A method for sterile connection of tubing includes welding the tubing sections together using an efficient laser. The ends of the tubing sections are brought together prior to the initiation of welding, facilitating isolation of interior passage of the tubing sections. The method can be carried out by an apparatus which is relatively inexpensive and compact.

This invention relates generally to the connection of flexible polymeric tubing sections, and more particularly to methods and apparatus for connecting such tubing sections so as to maintain a sterile condition in an interior passage of the tubing.
Medical containers with tubing are used for various medical procedures such as kidney dialysis, intravenous delivery of therapeutic fluids, delivery of nutritional fluids; delivery of blood, blood components, and blood substitutes. Fluid containers and tubing are also widely used in other industries such as the food industry and the chemical industries.
One example in the medical context is when two flowable medical products (e.g., liquids and mixtures of liquids and solids) need to be delivered to the patient at the same time, but the two products cannot be sterilized in the same way.
It is possible to manufacture both products (even as a mixture) in an aseptic environment. This is expensive and may not lead to a level of sterilization in the final product which is superior to making and packaging the products in a nonsterile environment and subsequently sterilizing both the products and the package. Another option is to package the products separately and connect them at the time of use. However, this requires a sterile connection of the packages, and more specifically a sterile connection of tubes connected to the packages.
As another example requiring sterile connection of tubing, flexible medical tubing is used in systems for treating renal disease. The balance of water, minerals and the excretion of daily metabolic load is no longer possible in renal failure. During renal failure, toxic end products of nitrogen metabolism (urea, creatinine, uric acid and others) can accumulate in blood and tissues. This condition is commonly treated with dialysis.
Dialysis removes waste toxins and excess water from the body that would otherwise have been removed by normal functioning kidneys. Dialysis treatment for replacement of kidney functions is critical to many people because the treatment is lifesaving. One who has failed kidneys could not continue to live without replacing at least the filtration functions of the kidneys. Hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis are two types of dialysis therapies commonly used to treat loss of kidney function.
In general, hemodialysis treatment removes waste, toxins, and excess water from the patient's blood. The patient is connected to a hemodialysis machine and the patient's blood is pumped through the machine. Catheters are inserted into the patient's veins and arteries to connect the blood flow to and from the hemodialysis machine. As blood passes through a dialyzer in the hemodialysis machine, waste, toxins, and excess water are removed from the patient's blood and the blood is infused back into the patient. Many tubes are used in the process that must be connected or disconnected. Peritoneal dialysis typically utilizes a dialysis solution, or dialysate, which is infused into a patient's peritoneal cavity. Waste, toxins and excess water pass from the patient's bloodstream through his/her peritoneal membrane and into the dialysate. The transfer of waste, toxins and water from the bloodstream into the dialysate occurs due to diffusion and osmosis, i.e., there is an osmotic gradient across the membrane. The spent dialysate is drained from the patient's peritoneal cavity to remove the waste, toxins and water from the patient. After the spent dialysis is drained, it is replaced with a fresh dialysate solution.
In peritoneal dialysis, a patient has a catheter implanted in his/her peritoneal cavity with an end protruding from the patient. The protruding end of the catheter terminates with a section of tubing known as a transfer set. The transfer set is typically made from a silicone material and must be periodically replaced. The transfer set is provided to connect the patient to dialysate fluid bags or discharge bags. The transfer set typically has a spike that connects to an access port positioned in a tube associated with the drain bag or dialysate solution bag (dialysate set). In general, the patient manually stabs the port with the spike to connect the transfer set to the dialysate set. The patient connects the tube in the transfer set to a drain to allow spent dialysate fluid to drain from the peritoneal cavity. Next, the patient is connected to a bag of fresh dialysate and manually infuses the fresh dialysate through the catheter and into the patient's peritoneal cavity. When the patient completes treatment, the port is pulled off the spike and a cap is placed on a spike until the patient is ready for the next treatment. When the patient disconnects the catheter from the fresh dialysate bag, the dialysate dwells within the peritoneal cavity to draw waste, toxins and excess water from the patient's bloodstream to the dialysate solution. After the dwell period, the patient repeats the manual dialysis procedure and drains the spent dialysate from the peritoneal cavity.
Accordingly, during dialysis treatments such as those described above, the patient is required to connect and disconnect the catheter and transfer set from the fill or drain line (or tube) a number of times. Some devices are available today to assist the patient during the process when using specialized sterilization equipment. However, by and large, these connections and disconnections are performed manually.
One such device incorporates a heated wafer or hot knife that physically contacts the tubing to cut it by melting the tube and joining two tubes together or melt-sealing the tube ends. Typically, heated wafer applications involve a "melt and wipe" process. In peritoneal dialysis, for example, a patient must drain spent dialysate or replenish his/her peritoneal cavity with fresh dialysate. To this end, the patient must connect the transfer set tubing to a tube extending from either a drain bag or a bag containing fresh dialysate. In one "melt and wipe" process, the transfer set tubing is bent in a U or V-shape to fit into a first U or V-shaped tube holder. Similarly, the bag-side tube is bent in a U or V-shape to fit into a second U or V-shaped tube holder adjacent the first tube holder. A heated wafer moves across the space between the two tube holders and physically contacts the tubing at the bend junction of the U-shape or V-shape. As the heated wafer contacts the tubing, it melts the tube at the bend junction of the U-shape or V-shape. The wafer then wipes the melted tubing material and removes the material from the area between the first and second tube holders. The two holders are brought together and two connections are made. In the first connection, the transfer set tubing is connected to the bag-side tube and the dialysis process is ready to begin. In the second connection, the wasted tube material from the transfer set tubing and the bag-side tube is connected together and discarded.
In order to disconnect the patient from the bag, hot knives are used to cut the tube. An example of a known disconnecting process with the hot knives involves two tubes that are placed side by side across two tube holders. One of the tubes is a short tube having two sealed ends. Generally, the tube holders include a ridge at one end of the tube holder to flatten a portion of the tube to stop fluid flow. The hot knife severs each tube into two pieces. After the hot knife cuts the tube, one of the tube holders moves in relation to the other tube holder. The tubing is "swapped," realigned with one of the cut portions of the short tube, and connected to it—thus, a disconnection is made between the patient and the bag.
These devices have a relatively low level of reliability due to the inconsistency in melting and cutting processes. The inconsistency of operation can result in imperfect seals, leading to leaks, and bacterial infiltration which may lead to infection or peritonitis. Moreover, both connections require the heated ends of the tube to be uncovered and exposed to the surrounding environment before the connection is made. This can lead to contamination of the tube ends, and ultimately of the interior of the tubes, even if the device works perfectly.
The interior passages of the tubing sections are initially sterile, but cutting the tubing sections so that connections of adjacent sections can be made exposes the interior passages of the tubing sections to the surrounding environment, allowing them to potentially become contaminated with airborne contaminants, e.g., bacteria. Moreover, if the tubing sections are open, solid material from the unsterile exteriors of the tubing sections could enter the tubing sections. In the applications just described, it is impractical to engage in a resterilization procedure every time a new connection of tubing sections is made. Accordingly, it is recognized that the interior passages of the tubing sections need to be isolated while the tubing sections are being connected together.
In order to avoid exposure of the interior passage of each tubing section, it is known to clamp the end portion of the tubing section shut before an end portion of the tubing section is cut. However, axially facing surfaces at the very ends of the tubes are exposed to their surroundings. In some systems a hot blade or other heated surface is brought into contact with the exposed ends of the tubing sections to bring them up to melting temperature. The ends of the two tubing sections are then brought together so that the melted ends fuse, connecting the tubing sections together. The clamps collapsing the respective end portions of the tubing sections are released and the tubing sections open, defining a continuous, sealed interior passage through the connected tubing sections. In time, however, the heated blade or other surface becomes fouled with the plastic material of the tube, requiring cleaning to maintain operability. Moreover, it is necessary to apply enough energy in heating the ends so that they do not drop below a temperature at which fusion will occur before the two ends of the tubing sections are brought together.
Other tube connection systems have applied heat to the ends of the tubing sections without requiring direct contact of heating elements with the tubing sections. Examples of these types of systems are disclosed in the following patent applications, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference: Apparatus and Method for Connecting and Disconnecting Flexible Tubing, U.S. application Ser. No. 10/061,835, filed Jan. 31, 2002; Coupler Member for Joining Dissimilar Materials, U.S. application Ser. No. 10/251,681, filed Sep. 20, 2002; Laser Weldable Flexible Medical Tubings, Films and Assemblies Thereof, U.S. application Ser. No. 10/251,682, filed Sep. 20, 2002; and Laser Weldable Flexible Medical Tubings, Films and Assemblies Thereof, U.S. application Ser. No. 10/251,683, filed Sep. 20, 2002. These systems may employ a laser for heating. One drawback of these systems is that a substantial amount of power is required heat the end portions of the tubing sections. The conventional medical tubing material does not absorb the energy of the electromagnetic radiation well, so considerable energy is required to melt the tubing. Moreover, these methods have still required heating, followed by movement of the tubing sections into engagement. The axially facing surfaces of the end sections are exposed for some considerable time to the surroundings. Moreover, the axially facing surfaces still have to be heated enough so that they do not cool down too much before they are moved into contact with each other.


A trashcan assembly includes a container having a bottom wall and a peripheral wall extending upwardly from the bottom wall, a rim of the peripheral wall defining an opening extending into the container; and a bag engaging member located in an area of the peripheral wall. The bag engaging member is generally coplanar with the peripheral wall in the area and is configured for receiving a portion of a trash bag for securing the trash bag to an outer surface of the peripheral wall. A trash bag may be extended over the rim and secured to the peripheral wall with the bag engaging member.

The use of trashcan devices is known in the prior art. U.S. Pat. No. 6,126,031, which is incorporated herein by reference, describes a device having a bottom compartment for holding a roll of trash bags so that the trash bags may be retrieved as needed through an opening extending into the bottom compartment. Another type of trashcan device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,636,416, which is incorporated herein by reference, which device has a conventional shape and which includes clips that are attachable to a trash bag. The clips are positioned outside of the trashcan to prevent the trash bag from falling back into the trashcan. Another clip assembly for securing a trash bag is found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,645,186, which is incorporated herein by reference.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, it is believed that a need remains for a simple trashcan assembly that allows a trashcan liner—sometimes referred to as a trash bag—to be secured directly to the trashcan in order to prevent the trash bag from slipping and falling into the trashcan.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Trashcan assembly including bag engaging member


Surgical needle including a crimping zone for securing a suture to the needle. The needle is made of a hyper-elastic alloy which, after treatment, has two distinct states. One of the two distinct states allows the needle to be forced into a roughly elongated position when the needle is housed in an internal bore. Another of the two distinct states allows the needle to adopt a curved profile as a result of superelasticity or hyper-elasticity of the needle. The needle has a free end which has a tapered point which includes an inclined heel portion. The inclined heel portion is arranged on an inside portion of the curved profile.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to surgical needles manufactured from hyper-elastic alloys and which are intended to be used in celioscopy or endoscopy procedures.
2. Discussion of Background Information Patent EP 0 529 675 of Aug. 311992 in the name of ETHICON INC., describes a surgical needle made of a shape memory alloy which has a low-temperature first state and a high-temperature second state.
In its low-temperature state, the needle can be configured into an elongate shape so as to allow it to be slipped into a straight tube.
In its high-temperature state, the needle forms a predetermined arc while the needle is designed to be used as a surgical needle.
The needle according to patent EP 0 529 675 is particularly well-suited to endoscopy procedures in which elements are taken to the site of surgery via a cannula or trocar which have a small-sized internal diameter.
The needle described in patent EP 0 529 675 does exhibit certain drawbacks regarding the need to bring the body of the needle arranged at the site of the operation up beside a source of heat in order to cause it to adopt a configuration which is curved into a predetermined arc.
It is also found that the tapered point of the needle runs the risk of becoming damaged inside the cannula as it is introduced to the site of the operation. What happens is that the small diameter of cannulas, approximately 5 mm, and the somewhat elongate shape of the needle, necessarily lead to its point, which is fragile, being rubbed against the interior wall of the cannula.
Damage to the tapered point of the needle is irreparable because the surgeon can no longer use it, and this forces him to introduce another needle, taking all possible skillful precautions not to damage it.


A guitar aid enables a user to selectively position and control tension and angle of a guitar pick for a richer sound with decreased strain on the user's hand and fingers. The guitar aid includes a band that can be adjustably sized to fit a user's finger. A guitar pick can be coupled directly to the band. The guitar pick can define a raised portion or ridge on the upper surface of the pick that serves as a first engagement feature for a first user finger, such as the user's thumb. The lower surface of the pick can include at least one outwardly projecting rib that serves as a second engagement feature for a second user finger, such as the user's index finger. The positioning of the pick with respect to the ring and the pair of engagement features cause a user to hold the pick at the proper angle and with appropriate tension when playing a guitar or other stringed instrument.

Guitar picks are typically small, flat apparatuses that are triangular shaped with rounded edges. The pick can be used to pluck or strum stringed musical instruments such as guitars. Use of a guitar pick can help generate a higher quality sound and improve the ability of a musician to strike large chords. A pick is generally made of a rigid material such as metal or plastic and is lightweight and may vary in thickness based on the desired sound quality.
Conventionally, picks have been designed to be held between the thumb and one or more fingers to assist musicians while playing instruments such as the guitar. Drawbacks of this technique, however, include difficulty of maintaining a fixed position and proper control of the pick and proper tension on the pick while playing an instrument. For example, if the pick is held too loosely, it could cause the pick to shift in the musician's fingers, affecting the ability of the musician to retain a proper grip on the pick. Conversely, holding the pick too tightly can interfere with the play of the instrument by distorting the sound. Sound quality can also be negatively impacted if the pick is not held at a proper 90 degree angle to the strings.
Mounting apparatuses such as rings or band-like structures have been designed to secure a guitar pick onto a user's finger or thumb. Such designs, however, are directed towards preventing accidental dropping of a guitar pick and/or providing a user with the ability to interchangeably alternate between the use of a user's finger and a guitar pick to strum or pluck instrument strings. These designs do not address the issues of maintaining a proper tension and angle of a guitar pick relative to an instrument.
Therefore, there is a need for a guitar pick that aids in improving the ability of a musician to effectively control tension and alignment of a guitar pick without losing a sufficient grip on the guitar pick while maintaining a high quality tone.


A transmission method and system that receive packet data destined to multiple subscribers served by a base station controller/packet control function (BSC/PCF) with the BSC/PCF, transmit the packet data from the BSC/PCF to a number of base stations, which provide service to the subscribers, using a single communication link between the BCS/PCF and each of the number of base stations, and transmit the packet data from the number of base stations to the subscribers.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a packet data transmission method in a CDMA mobile communication network and, more particularly, to a multicast and broadcast transmission method.
2. Background of the Related Art
Recently, with the remarkable development in mobile communication technology, mobile communication service providers have begun providing subscribers with improved functions and various kinds of services. The mobile communication service is expanding its service into the service area previously provided only by wired communication. In addition, research on faster and more effective methods and techniques is being conducted with respect to the transmission of service.
A multicast, one of multi-address calling, denominates a communication form made between one transmission side and a plurality of receiving sides in a network. For example, a multicast communication is like transmitting an e-mail message to all of the addresses stored in an address book. Multicasting is mostly used for teleconferencing, such as video-conferencing or audio-conferencing, in which one transmission party transmits an image or voice to a plurality of selected receiving-party sites. In the case of video-on-demand (VOD), a server transmits an image to a plurality of subscribers' set-top boxes. The multicast transmission method is currently used for mobile communication as a method for providing an e-mail receiving service to a subscriber or transmitting specific contents to a subscriber group. A broadcast is a method for transmitting the same data to a plurality of unspecified terminals. Contrasted with the multicast, a unicast is a communication form made between one transmitting party and one receiving party.
FIG. 1 is a drawing conceptually illustrating a multicast or a broadcast transmission in a CDMA mobile communication network, in accordance with the related art. In the case that an Internet server intends to transmit packet data to every terminal (or mobile station) of a mobile communication system network or to a plurality of mobile stations (MSs) of a particular multicast group, an IP datagram is transmitted to an MS by a multicast (or broadcast) method using a common signal channel or by a multicast (or broadcast) method through a PPP link. The base station controller (BSC) and the packet control function (PCF) are independent equipment, but for the sake of explanation, they are shown as one equipment block in the drawing.
The multicast (or broadcast) method using a common signal channel is not suitable for transmitting high speed multimedia, due to the channel's low speed and because the signal channel may be overloaded.
As for the multicast (or broadcast) method through the PPP link, which uses a similar transmission method and path to the unicast transmission, a packet data serving node (PDSN) sets an individual link to every target MS and transmits the multicast data.
Accordingly, when an arbitrary server multicasts or broadcasts data to a plurality of MSs on the Internet, since target MSs of the mobile communication network individually occupy a radio traffic channel, the multicasting method differs little from an individual line connection at the side of the mobile communication network.
FIG. 2 is a drawing illustrating a service connection (from an MS view) between radio protocol objects of a CDMA mobile communication system. The functional object of a radio protocol and a service interface includes a physical channel object 10, such as a common assignment channel (CACH), a common power control channel (CPCCH), a pilot channel (PCH), a common control channel (CCCH), a sync channel (SYNC), a fundamental traffic channel (FCH), a supplemental channel (SCH), a dedicated control channel (DCCH), a reverse access channel (R-ACH), a reverse enhanced access channel (R-EACCH), a broadcast control channel (BCCH), and a paging channel (PCH). The functional object of the radio protocol and the service interface also includes a logical channel object 20, such as a common signaling channel (csch) for transmitting a common signal, a dedicated signaling channel (dsch) for transmitting a control signal with an assigned MS, and a dedicated traffic channel (dtch) allocated to an assigned MS, for transmitting user data.
The multiplex and QoS sub-layer is positioned between the physical channel and the logical channel. This sub-layer includes a common channel multiplex sub-layer 30, which handles the common channel, and a multiplex sub-layer 40, which handles an individual channel assigned to the MS and controls the data multiplexing/demultiplexing of the logical channel and the physical channel. The multiplex and QoS sub-layer further controls a transmission quality.
A signaling radio burst protocol (SRBP) 50 is positioned between a signaling link access controller (LAC) 60 and the common channel multiplex sub-layer 30 and controls the processing of the radio frame data of a signaling message.
A radio link protocol (RLP) 70 controls an individual channel transmission so that the individual channel transmission of the packet data is reliable. The signaling LAC 60 controls the transmission process, so that a message of an upper signaling layer can be reliably transmitted to the other party, and also controls the authentication of a message.
The MS and the Base Station Transceiver Subsystem (BTS) transmit to and receive from each other a signal layer message of an upper layer and individual transmission data through a LAC sub-layer, a media access controller (MAC) sub-layer, and the physical layer. That is, the function object and the service interface of the radio protocol only include a forward/backward individual signal channel (f/r-dsch) and a forward/backward common signal channel (f/r-csch) for transmitting an MS control signal and a BTS information signal. Additionally, the function object and service interface only have a forward/backward individual channel (f/r-dtch) for individually transmitting data to a particular MS. The BTS necessarily has the physical channel, but the other channels in the middle process may exist in the BTS or the BSC according to a particular implementation.
The related art multicast service has many problems. For example, in the case that the Internet server multicasts (or broadcasts) to the MS of the mobile communication network, since every MS individually occupies the radio traffic channel, radio resources are substantially wasted. In addition, since a wired resource of a wired BTS-BSC/PCF-PDSN is occupied for every MS receiving the multicast (or broadcast), the occupancy of a separate radio traffic channel by every MS is very inefficient for the multicasting/broadcasting transmission, when transmitting the same message to a plurality of target MSs.

Multicast and broadcast transmission method and apparatus of a CDMA mobile communication network


The present invention provides methods and compositions for preventing hyperinsulinemia that can result from therapeutic administration of growth hormone. The methods are carried out by imposing a restricted high-fat diet and/or by administering one or more drugs that lower serum lipids.

Obesity is known to be associated with serious risk factors, and there is currently intense interest in identifying new principles for treatment of this condition. These efforts have hitherto resulted in identification of a substantial number of potential central and peripheral targets for treatment. It has also been shown that growth hormone (GH), more specifically human growth hormone (hGH) in human beings, acts as a potent regulator of body fat storage, and thus promotes breakdown of adipose tissue in obese humans while preserving lean tissues. Since a large proportion of glucose disposal and energy expenditure is thought to take place in lean tissues, preservation of such tissues combined with a selective loss of adiposity appears to be a highly desirable objective.
Although it is known that the protein anabolic aspect of the GH—insulin like growth factor-1 axis is influenced by diet composition, there does not appear to have been any focus on the question of whether this is also true for GH-stimulated loss of adipose tissue. The effect of GH during restriction of energy intake has also been unclear. There have been some reports indicating no additional effects of GH administration compared to the effect of energy restriction alone, whilst other reports have indicated the such effects.
A recently reported study by the present inventors and co-workers indicated GH-stimulated breakdown of adipose tissue in genetically intact old rats that had become obese while receiving a high-fat diet. However, despite normalisation of body fat stores following GH injection, basal insulin levels were significantly elevated.
It has been suggested that an excessive hyperinsulinemic response to GH injections would decrease the net effect of GH on adipose tissue. This would not be surprising since GH and insulin have been suggested to have opposing effects in adipose tissue. Moreover, sustained hyperinsulinemia would also increase the risk of development of overt Type 2 diabetes in susceptible obese individuals that already are at risk.
There is thus a clear need to identify factors determining the insulin response to administration of GH, both from a mechanistic and a safety point of view. The present inventors have now obtained clear indications that the macronutrient composition of the diet received by obese individuals constitutes one such factor, and that total energy intake constitutes another.

Prevention of hyperinsulinemia in subjects undergoing growth hormone (GH) treatment


A mid-voltage variable-frequency driving system and a total harmonic distortion compensation control method are provided in this invention. The mid-voltage variable-frequency driving system includes a total harmonic distortion compensation unit. The total harmonic distortion compensation unit is used to perform an optimal adjustment on a reactive component reference value of a grid-side phase current, such that a harmonic component of the grid-side phase current may be reduced and a power factor of a three-phase switch-mode rectifier module within the mid-voltage variable-frequency driving system may be maintained.

1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to a rectifier module. More particularly, this invention relates to a distortion compensation control method available for a three-phase switch-mode rectifier module with a current mono-direction.
2. Description of Related Art
In the controlling of an electric-driven machine or an induction motor, it is an important issue to adjust a motor speed. A conventional electric-driven machine adopts a DC speed regulating technique, and the applications thereof are limited applications due to big volume and high failure rate of hardware.
A variable-frequency drive (VFD) is an electric driving element using the variable-frequency technology and the microelectronic technology to control an electric power transmission element of an AC motor by changing the frequency and amplitude of a motor operation power source.
The VFD is used for changing the AC power supply frequency and the amplitude of the induction motor, so as to change it's a period of motional magnetic field of the induction motor, thereby achieving the purpose of controlling the rotational speed of the induction motor smoothly. The emergence of VFD simplifies the complicated speed-regulating control. The combination of the VFD and the AC induction motor replaces a DC motor to complete most tasks that originally can only be done by using a DC motor, so that the volume of a circuit system can be decreased and the maintenance ratio can be reduced.
Currently, the mid-voltage variable-frequency speed-regulating system is applied widely and has broad prospects in the aspects of such as a large-scale wind generator, a pump, drafting and gearing. The mid-voltage variable-frequency speed-regulating system needs to have the main functions of a safe and fast frequency control within a wide range; a good grid-side power factor; and good input and output current harmonic waves, etc.
Meanwhile, due to the high requirements on the withstand voltage of a switch element in a mid-voltage (referring to a voltage between 1 kV-35 kV, such as 6 kV in a common application) system, the current most-common mid-voltage variable-frequency speed-regulating system mostly use a multilevel cascade scheme. The multistage transformer can transform a high input voltage of the three-phase electrical grid (at the primary side) into a low operation voltage at the secondary side. Each winding at the secondary side is coupled to a single power unit. Each power unit completes the change from rectifier to inversion for a low operation voltage, so as to implement a variable-frequency speed-regulating function. Through the arrangement of the aforementioned multistage transformer, the issue that the power unit cannot withstand high voltage is solved, and the issue about current harmonic waves at the primary side is also solved.
However, the multistage transformer arranged in the aforementioned conventional mid-voltage variable-frequency speed-regulating system is of large volume and high weight, thus leading to high cost and complex design. Thus, it is an important research issue regarding how to use other speed-regulating system structures to omit the arrangement of the transformer while the same performance is achieved.
Currently, the industry has provided a three-phase switch-mode rectifier module. In a practical circuit application, the three-phase switch-mode rectifier module can be a Vienna rectifier module, which is a multilevel rectifier device. Compared with a general three-level pulse-width modulation (PWM) rectifier, the three-phase switch-mode rectifier module also has features of a simple structure, few switch elements, no risk of bridge arm direct pass and high reliability in addition to a good power factor calibration function and DC voltage control capability which are also owned by the general three-level pulse-width modulation (PWM) rectifier. The three-phase switch-mode rectifier module is very suitable for use in a condition requiring small volume, low cost and no energy feedback.
However, it is still an issue desired to be solved that a conventional three-phase switch-mode rectifier module has dead zones. Referring to FIG. 11 and FIG. 12, FIG. 11 illustrates a schematic simplified view of the three-phase switch-mode rectifier module coupled to the three-phase electrical grid. The conventional three-phase switch-mode rectifier module has a grid-side phase voltage us and a rectifier AC-side phase voltage ur. A reactor Ls is connected between the two phase voltages (us and ur). Due to the voltage drop impact on the reactor Ls by the phase current, when the grid-side phase current is and the grid-side phase voltage us have the same phase, the phase relationship is as shown in FIG. 12, and the grid-side phase current definitely lead the rectifier AC-side phase voltage ur by a certain phase angle difference Δθ. Within the range of the phase angle difference Δθ, the rectifier AC-side phase voltage ur cannot be totally controlled by the controller, but mainly depends on the direction of the phase current until the direction of the outputted AC-side phase voltage controlled by the controller is switched to be the same as that of the phase current.
Thus, the zone of the phase angle difference can be considered as the dead zone of the rectifier, and a distortion will happen to the rectifier AC-side phase voltage in this zone, wherein such a distortion will cause the AC-side phase voltage of the conventional three-phase switch-mode rectifier module to have a very large low-order harmonic, thereby affecting the harmonic of the grid-side phase current. Especially for a mid-high voltage or high-power condition, with the influence of component features, the switching frequency is relatively low, and the harmonic influence brought by this dead zone is more serious, thus resulting in the rise of the total harmonic distortion.

Mid-voltage variable-frequency driving system and total harmonic distortion compensation control method


A terminal connection part 14 that is connected to a to-be-connected terminal, a wire connection part 15 on a side opposite the terminal connection part 14, and a bent part 16 between the terminal connection part 14 and the wire connection part 15 are provided to each of the connection terminals 11 of four or more poles. A connecting housing element 12 has a terminal supporting part 22 that supports each connection terminal 11 so that the terminal connection parts 15 are arranged in a parallel manner in rectilinear form and are connected to the to-be-connected terminals. The connecting housing element 12 additionally has a wire supporting part 19 that supports the electric wires 3 so that the electric wires 3 are led out in a direction parallel to the linear arrangement direction of the terminal connection parts 14. The wire supporting part 19 supports the electric wires 3 so that the electric wires 3 connected to the front-side connection terminals 11 are arranged in such a curved manner as to detour the periphery of the leading-side connection terminals 11. The connecting housing element 12 is connected to the to-be-connected housing element 2 by being fitted therewith.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrical connecting device that is connected to a to-be-connected housing element, which supports to-be-connected terminals of four or more poles which are arranged in rectilinear form.
2. Background Art
An electrical connecting device for connecting a to-be-connected housing element, which supports to-be-connected terminals of four or more poles arranged side-by-side, has been conventionally known. Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Application No. H11-251002, for example, discloses a coaxial connector having a number of cores which is formed of a plug coupling part and a receptacle coupling part as a connector that includes the above-described electrical connecting device. In this coaxial connector, the plug coupling part is provided with four poles of the first central contacts and the first external contacts, and these four pole contacts are arranged in a parallel manner in rectilinear form. In the receptacle coupling part, four pole second central contacts and second external contacts which are respectively electrically connected to the four pole contacts on the plug coupling part side are arranged side-by-side, at points which respectively correspond to the four pole contacts on the plug coupling part side. Thus, four coaxial cables which correspond to and are connected to the respective contacts lead out in a straight line on the side opposite the side where the four pole contacts on either side, the plug coupling part side or the receptacle coupling part side, are respectively connected in the arrangement.
In the coaxial connector that is described in Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Application No. H11-251002, however, the coaxial cable that leads out from a housing element on either the plug coupling part side or the receptacle coupling part side is arranged so as to lead out in a direction perpendicular to a direction in which the housing element is arranged. Therefore, in either housing element, the size of the housing element may become too large, depending on the pitch between the poles which are arranged side-by-side.
Accordingly, there is some spatial restriction, due to the size of the housing elements when each connector is worked on so as to be connected. That is, it brings disadvantages when working on a connection within a limited space or through such a space, like working in a narrow space.
This is disadvantageous particularly in the case where a to-be-connected housing element that supports to-be-connected terminals of four or more poles which are arranged in a rectilinear form, and an electrical connecting device having a connecting housing element, that supports connection terminals of four or more poles which are electrically connected to the to-be-connected terminals, respectively, are connected to each other after this electrical connecting device has been inserted into a hole formed in a wall. That is, the size of the electrical connecting device that is inserted into a through-hole formed in a wall restricts the size of the through-hole, or makes the insertion work of the electrical connecting device difficult.


An access sleeve can be attached to a medical device having first and second ends, the first end being positioned inside of a patient and the second end being positioned external to a patient. The access sleeve can include a tubular sleeve body having first and second open ends that define a first lumen extending along a longitudinal axis of the sleeve body. An opening in the sleeve body can connect the first lumen to an outer surface of the sleeve body. The access sleeve can be selectively attached to the medical device (e.g. catheter of a heart pump) and inserted into the access site when the medical device is positioned in the patient. The access sleeve can maintain vascular access to a patient's access site such as an arteriotomy and can be removed without disturbing the position of the medical device.

A medical device, such as an intravascular heart pump assembly, can be introduced into a patient in various ways. In general, a heart pump can pump blood from the heart into a vessel to provide hemodynamic support. When deployed in the left side of the heart, a heart pump assembly pumps blood from the left ventricle of the heart and expels blood into the aorta. When deployed in the right side of the heart pumps blood from the inferior vena cava, bypasses the right atrium and right ventricle, and expels blood into the pulmonary artery.
Heart pump assemblies are introduced surgically or percutaneously during a cardiac procedure through the vascular system. In one common approach, pump assemblies are inserted by a catheterization procedure through the femoral artery using a sleeve, such as a peel-away introducer sleeve. The peel-away introducer sleeve can be inserted into the femoral artery through an arteriotomy to create an insertion path for the pump assembly. A portion of the pump assembly is then advanced through an inner lumen of the introducer and into the artery. Once the pump assembly has been inserted, the peel-away introducer sleeve is peeled away. A repositioning sleeve can then be advanced over the pump assembly and into the arteriotomy.
In the event that the pump needs to be removed and/or replaced, the peel away introducer sleeve can maintain access to the arterial access site and guidewires or other devices can be inserted through the valve disposed in the hub of the introducer. After the pump is inserted, the introducer sleeve is removed (e.g. peeled away) to make way for the repositioning sleeve. The repositioning sleeve does not include a valve or pathway for inserting devices into the vessel. Accordingly if the pump needed to be removed or repositioned, then this requires another access procedure (i.e. create an arteriotomy and insert another introducer sleeve) to continue the planned interventional procedure. For short term procedures, performing another access procedure would require more steps, take additional time, and increase the cost of the procedure.


Drag experienced by a vehicle traveling through an environmental media, such as air or water, may be modified by one or more energy beams which may increase or decrease drag. A control system may be used to actively modulate the drag of the vehicle by selectively transmitting energy beams. Energy beams may include electric pulse signals, pulsed air, piezoelectric, infrared, ultraviolet, laser, optical band, microwave, thermal other known acoustic, electric, optical, or other electromagnetic energy and any combination thereof. This could be a constant or pulsed energy beam and adjusted for the speed and/or vertical lift, frequency, density, angle, pulse and wavelengths experienced by the vehicle. Charged particles may be emitted from the vehicle itself and then utilized in front or behind the vehicle via electric current to improve the boundary layer, boundary flow.

Supercavitation occurs when an object moving through water reaches speeds in excess of 100 knots. At this speed it is possible for a bubble of air to form around the object, beginning at the nose of the object. The bubble can extend completely around the entire object and hence the object is no longer moving through the water, rather the object is moving through air. This results in a significantly reduced amount of friction or drag. Hence, supercavitation allows a craft to travel at a high speed on or below the surface of the water with a significant reduction in drag.
When a supersonic airflow passes over a wedge, a shock wave forms at the point of the wedge. This kind of shock wave is called an oblique shock because it forms at some non-orthogonal angle to the surface of wedge (a shock wave perpendicular to the surface is known as a normal shock). As the Mach number increases, the shock angle becomes smaller. Therefore, the distance between the wedge surface and the shock decreases with increasing speed. For a hypersonic body, this distance can become very small over a large portion of the body, and the resulting flow field between the surface and shock is often referred to as a shock layer. The shock layer may merge with the boundary layer at low Reynolds numbers to form a fully viscous shock layer. At high Reynolds numbers, the shock layer can be treated as inviscid (meaning there is no friction). In the limit as Mach number goes to infinity, the shock layer forms an infinitely thin, infinitely dense sheet, or, essentially, a flat plate. The infinite flat plate is the most efficient lifting surface at hypersonic velocities.
Because air is viscous at sub-sonic speeds, any object moving through it collects a group of air particles which it pulls along with it. A particle directly adjacent to the surface of the object will be pulled along at approximately the speed of the object due to viscous adhesion. As an airfoil moves through a free stream of air at a given velocity, this effect causes a very thin layer of air having velocities below that of the free stream velocity, to form upon the airfoil surface. This layer, known as the "boundary layer", constitutes the interface between the airfoil and its surrounding air mass. Conceptually, the boundary layer may be thought of as the layer of air surrounding an airfoil in which the velocity of the layer of molecules closest to the airfoil is at or near zero with respect to the airfoil, and in which the velocity at successively distant points from the airfoil increases until it approaches that of the free stream, at which point the outer limit of the boundary layer is reached. Generally, boundary layers may be thought of as being one of two types, laminar or turbulent, although there is a region of transition between laminar and turbulent that may, in some cases, be quite large. See FIG. 1 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,802,642 to Mangiarotty which is hereby incorporated by reference. A third condition, in which the boundary layer is "unattached", must also be recognized. A laminar boundary layer is typified by smooth flow that is free from eddies. Conversely, turbulent flow is characterized by a thicker boundary layer that has a large number of eddies that act to transfer momentum from the faster moving outer portions to the relatively slower portions nearer the airfoil surface. Consequently, a turbulent boundary layer has a greater average velocity near the airfoil surface, and a correspondingly greater amount of surface friction, than does a laminar boundary layer. The increase in surface friction causes increased aerodynamic drag that requires greater power consumption to maintain constant airfoil speed.
Typically, a laminar boundary layer will form at or near the leading edge of a conventional airfoil and extend rearward toward the points of minimum pressure on the upper and lower surfaces. According to Bernoulli's principle, the region between the leading edge and the first minimum pressure point is one of a decreasing pressure gradient. Thereafter, the pressure gradient will increase and the relatively low kinetic energy of the air molecules closest to the airfoil surface may be insufficient to maintain laminar flow against the gradient. In this event it is possible that small perturbations in the boundary layer will develop into eddies that initiate a transition from laminar to turbulent flow. Alternatively, in the presence of higher pressure gradients, the molecules closest to the airfoil surface may actually reverse their direction of motion and begin to move upstream, thereby causing the boundary layer to separate from the airfoil surface. This condition causes significantly more drag, and less lift, than a turbulent boundary layer, and reattachment will not normally occur unless some means is employed to reenergize the boundary layer. The problem, then, is to develop means to control the boundary layer of an airfoil in order to reduce aerodynamic drag and the energy losses associated therewith.
Prevention of the transition from laminar flow to turbulent flow in aerodynamic boundary layers on the surfaces of vehicles is an important method for reducing aerodynamic drag, and hence reducing energy consumption. The invention herein utilizes acoustic energy to increase the incidence of laminar flow. The use of acoustical methods for total or local control of laminar flow is potentially more economical in energy consumption, and also involves simpler and lighter installations than are required for other systems.
In other instances it is desirable to increase drag, for example during vehicle braking. While some aircraft have movable control surfaces that increase drag and lift, movable control surfaces on other vehicles such as automobiles or boats become impractical. Movable control surfaces add considerable weight, cost and complexity to the design of a vehicle, which may nevertheless benefit from increases in drag in certain applications. Aerodynamic drag may be increased by disrupting laminar flows with acoustic energy. Selective radiation of acoustic energy creates a turbulent flow event on a leading aerodynamic edge where an otherwise low drag laminar flow would be present. This disruption of laminar flow with acoustic energy thereby increases vehicle drag. Thus, what is needed is a drag modulation system that uses acoustic energy to increase or decrease an amount of vehicle drag in response to various usages of the vehicle.
A more recent technology involving directional sound has developed as part of an attempt to reproduce sound without use of a moving diaphragm such as is applied in conventional speakers. This sound propagation approach includes technologies embodied in parametric speakers, acoustic heterodyning, beat frequency interference and other forms of modulation of multiple frequencies to generate a new frequency.
In theory, sound is developed by the interaction in air (as a nonlinear medium) of a modulated ultrasonic frequency whose modulation component in value falls within the audio range. The nonlinear characteristics of air under these conditions results in a mixing of the ultrasonically modulated signal at a physical point of contact. The mixing result is the demodulated audio component of the signal. Ideally, resulting compression waves would be projected within the air as a nonlinear medium, and would be heard as pure sound. An interesting property of parametric sound generation is enhanced directionality afforded by the highly directional ultrasonic carrier.
Ultrasonic acoustic energy may be the acoustic energy used to increase and decrease vehicle drag. Ultrasonic energy has the advantage in that the acoustic energy is beyond the hearing range of most individuals, and is thus a quiet mode of drag control. Ultrasonic transducers are tuned to operate efficiently in a relatively narrow frequency range and are typically precluded from being effective at generating frequencies low enough to be heard as audio signals. Since in many applications, it is desirable for a vehicle to emit an audio alert, such as a horn or other warning sound, what is needed is a method and device for both silently modulating the drag of a vehicle and for generating an audio alert when appropriate.
Aerodynamic drag may also be affected by surface properties. A rough surface disrupts laminar flow while a smooth surface facilitates laminar flow. Since in various applications it is desirable to either increase or decrease drag, what is needed is a method or device for dispensing a substance or chemical that modifies the surface characteristics of an aerodynamic surface.
Aircraft often experience crosswinds that are tangential winds that have various lift and drag effects. Crosswind results in difficulty in controlling the flight of an aircraft and in providing a comfortable environment for aircraft passengers. Thus, what is needed is a method of modifying the lift and drag of the aircraft in response to the crosswinds.
A slipstream is the turbulent flow of air or water driven backwards by propellers of a craft. A slipstream is also the area of reduced pressure or forward suction produced by immediately behind a fast-moving object as it moves through the air or water. There are a number of ways to affect the slipstream boundary layer or laminar airflow layer either in front or behind the vehicle in order to decrease the turbulence or flow. For example, if three vehicles traveling together in a slipstream with one following another one, all vehicles will travel faster. Thus, it is desirable to improve the slipstream to improve this effect and further to facilitate a virtual vehicle traveling in the slipstream.
Other components of crafts are desirable at certain times and under certain conditions. For example, it may be desirable to lengthen the hull of a sailing ship to increase thrust. It may be desirable to generate an additional control surface or wing of an air craft under certain conditions. Thus, what is needed is a way to create virtual components when needed without creating an actual three dimensional component.
In a multiple mast sailing ship, one mast and sail creates a slipstream. Another mast and sail may be traveling in that slipstream. However, the sails of the multiple masts typically have identical surfaces which are not adapted to take advantage of the slipstream. Thus, what is needed is a sail having surfaces adapted to take advantage of the slipstream.
The thin sails of a sailing ship do not take full advantage of various aerodynamic flows at various operating conditions of the ship because the sails are thin. Thus, what is needed is a sail that may be selectively thickened in response to various sailing conditions.
Keels of sailing ships are typically fixed and unable to modify their hydrodynamic characteristics in response to various sailing conditions. Thus, what is needed is a keel that has modifiable hydrodynamic characteristics.
Internal combustion engines are typically used to generate vehicle thrust. An important component of efficient combustion of an air/fuel mixture in an internal combustion is atomization of the fuel with the air. Since the fuel is mixed with the air at a time very close to the time of combustion, it is important that the atomization process occur quickly. Furthermore, turbulent airflows prior to combustion can disadvantageously cause the fuel to separate from the air. Thus, what is needed is a method or system for facilitating rapid atomization of fuel when mixed with the air and that further deters the fuel from separating from the air under turbulent conditions.
Vehicle tires are an important component of vehicle thrust. The fraction of the tire facilitates acceleration, braking and turning. Warm tires have improved traction, but the traction comes at the expense of tread life. There are times when improved traction is preferable to improved tread life, such as competition driving, and there are times when improved tread life is preferable to improved traction. Furthermore, in some instances heating the road surface itself may improved traction, particularly with there are snow or wet condition. Thus, what is needed is a method or system for selectively heating vehicle tires and/or the road surface contacted by the tires.

Systems for modifying a fluid flow of a vehicle


A dual mode transceiver architecture suitable for adaptation in either a handset or a base station and capable of operating in both Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) mode or in Time Division Duplexing (TDD) mode is disclosed. Such a transceiver has an up conversion path capable of up converting an Intermediate Frequency (IF) to a Radio Frequency (RF) signal in either an upper band frequency range or a lower band frequency range. Also the transceiver has a down conversion path, used for receiving, for down converting a RF signal in either the upper band or lower band to a desirable IF frequency. The transceiver includes a switch array capable of switching the up conversion path to either the upper band port or the lower band port of a diplexer and the switch array also switches the upper band port and lower band port of the diplexer to the down conversion path depending on whether the transceiver is operating in TDD mode or FDD mode. Also, if in TDD mode, the switch array determines whether the transceiver is transmitting or receiving.

Time Division Duplexing (TDD) and Frequency Division Duplexing (FDD) are two commonly used techniques for allowing two way communication.
The TDD system uses a single RF channel for allowing communication and hence can be considered similar to a simplex channel in that transmission takes place in one direction at a time, and then switches direction (e.g. from transmission to reception). However in TDD systems the switching from transmission. (Tx) to reception (Rx) is extremely fast and is transparent to the user, giving the impression of a duplex link.
The FDD system on the other hand uses two RF channels, usually well seperated in frequency, one for each direction of transmission and thus provides for dual simplex operation.
Both systems effectively enable duplex, two way voice communications. There are, however, differences in the implementation of such systems that give advantages and disadvantages to each system depending on the deployment of the system.
For TDD a period has to be allowed between transmission and reception to allow for the time it takes for the radio wave to travel between the two sites. This reduces the amount of information that can be transmitted over the link and thus limits the maximum range of the system. It also means that for cellular radio, multiple base stations within communications range of a mobile have to be synchronized in time.
For an FDD system, different frequencies are used for uplink and downlink transmitters, so the system can operate in a less synchronised manner.
To maximize the performance of a system a technique known as diversity reception is often used. In a cellular radio system it is often not practical to provide diversity at the handset. However, a base station can use uplink (mobile to base station) diversity for reception. In a TDD system, unlike an FDD system, downlink (Base to Mobile) diversity can be provided by using the uplink diversity selection technique in reverse. This is because with TDD, providing there is a sufficiently short timescale between transmit and receive periods, the path between the base and mobile will be relatively unchanged. (This allowable time period is primarily determined by the relative velocities of the two terminals and any multipath reflection points affecting the link).
For FDD systems the uplink and downlink are at differing frequencies and thus, the uplink diversity technique cannot be used in reverse as the uplink and downlink are affected differently by multipath reflection. Thus only uplink diversity is available to FDD systems.
For these reasons, TDD systems are generally optimum for environments where short range communications is required with particularly difficult propagation paths i.e. indoor systems or urban micro-cellular systems. Whereas FDD systems are more appropriate for long range outdoor systems i.e. Macrocellular systems where maximum cell ranges are required.
At present the needs of cellular radio are in general met by using long range FDD systems outdoor in the licenced band and using short range low power TDD system in the unlicenced band. These two networks normally require separate handsets and base stations.
There is, therefor, a need to provide for a single wireless network that can be optimized for both long range (Macrocells) together with indoor coverage and urban microcells.
There are also issues of compatibility between networks using the two duplexing methods unless care is taken in the network design. For example, usually there are two frequency bands allocated to PCS systems, called an upper band and a lower band. There are also multiple operators in each area which share these bands. For example, assuming two operators a typical allocation would give the first operator the first half of the lower band and also the first half of the upper band, while the second operator in the area gets the upper half of the lower band and the upper half of the upper band. While there is typically a relatively large separation between the upper band and the lower band there is potential for interference between the two operators within each band. If both operators use FDD this does not generally present a problem as each operator only uses their channels in the upper band for transmission from the base station whereas each operator uses their channels in the lower range for reception. However, if one operator uses FDD and another operator uses TDD then mutual interference is possible for transmission by closely located base stations. The increasing pressure on operators to share sites (to reduce Cost, Environmental Impact, Site Availability, Zoning requirements etc.) gives an advantage to a system that can adapt its duplexing means to suit the local radio environment. This can offer more flexibility for site sharing arrangements without the need for specific site engineering whilst retaining the advantages of both systems.
There is therefore a need to provide a system which is flexible enough to use either TDD or FDD depending on which is more favourable for the particular application.


An electromagnetic acoustic transducer for inducing and sensing vibrations in a cylindrical object and methods of using an electromagnetic acoustic transducer to determine resonant frequencies and physical properties of cylindrical objects. The electromagnetic acoustic transducers produce specific modes of vibration in cylindrical objects including axial shear vibrations, torsional vibrations, radial vibrations and plane strain vibrations. The methods of determining physical properties of a cylindrical objects include comparing sensed resonant frequencies of the cylindrical object to known relationships between resonant frequency and the physical properties of interest. The methods can be used to determine the temperature, dimensions, elastic constants, and damping coefficients of cylindrical objects, the magnitude of a load applied to a cylindrical object, or the texture or grain orientation of the material forming a cylindrical object.

A. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to electromagnetic acoustic transducers usable with cylindrical objects, and methods for determining resonant frequencies and physical properties of cylindrical objects using electromagnetic acoustic transducers.
B. Summary of the Invention
The invention is directed to an electromagnetic acoustic transducer (hereinafter "EMAT") adapted for use With cylindrical objects, and to methods for using an EMAT to determine the resonant frequencies and physical properties of a cylindrical object. "Cylindrical object" is used to denote a body having a cylindrical shape with an approximately circular cross section. The term cylindrical body includes solid cylindrical bodies and hollow cylindrical bodies such as pipes and tubes.
The EMAT of this invention includes a housing having a circular opening, a plurality of magnets mounted in the housing at evenly spaced intervals around the circular opening, and at least one wire coil mounted in the housing adjacent the circular opening and the polar ends of the plurality of magnets. Applying an electrical excitation signal to a wire coil of the EMAT will excite vibrations in a cylindrical object inserted into the housing of the EMAT. When the excitation signal is at a resonant frequency of the cylindrical object, the cylindrical object resonates, i.e., the forces applied to the cylindrical body by the EMAT constructively interfere with the natural vibrations of the cylindrical body, and large amplitude vibrations are produced. Once the cylindrical object is vibrating, the EMAT of this invention is also able to sense the amplitude and frequency of the vibrations in the cylindrical object.
The EMAT of this invention excites very specific types of vibrational motion in the cylindrical object inserted into the circular opening. Depending on the orientation of the wire coil relative to the magnets and the cylindrical object the EMAT can induce axial shear vibrations, torsional vibrations, radial vibrations or plain strain vibrations.
The EMAT of this invention is also useful in determining the frequencies at which a cylindrical object experiences resonant vibrations in each of the above identified types of vibrational motion. In addition, various physical properties of the cylindrical object, or the loading applied to the cylindrical object can be determined by:
(1) determining the amount of time it takes for resonant vibrations in the cylindrical body to decrease to a negligible value; PA1 (2) comparing resonant frequencies of the cylindrical object to resonant frequencies of a standardized cylindrical object made from the same material and having approximately the same dimensions; PA1 (3) determining how the resonant frequencies of several types of vibrational motion change as a load is applied to the cylindrical object; and PA1 (4) determining how the amplitude of resonant vibrations change as the object is rotated within in the EMAT.
In particular, this invention provides a non-contact type EMAT usable with cylindrical objects.
This invention also provides an EMAT capable of exciting specific types of vibrational motion in the cylindrical object.
This invention further provides an EMAT capable of exciting axial shear vibrations, torsional vibrations, radial vibrations, or plain strain vibrations in a cylindrical object.
This invention provides a method for using an EMAT to determine the resonant frequencies of a cylindrical object.
This invention also provides a method for using an EMAT to determine the resonant frequency of a cylindrical object for axial shear vibrations, torsional vibrations, radial vibrations, or plain strain mode vibrations.
This invention further provides methods for using an EMAT to measuring physical properties of cylindrical objects.
This invention further provides a method for using an EMAT to determine the radial depth from the exterior surface of a cylindrical object at which physical properties of the material of the cylindrical object undergo a change.
This invention also provides a method for using an EMAT to determine the magnitude of a load placed on a cylindrical object.
This invention further provides a method for using an EMAT to determine the texture or grain orientation of the material forming a cylindrical object.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Electromagnetic acoustic transducer and methods of determining physical properties of cylindrical bodies using an electromagnetic acoustic transducer

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


A bonding machine capable of trimming new and old SMT splice tapes comprises a supporting plate (1). A new splice tape conveying device (3) and an old splice tape conveying deVice (4) are disposed upon the supporting plate (1) are disposed opposite each other. A lifting device (8) is disposed in the middle of the supporting plate (1), and a bonding mechanism (7) is disposed above the lifting device (8). A cutting device (6) is disposed above the old splice tape conveying device (4) and comprises a cutting seat (60), a cutting motor (61) disposed upon the cutting seat (60), and a cutting cam (62) connected to a cutter (64) which is disposed upon the cutting seat (60).

With the development of electronic device, splice tapes are more wildly used in a great demand. The splice tapes could splice material without stopping the machine during the processes of electronic devices. Compared with the prior art which may need to stop the machine, the present invention could save the time, increase the efficiency and reduce the cost of splicing material.
Splice tapes would be partly damaged as time goes on while the whole tapes need to be replaced, which may cause the increasement of the cost. Therefore, how to recycle the partly damaged tapes to save the cost become the new breakthrough of the research.

Bonding machine capable of trimming new and old SMT splice tapes


A machine for harvesting foodstuffs, such as nuts from the ground, uses compressed air passing through at least one venturi to create a vacuum at the inlet of a pickup conduit. Nuts are sucked into the pickup conduit which provides a straight flow path for the nuts. Compressed air is also discharged near the pickup conduit inlet to blow nuts to the inlet of the pickup conduit. Additionally, the machine discharges air from laterally extending blower arms to move nuts from obstacles which cannot be easily reached by the pickup conduit to locations where the foodstuffs can be reached by the pickup conduit.

The present invention is directed to a machine for harvesting foodstuffs such as nuts from the ground.
Almonds, pecans, hazelnuts and other varieties of nuts grow on trees and bushes. When these nuts become ripe, many of them fall off the tree onto the ground. The nuts that are on the ground can be harvested in excellent condition.
With certain varieties of nuts, it is beneficial for the nuts to fall off the tree because it allows the nuts to dry before being harvested. Accordingly, it is common practice to shake the nut trees with a machine so that the nuts fall to the ground and dry. In these cases, the entire nut crop is harvested from the ground.
After the trees are shaken and the nuts have dried on the ground, a two-step process is used to harvest the nuts. First, a machine blows the nuts away from the base of the trees and off of the ridges on which these trees are planted. Usually this same machine also sweeps or blows the nuts into a long pile or row. A substantial portion of the nut crop can be lost during this step because the nuts are blown or swept into cracks in the ground, tire prints or footprints. A second machine then gathers the nuts from the pile or the row. Accordingly, the present harvesting process involves two separate machines making two or more separate passes through the nut orchard.
The present harvesting process has many disadvantages, which include being expensive and time-consuming. Additionally, while the nuts are on the ground, worms and other pests on the ground begin to eat at the nuts. After the nuts are swept into long piles, the worms and pests can move quickly from one nut to the next nut. A substantial portion of the nut crop can be damaged while the nuts are in the long piles. Moreover, when the nuts are being swept into long piles, the mechanical action of the sweeper can damage some of the nuts. Further, when the nuts are being swept or blown into the long piles, a great amount of dirt and debris from the ground is blown into the atmosphere, causing clouds of dirt which may cause environmental and health problems.
Accordingly, there is a need for a machine that quickly and efficiently harvests a nut crop from the ground in one pass through an orchard, thereby reducing the number of machines used in the harvest, eliminating the step of sweeping the nuts into long piles, reducing the amount of nuts lost in cracks in the ground, tire prints or footprints, reducing the amount of dust in the environment, and reducing the amount of nuts damaged or destroyed by worms, pests or mechanical handling.


The present invention is a method and apparatus for providing a hierarchical networked database which supports multiple versions of the same underlying data. Structurally, the present invention is based on hierarchical tree-like structure known which includes one or more nodes connected by labeled branches. Any node in the tree may be reached by specifying a sequence of names which correspond to the branch labels between the root node and the desired node. The root node contains one or more name/attribute pairs which define an initial revision. Each descendent node inherits the revision defined by its ancestors and forms a new revision by including the changed name/attribute pairs which differ from the inherited revision. In this way, a particular revision is defined to be the changed name/attribute pairs contained in a node and the most recent instance of each unchanged name/attribute pair contained in the node's ancestors.

Heterogeneous computer networks are networks where dissimilar computer systems are inter-linked to provide a range of services. For example, the network represented by the world wide web is composed of many different computer types which utilize many different types of operating systems and many different communication protocols. There are, not unexpectedly, complex problems which must be resolved when groups of dissimilar computers are linked in a heterogeneous network. Many of these problems result from the difficulty which is associated with the design and implementation of standardized interfaces which allow software processes to share data and information between dissimilar computer systems.
Distributed object computing is a method for providing standardized interfaces between the computers of a heterogeneous network. The interfaces define ways in which software processes may communicate to share information and services with other software processes executing on remote computer systems. To provide this type of functionality, distributed object computing borrows many of the fundamental ideas of object oriented programming, or "OOP", and applies them to the problems of computer networking.
For a distributed object computing system, a programmer defines services and information in terms of objects. Objects are collections of data elements and associated methods, or procedures, for manipulating the data elements. Typically, some or all of the data elements within an object will be "private" meaning that they may only be manipulated using the methods defined for the object. In this way, objects are a convenient tool for defining data types and providing an interface for manipulating the data types. Distributed object computing systems utilize this methodology by defining information and services available on a computer network in terms of objects. When a client system needs access to a particular service, it manipulates an object associated with that service by performing what is know as an "object call." The object call is transmitted to the server that implements the methods associated with the called object. The server then carries out the requested operation and returns the operation's result.
In all computer networks, there is a great deal of shared information which is generally stored in a multitude of locations within the network. For example, a great deal of shared information exists which describes the configuration of the network and the various systems within the network. Increasingly, it has been found to be advantageous to store this information in one or more common repositories. For example, passwords, which, in the past, might have been stored in numerous files on numerous systems, are now increasingly stored in a networked database accessible to all computer systems on a single network.
Unfortunately, practice has demonstrated that the task of providing a networked database system involves much more than simply moving all such data to a centralized location. For example, it is clearly the case that, to be effective, a networked database much provide some type of organization. Generally, this involves the ability to group similar data logically and to provide a simplified mechanism for retrieving information based on this logical grouping. Networked databases must also be able to provide rapid access to their underlying data. As an example, in a distributed object computing system, it may be desirable to use a networked database as a means for maintaining information which maps names to actual objects. Systems which need to access an object would find the object, using the object's name, in the networked database. If this operation were time consuming, the efficiency of the entire network would suffer.
It is also the case that an effective networked database must provide some type of revision control. This follows from the observation that not all information within a networked database will be applicable or appropriate for all systems within a single computer network. For example, computers within a single network may utilize different versions of the same software package. As a result, it is important that a networked configuration database be able to supply appropriate revisions to individual systems. Ideally, this versioning ability should be both referential (i.e. it should provide for the inspection of older versions) and restorative (the ability to retrieve older versions should be provided).
Finally, in a distributed object computing system, an effective networked database must provide the type of interface which is expected for all services within the network. Namely, the networked database must provide an object oriented interface.

Distributed object computer system with hierarchical name space versioning


A connecting device that electrically connects first and second component blocks of a robot which includes an electrode projection hole provided in a connecting section of the first component block facing the second component block and an electrode terminal provided inside the first component block corresponding to the electrode projection hole. An electrode is provided in a connecting face of the second component block facing the electrode projection hole of the first component block. In applicant""s connecting device, an electrode terminal driving member drives the electrode terminal so that, in accordance with a connecting action and a detaching action of the first and second component blocks, a corresponding section of the electrode terminal is projected outside the first component block through the electrode projection hole at the time of the connecting action. However, the electrode terminal driving member drives the corresponding section of the electrode terminal so as to be contained in the first component block through the electrode projection hole at the time of the detaching action.

The present invention relates to a connecting device and a robot, and is suitable for application to, for example, a robot configured by connecting a plurality of component blocks, that is, a modular robot.
Conventionally, for example, as shown in FIG. 20, a connector 1 is configured by a first half connector body 3 where a plurality of electrode terminals 2 are formed with projecting, and a second connector half body 5 where electrodes (pads) 4 are formed with being made to correspond to respective electrode terminals 2.
In a modular robot using such a connector 1, the first and second half connector bodies are located on each connecting surface of a first and second component blocks with being aligned, and it is intended to be able to electrically connect the first and second component blocks by each electrode terminal 2 of the first half connector body 3 contacting with each electrode 4 of the second half connector body 5 through the first and second half connector bodies 3 and 5 being made to push each other when the first and second component blocks are connected.
Nevertheless, in the connector 1 having such configuration, dirt and damages easily arise on the electrode terminals 2 because each electrode terminal 2 of the first half connector body 3 always projects in the external, and hence there is a problem that the reliability of electrical connection of the first and second half connector bodies 3 and 5 is low.
In addition, in case each electrode terminal 2 of the first half connector body 3 always projects in the external, there is such a possibility that an electrical shock or an injury arises by a user touching this electrode terminal 2, and hence, there is also such a problem that safety is low.
The present invention is achieved in consideration of the above-described points, and will propose a connecting device and a robot that can improve the reliability and safety of electrical connection.
In order to solve these problems, in the present invention, in a connecting device to electrically connect first and the second component blocks of the robot to each other, electrode terminal driving means to drive electrode terminals is provided so as to project a corresponding section of each electrode terminal outside the first component block through an electrode projection hole at the time of a connecting action, and to contain the corresponding section of each electrode terminal in the first component block through the electrode projection hole at the time of a detaching action, with corresponding to the connecting action and detaching action of the first and second component blocks.
In consequence, in this connecting device, since the electrode terminals are concealed in the first component block when the first and second component blocks are not connected, it is possible to prevent dirt and a damage of the electrode terminals, and the occurrence of user""s electrical shock and injury, which are caused by the user touching the electrode terminals, beforehand and surely.
Furthermore, in the present invention, in a robot configured by connecting the first and second component blocks, electrode terminal driving means to drive electrode terminals is provided so as to project a corresponding section of each electrode terminal outside the first component block through an electrode projection hole at the time of a connecting action, and to contain the corresponding section of each electrode terminal in the first component block through the electrode projection hole at the time of a connecting action, with corresponding to the connecting action and detaching action of the first and second component blocks.
In consequence, in this robot, since the electrode terminals are concealed in the first component block when the first and second component blocks are not connected, it is possible to prevent dirt and a damage of the electrode terminals, and the occurrence of user""s electrical shock and injury, which are caused by the user touching the electrode terminals, beforehand and surely, and hence, it is possible to realize a connecting device which can improve the reliability and safety of electrical connection.

Connecting device for electrically connecting first and second component blocks of a robot


An active road noise control system for a vehicle (10) comprising one or more inertial actuators (30) for suppressing vibrations in the chassis of the vehicle (10) and/or vehicle body (8).

Land based vehicles when driven upon highways and other surfaces generate low frequency noise known as road noise. As the wheels are driven over the road surface, such road noise is at least in part structure borne. That is to say, it is transmitted through vehicle components such as tyres, wheels, hubs, chassis components, suspension components such as suspension control arms or wishbones, dampers, anti-roll or sway bars and the vehicle body and can be heard in the vehicle cabin.
It is desirable to reduce the road noise experienced by occupants of the vehicle cabin.
The present invention seeks to reduce the vibrations in the vehicle components and hence road noise experienced by cabin occupants.


An integrated circuit design, structure and method for fabrication Thereof includes at least one logic device layer and at least two additional separate memory array layers. Each of the logic device layer and the at least two memory array layers is independently optimized for a particular type of logic device or memory device disposed therein. Preferably also disposed within the logic device layer are array sense amplifiers, memory array output drivers and like higher performance circuitry otherwise generally disposed within memory array layer substrates. All layers may be independently powered to provide additional performance enhancement.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to integrated circuit architectures (i.e., designs), and related integrated circuit structures and methods for fabrication thereof. More particularly, the invention relates to enhanced performance integrated circuit architectures, and related integrated circuit structures and methods for fabrication thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
Modern semiconductor circuits often integrate circuit types or components, such as transistors, resistors and capacitors, for which different types of performance characteristics are desirably optimized. For example, field effect transistors that are used within logic circuits may desirably be optimized to provide enhanced integrated circuit speed. In comparison, storage capacitors used in dynamic memory circuits may alternatively be optimized to provide enhanced charge storage capacity.
The optimization of performance characteristics of various semiconductor circuits and semiconductor devices often leads to competing processing requirements. Thus, a need exists for integrated circuit designs and resulting structures that efficiently allow for optimization of various integrated circuit and device types.
Semiconductor structures, and methods for fabrication thereof, that include individually optimized devices and components are known in the semiconductor fabrication art. For example, Chan et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 6,821,826, teaches a three-dimensional complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) structure having separate field effect transistor (FET) devices fabricated upon different crystallographic orientation semiconductor substrates. The different crystallographic orientations provide for optimization of charge carrier mobility within the separate field effect transistors.
Semiconductor circuit fabrication is certain to continue to require enhanced levels of performance and optimization of various semiconductor circuits and devices within reduced semiconductor substrate surface area. Thus, integrated circuit and semiconductor architectures, structures and methods for fabrication thereof that provide for such ready optimization are desirable.

3-dimensional integrated circuit architecture, structure and method for fabrication thereof

International Business Machines Corporation


A radiator structure includes a base and conductive components. Several fins extend from the base and the conductive components are arranged in the base and the fins in a way of being distributed in orderly pieces in the base and the fins. The base and the fins are made of a metallic material with better heat dissipation rate and the conductive components are made of a metallic material with better heat conductivity so that integral heat dissipation efficiency of the radiator is enhanced largely.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to a radiator structure and particularly to a radiator structure combining different metals.
2. Brief Description of the Related Art
Due to high technology developing progressively and prosperously, it leads to the electronic component such as CPU can be made much smaller in size to achieve approach of miniaturization with higher intensity per unit area and enhanced capability. However, a side effect along with the preceding advantages to the extremely miniaturized electronic component is gross heat being generated much more than before. Thus, if there is no good way being introduced for removing the heat, excessively high temperature results in phenomenon such as thermal runaway and thermal stress to lower integral steadiness and shorten the life span of the electronic component. Hence, how to dissipate high temperature heat from the overheated electronic component is a subject has to be cared indispensably.
Generally, there are four popular cooling ways: 1.forced-air cooling; 2.natural cooling; 3.phase change cooling and 4.liquid cooling directly or indirectly. Mostly, the forced-air cooling in association with a radiator is popularly used for achieving cooling effect. The radiator provides fins to assist the electronic component dissipating heat because the fins increases heat dissipation area of the electronic component. Further, the fin type air-cooling radiator adopts air as the working medium, which is easy to be acquired steadily and it won't hurt the electronic component. In addition, the radiator basically is made of aluminum and copper, which are low cost and high heat dissipation coefficient. Moreover, aluminum and copper are easy to be worked so that the radiator can be fabricated well in association with optimum design of geometry for solving the problem of heat dissipation of the electronic component.
Conventionally, the radiator is made of extruded aluminum but aluminum provides poor conductivity in spite of fast heat dissipation. Under this circumstance, the high temperature heat from the electronic component is unable to transmit rapidly via the aluminum radiator so that it is ineffective while the aluminum radiator is in operation for heat removal. As for copper radiator, it has better heat conductivity but poorer heat dissipation rate. Further, the copper radiator needs higher production technique while in fabrication and it leads to high overall production cost and selling price so that it is hard for the user to afford the copper radiator.
Thus, in order to combine properties of fast heat dissipation offered by aluminum and fast heat conduction offered by copper, a radiator with aluminum and copper is fabricated as shown in FIG. 1, that is, an aluminum part 11 and a copper part 12 are provided to be closely adjacent to each other. The aluminum part 11 has several fins 13 extending outward and the copper part 12 closely contacts with the electronic component 14 so that heat from the electronic component 14 can be transmit rapidly by the copper part 12 and removed outward via the aluminum part 11 and the fins 13.
Alternatively, an aluminum part 21 and a copper part 22 are provided as shown in FIG. 2 and the aluminum part 21 has a recess 211 at the middle thereof for receiving the copper part 22, which has the same shape and size as the recess 211. The aluminum part 21 has several fins 23 extending outward. The copper part 22 closely contacts the electronic component 24 so that heat from the electronic component 24 can be transmitted via the copper part 22 to the aluminum part 21 and the fins 23 respectively rapidly before removal.
Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, an aluminum part 31 is hollow post with a through hole 311 and a plurality of fins 33 extending radially from the circumferential side thereof. A copper part 32 tightly fits with the through hole 311 to allow the lower end of the copper part 32 closely contacting an electronic component 34. The heat from the electronic component 34 can be transmitted to the aluminum part 31 and the fins 33 via the copper part 32 rapidly before dissipating outward.
However, a common problem in the preceding three conventional radiators is in that the copper part 12, 22, 32 centralizes at a preset zone and heat aggregates at the aluminum part 11, 21, 31 and a little section of the aluminum part 11, 21, 31 adjacent to the copper part 12, 22, 32 such that heat is incapable of distributing to the fins 13, 23, 33 effectively. In other words, the heat is unable to distribute evenly to the entire radiator and it means the heat dissipation is still not enhanced effectively.
Moreover, the aluminum part 11, 21, 31 and the copper part 12, 22, 32 are different in the specific weight and it is easy for the aluminum part 11, 21, 31 to separate from the copper part 12, 22, 32 such that it results in the conventional bimetal radiator having a shortened life span.


Systems and methods for implementing a machine control system within a construction machine. The machine control system may include a chassis orientation sensor configured to be mounted to a chassis of the construction machine for detecting a chassis pitch angle. The machine control system may also include an implement orientation sensor configured to be mounted to an implement of the construction machine for detecting an implement pitch angle. The machine control system may further include one or more processors configured to perform operations including receiving, from the chassis orientation sensor, the chassis pitch angle, receiving, from the implement orientation sensor, the implement pitch angle, determining a target pitch angle of the implement based on the chassis pitch angle and the implement pitch angle, and causing movement of one or more implement arms so as to set a pitch angle of the implement to the target pitch angle.

Modern construction machines have dramatically increased the efficiency of performing various construction projects. For example, earthmoving machines employing automatic slope control systems are able to grade a project area using fewer passes than what was previously done manually. As another example, modern asphalt pavers and other road makers have allowed replacement of old roads and construction of new roads to occur on the order of hours and days instead of what once took place over weeks and months. Construction crews also now comprise fewer individuals due to the automation of various aspects of the construction process. Much of the technological advances of construction machines are owed in part to the availability of accurate sensors that allow real-time monitoring of the condition and position of a machine's components and/or the environment surrounding the machine. Despite the improvements in modern construction machines, new systems, methods, and techniques are still needed.

Caterpillar Trimble Control Technologies LLC


According to one embodiment of the present specification, a method for determining a beam to be used by a terminal for communication in an mmWave communication system can be provided. Here, the method for determining a beam to be used by a terminal for communication may comprise the steps of: receiving a CSI-RS from a base station; reporting a preferred primary beam to the base station on the basis of the received CSI-RS; receiving secondary beam information from the base station on the basis of the preferred primary beam; reporting a preferred secondary beam from among the secondary beam information to the base station; and receiving a setting of a CSI-RS resource from the base station on the basis of the preferred secondary beam. Here, the secondary beam information may include the preferred primary beam and at least one secondary beam to which QCL is applied.

An ultrahigh frequency wireless communication system based on mmWave is configured to operate at a center frequency of several GHz to several tens of GHz. Due to the characteristic of the center frequency, a pathloss may considerably occurs in a radio shadow area. Considering the pathloss, it is necessary to control and prevent beam mismatch as well as to elaborately design beamforming for a signal transmitted to a user equipment (UE) in the mmWave communication system. For this purpose, there may exist a need for a beam configuration method for beam management.

Method and apparatus for CSI-RS setting for beam management in wireless communication system