A layout region, corresponding to an embroiderable region of an embroidery frame, displays selected patterns in a manner matching the patterns as they will appear when embroidered on a workpiece cloth. That is, the size and inter-distance of patterns correspond to relative dimensions and distances of the patterns with respect to the embroiderable region. The pattern presently being subjected to editing processes is displayed in the layout region in a display form different from the display form of the other patterns. A confirmation display region displays text describing the size, the central position, and the like of a pattern being subjected of editing processes. The confirmation display region also displays different colored regions of picture patterns. Data corresponding to the displayed text is stored in an internal RAM of the sewing machine.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device for displaying sewing patterns, such as characters and pictures, to be sewn in a workpiece cloth.
2. Description of the Related Art
There has been known a household sewing machine capable of sewing embroidery in a predetermined pattern, such as, characters and pictures, in a workpiece cloth. The sewing machine sews the embroidery based on embroidery data corresponding to a plurality of types of patterns. The household sewing machine receives the embroidery data either from an external memory medium, such as a memory card, or from an internal memory in which the embroidery data is prestored. For example, personal computers can retrieve predetermined embroidery data and control a sewing needle drive mechanism and a cloth feed mechanism, such as an embroidery frame, to sew embroidery stitches into the workpiece cloth.
Such household sewing machines can be provided with a display, such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), provided to the front surface of the main body of the sewing machine. When a user wants to start sewing operations to embroider a desired pattern, he or she can select a desired pattern from a plurality of patterns displayed on the display. A position edit mode is provided to allow combining a plurality of patterns, such as text character patterns with other character patterns or character patterns with picture patterns. In this case, after the user selects a first pattern, he or she can switch to the position edit mode, whereupon the display switches to a screen the user can use to change the positions of the selected sewing patterns. It should be noted that color display devices are expensive, so normally an inexpensive monochrome LCD is used as the display device.
FIG. 1 shows an example of the position edit screen described above. The display device 1 displays on its screen an overall layout region a representing the size of the embroidery frame the sewing machine uses to sew in the workpiece cloth. The display device 1 displays the overall layout region a displayed encompassed by a frame and superimposed with three sewing patterns g, h, and i selected by the user. The sewing patterns g, h, and i are proportionally sized images representing how the patterns will appear when embroidered on the workpiece cloth. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the sewing pattern g is a picture pattern "elephant", the sewing pattern h is a character group pattern "HAPPY", and the pattern i is a character group pattern "HIMAWARI GUMI," which is Japanese for "sunflower group". The three sewing patterns will be referred as portion patterns and the combination of the three portion patterns as an overall sewing pattern hereinafter.
The sewing machine is designed so that the user can view the screen of the display device 1 and operate an operation panel to indicate positions of the portion patterns g, h, and i, and, with respect to the character pattern groups h and i, to indicate spacing between characters, and the size of the characters, that is, to magnify or reduce the size of the characters. The display of the portion patterns g, h, and i can be moved, magnified, or reduced in accordance with these commands from the user. Once the arrangement of portion patterns is to the liking of the user, the arrangement of the overall sewing pattern is inputted so that embroidery on the workpiece cloth can be performed.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. HEI-2-1516 describes an embroidery pattern forming apparatus including a pattern memory storing data on a plurality of patterns; a pattern selection device for selecting desired patterns from the patterns; a group defining means for designating the desired patterns into groups and setting an origin coordinate for each group; a format setting means for setting format, such as orientation, font, size, and the like to the group; a display control means for displaying the groups set by the group defining means, based on the origin coordinate and with shape and positional relationship set by the format setting means; and a stitch preparation means for preparing stitch data based on the form and positional relationship of the groups as displayed on the display.


A method and apparatus for generating and using location information is provided to a user of a mobile device. The method involves obtaining and processing a location history of the mobile device to determine locations of significance; automatically generating potential location identifiers associated with the locations of significance; and prompting, at a determined appropriate time, for user input for refining the set of one or more potential location identifiers into a customized location identifier.

Mobile electronic devices, including mobile wireless communication devices such as cellular telephones, smartphones, handheld PDAs, and the like, are often capable of determining their current location. One or more technologies may be used for location determination, including satellite-based positioning systems such as the Global Positioning System (GPS), positioning systems based on terrestrial wireless signals such as cell tower signals or wireless network signals, or other techniques, such as deadreckoning, inertial navigation, or the like. Device location may be used in providing location-based services, for navigation, or for other purposes.
Device location history may be automatically collected over time and analyzed to extract information. Some applications perform analysis of the location history, for example to determine locations where the mobile device appears to stay for a period of time. Furthermore, some applications have been proposed which attempt to automatically assign semantic meaningful tags to certain locations. See, for example, "The Whereabouts Diary," G. Catelli, M. Mamei and A. Rosi, Lecture Notes in Computer Science: Location- and Context-Awareness, Vol. 4718, 2007. However, such approaches may be complex, error-prone and time and resource intensive.
Therefore, there is a need for a method and apparatus for generating and using location information that is not subject to one or more limitations of the prior art.
It will be noted that throughout the appended drawings, like features are identified by like reference numerals.

Method and apparatus for generating and using location information


One embodiment includes a pivot thrust reverser with a first pivot door with an upper linkage and a lower linkage and a second pivot door, spaced from the first pivot door, with an upper linkage and a lower linkage. A first actuator is located on a first side of an attachment location to drive the first pivot door. A second actuator is located on a second side of the attachment location to drive the second pivot door. A third actuator is located substantially radially opposite the attachment location to drive both the first pivot door and the second pivot door. The first pivot door is configured to be pivoted from a stowed position to a deployed position by both the first actuator and the third actuator. The second pivot door is configured to be pivoted from the stowed position to the deployed position by both the second actuator and the third actuator.

The presently disclosed embodiments relate generally to gas turbine engine and/or nacelle assemblies and, more particularly, to thrust reversers used in gas turbine engine and/or nacelle assemblies.
Thrust reversers in gas turbine engine and/or nacelle assemblies are deployed to redirect an aircraft's propulsive air flow, such as in a forward direction rather than aft. This can provide deceleration for the aircraft which, for example, can assist in slowing the aircraft down during landing, and therefore, enable shorter landing distances while reducing stress and wear on an aircraft's brakes. Thrust reversers are particularly useful when a landing surface is icy or wet, and consequently, the aircraft's brakes are less effective.
Commercial gas turbine engines typically include an engine which produces high temperature, high pressure exhaust ejected through a nozzle downstream of the engine, and a bypass duct, which is generally an annular space concentrically located about the engine through which air from the engine fan, known as the fan bypass stream, is passed. Many aircraft applications use high bypass ratio gas turbine engines, where a majority of the aircraft's propulsion is provided by the fan bypass stream, rather than by the exhaust produced from the engine. In such applications, a thrust reverser may be able to operate effectively by redirecting the fan bypass stream alone.
However, providing a thrust reverser to redirect the fan bypass stream presents design challenges. The thrust reverser must be part of an overall aerodynamic design when stowed, yet be capable of effectively deploying at an appropriate angle which captures enough of the fan bypass stream, and redirects this fan bypass stream at the needed angle, to provide deceleration. Additionally, the design can be further complicated by the need to avoid engine and/or nacelle structures, such as a pylon, that can create obstructions for the thrust reverser. To obtain effective thrust reverser designs, complex assemblies with a multitude of parts have generally been used, often requiring translating parts relative to the engine to allow the thrust reverser to deploy at an effective location. These designs also have generally included an obstruction present in the fan bypass stream reversal flow path, such as actuators or linkages. Moreover, these complex designs are less reliable and require greater maintenance costs. Even with these complex designs, significant portions of the fan bypass stream are not redirected, resulting in a less efficient thrust reverser and, as a consequence, the need for longer landing distances and increased wear on the aircraft's brakes.

Pivot thrust reverser with multi-point actuation


Lube formulations and concentrates are disclosed herein. The formulations comprise copolymers of ethylene and propylene.

Lubricant oil formulations generally contain polymeric Viscosity Index ("VI") improving components which modify the rheological behavior to increase the lubricant viscosity and promote a more constant viscosity over the range of temperatures over which the lubricant is used in, for example, automotive engines. Ethylene-alpha-olefin copolymers (OCPs) have been used to increase viscosity at elevated temperatures. Lengths of ethylene derived units are believed to be instrumental. To maintain the OCP in solution, amounts of propylene-derived units are incorporated into the polymer chain to hinder crystallization of the OCP. Higher ethylene-content copolymers efficiently promote oil thickening, shear stability and low temperature viscometrics, while lower ethylene-content copolymers are added for the purpose of lowering the oil pour point or the co-crystallization with a wax component of the oil.
It is known that narrow molecular weight distribution is desirable for good shear stability and to avoid the inclusion of polymer chains that are either to long or too short to have the desired viscometric effect. Presence of long chain branches has been believed to be undesirable given the potential effect of broadening the molecular weight distribution.
It is known that certain polymerization techniques and polymerization catalysts can be combined to provide levels of detectable long chain branching (LCB), it is also known that diene and free radical modification or polymers can introduce LCB (see WO 99/10422). LCB is defined herein as any branch formed in the polymer that is not derived from the short chain branching (SCB) due to comonomer incorporation. Thus LCB excludes the methyl branching due to propylene insertion or the hexyl branching due to octene-1 insertion. 13C NMR cannot determine the overall length of the LCB chain. However while SCB impacts density and crystallization behavior, by itself SCB does not influence viscous flow behavior which is substantially Newtonian. Non-SCB branching generally leads to distortion of viscous flow behavior, which can be detected by a variety of techniques, including rheology measurements, shear sensitivity under different shear stresses as in MI ratios; internal energy of activation of flow etc. The presence of LCB may also become apparent from other aspects of the molten polymer mass: melt tension, die swell, and melt strength. Further, the presence of LCB may be determined from comparisons of behavior when dissolved in a solvent to determine viscosity as such or the molecular weight in a GPC test. Examples of suitable polymerization techniques are provided in EP 495 099 and EP 608 369.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,151,204 discloses the use of metallocenes in preparing Viscosity Index Improvers but there is no indication of the presence of or level of LCB. EP 632 066 uses a specific metallocene catalyst and the presence of LCB is not disclosed. WO 02/46251 discloses the use of series reactors to produce reactor blends with improved storage flexibility. An oleaginous composition containing a viscosity modifying amount of a linear ethylene polymer which has    (a) melt flow ratio I10/I2 at least 5.63,    (b) mol. wt. distribution Mw/Mn defined by Mw/Mn≧(I10/I2)−4.63 and    (c) a critical shear rate at onset of surface melt fracture of at least 50% greater than the critical shear rate at onset of surface melt fracture of a linear olefin polymer having a similar I2 and Mw/Mn is disclosed in WO 97/32946.
The parameters (a) to (c) are indicative of the presence of LCB. WO9732946 does not exemplify the use of propylene-derived polymers and the effect of improving soot dispersion.
All the publications mentioned herein are incorporated for US legal purposes.
It is among the objects of the invention to provide an OCP which not only has a viscosity modifying effect but also helps to improve soot dispersion in the vehicle crankcase oil.


A ceramic metal-halide lamp is provided that can improve both lamp efficacy and color characteristics, and in which light color shift from the white region can be prevented when the lamp is dimmed. The lamp includes a luminous material, which contains sodium iodide (NaI), cerium iodide (CeI3), thallium iodide (TIl), dysprosium iodide (DyI3) and indium iodide (InI). The amount D[DyI3] of dysprosium iodide DyI3 is selected so as to fall within a range of 0.07 mg/cm3≦D[DyI3]≦1.53 mg/cm3 and a weight ratio R[InI/TIl] of indium iodide InI relative to thallium iodide TIl contained in the luminous material is selected to so as to fall within a range of 0<R[InI/TIl]≦0.23.

Mercury lamps, sodium lamps, metal-halide lamps and ceramic metal-halide lamps are known as high-intensity discharge lamps. Metal-halide lamps use metal halides as luminous materials and therefore are not only high in lamp efficacy (or luminous efficacy) but also excellent in color characteristics such as correlated color temperature, chromaticity deviation and color rendering property. While metal-halide lamps include discharge tubes made of quartz glass, ceramic metal-halide lamps include discharge tubes made of translucent ceramics. Therefore ceramic metal-halide lamps are not only excellent in lamp efficacy and color characteristics but also long in lamp life and high in stability.
In general, it is said that ceramic metal-halide lamps suffer from an incompatible relation between lamp efficacy and color characteristics and it is difficult to obtain both high lamp efficacy and excellent color characteristics in ceramic metal-halide lamps. That is, improvement of lamp efficacy tends to deteriorate color characteristics and improvement of color characteristics tends to deteriorate lamp efficacy.

Ceramic metal halide lamp having dysprosium iodide


Spaced apart packs of closely spaced steel or other metallic rods, tubes or other elongate articles are annealed or otherwise heat treated by advancing them step by step by a walking beam mechanism through a chamber having a series of independently temperature controlled zones along the path of travel, the articles being disposed horizontally and transversely of the path of travel. The atmosphere within each zone is recirculated therein independently of the recirculation of atmosphere within adjacent zones and without substantial mixing of the atmosphere within adjacent zones. Packs are introduced into the chamber from a bed of powered rollers adjacent to the inlet end of the chamber partly by pivoting the free ends of extensions of the movable rails of the walking beam mechanism, to lift a pack above the level of the powered rollers so that it can translate with the other packs within the chamber, and partly by pusher heads which slidably engage the movable rail extensions and which are reciprocable with respect thereto. The chamber is preferably utilized to process articles which retain a significant degree of latent heat from a manufacturing or other processing operation to avoid the need for a significant degree of reheating of the articles within the chamber and without substantial intermixing of the atmosphere from adjacent zones.

This invention relates to a method and apparatus for continuously heat treating elongate metallic products, such as steel bars and tubes. More particularly, this invention relates to the annealing of elongate steel products, such as bars and tubes, by passing heated products from a rolling mill through an enclosed furnace or chamber, after arranging the products in dense packs, to provide the shapes with a predetermined time versus temperature thermal history. The shapes are advanced through the chamber along a horizontal path that extends transversely of the longitudinal axes of the shapes to maintain proper control of the end to end temperature of each product.
Steel products, for example, steel bars and tubes from a rolling mill, are cooled from the rolling mill temperature to a final handling temperature according to some time versus temperature pattern, the nature of which will have an effect on the final properties of the products. As is understood in the art, hot rolled iron-based alloy products, such as steel bars and tubes, are normally gradually cooled from the rolling mill temperature, which is typically 1700.degree. F. to 1800.degree. F. for the various grades of steel that are widely used in steel bars and tubes for the construction industry. However, it has been found that beneficial properties for certain applications may be imparted to hot rolled steel bars and tubes by providing them with a prolonged residence time at a temperature of approximately 1050.degree.-1300.degree. F., during which residence time the temperature is closely controlled, for example, a temperature controlled to a predetermined temperature .+-.25.degree. F. within such range, a process which has the effect of annealing the steel products.
As may be clear from the foregoing, the critical temperature for proper annealing of a steel article is well below the temperature at which the article is formed by rolling, casting or the like. Thus, if the article is transferred to the annealing chamber rather quickly after it is formed, it will be at a sufficiently high temperature when it begins the annealing cycle to avoid the need to reheat it to its proper annealing temperature, and in this case there will thereby be effected a significant reduction in energy consumption. To achieve this, however, it is necessary to transfer the formed steel products from the forming station to the annealing chamber after cooling them to a suitable annealing temperature after a time period determined by a time calculation model and at a controlled rate. Annealing of steel products while they still retain significant heat from a forming operation, and therefore without requiring that the products be reheated to any substantial degree, will also serve to reduce the required size of the annealing chamber, and consequently the required cost thereof.
Because of the long soak cycle required for proper annealing of steel products, as explained above, a continuous furnace or other controlled temperature chamber for such purpose, namely a chamber where the products to be annealed are introduced at one end and are removed from an opposed end after being slowly advanced through the chamber, is ordinarily quite long to provide adequate residence time for the products. Thus, such a chamber is quite expensive in terms of its investment costs and occupies a great deal of valuable floor space in a mill or factory where it is to be installed. Further, in certain cases, for example, in an existing mill or factory where an existing annealing chamber is to be replaced, adequate floor space simply may not be available to install a conventional annealing chamber of adequate capacity simply because of the heretofore required spacing between like bars or other elongate products as they progress through the annealing chamber to provide proper temperature uniformity and distribution within the chamber.

Method and apparatus for heat treating elongate metallic products


An installation system to fabricate the multiple glazing units at the installation site is provided. The installation system includes a primary glazing unit, a secondary glazing unit, a spacer element, a primary sealant, a fixture, a secondary sealant and a dispenser. The installation system includes a fixture to apply the primary sealant on the spacer element. The installation system also includes a dispenser to apply the secondary sealant to a clearance between the primary glazing unit and the secondary glazing unit.

In many buildings, single glazing units have been installed. However, such single glazing units may not provide effective cooling or heating, thereby increasing costs for cooling and/or heating devices within the building. Further, such single glazing units also may not provide acoustic comfort thereby causing noise pollution, particularly in buildings near high streets, urban traffic, motorways, train stations and airports.
Conversely, in some buildings, the insulated glazing units such as double glazing unit or triple glazing unit that have been already installed are sometimes damaged by external forces and need to be replaced. For instance, after the lifetime of a sealant used for sealing the glazing units in the window frames, the sealant may start deteriorating which can result in damage to the insulated glazing unit.
In all, replacing the existing glazing or installing fresh multiple glazing units in the above-mentioned scenarios may incur high labor and material costs.
The methods for adding an additional glazing unit to an existing glazing unit or installing fresh multiple glazing units are available. These methods include adding the glazing unit from outside that requires setting up complex scaffoldings. Other methods include adding the glazing unit directly to the frame. Such methods may not provide an effective shield against moisture which can still leak in thereby increasing the chances of condensation or provide better insulation or acoustic comfort. In other cases, specially designed glazing units, spacers or other components may be used for converting the existing glazing units to multiple glazing units. However, the use of these new components may incur production and/or manufacturing costs.
For reference, Indian patent publication 5167/CHE/2015 from the same applicant ("patent application '5167") discloses a method and system of converting an installed glazing unit to a multiple glazing units at an installation site. The method and system include an installed glazing unit, secondary glazing unit, a spacer and a sealant applicator which fills a sealant in a clearance between two glazing units that are attached to each other. The sealant applicator includes a thicker end, which defines a central hole to receive the sealant and a thinner end which defines an elongated channel in fluid communication with the central hole. The thinner end is configured to dispense the fluid in the clearance between the two glazing units. Although the applicator efficiently fills the clearance with the sealant. The wastage of unused sealant in the thinner end is unavoidable. Moreover, a higher pressure intensity will be required to maintain the flow rate of the sealant in the applicator as per the above mentioned patent application '5167. However, manually applying such higher pressure for a longer duration will be tedious and exhausting for the operator. The patent application '5167 further failed to provide a proper fixing mechanism for attaching the sealant applicator to the cartridges resulting in detachment of applicator from the cartridges. Besides this, the applicator disclosed in this patent application '5167 does not provide a mechanism to create a finishing and smoothening the sealant.
Currently there are no tools available in the market place for applying a primary sealant to the spacer element for attaching the glazing units at installation sites. During this application process, there is a high probability of application mismatch with the spacer element edges which results in primary sealant protruding or purging out and visible between the glazing units. The above scenario occurs when there is no sufficient gap from the primary sealant edge to spacer element edge.
Thus, the intended objective of the present disclosure is to design a fixture and a new dispenser that can solve the drawbacks such as sealant leakage, wastage, discontinuous bead formations of the sealant, sealant purging while also being operator friendly during installations.

Installation system for fabricating multiple glazing units and method thereof


An electrical connector (10) has ground planes (13). Each ground plane (13) crosses counter ground planes (36) of the counter connector (30) so as to make a lattice structure when the counter connector (30) is fitted to the connector (10). The contact section (12C) of a signal terminal (12) of the connector (10) has a plane surface perpendicular to the surface of the corresponding counter contact section (34A) of the counter signal terminal (34), and formed at a flexible elastic arm (12B) in the plane surface. The ground plane (13) has pressure-welding sections (18B) and (20B), which individually elastically contact with the facing inner surfaces of each slit, at a portion to be put into each slit of the counter ground plane (36).

The present invention relates to an electrical connector having ground planes. For example, Japan Patent Application Publication 2000-67955 discloses an electrical connector of this type. According to this Patent Reference, the connectors which are fitted and connected to each other have a plurality of ground planes that form a lattice structure by crossing each other, and contacting sections of signal terminals are located within the spaces made by the lattice structure. A slit that opens in the fitting direction is formed in a specified pitch on each of the plurality of ground planes of one connector, and the ground planes of the other connector arranged in a direction perpendicular to the ground planes are designed to put into the slits. An elastic section is formed by a cutout groove on the other connector, and elastically connects with the inner surface of the slit entering in the slit. Accordingly, the ground planes of the two connectors forms lattice-like structure and ensure the contact between the two connectors.
However, the connector of the Patent Reference has a problem of requiring large force to insert/remove the connector. According to the Patent Reference, the elastic section of the ground plane of the other connector that enters the slit formed on the connector has only one slit formed for on slit. Therefore, the elastic pressure to contact with one slit has to be ensured by one elastic section. This means elastic displacement has to be made by one elastic section for the slit width. In addition, the elastic pressure has to be large. On the other hand, if the slit width is made smaller, enough elastic displacement can not be securely made, which may cause poor connection at other slits due to different dimension among slits. Since there are many slits like this in the whole connector, the force to insert/remove the slit has to be large, and therefore unreasonably excessive force is applied for inserting/removing, which is not good for the connectors.

Electrical connector having ground planes


A two-part tray apparatus that includes a base tray having a desk surface for drawing and writing and a food tray having four food compartments. A resilient bottom of the base tray may rest on a lap. The food tray is nestable into the base tray and is nonslideable relative to the base tray. The base tray includes a proximal side with no upwardly extending walls to make it easy for a child to write or draw on the desk surface. Strap units are included to anchor opposite ends of the tray apparatus or may be connected to each other to form a full length shoulder strap.

A child may sit for an extended period of time. For example, a car trip across town in rush hour traffic may take over an hour. Across country on a camping trip, a child may sit in a car seat for an entire morning or afternoon. During these trips, a child may snack, have a full meal to eat, draw, play with toys, read a book, or engage in some other activity.
Besides riding in a car, a parent and child may take a bus, fly on an airplane, or catch a train in a metro transit system. With these modes of transportation too, the parent may acquire a knack for keeping his or her child interested and engaged in an activity when the child is seated.
Even at home, a child may be required to sit, in his or her mind especially, for long periods. Such a child may be enticed to stay seated at one location for a longer period of time with a set of crayons and paper, a book, dolls or toy cars.
When a parent uses a highchair tray to place on the lap of a child, neither the top structure nor the bottom structure of the highchair tray meets the needs of the parent. For example, the top structure of the highchair tray will likely have food compartments only, with little flat area on which to draw or write. These tiny food compartments may also hinder playing with LEGOS® or pushing toy cars. The bottom structure of the high chair tray is likely configured to engage a high chair and have no ergonomic form to fit the lap of a child.


A failure diagnostic device for accurately determining a failure of a discharge valve. A failure diagnostic device (50) serves to perform failure diagnostic of a discharge valve (62) installed in a discharge flow channel (32) of an anode discharge gas that is discharged from a fuel cell stack (20). The device comprises a detection unit (70) for detecting a status quantity of the anode discharge gas between a discharge port (27) for the anode discharge gas of the fuel cells tack (2) and the discharge valve (62) and a determination unit (51) for determining a failure of the discharge valve (62) based on the status quantity of the anode discharge gas detected by the detection unit (70) and a failure determination quantity corresponding to the operating state of the fuel cell stack (20).

The present invention relates to a failure diagnostic device for determining a failure of a discharge valve installed in a discharge flow channel of an anode discharge gas of a fuel cell system, and more particularly to improvement technology for increasing the accuracy of failure determination.
In a fuel cell system for generating electric power by supplying a fuel gas and an oxidizing gas to a fuel cell stack comprising a plurality of unit cells stacked in series, a configuration is known in which an unreacted hydrogen gas is reused for a cell reaction by refluxing the hydrogen gas that was discharged from an anode electrode to the anode electrode. A hydrogen discharge valve for discharging part of the hydrogen gas is provided in the circulation flow of the hydrogen gas, and when the concentration of components other than hydrogen in the hydrogen gas becomes high, the hydrogen discharge valve is periodically opened to maintain correctly the concentration of hydrogen supplied to the anode electrode. However, when the hydrogen discharge valve malfunctions and the opening-closing actuation of the valve does not function normally, a failure occurs during cell operation. For this reason, Japanese Patent Publication Laid-open No. 2003-92125 suggested a technology by which a hydrogen discharge instruction is conveyed to a hydrogen discharge valve and the failure of the hydrogen discharge valve is determined based on the target pressure of the fuel supply unit of the fuel cell stack and the actual hydrogen supply pressure. When the hydrogen discharge valve is open, the actual hydrogen supply pressure has to become lower than the target pressure. Therefore, if the difference therebetween is equal to or higher than a threshold, the operation is normal, and if the difference is less than the threshold, a closure failure is determined. Furthermore, when the hydrogen discharge valve is closed, the actual hydrogen supply pressure has to be equal to the target pressure. If the difference therebetween is less than a threshold value, the operation is normal, but if the difference is equal to or higher than the threshold, an opening failure can be determined.

Failure diagnostic device for discharge valve


A cement bond logging method for wells containing heavy mud and cement is provided. Acoustic logging tool data from a well having material in the annular space between the casing and the formation is analyzed to map relationships between waveform amplitude, acoustic impedance, and impedance derivative of the material. Map zones representing fully bonded well regions and partially bonded well regions are identified. An image is generated from the log data corresponding to the identified map zones. A cement bond logging system including a memory having cement bond logging software and a processor coupled to the memory to execute the software is also provided.

When drilling, completing, or otherwise operating on a well, it is often necessary to determine if the material in the annular space between the formation and casing, and/or the annular space between multiple casing strings is filled with cement, fluids, mud and/or solid materials. For example, when cementing to provide zonal isolation, cement is usually placed in the annular space (by any one of various methods), displacing the material in the annular space with cement that will solidify with time. The original fluids in the annular space can include water, drilling mud, hydrocarbons, formation fluids, formation solids, and any type of combination of above. It is standard practice to log the well before completion to determine the efficiency with which these fluids are displaced and the consequent effectiveness of the zonal isolation. Several logging tools have been developed in the past to help determine the material behind pipe including sonic, ultrasonic and temperature tools, and they are often run together to evaluate the cementing job.
As another example, operators often wish to determine if the pipe or casing is attached to formation after the economic life of the well is finished. It may be possible to cut the casing above the attached point or points and remove the casing from the well. The same logging tools are run to determine the portions of casing that are free. From the data recorded from these cement evaluation tools both the original cement sheath, and the remaining cement sheath can be determined by scientific principles that are well known and available.
One of the common methods to determine the presence of cement sheath is the use of ultrasonic tools that provide a measurement of the acoustic impedance of the material, which is defined as Z=ρV, where V is the speed of sound in the material and ρ is the density of the material. However, there are regions where the acoustic impedances of light (foam) cement overlap with the acoustic impedance values of water and light drilling mud (see FIG. 1). Additional analysis (based on the measurement variance) has been used in past to separate out foamed cement from liquids when the impedance values are the same.
Technology has evolved, and there now exist heavy drilling muds having acoustic impedance values that overlap with solid (non-foamed) cement (see FIG. 1). Techniques currently available cannot reliably distinguish between overlapping impedance values to determine cement bonding efficiency. Thus, there exists a need for a method and system to determine the quality of the bond between the casing and the surrounding formation.

Systems and methods to discriminate annular heavy fluids from cement


Apparatus, methods and computer program products operate an electronic device to receive through from a wireless communications network a prioritized list of radio access technologies; to store the prioritized list of radio access technologies in a memory of the electronic device; and to consult the prioritized list of radio access technologies during cell selection and reselection operations. In variants the radio access technologies listed in the prioritized list of radio access technologies can be E-UTRAN, UTRAN or GERAN. In a further variant to consult the prioritized list may mean to compare at least one of a signal measurement and a quality measurement with at least one threshold established for a certain radio access technology appearing in the prioritized list, and to select/reselect to the certain radio access technology only if the at least one of the signal measurement and the quality measurement exceeds the threshold.

Various abbreviations that appear in the specification and/or in the drawing figures are defined as follows:
RAT radio access technology
HCS hierarchical cell structure
RRC radio resource control
DRX discontinuous reception
LTE long term evolution
eNodeB evolved Node B (base station in the evolved UTRAN)
UE user equipment
EPC evolved packet core network
E-UTRAN evolved UTRAN
SAE system architecture evolution
UTRAN UMTS terrestrial radio access network (3GPP TS25.401)
GERAN GSM EDGE radio access network
GSM global system for mobile communication
EDGE enhanced data rates for GSM evolution
At present many network operators employ heterogeneous networks. This means that these networks are composed of different radio technologies (different RATs). For example, it is quite common to find a network operator providing both GERAN and UTRAN in the same geographical area. In the future one can expect to find GERAN, UTRAN and EUTRAN networks all under the control of a single network operator.
A terminal (e.g., also referred to herein as a UE, such as a cellular phone) operating in a heterogeneous network should be able to move smoothly and seamlessly between different RATs. For this reason, the access technologies include interworking capabilities to interact with other access technologies.
As more access technologies become available an operator may wish to create different subscription levels so that specific subscriber types can be assigned to specific collections of access technologies. However, this type of operation implies the existence of some guidance for terminals allocated to specific access technologies to move across these technologies. At present, there are no priority instructions given from the operator to terminal about which radio access technology should be a preferred one as compared to radio access technology.
In the case of GERAN-UTRAN interworking there is no explicit indication about which is the preferred system for the terminal to camp on. However, this is handled implicitly by setting up a cell reselection configuration in such a manner that it forces a terminal UE with GERAN and UTRAN capabilities to camp on the UTRAN network whenever possible. Alternatively HCS cell reselection criteria may be used for allowing some prioritization, especially from UTRAN to GERAN. However, the HCS cell reselection scheme has not been widely deployed due at least to a perceived problem of excessive parameterization. Additionally, not all terminals support HCS cell reselection.
Further, currently used simple methods for cell reselection priorities are not efficient if more than two RATs are available to the terminal, e.g., the terminal is allowed access to GERAN, UTRAN and EUTRAN networks.
In a dedicated mode the network may assign some prioritization, however this procedure is slow and increases the signaling load, as the network needs to signal the terminal every time an attempt is made to access another, higher priority access technology.
In general, cell reselection criteria for UTRA is defined in 3GPP TS 25.304, V7.1.0 (2006-12), 3rd Generation Partnership Project; Technical Specification Group Radio Access Network; User Equipment (UE) procedures in idle mode and procedures for cell reselection in connected mode (Release 7), and cell reselection criteria for GERAN is defined in 3GPP TS 45.008, V7.6.0 (2006-11), 3rd Generation Partnership Project; Technical Specification Group GSM/EDGE; Radio Access Network; Radio subsystem link control (Release 7.
Reference can also be made to commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 6,751,460 B2, Methods and Apparatus for Performing Cell Reselection for Supporting Efficiently Hierarchical Cell Structures, Sari Korpela and Kaj Jansen.
Also of interest is commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 6,978,142 B2, Cell Prioritizing in a Cellular Radio System, Matti Jokimies; commonly owned US Patent Publication No.: US 2006/0234705 A1, Method, Apparatus and Computer Program Providing for Rapid Network Selection in a Multimode Device, Paul Oommen; and commonly owned US Patent Publication No.: US 2006/0282554 A1, Method, Apparatus and Computer Program Providing Network-Associated System Priority List for Multimode System Selection, Jack Yuefeng Jiang, Paul Oommen, Yi Cheng and Liangchi Hsu.

Apparatus, method and computer program product providing priority setting for multi-rat interworking


The present invention relates to intercellular adhesion inhibitory factors produced by cytokine activated endothelial cells. These factors designated endothelial-derived IL-8 find use in the diagnosis and treatment of inflammation and in the protection of endothelial cells from neutrophil mediated damage.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is drawn to endothelial-derived interleukin-8 (IL-8). These polypeptides, previously identified as "leukocyte adhesion inhibitor" (LAI), are involved in the process through which populations of leukocytes are inhibited from adhering to cellular substrates. The invention additionally relates to the use of endothelial-derived IL-8 as anti-inflammatory agents and as therapeutics for clinical indications in which damage of vascular endothelium and other tissues occurs.
2. Description of the Related Art
When foreign invaders such as bacteria, viruses or other invading parasites penetrate the skin or mucous membranes, cellular defense mechanisms are immediately induced. Local and blood-borne monocytes and polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN), two of the phagocytic-type cells of the defense system, accumulate around the invaders and initiate phagocytosis. An excellent review of the defense system is provided by Eisen, H. W., In: Microbiology, Third Ed., Harper and Row, Philadelphia, Pa. (1980), pp. 290-295 and 381-418.
The presence of such foreign entities results in an inflammatory response characterized by (1) dilation of surrounding blood vessels; (2) an increase in vascular permeability; and (3) diapedesis, the migration of monocytes and PMN across vascular walls.
The accumulation of blood leukocytes at sites of inflammation and injury depends upon their localized adhesion to the vascular lining. Localized adhesion is essential in a variety of pathophysiological processes. Leukocytes must be able to attach to cellular substrates in order to properly defend the host against these invaders. They must also attach to endothelial cells so that they can migrate from the circulation to sites of ongoing inflammation. Furthermore, they must attach to antigen-presenting cells so that a specific immune response can occur. Finally, they must attach to appropriate target cells so that lysis of virally-infected or tumor cells can occur.
The adherence of leukocytes to vascular endothelium in areas of inflammation and injury has long been known. It has also long been suspected that molecular changes in the blood vessel wall are involved in these endothelial-leukocyte interactions. However, experimental evidence supporting this concept was lacking until recently (see Harlan, J., Blood 65:513-525 (1985)).
Recent studies have demonstrated that certain inflammatory cytokines such as Interleukin-I (IL-1) (see, e.g., Bevilacqua et al., J. Clin. Invest. 76:2003-2011 (1985); Bevilacqua et al., In: Leukocyte Emigration and Its Sequelae, S. Karger, AG, Basel and New York, pp. 79-93 (1986); Dunn et al., In: The Physiologic, Metabolic, and Immunologic Actions of Interleukin-1, Alan R. Liss, Inc., New York, pp. 45-59 (1985); Schleimer et al., J. Immunol. 136:649-654 (1986); Gamble et al., PNAS U.S.A. 82:8667-8671 (1985); Pohlman et al., J. Immunol. 136:4548-4553 (1986) ; Cavender et. al., Fed. Proc., 46:113-117 (1987)), tumor necrosis factor (TNF) (Gamble et al., PNAS U.S.A. 82:8667-8671 (1985)), and Gram-negative bacterial endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide) (LPS) (Schleimer et al., (1986); Pohlman et al., J. Immunol. 136:4548-4553 (1986)) can act directly on vascular endothelium in vitro to increase the adhesiveness of the endothelial cell surface for blood leukocytes as well as the related leukocyte cell lines (HL-60 and U937).
Other chemotactic factors, such as purified complement components, formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine, and leukotriene B.sub.4 can also augment the attachment of PMN to cultured endothelial monolayers (see, e.g., Smith et al., Exp. Cell Res. 122:169-177 (1979); Hoover et al., J. Cell Sci. 45:73-86 (1980); Hoover et al., PNAS U.S.A. 81:2191-2193 (1984); Zimmerman et al., Thromb. Res. 35:203-217 (1984); Gimbrone et al., J. Clin. Invest. 74:1552-1555 (1984); Tonnesen et al., J. Clin. Invest. 74:1581-1592 (1984); Charo et al., Blood 65:473-479 (1985); Harlan et al., Lab. Invest. 52:141-150 (1985)). The relative significance of endothelial versus leukocyte responses, and the cellular mechanisms involved in their adhesion, however, are still largely unknown.
The inhibition of leukocyte adhesion potentially is of central importance to therapeutic interventions in inflammatory disease processes. Although leukocyte adhesion is normally desirable, it is also implicated in immune and non-immune inflammatory disease processes, including organ transplant rejection, tissue graft rejection, allergic reactions, autoimmune diseases, rheumatoid arthritis, vasculitis, septic shock, adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), glomerulonephritis, and other tissue or organ specific forms of acute and chronic inflammation. Further, in the setting of ischemiareperfusion, leukocyte adhesion may produce microvascular occlusion, tissue injury and death. Hence, any means capable of attenuating or inhibiting cellular adhesion would be highly desirable for certain patients.

Endothelial-derived II-8 adhesion inhibitor


A wafer separating apparatus is provided which includes a wafer supporting member having an upper surface on which a bonded wafer formed of two wafers bonded with each other is placed; an arm portion arranged outside of the wafer supporting member, the arm portion being movable closer to and away from a bonded portion of the bonded portion of the bonded wafer supported by the supporting portion; and an inflating portion provided in an distal end portion of the arm portion, the inflating portion being inflatable in a direction intersecting the upper surface of the wafer supporting member.

Some semiconductor storage devices such as semiconductor memory devices have a memory cell chip having memory cell arrays formed therein, and a circuit chip bonded with the memory cell chip and having a control circuit formed therein to control the memory cell arrays. With such a configuration, memory cells can be formed in a space that is once allocated for the control circuit within the memory cell chip, which allows for an increased degree of integration of memory cells.
Production of such semiconductor storage devices includes a process of bonding a wafer where the memory cells are formed and another wafer where the control circuits are formed. While the two wafers need to be aligned with each other with a high degree of accuracy when bonding these two wafers, they may be shifted to each other due to inevitable variations in process. Additionally, when the two wafers are bonded with each other, there may remain air bubbles therebetween, which may lead to a defective electrical connection between the two wafers. When, in such occasions, the two wafers can be separated from each other, and then aligned again with each other and bonded, the wafers can be saved from being discarded, and production yields may be prevented from being decreased.


An X-ray computed tomographic (CT) system includes: a beam-hardening correction block that corrects first projection information in terms of the beam-hardening effect so as to produce second projection information; a first fitting block that fits a first function to the second projection information so as to produce third projection information; a second fitting block that fits a second function to the third projection information values that are provided as functions having as independent variables the second projection information values sampled in relation to all the views and each of the channels of an X-ray detector; and a correction coefficient modification block that modifies a second correction coefficient, which is calculated using a second phantom larger in dimensions than a first phantom, using a first correction coefficient calculated using the first phantom.

The present invention relates to a beam-hardening post-processing method for correcting the intensity of X-rays to be transmitted by a subject on the basis of phantom data, and to an X-ray computed tomography (CT) system.
An X-ray source employed in an X-ray CT system generates X-rays that fall within a certain energy range. On the other hand, an absorption coefficient for X-rays transmitted by a subject depends on the energy in the X-rays. The larger a length in a subject over which X-rays are transmitted, the larger the average energy. This phenomenon is referred to as a beam-hardening effect. Consequently, a proportional relationship is not established between the intensity of transmitted X-rays, that is, a projection information value and the length over which X-rays are transmitted, but a non-linear relationship is.
The beam-hardening effect causes the cupping effect signifying that the intensity detected in the center of a reconstructed image is low. A correction coefficient to be used to correct projection information values based on which a reconstructed image is produced to exhibit a uniform intensity is calculated in relation to each of the channels of the X-ray detector, whereby the correction is achieved (refer to, for example, Patent Document 1).
A plurality of cylindrical phantoms having different diameters that are large enough to generally cover the entire field of view (FOV) (scan field) defined in the center of an X-ray field is scanned for the purpose of higher-precision correction. Projection information acquired from the phantoms is used to improve the precision in correction.
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Hei 5(1993)-130987 (p.2 and 3, FIG. 1 and FIG. 2)
By the way, for highly precise correction of projection information values, the largest possible number of different projection information values is needed in relation to each of the channels of an X-ray detector. Therefore, lots of phantoms that have different diameters must be scanned.
On the other hand, the larger the diameter of a phantom, the lower a signal-to-noise ratio reflected in an acquired projection information value. If a correction coefficient calculated from projection information values reflecting lowered signal-to-noise ratios is used to correct projection information, a reconstruction image is like to suffer degradation in image quality deriving from a ring artifact or the like. Consequently, when a subject having large dimensions is scanned, image quality is likely to be degraded.

X-ray CT system and beam-hardening post-processing method

GE Medical Systems Global Technology Company, LLC


The present invention pertains to a portable motorized suitcase which can operate in either self-propelled or manual modes. The suitcase includes an extendable handle which is provided with a multi-position switch, allowing the user to selectively control the speed of the suitcase when in the self-propelled mode, as well as allowing the user to choose between modes of operation. A motor, which is controlled by the multi-position switch located on an extendable handle, conveys power to the ground engaging wheel via a centrifugal clutch arrangement. The clutch allows the motor to propel the suitcase when it is in the self-propelling mode while not hindering the rolling of the wheels when the motor is in the manual mode. Therefore, the motor and clutch arrangement either turns the wheels or allows them to free-wheel, depending upon the operator's positioning of the multi-position switch. Transition between modes of operation occurs automatically in accordance with user manipulation of the switch. The motor is supplied with power from a removable battery pack. The rear wheels of the suitcase, one of which is selectively driven by the motor, are outwardly spaced from the sidewalls of the suitcase to stably support the suitcase during movement thereof.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to suitcases and, in particular, to motorized suitcases.
2. Description of the Related Art
During the development of suitcases, it has become popular to provide wheels to aid the user in transporting the suitcase. Several types of wheeled suitcases are known in the art, as evidenced by U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,048,649 and 4,928,800. In suitcases of this type, the wheels are generally provided directly underneath the suitcase or in line with the sidewalls thereof. However, locating the wheels in these common positions does not provide a stable base, especially when turning or otherwise manoeuvering the suitcase.
As suitcases have further developed, the general idea of having the suitcase include means to provide a self-propelling function has been proposed. Generally, suitcases developed along these lines have also often included a user-carrying or transporting feature. U.S. Pat. No. 4,913,252 is illustrative of motorized suitcases of this type.
The '252 patent discloses a suitcase which includes an internal battery and a wheel-driving motor. The motor, which is operated when a switch-actuating handle is lifted, transfers rotational motion to a ground engaging wheel via a bevel gear. The suitcase also provides an operator transporting feature whereby the operator can stand upon a platform located in front of the suitcase and be propelled thereby. It is not possible with the motorized suitcase of the '252 patent to select different speeds of operation. Also, it is not possible for the operator to manually pull the suitcase without experiencing resistance from the motor via the bevel gear.
Therefore, there exists a need in the art for a multi-speed motorized suitcase which allows the user to select between speeds of operation of the motor as well as to manually pull the suitcase without encountering resistance from the motor. There also exists a need in the art for a wheeled suitcase which provides the wheels at a location better able to stably support the suitcase as it moves along.


A method of controlling remote control electronic apparatus coupled to a network and a remote control electronic apparatus to be coupled to a network are disclosed. Each remote control electronic apparatus has a CPU and a ROM including a local control program expressed by an independent language which is interpretable by the CPU, a remote control program expressed by a virtual language, a virtual language processing program for processing the virtual language to make it interpretable by the CPU. When one remote control electronic apparatus is required to control another remote control electronic apparatus coupled to the network, the remote control electronic apparatus requests to transmit the remote control program of another remote control apparatus. The remote control electronic apparatus receiving the transmitted remote control program of another remote control apparatus generates an operation command signal using the received remote control program through the virtual language processing program and transmits the operation command signal to another remote control apparatus which is actually operated by the local control program existing in another remote control apparatus according to the operation command signal.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method of controlling remote control electronic apparatus coupled to a network and to a remote control electronic apparatus to be coupled to a network.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A method of controlling remote control electronic apparatus coupled to a network is known. For example, the AV (Audio Visual) compu-link system including television sets and video tape recorders or the like are coupled through a communication cable is known. In this system, command codes for power on and off, changing the channel, reproducing, recording, changing a volume, or the like are uniquely assigned in advance among remote control electronic apparatus connected to the communication cable.
The remote controlling is provided by transmitting the command code from one apparatus to another through the communication line.

Method of controlling remote control electronic apparatus coupled to a network and a remote control electronic apparatus to be coupled to a network


An expandable polystyrene bead production method, which is a two-step process, is disclosed. The method includes obtaining suspendable, homogenous micropellets from a mixed composition prepared by mixing graphite particles with a styrene-based resin and extruding the composition, and carrying out seed polymerization by suspending graphite-containing micropellets in water and adding a styrene-based monomer and an aromatic hydrocarbon having 6 to 10 carbon atoms, and impregnation by adding a blowing agent. The produced expandable polystyrene beads, which contain graphite particles, are considerably low in thermal conductivity. In addition, the expandable polystyrene beads exhibit a little change in the thermal conductivity over time due to the use of the graphite particles, so that the heat insulation property can be sustained for an extended period of time.

Various methods for producing polystyrene are known, generally using emulsion polymerization, suspension polymerization, dispersion polymerization, and so on. For example, Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. Hei 2-14222 teaches a polystyrene production method using emulsion polymerization. Methods for producing expandable polystyrene using suspension polymerization are disclosed in various patented literatures, including Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. Showa 46-15112, Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. Hei 5-317688, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,559,202, 2,652,392, U.K. Patent No. 1188252, and Korean Patent Publication No. 10-1999-0024927.
However, the known methods for producing expandable polystyrene beads using suspension polymerization present several disadvantages, such as a large particle size distribution, an unwanted grade, creation of sludge or wastes, requiring a number of classification steps using a screening apparatus in order to yield pure products.
Another method for producing extruded polystyrene particles and expandable polystyrene beads is to use extrusion by adding palletized polystyrene particles with a blowing agent. However, in the course of adding the blowing agent to polystyrene, it is necessary to control dispersion of melted products and heat generated. In addition, during extrusion, the molecular weight of polystyrene beads may be reduced and additives used may be decomposed. In particular, the polystyrene beads produced by extrusion and expansion cannot fabricate molded articles having low density of 20 kg/m3 or less.
Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2005-0111820 describes a method of preparing expandable polystyrene beads containing graphite, comprising suspending pellets produced by re-extruding general polystyrene pellets together with graphite in a reactor and impregnating by adding a blowing agent. According to this method, since extruded pellets are further extruded and the resultant re-extruded pellets are subjected to suspension and impregnation, extrusion processing costs of micropellets considerably increase. In addition, it is quite difficult to take additional treatment measures for achieving high functionality, such as high expandability, strength, or thermal stability.
In the expanding of the obtained expandable polystyrene beads containing graphite particles, conventional expanding conditions can be employed without any particular limitations. The expandable polystyrene beads containing graphite particles can be expanded to have a cell size of about 70-300 microns, and have various merits and advantages, including high expandability, excellent heat insulation properties, strength and absorptiveness.

Method of producing expandable polystyrene beads which have excellent heat insulation properties


The curl straightening device includes supporting rollers, an endless belt, a curl straightening roller, and a contact member. The supporting rollers are disposed rotatably about a shaft extending in a direction orthogonal to a conveying direction of the sheet. The endless belt is stretched across the supporting rollers, and circulates in the conveying direction. The curl straightening roller makes contact with an outer peripheral surface of the endless belt between the supporting rollers so as to form a nip portion, and straightens curl of the sheet which passes through the nip portion. The nip portion is shaped so that the endless belt curves along a peripheral surface of the curl straightening roller. The contact member is disposed to oppose a center portion of the curl straightening roller in an axial direction, and makes contact with the curl straightening roller so as to prevent deformation of the curl straightening roller.

The present disclosure relates to a curl straightening device that straightens curl of a sheet on which an image has been formed, and an image forming apparatus having the curl straightening device.
A publicly-known image forming apparatus such as a printer includes a curl straightening device that straightens curl of a sheet on which an image has been formed. Such a conventional curl straightening device includes an endless belt stretched across a pair of supporting rollers, and a curl straightening roller (a pressurizing roller) that makes pressure contacts with an outer peripheral surface of the endless belt. In the curl straightening device, the pressure contact of the curl straightening roller straightens curl of a sheet when the sheet passes through a nip portion formed in the endless belt.

Curl straightening device and image forming apparatus having the same


Implementations described herein provide apparatus and methods for storing data in, and retrieving data from, an asynchronous FIFO. Data is received at a write side receiving circuitry residing in a write-side clock domain of the FIFO and stored at a memory location in a data storage buffer having a plurality of locations. Each memory location in the data storage buffer has a binary pointer value corresponding to the respective location. The binary pointer value is converted to a corresponding Gray code symbol and transferred to the read side of the FIFO. At the read side the Gray code symbol is converted back to the corresponding binary pointer value. Read-side control circuitry, using the binary pointer value, transfers the data from the data storage buffer to a data output register residing in a read-side clock domain of the FIFO.

The background description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the inventors hereof, to the extent the work is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description that does not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted to be prior art against the present disclosure.
During integration of a two-clock first-in-first-out register-based (FIFO) component in a higher level design of a chip, an arbitrary number of balanced buffers may be automatically added by back-end tools to each data line outgoing from the FIFO, for pipelining and other reasons, thereby adding a random amount of delay to the timing path of each data bit between a data source located inside the FIFO and a data destination register(s) situated in the design out of the FIFO. These delays can be easily miscalculated, overlooked, or otherwise improperly accounted for when integrating the FIFO in the higher-level design, making it difficult to close timing, thereby potentially requiring modification of the chip design and re-fabrication of the chip.

Register-based asynchronous FIFO with asymmetric size


A structure includes an oriented piezoelectric polymer arranged in a circular tubular or circular columnar shape, wherein the orientation angle of the piezoelectric polymer with respect to the central axis of the structure is 15° to 75°, the piezoelectric polymer includes a crystalline polymer having an absolute value of 0.1 to 1000 pC/N for the piezoelectric constant d14 when the orientation axis is the third axis, and the piezoelectric polymer includes a P-body containing a crystalline polymer with a positive piezoelectric constant d14 value and an N-body containing a crystalline polymer with a negative value, wherein for the portion of the central axis of the structure having a length of 1 cm, the value of T1/T2 is 0 to 0.8, T1 being the smaller and T2 being the larger of (ZP+SN) and (SP+ZN), where ZP, SP, ZN, and SN are particularly defined masses.

Several techniques have been developed in the prior art for elements using piezoelectric substances. PTL 1, for example, discloses an element comprising conductive fibers covered with a piezoelectric polymer, which exhibits an excellent electrical response to rubbing. NPL 1 discloses an element comprising a piezoelectric polymer wound into a coil, as an example of producing an electrical response to stretching in the axial direction of the coil and twisting deformation around the axis of the coil. Also, PTL 2 discloses a fiber-like substance comprising a piezoelectric polymer, and describes that the fiber-like substance produces a large piezoelectric effect when force (movement) acts either parallel or perpendicular to the fiber axis.
The piezoelectric sheet of PTL 3 can output an electrical signal by stretching deformation (stress) of the piezoelectric sheet. However, because it is still in a sheet form, it has poor flexibility and cannot be used to allow free bending in the manner of fibers or a fabric.
In all of these prior art documents, even though a piezoelectric signal is efficiently generated in response to stretching movement, nothing is disclosed regarding a specific construction for avoiding generation of a piezoelectric signal in response to movement other than stretching movement. Moreover, nothing is disclosed in regard to a specific construction for generating electrical charges of mutually opposite polarity (i.e. reverse sign charges) on the central axis and outside of the structure, in order to increase the utilization efficiency of the piezoelectric signal. Their performance as piezoelectric elements for use as sensors or adsorbents has therefore been inadequate.
In recent years there has been increasing interest in "wearable sensors", which have made their debut as products in the form of eyeglasses or wristwatches. However, such devices produce the sensation of being worn, and are more desirably in the form of fabrics, i.e., clothing, which are the ultimate wearable form. Piezoelectric elements that utilize the piezoelectric effect of piezoelectric fibers are known as such types of sensors. For example, PTL 1 discloses a piezoelectric element comprising two conductive fibers and one piezoelectric fiber, with points of contact between them, while including a piezoelectric unit disposed on essentially the same plane. Also, PTL 2 discloses a piezoelectric material which is a fiber substance or molded article made of a piezoelectric polymer wherein, in order to generate piezoelectricity by tensile force applied in the axial direction, the construction includes added twists in a direction different from the direction of the tensile force that is to be applied.
Recent years have also seen a drastic increase in input devices employing touch panel systems, i.e., "touch input devices". With the development of thin display technology for bank ATMs and station ticket-vending machines, as well as smartphones, cellular phones, portable gaming devices, portable music players and the like, there has been a massive increase in devices employing touch panel systems as the input interface. Known means for realizing such touch panel systems include systems using piezoelectric sheets or piezoelectric fibers. For example, PTL 4 discloses a touch panel employing a piezoelectric sheet made of L-polylactic acid having a stretching axis oriented in a prescribed direction.
In such wearable sensors or touch panel system sensors, it is desirable to extract a high electrical signal even by small amounts of stress produced in the piezoelectric material by small deformation applied to the piezoelectric material. For example, it is desirable to stably extract a high electrical signal even by a relatively small amount of stress produced in the piezoelectric material by the movement of stretching out the finger, or the action of rubbing the surface with the finger, etc.
The piezoelectric fiber of PTL 1 is an excellent material that can be applied for various purposes, but it cannot always output a high electrical signal in response to stress produced by relatively small amounts of deformation, nor does this publication disclose technology for obtaining a high electrical signal. In addition, since the piezoelectric element described in PTL 1 has the conductive fibers of the signal wire exposed, it is susceptible to noise effects and tends to suffer material degradation or damage under external stress. Furthermore, no construction is disclosed for allowing the piezoelectric element to be conveniently incorporated into a base material such as another fabric, and therefore the piezoelectric element described in PTL 1 still has room for improvement in terms of practical application.
The piezoelectric fibers described in PTL 2 can output an electrical signal in response to tension or compression on the piezoelectric fibers, by having the piezoelectric fibers pre-twisted via special production methods. However. PTL 2 does not disclose any technology for producing an adequate electrical signal in response to bending or stretching of the piezoelectric fibers, or shearing stress due to rubbing of the surfaces of the piezoelectric fibers. Therefore, when such piezoelectric fibers are used, it is difficult to extract a sufficient electrical signal simply by stress produced by relatively small amounts of deformation such as rubbing of the surface.
The piezoelectric sheet of PTL 4 can output an electrical signal by deformation (stress) of the piezoelectric sheet. However, because it is still in a sheet form, it has poor flexibility and cannot be used to allow free bending in the manner of a fabric.

Structure for use in piezoelectric element, braided piezoelectric element, fabric-like piezoelectric element using braided piezoelectric element, and device using these


A flame-retardant resin composition for insulated wires, shielded wires and insulating tubes which are used in the field requiring high-frequency current transmission, for example, in the field of high-density wiring of internal circuits in electronic appliances. The composition comprises (a) a thermoplastic polyolefinic resin having a density of smaller than 0.89 g/cm3, which is prepared by copolymerizing ethylene and a non-polar xcex1-olefin in the presence of a single-site metallocene catalyst, (b) a halogen-containing flame retardant, and (c) zinc oxide. After crosslinking, the composition is used in forming an insulating coating for insulated wires and shielded wires, and in forming insulating tubes.

The present invention relates to novel flame-retardant resin compositions, and to insulated wires, shielded wires and insulating tubes comprising the composition.
Being different from light-emitting display devices such as cathode ray tubes and plasma display devices, liquid crystal display devices are generally provided with a light source (back light) at the back of the liquid crystal panel, in which the light emitted by the light source and transmitted through the panel is utilized for producing images on the panel. As the light source for the back light, generally used is a cold-cathode tube (fluorescent lamp) or the like, to which is applied a high-frequency current as generated in a lighting circuit to have a frequency of from tens to hundreds Hz or so and an effective voltage of hundreds volts or so.
The US UL (Underwriters Laboratories Inc.) Standards, which are the worldwide safety standards for insulated wires for internal wiring in electronic appliances, are applied to the insulating coatings for the insulated wires and shielded wires through which the high-frequency current is supplied to the cold-cathode tube, and to the insulating tubes to be applied over the connections between the cold-cathode tube and the insulated wires, for the purpose of ensuring the mechanical properties of those insulating coatings and insulating tubes and of ensuring the safety thereof against accidental fires. The UL Standards state the details of the initial and heat-aged mechanical properties (tensile strength and elongation), flame resistance, and withstand voltage characteristics of various insulated wires and insulating materials.
At present, the insulating materials for that use in insulated wires and others require flexibility for facilitating wiring work, in addition to the characteristics as stated in the UL Standards. In order to meet this requirement, for example, used are crosslinked compositions that are prepared by making soft polyolefinic resins, such as EVA (ethylene-vinylacetate copolymer) and EEA (ethylene-ethyl acrylate copolymer), resistant to flames followed by exposing the resulting flame-retardant resins to accelerated electron beam, and also silicone rubbers, etc. The degree of flexibility of those insulating materials is about 10 kg/cm2 or lower in terms of the modulus of tensile elasticity.
For insulated wires comprising insulating materials of those flame-retardant, crosslinked compositions of soft polyolefinic resins, the UL Standards state that the initial tensile strength of the insulating coatings of the insulated wires must be not smaller than 1500 psi (1.05 kg/mm2) and that the initial elongation thereof must be not smaller than 100%. Regarding the heat-aged physical properties of such insulated wires, the UL Standards state the retention of the initial values, while requiring that the heat-aged tensile strength of insulated wires must be not smaller than 70% of the initial one and that the heat-aged elongation thereof must be not smaller than 65% of the initial one. The heat-aging tests for the physical properties of insulated wires as stated in the UL Standards are, for example, such that samples for a temperature rating of 150xc2x0 C. are heated in a Geer oven aging tester at 180xc2x0 C. for 7 days, that samples for a temperature rating of 125xc2x0 C. are heated in the same at 158xc2x0 C. for 7 days, and that samples for a temperature rating of 105xc2x0 C. are heated in the same at 136xc2x0 C. for 7 days.
As well known, the current demand for compact and lightweight electronic appliances is extremely high. In order to satisfy that demand, it is necessary to provide small-sized internal units.
For example, in electronic appliances comprising liquid crystal display devices, not only the liquid crystal display units but also the peripheral devices of back light units are reduced in size and thinned, and the wiring space for insulated wires for cold-cathode tubes is being narrowed year by year. It is, therefore, important to reduce the diameter of insulated wires.
However, where insulated wires having a reduced diameter are used for high-density wiring in a limited wiring space, the amount of heat generated by the wired circuits increases. In such wired circuits, therefore, the insulating materials to be used require improved heat-aging resistance.
In addition, in such a narrow, limited wiring space, the insulated wires are often kept in contact with the chassis of the back light unit which is at the earth potential. In that case, leakage of high-frequency current from the insulating coatings will increase, often resulting in a great decrease in the supply voltage. As a result, a serious problem will occur that results in lowering the degree of luminance of the cold-cathode tube in the wired device.
For example, the current insulating materials, such as the flame-retardant compositions of soft polyolefinic compositions or silicone rubbers, have a high specific dielectric constant of 3.3 or higher. Therefore, if the insulating coating made of the current insulating material is used for producing insulated wires and if the thickness of the insulating coating is thinned in order to reduce the diameter of the insulated wires, the leak current from the insulated wires increases, often produces the serious problem.
In addition, as a result of the reduction in the wiring space, the insulated wires are often adjacent to the electronic parts in the wired units, in which the noise as derived from the high-frequency current running through the conductor parts will have some negative influences on the electronic circuits, thereby producing another problem of flickering of pictures.
In order to solve this problem, a structure comprising shielded wires may be employed in which the insulating coating formed over the core conductor is further covered with an outer conductor layer such as a metal braided conductor layer or a spirally-covered shielding layer. However, even in those shielded wires, the thickness of the insulating coating must be reduced in order to reduce the diameter of the shielded wires. Therefore, if the conventional insulating material having a high specific dielectric constant is used as the insulating coating in those shielded wires, the capacitance between the core conductor and the outer conductor layer is increased, thereby causing still another problem in that the rising of the wave pattern of the high-frequency current to be transmitted through the shielded wires becomes dull and that the supply voltage is lowered.
On the other hand, silicone rubbers have poor mechanical strength and, if used for producing shielded wires, they are problematic in that the insulating coating of the silicone rubber is cracked after having been rubbed with the metallic material constituting the outer conductor layer, whereby the core conductor and the outer conductor layer are often short-circuited.
For insulating tubes that may be formed over the outer conductor layer in order to insulate and protect the connections between the cold-cathode tube and the insulated wires therearound, generally used are insulating materials similar to those for the insulating coatings for the insulated wires, for example, flame-retardant compositions of soft polyolefinic resins such as those mentioned hereinabove. In those insulating tubes, therefore, it is also an important theme to lower the specific dielectric constant of those insulating materials.
The object of the invention is to provide a flame-retardant resin composition usable as an insulating material in producing insulated wires, shielded wires and insulating tubes that are especially favorably used in the technical field requiring high-frequency current transmission, for example, in the field of wiring of back lights for liquid crystal display devices, and also to provide insulated wires, shielded wires and insulating tubes comprising the composition.
In order to solve the problems mentioned hereinabove, we, the present inventors have found that a flame-retardant resin composition comprising:
(a) a thermoplastic polyolefinic resin having a density of smaller than 0.89 g/cm3, which is prepared by copolymerizing ethylene and a non-polar xcex1-olefin in the presence of a single-site metallocene catalyst;
(b) a halogen-containing flame retardant; and
(c) zinc oxide,
is effective. On the basis of this finding, we have completed the invention.
After having been crosslinked, the flame-retardant resin composition of the invention has the mechanical characteristics of an initial tensile strength of not smaller than 1.05 kg/mm2 and an initial elongation of not smaller than 100%, as stipulated in the UL Standards; has the flame resistance that satisfies all the following three requirements in the VW-1 perpendicular combustion test:
1) the longest burn time for the sample is within 60 seconds;
2) the kraft paper attached to the upper side of the sample is not burnt; and
3) the absorbent cotton disposed below the sample is not burnt by the burnt droppings of the sample;
has a modulus of tensile elasticity of not larger than 10 kg/cm2 to be highly elastic; and has good electric characteristics in that its specific dielectric constant is smaller than 3.3. Thus, the flame-retardant resin composition of the invention is good for solving the problems mentioned hereinabove.
As has been mentioned above, the flame-retardant resin composition of the invention has, after having been crosslinked, good mechanical properties, high flame resistance and high flexibility, while having a low relative dielectric constant. Therefore, the resin composition is favorably used, for example, for forming insulating coatings for insulated wires and shielded wires, for forming sheath layers for shielded wires, and for forming insulating tubes having or not having thermal shrinkability.
Preferably, the flame-retardant resin composition of the invention comprises, relative to 100 parts by weight of the thermoplastic polyolefinic resin (a) as produced by copolymerization of ethylene and a non-polar xcex1-olefin in the presence of a single-site metallocene catalyst to have a density of smaller than 0.89 g/cm3, from 20 to 60 parts by weight of the halogen-containing flame retardant (b) and from 5 to 20 parts by weight of the zinc oxide (c), in order to favorably satisfy its characteristic requirements mentioned above.
In the flame-retardant resin composition of the invention, the non-polar xcex1-olefin that constitutes the thermoplastic olefinic resin (a) is preferably at least one selected from the group consisting of 1-butene, 4-methyl-1-pentene, 1-hexene and 1-octene, since the mechanical characteristics of the composition are especially good and since the composition is highly flexible and has a lower specific dielectric constant.
The flame-retardant resin composition, as comprising the combination of the halogen-containing flame retardant (b) and the zinc oxide (c) along with the thermoplastic polyolefinic resin (a), is favorably formed into insulating coatings, sheath layers and insulating tubes such as those mentioned hereinabove, which stand the VW-1 perpendicular combustion test for their flame resistance.
In the flame-retardant composition of the invention, the halogen-containing flame retardant (b) is preferably at least one bromine-containing flame retardant selected from the group consisting of ethylenebis-bromophthalimides, bis(bromophenyl)alkanes, bis(bromophenyl)terephthalamides and polybromobiphenyl ethers. The resin composition comprising such a bromine-containing flame retardant is favorably formed into insulating coatings, sheath layers and insulating tubes such as those mentioned hereinabove, which have good heat-aging resistance as stipulated in the UL Standards. Precisely, after having been heat-aged, the insulating coatings, sheath layers and insulating tubes formed from the resin composition still have a retention of tensile strength of 70% or higher and a retention of elongation of 65% or higher.
The invention further provides insulated wires, which are produced by coating a conductor with the flame-retardant resin composition of the invention followed by crosslinking the composition to form an insulating coating over the conductor.
In the insulated wires of the invention, the insulating coating has a low density and is lightweight and flexible. Therefore, the insulated wires are favorably used for wiring back light units in liquid crystal display devices. In particular, the insulated wires can be well thinned and can be favorably used for high-density wiring even in a limited wiring space.
In addition, in the insulated wires of the invention, the insulating coating has good mechanical properties, good heat-aging resistance and good flame resistance, as stipulated in the UL Standards. Therefore, even when thinned, the insulated wires are still favorably applicable to high-density wiring even in a limited wiring space with high safety.
Moreover, the insulating coating in the insulated wires of the invention has a low specific dielectric constant. Therefore, even when the insulated wires are kept in contact with the chassis of a back light unit which is at the earth potential, little leak of high-frequency current from the insulating coating occurs, without producing the decrease in the degree of luminance of the cold-cathode tube in the wired device.
The invention still further provides shielded wires, which are produced by coating a conductor with the flame-retardant resin composition of the invention, then crosslinking the composition to form a foamed or non-foamed insulating coating over the conductor, and thereafter laminating an outer conductor layer and a sheath layer over the insulating coating in that order.
Like that in the insulated wires, the insulating coating of the shielded wires of the invention has a low density and is lightweight and flexible. Therefore, the shielded wires are favorably used for wiring back light units in liquid crystal display devices. In particular, the shielded wires can be well thinned and can be favorably used for high-density wiring even in a limited wiring space.
In addition, also like that in the insulated wires, the insulating coating of the shielded wires has good mechanical properties, good heat-aging resistance and good flame resistance, as stipulated in the UL Standards. Therefore, even when thinned, the shielded wires are still favorably applicable to high-density wiring even in a limited wiring space with high safety.
Moreover, since the insulating coating of the shielded wires has such good mechanical properties, it is not cracked even when rubbed with the metallic material constituting the outer conductor layer in the process of producing the shielded wires. Therefore, the shielded wires of the invention are surely out of the problem of short-circuiting between the core conductor and the outer conductor layer.
Furthermore, the insulating coating of the shielded wires of the invention has a low specific dielectric constant. Therefore, the shielded wires are free from the trouble of such that the capacitance between the core conductor and the outer conductor layer is increased thereby making the rising of the wave pattern of the high-frequency current to be transmitted through the shielded wires dull and lowering the supply voltage. In addition, owing to the function of the outer conductor layer, the core conductor in the shielded wires is electromagnetically shielded from any externals. Therefore, in electronic units, even when the shielded wires are kept adjacent to the other electronic parts, they are surely free from the trouble of such that the core conductor in the wires has some negative influences on the electronic circuits in the units to make pictures flicker. In particular, where the insulating coating in the shielded wires has a foamed structure, it shall have a lower specific dielectric constant than the insulating coating having a non-foamed structure. Therefore, the shielded wires of the invention in which the insulating coating is a foamed one shall have much more improved characteristics.
Preferably in the shielded wires of the invention, the sheath layer covering the outer conductor layer is formed from the flame-resistant resin composition of the invention by applying the composition onto the outer conductor layer followed by crosslinking it thereon, like the insulating coating.
The shielded wires of that preferred embodiment shall have much more improved flexibility, mechanical-properties, heat-aging resistance and flame resistance.
The invention still further provides insulating tubes, which are produced by shaping the flame-retardant resin composition of the invention into a tube followed by crosslinking it. If desired, the crosslinked insulating tubes may be expanded under heat in the radial direction and thereafter cooled in the expanded condition to thereby make the tubes have thermal shrinkability.
Like that in the insulated wires, the insulating coating in insulating tubes of the invention has a low density and is lightweight and flexible. Therefore, the insulating tubes are favorably used for covering the connections between a cold-cathode tube and insulated wires therearound even in a limited narrow space. In addition, also like that in the insulated wires, the insulating coating in the insulating tubes has good mechanical properties, good heat-aging resistance and good flame resistance as stipulated in the UL Standards. Therefore, when used for covering the connections between a cold-cathode tube and insulated wires therearound, the insulating tubes ensure high safety of the covered connections. Moreover, since the insulating tubes have a low specific dielectric constant, high-frequency current leaks out little through them, and the degree of luminance of the cold-cathode tube is not lowered.

Flame-retardant resin composition, and insulated wire, shielded wire and insulating tube comprising the composition


Provided herein is a plated steel sheet having a yield ratio, strength (tensile strength), elongation, hole expansibility, and CTS. A method for producing the plated steel sheet is also provided, among others. A steel sheet of a specific composition is provided that has a micro structure containing 70 to 90% of ferrite, 5 to 20% of martensite, 5% or less of retained austenite, 10% or less of bainite, and 5% or less of perlite by volume. The ferrite has an average crystal grain diameter of 20 μm or less. The martensite has an average crystal grain diameter of 5 μm or less. The retained austenite has an average crystal grain diameter of 5 μm or less. The bainite has an average crystal grain diameter of 7 μm or less. The steel sheet has a tensile strength of 590 MPa or more.

Today's increasing environmental awareness has created stricter regulations on CO2 emissions, and the automobile industry faces the challenge of making lighter vehicles for improved fuel consumption. To this end, high-strength steel sheets are used to make thinner automobile components, and steel sheets having a tensile strength (TS) of 590 MPa or more have been used for this purpose. High-strength steel sheets used for structural and reinforcing members of automobiles are galvanized to prevent rusting. Steel sheets are also required to satisfy desirable mechanical properties, including stretch flangeability (hole expansibility) and ductility.
Particularly, a steel sheet used to form a component of a complex shape is required to satisfy both of these properties—elongation (ductility) and hole expansibility—at the same time, in addition to individually satisfying desirable elongation and hole expansibility. High-strength steel sheets used for structural and reinforcing members of automobiles are assembled into a module by spot welding after press working, and require high dimensional accuracy for assembling. High-strength steel sheets used for these applications are therefore required to be less susceptible to springback or other post-forming changes, and need to have a low yield ratio before working. Here, yield ratio (YR) is the ratio of yield stress (YS) to TS, and is represented by YR (%)=YS/TS×100(%). The strength of spot welded portions is also important from the standpoint of collision safety of automobiles, and, particularly, a sufficiently large cross tension strength (CTS) is needed.
A dual-phase steel (DP steel) of a ferrite-martensite structure is known as a low-yield-ratio high-strength steel sheet having both formability and high strength. A composite-structure steel containing martensite dispersed in the primary phase ferrite has a low yield ratio and a high TS, and the elongation is desirable. A drawback, however, is that a crack tends to occur when stress concentrates at the interface between ferrite and martensite, and the hole expansibility is poor.
PTL 1 discloses a high-strength steel sheet for automobiles in which the volume percentage and the average crystal grain diameter of ferrite and martensite with respect to the whole structure are controlled to satisfy collision safety and formability.
PTL 2 discloses a high-strength steel sheet in which fine ferrite having an average grain diameter of 3 μm or less, and martensite having an average grain diameter of 6 μm or less are controlled for their volume percentage with respect to the whole structure to improve elongation and stretch flangeability.
PTL 3 discloses a technique for improving spot weldability and workability, specifically, a hot-dip galvanized steel sheet containing 5 to 49% of bainite in the micro structure.

Steel sheet and plated steel sheet, method for producing steel sheet, and method for producing plated steel sheet