A hydraulic cushion unit (1) is interposed between a frame and a rear wheel axle of a bicycle. A surplus hydraulic oil discharging passage (31a) discharges surplus hydraulic oil from the hydraulic cushion unit (1) to an accumulator (2) in contraction. A damping force generating valve (3) which maintains a closed state below a predetermined cracking pressure is disposed in the surplus hydraulic oil discharging passage (31a). A bypass passage (4) which bypasses the damping force generating valve (3) and a bypass valve (4) which opens and closes the bypass passage (L) are further provided. By closing the bypass valve (4) when pedaling of the bicycle is performed to start the bicycle, squatting of the bicycle is prevented while maintaining a shock absorbing function of the damping force generating valve (3).

JP2002-048719A, published by the Japan Patent Office in 2002, proposes a rear wheel suspension device for a bicycle using a gas spring type cushion unit.
The cushion unit comprises a cylinder filled with gas, a piston enclosed in the cylinder, and a piston rod connected to the piston and projecting from the cylinder. The piston rod is connected to a frame of the bicycle and the cylinder is connected to a rear wheel axle.
The piston delimits two operation chambers in the cylinder. These chambers are connected to each other via a valve provided outside the cylinder. The valve has a section which connects the chambers directly and a section which connects the cylinders via a check valve. The check valve shuts off a gas flow generated when the piston rod invades the cylinder while allowing a gas flow generated when the piston rod projects from the cylinder.
When the check valve shuts off the gas flow, gas in the chamber beneath the piston can no longer escape, and therefore contracts within the chamber. As a result, the spring constant of the gas spring against contraction of the piston rod becomes greater than in the case where the check valve does not shut off the gas flow.
When pedals are depressed strongly to start the bicycle, or in other words pedaling is performed to start the bicycle, squatting of the bicycle, a phenomenon in which the bicycle frame is pushed down onto the rear wheel due to a temporal increase in the load on the rear wheel, occurs. When squatting occurs, a large compression load acts on the gas spring. By causing the valve to shut off the gas flow generated by contraction of the cushion unit, the spring constant of the cushion unit is increased and the sinking of the bicycle frame onto the rear wheel is suppressed to be small. In contrast, when the bicycle is running normally, the valve is operated to interconnect the two chambers, thereby ensuring riding comfort under a smaller spring constant.

Rear wheel suspension device for two-wheel vehicle


This invention includes a detection system that can determine if a turbine component, such as a turbine vane or blade, has exceeded a critical temperature, such as a melting point, along any point along the entire surface of the vane or blade. This system can be employed in a conventional combustion turbine having a compressor, a combustor and a turbine section. Included within this system is a chemical coating disposed along the entire interior surface of a vane or blade and a closed loop cooling system that circulates a coolant through the interior of the vane or blade. If the temperature of the vane or blade exceeds a critical temperature, the chemical coating will be expelled from the vane or blade into the coolant. Since while traversing the closed loop cooling system the coolant passes through a detector, the presence of the chemical coating in the coolant will be sensed by the system. If the chemical coating is detected, this indicates that the vane or blade has exceeded a critical temperature.

This invention relates to a system for detecting high temperature areas or "hot spots" on either stationary vanes or rotating blades of a combustion turbine.
As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, a turbine generally has a rotor, rotating blades affixed to the rotor, stationary vanes affixed to an outer cylinder of the turbine, an inlet for in taking a hot fluid and an outlet for exhausting the fluid. The hot fluid, which is usually either steam or gas, flows into the intake, over the exterior of the rotating blades and stationary vanes and through the outlet. As the fluid flows through the turbine, it drives the rotating blades. Since the rotating blades are connected to the rotor, as they rotate the rotor also rotates.
In order to increase the efficiency of turbines, they are currently being designed to operate at such high temperatures that the vanes and blades of a turbine must be cooled to prevent thermal damage. Potentially, "hot spots" (localized areas of high temperature) in a portion of a vane or blade can occur as the hot fluid flows over their exterior. Currently, in "closed-loop" cooling systems the blades or vanes are cooled by sending a cooling medium through their interior. Additionally, the vanes and blades are protected from heat associated with these high temperatures by a thin thermal barrier coating (TBC) applied to their exterior. This thin thermal barrier coating provides a layer of insulation to reduce or minimize heat transfer from the hot gas to the vanes or blades. This prevents hot spots from developing. If a hot spot develops, the TBC will be expelled from the vane or blade and it will be exposed to the hot gas. Exposure to the hot gas can cause a vane or blade to reach high temperatures and to suffer thermal damage.
In order to determine if a vane or blade has reached a high temperature, the temperature of each of the vanes and blades is monitored. One method of monitoring the temperatures of the vanes and blades includes intrusive monitoring. For example, temperature detectors such as thermocouples or resistance temperature detectors (RTDS) can be placed in the turbine to monitor the temperature of the vanes and blades at various locations. Intrusive monitoring however, has a significant disadvantage; it does not monitor the temperature along the entire surface of a vane or blade. Rather, it merely monitors the temperature at discrete locations.
Monitoring the temperature over the entire surface of turbine components, such as a vane or blade, is particularly important because these components are designed to have a relatively even temperature distribution. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, turbine components are designed to have an even temperature distribution in order to reduce the emission of nitrogen oxide (NOX). Therefore, the likelihood that a specific location will reach a hot spot is not significantly different than the likelihood of another location becoming relatively hot. Consequently, with an intrusive temperature monitoring system a component may reach an excessive temperature in a region not directly monitored by a temperature detector. If this occurs, the TBC could breakdown and a vane or blade could be damaged. Due to the relatively large and complex nature of the blades and vanes, their support structures and other aspects of a turbine, it is impracticable to provide a global system of detection (one that monitors the temperature over the entire surface of the components) with an intrusive monitoring technique. Thus, an improved temperature detection system is needed that monitors the temperature over the entire surface of a vane or blade.

Hot spot detection system for vanes or blades of a combustion turbine


A touch panel includes a sensing unit having a first sub sensing unit configured to output a first sensing current in response to a voltage of a first gate line and configured to reset in response to a voltage of a second gate line the first sensing current corresponding to a first touch type, and a second sub sensing unit configured to output a second sensing current in response to a voltage of a third gate line and configured to reset in response to a voltage of a fourth gate line, the second sensing current corresponding to a second touch type which is different than the first touch type, a display unit configured to generate an image voltage corresponding to image data to be displayed, in response to at least one of the voltages of the first to fourth gate lines and liquid crystal.

1. Field
The example embodiments relates to a hybrid touch panel, a hybrid touch screen apparatus, and a method of driving the hybrid touch panel, and more particularly, to a hybrid touch screen apparatus having a structure adaptive to hybrid touch sensing and a method of adaptively driving the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Touch panels that may be driven according to various methods, e.g., a pressure-type resistive overlay method, a contact-type electrostatic capacitive method, a surface acoustic wave (SAW) method, and a piezoelectric method, have been developed and used. Furthermore, touch panels that employ an optical sensing method and that may thus be operated at a long distance may also have been developed and used.

Hybrid touch panel, hybrid touch screen apparatus, and method of driving the hybrid touch panel


A density measuring unit is provided for measuring a density of a printing substance such as ink or toner fixed on a paper sheet and producing a value of the printing substance's density. Further, a determining unit is provided for determining whether or not the value of said printing substance's density obtained from the density measuring unit is lower than a predetermined value. The density of the printing substance measured by the density measuring unit is either a density of the printing substance representing a predetermined mark which has been printed in addition to printing out received image information or a density of said printing substance representing said received image information. A blockage removal unit is provided for performing a blockage removal operation for removing any blockage which prevents a printing unit from normally printing out the received image information. The blockage removal unit performs the blockage removal operation if the determining unit has determined that the value of the printing substance's density obtained from the density measuring unit is lower than the predetermined value immediately after the printing substance is supplied to the printing unit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus which receives image data and prints it out with printing substance such as ink. One example of such an image forming apparatus is an ink-jet printer in which each ink nozzle of a group of ink nozzles provided in a print head jets ink drops on a paper sheet and thus prints an image. Another example of the image forming apparatus is a facsimile apparatus using such an ink-jet printer. The facsimile apparatus receives an image signal and then once stores image data carried by the image signal in image data storing means. After the image signal reception has been terminated, the image data thus-stored in the image data storing means is used to print out relevant images.
2. Description of the Related Art
Such a facsimile apparatus using the ink-jet printer is advantageous in view of quietness in operation thereof, a overall size thereof and a cost thereof. Further, an image printed out from the facsimile apparatus on a paper sheet is well preserved in comparison to a facsimile apparatus using a thermal printer. Further, the facsimile apparatus using the ink-jet printer can provide a relatively high resolution, high quality printed image.
The ink-jet printer needs feeding ink appropriately. A problem in the ink-jet printer is a matter as to when the ink-jet printer needs feeding ink. One method of detecting a time the ink-jet printer needs feeding ink is to measure a weight of a ink tank and thus to measure how much ink remains in the tank. According to the method, when the thus-measured weight of the ink tank is lighter than a predetermined value, it is determined that it is a time the ink-jet printer needs feeding ink.
In another method, a number of black pixels which the printer has processed so as to print out images using the black pixels is counted. According to the method, when the thus-counted number exceeds a predetermined value, it is determined that it is a time the ink-jet printer needs feeding ink.
These methods have problems described below. In the former method measuring the ink tank weight, it is necessary that a high accuracy measuring instrument is used in order to obtain an accurate time the ink-jet printer needs feeding ink. However, such a size of a high accuracy measuring instrument is large and thus the facsimile apparatus becomes larger. Therefore, ordinarily, a weight measuring instrument not having a high accuracy is used there. As a result, an accurate time the ink-jet printer needs feeding ink cannot be obtained and thus it may be determined that it is a time the ink-jet printer needs feeding ink even when a substantially large amount of ink remains in the ink tank. If the determination is made that it is a time the ink-jet printer needs feeding ink, ordinarily, the ink tank present in the facsimile apparatus is replaced by a new ink tank. Due to such a not accurate determination of a time the ink-jet printer needs feeding ink, ink tank replacement operations are performed more frequently than are actually needed. Thus, running costs of the facsimile apparatus become higher.
In the latter method counting the number of black pixels, relationship between the thus-counted number of black pixels and an actual ink consumption may vary depending on environmental factors such as ambient temperature and/or humidity. Therefore, it is difficult to obtain an accurate ink consumption from the counted number of black pixels. Thus, it is difficult to obtain an accurate time the ink-jet printer needs feeding ink.


The object of setting out a method, with which substantially crack and/or fold-free greatly curved hollow profiles can be produced, is achieved by a method for producing a hollow profile having a curved portion which has a center of curvature, wherein a blank is preshaped to form a U-shaped profile by introducing a punch into a first die and the U-shaped profile is shaped with a second die to form an O-shaped profile having at least one longitudinal slot, the blank being preshaped to form a U-shaped profile whose outer limb which faces away from the center of curvature and which is associated with the curved portion is at least partially higher than the inner limb thereof which faces the center of curvature and which is associated with the curved portion.

The present invention relates to a method for producing a hollow profile having a curved portion which has a centre of curvature, wherein a blank is preshaped to form a U-shaped profile by introducing a punch into a first die and the U-shaped profile is shaped with a second die to form an O-shaped profile having at least one longitudinal slot. The invention also relates to a support core for carrying out the method. Finally, the subject-matter of the invention is also a hollow profile having a curved portion which has a centre of curvature.
A method for producing a hollow profile having a curved portion is described, for example, in DE 10 2004 025 857 A1. In the known method, there is first produced a flat blank which has a first elongate region, an adjacent transition region and a second elongate region which is adjacent thereto. A first longitudinal centre line of the first region extends in this instance in an angled manner with respect to a second longitudinal centre line of the second elongate region. The material pre-cut is then preshaped along the first region, the transition region and the second region to form a U-shaped profile which extends in the longitudinal direction in a rounded angular manner and which has limbs of substantially the same length. Subsequently, the U-shaped profile is further shaped to form an O-shaped profile and the adjacent edges of the O-shaped profile located centrally at the highest point are welded together. It has been found that, with the production of particularly more greatly curved hollow bodies with the known method, cracks or folds may occur in the curved portion.

Method for producing a hollow profiled section


A method for conducting a formation test includes providing a volume change model for a tool component, and providing a control program that uses the volume change model to estimate a system volume change resulting from a change in the tool component during a downhole operation. An apparatus for conducting a formation test includes a carrier, a formation test tool, a measurement device that estimates a change in a tool component during operation, and a processor that uses a volume change model to estimate a system volume change resulting at least in part from the change in the tool component during a downhole operation.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure generally relates to apparatuses and methods for evaluating formations traversed by a well borehole.
2. Background Information
In the oil and gas industry, formation testing tools have been used for monitoring formation pressures along a well borehole, obtaining formation fluid samples from the borehole, and for predicting performance of reservoirs around the borehole. Such formation testing tools typically contain an elongated body having an elastomeric packer and/or pad that is sealingly urged against a zone of interest in the borehole to collect formation fluid samples in fluid receiving chambers placed in the tool.
Downhole multi-tester instruments have been developed with extensible sampling probes for engaging the borehole wall at the formation of interest for withdrawing fluid samples from the formation and for measuring pressure. In downhole instruments of this nature an internal pump or piston may be used after engaging the borehole wall to reduce pressure at the instrument formation interface causing fluid to flow from the formation into the instrument.

Method and apparatus for formation testing


A method for conducting a purchase transaction using a wireless communication device, includes: receiving from a mobile application module executing on a wireless communication device instructions to initiate a purchase transaction by a server application; verifying and authorizing the mobile application module by the server application; receiving from the mobile application module identification information about an item to be purchased to the server application; retrieving via the server application at least one of price and product information based on the identification information; and completing the purchase transaction by automatically electronically debiting a user account.

1. Technical Field
Apparatuses and methods consistent with the present inventive concept relate to point-or-sale operations, and more particularly to systems and methods for self-service or assisted customer check-out and inventory monitoring.
2. Related Art
A point of sale is the place where a retail transaction is completed, for example, a check out area in a retail store at which a customer makes a payment to the merchant in exchange for goods or services. At the point of sale, an amount due from the customer for the goods or services to be purchase is calculated, options for payment are provided, and a receipt for the transaction is issued. Typical point of sale areas provide dedicated terminals for attended (i.e., cashier-assisted) checkout and/or dedicated terminals for self-service checkout, thereby lacking flexibility of use.
In addition, inventory management presents a challenge for businesses. Efficient inventory management requires oversight of the continuous flow of product into and out of an existing inventory. Managing inventory typically requires one or more employees to dedicate time to physically locate and count product on hand, generate inventory reports, place purchase orders to replenish stock, and track the orders.

Point of sale system, inventory system, and methods thereof


According to one implementation, a centrifugal oil mist separator includes a duct, a fan and a power transmission mechanism. The duct forms a flow path of a first exhaust gas discharged from an engine. The first exhaust gas includes oil mist. The fan is disposed inside the duct. The power transmission mechanism rotates the fan using energy of a second exhaust gas discharged from the engine. The second exhaust gas includes no oil mist.

Conventionally, a centrifugal oil mist separator has been proposed as a device for removing engine oil included in blowby gas leaked from an engine (for example, refer to Japanese Patent Application Publication JP2008-540906A). A centrifugal oil mist separator has a tubular vessel, which forms a flow path of blowby gas including oil mist, and a fan disposed inside the vessel so that the oil mist can be separated by rotating the vessel and generating a swirl flow in the blowby gas.
However, the conventionally proposed centrifugal oil mist separator must have a tubular vessel to be rotated whose length is about 10 times the diameter of the vessel. Accordingly, the conventional centrifugal oil mist separator cannot be used in a restricted installation area like an inside of a discharge duct of cooling air from an engine, for example, although the conventional centrifugal oil mist separator can be built in a proposed cam shaft to be used.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a smaller centrifugal oil mist separator.


A developing device includes a developing vessel for storing a developer, a first conveying passage, a second conveying passage, a first conveying member and a second conveying member to supply toner to a photoreceptor drum. The first conveying member includes a first rotary shaft and a first multi-helically structured blade. The first multi-helically structured blade includes a first inner helical blade and ring-shaped first outer helical blade. The first inner helical blade is formed so that the radius of the helical blade varies cyclically. The second helical pitch of the first outer helical blade is smaller than the first helical pitch of the first inner helical blade. The first outer helical blade inscribes the outer periphery of the first inner helical blade at its minimum radius portions.

(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a developing device and an image forming apparatus using the device, in particular relating to a developing device using a dual-component developer containing a toner and a magnetic carrier, for use in an image forming apparatus for forming images using the toner based on electrophotography, such as an electrostatic copier, laser printer, facsimile machine or the like, as well as to an image forming apparatus using this device.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
Conventionally, image forming apparatuses based on electrophotography such as copiers, printers, facsimile machines and the like have been known. The image forming apparatus using electrophotography is constructed so as to form an image by forming an electrostatic latent image on the photoreceptor drum (toner image bearer) surface, supplying toner to the photoreceptor drum from a developing device to develop the electrostatic latent image, transferring the toner image formed on photoreceptor drum by development to a sheet of paper or the like, and fixing the toner image onto the sheet by means of a fixing device.
Recently, in the image forming apparatuses capable of reproducing full-color and high-quality images, a dual-component developer (which will be referred to hereinbelow as simply "developer"), which can present excellent charge performance stability, is often used. This developer consists of a toner and a carrier, which are agitated in the developing device and frictionally rubbed with each other to produce appropriately electrified toner.
In the developing device, the electrified toner is supplied to a developer supporting member, e.g., the surface of a developing roller. The toner thus supplied to the developing roller is moved by electrostatic attraction to the electrostatic latent image formed on the photoreceptor drum. Hereby, a toner image based on the electrostatic latent image is formed on the photoreceptor drum.
Further, the image forming apparatus of this kind is demanded to be made compact and operate at high speeds, and it is also necessary to electrify the developer quickly and sufficiently and also convey the developer quickly and smoothly.
For this purpose, in order to disperse supplied toner promptly into the developer and provide the toner with an appropriate amount of charge, an image forming apparatus equipped with a developing device of a circulating mechanism including two developer conveying passages that form a circulative path for conveying the developer and two developer agitators that agitate the developer while conveying the developer in the developer passages has been disclosed in patent document 1 (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-open 2005-24592).
In the developing device of patent document 1, usually, auger screws are used as the developer conveying members for circulatively conveying the developer while agitating the developer inside the developer vessel. However, this configuration has suffered the problem that if the rotational speed of the augers is increased in order to raise the speed of developer conveyance, the developer near the interior wall of the developer conveying passage (the space between the auger screw and the wall) is left behind from the developer that is conveyed by the auger screw, stagnating therein. As a result, the developer's agitation performance lowers, causing the problem of toner concentration unevenness.

Developing device and image forming apparatus using the same


The screening assembly includes a tilted upwardly movable belt conveyor over which is mounted a rotatable cylindrical drum axially oriented in the direction of the belt conveyor. A mixed soil receiving bucket mounted over the conveyor upstream of the cylindrical drum. The bucket is also transports a mixture of soil and debris towards the cylindrical drum. The cylindrical drum while rotating allows the soil to drop on the belt conveyor while the debris are rejected at the lower end of the drum. The assembly particularly makes use of a screening drum which includes a cylindrical meshed screen supported by two end rings at both ends of the meshed screen. The drum is rotated by a pair of driving wheels located under each of the rings. One of the rings includes an outer radial flange which is adapted to abut on a pair of wheels for preventing the tilted drum from sliding downwardly.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to the screening of granular material and particularly to the sifting of soil. It is particularly directed to a screening method wherein a screening drum or plates are removably fixed on a belt conveyor and located at a low level so that the screened soil is dropped on an upwardly moving tilted conveyor. The conveyor is adapted to drop the sifted soil at its upper end above a truck box body or into a pile for later disposal.
The novel screening arrangement makes use of a novel screening drum which displays a completely free inner space and which rotates on the external surface of two end rings.
The screening arrangement according to the invention has a modular concept which allows the quick and easy interchangeability of the mixed soil receiving bucket and the drum and the substitution of screening plates for the drum.
2. Prior art
A search among prior patents by the applicant, has failed to reveal any pertinent references. In presently available soil screening arrangements, mixed soil is dropped at the lower end of a tilted belt conveyor which brings the soil to a screening drum suspended at the upper end of the conveyor high above the ground. The drum is suspended by an axle extending through its longitudinal axis.
It is well known that soil screening drums produce a considerable amount of flying soil particles when in rotation. Such particles are considerably embarrassing for surrounding workers. When the rotating drum is located high above the ground, the dust produced by the flying soil particles is susceptible of being spread over a greater distance. This distance is further increased by the wind which has a stronger effect on the particles flying at a higher level. Generally, such a problem needs to be controlled by fences or tarpolins when dwellings are located within such vicinity.
Furthermore, the prior soil screening drums are rotated by driving a central longitudinal axles which is supported by radial rods fixed to the cylindrical periphery of the drum. These rods prevent the free longitudinal passage of the mixed soil especially when the later contains large tree roots which get stuck inside the drum or damages the later. The removal of the roots or the repair of the drum is slow, time consuming and lowers the productivity of the process, particularly due to the fact that such axially driven drums require numerous hours of labor for their removal and installation.


A magnetic random access memory cell includes a free layer structure and a reference layer structure including an anti-ferromagnetic layer structure pinning the magnetization orientation of the reference layer structure, the reference layer structure having a higher magnetic coercivity and being magnetically polarizable bidirectional and parallel to more than one axes by a magnetic field applied during a writing procedure so as to store information in the reference layer structure while heating the anti-ferromagnetic layer structure above its blocking temperature.

Magnetic random access memory (MRAM) devices are emerging as possible replacements for conventional RAM memory structures such as dynamic and static RAM structures. MRAM devices exhibit similar access speeds and greater immunity to radiation compared to conventional DRAM and SRAM structures, and advantageously do not require applied power to retain their logical state.
FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of a conventional MRAM cell structure. The MRAM cell structure generally includes a so-called free layer 102, a reference layer 104, and a barrier junction 106 there between. The free layer 102 and the reference layer 104 are formed from materials that possess a particular magnetic orientation, the relative orientations of which are either parallel, in which case the MRAM cell has a relatively low tunnel magneto resistance between top and bottom electrodes 110a and 110b, or anti-parallel, in which case the MRAM cell has a relatively high tunnel magneto resistance between top and bottom electrodes 110a and 110b.
The free layer 102 will typically consist of a material that has a lower magnetic coercivity, and can, therefore, more easily be re-oriented, compared to the reference layer 104, which is supposed to keep its magnetic polarization. Reading the state of the MRAM cell is performed by passing a predefined current between the top and bottom electrodes 110a and 110b, and monitoring the resulting voltage. Programming can be performed using one of two conventional techniques. One programming technique is to apply a bit line electrode field current and a word line electrode field current along a particular direction via a top electrode and a bottom electrode to a particular MRAM memory cell located at the top electrode and bottom electrode intersection, the current applied at a sufficient magnitude to generate a magnetic field that aligns the magnetic orientation of the free layer accordingly. However, this approach requires the generation of high current drive levels, resulting in high power dissipation levels and the requirement of large gate periphery transistors to handle the peak current conditions.
Thermally-assisted programming represents another MRAM programming technique known in the art. In this approach, a heating current is supplied across the MRAM's barrier layer, the resistance of which causes the free layer to heat to a predefined temperature. The free layer is preferably constructed from a material that exhibits a decreasing magnetic coercivity with increasing temperature, such that when the free layer is sufficiently heated, lower magnitude field currents can be used to re-orient an existing magnetic polarization of the free layer.
Although thermally-assisted programming contributes to a reduction of a space per bit ratio, there are still requests for a further reduction of the space per bit ratio.

MRAM cell using multiple axes magnetization and method of operation


A GPS server capable of receiving information for use in determining ionospheric errors using mathematical formulas and sending ionospheric error correction information to GPS receivers that are in a location capable of receiving the ionospheric error correction information.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to satellite positioning systems ("SPS") devices, and in particular to ionospheric error predication and correction in an SPS.
2. Related Art
Satellite positioning systems ("SPS") are satellite-based navigation systems. Examples of SPS include but are not limited to the United States ("U.S.") Navy Navigation Satellite System ("NNSS") (also know as TRANSIT), LORAN, Shoran, Decca, TACAN, the Joint Program Office ("JPO") Global Positioning System ("GPS") (also known as NAVSTAR, which was developed by the U.S. Department of Defense ("DoD") in the early 1970s), the Russian counterpart known as Global Navigation Satellite System ("GLONASS") and any future Western European SPS such the proposed "Galileo" program. The NAVSTAR GPS (henceforth referred to simply as "GPS") was originally developed as a military system to fulfill the needs of the U.S. military; however, the U.S. Congress later directed DoD to also promote GPS's civilian uses. As a result, GPS is now a dual-use system that may be accessed by both U.S. government agencies (such as the military) and civilians. The GPS system is described in GPS Theory and Practice, Fifth ed., revised edition by Hofiann-Wellenhof, Lichtenegger and Collins, Springer-Verlag Wien NewYork, 2001, which is fully incorporated herein by reference.
Typically, the utilization of SPS includes identifying precise locations on the Earth and synchronizing telecommunication networks such as military communication networks and the code division multiple access ("CDMA") cellular telephone networks. Additionally, with the advent of the U.S. Congress' mandate, through the Federal Communications Commission ("FCC"), for a cellular telephone network that is capable of providing cellular telephone user's location within 50 feet in emergency situations (known as Enhanced 911service or "E911"), SPS will be employed for both location determination and synchronization in many cellular applications.
In general, the array of GPS satellites transmit highly accurate, time coded information that permits a GPS receiver to calculate its location in terms of latitude and longitude on Earth as well as the altitude above sea level. GPS is designed to provide a base navigation system with accuracy within approximately 100 meters for non-military users and even greater precision for the military and other authorized users (with Selective Availability set to ON).
The space segment of GPS is a constellation of satellites orbiting above the earth that contain transmitters, which send highly accurate timing information to GPS receivers on earth. At present, the implemented GPS constellation includes 21 main operational satellites plus three active spare satellites. These satellites are arranged in six orbits, each orbit containing three or four satellites. The orbital planes form a 55° angle with the equator. The satellites orbit at a height of approximately 10,898 nautical miles (20,200 kilometers) above the Earth with orbital periods for each satellite of approximately 12 hours.
Generally, each of the orbiting satellites contains four highly accurate atomic clocks (two rubidium and two cesium). These atomic clocks provide precision timing pulses used to generate a unique binary code (also known as a pseudorandom "PRN-code" or pseudo noise "PN-code") that is transmitted to Earth. The PRN-code identifies the specific satellite in the constellation. The satellite also transmits a set of digitally coded ephemeris data (also known as "ephemerides") that defines the precise orbit of the satellite. The ephemeris data indicates where the satellite is at any given time, and its location may be specified in terms of the satellite ground track in precise latitude and longitude measurements. The information in the ephemeris data is coded and transmitted from the satellite providing an accurate indication of the position of the satellite above the Earth at any given time. Typically, a ground control station updates the ephemeris data of the satellite once per day to ensure accuracy.
More specifically, each GPS satellite transmits a microwave radio signal presently composed of two carrier frequencies modulated by two digital codes and a navigation message. The two carrier frequencies are generated from a highly accurate fundamental L-band frequency of 10.23 MHz produced by the four atomic clocks. The two carrier frequencies, known as L1 and L2, are coherently derived from the fundamental frequency by multiplying the fundamental frequency by 154 and 120 to produce L1 at 1575.42 MHz and L2 at 1227.60 MHz, respectively. These dual frequencies are utilized to eliminate some of the major sources of error.
The pseudoranges that are derived from measured travel times of the signal from each satellite to the receiver use two PRN-codes that are modulated onto the two base carriers. The first code is the Coarse/Acquisition code ("C/A-code" also known as the "Standard Positioning Service") that is available for civilian use. The C/A-code has an effective wavelength of approximately 300 meters. Presently, the C/A-code is modulated only on L1 and is purposely omitted from L2. This omission allows DoD to control the information broadcast by the satellite and, thus, denies full system accuracy to non-authorized users. The second code is the Precision code ("P-code" also known as the "Precise Positioning Service") that has been reserved for the U.S. military and other authorized users and has an effective wavelength of approximately 30 meters. The P-code is modulated on both the L1 and L2 carriers.
In addition to the PRN-codes, a data message is modulated onto both carriers that include status information, satellite clock bias, and satellite ephemerides. It is appreciated by those skilled in the art that the U.S. intents to improve the above described signal structures in the future.
As an additional security precaution, DoD has included a number of techniques for denying non-authorized users full access to GPS. These techniques include Selective Availability ("SA"), Anti-spoofing ("A-S") and Selective Denial ("SD"). The goal of SA was to deny navigation accuracy to potential adversaries by dithering the satellite clock and manipulating the ephemerides. However, due to the appearance of new techniques to compensate for SA errors such as differential techniques, SA was eventually turned OFF on May 2, 2000. A-S has the ability to essentially turn-off the P-code or invoke an encrypted code as a means of denying access to the P-code to all but authorized users. A-S is accomplished by the modulo-2 sum of the P-code and an encrypted W-code. The resulting code is denoted as the Y-code and when A-S is active the P-code on the L1 and L2 carrier is replaced by the unknown Y-code. Future plans for signal structure will include a C/A-code on both the L1 and L2 carriers and the Y-code will be replaced with a new military split-spectrum signal denoted as the M-code. Finally, SD denies access to the GPS signal to unauthorized users in regions of interest by utilizing ground-based jammers.
FIG. 1 illustrates a diagram 100 of an example implementation of an SPS. In operation, a SPS receiver 102 located on the Earth 104 is designed to pick up signals 106, 108, 110 and 112 from several SPS satellites 114, 116, 118 and 120 simultaneously. The SPS receiver 102 decodes the information and, utilizing the time and ephemeris data, calculates the position of the SPS receiver 102 on the Earth 104. The SPS receiver 102 usually includes a floating-point processor (not shown) that performs the necessary calculations and may output a decimal display of latitude and longitude as well as altitude on a handset (not shown). Generally, signals 106, 108 and 110 from at least three satellites 114, 116 and 118 are needed for latitude and longitude information. A fourth satellite 120 signal 112 is needed to compute altitude.
Unfortunately, SPS includes several types of errors that typically degrade the performance of the SPS receiver. These errors include random errors and systematic errors that may originate at the satellites, the SPS receiver or be the result of signal propagation errors. The errors originating at the satellites include ephemeris, orbital, satellite clock, and in the case of GPS, the systematic error caused by the SA, S-A and/or SD selections. The errors originating at the receiver include; receiver clock errors, multipath error, receiver noise, and antenna phase center variations. Generally, multipath error correction methods are well known and have been implemented in some GPS chip set architectures.
The signal propagation errors are the result of atmospheric refraction that includes delays of the SPS signal as it passes through the ionospheric and tropospheric layers of the atmosphere. In general, the ionosphere is a dispersive medium, which lies between seventy and one thousand kilometers above the Earth's surface. The ionosphere is at the upper part of the atmosphere where the ultraviolet and X-ray radiation from the sun interacts with the gas molecules and atoms of the atmosphere to produce gas ionization. The gas ionization results in a large number of free negatively charged electrons and positively charged atoms and molecules. As a result, the electron density within the ionosphere is not constant and changes with altitude and time as a result of the sun's radiation and the Earth's magnetic field.
As such, the ionosphere bends SPS radio signals and changes their propagation speed as they passes through the ionosphere. Bending is known to typically cause negligible range errors (particularly if the satellite elevation angle is greater than 5 degrees); however, the change in propagation speed is known to cause significant range errors because the ionosphere speeds up the propagation of the carrier phase beyond the speed of light while slowing down the PRN-code by the same amount. The ionospheric delay is proportional to the number of free electrons along the SPS signal path and is known as the Total Electron Content ("TEC"). TEC depends on a number of factors including the time of day, the time of year, the 11-year solar cycle and geographic location of the SPS receiver relative to the SPS satellite. Additionally, the ionosphere causes a delay that is frequency dependent such that the lower the frequency, the greater the delay. Thus, the L2 delay is greater than the L1 delay. As an example, the ionospheric delay of a transmitted SPS signal may cause an error of approximately ten meters when calculating the position of the SPS receiver.
As a result, numerous techniques have been developed to minimize many of these errors including the technique known as Differential Global Position Systems ("DGPS"). DGPS is a technique of differencing signals from two or more SPS receivers to improve the accuracy of the signal. Typically, DGPS involves at least two SPS receivers. One SPS receiver is usually mobile (i.e., a "mobile GPS receiver") and another SPS receiver is stationary. The stationary SPS receiver is usually known as a "GPS server" and is typically located at a reference site that has known coordinates. If the GPS server and mobile GPS receiver are located within an acceptable proximity of each other, the GPS server and mobile GPS receiver will receive the GPS satellite signals simultaneously. Therefore, most of the errors in the GPS satellite signals will be received equally by both the GPS server and mobile GPS receiver. The GPS server then calculates any needed error corrections by comparing the difference between its calculated coordinates from the received GPS satellite signal and its known coordinates. These calculated error corrections are transmitted to the mobile GPS receiver, which may then compensate for the received errors in its received GPS satellite signal.
Unfortunately, DGPS is not always available and even when it is it may still take a relatively long time to determine an acceptable position accuracy at the mobile SPS receiver because the mobile SPS receiver needs to receive the differential data from the SPS server. However, this differential data is only the error information observed at the SPS server not the mobile SPS receiver. As the distance between the mobile SPS receiver and SPS server increases, the error information observed at the SPS server becomes less useful.
Additionally, now that SA has been turned off by DoD, ionospheric and multipath errors have become the most prominent errors. Therefore, the need for routinely communicating between the mobile SPS receiver and SPS server to compensate for SA is no longer present. Unfortunately, conventional DGPS schemes continue to perform numerous costly communications between the mobile SPS receiver and SPS server. Moreover, when the communication link is unstable (such as in a wireless system) or unavailable the benefits of DGPS drop of significantly.
Besides DGPS, another approach to correct for ionospheric errors includes using models of the ionosphere to predict the ionospheric errors. The model approach is most often utilized in non-DGPS standalone GPS applications. The Klobuchar model (also known as the TEC model) is probably the most commonly utilized ionospheric model because the model is broadcast in GPS navigation messages from the GPS satellite and is described in the Global Positioning System, Interface Control Document, ICD-GPS-200, Revision C, Initial Release, Oct. 10, 1993, which is fully incorporated herein by reference. According to ICD-GPS-200, for the L1 frequency, the ionospheric error may be modeled as a shell (also known as a "half-cosine" curve) that is described by the following physical relationship
      T    iono    =      {                                                                                F                  ×                                      [                                          DC                      +                                                                        A                                                    cos                                                                                (                                                                                2                                                                                π                                                                                (                                                                      t                                    -                                    ψ                                                                    )                                                                                P                                                    )                                                                                ]                                                  ,                                                                    if                                                                                |                x                |                                  <                                      π                    2                                                                                F                  ×                                      (                    DC                    )                                                  ,                                                                    if                                                                                |                x                |                                  ≧                                      π                    2                                                                                where                                                  x            =              2                                      π                                      (                              t                -                ψ                            )                                /          P                                                          and                                                            T          iono                    (also known as Tzenith) has the units of seconds and is the error on the zenith direction caused by the ionosphere. FIG. 2 illustrates an example graph 200 of Tzenith 202 in nanoseconds versus local time 204 in hours. F is a scaling factor of the ionospheric delay that is typically known as the "obliquity factor," which is defined as F=1.0+16.00×(0.53−E)3, where E is the "elevation angle" between a GPS receiver and a GPS satellite. FIG. 3 illustrates an example graph 300 of F 302 versus elevation angle 304 in degrees.
The second part of the Tiono formula represents the error effect caused by the change to the TEC. Here
  A  =      {                                                                      ∑                                  n                  =                  0                                3                                                                                α                  n                                                                  ϕ                  m                  n                                                      ,                                                              if                                                                                A                        ≦            0                                                            0            ,                                                              if                                                                                A                        <            0                              seconds and
  P  =      {                                                                      ∑                                  n                  =                  0                                3                                                                                β                  n                                                                  ϕ                  m                  n                                                      ,                                                              if                                                                                P                        ≧                          72,000                                                                        72,000,                                                              if                                                                                P                        <                          72,000                                          seconds where DC=5.0×10−9 seconds, σ=50,400 seconds and αn and βn are the satellite transmitted data words with n=0, 1, 2 and 3, which are defined by reference paragraph 188.8.131.52.1.9 ("Ionospheric Data") described in the ICD-GPS-200. Reference paragraph 184.108.40.206.1.9 defines parameters that allow the L1 only, or L2 only, user to utilize the ionospheric model (reference paragraph 18.104.22.168.2.5) for computation of the ionospheric delay and are contained in page 18 of subframe 4. The bit lengths, scale factors, ranges and units of these parameters are given in Table 20-X of the ICD-GPS-200.
Unfortunately, the TEC model described in ICD-GPS-200 still results in significant ionospheric errors because ICD-GPS-200 treats both DC and σ as constant values while the actual TEC values of the ionosphere is difficult to model. According to ICD-GPS-200 model, DC has a constant value of 5 nanoseconds though it is known to vary from location to location and the phase term σ has a constant value of 14 hours (i.e., 50,400 seconds) although it is also known to vary from 11 to 17 hours for a certain season, location and condition of solar activity. As a result, the ICD-GPS-200 model is known to correct for no more than about 50% of the ionospheric transmission delays.
Thus, there is a need in the art for a way to predict and compensate for the ionospheric errors in SPS.

Ionospheric error prediction and correction in satellite positioning systems


An agricultural harvesting machine has a cutting apparatus formed as a header for cutting and picking up crop of a crop stand, an inclined conveyor downstream of the cutting apparatus and in which a temporal layer height flow is adjusted, and a driver assistance system for controlling the cutting apparatus. The driver assistance system has a computing device and a sensor arrangement with a crop sensor system for generating crop parameters of the crop stand and a layer height sensor for generating the temporal layer height flow. The computing device simultaneously generates the cutting apparatus parameters of the cutting table length, horizontal reel position and vertical reel position so as to be adapted to one another and conveys them to the cutting apparatus to implement a harvesting process strategy in ongoing harvesting operation.

The invention is directed to an agricultural harvesting machine with a cutting apparatus formed as a header.
The agricultural harvesting machine in question is any harvesting machine outfitted with a cutting apparatus which is formed as a header for cutting and picking up crop. This may be a combine harvester, forage harvester, baling press, or the like. The present discussion has primarily to do with the harvesting machine formed as a combine harvester.
The optimal adjustment of the cutting apparatus of an agricultural harvesting machine is particularly important in that it affects not only the cutting apparatus itself but all of the subsequent process stages. Manual adjustment of the cutting apparatus parameters associated with the cutting apparatus is nearly impossible in view of a multitude of boundary constraints, some of which are mutually conflicting.
For this purpose, the known agricultural harvesting machine (EP 3 132 711 A1) on which the invention is based is outfitted with a cutting apparatus automation which generates the relevant cutting apparatus parameters according to selected harvesting process strategies on the basis of characteristic maps. This generic concept of a cutting apparatus automation forms a comprehensive foundation for an automated or partially automated optimization of cutting apparatus parameters. The input parameters of the known cutting apparatus automation are, along with user input, the sensor signals of a sensor arrangement which has a crop sensor system for determining crop parameters of the crop stand and a layer height sensor for determining the curve of the layer height over time.
A particular challenge in the design of the known cutting apparatus automation consists in reducing throughput fluctuations as far as possible, i.e., fluctuations in the temporal layer height flow. The reason for this is that such throughput fluctuations lead to losses in subsequent process stages.
Another challenge in the design of known cutting apparatus automations consists in preventing to the greatest extent possible those grain losses occurring directly at the cutting apparatus.

CLAAS Selbstfahrende Erntemaschinen GmbH


The invention is directed to liquid laundry detergent compositions comprising (a) at least one surfactant; (b) at least one enzyme and an enzyme stabilizing system comprising boron; (c) at least one fabric care ingredient which is not a fabric cleaning ingredient; and (d) at least one modified cationic polysaccharide-based deposition aid for the fabric care ingredient, wherein prior to modification, the cationic deposition aid contains at least one pair of cis-hydroxy groups, and wherein the cationic deposition aid is modified in such a way that the enzyme stabilizing system does not exhibit cis-hydroxy group interaction with the cationic deposition aid. The use of such compositions and methods for treating fabrics in fabric treatment applications including domestic laundering to thereby provide improved cleaning and fabric care are also covered.

When consumers launder fabrics, they desire not only excellence in cleaning, they also seek to impart superior fabric care benefits. Such care effects can be exemplified by one or more of reduction of wrinkles benefits; removal of wrinkles benefits; prevention of wrinkles benefits; fabric softness benefits; fabric feel benefits; garment shape retention benefits; garment shape recovery benefits; elasticity benefits; ease of ironing benefits; perfume benefits; color care benefits; anti-abrasion benefits; anti-pilling benefits; or any combination thereof. Compositions which provide both cleaning and fabric care benefits, e.g., fabric softening benefits, are known as "2 in 1"-detergent compositions and/or as "softening through the wash"-compositions.
Over the last couple of decades, a significant increase in cleaning performance has been achieved by adding enzymes into detergent compositions. There are different sorts of enzymes available and suitable for incorporation into detergent compositions dependent on the nature of the stain(s) to be removed. Furthermore, dependent on the form of the detergent composition, being either a granular product or a liquid, enzyme-stabilizing systems are needed to prevent enzyme degradation. In liquid laundry detergent compositions, enzymes are typically stabilized either by organic or inorganic acids. A typical example for an organic acid would be short chain carboxylic acids, e.g., formic acid. A typical example of an inorganic acid would be boric acid. Furthermore, salts of these acids can also be used, such as alkali salts of boric acids, e.g. sodium borate and others.
Another development over the last couple of years relates to the means of enhancing additional fabric care benefits, which are different from pure fabric cleaning benefits. Examples of these additional fabric care benefits are, e.g., fabric softening benefits, and color care benefits. The common feature of these fabric care benefits is that a fabric care agent needs to be deposited to a fabric. Due to the wash and/or rinse conditions, the deposition characteristics of such agents is not very high so that the amount deposited is not very high. In order to enhance the deposition characteristics of such fabric care agents, deposition aids have been added to such compositions. Examples of deposition aids suitable to enhance the deposition of fabric care agents are for example, cationic compounds, such as poly-quaternized ammonium compounds and cationic polysaccharides, e.g, cationic guar gums.
In order to have both superior cleaning performance, and excellent fabric care performance, it is desirable to formulate detergent compositions which combine an enhanced cleaning effect, driven by incorporation of enzymes, and very good fabric care effect, driven by incorporation of deposition aids for additional fabric care agents. However, it has now been observed when formulating liquid laundry detergent compositions providing cleaning and additional fabric care benefits, like reduction of wrinkles benefits; removal of wrinkles benefits; prevention of wrinkles benefits; fabric softness benefits; fabric feel benefits; garment shape retention benefits; garment shape recovery benefits; elasticity benefits; ease of ironing benefits; perfume benefits; color care benefits; anti-abrasion benefits; anti-pilling benefits; or any combination thereof, that enzyme-containing detergent compositions which contain a boron-based enzyme-stabilization system, and a cationic deposition aid tend to encounter a stability problem. This stability problem appears in the formation of beads formed from interacting components. Such bead formation can, in turn, lead to a precipitation within the fully-formulated detergent product. It has been found that the precipitate consists of certain components of the composition. These components have been identified to be a complex of the boron-based enzyme-stabilization system, and the cationic deposition aid. The precipitate remains undissolved even after shaking or warming of the composition.
Without being bound by theory, it is believed that this stability problem occurs due to an incompatibility of the boron-based enzyme-stabilization system and the cationic deposition aid, such as cationic polysaccharide-based deposition aids, e.g., cationic guar gums. It is believed that the formation of beads occurs due to an interaction of the boron-based enzyme stabilizing system with the cationic polysaccharide-based deposition aid, for example, with the cationic guar gum. It is further believed that this interaction occurs because of the affinity of boron to oxygen which could indeed manifest it in a reaction between the cationic polysaccharide-based deposition aid containing many sources of oxygen, e.g., hydroxy groups, ether groups, and the boron-based enzyme-stabilizing system, for example, in a boric acid- and/or borate-containing enzyme-stabilizing system. Without being bound by theory, it is believed that this interaction mainly takes place between oxygen atoms of two cis-orientated hydroxy groups (i.e., 1,2-cis-hydroxy groups) of the guar gum saccharide moiety and the boron atom.
The consequence of this bead formation is a drastic loss in fabric care performance, because the guar gum molecules which are then bound to the boron-based enzyme stabilizing system are not available to work as a deposition aid any more. Another consequence may be a loss in fabric cleaning performance occurred due to degradation of enzymes which aren't stabilized sufficiently any more, since the boron-based stabilizing system interacting with the guar gum does not suitable function as a enzyme stabilizer any more.
The present invention overcomes such incompatibility problems of cationic polysaccharide-based deposition aids, for example, cationic guar gums, and boron-based, for example, boric acid- and/or borate-containing, enzyme stabilizing systems. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide liquid laundry detergent compositions comprising enzymes, suitable enzyme-stabilizing systems based on boron compounds like boric acid and/or borate which do not exhibit interaction with cationic polysaccharide-based deposition aids such as cationic guar gums. Another object of the present invention is to secure superior fabric cleaning and superior fabric care.
One embodiment of the present invention is a liquid laundry detergent composition comprising (a) at least one surfactant; (b) at least one enzyme and a boron-based enzyme stabilizing system comprising, for example, boric acid and/or salts thereof; (c) at least one fabric care ingredient which is not a fabric cleaning ingredient; and (d) at least one cationic polysaccharide-based deposition aid for the fabric care ingredient, wherein the cationic deposition aid does not exhibit interaction with the boron-based enzyme stabilizing system to provide both excellent fabric cleaning and superior fabric care.
It has now surprisingly been found that the incompatibility of the boron-based, for example, boric acid- and/or borate-containing, enzyme stabilizing systems and polysaccharide-based guar gums can be avoided when the interaction between these two groups is prevented. This can be achieved by modification of the polysaccharide-based deposition aid, for example, of the guar gum. By modification it is meant that the hydroxy groups of such cationic guar gums are substituted with chemical groups so that the interaction with a boron-based enzyme-stabilization system is prevented.

Liquid laundry detergent composition containing boron-compatible cationic deposition aids


A method, apparatus, and system of activating and using a contactless card are disclosed. A method includes receiving a transaction card application for a contactless transaction card from an applicant; issuing a contactless transaction card based on the transaction card application, wherein the contactless transaction card comprises a uniform resource locator (URL) embedded thereon; and activating the contactless transaction card in response to receiving information from a contactless communication between the contactless transaction card and a customer device, wherein the contactless communication causes access to a web site associated with the URL.

Financial institutions such as banks and other card issuers typically offer customers a variety of transaction cards (e.g., credit card, debit card, rewards card, etc.). A corresponding account for the transaction card is also created and provided by the institution. As a security measure, new transaction cards are typically issued to customers in an inactive state (i.e., unable to perform transactions). In operation, the transaction card may be provided to the customer and the customer is then expected to activate the card via, for example, calling an activation telephone line. Once activated, the transaction card may be used in a variety of transactions (e.g., to pay for goods or services). But, accessing the corresponding account of the transaction card may be difficult. In this regard, setting up and accessing online accounts associated with the card is usually a long and cumbersome process. Further, even activating the card may be cumbersome due to users' unwillingness to make the telephone call. Improvements are desired.

Systems and methods for activating a transaction card


A method and apparatus for greatly simplifying the circuitry needed to handle the bubbleback situations in FIFO memories includes an additional row of cells added to the memory array. By adding an extra row of memory cells, the read and write pointer are only on the same row when the FIFO is operating near the empty boundary or in fallthrough mode.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to data reading and data writing in FIFO memories and more particularly to writing data in nearly full FIFO memories.
2. Related Prior Art
Typical FIFO buffer memories are made up of an array of memory cells with enough rows and columns to support the width and depth of FIFO needed. Rows are defined as being accessed by a wordline, columns are defined as being accessed by column select circuitry. Typically the column pointers are incremented until the end of the row and then reset to the first location at the same time the row pointer is incremented to the next location. In this description, a read or write pointer will be considered to be the location being accessed by both the row pointer and the column pointer. Boundary flags, Full and Empty, control whether or not the FIFO can be written to or read from when the FIFO is full of data and when the FIFO is empty of data, respectively. When writing to the memory array, the write pointer is incremented until the writes are complete or the Full flag inhibits further writes. If the write pointer reaches the end, or bottom, of the array and the Full flag is not preventing more writes from occurring, the write pointer simply wraps around and writes the cells that have already been read out with new data. Although this is a very efficient use of the memory array, allowing the write pointer and read pointer to operate in a ring, there are two conditions at the boundaries that require additional circuitry to insure proper operation.
Bubbleback conditions exist in FIFO's when the FIFO is operating at or near the Full boundary. At the Empty boundary there is a similar condition called fallthrough. Both these conditions look very similar to each other and cause a distinction to be made and consequent action taken in order for the FIFO to function correctly.
Bubbleback in a FIFO is the situation when the FIFO is operating at or near the Full boundary, and the write pointer has "bubblebacked" or wrapped around to be on the same row of the memory array as the read pointer. This bubbleback condition is very similar to the fallthrough condition or when the FIFO is at or near the Empty boundary, the read and write pointers are on the same row and the data needs to "fallthrough" the FIFO as fast as possible. When the FIFO is operating in either of these conditions the read and write pointer are on the same row. However, in the fallthrough condition the write pointer is ahead of the read pointer and the data must be written through the FIFO and the memory cell, or "fallthrough" the FIFO, while in the bubbleback condition the write pointer is behind the read pointer and the data that is contained in the cells ahead of the read pointer must not be disturbed.
The above mentioned distinction between the fallthrough and bubbleback conditions cause designers to provide several safety precautions. In a first precaution, circuits have been designed to precharge the write bitlines to a high level before turning on the write wordline. This is done so that in the bubbleback condition the memory cells ahead if the read pointer in the same row are not disturbed with invalid data that may have been left on the write bitlines. This precaution requires extra circuitry to be designed around the write wordline activation circuitry to precharge the write bitlines AND consumes more active ICC due to the write bitline precharge, which can be eliminated with the invention.
In a second precaution, circuit designers were required to use a memory cell design that is stable when both read and write wordlines were active. This precaution requires a larger memory cell.
In a third precaution, much complex circuitry was designed and simulated for functionality in case the fallthrough circuitry was activated during an actual bubbleback condition. This had to be designed for because of the decode techniques used to determine if the read and write wordlines were equal. This required more extensive design schedules.
During bubbleback, as illustrated in FIG. 1, the write pointer is behind the read pointer but the wordlines are actually equal. At this point the data in memory cells 6 and 7 have not been read and circuitry has to be designed to insure that they are not inadvertently written, either through leftover write bitline data, cell instability, or fallthrough circuitry inadvertently being activated.
In older FIFO's, the architecture used to handle the fallthrough and bubbleback conditions was different. To improve the fallthrough timing the write bitlines were shorted to the tbus/tbusb whenever the write and read pointers were on the same row. In a bubbleback condition this is unnecessary. The control signal that enables this shorting was derived from extensive logic that could distinguish between the conditions when the FIFO is close to being full or close to being empty.
The main disadvantage of the old method is the fact that it involves extensive logic to derive this function that determines whether to short the write bitlines to the tbus/tbusb when the read and write pointers are pointing to the same row. For bubbleback situations, this condition necessitated the precharging of the write bitlines between writes that could otherwise cause the memory cell to be overwritten. The timing of the column selects and the shorter signals were made more critical. In some previous designs, this led to critical race conditions.


An optoelectronic package includes a substrate and a cover element bonded onto the substrate. The cover element defines a cavity for accommodating semiconductor chips and optoelectronic components. The cover element includes a first adhesive bonding area configured for receiving a first adhesive and being bonded with a predetermined region of the substrate by the first adhesive. The engagement of the cover element and the substrate defines a second adhesive bonding area. The second adhesive bonding area is configured for receiving a second adhesive and confining the second adhesive within a localized area. A method for making an optoelectronic package is also provided.

Semiconductor electronics components packaged using chip-on-board (COB) processes often employ a cover element to protect silicon chips from physical damages as well as particle and moisture attacks. This cover element is often bonded onto a circuit substrate using adhesives. The underside of the cover element forms a protective cavity in which the silicon chips are located. To ensure reliability of the package, a strong bonding force between the cover element and the substrate is required throughout the lifetime of the product.
As illustrated in FIG. 1, when such packaging is used for optoelectronics components, the cover element may also serve additional optical functions. For example, lens structures may be formed on the cover element to facilitate optical signal coupling. This additional optical functionality can only be realized if the alignment of the cover element to the optoelectronics chips inside the cavity is precisely maintained (<15 um misalignment) during the assembly process and throughout the lifetime of the product.
Two types of adhesives are conventionally used in bonding the cover element to the substrate: UV-activated epoxy and thermally-activated epoxy. The former provides fast curing time and minimal curing shift while the latter provides stronger bonding strength but requires longer curing time and introduces larger post-curing shift between the two parts.

Optoelectronic package and method for making same


A laser beam machining apparatus including a laser beam irradiation unit, the laser beam irradiation unit including: a laser beam oscillator for oscillating a laser beam; a beam splitter by which the laser beam oscillated by the laser beam oscillator is split into a first laser beam and a second laser beam; a rotary half-wave plate disposed between the laser beam oscillator and the beam splitter; a condenser lens disposed in a first optical path for guiding the first laser beam split by the beam splitter; a first reflecting mirror disposed in a second optical path for guiding the second laser beam split by the beam splitter; a first quarter-wave plate disposed between the beam splitter and the first reflecting mirror; a second reflecting mirror disposed in a third optical path for splitting thereinto the second laser beam returned to the beam splitter through the second optical path; a second quarter-wave plate disposed between the beam splitter and the second reflecting mirror; and a cylindrical lens disposed between the beam splitter and the second quarter-wave plate.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a laser beam machining apparatus for laser beam machining of a work such as a semiconductor wafer, and particularly to a laser beam machining apparatus in which the shape of a condensed spot of a laser beam can be controlled.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a semiconductor device manufacturing process, a plurality of regions are demarcated in a surface of a substantially circular disk-shaped semiconductor wafer by planned dividing lines called streets which are arranged in a lattice pattern, and devices such as ICs and LSIs are formed in the demarcated regions. Then, the semiconductor wafer is cut (diced) along the planned dividing lines to divide the regions with the devices formed therein, whereby individual semiconductor chips are manufactured. Similarly, an optical device wafer in which light receiving devices such as photodiodes or light emitting devices such as laser diodes are stacked on a surface of a sapphire substrate is also cut (diced) along streets, thereby dividing the wafer into individual devices such as photodiodes, laser diodes, etc., which are widely utilized for electric apparatuses.
As a method for dividing the wafer such as the above-mentioned semiconductor wafer and optical device wafer along the streets, there has been proposed a method in which irradiation with a pulsed laser beam is conducted along the streets formed in the wafer so as to form laser beam-machined grooves, and the wafer is broken along the laser beam-machined grooves (refer to, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2004-9139).
In using the laser beam with which to irradiate the work, the machining conditions can be appropriately controlled, as required, by regulating the output, wavelength, repetition frequency, condensed beam spot shape, etc. of the laser beam. However, it is difficult to appropriately change the condensed beam spot shape into a circle or ellipses varying in the ratio of major axis to minor axis, as required, so that there are limitations to the control of the machining conditions.
In consideration of the above circumstances, the present applicant has proposed, in Japanese Patent Application No. 2005-331118, a laser beam machining apparatus in which a condenser for condensing a laser beam includes a first cylindrical lens and a second cylindrical lens oriented to have a condensing direction orthogonal to that of the first cylindrical lens, and modification of the condensed beam spot shape of the laser beam into a circle or ellipses varying in the ratio of major axis to minor axis can be easily achieved by regulating the interval between the first cylindrical lens and the second cylindrical lens.
In this laser beam machining apparatus, however, since the condenser is so configured to change the condensed beam spot shape through the combination of cylindrical lenses, the shape of the circular beam spot becomes close to a square due to the influence of aberration. Therefore, in the case of boring a via hole in a semiconductor device, for example, it is impossible to form a circular via hole. In addition, in the condenser based on the combination of cylindrical lenses as above-mentioned, the condensed beam spot shape is either a circle or an ellipse. Therefore, machining with an elliptic condensed beam spot and machining with a circular condensed beam spot cannot be carried out at the same time.


A twin roll casting machine that can reduce an amount of inert gas to be fed for prevention of oxidization. The machine includes an enclosure enclosing a strip in a range from chilled rolls to pinch rolls, a first swing wall within the enclosure and having a tip end movable toward and away from a surface of the strip, a sealing roll rotatably supported by the tip end of the first swing wall, a second swing wall within the enclosure and having a tip end movable toward and away from the other surface of the strip, a sealing roll rotatably supported by the tip end of the second swing wall, sealing members between peripheral edges of the swing walls and an inner surface of the enclosure, and conduits for supplying inert gas into the enclosure. The respective swing walls are swung to bring the sealing rolls close to the strip to thereby suppress flow of the inert gas from a first space to a second space.

FIG. 1 shows a conventional twin roll continuous casting machine based on an invention disclosed in JP-8-300108A.
This twin roll continuous casting machine comprises a pair of chilled rolls 1, a pair of side weirs 2 associated with the chilled rolls 1, a pair of pinch rolls 4 for pinching a strip 3 cast by the chilled rolls 1 and feeding the same to a succeeding process such as rolling, an enclosure 5 which has lateral walls confronting widthwise edges of the strip 3 and encloses a travel path of the strip 3 from the chilled rolls 1 to the pinch rolls 4, a sledding table 6 and a plurality of table rolls 7 within the enclosure 5, sealing members 8 contiguous with an upstream portion of the enclosure 5 in the direction of travel of the strip 3 so as to abut on outer peripheries of the respective chilled rolls 1 and sealing members 9 contiguous with a downstream portion of the enclosure 5 in the direction of travel of the strip 3 so as to abut on outer peripheries of the respective pinch rolls 4.
The chilled rolls 1 are horizontally arranged in parallel with each other, a nip between the rolls being adjustable to be increased or decreased depending upon thickness of the strip 3 to be cast.
Rolling directions and velocities of the chilled rolls 1 are set such that outer peripheries of the rolls are moved from above to the nip at the same velocity.
The chilled rolls 1 are structured such that cooling water may pass through the rolls.
One of the side weirs 2 is in surface contact with one ends of the respective chilled rolls 1 and the other side weir 2 is in surface contact with the other ends of the respective chilled rolls 1; molten metal is fed to a space defined by the side weirs 2 and the rolls 1 to form a molten metal pool 10.
Formation of the pool 10 and rotation of the rolls 1 which are being cooled cause the metal to solidify on the outer peripheries of the chilled rolls 1 so that the strip 3 is delivered downward from the nip.
The pinch rolls 4 are arranged downstream of the chilled rolls 1 and adjacent to a succeeding process to which the strip 3 is to be delivered.
The sledding table 6 is adapted to take two alternative postures, one for guidance of the strip 3 from the chilled rolls 1 to the pinch rolls 4 and the other not in contact with the strip 3.
The table rolls 7 are arranged to support from below the strip 3 passing via the sledding table 6 to the pinch rolls 4.
A scrap box 11 is arranged below and connected via a sealing member 80 to the enclosure 5 so as to be positioned properly under the chilled rolls 1; the scrap box 11 is adapted to withdraw any shape-defective strip 3 produced upon startup of the casting operation.
Inert gas (nitrogen gas) G is fed to the enclosure 5 and the scrap box 11 via a conduit 12 so as to retain the interior of the enclosure 5 in non-oxidative atmosphere and prevent the hot strip 3 from being oxidized.
The sealing members 8 and 9 respectively between the enclosure 5 and the chilled rolls 1 and between the enclosure 5 and the pinch rolls 4 suppress a flow of above-mentioned inert gas G outside.
However, in the twin roll casting machine shown in FIG. 1, under the influence of the hot molten metal pool 10, the more upstream in the direction of travel of the strip 3 a position in the enclosure 5 is, the higher the atmosphere temperature in the enclosure 5 is; moreover, the chilled rolls 1 are positioned at an uppermost portion of the enclosure 5 so that, because of stack effect, the inert gas G may flow outside the enclosure 5 via between the chilled rolls 1 and the sealing members 8, and ambient air flows into the enclosure 5 via between the pinch rolls 4 and the sealing members 9 in an amount corresponding to the amount of inert gas G having flowed outside.
Therefore, the enclosure 5 must be replenished with inert gas G in an amount corresponding to that of the inert gas G flowed outside so as to prevent the strip 3 from being oxidized.
The invention was made in view of the above and has its object to provide a twin roll casting machine and an operating method thereof which can reduce an amount of inert gas to be fed for prevention of a strip from being oxidized.

Dual roll casting machine and method of operating the casting machine

Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries Co., Ltd.


A star-quad cable for transmitting electrical signals with at least two pairs of electrical conductors, wherein each conductor has an electrically conductive core and a conductor sheath of an electrically insulating material which surrounds the core radially, the conductors being arranged at the corners of a square in a cross section of the star-quad cable, wherein the conductors of a pair are arranged at diagonally opposite corners of the square, and in each case the four conductors are twisted with one another in accordance with a star-quad arrangement with a predetermined stranding factor, wherein an electrically conducive shield surrounds the two pairs of conductors radially on the outside. An additional insulator sheath (of an electrically insulating material is arranged between the conductors and the shield.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a star-quad cable for transmitting electrical signals which has at least two pairs of electrical conductors, each conductor having a core made of an electrically conductive material and a conductor sheath made of an electrically insulating material which surrounds the core in a radial position, the conductors being arranged at the corners of a square in a cross-section of the star-quad cable, the conductors making up a pair being arranged at diagonally opposed corners of the square, four conductors at a time being twisted together in a star-quad arrangement with a predetermined lay factor, a shield made of an electrically conductive material which surrounds the two pairs of conductors on the outside radially being placed in position, and an additional insulator sheath made of an electrically insulating material being arranged between the conductors and the shield, the shield being constructed from a mesh of individual shield cores.
2. Description of Related Art
What is referred to as a "star-quad" is a lay-up term relating to conductors which have for example copper cores. Four conductors making up pairs of conductors are twisted together and then form two twin conductors which are laid up in a cruciform arrangement. Two conductors situated opposite one another form a pair, with respective electrical signals being transmitted on respective pairs. In other words the four conductors are arranged at the corners of a square in the cross-section of the star-quad, with the conductors making up a pair being arranged at diagonally opposed corners. The pairs of conductors thus lie perpendicular to one another and this produces a desired high damping of crosstalk from one pair to the other.
The star-quad cable is one of the symmetrical cables. In such cables, four conductors are twisted together in a cruciform arrangement. What this means is that the conductors situated in opposite positions form respective pairs of conductors. Because the pairs of conductors lie perpendicular to one another there is only a very low level of crosstalk. As well as the mechanical strengthening provided by the positioning of the conductors relative to one another, another advantage of the star-quad lay-up is its packing density, which is higher than with twisted pairs.
Because of the twist, the conductors, i.e. the individual cores, are longer than the cable itself. The so-called lay factor is the ratio of the length of an individual conductor to the length of the cable. In the case of telecommunications cables for example the lay factor is approximately 1.02 to 1.04. The lay factor correlates with a pitch or lead which is a result of the helical arrangement of the conductors which are twisted together. In the case of a thread, the pitch or lead specifies an axial distance between two thread grooves.
Known from printed document DE 14 90 692 A1, which is the generic document, is a carrier frequency cable having a central laid-up member in the form of a star-quad. Four stranded cores insulated with polyethylene are twisted with a lay length, s, and are surrounded by polyethylene insulation. The polyethylene insulation is enclosed by a shielding mesh of copper wires. A PVC sheath is applied to the shielding mesh.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Rosenberger Hochfrequenztechnik GmbH & Co. KG


In fluorescent lamp lighting, it is required that when the lamp reaches its end of life there has to be some mechanism to shut down the power supply to the lamp for safety. In the present invention, an apparatus is proposed to fulfill this requirement. This invention comprises of a lamp, means to sense currents at the lamp filaments and the imbalance of the currents is detected and turn off the power source to the lamp. Several embodiments are included to illustrate the execution of this invention.

In fluorescent lighting, there is a requirement for end-of-life detection which is listed in ANSI C82.11 (Consolidated-2002). The requirement states that for lamps with tube diameter which is equivalent to T5 size or smaller must have a protection method when the lamp's end-of-life symptoms occurred to avoid hazardous conditions.
FIG. 1 shows a prior art ballast configuration with an inductor-capacitor (LC) resonator. A lamp 101 is connected in parallel with the resonance capacitor 102 with an alternating power source 103 and the resonating inductor 104 connected in series. To start the lamp the resonator is activated and a high voltage is established across the capacitor which in turn strikes on the lamp. After the lamp is stroke on the lamp voltage falls to a lower value while it operates in the steady state.
It is required that the ballast shall not impair safety when abnormal and fault conditions happen. Abnormal conditions are classified (European standard) as:    a) lamp not inserted;    b) the lamp does not start because one of the two cathodes are broken;    c) the lamp does not start although the cathodes are intact;    d) the lamp operates, but a single cathode is de-activated or broken (rectifying effect).
It is desired that the ballast shall have appropriate protections against the four scenarios listed above. In scenarios a), b) and c), if the lamp is unable to be stroked on during the startup phase, the ballast may develop a dangerously high voltage arc across the two ends of the lamp holder, which causes an electrical shock hazard to the technician who may try to replace the lamp, therefore protection must then be enabled. Typically, there are two common detection methods:    1) Current Sensing detection    2) Voltage Sensing Detection
A common current sensing detection method utilizes the inverter choke current as a sensing parameter. By placing a sensing resistor connected between the source of the low side driver and the ground, the choke current is monitored throughout the startup phase. If the lamp is not present or it cannot be ignited, high current will continue to flow through the sensing resistor since the LC resonator will operate at its resonant frequency after the preheat phase with infinite lamp resistance.
Voltage sensing detection is similar to current sensing detection in which the lamp voltage is utilized as the sensing parameter. Over-voltage condition will occur if the lamp does not strike on as the ballast runs in its resonant mode.
In scenario d), the lamp may suffer an imbalance of current flow in alternating direction which is commonly known as the rectifying effect, where one end of filament act as the cathode and the other end act as an anode. In particular, a broken or disconnected filament in a running lamp is a typical end-of-life failure where current sensing detection and voltage sensing detection may be unable to protect the lamp as the lamp is still in an operation mode. This may result in overheating the filament at one end which may melt the glass tube. Consequently this may cause an electrical shock hazard and overheating hazard to the user.
In all cases, end-of life detection usually involves a combination of detection of high voltage across the lamp and the choke current. If the lamp is unable to be stroked on, then voltage and current sensing techniques are already enough to confirm the lamp is at its end-of-life status. Yet, if the lamp is able to be stroked on, only the lamp voltage, filaments status or the rectification of the lamp current may show the End-of-life. However, detection of lamp voltage is unreliable in a sense that the lamp voltage is highly changeable with different operating ambient temperature. Moreover, electronic ballast with dimming function nowadays is very common and voltage detection technique may not be adequate as the lamp voltage could change drastically at different dimming levels with a difference of typically 30-40%. The consequence would be the lamp safety is seriously impaired unless every condition is checked.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,819,063, Arthur Nemirow has provided a method to sense the filament status in a fluorescent lamp. His invention includes a DC flyback converter to drive the filaments and a separate alternating power source to drive the lamp with multiple outputs act as voltage sources across each of the filament. Due to the open circuit flyback effect and cross-regulation feature of the converter, output voltage will experience a sharp increase in voltage if the load tends to an open load, i.e. the filament is broken. A threshold voltage is then sensed and triggers a protection mechanism to inhibit the output of alternating power to the lamp. There is an advantage in sensing the filament resistance with an isolated circuitry because the lamp usually has high AC voltage across it, i.e. at least one end of the filaments will be at high voltage. Sensing parts at high voltage would not be ideal since the control logic is at low-voltages. However, such method has a few drawbacks where an isolated component, such as opto-coupler is required and it is commonly known that its current transform ratio (CTR) deteriorates against time, produces a change in the sensed voltage level unintentionally. High component counts with an integrated switch at primary side of the DC flyback converter contribute extra cost. Moreover, it provides no information on the potential differences of the two filaments where the amount of difference could indicate one type of rectifying effect.
Thus, there is a need for improving End-of-life detection mechanism, particularly in sensing the difference between filaments in a fluorescent lamp and also the rectifying effect, which must be immune from factors such as operating temperature and lamp condition. The new method should be relatively economical, while providing a more complete and reliable protections to End-of-life. The present invention addresses these needs as described herein.

Apparatus for end-of-life detection of fluorescent lamps


A denture cleansing composition comprising an inorganic persalt bleaching agent, an effervescence generator and an aminoalkysilicone. The composition provides improved antiplaque, cleasing and antibacterial activity together with excellent physical and in-use performance characteristics.

Effervescent tablets and powders for cleansing dentures and the like are well known in the art. The aim of a denture cleanser product is to clean the denture as fully and as quickly as possible and especially to remove the accumulation of plaque, mucilaginous and bacterial deposits which collect while the denture is being worn. To wear a denture which has not been completely cleaned of plaque and bacterial deposits is not only unhygenic but can also within a short space of time result in a detrimental effect on the mucous membrane. Moreover bacterial deposits can lead to so-called bacterial corrosion of the plastics material used to produce the denture with consequent color-change and malodor-formation.
It is known to include silicones in dentifrice compositions, allegedly to coat the teeth and prevent cavities and staining. For instance, GB-A-689,679 discloses a mouthwash containing an organopolysiloxane for preventing adhesion of, or for removing tars, stains, tartar and food particles from the teeth.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,806,814 discloses dental preparations including, in combination, a higher aliphatic acyl amide of an amino carboxylic acid compound as an active and a silicone compound. The patent notes that silicone compounds have been proposed for prevention of adhesion or to facilitate the removal of tars, stains, tartar and the like from teeth. The silicone compound is said to act as a synergist in improving the antibacterial and acid inhibiting activity of the active ingredient. Dimethyl polysiloxanes are said to be particularly effective.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,624,120 discloses quaternary ammonium salts of cyclic siloxane polymers for use as cationic surfactants, bactericides and as anticariogenic agents.
Dentures of course are generally made of a plastics material such as acrylic and the problem of preventing plaque accumulation or of removing plaque from dentures is therefore fundamentally different from the problem of plaque prevention and removal from dental enamal.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a denture cleanser having improved efficacy on plaque, mucilaginous and bacterial deposits and which at the same time provides excellent denture cleansing performance, appearance, physical characteristics, dissolution and in-use performance characteristics.