Disclosed is a power distribution system for detecting and repairing all electrical faults, which performs at least one of immediate alarming, breaking, repairing, notifying, monitoring, and controlling according to a faulty section, place, and position where a fault occurred, if a resistance increase, an arc, an open phase, a connection failure, a partial wire disconnection, an incorrect wire connection, an abnormal voltage input, an electric leakage, a short circuit, a power imbalance occurs in three-phase or single-phase electrical equipment or in the present power distribution system.

In general, electrical equipment refers to machinery, equipment, dams, waterways, reservoirs, electric lines, security communication lines, and other equipment installed for power generation, transmission, substation, distribution, or electricity use. Electrical equipment for electric business, general electrical equipment, and private electrical equipment correspond to electrical equipment. As an example of the electrical equipment, a three-phase four-wire power distribution system supplies power by combining a neutral line N and a power line (R phase, S phase, and T phase) through a method such as Y connection, delta connection, Y delta connection, and the like. Here, in the case of load connection, connecting one power line and another power line forms 380 V, and connecting one power line (e.g., A phase) and a neutral line N forms 220 V to supply power to a single-phase load.
Here, the neutral line N indicates a line which commonly processes a line on one side of each phase in a multi-phase multi-wire line. Although six strands of electric wires are needed in principle to use three phases, if the lines on one sides are commonly processed by shifting the phases of single-phase two-wire lines as much as 120° respectively, the wires are reduced to four strands, and the potential of the commonly processed point becomes zero (0) by vector sum. The zero potential (null potential) like this becomes a reference potential, which becomes the so-called N phase, i.e., the neutral line.
In this state, although the neutral line should have a null potential, i.e., a ground potential, in principle, the neutral line may have a small voltage when the phase of each of the RST phases does not actually become exactly 120° in the field. At this point, if the neutral line is commonly connected to the earth line, which is a ground potential line, to prevent a rise in the potential of the neutral line, the null potential is maintained although there is a small difference in the phase of each of the RST phases when the neutral line comes into contact with the earth.
Here, two connected wires are used in a single-phase distribution line, and since one of the two wires is connected to the neutral line, which has a potential equal to that of the earth, and the other wire is connected to a power line having a potential difference of 220 V with the earth, if an electric leakage (grounding) occurs in the power line, the risk of death by electric shock or outbreak of a fire is very high.
In addition, if the neutral line on the power supply side, to which a single-phase load is commonly connected, is disconnected, an abnormal voltage flows into a light load due to unbalanced loads different from each other through the neutral line commonly connected to an unbalanced single-phase load connected to a different phase of the three phases, and thus overheat burning damage of an electric device and outbreak of a fire caused by the overheating frequently occur, and in addition, a zero harmonic flowing into the neutral line causes an abnormal over current to flow in the neutral line, bringing about an electrical accident. In order to prevent this, a molded case circuit breaker (MCCB) and an electric leakage breaker (ELB) are installed.
The MCCB, which refers to a circuit breaker which protects an overload flowing in a wire and a short circuit, is generally accommodated in a molded case, and is used to protect wires in a circuit of low indoor voltage of AC 600 V or lower or DC 250 V or lower. Generally, the circuit breaker is also called the MCCB.
In addition, the electric leakage breaker (ELB) is a device for preventing electric shock by sensing a leakage current of about 5 to 30 mA. Most fuses or MCCBs operate at a high current of about a few amperes (A). Thus, the ELB should be used to prevent electric shock accidents caused by a small leakage current and is supposed to detect a leakage current of about 5 to 30 mA and break a circuit within 25 to 40 msec to prevent the electric shock from reaching the heart of a victim and leading to a death from electric shock. The leakage current which becomes a reference of breaking varies depending on the country and region, and in Korea, it is limited to one-two thousandth of a rated current. If the rated current of an ELB is 100 A, a leakage current thereof is within 50 mA.
A general ELB measures a difference between an outgoing current to a power line and an incoming current into a neutral line. If the sum of the outgoing current and the incoming current is not zero, it means that the current is leaking somewhere. At this point, the ELB operates to cut off the leakage current. The ELB is in a complementary relation with a circuit breaker which cuts off high current. Since an overload or a short circuit cannot be prevented using only the circuit breaker dedicated to an electric leakage, a circuit breaker for cutting off both overcurrent (short circuit) and electric leakage is used in most cases.
In addition, an ELB for cutting off a leakage current of 500 mA or higher is installed in an environment of a data center or the like which may be operated due to an accident when an interrupt current is low. Such an electric leakage breaker is installed for fire protection, rather than for an electric shock protection.
However, electric fires do not decrease every year, and most of the fires occur in low-voltage consumers, rather than high-voltage consumers, because of poor electrical facilities of the low-voltage consumers. When a neutral line-disconnected electricity or open phase electricity is supplied from a distribution line, when electricity of incorrect connection is supplied, when an abnormal voltage such as a surge voltage is supplied, or when electrical fault such as an increase in resistance, a connection failure (arc), or the like, occurs in an electrical equipment of a consumer, the low-voltage consumer cannot do something about the electrical fault, and thus an abnormal voltage may be introduced into a load, or electrical equipment is overheated or burned, resulting in an electric shock or electric fire.
In addition, an area from an entrance for receiving electricity of a building of a low-voltage consumer to a distribution panel/switchboard where a circuit breaker is installed is a blind spot for electrical fault monitoring such as an electric leakage, and if an electric leakage accident occurs in this area, bodily injury and property damage occur due to electric shock and electric fire without any measures. There are various causes of such electric fires, and main factors thereof are as follows.
First, as a short circuit, if a cover (sheath) of a wire is peeled off, if a wire is fixed with nails, pins, or the like, or if a heavy item is placed on a movable wire, two strands of the wire come into contact with each other by direct or indirect resistance and a current may concentratively flow to a contact portion to which the current may easily flow, causing a short circuit phenomenon, and at this time, a spark occurs due to contact between conductors, leading to a fire.
In case of overload, when the amount of electricity larger than a rated capacity is excessively used or occurs due to an unbalanced current, heat is excessively generated from an electric wire, an electric device itself, or a connection part of a wiring mechanism and can potentially start a fire.
An unbalanced voltage occurs due to open phase, disconnection, and fault of a load device in balanced loads (three-phase motors, etc.), when a power side neutral line of an unbalanced single-phase load of a three-phase four-wire system or single-phase three-wire system is disconnected or when a load device has a fault. An overcurrent of a three-phase balanced load may be protected to a degree by an electronic over current relay (EOCR), but if open phase abnormality occurs or a neutral line is disconnected in a control power at an initial stage (delay time) of starting a motor, it is not easy to protect the overcurrent due to supply abnormality of control power of the ECOR or the like. In particular, if the neutral line is disconnected in the single-phase two-wire power side system, a power failure occurs on the load side and the relay (breaker) becomes inoperable, and if the power line is shorted, an electric shock may occur or overvoltage may be introduced to a consumer who uses a small load so that there are no countermeasures for breaking fault electricity even in the event of electrical equipment damage, overheating, or a fire.
An electric leakage refers to an electrical circuit in which electricity flows to the outside through an object other than a conductive wire. As a current flows to a building, auxiliary facilities, etc. without passing through a part designed as a passage to accumulate heat, heat accumulation can cause a short circuit fire.
Connection failure and partial wire disconnection occur as a connection point (branch of circuit, etc.) of an electric wire or a conductor in an electric wire is disconnected. In this case, as connection and disconnection are repeated, an arc and resistance occur to cause a hindrance to a current flow. When such a hindrance is accumulated for a predetermined period of time or longer, a sheath of the electric wire is carbonized and positive (+) and negative (−) electrodes, which are conductors of the electric wire, collide with each other to cause a fire.
In addition, when overheating occurs as resistance of the conductor is increased due to an increase in resistance, carbonization (deterioration), and the like, an electric shock or fire occurs, and as overheating proceeds, overcurrent, overvoltage, unbalanced power due to occurrence of a short circuit, an open phase, a disconnection, and the like may cause an electric fire, but there is no technology to detect an abnormality such as carbonization (deterioration) in converters, and the reality is that the latest inspection method relies on the naked eyes of an electrician, and here, a connection defect which may be partially detected will be described.
As described above, the causes of electric fires are various, and each fire cause is different in all of the accompanying physical phenomena, so the methods used to detect the causes of electric fires are all different and types of protection relays are also diverse.
For an example of detecting a connection failure, an existing device for detecting a connection failure and an electrical abnormal state generally detect a temperature, a change in voltage and current, a change in harmonic (VTHD, ITHD), and the like to detect a connection failure, and in such a related art, various electrical quality factors must be measured or a temperature sensing device must be separately installed, and definitively, an electrical phenomenon appearing when a connection failure occurs cannot be accurately analyzed and identified.
That is, in the related art for detecting through a change in harmonic, when a consumer uses a welding machine and arcing load, VTHD and ITHD may increase severely, and since the values may severely fluctuate even in a normal state according to a light load, a heavy load, and a peak load, it is not sure if it was caused due to a connection failure.
In addition, the related art for detecting a connection failure from a single factor of a voltage value or a current value also has a limitation in determining a connection failure if voltage and current sources are separated (consumers supplied separately by PT and CT).
The connection failure is a failure that occurs in a current flow as an arc occurs at a connection point of an electric wire (a branch of a circuit, etc.) and resistance is created. If the failure is accumulated for more than a predetermined period of time, a temperature may increase and the sheath (insulation material) of the electric wire is carbonized and softened to result in an electric confusion, that is, positive (+) and negative (−) electrodes of the electric wire collide with each other to lead to occurrence of a short circuit, damage from burning an electrical equipment, and even an electric fire.
Specifically, as resistance of a contact surface increases due to a connection failure of the wire, heat of a connection surface of conductor (wire) increases, and the heat of high temperature damages insulation between the conductors (wires), causing a short circuit between the conductors. In addition, an arc occurs due to contact between conductors, and the device is burned by the arc heat, which leads to even an electric fire.
So far, the development and supply of equipment that may prevent electrical accidents and fires due to short circuits, overcurrents, or electric leakage occurring at a load side of a switch (circuit breaker) have been generalized, but there is no circuit breaker (switch) for accurately performing detection or breaking in the event of an arc of a conductor, an increase in resistance, overheating, disconnection of the neutral line, open phase of a power line, unbalanced abnormal voltage inflow, partial wire disconnection, or connection failure or in the event of an incorrect wire connection, an electric leakage, a ground fault, or a short circuit on a power side.
That is, a lot of technologies for detecting short circuits, electric leakage (ground faults), overloads, and the like of the load side have been developed, but a technology for accurately detecting an electrical fault and breaking it and taking measures in the event of arcs, an increase in resistance, overheating, neutral line disconnection, open phase of power line, unbalanced abnormal voltage inflow, partial wire disconnection, or connection failure on the power side and the load side or in the event of an incorrect wire connection, an electric leakage, a ground fault, or a short circuit on the power side has not been developed. Therefore, the Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) checks distribution lines with naked eyes, while spending a lot of manpower/labor and budget with infrared (thermal imaging) cameras to find distribution lines with connection failures.
Therefore, a technology capable of accurately determining the electrical fault regarding the arcs, an increase in resistance, overheating, neutral line disconnection, open phase of power line, unbalanced abnormal voltage inflow, partial wire disconnection, or connection failure on the power side and the load side or in the event of an incorrect connection, an electric leakage, a ground fault, or a short circuit on the power side and preventing damage from burning an electric device, an electric fire, an electric shock, and a mortality event is more urgently required than ever.
Techniques conventionally proposed to solve the problems generated due to a connection failure, open phase, disconnection, unbalanced over voltage, and overcurrent are disclosed in Korean Laid-Open Publication No. 10-2009-0004718 (Published on Jan. 12, 2009) (Title of invention: Apparatus and method for detecting loose contact) (Hereinafter, referred to as "related art 1"), Korean Patent Registration No. 10-1109024 (Registered on Jan. 17, 2012) (Title of invention: Apparatus and method for detecting loose contact of watt hour meter) (Hereinafter, referred to as "related art 2"), Korean Patent Registration No. 10-1803431 (Registered on Nov. 24, 2017) (Title of invention: Real-time recovery transformer system and method of construction thereof in case of single-phase power line failure) (Hereinafter, referred to as "related art 3"), and Korean Laid-Open Publication No. 10-2015-0128124 (Published on Nov. 18, 2015) (Title of invention: Overcurrent relay) (Hereinafter, referred to as "related art 4").
The disclosed "related art 1"
may protect a user from the risk of fire by sensing a loose contact using changes in current effective value, power factor, current instantaneous value, harmonics or the like as an index and accordingly shutting down power. Since the loose contact is determined when two or more factors are satisfied among the five factors capable of sensing a loose contact, a loose contact is sensed more correctly. Furthermore, information on the power shutdown according to the loose contact is provided to a user terminal, so that a user at a remote site may easily recognize it.
The disclosed "related art 2"
includes a voltage and current detection unit detecting a voltage and a current supplied to a consumer, a power factor calculation unit calculating a power factor value for a preset total measurement time and a measurement time unit through the detected voltage and current values, a loose contact determination unit determining a loose contact when the power factor value calculated for the preset total measurement time and the measurement time unit continuously decreases in a range of a value smaller than a predetermined reference value, and an interface unit transmitting a loose contact signal to a remote server when a loose contact is determined by the loose contact determination unit, and it is configured to prevent burning damage of an electric device (watt hour meter) caused by a loose contact by preventing the loose contact of the watt hour meter.
The disclosed "related art 3"
includes a power side transformer having a neutral point of the power side transformer and grounding the neutral point to the ground to thereby step down a potential difference with the ground than an existing potential difference; and at least two load side transformer having the neutral point and grounding the neutral point to the ground or connecting the neutral point to the neutral point of the power side transformer to recover a power side electrical fault in real time, whereby when a disconnection, loose contact, partial wire disconnection, and electric leakage occurs at a single-phase power side of a three-phase or single-phase power distribution system, an alarm may be immediately triggered, breaking may be immediately performed, or the disconnection may be recovered in real time, thereby preventing the occurrence of an electrical fault based on a power failure, an electric shock, a fire, and overheating due to a fault of the power distribution system.
The disclosed "related art 4"
is configured such that, in order to solve a problem of relay malfunction due to a normal change in a load, which is a limitation of the related art of the overcurrent relay, whether a change in a load is a normal change in the load is determined and whether to operate the relay is determined and the relay is operated according to the load state, whereby an appropriate relay operation based on the load state may be performed, a relay malfunction caused by a normally added load may be prevented, and line protection and system operation may be stably and reliably performed.

Electrical fault detection and recovery power distribution system and its construction method


A color error diffusion method effective between a color image input device operating in one color space and a color image output device operating in another color space. The method includes the steps of (a) preparing a final color palette for use in a practice of vector error diffusion intermediate the color image input and output devices, and (b) basing that preparing upon a reverse color conversion step which is effectively applied to a generated calibrated color profile associated with operation of the color image input device.

This invention pertains to color error diffusion, and in particular, relates to the creation, for error-diffusion use, of a unique color palette which directly relates the operating color space of a color image input device with each of the possible output colors of a color image output device which performs in, or has, another operating color space. Most especially, the present invention focuses attention of the handling of digital color image data in color spaces which do not involve luminance channels, and with respect to which a quite accurate and very pleasing "flow" of output color imaging quite accurately reflects the appearance of color imaging directly associated with the input color image device.
For the purpose of explanation and illustration herein, and not with any intention to limit what will be seen to be the broad scope of this invention, a preferred manner of practicing the invention is described especially in the context of a color image input device (input device) which is a color display device that operates in sRGB color space, and a color output device (output device) which is a printer that operates in CMYK color space. Other input color spaces very suitable for employment with respect to practice of the present invention include RGB color space and cRGB color space. Similarly, another output color space which is easily accommodated is CMY color space.
According to important characteristics of the present invention, a final created operational color palette, useable for error diffusion, is effectively created in what is referred to herein as a reverse color conversion procedure which flows from the prior creation of an appropriate calibrated color profile that is directly associated with the nature and operation of the color image input device.
According to one preferred manner of expressing the nature of the present invention, what is proposed is a color error diffusion method that is effective between a color image input device which operated in one color space and a color image output device which operates in another color space, with the steps of the method including (a) preparing a final color palette for use in a practice of vector error diffusion intermediate the color image input device and the color image output device, and (b) basing that preparation upon a reverse color conversion step which is effectively applied to a generated calibrated color profile directly associated with the operation of the color image input device. That methodology is performed in a setting wherein the color image input device's color space is one selected from the group including sRGB color space, RGB color space and cRGB color space, and the color image output device's color space is one selected from the group including CMYK color space and CMY color space.
Another way for expressing the invention is that it takes the form of a color error diffusion method which is effective between a color image input device that operates in one color space and a color image output device that operates in another color space, with, from this point of view, the steps of the method including (a) with respect to the color image input device, performing a first color conversion from that device's operating color space to a selected, transitional color space which is a generic version of the color image output device's operating color space, (b) creating an initial color palette from this first color conversion, (c) using the created initial color palette in a vector error diffusion process, preparing test color calibration images, and from these images generating a calibrated color profile which is associated with the operation of the color image input device, (d) from the generated calibrated color profile, producing a color look-up table which relates the color image input device's operating color space to the color image output device's operating color space, and (e) from the produced look-up table, and employing, effectively, the performance of a second, reverse color conversion step, preparing a final color palette which relates the color image input device's operating color space to each of the possible output colors that are producible by the color image output device in its operating color space.
The various features and advantages of the invention will now become more fully apparent as the description which follows is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.


The present invention relates to a method of compensating the pressure drop in an ordinary ventilator tube. The method comprises the measurement of a first air flow at a first pressure on the apparatus' side of the ventilator tube and with the respiratory mask taken off. Moreover, a parameter is calculated in a function which provides the pressure drop in the ventilator tube in dependence on the air flow. The parameter for the air flow and pressure is calculated. Later, the air flow is calculated with the respiratory mask being put on. By means of the function a correction pressure is calculated from the air flow. Finally, a target pressure is set which results as a sum of the selected mask pressure and the correction pressure. The invention moreover relates to ventilator for performing the aforementioned method and to a memory medium for storing a corresponding program.

Known are ventilators or respirators for the mechanical, artificial respiration for all forms of an oxygen deficiency state. They are, inter alia, applied for the long-time respiration. (Roche Medical Dictionary, 4th Edition, edited by Hoffmann-La Roche AG and Urban & Fischer, Urban & Fischer, Munich, Stuttgart, Jena, Lübeck, Ulm).
A particular form of ventilator, so-called CPAP apparatus, are used to avoid obstructive respiratory disturbances during sleep.
Obstructive respiratory disturbances result in apneas which make the sleeping person wake up. Frequent apneas prevent the sleeping person from falling into the relaxing deep sleep. People suffering from apneas during sleep therefore are tired during the day, which may result in social problems at work and, in the worst case, in deadly accidents, for example with professional motorcar drivers.
The CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) therapy was developed for the treatment of apneas and is described in Chest. Volume No. 110, pages 1077-1088, October 1996 and in Sleep, Volume No. 19, pages 184-188. A CPAP-apparatus generates a positive overpressure up to approximately 30 mbar by means of a fan and administers said positive pressure, preferably via a humidifier, via a ventilator tube and a nose or face mask to the respiratory tract of the patient.
This positive pressure is to ensure that the upper respiratory tract remains fully opened during the whole night, so that no apneas will occur (DE 198 49 571 A1). The required positive pressure is also called therapeutic pressure pt and depends, inter alia, on the sleeping stage and the position of the body of the sleeping person.
FIG. 1 shows a CPAP-apparatus 1 during therapeutic use. The CPAP-apparatus 1 comprises a housing 4, a ventilator tube 9, and a nose or face mask 18. The housing 4 includes a fan 8 also being called a compressor, blower, ventilator or turbine. A pressure sensor 11 for measuring the positive pressure, generated by the fan, with respect to the ambient pressure is provided in the proximity of the ventilator tube connection inside the housing. The measured positive pressure will hereinafter be called actual pressure. The air conveyed by the fan 8 is supplied via a ventilator tube 9 to the face mask 18 worn by the patient 19 himself. In the face mask 18, or in the proximity thereof, an expiration opening 2 is provided, through which a permanent air flow occurs from the ventilator tube into the ambiance. This air flow ensures that the air expired by the patient is carried off into the ambiance and prevents the accumulation of CO2 in the ventilator tube 9. A microcontroller 5 controls the number of revolutions of the fan such that the actual pressure measured by the pressure sensor 11 corresponds to a target pressure.
With all known CPAP-apparatus, and according to the patent literature, so far two methods are used so as to determine the pressure in the face mask of CPAP-apparatus.
According to one thereof a pressure sensor detects the pressure of the air conveyed to the patient directly in the apparatus. In the factory, for a frequently used combination of ventilator tube and mask the pressure difference is measured at a medium volume flow. This differential value is deducted from the pressure measured in the apparatus, and the result is interpreted as mask pressure. Errors in the pressure adjustment are inevitable because the air flow permanently fluctuates due to the respiration so that the pressure loss in the ventilator tube varies. It is thereby particularly annoying for the patient that the pressure in the face or nose mask is lower during inspiration as compared to expiration. Particularly with this form of pressure control the patient therefore has the feeling that he has to respire against a resistance.
According to other methods, one of which is described in WO 00/66207, the detection of the pressure is effected in the proximity of the end of the ventilator tube in front of the mask or in the mask. The pressure detection is thereby very exact. The pressure control also compensates leakages etc. The pressure measurement itself may be accomplished with a pressure sensor the electrical connecting leads of which have to be guided with the ventilator tube to the ventilator. In particular with apparatus from MAP is a separate thin tube guided from the measuring point to a pressure sensor disposed in a CPAP-apparatus. A drawback of these variants resides in that special tubes are necessary so as to bring the connecting leads or the tube, respectively, back into the CPAP-apparatus. These custom-made products are more expensive than ordinary ventilator tubes. Moreover, their use with other CPAP-apparatus is possible only to a limited extent. Finally, the cleaning is more complicated.

Method for compensating a pressure drop in a ventilator tube, ventilator and memory medium


An apparatus for flattening sintered ceramic electronic packaging substrates having opposing faces with undesired camber interleaves the substrates with spacers. At least one heating zone includes a heat transfer medium movable toward and away from the stack of interleaved ceramic substrates and spacers to apply a desired rate of heat by direct contact with or close proximity to sides of the stack. A plunger applies pressure to the stack in a direction normal to the faces of the substrates. At least one cooling zone includes a heat transfer medium movable toward and away from the stack to remove heat introduced in the heating zone by direct contact with or close proximity to sides of the stack. A reducing gas supply is operatively connected to the at least one heating zone and at least one cooling zone to supply gas to maintain a controlled reducing atmosphere within the apparatus.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for flattening sintered multilayer ceramic electronic substrates used in the production of microelectronic chips.
2. Description of Related Art
State-of-the-art flattening in a continuous furnace for alumina single chip module (SCM) multilayer ceramic (MLC) products involve the use of molybdenum boats, typically with five to six layers to carry product. Each boat layer can carry 16 to 36 products depending on how much weight each product must see to obtain an acceptable final flatness. Typically, four to nine reference products would be placed under one flattening weight, and four such weights would be loaded in a given boat layer. A typical flattening process requires heating the samples under a 0.2-0.5 kg weight (about 1000-3000 Pa) to over 1400° C. and then maintaining them at high temperature for about one hour to achieve an acceptable process yield, under existing flatness specification levels. Typical heating rates are 2-4° C/mm, with a lower rate for cooling. The process operating temperature is selected to exceed the ceramic liquid phase melting point to facilitate flattening. Since the processing conditions during flattening do not involve any throughput-limiting chemical reaction, but need only to keep some moderate control on temperature gradient in the loading boat, usual boat loading frequencies fall in the 20-30 min range, resulting in a total processing time of 16 to 20 hours for a typical continuous furnace.
Typically, post sintering process specifications for flatness require top surface camber or flatness of less than 30 μm in the chip site area to enable reliable and efficient chip joining process, and less than 75 to 125 μm on the product bottom surface to enable second level interconnect processes, such as ball grid array (BGA), land grid array (LGA) or pins. Since the total boat weight is usually limited by the furnace design characteristics, and the flattening weight per product is set by the level of product rework required, it is generally not possible to maximize the tool throughput arbitrarily. However, for the reference product type and typical rework level requirements, it is possible to expect the tool throughput to be in the 4000 to 8000 samples/day range.
Additional flattening steps are used when one flattening pass is not sufficient to bring the product into the desired flatness range, but the efficiency of the process decreases with every additional processing step mainly due to continuous dissolution of alumina into the ceramic liquid phase during maximum heating temperature, which results in a more refractory liquid phase. Also, with such additional processing steps, the product size continues to decrease due to sintering, increasing the chance that the product falls below size specification range. From a mechanical point of view, the use of a fixed flattening load on a given product is also expected to reduce in effectiveness as the products get flatter since the given load is distributed onto an increasingly larger area. Further, surface contamination problems such as glassy vials and fused ceramic are likely to increase due to interaction between the product and the flattening hardware at the process operating temperature.
The need to maximize furnace throughput to control processing costs drives the practice of loading many products under a given weight during flattening. However, not all products have the same level of out-of-flatness after sintering; consequently not all products see the same level of flattening in a typical processing tool. Thus, state-of-the-art flattening processes are not expected to improve the distribution of flatness on a given product batch, but may sometimes increase the measurement data dispersion while simultaneously reducing the average flatness of a product batch.
Alumina MLC yields, unit cost, and reliability are directly dependent on product dimensional control. But the increasing package design complexity, driven by the increasing chip complexity and performance, has increased significantly the difficulties in maintaining product dimensions below existing specs. Furthermore, design pitch enhancements for future products will increase the challenge to design and manufacturing sectors, particularly driven by the need to reduce the local camber in the chip-site area below 25 μm. The current process to resolve this problem is to flatten the products, but the existing process and tool used to flatten these products are inefficient and somewhat capacity limited.

Fast firing flattening apparatus for sintered multilayer ceramic electronic substrates

International Business Machines Corporation


A sheet conveyance relay unit, including: a convergence unit, including: a convergence section to converge sheet conveyance paths of plural sheet receiving sections; and a first common sheet-conveyance section, which conveys the recording sheets from the convergence section to a sheet feeding outlet; a divergence unit, including: a second common sheet-conveyance section, which conveys the recording sheets conveyed from the convergence unit; plural sheet feed-out sections, which are combined to plural post-finishing apparatuses; and a divergence section, which sorts the recording sheets conveyed by the second common sheet-conveyance section, onto the plural sheet feed-out sections; and a control section which receives job information having been set, and selects an image forming apparatus to be used for a job among the image forming apparatuses and a post-finishing apparatus to be used for the job among the plural post-finishing apparatuses, whereby the control section conducts the job having been set.

In recent years, image forming systems have been widely used, in which a post-finishing apparatus is combined to an image forming apparatus, whereby various post-finishing processes, such as a de-curling process, a sheet reversing process, a hole punching process, a sheet folding process, and a sheet binding process, are conducted on recording sheets carrying images printed by the image forming apparatus.
Generally in such systems, a single post-finishing apparatus is combined to a single image forming apparatus, however, there are many image forming systems, in which a single post-finishing apparatus is combined to a plurality of image forming apparatuses, or a plurality of post-finishing apparatuses are combined to a single image forming apparatus.
Unexamined Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 8-276683 discloses an image forming system in which a single post-finishing apparatus is combined to a plurality of image forming apparatuses.
Further, Unexamined Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2006-347634 discloses an image forming system in which a plurality of post-finishing apparatuses are combined to a single image forming apparatus.
Still further, Unexamined Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2006-124180 discloses an image forming system in which a plurality of post-finishing apparatus are combined to a plurality of image forming apparatuses.
Due to advancement toward full color image formation from monochromatic image formation, speeding up of image formation, changing toward multifunction, and separation of functions, each generated in the field of the image forming apparatuses, as well as, due to speeding up of post finishing, diversification of the function and separation of the function, each generated in the field of the post-finishing apparatuses, many parties have tried to meet users' diversifying needs, by increasing the number of the combinations between the image forming apparatuses and the post-finishing apparatuses, or by flexibly changing these combinations.
However, in actual working fields, conventional systems barely meet the increased types of operational jobs, nor improvement of printing productivity, which are problematic matters.

Sheet conveyance relay unit and image forming system using the same unit

Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.


A combination end seal and cotyledon restraint (20) for an artificial seed (22) is provided. The combination end seal and cotyledon restraint includes a cap portion (30) sized to substantially seal one end of an artificial seed and a cotyledon restraint (32) unitarily formed with the cap portion.

Asexual propagation for plants has been shown for some species to yield large numbers of genetically identical embryos, each having the capacity to develop into a normal plant. Such embryos must usually be further cultured under laboratory conditions until they reach an autotrophic "seedling" state characterized by an ability to produce its own food via photosynthesis, resist desiccation, produce roots able to penetrate soil, and fend off soil microorganisms. Some researches have experimented with the production of artificial seeds, known as manufactured seeds, in which individual plant somatic or zygotic embryos are encapsulated in a seed coat. Examples of such manufactured seeds are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,701,699, issued to Carlson et al., the disclosure of which is hereby expressly incorporated by reference.
Typical manufactured seeds include a seed shell, synthetic gametophyte, and a plant embryo. A manufactured seed that does not include the plant embryo is known in the art as a "seed blank." The seed blank typically is a cylindrical capsule having a closed end and an open end. Synthetic gametophyte is placed within the seed shell to substantially fill the interior of the seed shell. A longitudinally extending hard porous insert, commonly known as a cotyledon restraint, may be centrally located within the synthetic gametophyte. The cotyledon restraint includes a centrally located cavity extending partially through its length. The cavity is sized to receive a plant embryo therein.
The well-known plant embryo includes a radicle end and a cotyledon end. The plant embryo is deposited within the cavity of the cotyledon restraint, cotyledon end first. The embryo is sealed within the seed blank by at least one end seal. There is a weakened spot in the end seal to allow the radical end of the embryo to penetrate the end seal. Thus, currently available manufactured seeds include a separate cotyledon restraint and an entirely separate end seal to seal the synthetic gametophyte within the seed shell.
Although such manufactured seeds are effective, they are not without their problems. As a non-limiting example, the manufacturing process of such seeds, while not expensive, is increased in cost by the need to design and manufacture each component of the manufactured seed, as well as the cost of assembling multiple parts. Additionally, because the cotyledon restraint is a separate subcomponent of the manufactured seed, centering the opening of the cotyledon restraint relative to the sidewalls of the seed shell requires additional manipulation either during assembly or during insertion of the embryo within the cotyledon restraint. Manufacturing artificial seeds can, therefore, be time-intensive. As a result, mass production of manufactured seeds could be made more efficient by reducing the number of parts necessary to manufacture.
Thus, there exists a need for an apparatus that combines both the end seal and the cotyledon restraint into a single apparatus, thereby eliminating the need for both a cotyledon restraint and an end seal.


A voltage regulator circuit includes: an output transistor MP.sub.X coupled between a voltage supply node V.sub.CC and an output node V.sub.OUT ; an amplifier A.sub.1 coupled to the output transistor MP.sub.X for controlling the response of the output transistor MP.sub.X ; feedback circuitry R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 connected between the output node V.sub.OUT and the amplifier A.sub.1, the feedback circuitry R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 providing feedback to the amplifier A.sub.1 ; and a pull-down circuit PD.sub.1 coupled to the output node V.sub.OUT.

When the output current of a prior art low dropout (LDO), PMOS voltage regulator, as shown in FIG. 1, is changed rapidly, large transient output voltages can be induced at the regulator output. Usually the regulator can compensate for these transients and the output voltage can quickly recover before the transient voltages create problems in the system. However, in the case when a very large current load (hundreds of milliamps to several amps) is rapidly removed from a regulator, the output voltage can rise to dangerously high levels and remain high for a long period of time before returning to regulation. This high output voltage condition results when the output load current changes more rapidly than the amplifier can respond. For the period of time between the removal of the output current load and the appropriate response of the amplifier (the response time), the output voltage loses regulation. The gate of the output PMOS is still being held at a voltage level that can supply large currents to the load, but the load has been removed. The current that was previously going to the load begins charging the external load capacitor, C.sub.L, during the response time which forces the output voltage to rise. Once the amplifier has correctly responded to the change in the load current the output voltage of the amplifier is high enough to cut-off the output PMOS. With the output PMOS cut-off and the load current removed, the only current path available to discharge the high output voltage on C.sub.L is through the feedback resistors, R.sub.1 and R.sub.2. These resistors are usually high-valued resistors (to minimize the quiescent current of the regulator), and are only able to sink a few microamps of current. With only the resistor current available to discharge the load capacitor it can take hundreds of milliseconds for the regulator to return to regulation. The recovery time of the regulator can be improved by decreasing the size of the feedback resistors. However, to be effective, this solution requires decreasing the resistor values to the point where the quiescent current of the regulator becomes excessive.

Voltage regulator with output pull-down circuit


Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method and apparatus for failover. In an embodiment is provided a method implemented at a first node in a cluster comprising a plurality of heterogeneous nodes. The method comprises: determining whether an application at a second node in the cluster is failed; and in response to determining that the application is failed, causing migration of data and services associated with the application from the second node to a third node in the cluster, the migration involving at least one node heterogeneous to the second node in the cluster. The present disclosure further provides a method implemented at the third node in the cluster and corresponding devices and computer program products.

With dramatic increase of enterprise digital data, a scale-up approach of improving performance and capacity of a system by upgrading hardware has not been able to meet increasing demands of customers due to limitations of a hardware update speed. Therefore, there is proposed a scale-out approach of dynamically upgrading the system by increasing the number of physical or virtual devices. The term "physical device" used herein refers to a physical entity such as a workstation, a blade, a mainframe, a desktop computer or a portable computer. The term "virtual device" refers to a logical device, such as a virtual machine, running on the physical entity through virtualization technologies. Compared with the scale-up approach, advantages of the scaling out are very apparent in timeliness.
In the scale-out approach, for example, a cluster composed of a plurality of physical devices may be used in place of a single physical device to provide services. Then, further improvement of the performance, the capacity and the like may be enabled by adding new devices into the cluster. However, such a cluster composed of physical devices currently lacks core cluster architecture features for cluster management, such as cluster membership management, messaging, failover and the like.
In addition to the scaling out of the physical devices, there is also provided scaling out of virtual devices. For example, a common software definition data center (SDDC) is usually deployed on a type of virtual machines (VMs). In the context of the present disclosure, a type of VMs refers to VMs based on a type of virtualization platform and framework and associated with a type of virtual machine hypervisors. Correspondingly, different types of VMs are based on different virtualization platforms and frameworks and associated with different virtual machine hypervisors. When a system needs to be upgraded, this type of VMs may be added to the SDDC to implement the scaling out. However, in such a system, the physical devices running the VMs are usually separated. Data cannot move between different physical devices and therefore cannot implement load balance. In addition, when a certain VM is failed, another VM can be restarted only on a certain physical machine, which causes interruption of services in a longer period, of time.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method and apparatus for failover processing


An illumination apparatus includes a light source, and a light guide plate having an emitting surface and a light incident portion including a curved surface, and decreasing in thickness from the light source side towards the emitting surface. The curved surface has an S-shape as viewed from a side, with a convex portion on the light source side and a concave portion on the emitting surface with an inflection point in between, but closer to the emitting surface than to the source side.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to side-light type spread illuminating apparatuses including a light guide plate that has a light incident end face on which a light source is placed and that emits planar illumination light from its emitting portion.
2. Description of Related Art
As illumination units of liquid crystal display (LCD) panels, sidelight type spread illuminating apparatuses (backlights) are widely used primarily in the field of small mobile information equipment such as mobile phones. In the side-light type spread illuminating apparatuses, a light-emitting diode (LED) having a small size and high environmental adaptability is placed along a side end face of a light guide plate. In these days, light guide plates are used in order to deal with further reduction in thickness of the small mobile information equipment. The light guide plate is a component in which a light incident wedge portion whose thickness is gradually reduced as away from the side end face having the LED placed thereon (hereinafter also referred to as the light incident surface) is formed between the light incident surface and an emitting portion. The use of such a light guide plate can reduce the thickness of the emitting portion of the light guide plate regardless of the thickness of the LED (see, e.g., Japanese Patent Application Publication Nos. 2007-287550 (JP 2007-287550 A) and 2008-170739 (JP 2008-170739 A).
In such spread illuminating apparatuses, a peripheral edge part of the emitting portion (including the light incident wedge portion and a part of the emitting portion which is located closer to the light incident wedge portion) serves as a non-light-emitting region by covering with a light shielding sheet etc. The emitting portion excluding the non-light-emitting region serves as a light-emitting portion, and light emitted from the light-emitting portion is used as illumination light.
In the case where the light guide plate has such a light incident wedge portion, a larger part of light entering the light guide plate through the light incident surface is emitted from the tilted surface of the light incident wedge portion to the outside and becomes leakage light in the non-light-emitting region. Moreover, the light that is incident on the emitting surface of the emitting portion after being reflected by the tilted surface is incident at a relatively small incident angle on a region of the emitting surface which is located closer to the light incident wedge portion. A large amount of light is therefore emitted from the part of the emitting portion which is located closer to the light incident wedge portion (normally, this light includes leakage light from the non-light-emitting region and emitted light from a part of the light-emitting region which is located closer to the light incident wedge portion). The leakage light from the non-light-emitting region reduces utilization efficiency of light emitted from the LED, and the emitted light from the part of the light-emitting region which is located closer to the light incident wedge portion reduces uniformity (evenness) of illumination light emitted from the light-emitting region. For example, JP 2007-287550 A proposes a solution to the above problem by setting the angle between the tilted surface and the emitting surface to a predetermined angle or less.
Recently, with reduction in thickness of spread illuminating apparatuses, there has been an increasing demand to reduce the size of the non-light-emitting region (i.e., to reduce the frame width) according to an increase in size of the liquid crystal display region. In order to satisfy this demand, it is necessary to reduce as much as possible the length in the light guide direction of the light incident wedge portion (the length of a tilted portion) that cannot be used as the light-emitting region.
However, in order to reduce the length in the light guide direction of the light incident wedge portion on the condition that the light incident wedge portion has a given maximum thickness (the thickness of the light incident surface, corresponding to the dimension in the lateral direction) and a given minimum thickness (corresponding to the thickness of the emitting portion), it is necessary to increase the angle between the titled surface of the light incident wedge portion and the emitting surface. However, increasing the angle between the tilted surface and the emitting surface increases the amount of light that is emitted from the tilted surface to the outside and becomes leakage light from the non-light-emitting region and the amount of light that is emitted from the part of the emitting portion which is located closer to the light incident wedge portion and becomes leakage light from the non-light-emitting region or emitted light from the part of the light-emitting region which is located closer to the light incident wedge portion. This reduces utilization efficiency of light emitted from the LED and uniformity (evenness) of illumination light emitted from the light-emitting region.
Accordingly, in such spread illuminating apparatuses including a light guide plate having a light incident wedge portion, a design idea is required which reduces the size of the non-light-emitting region as much as possible on the condition that maintains high light utilization efficiency and high uniformity of illumination light.
In relation with this, the applicant of the present invention found that the critical vale capable of reducing the length in the light guide direction of the light incident wedge portion while maintaining high light utilization efficiency and high uniformity of illumination light was approximately 1.78 times the maximum thickness of the light incident wedge portion regardless of the thickness of the emitting portion, and proposed a spread illuminating apparatus in which the length in the light guide direction of the light incident wedge portion was set to approximately 1.78 times the maximum thickness of the light incident wedge portion (see Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2011-96522 (JP 2011-96522 A)). According to the spread illuminating apparatus described in JP 2011-96522 A, the length in the light guide direction of the light incident wedge portion can be reduced as much as possible and the size of the light-emitting region of the spread illuminating apparatus can be increased as much as possible while maintaining high light utilization efficiency and high uniformity of illumination light.
However, the demand to reduce the thickness of the LCD devices and to increase the size of their display regions is becoming increasingly strict, and it is strongly desired to further reduce the thickness and the frame width of the spread illuminating apparatuses used as a backlight of the LCD devices, while maintaining high light utilization efficiency (and high luminance of illumination light) and high uniformity of illumination light.

Illumination apparatus having light guide plate with curvedly tapered light coupling portion


An article may be used in vehicle refueling and may include a disposable mat to be draped over a portion of the vehicle adjacent the fuel filler port. The disposable mat may include a material absorbent of vehicle fuel. The disposable mat may have a line of weakness therein defining a closed geometrically shaped removable portion to permit a user to selectively separate at least part of the removable portion from adjacent portions of the disposable mat to create a correspondingly shaped internal opening to be aligned with the fuel filler port. At least one weighted body may be temporarily coupled to the disposable mat to hold the disposable mat in position over the portion of the vehicle adjacent the fuel filler port. Since the removable portion may be left in place, the mat can also serve an additional use as an absorbent mat to wipe up spills, etc. The article may have uses other than for vehicle refueling.

General aviation aircraft, such as propeller aircraft and private jets, are typically fueled via a fuel port accessible generally on an upper surface of the plane's wing. Some fuel spillage is likely as the aviation lineman either inserts the fuel filling nozzle or withdraws it after fueling. It is generally desirable to keep the spilled fuel from contact with the plane's painted surfaces, to capture any spillage for safety and environmental reasons, and to guard against accidental paint scratching and/or other damage from contact with the fuel nozzle, fuel hose, or the fuel filler cap.
To address the spillage of fuel during aircraft refueling, many flight line personnel use a plastic or rubber mat and cut an opening therethrough to be positioned on the aircraft wing with the opening aligned with the fuel filling port. Indeed, these mats are typically improvised from car-floor mats or front-door welcome mats. Moreover, some mats may not be absorbent at all. Accordingly, spilled fuel is absorbed by the mat and the mat protects the underlying wing surface. Unfortunately, these improvised fuel spillage mats are typically relatively expensive, and require modification to form the opening. These fuel mats are used multiple times and tend to accumulate fuel and dirt and acquire an undesired odor. Such improvised mats can typically also absorb water, as well as fuel, and can quickly become relatively heavy and present a contamination/proper disposal issue.
So-called "fuel bibs" and "fuel collars" are also available for vehicles, such as boats, to slide over a fuel filler neck or a fuel nozzle to catch drips and overflow. Unfortunately such devices may be awkward to use, and may not adequately protect the adjacent vehicle surface from unintended contact, since they are typically fairly compact. Some of these fuel bibs may also comprise a material that is not absorbent of fuel, but rather that shed spilled fuel onto the adjacent ground area. This may not be desirable from an environmental impact point of view.

Disposable absorbent mat including removable portion and associated methods


The present invention relates to a device and method for reconstructing low-frequency conductivity images using MRI without current injection. In the device according to the present invention, low-frequency conductivity is deduced using high-frequency conductivity obtained using MR-EPT, the calculated directional tensor of ions from the water diffusion tensor in a subject, and the volume fractions and diffusion coefficients of the intracellular/extracellular spaces, and low-frequency conductivity images are reconstructed based on the deduced low-frequency conductivity. According to the present invention, low-frequency conductivity images in a subject to be measured such as the human body and an object may be reconstructed using an MRI device without applying current to the subject.

Water diffusion tensor (D) data measured using a typical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) device is obtained from Equation 1 below using a diffusion-sensitizing gradient (g):ρD=ρ0 exp(−bgTDg),  [Equation 1]
wherein ρ0 denotes a signal obtained without a diffusion-sensitizing gradient, D denotes the water diffusion tensor, b denotes a diffusion weighting factor, g denotes a diffusion-sensitizing gradient, and gT denotes the transpose vector of a vector g.
In this case, one or more water diffusion tensor values may be obtained by varying the magnitude of the value of the diffusion weighting factor.
In addition, it is known that the conductivity tensor (C) approximately relates to the water diffusion tensor, and the relationship therebetween is shown in Equation 2 below:C=SDCSDT,  [Equation 2]
wherein the column vector of the matrix SD is the eigenvector of the water diffusion tensor, and the column vector of the matrix C consists of the eigenvalues of the conductivity tensor.
In addition, conductivity exhibits different properties depending on the frequency of applied current. The respective conductivities at low frequencies (<1 kHz) and high frequencies (100 to 200 MHz) are expressed by Equation 3 below:σH=αceme+(1−α)cimi σL=αceme  [Equation 3]
wherein each coefficient is shown in Table 1 below:
TABLE 1Extracellular ion concentrationceIntracellular ion concentrationciExtracellular isotropic ion mobilitymeIntracellular isotropic ion mobilitymiExtracellular isotropic water diffusion coefficientdeIntracellular isotropic water diffusion coefficientdiExtracellular anisotropic ion mobilityMeExtracellular anisotropic water diffusion tensorDeVolume fraction of extracellular spaceαHigh-frequency isotropic conductivityσHLow-frequency isotropic conductivityσLLow-frequency anisotropic conductivity tensorΛL
As shown above, conductivities at high and low frequencies differ depending on the ion mobility, volume fraction, and ion concentrations of intracellular and extracellular spaces.
As a representative example of the conventional method of obtaining conductivity at a low frequency, there is a magnetic resonance electric impedance tomography (MREIT) method of obtaining the distribution of current density and conductivity by injecting low-frequency current from the outside.
In addition, as a representative example of the conventional method of obtaining a conductivity distribution at high frequency, there is a magnetic resonance electric properties tomography (MR-EPT) method of obtaining conductivity using the phase signal of a high-frequency magnetic field.
According to the MREIT method, the magnetic density Bz in the direction of an internal main magnetic field by current injection is measured using a complex signal obtained by injecting current from the outside and expressed by Equation 4 below, and the measured Bz signal is used to reconstruct current density or conductivity inside the human body or an object. The MREIT method has recently been extensively studied.M±(x,y)=ρ(x,y)exp(iϕ(x,y)±iγBz(x,y)Tc,  [Equation 4]
wherein M± denotes a complex signal measured by varying the direction of current, ρ denotes an MR magnitude signal, Bz denotes magnetic density in the direction of a main magnetic field by current injection, and Tc denotes current injection time.
However, in a conventional method of reconstructing low-frequency conductivity images, since the MREIT method requiring current injection from the outside is used, a small amount of current injected may result in a low signal-to-noise ratio of the measured magnetic field, and low-frequency current should be injected from the outside.
On the other hand, in the MR-EPT method, Equation 5 below representing a magnetic field component measured by the B1 mapping technique satisfies Equation 6 below:
                                                                            H            +                    =                                    1              2                                                  (                                                H                  x                                +                                  iH                  y                                            )                                                          [                  Equation                                                              5                ]                                                      -                                          ∇                2                                                                            H                  +                                                                  (                  r                  )                                                              =                                                    1                2                                                                            (                                                            (                                                                        x                          ^                                                +                                                  i                                                                                y                            ^                                                                                )                                        ×                                          ∇                                              ×                                                  H                                                                                (                            r                            )                                                                                )                                ·                                                      ∇                                          k                                                                    (                        r                        )                                                                                k                                                              (                      r                      )                                                                                -                          iw                                                                                μ                  0                                                                  (                  r                  )                                                                                H                  +                                                                  (                  r                  )                                                                    ,                            [                  Equation                                                              6                ]
wherein {circumflex over (x)} denotes (1,0,0), ŷ denotes (0,1,0), k denotes admittivity, ω denotes each frequency, and μ0 denotes magnetic permeability.
In this case, assuming, in part,
                    ∇        k            k        ≈    0    ,in the MR-EPT method, Equation 7 below, which is an algebraic equation of the measured phase signal, is used:
                                          σ            H                                          (            r            )                          =                              i                                                                                w                                                                                μ                  0                                                                                ∇                2                                                                            H                  +                                                                  (                  r                  )                                                                                H                +                                                          (                r                )                                                                        [                  Equation                                                              7                ]
In Equation 7, reconstructed high-frequency conductivity has a value that is the sum of the electrical properties of intracellular and extracellular spaces.
Therefore, the present invention is intended to solve the constraint conditions of the MREIT method requiring external current injection. In the present invention, a method of reconstructing low-frequency conductivity images using the MR-EPT method capable of obtaining information on high-frequency conductivity without current injection and the diffusion coefficient imaging method in which a plurality of diffusion weighting factor b values of MRI are applied is disclosed.

Device and method for reconstructing low-frequency conductivity images using MRI without current injection

UNIVERSITY-INDUSTRY COOPERATION GROUP OF KYUNG HEE UNIVERSITY


An amplifier includes an amplifying circuit and bias current circuit. The bias current circuit includes a beta matching circuit which employs a temperature compensated current reference to develop a bias current for the amplifying circuit. The beta matching circuit is connected to track the current gains of transistors within the amplifying circuit and to thereby provide a temperature compensated bias current to the amplifying circuit. The bias current maintains a fixed bias point regardless of temperature-induced, or other, variations of the current gains of the amplifying circuit's transistors.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to amplifiers and, more specifically, to amplifiers which provide low-distortion operation while requiring relatively little headroom.
2. Description of the Related Art
Bipolar transistor amplifiers are employed in a wide variety of applications. They are commonly used, for example, as intermediate frequency (IF) amplifiers within radio frequency (RF) receivers.
The conventional bipolar transistor amplifier of FIG. 1 includes NPN transistors Q1 and Q2 connected as a Darlington pair to increase the current gain through the stage and to increase the input impedance. A feedback resistor Rf is connected in series with a base resistor Rb to form a divider between a positive supply voltage V+ and a negative supply voltage V- and to thereby provide bias current to the Darlington pair Q1, Q2. A collector resistor Rc is connected between the positive supply terminal V+ and the Darlington pair's collectors. The resistor Rc minimizes the Darlington's bias current variation over temperature. Resistor Rcomp and capacitor Ccomp, which together, are in parallel with Rf, provide frequency compensation for the amplifier. A peaking inductor L1, typically on the order of a few microhenrys is connected in series between the collector resistor Rc and the Darlington's collectors in order to cancel the effects of stray capacitances and to extend the gain of the amplifier above the normal rolloff frequency. High-frequency techniques such as this are known in the art and are discussed in Paul Horowitz, Winfield Hill, The Art of Electronics, Cambridge University Press, New York, 1989, page 869.
Respective degeneration resistors Re1 and Re2 are connected to the emitters of transistors Q1 and Q2. Since signal distortion is inversely proportional to the collector emitter voltage Vce2 of the output transistor Q2,the output transistor Q2 is generally biased at a very high current. Consequently, the degeneration resistor Re2 is typically a very low-valued resistor, i.e. on the order of a few ohms.
Although a conventional amplifier such as this operates satisfactorily for many applications, it is not particularly suited for low-power and/or low supply-voltage applications. One deficiency of the circuit involves the collector resistor Rc, which increases the amplifier's headroom requirement. In some applications, particularly low supply-voltage applications, this increased headroom requirement can be difficult to satisfy. That is, it is generally good design practice to use a single, standard, power supply voltage for a given electronics system. For example, many electronics systems now employ a three-volt power supply. But the voltage drop across the dropping resistor Rc, in combination with the need for high output current (to maximize Vce and thereby minimize distortion), may force a designer to add a higher-voltage power supply to the system in order to use the amplifier of FIG. 1. Another problem is that the resistor Rc dissipates a significant amount of power. This, in itself, is a significant disadvantage. In addition, the increased power dissipation can raise the junction temperature of the Darlington pair, thereby accelerating electro-migration and reducing the expected life-time of the amplifier.
Additionally, the degeneration resistor Re2 must be a low-value resistor, on the order of a few ohms, in order to meet the amplifier's headroom requirement. Due to the resistor's low value, a small variation in its resistance, due for example to manufacturing tolerances, can lead to a significant change in the amplifier's bias current.


A method for caching data in a storage system involves receiving a request for a first datum stored on a storage disk, retrieving the first datum from the storage disk when a copy of the first datum is not stored on an asymmetric cache device (ACD), storing a first copy of the first datum in a main memory, updating a list of data to include the first datum, storing, prior to any data being evicted from the main memory, a second copy of the first datum on the ACD, and evicting the first copy of the first datum from the main memory when a first copy of a second datum is designated for storing in the main memory and the main memory is full and the first datum is at the tail of the list of data.

A typical operating system includes a file system. The file system provides a mechanism for the storage and retrieval of files. An application operating, either locally or remotely, on a computer system uses files as an abstraction to address data. Conventionally, this data is stored on a non-volatile storage disk.
In order to decrease the time required to read a file from the non-volatile storage device, copies of recently accessed files are cached in main memory. Thus, when a request to read a file is received, the file system may first query main memory to determine whether a copy of the file is cached. If the file is not cached in main memory, the file system may next query any auxiliary cache devices. As the time for retrieval from either main memory or an auxiliary cache device is significantly less than the time for retrieval from the non-volatile storage disk, the file is read from a cached copy in main memory or an auxiliary cache device, if possible, before it is retrieved from the non-volatile storage disk. Accordingly, for data caching to be truly effective in a storage system, data likely to be requested again in the near future should be accessible by virtue of a cached copy to gain the benefit of a reduced retrieval time.
While an ideal solution would allow for the caching and hence expedited retrieval of any and all data previously referenced by a storage system, this is not realistic. For instance, there is a price disparity between the dynamic random access memory (DRAM) solid state devices (SSD) used in implementing main memory and the flash SSDs used in implementing auxiliary cache devices. Accordingly, storage systems can incorporate a flash-implemented auxiliary cache with a DRAM-implemented main memory to strike a balance between performance and cost.
In view of using a hybridized storage system, an effective data caching policy must account for differentiable read and write performances among the two cache implementations. For instance, flash SSDs, while more affordable than DRAM SSDs, are essentially read-biased and therefore take longer to process a write request than to process a read request. As such, scenarios calling for frequent write operations to flash SSDs may result in a system bottleneck.

Method and system for caching data in a storgae system


An in-vitro model apparatus of a human spine and methods for detecting and analyzing substance distribution patterns therein. In one embodiment, the model apparatus includes a column body defining a passageway that substantially mimics the size, shape, and structure of an adult human spinal canal. Also included is a cord structure that may be located and anchored within the passageway. The cord structure substantially mimics the size, shape, and structure of an adult human spinal cord. For example, the cord structure may include connecting elements that resemble nerve roots, dentate ligaments, and the septum posticum of a human spine. The passageway of the model apparatus may be filled with a first fluid that simulates cerebro-spinal fluid (CSF), and a second fluid containing a drug (or simulated drug) may be introduced into the passageway, after which the drug's distribution within the passageway may be analyzed.

Self assessment of therapeutic results from patients with implanted drug delivery systems for pain and spasticity therapy indicate that efficacy varies from poor to excellent. While there are a number of factors that may contribute to this variation, at least some of this disparity may be due to variability in the amount of drug that actually reaches the intended pain receptors. Stated alternatively, when the delivered drugs reach the intended receptors, it is believed that more effective therapy results. When the delivered drugs are unable to reach the intended receptors, or are otherwise substantially diluted by the time they reach the intended receptors, therapeutic effects may be diminished.
Further aggravating this problem is the fact that drugs that do not reach the desired receptors may migrate to yet other receptors, potentially resulting in unintended and undesirable side effects. Such side effects may necessitate a reduction in the overall drug dosage that the patient may safely tolerate.
To treat pain and/or spasticity, therapeutic drugs are often infused, or otherwise delivered, into cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) contained within an intrathecal space surrounding the spinal cord. The drug may then distribute through the CSF, whereby at least some of the drug is intended to reach the target receptors.
While effective, distribution of drugs through CSF is complex and is not well understood. For example, drug distribution mechanisms through CSF may include: diffusion through the CSF; diffusion into the spinal cord and epidural space, then diffusion through the tissues; natural CSF convection (CSF convection may result from production and uptake processes, arterial expansion from cardiac cycle, tissue displacement during the respiratory cycle, tissue displacement during body motion, etc.); mixing of the drug in CSF due to movement around spinal structures; and buoyancy due to differences in density. These factors make it difficult to predict what infusion characteristics will yield the greatest efficacy. Compounding this problem is the fact that clinicians are often unable to effectively improve therapy for those patients who initially report poor results.
It is difficult to directly measure the amount of drug that reaches the desired receptors within the spinal cord, or even to determine an approximate drug distribution within CSF. For example, in humans, CSF samples are generally only taken below the cauda equina or in the cistema magna to avoid damaging the spinal cord with the sampling needle. As a result, drug presence at receptors located at specific locations along the spinal cord is difficult to quantify.
Further, drugs introduced into CSF are not easily imaged via non-invasive methods. Rather, as drug concentration in CSF is low, a marker or contrast agent is generally required for accurate detection. However, markers pose a potential risk of neurotoxicity. In fact, only one marker, 111In-DTPA, is approved and labeled for use in the central nervous system (CNS) by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. While 111In-DTPA may be detected with nuclear imaging cameras, it is also much heavier than many neurological drugs and thus may not distribute within CSF in the same manner.
Still further, while small and large animal models have been used to study drug distribution within the spine, such animals do not have a spinal anatomy that is similar to humans, primarily because these animals do not walk, stand, and sit upright. Thus, such animal studies are not believed to provide an accurate prediction of drug distribution in humans.

Three-dimensional in-vitro spinal models and methods of analyzing substance distribution therein


A wheel revolution detecting device comprises a sensor rotor fixed to a wheel and coaxial with a rotation axis thereof and having circumferetially continuous irregularities on a peripheral surface thereof, and a pickup sensor fixed to a vehicle body and including a detecting part disposed near the irregularities of the sensor rotor, the detecting part having an end face inclined with respect to a longitudinal axis thereof.

The present invention relates generally to a wheel revolution detecting device comprising a sensor rotor and a pickup sensor and serving as a wheel speed sensor in an antiskid brake system (ABS), etc. and more particularly, to the pickup sensor.
A wheel speed sensor, which has been conventionally used in the ABS for a motor vehicle, etc., comprises a gear-shaped sensor rotor fixed to a wheel side member such as a hub and having circumferentially continuous irregularities on its peripheral surface, and a pickup sensor fixed to a vehicle body side member such as a knuckle of a knuckle spindle, etc. The pickup sensor is generally provided with a magnet, a coil, and a soft iron bar therein, the soft iron bar protruding outwardly to serve as a detecting part, which is disposed adjacent to the irregularities of the sensor rotor with a predetermined clearance. With such a wheel speed sensor, the pickup sensor produces magnetic flux toward the irregularities of the sensor rotor through the detecting part, and detects a variation in magnetic flux in accordance with a revolution of the wheel side member, obtaining a revolution count of a wheel.
Two mounting structures of the wheel speed sensor have been proposed in the past. One is a parallel type where the ring-shaped sensor rotor having the irregularities formed on its outer peripheral surface is fixed on an outer periphery of a knuckle side end of the hub, and the pickup sensor is fixed to the knuckle so that a longitudinal axis of the bar-shaped detecting part is parallel to a face of the sensor rotor, perpendicular to a rotation axis thereof. Another is a perpendicular type where the pickup sensor is fixed to the knuckle so that the longitudinal axis of the detecting part is perpendicular to the face of the sensor rotor.
However, with the known mounting structures of the wheel speed sensor, i.e., the parallel or perpendicular type where an angle formed by the face of the sensor rotor perpendicular to the rotation axis thereof and the longitudinal axis of the detecting part of the pickup sensor is 0.degree. or 90.degree., a mounting space of the pickup sensor cannot be ensured in accordance with a layout of the hub, knuckle, brake rotor, drive shaft, etc.
Referring to FIG. 2, when a clearance A is small between a knuckle 12 side face of the hub 4 and a knuckle 12 side face of the brake rotor 6, for example, the pickup sensor 8 cannot be disposed parallel to the sensor rotor 7 fixed to the outer periphery of the knuckle 12 side end of the hub 4 since the brake rotor 6 and a splash guard 9 form a hindrance. It is noted that a face perpendicular to a paper face of FIG. 2 including a reference line L or a line parallel thereto corresponds to a face perpendicular to the rotation axis of the sensor rotor 7, i.e., the drive shaft S.
Referring to FIG. 3, in view of such conditions, a perpendicular-type disposition of the pickup sensor 8 can be adopted. In that case, due to requirements of increasing to a certain extent a clearance B between a tapped hole 61a of a flange 61 of the brake rotor 6 or tapped hole with which a bolt B.sub.2 for connecting the hub 4 and the flange 61 is engaged and an internal surface of the flange 61, and easy mounting/detaching of the brake rotor 6 to/from the hub 4, the outer diameter of the hub 4 cannot be enlarged, so that a main body of the pickup sensor 8 is disposed in the knuckle 12. This forms a hindrance to a motion of a base S1 of the drive shaft S or a sealing member SB between the knuckle 12 and the drive shaft base S1, resulting in impossible perpendicular-type disposition of the pickup sensor 8 without modifying a structure of the knuckle 12 and the drive shaft base S1.
Referring to FIG. 4, with the perpendicular-type disposition, in order to dispose the pickup sensor 8 without forming a hindrance to the drive shaft base S1 and the sealing member SB, the sensor rotor 75 having the irregularities on its inner peripheral surface can be mounted to the flange 61 of the brake rotor 6. In that case, however, the detection performance of the pickup sensor 8 may be lowered due to heat of the brake rotor 6.
Referring to FIG. 5, in order to dispose the pickup sensor 7 without forming a hindrance to either of the brake rotor 6 and splash guard 9, and the drive shaft base Si and sealing member SB, applicants have consideded angling, an angle C formed by a radial side face of the hub 4 and the longitudinal axis of the detecting part 82, to approximately 45.degree.. In that case, for obtaining the parallel-type disposition of the pickup sensor 8, the irregularities 76a of the sensor rotor 76 should be formed so that an outer peripheral circle thereof vary continuously in the longitudinal direction of the hub 4. Thus, the maximum outer diameter of the sensor rotor 7 is larger than that of FIGS. 3 and 4 to keep a predetermined thickness in a portion where the outer peripheral circle of the irregularities 76a is minimum, which forms a hindrance, resulting in difficult mounting/detaching of the brake rotor 6. Moreover, if the sensor rotor 76 has such a shape, the hub 4 should be thick to ensure the strength for holding the sensor rotor 76, resulting in a change in the shape of the hub 4.
Furthermore, with the mounting structure as shown in FIG. 5, if the mounting position of the hub 4 is axially shifted, a clearance is varied between a pointed end of the detecting part 82 of the pickup sensor 8 and the irregularities 76a of the sensor rotor 76, requiring a fine adjustment of the clearance when mounting the hub 4 is detached again.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a wheel revolution detecting device that ensures excellent detection performance with a simple and rational structure and without any clearance adjustment.

Structure for mounting a wheel revolution detecting device


A clamping device is disclosed for coupling peripheral flanges of a pair of tubular members together. The clamping device has a retaining member for coupling the peripheral flanges of the tubular member together, with first and second coupling ends being releasably coupled together by a latch assembly from an open position to a closed position. The latch assembly has a connecting member with a pivoting end and an anchoring end. The pivoting end of the connecting member is pivotally coupled to the first coupling end about a pivot axis between an unengaged position where the anchoring end is spaced from the second coupling end and an engaged position where the anchoring end is removably coupled to the second coupling end. The latch assembly further has a retention member coupled to the pivoting end of the connecting member for retaining the connecting member to the first coupling end. The retention member is deformable from an original shape to a final shape during installation of the connecting member being initially pivoted about the pivot axis from the unengaged position to the engaged position.

Circular, V-couplings for clamping the peripheral end flanges of pipes together have been used for many years, especially in pipes conducting high temperature and pressure fluids. Currently, there are many types of V-couplings available for connecting the peripheral end flanges of pipes. One of the more common V-type couplings is fabricated from sheet metal retainers attached to tension bands. Although these types of pipe couplings were in widespread use in the aircraft and aerospace industries, their reliability was questionable owing to failures of their riveted or spot-welded joints and fatigue failures of their tension bands.
Another common type of V-coupling was later introduced using forged, cast, or machined retainers, with integrally hinged ends joined by eye bolt fasteners with retention pins and by connecting links. While some of these couplings have proven extremely reliable and efficient, they suffer from disadvantages which are addressed by the present invention.
Specifically, many of these prior couplings are relatively difficult to manufacture, often expensive, and relatively heavy. Additionally, these designs are relatively difficult to assemble and disassemble since the eye bolt must be manually held in the engaged position prior to tightening the bolt, and are difficult to repair without the use of factory equipment. Further, these later couplings use tension-type swing bolts and connecting links that are disposed at a considerable off-set distance from the neutral axis of the coupling retainer channel section. The resultant movement produced by the fastener tightening torque causes inward rotation of the retainer ends which, in turn, locally deflects the flanges of the pipes inwardly. Opposite the fastener, the two retainers are joined by one or more non-adjustable links, that are offset from the circumferential loading line between the two retainers. This offset arrangement in this type of coupling is essential to the proper functioning of the coupling so that tension is transmitted through the linked retainer ends entirely symmetrically. Accordingly, the same amount of undesirable inward deflection occurring at the fastener ends of the retaining member is also produced at the hinged ends of the retaining member.
Examples of some prior couplings are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,513,228 to Malmasson; U.S. Pat. No. 5,509,702 to Warehime et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,454,606 to Voss et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,919,453 to Halling et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,739,542 to Krzesicki; U.S. Pat. No. 4,681,353 to Halling; U.S. Pat. No. 4,341,406 to Abbes et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,123,095 to Stehlin; U.S. Pat. No. 3,797,079 to Nixon; U.S. Pat. No. 3,797,078 to LaPointe; U.S. Pat. No. 2,706,648 to Gosse; U.S. Pat. No. 2,689,141 to Kiekhaefer; U.S. Pat. No. 2,688,170 to Balzer; and U.S. Pat. No. 627,987 to Dick. Examples of other prior couplings are disclosed in Great Britain Patent Nos. 509,738 to Thompson; 1,126,872 to Avica Equipment Limited; 339,065 to Malleville; and 1,140,636 to Rolls Royce Limited.
Thus, there is a continuing need to provide improved pipe coupling devices that are inexpensive, light-weight, easy to assemble and disassemble, and that provide symmetrical loading. This invention addresses this need in the art as well as other needs which will become apparent to those skilled in the art once given this disclosure.


A method for decomposing a gaseous aliphatic hydrocarbon halide compound more simply is provided. The method includes the steps of mixing the gaseous aliphatic hydrocarbon halide compound and a chlorine gas-containing gas and emitting light to a mixture gas of the gaseous aliphatic hydrocarbon halide compound and the chlorine gas.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method for decomposing a gaseous aliphatic halide compound and a decomposing apparatus employed therefor.
2. Related Background Art
With development of industrial technology in the recent years, a tremendous amount of aliphatic hydrocarbon halide compound (for example, ethylene chloride, methane chloride or the like) is used, its waste treatment becomes a serious problem. In addition, these used gases cause environmental problems such as contamination of natural environment, and numerous efforts are made for its solution. A specific treatment method is described as follows: For example, as a method for decomposing ethylene chloride using an oxidizing agent or a catalyst, there has been known an ozone decomposition method (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 3-38297) or an ultraviolet-ray irradiation method under the existence of hydrogen peroxide (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 63-218293) and the like. In addition, there is suggested use of sodium hypochlorite as an oxidizing agent (U.S. Pat. Nos. 5525008 and 5611642). In addition, there has been proposed a method for combining a sodium hypochlorite and ultraviolet-ray irradiation with each other (U.S. Pat. No. 5582741). Further, there has been known a method for suspending a photo catalyst and a liquid-like ethylene chloride consisting of semiconductor oxide particles such as titanium oxide under alkali conditions, and decomposing them by light emission (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-144137).
In addition to the foregoing, a photo-decomposition method for causing ultraviolet rays to be irradiated in a gas phase without using an oxidizing agent has already been attempted. For example, there has been proposed a method for ultraviolet-ray irradiation treatment of an exhaust gas containing an organic halogen compound to make an acidic decomposition gas, and then, rinsing the gas with an alkali to make it harmless (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 62-191025); an apparatus for applying air ventilation and air seasoning to exhaust liquid containing organic halide compound and ultraviolet-ray irradiation of a gas to be exhausted, and then, rinsing the gas with an alkali (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 62-191095) or the like. In addition, probably, as an example which is estimated as reductive decomposition, there has been known decomposition of ethylene chloride using iron powder (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-257570). Reductive decomposition has been reported for decomposition of PCE using silicon particles.
In spite of the foregoing prior art, any or all of these methods is not sufficiently practical in apparatus arrangement or the like required for decomposition efficiency or treatment, and there is demanded a method for efficiently decomposing a gaseous aliphatic hydrocarbon halide compound with a simpler apparatus arrangement.
The inventors held a variety of discussions for these technical demands. As a result, when light was emitted to a mixture gas of a gaseous aliphatic hydrocarbon halide compound and a gas containing a chlorine gas, the inventors found out that an aliphatic hydrocarbon halide compound is decomposed, and achieved the present invention.
An object of the present invention is to provide a method for decomposing a gaseous aliphatic hydrocarbon halide compound more simply.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a simple apparatus capable of efficiently decomposing a gaseous aliphatic hydrocarbon halide compound.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for decomposing a gaseous aliphatic hydrocarbon halide compound according to one embodiment of the present invention is characterized by comprising the steps of: mixing a gaseous aliphatic hydrocarbon halide compound and a gas containing a chlorine gas; and emitting light to a mixture gas of the gaseous aliphatic hydrocarbon halide compound and the chlorine gas.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is an apparatus for decomposing a gaseous aliphatic hydrocarbon halide compound according to one embodiment of the present invention, capable of achieving the foregoing objects, is characterized by comprising: means for bringing a gas containing chlorine gas into contact with a gaseous aliphatic hydrocarbon halide compound in a closed space; and means for emitting light to a mixture gas of the gas in the closed space and the gaseous aliphatic hydrocarbon halide compound.

Method and apparatus for decomposing gaseous aliphatic hydrocarbon halide compound


A vehicle navigation system computes an optimal route from stored map data. Where the vehicle deviates from the optimal route, either by mistake or by choice, the driver can command computation of a new optimal route. The driver may choose whether or not to permit U-turns on the new route, thereby insuring that the original optimal route will not be retraced if his deviation was deliberate. Route guidance, deviation, and U-turn selection information is displayed to help the driver follow the original optimal route, to command computation of a new optimal route, and to choose whether or not to permit U-turns along the new optimal route.

The present invention relates to vehicle navigation systems, and, more particularly, to a system for computing the optimal route from a starting point to a destination and guiding a vehicle according to the computed optimal route.
Generally, a vehicle navigation system computes the optimal route to a destination before the vehicle starts a journey. After the journey begins, the system computes local navigational guidance from the optimal route and the vehicle's present location in real time. The system gives this guidance from a starting point to a destination by presenting route information in real time on a CRT or similar display.
In cases where a vehicle has deviated from the optimal route (hereinafter called a "deviation"), a conventional navigation system generally recomputes the optimal route to the destination from a new starting point at the vehicle's present location after it has strayed. The system computes the new optimal route in the same manner as the old, in other words, to reach the destination in the shortest time or over the shortest distance. Thus the optimal route computed after a deviation may, depending on the case, require the vehicle to continue travelling in the same direction, or it may require a U-turn to retrace the original optimal route.
A vehicle deviates from an optimal route for one of two reasons: first, the driver makes a mistake; second, the driver makes a deliberate choice, for example, to avoid a traffic jam. In the latter case, should the recomputed route return the vehicle to the original route, the driver following the recomputed route as prescribed by the system may be forced into the very traffic jam he wanted to avoid. On the other hand, to avoid the traffic jam, he must deviate from the navigation system's optimal route, thereby losing the system's guidance.
Prior to the present application, the inventor of this application devised means to prevent a computation that retraces an original optimal route as a new optimal route by prohibiting a U-turn when computing the optimal route after a deviation. When a vehicle has deviated from its optimal route by mistake, however, the route that gets it to the destination in the shortest distance or the shortest time may indeed retrace the original optimal route. In that case, the preventive means causes inconvenience, because what is computed to be the optimal route under the constraint of no U-turns is not the true optimal route.