A flow surface (16), e.g. on a swept aircraft wing, has a three-dimensional boundary-layer flow. The surface is defined by a spanwise direction (z) and a chordwise direction (x). In or on the flow surface excitation locations (22) are arranged, exciting primary disturbances. The disclosure is characterized in that the excitation locations (22) are arranged such that benign steady primary disturbances are excited and maintained on a sufficiently-high amplitude level as longitudinal vortices respectively crossflow vortices, suppressing naturally growing nocent primary disturbances by a non-linear physical mechanism. The benign primary disturbances preserve a laminar flow, such that unsteady secondary disturbances, which may initiate turbulence and which, otherwise, are excited in streamwise direction by nocent primary vortices, are suppressed or at least stabilized.

The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
On every body with a fluid flowing over its surface a thin friction-dominated layer, the so-called boundary-layer, within which the speed of the fluid adapts due to friction to the speed of the body, forms at the body surface. The state of the boundary-layer flow determines the drag, wherein the calm, laminar form causes a significantly smaller drag than the mixing, rough, turbulent form. The turbulent form is caused by the instability of the laminar flow form, which finally becomes turbulent in a transition process by increase of disturbances.
In order to diminish drag and, thus, to increase the efficiency of machines as well as their environmental compatibility, it is attempted to maintain the laminar form as long as possible on the surface of the body, and in the case of a wing, tail plane or rotor, maintaining the laminar form over a profile chord range as large as possible by means of transition delay. A method for achieving this object, is the suction of boundary-layer fluid at the wall surface, which stabilizes the laminar flow.
It was, however, noted that, especially in case of swept aerodynamic surfaces, the boundary-layer suction is not as efficient as desired. This is due to the fact that on such aerodynamic surfaces three-dimensional flow effects occur due to a flow component (cross flow) extending in spanwise direction. This causes an instability of (cross flow) disturbances, leading to an early transition, i.e. an early alteration of the laminar into a turbulent boundary-layer flow.
Three-dimensional laminar boundary-layer flows are highly unstable due to the existing cross flow within the boundary-layer, especially in case of pressure decrease in down-stream direction. Because this instability causes a growth of longitudinal vortex-type (primary-) disturbances and their final disintegration by unsteady secondary disturbances into the turbulent flow form, it has been attempted to weaken the cross flow by suction of boundary-layer fluid at the wall.
For this purpose the wall is provided with perforations, being mostly laser- or electron-ray-blasted micro-hole- or micro-slot arrangements. Suction chambers situated under the surface are connected with vacuum pumps, sucking the fluid from the boundary-layer. Presently, however, no aircraft with boundary-layer suction is in service, but in the past and even in the most recent past repeated flight tests were performed with suction at the vertical fin or at the wings.
For the boundary-layer suction, arrangements of micro-holes with a diameter of typically 50 μm and a chordwise/streamwise and spanwise distance between the holes of typically 500 μm-1000 μm are used, with the object of coming as close as possible to a kind of ideally porous wall. The disadvantage is, however, that each three-dimensional disturbance of the wall flow can excite exactly the aforementioned undesired vortices, even if the perforation distances are selected such that the excitation theoretically occurs in an uncritical streamwise and spanwise wave-number range. The reason is that even smallest non-uniformities in the perforation distribution may again lead to an excitation of unstable disturbances.
A possible solution is suggested in WO 03/089295 A2. Here, the perforation distribution or pattern is designed such that the excitation spectrum being obtained by means of a double-spectral-Fourier-analysis of the two-dimensional (repeating) perforation pattern, has the smallest possible amplitudes at the streamwise and spanwise wave-number values of the unstable steady vortex disturbances. Furthermore, it is proposed to design consecutive hole- or slot groups in such a way that they cancel, as far as possible, steady disturbances arriving from up-stream and being caused by the perforation, or, at least, that they dampen them in such a way that the transition is delayed in chord direction.
WO 03/089295 A2 is based on the principle of the successive local cancellation of undesired excited steady disturbances due to groups of perforations, following a linear method valid for small disturbances. This principle results typically in irregular distances of perforations in spanwise and chordwise direction within a group. In order to be able to achieve the desired minimum excitation or good cancellation, the perforations following each other in chordwise direction must be shifted in spanwise direction at least within the group relative to the streamline or the vortex axis, respectively, of the primary disturbance.
The disadvantage of this proposition is a small robustness of the method, as deviations of the ideal, calculated distribution due to manufacturing tolerances or operationally caused disturbances such as surface dirt or clogged holes lead to a strongly reduced efficiency. Furthermore, only disturbances caused by suction are minimized. There is no influence on other disturbances, e.g. due to undesired surface roughness.

Flow surface for a three-dimensional boundary-layer flow, especially on a swept wing, a swept tail plane or a rotor


A computer-implemented simulation method for use in a molding process by a computer process is disclosed. The method includes steps of specifying a simulating domain comprising a mold cavity and a barrel of an injection machine, wherein the barrel is configured to connect to the mold cavity; creating at least one mesh by dividing at least part of the simulating domain; specifying boundary conditions of the mesh by taking into consideration at least one motion of a screw in the barrel; and simulating a first injection-molding process of a molding material by using the boundary conditions to generate a plurality of molding conditions.

Injection molding is an important industrial process for producing large quantities of complex plastic parts. New polymers and the demand for high-quality electronics, consumer products, automobiles and aircraft have forced engineers and designs to improve mold-tooling efficiency and the quality of final parts.
In general, the setting of molding conditions in an injection-molding machine requires a large number of trial molding operations and a lengthy setup time. The analytical data generated by a virtual molding process using computer-implemented simulation is based on idealistic cases that do not take into account properties of actual injection-molding machines or molding materials during molding processes. Consequently, the setup processes of an actual injection-molding machine depend greatly on the know-how and experience of on-site technicians.
Specifically, in a trial run of an injection-molding process, the on-site technicians must continuously monitor the actual injection-molding machine and determine an optimal molded product through measuring or examining dimensions, weight and warpage of molded products obtained in the trial run. The molding conditions of the optimal molded product are adapted as a standard state. In other words, the molding conditions of the optimal injection-molded product are implemented by repetitive trial and error, which requires much time and labor. Consequently, an efficient analysis method is needed to replace the experimental trial-and-error process and to predict reality-compatible results of injection-molded products.
This Discussion of the Background section is provided for background information only. The statements in this Discussion of the Background are not an admission that the subject matter disclosed in this Discussion of the Background section constitute prior art to the present disclosure, and no part of this Discussion of the Background section may be used as an admission that any part of this application, including this Discussion of the Background section, constitutes prior art to the present disclosure.

Computer-implemented simulation method for injection-molding process


A device and method for emitting output light utilizes both quantum dots and non-quantum fluorescent material to convert at least some of the original light emitted from a light source of the device to longer wavelength light to change the color characteristics of the output light. The device can be used to produce broad-spectrum color light, such as white light.

Existing light emitting diodes ("LEDs") can emit light in the ultraviolet ("UV"), visible or infrared ("IR") wavelength range. These LEDs generally have narrow emission spectrum (approximately +/−10 nm). As an example, a blue InGaN LED may generate light with wavelength of 470 nm+/−10 nm. As another example, a green InGaN LED may generate light with wavelength of 510 nm+/−10 nm. As another example, a red AlInGaP LED may generate light with wavelength of 630 nm+/−10 nm.
However, in some applications, it is desirable to use LEDs that can generate broader emission spectrums to produce desired color light, such as white light. Due to the narrow-band emission characteristics, these monochromatic LEDs cannot be directly used to produce broad-spectrum color light. Rather, the output light of a monochromatic LED must be mixed with other light of one or more different wavelengths to produce broad-spectrum color light. This can be achieved by introducing one or more fluorescent materials into the lamp of a monochromatic LED to convert some of the original light into longer wavelength light through fluorescence. The combination of original light and converted light produces broad-spectrum color light, which can be emitted from the LED as output light. The most common fluorescent materials used to create LEDs that produce broad-spectrum color light are fluorescent particles made of phosphors, such as Garnet-based phosphors, Silicate-based phosphors, Orthosilicate-based phosphors, Sulfide-based phosphors, Thiogallate-based phosphors and Nitride-based phosphors. These phosphor particles are typically mixed with the transparent material used to form the lamps of LEDs so that original light emitted from the semiconductor die of an LED can be converted within the lamp of the LED to produce the desired output light.
A concern with the use of phosphor particles to produce broad-spectrum color output light is that the output light may have a low Color Rendering Index (CRI), which may be as low as sixty-five (65). This is readily apparent by examining the optical spectrum of the output light, which would typically have large gaps or valleys at various wavelengths.
In view of this concern, there is a need for a device and method for emitting broad-spectrum color output light with high CRI.

Device and method for emitting output light using quantum dots and non-quantum fluorescent material

Avago Technologies ECBU IP (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.


Amine coupled condensation products of hindered phenols and phosphites have been found to be effective antioxidant/antiwear additives for lubricants.

1. Field of the Invention
This application is directed to amine coupled hindered phenol and phosphite derivatives useful as multifunctional antioxidant/antiwear lubricant additives and to lubricant compositions comprised thereof.
2. Description of Related Art
The use of hindered phenols, such as 2,6-di-tert-butylphenol and 2,6-di-tert-butyl-para-cresol, has been well known for their thermal/oxidation stabilizing properties in a variety of lubricant, polymer and elastomer applications.
The use of amine derivatives, such as amine phosphate salts, has been widespread for several decades as corrosion inhibitors and antiwear/EP additives.
The use of phosphite (hydrogen phosphonate) compositions, such as dibutyl phosphite and dinonylphenyl phosphite, has also been well known in lubricants as antiwear/EP additives.
It has now been found that the use of these amine coupled condensation products of hindered phenols and phosphites provides exceptional antioxidant and antiwear/EP activity with potential thermal stabilizing and metal chelating properties.

Amine-coupled hindered phenols and phosphites as multifunctional antioxidant/antiwear additives


A light guide plate has a light introduction part having an end face configured to have light incident thereon, and a light guide plate body disposed continuously to the light introduction part and comprising a thickness smaller than a maximum thickness of the light introduction part. The light guide plate body has a light emitting surface that emits the light incident from the end face. The light introduction part comprises an inclined face disposed on at least one side of the light guide plate. The inclined face is inclined smoothly from a surface of a part thicker than the light guide plate body toward an end of the light guide plate body. An optical pattern part has a linear pattern element is disposed near a region in a proximity of the inclined face in a face on a light exit side of the light guide plate body.

1. Field
The invention relates to a surface light source device and its light guide plate.
2. Related Art
In recent years, as the thickness of a mobile device decreases, a surface light source device which is assembled in a mobile device is also requested to become thinner and thinner. To reduce the thickness of the surface light source device, the thickness of the light guide plate has to be decreased. However, even if the thickness of a light guide plate having a flat plate shape is reduced, it is difficult to reduce the height of an LED light source. In the case of using a thin light guide plate having a flat plate shape, the height of the light source becomes larger than the thickness of an end face (light incident end face) of the light guide plate. As a result, a light source disposed so as to be opposed to the light incident end face of the light guide plate is protruded to above the top face of the light guide plate. In the case where the light source is protruded to above the top face of the light guide plate, all of light emitted from the light source does not enter the light incident end face of the light guide plate but a part of the light leaks to the outside of the light guide plate, so that the light use efficiency deteriorates.
To solve the technical problem, there is a case that a light guide plate 13 as illustrated in FIG. 1 is used. The light guide plate 13 has a light introduction part 14 thicker than a light guide plate body 15 at an end of the light guide plate body 15 having a flat plate shape. In the top face of the light introduction part 14, an inclined face 16 which is inclined from a part where the thickness is largest in the light introduction part 14 toward the end of the light guide plate body 15 is formed. A reflection sheet 19 is opposed in the lower face of the light guide plate 13. Since the thickness of the end face (light incident end face) of the light introduction part 14 is equal to or larger than the height of a light source 12, the light guide plate 13 can efficiently take the light of the light source 12 into the light introduction part 14 and guide the light to the thinner light guide plate body 15.
The light which enters the light introduction part 14 from the light incident end face is transmitted to the light guide plate body 15 while being totally reflected between the inclined face 16 and the lower face of the light introduction part 14. The incidence angle of the light propagating in the light guide plate body 15 when the light is incident on the top face of the light guide plate body 15 becomes smaller each time the light is reflected by the inclined face 16. Due to this, the light easily leaks from the top face of the light guide plate body 15 positioned in the proximity of the inclined face 16 to the outside of the light guide plate body 15. In particular, when the inclination angle of the inclined face 16 increases, the light leaks strongly from the top face of the light guide plate body 15 in the proximity of the inclined face 16.
To measure a distribution of light leaked from the top face of the light guide plate 13 having the inclined face 16, as illustrated in FIG. 1, a measuring device Dt is disposed so as to face the top face of the light guide plate 13. FIG. 2 illustrates a distribution of light intensity in a region R1 measured by the measuring device Dt and a distribution of light intensity in a region R2. As illustrated in FIG. 1, light leaked from a flat face part 16a continued to the upper end of the inclined face 16 and light leaked from the inclined face 16 will be examined separately in the top face of the light guide plate body 15. The amount of light leaked from the flat face part 16a is almost zero %. The amount of light leaked from the inclined face 16 is about 54% of the total. The amount of light leaked from the top face of the light guide plate body 15 is about 45% of the total. Therefore, the amount of light leaked from the inclined face 16 is larger than that of light leaked from the light guide plate body 15.
The light leaked from the inclined face 16 is concentrated in a part around the border with the light guide plate body 15 as illustrated in the region R1 in FIG. 2. The light leaked from the light guide plate body 15 is also concentrated in a part around the border with the inclined face 16 as illustrated in the region R2 in FIG. 2. Therefore, the light leaked from the top face of the light guide plate 13 is concentrated in the border part between the inclined face 16 and the light guide plate body 15. The amount of light leaked from the inclined face 16 is larger than that of light leaked from the inclined face 16 as described above. However, as understood from FIG. 2, the light leaked from the light guide plate body 15 is concentrated in a narrow range, and brightness is high, so that the light is conspicuous. Therefore, the light leakage in the region in the proximity of the inclined face, in the top face of the light guide plate body 15 has to be made small.
FIG. 3 illustrates a distribution of light leaked from the light guide plate 13 in a cross section passing the light emission center of the light source 12. The distribution calculated by simulation and it expressed in rays of light. Also from FIG. 3 also expresses that the light leakage is strong on the top face of the light guide plate body 15 near the inclined face.
One of surface light source devices in which light leakage is reduced is, for example, disclosed in JP 5003758 B. FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a surface light source device 11 disclosed in JP 5003758 B. The surface light source device 11 comprises the light source 12 and the light guide plate 13. The light guide plate 13 is formed by integrating the light introduction part 14 having a wedge shape and the light guide plate body 15 having a flat plate shape. The light introduction part 14 has the inclined face 16 in its top face. The inclined face 16 is inclined from the end on the side of the light incident end face toward the end of the light guide plate body 15. In the inclined face 16 of the light introduction part 14, a directivity conversion pattern 17 is provided. The directivity conversion pattern 17 is made by a plurality of V grooves 18 arranged along the width direction of the light guide plate 13. There is a case that the directivity conversion pattern 17 is provided only in a forward region in the light source 12 and there is also a case that the directivity conversion pattern 17 is provided in the entire width of the light guide plate 13.
In the surface light source device 11, light incident on the inclined face 16 is reflected by V grooves 18, so that the incidence angle of light incident on the light guide plate body 15 in the proximity of the inclined face 16 becomes larger. As a result, leakage of light from the light guide plate body 15 is suppressed in the proximity of the inclined face 16.
In the structure such as the surface light source device 11, however, the directivity conversion pattern 17 has to be formed in the inclined face 16, so that a process of a mold or stamper for forming the light guide plate 13 is complicated, and it becomes very difficult to manufacture the mold and the stamper.

Surface light source device and its light guide plate


An electric water heater tank defines a water chamber having an electrical component extending outwardly of the outer surface of the tank. A spaced outer jacket surrounds the tank and has a opening affording access to the component. A protective dam in the opening bridges the gap between the tank and jacket in surrounding relationship to the component and is covered by a cap extending over the component and engaging the dam. Electrical wires connected to the component extend outwardly of the jacket between the cap and dam. A door covers the cap and dam and is secured to the jacket such that the door engages the cap to force the dam into sealing engagement with the jacket and tank. Foam thermal insulation material fills the space between the jacket and the outer surface of the tank.

The invention relates to water heaters, and more particularly to water heaters having foam insulation injected between the tank and the outer jacket. Still more particularly, the invention relates to arrangements for preventing such foam from reaching the electrical components between the tank and the outer jacket.
In order to protect the electrical components from the foam, it is known to provide a fiberglass dam surrounding the electrical components and extending between the tank and the outer jacket. The fiberglass is compressed between the inner surface of the outer jacket and the outer surface of the tank. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,744,488.
U.S. Ser. No. 734,707, which was Jul. 23, 1991, issued as U.S. Pat. No. 5,163,119 on Nov. 10, 1 and which is assigned to the assignee hereof, discloses a dam for protecting the electrical components of a water heater from foam during injection of the foam between the tank and the outer jacket of the water heater.

Wipe entry arrangement for components in a protective dam area of a foam insulated electric water heater tank


A method for facilitating the navigation of data generated using an analytic application. In particular, a method of creating and using a query chain to access data is described. The user designates some data field as being of particular interest. A list of further query chains for the user to choose from is shown. The user can select one of these query chains to further navigate the database, modify one of the query chains listed, or can create a new query chain by further navigating the database. The selections made by the user while further navigating the database are recorded and linked into a query chain, which can be stored for later use. Accordingly, user access to a field of particular interest is facilitated, and information of particular interest can be accessed in a timely manner.

Due to the increased amounts of data being generated, stored, and processed today, operational databases are constructed, categorized, and formatted for operational efficiency (e.g., throughput, processing speed, and storage capacity). The raw data found in these operational databases often exist as rows and columns of numbers and code that appear bewildering and incomprehensible to business analysts and decision makers. Furthermore, the scope and vastness of the raw data stored in modern databases render it harder locate usable information. Hence, "analytic applications" have been developed in an effort to help interpret, analyze, and compile the data so that it may be more readily understood by a business analyst. These applications map, sort, categorize, and summarize the raw data before it is presented for display, so that individuals can interpret data and use it as the basis for making decisions. However, for users not experienced in the nuances of constructing a query, the amount of effort required to get specific data may be burdensome to many users.
Given the many different types of source data available, and the many ways that the source data can be transformed and combined, large amounts of data are available that can be difficult for a user to navigate. An example is a user who has identified a problem area in business performance which requires further investigation. This user may need to go through a number of fields of data in order to identify exactly what has caused the problem. For a user who is skilled in constructing a query, this may be an easy task, but less skilled users may find it difficult to navigate the database and find the root cause of the problem.
Another user may spend a great deal of time searching through databases seeking particular items of information such as the business metrics that provide a concise measure of the performance or efficiency of a business (e.g., total sales revenue, margin, etc.). Because the information may change dramatically and/or frequently, a user may need to make such time-consuming searches on a regular basis. For a user who must access data regularly, these searches can take an inordinate amount of time.
Hence, it is desirable to facilitate access to pertinent information in the large databases defined by analytic applications, especially items of information of particular interest to a user. It is also desirable for the user to be able to reach a particular data field, or conduct multiple searches of related data fields, without having to recreate the entire search each time. The present invention provides a method and system that meet the above needs.

Value-chained queries in analytic applications


The present invention provides a data processing apparatus comprising: a plurality of registers for storing data items to be processed; a processor for processing instructions to be applied to data items stored in said plurality of registers; and register remapping logic for converting a logical register reference within a preselected set of instructions to a physical register reference identifying the register containing the data item required for processing by the processor.. By this approach, a remapping instruction need only be executed once in order for the remapping to be applied to a desired number of instructions. This is in contrast to prior art techniques, where subsequent to a remapping instruction being executed, the remapping is applied to all subsequent instructions, ie. a desired number of instructions cannot be selected.. The invention is particularly advantageously employed in apparatus arranged to repeat an instruction loop, the instruction loop including said preselected set of instructions. In such cases, loop hardware used to manage the repeat instruction can be arranged to update the register remapping logic each time the instruction loop is repeated, and hence the remapping instruction used to configure the register remapping logic is only executed once prior to the repeat instruction being executed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to register addressing in a data processing apparatus, and is particularly relevant to the field of digital signal processing, although its use is not restricted to digital signal processing.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Typically, a data processing apparatus, such as a microprocessor, is arranged to apply instructions received to data items read from memory. A processor core is provided within the microprocessor to process the instructions, and generally the microprocessor will have a plurality of registers in which data items are preloaded prior to them being required by the processor core. As the instructions are received by the microprocessor, they will typically pass through an instruction decoder before being passed on to the processor core for processing. The processor core will then apply the decoded instruction to the relevant data item read from its registers. The result of the processed instruction can then be written back to one of the registers, or provided directly to a memory such as a cache memory.
It is often the case in data processing apparatus that a specific data item is required for a number of instructions. Hence, that data item must be retained in one of the registers until all such instructions have been processed, and the instructions must all refer to the particular register in which that data item is located. Additionally, it is common for a range of instructions (hereafter referred to as an instruction loop) to be repeated a number of times, and for certain data items to be reused by different instructions within the instruction loop. This is particularly commonplace in digital signal processing apparatus, where algorithms such as a block filter algorithm contain an instruction loop which needs to be repeated a number of times in order to be applied to a set of data items. Any particular data item may be used a number of times by different instructions within the instruction loop.
Instruction loops are used extensively in the relatively complex arithmetic and logical operations that digital signal processing apparatus are required to perform on often high volumes of data in order to produce a real time output data stream. Typical applications of digital signal processing techniques include mobile telephones required to perform real time transformation between analogue audio signals and coded digital data for transmission.
An instruction will typically include one or more operands identifying registers containing the data items required by the instruction. For example, a typical instruction may include two source operands and one destination operand, identifying two data items required by the instruction, and a register in to which the result of the instruction should be placed. In situations where the instruction forms part of an instruction loop to be applied repetitively to a set of data items as discussed above, it is necessary for each instruction's operand to refer to the correct register every time the instruction is executed. This requirement often means that the same instruction has to be reproduced a number of times in the instruction loop code to refer to different registers each time. For example, if four data items are loaded in to the registers and, as part of an instruction loop, an instruction has to be applied to each of these four data items, then the instruction has to be reproduced four times within the instruction loop, the operand of the instruction referring to a different register each time. This clearly has a detrimental effect on code density.
In microprocessor design, it has been known in certain situations to use the concept of logical register references, and to then map these to actual physical register references. For example, superscalar processors often implement register renaming to allow speculative and out of order execution of instructions. The processor has more registers than the programmer's model provides, and a mapping table is employed to map the logical registers to their current physical equivalents. When the processor speculatively executes instructions it assigns physical register numbers to hold the results. Other instructions may also speculatively read these results. Several possible instruction `flows` may thus execute in parallel. At some point, the processor will determine which one of the multiple streams is the correct one, generally based on the outcome of a conditional branch. At that point the mapping table is permanently updated and the incorrect versions of any registers are discarded. The purpose of this register renaming is to increase instruction throughput whilst being completely transparent to the programmer. It will be apparent that it does not help with the above problem of code density.
As another example of the use of logical and physical register references, the Advanced Micro Devices (AMD's) Am29200 microprocessor incorporates 192 general purpose registers. 128 of these registers are designated as local registers, and an additional register is designated as a local register stack pointer, the stack pointer register providing an offset into the 128 local registers. Hence, whenever any instruction references a local register, it uses the value of the stack pointer register to calculate an absolute register number. Thus, for example, if an instruction wishes to access local register 1 (the local register sequence starting with local register 0), and the stack pointer points to absolute register number 131 (this actually being the 4th register in the sequence of 128 local registers according to the Am29200 design), the instruction will actually access the register identified by absolute register number 132.
An instruction can be executed on the Am29200 microprocessor to change the value in the stack pointer register, after which the revised value in the stack pointer register will be used for any instructions referencing the local registers. This mapping of the register requested by the instruction to the absolute register number within the 128 local registers will be employed for every subsequent instruction until another instruction is executed to alter the stack pointer register.
Hence it can be seen that the above AMD design allows a certain degree of remapping in instances where an instruction needs to be repeated for a number of different data items in different registers. However, it requires that a separate instruction be issued to change the value in the stack pointer register each time the register identified in the operand of an instruction is to be mapped to a different local register. This causes significant overhead in certain situations, for example where an instruction loop is to be repeated a number of times upon a shifted set of data items, such as is typical in digital signal processing apparatus. The overhead becomes particularly unacceptable when the instruction loop only contains a small number of instructions, since prior to the loop being repeated, a separate instruction is required to change the value in the stack pointer register. Hence, for example, if a single instruction is to be repeated ten times so as to be applied to data items 1 to 10, then prior to each execution of the instruction, a separate instruction would be required to change the value in the stack pointer register. Hence, an instruction loop containing a single instruction effectively becomes an instruction loop having two instructions, this clearly adding a large overhead to the execution of the instruction loop.

Non-instruction base register addressing in a data processing apparatus


With the object of enhancing operability and executing imaging efficiently, a moving speed adjustment unit adjusts a speed at which a table section is moved within an imaging space of a scanning gantry, on the basis of a command from an operator when the scanning gantry scans a subject.

The present invention relates to a radiation imaging apparatus, and particularly to a radiation imaging apparatus which scans a subject with radiation to acquire projection data and reconstructs the acquired projection data to generate an image of the subject.
A radiation imaging apparatus such as an X-ray CT (Computed Tomography) apparatus moves a subject to an imaging space and scans the subject moved into the imaging space with radiation to acquire projection data of the subject and generates an image about a tomographic plane of the subject on the basis of the acquired projection data. The X-ray CT apparatus has been utilized for a wide range of uses such as a medical use, an industrial use, etc.
In the X-ray CT apparatus, a table section supports the subject and a table moving section moves the table section to an imaging or photographing space. A scan section scans the subject moved to the imaging space by the table moving section and supported by the table section. In the X-ray CT apparatus, an X-ray tube and an X-ray detector are rotated with the direction of a body axis of the subject as the center. The X-ray tube applies X rays from the periphery of the subject along a plurality of view directions. The X-ray detector acquires projection data corresponding to the respective view directions as projection data. Further, the X-ray CT apparatus reconstructs and generates an image about a tomographic plane of the subject on the basis of the projection data from the respective view directions (refer to, for example, a patent document 1).
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Hei 8(1996)-336526
There is a case in which upon imaging the subject using the X-ray CT apparatus, a contrast agent is administrated in the subject to execute its imaging.
When the contrast agent is administrated in the subject to carry out its imaging, the table moving section moves the table section so as to correspond to the state of progress or traveling of the contrast agent in the subject. In this case, the state of traveling of the contrast agent in the subject is estimated and the table section is moved such that its position is shifted at a constant speed. Therefore, there was a case in which each image of the subject based on the contrast agent could not imaged or photographed without coincidence thereof with the speed of the contrast agent that travels in the blood vessels of the subject.
When the contrast agent is administrated in the subject to carry out its imaging, images about an axial plane vertical to the body axial direction of the subject are displayed in real time in association with a plurality of slice positions. An operator is caused to recognize the state of progress of the contrast agent. Therefore, when the contrast agent travels in the direction along the body axial direction as in a foot part of the subject, it is difficult for the operator to recognize the state of progress of the contras agent. There is a case in which it is difficult to confirm whether imaging is done corresponding to the state of progress of the contrast agent.
Thus, the radiation imaging apparatus such as the X-ray CT apparatus does not have sufficient operability when the contrast agent is administrated in the subject to carry out its imaging, and encounters difficulties in carrying out the imaging efficiently.
The present invention relates to a radiation CT system such as an X-ray CT system, a data acquisition system, and a data acquisition method.
Radiation CT systems employing a multi-array detector that has a plurality of detector elements set in array in a direction of channels and in a direction of slices alike are known (refer to, for example, Patent Document 1). Output signals of the detector elements are amplified by amplifiers included in a data acquisition system (DAS). In general, the number of amplifiers is the same as the number of detector elements (the number of channels by the number of arrays juxtaposed in the direction of slices).
Patent Document 1 describes that four data acquisition systems (DASs) are used in combination with a multi-array detector having eight arrays of detector elements juxtaposed in the direction of slices, that the connections between the arrays of detector elements and the data acquisition systems are changed based on a slice thickness, and that one amplifier amplifies outputs of two arrays of detector elements. Herein, the connections are changed from ones to others prior to scanning, and two arrays of detector elements are treated as one array of detector elements. This is equivalent to a case where the same number of amplifiers as the number of detector elements is included.
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-212128
As for a multi-array detector, an increase in the number of arrays of detector elements juxtaposed in the direction of slices or realization of finer detector elements, that is, an increase in the number of detector elements is demanded from the viewpoint of a shorter scan time or improved image quality. On the other hand, amplifiers are included in a data acquisition system in association with all detector elements. The number of amplifiers increases along with an increase in the number of detector elements, whereby various drawbacks take place. For example, it is hard to preserve a space in which the amplifiers are disposed, a power consumption increases, an amount of dissipated heat increases, and a cost increases.

GE Medical Systems Global Technology Company, LLC


A device for mounting and driving a tiltable part of a gantry of a computed tomography system with respect to a pedestal of the gantry around a system axis of the pedestal, has a magnetic bearing that magnetically supports the tiltable part relative to the pedestal, and an electromagnetic drive that electromagnetically tilts the tiltable part of the gantry relative to the pedestal.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention concerns a device for bearing and driving a part, tiltable on a tilt axis, of a gantry of a computed tomography apparatus—which gantry has the tilt axis—relative to a pedestal of the gantry of the computed tomography apparatus. The invention also concerns a computed tomography apparatus that embodies such a device.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Computed tomography apparatuses of the third generation have a gantry with a stationary part and a part that can be rotated relative to the stationary part, around a system axis of the gantry. The rotatable part has the shape of a drum on which are arranged the components of the computed tomography apparatus (such as the x-ray source, the x-ray detector, a control system, etc.) that rotate around a patient arranged along the system axis in a measurement field during operation of the computed tomography apparatus. Given a system with only one x-ray source and one x-ray detector, a completely populated drum reaches a mass of approximately 800 kg to 900 kg and rotates with a rotation speed of up to 240 R/min during operation.
For specific examinations it is necessary to tilt or pivot the x-ray system around a tilt axis that is at a right angle to the system axis, the tilt angle essentially proceeding horizontally. The tilt angle amounts to at most +/−30° out of the starting position. The rotatable part and the stationary part of the gantry are normally tilted relative to a pedestal of the gantry. The tilting must be able to occur exactly, precise to a minute of a degree. Presently, roller bearings or slide bearing bushings are used to support the stationary and rotatable part relative to the pedestal of the gantry. Such roller bearings or slide bearing bushings are subject to a certain wear and must be regularly serviced (re-oiled, for example). For example, the drive comprises a motor interacting with a worm gear.

Device for electromagnetically bearing and driving a tiltable part of a gantry of a computer tomography apparatus, and a computer tomography apparatus embodying same


A developing unit includes a housing enclosing a mesh belt stretched across first and second rollers. The belt passes between a pair of friction plates that can be used to tribocharge toner particles carries on the mesh belt. Charging occurs over the large width of the entire mesh belt and the friction plates. Toner is transported on the surface of the mesh belt to a developing roller which, in turn, transports the toner to the surface of a photoconductor. The configuration of this developing unit reduces the loading associated with the tribocharging operation and the belt transport system reduces the volume of the developing unit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electrophotographic processes and, more particularly, to an apparatus and a method for developing images in an electrophotographic process.
2. Description of the Related Art
Most computer systems, and most particularly small or "personal" computer systems, have been making increasing use of colors in the display of information. The increasing use of color in personal computers reflects both the more ready availability of low price color displays and the more powerful and faster microprocessors that are used in personal computers. The technology for providing printed color output, i.e., "hard copy" output such as color printouts on paper, plastic or other materials, has not kept pace with the technology for the color display of information. Presently, the options available for color hard copy output either do not present sufficiently high quality output or are undesirably expensive for home or small office use. Examples of this conventional color output technology include ink jet printing, whether using liquid or solid inks, as well as a few different implementations of color electrophotographic printing. Ink jet printing is comparatively inexpensive, at least when using liquid inks, but tends to be slow and it is difficult to obtain acceptably high quality output using liquid ink jet printing technology.
Color electrophotographic printing is commercially available, but tends to be expensive and slow. For example, multipass color electrophotographic printing is a process by which multiple photoconductor exposures and multiple developing processes are used to create a multicolor image on the surface of a paper sheet. In essence, conventional multipass color electrophotographic printing consists of repeated application of single color or monochrome electrophotographic printing processes using different colors for each successive application or pass through the multipass printer. Traditional monochrome (black and white) electrophotographic printing forms an image on the optically active surface of a photoconductor by exposing the photoconductor using a laser or an equivalent high intensity light source. Before exposure, a uniform charge distribution is provided over the surface of the photoconductor and, after exposure, a charge pattern corresponding to the exposure image to be printed is present on the surface of the photoconductor. The latent image corresponding to the charge pattern on the surface of the photoconductor is converted to a physical image by a developer which adheres charged toner particles to the charge pattern on the photoconductor in a pattern corresponding to the latent image. The toner image is transferred onto a paper sheet using an electrostatic transfer process and then fusing is performed to fix the toner image on the paper sheet. In a multipass color laser printer or other similar electrophotographic apparatus, this printing process would be repeated several times.
FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional, multipass color electrophotographic apparatus which is assumed to be a laser printer for the purposes of this discussion. The multipass laser printer of FIG. 1 includes a photoconductive drum 10, a charger 14 for creating a uniform charge distribution on the surface of the photoconductive drum 10, a laser beam scanning unit 16 for exposing the surface of the photoconductive drum with an optical image, a developing device 20 including a plurality of single color developing units 22, 24, 26, 28 for developing a latent image, a transfer charger 30 for applying a transfer electrical field, and a fuser 40 for fixing an image onto a recording medium 32 such as a paper sheet. The photoconductive drum 10 is generally a metal cylinder covered by an optically active material 12 known as the photoconductor. The photoconductor generally is highly insulative in the dark while developing a substantial level of conductivity under illumination. Thus, the photoconductor 12 can hold a charge on its surface in the dark, but charge on the surface of the photoconductor is discharged under illumination.
In operation, a uniform charge is applied to the surface of the photoconductor 12 at the beginning of each pass of the multipass color printing process. Charging of the photoconductor surface is accomplished with charger 14, which typically uses corona charging or a similar technique to provide charge to the surface of the photoconductor 12. After the charging operation, the photoconductor 12 has on its surface a uniform charge distribution corresponding to a voltage of .+-.600.about..+-.800 V. When the photoconductor 12 is exposed by the laser beam scanning unit 16, a laser beam 18 directed by the scanning unit 16 illuminates a specified area of the photoconductor 12 in accordance with an image modulation pattern generated by a controller (not shown). The voltage on the portions of the photoconductor 12 illuminated by the laser beam 18 is discharged to approximately 0.about..+-.150 V.
Multipass color laser printing is accomplished by successively forming on the surface of the photoconductor 12 successive monochrome images so that, when all of the monochrome images are combined together on the photoconductor 12, the combined image provides an acceptable color image. Typical multipass color electrophotographic strategies use four printing passes, with each successive pass applying a different optical image to the photoconductor corresponding to a different monochrome image component. Each successive image is developed after the exposure portion of the pass with a developer having the appropriate color of toner corresponding to that monochrome portion of the image. To effect this strategy, it is necessary to provide four different developing units 22-28 as shown in FIG. 1 having four distinct colors of toner to be applied in successive ones of four different passes. Thus, four developing units 22-28 corresponding to yellow (Y) toner, magenta (M) toner, cyan (C) toner and black (K) toner respectively are provided for the FIG. 1 printers. The reproduced image is therefore made up of a plurality of colors applied in varying concentrations to achieve various gray levels.
In a first pass of the multicolor printing process of FIG. 1, the laser beam scanning unit 16 exposes the surface of the photoconductor with modulated laser light 18 to create a first latent image component corresponding to the first monochrome component of the image to be printed. After the photoconductor 12 is exposed with the first latent image component, the first component of the image pattern is developed using a first developer 22, described in greater detail below, to provide a first color of toner to the surface of the photoconductor. After the first monochrome component of the color image to be printed has been provided on the surface of the photoconductor, a second pass is performed to provide a second monochrome component of the color image to be printed. The photoconductor 12 on the drum is charged to provide a new uniform charge distribution on the photoconductor. The laser beam scanning unit 16 then scans the laser beam 18 over the surface of the photoconductor to expose the photoconductor 12 with a second latent image component. A second color of toner is applied by the second developing unit 24 so that it adheres to the photoconductor 12 in a pattern corresponding to the second latent image component and overlies the first toner image. This process is repeated for the third and fourth components of the image, using the third and fourth developing units 26 and 28, respectively, to provide four different overlaid monochrome toner images on the photoconductor. The four color toner image is then transferred onto the surface of a recording medium 32 such as a paper sheet at the transfer charger 30 and the toner image is fused to the recording medium 32 at fuser 40. To accomplish fusing, the recording medium 32 is passed between the heating roller 42 and the pressing roller 44 that make up the fuser 40. A heater, such as a halogen lamp, is provided in the heating roller 42 to heat a surface of the roller to a predetermined high temperature sufficient to at least soften the developer, when combined with the pressure applied by the pressure roller 44. The high temperature and pressure between these two rollers cause the toner to melt and to be fixed onto the recording medium 32, thereby forming a color image on the recording medium.
For the four pass color laser printer illustrated in FIG. 1, four developing processes are needed to create an image. Because the FIG. 1 printer essentially requires four complete and independent printing processes to create an image, the FIG. 1 printer is about four times as slow as a conventional monochrome laser printer. As such, the color image reproduction rate for the FIG. 1 printer is generally unacceptably slow.
FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing a different conventional implementation of a color electrophotographic apparatus. The "tandem" color electrophotographic apparatus of FIG. 2 is similar to the apparatus of FIG. 1 in that the printed color image is built up over the course of repeated distinct monochrome printing processes. For the FIG. 2 apparatus, however, the four distinct printing processes are performed in series on four distinct drums 10 having associated chargers 14, laser beam scanning units 16, four distinct developers 22, 24, 26, 28 carrying four different colors of toner, and four transfer chargers 30. Operation of the FIG. 2 apparatus is generally similar to that of the FIG. 1 apparatus, with the primary exception that each component of the latent image is formed on different photoconductive drums by dedicated laser beam scanning units in the FIG. 2 apparatus. Like elements in FIG. 2 are represented by like reference numerals in FIG. 1. A first color image is formed and then transferred to a recording medium 32 from the first photoconductive drum 10, and then second, third and fourth color images are successively transferred from the second, third and fourth photoconductive drums in sequence. As illustrated, the FIG. 2 structure can accommodate a linear transport path for the recording medium 32 so that the four color components of the image can be transferred to the recording medium in a single transport operation. Thereafter, a fuser 40 fixes the resultant four component image on the recording medium 32. The apparatus of FIG. 2 is advantageous in that the reproduction rate thereof is much higher than that of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1 since the four developing processes can proceed simultaneously. The tandem color electrophotographic apparatus of FIG. 2 has undesirable characteristics, however. Although the FIG. 2 apparatus is improved over the FIG. 1 apparatus, there remains in the FIG. 2 apparatus a difficulty in obtaining a desirable level of registration between the successive images transferred onto the paper sheet or other recording medium due to the need to align four different drums with the recording medium for the four successive toner transfer operations. More importantly, the FIG. 2 apparatus can be undesirably large and expensive due to the need to provide multiple complete print stations.
A different implementation of a color electrophotographic apparatus is illustrated in FIG. 3. The illustrated color laser printer provides four color components for a printed color image while using a single pass printing operation. The FIG. 3 laser printer includes a photoconductive drum 10 with four printing stations, each including a charger 50-56, a laser beam scanning unit 58-64 and a developer 60-72, all arranged around the circumference of the drum. At the first printing station, the drum 10 is charged to an initial uniform voltage by the charger 50, the drum is exposed according to a first component of the image to provide a first latent image component, and the first latent image component is developed by the developer 66 to produce a first toner pattern on the surface of the drum. The second printing station repeats this process using a second charger 52 to reproduce a uniform charge distribution over the surface of the drum 10, including over the portions of the drum covered by the first toner image. As second toner image is created on the surface of the drum and is overlaid with the first toner image. Third and fourth color image components are created on the surface of the drum 10 as the drum rotates through the third and fourth developing stations to provide a four component, four color toner image on the surface of the drum. The four color toner image is then transferred onto the recording medium 32 by transfer charger 30, and four color image is fused onto the recording medium 32 at fuser 40.
The FIG. 3 single pass color printer provides color output at higher speeds than the multipass design illustrated in FIG. 1. As a practical matter, however, it is difficult to achieve the necessary registration of images for the FIG. 3 apparatus because of the exacting alignment accuracy required to obtain registration of the images created at successive ones of the printing stations. To obtain acceptable levels of registration for the different image components of the FIG. 3 design, it is necessary to arrange the four different laser beam scanning units 58-64 so that the laser beams trace lines on the surface of the drum that are parallel to the cylindrical axis of the drum to a very high degree. Because this alignment requires precise positioning of five objects in relation to each other in three dimensional space, it is very difficult to achieve an acceptable level of alignment, so that the FIG. 3 apparatus is not amenable to high volume manufacturing techniques. The difficulty of aligning the four laser beam paths is heightened because the lasers are typically scanned using high speed rotating polygon mirrors, with cach mirror rotating independently of all others. Small variations in mirror position will thus be magnified by the long path traced by the laser beam reflected from the mirror to the surface of the drum.
A further difficulty with the apparatus of FIG. 3 is that it tends to be large. The drum 10 must be made sufficiently large so that the four different print stations and the transfer charger 30 can be arranged about its periphery. Thus, it is difficult to make the apparatus of FIG. 3 in a small enough form factor to comfortably fit into the home and small office operating environments. One attempt to address this issue is illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,541,722 and 5,557,394, which modify the design of the FIG. 3 apparatus by providing light emitting diode arrays as optical exposure units within a transparent drum that has a photoconductor formed on its surface. While this modification achieves reduced size, it requires the use of a transparent drum, which is generally undesirable for reasons of both cost and performance. Additionally, the design strategy of these two patents is limited in its potential for success because the modifications do nothing to reduce the space required by the developing units, which typically occupy a far larger volume than the optical exposure units.
It is thus desirable to provide an improved configuration for an electrophotographic apparatus. An associated, but distinct consideration in the design of high performance, low cost electrophotographic systems is the desirability of providing a more compact and higher performance developer. To appreciate this design consideration, it is useful to consider the design of a conventional developing unit used in some electrophotographic processes, illustrated in FIG. 4. The developing unit of FIG. 4 generally comprises a conductive roller that transports a developer consisting of a mixture of magnetic carrier particles and plastic or other toner ink particles to the surface of a photoconductive drum which carries a latent image. The developing unit includes roller, stirrers or other mechanisms to agitate the developer. The agitated developer adheres to the surface of the roller and a predetermined thickness of developer is maintained on the roller by use of a doctoring blade. The toner is triboelectrically charged and the toner and carrier are carried from a reservoir within the developing unit to a position adjacent the photoconductive drum by the roller as the roller rotates in an opposite sense to the photoconductive drum. A developing bias from a d.c. power supply and/or an a.c. power supply is applied between the photoconductive drum and the developing unit to form an electrical field that transports the developer from the roller to the photoconductive drum.
FIG. 4 shows an exemplary structure of a conventional developing unit in which a tribocharging blade 80 and a feed roller 82 are provided adjacent to a developing roller 84 within a housing 86. The tribocharging blade 80 is held against a surface of the developing roller 84, for example, by a spring mechanism. A stirrer 88 is provided within the reservoir of the developer mixture of carrier and toner 90. During developing, the toner 90 is agitated by the stirrer 88 and then distributed on a surface of the feed roller 82. Next, the toner 90 on the surface of the feed roller 82 is conveyed to the surface of the developing roller 84 by the feed roller. At the same time, a strong shearing force between the tribocharging blade 80 and the developing roller 84 causes the toner 90 to be tribocharged. Subsequently, the toner 40 is selectively transferred to a surface of a photoconductor 10 by the electrostatic mechanism discussed above, thereby achieving the developing operation.
In the conventional developing unit discussed above, there are a range of problems observed:
(1) The load caused by the frictional force between the tribocharging blade 80 and the developing roller 84 is large and the fluctuation in that load can be dramatic, resulting in variations in the charging of the toner 90.
(2) A nip between the tribocharging blade 80 and the developing roller 84 is small, introducing further instability to the tribocharging of the toner.
(3) Toner particles arc crushed by the strong shearing force between the tribocharging blade 80 and the developing roller 84, resulting in a fogging effect and reducing the image quality.
(4) The reservoir for storing the toner is separated from the other developing mechanisms. The configuration of the developing unit tends to be complicated, resulting in wasted space and in residual toner being left in the developing unit that cannot be accessed in developing operations.
It is therefore desirable for a developing unit to have a smaller volume, improved integration and improved performance as a part of an overall strategy to facilitate the production of a high performance, readily manufactured color electrophotographic printing apparatus.


An automated system and method are provided for adjusting an electrical configuration of a plurality of components of an electrical network associated with a vehicle in order to tune electrical characteristics of the electrical network to continuously match a dynamically changing desired mode of operation of the electrical network associated with the vehicle.

1 History of Electric Vehicles (EVs)
According to Wikipedia and the Edison Tech Center, the first rotary electric motors were invented in the 1830s (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline of the electric motor. Accessed Jan. 28, 2020; https://edisontechcenter.org/ElectricCars.html. Accessed Jan. 28, 2020). Thomas Davenport built a motor in 1834 that would later drive a miniature railcar on a tabletop. The battery was not rechargeable, and it was too heavy for the railcar to pull. Over the next century, new inventions and improvements contributed to the commercial success of electric automobiles, a subset of EVs. A rechargeable lead-acid battery was invented in 1854, and a high-torque DC traction motor was invented in 1886. In 1890, the chemist William Morrison built the first electric automobile powered by his batteries.
By 1910, almost 40 percent of road vehicles were electric automobiles. They were the preferred automobile of cab service companies. Women living in cities also preferred driving them because they were easier to start than gas cars, which relied on hand cranks. Although the cars had a relatively short driving distance, they met the needs of owners living in dense cities. Owners could recharge their cars at home with new battery charging technology. Influential EV inventors of this time included William Morrison, Thomas Parker and Walter C. Baker. Parker was an inventor who built one of the first electric cars and contributed to battery technology. Baker sold electric cars with improvements like ball bearings and Vanadium steel axles. Various kinds of hybrid electric cars were sold during this time, too. They had an engine-generator which charged a battery that ran their electric motors.
Gas cars eventually became cheaper to drive than electric cars due to mass production and cheap oil. Improvements to gas cars made them even more appealing. Starter motors replaced hand cranks, and mufflers quieted the noisy engine. While gas car prices were falling, electric car prices continued to rise. Cities were expanding, and gasoline served as a more practical power source than electric batteries to cover longer distances. Electric automobiles subsequently faded out of interest for decades.
The oil crisis in the 1970s prompted some companies to start building EVs. The US government started funding research for better batteries. Meanwhile, computers became compact enough to fit inside vehicles. They helped to improve the efficiency of hybrid cars with computer-controlled systems.
2 Modern Electric Cars
Electric cars are a rapidly growing sector of the transportation industry. The main difference between gas and electric cars is the propulsion system. In a gas car, an internal combustion engine powers the wheels through the transmission and drivetrain. In contrast, an electric motor powers the wheels in an electric car. A motor converts power from an electrical source into rotary motion. Rechargeable batteries and engine-generators are the main sources of electricity for an electric car's motors.
Electric cars powered exclusively by batteries are called all-electric vehicles (AEVs). They are typically charged directly from the power grid through a connection port and can typically drive 150 to 250 miles per charge. Currently, some of the most popular models include the Nissan Leaf, Chevy Bolt, and Tesla Model 3. Hybrid electric cars have both a battery and an engine-generator, which can extend the range by over 250 miles. The Toyota Prius is a well-known hybrid. Most hybrids run only on gasoline, which fuels the engine-generator that provides the electricity. Plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) have both a fuel tank and an external charge port for charging the battery directly. They can run like an all-electric car until the battery is depleted and then switch to hybrid mode. These cars are meant for users whose typical driving distance falls within the 20-to-40-mile range of a small EV battery.
A Consumer Reports article titled "Electric Cars 101" (https://www.consumerreports.org/hybrids-evs/electric-cars-101-the-answers-to-all-your-ev-questions/. Accessed Jan. 28, 2020) explains why car buyers are going electric. Most EV owners like that their cars consume less resources than gas cars; an electric motor is much more efficient at converting stored energy into motion than is an internal combustion engine. Unless an engine-generator is running, an EV does not produce tailpipe emissions that pollute the air with smog. Another attractive feature is the lower cost of driving. According to Consumer Reports, "[Plug-in] electric cars offer significantly lower fuel costs compared to traditional, gas-powered cars. On average, a gallon of gasoline costs about twice as much as the comparable cost to run an electric car. That's especially true if drivers take advantage of off-peak electricity rates while charging at home. And electric rates tend to be more stable than oil prices." The electric motors in hybrids allow them to achieve high MPG. Federal and state tax incentives have promoted EV sales in the US, as has access to HOV lanes in certain states. AEVs require less maintenance than gas cars because they have fewer moving parts, and EV owners can charge at home instead of refueling at a gas station.
Currently, EV batteries are commonly charged at three voltage levels: Level 1 (120V), Level 2 (240V), and DC fast charge (480V). Owners most commonly charge their cars at 120V from a standard residential wall outlet. This voltage typically provides two to five miles of range per hour. Level 2 chargers typically provide ten to twenty miles of range per hour, and they are most commonly found at public charging stations and workplaces. Some EV owners install Level 2 outlets at home for faster charging. DC fast charging can provide 60 to 80 miles of range or more in 20 minutes. These chargers are almost exclusively located at public charging stations.
Most EVs commercially available in North America have a SAE J1772 connector that can charge the battery at Level 1 or Level 2. Exceptions include Tesla vehicles which have a proprietary connector capable of all charging levels, and adapters allow them to connect to J1772 plugs (J plugs). Only certain electric cars have DC fast charging connectors. While DC fast charge connectors come standard in all Tesla models and in the 2019 Hyundai Ionic Electric, they cost an additional $750 in the 2019 Chevrolet Bolt, and only the more expensive PLUS models of the Nissan Leaf have fast charging capabilities. Plug-in hybrids generally do not support fast charging because their small batteries can charge relatively quickly with a Level 2 charger. DC fast charging connectors differ from one manufacturer to another. North American cars usually have a combo connector called SAE J1772 CCS, and Japanese cars usually have a separate CHAdeMO connector.
EV travelers need reliable public charging stations, and numerous companies have started providing this service. ChargePoint is the biggest charging network, reaching 100,000 chargers worldwide in September 2019. ChargePoint is projected to reach 260,000 chargers by December 2021 and plans to reach 2.5 million by 2025. ChargePoint offers both Level 2 and DC Fast Charging. Tesla users can recharge at Level 2 Destination Charging stations and fast charge at Tesla Supercharger stations. They can also charge from any J1772 connector with an adapter. Other charging networks include EVgo, Blink, SemaConnect, and Electrify America.
According to the website PluginCars ("Ultimate Guide to Electric Car Charging Networks" (https://www.plugincars.com/ultimate-guide-electric-car-charging-networks-126530.html. Accessed Jan. 28, 2020) and "The Real Price of EV Public Charging" (https://www.plugincars.com/guide-to-public-charging-costs.html. Accessed Jan. 28, 2020)), the majority of Level 2 stations are free. They are hosted by businesses like hotels, restaurants and shopping centers trying to attract EV-driving customers. Other public chargers require EV users to pay, and companies are experimenting with different price strategies. Level 2 stations charge customers either by the minute or by the kilowatt-hour (kWh). Most AEVs can charge at 6 to 8 kW. Ignoring inefficiencies, every customer pays the same for per-kWh charging, but customers with faster chargers, which have higher power ratings, pay less per-kWh on per-minute pricing. DC fast charging stations often charge a one-time session fee. Membership fees may or may not be required to charge from certain networks. The cited PluginCars articles state that Level 2 public charging may cost slightly more than residential charging, and fast charging costs twice as much as residential charging.
EVs are hampered by the drawbacks of rechargeable batteries. Battery capacity significantly decreases in cold temperatures, which means all-electric range is shorter in cold weather. To maximize all-electric range, the Department of Energy (DOE) recommends using accessories and temperature controls wisely (https://www.energy.gov/eere/electricvehicles/maximizing-electric-cars-range-extreme-temperatures. Accessed Jan. 28, 2020). Heating the cabin when the EV is plugged in will preserve battery charge, as will using seat warmers instead of heat while driving. Any power the car uses to play the stereo, stream music, or charge mobile devices directly shortens its all-electric range, though these are often negligible when compared to heating and air conditioning. Most cars have an economy mode which limits acceleration, since fast acceleration consumes significant energy. Gentle braking activates the regenerative braking system. Hard braking activates the brake pads, which wastes recoverable energy and wears them out over time.
Electric cars come with unique dangers. Their high-voltage systems and large lithium-ion batteries are extremely dangerous and must be kept under control at all times, especially during a collision. EVs are much quieter than gas cars since they lack a noisy engine. Some EVs emit a noise at low speeds so that pedestrians will notice them.
The DOE page on electric car maintenance (https://www.energy.gov/eere/electricvehicles/electric-car-safety-maintenance-and-battery-life. Accessed Jan. 28, 2020) states, "In general, AEVs require less maintenance than conventional vehicles because there are usually fewer fluids (like oil and transmission fluid) to change and far fewer moving parts. In contrast, because PHEVs have gasoline engines, maintenance requirements for this system are similar to those in conventional vehicles." Most manufacturers offer 8-year/100,000-mile warranties on batteries.
2.1 Controller Area Network and Electronic Control Units
According to Wikipedia, a controller area network (CAN bus) allows the embedded systems within a vehicle to communicate without needing a host computer (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CAN bus). Each system and subsystem is controlled by a dedicated electronic control unit (ECU) which usually consists of a microcontroller, memory, a sensor interface, a communications interface, and an actuator driver. There is usually an ECU dedicated to controlling each one of the engine, transmission, motorized doors, airbag deployment, cruise control, and battery management system.
2.2 Intelligent Vehicles
Much like phones, cars are getting smarter. Modern cars have Wi-Fi and LTE capabilities, and much research focuses on vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) and vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication. Dedicated short-range communications (DSRC) are wireless communication channels reserved for automobiles which often work in the 5.9 GHz band with a range of 300 meters. Many new vehicles use computer vision to drive semi-automatously. Generally, the most advanced self-driving cars can detect anything a human driver can. Using cameras and other sensors, cars can detect and predict road inclination and curvature, weather, and traffic, and they can communicate that information over the Internet and to nearby cars.
2.3 Battery Technology
A battery consists of one or more cells that convert stored chemical energy into electrical energy through electrochemical reactions. According to Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric battery. Accessed Jan. 28, 2020), there are two categories of batteries: primary and secondary. Primary batteries are not rechargeable because their electrochemical reaction cannot easily be reversed, and they are discarded when they cannot supply sufficient power. Alkaline batteries are a common type of primary battery. Secondary batteries are rechargeable because their electrochemical reaction can be reversed by applying a voltage to their terminals. Common types of secondary batteries include lead acid, lithium-ion (Li-ion), lithium-ion polymer (LiPo), and nickel metal hydride (NiMH). The most common battery types used in EVs today are lithium-ion and lithium-ion polymer. A vehicle's all-electric range, weight, and price depend on the number of cells in its battery pack.
Battery technology currently faces several problems, and they are not limited to the EV industry. Lithium-ion batteries are still quite expensive, costing hundreds of dollars per kWh. According to the American Physical Society (https://www.aps.org/publications/apsnews/201208/backpage.cfm. Accessed Jan. 29, 2020), the energy density of lithium-ion batteries is 100 times lower than gasoline. Lithium-ion batteries self-discharge quite rapidly, and their charge capacity drops in cold weather and with repeated use. Subjecting EV batteries to high power condition such as acceleration, fast charging, and regenerative braking shortens their lifespans. Additionally, the mining process of raw materials is plagued by human rights issues, including child labor in the Democratic Republic of Congo. According to the Union of Concerned Scientists (https://blog.ucsusa.org/j osh-goldman/electric-vehicles-batteries-cobalt-and-rare-earth-metals. Accessed Jan. 28, 2020), as of 2017, forty thousand Congolese children mine cobalt under harsh conditions. The DRC supplies 50 to 60 percent of the world's cobalt supply for lithium-ion batteries. Since batteries are such a limiting factor for EV technology and widespread adoption of electric cars, the U.S. Department of Energy's Vehicle Technology Office is researching ways to improve them (https://www.energy.gov/eere/vehicles/batteries. Accessed Jan. 28, 2020). It has three main goals to make driving EVs as convenient and as accessible as driving gas cars:
1. Reduce the cost of electric vehicle batteries to less than $100/kWh, ultimately $80/kWh
2. Increase range of electric vehicles to 300 miles
3. Decrease charge time to 15 minutes or less.
Additionally, battery recycling can help keep hazardous materials out of landfills and alleviate demand for raw materials, according to the VTO's Alternative Fuels Data Center (https://afdc.energy.gov/vehicles/electric batteries.html. Accessed Jan. 28, 2020).
Another problem with lithium-ion battery cells is that parallel cells must have similar internal resistances to avoid overheating. According to Gogoana et al. (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0378775313019447. Accessed Jan. 28, 2020), at 4.5 Coulomb charge and discharge, a 20% internal resistance mismatch between two parallel cells reduces the lifetime of the pair by 40% when compared to cells with similar resistances. Both cells experience large currents and high temperatures.
2.3.1 History of Electric Batteries
The history of electric battery technology begins with the Voltaic pile in the late eighteenth century, according to the Wikipedia article about electric batteries. It was the first reliable source of continuous electric current and contributed to many scientific discoveries. Each electrochemical cell contained a copper cathode disc and a zinc anode disc separated by brine-soaked cloth or cardboard serving as the electrolyte. Multiple cells were piled vertically to form a Voltaic pile. The Daniell cell was invented in 1836 and greatly improved battery technology for industrial purposes like telegraph networks. Lead-acid batteries, invented in 1859, were the first secondary (rechargeable) cells, and they remain in use today. Although heavy, they are inexpensive and produce high currents. Lithium-ion batteries are a more recent invention, gaining commercial success in the 1970s. They are used in EVs and personal electronic devices, where energy density is more important than low-cost energy storage.
2.4 EV Circuit Introduction
An electric circuit transfers power from a source to a load. The source supplies a certain amount of power, which depends on its voltage and output current, and the load absorbs a certain amount of power, which depends on its impedance. Batteries and generators are some common power sources. Motors and lights are some common loads.
FIG. 1 shows a circuit with an ideal source that outputs its nominal voltage. The source delivers all of its output power to the load. Real sources are not ideal. They lose some power when pumping current from negative to positive terminals.
By an analytical technique called Thevenin's Theorem, a loss may be modeled as an internal impedance between a battery's positive terminal and a load's positive terminal. FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 show a circuit with a non-ideal battery and a load, separated by a switch. The battery is non-ideal because it has an internal impedance Ri, which is modeled by a resistor. Before closing the switch (FIG. 2), every conductor touching the battery's positive terminal acquires the same voltage. A voltmeter measures VB between the battery's terminals. Upon closing the switch (FIG. 3), current flows across the internal impedance and the DC motor. Here, a voltmeter measures VB(RL/(RL Ri)).
Engineers are often concerned with maximizing power transfer and efficiency. Maximum power transfer is attained by matching a source's internal impedance Zi and a load impedance ZL. Maximum efficiency is attained by maximizing the ratio PL/Pi, the ratio of the real power consumed by the load to the real power consumed by the internal impedance.
To keep track of power flowing through an electric car, it helps to classify components as strict sources, strict load, and reversible components. Strict sources always supply power and never consume it under normal operating conditions. Examples include engine-generators, hydrogen fuel cells, and photovoltaic solar panels. Strict loads always consume power and never supply it under normal operating conditions, such HVAC systems, on-board CPUs, sensors, lights, and stereos. Reversible components can either supply or consume power depending on the operating condition. For example, rechargeable batteries and ultracapacitors supply current while discharging, and they absorb current while recharging. Traction motors consume power while driving and generate power during regenerative braking. The power system of an EV may form many combinations of sources and loads over the course of a trip. The engine-generator may charge the battery, the battery may drive the motors, and the motors may regeneratively charge the battery.
FIGS. 5 through 9 demonstrate how to determine certain electrical characteristics. These methods are valid for both DC circuits and AC phasor circuits. FIG. 5 shows a non-ideal voltage source disconnected from a load impedance. The unknown characteristics are the load impedance ZL, the voltage source VS, and the internal impedance Zi. To determine ZL, a known test voltage V1 is placed across the load's terminals, and the resulting current I1 is measured with an ammeter (FIG. 6). Thus, ZL equals V1/I1. To determine VS, a voltmeter is placed across the non-ideal load (FIG. 7). Assuming the voltmeter has an infinite impedance, VS equals the measured open-circuit voltage VOC. To determine Zi, a test impedance Z2 is placed across the non-ideal voltage source, and the resulting current I2 is measured with an ammeter (FIG. 8). Since VOC/I2=Zi+Z2, it follows that Zi=VOC/I2−Z2. An alternative way to determine Zi is by measuring the voltage V2 across Z2 (FIG. 9). The I2 term is replaced by V2/Z2, which yields Zi=VOC*(Z2/V2)−Z2.
Supercapacitors (SCs) are a promising energy storage technology for EVs because they can handle more power per unit of weight than lithium-ion-batteries can. Each SC cell often has a voltage rating of about 2.7 V, and they are stacked in series when a higher voltage is desired. One problem with stacking them in series is that leakage current from one cell can overcharge and damage other cells. A SC leaks current from its cathode, and the amount of leakage current increases with its voltage. FIG. 12 shows the prior art configuration of SCs C1 and C2 stacked in series with a voltage source V+. C1 has a voltage V1=V+−VOUT, and it leaks current I1. C2 has a voltage V2=VOUT, and it leaks current I2. If I1 exceeds I2, then more charge accumulates on C2's anode than leaves its cathode. Since VC∝QC for a capacitor, and since leakage current increases with voltage, V2 increases until I2 matches I1. C2 risks failure if V2 exceeds the maximum voltage rating. Likewise, C1 risks failure if I2 exceeds I1. FIG. 13 shows a prior art configuration for two SC cells stacked in series with automatic balancing MOSFETs Q1 and Q2. This configuration prevents over-voltage because the MOSFETs provide safe paths for current to recharge the leakier cell. The configuration comes from the article "A New Method of Balancing Supercapacitors in Series Stack Using MOSFETs" by Advanced Linear Devices (mouser.com/pdfDocs/ALD_New_Method_Balancing_Supercapacitors.pdf. Accessed Jan. 28, 2020).
3 Prior Art for Component Reconfiguration and Impedance Readjustment
EVs achieve better efficiency and lower carbon emissions than gas-powered vehicles. To increase their efficiency and performance further, reconfigurable hybrid energy storage systems have been developed. These systems adjust the connections between energy storage components to meet a load requirement or absorb regenerative power. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 10,293,702 (the '702 patent) by Tu and Emadi describes a hybrid energy storage system (HESS) containing a rechargeable battery, an ultracapacitor, an engine-generator, and a DC link. Depending on the driving conditions and the load requirement, the HESS reconfigures two or more components in series, in parallel, or in series-parallel. Components may also be disconnected from the circuit. Tu's 2015 PhD thesis from McMaster University (https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/a308/8e09ae7a4dae0eb9f249b2e5a2b91716821f.pdf. Accessed Jan. 28, 2020), which corresponds to the '702 patent, depicts in FIG. 4.5 several possible circuit configurations for a battery, an ultracapacitor, power electronic converters (PECs), and a load. The configurations are series, parallel, and versions of series-parallel. Table 4.1 ranks certain HESS configurations based on their power flow efficiency and their utilization of ultracapacitor energy. The HESS configurations in Tu's thesis do not account for the impedances of the source(s) and load(s).
Chinese Pat. No. 102,222,967 describes an inductive wireless EV charger that continuously monitors and adjusts the number of turns in the secondary coil to match the input/output impedance.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,745,067 (the '067 patent) by True et al. describes an invention that automatically matches the magnitude and phase angle of one component to a second component with a known impedance. The first component may be an antenna, and the second component may be a transmitter. The '067 patent states, "This invention is not limited to use with either transmitters or antennas. This system may be adapted for use in any A. C. circuit. For example, commercial power lines may have their power factors automatically controlled by an embodiment of this invention. Another adaptation of this device is to control the impedance of a dielectric heating device such as disclosed by R. H. Hagopian in the December 1950 issue of Electronics on page 98." The signals in the '067 are analog and the switching components are mechanical. This invention only works with AC signals.
Power sources with varying output power such as photovoltaic cells use maximum power point tracking to ensure the source transfers maximum power to the load regardless of operating conditions. A power converter such as a buck converter can control the ratio of the output-to-input impedance by adjusting the duty ratio of the converter. A Wikipedia article about buck converters (https://en.wikipedia.org/wikiBuck_converter. Accessed Jan. 28, 2020) states, "this is particularly useful in applications where the impedance(s) are dynamically changing."
4 Summary of Needs
The prior art does not account for dynamic electrical characteristics tuning, wherein the electrical characteristics of the components are continuously changing along with desired modes of operation. What is needed is an automated method for reconfiguring an electrical configuration of a plurality of components of an electrical network associated with a vehicle in order to tune electrical characteristics of the electrical network to continuously match a dynamically changing desired mode of operation of the electrical network associated with the vehicle. The method should optimize the electrical characteristics to attain desired performance, efficiency, power, longevity, and other parameters.

System and method to reconfigure internal power source and load impedance elements


A method of controlling an air conditioning system can select several airflow modes with one air conditioner. The method includes a mode check step that checks whether the number of airflows of the air conditioner decreases, a state check step that checks whether a blower is selected to a minimum air amount mode, and a minimum operation step that operates a blower motor with a minimum torque smaller than a minimum start torque, if the number of airflows of the air conditioner decreases and the blower is selected to the minimum air amount mode.

Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a method of controlling an air conditioning system for reducing noise and excessive increase in an amount of wind when changing into a driver's seat mode of the air conditioning system.
Description of Related Art
In electric vehicles of the related art, there is a defect in individual air conditioning (driver's seat air conditioning mode) that sends out air to the driver's seat. When air is discharged only to the driver's seat, thermal comfort decreases due to an increase in the amount of air sent to the driver's seat, and even if a minimum current is supplied to a blower motor and the blower motor is driven at a minimum level, the air that has been discharged to all of the driver's seat and the passenger seats is discharged only to the driver's seat, so air of about two times is discharged to the driver's seat and it causes thermal discomfort.
Further, noise also increases, so that a problem of noise due to rapid increase in amount of air is generated when entering the driver's seat mode. The noise can be reduced by decreasing the current supplied to the blower at a high level of air, but it is impossible to solve the problem due to noise when entering individual air conditioning in the operation with minimum amount of air.
The information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the general background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art.

Method for controlling air conditioning unit of vehicle


An information storage medium including a markup document and AV data for use in a reproducing apparatus includes AV data including audio data and video data, a markup document, and scene synthesis information which describes one of at least two display modes for displaying a markup document scene obtained from the markup document and an AV scene obtained from the AV data together.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of displaying audio/video (AV) data together with a markup document, and more particularly, to an information storage medium including a markup document and AV data so that the markup document and the AV data can be reproduced and displayed together in various ways in an interactive mode, a recording and a reproducing method, and a reproducing apparatus therefore.
2. Description of the Related Art
Digital video discs (DVDs) (hereinafter, referred to as "interactive DVDs") on which a markup document is recorded together with audio/video (hereinafter, referred to as AV data), have been initially developed for movie applications. However, the interactive DVDs have started to be widely used in the computer industry. The AV data recorded on the interactive DVDs can be reproduced in two ways: a video mode which is displayed identically as compared to a conventional DVD, and an interactive mode in which reproduced the AV data is displayed in a display window defined by a markup document. If the interactive mode is selected by a user, a viewer installed in a DVD reproducing apparatus displays the markup document recorded on an interactive DVD. The AV data selected by the user is displayed in the display window of the markup document. For example, when the AV data is a movie, the movie is run in the display window of the markup document, and various additional information including scenario, history, and actors' pictures related to the movie are displayed in the remaining part of a screen excluding the display window of the markup document. The additional information includes image files or text files.
However, until now, in the interactive mode, the AV data is based on a simple displaying method in which the AV data is displayed through the display window defined according to grammar of markup languages.

Information storage medium including markup document and AV data, recording and reproducing method, and reproducing apparatus therefore


A developing apparatus including a developer carrying member, a developer layer regulating member and a flight developer regulating member, wherein the developer carrying member is provided in opposed relationship with an image bearing member and carries a developer thereon, and in an opposed portion between the image bearing member and the developer carrying member, an oscillating electric field is formed between the image bearing member and the developer carrying member, and the developer is caused to fly from the developer carrying member to the image bearing member, and the developer layer regulating member regulates a layer of developer on the developer carrying member, and the flight developer regulating member is mounted on the developer layer regulating member, and regulates an area in which the developer flies in the opposed portion.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a flight developer regulating member, a developing apparatus and a method of assembling a developing apparatus preferably used in an image forming apparatus of an electrophotographic type or an electrostatic recording type.
2. Related Background Art
There has heretofore been adopted a process cartridge method whereby an electrophotographic photosensitive member, charging means, developing means, cleaning means, etc. are integrally made into a cartridge, which is made detachably mountable on an image forming apparatus main body. By this cartridge method, operability is more improved and it becomes possible for a user himself to easily effect the maintenance of the above-mentioned process means and therefore, this cartridge method is widely used in image forming apparatuses of the electrophotographic type.
As a developing method in such a process cartridge, there is a developing method whereby a developer carrying member and an image bearing member are in non-contact with each other and an AC electric field (oscillating electric field) is given to between the two to thereby effect developing. This method causes a developer flying from the developer carrying member to adhere to an electrostatic latent image formed on the image bearing member to thereby effect developing. In a case where the developer is thus caused to fly from the developer carrying member to the image bearing member, there has arisen the problem that even if a latent image which should be equal in density is formed on the moving image bearing member, more developer adheres to the rear end portion of the latent image. Thus, the density sometimes becomes high only on the rear end of the image, and in order to cope with a desire for a high quality of image required in recent years, a further improvement has come to be desired.
To solve this, there is known a method of providing a plate-shaped member in a developing area as shown in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H08-22185.
The plate-shaped member, however, is disposed in a minute interstice between the developer carrying member and the image bearing member and therefore, the fore end thereof must be attached with high accuracy, and this has led to the problem that much time is required for assembly, and a further improvement has been necessary.

Flight developer regulating member, developing apparatus and method of assembling developing apparatus


A method, apparatus, and article of manufacture for a transformation lineage model. Data stored on a data storage device connected to a computer is navigated. In response to receiving user input, a target object in an information catalog is selected. Then, information about a source from which the target object was derived is provided.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to computer-implemented objects, and in particular, to maintaining object relationships.
2. Description of Related Art
Databases are computerized information storage and retrieval systems. A Database Management System (DBMS) stores and retrieves data in databases. Databases are organized into tables which consist of rows and columns of data. The rows are formally called tuples. A database will typically have many tables and each table will typically have multiple tuples and multiple columns. The tables are typically stored on random access storage devices (RASD) such as magnetic or optical disk drives for semi-permanent storage. A DBMS can be an object-oriented database management system (OODBMS). An object-oriented database is organized into objects having members that can be pointers to other objects.
Some systems store catalog objects using an information catalog. In particular, for each object to be cataloged, there is a corresponding metadata object in the information catalog describing the object. A metadata object contains metadata, which is information about other data. For example, metadata could be information that describes the name of a table or the location of a document, but it is not the actual data in the table or document. The metadata for an object in the information catalog may change over time. Currently, it is difficult to identify the changes that occurred.
Thus, there is a need in the art for a technique for determining the transformation lineage of data.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Data navigation system and method employing data transformation lineage model

International Business Machines Corporation