A method to be used when performing drilling in a well bore involves positioning a dual bore drill pipe in a well bore. An outer annulus formed between the drill pipe and well bore wall is divided into two different sections. A first fluid is provided in one of the sections. A second fluid having a density less than the first fluid is circulated into and out of the well bore through the drill pipe. The densities of the first and second fluids are such that the drill pipe is at least partly floating in the first fluid in the outer annulus.

To extract petroleum fluids from a reservoir in an earth formation, wells are drilled into the earth formations. The development of drilling techniques has now evolved into the possibility of drilling wells in all directions to extract as much as possible out of a reservoir. A well may for instance comprise a mainly vertical section and at least one section which deviate from this vertical direction, possibly a mainly horizontal section. These sections of the well which deviate from a mainly vertical direction tend to become longer, and may extend for several thousand meters into a formation. The depth of the wells is also increasing and in addition the water depths for drilling wells are also increasing.
Drilling is normally performed by inserting a drilling bit on the end of a drill string into the well. The weight of the drill string is proportional with the length of the drill string. When drilling at large water depths the depth of the water also influences the pressure conditions in the well and the formation as such and adds to the weight of the drill string. During drilling one does not want formation fluid to penetrate the drilled well, so the pressure exerted by the drilling equipment on the formation should be higher than the formation pore pressure. With drilling equipment one should also understand the fluid added between the drill string and the unlined formation wall. With this one also has control of the well during drilling and will therefore prevent blow outs. At the same time there is also a need to limit the amount of drilling fluid that penetrate the unlined formation wall, and also a need to prevent fracturing the side wall of the drilled bore before production should start. This gives that the pressure exerted by the drilling equipment must not exceed a fracturing pressure of the formation. The formation pressure is also influenced by the hydrostatic pressure, and at larger water depths this also increases. When the pressure exerted by the drilling equipment moves towards the boundaries, the fracturing pressure or the formation pore pressure, the well needs to be provided with casings or liners before one may drill further in the well. This would often mean pulling the drilling equipment out of the well, and providing new sections of casing or liners in the well before one may continue with the drilling. There is therefore a general need to develop methods for performing drilling where the drilling for a longer period may be performed in the allowed pressure range, between the formation pore pressure and the formation fracturing pressure.
Another element is when the well deviates from a vertical direction at least a part of the drill string will due to gravity forces also tend to come in contact with the wall of the bore hole. For a horizontal section the drill pipe will tend to rest on the relative lower part of the borehole wall. This contact between the drill string and the borehole wall will create friction as the drill string is moved further into the well during drilling or when it is moved out or into the well.
As wells are drilled at greater water depths and further into the ground and deviated well becomes longer, the weight of the drill string and friction forces increases. There will naturally be a limit on how much weight and friction forces the equipment for performing the drilling may take and this will limit the reach of a conventional drilling string.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,060,737 there is described a drilling system for deviated drilling. There is in this publication described several ways of providing advancement of the drill string in the well bore. In US2004/0104052, WO 2004/018828, WO2006/014417 and US2008/0073123 there are described different methods for performing drilling with a dual bore pipe. There is in U.S. Pat. No. 5,964,294 described a tool for performing a down hole function in a horizontal or highly deviated well.


A system for removing matter from a filtering device includes a flow receiving device having a plurality of blocking portions. Each of the plurality of blocking portions is configured to substantially block a flow directed by a corresponding at least one of a plurality of filter passages of the filtering device. The system further includes a positioning assembly configured to assist in positioning the flow receiving device within the filtering device and relative to a filter media of the filtering device.

Engines, including diesel engines, gasoline engines, natural gas engines, and other engines known in the art may exhaust a complex mixture of pollutants. The pollutants may be composed of gaseous and solid material, including particulate matter, nitrogen oxides ("NOx"), and sulfur compounds.
Due to heightened environmental concerns, engine exhaust emission standards have become increasingly stringent over the years. The amount of pollutants emitted from an engine may be regulated depending on the type, size, and/or class of engine. One method that has been implemented by engine manufacturers to comply with the regulation of particulate matter, NOx, and sulfur compounds exhausted to the environment has been to remove these pollutants from the exhaust flow of an engine with filters. However, extended use and repeated regeneration of such filters may cause the pollutants to build up in the components of the filters, thereby causing filter functionality and engine performance to decrease.
One method of removing built-up pollutants from a filter may be to remove the clogged filter from the work machine to which it is connected and direct a flow of gas through the filter in a direction that is opposite the direction of normal flow. The filter may be large, heavy, and difficult to disconnect, making it cumbersome, time consuming, and dangerous to remove the filter from the engine of the work machine for servicing.
Another method of removing matter from a filter may be to divert an exhaust flow from the clogged filter to a separate filter, without disconnecting either filter from the engine. While the exhaust flow is diverted, air may be directed through the clogged filter in a direction opposite the normal flow. Since such matter removal systems include a second filter, however, they may be larger and more costly than single filter systems.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,566,545 ("the '545 patent") teaches a system for removing particulate matter from an engine filter. In particular, the '545 patent discloses a filter connected to an engine exhaust line, a valve structure within the exhaust line, and an air feeder. When air is supplied to the filter in a reverse flow direction, the air may remove captured particulates from the filter.
Although the '545 patent may teach the removal of matter from a filter, the system described therein requires the use of a second filter during a reverse flow condition, thereby increasing the overall cost and size of the system.
Moreover, the system is not capable of supplying a negative pressure to the filter to assist in the filter cleaning process.
The present disclosure is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems set forth above.


In driving a segmented LED loading, an alternating current (AC) voltage is rectified into a direct current (DC) voltage; the DC voltage is regulated into an input voltage and the input voltage is maintained higher than a lowest voltage used for lighting at least one LED segment of the segmented LED loading; the input voltage and a current flowing through the segmented LED loading is detected to generate a switch control signal and a current control signal; respective operation states of each of a plurality of switches of a LED segment switch module are controlled by the switch control signal to control each LED segment of the segmented LED loading as power-supply state or no-power-supply state; and the current of the segmented LED loading is regulated based on the current control signal.

LED (light emitting diode) linear power supply for has advantages, such as low cost, small size, no Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) and simple structure, and thus is common used in indoor lighting or size-limited lighting. However, LED linear power supply has problems, such as low efficiency and flicking. Flicking problem is caused by current blind area and inconstant light intensity.
In now, the current blind area may be solved by adding a single-stage energy storage capacitor into the LED driving circuit. However, due to high energy-storage demand, the single-stage energy storage capacitor is usually implemented by an electrolytic capacitor which is large circuit size but low life cycle.
Besides, in order to improve efficiency, segmented LED loading may be used, but flicking problems are severe because of instant light intensity of segmented LED loading.

INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH INSTITUTE


Disclosed herein are apparatus and methods for isolating a fraction of interest from a physiological fluid sample. A sample holder for isolating a fraction of interest from a physiological fluid sample includes a flexible compartment and a rigid exoskeleton that supports the flexible compartment. The flexible compartment may have at least one reservoir with a height to volume ratio of about 0.1 cm/mL to about 5 cm/mL. An automated device for extracting a fraction of interest from the sample includes a sample holder with a flexible compartment supported by a rigid exoskeleton, a support for the sample holder connected to one or more fluid extraction devices, and a motor for moving the extraction device relative to the sample holder. The automated device may include an optical sensor and may include a clamp for clamping the flexible compartment.

Separating blood components for transfusion or intra-operative red blood cell ("RBC") salvage has been a standard practice of medicine for the last 50 years. These procedures generally involve relatively large volumes of blood, and in the case of blood banking are usually not for autologous use. Additionally, laboratories have been separating blood proteins for diagnostic testing for years. Improved methods for fractionating blood samples have allowed for better separation of factions.
Smaller blood separation devices have been introduced into the market for concentrating, for example, platelets from a small volume of blood. These devices allow for improved concentration of, for example, the growth factors in platelets that can be applied topically or injected locally to patients. These devices typically rely upon an apheresis method or a rigid plastic disposable device with density shelves for separating components of relatively small volumes of blood.
Increasingly, the therapeutic potential of stem cells is being recognized for many clinical applications including, for example, regenerative therapy. Certain early pioneers of stem cell technology used blood banking equipment designed for transfusion medicine or small volume platelet concentration systems to concentrate stem cells at point of care from marrow or umbilical cord blood. Both of these methods present the practitioner with varying problems such as the large volume of marrow aspirate required, varying volumes of umbilical blood processed, and low percent yields in the ending concentrate.
Stem cells are found in specific blood samples, two rich sources of stem cells being umbilical cord blood and bone marrow. During fractionation by sedimentation, stem cells in these samples typically migrate in a small volume known as the "buffy coat" fraction. The buffy coat fraction appears as a small volume density layer after sedimentation. Because mononuclear cells and stem cells present in the buffy coat represent such a small percentage of the overall volume of cord blood and marrow, and because clinical applications using stem cells require highly concentrated buffy coat fractions, there is a well-demonstrated and increasing need to capture and concentrate a high percentage of these cells into a small volume.


An apparatus for introducing a reductant into an exhaust system is described. The apparatus includes a controller that generates a resulting dosing command used as an instruction to release an amount of reductant into the exhaust system. The controller includes a feedback control module that generates a weighing factor. The weighing factor is configured to be applied to a lower limit dosing command and configured to be applied to an upper limit dosing command, where the lower and upper limit dosing commands converted by the weighing factor are used by the controller to generate the resulting dosing command.

Selective catalyst reduction (SCR) devices are widely known and used, and are particularly used in combustion exhaust streams of diesel engines, as one example.
To meet Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requirements, SCR devices are used to introduce a reductant which reduces NOx generated in engine exhaust systems. Along with SCR devices, sensory and feedback control capabilities have been employed to detect the presence of NOx and to introduce a reductant, based on the NOx detected by the control. The introduced reductant reacts with the NOx to facilitate its reduction. Feedback control modules can greatly improve NOx reduction or "deNOx" performance.
However, due to cross-sensitivity of sensors employed in known feedback control modules, NH3 (e.g. ammonia) that is present in the system also is read as NOx by the sensor (known as an "NH3 slip"). The NH3 slip is unwanted emissions caused by limited catalyst capability. When the control system generates a certain amount of NH3 slip, the NOx sensor reports the NH3 slip as NOx due to its dual sensitivity to NH3. As electrochemical sensors are typically used in such SCR devices in order to keep costs down, rather than optical sensors which are significantly more expensive (e.g. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) sensors), such cross-sensitivity of the sensor has been known to occur. The incorrect sensing information triggers false positive feedback, causing reductant introduction into the system at higher dosages, which can lead to an unstable system and reductant waste.
Thus, improvements can still be made to SCR devices, particularly those using a feedback control and improvements can still be made to limit overall reductant dosing.

Feedback control in selective catalytic reduction


An optical semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate; a light receiving element formed on the semiconductor substrate; a light absorbing element formed on the semiconductor substrate and located adjacent to the light receiving element; and a semiconductor element formed on the semiconductor substrate and used for signal processing. The light absorbing element includes a fifth semiconductor layer, and a light absorption region in the light receiving element has a different structure from a light absorption region in the light absorbing element.

Light receiving elements, which are typical elements of optical semiconductor devices, convert an optical signal to an electrical signal and are used in various fields. In particular, in the field of optical discs, such as CDs (Compact Discs) and DVDs (Digital Versatile Discs), light receiving elements are important as key devices in optical pickup devices that read and write signals recorded on optical discs. In recent years, in response to the demand for higher performance and higher degree of integration, so-called optoelectronic integrated circuits (OEICs), in which a photodiode serving as a light receiving element and various electronic elements, such as a bipolar transistor, a resistor, and a capacitor, are integrated together on the same substrate, have been put to practical use. Also, optical discs are required to become faster and smaller and compatible with various kinds of discs. And in OEICs, it is required that a light receiving element having high light-receiving sensitivity, high speed and low noise characteristics and a bipolar transistor having high speed and low noise characteristics be integrated together. Recently, in particular, in accordance with the demand for an increase in the capacity of optical discs, the commercialization of HD-DVDs and Blu-ray Discs (BDs) that employ a blue semiconductor laser (having a wavelength of 405 nm) as a light source has begun, and hence there is a demand for OEICs that have high speed, high light-receiving sensitivity and low noise characteristics in the short wavelength region corresponding to the blue semiconductor laser.
An optical semiconductor device according to a first conventional example will be described below.
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view schematically illustrating the structure of the optical semiconductor device, which is an OEIC, according to the first conventional example. In FIG. 7, the optical semiconductor device in which a pin (p-intrinsic-n) photodiode as a light receiving element and an NPN transistor as a bipolar transistor are formed on a p-type silicon substrate is illustrated as an example.
As shown in FIG. 7, the optical semiconductor device of the first conventional example includes: a silicon substrate 101 containing a low concentration of a p-type impurity; an NPN transistor 103 formed on the silicon substrate 101; a photodiode 102 formed on the silicon substrate 101; and a light absorbing element 104 formed in a region on the silicon substrate 101 between the NPN transistor 103 and the photodiode 102. The conventional optical semiconductor device also includes: a first p-type buried layer 105 formed on the silicon substrate 101 and containing a high concentration of a p-type impurity; a p-type epitaxial layer 106 formed on the first p-type buried layer 105 and containing a low concentration of a p-type impurity; an n-type epitaxial layer 107 formed on the p-type epitaxial layer 106; a LOCOS (local oxidation of silicon) isolation layer 108 formed on the n-type epitaxial layer 107 and isolating the light absorbing element 104 and the photodiode 102 from each other; and an insulating film 109 formed on the n-type epitaxial layer 107 and on the LOCOS isolation layer 108.
The photodiode 102 includes: a part of the above-mentioned p-type epitaxial layer 106; a part of an n-type cathode layer 110 composed of a part of the n-type epitaxial layer 107; a part of a cathode contact layer 111 formed on the cathode layer 110 and containing a high concentration of an n-type impurity; an anode buried layer 113 containing a high concentration of a p-type impurity; an anode contact layer 114 formed on the anode buried layer 113 and containing a high concentration of a p-type impurity; a first cathode electrode 112 formed on the cathode contact layer 111; and a first anode electrode 115 formed on the anode contact layer 114.
The NPN transistor 103 includes: a collector buried layer 116 formed between the p-type epitaxial layer 106 and the n-type epitaxial layer 107 and containing a high concentration of an n-type impurity; a collector contact layer 117 formed on the collector buried layer 116 and containing a high concentration of an n-type impurity; a p-type base layer 119 formed in a region in the n-type epitaxial layer 107 located above the collector buried layer 116; an emitter layer 121 formed in the base layer 119 and containing a high concentration of an n-type impurity; a collector electrode 118 formed on the collector contact layer 117; a base electrode 120 formed on the base layer 119; and an emitter electrode 122 formed on the emitter layer 121.
The light absorbing element 104 includes: a part of the p-type epitaxial layer 106; a part of the cathode layer 110 formed on the p-type epitaxial layer 106; a part of the cathode contact layer 111 formed on the cathode layer 110; the p-type anode buried layer 113 formed on the p-type epitaxial layer 106; the p-type anode contact layer 114 formed on the anode buried layer 113; a second cathode electrode 123 formed on the cathode contact layer 111; and a second anode electrode 124 formed on the anode contact layer 114.
Operation of the conventional optical semiconductor device thus configured will be described below.
When there is incident light on the upper surface of the photodiode 102, the cathode layer 110, and the p-type epitaxial layer 106 which serves as the anode absorb the light, thereby generating electron-hole pairs. At this time, if a reverse bias V1 is applied to the photodiode 102, a depletion layer expands in the p-type epitaxial layer 106 having a low impurity concentration. The electrons and holes of electron-hole pairs generated in the vicinity of the depletion layer are separated from each other by diffusion and drift, so that the electrons reach the cathode contact layer 111, and the holes reach the anode buried layer 113. The carriers are drawn out from the first cathode electrode 112 and from the first anode electrode 115 as a photocurrent. This photocurrent is subjected to amplification and signal processing performed by electronic circuits composed of the NPN transistor 103 and resistance elements, capacitive elements, etc. that are integrated together on the silicon substrate 101, and then the photocurrent is output so as to become an optical-disc record or reproduction signal.
In the first p-type buried layer 105 that contains a higher concentration of a p-type impurity than the silicon substrate 101, a potential barrier is formed. Since the silicon substrate 101 is not depleted, carriers generated in the silicon substrate 101 move by diffusion, however, due to this potential barrier, those carriers recombine with carriers of opposite signs in the first p-type buried layer 105 and do not reach the p-type epitaxial layer 106. Furthermore, if the impurity concentration in the p-type epitaxial layer 106 is lowered to the point that the p-type epitaxial layer 106 is completely depleted, a drift current, which is a high-speed component, will become dominant in the photocurrent. A diffusion current, which is a low-speed component, will make almost no contribution to the photocurrent, thereby allowing the photodiode 102 to operate at high speed. Moreover, the above-mentioned potential barrier formed by the first p-type buried layer 105 prevents the carriers generated in the silicon substrate 101 from reaching the NPN transistor 103 as well, whereby malfunctions and noise components in the transistor are suppressed.
If the carriers generated in the p-type epitaxial layer 106 serving as the anode reach the NPN transistor 103, those carriers will become a collector current component and thus cause malfunctions and noise components in the circuit. In particular, when light is not sufficiently focused on the photodiode 102 and is incident outwardly (of the photodiode 102), many carriers will be generated in part of the p-type epitaxial layer 106 located in the boundary region between the photodiode 102 and the NPN transistor 103, causing this unfavorable phenomenon to become more predominant.
In contrast, in the optical semiconductor device according to the first conventional example, the light absorbing element 104 is formed between the photodiode 102 and the NPN transistor 103, and a reverse bias is applied between the second cathode electrode 123 and the second anode electrode 124 during operation. Therefore, a photodiode is formed by the cathode layer 110 in the light absorbing element 104 and the p-type epitaxial layer 106 serving as the anode, so that escaping carriers are absorbed in the cathode contact layer 111 and in the anode contact layer 114. If the wires of the second cathode electrode 123 and of the second anode electrode 124 are not connected with the wires of the photodiode 102 and of the NPN transistor 103, unnecessary components are prevented from entering the signal processing section, thereby reduce noise.
Next, an optical semiconductor device according to a second conventional example for suppressing escaping carriers will be described.
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view schematically illustrating the structure of the optical semiconductor device of the second conventional example. In this example, a light absorbing element is not provided, and a photodiode 102 has a different structure from that of the first conventional example.
The optical semiconductor device of the second conventional example includes: an n-type buried layer 126 formed on a silicon substrate 101 and containing a high concentration of an n-type impurity; a p-type buried layer 125 formed on the n-type buried layer 126 and containing a high concentration of a p-type impurity; an n-type cathode layer 110 formed on the p-type buried layer 125; an n-type cathode contact layer 111 formed on the cathode layer 110; an anode contact layer 114 formed on the n-type buried layer 126 and containing a high concentration of a p-type impurity; an n-type contact layer 127 formed on the n-type buried layer 126; a first cathode electrode 112 formed on the cathode contact layer 111; a first anode electrode 115 formed on the anode contact layer 114; and a dummy cathode electrode 128 formed on the n-type contact layer 127.
In this structure, a photodiode is formed by the PN junction between an n-type epitaxial layer 107 (the cathode layer 110) and the p-type buried layer 125. In addition, PN junctions are also formed between the p-type buried layer 125 and the n-type buried layer 126 and between the n-type buried layer 126 and the silicon substrate 101.
Moreover, a reverse bias V1 is applied between the first cathode electrode 112 and the first anode electrode 115, and a reverse bias V2 is applied between the dummy cathode electrode 128 and the first anode electrode 115. Therefore, carriers generated by light absorbed by the silicon substrate 101 are absorbed by the dummy photodiode and move through the n-type buried layer 126 and the n-type contact layer 127 to the dummy cathode electrode 128, thus making no contribution to the photocurrent. Consequently, a slow diffusion current component is suppressed, thereby enabling high-speed operation. Also, if the reverse biases are set so as to satisfy V1<V2, it is also possible to suppress carriers that escape from the photodiode 102 to the NPN transistor 103.


A low-foaming resin-fortified latex comprising a dispersed acrylic polymer, polyelectrolyte resin and a non-ionic emulsifier with an HLB value of 13 or less.

Latexes have been developed for use in printing inks and coatings for applications on a variety of substrates. These latexes are especially suitable as vehicles for coating onto polyolefin surfaces. These materials, designated as "fortified" latexes, provide a number of desirable properties, including mechanical and thermal stability, good processibility and maintenance of viscosity in formulations under high shear conditions. An especially useful latex is the "fortified latex" disclosed and claimed in copending application CIP of Ser. No. 667,662 filed Oct. 9, 1986 and entitled, "Latex Vehicles for Printing Inks and Coatings". Although these latex formulations have proved useful, the occurrence of foaming in ink and coating formulations made with these latexes has been a problem which limits their usefulness.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,820,762 issued to Sheng-Liang Tsaur, discloses a resin-fortified latex polymer prepared by the addition of the resin ". . . to the reaction mixture during the emulsion polymerization i.e., after the initiation of the emulsion polymerization reaction is substantially completed . . . ". This method employs conventional surfactants (anionic or nonionic or combinations of these) which are recommended for emulsion (oil-in-water) polymerizations and known to the art.
The major problem confronting the widespread use of resin fortified latexes in inks and coatings is the occurrence of foaming and insufficient wetting of substrates. Foaming is especially prevalent in inks and coatings applied on a printing press. To overcome these problems, formulators generally add defoamers and wetting agents.
The present invention overcomes these difficulties by using an ammonia salt of a polyelectrolyte resin as the anionic surfactant in combination with a water-in-oil nonionic surfactant as the emulsifier system in an otherwise conventional emulsion polymerization recipe. The polyelectrolyte eliminates the need for anionic surfactants thus simplifying the process. It also imparts exceptional mechanical stability to the latex and ensures the formation of very small particle size. In fact, the products of this invention may be characterized as microemulsions (particle size less than 120 nanometers). The water-in-oil nonionic surfactant reduces the tendency to foam significantly and improves the wetting of substrates.

Low-foaming latexes for use in printing ink formulations


A slip control system for a motor vehicle controls respective braking forces in right and left driving wheels and controls an engine output by controlling a throttle opening of a throttle valve so that a slip value of the driven wheel becomes less than a target slip value. The system includes a device providing a basic control amount of the throttle opening based on the slip value of the driven wheel and the target slip value, a device for detecting respective brake fluid pressures in the right and left driven wheels, a device for converting the detected brake fluid pressure into an engine output, a device for providing a correction control amount of the throttle opening by subtracting an amount of the throttle opening corresponding to the converted engine output from the basic control amount of the throttle opening, and a device for driving the throttle valve by the basic control amount of the throttle opening when the brake fluid pressures in the right and left driven wheels are increased or increased rapidly, and driving the throttle valve by the correction control amount of the throttle opening when the brake fluid pressures in the right and left driven wheels are not increased or increased rapidly.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a slip control system of a motor vehicle, in particular to a slip control system in which slips in driven wheels are controlled by operations of braking force control and engine output control.
2. Description of the Related Art
There is known a conventional slip control system for a motor vehicle which prevents a decrease in acceleration ability caused by the slip which is caused by an excessive driving torque of the driving wheel in an accelerating operation and the like. In order to do so, such slip control system detects a slip value of the driven wheel and controls an engine output and braking force so that the slip value of the driven wheel becomes less than a target slip value which is provided based on friction coefficient of the road surface. The engine output is decreased by the engine output control and the braking force is increased by the braking force control. In the engine output control, a throttle opening in a throttle valve of an engine is controlled.
On the other hand, since a responsibility of the braking force control is larger than that of the engine output control in the slip control system, a brake device absorbs large energy so as to overcome the excessive driving torque of the engine. As a result, the frequent brake force control under high load conditions causes a decrease in the liability of the brake device and vibration of the motor body. Therefore, it has been demanded that amount and time of the engine torque to be absorbed by the brake device should be as small as possible.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 3-109161 discloses a slip control system for a motor vehicle which can solve the above-mentioned problems. Such slip control system detects the sum of the braking pressures in both right and left driving wheels by estimating braking pressures in both right and left driven wheels, and decreases the engine output by amount thereof corresponding to the sum of the braking pressures in the driven wheels so that the load in the brake device is decreased.
However, if the engine output is decreased by the amount thereof corresponding to the sum of the braking pressure in the both right and left driven wheels as shown in the above Patent Publication when the slips in the driven wheels are increased rapidly, the throttle valve is closed too much which causes some problems such as the engine being stalled when the slip is recovered and acceleration being delayed.
On the other hand, in a cold district, the vehicle often runs on so called split road whose friction coefficients against both right and left driven wheels are different each other. In such cases, if the engine output is decreased by the amount thereof corresponding to the sum of the braking pressure in the both driven wheels as shown in the above Patent Publication, even though one driven wheel has enough grip force against the road surface, driving torques in both if one and other driven wheels are decreased. As a result, starting ability and acceleration ability is decreased.


A running control system of the present invention includes a follow-up intention detection device for detecting an operation of requesting a follow-running control by the driver, and a running control device for aborting the follow-running control with respect to the preceding vehicle based on a signal from the braking operation detection device. If an operation by the driver for requesting the follow-running control is detected by the driver while the braking operation by the driver is detected by the braking operation detection device, the running control device starts the follow-running control after the end of the driver's braking operation.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a running control system for performing a follow-running control in which a preceding vehicle is determined to be a target vehicle to be followed by the vehicle following.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventionally, in order to reduce the mental stress of a driver who needs to frequently repeat operations for advancing and stopping a vehicle on a congested road so as to follow the vehicle in front (i.e., the preceding vehicle), an automatic advancing and stopping system for vehicles is provided for determining the preceding vehicle to be followed by the present vehicle and thereby performing running control of the present vehicle so that the present vehicle automatically runs following advancing and stopping of the preceding vehicle.
More specifically, the running speed of the present vehicle is controlled in consideration of the relationship between the inter-vehicle distance with respect to the preceding vehicle detected by an inter-vehicle distance detection device and the necessary inter-vehicle distance determined by a safety inter-vehicle distance detecting device. That is, the running speed of the present vehicle is decreased when the relationship is in a deceleration region, while the running speed of the present vehicle is increased when the relationship is in an acceleration region. With the running control, mental stress of the driver can be reduced since the present vehicle automatically repeats advancing and stopping following the preceding vehicle (see, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. S60-19208).
In conventional systems, in order to eliminate a difference in driving sensation between running by the driver's manual operation and follow-running by the running control system, or in order to obtain consistency with operation by a cruise control system (i.e., an automatic constant speed running system), if the driver performs a braking operation, running control by the running control system is aborted and then the driving control is held by the driver. Therefore, in a case in which the brake is maintained ON by keeping the brake pedal depressed so as to stop the present vehicle, an operation for starting the running control is not accepted and the running control cannot be started.
More specifically, during running on a congested road in which rapid operations for acceleration and deceleration of the present vehicle are required, braking operations are often required in order to hold the running speed of the present vehicle low. Therefore, time of operation of the brake by the driver increases. In this case, chances to start control by the running control system are limited, thereby deteriorating operability of the present vehicle.


A tool changer is provided in which a rotary tray positioned beneath the forward edge of a machine tool supports a large number of tools in individual cartridges. A tool changer head includes two outwardly projecting tubular members and can be rotated about a horizontal axis, moved vertically and pivoted about a vertical axis. A vacuum or positive pressure can be generated in the tubular members. Therefore, the tubular members can be positioned over a tool in one of the cartridges after which the tool changer head is raised and rotated to extend the tool into the spindle of a machine tool which has been run past the forward edge of the machine. Negative pressure will withdraw the tool from the cartridge and positive pressure will drive the tool into the spindle. Similarly, a tool can be removed from the spindle by negative pressure and reinserted into the cartridge by positive pressure.

Conventional tool changers are limited both in their capacity and speed of operation. This restricts their applicability and increases the cost of operation of the machine tool with which the tool changer is associated. The performance of conventional tool changers is far from adequate for a certain high speed drilling and routing machine used in the manufacture of printed circuit boards. This machine has a positioning mechanism of the type disclosed in patent application Ser. No. 740,151, filed Aug. 5, 1991, for ARRANGEMENT FOR PROVIDING PLANAR MOVEMENT OF A MACHINE TOOL, and a spindle as set forth in patent application Ser. No. 660,149, filed Feb. 22, 1991, for ARRANGEMENT FOR DRIVING A ROTARY TOOL. These applications are assigned to the assignee of the present application. Such a machine is operated so rapidly that a tool becomes worn out in a very short period of time from having drilled a very large number of holes. Frequent replacement of drills is required as the drills wear out. Also, drills of different sizes must be provided for the machine to form the variety of holes required in the production of printed circuit boards. With a conventional tool changer so much time will elapse in removing and inserting drills that production is slowed down and expense therefore becomes greater. Also, the conventional tool changer can accommodate only a relatively small number of tools. An operator must be continually restocking the tool changer which is a laborious and time consuming operation. This also increases the chance for error in providing some tool of the wrong size in the tool changer magazine.
Conventional tool changers also tend to be overly complex and expensive to construct and maintain.


Disclosed is an automatic controlled multi-level storage system having a bottom access level, a plurality of cargo storage levels vertically spaced above the access level, and a central elevator space vertically disposed through each level, each level having an array of contiguous spaces mounted with four-way or two-way wheel assemblies longitudinally and/or transversely and pairs of parallel rails intersected with one another longitudinally and transversely for moving individual storage platforms and cargo thereon, the elevator space being installed with an elevator for raising and lowering individual storage platforms and cargo thereon to a desired level, the elevator having two register spaces vertically spaced, each resister space having four-way wheel assemblies and mechanical arms for moving each time an individual storage platform to either level, the access level having platform storage devices for storing individual storage platforms.

The present invention relates to a storage system, and more particularly to an automatic controlled multi-level storage system controlled by a programmed computer for the compact storage and rapid retrieval of storage items, such as motor vehicles, cargo containers, etc.
Because the cost of land in downtown areas and industrial areas is expensive, the effective utilization of space for storage should be maximized. Various multi-level storage systems have been proposed to minimize the amount of land for storing more automobiles, cargo containers, and many other items of cargo. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,768,914, there is disclosed a storage system for moving and storing cargo such as automobiles, cargo containers and the like. The storage system comprises an array of contiguous storage spaces on each level within a structure, each storage space being provided with a first means for supporting and moving a storage platform back and forth in longitudinal direction, and a second means for supporting and moving a storage platform from the side in a transverse direction, and elevator means for raising and lowering any of a plurality of storage platforms and cargo thereon to a desired level. However, this storage system is still not satisfactory in function. Because a number of heavy powered jacks are used and installed in the storage space below the first means, second means and elevator means, the installation process of the storage system is complicated, and the building structure must be reinforced to support the heavy load. The storage system further comprises shift means for selectively bringing one of the supporting and moving means into and out of operative engagement and support of corresponding pair of guide rails, so that one of the first and second supporting and moving means is in supportive contact with one of a plurality of storage platforms at any time when the platform occupies the corresponding storage space. The arrangement cannot absolutely eliminate the problem of engagement errors. Any tiny engagement error may cause vibration of a storage platform as it is moved from one storage space to another. The storage system further comprises platform storage means for accommodating storage platforms when they are not positioned in the storage space. The platform storage means comprises at least one storage well wherein the storage platforms may be placed in a vertical stack, means for raising and lowering the stack so that the topmost of stored storage platforms may be horizontally aligned with at least one level of the building structure, and means for removing the topmost platform from and returning any of storage platform to the stack in the at least one storage well. Because a tray hoist system and hydraulic cylinders are used as means for moving and storing storage platforms in the storage well, effective operation can be achieved only when storage platforms are precisely positioned. Any positioning error of storage platforms (due to the aforesaid engagement errors) may cause a catching failure. Further, because storage platforms are to be placed in a vertical stack, a great friction resistance will be produced and transmitted to the hydraulic cylinders when one storage platform is placed on or retrieved from another, thereby shortening the service life of the hydraulic cylinders.

Automatic controlled multi-level storage system


A backlight assembly includes an optical unit including a lamp unit emitting light. The backlight assembly also includes a receiving container. The receiving container includes a plurality of side walls, a bottom plate separably combined with the side walls, and a combining element for combining the side walls with the bottom plate. The receiving container receives the optical unit in a receiving space defined by the side walls, the bottom plate, and the combining element.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a backlight assembly, a display apparatus having the backlight assembly and a method for manufacturing the backlight assembly. More particularly, the present invention relates to a reduced-weight backlight assembly capable of enhancing productivity, a display apparatus having the backlight assembly and a method for manufacturing the backlight assembly.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a liquid crystal display "LCD" apparatus is a type of device that displays images using liquid crystal molecules. An LCD panel does not emit light by itself, but rather it receives external light for displaying an image. Generally, the LCD panel employs a backlight assembly that provides the LCD panel with the light. Backlight assemblies are classified as having either a direct-illumination type or an edge-illumination type according to a position of a lamp unit with respect to the assembly.
An LCD apparatus having the direct-illumination type includes a bottom chassis, a reflective plate, a lamp unit, a diffusion plate, a mold frame, an LCD panel and a top chassis. The bottom chassis is combined with a lower portion of the mold frame for fixing the lamp unit, maintaining a desired temperature by expelling heat generated by the lamp unit, and protecting the LCD apparatus from external impact.
LCD apparatuses have been increasing in size due, in part, to consumer demand. However, as the size of these LCD apparatuses increase, so will the size of the bottom chasses produced therefore. Thus, the weight of the bottom chassis increases in proportion to the size of apparatus. In addition, the size of press equipment for manufacturing the bottom chassis is increased in order to manufacture these larger sized bottom chasses. Particularly, when a side wall and a bottom plate of the bottom chassis are integrally manufactured, manufacturing costs for, and control over, the bottom chasses are greatly increased.

Backlight assembly, display apparatus having the same and method for manufacturing the backlight assembly


A machine operator safety system for selectively providing hydraulic power to a boom assembly of an aerial device upon attaching a lanyard. The machine operator safety system comprises a set of upper boom controls within the utility platform, a lanyard anchor housing with a lanyard anchor therein, an actuator for selectively positioning the lanyard anchor housing in either a first position or a second position, and a hydraulic valve. When the lanyard anchor housing is in the first position, which conceals the lanyard anchor, the hydraulic valve blocks the flow of hydraulic power to the set of upper boom controls. When the lanyard anchor housing is in the second position, which exposes the lanyard anchor for attachment of the lanyard, the hydraulic valve directs the flow of hydraulic power to the set of upper boom controls.

1. Field
Embodiments of the invention relate to utility platform safety. More particularly, embodiments of the invention relate to systems for ensuring a worker is secured to a utility platform before providing hydraulic power to a boom.
2. Related Art
Utility workers utilize an aerial device to reach inaccessible locations. The aerial device is usually mounted on a utility truck and generally includes a boom with a utility platform connected to a distal end of the boom. The utility platform includes a platform in which one or more utility workers stand. As such, aerial devices include systems for mitigating a risk the utility worker can fall from the utility platform. Aerial device operators utilize a lanyard, which is securely attached to the worker, and a lanyard anchor, which is securely attached to the aerial device. In the event a worker does fall from the utility platform, the lanyard and lanyard anchor prevent the worker from falling all the way to the ground. To ensure safety, some utility platforms utilize a system that electrically detects the presence of one or more lanyards before allowing the operation of the utility platform.
Utility workers typically use an aerial device to access overhead electric power lines and electric power components for installation, repair, or maintenance. The utility platforms utilized by electric utility workers are highly insulated so as to prevent the discharge of electricity through the utility truck, and especially through the utility worker. The insulated nature of the utility platform prevents the use of a system that detects the attachment of a lanyard to a lanyard anchor via electrical signals. Not only does the insulated nature prevent the operation, but adding an electrical signal system of detecting the lanyard could potentially be unsafe to the utility worker. As such, there is currently no system or method of ensuring that a utility worker has attached his lanyard to the utility platform.


The present invention provides a dielectric optical fiber cable which is capable of being remotely detected while buried. Specifically, this invention incorporates magnetic materials into existing elements of high strength sheath systems which are commonly used to enhance the tensile properties of many optical fiber cables. Embodiments of the present invention include various configurations of strength member systems each comprising a plurality of longitudinally aligned glass roving or yarns which have neodymium iron boron compounded into an epoxy matrix.

The two basic types of optical fiber cables presently used in the industry are metallic cables and dielectric (or non-metallic) cables. At present, it is believed that slightly less than one-third of telecommunication systems use dielectric fiber optic cable. However, approximately half of those using metallic cables have indicated through surveys that they would use dielectric cables instead if there existed a reliable and cost-effective method to locate the dielectric cable after it has been buried.
Presently, there are basically two general types of technologies involved in the detection of buried fiber optic cable, magnetic and metallic. In general, the existing magnetic locators consist of either 1) magnetic elements designed or embedded into the cable, or 2) a magnetic-field emitting product which is buried alongside the length of the cable. The residual magnetization generated by the past magnetic hysteresis of the cable may then be detected by a magnetic locator. However, the distribution pattern of the magnetic field often varies according to the cable and its particular position along the cable and thus, it is difficult to detect the correct cable when other magnetic members are located nearby.
Alternatively, existing metallic fiber optic cable locators generally use a detection method based on the electromagnetic field produced by the application of an alternating current to the metallic sheathed cable. However, the electric and/or magnetic field generated by the application of an AC electric signal to the cable is often not strong enough to allow a determination of the precise location of the cable. Such low levels of field strength are particularly ineffective in locating cables buried deep under the ground or sea bed.
Commonly, to facilitate detecting a dielectric cable, a copper ground wire is positioned just above the cable. However, the exposed nature of this ground wire makes it very vulnerable to lightning strikes. Furthermore, when a cable's armor or detection wire is severed by lightning or some other cause, it becomes impossible to apply an electric signal along the cable, thus creating great difficulty in locating and retrieving the cable for repair.
Other existing detection methods include incorporating a non-conductive tape which has been covered with a magnetic powder such as strontium or barium ferrite or compounding and extruding these magnetic powders in polyethylene or polyvinyl chloride conduits. Both of these methods employ a means of magnetizing a tape along its width, and helically wrapping it along the length of the cable or of the conduit. Each method also provides a distinctive electronic-detection signature which allows an operator to differentiate between a buried cable and a solid metallic pipe. See U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,006,806 and 5,017,873 which are assigned to Schondstedt Instrumentation Company of Reston, Va.
What is needed and seemingly not available in the prior art is a system which dependably, accurately and cost-effectively locates dielectric (non-metallic) buried cables. Also desirable is a system for locating buried dielectric cables which is readily adaptable to most, if not all, existing cable types.
One method involves modifying the existing water-blocking tape present in the cable so that the cable becomes magnetically locatable without adversely affecting the operational characteristics of the cable. See copending and commonly-assigned U.S. Ser. No. 08/012357 now allowed. However, while addressing a concern similar to that of the above-identified copending application, the present invention is directed toward modifying the strength member portion present in most communication cables instead of the waterblocking portion as taught by the application identified immediately above.

Dielectric optical fiber cables which are magnetically locatable


A composite cathode is provided which includes a collector, an active cathode material, a binder, a solid inorganic lithium-ion conductor and a liquid electrolyte. The solid inorganic lithium ion conductor is present in the composite cathode in a higher volume and weight proportion than the liquid electrolyte. A method for forming the composite cathode is also provided, and a lithium ion battery is provided which includes a composite cathode having a collector, an active cathode material, a binder, a solid inorganic lithium ion conductor and a liquid electrolyte.

The present invention relates to a composite cathode. The present invention also relates to a lithium-ion battery having such composite cathode, and a method for producing such composite cathode.
As used herein, the terms "lithium-ion battery", "rechargeable lithium-ion battery", and "secondary lithium-ion battery" are used synonymously. These terms also encompass the terms "lithium battery", "lithium-ion accumulator", and "lithium-ion cell", and also all lithium or alloy batteries, including in particular Li-sulfur or alloy systems. Therefore, the term "lithium-ion battery" is used as a collective term for the aforementioned terms which are customary known in the art. It refers to both rechargeable batteries (secondary batteries) and non-chargeable batteries (primary batteries). In particular, as used herein, a "battery" within the meaning of the present invention also encompasses an individual or single "electrochemical cell".
Generally, as known in the art, the mode of action of a lithium-ion battery can be described as follows: the electrical energy is stored in lithium ions (at the negative electrode) and transition-metal oxides (at the positive electrode) in a chemical process with a change of material. Here, the lithium in the ionized form (Li+) can migrate back and forth between the two electrodes through an electrolyte, which contains usually LiPF6 as the conducting salt. In contrast to the lithium ions, the transition-metal ions present at the cathode are stationary.
This flow of lithium ions is necessary in order to compensate the external flow of electric current during charging and discharging, so that the electrodes themselves remain electrically neutral. During discharging, the effective lithium atoms (or the negative active material containing the lithium ions) at the negative electrode each release an electron, which flows by the external current circuit (load) to the positive electrode. At the same time, the same number of lithium ions migrates through the electrolyte from the negative electrode to the positive electrode. At the positive electrode, however, the lithium ions do not take up the electron again, but instead the transition-metal ions present there take up the electrons. Depending on the type of battery, these ions may be cobalt, nickel, manganese or iron ions, etc. The lithium thus continues to be in ionized form (Li+) at the positive electrode in the discharged state of the cell.
Lithium-ion batteries are protected with gastight sealing, and so in regular operations none of the ingredients can emerge or enter. If the casing is damaged mechanically, as it may occur for example, in the event of an accident involving an electric motor vehicle, contents may emerge in vapor, gas or liquid form. Emerging in gas form, primarily, are vaporized electrolyte (an explosion risk) and electrolyte decomposition products such as methane, ethane, hydrogen, propane and butane, and aldehydes. Emerging in liquid form, the liquid electrolyte consisting of solvents and conducting salt. The solvents are generally flammable and are highly irritant. In contact with moisture, the conducting salt LiPF6 can form hydrogen fluoride (HF) which is highly toxic and can be an irritant to the respiratory tract.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a lithium-ion battery with enhanced safety.
This and other objects of the invention are achieved by means of a composite cathode in accordance with one or more aspects of the disclosure.
The following definitions apply, where applicable, to all aspects of the disclosure:
Lithium-Ion Battery
As used herein, the term "lithium-ion battery" has the meaning as defined above. In particular, the term also includes an individual or single "electrochemical cell." Preferably, in a "battery", two or more electrochemical cells of this kind are connected, either in series (that is, one after another) or in parallel.
Electrodes
The electrochemical cell of the invention has at least two electrodes, i.e., a positive electrode (cathode) and a negative electrode (anode).
These two electrodes each have at least one active material. This material is capable of accepting or releasing lithium ions and at the same time takes up or releases electrons.
As used herein, the term "positive electrode" refers to the electrode which when the battery is connected to a load, such as to an electric motor, is capable of accepting electrons. In this nomenclature, it represents the cathode.
As used herein, term "negative electrode" refers to the electrode which in operation is capable of releasing electrons. In this nomenclature, it represents the anode.
The electrodes include inorganic material or inorganic compounds or substances which can be used for or in or on an electrode or as an electrode. Under the operating conditions of the lithium-ion battery, on the basis of their chemical nature, these compounds or substances can take up (intercalate) lithium ions or metallic lithium and also release them. In the present description, a material of this kind is referred to as an "active cathode material" or "active anode material", respectively, or, generally, as "active material" or "active electrode material." For use in an electrochemical cell or battery, this active material is preferably applied to a support, preferably to a metallic support, preferably using aluminum for the cathode and copper for the anode, respectively. This support is also referred to as a "collector" or a "current collector" or a "collector foil."
Cathode (The Positive Electrode)
As for selecting the active material for the positive electrode (also referred to as the active cathode material), it is possible to use any active materials which are known in the art. These include, for example, LiCoO2 (LCO), lithium nickel cobalt manganese oxide (NCM), lithium nickel cobalt aluminum oxide (NCA), high-energy NCM (HE-NCM), lithium-iron phosphate, or Li-manganese spinel (LiMn2O4). According to one aspect of the invention, any suitable active material known in the art can be used for the cathode (the positive electrode).
In one preferred embodiment, the active cathode material may be a material selected from the group consisting of a lithium transition-metal oxide (also referred to as the lithium metal oxide), layered oxides, spinels, olivine compounds, silicate compounds, and mixtures thereof. Such active cathode materials are described for example in Bo Xu et al. "Recent Progress in Cathode Materials Research for Advanced Lithium Ion Batteries", Materials Science and Engineering, R 73 (2012) 51-65. Preferably, the active cathode material is HE-NCM. Layered oxides and HE-NCM are also described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,677,082, 6,680,143 and 7,205,072 of the Argonne National Laboratory.
Examples of olivine compounds are lithium phosphates of empirical formula LiXPO4 where X=Mn, Fe, Co or Ni, or combinations thereof.
Examples of lithium transition-metal oxide, spinel compounds, and layered transition-metal oxides include lithium manganate, preferably LiMn2O4, lithium cobaltate, preferably LiCoO2, lithium nickelate, preferably LiNiO2, or mixtures of two or more of these oxides, or their mixed oxides thereof.
The active material may also contain mixtures of two or more of the substances described herein.
To increase the electrical conductivity, further compounds are included in the active material, preferably carbon-containing compounds, or carbon, preferably in the form of conductive carbon black or graphite. The carbon may also be introduced in the form of carbon nanotubes or graphene. Such additions are preferably in an amount of from 0.1 to 6 wt %, more preferably, from 1 to 3 wt %, based on the positive electrode's composition (excluding solvent) applied to the support.
Anode (The Negative Electrode)
As for selecting the active material for the negative electrode (also referred to as the active anode material), it is possible to use any active materials which are known in the art. According to one aspect of the invention, any suitable active material known in the art can be used for the negative electrode (the anode). The active anode material can be selected from the group consisting of lithium metal oxides, such as lithium titanium oxide, metal oxides (e.g., Fe2O3, ZnO, ZnFe2O4), carbon-containing materials, such as graphite (e.g., synthetic graphite, natural graphite), graphene, mesocarbon, doped carbon, hard carbon, soft carbon, fullerenes, mixtures of silicon and carbon, silicon, tin, materials which can be alloyed with lithium, and mixtures thereof. It is also possible to use niobium pentoxide, tin alloys, titanium dioxide, tin dioxide, and silicon as the active material for the anode (the negative electrode).
In one embodiment, the active anode material is a material which can be alloyed with lithium. This material may be metallic lithium, a lithium alloy, or an unlithiated or partially lithiated precursor thereof, from which a lithium alloy is produced on formation. Preferred materials which can be alloyed with lithium are lithium alloys selected from the group consisting of silicon-based, tin-based, and antimony-based alloys. Such alloys are described for example in the review article by W. J. Zhang, Journal of Power Sources, 196 (2011) 13-24.
Electrode Binder
The materials used for the positive or negative electrode, for example the active materials, are held together by one or more binders which hold these materials on the electrode and/or on the collector.
The binders can be selected from the group consisting of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVdF), polyvinylidene fluoride-hexafluoropropylene copolymer (PVdF-HFP), polyethylene oxide (PEO), polytetrafluoroethylene, polyacrylate, styrene-butadiene rubber, and carboxymethylcellulose (CMC), and mixtures and copolymers thereof. The styrene-butadiene rubber and optionally the carboxymethylcellulose and/or the further binders, such as PVdF, are preferably present in an amount of 0.5-8 wt %, based on the total amount of the active material used in the positive or negative electrode.
Separator
The electrochemical cell of the invention has a material which separates the positive electrode and the negative electrode from one another. This material is permeable for lithium ions, i.e., conducts lithium ions, but is a nonconductor for electrons. Materials of this kind used in lithium-ion batteries are also referred to as separators.
In one preferred embodiment, polymers are used as separators. In one embodiment, the polymers are selected from the group consisting of: polyesters, preferably polyethylene terephthalate; polyolefin, preferably polyethylene, polypropylene; polyacrylonitrile; polyvinylidene fluoride; polyvinylidene-hexafluoropropylene; polyetherimide; polyimide, polyethers; polyetherketone, or mixtures thereof. The separator has porosity, so that it is permeable to lithium ions. In a preferred embodiment, the separator consists of at least one polymer.
Electrolyte
As used herein, the term "electrolyte" refers to a liquid in which a conducting lithium salt is in solution. The liquid is preferably a solvent for the conducting salt. In that case the conducting Li salt is preferably in the form of an electrolyte solution.
Preferably, the solvents are chemically and electrochemically inert. Examples of suitable solvents include preferably organic solvents such as, ethylene carbonate, propylene carbonate, butylene carbonate, dimethyl carbonate, diethyl carbonate, ethyl methyl carbonate, sulfolanes, 2-methyltetrahydrofuran, and 1,3-dioxolane. Preferably, organic carbonates are used as the solvent.
In one aspect of the invention, ionic liquids can also be used as solvents. The ionic liquids contain exclusively ions. Examples of cations include those which can be in alkylated form, such as imidazolium, pyridinium, pyrrolidinium, guanidinium, uronium, thiuronium, piperidinium, morpholinium, sulfonium, ammonium, and phosphonium cations. Examples of anions which can be used include halide, tetrafluoroborate, trifluoroacetate, triflate, hexafluorophosphate, phosphinate, and tosylate anions.
Exemplary ionic liquids include the following: N-methyl-N-propylpiperidinium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide, N-methyl-N-butylpyrrolidinium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide, N-butyl-N-trimethylammonium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide, triethylsulfonium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide, and N,N-diethyl-N-methyl-N-(2-methoxyethyl)ammonium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide.
Preference is given to using two or more of the liquids described above. Preferred conducting salts are lithium salts which have inert anions and which are preferably nontoxic. Suitable lithium salts are preferably lithium hexafluorophosphate (LiPF6), or lithium tetrafluoroborate (LiBF4), and mixtures of one or more of these salts. In one embodiment the separator here is wetted or impregnated with the lithium salt electrolyte.
Various objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of one or more preferred embodiments when considered in conjunction with the accompanying examples.
In one aspect of the disclosure, the present invention is directed to a composite cathode.
The composite cathode of the invention includes a collector, an active cathode material, a binder, a solid inorganic lithium-ion conductor, and a liquid electrolyte, the solid inorganic lithium ion conductor in the composite cathode being present in a higher volume fraction and weight fraction than the liquid electrolyte. The coating of the collector is composed of the active cathode material, the binder, the solid inorganic lithium-ion conductor, and the liquid electrolyte, and is preferably porous and preferably homogeneous.
In one aspect, the solid inorganic lithium-ion conductors include crystalline, composite, and amorphous inorganic solid lithium-ion conductors. The crystalline lithium-ion conductors include in particular, perovskite-type lithium lanthanum titanates, NASICON-type, LiSICON-type and thio-LISICON-type Li-ion conductors, and also garnet-type Li-ion-conducting oxides. The composite lithium-ion conductors include, in particular, materials which contain oxides and mesoporous oxides. Solid inorganic lithium-ion conductors of this kind are described for example in the review article by Philippe Knauth "Inorganic Solid Li Ion Conductors: An Overview", Solid State Ionics, Volume 180, Issues 14-16, 25 Jun. 2009, pages 911-916. Also included in accordance with the invention are all solid lithium-ion conductors which are described in Cao C, Li Z-B, Wang X-L, Zhao X-B and Han W-Q (2014) "Recent Advances in Inorganic Solid Electrolytes for Lithium Batteries", Frontiers in Energy Research, 2:25. Also included, in particular, in accordance with the invention are the garnets described in EP 1723080 B1.
The composite electrode of the invention therefore has a composition which is predominantly a solid inorganic lithium-ion conductor that is employed as an inorganic solid-state electrolyte. Also present, as an auxiliary electrolyte, is a liquid electrolyte, in a lower weight fraction and volume fraction.
The inventors have recognized that by including the solid inorganic lithium-ion conductor in the composite cathode according to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the amount of liquid electrolyte in the composite cathode. As a result it is possible to reduce the total amount of liquid electrolyte included in a lithium-ion battery having the composite cathode. In this way, both the amount of solvents and the amount of conducting salt, especially LiPF6, can be lowered, hence making it possible to reduce not only the risk of ignition of emergent liquids or gases but also reduce the health hazards posed by the production of hydrogen fluoride (HF) from an reaction of LiPF6 with moisture.
In one preferred embodiment of the invention, the composite cathode has interconnected pores which contain the solid inorganic lithium-ion conductor and the liquid electrolyte. By arranging the solid inorganic lithium-ion conductor and the liquid electrolyte in interconnected pores, it is possible to lower the contact resistance between the particles of the solid inorganic lithium-ion conductor.
In one preferred embodiment of the invention, the composite cathode, based on the volume without the liquid electrolyte, possesses a porosity of 10% to 25% and the porosity is filled out with the liquid electrolyte to an extent of more than 90%, more preferably, more than 95%. Most preferably, it is completely filled out by the liquid electrolyte. By filling out the porosity with the liquid electrolyte to the most complete extent possible, it is possible to improve the contact resistance between the particles of the solid inorganic lithium-ion conductor.
In one preferred embodiment of the invention, the active cathode material and the solid inorganic lithium-ion conductor each consist of particles or secondary particles, where present, and the particles of the active cathode material possess a larger average particle size D50, preferably a 5 to 1000 times larger particle size D50, more preferably 10 to 100 times larger particle size D50, than the particles of the solid inorganic lithium-ion conductor. The measurements in this context are determined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). A measurement technique of this kind is described for example in U.S. Pat. No. 5,872,358. By using particles or secondary particles of the solid inorganic lithium-ion conductor that possess a larger particle size D50 than that of the solid inorganic lithium-ion conductor, the energy density per unit volume of the composite cathode can be increased.
In one preferred embodiment, the active cathode material consists of secondary particles, and the particle size D50 of the secondary particles is more than 3 μm to 75 μm, preferably 5 μm to 35 μm. The measurement values are determined as described above.
In one preferred embodiment, the solid inorganic lithium-ion conductor consists of particles, and the particle size D50 of the particles is more than 0.05 μm to 5 μm, preferably 0.1 μm to 3 μm. The measurement values are determined as described above.
In one preferred embodiment, the solid inorganic lithium-ion conductor is present, at 10 to 50 wt %, preferably from 20 to 40 wt %, in the composite cathode in relation to the active cathode material.
In one preferred embodiment, the active cathode material is selected from the group consisting of lithium metal oxide, layered oxides, spinels, olivine compounds, silicate compounds, HE-NCM, and mixtures thereof. Especially preferred are LiCoO2, NCM, NCA, olivine, OLO (layered-layered), HE-NCM, spinel, and mixtures thereof.
In one preferred embodiment, the solid inorganic lithium-ion conductor possesses a lithium-ion conductivity of at least 10−5 S/cm. The measurement values in this context are determined by the GITT (Galvanostatic Intermittent Titration Technique), as described for example in W. Weppner and R. A. Huggins, J. Electrochem. Soc., 124, 1569-1578 (1977).
In one preferred embodiment, the solid inorganic lithium-ion conductor is selected from the group consisting of Perovskite, glass formers, Garnet, and mixtures thereof. Especially preferred are the Garnets described by EP 1723080 B1, on account of their particular electrochemical stability in the 3-5 V potential range of the cathode (positive electrode).
In one preferred embodiment, the binder is selected from the group which consists of polyvinylidene fluoride, copolymer of polyvinylidene fluoride and hexafluoropropylene, polyethylene oxide, copolymer of styrene and butadiene, cellulose, and mixtures thereof.
In one preferred embodiment, the liquid electrolyte contains organic carbonates and a conducting salt, preferably LiPF6 or LiPF4.
The thickness of the composite electrode is generally 5 μm to 250 μm, preferably 20 μm to 100 μm. The measurement values in this context are determined by optical methods, as specified in U.S. Pat. No. 4,008,523.
In another aspect of the disclosure, the present invention is directed to a lithium-ion battery which includes electrodes, a separator, and an electrolyte, where one of the electrodes is a composite cathode according to the present invention.
In another aspect of the disclosure, the present invention is directed to a method for producing the composite cathode of the invention. The method includes the following steps: combining at least an active cathode material, a binder in solution with a solvent, an inorganic solid lithium ion conductor, and preferably, an electrically conductive additive, into a homogeneous slurry; applying the slurry to a collector; stripping off the solvent under reduced pressure and/or elevated temperature, developing porosity in the slurry; adjusting the porosity, more particularly adjusting the volume of the porosity to 5% to 25%, by compressing and/or calendaring; filling up the free porosity of the composite cathode with a liquid electrolyte. This may be carried out by impregnation, optionally supported by reduced pressure and/or heat treatment.
The lithium-ion battery of the invention is suitable both for fixed and for portable applications. On account of the reduction in the amount of liquid electrolyte included, together with the reduced hazards to drivers/passengers, the lithium-ion battery of the invention is particularly suitable for use in motor vehicle applications.

Composite cathode and lithium-ion battery comprising same, and method for producing said composite cathode

Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft


An apparatus for producing a two-color molded article, including a pair of primary forming molds, which constitute a primary molding unit for molding a primary molded body by a primary injection molding operation using a first injection unit, are opened while retaining the primary molded body by one of the pair of primary forming molds, and a second injection unit, which constitutes a secondary molding unit for molding a secondary molded body by secondary injection molding operation, is assembled in one of a pair of secondary forming molds with at least part of the second injection unit being accommodated in the one of the pair of secondary forming molds. A secondary molding cavity is formed between the pair of secondary forming molds so as to accommodate at least a part of the primary molded body retained by the above-described one of the pair of primary forming molds.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an apparatus for and a method of producing a two-color molded article, and more particularly to an apparatus for and a method of advantageously producing a two-color molded article which consists of a primary molded body and a secondary molded body and in which the secondary molded body is superposed on the primary molded body such that the primary and secondary molded bodies are bonded together or not bonded together.
Discussion of Related Art
As one kind of resin molded articles, there is a two-color molded article consisting of a primary molded body molded by a primary injection molding operation using a first resin material and a secondary molded body molded by a secondary injection molding operation using a second resin material which is different from the first resin material. In the two-color molded article, the secondary molded body is superposed on the primary molded body such that the primary and secondary molded bodies are bonded together. The two-color molded article is used for components of a vehicle, an electric device, and various kinds of specifically designed products, for example. Recently, it is considered to produce a two-color molded article wherein the secondary molded body is superposed on the primary molded body such that the primary and secondary molded bodies are not bonded together.
In the production of the two-color molded article, an apparatus as disclosed in JP-A-2009-78436 is generally used. The apparatus disclosed in the above-described document comprises a turntable which is rotatable about an axis, first and second lower molds which have respective cavity surfaces of the same shape and which are located on the turntable, first and second upper molds which have respective cavity surfaces of different shapes and which are disposed so as to be movable toward and away from the first and second lower molds, an opening and closing device for moving the first and second upper molds toward and away from the first and second lower molds to close and open the upper and lower molds, and first and second injection units disposed such that their nozzles contact with the first and second upper molds at respective nozzle fitting portions provided on the first and second upper molds.
In the production of the two-color molded article by using the above-described apparatus, the first upper and lower molds are closed by the opening and closing device so as to form a primary molding cavity having a shape corresponding to the primary molded body between the first upper and lower molds. Then, the first resin material in a molten state is injected from the first injection unit so as to fill the primary molding cavity, and the first resin material filled in the primary molding cavity is solidified so as to obtain the primary molded body. The first upper and lower molds are opened by the opening and closing device such that the primary molded body is retained by the first lower mold. Then, the turntable is rotated so that the first lower mold retaining the primary molded body is positioned right below the second upper mold, and the second lower mold is positioned right below the first upper mold. Then, the second upper mold and the first lower mold are closed while the first upper mold and the second lower mold are closed, by the opening and closing device. Thus, a secondary molding cavity having a shape corresponding to the secondary molded body is formed between the second upper mold and the first lower mold with the primary molded body being retained inside the secondary molding cavity, while the primary molding cavity is formed between the first upper mold and the second lower mold. Then, the second resin material in a molten state is injected from the second injection unit so as to fill the secondary molding cavity while the first resin material in a molten state is injected from the first injection unit so as to fill the primary molding cavity. Thus, the secondary molded body is molded so as to be superposed on the primary molded body inside the secondary molding cavity whereby the desired two-color molded article is produced. On the other hand, another primary molded body is molded inside the primary molding cavity. After the two-color molded article is removed by opening the second upper mold and the first lower mold while opening the first upper mold and the second lower mold, the turntable is rotated. The above-described process is repeated.
By using the apparatus having the above-described conventional structure, it is possible to successively produce the desired two-color molded article. However, the conventional apparatus for producing the two-color molded article is configured such that the first and second injection units are disposed in spaces separate from the space in which the two pairs of forming molds (the first upper and lower molds and the second upper and lower molds) are disposed such that the nozzles of the injection units contact with the respective nozzle fitting portions of the first and second upper molds. Therefore, the conventional apparatus for producing the two-color molded article necessarily has an extremely larger size than a general injection molding apparatus having only one injection unit.
In the above-described situation, JP-A-2004-1403, for example, proposes an apparatus for producing the two-color molded article comprising one pair of forming molds and two injection units, wherein at least one of the two injection units is attached to the pair of forming molds. The apparatus makes it possible to reduce the space in which the injection unit attached to the pair of forming molds is disposed, as compared with that of the above-described conventional apparatus, thereby reducing the overall size of the apparatus.
However, the present inventors conducted various studies on the structure of the above-described apparatus for producing the two-color molded article, and found that the apparatus has the following potential problems.
In the apparatus for producing the two-color molded article configured such that the at least one of the first and second injection units is attached to the pair of forming molds, a primary molding cavity having a shape corresponding to the primary molded body is formed by closing the pair of forming molds. A first resin material in a molten state is injected from the first injection unit so as to fill the primary molding cavity and solidified, thereby forming the primary molded body. Then, the pair of forming molds are separated from each other by a predetermined distance, namely, a so called core-back operation is performed, thereby forming a secondary molding cavity between a cavity surface of the at least one of the pair of forming molds and the primary molded body. A second resin material in a molten state is injected from the second injection unit so as to fill the secondary molding cavity and solidified, thereby forming the secondary molded body inside the secondary molding cavity. Thus, the two-color molded article comprising the secondary molded body superposed on the primary molded body is produced.
In the above-described apparatus, the secondary molding cavity is formed by the core-back operation of the pair of forming molds. Therefore, the surface of the secondary molded body remote from the primary molded body necessarily has the same shape as that of the surface of the primary molded body on which the secondary molded body is superposed. As a result, when the above-described apparatus is used, the overall shape of the obtained two-color molded article depends on the shape of the primary molded body, and it is therefore impossible to obtain a two-color molded article having a shape different from that of the primary molded body.
Further, in the above-described apparatus, the pair of forming molds is provided with a slot for injecting the molten resin into the secondary molding cavity, and the pair of forming molds is opened after the core-back operation. Namely, the pair of forming molds is configured so as to successively conduct the primary and secondary injection molding operations. Therefore, it was generally impossible to obtain the primary molded body as the end product by a single primary injection molding operation without a secondary injection molding operation by using the above-described apparatus. Even if it was possible to do so, unnecessary operations such as the core-back operation for molding the secondary molded body should be performed just to obtain the primary molded body.
In other words, the conventional apparatus for producing the two-color molded article, which is configured such that the at least one of the first and second injection units is attached to the pair of forming molds, is intended to be used only for the production of the two-color molded article. It was not possible to use the apparatus as a general injection molding apparatus for producing the molded article by a single primary injection molding operation. Even if it was possible to do so, the productivity of the molded article was insufficient to practically use the apparatus as the injection molding apparatus for producing the molded article by the single primary injection molding operation. The conventional apparatus for producing the two-color molded article, which is configured such that the two injection units are disposed separately from the two pairs of forming molds, is also used only for the production of the two-color molded article. Its structure does not substantially permit the use of the apparatus for both purposes of producing the two-color molded article and producing the molded article by the single primary injection molding operation.

Apparatus for and method of producing two-color molded article


Approaches to a solder ball bonding (SBB) tool and a method for solder ball bonding work pieces. The SBB tool comprises a rotatable feed plate for transporting solder balls from a reservoir to a nozzle, which is a position at which a laser light source can irradiate and melt the solder balls. The melted solder ball is then ejected from the nozzle and onto one or more work pieces, for electrically interconnecting the work pieces. The feed plate is configured with first holes and second holes, the first holes for receiving and transporting solder balls and the second holes for providing an aperture for the laser light to irradiate the solder balls, as the feed plate rotates and the holes are moved to positions in relation to the reservoir and the nozzle.

A hard-disk drive (HDD) is a non-volatile storage device that is housed in a protective enclosure and stores digitally encoded data on one or more circular disks having magnetic surfaces (a disk may also be referred to as a platter). When an HDD is in operation, each magnetic-recording disk is rapidly rotated by a spindle system. Data is read from and written to a magnetic-recording disk using a read/write head which is positioned over a specific location of a disk by an actuator.
A read/write head uses a magnetic field to read data from and write data to the surface of a magnetic-recording disk. As a magnetic dipole field decreases rapidly with distance from a magnetic pole, the distance between a read/write head, which is housed in a slider, and the surface of a magnetic-recording disk must be tightly controlled. An actuator relies in part on a suspension's force on the slider and on the aerodynamic characteristics of the slider air bearing surface (ABS) to provide the proper distance between the read/write head and the surface of the magnetic-recording disk (the "flying height") while the magnetic-recording disk rotates. A slider therefore is said to "fly" over the surface of the magnetic-recording disk.
An HDD includes at least one head gimbal assembly (HGA) that includes a read/write head, a lead suspension attached to the head, and a load beam attached to the slider, which includes the head at a distal end of the slider. The slider is attached at the distal end of the load beam to a gimbal portion of the load beam. Typically, the slider is electrically interconnected to the lead suspension via connection pads on the respective components, which are solder ball bonded (SBB) together to form the final electrical interconnection between the components.
One SBB method places a solder ball between the connection pad of the slider and the connection pad of the suspension, reflows the solder ball by using laser light, and electrically interconnects the connection pad of the slider and the connection pad of the suspension. To prevent oxidation of the solder surface, the solder ball is reflowed in an inert gas environment such as nitrogen. The device for feeding and ejecting the solder ball by a compressed gas, such as nitrogen gas, is typically referred to as a solder ball jet (SB-jet).
The solder ball must be accurately placed between the pads in order to reflow the solder ball with the laser light. However, the head slider is an extremely small component, and its size continues to decrease with successive designs. Therefore, the connection pads and the solder balls placed at the pads are also becoming smaller, and placing the solder balls at the exact positions becomes more challenging. In addition, the solder ball often rotates during reflow. Thus, the placements of the solder balls frequently require correction, which becomes a source of degradation in the efficiency of the manufacturing process.
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a solder ball jet of a prior art solder ball bonding tool. In the SB jet 300 illustrated in FIG. 3, pressure is applied to a solder ball by a compressed gas as the solder ball is falling to a nozzle 302 or after the solder ball is held at the tip of the nozzle 302, and laser light from laser 308 irradiates the solder ball through the path of laser optical path 304 to eject melted solder. When the solder ball supply into nozzle 302 is through the inclined solder ball feed path 306, supplying the solder ball takes time and, consequently, the takt time becomes long.

High-speed transportation mechanism for micro solder balls


A non-aqueous photopolymerizable inkjet ink, including as a photopolymerizable monomer: (a) ethylene glycol dimethacrylate; and (b) caprolactone-modified dipentaerythritol hexaacrylate or ethylene oxide-modified trimethylolpropane tri-methacrylate, or both thereof, wherein the ink includes the (a) component by 10% by mass to 95% by mass with respect to the entire photopolymerizable monomer, and the ink includes the (b) component by 5% by mass to 90% by mass with respect to the entire photopolymerizable monomer, and wherein the ink does not include a diluting solvent.

Photopolymerizable inkjet inks containing (meth)acrylic esters, and photopolymerizable inkjet inks containing (meth)acrylic esters and vinyl ethers in combination have been widely known (see, for example, PTL 1).
However, many of the monomers used in such conventional photopolymerizable inkjet inks have toxicity. In particular, most of (meth)acrylic esters, which are inexpensive and easily procured, exhibit high skin sensitization, causing allergy on a skin brought into contact with them, but conventional art has not provided any solution to this problem.
Reducing viscosity of a photopolymerizable inkjet ink may be easily achieved by adding a diluting solvent, but the solvent released into the atmosphere by volatilization is not desirable in view of environmental impact.
A photopolymerizable water-based inkjet ink blended with water is heretofore known, but penetration drying on an impermeable substrate is not expected as described later. As a result, it requires a step of evaporating water for faster and more efficient process, requiring installation of heat source and so on, which is not desirable in view of energy conservation.
For further improvement of the performance of the photopolymerizable inkjet ink, it has been desired to improve strength of a cured film thereof by increasing durability against abrasion and to reduce viscosity thereof to so as not to interfere with inkjet discharge despite being thickened due to blending with various materials such as pigments and additives.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Non-aqueous photopolymerizable inkjet ink and ink cartridge


A system (234, 220, 200) for monitoring movements of one or more users and/or one or more projectiles during sports activities performed by the one or more users is provided. The one or more projectiles (200) incorporate sensors (202, 204) for sensing movements of the one or more projectiles (200) during the sports activities. A user interface (220) is used for presenting automated sports training services. A data processing arrangement (234, 232, 220) is used for analysing one or more records of the movements of the one or more projectiles (200) against reference data, for providing the automated sports training services to the one or more users via the user interface (220).

Sports training equipment, for example as found in gymnasia and fitness centres, are well known for improving performances of sports people, especially when guidance from a personal coaching person is provided. However, personal coaches are expensive to hire and are not always familiar with playing styles and nuances of famous sports people whom a given sports person may desire to emulate. For example, when playing a game such as basketball, it is desirable to receive reliable advice on which parts of the given sports person's performance should be improved, or which parts of performance should be changed.
A person practicing a sport, whether as a hobby or as a sports professional, often desires to emulate famous professional sports players. The person practicing the sport, for example, desires to improve performance for their professional work or simply for receiving more enjoyment from playing a given sport. Such enjoyment, for example, pertains to playing like a famous professional player or making sports moves akin to those exhibited by the famous professional player.
A problem encountered with contemporary known sports is that there is a lack of automated systems and associated apparatus for providing feedback to sports persons regarding how to improve their sports-playing performance. Presently, as aforementioned, advice is provided to sports persons by coaches or personal trainers. For example, a given coach analyses a basketball shot and thereafter gives advice regarding a manner in which the basketball shot can be improved. Similarly, for games such as tennis, a personal trainers or coach provides advice, namely "tips", regarding how to improve shots.
It is well known to track movement of one or more projectiles, for example one or more balls, utilized when playing a sports game, for example football or basket ball, to determine statistical information relating to the sports game. Such statistical information can include a number of goals or points scored, and performance of one or more players of the sports game. Such tracking has often been implemented using cameras, personnel collating statistics manually as well as using sensors included in the one or more projectiles. However, known approaches for analysing movement of the one or more projectiles are not well developed such that insufficient analysis, such that inadequate analysis of sports games utilizing the one or more projectiles is not presently achievable.
In a US patent application no. US2012/058845A1, there is described a basket ball which incorporates motion sensors. The motion sensors include, for example, one or more accelerometers, one or more angular rate gyroscopic sensors and one or more magnetometers. In the application, it is elucidated that sensor signals from the motion sensors can be analyzed to generate statistical results, but is devoid of detail of how the statistical analysis can be performed in practice.
There arises therefore a problem that known apparatus for providing analysis of trajectories of one or more projectiles associated with sports projectiles are not sufficiently evolved and do not provided statistical analysis to a fullest extent which is potentially feasible to achieve, for example for providing automated personal trainer-type services to sports persons.


The injection die has a mold plate that has a main arm, a compressed board serve to lock down the mold insert within the mold plate and an ejection mechanism. The ejection mechanism has a columned ejector pin with a stopping protruded from one end of the ejector pin, an elastic module installed in the main arm to abut against the ejector pin to provide an elastic force, and a fixed board received in the main arm to withstand one end of the elastic module.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an injection die, and more particularly to an ejection mechanism for ejecting a mold insert.
2. The Related Art
One type of injection die shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,120,279, includes a mold insert that lies in a cavity of a mold plate and a pair of positioners serve to lock down the mold insert within the mold plate. Said injection die can satisfy demand of production, but it is difficult to release the mold insert from the mold plate. During unloading, the positioners release the mold insert and then push it up. As a friction between the mold insert and the mold base is big, the mold insert can't be easily extracted from the mold plate.
Thus, it would be desirable to provide an injection die loaded with an ejection mechanism which overcomes the problems encountered with previously injection die.