A refrigerator includes a cabinet with a storage chamber, and a shelf assembly vertically movably mounted in the storage chamber. The shelf assembly includes a pair of guide members mounted to opposite side walls of the storage chamber, a shelf guided by the guide members to be vertically movable, a pair of side walls extending downwards from opposite lateral ends of the shelf and vertically movable while being guided by the guide members, a handle member having opposite ends mounted in guide slots formed through upper portions of the side walls, to be slidably guided by the guide slots in forward and rearward directions, two pairs of cam members pivotably mounted to the corresponding guide members, to support the shelf, and a pair of extension portions pivotally connected to the corresponding cam members while extending rearwards from opposite ends of the handle member.

1. Field
The present disclosure relates to a refrigerator, and more particularly to a refrigerator capable of easily moving a shelf mounted to a storage chamber without separation of the shelf.
2. Background
Generally, a refrigerator is an appliance for storing food, etc. within a storage chamber in a frozen or refrigerated state by discharging, into the storage chamber, cold air generated through a refrigeration cycle constituted by a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, an evaporator, etc. Such a refrigerator generally includes a freezing compartment for storing food or beverages in a frozen state, and a refrigerating compartment for storing food or beverages at low temperature. A Kimchi refrigerator, which stores food such as Kimchi or vegetables in a fresh state, is another form of refrigerator.
At least one of plural doors installed at a refrigerator is connected to one side of a body by a hinge, to open or close a front side of the body through pivotal movement thereof. In addition to such a door, which pivots about a hinge, a drawer type door may also be employed. The drawer type door includes a drawer, and a door mounted to a front side of the drawer, to be withdrawn or retracted in a forward or rearward direction, together with the drawer.
Generally, storage compartments of a refrigerator, namely, freezing and refrigerating compartments, are provided with a plurality of shelves to vertically divide the freezing and refrigerating compartments into sections, in order to store food articles having various sizes and to enhance space utilization. Since food articles to be placed on such shelves may have various sizes, the shelves are separably mounted at different levels in the freezing and refrigerating compartments while being movable to adjust mounting levels thereof.
Mounting of the shelves may be achieved by slidably mounting the shelves to a plurality of support ribs formed at left and right surfaces of the refrigerating and freezing compartments, or coupling a pair of cantilevers coupled to each shelf, and then mounting the cantilevers to mounting rails each formed with a plurality of vertically arranged holes.
In accordance with such related art, however, level adjustment of shelves may be difficult and troublesome because, when it is desired to adjust mounting level of a shelf, the user has to separate the shelf from the support ribs or mounting rails after completely removing food articles from the shelf, and then to mount the separated shelf to another level.
In this regard, the applicant proposed a structure capable of adjusting the level of a shelf while food is placed thereon, as disclosed in Korean Unexamined Patent Publication No. 10-2006-0040290. However, the disclosed conventional structure has a problem in that, when it is desired to adjust the level of a shelf, the user has to move the shelf along an inclined guide slot in forward and rearward directions by a long distance. Furthermore, the shelf should be moved between an initial position and a final position by a considerable distance. In addition, there may be a danger in that, when the shelf is used under a condition that the shelf is disposed at an upper position thereof, and food articles are placed on the shelf, the shelf may be moved to a lower position thereof along the guide slot.


A power supply for a capacitive load, such as an electroluminescent lamp, converts a low battery voltage to a significantly higher voltage of alternating polarity to drive the load. A desired voltage waveform is applied to the load by accumulating charge in its inherent capacitance from voltage spikes resulting from rapidly disconnecting an inductor from the battery. The maximum voltage applied to the load is maintained below a maximum by a feedback loop that monitors a reduced voltage by use of a voltage divider. The voltage divider is formed of a plurality of capacitors connected in series, the reduced voltage being monitored across one of them. The entire power supply is formed on a single integrated circuit chip, except for the inductor, battery and load.

This invention relates generally to power supplies and voltage converters, and, in a specific implementation, to circuits that drive electroluminescent lamps with a high alternating polarity voltage from a low voltage battery supply.
A type of electroluminescent lamp that is widely used in numerous applications is a thin structure formed of a layer of electroluminescent material sandwiched between two conductive electrode layers. One of the electrodes is optically transparent to the resulting luminescence. When a sufficiently high voltage is applied across the two electrodes, a resulting electric field causes the intermediate electroluminescent layer to emit light that is visible through the transparent electrode. The brightness of the emission depends upon the magnitude of the voltage applied. Very little current is consumed in the process. The polarity of the supply voltage is alternated at a sufficiently high rate to prevent a build up of charge that causes the intensity of the luminescence to significantly diminish. A power supply especially designed for driving electroluminescent lamps is generally used.
Applications of this type of lamp include the back lighting of portable electronic devices such as watches, telephones, pagers, and the like. Such lamps are also used in automobile dashboards to provide back lighting of various displays. Included among other applications are displays where the lamps are either shaped or masked to form some symbol, letter or number. In most applications, the power supply to the lamp is required to convert a low direct current battery voltage, such as 1.5, 3.0 or 12 volts, into a voltage across the electrodes of the lamp that is 100 volts or more, and having an alternating polarity. A frequency in a range of about 100-1000 Hz. is generally used. Too high a frequency diminishes the life of the lamp and too low a frequency causes visible flicker.
A typical electroluminescent lamp driver uses the fact that this type of lamp has the electrical characteristics of a capacitor. An inductor is connected to a low voltage battery through a transistor switch. This switch is repetitively turned on, to store energy from the battery in the inductor, and then quickly and sharply turned off to generate a high voltage spike or pulse. A series of such pulses applied to the lamp causes a charge to build up in its equivalent capacitor and thus increase the voltage across its electrodes. The high voltage causes the lamp's electroluminescent material dielectric to emit light. The polarity of the charge accumulation in the lamp capacitor is periodically reversed by alternating the polarity of the voltage applied to the lamp, through use of a bridge switching circuit or the like.
It is a primary object of the present invention to provide such a power supply for electroluminescent lamps that regulates and controls the maximum voltage that results from the accumulated charge.
It is another object of the present invention to provide such a voltage controlled power supply that itself consumes little power, thus extending battery life.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide such a power supply on a single integrated circuit chip with only the battery and inductor outside of the circuit chip.
It is a more general object of the present invention to provide an integrated circuit voltage converting techniques of a general application.

Regulated power supplies for electroluminescent lamps


In an apparatus for measuring facial exposure to radiation, a housing is provided and includes a first recess defined in-part by an end wall. A chip holder is also provided and defines a second recess adapted to carry a thermoluminescent dosimetry chip. The chip holder is positioned in the first recess with the end wall and the first recess cooperating to form a chamber that encapsulates the thermoluminescent dosimetry chip. The apparatus is mountable to an eye protective device, such as a face shield, eyeglasses, or safety glasses to measure the amount of radiation to which the facial area of the wearer is exposed.

Ionizing radiation creates a risk of injury to persons exposed to such energy. Such radiation can be natural or generated and numerous sources can be encountered in medicine industry, research and academic work. As an example, ionizing radiation is often generated by various types of equipment, such as x-ray machinery, used in the medical or dental profession. Accordingly, there is a heightened risk of exposure to persons who work in this discipline. To avoid prolonged, or over-exposure to radiation, as well as to comply with federal regulations, the exposure to radiation of involved medical professionals is generally closely monitored.
Two groups of devices are most commonly used to measure exposure to radiation. The first type of device consists of a meter that detects and quantifies the level or intensity of radioactivity. These devices make instantaneous measurements and do not typically provide information regarding accumulation of exposure. The second group of devices measures the accumulated amount of radiation a person has been exposed to over a given period of time, and are referred to by those skilled in the pertinent art as dosimeters.
Dosimeters provide information on accumulated radiation exposure by integrating the various different, and often variable intensity doses of radiation to which a person is exposed over a given period of time. The duration of data collection can vary from minutes to weeks depending on exposure conditions and surveillance requirements. Usually, the dosimeter is in the form of a badge that can be clipped onto a person's clothing.
Dosimeters can include real time devices, i.e., the self reading gauge dosimeters (SRD); and those requiring processing: film radiation detectors; and thermoluminescent dosimetry (TLD), utilizing lithium fluoride (LiF) chips. The TLD is the most robust, reliable and accurate means of dose estimation.
Usually, a dosimeter is worn in proximity to the chest or waist, and is clipped onto clothing or suspended from a chain. Dosimeters can also be attached to the extremities or other locations on the body to provide more accurate data appropriate to a specific exposure situation. However, difficulties sometimes arise as a result of a person forgetting to attach the dosimeter, or as a result of inappropriate placement of the dosimeter when localized exposure occurs. This can result in undetected overexposure, that in turn could injure the unsuspecting individual. This problem is most frequently encountered when a person's face and eyes are exposed to a discrete beam of radiation, and the dosimeter is positioned below the person's neck.
Based on the foregoing, it is the general object of the present invention to provide a radiation measurement device that overcomes the problems and drawbacks associated with prior art devices.
It is a more specific object of the present invention to provide a device capable of accurately measuring the level of exposure to radiation of the facial area of an individual.

Protective eyewear including an integral thermoluminescent dosimetry chip for measuring facial exposure to ionizing radiation


A flipper in a pinball machine is rotated by a motor, permitting control of the angular position or velocity of the flipper by the pinball machine in response to player input, ball position or game sequences. The flipper is controlled internally through software of the microcomputer that keeps track of game sequences and the player's score, or externally via a switch or control manipulated by the player. Preferably the angular position of the flipper is sensed, and the motor can rotate the flipper in both a clockwise and a counter-clockwise direction. In one embodiment, the flipper is rotated by more than 360 degrees to intermittently permit a timing shot when passage of the ball is synchronized to the rotation of the flipper. For example, the flipper may intermittently open a path for a ball to a target, or may intermittently permit the ball to be deflected by the flipper to a target. In either case, a player's attention is captivated by turning the motor on and off at different times in a game sequence, and permitting the player to have a degree of control over the angular velocity of the flipper. In another embodiment, the flipper is both rotated by a motor and pivoted by a solenoid, the player adjusts a control to select the angular position of the flipper, and the player activates a switch to actuate the solenoid.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to pinball machines, and more particularly to flippers for pinball machines. The present invention specifically relates to a flipper that is rotated by a motor, permitting control of the angular position or velocity of the flipper by the pinball machine in response to player input, ball position or game sequences.
2. Background Art
In a pinball game, a player operates flippers to direct a ball over a playfield to various targets to score points. The targets are assigned different scores, and targets having high scores are often placed in areas of the playfield that are reached only by the more skillful players. The player, for example, must direct the ball to a restricted channel on the playfield to reach the high-scoring targets. The flippers are typically pivoted by solenoids to strike the ball. Typically one or more flippers that pivot in a clockwise direction are mounted at lower right peripheral positions of the playfield, and one or more flippers that pivot in a counter-clockwise direction are mounted at lower left peripheral positions of the playfield. The flippers on the right side of the playfield are activated by a player-operated push-button on the right side of the game housing, and the flippers on the left side of the playfield are activated by a player-operated push-button on the left side of the game housing.

Pinball machine having a system controlled rotating flipper


A wall flush mount supporting device for electric or electronic components. A wall recessed box with a collar has an external cover or finishing plate in perfectly co-planar position with the wall in which the supporting device is recessed. The external surface of the component and the external surface of the finishing plate do not protrude from the frontal edges of the collar.

1. Field of the Invention
The present patent application refers to a wall flush mount supporting device for electric or electronic components, of the type commonly used in electric installations, such as, for example, control switches, electric sockets, thermostats, emergency lamps, etc.
2. Description of Related Art
The devices that are currently used to house and support the said components are characterised by standardized construction, according to which the components are supported by a plate (hereinafter defined as "component-holder plate") screwed into a wall-recessed box that receives the wires of the chased electric installation.
The said box is made of plastic material and is provided with suitably weakened circular areas that can be easily removed to pass the electric wires that must be wired to the terminal boards of said electric or electronic components, whose body is practically contained inside the protection box.
As mentioned earlier, the component-holder plate is screwed into the front opening of the box, after recessing it into the wall in such a way that the opening is basically coplanar to the wall.
In view of the above, the front of the electric or electronic components remains visible on the front of the component-holder plate in the proximity of suitable control means or electric sockets.
For aesthetical reasons the component-holder plate is covered and hidden by an external finishing plate with one or more windows that exactly house the control means or electric sockets.
Regardless of the multiple designs of the finishing plates and component-holder plates, it must be said that all the available models are characterised in that the front of the components and relevant framing plate protrude from the installation wall, thus interrupting the clean design of the wall with a projecting element that can be hardly camouflaged or hidden.
For this reason, supporting devices have drawn the designers' attention who attempted to find new external shapes that can make installation easier and more attractive and to reduce the visual impact on the architecture of the room or furniture.
US patent application publication No. US2003/0089710 A1 describes an electrical box into which a one-piece recessed faceplate is inserted, said faceplate allowing for the adjustment of the distances between the outward surface of the electrical instrumentality installed into the electrical box and the flange positioned at the front of said faceplate.
Said faceplate comprising a flange which is flush against the front wall and a rear wall connected to each other by means of an interior surface attached to and projecting forward to rear wall which is provided with aperture for the accommodation of said electrical instrumentality the outward surface of which is flush against said aperture.
The back side of said front flange is designed to seat against the mounting surface of box.
Said front flange can be provided with a sliding cover which covers and completely hides said front flange.
This means that also said cover protrudes from the mounting surface of box.
Furthermore the presence of cover increases the size of the faceplate portion protruding from the mounting surface of box.

Wall flush mount supporting device for electric or electronic components


A method and apparatus for positioning and accurately orienting well service equipment within a well casing having an indexing coupling therein to permit the conduct of selected well service operations. A well logging sonde including an ultrasonic scanner system is run into the well casing and, in addition to conducting a conventional well survey, provides accurate measurement of the internal geometry of the indexing couplings and produces an acoustic image specifically identifying internal features such as landing profile and orienting slot orientation relative to earth frame references such as vertical, horizontal, and magnetic north. The present invention also provides for location and characterization of casing imperfections, such as internal and external corrosion, and variations in casing wall thickness, and also permits location of marker devices such as magnetic and radioactive markers. The ultrasonic logging sonde produces a well log specifically identifying the location and orientation of each indexing coupling, thus enabling subsequent well operations, such as the drilling of lateral branches, to be designed and controlled.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the drilling of wells for the production of petroleum products from subsurface zones of interest and to drilling activities for multilateral branches that extend from a primary wellbore to a zone or zones of interest located laterally from the primary wellbore. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a survey method and apparatus to record the position and the orientation of locating devices in a string of well casing, and to recognize the type of matching profile of the locating and orienting device that has been installed in the casing string at a specific well depth, to thus enable lateral branch operations such as casing window milling, lateral branch drilling, lateral branch entry, completion, and treating, to be accomplished simply and efficiently from the primary wellbore.
2. Description of the Related Art
In order to drill lateral branches in an oil and gas well, some side-tracking methods may use a permanent locating and orienting device that is built into the casing. Typically an indexing coupling is connected between sections of casing and defines an internal landing profile allowing a well tool having a matching internal landing profile to be landed and latched therein. For the purpose of indexing, the indexing coupling can also define an internal orienting slot having an azimuth that is known. A lateral branch well tool having an orienting key located within the orienting slot will therefore be oriented with respect to the azimuth of the internal orienting slot. Such a permanent indexing coupling allows positioning and orienting accurately and consistently any equipment that is needed to build and/or complete a lateral branch or conduct other azimuth specific operations within the well. This technique is disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/937,032, filed on Sep. 24, 1997, which is incorporated herein by reference.
Typically, sections of well casing are connected by threaded couplings so that the relative rotational positions of adjacent casing sections can vary significantly. The same is true with respect to indexing couplings which are typically connected to adjacent casing sections by threaded joints. To achieve precision location of indexing couplings within casing strings for wells of significant depth, according to conventional practices, the location and orientation of each joint of the casing string relative to adjacent joints must be precisely measured. Additionally, other parameters that control casing positioning, casing stretch for example, must be carefully monitored and controlled as the casing is being positioned and cemented within the wellbore so that the indexing coupling will be located precisely at the desired depth and the indexing slot of the indexing coupling will be precisely located at a preselected azimuth. As the many casing sections of a well are connected, minor errors at a number of casing joints can accumulate, thus positioning the orienting slot of any particular indexing coupling at an azimuth that is significantly different from the azimuth that is intended. Thus azimuth specific subsurface operations conducted from the reference of the indexing slot of the indexing coupling can have a significant error. Moreover, when the casing cementing operation has been completed the position of the well casing will be permanent, thus any error of casing positioning will interfere permanently with lateral branch operations.
Obviously, when exceptionally close monitoring and recording is being done during casing installation to ensure that actual indexing coupling positioning and orientation precisely matches the casing installation plan, the cost of the casing installation procedure, as compared to casing installation without such monitoring, is significantly increased, thus adversely influencing the overall cost of the well drilling and completion procedure. It is desirable therefore to provide a procedure for installing well casing having indexing couplings located therein so that the well casing can be installed without the need for precision azimuth controlled orientation of the indexing couplings relative to the earth formation. It is also desirable to provide a procedure for efficiently and accurately identifying the specific azimuth orientation of each of the orienting couplings of a casing string after the casing string has been run into the wellbore and cemented. This feature will permit the well tools to be landed therein to be selectively oriented with respect to the precisely measured existing azimuth of the orienting slot of the indexing coupling so that intended well operations, the drilling of lateral branches, well completion activities, well treating, casing window milling, digital imaging, as examples, can be carried out from an azimuth reference and coupling orientation that have been precisely measured and recorded by a well log.
When a well casing is installed, landing and indexing nipples, also referred to herein as indexing couplings are frequently connected in the casing string at selected depths to enable well tools to be run through the casing and landed and latched to the internal profile of the indexing coupling. At times the internal profiles of several indexing couplings of a casing string will be intentionally different so that only a well tool having a matching landing profile can be landed and latched therein. This feature enables well tools to be run through the casing string and through non-matching indexing couplings until an indexing coupling having a matching profile has been reached. The landing nipple with a matching profile will allow the locking dogs of the tool to seat within the matching profile and establish a latching connection therewith.
Under circumstances where an existing well having indexing couplings, particularly indexing couplings having an orienting slot therein, are encountered and the internal profile and indexing geometry and orientation are not known, it is desirable to provide a system for creating an image of the internal geometry of the indexing coupling on a well log and referencing the image to local deviation and rotation, i.e., the inclination of the well casing and indexing coupling and the angle of rotation, measured from an azimuth of reference such as magnetic north. The image so created should display the positioning and orienting features of the indexing coupling, i.e., the precise internal profile of the indexing coupling and the azimuth and dimension of its indexing slot so that azimuth specific lateral branch operations may be efficiently designed and conducted from the reference of the indexing slot.
It is therefore desirable to provide a logging system having an ultrasonic scanner to thus provide the capability of creating an image accurately identifying the internal geometry of the indexing coupling or other positioning or indexing device. It is also desirable to provide a logging system having the capability of correlating the image of the internal geometry of the selected indexing coupling in terms of local references in the downhole environment. This will enable various azimuth specific downhole operations to be designed with the known internal geometry and orientation of a selected indexing coupling in mind.

Method and apparatus for locating indexing systems in a cased well and conducting multilateral branch operations


A micromachined accelerometer unit and a hybrid accelerometer circuit for processing a signal from the unit are mounted in the same package with the substrate of the hybrid circuit in a plane normal to the sensitivity axis of the accelerometer. For calibration, thick film resistors on the substrate are laser trimmed at two different temperatures in two stations. The package is mounted on a shaker table with the substrate normal to the direction of vibration and a trimming laser beam normal to the substrate is directed onto the substrate to trim the resistors while the package is being vibrated. The ac signal produced by the circuit is monitored by test equipment and compared to a reference value to determine any signal error and to control the laser beam. The laser beam has a finite range where the depth of focus is suitable for resistor trimming and the amplitude of vibration is much smaller than that range to permit trimming during the mechanical excitation. Alternatively, the amplitude of vibration is larger than the depth of focus and the operation of the laser is synchronized with the motion of the substrate to turn on the laser only when the resistor being trimmed is within the range of the depth of focus.

An accelerometer is one of the primary sensors used in on-board automotive safety control systems and navigational systems, particularly crash sensing systems. Examples of such automotive applications include anti-lock braking systems, active suspension systems, supplemental inflatable restraint systems such as air bags, and seat belt lock-up systems. An accelerometer is a device which measures acceleration or, more accurately, accelerometers measure the force that is exerted by a proof mass as a result of a change in the velocity of the mass.
In a micromachined accelerometer employing oppositely disposed piezoresistive microbridges supporting the proof mass, acceleration causes compressive or tensile load on portions of the microbridges. In turn, the resulting compressive or tensile loads change electrical resistance of piezoresistors in the microbridges. This change in resistance can be sensed to determine the magnitude of the acceleration or component of the acceleration along an axis normal to the plane of the bridges. An accelerometer circuit connected to the piezoresistors processes signals affected by the resistance change to produce an output voltage which is proportional to the acceleration along that axis.
It is desirable to package the accelerometer and the accelerometer circuit together and interconnect them by electrical leads. The circuit typically comprises an alumina substrate supporting a hybrid circuit including thick film resistors which determine the circuit parameters. During manufacture, the circuit parameters are initially set to obtain an approximately correct signal for a given acceleration; however, the circuit is temperature sensitive. A functional calibration is made at two different temperatures by applying a test acceleration and trimming resistors on the accelerometer circuit to yield the desired output at each temperature. In the past, this calibration has been accomplished at each temperature by accelerating the package at a specified rate and measuring the output of the circuit at a test station, transferring the package to a trimming station, laser trimming the resistor by a calculated amount to hopefully correct any error in the output, and repeating the acceleration and measurement to verify that the trimming was sufficient. If not, further trimming and testing ensue. The process of test, transfer, trim, transfer, test, etc., is time consuming and expensive.
In the past, it has been known to functionally calibrate other types of electronic devices, such as pressure sensors, by laser trimming the resistors at the same time the pressure or other parameter is applied so that the testing and verification are coincident, that is, for a given temperature, the resistor trimming progresses until the desired value is attained and no further verification is required, and the process is repeated at another temperature. In the case of accelerometers, such simplicity of calibration has not heretofore been realized due to the difficulty of simultaneously mechanically exciting the package and trimming the resistors.

Active resistor trimming of accelerometer circuit


A measuring device is configured to measure a height of a mold. The measuring device includes a laser generator, a raster, a camera module, and a controller. The raster is positioned between the laser generator and the mold. A laser beam emitted by the laser generator is refracted by the raster to divide the laser into two laser beams. The two laser beams cooperatively define a predetermined angle θ. The camera module is configured to capture an image of the two laser beams irradiated onto the top surface. The controller is electrically connected to the camera module, and configured to receive the image and to calculate an actual distance D between the two laser beams, according to the image. The controller is capable of calculating a height H of the mold, according to D and the predetermined angle θ.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a measuring device and a processing system using the same.
2. Description of Related Art
When a laser machining device machines a mold configured to manufacture light guiding plates, an operators need to set a height of the mold in the machining device to make the laser machining device to move above the mold at a fixed height. The fixed height is a height of a focus point of a laser beam emitted by the laser machining device. As such, the laser machining device is capable of machining the mold at maximum efficiency.
However, different types of molds have different heights, if the operator makes even a slight error in setting the height in the machining device, the machining device cannot machine the mold at maximum efficiency.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide a measuring device and a processing system using the same that can overcome the above-mentioned limitations.

Measuring device and processing system using same

ShenZhen Goldsun Network Intelligence Technology Co., Ltd.


A winding device includes a headrail, a winding drum, a pull cord, a carriage member, and a guide member. The winding drum is mounted on the headrail, is operable so as to rotate relative to the headrail, and has threaded and smooth drum portions. The pull cord extends through the headrail and is secured to the smooth drum portion. The carriage member threadedly engages the threaded drum portion, and is movable along the threaded drum portion when the winding drum is rotated so as to wind the pull cord on the smooth drum portion. The guide member is coupled to the carriage member so as to be co-movable therewith, and guides the pull cord such that winding turns of the pull cord on the smooth drum portion are formed adjacent to one another without overlapping.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a winding device, more particularly to a winding device for a window blind
2. Description of the Related Art
U.S. Pat. No. 5,328,113 discloses a conventional winding device for winding an end portion of a pull cord of a window blind. The conventional winding device includes a winding drum, and an auxiliary drum that extends from the winding drum. The end portion of the pull cord is secured to the winding drum. The auxiliary drum has a diameter larger than that of the winding drum, and a distal end distal from the winding drum. A shoulder extends radially from the distal end of the auxiliary drum. A guide guides the pull cord such that the end portion of the pull cord is wound on the auxiliary drum and that the winding turns are pushed to move along the auxiliary drum toward the winding drum under the effect of the shoulder.
The aforementioned conventional winding device is disadvantageous in that the winding turns tend to overlap with each other while being formed when the number of winding turns is relatively large. This results in entanglement of the winding turns when the winding turns are unwound from the winding device.


An end stop which does not induce separation or deterioration in its mounting portion by fusing part thereof. A linear fastener element row formed of synthetic resin is mounted on a side edge of a fastener tape, and a rod-like body of synthetic resin is inserted into the interior of plural fastener elements located at a final end of the element row. A fused portion is proved by welding only a side of an outer end portion of the rod-like body while a non-fused portion is formed without welding a side of an inner end portion, so the end stop as a top or bottom end stop is produced. The non-fused portion absorbs an impact when a slider collides with the end stop and induces no deterioration in sewing yarn and such. The fused portion integrates the end stop with fastener elements firmly, so a rigid structured end stop is completed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a top end stop and bottom end stop for a slide fastener in which coil type, or zigzag type linear fastener elements made of synthetic resin are mounted on a side edge of a fastener tape and a hidden type slide fastener.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventionally, various types of top end stops and bottom end stops in the coil type or zigzag type linear slide fastener and hidden type slide fastener made of synthetic resin have been proposed. According to Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 56-51773, a synthetic resin piece 114 having a circular section is formed in the back surface of the heads 120 of the tape 107 side of plural elements at a final end of the linear fastener element row 103, such that it can be fused as shown in FIG. 10 and an end portion of the synthetic resin piece 114 located at a final end of the element row 103 is bent to the surface so as to produce a bent portion 119. The end face of the bent portion 119 is formed lower than the surface of the elements and then, the bent portion 119 is fused with a coupling face formed in a curved state on a side face of the element head 120 at the final end of the element row 103.
Further, according to Republic of China Utility Model Registration No. 125468.6, it has been known that as shown in FIG. 11, a filament 214 of a specified length is inserted into a coil type linear fastener element row 203 made of synthetic resin and the inserted filament 214 and the fastener elements are welded together with ultrasonic wave so as to form a bottom end stop 211.
In the end stop shown in FIG. 10, a synthetic resin piece 114 is fused to the bottom face of a head of the linear fastener element row 113 by ultrasonic processing with a pressure and the end portion thereof is bent to the surface side of the element and fused to the side face of the element head 120. Because the fusing process for the synthetic resin is very complicated, this cannot be produced at a cheap price. Further, because the synthetic resin piece 114 is fused with the surface of the elements, there is a fear that it may be separated during usage.
Because in the bottom end stop 211 shown in FIG. 11, a filament 214 inserted into a linear fastener element row 203 of synthetic resin is fused with the fastener element throughout the entire length, a sewing yarn which sews the fastener elements at the bottom end stop is deteriorated due to ultrasonic welding processing, so that the sewing yarn is cut out because of a load accompanying an opening/closing of a slider fastener, thereby the bottom end stop being incapable of bearing a long term usage.
The present invention has been accomplished in views of the above-described problem and therefore, a prominent object of the present invention is to provide an end stop for a slide fastener, which serves as a top end stop and bottom end stop for preventing a slider from slipping out of an ordinary type or hidden type slide fastener equipped with a linear fastener element row of synthetic resin, the top end stop and bottom end stop being produced by, after a rod-like body of synthetic resin is inserted into liner fastener elements, fusing only an end portion thereof, so that these end stops are never separated or affected by deterioration, thereby ensuring a rigid structure and a cheap price.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an end stop for a slide fastener which can be completed as a rigid structure by specifying a range of a portion to be fused together in the rod-like body.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide an end stop for a slide fastener which can be produced as a top end stop easily by disposing the rod-like body of synthetic resin in the linear fastener element row in an ideal form.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an end stop for a slide fastener which can be produced as a bottom end stop easily by disposing the rod-like body of synthetic resin in the linear fastener element row in an ideal form.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide an end stop for a slide fastener which is sewed on a side edge of the linear fastener element row so that it can be employed effectively as an ordinary type slide fastener or a hidden type slide fastener.
A yet still further object of the present invention is to provide an end stop for a slide fastener which can be employed effectively as an end stop for a coil type slide fastener formed of coil type fastener elements.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an end stop for a slide fastener which can be employed as an end stop for a zigzag type slide fastener formed of zigzag type fastener elements.


An apparatus for performing a medical procedure includes a balloon with a variable profile. The balloon includes at least one inflatable chamber occupied by a fluid, such as air, and solids, such as generally spherical balls. When the chamber is inflated, the solids are spaced apart as a result of their ability to move or flow, but when the chamber is evacuated, the solids become compacted and prevent it from fully collapsing. The balloon may have a plurality of inflatable chambers with solids in different arrangements to achieve different objectives during the medical procedure, such as for example stent deployment. For example, one chamber may be expanded while the other is restrained to alter the balloon geometry, such as for providing focused force or permitting perfusion.

Inflatable balloons are commonly used in catheters for performing medical procedures, such as percutaneous transluminal angioplasty or valvuloplasty. Traditional balloons include a single hollow and expandable chamber that can inflated with a fluid to perform the desired procedure. As can be appreciated, the balloon when inflated has a fixed geometry or profile, which may limit its usefulness in performing procedures where a particular outcome, such as through the application of a targeted force, as but one example.
Accordingly, a need is identified for a medical balloon with a variable profile. The balloon would be relatively easy and inexpensive to manufacture using existing techniques, and would be readily adapted for use in connection with a variety of interventional procedures.

Inflatable medical balloon with variable profile


A metal plate for a gasket is provided with a plurality of beads around portions to be sealed. The beads intersect together to form an intersecting portion, which has an outer edge to surround the intersecting portion, a center portion in the center thereof, and a surrounding portion situated between the center portion and the outer edge. A cutting portion penetrating through the plate is formed at the center portion. When the metal plate is tightened, the cutting portion operates to disperse stress applied to the center portion of the intersecting portion. Therefore, equal surface pressure is formed on the intersecting portion as well as the beads.

The present invention relates to a metal plate having beads intersecting together, in particular a structure of a metal plate at a portion where the beads intersect.
An internal combustion engine is provided with a plurality of holes therein, such as cylinder bores, water holes, oil holes, bolt holes, push rod holes and so on. Some holes are securely sealed therearound to prevent leakage of fluid from the holes. For this purpose, the gasket is provided with specific sealing means around the holes to securely seal therearound.
In a metal laminate gasket formed of a plurality of metal plates, beads are often formed on the metal plate as sealing means around the holes to be sealed. When the gasket with the bead is tightened, the bead is compressed to form a surface pressure thereat to seal around the hole.
In a gasket, sometimes, holes to be sealed are located very close to each other. In this case, it is impossible to form a separate bead for each hole, but the adjacent beads are combined, and a common portion of the beads is eliminated. As a result, the two beads are intersected together.
When the two beads intersect, the intersecting portion of the two beads becomes eventually large. Therefore, when a plate with the intersecting portion of the two beads is compressed, the intersecting portion can not provide surface pressure equal to that formed on the rest of the beads. The surface pressure at the intersecting portion is generally weaker than that at the rest of the beads.
Also, since the intersecting portion is large, when the bead is compressed, equal tightening pressure may not be applied to the entire intersecting portion, i.e. eccentric stress may be locally formed on the intersecting portion. Accordingly, the surface pressure on the intersecting portion may be partly different, so that leakage may occur through a weak surface pressure portion in the intersecting portion.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,861,047, a depression is formed at a middle of an intersecting portion of the beads to extend downwardly therefrom. The depression at the intersecting portion provides stiffness at that portion, so that the intersecting portion can provide surface pressure substantially equal to that at the rest of the beads.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,869,515, a depression is formed at an intersecting portion of two beads. The depression extends from one edge portion of the bead to reduce the area of the intersecting portion.
In Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 4-50762 published on Apr. 28, 1992, an intersecting portion of two beads is formed to have a large area, so that a high pressure portion is formed at a part of the intersecting portion.
The above mechanisms operate as intended. However, when the intersecting portion of the beads is compressed, local eccentric stress may be formed at the intersecting portion to cause leakage of fluid.
Therefore, one object of the invention is to provide a metal plate with an intersecting portion of the beads, wherein the beads can substantially provide equal surface pressure throughout the entire area of the beads including the intersecting portion thereof when compressed.
Another object of the invention is to provide a metal plate as stated above, wherein local eccentric stress is not substantially formed at the intersecting portion of the beads when compressed.
A further object of the invention is to provide a metal plate as stated above, which can be formed easily and economically.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the invention.


A door assembly for a vehicle includes a door subassembly hinged to the vehicle having a window opening and a window subassembly hinged to the vehicle adapted to cover the window opening; the door subassembly and window subassembly having a common hinge axis and the door assembly operable between a closed position, a window subassembly open and door subassembly closed position, and a window subassembly and door subassembly open position.

Presently, vehicles built off of truck platforms, where the truck bed is enclosed and in communication with the passenger compartment, enjoy an increasing popularity. This type of vehicle, typically referred to as a sport utility vehicle, has a rear door commonly known as a "liftgate" articulated around a horizontal shaft at the top rear of the vehicle. The liftgate provides a means to access the rear storage area of the vehicle. A rear window or "flipglass" is a common feature of the liftgate and provides access to the rear storage area without having to raise the liftgate. The liftgate flipglass is mounted to the liftgate and articulated around a pair of externally visible hinges.
The flipglass hinges are undesirable for two reasons. First, from a vehicle styling standpoint, the hinges are considered aesthetically unappealing and a styling limitation due to their external placement. Second, from a manufacturing standpoint, there is a set of hinges for the liftgate and a separate set of hinges for the liftgate flipglass. Such redundancy increases overall vehicle cost and complexity.
One design for a hatchback-type rear door provides a pivotable door subassembly that has an independently pivoting window subassembly that either remains in place when the door is opened or may be opened in unison with the door. Although the door and window subassemblies share a common pivot hinge axis, thereby reducing overall vehicle cost and complexity, such an embodiment would be undesirable for a sport utility vehicle. More specifically, the access to the rear storage area would require lifting the tailgate and either leaving the glass in place or lifting the glass with the tailgate. Either mode of access would require raising the liftgate, which would defeat the purpose for having a flipglass feature. The purpose being that raising the liftgate to gain access to the rear storage area may be bypassed by utilizing the flipglass feature. Such a feature is desired when placing a small load in the rear storage area for example.
What is desired than is a rear door assembly having a liftgate with a liftgate flipglass feature having a common hinge axis therebetween, which allows the flipglass to be opened while the liftgate remains in place or allows both liftgate and flipglass to be opened. Such a door assembly would provide access to the rear storage area while improving vehicle styling flexibility and reducing overall vehicle cost and complexity by eliminating the independent flipglass hinges.

Vehicle liftgate and flipglass with a shared hinge axis


An overcurrent protection apparatus includes two overcurrent protection circuits. The first overcurrent protection circuit compares an electric potential on the downstream side of a first resistance element with a reference potential produced by a second resistance element by a comparator and determines that overcurrent has been caused and intercepts current flowing through a first series regulator when the electric potential on the downstream side of the first resistance element is lower than the reference potential. When the resistance value of the second resistance element is larger than the resistance value of a fourth resistance element of the second overcurrent protection circuit, e.g., 1.2 times the resistance value of the fourth resistance element, the first overcurrent protection circuit intercepts the current flowing through the first series regulator at a current value of 1.2 times a current at which a downstream second series regulator is intercepted by the second overcurrent protection circuit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an overcurrent protection apparatus that detects an overcurrent of series regulators of plural stages and protect the series regulators from the overcurrent, and an electronic apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
A series regulator steps down, for example, a battery voltage to a stable voltage and outputs the stepped-down voltage. However, a loss caused by the output transistor disposed in the regulator is large, so that the overcurrent protection apparatus employs a construction in which the loss is dispersed by additionally disposing a regulator in a former stage to construct the regulator in two stages or by disposing means for stepping down voltage at the former stage.
A power supply system described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication JP-A 2002-297249 includes a series regulator and a power consuming part disposed on a direct current passage between a direct current power source connected to the power supply system and the input side of the series regulator. The power supply system disperses the power loss, that is, loss of the whole circuit into the series regulator and the power consuming part, thereby reducing the heat produced by the series regulator.
A direct current stabilizing power supply system described in JP-A 2003-241842 includes: a voltage step-down part for stepping-down a first direct current voltage to be inputted to a second direct current voltage; a series type regulator, that is, series regulator for stepping-down the second direct current voltage to a third direct current voltage; and a comparison circuit for determining whether or not the first direct current voltage is a specified reference value or less. The direct current stabilizing power supply system disperses loss into the voltage step-down part and the series type regulator, and when the first direct current voltage is the specified reference value or less, the comparison circuit controls the voltage step-down part in such a way that voltages at the input terminal and the output terminal of the voltage step-down part are brought into the same voltage. With this, even when an input voltage becomes low, the direct current stabilizing power supply system can keep a constant output voltage.
A power supply circuit system described in JP-A 2006-127253 includes regulator circuit sections of N stages connected in series, and each of the regulator circuit sections performs a direct current voltage conversion. The power supply circuit system can reduce the allowable loss of each regulator circuit section to 1/N and hence can reduce the heat produced by each regulator circuit section.
These systems disperse the loss into the power consuming part, the voltage step-down part, or the plural series regulators. In the case of dispersing the loss into the plural series regulators, to prevent each series regulator from being broken by overcurrent, each series regulator is provided with an overcurrent protection circuit. The overcurrent protection circuit is a circuit that detects a current value of current flowing through the series regulator and which intercepts the current flowing through the series regulator when the detected current value is larger than a specified reference current value showing overcurrent.
However, in the case where the reference current value by which the overcurrent protection circuit of the series regulator of the former stage determines that a detected current value is overcurrent is smaller than a reference current value by which the overcurrent protection circuit of the series regulator of the latter stage determines that a detected current value is overcurrent, when the output side of the series regulator of the latter stage is grounded to cause overcurrent, the overcurrent protection circuit of the series regulator of the former stage operates before the overcurrent protection circuit of the series regulator of the latter stage operates. The series regulator of the latter stage is brought into a conducting state until the overcurrent protection circuit of the series regulator of the former stage operates, whereby the electric potential of the output side of the series regulator of the former stage drops to a ground level. At this time, the same overcurrent flows through the series regulator of the former stage and the series regulator of the latter stage, and since a voltage drop of the series regulator of the former stage is large, there is the possibility that the loss will be concentrated on the series regulator of the former stage to break the element of the series regulator of the former stage because the loss is over the allowable loss of the series regulator.
Further, in the case where the reference current value of the series regulator of the former stage is excessively large, when the output side of the series regulator of the former stage is grounded to cause overcurrent, there is the possibility that until the overcurrent reaches the reference current value, the overcurrent protection circuit will not operate to cause a large voltage drop in the series regulator of the former stage, which causes a break in the element of the series regulator of the former stage because the loss is over the allowable loss of the series regulator.

Overcurrent protection apparatus and electronic apparatus


A process of forming a plurality of substantially identical printed ribbons from a single length of rolled tape, includes unrolling the tape, repeatedly silk-screen printing a wet ink pattern onto a side of the tape, along the length of the tape, as the tape is unrolled, cutting the printed tape into a plurality of ribbons all having substantially the same length and all bearing substantially the same ink pattern, and drying the wet ink. The improvement includes wherein the tape that is used includes a polymer substrate that is metallized on both sides, with at least the side that is printed upon having a top layer of an ink-receptive coating. A printed ribbon includes a ribbon substrate and an ink pattern silk-screen printed onto one side of the ribbon substrate. The improvement includes wherein the ribbon substrate includes a polymer substrate includes that is metallized on both sides with an ink-receptive coating disposed at least on the side that is printed upon.

Printed ribbons are a popular way to recognize achievements or show support at social, athletic, academic and political functions. The ribbons can be adorned with any of an infinite number of designs or text. In a typical printed ribbon production operation, rolls of ribbon-material tape are processed into individual printed ribbons. The tape, generally produced in the desired width of the finished ribbons, is unspooled from the rolls and printed with a desired pattern. In some operations, the printed tape is next cut into individual ribbon lengths, then dried by some combination of heaters and blowers, and fed to a stacker that guides the dried ribbons into stacks for boxing. In other operations, the printed tape is dried first, then cut into ribbons.
In processing a roll of tape into individual printed ribbons, control of the timing of the various operations is important. Various rollers and belts must incrementally advance the tape for each print cycle, in synchronization with the operation of the printer, the cutter, and the drier, in order to print the tape at proper intervals and cut ribbons of the proper length.
Traditionally, printed ribbons are formed of a woven material, usually satin. This material has been very successfully employed, but raises several production concerns. In most operations, the tape rests on a printing surface or platen as a printing head lowers onto and applies ink to the tape. During printing, ink can penetrate the woven material, often soaking through to the platen. As ink builds up on the platen, it gets tacky. The woven tape then sticks to the platen, preventing the tape from being properly advanced in synchronization with the printing and cutting operations. In order to remedy this, the operation must periodically be interrupted, usually once or twice during a typical run of about two hundred ribbons, in order to clean the platen to insure that the process can continue smoothly.
Further, in many printing operations, a vacuum or the like draws air through a porous platen to hold the tape in position for printing. Just as the platen can get tacky during a print run, so can the printing head, which can cause the tape to stick to the printing head as it retracts after printing. Because air passes easily through porous woven ribbon material, the vacuum under the platen is often unable to hold down tape which has adhered to the retracting print head, which can smudge the wet ink, ruining the ribbon. Additionally, woven ribbon material is relatively flimsy, causing it to sometimes stick to the platen or other parts of the machine, as it is fed by the rollers. This sticking problem is particularly troublesome at points in the operation where rollers or belts advance the tape from behind, for example, to position the tape for cutting. If sticking occurs at one of these locations, it can lead to mistakes in printing or cutting, as well as complications in stacking and boxing.
In addition to production concerns, the satin ribbon has limitations that restrict its commercial appeal. A trend has evolved in the decorating and gift wrap industries to employ polyvinyl chloride (PVC or vinyl) sheets that are metallized on one side ("single-metallized" ), giving the material a brilliant, shiny look. It is desirable to provide ribbons which give a similar visual impression, but which better lend themselves to being printed upon than single-metallized vinyl ribbons. Vinyl is quite heat sensitive, making it challenging to dry the ribbons quickly. Traditional drying temperatures can ruin the ribbons. Higher blower speeds can compensate for the lower temperatures, but can blow the ribbons out of position and complicate stacking and boxing. Thus, production speeds must decrease if single-metallized vinyl ribbons are to be allowed to dry properly at lower temperatures. In addition, ribbons formed of the vinyl material do not stand up well to storage in hot environments. The ribbons will often curl or melt if left in a non-ventilated store room or vehicle on a hot day.
Static electricity also poses a major barrier to the use of a vinyl material in the above-described processes, especially where silk-screen printing techniques are employed, resulting in even further production delays. As discussed, the timing of the various steps in the printing operation is important, and this can be very difficult to maintain if static electricity is not adequately controlled. If the rollers and belts cannot properly advance the tape in synchronization with the timing of these operations, due to static electricity, production can either grind to a halt or result in worthless ribbons.
Static electricity can cause the tape to stick to rollers so that, instead of advancing, the tape continuously winds back on the rollers, causing the machine to jam. The tape can also cling to the platen so that it will not advance properly, preventing proper printing or cutting. Static electricity build-up can cause the tape to cling to other parts of the machinery as well, so that the tape will not properly feed past the cutter, resulting in uneven cuts and worthless ribbons. Also, once cut, the still-wet ribbons can cling to the cutter itself or the nearby machinery, again interrupting the process and usually smudging the ink, rendering more ribbons worthless. Once cut, the single-metallized vinyl ribbons are typically very light, and any excess static charge can cause the ribbons to repel one another, or the machinery, and jump out of alignment, requiring the operator to individually sort the ribbons by hand. As for those ribbons that do make it to the end of the printing line, they can cling to the stacker rather than sorting neatly. Each of these consequences of the build-up of static electricity can contribute to a major overall drain on production levels.
In order to reduce such detrimental effects of static electricity, use of certain static elimination devices can be helpful. One such device is a static neutralizing bar, a variety of which is commercially available from Simco, a division of Illinois Tool Works Company. These static bars produce an electric field by applying voltage to metal emitters in close proximity to a ground. This field causes nearby air molecules to ionize. As the charged ribbon passes through the field, it will attract the ions to neutralize any charge, helping to reduce the static build-up on either side of the ribbon. However, the cost of these static bars, coupled with the transformers for operating them, can be quite expensive, relative to the overall cost of printing such ribbons. Also, such devices can be introduced only where the printing machinery permits. In a typical operation for printing on satin tape, the use of only one or two such static bars is usually sufficient. In the case of a material such as vinyl, however, for which static is a greater problem, additional static bars will often be required. However, even these measures are usually not sufficient in the case of single-metallized vinyl ribbons.
The various problems caused by static electricity greatly increase labor requirements, reduce productivity, and make it very difficult to fill orders in a timely and cost-effective manner, even with the use of static bars and ionized blowers. With traditional satin ribbons, all that is generally required with this type of printing operation, in addition to the person operating each print head, is one person to catch and box ribbons for each two printing lines. But when printing single-metallized vinyl ribbons, it has been necessary to have many additional workers assigned to each printing line just to pick up, sort and stack the ribbons into boxes, one or two at a time. Even then, substantial amounts of time and material can be wasted, increasing the cost of each production run.
Like the metallized vinyl sheets used in the decorative industries, other single-metallized materials are know in the art. Published application WO 94/29127 of Falaas et al. discusses metallized film, for use in decorative articles, formed of a 20-28 .mu.m thick polyurethane substrate upon which is deposited a continuous, opaque layer of metal, which can be aluminum. The metallized film can optionally include additional layers such as a primer layer, a color layer, and an overlying, protective clear coat layer.
Published application WO 82/03202 of McDermott discusses a metallized plastic film-coated paper laminate, for use as a decorative wrap, formed of a paper base layer, a polyester film extruded onto the paper base layer, and a metallic layer deposited onto the free surface of the polyester film. A print coat, commonly available from ink manufacturers, may be applied to the metallic layer to enhance its printability, and the metallic layer may also be overprinted with a design.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,427,235 to Powell et al. discusses an overwrap of a cigarette package that includes a polyester film substrate layer, preferably polyethylene terephthalate (PET), having a thickness ranging from about 0.25 to about 1.25 mil. A metal layer 14, preferably aluminum, is disposed on one surface of the substrate layer. The metallized PET film is imprinted on either surface with a printing layer, which may include transparent and opaque inks applied with conventional rotogravure or flexographic printing techniques. Depending upon the ink formulations used, it may be necessary to prime coat the surface of the base layer with an adhesion promoting material, such as polyethylene amine. The films are slit into widths appropriate for the cigarette package overwrapping machinery, and then wound onto rolls. The web is later cut into appropriate lengths to form individual overwraps.
However, none of these single-metallized materials overcomes the static problems discussed above.
It has also been contemplated to metallize a film on both sides ("double-metallize" ), for example in the food and film packaging industries, in order to minimize light passage through the packaging.
Also, U.S. Pat. No. 5,362,374 to Chang discusses a method for making a decorative sticker, which includes applying a metal coating to both sides of a 20 .mu.m thick polyester base film. A binder layer is applied in a predetermined pattern on the top surface of the polyester film, and printing is done with ink and gold foil on the remaining portion of the top surface. The sticker is then cut into the desired shape.
However, none of these materials or disclosures contemplates or suggests any solution to the above-discussed problems of preparing decorative, printed ribbons from a metallized film.

Printed metallized ribbons and method for making same


An improved mechanism for directing movement of a plurality of side-by-side belts in a round baler wherein a bale chamber is optimally configured for bale core formation thereby reducing the need for an aggressive surface on the belts to initiate rotation of the incoming crop material. As the bale expands, the improved mechanism enables the unguided span of belts surrounding the periphery of the bale to be minimized by positioning intermediate guide rolls generally equidistantly from idler rolls bounding the belt guides defining the bale forming chamber. Further, the improved mechanism reduces the friction force between the crop and the belts necessary to initiate crop rolling for bale core formation enabling smooth-surfaced belts to be used which reduce trash generation.

The present invention relates generally to agricultural balers and more particularly to round balers which form cylindrical bales using one or more movable belts and/or rollers disposed in a bale-forming chamber.
Round balers have become quite prevalent for their capability of producing a conveniently sized cylindrical bale, very often automatically wrapped with a sheeting material such as net or film. Prior art round balers generally have a bale-forming chamber defined by an apron comprising an array of side-by-side belts, transverse slats trained on chains, a plurality of rolls or a combination of these various elements, e.g., rolls and belts. Crop material, such as hay, is picked up from the ground as the baler travels across the field, and is fed into a fixed or expandable chamber where it is rolled up to form a compact cylindrical hay package. While still inside the bale-forming chamber in its compacted form, the outer surface of the package is wrapped with twine or other wrapping material, such as film or net, prior to ejection of the wrapped bale from the chamber onto the ground for subsequent handling.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,870,812 and 5,367,865 issued to Jennings et al., disclose prior art round balers having an expandable bale chamber defined by a pair of fixed sidewalls, and a plurality of side-by-side belts cooperating with a series of transverse rolls, mounted between a pair of pivotally mounted arms commonly known as a sledge. The chamber includes an inlet opening in the front through which crop material is fed. Also included is a pair of take up arms pivotally mounted on the main frame, between which arms a pair of guide rolls are journalled. A biasing force on the take up arms urges the outer surfaces of the guide rolls against the belts to maintain tension and thereby prevent slack from occurring in the belts during expansion and contraction of the chamber.
As the bale increases in size in the chamber, an increasing proportion of the belts spans between the two guide rolls and around the periphery of the bale. Proper belt tensioning is critical as the bale grows to maintain proper belt tracking and evenly apply tension across the bale width, a a complex task given that upwards of fifteen feet of belt length may be wrapped around the bale periphery between the two guide rolls. Furthermore, the shape of the portion of the bale chamber defined by the belts during the bale formation period is generally flat as a result of the belts spanning between two guide rolls. To overcome the limitations of this asymmetric bale chamber shape, movement of the belts and an aggressive belt surface are required to adequately urge the incoming crop material in the proper direction to begin rolling to form the bale. Aggressive belt surfaces which help promote initial bale core formation also tends to pull more crop material from the incoming crop mat resulting in increased wastage.
It would be desirable to provide a mechanism for guiding the roll belts in a round baler which reduces the unguided belts spans thereby improving belt tracking. Additional advantages would be realized in a mechanism for guiding the roll belts in a round baler that creates an optimum bale core forming configuration in the bale chamber to improve bale core formation. Still further advantages would be realized through an improved roll belt guide combined with an improved bale core forming configuration that enables rolling motion of the incoming crop material to be more easily initiated thereby reducing crop wastage and input power requirements.


A membrane compensating coupling comprises a first compensating element made of fiber composite material with two membranes located opposite one another, a second compensating element and an intermediate tube inserted between these. The first and second compensating element in each case have on their side pointing towards the intermediate tube a radially inwardly directed connecting flange. The intermediate tube is releasably coupled to the connecting flanges. As a result, a membrane compensating coupling comprising at least two membranes made of fiber composite material is provided, which is easy to produce and install, at the same time has low inertias and allows large angle, radial and axial compensation and also a flexible axial length. A hole anchor connection which is particularly suitable for such couplings is also described.

Via at least one deformable membrane made of fibre composite material, membrane compensating couplings allow the compensation of angle and length deviations which occur between rotating machine elements during operation, for example an output element of an engine and an input element of a driven unit, for example a transmission. Since the service life of a membrane made of fibre composite material depends greatly on the deformations occurring thereon, a misalignment of the machine elements to be coupled should as far as possible be avoided in the static installed state. Accordingly, compensating couplings comprising membranes made of fibre composite material are preferably used wherever a drive unit mounted elastically to isolate vibrations has to be connected to a fixed transmission or a subsequent drive train. The dynamic changes in the alignment angle and in the distance between the machine elements to be coupled which occur here are compensated by a curving of the membrane. In the radial direction, on the other hand, a membrane is relatively rigid. To compensate large radial displacements, at least two membranes at the greatest possible axial spacing are required.
A one-piece membrane compensating coupling made of fibre composite material is known from AT 395 900 B. This coupling comprises two pre-manufactured membranes which are permanently connected via a tube section. However, the necessary adhesive bonding of the membranes to the tube section using an additional sleeve is extremely complicated in manufacturing terms and therefore cannot take place at the installation site. Moreover, the axial length of such couplings which can be handled is often very greatly restricted due to the spatial conditions at the installation site, such as for example in the engine room of a ship. Since such couplings are usually installed after the drive unit or the transmission, in the case of larger spacings a coupling according to AT 395 900 B can no longer be brought to the installation site or can be brought there only with great difficulty or cannot be removed again without being destroyed. Furthermore, due to the fact that the fixing elements are located radially far out, relatively high inertias occur, which are usually undesirable with regard to torsion vibrations.
A further membrane compensating coupling is known from AT 403 837 B. This comprises two compensating elements, in each case comprising a deformable membrane made of fibre composite material, on the outer circumference of which a tube section is integrally formed. The two tube sections are releasably connected to one another via fixing screws. However, due to manufacturing reasons, such membrane compensating couplings can be produced only with a small axial length, since the membranes are usually produced manually. Moreover, as in the coupling according to AT 395 900 B, relatively high mass moments of inertia occur on account of the fact that the fixing elements are located radially far out.
It is also proposed in AT 403 837 B to pre-manufacture the membrane parts and tube sections as individual parts and then to connect them by means of adhesive bonding or screwing to form a construction unit. In the first-mentioned case, this again leads to a considerable manufacturing complexity, while in the last-mentioned case the mass moments of inertia increase further.
Finally, a membrane compensating coupling according to the preamble of claim 1 is known from EP 1 526 299 A1. In this case, too, use is made of two separate compensating elements made of fibre composite material. Each compensating element comprises a deformable membrane and a stiffer membrane located opposite the first. Both membranes are integrally connected to one another at their outer circumference. Moreover, a tube section is integrally formed on the stiffer membranes, which tube section forms at its free end a radially outwardly directed connecting flange. The two tube sections are releasably connected to one another at the connecting flanges by means of fixing screws. In the assembled state, this coupling is installed for example between a drive unit and a transmission. In order to permit fixing of the compensating elements to corresponding flanges of a drive unit and a unit to be driven from the side of the coupling, the respective outer membrane has fixing openings and the further membrane has through-openings located in front of these. This design permits lower mass moments of inertia; however, the axial length of the coupling and thus also the possibility of compensating large radial and angle changes is limited for manufacturing reasons. The shape of the compensating elements is furthermore very complicated to produce.

Membrane compensating coupling and hole anchor connection


A method of perlecan isolation (from the EHS tumor) which produces “clean” (i.e. substantially “pure”) perlecan is disclosed. Clean perlecan is thus produced in sufficient quantities for use in a number of different in vitro and in vivo assays. In addition, this isolation method exploits a newly discovered aggregating property of a ˜220 kDa heparan sulfate proteoglycan (HSPG) observed during gel filtration chromatography, which allows it to be effectively separated from non-aggregating perlecan. The method employs specific cation exchange, anion exchange, molecular sieve chromatography and immobilized GAG affinity chromatography. It is demonstrated that there are no other contaminating proteins in the perlecan and HSPG preparations, and that the perlecan core protein is intact. Improved, clean perlecan based, rodent models of fibrillar amyloid protein deposition, accumulation and/or persistence in tissues are disclosed.

Perlecan is a specific heparan sulfate proteoglycan (HSPG) and a common constituent of all amyloid deposits regardless of the specific amyloid protein involved. Perlecan is believed to play primary roles in the pathogenesis of amyloidosis and contributes to the formation, deposition, accumulation and/or persistence of amyloid in a variety of tissues and in different clinical settings.
However, perlecan is an extremely difficult macromolecule to isolate in pure form, especially in substantial quantities, due in part to perlecan's inherent ability to interact with a number of different proteins and macromolecules. The most commonly utilized extract source for isolation of perlecan is the Engelbreth-Holm-Swarm (EHS) tumor which is routinely grown in the hind legs of mice. However, major problems still exist with trying to obtain "clean" perlecan from this basement membrane producing tumor, especially when using known methods of isolation. These problems include: a) contamination by other proteins and/or basement membrane components of the EHS tumor including laminin, fibronectin and type IV collagen which all tend to interact with perlecan, b) contamination due to the presence of free glycosaminoglycan (GAG) chains, and c) degradation of the perlecan core protein.
Thus, there is a need in the art to develop effective new ways to isolate perlecan in high yield and of high quality (i.e. "clean" or substantially "pure" perlecan) in order to use this product for a number of important biological assays which have impact on a number of major human diseases including Alzheimer's disease, Down's syndrome, type II diabetes, certain forms of cancer and inflammatory disorders. All of these latter diseases involve amyloid accumulation and persistence, and involve perlecan and related HSPGs in the pathogenesis. Isolation of perlecan for use in further understanding perlecan's role in the pathogenesis of these major human disorders and for the eventual identification of new therapeutics will be of tremendous benefit.

Methods for producing pure perlecan and other heparan sulfate proteoglycans


A boot for supporting a plug connected to a cable, the plug including a flexible tab attached thereto and comprising a housing having a front opening for accommodating the plug and an opposite back opening for receiving the cable and allowing the cable to pass therethrough to the plug, a recess formed in the housing; and a tab protector engaged with the recess for engaging the flexible tab of the plug.

The present invention relates generally to electrical connections and cable assemblies such as those used for telecommunications and data transfer and more specifically to snagless boots for electrical connectors commonly used for telephonic and data cables.
Communications cables commonly use a plug 10 attached to the end of a cable 12 as shown in FIG. 1 to make an electrical connection with a device (not shown) such as a computer or telephone or another type of receptacle. The plug 10 is shaped so as to be received by and held in an appropriate receptacle (not shown) in the device. The plug 10 typically consists of a main body portion 14 that is at least partially received by the receptacle. The plug 10 typically further includes a tab 16 extending angularly from the main body portion 14 such that when the plug 10 is inserted into the receptacle, the tab 16 is urged closer to the main body portion 14 of the plug 10. The receptacle and plug 10 are designed such that upon inserting the plug 10 a predetermined distance into the receptacle, the tab 16 "locks" with the receptacle thereby releasably securing the plug in the receptacle such that an electrical connection can be maintained and the plug 10 will not slide out of the receptacle. In order to remove the plug 10 from the receptacle, the tab 16 is typically squeezed closer to the main body portion 14 which then allows the plug 10 to be slid out from the receptacle. The mechanisms described above are well known in the art and commonly used for telephone connections and computer/data connections.
While the tab 16 is useful for holding the plug 10 in the receptacle and thereby ensuring that an electrical connection is maintained, the tab 16 is typically a very thin piece of plastic and is often unintentionally snapped off of the main body portion 14 of the plug 10. This may occur from repeated insertion and removal from receptacles or even when the cable 12 is run and pulled through walls, behind furniture, and other activities involved when connecting devices. In these situations, the tab 16 often catches or "snags" objects causing the tab 16 to break off of the plug 10.
There have been a number of approaches to eliminate or lessen the chances of the tab 16 snagging an object or obstacle and becoming damaged as a result. Two of the most common approaches are shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. FIG. 2 shows a flexible boot 20 for protecting the connection of the plug 10 to the cable 12 and provides a hood 22 for covering the extended end of the tab 16 so as to prevent the tab 16 from snagging on objects. Since the boot 20 is flexible, the hood 22 still allows for the tab 16 to be pressed closer to the main body portion 14 in order to disengage the plug 10 from a receptacle. However, the hood 22 must be rigid enough to be able to protect the tab and as a result many users find the hood too rigid to easily facilitate unlocking the plug from the receptacle.
FIG. 3 shows a boot 30 having two wings 32 on either side of the tab 16 instead of the hood 22 shown in FIG. 2. The wings 32 are shaped and sized so as to prevent many different types of snags that can occur and damage the tab 16. Unfortunately, many users find these difficult to use as the wings make it difficult to access the tab from certain angles and some individuals find it hard to fit their finger in between the wings in order to press on the tab to disengage the plug from the receptacle.
There is a need for an improved electrical connector capable of protecting a tab of the connector while allowing for easy actuation of the tab by a user.


A disposable prophylaxis angle with an adjustable head having a body with a head, a drive gear extending through the body, and a driven gear extending through the head. The prophylaxis angle includes a body which has a portion thereof formed from a plurality of accordion folds for selective angular adjustment of the body. The drive gear includes a gear portion and a shaft portion for journaled rotation within the body. The driven gear includes a shaft portion mounted for journaled rotation within the head bore, and a gear portion operatively connected to the gear portion of the drive gear. The plurality of annular accordion folds allow for adjustment of the body in any radial direction. The shaft portion of the drive gear accommodates the angular adjustment of the prophylaxis angle by maintaining the operative connection between the gear part of the drive gear and the gear part of the driven gear. To accommodate the selected angular adjustment, the shaft portion of the drive gear comprises either: (1) a reduced diameter portion which allows the shaft to flex over a portion of its length, or (2) a shaft portion including a lower shaft part and an upper shaft part which are connected at a universal joint.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to dental or prophylaxis angles and, more specifically, to a disposable dental angle. Even more specifically, the present invention relates to a disposable dental angle having an angularly adjustable head.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Dental angles carry dental bits such as prophy cups and brushes, and burs. The angle enables dentists and hygienists more easily to reach the various surfaces of a patient's teeth. These angles generally include a body having a head thereon which has an axis that is angularly positioned with respect to an axis of the body. Typically, the angle of separation between the head and the body is 90.degree.. A drive gear and driven gear are supported within the body for enmeshing engagement to cause rotation of a dental bit that is carried by the driven gear. The body is normally slipped over the nose of a handpiece, such as a Doroit type handpiece, which has a collet that receives a shaft of the drive gear. The collet holds the shaft and connects the same to a motor which, upon operation, causes rotation of the shaft and the drive gear, and thus the driven gear with the dental bit.
Contra-angles are also used to carry dental bits; however, the contra-angles are particularly disposed for use in reaching difficult spots in a patient's mouth. Typically, the axis of the head is angled anywhere from 100.degree. to 120.degree. with respect to the axis of the body. To drive the driven gear that carries the dental bit, it is well known to use two drive shafts, one of which connects to the collet and the other of which connects to the driven gear. The two drive shafts are connected by intermediate gears that impart rotation to the driven gear upon rotation of the collet. Non-disposable contra-angles typically are quite complex and expensive;
however, the prior art contains two examples of disposable contra-angles.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,423,679, which issued to Ronald L. Bailey on Jun. 13, 1995, discloses in one embodiment a disposable prophylaxis contra-angle. The disposable prophylaxis contra-angle has a plastic body with its head fixed at an angular position which is about 15.degree. from the normal position. A one piece drive shaft and gear is made of a thermoplastic material, with a portion of the shaft being hollow to allow the shaft to bend as it rotates.
Another disposable contra-angle is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,433,605, which issued to Frederick P. Strobl, Jr., on Jul. 18, 1995. The disposable contra-angle has a body composed of two body components which are rotatably connected together with their respective axes offset by an angle of approximately 8.degree.-12.degree.. The first body component is disposed to attach to a collet of a drive unit, and the second body component rotatably attaches to the first body component for 360.degree. rotation thereon. Thus, while the angle of inclination is fixed, the angle is adjustable to a limited extent (i.e., .+-.8.degree.-12.degree.). A flexible drive shaft extends through the first and second components for driving a driven element and a dental bit. The drive shaft is made of a resilient thermoplastic material, and the shaft has a reduced diameter portion that allows the shaft to flex to the extent required. Furthermore, it is necessary for the thermoplastic material to have a tensile strength that exceeds the tensile stresses placed on the stretched side of the shaft.
Each of the above pieces of prior art utilize contra-angles which have a fixed angle of inclination. While the Strobl, Jr., device offers some adjustability by virtue of the rotatable connection, it does not offer an infinitely variable angle adjustment. Thus, the above contra-angles cannot possibly have a standard 90.degree. angle head position.
Other dental utensils have, however, been prepared so that they are capable of infinitely variable adjustments. One such device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,150,495, which issued to Discko, Jr., et al. on Sep. 29, 1992. The device disclosed therein is a disposable bendable dental brush which has a bendable portion that comprises accordion-like folds. The accordion-like folds are rigid enough to allow the brush to be bent into an angular position, whereby the brush maintains the angular position until it is readjusted.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.

Disposable prophylaxis angle with adjustable head


A transmission power control circuit includes: a frequency conversion unit that converts an input signal to a high frequency signal; a first power control unit that controls power of the input signal before frequency conversion by the frequency conversion unit, in a low frequency band; a second power control unit that controls power of the input signal after frequency conversion by the frequency conversion unit, in a high frequency band; and a controller that controls power using only the first power control unit in a case where a set value of output power is lower than a minimum value of output power at which power control is possible in the second power control unit, the controller controlling the power using the first power control unit and the second power control unit in a case where the set value of the output power is higher than the minimum value of the output power.

Transmission power control circuits are installed in radio communication devices to maintain a constant transmission power. A transmission power control circuit typically controls such that the transmission output level is kept constant by detecting part of the transmission power by a wave detector, and adjusting the gain of an amplification circuit or an attenuator by feedback of the wave detection voltage. Such transmission power control is also disclosed in Patent Document 1, for example.
A diode used as a wave detector for detecting radio waves in the tens of GHz can only accept wave detection voltages with a dynamic range of approximately 20 to 30 dB. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing wave detection characteristics in a 38 GHz band used for fixed access communication and the like. In FIG. 7, if the range in which accurate wave detection is possible is 10 mV to 1V, the dynamic range D is limited to 26 dB.
As described above, the dynamic range in which power control is possible is often limited by a wave detector with a high frequency band. Therefore, it is difficult to meet requirements for wide transmission power ranges such as dynamic ranges of 50 dB or 80 dB. As proposals to solve such a problem, there are techniques disclosed in Patent Document 2 and Patent Document 3 for example. A transmission output control circuit disclosed in Patent Document 2 includes a wave detection circuit, a calculating amplifier, a calculating amplifier, and an automatic output control circuit. The wave detection circuit receives part of an output of a power amplification circuit, which amplifies a transmission signal. The calculating amplifier receives the output of the wave detection circuit, and can switch the gain in a plurality of steps. The automatic output control circuit receives the output of the calculating amplifier. In this transmission output control circuit, the output of the automatic output control circuit is fed back to the power amplification circuit, and the transmission output is controlled in a plurality of steps.
A transmission power control circuit disclosed in Patent Document 3 includes a signal branching unit, a switching unit, and a control unit. The signal branching unit, on the output side of a distributor for distributing part of the output of the amplifier, inputs a high harmonic signal, branches it to a plurality of high harmonic signals, attenuates them such that the branched plurality of high harmonic signals become high harmonic signals whose levels vary in steps at fixed intervals, and outputs them. The switching unit inputs the plurality of high harmonic signals output from the signal branching unit, selects one of the high harmonic signals among the input plurality of high harmonic signals according to an instruction of a switching control signal, and outputs it as a transmission output signal. The control unit outputs the switching control signal. In the transmission power control circuit, a switching control signal is output from the control unit, and a control voltage is output to change the gain of the amplifier corresponding to the switching operation of the output signal by the switching unit.

Transmission power control circuit and transmission device, transmission power control method, program


The disclosure relates to a method for controlling a wind turbine including a wind rotor shaft, a rotary encoder for measuring the azimuth angle of the wind rotor shaft, wherein the wind turbine further includes at least one impulse generating device including at least one first part and at least one second part, wherein the at least one first part is rotating with the wind rotor shaft and the least one second part is disposed stationary with respect to the wind rotor shaft such that the at least one first part moves by the at least one second part; wherein the method includes: encoding the azimuth angle of the wind rotor shaft by the rotary encoder into a rotation value; generating an impulse when one of the at least one first part moves by one of the at least one second part of the impulse generating device; comparing the rotation value at the time of a detected impulse with a reference value.

The present disclosure relates to a wind turbine. Further, the present disclosure relates to a method for controlling a wind turbine.
Typically, the rotor azimuth position is measured by an incremental encoder that encodes the angle of a low speed shaft. The information from the rotary encoder may be used in typical embodiments to control a pitch angle of the wind rotor blades. In the event that the rotary encoder is not calibrated, for example if a gear box of a wind turbine has been changed without a recalibration of the rotary encoder, the rotor position error may cause an asymmetrical load control and significantly increases the turbine loads. Further, it may decrease the annual energy production of a wind turbine.
Typically, a referencing procedure of a rotary encoder requires the rotor to be stopped in a certain position. Then, a small coupling has to be attached and the encoder pin or the rotary encoder has to be turned until the rotary encoder generates a zero degree pulse or value. Then, the coupling is fixed again. Typically, the rotary encoder is fixed to a low speed shaft of a wind turbine by the coupling. The low speed shaft/rotor-position-encoder coupling is typically difficult to adjust and a potential source of referencing errors.

Wind turbine and method for controlling a wind turbine