Composite materials are provided. A representative material is configured as a composite membrane for gas separation, vapor separation, or pervaporation. The composite membrane comprises at least a first polymer and a second polymer. Processes for the production of composite materials, in particular composite membranes, also are provided.

The invention relates to a composite material, in particular a composite membrane, in particular for gas separation, vapor separation, or pervaporation, comprising at least one polymer and a second polymer. The invention relates furthermore to a process for the production of a composite material, in particular a composite membrane.
Polymer membranes used commercially for gas separation are, as a rule, composite membranes which consist of a porous substructure and a pore-free, dense polymer film. In these, a composite material is used or the composite membrane comprises a corresponding composite material. For commercial utility it is essential to achieve high gas flows per unit area in order to keep the membrane surfaces and the energy costs low. The properties of the polymer predetermine the selectivity and the gas flow which are possible.
The flow decreases in proportion to increasing layer thickness while the selectivity remains essentially constant. It is therefore important to find suitable materials and process them into composite membranes, or integral asymmetric membranes, with the smallest possible layer thicknesses.
The available polymeric materials can be divided roughly into elastomers and vitreous polymers, which are distinguished by the position of their glass transition temperature above or below room temperature. Both types of polymer come into consideration for gas separation. Optimized membranes used commercially have, as a rule, separation-active layers with layer thicknesses of 0.5 to 1 μm.
It was possible to achieve an improvement of the separation properties of polymers known per se through the addition of porous materials. Through the addition of solids to the polymer a material arises with a mixed matrix of inorganic/organic components. Membranes produced according to this principle are known as "mixed matrix membranes" (see Koros, et al. U.S. Pat. No. 6,585,802, which is incorporated by reference herein). It was possible to improve the permeability as well as selectivity, in the ideal case even permeability and selectivity. Here the grain size of the porous structures used must be significantly less than the layer thickness desired in order to obtain dense films with embedded porous solids.
As porous solids to incorporate into the polymeric matrix, zeolites (molecular sieves), aluminum oxides, (boehmite, γ-aluminum oxide), silicon oxides, fullerenes (see Polotskaya et al., Fuller. Nanotub. Carbon Nanostruct. 12 (2004) 371-376, which is incorporated by reference herein) or carbon molecular sieves (see Vu et al., J. Membrane Sci. 211 (2003) 311-334, which is incorporated by reference herein) have already been investigated. Generally, the compatibility of the two components, polymer and porous filler, is very important. With incompatible materials (solid and polymer) flaws arise at the contact points, said flaws reducing the gas selectivity and thus making use in commercial application impossible. In general, elastomers can be processed to form flawless membranes more effectively than vitreous polymers.
Previously, zeolites (molecular sieves) above all were incorporated in elastomer membranes of polydimethylsiloxane (see D. Paul et al., J. Polymer Sci., 41 (1973) 79; M. Jia et al., J. Membrane Sci., 57 (1991) 289, which are incorporated by reference herein), where using zeolites Type 5A (Paul et al.) no improvement of the membrane properties was achieved. With zeolite Type ZSM-5 (Jia et al.) an increase of the permeability as well as of the selectivity was found. Zeolite ZSM-5 also yielded improved membranes on incorporation in cellulose acetate membranes (see Kulprathipanja et al. (U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,740,219 and 5,217,925), which is incorporated by reference herein). In other vitreous polymers, which are distinguished by particularly attractive gas selectivity, no clear increase of selectivity was found through a special treatment of the zeolites for the improvement of compatibility (see Gur, J. Membrane Sci. 93 (1994) 283; Duval et al., J. Membrane Sci. 80 (1993) 189, and J. Appl. Polymer Sci. 54 (1994) 409, which are incorporated by reference herein). Through the addition of softeners solid/polymer compatibility can be improved (see Mahajan, et al., J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 86 (2002) 881-890, which is incorporated by reference herein).
The addition of softeners does in fact improve the flawless incorporation of inorganic solids but the softener can, despite its low vapor pressure, bleed and volatize during the intensive rinsing with gas in the application of the membrane. Thereby the positive effect of the softener is gradually lost along with the improved gas separation properties. Thus it would not be possible to produce a membrane which is stable long-term.
Particularly important is the absolute freedom from flaws in the form of penetrating mesopores and macropores which allow a partial flow of the gas to occur without a separation effect. Even with a few flaws this partial flow reduces the selectivity considerably below the value which is required for implementation in commercial applications. The previously used, above-described classes of material have in common the fact that they are well compatible with only a few polymeric materials, for example, with the elastomer polydimethylsiloxane which however also has only a low selectivity with respect to O2/N2 or CO2/CH4. Vitreous polymers with usually good selectivities with respect to these gas pairs are not, as a rule, compatible with these inorganic, porous substances and also cannot necessarily be adapted to one another on the molecular level with auxiliary agents (see Mahajan, et al., Polym. Eng. Sci. 42 (2002) 1420-1431 and ibid. 1432-1441, which is incorporated by reference herein).

Composite material, in particular composite membrane, and process for the production of the same


A folding top clamp for a vehicle has a connecting-link-controlled locking hook which can be displaced by guiding devices from a closed position to an open position. The locking hook interacts with at least one hook guide which is in an operative connection with a motor gearing unit. A folding top clamp having a simple structure and a compact construction is provided in that the motor gearing unit extends only on a longitudinal side of the locking hook and has an electric motor oriented transversely with respect to a longitudinal center plane of the vehicle, which electric motor interacts by way of a triple-geared-down gearing unit with a hook guide of the locking hook.

This application claims the priority of German Application No. 10 2004 046 098.1.0 filed Sep. 23, 2004, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
The invention relates to a folding top clamp for a vehicle having a connecting-link-controlled locking hook which can be displaced by means of guiding devices from a closed position to an open position, the locking hook interacting with at least one hook guide which is in an operative connection with a motor—gearing unit.
A folding top clamp of the initially mentioned type which functions well is known from German Patent Document DE 197 21 229 A1 corresponding in U.S. Pat. 6,158,786. In the case of this arrangement, a geared motor extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle is arranged on one side of the locking hook and is connected by way of a transversely extending transmission element with a gearing unit on the output side, which extends on the opposite side of the locking hook. The gearing unit is formed by a two-stage spur gear system.
It is an object of the invention to further develop a folding top clamp of the initially mentioned type such that it has a simplified structure and a more compact construction.
According to the invention, this object is achieved by providing a folding top clamp for a vehicle having a connecting-link-controlled locking hook which can be displaced by means of guiding devices from a closed position to an open position, the locking hook interacting with at least one hook guide which is in an operative connection with a motor gearing unit, wherein the motor gearing unit extends only on a longitudinal side of the locking hook and comprises an electric motor oriented transversely with respect to a longitudinal center plane of the vehicle, which electric motor interacts by way of a triple-geared-down gearing unit with a hook guide of the locking hook.
Important advantages achieved by means of the invention are that the motor gearing unit extending only on a longitudinal side of the locking hook has a simplified construction, in which case, as a result of the electric motor oriented transversely to the longitudinal center plane of the vehicle and the triple-geared-down gearing unit, a more compact construction is achieved. By means of the connecting-link-controlled locking hook and the special construction of the connecting link path, in addition, an enlarged fetching path of the folding top clamp is achieved in the X-direction. As a result of the arrangement of an emergency operating worm which, in the normal operation of the folding top clamp, fixes a ring gear of the planetary gearing, a relatively simple manual emergency operation for the folding top clamp is created. The combination of the bevel gearing, the worm gearing and the planetary gearing allows the representation of a relatively high overall ratio.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Dr. Ing. h.c.f. Porsche Aktiengesellschaft


A cleaning apparatus for cleaning a smelt spout of a boiler is provided. The boiler includes a boiler wall defining an outlet port for discharging molten smelt and the smelt spout is positioned with respect to the outlet port so that the molten smelt is able to flow along the smelt spout. The cleaning apparatus includes a cleaning tool having a pair of cleaning blades generally aligned with respective side walls of the smelt spout and an actuating assembly configured to move the cleaning blades from a first position to a second position. The cleaning blades each engage the respective side walls of the smelt spout to dislodge hardened smelt deposits therefrom when in the cleaning blades are in the second position.

The invention relates to a cleaning apparatus for removing solidified smelt accumulations that block or restrict the discharge of smelt from a chemical recovery combustion chamber. More particularly, the invention relates to a cleaning apparatus and a smelt discharge assembly for removing solidified smelt accumulations from a smelt spout and from a combustion device outlet port.
Wood pulp for paper making is usually manufactured by a sulfate process, where wood chips are cooked in a cooking liquor (typically known as "white liquor") containing sodium sulfide and sodium hydroxide. After cooking, the used liquor (typically known as "black liquor") is washed out of the pulp and treated in a recovery unit where the cooking chemicals are refined. Without reclamation and reuse of the cooking chemicals, the cost of the paper-making process would be prohibitive.
The recovery unit typically includes boiler tubes extending along the interior of the boiler walls. Concurrently with the reclamation process, the heat from combustion process is utilized to generate process steam within the boiler tubes for generating electricity and/or for other applications.
During the recovery process, the black liquor is first concentrated by evaporation into a solution containing approximately 65 to 80 percent solids and the solution is sprayed into the internal volume of a chemical reduction furnace. Inside of the chemical reduction furnace, the organic materials in the black liquor are combusted by various processes such as evaporation, gasification, pyrolysis, oxidation, and reduction, thereby reducing the black liquor into a molten smelt of spent cooking chemicals. The molten smelt exits the furnace through a boiler outlet port and flows along a smelt spout to a collection tank. The boiler outlet port and the smelt spout are designed to drain the molten smelt from the internal volume of the furnace at a desired rate in order to maintain a safe smelt level within the furnace and in order to maximize the efficiency of the furnace, as will be discussed in more detail below.
The molten smelt exits the boiler at a temperature of approximately 1000 degrees Celsius and, upon contact with ambient air, a top layer of the smelt may cool enough to become hardened and form hardened deposits and/or a hardened crust on top of the molten smelt in the outlet opening and/or spout. Hardened smelt may obstruct the flow of the molten smelt, thereby reducing the effectiveness of the outlet port and smelt spout and causing the smelt level within the furnace to be undesirably high. Additionally, a reduced smelt flow may cause the molten smelt to remain in the smelt spout longer, thereby increasing the time that the smelt is subject to ambient temperatures and increasing the likelihood that more hardened deposits will form. Therefore, the hardened deposits may tend to form within the smelt spout at a rapid rate.
A high smelt level can cause a wide range of problems or undesirably low production levels. For example, a high smelt level may cause inefficient and unpredictable furnace operation, such as: a decrease in the amount of chemicals that can be recovered; a decrease in the process steam outputted from the boiler tubes; an increased emission of noxious gases such as carbon monoxide and sulfur dioxide. As another example, the hardened smelt may cause the molten smelt to splash out of the spout, thereby causing dangerous conditions for nearby workers and/or potentially causing property damage. Moreover, the smelt can build up to a dangerous level and either block furnace air ports, potentially causing the fire to be extinguished, or fill up the furnace windbox, causing serious corrosion problems or even causing smelt to pour out onto the floor adjacent the furnace. As yet another example, a high smelt level may cause a rapidly increase in temperature which may lead to a boiler explosion.
Typically, hardened deposits are manually dislodged from the outlet port and the spout at regular intervals. For example, workers hold a long rod with a tool attached to the distal end so as to scrape hardened deposits from the spout and/or outlet port. However, such manual rodding of the smelt spout and outlet port is inefficient, unsafe, and is a tedious, physically demanding job that may fatigue operators. Additionally, smelt spouts are cooled by water circulating in a water jacket surrounding the spout, which can become ruptured by improper rodding. A broken water jacket can result in an explosion in the furnace. Other dangers to workers include the potentially hazardous fumes from the collection tank. Furthermore, the regular intervals at which the hardened smelt must be removed causes labor costs to be undesirably high.
Recently, automated devices have been used to automatically, periodically scrape hardened deposits from the spout and/or outlet port. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,706,324, which issued Nov. 17, 1987, discloses a smelt spout cleaner that is mounted on or above the smelt spout. A housing is mounted above the smelt spout and, at regular intervals, a cleaning head assembly swings in a downward, sweeping stroke from the housing towards the spout to clean deposits from the boiler outlet port and then swings in an upward, sweeping stroke toward the housing so as to mirror the downward stroke and to clean deposits from the spout. The cleaning head assembly includes a cleaning head that enters the boiler outlet port on the downward stroke. Additionally, the cleaning head assembly includes pivotable channel scraping members that each has a shape and size that generally matches that of the spout. During the downward stroke, the channel scraping members each pivot into a collapsed state to ride on the top of the molten smelt flow rather than entering the flow. Then, during the upward stroke, the channel scraping members pivot back into an extended state and are scraped along the side and bottom walls of the spout.
However, because the width of each of the channel scraping members is generally equal to the width of the spout, the flow of molten smelt is disrupted by the scraping members during the upward stroke, thereby potentially causing the molten smelt to splash or overflow from the spout. Additionally, although the hardened smelt deposits generally only occur at the top layer of the smelt flow, the channel scraping members in the '324 patent each scrape along the bottom walls of the smelt spout, thereby exposing the entire spout to potential premature wear when only select portions of the spout require regular cleaning. Furthermore, the design disclosed in the '324 patent only cleans the spout along arcuate cleaning paths traveled by the scraping members so that portions of the spout that lie between the cleaning paths may remain uncleaned. Conversely, if additional scraping members are added to the design disclosed in the '324 patent to minimize gaps between the cleaning paths, then the spout may be subject to unnecessary part wear. Additionally, the upward cleaning stroke lifts the hardened smelt deposits upwards and out of the smelt spout, increasing the possibility of smelt splash and/or overflow.
Another automated device for scraping hardened deposits from the spout and outlet port is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,542,650, which issued on Aug. 16, 1996. The '650 patent discloses a cleaning head assembly that travels along a smelt spout in a direction generally parallel thereto to scrape hardened deposits from the spout walls. More specifically, the cleaning head assembly includes a plurality of U-shaped paddles that have a size and shape corresponding to that of the smelt spout so that the paddles fit within the spout and dislodge hardened deposits from the surfaces thereof as they are moved along a substantial portion of the length of the spout.
However, because the width of each of the paddles is generally equal to the width of the spout, the flow of molten smelt is disrupted by the paddles, thereby potentially causing the molten smelt to splash or overflow from the spout. Additionally, although the hardened smelt deposits generally only occur at the top layer of the smelt flow, the paddles each scrape along the bottom walls of the smelt spout, thereby exposing the entire spout to potential premature wear when only select portions of the spout require regular cleaning. Furthermore, because the cleaning head assembly is translated along a substantial length of the smelt spout during cleaning, the cleaning cycle may take an undesirable amount of time to complete.
As seen from above, it is desirous to provide an improved smelt spout assembly and a cleaning apparatus for cleaning a smelt spout to improve the efficiency and effectiveness with which a smelt spout and/or a boiler outlet port can be cleaned.

Apparatus for cleaning a smelt spout of a combustion device


A linear piezoelectric motor including a passive element having an elongated shape, and a piezoelectric actuator including a resonator including a pair of arms connected at one of their ends at a connection zone, the two other ends being called free, the passive element being capable of being moved linearly between the free ends by friction of the free ends against the passive element, the passive element and the resonator being inclined with respect to one another by a non-zero angle (α) of less than 90 degrees.

A linear piezoelectric motor conventionally includes a passive element and an actuator allowing to linearly move the passive element by using the piezoelectric effect. In reference to FIG. 1, the linear piezoelectric motors 10 for which the passive element is an elongated element 20 (for example a bar having a rectangular cross-section) and the piezoelectric actuator includes a resonator 30 formed by a pair of arms 31, 32 connected to one another at a connection zone 33, substantially in the shape of a tuning fork or a U, are in particular known. The actuator further includes two piezoelectric elements (not shown), each attached to one of the arms 31, 32, and acting as means for exciting the arms to impose vibrations thereon. Moreover, the passive element 20 extends between the arms 31, 32 of the resonator 30 in a substantially parallel manner, its axial guiding being ensured by guide means 50 located at a distance from the resonator. The passive element 20 is also in local contact with the free ends 310, 320 of the arms 31, 32 of the resonator 30, so that the passive element 20 is moved axially by friction of the free ends 310, 320 of the arms 31, 32 on the region of contact. Thus, the passive element 20 moves between the free ends 310, 320.
In uses in which it is important to reduce the bulk of the piezoelectric motor, in particular in the horological field, the arms 31, 32 of the resonator 30 must have a short length, which limits the maximum linear travel of the passive element 20. The axial translation of the passive element 20 in the direction of the connection zone 33 is limited by the presence of said connection zone 33 which acts as a stop, and its axial movement in the other direction is limited by the length of the arms 31, 32. This limited travel is problematic in certain situations, in particular if the passive element 20 meshes with a wheel 60, for example via a trammel system, since the rotation of the wheel 60 is thus restricted. For example, if the travel of the passive element 20 is limited to approximately 1 millimetre, then the diameter of the wheel 60 must be at most approximately 0.3 millimetres in order for said wheel 60 to be able to carry out a complete rotation during the travel. This dimension is too small to be technically feasible.
A linear travel of the passive element of at least 3 millimetres is necessary for the pinion to be technically feasible: with such travel, the diameter of the pinion must be approximately 1 millimetre to carry out a complete rotation.

Linear piezoelectric motor with longer travel


Methods of forming a nano-structure for electron extraction are disclosed. One method of forming a nano-structure comprises irradiating an area on a first surface of a thermal conductive film to melt the area across the film. The film is insulated on a second surface to provide two-dimensional heat transfer across the film. The liquid density of the film is greater than the solid density thereof. The method further comprises cooling the area inwardly from the periphery thereof to form a nano-structure having an apical nano-tip for electron extraction.

High-intensity pulsed laser radiation is used to modify surfaces of materials and fabricate technologically desirable structures on a micrometer and sub-micrometer level. Besides their technological importance, such surface modifications are currently of substantial scientific interest. Although adequate, current processes involved in such radiation interactions are relatively complex and non-equilibrium due to high heating and cooling rates, large temperature gradients, and a variety of chemical and photochemical transformations. Such processes and their interplay are often not fully understood, providing a need for systematic studies of laser irradiation of materials as a function of a certain set of parameters.
Thus, improved, reliable, simple and low-cost techniques for fabrication of micro-structures and nano-structures having nano-tips of silicon and other semiconductor and metal materials are needed. Moreover, relatively large, high-density arrays of such nano-tips, are desirable in a number of electron field emission applications.

Method of forming micro-structures and nano-structures


A control unit converts image information into differential signals to transmit to a controller. The control unit receives control signals (differential signals) for controlling a lens unit or an illumination unit, to control the lens unit or the illumination unit. Only a signal cable is used for being connected between an imaging device and the controller to remotely control the lens unit or the illumination unit from the controller. Therefore, compact wiring can be realized between the controller and the imaging device.

This application claims priority from Japanese patent application 2005-361610, filed on Dec. 15, 2005. The entire content of the aforementioned application is incorporated herein by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus, and particularly to the image processing apparatus equipped with an industrial digital camera and a processing device for processing image data obtained from the camera.
2. Description of the related art
Conventionally, there are well known standards such as RS-644 and RS-422 for image data transmission from an FA (Factory Automation) digital camera (hereinafter also simply referred to as "camera") to a processing device (for example, an image input board mounted on a personal computer). In the standards, although the image data transmission method is defined, a cable and a connector which are used to connect the camera and the processing device, pin arrangement of the connector, and the like are not defined. Therefore, camera manufacturers and image input board manufacturers have produced products according to formats independently defined by the manufacturers, which causes a user to take a lot of troubles for connection between the products which are not compatible with each other.
In order to eliminate the inconvenience, a standard called "camera link" is established (for example, see "Specifications of the Camera Link Interface Standard for Digital Cameras and Frame Grabbers", [online], October 2000, [Dec. 2, 2005], Internet <URL:http://www.pulnix.com/CameraLink/CameraLink5.pdf>). The connector format, the connector pin arrangement, cable specifications, a communication method, and the like are defined in the camera link standard. That is, the products pursuant to the camera link standard are compatible with one another.
In many cases, a lens (for example, lens with a motor-driven zoom function) is connected to the camera. In a case of the FA camera, an illumination device which illuminates a subject (for example, a product on a production line) is sometimes simultaneously used with the camera. Conventionally, the lens and illumination device can remotely be controlled. A problem with the conventional image processing apparatus will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 10 shows a configuration example of the conventional image processing apparatus. Referring to FIG. 10, an image processing apparatus 800 includes a controller 20 and an imaging device 60. The imaging device 60 includes a camera 61, a lens unit 62, and an illumination unit 63. Signal cables 81, 811, and 812 which transmit control signals from the controller 20 are provided correspondingly to each of the camera 61, the lens unit 62, and the illumination unit 63.
Thus, in the conventional image processing apparatus (particularly, in the image processing apparatus equipped with the FA camera), the signal cables are required to connect the controller and each of the camera, the lens unit, and the illumination unit. Therefore, in the conventional image processing apparatus, due to the large number of wirings, there is a problem that signal line routing and wire connection become complicated.
Control to the camera 61 from the controller 20 and the image data transmission from the camera 61 to the controller 20 are regulated in the above camera link standard. However, in the camera link standard, there is no clear regulation about control to the lens unit 62 and illumination unit 63 from the controller 20. Therefore, even if a cable pursuant to the camera link standard is used as the signal cable 81, the signal cables 811 and 812 are required to control the lens unit 62 and illumination unit 63 from the controller 20.
An object of the present invention is to provide an image processing apparatus which can remotely control the lens unit and illumination unit simultaneously used with the FA camera, through compact wiring.

Image processing apparatus with illumination unit and imaging unit in different casings


Described are modular leg assemblies for passenger seats. The modular leg assemblies can include a universal first leg member, a universal second leg member, a size specific member, and a universal seat frame tube receptor. The universal first leg member may be coupled to a first seat track fitting. The universal second leg member may be coupled to a second seat track fitting. The size specific member may be coupled to the universal first leg member and to the universal second leg member. At least one of the universal second leg member or the universal seat frame tube receptor can include a set of attachment points for coupling the universal seat frame tube receptor to the universal second leg member.

Passenger vehicles, such as aircraft, buses, trains, ships, and automobiles, often include one or more passenger seats in which passengers may be seated and otherwise use during travel. A passenger seat may include a leg assembly that connects the passenger seat to a base of the passenger vehicle, such as a floor, track, etc. Traditionally, such leg assemblies have been a single-piece construction so different sized leg assemblies would be needed based on the distance between the connections to the base of the passenger vehicle. Such leg assemblies are difficult to standardize, costly to produce, and generate significant material waste during manufacturing.


A system and method for hosting one or more mobile devices on one or more servers in a cloud computing environment for testing mobile applications is provided. The system comprises client virtualization managers to collect and send information related to the mobile devices to the servers and mobile devices virtualization managers to receive and use the information to establish a connection with the client virtualization managers for accessing and hosting the mobile devices. Further, the system comprises a server application to facilitate testers to select a mobile device from a list of the hosted mobile devices and an automation tool interface handler to virtualize Universal Serial Bus (USB) port of local machines connected to the servers, connect the selected mobile device to the virtualized USB port of the local machines and facilitate testing of the mobile applications on the locally available mobile device by test automation tools.

With the advancements in the telecommunication industry, numerous mobile devices, operating systems and mobile applications have emerged. Organizations providing mobile applications have to ensure that mobile applications provided by them function in a desired manner on various mobile devices. For this reason, the mobile applications are tested on various mobile devices operating on different platforms prior to commercialization.
Conventionally, various organizations procure a large number of different mobile devices for the purpose of testing mobile applications. However, procuring such a large number of mobile devices for the purpose of testing mobile applications is an expensive proposition. Further, regular introduction of new models and maintenance of existing mobile devices results in cost escalations. In addition, procurement of mobile devices often gets delayed during shipment which leads to project delays.
Another way for testing mobile applications is by using third party device simulators and cloud device infrastructure. However, existing testing tools available with the organizations undertaking testing projects cannot be used for testing mobile applications as only specific testing tools are compatible with the third party device simulators and the cloud device infrastructure. The testers at the organizations are therefore restricted to using the testing tools provided by the device simulators and cloud device infrastructure. Therefore, the testers have to acquire additional skill set for using the testing tools compatible with the third party device simulators and cloud device infrastructure. This leads to cost escalations and project delays.
In light of the above, there is a need for a system and method for hosting mobile devices on one or more servers in a cloud environment. Further, there is a need for a system and method to facilitate use of existing testing tools on the hosted mobile devices for testing mobile applications. Furthermore, there is a need for a system and method for testing mobile applications which is cost efficient.

System and method for hosting mobile devices for testing in a cloud computing environment

COGNIZANT TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS INDIA PVT. LTD.


By setting the thickness of the Ti core between 4xcx9c6 nm and adjusting the thickness ratio of the Pt layer in relation to the thickness of the entire lower electrode, the (100) face orientation degree of a piezoelectric thin film may be set to a prescribed ratio with favorable reproducibility. Preferably, the (100) face orientation degree of the piezoelectric thin film is not less than 40% and not more than 70% or less, the (110) face orientation degree is 10% or less, and the (111) face orientation degree is the remaining portion thereof. Further, by applying heat from the lower electrode side upon calcinating the piezoelectric precursor film, it is possible to obtain satisfactory crystallinity as the crystal growth begins from the lower electrode side and reaches the upper part of the film. Accordingly, piezoelectric properties of the piezoelectric thin film are improved, and a highly reliable inkjet recording head and printer may be obtained thereby.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a piezoelectric element with an electromechanical conversion function, and particularly to a piezoelectric element capable of acquiring superior piezoelectric properties upon being used in an inkjet recording head, and the manufacturing method and manufacturing device of an inkjet recording head, printer, and piezoelectric element.
2. Description of the Related Art
A typical inkjet recording head uses a piezoelectric element as the driving force to discharge ink from a printer. In general, this piezoelectric element is structured by comprising a piezoelectric thin film, and an upper electrode and lower electrode arranged so as to sandwich such piezoelectric thin film.
Conventionally, piezoelectric elements have been developed in pursuit of improving properties by defining the crystal structure of the film made from lead zirconate titanate (PZT), or forming a Ti core on the lower electrode. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-81016 discloses a PZT thin film comprising a crystal structure of a rhombohedral crystal system as well as a prescribed orientation degree. Moreover, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-335676 discloses a piezoelectric element wherein a titanium core is formed on an Ir lower electrode.
Nevertheless, with conventional piezoelectric elements, there is a problem in that it is difficult to obtain a prescribed orientation degree of a piezoelectric element in a stable manner and with favorable reproducibility. With this type of piezoelectric element, it is difficult to obtain stable and superior piezoelectric properties, which becomes a contributing factor for not being able to obtain sufficient printing performance from inkjet recording heads and printers.
Meanwhile, for the manufacture of a piezoelectric element described above, a piezoelectric element with a perovskite crystal structure is formed by layering amorphous films containing metallic elements constituting the piezoelectric material, and crystallizing this by calcination at a temperature of, for example, 600xc2x0 C. with a diffusion furnace or a rapid thermal annealing (RTA) device, for example.
Pursuant to the aforementioned heat treatment, it is known that the crystal orientation of the produced piezoelectric thin film is affected by the substrate that becomes the base upon forming the piezoelectric thin film, or by the crystal direction of the lower electrode.
However, although a desired crystal orientation can be obtained in the vicinity of the lower electrode of the piezoelectric thin film with the aforementioned conventional technology, crystallinity at portions distant from the lower electrode; in other words, the upper part of the piezoelectric thin film, was apt to be poor. Particularly, when a film is formed with a thickness of 0.5 xcexcm or more, there is a problem in that the piezoelectric properties become inferior as the depreciation of the crystallinity at the upper part of the film becomes prominent.
Furthermore, there is another problem in that the displacement efficiency of the actuator becomes inferior as distortion is distributed in the film-thickness direction.
An object of the present invention is to overcome the aforementioned problems and provide a piezoelectric element comprising stable and superior piezoelectric properties by obtaining a prescribed orientation degree of a piezoelectric thin film in a stable manner and with favorable reproducibility.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing a piezoelectric element with superior crystallinity and in which the crystal orientation thereof is uniform in the film-thickness direction.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an inkjet recording head employing the aforementioned piezoelectric element as the driving force for discharging ink, a manufacturing method of such inkjet recording head, and an inkjet printer.
In order to achieve the aforementioned objects, the present invention is a manufacturing method of a piezoelectric element; comprising the steps of: forming a ZrO2 film on a substrate; forming a lower electrode on the ZrO2 film; forming a Ti layer having a thickness of not less than 4 nm and not more than 6 nm on the lower electrode; forming a piezoelectric precursor film on the Ti layer; and calcinating the obtained structure;
(1) wherein the lower electrode comprises at least a first layer positioned as the uppermost layer and containing Ir and a second layer positioned as the second uppermost layer and containing Pt; the thickness of the second layer is not less than 30% and not more than 50% of the thickness of the entire lower electrode; and the step for forming the lower electrode comprises at least a step of forming the second layer containing Pt and a step of forming the first layer containing Ir on the second layer; or
(2) wherein the lower electrode comprises at least a first layer positioned as the uppermost layer and containing Pt and a second layer positioned as the second uppermost layer and containing Ir; the thickness of the first layer is not less than 20% and not more than 40% of the thickness of the entire lower electrode; and the step for forming the lower electrode comprises at least a step of forming the second layer containing Ir and a step of forming the first layer containing Pt on the second layer.
Moreover, the piezoelectric element according to the present invention comprises: a lower electrode formed on a ZrO2 film; a piezoelectric thin film formed on the lower electrode; and an upper electrode formed on the piezoelectric thin film; wherein the (100) face orientation degree of the piezoelectric thin film measured with the X-ray diffraction angle method is not less than 40% and not more than 70%.
Furthermore, preferably, the (110) face orientation degree is 10% or less, and the (111) face orientation degree is the remaining portion thereof.
FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the results upon measuring the relationship of a (100) face orientation degree of the piezoelectric thin film and the thickness of the Ti core with respect to a piezoelectric element obtained by forming a lower electrode in which an Ir layer, Pt layer, and Ir layer are laminated in that order on a ZrO2 film, forming a Ti core, and further forming a piezoelectric precursor film and crystallizing the obtained structure. In FIG. 9, symbol (a) illustrates the case where the thickness of the second layer of the lower electrode containing Pt is approximately 10% in relation to the thickness of the entire lower electrode. Here, when the thickness of the Ti core is not less than 4nm and not more than 6nm, the (100) face orientation degree maybe enhanced to approximately 90%. If the (100) face orientation degree is adjusted to any other value than as described above, however, the variance of the (100) face orientation degree in relation to the change in thickness of the Ti core will be too large, and a desired (100) face orientation degree can not be obtained in a stable manner and with favorable reproducibility.
Contrarily, symbol (b) in FIG. 9 represents a case where the ratio of the thickness of the second layer of the lower electrode containing PT in relation to the thickness of the entire lower electrode is increased in comparison to example (a) above. Here, the (111) face orientation degree of the piezoelectric thin film rises due to the influence of Pt and, when the thickness of the Ti core is not less than 4 nm and not more than 6 nm, the (100) face orientation degree shows a stable value.
As described above, by setting the thickness of the Ti core between 4 nm and 6 nm and adjusting the thickness ratio of the Pt layer in relation to the thickness of the entire lower electrode, the (100) face orientation degree (ratio of the (100) face orientation degree in relation to the (111) face orientation degree) of a piezoelectric thin film may be set to a prescribed ratio with favorable reproducibility.
Thus, according to the present invention, it is possible to obtain a (100) face orientation degree of a piezoelectric thin film in a stable manner and with favorable reproducibility. In addition, the ratio of the (100) face orientation degree in relation to the (111) face orientation degree may also be obtained with favorable reproducibility. It is therefore possible to provide a piezoelectric element comprising stable and high piezoelectric properties in both high frequencies and low frequencies.
Furthermore, the present invention is a manufacturing method of a piezoelectric element; comprising the steps of: forming on a lower electrode an amorphous film containing metallic elements and oxygen elements constituting a piezoelectric material; and forming a piezoelectric thin film crystallized by subjecting the amorphous film to a heat treatment; wherein during the heat treatment, heat is applied from the lower electrode side.
During the aforementioned heat treatment, the thermal energy supplied from the lower electrode side to the amorphous film is greater than the thermal energy supplied from the opposite side of the lower electrode.
The present invention also relates to a heating device realizing the heating methods described above.
Another embodiment of the piezoelectric element according to the present invention comprises a PZT thin film, and the (100) face half value breadth of the PZT thin film measured with the X-ray diffraction angle method is 0.2 degrees or less.
According to the present invention, as the substrate and heating element are arranged such that the radiant heat of the heating device is applied to the lower electrode side when heat treating and crystallizing an amorphous film containing metallic elements and oxygen elements constituting a piezoelectric material, heat is applied from the lower electrode side, and the crystal growth of the piezoelectric thin film begins from the lower electrode side and reaches the upper part of the film. It is thereby possible to manufacture a piezoelectric element with favorable piezoelectric properties as it possesses superior crystallinity and the crystal orientation is uniform in the film-thickness direction.
An inkjet recording head employing the aforementioned piezoelectric element or a printer utilizing such inkjet recording head is capable of achieving superior printing quality.

Piezoelectric element and manufacturing method and manufacturing device thereof


A method for prognosing possible recurrence after treatment of the liver cancer, characterized by measuring GPC3 contained in a test sample by use of an anti-GPC3 antibody.

Primary hepatocellular carcinoma (hereinafter may be referred to as "liver cancer") most often appears after progression of chronic hepatitis to cirrhosis. Many viral hepatitis and cirrhosis patients have been recognized, and, in recent years, incidence of liver cancer has been increasing. Liver cancer has been treated with, for example, hepatectomy, percutaneous local therapy (e.g., radiofrequency ablation therapy or ethanol injection therapy), transcatheter hepatic arterial embolization (TAE), continuous arterial infusion chemotherapy, or radiation therapy.
Liver cancer therapy is selected in consideration of the distribution and size of cancerous cells, and as well the underlying hepatic disorder (hepatitis or cirrhosis). Even when liver cancer patients are treated with a highly radical therapy, incidence of post-treatment intrahepatic ectopic recurrence is as high as 10 to 30% per year. Such post-treatment recurrence leads to poor prognosis of cancer-bearing patients. In consideration of such a high ectopic recurrence rate, patients who have undergone liver cancer treatment are followed up with frequent imaging or tests employing tumor markers.
Tumor markers which have conventionally been employed for liver cancer diagnosis include α-fetoprotein (AFP), α-fetoprotein lectin fraction (L3 fraction), and PIVKA-II. Such a tumor marker is fairly useful for liver cancer diagnosis, evaluation of therapeutic effect, and diagnosis of post-treatment recurrence in a high-risk patient with, for example, viral hepatitis or cirrhosis, but the tumor marker is often false-positive or false-negative. Therefore, clinically, diagnosis employing such a tumor marker is performed in combination with another imaging technique (e.g., abdominal ultrasound examination or CT scan), or through periodical analysis. A tumor marker which can evaluate the risk of liver cancer recurrence in background liver tissue immediately after treatment could provide advantages in that, for example, recurrence of liver cancer can be detected early, a more radical therapy causing no impairment of background liver disorder can be carried out, and load due to frequent examination can be reduced in patients with low recurrence risk. Therefore, demand has arisen for a diagnostic marker which is useful for prognosing the posttreatment recurrence of liver cancer.
A glypican family has been reported to be present, as a new family of heparan sulfate proteoglycan, on the surfaces of cells. As has been reported so far, the glypican family includes six glypican members (glypican-1, glypican-2, glypican-3, glypican-4, glypican-5, and glypican-6). The glypican family members have a core protein of uniform size (about 60 kDa), share a specific and well-retained cysteine arrangement, and are bound to the cell membrane by means of a glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchor.
Glypican-3 (GPC3) has been known to be closely related to developmental cell division or control of cell division patterns. As has also been known, the GPC3 gene is highly expressed in liver cancer cells, and may be suitable for employment as a hepatocellular carcinoma marker. In addition, Patent Documents 1 and 2 have already disclosed a method for diagnosing cancer through measurement of GPC3. However, the manner in which GPC3 level changes after liver cancer treatment has never been known, nor has establishment of a therapeutic strategy through analysis of change in GPC3 level.
Patent Document 1: International Publication WO 03/100429 pamphlet
Patent Document 2: International Publication WO 2004/018667 pamphlet

Method for predicting and judging the recurrence of liver cancer after treating liver cancer


A method is performed in an electronic system having (i) hardware configured to perform electronic operations and (ii) an air filter configured to remove contamination from an air stream that cools the hardware. The method, which identifies when to change an air filter, involves obtaining, from a set of particle sensors, a set of sensor signals in response to sensed particles in the air stream. The method further involves generating particle count data and processing the data based on the set of sensor signals, and providing an output signal having one of a first value and a second value based on the particle count data. The output signal indicates that the air filter should be changed when the output signal has the first value. The output signal indicates that the air filter should not be changed when the output signal has the second value.

The typical computer system is susceptible to dust. For example, dust may travel into an area of the computer system containing computer hardware. Such dust may make contact with exposed conductive structures (e.g., dust may gather on adjacent surface traces of a circuit board, on neighboring circuit board pads or device contacts, etc.) and collect moisture causing lowered electrical resistance and perhaps even undesired electrical shorts between the conductive structures. These are known as hygroscopic dust failures. Such a situation may produce disadvantageous results such as corruption of electronic signals, a catastrophic fire, etc.
To prevent dust from entering the hardware areas of computer systems, some manufacturers equip their computer systems with air filters which remove dust from the air entering the systems, e.g., air flows generated by fan assemblies. Once the air filters have collected a certain amount of dust, the air filters no longer reliably allow sufficient air to pass into the computer systems for adequate hardware cooling. To prevent computer systems from overheating, users of the computer systems should change the air filters before the air filters become significantly clogged.
There are a variety of conventional approaches to determining when a user should change an air filter of a computer system. One conventional approach to determining when a user should change an air filter is to use a timer which measures hours of operation. In this approach (hereinafter referred to as the "conventional timer approach"), the user starts a timer (e.g., a background task running on the computer system). After a preset amount of time transpires (e.g., three months), the timer goes off and the computer system displays a notice to the user instructing the user to change the air filter.
In another conventional approach (hereinafter referred to as the "conventional temperature sensing approach"), the computer system includes a temperature sensing circuit which remains silent as long as the temperature within the computer system remains below a preset temperature threshold. When the temperature within the computer system rises above the preset temperature threshold due to clogging of the air filter (i.e., an abnormal temperature rise), the temperature sensing circuit signals the user to change the air filter.
In yet another approach (hereinafter referred to as the "conventional bleed hole approach"), the computer system includes a bleed hole and an anemometer circuit disposed within the bleed hole. When the air filter is clean, the air filter allows sufficient air to pass therethrough, and there is little or no air passing through the bleed hole. Accordingly, the anemometer circuit detects minimal air flow through the bleed hole and remains silent. However, following a period of operation, the capacity of the air filter decreases causing the amount of air passing through the bleed hole to increase. Eventually, the anemometer circuit determines that the air flow through the bleed hole exceeds a preset threshold and signals the user to change the air filter.

Techniques for identifying when to change an air filter


The present invention relates to a photographic processing composition comprising an aqueous alkaline medium including titanium dioxide particles and a stabilizing agent comprising a polymer polymerized from repeating units of styrene and an acrylic acid. The presence of the stabilizing agent substantially reduces the settling out of the titanium dioxide particles in the subject processing composition, and maintains the substantially uniform distribution of titanium dioxide particles therein. The subject processing compositions are useful in photographic diffusion transfer film units and processes.

As is well known in the art, dispersions of visible light reflecting agents such as, for example, titanium dioxide, are generally added to aqueous alkaline solutions such as photographic processing compositions and to liquid organic media such as pigmented lacquers and plastic materials. It is known in the photographic art that titanium dioxide particles, due to their highly effective reflection properties, may be used to appreciably lessen or eliminate undesirable effects such as, for example, fogging. Likewise, in the paint industry, it is known to use a dispersion of titanium dioxide to influence the properties of the products in regard to hue, gloss and physical and chemical behavior.
Importantly, to realize the beneficial effects described above, the titanium dioxide particles comprising the dispersion must remain substantially dispersed, i.e., uniformly distributed, in the aqueous alkaline solutions or in the liquid organic media to which they are added.
U.S. Pat. 3,642,510 describes a process for preparing titanium oxide pigments which are dispersable in hydrophobic systems such as paints or varnishes by adding an alkali metal salt of a high molecular weight carboxyl compound to a titanium oxide slurry finely dispersed in water or an alcohol containing an aluminum salt or zinc salt to form a soap of aluminum or zinc on the surface of the titanium oxide.
U.S. Pat. 4,235,768 describes a process of coating a titanium dioxide pigment with an organic polymer containing carboxyl groups to produce a homogeneous dispersion of the pigment in liquid organic media, e.g., pigmented lacquers and plastic materials.
U.S. Pat. 4,246,040 describes a method of surface treating a powdery or granular solid substance such as titanium dioxide which comprises reacting a basic polyaluminum salt with an acid or its salt in the presence of the titanium dioxide to alter the hydrophilic or lipophilic properties of the titanium dioxide.
Methods are known in the art to alleviate or circumvent the undesirable results brought about by the settling, agglomeration and/or random adhesion of titanium dioxide particles in aqueous alkaline processing compositions, for example, by encapsulating the titanium dioxide particles such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. 3,833,369; or, by adding additional titanium dioxide particles to the processing composition, so that, in effect, the settling out of the titanium dioxide particles still occurs but the amount present overall provides suitable reflection.
As would be understood by those of skill in the relevant art, efforts to eliminate the settling of titanium dioxide particles in aqueous alkaline processing compositions can be difficult without detrimentally affecting the photographic quality of diffusion transfer film units. In other words, due to the complexity of the chemical interactions between the constituents of the processing composition, as well as, the interactions of the processing composition with the other components of the film unit, minor changes in the formulation of the processing composition can have a significant impact on the resulting photographic product.
As the state of the art advances, novel approaches continue to be sought in order to attain the required performance criteria for the systems described above. There is a need for novel photographic processing compositions that have advantages over those already known to the art; therefore, investigations continue to be pursued to provide such advantages.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a novel photographic processing composition for use in photographic diffusion transfer film units and processes.
It is another object of the present invention to provide diffusion transfer photographic film units and processes which include the novel processing compositions.

Photographic processing composition and film unit


A safety insert designed to be mounted in an assembly comprising a tire and a rim of a vehicle and device for detecting the bearing of the tire on an insert, so that the insert generates signals oriented parallel to the axis of rotation of the tire and rim assembly and so that the device detects and analyzes the vibrating signals of the chassis of the vehicle.

The invention concerns the use of tires equipped with a safety insert and, in particular, detection of the bearing of a tire on the safety insert. It proposes an insert which warns the driver as soon as the tire is bearing on it after a flat or in case of substantial pressure loss, as well as a device for sensing the tire bearing on the insert, which can be combined with the insert proposed.
The function of these safety inserts, which are generally mounted on the rim inside the tire, is to bear the load in case of failure of the tire.
Bearing of the tire on the safety insert is accompanied by a more or less marked deterioration of its performances, which can fail to be perceptible to the driver through the behavior of the vehicle and the discomfort of the passenger. Furthermore, the operating lifetime of these inserts is limited. It is therefore essential, for the driver's safety, for the driver to be warned as soon as a tire is bearing on its safety insert, so that the driver can follow the manufacturer's instructions.
Several safety inserts incorporating means for so warning the driver have previously been proposed.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,262,724 discloses a safety insert intended to be mounted in an assembly comprising a tire and a rim and radially on the outside of the rim. This insert has a radially outer surface which defines a radial bearing for the crown of the tire, when the tire is deflated, as well as means for generating vibrating warning signals on running flat. These means can be a variation of the rolling radius under bearing of the insert between a minimum radius and a maximum radius in order to create a rolling vibration or one or more bumps. All the vibrating warning signals generated by these means are oriented in the plane of the tire and rim assembly and, more specifically, in a roughly vertical direction.
These solutions pose several problems. In addition to marked discomfort for passengers of the vehicle, they can markedly degrade the performance of the tire and rim assembly concerned, particularly on acceleration and braking. Thus, all one can do is avoid instantaneous stoppage of the vehicle in case of failure of the tire. On the other hand, when it is desired to use the vehicle, even at limited speed, over long distances, the warning transmitted by the insert has to be compatible with driving safety, not detrimental to the mechanics, while remaining perfectly noticeable to the driver either directly or through a suitable detection device.
Patent application WO 94/03338 also proposes a device for the detection of the bearing of a tire on a safety insert. This device comprises a wheel accelerometer, placed on one of the wheel suspension elements and measuring vertical accelerations. The accelerometers are connected to a central processing unit. The analysis is based on detection of the appearance of a resonance mode characteristic of the run-flat condition.

Safety insert generating a transverse vibrating signal and device for sensing the tire bearing on the insert

Compagnie Générale des Etablissements Michelin-Michelin & Cie


Folding device for making a fold in a first direction in a foldable material, wherein the folding device comprises a clamping unit and a folding unit, the clamping unit comprising first and second clamping fingers, which with respect to each other can be moved apart and towards each other for clamping the material in between them, the folding unit being placed next to the clamping unit in a direction transverse to the first direction, and comprising a first and a second folding arm, which with respect to each other can be moved apart and towards each other, the first folding arm comprising two first folding fingers that extend in a direction of the first folding arm and are spaced apart from each other transverse to the first direction, the second folding arm comprising at least one second folding finger that extends in the direction of the first folding arm, the second folding finger being movable to between the first folding fingers.

The invention relates to a folding device for making a fold in a first direction in a foldable wrapping material or material to be wrapped. The invention further relates to a folding assembly for wrapping one or more products to be wrapped in a wrapping material, which assembly comprises a folding device. The invention further relates to a method for making a fold in a first direction in a foldable wrapping material or material to be wrapped.
In the medical field, for instance in the field of eye surgery, medical instruments and the like have up until now been manually wrapped in a sterile manner in wrapping material, particularly surgical sheets, into a closed package. Irrespective of the dimensions of the medical instruments to be wrapped said surgical sheets have the same size, so that when the closed package is unwrapped the surgical sheet fully covers an instrument table. The surgical sheet therefore has dimensions that generally are much larger than necessary for wrapping the medical instruments, so that the surgical sheet is folded once or several times in order to correctly wrap the products to be wrapped. Folding the wrapping material and wrapping the products to be wrapped is adapted to among others the required medical instruments or depending on the wishes of the surgeon, which results in the dimensions of the products to be wrapped to vary and consequently the way of wrapping and folding also varies. Although manually wrapping is reasonably satisfactory, in daily practice an undesirable large number of packages turn out not to have been wrapped sufficiently sterilely. Moreover manually wrapping proves to take a lot of time, to result in too many pleats in the folding area, and/or not always to be of a reproducible quality.

Folding device and assembly for making a fold in a foldable wrapping material or material to be wrapped


Methods and probes are provided for the analysis of target sequences having two or more polymorphisms wherein one of the polymorphisms is to be distinguished and another polymorphism is to be masked.

The present invention is directed to a process to analyze single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in highly polymorphic nucleic acids, particularly in those targets that contain one or more additional polymorphisms close to the SNP of interest.
Typically genotyping of a single nucleotide polymorphism is performed using a probe or a primer containing a single mismatch. This simplifies the analysis of alleles tremendously. However, the presence of more than one polymorphism in a probe region complicates genotyping and makes detection very difficult if not impossible for many SNP detection methods. Most SNP detection methods present difficulties in genotyping a polymorphism of interest if the probe sequence spans another polymorphism.
Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are the most abundant of variations in the human genome, accounting for >90% of sequence polymorphisms. They occur on average once every 1000 nucleotides so that, as a rule of thumb, there is a 0.1% chance of any base position being heterozygous in a particular individual. Nucleotide diversity is not constant over the entire genome, with areas of extremely low diversity, for example, the X chromosome, and areas of extremely high diversity, for example, up to 10% in the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) loci (Twyman and Primrose, Pharmacogenomics 4: 1-13 (2002)). Highly polymorphic SNP target sequences are also known in other species, e.g., plants (Ching A, Caldwell K S, Jung M, Dolan M, Smith O S, Tingey S, Morgante M, Rafalski A J. BMC Genet. 3: 19 (2002)) and viruses (Miller V, Larder B A. Antivir Ther. 6 Suppl 3:25-44 (2001)). Many SNP detection methods have been described to detect a single polymorphism in a nucleic acid target in absence of another polymorphism in close proximity (Twyman and Primrose, supra; Gerome Breen, Psychiatric Genetics, 12: 83-88 (2002)). Genotyping by melting curve analysis has been developed (see, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,569,627; 6,506,568; 6,448,015 and U.S. application Ser. No. 10/165,410, each of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference).
Others have not designed probes or used universal bases to identify a polymorphism of interest when a second polymorphism resides within the length of the probe, such that the probe incorporates a universal base in a location to pair with the second polymorphism. For instance, in a summary of applications for universal base analogues, David Loakes, Nucl. Acids Res., 29: 2437-2447 (2001), discusses SNP analysis, but not when more than one polymorphism is covered by the probe. Bergstrom et al, J. Amer. Chem. Soc., 117: 1201-1209 (1995) disclose the synthesis of 1-(2′-deoxy-β-D-ribofuranosyl)-3-nitropyrrole. The melting temperatures (Tms) of 15-mer oligonucleotides containing a single universal base hybridized to a complement containing either A, C, G or T at that position were within 3° C. However, the Tms were significantly lower than that of fully matched oligonucleotides. Guo et al, (Nat. Biotech., 15: 331-335 (1997) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,780,233)), disclose the use of 3-nitropyrrole to increase mismatch discrimination by the introduction of this base as an artificial mismatch. U.S. Patent Publication 2003/0165888 discloses probe and primers that contain at least two juxtaposed universal bases. Bowden et al (Thromb. Heamost., 80: 32-36 (1998)) disclose the simultaneous detection of multiple SNPs using a probe that contains a microdeletion or microinsertion of natural bases in the vicinity of established mutation sites. WO 03/040395 discloses universal nucleotides referred to as extendable nucleotides that can be incorporated into a polynucleotide strand by a polymerase during a primer extension reaction. EP 1314734 discloses a limited number of LNA substituted phosphoramidite reagents. WO 02/062816 discloses a large number of universal base triphosphate derivatives for pharmaceutical applications.
Several publications disclose universal bases without discussing their application in SNP analysis. For example, Lin, P K T and Brown, D M, Nucl. Acids Res., 20: 5149-5152 (1992) disclose two new degenerated bases that can be used in probes and primers, 6H,8H-3,4-dihydropyrmido[4,5-c][1,2]oxazin-7-one (P) and 2-amino-6-methoxyaminopurine (K), but do not disclose their use in mismatch discrimination or genotyping. Due to their ability of both base P and base K to exist in their amino and imino tautomers, they base pair with both A and G, and C and T, respectively. McMinn et al, J. Amer. Chem. Soc., 121: 11585-11586  (1999) and Ogawa et al, J. Amer. Chem. Soc, 122, 3274-3287 (2000) disclose the synthesis of unnatural nucleobases based on an isocarbostyryl core structure. Matsuda et al, J. Amer. Chem. Soc., 125: 6134-6139 (2003), disclose the synthesis of four unnatural bases, each of which hybridize with all four natural bases relatively similarly. Kim et al, Biorg. Med. Chem. Let., 12: 1977-1980 (2002) disclose the base pair properties of 8-oxo-7,8-dihyroadenosine. Henry et al, J. Amer. Chem. Soc., 125: 9638-9646 (2003) disclose six new unnatural bases, but did not investigate SNP analysis. Seela and Debelak (Nucleosides, Nucleotides & Nucl. Acids, 20: 577-585 (2001); Seela and Debelak (Nucl. Acids Res., 28: 3224-3232 (2000) and WO 01/72764 disclose three universal bases which showed no significant structural discrimination with natural analogs A, C, G and T. EP 1314734 discloses a limited number of LNA substituted phosphoramidite reagents. WO 02/062816 discloses a large number of universal base triphosphate derivatives for pharmaceutical applications.
Nucleic acid target amplified-based analyses are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,800,159; 6,197,563; 5,210,015; 5,312,728; and 6,221,603, each of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
Natural modified base analogs and their properties have been disclosed in WO 01/65958, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,127,121; 6,660,845; and RE 38,416 and Seela et al, Helv. Chim., Acta, 69:1602-1613 (1986) each of which is incorporated herein by reference.
Accordingly, there is a need for primers/probes that can distinguish a first SNP of interest that is located within the length of a probe of a second SNP, and methods for designing and using such primer/probes. The present invention fulfills this and other needs.

Single nucleotide polymorphism analysis of highly polymorphic target sequences


According to one exemplary embodiment, a light-emitting diode driver is provided, having: a differential first interface, a single-ended second interface, wherein the light-emitting diode driver is configured to use the first interface to communicate according to a bidirectional differential bus communication protocol as a slave, to use the second interface to communicate according to a single-ended bus protocol and to transpose signals between the first interface and the second interface, and to supply one or more light-emitting diodes with electric power on the basis of signals received via the first interface.

Light-emitting diodes are increasingly used for a wide variety of lighting tasks. By way of example, in vehicles, light-emitting diodes are replacing conventional light bulbs or halogen lamps in headlamps, tail lights, turn signals or in interior lighting. In buildings engineering too, light-emitting diodes are increasingly replacing other illuminants such as light bulbs or halogen lamps.
In some cases, this involves a large number of light-emitting diodes being used that can be actuated individually or in groups. This allows light effects such as for example seemingly chasing lights to be attained.
Such light-emitting diodes are frequently provided as light-emitting diode modules, for which a multiplicity of individual light-emitting diodes is provided for example on a printed circuit board (PCB) or another support. The actuation in this case is provided by means of a control unit, frequently referred to as an ECU (electronic control unit). The light-emitting diode modules in this case contain not only the light-emitting diodes but also further components, such as current-limiting components (resistors, transistors and the like), light-emitting diode driver circuits such as e.g. linear current sources having protective and diagnostic circuits, and/or interfaces or microcontrollers for additional functions.
In many cases, individual connections run from such an ECU to the different groups of light-emitting diodes or driver circuits associated with the groups. Such solutions require relatively complex wiring, and diagnosis options are frequently limited.
Another approach involves a LIN (Local Interconnect Network) bus being used for actuation. In the case of a LIN (Local Interconnect Network) bus, the data rates may be inadequate in some cases.

Light-emitting diode driver, light-emitting diode module and corresponding system


We propose a screw closure for containers, particularly bottles, with a top from which extends a surrounding skirt, said screw closure having a holding device for fixing the screw closure to the container, and with a security band disposed at the edge of the skirt that is facing away from the top, said security band being connected to the screw closure via a predetermined breaking line, and at least one elongation zone being provided in the security band, said elongation zone enabling the security band to extend preferably transverse to its circumferential direction. This screw closure is characterized by the fact that the security band (11) has at least one elastic region (39) that is formed by the lower part of the security band (11) between a holding strip (29) and an elastic holding band (35).

Screw closures of the kind addressed herein are known. They either present an inner thread that meshes with the outer thread of a container or they are bayonet locks. In both cases, it is critical that to be opened the screw closure undergo a certain rotatory motion and particularly an axial transverse motion, whereby the closure is lifted from the container or its mouth. It is known to provide such screw closures with a security band, also known as warranty band, which upon the first opening, namely when the screw closure is taken off the container for the first time, is deformed or destroyed in certain regions so that the outer contour is changed. As a result of the changed outer contour, a user can immediately recognize that the container is no longer closed in the original manner and that it possibly has been tampered with. It has been found that the first opening of a screw closure requires rather high opening forces, to prevent easy opening of the closure. Moreover, for many closures of this kind the force needed to reclose the container is relatively high. Finally, in many cases the deformed security band interferes with reclosure. In the known closures, the warranty band is connected to a predetermined breaking line extending all around in the circumferential direction and is provided with a separation line extending vertically thereto. When the closure is opened for the first time, the predetermined breaking line is split in some parts, and the separation line opens up.


A pedestrian airbag system according to the present invention includes a hood panel and an airbag which is folded and accommodated in a position downwardly of the rear end portion of the hood panel and which is adapted to be deployed and inflated upward by allowing inflation gas to flow therein. The hood panel includes an outer panel on the upper surface side and an inner panel disposed below the outer panel and set to have higher rigidity than the outer panel for supporting the outer panel, both panels formed of sheet metal. A storage portion for accommodating the airbag is formed from the outer panel near the rear end.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a pedestrian airbag system including a hood panel and an airbag to be accommodated in a position near the rear end thereof in a folded manner.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the related art, there exists a pedestrian airbag system which is disclosed in JP-A-2003-89333. In this airbag system, a case for accommodating an airbag to be disposed near the rear end of a hood panel is formed of synthetic resin and provided separately from the hood panel, and when the airbag is deployed and inflated, the airbag is adapted to be projected from an opening formed by breaking a part of the case.
However, in the pedestrian airbag system as set forth in the above-described patent publication, when the airbag is projected upward at the initial stage of airbag inflation, the case cannot resist a reaction force exerted to the case, and hence there exists a problem in stabilizing the direction of projection of the airbag. This is because the entire case for accommodating the airbag is formed of synthetic resin.
There also exists a pedestrian airbag system disclosed in JP-A-2003-306101. In this airbag system as well, a case disposed near the rear end of a hood panel for accommodating an airbag is formed of synthetic resin. In the airbag system as disclosed in the above-described patent publication, the upper side of the case is fixed to the rear end side of the hood panel, and when the airbag is deployed and inflated, the airbag can be projected from an opening formed by breaking a part thereof. Therefore, in the same manner, when the airbag is projected upward at the initial stage of airbag inflation, the case cannot resist the reaction force exerted to the case, and hence there exists a problem in stabilizing the direction of projection of the airbag. This is because the case is fixed to the rear side of the hood panel at the upper side.
In addition, in the pedestrian airbag system disclosed in the latter patent publication described above, since the portion covering the opening which is opened when the airbag is deployed and inflated is formed of synthetic resin, a break appears between this and the sheet metal outer panel of the hood panel disposed therearound due to difference in material, whereby design of the portion near the mounting portion of the airbag system is deteriorated.
There also exists a pedestrian airbag system disclosed in JP-A-7-125607, in which a case accommodating an airbag and an inflator is disposed substantially at the center of the hood panel in the longitudinal direction. Normally, since the pedestrian airbag system is provided with a heavy inflator, the overall weight increases. Therefore, as in the related art, when the case accommodating the airbag and the inflator is mounted substantially at the center of the hood panel in the longitudinal direction, there arises a necessity to increase rigidity of the portion of the hood panel which supports the case, to allow the hood panel to receive the reaction force which is exerted downward when the airbag is projected upward in the initial stage of airbag inflation and still support the pedestrian airbag system with reliability. In particular, since the inflator is required to be fixed firmly, the hood panel must be given increased weight in order to increase rigidity of the portion for supporting the inflator.
In addition, as in the related art, in the case of the pedestrian airbag system having a structure in which the case which accommodates the airbag and the inflator is mounted substantially at the center of the hood panel in the longitudinal direction, the case vibrates significantly with the hood panel when the vehicle is traveling, and hence may collide with parts in an engine room disposed downwardly of the case. Therefore, in order to reduce vibrations of the case, it is necessary to increase rigidity of the portion of the hood panel for supporting the case.
There is also a pedestrian airbag system as disclosed in JP-A-2004-90795. In this airbag system, an opening for allowing an airbag to project is formed on an outer panel of a hood panel, and the opening is covered by a flap portion formed of the same sheet metal as the outer panel.
However, in the airbag system configured as described above, a break appears between the flap portion and the outer panel surrounding therearound, and hence design of the portion near the mounting portion of the airbag system is deteriorated.


A buried bipolar junction is provided in a floating gate transistor flash memory device. During a write operation electrons are injected into a surface depletion region of the memory cell transistors. These electrons are accelerated in a vertical electric field and injected over a barrier to a floating gate of the cells.

Flash memory is non-volatile, which means that it stores information on a semiconductor in a way that does not need power to maintain the information in the chip. Flash memory is based on the Floating-Gate Avalanche-Injection Metal Oxide Semiconductor (FAMOS transistor) which is essentially a Complimentary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) Field Effect Transistor (FET) with an additional conductor suspended between the gate and source/drain terminals. Current flash memory devices are made in two primary forms: NOR flash and NAND flash. The names refer to the type of logic used in the storage cell array. Further, flash memory stores information in an array of transistors, called "cells," each of which traditionally stores one or more bits of information.
A flash cell is similar to a standard MOSFET transistor, except that it has two gates instead of just one. One gate is the control gate (CG) like in other MOS transistors, but the second is a floating gate (FG) that is insulated all around by an oxide layer. The FG is between the CG and the substrate. Because the FG is isolated by its insulating oxide layer, any electrons placed on it get trapped there and thus store the information.
When electrons are trapped on the FG, they modify (partially cancel out) an electric field coming from the CG, which modifies the threshold voltage (Vt) of the cell. Thus, when the cell is "read" by placing a specific voltage on the CG, electrical current will either flow or not flow between the cell's source and drain connections, depending on the Vt of the cell. This presence or absence of current is sensed and translated into 1's and 0's, reproducing the stored data.
Programming efficiency in flash memory, which is defined as a ratio of transistor gate current to programming drain-source current, is an important factor in determining power consumption in flash memories. The programming efficiency of flash memory cells, which utilize hot-electron injection, has been enhanced by applying a substrate bias.
Mechanisms of hot-electron injection in a floating gate transistor during a program operation are well known. The channel hot electron (CHE) component comes from energetic channel electrons which are accelerated by lateral electric fields along a channel of the floating gate transistor. A channel initiated secondary electron (CHISEL) component comes from energetic electrons which are generated by hole impact ionization in the substrate and accelerated by vertical electric fields.
A gate current (Ig) by hot-electron injection in program mode can be expressed as Ig=ICHE+ICHISEL. The ICHE component comes from energetic channel electrons which are accelerated by a channel electric field. The ICHISEL component comes from energetic electrons which are generated by hole impact ionization in the substrate and accelerated by a vertical electric field.
Known techniques for writing electrons onto the floating gate are still very inefficient. The drain current is on the order of a million times the gate current, or only about one in every millionth electrons flowing down the transistor channel is injected or results in an electron being injected on to the floating gate. This requires that a high drain current be used during writing and excessive power dissipation.
A BiMOS structure has been used to study the basic physical mechanisms of electron trapping in MOS gate oxides; see FIG. 1. The test structure 100 included a gate 110, a gate oxide layer 120, source 130 and drain 140. A buried bipolar emitter-base diode, layers 150 and 160, was used to inject electrons 170 which were accelerated in a surface depletion region and injected into the gate oxide 120. Excess electrons were collected by reverse biasing the drain and/or surface regions.
There is a need for an improved efficiency and reduced power consumption in programming a non-volatile memory cell.


The present invention relates to a polyacetal copolymer comprising a polyoxymethylene group (A) and a vinyl polymer group (B), the copolymer having a structure of the formula (I): EQU A.sub.n --X--B (I). wherein X is a terminal group of B and represents a binding group derived from a compound having at least two carbon atoms and 1 to 4 groups selected from hydroxyl, carboxyl, ester, amino and alkoxy groups, and A.sub.n means that A is present in the quantity of n times in number, and bonds to X, in which n=1 to 4, and the copolymers has a number average molecular weight of 10,000 to 500,000; a process for the production of said copolymer; and a composition comprising said copolymer and a polyvinyl polymer and/or polyoxymethylene.

Polyacetal resin is widely used in a variety of fields such as in the field of automobile parts, etc., because of its excellent mechanical strength, abrasion resistance, creep properties, fatigue properties and electrical properties.
In general, however, polyacetal resin has a problem in that surface decorating such as printing, coating, etc., is difficult due to its poor surface activity. Therefore, several attempts have been made to improve its surface decorating performance. For example, there has been proposed a method of preliminary treatment with acidic chemicals of phosphoric acid and sulfuric acid, a method of using a cellulose-based coating composition as a primer, a method of using a primer prepared by dissolving a chlorinated polyolefin resin in a chlorine-containing solvent, and some other methods have been proposed to improve surface decorating performance.
However, these methods are not fully satisfactory due to problems such as the requirement of additional processing steps for acid treatment and washing with water, deformation of the material due to a step of drying the coating, harmfulness of a chlorine-containing solvent, etc.
An object of this invention is to overcome the above problems associated with the prior methods such as the requirement of additional processing steps, deformation of the material, harmfulness of a chlorine-containing solvent, etc. That is, the present invention seeks to simplify a coating step and to reduce production costs so that a decorative article having a coating with high bond strength can be produced free from material deformation by only applying a coating composition directly to a polyacetal molded article surface without any chemical treatment or primer treatment and drying the coating.
An acetal polymer is usually produced by homopolymerization of formaldehyde or trioxane, or by copolymerization of formaldehyde or trioxane with a cyclic ether.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,218,295 discloses the Polymerization of formaldehyde in the presence of a polyalkylene glycol or a vinyl compound such as a vinyloxyethylamine/methyl methacrylate copolymer or a vinyloxyethylamine/isobutyl methacrylate copolymer. U.S. Pat. No. 3,732,333 also discloses the polymerization of formaldehyde in the presence of a living polymer of a vinyl compound such as styrene or methyl methacrylate.
However, polymers obtained by the above polymerization processes can hardly give the surface decorating performance referred to in the present invention. Further, the mechanical properties inherently belonging to a polyacetal resin are degraded to a great extent.
The polymer of the above U.S. Pat. No. 3,732,333 also has a defect in that the polymer is a mixture of a vinyl polymer with an aldehyde homopolymer due to its polymerization process in which formaldehyde is polymerized in the presence of a living polymer as a polymerization initiator.

Polyacetal copolymer and composition thereof


The present invention relates to a surface cover for a body which can be brought into contact with a liquid, comprising: a layer which at least partly contains gas and which is designed and arranged such that at least some sections of a layer face facing the liquid contacts the liquid; a gas-permeable layer which is arranged on the gas-containing layer on a face that faces the body and is opposite the face facing the liquid or which is integrally formed with the gas-containing layer; and a gas-supplying device which is connected to the gas-permeable layer such that gas can flow from the gas-supplying device to the gas-containing layer through the gas-permeable layer. The invention also relates to an arrangement and a use.

From nature, surfaces of plants and animals are known which, when immersed in water, are wetted to a small extent by the water by virtue of the fact that air is retained in the structure of the surface, such that the immersed parts of the plant or of the animal are not wetted by the water. Said surfaces can be found inter alia in floating aquatic ferns (for example Salvinia molesta) or in water bugs (for example Notonecta glauca). With the aid of the air retained on the surface with layer thicknesses of approximately 1 μm to approximately 1 mm, floating aquatic ferns, for example, can increase their buoyancy, and water bugs can use the air supply carried along underwater for breathing.
However, air escapes as a result of detachment of gas bubbles and as a result of dissolution of the air in the surrounding liquid from the air layer retained on the surface of the plant or of the animal into the surrounding water, such that the air layer is depleted over time. Since the immersion time of a water bug and of a vital floating aquatic fern leaf is however shorter than the time required for consuming the air layer, the dissolution of gases from the air layer into the surrounding water is not a problem.

Gas-containing surface cover, arrangement, and use


A time of flight (ToF) system includes a light source, a photosensor, a signal generator and a processor. The signal generator outputs a reference signal corresponding to a modulation function for modulated light and a modified transmitted light signal corresponding to a phase shift of the reference signal. The light source outputs the modified transmitted light signal and pixels in the photosensor receives its reflections off the scene. The reference signal is applied to the pixels and the processor determines a depth map for the scene based on values recorded by the pixels. In some examples, the phase shift is implemented using a phase locked loop controller. One or more component phases of the phase shift and an exposure time for each component phase are determined and output by the phase locked loop controller.

Time of flight (ToF) cameras provide a depth map of a scene. In particular, a ToF camera is a range imaging camera system that resolves distance based on the known speed of light, by measuring the time of flight of a light signal between the camera and the subject for each point of the image. A ToF camera generally includes an illumination unit that illuminates the subject with light modulated with frequencies up to, for example, 100 Megahertz (MHz). The illumination unit may use infrared light to make the illumination unobtrusive or the ToF camera more resilient to ambient light. Infrared light also allows the ToF camera to use high peak illumination without affecting human eyes, improving the signal to noise ratio of the system.
At the image sensor, each pixel measures the time the light has taken to travel from the illumination unit to the object and back to the sensor using a phase difference between the received reflections of the transmitted light and a reference signal. From this time, a distance between the subject at that point and the ToF camera system can be determined. Some ToF systems are limited in the range that they are able to unambiguously determine the distance between an object and the ToF system because the phase difference between the reflections and the reference signal increase as distance increases until the distance is large enough (equal to the wavelength of the modulation frequency) for the phase difference to wrap-around at 360 degrees back to 0 degrees. The operating range of ToF systems can be extended by reducing the modulation frequency which extends the wavelength, but at the cost of reducing system sensitivity. Some ToF systems incorporate two modulation frequencies and compare the determined phases to find the distance to an object and extend the operating range of the ToF system. However, these systems are susceptible to noise.

Multi frequency long range distance detection for amplitude modulated continuous wave time of flight cameras


A method for estimating fuel vapor pressure includes determining (102) an amount of fuel present in a fuel tank, pumping (104) a vapor mixture from the fuel tank until a predetermined gauge pressure is obtained, and measuring (108) the time necessary to reach the predetermined gauge pressure. Fuel vapor pressure is than directly quantified (108) based on the measured time and the detected fill level. Thus, an estimate of the fuel vapor pressure can be obtained without requiring information regarding fuel temperature, or addition of any dedicated sensor circuitry to a conventional on-board vapor management/leak detection system.

Generally speaking, because automobiles emit volatile fuel vapors into the atmosphere, regulations were established requiring fuel vapor management systems to be included in all automobiles so as to prevent or otherwise reduce these emissions. Typical fuel vapor management systems include a carbon filled canister to absorb unburned fuel vapors, and a centrally managed vent and valve control arrangement for routing flow of the fuel vapors to either the carbon filled canister or to the engine intake for proper combustion therein.
In addition, regulations have also been established which require such fuel vapor management systems to include an on-board diagnostic capability for detecting the existence of leaks within the system. An example of one such diagnostic system is commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 5,261,379 to Lipinski et al. In general, during testing operation, these systems apply a partial vacuum to the fuel tank of the vehicle until a predetermined pressure level is reached. Once the predetermined pressure level is reached, the tank is sealed, and the system measures the amount of vacuum "bleed off" or change in pressure over a predetermined period of time.
However, performance of typical diagnostic systems is a direct function of such factors as tank flex, fuel temperature, heat added by circulated fuel and ambient or underbody air temperature, fuel RVP (Reid Vapor Pressure), and age of the fuel. In addition, because of new regulations requiring diagnostic systems to be able to validly detect a leak equivalent to a 0.020 inch (0.051 cm) diameter hole, such factors have become even more problematic to producing reliable test results.
Detection of fuel vapor pressure is employed in some diagnostic and fuel vapor management systems as part of the overall process for detecting the presence of leaks. One way of attempting to quantify fuel vapor pressure is to measure fuel temperature, and then calculate fuel vapor by correlating the temperature measurement with a predefined table showing which fuel vapor pressure should be present for a particular fuel at a given temperature. The problem with such an arrangement is that there is no accommodation for the effects of fuel RVP and age, which materially alter the relationship between fuel vapor pressure and fuel temperature.

Method and system for estimating fuel vapor pressure