Devices having voids are producible by employing an electrochemical corrosion process. For example, an electrically conductive region is formed to have a surrounding chemically distinct region. Such formation is possible through conventional semiconductor processing techniques such as a copper damascene process. The surrounded conducting material is configured to be in electrical communication with a charge separation structure. The electrically conducting region is contacted with a fluid electrolyte and electromagnetic radiation is made to illuminate the charge separation region to induce separation of electrons and holes. The resulting separated charges are used to drive an electrochemical corrosion process at the conductive material/electrolyte interface resulting in the removal of at least a portion of the electrically conducting material. The induced corrosion leaves a void that is useful, for example, as a highly effective dielectric in integrated circuits, functions to allow component separation such as gear separation in microelectromechanical devices or produces long cavities useful for material separation analogous to the distillation columns used in liquid chromatography.

A large variety of devices such as microelectro-mechanical systems (MEMS), and integrated circuits are fabricated by procedures that involve the sequential formation of patterned and unpatterned layers upon a substrate. The formation of such layers generally involves steps such as material formation, e.g. deposition or oxidation steps; material removal, e.g. material etching steps; and/or material patterning steps, e.g. steps involving lithographic processes. The number of different procedures available for accomplishing the desired device layer processing is quite extensive. Texts such as S. Sze, VLSI Technology, McGraw-Hill, 1988, describe the panoply of processing steps available in integrated circuit manufacture. Additionally, many of these integrated circuit fabrication procedures have been adapted for other devices such as MEMS devices and further procedures specific to such devices have also been developed. (For example, see F. E. H. Tay, (Ed.), Materials and Process Integration for MEMS, Springer, 2002 for a description of fabrication procedures used in MEMS formation.)
Exemplary of fabrication techniques used in current generation integrated circuit formation is the damascene procedure for patterning copper interconnections between device structures such as transistors and capacitors. Thus, as shown in FIG. 1, in one example, transistors, 3, including drains, 8, gates, 7 and sources, 5, are produced on substrate, 6, using conventional techniques. Subsequently in the fabrication sequence, a layer such as an insulating layer, 2, is deposited by techniques such as sputtering or chemical vapor deposition. A pattern of trenches, 15, are formed in the insulating layer using conventional photolithographic and dry etching e.g. reactive ion etching, procedures. In one approach, a thin barrier layer such as a tantalum or tantalum nitride layer is deposited in the trench with subsequent formation of a copper seed layer, in turn, on the tantalum or tantalum nitride region. (The seed layer promotes subsequent electrochemical deposition.) Bulk copper is then electrochemically deposited into the trench, 15, and onto the surface of insulating layer, 2. The copper portion lying above trench 15 and on the surface of insulator 2 is removed by chemical-mechanical polishing (CMP) leaving trench 15 filled with copper. Thus the copper interconnects 16 are formed in the pattern of the trenches. Subsequent processing includes for example deposition of layer 17 with patterning and damascene processing of via 12 followed by deposition of an overlying cap layer 14 such as a silicon dioxide, silicon carbide, or silicon nitride layer.
The manufacture in this manner of devices by sequential layer formation leads, in integrated circuits, to a monolithic structure such as shown in FIG. 1. In contrast, MEMS devices are not necessarily monolithic but often include voids or other open areas. For example, MEMS devices designed for chromatographic analysis of very small samples include elongated, straw-like channels that act as chromatography columns. (See for example, D. Banks, Microengineering MEMS and Interfacing: A Practical Guide, CRC Press, 2006 for a description of one such device.) Alternatively, many MEMS structures designed to operate as miniature mechanical machines often require, during formation, the freeing of structures such as gears from the substrate in which such gears are formed. Again, to free the mechanical structure void formation is required. Such result has required techniques not standard to integrated circuit processing. For example, the channels of a microminiature chromatographic column are formed by crystallographically selective etching—a not particularly economic procedure to integrate with standard integrated circuit processing.
It is generally preferable in device formation to use conventional integrated circuit processing techniques. The development of new techniques is frequently a costly task. Additionally, often the use of such techniques requires modification of the processing sequence conventionally used and such techniques possibly are not compatible with the device structures and materials. Thus both this development and the resulting required modifications lead to undesirable cost consequences. Indeed, it is the goal in device processing to eliminate rather than add processing steps while producing economic, conventional or newly emerging devices.

Material removing processes in device formation and the devices formed thereby


Aspects include identifying physical resources in a computer environment, allocating virtual resources to the physical resources, and aggregating the virtual resources, as a virtual resource pool, at a per virtual machine level in the computer environment. Other aspects include evaluating the virtual resources in the virtual resource pool against resource pool domain constraints, and determining a resource allocation adjustment as a function of the evaluating. The resource allocation adjustment is configured to achieve a maximum specified virtual machine density.

The present invention relates to computer resource management, and more specifically, to controlling virtual machine density and placement distribution in a converged infrastructure resource pool.
A contemporary virtual machine (VM) is a software implementation of a machine (i.e., a computer) that executes programs like a physical machine. The VM typically emulates a physical computing environment, but requests for central processing unit (CPU), memory, hard disk, network and other hardware resources are managed by a virtualization layer which translates these requests to the underlying physical hardware. VMs are created within a virtualization layer, such as a hypervisor or a virtualization platform that runs on top of a client or server operating system. The virtualization layer is typically used to create many individual, isolated VMs within a single, physical machine. Multiple VMs are typically used in server consolidation, where different services that were previously run on individual machines are instead run in isolated VMs on the same physical machine.
A persistent challenge to providers of cloud hosting and other network management services is the efficient use of system resources. Efficient allocation of VMs to different network nodes, e.g., network servers, is desired in order to maximize the use of network resources and reduce the number of physical servers and/or physical resources required to provide computing services to customers. Modern virtual machine management software seeks either consolidation of VMs for power savings or load-balancing for performance.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Controlling virtual machine density and placement distribution in a converged infrastructure resource pool

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION


The present disclosure relates to a pre-5th-generation (5G) or 5G communication system to be provided for supporting higher data rates beyond 4th-generation (4G) communication system such as a long term evolution (LTE). Various examples of the present disclosure provide a method of allocating sounding reference signal (SRS) resources. A base station of a target cell receives information of first cell edge terminals in an adjacent cell transmitted by the adjacent cell. The base station allocates SRS resources for a terminal in the target cell according to information of second cell edge terminals in the target cell and the information of the first cell edge terminals, and transmits information of the allocated SRS resources to the terminal. According to the mechanism, when there are cell edge terminals in both the target cell and the adjacent cell, it can be guaranteed that all SRS resources allocated to cell edge devices in the target cell are orthogonal to those allocated to cell edge devices in the adjacent cell. Thus, the impact of pilot contamination on system performances may be remarkably reduced.

To meet the demand for wireless data traffic, which has increased since deployment of 4th-generation (4G) communication systems, efforts have been made to develop an improved 5th-generation (5G) or pre-5G communication system. Therefore, the 5G or pre-5G communication system is also called a 'beyond 4G network' or a 'post long-term evolution (LTE) system'.
It is considered that the 5G communication system will be implemented in millimeter wave (mmWave) bands, e.g., 60 GHz bands, so as to accomplish higher data rates. To reduce propagation loss of radio waves and increase a transmission distance, a beam forming technique, a massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technique, a full dimensional MIMO (FD-MIMO) technique, an array antenna technique, an analog beam forming technique, and a large scale antenna technique are discussed in 5G communication systems.
In addition, in 5G communication systems, development for system network improvement is under way based on advanced small cells, cloud radio access networks (RANs), ultra-dense networks, a device-to-device (D2D) communication, a wireless backhaul, a moving network, a cooperative communication, coordinated multi-points (COMP), reception-end interference cancellation, and the like.
In the 5G system, a hybrid frequency shift keying (FSK) and quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) modulation (FQAM) and a sliding window superposition coding (SWSC) as an advanced coding modulation (ACM) scheme, and a filter bank multi carrier (FBMC) scheme, a non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) scheme, and a sparse code multiple access (SCMA) scheme as an advanced access technology have been developed.
MIMO, one of key techniques for cellular mobile communication systems, can linearly increase the spectrum efficiency of a wireless communication system by effectively exploiting the spatial-domain resources. In order to enhance the spectrum efficiency, a transmitting end may first obtain channel state information (CSI) to perform common MIMO signal processing procedures such as precoding, beamforming, etc. to use the spatial domain resources effectively. Therefore, the key to performance improvement of a MIMO system lies in obtaining accurate CSI by the transmitting end.
In a time division duplexing (TDD) system, there is channel reciprocity between uplink channels and downlink channels. Thus, uplink channel information obtained from uplink channel estimation by a base station may be regarded as the equivalent of downlink channel information. Terminals may transmit sounding reference signals (SRS) in uplink channels to assist uplink channel estimation. The SRS is generated using specific pseudo-random sequences, e.g., Zadoff-Chu (ZC) sequences. Information of the sequences is already known by the terminals and base stations. After a ZC sequence is transmitted in an uplink channel, a base station may apply coherent detection and demodulation to a received signal sequence using a corresponding ZC sequence, and obtain estimated CSI of the uplink channel. The base station may perform MIMO signal processing, such as precoding, beamforming, etc., using the obtained CSI to improve system spectral efficiency.
Design of SRS resource mapping and allocation scheme is one of most important subjects in communication systems. Long term evolution (LTE) systems based on evolved universal terrestrial radio access (E-UTRA) standard of 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) have dedicated SRS resource mapping and allocation scheme. Since there are limited numbers of orthogonal pseudo-random sequences, pseudo-random sequences allocated to different terminals may not be strictly orthogonal to each other. Base stations may allocate SRS resources to terminals using plural multiplexing methods. Specifically, SRS resources may refer to a pseudo random sequence used by the SRS, frequency domain resources, time domain resources, or code domain resources used for transmitting the SRS, or the like. For example, multiplexing methods in the frequency domain may include comb-type pilot arrangement, frequency-hopping, etc.; multiplexing methods in the code domain may include multiple pseudo-random sequences of different cyclic shifts (CS) of the same pseudo-random sequence, or the like.
FIG. 1a is a schematic diagram illustrating a comb-type pilot arrangement. In a time slot, resources of odd-numbered sub-carriers are allocated to terminal 1 for transmitting SRS1, and resources of even-numbered sub-carriers are allocated to terminal 2 for transmitting SRS2. SRS1 and SRS2 may be the same pseudo random sequence. Although SRS resources can be reused, LTE systems are still short of SRS resources. For example, in each time slot, at most 16 full-bandwidth SRS transmissions can be performed, which uses 2 comb-type pilots and 8 different pseudo-random sequences generated using different CSs. SRS is transmitted periodically in an LTE system. In order to further increase the system capacity for SRS and to accommodate more terminals, the LTE Advanced system introduces non-periodic SRS transmission into the LTE system, which enables a base station to configure a terminal to perform only one SRS transmission instead of multiple SRS transmissions according to practical requirements.
In the same cell, a base station may allocate orthogonal SRS resources to different terminals. When the terminals transmit SRS in respective uplink channels, SRS received from different terminals by the base station are orthogonal to each other, and the base station can obtain correct channel estimation results to obtain correct CSI of each uplink channel based on the received SRS. But SRS resources allocated to terminals in different cells may be not orthogonal to each other, i.e., the SRS resources may collide with each other. For example, an LTE system may use different CSs of different ZC root sequences as pseudo-random sequences of SRS resources allocated by different cells on the same time/frequency resources. Although different CSs of the same ZC root sequence are orthogonal to each other, pseudo-random sequences obtained from different ZC root sequences are not orthogonal to each other. Root sequences are allocated to different cells according to cell IDs. Thus, SRS resources of different cells are not orthogonal to each other.
When non-orthogonal SRS resources are allocated to terminals in different cells, a base station may receive uplink SRS signals from terminals of other cells when receiving uplink SRS signals from terminals in a local cell. The SRS signals received by the base station include interference of SRS signals transmitted by terminals in other cells. This is referred to as pilot contamination.
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating pilot contamination. When SRS1 and SRS2 are not orthogonal to each other, channel estimation performances may become worse due to the interference, and the accuracy of subsequent signal processing based on the channel estimation is also greatly reduced which reduces system capacity and spectral efficiency. When the number of antennas of a base station increases, the situation becomes worse.
Large-scale MIMO (or massive MIMO) is one of candidate techniques of the fifth generation (5G) cellular communication systems. Massive MIMO systems have sufficient spatial degrees of freedom in signal processing, thus can eliminate inter-terminal interference and inter-cell interference with low computational complexity (because only algorithms with linear computational complexity are involved). Theoretically, the uplink/downlink achievable signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of massive MIMO systems increases with the number of antennas, thus the system capacity is increased remarkably. In practice, however, system capacity performance of massive MIMO systems is severely degraded by pilot contamination. Due to pilot contamination, massive MIMO systems may obtain poor channel estimations. The poor channel estimations may then results in severe co-channel interferences in subsequent processing, such as downlink pre-processing and uplink post-processing. The co-channel interferences may reduce or even eliminate the gain obtained from the massive antenna deployment, and the system capacity becomes interference-limited. Terminals located at the cell edge areas (simply referred to as cell edge terminals) are exposed to more serious pilot contamination than terminals located at the central area of a cell (simply referred to as cell center terminals), especially when terminals in different cells are all cell edge terminals of cells adjacent to each other. Thus, it is desirable to design a new scheme for SRS resources allocation which considers information such as different user locations, channel quality and user transmitting power to address the pilot contamination problem in massive MIMO systems and to increase system capacity.
Conventional LTE systems include TDD LTE systems and FDD LTE systems according to the different duplexing modes adopted by the systems. The TDD mode features asymmetric uplink/downlink traffic, according to which uplink/downlink time domain resources can be allocated flexibly by adjusting the uplink to downlink subframe ratio according to uplink/downlink traffic requirements. The TDD module, however, generates larger time delay, especially in processing hybrid automatic re-transmission requests (HARQ). Further, the TDD mode introduces interference between uplink and downlink, which increases the complexity of interference management. The FDD mode generates smaller time delay, and the interference management is less complex. Under the FDD mode, there is no uplink/downlink reciprocity. A base station cannot obtain CSI of a downlink channel from channel estimation of an uplink channel, and may rely on terminals to feed back CSI via additional resources, which in turn reduces system spectrum efficiency. In view of the foregoing, a hybrid division duplexing (HDD) mode is more flexible and efficient.
FIG. 3a is a schematic diagram illustrating a frame structure in an HDD system. The HDD mode integrates the TDD mode and the FDD mode. In a cell adopting pairs of carriers, a user terminal may communicate with a base station over a primary carrier and a secondary carrier according to a pre-determined communication mode. Specifically, if all of subframes in the secondary carrier are uplink subframes, the user terminal may communicate with the base station over the primary carrier and the secondary carrier under the FDD mode. If subframes in the secondary carrier are multiplexed in the time domain into uplink subframes and downlink subframes, the user terminal may communicate with the base station using downlink resources in the primary carrier and uplink resources in the secondary carrier, or downlink resources in the secondary carrier and uplink resources in the secondary carrier, under the FDD mode. An HDD system adds an uplink subframe into a downlink frame structure in conventional LTE systems for the FDD mode. The uplink subframe is for purposes such as transmission synchronization, SRS transmission, and so on. The frame structure for the TDD mode remains unmodified. The HDD mode inherits advantages of both the TDD mode and the FDD mode in LTE systems, i.e., simple CSI feedback scheme which is implemented by channel estimation, short time delay, and asymmetric uplink/downlink traffic adaptation. Thus, the HDD mode is an important duplex scheme in future 5G cellular communication standards.
In massive MIMO systems, the increased number of antennas may result in a rapid increase in the number of accurate CSI required by base stations, and there is an urgent need of obtaining CSI in massive MIMO systems. Under the HDD mode, a base station may obtain CSI from channel estimation based on previous FDD downlink frame structure in a primary carrier and TDD downlink frame structure in a secondary carrier. Further, special subframes in a frame structure in a primary carrier may be specially designed to increase SRS capacity. Thus, it is desirable for a base station in a massive MIMO system to adopt the HDD mode with a proper SRS resources allocation scheme to effectively reduce the impact of pilot contamination on system performances, achieve the gain provided by the massive antenna array, and increase system capacity.
The above information is presented as background information only to assist with an understanding of the present disclosure. No determination has been made, and no assertion is made, as to whether any of the above might be applicable as prior art with regard to the present disclosure.

Method and apparatus of allocating sounding reference signal resources


A method for obtaining warranty registration of products, facilitating return of lost products, and expediting warranty service on defective products comprising providing a unique identifier on or within each product; providing a lost and found system comprising the steps of marking each product with return instructions and a reward offer to any person who finds said product after it has been lost; and offering to return each product to a registered owner in the event said product is lost and returned by said person who finds it if said owner provides data comprising owner identification and date said product was purchased at retail; providing said data to a manufacturer or other warrantor in order to register said warranty.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to methods of registering and managing warranty information for consumer products, and for providing warranty service to consumers.
2. Description of Prior Art
It is common for an identification card or reply post card to be included in products to request data to help register and link the product's serial number with warranty and ownership data. Such ownership data includes the owners name, address, date of purchase or installation of the product, name of dealer or store, and may also include installer's name, age, income range, reason for purchase, and other demographic information. The data is usually supplied on a postcard ("warranty card") or at a warranty registration web site. Most purchasers of such products do not complete and mail in these warranty cards or go online to bother to register the warranty, which is very undesirable for the manufacturers for a number of reasons. The manufacturer desires to know the date the product went into service so as to be able to calculate the expiration date of the warranty and avoid disputes about warranty claims on expired warranties.
Manufacturers of consumer products have attempted to improve the rate at which consumers register the warranties on products for several reasons. These reasons include the desire to track the demographics of the purchasers, to be able to notify consumers of improvements or recalls, and to track the date the product was put in service or purchased in order to determine when the warranty has expired and to avoid having to provide warranty service after the termination of the warranty. For example, see LoVasco, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,208,853, of Mar. 27, 2001 which relates to an automated cell phone product warranty registration system.
Among the methods which manufacturers have tried are contests which a consumer can enter by returning the warranty form and thereby possibly winning a prize. Another method has been to set up online registration web pages which is more convenient for some purchasers than returning a warranty card. However, in spite of expensive campaigns and other efforts of manufacturers of consumer products, it is well known that less than 10% of product warranty cards are returned to the manufacturers and only a small percentage of purchasers bother to go online to register their warranties. A solution to this problem has been long sought.
When a product which is under warranty has a defect or problem which requires returning it to a service location for repair, an owner must first verify with the manufacturer that the product is still under warranty, then the owner must determine the service location, and then the owner must package the product and send it to the service location. These steps are time consuming and for some owners, very difficult to accomplish. This process is also a burden on the manufacturer because the consumer will typically have to call a toll-free manufacturer number to find out the service location and whether the warranty is still in force, as well as details as to how to return the defective product for service.
In the aforementioned Ser. No. 09/562,673, I disclosed a return system and method which employs RFID transponders which are affixed to articles and are used to identify the articles for efficient identification of the owner in the event that a lost article is found. My return system links owner information to a database which can be accessed by a courier service such as Federal Express, UPS, U.S. Postal Service, and the like which has an RFID reader connected to the a client-server computer system such as the Internet.

Product warranty registration system and method


An internally-cooled optical device 10 includes a manifold 14 having two oppositely disposed coolant input ports 18 and two oppositely disposed coolant output ports 20. The input and output ports are. positioned perpendicular to each other. The input coolant flow is divided into macro-channels 28, with. each macro-channel having an associated plurality of micro-channels 34 for carrying the coolant along a surface juxtaposed with a surface of the optical device faceplate. The micro-channels terminate in an exit plenum 36 of the macro channel. The exit plenum tapers down to an orifice 38 connected to a return header 42 for delivering the coolant to the outlet ports. The orifices of the macro-channels are sized according to the length of the micro-channels used in the macro-channel, so that each macro-channel has essentially the same pressure drop, and uniform coolant flow is provided in each macro-channel.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to apparatus for cooling optical devices and, more particularly, to an apparatus for controlling coolant flow within an internally cooled optical device.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Optical devices designed for use with high-energy radiation, such as laser optics and monochromators for X-rays, often require cooling to alleviate the adverse effects of severe thermal buildup that occurs from the absorption of high energy radiation. Excessive thermal buildup can result in thermal distortion of the optical device, which may be caused by material expansion per se, or bending resulting from uneven expansion of the materials of the optical device due to temperature gradients.
In order to alleviate these difficulties, various systems have been developed for cooling such optical devices. An accepted way for cooling these devices is through the use of internal cooling, wherein the optical device is mounted on a cooling manifold for distributing a coolant in proximity to the optical device for providing the required cooling. In order to enhance the cooling efficiency, a typically turbulent coolant flow was desired.
An optical device generally comprises an optical faceplate having an exposed surface for receiving the required radiation. In most instances, the cooled surface of the faceplate material lies within 0.1 mm to 1.0 mm of the exposed faceplate surface; therefore, any extra thickness of the faceplate over the 0.1 to 1.0 mm range is considered to be excess and may be needed only for structural purposes. In order to provide the most efficient cooling possible, the active material should be in close proximity to the coolant; therefore, it is desirable that the faceplate be made as thin as possible.
While it is desirable to have a thin faceplate, this desirable characteristic results in additional problems, in that the thin faceplate is structurally weak and therefore may be adversely affected by the pressure and flow characteristics of the coolant. High coolant pressures can result in high spatial frequency bowing or bending of the faceplate (hydraulic ripple). A turbulent flow of the coolant can generate vibrations in the faceplate. Any displacement or movement of the faceplate surface will distort the resulting image or data.
It has become customary in the art to provide very small cooling channels, which are generally referred to as micro-channels, along the surface of a coolant manifold, with said surface being covered by the faceplate, so that the faceplate essentially forms one wall of the cooling channels. This structure provides the beneficial result that the coolant is in direct contact with the faceplate material, but again subjects the faceplate to coolant pressure and vibration due to turbulent coolant flow.
Most prior art devices have either paid little attention to controlling the flow to each cooling channel, or have micro-managed the flow such that each cooling channel has its own inlet and outlet and flow control means. The former approach results in a simple design but rather uneven cooling that can result in unacceptable thermal distortions in the optical device. The latter approach is extremely complicated, requiring flow control for each micro-channel, resulting in excessively high cost.


The power transmission chain of the present invention is formed of two parallel chains that are phased or offset by approximately one-half pitch. The chains are connected by struts that extend across the entire width of both chains. The power transmission chain belt of this invention provides for a restricting device in the interchain gap of the load block. Offset occurring during the speed change of a continuously variable transmission can be absorbed by the above mentioned gap. In one embodiment, the restricting device is in the form of a stop ring provided near the middle of the gap between the two side-by-side chains.

This invention relates to a power transmission chain belt and, in particular, to a power transmission chain belt for use with a continuously variable transmission (CVT). The belt is comprised of a large number of interleaved link plates which are placed parallel to the chain width direction and carry a number of load blocks or struts for transmission of power to the variable width pulleys of the CVT. The belt is formed of two adjacent chains or chain portions that are offset or phased by one half pitch.
An example of a power transmission chain belt for a CVT is shown in FIG. 12 of the drawings. As shown in FIG. 12, the CVT includes input shaft 101 and output shaft 102, which carry primary (drive) and secondary (driven) pulleys 103, 104, respectively. The chain belt 105 interconnects the primary and secondary pulleys of the CVT.
Primary pulley 103 includes fixed pulley portion 103a, which is fixed to input shaft 101, and moveable pulley 103b, which is moveable along input shaft 101, but does not rotate relative to the shaft. Similarly, secondary pulley 104 includes fixed pulley 104a, which is fixed to output shaft 102, and moveable pulley 104b, which is moveable along output shaft 102, but does not rotate relative to the shaft. The effective diameters of pulleys 103 and 104 are changed by movement of the moveable pulley portions 103b, 104b, which is caused by operation of hydraulic actuators, as is known in the art. In this manner, the speed change ratio between the input and output shafts can be varied continuously.
The chain belt is shown in FIG. 13 and includes two chains or chain portions 110, 111. The chain also includes load blocks or struts 112, which are arranged in the direction of the length of the chain and extend across the width of the chain. The chains 110, 111 are connected alternately by the struts passing between both chain widths. The pulleys contact the outside edges of the struts to pass power between the chain and the pulleys.
The chains are each comprised of link plates that are connected by connecting pins 106, 107. Protrusion 118 is formed at the connection of the chain to each strut to prevent displacement of the strut in the chain width direction (the left to right direction in FIG. 13). Protrusion 118 is formed by a punching tool that is applied to the side of strut 112. Also, the protrusion 118 is formed, as shown in FIG. 14, so that to engage part d or part e of the link at the tips of V-shaped leg parts 121 and 122 or link plate 120. Thus protrusion 118 engages with parts d and e and prevents the release of strut 112 from the chain link plate.
The speed ratio between the input and output shafts is changed by moving the moving pulleys 103b, 104b on the primary and secondary shafts during the operation of the CVT. An offset occurs between pulleys 103 and 104, as shown in FIG. 12, when the speed ratio between the primary and secondary shafts is not one to one. Accordingly, in such a condition, a force acts on the chain belt 105 in the chain width direction, and each strut 112 tends to move in that direction, i.e., the length direction of the strut.
Although release of the strut from the link plate is prevented by protrusion 118 at strut 112, the protrusion is not very large in length. Therefore, the protrusion wears gradually under repeated action of the force in the chain width direction and the release of the strut 112 from link plate 120 may eventually occur.
As shown in FIG. 14, protrusions 118 are placed against part d and part e of the tips of the link plate leg parts 121, 122. The rigidity of the link plate leg parts is not exceptionally high. Therefore, under repeated action of force in the chain width direction, leg parts 121, 122 twist in their thickness direction and, as a result, displacement of the strut 112 gradually increases. Eventually, the protrusion may slide over leg parts 121, 122 so that the strut is no longer held to the link plate.
The present invention is directed to such a situation and offers a chain belt in which the strut is held to the link plate with greater assurance.

Phased continuously variable transmission chain


An automatic vehicular ventilating system ventilates the passenger room of a vehicle such as automobiles, aircraft, railway passenger cars and ships to maintain air in the passenger room at a fixed temperature automatically. The automatic vehicular ventilating system includes a solar power supply unit having a solar panel as a power supply, a first switch responsive to the output of a thermostat, and a second switch in communication with at least at least one of an ignition switch of the vehicle and a hand brake of the vehicle; an exhaust unit having an air exhaust damper; and a fresh air supply unit having an air supply damper. The air exhaust damper and the air supply damper are driven by electric power supplied from the solar power supply unit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an automatic vehicular ventilating system capable of maintaining the temperature of the passenger room of all kinds of vehicles including automobiles, such as passenger cars and trucks, railway passenger cars, aircraft and ships in a specified temperature range without adversely affecting the air-conditioning effect of the associated air-conditioning system.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The passenger room of a vehicle is ventilated naturally through the side windows or the roof window or forcibly by the air-conditioning system. However, such natural ventilation needs some one to open the side windows or the roof window and it may be inappropriate to open the side windows or the roof window on a rainy day. Forced ventilation using the air-conditioning system will reduce power available for driving the vehicle for running, and the operation of the air-conditioning system for an extended period of time will increase the fuel consumption of the engine. The conventional automobile is not provided with any ventilating system capable of automatically ventilating the passenger room while the same is parked and, consequently, the temperature of the passenger room rises to a very high temperature in the range of 60.degree. C. to 70.degree. C. if the automobile is parked with the windows closed under a burning sun in the middle of summer. An infant will be dehydrated to death if the infant is confined in such a hot passenger room for along time. Likewise, the magnetic tapes of tape cassettes will be ruined and the frames of glasses will be deformed if such objects are kept in such a hot passenger room. Nevertheless, any effective means for obviating such troubles has not been proposed.


A camera viewfinder reflector for directing light from an indicator outside the line-of-sight of the viewfinder into the viewfinder is provided. The reflector may be combined with an existing element of the camera assembly, such as a leaf spring, or may comprise a separate, distinct reflector component. Light from an indicator on the pc-board of the camera is reflected from a portion of the reflector that is located in the viewfinder at the periphery of the viewfinder lens assembly in fixed optical alignment with the ocular lens of the viewfinder.

The present invention relates to the field of cameras and, more particularly, to a reflector for directing light from an indicator located outside the viewfinder""s line-of-sight into the viewfinder.
In order to manufacture a compact and low cost camera, it is desirable that all electronic components be surface mounted to the pc-board. To provide an indicator light in the viewfinder, a surface-mount technology (SMT) LED is mounted to the camera pc-board. However, there is no direct line-of-sight from the SMT LED on the pc-board to the line-of-sight of the user using the viewfinder. Traditionally, non-SMT LEDs include a tiny bowl shaped reflector to direct light from the LED substrate. However, there exist LEDs that do not have an internal reflector. Rather, external optical solutions, such as light pipes and/or prisms have been used to direct the light from the LED to the desired viewing area. In a compact camera system using a LED, the addition of a separate light pipe or prism can be cumbersome and costly.
What is needed is an external LED reflector that directs light emitted from the LED into the viewfinder and which is low cost. These objects and others are met with the present invention.
The present invention is directed to a new and improved camera viewfinder reflector for directing light from an indicator outside the line-of-sight of the viewfinder into the viewfinder. In one embodiment the reflector is combined with an existing element of the camera assembly.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent in the description which follows.


A syringe adapter with a ball-typed valve has a base, a dosing tube mounted around the base and a resilient valve mounted in the base and the dosing tube. The base has a guiding groove and an inner liquid channel communicating with each other, as well as an exhaust channel. Liquid medicine injected into the syringe adapter flows through the guiding groove and causes the inner liquid channel to be injected into a patient's body. The liquid medicine remaining in the split is cleaned when cleaning fluid is injected to clean the syringe adapter. Air in the syringe adapter flows out through the exhaust channel and is not injected into the patient's body, so the patient is free from pain. Furthermore, elements and assembling processes of the syringe adapter are simplified and manufacturing cost of the syringe adapter is lowered.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a syringe adapter with a ball-typed valve, especially to a syringe adapter that allows a needleless syringe to inject liquid medicine therethrough.
2. Description of the Prior Art(s)
In order to reduce needle shots for patients undergoing medical examinations like a blood test, a syringe adapter is mounted on a delivery pipe of an intravenous bag or mounted directly on the patient. By so doing, nutrition or liquid medicine can be injected into the patient through the syringe adapter and the patient does not have to go through the discomfort of repeated injections.
A conventional syringe adapter, such as a BI-DIRECTIONAL VALVE AND METHOD OF USING SAME (U.S. Pat. No. 5,782,816) or a FLUID HANDLING DEVICE AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME (U.S. Pat. No. 7,520,489), has a dosing tube and a resilient valve. The resilient valve is mounted in the dosing tube. The resilient valve has a peripheral protrusion formed around the resilient valve and abutting an inner surface of the dosing tube to securely seal the open ends of the dosing tube when the conventional syringe adapter is not in use. Thus, when a needleless syringe is inserted into the dosing tube, the resilient valve is pressed and arced, so a flowing space is formed between the resilient valve, the open ends and the inner surface of the dosing tube. Then, liquid medicine is injected into a patient through the conventional syringe adapter.
However, the conventional syringe adapter has the following disadvantages. When the needleless syringe is drawn out from the syringe adapter, a negative pressure causes the blood of the patient or the liquid medicine to flow back to and remain in the conventional syringe adapter. Consequently, when injecting again, the blood and the liquid medicine remaining in the conventional syringe adapter is injected back into the patient's body, putting the patient at the risk of infection. Furthermore, air remaining in the dosing tube is also injected into the patient's body. The patient's blood vessel is expanded by the air, causing patient discomfort.
Another conventional syringe adapter, such as a NEEDLELESS ACCESS DEVICE (U.S. Pat. No. 6,228,069), has a tubular body, a cap mounted on and around the body, and a plunger and a spring mounted in the body. The plunger is pulled by the spring and selectively seals an open end of the body. A channel that allows the liquid medicine to flow through and a vent that allows the air in the body to flow out of the conventional syringe adapter are defined between the body and the cap so the air is not injected into the patient's body.
Since the plunger is pulled by the spring, at least four elements for assembling the abovementioned conventional syringe adapter are needed. Thus, manufacturing cost of the conventional syringe adapter is high and manufacturing processes of the conventional syringe adapter is complicated. Moreover, since the metal spring affects the result of a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan, the patient cannot wear the conventional syringe adapter during a MRI check-up. In that case, the intended effect of the conventional syringe adapter, that is, reducing the needle shots for the patients, is not achieved.
To overcome the shortcomings, the present invention provides a syringe adapter with a ball-typed valve to mitigate or obviate the aforementioned problems.


Liquid nutrients are continuously applied to rows of standing crops by pulling a drag hose from a reel located at one end of a field and between two crop rows with a boom having a forward end pivotally connected to an applicator mounted on a tractor and a rearward end supported by a wheel. The boom carries a supply line having a rearward end connected to the drag hose and a forward end connector to the applicator having the same length as the boom. At the opposite end of the field, the tractor and applicator turn 180° while the boom passes over the applicator. The tractor returns down a second plurality of rows back to the first end of the field while the reel simultaneously retracts the hose between the two rows of crops. The reel is moved to a third plurality of rows the steps are repeated.

Various methods and equipment have been proposed and/or used for applying liquid nutrients, such as liquid manure, to large fields before crops are planted or soon after planting, and some of the equipment commonly uses an elongated flexible and hard drag hose which is wound onto a large spool or reel. The inlet of the drag hose receives the liquid manure from a line connected to a pump which receives the liquid from a supply source such as a pond or tank or a tank on a vehicle. The outlet of the hose is connected to a combined tool bar and applicator which is carried into the field by a vehicle such as a farm tractor. The reel with the wound hose may be carried by a trailer pulled by the tractor, for example, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,907,925 and U.S. Pat. No. 7,744,012. It is also known to pull the hose from a supply reel located at an end or middle of the field and back and forth across the field by the tractor and applicator soon after a crop is planted, for example, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,427,612 and U.S. Pat. No. 8,256,692,
It has been determined that the best time for applying liquid manure or liquid nutrients to a field used for growing row crops is after the crops have begun to grow but before they go through the process of using the majority of nutrients they use, for example, after parallel rows of corn have grown over one or two feet. This keeps the nutrients within the liquid from reaching or flowing or leaking into adjacent streams, rivers or lakes. It is also highly desirable to apply the liquid nutrients efficiently without significantly compacting the soil which results when a large reel wound with a drag hose is on a trailer pulled into a field while the liquid is being pumped through the hose or as a result of pulling or transporting a large tank filled with liquid nutrients through the field with a tractor. For example, when a reel having an extended length of drag hose, for example, over 2,000 feet, is filled with the liquid, the combined weight of the reel, drag hose, liquid and trailer is substantial and significantly compacts the soil in the field and can damage the crops, including the end crop rows in the field when the equipment turns to apply the liquid to another group or plurality of crop rows.

Method and apparatus for applying liquid nutrients between parallel rows of standing crops


Device for the ratiometric measurement of sensor signals using an analog/digital converter whose supply voltage is generated by means of a voltage controller, having an operational amplifier which is connected as a voltage follower and whose noninverting input is supplied with the sensor reference voltage and whose output is connected to the supply voltage input via a voltage divider whose tap is fed back to the inverting input of the voltage follower.

The invention relates to a device for the rationmetric measurement of sensor signals.
The demands on the measurement accuracy of sensors in motor vehicle electronics are becoming ever higher. Many measured values are transmitted from the sensor to the processing microcontroller as analog DC voltages Vmexcex2 (0 . . . 5V+0 . . . 100%). The microcontroller digitizes them using an analog/digital converter ADC (e.g. 10 bit ADC: 0 . . . 5V+0 . . . 1023 steps). In an analog/digital converter, the measured voltage Vmexcex2 to be converted is set in relation to a reference value VAref, which is supplied to the analog/digital converter ADC as an analog reference voltage. To convert the analog value to a digital value as accurately as possible, it is therefore desirable for the sensor S and the analog/digital converter ADC to use the same reference voltage.
In motor vehicle electronics, this is generally not possible because the reference voltage VAref used for the analog/digital converter ADC integrated in the microcontroller xcexcC is the supply voltage V5int for the microcontroller xcexcC (VAref=V5int). Since, however, in the event of a short circuit between the sensor reference voltage V5ext and ground or the battery, the microcontroller and hence the engine/transmission control unit need to remain operational, the supply voltage V5int must not be routed to the vehicle wiring harness.
In this context, the notation V5int signifies the internal 5 volt supply voltage for the microcontroller xcexcC, while V5ext signifies the 5 volt reference voltage for the sensor or sensors S arranged outside of the motor control unit ST. The supply voltage for microcontroller and sensors is usually 5 V.
A voltage controller SR having a plurality of mutually independent outputsxe2x80x94V5int, V5extxe2x80x94and a common reference Ref is generally used, see FIG. 1. The mutual discrepancy (tracking error of the controller) which is possible in this context is typically V5intxe2x88x92V5ext=xc2x150 . . . 100 mV. In sensors such as air mass flowmeters, this error (1 . . . 2%) is already an essential proportion of the total error budget.
It is therefore the object of the invention to provide a device for measuring sensor signals which can be used to eliminate or minimize this tracking error.
In the device according to the invention, the reference voltage VAref for the analog/digital converter ADC is isolated from the supply voltage V5int for the microcontroller xcexcC. It followsxe2x80x94in a certain range around the supply voltage V5intxe2x80x94the sensor reference voltage V5ext, so that the tracking error is largely eliminated in this range. This range is defined by the maximum permissible difference between the reference voltage VAref for the analog/digital converter ADC and the supply voltage V5int for the microcontroller xcexcC; in a typical microcontroller used in automobile electronics, it is xc2x1100 V, for example.
An illustrative embodiment in accordance with the invention is explained in more detail below with the aid of a schematic drawing, in which:


Apparatus for dispensing predetermined quantities of particulate material is disclosed which includes a casing defining a dispensing chamber and an inlet tube for delivering material to the chamber. The inlet tube extends into and is surrounded by the chamber. The chamber has an outlet for discharging material from the chamber. A mechanism is provided for effecting relative movement between the tube and the casing whereby to vary the volume of material introduced into the chamber on opening of an inlet valve.

In the production of ceramic articles such as plates by pressing, granular or powdered ceramic materials are introduced into a mould in predetermined quantities and subjected to pressure whereby to form a pressed ceramic article. The quantity of material supplied to the mould at each operation is carefully controlled and modern machines of this kind incorporate a plurality of moulds supplied with material in turn and operate at high production rates, typically in the region of six hundred plates per hour.
Where it is required to alter the size of plate being produced by the machine, the mould requires to be replaced by a mould of greater or lesser volume dependent on the new plate size and in addition it is necessary to modify the dispensing unit of the machine so as to deliver a different quantity or ceramic material to the mould. Hitherto this has been a relatively time consuming and complex operation resulting in many cases in a down time of around forty Five minutes and hence a loss or production of, typically, around flour hundred and fifty plates. It is an object of the present invention to obviate or mitigate this disadvantage.


A semiconductor integrated circuit with a IP test circuit having a IP test circuit, a IP6, a IP7, a COU 4, a SRAM 5. The IP test circuit has a IP test controller 21 including a register 21, a test sequencer 2, a selector 3, and a bus interface 11. Under the control of the IP test controller 1, a test program and test data in serial form are transferred from an external tester through a test data terminal 9 and then converted to the test program and the test data in parallel form. The converted test program and the test data are stored into the SRAM 5. The CPU 4 executes the test operation for the IP6 directly connected to a cpu bus 8. The test sequencer 7 executes the test operation for the IP7 that is not directly connected to the cpu bus 8. The test results are transferred to the external tester through the test data terminal.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor integrated circuit having an Intellectual property (IP) test circuit to be used for testing the operation of each Intellectual property core (hereinafter referred to as IP) such as logical blocks of USB and JPEG, a DRAM, and other logical blocks.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a conventional LSI with plural IP (IP-1 and IP-2). In FIG. 1, the reference numbers 113 and 114 designate IP-1 and IP-2, respectively such as logical blocks of a universal serial bus (USB) and JPEG, a DRAM, and so on. The reference number 111 denotes a CPU. The reference numbers 117 and 118 designate test control terminals. The reference number 110 designates a LSI on which the CPU 111, the IP 113, and the IP 114 are mounted.
In the configuration of the conventional semiconductor integrated circuit shown in FIG. 1, the IP 113 is directly connected to the CPU 111, and the IP 114 is not directly connected to the CPU 111. The IP 113 is connected to an external device (omitted from FIG. 1) through the test control terminal 117. The IP 114 is connected to an external device (omitted from FIG. 1) through the test control terminal 118.
Next, a description will be given of the operation of the conventional semiconductor integrated circuit with the IP shown in FIG. 1.
When the test operation of each IP mounted on the LSI shown in FIG. 1 is executed, the external device such as an external tester (not shown) outputs a test program and test data to the semiconductor integrated circuit (as a LSI) having a plurality of IP. After this, the test operation of each IP is executed in the LSI and then the LSI outputs test results of the test operation to the external tester through the test control terminals 117 and 118. In the configuration of the conventional semiconductor integrated circuit as a LSI, the test control terminals are formed per IP. Through the test control terminals 117 and 118 and the IP bus 115 and 116, test data and control signals to be used for testing each IP are transferred between each IP and the external tester.
Because the conventional semiconductor integrated circuit with plural IP has the configuration described above, it is required to form the test control terminal per IP. Accordingly, the conventional semiconductor integrated circuit has tens of test control terminals or hundreds of test control terminals. Because the number of the test control terminals is increased in proportion to the increasing of the number of the IP, the area to be used for the test control terminals is limited in the semiconductor integrated circuit when the test control terminals are formed on the semiconductor integrated circuit. Moreover, it is impossible to test a plurality of semiconductor integrated circuits simultaneously because of the limitation of the area and the number of the test control terminals. Furthermore, it must be required to use an external tester of more expensive when executing At-Speed test.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is, with due consideration to the drawbacks of the conventional technique, to provide a semiconductor integrated circuit with a IP test circuit that is capable of decreasing the number of test control terminals. Furthermore, the semiconductor integrated circuit with the IP test circuit is capable of executing test operation for the plurality of IP simultaneously even if the semiconductor integrated circuit has the plurality of IP.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a semiconductor integrated circuit with a IP test circuit comprises a plurality of Intellectual Properties (IP), memory means, a central processing unit (CPU), a test sequencer, and a control means. The memory means stores a test program and test data to be used for test operation of the plurality of IP. The CPU reads the test program and the test data stored in the memory means and executes test operation for the plurality of IP. The test sequencer executes test operation for the IP that is not directly connected to the CPU. The control means has a register and the control means instructs an execution of the test program to the CPU and instructs an execution of the test operation to the test sequencer when a mode value is set into the register.
In the semiconductor integrated circuit with the IP test circuit as another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the memory means is a Random Access Memory (ROM). The IP test circuit further comprises a selector and a bus interface. The selector connects the RAM to the test data terminal in order to read the test program and test data in serial form transferred from an external device through the test data terminal. The bus interface then converts the test program and the test data in serial form received through the test data terminal into the test program and test data in parallel form. In the semiconductor integrated circuit with the IP test circuit, the control means stores the test program and the test data into the RAM transferred through the test data terminal, the selector, and the bus interface from the external device when the mode value is set into the register, and transfers a control signal so that the CPU and the test sequencer execute the test operation for the plurality of IP, and outputs a test result to the external device through the test data terminal.
In the semiconductor integrated circuit with the IP test circuit as another preferred embodiment according to the present invention, the memory means is a Read Only Memory (ROM) in which the test program and the test data are stored beforehand.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a semiconductor integrated circuit with a IP test circuit comprises a plurality of IP, a memory means, a CPU, a first bus interface, and a control means. The memory means stores a test program and test data to be used for test operation for the plurality of IP. The CPU reads the test program and the test data stored in the memory means and executes test operation for the plurality of IP. The first bus interface connects a cpu bus, that is directly connected to the CPU, to the IP in the plurality of IP that is not directly connected to the cpu bus. The control means having a register instructs to the CPU an execution of the test operation for both the IP directly connected to the CPU and the IP that is not directly connected to the CPU, and also instructs to the first bus controller an execution so that the cpu bus is connected to the IP that is not directly connected to the CPU when a mode value is set into the register.
In the semiconductor integrated circuit with the IP test circuit as another preferred embodiment according to the present invention, the memory means is a Random Access Memory (RAM). The IP test circuit further comprises a second bus interface for connecting the test data terminal to the RAM in order to receive the test program and the test data in serial form transferred from an external device through the test data terminal, and for converting them into the received test program and test data in parallel form, and for storing the test program and test data in parallel form into the RAM. In the semiconductor integrated circuit, the control means instructs the second bus interface so that the RAM is connected to the test data terminal in order to store the test program and the test data into the RAM, and instructs to the CPU an execution of the test operation for the plurality of IP, and transfers a test result to the external device through the test data terminal.
In the semiconductor integrated circuit with the IP test circuit as another preferred embodiment according to the present invention, the memory means is a Read Only Memory (ROM) in which the test program and the test data are stored beforehand.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a semiconductor integrated circuit with a IP test circuit comprises a plurality of IP, a test sequencer, and control means. In the plurality of IP, one is connected to a Central Processing Unit (CPU), and another is not directly connected to the CPU. The test sequencer connected to each IP executes test operation for the plurality of IP. The control means having a register, instructs an execution of the test operation to the test sequencer when a mode value is set into the register. In the semiconductor integrated circuit, the test sequencer executes the test operation for the plurality of IP based on the instruction from the control means, and then outputs a test result to an external device through the test data terminal.

Semiconductor integrated circuit with IP test circuit


Low serum zinc concentrations in humans have been associated with multiple sclerosis in some patients, particularly those patients under 50 years of age. Increasing the concentration of serum zinc in such patients has been found to lower the number of, or decrease the severity of recurrent attacks and/or improve neurologic function in some patients.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method of treatment of a disease process in humans. More particularly, the invention relates to a method of treatment of humans having multiple sclerosis.
2. Background of the Prior Art
While zinc has heretofor been referred to as a trace element in human nutrition, in reality its concentration in humans is second only to that of iron in the metals. The body of a 70 kg adult contains between 1.4 and 2.3 grams of zinc, about one-half of the amount of iron.
Zinc is found in highest concentrations in the prostate, blood, skin, hair, liver and eyes of man. Seventy-five to eighty percent of the zinc in the blood is associated with the enzyme, carbonic anhydrase in the erythrocytes. Human serum normally contains 98-142 micrograms of zinc per deciliter. Significant quantities of zinc are also found in the muscles, brain, kidneys and spleen. The average adult human normally loses about 2-3 mg of zinc per day. Gastrointestinal losses account for approximately one-half of this total, with the remainder being lost in the urine and sweat. In young men, deficiency causes stunted growth, anemia (from concomitant iron deficiency), enlarged liver and spleen and underdevelopment of genitals and secondary sex characteristics. Deficiency of zinc may be caused by the nature of the diet (high in phytic acid), by the excretion of zinc in perspiration, or by blood loss if there is parasitic infection. In animals, zinc deficiency causes hyperirritability, anorexia, retardation of growth, loss of hair and changes in the skin and sometimes in the cornea.
Zinc is a constituent of several vitally important enzymes in addition to carbonic anhydrase, including carboxypeptidase, alkaline phosphatase, lactic acid and alcohol dehydrogenases. The last named enzymes occur in the eye, and indeed, the eye contains a considerable amount of this metal, as do the testes and the teeth. Zinc seems to be present in the pancreas, and it accompanies insulin when this hormone is crystallized. Diabetic pancreatic tissue contains only half as much zinc as does normal tissue. Zinc is present in the insulin molecule but is not essential to the activity of insulin. Other investigators have claimed that zinc is localized in the .alpha.-cells of the pancreas and have suggested that it is related more to glucagon content than to insulin. There is current evidence indicating that low levels of zinc intake are associated with impairment of the acuity of the senses of taste and smell.
There is increasing evidence that zinc plays an important role in protein biosynthesis and utilization. The addition of small amounts of zinc to a diet containing sub-optimal amounts of a vegetable protein, as indicated by the growth of young rats, causes a pronounced increase in protein utilization and growth. This defect may result from a failure in adequate RNA synthesis. Zinc apparently inhibits the enzyme ribonuclease. Thus, in zinc deficiency, excessive destruction of RNA could occur, which might result in the defects of protein synthesis seen in zinc deficiency as well as the other sequelae observed.
The adult human being ingests from 12 to 20 mg of zinc per day. Although this element is widely distributed, the high content of phytate in certain foods may limit its absorption and result in a deficiency with the clinical symptoms described above. The recommended daily dietary allowance for zinc for the adult is 15 mg, with 20 and 25 mg during pregnancy and lactation, respectively, comparable to the recommended daily dietary allowance for iron.
Ingestion of excessive amounts of zinc leads to vomiting, dehydration, lack of muscle coordination, dizziness and electrolyte imbalances. A 2 gm dose of oral zinc sulfate has been used as an emetic. The lethal dose of zinc sulfate is not known, but it is estimated to be on the order of 15 grams, though it should be noted that zinc is not accumulated by the body.
Zinc has heretofore been used or suggested for use in a number of therapeutic applications, including treatment of acrodermatitis enteropathica, acne and in wound healing, see for example, "Therapeutic Uses of Oral Zinc," U.S. Pharmacist, P. 61, April 1979.
Although the exact structure of phytates are not known, phytates are insoluble, mixed calcium and magnesium salts of phytic acid, which in turn is a hexaphosphate of inositol. Available evidence indicates that phytic acid and its compounds interfere with the absorption of calcium, zinc and iron from the intestinal tract. Unrefined cereals are rich in phytates, but white flour contains little. Hence the phytate problem is not serious in the United States; but in areas of the world where unrefined cereals form a large part of the diet and little calcium is consumed, the interference with calcium absorption may result in serious deficiencies of calcium, including the development of so-called "cereal rickets".
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease marked by scleroses occurring in sporadic patches throughout the brain or spinal cord, or both. Among its symptoms are weakness, incoordination, strong jerking movements of the legs and especially of the arms, amenomania or other abnormal mental exaltation, scanning speech, nystagmus, etc.
In the past 100 years, numerous seemingly unrelated clues have been discovered regarding the pathogenesis and etiology of MS. Epidemiologic reports suggest that the geographical distribution of MS primarily affects inland areas, occurring infrequently in seacoast towns. The disease is rare in the Orient. If immigration occurs before the age of 15 years and patients are reared in a foreign country from early childhood, they develop the incidence of MS of the country to which they have immigrated. The patient who immigrates after 15 years of age will have the incidence of MS of his parent country. The question of an infectious agent such as a virus, has been entertained as an etiology for MS. This disease has never been shown to pass from one animal to another, yet epidemics of MS have been reported. After the age of 50, the incidence of MS is quite low.


A contact and separation column (1) encasing a stack of one or more contact and separation cells (3). Each cell comprises: —a tray (4) with gas flow openings (6) opening into contact and separation units (7); —a downcomer (16) defining a liquid discharge; and —a liquid supply (17). Each contact and separation unit (7) comprises an upstream contact zone (8, 9) with liquid inlets (12), and one or more downstream separation zones (10) provided with a swirler (13) and a top end with a gas outlet (14). The swirler (13) is located at a distance from the gas inlet of from 50 to 90 % of the total length of the contact and separation zone. Process for treating a gas with such a column.

The term gas shall be used herein so as to also include vapour while the term liquid also includes liquid containing gas such as froth. The expression treating liquid is used to indicate compounds, preferably liquids, which selectively removes contaminants such as hydrogen sulphide and/or carbon dioxide by physical and/or chemical phenomena.
Trays for gas/liquid mass transfer containing a cyclonic gas/liquid separation device differ from regular mass transfer trays in their range of applications. A tray in which gas and liquid are contacted and subsequently separated with a cyclonic gas/liquid device can be made significantly more compact than a regular tray where the separation between gas and liquid is by gravitational forces instead of centrifugal forces.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,227,524 describes contact and separation elements (CSE's) for high speed mass transfer trays in which liquid enters the CSE through an annular row of holes into a grid net of vertical vanes dispersing the liquid into small droplets which together with the gas move to the vanes of an axial swirler located directly above the vertical vanes in which swirler the liquid-gas flow is subjected to a rotary motion thereby creating an upwardly moving rotating liquid film. The final gas/liquid separation takes place in the separation zone located in the upper part of the CSE, while the mass transfer mainly takes place in a small zone just above the liquid inlet holes. The amount of liquid entering the contact zone depends on a force balance where the liquid level (as set by the height of the weir) around the CSE provides a hydrostatic force for liquid to enter the CSE. In addition the gas flow inside the CSE induces a suction force which increases inflow of liquid into the CSE. These two forces are balanced by a counterforce resulting from a pressure drop over the CSE, particularly induced by the swirler and the narrowing transition between the upstream contact zone and the downstream separation zone. Ultimately the maximum capacity of this CSE will depend on the pressure balance: as the gas rate to the device is increased the pressure drop will increase. When the pressure drop inside the contact zone exceeds a certain value (which depends on the liquid height surrounding the CSE) part of the gas will escape through the liquid inlets at which point the mass-transfer performance will drop dramatically.
EP-A-0048508 describes an apparatus for treating mixtures of liquid and gas at high flow velocities and/or high liquid loads. The liquid flows through in once-through mode, i.e. without internal recycle. Furthermore, the volume of the contact zone is small compared to the volume of the separation zone and the swirler is located in the bottom part of contact and separation unit.
The mass transfer rate is related to the amount of liquid entrained per unit of gas in the contact zone. The required volumetric mass transfer rates increase with higher partial pressure of the impurities (such as CO2) to be absorbed. However, mass transfer rates obtainable with prior art contact and separation columns were found to be limited.
In offshore gas mining contact and separation columns are used with floating applications, e.g. on a floating device or boat. Sea motion induced sloshing or waving of the liquid poses serious limitations on the obtainable mass transfer and the effectiveness of the columns.
It is an object of the invention to provide contact and separation equipment enabling improved mass transfer.
It is a further object of the invention to provide robust contact and separation equipment which can be used with floating applications.


A flush toilet apparatus includes a hole wherein a tubular member is connected to a connecting portion disposed on the outside of a flush toilet apparatus through a hole portion formed at the rear top surface of a flush toilet main body, and the hole portion comprises a hole penetrating the entire wall thickness of the flush toilet main body; and an guiding path disposed adjacent to the hole, for guiding the tubular member to the hole; wherein at least a portion of the hole of the hole portion is covered by an affixing member, and the tubular member is inserted into the hole through the gap formed between the affixing member and the guiding path.

1. Technical Field
The present invention pertains to a flush toilet apparatus, and more particularly to a flush toilet apparatus in which part of a tubular member is housed inside the flush toilet main body.
2. Description of Related Art
For some time, as described for example in Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 2014-147445), flush toilet apparatuses have been known in which a washing apparatus (sanitary washing apparatus) housing a functional portion for anal area washing is affixed relative to an affixing member affixed at the rear top surface of the flush toilet main body.
In such flush toilet apparatuses, when tubular members such as water supply pipes or power supply cords connected to a washing apparatus are in turn connected to water supply connections or power supply connection on a wall, the tubular members such as supply pipes or power supply cords are housed inside the flush toilet main body.
Patent Document 1 sets forth a flush toilet in which a hole is formed close to one end in the longitudinal direction of an affixing member affixed at the rear of the top surface of a flush toilet main body, and supply pipes and power supply cords and the like pass through this hole and are extended from the rear surface of the flush toilet main body, so that except for the end portions, supply pipes and power supply cords, etc. are concealed inside the flush toilet main body and visual appearance is improved.


A transit time ultrasonic fluid flow sensor is configured as a self contained modular unit that does not rely on acoustic transmissions through or reflected by a pipe for operation. A highly efficient transducer assembly transmits and receives signals which are well isolated from each other and which enables simplification of the supporting electronics. Continuous wave transmission and reception of the acoustic signals, and provision for acoustic path and electronic drifts enable the sensors to be physically small and yet to exhibit high sensitivity and measurement precision. Some versions of the apparatus sense flow along two orthogonal axes. In addition, electrolytic cleaning is provided for some versions of the sensor.

TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a simplified method for measuring the flow rate of a fluid whereby the propagation times of ultrasonic signals transmitted through the fluid can be detected to determine fluid flow rate. The invention further relates to improvement of a probe flow sensor configuration and to its installation, and similar sensing devices.


A damping circuit includes two circuits. Each circuit has a PNP transistor, an NPN transistor, and a shunt resistor. The PNP transistors are connected in series to the NPN transistors through level shift stages. The PNP transistor and the NPN transistor have emitter functions of the same area. The shunt resistors are connected to the emitters of the NPN transistors. Both of the two circuits are connected to a coil in parallel in such a manner that the two circuits have opposite polarities to each other about the coil.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a damping circuit which is capable of damping a current oscillation caused across a coil when switching the coil for alternating a magnetizing direction of a magnetic body, and more particularly to the damping circuit which provides a technique for adjusting a magnitude of current flowing through a damping component.
2. Description of the Related Art
The inventors of the present application know the damping circuit, as shown in FIG. 2, which is arranged to have a coil 11, a first diode 15a, a second diode 15b, and a shunt resistor 13. Those two diodes 15a, 15b are connected in parallel to the coil 11 so that the first diode 15a may be directed in a reverse manner to the second diode 15b. The shunt resistor 13 is connected in series to both of these two diodes 15a, 15b. That is, the coil 11 is connected in parallel to the first diode 15a and the shunt resistor 13 connected in series to the first diode 15a as well as the second diode 15b directed reversely to the first diode 15a and the shunt resistor 13 connected to the second diode 15b.
When current flows from one terminal C to the other terminal D of the coil 11, counter electromotive force is caused between both of the terminals of the coil 11. The combination of the first diode 15a and the shunt resistor serves to damp the counter electromotive force caused by the current flowing in the direction. On the other hand, when current flows in an opposite manner, likewise, counter electromotive force is caused between both of the terminals of the coil 11. The combination of the second diode 15b and the shunt resistor 18 serves to damp the counter electromotive force caused by the current flowing in the opposite direction.
As described above, the known damping circuit uses those diodes for properly allowing or inhibiting the passage of current. However, the diode bridge circuit disables to adjust the current flowing through the shunt resistor. Therefore, the damping effect can not be improved.

Damping circuit providing capability of adjusting current flowing through damping component


The invention disclosed relates to a new method of forming spinel-related .lambda.-Li.sub.2-x Mn.sub.2 O.sub.4, wherein 0.ltoreq.x.ltoreq.2, solely by electrochemical means with air-stable orthorhombic LiMnO.sub.2 as the starting material. This spinel-related material is hydroscopic, metastable and is typically made by chemical means, followed by electrochemical conversion of spinel-type LiMn.sub.2 O.sub.4. Also disclosed are new secondary lithium ion electrochemical cells employing as initial active cathode material a compound of formula LiMnO.sub.2, having a specific orthorhombic crystal structure.

This invention relates to a novel method of forming spinel-related .lambda.-Li.sub.2-x Mn.sub.2 O.sub.4, wherein 0.ltoreq..times..ltoreq.2, in a secondary electrochemical cell, and to the use of a compound of formula LiMnO.sub.2 which has a specific orthorhombic crystal structure, as initial active cathode material in such cells.
The impetus for this invention was the recent, great increase in demand for batteries having high energy density and low weight, such as had already been achieved with metallic lithium systems, but which are also rechargeable. Lithium electrodes do not meet this requirement over extended periods of time because even in an aprotic organic solvent the cycling stability is severely limited, and problems with cell safety arise.
An electrochemical cell in which both the anode and the cathode are lithium intercalation compounds is termed a lithium ion cell. The intercalation compound serves as a host structure for lithium ions which are either stored or released depending on the polarity of an externally applied potential. During discharge, the electromotive force reverses the forced intercalation or de-intercalation thereby producing current.
In a lithium ion cell, the positive electrode generally serves as the initial reservoir of lithium. The capacity of the cell will be limited by the amount of lithium present in the positive electrode on cell assembly. In most cases, only a proportion of the lithium present, during fabrication of the positive electrode, can be reversibly removed (i.e. cycled).
LiMnO.sub.2 is known to exist in several phases. Two phases, whose crystal structures have been well characterized, are a high temperature orthorhombic phase and a tetragonal phase. Both structures involve cubic closest packing but they differ in the arrangement of the ordering of the lithium and manganese cations. The tetragonal form is normally written as .lambda.-Li.sub.2 Mn.sub.2 O.sub.4. It has an atacamite-type structure which is often referred to as being spinel related. Another type of lithium manganate has a spinel structure of composition LiMn.sub.2 O.sub.4.

Stable form of LiMnO.sub.2 as cathode in lithium cell


A device and a method for the continuous degassing of casting resin. A housing (1) is provided which has an inlet (2) and an outlet (3) for passage of the casting resin and is connected to a vacuum source (4). In order to achieve with a compact design of the housing a complete continuous degassing of the casting resin material, several spatially connected areas (5) are provided in the housing (1), through which areas the casting resin is sequentially guided. A structure (6; 14; 16; 35) for applying the casting resin to a degassing surface (40) are provided in each of the areas. A brush or comb 42 is provided for slicing through the casting resin so that new surfaces in the casting resin are created which are sufficient to enhance any gas contained within the casting resin to surface and be removed from the vessel through the connection to the vacuum source. A transferring structure is provided for transferring the casting resin into the next adjacent area.

When manufacturing casting resin parts out of casting resin, it is necessary to carefully degas each one of the individual casting resin components prior to their mixing, on the one hand, to avoid defects from occurring in the finished casting and, on the other hand, to be able to carry out the casting operation itself without any errors and under the desired pressure conditions. As it is known from the state of the art, the casting resin mass is usually mixed out of at least one resin component and one hardener component, with the components being highly viscous liquids.
The state of the art consists of both discontinuously and also continuously working degassing systems. The casting resin or rather the casting resin components is in both cases guided over a degassing surface with the desire to apply a thin layer of the respective component to the degassing surface. The gas components in the casting resin are removed by the vacuum existing in the housing.
It must be pointed out in this connection that the description hereinafter refers to the degassing of casting resin to simplify the description. The man skilled in the art understands that, as a rule, this concerns the degassing of casting resin components, which have not yet been mixed with one another, for example a resin component or a hardener component.
The discontinuously working methods use systems which include a storage container which is so large that, as a rule, a day's charge is received therein. Degassing takes thereby place in this storage container, from which the respectively needed volume amount is removed for casting of the structural elements. The inside of the storage container is under underpressure during the degassing and during the casting operation. Circulating devices are usually provided in the storage container, which devices are used to distribute the casting resin on a large draining or degassing surface. Sufficient time for the degassing is available with this procedure during the night hours, during which the casting resin is not processed.
When production takes place during several shifts, then it is no longer possible due to the amount of required casting resin, to use the storage containers simultaneously for degassing. Therefore, additional degassing containers are utilized, in which the amount of casting resin needed for production is received and degassed. These degassing containers are mostly set up at a level above the associated storage container so that the degassed material can flow into the storage container. From this results the disadvantage of a high total height. Depending on the shift operation (two shifts or three shifts), it may be necessary to associate several degassing containers with a storage container in order to guarantee a sufficient degassing time for the casting resin. From this results also an occupation of a large amount of space which in turn leads to high costs for the system.
Furthermore, there exists the disadvantage with such systems that, with the apparently advantageous possibility to always add nondegassed material into the storage container as is continuously being removed, the gas content in the stored material increases considerably due to the added nondegassed material, in spite of a continuously running degassing operation. The demands for quality are as a rule no longer met. A bringing of nondegassed material together with the already degassed material must, therefore, be avoided under all circumstances.
It is known in the continuously operating devices to insert in a housing a horizontally arranged, rotatable plate, onto which the casting resin is applied. By rotating the plate, the casting resin is guided radially outwardly so that it can run off downwardly on the inner walls of the housing. The underpressure in the housing brings about the continuous degassing. The disadvantage of these devices is that it is not guaranteed that only the completely degassed product reaches the bottom area of the housing to be further processed from there. Rather, it is possible, for example, by moving too much casting resin onto the rotating plate, for this casting resin to drip downwardly in a nondegassed state. This would result in a mixed product which is not sufficiently degassed.
A cascade degassing is provided in a further device known from the state of the art, in which the casting resin runs cascade-like over several degassing surfaces arranged in the housing. This theoretically enables a fine distribution of the casting resin and a long treatment time. The disadvantage is that it cannot be assured, nor monitored, that the casting resin is distributed in an even layer on the degassing surfaces. Rather a so-called "stream formation" occurs often, during which the casting resin flows in large volume streams downwardly at certain points on the degassing surface. Only an insufficient degassing or none at all takes place at these points for understandable reasons.

Device and method for the continuous degassing of casting resin

Wilhelm Hedrich Vakuumanlagen GmbH & Co. KG


A nickel-base superalloy article has a protective layer on a surface of the substrate. The protective layer has a composition including nickel, aluminum, and at least two modifying elements selected from the group consisting of zirconium, hafnium, yttrium, and silicon. The protective layer is preferably predominantly beta (xcex2) phase NiAl composition. Each of the modifying elements which is present is included in an amount of from about 0.1 to about 5 percent by weight of the protective layer in the case of zirconium, hafnium, and silicon modifying element, and in an amount of from about 0.1 to about 1 percent by weight of the protective layer in the case of yttrium modifying element.

In an aircraft gas turbine (jet) engine, air is drawn into the front of the engine, compressed by a shaft-mounted compressor, and mixed with fuel. The mixture is burned, and the hot exhaust gases are passed through a turbine mounted on the same shaft. The flow of combustion gas turns the turbine by impingement against an airfoil section of the turbine blades and vanes, which turns the shaft and provides power to the compressor and the fan. The hot exhaust gases flow from the back of the engine, driving it and the aircraft forwardly.
The hotter the combustion and exhaust gases, the more efficient is the operation of the jet engine. There is thus an incentive to raise the combustion and exhaust gas temperatures. The maximum temperature of the combustion gases is normally limited by the materials used to fabricate the turbine vanes and turbine blades of the gas turbine, upon which the hot combustion gases impinge. In current engines, the turbine vanes and blades are made of nickel-based superalloys, and can operate at temperatures of up to about 1800-2100xc2x0 F.
Many approaches have been used to increase the operating temperature limit and service lives of the turbine blades and vanes to their current levels. For example, the composition and processing of the base materials themselves have been improved. Cooling techniques are used, as for example providing the component with internal cooling passages through which cooling air is flowed.
In another approach, the surfaces of the turbine blades and vanes are coated with aluminum-containing protective layers that protect the articles against the combustion gas, and in some cases insulate the articles from the temperature of the combustion gas. For example, overlay aluminide coatings may be used on the surfaces of the articles. A ceramic layer may also overlie the protective layer on the surface. The articles are thereby able to run cooler and be more resistant to environmental attack.
Although all of these approaches are effective to improve the performance of gas turbines, there is an opportunity for additional improvements to extend the operating temperatures and service lives of the gas turbine components. There is a need for improved protective coating systems that extend the capabilities of the turbine components even further. The present invention fulfills this need, and further provides related advantages.
The present invention provides a nickel-base superalloy article protected by a protective layer, and a method for its preparation. The article is particularly useful as a gas turbine blade or vane. The article has a prolonged life in the thermal cycling conditions found in aircraft engine operation, as compared with conventional articles.
A nickel-base superalloy article protected by a protective layer comprises an article substrate having a surface and comprising a nickel-base superalloy, and a protective layer on the surface of the article substrate. The article substrate is preferably in the shape of a gas turbine component, most preferably a gas turbine blade or a gas turbine vane. The protective layer comprises nickel, aluminum, and at least two modifying elements selected from the group consisting of zirconium, hafnium, yttrium, and silicon. It is preferred that one of the modifying elements is zirconium, and the additional modifying elements are selected from the group consisting of hafnium, yttrium, and silicon. Each of the modifying elements zirconium, hafnium, and silicon which is present is included in the protective layer in an amount of from about 0.1 to about 5 (more preferably from about 0.1 to about 3 and most preferably from about 0.1 to about 1) percent by weight of the protective layer. The modifying element yttrium, where present, is included in the protective layer in an amount of from about 0.1 to about 1 percent by weight of the protective layer. The protective layer is preferably an overlay coating such as a predominantly beta (xcex2) phase NiAl composition, but it may be an overlay coating such as MCrAlX or a diffusion aluminide. Optionally, a ceramic layer may overlie the protective layer.
The protective layer desirably comprises from about 20 to about 35 weight percent aluminum, nickel, the at least two modifying elements, and possibly other elements interdiffused from the substrate. The protective layer is from about 0.0005 inch to about 0.004 inch thick.
The article is preferably prepared with an overlay coating by providing a substrate having a surface and comprising a nickel-base superalloy, and depositing a protective layer onto the surface of the substrate by a physical vapor deposition process. The layer comprises aluminum, nickel, and at least two modifying elements selected from the group consisting of zirconium, hafnium, yttrium, and silicon. Each of the modifying elements zirconium, hafnium, and silicon which is present is included in the protective layer in an amount of from about 0.1 to about 5 (more preferably from about 0.1 to about 3 and most preferably from about 0.1 to about 1) percent by weight of the protective layer. The modifying element yttrium, where present, is included in the protective layer in an amount of from about 0.1 to about 1 percent by weight of the protective layer.
It has been determined that the addition of a combination of two or more of the modifying elements zirconium, hafnium, yttrium, and silicon provide an improvement to the furnace cycle testing life of the protected article that is greater than is predicted based on simple additive effects. Accordingly, the use of only one such modifying element is expressly excluded from the scope of the invention. Other features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following more detailed description of the preferred embodiment, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention. The scope of the invention is not, however, limited to this preferred embodiment.

Nickel-base superalloy with modified aluminide coating, and its preparation


A method includes transmitting a Continuous Wave Frequency Modulated (CWFM) signal on a first drive line of a grid based capacitive sensor and transmitting the CWFM signal with an imposed delay on a second drive line of grid based capacitive sensor simultaneously with transmission of the CWFM signal on the first drive line. Output on a receive line is correlated with the CWFM signal, Fourier transformation is performed on the correlation of the output and coordinates of an object interacting with the grid based capacitive sensor is identified based on frequency and phase information determined from the Fourier transformation.

Digitizer sensors are used for touch detection in many Human Interface Devices (HID) such as laptops, track-pads, MP3 players, computer monitors, and smart-phones. A touch-screen is a Flat Panel Display (FPD) integrated with a digitizer sensor. A grid based capacitive sensor is one type of digitizer sensor. Grid based capacitive sensors typically track free style input provided with an object such as a finger or a conductive object with a mutual capacitive or self-capacitive detection method. A grid based capacitive sensor may also be used to pick up signals emitted by a stylus and thereby track position of the stylus. Coordinates of the tracked object may be reported to the HID. Some active styluses emit a signal that includes information. A circuit associated with the grid based capacitive sensor may decode and report the information to the HID.