An apparatus and method for system safety analysis evaluation is provided, the apparatus including processing circuitry configured for generating a calculation matrix for a system, generating a plurality of models based on the calculation matrix, performing a benchmarking or convolution analysis of the plurality of models, identifying a design envelope based on the benchmarking or convolution analysis, deriving uncertainty models from the benchmarking or convolution analysis, deriving an assessment judgment based on the uncertainty models and acceptance criteria, defining one or more limiting scenarios based on the design envelope, and determining a safety margin in at least one figure-of-merit for the system based on the design envelope and the acceptance criteria.

The federal regulatory review of engineered systems is principally concerned with all aspects important to public safety. Engineered systems rely on a unique organization of known phenomena, such as thermodynamics, hydrodynamics, turbine physics, or the like, working in concert to perform a specialized function, such as generating electricity from steam, perhaps heated by a nuclear reactor. Characterization of how particular phenomena influence the environment, measured in relative terms with respect to one or more figures-of-merit, is a valued knowledge component used by engineers and regulators in deliberations examining the merits of advancing a new technology. A figure-of-merit is a characterization of the performance of a system, relative to alternative systems. The demonstration of design safety relies on a combination of physical testing and analysis. While testing is generally favored over analysis, reliance on analysis typically increases with the complexity of the technology, such as nuclear reactor engineering, construction and operation. In some instances, physical testing may be too cost prohibitive to perform, restricting the testing to analysis. Further, public safety demands a formal process that seeks to eliminate subjectivity in such analyses.
The complexity and unique phenomenological condition of nuclear power plants is reflected in the dedicated attention of the federal regulatory authority, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). Requirements and guidelines drafted by the NRC take the form of evaluation methodology frameworks designed to quantify acceptablility through standards and explicit criteria. Applicants seeking permission to advance new products for the nuclear industry are expected to demonstrate both the integrity of the nuclear power plant end-product and the evaluation methodologies that support the conclusion.
Among the principal evaluation methodology framework documents addressing nuclear power plant safety is Regulatory Guide 1.203, Transient and Accident Analysis Methods. Regulatory Guide 1.203 describes evaluation model features considered acceptable for analyzing transient and accident behavior within the design basis of a nuclear power plant. The evaluation model may be a particular collection of design and operational data, event-specific data, numerical models, analysis software, calculations, post-processing, or the like used to calculate the system behavior and estimate safety margins. The RG 1.203 framework may be a particular embodiment of the classic scientific method. As such, this evaluation model framework may be applicable in other safety analysis settings, which may be required in other regulated industries, including airline, food and drug, or automobile. Some embodiments may also apply outside of physical safety analysis, which may include the finance industry, as an example.
Characterization of uncertainties and biases are derived from the evaluation model verification and validation (i.e., an adequacy demonstration), which are considered in the quantification of safety margins. Different evaluation models derive different safety margin estimates. Generally, evaluation models revealing large safety margins have greater potential for cost effective application; however, evaluation models revealing small safety margin may be more cost effective to develop. Evaluation models employed in the nuclear industry may be understood as "state machine" workflows where several decision points of how to proceed are made outside the workflow. Generally, in these evaluation models results from one simulation may suggest a particular action; results from many simulations may suggest many actions.
An alternative class of evaluation models employs a data-driven workflow. Such evaluation models apply logical rules to datasets from many simulations to both defer user action and limit options.
The range of applicability for the evaluation model is in part determined by the physics and the models contained within the software. The adequacy of the evaluation model is demonstrated through a verification and validation exercise, whose outcome is a confirmation that the software's physics models can effectively represent the association between the key phenomena and safety figure(s)-of-merit over the entire range of conditions encompassed by the design envelope. Successful verification and validation is achieved if an adequate set of high-fidelity data and/or exact analytical solution set are identified, executed with the analysis software, and found to meet the defined acceptance criteria.
Safety analysis addresses the design and performance of safety-related structures, systems, and components (SSCs) and their adequacy for the prevention of accidents and mitigation of the consequences of accidents. The foundation of the evaluation model relies on the organization of design inputs and the subsequent analytical modeling describing the geometry of SSCs and transport characteristics of materials contained within SSCs. As noted in Section B of RG 1.203, in the case of nuclear power, the evaluation model includes the "procedures for treating the input and output information (particularly the code input arising from the plant geometry and the assumed plant state at transient initiation)". The result of this process establishes design specifications and an operational envelope. For safety analysis, the compilation of this information appears as the set of critical analytical model parameters and monitored outputs, including tolerances and uncertainties. Examples of major safety-related SSCs, in nuclear power applications, whose parameters characterize phenomena and/or processes relevant to safety analysis may include:    fuel, fuel elements, and assemblies    reactor core configuration    reactivity and reactivity control systems    reactor coolant systems and connected systems    non-safety systems supporting RCS heat removal    containment systems or means of confinement, including ventilation    fuel handling and storage of fresh and spent fuel
A principal objective of system safety analysis is to confirm that a design's safety-related SSCs meet certain performance objectives through the use of specialized computer codes. A secondary objective is to evaluate and identify the analytical margins that will promote safety during design-basis and beyond design-basis events. As such, before safety analyses can be performed, design-related model parameters and essential operational setpoints must be identified.
Design and operational inputs, as referred to as analytical inputs or SSC inputs, to support modeling and analysis may be received and entered into computer models to evaluate the thermal hydraulic effects of key parameters and phenomena on safety measures using simulation engine codes, such as RELAP5-3D.
The analysis of the structures, systems and component combinations and variations or uncertainties is a complex and time intensive process requiring a large computational capacity. The volume or calculations may, in some instances, be mitigated or reduced using less preferred subjective qualitative assessments.

Apparatus and method for safety analysis evaluation with data-driven workflow


An apparatus and method by which sound files may be modified within a gaming device to coincide with one or more game events. In one embodiment, a sound file is played in a first manner when the previous spin of slot machine reels does not produce a win for the player. The sound file is played in a second manner, however, if the previous reel spin does produce a win. In another embodiment, a sound file is played in a first manner when the current reel spin does not produce a win. The sound file is modified in mid-play, however, if the current reel spin does produce a win. In a further embodiment, the sound file is modified differently in mid-play if the current reel spin does not produce a win.

The present invention relates to gaming devices having accompanying sounds or music. More particularly, the present invention relates to gaming device music or sounds that may be adapted to fit various musical contexts that occur during play of the gaming device.
Gaming device manufacturers provide slot machines employing a plurality of reels, wherein the reels each have a plurality of symbols. In these games, the player spins the reels, which produce a random generation of a combination of symbols. If the generated combination, or a portion of the combination, matches one of a number of predetermined award producing or winning combinations, the player receives an award. The award is commonly one or more credits that the player can play or redeem for money.
Gaming device manufactures also provide video poker games that generate credits for the player. The player can either use the awarded credits to play more poker hands or redeem the credits for money. These examples as well as many other types of gaming machines award credits to the player.
To increase player enjoyment and excitement, and to increase the popularity of the gaming machines, gaming device manufacturers constantly strive to provide players with new features that add to the excitement and enjoyment generated by the gaming device. It is common for gaming machines to play or produce sounds or music that accompanies the gaming event and is in accordance with the theme of the gaming machine. Such sounds or music may be played at various points throughout the above described games.
In slot machines, for example, the game typically plays music while the reels spin (i.e., while the reels are producing a wining or losing outcome for the player). Because this is an exciting time for the player, it is an opportune time to produce or play sounds and music. Very often the music follows a theme of the gaming device. For example, if the theme of the gaming device is surfing, the gaming device can play beach music and sounds associated with surfing, such as ocean waves, etc.
Besides reel spins, the gaming device can associate sounds with other gaming events. One well known sound that gaming devices employ is the paytone or credit roll-up sound. The paytone is the "ding", "ding", "ding" sound, which the gaming device plays when downloading an amount of credits to the player after a gaming device win. The paytone loosely emulates the sound of a coin or token hitting the coin payout tray upon a cash out by the player.
It should be appreciated that music and sounds play an important role in gaming devices in both entertaining and informing the player. The sounds and music also help to create a mood or tempo surrounding a particular game event or an overall feel for the gaming device. As gaming devices become more intricate and as the competition to produce the most fun and entertaining games stiffens, sounds and in particular interactive sounds will play an ever increasing roll in gaming devices. It is therefore desirable to provide an apparatus and a method for using the apparatus, wherein certain sounds or music stored in the gaming device may be readily adapted to fit a particular game setting or a particular musical accompaniment.

Gaming device having modified reel spin sounds to highlight and enhance positive player outcomes


Systems and methods of automating the generation of a correction of an estimate of an elevation of a digital elevation model (DEM) of the bare earth under forest canopy. The disclosed embodiments facilitate generation of a more accurate DEM in areas of canopy coverage (where the input X-band DSM cannot see the ground) to estimate both the canopy height and the associated DEM. In some embodiments, the result of computationally correcting an estimate of an original DEM is a modified DEM. The method of correcting an estimate of an original DEM utilizes a pair of P-band radar images, an original DEM overlapping the same scene as the P-band radar images, at least one common, uniquely-identifiable point in the P-band radar images, and a definition of a geographical area surrounding the common, uniquely identifiable point over which the elevation correction is applicable.

Digital elevation models (DEMs) represent the "bare earth" elevation, from which surface features such as trees and buildings have been removed. Either a digital surface model (DSM) or a digital terrain model (DTM) may be referred to as a DEM. Since no remote sensing mapping system provides direct measurements of the bare earth, a DTM is mostly produced by editing of the DSM. For example, the elevation of the bare earth under a building is easily estimated by measuring the elevation of the ground at points around the building. As another example, the elevation of the bare earth under a forest canopy, which can completely cover a wide area, is usually calculated using independent estimates of the average height of the forest canopy. The elevation under a forest canopy typically employs X-band interferometric synthetic aperture radar (IFSAR) technology. X-band is a relatively short-wavelength radar which backscatters mainly from the small branches and leaves at the tops of trees. Since X-band does not penetrate the trees, under heavy forest canopy, the elevation mapped is that of the tops of trees. As a result, the elevation of a DEM under heavy forest canopy is mostly inaccurate. Thus, there is a need for a better way of estimating the elevation of the bare earth under forest canopy.

System and methods for correcting terrain elevations under forest canopy


A packing box of a portable device is provided, which includes a main plate body and a frame plate body. Plates, which are adjacent to the main plate body and the frame plate body, are respectively disposed with fold-lines; such that a first side plate of the main plate body overlaps a first bonding plate and a third side plate overlaps a second bonding plate to form an accommodating space.: first frame plate, a second frame plate and a third frame plate of the frame plate body are overlapped with one another, so that the first frame plate, the second fame plate and the third frame plate, which are overlapped with one another, separate the accommodating space through a third bounding plate of the frame plate body. When the main plate body and the frame plate body are flattened, the plates are parallel to one another and flat-shaped.

1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure generally relates to a packing box of a portable device, in particular to a packing box of a portable device which is feasible for being manufactured as a head mounted display.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, the head mounted display has been developing as an image display for displaying virtual reality, and is able to be Wore on user's head. The applied field thereof becomes widely. The head mounted display shows the display components or a portable device such as a smart phone in front of the user's eyes via the manner of a glass or a helmet, and then the display components or the portable device project different virtual images towards the user's eyes so as to produce the image with 3D virtual reality.
In addition, the current packing box of :a portable device is various in terms of the aspects. Basically, it includes a box and an accommodating space for accommodating a portable device. However, the conventional packing box of a portable device is only provided with the buffering power for prevent the contents from being damaged and designed as a disposable merchandise. Consequently, it produces the amount of trash and is uneconomically to the resource consumption and the ecological environment.


Disclosed herein are examination light embodiments. A light having a frame for holding the light has a frontal support member with first and second lateral sides. Disposed on each first and lateral sides are one or more actuators for controlling functionality of the light. A first and second handle are associated with the first and second lateral sides, respectively. The one or more actuators are located proximate to the first and second handles to enable movement and functionality control of the light that requires the use of only one hand.

Proper lighting while conducting dental procedures is of vital importance. Generally, dental lights include a head assembly mounted on an articulating structure to permit spatial repositioning of the light head as appropriate. One or more lamps are mounted within a housing of the assembly to emit light from a reflector, which then reflects the light to the oral cavity of a patient. One or more handles are typically provided on the light head to facilitate spatial reorientations of the head. The handles of a dental light may be integral with the light head.
Dental lights are typically specialized in design as compared to other medical related lights. The partially seated postures typical of a dental patient in a patient chair differ from the supine position typical of a medical patient lying on a table. Dental procedures impose a special requirement of providing excellent illumination for an oral cavity. A dental operatory differs in arrangement from a typical medical operatory; fewer personnel are involved in most dental procedures, and a dental provider thus tends to be more proactive in positioning the light. Also, most lights include switches or buttons on one of their sides that provide various functions such as on/off, dimming, color, etc.
A dental light is usually focused by positioning the reflector at the appropriate distance and orientation with respect to the oral cavity of a patient. Accordingly, the dental provider may find it necessary to grasp the handles associated with the light head from time to time during a procedure, particularly if the patient's head is repositioned. The handles are thereby contaminated.
The importance of maintaining sterile or aseptic conditions in a dental operatory has been increasingly well recognized. Methods and devices that have been adopted for maintaining clean conditions in a dental operatory are discussed by the introductory portions of U.S. Pat. No. 4,930,058.

Examination light with readily accessible controls


A precise, very high-density and miniaturized printed circuit board (PCB) structure comprising a substrate-like PCB configuration is provided (and stacked to further increase integration in a fixed area) for reducing the occupied area of, for example, a mobile phone's main printed circuit board. The PCB area reduction hereof being a critical design feature used to create internal space in the mobile device so as to at least allow implementing a substantially larger battery (i.e. the battery is comparably upsized because it is reconfigured from a traditional configuration to fit into at least some of the created space) or to add functions. A photolithography process or like process is used to define the circuit pattern on the PCB structure so as to at least enable finer lines and spaces thereof than that provided by traditional subtractive PCB manufacturing. This abstract is not intended to be a complete description of, or limit the scope of, the invention.

Touchscreen devices continue to permeate today's consumer product landscape. The technology provides for a more natural form of user input; a fluent interface for actionable object manipulation, the presentation and consumption of information and actionable media, task efficiency and a smaller form factor since the display also concomitantly serves as a data-entry means. As ubiquitous and functional as the technology may be, certain touchscreen-based operating scenarios may see a benefit of providing anomalous controller and display interfaces for improving interaction thereto.

Stacked, very high-density PCB configuration in a mobile device which allows for significantly reducing the size of the main board so as to make space for other components


An arc suppression circuit for a power switch or power supply with a relay having a coil and a set of contacts for providing a portion of an input power as load power to an output. The relay coil is configured for closing the relay contacts in response to receiving relay activating energy and for generating back EMF energy following termination of the receiving of the relay activating energy. A switch is connected in parallel to the relay contacts and is configured for providing a portion of the input power as supplemental load power to the output as a function of back EMF energy. Also, a method of suppressing damaging arcing across relay contacts in a power switch or power supply includes receiving back EMF energy generated by the relay coil following termination of the relay coil receiving activating energy and connecting supplemental load power to the output in parallel with the relay contacts in response to the receiving of the back EMF energy.

Power supplies often utilize relays for switching on and off power provided to an output of the power supply and therefore to a load. Relays are used due to the low resistance and therefore power dissipation of the relay contacts as compared to alternative switching devices, such as solid state relays, that have significantly higher voltage drops across the closed switch. However, the mechanical relays often degrade, at least in part, due to harmful arcing across the relay contacts that result from the relay contacts being powered before and after the opening and closing. Arcing often occurs across the relay contacts during the closing of the contacts, but prior to the relay contacts making physical contact. Similarly, arcing often occurs across the relay contacts after the contacts have initially separated, but prior to the separation distance being sufficient to break the energy flow across the relay contacts. Such arcing can cause damage to the relay contacts such as pitting of the relay contacts and are the primary cause of relay breakdown. This arcing is well known to cause early failure of the relay contacts and the need for replacement of the relays.
Heretofore, attempts to reduce the harmful and damaging contact arcing and bounce have involved mechanical apparatus such as bias springs and cams, and various electronic circuits including solid state devices such as transistors. These typically have focused on reducing or eliminating all arcing across the relay contacts, both during the closing of the contacts and the opening of the contacts. Typically, these electronic circuits have included complex and expensive solid state components that sense or detect the presence of arcing across the relay contacts and reduce the power at the relay contacts, thereby reducing the energy available for arcing. For example, electronic circuits have been designed to sense the pending closure of the relay contacts and remove or redirect the power away from the switch contacts until the contacts have made physical contact. Circuits also have been developed that sense or operate to reduce or remove the power from the relay contacts immediately prior to and during the separation from each other. Other circuits have been designed that provides a solid state relay circuit in parallel with mechanical relay contacts that often use specialized control circuitry, a triac, and/or digital circuitry. Many of the attempts to eliminate arcing having attempted to suppress arcing at both the closing and opening of the relay contacts, as generally, heretofore, all contact arcing was considered to be harmful.
Each of these has had the objective of providing a more reliable power supply circuit by increasing the life of the relay contacts. However, each of these have required considerable incremental complexity and cost to the power supply implementation. Additionally, many of these solutions do not provide a well-defined optimal turn-on and turn-off of the semiconductor switch.

Apparatus and method for relay contact arc suppression


A reservation based bandwidth management system for a data processing system network allocates network resources to client computer systems requesting access to other computer systems within the network based on a bandwidth predicting algorithm. The bandwidth predicting algorithm utilizes an autoregressive integrated moving average trend analysis to forecast future values of bandwidth capacity at a link or system level used by elements that do not conform to a reservation policy. The bandwidth predictor may utilize a utility that analyzes the bandwidth utilization trend over a previous period of time and generates appropriate seasonal coefficients to be used by the predictor algorithm.

Data processing, or computer, networks are quickly integrating themselves into our every day personal and business environments just as the telephone network over for the previous portion of this century. Local area networks ("LANs") and wide area networks ("WANs") connect our computers in our homes and offices, allow us to access money from automatic teller machines, provide for point-of-sale transactions, and enable the transmission of information almost instantaneously between any two points on the planet, among other utilities too numerous to list herein.
Generally, such networks are interconnected by private and "public" telecommunications facilities, including via domestic and international telephone companies through telephone and/or data carrying facilities. Correspondingly, such telecommunications facilities providing communications links between computer systems will have bandwidth limitations on their ability to transmit information.
With the advent of high speed communications links providing multiple services on a single link, the need to manage the access to the communications links becomes more important. Recent products demonstrate a trend in enhanced bandwidth management by providing a reservation mechanism or policy that provides a deterministic means of managing the bandwidth resources. One example of a reservation system is the existing telephone network. As a telephone number is dialed, the resource reservation system in the network determines the availability of links between the caller and the callee. Since a telephone network only supports a single traffic type (voice), and all users of the networks are by definition abiding by their resource request (the bandwidth required by voice transmissions does not change during the course of a call), this type of resource management is comparatively simple.
New networks such as Asynchronous Transfer Mode ("ATM") networks, permit the co-existence of different data types such as video, computer data, and voice. Here, resource requirements, variability of resource utilization and the need for guaranteed capacity change by application. For example, video bandwidth is bound and must be guaranteed for the duration of a video call. Computer data transfers are not bound, vary over time frames as small as a second, but do not require guaranteed bandwidth. Voice is similar to video, in bandwidth bounds and reservation requirements. In these networks, the reservation system must manage the complexity of guaranteeing resources for voice and video applications, while ensuring that non-reserved applications do not consume resources allocated for reserved applications.
There are two basic problems that may be present with typical reservation solutions. First, not all users on the network may participate in the reservation scheme. This is especially troublesome in shared media implementations (e.g., LANs) or in networks with heterogeneous equipment and services. Less than 100% participation limits the effectiveness of the reservation system since some portion of the network is being utilized by unreserved or non-conforming users. Second, this non-conforming portion of the network fluctuates over time and thus makes it difficult to determine the amount of bandwidth available to the reservation system.
Traffic on any given shared media network can be broken into two general categories with respect to bandwidth management systems. The first category is that network traffic that uses the reservation aspect of the bandwidth management system to gain access to the network. This traffic is said to conform to the reservation system. The second category is the traffic that does not use the reservation system but still requires a portion of the network bandwidth. This class of information is referred to as non-conforming traffic. Many networks support a reservation mechanism, but lack a policing mechanism. This is because implementing a universal policing mechanism in a shared media environment is very difficult unless the mechanism is an inherent part of the transmission scheme. Most LANs implemented today lack such a policing capability.
As an example, assume a client computer system wishes to use a network application requiring a virtual channel of 2 Mb/s, guaranteed, on a network which uses a traditional reservation policy. Not all components comply with the reservation scheme, and the network assumes that the non-conforming traffic has a maximum bandwidth of 2 Mb/s. The network has a total bandwidth of 10 Mb/s and 5 Mb/s are currently being used for conforming applications. FIG. 5 illustrates how such a traditional reservation system 500 with a connection control function 503 may operate.
The client computer system 501 first contacts the connection agent 505 through the telecommunications network 504 via path 510 to request connection through the network 504 to the application server 502 (typically, a remote computer system). The client 501 specifies that its application needs 2 Mb/s of the bandwidth of the network 504.
The connection agent 505 queries the reservation manager 506 via path 511 to see if there are 2 Mb/s of bandwidth available in the network 504. The reservation manager 506 is aware that 5 Mb/s are currently being used by conforming applications, and assuming that the non-conforming traffic requires less than 2 Mb/s of bandwidth, the reservation manager 506 informs the connection agent 505 that there is adequate bandwidth in reserve to handle the request from the client 501. The total conforming bandwidth is now set to 7 Mb/s. The connection agent 505 connects the client 501 to the application server 502 via the network 504 and paths 512 and 513. The client 501 attempts to use the application and its requisite 2 Mb/s.
Now, suppose that the non-conforming traffic on the network 504 increases to 4 Mb/s instead from 2 Mb/s as the reservation manager 506 assumed. In this case, the existing traffic plus the new request will saturate the network 504 by attempting to use 11 Mb/s. The graph illustrated in FIG. 6 further illustrates this problem caused by the network bandwidth allocation mechanism utilized within system 500. As can be noted from the graph, under the exemplary scenario discussed above with respect to FIG. 5, connection of the client 501 to the application server 502 by the connection control 503 will result in an allocation of network bandwidth beyond the capacity of the network.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for a more efficient and improved bandwidth management system for allocating bandwidth within a data processing system network.

System for allocation of network resources using an autoregressive integrated moving average method

International Business Machines Corporation


A nickel-based alloy useful in the manufacture of a glass fibre centrifuge of which the composition consists essentially of the following elements expressed as percentage by weight:. ______________________________________ Cr 27.5-29.5% W 6.5-7.8% C 0.69-0.73% Fe 7-10% ______________________________________. the remainder substantially being nickel and having in its crystalline structure M.sub.23 C.sub.6 type carbides, M being chromium, at least one equivalent metal, or combination thereof, the M.sub.23 C.sub.6 carbides being substantially secondary.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an alloy intended to be used in the manufacture of centrifuges, This alloy is particularly suitable for constructing centrifuges which produce glass fibers,
2. Description of the Background
A centrifuge of this type rotates about its vertical axis at a velocity of the order of 800 to 4000 rpm, A large number of apertures are provided on its peripheral wall, An annular combustion chamber adjacent the centrifuge produces a descending gaseous current which passes along the peripheral wall of the centrifuge and draws the thin streams of glass emerging from the apertures in order to produce small glass fibers,
Molten glass is introduced into the centrifuge and is sprayed under the action of centrifugal force towards the inner face of the peripheral wall of the centrifuge. The molten glass passes through the apertures in this wall, The thin glass streams produced outside the centrifuge are then drawn out by the action of the gaseous current,
The stresses to which the centrifuge is subject are threefold: thermal shocks on stopping and starting, hot flow because of the centrifugal forces, and corrosion of the fibre drawing apertures by the glass. As an example, the operating temperatures are of the order of 1000.degree.-1200.degree. C. These are the temperatures at which the glass is at a suitable viscosity.
In view of the particularly harsh operating conditions, centrifuges deteriorate when used for a relatively long time. These centrifuges may have to be replaced for various reasons which include deformation of the fibre-drawing strip, the appearance of horizontal or vertical cracks, large scale wear of the apertures, and the like.
In practice, the most frequent reasons for changing centrifuges are still deformation of the peripheral strip which is manifested by a deterioration in the quality of the fibers produced. This deformation is connected both with the effects of centrifuging on the peripheral strip and weakening of the latter by erosion of the apertures. Nevertheless, an improvement in resistance to corrosion and to deformation cannot be separated from questions concerning the fragile nature of the alloy. It is particularly important to avoid rupture of the centrifuges during operation. It is therefore necessary to select the centrifuge alloy such that it has good resistance to deformation, on the one hand, and, on the other hand, that it is not too fragile. Since these two features are at least on part contradictory, a compromise solution must be reached.
Ni and Cr based alloys for constructing centrifuges of this type are known, in particular, as disclosed in French Patent 2,459,783. This patent recommends an alloy composition which is relatively precise with regard to its principal constituents, in particular the carbon content. Centrifuges produced from the alloy of the prior art on the whole display improved properties. Overall these centrifuges have satisfactorily useful lives. Nevertheless, some centrifuges among those complying with the features of this disclosure have useful lives which are far shorter than the average useful life without any possible explanation for this, and thus any means of foreseeing the reasons for these incidents.
In view of this situation, a need has continued to exist for a solution which enables centrifuges to have the desired useful lives so that they may experience a consistent demand for production.


An improved wafer handling system including a pair of robot arms each having a drive apparatus operatively coupled to its rear end portion for extending, retracting, and rotatably positioning the robot arms. The opposite end of the robot arms are operatively connected to a pick-up wand. The pick-up wand includes a top plate and a bottom plate. The lower surface of the top plate has a plurality of commonly-connected grooves ground therein and a reservoir for supplying gas to said grooves from the forward end portion of the robot arms. A plurality of gas outlets are provided in the bottom plate, and the bottom surface of the top plate is positioned securely over and flush against the top surface of the bottom plate such that at least one of the grooves are over each of the plurality of gas outlets for delivering gas thereto. The outlets are slanted for substantially radially outwardly directing a flow of gas away from the pattern and over the top surface of the water for creating an area of relatively low pressure between the bottom surface of the lower pick-up plate and the top surface of the wafer (with respect to the pressure existing beneath the wafer) for picking up or lifting the wafer without physical contact between the wafer and the wand in the actual pick-up by utilizing Bernoulli's Principle.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to wafer handling apparatus for use in a semiconductor processing system and, more particularly, to a pick up wand for lifting wafers without contact with the top or bottom surfaces of the wafer.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many different types of semiconductor processing systems require the use of wafer handling systems or wafer transport mechanisms. The more widely used processing systems will be briefly described below. Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) is the formation of a stable compound on a heated substrate, such as a wafer, by the thermal reaction or deposition of various gaseous compounds. Epitaxial deposition is the deposition of a single crystal layer on a substrate (often of the same composition as the deposited layer), whereby the layer is an extension of the crystal structure of the substrate. Another example of CVD is generally classified as metallization wherein the processed silicon substrates have the metal connectors and the like deposited thereon. In an ion implantation process, selected ions of a desired dopant are accelerated using an electrical field and then scanned across the surface of a wafer to obtain a uniform predeposition. Batch processing systems involve the deposition of more than one substrate or wafer at a time.
In the batch processing, the wafers are carried in boats and the boats are usually loaded and unloaded as by use of tweezers, hand-held vacuum pickups and the like. Loading robots may be used to transfer multiple wafers simultaneously. While batch processing systems have been used extensively, the modern trend is toward the use of single wafer transport systems in order to process ever larger semiconductor wafers having diameters of over 30 centimeters. These larger wafers can contain many more circuits and much more complex circuits than were heretofore possible. While single wafer systems have less throughout than batch processing systems, attempts are being made to speed up the single wafer processes, to develop higher yields, to avoid problems such as particle contamination and to increase uniformity and quality.
Most known single wafer transport mechanisms can be adapted for use in various types of semiconductor processing systems. Such transport mechanisms include the following. In a gravity feed transport system, the wafers are stacked in a supply receptacle, which receptacle is supported in an elevator at an angle to vertical; the wafer within the receptacle is free to slide out and along an inclined ramp to a vacuum mandrel. A second inclined ramp is provided to permit a processed wafer to slide down the second ramp into a receiving receptacle. The disadvantages of this type of mechanism include the lack of positive feed; the material placed onto the wafer can come off on contact with the ramps; contaminating particles may be generated by the ramps; and, it may be limited to a single size wafer. Another type of semi-automatic mechanism for transporting wafers utilizes air bearings. The wafers are maintained horizontal and are transported to and from the processing area upon a cushion of air. This type of mechanism has proven to be highly unreliable and includes many moving parts subject to breakage and maintenance down time. Foreign material may enter and damage the air bearings or reduce their effectiveness. Other transport mechanisms utilize air cushion guidance devices where the problem of cleanliness of the air and of the turbulence produced by the air cushion are quite significant. The settling of airborne particles onto the top surface of the wafers is difficult to avoid in air cushion systems. Further, lateral guard rails must be used, and contact between the edges of the wafer and the guard rails occurs frequently and may result in unacceptable contamination or damage to the wafers. Finally, only one size of wafer can be handled without significant modification, and down time occurs when the wafer receptacles are being replaced manually.
Various mechanical transport systems have been used. One system uses a rotating carousel in combination of supply and receiving slides. Another system uses a belt drive transport to discharge the wafers from a supply cassette and at various other transfer points. As the cassettes are discharged successively from the bottom and loaded in reverse order, impurities often drop from the bottom of one wafer onto the top of the wafer beneath it. Additional problems arise at the transfer points because the transport motion of the wafers is terminated by stoppers which can result in previously deposited layers being spalled off or chipped off to further contaminate the wafer surfaces. Other wafer handling systems utilize a spatula or shovel type pickup to slide under the wafers or move under the wafers and come up through the cassette track spaces to pick up the wafers and carry them to the next location.
An arm type system utilizes a vacuum chuck positionable under a wafer for attachment to the underside of the wafer by producing a vacuum at the point of contact. The wafer is lifted out of the cassette and carried to a processing station or the like; this system cannot place a wafer on a flat continuous surface. Damage often results from the mechanical contact between the vacuum chuck and the wafer.
In summary, the trend of the prior art is toward single wafer processing systems. A key factor in automating such systems lies in improving the wafer transport mechanism. Furthermore, the critical problems presented by particle contamination become ever more important as wafers become larger and larger and as circuits become more and more complex. None of the known systems are sufficiently clean to enable their use in a completely automated processing system, nor do they avoid touching the top and/or bottom surfaces of the wafer.

Wafer handling system with bernoulli pick-up

Advanced Semiconductor Materials America, Inc.


A document scanning device is provided that is able to accurately and easily scan paper fingerprint information, even if particulate rubbish such as paper powder or dust is adhering to the surface of a document platen glass. In an image scanning device able to scan using both a stationary document scanning method as well as document feed scanning method, paper fingerprint information is scanned using either of the above methods. Subsequently, a conveying unit and a scanning unit are moved so as to re-scan the paper fingerprint information in the same fingerprint acquisition region. The above operation is repeated until both sets of paper fingerprint information are coincident.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image scanning device able to handle paper fingerprint information.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, digitalization is progressing due to the prevalence of technologies such as the Internet. Since a variety of information can now be readily acquired, it is essential for security technology to prevent information leakage and unauthorized use on information processing equipment.
In image processing devices such as photocopiers and Multifunction Peripherals, several technologies for guaranteeing that a document is the original are adopted as such security technology. One of these security technologies uses paper fingerprint information. Paper is made up of tangled plant fibers approximately 20 to 30 microns thick, and random patterns are created as a result of such tangling. These random patterns are called paper fingerprints, and like human fingerprints they differ for every single sheet of paper. Consequently, the authenticity of an original can be guaranteed by acquiring (i.e., registering) and verifying the paper fingerprint information thereof. The paper fingerprint information is acquired using an optical image scanning device housed inside an image processing device. The paper fingerprint information acquired by the scanning device is a shadow pattern of the plant fibers from a white region of the paper. In order to acquire the shadow pattern, the amount of light used to illuminate the document sheet when acquiring the paper fingerprint information must be less than (i.e., darker than) the amount of light used when performing regular image scanning. Thus, the gain adjustment values with respect to the image signal acquired when scanning paper fingerprint information are configured to be smaller than the gain adjustment values used when performing regular image scanning.
Meanwhile, scanning devices have been proposed wherein it is possible to use both a stationary document scanning method and a document feed scanning method (see Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. H07-110641, for example). The stationary document scanning method involves conveying and then stopping a document sheet on top of a document platen glass for documents, and subsequently causing an optical unit to be moved and scan an image. In contrast, the document feed scanning method involves holding the optical unit in place and scanning an image while conveying the document sheet. In an image scanning device wherein it is possible to use both the stationary document scanning method and the document feed scanning method, the user is able to select either of the document scanning methods by operating an operation unit of the image scanning device. In the case of the stationary document scanning method, in order to scan an image of the next document sheet after causing the optical unit to be moved and scan an image, the user must again return the optical unit to its original position. In contrast, in the case of the document feed scanning method, it is not necessary to return the optical unit to its original position because an image is scanned while conveying a document sheet, and thus the document scanning time can be shortened.
When scanning paper fingerprint information using the scanning device described above, the paper fingerprint information cannot be accurately scanned if rubbish or other material is adhering to the paper fingerprint information scanning region of the glass surface of the document platen upon which a paper sheet is placed. When scanning paper fingerprint information, the document sheet is illuminated with an amount of light that is less than (i.e., darker than) the amount of light used when performing regular image scanning. Consequently, it may become impossible to accurately scan paper fingerprint information due to the effects of tiny scratches on the surface of the glass plate or particles such as paper powder or dust adhering to the surface of the glass plate, even if the degree of such scratches or particles does not pose a problem during regular image copying. One method of coping with this problem is given in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-038389, for example, which discloses a method for accurately scanning paper fingerprint information by scanning paper fingerprint information multiple times at different regions of the document platen, and then performing image processing (rotational and arithmetic processing) on the plurality of scanned data.
However, in the method disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-038389, the user must place the document on the document platen oriented in a variety of angles (such as 0°, 90°, 180°, and 270°) in order to scan the paper fingerprint information at different regions of the document plate. For this reason, a large burden is placed on the user. Furthermore, device costs increase due to the need to provide functions in the scanning device for executing complex processing such as rotational processing and arithmetic processing.

Device for scanning and verifying a plurality of paper fingerprints


The machine for preparing litters for animals in the field of zootechny includes, on a self-propelled or towed wheeled chassis, a container which is provided with a scroll-like element for shredding and mixing fibrous products, for example straw and/or hay and/or equivalent products, and bladed rotating elements, suitable for spreading the fibrous products arriving from a discharge opening of the container, are associated with the machine.

The present invention relates to a machine for preparing litters for animals.
It is known that beds made of hay and/or straw are provided for animals in zootechnical farms.
Said beds are currently made in a substantially manual manner or by fitting, in some cases, trucks for mixing fibrous products with blowers which are suitable to aspirate the shredded products from the inside of the container and blow them outward through an orientatable tube.
However, these blowers have proved themselves suitable to only partially solve the problem constituted by the need to provide said litters.

Machine for preparing litters for animals


A scented molded product, e.g. an effervescent bath tablet or an air freshener, is made by mixing sodium bicarbonate, water and fragrance oils to form a first mixture, adding to this first mixture a citric acid mixture comprising sodium borate mixed with citric acid to form a third mixture and molding and drying the third mixture to form a hardened product.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing scented molded products and is useful, in particular, for the manufacture of effervescent bath tablets and air fresheners.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, effervescent bath tablets are made by molding components together under pressure, using as one of the components a volatile ingredient, such as isopropyl alcohol or products such as propylene glycol or oils such as canola or almond, as a binding agent.
The present invention is based on appreciation of the fact that it is preferable to avoid the use of volatile ingredients and/or other chemical but not natural substances or sticky substances such as oils and to effect a binding together of the components of the tablets by means of a chemical binding process, rather than by pressure.

Method of manufacturing scented molded products


A device for detecting an installation error of satellite sensors on opposite sides of a vehicle is provided, which device detects the installation error based on a signal comparison between a door contact signal and a signal of one of the satellite (door acceleration) sensors during closing of a side door.

Detecting an erroneous installation of sensor means in a vehicle is described in, e.g., published German patent document DE 100 02 685. Detection of an installation error takes place by comparing the signals of the sensor means which are converted into yaw angle velocity values. Larger deviations between the values are interpreted as errors and are displayed on a display device.

Device for detecting an installation error of satellite sensors on opposite sides in a vehicle


A method of validating the end to end performance of a mobile device including performance of applications, related services, and the mobile device by automating the conditions of the End User environment. The method is accomplished by leveraging stress models and applying these to automate the stressing of applications, their related services, while the device performance is being monitored by varying the emulated radio network and packet data network conditions.

This invention describes remote management of automated mobile application tests to be executed on the mobile devices, tablets or any wireless computing device that may be connected to network emulators or on live networks. This invention primarily focuses on the mobile device behavior when being stressed in a lab environment.
End to End monitoring and troubleshooting of mobile applications on smartphones can show the exactly how the end users see and perceive as to how the application behaves in the real world. Pre-market lab testing minimizes known quality risks, but cannot account for all end user scenarios. Carriers/OEMs have increasing return costs for smartphones when end users return them without a specific issue "No Trouble Found" or "No Fault Found". Returned devices can be stress tested to isolate end user challenges with specific models. Stress can be in the form of OS or application stress testing and/or stress of network performance.
Traditionally these tests are manually performed due to fast pace software changes and the rate mobile applications are being introduced. Simulating different radio and IP network conditions concurrently while performing application specific actions is complex and requires coordination and synchronization of systems through a central system.


A ternary particle size filler composition with addition of nano particles is provided to formulate thermally conductive interface materials such as soft gel having a high thermal conductivity, a relative low viscosity, and a low complex storage modulus. The thermally conductive material containing thermal particle composition and polymer matrix is used to create a thermal transfer path between the electronic component and the heat dissipation member. The composition is a mixture of a ternary particle size fillers constituted of the same or different chemical compounds in a predefined size ranges and volume ratios in terms of low viscosity and thermal interface nominal size. A silicone based polymer used as filler bonding matrix contains base resin, dispersant, cross-linker and polymerization catalyst. Thermal conductivity of the soft gel varied according to the change of volume percentage, particle size, and chemical compound of individual thermal particles.

Electronic component generates heat and the heat needs to be dissipated efficiently for the device to function properly. A common expedient for this purpose is to transfer heat from electronic component (FIG. 1-5) to a heat spreader (FIG. 1-2) and heat sink (FIG. 1-1) through an integrated thermal path, which was established by attaching a heat spreader directly on the electronic component using thermally conductive interface materials (FIG. 1-4, 3). Effectiveness of heat dissipation is dominated by thermal conductivity and mechanical integrity of the interface materials.
Due to the relentless pursuit of computing performance and functionality, improving heat dissipation becomes one of the central issues. The recent trend in microprocessor architecture has been to increase the number of transistors, shrink processor size, and increase clock speeds in order to meet the market demand. As a result, the high-end microelectronic components are experiencing ever growing total power dissipation and heat fluxes, which increase the demand for effective means of heat dissipation.
Thermal interface material plays a key role in improving thermal dissipation efficacy. Thermal conductivity efficiency is disproportional to the nominal average thickness of thermal interface as illustrated in FIG. 1. Along with material thermal conductivity improvement, shorten thermal dissipation path across the thermal interface material linearly reduce the thermal resistance, but at a price of increasing stress introduced by thermal mismatch between silicone electronic component and heat spreader. Low viscosity and low modulus of thermally conductive materials is prominent to the reliability of electronic products, such as single chip module (SCM) and multichip module (MCM) as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.
Thermal interface material is conventionally classified into following categories: sheet, grease, adhesive and gel. EP2532723A1 disclosed a formulation of polyacrylic based thermal sheet with rigid mechanical property, which yields non-compliant property. Thermal grease is prepared by mixing a silicone oil or polyolefin oil (U.S. Pat. No. 6,114,429, U.S. Pat. No. 5,591,789) with thermally conductive fillers. Poor cohesion, a parasitic disadvantage of thermal grease, results in "pump out" issue and explains its incapability as a conductive media for the organic packaging application. Thermal adhesives proposed in US 20120279697A1 uses polyester as polymeric liquid matrix, which produces strong interfacial adhesion with high rigidity, lacking of flexibility to accommodate mismatched thermal expansion introduced mechanical stress, especially associated to an interface with a nominal size of less than 250 um.
WO2004072181 proposed a range of formulations for silicone thermally conductive gels. However, the thermal conductivity claimed in the invention fall into the range of 3.5-4.2 W/mK with no consideration about thermal particle size and volume percentage selection.
In general, high thermally conductive filler loading is needed for high thermal conductivity. Thermal conductivity of commercial available conductive gel ranges from 1-4.5 W/m·K, and thermal gel with thermal conductivity greater than 3.5 W/mK tends to be too thick to satisfy thermal interface bonding application with nominal gap size of 250 um and below.

Thermal conductivity improved composition with addition of nano particles used for interface materials


A new cultivar of Euonymus, ‘DANDEL’, that is characterized by its variegated foliage with broad creamy white margins and dark green and grey-green centers, its compact, upright and spreading plant habit with dense branching and stems with short internode lengths, and its slow growth habit.

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Euonymus fortunei and will be referred to hereafter by its cultivar name, 'DANDEL'. 'DANDEL' represents a new cultivar of evergreen shrub grown for use as an ornamental landscape plant.
The Inventor discovered the new cultivar in spring of 1993 as a naturally occurring branch mutation of Euonymus 'Emerald Beauty' (not patented) that was growing in a container at his nursery in Bordon, Hampshire, United Kingdom.
Asexual propagation of the new cultivar was first accomplished by the Inventor using softwood stem cuttings in 1994 in Eldon, Hampshire, United Kingdom. Asexual propagation by softwood cutting has determined that the characteristics of the new cultivar are stable and are reproduced true to type in successive generations.


Both a magnetic recording width and a magnetic reproduction width of a magnetic head are equal to or larger than a combined width of a track width of tracks and double an off-track width of the magnetic head with respect to tracks on a magnetic recording medium during recording and reproduction of recording data, and are equal to or smaller than a width produced by subtracting double the off-track width during recording and reproduction from a combined width of the track width and double a groove width of grooves on the magnetic recording medium.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a magnetic head for recording/reproduction constructed so as to be capable of performing recording and reproduction of recording data for a discrete track-type magnetic recording medium on which a plurality of data recording tracks are formed, a magnetic recording medium for such magnetic head for recording/reproduction, and a recording/reproduction apparatus constructed so as to include the magnetic head for recording/reproduction and the magnetic recording medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
A discrete track-type recording medium (hereinafter also referred to as a "discrete track medium") on which a plurality of magnetically separated, concentric data recording tracks (hereinafter "tracks") are formed has been developed as a recording medium capable of high density recording. This discrete track medium can be mounted in an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) for example, and various types of recording data can be magnetically recorded via a magnetic head for recording/reproduction (hereinafter also referred to simply as a "magnetic head"). In this case, by forming non-magnetic parts, such as grooves, between respective tracks on a discrete track medium, an expansion of the effective recording track width due to stray fields of the magnetic head is avoided, and there are fewer instances of a recording of recording data onto adjacent tracks or a reproduction recording data recorded on adjacent tracks (i.e., "crosstalk"). Accordingly, since the formation pitch of respective tracks (hereinafter also referred to as "track pitch") can be narrowed, it is possible to record recording data at a high density.
As one example of a recording/reproduction apparatus that includes this type of discrete track medium and a magnetic head, a magnetic disk apparatus constructed so as to include a magnetic disk (1) and a magnetic head (H) is disclosed by Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. H06-111502. In this type of recording/reproduction apparatus, during the recording and reproduction of recording data, when a servo pattern (Ps) formed on the magnetic disk is read, the servo mechanism moves the magnetic head (i.e., performs servo control) based on a servo detection signal outputted from the magnetic head so that the magnetic head traces a center (Tc) of a track. On the other hand, the same publication discloses that in order to avoid tracking errors, a magnetic effective reproduction head width of the magnetic head (a magnetic read width Wr), a track pitch (TP) of the magnetic disk, and a width of the servo pattern (Ts) should be designated so as to satisfy predetermined standards. More specifically, the sizes of the effective reproduction head width and the track pitch are designated as being approximately equal, and a width of the servo pattern is designated as being approximately equal to the track pitch or an integer multiple of the track pitch. By doing so, even if the magnetic head becomes displaced to a certain extent from a center of a track during servo control, there is no decrease in the output change of the tracking error signal so that tracking errors can be avoided.
However, as a result of analyzing conventional magnetic disk apparatuses, the present inventor discovered the following problem. That is, in conventional magnetic disk apparatuses, the respective sizes of parts of the magnetic disk and the magnetic head are designated with the main focus being on avoiding tracking errors. Here, if the respective sizes of the parts are designated when a recording/reproduction apparatus is designed, it is necessary to designate the respective sizes of the parts of the magnetic disk and the magnetic head not only to avoid tracking errors but also to avoid recording errors for recording data on a target track and reproduction errors for recording data read from a target track (hereinafter such errors are also referred to as "recording and reproduction errors"). In this type of magnetic disk apparatus (recording/reproduction apparatus), even if tracking servo control is performed for the magnetic head by a servo mechanism, the position of the magnetic head with respect to the recording track will fluctuate within a range of a predetermined displacement (a so-called "off-track width") due to factors such as a reading precision of the servo pattern by the magnetic head and errors in a movement control amount of the magnetic head set by the servo mechanism. On the other hand, the same publication discloses that the effective reproduction head width is set wider than the recording track width (Tw) and a magnetic effective recording head width (the effective write width Ww) is set wider than the recording track width. However, when the effective recording head width and the effective reproduction head width are set only slightly wider than the recording track width, there are cases where part of the recording track in the width direction is not included in the ranges of the effective recording head width and the effective reproduction head width of the magnetic head when the magnetic head is in a displaced state. In such a state, there are cases where it is difficult to sufficiently magnetize the recording track during the recording of recording data (i.e., it is difficult to properly record the recording data) and/or to properly read a magnetic signal recorded on a recording track when reproducing the recording data. In this way, with a conventional magnetic disk apparatus, there has been the problem that it has been difficult to reliably prevent recording and reproduction errors from occurring.
On the other hand, by setting the effective reproduction head width and the effective recording head width sufficiently wider than the recording track width, it is possible to include the entire width of the recording track in the ranges of the effective recording head width and the effective reproduction head width of the magnetic head even when the magnetic head has become displaced with respect to the recording track by a certain amount. Accordingly, when such a construction is used, it is possible to avoid recording and reproduction errors. However, to simultaneously avoid recording recording data on adjacent tracks and reproducing recording data recorded on adjacent tracks while avoiding recording and reproduction errors by setting the effective recording head width and the effective reproduction head width wider than the recording track width, it is necessary to widen the grooves located between respective tracks (i.e., to increase the track pitch) to a certain extent so as to prevent positions of the effective recording head width and the effective reproduction head width of the magnetic head from overlapping the adjacent tracks. This means that with a conventional magnetic disk apparatus, there is the problem that it is difficult to record recording data with a high density while avoiding recording and reproduction errors, recording on adjacent tracks, and reproduction from adjacent tracks.

Magnetic head for recording/reproduction, magnetic recording medium, and recording/reproduction apparatus


A domer station having a domer assembly, a housing assembly, and a stacked piston assembly is provided. The domer assembly is movably disposed within a domer body passage located in the housing assembly and structured to move between a forward, first position and a retracted, second position. The stacked piston assembly includes a plurality of pistons, preferably three pistons, disposed in series and a pressure supply. The pistons are disposed behind the domer in pressure chambers. The pistons have a constant pressure applied thereto and are biased towards the domer. The pistons are, however, each restrained by a stop and do not contact, or operatively engage, the domer when the domer is in the domer first position.

1. Field of the Invention
The disclosed and claimed concept relates to forming a cup-shaped body and, more specifically, to providing an inwardly extending dome to a cup-shaped body.
2. Background Information
It is known in the container-forming art to form two-piece containers, e.g. cans, in which the walls and bottom of the container are a one-piece cup-shaped body, and the top or end closure is a separate piece. After the container is filled, the two pieces are joined and sealed, thereby completing the container. The cup-shaped body typically has a domed end. That is, the cup-shaped body typically begins as a flat material, typically metal, either in sheet or coil faun. Blanks, i.e. disks, are cut from the sheet stock and then drawn into a cup. That is, by moving the disk through a series of dies while disposed over a ram or punch, the disk is shaped into a cup having a bottom and a depending sidewall. The cup may be drawing through additional dies to reach a selected length and wall thickness. One of the last deformations applied to the cup is forming an inwardly extending dome to the bottom of the cup. That is, the cup is moved into engagement with a domer; the domer having a domed end onto which the cup is pressed. This action typically occurs at the end of the stroke of the punch. In this configuration, the presses produce excessive noise, vibration and stress on the press due to the engagement of the ram with the domer.
That is, when the punch, having a cup-shaped body disposed thereon, engages the domer, there is an impact. The impact is noisy, causes the press to vibrate, and induces stress on both the punch and the domer. This is especially true if the domer is fixed. One method of reducing the force of the impact was to provide a floating domer, i.e., the domer was movable in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the punch. In such a device, the domer could be mounted on a spring and/or a piston. In this configuration, after the bottom of the cup-shaped body was deformed, the domer could move away from the punch, thereby reducing the force of the impact. The disadvantage to this configuration is that the domer was still structured to apply the force required to deform the cup-shaped body in, essentially, a single instant. While the movable domer reduced some of the force of the impact, the force was still significant.

Bodymaker and double action domer assembly with staged piston


An injection molding process and apparatus to manufacture asphalt-based products which utilizes a heated mixing chamber to continuously blend molten thermoplastic polymer and asphalt to form an injection moldable composition.

Thermoplastic injection molding (TIM) is a well known and widely used technique to manufacture a large variety of plastic or polymeric products. In general, TIM involves forcing molten thermoplastic materials into a mold wherein, upon cooling, they form a solid polymeric article in the shape defined by the mold. In such processes, the thermoplastic material is typically melted in a heated chamber or barrel of an injection molding machine, whereupon it is injected into the mold. While TIM has enjoyed wide use in the manufacture of plastic articles, it has rarely been used in the manufacture of asphalt-based products.
With the recent development of asphalt-based compositions suitable for the manufacture of shaped articles, a need has arisen for molding processes and equipment capable of mass producing such articles economically and efficiently. Although these asphalt-based compositions can be formed into articles by molding techniques such as vacuum molding or compression molding, a suitable injection molding process would, in most high volume circumstances, be preferable because of its high speed and low cost in making products and its wide acceptance and usage in the parts manufacturing industry. One of the main virtues of an asphalt-based composition is its low material cost. However, compounding asphalt with thermoplastics negates a large part of that cost advantage. Accordingly, a need exists for an injection molding process and apparatus suitable for the injection molding of compositions containing asphalt and thermoplastic polymers that mix the thermoplastic polymers and asphalt directly in the injection molding machine. These needs are met by the injection molding process and apparatus described herein.

Injection molding of asphalt-based compositions

Owens Corning Fiberglass Technology, Inc.


An umbrella features a rigid structural stem for supporting a canopy. The rim of the canopy is inflatable, thus providing a circular shape to the canopy periphery. The canopy is made of a flexible material, such as cloth, plastic, canvass or combinations thereof. The plastic material can be transparent or diaphanous. Radially extending rods, that are substantially equally spaced about the canopy, project from the stem towards the inflatable rim to provide further structural support for the canopy. The radial rods do not extend past the rim, thus providing safety. There are three embodiments of the umbrella of this invention. The first embodiment features an umbrella design having a standard curvilinear canopy with inflatable rim. The second embodiment is a conically shaped canopy with inflatable rim. The third embodiment of this invention is a canopy having an upper conically shaped portion surrounded by an inflatable rim. A skirt is attached to the upper portion. The skirt has an inflatable rim about its periphery. The second and third embodiments are substantially different from prior umbrellas in that they have no joints, or movable parts, save the inflatable rims and the flexible material of the umbrella itself. The radially extended rods are not connected to the stem at the apex and they are not connected to the rim of the umbrella.

The use of umbrellas for protection against sun, rain, hail, snow and other forms of precipitation has its roots in antiquity. The umbrella arts are filled with myriad designs, including fold-up models and inflatables.
One of the major problems with umbrellas of all types is their lack of structural integrity in windy situations. It is a common experience for an umbrella to reverse its canopy, or turn inside out, during strong, turbulent or even moderate wind. Turning an umbrella inside out can result in severe and permanent structural damage, such damage often being the consequence of the twisting and bending of the radial ribs beyond their structural limits.
The present invention seeks to provide a new type of umbrella of the inflatable type, which provides structural integrity during moderate wind, and which does not sustain structural damage during severe or turbulent wind conditions.
The current invention also endeavors to provide new inflatable umbrellas that do not have rigid projections beyond the rim, which projections can easily poke someone in the eye, or be the cause of breakage. The umbrella designs of this invention have rigid ribs in the canopy for structural support that do not extend past the rim of the canopy, and thus are safer and longer-lasting to use. In addition, two of the invention designs contain no rigid joints whatsoever.


In the formation of a basic surface of a reflection surface of a reflection mirror for a vehicle lamp, when a reference curve is established on a horizontal surface containing the optical axis or on an inclined surface inclined with respect to the horizontal surface, a light source, the central axis of which extends along the optical axis, is arranged close to the reference point of the reference curve. Then the reference curve is composed when a hyperbolic portion having a focus on the optical axis and an elliptical portion also having a focus on the optical axis are repeatedly arranged in a direction separate from the optical axis, and an angle of the reflecting light, which has been emitted from the light source, with respect to the optical axis at a point on each curve portion of the reference curve, is determined in such a manner that the closer to the optical axis the curve portion is, the larger the angle is increased. An imaginary paraboloid of revolution is assumed, the axis of which is parallel with the light vector of the reflecting light that has been sent from the reference point on the reference curve and reflected at an arbitrary point on the reference curve, and the imaginary paraboloid of revolution passes through the reflecting point, and its focus is located at the reference point.

The present invention relates to a reflection mirror for a vehicle lamp and a method of forming the same in which the central luminous intensity is high and the rays of light are sufficiently diffused in the horizontal direction in the distribution of light used for a vehicle.
In the lamp including a reflection mirror, the shape of which is a paraboloid of revolution, and also including a front lens having lens steps arranged in front of the reflection mirror, it is difficult to make the front lens to be slanted. That is, it is difficult to make the front lens to put into a condition in which the front lens is greatly slanted on a vertical surface in accordance with the shape of a front nose of the vehicle. When the front lens is greatly slanted, the light distribution pattern is curved and the luminous intensity is reduced at both end portions in the transverse direction. In order to solve the above problems, the present applicant proposed a reflection mirror for a vehicle lamp, which is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,258,897, the summary of which is described below. The light distribution controlling function previously attained by a front lens is laid on the reflection mirror, and by utilizing the overall reflection surface of the reflection mirror, it is possible to form a light distribution pattern having a cut line peculiar to a low beam necessary for the light distribution of a vehicle lamp.
The reflection surface of this reflection mirror has a reference parabola which has been set on a horizontal surface containing the optical axis of the reflection mirror. Alternatively, the reflection surface of this reflection mirror has a reference parabola obtained when a parabola is projected on a horizontal surface containing the optical axis, the parabola being set on a surface rotated by a predetermined angle around the optical axis with respect to the horizontal surface containing the optical axis. A reference point is set on an axis passing through a top and a focus of the reference parabola, wherein the reference point is located on the same side as that of the focus with respect to the top, and a distance from the top to the reference point is longer than the focal distance of the reference parabola. Between the reference point and the focus, there is arranged a light source extending along the optical axis. The reflection surface has an optical axis parallel with a light vector of reflecting light obtained when light assumed to be emitted from the reference point is reflected at an arbitrary point on the reference curve, and the reflection surface is formed as a set of crossing lines obtained when an imaginary surface of paraboloid of revolution passing through the reflecting point, the focus of which is the reference point, is cut by a plane parallel with a vertical axis containing the light vector.
In this connection, in order to obtain a larger horizontal diffusion angle with respect to the above reflection mirror, it is considered to set the parabola, which is a reference curve, to be elliptical or hyperbolic.
FIGS. 41 to 44 are views showing a reflection surface "a" obtained in the following manner. An elliptical reference curve is set on a horizontal surface containing the optical axis. An enveloping surface is obtained by allotting a parabola extending in the vertical direction, to each point, wherein the parabola has an axis parallel with a direction vector of the reflecting light at each point on the reference curve. The thus obtained enveloping surface is a reflection surface "a". In this connection, in these views, a rectangular coordinate system is established, in which the optical axis is determined to be the x-axis, the horizontal axis perpendicular to the x-axis is determined to be the y-axis, and the vertical axis is determined to be the z-axis. The intersection O of these three axes is defined as an origin.
As shown in FIG. 41, a sectional curve "b" obtained when the reflection surface "a" is cut by the x-z plane is not symmetrical with respect to the x-axis. A curve b1 located on the upper side of the x-y plane is formed into a parabola, the focus F1 of which is located on the x-axis. In this case, the focal distance is denoted by f1. A curve b2 located on the lower side of the x-y plane is formed into a parabola, the focus F2 of which is located on the x-axis. In this case, the focal distance is denoted by f2, wherein f2>f1. When a view of the reflection surface "a" is taken from the front, as shown by a solid line in FIG. 42, its outline is not circular, wherein a true circle is described by a broken line. As shown in the drawing, the outline of the reflection surface protrudes downward, that is, the outline of the reflection surface protrudes in the negative direction of the z-axis, and the width of the outline of the reflection surface is reduced in the direction of the y-axis.
In this connection, the filament "c", which is a light source, is assumed to have an ideal shape that is columnar. A central axis of the filament "c" is parallel with the x-axis, and the filament "c" is located between the focuses F1 and F2 under the condition that it comes into contact with the upside of the x-axis.
On the reflection surface "a", the reference curve "d" is set on the x-y plane. As shown in FIG. 43, the top of the reference curve "d" comes into contact with the y-axis at the origin O and is formed into an ellipse, one of the focuses of which is F1. Accordingly, on the assumption that a point light source is arranged at the focus F1, each ray of light emitted from the point light source is reflected on an arbitrary point P on the reference curve "d". Then, as shown by the characters "e", "e", . . . in the drawing, the rays of light are condensed at the other focus of the ellipse located on the x-axis. Then the rays of light cross the x-axis and diffuse in the horizontal direction.
FIG. 44 is a schematic illustration showing an arrangement tendency of the filament images projected on a screen disposed in front of the reflection surface "a" at a sufficiently long distance. In the drawing, the straight line H--H is a horizontal line corresponding to y-axis on the screen, and the straight line V--V is a vertical line corresponding to z-axis on the screen.
As can be seen in the above explanation, the filament images "g", "g", . . . projected on the screen by the regions on the reflection surface "a" on the left of the x-y plane when a view is taken from the front, are arranged under the line H--H on the left of the line V--V. The filament images "h", "h", . . . projected on the screen by the regions on the reflection surface "a" on the right of the x-y plane when a view is taken from the front, are arranged under the line H--H on the right of the line V--V.
In this connection, the closer to the x-axis the reflecting point on the reflection surface "a" is, the larger the projection area is, and the more distant from the x-axis the reflecting point on the reflection surface "a" is, that is, the closer to the periphery the reflecting point on the reflection surface "a" is, the smaller the projection area is. As shown by the rays of light "e", "e", . . . , the closer the ray of reflecting light is to the periphery on the reflection surface "a", the larger the angle of the ray of light with respect to a straight line parallel with the x-axis is increased. Due to the foregoing, the filament image of a small projection area is located at a position distant from the line V--V, and the filament image of a large projection area is located at a position close to the line V--V. In this connection, the filament images "i", "i", . . . , located along the line V--V are projection images formed by the points on the crossing line formed by the reflection surface "a" and the x-z plane.
As shown by the broken line in FIG. 44, a projection pattern obtained as a set of these filament images becomes slender as it separates from the line V--V, that is, the width of the projection pattern in the vertical direction is reduced as it separates from the line V--V.
FIGS. 45 to 48 are views showing a reflection surface "j" obtained in the following manner. An hyperbolic reference curve is set on a horizontal surface containing the optical axis. An enveloping surface is obtained by allotting a parabola extending in the vertical direction, to each point, wherein the parabola has an axis parallel with a direction vector of the reflecting light at each point on the reference curve. The thus obtained enveloping surface is the reflection surface "j". In this connection, in these views, a rectangular coordinate system is established, in which the optical axis is determined to be the x-axis, the horizontal axis perpendicular to the x-axis is determined to be the y-axis, and the vertical axis is determined to be the z-axis. The intersection 0 of these axes is defined as an origin.
As shown in FIG. 45, a sectional curve "k" obtained when the reflection surface "j" is cut by the x-z plane is not symmetrical with respect to the x-axis. A curve k1 located on the upper side of the x-y plane is formed into a parabola, the focus F1 of which is located on the x-axis. In this case, the focal distance is denoted by f1. A curve k2 located on the lower side of the x-y plane is formed into a parabola, the focus F2 of which is located on the x-axis. In this case, the focal distance is denoted by f2, wherein f2>f1. When a view of the reflection surface "j" is taken from the front, as shown by a solid line in FIG. 46, its outline is not circular, wherein a true circle is described by a broken line. As shown in the drawing, the outline of the reflection surface protrudes downward, that is, the outline of the reflection surface protrudes in the negative direction of the z-axis, and the width of the outline of the reflection surface is increased in the direction of the y-axis.
The filament "c", which is a light source, is assumed to have an ideal shape that is columnar. A central axis of the filament "c" is parallel with the x-axis, and the filament "c" is located between the focuses F1 and F2 under the condition that it comes into contact with the upside of the x-axis.
On the reflection surface "j", the reference curve "l" is set on the x-y plane. As shown in FIG. 47, the top of the reference curve "l" comes into contact with the y-axis at the origin 0 and is formed into a hyperbola, the focus of which is F1. Accordingly, on the assumption that a point light source is arranged at the focus F1, each ray of light emitted from the point light source is reflected on an arbitrary point P on the reference curve "l". Then, as shown by the characters "m", "m", . . . in the drawing, the rays of light are gradually separated from the x-axis as they come to the front, that is, as they come in the positive direction of the x-axis, they are diffused in the horizontal direction.
FIG. 48 is a schematic illustration showing an arrangement tendency of the filament images projected on a screen disposed in front of the reflection surface "j" at a sufficiently long distance. In the drawing, the straight line H--H is a horizontal line corresponding to the y-axis on the screen, and the straight line V--V is a vertical line corresponding to the z-axis on the screen.
As can be seen in the above explanation, the filament images "n", "n", . . . projected on the screen by the regions on the reflection surface "j" on the left of the x-y plane when a view is taken from the front, are arranged under the line H--H on the right of the line V--V. The filament images "o", "o", . . . projected on the screen by the regions on the reflection surface "j" on the right of the x-y plane when a view is taken from the front, are arranged under the line H--H on the left of the line V--V.
The closer to the x-axis the reflecting point on the reflection surface "j" is, the larger the projection area is, and the more distant from the x-axis the reflecting point on the reflection surface "j" is, that is, the closer to the periphery the reflecting point on the reflection surface "j" is, the smaller the projection area is. As shown by the rays of light "m", "m", . . . , the closer to the periphery on the reflection surface "j" the ray of reflecting light is, the larger the angle of the ray of light with respect to a straight line parallel with the x-axis is. Due to the foregoing, the filament image of a small projection area is located at a position distant from the line V--V, and the filament image of a large projection area is located at a position close to the line V--V. The filament images "p", "p", . . . located along the line V--V in the vertical direction are images projected from the points on the crossing line formed by the reflection surface "j" and the x-z plane.
As shown by the broken line in FIG. 48, a projection pattern obtained as a set of these filament images becomes slender as it separates from the line V--V, that is, the width of the projection pattern in the vertical direction is reduced as it separates from the line V--V.
In the reflection mirror having the above reflection surface, the following problems may be encountered. It is difficult to ensure both a predetermined central luminous intensity and a diffusion of rays of light in the horizontal direction under the condition that the rays of light have a sufficient width in the vertical direction.
Specifically, in the above reflection surface on which the reference curve is formed to be elliptical or hyperbolic, the following problems may be encountered.
(1) A small filament image projected by the periphery of the reflection surface extends in the horizontal direction.
As explained before with reference to FIGS. 44 and 48, concerning the filament image projected at a position close to the periphery of the reflection surface, the more the filament image is diffused in the horizontal direction, the smaller the projection area will become. Therefore, when the end portions of the projection pattern in the transverse direction are separated from the line V--V in the horizontal direction, the projection pattern becomes slender, so that the visibility is lowered in the periphery.
(2) When an insertion hole to insert the light source is formed on the reflection surface, a luminous intensity at the center of the light distribution pattern is insufficient, that is, a luminous intensity in the hot zone is insufficient.
An insertion hole into which an electric bulb is inserted is formed on the reflection surface at a position close to the intersection where the reflection surface crosses the x-axis. Therefore, in the region AR on the reflection surface shown in FIGS. 41 to 43 or FIGS. 45 to 47, rays of light are not reflected. As a result, an image, the projection area of which is large, is missing as shown by the filament images "i", "i" . . . in FIG. 44 or the filament images "p", "p", . . . in FIG. 48.
An upper end portion of the filament image "i" or "p" contributes to the formation of the central luminous intensity portion. Accordingly, if the upper end portion of the filament image "i" or "p" is missing, the luminous intensity is directly lowered. Unless the filament image, which contributes to the formation of the central luminous intensity portion, is made up by some means for operating the curved surface so that the missing portion can be compensated by other portions, or unless the filament image is made up by the action of lens steps provided on the front lens, it is difficult to sufficiently ensure the luminous intensity of the portion circled by the two-dotted chain line in FIG. 44 or 48.

Reflection mirror for vehicle lamp and method of forming the same