Disclosed is a nickel ink comprising a dispersion medium and nickel particles dispersed in the medium and containing a methyldimethoxysilane coupling agent. The dispersion medium comprises a glycol having a boiling point of 300° C. or lower at ambient temperature, an alkoxyethanol having 3 to 10 carbon atoms, and an ether having 2 to 8 carbon atoms. The ink preferably has a surface tension adjusted to 15 to 50 mN/m and a viscosity at 25° C. adjusted to 0.6 to 60 mPa·sec. The ink is preferably used in inkjet printing.

Circuit pattern formation using metal nanoparticles having a particle size of nanometer order is known, and a number of techniques have recently been proposed in which a circuit is drawn or printed directly on a variety of substrates using a conductive metal ink (a metal ink containing metal nanoparticles) by means of an inkjet printer or a dispenser, and the applied ink is fired to form conductor wiring or electrodes. Circuit pattern formation on a variety of substrates by firing metal nanoparticles at low temperature is exemplified by the proposal of Patent Document 1. Circuit formation by inkjet printing a conductive metal ink is disclosed, e.g., in Patent Document 2.
The technique in which a circuit pattern is directly printed on a substrate by inkjet printing is attracting attention as a promising process allowing for great reduction of production cost because of a fewer number of steps involved and less waste from the steps than the generally spread, conventional circuit pattern forming technique utilizing photolithography. The conventional technique relying on photolithography is exemplified by the one disclosed in Patent Document 3.
We have thus seen the technological changes from photolithographic techniques into inkjet printing or dispenser techniques, which have enabled more convenient and less expensive circuit formation on a substrate. Nevertheless, the circuit formation technique using a conductive ink by inkjet printing or dispensing using a dispenser has not been widely spread primarily for the following reasons.    (i) The resulting conductor film lacks adhesion to various substrates, failing to fulfill fundamental characteristics required of a circuit board.    (ii) The resulting conductor film lacks sufficient surface smoothness. A circuit usually has a laminate structure including a base layer, so that it would have limited applicability in various respects unless the conductor film has sufficient surface smoothness. For example, a different component layer provided on a rough surface of a conductor film would be influenced by the underlying surface roughness and fail to maintain good thickness uniformity.
The problem (i) is believed to be largely caused by the characteristics of a dispersion medium used in a conductive ink. It is considered that the adhesion of a conductor film formed by firing applied ink to a substrate is governed by the chemical reaction between a binder component present in the dispersion medium and the substrate. The problem (ii) is believed to be caused by the characteristics of both the metal powder (metal particles) and the dispersion medium constituting a conductive ink. It is obvious that coarse metal particles make it impossible to form a conductor film with smooth surface. In addition to this, if the dispersion medium vigorously vaporizes and escapes from the inside of the conductor film during firing, it easily results in a failure to form a smooth film surface.
With respect to the binder component in ink, Patent Document 4 discloses using a silane coupling agent having a mercapto group or an amino group. The metal particles recited for use in the ink is gold, silver, platinum, copper, or palladium, but does not include nickel. Furthermore, the ink of Patent Document 4 is pasty with a relatively high viscosity and cannot be seen as suited to inkjet printing.                Patent Document 1 JP 2002-334618A        Patent Document 2 JP 2002-324966A        Patent Document 3 JP 9-246688A        Patent Document 4 JP 2004-179125A


Airtight and puncture-resistant multilayer elastomer laminate that can be used in particular in an inflatable article, such as a pneumatic tire for a vehicle, comprising at least the following three layers (phr signifying parts by weight per hundred parts of rubber (elastomer) in each composition considered): as an airtight first layer, a first elastomer composition comprising at least 50 phr of a diene elastomer; as a puncture-resistant second layer, a self-sealing second elastomer composition comprising at least 50 phr of a saturated thermoplastic styrene elastomer and more than 200 phr of an extender oil; as an adhesive third layer or interphase between the above two layers, a third composition comprising at least 30 phr of an unsaturated thermoplastic styrene elastomer.

In a conventional pneumatic tire of the "tubeless" type (that is to say of the type without an inner tube), the radially internal face comprises an airtight layer (or more generally a layer that is impermeable to any inflation gas) which enables the pneumatic tire to be inflated and kept under pressure. Its airtightness properties enable it to guarantee a relatively low rate of pressure loss, making it possible to keep the tire inflated, in the normal operating state, for a sufficient time, normally several weeks or several months. It also has the role of protecting the carcass reinforcement from diffusion of air coming from the internal space of the tire.
This role of airtight inner layer or "inner liner" is today essentially fulfilled by compositions based on an elastomer or butyl rubber, long renowned for their excellent airtightness properties.
Moreover, in recent years, pneumatic tire manufacturers have made particularly strenuous efforts to develop novel ways of solving a problem dating back from the very start of the use of wheels fitted with inflated pneumatic tires, namely how to allow a vehicle to continue to travel despite a substantial or total loss of pressure of one or more pneumatic tires. For decades, the spare wheel was considered to be the sole and universal solution. Then, more recently, the considerable advantages of possibly dispensing with the spare wheel have appeared. The concept of "extended mobility" was developed. The associated techniques allow the vehicle to run with the same pneumatic tire, dependent on certain limitations to be respected, after a puncture or a pressure drop. This makes it possible for example to get to a point of repair without having to stop, in often hazardous circumstances, to fit the spare wheel.
Self-sealing compositions that can achieve such an objective, which by definition are capable automatically, i.e. without any external intervention, of rendering a pneumatic tire airtight in the event of it being punctured by a foreign body, such as a nail, are particularly difficult to develop.
In order to be able to be used, a self-sealing layer must satisfy many conditions of a physical and chemical nature. It must in particular be effective over a very wide range of operating temperatures and over the entire lifetime of the pneumatic tires. It must be capable of sealing the hole when the puncturing body remains in place; following expulsion of the latter, it must be able to fill in the hole and render the pneumatic tire airtight.
Many solutions have been envisioned but have not been able to be developed in pneumatic tires for vehicles, in particular due to the lack of stability over time or lack of effectiveness under extreme operating temperature conditions.
To help to maintain good effectiveness at high temperature, document U.S. Pat. No. 4,113,799 (or FR-A-2 318 042) has proposed, as self-sealing layer, a composition comprising a combination of partially crosslinked butyl rubbers of high and low molecular weights, optionally in the presence of a small portion of a thermoplastic styrene elastomer. For good sealing effectiveness, said composition comprises from 55 to 70% by weight of a tackifying agent.
Document U.S. Pat. No. 4,228,839 has proposed, as self-sealing layer for a tire, a rubber compound containing a first polymer material that degrades when irradiated, such as polyisobutylene, and a second polymer material that crosslinks when irradiated, preferably a butyl rubber.
Document U.S. Pat. No. 4,426,468 has itself also proposed a self-sealing composition for a tire based on crosslinked butyl rubber of very high molecular weight.
A known drawback of butyl rubbers is that they suffer large hysteresis losses, furthermore over a wide temperature range, which drawback has repercussions on the layers or compositions themselves, whether they are of gastight type or of the self-sealing type, giving them a large increase in hysteresis and considerably degrading the rolling resistance of pneumatic tires using such compositions.
Reducing the hysteresis of gastight and self-sealing multilayer laminates, and therefore in fine the fuel consumption of motor vehicles, is a general objective that the current technology comes up against.
Moreover, the Applicants have observed that the self-sealing compositions based on butyl rubber may be insufficiently effective after the delayed expulsion or removal of a puncturing article left in place for a long period in the structure of the pneumatic tire.
Document EP-B 1-1 090 069 has indeed itself proposed self-sealing compositions that are free of butyl rubber, the specific formulation of which comprises, per 100 parts by weight of a styrene-based thermoplastic elastomer, 80 to 140 parts of a liquid plasticizer, 110 to 190 parts of a tackifying resin and from 2 to 20 parts of an additive.
A large amount of tackifying resin, besides the higher industrial cost that it induces for the tires, may itself also degrade the rolling resistance of the tires due to a risk of excessive stiffening of the self-sealing composition.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Puncture-resistant air-impermeable laminate for an inflatable article

Compagnie Generale des Etablissements Michelin


The improved steering controller is of the type used to control the angular position of the rear wheels on a four-wheel-steer vehicle as a function of the angular position of the front, operator-steered wheels. The controller includes a computing section, a visual display of the alpha-numeric type and a visual indicator which provides a bar-like display having a number of individual "markers" arranged in a row. The apparent length of such bar-like display, which changes as markers are illuminated, apprises the vehicle operator of the approximate magnitude and direction of angular displacement of the rear wheels from the centered position. The alpha-numeric visual display indicates operational mode as well as "errors" used in troubleshooting diagnosis and repair. The controller also incorporates a "learn" feature whereby the threshold input power and coil operating current of the steering hydraulic valve are determined and stored in a memory section to provide more consistent valve operation and to reduce setup time. Matched or proportional steering is provided.

Consistent with requirements for increased productivity, off-highway vehicles such as large agricultural tractors have steadily increased in size with the introduction of new models. In some models, such size increases were accompanied by diminished vehicle maneuverability because only the front wheels were steerable. More recently, improved vehicle designs provide for steering of all wheels. In response to such designs, improved steering systems have been developed so that as the front wheels are steered by the operator, the rear wheels are automatically steered in response thereto.
While earlier automatic steering systems were generally satisfactory, they were not without certain deficiencies. An example of such an earlier system is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,175,638 (Christensen) which is assigned to the same assignee as this invention. The Christensen system is of the analog type; that is, proportional voltages are used for several functions such as hydraulic steering valve control. For a given "standard" of accuracy, reliability and position resolution, analog systems are generally more expensive and difficult to maintain at optimum performance. This is particularly true where the system is mounted on a hard-worked, sometimes-abused off-highway vehicle.
Such system employs potentiometers to obtain the feedback signal and the setting of such potentiometers is quite critical. Potentiometer setting is required to be done with precision and occasions the use of a volt-ohmmeter, an instrument sometimes not quickly available in the field--even if there are personnel at the site who know how to use it.
Such system uses a control valve to direct hydraulic oil to the wheel steering cylinder(s) at a rate required to maintain the automatically-steered rear wheels in position coordination with the front, manually-steered wheels. Such valves have a minimum or "threshold" input power at which wheel movement is produced. If the valve is operated below this input power level, no wheel steering motion results. If, like the Christensen system, the minimum input power level is recognized in the control protocol, such power level is required to be determined by a technician and "set" in the controller to achieve satisfactory system operation. Such determination and setting is time-consuming and if the control valve is required to be replaced for some reason, is often required to be done anew. No two control valves have precisely the same threshold input power. If the system is of the type where threshold input power is not recognized and set, the system tends to be sluggish and less responsive.
Another disadvantage of such system is that even after setting the threshold input power, system responsiveness may suffer over time due to changes in the temperature of the hydraulic valve coil or coils. Such changes in temperature are usually accompanied by changes in coil resistance and therefore, with a constant input voltage, in coil current. Changes in such current affect valve and system performance.
Still another occasional disadvantage of such system (and, probably, others of its type) is that the automatically-steered wheels, if "locked" in the centered position while steering with only the front wheels, tend to drift out of position to an unacceptable angle. As a result, tires are sometimes scuffed and wear prematurely and the vehicle becomes less fuel-efficient, albiet perhaps only incrementally so. Wheel misalignment also causes unnecessary stress on steering and suspension components.
Yet another disadvantage of such earlier system and others of that type is that diagnosis of component failures is quite difficult. Often, the vehicle operator is unable to explain the resulting steering impairment with certainty. In the case of an intermittent "error" or failure, the servicing technician is occasionally required to spend a great deal of time riding and/or watching the vehicle in order to witness such failure so that necessary repairs can be performed.


Method and apparatus are described wherein, in one example embodiment, a public key certificate issued by a certificate authority includes at least one characteristic that does not conform to at least one rule established for the operation of a public key infrastructure. An attribute certificate is issued to be used to modify the public key certificate in accordance with information contained in the attribute certificate to create a modified public key certificate wherein the at least one characteristic is modified so as conform to the at least one rule. According to one example embodiment, the attribute certificates may be distributed by a certificate authority, or embedded in an application that includes an engine that is used to modify the non-conforming public key certificate.

In cryptography, a public key infrastructure (PKI) is an arrangement that provides for trusted third party vetting of, and vouching for, user identities. It also allows binding of public keys to users. This is usually carried out by software at a central location together with other coordinated software at distributed locations. The public keys are typically distributed in public key certificates (PKCs) that are usually distributed by a Certificate Authority (CA). PKI arrangements enable users to be authenticated to each other, and to use the information in identity certificates (e.g., each other's public keys) to encrypt and decrypt messages. In general, a PKI consists of client software, server software such as a Certificate Authority, hardware (e.g., smart cards), and operational procedures. A user may digitally sign messages using his private key, and another user can check that signature using the public key contained in that user's certificate issued by a Certificate Authority within the PKI. This enables two (or more) communicating parties to establish confidentiality, message integrity, and user authentication without having to exchange any secret information in advance.
Many enterprise-scale PKI systems rely on certificate chains to establish a party's identity, as a certificate may have been issued by the Certificate Authority computer whose 'legitimacy' is established for such purposes by a certificate issued by a higher-level Certificate Authority, and so on. This produces a certificate hierarchy composed of, at a minimum, several computers, often more than one organization, and often assorted interoperating software packages from several sources. For this purpose, a certification path validation algorithm may be used to verify that a given certificate path is valid under a given public key infrastructure. A path starts with the subject certificate and may proceed through a number of intermediate certificates up to a trusted root certificate, typically issued by a trusted Certification Authority.
Standards are critical to PKI operation, and public standards are critical to PKIs intended for extensive operation. Some of the standards for PKI infrastructures are provided by the IETF PKIX working group (PKIX-WG), for example as stated in RFC 3280 and related RFCs. However most of the PKIs do not follow exactly the RFC rule set. For example, RFC 3280 requires that all the PKCs that are CAs must have the Basic Constraint extension, and must assert the CA bit. If not, then the PKC can't be considered as a CA. Some of the intermediate CAs in Europe, for instance, may not follow this PKI rule and do not include any Basic Constraint extension within the PKC. Accordingly, such CAs may not be compatible with some RFC 3280 rules. Examples of other non-conformant PKC attributes may include Validity Dates, KeyUsage, Extended Key Usage, CRL Distribution Point, Authority Information Access, Subject Key Identifier, Authority Key Identifier, or Certificate Policy.
In order to accommodate non-compliant PKCs, some PKI engines may include configurability options for each capability where the PKIs can diverge from the RFCs. Users of such non-conformant PKI engines are then provided documentation explaining how to configure their application (manually) to accommodate or work around the non-conformant performance of the PKI engine. However, such manual configuration is undesirable for a variety of reasons.

Method and apparatus for achieving conformant public key infrastructures


A display system for displaying visually perceivable information, particularly from elevated structures such as poles. A generally rigid board shaped in the form of a pennant has visual indicia on one or more sides. The board is hingeably attached to a cross-arm which in turn is secured to a structure such as the pole. The preferred construction of the board is a structured plastic for purposes of rigidity, durability, and environmental longevity.

A. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to visual display systems, and in particular, to display systems which can be suspended from such things as poles and which can withstand wind and outdoor environmental conditions.
B. Problems in the Art
The general advantages of utilizing a visual display system such as disclosed in the above-identified incorporated by reference application, are set forth in that application. It has been found, however, that certain problems and potential problems exist with the particular type of display systems disclosed therein.
For example, the preferred embodiment discusses utilization of cloth or fabric pennants. In some instances, the lower ends of the pennants are weighted to attempt to resist the wind disrupting the view of the pennants.
It has been discovered that the following types of problems exist with this type of pennant.
The pennants Call be susceptible to ripping. If exposed to winds over substantial periods of time, the weighted lower end can actually rip out a pennant or can contribute to ripping in other locations including the pennant's attachment point to supporting structure. The wind loading can also contribute to damage or failure of the supporting structure, including brackets, rods, or the like used to suspend the pennants. Finally, even fairly durable fabric or cloth type material, if buffeted by the wind, can contribute to viewing problems in the sense that it is difficult to read or visually observe any indica on the pennants, along with problems concerning durability and longevity of fabric or the indica on the fabric.
The flexibility of canvas or vinyl allows the pennant to flip in the breeze or wind. Oscillation can start, particularly with weighted bottom ends. This can be detrimental to the pennants, and to the mounting structure and even the poles. Wind load can be substantial. If multiple pennants are on a pole, the pole may not be able to stand the cumulative wind load. More rigid materials like sheet metal or sheet plastic are not rigid enough to prevent oscillation. There mass also contributes to such problems. Sectional thickness for sufficient rigidity is needed.
Improvements with respect to this type of display system are needed and have been identified.
A principle object of the present invention is therefore to improve upon state of the art. Other objects and advantages of an improved system include:
1. Ease of installation. PA1 2. Longevity of display surfaces. PA1 3. Longevity of attachment components. PA1 4. Rigidity of display surfaces with compensation for wind. PA1 5. Improved visibility of indicia on display surfaces during all sorts of conditions. PA1 6. Elimination of problems encountered with cloth or fabric type display surfaces. PA1 7. Durability and economy. PA1 8. Sufficient rigidity gained from sectional thickness but with minimal mass to deter flopping, whipping, and oscillation in the breeze or wind. PA1 9. Sufficient rigidity in the vertical plane but lightweight to reduce drag and bending.
These and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent with reference to the accompanying drawings and specifications.


A developing apparatus has a substrate holder to hold a substrate, a heater which is provided in a substrate holder, and heats a substrate on a substrate holder for processing a resist film by PEB, a cooler to cool a substrate on a substrate holder, a developing solution nozzle to supply a developing solution to a substrate on a substrate holder, and a controller to control a heater, a cooler and a developing nozzle.

A photolithography process of semiconductor device uses a system incorporating a coating-developing apparatus in an exposure apparatus. As an exposure apparatus, a stepper (reduction projection step and repeat exposure system) using KrF excimer laser as a light source is generally used. A stepper applies light to a resist film through a photo mask (reticle), and transfers a predetermined circuit pattern to a resist film. However, in the recent semiconductor device manufacturing, many different types of products are manufactured, and a photo mask must to be made for each type of product in an exposure apparatus, increasing the manufacturing cost. Therefore, electron beam writing exposure requiring no photo mask has received attention.
Electron beam writing exposure is a technique of writing a predetermined pattern by applying an electron beam directly to a resist film. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, an electron beam emitted from an electron gun 111 is bent by an electric field formed by electromagnetic lenses 112 and 113 corresponding to a mask, and a predetermined mark pattern is formed by combination of electromagnetic lenses 112 and 113, and directly written on a resist film 114.
In electron beam writing exposure, an electron beam is easier to be bent if its energy is smaller, and an electron beam with a low acceleration is used. Thus, energy of an electron beam per unit time given to the resist film 114 is small, and if an electro beam is emitted for a short time, the resist film 114 is insufficiently exposed. Particularly, when a chemically amplified resist is exposed by electron beam writing exposure, the amount of exposure is extremely insufficient. If the electron beam emitting time is set long (e.g. about 20 minutes) as a measure to prevent insufficient exposure, a throughput will be lowered.
FIGS. 2A and 2B are schematic illustrations showing exposing and developing states by using a positive chemically amplified resist. First, expose a film coated with the resist 114 on a wafer W. A proton (H+) 116 is generated in an exposure area 115 (shown shaded) as shown in FIG. 2A. Then, heat the wafer W to a temperature of 90-140° C. in a PEB (Post Exposure Bake) process, the proton (H+) diffuses in the resist 114, and accelerates acid catalysis. The proton (H+) resolves a base resin of the resist 114, and the resist 114 becomes soluble in a developing solution. During the acid catalysis, a new proton (H+) is generated like a chain reaction, and the new proton (H+) resolves the base resin. In this way the acid catalysis is amplified and accelerated one after another. Then, pour a developing solution on the resist R coated film. An exposed portion 115 is dissolved, and a resist pattern 115a is formed.
However, in electron beam writing exposure, the exposing amount is insufficient and the exposed portion 115 is difficult to be dissolved in the developing solution, and as shown in FIG. 2B, the resist pattern 115a may become unclear. As a result, it is impossible to form a well-shaped resist pattern with precise line width.
As described above, in electron beam writing exposure, the effective sensitivity of a chemically amplified resist is low and the exposure time is long, and the throughput is extremely lower than exposure by a stepper (reduction projection step and repeat exposure system) using KrF excimer laser (λ=248 nm) or ArF excimer laser (λ=193 nm).

Developing apparatus and developing method


In some aspects, a quantum information processing circuit includes a lumped-element device on the surface of a dielectric substrate. The lumped-element device can include a capacitor pad and an inductive transmission line. The capacitor pad can be capacitively coupled to another capacitor pad. The inductive transmission line can reside in an interior clearance area defined by an inner boundary of the capacitor pad. The lumped-element device can be, for example, a resonator device or a filter device. The inductive transmission line can be, for example, a meander inductor.

The following description relates to lumped-element devices that can be used, for instance, in quantum information processing systems.
Microwave circuit topologies typically include signal and ground electrodes on the surface(s) of a dielectric substrate. Such topologies are often used for transferring and processing microwave signals. Some topologies include transmission line systems that can operate as resonators or filters.

Lumped-element device for quantum information processing systems


A transformer device and a control method for the transformer device are provided. The transformer device includes a transformer, an uplink cascade connection port, a downlink cascade connection port, and a controller. The controller is enabled when the transformer receives an input electric power, and the controller determines whether the uplink cascade connection port is connected to an uplink transformer device. When the uplink cascade connection port is connected to the uplink transformer device, the controller detects a downlink external transformer device connected to the downlink cascade connection port, reports a detection result to the uplink transformer device, and obtains a control signal from the uplink cascade connection port. The controller converts the input electric power into an output electric power according to the control signal and the transformer.

Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a transformer technology. More specifically, the invention relates to a transformer device and a control method therefore for connecting the transformer devices with one another to integrate output powers.
Description of Related Art
In recent years, consumer electronic products have been gradually categorized according to different functions. For instance, notebook computers are designed mainly for eSports, tablet computers for easy Internet access, Smartphones for portability and convenient use, etc. Since power consumptions of the consumer electronic products may vary when different functions are performed, transformers of the consumer electronic products are self-adapted according to respective requirements for the power consumptions, such that the transformers of the consumer electronic products may not be commonly used.
In other words, when a consumer electronic product is damaged or eliminated, a transformer corresponding to the consumer electronic product may not be used anymore, and electronic waste is thus created. Thereby, if the transformer technology with the same specification is applied, the transformers may be commonly used by different consumer electronic products. Nevertheless, output powers of the transformers are different, and thus the consumer electronic products which may be commonly used have to be adjusted by users.

Transformer device and control method therefor


The present invention is a method and an apparatus for automatically tuning a plant. The method includes the steps of applying a plurality of sinusoidal signals to the plant, and measuring the frequency response of the plant to the plurality of sinusoidal signals to detect frequencies at which the plant is resonant. The coefficients of at least one digital filter are calculated such that the at least one filter when combined with the plant suppresses the detected resonances. The method further includes applying at least one sinusoidal signal having a frequency substantially equal to a crossover frequency of the system to the at least one filter and plant, and measuring the frequency response to calculate the magnitude and phase response of the filters and plant at that frequency. The coefficients of the compensator are calculated such that when combined with the plant and the at least one filter the combination provides a response which yields said predetermined system response. An apparatus to substantially perform the method as described is also disclosed.

This invention relates to control systems and more particularly to adaptive control systems for use in tuning a plant in which the control parameters are determined and effected automatically based upon a desired system performance.
Briefly, by way of background, a plant is the controlled element in a system. It is a body, process, or machine, of which a particular quantity or condition is to be controlled. A controller is employed to control the particular quantity or condition of the plant. An adaptive controller performs this type of control in real-time. That is an adaptive controller performs real-time data manipulation to determine and implement control parameters used to produce a satisfactory and consistent response by the plant.
Long range application systems employ controllers for precise tuning of the line-of-sight and line-of-sight rate for use in directing, pointing, tracking and rate control applications for laser, inertial navigation, photography, and radar systems. For example, long range photographic camera systems are employed to provide high resolution reconnaissance photographs from large stand-off distances thereby greatly enhancing mission safety and survivability. Imaging from exceedingly long distances requires a precise image stabilization system to minimize distortions caused by aircraft motion. Further, the long range photographic camera systems' directing, pointing, tracking and rate units require precise tuning to remove or suppress any undesirable characteristics of the components used in the systems and thereby tune the system.
In the environment of long range photographic equipment systems, the plant generally includes a power amplifier, a motor, a gimbal, a mirror and a gyroscope. The power amplifier and motor are employed to precisely control the line of sight, for example, of the laser or camera. One or more inertial rate-integrating gyroscopes mounted on the laser or camera platform serve as angular motion sensors. A feedback device may be employed to measure acceleration, velocity and/or position of the platform.
The control loop or controller generally includes filters and compensators to perform system tuning to remove or reduce any non-idealitics of the components, for example, resonances due to the gyroscope and/or motor. Conventional long range application systems employ analog filters and compensators in the control loop of the rate unit. The filters and compensators are designed from discrete analog components, for example, discrete inductors, capacitors and/or operational amplifiers. They often include potentiometers that facilitate precise filter tuning as well as subsequent "tweaking" when necessary.
Systems employing an analog tuning require an experienced and skilled technician to tune the analog circuits to thereby provide a desired system response. This generally requires utilizing a spectrum analyzing device to measure and characterize the frequency response of the system. Each filter and compensator is then tuned so that the system attains the desired performance specifications.
Analog tuning systems often require many adjustable components to implement a precise tuning network. This often leads to a time consuming and complex tuning procedure that must be performed for each tuning network of each module. Further, analog tuning systems are often complex designs that tend to be very large and bulky in environments under great space constraints.
Employing an adaptive control system alleviates the need for analog filters and compensators used in tuning the system. One such conventional adaptive control system employs a pole-placement method to determine the parameters of the compensator. For example, Goodnick and Lau in "Adaptive Control Algorithm Self-Tunes Industrial Servo," Intelligent Motion, September 1989, pages 26-32, describe an adaptive control system employing a pole-placement method to determine a compensator's control parameters for self-tuning to a specified closed loop response. Briefly, in a pole-placement compensator design control algorithm, the system designer specifies the system's closed loop dynamics. Input and output data determine open loop process parameters. The system uses these parameters to compute the
compensator coefficients or parameters.

Adaptive digital controller with automatic plant tuning


An illumination device with wake-up and/or fall-asleep functionality is disclosed. The illumination devices comprises at least one controllable light source; a control device for controlling the light source, wherein in a STEADY mode, color and intensity of the output light are maintained constant at a steady colour value and a steady intensity value and in and a WAKE-UP mode, the intensity of the output light is gradually increased from zero to the steady intensity value and in a FALL-ASLEEP mode, the intensity of the output light is gradually decreased from the steady intensity value to zero.

A wake-up lamp is a lamp comprising one or more light sources, of which the power (corresponding to light intensity) is slowly and gradually increased from zero (or a starting value close to zero) to a maximum value during a certain time period, for instance 30 minutes, and after that the power is maintained. Such a lamp is used to simulate the natural process of increasing daylight level at sunrise, which has a positive effect on people waking up. The process can also be run in reverse, so that the power (corresponding to light intensity) is slowly and gradually decreased from the maximum value to zero (or an end value close to zero), to simulate the natural process of decreasing daylight level at sunset, which has a positive effect on people going to sleep.
Wake-up lamps and fall-asleep lamps are commonly known, so a more detailed explanation is omitted here. Further, for sake of convenience, the following explanation will focus on wake-up lamps but the same explanation applies, mutatis mutandis, to fall-asleep lamps, as should be clear to a person skilled in the art.
Wake-up lamps can be implemented with different types of light sources. For instance, the light source used can be an incandescent lamp, a discharge lamp, an LED, etc. Varying the output power of a light source is typically done by varying the lamp current.

Illumination device with wake-up function


A method of making extrafine pure elemental metal powder from a highly malleable pure elemental metal powder. The pure elemental metal powder is oxidized, ground to a desired average particle size, reduced in a reducing atmosphere to a pure elemental metal powder, and then sieved to obtain the desired fraction of extrafine pure elemental metal powder.

Certain malleable pure elemental metals, such as cobalt, nickel or copper, are also highly malleable when formed into pure metal powders. Attempts to reduce the average particle size of such malleable powders are often futile, as the powder particles are easily deformed and tend to flatten when subjected to particle size reduction processes.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,721,135 to Wimberly discloses a method of producing metal powders which have a closely controlled particle size distribution for use in powder metallurgy applications (column 1, lines 31-35). Too great a fraction of fine-size particles may make them unsuitable for such powder metallurgy applications (column 1, lines 53-65). An objective of the Wimberly process is thus to increase the average particle size of the metal powders as well as to closely control the particle size distribution.
The disclosed source of these powders is a metal-bearing material, typically a metallic oxide from an ore such as magnetite (column 2, lines 68-71). In the Wimberly process, the metallic oxide is sintered, an effect of which is to increase the particle size of the oxide powder (column 2, lines 36-40). The sintered material is then crushed and/or ground to the desired particle size distribution (column 2, lines 17-20 and lines 47-50). The ground oxide is then reduced by means of a reducing agent (column 2, lines 50-52), an effect of which is to agglomerate the ground oxide particles (column 2, line 53). The reduced material is then reground or milled to obtain a metal powder having the desired particle size characteristics (column 2, lines 53-56). The only metal disclosed in Wimberly is iron.
Methods for producing fine cobalt metal powders are also disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,798,623 to Cheresnowsky, 4,705,559 to Miller, 4,348,224 to Gingerich et al., and 4,093,450 to Doyle et al. In these patents, a cobalt-containing precipitate is obtained from aqueous solutions of cobalt-containing materials. The precipitate is then reduced to form cobalt metal powders.

Method for producing extrafine pure metal powder


Powdered coals are rapidly flocculated from aqueous suspensions by the simple addition of water-soluble starch xanthate, thereby producing a readily recoverable sediment phase and a substantially clear aqueous phase.

1. Field of the Invention
As a result of the pending energy shortage in the United States and other coal-producing countries, current emphasis is on rapid and inexpensive means for distributing the coal to storage and shipping centers, and also to the electric generating plants. A now widely practiced method is pipeline pumping of pulverized coal in aqueous slurry. An existent problem with this practice lies with the efficient recovery from the slurry of both the coal and an environmentally acceptable discharge water. After primary separation of the larger particles, a substantial proportion of the coal remains in the slurry as a colloidal suspension. Attempts to flocculate this residual colloidal coal have relied upon complicated and expensive chemical procedures.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,717,574, Werneke flocculates coal by a process requiring the combination of pH adjustment to the slightly acid range and the addition of at least two water-soluble anionic polymers or copolymers. One of the polymers must be of low molecular weight and comprise acrylic acid linkages, and the other must be of high molecular weight and comprise vinyl acid linkages. Werneke further teaches that a water-soluble anionic starch acts as an auxiliary flocculant when combined with the low molecular weight polymer in his system. Similarly, in British Pat. No. 1,309,473, Jonason shows starch phosphate as a flocculant for coal washery tailings. While this patent acknowledges the desirability of a truly soluble starch derivative for use as a flocculating agent, the highest starch phosphate solubility obtained therein is 61%. Moreover, this degree of solubility is obtainable only by stringent conditions of preparation.

Flocculation of coals with water-soluble starch xanthates

The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of Agriculture


A method for obtaining data includes scanning an organ with an imaging system emitting X-rays and modulating the emitted X-rays with an organ specific bowtie addition.

This invention relates generally to medical imaging and, more particularly, to medical imaging using bowtie filters.
At least some known bowties used in current Computed Tomographic (CT) scanners are designed for general uses. For example, a General Electric LightSpeed scanner commercially available from General Electric Medical Systems of Waukesha Wis. has a head bowtie for the head and pediatric applications and a body bowtie for adult body scans. The body bowtie was designed to provide a fairly uniform X-ray flux on the detector surface after the X-rays pass through the body, therefore providing relatively equivalent image quality (noise) for the whole imaging area. This, however, may not be necessary if one is only interested in specific organs, such as a heart, and may introduce extra surface dose to the patient that may not improve the image quality of the specific organs that one is interested in.

GE Medical Systems Global Technology Company, LLC


A semiconductor package includes a suspended substrate having one or more semiconductor devices thereon, a metallic case covering the suspended substrate, the suspended substrate being supported by a plurality of mechanical leads on opposing sides of the semiconductor package, at least one of the plurality of mechanical leads having a coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) that substantially matches a CTE of the suspended substrate, where at least one of the plurality of mechanical leads is electrically connected to the suspended substrate, and where the plurality of mechanical leads absorb mechanical shocks so as to prevent damage to the semiconductor package. The semiconductor package also includes a thermal gel between the suspended substrate and the metallic case. The suspended substrate can be a printed circuit board. The metallic case includes mounting ears for transferring heat away from the semiconductor package.

Semiconductor power modules control electrical power to circuits and devices, such as motors, actuators, controllers or the like. When high reliability is required for use in extreme or harsh environments, such as in high performance vehicles, aircrafts, space shuttles and satellites, it is important to provide semiconductor packages that are mechanically robust and thermally efficient. For example, in some space and satellite applications, semiconductor packages with power semiconductor devices require packaging of high thermal conductivity in order to maintain useful operation of the devices. However, most packaging materials with good thermal characteristics do not offer matching substrate to package coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE).
In a conventional semiconductor package, a substrate is attached to a package using hardware and hard soldering paste, which make the semiconductor package rigid and prone to damages caused by, for example, mechanical shocks. The contact points between the package and the substrate consume the limited usable area of the substrate. Moreover, due to a mismatch of coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) between the substrate and the packaging material, the substrate and the package experience volume expansion and contraction at different rates, thereby introducing thermal stress that can damage the power semiconductor devices and circuitry on the substrate.
Accordingly, there is a need to overcome the drawbacks and deficiencies in the art by providing a robust high performance semiconductor package that is thermally efficient and shock resistant.

Robust high performance semiconductor package


A flood bar actuator for initiating the flood cycle in a universal screen printing machine is described. The squeegee assembly is mounted for vertical movement relative to the screen. The flood bar assembly is mounted adjacent the squeegee assembly, with an inner end fixedly mounted to an accessory support, and an outer end pivotally attached to the inner end. A peg extending from the squeegee assembly forces the flood bar up in the print cycle and allows the flood bar to drop onto the screen during the flood cycle. The height of the flood bar is adjustable through the rotation of the screw seated in an opening formed by a split support block forming the opening. A first half of the split support block is pivotally attached to the inner flood bar support as described, while the flood bar is supported from the second movable half. This second movable half has a threaded channel formed in its walls while the first channel has smooth walls. With this structure, on the rotation of the screw, the second half will be vertically moved relative to the first half for adjustment of the height of the flood bar relative to the screen.

This invention relates to screen printing presses in general and in particular, to a means for driving a squeegee and flood bar across a printing screen and alternately reversing their positions during respective print and flood cycles.
In a conventional screen printing operation after a printing cycle a pool of ink must be directed back by the flood bar across the screen towards the starting position of the squeegee in what is known as a flood stroke. The screen is placed in contact with the object being printed and the squeegee is lowered onto the screen while the flood bar is raised off the screen. The squeegee is then drawn back across the screen to force the ink through the screen onto the object in the areas desired and thereby print the message or artwork.
Various means have been devised to drive a squeegee and a flood bar mounted on what is often called the carriage, across the screen and reverse their relative vertical positions during the press cycle. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 3,955,501 to Bubley and Oltra, present a workable solution for flat bed presses. U.S. Pat. No. 4,111,118 to Green et al. and application Ser. No. 827,738 to Bubley et al. both teach a squeegee and flood bar apparatus for use with three dimensional presses, for printing of circular, oval or flat objects as desired.
It is with this latter type of printing press, often termed a universal printing press because of its capability of printing on both flat and curved surfaces, that the squeegee and flood bar actuator of the subject invention is intended to be used with. In addition to the abovementioned patents, U.S. Pat. No. 3,090,300 to DuBuit teaches the universal screen printing press of a type on which the subject invention may be used. Also, co-pending application Ser. No. 927,553 to Lala teaches a universal screen printing press as may utilize the squeegee and flood bar actuator of the subject invention.

Combined squeegee and flood bar for automatic presses

American Screen Printing Equipment Company


A grill device includes a grilling unit, a heating unit, a controlling unit and a switching unit. A second grilling module of the grilling unit (3) is pivotable to a first grilling module between closed and open positions to cover and uncover the first grilling module, respectively. First and second control modules of the controlling unit enable the heating unit to heat the first and second grilling modules with a first heating power and at least the first grilling module with a second heating power, respectively. The switching unit, is configured to be triggered to turn on the first control module when the second grilling module is at the closed position, and to turn on the second control module when it is not triggered.

A conventional grill device usually includes pivotally-connected upper and lower grilling modules provided respectively with upper and lower grilling plates. However, when the upper grilling plate uncovers the lower grilling plate, the heating power provided by the upper and lower grilling plates remains unchanged, and thus may be insufficient to cook the food disposed on the upper and lower grilling plates.

Tsann Kuen (Zhangzhou) Enterprise Co., Ltd.


A cooking tool is disclosed which is a combination of a spatula for handling food and a boom-mounted probe having an indicator for checking temperature or doneness attained during cooking. The disclosure includes both a home and a fast-food restaurant embodiment of the tool. In both embodiments, the tool has a probe for measuring temperature mounted on a manually retractable boom, which probe is extendable over various sites of the food being checked. The boom is pivotally attached to the elongated arm of a spatula and by a scissor-like action is raised out of and lowered into the food. In the home model, the tool is provided with a temperature indicator in the form of a digital readout. In the fast-food restaurant model, the indicator provided is a GO/NO GO gauge and the probe and indicator fit in a quick-disconnect receptacle. In the latter model, a different gauge, when required for a specific application, may be substituted. Both units are designed for one-hand operation and have a manually controlled boom.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an apparatus for use during cooking of temperature sensitive foods and provides for the handling of the food and the monitoring of the internal temperatures thereof. The invention further relates to a cooking tool manipulatable by one hand of the user, which tool has a temperature sensing probe mounted on a retractable boom so that multiple points of the object being cooked or heated can be monitored for the proper degree of doneness or of temperature elevation.
2. Background of the Prior Art
It is well known that in food preparation sufficient thermal exposure is necessary so as to exceed the thermal death time of disease causing microorganisms and, in doing so, comply with recommended health standards. The commonest disease causing bacteria are a group of anaerobic gram-negative bacteria, including the genera salmonella, shigella and Klebsiella. Of these, salmonella is most commonly found in foodstuffs, namely eggs and egg products, poultry, and meat products, particularly ground meats. With the growing popularity of ground poultry, the need for monitoring doneness and cooking temperatures has grown.
To date few satisfactory tools have been developed to monitor proper cooking techniques. Temperature probes, as will be seen herein below, have been described, but in the cooking process such probes tend not to be used when the devices are not combined with other cooking utensils.
In preparation for this application, several patents became known to the inventor hereof. These patents are as follows:
______________________________________ ITEM NO. U.S. PAT. NO. INVENTOR ISSUE DATE ______________________________________ 1 4,569,130 Koller et al. 02/11/1986 2 4,580,909 McIntosh 04/08/1986 3 4,832,599 Kung 05/23/1989 4 4,962,765 Kung et al. 10/16/1990 5 5,082,373 Rohde et al. 01/21/1992 ______________________________________
In considering the various patents known to the inventor hereof the following discussion is provided:
U.S. Pat. No. 4,569,130--Koller et al.
The Koller et al. patent shows a spatula for serving cakes and pies having an integral scraper that, when not in use, is rearwardly spring biased for storage at the base of the spatula handle.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,580,909--McIntosh
The McIntosh '909 reference shows a pair of tongs with a probe mounted on the same pivot as the arms of the tongs. The action by which the temperature probe is inserted into the cooked food product is fixed in relation to the hinge element.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,832,599 to Kung and U.S. Pat. No. 4,962,765 to Kung et al.
The Kung and Kung et al. patents disclose a periodontal probe with a temperature sensing element mounted in the extreme end of a stem piece. The handle of the probe contains a temperature display unit.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,082,373--Rohde et al.
The Rohde patent discloses a food handling device for gripping and probing sides of beef or large cuts of meat as the same are moved along an overhead conveyor. The device, suitable for large automated systems, minimizes manual handling during temperature monitoring.
The inclusion herein of the above-listed patents is not intended as an admission that any such patent constitutes prior art against the claims of the present application. Applicant does not waive any right to take any action that would be appropriate to antedate or otherwise remove any listed patent as a competent reference against the claims of the present application.

Food handling device with retractable boom mounted temperature probe


A system and method for managing sizing of a plurality of sliding download windows in a virtual file system commences when a user device accesses a server in a cloud-based platform. An application on the user device issues a first file request for an object that is stored in the cloud-based platform. The virtual file system module allocates a first sliding window and prospectively downloads additional portions of the object into the first sliding window. Upon a second file request from the application, the virtual file system module allocates a second sliding window and increases the size of the first sliding window when the application requests access to the additional portions of the object that were prospectively downloaded into the first sliding window. The size of the second sliding window is decreased when a further application request for additional portions of the object hasn't been received within a time period.

The proliferation of cloud based services and platforms continues to increase. Specifically, cloud-based content management services and platforms have impacted the way personal and corporate electronically stored information objects (e.g., files, images, videos, etc.) are stored, and has also impacted the way such personal and corporate content is shared and managed. One benefit of using such cloud-based platforms is the ability to securely share large volumes of content among trusted collaborators on a variety of user devices such as mobile phones, tablets, laptop computers, desktop computers, and/or other devices. For example, a large enterprise with thousands of users (e.g., employees) and many terabytes of content might use a cloud-based content storage platform to efficiently and securely facilitate content access to various individual users and/or collaborative groups of users. In such cases, a user can access a large volume of objects stored in the cloud-based platform from a user device that might store merely a small portion of that volume locally. Such access can enable multiple users (e.g., collaborators) to manage certain shared objects for various collaborative purposes (e.g., co-development, audience presentation, etc.). Specifically, users can manage (e.g., create, view, edit, execute, etc.) the shared objects using various applications operating on a user device. For example, multiple users might collaborate on the development of a certain design document (e.g., design101.pdf) using a respective instance of an application (e.g., Adobe Acrobat) operating on a respective user device. In some cases, such collaborative documents and/or other objects stored in the cloud-based content storage platform can be large.
Unfortunately, legacy techniques for presenting a local device representation of a shared content object stored on a cloud-based storage system can be limited at least as pertaining to latencies associated with presenting the shared content object locally to the user. More specifically, certain legacy approaches might process a request to open a certain file stored on a cloud-based storage system on a local user device by downloading the full file to local device memory before presenting it to the user for interaction (e.g., viewing, editing, etc.). In such cases, the delay experienced by the user before having access to the requested file can be significant. Such delays can be increased when network download speeds are degraded due to certain network conditions. Further, even in cases when the user might desire to access merely a small portion of the requested file, the full file will nonetheless be downloaded to the local memory, wasting costly network bandwidth and wastefully consuming local storage space. Moreover, for large files, consumption of local device storage space can degrade the performance of the local device and/or, in some cases, can raise an error when opening the requested file. Some legacy approaches might facilitate partial downloading of objects having a certain known structure. For example, a video file composed using a standard format (e.g., MPEG-4, AVI, etc.) can be partially downloaded for interaction (e.g., viewing) using various information (e.g., metadata, playlist file, etc.) and/or protocols (e.g., built in to the viewing application) specific to the format. As another example, certain legacy approaches enable the viewing of file previews (e.g., photo thumbnails, index thumbnails, etc.) for a given application and/or file type (e.g., photos, PDF files, etc.). The foregoing legacy approaches, however, are limited at least in that partial downloading techniques rely on knowledge of the file layout and/or on preconditions that might not always be present during the downloading processes, particularly across the many various object types that might comprise the shared content of a cloud-based storage system.
What is needed is a technique or techniques to improve over legacy and/or over other considered approaches. Some of the approaches described in this background section are approaches that could be pursued, but not necessarily approaches that have been previously conceived or pursued. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated, it should not be assumed that any of the approaches described in this section qualify as prior art merely by virtue of their inclusion in this section.

File-agnostic data downloading in a virtual file system for cloud-based shared content


A lightweight tree stand that includes a support platform formed from a molded plastic material. The support platform includes an edge member that defines the perimeter of the support platform and includes a plurality of primary ribs extending between the edge member. The edge members and the primary ribs are integrally molded and each includes an embedded reinforcement rod formed from a continuous fiber material. The continuous fiber material increases the strength without increasing the weight of the support platform. The support platform includes a plurality of secondary ribs that are positioned and configured to define decorative openings within the support platform. The support platform includes one or more tree branch holders that are integrally molded with the edge member and receive artificial tree branches. A frame of the tree stand can include a keyhole that receives a mating key mounted to a tree at a desired location and height.

The present disclosure generally relates to tree stands for use in observing and hunting wildlife from an elevated position. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to a tree stand that is formed from a molded thermoplastic material that includes embedded rods to increase the strength of the tree stand while maintaining low overall weight.
Tree stands are typically anchored to and supported by or against a tree trunk. Conventional tree stands must have sufficient structural properties (e.g. high strength, stiffness, and high impact resistance) to safely support a user and any gear (e.g. cameras, guns, food, clothing, blinds) with minimal deflection and/or deformation of a horizontal support platform of the tree stand. Typically, conventional tree stands are made out of metal or a metal alloy in order to safely support the user. Metal tree stands are durable and have the required strength but are heavy and difficult to position on or attach to the tree trunk. Since the tree stand is typically carried by the user into the woods for use, decreasing the overall weight of the tree stand is a benefit to the user.
Accordingly, the prevent inventor has developed the tree stand of the present disclosure that is lightweight and safely supports the user. Specifically, the prevent inventor has developed a molded plastic tree stand that utilizes lightweight plastic materials with embedded continuous rods formed from fiber members to dramatically reduce the weight of the tree stand (in comparison with conventional metal tree stands) and safely support the user. Furthermore, erection and assembly of the tree stand is simplified due to the reduced weight of the tree stand of the present disclosure.

Lightweight tree stand with embedded continuous fiber members


Compounds include boronate ester polythioaminals with substituents that include hydrogen, fluorine or substituted or unsubstituted alkyls. The boronate ester polythioaminals have number average molecular weight or weight average molecular weight between about 2,000 to about 160,000.

Polythioaminals are a class of polymers with a variety of uses, including drug delivery. Some polythioaminals are polymers that have the general structure:
where R1 and R2 are organic or hetero-organic species. It has been shown that polythioaminals having the above structure may be synthesized by reacting an N-substituted hexahydrotriazine with a dithiol, as follows:
Subsequent reactions may replace the hydrogen atoms at the end of the thioaminal polymer with the X and Z groups above. These polymers feature dynamic covalent bonding, undergoing reversible bond breakage and reformation. The dynamic covalent character of these polymers is chemosensitive, and may be triggered by the presence of thiols.
One method to tune the physical and/or mechanical properties of these polymers is to increase the molecular weight of the polymers. Whether a polythioaminal can achieve a high molecular weight during polymerization is affected by stoichiometric ratios of starting materials, as described by the Carothers equation. The Carothers equation states that the degree of polymerization of a monomer (into a polymer) is equal to 1/(1−p), where p is the extent of conversion of a monomer. If one monomer is present in stoichiometric excess, then the equation becomes (1+r)/(1+r−2rp), where r is the stoichiometric ratio of reactants, the excess reactant is conventionally the denominator so that r<1. If neither monomer is in excess, then r=1 and the equation reduces to the equimolar case above. Small changes in the stoichiometry of one of the polymerization reactants may significantly affect the molecular weight of a synthesized polymer. Molecular weight of polythioaminals is also limited by a byproduct amine formed during polythioaminal formation. Each carbon atom of a hexahydrotriazine is electrophilic and reacts with the nucleophilic thiols (such as the dithiol shown in the scheme above). As such, this reaction yields the primary amine byproduct. If this primary amine byproduct is not efficiently removed, formation of high molecular weight polythioaminals is very limited. Nonetheless, linear polythioaminals typically do not exhibit attractive physical properties, e.g. they are viscous liquids.
Physical and mechanical properties of polythioaminals may also be tuned by polymerizing multiple polymers from a core compound using multi-functional thiols (at the polymer termini shown above) that may enhance the rigidity (modulus) and dimensional stability (under stress). However, the use of multi-functional thiols reduces the molecular weight of the linear polythioaminals as the crosslink density is increased. These lower molecular weight polythioaminals are typically mechanically weak.
If, however, crosslinking moieties could be included along a polythioaminal backbone without reducing the molecular weight of the polythioaminals, one could more readily achieve tailorable mechanical properties of polythioaminals (such as a desirable modulus for certain applications) and may provide access to elastomeric materials.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for new polythioaminals with improved and tailorable physical and mechanical properties.

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION


A method and device for vacuum assist picking and placing a first component part relative to a second component part in preparation for ultrasonically welding the first component part to the second component part and ultrasonically welding the first component part to the second component part with the combination ultrasonic weld horn/vacuum pickup. A combination ultrasonic weld horn/vacuum pickup includes an ultrasonic weld horn including a vacuum conduit. A vacuum or negative pressure is directed through the vacuum conduit providing necessary suction at the tip of the weld horn to permit the weld horn to pick and hold a first component part during positioning of the part for welding to a second component part. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the conduit is formed as a bore milled along a longitudinal axis of the weld horn.

This invention relates generally to ultrasonic welding processes and more particularly to a method and device for picking and placing component parts for an ultrasonic welding process.
Ultrasonic welding joins parts by applying mechanical energy from a high frequency vibration source at a joint formed between two component parts. Generation of ultrasonic energy includes the conversion of high frequency electrical energy by an electromechanical converter or transducer to a mechanical vibration. Mechanical vibrations are amplified by an amplitude transformer and applied to a workpiece by means of an ultrasonic xe2x80x9chornxe2x80x9d. In order to effect the weld joint, a first component part is typically positioned in a fixture while a second component part is mechanically vibrated against the relatively stationary first component part. The mechanical vibration is produced at a frequency generally in the range of 20,000 (20 kHz) or 40,000 (40 kHz) cycles per second. The high frequency vibration is ordinarily accompanied by a compressive force generated by the horn between the mechanically vibrated second component part and the relatively stationary first component part. The ultrasonic welding process is capable of breaking down films and oxides creating a coalescence between the component parts at the site of the weld. A superior joint may be achieved without the use of filler materials, fluxes, adhesives, epoxies or mechanical connectors.
One challenge common in production settings, wherein ultrasonic welding processes are employed, relates to picking and placing of component parts to be welded. Commonly, during an ultrasonic welding process, a relatively stationary first component part is held in a fixture, xe2x80x9cnestxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9canvilxe2x80x9d. The fixture is most often configured to support and conform at least generally to a configuration of the first component part. A second part to be attached by welding to the first part must be picked and placed in position relative to the first part prior to welding. According to the prior art, this has been accomplished by a separate apparatus commonly necessitating a distinct workstation and oftentimes an additional and attendant transport mechanism for transporting the second part, once it is picked, from a parts pickup station to a fitting station wherein the second part is placed in position for welding. The transport mechanism then transports the parts to a second position wherein the actual ultrasonic welding process takes place. In addition, this arrangement typically requires that either or both the first part and the second part be designed to provide a physical feature for trapping or temporarily holding the second piece in relationship to the first piece during transport to the welding station. Alternately, the first part may be temporarily attached to the second part by a separate and distinct process such as heat staking or xe2x80x9ctackingxe2x80x9d.
There may be advantage in providing an ultrasonic weld horn that includes the additional functionality of picking and placing a second part in position for welding.
The present invention is directed to a combination ultrasonic weld horn/vacuum pickup including an ultrasonic weld horn having a vacuum conduit. A vacuum or negative pressure is directed through the vacuum conduit providing necessary suction at the tip of the weld horn to permit the weld horn to pick and hold a first component part during positioning of the part for welding to a second component part. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the conduit is formed as a bore milled along a longitudinal axis of the weld horn. The longitudinal bore is joined by a second aperture drilled or milled from the side wall of the weld horn and intersecting the longitudinal bore at a neutral point along the horn. The neutral point is a point located along the length of the weld horn that is subjected to a minimum of movement during the ultrasonic welding process. Location of the weld horn at the neutral point significantly reduces or otherwise eliminates breakage or failure of the horn or the fitting attaching the vacuum source to the weld horn due to stresses observed in the weld horn during the ultrasonic welding process. The diameter of the bore may vary depending upon the vacuum being applied through the conduit and the mass of the part being picked. The tip of the weld horn may be further adapted or configured to conform or otherwise accommodate the configuration of the part being picked. The combination ultrasonic weld horn/vacuum pickup provides both the functionality of picking a first part and placing the first part in relationship to a second part and ultrasonically welding the first part to the second part.
The present invention is directed to an ultrasonic welding system including a part supply station, a weld station, a combination ultrasonic weld horn/vacuum pickup and a transport mechanism for transporting the ultrasonic weld head between the part supply station and the weld station. The weld station includes a fixture for supporting a first component part. The part supply station includes a location where the first component part or a plurality of sequentially fed first component parts are positioned for pickup by the combination ultrasonic weld horn/vacuum pickup. The weld station may be configured as a turret or other automated production facility component for sequentially positioning a plurality of second component parts for fitting with and welding to the first component parts. The transport mechanism includes a combination ultrasonic weld horn/vacuum pickup support member, an X axis transport mechanism and a Z axis transport mechanism.
The present invention is also directed to a method for picking a first part and placing the first part in relationship to a second part in preparation for ultrasonically welding the first part to the second part. The method for joining two parts employing an ultrasonic welding process includes the steps of vacuum assist picking a first component part from a first component part supply station with a combination ultrasonic weld horn/vacuum pickup, positioning the combination ultrasonic weld horn/vacuum pickup and the first component part relative to the second component part in preparation for ultrasonically welding the first component part to the second component part and ultrasonically welding the first component part to the second component part with the combination ultrasonic weld horn/vacuum pickup.

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


A capacitive pressure sensor includes a semiconductor substrate, a first insulating portion configured to define a sensor region, a reference pressure chamber configured to divide a lower portion of the sensor region in a direction, a second insulating portion configured to divide a surface portion of the sensor region above the reference pressure chamber in the direction, and a trench configured to divide the sensor region in the direction. The sensor region is divided into at least three semiconductor parts by the reference pressure chamber, the second insulating portion, and the trench.

Recently, the wide use of smart phones has increased the use of pressure sensors capable of sensing pressure in a height direction. A piezo-resistive pressure sensor for detecting a variation in a resistance value of a piezo-resistive element as a variation in pressure has been proposed.
For example, there is known a pressure sensor including a base substrate, a cap substrate having a concave portion and bonded to the base substrate to form a space between the concave portion and the base substrate, a membrane formed within the space by using a portion of the base substrate, and an impurity diffused region formed in the membrane and serving as a pressure sensor element. In the pressure sensor, the membrane is displaced according to pressure applied thereto and a change in a resistance value of the impurity diffused region based on the displacement is measured to detect pressure.
However, characteristics of the piezo-resistive element may be varied depending on a change in an ambient temperature, and thus, detecting pressure has deviations when the ambient temperature is changed. Thus, for the pressure sensor using the piezo-resistive element, correction is essential in detecting pressure.

Capacitive pressure sensor, manufacturing method thereof, and pressure sensor package


A mechanized trolling device includes a flotation chamber, a power source and motor in a water-tight enclosed chamber, and a sheltered impeller. The device travels many times the distance that an angler can cast, and automatically shuts off after a set period of time. A fishing line attached to the device can be deployed so the angler can fish at the depth of the water where the device has travelled.

An angler commonly can cast a fishing line a distance up to 40 feet. Environmental factors, such as wind, can decrease the cast distance. Use of heavier weight fishing line can help increase the cast distance to about 50 feet. However, many desirable fish are located further than 50 feet from the angler's position. In order for an angler to fish more than about 50 feet away from shore, a boat, inner tube, or other device is commonly used to position the angler closer to the desired fishing location. The use of a boat or other device is often undesirable or impractical. For example, for some bodies of water ingress points are limited. Similarly, many bodies of water have currents, tides or other environmental factors which limit the ability of an angler to position a hook or other device at a desired position other than in the immediate proximity of their current position. Accordingly, a need exists for a mechanized trolling device which enables an angler or other person to position bait, a hook, line and/or other objects in a body of water at a greater distance than that commonly possible by casting. Desirably, such a mechanized trolling device enables the placement of a hook or other object at at least one desired position in a reliable manner while minimizing any disturbances (e.g., noise, pressure or the like) to the aqueous environment at the desired location.
The information included in this Background section of the specification, including any references cited herein and any description or discussion thereof, is included for technical reference purposes only and is not to be regarded as subject matter by which the scope of the invention as defined in the claims is to be bound.


A buffer circuit for providing dynamic threshold control. The buffer circuit includes a pair of input inverters designed with different skewed threshold potential characteristics. The outputs of the skewed inverters are directed to a logic circuit designed to select either the faster or the slower signal received from the two inverters for transmission to passgate devices coupled to the respective inverters. Only one of the passgate devices is enabled to ensure that only one of the output signals from the two inverters is propagated through the buffer. A latch is preferably connected between the logic circuit and the two passgate devices to maintain the states of the inverters and the logic circuit. The circuit can be designed to define the threshold potential at which switching will occur so as to reduce propagation delay or increase it as desired. It is therefore possible using the circuit to increase transmission rates with minimal affect on signal noise.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to circuitry for adjusting the rate at which signal transitions occur. In particular, the present invention relates to buffer circuits providing faster switching. More particularly, the present invention relates to circuitry that dynamically adjusts the threshold potential at which signal transitions occur.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Input buffers are used to transfer electrical signals of desired amplitude and strength. Input buffers are used to ensure that those electrical signals are transferred as accurately and as quickly as possible. It is often the case, however, that when transmission rates increase, signal accuracy may suffer. In particular, it is well known that rapid signal transmission may be accompanied by signal bounce. That bounce is the noise or ringing associated with the undershoot and overshoot of a final steady state logic high or logic low signal that occurs in the transition between high and low. The difference in the potentials associated with a high signal and a low signal may be as small as 0.4V or as great as 5V. For Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) based logic, for example, a logic high corresponds to a nominal 5.0V potential (for a 5.0V power supply) and a nominal 3.3V potential (for a 3.3V power supply), while a logic low is essentially equivalent to ground (GND) or 0.0V.
The potentials associated with high and low signals described above are idealized values. In fact, highs and lows generally fall within a range of potentials associated with the indicated values. Thus, for a 3.3V supply, a high signal may be supplied at 2.6V, for example, while a low signal may actually be associated with a 0.7V value. It can be seen then that dynamic noise margins are reduced with lower supply potentials, whereas the basic operational characteristics of the associated active devices remain substantially the same.
In that regard, it is to be noted that in most systems, there is a single threshold potential at which the low-to-high (L-to-H) or high-to-low (H-to-L) transitions occur. For most transistor-based devices, that value is typically about one-half of the supply potential, or Vcc/2. As the potentials of the power supplies used to power circuitry move closer to GND, the signal bounce mentioned above takes on greater importance. In particular, the initial oscillation around the ultimate steady state value that occurs when the transition between high and low is triggered may vary enough to generate a false logic signal. The noise swing may be enough to cause a low signal to transition to a high-signal potential and vice-versa, or it may be variable enough that the signal is not clearly at either a high potential or a low potential. Either situation is undesirable. For that reason, it is becoming increasingly important that the transitions between high and low signal occur with less noise than has been previously experienced.
Clearly, unexpected changes in logic values are not desirable. This problem is more likely to occur as transmission rates are increased. Increasing transmission rates enables the transfer of more data in a shorter time period and so is desirable in many respects. However, the gain in increased transmission rate is often undermined by an increase in signal noise. That is, a rapid change in signal level creates an oscillation about the steady state value corresponding to the sudden switching on or off of a transistor. As transistors become increasingly smaller in order to achieve the faster transmission rates of interest, the signal bounce that occurs with the rapid switching often creates reflections in transmission media, such as telephone transmission lines where reflections will cause signal errors. This is an increasingly important concern as dynamic noise margins are reduced.
To resolve this problem, it is important to enable "gentle" switching of buffer circuits so that signal noise, including signal undershoot and overshoot, is reduced. One technique for doing that is to slow the propagation of a switching signal through the circuitry. This slows the transmission of the signal and is therefore adverse to the goal of increasing signal transmissions. While the intentional slowing of signal propagation addresses the noise issue, it also reduces transmission rates. Of course, there are a number of other factors that cause increases in signal propagation delay. They can be related to the specifics of particular circuitry, the load associated with downstream devices, external conditions, and any number of other factors. However, it is of increasing interest to minimize signal propagation delays.
As noted, the rate at which a signal propagates through circuitry including, but not limited to input buffer circuitry, relates to the threshold potential at which transistors of the buffer are turned on and off. In general for Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (CMOS) transistor sets, state switching occurs at about one-half the value of Vcc as earlier indicated. That is, in a L-to-H transition for example, a P-type MOS (PMOS) transistor of a CMOS inverter will turn on when an input signal is at a potential of about Vcc/2. At about the same time, the N-type MOS (NMOS) transistor of that inverter will switch off at that potential. Correspondingly, the PMOS transistor is designed to shut off at about Vcc/2 during a H-to-L transition, with the NMOS turning on at about that potential. Thus, in order to trigger a signal change, it is necessary to first reach this threshold potential in either direction. The faster that is done the more the signal propagation delay is reduced. However, that is preferably done with signal noise concerns also taken into account.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,736,826 issued to Hrassky discloses a circuit designed to regulate signal propagation through hysteresis. The Hrassky circuit includes two multiplexed buffers to develop a differential comparison of two input signals. The circuit provides for selection of the particular input signal path that includes sufficient hysteresis to resolve noise concerns. While hysteresis may minimize the effects of signal bounce by regulating signal propagation, it does so in a manner that slows that propagation. That result is undesirable as accurate signal transmission at reduced signal propagation rates becomes increasingly important.
Therefore, what is needed is a buffer circuit that enables signal propagation with minimal noise problems and at reduced delay rates. What is also needed is such a buffer circuit that can be tailored to provide a modification in the threshold potential value at which signal switching occurs. Further, what is needed is a buffer circuit that allows the user to tailor selection of a particular signal transmission pathway as a function of desired propagation delay values.

Circuit for dynamic switching of a buffer threshold


A plurality of six-sided intransitive dice 10 include dice having two different sizes and three different colors. Indicia of three different colors and representing numeric values, is disposed on the six sides of the dice. Intransitive dice 10 are used to play a wagering game 700 between a contestant and an opponent, wherein the contestant always has an advantage.

Intransitive dice are well known in mathematical circles, constituting a paradox which runs counter to conventional transitive logic. For example, three dice designated A, B, and C each have numbers disposed on their six sides. The numbers are not the standard 1 through 6, but rather such numbers as:
Die A--1, 1, 4, 4, 4, 4; PA1 Die B--3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3; and, PA1 Die C--2, 2, 2, 2, 5, 5.
If die A is rolled against die B, die A will produce a higher number (win) more than fifty percent of the time. Similarly, if die B is rolled against die C, die B will win more than fifty percent of the time. One would reasonably suspect then that since die A beat die B, and die B beat die C, that die A should also beat die C. This would be a transitive relationship. Surprisingly however, if die C is rolled against die A, die C will also win more than fifty percent of the time, thereby exhibiting the intransitive nature of the set of dice.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,133,559 shows several sets of intransitive dice which are applied to a casino dice game. The fifteen sets of three intransitive dice which posses the highest winning percentages are disclosed. The fifteen sets are used in the play of a casino game in which either single die or double die contests are offered.
Funkenbusch, W. W. in "Sheep Fleecing Dice", Journal of Recreational Mathematics, vol 15(3), 1982-1983, pp. 194-198, describes the application of several sets of intransitive dice to various wagering games.


A brush type DC motor 10 having an armature 15 and positive and negative power leads is provided. The motor includes an RFI choke 12 as a transformer in series with at least one of the positive and negative power leads to amplify current such that rotation of the armature 15 can be detected based on monitoring a voltage relating to the amplified current. Conditioning circuitry 14 is constructed and arranged to condition the voltage for detecting rotation of the armature.

In the realm brush type motor drives, there exists a need to detect whether or not a locked rotor condition exists in order to prevent the occurrence of thermal events. There exist many possible means of achieving this, including variable reluctance coils placed between the magnets in the stator, Hall effect sensors used to detect shaft rotation, as well as the use of current sensors. However, the use of discrete feedback sensors in the motor may adversely affect the size, cost, complexity, power consumption and, particularly with Hall effect sensors, reliability of the motor.
Thus, there is a need to detect armature rotation and/or current in a brush type DC motor by using existing components within the motor, with minor modifications, as an armature rotation sensor.

Coupled RFI choke as stall detection means for brush type DC motor


The invention relates to a method and a device for transmitting and receiving attachment data of extra attachments in session initiation messages of a session initiation protocol that is defined to initiate, maintain and terminate sessions with one or more terminals in a network. As the available space is limited for such attachments in a session initiation message the invention proposes to fragment the attachment data in attachment fragments and attach the attachment fragments to successive session initiation messages. Thereby the size of attachment data is increased considerably.

In UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) is used to establish multimedia sessions or calls, in particular VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) sessions. A multimedia session is generally defined as a set of multimedia senders and receivers whereby data streams flowing from senders to receivers. Multimedia sessions include internet multimedia conferences, internet telephone calls and multimedia distribution.
The session initiation protocol is a request-response control (signaling) protocol for initiating, maintaining and terminating sessions with one or more participants (senders and receivers) or terminal devices. The session initiation protocol is an application level protocol which is used in packet switched environments, e.g. GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) system, UMTS or packet cable (USA cable modem standard) systems. The session initiation protocol can be used in any reliable or unreliable protocol, including UDP (User Datagram Protocol), SCTP (Stream Control Transmission Protocol) and TCP (Transmission Control Protocol).
The session initiation protocol uses session initiation messages to negotiate between participants or terminal devices. A session initiation message comprises a SIP method. Furthermore, a session initiation message can comprise further content as an extra attachment, such as MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions) content, e.g. images, video and audio files.
MIME is an extension of the internet e-mail protocol SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol). MIME is used to facilitate and standardize the transmission of images and audio files such as voice mails and other binary files, in particular files that are not text files. In general, MIME-names are used to describe the content whether it is text or binary. MIME-name is used in Content-Type header which describes the MIME-type of the content. The content may be e.g. text/plain, image/gif, or audio/mp3.
Thus, it is known that session initiation messages may include MIME content. However, the size of such content, i.e. amount of attachment data of such extra attachments is limited due to a predetermined maximum size of the underlying protocol. In particular, currently in many environments SIP messages can carry only approximately 600 bytes sized MIME attachments. This is because UDP is used as an underlying transmission protocol.

Method and terminal device for transmitting and receiving attachment data


In a buffer storage control system for controlling a buffer storage for a store-through method based on a part of a page address of a logical address and a part of a byte index of the logical address used as a line address, the system includes: a buffer storage DATA for holding data and a tag portion TAG1 provided in a central processing unit CPU to retrieve a hit/mis-hit of data based on a part of the page address of the logical address and a part of the byte address of the logical address as a basic line address, and a tag portion TAG2 provided in a main control unit MCU to retrieve the hit/mis-hit of data by using a synonymic line address which is obtained by changing a variable portion of the basic line address. In a fetch access, the tag portion TAG1 is retrieved by using the basic line address and when the data is hit, the data is transferred from the buffer storage DATA to a source of the fetch access request. When the data is mis-hit, the tag TAG 2 is retrieved by using the synonymic line address. When the data is hit by tag TAG 2, the tag portion TAG 1 is invalidated. When the data is mis-hit by tag TAG 2, the fetch data is moved from the main storage unit MSU to the buffer storage DATA, and transferred to the source of the fetch access request.

A data processing apparatus includes a buffer storage using high speed and small capacity memory elements used in a central processing unit (CPU). On the other hand, a main storage includes a low speed and large capacity memory elements. Data blocks separated in the main storage are copied and stored on the buffer storage so that it is possible to achieve high speed access from the central processing unit to the main storage by accessing the data blocks copied into the buffer storage.
In general, a set associative method is utilized for a mapping operation from the main storage to the buffer storage. In this method, a plurality of WAYs are provided on a line which is accessed by a part of an address of the data block. The data and the block address except for bits used in the line address, are registered on the WAY. In the buffer storage, a space which registers the data is called a data portion (DATA), and a space which registers the block address is called a tag portion (TAG).
Further, there is a store-through method as a control method of the buffer storage. In this method, when there is no data to be objected for a fetch access, the block including the object data is moved from the main storage to the buffer storage (i.e., move-in operation MI). When performing the store access, the object data is stored in the main storage and the buffer storage. When there is no object data in the buffer storage, the object data is stored only in the main storage.
On the other hand, there are two kinds of addresses for accessing the buffer storage, i.e., one is a method of using only a part of a byte index of the logical address, and the other is a method of using both a part of a page address of the logical address and a part of the byte index of the logical address. The present invention relates to a buffer control storage system using the latter.
In this case, the logical address is used as an address for accessing from a central control unit to a main storage unit, and there are two types of addresses in accordance with a state of the central control unit. One is a real address, and this address is converted to an absolute address to access the main memory by means of a prefix conversion means using a prefix-register. The other is a virtual address, and this address is converted to the absolute address by means of an address conversion means using an address conversion table.
In both address types, the address is divided into the page address for an upper portion of the address and the byte index for a lower portion of the address. Further, before and after the prefix conversion or address conversion, values in the byte index are not changed, and values in the page address are changed. For example, when address bits are given by 01 to 31 and a page size is given by 4 Kbytes, 19 bits (01 to 19) denote the page address portion, and 12 bits (20 to 31) denote the byte index portion.
Further, the central processing unit simultaneously accesses the address conversion buffer and the TAG portion of the buffer storage to achieve high speed pipe-line processing. In this case, since the TAG portion cannot be accessed by using the absolute address which is obtained as a result of the retrieval for the address conversion buffer. Accordingly, in general, a part of the byte address of the logical address is used as the line address for the buffer storage.
When the page size is given by 4 Kbytes and the block size is given by 64 bytes, the logical address which can be used as the line address for the buffer storage is given by bits 20 to 25 so that it becomes 64 bytes.times.64 bytes=4 Kbytes per one way (WAY). In this method, the number of the WAY is increased to increase capacity of the buffer storage. However, when increasing the number of the WAY, it is necessary to increase the number of the comparison circuit for comparing the absolute address obtained by the address conversion buffer with the absolute address obtained by the TAG portion, or to increase the number of the selection circuit for selecting data of each WAY read from the DATA portion.
As another method, to increase the number of lines without increasing of the number of the WAY, not only a part of the byte address of the logical address, but also a part of the page address, are used as the line address for the buffer storage. In this case, depending on values of the prefix-register or the address conversion table, the block having the same absolute address may be registered on different lines of the buffer storage. For example, when the page size is given by 4 Kbytes and the block size is given by 64 bytes, and when bits 18 to 25 of the logical address are used as the line address of the buffer storage, the block having the same absolute address may be registered on four lines since bits 18 and 19 are variable for the logical address and the absolute address. This is well-known as a problem of a synonymity to persons skilled in the art.
In the present invention, a line address, which is shown by the logical address bit and applied as an address requested, is called a basic line address. Further, a line address, which is obtained by change of bits of the page address, is called a synonymic line address. In the central processing unit having the buffer storage and using the store-through method, the present invention can effectively control the buffer storage.

Buffer control system using synonymic line address to retrieve second tag portion for fetch and store accesses while first tag portion is invalidated