Methods and compositions for enhancing the activity and/or duration of action of soft anti-inflammatory steroids of the haloalkyl 17α-alkoxy-11β-hydroxyandrost-4-en-3-one-17β-carboxylate type and the corresponding Δ1,4 compounds and of anti-inflammatory steroids of the hydrocortisone and prednisolone type are described. The enhancing agents have the formula:

1. Technical Field of the Invention
The invention relates to enhancing the activity and/or the duration of action of selected anti-inflammatory steroids for topical or other local application.
2. Background Art
Topical or other local application of potent glucocorticoids can produce severe toxic effects such as Cushingoid features, pituitary-adrenal suppression, skin atrophy, immunosuppression, weight gain and inhibition of wound healing. Other kinds of toxic responses, including allergies and cataracts, have resulted from long term use of drugs of this type. Ophthalmic application of glucocorticosteroids presents additional problems. The protective mechanisms built into the eye allow only small amounts of doses applied to the eye to reach the target sites within the eye; generally, over 90 percent of the total dose will find its way into the general circulation. This in turn leads to serious systemic side effects of the type described above. Moreover, there is a more serious and specific side effect when these drugs are used in the eye, which is an increase in intraocular pressure (IOP). Corticosteroid-induced chronic or acute glaucoma has in fact been reported since the early 1960's. Generally, the corticosteroid is needed only topically to control the inflammation. However, the absorbed steroid is responsible for the serious side effects noted above. It is believed that the effect of the corticosteroid on the aqueous outflow pathway and adjacent tissue glycosaminoglycans (GAG's) is important in the development of glucocorticoid-induced ocular hypertension.
Despite the foregoing, anti-inflammatory steroids such as prednisolone acetate, hydrocortisone, cortisone and hydrocortisone acetate are widely used for various dermal, ophthalmic and other topical or local applications in the treatment of various inflammatory conditions. Even more potent anti-inflammatory steroids having 6α- and/or 9α- and/or 16α- or β- substituents, particularly 6- and/or 9-halogenated steroids, are also used for such conditions, but betamethasone, fluprednisolone and the like have even greater systemic toxicity than the less-substituted compounds.
The natural glucocorticosteroids and many of their marketed derivatives are Δ4 and Δ1,4 pregnenes having 21-hydroxy substituents. There are, however, a number of anti-inflammatory Δ4 and Δ1,4 androstenes described in the literature; note, for example, British Patent Specification No. 1,384,372; Phillipps et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,828,080 and Kalvoda et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,285,937.
In recent years, soft steroids have been developed in an effort to provide compounds having potent anti-inflammatory activity with minimal systemic activity. These compounds include Δ4 and Δ1,4 17α-alkoxy-11β-hydroxy-3-oxoandrostenes optionally bearing various substituents at the 6, 9 and 16-positions and related 11-substituted compounds which are esters or thioesters of 17β-carboxylic acids. These 17α-ethers are described in Bodor U.S. Pat. No. 4,710,495. Preferred compounds are taught to be the haloalkyl esters of 17α-alkoxy-11β-hydroxyandrost-4-en-3-one-17β-carboxylic acids.
Despite the development of steroids having less systemic toxicity, however, there is a serious need for improvement in topical and other local applications. The newer, less toxic, locally/topically active compounds are more expensive to synthesize than the long-established compounds. Moreover, the most potent anti-inflammatory steroids are those which have substitution at the 6, 9 and/or 16-positions and thus also not only are farthest removed structurally from the natural corticosteroids but also have the greatest toxicity. Thus, there is a need for enhancing the activity or duration of action or both of the less active, less toxic Δ4- and Δ1,4-21-hydroxypregnenes as well as the activity or duration of action or both of the 17α-ether type soft androstenes which lack the 6-, 9- and/or 16-substitution pattern. Further, it would be desirable to allow these steroids to undergo easier metabolism and concentrate them at the desired site of action.
One of the major, inactive metabolites of hydrocortisone is cortienic acid, i.e. 11β,17α-dihydroxyandrost-4-en-3-one-17β-carboxylic acid. Cortienic acid and the corresponding Δ1,4 acid have been previously described as synthetic intermediates useful in the preparation of the soft steroids described in Bodor U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,710,495 and 4,996,335. The 17β-methyl, ethyl and isopropyl esters of Δ1-cortienic acid have been described as putative inactive metabolites of the anti-inflammatory androstene derivatives of WO 97/42214 and Bodor U.S. Pat. No. 5,981,517. The '517 patent also describes the use of Δ1-cortienic acid as a competitor (with [3H]-triamcinolone acetonide as a tracer) for in vitro receptor binding studies of the androstene derivatives of that patent and notes similar studies of loteprednol etabonate. Druzgala et al., J Steroid Biochem. Molc. Biol., Vol. 38, No. 2, pp. 149-154 (1991), reports earlier in vitro receptor binding studies of loteprednol etabonate and two putative metabolites, Δ1-cortienic acid and the corresponding 17α-ethyl carbonate, in a medium containing 10−5M cortienic acid as competitor, along with [3H]-triamcinolone acetonide as tracer. Druzgala et al. further note that loteprednol itself is intrinsically active, whereas the putative metabolites are indeed inactive. Neither these acids nor their esters have been previously suggested for use in pharmaceutical compositions for the treatment of inflammation because they are not themselves active as anti-inflammatory agents.

Enhancement of activity and/or duration of action of selected anti-inflammatory steroids for topical or other local application

Abstract: wherein R is H or C1-C4 alkyl; Z1 is carbonyl or β-hydroxymethylene; X1 is —O— or —S—; R5 is —OH, —OR6, —OCOOR6 or —OCOR7 wherein R6 is C1-C4 alkyl and R7 is C1-C4 alkyl, fluoromethyl or chloromethyl; and the dotted line in ring A indicates that the 1,2-linkage is saturated or unsaturated; with the proviso that when R is C1-C4 alkyl, then R5 is —OH.


A lighting fixture for illuminating hanging works of art has an enlarged reflector with a planar front section extending at a carefully chosen angle. A curved portion of the reflector has a large enough radius to permit the use of a compact fluorescent bulb with a separate or self-contained ballast. The fluorescent bulb preferably emits light in the daylight color temperature range. With the compact fluorescent bulb and the planar front section, an increased number of lumens are uniformly distributed over the object to be illuminated. The reflector is optionally provided with different types of reflective material to alter the quality of the light reflected and the reflector may be specially adapted to accept a number of different reflective materials. The fixture can be easily constructed of extruded material and is provided with all of the features for placement necessary to illuminate hanging works of art either individually or as a wall washer to illuminate a complete wall of art or bookshelves of any length.

It is presently known to illuminate hanging works of art with a lighting fixture of particular design. These known lighting fixtures comprise a substantially semi-cylindrical shade/reflector within which one or more tubular incandescent bulbs reside. The fixture has an extending arm through which the wiring extends, and a perpendicular portion of the extending arm extends downward and is fixed by screws or the like to the back of the frame of the object to be illuminated. In this manner, the fixture extends above and a small distance out (e.g., four to twelve inches) from the plane of the object to be illuminated.
The picture lighting fixtures of the prior art have been in existence in their current state for more than fifty years and are non-optimal for several reasons: their reflectors are not carefully designed to evenly illuminate the entire object; the heat generated by the incandescent bulbs limits the choice of bulbs to those of relatively low power consumption; and their incandescent bulbs emit light of undesirable color. More particularly, in the typical known fixture, the reflector is not designed so much to distribute light evenly over the object illuminated as it is designed to shade the light from illuminating anything but the object. Moreover, the bulbs used in the known fixtures are most often twenty-five watt incandescent bulbs which emit a relative dim orange colored light and which are often insufficient to properly light a large artwork. If higher wattage bulbs are used, the light generated still will be orange-colored and unevenly distributed, and the heat generated may damage the object or objects to be illuminated.
It should be recognized that the illumination of works of art considerably influences human perception of the work, particularly with regard to color. Indeed, artists most typically paint in the daylight. Yet, to date, the lighting fixtures used to illuminate hanging works of art do not seriously address the issues of color temperature or diffusion.
Color temperature of illumination is an important consideration in the human perception of color in the object illuminated. Daylight has a color temperature of 6,500.degree.-12,000.degree. Kelvin which is paradoxically called a "cool" light since it is more in the blue spectrum. Typical incandescent bulbs have a color temperature of about 2,500.degree.-2700.degree. Kelvin and are paradoxically called "warm" lights since they are more in the red/orange spectrum. The lower the wattage of an incandescent bulb, the "warmer" its light.
Fluorescent bulbs, however, are capable of producing light with a temperature over 6,500.degree. Kelvin which is very close to daylight and allows the most accurate human perception of color and of the color which the artist intended. Moreover, modern fluorescent bulbs are available in a number of different color temperatures which are not dependent on the power consumption of the bulbs. Fluorescent bulbs also have the advantage of generating very little heat compared to incandescent bulbs of the same brightness. For example, a typical fifteen watt fluorescent bulb emits light having a brightness of 900 lumens. An incandescent bulb generating 900 lumens would require approximately sixty watts of power and would generate substantially more heat than a fifteen watt fluorescent bulb.
While it would be advantageous to provide evenly distributed fluorescent light for illuminating hanging art work given the advantages of color temperature, brightness, lower operating temperature and lower power consumption, fluorescent bulbs have not been used for this purpose because of the large ballasts required and because small, standard, thin fluorescent bulbs do not emit enough lumens. Recently, however, light bulb manufacturers have introduced families of fluorescent bulbs with integral or separate ballasts which screw into an incandescent bulb socket (e.g. Sylvania, Osram and Phillips). Also, "E-Lamp" bulbs which utilize high-frequency radio signals instead of a filament to produce light have been announced. The new fluorescent and E-lamp bulbs offer all of the advantages of the standard fluorescent bulbs with the necessary electronics built into an oversized base which is either an integral part of the bulb or with a base into which a bulb can be inserted. Unfortunately, however, these new type bulbs do not fit into existing lighting fixtures now used to illuminate hanging works of art.


A soft nip calender employing a compliant roll constructed of circumferentially superpositioned layers of compliant material which are progressively less compliant as the layers approach an underlying steel roll.

Calenders are employed in the papermaking industry to improve or modify the surface finish of a paper web. Calenders can also be used to modify the thickness of the paper web or to even out the thickness along or across the web.
A major function of paper calenders is to improve the surface finish of paper which can improve both its appearance and printability. A calender functions by employing pressure to smooth the surface of a paper web as it passes the rolls. One or more of the rolls may be heated.
Supercalenders are comprised of multiple rolls stacked one above the other forming a plurality of nips through which the paper web is passed. Supercalendering is often accomplished on the papermaking machine just prior to forming the paper web into a reel on a winder. Supercalenders are also used in off-machine applications, in combination with reminders, to improve the surface finish of paper on reels. Supercalenders are used to increases the amount of calendering by increasing the length of time the paper web spends transiting a nip by increasing the number of nips. Supercalenders have also employed rolls with compliant covers which form nips of increased length, thus increasing the amount of surface improvement which can be accomplished in passing through each of the nips formed by a supercalender.
Supercalenders have some drawbacks in that the multiplicity of stacked calender rolls adds to the complexity and cost of a calender. Supercalenders also require more time to change calender rolls. Roll change out is often required when the paper grade being processed is changed. Supercalenders can present additional problems upon machine startup or when a paper break occurs because of the multiplicity of nips which are required to be threaded.
For many grades of paper, it has been found that the supercalender can be replaced by a calender of the gloss type. A gloss calender, or a soft calender, typically employs two rolls forming a single nip, or two pairs of rolls forming two nips. The soft calender has one roll with a compliant cover opposed to a hard surfaced heated roll. When the soft nip calender is run at high nip loads of up to 3,000 pounds per linear inch (PLI), one or more soft nip calenders can perform the supercalender function with certain grades of paper. Where the soft nip calender can be used, increased economies are achieved by the greater simplicity of the soft nip calender over that of the supercalender.
Compliant roll covers have typically been manufactured of leather, rubber or specialized synthetic materials such as polyurethane.
There is a significant detriment to using a roll with a compliant surface in a gloss calender. Modern gloss calenders operate with the hard noncompliant roll at a temperature as high as 400.degree. to 500.degree. F., and compliant rolls have limited capability for withstand high temperatures. Hysteresis effects in the compliant roll surface produce heating which aggravates the problem of roll heating. The high temperature and high pressures used in the gloss calender can also create a potential for failure of the roll cover causing it to separate from the metallic shell to which the compliant roll surface is attached. The continual increase in the speed at which paper is formed, from less than 3,000 feet per minute to over 6,000 feet per minute, with the future holding the likelihood that speeds of over 9,000 feet per minute will be reached relatively soon, adds urgency to the need to develop roll covers with reduced hysteresis losses.
One approach to overcoming the limitations of compliant rolls as used in gloss calenders is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,546,856 to Neider et al. which discloses a compliant belt which is passed through a calender opposite a heated roll. The belt reduces some of the problems produced by hysteresis in a compliant roll in a gloss calender, however at the cost of adding additional complexity and cost to the gloss calender.
The effectiveness of the calender requires the highest temperature possible in the heated roll without overheating the compliant surface. By reducing the hysteresis-generated heat, the amount of heat the compliant roll can accept from the heated roll is increased.
What is needed a roll cover which reduces shear stresses between a roll cover and a steel roll and which reduces internal heat generation due to hysteresis.


Presently disclosed subject matter integrates a method of using thousands of semi-autonomous unmanned aerial vehicles, herein called drones, to deliver vastly superior amounts of fire retardant over substantially larger and variably-shaped drop patterns. Each drone is able to swap its own batteries with freshly charged batteries and each drone is able to refill its container with water or fire retardant. Once launched, a swarm of drones can perform repeated trips from the water/retardant source to the fire without human involvement other than the high-level tasking of where to drop the retardant. Once a general drop destination and drop pattern shape is designated, the swarm can transport retardant to that location, form itself into the desired drop shape, and deploy retardant. The drone body is designed to be modular so different components can be attached with ease and no special training or knowledge required.

Wildfires tend to extend over a large geographical area and proceed along several highly variable fronts simultaneously. Large fires often burn for several weeks and cause billions of dollars of damage. Fighting a large fire requires hundreds of millions of dollars and the effort of hundreds, if not thousands, of people. Currently, a variety of airborne vehicles are used to drop fire retardant on wildfires. The largest is based on a Boeing 747 body and can deliver up to 19,000 gallons of retardant per sortie. Other "air tankers" are based on DC-10 and smaller airframes and can deliver 1,200 to 12,000 gallons. Helicopter-carried "Bambi buckets" can deliver a few hundred gallons per sortie (with a widest range of about 72 to 2600 gallons). However, these vehicles are costly to purchase, maintain, and operate. The largest airtankers cost hundreds of millions of dollars, and the helicopters cost several million dollars each. Furthermore, a single air-drop vehicle can cover only a relatively small area of land, and the "drop patterns" of these vehicles are straight and narrow rectangles. Because of the cost and the fact that they require human pilots, the idea of operating a large number of these vehicles is not imaginable.
For fighting wildfires, the primary problems to overcome are:                lift-capacity of existing drones is limited (most lift only a few pounds at most)        flight-time of drones is limited (15-30 minutes is typical; only a few pounds of weight)        heavy-lift drones are expensive making the cost of a swarm of thousands impractical                    Existing drones capable of lifting several hundred pounds costs $300,000-$400,000 each making a 1,000-drone swarm cost $300 million            Goal is to use simple, low-cost, disposable design/materials so the drone will cost below $10,000 each to build making a 1,000-drone swarm cost $10 million and a 10,000-drone swarm cost $100 million.                        drones must self-service and not require human intervention on every sortie        drones must be easy to repair and able to be repaired by untrained personnel        drones must be easily configurable to meet different mission requirements
Although future drone technology will be capable of lifting much more weight as time progresses, current heavy-lift drones are capable of lifting and transporting hundreds of pounds of cargo (equating to dozens or hundreds of gallons of fire retardant). With a lift capacity of around 800-900 pounds (about 100 gallons), a swarm of 1,000 drones can deliver 100,000 gallons per sortie of fire retardant to a fire, or five times more than the largest airtanker currently used. A swarm of 10,000 drones can deliver 1,000,000 gallons of fire retardant, the equivalent of 50 of the largest airtankers.
Presently disclosed subject matter relates to devices, systems, and methods for using up to thousands of semi-autonomous unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and unmanned aerial systems (UASs) (hereafter called drones) to deliver vastly superior amounts of fire retardant (or other material delivery) over substantially larger and variably-shaped drop patterns. A large number of drones is called a swarm.
Every year, wildfires cause billions of dollars of damage and fighting them costs State and Federal governments hundreds of millions of dollars. Wildfires tend to extend over a large geographical area and proceed along several highly variable fronts simultaneously. Large fires often burn for several weeks and cause billions of dollars of damage. Fighting a large fire requires hundreds of millions of dollars and the effort of hundreds, if not thousands, of people. Because of the cost, and the fact that they require human pilots, the idea of operating a large number of these aforementioned vehicles is not imaginable. In addition, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of drone companies in existence but none known produce a drone capable of lifting the required weight nor operating autonomously in large numbers.
The military spends billions of dollars on material supply operations. Emergency response agencies and local governments spend hundreds of millions of dollars in supply logistics for each disaster. The civilian population performs the equivalent of hundreds of millions of dollars of material supply in the response to disasters such as hurricanes and floods.
Drones are powered by an on-board power module. Technology currently employed in power modules include: electrical batteries, fuel cells (e.g., hydrogen, liquid hydrogen/oxygen), internal combustion (e.g., gasoline, diesel, alcohol), thermionic, and turbine (e.g., alcohol turbine). Different power module types are useful for some applications and not for others. Currently, each drone developed for an application is designed to use one and only one type of power source.
Drones use rotating propellers (i.e., rotors) to generate upward and forward thrust needed to maintain flight. Current drones are designed to have multiple rotors; however, the number of rotors is fixed. Often, the mission does not require all rotors, yet the fixed design requires the drone to carry the unnecessary rotors anyway. Other missions require extended lift capability facilitated by additional rotors, but fixed designs do not permit the drone to be configured with the needed extra rotors. Existing drones have a fixed number and type of rotors. Changing the rotors on existing drones requires re-design and re-manufacture of the drone. The presently disclosed subject matter described herein allows the drone to be configured easily by simply plugging in as many rotors, of particular type required, as needed to meet mission objectives.
Drones use rotors to generate upward and forward thrust needed to maintain flight. Airplanes use engines of various technologies for forward thrust and wings to generate lift by air flowing over the curved wing surface. Some drones currently existing use wings; however, the wings are fixed and unable to be removed.
Operational time of battery-powered drones is limited by the lifetime of the charge in the batteries. Adding batteries to the drone would extend operational time, but existing drones have batteries encapsulated within the body or framework of the drone making it impossible to add batteries. Current "swarm" technology systems may consist of a few dozen light-weight/miniature drones requiring significant human effort to recover, recharge, prepare, and launch a next sortie.
To facilitate fully autonomous operation, drones must be able to exchange spent batteries with charged batteries without human interaction. In existing drones, batteries are encapsulated within the body or framework of the drone making it necessary for a human or a robotic manipulator to perform several mechanical operations to replace the battery requiring the drone to be taken out of operation during the process. The presently disclosed subject matter disclosed per some embodiments herein involves two or more battery modules mounted on the drone body in such a way so the drone can autonomously change its own batteries.

Swarm-based firefighting drone and mass aerial drop system and method


An apparatus is disclosed whereby a detachable surgical blade is easily and effectively removed from blade handle adapted for use with detachable surgical blades. The apparatus is a two part assembly comprising a scalpel handle and a blade release slide element. The handle includes a blade mounting tang on the proximal end thereof and a grip on the distal end thereof. The handle has dimensions such that a portion of the rear edge of the scalpel blade protrudes latitudinally beyond the perimeter of that portion of the grip adjacent to the tang. The blade release slide element is slidably mountable on the handle and is of a length such that, when in assembled relation with the handle, the blade release slide element extends forwardly from an intermediate section of the grip to a section of the grip rearward of the tang. The blade release slide element has a blade engaging and release ramp which inclines from the proximal end of the handle to the distal end of the handle as the blade mounting portion of the tang extends upwardly. Removal of the blade is accomplished by a one handed digitally activated sliding movement of the blade release slide element towards the proximal end of the handle whereby the blade engaging and release ramp engages the protruding portion of the rear edge of the blade causing the rear portion of the blade to flex upwardly and slide forward off the tang.

The present invention relates generally to apparatus for removing detachable surgical blades from a blade handle after use thereof in a surgical application. More particularly, the present invention relates to a handle mounted means for removing detachable scalpel blades from the proximal end of a scalpel handle after use thereof in a surgical application.
During the course of surgery, and thereafter, scalpel blades and the like must be replaced with new sterile blades. Due to the critical conditions under which scalpels are used, it is necessary to replace the blades fairly often and quickly. One type of scalpel commonly employed in surgical work comprises a handle having a tang with an upraised portion upon which a detachable blade is securely locked in place. The detachable blade for such a handle typically has a centrally located keyed slot with a narrow portion forward and a wide portion rearward. The tang has rounded forward and rear faces and opposed lateral grooves positioned in an intermediate latitudinal plane for slidably receiving the narrow portion of the keyed slot of the blade. With the aid of the grooves, the blade can be mounted on the handle by slidably positioning the inner rear edge of the keyed slot over the rounded rear face of the upraised portion of the tang. As the inner rear edge of the keyed slot is positioned over the rounded rear face of the upraised portion of the tang, the rearward portion of the blade snaps down into a recessed portion of the tang adjacent to the grip, locking the blade onto the handle.
Although assembly of a blade on the tang portion of a blade handle is rather an easy matter, the blade has heretofore been disengaged therefrom only with difficulty. Not only must a rearward portion of the blade be manually pried up over the top of the upraised portion of the tang, but in addition, an axial thrust must be applied to the flexed blade to effect complete disengagement of the blade from the handle. This simultaneous flexing and axial movement of a used blade to effect removal is not only awkward, but it can also be hazardous since the blade may carry viruses or other infectious diseases. As such, members of the surgical staff are reluctant to use forceps or hemostates to remove blades. If their hand slips, they may be accidentally cut and infected. Accordingly, it is the object of this invention to provide apparatus for disengaging a surgical blade from a blade handle in a ready and facile manner.
There have been prior attempts at constructing a device for removing blades safely as disclosed, by way of example, in prior U.S. Pat. No. 4,318,473. The device of that patent comprises a plurality of elements including a slot for slidably receiving the proximal end of a fully assembled scalpel and a shoulder positionable under the mounted blade for supporting the rear of the blade during blade disengagement procedures. To operate the device, the blade and handle must be slidably inserted into the slot and then manipulated downwardly. The downward movement of the assembled scalpel causes the rear portion of the blade to flex over the upraised portion of the tang. Thereafter, the handle must be withdrawn from the device. The device includes an element positioned to prevent rearward motion of the flexed blade as the handle is withdrawn f rom the device. Upon withdrawal of the handle from the device, the blade is disengaged from the handle.
While a used blade can be removed using devices such as disclosed in the above-referenced patent, such devices entail a plurality of elements and require a two handed manipulation of the scalpel handle and removal device to effect removal of the blade. It has therefore come to our attention that it would be desirable to provide an inexpensive handle mounted means for quickly and easily removing a used blade from a scalpel handle which can be manipulated by only one hand.

Scalpel handle and blade release assembly


A cylinder block for an axial piston pump or motor is formed from a steel material. The block includes a plurality of bores that each have an internal bore surface of a predefined final material surface finish. The bores are subjected to various machining and heat treating processes to provide a bore surface formed from the same material as the cylinder block, and which has the desired final surface finish. Pistons are mounted within each of the bores for axial movement relative to the cylinder block. Each of the pistons is formed from a steel material and has an exterior surface that is in sliding contact with the internal bore surface. The subject cylinder block is processed to provide a steel-to-steel interface between the bore and piston and eliminates the need for liners to be specially formed or installed within each piston bore.

This invention relates to a cylinder block for an axial piston pump or motor that is subjected to a unique manufacturing process to provide piston bores that do not require liners.
Axial piston pumps and motors are used in various applications in the aerospace industry. These pumps and motors are subjected to severe load requirements and often operate in harsh environmental conditions. Each pump and motor traditionally includes a cylinder block with a plurality of piston bores formed therein that each receive a piston in a reciprocating relationship. The block is coupled for rotation which a shaft and works in conjunction with the reciprocating pistons to operate as a pump or motor.
The loading and environmental conditions in which these pumps and motors operate exert high levels of stress on the cylinder block and pistons. High stress levels can result in increased piston bore wear and can ultimately lead to cracking or fracture within the cylinder block. To increase reliability and reduce maintenance and service operations it is desirable to have a minimal amount of wear within each piston bore.
Traditionally, the piston bores have inserts installed within each bore to provide an improved frictional surface for the piston. One example is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,319,575, which utilizes bushings in each bore to reduce wear. It is difficult to manufacture the bushings to the tight tolerances required for the application. It also increases assembly time and cost to perform multiple insert operations on the cylinder block to install the bushings in the bores. Another example is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,180,183, which utilizes a process for casting bronze piston liners in each of the bores. This process is time consuming and expensive.
Thus, it is desirable to provide method for manufacturing a cylinder block that eliminates the need for piston bore inserts or liners. It is also desirable for the process to reduce costs and assembly time in addition to overcoming the above referenced deficiencies.

Cylinder block with unlined piston bores


A semiconductor memory circuit including a plurality of bit lines, memory cells connected to each of said plurality of bit lines, sense amplifiers, each corresponding to one of said plurality of bit lines and each configured to amplify a voltage of the corresponding bit line, dummy bit lines, a plurality of dummy cells connected to said dummy bit lines, a dummy sense amplifier configured to output signals with voltages obtained by amplifying the voltages of said dummy bit lines, and to set an activation timing of said sense amplifier based on the output, and a dummy cell selecting circuit configured to simultaneously select at least two of the dummy cells, when the sense amplifier is activated.

This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from the prior Japanese Patent Applications No. 2000-394559, filed on Dec. 26, 2000, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor memory circuit for setting an activation timing of a sense amplifier connected to memory cells, by using a dummy bit line sense amplifier connected to a dummy cell.
2. Related Background Art
FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing schematic configuration of a conventional semiconductor memory circuit having the dummy bit line sense amplifier 5. The semiconductor memory device of FIG. 6 is composed of a pair of dummy bit lines L4 arranged in parallel to a bit line L3, a plurality of dummy cells 4 connected between the pair of dummy lines L4, and a dummy bit line sense amplifier 5 connected to one end of the dummy bit line L4.
Ordinary memory cells 1 are selected in units of row, when a main word line L1 is set to high level, one of section word lines L2 is set to high level, and one of modulated word-line address L5 is set to high level. Each of the dummy cells 4 is usually provided by each of the section word lines L2.
Only one dummy cell 4 of a plurality of dummy cells 4 can be selected by a dummy cell selecting signal, and the other dummy cells 4 are constantly in non-selecting state. When the dummy cell selecting signal is in low level, data stored in the dummy cell 4 is provided to the dummy bit line 4.
The dummy bit line sense amplifier 5 amplifiers the voltage of the dummy bit line L4 to output the amplified output. Activation timing of the sense amplifier 2 is set by the output of the dummy bit line sense amplifier 5.
When it is necessary to conform capacitance of the dummy bit line L4 to capacitance of an ordinary bit line L3, a cell that access is impossible may be connected to the dummy bit line L4.
Furthermore, if a width of the dummy bit line L4 is conformed to that of the bit line L3, resistance of both bit lines can be equal to each other. Moreover, if element sizes of transfer transistors and driver transistors in the dummy cell 4 are conformed to that of each transistor in the memory cell 1, cell current flowing through both cells can be set equal to each other.
When there is provided with the dummy bit line sense amplifier 5 such as FIG. 6, even if processes such as a cell current, a bit line resistance or a bit line capacitance fluctuate, timing that the dummy bit line sense amplifier 5 activates the sense amplifier in accordance with the fluctuation also changes, thereby preventing malfunction. It is possible to assure timing margin for readout by arranging the dummy cell 4 at farthest location from the sense amplifier on the bit lines.
However, if there is a random dispersion on properties such as the cell current and the capacitance, the time for sensing the dummy cells 4 also fluctuates at random. According to circumstances, the timing that the dummy bit line sense amplifier 5 activates the sense amplifier may quicken. In this case, it is impossible to normally sense data read out from the memory cell 1. In order to avoid such a problem, if sufficient margin is given to a sense start timing of the dummy cells 4, sense time of the memory cell 1 becomes too late.
Furthermore, conventionally, because control of the dummy cell 4 had been carried out separate from that of the memory cells 1, when the cell current of the dummy cell 4 and the timing of the dummy cell selecting signal largely changes due to the process fluctuation, data read out from the memory cell 1 may be unable to normally sense by the sense amplifier 2 or the sense timing may become too late.
A semiconductor memory circuit according to an embodiment of the present invention, comprising:
a plurality of bit lines;
memory cells connected to each of said plurality of bit lines;
sense amplifiers, each corresponding to one of said plurality of bit lines and each configured to amplify a voltage of the corresponding bit line;
dummy bit lines;
a plurality of dummy cells connected to said dummy bit lines;
a dummy sense amplifier configured to output signals with voltages obtained by amplifying the voltages of said dummy bit lines, and to set an activation timing of said sense amplifier based on the output; and
a dummy cell selecting circuit configured to simultaneously select at least two of said dummy cells, when said sense amplifier is activated.


A press assembly including a die assembly having a trim die defining an annular cavity wherein the trim die is fixed to the press assembly, a punch assembly including a trim punch having an annular boss that is correspondingly shaped to the annular cavity, wherein the trim punch is movable relative to the die assembly, and an ejector assembly including an ejector arm, wherein the ejector arm is mounted to the punch assembly. The object is pressed into the annular cavity of the trim die by the annular boss of the trim punch when the annular boss is slidably received in the annular cavity, and the ejector arm pushes the object upwardly within the annular cavity of the trim die when the annular boss of the trim punch is removed from the annular cavity.

Often, when objects are formed by forging, excess material remains on the object being created that must be removed to achieve the finished product. For example, objects such as gears, sprockets, etc., that are formed by forging will often have a ring of excess material disposed around the outer periphery that is commonly referred to as flashing. As well, it may also be necessary to remove material from the bodies of these objects, thereby creating a bore so that they may be mounted on drive axles, spindles, etc.
Typically, the operations required to remove the flashing and form a bore in a forged object, such as a gear, are performed on two independent machines. For example, a first device, such as a hydraulic press, is used to perform a trimming function on the gear for removal of the flashing, whereas a second hydraulic press is used to perform a piercing function, thereby forming a bore in the gear. Because these functions are often performed on two independent machines, the object being worked on must be moved from the first device to the second device to perform both functions. When compared to performing both operations on the same device, such as a single hydraulic press, performing the functions on two independent devices increases the handling of the object as it must be removed from the first device and transferred to the second device, which can lead to increased potential for the object to be damaged. As well, existing press assemblies often have mechanisms for ejecting the object after the process has been completed. Ejector mechanisms can be complex devices and often eject the work piece in a manner that results in the object merely being pushed out of the press assembly and onto the floor. As would be expected, such methods of ejecting the object can lead to damage as it falls from the press assembly to the floor.

Trim and pierce press assembly and method of use


In the present invention, the histogram model used in H-PMHT is extended to treat the problem of tracking using hyper-spectral data. Completely general spectral density functions are handled via the use of non-parametric methods. The present invention is not restricted to derivations based on knowledge of the spectral character of the source being tracked. The source spectrum can be estimated in a non-parametric fashion based on an initial track, and this allows the invention to adapt to the source spectrum in situ. The resulting method has improved crossing track performance on sources that have some degree of spectral distinction and will perform no worse than regular H-PMHT on sources that have identical spectral densities.

(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to remote sensing and remote imaging, and more specifically to a method for processing hyper-spectral remote sensor data for the purpose of displaying the spatial tracks of energy sources in multi-spectral images corresponding to the sensor data.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
Remote sensing of the energy signals of a moving vehicle or energy source for the purposes of tracking the vehicle or energy source has often been accomplished by measuring the intensity of the energy signals with sensors specifically designed to detect energy intensity. In remote sensing applications the sensor is often a planar array of sensing cells, each cell responding to the energy incident on its corresponding section of the array surface. In other applications, such as acoustic sensing, the received energy on sensor elements must be interpreted through a beam forming function to yield energy intensity in a set of spatially directed cells (more commonly called beams). Such a method is designed to track energy peaks as they move over time on the given set of sensor cells. The total broadband energy is plotted and visually displayed. Targets appear as peaks of energy in the display, and are tracked. One method of target tracking based on sensor level data is the Histogram Probabilistic Multi-Hypothesis Tracking (H-PMHT) algorithm. It is an application of the Expectation-Maximization (EM) method of target tracking. It uses a synthetic (multi-dimensional) histogram interpretation of the received power levels in all of the sensor cells. The data for the H-PMHT algorithm usually consists of broadband intensities on a set of spatial sensor cells. The H-PMHT algorithm has its limitations. For example, in situations where more than one target is being tracked and the targets cross paths, the intensity of the energy signals of the targets merge, making it impossible to distinguish the energy between the two targets. In such a situation, the targets must be reacquired by the sensors after they have crossed resulting in a gap and delay in tracking information.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/214,551 to Struzinski teaches a method and system for predicting and detecting the crossing of two target tracks in a bearing versus time coordinate frame. The method/system uses a series of periodic bearing measurements of the two target tracks to determine a bearing rate and a projected intercept with a bearing axis of the bearing versus time coordinate frame. A crossing time tc for the two target tracks is determined using the tracks' bearing rates and projected intercepts. A prediction that the two target tracks will cross results if a first inequality is satisfied while a detection that the two target tracks have crossed results if a second inequality is satisfied. This method does not, however, address the problem of distinguishing between and identifying the targets before, during and after they have crossed.
There is currently no reliable method by which targets can be consistently tracked and distinguished as they cross paths. What is needed is a method for tracking targets that does not rely solely on broadband energy signal intensity, but also utilizes the spectral aspects of the energy signal, combining both intensity and spectral data so that crossing targets can be tracked provided they have some degree of spectral distinction.

Method for tracking targets with hyper-spectral data

The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy


The body hair and feet drying chair is a seat comprising an upright base having a top portion, a middle portion, and a bottom portion, and a hollow interior. A seat is disposed on top of the base. At least one air outlet is defined in the seat in communication with the base's hollow interior. At least one air channel is defined in the bottom portion of the base in communication with the base's hollow interior. A motorized fan contained within the hollow interior of the base draws air into the hollow interior through the air channels and expels air from the hollow interior through the air outlets. Air expelled from the air outlets dries genital and posterior areas of a user seated on the body hair and feet drying chair, while air drawn into the air channels dries the user's feet and toes when the user's feet and toes are positioned over the air channels.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a human body drying apparatus. More specifically, the invention is a body hair and feet drying chair that circulates air to dry a person's toes and body hair in dampness-prone body areas, especially genital and posterior areas.
2. Description of the Related Art
Damp skin promotes the growth of body-borne fungus, yeasts, and bacteria, often resulting in skin irritation, rash, and other discomforts. Certain areas of the body are especially prone to problems associated with dampness. Areas between the toes, areas surrounding the genitals, and posterior areas around and within the gluteal cleft are prime locations for dampness and the attendant growth of body-borne fungus, yeasts, and bacteria.
A common source of skin dampness is bathing. While regular bathing is necessary for proper personal hygiene, the task of drying oneself after a shower or bath frequently results in incomplete drying, leaving parts of the body damp or wet. The areas between the toes, areas surrounding the genitals, and posterior areas around and within the gluteal cleft are difficult to dry thoroughly with a conventional bath towel. The areas between toes, as well as the posterior areas around and within the gluteal cleft, present a problem of adequate access with a bath towel, while the body hairs surrounding the genitals tend to hold water. Additionally, a natural tendency to sweat after a hot shower or bath ensures that, even with sufficient towel drying, moisture in the form of sweat may quickly reappear.
Air drying apparatus have been used for drying a person's body. Numerous air dryer apparatus have been devised to blow air over a person's body as the person stands in front of, or within, the apparatus. Air, blown over the wet surface of the body, is effective in drying the skin. Additionally, air blown over the skin may have the effect of cooling the body, thereby reducing sweating following a hot shower or bath. However, such apparatus intended for general body drying don't adequately address the special needs of areas between the toes, areas surrounding the genitals, and posterior areas around and within the gluteal cleft.
Air drying apparatus have been incorporated, along with a bidet device, into a toilet to provide for both cleaning and drying of genital and posterior regions. Such apparatus, however, are limited in their use to only the body's genital and posterior regions. Similarly, specialized devices that provide air drying for the feet are ineffective for the rest of the body.
None of the above described apparatus, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Thus a body hair and feet drying chair adapted for air drying of areas between the toes, areas surrounding the genitals, and posterior areas around and within the gluteal cleft is desired.


A handheld power tool includes a housing having a handle, a drive motor situated in the housing, and a first interface, the interface being designed to receive pieces of information from at least one second external interface and/or to transmit them to at least one second external interface. The housing has a receptacle opening, the first interface being situated so it is removable in the receptacle opening. Furthermore, the receptacle opening is detachably closable by a cover, the cover locking up the housing toward the outside.

Known electrical handheld power tools are supplied with power via a mains connection. Alternatively, battery-powered devices enable a high level of flexibility during work, since they are independent of the mains current in particular. Outside work can also be carried out conveniently in this manner, for example, so that battery packs are often used in operation of a handheld power tool.
Such battery packs are known to have rechargeable batteries, for example, a plurality of battery cells connected in a parallel and/or a series circuit. Within the scope of this application, a battery pack is therefore to be understood as a battery pack preferably including multiple electrically interconnected battery cells, which can store electrical energy and supply the energy required for the operation of a handheld power tool. Three cylindrical lithium-ion cells connected in series, each having 3.6 V, for example, can be provided for a total voltage of 10.8 V, for example.
Handheld power tools are known from the related art, which use a communication interface in the form of an infrared transmission device, for example, for transmitting data, parameters, or the like. Corresponding data are exchangeable between handheld power tools and an external interface by this infrared transmission device.


A weld-on barrel hinge having a female barrel portion and two male barrel portions for hinging together two items. The cylindrical female barrel portion has an axial bore formed therethrough. The cylindrical female barrel portion is welding to a first item. The male barrel portions have a cylindrical main body portion and a pin extension that is sized to be rotatably received within the axial bore of the female barrel portion. A passageway formed in at least one of the male barrel portions has a first end that opens in the cylindrical main body portion, and at least one second end that opens in the pin extension. The male barrel portions are inserted in the female barrel portion and are welded to a second item. A lubricant fitting is affixed to first end of the passageway in the at least one male barrel portion.

The invention relates to hinges, and more particularly, to barrel hinges.
Barrel hinges are widely used in applications that require hingeably attaching heavy structures together, such as ingress and egress ramps for horse trailers, ramps for earth-moving equipment trailers, doors for ocean shipping containers, and the like.
In order to provide for lubrication of barrel hinges, grease fittings can be included in the hinge designs by being attached to ends of a shaft, with a grease channel provided through the shaft so that grease can be released between the pin and the sleeve. However, for long barrel hinges, it can be costly and difficult to bore a grease channel through the pin for delivery of grease between the pin and the sleeve of the barrel hinge.
Prior art barrel hinges having three sleeve sections have been made by providing three separate sleeves made of seamless tubing and an elongate rod which is retained within bores of the sleeves. Once assembled, the two end sleeves are welded at their ends to the ends of the rod, leaving the intermediate sleeve to freely rotate. These welds require additional labor and are more prone to corrosion than the unwelded portions. These prior designs do not lend themselves to lubrication by use of the grease fitting and therefore requires manual frequent lubrication, or more typically, remain unlubricated. Furthermore, seamless tubing is more costly than seamed tubing.
Accordingly, there remains a need for an improved barrel hinge that is easier to manufacture and maintain, is less prone to rust, has better lubrication properties, and has more consistent quality.


Disclosed herein is a design for flux switching machines with one or more armature windings which can deliver controlled torque, in either selected direction on start up, without the use of a mechanical position sensor. Flux switching machines without sensors can operate equally well in either direction. The invention discloses design features for such machines which improves the torque profile of the motor with angle. In three phase machines this delivers higher torque and lower ripple torque. In single phase flux switching machines the invention allows the rotor to be placed in a position where maximum torque can be delivered in either direction by selection of either positive or negative armature current. Rotor slotting is introduced to create a path of low permeability across a rotor tooth with minimal impact on the normal torque producing flux paths. Asymmetry of stator slots is used to further create a stable rotor position when energized by predominantly field means or armature means. Starting of the rotor from this stable position can be achieved in either direction. The method is suitable for starting permanent magnet flux switching motors. The invention results in low cost single phase motors which can start and run in either direction and three phase flux switching motors with improved performance over the prior art.

Brushless permanent magnet and reluctance motors can be used in many applications, since they do not require the use of commutators or brushes in supplying electrical power to the rotor of the motor. Since these components are subject to significant wear, it is highly desirable to avoid their use. The rotors of flux switching machines have salient teeth with no windings or permanent magnets. These rotors are therefore simple to manufacture and very robust. They are suitable for many applications including very high speed electrical machines.
FIG. 1 shows a flux switching machine with 8 stator teeth and 4 rotor teeth as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,788,020. This motor contains a field winding in slots 1,3,5,7 of the stator 10 and an armature winding in slots 2,4,6,8 of the stator 10. The rotor, 11, is a salient pole rotor made from laminated steel with 4 rotor teeth, 9. This motor operates with direct current in the field winding and alternating current in the armature winding. The direct current in the field winding creates a four pole stator flux pattern which links the armature winding in a positive or negative direction as the rotor turns from alignment with stator teeth 21,23,25,27 to alignment with stator teeth 22,24,26,28. This alternating flux linking the armature generates an internal EMF in the armature. The machine can be used as a motor or generator by controlling the armature current to be in phase (motor) or out of phase (generator) with the armature EMF. This machine provides a simple and easy to manufacture structure and gives excellent control flexibility with easy variation of both field current and armature current.
The operation of the flux switching machine has been described in published papers. In a paper "Low cost high power density, flux switching machines and drives for power tools", in IEEE IAS Annual Meeting 2003 by H. Pollock, C. Pollock, R. Walter and B. Gorti, the operation of the machine with field winding in both series and shunt configurations relative to the armature switching circuit is described. In a paper "Flux switching machines for automotive applications" by C. Pollock, H. Pollock, R. Barron, J. Coles, D. Moule, A. Court, R. Sutton, published in IEEE Transactions in Industry Applications Vol. 42 No. 5, September 2006, pp 1177-1184, the operation of the machine as a motor with bifilar armature windings is described. The flux switching motor of FIG. 1 and those described in these published papers are single phase flux switching motors, having a field winding and a single electromagnetic armature carrying alternating current.
FIG. 2 shows a further single phase flux switching machine, also from the prior art, as described in a paper "A permanent magnet flux switching motor for low energy axial fans", Y. Cheng; C. Pollock and H. Pollock; Fourtieth IAS Annual Meeting Conference Record, Volume 3, 2-6 Oct. 2005 Page(s):2168-2175. This motor is the four pole version of a two pole machine first described in a paper "Design principles of flux switch alternator," S. E. Rauch and L. J. Johnson, AIEE Trans., vol. PAS-74, pp. 1261-1268, 1955. The stator 30 of FIG. 2 employs four permanent magnet sections 31,33,35 and 37 interspersed between four laminated stator sections 32, 34, 36 and 38 each carrying a slot for the armature winding. As in the motor of FIG. 1 rotation of the rotor 11 causes a cyclical variation in the flux linking the armature winding and hence induces an EMF in the armature winding. The EMF is proportional to speed and unlike the machine in FIG. 1 the field flux produced by the permanent magnets cannot be altered significantly as there is no field winding. The machine of FIG. 2 therefore provides a machine of high efficiency since the magnetic field is produced without copper losses in a field winding. Flux switching machines which incorporate field windings and permanent magnets are also possible as disclosed in UK Patent Applications 0721074.3 and 0721077.6.
Operation of all the prior art single phase flux switching machines including those shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 as a motor or as a generator requires the current in the armature winding to alternate in synchronism with the internal EMF induced within the armature winding due to the field flux. Armature current would be controlled during a positive and negative conduction block, the frequency of current reversals from a positive armature conduction block to a negative armature conduction block determined by the required speed of rotation of the rotor and the magnitude of the current in each armature conduction block determined by the torque requirement of the load, or may be simply limited by the speed of rotation of the machine and the size of the internal armature EMF.
FIG. 3 shows flux plots of a single phase flux switching motor according to the prior art. In each flux plot only the field winding is excited to observe the variation in field flux with position. In FIG. 3(a) the rotor teeth are in a position where they bridge the four stator slots containing the energised field winding. In FIG. 3(b) the rotor teeth are aligned with one group of four stator teeth. In FIG. 3(c) the rotor teeth are in a position where they bridge the four stator slots containing the un-energised armature winding. In all three plots the flux linking the field winding is relatively constant irrespective of rotor position.
FIG. 4 shows a plot of the variation in self and mutual inductance in the field and armature windings of a typical prior art single phase flux switching machine such as the one shown in FIG. 1. The graph shows Line 82 which is the self inductance in pH per turn and per meter of stack length for the field winding is also the self inductance of the armature winding. Since both the field winding and the armature winding span two stator teeth and both span one rotor pole pitch the flux linking the winding due to its own current is relatively constant. The small variation with rotor angle can be explained by variations due to fringing at the edges of the teeth. The graph also shows Line 81 which is the mutual inductance between field winding and armature winding in pH, per turn per m. The mutual inductance is strongly position dependent varying from a positive maximum near to 0° to a negative maximum near to 45°.
The torque in a flux switching motor with a single armature phase is given by:
                    T        =                                            1              2                                                  i              a              2                                                                  ⅆ                                  L                  a                                                            ⅆ                θ                                              +                                    1              2                                                  i              f              2                                                                  ⅆ                                  L                  f                                                            ⅆ                θ                                              +                                    i              a                                                  i              f                                                                  ⅆ                M                                            ⅆ                θ                                                                        (        1        )
As the windings of a flux switching machine are pitched over two stator teeth and span one rotor tooth pitch, the self inductance of the windings in the flux switching machine are relatively constant. There is therefore little torque produced by the variation in self inductance. The rate of change in mutual inductance creates the possibility for torque production so the torque in a flux switching machine with armature and field windings can be approximated by:
                    T        =                              i            a                                          i            f                                                        ⅆ              M                                      ⅆ              θ                                                          (        2        )
Therefore when the rate of change of mutual inductance with respect to increasing rotor angle is positive, and if field current and armature current are both positive, then positive torque will be produced. Positive torque will act to turn the rotor to positive increasing angle.
When the rate of change of mutual inductance with respect to increasing rotor angle is negative, field current is positive but armature current is negative, then positive torque will again be produced. Positive torque will act to turn the rotor to positive increasing angle.
However, if the polarity of the armature current were opposite in each of the above situations the direction of the torque would be reversed and the negative torque would act to turn the rotor in the opposite direction. A single phase flux switching motor can therefore produce torque in either direction and rotate in either direction dependent on the timing and direction of the armature current relative to rotor position.
FIG. 5 shows the torque vs. angle for a prior art flux switching motor with a single armature phase with positive and negative armature currents showing how a continuous stream of positive torque pulses (each lasting 45°) can be produced by alternating the armature current direction. Swapping the armature current polarity in each 45° block could produce a stream of negative torque pulses driving the motor in the opposite direction.
WO 2004/025822 discloses a single phase flux switching motor in which switching of the polarity of voltage pulses applied to the armature coils of the motor can be controlled without the use of a mechanical rotor position sensor. Since a flux switching motor has field coils and armature coils, each with a pitch double that of stator teeth, the magnetic fields generated in one coil link through an adjacent coil. As a result of this overlap, there is significant mutual inductance between the armature and field coils, the mutual inductance being dependent upon the rotational position of the rotor. This enables the rotational position of the rotor to be determined by monitoring voltages induced in the field windings as a result of current flow in the armature windings. The methods disclosed in the prior art for detecting the position of the rotor without a physical position sensor on the rotor are very successful but there is no sensorless method in the prior art to confirm the direction of rotation, or more importantly to guarantee the direction of rotation of the motor from the start.
Rotor designs based on asymmetric rotors have partially addressed this problem by ensuring that if a rotor is in a position of maximum field to armature coupling in one polarity (rotor teeth aligned with one set of stator teeth), then from this position, reversal of the armature current will create a torque in the required direction to start the motor with the required direction determined by the leading edge of the rotor asymmetry. The rotor shown in FIG. 2 has an asymmetric profile which will ensure that it will rotate anti-clockwise if armature excitation polarity is reversed after holding the rotor in a parking position associated with a first polarity of armature current.
In the paper "Starting Torque of Single-Phase Flux-Switching Permanent Magnet Motors", IEEE Transactions on Magnetics, Vol. 42, No. 10, October 2006, the authors demonstrate the problems of starting the single phase flux switching motor. The solution offered in the paper requires an asymmetric rotor and can only deliver guaranteed starting in one direction and under conditions where the position of the rotor is known at startup to ensure the correct polarity of armature current is selected. The further difficulties of guaranteeing motor starting direction without a sensor were not addressed.
Rotor asymmetry is not always desirable. It is known that adding the asymmetry to the rotor can reduce the peak torque. Furthermore, a delay time is required on starting while the rotor settles in a parked position before the other armature current direction will definitely start in the correct direction as any residual rotor oscillation could be enough to favour the wrong running direction. This is particularly a problem since the torque produced by the second armature polarity is small when the rotor teeth are aligned with the stator teeth associated with the first armature polarity. FIG. 5 shows that with excitation of −50 A the rotor could come to rest at 45°, providing there are no external torques. At this point, applying +50 A of armature current would produce a small positive torque taking the rotor in the preferred direction. However, external load could change the parking position and result in incorrect direction at start up. Once moving, it is impractical to detect and reverse the direction of rotation if a sensor is not on the shaft. As a result of these problems flux switching machines with a single electromagnetic armature have had to use a sensor to confirm direction or, if sensorless in operation, have been restricted to applications where the direction of rotation was not critical.
Flux switching machines with a field winding and three armature phases have been proposed as a way of overcoming the starting difficulties of the single phase flux switching motor. Indeed the torque output from a three phase flux switching machine excited by sinusoidal excitation can be smooth with no large torque dips or reversals as described in PCT/GB2009/001921. Three phase flux switching machines with permanent magnets creating the field are described in "Switching flux PM polyphased synchronous machines," in Proc. 7th Eur. Conf. Power Electron. Appl., 1997, vol. 3, pp. 903-908.

Improvements for flux switching machines


A method for effecting solar radiation in space prior to the solar radiation reaching Earth. The method includes the steps of choosing a location between the Earth and the sun, focusing reflected solar radiation from two reflectors upon the location, monitoring solar radiation that passes through the focal location, and adjusting the reflectors to increase the size or change the shape of the focal location. The disclosure further includes a structure having a single joint for articulating the structure, where the single joint rotates the structure about a first axis in response to a first input and where the single joint rotates the structure about a second axis in response to a second input.

Light may behave like a wave and, at the same time, behave like a particle. This invention subscribes to neither theory but generally this invention may be at least partially understood on the basis of the wave features of solar energy. For example, this invention "fights fire with fire." It is believed that by redirecting solar radiation to form focal hot points between the Earth and the sun, chances are increased that solar radiation passing through the focal point or focal locations may be reduced (or concentrated) or dissipated or deflected.

Method for reflecting radiation emanating from a source


A first shield portion located below an MR stack includes a first main shield layer, a first antiferromagnetic layer, and a first magnetization controlling layer including a first ferromagnetic layer exchange-coupled to the first antiferromagnetic layer. A second shield portion located on the MR stack includes a second main shield layer, a second antiferromagnetic layer, and a second magnetization controlling layer including a second ferromagnetic layer exchange-coupled to the second antiferromagnetic layer. The MR stack includes two free layers magnetically coupled to the two magnetization controlling layers. Only one of the two magnetization controlling layers includes a third ferromagnetic layer that is antiferromagnetically exchange-coupled to the first or second ferromagnetic layer through a nonmagnetic middle layer. The first shield portion includes an underlayer disposed on the first main shield layer, and the first antiferromagnetic layer is disposed on the underlayer.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a magnetoresistive element, and to a thin-film magnetic head, a head assembly and a magnetic disk drive each including the magnetoresistive element.
2. Description of the Related Art
Performance improvements in thin-film magnetic heads have been sought as areal recording density of magnetic disk drives has increased. A widely used type of thin-film magnetic head is a composite thin-film magnetic head that has a structure in which a write head and a read head are stacked on a substrate, the write head incorporating an induction-type electromagnetic transducer for writing, the read head incorporating a magnetoresistive element (hereinafter, also referred to as MR element) for reading.
Examples of the MR element include a GMR (giant magnetoresistive) element utilizing a giant magnetoresistive effect, and a TMR (tunneling magnetoresistive) element utilizing a tunneling magnetoresistive effect.
Read heads are required to have characteristics of high sensitivity and high output. As the read heads that satisfy such requirements, those incorporating spin-valve GMR elements or TMR elements have been mass-produced.
A spin-valve GMR element and a TMR element each typically include a free layer, a pinned layer, a spacer layer disposed between the free layer and the pinned layer, and an antiferromagnetic layer disposed on a side of the pinned layer farther from the spacer layer. The free layer is a ferromagnetic layer having a magnetization that changes its direction in response to a signal magnetic field. The pinned layer is a ferromagnetic layer having a magnetization in a fixed direction. The antiferromagnetic layer is a layer that fixes the direction of the magnetization of the pinned layer by means of exchange coupling with the pinned layer. The spacer layer is a nonmagnetic conductive layer in a spin-valve GMR element, and is a tunnel barrier layer in a TMR element.
Examples of a read head incorporating a GMR element include one having a CIP (current-in-plane) structure in which a current used for detecting a signal magnetic field (hereinafter referred to as a sense current) is fed in the direction parallel to the planes of the layers constituting the GMR element, and one having a CPP (current-perpendicular-to-plane) structure in which the sense current is fed in a direction intersecting the planes of the layers constituting the GMR element, such as the direction perpendicular to the planes of the layers constituting the GMR element.
Read heads each incorporate a pair of shields sandwiching the MR element. The distance between the two shields is called a read gap length. Recently, with an increase in recording density, there have been increasing demands for a reduction in track width and a reduction in read gap length in read heads.
As an MR element capable of reducing the read gap length, there has been proposed an MR element including two ferromagnetic layers each functioning as a free layer, and a spacer layer disposed between the two ferromagnetic layers (such an MR element is hereinafter referred to as an MR element of the three-layer structure), as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,035,062 B1, for example. In the MR element of the three-layer structure, the two ferromagnetic layers have magnetizations that are in directions antiparallel to each other and parallel to the track width direction when no external magnetic field is applied to those ferromagnetic layers, and that change their directions in response to an external magnetic field.
In a read head incorporating an MR element of the three-layer structure, a bias magnetic field is applied to the two ferromagnetic layers. The bias magnetic field changes the directions of the magnetizations of the two ferromagnetic layers so that each of the directions forms an angle of approximately 45 degrees with respect to the track width direction. As a result, the relative angle between the directions of the magnetizations of the two ferromagnetic layers becomes approximately 90 degrees. When a signal magnetic field sent from the recording medium is applied to the read head, the relative angle between the directions of the magnetizations of the two ferromagnetic layers changes, and as a result, the resistance of the MR element changes. For this read head, it is possible to detect the signal magnetic field by detecting the resistance of the MR element. The read head incorporating an MR element of the three-layer structure allows a much greater reduction in read gap length, compared with a read head incorporating a conventional GMR element.
For an MR element of the three-layer structure, one of methods for directing the magnetizations of the two ferromagnetic layers antiparallel to each other when no external magnetic field is applied thereto is to antiferromagnetically couple the two ferromagnetic layers to each other by the RKKY interaction through the spacer layer.
Disadvantageously, however, this method imposes limitation on the material and thickness of the spacer layer to allow antiferromagnetic coupling between the two ferromagnetic layers. In addition, since this method limits the material of the spacer layer to a nonmagnetic conductive material, it is not applicable to a TMR element that is expected to have a high output, or a GMR element of a current-confined-path type CPP structure, which is an MR element also expected to have a high output and having a spacer layer that includes a portion allowing the passage of currents and a portion intercepting the passage of currents. The above-described method further has a disadvantage that, even if it could be possible to direct the magnetizations of the two ferromagnetic layers antiparallel to each other, it is difficult to direct those magnetizations parallel to the track width direction with reliability.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,169,647 B1 discloses a method of weakly fixing the directions of the magnetizations of the two ferromagnetic layers of an MR element of the three-layer structure so that the magnetizations of the two ferromagnetic layers are directed antiparallel to each other, through the use of two antiferromagnetic layers disposed on the respective sides of the two ferromagnetic layers farther from the spacer layer.
However, this method has a disadvantage that a reduction in read gap length is difficult due to the presence of the two antiferromagnetic layers. In addition, while this method requires that the exchange coupling magnetic fields generated from the two antiferromagnetic layers be directed antiparallel to each other, it is very difficult to subject the two antiferromagnetic layers to such a heat treatment (annealing) that this requirement can be satisfied.

Magnetoresistive element including a pair of free layers coupled to a pair of shield layers


A computer system is provided that includes a camera device and a processor configured to receive scene data captured by the camera device for a three-dimensional environment that includes one or more physical objects, generate a geometric representation of the scene data, process the scene data using an artificial intelligence machine learning model that outputs object boundary data and object labels, augment the geometric representation with the object boundary data and the object labels, and identify the one or more physical objects based on the augmented geometric representation of the three-dimensional environment. For each identified physical object, the processor is configured to generate an associated virtual object that is fit to one or more geometric characteristics of that identified physical object. The processor is further configured to track each identified physical object and associated virtual object across successive updates to the scene data.

Typical surface reconstruction processes that produce and update geometric representations of a physical environment sporadically change between each update. While the structure of the geometric representation may stay consistent, due to camera noise and environmental changes, the vertices and indices of the geometric representation may be significantly different between one surface reconstruction update to another. Developing applications that utilize these sporadically changing geometric representations can be challenging.

Object permanence in surface reconstruction


An instrument heater for heating a surgical instrument. The instrument heater includes a sheath having an inner and outer wall. The inner wall forms a bore through which the optical scope is inserted. A chemical solution fills the space between the inner and outer wall of the sheath. At one end of the sheath is an activator disk having a chemical substance attached to its surface. When the activator disk is flexed, it ejects the chemical substance and interacts with the chemical solution to initiate an exothermic reaction. The exothermic reaction results in the generation of heat within the sheath, which is transmitted to the surgical instrument. Once the surgical instrument is sufficiently heated to a temperature close to the temperature of a body, the optical scope is inserted into the body. A natural tendency for the instrument to fog up is prevented by the equalizing the temperature of the instrument with the body.

1. Technical Field of the Invention
This invention relates to instrument heaters, and more particularly, to an apparatus for heating a instrument used in surgery, such as laparoscopic surgery.
2. Description of Related Art
Various delicate and small instruments are used in surgery. One of the most important instruments utilized by surgeons is an optical scope. An optical scope is essentially a telescope which normally has a camera for inserting through a small incision into a human body to view the interior of the body, such as the stomach. The optical scope includes a long thin cylindrical probe having a lens at one end and a fiber optic line that connects a camera to the lens. Wires connect the camera to a display used for viewing by a surgeon. The long thin portion of the probe is small enough and long enough to enter through the small incision. The use of the optical scope provides a very useful means for viewing the interior of the human body, without opening the cavity of a body to major surgery (e.g., large incisions).
Although the optical probe is very useful in surgery, there is a problem associated with using the optical scope. When the optical scope is initially inserted through the small incision into the interior of the body, the lens at the tip of the optical scope fogs up. The optical scope's lens fogs up because of the differential in temperature between the initial temperature of the probe and the interior of the human body. The optical scope is much cooler than the warm and moist interior of the human body. This temperature differential produces a moist film on the lens of the optical scope, resulting in the clouding of the lens.
When the lens fogs up, a surgeon must wait several minutes, with the optical scope being inserted into the interior of the body, until the temperature of the optical scope is equalized with the temperature of the interior of the body. This is a waste of precious time and prolongs the length of the surgery. Therefore, a simple, safe, sterile and inexpensive method and apparatus is needed to prevent the lens of the optical scope from fogging up. The present invention provides such a device.
One known prior art teaching of a solution to the aforementioned deficiency and shortcoming is to coat the lens of the optical scope with an anti-fogging material prior to inserting the scope into the incision. To date, the results from this prior art technique have been marginal at best. Other prior art references that discuss subject matter that bears some relation to matters discussed herein are U.S. Pat. No. 5,207,213 to Auhll et al. (Auhll), U.S. Pat. No. 4,279,246 to Chikama (Chikama), U.S. Pat. No. 5,400,767 to Murdoch (Murdoch), U.S. Pat. No. 5,549,543 to Kim (Kim), and U.S. Pat. No. 5,647,840 to D'Amelio et al. (D'Amelio).
Auhll discloses a laparoscope for performing laparoscopic surgery. The laparoscope includes a rigid elongated sheath tube having a distal section and a proximal section. The distal section has a distal tip with a lens. The lens has an exterior surface located at the distal tip. The laparoscope includes a fluid flow channel which terminates in a nozzle located at the distal tip for directing a fluid flow across the exterior surface of the lens. The laparoscope further includes a first channel which terminates in an orifice which is capable of directing a flow of irrigation fluid along a selected path. Auhll does not teach or suggest a simple method for preventing the formation of moisture film on the lens of an optical scope. Auhll merely discloses a complicated apparatus for removing the moisture film by directing a fluid over the optical scope.
Chikama disclose a device for preventing the clouding of an observing window of an optical scope using heat rays from a light source. A converter is provided for changing light into heat and transmitting optical bundles. A portion of the light is changed into heat by the converter causing the observing window to be warmed, thereby preventing the clouding. Although Chikama discloses a method and apparatus for heating the lens of an optical scope. Chikama does not use a simple, disposable sheath to warm the optical scope. Chikama utilizes a complicated device having a light source, to generate the necessary heat. Murdoch discloses a device for cleaning the lens of an optical scope within removing the scope from the body cavity. The device includes a tube, an inner diameter of the tube accepting the shaft of the optical scope. On the inner circumference, near to or at one end of the tube, is a ridge that can direct a flow of fluid within the tube onto the lens of the optical scope. During operation, whenever the lens becomes obscured, a fluid is injected into the device to clean the lens. Murdoch does not teach or suggest a device to prevent the formation of a moisture film on the lens of the optical scope. Murdoch merely discloses a device to remove a film obscuring the lens of the optical scope.
Kim discloses a laparoscopic defogging apparatus used to regulate and maintain the temperature of a lens at an end portion of the laparoscope. The apparatus utilizes a receptacle containing a first sterile fluid in which the lens is placed within. Additionally, a container is provided into which the receptacle is placed, the container being adapted to receive and contain a second sterile fluid at a sufficient depth to provide thermal contact with at least a part of the receptacle side wall portion. Kim also includes a heating device which provides heat to the sterile fluids whereby the laparoscope is maintained at a constant desired temperature. Although Kim discloses a device which warms the lens of an optical scope, Kim does not teach or suggest a simple method for heating the lens. Rather, Kim utilizes a complicated device using fluids to maintain the lens of the optical scope at the desired temperature.
D'Amelio discloses an endoscope having a distally heated lens for performing laparoscopic surgery. The laparoscope includes a rigid elongated sheath tube which encloses means defining a fiber optic light caring bundle. The fiber optic bundle has a proximal end which is adapted to be operatively coupled to a light source having light energy including infrared radiation and a distal end which is located in the distal section of the sheath tube contiguous the distal lens. The lens is heated by the light source. D'Amelio does not teach or suggest a device which can be simply and effectively used on an existing optical scope. D'Amelio merely discloses designing an entirely new and more complicated optical scope to prevent the formation of an film obscuring the lens of the optical scope.
Additionally, other methods have been used to solve the problem of moisture film formation. One such method involves applying alcohol wipes to the lens prior to use within the interior of the body. However, the alcohol wipes do not prevent the formation of the moisture film. Since the alcohol is cool, the lens remains cool, resulting in the formation of the unwanted film.
Thus, it would be a distinct advantage to have a method and apparatus for heating an optical instrument to prevent the fogging of the lens of the optical instrument. It is an object of the present invention to provide such a method and apparatus.

Method and apparatus for heating a surgical instrument

Fieldtech Avionics and Instruments, Inc.


A method of making a power transmission belt/belt sleeve, which method includes the step of providing a first mold assembly having a central axis and a circumference, providing a sheet material having first and second oppositely facing surfaces, placing the sheet material around the first mold assembly and causing a contoured portion of the first surface to be keyed to the first mold assembly so that the sheet material is in a predetermined circumferential position relative to the first mold assembly, providing a second mold assembly having a contoured surface, placing the contoured surface of the second mold assembly against the second surface of the sheet material, providing a guide element, operatively connecting the guide element between the first and second mold assemblies so that the guide element maintains the second mold assembly in a predetermined circumferential position relative to the first mold assembly, and forming the second surface of the sheet material through the contoured surface of the second mold assembly with the first and second mold assemblies and sheet material in an operative relationship. The contoured portion of the first surface of the sheet material can be pre-formed or formed in place on the first mold assembly.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to power transmission belts and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for producing a power transmission belt having cogs/teeth on opposite sides thereof.
2. Background Art
There are two methods commonly practiced to form raw-edge, double-cogged belts; a pre-form method and a spun cog method.
In the pre-form method, a sheet material made up of at least a reinforcing fabric and an unvulcanized rubber layer is placed against a flat mold having alternating grooves and projections on the surface thereof. The sheet material is pressed against the mold surface to cause a complementary groove and projection pattern to be formed on the sheet material. The resulting product is commonly referred to as a "cog pad". The cog pad is then fitted around a cylindrical inner mother die that is part of an inner mold assembly. The butt ends of the cog pad are joined to form an endless sleeve around the inner mother die. Load carrying cords are then spirally wound around the sleeve followed by uncontoured canvas fabric and unvulcanized rubber sheet layers. This entire assembly is then fit within a cylindrical outer mother die/mold assembly having alternating grooves and projections forming cogs on its radially inwardly facing surface. The outer mother die is used to form cogs on the outer surface of the sleeve, which is then vulcanized. This method is capable of producing accurate cogs by reason of the pre-forming of the sheet material. However, because of the pre-forming step, this method may be relatively expensive to practice.
In the spun cog method, an uncontoured reinforcing fabric and unvulcanized rubber sheet are wound around a cylindrical inner mother die/mold assembly having a cog pattern defined by alternating grooves and projections. The inner mother die is disposed on a support. Load carrying cords are wound spirally around the fabric and rubber sheet under high tension. Thereafter, another uncontoured reinforcing fabric layer and uncontoured unvulcanized rubber layer are wound therearound. The inner mother die with the various layers built up thereon is then fitted within a cylindrical outer mother die having alternating grooves and projections defining a cog pattern. The built up layers on the inner mother die are shaped into a sleeve with a cog-like pattern on oppositely facing surfaces. This sleeve is then vulcanized.
While the spun cog method can be performed relatively inexpensively, often an inaccurate cog formation results by reason of the reinforcing fabrics and unvulcanized rubber sheets not being pre-formed. Accurate cog formation requires winding of the load carrying cords under tension that is high enough to cause the unvulcanized rubber sheet to fully penetrate into the grooves of the inner mother die.
In both of the above methods, the alignment between the teeth cogs on the oppositely facing surfaces of the sleeve depends upon the accurate alignment of the inner and outer mother dies, as dictated by the belt specificafion. A common problem is a misalignment between the dies, resulting in misalignment of the teeth/cogs on the oppositely facing sleeve surfaces.
This is particularly a problem in environments such as driving mechanisms on snowmobiles and the like using variable speed belts. These belts are required to have high side pressure resistance and good flexibility for long belt life. Precise, predetermined positioning between the inner and outer cogs in such environments is critical.

Method and apparatus for producing a power transmission belt


A method of depositing organic layers on a substrate in organic light emitting devices is disclosed. The method uses a donor support which is coated with a transferable coating of an organic donor material selected as one of a plurality of organic materials useful in an organic light emitting device. The donor coating is positioned in transferable relationship with the substrate in an environment of reduced pressure. The donor support is heated to cause the transferable coating of organic donor material to transfer to a position on or over the substrate and to form a layer of the organic material on the substrate.

For the fabrication of organic, light-emitting devices (also referred to as electroluminescent devices and, in abbreviation, as EL devices), it is important that the thin film preparation method is scaleable to substrates of various sizes and particularly to large area substrates for economic reasons. Among various fabrication methods, physical vapor deposition has been widely used because it is relatively simple and is capable of producing highly efficient devices.
Turning to FIG. 1, which shows a schematic view of a prior art method of making organic layers for organic light emitting devices. A substrate 10 which is to receive an organic layer, is positioned adjacent to an aperture mask 12. The aperture mask 12 provides an aperture shown as a dimension A over a portion of the substrate 10. An organic material 3 which is to provide a layer on or over the substrate, is disposed in a source crucible 4 which is heated by suitable arrangements such as shown heating coils 5. When heat is applied to the crucible 4, the organic material vaporizes in a reduced pressure environment, such as in a reduced pressure chamber 1 having a pump port 2. The vapor emanates from the crucible 4 as schematically indicated by the dotted vapor arrows 3v and condenses as a deposited layer 3d, also depicted in dotted outline, on portions of the chamber 1, the underside of the aperture mask 12, on the substrate 10 through the aperture A in mask 12, on the underside of a shutter blade 7 and associated shutter shaft 8, as well as on the surfaces of deposition monitors 9a and 9b.
In order to fabricate highly efficient organic light mitting devices it is preferred to sequentially deposit on the substrate 10 a plurality of relatively thin (approximately 100-500 .ANG.) organic layers of different organic materials, as will be detailed below. Prior to forming each of these layers on the substrate, the shutter shaft 8 is rotated such that the shutter blade 7 is positioned to shield the substrate 10 until such time as is needed to initiate and stabilize the vaporizing of an organic material 3 from the source crucible 4, measured by the deposition monitors 9a, 9b. During this start-up and stabilizing period, the above-mentioned layers 3d of organic material are formed within portions of the chamber 1, but not on the substrate. Upon opening the shutter blade 7 to the position shown in FIG. 1, an organic layer 3d is formed on the substrate, and the layers elsewhere in the chamber keep growing in thickness. Such growth of layer thickness within the portions of the chamber and its associated parts can lead to cracking, flaking or dusting of these layers during cycles of pressure reduction (pump-down) and pressure increase (venting) of the chamber and during rotation of the shutter between open and closed positions.
It will be appreciated that the generation of these undesirable particulates reduces the yield of devices having consistent quality. Frequent cleaning of the chamber and associated parts can overcome the yield concern, but at the cost of reduced throughput of fabricated devices.
Another disadvantage of this prior art method of depositing organic layers in organic light emitting devices is relatively poor utilization of the organic material 3 in the source crucible 4, i.e., as little as approximately 10-20% of organic material 3 may be utilized to form a layer 3d on the substrate 10, with 80-90% of the material forming undesirable layers elsewhere in the chamber. Since the fabrication of highly efficient organic light emitting devices calls for purified, and therefore relatively expensive, organic materials, poor material utilization is clearly undesirable.
The aforementioned significant disadvantages are magnified when contemplating the fabrication of organic EL devices over relatively large area substrates, for example over substrates as large as 30 cm by 30 cm.

Method of depositing organic layers in organic light emitting devices