BVM coils for modulating a scanning velocity in a horizontal direction of electron beams emitted from an electron gun are provided at a position where the BVM coils are overlapped with an electron gun in a tube axis direction, and a pair of magnetic substance pieces are provided at a position where the pair of magnetic substance pieces are overlapped with the BVM coils in the tube axis direction. The pair of magnetic substance pieces surround a funnel continuously in a circumferential direction of an outer circumferential surface of the funnel, except for a portion of the surface that intersects a plane defined by the tube axis and a vertical direction axis, and the vicinity of that portion. Because of this, a cathode-ray tube apparatus with the sensitivity of the BVM coils enhanced can be provided.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cathode-ray tube apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
In order to correct an edge of a displayed image to enhance image quality, a method for modulating the horizontal scanning velocity of electron beams is known. According to this method, in general, a pair of auxiliary coils called beam velocity modulation (BVM) coils are provided at a neck portion of a cathode-ray tube so as to be integrated with a deflection yoke and a convergence and purity unit (CPU) (see JP57(1982)-45650Y).
The BVM coils improve a visible state between a dark area and a light area of an image displayed on a screen during a horizontal scanning period as follows. The transition of a lighting state is predicted from a video signal waveform. In a period on a dark side during a transition period of a lighting state, electron beams are accelerated so that they are horizontally scanned at a velocity equal to or higher than an average scanning velocity. On the other hand, in a period on a light side during the transition period of a lighting state, electron beams are decelerated so that they are horizontally scanned at a velocity equal to or lower than the average scanning velocity. Thus, among the areas of the transition of a lighting state on a screen, in an area on a dark side, an excitation time of phosphors is shortened to decrease brightness, and in an area on a light side, an excitation time of phosphors is prolonged to increase brightness. Accordingly, the edge of an image is corrected so as to increase the sharpness of the areas of the transition of lightness and darkness.
In the case where the above-mentioned BVM coils for modulating the horizontal scanning velocity of electron beams are provided so as to be integrated with the CPU, an eddy current is excited in an electron gun made of a metallic conductor due to the magnetic flux generated by the BVM coils, and the metallic conductor generates heat, resulting in a reduction in the velocity modulation effect by the BVM coils.
In order to enhance the sensitivity of the BVM coils, a method has been proposed for mounting a magnetic substance, which focuses and intensifies the magnetic field generated by the BVM coils, in the electron gun (see JP6(1994)-283113A).
However, the above-mentioned method has the following problems: since a magnetic substance for focusing a magnetic field is metal, a new eddy current is likely to be generated; a process for welding a new component is necessary, which increases a cost; and furthermore, sufficient sensitivity cannot be obtained.
Furthermore, it also is considered that, in order to decrease crosstalk between the magnetic field generated by the BVM coils and the electron gun metal to minimize the generation of an eddy current, the BVM coils should be placed close to the end of a deflection yoke on the electron gun side. However, in this case, the BVM coils are placed close to a horizontal deflection coil, so that crosstalk between the magnetic field generated by the BVM coils and the horizontal deflection magnetic field is increased to cause new ringing. Therefore, there is a limit for placing the BVM coils close to the deflection yoke, and hence, a sufficient increase in sensitivity cannot be realized.

Matsushita Toshiba Picture Display Co., Ltd.


A tube coupling assembly has independent primary and secondary sealing elements. The coupling assembly includes first and second coupling members which define a fluid passage therethrough. The coupling members are arranged relative to one another so as to define a contact seal therebetween. An annular fluid path extends between the contact seal and the fluid passage, and a seal element, such as an O-ring is disposed in said fluid path. Accordingly, the seal element is always in contact with, and thus cooled by, the fluid in the passage. The coupling assembly also includes a coupling nut disposed over a portion of one of the coupling members and threadingly engaging the other coupling member to retain the coupling members together. A plurality of resilient fingers is provided on one of the coupling members, and a plurality of grooves is formed in the coupling nut. The fingers are received in the grooves so as to oppose rotational displacement of the coupling nut from its assembled position.

This invention relates generally to gas turbine engines and more particularly to tube coupling assemblies for use in connecting fluid tubing in gas turbine engines.
Gas turbine engines such as those used for aircraft propulsion generally include external tubing systems for delivering fluids, such as jet fuel, hydraulic fluid and lubricating oils, from one engine component to another or for connecting an engine component with an aircraft system. These tubing systems typically include tube coupling assemblies (often referred to as tube fittings) to connect adjacent fluid-carrying tubes or to connect a tube to another engine component. In an aircraft engine, a leak of a flammable fluid could result in a fire and/or loss of power which would jeopardize the safety of the aircraft flight. Thus, the primary requirement of any tube coupling assembly is that it not leak.
Various types of coupling assemblies or tube fittings have been employed in the aircraft engine industry to effect leak proof connections. One prior tube coupling assembly which has been commonly used in gas turbine engines is the ballnose fitting. A ballnose fitting typically comprises a tube connector connected to a first fluid-carrying tube, a ferrule connected to a second fluid-carrying tube and a coupling nut having internal threads which engage external threads on the tube connector so as to urge the tube connector and ferrule against one another in sealing engagement, thereby forming a single sealing element. Such single element fittings often employ shrouds with drain systems to contain any leakage which may occur.
Although single element fittings have been used advantageously in a number of gas turbine engine applications, they are subject to certain limitations. For instance, it is believed that shrouds and drain systems not only add to the complexity of the engine construction, thereby increasing expense and maintenance time, but also increase the weight of the engine.
Accordingly, there is a need for a tube coupling assembly which eliminates the need for shrouds and drain systems while providing excellent sealing integrity.

Cooled and wetted redundant seal tube fitting


Systems configured to analyze and/or respond to faults detected during the operation of a power transmission system are disclosed. In one embodiment, a system includes at least one computing device adapted to monitor operation of a power transmission system by performing actions comprising processing operational data from a set of line phases in the power transmission system to detect a faulted line phase; opening a circuit breaker for the faulted line phase in response to detecting the fault; determining whether the fault is transient or permanent; and determining if an arc associated with the fault has been extinguished.

The subject matter disclosed herein relates to power transmission systems and, more particularly, to systems for analyzing and/or responding to faults in a power transmission system.
Power transmission systems are generally used to transmit power from generation plants to a set of power consumption locations (e.g., homes, commercial buildings, businesses, etc.). These power transmission systems include a variety of components (e.g., transmission lines, high voltage transmission lines, extra high voltage transmission lines, ultra high voltage transmission lines, cables, transformers, conductors, etc.), which are used to convey power over the distances between the generation plants and the power consumption locations. Some power transmission systems employ a three phase system which may require less conductor material to transmit electric power as compared to single-phase, double-phase, or direct-current systems at the same voltage. During operation, faults may develop within the three phase system as a result of any number of conditions (e.g., a tree falling on a component, a lightning strike, a bird shorting a component, etc.), leading to arcing events and/or disruptions of service. These faults may be transient (e.g., self-extinguishing) or permanent (e.g., requiring technician assistance to correct the fault), and may be single phase, double phase or triple phase.
In these three phase systems, transient faults are the most common form of fault. The short circuit arc of a transient fault is usually self-extinguishing after the opening of a set of line circuit breakers. Thus, some power transmission systems include protection relays using fixed time interval reclosure methods to automatically detect and treat transient faults within the system. In response to a detected fault, these systems open line circuit breakers for the phase(s) which is faulted, and these circuit breakers remain open for a predetermined time period so that the arc extinguishes. After the fixed time interval has passed, the line circuit breakers are reclosed and flow of service is restored. However, in some cases, the pre-set time interval may be longer than necessary to extinguish the arc, resulting in a longer than necessary interruption of service. In yet some other cases, the selected time interval may not be long enough to fully deionize the fault path and, when the line circuit breakers are reclosed, the arc restrikes. Thus, the use of these fixed time interval systems may lead to inefficient operation, arc restriking, system stress, improper power outages, and equipment damage.

Power transmission fault analysis system and related method


A circuit for generating an output signal in response to an input signal that propagates over devices operating at various supply voltages. The circuit generally comprises a first device operating in a first voltage, a second device operating in a second voltage and a clamp device coupled to each of the first and second devices. The clamp device generally operates at the second supply voltage, which may cause the output signal to be propagated through the circuit with a minimum distortion.

The trend in modern central processing units (CPUs) and microprocessors is to reduce the power supply operating voltage in order to reduce power consumption and increase the chip density. The power supply reduction may impact other performance considerations as well. Due to design considerations, memory devices, such as dynamic random access memories (DRAMs), may operate at a different supply voltage than the CPU. Some devices may also be required to use more than one power supply voltage so they can signal a CPU and related devices at one voltage and other devices at another voltage. The signals are generally generated by one circuit and are received by another. However, distortion may arise in such signals when the CPU operates at one supply voltage and other circuits operates at a different supply voltage.
One such configuration occurs with modern microprocessors that operate with a nominal power supply voltage of about 2.5V while other circuits in the computer operate with a power supply of about 3.3V. Some of the support integrated circuits, such as clock generators, must operate using both power supplies since they furnish signals to both the microprocessor and other integrated circuits. These support devices must have low distortion between outputs operating at different voltages.
Another common example of multiple power supply voltages occurs in systems with both nominal 5V and nominal 3.3V power supply requirements. Systems with more than two power supplies (e.g. 5V, 3.3V, 2.5 V and/or 1.8V or lower) are also possible.
One conventional approach to reducing distortion is to use differential signaling (ECL, CML, or other different logic techniques). This approach requires moderately complicated drivers and receivers and requires two wires per signal, resulting in significantly more area than a simple implementation. Another approach is to suffer distortion but save size by using a simple transmitter (e.g., a CMOS inverter) operating with one power supply and a receiver (e.g., another CMOS inverter) operating with a second power supply. One such configuration occurs with modern microprocessors that operate at a supply voltage of 2.5. volts, while modern DRAM integrated circuits generally operate at a supply voltage of about 3.3 volts or higher.
Conventional approaches provided compensation for the delay and distortion created when a signal passes through devices operating at different supply voltages. One such approach includes compensating for such delays and distortions by inserting additional delays. Another approach uses cross coupled supply voltages to duplicate the delay or distortion in the different signals to provide a deskewed relationship. Both of the approaches, however, merely compensate for distortion created in a signal which propagates over devices operating at different voltages, rather than reduce it.


A microservice running in a cloud computing environment is operable to perform a coordinate-based search responsive to a request from a requester such as a viewer that serves a web application in a browser on a user device. The request contains a set of coordinates of a user-defined area which highlights information of interest that the user wants to redact from a document displayed by the viewer on the user device. The document is a rendition of an internal representation generated from an original source document. The internal representation has a coordinate system that maps the location of text data in the original source document. The microservice utilizes the coordinate system to search every instance of the information of interest in the text data, generates corresponding bounding boxes, and sends the coordinates of the bounding boxes to the viewer which creates the bounding boxes to highlight/block all the instances.

Microservices are an architectural style or, more specifically, a variant of the service-oriented architecture (SOA) architectural style. In a microservices architecture, an application is structured as a collection of loosely-coupled services. Compared with the traditional approach in which monolithic applications are built with all their deployable components, these loosely-coupled services are more fine-grained and thus are referred to as "micro" services or "microservices."
More recently, microservices have been used to create cloud applications—applications that run in a cloud computing environment. Such a cloud application is generally built as a set of microservices, each of which runs its own processes, communicates through application programming interfaces (APIs), and can be deployed independently.
While microservices can provide scalability and agility to cloud applications, they are not without disadvantages. For instance, they can increase the complexity of a cloud application over a monolithic application. Further, as the microservices are loosely coupled, transaction management and data consistency can be problematic, making the cloud application difficult to maintain.
Accordingly, while advancements have been made in integrating the microservices architecture in some cloud computing environments, not all monolithic applications could be restructured as cloud applications built on the microservices architecture. One such example is a standalone application, which could run on an enterprise server or a user device, that is configured to remove sensitive content and privacy information from documents. Consequently, there is room for innovations and improvements.

Systems and methods for coordinate-based search


In an image data processing device, correcting of input color image data, converting the input data to monochrome image, and judging whether the image expressed by the input color image data is a color image or a monochrome image, are all performed simultaneously; the corrected color image data and the converted monochrome image data are stored; and based on the judgment, any one of the color image data and the monochrome image data stored are transmitted to an external device via a communicating unit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technology in which an image taken, for example, by a digital camera or a color document scanner is transmitted after color correction, via a communications medium to an external device, such as a computer, server, network printer, network copier, or facsimile.
2. Description of the Related Art
Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Application No. H6-205204 discloses an image processing device that uses a color document scanner to prescan and read a document, judges an image type, such as monochrome/color or dot photograph/silver halide photograph, based on image data, stores the judgment result, and, in a final scan, subjects image data to a color correcting process determined as being suited to the image type based on the judgment result. When transmitting image data, read from a document image, to a computer, etc., a long time is required to transmit the image to the computer and operator working efficiency is low because a prescan and a final scan are performed.
Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Application No. 2001-285653 discloses an image processing device that temporarily stores data read from a document in a memory, then judges a document image type (color/gray scale/binary monochrome), and upon converting the image data in the memory, transmits the data to an external device. Because time for judging the image type and time for subsequently converting the image data according to the judgment result are required in addition to the time for reading the document using a scanner, a long time is required to transmit an image to a computer and operator working efficiency is low in this case as well.
Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Application No. H10-326336 discloses an image processing device that writes R, G, and B image data generated by an image reading device, into a color image file and writes the G data as they are into a gray scale image file. When the reading of an entire document ends, the image processing device performs a base removing process on the image data in the gray scale image file to prepare binary monochrome image data, writes the binary monochrome image data into a monochrome image file, displays an image of the image data in the color image file on a color image display property sheet, displays an image of the image data in the gray scale image file on a gray scale image display property sheet, and displays an image of the image data in the binary monochrome image file on a binary monochrome image display property sheet. However, it is unclear as to the image data (color image data, gray scale image data, or binary monochrome image data) of which image file express the document image appropriately. Thus, when image data need to be transmitted to an external device, if an image file of just one type is transmitted to the external device, image data of inappropriate image expression may be transmitted. If the image files of the three types are transmitted to the external device, image processes at the external device become complex and operator working efficiency becomes poor.
Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Application No. 2001-333282 discloses an image processing system in which, for example, a personal computer PC is connected to a facsimile with a scanner function, an image processing device simultaneously executes a color image process and a simplified monochrome image process on image data read from a document, transmits the color image data resulting from the color image process to the PC, and performs facsimile transmission of the image data obtained by the simplified monochrome image process. However, because color image data are transmitted to the PC, color image data of a large data volume may be transmitted to the PC while transmitting a monochrome binary image, and the data processing load of the PC may thus be excessive.

Image data processing device, image processing device, image forming device, and image transmitting system


The connection or coupling between two equipments such as pipes (1 and 2) by a clamp (17) involves the use of a second clamp (8), tightened around the fixed pipe (1) and carrying a cradle (9) for supporting the clamp (17). This arrangement makes it possible to place the coupling parts in succession and to release them immediately afterwards. The cradle (9) also prevents the clamp (17) from tilting when its clamping screw (22) is turned. Finally, a sleeve (27) maintains the extension position of the pipes (1, 2), while also centering the sealing joint (32). All these advantages make it possible to correctly and easily assemble the parts with a single remote manipulator in the hot cells of nuclear installations.

The invention relates to a tight coupling between two equipments such as pipes terminated by flanges and between which is compressed a sealing joint or seal, said flanges being joined and moved together by a clamp. It is more particularly used in nuclear installations, where maintenance imposes frequent replacements of the seals in the cells, where it is only possible to work by using remote manipulators.
A sought fundamental aim here is to obtain a coupling, which can be easily correctly established by remote manipulation. In order to bring about the moving together and assembly of two points in extension of one another and between which is compressed a seal, couplings are already known in the form of bolted flanges and also quick-release couplings using a ratching or snapping in of the parts, but the first do not lend themselves to remote manipulations, because they require the simultaneous presence of two remote manipulators, whereof one holds one of the pipes against the other and the second ensures the bolting of the flanges, which requires attention to minute detail and time, as well as suitable tools and a relatively large manipulating space, whereas the second also generally requires two remote manipulators, whereof the first is once again responsible for holding one of the pipes, whereas the other manipulates the coupling part. These quick-release couplings generate high force reactions on the piping members and on the remote manipulators during the ratching or uncoupling of their ends. Moreover, the seals used in quick-released couplings are generally inseparable therefrom by remote manipulation, which makes it necessary to replace the entire coupling and neighbouring pipe when the seal has to be changed.
Clamp-based couplings make it possible to easily produce quick-release couplings by interposing between the pipes a seal, which can be replaced alone. This is why these couplings are preferred in this technical field, but hitherto they have required the simultaneous presence of two remote manipulators, one holding the clamp on the fixed pipe and the other placing the seal and then the end of the mobile pipe prior to the tightening of the clamp. The invention obviates the need for one of the remote manipulators for carrying out the coupling. It also permits the replacement in the remote manipulator of the sleeve carrying the seal, as well as the replacement of the clamp or clamp holder.

Tight coupling between two equipments such as pipes

Compagnie Generale des Matieres Nucleaires


The invention relates to a method and to a device for filling a medical packaging formed as a pouch. Preferably, the packaging is filled with liquid via a port, wherein the port is aerated with a protective gas, such as nitrogen, for example, during filling According to the invention, prior to filling with liquid, the packaging is filled with an inert gas, such as nitrogen, for example, which then provides the headspace of the filled and closed pouch. This results in a particularly low oxygen content in the headspace of the pouch.

Prefilled medical packagings configured as pouches are known from practice. These are here, in particular, in the form of pouches which are filled, for example, with a liquid containing an active agent or with a liquid for parenteral feeding. A pouch of this type has at least one port. In general, the port comprises a septum which can be pierced with a spike or with a needle in order to remove liquid from the pouch.
When a pouch is filled, a residual volume of gas generally remains in the inner volume of the pouch. Depending on what sort of a liquid is present in the pouch, this residual volume should contain as little oxygen as possible, since otherwise an active agent can decompose or a liquid for parenteral feeding can decay.
It is therefore known from practice to bubble nitrogen into the support liquid, in particular water, used to fill the pouch. As a result, the oxygen present in the liquid is largely replaced by nitrogen.
Since the foils used for medical packagings configured as pouches can have a reduced barrier effect with respect to oxygen, it is also known from practice to introduce the pouch into a secondary pouch comprising an oxygen barrier.
It is further known from practice to insert into the secondary pouch an oxygen absorber, such as, for instance, an insert which contains iron filings and via which the residual oxygen which is present in or might possibly infiltrate the primary pouch shall be removed. The introduction of such oxygen absorbers is technically complex and expensive.

Method for filling a medical packaging, filling device, and medical packaging formed as a pouch


A system for stacking fuel cells for a fuel cell stack includes, a component part storage region to store the fuel cells, a finished product storage region to store a completed fuel cell stack transferred by an automated guided vehicle, and a plurality of stacking regions disposed between the component part storage region and the finished product storage region, where a pair of stacking units are disposed at opposite sides of a first transfer robot that is centrally disposed in the stacking region, one side of the stacking region is formed as an entry and exit for the automated guided vehicle for the fuel cell stack, and the stacking region is supplied with the fuel cells from the component part storage region by the automated guided vehicle to sequentially stack the fuel cells to manufacture the fuel cell stack.

In general, when water is electrolyzed, hydrogen and oxygen are generated, and a hydrogen fuel cell is a device that uses the reverse reaction of this electrolysis.
The hydrogen fuel cell refers to producing electricity by supplying hydrogen as fuel and reacting with oxygen in air.
Unlike general chemical batteries, these hydrogen fuel cells may continuously generate electricity as long as fuel and air are supplied, and have higher energy efficiency and no noise than the turbine power generation method using fossil fuels.
In addition, the hydrogen fuel cell is an environment-friendly energy source that generates less greenhouse gas, and is a new energy that may be applied in various fields such as transportation, power generation, home, and portable use.
A typical term of hydrogen fuel cell is used to indicate a combination of a plurality of cells rather than a single cell, and is also called a fuel cell battery, a fuel cell stack, and the like.
The cell for the hydrogen fuel cell battery is manufactured by stacking negative electrodes, negative electrode gaskets, gas diffusion layers, membrane electrode assemblies, and positive electrodes.
However, in the manufacture of a cell for a hydrogen fuel cell according to the prior art, the cathode electrode, the cathode electrode gasket, the gas diffusion layer, the membrane electrode assembly, and the anode electrode are stacked one by one by the operator's manual labor, or only local automation of stacking is available. Thus, the manufacturing of hydrogen fuel cells is not fully automated.
Typically, a large number of, e.g., more than 1000, sheets of the negative electrode, negative electrode gasket, gas diffusion layer, membrane electrode assembly, and positive electrode are stacked to form a hydrogen fuel cell stack, increasing the cycle time. Thus, cycle time is large, and productivity is deteriorated.
The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the disclosure, and therefore it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art.


This invention is a combination mailbox indicia display and depository that is adapted to be mounted on the top, curved dome portion of a mailbox. The depository has two inwardly and upwardly disposed sides that are made from a material having a memory so that the upper edges of such side portions can be spread apart to insert informational material and to hold the same securely in place. Indicia display is in the form of elongated panels and are preferably removably mounted on the depository so that seasonal symbols and other message indicia can be displayed as desired.

Very strict regulations apply to mailboxes and particularly rural type mailboxes, both as to their manufacturing specifications and to what can be placed therein. Inside the mailbox itself only postage prepaid mail delivered by the U. S. Postal Service or outgoing mail with postage prepaid waiting for pickup can be placed therein. The laws relating to the postal service includes stiff fines or imprisonment or both for using mailboxes for any other purpose.
Both paid and volunteer workers hand deliver fliers and community announcements on a fairly regular basis. These various items can be attached to the exterior of mailboxes in various ways such as affixing the same with tape, folding the same and wedging them between the box and the flag associated therewith, or simply placing them between the door and the box opening. Many of these items are blown away by the wind or completely ruined by rain thus creating both a litter problem and a loss of information to the residences or businesses for whom the information was intended.

Combination mailbox indicia display and depository


A gain adjustment device and a method thereof are provided. The device includes a first processing module, a gain adjustment circuit, a second processing module, and a gain control module. The first processing module receives an input signal and generates a first signal. An operating voltage of the first processing module is a first voltage. The gain adjustment circuit receives the first signal and adjusts a gain of the first signal according to a gain control signal to output a third signal. The second processing module receives the third signal and generates a second signal. An operating voltage of the second processing module is a second voltage. The gain control module generates the gain control signal according to the first voltage and the second voltage.

1. Technical Field
The disclosure relates to a gain adjustment device and a method thereof, and more particularly to an automatic gain adjustment device and a method thereof.
2. Related Art
Generally, an audio amplifier is employed to enable an audio system to output an audio signal with a large power. The audio amplifier requires a higher voltage in order to provide a larger output power. It is assumed that the voltage of an original audio signal is AVDD, and the voltage of an amplified audio signal output by the amplifier is SPKVDD, so that the original audio signal must be multiplied with a gain ratio (SPKVDD/AVDD), in order to avoid distortion or problems relating to an incorrect level of the audio signal. Conventionally, the gain ratio is set as a parameter, i.e., the gain ratio is a constant value, which may not be altered arbitrarily.
However, the voltage (SPKVDD) of the amplified audio signal output by the audio system does not always maintain a constant value. For example, in an ordinary handheld device, the power source of the audio amplifier is usually coupled to an output of the cell, and the voltage of the cell somewhat varies according to the electrical charge of the cell. Alternatively, when the handheld device is connected to a charger, the change of the power source system may also cause alterations of the SPKVDD. At this time, when the SPKVDD changes but the gain ratio fails to be adjusted accordingly, distortion and problems relating to an incorrect level of the audio signal may occur.
Therefore, a solution is needed urgently to eliminate the problems caused by the gain ratio in the audio system.

Gain adjustment device and method thereof


A device for laying floor and wall coverings in reentrant corners comprises an independent insert obtained from the same material as the flooring and having two dimensions before laying and being defined in three dimensions after laying and having, when flat, a geometrical configuration of irregular lines so that, after laying, said insert has a regular parallelepiped geometrical configuration. The insert includes, three triangular areas, of which two of the bases are part of the peripheral outline of the insert and the third inner base makes it possible, by consecutive juxtaposition, to obtain a central triangular part sloping, after laying, and situated in a forward plane away from the corner part where the successive walls and the floor meet.

The invention relates to the technical field of floor and wall coverings that use polyvinyl chloride or similar materials.
The Applicant is a European leader in the manufacture of this type of floor and wall covering and is aware that laying such coverings in reentrant corners is performed by running them up like a skirting board.
A first method which is currently widely used involves the following phases. This process is illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. A quadrant-shaped piece (1) which is fixed by bonding or otherwise its longitudinal end parts to the opposite facing parts of the floor and walls is placed along the joining line between the floor and the walls. Then, the floor covering is offered up into the corner area by allowing it to run up into contact with the corresponding vertical surfaces of the wall. This involves previously cutting the floor covering along a line (2) at 45°, the end part of which corresponds to the bottom part of the joint with the 45° line extending up as far as the upper longitudinal end of the floor covering. Forming the corner in the two successive vertical planes creates a fold due to the excess material and, in order to avoid excess thickness, the excess pieces of material must be cut away on a trial-and-error basis. This operation is performed in situ and is far from practical. The floor covering must then be bonded into the reentrant corner and the opposite edges either side of the 45° line must be welded. This removal of excess material is necessary in order to prevent excess thicknesses in the area in question. The difficulty involved is real and demands considerable expertise on the part of the operative because cutting the floor covering in order to eliminate excess thickness is far from easy to achieve. This hot welding by depositing a weld bead (3) starts from the extreme reentrant point along the oblique line. One of the difficulties encountered is to master the quality of welding which can only be checked visually. In practice, it has been found that if there is even the slightest initial cracking, sealing will not be achieved.
Another problem is the fact that the welding operation in corners using a roller or nozzle may cause damage to the floor covering in the corner such as, for instance, burns on the floor covering and geometrical deformation, bulges etc. and an untidy visual appearance.
This solution is widely used given the lack of satisfactory alternate solutions and has yet another drawback. The corner parts can be considered as dust traps and facilitate the accumulation of dust and dirt of all kinds and are therefore areas that are particularly prone to soiling. However, floor and wall coverings of the type described are widely used on public and private premises where hygiene is an absolute must. This applies in the case of hospitals for example. The manual or mechanised means of cleaning and cleaning tools used of the brush and broom type do not make it possible to ensure thorough cleaning because it is not possible to access the extreme part of the corner.
It is therefore apparent that this solution is relatively impractical and has many disadvantages.
The Applicant's approach, around fifteen years ago, was to suggest a different solution based on separately fitted thermoformed corner components shown in FIG. 3. This solution which initially seemed attractive turned out to be relatively impractical in use and was abandoned in favour of the old method. This second solution involved producing corner components (4) made of plastic with predefined finished shapes that fit perfectly into the corner area and bonding them to the opposite facing parts of the floor and the walls. In fact, management and the necessary logistics to manufacture and install them remained onerous. The plumbness and squareness of the successive walls relative to the floor is far from perfect in practice and then becomes a problem during preliminary fitting and arrangement of these thermoformed corner components relative to the walls. In addition, another major drawback was the fact that there was loss of uniformity between the characteristics and decorative features of floor coverings and the corner components.
This second technology which was used by the Applicant was abandoned because it was impossible to utilise it on an industrial scale.
The Applicant therefore went back to the initial solution even though it had and still has many disadvantages.
Faced with this situation, the Applicant nevertheless continued its research in order to find other alternative solutions.

Device and method for laying floor coverings in corner areas where floors and walls meet


A spherical rotary engine valve assembly for use in an internal combustion engine.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to automobile internal combustion engines, and in particular to a spherical rotary valve assembly for use in an internal combustion engine.
2. Description of the Related Art
Automobile manufacturers have spent billions of dollars in the past 100 years to develop better performing and more efficient engines at a reasonable cost. There are three major performance parameters in internal combustion engines. They are mechanical efficiency, indicated efficiency and volumetric efficiency. Mechanical efficiency measures frictional loss of the engine. The power loss for driving essential parts of the engine such as camshafts and oil pumps for lubrication are accounted for by friction. Indicated efficiency are thermodynamic losses.
The final parameter is volumetric efficiency. This measures the volume of ambient air drawn in per cylinder relative to the overall cylinder volume. Volumetric efficiency increases by increasing the amount of air taken in and expelled from the combustion cylinder during a piston stroke. This factor is critical to engine performance. When more air is drawn into the combustion cylinder, more fuel can be added for combustion, which increases volumetric efficiency and performance. Also, higher air intake generates more power with less rotation of the engine. Thus, greater air intake wastes less power that would otherwise be expended by burning fuel to rotate the crankshaft.
The vast majority of combustion engines today utilize spring-loaded poppet valves to control the intake of air and expulsion of exhaust gasses to and from the combustion cylinder. However, while widely used, these valves have disadvantages. First, the opening and closing of poppet valves during the intake stroke are not optimized relative to piston movement. This is shown in FIG. 1, which shows a one-half period of piston movement during the intake stroke relative to the poppet valve opening. As can be seen, at the beginning of the piston stroke while the piston is accelerating downward, the amount of air allowed in the by valve is relatively small.
Generally, during the first 20° of downward motion of the piston, the valve is only about 5 to 7% open. This disadvantageously creates a vacuum within the combustion cylinder, which can have significant adverse effects at higher engine RPM. In an optimal interaction, the valve would open up quickly, early in the piston stroke, to allow maximum air intake during the maximum downward acceleration of the piston.
Additionally, the poppet valve moves into and out of the combustion cylinder, generally along the same axis as the piston. If the timing is not controlled properly, it can occasionally happen that the piston hits the poppet valve during its motion, which contact can damage or snap off the poppet valve. Furthermore, poppet valves have a high number of intricate parts. For example, in a 4-cylinder engine with 4 valves per cylinder, the valves would have at minimum 96 parts.
Many of the disadvantages of poppet valves can be overcome by rotary valves. However, owing to problems relating to heat transfer through the valves and air flow into and out of the combustion cylinder through the valves, rotary valves have not been widely accepted. One difficulty with the use of rotary valves is the sealing of the interface between the combustion cylinder and the valve. During the compression stroke and power stroke of the piston, the rotary valve seals the top of the combustion cylinder. Attempts have been made to place a seal at the interface between the combustion cylinder and valve. The seal must be tight to prevent compressed air and gas from escaping the cylinder around the seal during the compression and/or power cycle, which leaking creates efficiency losses as well as emissions. However, as the valve is rotating in contact with the upper edges of the combustion cylinder, the contact between the rotating valve and cylinder seal must be lubricated. It is known to provide a small amount of lubricant to the seal or to provide vapor lubricant into the mixture. However, these methods introduce lubricant into the combustion cylinder, which leads to added emissions and poor combustion quality with detonation. This has been one of the biggest problems in designing rotary valves.
Self-lubricating materials are known, such as for example graphite. However, materials such as graphite generally have a maximum operating temperature in the range of 600° C. before their lubricating qualities break down. Lewis Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio produces a composite coating referred to as PS 300. PS 300 is a composite of metal-bonded chromium oxide with barium fluoride/calcium fluoride eutectic and silver as solid lubricant additives. The maximum operating temperature of this composite is 800° C. before the lubricating ability of the coating breaks down. The problem with the use of such self-lubricating materials as a seal in internal combustion cylinders is that the temperature within the combustion cylinder that would be seen by the seal far exceeds the effective operating temperature of such materials.


A metal gasket for a cylinder head has a lamination of plates. The gasket includes two base metal plates each of which includes cylinder holes, circumferential beads formed around the peripheries of individual cylinder holes, cooling water holes formed outside the peripheries of the circumferential beads, and an outer bead formed so as to entirely enclose the circumferential beads and the cooling water holes. The circumferential beads of the two base plates are aligned in a direction of thickness of the gasket. Claw shaped protrusions are provided for one of an outer step adjustment metal plate and an inner step adjustment metal plate and extend from a cooling water jacket to the outer edges of the base plates into engagement holes in the other of the inner step adjustment plate and the outer step adjustment plate.

As this type of metal gasket, a metal gasket shown, for example, in FIG. 3 in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-287137, is known. This metal gasket for cylinder head includes: two base plates which are metal plates, and in each of which cylinder holes are formed corresponding to individual cylinder bores in a cylinder block of an internal combustion engine; circumferential beads having a both-sided sloped angular shape in cross section and formed around the individual cylinder holes; cooling water holes formed outside the peripheries of the individual circumferential beads corresponding to a cooling water jacket of the cylinder block and cooling water holes of the cylinder head; and an outer bead having a one-sided sloped shape in cross section and formed and positioned so as to enclose the circumferential beads and the cooling water holes as a whole. Further, a thin step adjustment plate made of a metal plate is placed between the two base plates.
The step adjustment plate extends outward, from the position inside the circumferential beads of the base plate to the position of the cooling water jacket, and has claw-shaped protrusions. When the claw-shaped protrusions are inserted into the cooling water holes of one of the base plates, and the portions protruding from the cooling water holes are folded over, the step adjustment plate is coupled with the base plate, so that the contact pressure exerted on the circumferential beads of the base plate, and the sealing of the combustion gas in the cylinder bores are improved.


A glass vessel crusher including an external cylinder 1 and an internal cylinder disposed in the external cylinder, a glass-vessel crushing space A of ring shape in section being defined by the inner wall of the external cylinder 45 and the outer wall of the internal cylinder. At least one of the external cylinder and the internal cylinder is freely rotatable and is so designed that the glass-vessel crushing space is gradually narrowed along a direction from a glass-vessel throw-in side toward a fragment discharge side, and at least one of the inner wall of the external cylinder and the outer wall of the internal cylinder is provided with a spiral projection 57 extending into the ring-shaped glass-vessel crushing space.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a glass vessel crusher for crushing a glass bottle or the like into fragments in a proper size.
2. Description of Related Art
It has been a general habit that a glass vessel such as a glass bottle or the like is used and then thrown away without recycling because a recycling system for the glass vessel has not been hitherto established. Such a habit of using and throwing away the glass vessel has caused a vain use of resources and has been a factor of environmental contamination. The recycling of glass bottles has been particularly shunned because they have a bulky body, so that the physical distribution cost is increased and the cost required for recycling is also heightened. In order to overcome this disadvantage, there has been conventionally adopted a method that glass bottles are finely crushed using a glass-bottle crusher and then recycled in a state where their bulkiness is reduced.
As a conventional glass bottle crusher have been known a propeller-type crusher and a squash-type crusher. In the propeller-type crusher, a glass bottle is collided against a propeller rotating at a high speed, so that it is finely crushed by an impact force at the collision. On the other hand, in the squash-type crusher, for example, a glass bottle is sandwiched between two iron plates, and then is squashed by pressing the iron plates so as to be approached to each other.
In the propeller-type crusher, a glass bottle is excessively finely crushed, and thus excessively-fine glass fragments of the glass bottle are generated. If this type of crusher is placed on a street for example, there would occur a new environmental problem that these excessively-fine glass fragments are scattered in the street.
Further, the fragments of the glass bottle which have been withdrawn are required to be washed with water in a glass factory to remove foreign matters such as metal from the fragments. In this case, fragments whose size is below several millimeters are frequently required to be discarded on the basis of a requirement for water administration. Therefore, if the fragments of a glass bottle are excessively fined by the crusher, most of the fragments which have been withdrawn must be discarded, and thus there occurs a problem that all of glass bottles which have been withdrawn with much labor can not be effectively used.
On the other hand, the squash-type crusher has the following disadvantage that a tremendous noise occurs in a crushing operation, and glass fragments are liable to be scattered at the throw-in side for a glass bottle. Therefore, this type of crusher is unsuitable to be placed in a street in consideration of security and environment problem.


The inventive method includes a preparation step during which the substrate is covered with a layer, a pressing step in which a mould including a pattern of recesses and protrusions is pressed into part of the thickness of the aforementioned layer, at least one etching step in which the layer is etched until parts of the surface of the substrate have been stripped, and a substrate etching step whereby the substrate is etched using an etching pattern which is defined from the mould pattern. The preparation step includes a sub-step consisting of the formation of a lower sub-layer of curable material, a step involving the curing of said layer and a sub-step including the formation of an outer sub-layer which is adjacent to the cured sub-layer. Moreover, during the pressing step, the above-mentioned protrusions in the mould penetrate the outer sub-layer until contact is reached with the cured sub-layer.

Nano-imprinting consists in pressing a mold into a polymer covering a substrate of silicon or another appropriate material. The mold is typically produced in silicon by standard lithography/etching techniques and is pressed into a layer of polymer heated to above its glass transition temperature so that it is deformable. After cooling and removal of the mold, the patterns of the mold are imprinted in negative form in the polymer.
To prevent potentially destructive contact between the mold and the substrate that supports the polymer, a thin residual layer of polymer is intentionally left at the bottom of the protruding patterns of the mold. The pressures applied to the mold are such that, if the mold and the substrate were to come into direct contact, the two wafers would be weakened and could break. To guarantee the presence of this residual layer, the initial polymer thickness is chosen so that, at the end of pressing, the polymer fills the recesses of the patterns of the mold.
The residual polymer thickness is then eliminated by an oxygen plasma, which locally exposes the substrate. The patterns of the polymer layer are then reproduced in the substrate (transferred thereto) by plasma etching (typically by reactive ion etching (RIE)), as in the usual lithography/etching situation.
A technique of the above kind is described in the document "Imprint of sub-25 nm vias and trenches in polymers" by S. Y. CHOU, P. R. KRAUSS, and P. J. RENSTROM, published in Appl. Phys. Lett. 67 (21) 20 Nov. 1995, pp. 3114-3116.
The main difficulty of the above technique is obtaining a uniform residual thickness regardless of the size and the density of the pressed patterns. If the residual thickness at the bottom of the pattern is not homogeneous, the oxygen plasma that is intended to eliminate it will induce a local modification of the size of the patterns where the layer is thinnest; because the patterns are unknown a priori, this reduction in size cannot be taken into account in determining the dimensions of the patterns of the mold. This leads to inaccurate control of the dimensions of the patterns, which is incompatible with industrial use of this technique.
This erratic modification of the size of the patterns of the polymer layer may be explained as follows.
Firstly, the local differences in the residual thickness result from the fact that, the closer together the protrusions and the recesses of the pattern of the mold, the more the penetration of the mold into the polymer layer implies the displacement of a significant quantity of material, and the more difficult it is for the mold to "enter" the polymer layer.
During the step of oxygen plasma etching of this residual layer at the bottom of the pattern, the polymer material is eliminated everywhere in the direction of the substrate. However, if the underlying surface of the substrate has been exposed in a location where the residual layer is originally very thin, continued application of the plasma (which is necessary to eliminate the residual layer where it is thickest) results in now lateral attacking of the polymer, reflected in a localized enlarging of the recesses of the pattern. As a consequence of this, the most isolated patterns (where the residual layer was thinnest) are reduced in size relative to the protrusions of the molds, whereas the most dense patterns (where the residual layer was thickest) remain strictly identical to the protrusions of the mold.
This thickness disparity is very difficult to avoid. The main pressing parameters are the pressing pressure, temperature and time. Tests have shown that, to etch lines 500 nm wide with a space between the lines that varies from 650 nm to 10 000 nm at a pressure of 50 bar at a temperature of 120° C., the residual thickness varies from 55 nm to 120 nm for a pressing time of 5 minutes, from 40 nm to 75 nm for a pressing time of 30 minutes and from 65 nm to 75 nm for a pressing time of 60 minutes. This demonstrates that the thickness disparity (the maximum thickness is generally observed for a distance between the lines of the order of 1000 nm) and that this disparity is reduced if the pressing time is increased.
It is therefore apparent that it is possible to obtain substantially uniform pressing in an array but that this implies temperatures and times that may appear too high and too long and therefore too costly (the higher the temperature, the shorter the pressing time needs to be).
This makes the above technique slower and therefore less advantageous than the standard methods.
However, the foregoing description relates to an array of given size, with particular patterns (made up only of lines, of the same width) and it may be concluded that although it is possible with well-adapted conditions to obtain an array of lines uniformly pressed in given sizes, it is virtually impossible under the same conditions to obtain a residual thickness of the same value in arrays with different pattern sizes and densities, and a fortiori with patterns of diverse shapes. Consequently, the complete investigation of homogenization of pressing has to be repeated as a function of the three parameters cited above as soon as the size of the array or the pressing patterns is changed.
To obtain imprints of good quality, it has been proposed, in particular in the document "Tri-layer systems for nano-imprint lithography with an improved process latitude" by A. LEBIB, Y. CHEN, F. CARCENAC, E. CAMBRIL, L. MANIN, L. COURAUD and H. LAUNOIS, published in Microelectronic Engineering 53 (2000) 175-178, to employ a technique using three layers on the substrate to be etched: this substrate is covered with a lower layer of PMGI resin cured at 270° C., in turn covered with a thin layer of germanium, in turn covered with an upper layer of PMMA or S1805 resin. The method comprises multiple steps: pressing the mold into only the upper layer, eliminating the residue of the imprinted portion of the upper layer, and transferring the pattern into the germanium layer by attacking this intermediate layer using the upper layer as a mask, this germanium layer thereafter serving as a mask for attacking the lower layer. This is followed by the deposition of a metal layer on the lower layer followed by elimination of the lower layer: the portions of the metal layer that were at the bottom of the recesses of this layer, on the surface of the substrate, are the only ones to remain and finally serve as a mask for attacking the substrate. Note that this method is of a different kind from that described above, since it is not the lower layer whose protruding portions serve as a mask for attacking the substrate, but rather the metal portions deposited directly on the substrate, corresponding to the recesses of the lower layer. This technique, involving deposition at the bottom of the recesses of the lower layer, is often called the "lift-off" technique.

Nano-imprint lithography method involving substrate pressing


A decoration device may include a low-friction drive line and a PWM controlled motor that reduces or eliminates the gearing needed to achieve appropriate speed and torque at the motor output shaft. In preferred embodiments, the decoration device is an ornament that includes a low friction interfaces to accommodate relatively low torque output from the PWM drive motor. In certain embodiments, the PWM controller drives a motor at low speeds suitable for ornament applications.

Decoration devices may be used to enhance the appearance of a room or an object or to provide entertainment. For example, some decoration devices may be in the form ornaments that are hung from a wall, a mantle, or a tree so as to enhance the overall decorative appearance of that wall, mantle, or tree. In another example, a decoration device may be adapted to rest upon a tabletop or other surface and may provide entertainment for those viewing the device.
In some circumstances, decoration devices may include motion, colors, shapes, or lights to provide a appearance that is associated with a particular season, holiday, event, or theme. A powered ornament device may include at least one component that is movable relative to another component. For example, a traditional children's music box may include a figurine (e.g., a dancer) that rotates relative to a stationary base as a musical sound is emitted from the box.
Electrically powered, movable ornaments and other such decoration devices typically include an AC motor to drive the motion of the movable component. Such AC motors are typically driven off 120 V alternating current which is readily available in residential environments. The AC motors generally rotate at set rotational speed for a given load. That rotational speed often significantly exceeds that desired for ornament applications, so the AC motor output shafts have been coupled to gearbox in order to reduce the speed. With a decrease in shaft speed comes an increase in torque and this increased torque is usually substantially more than that required to drive the frictional and inertial loads in a typical ornament application.
Pulse-width modulation (PWM) controllers may be used in lieu of gearing to control motor speed, but PWM techniques have generally been considered unacceptable for ornament applications because the throttling necessary to achieve the appropriate shaft speed generally yields a torque that is insufficient to drive the ornament or to drive the ornament smoothly given variations in drive line friction. Moreover, use of PWM controlled motors would substantially increase manufacturing costs due to the combined cost of the PWM microcontrollers and the complex gear systems that would have be used to account for the low torque output of PWM controlled DC motors. For both of these reasons, AC motors with reduction gearing have been used in lieu of PWM controlled motors in ornament applications.

Pulse width modulation drive and method for ornaments with movable components


A method for designing dentures according to which artificial teeth can be easily and accurately attached to a denture base, which is designed and shaped by CAD/CAM, when the artificial teeth are arranged on the denture base is provided. The method for designing a denture (10) on a computer based on data on an intraoral shape comprises: creating data on a shape of a denture base (20) based on the intraoral shape (S22); creating data on a position of an artificial tooth (30) to be arranged on the denture base (S23); and creating data on a shape of an occlusal guide (40) that is tabular and has a recess part corresponding to a shape of the arranged artificial tooth in an occlusal surface side (S24).

One well-known method for making dentures is a lost wax technique. According to this technique, dentures can be obtained through the following steps: that is, first, an impression of a patient's intraoral shape is taken using an impression material (so-called impression taking). Plaster is poured to the impression and solidified, to make a plaster cast.
Next, the height of dentures of the upper and lower jaws is secured using wax on the plaster cast, and artificial teeth are embedded in the wax, to be wax dentures (so called arrangement of artificial teeth). Then, these wax dentures are embedded in plaster or the like to be solidified. After a portion where the wax flows out is formed in the wax dentures, the wax is melt and washed away by hot water or the like. Whereby, only the arranged artificial teeth remain, and a cavity is formed at the portion where the wax existed. Then, resin or the like is poured to (packed into) the cavity, to be cured. Dentures can be obtained by breaking and removing the plaster.
As described above, the lost wax technique includes a lot of steps, and takes a long time to be completed. In addition, it is said that dental technicians have to be skilled if making dentures according to this technique.
In contrast, Patent Literatures 1 and 2 disclose techniques of making dental prostheses such as dentures using CAD/CAM. That is, information on designing and producing dental prostheses is treated as data using CAD/CAM. Finally, dental prostheses can be obtained by cutting out using an NC machine tool based on the data.
According to this, dental prostheses can be made with less steps than the lost wax technique for a shorter time than before.

Method for designing denture, method for producing denture and positioning means


An auto focus apparatus of the present invention comprises a first temperature detection device, a second temperature detection device, a reference driving range storage device, a correction information storage device, a reference driving range acquisition device, a correction information acquisition device, a driving range setting device, and a driving control device.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an auto focus apparatus, and more particularly, to an auto focus apparatus of a camera using plastic lenses for a photographing optical system.
2. Description of the Related Art
A plastic lens can be easily formed using a metal die, has a high degree of flexibility in the shape and can be manufactured at lower cost than a glass lens, and therefore an increasing number of cameras use plastic lens in a photographing optical system.
However, since plastic has a larger thermal expansion coefficient with respect to a temperature variation than glass and a disadvantage of plastic is that when used for a lens, an image forming position may vary depending on an environment in which the lens is used.
Therefore, the range (in-focus state search range) of driving a focus lens of a camera using plastic lenses is often set with a certain margin to allow focusing even when an in-focus position changes due to a temperature variation.
However, setting the range of driving a focus lens with a certain margin may cause the focus lens to be driven up to a point at which there could be originally no in-focus position, with the result that focusing takes a longer time.
Therefore, it is a conventional practice that the temperature of an optical system is detected by a temperature detection device, a temperature variation from a reference temperature is calculated, an amount of deviation of the in-focus position due to the temperature variation is calculated, and the focus driving range at the reference temperature is corrected so as to shorten the time required for focusing (e.g., Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-142714).
Furthermore, an amount of correction of the focus driving section with respect to a temperature variation around the lens is stored in a storage section beforehand and when a temperature variation occurs, the focus driving section is controlled based on information on the amount of correction stored in the storage section to prevent deviation of the in-focus position due to the temperature variation (e.g., Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2003-131106).


A collapsible writing instrument including a first plate pair consisting of lateral and oppositely lateral plates having upper and lower ends; a first hinge interconnecting the lateral and oppositely plates' lower ends; a second plate pair consisting of an upper lateral plate and lower lateral plate having proximal and distal ends; second hinge interconnecting the lateral plate's upper end and the lower lateral plate's proximal end; a third hinge interconnecting the upper and lower lateral plates' distal ends; a third plate pair consisting of an upper oppositely lateral plate and a lower oppositely lateral plate having proximal and distal ends; a fourth hinge interconnecting the oppositely lateral plate's upper end and the lower oppositely lateral plate's proximal end; a fifth hinge interconnecting the upper and lower lateral plates' distal ends; and a pen cartridge attached to the upper lateral and upper oppositely lateral plates' proximal ends.

Pens and pencils having a barrel shaped body or cylindrical body are often grasped between the thumb, index and middle fingers of a writer's hand. During such writing use, the tip of the index finger, the tip of the thumb, and the proximally lateral side of the writer's middle finger are typically placed over contact points arrayed at approximately 120° circumferential intervals about the instrument's cylindrical body. Such common writing instrument holding technique, when applied to a common cylinder bodied pen, often undesirably and unergonomically allows the body of the pen to roll over its points of contact with the writer's fingers, resulting in instability during writing.
The instant inventive writing instrument solves or ameliorates such problems, difficulties, and deficiencies of common barrel body configured pens and pencils described above, by specially configuring the instrument's body to define a plurality of paired hinged plates which pivotably move in flexing and extending motions to assume a T configuration which ergonomically presents finger tip receiving valleys, and to alternatively pivotally extend to a collapsed and compactly storable non-use position.

Ergonomic and collapsible writing instrument


An infrared sensor and a method of fabricating the same are provided. The sensor includes a substrate including a reflection layer and a plurality of pad electrodes, an interdigitated sensing electrode connected to the pad electrode and formed to be spaced apart from the reflection layer by a predetermined distance and a sensing layer formed on the sensing electrode and having an opening exposing a portion in which an interdigitated region of the sensing electrode connected to one pad region is separated from the sensing electrode connected to the other pad electrode. Therefore, the sensor has an electrode in a very simple constitution, and a sensing layer divided into rectangular blocks, so that current that non-uniformly flows into the electrode can be removed. Accordingly, the sensor in which current of the sensing layer can be uniformly flown, and noise is lowered can be implemented.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an infrared sensor and a method of fabricating the same. More specifically, the present invention relates to an infrared sensor having a sensor structure in which noise characteristics are improved, and a method of fabricating the same.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Basically, an uncooled infrared sensor senses a change in temperature of a sensor by absorbing incident infrared rays. Uncooled infrared sensors are classified into a bolometer type, a pyroelectric type and a thermopile type depending on a method of sensing a change in temperature. The bolometer-type infrared sensor operates by sensing a change in resistance of a sensor resistor according to temperature. Performance of the infrared sensor is ultimately determined by a signal-to-noise ratio, and the noise components mainly consist of Johnson noise and 1/f noise. The Johnson noise is influenced by resistance of a material, and the greater the resistance, the greater the noise. Therefore, in order to reduce the Johnson noise, it is required to design a material constituting the sensor to have a low resistance value. While causes producing the 1/f noise do not clearly appear in theory, the noise is in inverse proportion to frequency. Further, as the volume of the material constituting the sensor becomes greater, the 1/f noise is reduced, and the noise is in proportion to an applied voltage. Therefore, in order to minimize the 1/f noise, it is required to design an electrode structure to maximally utilize the volume of the material, and a portion in which current is non-uniformly supplied such as a cusp should not exist in the sensor.
In the bolometer-type infrared sensor, the most widely used sensing materials include a vanadium oxide (VOx)-based material and an amorphous silicon-based material. In the case of the amorphous silicon-based material, its resistivity is great, and thus when electrodes are simply arranged in parallel, a resistance of the sensor may be too great. As a result, the sensor may have deteriorated characteristics due to Johnson noise caused by the great resistance. In order to overcome the problems, the resistance of the sensor should be lowered, and thus an interdigitated electrode 200 extending from a pad region 110 is used as shown in FIG. 1. However, when the interdigitated electrode 200 is used, there is an inefficiently used portion in a sensing layer 100, and the volume of the sensing layer 100 is inefficiently used. Therefore, there is much room to increase the noise.
Moreover, there is a cusp A vulnerable to the shape of the electrode 200, and non-uniform current around this portion causes 1/f noise to be increased.

Infrared sensor and method of fabricating the same

Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute


This application embodiment provides a method for equalizing the battery module, an apparatus, a battery module and a power management controller, including: judging whether the first battery core and the second battery core enter their respective fully-charged interval; if the first battery core enters and the second battery core doesn't enter, discharging the first battery core until the second battery core enters; if the first battery core doesn't enter and the second battery core enters, judging whether the maximum value of the first charging voltage of each battery cell in the first battery core is greater than a third preset value; if so, discharging the second battery core until the first battery core enters; if not, controlling both to rest a preset time; after resting for the preset time, discharging the first battery core and the second battery core until the SOC of each battery cell enters a same state.

Battery equalization refers to the use of power electronics technology to keep lithium-ion battery cell voltage or the voltage deviation of battery module within the expected range, so as to ensure that each single battery in the battery module maintains the same state during use in order to avoid the occurrence of overcharge/overdischarge, and further to improve the life of the battery module.
Existing battery equalization methods are generally based on voltage for charge and discharge equalization, but such equalization methods are only suitable for a single type of battery core. A single type of battery cell means that each single battery in the battery module belongs to the same type (such as it is a ternary battery core or an iron-lithium battery core), and for a battery module with two kinds of battery cores (such as with both an iron-lithium battery core and a ternary battery core at the same time). Due to the different characteristics of different kinds of battery cores, their fully-charged voltages are also different, so the battery equalization method based on a single type of battery core has poor accuracy for equalizing a battery module with two kinds of battery cores.

Method for equalizing battery module, apparatus, battery module and power management controller

CONTEMPORARY AMPEREX TECHNOLOGY CO., LIMITED


An endogenous mammalian material has been found which has the biological effect of causing a reduction in the mass of mammalian organs including the heart and prostate. The material has physico-chemical properties such that it appears as a compound of molecular weight between 10 and 20 kD when subjected to a purification process using membrane filtration followed by gel filtration. This material has therapeutic uses including the treatment of organ or tissue hypertrophy and hyperplasia.

The mammalian gonads secrete a variety of hormones, such as oestrogen and testosterone, and other signalling molecules, such as growth factors and cytokines, which have effects throughout the body. Mechanisms regulating the masses of tissues and organs can in their totality be described as the "organotrophic system". The endocrine (hormonal) contribution to this system includes the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis, the adrenals, the thyroid and other endocrine tissues. Among the generally positive endocrine influences in the organotrophic system are oestrogen and testosterone. Organotrophic effects of oestrogens are discussed by Hart, Pharmac. Ther. (1990) 47:203-218.
Hart, Toxicology (1990) 61:185-194, reported that the oestrogen antagonist, clomiphene, could decrease most organ weights in female rats. Hart postulated that clomiphene may act as an antagonist of the known positive organotrophic oestrogen effect.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Isolated material having an anti-organotrophic effect


A feed table with force reaction system for counteracting clamping forces on a shuttle vise used to move a workpiece toward a machine tool. In a first embodiment, lever arms are attached to an upper guide rail between two vertical columns. A reaction actuator interconnects upper ends of the lever arms such that when actuated, a reaction force is applied to the vertical columns by lower ends of the lever arms to counteract clamping forces created by a clamping actuator attached to one of the vertical columns. In a second embodiment, lever arms are also used and interconnected at the upper ends thereof by a reaction bar. A reaction actuator is attached to a lower end of each of the lever arms to apply the reaction force. In third and fourth embodiments, a clamping force bar is positioned above the upper guide beam. A clamping actuator is attached to the clamping force bar such that clamping forces are not transmitted to the vertical columns.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to feed tables used for clamping and feeding elongated workpieces to a machine tool, such as a band saw, and more particularly, to a feed table with a force reaction system for counteracting the deflection in a shuttle vise normally caused by clamping the workpiece.
2. Description of the Prior Art
On machine tools, such as band saws, used for cutting elongated bar stock or other types of workpieces, devices, generally called feed tables, have been developed to clamp the workpiece and feed it toward the machine tool. In some prior art feed tables, a movable shuttle vise is used to clamp the material and then move it along a conveyor to a desired point at which the material is to be cut. The process is repeated as often as necessary until the workpiece is fully utilized. The feed tables are frequently automated. The feed table includes a roller conveyor assembly which provides rolling support of the workpiece. In one prior art device, a fixed vise assembly and the movable shuttle vise assembly are attached to a frame on the feed table. The fixed vise and shuttle vise assemblies cooperate to grip and stabilize the workpiece during cutting by the machine tool in addition to the shuttle vise being adapted to move the workpiece toward the cutting area of the machine tool.
When production cutting on bar stock is performed, the feeding and cutting sequence typically includes a series of automated steps such as: gripping of the workpiece with the movable shuttle vise assembly, releasing the fixed vise assembly, advancing the workpiece toward the cutting area of the machine tool by moving the shuttle vise assembly along the conveyor, stabilizing the workpiece by clamping it again in the fixed vise assembly, cutting the workpiece as desired, releasing the movable shuttle vise assembly and moving it away from the cutting area while continuing to clamp the workpiece by the fixed vise assembly, gripping the workpiece again with the movable vise assembly, releasing the fixed vise assembly, and again advancing the workpiece toward the cutting area of the machine tool for the next machining operation. This series of steps is repeated as desired.
Feed table designs such as these generally include opposing vise jaws cantilevered upwardly from vise bases which are fixedly mounted in the case of the fixed vise assembly, or movably mounted on feed table guide ways in the case of the shuttle vise assembly. These upwardly cantilevered jaws have been found to have a common problem, namely, when clamping workpieces, and in particularly large workpieces, the opposing jaws tend to spread out or open up at the upper portion of the jaws. As the jaws are pushed against the workpiece by an actuating mechanism such as a hydraulic cylinder, the resistance to compression exerted by the workpiece causes the upper portions of the jaws to separate outwardly.
Such separation can be problematic because the workpiece will not be properly gripped by either the fixed vise assembly or the shuttle vise assembly, and this may permit the workpiece to move or slip upwardly and/or axially before or during the cutting sequence. If this occurs, the workpiece may not be properly cut which adversely affects cutting precision and accuracy, and in extreme situations, necessitates scrapping the workpiece or portions cut from it. Examples of such feed tables are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. Pat. Nos. 4,179,961 and 3,504,585 to Harris and U.S. Pat. No. 3,474,693 to Wilkie, et al.
As the length, diameter, and accordingly the weight, of workpieces increase, machine tool feed table conveyors have employed guide roller assemblies which include a plurality of side-by-side rollers capable of supporting and advancing larger and heavier workpieces. Some prior art feed tables also have included reaction frame assemblies which add substantial lateral stability and rigidity to the opposing jaws of the fixed vise and/or shuttle vise assemblies. One such prior art feed table is disclosed as prior art in U.S. Pat. No. 5,353,910 to Harris. This prior art device includes a vise reaction frame assembly which extends over and under the guide roller assembly. The vise reaction frame assembly is positioned to resist the tendency of the opposing jaws of the shuttle vise assembly to open up in reaction to clamping the workpiece. The shuttle vise assembly includes at least one movable jaw mounted to a first upright post and another jaw mounted to a second upright post and which may be rigidly affixed thereto. The reaction frame assembly includes cross beams which are rigidly secured between the top and bottom of the first and second posts and thus encircle the guide roller assembly. Accordingly, gripping of a workpiece with a vise having such a reaction frame is very positive because the previously described reaction forces are resisted by the reaction frame assembly. This reduces the tendency of the opposing jaws to spread apart during clamping of the workpiece.
In order to provide for movement of a shuttle vise assembly having such a reaction frame, the shuttle vise assembly must be capable of moving longitudinally along the guide roller assembly. Thus, the lower cross beam may be mounted on a pair of drive screws which reciprocate the shuttle vise assembly relative to the roller assembly. In operation, the drive screws cause the shuttle vise assembly and the vise jaws mounted thereon to move along the feed table outside longitudinal roller frame members which support the rollers in the guide roller assembly. Other types of guide rail systems could also be used. However, this construction requires that the guide roller assembly be raised and mounted on support legs at the ends of the roller frame members so that the cross beams can pass above and below the roller frame members. This prior art invention disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,353,910 to Harris will be further discussed herein.
Accordingly, although such reaction frame assemblies effectively counteract the reaction forces caused by clamping the workpiece with the vise jaw, they require a long unsupported span of roller frame members between the support legs. This span requires that the roller frame members be sized significantly large enough to provide strength for the entire roller frame assembly when supporting the workpiece. This greatly adds to the bulk of the roller frame assembly and still may not be sufficient to prevent undesired movement or deflection thereof when handling very large workpieces. There is a need, therefore, for a feed table with a force reaction system which can counteract the clamping forces to avoid deflection of the jaws but which allows the roller frame assembly to be mounted directly onto the feed table for greater support and to eliminate the lower cross beam.
The present invention solves these problems by providing a feed table with force reaction system which counteracts the deflection of vise jaws caused by actuation thereof by applying substantially equal forces to the vise in opposite directions from the clamping forces.


This invention relates to a catalyst system using a boron alkyl in combination with an aluminum alkyl as a co-catalyst, a process for making the catalyst system and a process using the catalyst system for polymerization of olefins, especially .alpha.-olefins, such as propylene. While both boron alkyls and aluminum alkyls are known as co-catalysts separately, use of a boron alkyl with an aluminum alkyl as co-catalysts in olefin polymerization resulted in an unexpected increase in polymer yield. An increase in yield is accomplished without any increase in the amount of aluminum residue in the polymer product. The preferred boron alkyl is triethyl boron. The preferred aluminum alkyl is TEAl.

1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a catalyst system, a process for making the catalyst system and a process for olefin polymerization using the catalyst system. More specifically, this invention relates to a catalyst system using a boron alkyl, especially triethylboron, in combination with an aluminum alkyl, especially triethyl aluminum, as a co-catalyst to improve polymerization yield and to control polydispersity.
2. DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
Triethylboron is known as a co-catalyst. U.S. Pat. No. 4,980,330 discloses a list of suitable cocatalysts or activators for an inorganic oxide catalyst. The list includes triethylboron among others. The disclosure specifies a range of the ratio of cocatalyst to transition metal of from about 0.1:1 to about 1000:1. There is no disclosure that triethylboron in combination with other co-catalysts or any combination of co-catalyst results in improved polymerization yield or control of polydispersity.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,814,308 discloses a combination of a lithiumalkyl and a boronalkyl as cocatalyst in a Phillips catalysis. Specifically, triethylboron was used with n-butyllithium. There is no disclosure that triethylboron or any boronalkyl was used with an aluminum alkyl.
Japanese Patent Application No.82167567 disclosed the use of the magnesium, titanium, vanadium and aluminum compounds with triethylboron and dibutylether as a catalyst for the copolymerization of olefins. There is no disclosure that triethylboron or any boronalkyl was used with an aluminum alkyl.
Triethylboron is known as a catalyst. The use of triethylboron as a catalyst for the oligomerization of methylene groups from a formaldehyde-zirconocene complex was disclosed in "Developing Molecular Fischer-Tropsch Type Chemistry: The Triethylboron-Catalyzed Oligomerization of Carbon Monoxide-Derived Methylene Groups From a (.eta.2-Formaldehyde)Zirconocene Dimer" by Erker et al, Journal of the American Chemical Society, Vol. 113, No. 6, p. 2330-2332 (1991).
Japanese patent 7244549 discloses a catalyst for propylene having high molecular weight and low degree of crystallinity. The catalyst is a combination of a boron alkyl, specifically triethylboron and a vanadium halide, specifically vanadium tetrahalide.
It would be advantageous to increase polymer yield for olefin polymerization without increasing the amount of aluminum alkyl used which would increase the aluminum residue in the polymer product. It would also be advantageous to control polydispersity by the addition of varying amount of a non-aluminum co-catalyst. It would also be advantageous to use a material which is known to be compatible with olefin polymerization.

Boron alkyl as co-catalyst to improve polymerization yield and control polydispersity


The present invention relates to a flatbed air-liquid interface exposure module for exposing a plurality of cells at an air-liquid interface to nanoparticles, the flatbed air-liquid interface exposure module comprising a moisturizing section, an exposure section, and an aerosol duct. Further provided are related systems and methods.

Many prior art methods for nanotoxicity testing suffer from significant disadvantages. For example in vitro-systems featuring submerged cultures involve nanoparticles and cells in a liquid, which does not correspond to the physiological environment of the lungs.
To overcome the deficiencies of submerged nanotoxicity testing, as reviewed by Paur et al. (J. Aerosol Sci. 2011, 42 668-692), several in vitro systems have been developed for exposure of cells at the air-liquid interface (ALI) to aerosolized nanoparticles (NPs), allowing a more realistic interaction between pulmonary cells and NPs, limiting alterations of the physicochemical properties of the NPs, and providing a more accurate dose determination. Most of the methods described in the literature are in-house systems, e.g. ALICE (Lenz et al. Part Fibre. Toxicol. 2009, 6 32) and ALIDA, but there are also commercially available systems like the CULTEX (Cultex Laboratories GmbH) and the VITROCELL® (VITROCELL systems GmbH) exposure technology with proven effectiveness.
Most ALI experiments are based on diffusion and/or gravitational settling as deposition mechanisms with a typically fairly low deposition (Aufderheide, M. Exp. Toxicol Pathol. 2008, 60 (2-3), 163-180; Bitterle et al. Chemosphere. 2006, 65 (10), 1784-1790; Diabate et al. 2008, 36 (3), 285-298; Rothen-Rutishauser et al. J. Environ Sci. Technol. 2009, 43 (7), 2634-2640, Steinritz et al. Chem Biol. Interact. 2013, 206 (3), 479-490).
Moreover, an air-liquid interface in which nanoparticles are deposited on lung cells by means of a mist, also does not correspond to the natural environment in the lungs. Still different systems involve the use of guided air flow, which unfortunately results in a straw stalk effect and nanoparticles rebounding on the air-liquid interface.
US2008/0047825 discloses a particle exposure system for exposing a target material to charged particles. The particle exposure system includes an exposure chamber with an upper wall, lower wall and one or more sidewalls that together define the exposure chamber for containing target material and receiving the particles during use. The exposure chamber includes a pedestal mounted to the lower wall of the exposure chamber, with a first electrode incorporated into an upper part of the pedestal. The first electrode may take the form of a plate, a mesh, coil etc. A generally flat layer of target material is disposed on the upper face of the electrode and is exposed to the exposure chamber. From a lower face of the electrode, protrusions may extend into the remainder of the material of the pedestal. The second electrode is spaced from the first electrode that extends from the upper wall. The exposure chamber contains in the lower wall one or more outlets for exhausting a gas or gas/particle mixture supplied to the chamber, in such a way that a gas stream directed at the center of the target material can readily flow over and to the sides of the target material and pedestal. The second electrode may be movable in a direction toward and away from the first electrode.
WO2010/040473 discloses a culture/exposure device for cell and/or bacteria cultures, comprising receptacles for individual cultural containers provided in a base body, a flow guide having an inlet aimed at exposing the cultural containers to a test atmosphere. The test atmosphere may be a gaseous medium, which carries particles, for example an aerosol The device comprises a plurality of modules which are connected to each other in such a manner that they are easily detachable from each other. The sample receptacle module is connected to an aerosol guiding module, on which there sits a preparatory module. The preparatory module can, for example, be formed as a charger, in which instance a test atmosphere is charged, for example, in an electrostatic manner. This module could be replaced by a moisturizer, in which the test atmosphere is moisturized, or by a simple inlet adapter, if no pretreatment of the test atmosphere is required.
Lenz Anke Gabriele et al disclose in Particle and fibre technology, Boimed Central London, GB, vol. 6, no. 1, 16 Dec. 2009, page 32 an air-liquid interface cell exposure system for nanoparticles in liquids. The device generates a dense cloud of droplets with a vibrating membrane nebulizer and utilizes combined cloud settling and single particle sedimentation for efficient delivery of nanoparticles at the air-liquid interface.
In view of the above, there is a clear need for in-vitro air-liquid interface exposure systems which closely mimic in-vivo exposure to nanoparticles.

Flatbed air-liquid interface exposure module and methods


A lighting system for ceiling grid systems advantageously uses a grid member designed to cooperate with a strip light to secure the strip light generally aligned beneath the grid system. The grid system can be initially installed with the cooperating grid members at specified locations. The strip lights can then be installed to the grid system. This arrangement simplifies installation particularly installations in commercial type spaces and larger scale architectural projects.

Low voltage lighting systems have gained substantial acceptance in the market place and narrow profile elongate strip lighting has been used in association with ceiling grid systems. The actual strip lighting is often a series of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) located in a common housing.
In one known prior art arrangement the actual strip light is a cross member of a T-bar grid system. The strip light is an integral component of the T-bar grid member and the lamp is selectively connected to a low voltage driver arrangement provided above the ceiling.
There remains a need to provide a system that allows selective securement of strip lighting to a ceiling grid system where the ceiling grid system is installed in a conventional manner and strip lighting is secured to the grid system.
For many large scale commercial type applications, grid ceiling systems are initially installed by personnel who are not directly responsible or qualified with respect to the installation of electrical systems. The ceiling system is typically designed to allow light fixtures to be installed by electricians etc. after installation of the grid system. There remains a need to provide a system that allows strip lighting to be installed in such a conventional manner.


An LED lamp with reflecting casings comprises a bulb seat having an international standard joint at an outer side thereof; an interior of the bulb seat having a power supply; an insulating layer for isolating the power supply and an auxiliary heat dissipating casing; a main heat dissipating casing being a hollow tapered shape and being opened at two ends; the tapered size of the main heat dissipating casing being smaller than that of the auxiliary heat dissipating casing; an LED lamp body having a conductive metal heat sink with good conductivity at an upper side thereof; an inner supporting surface of the LED lamp body serving to install with at least one LED chip; the metal heat sink having a round shape and a rear end thereof protrudes with chip pins; and a heat conducting base for receive the LED lamp body.

LED has widely used in many field due to small volume and power saving. However currently, LEDs have the problem of heat dissipation. This make the high power LED can not replace the convention illumination device effectively. The heat dissipation will increase with the increment of the temperature of the LED, while this will short the lifetime of the LED.
With reference to FIG. 1, the prior art lamp 10 has heat dissipation fins 100 for heat dissipation. The fins 100 are made of extrusion of aluminum sheet which has a heavy and large shape which is not match to the shape of the lamp. Thereby, the fins are expensive. To have preferred heat dissipation effect, it is necessary to increase the area and thus size of fins, but this will make the outlook of the lamp feel ugly and the manufacturing process is tedious and thus is expensive. Therefore, there is an eager demand for a novel design which can improve the defects in the prior art so as to provide a high heat dissipation LED lamp with smaller size.


The invention relates to an injector unit and a method for the control of the injection process into the cavities of injection moulding tools. The novel solution permits the injection of thin-walled injection moulding pieces (76, 77), with both electrically- and hydraulically-driven injector screws. One of the most important features thereof is the active selection of the opening time of the locking system at an optimal pressure in the compression chamber, preferably in the region of the upper half of the compression. The volumetric transfer flow is thus significantly improved in thin-walled injection moulding pieces (76, 77). Above all the melting pressure in the tool, the flow speed and the useful flow path in the cavities are increased.

This invention relates to a method of controlling/regulating the injection stroke and compression stroke for the injection process in the cavities of injection molds, in particular for injection of thin-walled injection molded articles using an electrically or hydraulically driven injection screw; this invention also relates to an injection unit, in particular for producing thin-walled injection molded articles in injection molds, with a controllable active closure for the nozzle opening and an electrically or hydraulically driven injection screw.

Method for controlling the injection process and injector unit