A battery disconnect switch is provided for breaking the conductive path in an electric vehicle comprising at least one conductor pin moveable between a conducting position and a non-conducting position. At least one spring is provided for biasing the conductor pin toward the non-conducting position. A surging mechanism moves the conductor pin to the conducting position and a locking mechanism holds the conductor pin in the conducting position against the bias of the spring. A release mechanism releases the locking mechanism allowing the bias of the spring to force the conductor pin to its non-conducting position.

1. Technical Field
The present invention generally relates to electric vehicles and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for breaking high electric current at high electric voltage under load.
2. Discussion
Electric vehicles commonly use a large battery pack for providing power to the motor for propelling the vehicle. The level of current in conventional electric vehicle battery packs is approximately equal to 400 amps at 400 volts. A number of safety features have been incorporated in to modem electric vehicles to minimize the potential of injury to operators, mechanics, and safety technicians from this current. For instance, the battery pack is often isolated within a tub disposed along the underbody of the vehicle to minimize high voltage/high current exposure. Furthermore, automatic electric contactors open up to remove power from the motor and isolate the current within the battery pack when the vehicle key is turned off.
While these safety features are generally effective, there is room for improvement in the art. For instance, it would be desirable to provide a manually operated battery to backup the automatic system for removing power from the motor and isolating it in the battery pack. It would also be desirable to provide a battery disconnect switch which is accessible to operators, mechanics and emergency personnel so that by moving the switch to an "off" position, they may have confidence that all power has been removed from the vehicle. It further is desirable to provide a battery disconnect switch which is easily recognizable as being in a power off state. Moreover, it is desirable to provide a battery disconnect switch which is capable of breaking the conductive path of the high voltage/high current of an electric vehicle under load while minimizing arcing between contact points.
It is generally known that at high levels of current, such as 400 amps, breaking the conductive path and thus the current flow requires quick action so that an arc between contact points does not form. If the conductive path is not broken quickly enough, the air between the contact points is ionized and begins to burn. An arc then forms between the contact points and travels with the contacts as they are separated. The high current will sustain the arc across the gap through the burning ionized air. The temperature in this region may approach 10,000.degree. F., which may severely damage equipment or cause fires.
In a conventional gas burning automobile employing a standard 12 volt system, the level of current is relatively low and known knife-type switches can be effectively utilized to break the current flow under load. To accomplish this, an operator moves a lever from an "on" position to an "off" position to break the conductive path. In this case, the air between the contact points is not ionized and the current does not arc across the gap because the current is relatively low and does not arc as the contact points are separated.
However, conventional knife-type switches cannot break the conductive path in high voltage, high current systems such as the 400 volt/400 amp system of an electric vehicle since they are hand speed sensitive. An operator is physically unable to move the lever from its "on" position to its "off" position quickly enough to prevent the high current from ionizing the air between the contact surfaces. The high current quickly arcs and jumps across the gap.

Battery disconnect switch for electric vehicle


A heat exchanger for use in controlling subject""s body temperature during a medical procedure comprises a flexible garment adapted for enveloping portions of the subject""s body surface with dedicated sections for enveloping different body parts. Defined within the garment is a continuous, fluid tight space, wherein a flow path for heat-control fluid is defined between fluid inlet and fluid outlet. The inner faces of the garment""s internal and external layers are made of a heat-weldable material and are point-welded to one another at a plurality of locations throughout the garment with a distance between two adjacent points being between about 8 to about 20 mm.

The present invention relates to a heat exchanger which is intended to be applied onto a subject""s body for controlling the subject""s body temperature during medical procedure.
There are a variety of medical procedures in which a subject""s body temperature has to be controlled. For example, during open heart surgery, the body temperature has to be controllably reduced to about 35xc2x0 C. and then at the end of the operation increased back to normal body temperature. Furthermore, under general anesthesia, the natural physiological mechanisms which operate to maintain a body temperature may fail, and the problem becomes particularly acute in cases where exposed internal body organs come into contact with the ambient air which results in excessive heat loss. The problem is further aggravated by the fact that operation rooms are very often heavily cooled. Following surgical procedure, it may take some time until the body acquires back its ability to control its temperature.
Similarly as human subjects, the problem of controlling body temperature is also experienced during surgical procedures performed on animals.
Overall, controlling the body temperature is one of the serious problems facing the medical staff when performing operations.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,844,072, describes a system which may be used in thermal therapy and which includes a thermal pad with internal channels for carrying a temperature-control liquid therethrough. A thermal bandage which achieves a similar purpose is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,962,761 through which heat control liquid is circulated when placed in contact with the body. In accordance with this patent, several such matters may be placed in series and fitted into a planar array or into a garment.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,269,369 discloses a temperature regulation system for human body which makes use of heat pipes which are incorporated into a garment, which distributes energy to and from portions of the human body.
A tube laminated heat transfer article for placing against a human body for transfer heat to or from the human body is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,755,275. A heating and/or cooling pad having the shape of the human body which is placed beneath the patient to allow heat or cold to radiate upwards is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,785,716.
MicroClimate Systems Inc., Stanford, Mich., U.S.A., markets a series of portable personal cooling systems (sold under the trademarks KOOLVEST, KOOLJACKET, KOOLBAND, KOOLPAID and others) which are intended for use by healthy persons who perform a physical activity in a hot environment (see Internet http://www.microclimate.com/prodline.html or http://www.microclimate.com/work.html). The system consists of a garment (it may be a vest, jacket, skull cap, a cervical collar, etc.) with tubing embedded therein in which water flows propelled by a battery-powered pump. Water passes through ice or through a cooling device before entering the tubing within the garment. The user can control the pump rate, the temperature, etc. A similar product line is also provided by Mallinckrodt Inc., St. Louis, Mo., U.S.A. (see the Internet at http://www/mallinckrodt.com/ccd) and others.
In accordance with the invention, a heat exchanger in the form of a garment which is highly effective in transferring a heat to or from a subject""s body in order to control the subject""s body temperature has been developed. The invention thus provides, a heat exchanger for use in controlling a subject""s body temperature during a medical procedure, comprising:
a flexible garment adapted for enveloping portions of the subject""s body surface, the garment having dedicated sections for enveloping different body parts which comprise a torso section for enveloping substantial portions of the subject""s torso and one or more extremity sections for enveloping portions of one or more of the individual""s extremities;
a fastening arrangement for retaining each section in an enveloping state;
fluid-tight space defined between an internal, body-facing layer of the garment and an external layer and between fluid tight edges of the garment, the faces of both layers lining said space being attached to one another along lines defining a flow path between at least one fluid inlet and at least one fluid outlet to permit flow of fluid from the at least one inlet to the at least one outlet throughout essentially the entire garment for effective heat transfer to or from all parts of the garment;
the inner faces of the garment""s internal and external layers are made of a heat-weldable material and are point welded to one another at a plurality of locations throughout the garment.
The fluid-tight space which is defined between the internal and the external layers of the garment, has typically a volume per unit area which is essentially the same throughout the entire garment. The point welds may be randomly distributed throughout the garment or may be arranged in an ordered array. A typical distance between two adjacent welded points in the garment is between about 8 to about 20 mm.
The garment is typically designed for working under fluid pressure of about 0.5-1.5 atmospheres. Typically, the space is formed such that under a pressure of this range the space""s volume per unit area of the garment is in the range of about 1-3 liter/m2 of garment surface.
A preferred heat exchanger in accordance with the invention is such wherein each of the internal and the external layers is constructed of two layers; namely the garment is a four-layered structure. This four-layered structure consists of two impermeble sheets lining said space overlaid by usually heavier reinforcing layers. All four layers are typically made of a heat-weldable material and are point welded to one another. The two innermost layers serve to define the fluid-tight space, while the outer layers reinforce the structure and allow the application of an increased internal fluid pressure, at times up to about 3 Atm without rupturing. Increase pressure may at times be of importance to ensure a certain level of flow of the heat-control fluid within the garment""s inner space. The inner layers of the heat exchange may be made of a polyethylene-based material such as Metallocene (manufactured by Dow Chemicals) sheeting, typically but not restricted to about 20-50 xcexcm thickness. The two outer layers are preferably somewhat hydrophilic to allow a certain degree of absorption of body and/or cleaning and disinfecting fluids and are also preferably soft to touch to ensure improved patient""s comfort when contacting the skin. The outer layers may, for example, be made of a woven or non-woven spunbond fabric, e.g. made of polypropylene, having a characteristic weight of about 20 g/m2 to about 50 g/m2. The welding together of the four layers may be achieved, for example, by means of RF welding.
The heat exchanger having the aforementioned characteristics, is novel by itself (even when not formed into a garment as defined above), and forms an aspect of the present invention. The heat exchanger may be used for any application requiring a flexible heat exchanger with a relatively large heat exchange surface. A significant feature of the heat exchanger of this embodiment is that it is of low cost and high efficiency and has overall performance (heat exchange properties, flexibility, internal pressure resistance, and others) hitherto attained only with more complex and costly devices.
The heat transfer fluid is typically a liquid, e.g. water. A heat exchanger which is adapted for use with a liquid heat transfer fluid, typically made to circulate by a pump, is made with an internal flow resistance within the space such that under a pressure differential between the input and output of about 0.5 atmospheres, the flow rate through the garment will be in the range of about 0.5-2 liter/minute, typically about 1 liter/minute.
The garment is preferably designed such that each different section can be manipulated independently from other sections between an enveloping and a non-enveloping state. This has several advantages. For one, it allows easy accessibility to different parts of the body. Furthermore, this allows to use a single type of garment for different kinds of operations: for example in case of an operation performed on the subject""s leg, the respective section will obviously be in the non-enveloping state while the other sections, namely those of the torso, the other leg, the arms, the neck, the head, etc., may be in an enveloping state. The feature of independent manipulation of the different sections between an enveloping and a non-enveloping state is typically achieved by emarginations in the garment""s edges.
The garment may also have a modular design. For example, there may be a garment piece designed for the torso, a garment piece designed for the head, a garment piece designed for the legs or arms, etc. The different garment pieces may be combined to form a garment in a manner to meet specific needs.
The above feature allows to provide an effective cover of the human body by the garment sufficient to properly control the body temperature, for a wide variety of different medical procedures. One should also note that. effective heat transfer may be achieved regardless of the patient""s position: whether he is placed lying on his back or whether he is placed with his back up or whether he is placed lying on his side, or even when positioned in a sitting position.
The heat exchanger of the invention is particularly useful in controlling the body temperature of a patient during surgery. The heat exchanger in accordance with the invention may be designed for all shapes and sizes of human subjects as well as for animals.
The invention will now be described in a non-limiting manner with respect to some specific embodiments shown in the annexed drawings.


Disclosed herein is a system comprising: an optical system with a focal plane; an apparatus at the focal plane; a filter; wherein the apparatus comprises an array of vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) on a first substrate and an array of detectors on a second substrate, the detectors configured to detect laser beams that are emitted by the VCSELs and backscattered by an object; wherein the first substrate is mounted to the second substrate and is configured to allow the laser beams that are emitted by the VCSELs and backscattered by the object to transmit through the first substrate and reach the detectors; wherein the filter is configured to prevent light other than the laser beams from passing.

A laser radar (also called LIDAR, LiDAR and LADAR) is a device that measures distance to a target by illuminating that target with a laser (e.g., ultraviolet, visible, or near infrared). A laser radar may be used to image objects, which may include a wide range of materials, including non-metallic objects, rocks, rain, chemical compounds, aerosols, clouds and even single molecules.
A laser radar may include a laser (e.g., a laser with a wavelength between 500 nm and 1600 nm). The laser may be pulsed or continuous. A laser radar may include a mechanism that scans and controls the laser. The mechanism may scan the laser mechanically (e.g., oscillating plane mirrors, polygon mirrors) or electronically (e.g., phased array). A laser radar may also have a detector configured to detect light reflected by the objects being imaged.
The vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL), is a type of semiconductor laser diode with laser beam emission perpendicular from the top surface, contrary to conventional edge-emitting semiconductor lasers (also in-plane lasers) which emit from surfaces formed by cleaving the individual chip out of a wafer. A VCSEL may have an active region sandwiched between upper and lower Bragg reflectors (e.g., formed by epitaxial growth on a substrate). A VCSEL may be formed from materials such as GaAs, InGaAs, or AlGaAs.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Shenzhen Genorivision Technology Co., Ltd.


The universal fleet electrical system is an integrated system for supplying electrical power to aftermarket accessories, particularly to police vehicles and other emergency vehicles. The system includes a central power distribution panel, which includes a fuse panel and a lighting selector junction box, together with a universal wiring harness. A variety of custom wiring harnesses may also be used in the universal fleet electrical system. A dash mounted console is provided for operator control of the various accessory devices. The lighting selector junction box permits various lighting accessories to be connected to different light level circuits through push connectors, so that a plurality of lighting devices may be controlled by a single switch.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to motor vehicle electrical systems, and particularly to a universal fleet electrical system for fleets of emergency vehicles, such as police vehicles.
2. Description of the Related Art
Law enforcement agencies typically have large fleets of motor vehicles which require a wide variety of aftermarket accessories, including, but not limited to, radios, light bars, arrow sticks, flashers for high beams, grill lights, brake and backup lights, strobe lights, dash lights, rear deck lighting, mobile dispatch terminals, video cameras, and computers. Original equipment manufacture (OEM) police packages offer base packages which are very expensive and which do not begin to provide the capability of handling all accessory needs. State agencies and local government entities have tight budgetary constraints which require that accessory systems be put up for bid to local vendors. Unfortunately, wiring systems vary from vendor to vendor, and often accessories must be hard wired by tapping into the vehicle's existing wiring system. As accessories accumulate, the vehicle's accessory wiring system becomes very complex with no unifying schematic. Consequently, when an accessory fails, it becomes very difficult and time consuming to track down the fault through the vehicle's wiring system.
Various inventions have sought to simplify vehicle wiring systems to make electrical systems more economical and to reduce the cost of servicing vehicle electrical systems. U.S. Pat. No. 4,403,155, issued September, 1983 to Aoki et al., describes a wiring system which eliminates external jumper wires by housing a switch box and fuse box in a connector box with buss bars which branch to terminals and split terminals leaving the connector box. U.S. Pat. No. 4,689,718, issued August, 1987 to Maue et al., teaches a junction box with circuit boards inside, and a top cover having sockets which receive standard wire harnesses, customized buss bars selected by vehicle options, and any additional components required by the accessory circuits.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,850,884, issued July, 1989 to Sawai et al. shows a junction box to which a controller and a wire harness attach, the junction box having buss bars inside. U.S. Pat. No. 4,864,154, issued September, 1989 to Copeland et al., discloses a device for shutting down auxiliary devices in a police car which are not connected to or controlled by the ignition switch, e.g., radios, public address, etc., so that the battery does not run down, the device comprising a timer circuit between the battery and the auxiliary device.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,956,561, issued September, 1990 to A. B. Tamer, describes a smart power connector for carrying multiplexed data signals between a central control module and peripheral control modules. U.S. Pat. No. 5,949,148, issued September, 1999 to W. F. Wagner, teaches a power connection box with fused circuits and relays to control various devices on a police car or other emergency vehicle. The box is mounted under the dash, receives one wire from the positive terminal of the battery and a second wire from the ignition switch. The box provides some output terminals which are always hot, some output terminals which are hot only so long as the ignition switch is on, and some output terminals which are hot with the ignition on but with a delay to keep them hot for a predetermined time when the ignition is turned off, and fused circuit pass throughs for connecting a light controller to the light bar. The device uses a tamer integrated circuit and a flip-flop.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,973,409 and 6,150,734, issued October, 1999 and November 2000, respectively to Neibecker et al., show a system having a case including a signal distribution board and a power distribution board which are connected by a first card with fuses and a second card with relays. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,990,570 and 6,307,279, issued November, 1999 and October, 2001, respectively to Yoshida et al., disclose a solid state power distribution device for eliminating fuses and reducing wiring requirements. U.S. Pat. No. 5,990,573, issued November, 1999 to Granitz et al. describes a plurality of area modules distributed at various locations near the loads throughout a vehicle, each area module having a plurality of slots for receiving feature modules.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,296,840, issued Mar. 22, 1994 to W. J. Gieffers and assigned to Federal Signal Corporation, describes a programmable emergency signalling system for a vehicle which includes a control head mounted in the dash area of the vehicle, a programmable control unit in the trunk of the vehicle, and a serial communications cable linking the control head to the control unit. The control unit is programmed by a keypad which may be integral with the control head, or which may be on a laptop computer that can be connected to the control head. Relays for switching the lights, sirens, or other accessories are connected to the control unit. The system is an add on, however, and does not disclose a universal wiring system and harness adapted for connection to the control head and control unit.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,411,874, issued Jun. 25, 2002 to Morgan, et al., discloses a control system for a police car or other emergency vehicle having a user interface, preferably with a "touch screen" keypad, disposed in the passenger compartment which is connected to a central controller in the trunk of the vehicle by a data bus. The system reduces clutter in the passenger compartment by reduction of multiple switch controls in the passenger compartment. The Morgan patent does not describe such a control system integrated into a universal harness controlling all vehicle electrical functions.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singularly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Thus a universal fleet electrical system solving the aforementioned problems is desired.


According to one embodiment, a magnetic disk device includes a disk, a head which writes data to the disk and reads data from the disk, and a controller which increases a first recording density of data to be written to a first sector having a first overwrite in the first sector and reduces a second recording density of data to be written to a second sector having a second overwrite different from the first overwrite, on a first track of the disk.

On a particular track of a magnetic disk of a magnetic disk device (hereinafter referred to simply as a disk), due to nonuniformity in film formation, etc., a bit error rate (BER) may change. The change of the BER on the particular track varies from region to region in the radial direction of the disk. The BER should preferably be constant on each of the tracks arranged in the radial direction of the disk.

Magnetic disk device and method for adjusting write data

Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corporation


A traction device for a boot has a felt platform with a toe section and a heel section, and a heel extension attached to the heel section. Cording passes through two pairs of passages in each of the toe section and the heel extension. On each side, the cording passing from a toe section passage to a heel extension passage forms a side stringer, and the cord extending beyond the heel extension forms a cord extension segment. Loops are provided on each side stringer, and the cord extension segments are each passed through one of the loops before being cinched to tighten the cording against the boot. Preferably, a single length of cord is employed and the loops are tied into the side stringers. It is also preferred for the toe section passages to be positioned on ear extensions that protrude from a body of the felt platform.

It has long been known to attach an auxiliary sole or slipper onto footwear so as to change the characteristic of the sole of the footwear. Most commonly, the auxiliary device provides additional traction on slippery surfaces such as ice or wet rocks. For ice, such devices frequently employ downward-protruding cleats or caulks to provide greater traction; however, such devices are not effective on wet rocks. One material which has classically been used for providing traction on wet rocks is felt, such as taught in U.S. Pat. No. 3,099,885. Auxiliary felt soles which can be attached to conventional footwear as needed are taught in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,187,778 and 5,150,536. Auxiliary soles having a cushion material such as felt may also be employed to provide a quieter footstep for hunting or wildlife photography, as taught in U.S. Pat. No. 5,535,529 and U.S. Publication No. 2003/0226281. These auxiliary devices may employ a flat sole portion in combination with a binding structure having a toe-retaining structure and a heel/ankle-retaining structure that serve to secure the sole to the conventional shoe or boot of the wearer, as taught in the '778 patent and in the '281 publication. Alternatively, these devices may employ a moccasin-like structure which wraps around the shoe or boot and is secured by straps or laces, as taught in the '529 and '536 patents. While such devices may be effective for limited use on relatively flat surfaces, such as ice, the bindings may not provide sufficient stability for extended use on inclined surfaces, such as when hiking on rocky terrain. Furthermore, such devices are frequently complicated in structure, making them expensive to fabricate and/or difficult to attach to and detach from the footwear.
Auxiliary soles can also be employed to protect the sole of a boot, such as taught in U.S. Pat. No. 2,801,478, which teaches a protective sole to be attached to a caulked boot such as worn by loggers. The sole both protects the caulks from wear and protects floor surfaces from being damaged by the caulks.
Thus, there is a need for an auxiliary traction device for attachment to a boot or shoe which is simple, compact, and lightweight in structure, yet which attaches readily and securely to the boot or shoe and provides sufficient stability for use on inclined surfaces. With current ski-boot technology, protection of ski boots has become a concern. Since the engagement of the sole of the boot with the binding can affect performance, it is important to avoid wear or damage to the sole of the ski boot. Additionally, since the soles of such boots are typically of stiff, noncompliant material, they provide very little traction. Thus, it is desirable for the sole to be covered when the boot is released from the ski binding. In addition to being easily attachable and detachable, the device for covering the sole should be compact and lightweight so as to be readily carried by the skier.


Provided is a technique for attaching an artificial tendon to a support device having a supporting material as well as a product formed by the technique. The artificial tendon is provided for flexing or extending a joint of a body, when applied at the joint of the body, by way of pulling the artificial tendon along its lengthwise direction. The artificial tendon is attached to the support device by stitching across the tendon with a thread on the supporting material of the support device, which forms a tunnel for the artificial tendon between the supporting material and the stitching. The artificial tendon is able to travel in the tunnel. The tunnel formed by this technique is positioned on the surface of the supporting material of the support device.

Artificial tendons are used both for flexing and extending joints of human bodies, especially the joints of fingers. For example strengthening gloves are known, using different operating principles, using wires or cables, such as artificial tendons, in order to apply pushing and/or pulling forces onto particular points on each finger to be strengthened. For instance, electric or pneumatic driving mechanisms may be employed in order to pull the artificial tendons.
The artificial tendons are for example provided in sewn channels made of flexible material such as textile material, which are attached in support positions.

Method of attaching an artificial tendon and a product


In an anchor for the attachment to construction panels including two cover plates and an intermediate support core layer wherein the anchor comprises an expansion body and a wedge body which inserted into the expansion body and includes an opening for screwing or pounding in a mounting means, the installed anchor is disposed in an opening of the panel which extends through the first cover plate and the intermediate support core plate. The expansion body has locking zones and engagement elements which are spreadable by wedge elements. With the anchor installed, a wedging zone spreads out the engagement elements of the expansion body behind the cover plate and the locking zones are interlocked.

The invention resides in an anchor for mounting in a planar building component having first and second cover plates with an intermediate support plate, wherein the anchor includes at least a spreading body and at least one wedge body and wherein the wedge body, which is at least partially inserted into the spreading body, includes a cavity for threading or punching a mounting member into the anchor.
Flat construction components are often designated as sandwich plates, honeycomb plates or light weight construction plates. All plate types used in furniture construction comprise generally cover layers of thin particle boards, medium or high density fiber boards, plywood or hard fiber boards. The sandwich plates often have an intermediate support structure comprising corrugated web inserts or so-called expanded honeycombs. Most lightweight construction plates have a raw density below 500 kg/m3. If as intermediate layers no fire resistant foamed aluminum or foamed glass is used, the raw density is below 350 kg/m3. For comparison, the raw density of a normal particle board is about 600 to 75 kg/m3.
If fixtures are to be attached to light-weight plates for example, by screws, the problem arises that the attachment means find support only in the relatively thin cover layers or cover plates. Typical solutions in such cases are spreading anchors as they are disclosed in the printed publication DE 20 204 000 474 V1. The spreading anchors however have the disadvantage that they engage the upper plate in the front and the back side over a large area. The rear engagement additionally displaces the support core material over a large area around the bore, whereby the cover plate is more easily detached from the support core material and is lifted off if the anchor is subjected to high tension forces.
Another anchor which avoids this disadvantage is known from the internet catalog (September 2006) of the comparing Fischer Befestigungssysteme GmbH. It is listed there under the designation SLM-N. The anchor has a tubular spreading body, into whose bore an at least sectionally truncated cone-shaped wedge body is inserted at the rear slotted spreading body end. The wedge body has a central bore with an internal thread. If the wedge body is moved into the spreading body for example by tightening of a retaining screw which is disposed in the thread of the wedge body, the spreading body is spread and clamped, that is, engaged in the lower area of the bore. However, this anchor would require a very rigid core material to be firmly engaged therein.
It is the object of the present invention to provide an anchor for lightweight construction panels which is easy to install and which is safely and durably engaged in the light-weight construction panel.


A device compares two variable analogue signals, e.g. varying in time, such as audio or video signals. The signals, which are either different or identical but shifted in time, are within a predetermined frequency range. The device includes two parallel channels for processing analogue signals. One of the channels introduces a time shift of one signal with respect to the other, the shift being equal to a 1/4 period at the center frequency of the band. Both channels include in series circuits for transforming the analogue signals into binary logic signals, a logic circuit, a summing circuit for establishing a first and second correlation signal. An adder adds the absolute values of the first and second correlation signals to form a third correlation signal that is substantially independent of any time shift between the analogue signals.

1. Field of The Invention
The invention concerns a method and device for comparing two variable analogue signals, e.g. varying in time, such as audio or video signals, these signals being either different or identical but shifted in time.
2. Description of Related Art
To compare two variable analogue signals, a correlation function must be determined between these signals and the values of this function used to verify whether or not identity exists between the signals.
The correlation function is determined by numerical computation methods and implies use of sharp cut-off bandpass filters, analogue-to-digital converters, a system for processing information allowing real-time computation of the correlation function; and a complex processing algorithm capable of identifying and compensating for any shift between the two signals. Systems designed to perform this computation are generally fairly expensive.
Other various devices are used that measure the phase shift between two sine-wave analogue signals of the same frequency. However, these devices cannot be used for signals that are not purely sine-wave, such as audio or video signals received or produced by radio and television receivers.

Method and device for comparing two variable analogue signals


A system includes a processor, configured to wirelessly communicate with at least a vehicle computing system, wherein the processor is further configured to receive input from a vehicle owner indicating that transfer of administrative rights to vehicle systems is desired. The processor is further configured to send a confirmation message to a new owner of the vehicle and send a confirmation request to the vehicle computing system, following receipt of a response to the first confirmation message. Also, the processor is configured to establish the new owner as having administrative rights upon receipt of a response to the confirmation request.

For a variety of reasons including, but not limited to, identification, security, and safety, a vehicle owner or user may be authenticated as an authorized user of a vehicle communications and information computing system before the system can be used by the vehicle owner. Typically, this authentication may occur prior to first use of the vehicle and/or vehicle communications and information system. The authentication may occur at a dealership by a dealer or dealer representative. Additionally or alternatively, the authorization process may occur through a telephone call, or other communication, to the automotive OEM (or an entity associated with the automotive OEM responsible for handling such calls) by the dealer, the vehicle owner, or other authorized person.

Methods and systems for authenticating one or more users of a vehicle communications and information system


A dashboard with a glove compartment cover is created according to the invention, in which the dashboard and the glove compartment cover have a surface skin and a foam layer underneath it, and one of the foam layers comprises a first recess. The dashboard furthermore comprises a locking mechanism for locking and unlocking the glove compartment cover and comprises a switch for actuating the locking mechanism. The dashboard is characterized in that the switch is arranged in the first recess of the foam layer under the surface skin.

The invention relates to a dashboard with a glove box cover and a switch for actuating a locking mechanism for locking and unlocking the glove compartment cover.
Mechanical actuating- and locking mechanisms are known from the practice in which a mechanical locking is usually arranged centrally on the glove compartment cover. The glove compartment can be unlocked and opened by pulling on a handle.
It has been shown that known glove compartment actuation devices have the disadvantage that the mechanical parts are especially sensitive to faulty manipulations and can be easily damaged when forced. Furthermore, such a mechanical locking must be arranged on the glove compartment itself and, depending on the position of the glove compartment, it is difficult for the driver to reach the actuation.
DE 199 06 049 A1 shows a locking apparatus of a glove compartment cover with a pushbutton. Such pushbutton switches have the disadvantage that they comprise sensitive movable mechanical parts and can not be optimally fitted into the design of a vehicle.
DE 199 22 657 discloses an apparatus for actuating an opening aid for closable parts in vehicles such as flaps, doors or the like with a manual actuator that acts when actuated on the contactor of a microswitch. The actuated microswitch actuates a drive for opening a closure of a flap or of a door. The actuator consists of an elastically yielding position of the rigidly designed body of the vehicle and the contactor of the microswitch is arranged in the yield path of this body position.
DE 100 15 887 describes an access system for a vehicle comprising at least one door, in which an identification system arranged on the vehicle reacts to an access authorization available outside of the vehicle.
DE 34 40 442 discloses a built-in pushbutton with a housing adapted to the thickness of the door leaf. The problem of the invention described in it is to create a pushbutton combined for the inside space and the outer space with a single contact. The invention described in DE 34 40 442 solves this problem in that two cup-shaped keying elements with a pressure spring between them are inserted into a cylindrical recess running vertically to the plane of the door, that an annular slot remains between the keying elements, and that an actuating element for a microswitch extends into the slot. The built-in pushbutton extends inward and outward beyond the door leaf plane. The projection of a built-in pushbutton is disadvantageous on the one hand because the pushbutton can be more readily damaged than a pushbutton that is integrated into the door leaf plane and on the other hand because the pushbutton impairs the optical appearance of the door by projecting out.


A liquid crystal display device includes a display medium containing at least liquid crystal between a pair of substrates at least one of which is transparent. At least one of the pair of substrates is provided with a film having a concave portion on the side of the display medium. The concave portion has a bottom portion in a vicinity of a center when viewed from a normal direction of the substrate. Liquid crystal molecules contained in the display medium are oriented axisymmetrically around the bottom portion or the vicinity thereof. The contour defining the concave portion in a vertical plane bisecting the bottom portion is a curve and the sign of a second differential of the curve is positive or negative or partially positive and partially negative or the gradient of a surface of the film having the concave portion continuously changes at a border between a pixel portion where the liquid crystal region lies and a non-pixel portion.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display device and a method for producing the same. More specifically, the present invention relates to an inexpensive liquid crystal display device having excellent display quality and a simple method for producing the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
A liquid crystal display device in a twisted nematic (TN) made is conventionally used for a variety of applications (e.g., a plane display for a personal computer, a wordprocessor, amusement equipment and a television set, or a display plate, a window, a door or a wall utilizing a shuttering affect). The viewing angle characteristics of the TN mode liquid crystal display device will be described with reference to FIGS. 32A to 32C. FIGS. 32A to 32C axe schematic cross sectional views showing an orientation state of liquid crystal molecules in the TN mode liquid crystal display device. FIG. 32A shows a state under application of no voltage to the liquid crystal. FIG. 32B shows a state under application of a voltage to the liquid crystal so as to display a gray scale. FIG. 32C shows a state under application of a saturated voltage to the liquid crystal.
In the TN mode liquid crystal display device, as shown in FIGS. 32A to 32C, when a voltage is applied to a liquid crystal layer 3 intarposed between substrates 1 and 2, liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer are oriented. In the case where the liquid crystal molecules are oriented in the TN mode, in the gray scale state shown in FIG. 32B, an apparent transmittance of the liquid crystal molecules when viewed from the direction A is different from that when viewed from the direction B. As a result, the direction dependence of the viewing angle characteristics occurs (e.g., in the case where a viewer observes in different directions A and B, display contrast is significantly different). In order to improve the direction dependence of the viewing angle characteristics, a liquid crystal display device in a wide viewing angle mode was proposed where the liquid crystal molecules are oriented in at least two directions in a pixel.
The improvement of the viewing angle characteristics in the liquid crystal display device in the wide viewing angle mode will be described with reference to FIGS. 32D to 32F. FIGS. 32D to 32F are schematic cross sectional views showing an orientation state of liquid crystal molecules in the wide viewing angle mode liquid crystal display device. FIG. 32D shows a state under application of no voltage to the liquid crystal. FIG. 32E shows a state under application of a voltage to the liquid crystal so as to display a gray scale. FIG. 32F shows a state under application of a saturated voltage to the liquid crystal.
In the wide viewing angle mode liquid crystal display device, as shown in FIG. 32D, a liquid crystal layer 3 has a liquid crystal region 8 and a polymer region 7 surrounding the liquid crystal region. In this type of liquid crystal display device, in the gray scale display state shown in FIG. 32E, liquid crystal molecules 9 in the liquid crystal region 8 are axisymmetrically (e.g., concentrically, radially and spirally) oriented around an axis 10. Therefore, an apparent transmittance of the liquid crystal molecules when viewed from the direction A and an apparent transmittance when viewed from the direction B are averaged so as to be substantially equal. As a result, the direction dependence of the viewing angle characteristic is improved compared with the TN mode liquid crystal display device.
As specific examples of the wide viewing angle mode liquid crystal display devices, known are the following seven types of liquid crystal display devices.
A first type of liquid crystal display device is the one shown in FIGS. 32D to 32F. This type of liquid crystal display device includes a liquid crystal region surrounded by a polymer region (e.g., a polymer wall) in a liquid crystal cell. Furthermore, this liquid crystal display device does not require a polarizing plate, nor an orientation treatment. In this liquid crystal display device, a transparent state and an opaque state are electrically controlled utilizing a birefringence of the liquid crystal. In such a liquid crystal display device, the ordinary light refractive index of the liquid crystal molecules is basically matched with the refractive index of a supporting medium (polymer in the polymer region). Thus, the liquid crystal display device displays the transparent state where the liquid crystal molecules are uniformly oriented under application of a voltage, and displays a light scattering state due to a random orientation of the liquid crystal molecules under application of no voltage. This type of liquid crystal display device is produced in such a manner that a mixture of liquid crystal and a photocurable resin or a thermosetting resin is injected between a liquid crystal call, and the resin in the mixture is cured so as to deposit the liquid crystal and thus form a liquid crystal region in tho resin (polymer wall) This method is disclosed in Japanese National Patent Publication No. 61-502128. Furthermore, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication Nos. 4-338923 and 4-212928 disclose another technique for obtaining a wide viewing angle mode, where polarizing plates are provided on both sides of the liquid crystal display device so that the polarization axes thereof are orthogonal to each other.
A second type of liquid crystal display device, which is a non-scattering type, employs a polarization plate. This liquid crystal display device includes a liquid crystal region composed of a plurality of domains surrounded by polymers, which is formed by phase separation of a mixture of liquid crystal and a photocurable resin (Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 5-27242). In such a liquid crystal display device, the orientation state of each domain of the liquid crystal region is disturbed by the polymer formed by phase separation so as to be a random state. As a result, since a direction to which the liquid crystal molecules in each domain rise is different from that for another domain under application of a voltage, .DELTA.n.multidot.d is averaged so that the apparent transmittances when viewed from any direction become equal. Therefore, the viewing angle characteristics in the gray scale are improved.
A third type of liquid crystal display device has, on the surface of a substrate, a film formed from crystalline polymer having a spherulite structure. In such a liquid crystal display device, the liquid crystal molecules in a liquid crystal region are oriented utilizing an axisymmetric orientation regulation force of the spherulite structure so as to realize the wide viewing angle display mode (Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 6-308496).
In a forth type of liquid crystal display device, an alignment film is applied onto a substrate without performing an alignment treatment such as rubbing, so that the liquid crystal molecules are randomly oriented (Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 6-194655).
In the third and forth types of liquid crystal display devices, since the liquid crystal molecules in a pixel are oriented in different directions, it is likely that disclination lines are generated and contrast deteriorates.
In order to prevent the generation of the disclination lines in the pixel, a fifth type of liquid crystal display device has been proposed. In this liquid crystal display device, the liquid crystal molecules in the pixel are axisymmetrically oriented. For example, the Applicant has proposed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 7-120728 a liquid crystal display device which is produced by irradiating the liquid crystal cell having a liquid crystal material and a photocurable resin with light in a controlled manner (e.g., irradiating the liquid crystal call with light via a photomask). In such a liquid crystal display device, the liquid crystal molecules are axisymmetrically (e.g., spirally) oriented in the pixel region under application of no voltage, and when a voltage is applied to the liquid crystal molecules, the spiral orientation is converted into a homeotropic state. As a result, the viewing angle characteristics are significantly improved.
In a sixth type of liquid crystal display device, the axisymmetric orientation of the liquid crystal molecules is realized by an orientation treatment (e.g., by forming an axisymmetric narrow groove in a substrate) (Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication Nos. 6-265902 and 6-324337).
The fifth type of liquid crystal display device is conceptual and poor in its practicability. In the sixth type of liquid crystal display device, it is difficult to control pretilt of the liquid crystal molecules. Therefore, it is likely that disclination lines are generated. Moreover, the stability of the axisymmetric orientation is insufficient.
A seventh type of liquid crystal display device has a so-called ASM structure. In this liquid crystal display device, a liquid crystal cell including a liquid crystal material and a photocurable resin is irradiated with light while changing the temperature and the applied voltage in accordance with a specific rule. Thus, the axisymmetric orientation of the liquid crystal molecules in a pixel is realized (e.g., Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication Nos. 6-301015 and 7-120728).
However, in the case where the liquid crystal molecules are axisymmetrically oriented by the aforementioned techniques, the position of the axis of the axisymmetric orientation is not sufficiently controlled. Therefore, the orientation axis of the axisymmetric orientation of the liquid crystal molecules inclines, or the position of the orientation axis is dislocated. A problem of axis dislocation will be described with reference to FIGS. 33A and 33B. FIGS. 33A and 33B are schematic views showing the states observed with a polarizing microscope when the liquid crystal cell is inclined under crossed Nicols. FIG. 33A shows the case where the axes are not dislocated. FIG. 33B shows the case where some axes are dislocated. As understood from the comparison between FIGS. 33A and 33D, since an average transmittance in a pixel where the axis is dislocated is different from that in other pixels, when the entire screen is viewed, roughness is observed. Furthermore, when observed as the viewing angle is changed, an area of a portion which looks black is increased in a pixel.
As described above, in the conventional liquid crystal display devices, the position of the orientation axis of the axisymmetric orientation is not sufficiently controlled. Furthermore, in the conventional liquid crystal display devices, a complex production process is required even if it results in an axisymmetric orientation of the liquid crystal molecules having the orientation axis which is insufficiently controlled in its position (e.g., it is necessary to irradiate the liquid crystal cell with light while changing the temperature and the applied voltage in accordance with a specific rule). In other words, the conventional liquid crystal display devices have problems associated with high production costs and insufficient position control of the orientation axis.
Therefore, a liquid crystal display device which does not require a complex production process (i.e., an inexpensive liquid crystal display device) and where the position of the axis of the orientation of the liquid crystal molecules can be precisely controlled (i.e., a liquid crystal display device having an excellent display quality (e.g., excellent viewing angle characteristics and no roughness)) is required.

Axisymmetrically oriented liquid crystal display device with concave portion defined by the second derivative


A strain relief includes a main body having a bore therein for passage of a cable, wire, conduit, hose, or similar member therethrough. The main body includes a first section having male threads, and a second section including a plurality of cantilevered deflectable prongs extending therefrom. A plurality of slots are located between the prongs, and the prongs decrease in width extending toward distal ends of the prongs. A flexible elastomeric grommet is located within the bore and extends substantially along an entire length of the main body. The grommet includes a cylindrical sidewall and a plurality of spaced-apart annular ribs extending radially inwardly from the sidewall. A plurality of annular grooves are located between the annular ribs. The annular ribs have inside diameters which progressively increase along a length of the grommet in order to accommodate cables of various diameters therethrough. A silicone gel may be located in the annular grooves to improve the seal between the grommet and the cable. A cap is provided which includes female threads which are engagable with the male threads of the main body for securing the cap to the main body. The cap includes a conically or arcuately tapered wall engagable with distal ends of the prongs for compressing the prongs inwardly when the cap is threaded onto the main body, thereby compressing the grommet inwardly around the cable.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a strain relief for cables, conduits, optical fibers and the like, and more particularly, to a strain relief which provides a seal surrounding the cable.
2. Description of the Background Art
Strain relief connectors are known for constraining cables within the connectors. One such strain relief connector is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,787,657, which shows an externally threaded nipple having a plurality of deflectable prongs at one end thereof. A cylindrical seal is located interiorly of the prongs, and a cap is threaded onto the nipple over the prongs for deflecting the prongs inwardly. However, the seal is designed for one diameter of cable. Therefore, a large number of seals of different sizes must be provided in order to accommodate cable of different diameters.
There is a need in the art for a strain relief which can accommodate a wide range of cable diameters utilizing the same components, without requiring the need to produce and carry a large number of individually-sized grommets. There is a further need in the art for a strain relief which can accommodate a wide range of cable diameters while also providing an effective seal surrounding the cable.
The present invention fulfills the aforementioned need in the art by providing a strain relief including a main body, a grommet, and a cap. The main body has a bore therein for passage of a cable, wire, conduit, hose, or similar member therethrough. The main body includes a first section having male threads, and a second section including a plurality of cantilevered deflectable prongs extending therefrom. A plurality of slots are located between the prongs. The prongs decrease in width extending toward distal ends of the prongs.
The grommet is made of a flexible elastomeric material, and is located within the bore of the main body. The grommet extends substantially along an entire length of the main body. The grommet includes a cylindrical sidewall and a plurality of spaced-apart annular ribs extending radially inwardly from the sidewall. A plurality of annular grooves are located between the annular ribs. The annular is ribs have inside diameters which progressively increase along a length of the grommet in order to accommodate cables of various diameters therethrough. A silicone gel may be located in the annular grooves to improve the seal between the grommet and the cable.
The cap includes female threads which are engagable with the male threads of the main body for securing the cap to the main body. The cap further includes a tapered wall engagable with distal ends of the prongs for compressing the prongs inwardly when the cap is threaded onto the main body, thereby compressing the grommet inwardly around the cable.
Further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.

Cable strain relief adapter with gel sealing grommet


At an on-board control unit of an on-board apparatus, a coupling detecting unit detects coupling of a failure train with respect to the own train. Then, in the case where detection is performed by the coupling detecting unit, a train occupancy range calculating unit updates train length information using the number of vehicles of the failure train and uses the updated train length information to calculate train occupancy range information. Further, a traveling control unit controls traveling and stop of the own train as a series of coupled trains in the case where detection is performed by the coupling detecting unit.

In railways, in recent years, development of a train control system using radio communication is underway. For example, in a technique of JP-A-2012-106571, while an on-board control apparatus that is an on-board apparatus, broadcasts train side information to a ground side, when a base apparatus that is a ground apparatus, receives the train side information from each train, the base apparatus generates control information for each train and transmits the control information to the train. Then, each train receives the control information for the own train and controls the own train.
Further, in a train control system using radio communication, as a method for managing split and combine (coupling) of trains, a technique of JP-A-2006-240490 is known. According to JP-A-2006-240490, by integrating a train ID of one main train to be coupled and a train ID of the other subordinate train, it is possible to manage the coupled trains as one train.
However, when trains are coupled, because an entire length (train length), or the like, of the train naturally changes, there is a problem that a range where the coupled trains exist on a track cannot be accurately recognized only by the train IDs being integrated. Particularly, in the case where a rescue train rescues a failure train, because there are a case where the failure train is coupled behind the rescue train and the rescue train performs traction traveling, and a case where the failure train is coupled ahead of the rescue train and the rescue train performs propelling traveling, how to judge a range where the coupled trains exist on the track is an issue for an on-board apparatus of the rescue train.


Thermoplastic compositions comprised of compatible combinations of a polyphenylene ether resin and a polyamide resin and which require improved low temperature ductility can be impact modified with a modifying agent comprising a partially hydrogenated diblock copolymer of styrene and ethylene/propylene.

Polyphenylene ether resins have been modified with polyamide resins to provide a wide variety of beneficial properties such as excellent heat resistance, chemical resistance, impact strength, hydrolytic stability and dimensional stability. The improved properties of polyphenylene ether-polyamide compositions have found great utility in thermoplastic applications which take advantage of such properties. Exterior automotive applications such as body panels and wheel covers all benefit from the improved thermal properties of polyphenylene ether-polyamide compositions (PPE/PA compositions). In typical automotive applications such as a fender part, a satisfactory thermoplastic must be capable of providing satisfactory properties over a wide range of end-use temperatures.
Although many important thermoplastic applications for PPE/PA compositions require that the resin be impact modified to provide adequate performance, the ductile behavior of such reasons is often overlooked.
Ductile behavior is an important physical property for thermoplastics in many applications, but particularly for automotive parts which may experience extremely rigorous conditions at very low temperatures. The mode of failure for a part, whether ductile or brittle failure, at a given temperature is also an important indication of the utility of the thermoplastic. Improvements in low temperature ductile-brittle transitions will increase the opportunity for polyphenylene ether-polyamide compositions to adequately service thermoplastic applications where such properties are required or desired. Many conventional, rubber-like impact modifiers offer advantages and disadvantages but do not provide the range of ductile behavior improvement offered by the present invention. Conventional impact modifiers for polyphenylene ether-polyamide compositions can be costly and ineffective compared to the impact modification system described herein.
It has now been discovered that polyphenylene ether-polyamide compositions can be improved by combining the base resin with a modifier comprised of a partially hydrogenated diblock copolymer of styrene and ethylene-propylene in accordance with the description below. Such compositions exhibit the superior properties normally associated with compatible polyphenylene ether/polyamide compositions as well as unexpectedly improved ductile behavior.

Impact modified polyphenylene ether-polyamide compositions


Systems and methods of measuring birefringence or retardation are provided. For some embodiments, a system is provided, which comprises a polarizer, an analyzer, a first waveplate, and a second waveplate. The system is configured to obtain light intensity measurements by recursively rotating the second waveplate. The obtained light intensity measurements are retrieved, and a light transmission intensity curve is determined from the light intensity measurements.

For various reasons, birefringent properties of materials is of great interest in the scientific and engineering community. One conventional method for measuring birefringence is the Brace-Kohler compensator method, which is widely used in the industry to measure low levels of birefringence. Unfortunately, due to the system model for Brace-Kohler compensators, that method introduces measurement errors that are inherent to the presumptions underlying the model.
For at least this reason, a need exists in the industry for measuring birefringence with greater accuracy.


Disclosed is a composition of matter comprising a ShK toxin peptide analog, and in some embodiments, a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof. A pharmaceutical composition comprises the composition and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier. Also disclosed are DNAs encoding the inventive composition of matter, an expression vector comprising the DNA, and host cells comprising the expression vector. Methods of treating an autoimmune disorder and of preventing or mitigating a relapse of a symptom of multiple sclerosis are also disclosed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to the biochemical arts, in particular to therapeutic peptides and conjugates.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Ion channels are a diverse group of molecules that permit the exchange of small inorganic ions across membranes. All cells require ion channels for function, but this is especially so for excitable cells such as those present in the nervous system and the heart. The electrical signals orchestrated by ion channels control the thinking brain, the beating heart and the contracting muscle. Ion channels play a role in regulating cell volume, and they control a wide variety of signaling processes.
The ion channel family includes Na+, K+, and Ca2+ cation and Cl− anion channels. Collectively, ion channels are distinguished as either ligand-gated or voltage-gated. Ligand-gated channels include both extracellular and intracellular ligand-gated channels. The extracellular ligand-gated channels include the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR), the serotonin (5-hdroxytryptamine, 5-HT) receptors, the glycine and γ-butyric acid receptors (GABA) and the glutamate-activated channels including kanate, α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionic acid (AMPA) and N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDA) receptors. (Harte and Ouzounis (2002), FEBS Lett. 514: 129-34). Intracellular ligand gated channels include those activated by cyclic nucleotides (e.g. cAMP, cGMP), Ca2+ and G-proteins. (Harte and Ouzounis (2002), FEBS Lett. 514: 129-34). The voltage-gated ion channels are categorized by their selectivity for inorganic ion species, including sodium, potassium, calcium and chloride ion channels. (Harte and Ouzounis (2002), FEBS Lett. 514: 129-34).
A unified nomenclature for classification of voltage-gated channels was recently presented. (Catterall et al. (2000), Pharmacol. Rev. 55: 573-4; Gutman et al. (2000), Pharmacol. Rev. 55, 583-6; Catterall et al. (2000) Pharmacol. Rev. 55: 579-81; Catterall et al. (2000), Pharmacol. Rev. 55: 575-8; Hofmann et al. (2000), Pharmacol. Rev. 55: 587-9; Clapham et al. (2000), Pharmacol Rev. 55: 591-6; Chandy (1991), Nature 352: 26; Goldin et al. (2000), Neuron 28: 365-8; Ertel et al. (2000), Neuron 25: 533-5).
The K+ channels constitute the largest and best characterized family of ion channels described to date. Potassium channels are subdivided into three general groups: the 6 transmembrane (6TM) K+ channels, the 2TM-2TM/leak K+ channels and the 2TM/K+ inward rectifying channels. (Tang et al. (2004), Ann. Rev. Physiol. 66, 131-159). These three groups are further subdivided into families based on sequence similarity. The voltage-gated K+ channels, including (Kv1-6, Kv8-9), EAG, KQT, and Slo (BKCa), are family members of the 6TM group. The 2™-2TM group comprises TWIK, TREK, TASK, TRAAK, and THIK, whereas the 2™/Kir group consists of Kir1-7. Two additional classes of ion channels include the inward rectifier potassium (IRK) and ATP-gated purinergic (P2X) channels. (Harte and Ouzounis (2002), FEBS Lett. 514: 129-34).
Toxin peptides produced by a variety of organisms have evolved to target ion channels. Snakes, scorpions, spiders, bees, snails and sea anemone are a few examples of organisms that produce venom that can serve as a rich source of small bioactive toxin peptides or "toxins" that potently and selectively target ion channels and receptors. In most cases, these toxin peptides have evolved as potent antagonists or inhibitors of ion channels, by binding to the channel pore and physically blocking the ion conduction pathway. In some other cases, as with some of the tarantula toxin peptides, the peptide is found to antagonize channel function by binding to a region outside the pore (e.g., the voltage sensor domain).
The toxin peptides are usually between about 20 and about 80 amino acids in length, contain 2-5 disulfide linkages and form a very compact structure (see, e.g., FIG. 10). Toxin peptides (e.g., from the venom of scorpions, sea anemones and cone snails) have been isolated and characterized for their impact on ion channels. Such peptides appear to have evolved from a relatively small number of structural frameworks that are particularly well suited to addressing the critical issues of potency and stability. The majority of scorpion and Conus toxin peptides, for example, contain 10-40 amino acids and up to five disulfide bonds, forming extremely compact and constrained structure (microproteins) often resistant to proteolysis. The conotoxin and scorpion toxin peptides can be divided into a number of superfamilies based on their disulfide connections and peptide folds. The solution structure of many of these has been determined by NMR spectroscopy, illustrating their compact structure and verifying conservation of their family fold. (E.g., Tudor et al., Ionisation behaviour and solution properties of the potassium-channel blocker ShK toxin, Eur. J. Biochem. 251(1-2):133-41 (1998); Pennington et al., Role of disulfide bonds in the structure and potassium channel blocking activity of ShK toxin, Biochem. 38(44): 14549-58 (1999); Jaravine et al., Three-dimensional structure of toxin OSK1 from Orthochirus scrobiculosus scorpion venom, Biochem. 36(6):1223-32 (1997); del Rio-Portillo et al.; NMR solution structure of Cn12, a novel peptide from the Mexican scorpion Centruroides noxius with a typical beta-toxin sequence but with alpha-like physiological activity, Eur. J. Biochem. 271(12): 2504-16 (2004); Prochnicka-Chalufour et al., Solution structure of discrepin, a new K+-channel blocking peptide from the alpha-KTx15 subfamily, Biochem. 45(6):1795-1804 (2006)).
Conserved disulfide structures can also reflect the individual pharmacological activity of the toxin family. (Nicke et al. (2004), Eur. J. Biochem. 271: 2305-19, Table 1; Adams (1999), Drug Develop. Res. 46: 219-34). For example, α-conotoxins have well-defined four cysteine/two disulfide loop structures (Loughnan, 2004) and inhibit nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. In contrast, ω-conotoxins have six cysteine/three disulfide loop consensus structures (Nielsen, 2000) and block calcium channels. Structural subsets of toxins have evolved to inhibit either voltage-gated or calcium-activated potassium channels. FIG. 9 shows that a limited number of conserved disulfide architectures shared by a variety of venomous animals from bee to snail and scorpion to snake target ion channels. FIG. 7A-7B shows alignment of alpha-scorpion toxin family and illustrates that a conserved structural framework is used to derive toxins targeting a vast array of potassium channels.
Due to their potent and selective blockade of specific ion channels, toxin peptides have been used for many years as tools to investigate the pharmacology of ion channels. Other than excitable cells and tissues such as those present in heart, muscle and brain, ion channels are also important to non-excitable cells such as immune cells. Accordingly, the potential therapeutic utility of toxin peptides has been considered for treating various immune disorders, in particular by inhibition of potassium channels such as Kv1.3 and IKCa1 since these channels indirectly control calcium signaling pathway in lymphocytes. [e.g., Kem et al., ShK toxin compositions and methods of use, U.S. Pat. No. 6,077,680; Lebrun et al., Neuropeptides originating in scorpion, U.S. Pat. No. 6,689,749; Beeton et al., Targeting effector memory T cells with a selective peptide inhibitor of Kv1.3 channels for therapy of autoimmune diseases, Molec. Pharmacol. 67(4):1369-81 (2005); Mouhat et al., K+ channel types targeted by synthetic OSK1, a toxin from Orthochirus scrobiculosus scorpion venom, Biochem. J. 385:95-104 (2005); Mouhat et al., Pharmacological profiling of Orthochirus scrobiculosus toxin 1 analogs with a trimmed N-terminal domain, Molec. Pharmacol. 69:354-62 (2006); Mouhat et al., OsK1 derivatives, WO 2006/002850 A2; B. S. Jensen et al. The Ca2+-activated K+ Channel of Intermediate Conductance: A Molecular Target for Novel Treatments?, Current Drug Targets 2:401-422 (2001); Rauer et al., Structure-guided Transformation of Charybdotoxin Yields an Analog That Selectively Targets Ca2+-activated over Voltage-gated K+ Channels, J. Biol. Chem. 275: 1201-1208 (2000); Castle et al., Maurotoxin: A Potent Inhibitor of Intermediate Conductance Ca2+-Activated Potassium Channels, Molecular Pharmacol. 63: 409-418 (2003); Chandy et al., K+ channels as targets for specific Immunomodulation, Trends in Pharmacol. Sciences 25: 280-289 (2004); Lewis & Garcia, Therapeutic Potential of Venom Peptides, Nat. Rev. Drug Discov. 2: 790-802 (2003)].
Small molecules inhibitors of Kv1.3 and IKCa1 potassium channels and the major calcium entry channel in T cells, CRAC, have also been developed to treat immune disorders [A. Schmitz et al. (2005) Molecul. Pharmacol. 68, 1254; K. G. Chandy et al. (2004) TIPS 25, 280; H. Wulff et al. (2001) J. Biol. Chem. 276, 32040; C. Zitt et al. (2004) J. Biol. Chem. 279, 12427], but obtaining small molecules with selectivity toward some of these targets has been difficult.
Calcium mobilization in lymphocytes is known to be a critical pathway in activation of inflammatory responses [M. W. Winslow et al. (2003) Current Opinion Immunol. 15, 299]. Compared to other cells, T cells show a unique sensitivity to increased levels of intracellular calcium and ion channels both directly and indirectly control this process. Inositol triphosphate (IP3) is the natural second messenger which activates the calcium signaling pathway. IP3 is produced following ligand-induced activation of the T cell receptor (TCR) and upon binding to its intracellular receptor (a channel) causes unloading of intracellular calcium stores. The endoplasmic reticulum provides one key calcium store. Thapsigargin, an inhibitor of the sarcoplasmic-endoplasmic reticulum calcium ATPase (SERCA), also causes unloading of intracellular stores and activation of the calcium signaling pathway in lymphocytes. Therefore, thapsigargin can be used as a specific stimulus of the calcium signaling pathway in T cells. The unloading of intracellular calcium stores in T cells is known to cause activation of a calcium channel on the cell surface which allows for influx of calcium from outside the cell. This store operated calcium channel (SOCC) on T cells is referred to as "CRAC" (calcium release activated channel) and sustained influx of calcium through this channel is known to be critical for full T cell activation [S. Feske et al. (2005) J. Exp. Med. 202, 651 and N. Venkatesh et al. (2004) PNAS 101, 8969]. For many years it has been appreciated that in order to maintain continued calcium influx into T cells, the cell membrane must remain in a hyperpolarized condition through efflux of potassium ions. In T cells, potassium efflux is accomplished by the voltage-gated potassium channel Kv1.3 and the calcium-activated potassium channel IKCa1 [K. G. Chandy et al. (2004) TIPS 25, 280]. These potassium channels therefore indirectly control the calcium signaling pathway, by allowing for the necessary potassium efflux that allows for a sustained influx of calcium through CRAC.
Sustained increases in intracellular calcium activate a variety of pathways in T cells, including those leading to activation of NFAT, NF-kB and AP-1 [Quintana-A (2005) Pflugers Arch.—Eur. J. Physiol. 450, 1]. These events lead to various T cell responses including alteration of cell size and membrane organization, activation of cell surface effector molecules, cytokine production and proliferation. Several calcium sensing molecules transmit the calcium signal and orchestrate the cellular response. Calmodulin is one molecule that binds calcium, but many others have been identified (M. J. Berridge et al. (2003) Nat. Rev. Mol. Cell. Biol. 4, 517). The calcium-calmodulin dependent phosphatase calcineurin is activated upon sustained increases in intracellular calcium and dephosphorylates cytosolic NFAT. Dephosphorylated NFAT quickly translocates to the nucleus and is widely accepted as a critical transcription factor for T cell activation (F. Macian (2005) Nat. Rev. Immunol. 5, 472 and N. Venkatesh et al. (2004) PNAS 101, 8969). Inhibitors of calcineurin, such as cyclosporin A (Neoral, Sand immune) and FK506 (Tacrolimus) are a main stay for treatment of severe immune disorders such as those resulting in rejection following solid organ transplant (I. M. Gonzalez-Pinto et al. (2005) Transplant. Proc. 37, 1713 and D. R. J. Kuypers (2005) Transplant International 18, 140). Neoral has been approved for the treatment of transplant rejection, severe rheumatoid arthritis (D. E. Yocum et al. (2000) Rheumatol. 39, 156) and severe psoriasis (J. Koo (1998) British J. Dermatol. 139, 88). Preclinical and clinical data has also been provided suggesting calcineurin inhibitors may have utility in treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD; Baumgart D C (2006) Am. J. Gastroenterol. March 30; Epub ahead of print), multiple sclerosis (Ann. Neurol. (1990) 27, 591) and asthma (S. Rohatagi et al. (2000) J. Clin. Pharmacol. 40, 1211). Lupus represents another disorder that may benefit from agents blocking activation of helper T cells. Despite the importance of calcineurin in regulating NFAT in T cells, calcineurin is also expressed in other tissues (e.g. kidney) and cyclosporine A & FK506 have a narrow safety margin due to mechanism based toxicity. Renal toxicity and hypertension are common side effects that have limited the promise of cyclosporine & FK506. Due to concerns regarding toxicity, calcineurin inhibitors are used mostly to treat only severe immune disease (Bissonnette-R et al. (2006) J. Am. Acad. Dermatol. 54, 472). Kv1.3 inhibitors offer a safer alternative to calcineurin inhibitors for the treatment of immune disorders. This is because Kv1.3 also operates to control the calcium signaling pathway in T cells, but does so through a distinct mechanism to that of calcineurin inhibitors, and evidence on Kv1.3 expression and function show that Kv1.3 has a more restricted role in T cell biology relative to calcineurin, which functions also in a variety of non-lymphoid cells and tissues.
Calcium mobilization in immune cells also activates production of the cytokines interleukin 2 (IL-2) and interferon gamma (IFNγ) which are critical mediators of inflammation. IL-2 induces a variety of biological responses ranging from expansion and differentiation of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, to enhancement of proliferation and antibody secretion by B cells, to activation of NK cells [S.L. Gaffen & K.D. Liu (2004) Cytokine 28, 109]. Secretion of IL-2 occurs quickly following T cell activation and T cells represent the predominant source of this cytokine. Shortly following activation, the high affinity IL-2 receptor (IL2-R) is upregulated on T cells endowing them with an ability to proliferate in response to IL-2. T cells, NK cells, B cells and professional antigen presenting cells (APCs) can all secrete IFNγ upon activation. T cells represent the principle source of IFNγ production in mediating adaptive immune responses, whereas natural killer (NK) cells & APCs are likely an important source during host defense against infection [K. Schroder et al. (2004) J. Leukoc. Biol. 75, 163]. IFNγ, originally called macrophage-activating factor, upregulates antigen processing and presentation by monocytes, macrophages and dendritic cells. IFNγ mediates a diverse array of biological activities in many cell types [U. Boehm et al. (1997) Annu. Rev. Immunol. 15, 749] including growth & differentiation, enhancement of NK cell activity and regulation of B cell immunoglobulin production and class switching.
CD40L is another cytokine expressed on activated T cells following calcium mobilization and upon binding to its receptor on B cells provides critical help allowing for B cell germinal center formation, B cell differentiation and antibody isotype switching. CD40L-mediated activation of CD40 on B cells can induce profound differentiation and clonal expansion of immunoglobulin (Ig) producing B cells [S. Quezada et al. (2004) Annu. Rev. Immunol. 22, 307]. The CD40 receptor can also be found on dendritic cells and CD40L signaling can mediate dendritic cell activation and differentiation as well. The antigen presenting capacity of B cells and dendritic cells is promoted by CD40L binding, further illustrating the broad role of this cytokine in adaptive immunity. Given the essential role of CD40 signaling to B cell biology, neutralizing antibodies to CD40L have been examined in preclinical and clinical studies for utility in treatment of systemic lupus erythematosis (SLE),—a disorder characterized by deposition of antibody complexes in tissues, inflammation and organ damage [J. Yazdany and J Davis (2004) Lupus 13, 377].
Production of toxin peptides is a complex process in venomous organisms, and is an even more complex process synthetically. Due to their conserved disulfide structures and need for efficient oxidative refolding, toxin peptides present challenges to synthesis. Although toxin peptides have been used for years as highly selective pharmacological inhibitors of ion channels, the high cost of synthesis and refolding of the toxin peptides and their short half-life in vivo have impeded the pursuit of these peptides as a therapeutic modality. Far more effort has been expended to identify small molecule inhibitors as therapeutic antagonists of ion channels, than has been given the toxin peptides themselves. One exception is the recent approval of the small ω-conotoxin MVIIA peptide (Ziconotide™) for treatment of intractable pain. The synthetic and refolding production process for Ziconotide™, however, is costly and only results in a small peptide product with a very short half-life in vivo (about 4 hours).
A cost-effective process for producing therapeutics, such as but not limited to, inhibitors of ion channels, is a desideratum provided by the present invention, which involves toxin peptides fused, or otherwise covalently conjugated to a vehicle.

DNA encoding chimeric toxin peptide fusion proteins and vectors and mammalian cells for recombinant expression


An animal feed supplement comprising a synergistic combination of ractopamine and caffeine and a method of increasing feed efficiency of a pig using the animal feed supplement is described.

Growth supplements, biologically active agents such as hormones and growth factors, and antibiotics have been used in animal diets to improve yields and carcass conditioning. As the demand for protein increases in the world, animal producers require improved feeds and feed supplements to assist in output of intensive livestock farming practices.
Ractopamine hydrochloride (RAC, Paylean™, Elanco Animal Health, Greenfield, Ind.)) is a beta adrenergic agonist (β-agonist) that is approved for use as an in feed ingredient for pigs. RAC is a widely used pig feed ingredient, approved for use in most major pork-producing countries, that directs nutrients to increase the amount of lean pork while maintaining meat quality. RAC has been widely demonstrated to improve feed efficiency and growth rates both in Australia (Dunshea et al. 1993 Journal of Animal Science 71: 2931-2941; Smits and Cadogan, 2003 Recent Advances in Animal Nutrition in Australia, Volume 14, Ed J. L. Corbett, Page 143-150) and overseas (Watkins et al. 1990 Journal of Animal Science, 68:3588-3595). RAC is a growth promoter but also keeps pigs leaner.
The present inventors have developed an improved animal feed supplement and methods to improve feed efficiency of animals.

Animal feed supplement comprising ractopamine and caffeine


A method of plasma assisted CO2 cleaning for dry removal of residual photoresist and sidewall polymer with an etch gas mixture comprising fluorine containing gas, oxygen and hydrogen in N2 or H2O. The process removes polymer residues present on a metal layer on a substrate and on the sidewalls of metal lines and inhibits chlorine-based corrosion while being very selective to exposed Ti, TiN, Al and SiO2. The invention is particularly suited for removing post metal etch polymer residue from top and sidewall of metal lines.

Articles such as hard disks, semiconductor wafers, delicate optics, etc., often must be precisely cleaned in order to remove contaminants, either during or after a process for manufacturing the articles. For example, resist strip and residue clean typically are needed between etch, implant and deposition steps in IC fabrication processes. Conventional dry-type strip/clean sequences typically use plasma to ash resist and wet chemicals to clean residues. Resist stripping is typically carried out using dry plasma ashing. Conventional O2 plasma ashing at high temperature tends to leave polymeric residues that require acids and/or organic solvents for removal. Wet chemistries generally are not desirable due to non-uniformities, selectivity to exposed layers and incomplete resist removal because of mass transport and surface tension associated with the solutions. In particular, for a post metal etch, wet processes cause corrosion that is detrimental to the final products (computer chips, hard disk, etc). A variety of alternative cleaning methods have been employed with varying degrees of success. Certain of such methods that have been attempted involve imparting carbon dioxide snow onto the article to be cleaned. An example of a conventional carbon dioxide cleaning system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,766,061.
In semiconductor fabrication, photoresist removal generally is the most repeated step. In metal etch processes photoresist typically is removed in situ before exposing the wafer to atmosphere. This helps to prevent metal line corrosion due to etch byproduct deposition on the top and sidewalls of the metal lines. Photoresist removal usually includes two steps: a bulk photoresist removal and post etch residue removal. These byproducts, often referred to as polymers, generally contain Ti, TiN, Al, Cl Si, O, C and their compounds. Post etch residue removal techniques typically include using solvent or plasma treatment followed by DI rinse and then wafer drying. Using multiple tools for post etch residue-cleaning increases the cost and reduces the throughput in the overall manufacturing operation.
It would be desirable to have an all dry cleaning method that does not use wet chemistry and completely removes post etch polymer residue with high throughput while minimizing or reducing the possibility for metal corrosion.

Methods for residue removal and corrosion prevention in a post-metal etch process


The present invention relates to a doctor blade comprising: a body having a thickness, a sharp leading side, a trailing side, and working end comprising a bevel surface, wherein the bevel surface is defined by a leading edge and a trailing edge, and wherein the Ra of the bevel surface is from about 1 μ-in to about 7 μ-in. The present invention further relates to a method of removing a material from a surface of a piece of equipment, the method comprising providing a material on the surface of the piece of equipment; providing a doctor blade adjacent to the surface of the equipment, the creping blade having a working end including a leading edge, which is disposed closest to the surface of the equipment, a trailing edge disposed farthest from the surface of the equipment and a bevel surface disposed therebetween; passing the surface of the equipment past the doctor blade or the doctor blade past the surface of the equipment such that the material impacts the doctor blade and at least a portion of the material is removed from the surface of the piece of equipment; and passing the removed material over the bevel surface of the doctor blade wherein the Ra of the bevel surface is from about 1 to about 7 μ-in.

Doctor blades have been used for years in various different applications. Typically, a doctor blade is used to help separate a material from a piece of equipment. For example, a doctor blade may be used to help remove a web of material from a drum or plate to which the material has been attached. Doctor blades may also be used to clean equipment and/or to impart one or more characteristics into the product being manufactured by the equipment.
In the paper industry, for example, doctor blades are often used to help remove the paper web from a drying drum, such as a Yankee dryer to which the paper web is adhered. In certain papermaking processes, the doctor blade that removes the paper web from the drying drum or any other drum may also be used to crepe the paper to some degree. Such doctor blades are often referred to as "creping blades". In other papermaking processes, the doctor blade may be used to remove waste material from various pieces of equipment. Such doctor blades are often referred to as "cleaning blades". The present invention is directed to doctor blades, and more particularly to creping blades and cleaning blades used in papermaking and other web making processes.
The surface profile of bevel surface of the doctor blade, in addition to the geometry of the doctor blade and the particular set-up configuration of the doctor blade with respect to the equipment with which it interacts, can provide for variations in the way the creping blade performs its intended function. For example, it has been discovered that microscopic bumps, machine marks, or surface abnormalities on the creping blade bevel surface can affect the blade's performance and/or the physical characteristics of the material being removed by the blade.
The present prior art methods of improving the performance of doctor blades include changing the geometry of the leading edge of the blade, introducing grooves into the leading edge of the blade, using composite materials, and treating the surface of the blade. Unfortunately, the current methods of improving doctor blades fail to account for the imperfections in the bevel surface of the blade that result from the machine marks left from the processing of the blade itself after conventional finishing.
There are generally two methods to prepare the finished bevel surface of a doctor blade. One is by the conventional use of abrasive media, typically by grinding methods using abrasive stones, wheels, or other abrasive media. Another is to pare material off the surface of the bevel in single or multiple strokes in order to create a working edge or bevel surface. This paring method is known in the art as "skiving." Bumps and other imperfections are not limited to blades which have been machined in perpendicular to the z-axis of the leading edge of the blade itself; even blades prepared by a skiving process in which the tool marks are parallel with the z-axis of the leading edge of the blade exhibit microscopic bumps along the surface. An emphasis must be placed on machine tool directionality of the effect that it has on the process removing or separating material (for example, a cellulose web) from a rotating drying drum or other equipment. The machine tool mark orientation in papermaking processes are often arranged in the machine direction (MD) (the same direction of web movement) as opposed to the cross direction (CD) (perpendicular to the web movement) because of factors such as lower sheet drag or friction and pitch (residual material from the raw material or processing steps) build up.
Despite the vast amount of information available relating to the manufacture of doctor blades, there is still a need to improve the performance of creping blades and to provide creping blades that can uniquely affect the physical attributes of the materials with which they interact. Due to the way that a creping blade is typically used in the web making process (i.e., the web is removed from a drying roll at high speed by impacting the web against the creping blade), the creping blade can, and often does, cause problems with throughput, tearing of the web, reducing the strength of the web, generating dust, etc.
The present invention provides improved creping blades that address many of the problems presented by currently available creping blades. Specifically, it has been newly discovered that the bevel surface of the blade can be modified to provide unique benefits to the processes and/or materials with which the creping blade interacts. More specifically, it has been found that a step-like polishing process can be used to super-finish the bevel surface of the doctor blade. The super-finished doctor blades exhibit dramatic improvements in performance. Examples of such improvements include, but are not limited to, line speed increases, increased line run times, increased line reliability, improvement in sheet stability, reduction in the amount of dust or other material derived from the web interacting with the blade and/or can provide the product being manufactured with unique physical attributes or improvements of existing desirable attributes not easily attainable by using the doctor blades that are currently commercially available. This includes higher sheet strength or tensile in both the CD and MD direction, and more consistent product attributes especially in the CD direction of the sheet such as caliper and tensiles versus a higher variability with blades that have smoothness imperfections.
Further, the blades of the present invention can provide a less traumatic interaction with the paper web, which can help reduce the amount of material needed to form a particular end product in certain circumstances and/or allow for the use of less expensive materials to produce the desired end product.
The present invention addresses one or more of the disadvantages of currently available creping blades and methods using such creping blades by providing a smoother bevel surface for the creping blade.

Creping blade with a highly smooth bevel surface


When a gas flow producer is driven, plural kinds of gases flow into a measure-passage at respective timing. An orifice is provided in the measure-passage. The orifice has a diameter-changing portion which restricts a separation of gases from an inner surface of the measure-passage. A pressure sensor is provided in the measure-passage to detect a pressure determined by the orifice and the gas flow producer. A microcomputer calculates a density ratio between the gases based on the detected differential pressure.

In a fuel vapor treatment apparatus, fuel vapor evaporated in a fuel tank is temporarily adsorbed by a canister. Negative pressure in an intake passage of an engine is introduced into the canister so that the fuel vapor is desorbed and purged into the intake passage. JP-6-101534A shows a fuel vapor treatment apparatus in which a fuel vapor concentration of an air-fuel mixture is detected to control a purge amount of fuel vapor. Density of the air fuel mixture is detected in a purge passage which is for introducing the air-fuel mixture into the intake passage, and density of air is detected in an atmosphere passage opened to atmosphere. The fuel vapor concentration is calculated based on a ratio between the density of the air-fuel mixture and the density of the air. An orifice is respectively provided in the purge passage and the atmosphere passage. The densities of the air-fuel mixture and the air are calculated based on a differential pressure between both ends of the orifice. Thus, the density ratio is affected by the tolerance of each orifice. Besides, the density of the air-fuel mixture is detected while the air-fuel mixture is purged into the intake passage. Thus, the density of air-fuel mixture cannot be detected in a situation that the purge is not performed after the engine is started, so that the fuel vapor is hardly purged by a large amount in a short period.
The inventors have studied the technology in which pressure in a measure-passage with an orifice is reduced by air pump to introduce the air and the air-fuel mixture in a different timing so that the differential pressure between both ends of the orifice or the amount of air passing through the orifice is measured. The density ratio between the air and the air-fuel mixture is calculated based on the above measured result. According to this technology, the density ration can be detected by operating the air pump before purging, and only one orifice is used to detect the density ratio so that the tolerance of the orifice hardly affect on the measured result. However, according to the inventors' study, in a case that an orifice 1000 of which inner diameter is constant along the center axis thereof as shown in FIG. 17, following problems will arise.
Generally, density ρ of gas flowing through an orifice and a differential pressure ΔP between both ends of orifice have a relationship expressed by the following equation (1) by use of an air flowrate Q at the orifice, a cross-section area A, and a flowrate coefficient α.ρ=2·(α·A/Q)2·ΔP  (1)
In a case that the air flowrate Q corresponds to the suction amount of the air pump, the air flowrate Q can be derived from a characteristic of pressure (P)-flowrate (Q) of the air pump. In order to calculate the ratio between air density ρAir and the air-fuel mixture density ρGas, it is necessary to obtain an air differential pressure ΔPAir, an air-fuel mixture differential pressure ΔPGas, and an air flowrate coefficient αAir, and an air-fuel mixture flowrate coefficient αGas. When the coefficient αAir and the coefficient αGas are equal to each other, the ratio between the density ρAir and the density ρGas can be precisely calculated based on the measured differential pressures ΔPAir and ΔPGas. However, in the case that the orifice 1000 having a constant inner diameter is used, the inventors have found out that the coefficient αAir and the coefficient αGas are different from each other. Since the coefficient αAir and the coefficient αGas are physical value depending on the density ρAir and the density ρGas, the coefficients ρAir and αGas cannot be measure beforehand in calculating the density ratio. Thus, it must be assumed that the coefficient αAir and the coefficient αGas are equal to each other in order to calculate the ratio between the density ρAir and the density ρGas, so that the accuracy of calculating the ratio between ρAir and ρGas may be deteriorated.
In a case that the air pump is controlled in such a manner that the differential pressure ΔPAir and the differential pressure ΔPGas become equal to each other, it is necessary to obtain the flowrate QAir of air, and the flowrate QGas of the air-fuel mixture, and the coefficients αAir, αGas at the orifice. If the coefficient αAir and the coefficient αGas were equal to each other, the ratio between the density ρAir and the density ρGas could be precisely calculated. However, as described above, the coefficient ρAir and the coefficient αGas are different from each other in a case that the orifice 1000 is used.

Gas density ratio detector, gas concentration detector, and fuel vapor treatment apparatus