An improved system and method are provided for normally interconnecting a stationary flow line and a flexible flow line, and for automatically separating the flow lines in response to movement of the flexible flow line in excess of a preselected limit. A connection comprises a socket housing sealed to one flow line and a ball housing sealed to another flow line. The housings are separated automatically when a lateral force is transmitted through the flexible flow line to cause excess pivoting movement of one housing related to the other housing. The connection of the present invention is particularly useful for preventing rupture of a flow line during an intermittent pullaway of a portable vessel with respect to a stationary holding tank. In one embodiment, the connection includes at least three ball swivel surfaces for mating engagement with a socket swivel surface. Valve members in each of the housings are held out of engagement with respective seating surfaces when the housings are mated, and automatically close to prevent fluid loss when the housings separate. A seal is provided for maintaining sealed engagement between the ball housing and socket housing when the ball housing normally pivots within a preselected arc limit with respect to the socket housing. The elastomeric seal preferably engages a seating surface forming a portion of an imaginary sphere having a center coincident with a sphere which defines the ball swivel surface and socket swivel surface.

Flow line systems which transport potentially dangerous fluids, such as propane, liquid petroleum gas, or anhydrous ammonia, often include a separable connection for emergency interruption of the flow line extending between a stationary vessel and a portable vessel. Occasionally a transport vehicle pulls away from a stationary filling platform prior to disconnecting one or more flexible fill lines, and the absence of a separable connection may otherwise cause a rupture of the filling station storage tank, which typically has a large capacity. The monetary loss of fluid from such a rupture is nominal compared to the risks commonly associated with the release of toxic vapors, to the environmental consequences of polluting the filling station site, and/or to the fire hazard associated with such a rupture.
A separate connection is often designed into the flow line or fill line to form a "weak link", so that this connection breaks in response to bending forces before the rupture of other potions of the fluid system, such as the holding tank. One commonly used filling system designed to create a weak link connection utilizes a steel bulkhead encased in concrete and enclosing a portion of the flow line extending between the holding tank and a swivel for a flexible line which is passed to the transport vehicle, thereby ensuing that the flow line will break downstream from the concrete bulkhead during an inadvertent vehicle pullaway. This bulkhead system is expensive, particularly if this technique is used to retrofit an existing filling station. Another type of weak link system, referred to as the PASS system, utilizes a shear fitting or coupling mounted within a vertical portion of the flow line. The shear fitting is designed to break in response to lateral forces transmitted through the flexible line during the inadvertent pullaway. The PASS system, which has been applied to anhydrous ammonia filling stations, is also complicated and expensive. The PASS system similarly cannot readily be adapted to retrofit an existing filling station, and has other disadvantages described below.
In each of the above "weak link" systems, a shutoff valve may be installed upstream from the separable connection to retain the fluid in the holding tank if the fill line is broken. The American National Standards and Compressed Gas Association requires all stationary storage installations to have an emergency shutoff valve mounted immediately upstream from the location in the fluid flow system where the flexible hose swivel is mounted, so that a rupture occurring on the flexible hose side of the system can be shut in by this emergency valve. An "excess flow" valve would thus typically be installed in the rigid line downstream from the steel and concrete bulkhead and immediately upstream from the hose swivel. An "excess flow"valve will only terminate flow, however, if there is a rupture in the system which causes the flow rate to exceed the anticipated fill rate, and a leak or rupture may occur downstream from an excess flow valve which does not result in valve closing since the flow rate caused by the rupture does not exceed this preselected value. The PASS system includes an emergency shutoff valve upstream from the shear fitting, with this valve being connected by a tether line extending to the flow line downstream from the shear fitting, so that tension in this line during a pullaway hopefully actuates the shutoff valve to the closed position.
Other types of separable connections include various types of inline valves which separate in response to pullaway forces transmitted through the flexible flow line. One type of inline connection promoted by Rego Products utilizes a form of quick disconnect, with an outer sleeve of the connection being tethered to a stationary point upstream from the valve. When tension is applied to the tether line during the pullaway, the valve is initially pulled away from this fixed point, thereby creating tension on the tether line and subsequently pulling the sleeve axially backward to separate the connection. Another type of inline connection utilizes a shear coupling within a flow line valve, and a shear member is broken by the flow line tension caused during inadvertent pullaway. Each of these latter systems include valves in each coupling housing designed to stop fluid flow in either direction from the disconnected connection. The latter shear coupling design has been applied to a conventional vehicle fueling system, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,899,792. U.S. Pat. No. 3,874,428 discloses a gas filling system which includes an excess flow valve and check valves. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,354,522 and 4,998,560 each disclose complicated emergency shut off systems which are expensive, and are not readily adaptable to common anhydrous ammonia or propane filling stand sites.
A significant problem with the above-described systems in operation is that the separation force exerted on either the "weak link" connection or the inline connection during a pullaway depends upon the pullaway direction. The driver may pull a portable container from a filling station in any direction within an are of 180 degrees or more, and during this pullaway the flexible flow line can easily engage and become partially wrapped around one or more stationary components, thereby significantly altering the forces required to cause the break or separation in the system. The flexible flow line extending between the swivel and the discharge nozzle may not have a uniform outer diameter, and a coupling, check valve, or various other components secured to or located along the flexible line may also get hung up on a stationary member during pullaway, thereby again significantly affecting the force required to break or separate the system at the intended connection, and possibly causing a rupture at an unintended location within the flow system. It should further be understood that tether lines or cords extending from one component to a safety shutoff valve or disconnect may engage various stationary or portable components, thereby also adversely affecting the reliability of the system. A tether line may become wrapped about or snagged upon a stationary support, the flexible flow line, a broom, or various other objects, so that the reliability of a system utilizing a tether line depends upon system installation procedures and operator discretion.
Another significant problem with prior art flow line disconnect techniques is that the systems do not easily and reliably allow for adjusting the force required to separate or uncouple the connection. The "weak link" systems can only be effectively adjusted by replacing the weak link member, and springs or other biasing components within the inline connections must be replaced to adjust the force required to uncouple the connection. Field adjustment of such system is thus impractical and is limited to specific values determined by on-hand replaceable components. Many of the prior art systems cannot be effectively retro fitted to existing filling stations of the type commonly used for anhydrous ammonia or propane filling sites. Many prior art systems are expensive, and the substantial effort required to repair a disconnected system encourages filling station operators to deactivate the system. Moreover, the reliability of the existing systems is significantly affected by the direction of pullaway, which the filling station operator cannot effectively control. As a consequence, many filling station sites continue to employ the crude control of a steel and cement bulkhead and an excess flow valve, leaving the site operator exposed to significant contamination and safety risks.
The disadvantages of the prior art are overcome by the present invention, and an improved safety connection is hereinafter disclosed for a fluid flow system. The connection of the present invention may be employed in various flow lines extending between a stationary and a portable container, and is particularly well adapted for use at a conventional anhydrous ammonia, liquid petroleum gas, or propane filling site.


A system and method for detecting and correcting power imbalance between cylinder banks of an internal combustion engine utilizes, in one embodiment, temperature sensors at the exhaust manifolds for each cylinder bank. A differential temperature value .DELTA. is generated and used to determine which cylinder requires modification of its operating conditions to equalize the power output between the opposing banks. In one embodiment, the sign of the value .DELTA. is used to determine which cylinder bank has the highest exhaust temperature, and the value .DELTA. is provided as a multiplier to engine operating algorithms implemented by the engine control computer to derate the subject cylinder bank. In another embodiment, the value .DELTA. is used to uprate the bank having the lower exhaust temperature, indicative of a lower power output.

Most industrial and automotive internal combustion engines include a pair of cylinder banks, each including a plurality of cylinders. For example, a V-8 engine includes two banks of four cylinders each. With the advent of electronic controls, the operating conditions of each of the cylinders and of each bank of cylinders is controlled by an on-board engine control computer or an electronic controller. The typical electronic controller provides signals to electrically actuated fuel control systems, firing timing systems and air intake systems. In diesel engines, the electronic controller performs the critical task of controlling the timing of operation of the fuel injectors to ensure optimum combustion performance. The electronic controller also acts as a speed governor, accepting input from the accelerator pedal and sensing engine load conditions to establish an engine speed.
One problem encountered by internal combustion engines is excessive vibration and imbalanced loads applied to the engine crankshaft and output shaft. Of course, excessive vibration, particularly at engine idle, is felt, and heard, by the vehicle operator. However, the most significant risk created by engine vibration is borne by the engine itself, particularly the crankshaft and bearings. Engine vibration is known to significantly decrease the fatigue life of engine components. Moreover, engine vibration can decrease the overall engine performance, especially under critical duty cycles.
One source of engine vibration is imbalanced power output from each bank of cylinders. Ideally, opposed banks of cylinders will generate identical power output levels for identical operating conditions (i.e.--fuel quantity, injection timing, air intake). Of course, mechanical losses in each bank will be different, and the operating conditions will usually differ between banks. Unless these different mechanical losses and operating conditions are accounted for, the opposing cylinder banks will necessarily generate different power output levels.
Similar problems exist in power generation systems, for example, that utilize a plurality of engines to drive a generator. In these systems, the power output from each engine is combined by a transmission mechanism to a common output shaft. In this arrangement, power imbalance between engines can still generate vibration and fatigue problems in the transmission mechanism and common output shaft. Thus, balancing the power generated by each engine can be as important as balancing power output between opposing cylinder banks of the same engine.
While some attempt has been made to address drive shaft speed variations from cylinder to cylinder, no approach has been developed that will address the power imbalance conditions discussed above. A need therefore exists for a system and method that can readily detect power imbalance between opposing cylinder banks of an engine, as well as for power imbalances between multiple engines combined to a single output.

System and method for detecting and correcting cylinder bank imbalance


A catalyst deterioration-determining system for an internal combustion engine has a catalyst arranged in the exhaust system, for purifying exhaust gases emitted from the engine, an oxygen concentration sensor arranged in the exhaust system at a location downstream of the catalyst, for detecting the concentration of oxygen present in the exhaust gases, and an ECU which controls the air-fuel ratio of an air-fuel mixture supplied to the engine in a feedback manner in response to the output from the oxygen concentration sensor. Determination of deterioration of the catalyst is carried out based on the output from the oxygen concentration sensor during execution of air-fuel ratio feedback control. An inversion period parameter representative of a repetition period of change in the output from the oxygen concentration sensor over a predetermined diagnosis period is measured, and a determination parameter is calculated by averaging values of the inversion period parameter measured over different diagnosis periods as the predetermined diagnosis period. The determination of deterioration of the catalyst is carried out based on the determination parameter.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a catalyst deterioration-determining system for internal combustion engines, which determines deterioration of a catalyst arranged in the exhaust system of the engine, for purifying exhaust gases emitted from the engine.
2. Prior Art
To determine deterioration of a catalyst provided in an internal combustion engine, which purifies exhaust gases emitted from the engine, a catalyst deterioration-determining method is conventionally known, for example, from Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 5-106494, which controls the air-fuel ratio of an air-fuel mixture supplied to the engine in a feedback manner responsive to an output from an oxygen concentration sensor arranged in the exhaust passage of the engine at a location downstream of a catalyst arranged in the same, measures an inversion period of the output from the oxygen concentration sensor, and determines whether or not the catalyst is deteriorated, based on the measured inversion period.
According to the conventional method, however, the determination of deterioration of the catalyst is carried out by comparing the measured inversion period as it is with a predetermined reference value without contemplating operating conditions of the engine at the measurement. As a result, the measured inversion period contains an error depending on operating conditions of the engine at the measurement. Therefore, the conventional method remains to be improved in the determination accuracy.
Further, according to the conventional method, it is difficult to determine the deterioration degree of the catalyst with high accuracy, and therefore the method still remains to be improved in order to satisfy stricter legal regulations of exhaust gases.

Catalyst deterioration-determining system for internal combustion engines


An idle speed control system for a direct injection spark ignition engine controlled to operate in either homogeneous air/fuel modes or stratified air/fuel modes. A desired idle speed is set to optimize fuel economy and avoid rough engine operation during various air/fuel operating modes. During rough idle conditions and non stoichiometric air/fuel operation engine air/fuel is enriched until either rough idle ceases or a rich air/fuel limit is reached. During smooth idle operation, and non stoichiometric air/fuel operation, engine air/fuel is enleaned until either rough idle occurs, a lean air/fuel limit reached, or desired fuel economy attained. After the lean limit is reached, and when operating in a non-stoichiometric non-stratified air/fuel mode, and when not operating at desired fuel economy, ignition timing is advanced until an advance limit is reached and desired idle speed is thereafter decreased.

The field of the invention relates to idle speed control systems for internal combustion engines. In particular, the field relates to idle speed control systems for direct injection spark ignition engines.
Direct injection spark ignition engines are known in which the combustion chambers contain stratified layers of different air/fuel mixtures. The strata closest to the spark plug contains a stoichiometric mixture or a mixture slightly rich of stoichiometry, and subsequent strata contain progressively leaner mixtures. The strata near the plug is ignited which in turn ignites the leaner strata thereby achieving very lean overall operation and, therefore, enhanced fuel economy.
The inventors herein have recognized numerous problems when controlling idle speed of direct injection spark ignition engines. For example, prior approaches lack the ability of optimizing lean operation and concurrently avoid rough idling conditions.


An air massaging device having at least one inflatable air bag adapted to be laid against a portion of the human body. The device includes an air pump generating a pressurized air and a distributor valve which has an open position of feeding the pressurized air to the air bag and a closed position of allowing the pressurized air to be discharged from the air bag to the atmosphere in order to repeat inflating and deflating the air bag. A single pressure sensor is disposed upstream of the distributor valve to monitor a pressure level developed on the side of the air pump. A control circuit is included to activate the air pump on a time-period basis in order to give a desired pressure level to which the air bag is inflated. The control circuit operates to provide one or more initial inflation cycle and subsequent inflation cycles alternated by deflating cycles. During the initial inflating cycle, the air pump is activated for a pre-determined standard inflation time period to inflate the air bag and then stops while keeping the air bag inflated for a short time interval in which the pressure level of the air bag is monitored. In the subsequent inflating cycles, the air pump is activated for a varying inflation time period which is a function of the previous inflation time period, a desired target pressure level selected by a user, and the pressure level monitored in the previous inflation cycle.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an air massaging device with a precise pressure control.
2. Description of the Prior Art
An air massage device ordinarily has at least one inflatable air bag to massage each arm or leg of the human body. Each air bag is wrapped around as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, is inflated by pressurized air provided from an air pump, and then is deflated by discharging the pressurized air to the atmosphere. Therefore, each arm or leg is massaged by alternating an inflating time period and a deflating time period of the air bag. It is preferable that each of the air bags has a pressure sensor to monitor a pressure level of the respective air bag. However, as a pressure sensor for every air bag is required for an air massage device having a plurality of the air bags, such an air massage device creates difficulties because of necessary complex circuits and its expensive cost. This was a first problem in the prior art.
If a pressure level of each air bag is able to be monitored by a single pressure sensor, i.e., the pressure sensor arranged on the side close to the air pump, not in the air bag, this first problem of the prior art can be improved. However, a second problem will then occur. That is, a difference between a practical pressure level of the air bag and a pressure level monitored by the sensor is caused by a flow resistance of a hose tube connecting between the air pump and the air bag. The flow resistance increases as a bore of the hose tube is smaller and as an exhaust capability of the air pump is higher.
It was proposed that the monitored pressure level is corrected by defining a correlation of the monitored pressure level to the practical pressure level of the air bag, so that the second problem will be improved. However, the corrected value is influenced by different sizes of arms or legs of the human bodies wrapped by the air bag.
It was also proposed that the pressurized air provided from the air pump is fed to the air bag for a predetermined time period. However, once again, the monitored pressure level is changed by different sizes of the arms or legs. That is, when a thick arm or leg is massaged, the monitored pressure level is higher; on the other hand, when a thin arm or leg is massaged, the monitored pressure level is lower.

Air massaging device with a precise pressure control


A new and distinct cultivar of Anthurium is provided. It is a medium size plant, suitable for production in 15-cm to 20-cm containers, with vigorous growth; full and symmetrical growth habit; early and abundant branching; early, abundant and year-round flowering; and resistance to Xanthomonas campestris pv. dieffenbachiae. Exceptionally dark green, relatively large, glossy leaves create a sharp contrast with bright orange-red and glossy spathes held immediately above foliage on straight, strong, relatively thick peduncles.

Anthurium hybrid.
xe2x80x98Favoritaxe2x80x99.
This inventions relates to a new and distinct cultivar of anthurium plant, botanically known as Anthurium hybrid, and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name Favorita.
The new cultivar is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Altha, Fla. The objective of the program was to develop a vigorous, well branching pot Anthurium cultivar resistant to Xanthomonas campestris pv. dieffenbachiae, with attractive foliage and orange spathes. The new Anthurium was discovered and selected by the Inventor in 1998 as a seedling within the progeny of a cross made in 1995 in a controlled environment in Altha, Fla. The female parent was a proprietary Anthurium seedling selection identified by the code number 91-11-48, obtained by the Inventor in the same breeding program, not patented. The male parent was a selected clone of Anthurium hybrid cultivar Lady Jane identified by the code number 941, not patented.
Asexual propagation of xe2x80x98Favoritaxe2x80x99, since 1998, by means of tissue culture in Altha, Fla. has established that the unique characteristics of this new cultivar are in fact stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.
The new Anthurium cultivar has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment and/or horticultural practices such as temperature, light intensity, day length, fertilization, irrigation, propagation procedures etc., without any variance in genotype.
The following traits have been repeatedly observed and in combination distinguish xe2x80x98Favoritaxe2x80x99 as a new and distinct cultivar of pot Anthurium:
1. Medium size plant, appropriate for 15-cm to 20-cm containers;
2. Symmetrical, rounded and full growth habit;
3. Vigorous growth;
4. Early and abundant branching;
5. Early, abundant and year-round flowering;
6. Relatively large, glossy and exceptionally dark green leaf blades;
7. Spathes very glossy, orange-red, especially when young, and maintaining color relatively well;
8. Spathes held directly above foliage, on straight, strong and relatively thick peduncles;
9. Resistance to Xanthomonas campestris pv. dieffenbachiae.
Plants of xe2x80x98Favoritaxe2x80x99 are distinguished from plants of the female parent, a proprietary Anthurium seedling selection identified by the code number 91-11-48, by its smaller size; earlier and more abundant branching; earlier flowering; smaller, darker green and glossier leaf blades; spathes smaller, flatter and more horizontal, held closer to foliage, glossier and orange-red as opposed to dark pink-red spathes of seedling 91-11-48; and straight pink-purple spadices as opposed to curved, dark purple spadices of 91-11-48.
Plants of xe2x80x98Favoritaxe2x80x99 are distinguished from plants of the male parent, a selected clone of Anthurium hybrid cultivar Lady Jane identified by the code number 941, by its more vigorous growth, earlier flowering; longer leaf blades; spathes more ovate, wider, with lower length:width ratio, orange-red in color and held above foliage as opposed to dark pink spathes of Lady Jane # 941, often held among foliage; and by pink-purple spadices as opposed to pinkish-cream spadices of Lady Jane #941.
The new cultivar can be compared to its siblings, cultivars: xe2x80x98Salsaxe2x80x99 U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No. 09/960,456 and xe2x80x98Valentinexe2x80x99 U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No. 09/960,455. The comparisons were made on plants of the same age, grown side-by-side under the same greenhouse conditions in Altha, Fla.
Plants of the new Anthurium cultivar differ from plants of the cultivar Salsa in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of xe2x80x98Favoritaxe2x80x99 start branching earlier and flower more abundantly than plants of xe2x80x98Salsaxe2x80x99.
2. Foliage of xe2x80x98Favoritaxe2x80x99 is taller than foliage of xe2x80x98Salsaxe2x80x99.
3. Leaf blades of xe2x80x98Favoritaxe2x80x99 are darker green than leaf blades of xe2x80x98Salsaxe2x80x99.
4. Spathes of xe2x80x98Favoritaxe2x80x99 are smaller, held closer to foliage and are orange-red, whereas spathes of xe2x80x98Salsaxe2x80x99 are dark pink-red.
5. Spadices of xe2x80x98Favoritaxe2x80x99 are pink-purple, whereas spadices of xe2x80x98Salsaxe2x80x99 are cream-colored.
Plants of the new Anthurium cultivar differ from plants of the cultivar Valentine in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of xe2x80x98Favoritaxe2x80x99 are larger, branch less abundantly and have slightly more open growth habit than plants of xe2x80x98Valentinexe2x80x99.
2. Plants of xe2x80x98Favoritaxe2x80x99 start flowering earlier, but flower less abundantly than plants of xe2x80x98Valentinexe2x80x99.
3. Leaf blades of xe2x80x98Favoritaxe2x80x99 are larger, darker green and glossier than leaf blades of xe2x80x98Valentinexe2x80x99.
4. Peduncles of xe2x80x98Favoritaxe2x80x99 are thicker, stronger and longer than peduncles of xe2x80x98Valentinexe2x80x99.
5. Spathes of xe2x80x98Favoritaxe2x80x99 are held closer to foliage, are larger and have shorter longevity on the plant than spathes of xe2x80x98Valentinexe2x80x99.
6. Spathes of xe2x80x98Favoritaxe2x80x99 are orange-red, whereas spathes of xe2x80x98Valentinexe2x80x99 are deep red.
7. Spadices of xe2x80x98Favoritaxe2x80x99 are pink-purple, whereas spadices of xe2x80x98Valentinexe2x80x99 are cream-colored.
The new cultivar can be compared to the known Anthurium cultivars: xe2x80x98Orange Hotxe2x80x99, not patented and xe2x80x9875-10xe2x80x99, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,355, a/k/a/ Red Hot(trademark). The comparisons were made on plants of the same age, grown side-by-side under the same greenhouse conditions in Altha, Fla.
Plants of the new Anthurium cultivar differ from plants of the cultivar Orange Hot in the following characteristics:
1. Leaf blades of xe2x80x98Favoritaxe2x80x99 are larger and darker green than leaf blades of xe2x80x98Orange Hotxe2x80x99.
2. Inflorescences of xe2x80x98Favoritaxe2x80x99 are of good quality from the onset of flowering, whereas several first spathes produced by plants of xe2x80x98Orange Hotxe2x80x99 are very small and deformed.
3. Spathes of xe2x80x98Favoritaxe2x80x99 are held closer to foliage on thicker, stronger and more vertical peduncles than spathes of xe2x80x98Orange Hotxe2x80x99.
4. Spathes of xe2x80x98Favoritaxe2x80x99 are almost horizontal, flat and non-puckered, whereas spathes of xe2x80x98Orange Hotxe2x80x99 are oblique and slightly puckered.
5. Young spathes of xe2x80x98Favoritaxe2x80x99 are glossier, have a brighter, more distinct orange-red color than young spathes of xe2x80x98Orange Hotxe2x80x99 and maintain color and gloss longer.
6. Spadices of xe2x80x98Favoritaxe2x80x99 are straight, whereas spadices of xe2x80x98Orange Hotxe2x80x99 are usually curved.
Plants of the new Anthurium cultivar differ from plants of the cultivar 75-10 in the following characteristics:
1. Leaf blades of xe2x80x98Favoritaxe2x80x99 are larger and darker green than leaf blades of xe2x80x9875-10xe2x80x99.
2. Inflorescenes of xe2x80x98Favoritaxe2x80x99 are of a good quality from the onset of flowering, whereas several first spathes produced by plants of xe2x80x9875-10xe2x80x99 are very small and deformed.
3. Spathes of xe2x80x98Favoritaxe2x80x99 are held closer to foliage on thicker, stronger and more vertical peduncles than spathes of xe2x80x9875-10xe2x80x99.
4. Peduncles of xe2x80x98Favoritaxe2x80x99 are brownish green, whereas peduncles of xe2x80x9875-10xe2x80x99 are dark purple.
5. Spathes of xe2x80x98Favoritaxe2x80x99 are orange-red, almost horizontal, flat and non-puckered, whereas spathes of xe2x80x9875-10xe2x80x99 are red, oblique and slightly puckered.
6. Spathes of xe2x80x98Favoritaxe2x80x99 maintain color and gloss longer than spathes of xe2x80x9875-10xe2x80x99.
7. Spadices of xe2x80x98Favoritaxe2x80x99 are straight and pink-purple, whereas spadices of xe2x80x9875-10xe2x80x99 are usually curved and dark purple.

Anthurium plant named xe2x80x98Favoritaxe2x80x99


A thin type reformer for a fuel cell is provided, and includes a substrate, fuel filling portion, reformer portion, CO remover, and cover. The substrate forms a passage within. The fuel filling portion fills the passage with fuel. The reformer portion forms a passage to one side of the fuel filling portion in the substrate, and the CO remover forms a passage at an opposite side of the fuel filling portion in the substrate. The cover covers the top of the substrate and seals the passages. The fuel filling portion partitions the reformer portion's heat absorbing reaction and the CO remover's heat radiating reaction and induces a reforming reaction. The reacting efficiencies of the reformer portion and the CO remover substantially increase. Because a compact air supplying pump can be used due to an inner pressure reduction in the CO remover, the entire device can be miniaturized.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a thin type micro reformer used in a fuel cell, and more particularly, to an improved thin type micro reformer having a fuel charger disposed between a reformer portion that reacts by absorbing heat and a CO remover that reacts by emitting heat, in order to partition the reformer portion and the CO remover. The reformer allows effective reforming response on a single sheet of substrate, an inner pressure inside the CO remover to decrease, and outside air to enter by means of a small pump.
2. Description of the Related Art
A recent increase in the use of mobile phones, PDAs, digital cameras, laptop computers, and other small, portable electronic devices—and especially, the beginning of DMB broadcasting for mobile phones—has given rise to a need for more effective power supplies for portable, compact terminals. Lithium ion rechargeable batteries used widely today provide power for only 2 hours of DMB viewing. While efforts are underway to enhance their performance, the fuel cell is viewed as an alternate solution to the above problem.
Methods of such fuel cells include direct methanol type fuel cells that supply methanol to fuel electrodes and reformed hydrogen fuel cells (RHFC) that extract hydrogen from methanol to supply to fuel electrodes. RHFC fuel cells use hydrogen as fuel, as in a polymer electrode membrane (PEM), and have the benefits of high output, power capacity available by volume unit, and no byproducts other than water. However, a reformer needs to be added to the system, making the device unsuitable for miniaturization.
To derive a high power output from such a fuel cell, a reformer is used to convert liquid fuel to hydrogen gas fuel. This type of reformer includes an evaporator for converting liquid methanol to a gaseous form, a reformer portion that converts methanol fuel to hydrogen through catalytic conversion at a temperature between 250° C. and 290° C., and a CO remover (or a PROX) that removes the byproduct carbon monoxide. Technology is needed to maintain the reformer portion (that reacts to absorb heat) at a temperature between 250° C. and 290° C., and the CO remover at a temperature between 170° C. and 200° C., in order to produce optimum reaction efficiency.
However, silicon, that has favorable heat conducting characteristics, is used as a substrate material and must be operated within a region that has been heat insulated to prevent heat leakage to the outside. Thus it is difficult for the temperature on one substrate to be maintained in two other separate regions, and a configuration allowing for this is required.
As shown in FIG. 1, a conventional compact reformer 250 is disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 2004-288573, which is hereby incorporated by reference. This conventional compact reformer 250 includes a heat insulating package 258 and combustion fuel evaporator 251, a generator fuel evaporator 255, a burner 252, a CO remover 257, another burner 254, a reformer portion 256, and yet another burner 253, sequentially stacked within the heat insulating package 258.
Heat insulated supports 261 and 262 are installed below the combustion fuel evaporator 251 to support the combustion fuel evaporator 251. The combustion fuel evaporator 251 is separated from the inner walls of the heat insulating package 258. Accordingly, because this conventional reformer has a multi-layer structure, it is difficult to make compact.
Another conventional compact reformer 350 is shown in FIG. 2 and is disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 2003-45459, which is hereby incorporated by reference. This conventional reformer includes a first substrate 352 forming a flat cover, a second substrate 354 forming passages 354a on one side thereof and having a catalytic layer 354b formed within, and a third substrate 356 having a heat insulating cavity 356b with a mirror surface 356a formed therein. A reformer portion is formed through the passage 354a of the second substrate 354 and has the catalytic layer 354b that produces hydrogen gas and CO2 from methanol and water, and a thin film heater 358 is provided underneath the catalytic layer 354b along the reformer portion.
Although the provision of the heater 358 within the passages of the above conventional reformer raises heat efficiency, the structure is complex and is therefore difficult to make, and the catalytic layer 354b is limited to one portion, reducing reforming efficiency.
A further conventional compact reformer 400 is shown in FIG. 3 and is disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 2004-066008, which is hereby incorporated by reference. This conventional technology provides a highly heat conductive aluminum heat conducting portion 413 (for very efficient heat conducting) between two substrates 411 and 412, and a reactive catalytic layer 416 within the fine passage 414 formed in the inner surface of the main substrate 411.
A combustion catalytic layer 417 is provided in a fine passage 415 formed in the inner surface of the combustion substrate 412, and a thin film heater 423 is provided on the outer surface of the combustion substrate 412.
Combustible fuel supplied within the passage 415 is combusted through the combustion reaction on the combustion catalytic layer 417. The heat energy produced through the combustion and the energy from the heating of the thin film heater 423 combine to heat the inside of the passage 414.
Accordingly, loss of heat energy supplied to the reactive catalytic layer 416 installed inside the passages 414 and 415 of the substrates 411 and 412 is reduced.
However, in the above-described conventional structures, at least 3 thin films are stacked, forming a large reformer. Also, in order to supply air into the CO remover that has a high inner pressure, a large-sized air supplying pump must be used to supply pressurized air. Thus, miniaturization of components required by the reformer is problematic.


Coating compositions that include a halopigment dispersed within a silicon-containing polymeric matrix (e.g., a polysiloxane polymer) are provided. The halopigment comprises a halogenated phthalocyanine (e.g., a fluorinated phthalocyanine) attached to a support particle (e.g., a metal oxide, a non-metal oxide, and/or an inert material). The halogenated phthalocyanine can have the formula: (16R-Pc)nMLo, where each R is, independently, a halogen or a perhaloalkyl group, with each R group being independent from the other groups; Pc is a phthalocyanine compound; 1≦n≦2; L is a ligand or ligands and M is a cation; and 0≦o≦8. Methods are also provided for forming such a coating composition and for coating a substrate with the coating composition.

Titanium dioxide is a semiconductor that has the property of exhibiting charge separation upon illumination with near-UV or ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Upon illumination, electrons are promoted from the valence band to the conduction band creating reactive electron-hole pairs that reduce oxygen to produce superoxide radicals and oxidize adsorbed water to produce reactive hydroxyl radicals, respectively. The holes have radical-cation character. All radicals have the ability to degrade the C—H bonds of organic compounds, mildew, mold, algae, grease, etc., thus imparting cleaning and self-cleaning properties to the oxide. As such, the incorporation of TiO2 into certain coatings will result in coatings that advantageously will retain self-cleaning properties.
The importance of clean coatings extends into corrosion aspects since organic and biological molecules attached to a surface can generate acids and other substances that, unless removed, can favor the onset of corrosion and/or biological corrosion of metal surfaces. Organic molecules attached to TiO2 may have beneficial effects on certain properties that relay upon charge separations, for example for solar energy conversion, but regular organic molecules are inefficient since they themselves contain C—H bonds, and thus are subject to degradation by radicals.
It should be noted that several publications provide compositions that include photocatalytic TiO2, such as WO2005/083014, WO 2006/030250, WO 2005/083013 and U.S. Pat. No. 8,475,581. However, inorganic TiO2 represents a fundamentally different composition of matter, with different physical and chemical properties, as well as photocatalytic properties compared with the organic fluoropigments of the current invention. This information is presented only in order to provide a better and complete understanding of the advantages of the present invention. It should not be viewed as a citation of prior art to the instant application.


A mold-clamping control method for an injection molding machine includes the steps of detecting a value of a monitor item in a monitor region predetermined in relation to a mold closing operation in a mold clamping step; performing emergency processing when the detected value exceeds a threshold value; and performing an automatic setting operation. This automatic setting operation includes the steps of periodically detecting the value of the monitor item in the monitor region at predetermined sampling intervals to thereby obtain detection values in sampling order; repeating the step of periodical detection for each of a predetermined number of shots; obtaining threshold values and torque limit values for individual places of sampling order, on the basis of the detection values, by use of predetermined arithmetic expressions; and storing the obtained threshold values and torque limit values for control use.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mold-clamping control method for an injection molding machine, which method is favorably used in detecting a foreign object that is caught between a movable mold and a stationary mold during the course of a mold clamping step.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, in the field of an injection molding machine designed such that reciprocating motion produced by a drive unit composed of a servomotor and a ball-screw mechanism is transmitted to a movable platen via a toggle link mechanism, there has been known a foreign-object detection method for detecting a foreign object (e.g., a molded product) that is caught between a movable mold and a stationary mold upon movement of the movable platen in a mold closing direction (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (kokai) No. 2002-172670).
The patent publication discloses a foreign-object detection method for an injection molding machine, including the steps of detecting a physical value related to a mold closing action in a monitor region during the course of a mold clamping step; and performing emergency processing associated with detection of a foreign object when a deviation between the detected physical value and a predetermined theoretical value is in excess of a threshold value. In the foreign-object detection method, a trial mold clamping operation is performed to thereby detect a maximum value of the deviation; and the maximum value is added to a preset reference value to thereby determine a threshold value to be used for foreign object detection.
In the above-mentioned foreign-object detection method (mold-clamping control method), the maximum deviation between the detected physical value and the preset theoretical value is added to the reference value to thereby determine the threshold value. Thus, the method can promptly and readily determine a fixed threshold value with high accuracy and high reliability.
However, the magnitude of a physical value related to a mold closing operation in a monitor region usually varies depending on, for example, dimensional errors and wear of mechanisms, lubrication and adjustment for maintenance, and uneven rotation of a servomotor. In the case of an automatic 24-hour operation, the magnitude of a physical value varies depending on an hour of the day because of, for example, temperature variations between day and night. Thus, when the threshold value is fixed, erroneous detection may arise as a result of variations in a physical value caused by a disturbance. Such a conventional method may cause unnecessary suspension of operation, thus involving unnecessary inspection by an operator, delay in a production schedule, and a failure to provide high consistency and high reliability in terms of mold-clamping control.
Also, when a foreign object is caught between a movable mold and a stationary mold, a physical value related to a mold closing operation is not properly detected, and a serve control system performs a feedback control such that the torque of a servomotor increases sharply. In order to cope with such a sharp increase in servomotor torque, in a monitor region where detection of a foreign object is performed, a torque limit signal is supplied to a servo circuit such that torque output does not exceed a predetermined torque limit value, thereby avoiding application of an excessive force to the molds. When the torque limit value is set too low, the drive force of the servomotor is suppressed, thereby causing inconsistent operation, such as a drop in rotational speed, with a resultant occurrence of erroneous detection. Usually, a user (operator) determines the torque limit value as appropriate in view of, for example, a product to be molded and molding conditions.
However, the user encounters difficulty in setting the torque limit value, since various factors must be considered. Particularly, since the user has a high regard for molds, he/she tends to set the torque limit value low, potentially resulting in inconsistent operation and a tendency toward occurrence of erroneous detection.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Mold-clamping control method for injection molding machine


A spherical neutron generator is formed with a small spherical target and a spherical shell RF-driven plasma ion source surrounding the target. A deuterium (or deuterium and tritium) ion plasma is produced by RF excitation in the plasma ion source using an RF antenna. The plasma generation region is a spherical shell between an outer chamber and an inner extraction electrode. A spherical neutron generating target is at the center of the chamber and is biased negatively with respect to the extraction electrode which contains many holes. Ions passing through the holes in the extraction electrode are focused onto the target which produces neutrons by D-D or D-T reactions.

The invention relates to neutron tubes or sources, and more particularly to neutron tubes or sources based on plasma ion generators, including compact neutron tubes or sources which generate a relatively high neutron flux using the D-D reaction.
Conventional neutron tubes employ a Penning ion source and a single gap extractor. The target is a deuterium or tritium chemical embedded in a molybdenum or tungsten substrate. Neutron yield is limited by the ion source performance and beam size. The production of neutrons is limited by the beam current and power deposition on the target. In the conventional neutron tube, the extraction aperture and the target are limited to small areas, and so is the neutron output flux.
Commercial neutron tubes have used the impact of deuterium on tritium (D-T) for neutron production. The deuterium-on-deuterium (D-D) reaction, with a cross section for production a hundred times lower, has not been able to provide the necessary neutron flux. It would be highly desirable and advantageous to make high flux D-D neutron sources feasible. This will greatly increase the lifetime of the neutron generator, which is unsatisfactory at present. For field applications, it would greatly reduce transport and operational safety concerns. For applications such as mine detection, where thermal neutrons are presently used, the use of the lower energy D-D neutrons (2.45 MeV rather than 14.1 MeV) also would decrease the size of the neutron moderator.
High brightness or point neutron sources, i.e. sources in which the neutrons appear to be coming from a point source, are needed in radiography applications. To make a bright neutron source, the target dimensions must be small and the ion current impinging on the target must be high. In conventional neutron generators, the ion source can produce only low current density with low atomic deuterium ion species. Also, since the target dimensions of conventional sources are large, the neutron beam must be collimated to project back to a point source area. Therefore, a neutron source based on D-D reactions which has a high ion current impinging on a small target would be highly advantageous.
Applications of a high brightness neutron source include neutron radiography; non-proliferation; mine detection; boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT); and material studies. A neutron generator design with a small target area and a high ion current incident on the target would be highly advantageous.

The Regents of the University of California


A method and apparatus is provided that enables a mobile terminal which cannot simultaneously receive two physical channels to receive a service that utilizes two physical channels. In one embodiment, the service data and control information are transmitted on separate physical channels in a non-simultaneous manner such that the physical channel on which the data is transmitted includes an indication of when control information is available on the other physical channel on which the control information is transmitted, thereby facilitating the mobile terminal switching between the two physical channels in order to receive the service data and control information. In another embodiment, the service data and control information are transmitted on a single physical channel, thereby precluding the need for the mobile terminal to switch between two physical channels in order to receive the service data and control information.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to packet data services provided in communication systems, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for transmitting and receiving service packet data and associated control information to and from a mobile terminal by utilizing disparate physical channels for receiving the packet data and the associated control information.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
The universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS) is a third-generation mobile communications system evolving from the global system for mobile communications system, which is the European standard. The UMTS is aimed at providing enhanced mobile communications services based on the GSM core network and wideband code-division multiple-access technologies.
A conventional UMTS network structure 1 is illustrated in FIG. 1. One mobile terminal 2, or user equipment (UE), is connected to a core network 4 through a UMTS terrestrial radio access network (UTRAN) 6. The UTRAN 6 configures, maintains, and manages a radio access bearer for communications between the UE 2 and core network 4 to meet end-to-end quality-of-service requirements.
The UTRAN 6 includes a plurality of radio network subsystems 8, each of which comprises one radio network controller (RNC) 10 for a plurality of base stations 12, or "Node Bs." The RNC 10 connected to a given base station 12 is the controlling RNC for allocating and managing the common resources provided for any number of UEs 2 operating in one cell. The controlling RNC 10 controls traffic load, cell congestion, and the acceptance of new radio links. Each Node B 12 may receive an uplink signal from a UE 2 and may transmit downlink signals to the UE. Each Node B 12 serves as an access point enabling a UE 2 to connect to the UTRAN 6, while an RNC 10 serves as an access point for connecting the corresponding Node Bs to the core network 4.
Among the radio network subsystems 8 of the UTRAN 6, the serving RNC 10 is the RNC managing dedicated radio resources for the provision of services to a specific UE 2 and is the access point to the core network 4 for data transfer of the specific UE. All other RNCs 10 connected to the UE 2 are drift RNCs, such that there is only one serving RNC connecting the UE to the core network 4 via the UTRAN 6. The drift RNCs 10 facilitate the routing of user data and allocate codes as common resources.
The interface between the UE 2 and UTRAN 6 is realized through a radio interface protocol established in accordance with 3GPP radio access network specifications describing a physical layer (L1), a data link layer (L2), and a network layer (L3). A control plane is provided for carrying control information for the maintenance and management of the interface and a user plane is provided for carrying data traffic such as voice signals and Internet protocol packet transmissions. The conventional architecture of the radio interface protocol is illustrated in FIG. 2.
The physical (PHY) layer provides information transfer service to a higher layer and is linked via transport channels to a medium access control (MAC) layer. The MAC layer includes a MAC-b entity, a MAC-d entity, and a MAC-c/sh entity.
The MAC-b entity manages the broadcast channel as a transport channel responsible for the broadcasting of system information. The MAC-c/sh entity manages common transport channels shared with other UEs 2 within the cell, for example the forward access channel and downlink shared channel, such that one MAC-c/sh entity exists for each cell and is located at the serving RNC 10. Therefore, each UE 2 has one MAC-c/sh entity. The MAC-d entity manages a dedicated transport channel with respect to a specific UE 2 such that the MAC-d entity is located at the serving RNC 10 and each UE also has one MAC-d entity.
A radio link control (RLC) layer supports the transmission of reliable data and is responsible for the segmentation and concatenation of RLC service data units delivered from a higher layer. The size of the RLC service data unit is adjusted for the processing capacity in the RLC layer and a header is appended to form an RLC protocol data unit for delivery to the MAC layer.
The formed units of service data and protocol data delivered from the higher layer are stored in an RLC buffer of the RLC layer. The RLC services are used by service-specific protocol layers on the user plane, namely a broadcast/multicast control (BMC) protocol and a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP), and are used by a radio resource control (RRC) layer for signaling transport on the control plane.
The BMC layer schedules a cell broadcast message delivered from the core network and enables the cell broadcast message to be broadcast to the corresponding UEs 2 in the appropriate cell. Header information, such as a message identification, a serial number, and a coding scheme, is added to the cell broadcast message to generate a broadcast/multicast control message for delivery to the RLC layer.
The RLC layer appends RLC header information and transmits the thus-formed message to the MAC layer via a common traffic channel as a logical channel. The MAC layer maps the common traffic channel to a forward access channel as a transport channel. The transport channel is mapped to a secondary common control physical channel as a physical channel.
The PDCP layer serves to transfer data efficiently over a radio interface having a relatively small bandwidth. The PDCP layer uses a network protocol such as IPv4 or IPv6 and a header compression technique for eliminating unnecessary control information utilized in a wire network. The PDCP layer enhances transmission efficiency since only the information essential to the header is included in the transfer.
The RRC layer handles the control plane signaling of the network layer (L3) between the UEs 2 and the UTRAN 6 and controls the transport and physical channels for the establishment, reconfiguration, and release of radio bearers. A radio bearer is a service provided by a lower layer, such as the RLC layer or MAC layer, for data transfer between the UE 2 and UTRAN 6.
Establishment of a radio bearer determines the regulating characteristics of the protocol layer and channel needed to provide a specific service, thereby establishing the parameters and operational methods of the service. When a connection is established to allow transmission between an RRC layer of a specific UE 2 and an RRC layer of the UTRAN 6, the UE is said to be in the RRC-connected state. Without such connection, the UE 2 is in an idle state.
In addition to the above-described entities of the MAC layer, a MAC-m entity is provided to support the user-plane and control-plane transmissions for point-to-multipoint services, for example a multimedia broadcast/multicast service (MBMS), and to handle the scheduling of MBMS-related transport channels. An MBMS is a streaming or background service provided to a plurality of UEs 2 using a downlink-dedicated MBMS radio bearer that utilizes both point-to-multipoint and point-to-point radio bearer services.
As the name implies, an MBMS may be carried out in a broadcast mode or a multicast mode. The broadcast mode is for transmitting multimedia data to all UEs 2 within a broadcast area, for example the domain where the broadcast service is available. The multicast mode is for transmitting multimedia data to a specific UE 2 group within a multicast area, for example the domain where the multicast service is available.
When a UMTS network 1 provides a specific MBMS using the multicast mode, UEs 2 to be provided with the service must first complete a subscription procedure establishing a relationship between a service provider and each UE individually. Thereafter, the subscriber UE 2 receives a service announcement from the core network 4 confirming subscription and including, for example, a list of services to be provided.
The subscriber UE 2 must "join," or participate in, a multicast group of UEs receiving the specific MBMS, thereby notifying the network 4 of its intention to receive the service. Terminating participation in the service is called "leaving." The subscription, joining, and leaving operations may be performed by each UE 2 at any time prior to, during, or after the data transfer.
While a specific MBMS is in progress, one or more service sessions may sequentially take place, and the core network 4 informs the RNC 10 of a session start when data is generated by an MBMS data source and informs the RNC of a session stop when the data transfer is aborted. Therefore, a data transfer for the specific MBMS may be performed for the time between the session start and the session stop, during which time only participating UEs 2 can receive the data.
To achieve successful data transfer, the UTRAN 6 receives a notification of the session start from the core network 4 and transmits an MBMS notification to the participating UEs 2 in a prescribed cell to indicate that the data transfer is imminent. The UTRAN 6 uses the MBMS notification to count the number of participating UEs 2 within the prescribed cell.
Through the counting process, it is determined whether the radio bearer providing the specific MBMS is one for a point-to-multipoint transmission or a point-to-point transmission. To select the MBMS radio bearer for a specific service, the UTRAN 6 sets a threshold corresponding to the UE 2 count, whereby a low UE count establishes a point-to-point MBMS radio bearer and a high UE count establishes a point-to-multipoint MBMS radio bearer.
The radio bearer determination is based on whether the participating UEs 2 need to be in the RRC-connected state. When a point-to-point radio bearer is established, all of the participating UEs 2 are in the RRC-connected state. When a point-to-multipoint radio bearer is established, it is unnecessary for all of the participating UEs 2 to be in the RRC-connected mode since the point-to-multipoint radio bearer enables reception by UEs in the idle state.
Referring now to FIG. 3, the conventional architecture of an MBMS-supported MAC layer is illustrated. A MAC-c/sh/m entity supports two logical channels, specifically the MBMS control channel (MCCH) and the MBMS traffic channel (MTCH).
One MCCH channel exists in each cell and one MTCH channel exists for each specific MBMS within a specific cell. Both logical channels are mapped to a transport channel, such as the forward access channel (FACH), and to a physical channel, such as the secondary control physical channel (SCCPCH).
An example of conventional logical channel mapping is illustrated in FIG. 4A. FIG. 4A illustrates a mapping structure of the logical channels MTCH and MCCH, whereby the logical channels are respectively mapped to different physical channels, for example to first and second physical channels SCCPCH 1 and SCCPCH 2.
FIG. 4B shows an example of conventional transmission of MBMS data for a specific MBMS and the control information associated with the service. As illustrated in FIG. 4B, logical channel MCCH is a point-to-multipoint downlink channel for transferring MBMS control plane information and logical channel MTCH is a point-to-multipoint downlink channel for transferring MBMS user plane information.
Since the logical channels MCCH and MTCH are each mapped to a unique physical channel, an MBMS-supportable UE 2 must simultaneously receive two physical channels in order to receive the service. There is simultaneous transmission of user information and control information, for example the MBMS data over the MTCH channel and the MBMS control information over the MCCH channel.
However, a UE 2 may be unable to support the simultaneous reception of two different physical channels. Therefore, the UE 2 may be unable to receive either the MBMS data or the MBMS control information.
Even assuming a UE 2 that supports simultaneous reception of two different physical channels, the UE may actually need to receive three or more physical channels simultaneously if the reception of a service in addition to the MBMS is desired. Therefore, the requirement for simultaneous reception of the two logical channels, MCCH and MTCH, hinders enhanced UE 2 operation.
Therefore, there is a need for a method and apparatus for enabling a mobile terminal not having the capability to simultaneously receive two different physical channels to receive a service that is transmitted using at least two logical channels. The present invention addresses these and other needs.

Method and apparatus for transmitting and receiving MBMS packet data and control information


An originating mobile switching center of an apparatus in one example handles one or more calls. A serving mobile switching center for a communication device on a call of the one or more calls passes control of the call to the originating mobile switching center. The originating mobile switching center triggers the call to a service node. The service node sends an initial trigger response to the originating mobile switching center that instructs the originating mobile switching center to redirect the call. The initial trigger response arms one or more triggers that support one or more services for the communication device. The one or more triggers comprise one or more of one or more switch based triggers and one or more subscriber based triggers exclusive of Calling_Routing_Addresss_Available, OAnswer, and ODisconnect triggers. Upon receipt of the initial trigger response, the originating mobile switching center encounters one or more of the one or more triggers and triggers the call to one or more other service nodes.

In a telecommunication network, a user associated with a prepaid mobile communication device may fund an account balance employable for subsequent telecommunication service. For example, the telecommunication network provides the prepaid mobile communication device with prepaid telecommunication service. A prepaid service node maintains the account balance for the prepaid mobile communication device. For example, the prepaid service node calculates billing information for telecommunication service used by the prepaid mobile communication device. The billing information in one example comprises an amount to deduct from the account balance associated with the prepaid mobile communication device. The prepaid mobile communication device in one example is connected with a destination location on a telephone call for a duration. The prepaid service node calculates the amount to deduct from the account balance based on the destination location and duration of the telephone call.
The telecommunication network may offer additional services in addition to supporting telephone calls. For example, the telecommunication network may offer directory information, weather reports, horoscopes, and/or stock quotes through connection with one or more service nodes. The telecommunication network in one example connects mobile communication devices to the service nodes upon receipt of specific dialed number strings from the mobile communication devices.
The telecommunication network in one example comprises a serving mobile switching center responsible for triggering calls to the service nodes. However, the serving mobile switching center may not be able to support call triggers. Thus, to trigger calls to the service nodes, the serving mobile switching center may pass control of the call to an originating mobile switching center that supports call triggers. The originating mobile switching center connects the mobile communication device with the service nodes.
In one example, the originating mobile switching center triggers the call to one or more of the service nodes. However, the originating mobile switching center does not receive a trigger address list from a home location register upon registration of the mobile communication device. As one shortcoming, the originating mobile switching center may not have a complete list of call triggers required to connect the mobile communication device with the service nodes.
In another example, one or more of the service nodes hairpin (e.g., bridge) the call. For example, to connect the call with a service node, the originating mobile switching center connects a first call leg with the service node. The service node connects a second call leg back to the originating mobile switching center to continue the call. The service node bridges the first and second call legs together. The service node remains in a path of the call for a duration of the call. As another shortcoming, each of the call legs consume telecommunication network resources for the duration of the call.
Thus, a need exists for a telecommunication network that provides an enhanced communication between service nodes.

Call triggering to one or more service nodes upon receipt of initial trigger response


A theft prevention apparatus of a leisure vehicle including a portable device configured to transmit a user identification code by radio, a communication device that is equipped in the leisure vehicle and is configured to receive the user identification code, an electric power supply loaded in the leisure vehicle, a hand-operated switch that is disposed on a power line coupling the electric power supply to the communication device and is configured to turn to an on-state or an off-state to or not to permit the electric power to be supplied from the electric power supply to the communication device; and a controller configured to determine whether or not the user identification code received from the communication device matches the correct user identification code and to enable the leisure vehicle to be steered when it is determined that the received user identification code matches the correct user identification code.

Typically, a leisure vehicle, for example, a motorcycle is equipped with a rider's seat which is open to the outside. Thus, a rider may freely mount the rider's seat. A key switch is positioned in an exposed region near the rider's seat, for example, an instrument panel located in front of the rider's seat. For this reason, the motorcycle is more likely to be stolen in contrast to automobiles, which are equipped with a rider's seat into which a third party is unable to enter.
Under the circumstances, Japanese Patent No. 3112585 discloses a theft prevention apparatus in which an engine is able to start-up only when a key that matches a key switch is inserted into the key switch to turn on a main switch and a communication device that is equipped in a vehicle and is configured to store a predetermined user identification (ID) code matches a user ID code received from a portable device (card) carried by a rider.
In this theft prevention apparatus, the communication device equipped in the vehicle is required to be always held to await the user ID code from the portable device. In a case where the user goes outside for a long time period, for example, for a trip, and the vehicle is left unsteered for the long time period, battery power of the vehicle is wasted. This is problematic because battery capacity of a motorcycle is smaller than that of a four-wheeled vehicle.
The rider's seat of the motorcycle is open to the outside as described above, and the rider in many cases steers the motorcycle, wearing gloves while driving. To start the vehicle, the rider takes the gloves off to take the key out of a pocket, inserts the key into the key switch, and turns the key to a predetermined position. Thereafter, the rider puts back on the gloves. Such a procedure may be burdensome to the rider.
To address these circumstances, a key system (or keyless system) of a vehicle has been proposed, in which a knob of a main switch that replaces the key and the key switch is turned on, and when a rider carrying a portable device in a pocket or the like comes closer than a predetermined distance away from the vehicle the user ID code is communicated between the portable device and the communication device equipped in the vehicle to detect whether or not there is a match, and the engine is able to start-up if the match is detected.
However, in the keyless system of the motorcycle equipped with the seat which is open to the outside, if the rider (owner) carrying the communication device comes closer than the predetermined distance away from the vehicle, or otherwise the rider is checking the motorcycle from the side with someone other than the rider (owner) mounting the seat, then the user ID of the portable device code matches the user ID code of the communication device, so that someone may start-up the engine. As a result, theft of the vehicle may occur.
Furthermore, the above mentioned problems arise in leisure vehicles other than motorcycles.

Theft prevention apparatus of leisure vehicle


An application, such as an online merchant system, provides a name for a query stored in a database. The database accesses the query using the name provided by the application. The database next executes the query to produce an access object having the query results. The application then processes the access object to obtain a selected result. Storing queries in the database provides a level of indirection and flexibility enabling applications to access databases without prior knowledge of their schemas. Thus, applications can access data in a wide variety of existing databases having different schemas and data sublanguages. Modification of the database schema does not require corresponding modification or recompilation of the application accessing the database.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electronic databases and, more specifically, to a method of obtaining data from a database that is independent of its schema.
2. Description of the Related Technology
In the most general sense, a database is a collection of data. Various architectures have been devised to organize data in a computerized database. Typically, a computerized database includes data stored in mass storage devices, such as tape drives, magnetic hard disk drives and optical drives. The three principle architectures are termed hierarchical, network and relational. A hierarchical database, such as the IMS product from IBM, assigns different data types to different levels of the hierarchy. Links between data items on one level and data items on a different level are simple and direct. However, a single data item can appear multiple times in a hierarchical database and this creates data redundancy. To eliminate data redundancy, a network database, such as that proposed by the Committee for Data System Languages, stores data in nodes having direct access to any other node in the database. There is no need to duplicate data since all nodes are universally accessible. Lastly, in a relational database, the basic unit of data is a relation. A relation comprises attributes and tuples.
In an implementation of a relational database, a relation corresponds to a table having rows, where each row corresponds to a tuple, and columns, where each column corresponds to an attribute. From a practical standpoint, rows represent records of related data and columns identify individual data elements. A table defining a retailer's product line may, for example, have product names, product numbers (e.g., Stock Keeping Units or SKUs) and prices. Each row of this table holds data for a single product and each column holds a single attribute, such as a product name. The order in which the rows and columns appear in a table has no significance. In a relational database, one can add a new column to a table without having to modify older applications that access other columns in the table. Relational databases thus provide flexibility to accommodate changing needs.
All databases require a consistent structure, termed a schema, to organize and manage the information. In a relational database, the schema is a collection of tables. Similarly, for each table, there is generally one schema to which it belongs. Once the schema is designed, a tool, known as a database management system (DBMS), is used to build the database and to operate on data within the database. The DBMS stores, retrieves and modifies data associated with the database. Lastly, to the extent possible, the DBMS protects data from corruption and unauthorized access.
A human user controls the DBMS by providing a sequence of commands selected from a data sublanguage. The syntax of data sublanguages varies widely, including, for example, QUEL (Ingres Corporation), RDML (Digital Equipment Corporation) and SQL/DS (BDM). Fortunately, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) have adopted Structured English Query Language (SQL) as a standard data sublanguage for relational databases. The current version of the SQL standard is SQL-92 (ANSI Document No. X3.135-1992). SQL comprises a data definition language (DDL), a data manipulation language (DML), and a data control language (DCL). DDL allows users to define a database, to modify its structure and to destroy it. DML provides the tools to enter, modify and extract data from the database. DCL provides tools to protect data from corruption and unauthorized access. Although SQL is standardized, most implementations of the ANSI standard have subtle differences. Nonetheless, the standardization of SQL has greatly increased the utility of relational databases for many applications, including retail sales and merchandising operations, which are of particular interest to the present invention.
Although access to relational databases is facilitated by standard data sublanguages, users still must have detailed knowledge of the schema to obtain needed information from a database since one can design many different schemas to represent the storage of a given collection of information. For example, in an electronic merchandising system, a merchant may elect to store product information, such as product SKU, product name, product description, price, and tax code, in a single table within a relational database. Another merchant may elect to store product SKU, product name, description, and tax code in one table while product SKU and product price are stored in a separate table. In this situation, a SQL query designed to retrieve a product price from one merchant's database is not useful for retrieving the price for the same product in the other merchant's database because the differences in schemas require the use of different SQL queries to retrieve product price. As a consequence, developers of retail applications accessing product information from relational databases have to adapt their SQL queries to each individual schema. This, in turn, prevents their applications from being used in environments where there are a wide variety of databases having different schemas, such as the World Wide Web.
The rapid development of the World Wide Web (Web) facilitates the use of online merchant systems. Online merchant systems enable merchants to creatively display and describe their products to a global audience of shoppers using Web pages defined by hypertext markup language (HTML). HTML enables merchants to layout and display content, such as text, pictures, sound and video. Web shoppers access a merchant's page using a browser, such as Microsoft Explorer or Netscape Navigator, installed on a client connected to the Web through an online service provider, such as the Microsoft Network or America OnLine. The browser interprets the HTML to format and display the merchants page for the shopper. The online merchant system likewise enables shoppers to browse through a merchant's store to identify products of interest, to obtain specific product information and to electronically purchase products after reviewing product information. Merchants often store product data, such as product descriptions, prices and pictures, in legacy relational databases. Online merchant systems, therefore, have to interface with merchant databases to access and display product information. As each merchant organizes their product information differently, there is a large installed base of databases having a wide variety of database schemas for product information.
Available online merchant systems, such as eShop 1.0 and Netscape Merchant system, require that merchants organize their product information according to a predefined database schema. Hence, to use such systems, a merchant must either convert its existing databases to this predefined schema or the merchant must create a new database having the predefined schema. For many merchants, conversion of their existing databases is not feasible. For example, the merchant may have several hundred thousand product entries located in different remote databases accessed by legacy applications, such as a point of sale system or an inventory control system, specifically designed to interact with these different databases. If the merchant converted these databases to the predefined schemas, their legacy applications would no longer function properly. To protect their investment in legacy applications, merchants may have to copy their product data into a redundant database having the predefined schema. Otherwise, merchants may have to incur substantial costs to rewrite their legacy applications to support the predefined schema of the online merchant system. For these reasons, it is not cost-effective for a merchant to use applications requiring a predefined schema for existing relational databases. To enter the online merchant market, merchants require an online merchant system that will cooperatively function with existing database systems having a wide variety of schemas.


An apparatus for the focusing of incident light includes a base assembly that is adapted to support a primary mirror. The primary mirror includes an outside circumference and an inside aperture. An upright member is attached to the base assembly at a first end thereof at a first location that is disposed inside the aperture and at a second location that is disposed outside the primary mirror. The upright member includes a second end that is distally disposed with respect to the first end. The second end is adapted to receive a turret that includes a secondary mirror and is adapted to pivot between two positions. An IMU is attached to the base assembly proximate the primary mirror.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention, in general relates to telescopes and, more particularly, to a variable field of view telescope that is adapted for simultaneous use with visible and infrared wavelengths.
Cassegrain types of telescopes are well known reflector-types of telescopes that are used in both the recreational arts for astronomy and ground observation and also for commercial purposes as well as for certain military applications. In general, they offer a longer focal length in a more compact package. It is desirable with all optical systems to obtain as much light energy as possible (i.e., to provide a large aperture) in as compact and rigid a structure as is possible.
Variable field of view telescopes that include a plurality of field of view optical groups for insertion into the optical path are also known. The known prior art devices utilize a "C" structure that extends in an arc from the base of a primary mirror to a position over the primary mirror. A turret attached to the upper end of the C structure is used to suspend the plurality of optical groups a predetermined distance over the primary mirror.
The plurality of optical groups that are disposed on the turret are arranged for sequential insertion of one group into the field of view following the simultaneous withdrawal of a preceding group from the field of view. Accordingly, one optical group is always disposed in the field of view.
While providing the benefit of being able to withdraw and then insert one of several optical groups into the field of view (to affect the field of view), there are several disadvantages inherent with this type of design. An important disadvantage is that the C structure incurs considerable flexing that is an inherent characteristic due to the length of the arm and the fact that it is supported only at the base of the structure.
This can cause misalignment of the optical groups and resultant distortion in the optical path. Also, because of the long length of the C structure, thermal expansion and contraction effects can further contribute to misalignment and error along the optical path or limit the temperature range in which the equipment can properly function.
Also, the C structure obstructs a significant quantity of light energy that would otherwise impede upon the primary mirror. The C structure provides only one point of mechanical support. Therefore, it must be mechanically large and strong enough so as to sufficiently limit flexing and vibration. Because the structure is supported on the outside of the primary mirror, a long moment arm is also created from the base of the C structure to the turret. It is the long moment arm that is subject to flexing and the turret that is subject to vibration.
Vibration can be in response to any mechanical energy that the C structure experiences. For example, vibration of the engine(s) that propel the vehicle or aircraft may be transmitted to the C structure. While there is always the possibility for vibration of the moment arm, there is also the possibility that the length of the arm can resonate in a harmonic frequency thereby increasing the amplitude of vibration.
To minimize flexing and vibration an amount that permits utilization of the C structure design, it is built as large and as strong as it needs to be in order to function in any given environment. However, this is not desirable because it is preferable that the C structure be as small as possible so as to minimize the amount of light energy that it obstructs. Accordingly, a tradeoff is made in the prior art design that sacrifices light gathering ability for necessary rigidity.
Also, the larger the C structure is, the heavier it also becomes. This is another limitation that is an especially important consideration in various circumstances, for example, when the telescope is used in an aircraft or spacecraft. While it is desirable that a telescope be lightweight, this is crucial in certain applications.
The prior art design also relies upon the use of moveable hard stops to repeat the position that the plurality of optical groups are maintained in. This limits the speed by which optical groups can be changed without causing damage.
Furthermore, when the plurality of optical groups are moved into and out of the optical path, it is desirable that precise repeatability of their position occur, else the optical path is adversely affected. The prior art designs that require variability in the stops are unable to provide optimum repeatability in the positioning of the optical groups.
An especially significant limitation with the prior art designs is that the field of view changes in steps according to the number and optical characteristics of the various optical groups. It is desirable to be able to step in IR and also to provide a progressive zoom capability in visible as well, which the prior art fails to provide.
The prior art designs are also limited in their ability to provide both IR (infrared) and visible light gathering ability. Separate optical paths are typically required. If the telescope is used in a gimbal ball, for example, this would result in having two apertures in the gimbal ball, one for visible and one for IR. This is undesirable for many reasons.
There are many light frequencies that may be of interest. It is desirable to be able to view two or more channels simultaneously and also to change the field of view (FOV) from between wide angle FOV (lower magnification) and narrow FOV (higher magnification) capabilities. Prior art designs have been unable to effectively switch back and forth between infrared and visible light while also providing a zoom capability.
For many applications it is desirable to be able to zoom in the visible spectrum. For example, if after detecting an object of interest using a wide field of view (in the visible spectrum or IR spectrum), it is desirable to be able to narrow the field of view and zoom in to obtain a closer examination of the object. If the object of interest was first discovered as a presence in the infrared spectrum, it may be desirable to switch study to the visible spectrum and zoom in accordingly.
Prior art designs have provided limited zoom capability in the visible spectrum. This is because a rigid and relatively long physical path is required to house the optical elements that typically accompany an optical zoom system. A recording camera or other type of transducer may be placed in the field of view, as desired.
Furthermore, space is often a commodity in short supply, especially if the telescope is to be housed in a gimbal ball.
Accordingly, it is desirable to be able to provide a space to accommodate the optical elements of a visible zoom optical system and do so in such manner as to provide an optimally long linear path that is especially rigid. It would also be a significant and unexpected benefit if the structures used for the visible optical zoom system were able to provide increased rigidity to the overall structure for supporting an optical telescope.
As mentioned briefly hereinabove, there are many possible frequencies of light (electromagnetic) energy that may of interest depending upon the application. It is desirable to provide versatility in such an instrument to change the transducers and analyze the relevant spectrums that may be of interest.
Another prior art limitation concerns the mounting of the gyroscope that is used to determine position of the primary mirror. As the primary mirror is used in long focal length (i.e., high magnification) applications, its positioning is of critical concern.
Prior art designs have included the gyroscope inside of the gimbal ball, for example, but the gyroscope has been positioned distally away from the primary mirror. A number of support structures exist in prior art designs that are disposed intermediate the primary mirror and the gyroscope. Tolerances, vibration, expansion and contraction, all combine to introduce a potential for error occurring between the actual position of the primary mirror and where the gyroscope "thinks" it is pointing.
It is desirable to limit such error to an absolute minimum. Positioning data may be obtained from GPS (global positioning satellite) data. An IMU or an inertial measurement unit includes a combination of three rate instruments and three accelerometers. The preferred type of rate instruments include fiber optic gyroscopes (FOG). Typically, IMUs are used to calculate changes in direction as well as position information by measuring outputs from the FOGs and accelerometers. Accordingly, motion in all directions is accounted for. When GPS data is combined with IMU output and computer circuits are utilized (to provide a corrective signal), and Inertial Navigation System (INS) is provided.
Accordingly, the ability of the INS to correct for changes in position (for example, of the aircraft) and to maintain the primary mirror pointing precisely on an object of interest, especially at long focal lengths, is dependent upon how accurately the direction in which the primary mirror is pointing is known.
If the distance between the primary mirror and the IMU introduces a variable then the IMU's output is subject because it indicates changes in the IMU's position which do not correlate one to one with changes in the primary mirror's position.
Accordingly, it is especially desirable to reduce error between the output of the IMU and the actual direction the primary mirror is oriented.
Accordingly, there exists today a need for a structure for supporting an optical telescope that overcomes these prior art limitations.
2. Description of Prior Art
Telescopes and zoom lenses are, in general, known. For example, the following patent describes various types of these devices:
U.S. Pat. No. 5,907,433 to Voigt et al, May 25, 1999; and
U.S. Pat. No. 5,940,222 to Sinclair et al, Aug. 17, 1999.
While the structural arrangements of the above described devices, at first appearance, have similarities with the present invention, they differ in material respects. These differences, which will be described in more detail hereinafter, are essential for the effective use of the invention and which admit of the advantages that are not available with the prior devices.

Structure for supporting an optical telescope


An inspection system with selectable apodization includes an illumination source configured to illuminate a surface of a sample, a detector configured to detect at least a portion of light emanating from the surface of the sample, the illumination source and the detector being optically coupled via an optical pathway of an optical system, a selectably configurable apodization device disposed along the optical pathway, wherein the apodization device includes one or more apodization elements operatively coupled to one or more actuation stages configured to selectably actuate the one or more apodization elements along one or more directions, and a control system communicatively coupled to the one or more actuation and configured to selectably control apodization of illumination transmitted along the optical pathway by controlling an actuation state of the one or more apodization elements.

Fabricating semiconductor devices such as logic and memory devices typically includes processing a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer using a large number of semiconductor fabrication processes to form various features and multiple levels of the semiconductor devices. Examples of semiconductor fabrication processes include, but are not limited to, lithography, chemical-mechanical polishing, etch, deposition, and ion implantation. Multiple semiconductor devices may be fabricated in an arrangement on a single semiconductor wafer and then separated into individual semiconductor devices.
As the dimensions of semiconductor devices decrease, the demand for improved inspection processes and tools increases. Inspection processes are used at various steps during a semiconductor manufacturing process to detect defects on wafers, leading to increased device yield. Many different types of inspection tools have been developed for the inspection of semiconductor wafers. Defect inspection is currently performed using techniques such as bright field (BF) imaging, dark field (DF) imaging, and scattering. The type of inspection tool that is used for inspecting semiconductor wafers may be selected based on, for example, characteristics of the defects of interest and characteristics of the wafers that will be inspected. For example, some inspection tools are designed to inspect unpatterned semiconductor wafers or patterned semiconductor wafers.
Patterned wafer inspection is of particular interest and importance to the semiconductor industry because processed semiconductor wafers usually have a pattern of features formed thereon. Inspection of patterned wafers is, therefore, important to accurately detect defects that may have been formed on the wafer during, or as a result of, processing.
Many inspection tools have been developed for patterned wafer inspection. For example, patterned wafer inspection tools commonly utilize spatial filters to enhance patterned wafer inspection. These spatial filters may include, but are not limited to, Fourier filters and apodizing filters.
Since the light scattered from patterned features depends on various characteristics of the patterned features such as lateral dimension and period, the design of the spatial filter also depends on such characteristics of the patterned features. As a result, the spatial filter must be designed based on known or determined characteristics of the patterned features and must vary as different patterned features are being inspected. Therefore, it is desirable to provide a system and method that cures the defects of the prior art.

System and method for apodization in a semiconductor device inspection system


A memory refresh control technique allows flexible internal refresh rates based on an external 1× refresh rate and allows skipping a refresh cycle for strong memory rows based on the external 1× refresh rate. A memory controller performs a memory refresh by reading a refresh address from a refresh address counter, reading a weak address from a weak address table and generating a next weak address value based at least in part on a next bit sequence combined with the weak address. The memory controller compares the refresh address to the weak address and to the next weak address value. Based on the comparison, the memory controller selects between skipping a refresh cycle, refreshing the refresh address, refreshing the weak address, and refreshing both the refresh address and the weak address.

Semiconductor memory devices include, for example, static random access memory (SRAM) and dynamic random access memory (DRAM). A DRAM memory cell generally includes one transistor and one capacitor, thereby providing a high degree of integration. The capacitor can be either charged or discharged to store information as a corresponding bit value (e.g., 0 or 1). Because capacitors leak charge, the stored information eventual fades unless the capacitor charge is refreshed periodically. Due to the refresh requirement, DRAM is referred to as dynamic memory as opposed to SRAM and other static memory. The continuous refreshing of DRAM generally limits its use to computer main memory.
DRAM scaling continues to increase the total number of bits for each DRAM chip, directly impacting the specification of DRAM refresh, the process by which a cell's value is kept readable. The specification of DRAM refresh includes the interval at which refresh commands are sent to each DRAM (tREFI) and the amount of time that the refresh command occupies the DRAM interface (tRFC). Unfortunately, DRAM scaling increases the number of weak retention cells (e.g., cells that have a reduced retention time). Such cells involve additional refresh cycles to maintain the stored information. A significant performance and power consumption impact is caused by the increased refresh cycles in a system on chip or other like computer architecture. Otherwise, potential DRAM chip yield loss results without increased refresh cycles.

Refresh scheme for memory cells with next bit table


The color processor is provided with: a conversion source color data acquiring part for acquiring conversion source color datasets in a first color space; a gamut storage for storing a gamut; a determining part for determining whether or not each of the conversion source color datasets exists in the gamut; a first color conversion processor for performing color conversion processing on each of conversion source color datasets A in the conversion source color datasets by use of a color conversion characteristic model, the conversion source color datasets A being determined to exist in the gamut; and a second color conversion processor for performing color conversion processing on each of conversion source color datasets B in the conversion source color datasets by use of color conversion correspondence, the conversion source color datasets B being determined not to exist in the gamut.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a color processor, a computer readable medium storing a program and a color processing method.
2. Related Art
Each of color image output apparatuses such as color printers and color display devices has its own specific color reproduction range called a gamut. For this reason, the color image output apparatus generally performs gamut compression processing (gamut mapping algorithm) for converting inputted image data into color data within the gamut of the color image output apparatus.

Color processor, computer readable medium and color processing method