A plurality of reflection films are provided behind a liquid crystal layer of a liquid crystal element, corresponding to predetermined regions in the plural pixels Pix. By the regions of the plural pixels wherein the reflection films are provided, reflection parts Pr are formed that reflects the light that enters from the front side and goes out to the front side by the region where the reflection film is provided, and transmission parts are formed that transmits the light that enters from the back side and goes out to the front side by the other regions of the plural pixels. At the same time, color filters, wherein a plurality of apertures are formed to the parts corresponding to the reflection pars Pr of the pixels Pix, are provided respectively corresponding to the plural pixels Pix, and a planarization transparent film covering the aperture is formed on these color filters.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display device which carries out display of both the transmission display and the reflection display.
2. Description of the Related Art
A reflection/transmission type liquid crystal display device which carries out both the reflection display, which uses the external light, which is a light of the environment wherein the liquid crystal device is used, and the transmission display, which uses illumination light from the light source placed at a back side of the device.
A liquid crystal display device of this type, as disclosed in the Unexamined Japanese Patent Application KOKAI Publication No.H11-264964, has a liquid crystal layer arranged between the front side substrate, which is arranged at the observing side of the display, and the back side substrate, which faces the front side substrate, and at least one electrode which is provided on either one inner surface, of which the front side substrate and back side substrate oppose each other, and a plurality of electrodes to form a plurality of pixels on the other inner surface, which pixels are formed of regions wherein the plurality of electrodes and the at least one electrode face each other. A plurality of reflection films, each corresponding to pre-determined regions in the plural pixels, are provided behind the liquid crystal layer of the liquid crystal display device, and by the regions of pixels which the reflection films are provided, reflection parts are formed, wherein light enters from the front side and is reflected by the reflection films, and by the regions other than the reflection parts of the plural pixels, transmission parts are formed, which emit light to the front side by transmitting the light coming from the back side. Then, color filters to carry out color display, are provided in either one inner surface, of which the front side substrate and back side substrate surface, a front side polarization plate and a back side polarization plate are placed on the front and back side of a liquid crystal element respectively, and the light source is placed behind the back side polarization plate.
In an environment where the intensity of illumination is enough, this reflection/transmission type liquid crystal display carries out the reflection display using external light, and in a case where there isn't enough light, carries out the transmission display using the illumination light emitted from the light source. This reflection/transmission type liquid crystal display uses the reflection parts of the plural pixels of the liquid crystal element to carry out the reflection display, and uses the transmission parts of the plural pixels of the liquid crystal element to carry out the transmission display.
However, the conventional reflection/transmission type liquid crystal display device which displays color image, has a problem that the quality of the displayed image of the reflection display using external light, and the quality of the displayed image of the transmission display using light from the light source, are different from each other.
Namely, in the conventional reflection/transmission type liquid crystal display device which displays the color image, in a case of reflection display, light enters into the liquid crystal element from the front side of the liquid crystal element, and is reflected by the reflection film after transmitting the color filters and liquid crystal element, and goes out to the front side of the liquid crystal element after transmitting through the liquid crystal layer and color filters, and in a case of transmission display, light enters into the liquid crystal element from the back side, and through the liquid crystal layer and color filters, goes out to the front side of the liquid crystal element. Resulting to the outgoing light at the reflection display time being colored light, which transmitted to and from the liquid crystal layer and the color filters, and the outgoing light at the transmission display time being colored light, which transmitted through the liquid crystal layer and the color filter, just once.
Therefore, the emitted light in a case of reflection display has weaker optical power, compared to the emitted light in a case of transmission display. Therefore, the display quality of the liquid crystal display device, at the reflection display time, is not well.
Therefore, as disclosed in the Unexamined Japanese Patent Application KOKAI Publication No.H10-288706, colored parts and a white transparent parts formed in the pixel to brighten the reflection display, is proposed.
However, the liquid crystal element which has an aperture partially, in a part corresponding to the interior of the reflection part of the pixel of the color filter, is formed in a shape that the cross-section of the circumference of the aperture of the color filter is slanted diagonally to the normal line of the substrate. Therefore, it is difficult to accurately set the ratio of the colored light emitted from the region corresponding to the parts besides the aperture of the color filter, and the non-colored light emitted from the region corresponding to the aperture of the color filter, among the reflection part of each pixel, and the color reproducibility at the reflection display time becomes inferior.
Similar liquid crystal display device is disclosed in the Unexamined Japanese Patent Application KOKAI Publication No.H11-264964. The disclosure is incorporate herein by reference in their entirety.

Liquid crystal display device capable of transmission display and reflection display


A wound therapy and tissue management system utilizes fluid differentiation. Fluid is differentiated by establishing a gradient within the system. A gradient can be established with matter or energy. Patient interfaces for establishing, maintaining and varying one or more gradients include transfer elements with first and second zones having different flow coefficients. The transfer elements exchange fluid with a patient, generally through a wound site, and with external components of the system. Osmotic solution gradients are controlled by a methodology involving the present invention for extracting solutions, which can include toxins, from patients and for introducing fluids and sumping air to wound sites.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to medical care, and in particular to wound therapy and tissue management systems and methodologies with fluid differentiation.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Heretofore, many wound therapy and tissue management devices and protocols have tended to focus on the addition or control of individual mechanical forces and their respective effects on wound healing. For example, the use of suction to secure skin graft dressings in place is disclosed in Johnson, F. E., An Improved Technique for Skin Graft Placement Using a Suction Drain; Surgery, Gynecology and Obstetrics 1984; 159 (6): 584-5. Other prior art devices have focused on the application of compressive (i.e. positive or greater-than-atmospheric) pressure to a wound site, the application of heat and the delivery of pharmacologic agents.
Standard methods in the current practice of wound care require changing the dressing in order to topically add pharmacological agents, which require interval reapplication. Reapplications of pharmacological agents can be minimized or eliminated by using slow-release delivery systems. However, such systems must generally be changed in their entireties in order to change the agents or dosages.
Another wound treatment protocol option involves dosing the entire patient. Agents are thereby delivered systemically, i.e. from within the patient, in order to arrive at the wound site, as opposed to other protocols which deliver respective agents externally or topically. However, systemic medications are generally administered in relatively high doses in order to provide sufficient concentrations in affected areas and treatment sites. Non-affected tissues and organs remote from the treatment sites thus tend to receive concentrations of medications from which they may not benefit.
Fluid management significantly affects many aspects of health care and is involved in many medical procedures. For example, wound care typically involves absorbing and/or draining wound exudates, blood, serum and other body fluids from the patient. Surgical procedures often create wounds requiring tissue management and fluid drainage. For example, skin grafts have exudates and bleeding that require management at both the donor and graft sites. However, current tissue management and fluid drainage procedures are often ineffective in maintaining optimum moisture content for promoting wound healing. Excessive drying, on the one hand, can lead to desiccation, eschar formation and slowing of cell migration. Excessive moisture, on the other hand, can lead to maceration, bacterial overgrowth, tissue breakdown and necrosis.
Various types of porous, absorbent dressing materials have been used for dressing wounds to accumulate body fluids. The dressing materials facilitate drainage and also the collection and disposal of fluids. A disadvantage with many conventional dressings is that they require changing in order to reduce the risk of infection and to maintain effectiveness. However, dressing changes can add significantly to treatment costs and are associated with patient discomfort and medical risks such as infection and damage to reepithelialized tissues. Accordingly, vacuum sources have been employed to drain wounds. For example, Zamierowski U.S. Pat. No. 4,969,880; No. 5,100,396; No. 5,261,893; No. 5,527,293 and No. 6,071,267 pertain to wound dressings, fluid connections, fastening systems and medical procedures utilizing same in connection with vacuum-assisted wound drainage, and are incorporated herein by reference.
A wound drainage device using a hand-operated suction bulb is shown in the George et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,392,858. Motorized suction pumps can be employed to provide consistent, sub-atmospheric vacuum pressure for maintaining an effective drainage flow. The Richmond et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,655,754 and No. 4,826,494 disclose vacuum wound drainage systems which can be connected to motorized vacuum pumps.
Another important objective in designing an effective wound drainage system is to provide an effective interface with the patient. Ideally, the patient interface should accommodate various types of wounds in different stages of recovery for as broad a range of applications as possible. As noted above, optimum wound healing generally involves maintaining a sufficient moisture level to avoid desiccation without causing the wound to macerate from excessive moisture. Sufficient moisture levels are required for epithelial cell migration, but excessive moisture can inhibit drying and maturation of the epithelial layer. Pressures should be sufficient for effective drainage without creating excessive negative forces, which could cause pressure necrosis or separate freshly-applied skin grafts.
Wound treatment procedures can also include infusing wound sites with liquids to flush contaminants, counter infection, promote healing growth and anesthetize the wound. Prior art fluid delivery systems include a device for treating tissues disclosed in the Svedman U.S. Pat. No. 4,382,441; a product and process for establishing a sterile area of skin disclosed in the Gross U.S. Pat. No. 3,367,332; and the transdermal infusion device disclosed in the Westin U.S. Pat. No. 4,605,399. Equipment has also been available which flushes and collects contaminants from wounds.
Heretofore, there has not been available a system or methodology that allowed the manipulation of multiple mechanical forces affecting wound surfaces. Moreover, there has not previously been available a system or methodology that manipulated the gradients of gases, solids, liquids and medications in such a way as to provide the medical practitioner with various options for delivering various agents either systemically from the patient side or topically from the external side of a wound. Further, there has not been available a system or methodology which affected the removal of toxins and undesirable byproducts by an external egress with the advantages and features of the present invention. Such advantages include minimizing or eliminating dressing changes whereby patient discomfort and infection risks are correspondingly reduced.
Effective control of fixation, temperature, pressure (and its associated gradients for vital gases such as oxygen), osmotic, and oncotic forces, electrical and electromagnetic fields and forces and the addition and/or removal of various nutrients and pharmacological agents have not been achievable with the previous systems and methodologies. Still further, there has not been available a wound treatment system and methodology utilizing a transfer element for the manipulation of gas and liquid pathways under the control of pre-programmed, coordinated influx and efflux cycles. Such cycles are designed to maintain the desired integrity and stability of the system while still allowing variations in multiple forces, flows and concentrations within tolerated ranges. The previous wound treatments also tended to lack the dynamic and interactive features of the present invention whereby various gradients can be adjusted in response to patient wound site conditions. Such gradient adjustments can be accomplished with the present invention through the use of biofeedback loops and patient-responsive sensors.
Osmotic and concentration gradients provide an important mechanism for transferring various elements within the scope of the present invention. Such gradients occur naturally in living organisms and involve the movement of solutes from solutions with greater concentrations to solutions with lesser concentrations through semi-permeable membranes. Osmosis is the tendency of solids to pass through semi-permeable membranes into solutions of higher concentrations in order to achieve osmotic equilibrium. Diffusion occurs from an area of higher concentration or partial pressure to an area of lower concentration even without membrane separation. Examples include the diffusion transfer of oxygen from alveoli to capillaries within the lung and the osmotic transfer of toxins and waste within the kidneys from capillaries to tubules and on to the bladder. The systems and methods of the present invention utilize and control osmotic and diffusion gradients to advantage in treating wounds, particularly in connection with the removal of toxins and solution from wound sites by controlling fluids. The control of fluids originates both internally and externally. For example, wound exudates originate internally. External control fluids include sumped air, irrigation, etc.
Previous wound treatment systems and methodologies did not provide medical practitioners with the range of options available with the present invention for treating various patient circumstances and conditions.

Gradient wound treatment system and method


A method of automatically parsing a network device configuration and generating a representation of one or more configuration commands for a network device that uses a command-line interface, using a grammar-based framework, is disclosed. One or more syntax definitions are received for a grammar associated with the command-line interface. The syntax definitions are compiled into a grammar object that represents the grammar. A configuration of the network device is received. The configuration is parsed using the grammar object. One or more configuration values are created and stored based on parsing the configuration. Using the configuration values, operating system version information, and the grammar object, one or more command-line interface commands may be automatically generated for use in configuring the device or other network management purposes. Further, applications may use the parameter values to customize a graphical user interface, perform range checking, etc.

The approaches described in this section could be pursued, but are not necessarily approaches that have been previously conceived or pursued. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated herein, the approaches described in this section are not prior art to the claims in this application and are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
Network management applications often need to determine the current configuration on a device, and then present the configuration to a user or to another process or application. Currently, two approaches are primarily used for determining a configuration. In a first approach, one or more MIB queries are issued using Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP). An aggregation of the responses yields the then-current configuration.
Alternatively, the network management application can obtain a complete configuration file that was previously loaded into the device and process it for presentation. The configuration file typically comprises a large number of a plurality of command-line interface commands ("CLIs") that are compatible with the operating system of the network device. An example of an operating system that uses CLIs is the Internetworking Operating System of Cisco Systems, Inc. (San Jose, Calif.).
The MIB approach is easier from the perspective of the application. However, there are a number of issues with this approach. First, the development of new operating system commands and configuration parameters may occur at a pace that greatly exceeds the pace at which corresponding MIBs are developed. Typically, developing new MIBs requires extensive lead-time to allow for testing and verification. As a result, existing MIBs often are either incomplete or are not implemented in a timely manner with respect to an operating system release. This requires an application to use the configuration file to determine the device configuration. The same issues exist when an application needs to change the device configuration. MIBs also often do not distinguish between user-configured values and default values established by the operating system.
Working with a configuration file consisting of CLIs has its own set of issues. Operating system versions are released by network device vendors at a fast pace. Some vendors issue operating system versions in many version trains simultaneously. For example, in addition to major operating system releases, there may be Early Deployment (ED) releases, Technology (T) releases, and special releases for particular lines of business, business units, or customers. For each of these versions, there can be platform-specific commands and options. Further, each different release may have added or deleted certain commands, changed options for existing commands, or changed acceptable value ranges for command parameters. Support such a number of releases on an ongoing basis, through hard-coded program logic in a network management application, is a difficult task. For such support, application back ends and client code must be littered with hard coded references to the releases. Maintaining and enhancing such code is problematic.
Past efforts to tackle these issues have been unsuccessful for several reasons. Developing a general-purpose parser to handle all operating system commands is complicated when generic parsing libraries are used, such as the GNU parsing libraries. Developers of the parser must be intimately familiar with operating system command syntax. Complex trees of programmatic classes have been needed to process each operating system version, and handling platform-specific details for each version has required even more hard coding.
Further, creating a network management application that can "learn" the syntax of operating system commands programmatically, by connecting to the actual devices, is also difficult. The distributed nature of development of a complex operating system such as IOS also leads to complications.
Based on the foregoing, there is a clear need in this field for a mechanism to allow network management applications to support multiple operating system versions in which the command syntax and allowable parameter values are changing constantly.
There is a particular need for a mechanism that is flexible enough to operate with entirely new kinds of operating system command that support emerging services such as voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP).

Method and apparatus for parsing and generating configuration commands for network devices using a grammar-based framework


An authenticating device 100 includes an authentication processing unit 197 to perform an authentication process with a communication device 200 using an authentication key, an update key generating unit 160 to generate a new authentication key when the communication device 200 does not hold an authentication key to be used in the authentication process by the authentication processing unit 197, and to generate a new authentication key for updating the authentication key when the communication device 200 holds the authentication key but the authentication process with the communication device 200 by the authentication processing unit 197 fails. The authentication processing unit 197 performs again the authentication process with the communication device 200 using the new authentication key generated by the update key generating unit 160.

When a user enjoys a certain service, identification (authentication) is performed to identify whether the user is a valid user qualified to enjoy the service. In such case, the user cannot enjoy the service if the user fails in the authentication for such a reason as lack of a key or expiration of a key.
There has been a problem in that even a valid user (even when the user has no intention to commit a fraud) becomes unable to receive the service, if the user neglects procedures to validate the user, such as to update a key.
Further, there has been another problem in the art described in JP2003-196240 that an authentication is temporarily permitted, therefore, if a user has succeeded in an authentication in the past, the user can be repeatedly authenticated thereafter, and may be able to access the authenticating device, which could result in a security hole.
Further, there has been another problem in the arts described in JP11-274999, JP2000-138674, and JP2000-196588 that a used key is determined only among the keys held by the both parties, and execution of a key update is impossible.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a service to an authorized user and to enhance service availability and convenience for a user by means of a key updated by executing a key update.

Authenticating device, authenticated device and key updating method


A mounting bracket system for mounting a loudspeaker monitor onto a microphone stand pole without requiring disassembly of either the loudspeaker monitor or the microphone stand. First and second mounting brackets may be mounted to a loudspeaker monitor or other product to be mounted. An indent on each mounting bracket is configured to engage a microphone stand or another elongated, pole-like structure, supporting the weight of the loudspeaker monitor through frictional forces.

1. Loudspeaker monitors are speakers aimed at a musical performer so the performer can monitor his or her own singing or instrumental contribution during musical performances. Existing loudspeaker monitors are typically designed to be placed in front of the performer on the floor and aimed upwards so that the performer may adequately highlight his or her sound in relation to the surrounding music. As each performer in a group often will have a monitor, loudspeaker monitors are ubiquitous in musical performance environments. However, floor monitors may be difficult to hear because they are disposed relatively far from the singer. In addition, parameters such as volume and the like cannot easily be adjusted because a floor monitor is typically out of reach of the performer.
Microphone stands are pole-like structures designed to hold a microphone for a musical performer. Like monitors, they are also found in great numbers in musical performance environments. A singer or performer stands close to a microphone pole in order to approach the microphone that will project the performer's sound. It therefore would be desirous to attach the loudspeaker monitor to the microphone stand so that the performer could be closer to the loudspeaker to improve hearing and accessibility of controls.
Loudspeaker monitors have been made in the past that can mount onto standard microphone stands, allowing the user to be closer to the speakers. Examples include the TC-Helicon VSM series and the Mackie SRM 150 series loudspeaker monitors. However, to install these monitors onto a microphone stand generally requires the disassembly and reassembly of the microphone stand and the boom. Furthermore, loudspeaker monitors may require special adaptors that allow each part of the microphone stand to attach directly to the monitor. The disadvantages of such a system include the amount of time required to attach the loudspeaker, the cost of multiple adapters, and the fact that these adaptors can be easily lost or misplaced when they need to be removed or exchanged for another.
For the above reasons, it is desirable to develop a mounting bracket system that allows a performer to attach a loudspeaker monitor or other object to a microphone stand pole without requiring any tools or disassembly of the microphone stand.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


Disclosed is a digital image compression and decompression method and apparatus for dividing a supplied digital image signal into blocks of predetermined size, performing variable-length coding of the signal, separating the signal with respect to principle information and remaining information, and controlling the record format so that each type of information is alternately recorded on a recording medium in an equal interval whenever recording the compressed information and decompressing the information, according to the reverse order, during decoding. Also, the function for extracting an activity in two steps during coding and then controlling the permitted number of bits of the variable length coding is provided. Accordingly, the coding efficiency is improved and the circuitry is simplified so that the price of the end product can be lowered.

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for compressing and decompressing a digital image signal using variable-length coding, and especially relates to a digital image compression and decompression method and apparatus for improving the image quality during reproduction of a recorded compressed digital image signal by controlling the format recorded on recording media, and also improving the compression efficiency by determining a permitted bit number and a quantization interval by extracting an activity, during variable-length coding of digital video images containing motion.
Generally, an image compressing method is proposed to efficiently process data of the digital image signal, and is divided into a variable-length coding (VLC) method and a fixed-length coding (FLC) method according to quantized method. In the VLC method for coding the linearly quantized coefficient by assigning a code having a variable length, since the number of bits to be coded is not constant, the chances of mutual influence between the coding units are increased unless the format recorded on the recording media is properly controlled, so that the possibility of error is also increased when performing trick-play operations such as editing and high-speed reproducing.
In the fixed-length coding method for coding a coefficient according to an adaptive quantizing by assigning a code having a constant length, since there is no influence between the coding units, the possibility of error is low during reconstructing, but since the recorded information is limited, the image quality when reconstructing is lowered. That is, if the length of the fixed length code is long, the image quality is good during general reconstructing, but the image quality is bad during trick playing. On the other hand, if the length of the fixed length code is short, the image quality is bad during general reproducing but the image quality is good during trick play. However, when the length of the FLC is long, the image quality during general reproducing is lower than that of the VLC method.
Since, so far, each coding method has been applied to the image compression method separately, compression has been less efficient. Especially, during trick playing, playback is almost impossible. To improve this problem, P. Kauff et al. of Germany disclosed a solution for alternative recording by performing both the VLC and the fixed-length coding during recording, through "A DCT (discrete cosine transform) Coding Scheme for Digital HDTV Recording" (Fourth International Workshop on HDTV and Beyond, Torino, Italy, Sep. 4-6, 1991, Vol. 1.11, pp 43-51). Here, the principle information (including the DC coefficient and low frequency AC coefficients within the block) in a predetermined block unit is fixed-length-coded using an adaptive quantizing output, and then recorded on a predetermined region of recording media. Also, the remaining information (including a high frequency AC coefficients) undergoes variable-length coding using a linear quantization and then is recorded on the remaining region not recorded with the fixed-length code at a recording region on the recording medium assigned to the block (segment unit). The principle information in the next block is recorded on the predetermined recording region assigned to the block as described above, and the remaining information is recorded next to the region of the previous block where the variable-length coding (VLC) is recorded. In other words, under the condition that the region of a recording medium where the FLC and the VLC can be recorded is limited, during recording of the information onto the fixed length coding region and the VLC region assigned to the respective blocks, if the number of bits of the VLC information in the previous block is more than that of the corresponding region, the VLC is recorded onto the region where the VLC of the next block would otherwise be recorded, while, if the number of bits is less than that of the corresponding region, the VLC of the next block is recorded next to the region where the previous VLC was recorded. Accordingly, the image quality is improved compared to the case which adapts the two coding methods separately.
However, in this case, since the coding efficiency is lower than that of VLC, even though the region to be reproduced is widened by fixed-length-coding the principle information, the image quality of the principle information is lowered and the apparatus becomes complicated because of the use of two different coding methods, which increases the price of the end product.

Digital image compression and decompression method and apparatus using variable-length coding


A method of using the natural gas storage facility to reduce the effect of diurnal demand on a natural gas source includes introducing natural gas into the natural gas storage facility, separating the natural gas into a heavy natural gas component and a light natural gas component, and retaining the components during a non-peak period of demand. The natural gas storage facility includes a guard bed system and an adsorption bed system. The method also includes releasing the heavy and light natural gas components, mixing them into a released natural gas component product and introducing it to the natural gas source during a peak period of demand.

1. Field of the Invention
The field of invention relates to the storage of natural gas. More specifically, the field relates to a system and a method for storing and releasing natural gas during different periods of demand.
2. Description of the Related Art
Natural gas is the portable and preferred fuel of choice around the world. Natural gas burns more completely than other traditional fuels, including petroleum and coal; therefore, the combustion of natural gas is comparatively less harmful to the environment. Natural gas and similar products, including LNG, propane and other compressed-gas fuels are much more efficient in engine and turbine combustion systems.
Electricity generation with gas turbines is well understood and relatively inexpensive. Recirculation of hot, compressed exhaust gases can lead to thermal conversion efficiencies of well over 90%. Turbine co-generation facilities not only produce electricity and carbon dioxide, which is useful for enhanced oil recovery and other chemical processes, but also hot water and steam. Commercial and private consumers can both use these products.
With the broad availability of natural gas as a fuel, electricity generation using gas turbine technology is increasing. The locations of natural gas resources are not restricted to only a few geographical areas. Advances in fracturing deep shale reserves in Europe, Japan and the Americas show that natural gas is and will continue to be a primary fuel for industrialized societies for years to come. Electrical co-generation is the best way to provide the maximum benefits of the hydrocarbon fuel for consumer markets
When producing electricity or natural gas for non-commercial users, a significant problem arises for natural gas transportation networks: diurnal demand. People, unlike manufacturing plants or facilities, tend not to be steady energy users throughout the day. People consume greater amounts of electricity during the day and into the early evening and much less at night and into the early morning. The higher rates of consumption form a "peak period of demand" and the tower rate of consumption creates a "non-peak period of demand". This daily trend occurs throughout the year. During different seasons, however, the length of each period (longer or shorter periods of natural light requiring lesser or greater amounts of artificial light, respectively) and the amplitude of the period (for example, greater amounts demanded at higher and lower temperatures versus more moderate temperatures) can change the amplitude of the demand during the diurnal period. The location of the demand also has an impact upon what the diurnal demand is like. In cooler environments, overall daily electrical and natural gas demand is lower in the summer months and higher in winter months as consumers use heating equipment. In warmer environments, the daily demand trends are opposite as consumer use air conditioning units to stay cool.
Swinging electrical and natural gas consumption—not only in daily use but also in seasonal differences—results in variability across the natural gas transportation and production system. Natural gas production is nearly constant. The supply-demand gap between natural gas production and total consumption results in a "gas demand lag". The lag, without intervention, manifests itself as system pressure increases and decreases ("swings") across the natural gas transportation system.
Electrical generation facilities prefer constant, high-pressure natural gas as a feedstock. Pressure swings in natural gas feed can damage the electrical generation equipment, especially rotational equipment, including gas turbines, due to sudden inappropriate feed-to-fuel ratios that cause equipment slowdowns while under load.
Past solutions to mitigate pressure swings include in-line compressors in the transportation systems. CNG (compressed natural gas) booster compressors that operate during peak demand periods attempt to maintain transportation system pressure. The loss of natural gas feed pressure can result in both downtime for electrical generators and dissatisfied public customers.
Using compression equipment increases operating expenses of the transmission system because the compression equipment operates at CNG transportation system pressure. The compression equipment also must be operable to tolerate the shift in daily operating temperatures. In-line compressors are expensive to maintain because they do not steadily operate: they start when system pressure is at a low threshold value and stop when system pressure is at a high threshold value.
Compressors, despite best maintenance practices, do inadvertently break down. Rotational equipment breakdowns sometimes are catastrophic, requiring weeks of downtime while delivering and tuning new units. The sudden loss of natural gas feed pressure from a malfunction can result in immediate downtime for downstream electrical generators and long-term dissatisfied public consumers.


A shoe rack has two supports respectively and detachably mounted on top of the two elongated bases, a top tube detachably connected to free ends of the two supports via connectors and multiple shoe resting brackets sandwiched between the two supports. Each shoe resting bracket is adjustably connected to the two supports via a fixture which a first cutout, a second cutout, a first indentation defined in a side face defining the first cutout and a second indentation defined in a side face defining the second cutout. When the rods are received in the first cutout and the second cutout, the shoe resting bracket is tilted relative to a horizontal surface and when the two rods are received in the first indentation and the second indentation, the shoe resting bracket is parallel to the horizontal surface.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a shoe rack, and more particularly to shoe rack having shoe resting brackets stacked on top of each other and being adjustable to allow shoes to be displaced in different angles.
2. Description of Related Art
A shoe rack is provided for the users to place their shoes when not in use. Normally, a shoe rack has multiple shoe resting brackets stacked on top of each other so that the user is able to insert the shoes into the gaps between the shoe resting brackets and places the shoes on top of the shoe resting brackets. Because the conventional shoe resting brackets are fixed on the shoe rack it is sometimes difficult for the user to have access to the shoes especially when the shoe resting brackets are not orthogonal to the supports of the shoe rack. Furthermore, the quantity of pairs of shoes placed on top of the shoe resting brackets is fixed such that there is no way to place additional pairs of shoes on the shoe rack. Each shortcoming bothers the shoe rack user for there is no solution to the problem except buying another shoe rack of a different structure, which is impractical and a waste of money.
To overcome the shortcomings, the present invention tends to provide an improved shoe rack to mitigate the aforementioned problems.


An inverter-integrated electrical rotating machine is provided in which each switching device of an inverter and power wiring and control wiring for connecting them can be highly protected electrically and mechanically while the cooling property of the switching devices can be improved. Cooling air flows led in from cooling air flow suction holes in an end wall of an inverter case simultaneously flow in parallel from the cooling air flow suction holes on inner and outer sides in the radial direction. The cooling air flows then penetrate an inverter device in an axial direction through an outer circumferential cooling air passage formed by an outer circumferential lateral plate part and an inner circumference of the inverter case and an inner circumferential cooling air passage formed between an inner circumferential lateral plate part and a cover surrounding a rotary shaft. The cooling air flows are then led into a motor housing from a cooling air flow suction hole of the housing.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention related to an inverter-integrated electrical rotating machine.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, a inverter-integrated vehicle electrical rotating machine has been proposed in which reduction in size and weight and reduction in wiring loss are realized by integrating an inverter with a polyphase AC electrical rotating machine, the inverter being provided between a DC power source and an armature wiring of the polyphase AC electrical rotating machine to enable supply and reception of power, and the inverter applying a polyphase AC voltage to the armature wiring.
This inverter needs to be protected electrically and mechanically since it is a circuit device in which many power transistors (switching devices) and an inverter control circuit for performing driving control of the power transistors are wired in a complicated manner. Therefore, in the conventional inverter-integrated vehicle electrical rotating machine, the inverter is sealed in a closed box or case made of metal or resin and fixed on a circumferential wall or end wall of the housing of the electrical rotating machine. Hereinafter, the mode of fixing the inverter on the circumferential wall is called circumferential wall fixing mode, and the mode of fixing the inverter on the end wall is called end wall fixing mode.
However, the switching devices of the inverter generate large power loss at the time of switching and making electrical continuation in electrically driving the electrical rotating machine. Therefore, it is a particularly important task to cool each switching device constituting the inverter. Conventionally, an air cooling mode of cooling the inverter by cooling air and a water cooling mode of cooling the inverter by cooing water have been known.
For example, in the air-cooling end wall fixing mode disclosed in JP-A-7-231672, an inverter having a rotary shaft formed in a U-shape or horseshoe-shape on a radial cross section is used. This inverter of the air-cooling end wall fixing mode is advantageous for realizing reduction in constitution and reduction in size and weight since reduction in motor diameter and simplification of the cooling mechanism can be expected. This inverter is particularly preferred when it is provided in a field-coil-type synchronous motor because the inverter can be arranged at a position that overlaps the position of the brush in the axial direction and that is different from the position of the brush in the circumferential direction.
However, in the above-described inverter-integrated vehicle electrical rotating machine of the air-cooling end wall fixing mode, it is not easy to highly protect each switching device of the inverter electrically and mechanically, maintain sufficient cooling of each switching device, and realize miniaturization of the inverter at the same time.
On the other hand, as disclosed in JP-A-2004-274992, a technique of inverter-integrated vehicle electrical rotating machine has been proposed in which good electrical and mechanical protection of the switching devices of the inverter, high switching device cooling performance and miniaturization of the inverter are realized at the same time.
However, in the inverter-integrated vehicle electrical rotating machine of the air-cooling end wall fixing mode disclosed in JP-A-2004-274992, it is difficult to realize further improvement in cooling while highly protecting each switching device of the inverter electrically and mechanically.
More specifically, in order to provide good electrical and mechanical protection of the switching devices of the inverter and the power wiring and control wiring for connecting the switching devices, these elements must be sufficiently sealed and fixed in the case with insulating resin or the like. However, if the sealing property is thus improved by using insulating resin or the like and the case is miniaturized, the surface area of a cooling heat sink part is significantly reduced and the construction of a cooling air passage becomes inappropriate. This causes a problem that the cooling property of the switching devices or the like is deteriorated.

Inverter-integrated electrical rotating machine


In a method of determining the position of an object, raw image data of the sky is recorded using a celestial imaging unit. The last known position, orientation, date, and time data of the object are obtained, and the position of a celestial body is measured. A latitude and longitude of the object is determined by matching the measured celestial body position to the expected celestial body position based on the input parameters. A system for determining a new position of an object comprises a celestial imaging unit configured to record image data of the sky, a signal processing unit, and a signal processing unit configured to receive and store in memory the image data received from the celestial imaging unit. The signal processing unit filters the image to find the positions of celestial objects in the sky. The signal processing unit is further configured to use roll and pitch from an IMU, and date and time from a clock to determine the object's position (latitude and longitude).

In a typical navigation solution, the measurements of an inertial measurement unit (IMU) and the Global Positioning System (GPS) are combined to determine the object's position and orientation, also called localization. In the simplest description, the IMU provides information about the object's orientation, whereas the GPS provides information about position. As used herein, "orientation" generally refers to roll, pitch, and heading. "Position" generally refers to latitude and longitude. In some cases, position may also refer to altitude. In practice, these two systems (IMU and GPS) are fused together where each system provides a redundant measure to the other.
However, there are situations where GPS location information is not available. In this case, the navigation system typically relies on dead reckoning localization (e.g., using inertial measurements from the IMU). Such localization analysis, however, is subject to drift and error accumulation, as the position is not constrained by the GPS. Many navigation systems have a vulnerability resulting from degradation or denial of the GPS signals used for navigation and targeting through jamming, spoofing, or other interference. In order to maintain assured navigation and position, alternatives to current GPS position information are required. It is desired that these alternative technologies can provide improved orientation and position sensing in a small package and contribute to a GPS-denied navigation and localization solution.
In the scenario of primary concern, a vehicle, person, or platform would lose (or begin with no) access to GPS information, thus losing its global position reference. In the hardest version of this scenario, a platform is turned on and must determine its absolute position in the absence of GPS with limited a priori knowledge. This scenario applies to a number of different operational conditions many of which need the meter scale of accuracy currently supplied by GPS. However, there are situations in which a much lower precision of position is sufficient. Some examples include artillery surveying and emplacement, and ship navigation.
The ultimate solution is for an alternative GPS navigation system to be able to operate completely independent of GPS. This is quite challenging and a system that achieves 100% availability will most likely involve a number of components or approaches working together. Availability in this sense refers to the state of the sensor being capable of performing within the requirements. Depending on the approach, availability may be impacted by time of day, visibility of the environment, availability of organic radio frequency signals, presence of known friendly elements, motion characteristics of the platform, terrain, weather, radio frequency and electromagnetic interference (RF/EMI), or many other factors. One common scenario begins with known location and time (from GPS or otherwise) and then the platform moves into an area where GPS is unreliable for the rest of the trip. In this case, effective dead reckoning can enable navigation success for a limited time.
Each type of fundamental navigation technology has limitations: GPS, while widely used and considered industry standard, can be denied and spoofed; inertial systems only provide a temporary solution as they only sense relative position change and are subject to drift; and vision-based approaches require areas to be accurately mapped beforehand. An alternative solution is presented, called a Celestial Positioning System (CPS), which can provide absolute position without a prior map, similar to GPS. It is not susceptible to the other limitations described previously: it cannot be denied or spoofed. The technology's only limitation is that it requires a clear view of the sky.
The position of a celestial object in the sky is generally unique for a given date, time, and orientation. Thus, a system which accurately measures the position of a celestial object, with the knowledge of date, time, and orientation, can determine the unique, absolute, global latitude and longitude. The inverse is also true, in that a system which measures the position of a celestial object, with knowledge of date, time, roll, pitch, and position, can determine unique absolute heading, as explained in U.S. Pat. No. 9,423,484, title Sky Polarization and Sun Sensor System and Method. The celestial objects may include the Sun, the Moon, planets, and stars. For daytime, the observed polarization of light reflected at any position in the sky depends on the positions of the Sun and the sensor platform, as well as the sensor pointing direction, where "sensor pointing direction" is the center point of the field of view of the sensor, also known as the target point. The target point, sensor platform position, and sun position together define a plane, which allows the measurement of the azimuth and elevation of the celestial object, even if it is not visible. Given the Sun's position (which is a function of the time of day), polarization measurements at one or more unique pointing directions, and the roll/pitch of the sensor, the sensor latitude and longitude or sensor heading may be derived.
A method according to the present disclosure calculates position parameters (latitude and longitude) using a celestial imaging system that takes images of celestial objects (or bodies) or their polarization signature in the sky. Celestial objects are hereby defined to include one or more of the following: the Sun, the Moon, planets, or stars. The position parameters can be useful to a navigating vehicle (especially if GPS is denied, spoofed, or unavailable), and can work in all types of vehicles (including ground, air, and naval vehicles). The position parameters can also be useful to target locating systems such as far target locators and surveying equipment or to personal positioning equipment used by dismounted soldiers or hikers. In addition to position parameters, the method may be reversed, with additional inputs of position (latitude and longitude), where the system outputs heading. The method can provide 0.1 degree heading accuracy or <100 m position accuracy, depending on the input parameters and desired output. Further, the method could be applied during daytime, twilight, or nighttime conditions and under varying levels of cloud cover.
A system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure comprises one or more imaging sensors, optics, mechanical housing, memory and logic circuitry, inertial measurement unit (IMU), GPS, clock, and embedded software that determine the orientation and position parameters. A method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure comprising using images of celestial objects in the sky and prior position/orientation/time data from the GPS, IMU, and clock, to determine expected azimuth and elevation of the celestial bodies, comparing these expected azimuth and elevation with measured feature locations, and then filtering to calculate a better orientation and position estimate of the observer (the system). This localization estimate can be provided in any number of interfaces to a navigation system, a user, a display, a survey platform, or a target locator.


To survey a subterranean structure, measured seismic data is processed using an algorithm for deriving a single-mode absorption parameter. A first absorption parameter for a mode-converted seismic wave is computed based on an output of the algorithm. The first absorption parameter represents an absorption effect of the mode-converted seismic wave by the subterranean structure, where the mode-converted seismic wave is reflected from the subterranean structure in response to a source seismic wave of a different mode than the mode-converted seismic wave.

Seismic surveying is used for identifying subterranean elements, such as hydrocarbons, fresh water, and so forth. In performing seismic surveying, seismic sources are placed at various locations on an earth surface or sea floor (or in a wellbore), with the seismic sources activated to generate seismic waves directed into a subterranean structure. Examples of seismic sources include explosives, air guns, or other sources that generate seismic (acoustic) waves. In a marine environment, seismic sources and sensors can be towed in water by a sea vessel.
The seismic waves generated by a seismic source travel into the subterranean structure, with a portion of the seismic waves reflected back to the surface (earth surface, sea floor, or wellbore surface) for receipt by seismic sensors (e.g., geophones). These seismic sensors produce signals that represent detected seismic waves. Signals from the seismic sensors are processed to yield information about the content and characteristic of the subterranean structure.
As seismic waves travel through an earth formation, the seismic waves are subject to dissipation due to conversion of the energy of the seismic waves into heat by the earth formation. A seismic wave typically has multiple frequencies. The dissipation effect varies at different frequencies, with higher dissipation occurring at higher frequencies of the seismic wave. As a result, the seismic waves lose more amplitude at higher frequencies than at lower frequencies.
Conventionally, when processing measured seismic data, an inverse filtering technique is applied to correct the dissipation (absorption) effects. Typically, the inverse filter increases amplitudes of seismic waves at higher frequencies to counter the dissipation effect.
There are two types of seismic waves: P-wave (also referred to as a compression wave, which extends in the direction of propagation of the seismic wave); and S-wave (also referred to as a shear wave that extends in a direction generally perpendicular to the direction of propagation of the seismic wave). The dissipation (absorption) effect of a seismic wave is represented by an absorption parameter Q, also referred to as a seismic quality factor. Conventional techniques for estimating absorption parameters typically compute pure-wave (or single-mode) absorption parameters; in other words, a P-wave absorption parameter Q is computed based on a P-wave reflected from a subterranean structure in response to a source P-wave; and an S-wave absorption parameter Q is estimated from an S-wave reflected from a subterranean structure in response to a source S-wave. Techniques for surveying subterranean structures based on estimating pure wave absorption Qs suffer from reduced accuracy, since the surveying does not take into account all available data.

Computing an absorption parameter for a mode-converted seismic wave


In a small-sized, simple ink jet recording head achieves a high-quality and stable printing operation. The head includes an ejection cell for keeping therein ink including toner particles, a slit-shaped ink ejection slot disposed in a portion of the ejection cell, a electrophoresis electrode for concentrating the toner particles onto the ink ejection slot, an ejection electrode disposed in the ink ejection slot for imparting ejection force to the toner particles, and an ink stream path disposed in the ejection cell along a side wall of the ejection cell. The ink ejection slot is disposed in a portion of the side wall constituting the ink stream path.

The present invention relates to an ink jet recording head, and in particular, to an ink jet recording head for ejecting toner particles of liquid ink onto a recording media by electrostatic force and thereby achieving a recording operation.
FIG. 1 shows a conventional example of an ink jet recording head, which has been described in the Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 5-254118.
The ink jet head of FIG. 1 includes a plurality of nozzles 55a for ejecting ink therefrom, an ink stream path 54a connected to the nozzles 55a, a pressure generating element 56 for generating an ink ejecting pressure in the ink path 54a, and voltage applying means 58 for applying a voltage to the pressure generating element 56. Employed as the recording ink is pigment dispersion ink. In addition, there are disposed in the ink path 54a a plurality of segment electrodes 53 for mixing the pigment in the ink to obtain a uniform density thereof. Each segment electrode 53 is linked with a driver circuit 51 including potential difference generating means.
When a driving voltage pulse is applied to the segment electrodes 53 to alternately generate a potential difference therebetween, micro-particles of solid pigment having a negative charge are electrically moved by electrophoresis to prevent precipitation and coagulation of pigment particles.
FIG. 2 shows another conventional example of the ink jet recording apparatus described in the Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 61-57343.
The recording apparatus shown in FIG. 2 includes an ink chamber 68 to be filled with insulating ink, a porous member 69 arranged in the ink chamber 68, pump means (not shown) to flow ink into the porous member 69, a nozzle 70 coupled with the ink chamber 68, a signal electrode 61 disposed in the nozzle 70, and a rear electrode 62 provided to oppose to the signal electrode 64 with a recording media 64 arranged therebetween. In this structure, when a signal voltage is applied to the signal electrode 61, there is produced an electric field between the signal electrode 61 and the rear electrode 62 such that ink particles are ejected from a tip end of the nozzle 70 onto the recording media 64, thereby achieving a recording operation. In the system, the liquid ink flows through the porous member 69 by a pressure generated by the pump means, not shown, and is thereby electrically charged.
However, the conventional example described in the Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 5-254118 requires a plurality of pressure generating elements made of a piezoelectric substance to jet or eject the pigment ink and hence is attended with a disadvantage that the size of the ink jet recording head is increased. Additionally, there is employed a method in which the ink is ejected according to displacement of the piezo-electric material, namely, the pigment is not emitted by use of the electric field. Consequently, the precision of the ink ejecting direction considerably depends on the contour of nozzles and the like. Moreover, since it is necessary to fabricate a fine nozzle hole for each recording dot, the improvement of recording resolution is limited.
In addition, in the prior art example described in the Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 61-57343, due to the porous member disposed in the ink chamber to electrically charge the ink particles, there exist disadvantages that the recording head is increased in size, the head manufacturing job becomes difficult, and a high-power pump is necessary to supply ink to the nozzle through the porous member developing a high resistance against the ink stream.

Ink jet recording head having an ink stream path


An interactive image display system includes a user interface to select a portion of a wide-angle image sequence. An image processor processes the portion of the wide-angle image sequence selected by the user interface to produce a perspective corrected image sequence. A display device displays the perspective corrected image sequence produced by the image processor. An accounting system monitors a usage parameter associated with the interactive image display system. A controller selectively inhibits an operative feature provided by at least one of the user interface, the image processor, and the display device based upon the usage parameter.

There are various known types of interactive viewing receivers, such as a Broadcast Videotex receiver and an Interactive Videotex receiver, which are equipped with a user interface to facilitate interactive viewing of transmitted signals. Broadcast Videotex utilizes a one-way transmission of textual data from a program source to each of a plurality of receivers. Interactive Videotex allows each viewer to transmit one or more signals to the program source to select the textual data being transmitted to the receivers.
Some interactive viewing receivers are available for use with interactive cable television systems. Here, each viewer interacts with a program source by providing and/or requesting various types of information over a cable television distribution network. These interactive viewing receivers are typically located within the viewer's residence to provide services such as video-on-demand and home-shopping.


A self-localizing receive coil system for use with a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) system comprises at least one surface coil assembly for placement adjacent to a region of interest to be imaged and a plurality of tracking devices attached to the surface coil assembly for use in indicating location and orientation of the surface coil assembly during imaging.

This invention relates to Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and more particularly to receive coils for MRI.
Optimal image quality in Magnetic Resonance Imaging is frequently obtained through the combined use of a large transmit coil and a smaller receive-only surface coil. The large transmit coil provides a relatively uniform excitation field whereas the smaller receive coil provides an optimal Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) over the volume of interest. One important variation of this idea is the use of phased-array receive coils to provide the SNR of a smaller coil, but with the coverage of the entire array.
Recently, new techniques have been developed in which phased-array coils are used to provide partial spatial information for image reconstruction in order to reduce the scan time. These techniques known as SMASH (SiMultaneous Acquisition of Spatial Harmonics) and SENSE (Sensitivity Encoding) require that the location of the individual coils are known and characterized prior to use. Consequently, the placement of the coils is restricted to predetermined locations. Additionally, placement of the coils generally requires operator intervention subject to human error to register or locate the coils within the MRI system prior to image acquisition.
Surface coils and phased-array surface coils have several additional aspects that can be problematic in MR imaging. For example, surface coils have a very non-uniform sensitivity profile and images obtained with such coils typically have severe shading artifacts. This problem becomes increasingly severe as the coil becomes smaller.
Another aspect of surface coils is that they can be placed anywhere on the patient. For example, flexible phased array coils (also known as FLAP coils) can be wrapped around the patient before the patient is introduced into the magnet. While this aspect of surface coils is typically viewed as beneficial, if the coils are not properly placed with respect to both the patient""s anatomy and the imaging volume of the MRI system, aliasing of image data can occur. This aliasing occurs when a large transmit coil has a spatial coverage that encompasses a portion of the patient beyond the nominal region of gradient linearity.
Because the magnetic field gradient is created by a physical gradient coil, the gradient cannot have an infinite extent. Thus, at some distance from the center of the gradient coil along the axis of the applied field gradient, the gradient coil makes no contribution to the local magnetic field. Consequently, in some region between the electromagnetic end and the point of maximum field change within the gradient coil, the magnetic field created by the magnet is identical to the magnetic field at some point within the active volume of the gradient coil. Thus, aliasing of image information becomes possible. This form of aliasing (hereinafter referred to as xe2x80x9clarge field of view (FOV) aliasingxe2x80x9d) occurs in the intersection of the following regions:
a) Within the excitation volume of a large transmit (i.e. Body) coil;
b) Beyond the turn-around points of the magnetic field gradient;
c) Within the homogeneous field region of the magnet;
d) Within the sensitive volume of the receive coil; and,
e) Within a region having an active MR signal source.
An MRI system which takes full advantage of the benefits afforded surface coils and surface coil arrays, while overcoming the undesirable effects of coil placement restrictions, MR signal shading and large FOV signal aliasing is needed.
A self-localizing receive coil system for use with a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) system comprises at least one surface coil assembly for placement adjacent to a region of interest to be imaged and a plurality of tracking devices attached to the surface coil assembly for use in indicating location and orientation of the surface coil assembly during imaging.


A portable device for treating and grooming hair and head, the device has a reservoir for holding various treatment liquids, a flexible tube for delivery, and a brush with interchangeable hair contact means for application. The device also has a switched heater for the liquids and a switched pump for their forced delivery, along with a flow switch in the brush handle.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to hair grooming devices and more specifically to a hair grooming device that applies grooming and styling liquids to hair via a brush or comb.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Prior art teaches several devices used in hair grooming, each of which differs significantly in design and application from the present invention. By way of example:
U.S. Pat. No. 3,145,691 issued to Yates on Sep. 9, 1963 discloses a device for grooming dogs, specifically a device that includes forced air hair drying for dogs. The device does not target human use in its design or function and does not dispense liquids.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,721,250 issued to Walter et al. on Mar. 20, 1973 discloses a comb having a handle in which is situated a reservoir for water or other liquid, along with a hot air generating system for generating and blowing hot air on a user. While this device is intended for styling use, particularly style completion, it is not intended to perform the same functions as the present invention and does not have sufficient liquid storage nor the design to do so.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,889,851 issued to Kain on Jun. 17, 1975 discloses a shampoo dispensing device that mixes shampoo with incoming water. The device is not designed to utilize various hair treatments which may color, relax, or otherwise treat hair prior to or after water use, such functions being inherent in many hair treatments and styling endeavors now in use. The device is not equipped with a pump needed for dispensing various hair treatment fluids.
While the above-described devices fulfill their respective and particular objects and requirements, they do not describe a hair grooming device that provides for the advantages of the present invention. Therefore, a need exists for an improved hair grooming device, particularly one that includes all of the advantages of the present hair grooming device. In this respect, the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art.


A method of forming a stress relaxed buffer layer (SRB) on a textured or grooved silicon (Si) surface and the resulting device are provided. Embodiments include forming a textured surface in an upper surface of a Si wafer; epitaxially growing a low-temperature seed layer on the textured surface of the Si wafer; depositing a SRB layer over the low-temperature seed layer; and planarizing an upper surface of the SRB layer.

With silicon (Si) wafers, epitaxial growth of different semiconductor materials having different lattice constants and thermal coefficients results in the generation of defects, such as dislocation defects which in turn lead to poor transistor performance and reliability issues. Substrates with SRB layers, including gallium arsenide (GaAs) or silicon germanium (SiGe) stepped or graded, are useful in achieving stress relaxation. However, the SRB layers are thick (e.g., ranging between 2 μm to 2.5 μm) and therefore expensive. Further, if an intermediate chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) step is used to planarize the layer and smoothen the surface roughness, there is a risk of having oxide residues on top before next epi step. Dielectric residues would than degrade the quality of the top epi layer.
A need therefore exists for methodology enabling the application of a thin SRB layer which achieves complete stress relaxation and locally confines defects at the bottom of trenches on a textured Si surface and the resulting device.

Stress relaxed buffer layer on textured silicon surface


A method of controlling an internal combustion engine includes determining the pressure within the cylinder with a pressure sensor which samples at specific positions of the piston indicating the properties of the thermodynamic cycle. The engine is controlled and operating condition diagnosed in real time based on that series of cylinder pressures at corresponding piston positions.

The present invention relates to a method for controlling an internal combustion engine.
In the control of fuel injection systems, the conventional practice utilizes electronic control units having volatile and non-volatile memory, input and output driver circuitry, and a processor capable of executing a stored instruction set, to control the various functions of the engine and its associated systems. A particular electronic control unit communicates with numerous sensors, actuators, and other electronic control units necessary to control various functions, which may include various aspects of fuel delivery, transmission control, or many others.
Fuel injectors utilizing electronic control valves for controlling fuel injection have become widespread. This is due to the precise control over the injection event provided by electronic control valves. In operation, the electronic control unit determines an energizing or excitation time for the control valve corresponding to current engine conditions. The excitation of the control valve causes a cascade of hydraulic events leading to the lifting of the spray tip needle, which causes fuel injection to occur.
With increasing demands for fuel economy, emission control, and other aspects of engine performance, there is a need for a method of controlling an internal combustion engine with greater precision than existing control techniques.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method of controlling an internal combustion engine in real time based on cylinder pressure measurements taken during the engine cycle.
In carrying out the above object and other objects and features of the present invention, a method of controlling an internal combustion engine including an engine block defining a cylinder and a piston received in the cylinder is provided. The method comprises determining a position of the piston within the cycle, and determining a pressure within the cylinder, when the piston is at the determined position, with a pressure sensor disposed in the cylinder. The method further comprises controlling the engine in real time based on a series of cylinder pressures and corresponding piston positions.
Embodiments of the present invention are suitable for a diesel engine. Further, in a preferred implementation, the engine operates over a four stroke cycle including an intake stroke, a compression stroke, a power stroke, and an exhaust stroke.
In one embodiment, the method further comprises determining the position of the piston within the cycle at first, second, and third points on the compression stroke. Pressure within the cylinder is determined with the pressure sensor for the first, second, and third points on the compression stroke. The method further comprises determining a linear status of the compression stroke based on the cylinder pressures and corresponding piston positions for the first, second, and third points on the compression stroke. Advantageously, a linear increase in the logarithm of pressure with respect to the logarithm of volume during the compression stroke means that leakage is minimal.
In one embodiment, the method further comprises determining the position of the piston within the cycle at a plurality of points on the compression stroke and a plurality of points on the power stroke. The pressure within the cylinder is determined with a pressure sensor for the plurality of points on the compression stroke and the plurality of points on the power stroke. The method further comprises determining a net work for the cycle based on the cylinder pressures and the corresponding piston positions for the plurality of points on the compression stroke and the plurality of points on the power stroke. Advantageously, in a multiple cylinder engine, the engine may be controlled in real time to balance the power output among the multiple cylinders by, over time, measuring the net work during a cycle from each cylinder and compensating for varying work per cylinder by, for example, adjusting the fuel pulse width for each cylinder.
In some embodiments, the method further comprises determining a peak cylinder pressure for the cylinder. Further, in some embodiments, the engine includes an intake pressure sensor, and the method further comprises determining the position of the piston within the cycle at a point on the intake stroke. The method further comprises determining the pressure within the cylinder with the pressure sensor for the point on the intake stroke, and determining the intake pressure from the intake pressure sensor. An offset or zero drift of the cylinder pressure sensor is calibrated based on the intake pressure from the intake pressure sensor.
In preferred embodiments of the present invention, the pressure sensor in the cylinder has a logarithmic output. A logarithmic output sensor is preferred because during the engine cycle, the logarithm of pressure varies linearly with respect to the logarithm of volume. In the alternative, a linear output sensor may be used, but using a linear output sensor would require a larger output range for the sensor and greater precision. For example, when a sensor has an analog output, a logarithmic output sensor could require merely a 10-bit converter, while a linear output sensor would require at least a 16-bit analog-to-digital converter to input the sensor signal to the engine controller.
Further, in carrying out the present invention, a method of controlling an internal combustion engine including an engine block defining a plurality of cylinders and a plurality of pistons, with each piston received in a corresponding cylinder, is provided. The method comprises determining a position of each piston within the cycle, and measuring a pressure within each cylinder, when the corresponding piston is at the determined position. The method further comprises controlling the engine in real time based on a series of cylinder pressures, and the corresponding piston positions for the plurality of cylinders and corresponding plurality of pistons.
Still further, in carrying out the present invention, an internal combustion engine is provided. The internal combustion engine comprises an engine block defining a plurality of cylinders, a plurality of pistons with a piston received in each cylinder, and a plurality of pressure sensors with a pressure sensor configured at each cylinder to detect cylinder pressure. A crankshaft has an encoder and drives the pistons. A crankshaft sensor detects a position of the crankshaft, and allows determination of the position of each piston within its cycle. The engine further comprises a controller configured to determine a pressure within each cylinder and the position of each corresponding piston within its cycle. The controller is further configured to control the engine in real time based on a series of cylinder pressures and corresponding piston positions.
The advantages associated with embodiments of the present invention are numerous. For example, embodiments of the present invention allow real time based feedback control over the combustion process and the four stroke cycle of the engine based on a series of cylinder pressures and corresponding piston positions as detected by various engine sensors. It is appreciated that xe2x80x9cin real timexe2x80x9d as used herein means that a plurality of measurements taken in one or more cycles of the piston would be used to control successive cycles, sometimes called control feedback, and/or to alert the operator of an undesirable condition and/or record an event for later diagnosis. The term xe2x80x9cin real timexe2x80x9d as viewed in the context of the present invention is distinguished from the capture of data for academic or research purposes to be utilized at a later time or in another engine. Further, the present invention is far different than the detection of solely the maximum cylinder pressure. For example, a pressure sensor may be located in each cylinder, and a crankshaft sensor may trigger the measurements of those pressures to correspond with the crankshaft positions. Advantageously, the real time control may be utilized to achieve accurate and precise emission control and fuel economy. Further, embodiments of the present invention may utilize real time control to compensate for cylinder variabilities including injector variabilities, cylinder or injector wear and change over time, and for various operating conditions such as, for example, when a turbocharger compressor wheel becomes dirty. The real time control provided by embodiments of the present invention allows sophisticated and advanced controls with such precision to allow control of emissions during transient engine conditions in some embodiments. Embodiments of the present invention may be implemented by utilizing a crankshaft encoder and sensor along with a pressure sensor at each cylinder, such as a piezoresistive element. Embodiments of the present invention have many additional advantages than those specifically mentioned above, including the ability to diagnose failures in cylinders before damage occurs and to adapt the engine to changing operating conditions.
The above object and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention are readily apparent from the following detailed description of the best mode for carrying out the invention when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.

Method of controlling an internal combustion engine


An orthodontic bracket is provided for use with an arch wire to apply corrective forces to a tooth. The bracket includes a vertical member having a slot formed therein for receiving the arch wire and a wide base horizontal member connected to the vertical member. The vertical member is positioned gingivally with respect to the horizontal member. The horizontal member includes opposing first and second ends that extend away from the vertical member and define a pair of spaced-apart wire engaging points engageable with the arch wire during treatment.

Orthodontic appliances are used for applying corrective forces to misaligned teeth. The appliances generally include brackets, which are mounted on the teeth, arch wires slidingly mounted in the brackets for applying forces and for guiding movement, and elastics or other force transmitting members connected to the brackets for applying additional corrective forces to the teeth.
Conventional brackets generally include a base portion, which abuts the tooth surface, an outer portion, which has a slot formed therein for receiving an arch wire, and hook members, on which elastics, ligatures or other force transmitting members can be attached.
A typical single bracket has an outer portion comprising a single vertically-oriented bar with a small horizontal slot formed therein for receiving the arch wire. Twin brackets have an outer portion comprising a pair of parallel, vertically-oriented bars that are spaced apart with a slot cut in each bar to receive the arch wire. Other brackets of various shapes are known including a bracket having an outer portion with a generally "Y" shape with an arch wire slot formed therein.
Single wing brackets that are narrow in width or have small slots create smaller moments from the contact between the arch wire and the bracket, thereby making torque, tip and rotational control difficult during tooth movement. Also, such brackets frequently cause entrapment of food and are hygienically not the most desirable.
Many known brackets including typically twin type brackets have large widths or long arch wire slots to increase the magnitude of moments created by contact between the arch wire and the slot. By increasing the moments, tip, torque and rotational control of the teeth is enhanced during tooth movement. However, one disadvantage to having such long slots or large bracket widths is that it reduces the inter-bracket distance or the distance between brackets on adjacent teeth. Consequently, the span of the arch wire between the brackets is small, which reduces the flexibility of the wire and makes it difficult to control forces exerted by the wire.
Another problem with brackets having long arch wire slots is that there may be substantial undesirable friction between the arch wire and the bracket during tooth movement. Additionally, brackets having large widths are difficult to place and orient on the tooth.
Accordingly, one object of this invention is to provide a bracket that has excellent rotational, tip and torque control, yet provides sufficiently large inter-bracket distances to enable effective use of arch wires and to reduce friction between the bracket and the arch wire. Another object of this invention to provide a bracket that is easy to orient and position on the tooth surface.


A method for well treatment by forming a temporary plug in a fracture, a perforation, a wellbore, or more than one of these locations, in a well penetrating a subterranean formation is provided, in which the method of well treatment includes: injecting a slurry comprising a degradable material, allowing the degradable material to form a plug in a perforation, a fracture, or a wellbore in a well penetrating a formation; performing a downhole operation; and allowing the degradable material to degrade after a selected time such that the plug disappears.

This application is a Continuation-in-Part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/156,966, entitled "Degradable Fiber Systems For Stimulation," filed Jun. 20, 2005 now U.S. Pat. No. 7,275,596, hereby incorporated in its entirety. This application is also a Continuation-in-Part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/206,898, entitled "Methods For Controlling Fluid Loss," filed Aug. 18, 2005, hereby incorporated in its entirety, which claimed the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application 60/606,270, filed Sep. 1, 2004. The invention relates to stimulation of wells penetrating subterranean formations. More particularly, it relates to fracturing and post-job protection of hydraulic fractures.
Hydrocarbons (oil, condensate, and gas) are typically produced from wells that are drilled into the formations containing them. For a variety of reasons, such as inherently low permeability of the reservoirs or damage to the formation caused by drilling and completion of the well, the flow of hydrocarbons into the well is undesirably low. In this case, the well is "stimulated," for example using hydraulic fracturing, chemical (usually acid) stimulation, or a combination of the two (called acid fracturing or fracture acidizing).
Hydraulic fracturing involves injecting fluids into a formation at high pressures and rates such that the reservoir rock fails and forms a fracture (or fracture network). Proppants are typically injected in fracturing fluids after the pad to hold the fracture(s) open after the pressures are released. In chemical (acid) stimulation treatments, flow capacity is improved by dissolving materials in the formation.
In hydraulic and acid fracturing, a first, viscous fluid called a "pad" is typically injected into the formation to initiate and propagate the fracture. This is followed by a second fluid that contains a proppant to keep the fracture open after the pumping pressure is released. Granular proppant materials may include sand, ceramic beads, or other materials. In "acid" fracturing, the second fluid contains an acid or other chemical such as a chelating agent that can dissolve part of the rock, causing irregular etching of the fracture face and removal of some of the mineral matter, resulting in the fracture not completely closing when the pumping is stopped. Occasionally, hydraulic fracturing is done without a highly viscosified fluid (i.e., slick water) to minimize the damage caused by polymers or the cost of other viscosifiers.
When multiple hydrocarbon-bearing zones are stimulated by hydraulic fracturing or chemical stimulation, it is desirable to treat the multiple zones in multiple stages. In multiple zone fracturing, a first pay zone is fractured. Then, the fracturing fluid is diverted to the next stage to fracture the next pay zone. The process is repeated until all pay zones are fractured. Alternatively, several pay zones may be fractured at one time, if they are closely located with similar properties. Diversion may be achieved with various means. The commonly used methods for stress/pressure diversion in multiple fracturing stages are as follows.
The first method is the Bridge Plug technique. For example, the operator perforates, then fractures, then sets a bridge plug, and then repeats this process as necessary. This approach ensures 100% positive zone isolation by setting a packer between fractured and targeted zones. However, this approach is extremely costly. The costs come from extensive wireline service intervention, which requires additional time to perforate and to set and then retrieve the packer from the wellbore for each pay zone before and after a fracturing treatment. In addition, packer retrieval is sometimes risky.
The second method is the Flow Through Composite Bridge Plug (FTCBP) approach, which is a modification of the Bridge Plug. FTCBP works as a Bridge Plug when there is higher pressure above it, such as during subsequent fracturing treatment. However, when the pressure is higher below the plug, such as when flowing the well back, the FTCBP lets fluid flow from below through the plug. Use of the FTCBP technique allows all preceding fractured zones to flow during completion of the well. This method has two advantages. First, it considerably reduces the shut-in time by flowing each fracture back early. Second, all previously treated zones help to clean up each new treatment. After a well is completed, the FTCBP can be drilled out easily or can be left in the well. This technique has proven to be a reliable tool that increases production. The main disadvantage is the cost and time needed to set the plug.
The third approach is the Sand Plugs technique. This is similar to the Bridge Plug techniques except that sand plugs are used instead of tools. The main idea is to fracture several pay zones sequentially via different perforation sets and set a sand plug at the end of each treatment stage to prevent flow beyond the plug, and thus divert the stress field for successive stages. This method substantially reduces time and costs because it requires no packer retrieval. However, due to initial in-situ stress variations, not all zones may be fractured. Furthermore, the proppant placement requires loading the wellbore with proppant, which may result in low efficiency of the treatment.
The fourth method is the Limited Entry approach, which is a simplified technique that does not require loading the wellbore with sand. This makes the method more affordable. The method is used, for example, in combination with ball sealers to plug the stages, or by having differing numbers of perforations for the different stages. The limited entry method basically relies on creating an artificial pressure drop across a calculated number of perforations. From the number of perforations, the size of the perforations, and the injection rate, the pressure drop is calculated. This pressure differential is then adjusted through the number of perforations to create a designated pressure on the formation side of the perforations equal to the fracturing pressure. Knowing the exact fracturing pressure of each sand layer is an essential portion of the limited entry technique. In an infill-drilling program within a stratigraphic pay, the pressure of any given sand can vary considerably. Acquiring reliable pressure data involves testing each zone, adding time and cost to the completion. Without knowing the exact data, a treatment may result in little or no production from some sets of perforations.
Ball sealers usually comprise small rubber-coated balls suspended in the treating fluid and pumped into the well along with the treating fluid. The balls are carried down to the perforations communicating with the high permeability formation zone. The ball sealers seat on these perforations and divert the treating fluid to a formation zone having a lower permeability. In some cases, the presence of such ball sealers in the wellbore after the treatment presents operational problems during their retrieval. Use of degradable balls can help eliminate these problems, as reported in U.S. Pat. No. 6,380,138 issued to Ischy et al. Balls made of polyester polymer degrade with time, forming soluble oligomers and allowing perforations to re-open.
The fifth method is the Induced Stress Diversion Technique. This is simply an application of staged hydraulic fracturing treatments without the use of any positive isolation, such as bridge plugs, frac baffles, sand plugs, or ball sealers. The ISD technique combines the advantages of the Limited Entry and multi-staged fracturing techniques. The technique involves pumping multiple fracs in a well and relying on the induced stress imparted by an earlier fracture stimulation to divert the subsequent fracture to the desired zone without positive zonal isolation. In this approach, the induced stress resulting from hydraulic fracturing of preceding stages functions as input energy to effectively divert the fracs to successive stages. The ISD procedure may be used to perforate and fracture multiple, discrete pay intervals by repeating the process as many times as needed (see FIG. 1). Some ISD techniques may include methods to induce screenouts to help with the diversion.
However, ISDT requires good knowledge of reservoir properties. This makes ISDT not easily repeatable in areas with varying properties. In order to achieve maximum stress diversion, an optimized fracturing treatment is required based on mechanical properties of the formation. This often necessitates acquiring data using a design tool, such as a DataFRAC™ (Trade name of Schlumberger Technology Corp.), and successive redesigns of the approach. This takes time. In addition, redesign is strongly dependent on critical assumptions about formation properties. As a result, currently there is no reliable methodology to justify the use of ISDT in tight gas reservoirs. Therefore, there still exists a need for easy and reliable methods for diversion, multi-stage fracturing, or temporary sealing in the downhole environment.

Degradable material assisted diversion or isolation