A drum-type washing machine is equipped with a drying device, which increases condensing efficiency by increasing the contact of air flowing along a condensing duct with cooling water, and prevents water formed in a condensing duct from flowing into a fixed drum. The washing machine is equipped with a drying device, which includes a discharging duct to connect an outlet of a blowing fan with an air inlet of a fixed drum and provided with a heater therein, and a condensing duct to connect an air inlet of the fixed drum with an inlet of the blowing fan and provided with a condensing unit to remove moisture. The condensing unit includes a cooling water dispersion member disposed in the lower portion of the inside of the condensing duct and a cooling water supply pipe configured to supply cooling water to the cooling water dispersion member.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a drum-type washing machine, and more particularly, to a drum-type washing machine equipped with a drying device that dries laundry.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a drying device for a drum-type washing machine evaporates the moisture of laundry by supplying hot air heated by a heater to the inside of a fixed drum and heating the laundry and condensing and discharging the evaporated moisture, thus drying the laundry.
Such a drying device is provided with a discharging duct and a condensing duct. The discharging duct provides hot air to the inside of a fixed drum, and is provided with a heater therein. One end of the discharging duct is connected to the outlet of a blowing fan and the other end of the discharging duct is connected to communicate with the inside of the fixed drum. The condensing duct is used to condense vapor into water and discharge the water to the outside while guiding the vapor formed in the inside of the fixed drum to the blowing fan, and is provided with a condenser. One end of the condensing duct is connected to communicate with the inside of the fixed drum and the other end of the condensing duct is connected to the inlet of the blowing fan.
As shown in FIG. 1, a condensing duct 1 of a conventional drying device extends from an air outlet 3 formed in the lower portion of the back of a fixed drum 2 to an inlet 5 of a blowing fan 4 formed in the upper portion of the back of the fixed drum 2, and is mounted on the back of the fixed drum 2 in an airtight manner. The condensing duct 1 is provided with a condenser that includes a cooling water spray nozzle 6 and a cooling water supply pipe 7. The cooling water spray nozzle 6 is used to spray cooling water inside the condensing duct 1 and is mounted to the upper portion of the inside of the condensing duct 1. The cooling water supply pipe 7 supplies the cooling water to the cooling water spray nozzle 6.
When the blowing fan 4 is operated, wet vapor discharged from the inside of the fixed drum 2 through the air outlet 3 is moved upward along the condensing duct 1 from the suction of the blowing fan 4. The cooling water sprayed into the lower portion of the fixed drum 2 through the cooling water spray nozzle 6 condenses the wet vapor that was moving upward. The condensed vapor then drops down the condensing duct 1 where it is removed.
However, since the cooling water spray nozzle 6 that sprays cooling water is mounted on the upper portion of the inside of the condensing duct 1 in the conventional drying device for the drum-type washing machine, some of the cooling water that is sprayed downward is sucked to the blowing fan 4 together with the ascending air current, thus decreasing the efficiency of drying laundry.

Drum-type washing machine equipped with drying device


Some embodiments provide a method of migrating a first software defined (SD) network managed by a first network manager to a second SD network managed by a second network manager. The method of some embodiments is performed by a third network manager that provides an interface that allows a set of users to specify and review logical network components, which the first and second network managers can then respectively deploy in the first and second SD networks. The third network manager in some embodiments identifies for a migration manager a first group of two or more logical network components that the third network manager previously specified for the first network manager to deploy in the first SD network. The migration manager then uses this information to correctly convert the first group of logical network components to a second group of two or more logical components in an appropriate manner that will allow the third network manager to manage the second group of logical network components that is implemented in the second SD network.

In recent years, there has been a proliferation of deployments in public clouds. These deployments often supplement deployments in private enterprise datacenters. It is quite common today for a corporation to have several private datacenters as well as several deployments in one or more public clouds. Despite the proliferation of private and public clouds, tools for facilitating migration of network components (that connect sets of migrating machines) from one cloud to another have yet to be developed.


An improved self-foaming shaving gel is provided which includes water, a water-soluble soap component, and a self-foaming agent, plus hydrogenated polyisobutene in combination with about 0.0005 to 0.5 weight percent of a fluorosurfactant.

The class of shaving preparation referred to herein as a "self-foaming gel" is a lather-producing composition which is capable of being dispensed as a gel that is substantially free from foaming, but which when spread over the skin and beard produces a foam generated by the action of a volatile self-foaming agent. Such compositions generally take the form of an oil-in-water emulsion ill which the self-foaming agent, generally a low-boiling aliphatic hydrocarbon, solubilizes the oil phase, and the water phase comprises a water-soluble soap component so selected that the resulting packaged composition is in the form of a stable gel under ambient conditions.
Such products are typically packaged in an aerosol container with a barrier such as a piston or collapsible bag to separate the self-foaming gel from the propellant required for expulsion and thereby ensure that a homogeneous gel is dispensed, substantially free of bubbles, which can produce a self-generated lather of uniform consistency and density throughout the life of the product. Other known packaging forms for self-foaming gels include conventional, i.e., non-barrier, aerosol containers and collapsible tubes, although these less expensive packages have not always been entirely satisfactory due to formulation compromises attendant with their use.
For further description of parameters involved in the formulation of such products, reference may be made, for example, to U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,541,581 and 4,528,111; typical manufacturing processes and equipment are disclosed in, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,405,489 and 4,651,503.
Self-foaming shaving gels are, as noted, well known in the art and have been commercially available for over twenty years, during which time they have achieved a substantial share of the total market for shave preparations. Users tend to exhibit considerable loyalty to this form of shaving preparation and associate its use with obtaining a close, comfortable shave. Nevertheless, further improvements in performance would be desirable.


A method and system for enabling a conventional smartphone to read and authenticate an invisible barcode or other invisible insignia printed using an invisible printing ink containing a phosphorescent luminophore, and a software application, without a hardware alteration to the smartphone.

Invisible to a human eye barcodes and other secret insignia are known in the art. They are used for identification and authentication of documents, products, and packages. Such invisible information is printed with inks based on photoluminescent dyes or pigments. Graphics printed with such materials do not selectively reflect, absorb or emit light in the visible spectrum at power level sufficient for detection by unaided eye, therefore are invisible to people.
For viewing invisibly printed insignia and reading invisible barcodes various devices are known in the art, such as those described in the U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,959,296, 6,857,573, 7,516,899, 7,712,667, the disclosures of which are incorporated by reference in their entireties. The known in the art devices for reading invisible insignia, including barcodes, are based on image sensors having spectral sensitivity that stretches beyond the visible spectrum of 370 nm to 690 nm. The other known approach is using fluorescent compounds that emit on visible wavelengths when excited by the energy outside the visible spectrum such as ultraviolet or infrared. For example, the apparatus described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,966,267, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety, for authenticating various articles uses a UV light source. In order to utilize information presented by the invisible insignia the special devices are needed. These devices perform the following functions: image acquisition, recognition, evaluation, barcode decoding, saving encoded data, and communicating it to a different site. Such devices comprise an illumination light source having specific excitation bandwidth, image sensor equipped with special optical filter, and microprocessor for system control, data processing and communications. High cost associated with complexity and sophistication of the invisible insignia acquisition and processing devices often precludes implementation of the invisible barcodes and other invisible insignia technology. Thus, the need exists for a way to enable the sophisticated and ubiquitous products such as smartphones to read the invisibly printed barcodes and other insignia.
Known in the art is use of ubiquitous smartphones for reading visible barcodes such as QR-code, Datamatrix, linear barcodes, and other machine readable insignia. Smartphones also can process information and communicate over USB or wireless ports. However, the smartphones are not capable of acquiring image of barcodes invisible to people. Thus, a need exists for a method and a system making possible reading invisible barcodes and acquiring other secret insignia with the smartphones using only the hardware means already built into the smartphones.
A roadblock for implementing the common approach for acquiring invisible insignia and reading invisible barcodes with the smartphones is the presence of a special optical filter in the smartphone camera optical path that limits its spectral sensitivity exclusively to the visible range. This measure is necessary for proper operation of the solid state high resolution color image sensors built into the smartphones.
The built-in illuminating LED of the smartphones emits only visible light for taking pictures in low light situations. The white illuminating LED does not emit ultraviolet or near infrared energy. This condition excludes using typical invisible inks based on fluorophores producing the Stock or anti-Stock wavelength shift.

Reading invisible barcodes and other invisible insignia using physically unmodified smartphone


A mobile apparatus includes a first body, a second body, a rotary adaptor including an accommodation portion to accommodate the second body, rotatably installed on the first body, and to move the second body to a position where the second body is stacked on the first body and a position where the second body is unfolded, first magnets disposed on the accommodation portion, and second magnets disposed on the second body so as to face the first magnets and having different polarity from the first magnets.

1. Field of the Invention
The present general inventive concept relates to a mobile apparatus in which two bodies are detachably attached to each other.
2. Description of the Related Art
A mobile apparatus, that is, a portable mobile apparatus, such as a notebook computer, includes a display unit for transferring information via vision and a manipulation unit for manipulating the mobile apparatus. The display unit and the manipulation unit are installed on two bodies, respectively. By tilting the two bodies, the manipulation unit, the display unit, or both of them may be converted into a use state in that a user can use the mobile apparatus or a pause state for movement and accommodation of the mobile apparatus.
With regard to a notebook computer, two bodies are coupled to each other via a fixed-type hinge structure, and thus, the two bodies cannot be separated from each other. Recently, as usable tablet computers have become popular, it is necessary to provide a method of detaching or mounting a tablet computer from or on a body including a manipulation unit as an input function of the tablet computer.


Two or more high-frequency microphones are used to determine where an individual spark or other excitation beam strikes a sample in an optical emission spectroscopy (OES) instrument. The position of the spark can be correlated with the elemental composition of the material in the sample vaporized by the spark. The microphones are placed appropriately in air around a sparker of the instrument, or appropriately on the sample, or on both the sample and in the air. Arrival times of sound from the spark to the microphones, or a difference in the arrival times, yields information, from which the position of the spark relative to the microphones, and hence the absolute position of the spark, is deduced, such as by triangulation. Optionally or in addition, a signal that indicates a time when the spark is produced is correlated with one or more spectra detected by a spectrometer, so a spectrum that results from the vaporized sample can be distinguished from a spectrum that results from heated gas above the sample.

Optical emission spectroscopy (OES) is a mature, robust technology for the elemental analysis of materials. For metals, the prevalent techniques for generating an emission spectra use either an electric arc or a spark, or both, (collectively hereinafter "spark") to vaporize a small quantity of a sample to be analyzed. A survey of OES analytical techniques may be found in Slickers, Automatic Atomic-Emission Spectroscopy, Second Edition (1993), which is incorporated herein by reference.
The basic elements of the OES method are described with respect to FIGS. 1 and 2. An electrically conducting sample 100 is placed beneath an electrode 102. An arc spark 104, initiated by an appropriate electronic circuit 106, with a return path 108, vaporizes a small quantity of metal at a highly localized point 110 where the spark 104 strikes the sample 100. Monochromatic visible and/or invisible (i.e., infrared and/or ultraviolet) photo emissions 200 (FIG. 2) characteristic of elements in the vaporized metal are captured by a light guide 202, which sends the light to a spectrometer 204, which analyzes the spectrum so as to yield the elemental composition.
In order to be confident that the composition deduced from a measurement, which typically tests a miniscule portion of the sample 100, is representative of the composition of the entire sample 100, minimizing effects from, for example, inclusions, matrixes and surface contaminants, it is standard practice to average the spectra from as many as several thousand sparks that have struck an area as large as 100 square mm in the few seconds of the measurement. This large number of spark strikes typically leaves a blackened area of strike points.
Advanced techniques record and analyze the individual spectra from the thousands of sparks of a single measurement so as to eliminate outlying spectra and obtain the most confident compositional analysis of the bulk of the sample 100. At this time, however, no method exists for determining where an individual spark strikes the sample 100 and, hence, the position of an individual spark cannot be correlated with the elemental composition of the material excited by the spark.

Arc/spark optical emission spectroscopy correlated with spark location


A hologram system comprises two volume holograms on two separate substrates which are cemented together with an optical cement. The two volume holograms are manufactured with identical Bragg planes. The two volume holograms are oriented with respect to one another such that the Bragg planes are optically aligned. The result is that the two volume holograms operate as a single thicker volume hologram wherein the Bragg angle sensitivity is greatly increased.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to volume holograms and more specifically, to a volume hologram with increased Bragg angle sensitivity.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Holograms are recordings of light intensity patterns created by the interference of two beams of mutually coherent light (the two beams are usually obtained by splitting a single laser beam). There are two major categories of holograms: transmissive and reflective. These two categories are further divided into two physical types of holograms: surface relief holograms and volume holograms. Surface relief holograms can be recorded using photolithographic processes. The interference pattern is recorded as a periodic variation in thickness of the material while the refractive index of the material remains fixed.
In a volume hologram, the interference pattern is recorded as a periodic variation in the refractive index of the material while the thickness of the material remains fixed. The periodic variation in refractive index creates surfaces of peak refractive index within the material. These surfaces are referred to as "Bragg surfaces." When the interference pattern is created by two plane waves or two waves with identical curvature at the hologram surface, the Bragg surfaces will be Bragg planes.
When the hologram is re-illuminated by one of the original beams at an angle that results in maximum diffraction efficiency, the internal angle of the beam relative to the Bragg planes is referred to as the "Bragg angle." The external angle of incidence at which maximum diffraction efficiency occurs is also often referred to as the Bragg angle.
Recently, holograms have been used for optical data storage applications. These holograms allow beams of light to be separated for various purposes. These hologram systems include the following references: JP 1-13246, published Jan. 18, 1989; JP 1-55745, published Mar. 2, 1989; JP 1-55746, published Mar. 2, 1989; JP 1-86337, published Mar. 31, 1989; JP 1-86332, published Mar. 31, 1989; JP 1-146143, published Jun. 8, 1989; JP 1-53359, published Mar. 1, 1989; JP 63-25845, published Feb. 3, 1988; JP 62-219340, published Sep. 26, 1987; JP 61-123032, published Jun. 10, 1986; JP 1-18175, published Jan. 20, 1989; JP 61-42613, published Mar. 1, 1986; SU 1053056, published Nov. 7, 1983; EP 350,014, published Oct. 1, 1990; U.S. Pat. No. 5,013,107 , published May 7, 1991; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,497,534, published Feb. 5, 1985.
A problem with surface relief holograms is that they are not able to achieve efficient polarization separation except for a limited range of diffraction angles. Polarization separation is vex), important in magneto-optic systems where the data is sensed as changes in the plane of polarization of light reflected from the optical media. The ability of a hologram to have different diffraction efficiencies for beams incident at different angles is essentially controlled by the thickness of the diffracting structure. As a result, tile inherently thin surface relief holograms have a limited ability to separate beams propagating at small angles with respect to each other.
Volume holograms can be used to do polarization separation over a much wider range of diffraction angles. Volume holograms do not have the limitation problems of surface holograms since the whole volume, not just the surface, acts as the diffracting structure. However, volume holograms are limited ill thickness to approximately 25 microns or less. During processing, the processing chemicals have difficulty penetrating effectively beyond this depth. Thus, even if the holographic material is thicker than 25 microns, the effective hologram depth is limited to about 25 microns. The Bragg angle sensitivity of tile hologram increases as a function of the thickness of tile volume hologram. This means that a thick volume hologram is able to separate two beams having a very small angle of separation or divergence between their directions of propagation as compared to the ability of a thinner volume hologram. This ability to separate two beams having a very small angle of separation is especially important in multiple beam optical data storage systems. What is needed is a volume hologram of increased thickness and Bragg angle sensitivity.

Increased Bragg angle sensitivity hologram system and method

International Business Machines Corporation


A lithographic process includes the use of a silicon-containing polymer or a compound that includes at least one element selected from the group consisting of: Ta, W, Re, Os, Ir, Ni, Cu or Zn in a resist material for an EUV lithographic process. The wavelength of the EUV light used in the process is less than 11 nm, for example 6.5-6.9 nm. The invention further relates to novel silicon-containing polymers.

In photolithography, a desired pattern is applied onto a substrate, usually onto a target portion of the substrate. A lithographic apparatus can be used, for example, in the manufacture of integrated circuits (ICs). In that instance, a patterning device, which is alternatively referred to as a mask or a reticle, may be used to generate a circuit pattern to be formed on an individual layer of the IC. This pattern can be transferred onto a target portion on a substrate (e.g. a silicon wafer). Transfer of the pattern is typically via imaging onto a layer of radiation-sensitive material, usually referred to as a resist, which is provided on the substrate. In general, a single substrate will contain a network of adjacent target portions that are successively patterned.
Lithography is widely recognized as one of the key steps in the manufacture of ICs and other devices and/or structures. However, as the dimensions of features made using lithography become smaller, lithography is becoming a more critical factor for enabling miniature IC or other devices and/or structures to be manufactured. A theoretical estimate of the limits of pattern printing can be given by the Rayleigh criterion for resolution as shown in equation (1):
                    CD        =                              k            1                    *                      λ            NA                                              (        1        )            where λ is the wavelength of the radiation used, NA is the numerical aperture of the projection system used to print the pattern, k1 is a process dependent adjustment factor, also called the Rayleigh constant, and CD is the feature size (or critical dimension) of the printed feature. It follows from equation (1) that reduction of the minimum printable size of features can be obtained in three ways: by shortening the exposure wavelength λ, by increasing the numerical aperture NA or by decreasing the value of k1.
In order to shorten the exposure wavelength and, thus, reduce the minimum printable size, it has been proposed to use an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) radiation source. EUV radiation is electromagnetic radiation having a wavelength within the range of 5-20 nm, for example within the range of 13-14 nm. Such radiation is sometimes termed soft x-ray radiation. EUV radiation may be produced using a plasma. A radiation system for producing EUV radiation may include a laser for exciting a fuel to provide the plasma, and a source collector module for containing the plasma. The plasma may be created, for example, by directing a laser beam at a fuel, such as particles of a suitable material (e.g. tin), or a stream of a suitable gas or vapor, such as Xe gas or Li vapor. Such a radiation system is typically termed a laser produced plasma (LPP) source. Alternative sources include discharge plasma sources, or sources based on synchrotron radiation provided by an electron storage ring.
In EUV lithography, the choice of wavelengths may be limited by practical considerations involving the availability of suitable radiation sources, optical components and process materials. Current EUV lithography systems all operate using radiation wavelength within the range of 13-14 nm, and many developments remain to be made before EUV lithography is used in volume production. It has further been proposed that EUV radiation with a wavelength of less than 11 nm could be used, for example within the range of 5-10 nm or 5-8 nm, and especially in the so-called '6.x' wavelength region of 6.5-6.9, for example 6.7 or 6.8 nm. The intention is that the shorter wavelength may provide a better resolution (features below the 11 nm node), larger depth of focus (DOF) and higher throughput compared to the 13.5 nm radiation that is currently used. However, the change of wavelength brings a new range of practical considerations and the techniques and materials optimized for 13.5 nm may or may not work at the shorter wavelengths.
A particular challenge for the development of commercial EUV lithography lies in the formulation of radiation-sensitive resist materials that will realize, in etch-resistant material, a high resolution pattern projected by the EUV optical system. Some work has been published concerning the development of resist materials usable at 13.5 nm. The inventors have recognized that quite different solutions may be appropriate for use at shorter wavelengths below 11 nm.

Lithographic patterning process and resists to use therein


A twin-roll paper dispensing machine for dispensing coiled wadding paper includes a housing having a protective cover, the housing being defined by lateral sides spaced to accommodate a spare roll in an upper part, a service roll in a middle part and a cutting device and pressure component adjacent a drum in a lower part thereof. The pressure component presses against the drum between which a strip of paper to be cut is inserted. The middle and lower parts of the housing are separated by a profiled plate which ensures removal of a used service roll. The device further includes a hinged flap on each side to allow clearance for the spare roll, an articulated swinging link which accommodates elastically mounted tabs arranged to receive and hold the service roll on at least one side and, a pair of small plates articulated from the sides to retain the spare roll in the middle part of the housing. A lever assembly is linked to the flap, the elastic tabs and the small plates which enables measurement of the diameter of the service roll at a certain point of dispensing. The lever assembly also transfers the spare roll from the upper part of the middle part to replace the used service roll.

The invention relates to the technical field of machines for dispensing and cutting strips of coiled material made of wadding or other material in order to ensure the dispensing of paper hand-wipes, general-purpose paper wipes, napkins, handkerchiefs and other articles. In particular, the invention relates to twin-roll dispensing machines, i.e. a machine that includes a first dispensing roll that is being unreeled and a spare roll that can be transferred to replace the former when the first roll is exhausted or nearly exhausted.
The Applicant has already developed such twin-roll machines, especially in French Patent. In this type of twin-roll machine, the reels of material have end fittings that are inserted into the reel holder, said end fittings being designed with a protruding stub capable of being used as a means to guide the reels along vertical slide rails formed on the body of the lateral sides of the machine as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,364,838. According to U.S. Pat. No. 2,599,726, the stubs are gripped by an articulated connecting-rod transfer mechanism capable of allowing the spare roll to be fitted instead of the roll that is nearly completely unwound.
With this technique, the reels of material include the reel holders and associated end fitting which permit and facilitate the actual transfer operation.
However, it appears that a very large number of reels of material do not have any end fitting and, as a result, as far as the Applicant is aware, there is no twin-roll machine for these types of reels. The difficulty is the ability to control a very large number of parameters including, in particular, the weight of the spare reel which, as it drops down into the bottom of the machine, is likely to exert a relatively large force. Consequently, this force must be controlled if one wishes to prevent the machine from being damaged at an early stage.

Dispensing machine for strips of coiled wadding material using automatic or semi-automatic traction with spare roll


A two-hand operator's control station mounted on a common enclosure detects an operator's hands and provides output signals without requiring the operator to push buttons. Such control stations, called pushless run bars, are for use with automatic machinery which requires the simultaneous use of two hands to initiate operation of the machinery. In each embodiment of the present invention, two hand-sensing mechanisms are provided on or near the cover of an elongated enclosure, one for sensing each hand. The sensing mechanisms are located sufficiently far apart, near opposite ends of the run bar enclosure, to prevent accidental operation by one hand. Suitable anti-tie-down circuitry, an electrical cover interlock, indicator lights, and physical barriers to prevent access from certain directions may also be provided as part of the apparatus. A first embodiment of the run-bar apparatus employs two separate photo-transceiver units for detecting the operator's two hands. A second run bar employs two capacitive sensor units for detecting the operator's hands. A third run bar employs two passive infra-red intrusion devices to detect the operator's hands. A fourth embodiment employs two ultrasonic sensing systems to detect the operator's hands. A fifth run bar employs passive infrared intrusion devices to detect the presence of the operator's hands. A third sensor may be provided to detect the operator's body in front of the run bar.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to operator stations having two control devices mounted on a common enclosure which must be actuated by two hands, and in particular to two-hand operator stations mounted on a common enclosure which do not require mechanical force to operate because a pushless sensing device is used to sense each hand.
2. Discussion
Run bars produce one or more electrical start signals for an automatic machine when the two spaced-apart buttons located on the run bar are simultaneously depressed. Conventional run bars, such as the type shown in FIG. 1, may be used with virtually any kind of automatic machine, from mechanical or hydraulic power presses, to assembly machines, transfer machines, milling machines, broaching or grinding machines, welding machines, or materials handling equipment, testing machines, and the like. The term "automatic machine" as used herein thus includes any type of machinery or industrial equipment which is automated in whole or in part. By "automated in whole or part," I mean that one or more functions or motions of the machinery or equipment are performed with the assistance of some form of non-human energy. Such energy could be electricity, hydraulic or pneumatic energy, photonic power such as laser beams or other concentrated light, magnetic or chemical energy, mechanical energy, or still other forms of energy.
Conventional run bars, such as the type shown in FIG. 1, are typically used in three different situations involving automatic machines. First, for an automatic machine that is operated by or attended to by one person, only one run-bar is used. Second, for an automatic machine operated by or attended to by two or more persons simultaneously, one run-bar will be provided for each person. In order to initiate the cycle or sequence of automatic operations, all of the operators must simultaneously actuate their respective run bars, to ensure that the hands of all of the operators are in a safe position, i.e., on the run bars. Third, there are certain kinds of automatic machines where the machines run continuously once started, but nevertheless are manually loaded and/or unloaded with parts or materials. Where such machine has a pinch point or other hazard during each cycle of the machine or each cycle of its load/unload mechanism, the operator is normally required to place his or her hands on the buttons of run bar during a certain portion of the machine's cycle when a pinch point or other hazard exists. In this situation, the run bar provides one or more signals which indicate to the control system of the automatic machine that the machine may continue running. Thus, it should be understood that the phrase "operating an automatic machine" is also used very broadly herein and is intended to include at least all of the following: (1) initiating a cycle, a sequence of one or more operations or cycles of the automatic machine; (2) participating in initiating a cycle, or sequence of one or more automatically performed operations or cycles of a machine; and (3) providing one or more signals to permit an automatic machine to continue to operate automatically.
FIG. 1 shows a conventional run bar apparatus commercially available from Control Devices, Inc. of Flint, Mich., the assignee of the present invention. This run bar 30 includes an elongated enclosure assembly 32 comprised of a cover 34 and base cabinet 36, left and right heavy-duty palm buttons 38 provided with metal guard rings 42 and 44, and an unguarded stop button 46 mounted in the center of the cover 34. The run bar also includes a four-hole mounting plate 48 located on the underside of the base cabinet 32 and an electrical connector assembly 50 including an electrical cable 52 which is mounted on the backside of the base cabinet 32. Conventional self-retaining screw-operated cover clamps 54 are also provided for holding the hinged cover 34 in its closed position on top of the cabinet 32. The run bar 30 may be supported at any desired height convenient for the operator by use of a pedestal 56 which is fastened to the four-hole mounted plate 48 by suitable fasteners such as bolts 58. The pedestal 56 may be fastened to the floor with lag bolts passing through holes 60 in the base 62 of the pedestal 56.
Machine designers and suppliers typically specify heavy-duty palm buttons for run bars, because they are subject to heavy use. Also, most suppliers of such palm buttons prefer to put fairly strong return springs in the buttons to help them last in heavy-duty use environments. This tends to increase the effort required to be exerted by operators.
One complaint made by some workers who use run bars is that the repetitive motion of pressing the buttons of a run bar can generate fatigue. Also, some workers claim that such repetitive motion with their hand aggravates a medical condition called Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. This condition is an inflammation associated with the naturally lubricated sheathing of the tendons within the wrists, which results in pain when such tendons in the sheathing are moved.
In light of the foregoing problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide a two-hand run bar apparatus which does not require any pressure or force from the operator's hands to actuate. It is a related object of the present invention to provide a run bar which does not even need to be physically touched in order to operate.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a run bar which detects the presence of the operator's hands in the hand actuation regions of the run bar without requiring the operator to overcome a mechanical spring force. It is a further object of the present invention to provide another two-hand run bar which only needs to be contacted very lightly to operate.


The present invention provides an improved method of beneficiating and dewatering kaolin clays. The product of the improved process is a brightened, dewatered kaolin, suitable for use in pigments and paper coating compositions. The improved beneficiation process provides refined kaolin for pigments and other purposes of the same or better quality as prior art processes, but with the use of fewer steps and materials, at significant cost and environmental savings.

Large amounts of kaolin find use as pigments and as filler material in paper coating compositions. Kaolinite, the principal constituent of kaolin clay (or kaolinitic clay), is a white clay mineral that imparts brightness, gloss, smoothness and other desirable properties to the surface of coated paper, paper board, super-calendared paper, and other paper related products.
Kaolin is a clay, mined from clay deposits found in various locations around the globe. For instance, Kaolin ores are mined today from deposits located in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and the Czech Republic. Kaolin deposits present in these locations are generally of the primary type. Primary kaolin deposits were formed through the weathering of feldspar, a group of rock forming minerals that comprise more than half the volume of the earth's crust. Kaolin clays are also mined today from deposits located in Brazil and the Southeastern U.S.A. Kaolins mined from these locations are generally of the secondary (or sedimentary) type. Secondary deposits are formed by sedimentation, a geological process that deposits kaolin within sedimentary rock.
Both types of kaolin clay deposits invariably contain coarse and fine impurities that must be removed prior to use. Coarse impurities, which can comprise more than half the crude volume, include +325 mesh-sized particles of quartz, feldspar, mica, or tourmaline. Fine impurities include silt- and clay-sized non-kaolin minerals, fine sand, and minerals. Sedimentary kaolin often contains titania mineral impurities, such as anatase and rutile. These titania minerals can contain lattice substituted iron that imparts a brown to yellow color. Along with titania, sedimentary kaolin often contains a small percentage of associated iron oxides and iron sulfides. Iron oxide minerals, such as hematite and goethite, impart a dull yellow-to-red color. Iron sulfide minerals, such as marcasite and pyrite, typically occur in kaolins containing organic matter. Iron sulfide minerals may occur as +325 mesh sized nodules, or be disseminated with organic matter to impart a gray color. Even in small quantities, these impurities can reduce the brightness and whiteness of pigments derived from kaolin. Because bright, white pigments are generally preferred over dull, yellow pigments, great effort has been made to develop processes to remove such impurities prior to use.
Wet mineral separation processes have been designed to remove impurities, or otherwise improve the characteristics of final kaolin products. In general, these processes are called beneficiation. Some beneficiation processes, including degritting and desanding, are designed to the remove sand, coarse silt, and other coarse particles that would detract from the physical properties of the final pigment. Other beneficiation processes are designed to remove fine impurities, or to improve the color, texture, or rheological properties of the final product.
The wet process is accomplished by first mixing crude clay with water to form aqueous mineral slurries, called slip. Where kaolin is mined dry, slip is formed by mixing—or blunging—dry or moist crude clay with water to produce an aqueous suspension having between 35% and 70% solids. The clay slurry is then degritted by passing it through a series of drag boxes, bucket-wheel desanders, hydrosizers, hydrocyclones, sieves, and/or screens, to separate the coarse materials. Alternatively, or subsequent to desanding, the crude slurry is left to stand for a period of time in settling bowls or thickeners, to allow the coarse particles to separate from the fine in a process called sedimentation. See for instance the Background section of Pruett et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,149,723, which is incorporated herein by reference.
To increase the efficiency of degritting processes, it has long been known to deflocculate the clay slurry prior to degritting. Flocculation is the result of kaolin particles' tendency to adhere to one another and form aggregates, agglomerates, or flocs. Kaolinite particles will flocculate in strongly to weakly acidic environments, as positive and negative charges, present on the edges and faces of the kaolin particles, bring kaolin particles together. Flocculation causes the viscosity of clay-water slurries to rise. It also interferes with the degritting process by inhibiting coarse particles from settling out, causing flocs of fine clay particles to settle with coarse particles, and causing fine particles attached to coarse particles to be removed with the coarse particles. Deflocculation causes the particles to disperse. Dispersion helps liberate the particles and facilitate size and mineral separation.
Deflocculation is accomplished by mixing chemicals into the slurry that raise the pH (typically to 6 or higher). The increased alkalinity renders the kaolinite surfaces predominately negatively charged, and decreases the attractive forces among the particles. Deflocculation is aided further by the addition of dispersing agents, which minimize Van der Waal attraction among the particles.
Additional beneficiation of dispersed kaolin slip typically precedes or follows degritting, and accomplishes a variety of purposes. The selection of the beneficiation process used depends on the type of crude used, and on the specifications required of the final refined product. For instance, one may improve performance or brightness of a kaolin pigment through particle size classification. Classification processes select, or fractionate, particles conforming to certain ranges of particle shapes and/or sizes, called particle size distributions (psd). Classification, may be accomplished by, e.g., centrifugation as described, for example, by Hughes et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,018,673, incorporated herein by reference. One may improve the color through various other beneficiation processes, including floatation (U.S. Pat. No. 3,655,038), froth floatation (U.S. Pat. No. 4,472,271 and EP 591406), magnetic separation (WO 9850161), reduced acid leaching or alkaline bleaching (U.S. Pat. No. 4,650,521), and selective flocculation. See U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,701,417, 5,685,900, 5,535,890, 4,227,920, and 6,068,693, incorporated herein by reference, or for variations thereof, Provisional U.S. Application No. 60/240,861.
Selective flocculation is a preferred way to remove titania, when present as an impurity. In some selective flocculation methods, kaolin containing titania (and other fine impurities) is mixed with additives that cause the titania to flocculate, settle to the bottom of a thickener or settling bowl, and leave the product kaolin to be recovered from the supernatant in dispersed form. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,701,417 and 6,068,693. The efficiency of selective flocculation can be improved by performing the reverse: i.e., by flocculating and recovering the kaolin component, and leaving the impurities to separate in the aqueous supernatant. See U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,535,890, and 4,227,920. In such processes, the kaolin is first dispersed by adding chemicals that increase its alkalinity. Dispersing agents are also optionally added. High molecular weight polymers are then added to the dispersed aqueous kaolin suspension. The suspension is then flocculated. During flocculation, the high molecular weight polymers adhere preferentially to kaolin, and do not attach to titania and other impurities. This facilitates titania separation. After separation, the flocculated kaolin portion is deflocculated chemically, e.g., by ozonation, chemical dispersants or both, or mechanically, e.g., by high shear wet milling, leaving a dispersed kaolin slip substantially free of titania and other impurities. See U.S. Pat. No. 5,685,900, incorporated herein by reference.
For crudes having iron oxides as an impurity, a beneficiation process called reduced acid leaching has been used to improve the color of the beneficiated product. According to long established practice, reduced acid leaching requires acidifying a dispersed (optionally degritted and beneficiated) clay slip to a pH range below 5, and typically below 3, to flocculate the clay particles. A chemical reducing agent is then added to the flocculated kaolin suspension. The reducing agent reacts with iron oxides, irreversibly converting them from water-insoluble ferric (iron III) oxides to the water-soluble ferrous (iron II) form. See, e.g., GB 1,043,252. Once solubilized, the iron was thought to leach into the aqueous portion of the clay slurry along with other water-soluble salts, and thereby separate from the flocculated kaolin. See generally U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,791,959; 2,339,594; 3,937,632; 4,002,487; and G.B. 1,043,252, incorporated herein by reference.
While most beneficiation processes may be carried out in any expedient order, it was thought necessary to save reduced acid leaching until the final stages of beneficiation, and after selective flocculation. This is because reduced acid leaching was performed on acid-flocculated clay slip and must be followed by filtration to remove salts to raise solids concentration for drying. Moreover, because selective flocculation requires flocculation of selected minerals from a fully dispersed slurry, it is necessary to carry out selective flocculation in alkaline conditions. (WO 00/68160 teaches a process for the selective flocculation of kaolinite, followed by ozonation, which is carried out in highly alkaline conditions, at pH levels above 9, preferably 11-11.5.) By contrast, iron removal by reductive leaching was thought to require acidic conditions that promote flocculation to enable removal of solubilized iron by filtration.
These constraints increase the cost of beneficiation for several reasons. The divergent pH requirements for reduced acid leaching and most other beneficiation processes made it impossible to combine them. Adjusting the pH to more alkaline levels required for selective flocculation of kaolinite and reverse froth floatation of anatase requires adding costly chemicals. Adjusting the pH again to acidic levels for acid reductive leaching, then again to a neutral pH prior to drying and sale, requires adding still more costly and environmentally harmful chemicals, such as sulfuric acid. Further, the pH adjusting chemicals and dispersing agents are themselves impurities whose presence at higher doses can harm the rheological characteristics (viscosity) of the final product. All of these constraints add to the cost of beneficiation. The present invention overcomes these constraints, however, and provides a beneficiated kaolin product of comparable or better quality at significant cost and environmental savings.

Integrated process for simultaneous beneficiation, leaching, and dewatering of kaolin clay suspension


The present invention relates to an LED driving circuit and a serial LED illumination system. The LED driving circuit compares a data signal with a voltage threshold via a comparator to output a mode selection signal. The register unit includes an instruction register and a data register. The register unit is coupled to the comparator unit and controlled by the mode selection signal to perform an instruction or data transmission mode. The instruction register stores the instruction data under the instruction mode. The data register stores the illumination display data under the data transmission mode. When the data register is full, the register unit outputs a secondary data signal. The driving unit is controlled by the instruction data and drives an LED module according to the illumination display data. The serial LED illumination system includes a controller that is connected with at least one LED driving circuit in serial.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an LED driving circuit and a serial LED illumination system using the same. In particular, this invention relates to an LED driving circuit and a serial LED illumination system using the same that can be operated at an AC voltage source and judges the input data signals via a comparator.
2. Description of the Related Art
As the technology that is the basis for electrical power and illumination systems has been developed, the power source for the illumination systems has become less restricted to natural power sources. Moreover, as the electronic industry has also developed, illumination methods using electrical power as the light source have become controllable. Therefore, a variety of illumination systems have been developed, including night illumination systems and decorative illumination systems having visual effects, such as neon lamps, laser lamps, and LED lamps, etc. A characteristic of decorative illumination systems is that the lamp can be patterned. Furthermore, by installing illumination lamps at the outside of a building, the outline of the building can be displayed via the light emitting from the lamps. The ensuing scene can be quite magnificent.
Recently, technological improvements have enabled LEDs to have reduced power consumption, a longer user life and add more colors to their range when used for decorative lighting displays. The LED is an illumination device in which the emitting light is visible and its bandwidth is narrow. When the diode is forward conducted, the hole carrying the carrier is combined with the electron so as to convert the potential energy into light energy. Because the LED has a low power consumption and is durable, the damage rate of its components is low. LEDs having a variety of colors have been developed. Therefore, many LEDs having a variety of colors can be composed to generate a lot of colored lights. Moreover, the light emitting from the LED is bright and stable, and its switching speed is higher than that of photogenes, so a continuous colorful imaging can be displayed. Therefore, LEDs are extensively used as lighting elements for large-sized displays, dynamic image displays or decorative illumination systems.
Reference is made to FIG. 1, which shows a circuit block diagram of an LED driving circuit of the prior art. The LED driving circuit 10 includes a shift register 102 and a driving unit 104. The shift register 102 stores the display data signals Data according to the clock signal Clock. The driving unit 104 is controlled by the data latch signal Latch and drives a full color LED to emit according to the display data signals Data stored in the shift register 102. When the shift register 102 is full, the shift register 102 outputs the display data signals that are not stored to a next LED driving circuit 10 that is connected in serial.
Reference is made to FIG. 2, which shows a block diagram of a serial LED illumination system of the prior art. The illumination system 1 is composed of a plurality of LED driving circuits 10, 12, 1n that are connected to each other in serial. The LED driving circuits 10, 12, 1n receives a DC VDD simultaneously. In the illumination system 1 of the prior art, each of the LED driving circuits 10, 12, 1n needed to receive a clock signal Clock, a display data signal Data, a data latch signal Latch, or other signals So etc.
In the illumination system 1 of the prior art, a new transmission line must be added whenever a new function is added. Therefore, the transmission lines of the illumination system become complex and it is difficult to maintain the circuit. Moreover, because each of the LED driving circuits in the illumination system 1 obtains power from the same DC VDD, the voltage in the serial LED illumination system becomes decayed. Therefore, the rear LED driving circuits can obtain a stable power from the DC VDD.


A method of preventing infestation of a bed by creeping insects; said method including the application of a barrier to the legs of said bed; said barrier comprising a disc or layer of material inimical to at least a selection of said creeping insects; said disc or layer interposed between an upper end of each bed leg and the underside surface of a bed base of said bed.

One example of an insect likely to infest is the common bed bug, (Cimex lectularius), a small insect, adults growing to 4-5 mm, found throughout the temperate world. It feeds on blood and is well adapted to cohabitation with humans, particularly preferring to infest bedding.
Infestation is a particular problem in those facilities catering to revolving clientele, such as hotels, guest houses, backpacker hostels and other forms of guest accommodation, but can also become a serious problem in the home.
Infestation of a bed may occur in at least two ways. Firstly, bugs may be introduced into the bed from luggage, contaminated clothing or even from human carriers. Secondly, bugs may initially be present in carpets or rugs and thence find their way into the bed by crawling up the bed supporting structure.
Although infestation by bed bugs is perhaps the most common problem, it is clearly undesirable to have one's bed invaded by any creeping insects.
Various attempts have been made to solve problems found in pest control art. Among these are found in: U.S. Patent and Publication Nos. 2013/0067796 to Dong et al., 2013/0042520 to Snell, 2013/0111801 to White et al., 2011/0225873 to McKnight et al., D668,314 to MacKay et al., and 2012/0096759 to Biggs. This prior art is representative of pest control means.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the invention as claimed. Thus, a need exists for a reliable insect infestation reduction system, and to avoid the above-mentioned problems.
It is an object of the present invention to address or at least ameliorate the problem of insect infestation routes.


A method of manufacturing an electron-emitting source includes first to third steps. In the first step, a cathode structure made of a metal containing any one of ion, nickel, cobalt, and chromium is heated to a first temperature in a reaction furnace to which a carbon source gas has been introduced, to form a plurality of first carbon nanotubes on the cathode structure by chemical vapor deposition. In the second step, the metal serving as a material of the cathode structure is deposited on at least either one of the cathode structure and the plurality of first carbon nanotubes, to form a catalyst metal layer. In the third step, the cathode structure including the catalyst metal layer is heated to a second temperature higher than the first temperature in the reaction furnace to which the carbon source gas has been introduced, to form a plurality of second carbon nanotubes which are thinner than the first carbon nanotubes on the catalyst metal layer by chemical vapor deposition. An electron-emitting source is also disclosed.

The present invention relates to an electron-emitting source comprising a plurality of cylindrical carbon nanotubes which are formed by chemical vapor deposition on a substrate containing iron or the like, and a method of manufacturing the same.
A carbon nanotube comprises a completely graphitized cylinder having a diameter of about 4 nm to 50 nm and a length of about 1 μm to 10 μm. Examples of the carbon nanotube include one having a shape in which a single graphite layer (graphene) is closed cylindrically and one having a shape in which a plurality of graphenes are layered telescopically such that the respective graphenes are closed cylindrically to form a coaxial multilayered structure. The central portions of the cylindrical graphenes are hollow. The distal end portions of the graphenes may be closed, or broken and accordingly open.
It is expected that the carbon nanotube having such a specific shape may be applied to novel electronic materials and nanotechnology by utilizing its specific electronic physical properties. For example, the carbon nanotube can be used to form an emitter which emits electrons. When a strong electric field is applied to the surface of a solid, the potential barrier of the surface of the solid which confines electrons in the solid becomes low and thin. Consequently, the confined electrons are emitted outside the solid due to the tunnel effect. This phenomenon is so-called field emission.
In order to observe field emission, an electric field as strong as 107 V/cm must be applied to the solid surface. As a scheme to implement this, a metal needle with a sharp point is used. When an electric field is applied by using such a needle, the electric field concentrates at the point of the sharp needle, and a necessary strong electric field is obtained. The carbon nanotube described above has a very sharp point with a radius of curvature on the nm order, and is chemically stable and mechanically tough, thus providing physical properties that are suitable as a field emission emitter material.
When the carbon nanotube having the characteristic feature as described above is to be used in an electron-emitting source in an FED (Field Emission Display) or the like, carbon nanotubes must be formed on a substrate having a large area. Carbon nanotube manufacturing methods include electric discharge in which two carbon electrodes are set apart from each other by about 1 mm to 2 mm in helium gas and DC arc discharge is caused, laser vapor deposition, and the like. With these manufacturing methods, however, the diameter and length of the carbon nanotube are difficult to adjust, and the yield of the carbon nanotube as the target cannot be increased very much. A large amount of amorphous carbon products other than carbon nanotubes are produced simultaneously. Thus, a purifying process is required, making the manufacture cumbersome.
In order to solve the above problems, as shown in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-048512, a method has been proposed in which a catalyst metal layer is prepared on a substrate and, while the substrate is heated, carbon source gas is supplied onto the catalyst metal layer to grow a large number of carbon nanotubes from the catalyst metal layer. In the manufacture of the carbon nanotube according to this thermal chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method, the length and diameter of the carbon nanotube to be formed can be controlled depending on the type of the catalyst metal, the duration of growth, the type of the substrate, and the like.
When a carbon nanotube is to be used as an electron-emitting source, if a thinner carbon nanotube is used, electrons can be emitted with a lower voltage. For example, when a carbon nanotube is to be used as an electron-emitting source in an FED, if a thinner carbon nanotube is used, driving is enabled at a lower voltage. This is preferable in terms of power saving.
When a carbon nanotube is to be formed by CVD, a plurality of carbon nanotubes can be formed close to each other on a substrate. When the temperature of the substrate is set to a high temperature of 800° C. to 1,000° C., thin carbon nanotubes having diameters of about 10 nm can be formed. If, however, an electrode structure which forms a cathode is formed of a catalyst metal and carbon nanotubes are to be directly formed on the electrode structure made of the catalyst metal so that the carbon nanotubes can be used as an electron-emitting source, the following problems arise.
In the above arrangement, as the electrode structure surface (growth surface) where the carbon nanotubes grow is entirely made of the catalyst metal, the carbon nanotubes can grow at any portion of the growth surface. Therefore, when the carbon nanotubes are to be formed by CVD, they can readily grow from the growth surface thickly with no gaps among them. When a plurality of thin carbon nanotubes are to be formed by CVD, the plurality of carbon nanotubes that are adjacent to each other tend to come into contact with each other to form a bundle. Then, it is very difficult to form carbon nanotubes evenly on the entire region of the substrate. If the carbon nanotubes are not formed evenly, field emission tends to occur locally. Local field emission may break a carbon nanotube and, depending on the case, cause a chain reaction to break many carbon nanotubes.
It is known that, when the temperature of the substrate is set to a comparatively low temperature of about 600° C. to 700° C., even if the growth surface is entirely made of the catalyst metal, a plurality of carbon nanotubes are formed more evenly such that they will not easily form bundles. The carbon nanotubes formed in this manner, however, are comparatively thick with diameters of 40 nm, and require a higher driving voltage than thin carbon nanotubes. This is not preferable in terms of power saving.

Electron-emitting source having carbon nanotubes


A connecting polypeptide has SEQ ID NO:73. A proinsulin polypeptide includes a mature insulin A-chain, a mature insulin B-chain, and a connecting peptide comprising SEQ ID NO: 73 linking the mature A-chain and the mature B-chain, wherein the connecting peptide is not a native human proinsulin C-peptide. The proinsulin polypeptides according to the invention can be made in high titers and in high purity.

Efficient expression of recombinant proteins or other gene products requires the use of a system, the various aspects of which—expression construct(s), host cell strain, growth conditions, and purification methods—all work together to make the desired product in sufficient quantities, while minimizing the expenditure of materials and time.
Many expression systems that are currently used for industrial production of recombinant products rely on expensive mammalian cell culture, or utilize the secretion of proteins into the periplasm of bacterial cells, which is more limited in the quantity of product per cell and is more time-consuming than expression of gene products in bacterial cytoplasm. In many expression systems developed by others, in which bacterial cytoplasm is used as the preferred cellular compartment for recombinant expression, it is common for the desired proteins to be produced as insoluble inclusion bodies (see for example Chung et al., "Recombinant production of biologically active giant grouper (Epinephelus lanceolatus) growth hormone from inclusion bodies of Escherichia coli by fed-batch culture", Protein Expr Purif 2015 June; 110: 79-88; doi: 10.1016/j.pep.2015.02.012; Epub 2015 Feb. 19). To recover some soluble and correctly folded protein from inclusion bodies, it has been necessary to perform additional refolding steps (Yamaguchi and Miyazaki, "Refolding techniques for recovering biologically active recombinant proteins from inclusion bodies", Biomolecules 2014 Feb. 20; 4(1): 235-251; doi: 10.3390/biom4010235; Review). For proteins containing disulfide bonds, these refolding steps typically include the use of reducing agents to convert to thiol groups any inappropriately formed disulfide bonds, particularly inter-molecular disulfide bonds that could be contributing to the aggregation of protein into insoluble inclusion bodies.
Improved expression systems and methods of using them to more efficiently produce gene products such as recombinant proteins in a properly folded and soluble form, and in a manner that is capable of scaling up to commercial production levels, are clearly needed.

C-peptides and proinsulin polypeptides comprising the same


According to one exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a method for sensing the position of an edge of a stock being feed to a printing press is provided. The method includes the steps of providing a light source, utilizing the light source to illuminate with planar radiation a preselected area of the stock, and a preselected area adjacent to the stock, and further providing a retro-reflecting surface on at least a portion of the preselected area adjacent to the stock illuminated by the light source. According to a feature of the present invention, a measuring device is provided and utilized to measure radiation reflected by the retro-reflecting surface.

The present invention is directed a device for sensing the position of an edge of a product, as well as to a method for sensing the position of an edge of a product.
During the process of printing sheets, in particular in a sheet-fed offset press, the sheets are supplied to the press from a sheet stack. When a single sheet is fed to the printing press, known methods heretofore provide for the sheet to be laterally aligned at the feeder along a guide edge. However, it is also possible for the sheet to be laterally aligned by actuator-driven displacement of the front sheet edge on the cylinder, thus during conveyance of the sheet. Such actuator-driven displacement is known, for example, from the German Application DE 196 18 030 and related U.S. Pat. No. 6,264,196, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein. In response to the actuator-driven displacement, the sheet is guided to a defined setpoint position, the actual position of the sheet being detected by sensors.
To ensure exact alignment of the sheet, the actual position of the sheet edge must be precisely determined. A device for sensing and controlling the edge position of a continuous web is already known from the German Application DE 36 37 874. When working with this device, a web is irradiated by an illuminating device that extends over a planar area. The light beams striking the web are reflected from there in accordance with the laws of reflection and fed to an electro-optical image sensor. The electro-optical image sensor scans a strip on the web by sequential lines, the strip also encompassing a partial area situated outside of the web. In this way, the width of the area situated outside of the web can be determined and, from this, in turn, the position of the web. However, this method can only be applied when the material web used is a material web that is sufficiently reflective in accordance with the laws of reflection. This is particularly not the case when working with transparent films.
From the German Application DE 101 36 871, a device is known for sensing the position of an edge of a sheet that is fed to a printing press. In this case, an opto-electronic measuring device is used, which is oriented orthogonally to the conveyance direction of the sheet.
The measuring device is mounted above the feedboard and has reflecting arrays which are able to detect a reflected beam. To enable problematic sheets to be detected, in particular transparent or high-gloss materials, the surface of the feedboard is additionally provided with contrast-enhancing means. To this end, the feedboard is specially finished in one partial area, in particular highly polished, chromium-plated, or provided with a reflective layer. However, the drawback when working with this device is that it is no longer possible to distinguish the materials themselves from the contrast-enhancing layer when the sheets to be measured have surface properties which correspond or nearly match those of a highly polished or chromed surface.

Device and method for sensing the position of an edge of a product


Electrical leads are provided for improving access to high density electronic devices. The leads include a polymeric dielectric core comprising a metallic conductive layer having at least two separate conductive paths thereon. The conductive paths are ideally suited to connect a pair of terminals disposed on a circuit element to a pair of conductive surfaces on a printed circuit board, without requiring any additional surface area to meet the lead requirements.

In the manufacturing of electronic devices used in microelectronic applications, a lead frame is often employed between the molded base and lid components of a chip package. The lead frame is typically a metal or a metal alloy of about 0.01 inch thick and is connected to the output terminals of the chip with a plurality of tiny bond wires.
Recently, there has been an increased tendency for electronic device manufacturers to increase circuit density. As this circuitry becomes more densified, a larger number of terminal paths and leads are required to contact the chip with the printed circuit board. Conventional lead frames are suitable for devices requiring about 16 to 32 leads. However, since modern chips may require many times this traditional number of leads, conventional lead frames, and the leads extending from these lead frames, are not considered satisfactory.
Prior artisans have attempted to increase the lead count through better alignment of the lead frame and the use of thinner lead frames, also called tape lead frames, which provide thinner stock material for permitting closer spacing between leads. Although these lead assemblies permit closer spacing, flexibility, mechanical strength, and registration are often a problem. Metal tape also has little structural strength on its own and is difficult to position properly.
Although automated bonding and photolithography have minimized some of the deficiencies associated with thin leads, device density continues to outrun the permissible number of leads dictated by current technology.

Polymeric composite lead wire and method for making same


Pitching practice targets teach a pitcher to deliver accurate pitches. A tripod assembly is attached to one end of a body. The height of the pitching practice target can be adjusted by telescoping first and second body extensions inserted into the body's opposing end and telescoping lower legs inserted into the upper legs of the tripod assembly. The upper legs are hingedly attached to the body so that they can be folded up when not in use. An arm collar attaches one end of an arm to the second body extension. A target is suspended from the arm by chains hung from chain hooks. A target retainer connects the bottom edge of the target to the body's opposing end. The opposing end of the arm is bent at an angle and forms a triangular structure in conjunction with an arm support.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a pitching practice target for use in connection with baseball training. The pitching practice target has particular utility in connection with teaching a pitcher to deliver accurate pitches.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Pitching practice targets are desirable for teaching a pitcher to deliver accurate pitches. In order to be successful, pitchers must be able to place a thrown baseball with a high degree of accuracy. Live batters are usually not available for the large number of repetitions required. Pitching practice targets provide a simulated batter and a visual indication of the strike zone to help pitchers improve their skills. Unlike the prior art, pitching practice targets cover the strike zone with a target instead of merely defining the exterior boundaries of the strike zone with a frame. Furthermore, pitching practice targets can be used with a live catcher unlike the prior art.
The use of target teaching aids is known in the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,783,070 to Bauer et al. discloses a target teaching aid. However, the Bauer et al. '070 patent does not fold up, and has further drawbacks of lacking a target that covers the strike zone.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,320,343 to McKinney discloses a combination batting practice tee and pitching target that functions as a batting tee and swing corrector or as a pitching target. However, the McKinney '343 patent does not fold up, and additionally does not have target that covers the strike zone.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,505,443 to Padilla discloses a combination ball-hitting and pitching practice apparatus that adjustably mounts a ball rebound net as well as means for practicing hitting stationery balls. However, the Padilla '443 patent does not fold up, and cannot be used with a live catcher.
In addition, U.S. Pat. No. Des. 350,569 to Boteler discloses a baseball pitching target that provides a target for pitching baseballs. However, the Boteler '569 patent does not fold up, and also cannot be used with a live catcher.
Furthermore, U.S. Pat. No. 5,484,145 to Shriver discloses a portable pitching aid that aids a pitcher in learning the art of pitching. However, the Shriver '145 patent does not fold up, and further lacks a target that covers the strike zone.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,871,647 to Tellez discloses an adjustable height baseball batter dummy that provides a pitcher with a realistic target when practicing hit pitches. However, the Tellez '647 patent does not fold up, and has the additional deficiency of lacking a target that covers the strike zone.
In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 3,658,329 to Ciccarello discloses a swingable strike zone baseball device that provides a practice device for baseball pitchers. However, the Ciccarello '329 patent does not fold up, and also does not have a target that covers the strike zone.
Furthermore, U.S. Pat. No. 6,620,065 to Clabough discloses a pitcher's box pitcher training system that trains all types of pitchers. However, the Clabough '065 patent does not fold up, and further lacks the ability to define the strike zone.
Lastly, U.S. Pat. No. 6,093,120 to Luke, Jr. discloses a baseball pitching and throwing training apparatus that simulates a strike zone or a target area. However, the Luke, Jr. '120 patent does not have target that covers the strike zone, and has the additional deficiency of not being usable with a live catcher.
While the above-described devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not describe a pitching practice target that allows teaching a pitcher to deliver accurate pitches. The Bauer et al. '070 patent, the McKinney '343 patent, the Padilla '443 patent, the Boteler '569 patent, the Shriver '145 patent, the Tellez '647 patent, the Ciccarello '329 patent, and the Clabough '065 patent make no provision for folding up. The Bauer et al. '070 patent, the McKinney '343 patent, the Shriver '145 patent, the Tellez '647 patent, the Ciccarello '329 patent, and the Luke, Jr. '120 patent lack a target that covers the strike zone. The Padilla '443 patent, the Boteler '569 patent, and the Luke, Jr. '120 patent cannot be used with a live pitcher. The Clabough '065 patent cannot define the strike zone.
Therefore, a need exists for a new and improved pitching practice target that can be used for teaching a pitcher to deliver accurate pitches. In this regard, the present invention substantially fulfills this need. In this respect, the pitching practice target according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in doing so provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of teaching a pitcher to deliver accurate pitches.


The invention relates to articles of manufacture formed of a variety of copper fittings, such as 90 degree-elbows, tees, nipples, and straight pipe sections. The articles essentially comprise a pair of components formed of multiple copper fittings, where such components are pivotally mounted to one another. Finished articles may include, for example, a free standing picture frame or a candelabra.

The invention relates to a creative line of homefurnishings that may be fabricated from ordinary copper plumbing fittings, then appropriately cleaned and dressed to reflect a unique style of inexpensive household products.
Typically, the types of household products, to which this invention is directed, are molded of plastic, fabricated of metal strips, or machined from metal rods. All such procedures are expensive and yield products that are ordinary at best.
By way of example, U.S. Pat. No. D-341,621 relates to a bookend formed from a planar sheet of metal that has a U-shaped cutout in the center, than bent at a 90 degree angle with the arcuate configured book support perpendicular to the cutout. U.S. Pat. No. D-362,017 represents another example of a household product fabricated from common metal products. Such product is a set of bookends fabricated from a short section of an L-shaped angle iron having an actual or simulated threaded bold and nut extending from the face of one bookend, and an actual or simulated washer and bolt head extending from the face of the other bookend. When supporting a set of books, the product has the appearance of a bolt extending from one bookend, through the books, then terminating at the opposite bookend.
These prior art products, though useful, may be expensive and even ordinary. The present invention is unique in its construction, as it utilizes common copper plumbing fittings to form the primary components. The manner by which this construction achieves the desired result can best be explained by the following specification, particularly when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Article of manufacture formed of copper fittings


A trash can assembly has a lid pivotably coupled to an upper end of an outer shell, and a pivoting pedal bar that is coupled to the lid via a link rod. The closing motion of the lid is dampened by counter-balancing the closing force of the lid, which can be accomplished by generating a counter-balance force against the pedal bar that is equal to or slightly less than the closing force of the lid. The counter-balance force can be made to vary during the closing motion of the lid. In addition, the entire link rod can be positioned inside the interior of the outer shell, and the pivot axis of the lid about the outer shell can also also positioned inside the interior of the outer shell.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to household items, and in particular, to a trash can assembly that incorporates a number of improvements and enhancements.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A major concern for both the home and the workplace is containing and holding wastes, refuse, and trash until permanent disposal. Trash cans act as containers for holding trash and other wastes that are produced in any typical home or office. Trash and garbage cans often employ lids and covers to contain the trash and its associated odor, to hide the trash from view, and to prevent the trash from contaminating areas beyond the lid.
Conventional trash cans have been improved over the years to make them more user-friendly, sanitary, and hygienic. For example, many trash cans are now provided with a foot pedal positioned adjacent the base of the trash can. The foot pedal is operatively connected to the lid by a link rod, so that a user can step on the foot pedal to open the lid of the trash can, thereby freeing up the user's hands to toss trash, or to change the plastic liner or bag that is used to line the trash can. Other trash cans have even provided an interior metal or plastic liner that fits inside the outer shell of the trash can, and which can be removed to be washed. However, these conventional trash cans still suffer from a number of drawbacks.
For example, the foot pedals on some of the conventional trash cans are noisy to use. In particular, stepping on a foot pedal of a conventional trash can often result in a loud banging noise as the lid is opened, and releasing the step on the foot pedal will also result in another loud banging noise as the lid slams shut under the force of gravity. These banging actions also result in wear and tear to the contacting parts.
Other problems are associated with the hinge assembly that hinges the lid to the outer shell of the trash can. In most conventional trash cans, the link rod extends through a portion of the interior of the outer shell, and then extends along a portion of the exterior of the outer shell adjacent the lid. As a result, the hinge assembly of most conventional trash cans tend to be quite large and bulky. A large and unwieldy hinge assembly makes it difficult to position the trash can at certain locations (e.g., corners, or against walls) in the house, and forces the manufacturer to use packing boxes that are larger than desired.
In addition, it is sometimes desirable to be able to remove the lid on a trash can and replace it with a new lid. For example, the lid may be damaged (e.g., the lid may get dented by objects), and it would be more cost-efficient to be able to salvage the outer shell of the trash can and merely replace the lid. Unfortunately, most conventional trash cans either do not allow for a pivoting lid to be replaced, or have hinge assemblies that make it very difficult and inconvenient to remove and replace a lid.
Thus, there remains a need for a trash can that overcomes the drawbacks identified above.


The device includes a clamping assembly which has a stationary upright post with upper and lower casings coaxially mounted to the upright post, a threaded shaft to adjust a vertical height of the upper and lower casings, a drilling assembly which is adjacent to the clamping assembly and which has first and second drilling bits that respectively extends toward an axis of the upright post in a parallel manner and a worm mechanism for adjusting a vertical height between the two drilling bits and an index apparatus which can rotate the clamping assembly to a predetermined angle relative to the drilling assembly. The upper and lower casings have radially movable pieces with clamping members thereon. A synchronous moving unit moves the movable pieces relative to the upright post to define a distance which is equal to a radius of curvature of a curved plate that is to be clamped and drilled by the device.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a clamping and drilling device, more particularly to a clamping and drilling device which is capable of clamping and drilling curved plates that have different widths and different radii of curvature.
2. Description of the Related Art
After the formation of a curved plate which is to be used as a lining plate in the manufacture of a brake of an automobile, holes with a particular pattern are drilled through the curved plate in order to permit the passage of rivets therethrough. The curved plate is clamped securely by a conventional clamping assembly while a conventional drilling apparatus performs a drilling operation thereon. The width and radius of curvature of a curved plate that is used to construct a brake shoe of a vehicle are different from another curved plate that is used to construct another brake shoe. Therefore, different kinds of conventional clamping assemblies must be constructed for different curved plates, thereby resulting in a relatively high manufacturing cost.

Clamping and drilling device for a curved plate

Metal Industries Research & Development Centre


For analysis and/or monitoring the light intensity distribution over the cross-section of a laser beam (1), the laser beam (1) is reflected with a laser mirror (2), and local thermal expansions of the laser mirror (2) caused by different light intensities incident on the laser mirror (2) are detected.

In recent years, laser beams have become more and more important as an universal tool for material processing. Particularly, laser beams of a CO2-Laser having a laser power in the order of one to several kW are used in manufacturing processes like welding, cutting, drilling, soldering, inscribing, for surface treatment and so on. In these processes, it is important that the light intensity distribution and the position of the laser beam are monitored even during the actual material processing. Within the present d description, monitoring the position of a laser beam which is a special case of monitoring the light intensity distribution over the cross-section of the laser beam will not always be especially highlighted, because a change in position is nothing else than a movement of the center and the borders of the light intensity distribution of the laser beam.
From U.S. Pat. No. 5,694,209 it is known to scan the cross-section of a laser beam with a small reflecting element and to analyze a laser light reflected out of the laser beam with the reflecting element. The mechanical efforts which are required for scanning the laser beam with the reflecting element are enormous. Additionally, the beam quality of the laser beam is decreased due to scanning it with the reflecting element. If the laser beam is a laser beam of a CO2-laser, for example, which has a wave length in the infrared range, the analysis of the light intensities reflected out of the laser beam is also difficult due to the general difficulties in determining small intensities of light particularly in the infrared range.
For analysing or monitoring a light intensity distribution over a cross-section of a laser beam, it is known from German Patent Application published as DE 40 06 618 A1 to provide a laser mirror reflecting the laser beam with small channels. If these channels have a defined geometry and defined distances, a portion of the laser beam incident on the channels leaves the surface of the laser mirror as a measurement radiation whose partial waves starting at the channels are superimposed in an intensifying way in at least one direction. Thus a measurement beam is formed which is detected by a detector. The portion of the laser beam incident on the plane surface between the channels is geometrically-optically reflected as a main beam at the same time. If the total area of all channels is small as compared to the total mirroring surface, only a very limited portion of the light intensity of the laser beam is coupled out towards the detector. The actual loss in laser power, however, is relevant. Additionally, there is the effort for forming the laser mirror in the special way, and there are difficulties in analyzing the small out-coupled laser light intensities with regard to their spatial distribution, particularly, if it is infrared laser light of the laser beam of a CO2-laser, for example.
As a reference to its own prior art DE 40 06 618 A1 also describes a method of analysing or monitoring a light intensity distribution over a cross-section of a laser beam in which a residual roughness of a plane mirroring surface of a laser mirror reflecting the laser beam is used for obtaining scattered light which is detected with a detector. The roughness of presently used laser mirrors, however, is typically only just 1/1000 of the laser wave length. Thus, present laser mirrors have a residual roughness which is far below the value shown by laser mirrors 10 to 20 years ago, i.e. at the application date of DE 40 06 618 A1. At that time, a residual roughness of laser mirrors for laser beams of 1/10 to 1/20 of the laser wave length was common. Therefore, in contrast to the past, there should be no relevant scatter signal left, if a present laser mirror is considered. Even if such a scatter signal would still be there, it would be in the infrared range in case of infrared laser beams, and thus it could only be analyzed with corresponding high efforts.
Thus, there is still a need for a method and a device for analysing and/or monitoring the light intensity distribution over the cross-section of a laser beam, which may even then be realized with low constructive efforts, if the light intensity distribution of an infrared laser light beam is to be detected, and which at the same time avoid any relevant deformation of the laser beam over its cross-section.

Method and device for analyzing a light intensity distribution over a cross-section of a laser beam


A plate that is attached to a shaft to remove a door closer from the door completely. A door holder is used to set the plate in an "open" position, out of the way of the door. Once the plate is in the open position, the door is free to open and close without any force on it at all. If there is an emergency, the door holder releases the plate. The door closer then moves the plate against the door and closes the door. Once the door is closed, the plate can be reset by opening the door until the door holder is again engaged. In this way, people can operate the door without exertion while they are protected from emergencies.

Today, most commercial buildings have automatic door closers to keep building doors closed. Fire safety is the biggest reason for having door closers because they prevent the spread of fire and help protect building occupants. Door closers typically have a significant counter force when a door is being opened. For the elderly or infirm, this force can often prevent them from opening a door. This can be dangerous at worst and inconvenient at best.
Many areas prohibit propping open a door to defeat the door closer. As a result, door holders have been developed that counter the door closer. These door holders are designed to hold a door open, but in an emergency such as a fire, they are designed to release the door so that the door closer can close it. Door holders are an improvement over constantly having to fight a door closer. However, they do not allow privacy because the door is held open continuously.
Some devices have been developed to try to solve this problem. U.S. Pat. No. 4,979,261 teaches a variable position door closer. This device uses a rack and gears to move the door closer in a linear path as the door is opened or closed. This movement reduces the force needed to open and close the door. This makes operation of the door closer easier for the elderly and infirm. Another answer to the problem uses powered door openers to counter the force of the door closer. A user simply presses a button and the motor driven door opener does the work. Although these devices are convenient, they are costly and sometimes require reconstruction around the door. Thus, they tend to be used in high traffic areas of a building. They are too expensive to put on all the patients' doors in a rest home, for example. An example of this type of system is found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,375,374. The above mentioned solutions work; but at high cost and inconvenience. The problem with these solutions is that they are too limited. Although they solve the problem of overcoming the force of a door closer, they do so in an expensive and excessive manner.


Apparatus and methods for performing satellite proximity operations such as inspection, recovery and life extension of a target satellite through operation of a xe2x80x9cSatellite Inspection Recovery and Extensionxe2x80x9d (xe2x80x9cSIRExe2x80x9d) spacecraft which can be operated in the following modes (teleoperated, automatic, and autonomous). The SIRE concept further consists of those methods and techniques used to perform certain (on-orbit) operations including, but not limited to, the inspection, servicing, recovery, and lifetime extension of satellites, spacecraft, space systems, space platforms, and other vehicles and objects in space, collectively defined as xe2x80x9ctarget satellitesxe2x80x9d. The three basic types of SIRE proximity missions are defined as xe2x80x9cLifetime Extensionxe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9cRecoveryxe2x80x9d, and xe2x80x9cUtilityxe2x80x9d. A remote cockpit system is provided to permit human control of the SIRE spacecraft during proximity operations.

This invention pertains to apparatus and methods for in-space satellite operations, such as modifying the useful life of a space satellite, inspecting it, adjusting its space trajectory, and the like.
More particularly, the invention relates to such apparatus and methods for extending or otherwise modifying the useful operational lifetime of satellites which perform communications, weather reconnaissance, space reconnaissance and similar functions.
In another respect, the invention pertains to such apparatus and methods for extending the useful life of such satellites without performing complicated in-space refueling or repair functions.
According to still another aspect, the invention pertains to apparatus and methods for effecting planned deorbit and reentry of a satellite or reboosting a spent satellite to a higher orbit or another trajectory, to delay deorbit or to place a satellite in a parking or other operational or non-operational orbit or trajectory. Similarly, the invention relates to effecting the deorbit or altering the trajectory of debris in space to avoid collisions with other spacecraft.
In yet another aspect, the invention pertains to apparatus and methods for performing a variety of proximity operations, e.g., inspection of an operational or non-operational satellite, to determine its status, etc.
In still another aspect, the invention pertains to apparatus and methods for delivering or replenishing supplies to orbiting spacecraft such as the planned International Space Station.
Because of the high reliability of contemporary electronics, the end-of-life (EOL) of most satellites is caused by on board propellant depletion and the corresponding loss of attitude and position control, i.e., for orientation, pointing, including stabilization, and orbit control. The previous proposed approach to extending EOL is to replenish the propellant in the satellite tanks by refueling from another spacecraft. Alternatively, mechanical attachment of additional external propellant tanks to the target satellite would also accomplish this objective.
In addition to EOL by normal propellant depletion, there have been numerous instances in which satellites have been initially delivered to unacceptable orbits. These orbits have been corrected by additional propulsion maneuvers. However, use of the satellites"" onboard propellant to move it to an acceptable orbit resulted in a corresponding reduction in the useful life of the satellite. In some instances, initial orbit correction was impossible because it would have completely depleted the satellite""s onboard propellant supply.
In the past, considerable effort has been expended to develop in-space refueling technology. However, this has required extensive and expensive modifications to conventional satellites, risky proximity operations, possible contamination of the satellite by escaping fuel and other practical problems.
Conversely, when extension of the operating life of a satellite cannot be effected for various reasons, e.g., other malfunctions of a satellite or its equipment which cannot be repaired or obsolescence of the satellite, it would be desirable to be able to effect pre-planned deorbit and reentry. In this way, the inoperable or obsolescent satellite will not continue to clutter the available space for working satellites and reduce the likelihood of collision with other satellites or space vehicles. If the deorbit and reentry can be preplanned, these techniques will also reduce the possibility of reentry into populated areas with possible disastrous results. Furthermore, even if planned deorbit and reentry is not necessary or if it would be desirable to otherwise change the space trajectory of a satellite, it would be desirable to provide apparatus and methods for changing the space trajectory of a satellite to another operational or non-operational trajectory or for reboosting satellites which are cluttering useful orbits or which are about to deorbit, into less cluttered and less dangerous parking orbits.
The principal object of the present invention is to provide apparatus and methods for in-space satellite operations, such as, for example, extending or otherwise modifying the useful life of a space satellite, modifying its space trajectory, etc.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide such extension of the useful life of a space satellite by a simplified method and using simplified apparatus in comparison to prior art techniques which involve refueling the space satellite.
Still another object of the invention is to provide apparatus and methods which permit planned deorbit and reentry of spent or obsolete satellites, which permit changing the space trajectory of a satellite to another operational or non-operational trajectory or which permit reboosting spent or obsolete satellites to a parking orbit.
These, other and further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description thereof, taken in conjunction with the drawings.

Apparatus and methods for in-space satellite operations


The present invention relates to a plasma display panel, and more particularly, to a method of displaying the gray scale in a plasma display panel. According to the present invention, a method of displaying gray scales in a plasma display panel having an inverse gamma correction unit that operates using gamma tables includes the steps of allowing the inverse gamma correction unit to match picture signals, which corresponds to an n number of frames (n is a natural number) respectively, to an n number of previously stored gamma tables, allowing the inverse gamma correction unit to perform an inverse gamma process on the picture signals received according to the matched gamma tables to produce real gray scales every frame, and allowing the inverse gamma correction unit to divide the real gray scales every frame by n and then to produce last real gray scales. More fine gray scales can be represented by extending the number of real gray scales. It is thus possible to remove noise and provide a much smooth image.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a plasma display panel, and more particularly, to a method of displaying the gray scale in a plasma display panel.
2. Description of the Background Art
In a plasma display panel, gray scales are displayed through a combination of sub-fields. For example, if eight sub-fields are employed, 256 gray scales can be displayed.
In order to remove pseudo contour noise generated when a motion image is displayed, however, gray scales where the pseudo contour noise is generated are excluded. Thus, the number of gray scales, which is much smaller than 256 gray scales, is used.
If usually 10 to 12 sub-fields are used for a selective write method, usually 50 to 150 numbers of gray scales are used. In this time, if a selective gray scale algorithm such as Gravity Center Code (GCC) is used, the number of gray scales is reduced below a half.
In consideration of this, a dithering process or an error diffusion process is used so as to supplement scant gray scales. Although scant gray scales can be supplemented through this process, the number of gray scales that can be supplemented has a limit.
A reduction in the number of gray scales adversely affect Average Picture Level (APL) such as a dark screen.

Method of displaying gray scale in plasma display panel