A detergent composition comprising a granulated percarbonate and a blend which encapsulates the percarbonate is describe. The blend comprises a sulphate, carboxymethyl cellulose and a nonionic surfactant. The detergent composition comprises sodium metasilicate and does not include a zeolite, a perborate or a phosphate. The composition is capable of being stored in a water-soluble PVA film packaging for at least nine months and wherein the composition comprises between 1% and 15% percarbonate. The composition can include a phosphate substitute such as a polyacrylate. The composition can be compressed into a tablet format and used as a laundering product.

This invention relates to a detergent product formulations which can be packaged in water soluble film. The invention also relates to detergent formulations excluding phosphates.
A product of the invention is ideally for use in the laundering and conditioning of industrial and domestic man-made and/or natural fabrics in semi-automatic or automatic washing machines. It may also be used in dishwashers. For convenience purposes it is useful if this can be achieved by means of a soluble single compartment sachet containing varying amounts of bleaching detergents including for example sodium percarbonate. Typically a sachet may be made from a water soluble film such as PVA.
Conventional laundering detergents comprise perborates and zeolites and these compounds are not stable in water soluble film. Previous attempts have been made to manufacture fully built detergent and conditioner systems in a sachet have required a twin compartment sachet manufactured from a perforated film. These fully built detergent and conditioner systems generally contain bleaching agents. Sodium percarbonate is recognised in this field as a bleaching agent. However, use of percarbonate in sachets is not popular as it is unstable when combined with other components of a high moisture content.
Twin compartment sachets have a disadvantage in that they require greater mechanical action to dissolve the sachet and thus have long dispersion times. Also, they are expensive to manufacture.
Additionally, the perforated film used in these twin compartment sachets does not confer a significant shelf life to the components contained within the sachet, wherein the oxidising power of the bleaching agent is reduced.
Also, typically these formulations contain zeolites. These have high moisture content which affects the mechanical properties of the film e.g. the pliability.
Pollution problems arise from the use of phosphates in detergent compositions. Phosphates are required as solubilisers and aid detergency. However, they have a detrimental effect on the environment. Forthcoming European legislation will, require the amount of phosphate released into the environment to be minimised.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a detergent or bleaching agent for cleaning in laundries, or in domestic washing machines or dishwashers which is phosphate free.
According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a detergent composition comprising a granulated percarbonate and a blend which encapsulates the percarbonate, the blend comprising a sulphate, carboxymethyl cellulose and a nonionic surfactant, wherein the detergent composition comprises sodium metasilicate and does not include a zeolite, a perborate or a phosphate, and wherein the composition is capable of being stored in a water-soluble PVA film packaging for at least nine months and wherein the composition comprises between 1% and 15% percarbonate.
Preferably the detergent formulation uses sodium percarbonate, carboxy methyl cellulose, sodium sulphate, a nonionic surfactant blend, sodium silicate and a phosphate substitute, ie an alternative to the phosphates used in detergent formulations.
The phosphate substitute may be selected from the group comprising silicates, carbonates and polycarboxylates, which should be wholly or substantially anhydrous.
The invention specifically excludes polyphosphates and preferably includes polyacrylates in powdered or liquid form. In particular formulations the amount of emulsifier metasilicate is also increased and the amount of carboxymethyl cellulose is decreased and bleach activator is added when liquid polyacrylate is used.
Preferably the detergent further comprises bleach activator such as TAED.
The detergent may further comprise at least one ingredient chosen from the group comprising linear alkylbenzene sulphonate, sodium lauryl sulphate, sodium carbonate, low foam wetting agent, perfumes, optical brighteners, salts, pigments and enzymes.
In one embodiment the detergent formulation is a laundering product.
In an alternative embodiment the detergent is a machine dishwashing product.
Suitably the laundry or dishwashing product according to the present invention is packaged in PVA film. A product of the invention is stable in PVA film compared to other products containing zeolites and perborates.
Suitably the film is 20-80 microns thick.
The product may be incorporated into a tablet form.
The granulated form of percarbonate in the above permits efficient bleaching action of the laundry product whilst not effecting the stability of the product in storage.


Examples of an intelligent persona generation system are provided. In an example, the system receives an image and an identity creation requirement from a user. The system implements an artificial intelligence component to sort the sort the image into a plurality of objects. The system may identify a principal object from evaluation of the plurality of objects. The system may identify at least one parameter associated with the identity creation requirement and receive associated parameter data from a pre-existing library coupled to the processor. The system may determine a parameter set from the parameter data, associated with the principal object by performing a first cognitive learning operation. The system may implement a second cognitive learning operation on the principal object and the parameter set associated with the principal object to determine an identity model indicative of an identity creation relevant for processing the identity creation requirement.

The importance of artificial intelligence (AI) as a policy-making tool has increased significantly in recent times. For example, AI may be used to determine the needs of a particular demographic in a certain geographical region. In particular, AI may be used to determine the presence of homeless people and develop specific policies for them. Presently, countries have developed various mechanisms for identifying residents. These mechanisms include, for example, a Social Security Number (SSN) as used in the United States or an Aadhar card as used in India. In additions, organizations such as, for example, ID2020, provide shelter and sustenance for refugees by creating a secure ID for each refugee. However, such methods do not account for people who may be homeless and thus do not have permanent contact information or people who suffer from a mental illness, which prevents them from remembering their personal information. For example, providing any kind of identity card to a homeless person who is also suffering from a mental illness like dementia may not be worthwhile. Such a person may not be capable of handling an identity card, and may not be able to produce the same when required by an organization or governmental authorities. Also, most identity cards like SSN, and Aadhar card require a postal address to be mentioned onto the card itself, thereby limiting the applicability of such cards for homeless people.
A sizeable number of homeless people suffer from Dementia, which makes them partially or totally incapable of handling their own identity. Various social organizations may act as guardians for such people and may identify them based on various attributes such as habits, description, favorite places to roam and the like. However, most organizations may not be able to keep track of such people due to inadequacies in their identification system. There may therefore be a need for an identification system, which may be applied to identify and sort people such as for example, homeless people, with no contact information in an accurate and efficient manner. There may also be a need for a persona generation system that can account for diverse factors such as demographics, facial features of people, mental condition of people, and geographical location to accurately identify people.
Accordingly, a technical problem with the currently available identification generation system is that they may be inefficient, inaccurate, and/or not scalable. There is a need for a real-time intelligence persona generation system that can account for the various factors mentioned above, amongst others, to generate a unique persona for each individual despite the individual not having permanent contact details.


The water storage device includes: a water storage cavity and a water inlet, the water inlet being configured to feed a solution into the water storage cavity, the water storage cavity being configured to store or discharge the solution and containing a viscous substance; a guide rod and a floating device movable along the guide rod, the floating device being movable as a water level in the water storage cavity changes, and the viscous substance between the guide rod and the floating device restraining movement of the floating device; and a water curtain casing, the water curtain casing being connected to the water inlet and configured to split a part of the solution from the solution fed from the water inlet, and the solution split by the water curtain casing being configured to flush the viscous substance between the guide rod and the floating device.

There is a multi-step ALD-NIT process in a semiconductor furnace tube technology, and this type of process will generate a large amount of gas by-products. At present, such gas by-products are usually treated by burning and cooling to form solid by-products which are stored in an exhaust gas treatment system and are flushed with an aqueous solution. The aqueous solution for flushing the processing by-products is fed into a water storage device for recycling after being treated. When the number of cycles reaches to a certain target, this type of aqueous solution will be directly discharged to the factory end and exhausted through special treatment. The water storage device in the exhaust gas treatment system will be replenished with a new aqueous solution.
Due to insufficient combustion and insufficient treatment, the aqueous solution fed into the water storage device usually contains some residual processing by-products. This part of the processing by-products may affect the normal operation of the water storage device, thereby causing the failure of water circulation and even downtime of the entire exhaust gas treatment system.

Water storage device and exhaust gas treatment system


An improved heat exchanger suitable for use as a pre-cooler in an internal combustion engine exhaust gas recirculation system includes an inner heat exchange tube for exchanging heat between a gas and a coolant. A tubular outer body surrounds at least part of the inner heat exchange tube. Coolant flows through a cavity formed between the outer surface of the inner heat exchange tube and the inner surface of the tubular outer body, cooling the gas flowing through the inner heat exchange tube. The inner heat exchange tube surrounds a rolled, cylindrically-shaped corrugated sheet of material forming a plurality of fins. At least one of the fins is in contact with an inner surface of the inner heat exchange tube. The tubular outer body surrounds two or more inner heat exchange tubes, each inner heat exchange tube surrounding a respective plurality of fins.

Modern internal combustion engines often use externally flowed and cooled exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) to aid emissions control and reduce fuel consumption. Modern gasoline and diesel engines can have high gas inlet temperatures into an exhaust gas recirculation system. These high gas temperatures can cause damage to EGR components, for example the EGR valve or the main cooler.
It can be of significant advantage to reduce the exhaust gas recirculation gas temperature prior to contact with these potentially vulnerable components. A coaxial cooler is a component which can fulfill this function.
A coaxial cooler which is known in the art comprises a heat transfer tube positioned inside an outer tube. The heat transfer tube has a formed or corrugated surface which encourages heat exchange and gives some flexibility to the component.
Three major drawbacks of this type of prior art design are:                A relatively low heat exchange per unit length;        A relatively high gas pressure loss caused by the turbulence induced by the corrugation; and        A relatively poor flow of coolant into the roots of the outside of the heat exchange tube.
A pre cooler located upstream in the gas flow to a valve or main cooler in an EGR system needs to be compact and of the shortest possible length since space is at a premium in modern vehicle engine compartments.
On EGR systems in particular, a low gas pressure drop in the return gas path between exhaust and engine air intake is critical for engine function. As an ongoing objective, engineers are always looking to reduce pressure losses in EGR systems, as this allows a greater flow for the same differential pressure.
Further, boiling of coolant can cause damage to components, coolers, pre coolers or even damage to the engine itself.
A problem with prior art co-axial heat exchange tubes of the corrugated type having an inner heat exchange tube and an outer corrugated housing with a liquid filled cavity therebetween is that the rate of heat exchange per unit length of the heat exchanger is insufficient in some EGR applications.
Further, with the known corrugated heat exchanger, excessive boiling of coolant can occur.
There is a need for a compact coaxial cooler which has a high ratio of heat exchange per unit length to transfer more energy to the coolant with reduced EGR gas pressure drop whilst at the same time avoiding damaging levels of boiling within the cooler.
It is accordingly an objective of the present invention to maximize heat transfer from a hot gas to a liquid coolant using alternative cooling structures.
In addition, alternative cooling structures may experience harsh environmental conditions, such as significant temperature gradients, gas pressures, and gas velocities. It is therefore another objective of the present invention to minimize the risk of structural failures—such as cracking or fractures in components of the cooler—due to physical phenomena (e.g., thermal expansion), to increase the longevity and reliability coolers.
Manufacturing components for coaxial coolers typically involves a series of steps to turn raw materials into useful structures and arranging and securing those structures to form the coaxial cooler. Poor alignment or unwieldy components can increase manufacturing time and cost, while reducing manufacturing consistency and reliability of the coolers. Thus, a further objective of the present invention is to include physical features on alternative cooling structures that aid in the alignment and assembly of coaxial coolers.
These and other objectives and advantages will become apparent from the following detailed written description and figures.


A method of decreasing plasma cholesterol is disclosed. The method includes oral administration of coprostanol-producing bacteria to humans. These organisms, once in the small intestine, will reduce free cholesterol to coprostanol, which is absorbed poorly. Pharmaceutical compositions for delivery are included as are different methods of delivery such as placing the microorganisms in food.

Coronary heart disease, atherosclerosis, is the leading cause of human mortality in the United States, as well as in many other developed countries, and is responsible for more deaths than all forms of cancer combined. It is generally recognized that high blood cholesterol concentrations provide a significant risk factor associated with atherosclerosis.
Cholesterol is present in the blood as free and esterified cholesterol within lipoprotein particles, commonly known as chylomicrons, very low density lipoproteins, low density lipoproteins and high density lipoproteins. Concentration of total cholesterol in the blood is influenced by (1) absorption of cholesterol from the digestive tract, (2) synthesis of cholesterol from dietary constituents such as carbohydrates, proteins, fats and ethanol, and (3) removal of cholesterol from blood by tissues, especially the liver, and subsequent conversion of the cholesterol to bile acids, steroid hormones, and biliary cholesterol. The bile acids and cholesterol in bile are secreted into the intestine from which they may be recycled back to the blood or be excreted into the feces. In summation of these physiological processes, the concentration of cholesterol in the blood is controlled by a balance of inputs and outputs. The two inputs are cholesterol absorbed from the diet and cholesterol that is synthesized within the body and secreted into the blood. Typical values of adult humans for absorption are 335 mg daily and for synthesis are 800 mg.
The outputs regulating the concentration of cholesterol in blood include sloughing skin cells (about 85 mg cholesterol daily), excretion of steroid hormones (about 50 mg cholesterol daily), excretion of bile acids in feces (400 mg cholesterol equivalent daily), and excretion of sterols in feces (600 mg cholesterol equivalent daily). The fecal sterols include cholesterol, cholestanol, coprostanol, and plant sterols. The whole body of the adult human contains about 100 grams of cholesterol, most of which is in the nonesterfied form.
Maintenance of blood cholesterol concentrations is influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. Genetic factors include concentration of rate-limiting enzymes in cholesterol biosynthesis, concentration of receptors for low density lipoproteins in the liver, concentration of rate-limiting enzymes for conversion of cholesterols bile acids, rates of synthesis and secretion of lipoproteins and gender of person. Environmental factors influencing the hemostasis of blood cholesterol concentration in humans include dietary composition, incidence of smoking, physical activity, and use of a variety of pharmaceutical agents. Dietary variables include amount and type of fat (saturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids), amount of cholesterol, amount and type of fiber, and perhaps amounts of vitamins such as vitamin C and D and minerals such as calcium.
Pharmaceutical agents in current use that usually cause a hypocholesterolemic response include lovastatin, which decreases cholesterol synthesis in the body, and cholestyramine, which increases bile acid excretion. An increase in bile acid excretion causes the liver of the person to convert more cholesterol to bile acids and to incorporate less cholesterol in very low density and low density lipoproteins for secretion into the blood. Hence, cholestyramine usually causes a hypocholesterolemic response.
Similar to that for bile acid excretion, increases in the excretion of cholesterol and other sterols into the feces usually will cause a hypocholesterolemic response because the liver would partition more cholesterol into the bile and thus less would be available for incorporation into lipoproteins for secretion into the blood. Typically, a human secretes about 1,000 mg of cholesterol from the liver into the bile for entry into the small intestine. This biliary cholesterol then becomes a part of the dietary cholesterol pool in the small intestine and thus may be absorbed to maintain cholesterol homeostasis.
The present invention discloses a method and means for decreasing the amount of biliary and dietary cholesterol that is absorbed by the small intestine through oral administration of coprostanol-producing microorganisms. Several species of bacteria including Eubacterium coprostanoligenes (previously called Eubacterium sp. strain HL by us) isolated in pure culture from an Iowa State University hog lagoon (ATCC No. 21408) contain the enzyme cholesterol reductase. These bacteria, which produce this enzyme, are capable of converting cholesterol to coprostanol. The resultant coprostanol product is absorbed poorly by humans and, instead of being absorbed through the intestine into the blood, will be passed through the intestine and excreted in the feces of the human.
Thus, an objective of the present invention is to decrease cholesterol absorption in the small intestine through administration of coprostanol-producing microorganisms.
Another object of the invention is to convert cholesterol present in the small intestine to coprostanol, which will be excreted.
Yet another objective of the invention is to lower plasma concentration of cholesterol in humans by generating a hypocholesterolemic response resulting in partitioning by the liver of more cholesterol into bile with less available for incorporation into lipoproteins for secretion into the blood.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide a pharmaceutical composition for oral administration, which will release the coprostanol-producing organisms in the small intestine of humans.

Oral administration of coprostanol producing microorganisms to humans to decrease plasma cholesterol concentration

Iowa State University Research Foundation, Inc.


A vestibular prosthesis system is described which includes an external movement sensor that is attachable a patient's head for generating an external movement signal. A fail-safe sensor is configured to detect movement of the one or more external movement sensors relative to the head and generate a corresponding relative motion signal. And an implant processor also is implantable under the skin and in communication with the fail-safe sensor and the external transmitter for generating an implant stimulation signal based on the external movement signal and/or the relative motion signal to electrically stimulate target neural tissue for vestibular sensation by the patient.

A normal ear directs sounds as shown in FIG. 1 from the outer ear pinna 101 through the generally cylindrical ear canal 110 (typically about 26 mm long and 7 mm in diameter) to vibrate the tympanic membrane 102 (eardrum). The tympanic membrane 102 moves the bones of the middle ear 103 (malleus, incus, and stapes) that vibrate the cochlea 104, which in turn functions as a transducer to generate electric pulses to the brain that are interpreted as sounds. In addition, the inner ear also includes a balance sensing vestibular system which involves the vestibular labyrinth 105, its three interconnected and mutually orthogonal semi-circular canals: the superior canal 106, posterior canal 107, and horizontal canal 108 (as well as the otolith organs, the utricle and saccule—not shown). The canals and spaces of the vestibular labyrinth 105 are filled with endolymph fluid which moves relative to head movements, thereby activating hair cells that send an electrical balance signal to the brain via the vestibular nerve 111.
In some people, the vestibular system is damaged or impaired, causing balance problems such as unsteadiness, vertigo and unsteady vision. Vestibular implants are currently under development, with one of the initial challenges being the relatively significant amount of power required by the gyroscope/accelerometer arrays used for the movement sensors (gyroscopes and linear accelerometers). Presently, one lower power device is the STMicroelectronics L3G4200D, which is a three-axis digital gyroscope that encodes all three-dimensional axes of rotation. This device measures 4 mm square by 1 mm thick and needs various power and signal lines to operate at the specified power requirement of at least 6 mA at 3.6V.
For use in an implant system, the power for one or more vestibular movement sensors can be supplied from a body worn battery pack and transcutaneously transmitted with a head placed coil. But the power losses for such a transcutaneous supply are roughly a factor of two and there also is an additional risk of the head coil falling off, power being lost, and the patient becoming disoriented and even falling. A somewhat better solution might be to have an implanted battery supplying power to the implanted movement sensors, but (due to the high power requirements) this approach is likely to require a large battery volume or very frequent re-charging of the battery. Furthermore, failure of any of the modules of the device would require re-implantation, with consequent risk to hearing and residual vestibular function.
Other arrangements have also been proposed for vestibular implant systems. For example, head-worn sensor arrays have been proposed that would be secured by a holding band around the head, but this approach would create an unacceptably high risk of movement of the sensors relative to the head. Implanted sensor arrays powered via a percutaneous plug have also been proposed, but the serious problems with percutaneous structures are notoriously well-known. Challa and Bhatti, A Micromachined Cupula: Toward Biomimetic Angular Velocity Sensor Prosthesis, 33rd Mid-Winter Research Meeting, Assn. for Research in Otolarygology, Feb. 6-10, 2010 (incorporated herein by reference) proposed a basic re-design of the sensor array around the fluidic principle used by the balance organ itself to reduce power requirements, but more time and extensive reliability testing will be needed to complete the development of such a device.
Application US2005/0267549 by Della Santina et al. (incorporated herein by reference) teaches a combined cochlea/vestibular stimulation system with a speech and motion sensing processor (SMP) placed either externally or internally. Application US2002/0104971 by Merfeld et al. (incorporated herein by reference) teaches a motion sensing system to be worn not only on the head but also on other body parts.
For safety reasons, it is important that the externally worn unit including the sensor is always placed in a known, correct orientation when driving the implant. Otherwise the sensor's misaligned input to signal processing, and ultimately to the neural stimulation sites, will lead to a mismatch between real and perceived head movement. Under specific circumstances this may cause a patient to fall and possibly result in injury. This is of special relevance when the implant is located on the head such that sometimes the patient cannot visually observe placing the external unit over the implant.
The correct placement of an external unit relative to an implant is currently solved for cochlear implants and other auditory implants by a pair of axially magnetized magnets. One magnet is placed in the center of the implant's receiver coil. The other magnet is placed in the center of the sender coil in the external unit. While placing the external unit's magnet in proximity to that of the implant, the magnetic attraction force causes the external coil to be placed over the implant's coil in a concentric orientation. But there is a remaining degree of freedom in that the external unit can be turned in the radial direction a full 360 degrees relative to the implant. Due to this degree of radial rotation freedom, this solution is not appropriate for placing an external sensor as part of a vestibular implant system.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Vestibular implant system with internal and external motion sensors


A composite serial lamp set includes one or more non-electrical connector assembled with a serial lamp set, and the non-electrical connector is formed by tying a plurality of strands into a bundled wire and wrapping the bundles wire with a jacket layer to constitute a string-like sheath wire. There is a twisting of the non-electrical connector with the serial lamp set into a fixed position. The composite serial lamp set in can be of various patterns and shapes such as linear, circular, triangular, rhombus, or square. The composite serial lamp set is solid and durable.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a decorative composite serial lamp set, which could be of various patterns and shapes such as a linear, a circular, a triangular, a rhombus, and a square shape, and the composite serial lamp set is solid and durable.
2. Description of the Related Art
The conventional decorative serial lamps such as a Christmas serial lamp set that connects many small light bulbs together, and the small lamps are separated from each other at a specific interval and extended continuously to a predetermine length. In recent years, since various bright light emitting diodes (LED) with different colors have been developed, the LED can be used to substitute the small light bulbs to form a serial lamp set. Traditionally, such serial lamp set is wrapped around an indoor or outdoor tree or fence or hung on a wall for decoration. An eye-catching artistic effect is produced, particularly when these light emitting devices are controlled to blink at nighttime.
However, the light bulbs of traditional serial lamps are supported by the electric wire, and the electric wire is made of copper wire and wrapped by a plastic layer wrap (where the positive and negative wires are put into a single electric wire). Thus, when the serial lamp set is very large in size, the electric wire cannot bear the heavy weight and has the risk of being not solid or durable enough for the safety purpose. Since the electric wire is a single wire, therefore it requires a two-dimensional space or even a three-dimensional space to show a specific pattern such as a grid pattern, which makes it very difficult to show such patterns, shapes, or styles. Even though many sets of serial lamps are used for designing such patterns, the implementation is still very difficult and usually causes the serial lamp set to be tangled together, and thus it is troublesome to install or remove such serial lamp set.


A vending machine audit system includes a vending machine including a vending machine controller configured to generate device data representative of the operations of the vending machine. At least one peripheral device is operatively coupled to the vending machine and is configured to generate device data representative of the operations of the peripheral device. An audit module includes a data storage component and is operatively coupled to the vending machine controller and the at least one peripheral device. The audit module is configured to receive device data from each of the vending machine controller and the at least one peripheral device and to perform a merging operation to generate a single merged audit data record representative of the operations of the vending machine and the at least one peripheral device.

There have been many solutions proposed for how to generate, store and analyze data from a vending machine. There have also been many proposed solutions to monitoring and controlling multiple remotely located vending machines by using the data generated from vending machines.
For the purposes of the disclosure, a vending machine includes, but is not limited to, a beverage machine, a food/snack machine, a full line vending machine, a kiosk, a drink machine, a ticket terminal, and automated teller machine (ATM), or any other device capable of accepting items of value in exchange for goods or services
In a vast majority of the known systems for collecting vending machine data, there is typically a remotely located vending machine having a machine controller, and an audit device for communicating with the vending machine controller to obtain operational data about the machine. Also included in a typical vending machine is a payment device for accepting monies from a consumer. Examples of payment devices include bill acceptors, coin acceptors, credit card readers, debit card readers smart card readers, and even contactless card readers. Typically the tracking of vending machine operation is handled by the vending machine controller and stored in a standard format such as DEX (Data Exchange Interface) data or European Vending Association (EVA)-DTS (Data Transfer Standard) data as commonly recognized in the industry. When the operational data generated by the vending machine is desired to be obtained or reported, an audit module will request (e.g., by polling the Vending Machine Controller (VMC)) the most recent data (or DEX file) from the VMC. In various forms, the audit device is capable of downloading the data file to a service device (e.g., handheld computer or laptop) or if equipped, the audit device can transmit the data to a remote processing facility.
In some machines, such as those without a dedicated audit device, the coin acceptor typically operates to control the cash management functions of a vending machine and thus stores all the data related to such machine activity. In such a vending machine configuration, the VMC also stores other vending data such as items sold, inventory levels, etc. This configuration presents a problem for the operator of the vending machine because in order to obtain all the relevant vending machine operational data, the VMC has to be accessed to obtain the most recent sales and inventory information and then in a separate operation, the payment device (e.g., coin acceptor) has to be accessed to obtain the transactional data (e.g., transaction records, cash levels, available change, etc.) of the vending machine.
In other types of vending machines, the VMC is configured to store the product information and the transaction information. However, even in this configuration there is still certain operational data (e.g., coin tube empty, coin tube jam, banknote recycler empty, etc.) that is stored within a payment device (or vending machine peripheral). The audit devices currently used and known in the art are capable of obtaining the product and transaction information from a single source since this information is available from the vending machine controller. However the additional operational data stored within a peripheral device must be separately audited and thus two or more vending data files or records (e.g., DEX files) will be generated.

Generating a single audit file from multiple sources


A dispenser for dispensing healthcare products comprising at least one dispenser section having at least one dispensing orifice and one disposal section having a disposal opening. The disposal section has fully compressed and fully uncompressed positions and is capable of remaining positioned in any position between the fully compressed and uncompressed positions.

In the past, people have typically obtained their healthcare supplies from units that only dispense, such as tissues dispensed from cardboard boxes. These dispensers do not typically include a disposal unit, thereby necessitating use of the dispenser supplies near a trash receptacle or requiring the user to carry the used, and possibly unsanitary, healthcare products, such as tissues. Also, some users may simply leave the used supplies next to the dispenser resulting in unsanitary, messy and unsightly conditions. To alleviate this problem, others have created dispensers that are attached or incorporated with the dispenser; however, joint units are bulky.
A number of devices have been designed for both dispensing supplies and disposing thereof after use. Most such devices have fixed dispensing and disposal unit volumes, such as described by Neumann in U.S. Pat. No. 3,372,837 and Meyer, Jr. in U.S. Pat. No. 5,054,612. These devices are bulky and require additional space since they have fixed dispensing and disposal volumes; thereby rendering them less likely to fit in small areas and requiring more space on retailer shelves. Certain other devices share space between the dispensing and disposal sections, such as those described by Horn in U.S. Pat. No. 3,221,928 and Parks in U.S. Pat. No. 5,129,545. As tissues are dispensed from a fixed volume in these devices, space is vacated for the storage of the used tissues. In addition to the fixed volume problems mentioned above, this approach is problematic because the volume emptied by the removal of such supplies is not likely equal to the volume required to dispose of the used supplies. Accordingly, used supplies either do not fit into the disposal section, or more likely, additional volume must be allowed for in the design of the device, thereby resulting in a larger device that creates space problems. One device described by McPherson in U.S. Pat. No. 4,919,302 addresses these concerns by adding a collapsible disposal unit; however, this addresses only the marketing shelf space issue and upon expansion of the fixed volume disposal section the same space issues and problems arise as with the fixed volume dispensers.
As mentioned, healthcare product dispensing technologies, namely tissue dispensing technologies, are fairly well developed; however, existing technologies do not maximize the effective use of such technologies. Further, existing dispensers do not provide convenient and space efficient disposal mechanisms. As a result, significant improvement can still be made in the area of healthcare product dispensing and waste handling and disposal.
It is the primary object of the present invention to enable people to dispense, use and dispose of healthcare products from a single dispensing and disposal device that uses a minimum amount of store shelf space and user space. Another object of the invention is to permit people to take advantage of the convenient and compact dispenser to conveniently and hygienically use healthcare products in environments they may not otherwise use the products, for example, in an automobile, next to a swimming pool, at the beach or in other mobile, outside or non-home environments. Another object of the invention is to make the disposal of used healthcare products easier by including a disposal device which permits easy and convenient disposal of used healthcare products by the person.


To determine the equalisation delay of a substation (S3), the main station (C) of a transmission system measures, during an initial coarse measurement, the time interval between the sending of a first ranging signal to the substation and the receipt of a reply signal. This reply signal has a frequency and amplitude substantially lower than the information signals sent by other substations (S1, S2) of the system to avoid interference therewith. During a subsequent fine measurement the main station measures the time interval between the sending of a second ranging signal and the receipt of a second reply signal having the same characteristics as the information signals. The other substations have to stop transmission of signals during an interval equal to the uncertainty time interval with which the equalisation delay was measured during the coarse measurement. To be able to apply this method, the receiver at the main station includes a device (A2) used to isolate the first reply signal from the information signals and to recognize (COR) them, and a processing unit (PU) to determine the equalisation delay.

Such a method is already known in the art, e.g. from the article "A B.sub.-- ISDN Local Distribution System based on a Passive Optical Network" by J. W. Ballance et al, Globecom '90, San Diego section 3.3, 2nd paragraph.
In this known method which is applied in a transmission system wherein an exchange end or main station is connected to a plurality of customer ends or substations via the cascade connection of a common optical fiber link and respective individual links, the equalisation delay also called delay compensation of a customer end is determined in the following way. The customer end is told by the exchange end to transmit a reply signal to the latter without delay compensation, whilst at the exchange end first the propagation delay of the customer end is measured and afterwards the delay compensation is determined by substracting this delay from the maximum propagation delay of the system.
A drawback of this method is that to avoid interference of the above mentioned reply signal with information signals transmitted by other customer ends over the common link, the latter ends have to stop transmission of information signals during a time interval at least equal to the maximum propagation delay of the system. In the mentioned article this delay is equal to the time equivalent of 71 asynchronous transfer mode cells which in fact gives only a minor reduction in the network throughput, but might result in an unacceptable jitter due to cell accumulation.

Method and apparatus for determining equalization delays in a transmission system and related apparatus


In some embodiments, a movement platform may be used to develop force models for the determination of movement based on force patterns received from the movement platform. A force model is made by comparing a known user movement to force readings recorded during the user movement. Movement platform force readings may be compared to a plurality of force models to determine a user movement. Once a matching force model is determined, the matching force model may be used to generate instructions for moving a user on the movement platform.

Aspects of the present disclosure relate to virtual reality systems, more particular aspects relate to user interaction devices.
A virtual reality system may utilize user interaction devices to record user actions and provide feedback to users. The user interaction devices are designed to provide an immersive experience for users in a virtual reality setting.

International Business Machines Corporation


The pseudolite includes a communication (COM) satellite receiver for receiving a communication satellite specific RF signal from a communication satellite and providing communication satellite navigation and position data. A GNSS receiver receives a GNSS signal from a GNSS satellite and provides GNSS timing information. A pseudolite transmitter receives the communication satellite navigation and position data and the GNSS timing information. The pseudolite transmitter includes at least one digital signal generator for utilizing the communication satellite navigation and position data and the GNSS timing information for providing a digital signal generator output having an intermediate frequency and navigation message data which are suitable for up-conversion to a desired communication channel RF frequency. At least one communication satellite RF module of the pseudolite transmitter receives the digital signal generator intermediate frequency output from an associated signal generator and converts the intermediate frequency output to a communication satellite transmit RF signal having the desired communication channel RF frequency. The communication channel RF frequency is preferably adjustable and may cover a range of potential communication frequencies.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to satellite navigation and positioning systems. More particularly, the present invention relates to a pseudo-satellite (pseudolite) navigation system which enhances operation of a global navigational satellite system (GNSS) when satellite ephemeris data is unavailable due to jamming or otherwise too weak.
2. Description of the Related Art
Global navigational satellite systems (GNSS) are known and include the global positioning system (GPS) and the Russian global orbiting navigational satellite system (GLONASS). GNSS-based navigational systems are used for navigation and positioning applications. In this regard, the present invention will be discussed with respect to the global positioning system (GPS). However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention can be applied to any global navigational satellite system (GNSS), including the Russian global orbiting navigational satellite system (GLONASS). The present invention is not intended to be limited to GPS applications.
The use of GPS signals to calculate position and GPS time is known in the art. There are times when it is difficult or impossible to receive the true GPS signals from the satellites. For example, there are times when the GPS signals are jammed in a localized area, or a GPS receiver may be located in a position, e.g. a valley, where it cannot receive signals from a sufficient number of satellites.
In order to make GPS signals available to receivers in locations where the true signal is being jammed, the concept of pseudolites was invented. A pseudolite includes a pseudolite transmitter that sends out pseudolite signals which are designed to simulate the true GPS signals from the satellites. An example of a ground-based pseudolite is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,886,665. An example of an airborne pseudolite is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,886,666.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,590,524 discloses a method of controlling a slave time by adjusting the slave time based on a master time. In one embodiment, a global positioning system (GPS) receiver calculates GPS time and sends a correction signal to a pseudolite, in order to slave the pseudolite time to GPS time.
The disclosures of U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,886,665, 5,886,666, and 5,590,524 are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties.
A major limitation of the current art in pseudolite navigation systems is their limitation of usefulness to line of sight distances. RF navigation signals are attenuated by terrain and the curvature of the earth. Ground transmitters are limited to 30–40 km operational ranges. Airborne transmitters are limited to 300 Km maximum even at an altitude of 65,000 ft. A second limitation is the ease of adversaries to jam or otherwise interfere with known GNSS frequencies. GNSS signals in space are low power and susceptible to small amounts of interference levels.
As will be disclosed below the present invention provides a pseudolite system that can operate beyond the limitations of terrestrial line of sight. This "covert" pseudolite system also benefits the user by not requiring specific dependence on a fixed RF frequency spectrum. Frequencies are determined by the host communications systems and can be arbitrary changed as needed.


A high-strength heavy-wall H-shaped steel is excellent in Z-direction toughness at the flange thickness center. The heavy-wall H-shaped steel is comprised of by weight from about 0.05 to 0.18% C, up to about 0.60% Si, from about 1.00% to about 1.80% Mn, up to about 0.020% P, under 0.004% S, from 0.016% to 0.050% Al, from 0.04% to 0. 15% V, and from 0.0070% to 0.0200% N, and one or more of from about 0.02% to about 0.60% Cu, from about 0.02% to about 0.60% Ni, from about 0.02% to about 0.50% Cr, and from about 0.01% to about 0.20% Mo; and the balance being Fe and incidental impurities. Also, (V.times.N)/S.gtoreq.0.150; the Ti content is within a range satisfying 0.002.ltoreq.Ti.ltoreq.1.38.times.N-8.59.times.10.sup.-4 ; Ceq (=C+Si/24+Mn/6+Ni/40+Cr/5+Mo/4+V/14) is within a range of from about 0.36 wt % to about 0.45 wt %, and the yield strength is at least 325 MPa.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a heavy-wall H-shaped steel excellent in toughness and yield strength (abbreviated as "YS", yield point or proof stress) which is suitable for use in structural members such as pillars, beams and the like for a high-rise building. The present invention further relates to a process of making the steel.
In the present invention, the term "wt %" regarding the chemical composition means weight percentage. Herein, the "L-direction" means the rolling direction; the "C-direction" is a direction perpendicular to the rolling direction and the thickness direction; and the "Z-direction" is the thickness direction.
2. Description of Related Art
Hot-rolled H-shaped steels are popularly used for pillars and beams for buildings. For an H-shaped steel, SM490 steel, SM520 steel or SM570 steel (specified in JIS G 3106 as a rolled steel product for welded structure) are widely used. H-shaped steels are directed toward a larger thickness and a higher strength, along with the tendency of building toward greater heights and larger scales. For example, an H-shaped steel is required to have a YS of at least 325 MPa, or more preferably, at least 355 MPa, a yield ratio (YR) of up to 80%, and a high toughness. These properties are expressed by the following formula: EQU Yield ratio(YR)=Yield strength(YS)/tensile strength(TS)
However, an increase in thickness of a steel product generally tends to also lead to a decrease in its strength. In an H-shaped steel having a flange thickness of at least 40 mm, it is difficult to achieve a high strength as represented by a YS of at least 325 MPa or 355 MPa. In order to ensure a high strength by manufacturing the product based on an ordinary hot rolling process, it is inevitable to increase the carbon equivalent (Ceq) of the steel product, thus resulting in a higher welding crack sensitivity (degradation) and a decrease in toughness at the welding heat affected zone (hereinafter referred to as "welding HAZ").
In rolling a heavy-wall H-shaped steel, which must be carried out under an equipment limitation of a small mill load relative to the sectional area of the bloom, it is the usual practice to adopt a small reduction rolling (reduction/pass: 1 to 10%) at a high temperature (at least 950.degree. C.) of a small deformation resistance. Under these rolling conditions, however, grain refinement is insufficient, leading to the problem of difficulty in obtaining a satisfactory toughness.
Manufacture based on the TMCP (Thermomechanical Control Process) is known to ensure satisfactory strength, toughness and weldability in heavy-wall H-shaped steel. For example, Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 56-35734 discloses a manufacturing method of a flange-reinforced H-shaped steel, that includes the steps of hot-rolling a bloom into an H-shaped steel, rapidly cooling the resultant H-shaped steel from the flange outer surface to a temperature range of from the Ar.sub.1 transformation point to the Ms transformation point, and then air-cooling the steel, thereby forming a fine, low-temperature-transformed microstructure. Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 58-10422 discloses a manufacturing method of a high-strength steel excellent in workability that includes the steps of, after heating, applying a rolling reduction of at least 30% at a temperature at least within the range of from 980.degree. C. to the Ar.sub.3 transformation point to cause precipitation of ferrite, and rapidly cooling such that the resultant steel has a ferrite-martensite dual-phase composite microstructure.
In these conventional techniques, however, rapid cooling from the flange outer surface after hot rolling results in considerable differences in strength and toughness on the flange thickness cross-section and in serious levels of residual stress and strain, thus posing many problems upon application to a heavy-wall H-shaped steel.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 9-125140 discloses that a certain S content (0.004 to 0.015 wt %) and addition of V and N enables a ferrite refinement effect of VN precipitating during rolling and subsequent cooling, thus giving a heavy-wall H-shaped steel having excellent properties. This publication also discloses that an appropriate combination of rolling conditions in the recrystallization region brings about a further improvement of the refinement effect. In this technique, however, it is necessary to use an S content of at least 0.004 wt % in addition to V and N to achieve the ferrite refinement effect, and as a result, improvement of toughness is limited at least to some extent by production of MnS. A particularly serious problem in such steels is a still insufficient Charpy absorbed energy in the Z-direction.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 5-132716 discloses a toughness improvement technique by grain refinement. The grain refinement is achieved by creating inner-grain ferrite by dispersing composite inclusions composed of Al, Ti, Mn or Si composite oxides, MnS and VN. In this technique, however, it is sometimes difficult to disperse oxide particles finely and uniformly. Consequently, the grain refinement is sometimes insufficient. Accordingly, it is difficult to improve toughness in the Z-direction.
When a bending strain is applied to a beam of a building structure by an earthquake or a like high-energy event, stress concentrates in the Z-direction at a junction of a pillar and the beam. With a small Charpy absorbed energy in the Z-direction, such stress concentration causes brittle fracture even from a small deformation. For the purpose of improving seismic resistance, therefore, the Charpy absorbed energy in the Z-direction should preferably be as high as possible.

Heavy-wall H-shaped steel having high toughness and yield strength and process for making steel


Methods and systems for communicating with a vehicle are provided. The method includes providing a plurality of wayside control units controlling an area along a guideway to be traveled by the vehicle, the plurality of wayside control units including a database of fixed data defining an operational profile of the guideway in a local area of an associated wayside control unit. The method also includes monitoring dynamic data in the local area of the associated wayside control unit wherein the dynamic data includes at least one of guideway availability and signal status information and transmitting wirelessly an authority message including at least one of the fixed data and the dynamic data from the associated wayside unit to a receiver on board the vehicle, the authority message dynamic data being valid for a selectable one of a plurality of time periods.

This invention relates generally to controlling the movement of a vehicle along a guideway, and more specifically to methods and systems for utilizing variable rate communication timeouts in vehicle control systems.
At least some known rail traffic signal systems use an extensive array of wayside equipment to control railway traffic and maintain safe train separation. In these known systems, railway control is achieved by detecting the presence of a train, determining a route availability for each train, conveying the route availability to a train's crew, and controlling the movement of the train in accordance with the route availability.
The presence of a train is typically detected directly through a sensor device, or track circuit, associated with a specific section of the rails, referred to as a block. For example, the presence of a train may cause a short in a block's track circuit. In this manner, the occupancy of each block is determined. Vital decision logic is employed, utilizing the block occupancy information in conjunction with other information provided, such as but not limited to track switch positions, to determine a clear route availability for trains. The route availability information is then conveyed to a train crew through a communication-based train control (CBTC) system using a wireless transmission circuit, such as a radio or cellular telephone. The CBTC system generally includes a computer at one or more fixed locations determining the movement authority and/or constraints applicable to each specific train. The computer then transmits this train-specific information in unique messages addressed or directed to each individual train. In some known systems such as an incremental train control system (ITCS), an authority message is broadcast to any train that may be within receiving distance. The train movement is then controlled by crew actions based on displayed aspect information and, in case of failure by the crew to take necessary actions, through optional speed enforcement.
In the current ITCS approach, all authority and occupancy reporting vital train to wayside and wayside to train communications have a preset timeout value. If data is not received within this time, safety critical actions are taken, generally in the form of a penalty brake. However, in portions of the track system, the timeout value is overly strict and has a negative impact on system performance.

Methods and systems for variable rate communication timeout


A floating body 1, which is substantially rectangular when seen from above, is provided with at least a protrusion 3 on at least either of sides in a transverse direction 5 of the floating body 1 at a level lower than a waterline 4.

The present invention relates to an anti-rolling structure for a box-type floating body such as a hull of a work-ship or -vessel or a hull for FPSO (Floating Production, Storage and Off-Loading).
In recent years, various new types of active anti-rolling systems for reducing roll motion of a hull in waves have been studied and some of them are already in practical use. Active anti-rolling systems are evidently superior to passive ones in terms of their roll reducing effect.
However, various active anti-rolling systems for reducing roll motion of hulls are generally complicated in structure, large-sized and heavy-weighted and require a large installation space. For reasons of economy and space, such systems are usually difficult to adopt for hulls.
Then, studies have been consequently made on passive anti-rolling systems which reduce roll motion by devising specifications and forms of hulls. A result of such studies was published in the bulletin of the Kansai Society of Naval Architects, extra volume with issue number 232 (September 1999). xe2x80x9cSeveral studies on reducing roll motion in wavesxe2x80x9d (pp 63-70) is a paper of studies published in this bulletin. According to the paper, roll motion of box-type floating bodies can be reduced by adjusting height of the center of gravity. The content of the paper is now referred to below.
FIG. 1 shows an example of a box-type floating body 1 seen from the rear. The floating body 1 has a breadth B and a draft d. A center G of gravity of the floating body 1 is located near an origin O at which a waterline lies, or for example, a little above the origin O.
When the box-type floating body 1 as described above is subjected to beam seas, rolling motion 2 is generated which acts to rotate the floating body 1 around the center G of gravity.
The paper studies on reduction of roll motion of the box-type floating body 1 having a large ratio of the breadth B to the draft d (a large breadth/draft ratio) and argues that the roll motion can be reduced by shifting the position of the center G of gravity of the floating body 1.
Theoretical foundation of the study is an equation of motion with one degree of freedom for roll motion (rolling) having a synchronous influence on sway motion (swaying). Here the sway motion means a motion in which the box-type floating body 1 horizontally moves to right and left; and the roll motion, a motion in which the floating body 1 rotationally moves around the center G of gravity. An equation of motion with one degree of freedom, which is expressed in a more simple form, is useful in estimating a possibility of the reduction of roll motion.
An equation of motion with one degree of freedom for roll motion in which simultaneousness of the sway and rolling motions is considered is given as follows from an equation of synchronized motion of rolling and swaying:                                           [                                          D                4                            -                                                D                  24                  2                                                  D                  2                                                      ]                                                        X              4                                      ζ              A                                      =                              H            4                    -                                                    D                24                                            D                2                                                                H              2                                                          (        1        )
where X4 is an amplitude of the roll motion; Hj (j=2, 4), the Kochin function; Dj and D24, coefficients that depend on hydrodynamic force; and j=2 and 4, the sway motion and the roll motion, respectively.
The right-hand side of Equation (1) is the wave exciting moment of roll motion in a broad sense, which includes influence from the sway motion. A relationship is formed as the equation below between the wave exciting moment of roll motion and effective wave slope coefficient xcex3.                               γ          ·          GM                =                              -            i                                          xe2x80x83                                                                        H                4                            -                                                (                                                            D                      24                                        /                                          D                      2                                                        )                                                                  H                  2                                                                    K                                            xe2x80x83                                                          ∇                                  /                                      (                                          B                      /                      2                                        )                                                                                (        2        )
Next, define an added mass coefficient k2 of sway motion, hydrodynamic force lever l2 and wave exciting moment lever lw, giving                                                                                k                  2                                =                                                                            m                      22                                        /                    ρ                                                                          xe2x80x83                                    ∇                                                                                l                  2                                =                                                      -                                          m                      24                                                        /                                      m                    22                                                                                l                    w                                    /                                      (                                          B                      /                      2                                        )                                                  =                                                      -                                          H                      4                                                        /                                      H                    2                                                                                }                            (        3        )
where l2 and lw are distances measured from the center G of gravity of the box-type floating body 1 to the points where respective forces act and are defined as positive toward upwards.
With l20 and lwo as moment levers being defined about the origin O, giving
l(K)=k2l20xe2x88x92(1+k2)lwoxe2x80x83xe2x80x83(4)
When
xcex3s=(i/K∇){H2/(1+k2)}xe2x80x83xe2x80x83(5)
holds, Equation (2) can be rewritten as
xcex3xc2x7GM=xcex3s{OGxe2x88x921(K)}xe2x80x83xe2x80x83(6),
where OG is distance from the origin O lying at the waterline to the center G of gravity and is defined as positive when the center G of gravity is located below the origin O; GM is height of the metacenter M (the distance from the center G of gravity to the metacenter M).
xcex3s corresponds to an approximate value of the amplitude of single sway motion, and a moment lever l(K) is a value independent of the location of the center of gravity. Both xcex3s and l(K) depend on the shape and motion frequency of the box-type floating body 1.
xcex3s, a component of an effective wave slope coefficient, and the moment lever l(K) were calculated on the box-type floating body 1. The floating body l on which the calculations are made has six different values of B/d: 2.5, 5, 7.5, 10, 12.5 and 20. The two-dimensional velocity potential continuation method is used for calculation in which three-dimensional influence on a hydrodynamic force is not considered.
Calculated values of xcex3s are shown in FIG. 2. The abscissa in FIG. 2 represents a non-dimensional frequency K(B/2) where K=xcfx892/g, xcfx89=2xcfx80/T, and xcfx89 and T are a frequency and wave period, respectively.
As shown in FIG. 2, xcex3s flatly decreases as the frequency increases. xcex3s changes a little with a change in the breadth/draft ratio of the box-type floating body 1; in shallow-draft box-type floating bodies having a B/d ratio of 5 or more, the values of xcex3s may be regarded as similar.
FIG. 3 shows the relationship between the ratio of the moment lever l(K) to a half-breadth B/2, or l(K)/(B/2) (the ordinate), and the non-dimensional frequency K(B/2) (the abscissa) with B/d as a parameter. l(K)/(B/2) varies slightly against the frequency, but varies considerably with the breadth/draft ratio. The greater the B/d, the greater the absolute value of l(K)/(B/2). With B/d=5, l(K)/(B/d) is nearly zero, showing substantially no change against the frequency. The value of 1(K) is obtainable from FIG. 3 if both the breadth/draft ratio B/d and the wave frequency of a sea area where the floating structure is installed are given.
There are three fundamental ideas to reduce the motion of a box-type floating body in waves: increase in damping force, prolongation of the natural period of the motion and reduction in the wave exciting force. In the equation (1) of synchronized motion, reducing the wave exciting force means to make smaller the value of the right-hand side, which can be achieved by making xcex3xc2x7GM smaller as can be seen from Equation (2). Since xcex3xc2x7GM can be expressed as Equation (6), xcex3xc2x7GM=0 either when xcex3s=0 at a certain frequency or when OG=l(K). In this paper reduction in roll motion is realized with this idea.
First, H2(K)=0 is needed in order to have xcex3s=0, which is theoretically achievable by selecting the shape of a floating body which has no sway waves. However, realistic shapes may not be obtainable for box-type floating bodies having larger breadth/draft ratios.
On the other hand, OG=l(K) may be achieved depending on the height OG of the center of gravity. Although it has been conventionally said that obtaining OG=l (K) is difficult for sea areas with relatively long wave lengths, such a case applies to ships with a general shape; and it is obtainable in box-type floating bodies having large breadth/draft ratios.
Realizing OG=l(K) through adjustment of the OG value may be achieved by, for example, making OG larger by installing a base on the box-type floating body to mount a heavy object on it. However, when OG is made larger, the value of GM becomes smaller, which may make the floating body unstable depending on its shape.
The present invention was made in view of the above and has its object to provide an anti-rolling structure for box-type floating bodies in which shapes of the box-type floating bodies are modified to adjust a value of moment lever l(K), thereby attaining OG=l(K) to reduce the wave exciting force.
In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides an anti-rolling structure for a box-type floating body comprising said floating body which is substantially rectangular when seen from above and at least a protrusion on at least either of transverse sides of the floating body, said protrusion extending longitudinally of the floating body at a level lower than a waterline.
Preferably, said longitudinal protrusion extends over substantially an entire length of the floating body.
Said longitudinal protrusion may extend partially of the floating body.
Preferably, in addition to the longitudinal protrusion at the level lower than the waterline, a plurality of vertical protrusions are arranged on the floating body and are spaced apart from each other longitudinally of the floating body, each of said vertical protrusions having a protruded dimension substantially equal to that of the longitudinal protrusion.
Preferably, the longitudinal protrusion is shaped such that height of center of gravity of the floating body substantially coincides with a moment lever acting on the floating body.
Preferably, the longitudinal protrusion is at a lower edge of the box-type floating body.
An operation of the invention will be described. A moment lever l(K) acting on a floating body, which depends on different factors such as an added mass synchronous coefficient of sway motion of the floating body and wave exciting force, can be obtained, as explained with FIG. 3, from the graph when the frequency is given with the breadth/draft ratio B/d as a parameter. With respect to an average frequency or period of waves in a sea area in which a floating body such as a hull of a work-ship or a hull for FPSO is installed, a value of the moment lever l(K) thus obtained does not usually coincide with height OG of the center of gravity except accidental coincidence. The value of OG may be adjusted to make it have the same value as or close to that of the moment lever, but such a way is not always practical. In the present invention, at least a longitudinal protrusion is provided on at least either of transverse sides of a box-type floating body at a level lower than a waterline to thereby adjust the moment lever l(K) to a value same as or close to that of OG. As a result, the wave exciting force is reduced for less roll motion of the box-type floating body.

Anti-rolling structure for box-type floating body

Ishikawajima-Harima Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha


The plasma display device has an improved structural assembly that includes improved heat transfer interfaces between each of a chassis base and a PDP and a thermally conductive member interposed therebetween. The plasma display device may include a plasma display panel; a chassis base supporting the plasma display panel; a thermally conductive member disposed between the plasma display panel and the chassis base; a first adhesive layer formed between the plasma display panel and the thermally conductive member to adhere the plasma display panel and the thermally conductive member; and a second adhesive layer formed between the thermally conductive member and the chassis base to adhere the thermally conductive member and the chassis base. An adhesive strength of the first adhesive layer may be greater than an adhesive strength of the second adhesive layer.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a plasma display device, and more particularly, to a structural assembly of a plasma display panel and a chassis base of the plasma display device.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a plasma display device, images are displayed on a plasma display panel (PDP) using plasma generated by gas discharge. During discharge, heat is unavoidably generated in the PDP. Further, attempting to improve brightness by increasing the discharge generates an even greater amount of heat within the PDP. Consequently, the PDP may be damaged if the heat is not efficiently exhausted from the PDP. In a conventional plasma display device, the PDP is attached to a chassis base made of a highly thermally-conductive material. Interposed between the PDP and the chassis base is a thermally conductive member such as a heat dissipation sheet. In use, the heat generated from the PDP is transmitted through the thermally conductive member and the chassis base and expelled to outside the display device. Additionally, a thermally conductive adhesive may be applied to both sides of the thermally conductive member to adhere the thermally conductive member to the PDP and the chassis base.
Conventional processes of assembling a plasma display device may involve plural firing steps using heat. The heat generated by these firing steps may cause the plasma display panel to distort or warp.
During an assembly process, the chassis base and the PDP are pressed together, which fixedly adheres the thermally conductive member to both the PDP and the chassis base. Thus, as the PDP and the chassis base are pressed together, the PDP is bent toward and adhered to the intervening thermally conductive member by an external pressing force. Since the restoring force is greater than the adhesion force(s) adhering the PDP to the thermally conductive member, if the pressure to the PDP is eliminated, the PDP will revert to substantially its original shape, and some previously adhered portions of the PDP will partially separate from the thermally conductive member. The gap(s) created by the separation(s) reduce the efficiency of heat transfer.
Therefore, the structure and adhesion characteristics of a conventional plasma display device are problematic in that the conventional PDP does not closely and permanently contact the thermally conductive member. Consequently, noise and vibration are generated during discharge, and the overall efficiency of heat transfer is significantly reduced.


A dynamic rate limiting mechanism for wireless mesh networks. In particular implementations, a method comprising monitoring one or more clients associated with a wireless mesh network and the respective hop counts of the clients to a root mesh node of the wireless mesh network; determining, responsive to one or more events, a client data rate for one or more clients of the wireless mesh network based on the number of current clients and the respective hop counts of the current clients; and applying the client data rate to the wireless mesh network.

Market adoption of wireless LAN (WLAN) technology has exploded, as users from a wide range of backgrounds and vertical industries have brought this technology into their homes, offices, and increasingly into the public air space. This inflection point has highlighted not only the limitations of earlier-generation systems, but also the changing role that WLAN technology now plays in people's work and lifestyles across the globe Indeed, WLANs are rapidly changing from convenience networks to business-critical networks. Increasingly users are depending on WLANs to improve the timeliness and productivity of their communications and applications, and in doing so, require greater visibility, security, management, and performance from their network.
Wireless mesh networks have become increasingly popular. A typical wireless mesh network consists of mesh access points (e.g., Cisco SkyCaptain mesh access points) and wireless clients. To construct self-forming and self-healing multi-hop wireless mesh networks, each mesh access point finds a route back to a root node. The routing protocols used by the mesh access points generally form a hierarchical routing configuration, according to which backhaul traffic is forwarded between a root node and multiple mesh access points. Wireless mesh networks can include one or more mesh access points (mesh APs or MAPs) including a backhaul radio for transmission of traffic across the mesh backhaul between other mesh nodes, and a client radio for wireless client traffic. Because the mesh backhaul carries aggregated wireless traffic from many users in the network, consumption of the backhaul bandwidth and, thus, congestion and queue overflow can occur. A variety of rate limiting an bandwidth management schemes have been employed in wired networks; however, these rate limiting technologies fail to account for some differentiating attributes of wireless mesh networks.

Dynamic rate limiting in wireless mesh networks


A miniature isometric joystick is disclosed for receiving manual user input to effect directional control such as controlling cursor movement on a computer display screen or controlling movement of an apparatus such as a machine or robot. The joystick is arranged to fit between the existing keys in a computer keyboard. The joystick includes a preloading spring for compressing the assembly together, thereby biasing the force sensors so as to neutralize manufacturing variations and control electrical and mechanical null zones. An integrated switch is provided in the joystick for detecting an external force applied by the user's fingertip. The switch unobtrusively detects when a user is pointing, thereby allowing a control system to measure pointing system bias signals while the user is not pointing. This permits the control system to automatically correct for drift, without requiring additional keyboard space for a separate switch to enable the pointing device.

Prior art pointing devices such as a joystick are known. What others have failed to appreciate is the ergonomic implications of mechanical and electrical null regions which must be traversed at the outset of a pointing operation. Using prior art devices, even those that are force-sensitive, a user gets no response to lateral displacement initially, until an electrode makes initial contact, for example, with an elastomeric resistive layer. The initial contact causes a step response, as resistance drops from infinity to a measurable value--a jump the user may not have anticipated or desired. Then, as force is increased, resistance falls rapidly, over some range, and finally falls more slowly with the application of additional force. All of this is disconcerting to a user for most applications. What is needed is to provide for pointing which is smoothly and consistently responsive to user input from the outset of the pointing operation by controlling such null regions.
Another disadvantage associated with prior art pointing devices is that they are not sensitive to vertical or z-axis force. Forces applied laterally, i.e., in the x-y axis plane, move a cursor in the corresponding direction on a computer or other information display screen. It would be desirable for a vertical force, e.g., down the shaft of a joystick-type controller, to produce a proportional signal. Such a signal could be used for example to control line width while drawing as a function of z-axis force on the pointing device. Z-axis force could also be used to control speed or acceleration of a cursor or apparatus being manipulated.
One prior art cursor control device is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,313,113 to David Thornburg. It employs four orthogonal variable-resistance pressure transducers, each transducer comprising a coordinate electrode spaced from a cooperating electrode, at least one of the electrodes being an elastomeric sheet material formed of a carbon loaded polyolefin. The path resistance through the transducer goes down as applied pressure goes up. However, the electrodes are spaced from the elastomeric layer, at rest, so that there is a mechanical and electrical null region before the system responds to a force input, followed by a step response when the electrode layers make initial contact. These characteristics are disconcerting to a user and therefore undesirable for accurate control.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,439,648 (Reiner et al.) is directed to a basic stand-alone joystick. The handle rests on a rigid pivot so that vertical force is ignored. The handle is coupled to an actuator portion spaced from all four switches, so there is a neutral or null region of displacement before any switch is closed. The switches are conventional, yielding only a binary signal, without regard to force.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,408,103 (Smith, III) discloses a miniaturized joystick adapted for mounting in a wristwatch. The joystick handle rests in a hollowed-out bearing surface so that none of the switches is actuated by a downward force on the handle. The switch actuating means is maintained spaced from all the switches by a resilient rubber sheet layer, so once again there is a neutral or null region of displacement before any of the switches is closed. The switches are miniaturized by forming them as interleaved electrodes on a PCB. When the handle is pivoted, an actuator pushes a conductive region of the resilient layer into contact with a corresponding switch. The switches each yield a binary output, so lateral force beyond an initial detect is ignored.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,246,452 (Chandler) shows another joystick type device, here having 16 possible output signals. The mechanism again employs a handle having a depending member that rests in a hollowed out bearing surface. Once again, the switches each provide a binary signal, independent of lateral force beyond a threshold force; vertical force is ignored; and, the actuator is spaced from the switches to provide a null region.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,680,577 (Straayer et al.) discloses a multipurpose keyswitch that serves both as a regular typing key, preferably located in the "home row" (asdf-jkl;) of a keyboard, as well as a force-sensitive pointing device. The use of strain gauges as shown therein for force sensing, however, is not commercially practical. Additionally, the recent rise in popularity of portable lap-top, notebook and even "palm-top" computers makes low profile methods essential. Straayer et al. also suggests activating the cursor positioning capabilities of the multipurpose keyswitch by first closing an additional keyswitch on the keyboard. A separate keyswitch for that purpose, however, is cumbersome to use. By comparison, the conventional mouse is essentially always "ON" for receiving pointing input. Moreover, keyboard space is at a premium in today's small portable computers, so an additional dedicated key is to be avoided if possible.
The parent application identified above discloses a keyswitch-integrated pointing device, for example, a computer keyboard typing key having force sensors coupled to it so that the typing key can also function somewhat like a joystick for controlling a cursor. Such a "multipurpose keyswitch" presents mechanical design challenges in order to maintain a normal "feel" or tactile response of the keyswitch for typing operations. In other words, the joystick feature must be carefully implemented so as to not interfere with the typing performance of the selected keyswitch.
Another problem with an input system that employs a multipurpose keyswitch is detecting when the user is "pointing". In conventional systems, such as the ubiquitous personal computer of the 1980's, the pointing device (typically a "mouse" separate from the keyboard) provided pointing information (cursor displacement data) through a dedicated mouse input port separate from the keyboard input port. That architecture segregates pointing data from typing data. Since the two input channels operate in parallel, both typing and pointing functions are always enabled. A multipurpose keyswitch can only provide one function at a time. Which function the user intends (typing or pointing) must somehow be determined. A separate switch to enable the pointing function is undesirable for reasons stated above. The need remains, therefore, for improvements in joystick methods and apparatus to provide accurate pointing operations and other benefits discussed below, all at low cost.


An axle assembly includes a housing having first and second shafts rotatably positioned in the housing. A power transfer mechanism is also positioned in the housing and selectively operable to transmit rotary power between the first and second shafts. An actuator is operable to move a linearly moveable member of the power transfer mechanism. A sensor circuit is positioned within the housing and operable to output a signal having a frequency that varies in accordance with the position of the linearly moveable member, thereby indicating an operating state of the power transfer mechanism.

The present invention generally relates to differentials for motor vehicles and, more particularly, to a locking differential with a locking state detection system.
As is known, many motor vehicles are equipped with driveline systems including differentials which function to drivingly interconnect an input shaft and a pair of output shafts. The differential functions to transmit drive torque to the output shafts while permitting speed differentiation between the output shafts.
Conventional differentials include a pair of side gears fixed for rotation with the output shafts and two or more sets of meshed pinion gears mounted within a differential case. However, the conventional differential mechanism has a deficiency when a vehicle is operated on a slippery surface. When one wheel of the vehicle is on a surface having a low coefficient of friction, most or all of the torque will be delivered to the slipping wheel. As a result, the vehicle often becomes immobilized.
To overcome this problem, it is known to provide a mechanical differential having an additional mechanism that limits or selectively prevents differentiation of the speed between the output shafts. Typically, the mechanical device used to provide the limited-slip or non-slip function is a friction clutch. The friction clutch is a passive device which limits the differential speed between the output shafts only after a certain differential speed has been met. Additionally, such mechanical devices may not be selectively disengaged during operation of anti-lock braking systems or vehicle traction control systems. For example, four-wheel anti-lock braking systems may attempt to measure and control the rotational speed of each wheel independently. If a mechanical type limited slip differential is present, independent control of the speed of each wheel coupled to a differential is no longer possible. Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide an improved differential which may be actively controlled in conjunction with other control systems present on the vehicle. A detection system operable to determine the present state of operation of the differential may also be desirable.

Method and apparatus for transmitting axle sensor data


A forward-looking sonar includes a transducer array which is divided into a first sub array and a second sub array, a first beamforming section for forming a first receiving beam with the first sub array, and a second beamforming section for forming a second receiving beam with the second sub array. The forward-looking sonar receives target echoes from a wide sounding area with these receiving beams. The forward-looking sonar further includes a position measurement section for determining the position of a target based on the direction of the target calculated from a phase difference between the echoes from the target received by the first and second receiving beams by a split-beam method and the distance to the target calculated from time needed for receiving the echoes after transmission.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a forward-looking sonar for displaying echoes of objects ahead of a surface vessel by use of transmitted and reflected ultrasonic waves (hereinafter referred to as acoustic waves). More particularly, the invention pertains to a forward-looking sonar capable of measuring and visually presenting the distance and direction of any of such navigational hazards as shallows and underwater obstacles ahead of a surface vessel.
2. Description of the Related Art
A forward-looking sonar for measuring and visually presenting the distance and direction of any of such navigational hazards as shallows, reefs, drifting surface objects, underwater obstacles and a sea bottom ahead of a surface vessel is installed as shown in FIG. 27. A transducer of the forward-looking sonar is typically installed on the hull of the vessel as illustrated. By using an acoustic sounding beam formed by the transducer, the forward-looking sonar searches for any of the aforementioned underwater obstacles present within a fan-shaped sounding area from the surface of the sea to the bottom (90 degrees downward from the surface).
There exist conventionally known examples of this kind of forward-looking sonars.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,675,552 discloses a sonar apparatus using a phased array technique including a transducer for transmitting and receiving acoustic waves, the transducer having multiple elements which are arranged in line to constitute a linear array. Phase differences among transmit signals fed into the individual transducer elements and phase differences among receive signals obtained by the individual transducer elements are so controlled as to successively steer an acoustic transmitting/receiving beam from the surface to the bottom over a 90-degree sector area to determine the direction of a return echo from an underwater object. The sonar apparatus determines the distance to the object based on time needed for receiving the return echo after transmission. FIG. 28 is a diagram showing how the acoustic transmitting/receiving beam formed by the linear array transducer is successively steered.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,530,680 gives another prior art example. An echo sounding apparatus described in this U.S. patent includes a transducer for transmitting and receiving acoustic waves, the transducer having multiple elements which are arranged in line to constitute a linear array. The echo sounding apparatus determines the direction of a return echo from an underwater object by a split-beam method and the distance to the object based on time needed for receiving the return echo after transmission.
According to the method of U.S. Pat. No. 5,530,680, the echo sounding apparatus transmits the acoustic waves in a 90-degree sector area by one transmission from a single element and receives return echoes from an underwater object by using two paired elements as illustrated in FIG. 29. The echo sounding apparatus determines the direction of the object from a phase difference between the echoes received by the paired elements and the distance to the object based on time needed for receiving the echoes from the object after transmission.
The aforementioned split-beam method is a method of determining the direction of a target from a phase difference between echoes from the target detected by two receiving beams directed toward the target. Referring to FIG. 30, if echoes from a target are received by two elements R, L from a direction θ, a phase difference φ between the echoes received by the two elements R, L varies with the direction of the target, so that it is possible to know the direction of the target from the phase difference φ. Given a wavelength λ of the acoustic waves and an element-to-element distance d, the phase difference φ is calculated by equation (1) below:
                    ϕ        =                                                            2                                π                                                                                d                            λ                        ·            sin                                                                        θ                                                                          (            rad            )                                              (        1        )
From equation (1) above, the direction θ is obtained by equation (2) below within beam angles of the individual elements R, L:
                    θ        =                              sin                          -              1                                                      ϕλ                          2                            π                                                                                d                                                          (        2        )
Equation (2) above indicates that the direction θ of the target is linearly related to the phase difference φ as shown in FIG. 31. Since the wavelength λ and the element-to-element distance d have fixed values, the accuracy of the direction θ obtained by equation (2) is determined by measuring accuracy of the phase difference φ.
The aforementioned prior art arrangements however have their respective drawbacks.
Specifically, one drawback of the arrangement of U.S. Pat. No. 5,675,552 is that the sonar apparatus requires considerable time for searching for obstacles. Since the transducer transmits acoustic waves and receives return echoes in one direction to another in a step-by-step sequence, it normally takes a good deal of time to obtain an underwater cross-sectional image within a 90-degree fan-shaped search area ahead of a vessel. If the 90-degree area is to be searched by successively steering the transmitting/receiving beam in 3-degree steps, for example, it would be necessary to repeatedly perform transmit/receive cycles 30 times.
Another drawback of the arrangement of U.S. Pat. No. 5,675,552 is poor direction measuring accuracy. The sonar apparatus displays echoes detected within a beam angle of the transmitting/receiving beam and, therefore, the direction measuring accuracy is determined by the beam angle. Particularly when the sonar apparatus is operated on a larger range scale for detecting obstacles at greater distances, a bottom echo displayed on-screen becomes larger (displayed over a longer range) as shown in FIG. 32, so that a range at which targets can be distinguished from the bottom is limited on larger range scales. Although this drawback can be more or less overcome by reducing the beam angle of the transducer, it is generally necessary to increase array length by using a larger number of elements to constitute a longer linear array transducer. This approach results in an increase in physical size and manufacturing cost of the transducer, also imposing a problem related to transducer installation.
The aforementioned arrangement of U.S. Pat. No. 5,530,680 has a drawback in that the echo sounding apparatus has a limited sounding range. Since the echo sounding apparatus transmits acoustic waves in the 90-degree sector area by using a single element, transmitting sound pressure (or source level) is low. Sensitivity to return echoes is also low and the sounding range is limited since the return echoes are received by each of the two paired elements alone.
Another drawback of the arrangement of U.S. Pat. No. 5,530,680 is losses, or dropouts, of return echo data. In the split-beam method used in the arrangement of U.S. Pat. No. 5,530,680, the echo sounding apparatus can not distinguish echoes from two or more equidistant targets located in different directions (just like echoes from equidistant points P and Q shown in FIG. 9A which will be later described) as these echoes arrive at the same time. This causes a problem of echo data dropout.

Forward-looking sonar and underwater image display system