A clip connector having a base and a clip, the base including a washer/spacer to prevent the base from clamping upon the clip to allow free movement of the clip in the base. The washer has a bore having a flared portion to collect shavings generated by a self-drilling screw. The clip connector includes a clip, or use with a roof, having a series of regularly spaced holes to allow sealant to pass therethrough. The clip further preferably has a rounded head which nests snugly with associated panels and includes a fastener extending through the foot of the clip to retain the foot in the desired position. In this manner, the overlapping portions of the foot remain pressed together, thereby facilitating the sliding of the clip within the base. The clip preferably includes a shelf to support panels during connection of the panels to the clip of the present invention.

The present invention relates to methods and devices for joining building structures, and more particularly, to methods and devices for joining building panels such as roofing, wall and flooring panels to frame members.
Metal building structures, such as roof, floor and wall structures typically include a plurality of spaced supporting members, such as purlins, joists or girts, to buttress the structures. A series of relatively rigid interlocked roof or wall panels is placed upon the supporting members and traverses the gaps between the members. Typically, the panels are lapped and sealed, depending upon the length of the roof or wall and the panel length. A clip connector is utilized to couple the panels to the supporting members. The connector comprises a clip and a generally U-shaped base slidably mounted to the clip. The base has a generally horizontal channel extending therethrough, and the clip is movable in the channel. When the panels are coupled to the clip, the roof or wall structure is movable with respect to the supporting members. Such a connector having a clip and a base is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,522,005 to Seaberg et al.
However, there are several drawbacks with such a clip connector design. For example, when attaching a clip connector to an underlying supporting member, a fastener, such as a self-drilling screw, is passed through the base of the connector and into the supporting member. However, the fastener may be overtightened such that the base clamps against the clip retained in the channel, which prevents the clip from freely sliding in the base. Furthermore, when a self-drilling screw is utilized as the fastener, shavings generated by the screw may build up around the shank of the screw beneath the base which prevents the base from being seated properly on the supporting member.
The clips of such prior art connectors also may have disadvantaged. For example, holes typically are positioned along the top of the clips which allow sealant to be distributed between overlapping panels to form a seal between the panels and the clip. However, hole patterns in existing clips do not always provide for effective, continuous distribution of the sealant which can lead to a faulty seal. Furthermore, the profile of the top of the clips optimally should provide for a snug fit between the overlapping panels and the clip. However, existing clip designs do not provide an integral fit with several panel designs.
Further drawbacks in existing clips exist in the foot design of the clip, which may not always properly retain its shape. This can inhibit effective sliding of the clip within the associated base. Finally, prior art clips do not provide a support surface on which the panels may be rested during attachment of the panels to the clip. This causes inconvenience to the worker when attaching the panels.


An object is to obtain a ground device capable of reducing a communication time of train information from an onboard device to the ground device. A ground device, which is capable of communicating with an onboard device and acquiring unreceived data from the onboard device by difference downloading or batch downloading, includes a difference-communication determiner to determine whether to acquire the unreceived data from the onboard device by difference downloading or to acquire all data to be acquired from the onboard device including the unreceived data by batch downloading. The difference-communication determiner includes a communication-time evaluator to evaluate a total communication time when data in a specified period is acquired by the batch downloading and that by the difference downloading, and a communication switch to output a download instruction based on a result of evaluation by the communication-time evaluator.

Time-series recorded data that is related to a train state recorded in an onboard device is required to be acquirable from a plurality of vehicles by a plurality of ground operators, where the recorded data is used for analysis, prediction, and report of a failure. However, when data is acquired every time such a request specifying a period is received from a ground device, it takes a long time to complete data acquisition. Particularly, in a country or a region where the quality of wireless communication is low, it takes a very long time to complete data acquisition.
Meanwhile, Patent Literature 1 that is an example of conventional techniques discloses a technique of "reducing the amount of data to be transmitted by comparing the amount of difference data and the amount of latest data with each other and by transmitting the data having a smaller amount as a response", because "there is a case where the amount of difference data becomes larger than the amount of latest data when many changes have been made to the data and the amount of changes is large".

Ground device and ground-onboard communication system


A recoil reduction mechanism for a gun includes two successive springs cooperating with a cylinder, an axle and a magnet. The magnet attracts the gun's slide and the cylinder, in a direction opposite of the slide's and the cylinder's recoil direction. A third spring, because of its position and size, acts as an extra suspension for the gun's recoil, and as an accelerator for the slide's reciprocating motion.

A invention concerns a recoil mechanism for reducing the recoil of a gun. When a gun, as a mechanical system, is fired, the bullet travels along the gun's barrel and exits its muzzle. The resulting reactive force is imparted to the gun in the form of recoil. Apart from the gun's recoil phenomenon which is caused upon firing in the chamber because of the bullet's charge, the produced explosion gives to the gun's frame an instantaneous kinetic energy, annihilating any inertia phenomenon, which was prevailing in the reference system between the gun and the user before the explosion.

Magnetomechanical system for reduction the recoil of a gun


An x-ray tube has an anode plate connected to an anode tube that is mounted such that it can rotate around a rigid anode shaft. To improve the heat dissipation from the anode plate, a liquid for dissipation of heat to the anode shaft is accommodated in an intervening space formed between the anode shaft and the anode plate.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns an x-ray tube of the type having a rotary anode that rotates on a rigid shaft.
2. Description of the Prior Art
An x-ray tube of the above type is known from Japanese Application 3228992. In this known x-ray tube, an node plate Is attached to the closed end of an anode tube via a short, rigid axle. The anode tube is mounted on the rigid axle such that it can rotate. In the area of the end of anode tube, a fluid metal is incorporated for improving heat dissipation from the anode plate. Although, the heat transfer from such an anode plate to a cooling device incorporated into the anode axle is improved, in the manner a further improvement of the cooling of the anode plate would be desirable to improve the overall performance of such an x-ray tube.
Rotary piston radiators are known from German OS 197 41 750, German PS 198 51 853 as well as German OS 199 56 491 wherein a rotary drum surrounding an anode plate is incorporated in a rotatable fashion in a housing. Located between an inner surface of the housing and an outer surface of the rotary piston is a liquid coolant that circulates around the rotary piston to dissipate heat. Rotary piston radiators have the advantage that large amounts of heat can be removed. The high performance drive needed for the rotary piston is, however, disadvantageous.
European Application 1 047 100 discloses an x-ray tube in which an anode plate is mounted onto a rigid hollow anode axle such that it can rotate. The anode plate is hollow in sections thereof and liquid coolant flows through it for heat dissipation. The coolant is supplied and removed via the hollow anode axle. This x-ray tube is complicated in terms of design and therefore expensive to manufacture.
German PS 36 44 719 describes a liquid-cooled x-ray tube. A cylindrically designed rotary anode is mounted to rotate around a cooler. The cooler in turn encloses, as an annular channel, a rotatably supported anode axle connected with the rotary anode. A liquid metal for improving heat dissipation is disposed between an outer surface of the cooler and an inner surface of the rotary anode.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,577,340 describes an x-ray tube in which an anode plate is firmly connected with a hollow anode axle. The anode plate is partially hollow and is supplied with liquid coolant via the anode axle. Additional x-ray tubes with hollow liquid-cooled anode plates are known, for example, from European Application 0 576 258 as well as European Application 0 330 336. X-ray tubes with hollow anode plates generally require a high manufacturing expenditure,


An air conditioning system includes a heat pump section performing indoor air-warming by using a vapor-compression refrigeration cycle, a separate heat source section performing indoor air-warming by using a heat source separate from the heat pump section, and a control unit configured to control actions of the heat pump section and the separate heat source section. When an operation is switched from a separate heat source air-warming operation to a heat pump air-warming operation, the control unit starts the heat pump air-warming operation while the separate heat source air-warming operation is continued, and after an overlapping air-warming ending condition is met, the control unit ends the separate heat source air-warming operation. The overlapping air-warming ending condition is that a temperature difference resulting from subtracting a target indoor temperature from an indoor temperature is equal to or greater than an overlapping air-warming ending air temperature difference.

In the past, there have been air conditioning systems which have a heat pump section for performing indoor air-warming by using a vapor-compression refrigeration cycle, and a separate heat source section for performing indoor air-warming by using a gas furnace which is a heat source separate from the heat pump section. An example of such an air conditioning system is one in which an air-warming operation by the heat pump section (referred to below as the "heat pump air-warming operation") is switched to an air-warming operation by the separate heat source section (referred to below as the "separate heat source air-warming operation") as an outside air temperature drops, and the separate heat source air-warming operation is switched to the heat pump air-warming operation as the outside air temperature rises, as is indicated in Japanese Laid-open Patent Application No. 64-54160.

Air conditioning system with heat pump section and separate heat source section


A system for contactless power and data transmission contains a stationary station and a mobile station. In order to tune a resonant circuit of the mobile station to the resonant frequency of the stationary station, a multiplicity of capacitors which can be connected in parallel with the resonant circuit are provided. An instantaneous operating state of the system is included in the tuning. The realization is easy to integrate.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a system for contactless power and data transmission.
Such systems include a stationary station and a mobile part, for example in the form of a smart card or a chip key, etc. The stationary station supplies power which is necessary for operation of the mobile part. A loosely coupled coil pair, in which each coil is assigned to a resonant circuit in the mobile part and the stationary part, is generally provided for that purpose. A radio-frequency signal is used for the power transmission. In the mobile part, that signal is fed to a rectifier unit and, if appropriate, to a voltage regulating unit which is connected downstream of the rectifier unit. The DC voltage obtained therefrom is used to supply the mobile part with power. Such systems are employed, for example, in recognition systems, immobilizers, smart cards and recognition systems for identifying useful animals, etc.
In the case of such systems with contactless power transmission, the transmission efficiency is highest when the transmission frequency of the primary circuit corresponds to the resonant frequency of the secondary circuit. The primary circuit contains, for example, the resonant circuit of the stationary part, and the secondary circuit that of the mobile part. Due to parameter fluctuations of the components and interference influences coupled in externally, that requirement can only be achieved within the sum of component parameters and other influencing quantities. Tuning of the secondary circuit is necessary in order to achieve the best possible signal and power transmission.
German Patent DE 38 10 702 C2 specifies a device for contactless signal and power transmission in which the stationary station contains a tunable resonant circuit that is driven by a control circuit in order to carry out tuning to the receiving circuit of the mobile part, thereby achieving the best possible reception. The stationary station contains a further resonant circuit. The signals which can be picked off from the resonant circuits are evaluated with regard to the relative phase angle with respect to one another. Series-connected variable-capacitance diodes which, for their part, are connected in parallel with the resonant circuit of the mobile station that is to be tuned, are controlled in dependence on that evaluation.
Published International Patent Application WO 93/23908 describes a system for contactless power and data transmission between a primary station and at least one mobile secondary station, in which system the secondary resonant circuit in the mobile station is tuned to the primary resonant circuit in such a way that capacitors can be connected in parallel. In order to set the tuning, it is proposed to derive a voltage signal from the reception frequency. The voltage signal is compared with a reference signal. A switching signal for the optional switching-in of the capacitors is derived from the result of the comparison.

System for contactless power and data transmission


Grained, anodized and hydrophilized lithographic printing plates which have a negative or positive working radiation-sensitive coating, are exposed and are developed in an aqueous alkaline solution, are subjected, after hydrophilization, to a treatment with a salt solution containing divalent or polyvalent cations in a concentration of not less than 0.02 mol/l, thereby minimizing degradation of the plate and contamination of the printing forms and the development apparatus.

The invention relates to a process for producing lithographic printing forms from grained, anodized and hydrophilized lithographic printing plates which have a radiation-sensitive coating, are exposed and are developed in an aqueous alkaline solution, and to lithographic printing forms produced thereby.
The presensitized lithographic printing forms generally used in the field are metal, usually aluminum, bases in strip, plate or sheet form which are provided with positive- or negative-working radiation-sensitive
The following radiation-sensitive coatings are normally used to coat the printing plates:
positive- or negative-working diazo compounds, PA0 negative-working mixtures composed of olefinically unsaturated compounds and photoinitiators, and PA0 positive-working mixtures with photosemiconductors.
As film formers, these coatings contain polymers having functional units which ensure the development of the coatings after the imagewise exposure and optional further processing steps, such as heat treatment or toning, in the aqueous alkaline developer solutions. Examples of such functional units are --COOH, --SO.sub.3 H, --PO.sub.3 H.sub.2, --SH, --OH and --NH.sub.2.
As alkaline components, the developer solutions generally contain, in addition to further constituents, such as surfactants, hydrotropes, solvents, complexing agents etc., alkali-metal silicates. Silicates have the advantage that they attack the Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 layer built up in the anodizing step on the surface of the base to a markedly lesser extent than other alkaline reagents.
Nevertheless, problems occur in practice, and specifically, of a type, in particular, which is such that the Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 formed on the front and back of the aluminum base is subject to a degradation in the development process which is in some cases severe. On the back of the aluminum base, in particular, which has only a relatively thin oxide coating, this results in a gelatinous coating which accumulates on the squeeze rollers of the development apparatus and may be retransferred from that point to the developed lithographic printing forms. In order to avoid the malfunctions in the printing process resulting therefrom, prevention of this contamination by regular cleaning of the development apparatus is therefore necessary.

Process for treating lithographic printing forms and lithographic printing forms produced thereby


A projection display system is provided having a first off-axis projector, a second off-axis projector and a screen assembly including a display screen. The screen assembly has a center axis segmenting the assembly into two segments. The first off-axis projector produces a first image that is directed via a first image path onto the first segment of the screen assembly and the second off-axis projector produces a second image that is directed via a second image path onto the second segment of the screen assembly. The second image interfaces the first image at the center axis of the screen assembly, both images intersecting the center axis at a substantially normal angle. The screen assembly may further include a Fresnel lens positioned in the first and second image paths adjacent to the display screen for receiving and straightening the first and second images. The first and second images are tiled across the entirety of the rear face of the screen assembly. The configuration of adjacent first and second off-axis projectors enables near perfect optical alignment of the first and second images, with the seam at the interface of the first and second images virtually indistinguishable to the viewer. An alternate embodiment of the system employs four off-axis projectors tiling four images across the rear face of a screen assembly in a similar manner.

The quality of an image on the display screen of a standard projection display diminishes significantly as the performance limits of the projection display are approached or exceeded. For example, the brightness of the image on the display screen is a function of the output of the projector light source and the size of the image on the display screen. Since the brightness of the image decreases as the image size increases, the brightness of the image may become unacceptably low if a relatively large image is projected onto an oversize display screen using a projector light source having an insufficient output. The resolution of the image on the display screen is a function of the resolution of the image source used in the projector of the projection display, but is independent of the size of the image on the display screen. The resolution of the image source, and correspondingly the resolution of the image on the display screen, is defined by the number of pixels provided in the horizontal and vertical direction. Conventional projection displays for displaying computer information typically have resolutions of 640 by 480, 800 by 600, or 1024 by 768, which correspond to an aspect ratio of 4:3. However, many projection display applications require the projection of higher resolution images or images having alternate aspect ratios onto the display screen.
A current challenge is to develop cost effective projection displays capable of producing images for viewing on display screens, which have relatively high resolution or which have a non-standard aspect ratio. For example, air traffic control applications can require a projection display for radar images having a high resolution of 2000 by 2000. Avionics applications can require a small panoramic projection display having a higher than conventional resolution and a wider aspect ratio. Medical imaging applications can require a projection display having a significantly higher than conventional resolution and a very high contrast. High definition television applications require a projection display having a resolution of 1700 by 1000 at a 9:16 aspect ratio for full performance. Although projection displays utilizing a single projector have been demonstrated, which exhibit the required resolutions and aspect ratios for the above-recited applications, such displays must typically be custom produced because of the limited demand for projection displays satisfying specific high-end performance requirements. As a result, the cost of high resolution projection displays is oftentimes prohibitively high relative to the cost of conventional lower resolution projection displays.
One approach to solving the problem of high cost with respect to high resolution projection displays is described with reference to FIG. 1, wherein a projection display system generally designated 10 is shown. The projection display system 10 utilizes two conventionally-sized on-axis projectors 12, 14 positioned in parallel behind a single large display screen 16. An on-axis projector is characterized by the coalignment of the projector axis and the axis of the image projected therefrom. Each of the on-axis projectors 12, 14 has a Fresnel lens 18, 20, associated with the projector. The Fresnel lenses 18, 20 are positioned side-by-side behind the screen 16 and are aligned with the images 22, 24 emanating from the on-axis projectors 12, 14, respectively. The on-axis projectors 12, 14 operate in cooperation with one another to project the two images 22, 24 side-by-side onto the screen 16 so that the two images 22, 24 appear to the viewer as a single large image having twice the size of the two smaller images 22, 24.
Producing an apparent single large image of acceptable quality by tiling two smaller side-by-side images together has proven to be problematic, however, because distortion creates a seam down the center of the apparent large image where the two smaller images 22, 24 interface. Distortion along the central seam of the image is attributable in part to brightness non-uniformities which are inherent to projection display systems. In the case of a system employing a single rear projector and a Fresnel lens which projects a nominally collimated image onto a screen, light from the on-screen image which is received by the eye of a viewer at an angle of 90.degree. appears brighter to the viewer than light from the on-screen image which is received by the viewer at an angle other than 90.degree.. Consequently the on-screen image has a brightness "hot spot" corresponding to the position of the viewer relative to the screen. To combat this effect, conventional projection display systems focus the on-screen image toward a position an optimum design distance from the screen where an idealized viewer is located. Light from all areas of the screen is directed to the viewer at this position, improving brightness uniformity. Even with this design, however, brightness falls off at a cosine function due to projection optics and the reduced efficiency of the Fresnel lens toward the edge of the lens.
The projection display system 10 of FIG. 1, which employs two on-axis projectors 12, 14, is particularly susceptible to brightness non-uniformities because the edge of the image exiting each of the Fresnel lenses 18, 20 is aligned with the center axis 26 of the screen 16. As a result, the on-screen image of the system 10 displayed to the viewer is least bright at the center of the screen 16, rather than more desirably at the edge of the screen, as in the case of a single projector system. The twin on-axis projector configuration of the system 10 also causes the brightness on one half of the screen 16 to drop off faster than the brightness on the other half of the screen 16 as the viewer moves to either side of the center axis 26. It is further noted that the image exiting each of the Fresnel lenses 18, 20 must be divergent with some distance to the screen 16 to permit alignment of the side-by-side images on the screen 16 without creating a space between them.
Distortion of the image along its central seam may also be attributable to difficulties in providing accurate geometrical alignment of the projected images with their respective Fresnel lenses 18, 20. Inaccuracies in geometrical alignment of the projected images with the Fresnel lenses 18, 20 produce unacceptable artifacts and a loss of pixel information at the seam. A large stable mechanical supporting structure is required to provide stable and accurate geometrical alignment of the images at the seam. However, such structures are impractical from both a size and cost standpoint.
It is apparent that a need exists for a projection display system that overcomes the above-recited problems inherent to tiled projection display systems. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an effective tiled projection display system. In particular, it is an object of the present invention to provide a projection display system that cost-effectively produces a high-quality image on a display screen. It is another object of the present invention to provide such a projection display system that provides relatively uniform brightness of the image, particularly along the central axis of the screen. It is still another object of the present invention to provide such a projection display system that projects a plurality of tiled images onto a screen which are aligned to create the appearance of a single contiguous image to the viewer. It is yet another object of the present invention to provide such a projection display system wherein a relatively large image capability is achieved by increasing the resolution of the system relative to conventional systems. These objects and others are achieved by the present invention described hereinafter.

System for displaying images from multiple projectors onto a common screen


Compounds of the current invention relate to rifamycin derivatives having antimicrobial activities, including activities against drug-resistant microorganisms. More specifically, compounds of the current invention relate to C-25 carbamate derivatives of rifamycin having another functional group or pharmacophore covalently attached to this position through a carbamate linkage. The resulting compounds exert their antimicrobial activity through a dual-function mechanism and therefore exhibit reduced frequency of resistance.

This invention relates to novel rifamycin derivatives having antimicrobial activity, compositions containing the compounds, and methods for treatment and prevention of microbial infections. The compounds of the current invention are potent antibacterial agents active against certain drug-resistant, and particularly rifamycin-resistant pathogens.
Rifamycins are natural products with potent antimicrobial activity. Examples of the naturally-occurring rifamycins are rifamycin B, rifamycin O, rifamycin R, rifamycin U, rifamycin S, rifamycin SV and rifamycin Y (Brufani et al., 1974). The therapeutic applications of the naturally-occurring rifamycins are limited due to their poor oral bioavailability, weak activity against Gram-negative pathogens and low distribution into the infected tissues. Significant efforts have been made toward to identifying semi-synthetic rifamycin derivatives to address the deficiencies. As a result, many semi-synthetic rifamycin derivatives with improved spectrums and pharmacological profiles have been identified. Among the semi-synthetic compounds, rifampin, rifabutin and rifapetine have been developed into therapeutic agents and are widely used for the treatment of tuberculosis and other microbial infections (Farr, Rifamycins).
One of the major problems associated with the rifamycin class of antimicrobial agents is the rapid development of microbial resistance. Compounds of the current invention are designed to address the rifamycin resistance problem by covalently attaching another functional group to the C-25 position of rifamycin scaffold that provides an additional binding interaction with RNA polymerase or interacts to an additional enzyme target.
Reference is made to U.S. Pat. No. 4,188,321 that describes a series of C-25 desacetyl derivatives and Wehrli, Zimmerman et al., 1987, that discloses a series of C-25 rifamycin derivatives modified through an ester linkage. The compounds of the current invention are rifamycin derivatives having stable C-25 carbamate functionality, which are novel.
Reference is made to Kump and Bickel, 1973, which describes preparation of a propionate and pivalate esters at C-25. Reference is made to U.S. Pat. No. 5,786,350 that discloses a series of C-36 derivatives of rifamycins, including derivatives formed by linking the C-3 carboxy group of a fluoroquinolone to the C-36 position of rifamycins through a chemically and metabolically liable ester group. Compounds of the current invention link an antibiotic to the C-25 position of rifamycins through a chemically and metabolically stable carbamate linker.
Reference is also made to International Patent Application Publication No. WO 03/045319 A2 which discloses rifamycin derivatives formed by linking rifamycin and a therapeutic drug and the use of these derivatives as vehicles for delivering the therapeutic drug. However, the aforementioned reference failed to demonstrate by specific examples that any drug is introduced to the C-25 position of a rifamycin molecule. Derivatives in which the C-25 acetate is replaced by a carbamate linkage are not described and no examples for the preparation of such examples are known.

C-25 carbamate rifamycin derivatives with activity against drug-resistant microbes


Method for purification of ammonia or mixtures of nitrogen and hydrogen, or nitrogen, hydrogen and ammonia, where ammonia or a mixture of gases under pressure of from 0.1 to 25 MPa is passed through a column packed with aluminum oxide with a large specific surface area, the ammonia or mixture of gases is then passed through a column packed with CaO, NaOH, KOH or an NaOH/KOH melt, separately or in a mixture, at 20 to 70° C. and under pressure of from 0.1 to 25 MPa, and the ammonia or mixture of gases is passed through a column packed with activated carbon having a specific area of 100-3000 m2/g with sodium, potassium, caesium, magnesium, calcium, strontium, barium or cerium nitrates(V) or nitrates(III) deposited on its surface, separately or in a mixture.

Over the last few decades, scientific studies resulted in many discoveries in the field of electronics pertaining to the application of new materials. Nitrides of aluminium, gallium and indium are an especially attractive group of chemical compounds to be used in new electronic technologies. In the processes of synthesis of the said nitrides, ammonia with particularly high purity—less than 0.1 ppm of impurities—is used. On the other hand, a need arises for purification of the syngas (hydrogen and nitrogen) stream in ammonia synthesis, in which catalysts with higher efficiency than that of the conventional iron catalyst are used. Such catalysts are much more sensitive to impurities present in the syngas stream.
Purity of ammonia is connected both with purity of the syngas used for production of ammonia and with methods for purification of raw ammonia.
Methods for obtaining a syngas with proper purity (mixture of H2 and N2) are known and described in many sources of literature [W. Bobrownicki, S. Pawlikowski, "Technologia zwiazków azotowych", WNT, Warsaw 1974; Information materials of Kellogg Brown & Root, http://www.kbr.com, dated May 15, 2012]. Final purification of the fresh gas from water vapour and carbon oxides is carried out by adsorption on molecular sieves or washing of the gas with a stream of liquid ammonia or liquid nitrogen. The purity of these gas streams is sufficient to obtain technical ammonia on a large commercial scale, but completely unsatisfactory for application of the obtained NH3 in electronics. For this type of application, it is necessary to remove such impurities as H2O(g), COx, CH4, O2 and Ar from ammonia.
In order to purify ammonia to high purity, two basic methods are used. The older one consists in passing gaseous ammonia containing 80 ppm of impurities under atmospheric pressure through liquid ammonia with dissolved metallic sodium. After purification, NH3 contains 0.6 ppm of impurities in the form of oxygen-containing compounds [U.S. Pat. No. 4,075,306]. The other method for obtaining high-purity ammonia is fractional distillation of liquid ammonia under a pressure of 2-30 MPa. Ammonia with 99.99% purity was purified to a level of 10 ppm of impurities [U.S. Pat. No. 7,001,490]. of liquid ammonia may be preceded by stages of hydrocarbons and water removal by adsorption. The adsorption process is carried out using a known bed, e.g. granulated activated carbon for removal of hydrocarbons and calcium sulfate(VI) for removal of water. Such a process is known from the patent description U.S. Pat. No. 7,297,181, according to which ammonia with a purity of 99.9995% has been obtained.
Use of metallic sodium in the first method practically precludes its application in the field of electronics, because sodium is an element considered exceptionally inadvisable in semiconductor materials. In the next two methods, a process of distillation is used, requiring complex equipment and using a significant amount of energy.
The goal of the invention was to provide a method which allows for obtaining high-purity ammonia, technologically convenient on a large scale, and enables efficient purification of both syngas and impure ammonia.

Method for purification of ammonia, mixtures of nitrogen and hydrogen, or nitrogen, hydrogen and ammonia


A color image forming apparatus including a plurality of photosensitive drums on which toner images of different colors are respectively formed. An endless belt confronts the plurality of photosensitive drums. A drive source drives rotation of the endless belt, or alternatively plural drive sources drive the photosensitive drums to individually rotate. A memory stores pre-measured characteristics of a color misregistration of a color image in a sub-scanning direction of the apparatus, the color image formed by transferring images from respective of the plurality of photosensitive drums. Further, a control unit changes an average running speed of the endless belt, or alternatively an average running speed of at least some of the photosensitive drums, by controlling the drive sources, to compensate for color misregistration, based on the stored characteristics of color misregistration. The belt can either transport a paper sheet or have a color image formed thereon as an intermediate transfer device.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a color image forming apparatus, a method, and a computer program product for a driver controller of the color image forming apparatus, in which a plurality of electrophotographic image forming units are arranged along a conveying direction of an endless belt.
2. Description of the Background Art
There are generally two kinds of image transfer systems. One of them is a direct transfer system that transfers different color toner images formed on plural photosensitive drums directly onto a transfer paper, as a representative method, for color image formation. The other is an intermediary transfer system that transfers different color toner images formed on plural photosensitive drums onto an intermediary transfer device, and after that transfers all the toner images onto a transfer paper at the same time.
Image forming devices of the direct and intermediary transfer systems are referred to as Tandem type because plural photosensitive drums are arranged at an opposite side in a transfer paper or an intermediary transfer device. The Tandem type devices execute plural process such as formation of an electrophotographic image for each color of magenta (M), cyan (C), yellow (Y), and black (K) on each of respective photosensitive drums, and execute an electrophotographic process of developing. The Tandem type devices transfer images directly onto a transfer paper in the direct transfer system, and transfer images to an intermediary transfer device in the intermediary transfer system.
In a color image formation device of such a Tandem type system, a direct transfer system uses an endless belt as a paper conveyance belt running for supporting a transfer paper, and an intermediary transfer system uses an endless belt as an intermediate transfer belt for forming images thereon from photosensitive drums. In general, an image process unit including four photosensitive drums is set along the conveying direction of the endless belt. In such a structure, it is very important to ensure that each individual color image is overlaid preciously at the same position on either the transfer paper or the intermediate transfer belt, and thus it is important to control a position alignment technique between each color image in a color image forming apparatus of the Tandem system.
Various systems have conventionally been implemented for maintaining such a positional alignment for each color image.
For example, there is known a controlling method that forms toner patterns for adjusting each color on the endless belt and detects with a sensor a color misalignment and adjusts a writing timing of the optical writing unit based on any detected color misalignment.
In such a background art, for example Japanese Laid-Open patent Publication No. 2001-215857 (the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference) describes that a color misregistration is prevented by changing a conveyance speed of a transfer device conveyance depending on a lap length of a transfer conveyance device resulting from an environmental change and a temperature rise in a device (endless belt).
In a color image formation device of a so-called Tandem system, color misregistration can easily result between each of the colors to be formed. The main causes of the color misregistrations are Skew difference, a registration difference in a sub-scanning direction, a magnification error in a main-scanning direction, a registration difference in a main-scanning direction, etc.
The above-mentioned toner pattern system is described as follows referring to FIG. 11. FIG. 11 shows toner pattern lines 201 for a color adjustment formed on an endless belt 200, which e.g. is a sheet conveyance belt. In the toner pattern lines 201, horizontal lines and diagonal lines of each of colors K, Y, C, M are formed and these pattern lines are detected by sensors 202-204 set in a main-scanning direction. Using outputs of the sensors 202-204, an amount of a skew difference, a registration difference in a sub-scanning direction, a registration difference in a main-scanning direction, and a magnification difference in a main-scanning direction relative to a main color (in this case, Black (K)), are all calculated. Based on the calculation results a main CPU makes a correction of each color misalignment.
A correction of a skew difference is realized by modifying a slope of a mirror that reflects the laser light of each color in an optical writing unit. A stepping motor is used with a driver to change the slope of the mirror. The corrections of registrations in a main-scanning and in a sub-scanning directions are realized by adjusting a start-writing timing. Also, based on the result of a mark detection and calculation, when there is a misalignment of the main color about a magnification in a main-scanning direction, the device can change the frequency with a very small step, for example a clock generator can change the magnification.
However, when such a toner pattern system forms toner patterns of each color and makes an automatic color detection by detecting these patterns, down time of the machine occurs and copy productivity will be lost. Especially considering the color difference in a sub-scanning direction, the speed change of an endless belt should be considered, and actually toner pattern lines 201 shown in FIG. 11 are formed plural times (for example, eight sets are formed) in a sub-scanning direction. For calculating an average of the results of the detection, a toner pattern is formed by merely a timing of paper intervals, and thereby a long down time of a machine in such conditions cannot be avoided. The term "down time" in this context indicates a time that the device in FIG. 11 needs to form the toner patterns 201 and to calculate any color differences based on detecting those toner patterns 201 with the sensors 202-204. That is, forming the toner patterns 201 and processing data from detecting the toner patterns 201 requires time during which image formation cannot be effectuated, resulting in a down time in image formation.
The above patent document JP 2001-215857 discloses changing a lap length of an endless belt that occurs by a temperature rise, and the conveyance speed of an endless belt is controlled according to the change of the lap length. However, it is not enough to correct a color misalignment only paying attention to the change of a lap length of an endless belt because a color misalignment in a sub-scanning direction results not only from a change of a lap length of an endless belt, but also by results compounded from an influence of an optics device in an optical writing unit, a speed change of the endless belt, a stretching of the device housing itself, etc.

Apparatus and method for color image forming, and computer program product for driver controller


The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a screen and welding apparatus thereof, putting a metal filter net around the outside of a support sheath and fixing the metal filter net to the outside of the support sheath by way of welding, such that the metal filter net completely covers all filter holes of the support sheath to form a filter sheath with; fixing the filter sheath to the outside of the base pipe and the filter sheath completely covering all penetrated holes on the base pipe; putting a jacket around the outside of the filter sheath and fixing it to the outside of the base pipe such that the jacket completely covers the outside surface of the filter area of the filter sheath. The present invention uses direct spot welding and seam welding technology to fix the metal net to the outside of the support sheath directly, eliminates leakage hole phenomena appearing on jointing parts of the metal net and forms the screen with multi-layer metal nets with improved sand control capability and life time. The present invention also discloses the apparatus for above-said screen to realize penetrated welding of the filter sheath so as to improve the welding quality of the metal net and lower the factory cost of the screen.

In petroleum and natural gas exploitation fields, in order to prevent sand in the oil-gas well from being brought to shaft or ground apparatuses together with oil-gas-water while sanding, in-well screen which could effectively filtrates oil-gas-water needed to be used. One hole in a segment of an in-well screen ranged from several decades to several hundred meters would destroy the whole sand protection in-well project. If the sand protection fails, normal production of the oil-gas well will be influenced or the oil-gas well will be discarded. Thus filter materials of screen thus need to possess the following comprehensive property: exactly controllable pore size, strong whole strength, flexibility, excellent corrosive resistance and high reliability.
At present, most of filter materials used to make premium screen are very expensive multi-layer sintered metal net. This multi-layer sintered metal net is porous filter material produced by vacuum welding technology. It is a composite made of multilayer metal net, metal fiber or metal powder and has better solderability. It can be welded by arc welding or plasma arc welding without leaks and guarantee the welding strength. However, the filter material has high factory cost, low productivity and its size is limited by vacuum welding apparatus.
Using metal net to take place of above-said sintered filter material will have high economic benefit. However, conventional welding technology has either low welding strength or leak phenomena (shrinkage hole phenomena) appears on welding parts of melt net. When using single-layer metal net as filter material of screen, welding pores will appear on arc welding parts. Therefore, single-layer metal net is fixed on base pipe of screen by way of mechanical fixing means (e.g. hem and compacting means etc). However, the strength and reliability produced by these methods are relative low.
Although the screen may be made of non-sintered multi-layer composite net, during welding, shrinkage hole phenomena of multi-layer compound net is more serious than single-layer metal net. At the same time, due to high thickness of screen and several-meter-long filter segment, series of difficulties are brought to welding procedure. Thus how to obtain high quality and low cost screen welded by way of welding method from metal net is one big problem in the field.

Screen manufacturing method and welding apparatus thereof

Beijing Hinen-Hitech Petroleum Technology Development Co., Ltd


Ionic liquids are capable of acting as solvents for amine CO2 absorbent compounds in CO2 separation processes and when so used enhance the sorption of the CO2 by the amine. A cyclic sorption process for separating CO2 from a gas stream, such as flue gas or natural gas, brings the gas stream into contact with an absorbent solution of an amine CO2 sorbent in an ionic liquid solvent followed by desorbing the CO2 to regenerate the amine.

The removal of carbon dioxide from mixed gas streams is of great industrial importance and commercial value. Carbon dioxide is a ubiquitous and inescapable by-product of the combustion of hydrocarbons, and there is growing concern over its accumulation in the atmosphere and its potential role in a perceived global climate change. Laws and regulations driven by environmental factors may therefore soon be expected to require its capture and sequestration. While existing methods of CO2 capture have been adequately satisfactory for the scale in which they have so far been used, future uses on the far larger scale required for significant reductions in atmospheric CO2 emissions from major stationary combustion sources such as power stations fired by fossil fuels makes it necessary to improve the processes used for the removal of CO2 from gas mixtures. According to data developed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, power generation produces approximately 78% of world emissions of CO2 with other industries such as cement production (7%), refineries (6%), iron and steel manufacture (5%), petrochemicals (3%), oil and gas processing (0.4%) and the biomass industry (bioethanol and bioenergy) (1%) making up the bulk of the total, illustrating the very large differences in scale between power generation on the one hand and all other uses on the other. To this must be added the individual problem of the sheer volumes of gas which will need to be treated: flue gases consist mainly of nitrogen from combustion air, with the CO2, nitrogen oxides and other emissions such as sulfur oxides making up relatively smaller proportions of the gases which require treatment: typically, the flue gases from fossil fuel power stations typically contain from about 7 to 15 volume percent of CO2, depending on the fuel, with natural gas giving the lowest amounts and hard coals the greatest.
Cyclic CO2 absorption technologies such as Pressure Swing Absorption (PSA) and Temperature Swing Absorption (TSA) using liquid absorbents are well-established. The absorbents mostly used include liquid solvents, as in amine scrubbing processes, although solid sorbents are also used in PSA and TSA processes. Liquid amine absorbents, including alkanolamines, dissolved in water are probably the most common absorbents. Amine scrubbing is based on the chemical reaction of CO2 with amines to generate carbonate/bicarbonate and carbamate salts: the aqueous amine solutions chemically trap the CO2 via formation of one or more ammonium salts (carbamate/bicarbonate/carbonate) which are thermally unstable, enabling the regeneration of the free amine at moderately elevated temperatures. Commercially, amine scrubbing typically involves contacting the CO2 and/or H2S containing gas stream with an aqueous solution of one or more simple amines (e.g., monoethanolamine (MEA), diethanolamine (DEA), methyldiethanolamine (MDEA) or triethanolamine (TEA)). The low molecular weight of MEA makes it economically attractive because sorption takes place on a molecular basis while the amine is sold on a weight basis. The cyclic sorption process requires high rates of gas-liquid exchange, the transfer of large liquid inventories between the absorption and regeneration steps, and high energy requirements for the regeneration of amine solutions. It is challenged by the corrosive nature of the amine solutions containing the sorbed CO2. Without further improvement, these difficulties would limit the economic viability of the aqueous amine scrubbing processes in very large scale applications.
The cyclic absorption processes using aqueous sorbents require a large temperature differential in the gas stream between the absorption and desorption (regeneration) parts of the cycle. In conventional aqueous amine scrubbing methods relatively low temperatures, e.g., less than 50° C., are required for CO2 uptake with an increase to a temperature to above about 100° C., e.g., 120° C., required for the desorption. The heat required to maintain the thermal differential is a major factor in the cost of the process, and with the need to regenerate the solution at temperatures above 100° C., the high latent heat of vaporization of the water (2260 kJ/Kg at 100° C.) obviously makes a significant contribution to the total energy consumption. If CO2 capture is to be conducted on the larger scale appropriate to use in power stations, more effective and economical separation techniques need to be developed.
Another area where more efficient CO2 separation processes are used is in enhanced oil recovery (EOR) where CO2 is re-injected into the gas or liquid hydrocarbon deposits to maintain reservoir pressure. With the advanced age of many producing reservoirs worldwide and the ever-increasing challenge of meeting demand, the expanding use of EOR methods is becoming more widespread. Typically the source of carbon dioxide for EOR is the producing hydrocarbon stream itself, which may contain anywhere from less than 5% to more than 80% of CO2. Other options are to capture CO2 from the flue gases of various combustion sources and pre-combustion capture of CO2 from shifted syngas produced in fuel gasification processes.
Various commercial CO2 capture processes have been brought to market. The Fluor Daniel Econamine™ Process (originally developed by Dow Chemical and Union Carbide), which uses MEA for recovery of CO2 from flue gases, primarily for EOR applications, has a number of operational plants. The Benfield™ Process using hot potassium carbonate is used in many ammonia, hydrogen, ethylene oxide and natural gas plants with over 675 units worldwide licensed by UOP and has been proposed for treating flue gas, notwithstanding its minimum CO2 partial pressure requirement of 210-345 kPag (30-50 psig). One significant disadvantage of the Benfield Process is its use of a high temperature stripping step (175° C.) approximately 75-100° C. above the temperature of the absorption step. The Catacarb™ process, also using hot potassium carbonate, also uses high temperature stripping resulting in high energy consumption.
Processes using sterically hindered amines as alternatives to MEA, DEA, and TEA have also achieved success, including the ExxonMobil Flexsorb™ Process and the KS™ Process from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Kansai Electric Power Co.
Processes using solid absorbents are also known and while they may avoid many of the limitations of amine scrubbing, they suffer from a lack of absorbents having sufficiently selective CO2 absorption under the conditions present in most commercial combustion flue gas processes.

Ionic liquids as amine promoter solvents for removal of carbon dioxide

EXXONMOBIL RESEARCH AND ENGINEERING COMPANY


A bicycle sprocket set is composed of a small sprocket and a large sprocket coaxial with the small sprocket. The large sprocket is provided with an axially oriented recess in the bottom portion located between the first tooth and the second tooth of the large sprocket. The recess has a support curved face extending from the second tooth. The large sprocket is further provided with a support protrusion located under the support curved face such that the support protrusion is separated from the support curved face by a distance corresponding to about one tooth pitch. The support curved face and the support protrusion serve to support the inner and the outer chain plates of a drive chain at such time when the gearshifting takes place.

The sprocket set structure of the conventional variable speed bicycle makes use of the conventional sprocket of the single speed bicycle, without taking into consideration the design of the chain shifting process. In other words, when the gear changing is under way, the sprocket chain engages the other sprocket in a random manner. As a result, the chance of success of gear changing of the conventional variable speed bicycle is relatively low. In the meantime, the speed changing process is slow while the operation feel is less smooth. In view of these drawbacks, various improvements in the sprocket structure of the variable speed bicycle have been made in the recent years in the hope that the engagement of the sprocket chain and the sprocket takes place successfully with precision when the bicycle gear changing is under way. The U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,085,621 and 5,087,226 disclose respectively a sprocket having the design of the slanted pocket of recess for averting the sprocket changing outer chain plate and for bracing the waist portion of the sprocket chain, so as to enhance the chance of success of gear changing. Another U.S. Pat. No. 5,192,248 discloses an invention making use of the reduction in the engaging tooth height of the deformed tooth or the affixed tooth. The fixed point gear changing is attained by means of the relay engagement of the intermediate teeth. The U.S. Pat. No. 5,413,534 discloses a gear changing path which is provided with a support projection for bracing the waist of the sprocket chain at the time when the gear changing takes place, thereby averting the chain shifting failure which is brought about by the fall of the sprocket chain before the chain has arrived at the engaging teeth.
The gear changing auxiliary structures described above have indeed greatly enhanced the rate of the gear-changing success. However, the gear-changing success is assured only when these structures and the links of the sprocket chain remain in a precise geometric relationship so as to enable the sprocket chain to complete the gear-changing action at the designed engagement position. Nevertheless, the sprocket chain is in itself an elastic and pliable transmission element such that the moving path and the precise position of each link are subject to change by the circumstance under which the sprocket chain is exerted on by the force, the contact condition and the external coordinated relationship of the sprocket. As a result, a specific geometric relationship can not be maintained between the sprocket chain links and the gear-changing auxiliary structures described above. In addition, the structure of the support sprocket plate waist is not compatible with the various sprocket chain waists made by various manufacturers. It is therefore readily apparent that the practical application of the above-mentioned gear-changing auxiliary structures is rather limited as far as the needs of the speed variable bicycle are concerned.

Gear shifting sprocket set for bicycle chain wheel

Industrial Technology Research Institute


The present invention is method and apparatus for music performance and composition. More specifically, the present invention is an interactive music apparatus comprising actuating a signal that is transmitted to a processing computer that transmits output signals to a speaker that emits sound and an output component that performs an action. Further, the present invention is also a method of music performance and composition.

Teaching music performance and composition to individuals with physical and mental disabilities requires special adaptive equipment. Currently, these individuals have limited opportunities to learn to perform and compose their own music because of the unavailability of musical equipment that is adaptable for their use. Teaching music composition and performance to individuals with physical and mental disabilities requires instruments and teaching tools that are designed to compensate for disabled students' limited physical and cognitive abilities.
For example, students with physical and mental disabilities such as cerebral palsy often have extremely limited manual dexterity and thus are unable to play the typical keyboard instrument with a relatively large number of narrow keys. Similarly, a user with physical disabilities may have great difficulty grasping and manipulating drumsticks and thus would be unable to play the typical percussion device. Also, disabled users are unable to accurately control the movements of their hands, which, combined with an extremely limited range of motion, can also substantially limit their ability to play keyboard, percussion, or other instruments. Such users may, however, exhibit greater motor control using their head or legs.
Furthermore, the currently available musical instruments are generally inflexible in regard to the configurations of their user interfaces. For example, keyboards typically have a fixed number that cannot be modified to adapt to the varying physical capabilities of different users. In addition, individuals with cognitive delays are easily distracted and can lose focus when presented with an overwhelming number of keys. Similarly, teaching individuals with mental and physical disabilities basic music theory requires a music tutorial device that has sufficient flexibility to adjust for a range of different cognitive abilities.
Consequently, there is a need in the art for a music performance and composition apparatus with a user interface adaptable for use by individuals with physical and mental disabilities, such that these individuals can perform and compose music with minimal involvement by others. In addition, there is a need for an apparatus allowing disabled users to use the greater motor control available in their head or legs. Furthermore, there is a need in the art for a music composition and performance tutorial system incorporating this new apparatus that allows musicians with disabilities to learn to compose and perform their own music.

Method and apparatus for composing and performing music


This invention utilizes two sensing technologies in combination with or in isolation of an automated inspection vehicle to conduct inspections of internal rail flaws in steel railroad track. A vehicle equipped with X-radiation sensing is used as a secondary method to assess the deviations in magnetic fields that are sensed by a primary sensor consisting of a single or multiple magnetometers. The magnetometers sense changes in magnetic field that are correlated to the flaws inside the steel rail. The combination of technologies improves the probability to detect railroad flaws and offers the ability to accurately track and monitor flaws.

Field of Technology
This disclosure relates rail inspection, and more specifically to non-destructively detecting internal or other flaws, such as cracks or breaks, in metal rails where the flaws may not be visibly detectable or easily visible by a human.
Background
The railroad industry demands a frequent, accurate, and affordable method to detect internal rail flaws to prevent rails from cracking and to prevent a train from derailing. Internal rail flaw inspections are often conducted once a year or in some cases as many as eight times per year. If schedule, cost, and environment were not barriers, internal rail flaw inspections would be conducted on a weekly if not daily basis. Traditional, contact based, methods of internal rail flaw inspections are restricted by (1) speed and (2) freezing temperatures ultimately leading to limited inspection frequency. Additionally much of today's inspection technology is only able to detect less than 35% of all defects in the rail across all categories/types of defects (as explained in U.S. Patent Application No. 2002/0065610, "Hi-Rail Vehicle-Based Rail Inspection System", Clark et al., May 30, 2002). Operationally, contact based ultrasound systems are limited to top end speeds of approximately 20 MPH in order to provide accurate and repeatable measurements. Additionally, most contact based ultrasound requires a couplant (i.e. water) between the transducer and the rail to minimize signal loss and erroneous readings. In conditions at or approaching the freezing point, the couplant freezes and introduces air gaps impacting the performance of the signal.
The railroad track inspection market as it relates to detecting internal rail flaws that are not easily visible or are not visible consists of two primary inspection methods and related technologies that include (1) ultrasonic and (2) induction inspections. The rail inspection market utilizes a diverse set of automated and manual methods to deploy the ultrasonic and induction technologies along a railroad track which include vehicle tow behind units, vehicle under mount units, and hand held units. In some cases, both of these technologies are used in order to increase the probability of detecting internal rail flaws and minimizing false detections. These technologies provide an input signal to a user interface that is typically a graph (e.g. B-scan) depicting the strength of the signal in relationship to a signal that is known to not have internal flaws. Due to the variation in rails from wear and tear (internal as well as external) on a railroad track, the strength and quality of the internal rail flaw signal varies widely. The variation in signal typically results in poor detection of internal rail flaws upon first pass depending on size and severity of the flaw. A second pass that usually involves a manual inspection method helps to better define and detect the flaw. The industry attempts to minimize the impacts of the varying signals through extensive training, best practices, and combining both automated and manual detection technologies. Due to the need to leverage both automated and manual inspection technologies, the time required to inspect internal rail flaws in railroad track is directly related to the quality of the signal and the number of times required to stop and manually verify an internal flaw exists. Existing track inspection technologies utilize an active emitter and receiver in order to "excite" the rail and observe/capture the resulting energy/signal after the rail has been excited. One such system uses ultrasound. Another system uses eddy current and also is referred to as magnetic induction. Yet another utilizes a high-energy laser to excite the rail. Typically, the receivers complement the emitters. In other words, the ultrasound emitter utilizes an ultrasound receiver to determine the size or location of the flaw. The eddy current (i.e. voltage/current induction) emitter utilizes a voltage/current receiver to determine location or size of the flaw. In the case of the high-energy laser, the laser produces enough energy to excite the rail, propagating an ultrasound wave where the receiver is an ultrasound device used to detect the internal flaw. Ultrasonic transducers are typically encapsulated in a flexible wheel that remains in contact with the rail. In most cases, a couplant is used to ensure that no air gap between the transducer and the rail exist because ultrasonic signals can be inhibited severely by air gaps. The use of water as the couplant in ultrasonic systems imposes additional restrictions during freezing conditions where the water freezes upon contact with the cold rail creating air gaps and resulting false calls in the ability to detect a flaw. Industry typically attempts to utilize an anti-freeze solution similar or the same as the windshield washer fluid found in an automobile. This anti-freeze fluid is toxic and harmful to the environment. All of these technologies may use an array of emitters and/or receivers in an attempt to increase the probability of flaw detection and in some cases utilize tomography to visually depict the size and shape of the flaw. In cases where the signal is of question (i.e. the operator is unsure if a flaw exists or to validate a false call) a human must manually verify that the flaw exists using an ultrasonic hand probe manually positioning the ultrasonic transducer at various angles and positions to target the area of interest. This manual process imposes time restrictions on the inspection process and severely limits the number of inspection miles that can be completed in one time period. This manual process of exiting a rail inspection vehicle and manually inspecting the flaw can introduce a time penalty as large as ten minutes or more reducing the overall efficiency of the inspection process. Regardless of technology used to inspect for and detect internal flaws, from an application or operational perspective, a maintainer of railroad track must be able to prioritize the significance of a detected flaw to make an informed decision as to (1) immediately repairing the flaw, (2) reducing train operating speeds over the flaw until it can be repaired, or (3) continuing operations and tracking/monitoring the flaw from one inspection to the next. Due to cost and operational logistics, technology used in today's inspection processes is used infrequently enough where it is difficult to determine the growth of the flaw from one inspection to the next and little to no tracking of growth of flaws is conducted as tracking of flaws would require very frequent inspection. Typically, the flaws, once detected and after the flaws signal exceeds a threshold qualitatively determined by the inspector (which may vary from inspector to inspector based on training and sensing technology) the flaw is marked and scheduled for repair. While waiting for the repair, the train is required to operate slowly through the flaw area until a repair is made.
These existing solutions have multiple shortcomings. Existing internal rail flaw inspections may be required by law as much as twice per year or on an as needed basis. Some of the safety conscious railroads attempt to inspect more frequently (e.g. 4-6 times per year) than twice per year. However, weather plays a significant role in the expansion and general movement of the rail. Significant weather changes over periods less than 24 hours (e.g. extreme temperature transitions) may have a significant impact on growth and impact of an internal flaw. Thus, there is a need for more frequent rail inspections than currently applied.
Existing solutions do not track growth of internal rail flaws. Because existing inspection processes occur infrequently, the ability to track or monitor the progressive growth of internal rail flaws is limited or simply not addressed. The industry typically looks for pass/fail criteria based on the size of the flaw but the inspector has no information as to how quickly a flaw has grown. As a rapidly growing flaw may be of concern even if the size is still below a threshold criteria, there is a need for monitoring growth of internal rail flaws to allow for identification and applicable maintenance actions before the flaw perpetuates to a state that requires either a slow order or replacement of rail that would impact scheduled revenue operations.
Existing solutions use environmentally harmful couplants. Ultrasonic inspection is the leading form of internal rail flaw detection. It requires the use of a couplant to ensure that no air gap exists between the ultrasonic transducer and the rail surface. Typically this couplant consists of water but in freezing or near freezing conditions water could create air gaps and therefore during freezing conditions water is replaced with an anti-freeze couplant. Typically the anti-freeze couplants are harmful to the environment and restricted to use during freezing conditions. In extreme cold conditions, often anti-freeze couplant does not meet the lower temperature requirements and internal rail flaw inspections cease. Thus, there is a need for a method of internal rail flaw inspection which eliminates the use of environmentally hazardous fluids and also allow for inspection operations in extremely cold conditions.
Existing solutions require on-track manual inspections. Internal rail flaw inspection processes are dominated by a human in a rail bound vehicle whereby the human or humans physically drive the vehicle along the rails, monitor the rail flaw inspection technology to qualitatively assess flaw condition, and manually inspect for flaws using a hand operated ultrasonic probe. This increases the costs and time required for inspection. Thus, a need exists for inspection while in motion without a human operator physically present.
Existing solutions are time-intensive, and require a human inspector to accompany the inspection process. This requires the human to physically occupy the railroad track where the inspector competes for track time against other maintenance personnel as well as scheduled revenue service. This competition for track time also imposes safety concerns for the inspector. Thus, a need exists for real-time inspection without requiring the local presence of an inspector.
Existing solutions do not inspect the entire rail. Ultrasonic and other internal rail flaw technologies currently do not conduct inspections of the base of the rail outside of the lateral dimensions of the web of the rail. This is primarily due to the fact that ultrasonic technology is not transmitted to the extents of the base of the rail and therefore cannot sense those areas. Internal flaws at the base of the rail may occur due to manufacturing impurities or surface flaws that grow on the underside of the base due to extended cyclic periods of submersion in water followed by dry conditions, such occurring in tunnels or areas where flooding occurs. Thus, there exists a need to inspect the entire rail including the base.
Existing X-ray imaging of rail flaws in today's industry is typically restricted to very specific tests such as new welds or specific track work due to the fact that x-ray technology requires large amounts of energy to radiate the steel rail and requires a detector that can sense the transmitted energy in a timely manner. This process involves significant preparatory time and many minutes to acquire an image that can depict a flaw.

Combined passive and active method and systems to detect and measure internal flaws within metal rails


A body panel assembly and a method for manufacturing a body panel assembly are disclosed herein. In a non-limiting embodiment, the body panel assembly includes, but is not limited to, an inner panel having a lower portion. The body panel assembly further includes an outer panel that is connected to the inner panel. The outer panel has a main portion, a transitional portion, and a bent portion. The main portion and the bent portion are positioned on opposite sides of the lower portion. The main portion, the transitional portion, and the bent portion are arranged to form a cavity having an elongated configuration below the inner panel. The bent portion defines an opening extending therethrough. The opening is positioned at least partially below the lower portion of the inner panel. The opening provides ventilation to the cavity.

Vehicles, including, but not limited to, automobiles, commonly have one or more body panel assemblies which form an outer periphery of the vehicle. Body panel assemblies are also used to form various closures for openings into the vehicle (e.g., door panel, deck lid, and trunk lid). Such body panel assemblies are typically made from metal materials and are therefore vulnerable to corrosion if not protected by paint, an anti-corrosion coating or by some other substance, method or mechanism.
The typical body panel assembly includes an outer panel attached to an inner panel. This double panel construction greatly enhances the strength of the body panel assembly. At the location where the outer panel and the inner panel come together, the outer panel is typically bent like the letter "J" around a lower portion of the inner panel such that different portions of the outer panel sandwich the inner panel. This portion where the outer panel wraps around inner panel is commonly known as the "nose portion" of the body panel assembly. The nose portion of the body panel assembly includes a portion of the outer panel that will be visible from the outside of the vehicle (referred to herein as the "main portion"), a sharply curved portion where the outer panel wraps around the lower edge of the inner panel (referred to herein as the "transitional portion") and an inwardly facing portion of the outer panel that is not visible from outside of the vehicle (referred to herein as the "bent portion").
The bending of the outer panel around the inner panel forms a cavity below a lower edge of the inner panel. The cavity is completely enclosed and is bounded on three sides by an inner surface of the outer panel and bounded on a fourth side by the lower edge of the inner panel. Because the cavity is completely enclosed, when the vehicle is submerged in an anti-corrosive coating (e.g., e-coating), the anti-corrosive coating material can not penetrate into the cavity. As a result, the cavity receives no protection from corrosion.
Conventional construction techniques entail attaching the body panel assemblies to the automobile such that the cavity is located at the lowest point of the body panel assembly. Over time, small amounts of water stemming from precipitation, atmospheric humidity, and other environmental conditions will enter the cavity through very small crevices between the inner panel and the outer panel. Because the cavity is enclosed, once water enters the cavity, it cannot escape. Instead, the water collects at the bottom of the cavity and begins to corrode the outer panel (typically, at the transitional portion). As the water continues to accumulate, it may reach the lower edge of the inner panel which will then also corrode. If left unchecked, eventually the water may form perforations in a lower edge of the body panel assembly. Such perforations are aesthetically displeasing.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a body panel assembly that addresses the problem of corrosion caused by water accumulation the cavity. It is further desirable to provide various methods for manufacturing such a body panel assembly. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background.

Body panel assembly and a method for manufacturing a body panel assembly


A clip fastener (10) comprises a housing and a releasable cartridge (12) to hold a plurality of clips (20). There is a truck (14) having a pair of guide rails (50, 52) to receive the clips (20). There is a mechanism (76, 78) to vary the distance between the guide rails (50, 52). There is a ram (68) to )move a clip (20) along the track (14). There is a depressor (90) to slightly open the loops.

This invention relates to clip fasteners. Particularly, the invention is one for a paper clip fastener, which can store a plurality of clips in a storage area or magazine, and automatically locate a clip about a stack of papers or other materials upon actuation, whether manual, electrical or otherwise, of the fastener.
As is well known, the paper clip has become an indispensable accessory, used in offices as well as homes. The paper clip essentially comprises a length of narrow steel wire bent in a curve upon itself at approximately 180° at three points along its length. The paper clip has an outer loop and an inner loop. Since the paper clip is comprised of spring steel, the outer loop and inner loop can be moved in opposite directions to create a space therebetween in which a stack of papers or other materials can be received. A slight but sufficient force inherent in the steel tends to close the inner and outer loops and keep the papers securely in position.
For the most part, paper clips are applied manually by a person to a stack of papers. This involves neatly arranging the stack of papers so that they fully overlap each other, removing a paper clip from a box or other container, manually spreading the inner and outer loops of the paper clip from each other and thereafter applying it to the stack of papers. This is a fairly slow and cumbersome process, especially when large mailings take place, and it is necessary to repeat this process a substantial number of times.
Another factor which tends to cause inconvenience and delay in applying paper clips is that they are usually arranged randomly in the box or container and, during the packing and transport procedures, often become entangled or connected with each other. Therefore, removal of a paper clip from a container may often result in having to separate it from one or more other paper clips.
Although various paper clip applicators which comprise machines or devices for automatically placing paper clips onto a stack of paper have been proposed and form part of the patent literature, these are often complex machines which are not user-friendly, or are large and difficult to use in practice.


An object of the present invention is to achieve both high initial performance and durability performance of a fuel cell. Such object can be achieved by using a fuel cell electrode catalyst that includes a solid carbon carrier and an alloy of platinum and cobalt supported on the carrier.

Fuel cells are environmentally friendly power generating devices from which power can be extracted continuously by supplying a fuel thereto. With an increasing interest in the protection of the global environment in recent years, fuel cells have been widely expected to be developed. Further, having high power generation efficiency and thus allowing a reduction in the size of systems, fuel cells are expected to be used in a variety of fields, such as personal computers or portable devices like portable phones, or vehicles like automobiles or railway vehicles.
A fuel cell has a pair of electrodes (cathode and anode) and an electrolyte, and each electrode includes a carrier and an electrode catalyst, which is made of a catalytic metal, supported on the carrier. Carbon is typically used as a carrier in the conventional fuel cells. In addition, platinum or a platinum alloy is typically used as a catalytic metal.
In order to improve the performance of a fuel cell, it is necessary to increase the activity of an electrode catalyst. A number of techniques that are intended to improve the activity have been reported (for example, see Patent Literatures 1 to 7).

Fuel cell electrode catalyst and method for producing the same


An exposure apparatus includes a plurality of projection optical systems, each of which has optical elements arranged in an optical path between a first surface and a second surface and forms a radiation pattern from the first surface onto an exposure field on the second surface via the optical elements. The apparatus also includes a movable portion disposed in the side of the second surface with respect to the plurality of projection optical systems, which holds an object to be moved relative to the exposure field in a first direction during a scanning exposure of the object with the radiation patterns. Each of the plurality of projection optical systems is telecentric on the side of the second surface, and the exposure fields are arranged at different positions in a second direction crossing the first direction.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an exposure apparatus, and more particularly to a scanning projection exposure apparatus which performs exposure while moving a first object and a second object.
2. Related Background Art
Liquid crystal display panels are frequently used these days as a display device for word processors, personal computers, televisions, etc. A liquid crystal display panel is fabricated by patterning of transparent thin-film electrodes in a desired shape on a glass substrate by the photolithography technique. As an apparatus for the lithography a mirror projection type aligner is used for exposure-printing an original pattern formed on a mask onto a photoresist layer on a glass substrate through a projection optical system.
FIGS. 1 and 2 are drawings to show the structure of a conventional mirror projection type aligner. FIG. 1 is a perspective view to show the overall structure of the aligner and FIG. 2 is a lens cross-sectional view to show the structure of a projection optical system in the aligner.
In FIG. 1, an illumination optical system not shown illuminates a mask 71c in an arcuate illumination field 72a. An optical path of light from the illumination field 72a is deflected 90° by a First reflecting surface 73a of a trapezoid mirror 73, as shown in FIG. 2, and the thus deflected light advances via a concave mirror 74 and a convex mirror 75 and then is reflected again by the concave mirror 74. The optical path of the light reflected by the concave mirror 74 is deflected 90° by a second reflecting surface 73b of the trapezoid mirror. Then an image of the mask 71c or an image 72b of the illumination field 72a is formed on a plate 76.
The aligner as shown performs the so-called scanning exposure while moving the plate 76 and the mask 71c in the X direction in the drawings, whereby a circuit pattern on the mask 71c is transferred onto a selected region on the plate 76.
There is a recent demand to increase the size of liquid crystal display panels. With such a demand to increase the size, the above-described aligner is also desired to enlarge the exposure area.
In order to meet the demand to enlarge the exposure area, the conventional exposure apparatus as described above employed a method of exposure with exposure area as divided into pieces. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, an exposure area on the plate 76 is divided into four regions of 76a to 76d, and with scanning exposure of mask 71a and region 76a a circuit pattern of mask 71a is transferred onto the region 76a. In the next place, the mask 71a is exchanged for another mask 71b and the plate 76 is moved stepwise in the XY plane in FIG. 1 before a region 76b comes to coincide with the exposure area of the projection optical system. With scanning exposure of mask 71b and region 76b, a circuit pattern of mask 71b is then transferred onto the region 76b. After that, the same step is repeated for masks 71c and 71d and regions 76c and 76d, whereby circuit patterns of masks 71c and 71d are transferred onto corresponding regions 76c and 76d.
In such exposure with divided exposure area, the multiple scanning exposure steps must be taken for a single exposure area, which decreases the throughput (an exposed substrate amount per unit time). Further, in case of the partition exposure, there are seams or stitches between two adjacent exposure regions and, therefore, the stitching accuracy must be enhanced. Because of this requirement, the method had such disadvantages that the magnification error of projection optical system must be decreased as close to as possible, that the alignment accuracy must be greatly improved, and that the production cost of the apparatus is increased.
On the other hand, it can be conceivable that the scale of projection optical system is increased for full scanning exposure of a single large exposure area instead of the partition exposure. In order to increase the scale of projection optical system, however, large-scale optical elements must be produced with very high accuracy, which results in increasing the production cost and the size of apparatus. Also, there was a disadvantage that the size increase of projection optical system caused an increase in aberrations or a decrease in imaging performance.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Exposure apparatus, optical projection apparatus and a method for adjusting the optical projection apparatus


An electron cyclotron resonance plasma heating apparatus system and process in which microwave energy is transmitted directly in an axial direction through an evacuated chamber to generate energetic electrons. These energetic electrons spiral around the magnetic field lines formed by the solenoid and spiral substantially parallel to the axis. A metal atom vapor source transmits the metal atom vapor into the chamber through a housing port in the chamber wall. The metal atom vapor source in the housing is out of the line of sight of the substrate. The metal atoms are ionized by the energized electrons, and these ionized metal atoms are confined to the plasma column substantially free of neutral atoms as such ionized metal approaches and contacts the substrate in said evacuated chamber. In this way, the ionized metal atoms substantially avoid contact with the wall of chamber. A sputter target of a second metal may be placed in the plane of the substrate and a bias voltage applied to the target. Atoms of the second metal are then sputtered off and ionized by the plasma and are deposited on the substrate with the first metal ions.

Conventional methods such as evaporation, magnetron sputtering, and ion plating have been used for depositing metal films over integrated circuit wafers (usually made of silicon or doped silicon) for forming metal conductor patterns on top of underlying insulator films as well as between one layer of wiring and another. The films in the past have been patterned by either liftoff methods or subtractive etch methods. As the densities of metal wiring patterns have increased, the need to obtain vertical profiles on both wiring patterns as well as via patterns has emerged. One of the ways to produce such metal patterns is to pre-etch a vertical interconnecting (via) pattern or a metal wiring pattern in the underlying insulator film, followed by metal film deposition, followed by a selective removal process such as mechanical polishing, which takes metal off the high spots, leaving metal in the etched pattern (.-+.Damascene" process).
One problem with this method is that it is difficult to deposit void-free metal films when the aspect ratio (depth to width ratio) of the pattern approaches or exceeds 1.0. In order to accomplish this, there has been a requirement for highly directional deposition of the metal (normal, that is perpendicular, to the substrate plane). Evaporation can produce a metal vapor stream which is nearly collimated, but which normally has enough divergence to produce voiding by a slight shadowing at the edges. This voiding gets worse at points on a planar substrate which are away from the principal axis of the evaporator point (which is usually normal to a line from the source). Minimizing this deviation requires very large throw distances, with a corresponding decrease in deposition rate. Sputtering sources, such as magnetrons, produce a highly diffuse source of vapor which cannot coat the bottom of the pattern at a rate comparable to the top and sidewalls, so the deposit pinches off the opening.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,915,806 to Lardon, et al. illustrates how evaporation techniques may be combined with sputtering to fill high aspect ratio microcavities. An electron beam, magnetically deflected into a vaporizer crucible, provides the particle source for a particle beam. The metal particle beam source width and throw distance are selected so that the source subtends an angle of less than ten degrees when viewed from any microcavity to be filled. To prevent scattering of the beam, the process is performed under vacuum and the mean free path of the particles in the beam is maintained at a minimum of one third of the distance from source to substrate. Following initial vapor deposition, Argon gas is introduced to the chamber, and a voltage potential is established between the substrate and the chamber, causing partial sputtering to redistribute the deposited metal more evenly within the microcavity, reducing voids.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,925,542 to Kidd discusses a plasma type metal plating apparatus which increases the longitudinal velocity of moving plasma ions within a chamber in the region of the substrate, prior to incidence of those ions on the substrate. The metal ions travel in a spiral path towards the substrate, with velocity components parallel to and normal to the direction of the magnetic field. Kidd selectively enhances the longitudinal velocity component, providing a more collimated metal source than previous sputtering techniques.
Kidd uses the electron cyclotron resonance technique to generate the plasma. The metal source is located within the chamber opposite the substrate. A magnetic field is established within the chamber, and a microwave energy source is provided. The magnetic field strength and electron frequency are related by equation (1) as follows: EQU .function.=(e)(B)/[(2.pi.)(m)] (1)
where:
.function.=electron frequency PA1 B=magnetic field strength in Tesla PA1 e=electron charge PA1 m=electron mass
When the frequency of the electromagnetic energy is equal to the frequency of the electrons (resonance), then the resonant radiant energy heats the electrons. These heated electrons in turn furnish the energy to ionize the atoms of metal in the chamber, generating the plasma. The resonance zone in Kidd is located very close to the metal source.
Kidd also discusses a grounding screen interposed between the sputter source and the substrate. The grounding screen allows the substrate voltage to be increased without impacting plasma voltage, so that an electric field is established between the screen and the substrate. This electric field permits addition of energy to the plasma ions, providing the desired increase in longitudinal velocity.
Other methods such as Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) or Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (PECVD) require higher substrate temperatures to obtain reasonable rates and low resistivities, which may be incompatible with organic insulator materials, or may be economically unattractive as a manufacturing process.

Method and apparatus for filing high aspect patterns with metal

International Business Machines Corporation


A method and apparatus for sealing a container with a cap and a seal member which is adhered to the neck. The seal member is inserted into the cap before the cap is applied to the neck by moving the cap in an axially downward direction relative to the neck to substantially seat the cap on the neck so that the cap cannot be removed without unscrewing the cap. The seal member is firmly held against the neck by the cap while the seal disc is adhered to the neck. In one modification, a pressure application applies a downward directed force to urge the cap against the neck while the seal disc is adhered to the neck. In another modification, the cap is tightened onto the neck at a fine adjustment station to eliminate gaps between the underside of the cap and the neck before the seal disc is adhered to the neck.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to a system for applying closures to containers and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for sealing a container by applying a closure and a seal membrane to the container neck.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many closure systems include a cap and a foil liner sealing the neck opening to preserve the freshness of the product and provide visual evidence that the container has not been previously opened. The underside of the foil seals are usually provided with a substance such as an adhesive or a polymer coating which adheres the liner to the container neck when the substance is activated by induction heating or other means. Preferably, the foil disc is adhered to the entire circumference of the neck so that the container is completely sealed by the liner.
The foil seal disc may be applied to the neck before the closure, with the foil disc being pressed against the lip by an applicator during activation of the adhesive or other suitable substance. By evenly pressing the seal against the lip during application, an effective seal may be obtained around the entire circumference of the neck. After the neck is sealed with the foil disc, the closure is applied in a separate step as is known in the art. Although applying the seal and cap in separate steps may be used to obtain an effective seal between the foil disc and the neck, this method is time consuming and inconvenient.
Positioning the foil disc in the closure prior to application allows the disc and the closure to be simultaneously applied to the container neck. The closure is seated on the neck using known capping techniques. When the closure is fully seated on the neck, the top of the closure holds the foil disc against the lip of the container neck. The adhesive or other substance is activated to adhere the disc to the neck. The effectiveness of the seal between the foil disc and the lip around the neck circumference depends in part on whether the foil disc is uniformly held against the neck by the cap when the seal is attached to the neck. If the cap is orientated at an angle relative to the neck, the closure may not apply sufficient pressure to obtain an effective seal around the circumference of the foil disc. For threaded closure systems, the final position or height of the cap may vary depending upon the initial orientation of the cap threads relative to the neck threads. At the upper end of this height range, where the cap is not fully tightened onto the container neck, a gap may be introduced between the underside of the cap top and the lip. This gap may prevent the cap from applying sufficient force to press the foil seal against the neck. As a result, the foil seal may be only partially adhered to the neck or, in some instances, the foil disc may not be attached at all to the foil disc.
This invention provides a system for sealing a container with a foil disc and the like. The closure and foil disc are simultaneously positioned on the container neck, improving the efficiency of the capping process. With the method and apparatus of this invention, the liner disc is securely held against the lip of the container neck during activation of the adhesive or other suitable substance to promote the formation of an effective seal. The present invention offers considerable advantages over prior structures as is evident from the description of the related art and the following description of the invention.

Method and apparatus to attach foil seals to necks