust reverser 2 comprises a door 7 pivotally attached to the cowling such that it is movable between a closed, forward thrust position, illustrated in FIG. 1, and an open, reverse thrust position in which the upstream end (towards the left as viewed in FIG. 1) of the thrust reverser door 7 is moved outwardly from the cowling, while a downstream portion is moved inwardly into the bypass flow duct airstream so as to redirect at least a portion of the bypass flow through an opening in the fan cowling in a direction that has a reverse thrust component.
An actuator 8 for moving the door 7 between its forward and reverse thrust positions may comprise a hydraulic cylinder mounted to the frame 6, and having an extendible and retractable piston rod connected to the thrust reverser door 7.
The thrust reverser door 7 has an outer door panel 9 and an inner door panel 11 joined together by an internal structure. The upstream end of the door 7 may have a deflector 13 to maximize the efficiency of the thrust reverser when the door 7 is in the reverse thrust position. When the door is in the forward thrust position, as illustrated in FIG. 1, the outer door panel 9 is substantially flush with the external surfaces of the upstream panel and the downstream fairing 3.
A plurality of thrust reverser doors 7 may be incorporated into the fan cowling, such doors being circumferentially spaced around the periphery of the fan cowling. A portion of the fan cowling axially extends between forward and rear portions of the cowling between circumferentially adjacent thrust reverser doors 7 to provide structural rigidity to the fan cowling and to provide pivot mounting points for attaching the doors 7 to the fan cowling. French Patents 1,482,538 and 2,030,034 illustrate typical, known thrust reversers.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,605,411 discloses a pivoting door-type thrust reverser in which the deflector mounted on the upstream or forward end of the thrust reverser door is movable to an extended position when the door is in the reverse thrust position.
French Patent 2,618,853 discloses a thrust reverser in which the deflector is retracted when the door is in its forward thrust position to optimize engine performance.
In some applications, as illustrated in FIG. 1, the deflector 13 projects from the inner panel 11 of the thrust reverser door 7 even when the door is in its forward thrust position without extending into the bypass flow duct. This forms a cavity 16 facing inwardly into the bypass flow duct which will slightly degrade engine performance.
French Patent 2,680,547 discloses a thrust reverser having a combination of spoilers and deflectors to attempt to optimize the direction of exhaust flow.
The above-described known thrust reversers incur major drawbacks because of the aerodynamic size constraints on the flow passages cleared by the thrust reverser doors which cause the doors to be biased in the open, thrust reversing direction. The full cross-section of the flow passages must be larger than the associated duct cross-section in a plane taken upstream, or forward, of the door on account of the pressure losses due to the gas flow deflection since the downstream, or rearward portion of the duct unobstructed by the inwardly protruding portion of the thrust reverser doors is minimized in order to produce an appropriate reverse thrust force.
Quite obviously, the bias of the doors toward the open or reverse thrust position is a safety drawback. The reverser would be safer if the thrust reverser door was biased towards the closed or forward thrust position. This consideration also applies to a thrust reverser door that would tend to close again under pressure even if they were partially deployed towards the thrust reversing position.
In some cases, the effect of the pressure acting on the thrust reverser door is such that very high stresses are transmitted through the thrust reverser door actuators between their attachment points to the upstream portion of the cowling and the doors. As a consequence, this structure and the door locking mechanisms must be undesirably heavy.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,612,401 discloses an outer flow panel hinged at its rear edge in which the forward edge pivots into the gas flow duct. In this configuration, the outer and inner panels operate separately from each other to direct the flow towards the front of the cowling.
French Patent Application to 2 121 563 discloses a jet engine thrust reverser having a pivoting door in which the rear edge of the pivoting door extends into the annular gas flow duct while the forward edge portion extends outwardly from the cowling.

Pivoting door thrust reverser with deflecting passage within the door