A plasma display device. A plasma display panel includes a plurality of address electrodes, a plurality of scan electrodes, and a plurality of sustain electrodes. A temperature detector detects a temperature of the plasma display panel. A controller outputs a scan electrode driving signal to control a reset waveform to be applied during reset periods of a first number of subfields when the detected temperature between a first temperature and a second temperature, and to control a reset waveform to be applied during reset periods of a second number of subfields when the detected temperature is lower than the first temperature and higher than the second temperature. The second number of subfields is greater than the first number of subfields. A scan electrode driver applies the appropriate reset waveform during a reset period of a subfield according to the scan electrode driving signal output from the controller.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a plasma display device, and more particularly relates to a plasma display device and a method for driving the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
A plasma display device is a flat panel display that uses plasma generated by gas discharge to display characters and images. It includes, depending on its size, more than several scores to millions of pixels arranged in a matrix pattern.
In general, one frame of a plasma display panel (PDP) is divided into a plurality of subfields, and grayscales are expressed by combinations of the respective subfields. Each subfield includes a reset period, an address period, and a sustain period. The reset period is for erasing wall charges formed by a previous sustain discharge and setting up the wall charges so that the next addressing can be stably performed. The address period is for selecting turn-on/turn-off cells (i.e., cells to be turned on or off) in a panel and accumulating wall charges to the turn-on cells (i.e., addressed cells). The sustain period is for causing a sustain discharge for displaying an image on the addressed cells.
In such a plasma display device, a main reset waveform is applied during a reset period and a weak discharge is generated during a rising period of the main reset waveform, thereby causing contrast deterioration. Accordingly, an auxiliary reset waveform and the main reset waveform are selectively applied during the reset period to thereby enhance the contrast. The main reset waveform is applied during the first two to three subfields, and the auxiliary reset waveform is applied in the other subfields. In this instance, the main waveform includes a rising period for accumulating wall charges and a falling period for eliminating the wall charges.
When the auxiliary reset waveform is applied, negative wall charges and positive wall charges are insufficiently accumulated on a scan (Y) electrode and a sustain (X) electrode, respectively, as compared to the main reset waveform because the auxiliary waveform does not include the rising period. In addition, when the main reset waveform is applied, a reset discharge is generated in every cell and thus a sufficient amount of priming particles is formed in the cell when the main reset waveform is applied. However, when the auxiliary reset waveform is applied, the reset discharge is generated in cells that have experienced a discharge during a falling period in a previous subfield and thus the priming particles are insufficiently formed.
If a temperature is low (e.g., lower than −15° Celsius) when the auxiliary reset waveform is being applied, wall charges are insufficiently accumulated and priming particles are insufficiently formed. Thus, motion of the wall charges becomes slow, and accordingly, a strong misfiring may be generated during the address period.
In addition, if the temperature is high (e.g., higher than 60° Celsius), the amount of wall charges accumulated after the auxiliary reset waveform is applied is too small and the priming particles are insufficiently formed. Further, the motion of the wall charges becomes too active, and accordingly, a strong misfiring may be generated during the address period.

Plasma display device and driving method thereof


A method for calibrating the sensitivity of a micromachined differential-capacitor accelerometer without applying mechanical stimulation, such as shaking. The accelerometer is fabricated with dimensional control structures so that a dimensional relationship is set-up among operational features of the device. The method includes measuring the resonant frequency of a movable mass and measuring the change in the output signal of the accelerometer as the mass is displaced by electrostatic means. The sensitivity of the accelerometer is then calculated.

Micromachined structures are frequently used as sensors or actuators and micromachined accelerometers, in particular, are widely used to detect and measure acceleration, tilt, or vibration for many applications. Among micromachined accelerometers, the differential capacitor type is typically used.
A differential-capacitor based accelerometer typically includes a micromachined sensor and its excitation and readout electronics. The micromachined sensor typically includes several primary micromachined elements; a movable mass, support springs, and capacitor plates for sensing the displacement of the movable mass. Often, additional actuator plates are provided to implement a self-test function. FIG. 1 shows an exemplary prior art differential-capacitor acceleration sensor 300. The movable mass 302, supported by springs 314, 316, 318, 320, is positioned midway between two plates so that one capacitor is formed by a first plate and the mass and a second (and equal) capacitor is formed by a second plate and the mass. Together these form the differential capacitor for sensing the displacement of the movable mass. To maximize the accelerometer capacitance, the mass may contain numerous fingers 350 that are interleaved between fingers from the two plates 348, 352. Likewise is the construction of the actuator plates 360, 362. These plates are used to generate electrostatic forces via a voltage applied, for example, between the fingers of the actuator plate 360 and the fingers 358 of the mass 302. The electrostatic force deflects the mass 302 and produces an output response that can be used for self-testing or other test purposes, e.g., measuring the resonant frequency of the movable spring-mass system.
The sensitivity of a micromachined accelerometer is determined by a variety of factors, including spring constant, mass of certain elements (e.g., proof mass), sense and parasitic capacitances, and electronic gain. As a result of the small dimensions involved, (on the order of micrometers), the sensitivity of a micromachined accelerometer may vary significantly due to manufacturing variations which alter dimensions of micromachined structures within the accelerometer. Among these, spring constant and sense capacitance see the most variations. Accordingly, some post-manufacturing calibration is typically required. Effective calibration requires an accurate determination of sensitivity followed by, if necessary, electronic gain adjustments in the form of EPROM programming, laser trimming, or electrical fusing of circuit elements, to bring sensitivity to target.
Commonly, the sensitivity of these accelerometers is measured with a device that shakes the accelerometer either at the wafer or the packaged device stage of manufacturing. Alternatively, the orientation of the accelerometer can be changed precisely with respect to the gravitational field, for example, with a rotator and the output response can then be calibrated to gravity. Testing involving precise mechanical excitations is very costly, especially if it is required to be performed over temperature. It is the main obstacle barring micromachined accelerometers from realizing the low cost of standard IC testing. A method of accurately measuring the sensitivity of these accelerometers without requiring equipment for mechanical manipulation of these devices (e.g., shaking) could significantly reduce manufacturing costs.

Method for calibrating accelerometer sensitivity


A rotatable cap and modified container neck. Depending from a top panel of the cap is an annular exterior wall and a smaller concentrically positioned interior wall with a space between the two walls sized to receive an upper and thinned portion of the container neck with a tight fit providing a fluid seal. The interior wall of the cap contains a dispensing notch which is aligned straight across with a dispensing opening through the exterior wall. With rotation, the cap raises and lowers on threads relative to the container. When the cap is lowered, the container neck blocks the dispensing canal between the notch in the interior wall and the dispensing opening in the exterior wall of the cap. The top rim of the container neck abuts the interior cap ceiling between the two walls to form a seal. When the cap is raised, the container neck is in part below the notch in the interior wall and the dispensing opening, and thus the dispensing canal is open. The cap and container neck include stop blocks to prevent removal of the cap, and further include cooperative structures which provide an audible click and vibration which can be felt just prior to the dispensing opening reaching either a full open or full closed position. The dispensing opening is positioned at the approximate intersection of the outer wall and cap top in a depression structured for easy cleaning of the dispensing opening.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to dispensing closures for bottles and tubes, and more precisely to a twist open, twist close dispensing cap and cooperatively structured neck on a container of the type commonly used to contain and dispense skin or hair care products and the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A wide variety of dispensing closures have been introduced over the years for dispensing fluid products from containers such as bottles and squeeze tubes. A feature common to many modern closures is that a cap is permanently yet movably retained onto a container neck and a dispensing aperture of the cap is opened by a rotating or pulling motion. A problem common to some of the dispensing closures appears to be a weakness in the sealing structure, especially evident during shipping when the containers are exposed to a significant change in altitude and thus in air pressure or temperature. Another common problem is the convenience of using the container and closure, since with some caps there is some question as to when the cap is fully open or closed. Yet another problem exists in maintaining a relatively sanitary system which does not clog or promote the excessive growth of bacteria by way of leaving product exposed to the air or in the dispensing canal where it can culture bacteria or dry.
Another problem is that some prior art closures require multiple separate pieces beyond just the container, neck, and one piece cap. The additional pieces may be center plug pieces inserted in the neck, or movable hinged lids attached as separate items to the cap body. These additional pieces cost time to assemble and money to manufacture in the form of additional materials and tooling, and these costs are of course past onto the consumer.
Although my invention is necessarily somewhat similar to the prior art container closures, I feel I have overcome many of the prior art short comings by providing a unique combination of structures in a single closure for a container such as a plastic bottle or squeeze tube.

Dispensing closure having multiple fluid seals, and an interior cap wall with notch and exterior cap wall with recessed opening defining a dispensing canal


For use in a system capable of communicating in either analog or digital wireless infrastructures, an intermediate frequency ("IF") amplifier and method that allows the system to process both analog and digital input signals in a common amplifier stage. The system includes: (1) first and second amplifiers, having parallel-coupled signal inputs and gains that combine to equal a constant total value, that receive an input signal and produce therefrom first and second output signals that are each a function of an applied gain signal, (2) a combinatorial circuit, coupled to the first and second amplifiers, that derives from the first and second output signals a combined signal that is a function of a power of the input signal and substantially immune to changes in the applied gain signal and (3) a gain control circuit, coupled to the first and second amplifiers, that holds the gain signal constant when the input signal is analog and varies the gain signal when the input signal is digital.

The use of wireless telecommunications has undergone substantial growth in the past decade and is projected to continue expanding as service improves and new products and features are offered. In recent years, certain standards adopted by the communication industry provide the capability for increased user capacity and improved privacy by adding digital speech synthesis capability to mobile stations and basestations. Until all wireless telecommunications networks implement the capability to provide digital transmission, however, mobile stations must have circuitry capable of receiving and processing both conventional analog, as well as digital, signals.
Conventional analog wireless communications are based on frequency modulation ("FM") of the radio channel. As will be explained in more detail hereinafter, signal amplifier circuits within analog radio receivers are typically operated in a "limiting," or "saturated," condition. In contrast, several of the industry standards for digital receivers require that the signal amplifiers be operated in a linear (i.e. "non-saturated") mode under most circumstances. Thus, conventional mobile stations capable of operating in both digital and analog modes use a dual-mode intermediate-frequency ("IF") receiver having separate and independent amplifier chains for each mode; i.e. an analog mode IF amplifier chain and a digital mode IF amplifier chain.
Many wireless telecommunications standards mandate that mobile stations provide a received signal strength indication ("RSSI"). The RSSI information is used by the wireless telecommunications system to set transmitter power levels, assign frequency channels, and assign mobile units to base stations. Conventional dual-mode receivers derive the RSSI signal from the analog mode IF amplifier chain when operating in analog mode. When operating in digital mode, the RSSI signal is typically derived by quantization of the baseband waveform demodulated from the output of an automatic-gain-control ("AGC") amplifier that is used to control the gain of the digital-mode IF amplifier chain. Although the RSSI signal derived from the analog mode IF amplifier chain could be used in digital mode, it would be necessary to provide power to both the digital and analog mode IF amplifier chains during digital mode operation, which would approximately double the amount of power required to operate the IF amplifier section of the receiver. On the other hand, deriving the RSSI signal by quantization of the baseband waveform demodulated from the output of the digital-mode AGC amplifier requires additional baseband processing circuitry.
From the foregoing, it is easy to recognize that the coexistence of separate and independent analog and digital mode IF amplifier chains has several disadvantages. First, according to conventional designs, providing both analog and digital modes of operation requires the use of separate and independent analog and digital mode IF amplifier chains. Thus, much more circuitry is required, which may increase the size and weight of the mobile station. Furthermore, if it is desired that the circuitry be implemented in an integrated circuit, the cost of the mobile station may be increased. This is because, in the semiconductor industry, there is a cost associated with the size (area) of the silicon die, or "chip," on which an integrated circuit is fabricated. A characteristic of the defect probability associated with fabricating semiconductor wafers is that the cost increases as a substantially exponential function of the die size. Therefore, there is an incentive to minimize the die area, which can only be accomplished by reducing the amount of circuitry. Secondly, and of particular importance, mobile stations are typically powered by batteries, and thus it is desirable to minimize power consumption to thereby extend the operating time of the mobile station. Consequently, there is a further incentive to improve the power efficiency of the mobile station by eliminating circuitry.
Therefore, what is needed in the art is a way of integrating the functions of the conventional dual IF-amplifier chains into a single "dual-mode" amplifier chain capable of operating in both digital and analog modes.

System for communicating in analog or digital mode and mobile station employing the same


The present applicant has discovered that one can make a surface emitting laser with enhanced operating characteristics by etching away the outer reflector stack peripheral to the intended active area and protecting the reflector stack mesa remaining over the active area by in situ metalization in high vacuum. The active area can be isolated, as by ion implantation, providing an electrical path through the active region free of the outer reflector stack. The result is a surface emitting laser having reduced series resistance. The device lases at lower voltage and provides an enhanced intensity of optical output as compared with conventional planar devices.

Semiconductor lasers are attractive for a wide variety of applications including telecommunications, computing systems, optical recording systems and optical interconnection of integrated circuits. Semiconductor lasers provide compact sources of coherent, monochromatic light which can be modulated at high bit rates to transmit large amounts of information.
Vertical-cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs) are particularly promising for applications requiring two dimensional arrays of lasers. As contrasted with edge emitting lasers which emit light parallel to the growth planes of their substrates, VCSELs emit perpendicular to the substrates. A typical VCSEL comprises an active region sandwiched between a pair of distributed Bragg reflector stacks. Upon injection of suitable current through the active region, laser light is emitted transverse to the planes of growth.
One difficulty with conventional VCSELs is their relatively low efficiency. Much of the electrical power passing through the resistive reflector stacks is wasted in generating heat rather than light, and the heat generated degrades the operating characteristics of the device. Accordingly, there is a need for a VCSEL device having reduced electrical resistance and providing enhanced optical output.

Method of making semiconductor surface emitting laser


An apparatus to control an electric motor to drive an electric-powered vehicle includes an accelerator position detector, a current controller to provide current to the electric motor through an inverter, a semiconductor device of the current controller configured to operate the inverter in response to a detected accelerator position, and a torque compensator to supply the electric motor with a modified current of the semiconductor device, wherein the torque compensator is configured to provide the modified current to the electric motor at a predetermined interval of time in response to a temperature increase in the semiconductor device when the detected accelerator position exceeds a predetermined threshold.

1. Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates to a control apparatus of an electric motor mounted in an electric-powered vehicle that is driven by the electric motor.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional apparatus to control an electric motor, for example, in an electric-powered vehicle is disclosed in Japanese Patent Provisional Publication No. 2003-009566 (hereinafter is referred to as "JP2003-009566").


A centrifuge includes a rotational mechanism, a housing, a rotating feed pipe and a basket. The housing includes at least one side and defines an interior volume. The basket is positioned in the interior volume of the housing and is operatively coupled to the rotational mechanism such that rotation of the rotational mechanism is imparted to the basket. The rotating feed pipe extends into the basket through a pipe support positioned over the basket. The rotating feed pipe includes a nozzle operable to direct a flow of liquids, solids or combinations thereof onto a sidewall of the basket. The rotating feed pipe is operable to rotate from a first position towards a second position thereby increasing the distance between the nozzle and the sidewall and varying an angular orientation of the nozzle with respect to a normal to the sidewall.

Centrifuges, for example, basket centrifuges, are commonly used to separate solid particulates from the liquid portion of a slurry and thereby form a cake of the solid particulates on the wall of the centrifuge. The centrifuges generally comprise a rotating perforated cylinder or basket. A filter cloth lines the interior of the cylinder. As the cylinder is rotated, a feed pipe is used to direct a flow of slurry onto the interior wall of the cylinder. The centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the cylinder separates the liquid portion of the slurry from the solid particulates, expelling the liquid from the cylinder and depositing the solid particulates on the filter cloth thereby forming a cake of solid particulates on the interior wall of the centrifuge.
The feed pipe, specifically the nozzle of the feed pipe, is generally spaced apart from the interior wall of the cylinder such that the cake may be deposited between the interior wall and the nozzle. However, if the flow rate or feed pressure of the slurry is low, the slurry exiting the nozzle may not reach the interior wall of the cylinder and, instead, may fall to the bottom of the cylinder causing the cake to be deposited on and build from the bottom of the cylinder. When the cake builds from the bottom of the cylinder, the filtering efficiency of the centrifuge is reduced. The cylinder may also become unbalanced which may result in damage to the centrifuge.
To prevent the slurry from falling to the bottom of the cylinder the feed pipe may be moved closer to the interior wall. However, when the feed pipe is moved closer to the interior wall of the cylinder, the nozzle of the feed pipe and/or the feed pipe may mechanically contact the cake as the thickness of the cake increases during operation of the centrifuge. Accordingly, the cakes formed may be thinner resulting in production inefficiencies. Further, moving the feed pipe closer to the interior wall of the cylinder may result in the feed pipe interfering with other components of the centrifuge.
Accordingly, a need exists for alternative centrifuges for forming cakes of solid particulates from a slurry.


A ripple converter includes a transistor for switching an input direct-current voltage, a choke coil and a smoothing capacitor for smoothing the switched direct-current voltage, a flywheel diode for causing a current to flow through the choke coil when the transistor is turned off, and a comparing unit for controlling the ON/OFF of the transistor according to ripple in an output voltage. In the ripple converter, a waveform converter is provided on a connecting path between an output terminal and a non-inverting input terminal of a comparator in the comparing unit. A result of converting the waveform of the output voltage is compared with a reference voltage, and a result of the comparison is fed back to the transistor.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to ripple converters. More specifically, the present invention relates to a ripple converter that maintains stable oscillation for switching regardless of the type or capacitance of an externally attached capacitor for smoothing output.
2. Description of the Related Art
A ripple converter generally refers to a DC-DC converter including a switching element for switching an input DC voltage, a choke coil and a smoothing capacitor for smoothing the switched DC voltage, a flywheel diode for causing a current to flow through the choke coil when the switching element is turned off, and a control circuit for controlling the ON/OFF of the switching element according to the magnitude of ripple in an output voltage. Circuits of such a ripple converter are publicly known, as described, for example, in the document, "Transistor Gijutsu Special No. 28," Tokushuu, Saishin Dengenkairo Sekkeigijutsu no Subete, CQ Publishing Co., Ltd., issued on Jul. 1, 1991.
FIG. 14A shows a circuit diagram of a ripple converter that is similar to the circuits disclosed in the document mentioned above. FIG. 14B shows the voltage at an output terminal of a switching element and the waveform of an output voltage (voltage waveform at an output terminal Vout).
A ripple converter 1 according to the circuit diagram shown in FIG. 14A includes a PNP transistor Q1 that functions as a switching element, a flywheel diode D1, a choke coil L1, a smoothing capacitor C1, and a comparing unit 2. The emitter of the transistor Q1 is connected to an input terminal Vin, and the collector thereof is connected to an output terminal Vout via the choke coil L1. The collector of the transistor Q1 is connected to the ground via the flywheel diode D1. The output terminal Vout is connected to the ground via the smoothing capacitor C1. The comparing unit 2 includes a comparator 3 and a reference voltage source Vref having one end connected to the ground. The non-inverting input terminal of the comparator 3 is connected to the output terminal Vout, and the inverting input terminal thereof is connected to the reference voltage source Vref. The output of the comparator 3 is connected to the base of the transistor Q1. Of these elements, the comparing unit 2 functions as a control circuit for performing feedback control of the ON/OFF of the switching element according to ripple in an output voltage.
In the ripple converter 1 constructed as described above, the voltage (output voltage) vo at the output terminal Vout increases when the output of the comparator 3 is at low level (hereinafter abbreviated as L) and the transistor Q1 is ON. When the output voltage vo exceeds a voltage (reference voltage) vref of the reference voltage source Vref, the output of the comparator 3 changes to a high level (hereinafter abbreviated as H) and the transistor Q1 is turned off. Between when the output voltage vo exceeds the reference voltage vref and when the transistor Q1 is turned off, a delay time t1 such as a delay caused by the comparator 3 and a delay due to a switching time of the transistor Q1 exists. Thus, the output voltage vo keeps increasing during the delay time t1.
The output voltage vo starts decreasing when the transistor Q1 is turned off. When the output voltage vo drops below the reference voltage vref, the output of the comparator 3 changes to L and the transistor Q1 is turned on. Between when the output voltage vo drops below the reference voltage vref and when the transistor Q1 is turned on, a delay time such as a delay caused by the comparator 3 and a delay due to a switching time of the transistor Q1 exists. Thus, the output voltage vo keeps decreasing during the delay time t2. When the delay time t2 elapses and the transistor Q1 is turned on, the status returns to initial status. This is continuously repeated. It is described that, as a result, the output voltage vo substantially forms a triangular wave and the average value thereof is maintained substantially at the reference voltage vref.
The document mentioned earlier describes that the voltage at the output terminal Vout forms a substantially triangular wave as described above. However, the description is not necessarily accurate. Presumably, it is assumed that a capacitor having a large equivalent series resistance (ESR), such as an aluminum electrolytic capacitor, is used as the smoothing capacitor C1. Actually, in some cases, the voltage forms a substantially triangular wave as described above depending on the characteristics of the smoothing capacitor C1. However, in other cases, the voltage forms a waveform having sudden voltage changes in the vicinities of the peaks of a triangular wave (the timing of the ON/OFF switching of the switching element), or a waveform obtained by alternately folding back quadratic curves, as will be described later.
More specifically, for example, when a capacitor having a relatively large equivalent series inductance (ESL), such as a leaded low-impedance electrolytic capacitor, is used as a smoothing capacitor, the waveform has sudden voltage changes at the timing of the ON/OFF switching of the switching element, as shown in FIG. 15.
As another example, a case where the smoothing capacitor is an ideal capacitor and has sufficiently small ESR or ESL will be considered. In this case, the current that flows through the choke coil increases linearly when the switching element is ON, and decreases linearly when the switching element is OFF. That is, the waveform of the current that flows through the choke coil is triangular. When the smoothing capacitor is an ideal capacitor, the voltage across the smoothing capacitor is a value obtained by integrating the capacitor current. Thus, the voltage across the smoothing capacitor (i.e., the voltage waveform at the output terminal) obtained by smoothing the choke coil current having a triangular waveform has a waveform in which two quadratic curves are alternately connected with each other, as shown in FIG. 16. A peak point in this case is located in the vicinity of the middle of an ON period or OFF period of the switching element.
As described above, the waveform of the output voltage of the ripple converter changes depending on response delays (delay times t1 and t2) of the system and characteristics of the smoothing capacitor.
Generally, when a DC-DC converter made as a module is used, an additional capacitor for output (another smoothing capacitor) is often externally attached to an output terminal of the module. At the stage of designing the module, it is difficult to predict the characteristics of the capacitor attached to the module. Therefore, in some cases, the driving frequency cannot be set to a desired value when the ripple converter is used. This problem becomes particularly severe when a ceramic capacitor having a small ESR or ESL is used as the output capacitor. More specifically, as will be understood from a comparison between FIG. 16 and FIG. 14(B), when a ceramic capacitor is used, the time when the output voltage vo crosses the reference voltage vref is delayed, which causes a decrease in the driving frequency. Thus, a large value must be chosen for the inductance of the choke coil L1, and ripple increases. Therefore, it has been difficult to use a ceramic capacitor as an output capacitor.
As for the response delays of the system, the main cause is a delay caused by the comparator. The delay caused by the comparator is affected by the amount of overdriving (i.e., the voltage difference between the input terminals, or the voltage difference between a maximum value v1 of the output voltage vo and the reference voltage vref in FIG. 14B), and the delay tends to be greater as the amount of overdriving decreases. That is, the delay decreases as the output voltage changes more rapidly and the delay increases as the output voltage changes more slowly.
For example, in the ripple converter 1 shown in FIG. 14A, when the capacitance of the output capacitor is increased in order to reduce ripple in the output voltage, the amount of temporal change in the output voltage decreases. Thus, the amount of overdriving at the time when the time t1 has elapsed since the output voltage crossed the reference voltage vref is less than v1. Thus, the actual delay time is larger than t1, which caused the driving frequency to decrease as compared to a case where the capacitance of the output capacitor is not increased. When the driving frequency decreases, ripple in the output voltage increases. Thus, even when the capacitance of the output capacitor is increased, ripple in the output voltage does not decrease substantially. That is, the driving frequency decreases without reducing ripple.


The present invention provides a grill 10 for use in electrical equipment comprising a fan. The grill 10 comprises a substantially planar portion 90 that provides protection for (and indeed from) the blades of a fan and a handle 100 that provides means by which the grill may be held. The substantially planar portion 90 may comprise an opening 94 that facilitates stacking of a plurality of like grills 10.

The invention relates to fan grills for covering fans or openings in fan housings.
The invention finds particular but not exclusive use in electrical equipment, such as computer systems, which may comprise field replaceable units (FRUs).
Fans are generally provided in electrical equipment such as computer equipment in order to provide cooling for the electrical components thereof. Typically, a fan is mounted inside an enclosure containing the electrical components and an aperture is provided in the chassis defining the enclosure so that hot air may be expelled.
In general, it is desirable to provide grills for fans that provide some level of protection from moving fan blades while presenting minimal restriction to the flow of air in the vicinity of the fan.
Fans have a propensity to collect dirt from the surrounding environment, which can increase the chance of failure and also degrade performance by restricting airflow.
Since fans are electromechanical devices comprising moving parts, they are more likely fail (and hence require replacement/maintenance) than, for example, purely electrical components.
It is generally desirable that the removal and/or replacement of a fan unit be easily and swiftly effected. It is also desirable that removal and/or replacement of the grill from the fan or fan unit itself be easily and swiftly effected.
These considerations are of particular relevance in electrical equipment comprising FRUs wherein there is an emphasis on minimising downtime in the event of a fault.
Accordingly, there is a need for a grill which is easily and removably mountable on a fan or a housing, which facilitates removal of the fan or a fan unit from the system in which it is incorporated.


The present invention relates to a hemostatic composition comprising at least 0.1 NIH U/ml of thrombin, about 0.01 mU/ml of casein kinase II, and from 10 ng/ml to 100 ng/ml of sphingosine or a sphingosine derivative. The composition is effective in treating patients suffering from hemophilia, ulcers, or microbial infections. In addition, the composition is effective in reducing clotting time during the surgical procedure of suturing blood vessels.

1. Field Of The Invention
The present invention is related to a novel hemostatic composition. More specifically, the present invention is related to a hemostatic composition comprising thrombin, casein kinase II, and sphingosine or a sphingosine derivative and providing rapid clotting and hemostasis.
2. Description Of The Prior Arts
Hemostasis involves three complex mechanisms: clot formation, rapid constriction of the injured blood vessel and the aggregation of platelets to form a plug on the injured surface of the blood vessel. A clot is formed by a series of transformations involving more than ten different proteins, calcium ion (Ca2+) and thromboplastin. When bleeding occurs, fibrinogen, which is highly soluble, is converted into insoluble fibrin monomer by the proteolytic action of thrombin. The fibrin monomers spontaneously associate to form a clot, on which factor XIIIa acts to aggregate platelets to form a plug on the injured surface of the blood vessel.
It has been reported that phosphate groups attached to fibrinogen affect the gelation of thrombin (Forsberg, P. O., Thromb. Res., 53, 1-9, 1989). And, various protein kineses such as protein kinase A (Engstrim, L., Edlund B., Rangnarsson, U., Dahlqvist-Edberg, U., and Humble, E., Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun., 96, 1507, 1980), protein kinase C, casein kinase I (Itarte, E., Plana, M., Guasch, M. D., and Martos, C., Biochem. Biophys, Res. Commun., 117, 631-636, 1983), and casein kinase II (Humble, E., Heldin, P., Forsberg, P. O. and Engstrom, L., Arch, Biochem. Biophys., 241, 225-231, 1985) have been reported to be involved in the phosphorylation of fibrinogen. The effect of the phosphorylation of fibrinogen on the thrombin-induced gelation of fibrinogen varies depending on thekinase used to phosphorylate fibrinogen. The phosphorylated fibrinogen is ineffeciently cleaved by plasmin regardless of the kind of the kinase involved in the phosphorylation thereof (Martin, S. C., et al., Thromb. Res. 61, 243252, 1991).
Sphingosine, which is one kind of sphingolipid, has important roles in the growth and differentiation of cells. Further, sphingosine also is reported to have an ability to increase the activity of casein kinase II (McDonald, O.Bradley; Hannun, Yusuf A.; Reynolds, E. Hugh and Sahyoun, Naji, Journal of Biological Chem., Vol. 266, No. 32, pp 21773-21776, 1991).
A property required to serve as an efficient hemostatic agent is fast control of bleeding in order to prevent entry of pathogens at the bleeding site or massive hemorrhage during operations. Thrombin preparations have been most widely employed as commercially available hemostatic compositions.
The inventors conducted extensive studies to develop a more efficient hemostatic composition, which allows a faster hemostasis than conventional hemostatic compositions. As a result thereof, they surprisingly found that, if the thrombin-containing hemostatic compositions contains casein kinase II, a protein phosphorylation enzyme, together with sphingosine or a sphingosine derivative, it can exhibit its hemostatic activity in a shorter period of time.

Method for controlling bleeding and microbial infections by administering thrombin, casein kinase II, and sphingosine


A blade actuating assembly is provided which permits selective reciprocal movement of a tissue cutting blade positioned at a distal end of an optical trocar assembly from a non-deployed position to a deployed position and back to a non-deployed position. The trocar assembly has an optical obturator which includes a sleeve having a longitudinal bore between a proximal end and a distal end. The longitudinal bore of the sleeve is configured to receive at least a portion of an endoscope or like image transferring system. An objective optical member, such as an optical window is positioned at the distal end of the sleeve and is provided to permit optical images to pass into the longitudinal bore of the sleeve and to permit illumination light to pass to the surgical site.

1. Technical Field
An apparatus for penetrating and for observing penetration of body tissue is provided. More particularly, an optical trocar assembly is provided having a reciprocating cutting blade responsive to actuation of a trigger mechanism, which facilitates penetration of the peritoneum or other body tissue under direct observation.
2. Description of Related Art
Endoscopic surgical procedures, that is, surgical procedures performed through tubular sleeves or cannulas, have been utilized for many years. Initially, endoscopic surgical procedures were primarily diagnostic in nature. More recently as endoscopic technology has advanced, surgeons are performing increasingly complex and innovative endoscopic surgical procedures. In endoscopic procedures, surgery is performed in any hollow viscus of the body through a small incision or through narrow endoscopic tubes (cannulas) inserted through small entrance wounds in the skin. In laparoscopic procedures surgery is performed in the interior of the abdomen.
Laparoscopic procedures generally utilize instrumentation that is internally sealed to inhibit gases from entering or exiting the body through the laparoscopic or endoscopic incision. This is particularly true in surgical procedures in which the surgical region is insufflated. Moreover, laparoscopic and endoscopic procedures often require the surgeon to act on organs, tissues and vessels far removed from the incision, thereby requiring that any instruments to be used in such procedures be of sufficient size and length to permit remote operation. Typically, after the surgical region is insufflated, trocars are used to puncture the body cavity and include a cannula which remains in place for use during endoscopic procedures. Generally, trocars used during such procedures include a stylet having a sharp tip for penetrating the body cavity positioned coaxially within protective tubes to protect a patient or surgeon from inadvertent contact with the tip. An example of a known trocar is described in commonly assigned, U.S. Pat. No. 4,601,710 to Moll. Most currently used trocars rely on protective tubes or relative retraction of the tip to prevent inadvertent contact with tissue.
It would be advantageous to provide a trocar assembly for observing the penetration of the peritoneum or other body portions. The trocar assembly described herein provides an improved objective optical member for passing optical images to an imaging system, and an improved trigger mechanism for selectively reciprocating a cutting tip which facilitates penetration of body tissue. The objective optical member in combination with the imaging system provide a clear and bright image of the body tissue being penetrated as well as the cavity entered.


There is provided a fan unit in which when the fan unit is conveyed, existence of a plurality of lead wires will not become an obstacle to the conveyance.

The present invention relates to a fan unit and a heat-emitting element cooling apparatus which uses the fan unit, for cooling a heat emitting element such as an electronic component.
Such a heat-emitting element cooling apparatus has been known that includes a heat sink having a base and a plurality of radiation fins, and a fan unit. In this apparatus, a heat-emitting element to be cooled is mounted on the rear surface of the base, and the radiation fins are fixed to the base. The fan unit is disposed over the heat sink, for blowing air along one or more the radiation fins to promote heat dissipation from the radiation fins. In this heat-emitting element cooling apparatus, heat generated from the heat-emitting element is transferred from the base to the radiation fins. Then, the air flowing from the fan unit along the radiation fins carries away the heat of the radiation fins, thereby cooling the heat-emitting element.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,407,913 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,621,699, for example, disclose electronic component cooling apparatuses in each of which a heat sink provided with a plurality of radiation fins juxtaposed on a base, is cooled by a fan unit. In these units, the fan unit is mounted on the heat sink through mounting engaging structures. Further, a plurality of lead wires are arranged along one of webs coupling motor supporting means for supporting a motor to a fan casing.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,671,172 discloses an electronic component cooling apparatus including a plurality of radiation fins that extend radially in the radial direction of a base with respect to the base that extends in the axial direction of a revolving shaft of a fan unit. Air flow passages formed between two adjacent radiation fins of the radiation fins are open toward both of the axial directions and toward the radially outward direction. This publication also discloses a structure in which each of four engaging sections that extend from the fan casing of the fan unit is inserted into each of the air flow passages formed between the two adjacent radiation fins of a heat sink, thereby preventing the fan casing from rotating with respect to the heat sink. Still further, the radiation fins disclosed in this publication are curved in one of the peripheral directions of the revolving shaft, and air supplied from the fan unit rotates in a direction opposite to the direction in which the radiation fins are curved.
FIG. 3 of U.S. Pat. No. 6,480,383 discloses a technique by which a plurality of projections provided for a fan casing is inserted into air flow passages each formed between two adjacent radiation fins of a plurality of radiation fins, thereby preventing the fan casing from being disengaged from the heat sink.
USPAP No. 2002/0075649 discloses a structure in which a plurality of mounting engaged sections is provided in a plurality of radiation fins, and a plurality of mounting engaging sections provided on a fan casing of a fan unit engages the mounting engaged sections, thereby mounting the fan unit on a heat sink. The mounting engaged sections disclosed in this publication are respectively constituted by notches formed at ends of a part of the radiation fins in their radially outward direction. Hooks for engaging the notches are integrally provided on the mounting engaging sections on the fan casing.
Further, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 280780/2002 discloses an integrated circuit cooling unit in which in order to mount a fan unit on a heat sink, grooves for partially receiving a plurality of lead wires that extend from the fan unit are formed in a fan holder attached to a heat sink, thereby preventing the lead wires from coming out of the fan holder.
In the cooling unit disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 280780/2002, the lead wires are fitted into the grooves arranged in the fan holder for mounting the fan unit on the heat sink. For this reason, when the fan unit is conveyed discretely, the lead wires need to be bent a plurality of times and bound together by a string, a rubber band, or the like. In the configuration disclosed in this publication, the lead wires are bent so that they meander along the side wall of the fan holder. The work of bending the lead wires so that they meander the side wall of the fan holder is difficult, so that the work becomes time-consuming unless it is accustomed to be done. Further, if the lead wires are bent at short intervals, an undue force will be applied to the lead wires or great deformation will be caused in the lead wires. Then, a lead wire disconnection may be generated. Further, when the length of the lead wires in this configuration becomes too long, the lead wires cannot be held by the fan holder without becoming an obstacle.

Abstract: Four lead wire engaging sections 27, 29, 31, and 33 are provided along the contour of an outer wall section 25 of a fan casing 15 as the fan casing 15 is viewed from a predetermined position in a forward direction. Then, the lead wire engaging sections 27, 29, 31 and 33 are configured to engage a part of lead wires 24 so as to prevent the lead wires 24 from coming out of the fan casing 15 one or more during the conveyance.


A submicron sized Si based powder having an average primary particle size between 20 nm and 200 nm, wherein the powder has a surface layer comprising SiOx, with 0<x<2, the surface layer having an average thickness between 0.5 nm and 10 nm, and wherein the powder has a total oxygen content equal or less than 3% by weight at room temperature. The method for making the powder comprises a step where a Si precursor is vaporized in a gas stream at high temperature, after which the gas stream is quenched to obtain Si particles, and the Si particles are quenched at low temperature in an oxygen containing gas.

This invention relates to submicron sized silicon based powders having low oxygen content and the synthesis of this powder using a gas phase technology.
Silicon powders are currently developed and used in a wide variety of applications including lithium-ion batteries, printed electronics and solar applications. These applications require ultrafine powders with low oxygen content.
Lithium-ion batteries are the most widely used secondary systems for portable electronic devices. Compared to aqueous rechargeable cells, such as nickel-cadmium and nickel metal hydride, Li-ion cells have higher energy density, higher operating voltages, lower self discharge and low maintenance requirements. These properties have made Li-ion cells the highest performing available secondary battery.
The worldwide energy demand increase has driven the lithium-ion battery community to search for new generation electrode materials with high energy density. One of the approaches is to replace the conventional carbon graphite negative electrode material by another better performing active material, being a metal, metalloid or metallic alloy based on silicon (Si), tin (Sn) or aluminum (Al). These materials can provide much higher specific and volumetric capacity compared to graphite. On top of the specific composition of the negative electrode material, the surface properties of the particles are playing a key role in the electrochemical behaviour of the resulting Li-ion battery. Therefore, it is of paramount importance to be able to optimize those parameters in order to enhance the electrochemical performances of the negative electrode.
The composite electrode needs to posses mixed conductivity with both ionic lithium and electrons. Such a complex medium is generally obtained by mixing together the active material particles with different additives such as a very fine powder of carbon black and a polymeric binder. The binder additive has a complex role since it not only gives mechanical strength to the composite electrode but also allows for a good adhesion between the electrode layer and the current collector, and it gives the composite electrode a sufficient liquid electrolyte uptake to provide internal ionic percolation.
As mentioned Si-based negative electrode materials could significantly enhance the energy density of the commercial lithium ion batteries. Silicon has the largest theoretical gravimetric capacity (3579 mAh/g) corresponding to the following reaction: 15Li+4Si→Li15Si4 and a large volumetric capacity (2200 mAh/cm3). However, the microscopic structure of these materials and their huge volume expansion upon lithium intercalation had never allowed reaching acceptable life characteristics for their use in rechargeable cells. The synthesis of materials at the submicron scale allows to overcome the main drawbacks of these materials and makes them suitable candidates for the replacement of carbon. An interesting method to prepare submicron powders is plasma technology, as is disclosed in WO 2008/064741 A1.
Unfortunately, these submicron silicon powders rapidly oxidize when exposed to air. This uncontrolled oxidation of submicron sized silicon powder finally results in oxygen contents above 10 wt %. This high oxygen level will have a negative impact on the electrochemical behaviour of these Si based powders in Li-ion batteries, generating high capacity losses during first cycling (the so called irreversible capacity) because of the reduction of this layer.
It is an aim of the present invention to improve or even overcome these problems, and to provide for better negative electrode materials that can be manufactured by a simple and economical process.

Submicron sized silicon powder with low oxygen content


A method of protecting a surface of a display glass or a hard disk substrate during processing arid transport includes applying at least one polyvinyl alcohol or other polymer protective layer on the surface, which is soluble in polarorganic solvents, so that the layer can be removed after processing and transport by washing in heated water or a polar organic solvent without leaving residues on the surface. The polyvinyl alcohol used to make the protective coating has an average molecular weight of xe2x89xa7 about 60,000 g/mol and a hydrolysis degree of xe2x89xa795% and the at least one polyvinyl alcohol layer is dried by heating at temperatures of about 150xc2x0 C. or less to form the protective coating after applying the polyvinyl alcohol layer. The other polymers are less soluble in water than polyvinyl alcohol but are easily removed with organic solvent.

The present invention relates to a method of applying an at least one-layer removable polymer coating on glass substrates, in particular display glasses or solid plate substrates, as a protective layer. The present invention also relates to a display glass,:and an electronic device, which includes the display glass. Moreover, the present invention also relates to hard disk substrates of glass or glass ceramic.
Glass substrates are substrates of conventional glass as well as substrates or glass ceramic. During the production of glass substrates, in particular for display glasses or solid plate substrate of glass or glass ceramic, there are massive yield problems, since the glass substrate due to treatment and transportation have defects in form of scratches and particles. These scratches moreover can induce glass breakage which acts destructively when occurred during a process step, since-the process must be interrupted for cleaning the machines from such chips which can cause further scratches.
During splitting and cross cutting, particles are released, and they lie on the glass surface and act as abrasive particles during the further transportation and treatment so as to lead to scratching of the surface. Also, the edge treatment which follows the separation of the substrate leads to loading of the glass surface with glass particles, which again act as abrasive bodies. Moreover, during the edge treatment for cooling and for removal of the grinding solution, a high pressure water jet is oriented to the edges.
Methods are known, in which at both sides polymer foil is laminated. Such methods have several disadvantages. The protective foil can be applied after the cutting of the glass and can therefore protect only during the transport and during the edge treatment. During the edge treatment the foil is partially lifted at the edges and under it a grinding dust is collected and the glass is damaged. Moreover, especially in thin glass, due to the required pulling force for removing the foil glass breakage again occurs in many instance.
For the lamination of the polymer protective foil, adhesives materials are required, which not always can be removed without resides. The glass surface must be polished thereafter in certain circumstances, to obtain the required quality. The post-polishing is performed mainly mechanically and removes the adhesive residuals, but on a microscopic plane does not lead to an optimal surface quality, as desired for example for display glass or optical special glass or also solid plate substrate, since by polishing minute scratches are produced. A great disadvantage is also the high refuse by glass breakage during polishing.
The German patent document DE 36 15 277 A1 discloses a method, in which the flat glass is provided with a scratch-resistant splinter protecting coating. Immediately after the manufacture, within the cooling region a synthetic plastic powder is applied, which is melted on the glass band. For increasing the mechanical stability, a base layer and a scratch-resistant cover layer are applied. The sprinter protective layer produced in this manner can not be again removed. In addition, no surface quality which is suitable for display is obtained. Utilization as a solid plate substrate is not possible due to the synthetic plastic layer.
The Japanese patent document JP-H 102 26537 discloses a method, in which a water-soluble protective film is applied, which does not affect the glass (it does not contain alkali salt) and is resistant against moisture. For the protective film, polyvinyl alcohol solutions in water are utilized, wherein the polyvinyl alcohol has an average molecular mass of at most 51,600 g/mol, preferably under 25,800 g/mol, and is partially hydrolyzed, preferably between 55% and 85%. The upper limits are based on that, with high average molecular masses as well as with hydrolysis degrees below substantially 95%, the water solubility dramatic drastically reduces. With low hydrolysis degrees, to the contrary, the water solubility increases with the hydrolysis degree. This protective film of polyvinyl alcohol with an average molecular mass of less than approximately 50,000 g/mol and a hydrolysis degree between 55% and 85% is sufficiently water soluble even below 30xc2x0 C. Such a polyvinyl alcohol protective film is removed during the edge treatment in the shortest time.
The patent document BE 714347 discloses a further process on the basis of a water soluble polymer protective film. In this process a mixture of hydroxylethycellulose and dialdehyde in water or of polyvinylalcohol and dialdehyde in water is used. The dialdehyde has the action of a crosslinking agent which makes the protective film swellable and reduces the adherence of the protective film to the glass. By the admixing of a dialdehyde, the water solubility of the polymer protective layer is adjusted. There is no disclosure as to the polymerization degree of the preferable polyvinylalcohol. The hydrolysis degree must be at 85% or higher. It has been however shown that the protective films of such polymers are removed during the edge treatment.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method for protection of surfaces of glass substrates, in accordance with which the surfaces of glass substrates from the production to the end stages of the treatment, in particular the wet edge treatment, and during all intermediate transports are protected from scratching and abrasive bodies, which also can be performed with a lowest possible number of process steps, with which the refuse is minimized, and which guarantees the highest possible surface quality of the end product.
It is also an object of present invention to provide a display glass which at low manufacturing cost has an excellent surface quality, or an electronic device which is provided with such a display glass.
Moreover, it is also an object of present invention to provide a hard disk substrate, which has low manufacturing costs and an excellent surface quality.
In keeping with these objects and with others which will become apparent hereinafter, one feature of present invention resides, briefly stated, in a method of applying a detachable protective coating comprising at least one layer of polyvinyl alcohol on a glass substrate, in particular a display glass or a hard disk substrate in which the applied polyvinyl alcohol has an average molecular weight xe2x89xa755,000 g/mol and a hydrolysis degree xe2x89xa795%.
In accordance with another feature of present invention a method is provided, in accordance with which a polymer is utilized, which is soluble in polar organic solvent.
Still another feature of present invention resides in a display glass which before, during or after transport and/or complete treatment is not polished.
In accordance with a further feature of present invention a display glass is provided which has at least one removable polymer layer, and the at least one polymer layer is soluble in water at a temperature xe2x89xa750xc2x0 C., or in a polar organic solvent, or in a mixture of water and a polar organic solvent.
In accordance with still a further feature of present invention, an electronic device is proposed which has a display glass, and the display glass before, during or after the transport and/or complete treatment is not polished.
Also, a hard disk of glass or ceramic is disclosed, which before, during after transportation and/complete treatment is not polished.
In accordance with another feature of the invention, also a hard disk is disclosed, which is composed of glass or glass ceramic and has at least one releasable polymer layer, and the at least one polymer layer is soluble in water at a temperature greater than or equal to 50xc2x0 C. or in a polar organic solvent or in a mixture of water and a polar organic solvent.
Finally, it is proposed to use a glass or ceramic substrate as an initial blank for a hard disk used in electronic devices.
In accordance with a further method, at least one layer of polyvinyl alcohol is applied on the glass substrate. The polyvinyl alcohol has an average molecular weight of greater than or equal to 55,000 g/mol and a hydrolysis degree greater than or equal to 95%. The thusly produced at least one polyvinyl alcohol layer is difficult to dissolve in cold water and resists the wet edge treatment. Depending on the requirements, the glass substrate is coated on both sides or only on one side.
The coating can be removed by washing with water with a temperature 50xc2x0 C. and higher, in particular 60xc2x0 C. and higher, preferably 70xc2x0 C. and higher, and in particular preferably 80xc2x0 C. and higher. The higher the water temperature, the faster can be the coating released. The pH value is
Due to the at least one polyvinyl alcohol layer, the original surface quality of the glass substrate surface during the whole treatment process and a possible transportation is maintained satisfactory. The removal by washing with water of the at least one polyvinyl alcohol layer is on the one hand very safe, so that in very thin glasses very little glass breakage occurs, and, on the other hand, it is very thorough since the at least one polymer layer is completely removed.
By an additional post-polishing, the surface quality is reduced by microscopic scratches and waste due to glass breakage is increased. Post-polishing is dispensed with when the glasses are produced in accordance with the inventive method.
It has been determined in an advantageous manner that for the coating polyvinylalcohol with an average molecular weight xe2x89xa7100,000 g/mol, especially xe2x89xa7150,000 g/mol is preferable.
It also has been found advantageous to use polyvinyl alcohol with hydrolysis degree xe2x89xa797.5.
The water solubility at room temperature of polyvinylalcohol with high average molecular masses and very high hydrolysis degree is however extremely poor (quasi non soluble), the water solubility at high temperatures is to the contrary very good. Therefore, these very high polymerized polyvinylalcohols are suitable for protecting the glass substrate surface during treatment step of the moist edge treatment, during which for cooling and transportation of the grinding solution in cold, for example ambient temperature, high pressure water jet is oriented to the edge.
For the process it is technically advantageous to use aqueous solutions of 1 to 30 weight %, in particular 1 to 20 weight %, in particular preferably 5 to 10 weight % for applying of the polyvinylalcohol.
In a second method, at least one layer of a polymer is applied on the glass substrate, which is soluble in a polar organic solvent. Preferable are polar organic solvents, such as alcohol, ketone or ester, which are commercially available in great quantities at low prices. As for the polymer for the coating, preferably polyacrylate or polyvinylpyrrolidon/polyvinylacetate-copolymer or polyvinylcaprolactam.
The polymer coating is removed preferably with an alcohol, a ketone or an ester or an aqueous solution of its organic solvent. Particularly advantageous is isopropanol or ethanol or aqueous solutions of the same.
With the at least one polymer layer as well as with the polyvinyl alcohol coating, the original surface quality of the glass substrate surface is maintained As during the whole treatment process and possible transportation. The removal by washing with organic solvents, or aqueous solutions of the same, of the at least one polymer layer is, on the one hand, very safe,- so that in very thin glasses very little glass breakage occurs, and, on the other hand, is thorough, since the at least one polymer layer is completely removed.
Also, if the method were to include an additional post-polishing, microscopic scratches produced by the post-polishing would reduce the surface quality and glass breakage would be increased. The post-polishing is dispensed with in the inventive method.
In both processes, at least one polymer layer is applied preferably directly after the, production of the glass substrate onto the same, for conserving the surface quality of the manufacture before some abrasive or dirt particles can reduce, it. The application can take place directly on the glass train.
Depending on the performing process steps and application methods, the thickness of at least one polymer layer is set to between 0.1 to 100 xcexcm. A layer thickness of 1 to 15 xcexcm is particularly advantageous.
With regard to the application, there are diverse possibilities. Three preferable application methods are the immersion, the rolling and the spraying. The immersion is suitable for glasses which are already cut. The rolling is especially good for thick disks. The spraying to the contrary is preferably used for thin layers, and especially for glasses which have the highest surface quality and therefore are coated only on the glass train. In addition the spraying is contactless, so that the contamination of the glass substrate surface is maintained as low as possible. Preferably, the high volume low pressure (HVLP) process is utilized for this purpose, to obtain a maximum homogenous film and to retain as low as possible the overspray, or the overshooting spray fog.
When the glass band is coated not in warm condition (for example 90xc2x0 C.), the drying process must be enhanced. For this purpose on the one hand the infrared radiation, on the other hand hot air can be used. Both processes have in common that the glass is heated to a temperature of approximately 100xc2x0 C. Higher temperatures can lead to a modification of the glass layer or the glass. Lower temperatures reduce the drying speed.
During infrared drying the glass is heated with radiation. In particular radiation in a wavelength region between 3 and 10 xcexcm is especially recommended, as produced for example by gas heat radiators. Alternatively, electric heat radiators can be used.
During hot air drying, the glass band is acted upon at both sides with hot air. The drying can be performed by means of a cloud dryer, so that the glass band is held by the air stream in the cloud and the drier travels without contact.
When the coating must be removed again in shortest time, it is advantageous to enhance the washing with ultrasound. The sound waves propagate in the washing fluid and remove the coating mechanically.
In a preferable embodiment a polymer layer is applied exactly on the protecting glass substrate surface, which depending on the process is on the basis of polyvinylalcohols or a polymer which is soluble in a polar organic solvent. Thereby the expenses and the costs for this process stage are maintained low.
In special cases, in which the requirements to the protective coating are very high, it is preferable to apply at least two polymer layers which are different as to their solubility so that the layer applied directly on the glass substrate is more soluble than the layer located over it.
In a preferable embodiment, the glass substrate is applied first as a layer on polyvinylalcohol base and thereafter a layer of for example polyacrylate is applied. This has the advantage that the surface coating is very resistant against water and moisture, but both for the application and for the washing out of the coating less organic solvent is required than when an identically thick layer has only polyacrylate or a similar water soluble polymer and thereby the environment is affected less.
The invention also includes display glasses, which at no time are polished, as well as electronic devices, Which are provided with such display glasses. Moreover, the invention also deals with a display glass, whose coating can be removed with polar organic solvents or water at a temperature xe2x89xa750xc2x0 C. or aqueous solutions of polar organic solvents.
The invention also deals with a hard disk substrate made of glass or glass ceramic, which at no time is polished. Moreover, the invention deals with hard disk substrates, whose coating can be removed with polar organic solvents or water at a temperature xe2x89xa750xc2x0 C. or aqueous solutions of polar organic solvents. Also, the invention deals with use of such hard disk substrates as an initial blank for hard disks to be used in electronic devices.
The novel features which are considered as characteristic for the present invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its. construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the, accompanying drawings.

Method of protecting surfaces of glass substrates


A recliner adjuster for adjusting an inclination of a seat back with respect to a seat cushion includes a guide bracket to be secured to one of the seat cushion and the seat back, an internal gear to be secured to the other of the seat cushion and the seat back, a cam interposed between the guide bracket and the internal gear, a pair of lock gears interposed between the guide bracket and the internal gear so as to be radially slidable in association with movement of the cam, and a mounting ring for mating the guide bracket and the internal gear with each other with the cam and the pair of lock gears accommodated therein. The mounting ring has a generally flat annular portion, a cylindrical side portion, and a plurality of bent portions formed at a distal end of the cylindrical side portion. The guide bracket and the internal gear are sandwiched between the generally flat annular portion and the plurality of bent portions of the mounting ring, and an outer peripheral surface of the internal gear is held in sliding contact with an inner surface of the cylindrical side portion of the mounting ring, thereby radially positioning the internal gear.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a recliner adjuster attached to, for example, an automobile seat for appropriately adjusting inclination of a seat back with respect to a seat cushion.
2. Description of the Related Art
A recliner adjuster is interposed between a seat cushion and a seat back that can be inclined relative to the seat cushion. A conventional recliner adjuster generally includes a first bracket (or a lower arm) fixed to the seat cushion and a second bracket (or an upper arm) fixed to the seat back so as to be rotatable relative to the first bracket.
This recliner adjuster also includes a cam interposed between the first and second brackets and coupled to a support shaft, which is concentric with a center of rotation of the second bracket relative to the first bracket, for rotation together therewith. The cam is intended to radially slide, upon rotation of the support shaft, a lock gear interposed between the first and second brackets and having engaging teeth formed at a distal end surface thereof. The first bracket has a radially extending guide groove defined therein and having parallel side walls opposed to each other so that rotation of the cam may cause the lock gear to slide along the guide groove to protrude the engaging teeth from the guide groove or withdraw them inside the guide groove.
On the other hand, the second bracket has internal teeth formed along a circular arc locus having a center that is aligned with the center of rotation thereof. Rotation of the cam protrudes the lock gear outwardly from the guide groove to bring the engaging teeth into engagement with the internal teeth, thereby preventing rotation of the second bracket relative to the first bracket, while reverse rotation of the cam releases the engagement between the engaging teeth and the internal teeth, thereby allowing rotation of the second bracket relative to the first bracket.
Accordingly, by operating an operation lever to rotate the support shaft, the engaging teeth can be brought into engagement with the internal teeth to lock the seat back, while the engagement of the engaging teeth with the internal teeth can be released to change the inclination of the seat back (see, for example, Document 1 or 2).                Document 1: Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2000-52826        Document 2: Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2000-342368
In the recliner adjuster as disclosed in Document 1, the first bracket has a pair of crescent-shaped protrusions formed therewith that are to be inserted into respective recesses formed in the second bracket to guide the second bracket during rotation. This construction makes the recliner adjuster thick, making it difficult to reduce the size thereof. Further, the diameter of the internal teeth must be increased to enhance the locking strength, resulting in an increase in size of the recliner adjuster.
In the recliner adjuster as disclosed in Document 2, the upper arm having internal teeth is accommodated within a recess formed in the lower arm. The upper arm is held in sliding contact at its outer peripheral surface with a side wall of the recess in the lower arm, thereby radially positioning the upper arm relative to the lower arm. Further, the upper and lower arms are held together at their outer end portions by a clamp having opposite bent ends. This construction is advantageous to reduce the thickness of the recliner adjuster, but if the diameter of the internal teeth of the upper arm is increased to enhance the locking strength, the outer diameter of the upper arm and the diameter of the recess in the lower arm must be both increased and, hence, the outer diameter of the lower arm is inevitably increased, resulting in an increase in size of the recliner adjuster.


A morphable vehicle member utilizing at least one active material to change at least one attribute in response to an activation signal. The change in at least one attribute is a change in a shape dimension, a shape orientation, an expansion, a contraction, a morphing, a yield strength property, a flexural modulus or a combination. Preferably, the change in at least one attribute in the morphable vehicle member is reversible. Also disclosed herein are methods for the morphable vehicle member utilizing at least one active material to change at least one attribute on demand in response to an activation signal.

The present disclosure generally relates to on demand morphable body moldings and surfaces, and more particularly, to on demand morphable body moldings and surfaces based on active materials.
Current vehicle members such as body side moldings, rub strips, edge guards and bumpers of various sorts have been employed for years. These types of vehicle members have both decorative and protective functions. For example, edge guards protect the edge of a door, a bumper, or the like and can be made to decoratively accent the vehicle surface. Body side moldings generally are formed of numerous pieces horizontally aligned and attached on the side of a vehicle. Body side moldings must take into account the clearances associated with the opening and closure of door assemblies in vehicles. As a result, some vehicles require a portion of the molding to be cut-away to permit opening and closure of the door. The problem with having to form the molding in this manner is that it decreases the aesthetic qualities of the molding. From a distance, one has difficulty in distinguishing whether the cutaway portion represents damage to the vehicle or is part of the design.
Current vehicle members of the type described above are generally static. That is, these vehicle members are either present on the vehicle or not. For example, mounting a license bracket on the front of the vehicle member is not always needed in the intended vehicle market. There are many jurisdictions that do not require front license plates, whereas others do. However, in view of costs, manufacturers will generally produce all of its vehicle models with a license bracket. This presents an aesthetic problem when the jurisdiction does not require a front license plate and/or an owner does not want a front license plate.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for on-demand morphable body moldings and surfaces that provide a means for protecting the vehicle and are aesthetically pleasing. It would be particularly advantageous if the vehicle member can reversibly morph on demand.

On demand morphable automotive body moldings and surfaces


The invention provides filtration systems and associated methods for filtering a fuel cell reactant stream of particulate and vapor contaminants. In one embodiment, the invention provides a reactant filtration system for a fuel cell, including a first filter having a first inlet and a first outlet, and a second filter having a second inlet and a second outlet. The first filter includes a textile particulate filter, and the second filter includes an activated carbon material. The first and second filters are coupled such that the first inlet is adapted to receive a flow of reactant, which is flowed through the first filter to the first outlet and then to the second inlet, through the second filter and then through the second outlet, which is coupled to an electrode chamber of a fuel cell.

The invention generally relates to a method and apparatus for filtering a fuel cell reactant stream of particulate and vapor contaminants.
A fuel cell is an electrochemical device that converts chemical energy produced by a reaction directly into electrical energy. For example, one type of fuel cell includes a polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM), often called a proton exchange membrane, that permits only protons to pass between an anode and a cathode of the fuel cell. At the anode, diatomic hydrogen (a fuel) is reacted to produce protons that pass through the PEM. The electrons produced by this reaction travel through circuitry that is external to the fuel cell to form an electrical current. At the cathode, oxygen is reduced and reacts with the protons to form water. The anodic and cathodic reactions are described by the following equations:H2→2H+2e−at the anode of the cell, andO2+4H++4e−→2H2Oat the cathode of the cell.
A typical fuel cell has a terminal voltage of up to about one volt DC. For purposes of producing much larger voltages, multiple fuel cells may be assembled together to form an arrangement called a fuel cell stack, an arrangement in which the fuel cells are electrically coupled together in series to form a larger DC voltage (a voltage near 100 volts DC, for example) and to provide more power.
The fuel cell stack may include flow field plates (graphite composite or metal plates, as examples) that are stacked one on top of the other. The plates may include various surface flow field channels and orifices to, as examples, route the reactants and products through the fuel cell stack. A PEM is sandwiched between each anode and cathode flow field plate. Electrically conductive gas diffusion layers (GDLs) may be located on each side of each PEM to act as a gas diffusion media and in some cases to provide a support for the fuel cell catalysts. In this manner, reactant gases from each side of the PEM may pass along the flow field channels and diffuse through the GDLs to reach the PEM. The PEM and its adjacent pair of catalyst layers are often referred to as a membrane electrode assembly (MEA). An MEA sandwiched by adjacent GDL layers is often referred to as a membrane electrode unit (MEU).
Suitable fuel cell components are well known in the art. As examples, common membrane materials include Nafion™, Gore Select™, sulphonated fluorocarbon polymers, and other materials such as polybenzimidazole and polyether ether ketone. Various suitable catalyst formulations are also known in the art, and are generally platinum-based. The GDL's generally comprise either a paper or cloth based on carbon fibers. The flow field plates are generally molded, stamped or machined from materials including carbon composites, plastics and metal alloys. The plates may include various surface flow channels and orifices to, as examples, route the reactants and products through the fuel cell stack. Reactant gases from each side of the PEM may pass along the flow channels and diffuse through the GDLs to reach the PEM.
A fuel cell system may include a fuel processor that converts a hydrocarbon (natural gas or propane, as examples) into a fuel flow for the fuel cell stack. For a given output power of the fuel cell stack, the fuel flow to the stack must satisfy the appropriate stoichiometric ratios governed by the equations listed above. Thus, a controller of the fuel cell system may monitor the output power of the stack and based on the monitored output power, estimate the fuel flow to satisfy the appropriate stoichiometric ratios. In this manner, the controller regulates the fuel processor to produce this flow, and in response to the controller detecting a change in the output power, the controller estimates a new rate of fuel flow and controls the fuel processor accordingly.
The fuel cell system may provide power to a load, such as a load that is formed from residential appliances and electrical devices that may be selectively turned on and off to vary the power that is demanded by the load. Thus, the load may not be constant, but rather the power that is consumed by the load may vary over time and abruptly change in steps. For example, if the fuel cell system provides power to a house, different appliances/electrical devices of the house may be turned on and off at different times to cause the load to vary in a stepwise fashion over time. Fuel cell systems adapted to accommodate variable loads are sometimes referred to as "load following" systems.
Fuel cells generally operate at temperatures much higher than ambient (e.g., 50–80° C. or 120–180° C.), and the fuel and air streams circulated through the fuel cells typically include water vapor. For example, reactants associated with sulphonated fluorocarbon polymer membranes must generally be humidified to ensure the membranes remain moist during operation. In such a system, water may condense out of a process stream where the stream is cooled below its dew point. For example, if the anode and cathode exhaust streams are saturated with water vapor at the stack operating temperature, water will tend to condense from these streams as they cool after leaving the stack. Similarly, the humidity and temperature conditions of other process streams may also produce condensation. It may be desirable to remove condensate from a process stream in a fuel cell system process stream. As examples, such condensate can interfere with the flow of process streams, can potentially build to levels that can flood portions of the system, and can also cause problems if allowed to freeze (e.g., in an outdoor unit that is not in service).
The term "integrated fuel cell system" (also commonly referred to simply as "fuel cell system") generally refers to a fuel cell stack that is coupled to components and subsystems that support the operation of the stack. For example, this could refer to a fuel cell stack that is connected to a power conditioning device that converts direct current from the fuel cell into alternating current similar to that available from the grid. It might also refer to a system equipped with a fuel processor to convert a hydrocarbon (e.g., natural gas, propane, methanol, etc.) into a hydrogen rich stream (e.g., reformate) for use in the fuel cell. An integrated fuel cell system may also include a control mechanism to automate at least some portion of the operation of the system. Integrated fuel cell systems may include a single controller common to the entire system, or may include multiple controllers specific to various parts of the system. Likewise, the operation of integrated fuel cell systems may be fully or partially automated. Also, an integrated fuel cell system may or may not be housed in a common enclosure.
In addition to PEM fuel cells, the invention discussed below may also be applied to other types of fuel cell systems where air is used as a reactant, including but not limited to solid oxide, phosphoric acid, molten carbonate systems.
There is a continuing need for integrated fuel cell systems and associated process methods designed to achieve objectives including the forgoing in a robust, cost-effective manner.


A seismic node deployment system comprises a cable supply with one or more seismic nodes configured for coupling to the cable at one or more attachment locations for deployment to a water column. A node attachment system is configured to drive a portion of the cable into periodic or reciprocal motion so that the attachment speed is substantially reduced relative to the speed at which the cable is deployed.

This disclosure relates generally to seismic data acquisition, including, but not limited to, seismic node deployment for marine seismic surveys. The disclosure also relates to a system or apparatus for attaching autonomous devices, such as acoustic positioning systems or seismic nodes or other sensor nodes, collectively referred to as nodes, to a rope or cable or wire, e.g., for deployment into a water column or other seismic medium.
Modern geophysical exploration techniques include both land-based and marine seismic surveys. In marine surveys, a seismic research vessel typically tows a source such as an airgun array, which periodically emits acoustic pulses generated by collapsing air bubbles. The acoustic waves propagate through the water column and penetrate the seabed or ocean floor, where they are reflected from boundaries between subsurface of geological formations. The reflected acoustic energy is detected by an array of seismic sensors or receivers, which generate seismic sensor data that can be processed to reconstruct the reflected wavefield and generate images of the corresponding subsurface geology.
Typically, the seismic receivers are distributed along a series of streamer lines towed behind the seismic vessel, or deployed directly onto the seabed along an ocean-bottom cable. Receivers can also be deployed as an array of individual, autonomous sensor nodes.
Within the water column, acoustic energy is substantially characterized by the propagation of pressure-type acoustic waves (P-waves). Thus, towed seismic streamer arrays traditionally utilize pressure-sensitive receivers such as hydrophones. The subsurface wavefield, on the other hand, includes both pressure waves and shear waves (S-waves), in addition to more complex wavefield contributions. Modern ocean-bottom seismic systems thus employ motion-sensitive devices such as geophones and accelerometers as well, for example in a sensor subarray with a combination of hydrophone and multi-axis geophone components, sensitive to both differential pressure and motion (velocity or acceleration) along three orthogonal axes.
In this more general approach, the pressure and shear wave contributions are combined to more accurately reproduce the full seismic wavefield, and to generate more complete images of the subsurface geology. Similar techniques can also be applied in land-based surveys, where both pressure and shear wave data are also available.
In order to accurately track and log the substantial quantities of seismic sensor data required to achieve these results, precision clock systems are typically provided, along with local data processing and storage components, a power supply, and an interface configured for control and data communications. As each of these components increase in data capacity, there is an ongoing need for improved seismic imaging techniques adapted to handle the correspondingly greater data flow.
The information included in this Background section of the specification, including any references cited herein and any description or discussion thereof, is included for technical reference purposes only and is not to be regarded subject matter by which the scope of the invention as defined in the claims is to be bound.


It is possible to effectively treat moderate to severe visceral pain by administering analgesic medications comprising the opioid oxycodone or pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof. Visceral pain and especially acute (i.e. non-chronic) visceral pain can be effectively treated by administering oxycodone at a dosage which is lower than the corresponding dosage of the other opioids like morphine.

There is a continuing need for analgesic medications which are suitable for effectively treating visceral pain and especially acute visceral pain. Deep pain from the internal organs is a common cause of visits to doctors and long-term sick leave in the western world. The causes for visceral pain can be sought in both organic and functional conditions, but what is common to these is that there is complex activation of the nervous system. In many cases, the visceral pain persists despite the original cause having been wholly or partially eliminated. In many cases morphine is currently used for the treatment of moderate to severe visceral pain.
There is also a continuing need for analgesic medications able to provide high efficacy pain relief while reducing the possibility of undesirable effects. Accordingly, it is most desirable to have analgesic medications which provide high efficacy pain relief at low dosages in order to avoid or at least reduce undesirable effects and especially side-effects observed at higher dosages or for certain specific analgesics.
Although opioids are prescribed with increasing frequency, knowledge of their effect on visceral pain is limited. However, it is known that, in addition to analgesic effects, morphine may also cause a number of undesirable effects, including, for example, respiratory depression, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, mental clouding, dysphoria, pruritus, constipation, increased biliary tract pressure, urinary retention and hypotension.
The effect of certain active agents on patients is highly variable. Visceral pain differs from pain in the skin in many ways and is often more difficult to treat.
In the literature different types of pain associated with disease of the viscera are suggested. These types comprise true or localized visceral pain, referred visceral pain, localized parietal pain, and referred parietal pain. The present invention especially refers to the treatment of true or localized visceral pain.
True visceral pain often occurs early in the disease and is characterized by a vague, diffuse, dull, aching pain, which is localized but can have a tendency to radiate. It can be accompanied by a feeling of malaise, and, when severe, it induces strong autonomic phenomena such as sweating, vasomotor responses, bradycardia, nausea and vomiting, and sometimes an alarm reaction. It is usually felt in the midline and deep in the body.
There are a variety of conditions in which visceral pain may exist. For example, pancreatitis pain, labor pain, pain from abdominal surgery associated with ileus, pain in irritable bowel syndrome, abdominal pain in nonulcer dyspepsia, or in dysmenorrhea. Likewise, liver pain, kidney pain, epigastric pain, pleural pain, and painful biliary colic, appendicitis pain may all be considered to be visceral pain. Substernal pain or pressure from early myocardial infarction is also visceral. Diseases of the stomach, dudenum or colon can cause visceral pain. And there are more.
According to an embodiment of the present invention it has been found that it is possible to effectively treat moderate to severe visceral pain by administering analgesic medications comprising the opioid oxycodone or pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof. Moreover, it has been found that visceral pain and especially acute (i.e. non-chronic) visceral pain can be effectively treated by administering oxycodone at a dosage which is lower than the corresponding dosage of other opioids like morphine. Accordingly, the present invention inter alia refers to a method of effectively treating moderate to severe visceral pain by administering oxycodone at relatively low dosages.
According to an embodiment of the present invention it has been found that treating visceral pain with a specific dosage of oxycodone is more effective than treating the same visceral pain with a higher corresponding dosage of morphine, whereas almost the same effect is observed if cutaneous or muscular pain is treated by administering corresponding dosages of oxycodone or morphine. In other words, according to the present invention it has been found that visceral pain and especially acute moderate to severe visceral pain can be effectively treated by administering oxycodone at relatively low dosages, whereas the "corresponding dosage" of morphine would be less effective in treating the same visceral pain. According to the present invention the "corresponding dosage" of morphine does not mean the same quantitative amount of morphine, but refers to the usual equipotent amount of morphine, i.e. to the amount of morphine which usually provides a similar pain relief to the patient. The usual equipotent weight ratio of morphine to oxycodone for oral administration is about 2:1 (the corresponding molar ratio is about 1.8:1).
According to another embodiment of the invention a method of selectively treating moderate to severe visceral pain in a patient is provided, the method comprising administering oxycodone in an effective amount to provide analgesia in the patient in need thereof. The present invention for the first time allows for the selective treatment of moderate to severe visceral pain, since it was not known prior to the present invention that this specific pain can be effectively treated by administering oxycodone at low dosages, whereas other opioids (like morphine) at dosages, which would have been considered equipotent by the skilled person, are less effective. Patients suffering exclusively from acute visceral pain, according to the present invention would not or no longer be treated with the opioids commonly used for this purpose (like morphine, hydromorphone, oxymorphone, codeine, and hydrocodone) but with oxycodone. Accordingly, the present invention opens a new therapeutic window for the opioid oxycodone.
According to another embodiment of the invention a method of treating moderate to severe visceral pain in a patient already being treated with morphine or a salt thereof is provided, the method comprising:
(a) discontinuing treatment with morphine; and
(b) administering oxycodone or a salt thereof in an amount of less than 50% by weight of the morphine or salt thereof.
According to another embodiment of the invention a method of treating moderate to severe visceral pain in a patient already being treated with hydromorphone, oxymorphone, codeine, hydrocodone or salts thereof is provided, the method comprising:
(a) discontinuing treatment with hydromorphone, oxymorphone, codeine, hydrocodone or salts thereof; and
(b) administering oxycodone or a salt thereof in an amount of less than the equipotent weight of the hydromorphone, oxymorphone, codeine, hydrocodone or salts thereof.
An embodiment of the present invention also allows the treatment of acute visceral pain by administering oxycodone at a dosage which is sufficiently low in order to reduce or avoid undesired side effects. This means, that therapeutic levels can be achieved without or with fewer concurrent side effects, such as nausea, vomiting, constipation and drowsiness, which may be associated with high blood levels of oxycodone.
The finding that visceral pain can be effectively treated by administering low dosages of oxycodone allows for the use of immediate release formulations and sustained release formulations. It may be preferred according to the present invention to treat visceral pain and especially acute visceral pain by administering oxycodone-containing once-a-day, twice-a-day, three-times-a-day, or four-times-a-day dosage forms. According to the present invention it may be especially preferred to use oxycodone-containing sustained release formulations, wherein the dosage does not exceed 40 mg oxycodone, preferably does not exceed 30 mg oxycodone and even more preferably does not exceed 10 mg oxycodone. According to the present invention it may be most preferred to use oxycodone-containing sustained release formulations and preferably once-a-day, twice-a-day, three-times-a-day, or four-times-a-day dosage forms comprising about 10 mg, about 9 mg, about 8 mg, about 7 mg, about 6 mg or about 5 mg oxycodone. It is also preferred in certain embodiments to use single-entity oxycodone or salts thereof, e.g., oxycodone or salts thereof without APAPs or other active agents.

Use of oxycodone for treating visceral pain