Apparatus for taking a multiple of samples of groundwater or pressure measurements from a well simultaneously. The apparatus comprises a series of chambers arranged in an axial array, each of which is dimensioned to fit into a perforated well casing and leave a small gap between the well casing and the exterior of the chamber. Seals at each end of the container define the limits to the axial portion of the well to be sampled. A submersible pump in each chamber pumps the groundwater that passes through the well casing perforations into the gap from the gap to the surface for analysis. The power lines and hoses for the chambers farther down the array pass through each chamber above them in the array. The seals are solid, water-proof, non-reactive, resilient disks supported to engage the inside surface of the well casing. Because of the modular design, the apparatus provides flexibility for use in a variety of well configurations.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to groundwater sampling. More particularly, the present invention relates to sampling of groundwater at several vertical positions simultaneously.
2. Discussion of Background
Groundwater monitoring involves the analysis of the constituents present in groundwater and the direction and rate of flow of the groundwater. Since groundwater is a significant source of water for drinking, recreation and irrigation, its supply and constituents are of paramount importance. Contaminants present as a constituent in the groundwater can pose a significant problem, sometimes even in trace amounts. Therefore, groundwater monitoring to detect the presence of contaminants is important in protecting the supply of water.
Groundwater monitoring begins with taking a sample of the water and analyzing it for its constituents. However, to properly characterize a groundwater system, a number of samples must be taken at different locations to ascertain how the concentrations of the constituents vary from one location in the system to another and how they change over time so that the evolution of the system can be traced and predicted.
A groundwater system is three-dimensional, requiring sampling from different locations in a horizontal plane and in the vertical direction. Usually, a series of monitoring wells are dug at preselected locations throughout an area where the groundwater system is of interest. These wells are about four inches (ten centimeters) in diameter. The sides of the wells are shored by the insertion of well casing, which is perforated piping. Groundwater passes through the perforations in the casing into the well.
There are several devices for sampling groundwater at multiple elevations in a single well; typically, these have a vertical series of chambers that each permit entrance of a sample of well fluid. See, for example, the descriptions in U.S. Pat. No. 4,745,801 issued to Luzier, U.S. Pat. No. 4,538,683 issued to Chulick, U.S. Pat. No. 3,254,710 issued to Jensen, and U.S. Pat. No. 2,781,663 issued to Maly et al. Portions of the axial dimension, defined by the axis of the well, are established by sealing the chamber to the well casing using gaskets; these gaskets are inflated to seal against the casing when needed and to disengage the casing when not in use. See Maly, et al. for examples of inflatable and fixed seal. Maly, et al. fill each chamber using a solenoid valve to control admission of groundwater. Then, the array of chambers is removed from the well for analysis rather than pumping the contents of the chambers to a remote location for analysis.
In some cases, the fluid from the chambers is pumped to the surface at the top of the well rather than being removed along with the chambers when they are pulled from the well. In most cases, a pump at the well head is used for pumping groundwater samples to the surface. The use of submersible pumps in samplers, however, is also known. Chulick, cited above, uses a single submersible pump for all levels when depth of the sampler requires it. Chulick samples one level at a time by rotating an inner cylinder until its perforations line up with the level selected; then groundwater passes through the perforations into the sampler.
In an approach different from that of Chulick, Luzier uses small diameter tubes to collect simultaneously samples of groundwater at different depths. Each tube is perforated at a different depth and covered with multiple wraps of stainless steel screen. His pump is located at the surface rather than in each tube.
The inflatable seals used in some multi-level samplers require a source of air or other gas for inflating and also pose the possibility that they may rupture, so their reliability is suspect. Surface pumps rather than submersible pumps can only pump water from a depth of less than 30 feet and therefore limited use to shallower wells.
There remains, however, a need for a simple, flexible apparatus for sampling the groundwater and measuring pressure at different elevations along the axis of the well casing simultaneously and without cross contamination between levels. Preferably, such an apparatus would be field-assembled from modular units to meet for a variety of well configurations and be retrievable following use from one well for use in another. There is also a need for apparatus for determining the rate and direction of contaminant transport in an aquifer which can be done based on measurements of groundwater pore pressure at various locations within the aquifer.

Modular, multi-level groundwater sampler


An earthquake protection apparatus and a system thereof. The apparatus includes a U-shaped frame further including a plurality of rods to be attached around periphery of the bed. The apparatus also includes a reinforced material fixed with the rods. The material has a tensile strength enough to bear the weight and slide off any falling debris on any side of the apparatus due to the earthquake. The material is configured to fold and unfold respectively upon triggering of a plurality of motors linked to earthquake detection sensors within the apparatus.

Earthquakes, also known as tremors, occur due to trembling of the surface of the Earth as a consequence of sudden release of seismic energy waves in Earth's lithosphere. There are approximately 15,000 earthquakes that occur worldwide every year. The higher the magnitude of the earthquake (>6.0), the higher the risk is. There are different types of earthquakes, and can be of relatively high, medium and negligible magnitude. There have been many deadly earthquakes worldwide which have caused numerous deaths and injuries due to damage to buildings and release of debris over the residents. Such earthquakes and their impact have been on a rise over a period of time due to continuous changes in nature, rapid construction, ageing of buildings, geological faults, among other factors. The tremors can hit unsuspecting areas unpredictably irrespective of time.
Many conventional systems and measures have been devised to escape injury and damage of earthquake especially when the residents are sleeping on a bed. Some of the conventional arts are too complex to use, and are one time use only. Hence, such systems may be demolished when deployed even for a single use. Some of the conventional systems are bulky. Some of these systems require manual assistance to operate. Some systems are fixed and static, for example, providing a fixed canopy or roof over the bed. Thus, such systems have to be designed specifically involving a roof on the bed at all times. A user may have no choice but to purchase such designs even though he or she might not find them an ideal fit. In addition, the fixed canopy or roof may be less efficient to bear the load of falling debris, and may break as more debris accumulates on the canopy.
Another conventional system employs the opening and closing of a canopy over the bed automatically. The opening and closing is done manually or automatically, depending on the system. Both the types involve complicated mechanisms, and a large number of equipment, which may unnecessarily add discomfort and cost to a user. Existing anti-earthquake canopies or roofs over the bed allow the debris to just keep on collecting, and there is no provision of disposal thereof. Hence in case of high rise buildings inflicted with multiple tremors where there is a high chance of more debris to fall onto beds in the lower floors of the buildings, chunks of the debris may accumulate on the roofs of such anti-earthquake systems, making them prone to breakage and thus harming the users underneath.
One of the well-known conventional arts provides an earthquake protection system which senses the vibrations generated due to earthquake. The system includes a mattress on a bed which drops into a secure chamber. Such a sudden dropping of the mattress can cause physical injury to a sleeping person or put him in a sudden mental shock. Such systems may be unsuitable for the elderly, patients suffering from spine related problems, etc. Moreover, it may be scary for small children sleeping under such systems. Furthermore, it may be suffocating for the person dropped inside the chamber especially during an earthquake of higher magnitude. It may become more strenuous when debris just keeps on depositing on the chamber. It becomes very difficult for the person to come out of the chamber when the seismic event is over.
The conventional systems are not adaptable to various different sizes or shapes of beds. Hence, a user has to procure an entire system of earthquake protection along with the bed. It may be problematic when the user has to replace the bed with a new one. There are no anti-earthquake systems which can be employed or be retrofitted on an ordinary preexisting bed. Especially, there are hardly any systems which can protect people sleeping on bunk beds. In addition, there may be false positives or proxy movements such as high volume of speakers, vibrating windows, jumping or movement of people on the bed or the floor nearby, passage of heavy vehicles, etc. causing sensational vibrations in the floor. In such scenarios, there is high likelihood of the conventional systems to be activated with false positives thereby wrongly sensing any movement as an earthquake.
Therefore, there exists a need for developing earthquake protection systems and apparatus which can be fit to any size or shape of any ordinary bed, and also allow automatic instant disposal of the debris while having the capability of detecting and communicating the occurrence of on earthquake remotely.

Earthquake protection bed apparatus and system thereof


An electronic cigarette and a control method thereof are provided. The electronic cigarette includes a power supply device, a control device, a tobacco heating device and an e-liquid atomizing device. The power supply device is configured to provide electric power to the control device, the tobacco heating device and the e-liquid atomizing device. The tobacco heating device and the e-liquid atomizing device have a common smoke outlet. The control device is electrically connected to each of the tobacco heating device and the e-liquid atomizing device. The control device is configured to control the tobacco in the tobacco heating device to be heated when receiving an instruction for heating the tobacco and control the e-liquid in the e-liquid atomizing device to be atomized when a condition for atomizing the e-liquid is satisfied.

Electronic cigarettes are currently widely used in some developed countries in Europe and the United States, mainly to replace traditional cigarettes. With the continuous improvement of living standards in China, people are also continuously pursuing a higher quality of life, and they gradually realize the serious harm of smoking, and quitting smoking has gradually become a common understanding. Therefore, alternatives like electronic cigarettes are gradually gaining popularity.
At present, electronic cigarettes are used to atomize e-liquid, and the atomized e-liquid are sucked. Although the e-liquid is constantly improved to make it taste close to real smoke, there are still large differences between them, which makes it difficult for smokers to accept, and the electronic cigarette has not been widely promoted.

Electronic cigarette and control method thereof


A vascular prosthesis (10) comprises pericardial, fascial, or other tissue (12) formed over a tubular support frame. A first exemplary tubular support frame comprises an inner helical member (16) and an outer helical member (14), where the tissue is rolled and captured therebetween. A second exemplary tubular support frame (60, 62) comprises a plurality of ring elements (64, 72) which are located alternately on the outside and on the inside of the rolled tissue. Other exemplary frames employ fasteners (84, 98) for penetrating the rolled tissue and attaching tissue to frame elements. The tissue is preferably obtained from the patient who is to receive the vascular prosthesis, with the tissue being mounted over the frame immediately prior to use.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to medical methods and devices, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for forming vascular prostheses from host tissue sources.
Coronary and peripheral atherosclerosis are characterized by partial or total occlusion of the arteries resulting from the accumulation of lipids, smooth muscle cells, connective tissue, and glycosaminoglycans on the arterial wall. Atherosclerosis of the coronary arteries is a particular problem and can cause angina and myocardial infarction (heart attack). Although many coronary lesions can be treated with percutaneous techniques, such as angioplasty and atherectomy, more tortuous and severely diseased arteries frequently require surgical intervention and bypass, commonly referred to as coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery.
CABG surgery relies on the surgical attachment of a vascular graft to bypass the arterial occlusion in order to restore blood flow to the coronary vasculature. The nature of the vascular graft can have a significant impact on the ultimate success of the procedure. A preferred vascular graft is formed from autologous internal mammary artery (IMA), where the resulting grafts have a patency rate approaching 95% ten years following the procedure. The use of IMA grafts, however, is limited by their length, and the need to harvest the artery from the patient can result in post-surgical complications. The autologous saphenous vein is a second common source for vascular grafts. While generally available in the necessary lengths, the saphenous vein is not ideally suited for replacement as an arterial vessel, and patency rates at ten years are often below 50%. Moreover, removal of the saphenous vein from the leg can also cause post-surgical complications.
Because of the limitations on autologous vascular sources, a variety of synthetic and non-autologous biological prostheses have been proposed. Common synthetic prostheses are formed from Dacron(copyright) and PTFE, and can perform well when employed in larger diameters, i.e., above 6 mm. Smaller synthetic prostheses, however, occlude at a relatively high rate. Non-autologous biological conduits which have been utilized as vascular prostheses include human umbilical vein grafts and bovine internal mammary arteries. Synthetic grafts have also been seeded with human and other mammalian cells or proteins, e.g., collagens, in an effort to improve their long-term patency rate. Presently, however, none of these approaches has demonstrated long-term patency, particularly in smaller diameter grafts.
Of particular interest to the present invention, preparation of vascular prostheses from autologous pericardium has been proposed. Pericardial tissue is harvested from the patient and formed into a tubular graft by suturing along a longitudinal line. While promising, the use of sutures can result in an irregular seam which, in turn, can cause turbulent blood flow and result in clot formation. Moreover, such grafts are unsupported and subject to kinking and collapse. The grafts further lack an inherently round geometry and are subject to dimensional changes, e.g., elongation and aneurysmal formation. Because of the dimensional uncertainty, it is difficult to match such grafts to the precise dimensional requirements of the particular application, e.g, caliber and length. The suturing of vascular prostheses from pericardium is labor intensive and time consuming, and the resulting structures are subject to rupture and other structural failure. Thus, the outcome of using sutured pericardial tissue grafts is uncertain at best.
For these reasons, it would be desirable to provide improved vascular prostheses for use in CABG and other procedures. Such prostheses should be biocompatible with the patient, resistant to kinking and collapse, and easy to implant. Moreover, the prostheses should be non-thrombogenic, resistant to infection, and easy to sterilize and store. It would be particularly desirable to provide improved methods and apparatus for preparing vascular prostheses from autologous tissue sources, where the prostheses can be prepared in a range of diameters and lengths, and can be readily assembled in the operating room after the tissue has been harvested. In particular, the vascular prostheses should be readily assemblable, preferably without suturing, in a manner that allows precise and uniform dimensions and preferably be available in a kit form to facilitate assembly.
2. Description of the Background Art
U.S. Pat. No. 4,502,159, describes a vascular prosthesis made by suturing glutaraldehyde-treated pericardial tissue along a longitudinal seam. SU 1217362 (Abstract) describes reinforcing arteries by securing pericardial tissue over the artery. U.S. Pat. No. 3,562,820, describes forming tissue-containing prostheses over removable mandrels. The use of glutaraldehyde and other agents for treating tissue and prosthetic devices to reduce antigenicity is described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,988,782; 4,801,299; 5,215,541, and Brazilian applications 89/03621 and 90/03762. U.S. Pat. No. 4,539,716, describes the fabrication of an artificial blood vessel from collagen and other natural materials. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,894,530 and 3,974,526, describe the formation of vascular prostheses from the arteries or veins present in the umbilical cord. U.S. Pat. No. 5,372,821, describes the use of tissue for forming artificial ligament grafts for use in orthopedic procedures. U.S. Pat. No. 3,408,659, describes the preparation of vascular artificial prostheses from other body lumens. French application FR 2,714,816, (Abstract) discloses a helically supported vascular prosthesis. A number of medical literature publications describe the use of vascular prostheses formed form tissue. See, for example, Rendina et al. (1995) J. Thorac. Cardiovasc. Surg. 110:867-868; Hvass et al. (1987) La Presse Mxc3xa9dicale 16:441-443; Allen and Cole (1977) J. Ped. Surg. 12:287-294; and Sako (1951) Surgery 30:148-160. Other patents and published applications relating to synthetic vascular grafts include U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,728,328; 4,731,073; 4,798,606; 4,820,298; 4,822,361; and 4,842,575; and PCT publications WO 94/22505 and WO 95/25547. Patents and published applications relating to kits for preparing replacement heart valves from pericardial and other autologous tissue sources are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,163,955; 5,297,564; 5,326,370; 5,326,371; 5,423,887; and 5,425,741.
The present invention provides improved vascular prostheses and methods for their preparation. The vascular prostheses are formed in part from animal tissue, usually autologous tissue from the patient receiving the prostheses, which is supported on a separate support frame. Typically, the tissue is pericardial, fascial, rectus sheath, venous tissue, or other tissue harvested from the patient immediately before the CABG or other implantation procedure. After harvesting, the tissue is usually but not necessarily treated in a stabilizing medium, such as a cross-linking agent, and then attached to the frame in the operating room. The frame precisely defines the length and dimensions of the vascular graft and inhibits kinking and collapse of the graft after implantation. Preferably, the tissue will be tolled or otherwise formed over the frame so that adjacent longitudinal edges are overlapped to seal the resulting lumen of the graft and prevent blood leakage. In this way, suturing of the graft can be avoided.
Such vascular prostheses have a number of advantages. When using autologous tissue, the grafts are biocompatible and non-immunogenic. The grafts are durable, and use of the separate frame provides dimensional stability and inhibits unintended dilation, rupture, elongation, and kinking. Moreover, the vascular prosthesis may be prepared in a range of diameters and lengths, with the tissue sources providing a relatively unlimited source of prosthetic material. The vascular prostheses are relatively easy to fabricate, with attachment of the tissue to the frame being readily performable in an operating room environment. The frame components of the graft are easy to store and sterilize prior to use. Other advantages include non-thrombogenicity and a compliance which approximates that of natural blood vessels.
According to the method of the present invention, a tubular vascular prosthesis is formed by providing a sheet of tissue and a tubular support frame. The tissue is then attached to the tubular support frame to define a substantially unrestricted blood flow lumen therethrough. The tissue sheet may be obtained from the host or from other human or animal (non-autologous) sources. Typically, the tissue is trimmed into a shape to facilitate rolling onto the frame, usually a rectangular shape. The tissue will usually be pericardium, fascia, rectus sheath, venous tissue, or the like, and will preferably but not necessarily be treated with a cross-linking agent or other stabilizing agent (preservative) prior to formation.
The tubular support frame may have a variety of configurations. In a first embodiment, the tubular support frame includes at least an inner frame component and an outer frame component, where the attaching step comprises capturing the tissue sheet between the inner component and the outer frame component. The inner and outer frame components may be in the form of helices, longitudinally spaced-apart rings, or other conventional intravascular stent structures and the like. In a preferred aspect of the present invention, the inner and outer frame components comprise concentric mating structure which clamp the tissue therebetween without suturing. The frame thus supports the clamped tissue along the entire length of the graft to provide support and precise dimensional control.
Alternatively, the tubular support frame may include a single frame member having a plurality of fasteners disposed thereover. In such case, the attaching step comprises attaching the tissue to the fasteners, for example by penetrating the fasteners through the tissue. As yet another alternative, the tissue may be attached to a single frame using separate fasteners, such as staples which are penetrated through the tissue and into the frame. In yet another alternative, the attaching step may comprise disposing a sleeve over the tissue which in turn is disposed over the tubular frame.
Systems for forming tubular prostheses according to the present invention comprise a cutter and a tubular frame. The cutter is designed to trim the sheet of harvested tissue into a predetermined pattern, typically a rectangular pattern. The tubular frame is capable of supporting the tissue trimmed by the cutter and a tubular geometry having a substantially unrestricted flow lumen therethrough. Usually, a plurality of cutters and a plurality of tubular frames will be provided with matched pairs of cutters and frames used for forming tubular prostheses having different dimensions. The system may further include a mandrel for holding the tissue as the tissue is attached to the frame, and may still further include a cross-linking agent or other stabilizing agent or preservative for treating the tissue prior to attachment to the frame. The frame may comprise any of the structures described above.
In another aspect of the present invention, a tubular frame for supporting tissue in a tubular geometry with a substantially unrestricted flow lumen therethrough comprises a first tubular frame component having tissue attachment means thereon. The tubular frame typically has a diameter in the range from 1 m to 30 m, preferably from 3 mm to 25 mm, and a length in the range from 1 cm to 30 cm, preferably from 5 cm to 15 cm. The length will be determined at least in part by the length and amount of tissue available from an individual patient. In some cases, frames even longer than 30 cm might find use, but the resulting longer grafts will rarely be needed in some cases, the length of the tubular frame will be adjustable, for example by cutting a desired length of frame or frame components from a relatively long frame stock.
The frame will usually be composed of a resilient metal, and may comprise either a helical element or a plurality of longitudinally spaced-apart ring elements. Attachment means may comprise any one of a second tubular frame component configured to mate with the first tubular frame component, e.g., a pair of nesting helical frame elements, a plurality of fasteners disposed over the first tubular frame component, a sleeve which is received over the exterior of the first tubular frame component, staples for attaching the tissue to the frame component, or the like. Optionally, two or more frames or frame segments may be linked together to create longer grafts, with the frames or frame segments being interlocked and/or overlapped to create a continuous lumen through the resulting assembly.

Method and apparatus for forming vascular prostheses


A system to manage and analyze conditions of pipeline structures, program product, and associated methods are provided. The system can include a computer defining a pipeline management computer having a processor and memory coupled to the processor to store operating instructions therein to manage and analyze conditions of the pipeline structure. The pipeline management computer can also include a display in communication with the processor to display pipeline project and client entity data and a user interface coupled to the processor to provide the pipeline management user with access to manipulate pipeline project and client entity data. A pipeline management database is provided accessible to the processor of the pipeline management computer. The database can include database records associated with at least one pipeline project related to database records associated with a pipeline management client entity. The system can also include pipeline management program product stored in the memory of the pipeline management computer to manage and analyze pipeline projects.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to pipelines, particularly to pipeline structure management. More specifically, the present invention relates to systems, program products, and related methods to manage pipeline structures.
2. Description of the Related Art
Worldwide there are millions miles of underground pipes to carry sewage, sanitary and storm water; potable water; natural gas; gasoline; and various forms of oil or chemicals. Pipeline companies typically have a pipeline safety program which includes a repair management program. The pipeline safety program can provide for routine identification of pipeline defects and review of pipeline integrity. Often such pipeline safety programs are performed, for example, through review of previous internal and third party produced inspection reports developed by personnel with demonstrated expertise in interpreting inspection report data. Such programs can also include excavation of defects identified by the reports for visual examination of the defects. Such inspection programs can also include use of electronic devices such as, for example, pipeline pigs capable of performing visual (video) inspections and/or magnetic inspections to determine the cause of the failure and verify the integrity of the pipeline.
Inspection and repair of the pipelines is critical due to the potential risks to the environment when the pipelines rupture and due to the high costs of repair or replacement. Risk assessment for most pipelines has been based on a comparison of the pipeline segment in question to the experience-based norm of the individual assessors. Based on the specific experience of the expert sent to a particular site, the determined risk can vary by a wide margin between pipeline segments. Thus, recognized by the Applicant is the need for a system, program product, and method to repetitively and accurately determine risk posed by a defect within a pipeline segment. Also recognized is the need for a system, program product, and method that allows for consistent assessment of probability of failure of pipeline segments and impact of such failure.
In a relatively large pipeline having numerous pipeline segments, especially when constrained fiscally, it is particularly difficult to quantify the cost of repairs to a pipeline segment and to provide for a cost-effective allocation of funds to form a repair and maintenance schedule. Thus, also recognized by the Applicant is the need for a system, program product, and method which can allow the user to compare risk, repair cost, and cost effectiveness between multiple pipeline segments of a pipeline structure.

System to manage maintenance of a pipeline structure, program product, and related methods


Apparatus for in-vehicle provision of audio content to a listener. The apparatus includes a cellular telephone adapted to receive broadcast radio content over a wireless network, and an in-vehicle audio system adapted to be fixedly installed in a vehicle, and coupled to receive the broadcast radio content from the cellular telephone, and to play the content in the vehicle.

The majority of cars and other vehicles contain in-vehicle audio systems containing relatively high quality audio components such as amplifiers and speakers. Such in-vehicle audio systems typically include radios, and cassette, CD and minidisk players, and the like. However, the range of audio content available to a listener of in-vehicle audio devices is limited.
A listener to a radio is limited temporally to the programming available at that time. If a listener misses a desired radio program at its normal broadcast time, he is unable to listen to that program later, at a time convenient for him, unless he recorded it during broadcast, A radio listener is also limited geographically to the programming broadcast from a within-range radio transmitter. It is currently not possible for a radio listener to travel abroad and still receive broadcasts from his home country's local radio stations on an in-vehicle radio. There is thus a need for a method for listening to a radio program via an in-vehicle radio system, while the radio program is not being currently transmitted on an in-range transmitter, without the listener having to pre-record the program.
A listener to in-vehicle audio devices, such as a cassette or CD player, is limited to the selection of prerecorded audio content, typically music, that he has available in the appropriate format.
A large amount of audio content, including both music and spoken content, is available over the Internet. The majority of in-vehicle audio systems are not Internet-enabled, however.
A large number of listeners to in-vehicle audio devices also possess cellular phones. New generations of cellular phones are Internet-enabled, allowing audio content to be downloaded from the Internet. The sound quality from cellular phones is typically poor as they are designed to minimize size and weight and are intended to be used by a single user, while being held close to the ear. Cellular phones are not designed for broadcasting music to a number of listeners. There is thus also a need for apparatus and a method for improving the sound quality of audio content downloaded from a network such as the Internet, through a cellular phone.

International Business Machines Corporation


The present invention discloses organic electroluminescent display device and a method for fabricating the same, which includes: a first hole transporting layer formed in the first, second, and third pixel regions; a second hole transporting layer formed on a portion of the first hole transporting layer in the second and third pixel regions; a third hole transporting layer formed on a portion of the second hole transporting layer in the third pixel region. Light emitting layers are formed on each of the first, second, and third hole transporting layers. The thickness of the second hole transporting layer is approximately one-third (⅓) to two-thirds (⅔) of an optical wavelength difference between the first and second pixel regions, and the thickness of the third hole transporting layer is approximately one-third (⅓) to two-thirds (⅔) of an optical wavelength difference between the second and third pixel regions.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an organic electroluminescent display device and a method of fabricating the same and, more particularly, to an organic electroluminescent display device having an optimum resonance structure.
2. Description of the Related Art
An organic electroluminescent display ("OLED") device having a thin film transistor ("TFT") is a self light-emissive type display device, which is attracting public attention as a next generation display device because of its wide viewing angle, excellent contrast ratio, and fast response speed.
The OLED device is classified as either an inorganic electroluminescent (EL) device or an organic EL device depending on the material used to form a light emitting layer. Compared to the inorganic EL device, the organic EL device may provide improved display performance in such characteristics as luminance, driving voltage, response speed, and can also provide a full-color display.
The OLED device has a full color feature because it may include a pixel comprising pixel regions defined by the intersection of a plurality of scan lines and a plurality of data lines, which can be arranged substantially perpendicular to each other. Each pixel region corresponds to either red, green, or blue colors.
Referring to FIG. 1, a typical full-color OLED device has a substrate 10 having a red pixel region (R), a green pixel region (G) and a blue pixel region (B); and a plurality of first electrodes 12 formed on portions of substrate 10 overlapping the red pixel region, the green pixel region and the blue pixel region. In the case of a top-emission type OLED device, the first electrode 12 can be a metal electrode, which may be either a reflecting electrode or a transparent electrode containing a reflecting layer.
In order to insulate the pixel regions and to define the pixel, an insulating material layer is deposited and patterned to form a pixel defining layer 14.
A hole injecting layer 16 and a hole transporting layer 18 are formed over the whole surface of substrate 10 to cover the first electrodes 12 as a common layer.
A light emitting material layer is deposited on portions of hole transporting layer 18 that overlap the respective pixel regions to thereby form red (R), green (G) and blue (B) light emitting layers 20.
If needed, a hole blocking layer 21, an electron transporting layer 22, and an electron injecting layer 23 are sequentially formed over the whole surface of substrate 10, and a second electrode layer 24 is formed on electron injecting layer 23. In a typical OLED, hole injecting layer 16, hole transporting layer 18, light emitting layer 20, hole blocking layer 21, electron transporting layer 22, and electron injecting layer 23 are thin films made of an organic compound.
In a typical full-color OLED device, there is generally differences in luminous efficiency between respective pixel regions, i.e., the respective colors. For example, a green light emitting material has a higher luminous efficiency than red and blue light emitting materials, and a red light emitting material has a higher luminous efficiency than a blue light emitting material.
As a result, much research has been performed to obtain maximum luminous efficiency and luminance by controlling the thickness of organic thin films. For example, Japanese Published Application No. 4-137485 discloses a technique for improving luminous efficiency by forming the electron transporting layer of a thickness between 30 to 60 nm on a structure that an anode, a hole transporting layer, a light emitting layer, an electron transporting layer, and a cathode are sequentially formed.
Japanese Published Application No. 4-328295 discloses a technique of substantially increasing luminance by controlling the thickness of the electron transporting layer such that the light generated from the light emitting layer interferes with the light reflected from the cathode. Also, Japanese Published Application No. 7-240277 discloses an OLED device that controls an optical film thickness to improve luminance, particularly the color purity of blue light.
The OLED devices described above provide different optical film thicknesses for each color to thereby improve luminance. However, it is very difficult to form optical films of different thicknesses by using different manufacturing processes for each color.

Organic electroluminescent display device and method for fabricating the same


A process for manufacturing a (per)fluoroelastomer having a heat of fusion of less than 5 J/g as measured by ASTM D-3418-08, comprising polymerizing at least one fluorinated monomer in the presence of at least one initiator in a polymerization medium comprising:                (A) water; (B) at least one fluorinated surfactant [surfactant (FS)] having formula (I) here below, wherein:                    X1, X2 and X3, equal to or different from each other, are independently selected from the group consisting of H, F and C1-C6 (per)fluoroalkyl groups, optionally comprising one or more catenary or non-catenary oxygen atoms,            RF represents a divalent perfluorinated C1-C3 bridging group,            L represents a bond or a divalent group and            Y represents a hydrophilic functionality selected from anionic functionalities, cationic functionalities and non-ionic functionalities;                        (C) at least one fluorinated compound [compound (F)] different from surfactant (FS);        wherein said polymerization medium has a pH value of less than 7.

Vulcanized (per)fluoroelastomers have been used in a variety of applications, in particular for manufacturing sealing articles such as oil seals, gaskets, shaft seals and O-rings, because of several desirable properties such as heat resistance, chemical resistance, weatherability, etc.
A frequently used method for manufacturing (per)fluoropolymers, in particular (per)fluoroelastomers, involves aqueous emulsion polymerization of one or more fluorinated monomers generally in the presence of fluorinated surfactants. Frequently used fluorinated surfactants include perfluorooctanoic acids and salts thereof, in particular ammonium perfluorooctanoic acid.
Recently, perfluoroalkanoic acids having eight or more than eight carbon atoms have raised environmental concerns. Accordingly, efforts are now devoted to phase out from such compounds and methods have been developed to manufacture (per)fluoropolymer products by aqueous polymerization procedures using alternative surfactants having a more favourable toxicological profile.
For instance, WO 2010/003929 (SOLVAY SOLEXIS S.P.A.) Jan. 14, 2010 discloses a process for the manufacture of a fluoropolymer by aqueous emulsion polymerization of one or more fluorinated monomers in the presence of at least one cyclic fluorocompound having formula (I) here below:

wherein:                X1, X2 and X3, equal to or different from each other, are independently selected from H, F and C1-C6 (per)fluoroalkyl groups, optionally comprising one or more catenary or non-catenary oxygen atoms,        RF represents a divalent fluorinated C1-C3 bridging group,        L represents a bond or a divalent group, and        Y represents a hydrophilic functionality selected from anionic functionalities, cationic functionalities and non-ionic functionalities.
It would thus be desirable to find alternative routes for manufacturing (per)fluoroelastomers in a convenient and cost-effective way through fast reaction rates using equipments commonly used in the aqueous polymerization of fluorinated monomers with traditional fluorinated surfactants.

Method for manufacturing fluoroelastomers


A system for preparing a quantity of beverage suitable for consumption, including an apparatus including a first brew chamber part having a cavity bounded by a chamber inner wall and a chamber bottom of the first brew chamber part wherein the cavity is arranged for selectively holding one of a first and second exchangeable capsules, wherein the first brew chamber part is further provided with an alignment cap which is movable in an axial direction of the first brew chamber part.

The invention generally relates to a system for preparing a beverage. The invention also relates to an apparatus for preparing a beverage. More specifically the invention relates to a system for preparing a beverage using a capsule.
Systems and apparatus for preparing a beverage using a capsule are generally known. The apparatus can be configured to receive a single type of capsule, but may also be arranged for receiving multiple types of capsules, for example for preparing different kinds of beverages, for example coffee, tea, hot chocolate, or different variants of coffee. The different capsules may not all have the same shape and/or size. An apparatus arranged for dealing with a plurality of different capsules may thus quickly become complicated and large in its structure, thus increasing its price. It may also become rather difficult to handle and to clean.
It is an object of the present invention to alleviate one or more of the above-mentioned problems. In particular, it is an aim of the invention to provide a compact system and apparatus for preparing a beverage using a capsule which is able to handle one of a plurality of capsules of different sizes. It is a further object of the invention to provide a system and apparatus for preparing a beverage using a capsule which is able to function equally well with each of a plurality of capsules of different sizes.

System for preparing a quantity of beverage suitable for consumption


A nozzle receiver is to be arranged in a powder container used in an image forming apparatus. The nozzle receiver includes a nozzle receiving opening, in which a conveying nozzle for conveying powder supplied from the powder container is inserted in the image forming apparatus; an opening/closing member to open and to close the nozzle receiving opening; and a supporter to support the opening/closing member. The opening/closing member includes a sealing portion to seal the nozzle insertion opening. The supporter includes an end surface portion perpendicular to a moving direction of the opening/closing member. The projection area of the end surface portion in the moving direction of the opening/closing member is smaller than a projection area of the sealing portion in the moving direction of the opening/closing member.

In electrophotography image forming apparatuses, a powder replenishing device supplies (replenishes) toner that is developer from a toner container serving as a powder container containing the developer that is powder to a developing device. A toner container described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2012-133349 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No 2009-276659 includes a rotatable cylindrical powder storage, a nozzle receiver attached to the powder storage, an opening arranged on the nozzle receiver, and an opening/closing member that moves to a closing position at which the opening is closed and to an opening position at which the opening is opened along with insertion of the conveying nozzle of the powder replenishing device. When the opening/closing member is moved to the opening position by the conveying nozzle inserted in the toner container along with attachment of the toner container to the powder replenishing device, the opening/closing member moves toner located near the opening.
In the configuration as described above, if there is no escape for toner that moves with the movement of the opening/closing member, the toner is compressed and cohered, and prevents the opening/closing member from moving to the closing position when the toner container is detached from the powder container, for example.
It is an object of the present invention to cope with the abovementioned issues.

Nozzle receiver, powder container, and image forming apparatus


A bicycle wheel has good impact properties and increased durability. In one embodiment the rim comprises a two piece rim having a carbon fiber based body portion having bulbous sidewalls for capable of flexing in response to radially directed forces, and a tire engaging, hoop-like rim made from aluminum. The rim includes a pair of parallel braking surfaces. In the preferred embodiment, the convex curved sides of the wheel, in transverse cross section are wider than the braking surfaces and intersect the braking surfaces at an angle of less than about 175.degree..

Bicycle rims have been in use for over 100 years. Heretofore, most bicycle rims have been made from steel or aluminum. In the past 15 years or so, many bicycle rim manufacturers have begun to make some of their rims out of carbon fiber composites. Carbon fiber composite rims and wheels are especially attractive to those engaged in racing and other pursuits where the lightweight rims are desired.
Many carbon fiber bicycle rims and wheels exist. Many of these rims and wheels can be seen in the COMPOSITECH, INC. catalog of its the ZIPP SPEED WEAPONRY products. Other carbon fiber rims include one manufactured by Specialized Wheel. The Specialized rim has a solid interior construction. Another prior known rim is the Hed rim, which is disclosed in Hed and Haug U.S. Pat. No. 5,061,013. The Hed and Haug patent discloses a wheel having toroidal side surfaces. Preferably, the wheel, when mated to a tire, has an elliptical cross section. An improvement on the wheel shown in the Hed and Haug patent is the HED CX Wheel.
Another carbon fiber rim is shown in Hopkins U.S. Pat. No. 4,919,490.
When designing a bicycle rim, it is important to take into account the stresses and loads that are imposed on the rim that are caused by the varying road conditions to which the rim will be exposed. These stresses include the vibrational and jarring stresses caused by pot holes and road imperfections, and thermal stresses caused by heat induced due to braking.
The problems induced by vibration have been dealt with in the past largely in terms of employing devices for reducing the vibrations to the cyclist. To accomplish this, many bicycles have employed frame suspensions that were designed to attempt to insulate the rider from road vibrations and impacts. One example of such a framed-suspension design is the ZIPP articulated beam containing carbon bodied bicycle frame, which is shown in many ZIPP catalogs.
Unfortunately, very little engineering effort has been devoted to reducing the impact of vibrational forces upon rims. Very little, if anything, has been done, prior to the present invention, to increase the durability of bicycle rims, through choice of material, shape of the rim, or the use of other designed criteria. Further, no known rim designs have been employed, that permit the rim to be used as a means of absorbing impact energy and vibration. To the contrary, the primary means (and usually the only means) within a bicycle tire and rim combination that has been employed for absorbing impact energy and vibration has been the tire attached to the rim.
The sport of mountain biking, and its increased popularity, has created a need for rims to become more durable and better capable of absorbing impacts. This greater need occurs because of the increased vibration and the jarring impact type forces that are imposed on rims of bicycles ridden over rough mountain terrain.
Additionally, the sport of mountain biking tends to impose relatively greater thermal loading stresses upon the bicycle rim. This increased thermal loading is caused by the heat that is built up between the braking surface of the rim, and the inner, flexible side walls of the rim. The problems caused by thermal build-up can be especially troublesome when a two-piece bicycle rim body is used, wherein the two pieces are made from dissimilar materials, such as metal and carbon fiber, having unmatched co-efficients of thermal expansion.
One object of the present invention is to provide a bicycle rim having a design well suited to absorb a vibrational and jarring stress loads. Another object of the present invention is to provide a rim that is capable of withstanding large amounts of thermal loading caused by brake heat build-up.


A method for controlling movement of an elevator car includes driving the car vertically to a landing; activating a park brake; and holding the car immovable with the park brake. The holding includes compressing a guide rail by compression members with a first compression force; opening a door for allowing loading and/or unloading the car; maintaining the door open for allowing loading and/or unloading the car while the car is held immovable; and starting closing movement of the door. After the starting closing movement of the door, relieving the brake for allowing the elevator car to start to move vertically. The relieving includes reducing the compression force of the brake, to be smaller than the first compression force, such that the compression members start sliding vertically against the guide rail; maintaining compression with a smaller compression force than the first compression force, allowing the compression members to continue to slide vertically against the guide rail; and thereafter removing the compression.

In elevators, a suspension roping containing one or more suspension ropes is typically used as the means by which the elevator car is suspended. The suspension ropes are elastic at least to some degree. If not prevented, this elasticity has the potential of causing problematic car displacement during loading and unloading of the elevator car, because in these situations passengers enter and/or exit the car so that the rope tension changes. Tension changes cause elastic rope length changes as allowed by slight elasticity of the rope. Therefore, in a loading/unloading situation the car could be displaced vertically if not prevented. Especially, when the lifting height is great, the ropes are long and the possible displacement of an elevator car during loading may be substantial.
A park brake has been developed to keep the elevator car immovable during loading and to prevent the aforementioned problems caused by rope elasticity. Such solutions have been developed which comprises a brake to be mounted on the car and comprising compression members which are movable relative to each other for compressing a guide rail between them. In this kind of solutions, when the load situation is changed during parking through increase or decrease of number of passengers inside the car, it practically always means that the vertical forces pulling the car upwards and the vertical forces pulling the car downwards, namely gravity forces and rope tension force respectively, do not anymore counteract each other completely when the park brake is to be opened. For this reason, when the park brake is opened, the car drops or jumps because of the energy stored in the closed brakes is released quickly. This can be felt inside the car.
Earlier, a solution has been contemplated where the hoisting machinery is used to rotate the drive sheave of the elevator slightly in order to increase or decrease the rope tension so that the unbalance between rope tension and gravity is removed so as to keep the elevator car stationary when the park brake is released.
It has come up a need for an alternative solution for eliminating problems caused by tendency of the car to displace when the park brake is opened.
Moreover, the prior art solutions have not been very efficient in terms of one or more of control of back and forth movement of the compression members, control of compression force of the compression members, simplicity of the structure and compactness of the structure.
Related prior art has been disclosed in documents WO2015191696 A1, EP2688825 A1, U.S. Pat. No. 8,991,561B2 and EP1930282B1, for instance.


The present invention provides a repeater which automatically closes a dynamically opened port in accordance with prior setting, the repeater including: a port mapping table where a global IP address and an external port number, or an external port number on the Internet is associated with a local IP address and an internal port number of a terminal connected to a LAN; a control unit which, receiving a communications packet to which an external port number is specified, converts the external port number to an internal port number based on the port mapping table and transfers the internal port number to the LAN; a timer unit which counts the unoccupied time of the port after transferring a communications packet to which an external port number is specified; and a port management unit which checks whether the registered machine is present on the LAN and in case it is absent, deletes registration concerning the external port number from the port mapping table.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a repeater such as a router and in particular to a repeater and an inter-network repeating method which perform dynamic port forwarding setting to open a port and automatically close the dynamically opened port.
2. Description of the Related Art
ADSL and CATV have been in widespread use in order to establish continuous connection to a wide area network such as the Internet, with remarkable diffusion of broadband routers. With the currently used IP protocol IPv4, the absolute number of global IP addresses (hereinafter referred to as external IP addresses) is insufficient so that the NAT (Network Address Translation) feature or port forwarding feature (static IP masquerade) is used to compensate for the shortage of external IP addresses. The NAT feature converts, in an access from a device on a LAN to the Internet, its local IP address (internal IP address; hereinafter referred to as the IP address) to an external IP address of a router on a WAN.
An access from the Internet to a specific device on the LAN is made available by using the port forwarding feature (static IP masquerade) of the router. To be more precise, a conversion table of port numbers and IP addresses is set to the router and the external IP address and external port number of the router is specified in an access from the Internet. In response to the access, the router converts the external IP address to an IP address in accordance with the preset conversion table. This conversion allows an access to a device on a LAN having the IP address.
The port forwarding feature and the NAT feature have allowed a related art router to ease exhaustion of external IP addresses and connect a plurality of user devices on a LAN and the Internet. In this practice, the user had to acquire the port number of the device and manually perform or modify its setting.
Such manual setting is cumbersome and insufficient in terms of utilization of ports. To cope with this problem, the UPnP Forum defined a standard for setting of dynamic port forwarding (port mapping) (refer to UPnP Standard, [online], [searched Jan. 13, 2003], Internet address: "http//:www.upnp.org/standardizeddcps/default.asp). Setting in accordance with this standard lets a subordinate terminal request the router open a port. The router registers the port if possible. In case the port cannot be used, the terminal requests a second time and repeats the procedure until the port is determined to be available. In the UPnP standard, a port can be assigned for an indefinite or definite period. Use of the definite assignment automatically deletes a dynamically set external port without the intervention of a router vendor. FIG. 12 is a sequence chart showing the procedure from port assignment to port cancellation in related art dynamic port forwarding.
As shown in FIG. 12, when Server A to which the user has set the internal port number "8080" on the LAN is connected to the outer having the external IP address "220.127.116.11" (IP address "192.168.0.4" assigned by the DHCP server), Server A transmits a DHCP discovery packet and the DHCP server assigns the IP address "192.168.0.1". Then Server A transmits a router discovery packet (sq 101) and the router responds thereto (sq 102). Receiving the discovery packet, Server A transmits a port registration request (sq 103) and the router assigns the external port number "80" in response (sq 104).
When a client terminal having the external IP address "22.214.171.124" connected to the Internet accesses Server A by using the address "http//:188.8.131.52:80" (sq 105), the router performs port forwarding to the address "http//:192.168.0.1:8080" (sq 106). Server A returns a response (sq 107), the client terminal makes an access for processing by Server A (sq 108), and Server A transmits a response ((sq 109). Then communications between the client terminal and Server A are ended. In case port assignment is based on an indefinite-period assignment request made by Server A, the port remains assigned to Server A when the communications are over.
As mentioned above, the related art port forwarding function by a router (static IP masquerade function) allows an access to a terminal in the LAN by using an external port number. This approach is cumbersome in that, each time the external port number is changed in accordance with the system change on the LAN side, the change in the IP number must be set manually.
For dynamic port forwarding by way of a standard from the UPnP Forum, in case port assignment is based on an indefinite-period assignment request made by the server or terminal, the port remains assigned to the serve or terminal when the communications are over. Thus, in case the application on the communicating terminal has terminated, the port remains assigned even when it is no longer used. This port could act as a security hole to allow an illegal access.

Repeater and an inter-network repeating method

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


A focus search control unit for outputting an order to move an objective lens to the vicinity of a targeted position is provided with a trajectory generating unit for generating a position trajectory to move the objective lens such that the objective lens approaches the targeted position gradually. The position trajectory output from the trajectory generating unit is a position trajectory with which resonance frequency components that the lens moving unit has are removed or attenuated by making smooth the variation of acceleration of the objective lens moved by the lens moving unit. The position trajectory is defined by, for example, a function of third order or higher with respect to time.

In a conventional optical disk apparatus using a cartridge-type optical disk, a focus servo operation is conducted such that the focal point of a laser beam is brought on the surface of a recording film, in order to achieve accurate recording/reproducing. In the focus servo operation, the objective lens is controlled such that the distance between the objective lens and the optical disk is maintained constant by feeding back a focus error signal. However, it is only within a very small region of approximately ±1 μm that the focus error signal can serve as a linear error signal representing a position of the objective lens relative to the position of the optical disk in the direction of the optical axis of the objective lens. Therefore, it is very difficult to mount a mechanism unit precisely within this region in advance. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct a focus search control for moving the objective lens into a linear region of the focus error signal for conducting the focus servo operation when the optical disk has been inserted. Conventionally, the focus search control is conducted in a method in which the objective lens is gradually brought closer to the focusing point from a position sufficiently far away from the linear region of the focus error signal and a focus servo loop is closed when the focus error signal has entered within a predetermined region.
FIG. 1 shows a block diagram illustrating an overview of a focusing mechanism and a focus control system of a conventional optical disk apparatus. An optical disk 264 is rotated around an axis oriented along arrows X—X, by a spindle motor (not shown). A moving head 262 is movable in directions indicated by arrows Y—Y, i.e., in directions along the radius of an optical disk 264 and, in the moving head 262, an objective lens 270 fixed to a lens holder 268 is mounted through, for example, a pair of plate springs 266. A focusing coil 272 is mounted on the lens holder 268 and moves the objective lens 270 in directions indicated by the arrows X—X by an interaction of a magnetic field generated by a permanent magnet (not shown) fixed inside the moving head 262 and a current flowing in the focusing coil 272. A leading mirror 274 reflects a beam from a fixed head 276 emitted along the direction of the radius of the optical disk 264, in the direction along the axis of the optical disk 264. The beam is gathered by the objective lens 270 onto the surface of the recording film of the optical disk 264. The beam reflected from the optical disk 264 is again reflected by the leading mirror 274 and returned to the fixed head 276.
The fixed head 276 has inside it a laser diode 278, a collimator lens 280, a beam splitter 284, a detector lens 286 and a photo-detector 288. A laser beam emitted from the laser diode 278 is reflected by the beam splitter 284 through the collimator lens 280 and injected into the moving head 262. An outgoing beam from the moving head 262 passes through the beam splitter 284 and is gathered on the photo-detector 288 through the detector lens 286. The photo-detector 288 comprises, for example, a quarter-splitting photodiode and the current being output from the photo-detector 288 is converted to a focus error signal by a focus error signal generating circuit 290.
The focus error signal generally has a shape shown by the dotted line in FIG. 2 and is generated as a signal called S-shaped curve signal when the laser beam from the objective lens 270 has been focused on the surface of the recording film of the optical disk 264. The direction of the axis of abscissas in FIG. 2 indicates the direction in which the objective lens 270 leaves the optical disk 264 relative to the position of the focal point 312. Now, a portion between a point 310 and a point 314 in FIG. 2, i.e., a portion being almost linear between the peaks of the S-shape of the focus error signal can be used as an error signal between the objective lens 270 and the position of the focal point 312. When conducting a focus search, the objective lens 270 is positioned at a position sufficiently away from the focusing position 312 as an initial state. For example, when the objective lens 270 at the balanced position of the plate springs 266 is present in the vicinity of the position of the focal point, the objective lens 270 is brought away from the vicinity of the position of the focal point by ordering a focus current driving circuit 304 to flow a driving current of the focusing coil 272. When the objective lens 270 at the balanced position of the plate springs 266 is present sufficiently away from the position of the focal point, it is enough that a zero (0) is input in the focus current driving circuit 304. At this moment, an initial current value is designated by a ramp circuit 300 and a selection circuit 302 is in a state in which it has selected an output of the ramp circuit 300.
When the focus search has been started, a linear function signal for time is output from the ramp circuit 300 and the current of the focusing coil 272 is controlled by the focus current driving circuit 304 through the selection circuit 302 such that the objective lens 270 approaches to the position of the focal point 312 at a constant velocity. Since a focus actuator having the focusing coil 272 has a frequency characteristic that a displacement in proportion to a DC current is output in response to the DC current, the focus actuator is displaced in a linear function for an input time period as ordered by the ramp circuit 300. Therefore, the objective lens 270 approaches the position of the focal point at a constant velocity and, thereafter, at the vicinity of the position of the focal point, the S-shaped curve portion of the focus error signal as shown in FIG. 2 is output from the focus error signal generating circuit 290.
Then, first, a first comparator 294 monitors the focus error signal and, when this signal exceeds such a predetermined voltage level as indicated by a point 306 in FIG. 2, the first comparator 294 outputs to a second comparator 296 an order to start an operation. Then, the second comparator 296 monitors the focus error signal and, when the signal becomes lower than a predetermined voltage level indicated by a point 308, the second comparator 296 outputs to a third comparator 298 an order to start an operation. Then, the third comparator 298 monitors the focus error signal and, when the signal becomes lower than a voltage level corresponding to the position of the focal point being the point 312, the third comparator 298 outputs an order to the selection circuit 302 to switch. At this moment, an input to the focus current driving circuit 304 is switched from the output of the ramp circuit 300 to the output of a phase compensation circuit 292. In the phase compensation circuit 292, the focus error signal for the vicinity of the focus point, i.e., a position error signal of the objective lens 270 is input and is applied with a phase compensation filtering process and a gain process such as advancing or delaying the phase such that the control system becomes stable when the loop is closed and, therefore, a focus servo control system is formed that works for the objective lens 270 to be always positioned at the position of the focal point. When such a focus search control is conducted, the order from the ramp circuit 300 is an order to move the objective lens 270 at a constant velocity. However, in this method, at the start of the focus search, since the velocity is varied stepwise, the acceleration has an impulse-like shape. This is shown in FIG. 3. The axes of abscissas in FIGS. 3A, 3B and 3C represent time and axes of ordinate represent respectively the displacement of the objective lens in FIG. 3A, the velocity of the objective lens in FIG. 3B and the acceleration of the objective lens in FIG. 3c. At a time zero (0), the focus search starts and an order of a ramp-like shape current shown in FIG. 3A is output from the ramp circuit 300. At this moment, the velocity of the objective lens 270 shown in FIG. 3B is varied stepwise from zero (0) to v0 and, thus, the acceleration working on the objective lens 270 becomes an impulse signal as shown in FIG. 3C. This means that the acceleration generated by the focus actuator contains a high-frequency component.
FIG. 4 shows a frequency characteristic of the focus actuator. In FIG. 4A, the axis of abscissas represents the frequency and the axis of ordinate represents the gain (sensitivity) of the replacement for a unit current input. In FIG. 4B, the axis of abscissas represents the frequency and the axis of ordinate represents the phase angle. The peak at 70 Hz in the frequency characteristic of the focus actuator indicates the main resonance of the actuator and a constant gain for the current, i.e., a displacement in proportion to the current is output at frequencies lower than this. In contrast, when a current input at 70 Hz is applied, the sensitivity becomes 15 dB or higher comparing to that of current inputs at frequencies of 70 Hz or lower and, therefore, the objective lens starts an oscillation.
This situation is shown in FIGS. 5A to 5D. FIGS. 5A, 5B, 5C and 5D show respectively the focus error signal, the focus current, the relative position and the relative velocity of the objective lens. In FIG. 5B, a point 316 indicates the time when the focus search is started, a point 318 indicates the time when the focus is detected, the solid line indicates a track for the case where the focus servo operation is started at the point 318 and the dotted line indicates a track for the case where the focus servo operation is not started at the point 318. The chain lines in FIGS. 5C and 5D indicate respectively the track of the targeted position and the track of the targeted velocity. It is understood that, even when the focus search current varies in a ramp-like shape as described above, the resonance of the focus actuator considerably influences on a practical position trajectory and the velocity track and, therefore, those tracks are considerably away from the targeted tracks. This considerably influences adversely on a stable focus search. Since the region in which the focus error signal can be used as an error signal is limited, a normal feedback control can not operate if a great overshoot occurs in the response at the time of starting of the focus servo operation due to an influence of the initial velocity exceeding the designed value. Considering that a further narrowing of the region in which the focus error signal can be used is advanced when a short-wavelength light source is employed as a factor in the shift to larger capacities of optical disk apparatuses in the future, this can be said to be a fatal problem.

Storage apparatus and its focus control method


A cryovial storage system is provided for use in LNVP storage and transportation freezers. The system comprises a hexagonal box that can be used modularly in both vertical and horizontal dimensions to more efficiently fill the functional space within cryogenic freezers and dry shippers. Also provided is a canister and insert system configured to receive a stack of hexagonal boxes (or multiple stacks of hexagonal boxes) and a method for accessing only the topmost box in a stack while retaining the other boxes in the stack below and a system that provides ease of transferability of boxes between storage freezers and dry shippers.

Cryopreservation (Kryos=frost, Greek; preservation=to protect, maintain safe) is a process as applied to biological materials where cells or other biological entities are preserved by cooling to very low temperatures (typically −80° C. in solid carbon dioxide or mechanical freezers, or −196° C. using liquid nitrogen). To avoid both the risk of cross-contamination of samples stored in liquid nitrogen or explosion during thawing resulting from rapid expansion of liquid nitrogen trapped inside the sample container, liquid nitrogen vapor phase (LNVP) technology is preferred (Morris, G. J. 2005 Cryobiology 50:231; Fountain, D., et al. 1997 Transfusion 37:585; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquid_nitrogen). LNVP provides storage temperatures below −150° C. LNVP storage below −150° C. is recommended, and in many cases required, for injectable clinical products such as human cellular therapies and vaccines. Temperatures ranging between −150° C. and −196° C. (the boiling point of liquid nitrogen at standard pressure) can easily be maintained using carefully controlled LNVP technology. The cryogenic freezers that utilize LNVP technology typically hold LN2 underneath the product storage compartment or in a jacket composed of an additional vessel wall (such vessels are of triple-walled construction similar to dry shippers). Because the insulation in cryogenic containers (LNVP storage tanks and dry shippers) is a vacuum, engineering design dictates that such vessels are circular in cross section.
Containers: In current practice, samples to be cryopreserved are commonly placed in cryovials, usually constructed of extruded or injection-molded polypropylene or other plastic, the cryovials are typically placed into a box of a square or rectangular configuration, and the boxes are placed on shelves in a vertical rack within the storage compartment of a cryogenic freezer. Cryogenic freezers typically hold the refrigerant LN2 in a jacket (i.e. triple-walled) surrounding the storage compartment in a manner similar to a dry shipper (see below), or that holds the LN2 refrigerant beneath the storage compartment where the samples are stored.
Standard cryovials are ˜12.5 mm in diameter and of varying heights to accommodate various working storage volumes, typically 2.0 mL in volume. Standard cryovials are usually stored and organized in square boxes with an internal square matrix designed to keep the vials upright, and that accommodate 25 (5×5), or 81 (9×9) or 100 (10×10) cryovials. A second common format is the ˜8.5 mm diameter cryovial. These smaller diameter cryovials are typically arranged and stored in a rectangular SBS (Society for Biomolecular Screening) format of 96 (8×12). The SBS format is a common standard for laboratory automation, including liquid handling. These smaller cryovials are available in a variety of heights for a range of working volumes—the most common are ˜0.7 mL and ˜1.2 mL nominal capacities.
Dry Shippers:
Cryopreserved products or samples contained in cryovials are transported between sites using LNVP dry shippers. Dry shippers and "isothermal" LN2 vapor phase (LNVP) storage freezers are triple-walled vessels. Between the outer and middle wall is a vacuum that provides thermal insulation. The LN2 refrigerant is contained between the middle wall and the inner wall. In the case of dry shippers this space also contains absorbent material that retains the LN2 refrigerant, and when operational, all the LN2 is drawn into the absorbent material such that there is no free liquid N2 remaining and the shipper is 'dry'. The inner wall of LNVP freezers and dry shippers surrounds the central cylindrical payload compartment. In small dry shippers the payload compartment is commonly used in conjunction with one removable cylindrical canister, which is used to hold canes onto which a single column of standard cryovials are individually clipped. A small dry shipper with a 91 mm diameter payload compartment (typically holding a 70 mm diameter canister) may hold up to 14 canes in sleeves (which prevent the canes from interfering with each other inside the canister), each with 6 standard 2.0 mL cryovials (total 84 cryovials). There is no similar system commercially available for holding and transporting the smaller ˜8.5 mm diameter cryovials with nominal volumes of ˜0.7 mL or ˜1.2 mL. Larger dry shippers typically have a payload compartment that is ˜210 mm in diameter that will accept the square (containing 81 standard cryovials), or rectangular SBS-format (containing 96 8.5 mm diameter cryovials) boxes. Typically up to 5 square boxes (containing 405 standard cryovials) or 6 rectangular boxes (containing 576 of the 0.7 mL 8.5 mm diameter cryovials) can be packed into the payload compartment of this dry shipper.
The static hold time (the time that a dry shipper can hold a payload below −150° C.) is a function of its capacity both for refrigerant and payload, the efficiency of the vacuum insulation, the size of the neck tube leading into the payload compartment (a narrower neck tubes provides a slower rate of refrigerant evaporation), and the frequency with which the payload compartment is accessed to remove samples or product.
Packaging: Cryogenic LNVP freezers and dry shippers are typically cylindrical in design whereas the boxes, within which the standard cryovials and SBS-formatted cryovials are stored, are typically square or rectangular.
Hence one problem with shipping in these square or rectangular boxes in the cryogenic freezers and larger format dry shippers in accordance with conventional approaches is an inefficient use of the payload space as a result of the unused space between the quadrilateral boxes and the circular wall of the freezer or shipper storage compartment. Shipping of the 8.5 mm diameter cryovials in the small dry shippers is also problematic in that it requires placement of the cryovials into smaller boxes than those commercially available for storage, and which are also an inefficient geometry, or alternatively, it requires the use of canes, upon which cryovials are clipped; however, canes are cumbersome for removal, particularly if it is desirable to remove only one cryovial at a time. Similarly, storage of boxes of cryovials in LNVP freezers according to conventional practice typically uses square or rectangular racks that accommodate multiple boxes on shelves arranged vertically. The storage compartments of LNVP freezers are cylindrical and, thus, there is much wasted space when racks of square or rectangular boxes are stored. Additionally, in order to maintain the consistency of low temperature during transfer of samples from cryogenic freezers to dry shippers it is advantageous to use the same boxes or racks, each containing a multiplicity of vials, in both the LNVP storage freezer and the dry shipper.


The disclosed embodiments included a system, apparatus, method, and computer program product for performing a topological sort of a directed graph that comprises a cyclic component or subcomponent. The apparatus comprises a processor configured to execute computer-readable program code embodied on a computer program product. And executing the computer-readable program code comprises identifying a plurality of vertices in a directed graph that depend upon each other in a cyclic manner and removing those vertices and all of the vertices in the same component from a topology object. The topology object then may be utilized to sort the acyclic components and/or subcomponents of the directed graph based the dependencies between the remaining vertices.

The present disclosure generally relates to topological sorting. The disclosed embodiments relate more specifically to a system, apparatus, method, and computer program product for performing a topological sort of a directed graph that comprises a cyclic component.
Projects that require certain tasks to be performed before others must be scheduled properly the minimize the consumption of resources and to prevent bottlenecks from occurring. When building a house, for example, the house generally must be framed before the external walls can be put in place. Accordingly, a general contractor must schedule carpenters to frame the house before masons arrive to brick up the walls so that the masons can immediately begin to work on bricking up the walls as soon as they arrive. Otherwise, the masons will have to sit by idly until the house is sufficiently framed. The same problem may arise if the general contractor has not ordered bricks and mortar by the time the masons arrive to brick up the walls of the house. Thus, it is important to schedule both tasks and resources to prevent to ensure that projects are completed in an efficient and effective manner.
A similar analogy may be applied to projects that rely on information technology (IT) to complete certain tasks. For example, poor scheduling can leave an expensive machine sitting idle while a task upon which it depends is being performed by another machine. To avoid such processing bottlenecks, such parallel processing systems may utilize an algorithm to map different tasks to different processors and to schedule the order in which those tasks are performed by those processors. Those algorithms generally perform a topological sort of those tasks based on their respective dependencies. The results of such a sort may be represented graphically by a directed graph.
A directed graph, or digraph, comprises a set of nodes, or vertices, that are connected by directional lines, or edges. Such a graph is considered "directed," rather than "undirected," because the edges have a direction associated with them that specifies the dependency of one vertex on another. For example, a first vertex that depends on a second vertex may be graphically represented in a directed graph by an edge pointing from the first vertex to the second vertex. And for the purpose of scheduling tasks, each such vertex may correspond to a particular task. For example, the first vertex may correspond to a first task that cannot begin until a second task, represented by the second vertex, is completed.
Directed graphs may in the form of a "tree" that comprises at least one "root" and at least one "leaf" A root is a vertex that has no incoming edges and every other vertex in the tree may be reached by a unique path starting at the root. By contrast, a leaf is a vertex that has no outgoing edges. In other words, a root is a vertex depends on not other vertex while all other vertices depend on the root, and a leaf is a vertex upon which no other vertex depends but that depends upon at least one other vertex. Nevertheless, a directed graph need not have a root node and there may be several or no paths from any one vertex to another.
Regardless of whether it is in the form of a tree or not, a directed graph may either be acyclic or cyclic. An acyclic directed graph comprises a plurality of vertices that are connected to each other in a sequence in which no vertex depends upon any of the vertices that depend upon that vertex, either directly or indirectly. For example, a first vertex V1 may depend upon a second vertex V2 and a third vertex V3, and the third vertex V3 may depend upon a fourth vertex V4 (e.g., V1V2, V1V3, V3V4). By contrast, a cyclic directed graph comprises a plurality of vertices that are connected to each other in a sequence in which at least one vertex depends upon one or more other vertices that depend on upon that vertex, either directly or indirectly. For example, a first vertex V1 may depend upon a second vertex V2, the second vertex V2 may depend upon a third vertex V3, and third vertex V3 may depend upon the first vertex V1 (e.g., V1V2, V2V3, V3V1).
Both acyclic and acyclic directed graphs may comprise one or more connected component. A connected component comprises a plurality of vertices that are connected to each other by edges but that are not connected to one or more other vertices in the graph. For example, a directed graph may comprise a first component that comprises a first vertex V1, a second vertex V2, a third vertex V3, and a fourth vertex V3 and a second component that comprises a fifth vertex V5 and a sixth vertex V6. Such connected components also may comprise "strong" subcomponents in which there is a path from each vertex in the subcomponent to every other vertex in that subcomponent. For example, the foregoing first component may comprise a strong subcomponent in which the second vertex V2 depends upon the third vertex V3, the third vertex V3 depends upon the fourth vertex V4, and fourth vertex V4 depends upon the second vertex V2 (e.g., V2V3, V3V4, V4V2). A strong subcomponent also may comprise a single vertex that is connected only to strong components. However, when a directed graph comprises even a single component with a cyclical, strong sub-component, conventional algorithms for performing a topological sort of that directed graph will fail.

Topological sorting of cyclic directed graphs


A digital signal processor transceiver uses a finite impulse response filter memory to construct a phase integrated angle at each clock cycle. The FIR filter memory is addressed by a multibit pattern and a time count which are used in conjunction to determine the address. Each data word of the FIR filter memory represents the sum of two tap points multiplied by their tap coefficients. Several of the most significant bits of the phase integrated angle are used to address look up tables for the signal's sine and cosine values. The address for the cosine look up table may further be phase compensated. Filter types other than a FIR filter may be used.

Current digital signal processors, as well as other processes and components, in wireless communications devices rely on rechargeable or replaceable batteries for power. Extending the life of the battery is an important goal in the wireless communications industry. Although current devices are designed with power savings as a goal, further improvement in power conservation is an ongoing goal.
Another goal in wireless communications devices is to provide a device which is smaller in size and which provides a relatively great amount of functionality for its size and weight. Smaller and lighter devices place less of a burden on the user who transports them. Although this goal has been recognized in the design of current devices, further improvement also is an ongoing goal.
Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a digital signal processing method and device which uses fewer stages in processing and, thereby, conserves power.


There is provided a tap changer in which movable contacts rotate to be selectively connected to a plurality of taps. The tap changer includes a rotatable upper movable contact; a rotatable lower movable contact electrically connected to the upper movable contact; a driving shaft rotating the upper movable contact and the lower movable contact integrally; a single-type fixed contact including a single terminal connected to any one of a plurality of taps; and a dual-type fixed contact including a first terminal and a second terminal connected together to another of the plurality of taps. Since the upper movable contact and the lower movable contact are integrally rotated through the single driving shaft, the number of components and volume of the device may be reduced and an operation of the device may be facilitated.

The present inventive concept relates to a tap changer and, more particularly, to a tap changer in which movable contacts rotate to be selectively connected to a plurality of taps.
In general, a tap changer is installed in the primary windings of transformers in order to prevent iron cores from being supersaturated when a voltage level of a primary side of the transformer increases to an overvoltage level, equal to or higher than that of a rated voltage.
When a voltage of a secondary side is changed from a rated voltage having a predetermined level due to a change in a voltage level of the primary side, the tap changer serves to adjust the level of the voltage of the secondary side to be equal to that of the rated voltage.
FIGS. 1 through 5 are perspective views and circuit diagrams of a movable contact and a fixed contact illustrating a tap changing operation of a prior art tap changer.
Specifically, FIG. 1 illustrates a case in which tap {circle around (e)} and tap {circle around (f)} are connected, FIG. 2 illustrates a case in which tap {circle around (d)} and tap {circle around (f)} are connected, FIG. 3 illustrates a case in which tap {circle around (d)} and tap {circle around (g)} are connected, FIG. 4 illustrates a case in which tap {circle around (c)} and tap {circle around (g)} are connected, and FIG. 5 illustrates a case in which tap {circle around (c)} and tap {circle around (h)} are connected.
Referring to FIGS. 1 through 5, the prior art tap changer includes an upper movable contact 10 and a lower movable contact 20 coupled to a rotational shaft 40, and a plurality of fixed contacts 30c to 30h disposed in rotation tracks of the upper movable contact 10 and the lower movable contact 20.
The upper movable contact 10 includes a frame 11 rotatably coupled to the rotational shaft 40 and connection conductors 12 coupled to the frame 11 and selectively connected to the plurality of fixed contacts 30c to 30h according to rotation of the frame 11.
Like the upper movable contact 10, the lower movable contact 20 includes a frame 21 rotatably coupled to the rotational shaft 40 and connection conductors 22 coupled to the frame 21 and selectively connected to the plurality of fixed contacts 30c to 30h according to rotation of the frame 21.
Here, the upper movable contact 10 and the lower movable contact 20 are electrically connected to each other.
The frame 11 of the upper movable contact 10 includes a power transmission unit 13 to which an operating unit (not shown) for rotating the upper movable contact 10 is connected. Here, the operating unit pushes the power transmission unit 13 to rotate the upper movable contact 10.
The frame 21 of the lower movable contact 20 includes a power transmission unit 23 to which an operating unit (not shown) for rotating lower movable contact 20 is connected. Here, the operating unit pushes the power transmission unit 23 to rotate the lower movable contact 20.
A first fixed contact 30c, a second fixed contact 30d, and a third fixed contact 30e are disposed in the rotation track of the upper movable contact 10.
A fourth fixed contact 30f, a fifth fixed contact 30g, and a sixth fixed contact 30h are disposed in the rotation track of the lower movable contact 20.
Referring to the circuit diagrams of FIGS. 1 through 5, tap {circle around (a)} corresponds to a minimum number of turns of a coil, and a final number of turns of the coil is determined in tap {circle around (b)} as any one of tap {circle around (c)}, tap {circle around (d)}, and tap {circle around (e)} and any one of tap {circle around (c)}, tap {circle around (d)}, and tap {circle around (e)} are connected by the movable contacts.
Here, tap {circle around (c)}, tap {circle around (d)}, tap {circle around (e)}, tap {circle around (f)}, tap {circle around (g)}, and tap {circle around (h)} may be set to have predetermined differences in number of turns.
For example, in a case in which a minimum number of turns to tap {circle around (a)} is 90 turns, when tap {circle around (a)} and tap {circle around (b)} are directly connected, the number of turns of the coil is 90 turns.
Also, in a case in which a reference number of turns is 10 turns, when tap {circle around (e)} and tap {circle around (f)} are connected, since a difference in the number of turns of tap {circle around (e)} and tap {circle around (f)} is 10 turns, 10 turns are added between tap {circle around (a)} and tap {circle around (b)}, and thus, the final number of turns is 100 turns (90 turns+10 turns).
Also, when tap {circle around (d)} and tap {circle around (f)} are connected, since a difference in number of turns between tap {circle around (d)} and tap {circle around (f)} is 20 turns, 20 turns are added between tap {circle around (a)} and tap {circle around (b)}, and thus, a final number of turns of the coil is 110 turns (90 turns+20 turns).
Under the same principle, when tap {circle around (c)} and tap {circle around (h)} are connected, since a difference in number of turns between tap {circle around (c)} and tap {circle around (h)} is 50 turns, 50 turns are added between tap {circle around (a)} and tap {circle around (b)}, and thus, a final number of turns of the coil is 140 turns (90 turns+50 turns).
Hereinafter, a tap changing operation of the tap changer according to the prior art will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 through 5.
Referring to FIGS. 1 through 5, the first fixed contact 30c, the second fixed contact 30d, and the third fixed contact 30e are disposed in the rotation track of the upper movable contact 10, and the fourth fixed contact 30f, the fifth fixed contact 30g, and the sixth fixed contact 30h are disposed in the rotation track of the lower movable contact 20.
Here, the first fixed contact 30c is connected to tap {circle around (c)}, the second fixed contact 30d is connected to tap {circle around (d)}, the third fixed contact 30e is connected to tap {circle around (e)}, the fourth fixed contact 30f is connected to tap {circle around (f)}, the fifth fixed contact 30g is connected to tap {circle around (g)}, and the sixth fixed contact 30h is connected to tap {circle around (h)}.
First, FIG. 1 illustrates a case in which tap {circle around (e)} and tap {circle around (f)} are connected. The upper movable contact 10 is connected to the third fixed contact 30e, and the lower movable contact 20 is connected to the fourth fixed contact 30f.
FIG. 2 illustrates a case in which tap {circle around (d)} and tap {circle around (f)} are connected. Here, the upper movable contact 10 rotates in one direction so as to be connected to the second fixed contact 30d, and the lower movable contact 20 is connected to the fourth fixed contact 30f.
FIG. 3 illustrates a case in which tap {circle around (d)} and tap {circle around (g)} are connected. Here, the upper movable contact 10 is connected to the second fixed contact 30d and the lower movable contact 20 rotates in one direction so as to be connected to the fifth fixed contact 30g.
FIG. 4 illustrates a case in which tap {circle around (c)} and tap {circle around (g)} are connected. Here, the upper movable contact 10 rotates in one direction so as to be connected to the first fixed contact 30c and the lower movable contact 20 is connected to the fifth fixed contact 30g.
FIG. 5 illustrates a case in which tap {circle around (c)} and tap {circle around (h)} are connected. Here, the upper movable contact 10 is connected to the first fixed contact 30c and the lower movable contact 20 rotates in one direction so as to be connected to the sixth fixed contact 30h.
However, in the prior art tap changer, since the upper movable contact 10 and the lower movable contact 20 are independently driven, an operating unit (not shown) for operating the upper movable contact 10 and an operating unit (not shown) for operating the lower movable contact 20 need to be separately provided, resulting in an increase in the number of components of the device, an increase in the volume of the device, and the necessity to control the plurality of operating units.


An electrical junction box that prevents deformation of a casing and breakage of a printed board due to an inserting force of a connector or the like is provided. A printed board is contained in a lower casing member. A bus bar laminated element is contained in the lower casing member above the printed board. An electrical component containing section including juxtaposed connector containing portions is provided on an upper side of an upper casing member above the bus bar laminated element. The upper casing member is mounted on the lower casing member. An upper reinforcement rib extends down from a lowermost stage insulation plate in the bus bar laminated element at a location below the electrical component containing section. The upper reinforcement rib is inserted into a through-hole in the printed board to extend down toward a bottom surface of the lower casing member. A lower reinforcement rib extends up from the bottom surface of the lower casing member to oppose the upper reinforcement rib. The upper and lower reinforcement ribs contact each other.

The invention relates to an electrical junction box, and particularly to an electrical junction box that can prevent deformation of the box body due to stress caused by a plug-in operation of electrical components and prevent breakage of a circuit pattern due to the deformation.
Currently, motor vehicles require an increasing number of electrical components to be mounted on the vehicle in connection with requirements for high performance. These increases further require greater numbers of mounting locations and poles of connectors. Simultaneously, the electrical components require downsizing. An example of an electrical junction box to be mounted on, for example, a motor vehicle is disclosed in Japanese Patent Public Disclosure JP-A-2002-78157 and shown in FIG. 6 as an electrical junction box 1. The electrical junction box 1 includes an upper casing member 2 and a lower casing member 3 that can be coupled to each other. An interior space defined by the upper and lower casing members 2 and 3 contains a bus bar laminated element 4, in which current-carrying bus bars and insulation plates are alternately laminated together and with a flexible printed board 5 and a printed board 6.
The bus bar laminated element 4, flexible printed board 5, and printed board 6 are secured to the upper casing member 2 or the lower casing member 3 by a screw 7 or similar fastening device after they are positioned in the casing members.
A fuse containing section 8a, a connector containing section 8b, and a relay containing section 8c are provided on an upper side of the upper casing member 2. A plurality of connector containing sections 8d are also provided on a rear side of the lower casing member 3. Fuses, connectors, and relays (not shown) are attached to and fitted in the respective electrical component containing sections 8a to 8d and contacted with conductors of the bus bar laminated element 4, the flexible printed board 5, or the printed board 6 to complete an electrical connection.