An inspection apparatus may include an installation platform and a scan head. The scan head may be configured to engage in an index movement, a theta movement, a wrist fold movement, and a scan movement. During the scan movement, a transducer of the scan head travels a circumferential path so as to allow an inspection of a surface that is opposite of a surface on which the installation platform is mounted. The inspection apparatus may be used to inspect a reactor component in a nuclear reactor.

1. Field
The present disclosure relates to a surveying tool and a method of inspecting a nuclear reactor using the same.
2. Description of Related Art
FIG. 1 is partial, cut-away view of a reactor pressure vessel of a conventional boiling water nuclear reactor (BWR). Referring to FIG. 1, a jet pump assembly is disposed in an annular space between the reactor pressure vessel 100 and the core shroud 102. The jet pump riser pipe 104 of the jet pump assembly is secured to the inner wall of the reactor pressure vessel 100 with a jet pump riser brace 106. In particular, the jet pump riser brace 106 includes a yoke section and side members that extend from the yoke section so as to resemble a three-sided square or rectangle. The yoke section of the jet pump riser brace 106 is between the jet pump riser pipe 104 and the core shroud 102. The yoke section of the jet pump riser brace 106 is welded to the jet pump riser pipe 104. The jet pump riser pipe 104 is between the side members of the jet pump riser brace 106. The proximal ends of the side members are connected to the yoke section, while the distal ends of the side members are welded to the inner wall of the reactor pressure vessel 100.
The weld between the yoke section of the jet pump riser brace 106 and the jet pump riser pipe 104 may develop cracks over time. While efforts are made to monitor the integrity of the weld, access to the weld is relatively difficult and limited. For instance, visual inspection techniques have been used to examine the weld, but such techniques are relatively limited both in their accuracy and accessibility. These limitations have made it relatively difficult for reactor operators to fully examine and analyze the integrity of the weld. As a result, issues have arisen with regulators and reactor operations have been constrained.

Inspection apparatus and method of inspecting a reactor component using the same


In a preferred embodiment, a release mechanism for a wet clutch of the type including a clutch pack having interleaved driven and intermediate disks, the driven disks being attached to a rotatable shaft and the intermediate disks being attached to a driven hub, a pressure plate disposed so as to apply clamping pressure to the clutch pack so as to cause the interleaved disks to frictionally engage each other, and a spring to apply the clamping pressure to the pressure plate, the release mechanism including: an air operated diaphragm operatively connected to the pressure plate to draw the pressure plate from the clutch pack and release the clamping pressure therefrom.

1. Field of the Invention.
The present invention relates to wet clutch mechanisms generally and, more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to a wet clutch mechanism that is released by means of air pressure.
2. Background Art.
Wet clutches have a plurality of friction disks which are employed to provide a large area of frictionally engaging surfaces in a relatively small diameter mechanism. In order to cool the engaging friction surfaces, they are immersed in a bath of oil. Such a clutch and the operation thereof is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,566,572, issued Jan. 28, 1986, to Flotow et al, titled CLUTCH WITH A PILOTED AND SPRING LOADED DRIVEN DISC HUB, and assigned to the assignee of the present invention, the disclosure of which patent is incorporated by reference hereinto.
Conventionally, such clutches have release mechanisms that are mechanically or hydraulically operated, are relatively expensive, and often have mechanical linkages which require periodic maintenance.


An apparatus for actuating variable stage vanes is provided having a plurality of pivot arms, a synchronizing ring, and apparatus for pivotly attaching the pivot arms to the synchronizing ring. Each pivot arm includes a first end for fixed attachment with one of the vanes. The synchronizing ring includes a first flange, a second flange, a web extending between the flanges, and a plurality of openings disposed in the web. The apparatus for pivotly attaching the pivot arms to the synchronizing ring are disposed within the openings.

1. Technical Field
This invention relates to gas turbine engines having variable stage vanes in general, and to apparatus for actuating variable stage vanes in particular.
2. Background Information
Vane assemblies increase efficiency and performance within gas turbine engines by directing air at an optimum flow path for downstream components. The flow path of air exiting a vane is influenced by the orientation, or the "angle of attack", of the vane. In some sections of the engine, the optimum angle of attack varies with the thrust setting of the engine and "where" the engine is within its flight envelope. Hence, stationary vanes only provide an optimum air flow path for a portion of the performance envelope of the engine. Variable stage vanes, on the other hand, may be manipulated to change the angle of attack and consequently can provide an optimum air flow path for a variety operating conditions.
Variable vane assemblies typically include a plurality of vanes circumferentially distributed and pivotly disposed between an inner vane support and an outer casing. Each vane typically includes a post extending up through the outer casing and a pivot arm fixed to the post on the opposite side of the outer casing. The fixed attachment between each vane and pivot arm causes the pivot arms and the vanes to pivot together about the same axis. All of the pivot arms are pivotly attached to a synchronizing ring disposed between, and concentric with, the outer casing and the nacelle (or engine bay depending upon the application). An actuator provides the means for driving the synchronizing ring along the circumference of the outer casing.
When a change in operating conditions makes it advantageous to change the vane angle of attack, the actuator is directed to circumferentially rotate the synchronizing ring to a new circumferential position associated with a particular vane angle of attack. The pivot arms, and the vanes fixed to the pivot arms, rotate with the synchronizing ring. Under ideal circumstances, the synchronizing ring is concentric with the outer casing and readily rotated between positions. Under more common circumstances, however, air flow forces acting against the vanes force the synchronizing ring out of round, and into contact with the outer casing. Contact between the synchronizing ring and outer casing inhibits motion and can prevent proper positioning of the ring.
The point at which the pivot arm acts on the synchronizing ring also affects the roundness of the ring. Pivot arms attached to the inner or outer radial surface of the synchronizing ring produce moments which, if of sufficient magnitude, can increase deflection of the ring and add to any out of round condition that may exist. Moments acting on the ring can also introduce additional undesirable stresses within the ring.
In short, what is needed is an apparatus for actuating variable vanes that facilitates actuation by maintaining concentricity with the outer casing and minimizing stress within the synchronizing ring.


A composite sheet material exhibiting a low emittance characteristic at both of its outer surfaces for limiting radiant heat transmission therethrough comprises one composite sheet structure including a base layer of sheet material having high strength, resistance to tearing, stability, and body, and a first layer of material having a low emittance characteristic disposed in intimate contact with one surface of the base layer. A second composite sheet structure includes a protective layer of sheet material that is generally transparent to radiant energy in the infrared range of the energy spectrum and a second layer of material having a low emittance characteristic disposed in intimate contact with one surface of the protective layer. The composite sheet structures are bonded together with the second layer of material having low emittance facing the other surface of the base layer, that is with the first layer of material having low emittance forming one outer surface of the composite sheet material and the protective layer forming the other outer surface.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a composite sheet material that exhibits low emittance characteristics at both of its outer surfaces for limiting radiant heat transmission therethrough. This sheet material may be used with particular advantage as one component of an insulating shade device described and claimed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,039,019 (Hopper). However, this sheet material may also be used in any other application in which a light weight, low mass sheet material is desired to minimize radiant heat transmission from one area to another.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various film or sheet materials that inherently exhibit certain low emittance characteristics have been proposed in the past. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,775,226 (Windorf) discloses a solar control film that is a composite material of two outer polyester layers with an adhesive and a vacuum deposited aluminum metal layer interposed between them. The sheet material is attached by suitable means to a window and allegedly reduces the transmission of infrared, visible, and ultraviolet radiation from the sun through the window. U.S. Pat. No. 3,899,621 (Willdorf) discloses a similar sheet material that incorporates intermediate layers of polyurethane utilized as bonding strata. However, in each of the Windorf and Willdorf patents, polyester material comprises an outer coating to a metalized layer.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,565,752 (Grossman) discloses a material that incorporates a cryogenic adhesive joint and comprises aluminumized polyester films bonded with alkyl acrylate adhesive. The two metal layers are bounded by the two polyester layers and are joined together with the adhesive.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,516,720 (Mauer) discloses a thin film for coating sunglasses that incorporates a metal foil sandwiched between two layers of transparent material. U.S. Pat. No. 3,682,528 (Apfel et al.) discloses an infrared interference filter having a glass substrate, a precoat layer, a silver layer, a dielectric layer, another silver layer and another dielectric layer.
The materials described and illustrated in the prior art patents noted above are characterized by certain drawbacks.

Composite sheet material having low emittance characteristics


A venous valve prosthesis includes a hollow conduit (40) defining a central passageway through which blood may flow. Opposing, pliable leaflet members (30) are located within the conduit and move back and forth between a first, open position, whereby blood may flow through the central passageway in a first direction, and a second, closed position, whereby blood is prevented from backflowing through the central passageway in a second direction which is opposite the first direction. A hollow and generally cylindrical support member (10, 20) retains the leaflet members and is coaxially disposed within the conduit. The support member includes opposing cutaway regions (18) defining two axially extending struts (16) supporting the leaflet members. The cutaway regions, in cooperation with the struts, allow the leaflet members to collapse inwardly to the closed position.

The present invention relates generally to vascular implants and, more particularly, to a synthetic or artificial prosthetic valve device for implantation in a blood vein. In another aspect, the present invention relates to a method for making the same. In yet another aspect, the present invention relates to a method for implanting the venous valve device of the present invention. In still another aspect, the present invention relates to a method for the treatment, reversal, and/or prevention of venous insufficiency and its consequences in animals, including humans.
Venous blood flow returns de-oxygenated blood from the distal extremities to the heart via two mechanisms. The first is the perfusion pressure resulting from the arterial blood flow through tissue to the venous circulation system. Where arterial pressure prior to perfusion may be 60 to 200 mm Hg, the resulting venous pressure is typically 10 to 40 mm Hg. The second mechanism is the calf muscle, which, when contracted, compresses the veins (tibial and peroneal) overlying the bone and, through a system of valves, directs blood flow toward the heart. This is the organized flow of blood through a normal, healthy person.
Venous valves, especially those in the upper leg, perform an important function. When a person rises from a seated to a standing position, arterial blood pressure increases instantaneously to insure adequate perfusion to the brain and other critical organs. In the legs and arms, the transit time of this increased arterial pressure is delayed, resulting in a temporary drop in venous pressure. Venous pressure drops as blood flow responds to body position change and gravity, thereby reducing the volume of blood available to the right heart and possibly reducing the flow of oxygenated blood to the brain. In such a case, a person could become light headed, dizzy or experience syncope. It is the function of valves in the iliac, femoral and, to a lesser degree, more distal vein valves to detect these drops in pressure and resulting change of direction of blood flow and to close to prevent blood from pooling in the legs to maintain blood volume in the heart and head. The valves reopen and the system returns to normal forward flow when the reflected arterial pressure again appears in the venous circulation. Compromised valves, however, would allow reverse blood flow and pooling.
Venous insufficiency is caused by compromised vein valves in the leg. Venous insufficiency is recognized in two forms: (1) chronic venous ulcer, and (2) varicose veins. In the United States, chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) associated with skin changes and ulcers effect six to seven million people. Each year, 900,000 new patients are diagnosed with this disorder while 800,000 patients suffer the consequences of active venous ulcers. Health care costs in the United States are estimated at one billion dollars with a loss of 2 million days of productivity. The costs in the western industrial countries exceed those of the United States.
Skin changes and ulcers due to venous insufficiency usually result from valve damage or deep venous occlusion following a bout of DVT. Active venous ulcers are the leading cause of leg ulceration and the long-term healing prognosis, when compared to arterial and diabetic ulcers, is poor. While estimated to be 10 times more common, chronic venous insufficiency has received less attention than arterial insufficiency. CVI is the seventh most debilitating disease in the United States. Principle risk factors associated with venous ulcers include increased age, obesity, male gender, lower extremity trauma, and a history of deep vein thrombosis (DVT).
Varicose veins, the second manifestation of chronic venous insufficiency, occur when walls of the vein lose their elasticity, causing vessel dilation that stretches the valves to incompetence. Varicose veins are estimated to affect 4.2% of the adult western population. It is also estimated that 27% of the United States adult population have some form of detectable lower extremity venous abnormality, primarily varicose veins and telangiectasia. Approximately half of this population has significant varicose veins for which treatment will be sought. Primary risk factors are a history of phlebitis, female gender, and a family history of varicose veins.
Traditional conservative therapy relies primarily on compression hosiery, such as that devised by Jobst in 1950. The goal of this therapy is to reduce symptoms while allowing patients to remain ambulatory and productive. Active venous ulcers are often treated with a combination of topical drug therapy and pressure dressing as first described by Unna in 1896. However, the prognosis of chronic venous ulcers is poor, with only 50% healing within 4 months. In most cases, the ulcer will recur at least once.
Surgical therapy, consisting of high ligation and vein stripping for varicose veins was first described by Trendelenburg in 1891 and was improved by Keller in 1905. This approach generally provides a good cosmetic result with reduction in symptoms. However, procedures that remove the saphenous vein also deprive the patient of the best conduit for cardiac and peripheral arterial reconstruction. This may bring into question the precept of leaving varicose veins alone until they become a problem. Dilated and varicose vessels are not appropriate for use as arterial conduits.
Surgeons, recognizing the value of valve restoration, have devised surgical procedures for selected patients to create, repair, and/or transplant vein valves in an effort to restore "normal" venous blood flow and heal ulcers. Patient selection and the operator are key to the success of these procedures.
Criado et al. [1] provide a good overview of venous disease including venous insufficiency and a rational for current treatment options.
In 1985, Hill et al. [2], described artificial valve prosthesis. In this experiment, Pellethane® urethane elastomer was used to fabricate a valve. A human umbilical cord valve was used for casting a valve in the Pellethane material. The valves were mounted in a stainless steel tube for implant in animal model. The fabricated valve remained patent for from 5 to 8 days. Results suggested more study was necessary to improve long-term durability.
Bemmelen et al. [3] is one of a series of reports that looks at the mechanical operating characteristics of the native human valve. The pressure and velocity measurements documented in the study, as well as the measurement methods used, provide a basic understanding of venous flow dynamics.
One cause of venous insufficiency is the loss of elasticity in the vein wall. In 1993, van Cleef [4] documented the orientation of valves and perforating vessels. The paper refers to an implantable device that, when placed parallel to the valve leaflets, will stretch the leaflets to competency. The percutaneous prosthesis consists of two stems and a leaf spring opening the stems. The device is not a valve replacement, but rather allows flattening of the vessel and, when placed parallel to the valve cusps, allows retightening of the native valve cusps. This understanding is important because an artificial valve may replace the "stretched" valve and it must accommodate the vein lumen enlargement.
In 1988, Taheri et al. [5], fabricated mechanical valves with pyrolyte carbon coated titanium and platinum. The sizes of these bileaflet valves were from 5 to 10 mm in diameter. An annular ring was provided so that a suture could be placed around the implanted device to secure position and orientation in the vessel. This valve was patterned after a bileaflet cardiac valve. This series demonstrated both patency and competency to reverse flow at 16 weeks. Two valves did occlude when they physically migrated to other anatomic locations within the venous system. No anticoagulants were used in this series. The employed valves and others are described in Taheri [6].
In 1995, Taheri et al. [7], published their long-term experience with the bileaflet valve. In this series, nine dogs were implanted with the bileaflet mechanical vein valves for up to two years. Over this period, all valves were rendered functionless because of a dense ingrowth of intimal hyperplasia.
In 1993, DeLaria et al. [8], described their invitro experience with a glutaraldehyde-fixed valve and metal mounting system using a venous flow simulator. The report suggests this device performs well to the parameters expected in the venous circulation. This report describes the use of a glutaraldehyde-fixed bovine jugular vein in an animal model. Tissue fixation of this type is common in heart valves. The authors note that valve failures were related to intimal hyperplasia related to tissue ingrowth at the sewing ring.
Transplants of human tissue are often considered the best replacements. In 1997, Reeves et al. [9] investigated the mechanical characteristics of lyophilized human saphenous vein valves in vitro as a potential source of valves for transplantation.
Cryopreserved human aortic valves and valved conduits are routinely used to replace cardiac valves and for cardiac outflow reconstructions. Burkhart et al. [10] describes the result of cryopreserved valved saphenous vein transplantation, specifically, the use of cryopreserved venous valve allografts in greyhounds.
Dalsing et al. [11] investigated the use of cryopreserved venous valve allograft in humans. This follow-up study suggests that the cryopreserved approach is best suited for patients without other options.
Kumins et al. [12] describe free tissue transfer for treatment of large venous ulcers, resulting in transplantation of hundreds of functioning microvenous valves, as a substitute for valveplasty. The devastation of venous ulcers has led many to find a cure without correction of the underlying circulation defects. This paper suggests a cure can be had for between $30,000 and $76,000.
Patented experimental work on prosthetic venous valves is generally focused on two groups: (1) Syde Taheri, who proposes a mechanical valve based on the St. Jude heart valve concept, and (2) the Baxter group whose venous valve is based on glutaraldehyde-fixed heart valve devices. Briefly, Taheri et al. [5, 6, 7] were the first to report a metallic vein replacement valve. This device was effective in the animal model for treating venous insufficiency. At 3 to 8 months, valve patency was demonstrated. In [7], it was reported that over a 2-year period, valve function was compromised by intimal hyperplasia. These results may be better than they appear, since the tissue ingrowth may have been controlled by an attachment method designed to limit intimal ingrowth.
DeLaria et al. [8], above, (Baxter sponsored) describe in vitro mechanical experience with a glutaraldehyde-fixed bovine jugular vein. Quijano et al. [13, 14], disclose stents and other implantation devices for use with prosthetic valve grafts, such as preserved valve-containing vein segments. A drawback of the disclosed prosthesis is that it includes a mechanical device to connect and restrain vessels and to enclose a glutaraldehyde valve.
With the exception of Hill et al. [2], most attempts to fabricate venous valves were based on the design and materials proven appropriate for heart valves. Heart valves open and close 60 to 150 times per minute with pressures of up to 250 mm Hg. On the other hand, venous valves typically remain open with minimal forward flow and close with flow reversal. Reverse venous flow may develop intermittent pressures of 150 mm Hg.
Therefore, there exists a need in the art for an improved artificial venous valvular prosthetic device that overcomes the above-referenced problems and others.


Herein described is a rod holder assembly for holding a rod in a desired orientation that is manually adjustable about the horizontal and vertical axes (singlehandedly and substantially synchronously) and is capable of a variety of tension settings allowing for a degree of rotational movement about the horizontal and/or vertical axes in response to external forces or substantially no rotational movement. Also described is a rod holder assembly that may be easily and conveniently converted to a mount for other objects.

Fishing is a popular activity frequently enjoyed on the water in watercraft of some form. The types of watercraft used for fishing is diverse and includes stand-up paddle boards, sea kayaks, canoes, and, of course, traditional open hulled motorized vessels of all sizes. Anglers who prefer to fish from watercraft have employed a variety of ways to secure their fishing rods while traveling from point to point or while fishing thereby freeing up hands to perform other tasks. For example, rod holders have been used in such a manner for many years and, depending on the vessel's design, there are many structures, surfaces, and other features that may serve as potential mounting locations for rod holders. Vertical and horizontal rails, flat surfaces such as decks and gunwales, and mounting tracks arranged on the decks are all possible mounting locations for rod holders.
As mentioned above, rod holders are known in the art a few of which are manually adjustable. However, commercially available rod holders are not easily, conveniently, or efficiently adjusted. For example, they typically require two hands to operate and lock in position as the user to manually hold the rod holder at the desired angle with the one hand and simultaneously manipulate tensioning thumb screws or the like with the other. Some rod holders are adjustable about either the horizontal (the angle of the rod holder with respect to the horizontal plane) or vertical axes (certain degree of rotation about the vertical axis to alter the direction in which the rod holder and thus the rod is pointed) but not both. For the rod holders that are adjustable about the horizontal and vertical axes, the dual adjustments must be made independently and incrementally as opposed to a substantially synchronous single handed operation. Moreover, known commercially available rod holders are not equipped with multiple tension settings allowing the user to substantially lock the holder at a desired angle with little to no change in orientation in response to strong external forces or allowing for a degree of give or slippage in the positioning when sufficient torque from an external force is applied. Finally, known commercially available rod holders are not easily and conveniently convertible to mounts for other objects requiring stability and adjustability.
Therefore, an adjustable fishing rod holder that allows a user to singlehandedly and synchronously pivot the holder about a horizontal axis to a desired angle and rotate the holder about a vertical axis is desired. Furthermore, an adjustable fishing rod holder that allows a user to secure the holder in a substantially fixed position such that the desired angle is maintained upon application of torque and/or set the holder to slippage upon application of a certain degree of torque is also desired. Moreover, a rod holder that is capable of being mounted on a variety of features, surfaces, and structures on a watercraft is desired. Also, a rod holder that is easily and conveniently convertible to another mount for other objects requiring stability and adjustability is desired.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


The present invention provides a rolled ferritic stainless steel material excellent in corrosion resistance and toughness, in particular suitable as a material for a flange and a method for producing the same and flange part. The rolled ferritic stainless steel material contains, by mass %, C: 0.001 to 0.08%, Si: 0.01 to 1.0%, Mn: 0.01 to 1.0%, P: 0.01 to 0.05%, S: 0.0002 to 0.01%, Cr: 10.0 to 25.0%, and N: 0.001 to 0.05%, has a balance of Fe and unavoidable impurities, has a thickness of 5 mm or more, and has an area ratio of crystal grains with a <011> direction within 15° from the rolling direction of 20% or more in a cross-section parallel to the rolling direction at any location between the left and right ends of the steel sheet.

The path of exhaust gas of an automobile is comprises an exhaust manifold, muffler, catalyst, flexible tube, center pipe, front pipe, and various other parts. When connecting these parts, fastening parts called "flanges" are often used. In parts of exhaust systems of automobiles, flange connections are being positively employed since flanges enable reduction of the processing steps and simultaneously enable reduction of the work space. Further, from the viewpoint of the noise due to vibration and securing rigidity, thick flanges of 5 mm thickness or more are often used.
Flanges have in the past been produced by press-forming, stamping, and otherwise processing ordinary steel sheet. However, ordinary steel is inferior in corrosion resistance, so after manufacture of the automobile, rust called "initial rust" occurs and the beautiful appearance is ruined. Therefore, instead of ordinary steel sheet, use of stainless steel sheet is being positively promoted as a material for flange.
Ferritic stainless steel sheet has less of a content of Ni and is lower in cost than austenitic stainless steel sheet, so mainly ferritic stainless steel sheet is often used for flanges, but there was a problem of inferior toughness. If steel sheet is low in toughness, the problem arises that plate fracture ends up occurring when running steel strip or uncoiling steel strip at a steel sheet production line. Further, in flange-making, cracks sometimes occur at the time of cutting, stamping, and other processing. Furthermore, when impacted in a low temperature environment in the winter, the problem arises that a flange ends up cracking and the automobile exhaust pipe ends up breaking. 5 mm or more thick ferritic stainless steel sheet is particularly low in toughness in some cases, so there was the issue that the reliability for use of the thick ferritic stainless steel sheet for the production of a flange was too low.
Therefore, to use the thick ferritic stainless steel sheet to produce a flange, the toughness of the steel sheet, in particular the toughness of the hot rolled steel sheet or hot rolled annealed and pickled steel sheet has to be improved. Several attempts have been made to solve the problems relating to the toughness of ferritic stainless steel sheet.
For example, PLTs 1 and 2 disclose manufacturing conditions for mass production of thickness 5 to 12 mm ferritic stainless steel hot rolled coil or hot rolled annealed coil. PLT 1 relates to Ti-containing ferritic stainless steel and shows the method of adjusting the hardness and Charpy impact value by making the coiling temperature 570° C. or more and dipping the coil in water. Further, PLT 2 relates to Nb-containing ferritic stainless steel and shows the method of adjusting the hardness and Charpy impact value by making the hot rolling finishing temperature 890° C. or more, coiling at 400° C. or less, and dipping the coil in water. The arts disclosed in PLTs 1 and 2 define the hot rolling conditions from the viewpoint of improvement of the toughness of the hot rolled plate or hot rolled annealed steel sheet, but control of the total length of a coil to the above conditions was difficult and the factors in metal structure for improvement of toughness were unknown.
Further, PLT 3 discloses ferritic stainless steel excellent in cold crack resistance obtained by making the length of subgrain boundaries with a small crystal misorientation of the ferrite phase a constant value or more. This ferritic stainless steel is obtained by the method of making the hot rolling finishing temperature 800 to 1000° C., making the coiling temperature over 650° C. to 800° C., and dipping in a water tank after coiling. Further, PLT 4 discloses ferritic stainless steel sheet excellent in toughness defining the ratio of the precipitates at the grain boundaries. The arts disclosed in PLTs 3 and 4 control the properties of the crystal grain boundaries and precipitates on the crystal grain boundaries so as to try to improve the toughness, but a level of toughness sufficient for a material for a flange has not necessarily been realized.

Rolled ferritic stainless steel sheet, method for producing the same, and flange part

NIPPON STEEL & SUMIKIN STAINLESS STEEL CORPORATION


Disclosed herein are a dryer for an inkjet image forming apparatus and an imaging forming system having the same. The dryer for an inkjet image forming apparatus includes a heating device detachably installed in the inkjet image forming apparatus to dry a print medium in which a printing is completed by receiving the print medium from the inkjet image forming apparatus. An ink on the print medium may be dried in a short time and an image formation may be more quickly performed.

1. Field
Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a dryer for an inkjet image forming apparatus configured to dry a print medium on which image formation is completed by an inkjet image forming apparatus, and an imaging forming system having the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
An image forming apparatus is configured to form an image on a print medium, and includes an inkjet image forming apparatus that is configured to form an image by directly spraying a liquid type ink on a print medium.
Since the inkjet image forming apparatus is configured to form an image by directly spraying a liquid type ink on a print medium, when a piece of paper is used as a print medium, it may be needed a process in which the print medium is wet by the ink and then dried during a process of forming an image by using the ink.
In the case of a print medium forming of a piece of paper, since it requires a period of time to dry an ink, it may be difficult to form an image quickly and the print medium may be partially deformed during the print medium is wet and then dried. Therefore, there may be a difficulty of a post-processing by a post-processor.

Dryer for inkjet image forming apparatus and image forming system having the same


A pair of swim goggles with nested type head band fastening structure is disclosed. It comprises: (a) a head band; (b) two goggles, each of the goggles being provided at an outer front corner with a recess which has a long slot formed at a rear wall thereof; (c) two fastening means; each of the fastening means being provided at a front surface with a vertically extending central bar, and the fastening means having a contour which permits the fastening means to nest in the recess of the goggle. The front surface of the fastening means is substantially flush with the outer surface of the goggle so as to provide the swim goggle with an integrated and smooth appearance. In a preferred embodiment, the head band has two free ends which respectively pass through the long slots of the recesses on the goggles, return about the central bars of the fastening means, and then pass through the long slots of the recesses again so as to be fixed thereto. The fastening means and the recesses are dimensioned such that the fastening means can be removably pressed into the recesses, so as to cause the fastening means to be firmly nested inside the recesses, respectively.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to swim goggles with nested type of head band fastening means, and more particularly to swim goggles with nested type of head band fastening means that have an integrated and smooth appearance and can be more safely and comfortably worn by a user.
2. Description of the Prior Art
FIG. 1 illustrates a pair of swim goggles and a head band connected together in a most common manner. U.S. Pat. No.3,944,345 discloses swim goggles and head band connected to each other in such manner. In the figure, the goggles 10 are provided with a rectangular opening 11 at each lateral end for the head band 14 to thread through. And, two buckles 12 formed with two rectangular openings 13 are used to tightly fix the free ends of the head band 14. The buckles 12 tend to uncomfortably contact with or even scrape the wearer's face. Moreover, the buckles 12 attached to the head band 14 would somewhat adversely affect the esthetic appearance of the head band 14.
FIG. 2 illustrates another very common manner in which a head band is connected to a pair of swim goggles. U.S. Pat. No. 5,129,109 discloses swim goggles and head band connected to each other in such manner. In FIG. 2, goggles 20 are directly molded with two buckles 12 at two lateral ends thereof. The buckles 20 each have two rectangular openings 21 for a free end of a head band 22 to extend through and be fixed thereto. The rectangular openings 21 must have adequate width lest the head band 22 should come loose therefrom. However, even if the rectangular openings 21 have adequate width, it is necessary to turn the goggles a couple of times when the wearer tries to thread the head band 22 through the rectangular openings. This is of course very inconvenient to the wearer.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,303,428 discloses a head band fastener with four buckles which is complicated in structure and is therefore inconvenient to assemble.

Swim goggles with nested type of head band fastening means

Industrial Technology Research Institute


Disclosed are solid titanium catalyst components, catalyst systems containing solid titanium catalyst components, and methods of making solid titanium catalyst components. The solid titanium catalyst components contain an internal electron donor compound containing at least one ether group and at least one ketone group. The catalyst system can contain a solid titanium catalyst component, an organoaluminum compound, and an organosilicon compound. Also disclosed are methods of polymerizing or copolymerizing an alpha-olefin. The methods involve contacting an olefin with a catalyst system containing the solid titanium catalyst component.

Polyolefins are a class of polymers derived from simple olefins. Known methods of making polyolefins involve the use of Ziegler-Natta polymerization catalysts. These catalysts polymerize vinyl monomers using a transition metal halide to provide a stereoregulated polymer.
Numerous Ziegler-Natta polymerization catalysts exist. The catalysts have different characteristics and/or lead to the production of polyolefins having diverse properties. For example, certain catalysts have high activity while other catalysts have low activity, and similarly certain catalysts have a long life while other catalysts have a short life. Moreover, polyolefins made with the use of Ziegler-Natta polymerization catalysts vary in stereoregularity, molecular weight distribution, impact strength, melt-flowability, rigidity, heat sealability, isotacticity, and the like.
Useful Ziegler-Natta polymerization catalysts made through a precipitation method are made using an organic magnesium compound starting material. The organic magnesium compound leads to the formation of a desirable spherical catalyst particle. Replacing the organic magnesium compound starting material with a markedly less expensive magnesium halide results in a catalyst particle with a morphology that is difficult to control and aspherical or the use of expensive capital processes such as spray congealing (processes where MgCl2 is mixed with ethanol, heated to form a meld, and then sprayed through a nozzle into a cold liquid or gas).

Internal donor for olefin polymerization catalysts


A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium is described in which selection instructions receive a selection of a component in a graphical user interface of an application. Identification instructions associate the component with a component identifier, and query instructions identify, in an analysis database, at least one web service call linked to the component identifier. Profile display instructions cause a component profile to be displayed within the graphical user interface, with the component profile comprising the component identifier and the web service call.

When working with client-server applications, analyzing and understanding complete client-side and server-side code flows can be challenging and time-consuming. Full stack developers, QA personnel and other users who develop and test such applications may need to acquire a detailed understanding of the application's logic, such as methods utilized, databases accessed, third party servers called, etc. In some cases a developer or tester is required to manually review the code from client to server to understand each and every portion of the code that is relevant to her task. In some cases relevant code may be inaccessible.


Disclosed in embodiments of the present disclosure are a radio frequency transmission circuit and circuit matching method. The radio frequency transmission circuit includes: a control unit and at least one transmission loop unit. The transmission loop unit includes at least one predetermined matching loop, and the control unit is pre-stored with a correspondence relationship between predetermined transmission powers and predetermined matching loops. The control unit is used to determine, according to the pre-stored correspondence relationship between the predetermined transmission powers and the predetermined matching loops, a predetermined matching loop corresponding to the received transmission power as a first matching loop, and control the first matching loop to operate. Also provided in the embodiments of the present disclosure is a computer storage medium.

The transmission circuit of a radio frequency circuit generally consists of a transceiver, a power amplifier, a duplexer or a filter, an antenna, and some matching circuits. After an entire circuit layout is finished, an entire radio frequency circuit achieves the best radio frequency performance at a target power by adjusting matching circuits between the transceiver and the power amplifier and between the power amplifier and the duplexer or filter.
However, there is still a problem of large power consumption when terminal devices are actually used.

Radio frequency transmission circuit, circuit matching method and computer storage medium


A combination collapsible chair and walker device aids a handicapped user to move and to exercise in an independent manner. The device has a pair of upstanding complementary frame members laterally spaced apart from each other and connected by a two-part connecting tubular crossbar at its top front portion. Arm rests are attached to the frame for engaging the arm pits of the user. The device includes a swinging gate at its rear portion to allow a user to enter the device when raised. The gate is lowered when the device is in use to add structural integrity to the top and to provide for greater safety to the user by preventing the user from falling backwards out of the device. The frame members are mounted on a stable two-part wide base ring which is supported on swivel-type casters. A seat is mounted on the frame members and is formed of two hinged connected panels whereby the seat may be folded in half. The two-part connecting tubular member, the two-part wide base ring and the two hinged connected seat panels permit the device to be compactly collapsed for easy storage.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a combination collapsible chair and walker device for aiding a handicapped person to move in an independent manner. More particularly, the present invention relates to a safe exercise combination collapsible chair and walker device having a stable wide base support, a seat which may be folded out of the way when not in use, and a collapsible frame for easy storage.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Combination chair and walker devices are well known, as exemplified by the following prior art:
U.S. Pat. No. 1,307,058 issued Jun. 17, 1919 to John I. McGrath, discloses a walking chair having wheels, arm pit supports and a seat.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,917,440, issued Feb. 17, 1932 to Adolf Finkbeiner et al., discloses a walker having a seat which may be adjusted to various heights and which may be folded into a compact structure.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,165,700, issued Jul. 11, 1939 to Henry Glynn, discloses a walker having a long support base with a semi-circular end at the front and back thereof.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,362,466, issued Nov. 14, 1944 to Frank E. Carter, discloses a walker having an elongated rectangular shaped base with an open front end.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,733,754, issued Feb. 7, 1956 to John G. Leslie et al., discloses an collapsible invalid walker which includes a foldable seat, armpit supports and casters.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,792,052, issued May 14, 1957 to Hans A. I. Johannesen, discloses an invalid walker and transfer device having a U-shaped base frame.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,273,888, issued Sep. 20, 1966 to Charles L. Burns, discloses an adjustable invalid walker having adjustable arm pads and pairs of wheels.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,778,052, issued Dec. 11, 1973 to Paul Andow et al., discloses a wheeled support having adjustable seat and crutch heads.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,068,857, issued Jan. 17, 1978 to Svan A. L. Karlsson, discloses apparatus which enables disabled persons to move independently and which includes wheels, seat and arm pits.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,231,582, issued Nov. 4, 1980 to Mark D. Moss, discloses a foldable infant's walker/bouncer having a round or ring-type base.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.

Combination collapsible chair and walker device


An injector for injecting fuel in a combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine has a housing provided with a housing opening, a control valve body movable in the opening of the housing, a ring chamber which encloses the control valve body, an inlet connectable with a high pressure collecting chamber and opening into the ring chamber, a nozzle inlet arranged so that during the movement of the control valve body the nozzle inlet is connected with the inlet or separated from the latter, and 2/2-way control valves arranged inside the housing in series so that one of the 2/2-way control valves is force-equalized in an open condition.

The present invention relates generally to fuel injection systems for internal combustion engines.
More particularly, the present invention relates to a pressure-regulated fuel injector having two, serially connected control valves.
In fuel injection systems with high pressure collecting chambers (common rail), which maintain a high pressure in the system, the initiation of injection and the end of the injection are adjusted with electrically adjustable injectors. The injectors are secured with grip-spring tensioning elements onto the cylinder head of the internal combustion engine, without significant changes to the cylinder head. However, under high pressure, such injectors with a smaller valve wear covering can lead to considerable leakage, which commonly impairs the operation of the injectors.
DE 197 01 879 A1 discloses a fuel injection device for combustion engines which includes a high pressure pump arranged with a high pressure-collecting chamber (common rail) filled with fuel. The high pressure-collecting chamber is connected via an injection line with an injection valve projecting into the combustion chamber of the internal combustion engine. The opening or closing movements are controlled, respectively, by an electrically controlled control valve. The control portion is formed as 3/2-way valve, which is connected with the injection line or a release line to a high-pressure channel flowing to an injection opening of the injection valve. A hydraulic working chamber, or pressure release chamber, fillable with high-pressure fuel, is provided on a control member. The working chamber is controllable through adjustment of the set position of the control member in a release channel.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a pressure-controlled injector which avoids the disadvantages of the prior art.
More particularly it is an object of the present invention to provide a pressure-controlled injector which avoids the leakage problem noted above.
In keeping with these objects and with others which will become apparent hereinafter, one feature of present invention resides, briefly stated, in a pressure controlled injector which has an injector for injecting fuel in a combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine, comprising a housing provided with a housing opening; a control valve body vertically movable in said opening of said housing; a ring chamber which encloses said control valve body; an inlet connectable with a high pressure collecting chamber and opening into said ring chamber; a nozzle inlet arranged so that during the vertical movement of said control valve body said nozzle inlet is connected with said inlet or separated from the latter; and 2/2-way control valves arranged inside said housing in series so that one of said 2/2-way control valves is force-equalized in an open condition.
The two-way valves (2/2 valves) of the present invention, which are serially connected, allows the upper control valve portion, on which the constant high pressure from the high pressure collecting chamber is based, to be formed in an opened position for regulating or equalizing force, since the valve diameter of the control member of the upper two-way valve corresponds to the guide diameter. Consequently, the two-way control valve which interrupts the high pressure from the high pressure-receiving chamber regulates in a direct way, via a controllable operating unit, such as a piezoregulating unit, which is connected to a hydraulic converter.
A 2/2-way valve, formed as a simple and inexpensive ball valve, is connected on the waste oil side near the force regulating unit of the valve body of the upper 2/2-way valve which interrupts the high pressure from the high pressure collecting chamber, as described above. The ball valve is pressed into its sealing seat when the piezo-regulating unit is controlled and its opening movement opposed. Upon maximum opening of the upper 2/2-way valve, a defined closing of the ball of the lower 2/2-way valve is ensured, so that the disadvantageous results, such as an increase in leakage with small valve wear coverings, are corrected.
Upon closing of the upper 2/2-way valve, the nozzle inlet to the nozzle chamber of the injection nozzle can be released via a ball element of the lower 2/2-way valve, which is disposed in a hollow chamber on the housing side. Based on the fact that the ball body of the lower 2/2-way valve is acted upon with a pressure spring force, the waste oil valve, which operates to counter the piezo element, can close the control valve body of the upper 2/2-way valve (or assist in its closing movement in a vertical direction).
The novel features which are considered as characteristic for the present invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.

Pressure-controlled injector with serially connected control valves


A support system for a heavy sash that is laterally removable from between opposed window jambs includes a pair of sash support arms pivotally mounted on each sash stile and counterbalance shoes that engage the support arms to uphold the sash. The support arms, in inwardly dependent positions, can engage the shoes as the sash is lowered onto the shoes; and the support arms, in outwardly extending positions, support the weight of the sash on the shoes. Hooks dependent from the shoes can lock the shoes to the jambs during sash removal or replacement; and the sash support arms, the shoes, and the hooks are all preferably cut from metal extrusions.

This invention improves upon a solution proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,231,795 for supporting and counterbalancing a heavy sash that is laterally removable from between opposed jambs of a window. The sash counterbalancing and removal problem is the same one addressed in the '795 patent, but the new solution of this invention offers improved performance.
Large and heavy window sash, such as used in schools, offices, and institutional buildings, move vertically between opposed pairs of jambs that are generally extruded of metal. A sash for such a window can weigh over 100 pounds so that a counterbalance system for shoes supporting such a sash must exert a corresponding upward lift. Locking the support shoes of the counterbalance system within the jambs must be secure and reliable, because of the large spring forces involved. Also, the sash support must make a heavy sash easy to raise and lower, and removal and replacement of a sash must be convenient and reliable. Since such windows are often used in schools, the counterbalance support system must also be tamper resistant to the manipulations of curious children. Besides these requirements, an effective window system must accomplish all the necessary functions in a reliable way with elements that are inexpensive to manufacture and maintain.

Support system for laterally removable sash


Systems and methods for classification using an explicit feature map or an approximate feature map based on a relative locality measure. In at least one embodiment, a method of authenticating a user operates data points having feature vectors pertaining to user events comprises selecting an approximate feature map based on a subset of features in each data point and a relative locality measure of a cluster including a plurality of the data points; mapping, to a feature space, the subset of features in each data point and a new data point pertaining to a phone call of the user using the selected approximate feature map; determining a classification of the new data point based on its relative locality measure with respect to a cluster in the feature space; storing the classification of the new data point in a memory device; and authenticating the user during the phone call.

There is a need to make decisions on data that changes quickly or even in real time. One such application is authentication or impostor detection where there may be a cost associated with the latency of decision-making. Conventionally, a large number of models are required to be built or modified each pertaining to the profile of a user without enrolling the user explicitly.
In explicit enrollment, the user consciously goes through a series of steps so as to help gather sufficient and highly accurate data to train the user's profile. One example of explicit enrollment is where the user speaks a series of keywords that help capture the user's acoustic features. Enrollment, as used herein, is often within the context of authentication or the context of impostor detection.
When explicit enrollment cannot be done, enrollment happens in incremental steps as and when more data is captured passively. For example, "passive enrollment" involves a user making a call or performing an activity without knowing about any enrollment that is happening.
A unique model or profile may be created for every user using existing data, and then the model may be continually improved as more data related to a particular user is streamed into the system. Another example is impostor detection where content related to users' activities is generated in large volumes, and quick anomaly detection schemes are required to generate timely alerts to indicate activity that is not genuine. Hence, there are two simultaneous challenges: a large volume of streaming data and a low-latency constraint. Traditional machine learning techniques are quite powerful in generating accurate models but may not be suitable in their original form for voluminous, streaming, and latency-constrained applications. This may be attributed to two main reasons, among others: learning complex decision boundaries and cross-validation to avoid overfitting, both of which are computationally expensive.

Feature embeddings with relative locality for fast profiling of users on streaming data


An apparatus and method are described for direction finding the source of emf emissions including a monotone signal by detecting the phase changes of the monotone signal during movement relative to the source. A software embodiment measures the amount of phase change.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to the location finding of emf radiation emitters and particularly to methods and apparatus for such which measure signal phase variation during relative movement.
2. Statement of the Prior Art
The proliferation of cellular telephone, or cell phone, technology and usage has revealed various applications for the ability to locate cell phones. These applications include "911" calls and the tracking of unauthorized cell phone usage and illegal activities in which cell phones are used. One of the problems which limits success in this area is multipath reflections of cell phone signals. This problem is acute in urban environments where there is greater fraudulent use of cell phone accounts and especially for illegal activities. The multipath problem is further compounded when a cell phone is being used within a large building and there is a need to locate and/or apprehend the user.
A large amount of technology exists for locating the source of radio emissions using direction finding techniques. These techniques are very effective in open environments where there are few if any multipath reflections. Unfortunately, multipath reflections interfere with the original electromagnetic wavefront and create a resulting wavefront which changes direction in an unpredictable manner. In such cases, direction finding equipment which detects the normal direction to a wavefront is easily confused. Likewise, signal strength and doppler measurements are ambiguous.

Apparatus and method for finding a signal emission source


An image forming apparatus includes a printing device, a storage device, in which unevenness correction data indicating a corrected pixel value in association with each input pixel value are stored, and a processor. The processor is configured to determine, among pixels indicated by raster image data of an image to be printed, edge pixels corresponding to an edge image portion and non-edge pixels corresponding to a non-edge image portion, carry out unevenness correction on the raster image data selectively with respect to the determined non-edge pixels, using the unevenness correction data stored in the storage device, generate print image data based on the raster image data subjected to the unevenness correction, and control the printing device to print the image based on the generated print image data.

When printing an image using electrophotography, even though image data indicate same color and same density for pixels of an entire sheet, a density of a coloring material formed on a sheet may become uneven. In order to correct the unevenness, an unevenness correction of one type can be carried out to modify the image data in accordance with a coordinate value of pixels in a main scan direction. When the unevenness correction is carried out, edges of characters printed on the sheet may include jaggies because a screen pattern may lie over a region of the characters due to the unevenness correction. In view of this issue, a method provides a technique of selectively carrying out unevenness correction depending on the type (image/graphics/text) of an object to be printed. It is also desirable to further precisely carry out the unevenness correction with respect to each of the object, to improve image quality.

Image forming apparatus that applies correction selectively to a subset of pixels


A device for supporting an item of food, comprising a base member having a center longitudinal axis and a center lateral axis, and a plurality of first support members disposed on each side of the center longitudinal axis of the base member. The first support members are attached to the base member and substantially perpendicular thereto. The first support members having a food supporting edge sloping downward toward the longitudinal axis of the base member.

Some items of food can be cumbersome to prepare and serve due to the size and/or texture of the food. For example, turkeys, chickens, hams, roasts, and melons are often difficult to carve because the food item tends to move as the knife passes back and forth through the item. Additionally, juices from these and similar items also tend to make them slippery which also makes the item more difficult to hold and cut.
A variety of cutting boards and surfaces have been known for many years. Most of these are simply a flat surface, for example a wood board or block or a sheet of plastic, onto which a food item is placed so that a person cutting the food item will not cut through the food item and into the counter below. The board provides little, if any, benefit in stabilizing the food item while it is being carved.
Some advances have been made over the flat surface. Some cutting boards and block are now made with a recess which in the center which may tend to keep food items of certain shapes from sliding in certain cases. It is often the case, however, food items will slip on even these cutting boards either because the recess is not of adequate size to hold the food item in place or because fluid draining from the food item or which are poured on the food item tend to make the board and food item slippery.
Another advance over the simple flat board is a board onto which is attached one or more spikes rising from the board for holding the food item in place. Spikes, however, present a danger to personnel who use and clean the board. In addition, a spike large enough to hold one item of food may be too small to adequately hold a different item. Similarly, a spike sufficient to hold a large food item may tear apart a smaller item. Also, spikes in general tend to tear food items and may the food unattractive for presentation.
Another variation involves a board having a rod extending vertically therefrom. Another rod is slidably received on the vertically extending rod and extends perpendicularly therefrom, i.e., in a horizontal direction. The horizontally extending rod includes downwardly extending spikes and includes a clamp for being held in fixed position on the vertically extending rod with the spikes embedded in the food to be held. As may be appreciated, this type of device includes all of the disadvantages of the aforementioned board having spikes, and is more cumbersome and difficult to use due to the sliding rod and clamp mechanism.
Due to the inadequacies of the present devices for holding food items, there is a need for a device which supports food items while the items are being prepared for service. There is also a need for a support device which can be used both for food preparation and also for actual service of the food. Accordingly, in accordance with the invention there is provided a device which overcomes the deficiencies of the prior art.


An image processing apparatus, a management system and a computer program product are disclosed that enable firmware that controls operations of the image processing apparatus to be updated appropriately, even when, for example, an initial setting in the image processing apparatus has been changed. Firmware in the image processing apparatus is stored in a rewritable storage device such as a flash ROM, and is updated by transmitting a new firmware to the image processing apparatus and rewriting the contents of the storage device. The new firmware is transmitted together with a control program (including script) that describes processing to be executed in the image processing apparatus before and/or after updating the firmware.

(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus, a management system, and a computer program product.
(2) Description of Related Art
In image processing apparatuses of recent years, operations are controlled by a computer program product (hereinafter "firmware") that includes a program, control constants, and so on. Conventionally, firmware is stored in a mask ROM in the image processing apparatus. When it becomes necessary to update the firmware for reasons such as an upgraded version having been produced, the mask ROM is replaced with a new one that stores the new firmware.
Consequently, a technician must be dispatched to the image processing apparatus to replace the mask ROM. This means that updating firmware is costly. In order to solve this problem, a technique has been devised for storing firmware in the image processing apparatus in a rewritable storage device such as a flash ROM, and updating the firmware by transmitting new firmware to the image processing apparatus via the Internet, with use of means such as e-mail.
Another issue is that there are cases where operations performed by an image processing apparatus are customized according to where the apparatus is used and the needs of the customer. For example, usually pressing a reset button on an image processing apparatus results in a particular parameter (such as the number of copies to be made) being reset to an initial setting of "1". However, this initial setting maybe customized so as to be set to "10" when the reset button is pressed.
Usually such initial setting values and the like are stored in a RAM or the like that is separate to the flash ROM in which the firmware is stored. In such a case, one problem that occurs when updating firmware by transmitting new firmware is that with the new firmware the area in the RAM that is referred to may be different to the one that stores the initial setting value, resulting in the customized contents being lost. Consequently, the initial setting must to be set again.
Furthermore, it is desirable to be able to perform some kind of processing before and/or after updating firmware. For example, if there is an error at the image processing apparatus-side before the firmware is updated, it is desirable to perform error processing before updating the firmware.

Image processing apparatus, management system, and computer program product


Novel derivatives of fatty acid analogs that have from one to three heteroatoms in the fatty acid moiety which can be oxygen, sulfur or nitrogen, are disclosed in which the carboxy-terminus has been modified to form various amides, esters, ketones, alcohols, alcohol esters and nitriles thereof.. These compounds are useful as substrates for N-myristoyltransferase (NMT) and/or its acyl coenzyme, and as anti-viral and anti-fungal agents or pro-drugs of such agents. Illustrative of the disclosed compounds are fatty acid amino acid analogs of the structure ##STR1## in which X is the ethyl or t-butyl ester of an amino acid such as Gly, L--Ala, L--Ile, L--Phe, L--Trp, L--Thr or an amide such as NHCH.sub.2 C.sub.6 H.sub.5 or NH(CH.sub.2).sub.2 C.sub.6 H.sub.5,

This invention relates to novel compounds and, more particularly, to novel derivatives of fatty acid analogs that have from one to three heteroatoms in the fatty acid moiety which can be oxygen, sulfur or nitrogen, and in which the carboxy-terminus has been modified to form, e.g., various amides, esters, ketones, alcohols, alcohol esters and nitriles thereof.
These novel compounds are useful as anti-viral and anti-fungal agents or pro-drugs of such agents and are particularly useful as inhibitors of retroviruses, especially lentiviruses such as the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
The fatty acid acylation of specific eukaryotic proteins is a well-established process. See, e.g., the review article by Towler et al., Ann. Rev. Biochem. 57, 69-99 (1988), and references cited therein.
Fatty acid analogs containing heteroatom replacements of methylene groups in the fatty acid chain by oxygen, sulfur and nitrogen have been shown to have various anti-viral and antifungal activity. See, e.g.,
Bryant et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 86, 8655-8659 (1989);
Bryant and Ratner, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 87, 523-527 (1991);
Doering et al., Science 252, 1851-1854 (1991);
Bryant et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 88, 2055-2059(1991);
and Devadas et al., J. Biol. Chem. 267, 7224-7239 (1992).
See also,
U. S. Pat. Nos. 5,073,571; 5,082,967; 5,151,445;
and EPO published patent applications EP 327,523 and EP 480,901.
In French Patent application 2,657,259, N-myristoyl-(S)-phenylalanine is disclosed as an inhibitor of NMT for treatment of cancer and retroviral infection, e.g. AIDS. Antiviral myristoylglycine is disclosed in Japanese Patent applications 62-126384 and 62-255810. These reported myristoylamino acids do not contain heteroatoms in the myristic acid moiety.


A vehicle-use surroundings monitoring system is provided, wherein a driver is prevented from driving without acknowledging that the detection of an approaching vehicle traveling in the adjacent lane area cannot be carried out because the driver is informed of the existence of an abnormally approaching following vehicle obstructing to image-take the adjacent lanes. An existence judging means (3a-3) judges the existence of the abnormally approaching following vehicle traveling on the subject lane and obstructing to image-take the adjacent lanes by an image-taking means. When the existence judging means (3a-3) judges that the abnormally approaching following vehicle exists, an alarm generating means (5) issues an alarm.

1. Field of the invention
The present invention relates generally to a vehicle-use surroundings monitoring system and more particularly to a vehicle-use surroundings monitoring system which monitors the surroundings of a vehicle for giving alarm to a driver by detecting another vehicle approaching from the surroundings of the subject traveling vehicle by using an image obtained by image-taking the road around the subject vehicle by means of an image-taking means such as a camera installed on the subject vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
For example, when a vehicle (the subject vehicle) traveling on the road, such as a highway, with plural lanes changes the lane and simultaneously another vehicle is traveling in the vicinity in an adjacent lane and is catching up with the subject vehicle from the rear-and-side, if the subject vehicle carries out the change of the lane while not awaring of the existence of another vehicle, a big accident would occur.
And, when another vehicle travels behind the subject vehicle on the same lane as the subject vehicle with a higher speed and if the subject vehicle, for example, brakes suddenly, a collision would occur. Therefore, secure awareness of another vehicle in the vicinity is desirable.
Further, when the subject vehicle changes the lane and another vehicle slower than the subject vehicle is traveling obliquely ahead of the subject vehicle on the adjacent lane, there would also be a danger of collidation, which reqiures secure awareness of another vehicle in the vicinity.
A vehicle-use surroundings monitoring system disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No.7-50769 is provided for solving the above problems. This vehicle-use surroundings monitoring system will be described in reference to FIGS. 9a-9d, which explain a change of a rear-and-side image obtained by a camera 1. FIGS. 9b,9c show images taken by the camera 1 of the subject vehicle at time t, t+xcex94t respectively.
When the subject vehicle goes straight on a flat road, for example a road sign and a building shown in FIG. 10a are imaged as shown in FIGS. 10b,10c at time t, t+xcex94t respectively. When corresponding points in the two images are searched and connected, velocity vectors, i.e. optical flows, shown in FIG. 10d are obtained. The prior art vehicle-use surroundings monitoring system detects the existence of another vehicle approaching the subject vehicle by monitoring a relative location between the subject vehicle and another vehicle traveling nearby by using the optical flow and raises an alarm.
Still another prior art uses two cameras, an edge point Pa of an object (not shown) is detected by examining the luminance difference between the neighboring pixels of the image taken by one of the cameras, and a corresponding point Pb (not shown), of the image taken by the other camera, corresponding to the detected edge point is detected. And, a position of the approaching vehicle with resprct to the subject vehicle is calculated based on the pixel coordinates of the points Pa and Pb, and an alarm informing of the existence of another vehicle approaching the subject vehicle is issued based on the above calculated position.
In still another prior art shown in FIG. 10, white lines of the lane on which the subject vehicle travels are detected by image-processing a taken-image, a cruising lane of the subject vehicle is distinguished from the adjacent lane area, and a detection of another vehicle is performed on each monitoring area, whereby it is judged whether another vehicle detected exists in the subject lane or the adjacent lane. In this case, since a monitoring area is limited, the processing time is reduced.
However, with respect to the above prior art of judging whether the approaching vehicle exists in the subject lane or the adjacent lane, there are problems stated below. As shown in FIG. 11a, when the following vehicle 100 is traveling after the subject vehicle with some distance, an adjacent vehicle 200 traveling far-off on the adjacent lane can be image-taken by the camera 1.
However, as shown in FIG. 11b, when the following vehicle 100 is traveling abnormally near the subject vehicle, the adjacent vehicle 200 cannot be image-taken with the camera 1.
When a state of the adjacent lane cannot be recognized with the image taken by the camera as stated above, the image of the following vehicle 100 overlapping with the adjacent lane area could be mis-detected as an adjacent vehicle 200. And, when the camera 1 is installed in order to image-take the front-and-side of the subject vehicle and when the subject vehicle is traveling abnormally near a front vehicle, the similar problem would arise.
In view of the foregoing, an object of the the present invention is to provide a vehicle-use surroundings monitoring system wherein a driver is prevented from driving without acknowledging that the detection of an approaching vehicle traveling in the adjacent lane area cannot be carried out by informing the driver of the existence of an abnormally approaching following vehicle obstructing to image-take the adjacent lanes.
In order to achieve the above object, as a first aspect of the present invention as shown in FIG. 1, a vehicle-use surroundings monitoring system comprises: an image-taking means 1 installed on a subject vehicle to take an image of surroundings of the subject vehicle to obtain a taken-image; an approaching vehicle detecting means 3a-1 to detect, by image-processing the taken-image, an approaching vehicle approaching the subject vehicle from an adjacent lane area; a danger judging means 3a-2 to judge dangerousness about the approaching vehicle detected; an existence judging means 3a-3 to judge an existence of an abnormally approaching following vehicle traveling on an subject lane ahead of or behind the subject vehicle and obstructing to image-take the adjacent lane area by the image-taking means; and an alarm generating means 5 to give out an alarm when the existence judging means judges that the abnormally approaching following vehicle exists.
According to the first aspect, because the alarm generating means informs that an image-taking of the adjacent lane by the image-taking means is obstructed so that the driver can recognize that the detection of an approaching vehicle traveling on the adjacent lane can not be carried out, the vehicle-use surroundings monitoring system can prevent the driver from driving without knowing that the detection of an approaching vehicle traveling in the adjacent lane area cannot be done.
As a second aspect of the present invention as shwon in FIG. 1, based on the first aspect, the existence judging means has an imaged vehicle detecting means 3a-31 to image-process the taken-image in order to detect an image-taken vehicle having been image-taken by the image-taking means, and the existence of the abnormally approaching following vehicle is judged based on the image-taken vehicle detected.
According to the second aspect, because the existence of an abnormally approached vehicle can be judged by detecting the abnormally approached vehicle based on the taken-image without providing an extra means other than the image-taking means, the vehicle-use surroundings monitoring system with reduced cost can be obtained.
As a third aspect of the present invention as shwon in FIG. 1, based on the second aspect, the imaged vehicle detecting means has a storing means 2d having stored vehicle images giving shape of respective vehicles, an extracting means 3a-311 to extract a vehicle candidate image to be a candidate of the image-taken vehicle from the taken-image, and a similarity calculating means 3a-312 to calculate a similarity-degree between the vehicle images and the vehicle candidate image, and the image-taken vehicle is detected when the similarity-degree is not less than a predetermined value.
According to the third aspect, because the similarity-degree of the vehicle candidate image against the vehicle images can be calculated, the vehicle-use surroundings monitoring system facilitating the detection of the vehicle can be obtained.
As a fourth aspect of the present invention, based on the third aspect, the storing means stores two or more kinds of vehicle images on one frame memory in order, and the similarity calculating means shifts the vehicle candidate image on the frame memory, executes a matching with each of the vehicle images, and calculates the similarity-degree.
According to the fourth aspect, because the matching is executed by shifting the vehicle candidate image over the frame memory on which two or more kinds of vehicle images are arranged, the calculation of the similarity-degree against the two or more kinds of vehicle images can be done with one matching processing for one vehicle candidate image, whereby the vehicle-use surroundings monitoring system attaining reducion of the similarity-degree calculation can be obtained.
As a fifth aspect of the present invention as shwon in FIG. 1, based on the first aspect, the vehicle-use surroundings monitoring system further comprises: an area specifyng means 3a-4 to specify an area, where an image-taking is obstructed by the abnormally approaching following vehicle, in the adjacent lane area when the existence judging means judges that the abnormally approaching following vehicle exists, and the danger judging means judges a degree of danger about the approaching vehicle traveling on the adjacent lane area except the area specified.
According to the fifth aspect, when there exists even a little area where the detection of an approaching vehicle is possible by the image-taking means in the adjacent lane areas, an approaching vehicle can be detected. Besides, an adjacent vehicle traveling in the adjacent lane can be prevented from being mis-detected as a just following vehicle or a preceding vehicle by judging the degree of danger about an approaching vehicle detected in the area where the image-taking is obstructed, whereby the vehicle-use surroundings monitoring system with improved reliability in judging dangerousness can be obtained.
As a sixth aspect of the present invention, based on the fifth aspect, an specifying by the area specifying means is executed before a detection by the approaching vehicle detecting means, and the approaching vehicle detecting means image-processes the adjacent lane area except the area specified and detects the approaching vehicle.
According to the sixth aspect, because the image processing is executed for the taken-image except the specified area, the vehicle-use surroundings monitoring system attaining reduction of the image processing can be obtained.
As a seventh aspect of the present invention as shwon in FIG. 1, based on any one of the first to sixth aspects, the approaching vehicle detecting means has an area setting means 3a-11 to set the adjacent lane area on the taken-image based on separation lines provided on a road surface and an optical flow detecting means 3a-12 to detect, as an optical flow, a movement of a same point in two adjacent lane areas obtained by the image-taking means with an interval of a specified time, and the danger judging means judges the dangerousness based on a size of the optical flow detected by the optical flow detecting means.
According to the seventh aspect, since the approaching vehicle can be detected on the basis of the size of the optical flow, two image-taking means does not need to be used, thereby attaining cost reduction.

Vehicle-use surroundings monitoring system


A bath additive composition, in particular an oil bath preparation, containing at least one surface-active component, preferably a water-soluble emulsifier, at least one oily or oil-containing component selected from the natural and synthetic, mineral, ethereal and fatty animal and vegetable oils, optionally a solvent or solvent mixture and also further auxiliaries and additives, the bath additive preparation containing 10 to 60 wt-% of a polyglycerol fatty acid ester mixture as the water-soluble emulsifier and/or solubilizer, 10 to 60 wt-% of an oil, oil mixture and/or oil component having cosmetic and/or therapeutic activity and 0 to 70 wt-% of water, the polyglycerol fatty acid ester mixture containing 0 to 5 parts by weight diglycerol fatty acid esters, 20 to 65 parts by weight triglycerol fatty acid esters, 20 to 50 parts by weight tetraglycerol fatty acid esters, and 5 to 40 parts by weight higher polyglycerol fatty acid esters, for a total of 100 parts by weight, and the fatty acid component consisting of one or more fatty acids selected from the saturated and/or unsaturated, branched and/or unbranched C.sub.6 - to C.sub.14 - fatty acids containing less than 10 wt-% fatty acids having more than 14 carbon atoms.

The present invention relates to a bath additive composition, in particular an oil bath preparation, containing at least one surface-active component, preferably a water-soluble emulsifier, at least one oily or oil-containing component selected from the natural and synthetic, mineral, ethereal and fatty animal and vegetable oils, optionally a solvent or solvent mixture, and optionally further additives and/or adjuvants.
Baths containing added bath preparations having a suitable cosmetic, therapeutic and/or physiological effect (bath additive preparations) are enjoying increasing popularity, since they not only serve to clean the body, but also have a regenerating and normalizing effect on the skin due to their content of skin care ingredients, and have a refreshing, relaxing and possibly healing effect on the human body due to their content of medicinal or therapeutic additives, such as, for example, ethereal oils. Bath preparations of this type are also called oil or skin-care baths. Moreover, they can also contain perfuming additives.
Bath preparations of this type are supplied in solid, liquid (including gelatinous and highly viscous) or pasty form. Liquid preparations are preferably used which frequently take the form of aqueous or oily emulsions or dispersions. They customarily contain the following primary constituents: at least one surface-active compound which acts as a surfactant, emulsifying, dispersing, solubilizing and/or wetting agent and is either largely water-soluble or largely fat-soluble; at least one active compound which exerts a caring, protecting, regenerating, vitalizing and/or medicinal therapeutic effect, and optionally an aqueous or organic solvent or solvent mixture.
Pure cosmetic active ingredients include, for example, additives based on lipids and other creaming, oil-restoring substances which affect the water-binding power of the skin. These also include certain vegetable and animal oils which have cosmetic properties. A medicinal therapeutic effect on the human body can be achieved, for example, by means of specific ethereal oils or vegetable extracts.
As further constituents, bath additive preparations can contain foam improvers and enhancers, pH regulators, preservatives having antiseptic, bactericidal or bacteriostatic properties, antioxidants, thickeners or viscosity regulators, colorants and/or fragrances.
The bath preparations are added to the bath water in accordance with appropriate dosage instructions, the preparation being adjusted to assure a uniform distribution of the constituents of the formulation in the bath water or spreading of the preparation on the surface of the water.
Bath preparations in accordance with the prior art are disadvantageous in two different respects.
On the one hand, it is difficult to incorporate oily and oil-containing additives, especially natural or identical-to-natural ethereal or fatty vegetable oils, in cosmetic and pharmaceutical preparations since it is difficult to emulsify substances of this type. Therefore, it is necessary to use special emulsifiers or emulsifier mixtures. In the prior art, these were primarily ethylene oxide addition compounds which, although they have good emulsifying properties, are less desirable because of their toxicological and dermatological properties, and in particular cannot exert cosmetic effects.
On the other hand, known bath preparations which are intended to have both a cosmetic and a medicinal or therapeutic utility, usually have a complicated and expensive recipe.
In addition, emulsifiers which are suitable not only for preparing stable oil/water systems, such as, for example, bath oil formulations, but which also exert a physiological action, in particular a skin-caring and/or skin-protecting effect, have not been available in sufficient amounts.

Bath additive composition containing polyglycerol fatty acid ester mixture


A porosifying, solidification-accelerating additive for binding agent building materials consisting of Al2O3, 50-90%; MgO, 4-20%; SiO2, 0.5-15%; AlN, 0.1-5%; Fe2O3, 0.1-5%; CaO, 0.1-5%; F, 0.1-5%; Na2O, 0.1-5%; K2O, 0.1-2%; as well as in the form of metallic particles: Al, 0.1-10%; Si, 0.1-3%; Fe, 0.1-3%; balance in total maximum, 5%; annealing losses, 0.1-15%; and of mineral main constituents in the form of corumdum (xcex1-Al2O3) and spinel (MgOxc3x97Al2O3), wherein the metallic aluminum particles are enveloped by mineral transition modifications from aluminum hydroxide (Al2O3xc3x973H2O) to xcex1-aluminum oxide, the powder comprises a particle size of at least 90% smaller than 500 xcexcm, and the BET surface of the powder amounts to at least 10 m2/g.

This application claims priority to German Patent Application Serial No. 100 40 582.7-45, filed Aug. 15, 2000, entitled xe2x80x9cPorosierender, erstarrungs beschleunigender Bindemittelbaustoff-Zusatz und Verfahren zu seiner Herstellung.xe2x80x9d
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a porosifying, solidification-accelerating additive for binding agent building materials.
2. Description of Related Art
From DE 196 44 654 A1 there is known a processed salt slag of the following composition: Al2O3=65.7%; SiO2=7.9%; Fe2O3=1.5%; CaO=3.2%; MgO=10.1%; TiO2=0.9%; MnO=0.3%; Na2O=0.8%; K2O=0.4%; SO3=0.5%; F=1.2%; P2O5=0.1%; H2O=7.3. Such a powder with the crystalline phases of corundum xcex1-Al2O3, bayerite Al(OH)3, spinel MgAl2O4, and xcex1-quartz SiO2 is processed together with limestone meal at 1150-1300xc2x0 C. to form sulfo-aluminate clinker. A similar process of producing aluminate cement clinker is known from DE 43 45 368 C2.
For certain applications it is necessary to use porous inorganic binding agent building materials, which are produced with the help of the following additives:
1. Natural or synthetic porous filler materials, such as pumice, pearlite, expanded clay, plastic foam granulate
2. Organic foaming agents, e.g., surfactants or proteins
3. Gas-forming substances, e.g., aluminum powder
For producing gas concrete, it is possible to make use of the reaction of aluminum powder with lime (calcium hydroxide), which leads to the formation of hydrogen gas, as a result of which the hardening mixture of sand, cement, lime, and waterfoams up. Aluminum powder is produced by fine-grinding aluminum metal, but there exists a risk of explosion.
From DE 43 19 163 there is known a spinel-containing solid substance that is bonded by cement and which contains a high-alumina filler material. A porosifying effect of said filler material is not identifiable.
For the solidification behavior there are used additives such as calcium chloride, sodium carbonate, and calcium aluminate that are able to accelerate solidification. Other additives for delaying the solidification behavior are also known.
The invention relates to a porosifying, solidification-accelerating additive for binding agent building materials consisting of Al2O3, 50-90%; MgO, 4-20%; SiO2, 0.5-15%; AlN, 0.1-5%; Fe2O3, 0.1-5%; CaO, 0.1-5%; F, 0.1-5%; Na2O, 0.1-5%; K2O, 0.1-2%; as well as in the form of metallic particles: Al, 0.1-10%; Si, 0.1-3%; Fe, 0.1-3%; balance in total maximum, 5%; annealing losses, 0.1-15%; and of at least one mineral main constituent in the form of corundum (xcex1-Al2O3) and spinel (MgOxc3x97Al2O3). The invention also relates to a process of producing the additive for binding agent building materials.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a high-alumina additive for binding agent building materials or a respective powder and to design same in respect of its structure and composition in such a way that the additive or powder has a porosifying or accelerating effect in inorganic binding agent building materials such as light mortar, porous concrete, insulating foam, and other insulating materials.
In accordance with the invention, the objective is achieved by the characteristics as recited in the claims.
Surprisingly, it has been found that a powder with a high alumina content, which powder can be recovered from the high-alumina residue remaining when processing, especially wet processing, aluminum slag, can be used as a porosifying additive for inorganic binding agent building materials if the metallic aluminum contained in the powder is activated by thermal treatment (drying and partial calcination). The formation of pores can be controlled by the degree of thermal activation. Said additive is additionally advantageous in that the powder at the same time acts as a lean substance or volume forming agent. It is also advantageous in that it is possible to avoid the use of explosive aluminum powder as a volume-forming agent.
The activated porosifying and high-alumina powder in accordance with the invention is characterised in that it comprises:
1. As chemical constituents: Al2O3, 50-90%; MgO, 4-20%; SiO2, 0.5-15%; AlN, 0.1-5%; Fe2O3, 0.1-5%; CaO, 0.1-5%; F, 0.1-5%; Na2O, 0.1-5%; K2O, 0.1-2%; as well as in the form of metallic particles: Al, 0.1-10%; Si, 0.1-3%; Fe, 0.1-3%; balance in total maximum, 5%; annealing losses, 0.1-15%;
2. As mineral main constituents corumdum (xcex1-Al2O3) and spinel (MgOxc3x97Al2O3) and transition modifications from aluminum hydroxide (Al2O3xc3x973H2O) to xcex1-aluminum oxide, and as a subsidiary constituent aluminum metal;
3. A particle size of at least 90% smaller than 500 xcexcm; and
4. A specific BET surface of at least 10 m2/g.
The activated porosifying high-alumina powder can be recovered in that alumina-containing residual substances from the wet processing of aluminum salt slag are dried at temperatures of 1000xc2x0 C. and partially calcinated. Partial calcination means that, on the one hand, the stage of thermally removing only the physical residual moisture has already been passed, but that on the other hand, there still exist percentages of substances that can be thermally vaporized, such as fluoride out of calcium fluoride and crystal water out of aluminum hydroxide/aluminum oxide transition modifications, as well as metallic aluminum.
It is important that the drying and partial calcination of the alumina-containing residual substance is effected by devices that permit a rapid transition of heat to the product, with electric driers, cyclone calcinators, or fluidized-bed calcinators being given preference. In a rotary kiln, heat transition is slower and less uniform, so that the activation success is reduced. Furthermore, in the rotary kiln there occur agglomerates that can only be eliminated by crushing.
The subsequent examples explain the subject of the invention.

Porosifying, solidification-accelerating additive for binding agent building materials, and process of producing


The invention is addressed to a method for preventing spillage of conveyed materials from the edges of a conveyor by employing sidewalls along the edges of the conveyor bearing upper and lower flanges for tactilely engaging the edge surface of the conveyor. The method includes adjusting replaceable wear plate which are fitted to each of the upper and lower flanges as the wearing plates lose contact with the conveyor surface.

Solid waste materials of the type typified by municipal solid waste traditionally have presented problems of disposal. These disposal difficulties have become increasingly critical as populations have expanded and as the per capita production of solid waste has increased. In addition to using waste as a source of fuel or compost, industrial and home refuse or municipal solid waste (MSW) typically comprises several components or fractions which are worth reclaiming. In particular, glass, ferrous and non-ferrous metals, plastic, and paper components are sufficiently valuable to justify their separation from composite MSW. Conventionally, such solid waste has been disposed of by incineration and/or landfill. With the present concern over problems associated with the protection of the environment and because of scarcity of landfill space and governmental regulations, both of these traditional techniques of disposal have become undesirable. Further, separation systems, to remain efficient, must be capable of having a reasonably high throughput rate for the material processed and since MSW varies from one area to the next, and between collections, the separation system must also be capable of handling materials which vary widely in nature and composition. To the present, the throughout rates of conventional systems have not been adequately high enough to derive efficiencies permitting the use of equipment in municipalities of small or medium size. However, because of the ever-increasing rigid requirements for carrying out waste treatment and because of the increasing scarcity of landfill space, some technique must be found to effectively increase such output rates.
To achieve the efficient separation of more valuable fractions of MSW and to derive a marketable compost or refuse derived fuel product, a waste treatment process should be carried out wherein raw MSW is passed through a variety of reduction, separation, and related treatment stages. These stages serve to remove inorganic components such as metals, glass, and plastics from the organic component of the MSW. The segregated or separated by-product materials, such as ferrous and non-ferrous metals, glass, and plastic increasingly are becoming valuable resources worthy of the expenditure of capital for effective separation equipment. Of course, the quality and resultant value of compost by-product is also dependent upon the corresponding quality of separation, the presence of plastics, glass, or other foreign particles being undesirable or unacceptable for most commercial applications.
Disregarding curbside recycling, a broad variety of separation techniques have been known to industry. Among those, both manual and automatic techniques have been used. The manual technique that generally involves human pickers usually is not cost effective nor desirable. The automatic techniques which rely on the fraction size for sortation by a grizzly or the magnetic characteristics of the fraction or the density of the fraction for air separation have generally not been employed by industry in such a manner as to eliminate the extensive need of human pickers to further separate MSW into the various fractions where air separation techniques have been applied to municipal waste separation. Designers have found that achieving high quality separation within reasonable cost limits proves to be an elusive goal. Since municipal waste varies widely in geographical as well as daily make-up and consistency, a uniform product is not available for separation treatment. Therefore, any separation system involving the sortation of solid waste must be capable of handling a wide variation of waste components.

Method for preventing spillage from conveyors