The diffractive optical element includes two diffraction gratings made of different materials and being in contact with each other at their grating surfaces. The materials satisfy the following conditions, and the second material is obtained by mixing a resin material with a particulate material satisfying the following conditions: nd1≧1.48, νd1≧40, (−1.665E−07×νd13+5.213E−05×νd12−5.656E−03×νd1+0.675)≦θg,F1≦(−1.665E−07×νd13+5.213E−05×νd12−5.656E−03×νd1+0.825), (−1.687E−07×νd13+5.702E−05×νd12−6.603E−03×νd1+1.400)≦θg,d1≦(−1.687E−07×νd13+5.702E−05×νd12−6.603E−03×νd1+1.580), nd2≦1.6, νd2≦30, θg,F2≦(−1.665E−07×νd23+5.213E−05×νd22−5.656E−03×νd2+0.675), θg,d2≦(−1.687E−07×νd23+5.702E−05×νd22−6.603E−03×νd2+1.400), nd1−nd2>0, ndb2≧1.70, νdb2≦20.

The present invention relates to a diffractive optical element for use in an optical system and an optical apparatus, and more particularly relates to a diffractive optical element configured so that diffraction gratings made of two materials are in contact with each other.
There is a method for reducing chromatic aberration by a combination of glass materials. On the other hand, other methods are disclosed for reducing chromatic aberration in SPIE Vol. 1354 International Lens Design Conference (1990), Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4 (1992)-213421, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6 (1994)-324262 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,044,706, which provide a diffractive optical element (hereinafter, this may be called a diffraction grating) having a diffraction function at a lens surface or as a part of an optical system. Such a method utilizes a physical phenomenon that chromatic aberration occurs in opposite directions between at a refractive surface and at a diffractive surface in an optical system with respect to a light ray of a certain reference wavelength.
It is further possible to make such a diffractive optical element function as an aspheric surface by changing the period of its periodic structure, whereby aberration can be reduced remarkably.
In an optical system including a diffractive optical element, if most of light in a using wavelength range is converted to diffracted light of one specific diffraction order (hereinafter called a designed diffraction order or a designed order), the intensity of diffracted light of the other diffraction orders will be low. For instance, the intensity of 0 means the absence of the corresponding diffracted light. However, in the case where the diffracted light of the diffraction orders other than the designed diffraction order exists with some degree of intensity, an image will be formed at a place different from that for the designed diffraction order, resulting in flare light generated in the optical system.
Thus, in order to utilize the chromatic-aberration reducing function of a diffractive optical element, it is necessary that the diffraction efficiency of the diffracted light of the designed diffraction order is sufficiently high over the entire using wavelength range. To this end, it is important to consider sufficiently a spectral distribution of the diffraction efficiency in this designed diffraction order as well as the behavior of the diffracted light of the diffraction orders other than the designed diffraction order.
Herein, the diffraction efficiency of the diffracted light of a certain diffraction order refers to a ratio of the amount of the diffracted light of the diffraction order to the amount of the entire light flux transmitted through the diffractive optical element (this may be called transmittance also).
FIG. 25 shows a diffractive optical element made up of a substrate 109 and a diffraction grating 108 formed on the substrate 109 (hereinafter called a single-layer DOE). D1 is a grating thickness of the diffraction grating 108. FIG. 26 shows the diffraction-efficiency-characteristic curves in a specific and other diffraction orders when this single-layer DOE is formed at a certain surface.
In FIG. 26, the horizontal axis represents a wavelength of the incident light, and the vertical axis represents diffraction efficiency. As described above, a value of the diffraction efficiency represents the ratio of the amount of the diffracted light of each diffraction order to the amount of the entire light flux transmitted through the diffractive optical element. Herein, for the sake of brevity, light reflected by a grating interface is not taken into consideration.
As shown in FIG. 26, the single-layer DOE of FIG. 25 is designed so that the diffraction efficiency in the first diffraction order (bold solid line in the drawing) as the designed diffraction order is the highest in the using wavelength range. The diffraction efficiency in this designed diffraction order becomes the highest at a certain wavelength (hereinafter called a designed wavelength), and is gradually decreased at other wavelengths. The light corresponding to the decrease amount in this designed diffraction order becomes diffracted light of the other diffraction orders, which forms flare light. FIG. 26 shows the diffraction efficiencies in diffraction orders close to the designed diffraction order (zeroth order and second order) also as the other diffraction orders.
Various structures have been proposed for reducing the influences of the thus generated flare light.
As shown in FIG. 27, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9(1997)-127322 has disclosed a diffractive optical element in which three different grating materials 110 to 112 and two different grating thicknesses d1 and d2 are selected optimally, and a plurality of diffraction gratings in close contact with each other are arranged with the same pitch distribution. Hereinafter, a diffractive optical element with such a structure will be called a contacting three-layer DOE. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 28, a high diffraction efficiency can be achieved in the designed diffraction order over the entire visible wavelength range.
A diffractive optical element 113 of FIG. 29, which is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-98118, is configured so that element portions 114 and 115 each including a diffraction grating are brought closer to each other with an air layer 116 interposed therebetween. Hereinafter, a diffractive optical element with such a structure will be called a stacked (multi-layer) DOE. As shown in FIG. 30A, a high diffraction efficiency can be achieved over the entire visible wavelength range by optimizing the refractive indexes of materials making up each diffraction grating, the dispersion characteristic thereof and the grating thickness of each layer. Additionally, as shown in FIG. 30B, the diffraction efficiencies of the zeroth order diffracted light and the second order diffracted light as unnecessary diffracted light can be generally suppressed (reduced).
A diffractive optical element disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-78166 is the stacked DOE similar to the diffractive optical element disclosed in the above Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-98118. However, a mixed material of a particulate material and a resin material is used and the grating thickness of each layer is optimized, whereby as shown in FIG. 31A, a still higher diffraction efficiency can be achieved than that of the diffractive optical element of the above Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-98118. Additionally, as shown in FIG. 31B, the diffraction efficiencies of the zeroth order diffracted light and the second order diffracted light as the unnecessary order diffracted light also can be sufficiently suppressed.
A diffractive optical element 119 of FIG. 32 as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-107298 and Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-227913 is configured so that diffraction gratings 117 and 118 made of two different resin materials, respectively, are in close contact with each other at their grating surfaces. Hereinafter, a diffractive optical element with such a structure will be called a contacting two-layer DOE. With this structure, a diffractive optical element at a low cost can be realized, which can be manufactured easily.
According to the contacting three-layer DOE disclosed in the above Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9(1997)-127322 and the stacked DOEs disclosed in the above Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-98118, the diffraction efficiency in the designed diffraction order is 94% or higher over the entire using wavelength range, which is considerably improved as compared with the single-layer DOE. Unnecessary diffracted light causing flare light also can be favorably suppressed to 2% or lower.
However, in the case of an optical system mounted to an optical apparatus such as a still camera and a video camera, even small amount of remaining flare light may be a problem when a high-intensity light source is present in an image-pickup area.
In the stacked DOE disclosed in the above Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-78166 made of a mixed material of a particulate material and a resin material, the diffraction efficiency in the designed diffraction order is 99.5% or higher and the unnecessary diffracted light is 0.05% or lower over the entire using wavelength range, thus realizing higher performance more than the contacting three-layer DOE disclosed of the above Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9(1997)-127322 and the stacked DOEs of the above Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-98118. Thus, it is expected that flare light will be less noticeable to some extent.
However, a diffractive optical element is still required, which can be manufactured more easily than the stacked DOE disclosed in the above Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-78166 including an air layer.
Meanwhile, in the case of the contacting two-layer DOE disclosed in the above Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-107298 and Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-227913, the performance of this diffractive optical element itself, especially the diffraction efficiency of the first order diffracted light as the designed diffraction order light is about 95 to 97% over the entire using wavelength range, which is not sufficiently high. In other words, the flare light due to the unnecessary diffracted light may cause a problem. Furthermore, since the contacting two-layer DOE disclosed in the above Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-107298 includes a thick grating as much as about 20 μm or more, there is another problem of the degradation in diffraction efficiency resulting from vignetting of an obliquely incident light ray.

Contacting two-layer diffractive optical element

Abstract: The element achieves a high diffraction efficiency in a specific diffraction order over a wide wavelength range.


A cationic water-soluble polymer comprising from 0.001 to 10 mole percent of a repeating mer unit represented by the formula ##STR1## wherein a is an integer of from 1 to 10, R.sub.1 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and methyl groups, R.sub.2 and R.sub.3 are methyl groups, fluor is a fluorescing moiety and X is selected from the group consisting of chloride, iodide and bromide ions and wherein the polymer also contains from 90 to 99.999 mole percent of a remaining portion of randomly distributed vinylic mer units selected from at least one of the monomer groups consisting of acrylamide, acrylic acid, methacrylamide, vinyl acetate, dimethylaminoethyl acrylate methyl chloride quaternary salt, dimethylaminoethyl acrylate benzyl chloride quaternary salt, diallyldimethyl ammonium chloride, N-vinyl formamide, dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate methyl chloride quaternary salt, dimethylamninoethyl methacrylate benzyl chloride quaternary salt, methacrylamidopropyl trimethyl ammonium chloride and acrylamidopropyl trimethyl ammonium chloride.. Preferably, fluor is selected from the group consisting of 1-(substituted)naphthalene, 9-(substituted)anthracene, 2-(substituted)quinoline monohydrochloride, 2-(substituted)benzimidazole, 5-(substituted)fluorescein, 4-(substituted)coumarin and 3-(substituted)-6,7-dimethoxy-1-methyl-2(1H)-quinoxazolinone.. Most preferably, fluor is a coumarin derivative.. Monomers of the structures described above are also disclosed. Moreover, a method for determining the efficiency of water-soluble polymeric treating agents utilizing the above-mentioned polymers is also disclosed.

In many fields that employ polymers it may be desirable to tag or mark such polymers to facilitate monitoring thereof. By the term "monitoring" is meant herein any type of tracing or tracking to determine the location or route of the polymers, and any type of determination of the concentration or amount of the polymer at any given site, including singular or intermittent or continuous monitoring. For instance, it may be desirable to monitor water treatment polymers in water systems, particularly industrial water systems, or to monitor polymers that may be present in waste fluids before disposal, particularly industrial waste fluids, or to monitor the polymer used for down-hole oil well applications, particularly the route taken after introduction down-hole, or to monitor polymers that may be present in fluids used to wash a manufactured product, for instance a polymer-coated product, to determine the amount of polymer washed or leached therefrom. By fluids or liquids as used herein generally is meant aqueous, non-aqueous, and mixed aqueous/non-aqueous fluid systems. As seen from the above list of possible applications of polymer monitoring, the purpose of such monitoring may be to trace or track or determine the level of the polymer itself, or to trace or track or determine the level of some substance in association with the polymer, or to determine some property of the polymer or substance in association with the polymer, for instance its leachability.
Conventional techniques for monitoring polymers are generally time-consuming and labor intensive, and often require the use of bulky and/or costly equipment. Most conventional polymer analysis techniques require the preparation of calibration curves for each type of polymer employed, which is time-consuming and laborious, particularly when a large variety of polymer chemistries are being employed, and the originally prepared calibration curves lose their accuracy if the polymer structures change, for instance an acrylic acid ester mer unit being hydrolyzed to an acrylic acid mer unit. Direct methods wherein the level of functional groups present in a polymer is determined analytically are generally not practical for industrial use, particularly when it is desired to monitor a polymer on a frequent or continuous basis, or when rapid monitoring results are needed. Indirect methods of polymer monitoring may provide more rapid results using simpler techniques, but in many instances faster and/or more accurate determinations are desirable.
Polymers tagged with pendant fluorescent groups are generally easily monitored, even when present at low concentrations. In theory, the fluorescence quantum efficiency and molar extinction coefficient of the fluorescent group need only be large enough to generate an acceptable signal to noise ratio for the tagged polymer in the matrix in which detection occurs. What is required in terms of quantum efficiency and molar extinction to detect fluorescently tagged polymer will depend upon background fluorescence of the matrix at the wavelength that emission is being monitored, the intensity of the excitation source, and the efficiency of the emission collection device (detector). In practice, the incorporation of a fluorescent species in a polymer in the amount of one weight percent or less is desirable; this should be sufficient to permit the detection of polymer at ppm or ppb concentration levels, provided the fluorescent quantum yield and the light absorbance molar extinction coefficient of the fluorescent tagging agent are not significantly adversely affected by its attachment to the polymer.
Some polymers tagged with pendant fluorescent groups are known. A process for preparing a cross-linkable fluorescent compound bonded polymer from the copolymerization of a fluorescent compound wherein an acrylamide moiety and the aromatic fluorescing moiety are directly linked through an amide bond to the aromatic ring is disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 1,141,147. Other fluorescent acrylamide based polymers are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,043,406 and 4,999,456. Polymers tagged with pendant fluorescent groups have been prepared by the transamidation derivatization of the pre-existing polymers having carbonyl-type pendant groups in U.S. Pat. No. 5,128,419. Another post-polymerization modification of a polyacrylamide with a fluorescing moiety is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,813,973. The preparation of certain vinylic coumarin derivatives is disclosed in Collection Czechoslov. Chem Common, Vol. 45, 1980, pgs. 727-731. However, none of these disclosures cite the monomers and polymers of the instant invention.
A specific example of the utility of a polymer tagged with pendant fluorescent groups may be drawn from the field of solids/liquid separation.
In the water treatment field of solids/liquid separation, suspended solids are removed from water by a variety of processes, including without limitation, sedimentation, straining, flotation, filtration, coagulation, flocculation, emulsion breaking and the like. Additionally, after suspended solids are removed from the water they must often be dewatered so that they may be further treated or properly disposed. Liquids treated for solids removal often have as little as several parts per billion of suspended solids or dispersed oils may contain large amounts of suspended solids or oils. Solids being dewatered may contain anywhere from 0.25 weight percent solids, to 40 or 50 weight percent solids material. So called liquid solids separation processes are designed to remove solids from water, or, conversely and depending upon the desired component, liquids from solids.
While strictly mechanical means have been used to effect solids/liquid separation, modem methods often rely on mechanical separation techniques which are augmented by synthetic and natural cationic polymeric materials to accelerate the rate at which solids can be removed from water. These processes include treatment of raw water with cationic coagulant polymers which settle suspended inorganic particulates and make the water usable for industrial or municipal purposes. Other examples of these processes include the removal of colored soluble species from paper mill effluent wastes, the use of organic flocculant polymers to flocculate industrial and municipal waste materials, recovering a sludge and emulsion breaking.
Regarding the mechanism of separation processes, particles in nature have either a cationic or anionic charge. Accordingly, these particles often are removed by a water soluble coagulant or flocculent polymer having a charge opposite to that of the particles. This is referred to as polyelectrolyte enhanced liquid/solids separation processes, wherein a water soluble or dispersible ionically charged polymer is added to neutralize the charged particles or emulsion droplets to be separated. The dosage of these polymers is critical to the performance of the process. Too little ionically charged polymer, and the suspended particles will not be charge neutralized and will thus still repel each other. Too much polymer, and the polymer will be wasted, or worse, flocculation will be adversely affected.
If the polyelectrolyte or ionically charged polymer being added is very effective for the given process, the polyelectrolyte that leaves with the water fraction generally represents an overdosage. More polyelectrolyte was added than required. If the polyelectrolyte being added is not very effective for the given process, significant amounts of polymer may leave the process with the water fraction as an indication of the polymers performance deficiencies. In either instance, a determination of the amount of polyelectrolyte that leaves a separation process with the filtrate or water fraction would be extremely beneficial. An effective polyelectrolyte should be added to a separation process in an amount just at or above that consumed by attachment to the solids or oil surfaces. Whether the dosage selected approaches this optimal dosage could be determined, and the dosage adjusted if necessary, if the level of the polyelectrolyte in the filtrate could be easily monitored. A less effective polyelectrolyte could be readily detected, and the polyelectrolyte selection changed if the level of the polyelectrolyte in the filtrate could be easily monitored.
Monitoring the concentration of polyelectrolyte in the filtrate is a formidable task not well suited to industrial applications. Analytical techniques such as colloid titration are complicated and time consuming and do not permit a real time result. Electronic instrumentation to determine charge is available, but such devices are expensive, and do not differentiate between charge associated with a polymer, or charge from other sources, including the water, solids, or other constituent in the effluent. Time consuming measurements are inefficient since the characteristics of a waste stream or emission may vary considerably with time.
The use of fluorescence emission spectroscopy to determine the concentration of a fluorescent chemical species is extremely rapid and sensitive, but the species being monitored must be fluorescent. A typical polyelectrolyte is not fluorescent or is not sufficiently fluorescent for monitoring by emission spectroscopy. Since the polyelectrolyte in its performance is consumed in the sense that it attaches to the solids and/or oils and is separated from the water therewith, adding a fluorescent signature chemical or tracer that follows the water would not reveal what fraction of the polyelectrolyte has been consumed, even if the concentration of the tracer can be correlated to polyelectrolyte dosage.
While determining polyelectrolyte dosage, for instance by adding a tracer in known proportion to the polyelectrolyte and monitoring the tracer concentration to determine if the target dosage or feed rate is being met, may in and of itself be of significant assistance, a water-soluble totally inert tracer is an indicator of only the theoretical zero-consumption concentration of the polyelectrolyte in the filtrate, and not the actual filtrate concentration of the polyelectrolyte. A signature chemical or tracer that itself preferentially follows the solids and/or oil likewise is not an indicator of polyelectrolyte consumption and hence polyelectrolyte performance.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a process for monitoring a polyelectrolyte water treatment chemical that is consumed in its performance, preferentially associating with one phase in a multiphase system.
It is an object of the present invention to monitor a polyelectrolyte that preferentially associates with one phase of a multiphase system by determining the extent of such preferential association.
It is an object of the present invention to determine the extent of preferential phase association of polyelectrolyte in a multiphase system using a technique that is rapid and sensitive. It is an object of the present invention to determine the extent of preferential phase association of a polyelectrolyte in a multiphase system using a technique that can be employed on a semi-continuous or continuous basis.
It is an object of the present invention to determine the extent of preferential phase association of a polyelectrolyte in a multiphase system using a technique that can be employed on line. It is an object of the present invention to determine the extent of preferential phase association of a polyelectrolyte in a multiphase system using a technique that determines the concentration of the polyelectrolyte in the non-preferred phase. These and other objects of the present invention are described in detail below.
The ability to exploit fluorescent polymers and to obtain economic benefits from their deployment depends upon the ability to detect fluorescence contributed by the polymer over any background incidental to the application. If this necessary condition can be achieved, and the increase in observed fluorescence as a finction of polymer dose corresponds to optimal product performance, then a useful tool has been developed. These and other objects are provided by the present invention which is described in more detail below.


A control for a hydraulic circuit includes a manifold housing and a movable member disposed in the housing. The manifold housing can include a brake port and a pressure port. The brake port is in fluid communication with an associated spring applied-pressure released brake. The pressure port is in fluid communication with an associated pump. The movable member moves between a first operating position and a second operating position when pressure is not being applied to the pressure port. In the first operating position, the movable member is disposed to allow fluid communication between the associated pump and the associated brake. In the second operating position the movable member is disposed to prohibit fluid communication in a first direction from the associated brake toward upstream the associated pump while allowing fluid communication from upstream the associated pump toward the associated brake in a second direction. The manifold housing can also include first and second motor ports. In this embodiment, each motor port is in fluid communication with an associated motor. In the first operating position, the movable member is disposed to prohibit fluid communication between the first motor port and the second motor port. In the second operating position the movable member is disposed to allow fluid communication between the first motor port and the second motor port.

When a hydraulic system failure occurs or when the engine of the prime mover is not running to drive the pump for a brake system having spring applied-pressure released brakes, the brakes are spring applied by the loss of hydraulic pressure. When such a loss of pressure occurs, a vehicle of this type cannot be towed to a suitable repair station until the brakes are again pressurized, thus releasing the brakes.
Manual pumps are used to pressurize and release the brakes. These known manual pumps typically include at least three ports: a pressure port, a brake port, and a tank port. In these known manual pumps, when one is manually pumping to pressurize the brakes, the pressure port is typically blocked and hydraulic fluid is drawn from the tank to pressurize the brake. One known manual pump includes more than one rod, i.e. a first rod to act as a piston for the manual pump and a second rod to block flow from the pressure port to the brake port. Another known manual pump includes valves in combination with rods. The valves require the operator to turn or adjust the valves to block flow from the pressure port to the brake port. Both of these known manual pumps require a complex manifold structure to provide the proper fluid communication between the ports in different operating modes and also require operator training to know which rods to push or which valves to turn.
Many vehicles that employ spring applied-pressure released brakes also employ hydraulic motors to drive the vehicle. When the engine is not running to drive the pump for the hydraulic motors, typically a shut-off valve is disposed in the hydraulic circuit to block the flow of hydraulic fluid through the hydraulic motors thus prohibiting rotation of the hydraulic motor and thus the vehicle. These hydraulic motors can also be used to perform dynamic braking to stop the vehicle. Dynamic braking is also performed by blocking flow through the motors so that the motors cannot rotate. Release valves or counter-balance valves can be disposed in the circuit to dump the flow of hydraulic fluid during dynamic braking so that the hydraulic motors do not come to an abrupt halt.
As stated above, when the engine is not running or a hydraulic system failure has occurred, a shut-off valve disposed in the hydraulic circuit actuates to stop the flow of hydraulic fluid and, therefore, block rotation of the hydraulic motors. When the vehicle that includes these hydraulic motors needs to be moved, the shut-off valve can be short circuited to allow for the movement of fluid through the hydraulic motors. Typically, a needle valve is located in the hydraulic circuit remote from the aforementioned manual pump used to pressurize the brakes. Accordingly, to move a vehicle that includes spring applied-pressure released brakes and hydraulic motors that are blocked upon loss of pressure, one must pressurize the brakes using a manual pump and move to another location on the vehicle to open a needle valve to short circuit the shut-off valve that blocks flow through the motors.

Control component for a spring applied-pressure released hydraulic brake and hydraulic motor


A lock for securing to a selected base object by a user is disclosed. The lock includes a housing, a time display device secured to the housing, a locking mechanism attached to the housing, and a shackle having a first portion disposed within the housing and a second portion disposed between an open position and a closed position. When disengaged from the locking mechanism, the shackle is movable between the closed position and the open position by user manipulation of the locking mechanism. The locking mechanism can be a various styles, such as for example, a padlock or a dial combination. The shackle can be of various structures, shapes and styles. The time display device may include a rotatable face plate. The lock may include illumination means, such as for example, a user operated flashlight.

Padlocks, combination locks, and other types of conventional locks are known in the art for use in a variety of applications. Locks may be used by an owner to secure many different objects against theft or accidental misplacement. Locks may include additional features, such as for example, a time keeping and display device.
Time display devices that are not worn by the user on his or her wrist or as pocket watch have become popular in the art. These devices are useful for attachment to a selected base object, such as for example, a ski jacket, a bicycle, a backpack or a life jacket. Therefore, a need exists in the art for a lock including a time display device that can secured and locked to a selected object.
The present lock offers novel features over other locks known in art and available on the market today. The shackle of the lock advantageously locks when in the closed position when attached to a selected base object. In addition, the lock secures the time display component in a manner that allows the user to rotate the display component for viewing from a variety of directions.


There are disclosed a ceramic porous membrane formed with less membrane formation times and having less defects, a small and uniform thickness and a high resolution, and a ceramic filter. A silica membrane as a ceramic porous membrane is formed on a titania UF membrane as an ultrafiltration membrane (a UF membrane) formed on a porous base member which is a microfiltration membrane (also referred to as an MF membrane) and having an average pore diameter smaller than that of the porous base member, the silica membrane has an average pore diameter smaller than that of the titania UF membrane and a part of the silica membrane permeates the titania UF membrane.

The present invention relates to a ceramic porous membrane and a ceramic filter. More particularly, it relates to a ceramic porous membrane having less defects and having a small and uniform thickness, and a ceramic filter.
Heretofore, various methods of forming a ceramic porous membrane on a porous base member have been known. For example, a hot coating process is known (see Non-Patent Document 1). This is a method of rubbing a tube base with cloth containing a silica sol to apply the silica sol and thereby form a porous membrane on an outer surface of the heated tube base.
A method of forming a porous membrane on an inner surface of a porous base member having a tubular shape or a cylindrical lotus-root-like monolith shape by filtering membrane formation is also known (see Patent Documents 1, 2). The outer surface of the porous base member is held at a pressure lower than that of an inner surface thereof which comes in contact with a sol liquid to form the membrane on the inner surface of the porous base member.
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 3-267129
[Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 61-238315
[Non-Patent Document 1] Journal of Membrane Science 149 (1988) 127 to 135
However, the hot coating process has a problem that the membrane cannot uniformly be formed on the whole base surface, and the membrane can be formed on the only outer surface of the tube base. The process cannot be applied to any monolith-type base. On the other hand, in the filtering membrane formation process, during drying of the formed membrane, a solvent present in base pores sometimes flows out on a membrane side to cause membrane peeling. As a result, there is a problem that a defect is generated in the porous membrane formed on the fired base surface. A dip coating process can be applied to the monolith type base, but the number of membrane formation times is large.
An object of the present invention is to provide a ceramic porous membrane formed with less membrane formation times and having less defects, a small and uniform thickness and a high resolution, and a ceramic filter.

Ceramic porous membrane and ceramic filter


A transporter vehicle includes: a vehicle; an object detection device which includes a detection area at a front side of the vehicle and detects an object at the front side of the vehicle; a process system capable of performing a process for reducing damage caused by a collision; a specific detection area setting unit which sets a specific detection area having a width of a first dimension in a width direction of the vehicle and a length of a second dimension in a traveling direction of the vehicle in the detection area; a collision determination unit which determines whether an object exists in the specific detection area based on a detection result of the object detection device; and a control unit which outputs a signal for reducing damage caused by the collision to the process system based on a determination result of the collision determination unit.

A collision damage reduction system has been used in order to reduce damage caused by the collision between a vehicle and an object. The collision damage reduction system includes an object detection device which is mounted on a vehicle and detects an object at the front side of the vehicle and a process system which performs a process for reducing damage caused by the collision. As the object detection device, for example, a radar device and a camera are known. As the process system, an alarm device generating an alarm and a brake assist device assisting a brake operation are known. Patent Literature 1 discloses an example of a technique involving with an in-vehicle laser device.

Transporter vehicle and transporter vehicle control method


A plurality of specific external connecting parts can be short-circuited, without increasing the number of parts and mounting work. A plurality of external connecting parts provided in parallel to each other, and a short-circuit part for short-circuiting edges located at rear end side of each of a first external connecting part and a second external connecting part which separate external connecting parts not short-circuited among the external connecting parts are inserted therebetween are comprised. The short-circuit part is formed by upward or downward bending process, and has a curved part.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a card adaptor for connecting a small card mounted in a card mounting part to a card connector device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Such conventional techniques are shown in Japanese unexamined Patent Application Publication Nos. 2000-40131, 2000-305662, 2002-157056, and 2003-150912 and Japanese examined Patent Application Publication No. 3250986. In these conventional techniques, a plurality of external connecting parts which are provided in parallel to each other and are connected to a card connector device are provided, and a card mounting part for mounting a card inside of a case forming a main body is provided and is connected to the card connector device in a state that the card is mounted in the card mounting part. Thereby, the signal transmission/reception between the card and the card connector device is possible.
In the above-mentioned card connector device, a standard card having a dimension larger than that of a card mounted in the card adaptor can be mounted. In addition, the above-mentioned conventional card adaptor is set to have a dimension approximately equal to that of the standard card. Also, the above-mentioned standard card comprises a plurality of external connecting parts connected to a card connector device, but a plurality of specific external connecting parts among the plurality of external connecting parts are short-circuited according to standard requirements.
The above-mentioned case is constructed by engaging an upper case member and a lower case member to each other and integrally forming them by a coupling part.
In conventional card adaptors, it is not considered that a plurality of specific external connecting parts among a plurality of external connecting parts are short-circuited to each other.
Since a plurality of external connecting parts of the card adaptor are provided in parallel to each other on the same plane, in the case that the specific external connecting parts among the plurality of external connecting parts are short-circuited to each other, a structure may be considered that a conducting member extending to at least one external connecting part which is not short-circuited is separately provided, and the conducting member is connected to each of the plurality of specific external connecting parts.
However, in the case of separately providing a conducting member, the number of parts is increased and a mounting work for connecting the conducting member to each of the plurality of external connecting parts is needed. As a result, there is a problem in that the number of mounting work is increased and consequently the manufacturing cost is also increased.
Furthermore, in the above-mentioned card adaptor, if the card is distorted by a mistake when mounting the card in the card mounting part, a force is delivered to an engaging part between the upper case member and the lower case member. As a result, there is a problem in that the case may be damaged.


A skag having a rod/elongated rod and rearwardly-angled threaded studs upwardly-extending immovably from the rod. The skag adapted to be connected to the bottom of a snowmobile ski to enhance the steering capabilities the snowmobile ski. The studs being angled with respect to a longitudinal axis of the skag in a direction opposite to that of the forward travel direction of the skag to decrease the shear stress on the weld fixing the stud to the rod and providing a security against installing the skags in the wrong orientation on the bottom of the ski.

Snowmobile skis typically have an elongated removable steering skag (sometimes also called a wear-bar) carried on the underside (i.e. bottom surface) of the ski (and usually on the keel thereof when the underside of the ski has a keel). The skag acts to increase the bite of the ski on groomed trails, on hard-packed snow and in icy conditions when the ski is turned. The skag is also used to lengthen the life of the underside of the ski by being the contact point or wear point of the ski on the ground (as opposed the other usually plastic parts of the underside of the ski) when the ski is in contact with the ground or other hard surfaces (e.g. road surfaces).
Conventional skags are normally an elongated piece of metal such as a steel rod having a circular or square cross-section. One such prior art skag 10 is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. This prior art skag 10 has a front 12 and a rear 14 that are normally angled slightly upwardly from a middle 16 to avoid the skag digging into the ground during use. The skag 10 is placed under the snowmobile ski such that it runs longitudinally along the underside of the snowmobile ski. In use, when the ski is travelling straight ahead, the skag 10 produces very little drag. When the ski is turned, the skag 10 is turned and creates drag over the ground surface and enhances the turning of the snowmobile. For extremely icy conditions, the bottom of the skag 10 could be equipped with one or more sharp triangular carbides 18 which further enhance the drag created between the ice and the skag 10, thus further increasing the turning capabilities of the snowmobile ski.
Conventionally, removable prior art skags such as the one shown in FIG. 1 are secured to the underside of a ski by using studs 20. Studs 20 are fixed, preferably welded, to the skag and extend upwardly away from the skag perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the skag. The studs 20 are normally threaded to accept a nut. In most cases, a skag will be equipped with two or more longitudinally spaced studs to prevent bending of the skag when encountering side forces. To secure the skag to the underside of the ski, the studs are passed upwardly through holes in the ski and each receives a nut on the top side of the ski such that when the nut is in threaded engagement with the stud, the ski is sandwiched between the skag.
Typically, the material chosen for mass produced studs is of a high quality in order create durable threads, while that of the rod need not be of such a high quality since it is not threaded. The two materials are welded together to form the skag. However, this normally causes the welds between each stud and the rod to become the weakest point of the skag. Because the studs are attached perpendicular to the rod, the studs and particularly the welding are under shear stress when the ski is in use. Under certain circumstances, such as when the snowmobile is traversing a paved road or railroad tracks, the shear stress may be very high. The diameter of the stud and the amount of welding applied around the contact between the stud and the rod must be sufficient to withstand these high amounts of shear stress. In some cases, the shear force is nonetheless too high and the rod may be completely sheared away from the skag. This is undesirable. In other cases, the amount of material required to prevent this from occurring undesirably increases the cost of the skag.
Further, in conventional skags at least one of the studs passes through the ski close to the ski leg of the snowmobile, making access to the nut cumbersome due to its proximity to the ski leg. This makes it difficult for the skag to be removed and for a new skag to be attached.
Additionally, with the conventional construction of having the studs of a conventional skag perpendicular to the rod, there is always a possibility that the skag could be fitted to the underside of the ski in the wrong orientation (i.e. backwards) if the studs are equally spaced over the length of the rod.
Thus, while the current design of conventional skags is sufficient to provide a removable skag that enhances the turning capabilities of a snowmobile ski, there exists a need to provide an improved skag.


The embodiments of the present disclosure provide a display substrate and a display device, which relate to the field of display technologies, to solve the problem that a saw-toothed display effect occurs at an edge of an AA area when displaying if the edge of the AA area is non-linear. The display substrate includes a black matrix. The display substrate is provided with a display area, and at least a part of an edge of the display area has an irregular edge having a concave-convex shape. The display area has a plurality of subpixels arranged in a matrix form, and has a vision weakening area close to the irregular edge. In the vision weakening area, the black matrix includes a light shielding block located in the subpixel.

The present disclosure relates to the field of display technologies, and particularly to a display substrate and a display device.
With continuous development of display technologies, user's requirements of the appearance or the integration performance of the display substrate are becoming higher and higher. In order to meet the needs of the users, an edge of an Active Area (AA area for short) of a display substrate may be non-linear. In this way, the AA area can meet requirements of diversified edge shapes of the display substrate. In addition, it is possible to integrate some other components, such as an earpiece or a camera, into a recess at the edge of the AA area.

BEIJING BOE OPTOELECTRONICS TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.


‘Kakegawa S79’ is a new Calibrachoa cultivar particularly distinguished by having yellow flowers with red veins and a semi-creeping growth habit.

The present invention comprises a new and distinct cultivar of Calibrachoa, botanically known as Calibrachoa sp., and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name 'Kakegawa S79'. It is characterized by having yellow flowers with red veins. The new cultivar originated from a hybridization made in Kakegawa, Japan in 2001. A proprietary Calibrachoa breeding line with apricot flowers and a semi-upright growth habit (female) was crossed with a proprietary Calibrachoa breeding line with red flowers and a semi-upright growth habit (male).
In August 2001, F1 seed from the above hybridization was sown in the greenhouse. Three single-plant selections were made regardless of flower color and growth habit and intercrossed to produce F2 seed. In February 2002, F2 seed was sown and 100 total plants were evaluated. Four single-plant selections with bronze vein flower color and a semi-creeping growth habit were selected and vegetatively propagated. In the summer of 2002, these four selections were evaluated in a greenhouse and in an open field. One single plant was chosen based on trial results and asexually propagated through rooted plant cuttings in both Kakegawa, Japan and Salinas, Calif. 'Kakegawa S79' has been shown to reproduce true to type in successive generations of asexual propagation.


The present disclosure generally relates to medical training, and more particularly but not exclusively, to training performed for extracorporeal support techniques such as extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (“ECMO”). In one non-limiting embodiment, a system includes a clamp defining a space to receive a conduit of an ECMO circuit, an articulator operably coupled to the clamp to change a dimension of the space, and a simulator module communicatively coupled to the articulator to transmit control signals. Additional and/or alternative embodiments, forms, features and aspects are disclosed herein.

The present disclosure generally relates to medical training, and more particularly but not exclusively, to training performed for extracorporeal support techniques such as extracorporeal membrane oxygenation ("ECMO").
The claimed subject matter is not limited to embodiments that solve any disadvantages or that operate only in environments such as those described above. Rather, this background is only provided to illustrate examples of where the present disclosure may be utilized.

Devices and methods for dynamic extracorporeal membrane oxygenation simulation


A seal for a package includes a circuit having electrical characteristics that change under mechanical deformation and an attaching material coupled to the circuit and for attaching the circuit to the package. The seal is attached to the package and processed prior to shipping to establish an untampered state for the seal. This includes identifying a circuit on the sealed package according to a seal type associated with the seal, recording one or more characteristics associated with the circuit from the seal and storing the seal type and one or more characteristics associated with the circuit from the seal for later comparison. To detect tampering to the package, the seal type and corresponding seal and circuit for the seal is identified, the characteristics associated with a circuit from the seal are determined and compared with the previous characteristics recorded when the seal was initially applied to the package. If the comparison indicates that a mechanical deformation of the seal occurred, it is possible the seal and package were tampered with during shipment or delivery.

The present invention relates generally to packaging. Each product design also includes a package design to contain the product for shipping and delivery. Some of the design considerations for packaging include product display, mechanical protection and security for the product contained therein. Security is often a key element in package design for pharmaceuticals, foodstuffs and high-value items.
Security assures consumers that consumable items such as medicines have not been tampered with and that high-value items are genuine. Secure packaging for a consumable may take the form of a container with a frangible seal that is broken or deformed upon opening the container. Packages for high-value items may be closed with a seal that deforms upon opening the package. While such packaging may be described as "tamper proof," they are generally "tamper evident." Unfortunately, evidence of tampering requires a close and careful visual inspection of the package before and after it is opened. Accordingly, many tampered items go undetected if the visual inspection is not made or not made carefully.
Tampering can also be performed by more sophisticated methods. A person and/or a machine can carefully remove and replace seals on a package without deforming the seal enough for visual detection. In some cases, it is also possible to create counterfeit seals that appear visually identical. These counterfeit seals replace the original seals on the package after the product is tampered with or replaced.
Tampering may take several forms. It may involve the simple theft of the contents of a package, it may involve the substitution of counterfeit material for genuine material, or it may involve the malicious introduction of harmful material into the package. The parties performing the tampering generally are motivated by economic gain however they may have other ulterior motives as well. Consequently, while the theft of material from a package can lead to economic loss, counterfeit pharmaceuticals or pharmaceutical packages containing harmful materials can endanger human life.
Packaged products shipped domestically and internationally are in the custody of many different parties before reaching the final seller or buyer. A product package may leave a factory containing a genuine article and arrive at a retailer containing a counterfeit. If tampering occurs, it is often difficult to determine where in the distribution system it occurred. Close visual inspection of every package at each stage of shipment to insure that all packages are tamper-free is highly problematic in terms of labor costs and shipping delay.
It is desirable to have a packaging and distribution system for delivering tamper-free products. To achieve this, the distribution system should facilitate quick detection and elimination of counterfeit or tampered products. If this were currently possible, product tampering would be deterred and economic losses would be reduced. Reduced product tampering would also increase consumer confidence in product integrity and reliability.
Like reference numbers and designations in the various drawings indicate like elements.

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


The invention relates to a device consisting of a storage device for storing electrical energy. This may, for example, be a battery, an accumulator or another electrical storage device, for example a capacitor (double-layer capacitor). In the present application, the object is now pursued of keeping the consumption of electrical energy as low as possible, to economize relative to previous solutions and to bring about a great simplification from the point of view of manufacturing. Device consisting of a storage device for storing electrical energy, a device for monitoring the output current from the storage device and a controllable switch, by means of which the current output can be interrupted, wherein the switch is opened and the current output is therefore interrupted, when the device for monitoring the output current detects that for a predetermined time, for example, 30 seconds to 2 minutes, a predetermined current characteristic is present, for example, the output current does not fluctuate, or only extremely slightly.

a) Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a device consisting of a storage device for storing electrical energy. This may be, for example, a battery, an accumulator or another electrical storage device, for example a capacitor (double-layer capacitor).
b) Description of the Related Art
Electrical storage devices of this type regularly have an output for outputting the stored electrical energy.
Storage devices of this type may either be installed in apparatuses, for example in radios, headsets, MP3 players and the like, in other words, for example, in portable apparatuses for entertainment electronics, or electrical storage devices of this type form an independent unit (for example a battery pack) and this can then be coupled, plugged together, rigidly connected or the like, with the apparatus to be supplied with electrical energy. The coupling regularly takes place here via plugs, the storage unit having a plug, which cooperates with a corresponding mating component, for example a coupling or a corresponding mating plug of the electrical apparatus so that this apparatus can be supplied with the desired electrical energy.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,704,428 B1 is known as the related art. DE 4,019,059A1 and EP 1,499,017A2 are also known as related art. A battery module is also known, which is also suitable for a headset system with active sound suppression, from the company David Clark Company Incorporated. This battery module is provided, according to the operating instructions, with an "auto-shut-off function", which saves the battery when the system is switched on but the headset is not being used. In this case, a check is obviously made as to whether the microphone DC base voltage is still present when the headset is connected or the audio system is switched off.


A method of manufacturing metal alloys to obtain a homogeneous powder made up of oxides of the metals and applications thereof to the manufacture of semiconductors and superconductors comprises, after placing the various metals selected in a crucible, melting the metals in a neutral or reducing atmosphere while stirring the liquid to homogenize it, recovering the liquid alloy, spraying the alloy obtained to form homogeneous powder particles of determined particle size, and oxidizing the particles. It applies to the manufacture of zinc oxide-based varistor type semiconductor ceramics and to the manufacture of superconductor products or positive or negative temperature coefficient thermistors.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns a new method of manufacturing metal alloys in order to obtain a homogeneous powder of oxides of the metals. The method is more particularly, although not exclusively, related to the manufacture of pellets by cold pressing or by sintering in order to produce semiconductors or superconductors for the manufacture of lightning arresters or voltage limiter components associated with electrical or electronic equipment, for example.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Known components of this kind are usually produced from a powder or granular material comprising an oxide of zinc alloyed with doping elements in the form of oxides of nickel, chromium, manganese, magnesium, bismuth, antimony, silicon, cobalt, and the like.
Conventional methods of using ceramic materials usually consist of weighing the constituent oxides, mixing and grinding them and then making up a mixture in an aqueous medium to obtain a slip. This slip is then sintered at high temperature after pressing to shape as is standard practice in the ceramics art. The component made in this way can have metal current feed electrodes applied to its ends by depositing a metal layer using plasma torch sputtering or any other deposition method. The remainder of the exterior surface is usually coated with various layers of materials providing electrical insulation, physical-chemical and mechanical protection and possibly preventing electrical arcing. In particular, glasses or ceramics compatible with the oxide, synthetic resins such as epoxy resins, silicone products and most known insulating products are used.
Methods of this kind are complex to implement and require large-scale industrial installations including grinders and furnaces. It is also necessary to carry out complex checks on the raw materials to ensure that the final product is of good and reproducible quality. Also, the homogeneity of the product obtained leaves something to be desired because the ground constituents can never be perfectly mixed together.
The improvements which are the subject matter of the present invention are directed to remedying these drawbacks and to providing a method of manufacture which constitutes a better response than hitherto available to the requirements of the art and which in particular produces a homogeneous powder made up of metal alloy oxides.
In a method in accordance with the invention the basic components from which the powder to be made into the semiconductor is obtained are no longer oxides but alloys or mixtures of metals which are subsequently oxidized in the solid, liquid or vapor phase.

Method of manufacturing semiconductors from homogeneous metal oxide powder


An integrated circuit package system including an integrated circuit die, a leadframe and an integrated circuit support. The integrated circuit support between the integrated circuit die and the leadframe with the electrical interconnects connected to the leadframe.

An integrated circuit die is a small device formed on a semiconductor wafer, such as a silicon wafer. Such an integrated circuit die is typically singulated from the wafer and attached to a substrate or base carrier for redistribution of electrical interconnects. Bond pads on the integrated circuit die are then electrically connected to the leads on the leadframe via wire bonding or solder bumps. The integrated circuit die and the leadframe are encapsulated with a protective material such that a package is formed. The leads encapsulated in the package are redistributed in a network of conductors within the carrier and end in an array of terminal points outside the package. The terminal points allow the integrated circuit die to be electrically connected with other circuits, such as on a printed circuit board.
Modern consumer electronics particularly personal portable devices, such as cell phones, digital cameras, music players, PDA's, and location-based devices, require miniaturization as well as increasing integrated circuit die content to fit an ever shrinking physical space. Numerous technologies have been developed to meet these requirements. Some of these technologies involve flip chip integrated circuit die in integrated circuit packages. The demand for flip chip packages for integrated circuit die applications is increasing. These technologies have struggled with manufacturing and fabrication problems including the attachment of the integrated circuit die and its electrical connection. Other problems include stresses, fatigue, delamination and contamination often resulting in damage to the integrated circuit die. This damage causes failures that are sometimes intermittent and hard to detect or analyze. Broad use of flip chip integrated circuit die has extended the needs for reliability and performance beyond even recent expectations.
With the continual miniaturization of electronic components and overall systems, the solder bump becomes smaller as well. This reduction in the size of the solder bump places increasing demands on the mechanical properties of the solder to ensure joint robustness. In addition to footprint reduction, there is an emphasis on total space reduction, often leading to reduced size in the packaging of the silicon die. As surface mount technology migrates toward smaller package dimensions, the physical and thermal characteristics of each packaging material become more critical. Differences between materials within a package from layer to layer or between the leadframe and the die can cause internal stresses also placing demands on the packaging materials.
Thus a need still remains for an integrated circuit package system to ensure that the manufacturing methods provide increasing reliability and performance. In view of the ever-increasing need to save costs and improve efficiencies, it is more and more critical that answers be found to these problems.
Solutions to these problems have been long sought but prior developments have not taught or suggested any solutions and, thus, solutions to these problems have long eluded those skilled in the art.

Integrated circuit package system with integrated circuit support


A dry-state iontophoretic drug delivery device (10, 70, 80) is provided. The device has drug and electrolyte reservoirs (15, 16) which are initially in a non-hydrated condition. A liquid-containing pouch (21, 22) is provided. In certain embodiments the liquid is contained in breakable capsules within the pouch. Water or other liquid can be released from the capsules in the pouch by squeezing or flexing the pouches (21,22). Alternatively, the liquid can be released from the pouches (21,22) using pouch piercing pins (36,37). The liquid released from the pouches (21,22) hydrates the drug and electrolyte reservoirs (15, 16) and activates the device. In another embodiment, the device (20, 20a) has liquid-containing gel layers (31,32) which are initially separated from their respective electrode assemblies (8, 9). Liquid-wicking pathways (27,28) are provided to carry the liquid from the gel layers (31,32) to the drug and electrolyte layers (15, 16).

Iontophoresis, according to Dorland's Illustrated Medical Dictionary, is defined to be "the introduction, by means of electric current, of ions of soluble salts into the tissues of the body for therapeutic purposes." Iontophoretic devices have been known since the early 1900's. British patent specification No. 410,009 (1934) describes an iontophoretic device which overcame one of the disadvantages of such early devices known to the art at that time, namely the requirement of a special low tension (low voltage) source of current which meant that the patient needed to be immobilized near such source. The device of that British specification was made by forming a galvanic cell from the electrodes and the material containing the medicament or drug to be delivered transdermally. The galvanic cell produced the current necessary for iontophoretically delivering the medicament. This ambulatory device thus permitted iontophoretic drug delivery with substantially less interference with the patient's daily activities.
More recently, a number of United States patents have issued in the iontophoresis field, indicating a renewed interest in this mode of drug delivery. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,991,755 issued to Vernon et al; U.S. Pat. No. 4,141,359 issued to Jacobsen et al; U.S. Pat. No. 4,398,545 issued to Wilson; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,250,878 issued to Jacobsen disclose examples of iontophoretic devices and some applications thereof. The iontophoresis process has been found to be useful in the transdermal administration of medicaments or drugs including lidocaine hydrochloride, hydrocortisone, fluoride, penicillin, dexamethasone sodium phosphate, insulin and many other drugs. Perhaps the most common use of iontophoresis is in diagnosing cystic fibrosis by delivering pilocarpine salts iontophoretically. The pilocarpine stimulates sweat production; the sweat is collected and analyzed for its chloride content to detect the presence of the disease.
In presently known iontophoretic devices, at least two electrodes are used. Both of these electrodes are disposed so as to be in intimate electrical contact with some portion of the skin of the body. One electrode, called the active or donor electrode, is the electrode from which the ionic substance, medicament, drug precursor or drug is delivered into the body by iontophoresis. The other electrode, called the counter or return electrode, serves to close the electrical circuit through the body. In conjunction with the patient's skin contacted by the electrodes, the circuit is completed by connection of the electrodes to a source of electrical energy, e.g., a battery. For example, if the ionic substance to be delivered into the body is positively charged (i.e., a cation), then the anode will be the active electrode and the cathode will serve to complete the circuit. If the ionic substance to be delivered is negatively charged (i.e., an anion), then the cathode will be the active electrode and the anode will be the counter electrode.
Alternatively, both the anode and cathode may be used to deliver drugs of opposite charge into the body. In such a case, both electrodes are considered to be active or donor electrodes. For example, the anode can deliver a positively charged ionic substance into the body while the cathode can deliver a negatively charged ionic substance into the body.
It is also known that iontophoretic delivery devices can be used to deliver an uncharged drug or agent into the body. This is accomplished by a process called electroosmosis. Transdermal delivery of neutral compounds by the phenomenon of electroosmosis is described by Hermann Rein in Zeitschrift fur Biologie, Bd. 81, pp 125-140 (1924) and the transdermal delivery of nonionic polypeptides by the phenomenon of electroosmosis is described in Sibalis et al. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,878,892 and 4,940,456. Electroosmosis is the transdermal flux of a liquid solvent (e.g., the liquid solvent containing the uncharged drug or agent) which is induced by the presence of an electric field imposed across the skin by the donor electrode. As used herein, the terms "iontophoresis" and "iontophoretic" encompass both the delivery of charged ions as well as the delivery of uncharged molecules by the associated phenomenon of electroosmosis.
Iontophoretic delivery devices generally require a reservoir or source of the beneficial agent (which is preferably an ionized or ionizable agent or a precursor of such agent) to be iontophoretically delivered or introduced into the body. Examples of such reservoirs or sources of ionized or ionizable agents include a pouch or cavity as described in the previously mentioned Jacobsen U.S. Pat. No. 4,250,878, a porous sponge or pad as disclosed in Jacobsen et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,141,359, or a pre-formed gel body as described in Webster U.S. Pat. No. 4,383,529 and Ariura et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,474,570. Such drug reservoirs are electrically connected to the anode or the cathode of an iontophoresis device to provide a fixed or renewable source of one or more desired agents.
Iontophoretic delivery devices which are attachable at a skin surface and rely on electrolyte fluids to establish electrical contact with such skin surfaces can be divided into at least two categories. The first category includes those devices which are prepackaged with the liquid electrolyte contained in the electrode receptacle. The second type of device uses dry-state electrodes whose receptacles are customarily filled with liquid drug/electrolyte immediately prior to application to the body. With both types of devices, the user currently experiences numerous problems which make their use both inconvenient and problematic.
With respect to the prefilled device, storage is a major concern. Many drugs have poor stability when in solution. Accordingly, the shelf life of prefilled iontophoretic drug delivery devices is unacceptably short. Corrosion of the electrodes and other electrical components is also a potential problem with prefilled devices. For example, the return electrode assembly will usually contain an electrolyte salt such as sodium chloride which over time can cause corrosion of metallic and other electrically conductive materials in the electrode assembly. Leakage is another serious problem with prefilled iontophoretic drug delivery devices. Leakage of drug or electrolyte from the electrode receptacle can result in an inoperative or defective state. Furthermore, such prefilled devices are difficult to apply because the protective seal which covers the electrode opening and retains the fluid within the receptacle cavity must be removed prior to application on the skin. After removal of this protective seal, spillage often occurs in attempting to place the electrode on the skin. Such spillage impairs the desired adhesive contact of the electrode to the skin and also voids a portion of the receptacle cavity. The consequent loss of drug or electrolyte fluid tends to disrupt electrical contact with the electrode plate contained therein and otherwise disrupts the preferred uniform potential gradient to be applied.
Although dry-state electrodes have numerous advantages in ease of storage, several problems remain. For example, the drug and electrolyte receptacles of such a device are conventionally filled through an opening prior to application of the device to the patient's skin. Therefore, the same problem of spillage and loss of drug or electrolyte upon application occurs as with the prefilled electrode.
Frequently, such electrodes are not well structured to develop the proper uniform current flow required in iontophoresis applications. Such nonuniform current flow may result from the occurrence of air pockets within the receptacle cavity at the skin surface. Such effects are particularly troublesome in iontophoresis applications, where a nonuniform current distribution may result in excessive skin irritation or "burning".
More recently, iontophoretic delivery devices have been developed in which the donor and counter electrode assemblies have a "multilaminate" construction. In these devices, the donor and counter electrode assemblies are each formed of multiple layers of (usually) polymeric matrices. For example, Parsi U.S. Pat. No. 4,731,049 discloses a donor electrode assembly having hydrophilic polymer based electrolyte reservoir and drug reservoir layers, a skin-contacting hydrogel layer, and optionally one or more semipermeable membrane layers. In addition, Ariura et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,474,570 discloses a device wherein the electrode assemblies include a conductive resin film electrode layer, a hydrophilic gel reservoir layer, an aluminum foil conductor layer and an insulating backing layer.
The drug and electrolyte reservoir layers of iontophoretic delivery devices have typically been formed of hydrophilic polymers. See for example, Ariura et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,474,570; Webster U.S. Pat. No. 4,383,529 and Sasaki U.S. Pat. No. 4,764,164. There are several reasons for using hydrophilic polymers. First, water is a biocompatible, highly polar solvent and therefore preferred for ionizing many drug salts. Secondly, hydrophilic polymer components (i.e., the drug reservoir in the donor electrode and the electrolyte reservoir in the counter electrode) can be hydrated while attached to the body by absorbing water from the skin or from a mucosal membrane. For example, skin contacting electrodes can be hydrated by absorbing sweat or water from transepidermal water loss. Similarly, electrodes attached to an oral mucosal membrane can be hydrated by absorbing saliva. Once the drug and electrolyte reservoirs become hydrated, ions are able to move through the reservoirs and across the tissue, enabling the device to deliver agent to the body. Hydrogels have been particularly favored for use as the drug reservoir matrix and electrolyte reservoir matrix in iontophoretic delivery devices, in part due to their high equilibrium water content and their ability to absorb water from the body. In addition, hydrogels tend to have good biocompatibility with the skin and with mucosal membranes. However, since many drugs and certain electrode components are unstable in the presence of water, iontophoretic drug delivery devices having a drug reservoir formed of a prehydrated hydrogel may also have an unacceptably short shelf life. One solution to the drug stability problem is to use hydrophilic polymer drug and electrolyte reservoirs which are in a substantially dry state, i.e. in a non-hydrated condition. The drug and/or electrolyte can be dry blended with the hydrophilic polymer and then cast or extruded to form a non-hydrated, though hydratable, drug or electrolyte containing reservoir. Unfortunately, the non-hydrated hydrophilic polymer components must first absorb sufficient quantities of water from the body before the device can operate to deliver drug. This delivery start-up period can take in excess of 8 hours. This delay makes many devices unsuited for their intended purpose. For example, when using an iontophoretic delivery device to apply a local anesthetic in preparation for a minor surgery (e.g., surgical removal of a mole), the surgeon and the patient must wait until the drug and electrolyte reservoirs of the delivery device become sufficiently hydrated before the anesthetic is delivered in sufficient quantities to induce anesthesia. Similar delays are encountered with other drugs.
In response to these difficulties, Konno et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 4,842,577 disclose in FIG. 4 an iontophoretic electrode assembly having a substantially non-hydrated drug containing matrix and a separate water reservoir which is initially sealed, using a foil sheet, from the drug containing portions of the electrode. Unfortunately, this electrode design is not only difficult to manufacture but also is subject to severe handling restrictions. In particular, there is a tendency for the foil seal to be inadvertently broken during manufacture, packaging and handling of the electrode. This can have particularly drastic consequences especially when the seal is broken during manufacture of the device. Once the seal is broken, water is wicked into the drug-containing reservoir which can cause degradation of the drug and/or other components before the device is ever used.
Another disadvantage of using non-hydrated hydrophilic polymer components is that they have a tendency to delaminate from other parts of the electrode assembly during hydration. For example, when utilizing a drug reservoir matrix or an electrolyte reservoir matrix composed of a hydrophilic polymer, the matrix begins to swell as it absorbs water from the skin. In the case of hydrogels, the swelling is quite pronounced. Typically, the drug or electrolyte reservoir is in either direct contact, or contact through a thin layer of an ionically conductive adhesive, with an electrode. Typically, the electrode is composed of metal (e.g., a metal foil or a thin layer of metal deposited on a backing layer) or a hydrophobic polymer containing a conductive filler (e.g., a hydrophobic polymer loaded with carbon fibers and/or metal particles). Unlike the hydrophilic drug and electrolyte reservoirs, the electrodes do not absorb water and do not swell. The different swelling properties of the hydrophilic reservoirs and the electrodes results in shearing along their contact surfaces. In severe cases, the shearing can result in the complete loss of electrical contact between the electrode and the drug/electrolyte reservoir resulting in an inoperable device.

Iontophoretic delivery device and method of hydrating same


An integrated fuel cell stack and catalytic combustor apparatus includes a fuel cell stack assembly having multiple fuel cell stacks between which is defined a cavity, each of said fuel cell stacks including a plurality of individual fuel cells; and a catalytic combustor disposed at least partially within the cavity, the catalytic combustor having a catalytic bed and a catalytic igniter. Also disclosed are a method of producing electricity including catalytically combusting surplus reactants of the reaction of an oxidant and a fuel across fuel cell stacks within a catalytic combustor disposed between the stacks to normalize the temperature profile along the fuel cell stacks, and a fuel cell system including means for normalizing a temperature profile along a length of a means for conducting an electrochemical reaction using an opposite heat generation temperature profile.

During the past several years, the popularity and viability of fuel cells for producing both large and small amounts of electricity has increased significantly. Fuel cells conduct an electrochemical reaction with reactants such as hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity and heat. Fuel cells are similar to batteries except fuel cells can be "recharged" while providing power. In addition, fuel cells are cleaner than other sources of power, such as devices that combust hydrocarbons.
Fuel cells provide a DC (direct current) voltage that may be used to power motors, lights, computers, or any number of electrical appliances. A typical fuel cell includes an electrolyte disposed between an anode and a cathode. An electrochemical reaction is conducted in the fuel cell in which an oxidant, such as air, is fed to the cathode. From the incoming air, the cathode supplies oxygen ions to the electrolyte. A fuel such as hydrogen or methane is fed to the anode where it is transported to the electrolyte to react with the oxygen ions. This reaction produces electrons, which are then introduced into an external circuit as useful power.
Not all fuel introduced into a fuel cell system will be utilized. This incomplete utilization is due, at least in part, to depletion effects. Depletion effects are the decreasing concentration of fuel in a fuel stream as it passes over a fuel cell stack in the flow direction. Depletion effects result in a higher amount of heat at the fuel entrance that decreases as the fuel passes over the fuel cell stack in the flow direction. This heat generation profile causes a corresponding temperature gradient in the fuel cell stack. This temperature gradient may contribute to a decreasing power production profile of the individual fuel cells corresponding to the temperature gradient due to the correlation between operating temperature and power production.
In addition, typical systems currently do little to manage cathode airflow over the fuel cell stack. Typically the airflow is approximated by a plug flow. Plug flow is a substantially uniform amount of airflow entering one end of flow duct having a uniform cross section and exiting at the other end with no augmentation along the flow path. Plug flow results in constant velocity over each cross section of flow in the duct. As a result, the convective heat transfer from the fuel cell stack to the cathode air is hindered by the rising free stream temperature as the air flows along the length of the fuel cell stack. This phenomenon adds to thermal gradients occurring across the cell. In order to minimize this effect and to provide the required cooling for the cell, current systems use up to 700 to 800% of the air that is actually required stoichiometrically for the reaction. Moving this volume of air requires larger pumps, more power to run those pumps, and larger valves. This, in turn, leads to higher operating costs.

Fuel cell system and a method of generating electricity


An ophthalmologic photographing apparatus is disclosed which is capable of photographing a predetermined area of a subject's eye. The apparatus includes a light projecting unit configured to project visible light to a subject's eye, a detection unit configured to measure a pupil diameter, which is caused by the light projecting unit, and a control unit configured to determine the amount of change in diameter and to control a photographing operation based on the amount of change determined by the control unit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ophthalmologic photographing apparatus used in photographing a fundus of a subject's eye at an ophthalmologic clinic.
2. Description of the Related Art
Hitherto, two types of photographing methods, i.e., a mydriatic photographing method and a non-mydriatic photographing method, have been known as methods for photographing fundus images. According to the mydriatic photographing method, fundus photographing is performed by illuminating a fundus of a subject's eye with visible light at both of the time of observing the fundus of the subject's eye and the time of photographing thereof using a mydriatic. According to the non-mydriatic photographing method, fundus photographing is performed without using a mydriatic by illuminating a fundus of a subject's eye with infrared light at the time of observing the fundus of the subject's eye, and illuminating the fundus of the subject's eye with visible light at the time of photographing thereof.
Hitherto, the mydriatic photographing method and the non-mydriatic photographing method have been respectively performed using different apparatuses. Recently, an apparatus capable of performing both of the mydriatic photographing method and the non-mydriatic photographing method has been proposed.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-140672 discusses a fundus camera in which an infrared filter is detachably arranged in an optical path extending from an illumination optical system, which illuminates a fundus of a subject's eye to be photographed, to the fundus of the subject's eye. An operator of this apparatus switches a mydriatic/non-mydriatic photographing mode selector switch of the fundus camera. Thus, the operator controls attachment/detachment of the infrared filter. Consequently, both of the mydriatic photographing method and the non-mydriatic photographing method can be performed using this single fundus camera.
On the other hand, there have been demands for storing, when the mydriatic photographing method of photographing a fundus of a subject's eye is performed using a mydriatic, information representing a pupil diameter together with image information at the time of photographing the fundus. Techniques for automatically measuring a value of the pupil diameter are discussed as conventional techniques effective for the purpose.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-178762 discusses a perimeter for photographing a subject's eye using a photographing unit, such as a charge-coupled device (CCD), and for detecting a low-luminance portion on each scanning line while scanning photographed video signals, whereby a value of a pupil diameter can be detected based on a scanning time taken to scan the longest low-luminance portion among the low-luminance portions respectively detected on the scanning lines.
The fundus camera discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-140672 is constructed so as to have the mydriatic/non-mydriatic photographing mode selector switch that an operator operates to select which of a mydriatic photographing mode and a non-mydriatic photographing mode is performed.
When an operation of the fundus camera is transferred to a mydriatic photographing mode, the fundus of a subject's eye is illuminated with visible light when the subject's eye is observed. However, in a case where no mydriatic is used, myosis of the subject's eye is induced. There is a minimum value of a pupil diameter photographable by each ordinary fundus camera. When the myosis of the subject's eye occurs, the pupil diameter thereof becomes less than the minimum pupil diameter. Consequently, the fundus of the subject's eye cannot be photographed.
At that time, it is necessary for photographing the fundus of the subject's eye to wait until the pupil diameter of the subject's eye, which is increased due to natural mydriasis, exceeds the minimum value of the pupil diameter photographable by the fundus camera. A time required by the pupil diameter to exceed the minimum value due to natural mydriasis varies with environment and differences among individual subjects. Thus, such a time may be several minutes. In such a time, the fundus of the subject's eye cannot be photographed. Consequently, efficiency in photographing the fundus is lowered.
Further, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-178762 does not discuss a method for adding the measured pupil diameter to image information. Thus, it is necessary for an operator to manually input the pupil diameter measured at the time of photographing. Accordingly, an operator may add an erroneous value to the image information due to an inputting error and may store the erroneous value added thereto.


A frequency selective surface (FSS) having periodicity between one eighth and one quarter of an operational wavelength of the FSS and a low profile. The FSS has multiple pattern elements which are used to produce multiple transmission poles, and in some embodiments multiple transmission zeros. The transmission poles and transmission zeros are in the Ka and Ku bands, making the FSS applicable to 5G application. The transmission poles and transmission zeros also have high angular stability an oblique incident angle as high as 60°, as well as polarization insensitivity.

Frequency Selective Surfaces (FSS), also referred to as periodic surfaces, are a repeating pattern of features, such as a metallic patches or apertures, formed on a surface material such as a metal screen. FSS typically exhibits resonant properties that make it suitable for bandstop and bandpass applications. FSS dimensions are typically measured according to an operational wavelength λ0 that corresponds to a center frequency of a first transmission band that is stopped or passed by the FSS.
Conventional FSS unit cells are about λ2/2 in size and only a few number of elements can be arranged within a limited area. Additionally, conventional first-order FSS has relatively poor roll-off at the lower and higher sidebands of the frequency band. One known way to sharpen the roll-off is to place first order elements in cascade with a λ2/4 spacing in between in order to invert the impedance of first order FSS. However, the cascaded elements increases the total profile height of the FSS. Thus conventional FSS is limited to being a relatively large size in all dimensions.
Another drawback of conventional FSS are that they are designed with a single resonance, which makes them unsuitable for multifunctional applications requiring multiple resonance spatial filters.

Planar multiband frequency selective surfaces with stable filter response


The present invention provides a computer virus infection information providing system for providing infection information such as the time of infection to the users and thereby permitting the users to understand the time of infection easily. Anti-virus software is installed in a central apparatus. The central apparatus further stores the communication history of the information transmitted by terminal apparatuses. When the installed anti-virus software detects a computer virus in the transmitted information, the time of infection is specified based on the stored communication history. The infection information including the specified time of infection is transmitted to a terminal apparatus. The terminal apparatus displays the transmitted infection information including the time of infection.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a computer virus infection information providing system for detecting a computer virus in information transmitted between a terminal apparatus and a central apparatus and providing infection information concerning the detected computer virus, and in particular, to a computer virus infection information providing system for providing the time of the infection and route of infection as infection information and thereby providing information on how the user terminal apparatus was infected with the computer virus.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In recent years, computer viruses which invade computers from the Internet or computer memory products such as floppy disks and prevent normal operation of the computers intentionally are spreading. These computer viruses infect not only an initially infected computer but also the other computers. Thus, when a computer virus of new kind is found out, an appropriate anti-virus software is prepared immediately. The anti-virus software is distributed to users.
The anti-virus software is generally installed on user terminal apparatuses. Each terminal apparatus performs virus check every predetermined time interval or every time of file operation. As the result of virus check, the terminal apparatus detects the computer virus.
Further, recently, there is computer virus that attaches the computer virus as the attached file of an e-mail transmitted via the Internet, and distributes the attached file to the third party indiscriminatingly. In order to treat such computer viruses, an Internet service provider (ISP, hereafter) installs anti-virus software in a central apparatus. Then, the central apparatus performs virus check on the files passing through the network, thereby blocking the further infection of the computer virus.
However, in the prior art, even when the central apparatus has detected the presence of a computer virus in the information transmitted by a user, the user is merely informed of the detection of the computer virus. This leaves the problem that the user cannot understand when and from where the computer virus invaded his or her terminal apparatus. In particular, considering the increasing number of cases of infection via the Internet, it is desired to provide detailed infection information to the users.
Further, it is effective that anti-virus software of the latest version is installed also in user terminal apparatuses in addition to the central apparatus of the ISP. However, after initial installation of anti-virus software prepared by anti-virus software house, only a few users update the anti-virus software. This causes the problem of inefficiency in removing computer viruses.
Furthermore, development of anti-virus software needs a large cost. Nevertheless, ordinary users are not willing to pay for the update of the anti-virus software after initial installation of the anti-virus software. Such a situation has exacerbated the profitability of anti-virus software houses.
In addition, each ISP desires superiority to the other ISP's and a higher added value. For the purpose of this, ISP's have desired to construct a system for providing detailed computer virus infection information to the users. Further, ISP's have desired to construct a system for distributing the latest version of anti-virus software to each user and for collecting the development cost of the anti-virus software.

Computer virus infection information providing method, computer virus infection information providing system, infection information providing apparatus, and computer memory product


There are provided a Ni-based thermal spraying alloy powder having excellent corrosion resistance and erosion-corrosion resistance even in an environment in which corrosion acts or corrosion and erosion act simultaneously, and a method for manufacturing an alloy coating. A Ni-based thermal spraying alloy powder comprising Cr: 15 wt % or more and 25 wt % or less, Mo: 0 wt % or more and 5 wt % or less, Si: 0.5 wt % or more and less than 2 wt %, Fe: 5 wt % or less, C: 0.3 wt % or more and 0.7 wt % or less, and B: 4 wt % or more and 7 wt % or less, with the balance being Ni and incidental impurities.

In an incinerator such as a waste or biomass incinerator, a harsh high temperature corrosion environment is formed with chlorine contained in the fuel. Particularly, on the surface of a heat exchanger having a temperature lower than atmosphere temperature, chlorides contained in the atmosphere are concentrated and deposited, and therefore severe corrosion occurs. Further, in the case of a fluidized bed type boiler, severe metal loss may occur due to the action of erosion by the bed material, in addition to corrosion. As a metal loss measure for these, a protector is mounted. The mounting of a protector is effective, but causes a decrease in heat transfer efficiency in a heat exchanger. Therefore, as a metal loss measure, surface treatment such as thermal spraying is often used.
Examples of general problems of thermally sprayed coatings include the adhesive force between the pores in the coating and a substrate. HVOF (High Velocity Oxygen Fuel) thermal spraying in which the particle rate during thermal spraying is made faster, and the like can reduce porosity compared with plasma spraying. However, the pores cannot be completely eliminated, and the coating is also only physically joined to the substrate. Therefore, a self-fluxing alloy thermal spraying method is used in which after thermal spraying, a coating is remelted, thereby being able to form a metallurgical reaction layer with a substrate and eliminate the pores in the thermally sprayed coating, which significantly improves the properties of the thermally sprayed coating. The self-fluxing alloy thermal spraying is known to provide excellent corrosion resistance because the pores in the coating decrease by remelting treatment, and the intrusion of corrosive substances can be suppressed. However, the composition of the self-fluxing alloy powder that can be used for the self-fluxing alloy thermal spraying is limited. The self-fluxing alloy is required to have a melting point at 1,000° C. or less and have a wide temperature range between the liquidus and the solidus. When the melting point is too high, not only is melting difficult, but the heat influence of increasing the temperature to melting temperature on the matrix is feared. On the other hand, when the temperature range is narrow, temperature control during remelting treatment is difficult, and a good quality coating is less likely to form.
The most generally used self-fluxing alloy powder is SFNi4 (214A NiCrCuMoBSi 69 15 3 3A) defined in JIS H8303: 2010. SFNi4 is a Ni—Cr alloy consisting of Cr: 12 wt % or more and 17 wt % or less, Mo: 4 wt % or less, Si: 3.5 wt % or more and 5.0 wt % or less, Fe: 5 wt % or less, C: 0.4 wt % or more and 0.9 wt % or less, B: 2.5 wt % or more and 4.0 wt % or less, Co: 1 wt % or less, and Cu: 4 wt % or less, and the balance being Ni, and is an alloy having corrosion resistance in a wide range of environments and having a high hardness of 50 to 60 in terms of HRC and therefore being excellent in corrosion resistance and erosion resistance. SFNi4 is also excellent in workability (remelting treatment) and therefore is used in a wide range of fields. For particular applications, alloys obtained by improving SFNi4, and the like are also proposed.
For example, there are proposed a Ni-based self-fluxing alloy powder having suppressed molten metal flowability during remelting treatment which comprises Cr: 10 wt % to 16.5 wt %, Mo: 4.0 wt % or less, Si: 3.0 wt % to 5.0 wt %, Fe: 15.0 wt % or less, C: 0.01 wt % to 0.9 wt %, B: 2.0 wt % to 4.0 wt %, Cu: 3.0 wt % or less, and O: 50 ppm to 500 ppm, with the balance of Ni and incidental impurities, and satisfies Si/B: 1.2 to 1.7, and a part excellent in corrosion resistance and/or erosion resistance having a coating formed from this Ni-based self-fluxing alloy powder by a thermal spraying method (PTL1).
In addition, there is proposed a Ni-based self-fluxing alloy powder comprising Cr: 12 wt % to 17 wt %, Mo: 3 wt % to 8 wt %, Si: 3.5 wt % to 5.0 wt %, Fe: 5.0 wt % or less, C: 0.4 wt % to 0.9 wt %, B: 2.5 wt % to 4.0 wt %, Cu: 4.0 wt % or less, and O: 200 ppm or less, with the balance of Ni and incidental impurities, and satisfying 0 ppm≥−20 Mo %+100 (PTL2).
Further, there is proposed a Ni-based self-fluxing alloy powder for thermal spraying comprising Cr: 30.0 wt % to 42.0 wt %, Mo: 0.5 wt % to 2.0 wt %, Si: 2.0 wt % to 4.0 wt %, Fe: 5.0 wt % or less, C: 2.5 wt % to 4.5 wt %, and B: 1.5 wt % to 4.0 wt %, with the balance being Ni and incidental impurities (PTL3). It is disclosed that this Ni-based self-fluxing alloy powder for thermal spraying is made by an atomization method, chromium carbide having a particle diameter of 5 μm or less is uniformly precipitated in the interior of the particles, and the high temperature erosion properties improve.
Further, there is proposed a corrosion-resistant-erosion-resistant heat transfer tube for heat exchange having formed thereon a protective coating comprising a Ni-based self-fluxing alloy comprising Cr: 12 wt % to 17 wt %, Mo: 4 wt % or less, Si: 3.5 wt % to 5.0 wt %, Fe: 5.0 wt % or less, C: 0.4 wt % to 0.9 wt %, B: 2.5 wt % to 4.5 wt %, and Cu: 4.0 wt % or less, with the balance being Ni and incidental impurities (PTL4).
However, it cannot be deemed that the conventional Ni-based self-fluxing alloys have sufficient environment resistance against erosion-corrosion in which corrosion and erosion occur simultaneously.

Ni-based thermal spraying alloy powder and method for manufacturing alloy coating