A nonaqueous electrolyte battery includes: an electrode group including a positive electrode and a negative electrode; and a nonaqueous electrolyte including an electrolytic solution, the electrode group including an insulating layer, the insulating layer containing a ceramic, the electrolytic solution including an electrolyte salt and an additive, the electrolyte salt including the compound of formula (1), and the additive being at least one of the compounds of formulae (2) to (14), and the compound of formula (1) being contained in 0.001 mol/L to 2.5 mol/L with respect to the electrolytic solution.

With the recent trend for higher performance and more multifunctional electronic devices, batteries with improved volume energy density have been used. However, such high energy-density batteries may undergo thermal runaway in the event of internal shorting due to deformation under external pressure.
In this connection, silica or alumina is often disposed between the battery positive and negative electrodes in a laminar fashion to improve battery safety. In the related art, the following literatures are available.
JP-A-2010-129449 describes a secondary battery that uses lithium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide (LiFSI) as the electrolyte salt, and a halogenated carbonate ester-containing solvent for dissolving the electrolyte salt.
JP-T-08-511274 describes a secondary battery that uses lithium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide as the electrolyte salt. JP-A-2004-165151 describes improving stability under high temperature or during the storage with the use of an electrolytic solution that contains lactone as the solvent, and lithium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide as the electrolyte salt. This publication also describes further improving stability with the use of an electrolytic solution that further contains vinylene carbonate, vinylethylene carbonate, phenylethylene carbonate, or propanesultone as an additive. JP-A-2009-70636 describes a battery that contains a quaternary ammonium cation together with a FSI (fluorosulfonylimide) anion and an inorganic anion. JP-T-2001-519589 describes using a phosphoric acid ester and a boric acid ester together.

Nonaqueous electrolyte battery, battery pack, electronic device, electric vehicle, power storage device, and power system


Described is a device (1) for applying self-adhesive labels (101) on moving containers (2), comprising means (28) for feeding a web (103) along a movement path, the labels (101) being arranged on the web (103) to bring one label (101) at a time to a detaching unit (12). The detaching unit (12) is operatively associated with the labels (101) for detaching them from the web (103) in such a way as to apply them to a container (2). The device (1) also comprises a unit for controlling the feed means (28) designed for moving the web (103) along an outward direction (19) to bring a respective label (101) to the detaching unit (12). In addition, after a label (101) has been detached, the control unit is designed to move the web (103) in a return direction (20), opposite to the outward direction, by a predetermined distance in such a way as to increase the movement space between the detaching unit (12) and the next label (101).

Usually, the bottles on which to apply the labels are positioned along the periphery of a rotary carousel operating machine, at specific plates. One or more operating units are usually present around the carousel designed for operating on the moving bottles to perform predetermined operations such as labelling, filling, application of capsules, etc.
Alternatively, the operating machine may be a machine of the linear type wherein the containers are positioned (and move) along a line (defining a transport path of the containers) which is curved or straight or a set of the two types. In this case, the operating units are positioned along the transport path of the containers.
As regards the labelling unit, it normally comprises a supporting body which extends from a first end to a second end positioned at the operating machine. Also, a prior art labelling comprises means for feeding a web along a movement path, the labels being positioned on the web. More specifically, the feed means are mounted on the supporting body and designed to bring one label at a time to the second end of the supporting body. Usually, the feed means are synchronised with the movement of the carousel in such a way as to bring the label to the bottle, when the latter has reached the second end of the supporting body.
In addition, in the prior art, the labelling unit comprises a detaching unit mounted on the second end of the supporting body and operatively associated with the labels for detaching them from the web in such a way as to bring them into contact with a container in arrival. A specific control unit controls the feed means moving the web along an outward direction in such a way as to bring a respective label to the detaching unit.
In detail, the control unit accelerates the web until the latter reaches a predetermined speed equal to the tangential speed of the container on the carrousel at the detaching unit. In effect, so that the application of the label occurs in the possible best way, the linear speed of the label must be equal to that of the bottle. After reaching the predetermined speed, the control unit controls the feed means to keep the speed constant until the label has entered into contact with the container.
After that, the control unit controls the feed means to decelerate the web until reaching a stop position (or a speed lower than the predetermined speed). In this way, when the next bottle arrives, the system is ready for a new acceleration so as to bring the next label to the bottle, and so on.
Consequently, in the prior art, it is important that the sum of the acceleration space, the deceleration space and the space at a constant speed is equal to "label step" (in this way, the starting position of the labels is the same), where the term "label step" denotes the distance between two successive label fronts of the support. In other words, the label step must include the acceleration space, the movement space at constant speed and the deceleration space.
It should be noted that the term "acceleration space" denotes the space travelled by the web during the acceleration step, the term "deceleration space" denotes the space travelled by the web during the deceleration step, and the term "space at constant speed" denotes the space travelled by the web during the step of moving at a constant speed.
In other words, the control unit is designed for performing a movement cycle for each label of the web. Each movement cycle only comprises the movement of the label along the outward direction for dispensing the label. In more detail, during each movement cycle of a respective label the movement starts from a predetermined initial position. At the end of the cycle (when the movement of the web along the outward direction is finished), the next label is in the initial position relative to the next movement cycle.
The following is provided purely by way of a non-limiting example:                label step=70 mm;        acceleration space=16 mm;        deceleration space=16 mm;        space at a constant speed=70−16−16=38 mm.
In other words, the sum of the acceleration, deceleration and constant speed spaces is equal to the length of the label step.
Consequently, if the label step is short, there are several drawbacks.
In effect, if the label step is short the acceleration and deceleration spaces reduce as it is necessary to maintain a certain space at a constant speed to allow the application of the label to the moving container.
In other words, under equal conditions of the speed of movement of the carousel (and hence of the bottle), it is necessary to reduce the acceleration and deceleration spaces. For example:                label step=20 mm;        acceleration space=8 mm;        deceleration space=8 mm;        space at a constant speed=20−8−8=4 mm.
In other words, for moving the label at the predetermined speed of the container, the feed means have available an acceleration and deceleration space which is halved relative to the previous example. This means that, at the same speed of the bottle, the acceleration with which the motor of the feed means must move the support will be four times greater than before (using a law of motion of the support with constant acceleration).
Therefore, in order to apply a very short label the control unit must deal with operating conditions which are at the limit in terms of torque requested from the motor of the means feeding the web. In addition, a fast acceleration and deceleration also results in poor treatment of the web and the mechanics.
More specifically, the greater the acceleration with which the motor moves the web, the greater will be the stresses on the drive rollers about which the web turns.
Also, it should be taken into consideration that the maximum labelling speed for a labelling unit reduces drastically if a very short label must be applied.
In addition, if two labelling units are mounted on an operating machine, one operating on a web with label step equal to 70 mm (for example) and the other operating on a web with label step equal to 20 mm (for example), the maximum production speed of the machine is limited by the maximum labelling speed which can be reached by the unit which applies the 20 mm label.
Alternatively, to overcome the above-mentioned drawbacks, it is possible to increase the label step on a web. This, however, has as a direct consequence that, with the same length of web, fewer labels are present. Consequently, the cost per label is, naturally, higher.

Device for applying self-adhesive labels on moving containers


A method and apparatus for detecting neck disconnection between a land and a line in a wiring pattern on a printed board includes a scanner for obtaining images of the wiring pattern and a through hole formed in the pattern. The image of the wiring pattern is converted to a line image representing a wiring line by thinning the pattern image. A window encompassing the image of the through hole is defined, and part of the thinned pattern image overlapping the window is extracted. The number of end points of the thinned pattern image is counted in the window. If the number of the end points is an odd number larger than one, it is determined that neck disconnection is present in the wiring pattern.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of and apparatus for inspecting a printed board, and more particularly, it relates to an improvement in detecting neck disconnection between a land and a line of a wiring pattern.
2. Description of the Prior Art
With reduction in size and weight as well as improvement in performance of electronic components, a wiring pattern of a printed board is also refined and highly densified, leading to the need for reduction in line width and through hole diameter. In particular, a through hole called a mini via hole, whose diameter is reduced to 0.5 to 0.1 mm as compared with a general value of 0.8 mm, is currently used in a multilayer board for attaining electric connection between major surfaces of the board.
With such reduction in through hole diameter, new techniques are desired in various aspects such as plating, drilling and reliability testing for the through hole.
In general, drilling is not as accurate as process photoetching process, and the through hole tends to deviate from the wiring pattern. A through hole of about 0.8 mm in diameter is provided on its periphery with a sufficiently wide land, so that electrical reliability of the printed board is hardly influenced by slight misregistration of the through hole.
As the land is reduced following reduction of the through hole diameter, however, it is difficult to ensure accuracy for reliably providing a through hole in the land. Thus, electrical reliability of the printed board is disadvantageously lowered by misregistration of the hole, and hence importance of inspection for such misregistration of the through hole is increased.
Such inspection for hole misregistration requires electric inspection as well as appearance inspection. While an inspector for detecting leakage light from plating cracks is known in relation to appearance inspection, various problems arise with the development of a multilayer board. Further, this inspector cannot be applied to inspection of pattern disconnection which is caused by relative misregistration between a through hole and a pattern.
FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate relative positional relations between a land R and a through hole H. Referring to FIG. 1, the center 0 of the through hole H is registered with the center of the land R, to form an excellent pattern P. Referring to FIG. 2, on the other hand, the center O of the through hole H deviates from the center of the land R, such that a part of the through hole H outwardly projects from the land R. The size of this projecting part is obtained by an angular aperture .theta.. When the angular aperture .theta. is larger than a predetermined reference value, the pattern disconnection is determined to be defective. More particularly, a ring image RP (FIG. 3) is obtained from the image representing the through hole, and an area WR on which the ring image RP overlaps an image RI representing the land is specified. The aperture angle .theta. is obtained from the cut portion of the area WR.
As described above, defectiveness of pattern disconnection can be determined by obtaining the angular aperture .theta., and there has been proposed a technique which is aimed at automation of such a decision.
However, when defectiveness is determined by measuring the angular aperture .theta., it is difficult to detect the so-called "neck disconnection", i.e., disconnection of a land R and a line L as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. For example, a method of measuring an angular aperture .theta., which is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 1-82117 (1989) filed in the name of the applicant, is adapted to obtain an enlarged contour RP by enlarging the contour of a through hole H and observe the state of overlapping of through hole H and a land R, thereby measuring an angular aperture .theta. (=.theta..sub.1 +.theta..sub.2) of a non-overlapping portion. In this case, however, it is impossible to make a decision as to neck disconnection although defectiveness can be decided. Thus, a technique for determining the presence of a neck disconnection on a printed board is not known.

Method and apparatus for detecting neck disconnection between land and line of wiring pattern on printed board


An actuator suitable for use with a valve has a design allowing for easy control or adjustment of the force applied to the valve. The actuator motor has a cam which operates a follower surface of a spring-loaded arm mounted for rotation on a carriage. The carriage is mounted for linear motion and connected to the control element of the valve. The actuation force can be controlled or adjusted by changing the relative positions of the arm's center of rotation, the point on the arm at which the spring applies force, and the position of the cam. In a preferred embodiment, the position of the arm's center of rotation is changed by moving a pin from one set of holes in the carriage and the arm to a second set of holes in the carriage and the arm.

The linear actuator is a common device having many different uses in a variety of fields. These actuators come in a variety of designs, depending on the application. The following discussion deals with the type having a motor with a rotatable output shaft on which is mounted a cam. The cam efficiently converts the rotary motion to linear motion.
One very common application for linear actuators of the cam-operated type is in opening and closing valves, and it is in this context that the invention will be explained. However, the reader should understand that I do not intend to limit the scope of the disclosure to valves only as the actuated devices. There are many different types of workpieces for which positioning is important, and where the invention to be described may have application.
In many of these positioning applications, it is important that the closure force be controllable or adjustable. (The term "closure force" will be used hereafter, but is meant to include the force required to open the valve as well.) By "controlling" closure force, is meant the ability to easily provide a particular value of force in an actuator. By "adjusting" closure force is meant the ability to easily change the closure force provided by a particular actuator either at the factory or in the field. When operating a valve for example, too great a force may damage the valve seat. Too little force may not close the valve securely. It is convenient to be able to generate differing closure forces from the same basic actuator design since this allows a wide range of applications with only a few different parts.
In certain prior art actuators, the practice is to use a spring to transmit the closure force, and by changing the stiffness of the spring, change the closure force. When a range of different values of closure force is required, this means that a different strength of spring is required for each closure force value. This leads to a relatively large number of different spring values to carry in the manufacturing inventory. Accordingly, it would be advantageous to use a design which eliminates the need for a number of different springs and at the same time allows for a number of different closure force values.

Linear actuator with controllable output force


Endothelialization of a bodily fluid or tissue-contacting, particularly blood-contacting, surface may be accomplished to render that surface substantially non-thrombogenic. Thrombosis may also be mitigated or eliminated by providing an eroding layer on the surface that results in the removal of any thrombus formation as the layer erodes. An implantable device may utilize at least one surface having a plurality of nano-craters thereon that enhance or promote endothelialization. Additionally, an implantable device may have at least one first degradable layer for contacting bodily fluid or tissue and disposed about a central core, and at least one second degradable layer between the first degradable layer and the central core. The first degradable layer has a first degradation rate and the second degradable layer has a second degradation rate which degrades more slowly than the first degradable layer on contact with bodily fluid or tissue.

In recent years there has been growing interest in the use of artificial materials, particularly materials formed from polymers, for use in implantable devices that come into contact with bodily tissues or fluids particularly blood. Some examples of such devices are artificial heart valves, stents and vascular prosthesis. Progress in this area has, however, been hampered somewhat by the thrombogenicity of many polymer materials. Reference is made to M. Szycher, J. Biomat Appln (1998) 12: 321 in that regard.
Efforts to overcome the problems associated with thrombogenicity of polymer materials used in the production of implantable devices have not met with a great deal of success to date. Some examples of approaches that have bee attempted include heparinization (S. W. Kim, C. D. Ebert, J. Y. Lin, J. C. McRea Am Soc Artif Internal Organs (1983) 6: 76), physical modification of the surface (K. Webb, W. Hlady, P. A Tresco, J. Biomed Mat Res (1998) 41: 421-430; E. W. Merrill, Ann NY Acad Sci (1977) 6: 283-290) and increasing surface hydrophilicity (S. J. Sofia, E. W. Merrill, in "Polyethylene Glycol; Chemistry and Biological Applications", J. M. Harris and S. Zalipsky (eds.), American Chemical Society (1997) Ch. 22). Although these methods have met with some commercial viability, they are mainly useful for short-term applications, such as in catheter or in dialysis tubing. This is because many of the chemical and physical modifications of the device surfaces have limited shelf-life, both ex vivo and in vivo. Moreover, the methods involved in the production of implantable devices using these approaches are both elaborate and intricate.
Attempts have also been made to minimize thrombus formation by promoting endothelialization of the surface of an implantable device that contacts bodily fluids or tissues in use as described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,744,515, which relates to modification of a porous material with adhesion molecules, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,379,383, which relates to deposition of the material used to form the device so as to control surface heterogenities.

Implantable article, method of forming same and method for reducing thrombogenicity


Communication between a plurality of computers which are intercoupled or networked is provided in confidential form using password protection in combination with a special hardware token which is used to generate a one-time random session ciphering key.

This invention relates to a method and apparatus for providing secure and ciphered communications between any type of computer, including laptops and palmtops, using one-time random session ciphering keys. The method is based on password protection in combination with a special hardware device--token used for secure generation of one-time random session ciphering keys.
With the advent of more personal information sharing, electronic mail, commercial transactions and the like taking place on-line, in many instances it is desirable to protect such information transfers. Encryption methods incorporated in the computers per se are vulnerable to computer hackers when access to such computers is available.

Secure computer communication method and system


Whole-cell vaccines and methods for their use in producing protective immune responses in vertebrate hosts subsequently exposed to pathogenic bacteria. The present invention involves a method of enhancing antigen presentation by intracellular bacteria in a manner that improves vaccine efficacy. After identifying an enzyme that has an anti-apoptotic effect upon host cells infected by an intracellular microbe, the activity of the enzyme is reduced, thereby modifying the microbe so that it increases immunogenicity. Also, the present invention provides a method of incrementally modifying enzyme activity to produce incrementally attenuated mutants of the microbe from which an effective vaccine candidate can be selected.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of vaccine production and preventing or treating infectious diseases. Specifically, the present invention relates to methods for producing a safe and effective vaccine and methods for enhancing an effective immune response in a host animals subsequently exposed to infection by bacterial pathogens, for example, Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
2. Background Art
Although recombinant DNA technology promises the ability to make a new generation of rationally designed live-attenuated vaccines, there are critical problems that have limited the usefulness of traditional allelic inactivation techniques in fulfilling this promise.
A major problem common to all vaccine development including those created by using recombinant DNA technology has been the difficulty in inducing responses in specific populations of immune cells capable of rendering long-lived protection. Vaccination prepares an animal to respond to antigens of pathogenic microbes. Vaccination is more complex than immune recognition in that only some types of immune responses will be correlated with protective immunity and the responses that are important vary with different pathogens. For example, antibody responses are critical in conferring protective immunity against polio but have minimal importance in immune protection against tuberculosis.
With many pathogens a cellular immune response is more important than an antibody response. Cellular immune responses are primarily mediated by CD4+ T-lymphocytes, which secrete interferon-gamma and activate macrophages to kill intracellular microbes, and by CD8+ T-lymphocytes, which induce cytotoxic responses via death receptors (e.g., Fas, TNF-alpha receptor) or granular enzymes (i.e., perforin/granzyme), in addition to secreting interferon-gamma.
CD4+ lymphocytes and CD8+ lymphocytes are primed for an immune response using different antigen presentation pathways. With CD4+ T-cells, exogenous foreign antigens are taken up or recovered from ingested microbes within the phagosome of antigen presenting cells, degraded into fragments, and bound on the surface of these cells to MHC Class II molecules for presentation to the CD4+ T-cells. MHC Class II molecules are restricted primarily to some few types of lymphoid cells. CD8+ T-cell activation is achieved via a different mechanism that involves MHC Class 1 molecules, which are found on essentially all nucleated cells. Proteins produced or introduced within the nucleated cell are degraded to peptides and presented on the cell surface in the context of MHC Class I molecules to CD8+ T-cells. MHC Class I antigen presentation is generally referred to as the "endogenous antigen" pathway to differentiate it from the "exogenous antigen" pathway for presenting antigens via MHC Class II receptors to CD4+ T-lymphocytes.
Dendritic cells are specialized lymphoid cells that are especially efficient in presenting antigens. They have the capability of internalizing apoptotic macrophages or their fragments and presenting antigens from within the apoptotic macrophage via both MHC Class I and MHC Class II pathways (Albert, Sauter, and Bhardwaj, 1998; Yrlid and Wick, 2000; Wick and Ljunggren, 1999).
With many infectious diseases CD8+ T-cells appear to be the major determinant of prolonged immunity against re-infection that does not depend upon persistent antigenic stimulation (Lau et al., 1994). This has made the generation of strong CD8+ responses a critical factor for new vaccines. Some strategies such as DNA vaccination (Felgner et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,589,466) appear to produce relatively good CD8+ responses compared to other methods of vaccination. However, a significant limitation of DNA vaccination is that antigens are derived from only a single gene or only a small portion of a bacterial genome corresponding to a minority of the microbe's immunodominant CD8+ epitopes. A method for delivering a larger repertoire of microbial antigens to dendritic cells would be useful, including techniques for directing whole-cell live-attenuated vaccines to associate with dendritic cells so that all microbial antigens could be processed.
Aside from the general problem common to all vaccines of inducing the appropriate type of protective immune responses for a specific pathogen, there are also specific problems with using allelic inactivation to construct new live-attenuated vaccines. One is that many microbial genes are essential for survival, including some of the best potential targets for attenuating a virulent microbe to produce a new vaccine candidate. Therefore, a mutant wherein the activity of a gene that is essential for in vitro growth has been inactivated cannot be cultivated in vitro. This problem can be partially overcome if exogenous substances are added to bypass the function of the essential gene, for example, supplementing in vitro culture media with amino acids or hypoxanthine to permit the identification and recovery of allelic knockout mutants in which essential genes for amino acid biosynthesis or purine biosynthesis, respectively, have been inactivated. Another strategy to overcome this limitation has been "in vivo expression technology" and other techniques for identifying differentially expressed genes (Slauch, Mahan, and Mekalanos, 1994). These techniques attempt to identify genes that are essential for the in vivo survival of a microbe but which are not essential for their in vitro cultivation. Therefore, it is anticipated that inactivating the "in vivo"-expressed gene will yield a candidate that can be cultivated in vitro but is attenuated in vivo.
However, although the exogenous supplementation of auxotrophs and the identification of genes that are essential only for in vivo microbial survival has expanded the number of genes that can be inactivated to generate new live-attenuated vaccine candidates, a large number of genes remain that are essential both for in vitro and in vivo microbial survival, and which are not amenable to exogenous supplementation to enable their in vitro survival and cultivation. Therefore, having a method that enables a partial rather than complete reduction in the gene product will permit a larger number of such essential genes to be altered for producing new live-attenuated vaccine candidates. Ideally, this method would enable the production of stable mutants with minimal potential to revert back to the virulent phenotype.
A second major problem with current attempts to create new vaccines using recombinant DNA technology has been the difficulty in finding the right balance between attenuation and immunogenicity. In most circumstances when a mutant is identified or created, it is either still too virulent to be used as a vaccine or is cleared too rapidly by the host to engender protective immunity. For example, new auxotrophic tuberculosis vaccine candidates exemplify this problem all too well. If the strain can scavenge too much of the essential nutrient in vivo, it may be able to assume the virulent phenotype. Consider that methionine-auxotrophic mutants of Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG), a vaccine strain for tuberculosis that is given to more than 100 million people annually worldwide, grow as well in vivo as the parent BCG strain (McAdam et al., 1995). This suggests that the auxotroph is able to scavenge enough methionine in vivo to meet its growth needs, thereby bypassing the metabolic defect that made it auxotrophic in vitro. This makes it likely that a methionine-auxotrophic mutant of virulent M. tuberculosis would still be virulent in vivo. In contrast, if growth is restricted too severely the auxotroph might not persist long enough or make enough of the immunodominant antigens needed to drive a protective immune response. This has been observed with a lysine auxotroph, which when given as a single-dose immunization had no efficacy, but conferred some protective immunity when given as a 3-dose regimen (Collins et al., 2000). The leucine and purine auxotrophs have shown some vaccine efficacy but appear less protective than immunization with BCG (Hondalus et al., 2000; Jackson et al., 1999).
A further problem with current allelic inactivation strategies for vaccine development is the inability to subsequently modify a promising vaccine candidate. When allelic inactivation creates a mutant that is too attenuated, then it is not possible using allelic inactivation techniques for the mutant to be further adjusted to achieve the right balance between attenuation and immunogenicity. When allelic inactivation creates a mutant that is not sufficiently attenuated, then allelic inactivation can be applied to a second microbial gene in an effort to further attenuate the mutant, but there still remains a difficulty in obtaining the optimal level of attenuation for vaccine efficacy. Therefore, allelic inactivation is an unpredictable tool for fine-tuning the level of attenuation. However, achieving the right balance between attenuation and immunogenicity is recognized as being critical to the development of a new live-attenuated tuberculosis vaccine, and strategies that enable incremental adjustments of vaccine candidates are needed.
Historically one of manlind's most important infections, tuberculosis remains a major public health problem and cause of human illness. Morbidity and mortality remain high with predictions of 225 million new cases and 79 million deaths from tuberculosis between 1998 and 2030 (Murray and Salomon, 1998). This is despite the availability of effective treatment regimens and the widespread use of a live attenuated strain of Mycobacterium bovis, Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG), as a vaccine. Furthermore, there is an enormous reservoir of persons latently infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis estimated to comprise approximately one-third of the world's population (Snider, Jr. and La Montagne, 1994).
Previous investigations have shown that BCG does not induce very strong CD8+ responses (Kaufmann, 2000). However, MHC Class I pathways and CD8+ T-cells are important in the normal host containment of virulent M. tuberculosis, as mice with defects in MHC Class I antigen presentation succumb rapidly to tuberculosis (Flynn et al., 1992;Sousa et al., 2000). MHC Class I pathways and CD8+ T-cells may be particularly important in preventing latent tuberculosis infection from developing into active disease, as exposed healthy household contacts of TB cases and individuals with inactive self-healed TB exhibit vigorous CD8+ responses (Lalvani et al., 1998)(Pathan et al., 2000). CD8+ cells appear to exert their protective effect against tuberculosis in several ways including cytotoxic T-lymphocyte (CTL) activity resulting in lysis of host macrophages infected with M. tuberculosis, by killing intracellular bacilli via the release of the antimicrobial peptide granulysin, and by IFN-gamma production (Cho et al., 2000;Serbina and Flynn, 1999;Silva et al., 1999;Serbina et al., 2000). As classic concepts regarding host control of tuberculosis have emphasized the processing of antigens from M. tuberculosis within phagosomes via MHC Class II pathways to CD4+ T-cells, it has been unclear why MHC Class I-CD8+ pathways should be so critical.
Devising strategies to induce greater CD8+ responses than BCG is a major focus of tuberculosis vaccine research (Cho, Mehra, Thoma-Uszynski, Stenger, Serbina, Mazzaccaro, Flynn, Barnes, Southwood, Celis, Bloom, Modlin, and Sette, 2000; Kaufmann, 2000). Such appears to be possible via DNA vaccination, which results in greater populations of CD8+/CD44hi T-cells that produce IFN-gamma than is achieved with BCG vaccination (Silva, Bonato, Lina, Faccioli, and Leao, 1999). However the T-cell responses are restricted to the antigen or antigens produced by the specific gene or genes expressed by the DNA vaccine. Others have tried to improve CD8+ responses by cloning listeriolysin into BCG in hopes that its pore-forming properties would enable M. tuberculosis antigens within the phagosome to gain access to the cytosol of the macrophage and be processed via MHC Class I pathways (Hess et al., 1998).
Because of the inability of the BCG vaccine to adequately prevent pulmonary infection by M. tuberculosis, there exists a need to improve antigen presentation to the immune cells most strongly correlated with long-term protective immunity, particularly CD8+ T-lymphocytes. The present invention provides a solution to this problem by providing a method of vaccine development, wherein the pathogen is engineered so that antigen presentation is enhanced.
There also exists a great need for developing a vaccine that is derived from a bacterium that retains sufficient immunogenicity and can be modified to attenuate its pathogenicity. Accordingly, there exists a need for a method of vaccine development that provides the right balance between attenuation and immunogenicity. The present invention provides the solution to this problem by providing a method of vaccine development, wherein the pathogen is engineered so that an enzyme essential for the full expression of survival in vivo is produced at reduced levels or is a less-efficient form of the enzyme, yet the live-attenuated microbe is sufficiently immunogenic.
The invention specifically solves the problems with M. tuberculosis vaccines by providing an effective vaccine against tuberculosis.

Pro-apoptotic bacterial vaccines to enhance cellular immune responses

The United States of America as represented by The Department of Veteran' Affairs


A method of monitoring engine order forcing frequency comprises the steps of:                selecting at least one engine order for an engine, the engine order being related in a known manner to one or more engine vibration responses generated by the forcing of the engine order;        receiving measurement data which provide a measure of the change in the frequency of the or each vibration response as the engine speed varies, and calculating therefrom the change in the engine order forcing frequency; and        determining, on the basis of the calculated change in the engine order forcing frequency, a corresponding change in at least one second engine order forcing frequency for the engine as the engine speed varies.

Engines with rotating components are subject to vibratory forces at frequencies which are related to the angular velocity of the respective component and hence engine speed. These frequencies are conventionally known as engine order forcing frequencies, each engine order corresponding to a rotational frequency of a particular component (or harmonic thereof) and exerting a corresponding vibratory force on the engine. Where there is gearing between components, non-integral engine order frequencies can arise, i.e. frequencies which are related to the primary component rotational frequency, but not necessarily by an integer number.
The forces may arise because e.g. an engine is out of balance on a particular shaft, stiffness irregularities in engine components, shaft mis-alignment, and (significantly in the case of gas turbine engines) aerodynamic interactions between the blades of the engine.
At a given engine speed, a number of these engine orders are generally active and result in corresponding vibration responses in the engine which are measurable e.g. as strains, velocities or accelerations. Each vibration response generally has approximately the same frequency as the engine order forcing frequency which generated it. For steady state conditions (e.g. constant speed), the frequencies will be the same. However, the relative phase between a vibration response and the corresponding engine order may change as the engine speed varies, and particularly when the engine order traverses a resonance frequency of the engine. Indeed, merely moving toward or away from such a resonance may cause the relative phase to change. In particular, under reasonably slow engine speed changes, engine order forcing frequencies and their corresponding vibration response frequencies tend to be very close, but usually varying sufficiently to allow some relative changes near resonances. On the other hand, the ratios between the engine order forcing frequencies generally remain constant as the engine speed varies.
Quantification of active engine order forcing frequencies and phase changes can be helpful for engine operators attempting to identify modes of vibration. These in turn may be useful for understanding engine behaviour, providing validation for engine models, and engine troubleshooting and "health" monitoring.
A conventional approach for determining engine order forcing frequencies is to measure engine component (e.g. shaft) rotational speeds directly using tachometer-like measuring devices. This approach is relatively simple in concept, but relies on being able to provide accurate and robust measuring devices and to appropriately position the devices in the engine. This may cause difficulties in practice.
The present invention is based, at least partly, on the realisation that known relations between engine order forcing frequencies and vibration response frequencies allow other engine order forcing frequencies, and optionally engine order/vibration response relative phase changes, to be determined indirectly from measurements of vibration responses.

Method for monitoring engine order forcing frequency


A digital sinewave generator can be used in digital equipment, e.g. instead of a local oscillator for modulation/demodulation of signals. If there is no simple relationship between sampling rate and the frequency of the sinewave, successive sample values must be calculated since storage of these values would be prohibitive. For a sinewave Re.sup.jk.phi. sampled at successive instants k=0, 1, 2, . . . etc. separated by a phase angle .phi., quadrature components A.sub.k +jB.sub.k =Re.sup.jk.phi. can be calculated using the algorithm: EQU A.sub.k+1 =cos.phi.A.sub.k -sin.phi.B.sub.k EQU B.sub.k+1 =sin.phi.A.sub.k +cos.phi.B.sub.k.. Unfortunately it is impossible for cos.sup.2 .phi.+sin.sup.2 .phi. to be exactly equal to unity if calculations are performed with finite precision using an even number base, which as the effect of causing the modulus of a sinewave generated by this algorithm to tend exponentially to 0 to .infin.. The present invention overcomes this by using the above algorithm to obtain approximations A.sub.k+1 ' and B.sub.k+1 ' to the desired result at terminals (9 and 10) and then multiplying (22,23) the approximations A.sub.k+1 ' and B.sub.k+1 ' by a correction factor ( 1-1/2.epsilon.) to obtain better approximations A.sub.k+1 and B.sub.k+1 which are stable about the desired amplitude R. ##EQU1## Such a generator can be used as a local oscillator in a modem for example.

This invention relates to a digital generator for producing a sinewave in the form of a succession of digitally encoded samples.
Digital generators may be used in digital equipment as substitutes for analogue oscillators. An example of such equipment is a modulator/demodulator (modem) for sending and receiving digitally encoded data via telephone lines, i.e via a transmission medium with a bandwidth limited to about 3 kHz. Various complex modulation techniques have been devised to enable high rates of data transmission via telephone lines in spite of the limited bandwidth, e.g. the CCITT recommendation V29 for data transmission at a rate of 9,600 bits/sec. These modulation techniques are more easily performed using digital circuits than analogue circuits, and it is therefore convenient to generate sinewaves for modulation or demodulation in a form directly suitable for digital processing.
In some circumstances it is possible to generate a succession of samples of a sinewave simply by looking up values in a table. For example, if the sinewave is generated in the form of samples at successive 90.degree. phase intervals, only the values +1,0,-1 and 0 need be stored. Further, multiplication by such numbers is very simple. In other circumstances, no such easy relationship exists between the sampling rate and the frequency desired for the generated sinewave, in which case sample values need to be calculated each time they are required since storage of enough sample values to sufficient accuracy becomes prohibitively expensive.
A known digital generator calculates successive digitally encoded sample values of a sinewave of amplitude R, with a sampling period T corresponding to a phase difference .phi. between two successive samples, by performing the following algorithm: EQU A.sub.k+1 =aA.sub.k -bB.sub.k EQU B.sub.k+1 =bA.sub.k +aB.sub.k
where a=cos .phi., b=sin .phi., A.sub.o =R and B.sub.o =0, k=0, 1, 2, . . . and the sinewave is defined at the instant k by the vector sum A.sub.k +jB.sub.k =Re.sup.jk.phi..
By substituting values into the equations of the algorithm above it can be seen that it is based on the trigonometric identities: EQU R cos (k+1).phi.=R cos .phi. cos k .phi.-R sin .phi. sin k.phi. EQU R sin (k+1).phi.=R sin .phi. cos k.phi.+R cos .phi. sin k.phi.
FIG. 1 of the accompanying drawings is a block diagram of such a generator. It comprises two delay lines 1 and 2 (e.g. buffer storage registers) providing a delay equal to T, two adders 3 and 4, two multipliers 5 and 8 and two outputs 9 and 10. Further, the figure shows two sources 11 and 12 (e.g. registers) for storing respective constants, and means 13 and 14 for initializing the generator with values A.sub.O =1 and B.sub.O =0, (i.e. in this case R=1). The sources 11 and 12 are each connected to two multipliers (6 and 7, and 5 and 8 respectively) and they supply constant sin .phi. and cos .phi. values respectively.
The multipliers also receive in pairs the signals delivered by the respective delay lines 1 and 2. Each of the adders 3 and 4 sums values from a pair of multipliers connected to receive different constants. Thus the adder 3 is connected to the outputs of the multipliers 5 and 7, while the adder 4 is connected to the outputs of the multipliers 6 and 8. The outputs of the adders are connected to respective ones of the outputs 9 and 10 as well as to the input of the corresponding delay line 1 or 2.
To explain the operation of this generator, let
a=cos .phi. PA1 b=sin .phi. PA1 A.sub.k =cos k.phi., PA1 B.sub.k =sin k.phi., PA1 k=0, 1, 2, . . .
where .phi. is the phase difference between two successive samples of the sinewave to be produced.
Initialize the generator with A.sub.o =1 and B.sub.o =0, and assume, for the moment, that its calculating and data storage units have infinite precision. The generator will then produce successive samples of the wave: EQU A.sub.k +jB.sub.k =e.sup.jk.phi.
where
and
It can be observed that the amplitude of the wave is constant and equal to unity.
To obtain a wave of any desired amplitude and A and B samples may be post-multiplied by the desired amplitude value.
Now, for the digital generator shown in FIG. 1, if calculation errors, and in particular truncation errors, are to be taken into account, and if an even number is used as the number base for calculation, the following identity: EQU a.sup.2 +b.sup.2 =1
can no longer be exactly true.
The result of this is that the amplitude of the wave delivered by the generator cannot remain stable.
The algorithm performed in FIG. 1 is: EQU A.sub.k+1 =aA.sub.k -bB.sub.k EQU B.sub.k+1 =bA.sub.k +aB.sub.k,
from which it can be deduced: EQU A.sub.k+1.sup.2 +B.sub.k+1.sup.2 =(A.sub.k.sup.2 +B.sub.k.sup.2) (a.sup.2 +b.sup.2).
Taking the initialization into account, EQU A.sub.k.sup.2 +B.sub.k.sup.2 =(a.sup.2 +b.sup.2).sup.k,
which indicates that the amplitude of the wave produced will tend exponentially towards infinity or zero depending on whether (a.sup.2 +b.sup.2) is greater than or less than unity.

Digital generator for producing a sinewave

Compagnie Industrielle des Telecommunications Cit-Alcatel


In an intake port structure in an internal combustion engine, an edge portion is formed on a lower surface of an intake port at a location immediately upstream of an intake bore 7. The angle .theta. formed by the center line L of the intake port with respect to a deck surface is set smaller than the angle .theta..sub. formed by an exhaust valve seat provided in a pent roof of a combustion chamber with respect to the deck surface. Further, if the height of an apex of the pent roof of the combustion chamber is represented by H.sub.0, and an intersection between an extension of the center line L of the intake port 5 and a straight vertical line L.sub.0 passing through the apex of the pent roof of the combustion chamber to intersect the deck surface at a right angle is represented by P, the height H of the intersection P is set so that a relation, H.sub.0 >H>2H.sub.0 /3 is satisfied.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an intake port structure in an internal combustion engine, including: a combustion chamber, an intake port and an exhaust port which are formed in a cylinder head coupled to a deck surface of a cylinder block, an intake valve seat mounted between the intake port and the combustion chamber and opened and closed by an intake valve, and an exhaust valve seat mounted between the exhaust port and the combustion chamber and opened and closed by an exhaust valve.
2. Description of the Prior Art
If a swirl is generated in an air-fuel mixture drawn into the combustion chamber, the upper limit of engine speed with a lean burn of the air-fuel mixture is extended to improve the specific fuel consumption. The swirls include a lateral swirl and a vertical swirl. The lateral swirl is a flow of the air-fuel mixture drawn into the combustion chamber, which whirls about the axis of the cylinder. The vertical swirl is a flow of the air-fuel mixture drawn into the combustion chamber, which whirls along the wall surface of the combustion chamber, the wall surface of the cylinder and the top surface of the piston.
An intake port structure in which the wall surface of the combustion chamber connected to the intake valve seat for the intake valve is formed into a conical shape in order to generate such a vertical swirl, is conventionally known from Japanese patent Application Laid-open No. 248616/90.
In the above prior art structure, it is possible to generate the vertical swirl in the air-fuel mixture, but there is a problem that the amount of air-fuel mixture drawn is insufficient and as a result, a sufficient output is not obtained.

Intake port structure in an internal combustion engine


The invention relates to an acoustic structure which complies with protection standard IP 67 and which can be used to provide hands-free capability e.g. in cellular terminals or small radio receivers. The acoustic structure comprises, in a device body (100), two interconnected, separate cavities for speaker means (151, 152, 153) and isolating means (120, 125, 130, 140). An isolating diaphragm (125) belonging to the speaker arrangement according to the invention is utilized simultaneously as an isolating means against dust and water and as a sound-reproduction element.

Cellular terminals can be used in many different environments. Increasingly, terminals will be used in environments where they are subject to moisture or fine dust. Therefore there are terminals on the market in which the cover parts constitute a dustproof and waterproof structure assembled of two separate components. The speaker element in the terminal resides within this waterproof structure.
In some respects such a structure is problematic. First, the audio level produced by the speaker element in this kind of an arrangement is so low that the user of the terminal has to place the terminal close to his ear. The terminal cannot be used hands free because the audio level is not sufficient for that kind of use.
Making the speaker element dustproof and waterproof means usually that a sealing diaphragm has to be placed in front of the speaker element, which diaphragm with its fastening structures will result in that the terminal must be designed and fabricated a few millimeters thicker so that said isolating diaphragm can be positioned at the right distance from the speaker element.

Waterproof acoustic structure applicable in conjunction with speaker


An apparatus for forming an optical fiber device comprising at least one optical fiber includes a mold having a forming surface, a heating source for heating the mold or the optical fiber, and an insert defining at least one optical fiber locator passage for guiding at least one optical fiber toward the forming surface. A method for forming an optical fiber device from at least one optical fiber includes the steps of heating the optical fiber or a forming surface of a mold to a temperature greater than a melting temperature of the optical fiber; advancing the optical fiber into contact with the forming surface of the mold such that a portion of the optical fiber is formed into a shape inversely corresponding to a shape of the forming surface; and withdrawing the optical fiber from the forming surface.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to forming optical fiber devices.
2. Description of Related Art
Optical fiber devices, such as optical fiber cables, are widely used in commercial and personal equipment. In many implementations, the ends of such optical fiber devices exhibit specified configurations. Conventionally, the ends of many such optical fiber devices are ground and polished to achieve the desired configurations. Generally, grinding and polishing operations are time consuming and costly. Because each optical fiber device is processed individually, inconsistencies between optical fiber devices naturally arise. These problems are exacerbated when the optical fibers of such devices being processed are small and in implementations wherein the geometric and/or dimensional characteristics of the fiber optic device end require tight tolerances.
Some optical fiber devices require that ends of two or more optical fibers be optically coupled or joined. Traditionally, the optical fibers are joined using optical resins or the like that are applied to the optical fibers. Conventional optical resins, however, are not compatible with some environments, such as high temperature environments. The optical resins may soften, deteriorate, or otherwise fail to operate properly in such environments. Moreover, the resin joining the optical fibers must be ground and polished to achieve a desired end configuration in some implementations. The grinding and polishing of resin portions that join optical fibers suffer from the same problems discussed above concerning the grinding and polishing of optical fibers.
There are many ways to form optical fiber devices that are well known in the art. However, considerable shortcomings remain.

Apparatus and method for forming an optical fiber device


Apparatus for separating a comixture of light and heavy materials includes a drum divided into two sections. In the first section, the material is introduced with a fluid, and separated from the fluid such that the fluid flows substantially the length of the first section along a "counter flow" path to wash against the material to be separated before overflowing the first section. The material to be separated separates into floating and sinking fractions, the floating fraction overflowing the first section together with the fluid. The sinking fraction is carried by a scroll along the wall of the first section to be lifted into the second section.. In the second section, the sinking fraction is reduced in size by a charge of grinding balls and lifted and removed from the second section.. In another embodiment a fluid section is provided within the first to carry the sinking fraction to near the entrance of the first section to insure its travel therewithin is as long as possible for additional scrubbing or washing by the "counter flow" fluid.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to apparatuses for separating comixed articles. More particularly, the invention relates to an improved method and apparatus for separating materials such as the components of lead-acid batteries, coal or the like from surrounding mined materials accompanying the coal in its removal, sand and gravel, and the like, which may be adherently connected, and for sizing at least a portion of the separated materials to a predetermined minimum size.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The prior art relevant to this invention includes the separators of my prior U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,892,563 and 4,018,567, as well as the background art discussed therein. The aforesaid patents are incorporated herein by reference.
The separators of the aforementioned patents provide a rotating drum into which lead acid storage batteries are introduced at one end. A fluid as well as a charge of grinding balls is included within the drum to degrade and fragment the batteries. As the batteries are fragmented in the drum, a heavy medium suspension of materials from the batteries is formed in the fluid and on which the floatable battery fragments float. The suspension constantly overflows the drum at the end at which the batteries are introduced, carrying with it the floatable battery components. The heavier battery fragments sink within the fluid and are mechanically removed at the opposite end of the drum. A portion of the overflowing suspension is pumped back into the drum together with a regulated quantity of water. The ratio of the recirculated fluid and water is adjusted to control the density of the heavy medium suspension to insure that only the desired battery fragments to be removed at one end float therein. Furthermore, the recirculated fluid is divided into two streams, one stream to be introduced with new battery materials to assist in washing the battery materials into the separator, the other to be introduced at an opposite end of the drum to establish a fluid circulation pattern aimed at flushing the suspension and its floatable components from the opposite end of the drum. Because of the divided recirculation flow path, a valve is employed to control the fluid in the respective flow paths; however, the valve requires some attention to maintain the proper circulation path of the fluid in the drum as well as enabling the suspension density to be maintained, while providing a sufficient quantity of fluid to wash newly injected battery materials into the drum.


A thin-film, diaphragm based device is disclosed which can be used to perform an array of sensing and actuating operations where a very thin profile is desired, such as in millimeter, micrometer, or nanometer tight spaces.

Most MEMS sensors are built onto silicon based wafers of approximately 500 μm thickness. While these thick substrates confer stability during fabrication and over the long term, the thickness limits applications in tight spaces, which includes many biomedical and industrial conditions. The rigidity and biocompatibility of silicon based sensors are additional limiting factors. Overcoming these issues is particularly challenging for diaphragm based sensors, due to the tight control required to build three-dimensional cavities and diaphragms at such a small scale.
The active region of many silicon based sensors is the deflecting diaphragm near the surface of the sensor. Typically, the active region ranges from the low-micron to sub-micron scale, which is a small fraction of the overall sensor thickness. The sensor profile can be significantly reduced if the inactive substrate is replaced with a thinner substrate or if the active region is integrated into the device package.
Passive ultrasonic sensors, methods and systems for their use are described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,770,032. Specifically, passive acoustic sensors having at least two flat parallel acoustically reflecting surfaces. At least one reflecting surface is on a member which is movable such that the distance between the reflecting surfaces varies as a function of a physical variable to be determined. Preferably, the sensor is made such that the intensity of a first portion of incident acoustic waves which is reflected from one reflecting surface is equal or substantially similar to the intensity of a second portion of the incident acoustic waves which is reflected from the other reflecting surface. The first portion and the second portion interfere to form a returning acoustic signal having one or more maximally attenuated frequencies which is correlated with the value of the physical variable. The internal acoustic signal is received and processed to determine the value of the physical variable from one or more of the maximal attenuation frequencies. Methods and systems for using the passive sensors are disclosed.
Existing systems such as those described above use an ultrasound probe, with a limited transmitting/receiving bandwidth, which permitted limited sensing of resonators, because most feasible mechanical resonators have natural frequencies in the audible or just above audible range under physiologically relevant pressure.
A passive sensor system using ultrasonic energy is also described in PCT Patent Publication WO 1995020769. In particular, a passive sensor system (14) utilizing ultrasonic energy is disclosed. The passive sensor system includes at least one ultrasonically vibratable sensor (10) and an ultrasonic activation and detection system (20, 22, 24, 25). The sensor (10) has at least one vibration frequency which is a function of a physical variable to be sensed. The ultrasonic activation and detection system (20, 22, 24, 25) excites the sensor and detects the vibration frequency from which it determines a value of the physical variable. The sensor includes (see FIG. 2-4) a housing, a membrane which is attached to the housing and which is responsive to the physical variable, a vibratable beam attached to the housing at one end and a coupler, attached to the membrane and to a small portion of the vibratable beam, which bends the vibratable beam in response to movement of the membrane.
The ability to measure pressure locally can be used in the analysis of certain conditions. Diabetics are prone to foot ulceration, with a population prevalence of approximately 8% and a lifetime risk of up to 25% (Margolis, Boulton). Loss of innervation due to diabetic peripheral neuropathy induces muscle laxity and associated skeleton deformities, as well as loss of sensation. This increased risk of focal stress points and reduced ability to accommodate to the initiating trauma greatly contribute to the formation of ulcers, which can progress in severity to the point where amputation is necessary. Critically, prevention and management by proper monitoring of foot conditions could reduce amputations by 50% (Driver).
Treatment of an ulcer is difficult after formation due to repetitive damage and compromised healing in diabetics. Over a third of the direct expenditure on diabetes in the US ($116 billion) is on ulcer treatment, with each treatment costing on average $28,000. Prevention by careful monitoring of the condition of the feet is considered to be the best approach and is thought to potentially avert half of the amputations due to ulceration (Driver).
Space constrictions limit conventional sensing devices in many environments, such as in shoes or insoles. Wires, power supplies, circuitry, and antennas in conventional approaches are all too large and cumbersome to fit without disruption. Electromagnetic resonance sensing offers a solution because these simple wireless systems only require a coil and a capacitor to operate. As such, they can be made small enough to wirelessly sense otherwise inaccessible environments. They are interrogated wirelessly by magnetic coupling. In some cases, the resonant system can entirely replace the conventional radio link system; in other cases, it can be used together with a radio link to extend the sensing range. The mechanism of resonance sensing is not widely used or known, probably because most sensing environments are accessible via wired sensors. Presently, to synthesize this mechanism of sensing with an application in foot pressure sensing requires a breadth of knowledge in a numerous disparate fields, including physics, mechanics, electrical engineering, and clinical medicine.
Peripheral neuropathy contributes to the high prevalence of foot ulceration in diabetics. Several systems, integrated into shoe insoles and socks, are currently available for monitoring foot pressures to prevent ulceration. However, these systems have practical limitations and inconveniences for end user, such as dangling wires or tenuous electronics.
Embodiments of the present disclosure offer a clean solution through a resonant wireless system in a shoe insole. The sensing insole is physically simple and durable, requires no on-site power supply or circuitry, and can wirelessly transmit pressure signals to a nearby device with radio link capability, such as a clip on the outer shoe, an anklet, or a waist belt. To our knowledge, no resonant wireless sensing system has been applied to measuring foot pressures in the patent or scientific literatures. An embodiment has been enabled with a thin film capacitive pressure transducer which demonstrates functionality and excellent pressure sensitivity.

Devices and methods for parameter measurement

The Board of Regents of The University of Texas System


While a transmitting transducer (2a) for transmitting an ultrasonic wave and a receiving transducer (2b) for receiving an ultrasonic wave are moved within a predetermined circular region (7) on a surface of a material being measured, ultrasonic waves are transmitted and received 10,000 times. Then, arithmetic averaging is performed every time an ultrasonic wave is received, on the ultrasonic wave and ultrasonic waves that have been received until then. For example, the aforementioned predetermined frequency is given by ((nxc2x1(xc2xd))xc3x97(106xc3x97v/xcex94L))(Hz), where xcex94L is a variation in distance between the transmitting transducer and the receiving transducer, v is a transmission velocity of an ultrasonic wave transmitting in a material being detected, and n is a natural number. Consequently, it is possible to detect, with high accuracy, the thickness of a concrete material having a narrow width and a thick thickness, the thickness of the covering of a reinforcing bar and the diameter thereof, the depth of a crack and the like.

The present invention relates to ultrasonic detection apparatuses to be employed such as for detecting internal defects or the like of concrete materials by means of ultrasonic waves and an ultrasonic detection method that employs the apparatus. More particularly, the present invention relates to an ultrasonic detection apparatus which provides accurate and high-speed detection of reinforcing bars arranged inside a concrete material, the depth of a crack, the thickness of concrete, gaps and the like, and to an ultrasonic detection method that employs the apparatus.
A concrete material is a composite structure of cement and coarse aggregates of 1 to 3 mm in diameter. Ultrasonic waves traveling through a concrete material are scattered while being reflected, refracted, and changed in mode repeatedly at the interface between the coarse aggregate and the cement.
This causes readily the ultrasonic waves to be diffused in the concrete material and significantly attenuated in strength in the orientation direction of the ultrasonic waves. The level of the attenuation would be acceleratingly increased as the ultrasonic waves have higher frequencies.
In addition, when longitudinal or transverse ultrasonic waves are input into a concrete material from a surface thereof, longitudinal or transverse ultrasonic waves and direct waves, each having a relatively large amount of energy, coexist with the longitudinal or transverse ultrasonic waves input to the inside of the concrete material. In addition, surface waves having a large amount of energy are generated at the surface of the concrete material.
These phenomena have conventionally made it difficult to detect the inside such as of a concrete material or a porous material by means of ultrasonic waves.
However, recent years have seen an improvement of internal detection methods employing ultrasonic waves. Thus, in some cases, with various conditions being satisfied, it is possible to measure the thickness of a concrete plate or detect gaps or the like therein within a detection depth range of about 20 to 50 cm. The conditions of the detection are shown below.
First, it is necessary to use ultrasonic wave transmitting and receiving transducers having a resonant frequency of about 100 to 500 kHz. Secondly, it is necessary to use transducers having an oscillator as large as about 50 to 70 mm in diameter. Thirdly, it is necessary to apply a stepped voltage to a ceramic oscillator or the like in the transducer instead of the pulsed voltage, which has been conventionally employed.
FIG. 68(a) is a graph showing a pulsed voltage, (b) being a graph showing the spectrum of the pulsed voltage, and (c) being a graph showing a time series waveform of the pulsed voltage. On the other hand, FIG. 69(a) is a graph showing a stepped voltage, (b) being a graph showing the spectrum of the stepped voltage, and (c) being a graph showing a time series waveform of the stepped voltage. The graphs represent pulsed and stepped voltages having values of 50 to 500V. Differences are found in the spectrum and time series waveform between the pulsed and stepped voltages. Incidentally, the peak frequencies of FIGS. 68(b) and 69(b) are resonant frequencies of oscillators, while FIGS. 68(c) and 69(c) show time series transmit ultrasonic waves.
Now, a conventional method for measuring a concrete material will be explained in which the stepped voltage shown in FIG. 69(a) is applied to the concrete material by using an ultrasonic transducer having an oscillator 56 mm in diameter whose resonant frequency is 1 MHz. FIG. 70 is a schematic view illustrating a concrete plate as a material to be detected. The concrete plate 41 as a material to be detected has a thickness of 20 cm and contains fine stones about 2 mm in diameter as coarse aggregate. In addition, the concrete plate 41 has a relatively small number of bubbles therein. Furthermore, it should be understood that this measuring method works as a method for making a measurement with one transducer, in which a transducer 42 functions as receiving and transmitting transducers. FIG. 71 is a graph illustrating a reflected wave obtained under the aforementioned conditions, with the horizontal axis representing the time and the vertical axis representing the amplitude.
Referring to FIG. 71, a peak 43a shows a longitudinal reflected wave 43 from the bottom surface of the concrete plate. The peak 43a is noticeable, showing that it is possible to measure the thickness of the concrete plate under the aforementioned conditions.
Suppose that like the concrete plate 41, the thickness is relatively thin when compared with the surface area. In this case, according to various types of measurement examples, since a corner-reflected wave 44 from a corner portion and a reflected wave of a surface wave 45 are generally small in amplitude, it is made possible to measure the thickness of a plate as thick as about down to 50 cm under the aforementioned conditions.
However, for a concrete plate having been subjected to aging, it is often difficult to confirm the generation of a reflected wave from the bottom surface thereof. Likewise, when a concrete plate is not a planar one, and great amounts of reflected waves from the corner portions and from surface waves are provided and lots of bubbles are contained in the concrete plate, it is also difficult in many cases to confirm the generation of a reflected wave from the bottom surface.
For example, the following cases make it difficult to measure thickness. FIG. 72 is a view illustrating a concrete pillar or a material to be detected, (a) being a schematic view thereof before being cut apart and (b) being a schematic view thereof after having been cut apart.
Here, such a concrete pillar 51 was made that has a side of length 30 cm and another side of length 50 cm in a cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. Inside the concrete pillar 51, there is present a large number of bubbles about 1 to 10 mm in diameter. In addition, contained in the concrete pillar are 30 wt % of coarse aggregates having diameters greater than 5 mm and less than 1 cm, 40 wt % of coarse aggregates having diameters greater than 1 cm and less than 2 cm, and 40 wt % of coarse aggregates having diameters greater than 2 cm. In addition, a concrete material 51a having a height of 50 cm was cut from the concrete pillar 51.
Such a case is explained below in which a transducer 52 is placed at the center A of a plane having a width of 50 cm for measuring the thickness. FIG. 73 is a schematic view illustrating waves produced when the thickness is measured with the transducer 52 being placed at the center A.
When longitudinal ultrasonic waves are input into the concrete material 51a from a surface thereof directly downwards with the transducer 52 being placed at the center A, as shown in FIG. 73, a corner-reflected wave 54, a direct wave 55, a surface wave 56, and a longitudinal wave 57 low in strength as well as a reflected wave 53 from the bottom surface return to the center A. Accordingly, the received wave at the center A is a superimposed wave of the waves 53-57, making it difficult to determine the peak of the reflected wave from the bottom surface as shown in FIG. 71.
Various types of oscillators were actually used for the application of a stepped voltage of 500V for measurement, with the results being illustrated. FIG. 74(a) is a graph illustrating a time series waveform obtained by a measurement with a transmitting transducer having an oscillator of resonant frequency 2.5 MHz and 20 mm in diameter, (b) being a graph illustrating a time series waveform obtained by a measurement with a transmitting transducer having an oscillator of resonant frequency 500 kHz and 40 mm in diameter, and (c) being a graph illustrating a time series waveform obtained by a measurement with a transmitting transducer having an oscillator of resonant frequency 500 kHz and 70 mm in diameter. Incidentally, the receiving transducer employed an oscillator having a resonant frequency of 2.5 MHz and a diameter of 20 mm. Referring to FIGS. 74(a) through (c), ultrasonic waves are transmitted at time 104 xcexcs on the horizontal axis. For example, time 205 xcexcs in the figures shows that 101 xcexcs have elapsed after the time of transmission.
For these measurements, a two-transducer method was employed in which a transmitting transducer and a receiving transducer are arranged extremely close to each other. Referring to FIGS. 74(a) through (c), the time shown by the dashed lines indicates the theoretical time of generation of the reflected wave 53 from the bottom surface of the concrete material 51a. However, in these time series waveforms, it is impossible to identify the time as the time of generation of the reflected wave 53. Therefore, in such cases, it is impossible to measure the thickness of the concrete material 51a.
The present invention was developed in view of such problems. It is an object of the present invention to provide an ultrasonic detection apparatus which can detect with accuracy the thickness of a concrete material having a narrow width and a thick thickness, the thickness of the covering of a reinforcing bar and the diameter thereof, the depth of a crack and the like, and a ultrasonic detection method that employs the apparatus.
A first ultrasonic detection apparatus according to the present invention is for allowing a transmitting transducer to transmit an ultrasonic wave a plurality of times to analyze an ultrasonic wave received by a receiving transducer. The ultrasonic detection apparatus comprises: an arithmetic averaging device which performs arithmetic averaging a plurality of times per one detection every time an ultrasonic wave is received, on the ultrasonic wave and ultrasonic waves having been received until then; and extracting means which extracts an ultrasonic wave having a predetermined frequency as a center frequency from received ultrasonic waves. The abovementioned predetermined frequency is given by ((nxc2x1(xc2xd))(106xc3x97vxcex94L))(Hz), where xcex94L is a variation in distance between the abovementioned transmitting transducer and the abovementioned receiving transducer, v is a transmission velocity of an ultrasonic wave transmitting in a material being detected, and n is a natural number.
The present invention allows the arithmetic averaging device to perform arithmetic averaging 1,000 times or more per one detection every time an ultrasonic wave is received, on the ultrasonic wave and the ultrasonic waves that have been received until then. This causes waves having variations in phase to gradually cancel out each other and only those waves having substantially no variation in phase to amplify each other to remain. Accordingly, measurements carried out under the conditions which cause substantially no change in phase of a desired wave would make it possible to detect, with high accuracy, the thickness of a concrete material narrow in width and thick in thickness or the like. Furthermore, the arithmetic averaging device performs directly the arithmetic averaging, thereby reducing the amount of processing to be performed by purpose-oriented software or the like and making it possible to perform processing at high speeds. For example, suppose that arithmetic averaging needs to be performed 10,000 times, in which the arithmetic averaging device performs arithmetic averaging up to 4,000 times and the software performs subsequent arithmetic averaging. In this case, arithmetic means obtained by performing arithmetic averaging 4,000 times, another 4,000 times, and further 2,000 times are processed by the arithmetic averaging device, and then the resulting values are processed by the software.
A second ultrasonic detection apparatus according to the present invention is for allowing a transmitting transducer to transmit an ultrasonic wave a plurality of times to analyze an ultrasonic wave received by a receiving transducer. The ultrasonic detection apparatus comprises an arithmetic averaging device which performs arithmetic averaging a plurality of times per one detection every time an ultrasonic wave obtained by applying a step function voltage to an oscillator is received, on the ultrasonic wave and ultrasonic waves having been received until then. The abovementioned predetermined frequency is given by ((nxc2x1(xc2xd))xc3x97(106xc3x97v/xcex94L))(Hz), where xcex94L is a variation in distance between the abovementioned transmitting transducer and the abovementioned receiving transducer, v is a transmission velocity of an ultrasonic wave transmitting in a material being detected, and n is a natural number.
A third ultrasonic detection apparatus according to the present invention is for allowing a transmitting transducer to transmit an ultrasonic wave a plurality of times to analyze an ultrasonic wave received by a receiving transducer. The ultrasonic detection apparatus comprises: an arithmetic averaging device for performing arithmetic averaging a plurality of times per one detection, every time an ultrasonic wave obtained by applying a step function voltage to an oscillator is received, on the ultrasonic wave and ultrasonic waves having been received until then; and extracting means which extracts an ultrasonic wave having a predetermined frequency as a center frequency from received ultrasonic waves. The abovementioned predetermined frequency is given by ((nxc2x1(xc2xd(106xc3x97v/66 L))(Hz), where xcex94L is a variation in distance between the abovementioned transmitting transducer and the abovementioned receiving transducer, v is a transmission velocity of an ultrasonic wave transmitting in a material being detected, and n is a natural number.
A first method for detecting an ultrasonic wave according to the present invention comprises the steps of: transmitting and receiving an ultrasonic wave a plurality of times while a transmitting transducer for transmitting ultrasonic waves and a receiving transducer for receiving ultrasonic waves are moved within a predetermined region on a surface of a material being detected; performing arithmetic averaging every time the ultrasonic wave is received, on the ultrasonic wave and ultrasonic waves having been received until then; and extracting an ultrasonic wave having a predetermined frequency as a center frequency from ultrasonic waves obtained by the arithmetic averaging. The abovementioned predetermined frequency is given by ((nxc2x1(xc2xd))xc3x97(106xc3x97v/xcex94L))(Hz), where xcex94L is a variation in distance between the abovementioned transmitting transducer and the abovementioned receiving transducer, v is a transmission velocity of an ultrasonic wave transmitting in a material being detected, and n is a natural number.
The present invention allows ultrasonic waves to be transmitted and received a plurality of times while a transmitting transducer for transmitting an ultrasonic wave and a receiving transducer for receiving an ultrasonic wave are moved within a predetermined region on a surface of a material being detected, thereby causing a received wave having variations in phase and a received wave having no variation in phase to exist. In addition, arithmetic averaging is performed, every time an ultrasonic wave is received, on the ultrasonic wave and ultrasonic waves that have been received until then. This makes it possible to allow received waves varied in phase to gradually vanish and only those waves not varied in phase to remain. This makes it possible to vanish unnecessary received waves to extract only desired received waves.
A second method for detecting an ultrasonic wave according to the present invention comprises the steps of: transmitting and receiving an ultrasonic wave a plurality of times while a transmitting-receiving transducer for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves is moved within a predetermined region on a surface of a material being detected; performing arithmetic averaging every time the ultrasonic wave is received, on the ultrasonic wave and ultrasonic waves having been received until then; and extracting an ultrasonic wave having a predetermined frequency as a center frequency from ultrasonic waves obtained by the arithmetic averaging. The abovementioned predetermined frequency is given by ((nxc2x1({fraction (1/2)}(106xc3x97v/xcex94L))(Hz), where xcex94L is a variation in distance between the abovementioned transmitting transducer and the abovementioned receiving transducer, v is a transmission velocity of an ultrasonic wave transmitting in a material being detected, and n is a natural number.
A third method for detecting an ultrasonic wave according to the present invention comprises the step of repeating a predetermined number of times the steps of: transmitting and receiving an ultrasonic wave a plurality of times while a transmitting transducer for transmitting ultrasonic waves and a receiving transducer for receiving ultrasonic waves, evenly spaced apart from each other, are moved within a predetermined region on a surface of a material being detected; performing arithmetic averaging every time the ultrasonic wave is received, on the ultrasonic wave and ultrasonic waves having been received until then; and varying a distance between the abovementioned transmitting transducer and the abovementioned receiving transducer by a predetermined amount. The method further comprises the steps of; determining an arithmetic mean of ultrasonic waves obtained as results of the arithmetic averaging; and extracting an ultrasonic wave having a predetermined frequency as a center frequency from ultrasonic waves obtained by the last arithmetic averaging. The abovementioned predetermined frequency is given by ((nxc2x1(xc2xd(106xc3x97v/xcex94L))(Hz), where xcex94L is a variation in distance between the abovementioned transmitting transducer and the abovementioned receiving transducer, v is a transmission velocity of an ultrasonic wave transmitting in a material being detected, and n is a natural number.
A fourth method for detecting an ultrasonic wave according to the present invention comprises the step of repeating the steps of: transmitting and receiving an ultrasonic wave a plurality of times while a transmitting transducer and a receiving transducer are evenly spaced apart from each other, the transmitting transducer transmitting ultrasonic waves by receiving an electrical signal to be output from a transmitting circuit, and the receiving transducer receiving ultrasonic waves to input an electrical signal to a receiving circuit disposed in a housing different from one for the transmitting circuit; performing arithmetic averaging every time the ultrasonic wave is received, on the ultrasonic wave and ultrasonic waves having been received until then; extracting an ultrasonic wave having a predetermined frequency as a center frequency from ultrasonic waves obtained by the arithmetic averaging; and moving the transmitting transducer and the receiving transducer on a surface of a material being detected. The abovementioned predetermined frequency is given by ((nxc2x1({fraction (1/2)}))xc3x97(106xc3x97v/xcex94L))(Hz), where xcex94L is a variation in distance between the abovementioned transmitting transducer and the abovementioned receiving transducer, v is a transmission velocity of an ultrasonic wave transmitting in a material being detected, and n is a natural number.

Ultrasonic detector and method for ultrasonic detection


A method of joining tubular elements to provide fluid tight connections is disclosed in which the mating portions of the joined tubes are preformed so as to be able to be located with respect to each other prior to soldering, brazing, or other joining process. The preforming operations involve the punching or shearing of an opening in the sidewall of a body tube to which a branching tube is to be joined, in which shearing operation a pair of cusps or tabs are formed at opposite locations on either side of the sheared hole. The punching or shearing is carried out by a punch tool moved to intercept a segment of the body tube sidewall to form an opening, with portions of the tubing wall on either side of the opening formed remaining, these portions being displaced upwardly by the tool to provide the locating cusps or tabs at the periphery of the opening so-formed. The end of the branch tube is initially slotted prior to being formed by means of a swaging tool into a saddle shape suitably formed to snap over the body tube section with the tabs cooperating with the interior of the branch tube to provide a locating function such as to enable correct positioning of the tube over the opening punched in the body tube sidewall. Once in position, the tubes are then joined in position by conventional soldering, brazing, or other suitable joining process.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention concerns methods of joining tubing sections, and more particularly, in joining the tube sections to each other in a transverse direction, as in making branching connections.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The making of tubing or piping joints of the type in which one tube is joined to a second tube extending along a transverse direction without the use of fittings, is commonly done in the manufacture of refrigerant assemblies such as headers, etc. and other similar applications. The economics of these applications are such that the added expense of tube fittings would be prohibitive, and conventional practice is to directly join the connected tube elements by welding, brazing or soldering the tube elements together. Since no fittings are used, it is necessary to provide fixturing to properly position one tube with respect to each other while the mechanical joining process is carried out as by soldering or brazing of the joint. This fixturing is particularly necessitated in those applications in which tubes of similar size are so joined since one tube may not be securely positioned within the opening formed in the other tube without causing the branch tube to protrude substantially into the main or body tube element creating a restriction within the body tube. This fixturing adds to the capital investment necessary for the manufacture of the tubing assemblage, and also adds considerably to the labor involved in the process and would be a major hindrance in any attempt to automate the manufacturing process.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method of joining tubular elements to each other in transverse or intersecting directions in which the locating of the tubes during the welding or other joining process is carried out without the use of fixturing.
A further object of the present invention is to provide such a method which does not necessitate the use of fittings in making the joints.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such a method which is applicable to mating tubing elements of similar or the same size.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide such a method which does not involve elaborate equipment or any particularly complex forming processes on the tubes themselves.

Fixtureless method of making tube joints

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An apparatus and method for detecting and marking delamination defects on thin film disks are disclosed. The apparatus includes a read/write (R/W) head and a burnishing head mounted on separate arms that access the disk while spinning on the test stand. The controller uses the R/W head to perform an initial magnetic test of selected areas on the disk to establish an initial defect map. The burnish head is then flown over the surface for an extended time to accelerate and open up the latent delamination defects by impacting protruding material. The R/W head is then used to perform a second magnetic test which is compared against the first test to identify the delamination defects which have been developed by the burnishing. The delamination defects are then marked with a magnetic pattern which aids in optically locating the defect during subsequent failure analysis.

The invention relates to manufacturing and testing apparatus for thin film disks and more particularly to apparatus and methods for detecting film delamination defects in thin film disks.
A typical prior art head and disk system 10 is illustrated in FIG. 1. In operation the magnetic transducer 11 is supported by the suspension 13 as it flies above the disk 16. The magnetic transducer 11, usually called a xe2x80x9cheadxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cslider,xe2x80x9d is composed of elements that perform the task of writing magnetic transitions (the write head 23) and reading the magnetic transitions (the read head 12). The electrical signals to and from the read and write heads 12, 23 travel along conductive paths (leads) 14 which are attached to or embedded in the suspension 13. The magnetic transducer 11 is positioned over points at varying radial distances from the center of the disk 16 to read and write circular tracks (not shown). The disk 16 is attached to a spindle 18 that is driven by a spindle motor 24 to rotate the disk 16. The disk 16 comprises a substrate 26 on which a plurality of thin films 21 are deposited. The thin films 21 include ferromagnetic material in which the write head 23 records the magnetic transitions in which information is encoded. The thin film protective layer (not shown in FIG. 1) is typically the last or outermost layer.
The conventional disk 16 typically has a substrate 26 of AIMg or glass. The thin films 21 on the disk 16 typically include a chromium or chromium alloy underlayer that is deposited on the substrate 26. The magnetic layer in the thin films 21 is based on various alloys of cobalt, nickel and iron. For example, a commonly used alloy is CoPtCr. However, additional elements such as tantalum and boron are often used in the magnetic alloy.
FIG. 2 illustrates one common internal structure of the thin films 21 on disk 16. The protective overcoat 35 is used to improve wearability and corrosion. The magnetic layer 34 is immediately under the overcoat 35. The magnetic layer 34 is deposited on an underlayer 33 which is in turn deposited on a seed layer 32. The seed layer 32 is deposited on the substrate 26. Since the seed layer 32 is the initial thin film deposited on the substrate 26, it plays a critical role in the adherence of the thin film structure to the substrate. For nonmetallic substrates various seed layer materials have been suggested including chromium, titanium, tantalum, CrTi, Ni3P, MgO, carbon, tungsten, AlN, FeAl, RuAl and NiAl.
One of the prior art steps in processing thin film magnetic disks has been burnishing. The burnishing process flies a special type of slider structure over the disk surface to physically remove high spots from the disk surface. U.S. Pat. No. 5,658,191 to Brezoczky describes a type of burnishing head and the process of using it.
The prior art manufacturing process for thin film disks has included various optical, magnetic and physical tests. An optical inspection system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,100,971 to Imaino, et al., which is commonly assigned with the present application. One physical test is called a glide test. A glide test is used to gauge the suitability of the surface of the disk for xe2x80x9cflyingxe2x80x9d the read/write (R/W) head. One prior art glide test is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,262,572 issued to Franco, et al. A glide test using a thermo-resistive element is used to detect thermal asperities which are caused by irregularities in the surface of the disk. Franco ""572 suggests using a glide head that is much wider than an actual R/W head in order to speed up the process of testing a disk.
One of the failure mechanisms for thin film disks is delamination of the thin film structure from the substrate. In typical manufacturing procedures delaminations are often not detected until the disk is installed in and tested in the final disk drive assembly. It is clearly advantageous to detect defects on a disk prior to installation in a drive. An additional problem in delamination defect analysis is being able to locate the defect in a microscope field for failure analysis. The critical defects are not visible with the naked eye, so it can be time consuming to search for the defect using any type of high magnification device.
The applicants disclose an apparatus and method for detecting and marking delamination defects on thin film disks. The apparatus includes a read/write (R/W) head and a burnishing head mounted on separate arms that access the disk while spinning on the test stand. The R/W head performs an initial magnetic test of selected areas on the disk to establish an initial defect map. The burnish head is then flown over the surface for an extended time to accelerate and open up the latent delamination defects by impacting protruding material. The R/W head then performs a second magnetic test which is compared against the first test to identify the delamination defects which have been developed by the burnishing. The delamination defects are then marked with a magnetic pattern which aids in optically locating the defect, for subsequent failure analysis.

Thin film delamination detection for magnetic disks

Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands B.V.