A motorized hydraulically-operated and driven aircraft loading vehicle is particularly suited for the loading of bombs, which are raised by a pair of hydraulically-operated arms. Vehicle has two selectable operation modes. A first, working mode provides four-wheel hydraulic steering and enables vehicle to be driven at a small turning radius, and at a speed of up to 10 km/h. A second, traveling mode automatically locks the rear wheel steering system allowing vehicle to be driven at a speed of up to 20 km/h, all being computer controlled.

One of the tasks in servicing military aircraft is to replace items such as bombs, rockets and fuel tanks which have been ejected in a previous mission. Bombs and rockets are usually carried externally and are releasably held by appropriate pylons under the aircraft wings. While small ordnance items could be assembled manually, the attachment of heavy items, for example bombs weighing hundreds of kilograms, requires the use of a mechanical loader. For this purpose vehicles have been developed which have a low long front to allow access under an aircraft wing, and a hydraulic boom between the front wheels to which the required item is attached and then raised in a position allowing attachment to the aircraft pylon. The loader vehicle may then be used to collect, transport and raise further items. Such vehicle will henceforth be referred to as a bomb loader, or simply as the vehicle.
Hydraulically operated bomb loaders are in service in many countries, but the functioning thereof leaves much to be desired. A bomb loader must meet somewhat contradicting requirements. Fast execution of its task is essential when the aircraft to be loaded is to carry out several successive missions in a tight time frame. However, due to the nature of the loads being handled, it is mandatory that highest possible safety standards are adhered to. Furthermore, the bomb loader is often required to maneuver in restricted space areas such as aircraft hangars wherein aircraft and servicing equipment leave little free space. Meeting these requirements is the primary aim of the present invention.
A patent search carried out failed to produce any relevant prior art. However it is known that the British firm "Portsmouth Aviation Ltd." manufactures a motorized bomb loader as well as a Trolley Weapon Loading device referred to as Type R Mk2. Hydraulic power is provided by a hand pump, and the trolley naturally requires a tractor for locomotion.
A further prior-art bomb loader is known as the MJ-1, which is however not equipped with safety features which are an important part of the present invention. This vehicle also has a turning circle twice as large as the subject of the present invention.
It is therefore one of the objects of the present invention to obviate the disadvantages of prior art bomb loading vehicles and to provide a bomb loader which is more maneuverable than previously known vehicles.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide multiple safety features aimed at carrying out the allotted task without mishap.
The present invention achieves the above objects by providing a motorized hydraulically-operated and driven aircraft loading vehicle particularly suited for the loading of bombs, the vehicle being provided with a pair of hydraulically-operated arms for raising and lowering a load, the vehicle having two selectable operation modes, a first, working mode providing four-wheel hydraulic steering and enabling the vehicle to be driven at a small turning radius, and at a speed of up to 10 km/h, and a second, traveling mode wherein the rear wheel steering system is automatically locked at straight orientation and the vehicle can be road driven at a speed of up to 20 km/h. All systems of the vehicle are computer controlled.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention there is provided an aircraft loading vehicle wherein two independent braking systems are provided, a first braking system of conventional design for normal use and a second braking system hydraulically operated and automatically applied in case of loss of hydraulic pressure.
In a further preferred embodiment of the present invention the systems are electrically controlled and not mechanically.
In a most preferred embodiment of the present invention there is provided an aircraft loading vehicle further including an emergency hand-operated pump, the pump being usable to release the second braking system and to operate the arms upwards or downwards.
Yet further embodiments of the invention will be described hereinafter.
It will thus be realized that the novel device of the present invention makes significant progress over the prior art in providing a bomb loader that is faster, safer and easier to maneuver than previously known vehicles for this purpose. A further advantage of the present bomb loader is that the diesel engine driving the hydraulic system when idle runs at only 900 rpm, thus reducing noise, fuel consumption and engine wear. Computer 95 converts the engine speed signal into an automotive drive characteristics to control the non feed back proportional axial piston pump, plus an electric two speed bent axis motor.
The computer 95 controls the axial piston pump via two proportional pressure reducing valves. The automotive control curve, is a function of the engine speed measured with the integral pulse pickup mounted on the pump.
Two driving modes conditions.
selected via mode switch:
                A. Working mode/Combined front and rear steering.        B. Traveling mode/Front steering only.
It will further be understood that the vehicle is not limited to the previously-specified duties but can be used for lifting and transferring loads for many other purposes, and easily be adapted for lifting a person, for example a maintenance technician.
The invention will now be described further with reference to the accompanying drawings, which represent by example preferred embodiments of the invention. Structural details are shown only as far as necessary for a fundamental understanding thereof. The electrical and hydraulic circuits show only essential features and do not include items of conventional vehicle design. The described examples, together with the drawings, will make apparent to those skilled in the art how further forms of the invention may be realized.

Abstract: Safety devices include an emergency stop switch and a no-driver no-actuation switch, and devices preventing accidents if hydraulic power is lost.


A clip including a first clip having a sandwiching portion which is installed on a rim flange edge of a disc wheel; and a second clip having a receiving surface for fixing a wheel cover body thereto. The first and second clips are angle-adjustably connected with each other.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a wheel cover for use in a car and particularly relates to a wheel cover installing clip device comprising a sandwiching portion which is installed on a rim flange edge of a disc wheel of the car and a connection surface for fixing the wheel cover body thereto.
2. Description of the Related Art
The wheel cover is hitherto mounted on the disc wheel by utilizing a hump formed on a rim of the disc wheel. FIG. 7A is a sectional view showing a conventional disc wheel. FIG. 7B is an enlarged sectional view showing a part (B) of the disc wheel shown in FIG. 7A. As shown in FIG. 7B, a hump 3 is formed at a predetermined position of a rim 2 of a disc wheel 1 such that the hump 3 projects therefrom outward in the radial direction of the disc wheel 1. The hump 3 is formed to prevent the edge of a tire from moving inward. The hump 3 projects only about 0.5 mm from the rim 2, although it is exaggeratively illustrated.
A wheel cover 4 to be mounted on the disc wheel 1 by using the hump 3 has a configuration as shown in FIG. 8. That is, a disc-shaped wheel cover body 4a is formed integrally with a plurality of claws 4b projecting from the underside thereof by injection molding. The front end 4c of the claw 4b is fitted into a concave formed on the underside of the hump 3 and pressed thereinto. Then, the front end 4c of the claw 4b is pressed outward in the radial direction of the disc wheel 1 by means of a wire ring 70. In this manner, the wheel cover 4 is mounted on the disc wheel 1.
Many types of disc wheels 1 are manufactured. There is a variety in the type of disc wheels 1 having the same diameter. In most cases, the positions, depths, and sizes of the hump 3 are different from each other, respectively depending on the types of the disc wheels 1. Thus, the wheel cover 4 which is fixed to the disc wheel 1 utilizing the hump 3 is used exclusively for one type of the disc wheel 1.
In order to overcome this problem, the present applicant proposed a wheel cover which can be installed on disc wheels irrespective of types thereof if they have the standardized same diameter. That is, a clip is mounted on the rim flange edge 2a of the disc wheel 1 to install the wheel cover body on the disc wheel 1, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Applications Nos. 7-211628 and 7-217044.
FIGS. 9 and 10 show the construction having a clip 6a or 6b for installing a wheel cover body 7a or 7b on a disc wheel 1. Each of the clip 6a shown in FIG. 9 and the clip 6b shown in FIG. 10 has a sandwiching portion (A) for sandwiching the rim flange edge 2a of the rim 2 of the disc wheel 1 and the connection or receiving surface (B) for fixing the wheel cover 7a or the wheel cover 7b thereto. In FIG. 9, a plane fastener 8a for fixing the wheel cover 7a to a connection surface (B) is provided between the underside of the wheel cover 7a and the connection surface (B) of the clip 6a. The wheel cover body 7a is pressed against the connection surface (B) of the clip 6a at a right angle therewith to install the wheel cover body 7a on the connection surface (B). The construction shown in FIG. 10 has a snap engaging means 8b provided between the underside of the wheel cover body 7b and the connection surface (B) of the clip 6b. The snap engaging means 8b consists of a female button and a male button which engages each other. The wheel cover body 7b is pressed against the connection surface (B) of the clip 6b at a right angle therewith to install the wheel cover body 7b on the connection surface (B).
It often occurs that the rim flange edge 2a of the disc wheel 1 does not have a size not conforming to the standardized size and that the terminated portion of the rim flange edge 2a is dislocated from the predetermined position. Therefore, the clips 6a and 6b are likely to incline when they are installed on the rim flange edge 2a not conforming to the standardized size, which necessitates the control of the size of the clip: If the rim flange edge 2a is shorter than the standardized size as shown by an imaginary line of FIG. 11, one end of each of the clips 6a and 6b inclines outward (upward in FIG. 11) in the radial direction of the disc wheel 1, whereas if the rim flange edge 2a is longer than the standardized size as shown by an imaginary line of FIG. 12, one end of each of the clips 6a and 6b inclines inward (downward in FIG. 12) in the radial direction of the disc wheel 1. In both cases, it is necessary to adjust the connection surface (B) to be horizontal, namely, parallel with the underside of the wheel cover bodies 7a and 7b. In the former case as shown in FIG. 11, it is possible to install the wheel cover bodies 7a and 7b on the clips 6a and 6b, respectively by strongly pressing the wheel cover bodies 7a and 7b against the connection surface (B) and by pressing one end of the clips 6a and 6b downward, with the connection surface (B) placed in position relatively to the wheel cover bodies 7a and 7b, respectively. In the latter case as shown in FIG. 12, there is a gap between the connection surface (B) of each of the clips 6a and 6b and the underside of each of the wheel cover bodies 7a and 7b, which necessitates the use of the clips 6a and 6b whose connection surface is horizontal, namely, parallel with the underside of the wheel cover bodies 7a and 7b.

Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai Rika Denki Seisakusho


A referee's wireless horn indicator system having sensory alerts for aiding a referee in accurately officiating a sports event. The system includes a controller and a sensory receiver. The controller includes an official time clock for the sports event, a control circuit coupled to the official time clock, and a radio transmitter activated by a control circuit for sending a radio signal including time information to the sensory receiver. The sensory receiver is worn by the referee, for instance, on the wrist and includes a radio receiver and a sensory alerting device, such as a piezoelectronic speaker and a vibrator, where such sensory receiver is battery powered. Prior to and/or upon the official time clock reaching zero, a time signal is sent by the transmitter to the radio receiver which interprets and then activates one or more of the selected and configured sensory alert devices to impart an audible sensory alert or a tactual sensory (vibratory) alert, or both, to the referee thereby apprising the referee of the time remaining in or of the expiration of the time period or game, or both.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is for a referee's wireless horn indicator system having sensory alerts.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Self-contained timing devices which are worn by a sports official and which generate an audible or tactile alert or signal upon expiration of a predetermined time period in a sports event are known; however, all such known devices are independent of the official timepiece incorporated for determining the end of such time period and thus frequently lead to time discrepancies due to system inaccuracies. The present invention relates to a device for aiding a sports official, such as a referee, to determine with greatly increased certainty whether or not a particular action occurred before the time clock reached zero. For example, in basketball oftentimes a player is attempting to make a last second shot and the referee must determine if the shot was made prior to the time clock hitting zero. Aside from the difficulty of trying to watch both the athletes and the time clock at the same time, sometimes the crowd is so loud that the buzzer or horn cannot be heard. As a result, the referee may make an incorrect call. The invention solves the problem by providing a referee with a portable, battery operated, radio controlled and linked vibrator sensor receiver, the output and function of which is selectable by the referee, and which is synchronized with and linked to the official time clock. The sensory receiver includes and also provides a visual display, an audible sensory alert or tactual sensory (vibratory) alert or combination thereof to the referee in a countdown fashion prior to the time clock reaching zero and/or upon the time clock reaching zero.
Thus, even though the referee may fail to hear the buzzer or horn, the referee will know from the audible sensory alert or the tactual sensory alert, or both, when the time is nearing expiration, when the time has expired, or both, and, therefore, will be able to make the proper call. The sensory receiver is similar to a paging device in size and operation.

Referee's wireless horn indicator system having sensor alerts


A foldable power supply device includes a first socket, a second socket, and a pivoting unit. The first socket has multiple sets of first plugging holes and first conductive plates. The second socket has multiple sets of second plugging holes and second conductive plates. The pivoting unit is located between the first socket and the second socket. The direction of the rotation shaft of the pivoting unit is not parallel to the plugging direction of the first plugging holes and the second plugging holes. Thereby, the foldable power supply device can be opened into a block type to lower its height and be used as a multi-hole type. Alternatively, the device can also be folded to become a vertical type so that one side of the device can align with the wall, and the plugs or the transformers can be plugged into the device in two face-to-face directions.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a foldable power supply device. In particular, this invention relates to a power supply device that supplies electrical power to an electrical appliance.
2. Description of the Related Art
Sockets are usually used for supplying electrical power to electrical appliances. Because electric appliances are such a common part of modern life, sockets are necessary devices, and sockets are continuously improved to make their functions more complete.
The socket of the prior art is foldable. The socket can be closed or opened according to requirements. It is convenient for the user. Taiwan patent TW 549707, issued on 21 Aug. 2003, discloses a foldable socket. The foldable socket includes a first socket and a second socket. At one end of the first socket, two shaft covers extend upwards and downwards. The two shaft covers can be covered by each other. On the inner circular of the two shaft covers, there is a protruding edge. At one end of the second socket, a shaft ring extends and the shaft ring covers into the protruding edge of the shaft cover. Thereby, the upper shaft cover and the lower shaft cover of the first socket clips the shaft and are pivoted with the shaft ring of the second socket so that the socket can fit into the shape of a wall corner or edge and be placed.
Although the foldable socket can be closed or opened according to requirements, it is still has some problems. Because the direction of the rotation shaft of the first and second sockets is parallel to the plugging direction of the plugging holes of the first socket and the second socket, all the plugging directions of the plugging holes of the first and second sockets are the same when the foldable socket is closed or opened to any angle. Therefore, all plugs can merely be plugged into the plugging holes of the socket in the same direction, the plugs or the transformers interfere with each other, and the socket cannot be used in a vertical manner.


A water heater comprising a closed tank having a water inlet for connection with a water supply, and a hot water outlet connected to the tank interior; a flue pipe extending vertically through the tank and having an upper portion for connection with a vent pipe; a cylinder having a lower end and upper open end with means for opening disposed within the flue pipe, and spaced from inner walls of the flue pipe, and extending substantially the length of the flue pipe; a burner disposed in a lower region of the cylinder and above the lower end thereof, such that combustion products from the burner rise through the cylinder; and a water conducing coil disposed within the cylinder connected with the interior of the tank.

Applicants prior U.S. Pat. No. 6,508,208 issued Jan. 31, 2003, to Frasure, et al. discloses a water heater, for which the present invention provides improvements.
Reames, Jr., U.S. Pat. No. 4,175,518 dated 27, Nov. 1979, discloses a preheating device for hot water heaters, which employs hot gases of combustion from the flue to preheat incoming cold water and to continually preheat water stored in the water tank by natural recirculation. Use of the device provides for increased fuel efficiency because hot combustion gases from the heat source are used for warming of water before venting to the atmosphere, the result being an average increased temperature within the tank so that lesser amounts of fuel are required to reach any desired hot water temperature.
Leiter Klaus and Walder Gerhar, PCT Publication No. WO0113045 dated 22, Feb. 2001, discloses a sanitation unit having a hot water boiler and a water treatment unit with a functional element, in particular for the prevention of deposits of scale, whereby a circulation pump is provided, through which water taken from the hot water connection of the boiler can be routed through the functional element to the water treatment unit of the cold water connection of the boiler. The circulation pump and the functional element are constructed as one compact structural unit.
Burwell, U.S. Pat. No. 2,549,755 dated 24, Apr. 1951, discloses a burner base for a hot water tank of the type having a side arm heat-transfer coil carried within a chamber disposed adjacent the tank and means defining a flue passage in said base and communicating, respectively with the said open chamber and the chamber in which the heat-transfer coil of the said tank is carried, whereby gaseous products of combustion emanating from said burner may be directed from the bottom of said tank to the heat transfer coil thereof.
All the water heaters utilizing a coil that were found in the prior art relied on natural convection to circulate water through the coil. As a result, the coil can become overheated and get damaged when the burner is operating. None of the aforesaid prior arts teaches for increasing the efficiency by controlling the condensation problem. The condensation problem is solved by keeping the water vapor produced by the flame away from the cooler flue wall and by utilizing the hot air many a times by circulation of the same keeping safety and atomization of the system in mind. Moreover none of the prior arts also teaches a self-cleaning mechanism of tank and the coils used by the system. Hence, the prior art devices do-not appear to substantially use the waste heat energy and prevent the accumulation of the sediments, despite claims to the contrary.

High efficiency tank type continuous flow and self cleaning water heater


Systems and methods for signal analysis are described. The method can include digitizing a signal modulated by a pseudo noise (PN) sequence, dividing the digitized signal into a plurality of sample blocks, and estimating a PN phase embedded in a sample block of the plurality of sample blocks using an iterative message passing algorithm (iMPA) executed on a redundant graphical model.

Spread spectrum (SS) systems, such as ultra-wideband (UWB) systems transmit information spread over a large bandwidth. In a UWB system, the source signal is spread over a bandwidth many times larger than its original bandwidth. Pseudo-random or pseudo noise (PN) sequences are periodic sequences with long periods that allow the transmitted signal to have a relatively low signal to noise ratio (SNR). In a direct sequence UWB (DS/UWB) system, the transmitted signal is a train of pulses with polarities determined by the product of a PN binary sequence and the incoming binary source data sequence. For a UWB receiver, the first step of demodulation is to de-spread the signal. In a DS/UWB system, this is achieved by multiplying the incoming samples by a local replica of the PN sequence. The receiver can determine the PN code phase embedded in the transmitted signal by analyzing the data collected from a short observation window to synchronize the local replica. The time period of the observation window is short compared to the PN code period. Determining the PN code phase is called PN acquisition.

Pseudo noise sequence acquisition in spread spectrum systems


A method is provided for attaching a component to a fuel tank having a wall defining a tank cavity, an inner surface, an outer surface, and an access opening extending through the wall. The component is placed in contact with the inner surface of the fuel tank. The component is inductively welded to the inner surface of the fuel tank by an emitter coil disposed exterior of the fuel tank.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a fuel tank assembly and method of securing a component in a fuel tank using induction welding.
2. Background of Related Art
To save time and money and improve reliability, manufacturers have been switching from metal fuel tanks to thermoplastic fuel tanks. Thermoplastic fuel tanks generally have lower material cost, lower manufacturing costs, increased longevity, and are not subject to corrosion. One problem with thermoplastic fuel tanks is that vapors may permeate through the fuel tanks walls. To address this permeation problem and in view of stricter emissions requirements, manufacturers have added permeation resistant layers to fuel tanks and have attempted to form fuel tanks out of as few pieces as possible.
While permeation resistant layers and blow molded fuel tanks reduce permeation, problems still arise when components, such as fill tubes, vent tubes, roll over valves, and vent valves, are attached to the fuel tank. During attachment many manufacturers drill holes through the wall of the fuel tank and weld the component to the outside of the fuel tank. However, each opening breaches the permeation resistant layer creating permeation pathways.
As an alternative to creating separate holes for each component, some manufacturers have attempted to move the attached components inside the container using a single access hole. In this approach, the component is secured to an interior surface readily accessible from the access hole by directly welding the component to the fuel tank using hot plate welding. In hot plate welding, a plate disposed between the component and fuel tank is heated, typically through resistive heating, until the component is capable of being bonded to the fuel tank and the plate is displaced so that the component may be placed into contact with the fuel tank to form a bond area as the component and fuel tank cool. While this approach reduces the number of potential permeation pathways, the components generally are located approximately opposite the opening within the fuel tank wall in a limited bonding area. The limited bonding area typically includes a pump and fuel level sensor assembly held by spring loaded rods against the bottom of the fuel tank. Attempts to offset the component from the limited bonding area have resulted in prolonged manufacturing cycle times due to the delay in cooling the heating elements used to weld the component to the tank wall before removal from the fuel tank. Further, commonly used heating elements (such as hot plates) have significant mass requiring excessive time to heat and cool the heating element.
In view of the above, a need exists for an apparatus and method having faster cycle times for welding components to an inner surface of a fuel tank and, preferably, for an apparatus and method that permits the component to be secured to a tank surface offset from the access opening.

Fuel tank assembly and method of assembly


The invention relates to a method, a device (20, 30) and a computer-readable storage medium with instructions for determining the lateral position of a vehicle relative to the lanes of a road. An image processing unit (22) detects (10) road markings. A position-determining unit (23) determines (11) a starting position for the vehicle. A processing unit (24) determines (12) points of intersection of a line which is orthogonal to the vehicle movement and the detected road markings. The processing unit (24) determines (13) in addition points of intersection of the orthogonal line and road markings from a lane geometry map for the starting position determined for the vehicle, the points of intersection being filtered. An evaluation unit (25) finally determines (14) the lateral position of the vehicle by comparing the determined points of intersection.

Modern vehicles are becoming increasingly more autonomous, i.e., the vehicles provide the driver with increasingly more functions and systems that assist them in controlling the vehicle by instructions, or assume parts of the vehicle control. A great deal of information about the vehicle and its environment is needed for such functions and systems.
For the function of "lane-precise navigation", for example the knowledge of the lane is required on which the vehicle to be navigated, the "ego vehicle", is located. This lane is also described as an "ego lane". Moreover, in addition to the knowledge of the ego lane, more precise information regarding the transverse offset of the ego vehicle relative to the ego lane is required for automated driving and car-to-car-based applications. At all times, where the ego vehicle is located laterally relative to the lane must be known with sub-lane precision.
The document US 2014/0358321 A1 discloses a method for recognizing and tracking the borders of a traffic lane. The method uses maps with information for road geometry, GPS data, history data and the positions of other vehicles to determine the current position.
The document EP 2 899 669 A1 describes a method for determining the lateral position of a vehicle relative to the traffic lane of a road. With the assistance of a camera, geometric features of the traffic lanes are ascertained such as road markings. The ascertained features are classified and serve to determine position. Classification requires the classification unit to be trained.
The document DE 10 2012 104 786 A1 describes a system for precisely estimating a lane in which a vehicle travels. A system for lane ascertainment provides estimated lanes that are determined in different ways. Examples are lane markings detected by a camera, a guide vehicle or GPS/maps that are precise to the lane level. The estimated lanes are provided with confidence information. The estimated lanes and the corresponding confidence information are fused in order to produce an ascertained lane.
In summary, basically three solution approaches are pursued at present to determine the lateral position of a vehicle relative to a lane.
A first approach consists of the use of a very precisely measured digital lane geometry map with an absolute position in the centimeter range in conjunction with a very precise dual-frequency GPS system. In this context, the position in the map is determined with the assistance of the GPS sensor without additional imaging sensors. However frequently, an assignment of the ego vehicle to the correct lane is not possible given GPS and map imprecisions with regard to the absolute position. Moreover, a solution with a very precise map and very precise GPS is very expensive.
Another approach consists of the use of imaging sensors such as a camera system. This allows the assignment of the ego vehicle to the lane relative to lanes ascertained by the sensors. The use of imaging sensors without the simultaneous employment of a digital map however frequently leads to only one or two lanes being detected by the sensors. The positioning of the ego vehicle can then only be relative to the recognized lane, and not however relative to all lanes.
A third approach combines imaging sensors with map information regarding the number and marking type of the lanes. By using imaging sensors and the information from a digital map on how many lanes there are and their existing edge markings (dashed, continuous, . . . ), the ego vehicle can be assigned to all lanes. However, the precision of the transverse offset relative to the corresponding lane is insufficient for the aforementioned applications due to the spacing errors of the lane markings detected by the sensors relative to the ego vehicle.

Method, device and computer-readable storage medium with instructions for determining the lateral position of a vehicle relative to the lanes of a road


The invention provides a model for simulating inguinal hernias including a frame and a plurality of sheets supported by the frame in overlapping relation to one another to create an anatomically accurate simulation of a portion of a patient's abdomen. Each of the sheets includes openings defined therethrough. A pump is interconnected to and in flow communication with at least one conduit that is supported by the frame so that an open end of the conduit is positioned adjacent to the openings. At least one balloon is disposed in sealed flow communication with the at least one conduit and positioned through the openings so that when the pump is actuated, fluid is urged through the at least one conduit and into the at least one balloon thereby inflating the balloon so as to simulate a hernia sac. Three balloons are utilized to demonstrate an indirect inguinal hernia, a direct inguinal hernia, and a femoral hernia. Anatomically correct overlays may also be placed in overlapping relation to the front and back of the frame so as to show a patient the relative placement of other anatomical structures relative to the position of the hernia.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention generally relates to the field of medical education, and more particularly to the provision of information, via simulation, to a prospective surgical patient, who is faced with surgery to repair an inguinal hernia, so that the patient is in a position to make an informed consent to the proposed surgical procedure.
2. Prior Art
A hernia is an abnormal protrusion of an organ, tissue, or any anatomical structure through a forced opening in some part of the surrounding abdominal muscle wall. For example, if a part of the intestine were to protrude through the surrounding abdominal wall, it would create a hernia--an abdominal hernia.
Hernias occur in both males and females in the groin area, also called the inguinal region. In both sexes, the abdominal wall may be weak on both right and left sides a little above the crease in the groin. Hernias are found most frequently in males where the potential for weakness originates during the development of the fetus when the testicles are located inside the abdomen. Just prior to birth, the testicles "descend" and leave the abdomen and enter the scrotum, the sac that contains the testicles. In doing so, they push their way through the lower portion of the abdominal wall. Although the abdominal wall "closes" around the spermatic cord to which the testicle is attached after the testicles descend, the area remains slightly weakened throughout adult life. If a part of the intestines or other tissue within the abdominal cavity pushes through one of the weak spots, it forms a hernia--an inguinal hernia.
Before the piece of intestine or other abdominal cavity tissue, called the hernial mass, makes its way through the weak spot in the muscle, it must first push its way through the peritoneum, the membrane that lines the abdomen. The hernial mass does not tear the peritoneum, however. Thus, when the intestine protrudes, it merely takes the peritoneum with it and is covered by it. The peritoneal covering surrounding the piece of protruding intestine is called a hernial sac.
Inguinal hernias can be indirect or direct. An indirect inguinal hernia occurs in the following manner. The lower part of the abdominal wall where such hernias occur, the inguinal region, is comprised of several layers. A defect lateral to the epigastric vessels is an indirect hernia. A defect medial to the epigastric vessels is a direct hernia. A patient may have one or both of these defects. In starting to form the hernia, the hernial mass begins protruding through the internal ring adjacent to the spermatic cord and lateral to the epigastric vessels. When the hernial mass stretches out or pushes through weakened muscle wall located medial to the epigastric vessels, it is called a direct inguinal hernia.
Femoral hernias occur when intra-abdominal organs protrude into the femoral canal through a large femoral ring. Various factors contribute to an enlarged femoral ring, including the medial insertion of the iliopubic tract into the Cooper's ligament, creating a large femoral canal. A femoral hernia is sometimes easy to recognize because it always is located below the inguinal ligament and medial to the femoral vessels. All of the above hernias may reoccur. As a result, subsequent surgery, at the same location, will be altered by previous surgery and new anatomical arrangements.
Prospective surgical patients must be provided with adequate, easily understandable information regarding any surgical procedure, prior to the surgery, in order to grant their "informed consent" to the procedure. Patients must be apprised of traditional anterior abdominal surgical approaches, as well as, laparoscopic methods. Also, the inclusion of prosthetic meshes, and the like, as a part of the surgical repair must be accurately and effectively described to the patient. Physicians have had few options to turn to for support in their efforts to provide a patient with easily understood explanations of these complex (at least to the patient) surgical procedures.
As a result, there is a need in the art to provide a simple, relatively low cost, and easily understood device for explaining inguinal hernia repair surgery to the prospective surgical patient.


A collapsible step platform and receiver post are adapted to be attached to a vehicle hitch receiver. Oblique cross members of the step body provide additional protection in the event of a rear-end collision.

Pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles (SUV's) [mini vans?] often have receiver-type hitches that mount to the frame of the vehicle. The receiver-type hitch has a rearward-facing opening that accepts ball mounts, bike racks, cargo carriers and other hitch mounted accessories. One accessory often attached to the hitch is a platform or step attachment. By providing a raised platform, the platform or step attachment makes the bed of the truck or SUV more accessible to the user. However, because the platform or step attachment extends rearwardly past the bumper, it will be the point of first impact for any rear end collisions.
Thus a need exists for a platform or step attachment for a receiver-type hitch that absorbs force from the impact of a rear end collision.

Collapsible step platform and receiver post


An autonomous vehicle, in particular an automated guided vehicle, comprises a control device and a sensor for detecting a continuous lane marking. The control device is adapted to control the vehicle along the lane marking in dependence on the detected lane marking, wherein the sensor is adapted to detect a code marking arranged adjacent to the lane marking and to determine a distance between the detected code marking and the lane marking, and wherein the control device is further adapted to control the vehicle in dependence on the determined distance.

The sensor that can be called a lane sensor and the lane marking are technologically matched to one another. The sensor can thus e.g. be an optical sensor that detects a high contrast lane marking in an optical manner so that the vehicle can be controlled along the lane marking on this basis, i.e. the vehicle fully automatically follows the lane marking. The lane marking can be configured for this purpose e.g. as a solid or dashed line that is adhered to the floor along a desired lane. Alternatively to an optical system, the sensor can be an electromagnetic sensor that detects an electromagnetic or magnetic lane marking. A plurality of induction loops that are arranged after one another and that together form a lane marking are also conceivable. The induction loops can be introduced into the floor and can be contactlessly detected or registered by the sensor.
It is frequently necessary to provide further information to the vehicle along the lane in addition to the lane marking that marks a desired lane. This information can, for example, be control information to be able to control the vehicle in a desired manner. Exemplary control information can, for example, be position information so that the vehicle can determine its relative position or its global position. The vehicle can furthermore be advised by the further information that a corner is impending in the further course of the lane and that the normal speed should therefore be reduced. It can furthermore be necessary in the case of a plurality of possible lanes to advise the vehicle which of the plurality of possible lanes should be followed in the further course. In other words the further information can include properties of the lane or route information for the vehicle. Further information is also conceivable that can be relevant to the control of the vehicle in a specific application.
To provide the vehicle with specific information along the lane, it is known to provide further markings adjacent to the lane marking that are detected and interpreted by the vehicle. Such markings can, for example, be provided in the form of magnetic strips. It is necessary in this respect to apply a plurality of markings, that are e.g. arranged behind one another in parallel with the lane marking, in dependence on the complexity of the information and on the resolution of the sensor used. This circumstance involves the vehicle having to cover a corresponding travel distance for the complete detection of the information represented by the markings, i.e. the sectionally detected markings have to be accumulated over time from the point of view of the vehicle. This can, however, in particular result in problems when the vehicle has to be stopped during the detection of the markings for unforeseeable reasons and the information can hereby only be partly detected. For this reason, the vehicle has to be equipped with intelligence so that a reading of information is possible "bit by bit" without disruption. It has, however, been found that this demand can only be satisfied with a high effort and even then only unsatisfactorily since a dynamic or flexible control of the vehicle is ultimately impeded.
It has further been found that in the course of the development of ever more complex autonomous travel systems an ever larger number of different pieces of information have to be provided along the lane. The number of markings required for this—in addition to the lane marking—requires high space requirements. The markings cannot be arranged as close to one another as desired in dependence on the sensors used since the markings can otherwise no longer be distinguished from one another. With a high number of markings, the demands on the corresponding sensors that have to be provided at the vehicle to detect the markings also increases.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,814,961 A discloses an autonomous vehicle having a control device and a sensor for detecting a continuous lane marking. Further technological background is described in U.S. 2017/168,496 A1 and in the documents "Roboteq: Building a Magnetic Track guided AGV—AN1326, Nov. 26, 2013" and in "Beccari et al: Vision-based line tracking and navigation in structured environments, Proceedings of IEEE International Symposium on Computational Intelligence in Robotics and Automation, 1997".

Autonomous vehicle and marking arrangement for an autonomous vehicle


A system for cooling a tower of a wind turbine including at least one cooling fluid inlet arranged in a tower wall for receiving a cooling fluid into the tower, a filtration assembly arranged within the tower, and at least one cooling fluid outlet for directing the filtered cooling fluid within the tower. The filtration assembly including a plurality of flow guiding structures that define a plurality of flow paths for providing a plurality of flow direction changes and/or flow velocity changes to the cooling fluid.

Wind power is considered one of the cleanest, most environmentally friendly energy sources presently available, and wind turbines have gained increased attention in this regard. A modern wind turbine typically includes a tower, a generator, a gearbox, a nacelle, and one or more rotor blades. The nacelle includes a rotor assembly coupled to the gearbox and to the generator. The rotor assembly and the gearbox are mounted on a bedplate support frame located within the nacelle. More specifically, in many wind turbines, the gearbox is mounted to the bedplate via one or more torque arms or arms. The one or more rotor blades capture kinetic energy of wind using known airfoil principles. The rotor blades transmit the kinetic energy in the form of rotational energy so as to turn a shaft coupling the rotor blades to a gearbox, or if a gearbox is not used, directly to the generator. The generator then converts the mechanical energy to electrical energy the electrical energy may be transmitted to a converter and/or a transformer housed within the tower and subsequently deployed to a utility grid.
Many of the components of a wind turbine have a tendency to generate heat and therefore, must be cooled. One method for cooling the components is using airflow. In order to achieve such cooling, air must be able to enter the tower in a sufficient quantity, with the same quantity of air being able to exit the tower. A significant portion of air used for cooling in conventional wind turbines is introduced through the tower door. Due to structural concerns, it is generally undesirable to form additional openings in the tower. As such, the amount of air available for cooling the wind turbine is normally limited by the surface area of the tower door.
In addition, in order to minimize ingestion of undesirable contaminants (e.g., sand, debris, etc.), a filter is often integral to the door. As such, the filter is designed to entrap contaminants while permitting a portion of the air to pass through. In order to prevent unauthorized entry into the tower, these filters are often covered with louvers or grates. The combination of the entry barriers and the filter results in a pressure drop for the air entering the tower that is typically between 50 Pa and 100 Pa. The pressure drop, in combination with the limits imposed by the size of the door, may result in a restricted airflow that is insufficient to provide the desired level of cooling for the wind turbine.
Thus, the art is continuously seeking new and improved systems and methods for increasing the quantity of filtered air available for cooling in the wind turbine. Accordingly, a system and method for cooling a tower of a wind turbine that addresses the aforementioned issues would be advantageous.

System and method for cooling a tower of a wind turbine


A door mountable security system including a first fiber optic image conduit, a video camera having a lens visually coupled to one end of the fiber optic image conduit and a first video output; a miniature video recorder operable from a battery power source, the miniature video recorder having a video input in connection with the video output of the video camera and an electrically activated record control input; a battery pack in power supply connection with the miniature video recorder and having sufficient power output to power the miniature video recorder; a motion detecting device including a pendulum switch having an electrically conductive plumb-bob pendulum contact and an electrically conductive metal ring contact; and a timer output device having a timed control output in electrical connection with the electrically activated record control input of the miniature video recorder and an electrical control input in electrical connection with the pendulum switch in a manner such that electrical contact between the pendulum contact and the ring contact causes the timed output of the timed output device to generate a signal activating the record control input of the video recorder for a predetermined period of time.

Providing security for commercial and residential buildings and the like has become increasingly important. Because some crimes can be attributable to employees and other individuals authorized to enter and leave the building it would be a benefit to have a security device for monitoring the comings and goings of these individuals through an access door that did not entail the expense of a full time guard. In addition, it would be a further benefit if the security device could be mounted within an existing door in an inconspicuous manner. It would be a still further benefit to have a door mountable security system that would make a visual recording of each individual entering and leaving a building that could be stored and kept for a period of time.


At least one grounding through hole filled with solder is provided in a printed wiring board near by a fixing hole through which a screw fixes the board to a frame, penetrating a ground layer provided on an upper surface of the board and a substrate, made of insulating material, of the board. A metal layer made of electrically conductive and solderable material is plated on an inner surface of the grounding through hole so that melted solder is raised to an upper surface of the board. An upper end of the metal layer is formed to a flange electrically connected with the ground pattern so that the melted solder is raised from the upper surface of the board, forming a spherical end of the solder.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a printed wiring board, and in particular the present invention relates to grounding structure of the printed wiring board, for grounding a ground pattern printed on the printed wiring board to a frame of an electrical apparatus including the printed wiring boards.

Grounding structure of a printed wiring board


An apparatus and method for synchronizing data between a terminal and a server. The apparatus synchronizes presence attribute data when the terminal and the server are connected to each other to establish a messenger service between them. The client terminal requests presence attribute data to be updated from a server when it is reconnected to the server having been previously connected to the client terminal to perform the messenger service, and updates presence attribute data stored at a time of a previous connection upon receiving the presence attribute data to be updated from the server. The server receives a presence attribute data request to be updated from the client terminal, and transmits only updated presence attribute data, created after releasing the previous connection, from among current presence attribute data to the client terminal.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for synchronizing data between a terminal and a server, and more particularly to an apparatus and method for synchronizing presence attribute data when the terminal and the server are connected to each other to establish a messenger service between them.
2. Description of the Related Art
Typically, if a client terminal is connected to a server to establish data communication between them, there is a need for data of the client terminal to be synchronized with that of the server. FIG. 1 shows an exemplary system for connecting the client terminal with the server. The client terminals 100, 102, and 104 are terminals for providing a messenger service, and are connected to a server 110 over the Internet 108 or a mobile communication wireless network 106. The server 110 for providing such a messenger service includes a presence attribute database (DB) 112. The presence attribute DB 112 stores various presence attributes, for example, friend list information of a corresponding client terminal 10, and status, address and contact information of individual friends contained in the friend list, etc. The presence attributes are various data stored in the client terminal 10 and the server 110 to establish a messenger service. The client terminal 10 gains access to the server 110, requests presence attributes from the server 110 to receive the messenger service, and receives the presence attributes from the server 110.
FIG. 2 depicts a conventional process for synchronizing presence attribute data between the client terminal 10 and the server 110.
Referring to FIG. 2, upon receiving a messenger service request command from a user, the client terminal 10 transmits a login request signal to the server 110 at step 204. The server 110 having received the login request signal recognizes the client terminal 16 having transmitted the login request signal, and transmits a response signal (not shown) to the login request signal to the client terminal 10, such that user service information and client terminal 10's information can be transmitted between the client terminal 10 and the server 110. Thereafter, the client terminal 10 requests presence attributes from the server 110, and the server 110 reads presence attributes at step 206 of the client terminal 10 from the presence attribute DB 112, and transmits at step 208 the read presence attributes to the client terminal 10.
For example, if a call connection state between the server 110 and the client terminal 10 is completed at 3 o'clock, and the client terminal 10 re-accesses the server 110 at 4 o'clock, there is no way to verify the presence attributes of the client terminal 10 during the time between 3 o'clock and 4 o'clock, such that the server 110 must verify all data of the client terminal 10. Due to this problem, the server 110 must unnecessarily verify even that data which was unchanged during the one hour. In more detail, if the client terminal 10 is disconnected from the server 110 at 3 o'clock, and is connected to the server 110 at 4 o'clock, the client terminal 10 must request all the presence attributes from the server 110, and thereby the server 110 must unavoidably transmit the same presence attributes as those at 3 o'clock to the client terminal 10 even though the client terminal 10's presence attributes stored in the server 110 are the same at 3 and 4 o'clock. In the case where a small amount of update attributes are contained in the presence attributes associated with the client terminal 10 at 3 and 4 o'clock, the server 110 must transmit all the presence attributes to the client terminal 10, such that the amount of traffic is increased and a long period of time is consumed due to such unnecessary data transmission.
As stated above, the client terminal 10 requests all of its own presence attributes from the server 110 whenever it gains access to the server 110, and receives the requested presence attributes from the server 110 in such a way that the client terminal 10 updates its own presence attributes. For example, if specific presence attributes generated when the client terminal 10 is disconnected from the server 110 are equal to those generated when the client terminal is reconnected to the server 110, or if a small amount of updated presence attributes are provided, the server 110 must transmit all the presence attributes to the client terminal 10, such that unnecessary traffic and time are consumed.

Apparatus and method for synchronizing presence attribute data between terminal and server


A method for detecting an end point of an etching step conducted in an etching chamber. A target emission intensity level is selected for the etching step, and the etching step is performed in the etching chamber. A raw emission intensity level is sensed from the etching chamber during the etching step with an emission intensity level detector. The raw emission intensity level sensed from the etching chamber by the emission detector is modified with an emission intensity level modifier. The raw emission intensity level sensed with the emission intensity level detector from the etching chamber during the etching step is adjusted to the target emission intensity level by adjusting the emission intensity level modifier. The etching process is stopped upon occurrence of a predetermined spectral event sensed by the emission intensity level detector.

The invention relates generally to the art of integrated circuit processing, and in particular to etching integrated circuit substrates.
Integrated circuits, such as semiconductor devices, are conventionally fabricated using a variety of well known processing techniques including sputtering, plasma etching, reactive ion etching, and the like. During the integrated circuit fabrication process, a variety of layers of insulating materials, passivating materials and metals are deposited on a substrate. The layers are patterned to provide the desired electrical circuits, conductors, and the like by selectively removing portions of one or more of the layers. Plasma processing, including sputtering, etching and ashing is a well-established and accepted technology employed in the fabrication of integrated circuits. A plasma etch process typically involves a plasma of gases applied to the substrate in a plasma chamber. Masking materials may be applied to portions of the substrate to protect such portions from the plasma gases while portions exposed to the plasma gases are etched. In other words, the plasma gases may be selected to preferentially etch one or more of the exposed layers over others of the exposed layers.
During the plasma processing step, atomic and molecular species are present in the plasma chamber. These species are derived from the plasma gases and the decomposition products from the etching process. The gaseous atomic and molecular species present in the plasma chamber produce radiative emissions that are characteristic of the particular species present in the chamber. Spectral analysis of the emissions may be used to identify the atomic and molecular species present in the plasma chamber, thereby indicating the progress of the etching process. A plot of optical emission intensity may be used to detect the end point of an etching step. Accordingly, the end point of an etching step may be indicated by a sudden increase or decrease in a particular spectral emission or a sudden change in slope of the emission intensity over time. These events tend to relate to a point in time when the last traces of a layer being etched are removed and the underlying layer is exposed to the etching plasma. End point detection thus tends to be an important control parameter for successful plasma etching.
One problem associated with the use of spectral emissions is that the intensity of the emissions is affected by a variety of factors including an increase over time of decomposition products and other materials on the chamber window through which the spectral emissions are monitored. Then another change occurs when the chamber window is cleaned of the deposits. Furthermore, the sensitivity of the different photo detectors used for different plasma chambers may vary from unit to unit and from chamber to chamber. Also, the absolute intensity of the emissions detected by photo detectors for multiple plasma chambers and used by a host computer may not be stable or may be difficult to match from chamber to chamber. Accordingly, there is a need for improved methods and apparatus for processing integrated circuits.
The above and other needs are met by a method for detecting an end point of an etching step conducted in an etching chamber. A target emission intensity level is selected for the etching step, and the etching step is performed in the etching chamber. A raw emission intensity level is sensed from the etching chamber during the etching step with an emission intensity level detector. The raw emission intensity level sensed from the etching chamber by the emission detector is modified with an emission intensity level modifier. The raw emission intensity level sensed with the emission intensity level detector from the etching chamber during the etching step is adjusted to the target emission intensity level by adjusting the emission intensity level modifier. The etching process is stopped upon occurrence of a predetermined spectral event sensed by the emission intensity level detector.
By using the emission intensity level modifier to set the sensed raw emission intensity level to a target emission intensity level at the beginning of each etching process, a baseline is created whereby the differences between emission intensity level sensors, cleanliness of an etching chamber over time, and variations between different etching chambers can be substantially removed from consideration in determining the end point of the etching process conducted in the various etching chambers.
In a preferred embodiment, the step of selecting a target emission intensity level for the etching step is accomplished by sensing a raw emission intensity level for a plurality of etching chambers. The lowest raw emission intensity level sensed from the plurality of etching chambers is determined and multiplied by an intensity factor to produce a result. The result is selected as the target emission intensity level for the etching step in each of the plurality of etching chambers.
In the most preferred embodiments, the intensity factor is less than one, and the step of sensing a raw emission intensity level for the plurality of etching chambers is performed after each of the plurality of etching chambers has been used for a complete duty cycle, and just prior to a scheduled cleaning. Further, the emission intensity level modifier is preferably a graduated neutral density filter.
In an another aspect, the invention provides an etcher having an etching chamber for etching a substrate with an etching process. An emission intensity level detector detects emissions generated while etching the substrate. An emission intensity level modifier modifies the emissions detected by the emission intensity level detector, and substantially maintains a target emission intensity level at an onset of the etching process. An analyzer stops the etching process upon occurrence of a predetermined spectral event sensed by the emission intensity level detector through the emission intensity level modifier.
In yet another aspect, the invention provides an end point detector for detecting an end point of an etching process of a substrate that is conducted in an etching chamber. An emission intensity level detector detects emissions generated while etching the substrate during the etching process. An emission intensity level modifier modifies the emissions detected by the emission intensity level detector, and substantially maintains a target emission intensity level at an onset of the etching process. An analyzer stops the etching process upon occurrence of a predetermined spectral event sensed by the emission intensity level detector through the emission intensity level modifier.


A cartridge including a body having a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface, the first surface being configured to seat at least a portion of a first battery cell, and a first supporting pattern disposed in a first area along an edge of the first surface of the body and corresponding to a gas pocket of the first battery cell is provided. A battery module having a plurality of such cartridges is also provided.

Recently, there is dramatically growing demand for portable electronic products such as laptop computers, video cameras and mobile phones, and with the extensive development of electric vehicles, accumulators for energy storage, robots and satellites, many studies are being made on high performance secondary batteries that can be recharged repeatedly.
Currently, commercially available secondary batteries include nickel-cadmium batteries, nickel-hydrogen batteries, nickel-zinc batteries, lithium secondary batteries and the like, and among them, lithium secondary batteries have little or no memory effect, and thus they are gaining more attention than nickel-based secondary batteries for their advantages of free charging/discharging, low self-discharging and high energy density.
When constructing a battery pack by connecting a plurality of battery cells in series/in parallel, it is general to manufacture a battery pack by manufacturing a battery module including at least one battery cell first, and then connecting two or more battery modules and other components.
The battery cell may generate gas as a result of decomposition of an electrolyte solution therein due to side reactions caused by repeated charging/discharging, temperature changes and external impacts. In this instance, a phenomenon in which the shape of the battery cell is deformed by the generated gas is referred to as a swelling phenomenon.
The easiest possible way to suppress the swelling phenomenon is to cool the battery module. It is because when the battery module is cooled, less gas is produced from the individual battery cell included therein. However, for cooling of the battery module, a special structure and/or cooling control method is necessarily required, which acts as a significant limitation in manufacturing the battery module.
Additionally, even though the battery module is cooled, it is only possible to lower the speed of the swelling phenomenon, and it is impossible to completely prevent the swelling phenomenon. Accordingly, under the premise that a swelling phenomenon occurs, there is a need for an approach to suppress damage in the battery module or the individual battery cell included in the battery module from the swelling phenomenon.

Cartridge and battery module comprising same


An image processing apparatus includes an input unit to input an image, a connection unit to perform connection to an external network, an output unit to output a request for processing the input image to a unit connected thereto through the external network, and a control unit to perform connection to an authentication unit connected to the external network using the connection unit and requesting the authentication unit for an authentication process, when the output unit outputs the request for the processing.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus for processing an image input through an input unit and outputting the input image through an output unit, which can be connected to an external network.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, image processing apparatuses such as copying machines have a copy function of reading out (scanning in) images of scripts placed on platens and transferring and outputting the scanned-in images onto sheets. There are also provided multifunction machines having a variety of functions such as a facsimile function of transmitting the scanned-in images in a facsimile way, a print function of printing out the images transmitted from personal computers through networks such as LAN (Local Area Network), etc., in addition to the copy function.
Recently, multifunction machines came to the market, which can utilize services using external networks, such as a scan-mail function of transmitting the scanned-in images with an electronic mail, a mail receiving function of receiving an electronic mail from an external mail server, etc. as well as the copy function, the facsimile function, and the print function (for example, see JP-A-11-134163).
However, when enjoying a variety of services from the image processing apparatuses using the external network, a structure for performing authentication using an authentication system connected to the external network has not been realized. That is, the conventional image processing apparatuses have a built-in authentication system so as to restrict or manage usage of the image processing apparatuses, but do not have a structure of accessing the external authentication server and performing the authentication process, so that a problem with security in dealing with information using the external network has come up.


A receiving device that is connected to a sheet processing device to receive a sheet comprising: a receiving port that receives the sheet discharged from a discharge port of the sheet processing device: casters that support the receiving device on a floor; and a roller that rides up a support part provided with the sheet processing device at the time of connecting the receiving device and the sheet processing device to receive a part of the weight of the receiving device on the support part, wherein when the roller rides up the support part, a part of the casters floats up from the floor, and the receiving port is positioned to the discharge port.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a receiving device that receives an article such as a sheet from another device.
Description of the Related Art
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. H11-79430(1999) discloses a method in which a large-capacity sheet feeding device is provided with a sheet feeding unit and a conveying guide that are position-adjustable, and at the time of connecting a device body and the sheet feeding device, a position of each of the sheet feeding unit and the conveying guide is adjusted to a sheet taking-in position of the device body for the connection.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-2485 describes the structure that any of a receiving port in an image forming device and a delivery port of a large-capacity sheet feeding device is structured to be changeable in position in the upper-lower direction.


The heating plug has a shroud containing a heating resistance of spiral form. The base of the shroud has embossed annular sectors for contact with the outer end of the resistance.

As is well known, a cigar lighter comprises a lighter body which is secured on a fixed wall of the vehicle, such as a console or the fascia of the latter.
This body, firstly, carries electrical power supply components together with a current take-off member which is usually in the form of a bimetal strip, and, secondly, serves as a receptacle for the removable heating plug, which comprises two parts, one of which is movable axially with respect to the other against the action of axially acting resilient return means, in the manner which is described for example in the document FR-A-2 701 438.
More precisely, the movable part comprises a knob made of electrically and thermally insulating material, which is fixed to an electrically conductive support member that carries, and is insulated from, a terminal shroud which receives within it an electrical heating resistance of spiral form.
When the knob is pushed in, the shroud comes into engagement with the hooks of the current take-off bimetal strip, and an electrical circuit is set up which causes the heating resistance to become hot.
Once the said resistance reaches the desired temperature, the leaves of the bimetal strip dilate, and the knob reverts to its initial position under the action of the resilient return means. It then only remains for the plug to be removed, for a cigarette, for example, to be lit.
It is therefore important to obtain a reliable mechanical and electrical connection between the outermost turn of the spiral of the heating resistance and the inner wall of the shroud that receives the heating resistance.

Heating plug for a cigar lighter having a plurality of annular sectors for engaging the heating resistance


An induction heating power supply apparatus includes a smoothing section to smooth pulsating current of DC power output from a DC power supply section, and an inverter to convert the DC power smoothed by the smoothing section to AC power. The smoothing section includes a pair of bus bars connected to the inverter and a capacitor connected to the pair of bus bars. Each of the bus bars has an external surface extending in a current flow direction, the external surface including a flat face having a larger surface dimension than another face of the external surface in a direction perpendicular to the current flow direction. The bus bars are arranged in a layered manner such that the flat faces of the bus bars are opposed to each other and such that an insulator is sandwiched between the flat faces of the bus bars.

Induction heating is used as a heating method in a treat treatment of steel workpieces. In the induction heating, AC power is applied to a heating coil to cause the heating coil to generate a magnetic field, and a workpiece placed in the magnetic field is heated by electric current induced in the workpiece.
A related art power supply apparatus for supplying AC power to such a heating coil has a converter to convert AC power of a commercial power supply to DC power, a capacitor to smooth pulsating current of the DC power, and an inverter to convert the smoothed DC power back to AC power to generate high frequency AC power to be supplied to the heating coil (see, e.g., JP 2009-277577A).
The inverter typically has a bridge circuit including a plurality of power semiconductor devices capable of performing a high speed switching operation to produce high frequency AC power

Induction heating power supply apparatus


A floating wiper seal assembly for sealingly engaging a reciprocating shaft within a hydraulic pump or cylinder housing. The seal assembly includes a generally cylindrical elastomeric seal body configured for reception within a cylindrical bore of the housing. An axial bore extends through the seal body for receiving the reciprocating shaft. A pair of opposed flexible annular lips extend radially inwardly from an interior surface of the axial bore for wiping and sealingly engaging the reciprocating shaft, and at least two flexible annular rings extend radially outwardly from the seal body for sealingly engaging an interior surface of the cylindrical bore. The elastomeric seal body is dimensioned and configured to float freely within the cylindrical bore in both a radial and axial direction upon flexure of the annular lips and annular sealing rings in response to reciprocating movement of the shaft while maintaining sealing engagement with the shaft and the pump or cylinder housing, respectively.

1. Field of the Invention:
The subject invention relates to sealing devices, and more particularly, to a floating wiper seal assembly for a reciprocating shaft in a hydraulic pump or cylinder that can accommodate shaft-to-bore misalignment.
2. Description of the Prior Art:
In a hydraulic system, fluid pressure is converted to linear force by applying the fluid pressure to an end of a reciprocating shaft or piston which slides axially in a matching bore of a cylindrical housing or crankcase. A connecting rod extends from the piston out through the power end of the bore. To avoid loss of fluid and fluid pressure from the system, it is necessary to provide a sealing device between the connecting rod and the power end of the bore.
In some applications, e.g., in large earth moving vehicles, such as tractors, loaders, off-highway trucks, and the like which employ hydraulic jacks and/or suspension struts, piston cylinders are exposed to all varieties of dirt, debris, moisture and other abrasive contaminants. It is well known that such contaminants are injurious to the seals, bearings and other components of such jacks or struts. Accordingly, it has been the practice to use rod wipers to wipe the piston rod clean as it is retracted into the cylinder so as to reduce to the maximum extent possible the amount of contaminants reaching the seals and bearings. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,866,923 and 4,618,153 both disclose rod wipers for this purpose.
In order to satisfactorily perform the desired wiping function, such wipers must remain in continuous wiping contact with the piston rod as it moves back and forth through the wiper. Also, the wiping contact must be applied with a sufficient radial force to ensure the desired cleaning action on the rod. These tasks may be complicated where extreme side loads are exerted on the rods of hydraulic cylinders in operation, which causes the rapid radial displacement of the rod relative to the wiper as the rod moves axially in and out of the cylinder. Prior wipers have been made of rubber to attain this necessary resiliency and responsiveness. However, rubber is relatively soft and susceptible to a high wear rate. Harder plastic materials, such as polyurethane for instance, exhibit much greater wear resistance.
Unfortunately, two problems exists with the use of such harder materials. First, harder materials have lower creep resistance. This allows the radial force they exert on the rod to lessen over time, allowing debris to get past the wiper. Second, they have a much lower response rate, particularly at extremely low temperatures, due to their higher flex modules and decreased resiliency at extremely low temperatures. In other words, such materials do not respond quickly enough to afford their movement with the rapid radial displacements of the rod. This causes the wiper to leave contact with the rod and also allows debris to get past the wiper.
Further, conventional seals such as outer periphery lip type oil seals with or without substantial wiping contact, as well as V-ring or braided packing sets which are also currently used depending upon the application, provide less than satisfactory service. In most cases, the reciprocating shafts or piston rods are misaligned or exhibit cycloidal side movement as they pass through the sealing device at high cycling rates. These conventional seals are rigidly mounted in a seal housing to provide a static seal around their outer periphery and their bodies cannot flex enough to permit their sealing surfaces or lips to remain in constant dynamic sealing and where applicable, on their inner periphery, in wiping contact with the shaft. The result is oil and/or contamination leakage. Examples of such lip seals are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,303,935, 5,205,568 and 5,288,086.
Other seals having a convoluted (flexible) cross-section design and a bearing insert to help the sealing surface follow the shaft have shown improved service in a few cases. An example of this type seal is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,553,760. However, the use of such seals is limited as there often is not enough cross-sectional space to design a convoluted body that will provide enough flexibility.
The present invention is directed to an improved highly flexible wiper seal device for use in a hydraulic pump system to effectively seal the power side of the oil crankcase or reservoir of the pump during the power stroke, while wiping the reciprocating shaft of the pump system on the return stroke to preclude contamination of the system with debris.


A calf catching apparatus that attaches to an ATV or similar vehicle and operates along the side of the vehicle. The calf catching apparatus has a pair of doors or gates that open to the front and are operated from ATV. The operator drives along side the cow/calf pair until the calf is inside the pen. The gates are closed and the calf is caught and separated from the cow. The operator can enter into the pen and treat the calf. If the calf needs to be transported, the calf is placed on a transportation platform and a gate is closed to restrain the calf on the platform. The calf catching apparatus can also be transformed to a tow behind version to minimize the width and bring the unit down the road behind a vehicle. There is also a fold-up embodiment that allows for the pen to be folded beside the ATV to reduce the overall width of the ATV and calf catching apparatus for traveling through narrow openings or on roads without unhooking from the ATV. In normal operation, one side of the calf catching apparatus is supported by the ATV and attached to the ATV in a manner that allows the calf catching apparatus to pivot vertically around the center axis of the ATV to allow for proper operation in rough terrain.

The invention relates generally to apparatus for use in animal husbandry and, more specifically, to a catcher and transporter for calves that is mounted to a vehicle.
Farmers, and particularly ranchers, who have cow-calf operations frequently have the cows in fields or open ranges where calves are given birth. Calves need to be caught in the fields or open ranges soon after birth for the purposes of identification tagging, health procedures, and related processing. They also may need to be caught at a later date for additional treatment or further processing. This requires that a farm or ranch worker be able to select, isolate and restrain the calf, which is free to roam about a large area and naturally tries to avoid capture. The mother cows are very protective of their calves, especially newborns, and often pose a threat to a worker attempting to capture or treat the calf. The present invention provides a safe and effective means to catch the calf, protect the worker from the mother cow while processing the calf, and transport the calf when required.

Vehicle-mounted animal catching and transporting apparatus


In a rewritable recording medium, in which the opposite track path is adopted, having a plurality of recording layers, the confirmation of the formation of a middle area is made to be faster and easier. Within a predetermined management information area (e.g., lead-in) of a disc, intermediate-area management information (middle status) indicating whether or not a guard intermediate area (middle area) whose one end is the inter-layer transition position (inter-layer loopback address) which is determined according to the recording of user data is recorded. As a result, it is possible for a recording and reproduction apparatus to determine whether or not the middle area needs to be formed on the basis of the value of the intermediate-area management information.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a recording medium, such as a disc, that has a plurality of information recording layers and on which data can be rewritten; a recording and reproduction apparatus; and a recording and reproduction method, which are compatible with the recording medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
As optical recording media capable of optically recording and reproducing information, optical discs, optical cards, and the like are known. Information is recorded on and reproduced from these optical recording media by using laser light of a semiconductor laser, etc., as a light source and by radiating a very finely focused optical beam via a lens.
In these optical recording media, technology for increasing the recording capacity further has been actively in development. The density of information recorded on a conventional optical disc has been made higher with a view to increasing the recording density on the disc recording surface. For example, attempts for narrowing the track pitch and for increasing the recording density in the direction of the linear velocity in recording and reading scanning have been performed in combination with a shortening of a wavelength of a light source for emitting a recording beam and signal processing of the reproduction system.
However, the shortening of a wavelength of a light source has a limit, that is, up to the ultraviolet region, and the pit size can only be reduced up to the size at which a transfer can be performed on the disc during cutting. As a result, the attempts for increasing the recording density will reach a limit at some future time in the two-dimensional area of the disc.
Accordingly, a technique for achieving a larger capacity has also been considered in a three-dimensional manner. That is, a multilayer disc which is formed in such a manner that information recording layers are layered to increase the density of recording information in the thickness direction of the disc has attracted attention.
The multilayer recording medium in which recording layers are layered have features such that the recording capacity can be doubled according to the number of recording layers and are easy to combine with another high-density recording technology. The multilayer recording media have already been put into practical use as, for example, a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc)—ROMs, which are read-only optical discs.
For example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,682,372, 5,740,136, 5,793,720, and 6,424,614, the configuration of a read-only optical disc having two recording layers, and technology which can be applied to a case in which such an optical disc is recorded and reproduced, have been disclosed.
For the future, in addition to ROM (Read-Only-Media)—type discs, recordable multilayer recording media, in which recordable recording layers of phase-change material, magneto-optical material, die material, etc., are layered, are expected to become commercially practical. For example, speaking of DVD-system discs, realization of multilayer recording layers are also expected in write-once discs called DVD-R, DVD+R, etc., or in rewritable discs called DVD-RW, DVD+RW, DVD+RAM, etc.
In dual-layer discs, as a data recording and reproduction method in each recording layer thereof, a method called a "parallel track path" and a method called an "opposite track path" are known. These methods will be described later with reference to FIGS. 4A, 4B, 5A, and 5B. The opposite track path is such that the address advancing direction is the opposite direction between odd-numbered recording layers and even-numbered recording layers. For example, in the first layer (layer 0), recording or reproduction is performed from the inner area toward the outer area, and thereafter, in the second layer (layer 1), recording or reproduction is performed in loopback from the outer area toward the inner area.
The area structure in a dual-layer disc in the opposite track path is schematically shown in part (a) of FIG. 16. First, in the layer 0, which is the first layer, a lead-in zone is formed in the inner area, and following it, a data zone in which user data is recorded is formed. In this data zone, recording or reproduction is performed from the inner area toward the outer area.
The largest usable address as the data zone (the address in the outermost area where user data recording is possible in the layer 0) is determined in advance, and user data recording is performed up to a required address with the maximum address being the limit. In part (a) of FIG. 16, the address of the end where user data recording is performed in the layer 0 is shown as address UD-END #1.
After reaching this address UD-END #1, the user data recording proceeds to the layer 1, and this time, the recording is performed from the outer area toward the inner area. In the layer 1, the area inner of the end of user data recording is assumed to be a lead-out.
The address UD-END #1 is an address as a position where the recording proceeds from the layer 0 to the layer 1, that is, as an inter-layer transition position.
As shown in part (a) of FIG. 16, in the range which is the area outer from the address UD-END #1, which is an inter-layer transition position, a middle area is formed in both the layers 0 and 1. This middle area has a function as a guard area in which dummy data is recorded continuously to the outer-area end portion where user data is recorded. For example, in a read-only device intended for a ROM-type disc (embossed pit disc), if a non-recorded area where pits are not recorded exists when a recordable disc is loaded, tracking cannot be applied accurately, and a malfunction occurs. For this reason, by considering playback compatibility, a middle area, which is made to be a recorded area by dummy data, is formed.
Here, a data rewritable disc will be considered. In the rewritable disc, for example, as shown in part (a) of FIG. 16, even after the user data #1 is recorded, the content can be deleted to newly write data.
Part (b) of FIG. 16 shows an example in which user data #1 of part (a) of FIG. 16 is deleted so as to be rewritten with user data #2. Part (c) of FIG. 16 shows an example in which user data #1 of part (a) of FIG. 16 is deleted so as to be rewritten with user data #3.
For example, in an example in which the data is rewritten as in part (b) of FIG. 16, the inter-layer transition position moves to address UD-END #2. Furthermore, in an example in which the data is rewritten as in part (c) of FIG. 16, the inter-layer transition position moves to address UD-END #3.
The inter-layer transition position is not constant as in the above-described examples of parts (a), (b), and (c) of FIG. 16 because the position is made the maximum address specified in the disc format, and also, the position is changed according to the amount of user data to be recorded and from instructions from the host (application).
For example, if the address UD-END #3 of part (c) of FIG. 16 is specified as the maximum address at which the user data can be recorded, as shown in parts (a) and (b) of FIG. 16, inter-layer loopback is sometimes performed at address having a smaller value than the maximum address.
That is, part (a) of FIG. 16 shows a case in which the layer 0 is not used up to the maximum address at which the user data can be recorded, and the recording proceeds to the layer 1. Part (b) of FIG. 16 shows a case in which, when user data #1 of part (a) of FIG. 16 is rewritten with user data #2, inter-layer loopback is performed at a lower address. Part (c) of FIG. 16 shows a case in which, when user data #1 of part (a) of FIG. 16 is rewritten with user data #3, inter-layer loopback is performed after the user data is used up to the maximum address of the layer 0, at which the user data can be recorded.
Depending on such user data rewriting, the range of the middle area varies.
On the other hand, in each area (lead-in, data zone, lead-out, middle area), in each sector forming the area, information as zone type indicating area attributes is recorded. This allows each area to be distinguished.
For example, in each sector serving as a lead-in zone, it is shown in the header information thereof that the sector is a sector forming a lead-in zone. Furthermore, in each sector in the data zone, the header information indicates that the sector is a sector forming the data zone. The same applies to the lead-out and the middle area.
Here, it is understood that, when the range of the data zone and the middle area change due to the variation of the inter-layer loopback position in the manner described above, it is necessary to rewrite the header information of the sector according to the change so as to form a new middle area.
When a change is made from part (a) of FIG. 16 to part (b) of FIG. 16, it is necessary to rewrite the attributes of the sector contained in the range A in the figure from the data zone to the middle area. Furthermore, when a change is made from part (a) of FIG. 16 to part (c) of FIG. 16, it is necessary to rewrite the attributes of the sector contained in the range B in the figure from the middle area to the data zone.
Here, the process for rewriting the attributes of the sector contained in the range B in the figure from the middle area to the data zone as shown in part (c) of FIG. 16 is realized by the user data recording itself. That is, since sector recording of the attributes as the user data is performed in the sector which was a middle area, it is not necessary to go through the trouble of rewriting the attribute information of the sector later.
However, the process for rewriting the attributes of the sector contained in the range A in the figure from the data zone to the middle area as shown in part (b) of FIG. 16 must be performed separately from the user data recording. For this reason, the process is performed when a special operation is required, for example, after the user data recording is completed. For example, it is a case in which a finalizing process is performed.
At the time of finalization, processes for finally updating the management information in a lead-in by determining the user data at that time and forming a lead-out are performed. The middle area is also formed if necessary according to the state of the user data recording at that time. That is, a state is reached in which the area after the inter-layer transition position UD-END is correctly a middle area.
In the case of a rewritable disc, unlike a write-once disc, even if it is finalized once, data rewriting thereon is possible.
As described above, since the middle area is formed (the formation of the middle area according to the current inter-layer transition position UD-END), for example, during a specific process such as a finalizing process, there is a time difference from when the user data is recorded until the formation of the middle area in accordance with the user data recording state, and in some cases, the disc before the middle area is formed is ejected from the device. Also, there are cases in which the disc exists in which the middle area in accordance with the user data recording state is not formed due to the operation of turning off the power, power stoppage, etc., during that time.
Due to the above situation, for example, when a finalizing instruction is issued from the host device to the loaded disc, the recording and reproduction apparatus confirms whether or not the middle area (the middle area corresponding to the current inter-layer transition position UD-END) is not yet formed and forms a middle area if necessary.
However, when even the state in which the disc is ejected while the middle area is not formed in the manner described above or even the state such as power stoppage is considered, for determining whether or not the middle area has already been formed, it is necessary to actually access the position at which the middle area should be present in order to reproduce all the middle areas in each layer and to confirm whether or not it is made actually the middle area. Thus, this is a process which takes a very long time.
For this reason, a problem arises in that a processing time including the confirmation of the middle area, such as finalization, becomes longer.

Recording medium, recording and reproduction apparatus, and recording and reproduction method


A fish bite detecting and warning device for alerting a fisher when a fish has been hooked on a fishing line. The device includes a housing with a downwardly extending support shaft for insertion into the ground. The housing has at least one elongate slot therethrough. At least one primary switch is provided in the housing. The primary switch has a pivoting actuating arm which is extended through the slot of the housing. The actuating arm is pivotable between a raised position and a lowered position and is biased towards the lowered position. An outwardly extending guide member is located beneath the slot. The guide member has a plurality of grooves for receiving the fishing line looped beneath the adjacent actuating arm. A computer processor for generating signals is located in the housing and is electrically connected to the primary switch. An alerting light source is provided in the housing and electrically connected to the computer processor. A speaker for generating sounds is mounted to the housing and is electrically connected to computer processor.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to fishing accessories and more particularly pertains to a new fish bite detecting and warning device for alerting a fisher when a fish has been hooked on a fishing line.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of fishing accessories is known in the prior art. More specifically, fishing accessories heretofore devised and utilized are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
Known prior art includes U.S. Pat. No. 4,471,555; U.S. Pat. No. 4,447,979; U.S. Pat. No. Des. 294,853; U.S. Pat. No. 4,506,468; U.S. Pat. No. 4,586,284; U.S. Pat. No. 4,905,398; U.S. Pat. No. 5,321,391; U.S. Pat. No. 5,261,180; U.S. Pat. No. 5,199,361; U.S. Pat. No. 5,058,308; U.S. Pat. No. 4,794,719; U.S. Pat. No. 4,656,774; U.S. Pat. No. 3,798,630; U.S. Pat. No. 3,702,513; and UK Patent No. GB 2 248 755 A (inventor: Jurgen Fechner).
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not disclose a new fish bite detecting and warning device. The inventive device includes a housing with a downwardly extending support shaft for insertion into the ground. The housing has at least one elongate slot therethrough. At least one primary switch is provided in the housing. The primary switch has a pivoting actuating arm which is extended through the slot of the housing. The actuating arm is pivotable between a raised position and a lowered position and is biased towards the lowered position. An outwardly extending guide member is located beneath the slot. The guide member has a plurality of grooves for receiving the fishing line looped beneath the adjacent actuating arm. A computer processor for generating signals is located in the housing and is electrically connected to the primary switch. An alerting light source is provided in the housing and electrically connected to the computer processor. A speaker for generating sounds is mounted to the housing and is electrically connected to computer processor.
In these respects, the fish bite detecting and warning device according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of alerting a fisher when a fish has been hooked on a fishing line.