A passive locator and method for a wireless communication system. The locator (56) at base station (12) determines the position and trajectory of wireless terminal (22). The passive locator (56) adjusts azimuthal and elevational angles of a directional antenna (58) until a relative maximum power is detected in the signal transmitted from the wireless terminal (22). A processing circuit (60) determines the trajectory of the wireless terminal (22) by generating and analyzing data that represents the Doppler effect on the signal from the wireless terminal (22).

In a wireless communication system, wireless terminals communicate with a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) through distributed base stations. Each base station covers a selected geographic region commonly referred to as a "cell". At the boundaries, cells often overlap such that multiple base stations cover some common geographic area. While in a common area, a wireless terminal may be serviced by any of the associated base stations. Thus, when a call is initiated in a common area, a Mobile Switching Center (MSC) connects the call to the base station that receives the strongest signal from the wireless terminal. In current systems, the MSC connects the call to this base station even if the wireless terminal is traveling away from the base station. This can lead to unwanted service interruptions.
As a wireless terminal moves between cells during a single call, the wireless system disconnects the call from a first base station and connects the call through a second base station. This is commonly referred to as a "hand-off". Current wireless systems monitor the power of a signal received from a wireless terminal to determine when to hand-off a call to a different base station. When the signal power falls below a selected level, the wireless system polls the neighboring base stations to measure the power of the signal from the wireless terminal. The wireless system connects the call to the base station that recorded the strongest signal from the wireless terminal. By basing the hand-off decision on signal power, current wireless systems often hand-off a call to a base station even if the wireless terminal is currently moving away from the base station. Ultimately, such an improper hand-off can also lead to service interruption and subscriber dissatisfaction.
The demand for wireless telephone service is increasing at a rapid rate. To increase the capacity of existing wireless systems, wireless service providers split cells to increase the effective frequency reuse in a given area. By thus splitting the existing cells, a wireless service provider increases the number of potential hand-offs required during a single call and also increases the number of overlapping areas covered by multiple base stations. Thus, the frequency of improper hand-offs and subscriber dissatisfaction are likely to also increase.

Locator and method for a wireless communication system


For use with a power converter having a main output and an auxiliary output and an auxiliary regulating switch that regulates a voltage at the auxiliary output, a transient response network, and method of diverting energy from the main output to the auxiliary output. In one embodiment, the transient response network, includes: (1) an energy diverting switch interposed between the main output and the auxiliary output, and (2) a control circuit, coupled to the energy diverting switch, that senses a characteristic of the power converter and causes the energy diverting switch to conduct a current in response to a substantial load reduction at the main output thereby diverting energy from the main output to the auxiliary output.

Multiple output switching converters are often employed to provide multiple output voltage levels from a single transformer with the outputs consisting of a main output and at least one auxiliary output. Typically, the main output is designed to operate at a higher voltage (e.g., a higher DC voltage) than the auxiliary output. When changes in load conditions occur, multiple output converters endure output voltage variations that are detrimental to the overall operation of the converter. In switching converters, a controlling parameter, such as the duty cycle of the main power switch therein, may be regulated to either increase or decrease the voltages at the main and auxiliary outputs, concurrently. When only one output is regulated, however, all other outputs may be adversely affected with load variations. The problem is exacerbated when the load requirements at the outputs move in opposite directions, since each output demands a conflicting change in duty cycle of the main power switch to adjust the output voltage to the desired value.
Common techniques for improving output regulation of a multiple output converter include weighted sum averaging, series pass regulation and shunt regulation. Weighted sum averaging allows improvement of the output regulation of one output at the expense of the other. A series pass regulator may be used to regulate small amounts of current. As current requirements increase, the series pass regulator becomes more expensive and the power losses increase. Shunt regulators divert current through series impedances in order to vary the output voltage. The current is shunted to the ground or common side and power is dissipated. Each of these techniques offers trade-offs between the efficiency and regulation of the converter.
Another technique used in multiple output converters is called a current diverter circuit as disclosed by J. Palczynski, in "Current Diverter-A Novel Circuit to Regulate Multiple Outputs," pp. 456-462, Proceedings of APEC 1993, which is incorporated herein by reference. The current diverter circuit is basically a shunt regulator for application to multiple output converters that do not have independent regulation of the separate outputs. The current diverter circuit continuously bleeds current from the higher voltage output to the lower voltage output. This technique, although an improvement from an efficiency perspective over straight shunt or series regulators, results in a continuous power loss with a resulting degradation of the power unit efficiency. The current diverter circuit is also limited by the accuracy of regulation achievable at the outputs of the converter. Additionally, there is a practical limit to the maximum power that can be bled from one output to the other.
Multiple output converters which employ independent precision regulators for each output are able to achieve accurate regulation is of both outputs. Typically, the main output voltage is controlled by regulating the energy applied to the transformer using PWM control of the main power switch on the primary side of the transformer. The other or auxiliary output, on the other hand, is regulated by an independent means on the secondary side of the transformer. The independent means may be a magnetic amplifier or an equivalent active circuit.
A particularly troubling problem exists in this multiple output converter when a significant portion of the load on the main output decreases. When the load is removed or greatly reduced, the regulating circuit for the main output drops to a minimum modulation condition. Since the auxiliary output also receives its input from energy transferred across the transformer, the independent regulating means for the auxiliary output typically cannot compensate for the substantial decline of the regulating signal for the main output. Consequently, the auxiliary output drops out of regulation for a period of time causing an unacceptable decrease in the auxiliary output voltage. If the auxiliary output is supplying power to a computer circuit, for instance, the loss of regulation, even for a brief period of time, can have catastrophic consequences which cannot be corrected even when the load at the main output returns to an acceptable level and regulation of the auxiliary output is restored.
Accordingly, what is needed in the art is a system that maintains regulation of the output voltages for a multiple output converter even in the event of transient conditions, such as a decrease in the load at the main output, while preserving the overall efficiency of the converter.

Transient response network, method of diverting energy in a multiple output power converter and a power converter employing the same


A method and apparatus for wireless communications wherein a base station transmits a signal to sending data to a subscriber station through a signal beam that sweeps through the coverage area of the base station. User data addressed to the subscriber station is buffered until the signal beam angle of the signal beam allows efficient transmission. The base station may alter the beam sweep speed or the shape of the beam's radiation pattern over time to maximize system efficiency and capacity.

I. Field of the Invention
The current invention relates to wireless communications. More particularly, the present invention relates to the use of beam sweeping techniques to provide greater capacity in a multi-user wireless communication system.
II. Description of the Related Art
A modern day communication system is required to support a variety of applications. One such communication system is a code division multiple access (CDMA) system which conforms to the "TIA/EIA/IS-95 Mobile Station-Base Station Compatibility Standard for Dual-Mode Wideband Spread Spectrum Cellular System", hereinafter referred to as IS-95. The CDMA system allows for voice and data communications between users over a terrestrial link. The use of CDMA techniques in a multiple access communication system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,901,307, entitled "SPREAD SPECTRUM MULTIPLE ACCESS COMMUNICATION SYSTEM USING SATELLITE OR TERRESTRIAL REPEATERS", and U.S. Pat. No. 5,103,459, entitled "SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR GENERATING WAVEFORMS IN A CDMA CELLULAR TELEPHONE SYSTEM", both assigned to the assignee of the present invention and incorporated by reference herein.
The International Telecommunications Union recently requested the submission of proposed methods for providing high rate data and high-quality speech services over wireless communication channels. A first of these proposals was issued by the Telecommunications Industry Association, entitled "The cdma2000 ITU-R RTT Candidate Submission", hereafter referred to as cdma2000 and incorporated by reference herein. Methods of transmitting user data (non-voice data) over fundamental and supplemental channels are disclosed in cdma2000.
In a CDMA system, a user communicates with the network through one or more base stations. For example, a user on a subscriber station communicates to a land-based data network by transmitting data on the reverse link to a base station. The base station receives the data and can route the data through a base station controller (BSC) to the land-based data network. The forward link refers to transmission from the base station to a subscriber station and the reverse link refers to transmission from the subscriber station to a base station. In IS-95 systems, the forward link and the reverse link are allocated separate frequencies.
The subscriber station communicates with at least one base station during a communication. CDMA subscriber stations are capable of communicating with multiple base stations simultaneously during soft handoff. Soft handoff is the process of establishing a link with a new base station before breaking the link with the previous base station. Soft handoff minimizes the probability of dropped calls. The method and system for providing a communication with a subscriber station through more than one base station during the soft handoff process are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,267,261, entitled "MOBILE ASSISTED SOFT HANDOFF IN A CDMA CELLULAR TELEPHONE SYSTEM," assigned to the assignee of the present invention and incorporated by reference herein. Softer handoff is the process whereby the communication occurs over multiple sectors which are serviced by the same base station. The process of softer handoff is described in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 5,625,876, entitled "METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PERFORMING HANDOFF BETWEEN SECTORS OF A COMMON BASE STATION", assigned to the assignee of the present invention and incorporated by reference herein
In existing CDMA systems, soft handoffs are established and torn down based on the strength of base station signals received from subscriber stations. In an IS-95 system, for example, subscriber stations measure pilot strength levels for multiple base stations. When the pilot strength level received at a subscriber station from a base station exceeds a threshold T_ADD, that base station is added to the active set of the subscriber station. The base station is removed from the active set of the subscriber station when the strength of the pilot signal received at the subscriber station from that base station falls below a threshold T_DROP. When strength of the same pilot rises again above threshold T_ADD, the base station is re-added to the active set. Backhaul connections between base stations and their respective base station controllers (BSC's) are typically established and torn down in conjunction with these changes in the active set of each subscriber station. The setting up and tearing down of each such backhaul link requires messaging traffic between base stations and the BSC. It is desirable to minimize the backhaul capacity consumed by this messaging traffic. In IS-95, for example, a pilot is not removed from the active set immediately upon its received signal strength dropping below T_DROP. An additional criteria is applied that the strength of a pilot in the active set must remain below T_DROP for longer than a guard time T_TDROP. Adding this guard time requirement decreases the likelihood that a base station is removed from a subscriber station's active set because of spurious signal level fluctuations.
Given the growing demand for wireless data applications, the need for very efficient wireless data communication systems has become increasingly significant. The IS-95 standard is capable of transmitting traffic data and voice data over the forward and reverse links. A method for transmitting traffic data in code channel frames of fixed size is described in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 5,504,773, entitled "METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR THE FORMATTING OF DATA FOR TRANSMISSION", assigned to the assignee of the present invention and incorporated by reference herein. In accordance with the IS-95 standard, the traffic data or voice data is partitioned into code channel frames which are 20 msec wide with data rates as high as 14.4 Kbps.
A significant difference between voice services and data services is the fact that the former imposes stringent and fixed delay requirements. Typically, the overall one-way delay of speech frames must be less than 100 msec. In contrast, the data delay can become a variable parameter used to optimize the efficiency of the data communication system. Specifically, more efficient error correcting coding techniques which require significantly larger delays than those that can be tolerated by voice services can be utilized.
The parameters which measure the quality and effectiveness of a data communication system are the transmission delay required to transfer a data packet and the average throughput rate of the system. Transmission delay does not have the same impact in data communication as it does for voice communication, but it is an important metric for measuring the quality of the data communication system. The average throughput rate is a measure of the efficiency of the data transmission capability of the communication system.
In a CDMA communication system, capacity is maximized when the transmission energy of signals is kept to the minimum value that will satisfy reliability performance requirements. The reliability in reception of a signal depends on the carrier-to-interference ratio (C/I) at the receiver. Thus, it is desirable to provide a transmission power control system that maintains a constant C/I at a receiver. Such a system is described in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 5,056,109 (the '109 patent) entitled "Method and Apparatus for Controlling Transmission Power in a CDMA Cellular Telephone System", assigned to the assignee of the present invention and incorporated by reference herein.
In the '109 patent, a closed loop power control system is described in which the C/I (referred to in the '109 patent as signal to noise ratio) is measured at the receiver and compared to a single threshold value. When the measured C/I exceeds the threshold, a power control command is sent requesting the transmitter to decrease its transmit power. Conversely, when the measured C/I falls lower than the threshold, a power control command is sent requesting the transmitter to increase its transmit power. Because the C/I is not the only factor that determines the reliability of reception of a signal, the '109 patent also describes an outer loop power control system that varies the threshold value in order to satisfy a target reliability.
It is well known that in cellular systems the C/I of any given user is a function of the location of the user within the coverage area. In order to maintain a given level of service, TDMA and FDMA systems resort to frequency reuse techniques, i.e. not all frequency channels and/or time slots are used in each base station. In a CDMA system, the same frequency allocation is reused in every cell of the system, thereby improving the overall efficiency. The C/I that any given user's subscriber station achieves determines the information rate that can be supported for this particular link from the base station to the user's subscriber station. Given the specific modulation and error correction method used for the transmission, which the present invention seeks to optimize for data transmissions, a given level of performance is achieved at a corresponding level of C/I. For idealized cellular system with hexagonal cell layouts and utilizing a common frequency in every cell, the distribution of C/I achieved within the idealized cells can be calculated. An exemplary system for transmitting high rate digital data in a wireless communication system is disclosed in copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/963,386, entitled "METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR HIGHER RATE PACKET DATA TRANSMISSION," (hereafter the '386 application) assigned to the assignee of the present application and incorporated by reference herein.
It is also well known that much of the signal interference in a loaded CDMA system is caused by transmitters belonging to the same CDMA system. In an effort to increase capacity, cells are often divided into sectors or smaller cells operating at lower power, but such methods are costly and difficult to apply in areas having widely varying signal propagation properties. The data communication system of the present invention provides a way of decreasing the mutual interference between elements in the system without requiring a large number of small cells.

Wireless communication system with base station beam sweeping


A method for verifying compliance of a communication device with one or more requirement specifications is disclosed. The method comprises establishing a link between a test system and the communication device, wherein the establishing comprises configuring one or more bearers and one or more control channels; closing a test loop comprising the test system and the communication device, wherein the closing comprises activating a test loop function of the communication device; sending data in a downlink of the test loop from the test system to the communication device; receiving the data at the communication device; transferring at least some of the data to an uplink transmission arrangement of the communication device after a specific event has occurred; and verifying, at the test system, transmission in an uplink of the test loop from the communication device to the test system. Corresponding test system and test loop function arrangement are also disclosed.

In the course of developing standardizations for communication technologies, requirement specifications are often provided. The requirement specifications are developed to support requirement testing of communication devices and to be used in such conformance test activities. The purpose of the requirement testing is to show that a communication device is compliant with the relevant communication standard this is shown by demonstrating fulfillment of the requirement specifications. Various requirement (or test) specifications commonly cover different aspects of the relevant standard such as, for example, compliance with control signaling aspects, correct data transfer, and performance within certain limits under certain conditions.
A common way to perform requirement testing of communication devices is to connect the communication device to a test tool (test system) and let the test system initiate different aspects of the communication device functionality. The test system then verifies that the communication device performs its tasks in compliance with the requirement specifications.
When terminal communication devices are to undergo requirement testing, a common prerequisite to enable test automation and to achieve repeatability of test results is that the terminal communication device comprises some specific test functions.
When testing certain aspects of communication standards, Mobile Originated (MO) data transfer is required. Mobile Originated data refers to data that is to be transmitted from a terminal communication device to a communication network, for example data transmitted in an uplink (UL) of a radio link in UTRA (UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access). To enable testing of such scenarios, test functions in the terminal communication device are needed to trigger and generate MO data transfer in the uplink (i.e. data transmission by the device under test).
To this end, the specific test functions in the terminal communication device may comprise a function adapted to loopback data. For example, such a function may be adapted to return data that was transmitted by the test system to the terminal communication device by transmitting the same data back to the test system.
This technique to loopback data is commonly used to test compliance in relation to different communication technologies, for example mobile communications technologies in relation to UTRA as specified in the 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) specification TS 34.109 "Terminal logical test interface; Special conformance testing functions".
Examples of communication standards relevant for the purposes of embodiments of the present invention are GPRS (General Packet Radio Service), UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunication Standard) and UMTS LTE (UMTS—Long Term Evolution). In the following the description of problems, which arise in connection with existing requirement testing methods and devices, and of the solutions thereof according to embodiments of the invention will be described with focus on UMTS LTE. It is emphasized, however, that the invention is by no ways limited to this communication standard, bur is equally applicable to requirement testing in relation to other communication as will be readily understood by the skilled person.
It is to be noted that all references to 3GPP specifications are to be understood as references to the versions of the specifications as published on the home page of 3GPP on May 6, 2008.
The 3GPP standard for UMTS LTE specifies how a terminal communication device should behave when it has data pending for transmission in the uplink. In order to verify such behavior, specific test functions to trigger and generate data for transmission in the uplink are required. In TS 34.109 referenced above, test functions have been defined for UTRA that perform loopback of data received from the test system in the downlink (DL) so that the data is returned in the uplink. In the test functions defined in TS 34.109 each data unit received in the downlink is directly returned in the uplink. Further, these test functions are based on that data units received in the downlink on a bi-directional radio bearer is directly forwarded to the uplink for transmission on the same radio bearer.
In order to be able to verify the terminal behavior for certain scenarios, there is a need to have means to control (e.g. from the test system) when the data sent in the downlink is to become available for transmission in the uplink in the terminal. Such a scenario might be a connection re-establishment after radio link failure when the terminal has data pending for transmission in the uplink (see e.g. R5-081618 (available from ftp://www.3gpp.org/tsg_ran/WG5_Test_ex-T1/TSGR5—39_KansasCity/Tdoc/R5-081618.zip), 3GPP RAN5 work plan for TS 36.523-1; R5-081618 is to be included in TS 36.523-1, "Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA) and Evolved Packet Core (EPC); User Equipment (UE) conformance specification; Part 1: Protocol conformance specification").
Similarly, there is also a need to be able to verify terminal communication device behavior for certain mobility scenarios, for example for a handover between different radio access technologies (RATs) (see e.g. R5-081618 as specified above).
To be able to verify terminal behavior for such scenarios, the test system needs to be able to control the timing relation between certain events and actions in the test procedure.
The 3GPP specifications TS 23.401, "General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) enhancements for Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) access" and TS 24.301, "Non-Access-Stratum (NAS) protocol for Evolved Packet System (EPS); Stage 3" define terminal behavior in respect of how the terminal should map Service Data Flows (SDF) to EPS-bearers to achieve necessary QoS (Quality of Service) based on a configured filtering mechanism (UL TFT—Uplink Traffic Flow Template). UL TFT is an example of packet filtering which is a more general term applicable also to other communication standards. The UL TFT may, for example, specify type(s) of service, port number(s), etc for different Service Data Flows. Similar functionality for how the uplink IP (Internet Protocol) packet flows are mapped to the correct bearer (e.g. the correct PDP (Packet Data Protocol) context) via UL TFT is also described in TS 23.060, "General Packet Radio Service (GPRS); Service description; Stage 2" and TS 24.008, "Mobile radio interface Layer 3 specification; Core network protocols; Stage 3".
Test loops, such as those specified in TS 34.109 as reference above, do not provide loopback functionality required to verify correct UL TFT handling by the terminal device. Thus, means are needed to be able to test correct behavior of the terminal in respect of UL TFT functionality. There is a need to test handling of UL TFT within a same radio access technology. If for example new EPS-bearers or PDP-contexts are activated, or EPS-bearers or PDP-contexts are released or modified while the terminal remains within one and the same RAT. There is also a need to test handling of UL TFT when the terminal experiences a handover between radio access technologies. For example, after an E-UTRA to UTRA handover, EPS-bearers are replaced by PDP-contexts. Thus, correct handling of this situation in relation to UL TFT needs to be verified.
Therefore, there is a need for methods, arrangements and test systems that enables requirement testing of scenarios where the timing relation between certain events and actions in the test procedure needs to be controlled. There is also a need for methods, arrangements and test systems that enables requirement testing of scenarios where packet filtering is applied.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Methods, test systems and arrangements for verifying compliance with requirement specifications


A wash product and method for both washing and disinfecting articles during a washing cycle where the washing can be done in a conventional washing machine using the combination of a conventional detergent for removing residue from the articles and a source of silver ions and a hydantoin for increasing the level of available silver ions to a level that is greater than the level of available silver ions normally available if the source of silver ions were used without the hydantoin.

The concept of a washing machine having a tub for holding a body of water and soiled laundry therein is known in the art. Typically, during a laundry cycle one dispenses a detergent such as a laundry detergent into the body of water where an agitator swishes the water and soiled laundry back and forth to remove the soil from soiled laundry. Sometimes a disinfectant, such as bleach may be dispensed into the water to disinfect the laundry during the laundry cycle. However, a disadvantage of the use a disinfectant such as bleach is that it may cause damage to the laundry and can injure a person if not handled properly.
Another method of both cleaning and disinfecting during a laundry cycle uses a specialized washing machine for both cleaning and sanitizing laundry. The specialized washing machine, which is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 7,322,065, instead of using a bleach to disinfect, uses a detergent and colloidal silver to wash and disinfect a batch of soiled laundry. The specialized washing machine includes a tub to hold the water and the soiled laundry as well as two silver plates to generate colloidal silver. A voltage, which is applied to the plates, produces the appropriate concentration of colloidal silver in the washing machine with the colloidal silver acting as a disinfectant while the detergent removes the soil from the laundry. The insitu generation of colloidal silver in the washing machine allows the laundry to be both cleaned and disinfected at the same time. However, such systems are both complex and costly since the washing machine requires a set of electrodes as well as a system for controlling the voltage to the electrodes in order to generate sufficient colloidal silver to disinfect the laundry since a sufficient level of silver ions must be generated in the water in order to disinfect the laundry during the laundry cycle.
Another type of well-known washing machine is the dishwasher which typically contains racks for holding soiled dishes while a dishwasher detergent, which is dissolved in wash water, is sprayed on the dishes to remove any residue on the dishes. In some cases one may want to also sterilize or disinfect the dishes. One way of sterilizing or disinfecting is to send the dishes through a high temperature cycle that is sufficient to kill harmful organisms, however, such systems may have adverse effects on the dishes. In other systems a disinfectant may be added to the dishwasher detergent.
The above concepts of sanitizing and disinfectant an article during a washing cycle requires either a special washing machine or the use of disinfectants or heat that may damage the articles whereas the invention described herein comprise a detergent product that can be safely used in a conventional washing machine or dishwasher. While heavy metals such as silver are known as disinfectants unfortunately one of the disadvantages of using a chemical source of silver ions is that the level of available silver ions for disinfecting the articles may be limited by the solubility of silver in the wash water thus creating conditions wherein the articles are not sufficiently disinfected or sanitized since insufficient silver ions are present to sanitized or disinfect the articles.

Wash product comprising a disinfectant mixture of silver ions and non-disinfectant hydantoin


Provided is a method and apparatus for assigning an Internet Protocol (IP) address using agents in a zero configuration network. The IP address assignment method involves: (a) receiving a registration request message of a user computer which contains a home agent IP address, and the ID and password of the user computer; (b) transmitting to the user computer an encoded address answer message which indicates permission of the address registration; and (c) setting up a network environment in the user computer by decoding the encoded address answer message. Problems of mobile IP extensibility and a dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) authentication are solved by applying the concept of a mobile Internet protocol agent to the protocol in a zero configuration network.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for assigning an Internet Protocol (IP) address to a node connected to a network, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for assigning an IP address to a node connected to a network by using a zero configuration.
2. Description of the Related Art
The first method of assigning an IP address was that a user set up an IP address by himself after receiving the IP address from a network administrator on the Internet. Then, the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), an institute for enacting Internet standards, suggested a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) that assigns IP addresses automatically. Although the DHCP is widespread, its function is limited to minimizing the number of IP addresses that are not used in a corresponding network by assigning efficiently IP addresses to many nodes within a network. When a node of a network is moved to another network, the DHCP has a shortcoming that it performs a user authentication poorly.
Although a node of a network is moved, a mobile IP in support of IP address translation performs authentication and allows the general use of a network. However, to use the mobile IP, a mobile agent, which is an administrator of a network for mobile computers, should be set up, which causes the following problems. First, when a mobile node using a mobile IP, i.e., a mobile computer, is moved to another network from a network it belonged to, network resources are wasted a lot because all the traffics transmitted to the node should pass through a home agent, which is an agent of the network the mobile node originally belonged to. A second problem is that one single agent cannot afford to administrate a great deal of mobile nodes.

Method and apparatus for assigning IP address using agent in zero configuration network

Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute


A lifting mechanism having special utility for snowmobiles that become stuck in the snow. The lifting mechanism enables a single person to lift the snowmobile up and to the side whereby the snowmobile track gains traction on new snow. It comprises a base plate, a vertical support of a plurality of sections, and a ratchet assembly which includes a cable for attachment to the snowmobile. The base plate is designed to facilitate side movement of the support after the snowmobile has been lifted.

This invention is directed at a portable apparatus that is very useful and convenient for lifting sport vehicles and other objects. More particularly, the apparatus of the present invention is a lifting mechanism that has special utility for sport vehicles such as snowmobiles and all terrain vehicles when the vehicle becomes stuck or mired in snow. The lifting mechanism of the present invention enables or permits a single person to lift the vehicle such as a snowmobile up and to the side. This is important because it enables the snowmobile track to come down onto fresh or undisturbed snow, in whole or part. Where the track can gain a hold and get traction sufficient to become unstuck. The lifting mechanism can be stowed compactly in or on the snowmobile so that it is available for use when the vehicle gets stuck in the snow in isolated or back country areas.


Membrane-electrode assemblies are provided having a solid polymer electrolyte membrane that exhibits higher proton conductivity over a wide temperature range, and exhibits superior hot water resistance, chemical stability, toughness and mechanical strength. The membrane-electrode assemblies utilized for solid polymer electrolyte fuel cells include an anode electrode, a cathode electrode and a solid polymer electrolyte membrane, the anode electrode and the cathode electrode disposed on opposite sides of the solid polymer electrolyte membrane. The solid polymer electrolyte membrane contains a polyarylene copolymer with a specific constitutional unit having a fluorine atom and nitrile group introduced in their principal chains.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to membrane-electrode assemblies, which are utilized for solid polymer electrolyte fuel cells, which may provide the fuel cells with higher power-generating performance due to superior proton conductivity, and which include solid polymer electrolyte membranes having superior toughness and hot-water resistance.
2. Related Art
The solid polymer electrolyte membranes of the membrane-electrode assemblies for fuel cells are generally classified into inorganic and organic types.
The inorganic type is typically exemplified by those containing uranyl phosphate hydrate; however, proton-conductive materials formed of such inorganic compounds typically exhibit poor workability; that is, when electrode layers are being connected, the adhesiveness is often insufficient at the interfaces between the electrode layers and the proton-conductive materials, thus resulting in lower power generating performance due to insufficient proton conductivity at the interfaces.
On the other hand, examples of the organic type include so-called cationic exchange polymers, sulfonated vinyl polymers such as polystyrene sulfonic acid, perfluoroalkyl sulfonic acid polymers such as Nafion (product name, by DuPont), perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acid polymers, and organic polymers of such heat resistant polymers as polybenzimidazoles and polyetheretherketone having sulfonic or phosphoric group introduced therein (see Non-patent Documents 1 to 3 described below).
These organic polymers are typically utilized in the form of a film of a solid polymer electrolyte membrane. In contrast to inorganic materials, the organic polymers may be advantageously processed such that a conductive membrane can be connected onto an electrode because organic polymers are soluble in solvents and are thermoplastic.
Furthermore, Patent Document 1 proposes a solid polymer electrolyte membrane formed of a rigid sulfonated polyphenylene, which is based on a polymer produced by polymerizing an aromatic compound having a phenylene chain and introducing a sulfonic acid group through a reaction with a sulfonating agent.    Non-patent Document 1: Polymer Preprints, Japan, Vol. 42, No. 7, pp. 2490-2492(1993)    Non-patent Document 2: Polymer Preprints, Japan, Vol. 43, No. 3, pp. 736 (1994)    Non-patent Document 3: Polymer Preprints, Japan, Vol. 42, No. 3, pp. 730 (1993)    Patent Document 1: U.S. Pat. No. 5,403,675
However, most of these organic polymers suffer from such problems as insufficient proton conductivity, insufficient durability, decrease of proton conductivity at higher temperatures, e.g., no less than 100 degrees C., significant decrease of mechanical properties, e.g., elastic modulus in particular, significant fluctuation of proton conductivity under various humidity conditions, unsatisfactory adhesion with electrodes, and decrease of strength or disintegration of assemblies induced from excessive swelling due to hydroscopic polymer structures. As such, there exist a variety of problems in the organic polymers, described in the Non-patent Documents for example, for applying to solid polymer electrolyte membranes.
In addition, the organic polymers described in Patent Document 1 described above may provide higher proton conductivity when the additional amount of sulfonic acid group is increased; however, there simultaneously arise problems in that mechanical properties of sulfonated polymers, for example, breaking elongation, folding resistance and toughness, and also hot water resistance, are remarkably impaired.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide membrane-electrode assemblies (hereinafter referred to sometimes as "MEA") for solid polymer electrolyte fuel cells that may display superior proton-conductive power generating performance and also exhibit excellent toughness and hot water resistance.

Membrane-electrode assembly for solid polymer electrolyte fuel cell and method of producing the same


Systems and methods for evaluating a performance maturity level of a software application are described herein. In an implementation, the method includes obtaining at least one assessment parameter and at least one sub-parameter of the at least one assessment parameter, based on at least one of a key performance area and a key competency area. Further, a weightage is assigned to the at least one sub-parameter, the weightage being based on significance of the at least one sub-parameter to the assessment parameter. In addition, a performance questionnaire is configured, based on the at least one assessment parameter and the at least one sub-parameter. Subsequently, a maturity score is determined for the software application, in response to inputs to the performance questionnaire, the maturity score being indicative of the performance maturity level of the software application.

With the onset of automation in almost every walk of life, software applications have replaced tedious human labour in almost all avenues. For example, applications are developed and implemented for carrying out monetary transactions, accounting, travel booking, hotel management, cab management, and a plethora of other such purposes.
Subsequently, upon deployment of the software application, such application is typically accessed by many users concurrently. The volumes of data created or searched on the software application can grow to millions or billions of records. Accordingly, the software applications are tested to ensure that the software performs the functions it is designed for. Software applications are tested for functionality, bugs, and glitches in order to determine whether the software applications meet required goals or not. Several methods have been conventionally devised to monitor and improve the performance of a software application. In order to consider the rapid changes that occur in the technology landscape, such conventional techniques usually take into account the functional aspects of application development and deployment.

Evaluating performance maturity level of an application


The present invention proposes an analyzing apparatus by which the operator can easily obtain the management information and/or the analysis progress information of plural apparatuses without going around to check the plural analyzing apparatuses one after another. In a liquid chromatograph 201 as an embodiment of the present invention, an individual management information collector 20 collects individual management information of the apparatus through an internal communication interface 28. Examples of the individual management information include: state of operation; operator name; control information of a liquid supply pump 4, an automatic sampler 6, a column oven 8 and a detector. A total management information collector 24 searches the network for other liquid chromatographs 202, 203, collects the individual management information of said other liquid chromatographs 202, 203, and combines the collected information and the individual management information of the liquid chromatograph 201 to form total management information. The total management information is shown to the operator on a display 25 or a web server 26 publishes the information to network 14 through a network interface 22.

An analyzing apparatus such as a liquid chromatograph is operated with various kinds of management information. Examples of such management information include: the apparatus ID number, status information (e.g. "Run", "Finished", "Ready"); period of use of the light source or its degree of degradation (if the apparatus includes an optical detector); and the results of an operation check. Usually, an analyzing apparatus is provided with a controller for collecting such information within the apparatus and for showing the information on a display or the like to the operator. The information thus shown helps the operator to determine, for example, whether the apparatus is capable of conducting a new analysis or whether maintenance work is necessary.
Usually, a company, research institute or the like has plural analyzing apparatuses. In such case, when it is necessary to get information about each apparatus, the operator needs to go to the site of every apparatus, and check the information of every apparatus.
Many analyzing apparatuses are nowadays provided with computers. Usually, a normal personal computer is connected to an analyzing apparatus, and a dedicated program for the analyzing apparatus is installed in the computer. According to the program, the analyzing apparatus sends the results of an analysis, and the computer processes the analysis data and shows the processed data on the display. The management information of the analyzing apparatus is also sent to the computer, which is also shown on the display of the computer. If the operator wants to know the status of every analyzing apparatus, he or she must go to the computer or the analyzing apparatus to see the information on the display.
Thus, in the analysis with plural analyzing apparatuses, when the operator wants to know the state of the operation of each apparatus or to find an apparatus available for a new analysis, it is necessary to go to the site of every analyzing apparatus and check the state of the operation by the information provided by the apparatus or the computer connected to it. When many analyzing apparatuses are distributed far from one another, it is a very troublesome and time-consuming task to check the states of the operation of all the apparatuses one after another.
The problems described above concerning the management information apply also to the case where the operator must check the analysis progress information.
The analysis progress information is first explained. When, for example, plural test specimens are analyzed with a liquid chromatograph, an automatic sampler is used. Several analysis schedules are prepared beforehand where each analysis schedule determines the vial numbers of the automatic sampler and the injecting amount of the specimen of each vial. One of the analysis schedules is selected, and a sequence of plural analyses is performed using the liquid chromatograph. That is, test specimens are sampled from vials one after another with the automatic sampler as specified by the analysis schedule, analyzed by the liquid chromatograph, and the analysis data is collected. Usually, the apparatus has a display for showing the operator the progress of the sequence of analyses along the schedule. An analysis information also refers to a process of a simple analysis.
The recent trend in this case is also to use a personal computer coupled with the analyzing apparatus. Besides controlling the apparatus and processing the analysis data, the personal computer shows the operator the analysis progress information of a sequence of analyses, or the analysis progress information of a single analysis.
For improving the efficiency of analysis, companies and research institutes often use plural analyzing apparatuses and usually keep them in round the clock operation. Under such circumstances, the operator needs to perform various tasks as follows: to check the state of operation of each apparatus; to find an apparatus available for a new analysis; or to check the progress of plural analyses which the operator is in charge of. Conventionally, the operator needs to go to the site of every analyzing apparatus, and to check the state of the operation or the progress of the analysis by viewing the information provided by the apparatus or the computer connected to it. When many analyzing apparatuses are distributed far from one another, it is a very troublesome and time-consuming task to check the states of operation of all the apparatuses one after another.
To address the above problems, the present invention proposes an analyzing apparatus by which the operator can easily get the management information and/or the analysis progress information of plural apparatuses without physically going to each individual one. The present invention also proposes a method of and a system for collecting information about plural analyzing apparatuses.

Method of and system for collecting information about analyzing apparatuses, and the analyzing apparatus


A process and system for selecting mature sperm for assisted reproduction techniques such as intracytoplasmic sperm injection comprises applying a binding substrate specific to mature sperm to a surface; applying a sperm suspension to the surface; and contacting the sperm suspension and the mature sperm binding substrate on the surface. The process then comprises permitting mature sperm from the sperm suspension to bind to the mature sperm binding substrate at a periphery thereof; and removing bound sperm from the periphery of the mature sperm binding substrate. Preferably, the mature sperm binding substrate is a fluid and comprises hyaluronic acid or a salt thereof, a polysaccharide, a glycosaminoglycan, a zona pellucida component, zona protein of the egg membrane or a structural or functional homolog or analog of the sperm-binding elements of the female reproductive tract or the zona pellucida, a proteoglycan, or an antibody to a protein receptor for mature sperm.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a process and system for selecting mature sperm from a sperm population for assisted reproduction, and for intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) and determining mature sperm count and, in particular, to the use of a mature sperm binding substrate applied to a surface on which mature sperm, but no sperm with diminished maturity, selectively bind. The mature sperm binding substrate will also serve as laboratory testing material to determine whether some fertile or infertile men have a sperm maturation deficiency.
2. Description of Related Art
Assisted reproduction techniques in current use include intrauterine insemination of sperm, in vitro fertilization (IVF) of the egg with sperm, and ICSI and spermatid or other immature germ cell injection into oocytes. In the case of intrauterine insemination and conventional IVF, assisting the sperm selection process is not necessary, because the fertilization depends on a selection process that is based on physiological and specific interaction of sperm and oocyte. However, in severe male infertility requiring ICSI with ejaculated, epididymal or testicular sperm, the operator arbitrarily chooses and introduces the fertilizing male gamete regardless the maturity of the sperm.
In the ICSI process, the operator injects the sperm into the oocyte, thus overriding the steps of sperm-zona interaction which in conventional fertilization with mature sperm consists of the following steps: sperm-zona pellucida binding acrosome reaction of the spermatozoa, sperm penetration into the zona, fusion of the sperm and the oolemma, oocyte activation and creation of an embryo. Immature sperm do not bind to the zona because the development of the zona-binding site is part of the sperm maturation process. In the present ICSI procedure the operator may select both mature or immature spermatozoa. Immature spermatozoa, which have a higher incidence of faulty genetic material, and which prior to ICSI have never been part of the fertilization pool, will undoubtedly cause at least a portion of the pregnancies resulting from the ICSI process.
At the present time, the overt rate of congenital malformations and sex chromosome abnormalities in humans, although it is about double of the normally occurring rate, it is still very low in ICSI offspring. However, the oldest of these children are only a few years old, and thus it is not yet known if their individual development, growth, sexual maturation, fertility, cancer rate, life span and the rate of congenital malformation in their children are affected. An important goal would be to develop methods by which mature sperm, similar to those predominant in normal fertile men, whether arising from ejaculated semen, from the epididymis or testes, could be selected for ICSI. Such sperm selection process would maintain the risk of adverse fetal outcome at a level similar to that of couples reproducing by conventional methods based on sperm-oocyte interaction. Ideally, the selection technique would be able to select both motile and immotile mature sperm. A selection technique specific for mature sperm would also facilitate the determination of the proportion of mature sperm in husbands of infertile couples, in order to test male fertilization potential and determine the necessity and optimal choice among the available methods of assisted reproduction.
Bearing in mind the problems and deficiencies of the prior art, it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method and system for distinguishing and selecting mature sperm from immature sperm.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method and system for selecting mature sperm in which the motility indicates viability and is also able to select immotile but viable mature sperm. Non-viable sperm, because the integrity of the oocyte activator factor(s) and genetic material are diminished, are not desirable for ICSI.
A further object of the invention is to provide a method and system for selecting mature sperm which may be used in assisted reproduction techniques, particularly the ICSI method.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a testing method and system for determining mature sperm count in general sperm population men who are investigated for potential diminished fertility or infertility.
Still other objects and advantages of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part be apparent from the specification.

Process and system for selection of mature sperm by surface membrane determinants for assisted reproduction


An automated system of the present invention adds electrolyte into a pool. The automated system includes a sanitizer generator, a circulation system, and an electrolytic solution delivery system. The circulation system, which includes the sanitizer generator, has a suction line and a discharge line that delivers water from the pool through a circulation path. The delivery system controls the introduction of electrolyte into the water.

The present invention relates to the field of sanitizing pools and spas. In particular, the present invention relates to an automated system for adding an electrolytic solution (i.e. sodium chloride, potassium chloride, sodium chlorite etc.) to swimming pools, spas, and other water features.
Pools, spas, and water features have a circulation system that continually pumps water from the pool or spa through a filter, heater, and sanitizer feed system before returning the water back to the pool, spa, or water feature. The circulation system is necessary to maintain the body of water at sanitary conditions. The water passes through the filter to reduce the accumulation of foreign material, such as hair, soil, or solids, in the pool or spa. Once the water has been filtered, the water passes through the heater, where the water is heated prior to returning to the pool, spa, or water feature.
In addition to filtering, pool, spa, and water feature water also requires regular sanitization in order to maintain hygienic conditions. Allowing sanitation levels to either fall below or rise above required specifications results in decreased efficiency of the system. Low levels of chemical sanitizer in the pool, spa, or water feature can contribute to algae blooms, bacterial breakouts, cloudiness in the water, and chemical imbalances. One method for sanitizing pool or spa water is by adding sodium chloride (NaCl) to the pool, spa, or water feature and passing the sodium chloride containing water through a chlorine generator where electrolysis converts the sodium chloride and water to sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl), by the following reaction:2NaCl(aq)+2H2O→Cl2(g)+H2(g)+2NaOH(aq)→NaOCl(aq)+H2O+NaCl(aq)+H2(g).
The chlorine generator is capable of being powered on and off depending on the concentration of sanitizer in the water. When there is a sufficient level of sanitizer in the pool or spa water, the chlorine generator is powered off and no reaction takes place as water passes through it. Thus, water circulating through the circulation system is filtered and heated, but the composition of the water is not altered. When the level of sanitizer has fallen to a minimum level, the chlorine generator is powered on and the sodium chloride and water passing through the chlorine generator is converted to sodium hypochlorite. The chlorine generator remains powered on until the concentration of sanitizer in the water has reached a desired steady state level.
To be effective, electrochemical generation of chlorine in a circulation system of a pool or spa requires sodium chloride to be maintained in the pool or spa water within a specified range to efficiently produce chlorine. Water in the pool or spa can be lost due to filter backwash, bather carry-out, and leaks in the infrastructure of the pool or spa body and plumbing. When the water level in the pool or spa decreases to a minimum level, fresh water must be pumped into the pool or spa to restore the water level to normal operating conditions. Fresh water is typically added to the pool or spa through a fresh water line plumbed directly to the pool or spa. As fresh water is added, sodium chloride must also be added to replenish loss of sanitizer from the pool or spa water.
Currently, sodium chloride is added directly to the pool or spa by manually pouring bags of granular salt along the perimeter of the pool and subsequently brushing the salt into the pool to increase the speed of dissolution and to inhibit corrosion of the plaster surface from direct contact with the sodium chloride. Although this method is necessary during the start-up process due to the high initial charge of salt required to reach target concentrations, this procedure becomes a time-consuming project when dosing for maintenance purposes. Manual addition of sodium chloride to a pool or spa also increases the risk of improperly dosing or adjusting the level of salt concentration in the pool. Increased voltage and heat generation of the system can also increase when the level of electrolyte is below the required specification, potentially resulting in electrical component failures. High levels of electrolyte in the pool can increase the potential for corrosion for pool equipment and pool surfaces.

Automated electrolyte addition for salt water pools, spas, and water features


In an adjusting mechanism which is connected to first and second camshafts of a camshaft drive arrangement including a control device for adjusting the phase position of at least one of the camshafts relative to a crankshaft of an internal combustion engine, and having a drive device for driving the camshaft arrangement, a first partial mechanism for driving the first camshaft and a second partial mechanism for driving the second camshaft are provided so as to be driven in parallel by means of a common drive device for adjusting the angular position of the first and second camshafts relative to the crankshaft of the engine.

The invention relates to an adjusting mechanism for adjusting the phase relationship between a camshaft and a crankshaft driving the camshaft.
It is known in motor vehicles to utilize variable valve control to optimize fuel consumption and engine performance. For this purpose, for example, the actuation of inlet and outlet valves is varied as a function of engine operating conditions. In engines, a camshaft is gear-driven by a crankshaft via a drive belt or chain, either of which extends around gears of an intake and/or exhaust camshaft and a crankshaft operating the intake and exhaust valves. To vary the valve actuation, it is possible for example to vary the phase position of one camshaft relative to the crankshaft or relative to the other camshaft. Such arrangements for adjusting the phase position conventionally require a relatively large amount of installation space, which is difficult to provide in modern vehicles in which a plurality of units are arranged. In addition, the scarcely available installation space is further restricted by the increasing demands for passive vehicle safety.
An adjusting mechanism is known from the disclosure DE 100 06 365 A1, said adjusting mechanism being formed by planetary gear sets whose elements are concentrated substantially axially on two camshafts which are connected by means of the adjusting drive. Here, one drive wheel drives a first camshaft of the adjusting mechanism via a traction means, said first camshaft then driving a further camshaft which is also part of the adjusting mechanism. The drive wheel also drives a third camshaft which is not connected to the adjusting mechanism.
It is the principle object of the present invention to provide as compact an adjusting mechanism as possible for a camshaft drive arrangement.

Adjusting mechanism for a camshaft arrangement


A multiple-fold automatic umbrella includes: a control device having a ring-shape push button slidably held in the grip having an upper latch integrally formed on a ring portion of the push button which is engaged with a slot formed in a lower runner slidably held on a central shaft of the umbrella for locking the runner and central shaft at their folded state, and which is disengaged from the slot of the runner for opening the umbrella when depressing the push button; and an elongated cylinder of an anti-false operation safety device resiliently held in the grip having a lower latch resiliently formed on a lower portion of the cylinder for preventing unexpected depression on the lower latch and only after the umbrella is opened, the lower latch may then be actuated, upon depression of the push button, for closing the umbrella from an opened umbrella, thereby providing an automatically opening and closing umbrella with simplified structure and minimized elements for the control device of the umbrella.

This invention is a further improvement over the previously issued U.S. Pat. No. 5,626,161 (hereinafter called "prior art") also granted to the co-inventors of this application.
The prior art disclosed a multiple-fold automatic umbrella having a push button slidably held in the grip for controlling the opening and closing of the umbrella with simplified control means.
However, the control means (5) of the prior art can be further modified to further simplify its structure and minimize the elements in construction of the control means (5).
For instance, the upper latch (52) is separated from the push button (51) and may be integrally formed with the push button (51) for simplifying the structure and minimizing the parts of the control means (5). The lower latch (54) formed on the cylinder (571) of the anti-false operation safety means (57) is directly depressed by the middle and outer tubes (13,14) when folding the umbrella (FIG. 3 of the prior art) to be easily damaged by fatigue failure. The cylinder (571) may be elongated to allow a top surface of the cylinder to be positioned above the lower latch (54) to directly receive the outer and middle tubes (14,13) when closing the umbrella to prevent a direct compression upon the lower latch (54) for prolonging service life of the control means (5).
The present inventor has found the drawbacks of the prior art and invented the present automatic umbrella with simplified structure and minimized elements of the control means.

Multiple-fold automatic umbrella with simplified control mechanism and minimized elements


Improved current sensing methods and apparatus and conductor apparatus are presented for sensing current in a bus bar or other conductor using one or more circular magnetic sensors or multiple magnetic sensors disposed on a substrate in a pattern surrounding a longitudinal path within the outer periphery of the conductor to avoid or mitigate sensed magnetic field crosstalk and to facilitate use of high sensitivity magnetic sensors at locations inside the conductor periphery in which the magnetic field is relatively small.

Current measurements are used in a variety of applications, such as closed loop feedback control of power distribution systems in which a controller operates according to measured currents flowing within a particular circuit. For instance, a switching power supply may be operated so as to regulate an output current, and a feedback loop is formed to provide the power supply controller with an estimate of the output current flowing to a load. Currents flowing through a conductor may be sensed by measuring the voltage across a sense resistor connected in series with the conductor, but this approach requires dissipation of energy through the sense resistor. To overcome this difficulty, magnetic sensor technology has been developed in which one or more sensors are placed near a current-carrying conductor to detect the magnetic field strength, and the amount of current flow is estimated based on the sensed field strength. In certain situations, however, the conductor is located in a machine or other system having significant amounts of magnetic fields unrelated to the current flowing through the conductor. In these conditions, a single magnetic sensor will detect fields associated with the current flow of interest as well as extraneous fields, sometimes referred to as crosstalk. Complicated filtering and signal conditioning circuits can be used to try to separate the signal interest from the crosstalk, but this increases the cost and complexity of the sensor system. Multiple sensor systems have been developed in which a number of magnetic sensors are disposed around the outside of the conductor, with the sensor signals being jointly processed to attempt to cancel the interference for improved current measurement accuracy. However, such multiple sensor techniques are much more costly than single sensor solutions, and occupy a significant amount of space in the area around the conductor of interest. In addition, the magnetic field strength near conductors carrying high amounts of current is often beyond the sensing range of high precision magnetic sensors, and accordingly high accuracy current sensing in these situations has been limited. Consequently, a need remains for improved apparatus and techniques by which cost effective accurate current sensing can be achieved in a compact sensor configuration while mitigating the adverse effects of crosstalk.

Apparatus and method for in situ current measurement in a conductor


A fiber optic stub fiber connector for reversibly and nondestructively terminating an inserted field fiber having a buffer over at least a portion thereof. The connector includes a housing and a ferrule including a stub fiber disposed within and extending from a bore through the ferrule. The ferrule is generally at least partially disposed within and supported by the housing. The connector further includes a reversible actuator for reversibly and nondestructively terminating the inserted field fiber to the stub fiber. The reversible actuator includes a buffer clamp for engaging with the buffer to simultaneously provide reversible and nondestructive strain relief to the terminated field fiber.

Fiber optic networks are becoming increasingly commonplace in telecommunications applications due to their increased bandwidth and distance capabilities relative to copper networks. Compared to copper systems, however, fiber optic cables and connections are well-known for their more critical and difficult terminations. For example, the alignment between abutted glass cores within a fiber optic interface is crucial to the performance of the connection.
Field installation of standard "pot and polish" fiber optic connectors is extremely labor- and expertise-intensive. The installer is required to prepare a fiber end, glue the fiber end into the connector, cleave the excess fiber from the endface of the connector, and polish the endface of the connector to obtain the optimum geometry for optical performance. Endface polishing is a difficult and time-consuming step, particularly when using singlemode fiber, and it is best performed by an automated polishing machine. Automated polishing machines are often large and expensive, however, making them impractical for field use.
Fiber pigtail connectors were designed to eliminate the need for these lengthy steps. A pigtail connector is prepared at the factory with a length of fiber. In the factory, precise polishing machines can be used to achieve a consistent polish. The endfaces can be inspected at the factory to ensure correct endface geometry for optimum performance. In the field, the installer would have to splice a length of fiber to a cable by means of a fusion splicing machine. This eliminates much of the labor time, but it requires the installer to purchase a fusion splicing machine and protective sleeve, which are expensive. This type of connector would require extra storage space for protection of the fusion splice.
Fiber stub connectors were designed to eliminate the need for expensive fusion splicing equipment, splice protection, and lengthy termination steps. The stub connector employs a short fiber stub that is spliced to the field fiber within the connector. Stub connectors typically require a crimp to either activate the splice or retain the field fiber, or both. The crimping operation, however, whether occurring at the interface point or at some other point to retain the field fiber, may have a tendency to pull the field fiber and stub fiber apart, or otherwise damage the signal-passing function of the interface. If the connection is found to be poor after the crimping occurs, the connector must be cut off because crimping is generally an irreversible operation. Thus, the connector and a length of fiber optic cable are wasted, and a new connector must then be terminated. This waste can be expensive and time-consuming, and can be an annoyance to the installer by delaying network activation. A reusable stub connector would thus be desirable.

Reversible fiber optic stub clamping mechanism


An anchor assembly includes a base to which at least one connector and three legs are operatively connected. The connector provides an anchorage point for connection to a lifeline. The legs are secured to a support structure. The legs are reinforced proximate the base and when a force is exerted on the at least one connector by the lifeline, the legs bend proximate the support structure thus placing a shear load on the legs proximate the support structure.

Various occupations place people in precarious positions at relatively dangerous heights, thereby creating a need for fall protection and fall arrest safety apparatus. Among other things, such apparatus may include a lifeline operatively connected to an anchorage member secured to a support structure, and a person working in proximity to the anchorage member is operatively connected to the lifeline. Obviously, the lifeline and the anchorage member must be secure enough to provide fall protection for workers during movement proximate the anchorage member. However, this may be more difficult when workers are performing tasks such as building construction because the anchorage members are often difficult to secure and may interfere with the workers' tasks.
The present invention addresses the problems associated with the prior art devices and provides for an anchor assembly for anchoring fall protection and fall arrest safety apparatus to a support structure.


The bristles for brushes used in the deceleration section of a sheet handling system are made of a pultruded construction utilizing a high strength fiber core and high wear resin binder to provide bristles which will not acquire a set from bending and exhibit extremely long wear life. Pultruded fibers of various cross sectional shapes and constructions may be utilized to tune the brushes to a particular sheet handling application.

The present invention pertains to a sheet feeding or delivering device and, more particularly, to an improved brush assembly for use in the deceleration section of a sheet conveying system.
Sheet conveying and handling systems often include a deceleration section where serially aligned sheets leaving an upstream conveyor are compressed and shingled on a slower moving downstream receiving conveyor. One common type of decelerating or shingling conveyor utilizes a vacuum belt which serves to capture the faster moving sheets from the upstream conveyor and hold them onto the vacuum belt of the slower moving deceleration conveyor. Depending upon sheet length, speed, and the material from which the sheets are made, a vacuum deceleration conveyor may alone be insufficient to provide adequate sheet deceleration and to maintain control of the sheet.
Various devices to assist the transfer of sheets onto a vacuum deceleration conveyor are known in the art. One common device is an arrangement of one or more brushes, each of which extends across the conveyor perpendicular to the direction of sheet travel and positioned to bring a line of flexible brush bristles into bearing contact with the upper surfaces of the sheets as they are delivered into the vacuum conveyor section. The brush or brushes assist in providing a frictional decelerating force to the sheets and also to press the sheets downwardly onto the vacuum conveyor because of the inherent resilience of the bristles. Such brush assemblies often include means for adjusting the angle and amount of bristle contact with the sheets to selectively vary the force imposed by the brushes.
Typical prior art sheet deceleration devices including brushes are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,998,141, 4,133,523, 4,667,953, and 5,599,012. Plastic fiber bristles are often used in such brushes, but little attention has been paid in the prior art to the particular selection of plastic resins from which such bristles are made. Bristles or strips made of polyurethane, nylon, neoprene and other common plastics are known, However, a characteristic common to all of these materials is that, in use and under load, whether constant or varying, prior art plastic bristles wear rapidly from contact with abrasive paper sheets and quickly take a permanent set reflecting the bend to which they are subjected in use. Both the reduction in bristle length because of wear and the effective change in bristle position because of a permanent set in the bristles change the performance of the brushes and eventually require readjustment of the brush positioning system or replacement of the brush.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,139,862 discloses electrically conductive flexible pultruded fibers which are used to make a brush-like contact for an electrical switch. No use of these fibers in a brush assembly for a sheet handling system is described or suggested.

Sheet deceleration device using pultruded bristle brushes


The present invention is generally directed to bipolar transistors with geometry optimized for device performance and various methods of making same. In one illustrative embodiment, the device includes a substrate, an intrinsic base region formed in the substrate, a continuous emitter region formed within the intrinsic base region, the emitter region having a plurality of substantially hexagonal shaped openings defined therein, and a plurality of extrinsic base regions formed in the substrate, wherein each of the extrinsic base regions is positioned within an area defined by one of the plurality of substantially hexagonal shaped openings.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention is generally related to the field of semiconductor devices, and, more particularly, to a bipolar transistor with geometry optimized for device performance and a method of making same.
2. Description of the Related Art
There is a constant drive within the semiconductor industry to increase the operating efficiency and reduce the size of bipolar junction transistors and integrated circuit devices incorporating such transistors. This drive is fueled by demands for electronic devices that operate at increasingly greater speeds, consume less power, and an overall desire for more physically compact devices. Power bipolar transistors are employed in a variety of integrated circuit devices. For example, such power bipolar transistors may be employed in a typical ADSL line driver or in a subscriber line interface card (SLIC) which are in widespread use in the telecommunications industry. Such power bipolar devices may operate in high voltage environments, e.g., 80–150 volts.
As is well known in the art, power bipolar transistors are typically fabricated on a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrate. Such power bipolar transistors may occupy a significant portion of the silicon area within a typical ADSL line driver or a typical SLIC, e.g., approximately 40% of the total silicon area. FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of various implant regions in an illustrative prior art power bipolar transistor 10. As shown therein, the power bipolar transistor 10 has a so-called multiple-stripe layout configuration. The power bipolar transistor 10 may be formed in an active layer of an SOI substrate. The transistor 10 is generally comprised of a collector region 16, a plurality of emitter regions 18, a plurality of extrinsic base regions 20, and an intrinsic base region 22. The intrinsic base region 22 is sometimes referred to as the base box. A trench isolation region 24 surrounds the bipolar transistor 10. The methods of forming such doped regions in the illustrative multiple stripe bipolar transistor are well known to those skilled in the art. Additionally, when the bipolar junction transistor 10 is completed, contacts will be formed to these various doped regions as is known in the art. The particular type of dopant materials, e.g., N-type or P-type, used to form the various doped regions shown in FIG. 1 will vary depending upon the type of device under construction, e.g., an NPN transistor or a PNP transistor. Of course, the precise dopant concentrations of the various doped regions may vary depending on the particular application.
As stated previously, there is a constant drive to reduce the size of such power bipolar junction transistor devices, while at the same time maintaining or enhancing the performance characteristics of such devices. Since multiple stripe power bipolar transistors may occupy approximately 40% of the silicon area of a typical SLIC, optimizing the performance of the power amplifier per unit of silicon area is one viable means for reducing die size. Accordingly, a desire and need exist for a layout geometry for a power bipolar transistor that can eliminate, solve or reduce one or more of the problems identified above. The layout of prior art bipolar junction transistors is also configured so as to avoid or reduce problems associated with current crowding which may result in localized hot spots within such a device. Such current crowding may limit the performance capability of the device and, in some cases, result in device failure. However, in avoiding current crowding problems, such prior art bipolar transistors consume a relatively large amount of silicon area.
The present invention is directed to various devices and methods that may solve, or at least reduce, some or all of the aforementioned problems.

Bipolar transistor with geometry optimized for device performance, and method of making same


In a centrifugal apparatus for separating wetting material carried on particulate matter or chips, such apparatus includes a truncated conical shaped bowl into which the particulate matter or chips are deposited for centrifugal separation. A number of equidistantly spaced and radially aligned vanes are secured to the inner surface of the bowl adjacent the truncated end to collect incoming particulate matter or chips, and to establish a buffer layer, reducing the abrasion on the bowl caused by the insertion of further particulate matter or chips.

This invention relates generally to the centrifugal separation of granular material, shredded material, or other particulate such as coal, scrap, and the like, from the wash water, or conveying fluids, or other liquid material, and more specifically, to improvements in the durability of the components of the centrifugal separator as affected by the centrifugal action in separating such material from the conveying fluids.
Various types of centrifugal separating apparatuses are represented in the prior art. The prior art apparatuses are usually constructed for distributing the liquid wetted granulated material, the crushed material, or chips, into the centrifugal separator without regard to the abrading effect the moistened particulate may have on the separating apparatus. This is especially true when the material of the particulate matter approaches the same characteristics as the material or components employed in the separator apparatus. For example, shredded or crushed metal components, such as the type normally fed through a crusher, may be formed of metal similar in composition to that from which the components of the centrifugal separator are fabricated. When the particulate matter has that characteristic, its abrading action upon select components of the separating apparatus can be very destructive, particularly when the apparatus operates over a period of time, with the frictional forces involved leading towards, in some instances, a rather prompt erosion of the component structure, which can lead towards an eventual breakdown of the centrifugal separating apparatus. As a result, expensive parts to the separator must be replaced, due to their shortened life, which can effect the overall useful life of the components and the separating apparatus itself, raise the cost of its maintenance, which may not have been anticipated in its life span and accounting when the apparatus was originally obtained.
The most relevant prior art known is the Derton, et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,135,659, and the Conn-Weld U.S. Pat. No. 4,900,442. U.S. Pat. No. 4,135,659, owned by a common assignee, is incorporated herein by reference.
It is therefore, the principal object of this invention to provide a means to extend the useful life of select components of a centrifugal separator, in order to reduce the installing expense, maintenance of the apparatus over its life span, and to extend the useful life span of the equipment.

Centrifugal separator with angulated vanes


An automatic opening and closing device including: a trunk lid; a drive unit which generates drive force for operating the opening and closing member; a hinge arm which is mounted between a rear fender and wheel house inner panel and the trunk lid; and a first link and a second link which transmit the drive force of the drive unit to the trunk lid. The drive unit is fitted to an edge portion of a trunk room aperture portion, and the first and second link are provided so as to straddle the hinge arm.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an automatic opening and closing device for automatically operating an opening and closing member like a trunk lid of a vehicle or the like.
Priority is claimed on Japanese Patent Application No. 2004-290211, filed Oct. 1, 2004, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference.
2. Description of Related Art
In the field of trunk lids of vehicles, there are known types in which the trunk lid is automatically opened and closed via a drive device. For example, there is a type in which, along with the main portion of an actuator, which is a drive device, being supported upon the vehicle body, the end of the actuator is supported upon a hinge member of the trunk lid, which is supported upon the vehicle body so as to be able to be opened and closed, with the trunk lid being opened and closed, via the hinge, by the actuator elongating and shortening (refer to Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. 2001-12145).
However, with the above described prior art type automatic opening and closing device, there is the problem in that a certain amount of drive force is required for varying the position of the actuator itself because when the trunk lid is being automatically opened and closed, the actuator varies its attitude along with this opening and closing operation for the trunk lid.
Furthermore, since the actuator moves along with a movable portion such as the hinge or the like and changes its attitude, there may be a loss of operational reliability of the actuator, if there is a possibility in that this change of attitude may exert an influence upon the operation of the actuator.


A positive displacement type pump used for applications such as pressurizing beverage dispensing containers, filling fire extinguishers, and pressuring welding tanks. CO.sub.2 or similar fluids are drawn into and discharged through the pump by a reciprocating piston driven by a rotating eccentric main bearing mounted on a bearing frame. The bearing frame comprises an open, unsealed pair of structural plates connected by tie rods, the main bearing itself being sealed by one of two seal arrangements to make it easily convertible between oil-lubricated and oil-free operation. For oil-lubricated operation, the main bearing is supplied with a surrounding sealed bearing sleeve compressed between the plates of the bearing frame. For oil-free operation, the main bearing is internally sealed. The main bearing is driven by a shaft supported on bearings in the plates, the bearings also being changeable between sealed and unsealed bearings for oil-free and oil-lubricated operations, respectively.

Pumps designed for pumping fluids such as liquid CO.sub.2 (carbon dioxide) are well known in the art. Such pumps are often used for the purpose of filling cylinders used in the beverage dispensing, fire extinguishing and welding industries. These pumps are typically self-contained units connected by intake and discharge tubing to a supply tank and to a cylinder which is to be filled and pressurized by the pump. The pumps typically include a sealed crankcase housing containing a shaft-driven bearing which reciprocates a piston in a cylinder, with a pump head mounted on one end of the housing to draw CO.sub.2 from the supply tank through an intake valve and to discharge it on the compression stroke through a discharge valve. Especially in food grade, medical, laboratory and welding applications, the pump housing must be carefully sealed to prevent lubricating oil from contaminating the cylinder being filled. The crankcase housings for the pumps have typically been costly to manufacture and difficult to seal, comprising large, relatively complicated cast or machined parts.
In food grade applications it is actually preferred to use oil-free pumps because of the risk of oil contamination, and for this purpose manufacturers typically offer both oil-using and oil-free pumps to their customers, depending on the application. Manufacturing two different styles of pump for oil-lubricating and oil-free use increases cost both to the manufacturer and to the customer.

Positive displacement pump for liquid and gases


A portable electronic device capable of expanding transmission distance of NFC is provided. The portable electronic device includes a watch-strap portion, a power module, an NFC module, and a relay coil group arranged in the watch-strap portion. The power module includes a wireless charging coil, and the NFC module includes an NFC antenna. The relay coil group is configured to relay external electromagnetic power from an external power source to the power module by the coil group being magnetically coupled with the wireless charging coil. The relay coil group is also configured to relay NFC information between the NFC module and an external NFC read-write device or an external NFC storing device by the coil group being magnetically coupled with the NFC antenna. Therefore, the distances for both charging and NFC functions are expanded.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to near field communication (NFC), particularly to a portable electronic device capable of expanding transmission distance for NFC functions.
2. Description of Related Art
With the popularization of NFC technology, portable electronic devices having a NFC module usually integrate with several different NFC applications, such as bus card, credit card, access card, bank card, and membership card. However, the transmission distance for performing NFC functions is short, which is inconvenient to use. In addition, these auxiliary NFC applications increase power consumption. Therefore, simplifying the charging process of the rechargeable battery and expanding the transmission distance for NFC functions, are important aspects in the design of portable electronic devices.

Portable electronic device capable of expanding transmission distance for near field communication functions


Methods and systems for manufacture of a garment are disclosed, in particular for generating fabrication data for manufacture of a garment, where said garment is for regulation of a body region of a wearer of the garment. Measurement data for the body region of the wearer is obtained, and the measurement data is modified to simulate a regulating effect for the garment. The modified measurement data is used to generate the fabrication data for manufacturing the garment. The measurement data may be obtained for an unregulated state of the body region of the wearer, the measurement data may be modified to simulate a regulated state of the body region of the wearer. An initial form of the garment may be manufactured using the fabrication data, and the measurement data used to obtain a three-dimensional model of the body region. The initial form of the garment may then be compared to the three-dimensional model; and the comparison used to modify the initial form of the garment.

Methods of measurement of subjects for selection or manufacture of garments for those subjects are well known. For bespoke manufacture of garments, such measurements are usually made by hand; this can be time-consuming and not sufficiently accurate. In addition, even for bespoke manufacture of garments components of the garment are often only available in a set of standard sizes or shapes. This can result in inaccurate sizing and fitting of garments, even with bespoke measurements.
However, some automated methods of measurement for selection of garments are known. For example, body scanners have been previously considered for determining approximate dimensions of body regions (or the entire body) of a subject, in order to suggest a most appropriate size of a garment for that subject. However, such scanning methods are typically not sufficiently accurate to be used for manufacture of garments, especially for bespoke garments.
Certain types of garments are especially vulnerable to disadvantages in previously considered methods and systems. For example, garments which shape, modify, control or otherwise regulate one or more body regions of the subject or wearer while being worn, can be particularly difficult to measure for, and to manufacture. For instance, inaccuracy in measurement can cause poor fitting, such as incorrect regulation or support of the body region in the finished garment. In the case of garments for support of a body region, such as a brassiere for support of the bust or breasts of the wearer, inaccurate measurement or survey of the wearer can result in the garment manufactured from that measurement causing discomfort, or rendering the garment unwearable.
Previously considered automated methods of measurement also typically do not account for subtleties of measurement, such as small differences in size and shape on either side of a body region, for example in either breast of a bust region, due either to normal variation, to changes during or post-pregnancy or to removal of breast material in a mastectomy procedure.
Furthermore, previously considered measurement methods typically do not consider the regulating effect of garments which regulate or support the body region; measurement is either made while the subject is already wearing a regulating garment, or while the subject is not wearing such a garment, but without accounting for measurement differences which may be caused once the regulating garment is worn.
Even the most accurate automated or by-hand measurement methods, even for bespoke manufacture, may still only be able to provide a finished garment which uses standard integer sizes for components of the garment.
Methods of automating certain cutting or assembly stages for garment manufacture are also known to the art. However, these are typically slow and inefficient, and require additional iterations or further fittings to compare the garment to the subject and further modify the garment. Typical automated methods are thus unsuitable in particular for complex garments such as brassieres. Moreover for such garments even if any automation is sufficiently accurate, typically standard or integer sizes for garments or components thereof are nevertheless used, causing further inefficiency and resulting again in imperfect fitting garments.
The present invention aims to address these problems and provide improvements upon the known devices and methods.


This flocking powder coated article comprises a base material (10) and a flocking coating layer (11). The flocking coating layer (11) includes: a coating film (110) constituted by a powder coating, and a portion of a flocking organic filler (13) buried in the powder coating; and a flocking layer (111) constituted by another portion of the flocking organic filler (13) projecting from the coating film (110). This flocking powder coated article does not have an adhesive layer for fixing the flocking organic filler (13).

A spring assembly housing a coil spring is used for, for example, an automobile power lift-gate, etc. The coil spring needs to have anti-rust property and sound attenuation property. Therefore, the surface of the coil spring is subjected to coating for endowing the coil spring with the anti-rust property and flocking processing for endowing the coil spring with the sound attenuation property.
Flocking processing refers to such a processing mode, i.e., pre-coating the surface of a to-be-processed object with an adhesive, and then planting short fibers on the surface thereof. An electrostatic flocking method is widely known as a processing method of flocking. In the electrostatic flocking method, by making the short fibers flying due to electrostatic force stuck into and adhered to the adhesive-coated surface of the to-be-processed object, the short fibers are fixed on the surface of the to-be-processed object in a substantially erecting state (e.g., referring to patent documents 1 and 2).


A laminated composite part includes a first member comprising a predetermined mating surface, and a second member that is made of an elastically deformable resin material, that comprises a plate-like portion substantially parallel to the mating surface and including a multiplicity of protrusions formed integrally with the plate-like portion, and that is set on the first member such that the protrusions contact the mating surface. The multiplicity of protrusions are formed so as to spread all over the plate-like portion, and a deformation guide portion is provided for each protrusion in a region of the mating surface the tip end of the protrusion contacts, so that when the protrusion is pressed, the deformation guide portion causes the tip end of the protrusion to slide and move along the mating surface in one direction determined for each protrusion and flexurally deforms the protrusion in the one direction.

Laminated composite parts are known which have (a) a first member having a predetermined mating surface, and (h) a second member that is made of an elastically deformable resin material, that has a plate-like portion substantially parallel to the mating surface and having a multiplicity of protrusions formed integrally therewith so as to protrude toward the mating surface so that space is created between the plate-like portion and the mating surface, and that is set on the first member such that the protrusions contact the mating surface, and (c) which have cushioning properties as tip ends of the protrusions are pressed by the mating surface and elastically deformed. A part described in Patent Document 1 is an example of such a laminated composite part, and relates to an interior part (armrest etc.) of a vehicle. Patent Document 1 describes a technique of providing a multiplicity of pin-shaped protrusions on the back surface of a surface materials the second member to improve the feel (soft feel) of the surface material by elastic deformation of the protrusions. Patent Document 1 also describes a technique of providing ribs instead of the pin-shaped protrusions.