Image stabilization systems and methods are disclosed. One embodiment of the image stabilization method, among others, includes detecting motion of a camera, and responsive to the detected motion, changing an optical filter orientation to displace an image provided on a sensor.

Cameras are often limited in their ability to produce sharp pictures by how steadily they can be held by the user. When a camera shutter remains open for an extended period of time, motion occurring during this open interval is visible in a snapshot. The visibility of the motion as a result of the combination of open shutter and motion is referred to as motion blur. Sometimes the introduction of motion blur into a captured image is purposeful, such as to capture the perceptual effect of high-speed motion more accurately or to provide a particular artistic effect. But for the photographer that desires a crisp picture, motion blur caused by "camera shake" presents an obstacle to that goal. Camera shake is primarily the result of rotational (e.g., pitch and yaw) motion of the camera.
Camera shake can be a limiting factor for exposure time, especially at longer focal lengths. Longer focal lengths magnify the image, and thus the perceived shake due to rotational motion is also magnified. A rule of thumb from 35 mm (millimeter) film photography is that, to avoid blur that results from camera shake, hand-held exposure times are selected to be less than the inverse of the focal length. For example, at a 60 mm focal length, the exposure should be 1/60 second or less. Considering the rule of thumb, there are various options to reduce motion blur. One option is to use a faster lens, which allows a shorter exposure time for the same scene brightness. Digital cameras typically use the fastest lens that is practical in terms of cost, size and image quality goals. Lens speeds of F/2 to F/2.8 (F referring to the F-stop, which is a calibrated measure of the ratio of a lens maximum aperture to its focal length, the inverse of which is an indication of lens speed) are typical. Faster lenses than this are often significantly more expensive and bulky.
Other approaches have been developed to address motion blur. One popular approach is active image stabilization of the lens system. "Image stabilization" refers to a process that attempts to stabilize an image on an image sensor or on a photographic film during the course of an exposure. In an image-stabilized lens system, a lens or prism disposed within the lens system is moved in such a way that the image path is deflected in the direction opposite the camera motion. The lens or prism is typically driven by two "voice coil" type actuators, which respond to signals generated by gyroscopes or accelerometers that sense rotational motion of the camera. As mentioned above, it is primarily the pitch and yaw motions of the camera that cause the image to move on the sensor. In general, the rotational motion is multiplied by the focal length of the lens, resulting in a shake that is "magnified."
Liquid-filled prisms have been used for image stabilization. Such structures typically include two flat plates that form the front and back surfaces of the prism, surrounded by a flexible seal to hold the liquid in place. Actuators "squeeze" the prism by the edges of the plates, refracting the beam in the direction of the thicker side of the prism to counter image displacement on the sensor.
Moveable lens systems have also been used for image stabilization. In such systems, actuators shift the lens laterally, "decentering" the image provided on an image sensor horizontally and vertically. The beam is deflected proportionally to the power of the lens (positive or negative).
One problem with the image stabilization approaches described above concerns the limited space available within the lens system. For example, the moveable lens is typically located at or near the aperture stop of the lens system, which is a very "crowded" area in a camera, especially in compact zoom lens system designs. Additionally, the liquid prism approach is implemented using a separate, additional element to the standard lens system. Thus, the prism generally has to be fitted into the optical path. Further, lenses for these approaches are often specially designed to accommodate image stabilization, making them bulky, costly to fabricate, and complex in operation.
Another approach to image stabilization is leaving the lens intact and moving the image sensor. The image sensor may be fixed to a stage that is moveable in the x- and y-direction. The image sensor can be shifted by actuators in response to sensed motion, matching the movement of the image. One problem with this approach is that motion in the z-direction and in its tilt direction must be very carefully controlled, otherwise the image will not remain in focus. For example, out-of-plane motions of as little as 10 micrometers may cause some or all of the image to lose focus. An additional problem concerns movement of the sensor and the need for flexibly connecting the large number of signal lines from the camera control circuitry to the sensor.

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


The present invention relates to a porous gelatin material in the form of spherical particles with a continuous pore structure and cast, three-dimensional, porous gelatin structures. The invention also comprises methods for preparation of the porous gelatin materials and structures. The method for preparing the porous gelatin material in the form of spheres with a continuous pore structure comprises the steps of preparing a homogenous water-based gelatin solution, adding an emulsifier with an HLD value >9, adding a first composition comprising an organic solvent and an emulsifier with an HLB value >9, adding a second composition comprising an organic solvent and an emulsifier with an HLB value <8 and allowing the gelatin material to solidify. Uses of the materials according to the invention are also included.

Most animal cells are surface-dependent, that is they have to be attached to a surface to be able to survive and/or proliferate. Traditionally this surface has been the interior of glass or plastic flasks. Great difficulties have been involved in culture of cells on a large scale or in implantation of the cells. The size of these cells is 5-20 μm.
Microcarriers are small particles of 0.2 mm diameter, to which the cells can attach and on which they can proliferate (van Wezel, A. L. Nature 216 (1967) 64-65 Growth of cell strains and primary cells on microcarriers in homogeneous culture). These particles have to some extent made it easier to culture surface-dependent cells on a large scale.
The most common type of microcarrier consists of spherical carriers made of dextran and modified by derivatisation with positive groups. This makes the cells adhere to the carriers. Another way of making the cells adhere is either to produce the carriers of gelatin or to link gelatin to the surface of dextran particles. Gelatin is made of collagen which is the substance to which cells normally adhere. The carriers that are currently available for cells are not optimal in every respect. These carriers are often homogeneous, that is the cells can only adhere/grow on their surface. As a result, the surface available for cell adhesion/cell growth will be limited to the surface area of the carriers. Furthermore, the cells can only adhere/grow in two dimensions in comparison to normally three dimensions in vitro. Another limitation of prior-art systems is that when the carriers are used for culture in culture vessels the cells will be damaged by the forces caused by the stirring system.
To some extent this has already been solved by preparing particles having a great number of encased cavities by means of an emulsion method (Kjell Nilsson and Klaus Mosbach, Swedish Patent 8504764-5, Macroporous particles, method for its production and use of the same). This patent specification discloses how particles having a great number of encased cavities can be prepared by adding to an aqueous solution of the matrix material a solid, liquid or gaseous cavity-forming compound. After the particles have formed by dispersion in a water-insoluble dispersing agent, the matrix is made water-insoluble by cooling, covalent crosslinking or polymerisation. The cavity-forming compound is removed to obtain the encased cavities.
The particles can be used as ion exchangers, gel filter media, chromatography media and microcarriers in cell culture. The matrix is made of protein, polysaccharide or polyacrylamide.
The invention according to Swedish Patent 8504764-5 provided particles in which some of the cavities of the particles were available for cell adhesion/cell growth. It has however been found that the thus-obtained particles were not optimal in some respects. Optimally all the cavities are interconnected so that a continuous porous phase and a continuous matrix phase are obtained. In the present invention, this state was unexpectedly obtained in the case of gelatin by a combination of emulsifier and solvent.
In addition, this state has made it possible to prepare both particles and other three-dimensional shapes.
This phase separation must be stable on a micro-level for the length of time necessary for the preparation of the desirable shapes. Furthermore the phase separation must not result in a separation of the phases on a macro-level since this yields shapes without porosity.

Porous gelatin material, gelatin structures, methods for preparation of the same and uses thereof


Method and apparatus for eliminating turbulence-induced noise in a pulsation-absorbing flexible hose, as in a hydraulic power steering system containing a pressure fluid-feeding pump and a steering gear operated by the pressure fluid discharged from the pump. The hose has a restrictor positioned in the hose bore, and the restrictor has a flow-through bore of smaller diameter than that of the adjacent wall of the hose bore. The flow-through bore has a venturi tube cross section. The restrictor venturi inlet, throat and outlet are designed so as to efficiently conduct fluid therethrough by matching the characteristics of the fluid, the operational pressures, fluid density and other system parameters such that the venturi operates below the lower critical value of the Reynolds number of fluid flow through the restrictor to thereby minimize or eliminate fluid turbulence in the restrictor outlet and/or immediately downstream thereof.

Fluid-borne noise is commonly present in hydraulic systems powered by pumping apparatus such as gear, vane or piston pumps. Typically, the noise results when pressure waves generated as pump flow ripple encounter system flow impedance. Fluid-borne noise present in a hydraulic system causes mechanical apparatus, such as hydraulic lines, control valves, hydraulic motors, and supporting structural members, to vibrate. In many cases, such vibration is coupled to the atmosphere and is the source of objectionable acoustic noise. It is of course, desirable to attenuate such fluid-borne noise.
Fluid-borne noise reduction apparatus in the high pressure side of the prior art power steering system usually comprises a flexible metal or plastic tube, called a tuning cable, placed inside a section of volumetrically compliant hose. One of the earliest such prior art apparatus is that disclosed in Klees U.S. Pat. No. 3,323,305.
In the low pressure side of prior art power steering systems, another type of "tuning"0 device is used, one that does not employ the tube-within-tube tuning cable concept but rather simply a restrictor in the return hose line. Such restrictors usually are of the constant-diameter-passageway type shown as restrictor 10 in Katayama et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,285,534. Such restrictor elements are inserted in a selected location in the low pressure return line flexible hose to form a flow barrier that helps "balance"0 pressures in the power steering system and thereby prevent "shudder"0 under certain operating conditions, as is well understood in this art.
In many power steering systems, such a balancing restrictor inserted in the return side of the circuit typically operates under system fluid pressures of approximately 100 to 150 psi, which are much lower pressures than are typical in the pump output side of the power steering circuit where pressures may be in the vicinity of 1500 psi. In accordance with the present invention, it was noted that under certain conditions the return side restrictor produced an audible "hiss" noise that could be heard in the passenger cab. It was speculated that the cause might be the abrupt internal angle (chamfer) at the entrance to the flow-through, constant diameter passage of the restrictor, the abrupt angle at the exit of this flow-through passage, the surface finish of the passage, the possibly sharp edges at the entrance and exit of the flow-through passage, as well as the abrupt diameter differential between the hose I.D. and the restrictor passage I.D. Any or all of these parameters were thought to have contributed to making the fluid flow go turbulent in the vicinity of the exit of the restrictor flow-through passage, thereby producing the "hiss" noise.
Another problem, unrelated to the noise problem experienced with the current production low pressure side restrictor (often referred to in the trade as a "dogbone"), was hose pinching when the crimp collar location was not correct relative to the dogbone exterior shape of the restrictor. In such cases, the raised edge of the restrictor sometimes caused hose damage and failure.
Assuming that the "hiss" noise problem was indeed due to the creation of a turbulence condition in the fluid flow just before or after the exit of the restrictor, ancillary problems would be excessive pressure drop and heat generated by such turbulence, as well as potential cavitation wear on the wall of the tubing. Moreover, these ancillary problems could be present even in the absence of the turbulence reaching a level sufficient to produce the annoying audible "hiss" sound.
Accordingly, and by way of summary description, and not by way of limitation, the present invention is directed to providing a new form of restrictor for use in noise-reduction fluid conduits subject to pressure pulsations. The restrictor has a central flow-through passage open at its opposite axial ends, but this flow-through passage is configured in the form of a classic venturi instead of the conventional constant diameter flow-through passage. In a present preferred but exemplary embodiment of the invention, the restrictor has its flow-through passage configured as a venturi having a shallow convergent (in the direction of fluid flow) tapered inlet, a constant diameter throat and a shallow divergent (in direction of fluid flow) tapered outlet. The restrictor flow-through passage is thus constructed with the configuration of a venturi inlet, throat and outlet arranged and operable, under the pressure and fluid flow conditions in which the restrictor is used, so as to minimize turbulence in the restrictor outlet and/or immediately downstream thereof.
Preferably the cross sectional configuration of the interior of the restrictor is symmetrical about all axes, and the taper angle for both the inlet and the outlet is approximately 8°. Although the restrictor can be made of metallic material such as brass, aluminum or steel, it is preferred to injection mold the restrictor out of a suitable plastic material to achieve smoother wall surfaces in the flow-through passage, as well as for economy of system assembly and part costs.
In accordance with the method of the invention, the venturi inlet, throat and outlet are designed so as to conduct fluid therethrough in the operating system of the pressure fluid device by matching the characteristics of the fluid, the operational pressures, fluid density and other relevant system parameters, such that the venturi operates below the lower critical value of the Reynolds number of the fluid flow through the restrictor to thereby minimize or eliminate noise by minimizing or eliminating turbulence in the fluid in the restrictor outlet and/or exiting immediately downstream from the venturi restrictor. As indicated hereinabove, the venturi restrictor of the invention is presently intended primarily for use in the power steering return line to the system reservoir that supplies the pump input side of the power steering circuit where fluid pressures of 100 to 150 psi are typical, because this appears to be the area where the turbulence problems are most acute and are manifesting themselves with the annoying "hiss" noise. However, the preferred embodiment of the restrictor, due to its other advantageous features as well as the venturi shape of the flow-through passage, may also be advantageously employed in the high pressure side of the power steering circuit as a central restrictor in the typical tuning cable assembly employed in this side of the system.
Other and ancillary novel features of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description and appended claims.

Method and apparatus for reduction of fluid-borne noise in hydraulic systems


Systems and methods are presented for producing shot from molten material, in which two or more sprays of inert gas, such as an upper or primary spray followed by one or more lower or secondary sprays, are used to break apart large molten droplets into shot as the molten material is dropped from a crucible orifice. The upper or primary gas feed in one application acts to initially break the stream or droplets into initial droplets of a lesser size or to flatten the droplets, with the second spray then breaking up the intermediate droplets into yet smaller shot particles to be cooled and collected.

Small bee-bee size silicon shot is often used in the manufacture of various semiconductor products, such as solar or technical grade silicon. The shot is produced in one application by initially melting a 3″ to 5″ chunks of silicon material via induction or other heating technology, and pouring the molten material into a tundish or crucible with a small hole or orifice in the bottom. The molten silicon flows through the orifice either by gravity or by applying a differential pressure to the orifice (positive pressure to the molten silicon surface or a vacuum under the bottom orifice). The molten silicon is cooled prior to collection or packaging, such as by a "water quench" or other technique. By controlling the size of the orifice and/or the differential pressure, the fluid flow through the orifice breaks up into molten beads according to governing laws and the Raylaigh phenomena with respect to the buoyancy, viscosity, and the thermal diffusivity within the fluid. However, silicon has a very high surface tension. As a result, the initial droplets are typically too large for the desired shot size, for example, being on the order of 5 to 10 mm while the desired shot size may be 0.1 mm to 4.0 mm in many applications. Accordingly, the beads must be broken up to form smaller particles, known as shot formation, prior to cooling and collection, where it is desirable to provide uniformity in the size distribution of the final cooled silicon shot particles.
The melting, shot formation, and cooling operations, moreover, ideally must prevent or inhibit contamination of the silicon material. In the case of solar grade or technical grade silicon for many applications, such as those using semiconductor crystal pullers, there are many fabrication specifications such as shot purity, where typical purity requirements range from parts per million to parts per billion. In particular, Boron and Phosphorous or other "p" or "n"-type dopant impurities are undesirable, as these impurities can contaminate or adversely dope the material so as to affect the current generating capability as in the photo voltaic industry, or such impurities may inhibit the proper formation of complete crystals for technical grade silicon used in the semiconductor industry. Ideally, the molten silicon should not come into contact with any materials other than primarily quartz or graphite for these applications.
Conventional shot formation and cooling techniques often result in formation of various residues on the surface of the shot. Water quenching, in this regard, is expensive in view of the impurity requirements as the cooling water has to be recycled to eliminate impurities. When cooling with water, moreover, the resulting shot has been found to be very porous and may include entrapped water vapor or other gasses. Attempting to remelt such material in subsequent applications often results in undesirable sputtering and spitting. Water quench, moreover, generally fails to provide controllable shot size and uniform size distribution. Conventional attempts at using high pressure gas for atomization typically yield shot product that is entirely too small for subsequent processes, generally in the micron range, and this technique has heretofore been subject to impurities. Moreover, prior gas cooling attempts fail to provide uniform size distribution, and instead typically yield a wide variation of droplet sizes in which the smaller particles may be characterized as a spray. In addition, the use of cooling air is undesirable because it will generally oxidize the silicon shot, thereby reducing its utility in technical or solar grade silicon applications.
Thus there remains a need for methods and systems for non-contact heat transfer to break the molten material beads into smaller particles, cool the material, and to transport it to a collection area in a controlled fashion to minimize exposure to impurities while providing uniform particle size distribution.

System and method for producing shot from molten material


A tool and die set and related method of use of the tool and die set in a press for the compaction of a powder metal into a preform involves an uneven amount of positional deflection of at least two lower or upper tool members. This asymmetrical elastic response under load may help to eliminate cracking of the part after the compressive load is removed.

Metal components can be formed in a number of different ways. One of these ways for fabricating metal components is powder metallurgy. While various techniques exist for forming powder metal into components, many components are formed by the uni-axial compaction of powder metal in a tool and die set in a press to form a preform that is then ejected and sintered. Although some secondary operations may be performed on the part after sintering, the as-sintered component is often very close to final dimensions. Thus, powder metallurgy offers an economical way to produce large volumes of components that are near net shape.


An apparatus and a method for performing shortening and puncturing in case of performing encoding and decoding using a parity test matrix in a communication/broadcasting system are provided. The method includes determining a number of zero-padding bits, determining a number Npad of bit groups in which all bits are padded with zeros, padding the all bits within 0th to (Npad−1)th bit groups with zeros based on a shortening pattern, encoding information bits including the zero-padded bits to generate a codeword. Here, the shortening pattern is defined in a sequence of bit groups defined as 9, 8, 15, 10, 0, 12, 5, 27, 6, 7, 19, 22, 1, 16, 26, 20, 21, 18, 11, 3, 17, 24, 2, 23, 25, 14, 28, 4, 13, 29.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a communication/broadcasting system.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a communication/broadcasting system, a link performance may be considerably deteriorated by various noises of a channel and a fading phenomenon and an Inter-Symbol Interference (ISI). Therefore, to realize high speed digital communication/broadcasting systems requiring a high amount of data processing and high reliability such as next generation mobile communication, digital broadcasting, and a mobile Internet, development of a technology for overcoming a noise and fading and ISI is required. Recently, as a part of a study for overcoming a noise, etc., a study on an error-correcting code is in active progress as a method for raising reliability of communication and broadcasting by efficiently recovering distortion of information.
A Low Density Parity Check (LDPC) code first introduced in 1960s by Gallager has been forgotten due to complexity difficult to realize at the technology level of that time. However, as a turbo code suggested by Berrou and Glavieux, Thitimajshima in 1993 showed performance approaching a channel capacity of Shannon, various analyses for the performance and characteristic of the turbo code have been made and various studies on iterative decoding and channel coding based on a graph have been carried out. With this as a momentum, the LDPC code has been re-studied in the late 1990s and it has been revealed that when decoding is performed with application of iterative decoding based on a sum-product algorithm on a Tanner graph corresponding to the LDPC code, performance approaching a channel capacity of Shannon is obtained.
The LDPC code is defined as a parity-check matrix generally, and may be expressed using a bipartite graph commonly called as a Tanner graph. An LDPC encoder receives an LDPC information word consisting of Kldpc bits to generate an LDPC codeword consisting of Nldpc bits. Hereinafter, for convenience in description, it is assumed that an information word including Kldpc bits is received, so that a codeword consisting of Nldpc bits is generated. That is, when I=[i0, i1, i2, . . . , iKldpc−1] is LDPC-encoded, an LDPC codeword c=[c0, c1, c2, c3, . . . , cNldpc−1] is generated. That is, the LDPC codeword is a bit string consisting of a plurality of bits, and an LDPC codeword bit means respective bits. Also, the LDPC information word is a bit string consisting of a plurality of bits, and an information bit means each bit forming an information word. At this point, in case of a systematic code, an LDPC codeword c=[c0, c1, c2, c3, . . . , cNldpc−1]=[i0, i1, . . . , iKddpc−1, p0, p1, . . . , pNparity−1] is configured. Here, P=[p0, p1, . . . , pNparity−1] is parity bits, and the number of parity bits is Nparity=Nldpc−Kldpc.
The LDPC encoding includes a process for determining a codeword meeting a condition of Equation (1).H·cT=0 where c=[c0,c1,c2, . . . ,cNldpc−1]  (1)
In Equation (1), H is a parity test matrix, c is a codeword, ci is an i-th bit of a codeword, and Nldpc is a codeword length.
The parity test matrix H consists of Nldpc columns, and an i-th column means it is related to an i-th codeword bit ci.
Generally, according to an LDPC code, encoding is performed under a situation where an information word length and a codeword length have been determined as Kldpc and Nldpc in advance. Therefore, in the case where an information word of a length shorter than Kldpc is input or in case of generating a codeword of a length shorter than Nldpc, an appropriate method is required. For example, in the case where an information word having a length of Kl is input to an encoder, a transmission end shortens Kldpc−Kl bits. Kl is shorter than the length Kldpc of an information word required by an encoder. Also, in the case where the length Ntxparity of a required parity is smaller than the parity length Nparity, a transmission end punctures Nparity−Ntxparity bits. Nparity is the length of an actually transmitted parity, and is determined based on Kl and an encoding rate required for transmission.
In the case where a portion of a bit is shortened or punctured with consideration of an information word and the length of a parity, the performance of a codeword may change remarkably based on which bit is shortened or punctured. Therefore, a method for selecting the shortened bit and punctured bits so that an optimized performance is maintained should be proposed.

Apparatus and method for transmitting and receiving data in communication/broadcasting system


Bowed spreader apparatus for laterally stretching, or stressing, a web of material carried in a selected direction along a conveyor path includes an elongate stationary spreader bar extending laterally of the path. The spreader bar has a web support face which is convexly curved both about the longitudinal axis of the bar and along the longitudinal axis. The bar includes a formed elongate support body having a degree of flexibility allowing the body to be bent in a bowed configuration. A face surface of the body is formed in a convex curve about the longitudinal axis of the body and a plurality of hardened elements are individually secured to and cover the face surface of the support body. An underlying interchangeable profiling support having a convexly curved upper surface forms the spreader bar into a selected bowed configuration.

The present invention relates generally to apparatus for laterally stressing, or stretching, a web of material carried in a selected direction along a conveyor path. More specifically, it relates to a stationary bowed spreader bar over which the web of material is carried.
In the manufacturing of paper and other flexible sheet materials, a web of such material may be carried in a selected direction along a conveyor path and is guided along such path by rollers. The material may be carried on a conveyor belt which may be made of metal wire, woven plastic, or other web carrying materials.
As the conveyor and web are carried through the process it may be necessary or desirable to provide a lateral stressing, or stretching, of the material either to remove wrinkles or other deviations, or to align the materials within the conveyor.
In the past various spreader rolls, or bowed rolls, have been used. These prior rolls have an outwardly bowed, or curved shape, and rotate about a fixed axle. Various operational problems occur with such devices, such as lubrication and flexural failures.
A general object of the present invention is to provide apparatus including a substantially stationary bowed spreader over which a web of material may be carried along a selected direction in a conveyor path, with the apparatus laterally stressing, or stretching, the web and overcoming many of the problems that have occurred in prior roller devices.
Another object of the present invention is to provide spreader apparatus which includes an elongate stationary spreader bar supported adjacent and extending substantially laterally of the conveyor path, the bar having a web support face which is convexly curved both about the longitudinal axis of the bar and along the longitudinal axis of the bar such that a web of a material carried thereover under tension is urged to spread, or stretch, laterally.
A further object of the invention is to provide such apparatus in which the spreader bar comprises a formed elongate support body having a degree of flexibility allowing the body to be bent into a bowed curve along its longitudinal axis and a plurality of hardened elements individually secured to and covering the face surface of the support body to form a web carrying face for the spreader bar.
A still further object of the invention is to provide such apparatus with a profiling support interposed between the base and support body to bend the support body into a desired bowed configuration. More specifically, the profiling support has a side which engages the carrier bar and is configured to bend the bar into a desired bowed configuration. Interchangeable profiling supports may be used to provide different bowed configurations for the bar.
Yet another object is to provide such apparatus in which the hardened elements are disposed in multiple rows and columns extending across the face surface of the support body with the hardened elements being secured at their rear faces to the support body and with front faces thereof forming the web carrying surface. Edge margins of an element are contiguous but unjoined to edge margins of adjacent elements, to permit bending of the carrier bar to varying bowed configurations.


The present invention relates to servicing a car to a hall call in a group management system which controls a plurality of elevators installed in a building. A group management control method for an elevator according to the present invention is capable of decreasing an average waiting time and a waiting generation probability by selecting more than two cars having high evaluation values after evaluating each car using a synthetic evaluation function, and allocating one car which is regarded as an optimum car for servicing by applying a genetic algorithm which is known to be highly efficient in a system with a large search space.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an elevator, and in particular to an improved group management control method for an elevator capable of decreasing an average waiting time and a waiting generation probability by selecting and servicing an optimum car for a passenger, and an improved allocating method for a group management system of an elevator capable of performing allocation and control by considering a current hall call as well as a future hall call, by introducing a genetic algorithm which is known to be highly efficient in a system with a large search space to an allocation algorithm.
2. Description of the Conventional Art
When a call by a passenger is generated in a waiting floor group (hereinafter, called a hall call), a group management system of an elevator evaluates various situations regarding each car's location, operating speed, direction, open/close state of a car door, and a number of passengers, etc., thus allocating an optimum elevator car for a certain situation to the hall call, and servicing the allocated car to the hall call generating floor.
Such a group management system should satisfy various objects such as shortening a waiting time, decreasing an allocation failure probability, that is the elevator car passes without stopping at an allocated floor due to the full capacity of the car, decreasing congestion in the car, reducing a power consumption, etc. In order to achieve the above objects, on the basis of a floor to which a current state of each car and a hall call (a hall call to which an elevator for servicing is already determined) are already allocated, the group management system evaluates a newly generated hall call, and allocates an elevator car which is in an optimum condition for achieving the objects. However, since a transport demand varies momentarily, the group management system may be able to achieve the above objects when properly adapting to a change of the transport demand. Accordingly, the group management system should allocate the elevator car by considering the current hall call as well as a future hall call.
Since such a group management system has limitation in accomplishing a satisfying performance by a traditional controlling operation due to its complexity, an artificial intelligence method such as a fuzzy theory, an artificial neural network theory is introduced thereto.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an allocating apparatus of a conventional group management system of an elevator. As shown therein the allocating apparatus of the conventional group management system of an elevator includes a hall button controller 11 for controlling a hall button installed at a passenger waiting floor, a car controller 12 for controlling an operation of an elevator car, and a group management control unit 13.
The group management control unit 13 includes: a information collecting unit 13A for collecting various information from the hall button controller 11 and the car controller 12; a statistics unit 13B for collecting statistics of the collected information; a transport kind characteristic discrimination unit 13C for comparing a current transport state to several predetermined transport kind patterns and selecting a corresponding one; an estimate transport kind generating unit 13F for generating an estimate transport kind; a statistics data base 13E for storing data related with various transport kinds by each class of a time, a date, and a transport kind; an estimate data generating unit 13G for generating various estimate data on the basis of the data stored in the estimate transport kind generating unit 13F and the statistics data base 13E; and an allocating/controlling unit 13D for allocating and controlling the elevator car based from the above information.
The operation of the thusly constructed group management system will be described with reference to FIG. 2 which illustrates an operating state of the elevator.
The information collecting unit 13A obtains data related to passenger information such as a number of embarking/disembarking person by each class of a floor and a direction by applying various sensors installed in each car, and receives a condition of each car (opening/closing of a door, a location of the car, a direction of the car, etc.) from the car controller 12.
The transport kind characteristic discrimination unit 13C compares predetermined characteristics of transport kinds or characteristics of the transport kinds stored in the statistics data base 13E to a current transport kind, and determines which transport kind corresponds to the current transport kind. On the basis of characteristics of the determined transport kind, the allocating/controlling unit 13D becomes able to control the elevator car storing a control algorithm suitable for characteristics of each transport kind.
The statistics unit 13B collects characteristics of current data received from the information collecting unit 13A and the transport kind characteristic discrimination unit 13C by each character of the time, the data, and the transport kind, and continuously renews data in the statistics data base 13E, thus enabling the group management system to properly correspond to the change of the transport kind.
The estimate transport kind generating unit 13F computes information (the number of embarking/disembarking passengers by each floor and direction) of a future transport kind on the basis of the data and the characteristics of the transport kind stored in the statistics data base 13E, and the current transport kind stored in the transport kind characteristic discrimination unit 13C.
The estimate data generating unit 13G generates various estimate data such as an estimate arrival time of the elevator car, an estimate number of passengers using the elevator car, an estimate car stopping probability, a floor at which a car call is generated on the way of a hall call service, etc. based from the future transport kind and the current state of the elevator car.
The allocating/controlling unit 13D allocates an elevator car on the basis of the current state of the elevator car, a current transport kind, and the estimate data, and performs various controlling operations such as a distributed control, an integrated service control, etc..
The operation of the conventional apparatus will now be described with reference to FIG. 2.
FIG. 2 illustrates various kinds of situations of a building where there are 19 floors and 4 elevator cars.
As shown therein, a hall call of an upward direction is newly generated on a 16th floor while each of the elevator cars is servicing a previously generated hall call, and first and second elevator cars are ascending, and third and fourth elevator cars are descending. In order to make a simple description, supposing that one of the first and second cars is allocated to the hall call on the 16th floor, an estimate hall call generation probability of the upward direction which may be generated at each floor will be shown as FIG. 2.
In the above-described situation, each estimate arrival time of the first and second cars with respect to a hall call at a the floor which is not allocated yet is obtained, thus allocating an elevator car of which an estimate arrival time is faster than the other. Here, the estimate arrival time f(t) can be obtained by the following equation:
f(t)=a time when an elevator car arrives at a hall call generating floor+W* (an estimate hall call generation probability of the upward direction * the time required for each stop of the elevator car) PA1 wherein, W is a weighting factor for determining how many data of the estimate hall call should be used for allocating the elevator car. Here, suppose that W is 0.5.
When the time required for an elevator operation between each floor is 2 seconds, and when the time for each stop of the elevator car is 10 seconds, f1(t), an estimate arrival time of the first car, and f2(t), an estimate arrival time of the second car, are respectively obtained by the following equations. EQU f1(t)=14*2+10*W*(0.4+0.2+0.1+0.1+0.2+0.2+0.5+0.4+0.8+0.6+0.7+0.3+0.5)=28+5* 5=53 seconds EQU f2(t)=8*2+10*W*(0.5+0.4+0.6+0.7+0.3+0.5)=16+5*3.8=35 seconds
The estimate arrival time of the first car to a 16th floor, which is obtained from the above equation is 53 seconds, and the estimate arrival time of the second car to the 16th floor is 35 seconds. Accordingly, a hall call which is not allocated yet is allocated to the second car having the faster estimate arrival time. Of course, in a synthetic evaluation function, the allocation is not carried out only by the estimate arrival time. However, since a method for applying the hall call to the allocation is as same as the above-described method, and an estimate hall call generation probability is predetermined at a certain value and uniformly applied to such an allocation method, several problems are occurred as follows.
A distance between a hall call generated floor and a car takes the greatest part in the allocation. Therefore, in determining a car for servicing, even though the estimate hall call generation probability at each floor is changed, the change may not affect on allocating the second car.
Also, when a first section is from an 8th floor to the 16th floor, and when a second section is from a 2nd floor to a 7th floor, applying the estimate hall call generation probability of the upward direction in the first section to both of the first and second cars means that both of the first and second cars are allocated with respect to all future hall calls, which is logically inconsistent. That is, the estimate hall call generation probability applied to the first car should not be applied to the second car.
In addition, when the second car is allocated to hall calls generated in the first section and the hall call generated at the 16th floor, a time for servicing the hall call at the 16th floor is increased, while a serviceability with respect to the hall call in the first section is improved.
On the other hand, when considering the service for the future hall call, it is more proper for a third car to service the hall calls generated in the second section and for the first car to service the hall call on the 16th floor although the estimate arrival time of the first car is slower than that of the second car, since the estimate hall call generation probability in the second section is smaller than that in the first section. In order to consider the above aspect, a probability of a future generated hall call, that is an estimate hall call generation probability, should be considered, however it is difficult to consider the above-described matters in the conventional apparatus.
Also, after an allocation to the previously generated hall call is determined, an allocation to future hall call should be considered as well. For example, after it is determined that the second car is allocated to all of the estimate hall calls in the first section, and the third car is allocated to the hall call in the second section, it should also be considered which car will be allocated to a newly generated hall call.
In addition, a method for allocating a car by an evaluation function (.phi.) is applied as an algorithm which searches an optimum solution by considering various current and future states of each elevator. Here, the current states of the elevator are a current location of the elevator, an operation direction of the elevator, an operation speed of the elevator, and a number of passengers, and hall call and car call which are previously allocated, etc., and the future states of the elevator are an estimate number of passengers, an estimate arrival time of a car for servicing a hall call, a probability for which the car stops on other floors while servicing to a floor at which a hall call is generated, and a location of the elevator at a predetermined time, etc.. EQU .phi..sub.k =.alpha..sub.1 .multidot.X.sub.1k +.alpha..sub.2 .multidot.X.sub.2k (1)
wherein .phi..sub.k is an evaluation function of a Kth car, .alpha..sub.i is a weight value, and X.sub.1k is an evaluation value of an estimate arrival time with respect to each hall call when considering location and stop probability of the Kth car, and X.sub.2k is an evaluation value obtained by considering congestion of a Kth car and long-term waiting probability of a Kth car.
When a hall call is newly registered, an allocation of the new hall call is evaluated on the basis of the evaluation function (.phi.), and a car having the smallest evaluation value is allocated as a result of the evaluation. However, such a method may not appropriately consider the estimate hall call, thereby being not capable of responsibly adapting to the change of the transport kind.
Accordingly, in order to allocate an optimum car by synthetically considering various future states using the conventional apparatus, the estimate hall call should be evaluated by additionally considering an estimate hall call generation probability which varies dependent upon the above-described situations.
However, to consider the estimate hall call generation probability, an estimate hall call with respect to each floor, an estimate hall call to an operational direction of each car, etc. should additionally be considered, whereby a solution may not be obtained within a predetermined time since computation volume of the conventional apparatus is rapidly increased, and a serviceability of the elevator may not be dropped due to inefficient computation.

Group management control method for elevator


Provided is a method for improving the corrosion resistance of a gold finger, which is applicable to an electro-optical circuit board including gold fingers, wherein a guide line is arranged at a root portion of the gold fingers of the electro-optical circuit board. The method comprises the following steps in sequence: 1) electrical connection: using an outer lead to electrically connect all gold fingers of a electro-optical circuit board; 2) solder resistance: performing solder resistance on an area other than the outer lead; 3) gold plating on the gold fingers; 4) etching of the outer lead; and 5) solder resistance: performing solder resistance on a vacancy after etching of the lead. In the method, an outer lead is arranged to electrically connect all gold fingers of a electro-optical circuit board, so that all sides of the gold fingers are plated with gold, thereby significantly improving the corrosion resistance of the gold fingers.

At present, the gold plating of a gold finger of an electro-optical circuit board in the industry is generally performed as follows: making a connection of a lead to a main guide line at the front end of the gold finger, connecting to an edge of the panel to realize electrical connection, and then removing the lead manually or etching the lead by using a wet film. The gold finger obtained is covered with gold in three sides, while copper is exposed at the front end of the gold finger. The reliability of such product is poor, and the gold finger is impossible to pass MFG (Mixed Corrosive Gas) test.

Method for improving corrosion resistance of gold finger

Guangzhou Fastprint Circuit Tech Co., Ltd.

Shenzhen Fastprint Circuit Tech Co., Ltd.

Guanazhou Fastorint Electronic Co., Ltd.


The invention relates to a driving device, in particular a screw foundation driving device, having an anchor with a rotational axis for receiving a driving tool, an outer rotor, which is arranged concentrically to the rotational axis of the anchor and can be rotationally driven by a motor, and an impact device from which an impact energy can be introduced into the anchor. By means of rolling bodies arranged circumferentially on the anchor, the anchor is mounted in the outer rotor in such a way that a relative movement between the anchor and the outer rotor can be executed in the direction of the rotational axis and a torque about the rotational axis can be introduced from the outer rotor to the anchor via the rolling bearings.

Driving devices, in particular screw foundation driving devices, are known from the prior art. WO 2015 128 048 A1 discloses a device for inserting screw foundations into the ground. The device comprises a turning device for screwing in the screw foundation and an impact device for generating an impact force in the insertion direction of the screw foundation. For transmitting torques, the drive shaft has vanes with contact-surface pairs, via which contact-surface pairs the torque of the motor is transmitted to the drive shaft. In this case, the contact-surface pairs are formed in such a way that, upon the impact, they permit a relative movement between the hollow shaft and drive shaft in the direction of the insertion direction. In this case, the contact-surface pairs are arranged on a diameter which is considerably greater than the diameter of the two shafts, i.e. the motor shaft and the drive shaft. If the mechanical load on the friction-surface pairs is to be reduced, it is proposed to increase the diameter on which the contact-surface pairs are arranged, in particular to 5 times the diameter of the drive shaft.


To provide a rotary impact tool capable of: suppressing a rise in temperature in a motor or switching elements and a current flowing in the motor or switching elements while suppressing a degradation in tightening performance; and improving operability. The rotary impact tool includes: a motor; an end-bit holding part driven by the motor; an impact mechanism provided on a drive transmission path from the motor to the end-bit holding part and configured to intermittently produce rotary impacts, the rotary impacts transmitting a drive force of the motor to the end-bit holding part; a switching element configured to change a voltage supplied to the motor; and a control unit controlling the switching element. The control unit is configured such that the voltage supplied to the motor begins to gradually rise within a period of time from a timing when a first rotary impact ends to a timing when a second rotary impact subsequent to the first rotary impact starts.

A conventional rotary impact tool that converts the rotational force of a motor into intermittent rotary impact forces for performing operations to tighten screws or the like has been widely used. In rotary impact tools, the temperatures of the motor and the switching elements used to control the motor rises due to the large current that flows to the motor during each rotary impact and the current that flows in the interval between one rotary impact and a successive rotary impact. When the increase in temperature is considerable, there is concern that the motor and switching elements will degrade or fail. Accordingly, the suppression of rising temperatures in the motor and switching elements used to control the motor is a major issue.
One type of rotary impact tool described in Patent Literature 1 is an impact tool provided with an impact mechanism that rotates a hammer while reciprocating the same in an axial direction so that the hammer strikes an anvil. The impact tool in Patent Literature 1 controls power supply to the motor using a PWM signal (PWM control), driving the motor with the duty ratio of the PWM signal set to 100% and reducing the duty ratio when the current flowing in the motor exceeds a prescribed current value to suppress excessive retraction of the hammer. More specifically, the impact tool maintains the duty ratio at 100% until the electric current in the motor reaches the prescribed current value, reduces the duty ratio to 85% once the electric current in the motor exceeds the prescribed current value, and subsequently increases the duty ratio gradually over a plurality of successive impacts.
The type of rotary impact tool described in Patent Literature 2 is an impact tool provided with an impact mechanism that rotates a hammer while reciprocating the same in an axial direction so that the hammer strikes an anvil. The impact tool in Patent Literature 2 initially applies a first voltage to the motor during an interval after a local minimum of the motor speed is detected and before the hammer strikes, and then applies a second voltage smaller than the first voltage to suppress excessive retraction of the hammer. More specifically, the impact tool maintains the duty ratio for PWM control at 100% until just prior to impact, reduces the duty ratio to 70% just prior to the impact, and increases the duty ratio to 100% immediately after the impact.
The type of rotary impact tool described in Patent Literature 3 is an oil pulse tool provided with an oil pulse mechanism that generates an impact force by rotating a liner in order to intermittently increase the pressure state of oil confined between the liner and a shaft. The oil pulse tool described in Patent Literature 3 reduces the drive force of the motor when the liner is rotated in reverse by a reaction force produced immediately after impact and subsequently increases the drive force of the motor once the liner resumes rotating in the forward direction and passes the strike position, thereby reducing the electric current flowing in the motor. More specifically, the oil pulse tool reduces the duty ratio for PWM control from 100% to 75% just before the liner reaches the strike position, reduces the duty ratio to 50% when the liner begins rotating in reverse from the strike position due to the force of impact generated when the liner reaches the strike position, reduces the duty ratio to 25% when the liner once again rotates in the forward direction, and increases the duty ratio to 100% immediately after the liner passes the strike position. The oil pulse tool described in Patent Literature 3 has a special configuration that the liner of the oil pulse mechanism is connected to the rotor of the motor without going through a speed-reducing mechanism, and thus the torque applied to the liner by the motor is relatively small. Hence, this tool is characteristic in that a very brief rotary impact is produced when the liner reaches the strike position and, after the rotary impact is produced, the liner immediately rotates in reverse due to the reaction force from the impact. Accordingly, the above-described control is suitable for the rotary impact tool described in Patent Literature 3.
The type of rotary impact tool described in Patent Literature 4 is an electronic pulse tool provided with a pulse mechanism that forces a hammer to strike an anvil by repeatedly driving the motor and hammer in normal and reverse directions through electronic control. The electronic pulse tool described in Patent Literature 4 reduces the electric current flowing in the motor by limiting the duty ratio for PWM control for a prescribed time immediately after the rotating directions of the motor and hammer are switched and subsequently increasing the duty ratio gradually. More specifically, the electronic pulse tool gradually increases the duty ratio for PWM control to 100% while rotating the motor and hammer in the forward direction until just before impact, sets the duty ratio to 0% from the beginning of impact to the end of impact, maintains the duty ratio at 40% for the prescribed time while rotating the motor and hammer in reverse immediately after impact, and subsequently increases the duty ratio gradually to 100%.


A dimming panel includes: a transparent base substrate and a plurality of dimming cells disposed on the transparent base substrate; each of the plurality of dimming cells comprises a refractive structure and an electric field structure disposed outside the refractive structure, the refractive structure comprises at least two film layers stacked, a refractive index difference between any two adjacent film layers in the at least two film layers is variable under an action of an electric field applied by the electric field structure.

The display device usually includes a liquid crystal display panel and a backlight module that provides a light source for the liquid crystal display panel.
The liquid crystal display panel includes a plurality of light-transmitting areas. The backlight module includes a plurality of light-emitting diodes corresponding to the plurality of light-transmitting areas respectively. When it is necessary to adjust the brightness of the light-transmitting area in the liquid crystal display panel, the light intensity of the light-emitting diode corresponding to the light-transmitting area can be adjusted, so as to adjust the intensity of light transmitted through the light-transmitting area to realize the dimming function of the display device.

Dimming panel, control method thereof, and display device

BEIJING BOE DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.


The present invention relates to rapid, quantitative, specific, high through-put methods for screening test substances for their ability to inhibit activity of an ouabain-resistant Na+—K+-ATPase involved in a variety of biological processes such as regulation of osmotic balance and cell volume, maintenance of the resting membrane potential, establishment of the ionic composition of cerebrospinal fluid and aqueous humor, electrical activity of muscle and nerve, and receptor-mediated endocytosis, cardiac muscle contractility, neurotransmitter metabolism and vascular muscle cell contraction. These methods can be employed to identify compounds for use in therapeutic applications for disease processes in which dysfunction of the Na+—K+-ATPase contributes to a pathological process. The present invention also includes kits which are used in the methods provided herein. The present invention further includes methods of treating or preventing diseases or disorders which are associated with dysfunction of the Na+—K+—ATPase.

Na+—K+-ATPASE is a plasma membrane-associated enzyme which is encoded by a multigene family. Activity of the Na+—K+-ATPase provides gradients of Na+ and K+ that are essential for maintaining cellular homeostasis. (Levenson, Rev. Physiol. Biochem. Pharmacol. 123:1-45, 1994). The ion gradients established by the Na+—K+-ATPase play a central role in regulating osmotic balance, cell volume, and maintaining the resting membrane potential. Na+-coupled transport of nutrients, establishment of the ionic composition of cerebrospinal fluid and aqueous humor, electrical activity of muscle and nerve, and receptor-mediated endocytosis are all processes which depend on the activity of the enzyme.
Compounds have been identified that inhibit Na+—K+-ATPase, and at least some of these compounds, plant-derived cardiac glycosides like ouabain and digoxin, have found therapeutic utility, such as treatment of congestive heart failure. However, ouabain can also have deleterious side effects that have not been associated with the use of an endogenous compound, hypothalamic inhibitory factor (HIF), which also has been found to have an inhibitory effect on Na+—K+-ATPase.
Sensitivity of the Na+—K+-ATPase to ouabain and HIF lies within the α subunit of the enzyme. To date, all α2 and α3 isoforms and α1 isoforms from most mammals and other organisms tested are sensitive to ouabain, i.e., can be inhibited at relatively low ouabain concentrations. However, certain α1 isoforms are resistant to ouabain.
A need exists to identify other inhibitors of Na+—K+-ATPase which, like HIF, will have fewer potential side-effects than ouabain, and related cardiac glycosides obtained from plants.

Methods for screening HIF like ouabain-resistant Na


The present invention is a fail safe motor brake for use with relatively large industrial motors, and particularly electric hoist motors as used with large overhead industrial cranes. The present brake includes an actuation linkage which results in relatively little change in the initial height or "air gap" of the solenoid plunger or armature, as the brake linings wear. The limited change in the air gap is due to a mechanical stop which is built into the adjustment and actuation linkage, as well as the clamping pressure provided by the spring arrangement which serves to actuate the brakes. The solenoid of the present brake is offset from the plane of the brake shoes, thus allowing removal and replacement of one or both shoes without need to remove the solenoid. This allows the brake shoes to be removed without need to readjust the actuation linkage. The present motor brake provides excellent performance throughout the life of the brake linings, without need to adjust the actuation linkage during this period. The present motor brake may also include other features which provide for long life and ease of maintenance, such as sealed bearings, additional lubrication points, and an attached air gap gauge and brake drum locking pin, to prevent "block drop," or falling of the hoist block due to the motor being allowed to turn, when the brake is released for service.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to fail safe braking devices for rotating wheels, shafts, and the like, and more specifically to a brake adapted for use with large electric motors as used in overhead cranes and the like. The present brake is automatic, in that if power is lost to the brake, the brake is automatically applied to stop rotation of the motor to prevent "block drop," i.e., to prevent a hoist block and/or any articles suspended therefrom, from falling if the motor is left to turn freely.
2. Description of the Related Art
Overhead cranes, i.e., cranes operating from a lateral beam or the like which is suspended from parallel tracks at both ends, are commonly used in heavy industry for moving heavy or bulky components from one point to another in a factory or plant. Such cranes typically have a large electric motor movably positioned along the lateral beam, thus providing two horizontal degrees of freedom of motion for a hoist block suspended from the motor. The hoist block typically suspended from such motors is generally quite large and heavy, in order to provide the required mechanical advantage for lifting heavy objects.
While the hoist motors themselves are almost universally geared to provide greater torque and to reduce output speeds to a reasonable level for lifting and lowering massive objects, it is nevertheless sometimes possible for the motor to be driven by a massive object suspended from the hoist block of the motor, when no power is being delivered to the motor for whatever reason. This is called "block drop," when the hoist block (and any object suspended from the block) falls essentially freely from the overhead motor.
This is an extremely hazardous situation, and accordingly, various automated motor braking devices have been developed to stop the motor in the event that electrical power is lost to the motor. These brakes generally include heavy springs which urge the brake shoes to an actuated position against a drum which rotates with the motor or transmission output shaft, with an electric solenoid having electrical power applied thereto to cause the springs to be retracted. The solenoid is generally wired in the same circuit as the motor, so when power is lost to the motor, the solenoid also loses power, thereby allowing the springs to clamp the brake shoes against the brake drum to prevent the motor from turning freely.
While the above principle works reasonably well, it is essential that the brake mechanism receive frequent inspections and service to ensure that it will work well when needed. The present invention includes various improvements over devices of the related art, to reduce the service and maintenance normally required of such devices. A discussion of related art known to the inventor, and its differences from the present invention, is provided below.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,348,639 issued on Oct. 24, 1967 to Victor H. Ames et al. describes an Industrial Brake having an automatic adjuster to take up slack as the brake shoes wear. The need for adjustment of slack in such systems is well known, as excessive travel of the solenoid plunger within the solenoid, due to excessive wear of the brake shoes without adjustment, can cause the solenoid coils or windings to burn out. Such solenoids are extremely costly to replace, and Ames et al. have developed a threaded, rotary adjuster to maintain a minimum amount of slack or travel in the system. The present invention differs in that no automatic adjustment is provided or required, as the linkage does not allow sufficient slack to develop as to endanger the solenoid windings. Also, the solenoid of the present automatic brake is offset from the lateral axis of the brake shoes, enabling the brake shoes to be removed and replaced without need to remove the solenoid and thus affect the adjustment.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,020,926 issued on May 3, 1977 to John R. Slatter et al. describes a Brake Apparatus Including Pressed Or Stamped Components. The primary object of the device is to provide an economically manufactured brake, and as such, the device lacks many features of the present brake. Slatter et al. require adjustment for their brake linkage, use a hinged solenoid arm rather than an axially moving plunger, and place their solenoid in line with the lateral axis of the brake shoes, thus requiring removal of the solenoid and adjustment of the linkage when at least the adjacent brake shoe is removed and/or replaced.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,116,308 issued on Sep. 26, 1978 to Janez F. Sever describes an Electromagnetically Operated Friction Brake having a laterally offset solenoid aligned with the brake shoe lateral axis, unlike the present invention. Sever utilizes an excessively large solenoid having little mechanical advantage, but still requires periodic adjustment to compensate for wear in the brake shoes or linings. While Sever provides a manual lever to spread the brake shoes in the event that no power is provided to actuate the solenoid, the present motor brake is easily manipulated to release the brakes without power to the solenoid, merely by applying pressure on the solenoid plunger in the manner in which the solenoid is normally electrically actuated.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,196,797 issued on Apr. 8, 1980 to David B. Taylor describes a Braking Apparatus And Control which selectively limits the rotational motion of the brake assembly about a drum or shaft which it is braking. The brake actuator operates oppositely to that of the present invention, in that the actuator extends to release the brake, rather than retracting, as in the present invention. Also, the actuator is a hydraulic strut, rather than an electric solenoid, as used in the present invention. The Taylor brake is considerably more complex than the present invention, in that it uses electronics to control the flow of hydraulic fluid to various components. Also, the brake actuator appears to be aligned with the lateral axis of the brake shoes, with the removal and/or replacement of the shoes requiring major disassembly of the device, unlike the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,787,484 issued on Nov. 29, 1988 to David J. Webb describes an Electromagnetically Operated Friction Brake Having Automatic Adjustment Mechanism. The basic mechanism is quite similar to that of the Sever '308 patent discussed further above, in that a relatively large, horizontally acting solenoid is used to operate the brake shoes. The solenoid is apparently aligned laterally with the brake shoes, unlike the configuration of the present invention. Webb discloses an automatic adjuster using a one way clutch operating on a threaded rod, while the present invention is free of any need for such automatic adjustment means
U.S. Pat. No. 4,875,558 issued on Oct. 24, 1989 to Dietmar Berkhan et al. describes a Safety Brake For Escalators, wherein the brake comprises a disc with a grooved circumference with mating shoes or pads fitting tightly within the disc groove when the brake is actuated. The brake is actuated when electrical current to a solenoid is terminated, allowing the solenoid to extend and the brakes to be actuated by spring pressure, somewhat similarly to the operation of the present brake. However, the Berkhan et al. brake solenoid is aligned with the plane of the disc and lateral axis of the brake shoes, unlike the present brake configuration. Also, the present brake incorporates different locking means for maintenance than the spring loaded pawl arrangement of the Berkhan et al. brake.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,337,878 issued on Aug. 16, 1994 to Martin Mehlert et al. describes an Assembly And Method For Adjusting Brake Force for Passenger Conveyor Emergency Brake. The specific type of brake is unclear, as a brake disc (rather than drum) is shown and described, but brake shoes operating against the edge of the disc are also shown and described. The device incorporates a controller to adjust the rate of brake application, depending upon the load on the system. This is beyond the scope of the present invention, which applies the brakes consistently whenever electrical power is removed from the solenoid. The Mehlert et al. solenoid is aligned with the plane of the disc and the lateral axes of the brake actuating arms, unlike the arrangement of the present invention.
British Patent Publication No. 521,825 accepted on May 31, 1940 to Ernest R. Elliston describes Improvements In Or Relating To Electro-mechanical Brakes. The system uses a pneumatic damping cylinder with the brake actuation spring therein and weight on the outer portion thereof, so that when electrical current to the solenoid is terminated, the spring is restricted from rapid movement due to the pneumatic action of the cylinder. Brake application is thus a gradual procedure. The present invention does not incorporate any such means of restricting initial brake application, and moreover the present brake includes various other features not disclosed by the Elliston British patent, such as the laterally offset solenoid, lack of any requirement for adjustment, and other features.
A publication by the General Electric Company (no date given) describes the CR-9510 Automatic Solenoid Brakes manufactured by that company. The various brakes shown each have the solenoid positioned in line with the lateral axis of the brake shoes, along the diametric center of the shoes, unlike the laterally offset solenoid of the present invention.
Finally, a publication by the Victor R. Browning & Co., Inc. (no date given) describes various features of their AC-63 to AC-135 and SW motor brakes. The publication essentially describes various adjustment features of the Browning brakes, none of which are used in the present invention. It is also noted that, as with all of the other brakes of which the present inventor is aware, the solenoids of the Browning Brakes are aligned with the lateral axis of the brake shoes in each case, whereas the present brake solenoid is laterally offset to provide for ease of removal and replacement of the brake shoes.
None of the above inventions and patents, either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.


The invention discloses an electrochemical polishing solution, a process for electrochemically polishing a graphite gate electrode and a graphite gate electrode, which are used for providing an electrochemical polishing solution and a polishing process to efficiently remove the contaminant on the surface of a gate electrode and improve the quality of the gate electrode. Said electrochemical polishing solution comprises 900-1000 parts by weight of water; 195-205 parts by weight of an alkaline metal hydroxide; 49-51 parts by weight of a weak acid salt; and 294-306 parts by weight of an additive.

In the technical field of electrovacuum, the pyrolytic graphite gate electrode is the most ideal material for the gate electrode of large-scale emission tube, in particular, the high-power emission triode/tetrode relating to the anode cooled by a hyper vapotron. By producing the gate electrode from pyrolytic graphite, the deformation of the gate electrode, which can be induced by the mechanical stress caused by the butt-welding, welding of the gate electrode cap, matching of the support or the like, is completely eliminated. At the same time, this gate electrode has good thermal properties, mechanical properties, conductivity, and vacuum properties.
However, in the production process of the pyrolytic graphite gate electrode, paraffin wax, dusts and other impurities exist on the surface of the gate electrode. During the gas exhausting process of the electron tube, these substances are decomposed due to the heating of the electrode, and release a large amount of gas. Or, in later application, these substances are gradually decomposed or evaporated, which makes the vacuum degree in the tube worse. The high-voltage-withstanding ability of the electron tube is seriously affected, and even the electron tube becomes a waste product.
Therefore, before the graphite gate electrode is fixed into a tube, it must be subjected to a cleaning treatment. Without the cleaning treatment, the graphite gate electrode in exhausting stage will release gas from the gate electrode, so that the vacuum degree cannot be increased, or the current at the burrs on the gate electrode is too large, and thus a waste product is produced.
In prior art, the surface treating process for a graphite gate electrode comprises the steps of immersing the graphite gate electrode into gasoline for 12 h, washing the graphite gate electrode with tap water to clean it, then boiling it with deionized water for 30 min, thereafter, cleaning it with ultrasonic treatment for 1 h. Thus, the process of the cleaning treatment for the surface of the graphite gate electrode is achieved. The gasoline can only serve for de-oiling, but not for removing the dusts and burrs on the surface of the graphite gate electrode.
Additionally, in prior art, the surface treating process for the graphite gate electrode has a relatively long duration, relatively low de-oiling rate (that is, cannot completely remove the gasoline). Additionally, gasoline is inflammable and is not safe during the application.

Electrochemical polishing solution, process for electrochemically polishing graphite gate electrode and graphite gate electrode


A tensioner device for a power transmission chain, which has a small number of components and hence is able to reduce the cost of manufacture and assembly, can be mounted or installed easily, and requires only a small space for installation thereof. The tensioner device consists of a tensioner lever (4) pivoted at one end thereof on a support shaft (3) disposed on a fixed member (2) and carries, on a surface thereof facing a chain (7), a shoe (8) slidably engageable with the chain (7). The opposite end of the tensioner lever (4) has formed therein a plunger receiving hole (9) having an opening (9A) facing in a direction opposite to the surface to which the shoe (8) is attached. A plunger (10) is slidably received in the plunger receiving hole (9) and is held in abutment with a stopper (17) disposed on the fixed member (2). The plunger (10) is urged in a forward direction projecting outwardly from the plunger receiving hole (9), and a unidirectional restriction device resists movement of the plunger (10) in the reverse direction.

Conventionally, a tensioner device used with a power transmission chain, such as a timing chain of an engine, includes, as shown here in FIG. 9, a tensioner lever c pivotally connected at one of its opposite ends to a support shaft b disposed on a fixed member a inside the engine, and a plunger retaining portion f provided on the other end of the tensioner lever c at an opposite side from a surface to which is attached a shoe e facing a chain d.
The plunger retaining portion f is urged toward the chain d by means of a plunger h projecting from a tensioner body g attached to the fixed member f. Thus, a predetermined tension is applied to the chain d via the shoe e attached to the tensioner lever c.
The tensioner body g is assembled with a compression coil spring i urging the plunger h in the extended or projecting direction, and a hydraulic damper mechanism composed of a restricted oil passage j and a check valve k for dampening an impact force applied from the tensioner lever c.
The conventional tensioner device of the foregoing construction has a problem that since the tensioner lever is constructed separately from the tensioner body, the number of components is large and, hence, an increased number of steps is required for the manufacturing and installing of each component, incurring an increase in the cost. In addition, since the tensioner lever and the tensioner body are composed of separate components, a large space must be provided for installation of the conventional tensioner device.
Furthermore, since an accurate positioning of the tensioner lever and the tensioner body is needed for installation of the conventional tensioner device, the manufacturing process for a mounting surface and the mounting work is complicated.

Hydraulically damped tensioner device for power transmission chain


A bending, and position, sensor is composed of a fiber optic or light wave guide, for attachment to the member which is to be bent, or displaced. Light is injected at one end and detected at the other end. Bending of the fiber results in light loss through a surface strip or band, along one side of the fiber, this loss being detected. The loss of light detection is used to produce indication of bending or displacement. Two or more light guides can be oriented to give indication of direction of bending, or displacement.

1. Field of the Invention
Various methods exist for measuring bending of structural members. One well-known method is to measure stress on or in the members using resistive strain gauges arranged on the surface in patterns such that the bending can be inferred from a knowledge of the modulus of elasticity of the member. Under some conditions it is advantageous to measure stress or deformation using optical fibers. Advantages over electrical methods include immunity from electrical interference, light weight, ability to resist chemical attack, and operation at high temperatures. Applications include measuring and controlling vibration, sag, and deflection in aircraft wings, helicopter rotors, sailing vessel masts, large structures, machinery, boiler tubes, and robotic arms. Other applications include measuring the position of control pedals, active wing surfaces, rudders, and the like.
It is possible to embed optical fibers in composite structures so that they perform a combination of structural and sensing functions. For this purpose it is advantageous to have sensors that are unbent when at rest, so that they can lie parallel to many other straight fibers.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many types of optical fiber sensors have been developed for the measurement of stress and position. Most employ interference techniques to measure changes in length or bend radius of the fiber. Most of these techniques rely on detecting standing waves set up in the fiber by reflecting part of the light back from its distal end. These techniques are very sensitive (comparable to strain gauges) but require complex and expensive measurement techniques such as interferometry or optical time domain reflectometry (OTDR) for their execution. Measurements are very sensitive to changes in temperature, requiring elaborate compensation techniques. Another limitation of many of the interference techniques is insensitivity to direction because the measurement is made by counting the number of interference peaks due to distortion of a fiber. Thus, for example, shortening of the fiber is indistinguishable from elongation, or bending up is the same as bending down; unless the fibers are arranged in appropriate curves or other special geometric arrangements.
Equipment for performing interference measurements tends to be bulky and expensive, requiring frequent adjustment. It must be capable of distinguishing peaks at spacings of the order of 0.5 to 1 micron or less. This has limited most fiber optic stress measurements to tests which can be performed under carefully controlled laboratory conditions.
Non-interference techniques can be used to measure bending in fiber optics. It is well known that light leaks out of the core of an optical fiber if it impinges on the cladding at a sufficiently large angle with respect to the long axis of the fiber. For every fiber, there is a critical angle dependent on the indices of refraction of core and cladding, beyond which light will escape. If the fiber is bent, some of the light in the core will exceed this angle and escape. This effect has been used to build "microbending" sensors, which simply measure the percentage of transmission of light down a fiber. These suffer from relative insensitivity (little light is lost) at small angles. Usually a microbend sensor consists of a fiber placed in a corrugated fixture such that a force applied to the fixture will create many sharp bends in the fiber. Microbend sensors are used to measure pressures, forces, and displacement. These sensors also do not measure the direction of the force unless pre-tension is applied.
Other fiber optic sensors have been constructed in which the cladding is removed from the core, or the cladding and some of the core are etched away. These sensors may be more sensitive to bending than untreated fibers, but, like other bending sensors mentioned above, give no information about the direction of a bend unless they are bent at rest. They are thus unsuitable for incorporating in a simple manner in composite structures containing many parallel fibers with sensory and structural properties.
Other fiber optic sensors have been constructed which use thin films in place of the cladding, to give location information based on the wavelength of the filter produced by the thin film. This technique shows no improvement in sensitivity over other fiber optic sensing techniques, so interference techniques must be used to obtain useful outputs.

Fiber optic bending and positioning sensor including a light emission surface formed on a portion of a light guide


A leak-resistant hinged polymeric foam container comprises a base and a lid. The base comprises a bottom wall and a sidewall that encompasses and extends generally upwardly from the bottom wall. The sidewall comprises a first sealing area and a first generally upwardly projecting wall. The lid includes a second sealing area that is adapted to engage the first sealing area upon securing the lid and the base. The container forms a locking structure for securing the lid and the base. The base and the lid comprise polymeric foams. The container may include a hinge that hingedly connects the base to the lid.

Many types of foam containers have been used in the past for a variety of purposes. One type of these polymeric containers is a foam container that includes a base and a hinged lid. One of the most common uses for such containers is for holding food, either to package food when purchased or for holding leftovers from a purchased meal. One advantage of these containers is their insulative properties that keep food hot or cold in the containers until the food can be properly stored.
These containers, however, have the disadvantage of liquids leaking from the container. Leakage may occur at many locations from the container. For example, the liquid may leak at the location of a hinge and/or at a slot in the container used to lock the lid and the base. The hinge of these containers typically interrupts a seal formed between lid and the base, while the slot is an opening in the base of the container. Leakage may also occur around the rims of these containers where an incomplete seal exists between the lid and base. The leakage is often most pronounced when the container is tilted at extreme angles relative to a general horizontal position. It would be desirable to provide a foam container that can be handled that prevents or inhibits liquid from leaking therefrom.

Leak-resistant polymeric foam containers


A tamper detector has tamper detection logic connected to tamper detection ports through a tamper detection interface. A real-time clock (RTC) provides a clock signal and has a battery. A processor is powered by an external power supply in a powered operational mode and has a power-off mode. In a wake-up configuration, a wake-up signal on a specific I/O port awakens the external power supply from the power-off mode to supply power to the RTC and the tamper detection interface when power from the battery is unavailable. The tamper detection ports continue to function despite removal or discharge of the battery without ESD concerns. The specific I/O port optionally may be configured for passive tamper detection.

The present invention is directed to a tamper detector such as for a utility meter and, more particularly, to a wake-up capability of a power supply of a tamper detector.
Tampering with a module such as a utility meter involves unauthorized access to the module with the intention of for example, retrieving, altering or adulterating sensitive information processed by the module. A protected object may be a secured electronic module such as a utility meter, point-of-sale (POS) terminal, terminal for use with smart cards or a cryptographic module. Security and protection counter-measures against tampering typically involve detection of attack on features making unauthorized physical access more difficult, and detection of electronic intrusion.
The tamper detector may detect interference with detection circuits securing access to the module. The detection circuits may be electrical conductors whose continuity is interrupted by tampering. Alternatively, the electrical detection circuits may have switches designed to open or close if a closure is opened, or sensors detecting acceleration or other abnormal physical changes. A passive tamper detector may apply a voltage to a detection circuit of the physical security feature and detect the current in the circuit. An active tamper detector may apply a signed detection signal to one end of the detection circuit and compare it with a signal received at the other end of the detection circuit.
Tamper detectors commonly include a real-time clock (RTC) module having an RTC oscillator that provides an RTC signal that may also be used in the protected module itself. RTC modules typically have a secondary source of power in the form of a rechargeable battery so they can continue to keep time while the primary source of power is off or unavailable. This enables the rest of the system to shut down or sleep, saving power, and also enables the RTC oscillator to function if power to the system is cut off. The RTC oscillator may provide a reference clock correcting the time registered by the system clocks.
It is desirable to reduce the vulnerability of the tamper detector to attack on the RTC module itself, for example its vulnerability to attempts to disable or deteriorate the tamper detection by removing the rechargeable battery. This might be motivated in the example of an electricity meter in order to falsify usage recorded by the meter.

Tamper detector power supply with wake-up


A portable proxy for security management and privacy protection and methods of use are provided. The proxy establishes a connection to a user device. The proxy also establishes a secure connection to a virtual private network (VPN), performs authentication of the proxy to the VPN, and upon successful completion of the proxy authentication provides access to the VPN through the secure connection user credentials. Once the VPN accepts the credentials, the proxy routes at least a portion of Internet traffic between the user device and the VPN through the secure connection and the connection to the user device. The proxy can also establish a secure connection to an anonymizing service and route all Internet traffic of the user device through the anonymizing service using the secure connection and the connection to the user device.

Online threats, such as malware and technologies for tracking a user's online activity, continue to grow. Remaining safe while using the Internet has become a challenge both for individuals and for organizations. Protecting an organization's private computer network from online threats is particularly problematic due to the security challenges raised by the diversity of an organization's employees' tasks and business, ranging from e-mailing to accounting to Web-development, processes that typically take place on the organization's network.
The problem is further exacerbated due to a large and disparate population of devices across which Information Technology (IT) departments of organizations must enforce security policies. Generally, organizational IT departments either rely on third party software for remote computer administration, such as commercial security software for enforcing firewall protection, or provide their employees with a series of tutorials specific to different device configurations, such as the steps to configure a Virtual Private Network Connection (VPN) connection on the employees' mobile devices.
With the proliferation of the so-called "Bring Your Own Device" culture, which involves employees supplying their own computing devices for work-related purposes, organizations have struggled to balance employee convenience and security policy enforcement. Standard security policies include blacklisting specific websites, limiting time spend online, mandating the use of encryption software, and user access control to specific services (such as internal Wikis, blogs or other web services). Individuals have also faced non-organization-specific issues, such as technologies that track a user's Internet activities, which raises personal privacy concerns.
Current protections from these online threats at an individual and at an organization level are insufficient. For example, the anonymizing service Tor™ (previously an acronym for "The Onion Router") developed by the Tor Project Inc. of Walpole, Mass., conceals a user's IP address, location, and Internet activities by routing the user's Internet traffic through multiple nodes. Layered encryption is used at each of the nodes. The Tor™ service requires an advanced knowledge of the applications being used or a willingness to make a change in the user's Web-browsing habits. For instance, using the Tor™ service requires the user to either configure each online application on his computing device to route traffic through the Tor™ service, or to use the Tor™ service Web-browser. Furthermore, some applications cannot be configured to be used with the Tor™ service, and thus a user may not be able to keep all Internet traffic private.
The Safeplug™ device, developed by Cloud Engines, Inc. of San Francisco, Calif., requires a user to connect the device to his Internet router. The user must then visit a specific Webpage to enable the Safeplug™ device to direct the user's Internet traffic through the Tor™ service. As the Safeplug™ device requires the user to have physical access to an Internet router, such as via an Ethernet cable, the Safeplug™ device physically limits where the user can browse the Internet anonymously.
Therefore, there is a need for a way to accommodate the "Bring Your Own Device" work-place culture without endangering the security of a network of an organization and for providing personal privacy protection from online threats.

Portable proxy for security management and privacy protection and method of use


The rotisserie motor mounting device for releasably connecting a motor housing having a motor therein to a rotisserie is disclosed. The rotisserie motor mounting device has a shaft extending from one of the rotisserie and a free end selectively connectible to the motor. The rotisserie motor mounting device further includes a support shaft which is releasably connectible to a portion of the rotisserie at one end and the motor housing at the other end. The support shaft has a pair of interconnecting shaft portions which can be adjusted to provide more than one length for the support shaft. One end of each interconnecting shaft portion is connected to a planar configuration. Each planar configuration is slidably attachable within sleeves to the rotisserie and the motor housing.

This invention relates to rotisseries and in particular to a rotisserie motor mounting device which releasably connects a motor to the rotisserie.
In the prior art, food such as meat or vegetables to be grilled are generally placed on a spit which is rotatable to expose the food to the heat in order to ensure uniform cooking of the same. It is a convenience for the cook to have the spit mechanically or electrically revolve, rather than manually revolve, over the heat to ensure even and thorough grilling of the food. The mechanical or electrical revolution of the spit allows the cook to prepare other portions of the meal while the food is cooking.
It is well known to provide grills wherein the rotisserie portion can be attached to electrical motor equipment to revolve the spit. In these cases, the motor equipment is fixedly connected to the grill, so that one end of the spit with the food speared thereon can be inserted into the electrical motor equipment while being held over the source of heat. Because the motor equipment is fixed on the grill relative to the source of heat, the spit must be angled to insert the end of the spit into the motor equipment over a hot flame or coals. In addition, the tilting action of the spit may cause some loss of food into the fire.
Therefore, it would be advantageous to provide a device or apparatus that allows the cook to mount the spit into the motor equipment without concern of burning oneself or losing food into the fire. At the same time, it would be advantageous to provide a device or apparatus that allows the motor equipment to be selectively removable from the grill as well as selectively positionable relative to the grill when attached thereon.
It is the intent of the present invention to address the aforementioned concerns. The present invention provides a rotisserie motor mounting device which is releasably connectible to a motor housing having a motor located inside and to a rotisserie via a support base. The rotisserie has a cradle supported by end plates. The rotisserie motor mounting device has a support column extending from one of the end plates of the rotisserie and having a free end releasably mounted to the motor. The rotisserie motor mounting device further includes a motor support having a first end mountable to the support base for the rotisserie and a second end mountable to the motor housing.
In another aspect of the invention, the motor support has at least two selectable lengths.
In yet another aspect of the invention, a first end of the motor support has a planar configuration slidably mountable to a first sleeve secured on a support stand and a second end of the motor support has a second planar configuration slidably mountable to a second sleeve secured on the motor housing.
In a further aspect of the invention, hollow, non-circular shafts extend from each planar configuration of the motor support. Each hollow, non-circular shaft has the same configuration and one of the hollow, non-circular shafts is slightly larger than the other hollow, non-circular shaft for receiving the first hollow, non-circular shaft therein. The hollow, non-circular shafts include locking means for selectively and releasably securing the hollow, non-circular shafts together at a predetermined length.
Other objects, advantages and applications of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art when the following description of the best mode contemplated for practicing the invention is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.