The present invention 10 discloses a hand-operated golf ball 18 cleaning device comprising a housing 22 having bristles 34 located therein, wherein the bristle ends being configured to form a circular, semi-spherical entrainment groove 35 into which the golf balls 18 to be cleaned are placed for cleaning. Also shown are a hinged 26, securable cover 24 with a central recess for accommodating a shaft member 36, a shaft member 36 having a handle 14 portion on the exterior distal end, a ball entrainment block 30 on the distal end facing the housing, and a means therebetween for rotatably securing the shaft member within the shaft recess of the cover. The entrainment block 30 has two recesses 32 of a diameter similar to that of a golf ball 18 and sized to receive approximately one-third of each ball therein when the cover 24 is closed. The turning of the handle 14 rotates the shaft 36 and the entrainment block 30 with the golf balls 18 rotatably secured therein meanwhile applying sufficient pressure to the balls so they remain frictionally engaged with the bristle ends 34 as the bristle ends dislodge dirt and debris from the dimples and rotate the balls inside the recesses 32 of the spinning entrainment block 30 as they travel along the entrainment groove 35 formed by the bristle ends.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to golf ball cleaners, and more specifically, to a hand operated golf ball cleaning device comprising: a housing having bristles located therein, the bristle ends being configured to form a circular, semi-spherical entrainment groove into which the golf balls to be cleaned are placed for cleaning; a hinged, securable cover with a central recess for accommodating a shaft member; a shaft member having a handle portion on the exterior distal end, a ball entrainment block on the distal end facing said housing, and a means therebetween for rotatably securing the shaft member within the shaft recess of the cover. The entrainment block has two recesses of a diameter similar to that of a golf ball and sized to receive approximately one third of each ball therein when the cover is closed. The turning of the handle rotates the shaft and the entrainment block with the golf balls rotatably secured therein meanwhile applying sufficient pressure to the balls so they remain frictionally engaged with the bristle ends as the bristle ends dislodge dirt and debris from the dimples and rotate the balls inside the recesses of the spinning entrainment block as they travel along the entrainment groove formed by the bristle ends.
Golf balls have improved aerodynamic properties due to their dimpled surface. The dimples often accumulate dirt, mud and other such debris once the ball is in play due the nature of a golf course and thereby hinder the golfer by not allowing the ball to fly right. Many golf courses don""t have golf ball cleaning devices and the ones that do have them may not have enough or don""t have them located where they are needed. The present invention seeks to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art by providing a portable, hand-operated golf ball cleaning device that is fast, thorough and easy to use and has means for clipping onto a golf bag so as to always be readily available when needed.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are other cleaning devices designed for removing dirt and debris from golf balls and other such small spherical objects. Typical of these is U.S. Pat. No. 1,602,016 issued to James E. Harrington on Oct. 5, 1926.
Another patent was issued to Charles F. Henrizi on Oct. 8, 1929 as U.S. Pat. No. 1,730,973. Yet another U.S. Pat. No. 1,792,211 was issued to Edward Brewer on Feb. 10, 1931 and still yet another was issued to Luigi Signorini on Jun. 7, 1932 as U.S. Pat. No. 1,862,437.
Another patent was issued to Lobegott Mollart on Apr. 23, 1940 as U.S. Pat. No. 2,198,441. Yet another U.S. Pat. No. 3,077,626 was issued to D. P. McDonald Thomson on Feb. 19, 1963. Another was issued to Louis B. Smith on July 3, 1962 as U.S. Pat. No. 3,041,645 and still yet another was issued on Sep. 21, 1976 to Joel D. Rumph as U.S. Pat. No. 3,981,039. A patent was issued on Aug. 7, 1979 to Alex J. Duda as U.S. Pat. No. 4,163,299 and on Aug. 17, 1982 U.S. Pat. No. 4,344,203 was issued to Richard L. Gerrick.
Another patent was issued to Norman Crossley on Mar. 28, 1995 as U.S. Pat. No. 5,400,455 and on Jun. 2, 1998 U.S. Pat. No. 5,758,379 was issued to Vahank Stephan Hovnanian.
A ball cleaner including a ball carrier; a brush carrier abreast of the ball carrier and defining therewith a ball zone; a brush upon the brush carrier projecting into the ball zone; a container enclosing one of said brush carriers and the brush, the other carrier constituting a lid for the container; a rotatable shaft supporting said enclosed carrier; and a sleeve bearing for this shaft and supported by the carrier that constitutes a lid.
A golf ball cleaner comprising a two part casing, including a lower water compartment and an upper cover portion, laterally projecting bearings at the central portion of said casing, a rotatable shaft mounted in the bearings and extending transversely of the casing, a disc fixed on the shaft rotatable within the casing, said disc having a plurality of apertures therethrough arranged circumferentially thereof, laterally projecting flanges surrounding said apertures for receiving therein golf balls, a crank attached to one end of the shaft for rotating the disc, opposed brush members arranged in the water compartment and between which the disc passes, the upper portion of said casing having an opening in one side thereof, a movable flap normally closing the opening for receiving therethrough an object to engage the golf balls to remove them from the disc through the opening.
A machine for cleaning golf and like balls comprising in combination, a cylindrical casing, a base to such cylindrical casing containing a circular groove eccentrically arranged relatively to the axis of said cylindrical casing, a brush rotatably mounted and adapted to contact with the upper surface of balls contained in the circular groove, a cage having radial openings for separating the balls, being suitably mounted between the base and the brush, a brake engaging the cage, and means for rotating said brush.
A golf ball cleaning device, comprising a water container, a pair of vertically disposed circular brushes, one of which is moving relatively to the other, the bristles sides of said brushes being arranged in opposed relation and spaced from each other less than the diameter of a golf ball so as to receive therebetween a golf ball to be cleaned, means for actuating said movable brush thereby causing said golf ball to be acted upon by said brushes during it""s travel about the axes thereof, and a guard for encircling the lower parts of said brushes to prevent accidental disengagement of the golf ball therefrom, said guard being open on top.
In a device of the character described: a liquid receptacle open at its top and comprising side, end, and bottom walls; a rotatable brush in the receptacle; a shaft for the brush journalled in one side wall of the receptacle, the ends of the bristles of the brush being spaced from one side wall of the receptacle; a member in the receptacle between the ends of the bristles of the brush and the side wall of the receptacle from which the same are spaced, said member having a part forming a cover for the open top of the receptacle and being bodily removable therethrough; means on said member defining a tortuous passageway which is open throughout its length at its side facing the brush so that a ball deposited in the passageway will be subjected to a scrubbing action by the brush and advanced thereby through the tortuous passageway as the brush is rotated; and means yieldingly urging said member laterally toward the brush to insure the continuance of the proper contact of the brush bristles with a ball in the passageway as the bristles become worn.
In a device for use in cleaning golf balls comprising a drum-shaped casing having an opening through which a golf ball may be inserted, a carrier member within the casing having a recess for the golf ball when so inserted, and rotatable for the entrainment of the ball within the casing, opposed front and rear walls forming part of said casing, sponge linings fixed to said walls for frictionally engaging the ball and cleaning same when the ball is so entrained; said carrier member being located nearer the lining on one wall than the lining on the other wall, whereby rotation of the ball about its own centre is promoted, and an annular peripheral portion on the lining further from the carrier stepped nearer the carrier member than the remainder of said lining, whereby rotation of said ball around its center is still promoted.
In a portable golf ball washer, a cup-shaped cylindrical casing, a cup shaped cylindrical sponge lining the inner wall of said casing, a centrally located post extending from the bottom of said casing outwardly of the open end of said casing and terminating at a point outside thereof, means connecting said post to the bottom of said casing and securing the post and casing against relative translatory movement, a cup-shaped circular cover having a position closing the open end of said casing and an opening receiving said post and rotatably connected to said post near the outer end thereof, said cover being supported on said post for movement away from said position closing the casing to provide access to said casing, a washer-shaped friction disc concentrically secured to the underside of said cover and disposed about said post, and cover rotating means for rotating ball therein for cleaning the same, said cover rotating means comprising a lever having one end pivotably connected to the upper side of said cover near the periphery thereof for movement in a plane parallel to the plane said cover into and out of engagement with said post and having a part in the center thereof including a notch adapted to engage a groove in said post disposed in the plane of said lever so as to prevent the axial displacement of said cover on said post, and a knob on the other end of said lever for moving said lever into and out of engagement with said post and rotating said cover.
A portable machine for washing dirt, mud and other types of foreign matter from the surface of golf balls comprising a short cylindrical container whose upper and lower interior surfaces are fitted with roughly textured resilient scrubbing pads and whose upper surface contains a water tight, sealable opening with a hinged snapfast lid providing a means whereby a golf ball may be introduced into the confines of said short cylindrical container and sealed within and whereby water, surfactants and other materials may also be introduced into the confines of the system and through which the entire inner system may be cleansed as needed. Further, said portable machine also comprising a permanently mounted, manually operated rotational means that when rotated in a clockwise direction causes a golf ball, which has been introduced into the system, to be rotated circularly around the inner dimensions of said short cylindrical container in such a manner that the upper and lower surface scrub pads in cooperation with the surfactant solution remove alien deposits, wash and thoroughly cleanse the outer surface of the rotated golf ball and whereby, on the other hand, counter-clockwise rotation of the rotational means causes upon the manual opening of the snapfast hinged lid in the upper surface a previously introduced golf ball to ride up upon the internally contained components of the rotational means and thus to be ejected from the system. Additionally, the system is so designed that allowance is made for replenishment of wash solutions as well as for the complete cleansing of the internal system by its being simply rinsed in a stream of water such as flows from a common water tap.
A portable golf ball washer including a cylindrical housing defining a washing chamber, the housing having an opening in a peripheral wall thereof permitting a conventional golf ball to be inserted into the washing chamber, ball scrubbing means disposed in the washing chamber, manually actuatable means rotatable in one direction about the longitudinal axis of said cylindrical housing for impelling a golf ball in a substantially circular path over the scrubbing means and simultaneously rotating the ball about various axes, the manually actuatable means being rotatable in the opposite direction about said axis for ejecting the ball through said opening, and means for releasably securing the housing to a support such as a golf cart or a golf bag.
A portable golf ball washer comprising a vertical cylindrical container closed at the bottom and open at the top and lined with a piece of stiff bristled carpet having the bristles to extend inwardly and the tips defining a core hole of less diameter than that of a golf ball to be scrubbed, a plunger having one end comprising a handle extending beyond the open end of said container when fully inserted, and the other end of said plunger having a U-shaped bail-like ball-retaining member of wire formed into a circular portion extending around a ball when contained therein for more than 180 degrees of the circumference and the legs of said member being parallel and terminating in inwardly projecting ends inserted into the sides of the other end of said plunger.
Hand held golf ball washing apparatus having a ball receiving chamber wherein a ring-shaped rotatable brush is positioned. The brush is driven on its axis by a battery-powered motor. Push button switch means is provided to selectively operate the motor. A removable hatch is provided in the apparatus to allow insertion and removal of a golf ball to be cleaned, and for insertion of a detergent solution.
A golf ball washer and conditioner is disclosed. The golf ball washer and conditioner is portable and may be carried by the golfer on a golf cart. The golf ball washer and conditioner is constructed from insulated material so that the golf balls can be kept warm during cold weather.
While these golf ball-cleaning devices may be suitable for the purposes for which they were designed, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present invention, as hereinafter described.
The present invention discloses a hand-operated golf ball cleaning device comprising a housing having bristles located therein wherein the bristle ends being configured to form a circular, semi-spherical entrainment groove into which the golf balls to be cleaned are placed for cleaning. Also shown are a hinged, securable cover with a central recess for accommodating a shaft member, a shaft member having a handle portion on the exterior distal end, a ball entrainment block on the distal end facing the housing, and a means therebetween for rotatably securing the shaft member within the shaft recess of the cover. The entrainment block has two recesses of a diameter similar to that of a golf ball and sized to receive approximately one-third of each ball therein when the cover is closed. The turning of the handle rotates the shaft and the entrainment block with the golf balls rotatably secured therein meanwhile applying sufficient pressure to the balls so they remain frictionally engaged with the bristle ends as the bristle ends dislodge dirt and debris from the dimples and rotate the balls inside the recesses of the spinning entrainment block as they travel along the entrainment groove formed by the bristle ends.
A primary object of the present invention is to provide a portable hand-operated golf ball cleaning device wherein the golf ball travels along an arcuate groove of cut bristles by means of a hand operated entrainment block in which the golf balls are rotatably partially maintained and which also provides a bias of the balls against the bristles to dislodge any dirt and debris while rotating the balls to insure that the entire surface of each ball is thoroughly scrubbed.
An additional object of the present invention is to provide a portable hand-operated golf ball cleaning device having a housing with a hinged cover that can be secured with a latch member.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a portable hand-operated golf ball cleaning device wherein the entrainment block is rotated by the user turning a handle attached to a shaft communicating between said handle and the entrainment block.
A yet further object of the present invention is to provide a portable hand-operated golf ball cleaning device having a row of bristles extend down from the inside of the cover peripheral to the entrainment block to provide further scrubbing capabilities.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a portable hand-operated golf ball cleaning device having a pivoting handle for moving the handle from an inoperative to an operative rotational position.
One more object of the present invention is to provide a portable hand-operated golf ball cleaning device that is simple and easy to use.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a portable hand-operated golf ball-cleaning device that is economical in cost to manufacture.
Further objects of the present invention will appear as the description proceeds.


A hydraulic system of an electric vehicle may comprise: an oil container; a first and a second clutch driving circuits connected in parallel; an internal pump driven by a driving system of the electric vehicle; a first check valve connected in series at an outlet side of the internal pump; an external pump driven by an external pump motor; and a second check valve connected in series at an outlet side of the external pump. The first check valve and the internal pump connected in series and the second check valve and the external pump connected in series are connected in parallel between the oil container and the first and second clutch driving circuits.

Due to increases in fuel price and the environmental pollution caused by conventional petrol vehicles, electric vehicles have attracted more and more attention. A power battery is used as a power source of an electric vehicle, and the electric vehicle is driven by an electric motor, thus avoiding limitation of an engine and reducing pollution.
Conventionally, the electric vehicle may be driven by a driving motor and a reducer with a constant transmission ratio. The driving motor has a high output torque and a low efficiency at a low rotational speed. With the increasing of the rotational speed of the driving motor, the efficiency is increased gradually, but the output torque is much lower. With the electric vehicle including the reducer with a constant transmission ratio, for the reducer with a high torque, the efficiency is increased slowly with the increasing of the rotational speed of the driving motor, and consequently the power consumption of the vehicle is quite large at a high speed; and for the reducer with a high rotational speed, the efficiency is increased quickly with the increasing of the rotational speed of the driving motor. However, due to the low transmission ratio of the reducer, the torque transmitted to the wheels is too low to satisfy the requirement of the vehicle when it is starting or climbing. As a result, the power consumption of the vehicle is quite large at a low rotational speed. For example, the electric bus may need frequent parking, starting or acceleration, which may cause the low efficiency of the driving motor. Therefore, the driving system of the conventional electric vehicle is difficult to meet the work conditions for low speed and high speed simultaneously, thus the driving motor has a low efficiency, which may shorten the driving range of the electric vehicle if the power storage of the battery is not changed. As a result, the conventional electric vehicle may not be applied to complicated driving conditions.

Hydraulic system, driving system and electric vehicle


In an example, a process includes polymerizing a mixture that includes an ethylene monomer, a propylene monomer, and a diene monomer to form an ethylene-propylene-diene (EPDM) terpolymer using ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP). The process further includes chemically reacting the EPDM terpolymer with a norbornene-based phosphinate cross-linking material to form a flame-retardant, cross-linked EPDM rubber.

Some high performance computing systems have migrated to water cooling solutions in order to more effectively remove heat. In some case, a water cooling system design may utilize flexible tubing in order to allow for incorporation of a large number of connections to cold plates/heat sinks As cooling designs evolve to bring cooling inside nodes, reliability becomes a more important design consideration in order to reduce risk of catastrophic failure of electrical components.

Flame-retardant, cross-linked EPDM rubber

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION


An active input/output connector includes a first printed circuit board and a second printed circuit board enclosed within a housing. A first plug is in electronic communication with the first printed circuit board. A second plug is in electronic communication with the second printed circuit board. The first and second printed circuit boards are connected for communication of sensor signals from the first plug to the second plug.

1. Field of the Invention
This present disclosure relates to electronic systems and, more particularly, to apparatuses for providing input/output connectors capable of use with a plurality of physical connector arrangements.
2. Description of Related Art
Many modern vehicle applications utilize electronic sensors and controllers in their standard operations. In a typical vehicle, many of the components will require data from sensors or other components to perform their designated function. To facilitate the data transfer between components, most vehicles use a bundle of wires and interconnects, referred to as an electrical harness. The harness can contain thousands of data lines, typically constructed of copper wires, and can be heavy. In such a construction each data line has an interconnect on each end. The interconnects can be plugged into the vehicle components, and data can then be communicated through the harness to a component connected at the opposite end of the data line.
Current state of the art electrical harnesses utilize analog data transmission, requiring dedicated wires in the harness for each component. Analog signals are used because most sensors and other components require analog data or take analog measurements.
In order to reduce the weight of the harness, attempts have been made to utilize digital communications between the components. These attempts have typically been met with failure at least in part because many of the sensors and other components in existing systems have not been modified to allow for digital communications.
Thus, there is a need in the art for improved devices for input/output connections. The present disclosure provides a solution for this need.


A dental driving tool having a distal end with a drive mechanism adapted to drive a dental implant and a retention mechanism adapted to hold and carry the dental implant. The retention mechanism includes a housing having a ceramic locking member and corrosive resistant biasing member. Preferably, the housing is formed as an axial bore through the distal end, and the locking and biasing members are formed as a ball and spring, respectively.

In order to install a dental implant into the jawbone of a patient, the gingival tissue is incised and the bone is exposed. A series of drills are then used to form a cylindrical bore (referred as the osteotomy) in the bone. Once the osteotomy is prepared, the distal end of the implant is positioned in the bore, and a powered or manual driving tool is used to rotate and drive the implant into the osteotomy. The driving tool includes an end portion that is configured to matingly engage the end of the implant.
In some instances, a fixture mount is attached to the top of the implant with a retaining screw. The fixture mount serves as an intermediate member between the implant and driving tool. The driving tool directly engages the fixture mount and imparts torque to it to drive the implant.
The connection between the driving tool and the implant or fixture mount has several disadvantages. Often, this connection is not consistent or reliable, and the implant can loosen from the driving tool and fall off. In such a situation, the implant can be ingested or contaminated.
In some instances, a frictional fit holds the driving tool to the implant or fixture mount. The end of the driving tool may be tapered and pressed into a cavity at the coronal end of the implant to hold and drive the implant. This frictional fit, however, may wear with use and does not have even retentive forces. Further, the tight fit between the end of the driving tool and implant can deform and damage the internal cavity of the implant.
If the connection between the driving tool and implant or fixture mount is not consistent and reliable, then other problems may occur as well. For example, the posterior maxilla can have soft bone. If the connection between the driving tool and implant is too strong, then the implant can be moved or otherwise disturbed while the tool disengages from the implant. Such movement can interfere with the proper placement and location of the implant.
It would be advantageous to have dental driving that connected to the implant or fixture mount and eliminated the disadvantages of prior connections.


The invention provides processes for preparing N-protected β-amino aldehyde compounds which are useful as synthetic intermediates for preparing glycopeptide antibiotic derivatives. The processes include cleaving a carbon-carbon double bond to form the N-protected β-amino aldehyde compound.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention is directed to novel processes for preparing intermediates which are useful in the synthesis of glycopeptide antibiotic derivatives. More specifically, this invention is directed to processes for preparing β-amino aldehyde compounds in which the amino group is blocked with an amino-protecting group.
2. State of the Art
Glycopeptides (e.g. dalbaheptides) are a well-known class of antibiotics produced by various microorganisms (see Glycopeptide Antibiotics, edited by R. Nagarajan, Marcel Dekker, Inc. New York (1994)). These complex peptide compounds are highly effective antibacterial agents useful for treating infections caused by Gram-positive bacteria.
For example, International Publication Numbers WO 00/39156; WO 01/57071 A2; and WO 01/98328 A2 disclose novel glycopeptide derivatives having antibacterial activity. These publications also discloses the use of N-protected β-amino aldehyde compounds, such as N-FMOC-2-(n-decylamino)acetaldehyde, as intermediates in the preparation of such glycopeptide derivatives.
The N-protected β-amino aldehyde compounds disclosed in these publications are prepared in several steps, with the product from each step being isolated separately before the next step. The final step of the disclosed process is an oxidation of the corresponding alcohol using an oxidizing agent, such as sulfur trioxide or oxalyl chloride and dimethyl sulfoxide. Unfortunately, these oxidizing agents produce a unpleasant odor during the reaction process and leave a residue odor in the final product. Accordingly, a need exists for new processes for preparing N-protected β-amino aldehyde compounds.

Process for preparing N-protected β-amino aldehyde compounds


A head-up display system includes a projector configured for emitting a first ray of light having a first intensity, and a lens having a first surface facing the projector and a second surface spaced apart from the first surface. The lens is configured for refracting the first ray of light to emit from the second surface a second ray of light having a second intensity that is less than the first intensity, and a third ray of light that is parallel to the second ray of light and has a third intensity that is less than the second intensity. The system also includes a cured film disposed on the first surface and formed from an anti-reflection coating composition, wherein the cured film is configured for minimizing the third intensity. A device includes a windshield, an operator eyebox spaced apart from the windshield, and the head-up display system.

A head-up display or HUD is a transparent display that presents data to an operator of a device, such as a vehicle or a component, without requiring the operator to look away from a given field of view. For example, a HUD for an automotive vehicle may present speedometer data, tachometer data, fuel level data, and/or navigational data to a driver as the driver looks straight ahead through a windshield of the automotive vehicle. Similarly, a HUD for an aircraft may present altitude, airspeed, heading, and/or a horizon line to a pilot as the pilot looks straight ahead through a windshield or canopy of the aircraft. Likewise, a HUD for a helmet, visor, goggles, or eyeglasses may present images and/or text to a wearer through a lens of the helmet, visor, goggles, or eyeglasses.


The present invention relates to a method for image calibration and an apparatus for image acquiring. In the method for image calibration, the image formation position for an image acquiring unit of the apparatus is calibrated according to the relative location of the image acquiring unit to a objective lens of the apparatus, wherein the relative location is determined by calculating the focus index of the image acquired by the image acquiring unit so that a clear and sharp interferogram can be obtained for three dimensional surface profile measuring. In addition, it is possible to obtain a clear and sharp image without any interference fringe outside the coherent range by adjusting the image formation position, which is capable of being utilized for two dimensional defect detection and dimension measurement.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to an image acquiring technology and, more particularly, to an apparatus and a method for image calibration and an apparatus for image acquiring.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A white-light interferometric system cannot be used for performing lateral measurement and defect detection because interference fringes appear in the image formed at the objective focal point due to the interferometric configuration.
To overcome such a problem, U.S. Pat. No. 7,068,376 discloses an interferometric system as shown in FIG. 1. The optical interferometric system 1 comprises a light source 10, a beam splitting unit 11, an interferometric unit 12 and an image acquiring unit 13. The light source 10 generates a light beam, which becomes a collimated light beam after it passes a collimator lens 14. The collimated light beam is reflected by the beam splitting unit 11 to the interferometric unit 12 and thus becomes a measurement light beam and a reference light beam. The measurement light beam is incident on an object to be tested 100 and is reflected thereby back to the interferometric unit 12. Then the measurement light beam is interfered by the reference light beam to form an interfered light beam. The interfered light beam is received by the image acquiring unit 13 after it passes the beam splitting unit 11 so as to form an image with interference fringes.
In the aforementioned prior art, a phase shift method is used to calculate the three-dimensional profile of an object to be tested. Combined operation is performed on a sequence of images acquired by the phase shift method so as to obtain the direct-current (DC) component of the images. The obtained images are free of interference fringes and are used for two-dimensional lateral detection. However, the two-dimensional fringeless images are obtained after the phase shift process, which causes limited imaging range and wastes longer time.

Method for image calibration and apparatus for image acquiring

Industrial Technology Research Institute


A method for producing gradient gel medium membrane for electrophoresis in which a monomer solution having a continuous concentration gradient and a polymerizing reaction initiator solution are supplied to a coating head as a gel forming solution for electrophoresis while mixing the monomer solution and the polymerizing reaction initiator solution with each other so as to coat a moving web with the gel forming solution. The coating liquid is supplied onto a moving web through the coating head in such a manner so that the flow of the coating liquid extends continuously in the direction of width and is continuously reduced in the direction of thickness along the coating head from its supply inlet to its slot opening.

The present invention relates to a method for producing gradient gel medium membrane for electrophoresis for determining the base sequence of DNA or DNA partially decomposed material or for separating/analyzing protein, particularly protein having a wide range of molecular-weight distribution, such as protein in urine.
Conventionally, in a plane electrophoretic method, high-molecular concentration gradient gel of acrylamide having no self-supporting property has been obtained by forming gel in layers having concentrations different from each other and stacked on one support or between two supports in the electrophoretic direction. Such a gradient gel has been used as a membranous material.
In the method in which gel is formed on a support when it is to be used, however, there has been a disadvantage in that the gel can sometimes be broken or damaged by dropping a material other than a sample onto the gel, when the gel is being formed on the support, when the gel is set in an electrophoretic tank, when the gel is in a state of preservation, or when the gel is added with a sample to be analyzed, and therefore close attention and much skill are required in operation.
In a vertical electrophoretic method in which gel is formed in a mold formed by two glass plates or the like, and electrophoretic analysis is performed while holding the mold vertically, on the other hand, there has been a disadvantage in that it is difficult to make the mold uniform in thickness, and a high degree of skill is required in operation to pour a gel forming solution into a narrow mold before the gel forming solution has gelled.
Particularly, in an operation for determining the base sequence of DNA, it is desirable to form an elongated sheet of gel so that pieces of DNA, as many as possible in number, can be analyzed using one sheet of gel. Difficulties in the production and handling of such an elongated sheet of gel, however, have been encountered. Further, since glass plates are used, there has been a disadvantage in that the glass plates are apt to be broken.
Recently, for industrially producing a gradient gel material for electrophoresis, there has been disclosed a method for producing gradient gel for electrophoresis including the steps of: preparing an aqueous solution or a water dispersion liquid of a mixture of acrylamide monomers and a cross-linking agent; adding a free radial generating material for initiating polymerization of the monomers by the absorption of light irradiation on the solution; forming the solution into the shape of a desired gel product; and adjusting the period of time of light irradiation on the monomer solution so as to change the porosity of the gel when the formed solution is subject to irradiation with light so as to cause polymerization and cross-linking in the monomer solution or the monomer dispersing liquid (see European Pat. No. 0169397A).
There have been further disclosed a method of producing gradient gel for electrophoresis having a concentration gradient of a polymer in the electrophoretic direction including the steps of: supplying two kinds of aqueous solutions differing in concentration from each other, each containing monomers, a cross-linking agent and a polymerization initiator, into a forming device while mixing the aqueous solutions with the mixing ratio therebetween gradually changed; and completing polymerization of the monomers with the cross-linking agent in the forming device; etc. (Japanese Pat. Publication Nos. 61-22903 and 61-39617).
For coating a continuously moving web with a gel forming solution for use for electrophoresis, a general coating head such as shown in FIG. 1 has been used. That is, the electrophoresis gel forming solution used as a coating liquid 12 is supplied in a pressurized state to a cavity 19 in a coating head 18 by a metering pump 22. The cavity 19 is employed as a liquid pool for supplying the coating liquid 12 to a slot 23 communicated with a slot opening 24 and extending over the coating width. The coating liquid 12 enters the slot 23 from the cavity 19, and is applied onto a web 13 on a coating roller 20 from the slot opening 24. In order to stabilize the coating process, a differential pressure chamber 21 is used so as to provide back pressure behind the coating bead.
The former method, however, has problems in that the cost is high because of the required light irradiation equipment and poor productivity, the resolution is low because of increased thickness of the gel, and it is impossible to obtain gradient gel having stability and reproducibility because the reaction initiator causes polymerizing and cross-linking reactions in the presence of light even after completion of production. The latter producing method, on the other hand, has problems in that the productivity is poor because it is a batch-type system, and it is difficult to uniformly branch a gel forming solution for electrophoresis when it is poured into forming devices, so that it is impossible to obtain gradient gel with reproducibility.
Further, products coated using the conventional coating head have problems in that the transverse film thickness is insufficient in uniformity, and in that foreign matter is generated during running over long periods, making it necessary to overhaul and clean the coating head.

Method of producing gradient gel medium membrane for electrophoresis


Technology is disclosed for creating and tuning classifiers for language dialects and for generating dialect-specific language modules. A computing device can receive an initial training data set as a current training data set. The selection process for the initial training data set can be achieved by receiving one or more initial content items, establishing dialect parameters of each of the initial content items, and sorting each of the initial content items into one or more dialect groups based on the established dialect parameters. The computing device can generate, based on the initial training data set, a dialect classifier configured to detect language dialects of content items to be classified. The computing device can augment the current training data set with additional training data by applying the dialect classifier to candidate content items. The computing device can then update the dialect classifier based on the augmented current training data set.

The Internet has made it possible for people to connect and share information globally in ways previously undreamt of. Social media platforms, for example, enable people on opposite sides of the world to collaborate on ideas, discuss current events, or share what they had for lunch. In the past, this spectacular resource has been somewhat limited to communications between users having a common natural language ("language"). In addition, users have only been able to consume content that is in their language, or for which a content provider is able to determine an appropriate classification or translation.
While communication across the many different languages used around the world is a particular challenge, several types of language modules, such as language classifiers, language models, and machine translation engines, have been created to address this concern. These language modules enable "content items," which can be any item containing language including text, images, audio, video, or other multi-media, to be quickly classified, translated, sorted, read aloud, and otherwise used based on the semantics of the content item. Language modules can be created using "training data," which is data with a classification that can be compared to other data to assign additional classifications. Training data is often obtained from news reports, parliament domains, educational "wiki" sources, etc. where language classifications are assigned. In many cases, sources of the training data do not account for differences in dialect used within particular languages. For example, traditional speech recognition and machine translation systems for Arabic focus on Modern Standard Arabic (MSA), and do not account for other Arabic dialects, which can differ from MSA lexically, syntactically, morphologically, and phonologically. Such speech recognition and machine translation systems are not able to adequately recognize or translate content items to or from non-MSA dialects.


An OLED display and associated methods, including a substrate; a first electrode; a second electrode; and an organic emission layer between the first and second electrodes, the organic emission layer including first-third organic emission layers, wherein the third organic emission layer is commonly disposed on the first electrode in the first-third subpixels, the first organic emission layer is in the first subpixel, the second organic emission layer is on the third organic emission layer in the first to third subpixels, an intermediate layer is between the first organic emission layer and the third organic emission layer in the first subpixel and between the second organic emission layer and the third organic emission layer in the second subpixel, and a HTL is between the first organic emission layer and the intermediate layer in the first subpixel and between the second organic emission layer and the intermediate layer in the second subpixel.

1. Field
Embodiments relate to an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display and a manufacturing method thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
An organic electroluminescent display element may include a lower electrode and an upper electrode on an insulation substrate, and a multi-layered organic layer formed between the upper and lower electrodes. The organic layer may be selected from a hole injection layer (HIL), a hole transport layer (HTL), an emission layer, a hole suppress layer, an electron transport layer (ETL), and an electron injection layer (EIL) according to each function. In the display element having the above structure, as the upper electrode and the lower electrode are formed of a transparent or non-transparent electrode, light may be emitted in a direction of the insulation substrate or in a direction opposite to the insulation substrate, or may be emitted to both sides in the direction of the insulation substrate and the opposite direction of the insulation substrate. The hole injection layer (HIL) and the hole transport layer (HTL) (as charge transport layers) may be formed on an entire surface of the substrate, R, G, and B emission layers may be respectively formed by using a shadow mask, and the hole injection layer (HIL) and the hole transport layer (HTL) (as the charge transport layer) may again formed on the entire surface of the substrate.
The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the invention and therefore it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art.

Organic light emitting display and manufacturing method thereof


A method and arrangement for controlling semiconductor power switches, e.g. IGBTs, in parallel connected power devices, e.g. in frequency converters, wherein the semiconductor power switches connect either the positive or the negative pole of the intermediate DC-voltage of the power device to an output phase of the power device. In the method the voltages of those output phases which are connected in parallel are measured, the timing differences of the output voltage state changes are calculated on the basis of the output voltage measurement results, and the control signals of the semiconductor power switches are advanced or delayed such that the output voltage state changes in the phases which are connected together via output impedances occur at desired time instants.

Parallel connection of electric power devices, e.g. frequency converters, is required at very high output power level (e.g. >1 MW) due to limitations of commercial switch type power components like IGBT modules. The parallel connection may be implemented either inside a single unit by connecting several power components in parallel or connecting larger similar units in parallel. The parallel connection inside a single unit is problematic because each different power level requires its own mechanical construction. That is why normally entire power units are connected in parallel, which is advantageous also from manufacturing and service point of view. The parallel connection of power units requires normally also use of external balancing impedances, e.g. inductors, between the output terminals and common point of coupling.
Insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBT) are switch-type power electronic components which are widely used in the main circuits of power electronic devices, like in frequency converters. IGBT is a gate controlled component, which means that it can be switched on/off by a voltage signal supplied to the gate terminal. IGBT is an ideal component for power electronic applications due to a fast response time to the gate control signal, thus making it possible to keep the load current under precise control.
In the following, IGBT is used as an example of the power semiconductor switch, but as is clear for a person skilled in the art, there exist other type of power semiconductor components, too, whereto the present invention can be applied.
The load performance (i.e. current loadability) of parallel connected power units is normally lower than the performance sum of single devices, due to that the load current does not necessarily share equally between the devices. That is why it is normal to use a derating factor, e.g. 0.9 which means thatPsum=0.9×ΣPN  [1]
where Psum is the sum output power of the parallel connected units and PN is the nominal output power of each single unit.
A derating factor means a decrease to the theoretical maximum power, being thus a problem e.g. in economic terms. It is advantageous to be able to use as high a derating factor as possible, which is possible by balancing the loads as precisely as possible.
There are many known methods for the balancing, e.g. the patent publication U.S. Pat. No. 8,188,694 B2 presents a solution, wherein a common control unit calculates the timing of output voltage state change instances and sends this timing signal to the control units of each parallel connected inverters. The inverter-specific control units then form the control signals of power stage IGBT's essentially simultaneously. Simultaneous switching moments boost equal load share, but in this method and arrangement the signal delay tolerances of the components in the signal path may cause deviation from the ideal situation and demand to use a derating factor and great output impedances. In the patent publication U.S. Pat. No. 8,432,714 a solution is presented, wherein the load balancing between the parallel connected inverter modules is based on adjusting the switching instructions of switch components according to the measured output currents and measured inverter module temperatures.

Control of parallel connected power devices


An orthopaedic support fastening system which incorporates a "one-size-fits-all" concept for support of various human limbs. The design itself comprises a substantially flat sheet of sheet material having extending straps and slot apertures. The slot apertures, used for receiving straps, provide increased stability and support once the limb is properly positioned. The preferred means of securing the straps to the support is by the use of hook and loop material although other means of attachment can be used such as snaps.

Orthopaedic supports are typically used to stabilize and protect various limbs of the human anatomy from sustaining injury or increased injury. Typically, orthopaedic supports have been used on elbows, wrists, knees and ankles. The purpose of an orthopaedic support is to reduce strain on the injured or weakened limb while permitting the limb to continue its function; minimizing the risk of either a more damaging injury or a renewed injury. Some supports have included braces formed of hard plastic or metal to stabilize and restrict the range of motion of the limb.
In order for the orthopaedic support to properly function, it has been necessary for the support to be sized for the specific limb. As a result, orthopaedic supports have been manufactured in various sizes such as, small, medium, large, extra large, etc.
However, since orthopaedic supports are usually manufactured in pre-determined sizes, some individuals may not be able to enjoy the maximum protection offered by such a support because their personal physical characteristics do not fit one of the manufactured sizes. For example, a small-size support may be too tight, restricting blood flow and causing discomfort while a medium-sized support may be too loose to offer any worthwhile support.
Accordingly, there is a need for the manufacture of orthopaedic supports which can be custom fit for any wearer i.e. a self adjusting, one-size-fits-all configuration.


A stator position adjustment method for a motor drive device that includes a motor case, a rotor shaft supported by the motor case in order to rotate a rotor inside the motor case, and a stator disposed at an outer circumference of the rotor concentrically with the rotor and having a configuration in which the stator is tightened and secured to the motor case by a tightening unit that tightens the stator along a rotor axis. The method includes the steps of setting a first tolerance range as a maximum tolerance range of a stator axis in which a first gap is formed between an outer circumference surface of the stator and an inner circumference surface of the motor case; measuring a position of the stator axis; and adjusting the position of the stator axis within the first tolerance range based on a measured position of the stator axis.

The present invention relates to a stator position adjustment method, motor drive device and stator position adjustment system.
There exists hybrid cars that include an engine and a motor drive device as a drive source. The hybrid cars have been attracting attention in terms of fuel consumption, environmental protection and the like. In hybrid cars of this type, the motor drive device acts as a motor that obtains electricity from a battery to generate a drive force so that the drive force is transmitted to a running mechanism side to run the hybrid car using the motor. The motor drive device may also obtain a drive force from an engine that also acts as a generator that is used for charging the battery. The motor drive device further performs a so-called regenerative operation in which an excess inertia force of the car is recovered as electricity during braking. The motor drive device may further be used for starting the engine. Thus, the rotor of the motor drive device included in the hybrid car is drive-coupled to the transmission side and the engine side to enable an exchange of the drive forces.
The motor drive device includes a stator and a rotor stored in the stator. The stator and rotor are shaft-supported from the motor case side. The stator is supported fixably, and the rotor is supported rotatably from a shaft support section provided to the motor case. In a hybrid car, the motor case is rarely provided individually, and normally, a part of a transmission case storing a speed change mechanism therein doubles as the motor case.
A hybrid drive device employed in such hybrid cars is introduced in WO2005/000620. According to the technology disclosed in this document, the hybrid drive device includes a first electric motor and a second electric motor.

Stator position adjustment method, motor drive device and stator position adjustment system


A reinforced, mechanical splice for toothed belts, the splice defined by overlapping belt end portions that interfit with each other with a male-end belt tongue portion having transversely oriented belt teeth with molded end receiving openings, and a female-end belt U-portion dimensioned to receive the male-end portion and having transversely aligned belt teeth with molded pin receiving openings so adapted and arranged for coaxial alignment with the male-end pin receiving openings such that the belt teeth of the male-end portion are aligned with the belt teeth of the female-end portion, the belt teeth of both end portions having an embedded reinforcement circumjacent to the pin receiving openings. The belt splice is formed by positioning a twined reinforcement around a polymeric rod, placing the rod with reinforcement in a mold such as successive tooth cavities, placing a circumferentially oriented tensile member next to the rod and reinforcement, embedding the rod, reinforcement, and tensile member in an elastomeric matrix forming a toothed belt, and cutting through the belt at the tensile member, rod and reinforcement and forming a male-end belt tongue portion and a female-end belt U-portion.

The invention relates to belt couplers, but more particularly, the invention relates to a mechanical splice formed at contiguous belt ends that match or interfit with each other and are held together by pins embedded transversely of the belt.
It is often necessary or convenient to form an endless belt by joining belt ends with a mechanical splice. Some type of fastener such as pins or rivets are usually used in mixing the splice. An example of an interfitting mechanical splice for toothed belts appears in U.S. patent application No. 06/038,975 where a male-end belt tongue portion interfits with a female-end U-portion so that belt teeth of the male-end are aligned with belt teeth of the female-end. Holes are molded through the aligned belt teeth (i.e., laterally of the belt) and pins are inserted in the holes retaining the belt ends together. While such a "molded hole" belt splice is an improvement over a "drilled and pinned" splice of similar configuration, the molded holes are difficult to make and keep in alignment and the belt teeth have a tendency to distort when in use which may initiate splice failure. Also, it is difficult to demold metal rods that form the molded holes, particularly in wide belts.
Some belts use a reinforcement to provide a wear-resistant surface such as in U.S. Pat. No. 3,772,929, or to increase transverse rigidity such as in variable speed cog belt as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,514,429 at FIG. 4. While such reinforcements solve problems of tooth strength and belt transverse rigidity, they do not solve problems associated with mechanical belt splicing techniques or hole molding techniques.


A master evolved Node-B (MeNB) connects to a user terminal together with a secondary evolved Node-B (SeNB) in a dual connectivity scheme. The MeNB includes: transmitter configured to transmit a message to the SeNB via an X2 interface. The message is an SeNB addition request message or an SeNB modification request message. The message includes identification information of a serving gateway connected with the MeNB via an S1 interface. The identification information includes an S1 tunnel endpoint ID (S1-TEID) of the serving gateway or an internet protocol (IP) address of the serving gateway.

In the 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project), which is a standardization project of mobile communication systems, efficient use of a specific base station (e.g., a small cell base station) with a narrower coverage than that of a general base station (e.g., a macro cell base station) is being considered.
In the 3GPP, introduction of a dual connectivity scheme (Dual connectivity) is planned in Release 12 or thereafter (see Non Patent Literature 1). In the dual connectivity scheme, user terminal establishes connections with a plurality of base stations (a general base station and a specific base station) simultaneously. Since radio resources are assigned to the user terminal from each base station, an improvement in throughput is expected. The dual connectivity scheme is referred also to as inter-base station carrier aggregation (inter-eNB CA).
In the dual connectivity scheme, only one base station (hereafter referred to as a "master base station") establishes an RRC connection with the user terminal among a plurality of base stations that establish connections with the user terminal. On the other hand, another base station among the plurality of base stations (hereafter referred to as a "secondary base station") does not establish an RRC connection with the user terminal but provides the user terminal with additional radio resources.

Communication control method, master base station, secondary base station, and user terminal


A network arrangement for transporting service (Servco) traffic between terminals via an asynchronous path comprises a servco access layer incorporating multimedia gateways for access by said terminals, an asynchronous network layer, a service layer incorporating adaptation layer switches each coupled to the network layer, and a transport layer providing a connection medium between the adaptation layer switches. The Servco traffic is carried in ATM minicells over the network layer. Delineation of the minicells is effected by searching the received ATM stream for a valid code word indicating the start of a minicell, and, for that minicell and subsequent minicells, determining length information so as to determine the start of each next minicell.

This invention relates to digital telecommunications systems and in particular to an arrangement and method for transmitting asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) traffic.
A recent development in telecommunications technology has been the introduction of the asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) transmission technique. The asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) technology is a flexible form of transmission which allows various types of service traffic, e.g. voice, video or data, to be multiplexed together on to a common means of transmission, the traffic being carried in cells each having a header containing information that is employed for routing and for subsequent processing of the cell to recover the payload. The service traffic is adapted typically into 53 byte cells comprising 5 byte headers and 48 byte payloads such that the original traffic can be reconstituted at the far end of the ATM network. This form of adaptation is performed in the ATM adaptation layer (AAL). The technique allows large volumes of traffic to be handled reliably and efficiently.
A local area network (LAN) capable of supporting multimedia on demand applications over an ATM network is described by Ott et al. in NEC Research and Development, vol. 35 No. 4, Oct. 1, 1994, pages 36 to 373. An arrangement and method for communicating between devices coupled to an Ethernet network and an ATM network is described in specification No. U.S. Pat. No. 5,420,858.
A further recent development in ATM transmission has been the introduction of minicells for low bit rate users to reduce the cell assembly delays previously experienced by such users. Such minicells from a number of users can be multiplexed together and packed into a standard ATM cell for transmission over a common virtual channel. Typically, these low bit rate users are being provided with services, e.g. Internet or multimedia services from one or more service providers or Servcos. The volume of traffic of this nature is rapidly increasing as more and more customers are subscribing to the services.
A particular problem with minicell traffic is the quantity of overhead information that accompanies the traffic and which is used in the de-multiplexing and delineation process. With the rapidly increasing volume of this traffic there is an increasing risk of congestion. Further, this overhead information occupies bandwidth that might otherwise be allocated to revenue earning payload transmission.
It is an object of the invention to minimise or to overcome these disadvantage.
It is a further object of the invention to provide an improved method and apparatus for the delivery of services to user terminals.
According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a method of for transporting service (Servco) traffic between terminals in a network arrangement comprising a service access layer incorporating multimedia gateways for access by said terminals, an asynchronous network layer, a service layer incorporating adaptation layer switches each coupled to the network layer, and a transport layer providing a connection medium between said adaptation layer switches, the method including packetising the service traffic into minicells on ingress to the network layer, multiplexing the minicells to form the payload of ATM cells, transmitting the ATM cells in header-less form across the network layer, and de-multiplexing and recovering the minicells on egress from the network layer.
According to another aspect of the invention there is provided a network arrangement for transporting service (Servco) traffic between terminals coupled to the network, the arrangement comprising a service access layer incorporating multimedia gateways for access by said terminals, an asynchronous network layer, a service layer incorporating adaptation layer switches each coupled to the network layer, and a transport layer providing a connection medium between said adaptation layer switches, the arrangement being characterised by means for packetising the service traffic into minicells on ingress to the network layer and for multiplexing the minicells to form the payload of ATM cells, means for transmitting the ATM cells in header-less form across the network layer, and means for de-multiplexing and recovering the minicells on egress from the network layer.
The ATM stream takes the form of packets or mini-cells of variable but deterministic length, whose length is either explicitly coded within known positions in those packets, or may be implicitly derived from other known information in those packets, e.g. the circuit identifier for those packets. This implicit derivation may accommodate and depend on the state of the communications path or the state of the particular circuit within the communications path, which implies that the length may vary between an arbitrary multiplex of circuits of distinct users, or may also or separately vary per user. The length delineates the start of the subsequent packet of that communications stream. The packets contain in known fixed or derivable positions a linear systematic code employing redundancy to protect essential fields of those packets against error. The code also defines to a better than random probability the relative start boundary of same packet, which in conjunction with the length of the same packet can be used to correlate the linear systematic code word of all subsequent packets in the communications streams. This correlation may be assisted by the regular periodic insertion of a field whose contents form a linear systematic code word. This code word indicates the next or subsequent packet start boundaries to improve the performance of the delineation apparatus at the receiving equipment.
The ATM layer provides a cell of fixed size of 53 octets, the first five of which form a header that is constructed to be a linear systematic code word. The ATM layer may delineate these cell using methods described in for example in our United Kingdom specification No 2,232,040. Above the ATM layer is an adaptation layer designed to suit specific traffic types, of which one currently being proposed is ALL-CU or AAL-6. The essence of the AAL-6 proposals is to create a mini-cell, essentially a variable length packet with a fixed header at the start, which ensemble is appreciable shorter in length than the ATM cell to overcome the cell assembly delay which has been experienced in low-bit delay sensitive and real-time telephony applications.
The mini-cell is apportioned per user or multiplicity of users and carries its own circuit identifier in the header which is protected as a linear systematic code by parity check bits that may also form a class of cyclic code or equivalent code known to those skilled in the art. Many users"" mini-cells may be multiplexed into one ATM connection to overcome the cell assembly delay. Consequently, all these ATM cells carry the same header information. On a leased line application from a mobile base station transceiver to a mobile switching centre for example, only one ATM connection need be configured, in which case there is no replication of the same mini-cell circuit identifier being duplicated in a number of connections on the same communication channel and the ATM header becomes redundant.
Mini-cells must be separately delineated after the ATM cell stream has been delineated. A number of methods are possible that either allow the mini-cell header to be the sole means of delineation by virtue of the linear systematic code word of its header, or by using a pointer field at the start of each ATM cell payload that signifies the offset of the first mini-cell boundary in that ATM cell payload, or by ensuring that there is forced to be a mini-cell header at the start of every ATM cell payload, or by gathering together all the mini-cell headers to the end of the payload.
In the present invention, the ATM header is no longer required by virtue of its redundant contents and, because the mini-cell stream may be delineated independently of the ATM cell stream, this permits a greater bandwidth utilisation of the communications channel by allowing more mini-cells to be transmitted within a given bandwidth.


The hydraulic reciprocating mechanism has a housing and a piston located reciprocably in the housing. The piston and housing define a supply chamber and a return chamber. The return chamber has valve seats at either end. There is an inlet to the supply chamber for pressurized hydraulic fluid and an exhaust outlet from the return chamber. An interconnecting passage extends between the supply chamber and the return chamber. A single popper valve is located reciprocably in the return chamber and is moved by hydraulic forces between positions in which it seats on the respective valve seats. In one position of the popper valve it closes the exhaust outlet and opens the interconnecting passage to admit hydraulic fluid from the supply chamber to the return chamber. This has the result hydraulic fluid in the return chamber drives the piston in one direction. In another position of the poppet valve, it closes the interconnecting passage and opens the exhaust outlet, allowing hydraulic fluid to be exhausted from the return chamber by the piston as the piston is driven the opposite direction by hydraulic fluid in the supply chamber.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to hydraulic reciprocating mechanisms.
2. Discussion of the Background
In one application, such mechanisms are used in the mining industry, in rock drills, to apply repeated impacts to the end of a drill steel.
In this application it is desirable, due its ready availability, to use pressurized mine grade water to drive the hydraulic reciprocating mechanism. However, many existing hydraulic reciprocating mechanisms utilize spool valves which are adversely affected by the use of mine grade water for their operation due to the solid particles in this type of water.

White Manufacturing (Proprietary) Limited


An internal combustion engine with a piston arranged in a cylinder bore, a pair of intake passages to the cylinder bore, and having a piston crown provided with a crescent-shaped depression. The inlet passages are arranged symmetrically with respect to an axis of symmetry running through the center of the cylinder bore between the two intake passages. The crescent-shaped depression formed in the piston crown extends across and is symmetrical with respect to the axis of symmetry.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an improved piston for an internal combustion engine.
2. Description of Related Art
The prior German DT 26 07 561 A1 corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 4,170,966 issued Oct. 16, 1979 to Schmidt entitled "Mixture-Compressing Internal Combustion Engine, Especially Four-Cycle Engine" discloses an internal combustion engine of the generic type with recesses formed in the piston crown of the piston to improve the efficiency of combustion and thus reduce hydrocarbon emissions.
Further references which show internal combustion engines with recesses and depressions formed in the piston crown of the piston are German DE 196 24 227 A1, and DE 29 34 615 A1 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,797,466.
In general, piston configurations with recesses or depressions in the piston crown are used to bring about flow effects including swirling flows of various kinds in the combustion chamber it being the intention to improve the mixing of air and fuel and thus to improve homogenization of the fuel/air mixture, thus increasing combustion efficency.
There is a fundamental distinction between two different types of flow in a combustion chamber: swirling flow which is a vortical motion of the fuel/air mixture about the longitudinal axis of the cylinder of the internal combustion engine; and tumbling flow, on the other hand, which is a vortical motion about an axis parallel to a transverse axis of the cylinder. The aim of the recesses mentioned above is to reinforce the degree of turbulence within the combustion chamber defined by the cylinder or to otherwise deflect such flows.
A disadvantage with the known embodiments of recesses in the piston crown of the pistons of internal combustion engines is the still relatively poor mixing and the consequent stratification of the fuel/air mixture in the combustion chamber and the associated increase in the tendency to knock, despite the efforts made to bring about flow effects.


A duty cycle correction circuit comprises first and second pulse generators, a clock dividing unit, a detecting unit, and a pulse width control unit. The first pulse generator is configured to generate a first edge of a first pulse signal in synchronization with a first edge of a first clock signal, and the second pulse generator is configured to generate a first edge of a second pulse signal in synchronization with a second edge of the first pulse signal. The clock dividing unit is configured to generate a second clock signal by dividing the frequency of the first clock signal. The detecting unit is configured to generate a detecting signal according to the second clock signal and a time interval between the first edge of the first pulse signal and a second edge of the second pulse signal. In particular, pulse widths of the first and second pulse signals are the same and are adjustable according to a control signal from the pulse width control unit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a duty cycle correction circuit for providing a clock signal with a half duty cycle or a one-Nth duty cycle.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a delay locked loop (DLL) is used in a synchronous semiconductor memory device, such as a double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), to perform synchronization between an internal clock signal and an external clock signal of the synchronous semiconductor memory device. A DDR SDRAM employs a rising edge and a falling edge of a clock signal to process data so as to increase the operation speed of data. As the operational speed of the DDR SDRAM is increased, performance of the DDR SDRAM is greatly affected by the DLL. Therefore, since design margin decreases with an increase of duty error, having a correct duty cycle of the internal clock is important. Reliable data transmission is achieved when the duty cycle is equivalent to 50%, and a duty cycle correction circuit applied to the DLL is required for ensuring sufficient design margin of the duty cycle.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,576,581 provides a circuit for correcting a duty cycle. The circuit configured to correct a duty cycle includes a digital conversion block, a duty ratio information analyzing block, and a duty ratio control block. An output clock signal having a duty cycle equivalent to 50% is obtained by mixing phases of rising and falling clock signals rclk and fclk with a phase mixing unit, wherein the signal fclk is generated by controlling a falling edge of a selected delayed clock signal and the signal rclk is generated by controlling a falling edge of an input clock signal. U.S. Pat. No. 7,428,286 provides an apparatus for correcting duty cycle of clock signals used in semiconductor memories. The duty cycle correction apparatus comprises a delay line block, a DCC phase mixer, a phase mixer controller and a phase comparator. The DCC phase mixer corrects a duty cycle of an external clock signal to 50% by mixing an external inversion clock signal and a delay line output inversion clock signal. The aforementioned circuits all require a phase mixer to correct the duty cycle of a clock signal. However, the phase mixer comprises a plurality of drivers to implement pull-up and pull-down functions, and therefore consumes a large amount of power and requires a large silicon area.
Accordingly, there is a need to provide a circuit and method for correcting the duty cycle of a clock signal. The corrected duty cycle can be employed in a synchronous semiconductor memory device, such as a DDR SDRAM, to improve operation efficiency.

Elite Semiconductor Memory Technology Inc.


A high efficiency, linear DC power supply circuit includes a pulse width modulator stage for reducing a higher DC source voltage to a lower DC operating voltage at high efficiency, an energy storage device, a linear voltage regulator, and a feedback circuit. The feedback circuit monitors the voltage across the linear voltage regulator and sends a frequent or continuous feedback signal to the pulse width modulator to maintain a relatively fixed voltage across the linear regulator regardless of nominal variations in source voltage, operating temperature, load current, noise, or other shifting parameters. By monitoring only the voltage across the linear regulator, a significant enhancement in performance of the power supply circuit is realized.

The present invention relates to a high efficiency, linear DC power supply. More particularly, the present invention relates to an innovative linear DC power supply which takes a higher DC (or rectified ac) voltage from a source, reduces it to a lower DC voltage with low regulation and electrical noise for a load, includes a pulse-width-modulation (PWM) stage and a linear voltage regulation stage arranged in series, with the PWM stage and tile linear voltage regulation stage coupled with an energy storage means, and coordinated by a feedback circuit.
The present invention draws power from essentially any DC or rectified AC source, outputs DC power to essentially any type of load (though is optimized for electronic loads), offers high efficiency as compared with past art, attenuates the electrical noise inherent in a DC or rectified AC source equal to or better than past art, adds little or no electrical noise of its own, and can be built with fewer and less expensive parts. Because of this combination of traits, the present invention is useful in a wider range of applications and at lower cost, and thereby represents a new and useful invention.
The use of DC electronic appliances such as telephone answering machines and portable computers in mobile applications (recreational vehicles, autos, boats, etc) and in solar electric applications has risen dramatically in recent years. Although such appliances might be powered by dedicated batteries, power derived from a mobile or solar electric battery bank is often more convenient and economical to use.
A power supply is usually required for satisfactory and reliable operation of such electronic appliances in such environments. Battery bank voltage must usually be reduced to a lower level, delivered voltage held steady (regulated) regardless of variations in bank voltage or current draw by the appliance, and transient voltages which might be generated by a variety of sources and broadly referred to as "noise" attenuated.
For example, charging typically raises battery bank voltage by about a volt, heavy loads which share the bank can pull down voltage by an equal amount, and ignition coils and motors routinely generate potentially interfering and damaging transient voltages. Moreover, using a higher voltage boost to start a engine or connecting jumper cables improperly may cause immediate damage. Meanwhile, current draw by a typical electronic load such as a telephone answering machine may vary from 100 milliamperes when idle, to 1.2 amperes as the tape drive motor first activates.
Prior art for DC power supplies falls into several basic categories. Dropping resistors are perhaps the simplest and least expensive solution. For example, placing a, 12 ohm dropping resistor between a 24 volt battery bank and a 12 volt appliance drawing one ampere of current results in correct voltage delivery. However, as much power is dissipated in this dropping resistor as in the load, bank variations and noise are attenuated by only half, and delivered voltage changes as the appliance draws more or less current. A voltage divider, wherein the dropping resistor is referenced to both the positive and negative terminals of the bank and the load connected intermediate, somewhat stabilizes delivered voltage. However, improvement is at further expense to efficiency.
Although tapping individual cells of a battery bank to reduce voltage leads to imbalance, a Vanner power supply effectively splits a bank employing two identical batteries connected in series in half. Power is drawn first from one battery, and then from the other. While efficiency is high and delivered voltage as the appliance draws more or less current steady, only a single voltage can be obtained (half the series voltage), and bank voltage variations and noise are attenuated by no more than half.
Another solution is using a DC inverter to convert battery bank voltage to AC, and then using an AC-to-DC adaptor to convert the result back to DC at the correct voltage. Though credible, this solution is probably too expensive and bulky for most applications.
Buck regulators, which are becoming popular in prior art, provide DC voltage reduction at efficiencies in the low to mid 80 percent range, good regulation, and good attenuation of noise from external sources. Typically, a Buck regulator outputs high frequency PWM pulses (in the 50 kHz range) into what is essentially a dampened LC filter. Because the effectiveness of reactive elements increases directly with frequency, only relatively small values of L and C are needed. A DC output for the load is taken directly from this filter. Regulation is accomplished as the instantaneous voltage developed across this filter is fed back to the regulator, compared with a reference voltage, and PWM adjusted accordingly.
One disadvantage of Buck regulators is that because PWM is at radio frequency, switching losses within the regulator are invariably substantial. Another disadvantage is that the LC filter never completely smooths the PWM pulses, particularly as the load draws more current. For this reason, a Buck regulator is not useful with an electronic appliance having components operating near the PWM oscillation frequency (such as an am radio) or some harmonic multiple. A further disadvantage is that means for interference rejection such as shielding, use of short leads, and positioning of components may be necessary to minimize unwanted electric, magnetic, and electromagnetic coupling.
A linear voltage regulator is perhaps the best solution if relatively little load current is required. For example, a widely available and inexpensive three terminal linear voltage regulator reduces supply voltage to a preset or adjustable lower level, regulates for both bank and load variations thereby holding delivered voltage steady, and attenuates noise. Viewed with an oscilloscope, a straight line (linear voltage) is seen across the load.
However, like dropping resistors, linear voltage regulators dissipate energy in proportion to voltage dropped. For example, a 4 watt (internal dissipation) linear voltage regulator drawing power from a 24 volt battery bank and supplying power to a 6 volt load has an efficiency of less than 25 percent, and can continuously output no more than about 0.22 amperes of current. Although units capable of supplying more current and dissipating more heat are available, use is infrequent because of higher cost, the need for expensive heat sinking and perhaps a cooling fan, and battery bank drain.
A linear voltage regulator needs to receive an operating voltage which is high enough to power the load, provide for internal operation, and stay below the noise level which may be present in the supply. Voltage in excess of this amount serves no useful purpose, and is simply dissipated as heat. For example, the optimal operating voltage for a particular regulator powering a 6 volt load might be 7.5 volts, of which 6 volts goes to the load, 0.5 volts to internal operation, and 1 volt to staying below noise levels.

Feedback circuit for high efficiency linear DC power supply


The present invention provides purified and isolated polynucleotide sequences encoding the novel G protein-coupled receptor kinase designated GRK6. Also provided by the invention are methods and materials for the recombinant production of GRK6 enzyme and methods for identifying compounds which modulate the protein kinase activity of GRK6.

Serpentine or seven transmembrane receptors mediate signals for a wide variety of stimuli, including neurotransmitters, hormones, chemoattractants, odorants, and light [Dohlman et al., Ann. Rev. Biochem., 60: 653-688 (1991); Probst et al., DNA and Cell Biol., 11:1-20 (1992)]. These receptors share several common structural features, including an extracellular amino terminus, seven transmembrane spanning domains, and a cytoplasmic carboxy terminus with clustered serine and threonine residues. More than 100 members of this superfamily of receptors have been identified. These receptors are coupled to intracellular signal transduction pathways by heterotrimeric GTP-binding proteins (G proteins) [Linder et al., Sci. Am., 267:56-65 (1992)].
Two G protein-coupled signal transduction mechanisms have been especially well characterized: the hormone responsive .beta..sub.2 -adrenergic receptor mediates catecholamine stimulation of adenyl cyclase [Dohlman et al., supra] and the light receptor rhodopsin mediates phototransduction in retinal rod cells [Khorana, J. Biol. Chem., 267:1-4 (1992)]. Both receptors specifically interact with G proteins following activation by ligand. This receptor stimulation is tightly regulated such that interaction with ligand leads to a rapid and reversible loss of responsiveness of the receptor to subsequent stimulation. The process is termed homologous desensitization and is caused by phosphorylation of the receptor, usually on a cluster of serines and threonines present at the carboxy terminus [Lefkowitz, Cell, 74:409-412 (1993)]. Such phosphorylation is mediated by specific protein kinases which recognize the ligand-occupied receptor [Palczewski et al., Trends Biochem. Sci., 16:387-391 (1991)]. The .beta. adrenergic receptor kinase (.beta.ARK1) and rhodopsin kinase (RK) have been shown to phosphorylate the activated forms of the .beta.-adrenergic receptor and rhodopsin, respectively. Both proteins have been purified and enzymatically characterized in reconstituted in vitro systems.
Additional lines of evidence suggest that other G protein-coupled receptors may be regulated by specific kinase, Receptor phosphorylation has been shown to be involved in desensitization in a variety of G protein-coupled systems ranging from mammalian cells [such as muscarinic cholinergic receptors, Kwatra et al., J. Biol. Chem., 262:16314-16321 (1987)] to slime mold [the chemotactic cAMP receptor, Klein et al., J. Cell Biol., 100:715-720 (1985)] and yeast [the mating factor .alpha. receptor, Reneke et al., Cell, 55:221-234 (1988)]. In addition, the carboxy terminal domain of most G protein-coupled receptors contains potential phosphorylation sites which may represent catalytic targets for such kinases.
Lorenz et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., 88:8715-8719 (1991) compares the deduced amino acid sequences of human .beta.ARK1 [Benovic et al., Science, 246:235-240 (1989)] and bovine RK and suggests that the two molecules are structurally related. While in principle these two protein kinases could be responsible for the desensitization of the whole family of G protein-coupled receptors, recent identification of other structurally related protein kinases suggests that this is not the case. Sequences encoding three other mammalian G protein-coupled receptor kinases (GRKs) have recently been cloned, rat .beta.ARK2 [Benovic et al., J. Biol. Chem., 266:14939-14946 (1991)], human IT-11 [Ambrose et al., Hum. Mol. Genet., 1:697-703 (1992)] and human GRK5 [Kunapuli et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 90:5588-5592 (1993)], as well as sequences encoding two Drosophila GRKs (GPRK-1 and GPRK-2) [Cassill et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 88:11067-11070 (1991)]. The GRK family has recently been the subject of the review article Lefkowitz, supra. All of the GRKs share the highest structural homology in the centrally located catalytic domain of approximately 250 amino acids. The amino and carboxyl regions surrounding the catalytic domain are less homologous and may confer substrate specificity and subcellular localization, respectively. The GRKs are expressed in a tissue specific manner, which may further aid in the regulation of G protein-coupled signal transduction events.
G protein-coupled receptor kinases that are expressed in leukocytic cells and tissues are likely to aid the function and activities of G protein-coupled receptors expressed in these cells. Consequently, such kinases are likely to be important mediator molecules in the immune system. For example, receptors for a number of chemoattractants including fMetLeuPhe [Thomas et al., J. Biol. Chem., 265:20061-20064 (1990)] and C5a [Gerard et al., Nature, 349:614-617 (1991)] and for the chemokines IL-8 [Holmes et al., Science, 253:1278-1280 (1991)], GRO [Murphy et al., Science, 253:1280-1283 (1991)] and MIP 1 .alpha. RANTES [Neote et al., Cell, 72:415-425 (1993)] have recently been identified as members of the G protein-coupled receptor supeffamily. This suggests that modulation of G protein-coupled receptor kinase activity may influence health and disease states of the immune system in acute and chronic inflammation.
There thus exists a need in the an to identify G protein-coupled receptor kinases that are expressed in cells and tissues of the immune system. Elucidation of the DNA and amino acid sequences encoding such a kinase would provide information and material to allow the development of novel agents that selectively modulate the activity of the protein kinase.


A method for automatically assigning a group address to a first controllable luminaire device of a plurality of controllable luminaire devices. The method determines whether adding the first controllable luminaire device to a logical community of controllable luminaire devices causes a number of controllable luminaire devices within the logical community of luminaire devices to exceed an established threshold. When it is determined that adding the first controllable luminaire device to the logical community of luminaire devices causes the number of controllable luminaire devices within the logical community of luminaire devices to exceed the established threshold, the method automatically assigns to each of the plurality of luminaire devices within the logical community of luminaire devices a group address for use in simultaneously controlling the luminaire devices as a group.

U.S. Pat. No. 10,178,739 describes a method for automatically assigning a controllable luminaire device to a control group for commonly controlling the controllable luminaire devices that are assigned to that control group. A controllable luminaire device may comprise, for example, a luminaire unit with an integrated controller or a luminaire unit that is coupled to a separate controller. The controller includes an interface for coupling the controller to a lighting network and the controller is configured to control the luminaire unit based on commands received from the lighting network via the interface. According to the described method, a sensor value from a sensor unit assigned to a controllable luminaire device is determined. The sensor unit is coupled to the controller such that the controller can communicate the sensor value from the sensor unit to the lighting network. The controllable luminaire device is then assigned to a control group based on the sensor value.

Method for assigning controllable luminaire devices to control groups


The present disclosure relates to a dielectric solder barrier for a semiconductor die. In one embodiment, a semiconductor die includes a substrate, a semiconductor body on a first surface of the substrate, one or more first metallization layers on the semiconductor body opposite the substrate, a via that extends from a second surface of the substrate through the substrate and the semiconductor body to the one or more first metallization layers, and a second metallization layer on the second surface of the substrate and within the via. A portion of the second metallization layer within the via provides an electrical connection between the second metallization layer and the one or more first metallization layers. The semiconductor die further includes a dielectric solder barrier on the second metallization layer. Preferably, the dielectric solder barrier is on a surface of the portion of the second metallization layer within the via.

In the manufacturing of semiconductor devices, vias are often used to interconnect back-side and front-side metallization layers. For instance, radio frequency and power devices (e.g., High Electron Mobility Transistors (HEMTs), Field Effect Transistors (FETs), Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field Effect Transistors (MOSFETs), or Schottky diodes) are fabricated on a semiconductor wafer that may include front-side metallization as well as back-side metallization. The front-side metallization and the back-side metallization are interconnected by vias that extend from the back-side metallization to the front-side metallization. For example, a HEMT may include front-side metallization for source and drain contacts of the HEMT as well as back-side metallization that is interconnected to the front-side metallization by corresponding vias. In this case, the back-side metallization is desired to carry large currents to and from the source and drain of the HEMT.
One issue that arises is that, after dicing of the semiconductor wafer, solder used to mechanically and electrically connect the resulting die to a mounting substrate (e.g., a laminate) during packaging of the die mixes with the back-side metallization. As a result of the mixing, metal (e.g., Tin) from the solder moves through the back-side metallization and can destroy the die. In particular, any solder (e.g., AuSn, AuMo, or the like) that breaches through the back-side and front-side barriers creates a path for the solder to migrate through and degrade the front-side Schottky contact. For example, if the back-side metallization is Gold and the solder is Gold-Tin, the Gold-Tin solder mixes with the Gold back-side metallization. The Tin from the Gold-Tin solder then moves through the Gold back-side metallization and degrades the front-side Schottky contact.
To help prevent the mixing of the solder and the back-side metallization, a thick layer (e.g., a 1 micron thick layer) of Titanium or similar metal is typically deposited over the back-side metallization. However, depositing this thick layer takes a significant amount of time. The wafer may be impacted by the heat to which it is exposed while depositing this thick layer (e.g., a bonded carrier/substrate interface may be impacted by the heat). In addition, a significant amount of stress is created by this metal deposition.

Dielectric solder barrier for semiconductor devices


The smoking pipe of the present invention generally includes a base and a mouthpiece. The base includes a bowl for placement of loose tobacco and also includes a channel that extends from the bowl out the front of the base. The base further includes a permanent magnet that is embedded within the base and located above the channel. The mouthpiece is a component that is separate and distinct from the base. The mouthpiece includes a channel that extends the full length of the mouthpiece. Further, the mouthpiece incorporates a permanent magnet that is embedded within the mouthpiece and located above the channel. The mouthpiece is generally movable between two positions relative to the base. The first is a smoking position where the mouthpiece is held tight to the base such that the channels of the mouthpiece and base are aligned for smoking. The second is a transportation position in which the mouthpiece is held tight to the base such that the mouthpiece covers the bowl maintaining any loose tobacco within. The smoking pipe is of minimal dimensions allowing for the pipe to be easily carried within the palm of the hand or a shirt or pants pocket.

Smoking pipes typically include a bowl that is connected to a mouthpiece via a conduit. The bowl holds loose tobacco, that when lit by fire, can be made to smoke by drawing air through the mouthpiece. As the fire consumes the tobacco, a combination of tobacco and ashes remain in the bowl. Eventually, the fire consumes the tobacco and only ashes are left in the bowl. However, smokers often only consume a portion of the tobacco leaving a situation wherein the bowl must be emptied or capped off in some fashion.
Some smoking pipes do indeed provide a cover for the bowl, allowing the smoker to resume smoking at his/her desire without the necessity of having to carry a pouch full of tobacco to refill the bowl. Thus, a cover allows the smoker to engage in multiple smoking sessions without reloading the bowl, and, without losing tobacco and/or ashes from the bowl. The cover allows the smoker to transport the pipe, however, this is not done with great ease or comfort as most pipes are too large and bulky to fit within a shirt or pants pocket.
As such, there is a need for a compact pipe that may be capped and easily carried within a smoker's pocket. Since the pipe will be carried in a pocket, it is important that the cap not be easily removed by a mere jarring to the pocket.


In a sorter-finisher distributing sheets ejected from a copying machine among a plurality of bins and thereafter stapling the distributed sheets, the plurality of bins can move independently from each other within a first area where the sheets are distributed and a second area where the distributed sheets are stapled. Some of the bins among which the sheets are not distributed are continuously moved to said second area without actuating a stapler, and then the other bins among which the sheets are distributed are moved to the second area one by one actuating the stapler. Further, in the sorter-finisher, a finishing mode which allows an operation of the stapler after a distributing process can be selected in the middle of or even after as well as before the distributing process.

Recently, responding to the increasing demand for automated paper handling systems for copying machines, optional systems such as an automatic document feeding system and a sorting system designed for sorting or grouping copied sheets have been developed and commercialized in various types. The users of the copying machines are now requiring a sorter-finisher capable of automatically binding and stacking sheets which have been distributed in the sorting system, and this type of sorter-finisher has already been commercialized for some of large-sized copying machines. Also, a compact sorter having a plurality of bins disposed one upon another, wherein the bins are moved in order from the top bin to the bottom to enlarge the space between the bins so that sheets are distributed among the bins, has been commercialized.
If a sheet binding function is provided for this type of sorter having movable bins, the bins should be moved to a sheet take-out position where sheets are transported into a binding unit orderly from the bottom bin to the top. However, since sheets are distributed into the bins in order from the top, in a stapling process, the bins are moved one by one to the take-out position orderly from the bottom bin which have no sheets therein Accordingly, This type of sorter-finisher has a problem of loss of time.
Also, in using this type of sorter-finisher, when an operator notices the necessity of a stapling process in the middle of a copying operation without selecting a finishing mode in the first place in which a stapling process is executed, the operator should cancel the current copying operation and thereafter select a copying mode again to start another copying operation. This is troublesome and not economical.

Sorter-finisher with a sheet binding function and a method of operating thereof