A specimen holder and specimen grid orientation arrangement facilitating in-situ and ex-situ repeated analysis of a specimen in a microscope. The arrangement includes a specimen grid, to which the specimen is affixed, having an alignment aid. The arrangement also includes a specimen holder having an opening. The opening repeatedly receives and supports the specimen grid. A reference aid, located in the opening of the specimen holder, engages the alignment aid on the specimen grid to orient the specimen grid in a single position within the opening of the specimen holder. In specific embodiments, the alignment aid of the specimen grid may be a notch or an aperture; the reference aid of the specimen holder may be a raised surface or a pin.

The examination and observation of specimens of sub-micron dimensions is of great interest to scientists and engineers doing research in the physical and biological sciences. It is also of great scientific value to study the effects of experimental treatments on such specimens and to examine any changes, modifications, transformations, and other effects that result from experimental treatments of these specimens. The specimens of interest are of extremely small dimensions and they can only be observed in very advanced microscopes such as transmission electron microscopes (TEM), scanning electron microscopes (SEM), atomic force microscopes (AFM), and other electronic or optical microscopes.
The process of finding objects such as point defects (or clusters of point defects), line defects (such as dislocations), planar defects (such as stacking faults), and other volume defects (such as voids) in a specimen requires a high-resolution microscope. The same requirement exists for biological specimens and for other materials science research in industry, including the semiconductor industry. Once these objects of interest are located in a specimen and observed in a microscope, it becomes equally important to study the effects of experimental treatments on the objects. Such study requires that the specimen be removed from the microscope and subjected to different ex-situ treatments such as plasma exposure, heat, or other chemical or physical treatment that cannot be performed on the specimen while it is in the microscope.
Removable specimen holding systems used to retain specimens for observation under microscopes are well known to those of skill in the art. More specifically, systems for holding silicon wafers (or portions of those wafers) having a plurality of semiconductor chips imprinted on the wafers for viewing under electron beam microscopes are well known. Such systems typically include a specimen mounting grid having a specimen mesh upon which the wafer or wafer portion (i.e., the specimen) is mounted. The specimen mounting grid is secured to a specimen holder (or platen) which, in turn, is positioned on the stage of the microscope. The orientations (1) between the specimen and the specimen grid, (2) between the specimen grid and the specimen holder, and (3) between the specimen holder and the microscope stage are all critically important. The prior art has addressed the first and third of these important orientations; the present invention is directed to the second orientation--the orientation between the specimen grid and the specimen holder.
A. Orientation Between Specimen & Specimen Grid
A relatively large number of references address orientation between the specimen and the specimen grid or equivalent structure. U.S. Pat. No. 4,943,148 issued to Mondragon et al. discloses, for example, a holder for positioning silicon wafers on a microscope stage. The device assures desired orientation between the specimen wafer and the structure holding the specimen (i.e., a specimen grid). Semiconductor processing quality control procedures require that each wafer be analyzed at an appropriate number of sites so that representative chips may be viewed to insure proper quality. Such analysis occurs under a SEM, with the sites selected by a computer-controlled stage onto which the wafer is placed.
In order to assure that identical sites are reviewed on successive wafers, the wafer must occupy the same position on the structure used to hold the wafer. The wafer should be positioned on the structure to within close tolerances, on the order of .+-.150 microns or less. Such uniform positioning of the wafer within the holding structure assures accurate and repeatable microscopic views. Calibration standards are built into the holding structure, reducing the time and variability incident to such calibration.
The wafers according to the device taught by Mondragon et al. have a major flat and at least one minor flat. A clamp affixed to a threaded member slides within a radially aligned slot so as to be aligned with the major flat. Therefore, rather than aligning the wafer against a pair of posts, the clamp pushes the leading edge of the wafer against a face, thereby self-aligning the wafer in the same position relative to the holding structure each time a wafer is placed in the holding structure.
Another reference which relies upon marks, scribes, notches, flats, or other structural alterations of the specimen itself to provide orientation is U.S. Pat. No. 5,497,007, issued to Uritsky et al. The Uritsky et al. patent discloses an automated method for determining the wafer coordinates in a SEM/EDX system. Semiconductor wafer characterization equipment typically includes a high-magnification imaging system such as a SEM coupled to an energy dispersive x-ray (EDX) detector. Such an imaging system, when used to scan a semiconductor wafer, provides information regarding particles and anomalies on the surface of the wafer. The combination of a SEM and an EDX within a common unit is generally known as a SEM/EDX unit.
A laser scanner creates a laser scan map of the coordinates of the wafer features and concomitant particles. This laser scan map uses the coordinate system of the laser scanning device, of course, to identify the location of surface features and particles. The manner in which the laser beam is scattered from the wafer surface features and particles yields signals from which estimated particle positions in terms of x and y coordinates can be determined. A computer controls the electron beam intensity, scan rate, and position relative to the coordinate system of the SEM/EDX unit (also the imaging system coordinate system).
Because the wafer is physically moved from the laser scanner to the imaging system, there is no way to guarantee that the coordinate system used in the laser scanner will apply when the wafer is moved to the imaging device. Thus, the wafer coordinate system must be related to the coordinate system of the SEM/EDX unit. The wafer coordinate system is defined by the location of the center of the wafer and the orientation angle of the wafer relative to the imaging system coordinate system. The orientation angle of the wafer is defined by the position of a significant wafer landmark, including a notch or flatted portion on the wafer itself. By relating the imaging coordinate system to the wafer coordinate system, the high-magnification imaging system can repeatedly find any location in the wafer coordinate system.
Typically, the wafer is maintained on the SEM stage by a specimen holder that is roughly the shape of the wafer and a spring-loaded pin (or key) that interacts with the edge of the wafer. The pin maintains the wafer in a stationery position within the specimen holder. An operator roughly aligns the specimen holder with predefined markings on the SEM stage. As such, each wafer that is analyzed is generally oriented in the same direction, i.e., the notch or flatted portion of the wafer points in roughly the same direction relative to the stage.
The method suggested by Uritsky et al. is only useful as long as the specimen stays in the microscope. When the specimen is removed for ex-situ treatment, the re-location of a previously identified defect or other object on the specimen would pose a problem. Uritsky et al. do not address that problem. Thus, there remains a need for improved orientation between the specimen grid and the specimen holder.
The automated method taught by Uritsky et al. permits a wafer to be arbitrarily oriented in the imaging system coordinate system "as long as the general location of the landmark region is known to the imaging system." Column 10, lines 60-63. The landmark region is a notch or flattened portion on the wafer itself. Frequently, the nature of specimens is such that they cannot be "marked" or "scribed" with notches, flats, or other physical characteristics. There also remains a need, therefore, for an orientation system which avoids structural alterations of the specimen itself.
Uritsky et al. address a SEM/EDX system. The orientation system currently available on advanced TEM systems allows specimen orientation only when the specimen is inside the microscope. Orientation is done by tracking the x-y coordinates using a computer and the repeated examination of any event is only possible as long as the specimen remains in the microscope. Such current systems are not very helpful if any defect or other artifact must be examined repeatedly to observe the effects of ex-situ processing or treatment such as plasma exposure. There remains a need, therefore, for a simple orientation system that would allow the tracking of a particular specimen site so that the site might be examined repeatedly after ex-situ processing.
In their article titled "Mask Aligning Fixture For Silicon Wafers," International Business Machines Technical Disclosure Bulletin No. FI882-0962, Vol. 27, No. 4B, pages 2383-84 (September 1984), authors R. Christensen and R. Imrie disclose a technique predicated on the use of a mask material that matches the coefficient of expansion of silicon. Such matching eliminates the need for compensated artwork. Like the devices taught by Mondragon et al. and Uritsky et al., however, the orientation structure disclosed by R. Christensen and R. Imrie requires modification of the wafer.
Specifically, the silicon wafer has fiducials or via holes which allow it to be oriented with respect to a mask. The mask is also marked for alignment purposes, having a "V" notch. The mask is located by two, straight mask registration pins separated by approximately 90 degrees on the periphery of the mask holder. One of the pins engages the V-shaped notch on the mask. The silicon wafer is held by vacuum and manipulated under the mask until the fiducials or the via holes are lined up, as viewed through a microscope. Cams are rotated until they touch the outer edge of the silicon wafer. The cams are locked in place by an impactor tool that wedges tapered pins into a tapered hold. Square holes in the cam that slide over the square shank of the locking pin prevent the cam from turning. A spring holds the mask in registration with the two mask registration pins. A wafer spring holds the silicon wafer against the cams. A wafer/mask spring is centered on the wafer. Then a spring clip top plate is placed over "U" clip posts. The entire assembly is clipped to the mask holder by "U" clips.
Thus, the apparatus and method disclosed by R. Christensen and R. Imrie align the wafer to the mask with the help of fiducials, vias, or other alignment marks on the wafer. The need for an orientation system which avoids structural alterations of the specimen itself has been discussed above. The authors are also not concerned with re-location of previously observed objects or defects on the specimen after ex-situ processing.
The conventional technique of structurally altering the wafer specimen to facilitate orientation is further illustrated by C. Aliotta, A. Constantino & G. Cia, "Holder For Automatic Alignment Of Large Wafers In A Scanning Electron Microscope," International Business Machines Technical Disclosure Bulletin No. YO882-0641, Vol. 26, No. 10B, pages 5479-80 (March 1984). The wafer is retained in a holder by three contact points along the wafer edge. A movable contact pin on the holder is spring-loaded and designed to fit into an alignment slot on the edge of the wafer. This engagement serves two purposes: (1) the slot allows each succeeding wafer to fit on the holder in the same orientation each time, and (2) the spring-loaded pin applies pressure to the stationary hold-down pins. Thus, the wafer is positioned and secured to the holder in one operation.
Typically, it is not possible to self-align a wafer in practice for automatic loading into a microscope. The delicate nature of the specimen often renders impossible the spring loading taught by Aliotta et al. to hold the specimen. Rather, an operator is required to load most specimens. Even with human specimen loading, the relatively bulky spring-loaded holder is not feasible because limited space exists in most microscopes to accommodate such a holder--especially given the need for x-y-z translational and theta rotational movement of the specimen.
Anonymous, "Microscope Wafer Orientation Fixture," International Business Machines, Research Disclosure No. 25815 at page 515 (October 1985), also illustrates the conventional technique of structurally altering the wafer specimen to facilitate orientation. The disclosure teaches a fixture for roughly orienting a semiconductor wafer within the field of view of an optical microscope. The fixture baseplate is mounted on the microscope stage and moves with the stage in the vertical direction of focusing, and in the x and y directions, if the microscope is so provided. The baseplate is provided with two or more sets of adapters for different sizes of wafers. Each set consists of a wafer holder and a template holder. Both the wafer holder and the template holder have pins and mating holes for fixing the wafer and template, relative to each other, both angularly and orthogonally in the x and y directions.
All wafers in the anonymous reference are provided with a chordal flat, a notch, or both structural features for angular orientation. A pointer affixed to the microscope overlies the template to permit a corresponding area of the wafer to be examined as the fixture is translated to a desired area, using the template as a coordinate address reference. The pins are used primarily to lock the wafer holder and template onto the base plate rather than for orientation purposes. The wafer is oriented using the chordal flat or a notch on the wafer itself.
B. Orientation Between Specimen Holder & Microscope
U.S. Pat. No. 4,596,934 issued to Yanaka et al. discloses an electron beam apparatus with an improved specimen holder. The apparatus seeks to reduce spherical aberration in the microscope by decreasing the working distance between the specimen supported on the specimen grid and the objective lens. This is accomplished by modifying the structure of the specimen holder while maintaining adequate rigidity and vibration insensitivity of the specimen holder. As a peripheral result, the modified specimen holder is more easily oriented to the column of the microscope.
Specifically, the specimen holder is provided with a cutout or thin region in the end which is inserted into the microscope. The very edge of the thin region has a notch located at its mid-point. The thin region allows the objective lens of the microscope to be placed closer to the specimen than when a thicker specimen holder is inserted; the thin region permits reduction in the working distance of the microscope. When the specimen holder is positioned in the microscope, the notch of the thin region of the specimen holder engages a wedge-like member fixedly mounted on the inner side wall of the microscope column. Such engagement supports the specimen holder stably despite the structural weakness of the thin region.
Although not discussed by Yanaka et al., the engagement between the specimen holder and the microscope column would also appear to help orient the specimen holder in the microscope. Yanaka et al. clearly do not address, nor is the apparatus disclosed by Yanaka et al. applicable to, the problem of orientation between the specimen grid and the specimen holder. Accordingly, specimen orientation and re-examination of previously detected artifacts or defects on the specimen following ex-situ processing remains an issue both unrecognized and unsolved by Yanaka et al.
The deficiencies of the conventional microscope orientation systems show that a need still exists for a system that facilitates in-situ and ex-situ repeated analyses of a specimen. To overcome the shortcomings of the conventional systems, a new microscope specimen holder and grid arrangement is provided. An object of the present invention is to permit repeated orientation between the specimen holder and the specimen grid, allowing the specimen grid to be removed from the specimen holder and replaced in the specimen holder in precisely the same location following ex-situ processing of the specimen affixed to the specimen grid. Such a system assures easy relocation of a specimen feature after repeated ex-situ and in-situ experiments, treatments, or processes. A related object is to provide a relatively simple orientation system that allows the tracking of a particular specimen site so that the site might be examined repeatedly after ex-situ processing.
An additional object of the present invention is to modify the conventional specimen holder structure while maintaining adequate rigidity and vibration insensitivity of the specimen holder. Yet another object of the invention is to provide a flexible orientation system that permits the specimen to be tilted and translated while in the microscope. Such a system allows the operator to take advantage, without restriction, of all possible horizontal, vertical, and angular motions of the microscope for observation of the specimen while using the orientation system of the present invention. A related object is to provide an orientation system that can be used in all types of microscopes. Finally, it is still another object of the present invention to avoid marks, scribes, notches, flats, or other structural alterations of the specimen itself.

Microscope specimen holder and grid arrangement for in-situ and ex-situ repeated analysis

International Business Machines Corporation


The invention disclosed relates to a substantially biologically pure isolate of a low temperature basidiomycelte (LTB) fungus, (.tbd.Coprinus psychromorbidus), to a delivery composition comprising the fungus and an agriculturally acceptable carrier capable of supporting growth of the fungus, and to a method for suppressing the growth of Calmagrostis canadensis and other related weed grasses which are hosts to LTB snow mould.

Calmagrostis canadensis (Michx.) Beauv. also known as bluejoint, is a grass plant that poses a serious threat to white spruce regeneration in reforestation areas. In cut-over. C. canadensis quickly spreads by means of rhizomes and seed to cover much of the site. The grass grows thick and tall thus out-competing white spruce for resources such as light, water and nutrients.
To date site preparation techniques and grazing have failed to control C. canadensis. Herbicides may be effective but their use has been extremely limited due to environmental concerns. Other weed species have been successfully controlled with plant pathogens., for example northern jointvetch by Colletotrichum gloeosporiodes f.sp. aeschynomene.
A variety of mycoherbicides have been proposed to control specific weeds. for example, Canadian Patent Number 1,224,055 (Watson et al, Jul. 14, 1987) describes the use of Colletotrichum coccodes for controlling velvetleaf and U.S. Pat. No. 4,643,756 (Cardina et al, Feb. 17, 1987) describes the use of C. truncatum for controlling Florida beggarweed. U.S. Pat. No. 4,776,873 (Caulder et al, Oct. 11, 1988) teaches a synergistic herbicidal composition comprising Altemaria cassiae and chemical herbicides for controlling sicklepod.
C. canadensis has been shown to be controlled by the microbes C. calamagrostidis, F. nivalis and mutants thereof. See commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,472,690. A drawback of this technology is that it is somewhat reliant on environmental factors such as free moisture on the leaf surface, for infection to occur.
The low temperature basidiomycete (LTB) fungus, was first described as a pathogen of C. by Lebeau and Logsdon (1958) Snow Mould of forage crops in Alaska and Yukon. Phytopathology, 48: 148-15. This fungus is psychrophilic and will only grow and parasitize plants under a snow cover. It is native to the boreal forest and so is not considered an introduced species. The fungus is not known to produce spores but spreads by vegetative growth.
Bio-control of C. canadensis and other related monocot species which are known to be hosts of LTB through use of the LTB fungus presents a good opportunity for controlling these grasses. The fungus does not necessarily have to kill the grass for it to be effective as reduced growth of grass plants would allow white spruce seedlings time to grow above the grass canopy.
Some preliminary work by our group with low temperature basidiomycete (LTB) fungii was described in Bio-control of bluejoint grass (Calamagrostis canadensis) using low-temperature basidiomycete (LTB) K. A. Schreiner et al, Canadian Journal of Plant Pathology, volume 17, 1995. There is no description in this abstract of the selected LTB strain, the delivery composition, or the delivery method according to the invention.

Process for biological control of Calamagrostis canadensis using a low temperature basidiomycete

Minister of Natural Resources as represented by the Canadian Forest Service


A laser shock peening process for producing one or more compressive residual stress regions in a medical device is disclosed. A high-energy laser apparatus can be utilized to direct an intense laser beam through a confining medium and onto the target surface of a workpiece. An absorption overlay disposed on the target surface of the workpiece absorbs the laser beam, inducing a pressure shock wave that forms a compressive residual stress region deep within the workpiece. Medical devices such as stents and guidewires having one or more of these compressive residual stress regions are also disclosed.

Medical devices such as stents, guidewires, catheters, intravascular filters, needles, and needle stylets are used in performing a wide variety of medical procedures within the body. To permit such devices to be inserted into relatively small regions such as the cardiovascular and/or peripheral anatomies, the various components forming the device must be made relatively small while still maintaining a particular performance characteristic within the body such as high flexibility and fatigue strength. In the design of stents, for example, it is desirable to make the struts highly flexible to permit the stent to be easily collapsed and inserted into a deployment device such as a sheath or catheter. The stent must also be resistant to the formation of cracks or other irregularities that can reduce the performance of the device. Crack propagation may occur, for example, in regions of the stent subjected to high tensile stresses such as at joints and bending regions. Repeated expansion and contraction of the device within the body may accelerate the growth of these cracks, reducing the performance of the device over time.
A number of processes have been used to impart flexibility and fatigue strength to the surface of medical devices. Such processes typically include treating the medical device by annealing, work hardening, or other suitable technique to alter the physical characteristics of the material. In a shot peening process, for example, the surface of a workpiece is physically bombarded with particles or shot to form a superficial compressive residual stress region below the surface. The formation of these compressive residual stresses within the workpiece tend to negate the tensile stresses that can cause the initiation and growth of fatigue cracks, and allows the workpiece to undergo a greater amount of bending before plastically deforming.
While conventional processes such as shot peening have been used in treating medical devices, the efficacy of such processes are typically limited by the depth, and in some cases the accuracy, at which the compressive residual stress regions can be formed within the workpiece. In general, the greater the depth at which compressive residual stresses are formed within the workpiece, the greater the resistance to cracking that will result. Since many convention processes such as shot peening are limited by the depth at which the compressive residual stress region can be formed, such processes are not always effective at preventing cracks in highly flexible regions deep within the surface of the workpiece.


Apparatus, methods and systems for interfacing a controller with a gaming system to interact with a computer program rendering interactive content on a display are presented. In one embodiment, a controller includes a handle, a connector and an attachment. The handle has an elongated shape, which includes opposite first and second ends, and is configured to be held by a single hand of a user during operation. The handle's second end, aimed towards the display during operation, holds the connector. The attachment includes two interfaces: a visual interface for communication with the gaming system, and a connector interface that is coupled to the connector in the handle. The attachment can be coupled and decoupled to the connector and allows the gaming system to visually track the location of the handle via the visual interface. In another embodiment, the attachment provides additional communication capabilities.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to methods and systems for expanding input device functionality, and more particularly, methods and systems for improving interaction between a game controller and a gaming base system by expanding the capabilities of the controller.
2. Description of the Related Art
The video game industry has seen many changes over the years. As computing power has expanded, developers of video games have likewise created game software that takes advantage of these increases in computing power. To this end, video game developers have been coding games that incorporate sophisticated operations and mathematics to produce a very realistic game experience.
Example gaming platforms, may be the Sony Playstation®, Sony Playstation2® (PS2), and Sony Playstation3® (PS3), each of which is sold in the form of a game console. As is well known, the game console is designed to connect to a monitor (usually a television) and enable user interaction through handheld controllers. The game console is designed with specialized processing hardware, including a CPU, a graphics synthesizer for processing intensive graphics operations, a vector unit for performing geometry transformations, and other glue hardware, firmware, and software. The game console is further designed with an optical disc tray for receiving game compact discs for local play through the game console. Online gaming is also possible, where a user can interactively play against or with other users over the Internet.
As game complexity continues to intrigue players, game and hardware manufacturers have continued to innovate to enable additional interactivity and computer programs. A growing trend in the computer gaming industry is to develop games that increase the interaction between user and the gaming system. One way of accomplishing a richer interactive experience is to use wireless game controllers whose movement is tracked by the gaming system in order to track the player's movements and use these movements as inputs for the game. Another way to improve the interactive experience is by providing the user with controllers with better communication capabilities.
However, input device development processes are usually lengthy and adding new features requires large investments in time and research. Further, adding features and complexity to input devices also raises the final cost to the user, which may decrease the number of potential customers. Still yet, some features may be useful for just a small community of players.
It is in this context that embodiments of the invention arise.

Expandable control device via hardware attachment


A bedside commode apparatus which is removably attachable to a bed of a patient includes a base portion and a framework structure having at least one vertical support member fixedly attached to the base portion and extending upward therefrom. The framework structure includes at least one extension arm attached to an upper portion of the at least one vertical support member and extends horizontally outward toward the bed, where the at least one extension arm is configured to extend over a top surface of the bed. Also included is a bedpan to receive human waste and a bedpan support platform to releasably secure the bedpan, where the bedpan support platform is movably attached to the framework structure and is configured to move along the at least one vertical support member from a non-use position disposed toward the base portion, to a patient-use position disposed toward an end portion of the at least one extension arm. A drive motor is selectively energized by the patient to reciprocally displace the bedpan support platform and the bedpan along the at least one vertical support member and along the at least one extension arm between the non-use position and the patient-use position.

The present invention relates generally to invalid toilets and more specifically to an improved bedpan structure and bedpan carrier for mechanically positioning a bedpan relative to a bed of a patient.
Patients are frequently required to remain in a hospital or in a patient-care environment for extended periods of time and are often not provided with adequate facilities for excretory functions. The devices utilized by many hospitals and patient-care facilities, such as bedpans, require close attention by medical or custodial personnel in order to place the bedpan for the patient's use and to remove the pan and waste material in a timely manner after use. Shortage among such staff personnel is common and thus, close attention to patient needs is not always timely resulting in less than adequate patient comfort levels.
Invalid toilets are previously known and in their simplest form, are individual bedpans which are placed under the patient and subsequently removed and disinfected after use. Use of such devices is labor intensive, as the patient is typically bed-ridden and requires another person to deliver and remove the bedpan before and after use, respectively. Additionally, if removal after use is not immediate, the result is highly objectionable at best.
Other invalid toilets exist that have been incorporated into hospital bed structures. Such devices are complex and expensive and often cannot be used with existing hospital beds. Known bedpan devices, such as a portable bedpan carrier described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,666,131 issued on May 30, 1972 is incapable of containing the bedpan and waste material after use, and is therefore prone to developing objectionable odors and is generally unsanitary. Other known devices, such as a bedpan device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,632,185 is integrally formed as part of a hospital bed and is relatively complex requiring mechanical linkages which may significantly increase the cost of such a bed. Due to the deficiencies associated with existing bed-structure invalid toilets, most hospitals use the above-described bedpan which must be manually changed by an attendant.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to substantially overcome the above-described problems.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved bedside commode apparatus.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide an automatically actuable bedside commode apparatus.
It is still an object of the present invention to provide a bedside commode apparatus compatible with standard hospital beds of differing heights.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a bedside commode apparatus that encloses the soiled bedpan after use to reduce objectionable odors and to assist in maintaining a sanitary environment.
It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a bedside commode apparatus that folds into a compact configuration when not in use to conserve space.


An electrical connector illustrated as a plug and receptacle is disclosed. In one embodiment, the connector includes a base member having a plurality of bores. A first plurality of contact elements is positioned in certain of the bores. The tail portion of each contact element extends a distance beyond the base member. A second plurality of contact elements is positioned in others of the bores. Insertion of the tail portion of the second plurality of contact elements into a circuit board is sufficient to hold the tail portions of the first plurality of contact elements against the circuit board. It is preferred for the tail portions of the second plurality of contacts to be capable of axial movement when a compression force is applied. In another embodiment, the connector includes a frame and a layer of contact elements, wherein each of the contact elements includes a forward end and a tail portion. The ends of the tail portions are positioned proximate the bottom surface of the frame. A plurality of shaped fusible elements, for example, solder balls, are located proximate the ends of the tail portions. In such an embodiment, the solder balls preferably have a deformed spherical shape, wherein the aspect ratio is greater than one.

Continued advances in the design of electronic devices for data processing and communications systems have placed rigorous demands on the design of electrical connectors. Specifically, electrical connectors having higher densities and pin counts are needed for design advances which increase integration of solid state devices and which increase the speed of data processing and communication. Designing connectors to have higher densities and higher pin counts requires careful consideration of the problems which result from decreasing the distance between contacts. This is particularly true in applications involving daughter board/back panel interconnections where the connector functions to establish an electrical connection and functions to mechanically hold the daughter board in position.
Density and pin count are often viewed interchangeably, but there are important differences. Density refers to the number of contacts provided per unit length. In contrast, the number of contact elements that can reasonably withstand the mating and unmating forces is referred to as the pin count. As more functions become integrated on semiconductor chips or on flexible circuit substrates and more chips are provided on printed circuit boards (PCBs), each PCB or flexible circuit must provide more inputs and outputs (I/Os). The demand for more I/Os directly translates to a demand for greater density without sacrificing electrical or mechanical performance, particularly when such devices and integration techniques are utilized in devices having back panels.
The importance of electrical performance of high density connectors was recognized in U.S. Pat. No. 4,824,383--Lemke, incorporated herein by reference. This patent proposed designs for plug and receptacle connectors for multiple conductor cables or multiple trace substrates. In such designs electrical performance was assured by electrically isolating individual contact elements or groups of contact elements through the use of conductive walls to prevent or minimize crosstalk and signal degradation. Although, the connectors disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,824,383 increased contact element density, industry driven density demands continued to grow. U.S. Pat. No. 5,057,028--Lemke et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,169,324--Lemke et al. (now U.S. Pat. No. Re. 35.508), all incorporated herein by reference, disclose two row plug and receptacle connectors for attachment to printed circuit boards (PCBs), which connectors again exhibited good electrical performance through the use of conductive walls to provide isolation.
Electrical performance for high density connectors was also the focus of U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,846,727, 5,046,960, 5,066,236, 5,104, 341, 5,496,183, 5,342,211 and 5,286,212. These patents disclose various forms of stripline structures incorporated into a plug and receptacle system. In a high density stripline structure, columns of contact elements arranged in a side-by-side array with conductive plates disposed between each column. The connectors are designed so that the plug and receptacle ground plates contact one another, thereby providing isolation between columns. A further aspect of this system is the modular design of the receptacle. Each column of receptacle contact elements is formed by molding the contact elements into a frame of dielectric material. One of the problems with these types of connectors is that the use of conductive walls for electrical isolation requires space. In certain applications the space or volume necessary for such isolation is impractical.
In those applications where space is critical, proposals for achieving desired electrical performance have included the use of high density connectors in which one pin, selected for signal transmission, is positioned between pins connected to ground. Such patterns are known as interstitial arrangements. Such contact element patterns are suggested in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,174,770, 5,197,893 and 5,525,067. It will be appreciated that while such isolation schemes can be implemented in more compact connectors, such schemes require greater numbers of pins than were available in the previously described connectors using conductive walls.
In back panel applications, increasing the number of pins has a direct impact on mechanical integrity. As the number of pins increases, the number of bores or through holes in the back panel and daughter board increases. As the number of bores in a printed circuit board increases while at the same time decreasing the distance between each bore, as will be the case in high density applications, the mechanical integrity of the board decreases. As mechanical integrity decreases the ability for the back panel to mechanically hold the daughter board in position decreases.
It will be appreciated that in back panel applications, the daughterboard is held in position, i.e., vertical and horizontal orientation, sometimes exclusively, by the connector used to electrically interconnect the two. Daughterboard size, the number of daughterboards and the components mounted to the daughterboards combine to produce the stresses and moments acting on the back panel after assembly. If the amount of back panel material is reduced in particular locations due to larger numbers of closely spaced through bores, back panel failure can occur, i.e., the back panel could deform or even break.
One might conclude that the solution to back panel mechanical failure would be to use surface mount techniques to establish electrical connection to the back panel. Since surface mount techniques do not require the use of through holes, such techniques would afford the ability to connect high density connectors to the back panel without impacting mechanical integrity. Unfortunately, such solutions would be unsuccessful.
Surface mount techniques typically involve temporarily fixing a component to a printed circuit board using a paste. After pasting, the board and temporarily fixed components are heated in order to reflow solder material previously coated onto the leads of the surface mount components. In back panel applications, numerous connectors are attached to the back panel board, which is typically a relatively large circuit board. In order to assure adequate reflow, thereby establishing good electrical connection, for numerous components spread over a relatively large board, the back panel board would have to be subjected to significant heat. Unfortunately, heat which is too high or too long in duration can actually interfere with establishing good surface mount terminations. Consequently, surface mount techniques do not form the answer to the need for higher density connectors for back panel applications.
Consequently, a need still exists for a connector system which maximizes the number of contact elements available for ground/signal assignment and which does not jeopardize either the electrical or mechanical integrity of back panel applications.
One other consideration which must be taken into account when designing high. density connectors, particularly for back panel applications is the design of the structure for attaching the receptacle portion of the connector. One important factor in receptacle attachment is alignment. When a single receptacle contact element is misaligned, insertion force increases a negligible amount. However, when misalignment occurs in a high density contact receptacle, insertion force could increase to unacceptable levels. In other words, if misalignment occurs during the mounting of a receptacle to a circuit board, it may become impractical for the board to be mounted to a plug or vice versa.
Consequently, a need still exists for a high density connector system which provides sufficient alignment after mounting such that insertion force remains within acceptable limits.


A ball-transfer mechanism 1 is movable along the surface of floor 9, having a main body 2, a large ball 5, a plurality of small balls 6 and a restriction member 20. The large ball 5 is spherical and contacts the floor 9. A plurality of small balls 6 are disposed within portions of the main body 2 and support the large ball 5. Some of the small balls 6 are in rolling contact with the large ball 5, but upon rolling some of the small balls 5 move to a space defined within the main body 2 away from the large ball 5, while other small balls 6 move from the space back into contact with the large ball 5. The restriction member 20 can restrict a movement of all or a part of small balls 6 by contacting balls in the space within the main body 2 thereby restricting movement of adjacent small balls 6. The ball-transfer mechanism 1 has at least one restriction member 20, but can have a plurality of restriction members such as the restriction members.

A) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a ball-transfer mechanism having a brake mechanism and a vehicle employing the ball-transfer mechanism.
B) Description of the Related Art
A ball-transfer mechanism is a roller device which allows a vehicle to move in any direction relative to a generally level surface. Such a ball-transfer mechanism has a structure, for example, as shown in FIG. 9. The ball-transfer mechanism shown in FIG. 9, is designated by the reference numeral 91 and is used, for example, as one of several wheels on an industrial flat car which is movable in any direction on a generally level surface 99. A large ball 95 which contacts the level surface 99 is configured to roll in any direction while supported by a main body 92. The ball-transfer mechanism 91 includes the main body 92 and a supporting member 94 disposed within the main body 92. A space 92a is defined between the supporting member 94 and an inner portion of the main body 92. An upper portion of the space 92a has a generally spherical shape, with lower portions of the space 92a having an annular shape open to the portion of the main body 92 where the large ball 95 is located.
A plurality of small balls 96 are retained within the space 92a and in the space between the supporting member 94 and the large ball 95. The small balls 96 may roll around edges of the supporting member 94 such that the small balls 96 are freely disposed between the supporting member 94 and the large ball 95.
The small balls 96 follow rolling movement of the large ball 95 and must withstand forces associated with the loads acting on the large ball 95. In other words, the small balls 96 provide support for the ball-transfer mechanism 91, allowing the large ball 95 to rotate in various directions within the main body 92.
When a small ball 96 enters the space 92a, the small ball 96 no longer receives the loads or forces from the large ball 95. Within the space 92a, the primary force acting on the small balls 96 is gravity. Therefore, within the space 92a, the small balls 96 naturally tend to move downward (relative to FIG. 9) and further tend to move toward areas where the least number of other small balls 96 are located. For example, the small balls 96 can easily move to an opposite side of a center axis 91a, resulting in allowing the large ball 95 to roll inside of the main body 92.
When a ball-transfer mechanism, such as that described above, is used on a flat car or other such rolling device, a brake device needs to be added to the flat car because such ball-transfer mechanisms do not have a brake function.
Although a ball-transfer mechanism provides many benefits such as being able to move in any direction, one disadvantage is that there is no direction stably during movement and not braking function.
Another means of allowing a flat car or vehicle to roll is employment of a caster installed on, for instance, a wheel chair such as that shown in FIGS. 16 and 17. FIGS. 16 and 17 shown a schematic drawing of a conventional electromotive wheelchair. As shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, a pair of casters 191 are mounted on the underside of a wheelchair 190. One caster 191 is disposed on a left front side thereof and one caster 191 is disposed on a right front side thereof. As a result, the wheelchair 190 can go straight or back and circle by controlling only two motors 193, each motor 193 connected to corresponding rear wheels 192. The caster 191 can rotate freely about an axis 191a. Rotation about the axis 191a is indicated generally in FIG. 17 by the arrows in FIG. 17.
The wheelchair 190 described above can keep going straight on a paved flat road without any problems.
However, when it goes across an inclined road or goes on a rough road, the wheelchair 190 might not go straight because the caster 191 rotates about the axis 191a. When the caster 191 roles on an inclined surface or rough road, the caster 191 often has difficulty with continued stable rolling.

Ball transfer mechanism having a braking mechanism and a vehicle employing the ball transfer mechanism


There is provided a novel gelator containing a sugar derivative. A gelator including a compound of Formula (1) or Formula (2):

A structure that has a three-dimensional network structure formed by a substance having the ability to form a gel (hereinafter called a gelator) and contains a fluid in the network structure is called a gel. In general, a gel containing water as the fluid is called a hydrogel, and another gel containing an organic liquid (such as organic solvents and oils) except water is called an organogel or an oil gel. The oil gel (organogel) is used in the fields of cosmetics, pharmaceutical products, agrochemicals, foods, adhesives, paints, resins, and other products to control the flowabilities of cosmetics and paints. The oil gel (organogel) is also widely used in the field of environmental preservation, for example, to form a gel as a solid from oil waste, thus preventing water pollution.
Gelators have been studied mainly on polymer compounds, but in recent years, low-molecular weight compounds, to which various functions can be easily introduced as compared with the polymer compounds, have been being studied. As described above, the oil gels (organogels) have been used in a wide variety of fields and are expected to be used in wider fields in future. On this account, as the application fields of the oil gels expand, gelators of low-molecular weight compounds (hereinafter also called low-molecular weight gelators) are required to have ability to form a gel from a wide variety of organic solvents. To address these requirements, a urea compound has been disclosed as a low-molecular weight gelator capable of forming a gel having excellent stability from various organic solvents by adding a small amount of the compound (for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). It is also disclosed that an α-aminolactam derivative has the ability to form gels from squalane, a liquid paraffin, and other substances (for example, Patent Document 3).
Sugar derivatives derived from various monosaccharides have a structure readily forming strong hydrogen bonds to each other, and it has been disclosed that the sugar derivatives form gels from various organic solvents (Non-Patent Document 1).

Abstract: wherein each of R1 and R3 is independently a linear or branched alkyl group having a carbon atom number of 1 to 20, a cyclic C3-20 alkyl group, or a linear or branched alkenyl group having a carbon atom number of 2 to 20, n is 0 or an integer of 1 to 4, R2 is a hydrogen atom, a linear or branched alkyl group having a carbon atom number of 1 to 10, or an aryl group optionally having a substituent, and R4 and R5 are each a hydroxy group.

INSTITUTE OF SYSTEMS, INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES AND NANOTECHNOLOGIES


A noise damping system for a railroad wheel: at one axial side of the wheel a groove is formed having radially inward and radially outward sides. A ring is installed in the groove. When one set of opposing sides, e.g. the radially outward sides, is engaged, they transmit torque. The ring and the groove are cooperatingly either trapezial in shape, that is one radial side inclined and one axial direction side, or are shaped with both radial sides uninclined. Screws secure the ring into the wheel and establish a torque transmitting connection between their opposing engaged sides. The ring may be in sections fastened together at the wheel to form the complete ring.

The present invention refers to a system for damping noise produced by railroad wheels during the travel by railroad vehicles and particularly to a damping ring in the wheel.
Known devices intended for the reducing the noise produced by railroad wheels may be grouped under the following types:
Resilient wheels: on such wheels, the rim of the wheel is constituted by a bandage joined to the rest of the wheel by means of elastic elements. PA1 Damped wheels: wheels on which dampers are added by means of external elements: a) by viscoelastic elements, such as foils and rubber elements, adhered to the wheel and tuned for different frequencies, and b) by friction, such as elements joined to the wheel, which cause relative slippage as regards the surface of the wheel, producing friction which provides damping. PA1 arrangement of the ring, which is tied down in a housing preformed on the end of the wheel rim; PA1 comprises a torque system or controlled contact between the ring and the rim, which may be achieved by means of through-screws passing through the rim, or by means of a fit; PA1 shape of the ring, with a cross section of straight sides, having for example, a trapezial or rectangular section, optimizing the mass of the ring; PA1 preferably a whole ring, of one piece, although it may be divided into two or more parts by means of transverse cuts to facilitate its assembly; PA1 ring assembly on the inner side of the rim, on the outer side or on both sides simultaneously.
The object of the invention is found in this latter subgroup.
In noise damping by friction, the use of a circular sectioned ring is known, tied down in a groove or channel with semicircular section on the inner part of the wheel rim. However, in this arrangement, there are no elements which permit control over the uniformity of contact and the circumferential torque. Besides, the assembly process induces differences in the contact between different points. On the other hand, the arrangement provides little mass for a specific width of the groove or channel, movement of rigid solids may be produced, and it is impossible to displace the channel up to the flat external surface of the rim.
The inventors have confirmed that there are three main parameters for the efficacy of noise damping systems by friction: a) ring mass; b) optimization of the contact area between ring and wheel; and c) position of the ring with respect to the wheel rim.
Upon increase of the ring mass (the mass-ring/mass-wheel relation increases) an increase in the damping of the system is produced, and its efficacy improves (both in average and in high frequency). It is therefore beneficial to increase the mass of the ring as much as possible.
For a specific width in the groove or channel where the ring is housed, it is advisable that the shape of the ring offer the greatest possible mass.
Regarding the second parameter, it has been confirmed that the contact area between the surfaces of the ring and of the wheel constitutes another main parameter of the system, because the noise damping mechanism is ultimately based on the friction produced in the contact between the two surfaces by microslippage between them.
The slipping work depends on: EQU (W=.mu..N.I.):
where .mu. is the friction coefficient, N the normal load between the surfaces and I the relative slippage between both surfaces.
Given a coefficient .mu., upon increase of the normal load between the surface, the work of the friction may increase (N increases) though however, the possibility of movement is made more difficult (could decrease I). Consequently, a compromise solution exists in which, for a specific torque between the surfaces, an optimum exists in the work of the friction.
On the other hand, besides achieving a specific torque, it is important to achieve uniformity in the contact area between ring and wheel. Non-uniform contact produces the existence of zones which work adequately and zones which do not work (even with lack of contact); including the possibility of movement of the rigid solid of the ring as regards the wheel, according to which, the system would work in a totally different manner. All this causes a decrease in the global efficacy and possible dispersions of the results.
Finally, regarding the third parameter, the position of the ring with respect to the wheel rim, the research carried out shows that between the different positions of a possible damping ring, within the width of the wheel rim, the end positions (removed from the midplane, perpendicular to the wheel axis) are more efficient and, particularly, the inner side of the wheel (side of the flange) is slightly more favorable.

Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles S.A. CAF


A pellet-shaped article marking system marks two sides of a pellet-shaped article. A hopper is disposed over a ramp-type conveyor and feeds pellet-shaped articles onto the conveyor. A first marking device marks a first side of the pellet-shaped articles. A pickup drum receives the pellet-shaped articles from the conveyor and transports them to a second marking device so that a non-marked side of the articles faces the second marking device. The second marking device marks the non-marked side of the articles. The pickup drum then discharges the pellet-shaped articles into a bin.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for marking at least two sides of a pellet-shaped article. In particular, the invention relates to an apparatus and method for marking both sides of a pellet-shaped article using a ramp-type conveyor system with at least one row of article receiving pockets.
2. Description of Related Art
A variety of devices have been developed for printing indicia on pellet-shaped articles using a conveyor system. Some of these devices are capable of simultaneously printing indicia on both sides of an article, while other devices are only capable of printing indicia on a single side of the articles.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,189,996 to Ackley, Sr. et al. discloses an article carrying device (e.g. carrier) for printing indicia on both sides of a single row of articles. The carrier is specially designed to have a housing with two open sides so as to entrain the articles entirely therein. This configuration allows the sides of the articles to be exposed to printers placed on both sides of the carrier. That is, once the articles are entrained within the carrier, both sides of the articles face opposing printing devices. In order for printing to be accomplished, the carriers are positioned on the conveyor system and transported along a predetermined path past the opposing printers for simultaneously printing indicia on both sides of the articles.
However, in operation only one row of articles can be printed at a time using these carriers because the carriers are aligned in a single row on the conveyer so that the printers can be placed on opposing sides of the articles for printing. Also, when using these carriers, special article feed dispensers are needed to ensure that the articles are entirely entrained within the carriers. However, even when using the special article feed dispensers, the articles are not always dispensed properly into the carriers, thereby resulting in many carriers passing the printers without having articles entrained therein.
Other article carrying devices are designed so that indicia can be printed on a single side of the article. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,884,143 to Ackley discloses a tablet carrier link for precision printing. The link includes a supporting base connected to a conveyor. The link has a hollow body portion providing a space for an article. At least one side of the link is open for exposing a part of the article for printing. Like the Ackley Sr. patent, only one row of articles can be printed at a time using these links because the links are aligned in single fashion on the conveyor so that printing can be performed effectively.
By way of another example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,433,146 to Ackley discloses specially designed carrier bars for entraining articles. These carrier bars contain specially designed pockets so that articles can be substantially placed therein so that only one side of the article faces a printer. The carrier bars are fixed to a ramp-type conveyor system that transports the carrier bars along a predefined path and underneath a printer for printing indicia on the articles. Because the articles are placed within the pockets of the carrier bars, the sides of the articles are covered and indicia can only be printed on the top or one side of each of the articles.

Apparatus and method for marking two sides of a pellet-shaped article


A method for removing moisture from an induction motor having at least two phase windings with each phase winding coupled by a first respective parallel combination of a first switch and a first diode to a positive voltage line and a second respective parallel combination of a second switch and a second diode to a negative voltage line includes supplying voltage to the positive and negative voltage lines and switching ON and OFF selected ones of the first and second switches to provide a current to preheat the induction motor. The provided current can be a substantially DC current or a substantially sinusoidal current.

Transit cars conventionally include multiple train-lined cars supplied by a common power source. Each car includes multiple motors with each motor driving an axle. For AC (alternating current) propulsion applications, these motors are generally induction motors that are controlled by PWM (pulse width modulating) inverters. These variable frequency, variable voltage inverters are fed with DC (direct current) voltage either from a third rail DC source or from a rectified AC source such as a catenary supply. These inverters control the voltage and frequency of the applied voltage on the induction motors to produce the necessary flux and torque.
When partially-enclosed, self-ventilating motors are used in severe weather conditions such as snow storms, moisture accumulates in the motor windings, and freezing and thawing cycles produce leakage currents to ground. These leakage currents become a problem which can be especially significant at the end of a layover period when the cars remain stationary and the warm motors are cooling down. If the snow melts and then re-freezes, re-melting of snow produces leakage currents when the cars start running again. The leakage currents are generally interpreted as ground faults during normal service, and the cars are disabled by a motor controller.

Removal of moisture from induction motors


A synthesized alternative sensor signal is produced from an alternative sensor signal. The synthesized alternative sensor signal is computed using vocal tract resonances estimated based on the alternative sensor signal, and using a waveform synthesis technique that converts the estimated vocal tract resonance sequence into a spectral magnitude sequence. The synthesized alternative sensor signal and the alternative sensor signal are used to estimate a clean speech value.

A common problem in speech recognition and speech transmission is the corruption of the speech signal by additive noise. In particular, corruption due to the speech of another speaker has proven to be difficult to detect and/or correct.
Recently, systems have been developed that attempt to remove noise by using a combination of an alternative sensor, such as a bone conduction microphone, and an air conduction microphone. Various techniques have been developed that use the alternative sensor signal and the air conduction microphone signal to form an enhanced speech signal that has less noise than the air conduction microphone signal.
The discussion above is merely provided for general background information and is not intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.

Multi-sensory speech enhancement using synthesized sensor signal


In a satellite system, a time frame to be used for establishing a time correlation between the satellite system and a ground station is inserted between the transmission frames at an arbitrary timing. The ground station computes the time at which the data was generated in the satellite system from this time frame and establishes a time correlation with the satellite time by using only this time frame.

When astronomical events are observed using a remote system such as a satellite, it is required to synchronize the time in the satellite system with that of the ground time in order to know the time of generation of observed events. With recent advance in the field of computers, high speed data processing has become possible in the satellite system, and also an advanced protocol such as packet telemetry based on recommendation by CCSDS (Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems) for communications between a satellite system and a ground station are used.
Because of the necessity of data processing in a satellite or employment of packet telemetry, ambiguous delay in time interval is generated from the time when data is acquired until the time when the data is transmitted to the ground. Therefore, it is difficult to estimate the time of generation of an event from a time when the data is received at the ground station. On the other hand, it is required to know the accurate time of generation of data while realizing a high speed data processing in the satellite system or an advanced protocol such as packet telemetry. Especially in astronomical observation, in order to verify the result of observation to that acquired by other satellites or that obtained on the ground, precision in time measurement of the order of microseconds is required.
In the conventional technology, observed data is sampled according to the timing generated by an apparatus for controlling the timing of operations of the entire satellite system. The data is inserted at a fixed location in the transfer frame and the time at which the data was generated is determined from the time when the transfer frame is received. On the other hand, a system in which request for the current time is made when required to a device which controls the system time, or a system in which standard time is determined by using data input time into a device generating a transfer frame is employed in a satellite system employing the packet telemetry therein.
In recent years, time is determined by using the GPS (Global Positioning System). FIG. 15 shows the commonly used GPS system. The system shown in FIG. 15 is a satellite system in which an orbiting satellite 105 acquires the signals, namely the observation data, from four GPS satellites 101 to 104. In this satellite system, the satellite 105 acquires apparent distances between itself and the GPS satellites 101 to 104 based on the acquired observation data, and obtains four unknown parameters i.e. its own position (x, y, z) and the difference between its own time and the time in the GPS satellites. With this method, an accurate time can be acquired in the satellite 105.
In the satellite system described above, in association with the advance in the computer technology, sophisticated processing such as data compression or data extraction has become possible, so that data length of the observed data or the like changes, and sometimes waste of resources occurs in data transfer when a fixed data format like that in the conventional technology is used. Efforts have been made in order to improve the efficiency in data transmission by employing packet telemetry such as CCSDS.
However, in the satellite system described above, because the complicated data processing such as the packet telemetry like CCSDS is employed, a delay is generated until the acquired data is packetized, or ambiguous delay is generated until a packet including data is actually edited into the transfer frame. Further, fluctuations in time from generation up to transfer of data to the ground station becomes larger, so that it is difficult to decide the time at which the data was generated from the time at which the data is received.
In a system in which time is required to be acquired by the a device which manages the time in the satellite, non-uniformity of around a couple of tens of microseconds is included in association with realization of a protocol for acquiring time, so that an error which is not desirable in a system requiring accurate time may be generated.
High precision time determination can be realized with GPS shown in FIG. 15 having been employed and becoming popular in recent years. However, the system configuration is very complicated. Further, in the example shown in FIG. 15, because the satellite 105 itself rotates around the Earth at a high speed a Doppler shift is generated. This Doppler shift makes the use of GPS on the ground difficult.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Time synchronization system, satellite system applied to the time synchronization system, ground system applied in the time synchronization system, time synchronization method and a computer-readable recording medium with a program


The compounds are (+)- and (xe2x88x92)-2-cyclododecylpropanol and (+)- and (xe2x88x92)-2-cyclododecylpropionic acid, and salts thereof. (xe2x88x92)-2-cyclododecylpropanol is suitable as a fragrance while the virtually odorless (+) enantiomer is suitable as a fixative for other fragrances. The two enantiomers of 2-cyclododecylpropanol are prepared by reduction of the acid function of the enantiomers of 2-cyclododecylpropionic acid.

(+)- and (xe2x88x92)-2-cyclododecylpropanol and (+)- and (xe2x88x92)-2-cyclododecylpropionic acid and the preparation and use thereof
The present invention relates to (+)- and (xe2x88x92)-2-cyclododecylpropanol and (+)- and (xe2x88x92)-2-cyclododecylpropionic acid, to salts thereof, and to the preparation and use thereof.
The racemate of 2-cyclododecylpropanol (also called Hydroxyambran(copyright) or Amberwood(copyright)) is an odorant of the wood and ambergris class, which is becoming increasingly important (EP-B278 384). A process for its preparation, described in WO 98/55228, is the reaction of cyclodecene in the presence of catalytic amounts of a free-radical initiator with an excess of propionic acid or of a propionic acid derivative and subsequent catalytic hydrogenation of the resulting 2-cyclododecylpropionic acid or of the corresponding 2-cyclododecylpropionic acid derivative respectively.
Neither the two enantiomers of 2-cyclododecylpropionic acid nor of 2-cyclododecylpropanol have hitherto been disclosed in the prior art.
It is an object of the invention to prepare a fragrance of the wood and ambergris class which has a more intensive odor compared with the prior art and which is further notable for improved properties such as staying power, odor threshold value and a low limit of dilution.
We have found that this object is achieved according to the invention by (xe2x88x92)-2-cyclododecylpropanol.
Surprisingly, we have also found that while the (xe2x88x92)-enantiomer is highly suitable as a fragrance, the virtually odorless (+)-enantiomer is advantageously suitable as a fixative for other fragrances. It provides for a long-lasting adhesion, without adversely affecting the intrinsic odor of the adhering fragrance by a strong odor of its own.
The two enantiomers of 2-cyclododecylpropionic acid, the precursor and the intermediate for the preparation of cyclododecylpropanol are prepared by racemate resolution of known racemic 2-cyclododecylpropionic acid by crystallization of the diastereomeric salts using an optically active amine as auxiliary, and subsequent liberation of the respective enantiomer of the acid from the salt, e.g. by reaction with a strongly acidic ion exchanger. For further purification, the crystallization of the diastereomeric salt and the subsequent liberation of the acid can be carried out a number of times. Furthermore, the enantiomerically pure acid can be further purified by recrystallization (Houben-Weyl, Methoden der Organischen Chemie [Methods of Organic Chemistry], Volume IV, Allgemeine chemische Methoden, [General chemical methods], Part 2, Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart, 1955, pp. 505-532).
The two enantiomers of 2-cyclododecylpropanol are prepared by reduction of the acid function of the corresponding enantiomers of 2-cyclododecylpropionic acid. The reduction can be carried out, for example, by catalytic hydrogenation or using a complex hydride, for example lithium aluminum hydride.
The invention therefore also provides for the use of (+)- or (xe2x88x92)-2-cyclododecylpropionic acid as an intermediate for the preparation of (xe2x88x92)- or (+)-2-cyclododecylpropanol respectively
Surprisingly, the odor of the enantiomers of 2-cyclododecylpropanol is completely different. While the (+)-enantiomer is virtually odorless, the (xe2x88x92)-enantiomer has a considerably stronger odor than the racemic mixture. The odor of racemic 2-cyclododecylpropanol is determined virtually exclusively by the (xe2x88x92)-enantiomer. Although it is known that enantiomers can differ in terms of odor (e.g. (+)-carvone [caraway], (xe2x88x92)-carvone [spearmint], L. Friedman, J. G. Miller, xe2x80x9cOdor Incongruity and Chiralityxe2x80x9d, Science 1971, 172, 1044, cited by G. Ohloff xe2x80x9cRiechstoffe and Geruchsinnxe2x80x9d [Odorants and sense of smell], p.42, Springer-Verlag 1990), the differences are usually qualitative in nature and only pronounced to a greater or lesser extent. The complete discrimination of the odor of the two enantiomers into highly odorous and odorless is extremely rare (cf. G. Ohloff xe2x80x9cRiechstoffe and Geruchsinnxe2x80x9d, p.44, Springer-Verlag 1990) and has hitherto not been described for simple molecules having only one asymmetric center.
It is a particularly advantageous aspect for the use in perfume oils that the (xe2x88x92)-enantiomer is very compatible with all commercially available odorants, for example the classes of cyclic and acyclic terpenes, of aliphatic, cycloaliphatic, aromatic odorants, of phenol derivatives or of heterocycles.


A brake actuator having a mechanical actuating member (3) with an automatic adjusting device (5) to compensate for wear associated with friction members (6a,6b). The adjusting device (5) has a variable length created by an elongated nut (7) and a screw (9) which are urged in an unscrewing direction by a force from a spring (16) which is prestressed within a retention member (17). The retention member (17) has a first end which engages a second plate (14) and a second end which engages spring (16) to define a caged structure, The spring urging the elongated nut (7) into engagement with a first plate (12) and the first plate (12) into engagement with the second plate (14). A cylindrical sleeve (18) has a radial collar (18a) which is trapped between the spring (16) and second end of the retention member (17) to slidably engage the second end (7b) of the elongated nut (7) for guiding the second end (7b) into alignment with screw (9).

A brake actuator of this kind is known in the prior art, for example from the international patent application document PCT/FR93,00918 (U.S. Pat. 5,586,623.
One of the problems which is encountered in the design of brake actuators, whatever structure they have, consists in ensuring that they have a very high degree of operational reliability in a context of large volume production and reduction of manufacturing) costs.
In particular, it appears more and more to be necessary to provide that the operation of these brake actuators will be irreproachable even when the limits of the manufacturing tolerances are reached.


A portable and connectable chip-based electronic system has one or more chips integrated into a package. The electronic component obtained is mounted, in a first embodiment, on the upper surface of metal contacts. A lower surface has metal contacts that constitute the connector of the system. Each of the metal contacts of the upper face is connected to and faces a metal contact of the lower surface, and vice versa. In a second embodiment, the electronic component is surface mounted on an upper surface of metal contacts, the lower surface of these contacts forming the connector. A system such as this is designed to be inserted into a reader which will get connected to the connector. Such a system may have other electronic components that are mutually interconnected and interconnected with the electronic component.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns a card having electronic circuits that can exchange data and which are known in the industry as "smart cards."
The various new uses of the smart card show that this card is destined to fulfill increasingly complex functions, if its field of application is to be extended. This entails, then, the need to use increasingly bigger surface areas of chips to be integrated into these cards in order to fulfill these functions. This is the case, for example, with two known applications of chip cards, namely the telephone card and the bank card. The chip of the telephone card is a simple memory. It takes up a surface area of the order of one mm.sup.2. The chip of a bank card is a processor that integrates memory. It takes up a surface area of the order of 20 mm.sup.2.
It may briefly be recalled that a chip card is a relatively slim plastic card, wherein a semiconductor chip and a grid of conductors are inset in the thickness of the card. The chip is mounted on an upper surface of the grid, for example by bonding. Conductive wires are then soldered, firstly, to output terminals of the chip and, secondly, to metallizations of the grid. This is the chip card mounting technology known as the chip on board technology. A lower surface of the grid is flush with one of the two surfaces of the card, and forms the connector of the chip card. When this card is inserted into the reader, it is to this connector that the reader gets connected.
However, the standard support of the chip card is ill-suited to a chip with a large surface area. While the support is flexible, the chip for its part is very rigid. The bigger the chip, the more sensitive it is to strains and the greater are the chances of its being damaged. In practice, the effect of this is to reduce the reliability of the chip card, when it integrates a big chip. This restricts the possibility of extending the range of uses of the chip card, notably to novel applications.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various known techniques have been used to resolve this problem. It has been attempted, notably, to reduce the extent of the strains on the chip and the wires that connect it to its grid of connectors. We might cite, for example, the known use of a slab of cobalt placed beneath the substrate of the chip to rigidify the chip. In another example, the method for making a cavity in the card is modified so that the chip can be received in order to rigidify the environment of the chip. However, in this chip card mounting technology, these approaches do not enable mounting on large surfaces, with areas of more than 20 mm.sup.2 for example. And, for surface areas such as this, numerous problems arise, notably the problem of the reliability of the chip thus mounted.
Besides, the plastic material that forms the card is not impervious to the various forms of ion and organic pollution to which the chips of the integrated circuit are very sensitive. The deterioration in reliability that is caused is all the more aggravated as the chip is big. This is a third technological limitation.
The mounting technology used is of the hybrid type. It is not optimized in terms of production. Indeed, semiconductor mounting technology uses a standard line for making a product in very large quantities. This product consists of one or more chips mounted in a standard package and called an electronic component. These chips may or may not be mutually interconnected. Beside these electronic components produced in large quantities, we therefore have a specific product, for example the chip card. Now this specific product is produced in far smaller quantities. And it too requires a specific production line. This considerably increases the production costs and depreciation costs of this line, as compared with those of production lines for standard products. Furthermore, the reject rate of this specific product is far higher than that of standard products because of the technology used. Indeed, the fixing of the wires is a delicate operation, the reliability of which directly affects the final product. These wires require specific protection to ensure that they do not deteriorate.
To circumvent these difficulties, it has also been attempted, in what is called "tape automatic bonding" technology, to connect metallization lead ends of the grid, particularly by hot transfer process, to the terminals of the chip. However, this technology also suffers from the degree of manufacturing precision that it requires. It too does not lead to sufficient reliability of mounting.
It is an object of the invention to overcome these drawbacks and enable the development of the chip card towards novel applications of greater complexity that are not hampered and restricted by the prior existence and use of magnetic cards, applications that might use, for example, an electronic key, in the sense of the electronic function and the shape of the object.
The invention uses conventional electronic packages provided with standard connection pins into which the function to be set up, comprising one or more chips conventional chips, is integrated. There is a known method of interconnecting several chips on a printed circuit and integrating the entire unit in a standard package. The reliability of the electronic component obtained is greater than that of the chips because the package mechanically shields the chip or chips of the electronic component from the various forms of ionic and organic pollution, and also because of the technology for mounting chips in a package, which is a standard technology that is well mastered. It is therefore possible to set up complex functions. However, a component such as this is not connectable as understood in the invention: for example, a component for surface mounting has pins that are too fine to provide for sure and reliable contact with the connector of a reader. A component mounted by insertion, for its part, may be inserted thousands of times in a connector: the pins will get bent or will even break and, in any case, the insertion operation is then a delicate one.

Smart card chip-based electronic circuit


An input device provides control information to a host device and including a plurality of keys, a division module and a control module is disclosed. When an object presses a specific key, the specific key generates a resistance value according to a force applied by the object. The division module receives the resistance value and generates a voltage level according to the resistance value and a first level. The control module generates the control information according to the voltage level. The host device executes a function corresponding to the specific key according to the control information.

Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an input device, and more particularly to an input device including a plurality of keys.
Description of the Related Art
Generally, when a user utilizes a keyboard to input text, if the text displayed on the monitor is not the same as the input text, this phenomenon is referred to as a ghost key phenomenon. To avoid the ghost key phenomenon, a conventional method disposes a plurality of diodes in the keyboard. Each diode is coupled to a key. Another conventional method considers the habits of the users to design the circuit layout of the keyboard. However, the conventional method increases the cost of components and the circuit complexity of the keyboard.

Input device providing control information to host device


An arc detector comprising a voltage generator for detecting a voltage and an integrator for integrating said voltage with respect to time and generating an output signal corresponding to said integration. The arc detector also includes a discharge controller for controlling said output signal of said integrator, an amplifier for amplifying said output signal from said integrator and outputting an amplified signal; and a comparator for comparing said amplified output signal to a reference voltage and generating a detection signal based on said comparison.

The present invention relates to the field of electrical devices for detecting fault conditions, and more particularly to devices that sense the presence of electrical arcs in a circuit. Electrical arcing is a localized, high-energy event caused by wire chafing, dust build up and moisture that may result in a catastrophic fire. However, arcs, like many transients, are very short lived and therefore cause little impact on bimetallic elements or the electronics. Consequently, conventional circuit breakers and electronic wire protection methods do not interrupt circuits fast enough to prevent damage or a fire. There are two distinct types of arcs, series arcs and parallel arcs.
In general, a parallel arc starts when current flows between two touching oppositely charged conductors causing metal at the contact point to liquefy and current to jump over the resulting gap. The arc may then dissipate, but has the potential to re-establish itself at a later time. Parallel arcs may also occur intermittently, usually as a result of vibration, without ever turning into a hard short. FIG. 9 shows a typical arc in a 28VDC system where the arcing event occurs over several seconds.
The arc current in a parallel arc does not pass through the load, and only the source current capability and wiring resistance limit the peak arc current. There are several scenarios in which parallel arcs occur. For example, parallel arcs can occur when wire insulation is missing or damaged and a wire connected to an aircraft power bus lightly contacts the airframe ground (or another exposed wire), or when insulation located in a wet or dirty environment is missing or damaged.
The other type of arc is a series arc. A series arc occurs when a gap, or break in the circuit, develops in series with a load that is normally connected to an aircraft power bus and the load current jumps over the gap. Unfortunately, some loads utilize series arcs as part of normal operation, so they cannot be reliably detected. For example, the normal sparking of a motor commutator cannot be distinguished from a series arc. Arc lamps, i.e., strobes and fluorescent lighting are also hard to distinguish from arcs.
Various types of arc detectors have been developed and/or proposed to detect arc currents. Generally, there are two types of detectors. One type responds to the random high frequency noise content of the current waveform generated by an arc. This high frequency noise tends to be attenuated, especially by the presence of filters on some loads, which can be connected to the branch circuit. The other basic type of arc detector responds to the step increase in current occurring as the arc is repetitively and randomly struck. Examples of arc detectors of the latter type are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,224,006 and 5,691,869.
These prior art devices have difficulty distinguishing arc currents from normal inrush currents. Inrush currents, e.g., capacitive inrush currents, lamp inrush currents, or motor inrush currents, are different from arc currents in one very important respect; inrush currents are much more regular and predictable. Exemplary types of inrush currents are described below.
The capacitive inrush current is exponential in shape, shown in FIG. 10, with a time constant determined by circuit resistance and load capacitance, e.g., an electronic device that has a capacitor bank on the input, such as a flight computer, data acquisition box ("black box") or similar piece of avionics equipment. Lamp inrush currents occur when there is a change in resistance from a cold filament to a hot filament in an incandescent lamp. An exemplary waveform for a lamp inrush current is shown in FIG. 11. However, lamp inrush currents vary with lamp type. A motor inrush current occurs when a motor starts.
An effective arc current detector will ignore all of these types of inrush currents and only trip when an actual arc is detected. Therefore, there is a need for an improved arc detection circuit.


Provided is a vehicle seat capable of easily maintaining the appearance. A bezel of the vehicle seat is abutted on a body fixing member so that the shift of the bezel in the direction in which the bezel is separated from an exposing section of a body is restricted by the body fixing member.

There has been known a vehicle seat in which an operation device (for example, a lever-type lock releasing device that can adjust the angle of a seat back by releasing the locked state by a reclining device) is mounted to a frame through the opening of a trim cover.
Patent Literature 1 discloses a technique in which a front side frame 12B (edge) of a bezel 12 (body) is applied from the front side of a back cover 2C (trim cover) to the periphery of a through hole 2C3 (opening) of the back cover 2C, and a back side frame 13A (abutting section) of a backing member 13 (bezel) is applied from the back side of the back cover 2C to the periphery of the through hole 2C3 of the back cover 2C, so that the periphery of the through hole 2C3 of the back cover 2C is brought into a good appearance state.
Likewise, Patent Literature 2 discloses a technique in which a flap 43b (edge) of a lock knob garnish 43 (body) is applied from the front side of a skin material 13 (trim cover) to the periphery of the opening of the skin material 13, and a trim plate 44 (bezel) is applied from the back side of the skin material 13 to the periphery of the opening of the skin material 13.


Disclosed and claimed are a method for the covalent attachment of poly- and oligosaccharides to protein molecules via hydrogen peroxide depolymerization of the polysaccharide units, followed by attachment of the depolymerized polysaccharide chain to the amino acid groups of a protein of interest through a linker molecule, and products therefrom, and methods for using the products.

In recent years, there has been considerable interest in developing approaches to covalently attach poly and oligosaccharides to protein molecules. This approach has been applied in the area of vaccine development, where purified bacterial capsular polysaccharides have been covalently attached to protein molecules (Dick, W. E. et al., 1989). These constructs have been termed conjugate vaccines.
The reason for preparing these constructs is that purified bacterial capsular polysaccharides, which are classified as t-cell independent antigens, can be converted into t-cell-like antigens by covalent attachment to certain protein molecules. Unconjugated polysaccharide vaccines are not capable of eliciting an anamnestic response in man, and the immune response to these antigens can be of limited duration, especially in younger populations. For this reason, the polysaccharide vaccines have not been recommended for usage in infant populations, because of their inherent limited efficacy in this population.
Over the last ten to fifteen years, purified capsular polysaccharide from Haemophilus influenzae type b has been covalently attached to a number of protein molecules, e.g. diphtheria toxoid and tetanus toxoid protein, and these conjugates are known to elicit a t-cell dependent immune response in the infant population. This feature has allowed the development and licensure of effective vaccines against disease caused by the bacterium Haemophilus influenzae type b (Santosham, M., 1993). This approach of preparing conjugate vaccines has also been extended to other capsular polysaccharides, such as those purified from Neisseriae meningitidis and Streptococcus pneumoniae.

Method for the covalent attachment of polysaccharides to protein molecules


A display panel, including a device substrate, an opposite substrate, a sealant, and a display medium, is provided. A pixel array of the device substrate is located in a display region, and a periphery circuit of the device substrate is located in a non-display region, wherein the periphery circuit includes at least one driving device, a planarization layer, and at least one wire. The planarization layer covers the driving device. The wire is located on the planarization layer, and the wire is electrically connected with the driving device and disposed to overlap the driving device. The opposite substrate is located opposite to the device substrate, and the sealant is located in the non-display region therebetween and covers the wire. The display medium is located between the device substrate, the opposite substrate, and the sealant. A manufacturing method of a display panel is also provided.

Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a display panel and a manufacturing method thereof, and particularly to a liquid crystal display panel and a manufacturing method thereof.
Description of Related Art
With the advance of technology and development of the semiconductor industry in these years, digital products, such as personal digital assistant (PDA), mobile phone, smart phone, notebook (NB), etc., become more and more common. And, these digital products are being developed to be more convenient, multi-functional, and pleasing in appearance to provide the users with more options. As the users' demand for digital products increases, the display screen, which is an important part to the digital products, becomes the focus of the designers' attention. In particular, liquid crystal display panel (LCD panel) has become the mainstream in the development of display screens.
Generally speaking, a liquid crystal display panel is manufactured by assembling a device substrate and an opposite substrate with a sealant, and then filling a liquid crystal layer between the device substrate and the opposite substrate. Specifically, the device substrate may be an active array substrate or a passive array substrate, and the opposite substrate may be a general blank substrate or a substrate provided with an electrode film or color filter layer. The liquid crystal display panel includes a display region and a non-display region, wherein the display region is configured for displaying images. Therefore, components of the liquid crystal display panel, for displaying images, e.g. the pixel array and display medium, are disposed in the display region. On the contrary, the non-display region does not display images, and thus the other components, not for displaying images, e.g. the circuit, are disposed in the non-display region, so as to avoid affecting the appearance of the liquid crystal display panel. To meet the requirements of fabricating processes, driving devices and wires of the circuit in the non-display region are generally arranged transversely on the substrate, such that the non-display region of the liquid crystal display panel has a broader border.

Display panel comprising a wire disposed and sandwiched in between a sealant and a planarization layer and method for manufacturing the same