A hydraulic damping device for drawer includes a cylinder holding a hydraulic fluid, a piston rod moving in and out of the cylinder and having a pin at one end inside the cylinder, a rigid valve block affixed to the inner end of the pin of the piston rod and having equiangularly spaced through holes, a retainer affixed to the outer end of the pin of the piston rod, a piston coupled to the pin of the piston rod and movable along the pin between the rigid valve block and the retainer and having a plurality of axially extending through holes, a number of the through holes of the piston being respectively aimed at the through holes of the rigid valve block for allowing the hydraulic fluid to pass through the piston in one direction at a high speed during outward stroke of the piston rod and to pass through the piston in the other direction at a low speed during inward stroke of the piston and a plurality of spring strips for stopping against the rigid valve block, and a shock absorbing device that buffers the impact of the rigid valve block when the piston rod is extended out of the cylinder.

The present invention relates to damping devices and more particularly, to a hydraulic damping device for drawer, which buffers the reciprocating motion of the piston rod, allowing the piston rod to be moved out of the cylinder rapidly without much resistance and received in the inside of the cylinder slowly with much resistance. A shock-absorbing device is provided to buffer the impact when the piston rod is extended out of the cylinder.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,615,450B2 discloses an apparatus for the damping of impacts, preferably the impacts of furniture doors or drawers. According to this design, a compression spring is used to impart a damping resistance to the furniture drawer as the piston rod is moved to the inside of the cylinder. When the piston rod is extending out of the cylinder, the tube-section-like part of the compression spring is compressed to absorb shocks, lowering the noise level. However, because the compression spring has a certain length, it may cause an unsmooth movement of the piston rod.
The present invention has been accomplished under the circumstances in view. It is one object of the present invention to provide a hydraulic damper for drawer, which imparts a high damping resistance to the piston rod as the piston rod is moved toward the inside of the cylinder, smoothening the return stroke of the piston rod. It is another object of the present invention to provide a hydraulic damper for drawer, which allows the piston rod to be extended out of the cylinder at a high speed without much resistance and, which uses a shock absorbing device to absorb shocks and to buffer the impact when the piston rod is extended out of the cylinder, thereby lowering the noise level.
To achieve these and other objects of the present invention, the hydraulic damper comprises a cylinder holding a hydraulic fluid, a piston rod moving in and out of the cylinder and having a pin at one end inside the cylinder, a rigid valve block affixed to the inner end of the pin of the piston rod and having equiangularly spaced through holes, a retainer affixed to the outer end of the pin of the piston rod, a piston coupled to the pin of the piston rod and movable along the pin between the rigid valve block and the retainer and having a plurality of axially extending through holes, a number of the through holes of the piston being respectively aimed at the through holes of the rigid valve block for allowing the hydraulic fluid to pass through the piston in one direction at a high speed during outward stroke of the piston rod and to pass through the piston in the other direction at a low speed during inward stroke of the piston, and a shock absorber that buffers the impact of the rigid valve block when the piston rod is extended out of the cylinder.
Further, the piston has a plurality of spring strips. When the resisting force received by the piston is smaller than the spring power of the spring strips during return stroke of the piston, the spring strips immediately return to their former shape to suspend the raised portions thereof out of the rear side of the piston and to keep the piston apart from the rigid valve block for enabling the piston rod to be further extended out of the cylinder at a high speed with less resistance.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A fuel injection device for supplying high-pressure fuel to an internal combustion engine includes a fuel supply pump, a first common rail and a second common rail. High-pressure fuel is directly supplied to the first common rail and then to the second common rail from the first common rail through a connecting passage having an orifice. The high-pressure fuel accumulated in the common rails is supplied to injectors and is injected into cylinders in a controlled manner. To suppress pressure wave propagation from the first common rail to the second common rail while providing an appropriate flow passage size, a passage diameter of the orifice is set to 0.9 mm–1.3 mm. In this manner, a pressure difference between the first common rail and the second common rail is minimized.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a common-rail-type fuel injection device having two separate common rails for supplying high-pressure fuel to an internal combustion engine.
2. Description of Related Art
A common-rail-type fuel injection device having two separate common rails is often used for an internal combustion engine having two cylinder lines, such as a V-type engine or a parallel-facing-type engine. This type of fuel injection device is described, e.g., in an article entitled "Der erste Achtzylinder-Dieselmotor mit Direkteinspritzung von BMW" (authors: Ferenc Anisits, Klaus B. Borgmann, Helmut Kratochwill and Fritz Steinparzer) in "Motortechnische Zeitschrift (MTZ)" issued in 1999. A relevant portion of the injection device is shown in FIG. 5 attached hereto.
In this fuel injection device, high-pressure fuel is supplied from a fuel supply pump J1 to a distributing block J2, and then the high-pressure fuel is distributed to a first common rail J3 and to a second common rail J4. The high-pressure fuel is injected into cylinders of a first block from each injector J5 connected to the first common rail J3. Similarly, the high-pressure fuel is injected into cylinders of a second block from each injector J6 connected to the second common rail J4. The distributing block J2 functions to distribute the high-pressure fuel to two common rails separately disposed.
It is conceivable to eliminate the distributing block J2 and to connect the first common rail J3 and the second common rail J4 in series. In this arrangement, the high-pressure fuel is directly supplied to the first common rail J3 from the fuel supply pump J1 and then to the second common rail J4 from the first common rail J3. If this arrangement successfully works, the distributing block J2 can be eliminated and the device is simplified as a whole. However, pressure waves are generated between the first common rail J3 and the second common rail J4 by connecting both common rails with a connecting passage. The pressure waves are caused by a pulsating pressure in the fuel supply pump J1 and fuel injection from the injectors J5, J6. A pressure difference between two common rails J3 and J4 is caused by the influence of the pressure waves. Therefore, a problem that an injection pressure differs between the first group of injectors J5 and the second group of injectors J6 occurs. The injection pressure difference results in a difference in an injection amount.

Fuel injection device having two separate common rails


The invention relates to a miniaturized fluid flow switch which enables a directed deflection or deviation of a fluidic test current injected into a fluidic carrier current. The aim of the invention it to provide a fluid flow switch which does not require any moveable parts and with which no restricting preconditions exist with regard to the fluid media to be used. To this end, the inventive switch is comprised of at least two carrier current channels (11, 12) and of a test current channel (2) which, together, open into a distribution chamber (3) to which at least two discharge channels (41, 42) connect. The carrier current channels (11, 12) are connected to a common inlet (10), and at least the carrier current channels (11, 12) are respectively placed, in particle sections, in close thermal contact with controllable heating devices (5). Said heating devices are attached such that they are thermally insulated from the remaining components, and in the area of the heating devices (5), the carrier current channels (11, 12) comprise a channel cross section (111, 121) which is narrower than the other carrier current channel cross section.

The invention relates to a miniaturized fluid flow switch that enables a directed deflection and discharge of a fluid sample flow that is injected into a fluid carrier flow. The inventional fluid flow switch permits to switch sample flows, and to sort particles, molecules or other substances suspended and dissolved, respectively, in a sample flow according to predetermined criteria.
In G. Blankenstein; L. Scampavia; J. Branebjerg; U. D. Larsen; J. Ruzicka: xe2x80x9cFlow Switch for Analyte Injection and Cell/Particle Sortingxe2x80x9d in Analytical Methods Instrumentation, Special Issue TAS ""96, (1996), pages 82-84, a microsystem technical device is described which comprises two separate carrier flow inputs, one sample flow input, a common flow section which receives all streams, and two outlets. In this approach, the sample flow is directed into several outlet channels via the velocity of flow relation of the two carrier flows. Therein, the velocities of the passage flow in the two carrier flows can be controlled by macroscopic jet pumps. There are, however, no means specified as to sensitively controlling the two carrier flow velocities relative to each other.
A review of the current prior art methods for producing valves, controllable throttles and pumps for the microsystem technique is given in S. Shoji; M. Esashi: xe2x80x9cMicroflow devices and systemsxe2x80x9d in J. Micromech. Microeng; 4 (1994), pages 157-171xe2x80x9d. Nearly all known devices have in common that they require moving parts such as membranes or lips to affect the fluid flow. In the case of electromagnetic or pneumatic procedures the integration of a transducer proves as additionally problematic. Moving parts have the principle disadvantage of a faster aging and a higher susceptibility to trouble. Furthermore, a few methods and devices are known, which do not need any moving parts and which can be used for setting-up pumps in Microsystems. Among these are the electrohydro-dynamic principle [A. Richter, H. Sandmaier: xe2x80x9cElectrohydrodynamic pumping and flow measurementxe2x80x9d, in Proc. IEEE-MEMS Workshop, (1991) pages 99-104], [S. F. Bart, L. S. Tavrow, M. Mehrgany, J. H. Lang: xe2x80x9cMicrofabricated Electrohydrodynamic pumpsxe2x80x9d, in Sensors Actuators (1990) A21-A23, 193-197], and the electro-osmosis [D. J. Harrison, K. Seiler, A. Manz, Z. Fan: Chemical analysis and electrophoresis systems integrated on glass and silicon chips; Digest of IEEE Solid State Sensor and Actuator Workshop; (1992), 11-113]. These approaches can, however, only very limitedly be used for setting-up a controllable throttle or a valve. Furthermore, the fluids to be pumped or regulated have to satisfy very special conditions when these methods are to be used. The most important conditions are, for example, an extremely low intrinsic conductance (in the case of the electrohydrodynamic), or an extremely high intrinsic conductance and ionic strength, respectively, (in the case of the electro-osmosis). With respect to devices operating on the principle of electro-osmosis there is the additional limitation that the functionality of the device is only ensured when capillaries of a diameter of smaller than 50 xcexcm are used.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a miniaturized fluid flow switch, which does not require any moving parts and in which there are no limiting conditions as is the case with the prior art for the fluid media used.
The object is realized by the features of the first claim. Advantageous embodiments are covered by the dependent claims.
The present invention distinguishes itself by the following technical advantages: It is predestined for the integration in microsystems; it can be controlled and operated by electrical signals; and it has no moving, and hence, parts being susceptible to interferences.
The principle of the proposed fluid flow switch resides on the variation of viscosity of a liquid in dependence on the variation of its temperature. When the fluid is heated in predetermined sections of a duct by way of an electric resistance heating, then its hydrodynamic resistance changes in response. In the case of the electro-caloric fluid control, electro-caloric throttles are used for control of a carrier fluid which is used to distribute a sample liquid to different channels. In the simplest case, the carrier flow is pumped into a channel which symmetrically branches into two channels. One section of each of these two carrier flow channels is of a reduced channel cross-section related to the remaining channel cross-section of the carrier flow, whereby the reduced channel cross-section is provided with a controllable heating device. Furthermore, the carrier flow channel sections are thermally insulated relative to the other components of the fluid flow switch. The carrier flow channels funnel into the head of a distributor chamber together with the sample channel.
The distributor chamber is designed in minor-symmetry to the sample channel. At least two outlet channels are provided at the end of the distributor chamber. The sample fluid is injected right into one of the provided outlet channels by actuating the heating device provided. The relation of the velocity of flow in the two carrier flows decides at the inlet of the distributor chamber, into which of the provided outlet channels the sample fluid is pressed.


A fiber having unique gloss of appearance (flickering gloss) with light diffusibility, while maintaining natural feeling of gloss necessary as fiber for hair, is provided. The present invention may be attained by an artificial fiber for hair obtained from an acrylic based synthetic fiber having a single fiber size of 20 dtex to 80 dtex, the fiber having a maximum reflectance to a white light of 15% to 36% in case of a fiber having less than 21 of L value, or of 36% to 70% in case of a fiber having not less than 21 of L value, and having an optical diffusion coefficient of not less than 0.25.

Acrylic based fibers, vinyl chloride based fibers, vinylidene chloride based fibers, polyester fibers, nylon fibers, polypropylene fibers, etc. are known well as fibers for artificial hair. These fibers are applied in fields, such as wigs, hair accessories, weavings, braids, extension hair, and hair for dolls, and various investigation has been performed until today in order to provide characteristics necessary as fibers for hair, such as improvement in touch and gloss, combing ability, curl retentivity, stylability (fiber performance enabling various styles in wig application).
Especially in gloss, since these synthetic fibers have very smooth fiber surface, in general, they are not suitable for a fiber for hair without specific treatment in respect of appearance, touch, etc. Therefore, there have been made efforts for exhibiting gloss similar to human hair, such as: methods by addition of dulling agent currently disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. No. 56-44164, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 56-309, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 56-311, etc., and methods by surface-roughing currently disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 61-245301, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 63-12716, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 05-140807, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-140817, etc., thereby enabling broad use for hair article.
However, in recent years, greater importance is being placed on fashionability also in headdress field, and as a result fibers having specific brightness and higher-class feeling are strongly desired to be marketed. Although conventional fibers exhibit natural feeling of gloss by the above-mentioned addition of dulling agent or by surface treatment, minute uneven shape on a surface of the fibers gives only monotonous appearance-gloss, and cannot fully satisfy requests in market in the present circumstances.

Fiber for artificial hair and process for producing the same


A gravure printing unit, which is usable for printing on a substrate, according to a gravure printing method, includes a forme cylinder which comprises, on its circumference, an image-forming pattern of recesses, and an inking unit, by the use of which the pattern of recesses provided on the forme cylinder is inked. The forme cylinder can be partially inked from an inking device via a first inking unit cylinder which has recesses in the region of its outer cylindrical surface that correspond to recesses on the forme cylinder, and via a second inking unit cylinder, which cooperates with the first inking unit cylinder and which comprises ink-transferring elements or raised areas on its circumference. For controlling the transfer of ink, the first inking unit cylinder having the recesses, is configured as being temperature controllable or has a temperature control device in the ink unit supply. Alternatively, a printing pressure between inking units cylinders can be varied during operation. The invention also relates to a method for adjusting or modifying a transfer of ink and for operating the gravure printing unit.

EP 2 909 033 B1 discloses an intaglio printing press having a printing unit in which a plate cylinder configured as a gravure cylinder is inked indirectly via an ink collecting cylinder. Said ink collecting cylinder receives the printing ink via multiple chablon rollers, which are in turn inked by inking devices. In one embodiment, the inking is carried out by two ink application rollers, which receive the ink via a duct roller that cooperates with an ink fountain. In another embodiment, an ink transfer roller is additionally provided between duct roller and chablon roller.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,604,951 A discloses an intaglio printing press comprising a plate cylinder that carries a printing plate, an application roller that is in rolling contact with the plate cylinder and has on its circumference a structure of ink-transferring raised areas, and an inking device, which comprises a duct roller and is in rolling contact with the application roller. The duct roller has essentially the same circumference as the application roller and, on its outer circumference, has recesses of different depths that correspond to the recesses on the printing plate. During printing, a distance of 0.03 to 0.05 mm is set between the duct roller and the ink blade. Further provided is an adjustment mechanism for positioning the structured duct roller in relation to the plate cylinder in the circumferential direction and in the axial direction.
Known from WO 2005/077656 A1 is an inking system of an intaglio printing press, in one embodiment of which the gravure printing plate is inked directly by a chablon roller, which is in turn inked by a selective inking cylinder. Printing ink is applied to the circumferential surface of the latter by a spraying device, with the excess ink being removed by means of a wiping roller prior to contact with the chablon roller. In the remaining embodiments, the gravure printing plate is inked indirectly via a transfer or collecting cylinder, which is inked via one or more chablon rollers, which is or are in turn inked by a selective inking cylinder. Printing ink is applied to the circumferential surface of the latter by a spraying device or a duct roller cooperating with an ink fountain, with the excess ink once again being removed by means of a wiping roller prior to contact with the chablon roller.
CN 101544098 B relates to a duct roller, an ink transfer device, and an ink transfer system of a gravure printing press. The ink is transferred from an ink reservoir via a duct roller, which has engraving on its circumference that corresponds to the engraving on the gravure cylinder, to an elastic inking roller and from there to the gravure cylinder. During application of the ink to the duct roller, the outer surface of said roller is in physical contact with a hook-shaped scraper for scraping the ink off of the non-engraved areas. In this way, rather than a uniform layer of ink, an ink pattern of varying thickness, similar to the form of a relief, that corresponds to the pattern of engravings on the gravure cylinder is applied to the elastic inking roller. The contact pressure on the outer cylindrical surface can be adjustable via an adjustment device.
WO 2011/077350 A1 discloses an intaglio printing press comprising a print position between the forme cylinder and impression cylinder, an ink collecting cylinder, five chablon cylinders cooperating with said ink collecting cylinder, and inking units for inking the chablon cylinders; in one variant, the forme cylinder and the impression cylinder are assigned a common rotational drive, the ink collecting cylinder is assigned its own dedicated drive, the five chablon cylinders are assigned five drives, and the inking units are assigned one or more drives. The motors of the drives that rotate these cylinders or units in this embodiment, including during operation, are preferably embodied as torque motors. This embodiment is provided with a correcting and adjusting system for controlling the rotational position of the ink collecting cylinder and of the chablon cylinders, in order to ensure the proper register with respect to the forme cylinder.
WO 2004/069538 A2 relates to an intaglio printing press comprising a print position formed between the forme cylinder and impression cylinder, an ink collecting cylinder, five chablon cylinders cooperating with said ink collecting cylinder, and inking units for inking the chablon cylinders, wherein each of the chablon cylinders, referred to in this case as "selector cylinders", is driven by a drive motor independently of the ink collecting cylinder. In one embodiment, said drive motor is driven together with a duct roller of the ink fountain, and in another is driven on its own, in which case the duct roller is driven by the ink collecting cylinder via a gear train. One of the goals of this drive is to vary the relative speed between ink collecting cylinder and selector cylinder in order to compensate for any elongation of a printing plate on the forme cylinder. Elongation is detected and corrected by means of an engraving pattern on the forme cylinder based on two sets of adjacent lines, of which a middle line or a line lying further outward will be inked by the chablon cylinder and printed onto the product, depending on the presence of plate elongation.
DE 10 2013 205 860 A1 discloses a temperature control unit for controlling the temperature of functional components of a printing press configured, for example, as a gravure printing press or offset printing press, wherein, in addition to various other cylinders, rollers and frame parts, the ductor rollers of inking units can be temperature controllable by the temperature control unit.
EP 2 006 095 A2 relates to methods and devices for controlling print quality in an intaglio printing press. In said document, an ink layer thickness on the printed product is measured, for example, and the contact pressure between two rotational bodies is adjusted based on the measurement result. In the case of the intaglio cylinder, the embossment depth can be measured and used to adjust the pressure in the printing nip. The embossment depth or ink film thickness is determined, e.g. using color patch lines, inked by the corresponding number of inking units, of a measuring field that is printed along the margin of the printing substrate sheet. The distance of the ductor roller and the ink fountain from the ink transfer rollers can be adjusted.
In EP 2 298 552 A1, set data for the adjustment of a roller are obtained outside of the printing press from topographical data, and are carried along with the roller, e.g. on an RFID chip, in order to prevent or at least reduce the production of waste in operating the press. Fine adjustments that may be made during the final proofing phase can also be fed back to the RFID chip, allowing experiences that are gathered from the first print run to be used in the next print run.
DE 198 22 662 C2 relates to a method and a system for operating a printing press, in which basic knowledge about the interaction between operating media is obtained through printing trials or during production; this knowledge is stored in an expert system and used for printing operation or for producing a printing forme. This also concerns, among other things, the maintaining of correct register.
DE 41 08 883 A1 discloses a printing device having a system for zonal temperature control over the width of the printing substrate, which can be implemented in a flexographic printing unit, by way of example, by controlling the temperature of the dipping roller or the screen roller. In the case of gravure printing, the printing cylinder and/or the doctor blade would be embodied with a corresponding zonal temperature control.
GB 626 200 A relates to the printing of transfer paper for printing onto ceramic using a printing unit that operates by the letterpress process, in which the letterpress forme receives printing ink from an inking unit roller, which has linear recesses running in parallel on its circumference.
DE 10 2004 042 266 A1 relates to a short inking system having an anilox roller and a chamber doctor blade, in which an ink reservoir container and/or a feed line are heated by a heater. The anilox roller is equipped with a preferably electric heater.
EP 2 384 892 A1 proposes finding an optimal setting for the operating distance between cylinders by using a sensor to determine the removal of ink from the anilox roller in the case of a flexographic printing press, or from the plate cylinder in the case of a gravure printing press, and determining an optimal contact position for operation based on the result.
DE 42 11 379 C2 relates to an anilox short inking system, in which the distance of an inking roller from the plate cylinder and from the anilox roller can be varied in order to regulate ink transport in each case.
WO 2015/074773 A1 discloses an intaglio printing unit, in one variant of which the ductor rollers of the ink trains are each driven by an individual motor. For the wiping cylinder, an adjustable factor for defining the speed of said cylinder relative to that of the printing unit cylinders can be stored.
5a
DE 636 641 C relates to a gravure printing press that uses plates, which has an inking roller that dips into an ink fountain and inks the engravings etched onto the printing plates. To avoid any spraying of ink in the region where the plates abut one another as the inking roller is being lifted away, when inking of a plate is nearly completed the amount of ink that is supplied is only what is required to complete application. This is accomplished by momentarily setting a doctor blade against said roller, ensuring a minimum distance between doctor blade and roller to avoid damage to the inking roller.

Gravure printing units and method for adjusting and/or modifying an ink transfer in a gravure printing method


A system for recording and/or reading signals on/from information carriers (4) accommodated in cassettes (2) composed of cassettes (2-3A) of a first type and cassettes (2-3B) of a second type, which two types of cassettes have substantially identical dimensions and shapes apart from local identifying distinctive features (22-3A, 26-3A; 22-3B, 26-3B) of a first type and of a second type respectively. Drive apparatus constructed to cooperate with a cassette of the system when inserted in a correct orientation. Drive apparatus of the first type, is constructed for cooperation with cassettes (2-3A) of the first type but not for cooperation with cassettes (2-3B) of the second type, and drive apparatus of a second type, is constructed for cooperation with cassettes (2 3B) of the second type but not for cooperation with cassettes (2 3A) of the first type. The drive apparatus further comprise a physical blocking mechanism (30; 52) of a first type and a second type respectively, which are constructed to cooperate with the distinctive features of the different cassette types wherein the drive apparatus of the first type accept cassettes of a first type but do not accept cassettes of the second type and the drive apparatus of the second type accept cassettes of the second type but do not accept cassettes of the first type, at least when that the cassettes are inserted in a correct orientation and in other cases block the cassettes.

The invention relates to a system for scanning information carriers in cassettes; and more particularly, for recording and/or reading signals on/from information carriers in cassettes, comprising cassettes of a first type and cassettes of a second type, said two types of cassettes being substantially identical in dimensions and shape apart from local distinctive features of a first type and a second type respectively, which system further comprises drive apparatuses constructed for cooperation with a cassette after insertion of a cassette in a correct orientation.
A system of the general type defined in the foregoing paragraph is known as the Compact Cassette system for recording and/or reproducing audio signals on/from magnetic tapes accommodated in cassettes. The system comprises cassettes containing different types of magnetic tape. A first type of cassette belonging to this system contains magnetic tape provided with a magnetic layer on an iron-oxide base. A second type of cassette contains chromium-dioxide magnetic tape. The two types of magnetic tape have different magnetic properties, as a result of which the drive apparatus should be adapted to the specific type of magnetic tape in use. The adaptation mainly affects the magnetic head and, more in particular, the setting of the bias current through the coil of the magnetic head. The drive apparatus may comprise an automatic device for adapting the bias current. Both types of cassettes have distinctive features to distinguish between the magnetic tapes used in the two types. The distinctive feature in cassettes containing chromium-dioxide tape is constituted by a cut-out in the rear wall of the cassette. Cassettes containing iron-oxide tapes can differ in that they do not have such a cut-out. A drive apparatus which is suitable for cooperation with each of the two types of magnetic tape may include a scanner for detecting the presence or absence of the cut-out in the rear wall of the cassette and automatically selecting the correct bias current.
Another known system of the above general type is the V2000 video-recorder system. This system employs three types of cassettes containing different lengths of magnetic tape. A pattern of apertures in the main walls of the cassettes (see United States Patent Specification U.S. Pat. No. 4,339,776, herewith incorporated by reference) can be detected by a drive apparatus by scanning the apertures to determine the length of the magnetic tape contained in the cassette being used.
In the aforementioned prior-art systems the cassettes can be distinguished from one another in that specific apertures in the cassette housing are present or absent. For the remainder, the cassettes are substantially identical to one another at least as regards their external dimensions and shape and therefore they can be loaded into any drive apparatus belonging to the system. However, there may be systems in which this is undesirable.

System for selectively interfacing information carriers by physically accepting cassettes


According to one or more embodiments, a method is provided. The method may include receiving an indication to pause playback of a media file at a current location in the media file. The method may also include receiving an indication to resume playback of the media file. Furthermore, the method may include determining an elapsed time between the indication to pause playback and the indication to resume playback. Furthermore, the method may include determining, based at least in part on the current location and the elapsed time, a second location in the media file that occurs before the current location. Further still, the method may include resuming playback of the media file at the second location.

Media files are one of the most ubiquitous forms of digital media in the world today. In particular, audio books are becoming increasingly popular as a means for consuming books and other traditional textual data. However, when listening to an audio book, a user may pause playback of the audio book in the middle of a sentence. Upon resuming playback at a later time, the user may not be able to recall the context of the audio book content related to the middle of the sentence.
Certain implementations will now be described more fully below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which various implementations and/or aspects are shown. However, various aspects may be implemented in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the implementations set forth herein; rather, these implementations are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art. Like numbers in the figures refer to like elements throughout. Hence, if a feature is used across several drawings, the number used to identify the feature in the drawing where the feature first appeared will be used in later drawings.

Systems and methods for determining playback locations in media files


An ozone generator has a dielectric element, first and second opposed end cap members and a gas passageway positioned between a high voltage electrode and a ground plane and positioned internal of the dielectric element, and at least one securring member extending between the opposed end caps whereby the securring member holds the end caps in place.

This invention relates of an apparatus for the production of water fit for human consumption from water contaminated by micro-organisms, chemicals, heavy metals and minerals.
The production of water fit for human consumption from water contaminated by micro-organisms, chemicals, heavy metals and minerals is a requirement throughout the world. Many different proposals have been made for the purification of contaminated water.
The most popular system in widespread domestic (household) use for the purification of contaminated water is a pitcher wherein contaminated water is passed through a filter made of a combination of a porous media filter, activated carbon, and an ion exchange resin and into a clean water reservoir within the pitcher. This type of system will reduce the levels of chlorine, lead, and pesticides. However, there are several disadvantages associated with this device. The first disadvantage of this water purification system is that the structure of the filter provides a breeding ground for micro-organisms thereby multiplying the dangers of micro-organisms which may be present in very low numbers. Another disadvantage of such a water purification system is that the filter life is not measured and it is possible for the user to employ the filter beyond its useful life. A further disadvantage of such a water purification system is that oils and fuels often present in water drawn from lakes and rivers are not readily removed and that these oils and fuels tend to coat the filters and damage their operational life and effectiveness. Other filters incorporate an iodine product to minimize the risk of microbiological hazards, however, these materials often impart undesirable tastes and many are potential carcinogens.
Another popular system in use for the purification of contaminated water is a system which employs an ultraviolet light for disinfection in series with a porous media and carbon filter. This type of system will reduce the levels of chlorine, lead, and pesticides and has some disinfection capability. However, there are several disadvantages associated with this device. A disadvantage of this water purification system is that the ultraviolet light""s disinfection efficacy is greatly diminished by turbidity or color in the water which can cause the filter to become contaminated by micro-organisms which can readily live and breed therein thereby multiplying the danger from any micro-organisms which may be present.
The present invention provides several novel features for a water treatment apparatus and components which may be used therein including a novel control system for a water treatment apparatus, a novel construction for an ozone generator, a novel filter assembly for a water treatment apparatus, a novel method for monitoring the concentration of ozone produced by a corona discharge ozone generator, a novel method for monitoring the life of a filter based on the flow rate of gas through a venturi and a novel structure for an ozone generator to prevent water backing up into the ozone generator.
In accordance with the instant invention, there is provided an ozone generator having a dielectric element, first and second opposed end cap members and a gas passageway positioned between positioned between a high voltage electrode and a ground plane and positioned internal of the dielectric element, and at least one securring member extending between the opposed end caps whereby the securring member holds the end caps in place.
In accordance with another aspect of the instant invention, there is also provided a corona discharge ozone generator having an upstream end, a downstream end, a dielectric positioned between a high voltage electrode and a ground plane and a check valve provided at the downstream end of the ozone generator.
In one embodiment, the dielectric element is constructed from plastic.
In another embodiment, the at least one securring member comprisis a plurality of members extending between the end caps. The plurality of members are preferably constructed from resilient material or are springs. The securring members may be individually attached to the end caps and as such may be a plurality of individual elements. Alternately, the securing members may be affixed to opposed mounting members which may be, for example, secured to the end caps such as a ring member that fits over the air inlet and the air outlet of the end caps. In this way, the securring members need not be individually attached to the end caps at the assembly stage but may be preassembled to one or both of the mounting members when they are received on an assembly line which is assembling the ozone generator or they may be integrally formed as part of one or both mounting members.
In another embodiment, the plurality of members are relatively thin whereby the outer surface of dielectric element is substantially open for cooling the ozone generator. The outer surface may be cooled by any means known in the art such as natural or forced convection.
In another embodiment, the end caps and the dielectric member define the gas passageway and the securing member comprises a plurality of members of relatively thin construction whereby the outer surface of dielectric is substantially open for cooling the ozone generator.
In another embodiment, the dielectric element has first and second longitudinally extending opposed surfaces and the ground plane is provided adjacent one of the opposed surfaces. In another embodiment, the dielectric element has first and second longitudinally extending opposed surfaces and the ground plane is a coating applied to one of the opposed surfaces.
In another embodiment, the dielectric element has inner and outer longitudinally extending opposed surfaces and the ground plane is provided adjacent the outer opposed surface.
In another embodiment, the dielectric element has inner and outer longitudinally extending opposed surfaces and the ground plane is a coating applied to the outer opposed surface.
In another embodiment, a check valve is integrally provided as part of the ozone generator.


A fabric for use in window blind systems, the fabric comprising a first fabric layer bound via an adhesive to a base fabric. The fabric is preferably formed into a Roman blind fabric by the provision of elongate, widthwise channels.

The term 'window' is used herein as a convenient reference with the understanding that the invention may also be used as a covering for doors or other architectural openings.
Fabrics conventionally used in window coverings are coated on at least one of their front and rear surfaces using a resin binder such that they are heat and light resistant, that they don't warp or cup and that they may be cut without the material fraying. However, this treatment results in a stiff dull fabric which does not drape well and has poor tactile properties. The fabric according to the present invention attempts to overcome or ameliorate at least some of these problems. It displays each of the properties afforded by presently available blind fabrics in addition to providing a comparatively soft, tactile fabric which is suitable for use in most types of fabric blinds.


Methods and apparatus are provided for delay line control using receive data. A delay in a Delay-Locked-Loop circuit is controlled by obtaining a plurality of samples of one or more received signals for each unit interval; determining a data eye width in the one or more received signals; and adjusting a delay of at least one clock signal based on the data eye width. For example, the measured data eye width can be compared to a predefined value, such as a desired or ideal value. Generally, the delay is not adjusted in accordance with the present invention until the Delay-Locked-Loop circuit has reached a locked condition based on one or more predefined criteria.

In many applications, including clock recovery applications, it is often necessary to compare and control the phase of one or more clock signals. For example, in one common type of analog Clock and Data Recovery system (CDR), the phase of the input data is compared to the phase of two or more sampling clocks. The sampling clocks may be generated, for example, from a fixed reference clock by a Delay-Locked-Loop (DLL). A DLL is a control loop, separate from the primary CDR control loop, that acts to control the spacing between the sampling clocks. The DLL develops a set of phases that are "selected" and interpolated by the CDR control loop to obtain the correct phase required to match-up with the incoming data transition phase.
Typically, a phase detector in the DLL determines the phase difference between adjacent rising edges of two delayed clock signals. If the phase detector detects a phase lag between the rising edges, the phase detector generates a downward control signal, indicating an extent of the phase lag. Likewise, if the phase detector detects a phase lead between the rising edges, the phase detector generates an upward control signal, indicating an extent of the phase lead. The upward and downward control signals are typically applied to a charge pump that generates a positive or negative current pulse having a pulse width that is proportional to the phase difference. Thereafter, the current pulse generated by the charge pump is typically integrated by a loop filter, such as a capacitor. The capacitor voltage is then applied to a bias voltage generator which provides the Voltage Controlled Delay Loop (VCDL) control voltages. The VCDL control voltages then change to raise or lower the delay of each delay cell within the VCDL.
The charge pump and integration capacitor require large area, contributing to the size of any integrated circuit incorporating such a DLL circuit. In addition, since the pulse width of the current generated by the charge pump is proportional to the phase difference, the pulse width must get progressively smaller as the phase difference is reduced. In practice, however, the generation of such small current pulses is difficult and often will result in imperfect linearity as the phase difference approaches zero (0).
A number of techniques have been proposed or suggested for maintaining loop stability and reducing the size of DLL circuits. For example, one proposed technique avoids narrow current pulses by employing a bang-bang phase detector. Another proposed technique replaces the charge-pump and integration capacitor with a digital-accumulator/digital-to-analog converter combination. Another proposed technique uses a smaller digital-accumulator in conjunction with a Sigma-Delta converter/Master-Slave digital-to-analog converter combination.
A need therefore exists for improved techniques for controlling the phase or delay in an analog delay line. A further need exists for an improved delay control circuit for a DLL that exhibits reduced area requirements.

Method and apparatus for delay line control using receive data


In one example in accordance with the present disclosure, a refill container is described. The refill container includes a reservoir to house a volume of print compound and a chamber to house a pressurized fluid. A wall separates the reservoir from the chamber. A pressure release device of the refill container creates a fluid path between the chamber and the reservoir such that the pressurized fluid flows into the reservoir to mix with the volume of print compound. A trigger of the refill container activates the pressure release device.

Printing systems include multiple components used in forming markings on a print target. Different printing systems dispense different types of print compound on a print target surface. For example, a two-dimensional (2D) printer ejects wet print compound such as ink, or dry compound such as toner, to form images/text on print media. In another example, a three-dimensional (3D) printer ejects fluid, such as a fusing agent, onto a bed of build material. Other types of printers may eject other compounds such as other fluids, metallic components, compounds, particulates, or other matter onto any variety of surfaces including, but not limited to, a flat surface, a mold, or other pre-formed casing or structure. This print compound material is supplied from an integrated reservoir, cartridge, container, or vessel. Replaceable reservoirs, cartridges, containers, or vessels may be used to replenish the integrated reservoir, cartridge, container, or vessel with additional print compound.
Throughout the drawings, identical reference numbers designate similar, but not necessarily identical, elements. The figures are not necessarily to scale, and the size of some parts may be exaggerated to more clearly illustrate the example shown. Moreover, the drawings provide examples and/or implementations consistent with the description; however, the description is not limited to the examples and/or implementations provided in the drawings.

Refill containers with pressurized fluid chambers

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


An electric power steering apparatus comprises a steering assisting electric motor having an output shaft and a speed reduction mechanism. The speed reduction mechanism includes conical first and second gears to be engaged with each other. The first and second gears include a plurality of teeth each having a tooth surface. The mutually corresponding tooth surfaces of the first and second gears each include engaging regions to be engaged with each other. A center position in a tooth width direction of the engaging region of each tooth surface of the first gear in an unloaded state is offset by a first offset amount from center position in the tooth width direction of the tooth surface of the first gear to a relatively small end portion of the tooth of the first gear. A center position in a tooth width direction of the engaging region of each tooth surface of the second gear in an unloaded state is offset by a second offset amount from a center position in the tooth width direction of the tooth surface of the second gear to a relatively small end portion of the tooth of the second gear.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electric power steering apparatus.
2. Description of Related Arts
Rack-and-pinion steering apparatuses for providing a manual steering force caused by steering a steering member for a rack shaft via a pinion shaft include electric power steering apparatuses for providing an auxiliary steering force generated by an electric motor for a rack shaft.
For example, there have been provided so-called rack-assist electric power steering apparatuses which comprise a speed reduction mechanism including a first bevel gear attached to an output shaft of a steering assisting electric motor and a second bevel gear arranged around a rack shaft and engaged with the first bevel gear, so that a rotation of the second bevel gear is transformed into an axial shift of the rack shaft via a ball screw mechanism.
In recent years, a high level of silence has been demanded in electric power steering apparatuses.
However, when a load is applied to the first and second bevel gears of the speed reduction mechanism, the engagement between both bevel gears (so-called tooth contact) is deteriorated owing to flexure of the shafts that support the gears and teeth themselves. As a result, an abnormal sound owing to engaged sliding occurs, which causes noise.
Therefore, as a so-called pinion-assist electric power steering apparatus, which provides a pinion shaft with an assisting force, there has been provided an electric power steering apparatus for which sound deadening is attained by using a speed reducer including a worm and a worm wheel and by providing a synthetic resin-made tooth portion for the worm wheel (see Japanese Registered Utility Model Application No. 2556890, for example).
In addition, as a gear unit of hypoid gears, bevel gears or the like, there has been provided a gear unit for which, in order to reduce noise by improving the tooth contact, one or two directional components of three axial components of alignment regarding the shaft center of one gear are displaced by a predetermined correction amount (see Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Application No. H10-38036, for example).
In conical gears such as bevel gears, with only an adjustment of alignment as described above, an effect of an improved tooth contact is small. In addition, the tooth contact may become uneven left to right.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an electric power steering apparatus which can secure an appropriate tooth contact between conical gears engaged with each other and can reduce noise.


An information recording medium capable of converting a stream including seamless connection, which is recorded in a constrained format allowing format conversion from a first format (MPEG-TS) to a second format (MPEG-PS), into a second stream, and an apparatus and method for recording information in the information recording medium. The constrained format is provided for enabling conversion from a first format (for example, MPEG transport stream) to a second format (for example, MPEG program stream). Seamless playback is performed by using a third system stream (Bridge-VOB), which is composed of each of the parts the two seamlessly connected system streams. A video information presentation time by data management unit (Capsule) at a third system stream terminal is greater than or equal to 0.4 second and less than or equal to 1 second, according to the constrained format.

Rewritable optical discs have had a maximum storage capacity of approximately 650 MB, but this limit has been pushed to several gigabytes by the introduction of DVD-RAM discs, a phase-change type of storage medium. Used in conjunction with practical implementations of MPEG (particularly MPEG-2), a digital AV data encoding standard, DVD-RAM is not limited to computer applications and will soon find widespread use as a recording and playback medium in the audio-video (AV) and even home entertainment industries.
With the start of digital broadcasts in recent Japan, it has become possible to multiplex and simultaneously transmit the video, audio, and data portions of plural programs to the MPEG transport stream ("MPEG-TS"). Digital broadcast recorders using hard discs or DVD media to record these programs are also available. As a standard for such an information recording medium in the next generation, which is suitable for recording digital broadcasting, there is Blu-ray Disc standard ("BD standard").
The next generation digital broadcast recorder (Blu-ray Disc recorder) does not convert broadcasted MPEG-TS but records mainly data in MPEG-TS format according to a format of digital broadcasting. The next generation digital broadcast recorder records AV stream in MPEG-TS format even when self-recording AV data received from external. This is because it becomes unnecessary for the recorder to handle both MPEG program stream ("MPEG-PS") and MPEG transport stream.
However, because the current DVD standards (including the DVD-Video standard, DVD-Audio standard, DVD Video Recording standard, and DVD Stream Recording standard) use the MPEG-PS for recording AV stream, MPEG-TS to MPEG-PS conversion ("TS2PS conversion") is required in order to convert content recorded in the MPEG-TS format, such as by the above-noted next generation digital broadcast recorder, to the DVD-Video format, for example.
Converting a stream multiplexed to the MPEG-TS to MPEG-PS, however, involves a complex recalculation for decoder buffer management, the TS2PS conversion is time-consuming, and often involves re-encoding the elementary stream, resulting in degraded image quality and sound quality.
Against these problems, some solving methods are proposed (see patent document 1, for example).                Patent document 1: JP-A-2003-228922

Information recording medium wherein stream convertible at high-speed is recorded, and recording apparatus and recording method therefor


A processor system comprises a plurality of processing elements. Each processing element includes a corresponding convolution processor unit configured to perform a portion of a groupwise convolution. The corresponding convolution processor unit determines multiplication results by multiplying each data element of a portion of data elements in a convolution data matrix with a corresponding data element in a corresponding groupwise convolution weight matrix. The portion of data elements in the convolution data matrix that are multiplied belong to different channels and different groups. For each specific channel of the different channels, the corresponding convolution processor unit sums together at least some of the multiplication results belonging to the same specific channel to determine a corresponding channel convolution result data element. The processing elements sum together a portion of the channel convolution result data elements from a group of different convolution processor units to determine a groupwise convolution result data element.

A whole class of complex artificial intelligence problems can be solved using neural networks. Since these problems are often computationally and data intensive, hardware solutions are often beneficial for improving the performance of neural networks. The solutions to artificial intelligence problems can often be more quickly solved using hardware-based solutions that optimize solving traditional convolution operations. It is a technical challenge to create a hardware platform compatible with solving traditional convolution operations while also significantly improving the performance and efficiency of solving additional different types of convolution operations including grouped convolution operations. Therefore, there exists a need for a hardware and data path solution that improves on the ability to efficiently compute grouped convolution operations needed for solving certain complex artificial intelligence problems without introducing significant complexity and restrictions.

Grouped convolution using point-to-point connected channel convolution engines


A personal safety system (8) carried for emergency or abduction preparedness where information might need to be captured and left behind as evidence for the safe return of the user. The user may capture voice or video information and then throw it down and leave it behind at the crime scene for later location discovery and evidence recovery. By removal of pull-pin (12) PSS (8) is activated and recording is available through microphone (18) into voice recording solid-state chip with playback (14). An RF transmitter and antenna (9) is also activated for position discovery by the rescue team once notification is made that user has gone missing. A portable hand-held RF receiver (20) with directional antenna apparatus (44) and a received signal strength indicator (46) is used to help locate the personal safety system (8) and the crime scene. The power source (29) operates the unit and safely maintains the recorded evidence. The components are embedded in a housing (23) that is made rugged material for survivability outdoors in the elements. Once located, the captured forensic information is retrieved via a headphone (19) via the interconnect jack (11).

1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to personal safety, specifically to a method of capturing an event and leaving a high technology trail of evidence that may be easily located and collected.
2. Background of the Invention
A growing problem in our society today is stranger abduction. Parents, communities, abducted children's foundations and law enforcement agencies have mounted a crusade to stop these events and bring the already abducted home.
Inventors have created several types of locator devices to assist in the recovery of objects and individuals. Most human oriented locator devices aim to track a person's location. The components required for a tracking approach present several downfalls. In Pat. D453,483 Missing Person Locator Set to Choe, 2002 Feb. 12, and Patent Application 20030034887 Article Locator System by Crabtree, 2003 Feb. 20, and Patent Application 20020175820 Tracking Device by Oja, 2002 Mar. 13, a RF infrastructure is required to monitor a worn RF device that advises when a worn device goes out of range. This approach is inferior because the user's travel is limited to the coverage area of the RF technology in use and is therefore not suitable in an abduction scenario where the abducted may be taken far away.
Other patents such as U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,936,530 Child Protection Device to Meinhold 1999 Aug. 10, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,694,284 Abduction-Preventing Collar to Leveille, 1987 Sep. 15, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,021,794 Personal Emergency Locator System to Lawrence, 1991 Jun. 4, carry the same infrastructure downfall. In addition, these patents require devices such as a watch, or a collar, or a RF device in the clothing to remain on the wearer. Although cut-resistant, these devices can be removed by the assailant by either cutting them off or by removing the victims clothing. This may present a condition where injury could be caused by the abductor's removal of these devices.
Also, it is inherent that these devices require much battery power for operation of signals that are constantly communicating with the infrastructure. Battery management is required to maintain the device in usable form. Batteries tend to run down at the most inopportune times rendering these devices not feasible as emergency devices in an "abduction" scenario. The product may not be used if battery management is required because of inconvenience of keeping batteries charged. If the product is used, batteries may not be fully charged and ready in an emergency situation. A device may also mistakenly be left on or have a used battery rendering the emergency device unreliable. In addition, the abducted will not be allowed to perform battery maintenance operations such as re-charging the device.
Also, current approaches are too costly to provide safety for the general public. In the case of the RF devices, a large RF infrastructure becomes price prohibitive. Even as cell phone usage expands, although not perfect for emergencies (drained batteries, limited coverage, assailant removal), cell phones and service plans are price prohibitive as a general public safety device. Likewise in the case of GPS (Global Positioning Systems) as in U.S. Pat. No. 6,175,329 Automatic Emergency and Position Indicator to Vicci, 2001 Jan. 16, although this art is possibly a more reliable form of emergency message transmission compared to cell phones, we do not see them in everyday use since the user devices themselves and associated services are also price prohibitive for mass public safety.
Commercially available electronic personal locator devices or personal beacons have a number of downfalls. They are large and heavy and not easily carried on a backpacking trip much less concealed and used for safety on a day-to-day basis. Since these transmit on the emergency channel, they are not feasible for general population day-to-day use since in general usage they would be activated in many situations for both real and false alarms. Emergency and rescue services could most likely not keep up with the activation of these units. These are also very expensive costing in the hundreds of dollars. Therefore because of their size, weight, transmission channel, and expense, these devices are neither affordable nor practical for day-to-day usage.
Similarly, in US patent application 20030162508 Miniature Electronic Personal Locator Beacon by Macias, 2003 Aug. 28, a beacon is used to signal a person overboard a ship on the VHF 1215 MHz distress channel. This art differs in many ways from my personal safety system. Firstly, a manual button, or a water-sensor upon a user falling overboard a ship into the water, actuates the beacon. This design is obviously not for use in abduction type emergency situations since the victim would need to either fall into water for automatic activation or have to rely on pressing a button that could be difficult to find and press in an emergency situation. Secondly, with this device also, we would need to rely on the abductor not removing the unit from the victim. Thirdly, the device is designed with a micro controller and VHF beacon making it costly for mass public safety use. Fourthly, battery management would be required. Fifthly, emergency signaling of the distress channel would not be feasible as an everyday safety device for the general public as the emergency channel could not reply to all needs.
In these prior art examples the task was to track, or the device had to remain charged and on the victim, or the device, service, or infrastructure was price prohibitive. All the personal locator systems heretofore known suffer from a number of disadvantages:                (a) An RF device that is designed to remain on the person, if taken off, is rendered useless        (b) With RF device usage, once a person is removed from the general vicinity or a defined RF coverage area the device is rendered useless        (c) Prior art neglects to collect any evidence so if these devices are eventually located and retrieved they tell little of what happened and at that point are not helpful for rescue        (d) Battery power is consumed readily with units that are continually on and communicating with an RF infrastructure        (e) Batteries can wear down providing an emergency unit not emergency capable. Also in previous designs the unit must continue to be charged after abduction for recovery        (f) RF infrastructure required by some devices render them price prohibitive and impractical for large coverage areas. GPS tracking systems can also be price prohibitive for the mass market        (g) High price coupled with the above disadvantages render most devices impractical and imperfect in a cost/risk/justification model        (h) Prior art devices are not a deterrent as long as the perpetrator can take the device off of the victim        (i) As with cell phones, children can not be tasked to have a device, out, charged, and at hand, when they need help        (j) In the case of emergency locator systems operating on the distress channel, this channel is more appropriate at sea than for the safety of the general mass public for day-to-day usage        (k) In one case sited, actuation is not automatic unless upon falling into water        (l) In the case of current emergency locator systems, they are large and heavy and expensive

Personal safety system for evidence collection and retrieval to provide critical information for rescue


An arrangement for power distribution on a vessel, having: a first DC bus operating at a first medium voltage; at least one second DC bus operating at a second medium voltage and having no direct connection with the first DC bus; a first AC bus operating at a low voltage; a first inverter coupled between the first DC bus and the first AC bus for allowing power flow from the first DC bus to the first AC bus in a first operation mode; a second AC bus operating at the low voltage; a second inverter coupled between the second DC bus and the second AC bus for allowing power flow from the second DC bus to the second AC bus in the first operation mode; a low voltage connection system for selectively connecting or disconnecting the first AC bus and the second AC bus.

For operating a vessel, in particular a ship or a platform, e.g. oil exploration platform, electric energy needs to be distributed to a number of consumers. For example, thrusters and pumps need to be operated on a vessel. The different consumers require different voltage or may require AC power or DC power. In the state-of-the-art, medium voltage distribution systems which have traditional switch gears, transformers and VFDs may have been used, to provide necessary power to the plural consumers. These conventional systems may require steady or constant frequency. Thus, a main generator or prime mover may be needed to be run at a certain speed or rotational speed. Furthermore, all load changes will have to be provided by the prime movers. Alternatively, in the prior art, low voltage multi-drive systems have been used, with DC breakers between the sections. The optional DC breaker gives the possibility for having a close ring connection and therefore a more efficient load sharing. In case of a failure, the DC breaker may secure the fast disconnection and limiting of the short circuit current.
However, conventional power distribution and systems may have some disadvantages and technical problems. In particular, a large amount of equipment of voluminous space and also a considerable amount of cables may be required for the conventional systems. Furthermore, generators need to have a considerable capacity.
Thus, there may be a need for an arrangement and a method for power distribution on a vessel which requires less heavy or complex equipment, and which may be operated in a secure and reliable manner.
EP2623416 describes a system with diesel generators to produce electrical power and converter units to convert from AC to DC. DC is supplied to consumers. A control device controls rotation speed of each generator according to the power required.


Techniques where PCIe is implemented using connectors that are compatable with Cardbus/MPCI connectors. One technique implements PCIe on unused pins on Cardbus/MPCI connectors. An advantage of this implementation is that it provides a single, smaller connection point than utilizing separate connectors. Another technique is to add additional pins to a PCI connector for processing PCIe low voltage differential signal pairs. Although this technique is not as small as the first technique, it is still smaller than utilizing separate connectors.

The present invention relates generally to a modular connection capable of supporting PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) and PCI Express (PCIe) interfaces, and more specifically to removable a radio slot for a wireless local area network (WLAN) access point (AP).
A typical access point (AP) can employ a removable radio slot to enable it to be quickly and easily updated. For example, a chipset can be developed for to implement an 802.11 standard for the AP. The chipset is mounted on a removable card, such as a PCI card that is plugged into the access point. As changes to the standard occur, the AP can be updated by merely replacing the removable card in the AP with a removable card having a new chipset.
In the past, changing the removable card has not been a problem because 802.11 chipsets have been employed on cards using standard off the shelf PCI connectors (e.g., Cardbus, MPCI, PC104+). However, future 802.11 chipsets will utilize PCI Express (PCIe) connections due to the fact that laptops, and other small computer devices, will abandon the Cardbus interface in favor of the PCIe interface. Because of the uncertainty of exactly when the change from Cardbus to PCIe will occur, it is desirable that a modular AP have both PCI and PCIe connections. If separate, standard MCPI/Cardbus and PCI Express card interfaces are both installed on an AP, then the physical size of the AP will be larger than desired.
Thus, it would be desirable for an AP, or any other computing device, to be able to support the Cardbus PCI interface and the PCI Express interface using only one connector. However, the connector would have to be designed to overcome incompatibilities between the PCI and PCI express interfaces as will be explained hereinbelow.
The PCI bus was originally developed as a local bus expansion slot for the Personal Computer and was coined the PCI Local Bus. The specification started as an add-on to the ISA form factor with the PCI bus requiring its own connectors. The PCI spec defines Electrical requirements for the interface. No bus terminations are specified, the bus relies on signal reflection to achieve level threshold. The first Desk Top version of the PCI bus ran at 33 MHz with a 32 bit bus (133 MBps), the current Desk Top version runs at 66 MHz with a 64 bit bus. The Laptop version, (Mini-PCI) operates at 33 MHz with a 32 bit bus. The PCI bus operates either synchronously or asynchronously at the motherboard's bus rate. While operating asynchronously, the bus will operate at any frequency, e.g., from 66 MHz down to (and including) 0 Hz. Flow control is added to allow the bus to operate with slower devices on the bus, allowing the bus to operate at their speed. There are three card configurations for the Mini PCI bus, Type 1, Type II and Type III. Type I and Type II use a 100 pin connector, while Type III uses a 124 pin connector.
By contrast, PCI Express uses a pair of LVDS (Low Voltage Differential Signal) drivers and receivers and is not compatible with the legacy PCI bus, which does not use differential transceivers. The PCI Express bus uses two low-voltage differential signal pairs at 2.5 Gb/s in each direction, one pair for transmit, and one pair for receive. The differential trace impedance is defined as 100 ohms, ±15%. Each pair is capacitive coupled at the receiver. PCI Express supports 1×[2.5 Gbps], 2×, 4×, 8×, 12×, 16×, and 32× bus widths [transmit/receive pairs].

Dual use modular PCI/PCI express interface


The polarization angle θ1 of a polarizer (14) is set, and the reflection intensity S1 in a cross Nicol state and the reference reflection intensity Ref1 of a liquid crystal cell (15) are measured. A different polarization angle θ2 is then set, and the reflection intensity S2 in a cross Nicol state and the reference reflection intensity Ref2 of the liquid crystal cell are measured. The rations S1/Ref1, S2/Ref2 of measured intensities and the ratio S1·Ref2/S2·Ref1 is determined in order to cancel the background components of the reference reflection intensities Ref1, Ref2 thus determining the value of cell gap accurately.

A transmissive liquid crystal cell has a structure as shown in FIG. 8, where glass layers 31, 32 constitute the uppermost layer and the lowermost layer, respectively, and transparent electrode films 33, 34 are formed on the inner surfaces of the glass layers 31, 32, respectively. Furthermore, alignment films (not shown) are formed on the inner surfaces of the transparent electrode films 33, 34, which are each rubbed at a predetermined angle. A liquid crystal 15a is sealed in between the alignment films. In the case of a color liquid crystal cell, a color filter is disposed on the (inner surface of the) upper glass layer 31.
FIG. 9 illustrates the structure of a reflective liquid crystal cell. When compared with the transmissive liquid crystal cell, this is different from the transmissive liquid crystal cell in that a reflective metal film 35 is formed in lieu of the transparent electrode 34 on one side. An alignment film is formed on the surface of the reflective metal film 35, which is rubbed at a predetermined angle.
Suppose that the thickness (cell gap) of the liquid crystal contained in a liquid crystal cell is represented by d.
There has been a conventional method for measuring the cell gap d of a liquid crystal cell, in which light is directed from above the cell without liquid crystal injected therein so that interference of light waves is measured to obtain the thickness of the air layer, which is regarded as the thickness of the liquid crystal cell (Interferometry).
However, the thickness of the air layer before injection of the liquid crystal and that of the liquid crystal cell after injection of the liquid crystal are not identical in a strict sense. Accordingly, developing a method for directly measuring the thickness of a cell after injection of a liquid crystal has been anticipated.
Another known method is a method in which the birefringence of uniaxial crystals that liquid crystals have is utilized in such a manner that a linearly polarized component of light of a light source is introduced into a liquid crystal cell filled with a liquid crystal (hereinafter referred to as the "sample"), and the intensity of the transmitted light in a cross Nicol state and the intensity of the same in a parallel Nicol state are each measured. Based on these intensities, a birefringent phase difference (which is called "retardation") of the liquid crystal is determined, from which the cell gap is obtained. (Refer to H. L. Ong, Appl. Phys. Lett. 51 (18), 2 Nov. 1987, pp 1398–1400, etc.)
Incidentally, in the foregoing method, since light is directed to one side of the sample and the light that has been transmitted through the sample is measured, the light source and the photodetector of the measurement system are opposed to each other with respect to the sample. For this reason, a problem arises in that the measurement system has to be large and cannot be compact in size.
In addition, since the foregoing method measures light transmitted through the sample, it is inapplicable, in principle, to reflective liquid crystal cells that do not allow light to pass through.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method for measuring gap of liquid crystal cell which is capable of measuring the gaps of liquid crystal cells and applicable to both transmissive and reflective liquid crystal cells, while allowing the size of the measurement system to be compact.

Method for measuring gap of liquid crystal cell


A device is shown having at least two movable lens units, wherein each of the at least two movable lens units has at least one lens, wherein the at least two movable lens units are movable into a first state wherein the at least two movable lens units are arranged in parallel to each other, and wherein the at least two movable lens units are movable into a second state wherein the at least two movable lens units are arranged on top of each other for positioning the lenses of the at least two movable lens units in an optical axis.

Good image quality and minituarization of imaging devices, especially optics, are difficult to combine. Zoom and autofocus functions need space to extend/retract, typically from few millimeters to few tens of millimeters, and the amount and size of high quality lenses need to be fitted inside the structure.
Trendwise the miniaturization of digital still cameras have undergone a transition into very thin, pocket size, devices. From an optics point of view the typical extending & retracting zoom/autofocus features have been formed into smaller shape, folded optics. In these the movement of lenses takes place totally inside the device and a prism is used to fold the viewing angle 90 degrees.
This solution has the drawback that only relatively small lenses can be used for the folded optics since they are placed totally inside the device, but this leads to decreased optical quality of the optical system. Furthermore, the small lenses implicates the use of a relatively small image sensor which also decreases the picture quality.
Unfortunately, the use of bigger lenses in such a folded optic system would lead to a tremendous increase of the device's size.


Disclosed is a functional NIRS imaging system including an elastomeric cap, a set of transmit optical fibers and a set of receive optical fibers terminating on the inside surface of the elastomeric cap. A pair of light sources combines to produce a collimated light beam at two wavelengths. An optical modulation system, converts the light beam into a plurality of probe light beams, modulates the plurality of probe light beams and directs each probe light beam into a transmit fiber. An optical detection system accepts scattered photons from subcutaneous tissue underneath the elastomeric cap as a plurality of collected light beams and converts them into a time series of electronic images, stores the electronic images into the memory and processes the electronic images using. The system displays the resulting image on a display as a hemoglobin oxygen saturation map.

Non-invasive methods of monitoring brain activity have long been sought. More recently, systems that allow a patient to perform activities while monitoring brain activity, known as functional monitoring have been sought which allow neurological and psychological study of the patient. Many types of diagnoses and studies are made possible including studies that involve brain development in children, brain activity in mentally deficient patients, patients that have experienced brain damage or concussions, conditions such as migraines, and in the elderly, conditions such as Alzheimer's disease.
The technique of near infrared spectroscopy and functional near infrared spectroscopy have been shown to be useful in obtaining images of subcutaneous matter including fluids and solid matter. Near infrared spectroscopy is accomplished by transmitting light through the skin from a near infrared light source and into the subcutaneous tissue where it is scattered and absorbed. The scattered light is detected by a detector, usually coupled to an optical fiber placed a short distance away from the transmission source. Near infrared images of subcutaneous matter are generally wavelength dependent due to the light absorption characteristics of water, of oxygenated hemoglobin (HbO) and of deoxygenated hemoglobin (Hb). Observation of three dimensional spatial variations of hemoglobin concentration is possible using multiple wavelengths of light. Most often, lasers or LED sources in the ranges of 690 nm to 830 nm are employed.
Near-infrared spectroscopy has shown to be a promising tool in breast imaging for early detection of breast cancer, peripheral vasculature for diagnostics relating to peripheral blood flow and arterial health which are common issues in diabetics, and in related research applied to animals.
Depth of the imaging field is in the range of centimeters: about 3 to 4 cm for brain imaging, about 10-12 cm for breast imaging, and about 6 to 8 cm for the peripheral body such as the arms and legs.
Commercial systems exist in the art. FIG. 1A shows a typical prior art system. Patient 1 wears cap 2. The cap includes optical fibers held in close proximity to the patient's skull. The optical fibers include bundle of transmit fibers 3 and bundle of receive fibers 4. Bundle of transmit fibers 3 are connected to a set of lasers on a set of transmitter cards 5. Bundle of receive fibers 4 are connected to a corresponding set of optical detectors on a set of receiver cards 6. The set of transmitter cards and the set of receiver cards are controlled by computer 8 having memory 7. The computer operates to collect data from the receiver cards and process it using image processor 10 to determine various imaging data. For example, hemoglobin concentration may be determined as a function of position on the skull and at various depths within the brain. Display 9 is used to display the processed images and hemoglobin concentration maps.
In FIG. 1B, a prior art transmitter card is shown. The transmitter card includes a set of lasers 21 operating at the two wavelengths, 690 nm and 830 nm. Typically, there are four lasers of each wavelength on a card, where each laser includes fiber pigtail 25 to an external fiber optic connector 22. Fibers 27 from bundle of transmit fibers 3 are separated. Each fiber includes a connector which is mated to connector 22.
In FIG. 1C, a prior art receiver card is shown. The receiver card includes a set of detectors 18. Avalanche photodiode detectors (APD) are typically included for detecting low light levels. In most cases, four photodetectors are included on each card. Each photodetector includes fiber pigtail 20 to external fiber optic connector 23. Fibers 28 from the bundle of receive fibers are separated. Each fiber terminated with a fiber connector which is mated to external fiber optic connector 23. The transmitter cards and the receiver cards are connected to and interact with the computer.
FIG. 2 shows a prior art diagram depicting a detail of cap 2 in operation. A patient's head including skin 39 covering subcutaneous fluid 40 is shown. Membrane 38 supports and positions input fiber 30, and output fibers 31-36. Near infrared light, when injected through input fiber 30 is scattered by the subcutaneous fluid in all directions. However, certain scattering paths allow for the light to propagate into the output fibers. An example is central blood flow artifact 48. Light path 44 captures light from input fiber 30 to output fiber 31. Light path 42 captures light from input fiber 30 to output fiber 32. Light path 43 captures light from input fiber 30 to output fiber 33. Light path 44 captures light from input fiber 30 to output fiber 34. Light path 45 captures light from input fiber 30 to output fiber 35. Light path 46 captures light from input fiber 30 to output fiber 36. The "banana" shaped light paths are statistical in nature describing paths that photons take while propagating in the subcutaneous fluid from the light source towards the detector. In so doing, some of the photons are absorbed. The absorption is exponentially related to the path length and to artifacts. In particular, photons propagating in the region of central blood flow artifact 48 will experience a higher rate of absorption as determined by the extinction coefficient of the material comprising central blood flow artifact 48. Thus, light detected in output fibers 33 and 35, in particular, will be less than their counterparts, output fibers 34 and 36, respectively. Also, note that output fibers 35 and 36 probe deeper into the subcutaneous fluid than output fibers 31 and 32, for example.
In the prior art, Gratton et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 5,497,769 discloses the quantitative determination of various materials in highly scattering media such as living tissue in an external, photometric manner by the use of a plurality of light sources positioned at differing distances from a sensor. The light from said sources is amplitude modulated in accordance with conventional frequency domain fluorometry techniques where the gain of the sensor is modulated at a frequency different from the frequency of the light modulation. The sensor heads carry eight light sources and the light passing through the living tissue may be transmitted to a photomultiplier detector by an optical fiber.
Barbour et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 7,778,693 discloses a time series of optical tomography data obtained for a target tissue site in a human using a near infrared optical wavelength to observe properties of the vasculature of the human. A target placed in an imaging head is exposed to optical energy from combined sources. A source demultiplexer is controlled by a computer to direct the optical energy source fibers sequentially. The imaging head contains a plurality of source fibers and detector fibers for transmitting and receiving light energy, respectively. The optical energy entering the target at one location is scattered and may emerge at any location around the target where it is collected by detector fibers. The imaging process is repeated so as to deliver optical energy sequentially, a measurement being obtained for detected emerging optical energy at each detector for each emitting source fiber. Barbour et al. discloses a system with 32 detection channels.
In U.S. Pat. No. 7,983,740 to Culver et al., an imaging system for diffuse optical tomography is disclosed including a dense grid of light emitting diodes as sources wherein each light emitting diode has individual, isolated power to reduce crosstalk and each detector channel has a dedicated avalanche photo diode. The separation of signals is carried out through decoding frequency encoding.
These prior art systems suffer from a number of deficiencies. A first deficiency is in the size and portability of the system. As researchers and physicians have gained experience with these systems, they have seen the need for a larger numbers of detectors and sources in order to increase resolution. Current systems have as many as 128 detectors or transmitters. Such a system would require a fairly large rack of equipment and substantial space to operate. Furthermore, the sheer numbers and cost of the electronics become prohibitively large. Second, prior art systems operate at frame rates of about 2.5 Hz or less, at low resolutions and small coverage areas. For larger coverage areas the frame rates deteriorate to less than 1 Hz.
A compact near infrared hyperspectral imaging system is disclosed by Livingston et al. in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2008/0306337 that discloses an apparatus and method of the use of a hyperspectral surgical laproscope comprising a liquid crystal tunable filter mounted on the laproscope, positioned to collect back-reflected light from a target, and focal plane array also mounted on the laproscope to image light reflected from the target.
A digital light processing hyperspectral imaging apparatus is disclosed by Zuzak et al. in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010/0056928, the system including an illumination source adapted to output a light beam, the light beam illuminating a target, a dispersing element arranged in the optical path and adapted to separate the light beam into a plurality of wavelengths, a digital micromirror array adapted to tune the plurality of wavelengths into a spectrum, an optical device having a detector and adapted to collect the spectrum reflected from the target and arranged in the optical path and a processor operatively connected to and adapted to control at least one of these components and further adapted to output a hyperspectral image of the target.
However, these prior art systems only provide images of the spectral response of the tissue area and depth illuminated as a whole without regard for localized photonic excitation and scattering. As a result, lateral and depth spatial resolutions as well as image contrast of these systems remain limited.

Functional near infrared spectroscopy imaging system and method

BOARD OF REGENTS, THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS SYSTEM


A totally shielded connector includes a cuboid insulator having an annular recess and a cylindrical portion incorporating a plurality of contacts for coupling with a tubular external shield of a plug. The shield is comprised of two separate shells for covering five faces of the insulator except the face through which contacts extend for reception in apertures in a base on which the connector is to be mounted. One U-shaped front shell defines a front wall and two side walls and a second L-shaped rear shell defines a top wall and a rear wall. These two shells are fastened to each other, and to the insulator. Overlapping structures are positioned on a portion of all of the interconnection edges between the two shells to substantially eliminate any gaps in the shielding.

1. Field of the Invention
The field of the present invention relates to an electrical connector. More particularly, the field of the present invention relates to a totally shielded DIN connector.
2. The Prior Art
Electromagnetic interference or high frequency and radio frequency signals are often radiated or conducted to susceptible electronic equipment and interfere with the performance of that equipment. Electromagnetic interference sources includes sparks, lightning, radar, radio and TV transmission signals, brush motors and line transients. Sparks from a static discharge often are sources of electromagnetic Interference. By means of line conduction or by propagation through the air, electromagnetic interference may induce undesirable voltage signals in electronic equipment. Such interference is especially prevalent at connection devices such as in a DIN type connector.
In order to prevent electromagnetic interference from occurring at a connector and to keep a proper signal transmission from one or more devices utilizing the connector, two methods are commonly used. A first method utilizes a filter device coupling the connector's contacts in order to filter undesired signals from the circuit itself. The second method utilizes a metal shield to cover the outer surfaces of the connector for preventing external electromagnetic interference from penetrating into the insulator of the connector. The present device relates to the second method, that is an improved outer shielding of the connector for substantially eliminating the adverse effects of electromagnetic interference.
Conventional outer shielding for connectors involves two types of structures. A first group utilizes two separate shields, an inner shell and an outer shell, for coupling the connector. Examples of this type of connector include U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,637,669, 4,894,027, 4,913,664, 4,936,795, 4,938,714, 4,946,400, 5,017,158, 5,035,615. The first group of patents as exemplified in U.S. Pat. No. 4,637,669 fails to achieve an adequate shielding effect from electromagnetic interference. For example, the '669 patent lacks a front shield for protecting the contact accommodating apertures which make contact with another connector or device. Because the electromagnetic interference is especially prevalent and may concentrate at the point of connection, this type of shield is inadequate to provide the required shielding effect.
Another group of conventional connectors utilizes a one-piece shield and includes U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,842,554, 4,842,555, 4,908,335, 5,037,330. The present device provides an improvement over the latter group of connectors described in the aforementioned patents.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,842,554 ('554), discloses a one-piece shield covering four exterior sides of a DIN connector for providing shielding as well as grounding. The obvious disadvantage of this type of connector is that the back or rearward surface of the connector remains exposed to the propagation of electromagnetic interference through the air so that such a connector achieves an imperfect shielding effect.
What is desirable is a five sided shield which would be capable of shielding at least the front face, the top face, two side faces and the back face of a DIN connector. The bottom face of the connector from which the contacts of the connector extend outwardly in order to engage the corresponding apertures on a base such as a printed circuit board, for example, is typically left unshielded because good connection can be made with the base. Moreover, the base itself, such as a printed circuit board, also has a shielding effect.
However, it is difficult and uneconomical from a time and materials standpoint to form a five sided shell by stamping only a single piece of metal. The five sided shell when stretched flat prior to bending, typically forms an irregular outline. That is, it is not a simple matter to obtain a compact layout or arrangement of workpieces for stamping a sheet of metal to form a five sided shell. The process for stamping a five sided shell from a single flat sheet of metal often results in a waste of much of the original sheet of metal because the irregular shapes of metal resulting from the stamping process cannot be recovered for other uses.
In addition, a conventional connector such as that exemplified by the '554 patent is subject to constraints in the assembly process. In the '554 patent, the cantilever fingers extend in a horizontal direction. Thus, it is necessary to assemble the shield to the insulator from the front face. It is not possible for the type of one piece shield as shown in the '554 patent, to be combined with the insulator in any way other than from the front.
It will be appreciated that a conventional one piece shield cannot have five sides formed before assembly with an insulator. In such a case, it would be impossible to combine the shield and the insulator. For a one piece, five sided shield, the only direction from which the insulator can be inserted into the shield is from the bottom. Because the front face of the shield includes fingers which are extended rearward in a horizontal direction, the horizontally extending fingers will prevent the shield from simply being slipped over the insulator.
The rearwardly extending fingers require that the insulator be inserted into the shield from the backside. This is the only direction which would enable the fingers extending from the front face of the shield to be received within the annular recess of the insulator. However, in a conventional one piece, five sided shield, the rear wall would prevent the insulator from being combined with the shield from the back. Thus, a one piece shield such as shown in the '554 patent is incapable of being formed with five sides.
In addition, a conventional one piece shield cannot simply have a rear wall provided in a cantilever configuration prior to assembly, and then bent down to provide a five sided shield covering the rear face of the insulator. The additional step of bending the rear wall during the assembly of the shield to the insulator would unduly complicate the manufacturing process, could possibly damage the insulator and is economically infeasible.
Further, in the '554 patent, only a single piece of metal is used to form the four sided outer shell. The top wall of the shell is formed by bending an edge over the top of the insulator to engage the corresponding edges of the side wall in an edge to edge connection. A gap inevitably exists between the two opposite confronting edges and thus decreases the shielding effect. Other examples of spaces occurring between opposite confronting edges of the shield are shown in the '026 and '664 patents.
Another disadvantage of the conventional shell structure for shielding an electrical connector arises from the rough edges of the inwardly extending contact members. In the manufacturing process of a one piece four sided shield, the contact members extend inwardly from the front opening. These contact members are formed by a bending process so that it is usual to have sharp or rough edges along the inwardly extending contact members. Also, the rough edges of the front opening are exposed to the exterior. This makes the appearance look rough and is undesirable from a customer standpoint. This also causes a mating surface to have a sharp edge which may result in an imperfect connection with another component or in unintentional damage to other components when handling the connector assembly. Additional disadvantages of conventional DIN connectors relate to the need for grounding the connector to prevent the build up of parasitic capacitances and to shunt interfering electromagnetic signals to ground. In a conventional DIN connector, grounding is accomplished by the use of a grounding plate attached to the connector shield and having a connection with an additional grounding means such as a main ground lead for shunting interfering signals to ground as in the case of a computer. As shown in FIG. 1, in a conventional DIN connector 100, the ground plate must be fastened by a pair of screws 110 on the shield 120 and the insulator 130. This has the disadvantage of increasing the number of components for assembly and making assembly time consuming and piecemeal because assembly of the screws is not ordinarily integrated with other assembly steps.