Digital encoding methods are used to encode digital payloads in image and conductive ink carriers. These carriers are applied to objects by various printing technologies, together in one or more ink formulations or in separate ink layers on an object. The image payload is extracted from an image sensed with image sensor, while the conductive ink payload is extracted from an image sensed with a capacitive or resistive sensor or like device for sensing the modulation in conductivity of the printed conductive ink elements.

In our earlier published patent publication, US20150227925, we described uses of printable conductive inks to convey information from an object to an electronic device through a capacitive sensor, such as a touch screen. We also described various techniques for conveying digital signals between a display screen and camera, and speaker and microphone, including using digital watermarking and variants of encoding digital payloads in image and audio carrier signals. Here, we detail further innovations in digital encoding and decoding of digital payloads in conductive ink structures.
As detailed in publications by Printechnologics Gmbh, T Ink and others, when an object printed with a pattern of conductive ink is placed on a capacitive sensor, such as a touch screen, the capacitive sensor senses the pattern defined by the ink and can respond accordingly. See, e.g., patent publications WO2012136817, WO2012117046, US20120306813, US20120125993, US20120306813 and US20110253789. Also, see also US Published Applications 20160098128, 20160100137, 20160067596, 20130284578, 20130115878, 20120125993, and U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,497,850, and 8,622,307. These documents further describe use of conductive ink as touch codes, and related technology is being commercialized under the TOUCHCODE brandname. Each of the above patent documents is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
While such conductive ink technology has promise in conveying digital information, it has a number of limitations in terms of robustness, reliability, and security. In this document, we detail encoding and decoding technologies for conductive ink structures to provide improved robustness and reliability. We also describe encoding and decoding technologies that improve security, e.g., through encoding and decoding protocols and inter-dependencies with linked and layered payload signals in printed carriers.
Portions of this disclosure are described in terms of, e.g., encoded signals for product packaging (sometimes just referred to herein as "packaging" or "package") and other objects. These encoding techniques can be used, e.g., to alter or transform how color and conductive inks are printed on various physical substrates. These techniques are further applied to create data carriers within conductive ink structures. The alterations or transformations preferably result in a printed design carrying machine readable indicia on a surface of a physical object.
Various forms of signal encoding (or "embedding") include, e.g., "steganographic encoding" and "digital watermarking." Digital watermarking is a process for transforming physical or electronic media to embed a machine-readable code (or "auxiliary data") into the media. In some cases the media is modified such that the embedded code is obscured, yet may be detected through an automated detection process. Digital watermarking is often applied to electronic or physical objects such as printed objects, images, audio signals, and video signals. However, it may also be applied to other types of objects, including, e.g., product packaging, electronics such as circuit boards and CPUs, stickers, logos, product hang tags, line-art, software, multi-dimensional graphics models, and surface textures of such objects.
In this document, we use the terms "digital watermark" and "watermark" (and various forms thereof) interchangeably.
Auxiliary data embedding systems typically include two components: an encoder (or embedder) that embeds the auxiliary signal in a host image or object, and a decoder (or detector) that detects and reads the embedded auxiliary signal from the host image or object. The encoder may embed the auxiliary signal by altering or transforming a host image or object to carry the auxiliary data. The detection component analyzes a suspect image, object or signal to detect whether an auxiliary signal is present, and if so, extracts or reads information carried in it.
Several particular digital watermarking and auxiliary data embedding techniques have been developed. The reader is presumed to be familiar with the literature in this field. Particular techniques for embedding and detecting imperceptible digital watermarks are detailed in the assignee's patent documents including US Published Patent Application No. 2015-0156369; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/725,399, filed May 29, 2015, Ser. No. 14/724,729, filed May 28, 2015, and Ser. No. 14/842,575, filed Sep. 1, 2015; International Application No. PCT/US2015/44904, filed Aug. 12, 2015 (published as WO 2016025631 A1) and U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,054,461, 7,286,685, and 9,129,277. Related technology is detailed in Assignee's U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/073,483, filed Mar. 17, 2016. Each of the patent documents mentioned in this paragraph are hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, including all drawings and any appendices.
Digital encoding methods are used to encode digital payloads in image and conductive ink carriers. These carriers are applied to objects by various printing technologies, together in one or more ink formulations or in separate ink layers on an object. The image payload is extracted from an image sensed with image sensor, while the conductive ink payload is extracted from an image sensed with a capacitive sensor or like device for sensing the modulation in conductivity of the printed conductive ink elements. For example, a resistive sensor array or even a special purpose circuit layout may be used to read a conductive ink pattern. In the latter case, a special purpose reader circuit is placed in contact with the printed conductive ink pattern, forming a pattern that conveys an identifying signal by the connection made between the circuit reader and the printed pattern. In other reader embodiments, a touch screen display is integrated with a camera to enable sensing of both a color image and the conductive ink pattern when the screen is placed over the conductive ink pattern and color ink image.
The pattern printed using the conductive ink, therefor, carries both a signal or conductive identifier and simultaneously a digital watermark. The redundancy of the digital watermark that allows it to be effectively utilized with a variety of printed host image formats, can be inverted, allowing a "pure" digital watermark image, regardless of form, continuous tone (including approximated with multi-valued, 8 bit per pixel signal), sparse (sparse binary pattern), etc., to be altered, or otherwise augmented for design effect. This is motivated by aesthetic reasons or the in case of leveraging conductive ink, the functional requirements of creating electric circuits with a sensor array to achieve a desired reading effect.
The resulting design printed with a conductive ink faithfully represents the entirety of the digital watermark signal or portions thereof. In one configuration, the printed array of conductive ink elements contains only the synchronization elements of the aforementioned digital watermark. The message carrying elements are printed on a substrate, before or after printing the conductive ink pattern, using inks with colors in the visible band to carry a variable digital data payload, synchronization signal, or both variable payload and synchronization signal. This configuration allows machine readable informational structures to be layered, both to match the requirements of a manufacturing environment and the applicability of specific sensor technologies.
By way of example, consider a high value product, such as a pharmaceutical product, that requires both lot and item level serialization. The packaging of the product is created and processed as follows:
1. A digital payload is encoded in an image design. The image design comprises a specification for printing an array of conductive ink elements on a substrate. For example, this image design is printed on the enclosure of the package (e.g., a cap of the bottle, adhesive label over a container opening or the like) using a conductive ink, e.g., such as ink used in creating TOUCHCODE brand prints. The digital payload carries the lot number, manufacturing facility, etc. The conductive ink pattern forms a difficult to counterfeit feature as it requires access to the specialized ink.
2. The enclosure is read using a sensor in the factory to ensure the proper containers are filled. This sensor is a contact sensor or non-contact proximity sensor to sense the conductive ink structure, for example, by forming a circuit with resistive elements or capacitive sensing of the conductive ink array.
3. Subsequent to filling the container, a printer builds on the existing component of the digital watermark (e.g., a synchronization signal, binary pattern or code, or both). The printer builds on it by printing another image on the container that includes a digital watermark in a data channel of one or more color ink layers applied by the printer. The spectral channel or channels bearing this digital watermark signal may be manifested using process color inks (CMYK), spot color inks (e.g., see US 2015-0156369 A1), single color luminance modulation of the aforementioned inks, laser marking of a laser sensitizing additive (see our U.S. provisional application 62/505,771), and/or including of narrow band absorption dyes of pigments in an ink carrier or clear overprint that are readable in spectral band (e.g., a band around wavelength of 660 nm, typically used in barcode scanning equipment)(See our US Publication No. 2016-0275326). The overprint may be a varnish layer or a coating with colorant that matches another ink layer or substrate, so as not to make noticeable modifications to the package design. US provisional application 62/505,771 and US Publication No. 2016-0275326 are hereby incorporated by reference.
4. The printer may be an industrial ink jet, laser marking device, or other printer technology. This digital watermark applied in this layer of marking conveys an additional signal that conveys a unique identity of the particular container. For instance, this unique identify is conveyed via a digital code to uniquely identify or "serialize" that particular container.
5. Upon receipt of the container, the consumer uses her camera in the smartphone to read the full, serialized identity of it. In some instances, robust watermarks can be copied, so as an additional security check, the user is directed to place their smartphone screen on to the area of the conductive ink array (e.g., on the enclosure, such as the cap of the bottle or adhesive label forming a seal around the cap). The capacitive sensor of the smartphone screen senses the conductive ink array and generates a signal to confirm authenticity. The simplest case is mere detection of the ink array. A more sophisticated case is where the sensed pattern is processed as an image to decode a digital watermark, such as a synchronization signal, and optionally a digital payload demodulated from plural carrier signals. The synchronization signal provides a reference point (e.g., X, Y center or origin coordinates) and spatial orientation (rotation and scale) of a watermark signal tile.
6. The conductive ink utilized to print the digital watermark on the enclosure can also have additional properties that allow other marking technologies to be used to print the additional signal. One such example of this, is the use of a "receiver" in the ink that reacts to specific wavelengths of lasers. See our U.S. provisional application 62/505,771, incorporated above. This would allow very high-speed printing to occur on the caps of the bottles.
Further aspects, features and advantages will become even more apparent with reference to the following detailed description, claims and accompanying drawings.

Encoding and decoding digital signals in conductive ink structures


A power transmission apparatus includes an inverter circuit, a power transmission antenna that wirelessly transmits alternating current power output from the inverter circuit, and a power transmission control circuit that causes the inverter circuit to output the alternating current power. The power transmission control circuit causes the inverter circuit to output the alternating current power as binary communication data by varying frequency of the alternating current power output from the inverter circuit between a first frequency and a second frequency, and performs amplitude control for eliminating a difference between amplitude of voltage of the alternating current power at a time when the frequency is the first frequency and amplitude of the voltage of the alternating current power at a time when the frequency is the second frequency.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a wireless power transmission system and a power transmission apparatus that wirelessly transmit power.
2. Description of the Related Art
During these years, wireless (noncontact) power transmission techniques for wirelessly (in a noncontact manner) transmitting power to mobile devices such as mobile phones and electric vehicles are being developed. When power is transmitted in a wireless power transmission system, communication between a power transmission apparatus and a power reception apparatus needs to be established for safety purposes.
Transmission of data from the power reception apparatus to the power transmission apparatus is performed, for example, using a load modulation method, in which a value of a load is varied using switching elements included in the power reception apparatus. By transmitting the variation in the load to the power transmission apparatus, data can be transmitted. On the other hand, in an application (e.g., radio-frequency identification (RFID)) in which data needs to be transmitted from a power transmission side to a power reception side, data can be transmitted from the power transmission apparatus to the power reception apparatus, for example, by modulating the frequency of power to be transmitted (hereinafter also referred to as "transmission power").
Such data communication from a power reception apparatus to a power transmission apparatus and data communication from a power transmission apparatus to a power reception apparatus are disclosed, for example, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2011-211779 and Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2008-206305.

Wireless power transmission system and power transmission apparatus

Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.


In a system which receives, from different sources, data having various formats, the received data is selected and combined in accordance with the invention to create accurate records. Specifically, the inventive system organizes the received data into uniform data records having a predetermined format. The data in the uniform data records is converted, if necessary, to conform to a predetermined nomenclature, resulting in normalized data records. The normalized data records are grouped into sets of equivalent records. For each set, the inventive system selects relatively accurate data from the equivalent records in the set to create a final record.

The invention relates to a system and method for creating and maintaining data records. More particularly, the invention relates to a system and method for processing data from different sources which is in various formats to create records.
It is a common experience to call a telephone operator at a call center for information assistance. In a typical information assistance call, a customer identifies to the operator the name and address of a party whose telephone number is desired. In response, the operator locates the desired destination number using a computer database and the destination number is provided to the customer.
Typically, the computer database includes data from various data providers. These data providers may be telecommunication companies, such as Pacific Bell, GTE, or AT&T, to name a few. The data usually includes records having listing names, addresses, and telephone numbers of individuals and businesses throughout the United States and other countries. When processing millions of records (e.g., telephone listings) the reliability of the records becomes an issue. For example, a 5% error rate in data, comprising 300,000,000 records, yields 15,000,000 erroneous records. Since each data provider submits similar data, combining data from the various data providers is useful in creating accurate records. However, combining data is not easy because each data provider uses a different data format and the quality of data varies from provider to provider. Often data among the various data providers is inconsistent. For example, data representing a listing Diana Elizabeth Nicholls of 20 West 64TH Street from one data provider may look like Nicholls, Diana E. of 20 W 64th St from another data provider. Even though these listings represent the same person, the differences in format and nomenclature make it difficult for a computer database to determine whether the listings represent the same person or entity, and to combine and compare data. Accordingly, there is a need for a technique for processing data having various formats, which effectively selects and combines the data to create accurate records.

System and method for creating and maintaining data records to improve accuracy thereof


A syringe system and components thereof are disclosed. The system may include a syringe body having a hollow lumen, a proximal open end, and a distal end. The syringe body may be configured to house a fluid therein. The syringe system may further include a plunger positioned in the hollow lumen of the syringe body, forming a seal with an inner wall of the syringe body. The plunger may include a removable piston having a shaft extending from the distal end towards the proximal open end, a stopper removably connected to a distal portion of the shaft, and at least one coupler attached to the distal portion of the shaft. The stopper may be configured to slidably move within the hollow lumen to facilitate movement of the fluid within the syringe body. The coupler may be configured to facilitate removal and attachment of the stopper from the piston.

A number of injector-actuated syringes and powered injectors have been developed for use in medical procedures, such as, for example, angiography, computed tomography, and nuclear magnetic resonance. Numerous advances have been made in the area of injector-actuated syringes and power injectors for use therewith. Nonetheless, newly developed and developing medical procedures constantly test the limits of current injector systems. For example, some procedures require the use of high pressures but also require physiochemical properties of the syringe that make attainment of high pressures difficult. Changes in syringes to meet the requirements of the newly developed and developing medical procedures may result in necessary changes to other portions of the injector to properly operate with the syringe, which puts care providers at the disadvantage of having to obtain new and costly injectors each time a new syringe is developed.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A hydraulic valve play compensating element for generating valve play compensation for a gas exchange valve in a valve operating mechanism of an internal combustion engine, having a piston housing in which a piston, which is elastically supported against the piston housing via a piston spring, is guided in a movable fashion, in which the piston has a low-pressure space which is connected via an axial opening in a piston head to a high-pressure space which is enclosed by the piston housing, and having a control valve which has at least one control valve closing element which can bear in a seal-forming fashion against a valve seat, the letter surrounding the axial opening on a piston head underside, and comprises a control valve spring which is preloaded in the opening direction, wherein, in the event of a collapsing movement between the piston and the piston housing when the gas exchange valve is actuated, the control valve closing element can be acted on hydraulically in the closing direction by means of a build-up of pressure in the high-pressure space wherein the control valve spring is embodied as a spring element which is arranged in the high-pressure space, is radially spaced apart from the axial opening and from the control valve closing element and is supported between the piston head underside and a control valve holding element which is guided in the high-pressure space in an axially movable fashion with a delimited actuating travel, holds the control valve closing element and is provided with an oil passage.

Hydraulic valve play compensating elements, also referred to for short below as HVA, serve, in valve drives of internal combustion engines, for the autonomous compensation of valve play which is generated by production tolerances, thermal expansion and wear in the mechanical transmission chain between cams, cam followers and gas exchange valves. The valve play compensation is generally realized by means of a piston which is guided in an axially moveable manner, and is elastically supported with a piston spring, in a piston housing associated with a valve drive element of the valve drive. The piston spring generates a preload which acts in the transmission chain and which compensates any occurring valve play, with the lifting movement which is to be transmitted to the gas exchange valves being controlled by means of a hydraulically actuable control valve between the piston and piston housing. As a result of the autonomous play compensation, the noise and wear behavior of the valve drive is significantly improved over valve drives without valve play compensation or with manually adjustable valve play compensation. In addition, valve play compensation elements can be utilized as switchable and/or adjustable actuating means in the case of variable control of the valve lifts and/or of the opening and closing times of the intake-side and exhaust-side gas exchange valves, as is described for example in DE 103 00 724 A1.
In a standard design, conventional hydraulic valve play compensation elements use a control valve which is embodied as a non-return valve and which has a control valve closing element and a control valve spring, with the latter acting on the control valve element. The control valve closing element is conventionally embodied as a spherical or sphere-like closing body which is loaded with a force in the closing direction by a coil pressure spring. In this way, the control valve is usually closed, so that the compensating element acts predominantly as a "rigid" actuating element, in which an axial force loading is transmitted directly to the associated gas exchange valve. With said design, however, as a result of the construction, and in particular when the engine is cold and in the event of production inaccuracies in the base circle of the cam, a so-called surging of the control valve with a negative valve play cannot be excluded, which can lead to increased wear and, in the worst case, to engine damage.
Said disadvantages are avoided in the so-called reverse spring hydraulic valve play compensating elements which are also referred to for short below as RSHVA and are known for example from DE 10 2004 018 457 A1. Here, the control valve springs are arranged inversely, so that the control valve ball is acted on in the opening direction, usually delimited by a stop face of a valve cap, and the control valve acts predominantly as a "soft" element. In the case of an RSHVA, at the beginning of a cam lift, an axial force is exerted on the valve play compensating element. Here, a control oil flow is set up from a high-pressure space of an outer housing of the RSHVA to a low-pressure space within a piston, which is movable axially with respect to the housing, of the RSHVA via a piston bore which connects the pressure spaces, which control oil flow acts on the control valve ball. Here, the play compensating element begins to collapse and initially generates an idle stroke until the hydrodynamic and hydrostatic forces of the control oil press the ball counter to the opening spring force and into its valve seat and thereby close the valve, and the gas exchange valve is subsequently actuated.
The influence of the idle stroke, which is typical of the RSHVA, on the overlap of the valve opening and closing times between intake and exhaust valves, and the engine-speed-dependent profile of said influence, can be incorporated in the valve controller in a targeted fashion in order to improve the idle stroke behavior, the thermodynamic efficiency and the pollutant emission optimization of the internal combustion engine.
A problem of the reverse spring valve play compensating elements of the conventional design, having a control valve ball, an opening control valve spring which is embodied as a coil pressure spring which is positioned in an axial piston bore, and a valve cap which holds the control valve ball, has proven to be the relatively complex flow conditions of the control oil between the low-pressure space and the high-pressure space. Tests have shown that in particular the windings of the coil pressure spring hinder the hydraulic flow and make the latter harder to calculate. The valve ball which is acted on with a force by the spring covers the central longitudinal opening of the spring. Since the oil flow also cannot pass the narrow spring windings of the extremely small components, or can pass the narrow spring windings of the extremely small components only to an insufficient extent, the oil flow is restricted substantially to the narrow region between the spring outer periphery and the walls of the piston opening. In addition, the flow through the openings of the conventional valve cap which functions as a stop and guide means for the control valve ball, are made more complicated. Even slight oil-type-related and/or temperature-dependent changes in viscosity of the control oil and production tolerances on the decisive components can therefore lead, in said play compensating element types, to relatively great functional fluctuations during operation, in particular to high idle stroke tolerances, which can unfavorably influence the operating behavior of the internal combustion engine. On the other hand, high demands on the production and material tolerances are expensive and difficult to adhere to.
JP 611 856 07 A discloses a hydraulic valve play compensating element in a hydraulic tappet of a valve drive, in which a disk-shaped spring element which is recessed in the opening direction is arranged below a piston head. Held below the spring element, in a cylindrical valve cap, is a freely moveable control valve ball (a so-called "freeball"). The has a central opening whose diameter is smaller than the diameter of the valve ball, so that in the unpressurized state, the valve ball cannot close off a piston bore. Consequently, in the event of a hydraulic loading of the valve ball in the closing direction, the valve ball is initially pressed against the border of the central opening of the spring disk, and the spring disk is placed in contact with the piston head by overcoming its preload. Here, the control oil which flows past the valve ball at the sides can pass the piston bore via a further opening in the border region of the spring disk until the valve ball closes off the piston bore.
As a result of said arrangement, an engine-speed-dependent oil flow via the control valve is set up in the event of a cam loading by means of a camshaft. With rising cam speed, the oil flow is reduced until the closure of the control valve, as a result of which a piston collapsing movement is reduced and a valve lift of a gas exchange valve is correspondingly enlarged, which leads to more effective cylinder charging in the associated cylinder and therefore to increased engine power. At low engine speeds, in contrast, the valve lift is reduced as a result of the comparatively large idle stroke, as a result of which a fuel saving can be obtained. Here, the spring disk which is embodied as a plate spring acts as a control element.
Said document has the aim of an engine-speed-dependent valve lift variation by means of the idle stroke of an RSHVA, but makes no reference to the flow conditions of the control oil within the RSHVA during its lifting movements. Here, although no spring windings block the flow shortly upstream of or within the piston bore, a disadvantage of the known arrangement is that, in the event of a pressure build-up in the high-pressure space, the oil flow passes initially between the walls of the valve cap and the ball surface, past an upper border of the valve cap and via the outer opening of the spring disk in a ball-ring-shaped flow space, which is formed by the plate-shaped geometry of the spring disk, along the piston head underside, and is deflected upstream thereof to the piston bore before passing the piston bore. Said flow path which is sensitive to boundary layer and turbulence effects can therefore, like in the case of a coil spring within the piston bore, result in undesirably high functional fluctuations in operation in the event of relatively small production and/or material tolerances.
Since, during the closing process of the valve, the control valve ball directly drives the plate spring and in doing so engages partially into the central opening of the spring, high demands must be made in terms of production tolerances on the spring geometry and its assembly position and on the ball in order to preclude significant actuating travel fluctuations. In addition, as a result of the plate-shaped geometry of the spring, lateral clamping forces can act on the ball, which lateral clamping forces can adversely affect correct abutment of the closing element against the piston opening.
In addition, in the event of a relaxation movement, which follows the cam loading, of the compensating element in the cam base circle when the gas exchange valve is closed, during which relaxation movement the piston and piston housing are pushed apart again by the piston spring until there is no play present between the cam follower and the cam, the return flow of the control oil from the low-pressure space (reservoir) to the high-pressure space can be unfavorably hindered by means of the relatively restricted flow path via the ball, plate spring and valve cap.


A technique for fuel system protection for an internal combustion engine includes introducing a directly injected fuel into a combustion chamber through a direct fuel injector, introducing a fumigated fuel upstream of an intake valve, selectively operating the internal combustion engine with at least one of the directly injected fuel and the fumigated fuel, determining a temperature of the direct fuel injector as a first function of engine operating parameters, and performing a temperature mitigation technique when the temperature rises above a first predetermined value such that the temperature is maintained below a second predetermined value.

Natural gas is employed as an alternative fuel for vehicles to replace conventional liquid fuels like gasoline and diesel. There are a number of factors motivating the use of natural gas, of which, two are cost and emissions. On an energy equivalent basis natural gas is less expensive than petroleum based fuels. The price of crude oil continues to increase as production continues to outpace discoveries of new oil reserves. In contrast, the reserves of natural gas continue to increase as production lags behind the discovery of new reserves keeping the price well below oil. Engines fuelled with natural gas produce fewer emissions than engines fuelled with either gasoline or diesel. Due to ever more stringent emission standards engine manufacturers are looking to natural gas to meet these new standards.
The refueling infrastructure for natural gas vehicles is not as extensive as that for conventional liquid fuels; this is a factor that influences adoption of natural gas vehicles especially for consumer automobiles. Access to refueling stations is currently limited to urban areas and main transportation corridors which limits the range of travelling and requires vehicle operators to make planned refueling trips. For these reasons natural gas has had greater adoption in the heavy duty diesel trucking industry since these vehicles typically operate along the natural gas corridor and/or use private refueling facilities. However, due to the above factors motivating the use of natural gas, automobile manufacturers are beginning to integrate natural gas fuel systems alongside existing gasoline fuel systems and to adapt internal combustion engines to be fuelled with more than one fuel, these being referred to in this disclosure as "multi-fuel engines".
In this disclosure, the terms "natural gas" and "gas" are used interchangeably and understood to be preferred examples of a gaseous fuel, but that other gaseous fuels such as ethane, methane, propane, biogas, landfill gas, dimethyl ether, hydrogen and mixtures thereof could also be employed instead of natural gas. In one such multi-fuel engine there is a direct injection fuel system which introduces liquid fuel directly into combustion chambers, and a natural gas port injection fuel system which introduces natural gas into the intake air upstream of intake valves. In this engine liquid fuel remains dormant in direct fuel injectors that are not being actuated when operating in a port injection natural gas fuelled mode. In this mode, because the nozzles of the direct fuel injectors are located in the combustion chamber it is possible that heat from combustion of port injected fuel elevates the temperature of the liquid fuel inside the direct fuel injectors above a threshold temperature such that the injectors are damaged or carbon deposits begin form. The formation of these carbon deposits leads to fouling of the direct fuel injectors impacting the performance of liquid fuel injection.
In another engine system there are both liquid fuel direct and port fuel injection systems. Depending upon the current operating mode the engine can be fuelled with either the direct or port fuel injection system or both simultaneously. The liquid fuel that is used to fuel the engine and delivered to the direct and port fuel injection systems can be the same fuel or different fuels if the engine is a multi-fuel engine. For example, when the engine starts it is advantageous to fuel from the direct injection system in a stratified charge mode, and when under high load or speed the engine can fuel from the port injection system in a premixed mode. Direct fuel injectors can become fouled when liquid fuel remains dormant inside while operating the engine with fuel from the port injection system.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,853,397, issued Dec. 14, 2010 to Pott et al. (the '397 patent), discloses a method of operating an internal combustion engine that operates with carburetor fuel, injected through a high pressure direct injector, and with gas fuel introduced into the intake air manifold or ports. In gas operation there is the risk that the high pressure direct injectors heat up due to the lack of through-put of liquid fuel and are subsequently damaged or the fuel located inside forms deposits which have an adverse effect on injector behavior. To avoid these problems, a load characteristic of the high pressure fuel injector is determined and if this load is above a limit value then switchover to carburetor fuel operation is performed, or carburetor fuel operation is hooked into gas operation such that the fuel in the high pressure injector is purged and the injector is cooled. Based on engine temperatures (operating parameters) a thermal load upon the fuel injector is retrieved from a weighing characteristic map, which is integrated over time to determine the load characteristic value. The method of the '397 patent does not determine the temperature of the high pressure injector, but instead determines stored energy representing the empirical thermal load upon the injector. As a result, during gas operation carburetor fuel can be consumed unnecessarily based on the stored energy value even though the temperature of the fuel injector is below a critical value above which deposits begin to form. The method of the '397 patents determines the thermal load upon the high pressure injector during gas operation only, and does not continuously determine the thermal load for all fuelling modes (gas operation, carburetor fuel operation and mixed fuel operation). That is, during gas operation when it is determined that the thermal load is above the limit value, carburetor fuel is flowed through the high pressure fuel injector to purge fuel and cool the injector. The amount of liquid fuel flowed through the injector is based on a predetermined minimum volume, which is expected to cool the injector, instead of the volume required to reduce the temperature of the fuel injector below the critical value at which deposits begin to form. Again, during gas operation, this results in unnecessary and increased carburetor fuel operation.
The state of the art is lacking in techniques for protecting direct injectors in multi-fuel system engines that reduce or minimize the amount of directly injected fuel that is introduced to cool the direct injectors. Accordingly, for engines that can be fuelled through a direct injection system as well as by means of another fuel system there is a need for an improved method of protecting the direct injector when operating with the other fuel system.

Fuel system protection in a multi-fuel system internal combustion engine


A centrifugal separator for fluids, e.g. blood, comprised of components or ingredients having different specific gravities, in which a container is mounted on a rotor rotatable about the vertical axis thereof and being rotatable about its horizontal axis independently of the rotor and, as the rotor is rotated, the container revolves about the vertical axis of the rotor and also rotates about its own horizontal axis simultaneously, so that a resultant centrifugal force of vertical and horizontal centrifugal forces acts on a liquid contained in a bag or bottle installed in the container. A flexible fluid communication conduit has its one end connected to the bag in the container, and it extends along the horizontal axis to a chamber defined by the rotor, where it is bent so as to then extend along the vertical axis. Thus, the conduit can guide the fluid flow without being completely twisted by the rotating rotor and the container revolving and rotating therewith.

The present invention relates generally to the centrifugalization of fluids and, more specifically, to such a centrifugalization of blood or the like biological fluids in a closed system.
Heretofore, the following three processes have been generally used to centrifugalize, for example, blood into an erythrocytic, leukocytic, thrombocytic and plasmic fractions or to separate thrombocytes out of a mixture solution prepared, for a cleaning purpose, by mixing thawed lyophilized erythrocytes with a cleaning solution containing a cryophylactic agent:
(1) A bag containing the blood to be processed is set on a centrifugal separator, and the separator is operated for a sufficient time for separation. Then, centrifugalized fractions are taken out, in order from a fraction having the smallest specific gravity to one having the largest specific gravity, from a soft tubular section of the removed bag by manually compressing the same.
(2) The blood to be processed is fed into a frustoconical hollow container, to which conduits for feeding the blood and discharging the separated fractions are connected through rotary seals at its upper part. The blood fed into the container is centrifugalized into, for example a hematocytic fraction and plasmic fraction, and only the separated plasmic fraction, for example, is taken out through the discharge conduit, while the remaining hematocytic fraction is removed by stopping the operation of the centrifuge when the container is filled up with the hematocytic fraction.
(3) Blood to be processed is fed into a centrifugalizing container placed in a rotor of a centrifugal separator through one feed and discharge conduit which extends first downwardly from the central part of the rotor and then extends upwardly outside the rotor to be led to the outside of the centrifugal separator from a predetermined position above the rotor. The blood is centrifugalized by the rotation of the container and the separated fractions are taken out through the same conduit. This type of centrifugal separator may be used also for so-called blood cleaning by feeding a cleaning solution through the conduit into the centrifugalizing container.
These blood processing methods have been proposed for maximizing the quantity of an intended blood component fraction that can be gathered from one donor, since recently blood-component or fractional-blood transfusions have become increasingly generalized.
However, the foregoing method (1) is inefficient and time-consuming in that it is a batch processing method in nature, in which the centrifugal separator is operated intermittently and an additional operation is then carried out for transferring the separated fluids to other containers.
In the foregoing method (2), since the blood is continuously fed into the centrifugal separator and centrifugalized therein while discharging the unintended plasmic fraction, the intended erythrocytic fraction can be gathered in a larger quantity in one processing. However, this method is also hardly free from the afore-mentioned drawbacks of the method (1), because the quantity of the erythrocytic fraction that can be gathered by one processing are limited by the container capacity and because the centrifugal separator is also operated intermittently.
Also, since rotary seals are used in this method, the blood may be contaminated with bacteria intruding therefrom or abrasion particulates originating therefrom may be included in the blood, and such rotary seals requiring high sealing properties are costly. Further, in view of the construction of the centrifugal separator used in this method, it is not possible to process a plurality of fluids simultaneously.
In the foregoing method (3), although the centrifugal separator is operated continuously, the processing requires a longer time because the feeding of the blood and cleaning solution and the discharge of separated fractions are effected in order through a single common conduit. Also, since the conduit revolves outside the rotor along with its rotation, the centrifugal separator must be larger in size than those for the foregoing methods (1) and (2) to apply to the fluid in the container a centrifugal force almost equal to those applied in the methods (1) and (2). Thus, its construction becomes complicated and susceptible to problems. Further, since a long conduit is used in this method, a larger quantity of fluid remains therein after processing. Besides, since the conduit revolves about and outside the container along with its rotation, a large centrifugal force acts for a longer period on the fluid flowing through the conduit. Thus, the fluid may be separated undesirably in the conduit.
A typical prior art example of the foregoing method (3) and equipment therefor is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,133,173. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,133,173, however, since a conduit extends upwardly outside the rotor from the underside thereof, it is difficult to shorten the conduit. Also, in this prior art apparatus, the conduit revolves along with the rotor rotation and, thus, a substantial centrifugal force acts on the vertical section of the conduit because a long arm of action extends from the vertical axis of the rotor assembly. Thus, since such a large centrifugal force is applied to the fluid flowing through the vertical section of the conduit, the centrifugalization in the container installed in the rotor assembly may be adversely affected thereby.
In the aforecited U.S. Patent, the problem of twisting the conduit by the rotation of the rotor assembly is solved by setting the speed ratio of the rotor assembly versus a rotor drive assembly to 2:1.


Asymmetric hollow fibers having a microporous hollow fiber core comprising a polyolefin, e.g. polypropylene, and an asymmetric coating comprising a fluoropolymer, e.g. SIXEF.TM.-Durene. Optionally, the coating may also comprise glycerine which is applied prior to the fluoropolymer. The fibers are coated by wet-spinning, or alternately by dry jet-wet spinning, through a spinning jet in which a fluoropolymer-containing fluid is applied to the outer surface of the fibers as they pass through the jet. The fibers exit the jet into a water bath. If greater selectivity is needed, the fiber later may be coated with an additional layer of a highly selective material, e.g. polyvinyl alcohol, PVP, and the like.

This invention relates to the field of hollow fiber production, especially to fluoropolymer-coated polyolefin hollow fibers for use in fluid separation membranes and a process for making same.
In creating a gas or liquid separation membrane, it is desirable to have both a high rate of permeation or throughput and a high separation factor. This combination of characteristics permits the effective separation of a relatively large volume of fluid per unit time. Large rates of permeation also allow the membrane to be operated at lower pressures, which improves cost-effectiveness.
Highly porous membranes tend to be very permeable, but do a poor job of separating fluids into their components. Less porous, dense membranes can be more selective, but at the cost of reduced throughput.
Asymmetric membranes generally have a thin, dense separation layer and a less dense, more permeable layer. These asymmetric membranes are often chosen for separation applications because they may provide a good combination of permeation and separation. Hollow fibers having a dense skin and a porous body can be used to make such membranes.
Unfortunately, many of the materials, e.g. fluoropolymers, used to make hollow fluid separation fibers is relatively expensive. Some processes are also expensive, particularly if many process steps are needed. Furthermore, in some fibers the permeability, the separation factor, or both may be rather low.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,230,463 issued to Henis, et al. describes multi-component membranes for gas separations wherein a porous membrane is coated with another substance. The coating is said to enhance the separation capability of the membrane.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,290,987 issued to Soehngen, et al., describes a process for making microporous hollow fibers comprising a polyolefin by solvent stretching a nonporous hollow precursor fiber having a controlled degree of molecular orientation.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,871,494 issued to Kesting, et al. describes a process for forming asymmetric gas separation membranes having graded density skins.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,756,932 issued to Puri describes a process for making highly permeable coated composite hollow fiber membranes. The hollow fiber substrate is passed continuously through a polymeric coating solution and withdrawn through a coating die to form a uniform coating.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,881,954 issued to Bikson, et al. describes permeable membranes for enhanced gas separation in which an asymmetric porous support is coated with a separation layer. The support is made asymmetric prior to coating to provide mechanical stability and a uniform support surface.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 686,739 filed on Apr. 17, 1991 by Chung, et al. describes a method for making asymmetric hollow fibers from fluoropolymers. The outer layer of these fibers is coated with a highly permeable substance to achieve high selectivities.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 738,996 filed on Aug. 1, 1991 by Chung, et al. describes an asymmetric hollow fiber consisting essentially of SIXEF.TM.-Durene, a polyimide made from 2,2-bis[3,4-dicarboxyphenyl] hexafluoropropane dianhydride and 2,3,5,6-tetramethylphenylene diamine monomers.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 739,063 filed on Aug. 1, 1991 by Chung, et al. describes an asymmetric hollow fiber made from SIXEF.TM.-Durene coated with poly-4-vinylpyridine ("PVP").
The disclosures of the foregoing references are incorporated by reference. Although they are not necessarily prior art, these references do reflect the present state of the art.

Asymmetric fluoropolymer-coated polyolefin hollow fibers


An electrical terminal includes a terminal base. A mate portion is attached to the terminal base and is adapted to mate with a corresponding electrical terminal. A conductor contact portion includes a box attached to the terminal base. The box defines an interior space. A lever extends from a wall of the box. The lever includes a curved portion that extends toward the terminal base. The lever is adapted to engage a conductor of a wire inserted into the box. The lever includes lift tabs that extend from the lever to outside the box.

This invention relates to an electrical terminal. More specifically, this invention relates to an electrical terminal with a push-in connection for an electrical wire.
Electrical terminals are normally used in matching pairs in order to allow electrical connections to be made between electrical wires or electrical devices. A typical electrical terminal is made of an electrically-conductive material and includes a mate portion that engages the matching electrical terminal and a contact portion that engages the electrical wire. In order to provide a desired flow of electrical current between the wire and the electrical terminal, the contact portion provides an electrical connection between the electrical terminal and a conductor portion of the electrical wire. Additionally, in order to prevent the wire from pulling away from the electrical terminal, the contact portion maintains a physical connection with the electrical wire.
Common types of connections used in the contact portion include crimped, welded, or push-in connections. It would be advantageous to have an alternative electrical terminal with a push-in connection.


A powered swing device is provided that imparts a swinging motion onto the chains of a child's swing set. The device comprises an upper cross member and a pair of rotatable swing arm members extending downward therefrom along the ends of the cross member. The ends of the cross member secure to the swing chain by way of outward post members that fit through opposing open chain links of the swing chain. Each of the swing arm members include a lower outward post member to attach through a chain link below the cross member. An internal electric motor drives the swing arm members in a reciprocal motion, while the upper and lower post members impart the motion onto the swing chain. The speed of the swing arms is controllable, while a radio is provided for further entertainment purposes. Overall, the device allows for swinging a child without adult assistance.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to swing and child motion devices for entertainment purposes. More specifically, the present invention provides a device for attaching to a playground swing to impart a continuous swinging motion thereon for child enjoyment independent of adult assistance.
Children greatly enjoy using swing devices in outdoor playgrounds and in other child oriented entertainment spaces. Swings are suspended seats from an overhead support that allow a child to swing therefrom while positioned within the seat. These devices are well known in the art as entertainment devices and are commonly found in parks and playgrounds. For particularly young children, however, the act of initiating and continuing the swinging motion can be difficult, as their legs may be too short to reach the ground and their skills at shifting their body weight may not be fully developed. Consequently, adult supervision is required to assist in the swinging motion, both in the initiation and continuance thereof.
This activity requires consistent attention from an adult, who oversees the child in the swing set and imparts the swinging motion thereon from behind the seated child. It can become tiring for a parent or guardian to push the child in the swing for long periods of time. This becomes even more tiring when the parent is attentive to multiple children or when the children request to be pushed on swings at identical times. Furthermore, if the parent were to leave a swinging child unattended to care for another, the child may become upset or even injured if they unsuccessfully tried to swing themselves.
Automated swinging devices have been available in the art and are generally categorized into two types: the first being a swinging device that is typically designed to be a stand-alone structure with a base unit, swing motor, and a detachable seat, and the second type being a motorized device that is semi-permanently installed on patio furniture or the like to impart swinging and rocking motions. These devices are large and require significant effort to install, and furthermore are not compliant with existing swing sets.
Neither of these devices can be effectively and efficiently attached to a playground swing to impart a swinging motion thereon, wherein the device attaches to an existing swing set. The present invention relates to a device that attaches to the swing chain, swing wire, or swing rope that is pivotably attached to the swing overhead support. The device attaches thereto and imparts a continuous fore-aft motion that rocks the swing seat back and forth. The device initiates and continuously imparts motion on the swing chain such that the child can swing independent of immediate adult assistance and without any child input. The device comprises a top section that houses a battery-operated drive motor, which is connected to a pair of pivoting arms. The pivoting arms include swing chain attachment means that affix to the swing chain (or chain equivalent) such that the pivoting arms impart a swinging motion on the swing chain as the motor is energized. Once the unit is secured to the swing chain, the speed of the swinging motion can be controlled by a speed selector knob while in operation.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Devices have been disclosed in the prior art that relate to automatic child motion and swinging devices. These include devices that have been patented and published in patent application publications, and generally relate to the user being placed or seated into a larger apparatus, which is then used to swing the user in various manners and orientations using its own swing structure. The following is a list of devices deemed most relevant to the present disclosure that are described for the purposes of highlighting and differentiating the unique aspects of the present invention and further highlighting the drawbacks existing in the prior art.
Specifically, U.S. Pat. No. 6,254,490 to Lawson describes an automated swinging device that is installed in ceiling joists and can be modified to be installed in conventional freestanding swings. The device includes a rectangular base frame that supports a main shaft that attaches to a conventional porch swing or the like. The device uses a conventional motor used to drive an automatic rocking system with no additional effort by the user. The device also uses a threaded rod to mechanically adjust the depth of the swing. While the device provides a useful automated swing for multi-user porch swings, the Lawson device suffers from being bulky and heavy, difficult and expensive to install, and would require the device to be installed near a conventional source of residential power. The structure of the present invention is one of a portable and rapidly securable assembly attachable to playground swing sets or similar support structures.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,833,545 to Pinch describes an automated child swinging device that has a battery operated swing motor to periodically swing a seat frame, which attaches to a removable seat. The device has a control system for periodically actuating the swing motor in order to adaptively adjust to the natural frequency and period of the seat. In order to use the device, the user first pulls (or pushes) the seat to the appropriate height, which activates the control system and swing motor that will maintain its swinging motion at the predetermined frequency and period. While providing a unique adaptive motor control system, the structure of the Pinch device is a single and complete child motion assembly and is not adaptable or attachable to existing playground swings.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,789,762 to Greger describes a child motion device that includes a frame and swing assembly that can be mounted on a variety of surfaces. The device has a system that drives a swing assembly, which includes a pair of swing arms having proximal and distal ends. The distance between the proximal ends is adjustable, which is used to adjust one of the motion characteristics. The device has a swing assembly with unique motion characteristics capable of imparting a swinging motion, gliding motion, and in one embodiment, a bouncing motion. The device employs different modes of operation (motion, speed, music, and sound) to sooth or entertain the child as the device is in use. Similar to the Pinch device, the structure of the Greger device is not attachable to existing swings.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,805,902 to Casagrande describes an infant swing with a base frame, legs, and a coil-spring motor. The device has a seat that is connected to a carriage. The carriage is connected to the motor in order to impart an oscillating motion onto the seat to sooth the infant while an adult can perform other activities. The seat is removable and can be used as an infant carrier or car seat. While providing a soothing motion, the structure of the Casagrande device is not portable such that it can attach to existing swings.
None of the prior art devices provide the benefits inherent in the present invention or suggest a structure that is operably attachable to an existing swing set chain for imparting a reciprocal motion onto the swing for child entertainment. There is a clear need in the art for a new and useful automatic swinging device that can be utilized in conjunction with existing swing sets and the like, wherein the device is designed for portability, flexibility with regard to application, and ease of deployment. This present invention allows parents and caretakers to entertain multiple children without being dedicated to a single child on a swing. Therefore, it is clear that there is a need in the art for an improvement to existing automated swing devices. In this regard, the instant invention substantially fulfills these needs.


Disclosed are cellulose-based pliable, porous and non-porous prosthesis structures that can be formed to various geometries such as thin films, membranes, hollow tubes, heart valves, including an aortic heart valve. Also disclosed are methods for preparing a cellulose-based porous prosthesis structure.

The human heart consists of four valves, namely the mitral valve, tricuspid valve, pulmonary valve, and aortic valve, which can become damaged or diseased. According to statistics for 2005 published by the American Heart Association (AHA), valvular-related heart disease accounted for 20,891 mortalities (43,900 total mention mortalities), aortic valve disorder accounted for 13,137 mortalities (27,390 total mention mortalities), pulmonary valve disorder: accounted for 20 mortalities (45 total mention mortalities), mitral valve disorder accounted for 2,605 mortalities (6,210 total mention mortalities), tricuspid valve disorder accounted for 20 mortalities (114 total mention mortalities), and endocarditis accounted for 5,109 mortalities (10,120 total mention mortalities). Prosthetic heart valves have been used to replace such damaged or diseased heart valves. Of the four valves, the aortic valve experiences the largest day-to-day stress of any component of the heart, opening about 70 times a minute, or about 100,000 times a day. Accordingly, day-to-day stresses as well as additional stresses deriving from conditions or pathologies such as endocarditis, stenosis (restricted valve opening), or regurgitation (valve leakage), can ultimately accelerate improper valve function, particularly the aortic valve. If such conditions and stresses are left untreated, they can lead to heart failure. Currently, the end-stage treatment of dysfunctional heart valves, such as the aortic valve, involves replacement with a mechanical or a bioprosthetic device. While these mechanical and bioprosthetic heart valves have been used widely (the AHA estimates that 95,000 inpatient valve procedures were performed in 2003) they have certain disadvantages.
Mechanical valves are the most commonly and widely used prostheses. They are commonly made of titanium, cobalt-chromium alloy (Haynes 25), or pyrolytic carbon (Pyrolite). Compared to animal-derived heart valves, mechanical heart valves are more reliable and longer-lived (10-15 years with re-operation rates around 2-5%). Nevertheless, mechanical heart valves cause thrombus formation and calcification, which require that the patient maintains an anticoagulation therapeutic regimen for the rest of his or her life. Anticoagulation therapy has been linked to bleeding and other complications, such as damage of the red blood cells. It also predisposes the recipient to lifelong risks of infection.
Bioprosthetic valves are obtained from either animal origins (porcine valve or bovine pericardial valves) or human donors (cadavers). Animal-derived prostheses (stented and non-stented) use glutaraldehyde as a cross-linking agent, which enhances the mechanical stability of the prosthesis, but also fixes the protein configuration. This ultimately prevents cells in the prosthesis from growing, repairing and remodeling. Glutaraldehyde crosslinks have also been implicated as foci for calcification, which causes the prosthesis to deteriorate over time. Typically, bioprosthetic heart valve needs to be replaced within 5-15 years, depending on the age of the recipient. Immunologic reactions have also been noted with animal-based valve prosthesis, further limiting their use as a suitable substitute. The risk of transferring infectious diseases, such as zoonoses and Creutzfeldt-Jakob, to the patient also exists with the animal-derived prosthesis.
Human-derived aortic valves are obtained from cadavers. Although the aortic valve replacement with an allograft is ideal (because there is resistance to infection, no requirement for anticoagulation therapy, and surgical advantages) there are not enough human donors available. Cryopreserved pulmonary valves have been used to replace aortic valves but they can result in early failure. These valves also demonstrate gross regurgitation in vitro and are less robust against the hemodynamic stresses in the aortic position. Further, there is no consensus concerning the extent of cell viability within these human aortic valves.
Polymeric heart valves were first developed and sporadically used in clinics in 1950s but their use ceased soon thereafter because of high rates of thrombosis and thromboembolic complications and valve degeneration. However, in recent years, with the availability of new flexible polymers with improved biocompatibility, hemocompatibility and durability, polymer heart valves have regained considerable attention. Polyetherurethane, polyetherurethane urea, segmented polyurethanes, polycarbonate urethane, polyurethane valves coated with polyethylene oxide-grafted polyurethane, and polystyrene-b-polyisobutylene-polystyrene are among the polymers that show promise. The advantage of flexible polymer heart valves is that they can be fabricated into the native valve geometry and as a result they display normal hemodynamic function. The long term durability and hemodynamic function of these valves in vivo, however, remain to be proven. Thus, the search for a new material with improved performance continues.
Accordingly, there exists a need in the art for replacement heart valves that exhibit improved characteristics relative to existing mechanical and bioprosthetic heart valves.


An infant bath seat device, particularly useful to facilitate the bathing of an infant in a sink, generally comprises a relatively stiff three sided shell including a back wall and two parallel side walls connected to and extending outwardly from the ends of the back wall and perpendicular thereto, with a seat flap connected to and extending outwardly from the back wall in the same direction as the side walls, in a plane perpendicular to the planes of the back and side walls. The seat flap and side walls are pivotally connected to the back wall, such that the seat flap and side walls may be folded in against the back wall in a collapsed configuration for storage.

The bathing of infants can be a difficult process and a frustrating experience for the parents or other caregivers. Infants tend to be very active during bath times, whether the experience is a pleasant one or an unpleasant one for the infant. Infants will grasp and pull on objects within their reach, will splash water, place objects in their mouths, etc.
When an infant is bathed in a conventional bathtub the splashing, grasping, and pulling may not, in and of themselves, cause a significant problem, but the use of a conventional bathtub is often a problem for the caregiver. A conventional bathtub is at floor level, so the caregiver must bend, stoop, kneel, etc. in very uncomfortable positions, while holding or supporting the infant. Further, the entire bathtub must be filled with water to achieve the desired depth, even though the infant occupies only a very small part of the bathtub. The prior art includes devices to be placed in a conventional bathtub to facilitate bathing, but these devices do not fully address the problems.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,528,111 to Chou, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,837,871 to Wheeler are illustrations of prior art devices designed to be placed in a conventional bathtub to position and support an infant for bathing. While these devices address some of the problems and are useful within their limitations, they do not alleviate the problems associated with the placement of the tub at floor level.
As a result of the difficulties with the use of a conventional bathtub for bathing infants, with or without support devices, alternative approaches are often used. One alternative approach involves the use of a free standing infant tub that may be placed on a counter or table. While such tubs help a caregiver eliminate the bending and some other problems associated with the use of a conventional bathtub, they create other problems. For example, water must be carried to the free standing tub, or the tub filled and then carried to the place where it will be used. Similarly, after the infant is bathed, the water must be dipped out of the free standing tub or the tub must be carried to be dumped. Further, the infant can easily splash water out of the tub onto surrounding surfaces, damaging them and/or creating a cleaning problem. In addition, the free standing tubs are large and bulky, and difficult to store.
Many caregivers bathe infants in sinks, such as a kitchen sink. Again, this approach solves many of the problems associated with the use of a conventional bathtub, and also eliminates problems with the use of free standing tubs. However, bathing an infant in a bare sink is not without problems. In a typical sink the infant can reach the sink faucet, faucet handles, and drain plug. The infant being bathed may turn faucet handles, place the faucet end in its mouth, pull the sink plug, etc. Devices intended to be placed in a sink to support an infant are known in the prior art, as illustrated by U.S. Pat. No. 4,216,552 to Gurolnick, by and U.S. Pat. No. 245,861 to Elder, for a device which could be used in a sink. However, such devices do not prevent the infant from reaching faucets, etc., and are further bulky and difficult to store. They further do not control or restrain splashing of water over the relatively low edge of the sink.
There remains a need for a simple, inexpensive, easily stored device to assist a caregiver in bathing an infant in a sink, while preventing the infant from reaching faucets, the sink plug, and other adjacent objects, and while containing splashes.


A method for manufacturing an interior magnet rotor core motor is described herein. The method includes attaching a resilient material to an inner rigid structure configured to engage a shaft associated with the motor, engaging the structure with the motor shaft, positioning the shaft and structure assembly with respect to the rotor core, and affixing the resilient material to the rotor core.

This disclosure relates to electronically commutated motors (ECMs), and more particularly, to methods and approaches used for providing a resilient rotor assembly for such motors, which are sometimes referred to as brushless motors. Brushless motors include brushless AC motors and brushless DC motors.
Brushless motors are used in a wide variety of systems operating in a wide variety of industries. As such, the brushless motors are subject to many operating conditions. In such a brushless motor, a permanent magnet rotor and the produced torque may combine to result in cogging, as well as commutation torque pulses. The cogging and the torque pulses may get transmitted to the shaft of the motor, and then onto a fan or blower assembly that is attached to the shaft. In such applications these torque pulses and the effects of cogging may result in acoustical noise that can be objectionable to an end user of the motor.
To counter such operating conditions, introduction of a resiliency between the component that is producing these torque pulses and the shaft that transmits the torque to the fan or blower, which is attached to the shaft, would be desirable. However, the resilient rotor constructions that have been designed and produced are related to such motors where the permanent magnet structure is such that magnets are mounted on the surface of the rotor. In such systems, the resilient components are attached to a central core by metal rods or clips, spot welding, or by tig welding. However, in an interior permanent magnet rotor design, where magnets are interior to the rotor and a laminated structure is used for rotor core, it is difficult to attach a resilient component to rotor core by tig welding or spot welding without increasing a length of the rotor.

Resilient rotor assembly for interior permanent magnet motor


A DC-to-DC (buck) converter comprises a PWM regulation loop and a hysteretic control loop, which are alternatively enabled by a mode selection circuit of the converter in function of the load level. When the level of load drops below a preset limit related to a design load level, the converter passes from a PWM control mode to a hysteretic control mode, thus eliminating switching losses during periods of operation at relatively low load level.

The present invention relates to a DC-to-DC converter provided with means for optimizing power consumption as the load level varies.
In static converters operating in a switching mode, conversion efficiency may be improved by reducing the conduction losses of the switch, given by the product between the internal resistance of the switching device and the current, plus the switching losses that are a function of the frequency and speed of the transitions. Normally a converter is designed for a certain level of switched current under normal steady state conditions of operation, by establishing on a case by case basis, the size of the power devices and the switching frequency and duty-cycle when operating in a steady state condition. Generally, for relatively high switched currents, conduction losses will be more relevant, while for relatively low switched currents, i.e., during periods of operation when the current level and duty-cycle of the converter are reduced, switching losses become more and more relevant.
Several techniques are known for reducing the switching frequency of the power switch when the load level decreases in order to increase the overall conversion efficiency of the system. The known solutions may be classified in two distinct categories:
a) The control circuit of the converter is completely switched-off with the exception of the circuits that handle the turn-off phase. The control circuit is reactivated when the output voltage drops below a preset minimum threshold and switched off again when the output voltage becomes higher than a preset maximum threshold. PA1 b) The control system of the switch is maintained always active, but the switch is commanded to switch for brief bursts of high frequency pulses (burst mode). The duration of these bursts is established by the time necessary for the output voltage, once it has dropped below a minimum threshold, to rise back again above a maximum threshold.
Known approaches of the first category have the drawback that in case of integrated buck converters, where the power switch transistor may also be integrated, it is necessary to keep active the circuit that directly control the turn-on and the turn-off of the power transistor. This means that the limited saving that can be achieved may be negatively counterbalanced by an increased complexity of the circuit because special monitoring circuits of internal voltages must be introduced.
The approaches of the second category, though better adapted to situations where a solution of the first category is not useable, are still not very effective in terms of power saving. This is due to the fact that during periods of operation at a relatively low load level of the converter, switching losses persist during burst periods.
Therefore there is a need for a converter that would allow an optimization of its efficiency during periods of operation when the converter outputs a relatively low current, i.e., during periods of operation at a relatively low load level.
This objective is fully met by the converter of the present invention which is characterized by the ability to drive the power switch with a signal produced by a conventional PWM control network during operation at a relatively high load level and conversely with a signal produced by a hysteresis comparator, during operation at a relatively low load level.
The automatic selection of one or the other mode of operation of the converter is effected by logic circuitry capable of generating an enable/disable signal for the mutually exclusive control networks.
Monitoring of the load level of the converter is effected without employing dissipative sensing devices, but by comparing the duty-cycle of either one or the other of the two alternate driving signals with a reference value. In the case of the driving signal produced by the PWM control network, which is active during normal conditions of operation with a relatively high load of the converter, its current duty-cycle is compared with a signal representing a preset reference, or threshold, duty-cycle, which may be set between 30% and 50% of the designed steady state duty-cycle under normal operating condition of the converter.
In practice, the converter automatically passes from a "continuous" mode of operation, controlled by a conventional PWM control network, to a "discontinuous" mode of operation during which the turning-on and the turning-off of the power switch are controlled directly as a function of the output voltage in a hysteretic mode, without pulses synchronous with the clock signal of the circuit, or conversely, in dependence on the load level. This almost entirely eliminates the switching losses during operation of the converter at a low load level.

Buck converter with operating mode automatically determined by the load level


A system for powering and controlling an LED backlight, the system comprising: a control circuitry; a controllable power source responsive to the control circuitry; and a plurality of LED strings receiving power from the controllable power source, the control circuitry being operative to control the output voltage of the controllable power source responsive to a function of an electrical characteristic of at least one of the plurality of LED strings.

The present invention relates to the field of light emitting diode based lighting and more particularly to a system for powering and controlling a plurality of LED strings having a controllable power source.
Light emitting diodes (LEDs) and in particular high intensity and medium intensity LED strings are rapidly coming into wide use for lighting applications. LEDs with an overall high luminance are useful in a number of applications including, but not limited to, backlighting for liquid crystal display (LCD) based monitors and televisions, collectively hereinafter referred to as a monitor. In a large LCD monitor the LEDs are typically supplied in one or more strings of serially connected LEDs, thus sharing a common current.
In order supply a white backlight for the monitor, one of two basic techniques are commonly used. In a first technique one or more strings of "white" LEDs are utilized, the white LEDs typically comprising a blue LED with a phosphor which absorbs the blue light emitted by the LED and emits a white light. In a second technique one or more individual strings of colored LEDs are placed in proximity so that in combination their light is seen as a white light. Often, two strings of green LEDs are utilized to balance one string each of red and blue LEDs.
In either of the two techniques, the strings of LEDs are in one embodiment located at one end or one side of the monitor, the light being diffused to appear behind the LCD by a diffuser. In another embodiment the LEDs are located directly behind the LCD, the light being diffused so as to avoid hot spots by a diffuser. In the case of colored LEDs, a further mixer is required, which may be part of the diffuser, to ensure that the light of the colored LEDs are not viewed separately, but are rather mixed to give a white light. The white point of the light is an important factor to control, and much effort in design and manufacturing is centered on the need for a controlled white point.
Each of the colored LED strings is typically controlled by both amplitude modulation (AM) and pulse width modulation (PWM) to achieve an overall fixed perceived luminance and color balance. AM is typically used to set the white point produced by the disparate colored LED strings by setting the constant current flow through the LED strings to a value determined as part of a white point calibration process and PWM is typically used to variably control the overall luminance, or brightness, of the monitor without affecting the white point balance. Thus the current, when pulsed on, is held constant to maintain the white point produced by the combination of disparate colored LED strings, and the PWM duty cycle is controlled to dim or brighten the backlight by adjusting the average current over time. The PWM duty cycle of each color is further modified to maintain the white point, preferably responsive to a color sensor. It is to be noted that different colored LEDs age, or reduce their luminance as a function of current, at different rates and thus the PWM duty cycle of each color must be modified over time to maintain the white point. There is however a limit to the range of the PWM duty cycle and unfortunately when it has been reached, the maximum luminance begins to decline.
Each of the disparate colored LED strings has a voltage requirement associated with the forward voltage drop of the LEDs and the number of LEDs in the LED string. In the event that multiple LED strings of each color are used, the voltage drop across strings of the same color having the same number of LEDs per string may also vary due to manufacturing tolerances and temperature differences. Ideally, separate power sources are supplied for each LED string, the power sources being adapted to adjust their voltage output to be in line with voltage drop across the associated LED string. Such a large plurality of power sources effectively minimizes excess power dissipation however the requirement for a large plurality of power sources is costly.
An alternative solution, which reduces the number of power sources required, is to supply a single power source for each color. Thus a plurality of LED strings of a single color is driven by a single power source, and the number of power sources required is reduced to the number of different colors, i.e. typically to 3. Unfortunately, since as indicated above different LED strings of the same color may exhibit different voltage drops, such a solution further requires an active element in series with each LED string to compensate for the different voltage drops so as to ensure an essentially equal current through each of the LED strings of the same color.
In one embodiment, in which a single power source is used for a plurality of LED strings of a single color, power through each of the LED strings is controlled by a single controller chip, the controller chip exhibiting a dissipative active element operative to compensate for the different voltage drops. Unfortunately, the dissipative elements limit the range of operation of the controller chip, since the dissipative elements are a significant source of heat. Placing the dissipative elements external of the controller chip solves the problem of heat but unfortunately results in a higher cost and footprint and is thus less than optimal. In summary, a controller chip comprising within dissipative elements is limited by thermal constraints at least partially as a result of the action of the dissipative elements, yet still must provide both AM and PWM modulation.
As the LED strings age, their voltage drops change. Furthermore, the voltage drops of the LED strings are a function of temperature, and thus the voltage output of the power source must initially be set high enough so as to supply sufficient voltage over the operational life of the LED strings taking into account a range of operating temperatures. Utilizing a single fixed voltage power source for each color thus results in excess power dissipation, as the power source is set to supply a sufficient voltage for all the LED strings over their operational life, which must be dissipated for LED strings exhibiting a lower voltage drop.
What is needed, and not provided by the prior art, is a means for controlling the current flow through a plurality of LED strings, and simultaneously controlling the voltage source so as to minimize excess power dissipation. Preferably, the means for controlling the current flow is responsive to thermal constraints.

Microsemi Corp. - Analog Mixed Signal Group Ltd


Apparatuses, methods, and systems for controlling a hybrid node are disclosed. A network includes a controller, a plurality of first nodes, wherein sectors of the plurality of first nodes are configured to simultaneously transmit wireless signals or receive wireless signals, a plurality of second nodes, wherein sectors of the plurality of second nodes are configured to simultaneously transmit wireless signals when all of the one or more sectors of the plurality of first nodes are receiving wireless signals, or receive wireless signals when all of the one or more sectors of the plurality of first nodes are transmitting wireless signals, and a plurality of hybrid nodes, wherein the controller is operative to select at least a subset of sectors of the plurality of hybrid nodes to operate as one of the plurality of first nodes or to operate as one of the plurality of second nodes.

Multi-hop wireless networks include multiple nodes wherein wireless links are formed between the nodes. Multi-hop networks are susceptible to self-interference between the links of the nodes of the multi-hop networks. Multi-hop wireless networks that include a single transmission channel can be particularly susceptible.
It is desirable to have methods, apparatuses, and systems for controlling a hybrid node within multi-hop wireless networks.

Controller controlling a hybrid node to operate as one of a first group of nodes or as one of a second group of nodes of a wireless network


A terminal (10) includes a rectangular tubular box (20) that is open in a front-rear direction. The box (20) includes a bottom wall (30), first and second side walls (40,50) rising from sides (31) of the bottom wall (30), a ceiling wall (60) extending from an upper edge (41) of the first side wall (40) toward the second wall (50) and an outer wall (70) extending from an upper end(51) of the second side wall (50) toward the first side wall (40) along an upper surface of the ceiling wall (60). A holding piece (74F) projects on an extending end part (73F) of the outer wall (70). A holding recess (45F) is provided on an upper end part of the first side wall (40) and receives the holding piece (74F) so that a part of the holding piece (74F) is located inside the box (20).

Field of the Invention
This specification relates to a terminal.
Description of the Related Art
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2004-31034 discloses a female terminal with a rectangular tubular box-shaped body and a barrel that is connectable to an end of a wire by crimping. The body is composed of a bottom wall, two side walls rising from both sides of the bottom wall, a ceiling wall facing the bottom wall and an outer wall overlapped on an outer side of the ceiling wall. A front holding piece is provided on a side edge of the outer wall and projects toward the bottom wall. The side wall is provided with a front holding groove into which the front holding piece is fit. In this way, the front edge of the front holding piece is locked to the front edge of the holding groove from behind. This configuration is intended to prevent the outer wall from turning up and undergoing an opening deformation, for example, if a force acts to displace the outer wall forward when the wire is pulled rearward. However, a locking margin between the front edge of the front holding piece and the front edge of the front holding groove is only a plate thickness. Thus, a locked state cannot be maintained, and the outer wall can be turned up to undergo an opening deformation, if the front holding piece is deformed toward an outer side of the body by more than the plate thickness.

Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche Aktiengesellschaft


A method of actuating a selected electrically powered device such as a solenoid operated valve (SOV) among a plurality of electrically powered devices coupled between a first conductor and second conductor includes applying a high voltage differential between the first conductor and the second conductor, the high voltage being at least as high as the breakover voltage of a switching thyristor coupled to the selected electrically powered devices. The method also includes applying a low voltage differential between the first conductor and the second conductor after applying the high voltage, the low voltage being lower than the breakover voltage of any switching thyristor coupled to the plurality of electrically powered devices.

This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the presently described embodiments. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the described embodiments. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light and not as admissions of prior art.
Oil and gas wells formed in the earth and often traverse several formation layers or regions of the earth, which may include one or more hydrocarbon reservoirs. Production tubing is disposed in the well and production fluid from the hydrocarbon reservoirs flows to the surface through the production tubing. During some production operations, it may be beneficial to independently control the flow of fluid from different regions of the reservoirs into the production tubing. Packers are disposed in an annulus between the wellbore and the production tubing to isolate the reservoir into different zones.
Each corresponding portion of the production tubing includes a valve. When the valve is open, fluid can flow from the respective reservoir zone into the production tubing. When the valve is closed, fluid from the respective reservoir zone is prevented from flowing into the production tubing. Thus, the flow of fluid from each zone into the production tubing can be controlled by controlling the opening and closing of the corresponding valve.
In many systems, opening and closing of each valve requires electrical operation of an actuator such as a solenoid operated valve (SOV), a motor a heating coil, among others. A single system may have many actuators (e.g., SOVs), each of which needs to be controllable independently of the others. Currently, enabling such a control scheme requires increasing the number of conductor lines or the number of electronic components as the number of SOVs increases.

Electrical system and method for selective control of downhole devices


In a light source unit which has a discharge lamp which is located in a differential pressure passage system, an arrangement in which the discharge lamp and a concave reflector can be cooled with high efficiency is achieved by a discharge lamp being attached in the neck of a concave reflector which is located essentially horizontally, and at the same time, in the differential pressure passage system. Furthermore, at least one cooling air discharge opening is located in the neck area of the concave reflector; translucent glass covers the front opening of the concave reflector; and at least one cooling air injection opening is located in the area of the front opening of the concave reflector and has directional accuracy with reference to the inside of the concave reflector.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a light source device, and especially to a light source device which is used for a projection device, such as a liquid crystal projector or the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a light source device which is used for a liquid crystal projector or the like, the light source is a discharge lamp, such as a metal halide lamp or super high pressure mercury lamp. The light radiated from this discharge lamp is focused by a concave reflector, and furthermore, by means of an optical lens, such as an integrator lens or the like, is emitted onto a liquid crystal surface, such that the illuminance on the screen becomes uniform.
There are, for example, discharge lamps of the short arc type as the light source, which during operation, reach a high operating pressure of roughly 20 to 150 atm in the arc tube. In this case, there can also be cases in which, within the conventionally required lamp service life, deterioration of the arc tube or fracture of the discharge lamp occurs. When the discharge lamp fractures, fragments with a high temperature spray in the optical system, in the power source and the like within the projector. These glass splinters adversely affect and foul the above described components. This is disclosed, for example, in published Japanese Patent Application HEI 5-251054. In this case, the repair is complex and great fracture noise may arise.
Known measures against this include a process in which the front opening of the concave reflector is covered with translucent glass, preventing the splinters from spraying to the outside, even if the discharge lamp fractures during operation in the exceptional case. Furthermore, damping the fracture noise by covering with translucent glass and prevention of major fracture noise are also known.
Covering the front opening of the concave reflector with translucent glass is indeed effective for preventing lamp fracture and for noise attenuation. But since the inside of the concave reflector is located essentially in a hermetic state, the inside of the reflector reaches an extremely high temperature during operation. Specifically, the emission part and the hermetically sealed portions of the discharge lamp reach an overly high temperature; this leads to devitrification in the arc tube and formation of cracks in the metal foils in the hermetically sealed portions as a result of oxidation and expansion.
Furthermore, there are cases in which the heat resistance temperature of the film formed by vacuum evaporation is exceeded or in which, between the inside and the outside of the reflector, a large temperature difference occurs when the mirror surface temperature of the reflector becomes unduly high. In these cases, thermal deterioration of the vacuum evaporated film, such as cracks and the like, and large cracks in the reflector due to heat can occur.
Therefore, a primary object of the present invention is to devise an arrangement in which a discharge lamp within a concave reflector and the mirror surface of the reflector can be advantageously cooled, the front opening of the reflector being covered with translucent glass, and the reflector surrounding the discharge lamp.
In a light source device, in which a discharge lamp is attached in the neck of a concave reflector, and which is located in a differential pressure passage system, the above object is achieved in accordance with the invention by the following features.
at least one cooling air discharge opening is located in the neck area of the concave reflector;
translucent glass covers the front opening of the concave reflector; and
at least one cooling air injection opening is located in the area of the front opening of the concave reflector and has directional accuracy with reference to the inside of the concave reflector.
Furthermore, the object is advantageously achieved according to the invention in that the above described air injection opening has a discharge direction which is aligned relative to the hermetically sealed portion on the side of the front opening of the discharge lamp.
Moreover, the object is advantageously achieved in accordance with the invention in that the above described air injection opening has a discharge direction which is aligned such that some of the mirror surface of the concave reflector is directly impacted.
The object is also advantageously achieved in accordance with the invention in that several air injection openings are formed, that at least one of them has a discharge direction which is aligned relative to the hermetically sealed portion on the side of the front opening of the discharge lamp, and that at least one of the remaining air injection openings is aligned such that some of the mirror surface of the concave reflector is directly impacted.
The object is, furthermore, advantageously achieved in accordance with the invention in that some of the peripheral edge of the front opening of the concave reflector is provided with a gap which is provided with an air injection opening.
Additionally, the object is advantageously achieved in accordance with the invention in that the above described air discharge opening and/or the air injection opening is provided with a sound attenuation tube.
Still further, the object is advantageously achieved in accordance with the invention in that in the neck of the concave reflector a sleeve is attached in which a ventilation path is formed which consists of a series of narrow spaces.
The object is also advantageously achieved in accordance with the invention in that the front opening of the concave reflector has a maximum opening diameter of at most 80 mm.
The object is, furthermore, advantageously achieved in that the discharge lamp is operated with a nominal wattage of at least 130 W.

Light source device for projection apparatus