A cutting device, particularly a bolt cutting device, is formed of two cutting blades pivoted around two fixed pins held by two side plates and actuated by two lever arms respectively pivoting around two other fixed pins on the same side plates. Pivot elements connect front ends of said lever arms with rear ends of said cutting blades. In one embodiment there are four pivot elements, two connecting each blade with the respective lever arm. Cross members of the same thickness as the pivot elements connect the two pivot pins on which the cutting blades are pivoted thereby permitting the use of thinner side walls. In another embodiment the rear end of each cutting blade and the front end of each lever arm is slotted to receive the respective pivot element, connection being made by pivot pins through aligned holes in the pivot elements and slotted ends of the cutting blades and lever arms.

Pincers for crimping sleeves on the ends of electric cables are already known from U.S. Pat. No. 2,992,576. These pincers comprise two jaws pivoted around a fixed pin and having elements adapted for said crimping at one of their ends. The other end of each jaw is connected by a pivot pin to one of the ends of a link. The two links, one for each jaw, are connected together by a pivot pin which passes through their other end and is located on the median axis of the pincers. This last-mentioned pivot pin also serves as connecting element between these two links and the upper end of a single central push member whose longitudinal axis is identical with the median axis of the pincers. The other end of said push member is connected via a pin which slides in grooves provided in the inner faces of the side plates to the center of rotation of two lever arms connected by pivot pins and via two connecting rods to the side plates of the pincers.
However, these pincers serve only for crimping a metal part and in general a part of sheet metal of slight thickness onto an electric cable and therefore the force which must be supplied is relatively slight while in order to cut a bolt and/or a round rod the force which must be supplied is very substantial. Thus in order to actuate the pincers of said U.S. patent, the free ends of the lever arms are brought together and a push is exerted on the central push member. Under the action of this central push member, the two links move out laterally which results in a lateral push being exerted on the ends of the jaws causing them to rotate and therefore to bring together the two elements contemplated for the crimping.
There are also known, from U.S. Pat. No. 2,229,263, pincers which serve in most cases either as flat-nosed pliers or as nippers. These pincers comprise two lever arms provided at their front end with two holes through which pivot pins are engaged. One of these pivot pins serves, on the one hand, as connecting element between the lever arm and one of the jaws and, on the other hand, as axis of rotation for said jaw while the other pivot pin serves as connecting element between said same lever arm and the other jaw. In this way, each jaw has two holes arranged on opposite sides of an opening.
However, there are concerned here simple pincers which, serving as nippers, permit the cutting only of metallic parts of small diameter since the unit is by no means designed to cut bolts or iron bars. Furthermore, the principle of these pincers is entirely different from a bolt cutter, such as forms the object of the present invention since during operation there is displacement in one direction of the connecting pins and displacement in the other direction of the rotation pins of the jaws.
Similarly from French Pat. No. 74.06037 there is known a bolt cutter which comprises two blades pivoted on a common support, two arms also pivoted on this same support, and means for transmitting forces and movements between the blades and the arms. The blades and the arms are pivoted on pins which are fixed in position in the common support which is formed by at least one cheek while the front ends of the arm are arranged between the rear ends of the blades and the means for transmitting the forces between each arm and blade are formed of a link whose ends are pivoted, one to the rear end of the blade and the other to the front end of the corresponding arm. Each link has at its two ends a cylindrical enlargement adapted to be fitted in a semi-cylindrical recess provided in the rear portion of each blade and in the front portion of each arm respectively. Each arm has at its front end opposite its homolog, on the one hand a stop face arranged behind its pivot pin on the cheeks and intended to cooperate with the corresponding face of the facing arm in order to limit the angle of closure of the two arms to a value which is compatible with human morphology and on the other hand a stop face arranged in front of the said pivot pin and intended to limit the maximum angle of opening so that the maximum value of the distance between two handles fastened to the rear ends of the arms is not greater than human possibilities.
In this cutting device, the force is a push force. When it is desired to move the two articulated blades apart, the semi-cylindrical recess of the front portion of each arm exerts a pull on the cylindrical enlargement of the link. The latter, by its second enlargement, exerts a pull on the semi-cylindrical recess of the rear portion of each blade. However, the forces exerted on the semi-cylindrical recesses of the arm and/or of the blade are concentrated on the portions of these recesses which are located beyond the diameter of the said recesses. Therefore, there is obtained premature wear or even a breaking of these parts, resulting in a disconnection between the links and the arms and/or articulated blades. Moreover, these recesses have an open region and therefore the risk of the penetration of foreign bodies.

Cutting device in particular pin cutting


The present invention provides a sheet supply apparatus with a sheet supporting unit for supporting sheets, a sheet absorb device for absorbing a sheet supported by the sheet supporting unit to separate the sheet from the other sheets, a conveyer for conveying the sheet absorbed by the sheet absorb means, and a sheet feature detecting device for detecting rigidity of the sheet absorbed by the sheet absorb device.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sheet supply apparatus used with an image forming apparatus such as an electrophotographic copying machine, and more particularly, it relates to a sheet supply apparatus for separating and supplying sheets one by one from a sheet stack rested on a sheet tray by utilizing a suction force of air.
2. Related Background Art
In the past, sheet supply apparatuses used with image forming apparatuses such as electrophotographic copying machine are generally of roller type wherein a sheet is conveyed from a sheet stack rested on a sheet tray downwardly by means of a sheet supply roller. In such a conventional sheet supply apparatus of roller type, a surface of a roller is constituted by an elastic body such as rubber and supplying ability of the roller depends upon coefficient of friction of the roller surface. Accordingly, the supplying ability of the roller was unstable since the coefficient of friction of the roller surface was changed because of the change in configuration of the roller due to wear, deterioration of material of which the roller is made and/or adhesion of paper powder to the roller surface, and the conventional roller could not cope with various kinds of sheets having different surface features.
In order to eliminate the above drawbacks, there has been proposed an air sheet supply apparatus wherein a sheet is absorbed and conveyed by utilizing a suction force of air.
FIG. 42 shows a typical conventional air sheet supply apparatus. In FIG. 42, a sheet convey portion 1100 is arranged above a sheet tray 1101 on which sheets are stacked. The sheet convey portion 1100 includes a sheet absorb portion 1102, a convey belt 1103 having a plurality of absorb holes 1103a, and a blower 1104 for sucking air through the absorb holes 1103a and the sheet absorb portion 1102. In the proximity of a tip end of the sheet stack, there are arranged a nozzle 1105 for injecting air to float several sheets from the sheet stack, and a nozzle 1106 for blowing air against the sheet to separate an uppermost sheet from the other sheets. The nozzles 1105, 1106 are connected to a blower 1107 so that the air is supplied to these nozzles.
Such an air sheet supply apparatus is operated as follows. First of all, the air is injected from the nozzle 1105 under the action of the blower 1107 to float several sheets from the sheet stack rested on the sheet tray. Then, the uppermost sheet is absorbed to the convey belt 1103 under the action of the blower 1104. Thereafter, the convey belt is driven to convey the sheet downstreamly. In this case, the air from the nozzle 1106 is blown against the tip end of the sheet stack under the action of the blower 1107, thereby returning the double-fed sheets to separate the uppermost sheet from the other sheets. In this way, only the single sheet is conveyed to a pair of convey rollers 1108.
However, in the above-mentioned conventional sheet supply apparatus, in accordance with a weight of the sheet, the sheet could not be surely separated from the other sheets. For example, in case of light sheets, when the uppermost sheet was absorbed, a second sheet was also absorbed, thereby causing the double-feed of sheets. On the other hand, in case of heavy sheets, the uppermost sheet was not adequately absorbed to the convey belt 1103, so that the sheet was separated from the convey belt on the way, thereby causing the poor sheet supply.


A convertible hammock-shade tent configurable as a shade tent and a hammock comprising (I) A plurality of tiers comprising a first tier and a second tier wherein (a) the second tier has a plurality of perimeter sleeves and (b) each tier has positioned thereon a plurality of apertures; (II) A plurality of vertically adjustable telescoping posts comprising a first, second, third, and fourth post wherein each (a) is attachable to the first and second tiers by an attachment device and (b) comprises a plurality of post segments, each with an upper and a lower end, comprised of at least a first post segment with a lower end configured for securing the post to the ground and attaching the post to the first tier and a second post segment positioned above the first post segment and configured for attaching the post to the second tier; (III) Wherein the tiers and posts can be configured for use as a shade tent wherein the first tier comprises the shade tent floor and the second tier comprises the shade tent canopy positioned above the first tier and wherein (a) a bendable member is inserted into at least one second tier perimeter sleeve, and (b) a second tier support system is positioned below and proximal the second tier and comprises a first and a second cross brace, with each cross brace having a first and a second end, and a plurality of cross brace attachment members, wherein each cross brace end is attached to a cross brace attachment member attached to a second post segment of a post; and (IV) Wherein one tier can be configured for use as a hammock, wherein (a) the tier comprises a hammock panel having a panel first end and a panel second end wherein the panel first end is attached to a first erecting structure and the panel second end is attached to a second erecting structure, and (b) one or more panel perimeter apertures and one or more panel perimeter sleeves is proximal each panel end.

Shade tents, are well known in the art. These shade tents, which are commonly used in the outdoors to provide shade from the sun and are commonplace on beaches, are typically comprised of a shade covering and a plurality of stakes which are pushed into the ground surface to secure the shade covering to the ground. Shade tents typically perform better in windy conditions since beach and other large umbrellas designed for use in the sun as a sun shelter are prone to being uplifted and tipping over and/or flying away in high-wind conditions, often with devastating consequences such as causing injury to persons or property.
Although shade tents have superior wind performance compared to sun umbrellas, the covering provided by shade tents generally cannot be easily angularly adjusted or angled to accommodate changes in the angle at which rays from the sun are hitting the shade. The angle at which the rays from the sun hit the Earth determines the intensity of the sunlight. Without an ability to be angled to account for the variation of angle of incidence during the day, there are times during the day when the shading surface of the shade tent typically provides good shade and coverage from the sun but other times, such as the late afternoon to early evening, when the shading surface provides little, if any, shade from the sun due to the angle of incidence during such times.
As indicated earlier, a common place where sun tents are used is at the beach. Most beachgoers have to carry, often from vehicles or homes located not at or near the beach, many different articles such as beach tents, coolers, food, chairs, large bulky beach towels, and beach blankets or other items that can be placed on top of the beach sand to provide for relatively sand-free ground cover, as well as accompany small children who often have to be walked or carried by an adult. As such, most beachgoers only want to bring with them items that they can easily be carried, often sacrificing articles which many beachgoers would like to take to the beach but practically cannot.
Most beachgoers, faced with the need to carry many bulky items, prefer toting items to the beach that come in, convert to, or are placeable in a storage device designed to be portable and carried by a person, such as a carry tote. Beach-related products that can be collapsed, folded, or compressed so as to be accommodated in a portable storage device are generally greatly preferred by beachgoers. However, many beach-related items, such as hammocks and complementary structures, shade tents or umbrellas, and beach towels, are inherently bulky and cannot be easily wheeled, in a wagon or other wheeled structure, onto a beach. In addition, most beach-related items, like items in general, have one primary or singular configured use. For example, most shade tents only can be configured as or include structures to provide a shade tent configuration and not also serve as, inter alia, or provide beach ground cover. Likewise, most beach ground cover items, such as beach blankets, only can be configured as or include structures to provide a ground cover configuration and not also serve as a shade tent or provide shading of any kind.
Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a system and method that overcomes the above.


Mediums, apparatus, computer program code, and means may be provided to launch electronic messages via a distributed communication network by an automated back-end application computer server. According to some embodiments, a database import table associated with a set of electronic destination communication addresses may be created. The set of electronic destination communication addresses may be automatically and dynamically split into multivariate segments, including at least: a current message content subset, a first modified message content subset, and a second modified message content subset. Current message content, first modified message content, and second modified message content may then be automatically launched to electronic destination communication addresses as appropriate in accordance with the multivariate segments. A results log may be created based on computer implemented responses to the messages, and indications associated with the results log may be transmitted to generate an interactive user interface display.

Electronic files may be launched as messages to destination communication addresses via a distributed communication network. Moreover, in some cases the messages may be designed to elicit responses from remote communication devices. Note, however, that different types of electronic messages may generate different responses or response rates. For example, the layout, content, etc. of an electronic message may result in higher (or lower) response rates. In some cases, improving the response rate may result in substantial improvements to the operation of a network (e.g., by reducing an overall number of electronic messages that need to be created and transmitted via the network).
It would be desirable to provide systems and methods to automatically improve messages launched via a distributed communication network in a way that provides faster, more accurate results and that allows for flexibility and effectiveness when responding to those results.

Processing system for multivariate segmentation of electronic message content


A vehicle includes a Rankine cycle containing a working fluid for waste heat recovery and has an evaporator. The evaporator has a heat exchanger tube positioned for generally horizontal flow of the working fluid therethrough. An inlet header is connected to a lower surface of an end region of the tube. An outlet header with a plurality of risers is positioned for generally vertical flow of the working fluid. The riser headers are connected to and spaced apart along an upper surface of the tube.

Vehicles, including hybrid vehicles, have internal combustion engines that produce exhaust gases at a high temperature. The vehicle also may have various systems with waste heat that require cooling, e.g. the engine coolant system with coolant fluid. A thermodynamic cycle such as a Rankine cycle may be used to recover waste heat within the vehicle during operation and provide power to the vehicle using a heat exchanger. Due to the mixed phase of the working fluid within the heat exchanger, prior, conventional heat exchangers may result in uneven or non-uniform heating, thermal fatigue and wear, and vapor lock in the cycle.

Heat exchanger for a rankine cycle in a vehicle


A method of fabricating trench is disclosed. A first inter-metal dielectrics (IMD) layer, a mask layer and a second IMD layer are formed sequentially on a semiconductor substrate. Afterwards, a first phototresist layer is formed on the second IMD layer. Thereafter, a photolithography and etching process are performed to transfer a photo mask pattern to form a first opening inside the IMD layer wherein the mask layer serves as an etching stop layer. Subsequently, a second phototresist layer is formed on the second IMD layer and inside the first opening sidewall. A portion of the second phototresist layer on the first IMD layer is removed, and simultaneously the mask layer and the first IMD layer is etched to form a second opening until the semiconductor substrate is exposed. Eventually, the first phototresist layer and the second phototresist layer are stripped simultaneously so as to form a trench having the first opening and the second opening.

The present invention generally relates to a method for manufacturing semiconductor devices, and more particularly, to a method for forming trench in semiconductor devices.
With the fast developments of semiconductor manufacturing process techniques, the dimensions of integrated circuits (ICs) are rapidly scaled down into sub-micron level. Oxide isolation of IC is increasingly important, particularly isolation of active areas of IC devices during the period of semiconductor processes. In general, a local oxidation (LOCOS) process is employed to form these oxide isolation regions, but the LOCOS process may induce a bird""s beak structure such that the active areas of devices are unacceptably encroached.
Therefore, a trench process is widely used by semiconductor manufacturers to form isolation structure between active areas. Unfortunately, the conventional process of manufacture for trench is too complicated to control the stability of the process. Furthermore, the deviation of alignment mark is easily induced when the photo mask is being aligned in the process period. The conventional manufacturing processes of trench are shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 6.
Referring to FIG. 1, a first silicon oxide (SiO2) layer 12, a silicon nitride (Si3N4) 14 and a second silicon oxide layer 16 are sequentially deposited on a semiconductor substrate 10.
Referring to FIG. 2, a first photoresist layer 20 is spun on the second silicon oxide layer 16, and then a photolithography process and dry etching is employed to form a recess 22 on the second silicon oxide layer 16 wherein the silicon nitride layer 14 is used as an etching stop layer.
Referring to FIG. 3, the first photoresist layer 20 is removed to form a first opening 30.
Referring to FIG. 4, the second photoresist layer 40 is coated on the second silicon oxide layer 16 and the first opening 30.
Referring to FIG. 5, a second opening 50 is formed on the silicon nitride layer 14 and the first silicon oxide layer 12 by using a photolithography and dry etching process until the semiconductor substrate 10 is exposed.
Finally, referring to FIG. 6, the trench 60, composing of the first 30 and the second opening 50, is formed as the second photoresist layer 40 is removed.
According to the mentioned-above, the conventional process of trench 60 makes use of two coated-photoresist steps to form the first and the second patterns with respect to the first 30 and the second 50 opening respectively. Afterwards, two photolithography and dry etching steps are implemented to form the trench 60 including the first 30 and the second opening 50. As a result, the conventional process of the trench 60 is carried out with additional phototresist removal, using two steps of stripping photoresist layer (20, 40), which increased the difficulty of the process and the manufacturing process cost.
Furthermore, when using photo mask alignment, an alignment mark deviation between the first opening 30 and the second opening 50 is usually induced, causing a asymmetric trench 60 structure, such that the filling of trench 60 is decreased seriously, which may substantially downgrade the isolation effect of ICs.
In view of the problems encountered with the foregoing conventional trench isolation.
As a result, the primary object of the present invention is to provide a new method of forming trench to decrease manufacturing steps and cost.
Another object of the present invention is forming a symmetric trench structure to increase the filling ability of the trench and easily control the consequent processes.
According to the above objects, the present invention discloses a method of fabricating trench. A first inter-metal dielectrics (IMD) layer, a mask layer and a second IMD layer are formed sequentially on a semiconductor substrate. Afterwards, a first phototresist layer is formed on the second IMD layer. A photolithography and etching process are performed to transfer a photo mask pattern to form a first opening inside the IMD layer wherein the mask layer serves as an etching stop layer. Thereafter, a second phototresist layer is formed on the second IMD layer and inside the first opening sidewall. A portion of the second phototresist layer on the first IMD layer is removed, and simultaneously the mask layer and the first IMD layer is etched to form a second opening until the semiconductor substrate is exposed. Finally, the first phototresist layer and the second phototresist layer are stripped simultaneously so as to form a trench having the first opening and the second opening.
In summary, the present invention offers a method of fabricating the trench having a lot of benefits such as a decreasing manufacturing steps, a conformal surface of the phototresist layer and a symmetric trench structure.

Method for forming trench including a first and a second layer of photoresist


Systems and methods for managing virtual collaboration systems are disclosed herein. A virtual collaboration system includes a distributor communicatively coupled to a first network and a second network having different network characteristics from the first network, the distributor configured to receive first media streams from at least one first network node, and to transmit the first media streams to at least one second network node; and a management subsystem adapted to dynamically configure a topology of a virtual collaborative event, wherein configuration of the topology includes a determination of media stream connections among the distributor and the at least one first network node based, at least in part, on at least one policy, and wherein the media stream connections establish and maintain virtual relationships among the at least one first network node and the at least one second network node.

Videoconferencing and other forms of virtual collaboration allow the real-time exchange of video, audio, and/or other data among systems in remote locations. That real-time exchange of data often occurs over a computer network in the form of streaming video and/or audio data. Many systems can establish media streams at the beginning of an event, but cannot transition smoothly to new configurations as various systems enter and/or leave an event.
Additionally, numerous methods have been devised to connect systems with identical or substantially compatible capabilities. However, managing events involving systems with differing capabilities and/or systems connected to different networks is substantially more difficult. For example, few existing methods for event configuration adequately negotiate media connections among heterogeneous systems and/or heterogeneous networks. Those systems that require user input to establish connections detract from the collaborative experience. Other systems may establish connections automatically, but base media support on sometimes erroneous assumptions of the capabilities of participating systems.
One established protocol, Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), allows systems to negotiate media connections among multiple devices. However, SIP does not consider the relationships among media streams in order to maintain virtual relationships among participants. Moreover, SIP does not communicate the availability of advanced capabilities that would support optimal media connections. Current virtual collaboration systems do not adequately support systems with varying levels of functionality and/or allow dynamic reconfiguration of participating systems without interruption of an event in progress. They also lack support for the establishment of consistent virtual relationships among participating systems, such as participating systems that have different capabilities and/or that are connected to different networks.
Throughout the drawings, identical reference numbers may designate similar, but not necessarily identical, elements.

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


Method and apparatus for cleaning a rubber coated cylinder (10) mounted in an offset printing machine for transferring the print from a printing plate cylinder (11) to a paper web (12) running in contact with the rubber coated cylinder, while the offset printing machine is running. The surface of the rubber coated cylinder is brushed by means of a brush (16) which extends in parallel with the cylinder and has substantially the length thereof and which is engaged with the rubber coating and imparted an axially reciprocating movement for loosening the contaminants and distribution thereof over the surface of the cylinder. Washing liquid is sprayed onto the surface of the rubber coated cylinder from a ramp (14) mounted in parallel with the cylinder and having a number of spray nozzles distributed along the ramp for dissolving the contaminants. Washing liquid and contaminants are removed from the surface of the cylinder by means of the paper web running through the offset printing machine.

The invention relates to method and apparatus for cleaning a rubber coated cylinder mounted in an offset printing machine for transferring the print from a printing plate cylinder to a paper web running in contact with the rubber coated cylinder while the offset printing machine is running.
During printing the rubber coated cylinder will be contaminated by ink residues, paper dust, and paper fibers being deposited on and adhering to said cylinder, and as a consequence thereof it is necessary to clean the surface of the cylinder at regular intervals in order to maintain the quality of the print. The cleaning is effected by using a washing liquid (detergent, solvent, water, or a mixture thereof) and can be effected manually when the offset printing machine is not running, which, of course, means production lose. This can be avoided by manual cleaning while the offset printing machine is running, which also is practised but is dangerous due to the high rotational speed of the cylinder. Therefore, automatic systems have been proposed which at intervals clean the rubber coated cylinder while the offset printing machine is running. One method is to spray the cylinder with washing liquid in order to dissolve and wash off the contaminants, which means that large amounts of inflammable washing liquid that is not at all pro-environmental has to be handled in order to completely clean the cylinder, which is not satisfactory. Such a prior art cleaning system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,303,652 and comprises a ramp mounted in parallel with the cylinder and having a number of spray nozzles distributed along the ramp for sprinkling the surface of the rubber coated cylinder with cleaning liquid under the rotation of the cylinder.
According to another prior art method, DE-A1 43 30 257, a rotating brush contacting the rubber coated cylinder is used, the rotational axis of said brush being parallel with the rotational axis of the cylinder. The brush is moistened with washing liquid. In order to avoid too hard wear of the rubber coating an effective cleaning of the cylinder at the same time being achieved, the cylinder then is wiped off by means of a cloth impregnated with washing liquid. The system is complicated with respect to construction as well as function.
The object of the invention is to provide an effective cleaning of the rubber coated cylinder while the offset printing machine is running, a reduced amount of washing liquid due to the fact that the contaminants are not washed off the cylinder but are brushed loose under gentle mechanical treatment of the rubber coating in order to loosen also firmly adhering contaminants, the washing liquid and the contaminants then being removed by means of the running paper web.
According to the invention said object is achieved by the method according to claim 1. The invention also relates to an apparatus for working the method according to claim 2.
While the off set printing machine is running and the rubber coated cylinder thus is rotating with the paper web running over the cylinder the contaminants on the cylinder are loosened and distributed by means of the reciprocating brush and are dissolved by means of the sprinkled washing liquid the contaminants together with the washing liquid being carried along by the rotating cylinder and removed in known manner from the offset printing machine by means of the paper web passing through the machine and bringing along washing liquid and contaminants from the cylinder at contact therewith.
The cleaning will be particularly effective if the brush comprises two sections located one behind the other in respect of the rotational direction of the cylinder, the first section loosening contaminants and the other section scraping loose such material as has not been removed in the first step, and distributing the contaminants over the surface of the cylinder.

Method and apparatus for cleaning a rubber coated cylinder in an offset press


Various fireplace grates having a minimum of widely spaced legs and posts. One or more mediate posts are positioned inside the grate and on the V-shaped sloping post members which can be resting on the fireplace floor or be elevated with legs. The mediate posts can be straight, inclined or bent. Removable mediate posts are clamped on any sloping post member or parallel reinforcing side members. Gas burners and a reflector can be integrated with the grate. Ash packing utensils are provided.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an improved combination fireplace grate with accessories. The fireplace grate includes one or more novel inner or mediate posts arranged in various positions and inclinations, and can be fixed or movable by having clamping portions. The inner posts keep the firewood properly spaced with larger spacing in the rear for improved ignition and burning of different sized logs throughout the duration of the fire, and can be further modified with thinner base portions to accommodate kindling wood at the bottom. Therefore, three discrete regions are provided in this novel fireplace grate to enable efficient burning of the firewood. The outer firewood support rod members and the inner posts have cross-sections that maintain minimum area contact with the firewood logs to further enhance combustion. The metal fireplace grate can be fabricated by either welding or casting. The grate can have gas connections integrated within fixed inner posts to form a gas burning fireplace grate. A flat or slightly concave heat reflector plate can be advantageously attached on the grate in the rear with clearance for the fireplace ash packing utensils provided in combination with this innovative fireplace grate.
In the above arrangements, the base of the grate is fabricated intentionally low to maximize the effectiveness of heat-transmission. In the lower portion of the grate, unobstructed tunnel-like spaces are provided from front to rear to accommodate the use of three ash handling tools for the packing of ashes at the rear of the fireplace; later, the ashes can be easily removed with a suitable tool, such as a conventional, small fireplace shovel or the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The prior art will be discussed in the order of their perceived relevance to the invention.
In U.S. Pat. No. Re. 28,586 issued on Oct. 28, 1975, to Emil F. Dahlquist, two fireplace grates are described which emphasize self-feeding of the piled logs wherein (1) the back portion is at a right angle to the inclined front portion or (2) the back and front portions are disposed at an obtuse angle. The grate is positioned high from the floor to include food carrying ledge below the logs. The grate is formed from continuous bar stock and joined by welding to include horizontal cross-members for the top edges of the front and back portions. There is no suggestion for providing a minimum of space below the grate.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,033,455 issued on Jul. 23, 1991, to Scott F. Eiklor et al., a gas-fired artificial log burning grate having two joined gas pipes is described. The smaller diameter pipe has a flat metallic strip inserted to effect correct gas distribution to the affected orifices. The orifice sizes can be #30 to #34. The fuel can be either natural gas or propane. Other accoutrements are a V-shaped trough, scented sticks and an igniter. The grate configuration consists of horizontally positioned squared and tubular rods bent upward in front.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,086,905 issued on May 2, 1978, to Robert E. Dawson, a combination fire grate and cooking apparatus utilizing coal, charcoal or wood is described. The modular fireplace grate members can be arranged at various distances from each other. The grate members are L-shaped with the shorter leg in the rear and an integrated short support leg underneath the long leg.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,014,683 issued on May 14, 1991, to Donald W. Wilkening, a fireplace combustion system is described. A hollow grate in the shape of a truncated V having four or more riser tubes is permanently mounted over a hole supplying combustion air.
In U.S. Pat. No. 177,464 issued on May 16, 1876, to Thomas Brown, a fireplace grate consisting of vertical parallel L-shaped bars with the ends joined by horizontal crossbars. The shorter leg portion is secured against the fireplace back wall while the longer leg portion has sidebars with hooks to secure against the sidewalls of the fireplace. V-shaped iron segments secure adjacent vertical bars. An ash collector is placed below the fireplace grate.
Finally, in French Patent publication No. 2,380,498 published on Sep. 8, 1978, for Michael Bott, a fireplace grate consisting of three flattened parallel grate rods shaped with a horizontal mediate portion and inclined side portions are positioned on a base plate having inclined walls. The horizontal mediate portion is supported with a crossbar. The logs are supported by the inverted, truncated V-shaped grate slats and the inclined walls of the base plate.
There is neither a suggestion nor teaching of including mediate posts to divide the grate to accept separate piles of logs in any of the aforementioned prior art. The disclosures of the described prior art are incorporated by reference herein.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.


A semiconductor memory cell comprising first and second bipolar cell transistors cross-coupled by the inverse transistor action of third and fourth bipolar transistors. Each cross-coupling transistor is formed by a single emitter diffusion in an existing common base region of one cell transistor, above a common buried collector region of the same cell transistor. The use of cross-coupling transistors eliminates the need for a direct ohmic connection to the buried layer collector, thereby simplifying layout and reducing memory cell size.

A digital memory is arranged as an array of individual memory cells, each cell representing a single bit. This invention is an improvement in the structure of a particular type of digital memory cell: the bipolar static flip flop.
The basic bipolar memory cell is well known. It consists of a pair of bipolar transistors cross-coupled to form a flip flop. The base of one is directly connected to the collector of the other and the collector of the other is directly connected to the base of the first. The flip flop, or cell, is completed by providing a suitable loan means connected to each collector, and power supply voltages.
When the basic bipolar memory cell is formed with a buried layer collector, a special problem arises in contacting the buried layer. Normally, the base region essentially covers the buried collector. In order to provide the direct, or ohmic, connection to the buried layer, it is necessary to extend the buried layer collector so that a portion of it protrudes outwardly in the horizontal plane. The extended portion of the buried layer collector has no base layer above it. Therefore, the buried collector may be extended to the planar surface of the integrated circuit. Once the buried layer is accessible on the surface, a direct connection is used to cross-couple the memory cell. Cross coupling the cell as described above often requires special processing steps and increases the size of the basic cell.


A method and an equipment for reducing sulphur dioxide emissions of a marine engine, wherein flue gases are scrubbed with a scrubbing solution in a scrubber. Fresh water with added sulphur removal reagent is used as the scrubbing solution.

Currently, diesel engines are almost solely used as motors of ships in marine traffic. The fuel used in them is oil, which contains sulphur. As a result of combustion, sulphur oxides that are harmful to the environment are created. The current environmental protection regulations allow the usage of fuel containing a maximum of 4% sulphur in marine engines. The requirements for reducing the sulphur dioxide emissions of flue gases of ships will tighten in the near future.
One way to reduce the sulphur dioxide content of flue gases created in diesel engines is to use low-sulphur fuels. Their price when compared to the currently used high-sulphur fuels is, however, very high. In addition, raising the degree of processing of fuel increases sulphur dioxide emissions.
Another alternative is to clean the flue gases before emitting them. For this purpose, it has been proposed to install flue gas scrubbers in ships. One such scrubber is disclosed, for example, in publication WO 99/44722. The publication discloses a wet scrubber, where the flue gas from an engine is conveyed to a scrubber, where it is scrubbed with sea water. A problem of this solutions is that the salty sea water causes corrosion in the scrubber and flue gas ducts. The problems of corrosion can be solved by using corrosion-resistant materials, but their price is so high that the material expenses of the equipment and flue gas ducts will rise unreasonably high. In addition, the amount of scrubbing solution to be removed is large, because in order to reach a sufficient sulphur removal result, a large amount of scrubbing solution has to be used in the scrubbing.
It is also known to reduce the sulphur dioxide content of flue gases in power plants situated on land by scrubbing them with a NaOH-containing scrubbing solution. The scrubbing solution is formed by mixing NaOH with fresh water, i.e. water from a lake or a river, or with tap water purified of them, which water does not include salts, as sea water does.

Method and an equipment for reducing the sulphur dioxide emissions of a marine engine


An electric shaver includes net-shaped outer blades; and inner blades sliding reciprocally over an inner side of the outer blades as detachably connected with driving units driven by a motor. Each of the inner blades includes a blade plate having an inversed-like-U shape seen from a longitudinal direction in parallel with a reciprocating sliding direction; and a blade holder having attaching portions to be attached to the blade plate in longitudinally defined end regions, wherein connection portions to be detachably connected with the driving units are provided at the blade holder in a longitudinally defined center region, and, when dissembling the blade holder from the driving units, anti-detach portions are provided to thereby prevent separation of the blade holder in the longitudinally defined center region from the blade plate in the longitudinally defined center region due to a tensile load between the connection portions and the driving units.

In general, a reciprocating type electric shaver includes a main body; an outer blade cassette connected with an upper portion of the main body; a net-shaped outer blade disposed at an upper portion of the outer blade cassette; and an inner blade member sliding reciprocally over an inner side of the outer blade, the inner blade being driven while being connected with the main body. Hair (beard) introduced through apertures of the outer blade is cut by reciprocal motion of blades of the inner blade member over the apertures of the outer blade (see, e.g., Japanese Patent Laid-open Application No. 2004-16520).
A conventional inner blade member 4′ is formed with a blade plate 10 and a blade holder 11. Pair of holding members 21, which are provided at the blade holder 11 in longitudinally defined end regions D2, are fixed as a unit with the blade plate 10 in longitudinally defined end regions D2. Provided at the blade holder 11 in a longitudinally defined center region D1 are connection portions 5 to which driving units 7 protruded from the main body 1 are detachably attached.
Typically, conventional connection portions 5 are configured to be tightly inserted to the driving units 7, providing no easy separation therefrom. Accordingly, when dissembling the inner blade member 4′ for cleaning, finger holders 22 provided at the blade holder 11 in the longitudinally defined end regions D2 are held by fingers and need to be pulled strongly toward a direction A away and from the driving units 7. Since the blade holder 11 in the longitudinally defined center region D1 is loose from the blade plate 11 and is provided with the connection portions 5 that are not easily separable from the driving units 7, a tensile load B between the connection portions 5 and the driving units 7 (engaging force between the connection portions 5 and the driving units 7) causes the blade holder 11 in the longitudinally defined center region D1 to deform in a direction away from the blade plate 10 and also puts stress on the connection portions 5. When repetitively assembling and dissembling the connection portions 5, the connection of the connection portions 5 and the driving units 7 becomes loose and unstable, thereby failing to prevent the connection portions 5 from being easily detached off from the driving units 7. In particular, when a load on a motor of the driving units 7 is reduced by decreasing the weight of the inner blade member 4 or when a height of the blade plate 10 is scaled down to reduce the size of blades, the blade holder 11, which may be made of plastic, is suffered from being not rigid enough to overcome repetitive assembling/dissembling. Accordingly, the blade holder 11 in the longitudinally defined center region D1 becomes vertically too bendable when assembling/dissembling the connection portions 5 to/from the driving units 7. As a result, attachability and detachability become unreliable, thereby making it difficult to assemble/dissemble the connection portions 5 to/from the driving units 7.


The present application discloses a display panel having a driver integrated circuit (IC) bonding area for bonding a plurality of signal lines with a driver IC. The display panel includes a signal line layer comprising the plurality of signal lines, first ends of which extending through the driver IC bonding area; a shorting bar layer comprising one or more shorting bar, a first end of each of the plurality of signal lines being electrically connected to only one of the one or more shorting bar; and a first repair line layer in the peripheral area comprising a first repair line crossing over and being insulated from the one or more shorting bar.

Display panels includes a number of various types of signal lines, e.g., data lines, gate lines, and touch control lines. These signal lines provide voltage signals essential to the image display function of the display panels. For example, the data lines provide data signals to the subpixels in the display panels, and the gate lines provides gate scanning signals to each row of subpixels in the display panels. When a signal line is damaged, the voltage signal cannot be transmitted to the damaged signal line. As a result, the subpixels along the damaged signal line cannot receive voltage signal for image display, resulting in dark line defect.

Display panel, display apparatus, and method of repairing a signal line thereof

HEFEI XINSHENG OPTOELECTRONICS TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.


A novel sintered body suitable for use as a refractory or abrasive material s proposed with high mechanical strengths and hardness even at elevated temperatures. The sintered body of the invention is prepared by subjecting a powder mixture composed of titanium diboride as the base component, a nickel phosphide or nickel-phosphorus alloy and a third component selected from metals of chromium, molybdenum, niobium, tantalum, hafnium, rhenium and aluminum as well as diborides thereof, and the inventive sintered bodies are very advantageous in their industrial production owing to the relatively low sintering temperature of 2000.degree. C. or lower and in their high performance at elevated temperatures to find wide applications in the fields of high-temperature engineering and as a material for the high-speed cutting tools.

The present invention relates to a novel sintered body suitable for use as a refractory or abrasive material with its high mechanical strengths at elevated temperatures.
In the prior art, various kinds of sintered bodies are employed for manufacturing certain structural materials suitable for use for rocket housings, turbine blades, high-speed cutting tools and the like, in which high mechanical strengths, e.g. flexural strength and hardness, are essential even at extremely high temperatures. As is well known, a class of such sintered bodies is composed of titanium diboride (TiB.sub.2) as the basic component utilizing its high melting point, hardness and mechanical strengths at elevated temperatures. These TiB.sub.2 -based sintered bodies are usually prepared by sintering a binary powder mixture composed of TiB.sub.2 as the main component and a second component including a powder of a metal such as chromium, molybdenum, rhenium and the like, a metal diboride such as chromium diboride (CrB.sub.2), Zirconium diboride (ZrB.sub.2) and the like, and a nickel phosphide or a nickel-phosphorus alloy (hereinafter denoted as Ni.P).
The above described binary sintered bodies, however, have their respective drawbacks in their performance as well as in their preparation. For example, an extremely high sintering temperature of 2000.degree. C. or higher is required for the sintering of the TiB.sub.2 -metal, e.g. TiB.sub.2 -chromium, TiB.sub.2 -molybdenum and TiB.sub.2 -rhenium, binary sintered bodies giving rise to a very hard difficulty in the production of industrial scale. In addition, these TiB.sub.2 -metal binary sintered bodies suffer from their relatively low flexural strengths in the range of, for example, 40-50 kg/mm.sup.2. The TiB.sub.2 -metal diboride, e.g. TiB.sub.2 -chromium diboride and TiB.sub.2 -zirconium diboride, binary sintered bodies are also subject to the drawbacks of the high sintering temperature and the relatively low flexural strength along with the low relative density, i.e. the ratio of the apparent density to the true density of the sintered body.
The sintering temperature of the TiB.sub.2 -Ni.P binary sintered body, on the other hand, may be as low as ranging from 1000.degree. to 1600.degree. C. and a satisfactorily high flexural strength of around 100 kg/mm.sup.2 is readily obtained with these binary sintered bodies (see, for example, Japanese Patent Disclosure No. SHO 52-106306). The binary sintered bodies of this class have, however, rather poor heat resistance and cannot be used at a temperature exceeding the melting point of the Ni.P, viz. 890.degree. C.
Thus, there have hitherto been known no satisfactory refractory or abrasive material which is a high-density, high-strength and heat-resistant sintered body of TiB.sub.2 as the main component easily manufactured even with a not excessively high sintering temperature.

High-density sintered bodies with high mechanical strengths

Director-General of the Agency of Industrial Science and Technology


An apparatus and method for presenting high-quality auditory stimuli, receiving patient communication and providing noise cancellation within the environment of magnetic resonance imaging (“MRI”) equipment. A microphone is positioned in a noise attenuated channel for recording of the patient's voice. A microphone is disposed outside of a noise attenuated channel to directly record the sounds of MRI equipment during its operation. The signals generated by the microphones are employed to reduce the output of noise generated by MRI equipment.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to devices that are used in conjunction with Magnetic Resonance Imaging ("MRI") equipment to provide stimuli or entertainment for a patient and to facilitate communication with a patient during an MRI diagnostic treatment or imaging process.
2. Description of the Related Art
MRI has become a preferred technology for generation of high quality images of different tissue types within the human body. Headphone devices to provide auditory stimulation or entertainment for the patient have been developed and improved for use within MRI equipment. The signals that are to be reproduced by the headphones may originate as music or similar entertainment content, communications from the MRI operator to the patient, or patient auditory stimuli used in functional MRI ("fMRI") and other brain function imaging.
The headphone devices must be able to operate within the MRI environment. The MRI environment typically produces intense magnetic fields and further relies on measurement of small radio-frequency signals created by the response of human tissue to stimulation by radio-frequency signals and other magnetic fields. The MRI environment is also confined by the dimensions of the MRI equipment. More specifically, most MRI equipment includes a bore into which the patient is moved during the imaging operation.
Devices operable to sense sound made by the patient are also implemented in the MRI environment. These devices are generally adapted to allow the patient to communicate with the operator of the MRI equipment and provide a way for the operator to confirm that the patient is relaxed and comfortable. Devices used to receive the sound from the patient must also be compatible with the MRI environment.
The MRI equipment is prone to generating significant amounts of noise during operation. This noise may be created in part by the rapid changes in the current that cause vibration such that knocking can be heard by the patient. The noise generated by MRI equipment is typically loud and is generated across a broad frequency spectrum. Additionally, the noise generated varies in intensity during operation of the MRI equipment. The presence of this noise presents the possibility of injury to the patient's hearing, which has been avoided through use of headphones and/or earplugs.

Audio apparatus and method for use in proximity to a magnetic resonance imaging system


In some embodiments, a portable multifunction device with a touch screen display performs a method that includes: displaying a phone call user interface on the touch screen display, wherein the phone call user interface includes: a first informational item associated with an active phone call between a user of the device and a first party, a second informational item associated with a suspended phone call between the user and a second party, and a merge call icon; upon detecting a user selection of the merge call icon, merging the active phone call and the suspended phone call into a conference call between the user, the first party, and the second party, and replacing the phone call user interface with a conference call user interface. The conference call user interface includes: a third informational item associated with the conference call, and a conference call management icon.

As portable electronic devices become more compact, and the number of functions performed by a given device increase, it has become a significant challenge to design a user interface that allows users to easily interact with a multifunction device. This challenge is particular significant for handheld portable devices, which have much smaller screens than desktop or laptop computers. This situation is unfortunate because the user interface is the gateway through which users receive not only content but also responses to user actions or behaviors, including user attempts to access a device's features, tools, and functions. Some portable communication devices (e.g., mobile telephones, sometimes called mobile phones, cell phones, cellular telephones, and the like) have resorted to adding more pushbuttons, increasing the density of push buttons, overloading the functions of pushbuttons, or using complex menu systems to allow a user to access, store and manipulate data. These conventional user interfaces often result in complicated key sequences and menu hierarchies that must be memorized by the user.
Many conventional user interfaces, such as those that include physical pushbuttons, are also inflexible. This is unfortunate because it may prevent a user interface from being configured and/or adapted by either an application running on the portable device or by users. When coupled with the time consuming requirement to memorize multiple key sequences and menu hierarchies, and the difficulty in activating a desired pushbutton, such inflexibility is frustrating to most users.
Many cell phones support a "conference call" feature that allows three or more parties (corresponding to three or more phones) to participate in a single conversation simultaneously. At present, however, it is difficult for a cell phone user to manage a conference call, including such tasks as adding a new party to the conference call, removing an existing party from the conference call, temporarily converting the conference call into a private phone call with one of the existing parties, and returning to the conference call from the private phone call. With present devices, it is not readily apparent to a user how to perform these tasks.
Accordingly, there is a need for portable multifunction devices with more transparent and intuitive user interfaces for managing a conference call between multiple parties that are easy to use, configure, and/or adapt. Such interfaces increase the effectiveness, efficiency and user satisfaction with portable multifunction devices.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Portable multifunction device, method, and graphical user interface for conference calling


A maximum likelihood sequence estimation receiver includes a transmission line characteristic detector that detects a transmission line characteristic based on a received input signal when a training signal is received through the input terminal, an absolute value arithmetic section that performs arithmetic on absolute values of amplitude components based on the transmission line characteristic, an accumulator that accumulates the absolute values of the resultant amplitude components, a maximum value detector that detects a timing at which the cumulative output signal indicates a maximum value, and a maximum likelihood sequence estimator that performs a maximum-likelihood estimation of a received input signal using the transmission line characteristic from the transmission line detector and the timing signal output from the maximum value detector and then outputs maximum likelihood estimation data through the output terminal. This receiver can certainly and accurately judge the optimum estimation region by transmission line impulse responses using a simple algorithm, thus easily realizing its low power consumption and its simplified circuit configuration.

The present invention relates to a maximum likelihood sequence estimation receiver that estimates a transmission signal from a signal with transmission distortion due to a frequency-selective fading in multiple radio propagation (multipath) such as a radio line in a high-speed digital communications system, for example, a digital mobile telephone system. More particularly, the present invention relates to a maximum likelihood sequence estimation receiver that obtains estimates of transmission signals by selecting an optimum portion among impulse response sequences with transmission distortion. Moreover, the present invention relates to a method of receiving maximum-likelihood sequence estimates.
An example of the technique in which that type of signal estimation is performed by selecting the optimum portion among impulse response sequences with transmission distortion is disclosed in, for example, JP-A-292139/1993 titled as "maximum likelihood sequence estimation receiver".
FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of a conventional maximum likelihood sequence estimation receiver. In FIG. 4, each of tap coefficients of the matched filter 22 is added based on impulse responses of a received input signal from the transmission line. In this case, the number of taps of the matched filter 22 has to be minimized to reduce the throughput of the status estimator 23 with the largest arithmetic amount. A reduced number of taps allows only a limited region of impulse response sequences to be processed.
Hence, it is needed to judge whether or not what region of impulse response sequences to be processed with a tap coefficient provides the highest estimation capability. The receiver shown in FIG. 4 implements an estimation region judgment according to the following steps. FIG. 5 is a diagram explaining impulse response values.
Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, upon receiving a training signal from the transmission side, the signal generator 26 generates the same signal as the training signal. The estimator 25 determines characteristic-line impulse response values. When impulse response values are obtained as shown in FIG. 5, the position estimator 27 compares the amplitudes of the impulse response values. This comparison operation numbers the impulse response values in decreasing order. The region where the sum of pulse numbers is smallest among regions containing a pulse with the maximum amplitude is regarded as an optimum signal estimation region. The timing signal representing the optimum signal estimation region is sent to the matched filter 22 and the status estimator 23 to implement the optimum maximum likelihood sequence estimation.
However, the above-mentioned prior art requires to implement a complicated algorithmic operation to determine the optimum estimation region. That is, amplitude values, as shown in FIG. 5, need to be numbered in decreasing order. Moreover, the comparison operation must be repeated several times to determine the optimum estimation region by performing arithmetic to compare impulse response values. This results in making the whole algorithm complicated. Particularly, as the number of taps of the matched filter increases, the arithmetic operations to be processed increases.
The optimum estimation region judgment cannot always obtain an optimum estimation region because impulse responses necessarily contain a maximum value pulse.
FIG. 6 is a diagram explaining the status where impulses response values are numbered in a decreasing order of amplitude value in a transmission line. In order to estimate a signal with distortion in a transmission line with impulse responses as shown in FIG. 6, the pulses 2, 3, and 4 must be selected as optimum estimation regions. In this case, since the pulse 1 with the maximum value is necessarily selected, the optimum estimation region cannot be specified.

Maximum likelihood sequence estimation receiver and method of receiving maximum-likelihood sequence estimates


A system for indicating the mass of fuel in several fuel tanks of an aircraft has a capacitive depth sensor and a permittivity cell located in each tank. Signals from the sensors and cells are supplied to a computing unit which computes the volume of fuel in each tank and its approximate density. The system has a densitometer and another permittivity cell which receive a sample of all the fuel supplied to the tanks, and supply output signals to the computing unit. The computing unit derives a correction factor by comparing an approximate value of density derived from the other permittivity cell with a more accurate measure of density derived from the densitometer. The correction factor is used to correct the approximate values of density derived from the permittivity cell in each tank. A correction factor is calculated in respect of every batch of fuel supplied to the tanks and a combined correction factor is calculated for the mixture in each tank, from the volumes and respective correction factors of the constituent fuels.

This invention relates to fluid-gauging systems and fluid-gauging methods.
The invention is especially, but not exclusively, concerned with fuel-gauging systems for aircraft.
Measurement of the quantity of fuel within an aircraft's fuel-tanks is commonly performed by means of one or more capacitive probes arranged for immersion in any fuel present. The capacitance of the probe varies in accordance with the depth of fuel in the tank, thereby enabling an indication of fuel level to be obtained. Changes in permittivity of fuel which would affect the capacitance of the probe can be compensated for by use of a permittivity cell (which may be in the form of a parallel-plate capacitor of open construction) mounted at the bottom of the fuel-tank, so as always to be immersed in any fuel present. An indication of volume may be obtained directly if the tank is of a regular shape, that is, if the volume of fuel present varies in a linear fashion with the depth of fuel. For irregularly shaped tanks the probe may be characterised, that is, the probe plates may be suitably-shaped such that the surface area of the plates covered by fuel varies in a non-linear fashion with depth but in a manner that is directly related to the volume of fuel present. Alternatively, the output of the probe may be supplied to a computer in which is stored a model of the fuel-tank from which can be obtained an indication of the volume with knowledge of the fuel depth.
In many applications, such as, for example, in aircraft, it is necessary to have an indication of the fuel mass rather than its volume. Although the mass of fuel can be readily determined by measuring its density with some form of densitometer, the cost of densitometers capable of providing the high accuracy needed in some applications can be very high. Most modern aircraft are equipped with several fuel-tanks and, because of the variations in density between different fuels, such as might be supplied to different tanks during refuelling stops at different airports, it is necessary to obtain a measure of the density of each of the different fuels and fuel mixtures within the different tanks. The cost of providing a fuel-gauging system having a densitometer mounted in each of an aircraft's fuel-tanks will therefore be correspondingly high, and, in many cases prohibitive.
To avoid the need to use densitometers, it has been proposed instead to measure the permittivity of fuel with a relatively simple and inexpensive capacitive permittivity cell and to derive the density from the permittivity using a relationship of the form:
D.sub.K =(K-1)/0.763(0.7+0.2(K-1)) . . . (I)
where
D.sub.K is the density of the fuel; and
K is the permittivity of the fuel.
Since the permittivity cells can be relatively inexpensive, it is possible to mount a cell in every tank and thereby compensate for fuels of different densities. The above relationship, however, is only approximate; random variations from fuel to fuel mean that errors of up to about 2% can be experienced. In the future, with fuels derived from an increasing number of sources, it is likely that even greater errors may be experienced. Although a fuel-gauging system of such limited accuracy may be satisfactory in some cases, the need to carry more fuel than is absolutely necessary, in order to allow sufficient safety margin for inaccuracies in the system, will mean that the payload that can be carried by the aircraft must be correspondingly reduced.