Versatile cleaning composition that has tremendous cleaning power, yet is compatible with many surfaces. For example, the cleaning composition easily cleans oil, grease, tar, and rubber from soiled surfaces, but does not damage metals, vehicle paints, concrete, plastics such as polycarbonate, MYLAR polyester and silicone sealants, wood, ceramic, and the like. The cleaning composition includes an oil solubilizing amount of a degreaser, a rubber solubilizing amount of a rubber solvent, and a polar, organic diluent. In preferred embodiments, the degreaser comprises a glycol ether, the rubber solvent comprises an nonaromatic naphtha, and the diluent comprises an alcohol, preferably a C2 to C5 alcohol.

This invention is in the field of cleaning compositions. More specifically, this invention relates to cleaning compositions including a rubber solvent, a degreaser, and a diluent. The compositions can be used to clean oil, grease, tar, rubber, organic matter, particulate matter and other debris from soiled surfaces
Some environments generate a tough combination of dirt, grime, soil, and debris that is very difficult to clean effectively with only one cleaner. One example of such an extreme environment is the vehicle race track, e.g., auto speedway, truck speedway, or the like. In the course of a race, windshields are splattered both with oils (e.g., motor oils and gear oils) and with rubber bits thrown from race tires that erode during racing. Dirty windshields obscure the driver""s visibility, impairing the safety of all race participants. Accordingly, it is common practice to try and clean race vehicle windshields during pit stops.
Cleaning a race vehicle windshield at a pit stop is not a simple matter, because this use imposes many stringent demands on a cleaner. In addition to being able to remove oils and rubber and other soil on the windshield, the cleaning agent must act to remove this grime very fast, i.e., within the time constraints of the pit stop. The cleaner also must be easy to remove quickly from the surface. Desirably, therefore, the cleaner must not only act fast, but also evaporate at a quick enough rate so that the time spent wiping the windshield with a clean cloth, squeegee, or the like, will be at a minimum. While quick cleaning action is important, this must also be balanced against residence time. The cleaner components must evaporate at a slow enough rate so that the cleaner has a long enough contact time with the soiled surface to remove the soils. Ideally, the cleaner also should go on and come off without requiring any rinsing with water or any other rinse agent.
Besides being fast and simple to use, the cleaner must be compatible with the race vehicle itself. Importantly, the cleaner must leave no residue behind that might obscure visibility through the windshield. The cleaner also must not damage the LEXAN polycarbonate material that forms the windshield or the silicone sealant around the edge of the windshield. The cleaner must also be compatible with MYLAR polyester, because a clear plastic sheet, often made of MYLAR polyester and called a xe2x80x9ctear-awayxe2x80x9d, often is used to cover the windshield. The xe2x80x9ctear-awayxe2x80x9d is used to dampen impacts from particulate matter during the race and can be removed quickly during a pit stop when the sheet becomes so damaged that it obscures the race vehicle driver""s view. Cleaners splashed across a windshield inevitably will contact the race vehicle body, too. Therefore, the cleaner must not damage the race vehicle""s body paint. The cleaner also should provide good cleaning performance over a wide temperature range. For example, it would be very desirable to have a cleaner that provides good cleaning performance at temperatures ranging from 25xc2x0 F. (xe2x88x924xc2x0 C.) to 140xc2x0 F. (60xc2x0 C.).
Race vehicle bodies and the walls at racetracks need to be cleaned, too. These surfaces also are splattered with the same soils as the windshield, including oils and rubber. Also, race vehicle bodies and/or race track walls may be smeared with rubber from the tires of other race vehicles that sideswipe such surfaces during races. For these surfaces, in addition to being able to remove oils and rubber under the stringent conditions described above, the cleaning agent must not unduly damage the inks or the backings of the promotional decals or other graphics that are affixed to the vehicle""s body or the racetrack walls.
The racetrack, of course, is just one example of an environment in which oils and rubber collectively challenge a cleaner. There are many others, too. For example,
automobiles, trucks, motorcycles, and the like also get splattered with oils, tar, rubber, bugs, and the like during the course of ordinary street driving. Industrial equipment, industrial floors which have been traversed and marked by tires, engines, motors, railways, railway cars, and the like may also suffer from such grime.
What is needed is a universal cleaner that has the power to clean oil, tar, rubber, bug residue, and other soils over a wide temperature range, yet will not damage metal, many paints, many inks, ceramic, wood, concrete, many plastics and/or the like.
The present invention provides an extremely versatile cleaning composition that has tremendous cleaning power, yet is compatible with many surfaces. For example, the cleaning composition easily cleans oil, grease, tar, and rubber from soiled surfaces, but does not damage metals, vehicle paints, concrete, plastics (such as polycarbonate, polyester and silicone sealants), wood, ceramic, and the like. The ability of the cleaner to clean such tough soils while still being gentle enough not to harm a wide range of surfaces is very surprising, since many conventional cleaners having comparable cleaning power will damage plastics and other surfaces. The cleaner also works fast and leaves no residue. It can be applied and wiped off, or otherwise removed, without delay after being applied. It will also clean effectively over a wide temperature range, including temperatures ranging from 25xc2x0 F. (xe2x88x924xc2x0 C.) to 140xc2x0 F. (60xc2x0 C.).
Accordingly, it can be appreciated that the cleaner is particularly suitable for use in the racetrack environment. For example, it can be used to clean windshields very quickly during a pit stop. When a vehicle pulls in for a pit stop, a pit crew member can splash, pour, spray, or otherwise cause the cleaner to contact the windshield. Soil on the windshield will be quickly dissolved or otherwise loosened from the window surface. Without delay, the crew member can then use a cloth, sponge, squeegee or the like to immediately remove the cleaner and the loosened soil. In only a few seconds, the windshield is clean and ready for more racing action. Of course, the vehicle body may also be cleaned just as quickly, if desired. After the race, the other surfaces of the racetrack facility, e.g., walls, bleachers, pavement, and the like, may also be easily cleaned.
Race vehicle teams also have practice sessions and/or testing sessions before races and at other times. The vehicles get dirty in these sessions, too. The cleaner can also be used to clean the vehicles after these sessions, as well as after a race.
In one aspect, the present invention relates to a water-restricted cleaning composition, comprising an oil solubilizing amount of a degreaser; a rubber solubilizing amount of a rubber solvent; and a polar, organic diluent. In preferred embodiments, the degreaser comprises a glycol ether, the rubber solvent comprises a nonaromatic (e.g., aliphatic and/or alicyclic) naphtha, and the diluent comprises an alcohol, preferably a C2 to C5 alcohol. For purposes of the present invention, an alcohol containing a sufficiently small quantity of water such that the composition is a single phase (e.g., alcohol with an azeotropic amount of water or less) shall be deemed to be a polar, organic diluent for purposes of the present invention.
In another aspect, the present invention relates to a method of cleaning a surface, comprising the steps of causing the surface to contact a water-restricted cleaning composition comprising an oil solubilizing amount of a degreaser, a rubber solubilizing amount of a rubber solvent, and a polar, organic diluent. In preferred embodiments, the degreaser comprises a glycol ether, the rubber solvent comprises a nonaromatic naphtha, and the diluent comprises an alcohol, preferably a C2 to C5 alcohol.
In another aspect, the present invention relates to a method of making a cleaning composition, comprising the step of combining ingredients comprising an oil solubilizing amount of a degreaser, a rubber solubilizing amount of a rubber solvent, and a polar, organic diluent.
The embodiments of the present invention described below are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed in the following detailed description. Rather the embodiments are chosen and described so that others skilled in the art may appreciate and understand the principles and practices of the present invention.
Cleaning compositions of the present invention generally include one or more degreasers, one or more rubber solvents, and one or more polar, organic diluents. In the practice of the present invention, a degreaser is a fluid, slurry, or the like that is capable of solubilizing grease, oil, hydrocarbons, and the like. Preferred degreasers of the present invention satisfy the Oil Solubility Test. According to this test, two or three drops of 20W-50 racing motor oil are dropped into 2 ounces (59 ml) of the degreaser at room temperature. The degreaser is deemed to solubilize the oil and satisfy the test if the oil dissolves in the degreaser, optionally with stirring, to form a single phase mixture within no more than 10 to 20 seconds, preferably no more than 5 to 10 seconds.
Representative examples of suitable degreasers include a wide variety of organic solvents and generally include materials such as ketones, amines, esters, tetrahydrofuran or other heterocycles, alcohols, ethers, glycol ethers, combinations of these, and the like. Of these, one or more glycol ethers are particularly preferred for a variety of reasons. Firstly, glycol ethers have excellent oil dissolving capabilities. These compounds solubilize oil very quickly. It is believed that glycol ethers are such excellent solvents because they combine the solvent characteristics of both alcohols and ethers. Additionally, glycol ethers tend to form compatible, single phase mixtures with the other components of the cleaning composition, significantly without unduly compromising the cleaning power of those other ingredients. The volatility of glycol ethers is also in a suitable regime so that cleaning compositions incorporating these materials dry at a rate that is not too fast or too slow. Glycols ethers also are compatible with the race vehicle environment. When included as a constituent of the present invention, these compounds do not damage LEXAN polycarbonate brand polycarbonate used as windshield components, MYLAR polyester, the silicone seal of such windshields, the paint finish on the vehicles, or many decals.
Glycol ethers may be made by reacting alcohols and ethylene oxide in accordance with conventional methods. Glycol ethers also are widely available from a number of commercial sources. Specific examples include propylene glycol n-butyl ether (Dow Chemical Company), propylene glycol n-propyl ether (Dow Chemical Company), diethylene glycol monobutyl ether (Eastman Chemical Co.), ethylene glycol monobutyl ether (Eastman Chemical Co.), dipropylene glycol methyl ether, (Dow Chemical Company) propylene glycol methyl ether (Dow Chemical Company) combinations of these, and the like.
The cleaning composition of the present invention generally includes a sufficient amount of one or more degreasers such that the composition can satisfy the Oil Solubility Test described above. However, above a certain level, adding too much degreaser offers little additional benefit beyond that provided by lesser amounts. The enhanced cleaning power might also be detrimental to some inks and paints. The composition also might not be as user-friendly. Accordingly, preferred cleaning compositions of the present invention include 1 to 20, preferably 3 to 15, more preferably 5 to 10 parts by weight of the degreaser per 5 to 70, preferably 20 to 60, more preferably 35 to 50 parts by weight of the rubber solvent. A particularly preferred composition includes 6% to 10% by volume of at least one glycol ether as the degreaser.
The rubber solvent is a material that is capable of at least partially solubilizing rubber. The presence of the rubber solvent allows the cleaning composition to easily remove bits of rubber that may be stuck to surfaces such as race vehicle windshields, race vehicle bodies, race track walls, industrial floors, motorcycle windshields, and the like. This component is especially suitable for rapidly removing tire bits from race vehicle windshields during a pit stop.
A wide variety of rubber solvents are known and may be advantageously incorporated into cleaning compositions of the present invention. Preferred rubber solvents belong to the class of hydrocarbon solvents and may be aliphatic, aromatic, straight chain, branched, linear, and/or cyclic. The suitable hydrocarbon solvents may comprise one or more hetero atoms and be substituted or unsubstituted. Representative examples of rubber solvents include one or more of toluene, benzene, xylene, C5 to C15 paraffins, cycloparaffins, an olefin, acetylene polymers, terpene polymers, isoprene polymers, turpentine, petroleum products such as gasoline, kerosene, petroleum distillate, naphtha, mineral spirits, and the like; and natural and/or synthetic hydrocarbons and/or oils such as mineral oil, vegetable oil, animal oil, essential oil, edible oils, combinations of these, and the like. Specific oils include fish oil, sperm oil, fish-liver oil, corn oil, safflower oil, soybean oil, cottonseed oil, palm oil, coconut oil; combinations of these, and the like.
Although embodiments may be aromatic or aliphatic, aromatic rubber solvents tend to damage polycarbonate and other plastic surfaces. Accordingly, nonaromatic rubber solvents are preferred in those embodiments of the present invention to be used for cleaning polycarbonate or other plastic surfaces, e.g., race vehicle windshields. In this regard, a naphtha or naphtha derivative (collectively referred to as xe2x80x9cnaphthaxe2x80x9d herein) is preferred.
Rubber solvents suitable in the practice of the present invention are widely available from a number of commercial sources. Representative examples of these include Exxon 2024 Naphtha (Exxon Chemical Company) Exxon Exxsol D115/145 Naphtha (Exxon Chemical Company), Exxon Isopar E fluid (Exxon Chemical Company), VMandP naphtha HT (Shell Chemical Company), Cypar-7 hydrocarbon solvent (Shell Chemical Company), Special Naphtholite 66/3 hydrocarbon solvent (Citgo Petroleum Corporation), Sol 340 HT hydrocarbon solvent (Shell Chemical Company), Soltrol 10 hydrocarbon solvent (Philips Chemical Company), Solvo-Kleen hydrocarbon solvent (NCH Corporation), Soltrol 70 (Phillips Chemical Company), combinations thereof, and the like.
The cleaning composition includes enough of the rubber solvent so that the composition has the desired level of rubber removing capabilities, but not so much that the cleaning composition leaves an undesirable residue on the surface being cleaned. Preferred cleaning compositions include 5 to 70, preferably 20 to 60, more preferably 35 to 50 parts by weight of the rubber solvent per 1 to 20 preferably 3 to 15, preferably 5 to 10 parts by weight of the degreaser.
The cleaning compositions also include one or more organic diluents. In the practice of the present invention, the diluent may be active, latent, or inactive. Active means that the diluent is a strong solvent for the soil being cleaned. Latent means that the diluent functions as an active solvent in the presence of one or both of the degreaser and/or rubber solvent. Inactive means that the diluent is a nonsolvent for the particular soil at issue, but may be present to help control viscosity, evaporation rate, or the like. As general guidelines, using 5 to 70, preferably 20 to 60, more preferably 35 to 50 parts by weight of the diluent is advantageously used per 5 to 70, preferably 20 to 60, more preferably 35 to 50 parts by weight of the rubber solvent.
The preferred organic diluent may be any solvent or combination of solvents that is capable of forming single phase mixtures with the rubber solvent and the degreaser. Preferred diluents comprise one or more nonaqueous, polar solvents. These preferred diluents include, for example, alcohols such as ethanol (typically denatured for this use), isopropyl alcohol (preferably at least 99% pure), combinations of these, and the like. Alcohols evaporate cleanly, are polar, are excellent wetting agents, and are typically latent or active solvents. Alcohols are also excellent carriers of carbon black, which is typically a constituent of the rubber residues that might be cleaned with the present invention. Accordingly, an alcohol may enhance the rubber cleaning performance of the cleaning composition. C2 to C5 alcohols are preferred, of which isopropyl alcohol and ethanol are most preferred. Isopropyl alcohol (IPA) provides exceptional cleaning performance, but may have a tendency to degrade some brands of decals used on race vehicle bodies. Ethanol is much more compatible with such decals and is therefore desirably used in applications in which the cleaning composition may come into contact with such decals. A combination of isopropanol and ethanol may be useful to obtain a good balance between optimum cleaning power and compatibility with decals. In such embodiments, the weight ratio of isopropanol to ethanol may be in the range from 1:19 to 19:1, preferably 1:4 to 4:1.
In addition to the degreaser, the rubber solvent, and the diluent, cleaning compositions may also include one or more additives that enhance the stability, performance, and/or handling of the cleaning composition. For example, other additives that might be used include antistatic agents, foaming agents, antioxidants, anticorrosion agents, fungicides, bactericides, fillers, pigments, combinations of these, and the like. If any of these are used, they may be used in accordance with conventional practices.
Cleaning compositions of the present invention are preferably water-restricted. It has been found that the presence of too much water not only may have a destabilizing effect upon the cleaning composition itself, but also may tend to impair cleaning performance. Accordingly, xe2x80x9cwater restrictedxe2x80x9d in the practice of the present invention means that the cleaning composition includes a low enough content of water such that the cleaning composition is a single phase at room temperature, and more preferably, remains a single phase at temperatures as low as 31xc2x0 F. (0xc2x0 C.). Preferred compositions contain less that 5%, preferably less than 1%, and more preferably less than 0.5% water. For purposes of determining water content, water that is in azeotropic combination with an alcohol or other constituent shall be deemed to be part of the aqueous content of the composition.
Preferred cleaning compositions of the present invention are also substantially free of surfactants, particularly in instances in which the cleaning composition is to be used to clean race vehicle windshields during the course of a race. Compositions that include surfactants have a tendency to leave a residue on the surface being cleaned, and this residue is relatively difficult to remove quickly in the timeframe of the typical pit stop. Such a residue is undesirable since it can impair the driver""s visibility, posing a danger not only to the driver but to other racers, support crews, officials, and bystanders.
Cleaning compositions of the present invention are extremely easy to make and use. According to one approach of making the composition, the ingredients are combined in the desired proportions in a vessel and then stirred until the mixture is homogeneous. The ingredients can be combined in a batch or a continuous process. The mixture has a long shelf life and can be stored in a suitable storage container for very long periods of time. Alternatively, the mixture can be used relatively soon after it has been made.
To clean a soiled surface, the cleaning composition can be poured directly onto the surface, applied by cloth or sponge or other implement, sprayed, or the like. The cleaning composition will quickly loosen and/or dissolve oils, greases, rubber, tar, organic residues, particulate matter, and the like. If desired, the composition can be used to scrub the surface to remove especially stubborn soil, if desired. The composition and soil are then removed from the surface with a clean cloth, sponge, squeegee, or the like. The cleaning composition is particularly useful for cleaning race vehicle windshields, where fast cleaning action is paramount.
The present invention will now be further described with reference to the following examples.

Universal cleaner that cleans tough oil, grease and rubber grime and that is compatible with many surfaces including plastics


A lane-deviation-suppressing-system (1) sets a target point in front of a lane when a vehicle travels, and calculates, as a target trajectory, an trajectory causing the vehicle to travel to the set target trajectory, using a polynomial of fifth-order with respect to time. Then, the system judges that a recalculation of the target trajectory is necessary if the vehicle traveling along the target trajectory returns to the target point after separating from the target point in an orthogonal direction to an extending direction of the lane. If the system judges that the recalculation of the target trajectory is necessary, it recalculates that. For calculating the target trajectory, depending on a vehicle traveling state, the system selects a fifth or higher order polynomial or a polynomial of first-order with respect to time. If using the first-order polynomial, it is used by calculating a lateral speed at which the vehicle moves in the orthogonal direction.

As for an automatic operation of a vehicle, a variety of technologies have been proposed such as processing for generating a trajectory of an own vehicle, feedforward control and feedback control for causing an own vehicle to travel along a trajectory, and lane deviating suppressing control for suppressing an own vehicle from deviating from a lane (see PLTs 1 to 4, for example).


Physical properties of polymer resins, particularly amorphous resins such as ABS or SAN copolymers, are markedly improved by dispersing therein a filler-reinforced engineering thermoplastic polyurethane.

This invention relates to a composition that comprises a dispersion of a filler-reinforced engineering thermoplastic polyurethane in a thermoplastic resin.
It is well known that the physical properties of thermoplastics can be improved by incorporation of filler materials such as glass fibers. However, dispersing glass fibers into an amorphous resin is difficult because amorphous resins tends to have high melt-phase viscosities. Moreover, dispersing glass filled composites in a resin where the composite matrix is an amorphous resin is also difficult since the high melt-phase viscosity prevents effective dispersion of the glass fibers. Where the composite matrix is crystalline, dispersion is less difficult; however, crystalline resins are seldom compatible with amorphous resins.
It would therefore be desirable to find an efficient and effective means of dispersing a filler material into an amorphous thermoplastic resin.

Filler-reinforced engineering thermoplastic polyurethane dispersion in a thermoplastic resin


A technique for detecting external force applied to a piezoelectric plate is provided. A crystal plate is cantilever-supported in a container. Excitation electrodes are formed on an upper face and lower face, respectively, of the crystal plate. A movable electrode is formed on the lower face side. A fixed electrode is provided on a bottom portion of the container facing the movable electrode. The excitation electrode on the upper face side and the fixed electrode are connected to an oscillation circuit. When the crystal plate bends by external force applied, capacitance between. A direction of the movable electrode along a length direction of the crystal plate is set to 30° to 60°, relative to a face orthogonal to an intended direction of the external force. The movable electrode and fixed electrode changes, and this capacitance change and a deformation of the crystal circuit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technical field for using a piezoelectric plate, for example a crystal plate, to detect the magnitude of external force acting on a piezoelectric plate based on an oscillation frequency, in order to detect external force such as acceleration, pressure, flow speed of fluid, magnetic force or electrostatic force.
2. Description of the Related Art
As external force acting on a system, there are force acting on an object based on acceleration, pressure, flow speed, magnetic force, electrostatic force, and the like, and it is often necessary to measure such external force accurately. For example, in the stage of development of the automobile, there is performed measurement of impact force to seats when the automobile collides with an object. Further, there are demands for checking acceleration of vibrations or the like as accurate as possible in order to check vibration energy and amplitude during an earthquake.
Furthermore, other examples of external force measurement are checking flow speed of liquid or gas accurately and reflecting detection values thereof to a control system, measuring performance of a magnet, and the like.
To perform such measurement, there are demands for high accuracy measurement with a structure as simple as possible.
Patent Document 1 describes that a piezoelectric film is cantilever-supported, supported, the piezoelectric film is deformed by a change in surrounding magnetic force, and an electric current flowing through the piezoelectric film changes.
Further, Patent Document 2 describes that there are provided a capacitive coupling type pressure sensor and a crystal oscillator disposed in a space partitioned from the area where this pressure sensor is disposed, a variable capacitor of the pressure sensor and the crystal oscillator are connected in parallel, and a pressure is detected by a change of an antiresonance point of the crystal oscillator by a change in capacitance in the pressure sensor.
These Patent Documents 1, 2 differ completely in principle from the present invention.
Patent Document 3 describes an invention in which a piezoelectric oscillating element cantilever-supported in a device is fixed in a state that a free end side is slightly lowered to a degree that the free end does not contact an inside bottom face. However, it can be conceived as a device for effectively utilizing an inside space of the device, and has an object different from that of the present invention.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2006-138852 (paragraph 0021, paragraph 0028)
Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2008-39626 (FIG. 1 and FIG. 3)
Patent Document 3: Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2002-171152

External force detecting method and external force detecting device


Improved installation fins (28, 76) for window or door assemblies (88, 98) are provided which include structure (46) defining an elongated fold line (73) in the fins (28, 76). The structure (46) includes a plurality of elongated, discrete, parallel, aligned depressions (48) formed in one face (38) of the fin (28 76); the depressions (48) are oriented with the longitudinal axes thereof at an oblique angle of from about 10.degree.-40.degree. relative to the longitudinal axis of the fin (28, 76). The fins (28, 76) are preferably fabricated from aluminum, and the depressions (48) are formed therein by knurling.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is broadly concerned with improved, bendable installation fins adapted for securement to window or door assemblies to facilitate site installation thereof in a building wall. More particularly, the invention pertains to a preferably aluminum installation fin having a fold line therein formed by a plurality of elongated, aligned, obliquely oriented depressions formed in one face of the fin body, as well as a method of forming such fold line structure through the use of a knurling wheel. Installation fins in accordance with the invention are lower in cost, retain their integrity through multiple bend cycles, and completely eliminate the apertures of prior fins, which require separate application of sealing tape and can lead to water leakage around the window or door frame during use.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Most commercial fenestration products (e.g., doors and windows) are provided with factory-installed circumscribing frames. These frames are normally equipped with elongated installation fins which are initially attached in a recessed or flattened condition adjacent the outer frame surfaces. In use, the fins are manually pivoted outwardly through essentially a 90.degree. arc so as to form outwardly extending projections about the door or window frame. During installation, the window or door assembly is mounted in an appropriate rough opening in the building wall, and nails or screws are installed through the fins to attach the door or window assembly in place.
A common fin design uses a dual durometer plastic material where a soft material is used to allow folding of the fin. Such synthetic resin fins have the drawback of becoming brittle in cold weather and being perceived as being lesser quality than metal fins. Another fin design is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,210,986 wherein aluminum fins are provided. These fins are designed with a fold line to make the fin manually bendable on-site. In particular, the '986 fins have a series of small holes punched in the fin bodies to define the necessary fold line. The holes are in turn covered with a tape which is designed to prevent water leakage through the holes when the fenestration product is installed in a building. Although fins produced in accordance with this patent are a significant advance in the art, one drawback is that the sealing tape is expensive and therefore the fins are not as economical to manufacture as one-piece metal fins. Furthermore, the sealing tape can become punctured or dislodged during the installation process, thereby presenting a potential leakage problem.
There is therefore a need in the art for an improved installation fin which is of essentially one-piece, integral design and which avoids the costs and problems associated with fold line structure in the form of tape-covered apertures through the fin body.


A low dielectric constant material having a first fluorine concentration in a near-surface portion and a second fluorine concentration in an interior portion provides an insulator suitable for use in integrated circuits. In a further aspect of the present invention, fluorine is depleted from a near-surface portion of a fluorine containing dielectric material by a reducing plasma. Fluorine in fluorinated low-k dielectric materials, such as SiOF, amorphous fluorinated carbon (a-F:C) and parylene-AF4, can react with surrounding materials such as metals and Si3N4, causing blisters and delamination. Treatment of these fluorinated low-k dielectric materials in a reducing plasma, which may be produced from precursor gases such as H2 or NH3, depletes the surface region of fluorine and hence reduces reaction with surrounding materials and F outgassing. By selecting an appropriate point in the integration flow, specific interfaces which are most susceptible to F-attack can be targeted for depletion.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to insulating layers formed between conductors in integrated circuits, and more particularly to the formation of fluorinated low-k dielectric materials.
2. Background
Advances in semiconductor manufacturing technology have led to the integration of tens, and more recently hundreds, of millions of circuit elements, such as transistors, on a single integrated circuit (IC). To achieve such dramatic increases in the density of circuit components has required semiconductor manufacturers to scale down the physical dimensions of the circuit elements, as well as the interconnection structures used to connect the circuit elements into functional circuitry.
One consequence of scaling down the physical dimensions of circuit elements has been to reduce the spacing between interconnect lines. Interconnect lines on integrated circuits are used for power and signal distribution. A dielectric material is typically disposed between the various interconnect lines on integrated circuits. Because capacitance between two conductors is a function of the spacing between those conductors, the parasitic capacitance increases as the conductors are formed closer together. It is well known that increased parasitic capacitance between signal conductors on an integrated circuit can have adverse effects such as increased power consumption, speed degradation, and signal cross-talk. One approach to reducing this parasitic capacitance is to provide dielectric materials between the interconnect lines where those dielectric materials have reduced dielectric constants.
Fluorinated dielectric materials tend to have lower dielectric constants than their unfluorinated counterparts. For example, the fluorinated oxide of silicon, SiOF, has a dielectric constant of approximately 3.6, whereas the unfluorinated silicon dioxide, SiO2, has a dielectric constant of approximately 4. Similarly, fluorinating various organic dielectric materials can also reduce their corresponding dielectric constants. For example, a dielectric constant of approximately 2.4 is obtained for the fluorinated organic dielectric parylene-AF4.
Unfortunately, integration of fluorinated dielectric materials into microelectronic components has presented many serious reliability issues related to the reaction of fluorine with surrounding materials. These reactions have been found to result in blistering and in delamination. FIG. 1 shows a cross-section of a portion of an integrated circuit having a patterned layer of fluorinated dielectric. Patterned fluorinated dielectric 104 is disposed over a substrate 102. A material 110 is deposited over the patterned fluorinated dielectric 104. FIG. 1 further shows a blister 108 and a delamination 106. Both blistering and delamination are undesirable physical deformations in integrated circuits that adversely affect their reliability.
What is needed are dielectric materials having reduced dielectric constants that are suitable for integration into microelectronic components.

Plasma induced depletion of fluorine from surfaces of fluorinated low-k dielectric materials


A shift control device comprises: a thermal load prediction unit which predicts a thermal load state of a friction element upon completion of a shift from a current thermal load state of the friction element; and a shift control unit which, when the thermal load state upon shift completion predicted by the thermal load prediction unit corresponds to a predetermined state, either performs the shift in a modified shift mode in which a heat generation amount of the friction element is smaller than the heat generation amount of the friction element when the predetermined state is not established, or prohibits the shift. The predetermined state is set at a different state in a case where the shift is an upshift and in a case where the shift is a downshift, and is set on the basis of a gradient of a traveling road.

In a typical, well-known automatic transmission for an automobile, the rotation of an engine is input via a torque converter, speed-varied by a shift mechanism having a plurality of planetary gears, and then output to a drive shaft or a propeller shaft (axle side).
The shift mechanism in this type of automatic transmission executes a shift by transmitting the rotation of an input shaft to a specific gear or carrier of the planetary gear in accordance with a shift position, and transmitting the rotation of the specific gear or carrier to an output shaft appropriately. Further, a plurality of friction elements such as clutches and brakes are provided to constrain the rotation of the specific gear or carrier appropriately during the shift, and a predetermined shift is performed by switching a transmission path through engagement and disengagement combinations of the friction elements. Furthermore, hydraulic clutches and brakes, the engagement state of which is controlled in accordance with an oil pressure supply/discharge state, are normally used as the friction elements.
When a predetermined shift is performed in a conventional automatic transmission while the vehicle is traveling near a boundary region of a vehicle traveling condition, a selected gear position varies such that the shift is performed repeatedly. For example, when a 3-4 shift is performed from a third speed to a fourth speed, a 3-4 shift from the third speed to the fourth speed and a 4-3 shift from the fourth speed to the third speed are performed repeatedly, leading to a continuous shift in the form of 3-4-3-4- . . . .
When a shift is performed continuously in this fashion, the same friction element is engaged and disengaged repeatedly over a long time period, and therefore a thermal load applied to the friction element increases (the temperature rises). As a result, the friction element may suffer burnout. It should be noted that in this specification, the term "thermal load" is used to mean "temperature" or "generated heat".
In response to this problem, JP3402220B discloses a technique employing a timer. More specifically, the timer is counted down during a continuous shift, and when the timer value reaches a predetermined value, subsequent shifts are prohibited under the assumption that the thermal load state (temperature) of the friction element has reached a burnout temperature. Further, when the continuous shift ends before a set value has been reached, the timer is counted up on a constant gradient under the assumption that heat radiation is underway.
Hence, when a continuous shift resumes immediately after the end of a continuous shift, the countdown begins from a smaller value than the initial value of the timer value, and thus control is executed taking into account an accumulated heat amount of the friction element.

Shift control device for automatic transmission and shift control method thereof


A latch assembly is provided for limiting movement of a first element, such as a drawer or door of a cabinet, relative to a second element in a first position of the latch assembly, and allowing non-restricted movement of the first element relative to the second element in a second position of the latch assembly. Abase plate is mounted to the first element, and a stop element is mounted to the second element. The latch assembly also comprises a latching plate reciprocally, vertically and moveably mounted on the base plate, such that the latching plate is moveable between a first vertical position engaging the stop element and a second vertical position where said latching plate is disengaged from said stop element. An unlock lever is pivotably mounted to the base plate, and the unlock lever is manually moveable from a first position out of engagement with the latching plate to a second position where the unlock lever secures the latching plate in its second vertical position. The latching plate remains unable to engage the stop element in the second vertical position of the latching plate.

Young children, by their nature, take pleasure in opening and closing drawers and cabinet doors and removing the contents of the drawer or cabinet. These drawers and cabinets may contain objects that should not be used by children as playthings, such as jewelry, chemicals that can be harmful if ingested, and other items that should be kept away from children. Several locking devices have been developed and used to lock and latch drawers and cabinets against access by children. See, for example, the disclosures in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,445,451 and 5,626,372.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,626,372 discloses a drawer lock device having a pivotal spring-loaded mounting assembly for a rigid support arm, and for a flexible latching arm and abutment surface, where the support and latching arms are in a first locking position allowing the latching arm to engage a drawer stop member when the drawer is attempted to be opened. The support and latching arms can be pivoted to a second position where the support arm and latching arm assembly are disposed such that the latching arm assembly does not engage the stop member, allowing full opening of the drawer, such as when children are not present.
However, the mechanism disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,626,372 requires a somewhat complicated and relatively expensive pivot structure mounting the support and latch arms to the inside of the front panel of the drawer. Further, over time, the flexible latching element could lose its inherent flexibility characteristics, causing the spring to be replaced.
Additionally, another drawback of the reference latch is that the entire latching or restraining member and its mounting structure must be pivoted to move the restraining member to the unengageable position (FIG. 2). Also, the restraining or latching arm member of the reference device is made of plastic and configured such that it deflects in spring-like fashion upon the application of finger pressure to the release lever. A second spring element is used to control pivotal deployment of the shaft upon which the restraining member is mounted. Also, when the restraining member of the reference device is in its engageable position, it extends horizontally into the drawer a sufficient distance to contact and interfere with the contents of the drawer. This will cause problems when the user attempts to pivot the restraining member from the engageable position, or vice versa.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,445,451 discloses a cabinet and drawer latch with dual flexible prongs having bulbous ends adapted to engage a stop anchor attached to a drawer or cabinet. The flexible prongs extend outward from a downwardly extending base plate, and the base plate is insertable into and retained in a pocket, the pocket firmly attached to the interior front panel of a drawer or cabinet. A detent assembly lodges the base plate firmly in the pocket. The U.S. Pat. No. 5,445,451, however, does not state that the dual flexible prongs and base plate could be easily or manually removed once installed in the pocket. The reference patent states that a narrow tool such as a screwdriver blade would be necessary to disengage the base plate and flexible prongs from the pocket. A further disadvantage of the device disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,455,451 is that once the base plate and flexible prongs are removed from the pocket, they may be separated from the latch assembly, and eventually lost or discarded. Clearly a single latching assembly having a locking and unlocking feature would be advantageous over the two-piece latch assembly disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,445,451.

Integral positive unlock device for drawer and cabinet safety locks


A processor (300) is arranged to divide a communication signal into a plurality of frequency band signals including speech and noise components due to speech and noise. The processor generates first and second power signals for the frequency band signals. Each first power signal is based on estimating over a first time period the power of one of the frequency band signals. Each second power signal is based on estimating over a second time period less than the first time period the power of one of the frequency band signals. The processor generates condition signals representing conditions of the frequency band signals, and adjusts the gain of the frequency band signals in response to the condition signals to generate adjusted frequency band signals. The processor then combines the adjusted frequency band signals to generate an adjusted communication signal.

Not applicable.
The present invention relates to suppressing noise in telecommunications systems. In particular, the present invention relates to suppressing noise in single channel systems or single channels in multiple channel systems.
Speech quality enhancement is an important feature in speech communication systems. Cellular telephones, for example, are often operated in the presence of high levels of environmental background noise present in moving vehicles. Background noise causes significant degradation of the speech quality at the far end receiver, making the speech barely intelligible. In such circumstances, speech enhancement techniques may be employed to improve the quality of the received speech, thereby increasing customer satisfaction and encouraging longer talk times.
Past noise suppression systems typically utilized some variation of spectral subtraction. FIG. 1 shows an example of a noise suppression system 100 that uses spectral subtraction. A spectral decomposition of the input noisy speech-containing signal 102 is first performed using the filter bank 104. The filter bank 104 may be a bank of bandpass filters such as, for example, the bandpass filters disclosed in R. J. McAulay and M. L. Malpass, xe2x80x9cSpeech Enhancement Using a Soft-Decision Noise Suppression Filter,xe2x80x9d IEEE Trans. Acoust., Speech, Signal Processing, vol. ASSP-28, no. 2, (April 1980), pp. 137-145. In this context, noise refers to any undesirable signal present in the speech signal including: 1) environmental background noise; 2) echo such as due to acoustic reflections or electrical reflections in hybrids: 3) mechanical and/or electrical noise added due to specific hardware such as tape hiss in a speech playback system; and 3) non-linearities due to, for example, signal clipping or quantization by speech compression.
The filter bank 104 decomposes the signal into separate frequency bands. For each band, power measurements are performed and continuously updated over time in the noisy signal power and noise power estimator 106. These power measures are used to determine the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in each band. The voice activity detector 108 is used to distinguish periods of speech activity from periods of silence. The noise power in each frequency band is updated only during silence while the noisy signal power is tracked at all times. For each frequency band, a gain (attenuation) factor is computed in the gain computer I 10 based on the SNR of the band to attenuate the signal in the gain multiplier 112. Thus, each frequency band of the noisy input speech signal is attenuated based on its SNR. In this context, speech signal refers to an audio signal that may contain speech, music or other information bearing audio signals (e.g., DTMF tones, silent pauses, and noise).
A more sophisticated approach may also use an overall SNR level in addition to the individual SNR values to compute the gain factors for each band. The overall SNR is estimated in the overall SNR estimator 114. The gain factor computations for each band are performed in the gain computer 110. The attenuation of the signals in different bands is accomplished by multiplying the signal in each band by the corresponding gain factor in the gain multiplier. Low SNR bands are attenuated more than the high SNR bands. The amount of attenuation is also greater if the overall SNR is low. The possible dynamic range of the SNR of the input signal is large. As such, the speech enhancement system must be capable of handling both very clean speech signals from wireline telephones as well as very noisy speech from cellular telephones. After the attenuation process, the signals in the different bands are recombined into a single, clean output signal 116. The resulting output signal 116 will have an improved overall perceived quality.
In this context, speech enhancement system refers to an apparatus or device that enhances the quality of a speech signal in terms of human perception or in terms of another criteria such as accuracy of recognition by a speech recognition device, by suppressing, masking, canceling or removing noise or otherwise reducing the adverse effects of noise. Speech enhancement systems include apparatuses or devices that modify an input signal in ways such as, for example: 1) generating a wider bandwidth speech signal from a narrow bandwidth speech signal; 2) separating an input signal into several output signals based on certain criteria, e.g., separation of speech from different speakers where a signal contains a combination of the speakers"" speech signals; 3) and processing (for example by scaling) different xe2x80x9cportionsxe2x80x9d of an input signal separately and/or differently, where a xe2x80x9cportionxe2x80x9d may be a portion of the input signal in time (e.g., in speaker phone systems) or may include particular frequency bands (e.g., in audio systems that boost the base), or both.
The decomposition of the input noisy speech-containing signal can also be performed using Fourier transform techniques or wavelet transform techniques. FIG. 2 shows the use of discrete Fourier transform techniques (shown as the Windowing and FFT block 202). Here a block of input samples is transformed to the frequency domain. The magnitude of the complex frequency domain elements are attenuated at the attenuation unit 208 based on the spectral subtraction principles described above. The phase of the complex frequency domain elements are left unchanged. The complex frequency domain elements are then transformed back to the time domain via an inverse discrete Fourier transform in the IFFT block 204, producing the output signal 206. Instead of Fourier transform techniques, wavelet transform techniques may be used to decompose the input signal.
A voice activity detector may be used with noise suppression systems. Such a voice activity detector is presented in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,351,983 to Crouse et al. In such detectors, the power of the input signal is compared to a variable threshold level. Whenever the threshold is exceeded, the system assumes speech is present. Otherwise, the signal is assumed to contain only background noise.
For most implementations of speech enhancement, it is desirable to minimize processing delay. As such, the use of Fourier or wavelet transform techniques for spectral decomposition is undesirable because these techniques introduce large delays when accumulating a block of samples for processing.
Low computational complexity is also desirable as the network noise suppression system may process multiple independent voice channels simultaneously. Furthermore, limiting the types of computations to addition, subtraction and multiplication is preferred to facilitate a direct digital hardware implementation as well as to minimize processing in a fixed-point digital signal processor-based implementation. Division is computationally intensive in digital signal processors and is also cumbersome for direct digital hardware implementation. Finally, the memory storage requirements for each channel should be minimized due to the need to process multiple independent voice channels simultaneously.
Speech enhancement techniques must also address information tones such as DTMF (dual-tone multi-frequency) tones. DTMF tones are typically generated by push-button/tone-dial telephones when any of the buttons are pressed. The extended touch-tone telephone keypad has 16 keys: (1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,0,*,#,A,B,C,D). The keys are arranged in a four by four array. Pressing one of the keys causes an electronic circuit to generate two tones. As shown in Table 1, there is a low frequency tone for each row and a high frequency tone for each column. Thus, the row frequencies are referred to as the Low Group and the column frequencies, the High Group. In this way, sixteen unique combinations of tones can be generated using only eight unique tones. Table 1 shows the keys and the corresponding nominal frequencies. (Although discussed with respect to DTMF tones, the principles discussed with respect to the present invention are applicable to all inband signals. In this context, an inband signal refers to any kind of tonal signal within the bandwidth normally used for voice transmission such as, for example, facsimile tones, dial tones, busy signal tones, and DTMF tones).
DTMF tones are typically less than 100 milliseconds (ms) in duration and can be as short as 45 ms. These tones may be transmitted during telephone calls to automated answering systems of various kinds. These tones are generated by a separate DTMF circuit whose output is added to the processed speech signal before transmission.
In general, DTMF signals may be transmitted at a maximum rate of ten digits/second. At this maximum rate, for each 100 ms timeslot, the dual tone generator must generate touch-tone signals of duration at least 45 ms and not more than 55 ms, and then remain quiet during the remainder of the timeslot. When not transmitted at the maximum rate, a tone pair may last any length of time, but each tone pair must be separated from the next pair by at least 40 ms.
In past speech enhancement systems, however, DTMF tones were often partially suppressed. Suppression of DTMF tones occurred because voice activity detectors and/or DTMF tone detectors require some delay before they were able to determine the presence of a signal. Once the presence of a signal was detected, there was still a lag time before the gain factors for the appropriate frequency bands reached their correct (high) values. This reaction time often caused the initial part of the tones to be heavily suppressed. Hence short-duration DTMF tones may be shortened even further by the speech enhancement system. FIG. 7 shows an input signal 702 containing a 697 Hz tone 704 of duration 45 ms (360 samples). The output signal 706 is heavily suppressed initially, until the voice activity detector detects the signal presence. Then, the gain factor 708 gradually increases to prevent attenuation. Thus, the output is a shortened version of the input tone, which in this example, does not meet general minimum duration requirements for DTMF tones.
As a result of the shortening of the DTMF tones, the receiver may not detect the DTMF tones correctly due to the tones failing to meet the minimum duration requirements. As can be seen in FIG. 7 the gain factor 708 never reaches its maximum value of unity because it is dependent on the SNR of the band. This causes the output signal 706 to be always attenuated slightly, which may be sufficient to prevent the signal power from meeting the threshold of the receiver""s DTMF detector. Furthermore, the gain factors for different frequency bands may be sufficiently different so as to increase the difference in the amplitudes of the dual tones. This further increases the likelihood that the receiver will not correctly detect the DTMF tones.
The shortcomings discussed above were present in past noise suppression systems. The system disclosed in, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,628,529, 4,630,304, and 4,630,305 to Borth et al. was designed to operate in high background noise environments. However, operation under a wide range of SNR conditions is preferable. Furthermore, software division is used in Borth""s methods. Computationally intensive division operations are also used in U.S. Pat. No. 4,454,609 to Kates. The use of minimum mean-square error log-spectral amplitude estimators such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,012,519 to Adlersberg et al. are also computationally intensive. Furthermore, the system disclosed in Adlersberg uses Fourier transforms for spectral decomposition that introduce undesirable delay. Moreover, although a DTMF tone generator is presented in Texas Instruments Application Report, xe2x80x9cDTMF Tone Generation and Detection: An Implementation Using the TMS320C54x,xe2x80x9d 1997, pp. 5-12, 20, A-1, A-2, B-1, B-2, there are no systems that extend and/or regenerate suppressed DTMF tones.
A need has long existed in the industry for a noise suppression system having low computational complexity. Moreover, a need has long existed in the industry for a noise suppression system capable of extending and/or regenerating partially a suppressed DTMF tones.
An apparatus embodiment of the invention is useful in a communications system for processing a communication signal comprising speech and noise components derived from speech and noise. In such an environment, the quality of the communication signal can be enhanced by providing a processor arranged to:
divide the communication signal into a plurality of frequency band signals including speech and noise components due to said speech and noise;
generate first power signals for the frequency band signals, each first power signal being based on estimating over a first time period the power of one of said frequency band signals;
generate second power signals for the frequency band signals, each second power signal being based on estimating over a second time period less than the first time period the power of one of said frequency band signals;
generate condition signals representing conditions of the frequency band signals in response to predetermined relationships between at least the first power signals and second power signals;
adjust the gain of the frequency band signals in response to the condition signals to generate adjusted frequency band signals; and
combine the adjusted frequency band signals to generate an adjusted communication signal.
A method embodiment of the invention is useful in a communications system for processing a communication signal comprising speech and noise components derived from speech and noise. In such an environment, the quality of the communication signal is enhanced by a method comprising:
dividing the communication signal into a plurality of frequency band signals including speech and noise components due to said speech and noise;
generating first power signals for the frequency band signals, each first power signal being based on estimating over a first time period the power of one of said frequency band signals;
generating second power signals for the frequency band signals, each second power signal being based on estimating over a second time period less than the first time period the power of one of said frequency band signals;
generating condition signals representing conditions of the frequency band signals in response to predetermined relationships between at least the first power signals and second power signals;
adjusting the gain of the frequency band signals in response to the condition signals to generate adjusted frequency band signals; and
combining the adjusted frequency band signals to generate an adjusted communication signal.
The aforementioned method of adapting the NSR values during speech is different from that used in the presence of DTMF tones. For DTMF tones, the quick adjustment of the NSR values for the appropriate frequency bands containing the DTMF tones maximizes the amount of the DTMF tones that are passed through transparently. In the case of speech, the NSR values are preferably adapted more slowly to correspond to the nature of speech signals.
In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, a method for suppressing noise is presented.
An alternative embodiment of the present invention includes a method and apparatus for extending DTMF tones. Yet another embodiment of the present invention includes regenerating DTMF tones.

Method and apparatus for adaptively suppressing noise


A picture decoding device of the present invention comprises a CPU, receiving as input encoded moving picture information, for subtracting ‘1’ from a slice start code inside slice information extracted from this information, a variable length code decoding circuit provided with a horizontal position generating circuit for subtracting ‘1’ from a macro block address (MBA) when output information formed from macro block position information (VP, HP), motion vectors, picture information etc. is output, using information output from the CPU, and a motion compensation circuit for carrying out decoding processing for the moving picture information, with origin coordinates set to (0,0), using a slice start code and macro block address after subtraction.

MPEG, for example, is well known as technology for compressing picture information. MPEG is technology for compressing moving picture information using processing such as motion compensation prediction encoding, Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT), quantization and variable length encoding. MPEG1 and MPEG2 exist as implementations of MPEG.
FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of an MPEG picture. A moving picture is made up of a plurality of still pictures. Each still picture comprises a plurality of pixels arrayed in horizontal and vertical directions. A still picture is divided into macro blocks comprising 16×16 pixels. In the example shown in FIG. 11, a still picture is divided up into 12×7 macro blocks. Two-dimensional coordinates (m, n) are attached to each macro block.
m is the coordinate for the horizontal direction, while n is the coordinate for the vertical direction. Coordinates of the macro block at the upper left end of the still picture screen are (1,1), and these are the origin coordinates.
With MPEG, overall picture information corresponding to one still screen is called a picture. One picture contains at least one slice. In the example of FIG. 11, a picture contains 5 slices (slice 1-slice 5). One slice contains at least one macro block. A slice is a set of macro blocks. That is, picture information has a layer structure composed of picture, slices and macro blocks.
Motion compensation prediction encoding, quantization and variable length encoding are carried out in macro block units. Discrete cosine transform is achieved by dividing a macro block into blocks, each comprising 8×8 pixels.
This series of compression processing operations is carried out sequentially in a horizontal direction from the macro block at the origin. If the right edge macro bock is then compressed, the next horizontal string is sequentially compressed from the left edge macro block.
In the example shown in FIG. 11, macro block (1,1) is initially compressed, and next the macro block (2,1) is compressed. If macro block (12,1) is compressed, then macro block (1, 2) is compressed next. Accordingly, macro blocks included in the same slice are continuous in the horizontal direction. With MPEG1, macro blocks included in the same slice are sometimes divided across two or more horizontal rows. (FIG. 11) Conversely, with MPEG2, macro blocks included in the same slice are always contained in the same horizontal row.
With MPEG, serial data is generated from picture information that has been compression encoded. MPEG serial data has a layer structure, corresponding to the layer structure of the picture. FIG. 12 is a schematic drawing showing the MPEG1 data structure. An encoded signal of the overall moving picture information is called a sequence. A sequence contains one sequence header, at least one GOP (group of pictures) and one sequence end. Each GOP contains one GOP header and at least one picture. Each picture contains one picture header and at least one slice. Each slice contains one item of slice information and at least one macro block. Each macro block then contains one item of macro block information and at least one block. DCT encoded data is stored in a block.
Decoding of MPEG picture information is carried out in the reverse order to encoding. Specifically, decoding of variable length code inverse quantization, inverse discrete cosine transform and motion compensation processing are sequentially executed. In each of these processing operations, the macro block processing order is the same as for the case of encoding processing. Specifically, a series of decoding processes is executed sequentially in the horizontal direction from the macro block of the origin (1,1).
As described above, the origin coordinate for macro block position control is (1,1), and not (0,0). However, in the event that the origin coordinate is determined to be (1,1), there is a problem that a motion compensation processing circuit and a variable length code decoding processing circuit become complicated.
With motion compensation processing, motion compensation for a particular picture is sometimes carried out with reference to another picture. For this reason, the picture referred to is temporarily stored in a frame memory after being decoded. In a normal memory, addresses begin at '0'. Accordingly, when storing a picture for reference in the frame memory, it is necessary to respectively subtract '1' from the horizontal and vertical position coordinates of the macro block. For this reason, it is necessary to provide two subtractors in the motion compensation circuit.
With variable length encoding processing, when skipped macro block processing is performed, it is necessary to control the positional coordinates of the macro block. For this reason, after processing for macro blocks at the right end has been completed, the horizontal direction coordinate must be reset to '1', but a counter circuit for resetting to '1' has a complicated structure compared to a normal counter circuit, namely a counter circuit for resetting to '0'.
Also, with variable length decoding processing, bit stream error concealment processing is carried out. With this error concealment processing, control is carried out for whether or not the coordinates of the macro block are the currently existing coordinates. With the example in FIG. 11, a case where the horizontal coordinate is greater than '12' or the vertical coordinate is greater than '7' will constitute an error. Also, since the origin coordinates are (1,1), the case where the horizontal coordinate or the vertical coordinate is '0' will also constitute an error. Accordingly, since the origin coordinates are (1,1), it is necessary to check whether the horizontal coordinate or the vertical coordinate is '0', which complicates the circuitry.


A ratchet mechanism for a bicycle hub includes a first hub member and a second hub member, wherein the first hub member and the second hub member are rotatable relative to each other. A pawl is supported by the first hub member, a ratchet tooth is supported by the second hub member, and a biasing mechanism is provided for biasing the pawl toward the ratchet tooth. A pawl control mechanism is responsive to relative rotation of the first hub member and the second hub member for allowing the pawl to contact the ratchet tooth when the first hub member and the second hub member rotate relative to each other in one direction and for preventing the pawl from contacting the ratchet tooth when the first hub member and the second hub member rotate relative to each other in an opposite direction.

The present invention is directed to bicycle freewheels and, more particularly, to a pawl noise dampening mechanism for a bicycle freewheel.
The hub of the drive-side wheel (usually the rear wheel) of a bicycle is sometimes provided with an integrated or separate freewheel. The freewheel is usually equipped with a one-way clutch mechanism so that only unidirectional rotational force is transmitted to the bicycle wheel. One-way clutch mechanisms having various structures are known. One known example is a ratchet mechanism in which engagement between pawls and ratchet teeth is employed. When the chain is driven by the pedals and a cog is rotatably driven, the ratchet mechanism transmits the torque from the ratchet teeth to the pawls and rotatably drives an inner component. The pawls are actuated by pawl springs in such a way as to ensure constant engagement with the ratchet teeth. The ratchet mechanism must possess extremely high strength and shock resistance because considerable torque and impact forces are transmitted from the ratchet teeth to the pawls.
When the pedals are stopped or rotated backward, the inner component of the freewheel rotates together with the wheel, creating a rotational movement in relation to the ratchet teeth. Because the inner component has pawls, the pawls and the ratchet teeth move relative to each other. Since the pawls are constantly actuated and pressed against the tooth surfaces of the ratchet teeth by pawl springs, the pawls chatter against the teeth surfaces of the ratchet teeth when performing a rocking movement in conformity with the peaks and valleys of the ratchet teeth. The noise generated by such a ratchet mechanism is unpleasant for the cyclist, and the friction between the pawls and the tooth surfaces of the ratchet teeth wastes energy. The result is that this type of friction wears out the pawls and the tooth surfaces of the ratchet teeth, thus shortening freewheel life.

Pawl noise dampening mechanism for a bicycle freewheel


An apparatus to transfer heat from a heat source to a heat sink, the apparatus consisting of a solid thermal conveyer proximate to the heat source and the heat sink. Heat from the heat source is transferred to the thermal conveyer; this heat is conveyed by the thermal conveyer, and this heat is then transferred to the heat sink. An external means moves the solid thermal conveyer with respect to the heat source and the heat sink. Heat from the heat source can be transferred to the thermal conveyer by radiation, by conduction through mechanical contact, and by conduction or convection through an intermediate thermal transfer fluid. In one embodiment the area through which heat is transferred from the solid thermal conveyer to the heat sink is substantially greater than the area through which heat is transferred from the heat source to the solid thermal conveyer. In another embodiment the thermal conveyer transports heat a distance that is large compared to the dimensions of the heat source and of the heat sink.

The microprocessor has proven to be more difficult to cool with each new generation of technology. The trend of more transistors and higher switching speeds drives the power dissipation levels for processors up, while the cost of manufacturing silicon chips and the need to maintain or decrease signal path lengths keeps the area emitting that power relatively small. One parameter which quantifies the difficulty of cooling a the back side of a processor is the required heat transfer coefficient, which is thermal power per unit area per available temperature difference. The heat transfer coefficient can be expressed as watts per (degrees Centigrade square centimeters). For example, the required heat transfer coefficient required for the back side contact to a 300 MHz Pentium II processor in 1997 is approximately 0.7 (watt/.degree. C. cm.sup.2). The Intel technology roadmap says that in the year 2006 a processor will release 200 watts of heat into a 15 millimeter square chip with a junction temperature of 50.degree. C. above ambient, so that the required heat transfer coefficient at the chip will be 1.8 (watt/.degree. C. cm.sup.2).
Two broad classes of heat transfer devices are currently in use. One class conducts the heat from the heat source to a heat sink through a relatively stationary solid material--a passive thermal spreader. Most microprocessor coolers today use this design; an example is a spreader plate with attached fins, plus a fan to circulate air through the fins. They are typically relatively simple, compact, reliable, and inexpensive. Passive spreader devices are characterized by relatively lower heat transfer coefficients; the heat transfer coefficients achieved by these devices are typically less than 1.2 (watt/.degree. C. cm.sup.2).
Another broad class of heat transfer devices uses an intermediate fluid to transport the heat from the heat source to the heat sink--a thermal convector. An automobile engine today is typically cooled this way; heat from the block is conducted into water, which is pumped into a radiator, where the heat is then conducted into a forced air flow. They are typically relatively complex and expensive compared to the first class of heat transfer devices. These heat transfer devices are characterized by relatively higher heat transfer coefficients; the heat transfer coefficients achieved by these devices can be as high as 10 (watt/.degree. C. cm.sup.2).
The heat transfer coefficient requirements of microprocessors are crossing the gray transition between the two classes. Other devices such as some laser bar arrays and power transistors will have or already have crossed that transition. There is an economic impetus to develop a different class of heat transfer devices which have the high heat transfer coefficients characteristics of the second class while retaining as many of the positive characteristics of the first class as possible. This different class of heat transfer devices might have utility beyond cooling electronics devices, including other applications such as aerospace, manufacturing processes, chemical engineering, power generation, and material processing (such as tempering).


A golf bag holder is provided that can be used in addition to standard golf bags or in addition to the use of golf carts. A wide, flat, flared base is provide to a stable, useable vertical holding position for the golfer to place the golf bag holder on a variety of different terrains without worrying about the golf bag tipping over. The golf bag holder is used by placing a standard golf bag in it and securing it with adjustable hook and loop fastener straps. By providing a plurality of useful storage compartments on the exterior of the golf bag holder, the need for access to the storage areas of the golf bag is eliminated. These storage compartments include a scorecard holder, an umbrella holder, a pocket for holding golf tees, a windowed golf ball holder, a cup holder, and a can holder with contacting cooling medium (which allows for chilled beverage cans to accompany the user). Also, retractable wheels and a foldable handle permit the user to easily transport the golf bag holder along a golf course.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to golf equipment and, more particularly, to golf bag holders.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the related art, a number of useful improvements have been developed to address the dual problems of carrying golf bags and accessing golf accessories from the pockets and compartments of golf bags. However, the related art tends to disclose solutions generally to one problem or the other, but not both.
The first problem, that of carrying a golf bag, has been approached in several different manners. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,355,746 issued in the name of Casady discloses a golf bag holder for use with golf carts. The Casady invention is composed of a plurality of vertical arms that each attach to a golf bag. The arms which pivot downward and outward to that of the attached golf bags, with its bottom resting on the golf cart, will be held out at an angle so that the user is able to easily select and retrieve her clubs. The invention is an improvement over other known existing golf bag holders for golf carts in that up to four bags can be held utilizing a minimum amount of space, and the golf bags can be stored upright or retracted outward, essentially allowing for two different positions.
Another approach to solving the problem of carrying a golf bag on a golf cart is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,088,835 issued in the name of Taylor et al. In Taylor et al. a golf bag rack is disclosed which provides a mounting base and bag support members which are mounted on the upper surface of each rear fender of a conventional motor-driven golf car. Utilized in conjunction with the normally provided golf bag carrying means, the Taylor et al. invention increases the golf bag carrying capacity of a conventional golf cart from two to four golf bags.
Another problem occurs in carrying a golf bag when a golf cart is not being utilized. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,784,138 issued in the name of Herling et al., a rotatable golf bag holder is disclosed. In solving problems created by other holders that firmly strap or clamp a golf bag into a fixed position, the Hering et al. invention comprises a base and a rotatable ring assembly which encircles and clamps the top of the golf bag, permitting full 360 degree rotation of the holder and bag to provide easy access to the ball and accessory pockets thereof. The Herling et al. invention also discloses arrangements for use on a conventional motorized golf cart.
The above mentioned art attempted to aid the user in carrying a golf bag while not interfering with access to the storage compartments provided as part of a standard golf bag. Several other attempts within the related art are attempts to make the storage compartments themselves more accessible and thereby not to interfe with the means for carrying the golf bag. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,269,410 issued in the name of Abregano, a golf accessory organizer is disclosed. The Abregano invention is a rectangular shaped portfolio with a spring clip for removably attaching an upper short side of the portfolio to a top cuff of a golf bag. A hook and loop fabric fastener strip is for removably retaining the portfolio in a closed position, and an elastic band is affixed to an inner surface of the portfolio for holding, in a neatly organized manner, a plurality of tees and a divot fixer and ball marker. A closeable pouch is also provided for storing other small supplies and items.
Also, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,096,059 issued in the name of Henderson, an accessory saddle member for a golf bag is disclosed. The Henderson invention provides an aperture for receiving the handle of the golf bag, and straps around the upper portion of the golf bag and includes closable pockets for carrying golf related and personal items.
Consequently, a need has been felt for providing an apparatus which overcomes the problem of carrying a golf bag while still providing access to accessories and supplies that are required from time to time during the game of golf.


An arrangement for retaining a tire on a vehicle wheel. The arrangement has a device for locking a tire against the wheel rim and pressing the tire beads against the rim flanges and rim seats. The device for locking the tire includes a plurality of clamping jaws disposed in spaced-apart relation to one another about the rim. Each jaw is rotatable about a clamping bolt. The rim of the wheel is provided, on its bottom, with fixing lugs. The jaws, when in an operative position, are applied against the fixing lugs to prevent the jaws from rotating about their clamping bolt.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to wheel rim constructions which permit a tire to undergo severe loading, or endure heavy duty conditions, and also permit the tire to run in a deflated state.
2. Background Information
Attempts have earlier been made, particularly in connection with cross-country vehicles, to design rim constructions which permit running with the tire under severe loading or heavy duty conditions, and also running with the tire in a deflated state, commonly referred to as run-flat driving. Examples of known constructions are given in SE-B-317,003, SE-B-362,219, DE-1,505,080, U.S. Pat. No. 2,028,601, U.S. Pat. No. 2,409,666, U.S. Pat. No. 4,151,870, U.S. Pat. No. 3,664,405, U.S. Pat. No. 3,669,174, U.S. Pat. No. 4,572,265 and SE-B-418,481 (=U.S. Pat. No. 4,016,917).
The construction disclosed in SE-B-418,481 relies on jaws or bead clamps which are elongate and which extend, when in their operative position, in the axial direction of the vehicle wheel to press the tire beads against the rim flanges. The bead clamps are retained in place by a clamping bolt passing through the rim bottom and mechanically pressing the bead clamps against the rim bottom, whereby to obtain a stable and strong engagement. These prior-art bead clamps have proved most useful and reliable for many types of vehicle tire.
It has however been found that these bead clamps may sometimes tend to rotate about the clamping bolt, particularly under heavy duty conditions and especially when using tires having a large axial width, particularly low-profile tires for forest machines and other cross-country vehicles. In fact, the purpose of the bead clamps is to mechanically fix the tire on the rim to prevent it from slipping thereon, also in the case of low air pressure. Another purpose of the bead clamps is to prevent air leakage between the tire beads and the rim flanges as a result of the tire beads coming loose from the rim flanges when the tire is subjected to high lateral stresses. If the bead clamps should rotate about the clamping bolt, the intended fixation of the tire would be undone.

Arrangement for retaining a tire on a vehicle wheel


An optic module contains a flexible circuit board forming a cable which connects between an optical sub-assembly and a rigid interconnect structure within the optic module. One end of the cable includes lands proximate to through holes for soldered connection to pins which extend from the optical sub-assemblies. At the other end of the cable leads extend across interconnection pads on the surface of the rigid interconnect structure for soldered connection. The top surface of the interconnect pads is 10/90 (Sn/Pb) solder to provide a high temperature soldered joint. Solder flux can not be used because cleaning solvents would contaminate the interconnect structure. An atmosphere of formic acid mixed with nitrogen surrounds the lead and pad and a fluxless solder joint is formed.

Manufacturers and those who utilize information handling systems have become interested in utilizing optical fibers for transmitting signals. Optical fibers include a round inner glass core coated with a material having a different index of refraction from that of the core. Light is transmitted along the core and reflected internally by the coating. Optical fibers may be enclosed in a protective sheath either as a single transmission line or as a bundle of fibers forming an optical cable. A single optical fiber has the potential to provide simultaneous bidirectional communication, however, as used in information systems today optical fibers are usually connected between optical sub-assemblies which either transmit or receive optical signals. Examples of various means for providing connections between optical fibers and electronic circuitry are illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,273,413 (Bendiksen et al), 4,547,039 (Caron et al), 4,647,148 (Katagiri), 4,707,067 (Haberland et al. ) and 5,005,939 (Arvanitakis et al. ) which are all incorporated herein by reference.
Optical modules include a two-part housing as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,005,939 (Arvanitakis et al.). The housing provides two receptacle sections for mounting one or more and most commonly, two barrel-shaped optical sub-assemblies. Typically, one optical sub-assembly is a light transmitter for converting an electrical signal into an optical signal and the other is a light receiver for converting the optical signal into an electrical signal. The housing provides for precise alignment of the optical sub-assemblies with optical fibers contained in a suitable plug-in connector. Also within the housing is an electrical interconnect structure, typically a ceramic substrate with a circuit of screen printed electrical conductors on the upper surface, with electronic circuits connected to the electrical circuit on the upper surface. The internal interconnect structure includes leads or pins which protrude through apertures out of the housing to connect to an external electrical interconnect structure, typically a printed circuit board, to complete the optical-electrical connection.
One end of each optical sub-assembly communicates with a respective optic cable and from the other end, conductive pins extend axially for electrical connection to an adjacent edge of the internal interconnect structure in the housing. The central axis of each barrel-shaped optical sub-assembly extends parallel to the planer internal interconnect structure. The pins extend from the adjacent ends of the optical sub-assembly substantially above the interconnect structure so the pins are bent into an elbow or S-shape for soldered or welded connection to interconnection pads on the internal interconnect structure which provides electrical connection to the electronic circuit.
The interconnection pads on the internal interconnect structure are made by producing a solder pad on top of a conductive pad of the electrical circuit on the top surface of the ceramic substrate.
Recently, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,005,939 (Arvanitakis), it was proposed as an alternative to such soldering of the optical subassembly pins directly to the interconnection pads of the internal interconnect structure, that a flexible interconnect structure be used to connect between the pins and the interconnection pads. That patent discloses one end of a ribbon cable soldered to the pins of an optical sub-assembly and a distal end of the cable soldered to the interconnection pads of the internal interconnect structure. That patent also disclosed that utilizing a flexible ribbon cable would reduce electromagnetic interference and that additional ESD/EMI protection could be provided by providing a multilayer ribbon cable which included a ground layer.
Materials and processes for manufacturing conventional flexible ribbon cables are well known, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,906,803 (Albrechta) and U.S. Pat. No. 4,435,740 (Huckabee et al. ), incorporated herein by reference, describe production of a flexible cable including a conductive circuit layer which may be copper and a dielectric layer of polymer such as Kapton.RTM.. Typically a conductive metal film is coated with a positive or negative photoresist which is exposed to electromagnetic radiation using a mask and cured and otherwise processed to produce a photoresist pattern. The metal film which is not covered by the photoresist is selectively chemically etched to form the conductive circuit layer. The photoresist is then usually removed. Dielectric layers are etched using a similar chemical process or by laser etching/ablation to form windows through the dielectric layer. The dielectric is laminated onto one or both sides of the circuit layer with the windows positioned for interconnection of the cable to pins of electronic components and termination connections to pads on electrical interconnect structures.
The terminal connections to pads are formed by laying the exposed copper conductive paths or leads across conductive pads on the substrate and welding or soldering. U.S. Pat. No. 4,697,061 (Sparer et al.) describes a process in which a tin coated copper covering is ND-YAG laser welded to a tin coated copper base which is soldered to a screen printed circuit on top of a ceramic substrate. A hold-down clamp presses the cover against the base during welding. U.S. Pat. No. 4,906,812 (Nied et al.) describes a machine for laser welding, braising or soldering in an inert atmosphere. U.S. Pat. No. 4,825,034 (Auvert et al.) discusses a laser machine with movable platen and U.S. Pat. No. 5,048,034 (Tulip) disclose a Nd:YAG laser machine. U.S. Pat. No. 4,926,022 (Freedman) describes a laser soldering procedure in which a continuous wave Nd:YAG laser beam is directed only at the pad while a hold-down appliance presses the lead into the pad. The patent also describes problems encountered in attempting to heat the lead for such soldering including non co-planarity, overheating, and obscuring the lead with the hold down appliance. U.S. Pat. No. 5,021,630 (Benko et al.) discloses utilizing clear glass for holding down the lead during laser soldering. Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 5,008,512 (Spletter) discloses a copper lead coated with tin or indium and laser soldered to a gold electrical bump with a pulsed YAG laser.

Optical module with fluxless laser reflow soldered joints

International Business Machines Corporation


A home dry cleaning article is provided. Thus, a hydroentangled carrier sheet comprising mixed cellulosic, rayon, polyester and optional bicomponent fibers which is releasably impregnated with solvents such as butoxy propoxy propanol, 1,2-octanediol as a wetting agent, water and an emulsifier is prepared. The article is placed in a plastic bag with soiled garments and tumbled in a hot-air clothes dryer. The garments are cleaned and refreshed.

By classical definition, the term "dry cleaning" has been used to describe processes for cleaning textiles using nonaqueous solvents. Dry cleaning is an old art, with solvent cleaning first being recorded in the United Kingdom in the 1860's. Typically, dry cleaning processes are used with garments such as woolens which are subject to shrinkage in aqueous laundering baths, or which are judged to be too valuable or too delicate to subject to aqueous laundering processes. Various hydrocarbon and halocarbon solvents have traditionally been used in immersion dry cleaning processes, and the need to handle and reclaim such solvents has mainly restricted the practice of conventional dry cleaning to commercial establishments.
While solvent-based dry cleaning processes are quite effective for removing oily soils and stains, they are not optimal for removing particulates such as clay soils, and may require special treatment conditions to remove proteinaceous stains. Ideally, particulates and proteinaceous stains are removed from fabrics using detersive ingredients and operating conditions which are more akin to aqueous laundering processes than to conventional dry cleaning.
In addition to the cleaning function, dry cleaning also provides important "refreshment" benefits. For example, dry cleaning removes undesirable odors and extraneous matter such as hair and lint from garments, which are then generally folded or pressed to remove wrinkles and restore their original shape. Of course, such refreshment benefits are also afforded by aqueous laundering processes.
As can be seen from the foregoing, and aside from the effects on certain fabrics such as woolens, there are no special, inherent advantages for solvent-based immersion dry cleaning over aqueous cleaning processes with respect to fabric cleaning or refreshment. Moreover, on a per-garment basis, commercial dry cleaning is much more expensive than aqueous cleaning processes.
While it would be of considerable benefit to consumers to provide dry cleaning compositions and processes which can be used in the home, the solvent systems used in commercial dry cleaning render this impractical. Indeed, various in-home dry cleaning systems have been suggested, but have not been widely accepted. Typically, such in-home systems comprise a carrier substrate which is releasably impregnated with a cleaning composition. The cleaning composition is carried by the substrate and is brought in contact with soiled fabrics, preferably in a hot air clothes dryer, to effect cleaning. In general, attempts to improve such dry cleaning processes involve the design of new apparatus, the selection of new cleaning solvents, or the formulation of new dry cleaning compositions. While such attempts may prove effective, they can lead to expensive and unduly complicated formulations and processes for the home user. Surprisingly, no substantial effort seems to have been expended in determining whether the carrier substrate, itself, could significantly improve overall cleaning performance.
The present invention provides a new approach to the problem of improving in-home dry cleaning and spot removal processes. It has now been discovered that certain types of carrier substrates, when used in the manner disclosed herein, themselves improve cleaning performance, especially in an in-home dry cleaning operation. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an optimal carrier for dry cleaning and spot removal processes. It is another objective herein to provide a combination of said preferred carrier with a preferred cleaning composition, all adapted for use in an in-home, non-immersion dry cleaning and spot removal operation. These and other objects are secured herein, as will be seen from the following disclosures.

Dry cleaning process with hydroentangled carrier substrate