A sealing structure for a rock drill bit includes an elastomeric diaphragm for installation in the drill bit so as to separate grease from drilling mud. The diaphragm has an aperture extending through it, and a plug is disposed in the aperture so as to form a mechanical seal with a wall of the aperture. The plug has a channel therethrough which is normally held sealed by a face of the aperture in the diaphragm. If the pressure of the grease exceeds pressure in mud on the other side of the diaphragm by more than a critical value, the diaphragm aperture deforms and allows grease to move through the plug channel and escape. The critical value can be varied by using, with the same diaphragm, plugs having different numbers, sizes and axial positions of plug channels.

The invention relates to a sealing structure for a rock drill bit and, more particularly, to a sealing structure that includes a diaphragm as a fluid pressure compensator and a relief valve between lubricant and mud regions.
Rock drill bits have multiple rotating heads which are caused to rotate by rotation of the drill pipe stem. The rotating heads are mounted on bearings which receive lubrication from a reservoir, with rotary seals preventing escape of the lubrication. Due to fluctuations in the pressure differential between the lubricant and the mud surrounding the rotating heads, a pressure relief mechanism has to be provided to lower lubricant pressure when the differential exceeds an amount that may damage the rotary seals; such damage results in both downtime and high repair cost.
The pressure relief mechanism for such lubrication systems normally includes an elastomeric compensating diaphragm as well as an associated means that allows lubricant to flow through or around the diaphragm if the pressure differential thereacross exceeds a predetermined value. A variety of such diaphragms are shown, for instance, in the following U.S. Pat. No. 3,847,234 (Schumacher); U.S. Pat. No. 4,161,223 (Oelke); U.S. Pat. No. 4,727,942 (Galle); and, U.S. Pat. No. 5,072,795 (Delgado). In Schumacher, the diaphragm is generally planar with corrugations, and has a central orifice through which lubricant can pass if the pressure differential exceeds a predetermined value. In Oelke, lubricant escapes around the edges of an accordion-shaped diaphragm if the pressure differential exceeds the force exerted by a belleville spring holding a cover cap against the base of the diaphragm. In Galle, the diaphragm is centrally sealed in a chamber and movable between opposite ends of the chamber, depending on the relative pressure differential across it. A central portion of the diaphragm has a perforation that is normally closed but is forced open if the lubricant pressure exceeds the mud pressure by more than a maximum differential; the perforation does not open to allow mud through, no matter how high the pressure differential. In Delgado, a self-sealing puncture is included in the diaphragm and opens when the pressure differential exceeds a critical value to allow either the mud or the lubricant having the higher pressure to pass through the puncture; once the pressure differential reduces below the critical value, the puncture self-seals to prevent further fluid passing through it.
It would be advantageous to be able to adjust a maximum pressure differential across a diaphragm without requiring a replacement of the diaphragm.
It would also be advantageous to be able to adjust such maximum pressure differential in a simple and rapid manner.
In one aspect, the invention is a sealing structure for a rock drill bit. The sealing structure includes an elastomeric diaphragm for installation in the drill bit so as to separate lubricant from drilling mud. The diaphragm has an aperture therethrough, and a plug is disposed in the aperture to form a mechanical seal with a wall thereof. The plug has a bore therethrough which is closed by the expanded diaphragm. Excess pressure in the lubricant is communicated via the bore to the aperture wall to deform the wall locally and vent the excess pressure.
The plug preferably forms an interference fit with the aperture of the diaphragm.
The bore of the plug preferably has an axial segment and a radial segment. The axial segment extends from an open plug end on the lubricant side of the diaphragm to a closed plug end on the mud side of the diaphragm. The radial segment comprises one or more channels each of which connects the axial segment of the bore to a corresponding side opening on the plug.
In a preferred form, the diaphragm when unstressed is generally cup-shaped, an inner side of the diaphragm being the lubricant side, and wherein the diaphragm is adapted to be secured by its larger open end to the rock drill bit. In a more preferred form, the diaphragm may have a generally frustoconical configuration, and includes a tapering sidewall integrally connected at its smaller end to a generally circular base.
The plug may preferably extend through the diaphragm at a central position on the diaphragm base.
The plug may engage with a collar that is mounted on an inside surface of the diaphragm base. Preferably, the plug engages with the collar by means of complementary threads. Preferably, the open plug end is configured for accepting a rotatable end of a drive tool for rotating the plug relative to the collar.
A series of protrusions may surround an entrance to the aperture on an outside surface of the diaphragm base. The larger open end of the diaphragm has a toroidal shape which is adapted to be held between mating parts of the rock drill bit for holding the diaphragm in position on the bit.
In any of the foregoing forms of the sealing structure, the diaphragm may be elastomeric, the plug may be metallic, and the collar may be metallic. The lubricant used in the sealing structure may be grease.
The aperture wall may deform to allow lubricant to pass through the sealing structure at an excess pressure in the range between 3.5 and 35 kg/cm2 (50 and 500 psi),
In another aspect, the invention is one of the foregoing forms of the sealing structure, in combination with the rock drill bit.
Preferred features of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:


A magnetizing apparatus for magnetizing magnets including an assembly construction for easy maintenance and service which does not need to be completely disassembly for maintenance or service of magnetizing components and which does not require extension recalibration prior to resuming production.

The present invention relates to an apparatus for magnetizing magnets for a voice coil motor.
Disc drives store digital information on discs. Heads are supported to read data from or write data to discs. Typically, heads are movably supported by a head stack assembly for placement relative to selected tracks of a disc. Head stack assemblies are coupled to voice coil motors to position heads relative to selected data tracks for read/write operations. The voice coil motor includes a plurality of magnetized magnets to form magnetic flux fields for operating the voice coil motor for head placement.
Disc drives are assembly in large volumes in manufacturing facilities. Assembly of disc drives includes the process of magnetizing magnets of the voice coil motor. Magnets are magnetized using a magnetizing apparatus. Components of the magnetizing apparatus typically require periodic service, cleaning or maintenance due to their extensive use which may interrupt disc drive production. Prior assembly apparatus for magnetizing magnets required extensive disassembly of the apparatus components for service or maintenance which can significantly interfere with disc drive production. Further, prior to resuming operation, the disassembled components needed to be completely realigned which adds costs and delays use of the apparatus. The present invention relates to an assembly apparatus for magnetizing magnets for assembly of a disc drive which addresses these and other problems, and offers other advantages over the prior art.
The present application relates to a magnetizing apparatus for magnetizing magnets including an assembly construction for easy maintenance and service which does not need to be completely disassembly for maintenance or service of magnetizing components and which does not require extension recalibration prior to resuming production. These and other beneficial features of the present invention will become apparent upon review of the following FIGS. and related explanations.

Assembly apparatus for magnetizing magnets


An example method of testing a shielded cable couples an excitation signal to the shielded cable at an end of a shielded cable, determines one or more resonant frequencies of the shielded cable based on a response of the shielded cable to the excitation signal, and determines that a shielding of the shielded cable has degraded based on a change in the one or more resonant frequencies. A system for testing a shielded cable is also disclosed.

The present disclosure relates to shielded cables, and more particularly to determining whether the shielding of a shielded cable has degraded.
Shielded cables are commonly used for transmitting power and data between components. In a shielded cable, individual conductors are enclosed within a common sheath, and each of those individual conductors can be shielded from one another to maximize electrical isolation and minimize cross-talk between the conductors. In some examples this takes the form of twisted pairs, where individual pairs of conductors are twisted around each other within the common sheath. Use of twisted pairs can minimize electromagnetic interference (EMI) from external sources, for example.
A known method of testing the integrity of the shielded cable involves inducing radio frequency (RF) currents on a given shielded cable, and measuring a coupled voltage on a shielded center conductor to determine the shield transfer impedance. This method can be difficult to implement in aircraft environments, where cables may be situated in tight spaces and/or are generally difficult to access.

Method of testing cable shield performance


A latent image is developed in the photoconductor surface of a moving belt by displacing the belt from its path of movement toward an adjacent stationary electrophotographic developer as the latent image approaches that developer, to establish a toner transfer gap therebetween, where toner is transferred from the developer to the photoconductor as the latent image passes the developer. Electromagnetically or pneumatically operated mechanisms are employed to displace the belt.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to electrophotography, more particularly to color, hard copy printing and plotting, and, more specifically, to a liquid toner developer actuation system for a color hard copy apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
In electrophotographic printing an electrostatic latent image in a photoconductor is developed by applying toner to the latent image. Contact of the toner developed image with paper transfers the toner to the paper to create a hard copy reproduction of the image. In further detail, a charge is applied to a photoconductive insulating surface area of a photoconductor. The surface area is exposed to a pattern of light. By this exposure a latent image of the pattern is formed in the charged photoconductor surface. The latent image is then developed by the application of electroscopic toner to the photoconductive material. The toner of the developed image is transferred by contact to a hard copy sheet, usually a paper medium and fused, or fixed, thereto. The photoconductor surface is then cleaned removing the image and reused for the next image. This basic construct is used in a variety of state of the art products such as computer printers and plotters, copiers, facsimile machines, and the like.
In the field of color hard copy reproduction, such as by laser printers using liquid electrophotography (LEP) techniques, the use of color liquid toners (generally yellow, magenta, cyan (the subtractive primary colors), and black) present challenging implementation problems. One such problem is in the developer mechanism of the hard copy apparatus where color toner is transferred from a reservoir in a developer mechanism or module, to a photoconductor, in order to develop the latent image. After a photosensitized material is exposed to a pattern of illumination, a latent image of that pattern exists in the distribution of dissipated electrical charges on the surface of the material. The electrostatic latent image is developed by the attraction of toner to the latent image at the developer module (of a type dependent upon the type of toner employed, liquid or dry powder; e.g., air nozzles, brushes, rollers, or the like).
In a development cycle as practiced in the prior art, the development module is brought into toner transfer position with the photoconductor in order to initiate the image development process. This involves moving the developer assembly into contact with the photoconductor at the location of the latent image. Since the entire mass of the developer assembly must be moved, this requires a motor and precision guidance hardware. In addition, if any parts of the developer assembly are driven from a common gear train then the gear train must allow for this motion. Further there is no simple mechanism to vary the time duration of developer assembly proximity with the photoconductor for developing the latent image. This adds additional complexity and cost to the developer design.
Therefore, there is a need for an improved, low cost, latent image developer actuation system for hard copy producing machines.

Electrophotographic printer with apparatus for moving a flexible photoconductor into engagement with a developer module


A process for using explosion bonding to produce a metal composite. The explosion bonding produces a substantially diffusionless metallurgical bond between the layers. In one aspect, the ductility of at least one of the layers being bonded is increased by heating prior to bonding. In another aspect, a layer comprises explosion bonding a plurality of cladding layer to a backer plate such that the seam between the strips is sealed.

Conventional reaction vessels for manufacturing fluorocarbons are fabricated from one or more of Hastelloy, carbon steel, stainless steel or polychlorotrifluoroethylene resins. Commercial manufacture of a fluorocarbons creates an extremely corrosive environment. While the corrosion resistance of Hastelloy alloys containing nickel, cobalt, chromium, molybdenum, etc., is superior to stainless steel, it also corrodes at an undesirable rate, particularly when exposed to a high perfluorinated catalyst concentration. The polychlorotrifluoroethylene resins and similar highly fluorinated resins are not suitable because such resins have relatively poor heat transfer, low strength, and faulty adhesion to supporting base metal surfaces.
The conventional cost of materials for fabricating a reaction vessel on a commercial scale, from precious metals, i.e., noble metals such as ruthenium, osmium, rhodium, iridium, palladium, platinum, silver, and gold, is typically not cost-effective. High value metals such as rhenium, typically are also not cost-effective for use in fabricating a reaction vessel. Further, refractory metals, i.e., high melting point metals, such as hafnium, molybdenum, tungsten, ruthenium, osmium, iridium, and alloys thereof, are often brittle at room temperature which prevents these metals from being readily fabricated into a reaction vessel for manufacturing a fluorocarbon. While refractory metals have desirable properties such as corrosion resistance, high melting point, among others, these metals typically lack characteristics such as ductility which are required for materials used for fabricating a reaction vessel.
Explosion bonding is conventionally used for obtaining a reaction vessel. However, conventional explosion bonding techniques are limited to using those metals possessing room temperature ductility and impact strength. Metals lacking such ductility tend to crack during explosion bonding.
Conventional explosion bonding techniques also require multiple cladding shots in order to obtain (1) a clad or composite having more than one cladding plate on the same backer or base, and (2) a completely sealed and metallurgically bonded seam between adjacent clad plates on the same backer. Further, the dimensions of the resultant composite are typically limited to the dimensions of commercially available metal sheets.


A fuel cell stack includes at least one fuel cell having a fuel inlet for directing a hydrogen fuel to the fuel cell to generate electric current; a sensor cell having an anode, a cathode and a membrane between the anode and the cathode, the anode being communicated with the fuel inlet to receive a portion of fuel from the fuel inlet, the sensor cell being connected across the stack to carry the electric current whereby hydrogen from the portion of fuel is electrochemically pumped to the cathode of the sensor cell; and a sensor communicated with the sensor cell to receive a signal corresponding to evolution of hydrogen from the anode to the cathode of the sensor cell and adapted to detect contaminants in the fuel based upon the signal.

The invention relates to fuel cells and, more particularly, to improving detection of contaminants entering the fuel cell through the reactant streams and their subsequent removal from the system.
Poor reactant and water quality can adversely affect the performance of fuel cells. Fuel can frequently carry contaminants which may poison the catalyst of the fuel cell. Such contaminants include carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, hydrogen sulfide and the like. Foreign cations in the water, which is used to cool and humidify the fuel cell, can deposit in the cell and interfere with its proper operation. Foreign cations may also be introduced to the cell via the reactant streams, e.g. sodium chloride in air
Fortunately, fuel cells and especially PEM fuel cells have a demonstrated ability to recover from contamination. For example, catalyst poisons as discussed above can be removed, and catalyst activity recovered, by raising the anode potential to close to the air potential. This is accomplished in various methods including that which is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,841,278.
Foreign cations in the water can be removed through the water transfer plates, for example, by flushing the contaminated cells with clean water.
Although proper measures can be taken, nothing known in the art helps identify when such measures should be taken. Thus, such maintenance can to date only be done on a regularly scheduled basis, which clearly runs the risk of conducting such steps either when not needed or after performance of the fuel cell stack is already deteriorating, neither of which is desirable.
It is clear that the need exists for good indication as to when corrective or cleaning procedures based upon contaminants are needed.
It is therefore the primary object of the present invention to provide a system and method which identify when contaminants are present.
It is a further object of the invention to provide such identification in a system which is simple and reliable in practice, and which does not add significantly to the components or cost and/or weight of such components, of the fuel cell stack or power plant into which such measures are implemented.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will appear below.

Hydrogen sensor cell for detecting contaminants


A method of forming a control parameter dependent on ambient light. The method comprises the steps of acquiring light values from an ambient light sensor and acquiring positional status values from a positional status sensor. The control parameter depends on the light values and is filtered in dependence on the positional status values.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and system for ambient light estimation and to a display including such a system.
Description of the Related Technology
A method for measuring ambient light using an ambient light sensor is known in the art. The method can be used among others for deriving a control parameter for controlling the brightness of the display of a portable device, such as a mobile phone, tablet and laptop computer.
A disadvantage of the known method is that the adaptation of the brightness to the ambient light value is inadequate.

Method and device for ambient light estimation


A composition for neonatal ophthalmic prophylactic and a method of applying the composition. The composition comprises an aqueous solution of povidone-iodine having a concentration ranging from 5 percent to 0.1 percent. The composition of this invention prevents conjunctivitis caused by gonococus and other bacteria including chlamydia, as well as viruses and fungi.

This invention relates to uses of povidone-iodine, particularly uses of povidone-iodine as ophthalmic preparations.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,706,701 issued to Beller teaches a polyvinylpyrrolidone-iodine (povidone-iodine) composition that has proven to be an effective antimicrobial topical preparation. Topical uses include sterilization of skin, either on a proposed incision site, or the hands of the surgical team.
The primary purpose of povidone-iodine is its use as an antiseptic preparation. U.S. Pat. No. 4,113,857 issued to Shetty teaches various uses of povidone-iodine. These uses include mouthwashes, handwashes, ointments, shampoos, douches, scrubs, and gargles.
In the United States, newborn babies are universally given topical prophylactic antimicrobial ophthalmic treatment. This procedure is used to prevent various types of infectious conjunctivitis, especially those caused by the gonococcus (Neisseria gonnorrhoeae) and chlamydia (Chlamydia trachomatis) microorganisms.
The conventional topical drug for neonatal ophthalmic antimicrobial prophylaxis has been silver nitrate. However, silver nitrate is somewhat irritating and can cause chemical conjunctivitis. This chemically-induced cojunctivitis can be differentiated from bacterial conjunctivitis only by culturing the conjunctiva of the affected individual to exclude the presence of bacteria. Furthermore, although silver nitrate has excellent activity against the gonococcus, it has poor activity against the chlamydia microorganism.
In response to the problem of chemical conjunctivitis, and the fact that silver nitrate is ineffective against Chlamydia trachomatis--now the most common cause of neonatal conjunctivitis--physicians in recent years have begun to use antibiotic ointments or eyedrops, namely, tetracycline or erythromycin, for neonatal ophthalmic prophylaxis. Unfortunately, reports indicate that these antibiotics are not always effective in preventing gonococcal or chlamydial conjunctivitis. These failures have prompted some hospitals serving populations at high risk of gonorrheal infections to resume using silver nitrate prophylaxis. The rationale is that chlamydial conjunctivitis rarely causes blindness in newborns, whereas gonorrhea can cause blindness within twenty-four hours.
It has also been established that neonates have large populations of anaerobic bacteria on their eyes. These bacteria may be the cause of some cases of neonatal conjunctivitis of supposed unknown origin some cultures are for bacteria are not routinely taken. Therefore, an ideal antimicrobial prophylactic agent should also have anti-anaerobic bacterial action.
As an added complication, new venereal diseases seem to be appearing with increasing frequency. As the neonate travels through the birth canal the infant can be exposed to the veneral disease infecting the mother. Any one of these diseases might cause neonatal ophthalmic complications if left untreated. Diseases caused by viruses such as herpes simplex or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), and fungal infections such as those caused by Candida, are not affected by silver nitrate or antibiotics. In the case of AIDS, about 50 percent of infants of mothers who are immunopositive for HIV, (the AIDS virus) are born infected. Since the eye is known to be a portal of entry of organisms into the body, the prompt use of an ophthalmic prophylactic agent effective against HIV may prevent infection that may occur from exposure to maternal blood or secretions during birth. Therefore, any proposed new neonatal ophthalmic prophylactic drug must have a wide range of antimicrobial activity.
It would be highly advantageous to have a chemical prophylactic agent that is relatively nonirritating and that has a broad antimicrobial spectrum, preferably including aerobic and anaerobic bacteria, richettsia, viruses, and fungi. Povidone-iodine is known to have activity against these microoganisms including HIV.
One known ophthalmic use for povidone-iodine is in preparing the eye for surgery. However, a presurgical preparation needs to have substantially different properties than a neonatal antimicrobial prophylatic preparation. For example, different bacteria are found in the eyes of newborns, than in the eyes of older children and adults. Because of their recent passage through the birth canal, newborns have ophthalmic bacterial flora more closely resembling an adult female's genital bacterial flora. In addition, the eye of a newborn may be more sensitive or delicate and may require different concentrations of povidone-iodine than that suitable for a preoperative preparation for an adult.

Povidone-iodine neonatal ophthalmic antimicrobial prophylactic agent


A modular clamping system for coupling pressure fluid components. Each component is formed with a head or body which may contain appropriate conduits and passages. On each side of the body there is provided transversely extending, downwardly tapered flanges which are engaged by corresponding cam surfaces on the interior surface of depending legs on a clamping yoke. A clamping or cam pin having a longitudinal flat is inserted through corresponding apertures in the depending legs and, upon rotation, tightly clamps the yoke to the component parts and thereby clamps the parts together in sealed relationship. An external mounting bracket may be provided on the yoke for mounting the assembly on a wall or other support.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a modular clamping system for connecting components in a pressure fluid system, and more particularly to a clamping structure for releasably securing together two pressure fluid line components in a sealed, fluid conducting relationship. More specifically, the invention relates to a clamping system for releasably securing together compressed air line components such as filters, regulators, lubricators, driers and drains, and providing for support for the assembled components.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Fluid pressure systems, such as compressed air systems, require the use of a variety of devices such as filters, regulators, lubricators, drains, driers and the like. These components have conventionally been connected in the system by means of standard threaded piping arrangements. Various improved separable connections have been proposed, such as the separable connection described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,070,045 issued Jan. 24, 1978 to J. S. Colter et al., or the connection arrangement disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,082,324 issued Apr. 4, 1978 to R. E. Obrecht.

Modular clamping system for pressure fluid components


A block code decoding method finds the highest path metric path in a forward direction of a trellis diagram from an initial state of the trellis diagram to a final state. Next, the highest path metric path is found in a backward direction from the final state back to the initial state. The metrics of these two highest path metric paths are compared and the path having the absolute highest metric, in either direction, is chosen as a most likely path through the trellis diagram.

In a recent paper (G. D. Forney, Jr. "Coset Codes II: Binary Lattices and Related Codes," IEEE Trans. On Information Theory, Vol. 34, No. 5, Sept. 1988, pages 1152-1187) Forney introduced an algebraic derivation of trellis diagrams for block codes. The trellis diagrams obtained in the Forney disclosure have a minimum number of states, and when used in conjunction with the Viterbi algorithm, provide efficient methods for maximum-likelihood (ML) soft-decision decoding of block codes. Computational efforts of a Viterbi algorithm decoder include branch metric calculations, Add/Compare/Select (ACS) operations, and trace back. The complexity of branch metric calculations can be minimized by using a basis for the generator matrix of the code such that fast transform techniques (e.g., the fast Hadamard transform), become applicable (See the above-mentioned Forney article, as well as S. P. Adoul, "Fast ML Decoding Algorithm for the Nordstrom Robinson Code," IEEE Trans. On Information Theory, Vol. IT-33, No. 6, Nov. 1987, pp. 931-33; and Y. D. Karyakin, "Fast Correlation Decoding of Reed-Muller Codes," Problems of Information Transmission, Vol. 23, No. 3, 1987, pp. 121-129.) For many codes, including the Golay code, with a large number of trellis states, the complexity of the ML decoder is dominated by the number of computations required for ACS operations. The prior art decoding schemes, thus, involve a high degree of complexity.
In a recent publication (F. Hemmati, "Closest Coset Decoding," ICC '88 Conf. Rec., June 1988), an efficient suboptimum method was disclosed by the present inventor for soft decision decoding of block codes. In closest coset decoding, the considered code is partitioned into a subcode and its cosets and, for a received block of channel symbols, R, first the decoder finds the coset which is closest to R. Next, the decoder decodes R in that coset. Computational complexity of the closest coset algorithm is less than the computational effort of the coset decoding method (see J. H. Conway and N. J. A. Sloane, "Soft-Decision Techniques for Codes and Lattices, Including the Golay Code and the Leech Lattice" IEEE Trans. On Information Theory, Vol. IT-32, No. 1, Jan. 1986, pp. 41-50), in which R is decoded in every coset.


The present invention provides a series of non-toxic compounds which function to inhibit the activity of S-1-P aldolase in respect to its cleavage of S-1-P. These inhibitors are described by the compounds of formula I ##STR1## wherein R is a radical containing 1 to 15 carbon atoms, a halogen, or hydrocarbon, R' is an organic radical or hydrogen, and R" is --NH.sub.3.sup.+ or --NH--NH .sup.+, with the proviso that, when R is CH.sub.3 (CH).sub.12 (CH.dbd.CH) and R' is hydrogen, R" is --NH--NH.sub.3.sup.+.. A method for preparing such compounds, which may generally be described as 1-phosphate derivatives of compounds which include a 2-amino-1,3-alcohol radical is also disclosed.

Sphingolipids comprise a large class of biologically significant compounds, such compounds being constituents of cell membranes. The principal component of sphingolipids is almost invariably a particular long chain base, sphingosine.
When present in the cell, such sphingolipids are metabolized, yielding sphingosine as a metabolic intermediate. Interest in these metabolic intermediates in general, and sphingosine in particular, was heightened when it was realized that sphingosine was a potent and specific inhibitor of protein kinase C. Hakomori, S., Am. Rev. Biochem. 50, 733-739 (1981). This discovery was significant due to kinase C's known function as a pivotal regulatory enzyme in cell growth. E.g., Merrill, A. H., J. Bioenerg. Biomembr., 23, 83-104 (1991); Hannun, Y. A. et al., Science, 243, 500-506 (1989).
Recent research in the area of sphingosine and its analogs has demonstrated that one such analog has a significant effect on cell growth. More specifically, that analog, S-1-P, has proven to be a very potent mitogen in Swiss 3T3 fibroblasts. Zhang, H. et al., J. Cell Biol. 114,155-167 (1991). S-1-P has further been shown to cause rapid translocation of calcium from intracellular stores, i.e., from IP.sub.3 -sensitive and IP.sub.3 -insensitive intercellular pools in permeabilized smooth muscle cells. Ghosh, T. K., Science, 248, 1653-1656 (1990).
That S-1-P possessed the foregoing properties, i.e., as a mitogen and calcium translocator, was surprising because it was previously thought that the major role of S-1-P was its involvement in the catabolic pathway for sphingosine. Specifically, in that pathway, S-1-P is produced from sphingosine by the action of a specific kinase which is resident in the cell cytoplasm. After its production, S-1-P is cleaved into 2-hexadecenal and ethanolamine-1-phosphate by sphingosine-1-phosphate aldolase, which is resident in the endoplasmic reticulum of the cell. Stoffel, W. et al., Hoppe-Seyer's Z. Physiol. Chem., 349, 635-642 (1970); Van Valdhoven, P. P. et al., J. Biol. Chem., 266, 12502-12507 (1991).
In order to advance the study of S-1-P, and in particular its mitogenic properties and role as a "secondary" messenger in causing calcium translocation, it would be beneficial to be able to synthesize S-1-P on a commercial scale. Known synthesis routes have proven inadequate for this purpose, however, hampering this investigation. In particular, presently available routes are exceedingly time consuming and, further, are only able to provide S-1-P in relatively low yields and/or quantities.
One known method for the preparation of S-1-P is by means of an enzymatic synthesis. This method comprises hydrolyzing sphingosylphosphorylcholine with phospholipase D isolated from Streptomyces chromofuscus. However, this method gives a mixture of D-erythro and L-threo isomers of S-1-P, which are not separable. Moreover, the quantity of S-1-P provided by this method is relatively low, i.e., milligram quantities. Van Veldohoven, P. et al., J. Lipids Res. 30, 611 (1989). In contrast, a recently reported chemical synthesis provides for the preparation of only the D-erythro isomer of S-1-P. This synthesis begins by preparing its "starting" material (a D-erythro-olefinic alcohol) from L-serine. The starting material has both primary and secondary hydroxyl functionalities, as well as an amino functionality. Once the starting material is prepared, the synthesis proceeds by protecting both the amino and secondary hydroxyl functionalities of that material. The primary hydroxyl functionality, which is left unprotected, is then modified by phosphorylation, with the amino and secondary hydroxyl protective groups being subsequently removed to provide the aforesaid S-1-P isomer. While this synthesis provides only a single isomer of S-1-P, the synthesis remains lengthy (10 steps from L-serine to S-1-P, requiring about 98 hours to complete) and provides S-1-P in a relatively low yield (about 10.7%). Ruan, F., Bioorg. & Med. Chem. Let., 2 (9), 973-978 (1992).
A more recent chemical synthesis prepares S-1-P using a particular "starting" compound, namely 3-O-tertbutyldimethylsilyl ("TBDMS") protected D-erythroazidosphingosine ("the azido compound"). More specifically, the azido compound, which has primary and secondary hydroxyl functionalities as well as an azido functionality, is prepared from D-glucose in a nine step process at a yield of 15%, resulting in protection of the secondary hydroxyl functionality by the TBDMS group.
Once the azido compound has been prepared, its amino functionality is also protected using a carbonate compound. The primary hydroxyl functionality of the resulting compound, which remains unprotected, is then phosphorylated using bis(2-cyanoethoxy)(diisopropylamino)phosphine to provide a phosphite intermediate. After oxidation of the intermediate, the groups protecting the secondary hydroxyl and amino functionalities are removed, providing S-1-P. Kratzer, B. et al, Tetra. Let., 34. (11), 1761-1764 (1993).
While this method provides S-1-P, the synthesis is quite lengthy (14 steps from D-glucose to S-1-P, requiring about 318 hours to complete) and provides S-1-P in only a relatively low yield (about 8.4% overall). In addition, the method requires the use of some hazardous chemicals, e.g. dioxane, as well as the use of sodium azide, a compound which is highly explosive, especially in the presence of halogenated solvents.
Returning to the subject of the S-1-P aldolase (which functions to cleave S-1-P into two compounds), the study of its role at the cellular level would be enhanced by the availability of compounds which would inhibit the activity of the aldolase. Such would aid in the isolation and purification of S-1-P aldolase, thus allowing experimentation with that enzyme to be readily undertaken. To date, there is believed to be only a single inhibitor of S-1-P aldolase reported in the literature, that being a sphingosine derivative referred to as dihydrosphingosine-1-phosphonate ("DS-1-P").
The article that discloses DS-1-P attributes its S-1-P aldolase-inhibiting property to the substitution of a --CH.sub.2 --PO.sub.3 group for the ester linkage (--CH.sub.2 --O--PO.sub.3) found on the S-1-P compound. This substitution is said to reduce the distance between the head phosphate group and the remainder of the compound, particularly in regard to the 2C and 3C carbon atoms. The shortening of the compound is said to be significant because it is well known that the steric requirements of S-1-P aldolase are highly specific toward the 2S, 3R configuration of S-1-P. Thus, assuming the function of the phosphate functionality is to bind the compound to a positively-charged group at an enzyme's surface, thereby supporting the correct orientation of the two optically active centers (C2 and C3), the aforedescribed reduction in distance between the phosphate functionality and the active centers should lead to strongly altered binding by electrostatic forces. The end result of this is said to be a reduction in the velocity of the phosphonate and a competitive inhibition of the S-1-P aldolase reaction. Despite DS-1-P's activity as a S-1-P aldolase inhibitor, however, it is unfortunately highly toxic, rendering it useless for experimentation at the cellular level. Stoffel, W. et al., Chem. & Phys. of Lipids, 13,372-388 (1974).
Thus, there exists a need for a process for preparing S-1-P and analogs thereof which is more amenable to production of S-1-P and its analogs on a commercial scale, specifically, by providing those compounds at greater yields and quantities in a shorter period of time, while minimizing the use of hazardous chemicals. Further, a need exists for a compound or compounds which would inhibit the activity of S-1-P aldolase, thereby aiding its isolation and purification as well as contributing to a greater understanding of the functions of that aldolase at the cellular level.
The present invention fulfills the foregoing needs by providing a process for preparing S-1-P and analogs thereof which is more amenable to production of those compounds on a commercial scale. Specifically, the process provides S-1-P (as well as its analogs) at a greater yield and quantity, as well as at a lower preparation time, as compared to known processes, while minimizing the use of hazardous chemicals. The invention further provides a series of non-toxic compounds which function to inhibit the activity of S-1-P aldolase in respect to its cleavage of S-1-P.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention, as well as additional inventive features, will be apparent from the description of the invention provided herein.

Method for preparation of sphingoid bases

The United States of America represented by the Department of Health and Human Services


A wideband whip antenna is fabricated by a method which enables the antenna o have a thinner profile, be lighter in weight, and much more flexible in that the radiating conductors are mounted in a plastic antenna core in a manner to be movable freely longitudinally therein when doubled without damage to their electrical continuity.

This invention relates to wideband whip-type antennas, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for manufacturing such type antennas. The above described related patent application describes the disadvantages of currently used whip-type antennas on military vehicles, especially on Command communication jeeps. Such antennas are thick, somewhat rigid, and lengthy making them more visible to enemy forces, and subject to damage by hitting trees, etc. Furthermore, the construction of these prior art antennas do not make them suitable for rugged field use in which they are normally employed.

Method and apparatus for fabricating a wideband whip antenna

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


For the management of a file system for accessing data in a storage system in which the data are stored physically in a unique manner, a first storage environment associated with a first access performance level is mounted, from a first mount point. Moreover, at least one second storage environment, different from the first storage environment, and associated with a second access performance level is mounted, from a second mount point and with total or partial overlay of data with respect to the first storage environment. The data physically stored in a unique manner in the storage system is accessed, either via the first mount point or via the second mount point, as a function of a data use case.

A supercomputer is a computer designed to attain the highest possible performances with the techniques known at the time of its design, in particular as regards the rapidity of data processing (computing speed). It is also called a high performance computer.
Nowadays, the volume of data processed by computer applications running on this type of computer commonly reaches several hundreds of gigaoctets (Go). It may go up to several teraoctets (To) for certain scientific computing applications (for example the analysis of earthquakes, meteorology, molecular modelling), or for stochastic computation in the field of finance or insurance. It goes without saying that such data volumes cannot be stored permanently in the central memory of the computer, or random access memory (RAM), which is very expensive. In addition, the random access memory is a volatile memory whereas a storage that is persistent in the long term, making it possible to save the data processed or to be processed for future use, is also necessary.
That is why the data are stored in secondary, non-volatile memories in the form of files, that is to say structured sequences of data blocks. The secondary memories are mass storage components, for example hard disc drives (HDD). A data block is the smallest data unit that the storage system is capable of managing. The content of these blocks, simple sequences of binary data, may be interpreted according to the file format as characters, whole or floating-point numbers, machine operating codes, memory addresses, etc.
The secondary memories form a mass storage system (or storage) for the persistent storage of data in the supercomputer. The exchange of data between the central memory and this storage system takes place by transfer of blocks.
The function of a file system (FS) is to ensure access to the contents of the files stored in the storage system in the best conditions of rapidity and reliability. The access to a file located at a given location of the storage system comprises the opening of the file and the carrying out of operations of reading or writing of data in the file. These operations enable, for example, the recording of the file, its copying or its displacement to another location, or its deletion. They are controlled by corresponding instructions of a computer programme when it is executed by one or more processors of the supercomputer. These instructions specify an access path to the file. Such an access path is formed, for example, of a name preceded by a list of interwoven directories (under Windows), or a chained list of files (under UNIX).
The design of a supercomputer should ensure that large volumes of data can be read, transferred and stored rapidly, that is to say with relatively high rates of access to the storage components, of the order of several tens or even several hundreds of gigaoctets per second (Go/s). Yet, the cost of a supercomputer is greatly dependent on the volumetry and the rate offered by the storage system.
It is known that the carrying out of works using the data stored on the storage components of the storage system is sometimes sensitive to the speed of accessing the data, but sometimes much less. This signifies that certain works are relatively little impacted in their run time (which determines the efficiency of the supercomputer), by the access rate offered by the storage system.
For example, the storage of data representing the application (programme and libraries), compilation data, syntheses of results, or certain visualisation results may be satisfied by a relatively slow storage system. On the contrary, intermediate computing data, and output or visualisation data are more sensitive to the efficiency of the storage system.
In order to take account of the aforementioned considerations, HPC type environments are often composed of two or more independent storage sub-systems. On account of the respective technologies of the storage components respectively associated with these storage sub-systems, one of the storage sub-systems is relatively rapid and more or less capacitive, and the other is relatively slow and very capacitive. Put another way, the design of the supercomputer obeys the search for a compromise between the respective volumetries of a first storage system offering a good access rate but which is expensive, and a second storage system which is more capacitive but offering a less good access rate and which is cheaper.
Nevertheless, and even excluding the different access profiles to manage, at the level for example of the inputs/outputs (E/S), the cost associated with the putting in place of these two types of storage components for two unconnected storage systems is not optimal. In fact, the overall volumetry of such a composite storage system is increased compared to that of a standard storage system, that is to say unitary with respect to the technology of storage components and thus to the access performance level (notably in terms of rate and rapidity of access to data).
This solution implies copies of data between the two types of storage components, according to the following outline:
1. Preparation of data sets on the first level storage system (that which is relatively the slowest);
2. Copying data from the first level storage to the second level (that which is relatively the fastest);
3. Carrying out of works on the data present on the second level storage system; and, as an option,
4. Recopying data to the first level storage system.
Consequently, many data exchanges are necessary between the different storage sub-systems, which implies an additional cost also in time and in additional operations.

Management of access to data in a storage system


A method and apparatus for authenticating (or identifying) a subject, includes using one or a plurality of biometric measurements for authentication (or identification) without any sharing of the subject's biometric data with a party requesting authentication.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a method and apparatus for authorization based on biometrics, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for secure authorization using biometrics but without invasion of a subject's privacy. The invention is also equally applicable to other biometric functions such as identification.
2. Description of the Related Art
The need for personal recognition is a basic requirement of society which has existed for thousands of years. There are a number of activities in today's society which require identification including writing checks, making credit card purchases, authorizing a contract to purchase a home or car, obtaining pharmacological products, obtaining physical access to a building, submitting taxes, becoming married, etc.
Authentication techniques which an individual may use today can be divided generally into four major categories:                1) Something possessed—a physical object that a subject carries such as a key or a badge;        2) Something known—a password or personal identification number (PIN) or sequence which must be remembered, or answers to personal (or presumably familiar) questions or problems (e.g., birth date, mother's maiden name, etc.);        3) A physical characteristic—a fingerprint, hand geometry, retinal scan characteristics, dental records, facial characteristics, or voice features (vocal tract effect, pitch); and        4) Acquired characteristics–a manner of signing a document or of writing a text, accent, way of speaking (prosody, use of words etc.)
Some of the above methods require cooperation of the user (e.g., writing a text, answering a question, speaking, signing a document, undergoing a physical inspection such as for dental or retinal characteristics, etc.), while others can be more passively acquired. However, each method by itself has certain drawbacks.
For example, a key or badge is external to a person and can be lost, stolen or shared with other individuals, and therefore does not ensure that the person in possession of the key is the same person who is authorized to obtain access.
The use of passwords or PIN numbers has been accepted as one means of personal identification. However, passwords must be remembered and can also be shared. Thus, security can be breached. Further, passwords preferably should be long for enhanced security protection. However, lengthy passwords are hard to remember. Moreover, the average number of passwords people have to remember is growing annually. This is problematic.
Examples of the proliferation of passwords include E-mail, Phone Mail, Bank ATM card, Credit Card PINs, Calling Card PINs, Internet Access Password, Stock Account Password, Bank account password, car alarm password, etc.; each is prevalent in society. As a result, account holders must physically record (e.g., write down) each of their passwords and PINs which is a clear threat to security.
Moreover, the use of a single password for several applications is often impossible as each application may assign a password or have different rules for the methods of selection and also the frequency with which passwords must be changed.
Further, in some cases, password protection has been compromised by thieves and others directly observing or filming passwords as they are being input (e.g., keyed in). These practices are used frequently to obtain calling card passwords, and may include use of false ATM machines, or phone line tapping.
A biometric print (i.e., stored in some database and used to perform biometric recognition) of a subject (e.g., person, animal, object, etc.) is based on, in the case of a person, a unique physical characteristic such as a fingerprint, retinal pattern, DNA, hand geometry, dental characteristics, voice characteristics, and the like. It is unique (to a certain degree) and cannot be lost, stolen or shared with another person. Therefore, if used properly, it can provide a higher level of security, or at least can be used as a basis for a mechanism for ensuring a higher level of security. Depending on the measured biometric, cooperation of the person may or may not be required.
However, acquiring biometrics of a subject typically requires the subject to perform an action. The advantage of this approach is that it only works if the person chooses to cooperate.
Unfortunately, a major drawback of the use of biometrics is the loss of privacy that a person suffers when he/she provides a network or organization his/her biometric identity. Indeed, there have been many examples in society where personal information has been used by organizations with dramatic negative impact on society. Therefore, in a democratic society, the need to provide a security for one's personal identity is and will continue to be important.
Furthermore, a common practice for many commercial corporations is to sell to other companies customer data including marketing surveys, demographics, etc. As a result, many people are emphatic about not having their biometric characteristics known by such commercial companies nor any company (as any company can change policies or be purchased by another company with different moral and ethical standards).
Thus, prior to the invention, there has been no method or apparatus which can provide secure authorization using biometric information, while unobtrusively and non-invasively using biometric data in such a manner that the biometric data is not shared with another party (e.g., either a party requesting authorization or a third party).

Method and apparatus for secure authorization and identification using biometrics without privacy invasion

International Business Machines Corporation


Methods, systems, and computer readable media may be operable to facilitate a retrieval and display of network credentials. A predetermined input may be received at a client, wherein the predetermined input initiates a retrieval of network credentials such as network identifiers and corresponding passwords or passphrases. The client may aggregate retrieved network credentials associated with one or more networks that may be available to a user, and may output the aggregated credentials to a display.

One or more access points may be installed within a customer premise for the purpose of providing a wireless network for connecting and delivering services to one or more client devices or wireless stations. Generally, an access point is associated with wireless credentials (e.g., password or passphrase, pre-shared key string, service set identifier(s) (SSID), a specific frequency band (e.g., 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz), etc.) that provide a security layer for access to a wireless network provided by the access point. Typically, a wireless access point is pre-configured with a default wireless profile including preset wireless credentials. For example, credentials may be a simple password or a random pre-shared key (PSK) string preset according to vendor specifications.
In a typical premise that includes one or more wireless networks, existing or new devices (e.g., wireless stations or clients) will periodically attempt to join an available wireless network. In order to join a network provided by an access point, or to otherwise associate a wireless client with the access point, a user will typically need to follow one or more of the existing setup procedures. A Wi-Fi protected setup (WPS) button may be used to associate one or more wireless clients with the access point. However, use of a WPS button may not be supported for all devices or may not be convenient for a user. A user might enter a preset WPS access point personal identification number (PIN) code to associate a wireless client with the access point. However, this method still requires that a user read or remember the preset PIN code from an access point label.
Another existing method for associating a wireless client with a wireless network is the manual selection and entry of network credentials (e.g., entry of a SSID and password associated with a wireless network). The default SSID(s) of most access points is typically cryptic and difficult to remember. Further, within a home network, there can be multiple SSIDs for any given band (e.g., 2.4 GHz band and 5 GHz band may be provided by a single access point). Moreover, in multiple dwelling unit (MDU) scenarios, a client device might possibly see a large number of SSIDs associated with various neighboring subscribers. Therefore, a method of determining which network to join would be beneficial to a user of a wireless device.
Many access point vendors now place stickers with the default SSID(s) and password(s) on the outside of the access point (e.g., gateway device, modem, etc.), and this sticker is typically placed on the bottom or back of the access point. Therefore, in most cases, a user is forced to locate the sticker on an access point in order to identify network credentials of a specific wireless network. This can be an inconvenient process for a user to go through. Moreover, the access point may be located within a premise at a location that is some distance away from the current position of a user or that is otherwise inconvenient for a user to reach. Therefore, a need exists for improving methods and systems for identifying network credentials for network(s) that may be available to a user.
Like reference numbers and designations in the various drawings indicate like elements.

Retrieval of wireless network credentials


The results output from a comparator, which makes a comparison to determine whether or not the drive current to be supplied to a focusing/tracking actuator of an optical system in which light beams are condensed and applied to an optical recording medium, are counted in each supervisory period at periodical intervals. If the counted value is larger than a predetermined value, supply of the drive current to the actuator is cut so as to prevent burning or the like of the actuator by the supplied excessively large electric current.

Field of the Invention and Related Art Statement
The present invention relates to an optical recording/reproducing apparatus having means for protecting an actuator included therein by periodically supervising a drive current supplied to the actuator.
As the optical recording/reproducing apparatus, there have been available an optical disk recording/reproducing apparatus and an optical card recording/reproducing apparatus. A conventional structure of the optical card recording/reproducing apparatus of the above-described type will now be described.
As shown in FIG. 1, an optical card 1 has a data recording portion 2 in which, guide tracks 3 are disposed at predetermined intervals as shown in FIG. 2 so that data is recorded to tracks 4 each of which is formed between adjacent guide tracks 3.
The optical card recording/reproducing apparatus comprises: focus servo means for controlling a recording/reproducing beam to be focused on the recording medium; and track servo means for controlling the recording/reproducing beam to be positioned at the central portion of the track. Therefore, the optical card recording/reproducing apparatus must use a focus error signal denoting the deviation from the focused point and a track error signal denoting the positional deviation from the central portion of the track.
FIG. 3 illustrates an example of the optical system of an optical head 30 for use in the above-described optical card recording/reproducing apparatus. Light beams emitted from a laser diode 5 are made to be parallel beams by a collimator lens 6 before they are sectioned into three beams by a diffraction grating 7. The beams are condensed onto the surface of the optical card 1 by a condensing lens 8 so that data is recorded/reproduced. In this state, the structure is arranged in such a manner that the axis of the beam made incident upon the recording medium and that of the reflected beam are deviated from each other with respect to the central axis of the condensing lens (objective lens) 8. The reflected beams are reflected by a mirror 9 before they pass through a detection lens 10 so as to be applied to a photo-detector 11.
FIG. 4 illustrates the photo-detector 11 and the beams received by the same. Referring to FIG. 4, a photo-detector element which receives a central beam (main beam) 15a of the three beams is sectioned into two portions.
Beams 16a and 17a (sub-beams) are respectively received by photo-detector elements 13 and 14 so as to be used to detect the track error signal.
When the beams are focused, the beam 15a is positioned at the central portion of the bisectioned photo-detector 11, the beam being shifted, due to the deviation of the axes, in directions designated by arrows when the interval between the condensing lens 8 and the optical card 1 is changed. FIG. 5 illustrates the beams positioned on the optical card 1, where the beams 15a, 16a and 17a shown in FIG. 4 correspond to 15b, 16b and 17b.
Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6, the output from a subtracter 26, which calculates the difference between the output from the photo-detector element 11a and that from the photo-detector element 11b, is made to be the focus error signal.
As for the track error signal, the output from a subtracter 18 which calculates the difference between the photo-detector elements 13 and 14 as shown in FIG. 7 is made to be the track error signal because the quantity of reflection of each of the beams 16a and 17a on the photodetector elements 13 and 14 from the tracks 3 is changed depending upon the positions of the beams on the tracks.
The condensing lens 8 is, by a lens drive portion 12, driven in directions respectively designated by arrows F and T shown in FIG. 3.
FIG. 8 is a block diagram which illustrates a track servo system according to the conventional technology.
The outputs from the photo-detector elements 13 and 14 are subjected to the subtraction operation performed by the subtracter 18 so that the output from the subtracter 18 is made to be the track error signal, the track error signal acting to drive a track actuator 21 via a relay 20 after it has passed through a drive amplifier 19. As a result, the track servo system is closed and thereby a servo loop is constituted.
Although the servo loop acts in a normal state, the drive current output from the drive amplifier 19 is excessively increased (the servo has been removed) if defects such as dust or a damage present on the optical card 1 or external vibrations or an impact exceeds an allowable level. As a result, the excessively large electric current continues to pass through the coil of the track actuator 21, causing the coil or its support member to be burnt due to the heat generated in the coil.
Accordingly, there has been a conventional structure as disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 63-33207 in which the DC component of the drive current is detected by a DC voltage detector 27 so as to be subjected to a comparison with predetermined comparison levels VRH and VRL in comparators 24a and 24b. Furthermore, if the DC component deviates from the above-described level, the limit signal is made to be active with respect to a CPU 25, the CPU then immediately turning off the relay 20 so as to cut the supply of the electric current to the track actuator 21, whereby the actuator is protected.
According to the above-described conventional structure, the excessive rotation of the tracking mirror is prevented by detecting the DC component of the drive current.
If the servo has been removed because the dust or the damage present on the optical card 1 or the external vibrations or the impact exceeds the allowable level, the drive current continues to increase in one direction, causing two cases to occur: a case in which the DC component of the drive current increases and a case in which the direction in which the drive current passes alternately changes because the servo loop oscillates.
In the former case in which the DC component increases, the abnormality can be detected so as to protect the actuator according to the above-described conventional structure disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 63-33207. However, since the DC component is substantially zero in the latter case in which the servo loops oscillates, the abnormality cannot be detected by the above-described conventional structure. Therefore, there arises a fear that the coil can be burnt.
Furthermore, if the generation of the oscillation cannot be detected during the recording of information, the recording is continued in an undesirable state in which the light beam spot deviates from a desired position. Therefore, in a case where the information recorded at the deviated position is reproduced, the obtainable signal level is unsatisfactorily low, causing a reproduction signal displaying a low S/N to be generated. As a result, problems arise in that read error will easily take place and reading cannot be performed.

Optical recording/reproducing apparatus having means for periodically supervising drive current supplied to actuator


An inertial barrier system comprised of inertial barriers formed of two modules, each of them being differently sized and being adapted to stack one upon the other. An interlocking geometry on each of the mating ends of modules assists in obtaining a secure stacking arrangement, and also assists in varying the volumetric capacity of each of the two modules. Thus, when the smaller of the two modules is the upper module, facing upwardly so that its volumetric capacity is available for filling by a particulate ballasting material, a lighter weight barrier is obtained. On the other hand, when the two modules are inverted, and the larger one is the upper module, its greater volumetric capacity ensures that, once filled by the ballasting material, a heavier barrier will result. Advantageously, each module is sized to ensure a barrier of the proper weight when it is placed in the position of the upper module and is properly filled by a worker. Because of the differing appearance of the barriers, depending upon which module is disposed as the upper module, another advantageous feature of the invention is that it is easy to determine by visual inspection of a particular barrier what should be its approximate correct weight.

This invention relates to traffic safety equipment, and more particularly to an inertial barrier system for attenuating the energy of errant vehicles.
Inertial highway barriers have been used for some time to prevent vehicles from striking an obstacle such as a bridge pier or the like at full velocity. An inertial barrier relies on the mass of the barrier to decelerate the vehicle. Typically, a dispersible material such as sand is enclosed in a frangible container. When the vehicle strikes the container, the momentum of the impacting vehicle is dissipated in accelerating the sand.
In the current state of the art, standard arrays of sand-filled energy absorbing units are employed, with the amount of sand varying from one barrier unit to the next in a predetermined fashion so that an errant vehicle crashing into the barrier system is decelerated with the minimum damage to the vehicle and its occupants. Because the plastic containers for these units are shatterable if struck at highway speeds, the effect of the barrier on stopping the errant vehicle comes about by transfer of momentum of the vehicle to the sand or other dispersible particulate medium. By arranging the barrier units, in order of striking, from lighter to heavier in terms of amount of sand contained therein, the errant vehicle can be caused to decelerate gradually and with minimum damage to the vehicle and minimum risk to its occupants.
Current standard arrays employ sand containers having weights of 200, 400, 700, 1400, and 2100 pounds. Customarily, spacers or lightweight supports are provided at the base of the barrel so that the center of gravity of the barrier unit is about the same as that of the errant vehicle, i.e. about two feet above the ground. This prevents the errant vehicle from either ramping or climbing over the units on collision or from nosing under the units. Presently, there are three primary methods for elevating the sand mass in a container. A first method, described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,606,258 to Fitch, utilizes a round Styrofoam pedestal or core at the bottom of a container. To obtain barrels having varying weights, the size of the core may be increased or reduced and/or the amount of sand used to fill the void in the barrel not occupied by the core may be varied. A second method, described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,289,419 to B. C. Young, employs an inverted U-shaped plastic support structure disposed at the bottom of the container. As shown particularly in FIG. 7 of that patent, the weight of the containers may be varied by using variously sized plastic support structures or cores to reduce or increase the interior volume of the container which is available for filling with sand.
Yet a third method, which is in primary use today, is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,688,766 to Zucker. This method employs a plastic disc or core member 20 of a single size, which is supported on a flange disposed on the outer container. When a container having a weight of 200, 400, or 700 pounds is desired, the core is placed within the container in an upside-down configuration, as illustrated in FIGS. 2A-2C of the patent, and the proper amount of sand, according to provided markings, to achieve the desired weight, is introduced into the available reduced volume within the container. When a weight of 1400 pounds is desired, on the other hand, the orientation of the core is reversed, as illustrated in FIG. 3A of the patent, in order to increase the available volume of the container, which is filled with a greater amount of sand. Finally, when a weight of 2100 pounds is desired, as illustrated in FIG. 3B of the patent, the core is removed completely, and the container is completely filled with sand.
Each of the state-of-the art inertial barrier constructions has disadvantages. The system disclosed in the Fitch '258 patent is disadvantageous in that Styrofoam pedestals or cores of differing sizes must be used for each desired weight configuration, and varying levels of sand must be utilized as well. This is labor intensive and relatively complex, involving the maintenance of an inventory of variously sized core elements. Furthermore, the containers all have identical external configurations, regardless of their weight, making ready identification difficult. As a result, external markings, using spray paint, for example, must be utilized to externally identify the weight of a particular container.
The system disclosed in the Young patent '419 is similarly disadvantageous in that plastic support structures or cores of differing sizes must be used for each desired weight configuration, though at least the available volume in each container is filled in each instance, and there is no need to involve road crew personnel in partially filling containers to various levels. Again, the containers all have an identical appearance from the outside, making identification of the particular weight of a container difficult unless it is marked.
The Zucker patent '766 is an improvement over both Fitch and Young, in that only a single sized core is employed for each of the desired weight configurations. However, the system is still disadvantageous in that the exterior appearance of the container is identical no matter what weight configuration is being employed. Additionally, because the sand mass within the container is elevated, in all but the 2100 pound embodiment, and the bottom of the container is tapered, having a smaller diameter than the top portion, the container is hard to move, because it is unstable. Furthermore, if such a container is utilized on uneven ground, the aforementioned tapering can cause bowing of the container wall.
What is needed, therefore, is an impact attenuator configuration having as few pieces as possible, wherein when the sand mass contained therein is elevated, the exterior sidewall of the attenuator container is at least as wide at its bottom portions as it is at its upper portions. Furthermore, it would be advantageous for such a system to be configured so that containers of varying weights have distinctive external appearances, so that the weight of a particular container may be readily discerned by inspecting its external configuration.


It is an object of the invention to provide an electronic computing apparatus having an arithmetic processing function and an arithmetic processing method which allow an arithmetic expression to be readily inputted. A screen showing stored contents of an arithmetic expression menu table is displayed by specifying an arithmetic expression menu display command key. Then, selecting an arithmetic expression from the displayed plurality of arithmetic expressions by an input pen allows the selected arithmetic expression to be inputted. A controller executes arithmetic processing in accordance with the selected arithmetic expression and displays the result of the arithmetic processing as a graph on the display. Accordingly, the arithmetic expression may be readily inputted just by selecting the arithmetic expression from the predetermined plurality of arithmetic expressions. Further, the desired arithmetic expression may be inputted while watching all the arithmetic expressions because the arithmetic expression menu table is displayed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic computing apparatus such as an electronic portable calculators and an electronic pocketbook, capable of carrying out an arithmetic operation in accordance with a functional expression or equation, and to an arithmetic processing method.
2. Description of Related Art
Hitherto, there have been known electronic computing apparatuses capable of processing an arithmetic operation in accordance with a functional expression or an equation. Such computing apparatus comprises an input section and executes the arithmetic processing in accordance with a functional expression or equation when such expressions are inputted and it is specified to execute the arithmetic processing. The result of the arithmetic processing is displayed as a graph or the like on a display for example provided in the computing apparatus.
The above-mentioned functional expression or equation is inputted by using a plurality of numeric keys, symbol keys and arithmetic symbol keys provided at the input section. For instance, they are inputted by using trigonometric function keys of sin, cos and tan, inverse trigonometric function keys of sin.sup.-1, cos.sup.-1, tan.sup.-1, a x.sup.2 (square) key, a x.sup.-1 (inverse number) key, logarithmic function keys of log and ln, exponential function keys of 10.sup.x and e.sup.x, a .pi. (ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter) key, an a/b (fraction) key, an a.sup.b (power) key, a (square root) key, a .sup.a (radical root) key, an abs (absolute value) key, a n! (factorial) key, a nCr (combination) key, a nPr (permutation) key, hyperbolic function keys of sin h, cos h and tan h, inverse hyperbolic function keys of sin h.sup.-1, cos h.sup.-1, tan h.sup.-1, an .intg. (integral function) key, numeric keys of 0 through 9, keys of four fundamental rules of +, -, .times., .div. and (,) and alphabet keys. A technology for inputting an arithmetic expression by using such plurality of keys has been disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication JP-A 61-269764 for example.
However, it has been troublesome and annoying for users to complete and to input such a functional expression or an equation by selecting desired keys among such many keys as described above to cause the electronic computing apparatus to execute the arithmetic processing in accordance with the functional expression or the equation.

Electronic computing apparatus having arithmetic processing function and arithmetic processing method


X-ray intensifying screens of different speed classes are disclosed, showing a synergistic effect between screen speed or sensitivity and image quality, especially sharpness, if for each speed class the right combination is applied for the amount of dye in the screens and the weight amount and weight coverage of selected mixtures of yttrium tantalate or niobate phosphor and rare earth activated alkaline earth metal fluorohalide phosphors coated onto selected supports showing well-determined reflectance characteristics.

In radiography the interior of objects is reproduced by means of penetrating radiation, which is high energy radiation belonging to the class of X-rays, y-rays and high-energy elementary particle radiation, e.g. .beta.-rays, electron beam or neutron radiation. For the conversion of penetrating radiation into visible light and/or ultraviolet radiation luminescent substances, called phosphors, are used.
In a conventional radiographic system an X-ray radiograph is obtained by x-rays transmitted imagewise through an object and converted into light of corresponding intensity in a so-called intensifying screen (X-ray conversion screen) wherein phosphor particles absorb the transmitted X-rays and convert them into visible light and/or ultraviolet radiation to which a photographic film is more sensitive than to the direct impact of X-rays.
In practice the light emitted imagewise by said screen irradiates a contacting photographic silver halide emulsion layer film which after exposure is developed to form therein a silver image in conformity with the X-ray image.
For use in common medical radiography the X-ray film comprises a transparent film support double-side coated with a silver halide emulsion layer. During the X-ray irradiation said film is arranged in a cassette between two X-ray conversion screens each of them making contact with its corresponding silver halide emulsion layer.
To improve image definition single-side coated silver halide emulsion films are exposed in contact with only one screen and are applied in e.g. mammography, autoradiography and in particular fields of non-destructive testing (NDT) known as industrial radiography. An autoradiograph is a photographic record formed through the intermediary of penetrating radiation emitted by radioactive material contained in an object, e.g. microtome cut for biochemical research.
Phosphors suited for use in the conventional radiographic system must have a high prompt emission of fluorescent light on X-ray irradiation and low afterglow in favor of image sharpness. The relationship between resolution and speed of X-ray intensifying screens is described e.g. in Med. Phys. 5(3), 205 (1978).
Well-known phosphors for use in intensifying screens are tantalate phosphors of the monoclinic M' structure as claimed in EP-Specification 011 909 B1 and more recently in U.S. Pat. No. 5,064,729 from Du Pont, wherein an improved phosphor efficiency and purity of said tantalate phosphors is achieved by reducing the level of contaminants in the phosphor reaction mixture. The preparation of rare earth tantalate and niobate phosphors showing low afterglow by mixing a diacid metal and an alkali to the basic materials has been disclosed by Nichia Kagaku in EP-Specification 202 875 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,959,174.
Other interesting phosphors for use in intensifying screens are rare earth activated alkaline earth fluorohalide phosphors as has been patented by Philips in U.S. Pat. No. 4,157,981 and 4,075,495.
Recently the use and preparation of a phosphor mixture of a divalent barium fluorobromide and a niobium doped yttriumtantalate for X-ray intensifying screens has been disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,077,145. Advantages mentioned are the production of less cross-over light, a better graininess and sharpness and a reduced exposure amount.
Although the phosphors could be mixed in a variety of ratios to obtain screens for the known speed classes as defined in ISO/DP9236 it has been experimented that in using such mixture of phosphors image quality reduces (especially sharpness) as sensitivity increases.
A problem encountered on manufacturing screens from a mixture of the above phosphors for the different speed classes is that a favourable relation between speed and sharpness obtained for screens belonging to one speed class cannot be realized for screens of another speed class. Especially the transition from a lower to a higher speed class leads to a loss in maximum obtainable properties, in particular high speed/sharpness relationship, and a declination of the so-called "technological axis", reflecting said relationship.

X-ray intensifying screens with an improved speed/image quality relationship


A substrate, such as a banknote or travellers' check, carries a security device including in association at least one embossed transitory image, such as a latent or transient image and an embossed linear area. The arrangement is such that when the embossed region of the substrate is viewed from different angles each image and linear area can be visually discerned.

The invention relates to security devices for use on documents of value, and in particular for use on banknotes and travellers' checks.
There is a continuing need to prevent the counterfeiting of valuable documents such as banknotes, checks, travellers checks, share certificates, stamps, plastic cash, credit and charge cards and the like. There is also a need for there to be facile authentication of the documents.
The continuing improvement in commercial printing and photocopying technology particularly requires that more advanced security features have to be created.
While machine readable features provide a useful line of defense, it is often useful to employ visual features or effects which can be noticed by a large number of people while the document is in use. This is particularly so for banknotes and other monetary instruments.
Embossing technology, for example as used in intaglio printing banknotes, has proved to be particularly useful in minimizing counterfeiting relative to other printing techniques. All banknotes contain some intaglio printing which may be additional to security printing applied by other techniques such as offset lithography. In practice the intaglio printing is undertaken as the last stage of printing except that numbers may subsequently be added, typically by letterpress printing.
It is known to undertake "blind embossing" where the intaglio plate only confers a surface profile to the substrate, without any ink being applied, for example as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,715,623.
An intaglio imprint is obtained by pressing a suitable substrate against an engraved and inked plate so as to deform the medium into the ink-bearing recesses of the plate. The resultant impression constituting a pattern formed of spaced and raised ink lines with optionally other pattern elements is characterised by superior clarity and sharpness of appearance and cannot be copied with sufficient fidelity to escape expert detection.
Examples of embossed, latent images are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,033,059, U.S. Pat. No. 4,715,623 and EP-A-194042. Such transitory images are generally difficult to see and are occasionally discrete, hidden, visual features.


In the waveform processing apparatus of the present invention, an original sound signal is divided into a plurality of bands, parameters such as amplitude and frequency are extracted for each band, and correction is made so that the amount of deviation of the parameters from the mean value thereof is gradually decreased to zero from a certain time to the time when the repetition period begins, whereby a musical tone signal is re-synthesized based on the corrected parameters. The electronic musical instrument which stores the waveforms processed by the apparatus of the present invention generates musical tones having more natural tone color change.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to a waveform processing apparatus and an electronic musical instrument in which the waveform processed by the apparatus is stored in a waveform memory, and particularly to correction of waveform data when the waveform is repeatedly read out from the waveform memory.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the conventional electronic musical instrument, there were methods in which musical tones are stored in a waveform memory, and read out based on play information such as key-on to produce musical tone signals. Among them, there was a method in which to provide delicate change of tone color in the attack portion immediately after a key-on and the succeeding decay and sustain portions, the original tone of a musical instrument is recorded from the start to the end of tone generation and stored in a waveform memory. In this case, since the latter-half waveform had little tone color change, there was a method in which the capacity of waveform memory was saved by repeatedly reading out the same waveform section after the elapse of a certain period of time.
In natural sound, generally both the frequency and amplitude components are changing with time. However, in the conventional electronic musical instrument as described above, there was a problem that the spectral change with time suddenly disappears when the period for repetition reading from the waveform memory is entered, thus providing an unnatural feeling.

Waveform processing apparatus and an electronic musical instrument using the output waveform thereof


Some embodiments include apparatuses and methods of using the apparatuses. One of the apparatuses includes an inductor included in an integrated circuit device, and a first oscillator and a second oscillator included in the integrated circuit device. The first oscillator includes a first terminal coupled to a conductive path of the inductor to provide a first signal. The second oscillator includes a second terminal coupled to the conductive path to provide a second signal. The first and second signals have different frequencies.

Many electronic devices or systems, such as computers, tablets, and cellular phones, include an integrated circuit (IC) device (or multiple IC devices (e.g., IC chips)) to perform one or more functions. The IC device may have separate LC oscillators to generate different oscillating signals for use in different operations of the IC device. A conventional IC device that has multiple LC oscillators often employs separate inductors for separate oscillators. In some cases, separate inductors for such LC oscillators may scarify device area for power efficiency and performance of the IC device.

On-chip oscillators including shared inductor


A power supply system of an electronic system is dynamically switchable upon fluctuating demand for operational power. The power supply is capable of providing multiple voltage values to an electronic system which is capable of utilizing multiple logical voltage values. The power utilized by the electronic system is further controlled by varying the frequency at which the electronic system operates. Power is conserved by operating at a lower voltage and frequency and is optimally utilized upon demand by dynamically switching to operate at higher voltages and frequencies for the duration of the increased power demand. Temporary peak power greater than average operational power may be attained.

The invention herein is a further improvement of related subject matter contained in the cross-referenced prior patent applications, which prior patent applications are relied upon for priority rights in previously described novel features.
Computer systems are becoming increasingly more portable while at the same time becoming increasingly more powerful. Low power consumption is an essential design criterion of portable battery powered computer systems and data terminals. For this reason much of the hardware in a portable computer system, such as the system microprocessor, operates at lower logical voltage supply levels, typically 3.3 volts or even 2.7 volts, because systems operating at lower voltages consume less power than systems operating at higher voltages. The most common computer hardware devices operate at 5.0 volts for logic voltage levels. Portable data terminals and other laptop type computer systems employ microprocessors and other hardware devices which operate at 3.3 volts or 2.7 volts for logic voltage levels in order to reduce system power consumption and thereby extend operational battery time.
As the logical switching speeds of computer systems increase, the amount of heat generated as a result also increases. It is for this reason that microprocessor chip manufacturers have needed to lower the logical operating voltages with increased processor speeds because even with heat sinks and fans to cool them, high operating speeds combined with high voltages will cause the chip to overheat.
If proper thermal management of the electronics of a portable electronic device are not carefully considered and engineered for, catastrophic thermal failure may occur resulting in a total loss of electronic function. In general, for a capacitive load, the relationship between the power generated by an electronic device and the operational voltage and frequency is given as: EQU P.varies.v.sup.2 .multidot.f
where P is the power generated, v is the operational voltage and f is the operational frequency. Therefore, with increased operational frequencies, it is desirable to correspondingly decrease the operational voltage in order to minimize the power (and thereby the heat) generated by the electronic device. However, the dichotomy of decreasing the operational voltage of an electronic device operating at high frequencies is that the switching speeds of electronic devices operating at lower voltages are slowed as a result of the lower voltages. Thus, it is difficult to obtain high frequency operation of an electronic device with simultaneous low power operation.
Because maintaining low power consumption and preserving battery energy are important design criteria in portable data terminal systems, the dynamics of delivering power in multiple supply logic voltage computer systems must be taken into account. For example, the powering up of the system hardware devices requires more power than the average power consumed during normal operations, and therefore it is of great advantage to preserve battery energy by minimizing power consumption during system startup. A prudently designed power supply system for mixed logic voltage level computer hardware may consider the order in which the devices are powered up and the system hardware is reset.
Electronic devices are often rated according to their speed-power product, which is the average switching time multiplied with the average power dissipation. Energy may be conserved in multiple supply logic voltage computer systems by dynamically altering the clock speed of the system according to the processing needs of the system. By keeping the clock speed nominally low and increasing the speeds when applications demand higher speeds, the amount of energy generated and dissipated by the electronic systems may be minimized. Additionally, energy may be conserved by dynamically altering the operational logic voltage levels accordingly with required operational clock speed. Operational power levels above average rated power levels may be attained for momentary periods without damage to the electronic systems.
For the foregoing reasons, there is a need for a power supply system in multiple logic voltage computer systems that dynamically varies the logic voltage levels and operational frequency at which the particular circuitry operate according to the demands of a particular application in order to minimize power consumption in a hand held portable electronic system.
Thus, despite the intense efforts of those skilled in the art, there still exists a need for a power supply which is capable of dynamically switching the operational voltage and operational frequency in a multiple logic voltage level electronic system.


Various embodiments of a light source driver are disclosed. In one embodiment, the light source driver may have a driving transistor coupled directly to at least one light source without having additional switches such that the light source driver may be operated with a low voltage supply. Optionally, the light source drivers may have a bypassing circuit configured to reduce power consumption, and peaking current generator configured to speed up the turn on time of the at least one light source. At least some of the circuits, and block diagrams disclosed herein may be implemented using conventional CMOS design and manufacturing techniques and processes to provide, for example, at least one or more integrated circuits.

A light-emitting diode (referred to hereinafter as LED) represents one of the most popular light-emitting devices today. In recent years, the luminous efficacy of LEDs, defined in lumens per Watt, has increased significantly. LEDs are popularly used in many electronic devices, particularly handheld devices due to the power efficiency. Generally, LEDs are driven by light source drivers configured to provide a constant current such that the light emitted by the LEDs are consistent in terms of brightness and color. LEDs are generally driven using pulse width modulation scheme where the current are turned off by a switch. When the switch is turned on, the current flowing through the switch would be required be substantially consistent. Switches are usually implemented using MOS transistors that require build in potential. Generally, a power supply to a light source driver is required to have a voltage supply higher than all the build in potentials of those in the light sources and the switches.
In addition, as with other electronic devices, any light source driver may be susceptible to channel length modulation that is caused by fluctuations or variations in power supply. For example, operating voltage across a light source driver may drop when all the switches are turned on as a sudden increase in current is drawn from the power supply. The channel length modulation may cause abrupt changes in brightness and color. From the application perspective where color and brightness uniformity are highly sought after, the channel length modulation cancellation may be a feature that a light source drivers should have.
Similar to the requirements in all other portable devices, light source drivers are required to have as low power consumption as possible. For this reason, it may be desirable to operate LEDs at low voltage. However, this may be a challenge because LEDs and controlling switches may have built-in potentials. There may be a limitation as to whether how low the operating voltage can be reduced. To make the matter worse, LEDs may be required to be turned on fast so as to transmit signals at tens or even hundreds of mega hertz.
What is needed is a driver that can be operated under low voltage with high speed. Such light source driver may be used to drive not only LEDs, but also other light sources.
The drawings are not necessarily to scale, and are drawn for illustration purpose only. Like numbers may, but not necessary, refer to like parts throughout the drawings, unless otherwise noted.

Avago Technologies International Sales Pte. Limited


A method for laser welding one or more workpieces made of press-hardenable steel in a butt joint, wherein the workpiece or workpieces have a thickness of between 0.5 and 1.8 mm, and/or a jump in thickness of between 0.2 and 0.4 mm occurs at the butt joint, and wherein laser welding is carried out with the feed of filler wire into the molten bath, which is generated only by at least one laser beam. The filler wire contains at least one alloy element from the group comprising manganese, chromium, molybdenum, silicon and/or nickel, which alloy element promotes the formation of austenite in the molten bath generated by the laser beam, wherein said at least one alloy element is present in the filler wire in a mass percentage greater by at least 0.1 wt. % than in the steel of the workpiece or workpieces and the workpiece or workpieces used are non-coated or the coating thereof is partially removed.

The invention relates to a method for laser welding one or more workpieces made of press-hardenable steel, in particular manganese-boron steel, in a butt joint, in which method the workpiece or workpieces have a thickness of between 0.5 and 1.8 mm, and/or a jump in thickness of between 0.2 and 0.4 mm occurs at the butt joint, and in which method laser welding is carried out with the feed of filler wire into the molten bath which is generated by at least one laser beam, the molten bath being generated only by the at least one laser beam.

Method for laser welding one or more workpieces made of hardenable steel in a butt joint