A system and method is provided for fault detection in a turbine engine. The fault detection system and method uses discrete event system modeling to provide improved fault diagnosis and prognosis. The fault detection system and method receives sensor taken at multiple dynamic events occurring in different time windows. An event determination mechanism evaluates the received sensor data to determine if specified events have occurred. Indications of the occurrence of specified events are then passed to a discrete event system model. The discrete event system model analyzes the timing and sequencing of the event occurrences to determine if a fault has occurred. This method does not require a detailed modeling of the system, and thus can be applied to complex systems such as turbine engines.

Modern mechanical systems can be exceedingly complex. The complexities of modem mechanical systems have led to increasing needs for automated prognosis and fault detection systems. These prognosis and fault detection systems are designed to monitor the mechanical system in an effort to predict the future performance of the system and detect potential faults. These systems are designed to detect these potential faults such that the potential faults can be addressed before the potential faults lead to failure in the mechanical system.
One type of mechanical system where prognosis and fault detection is of particular importance is aircraft systems. In aircraft systems, prognosis and fault detection can detect potential faults such that they can be addressed before they result in serious system failure and possible in-flight shutdowns, take-off aborts, delays or cancellations.
Turbine engines are a particularly critical part of many aircraft. Turbine engines are commonly used for main propulsion aircraft. Furthermore, turbine engines are commonly used in auxiliary power units (APUs) that are used to generate auxiliary power and compressed air for use in the aircraft. Given the critical nature of turbine engines in aircraft, the need for fault detection in turbine engines is of extreme importance.
Some previous fault detection systems for turbine engines have relied upon feature extraction to examine sensor data for evidence of failure and explicit knowledge such as heuristics to the evidence of failure. However, this type of approach will suffer in applications where explicit knowledge cannot be easily applied to extracted features. For example, where different types of failures are expressed in evidences spread over different durations of times. In these cases the disparity in space and time can interfere with the ability of interpret the sensor data and limit the effectiveness of the fault detection.
Thus, what is needed is an improved system and method for fault detection in mechanical systems such as turbine engines.

System and method for turbine engine fault detection using discrete event system modeling


A system for slitting a web includes a carriage assembly having an elongate housing including a first wall, where the first wall defining a longitudinal axis. A first plurality of rails can be mounted on the first wall, wherein the plurality of rails extends parallel to the longitudinal axis. At least one of the plurality of rails can have a substantially circular cross section, among others. The system also includes a first plurality of carriers. Each carrier can be adapted and configured to support an instrumentality such as a blade for performing an operation (e.g., cutting) on a web of material. The carrier body includes a first body portion and a second body portion. Each of body portion includes at least one mounting feature for mounting the carrier on a the plurality of rails.

1. Field of the Invention
The subject invention relates to converting machinery, and more particularly to, a carriage assembly and an automated knife positioning system for score slitting machines, razor slitting machines and shear slitting machines.
2. Description of Related Art
For decades the converting industry has been employing score slitting machinery to convert webs of paper, foam, fabrics, nonwovens, tape and other materials into desired widths. A prior art score slitting machine for processing media is illustrated in FIG. 1 and is designated generally by reference numeral 10.
Referring to FIG. 2, slitting machine 10 includes a hardened score roll 12 against which media is slit or otherwise cut into desired widths, as the media is conveyed from an unwind which supports a web of uncut media to a rewind which accumulates the media after it has been cut into the desired widths. Slitting machine 10 further includes a carriage assembly 14 for supporting a plurality of score knives for slitting the media into desired widths.
More particularly, carriage assembly 14, as is known in the prior art, supports a plurality of pneumatic knife holders 16 on a horizontal support bar 18 in spaced relationship. The knife holders vary in size, but the most common knife holders are ½″ wide. Dozens of knife holders can be positioned on the support bar at one time to perform a slitting operation.
The support bar 18 has a dovetail configuration, as best seen in FIG. 2, which facilitates the ready removal and manual positioning of the knife holders 16 in a desired location by way of clamping screw 20. Each knife holder 16 carries a rotary score knife 22 and is connected to a common air manifold 24 by way of an air hose 26. In use, air pressure is applied to the knife holders 16 and regulated to achieve a desired cutting pressure against the score roll 12.
There are certain limitations associated with prior art score slitting machines. One such limitation is the significantly long set up time that is required to manually position the score knives on the support bar and ensure the accurate placement thereof. Another limitation specifically related to prior art automated knife positioning systems is that the slit width that can be achieved is generally limited by the set up distance that is required between adjacent knife holders mounted on the support bar. Thus, there is a minimum slit width that can be achieved with automated knife positioning systems on prior art slitting machines that is insufficient for many converting applications.
Clearly there is a need for a carriage assembly for knife holders that can overcome the limitations of prior art slitting machines, and that can be readily employed with other types of converting machines, including razor slitting machines and shear slitting machines.

Positioning system and carriage assembly for converting machines


In an image forming device, output is prohibited by an output control unit if specific image data is detected in image data obtained by reading an original document. The current data is acquired when the output control unit prohibits output, and the password is created in accordance with the current data. The image data which is prohibited from being output by the output control unit is transmitted to an administrator, and then if output permission is obtained by the administrator, output permitted data is generated as an image in which a password created by the password creating unit is embedded in such a manner that a user can not identify the password, and is output by the output unit. The output permitted image outputted by the output unit is read by the reading unit, and then the embedded password data is extracted by the extraction unit. If it is determined that the password extracted by the extraction unit and the password created by the password creating unit correspond to each other, the prohibition on the output will be lifted.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming device, particularly to an image forming device equipped with an anti-counterfeit function. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a storage medium for storing a control program for this image forming device.
2. Background Data
Recently, due to dramatic improvements in color copiers, MFPs (Multi Function Products), color scanners, and color printers, the quality of the copied images produced thereby has reached such a high level that it is difficult to distinguish a copy image from the original image. Therefore, anyone can copy an original image while maintaining a high degree of fidelity to the original.
On the other hand, risks associated with the increasing use of devices for counterfeiting copy-prohibited articles, such as paper money and securities, have increased. Therefore, various anti-counterfeit technologies have been developed to prevent these risks from occurring.
In one of the technologies, it is determined whether or not a specific image contained in paper money or a security is detected in the image obtained by reading the original image, and if the specific image is contained therein, output is prohibited.
However, the position and slope of the original when placed on the platen will not be constant, and the original itself may include variations such as wrinkles and the like. If one tries to reliably detect a specific image under various conditions, images similar to the specific image might be detected erroneously.
In order to solve this problem, an image forming system has been proposed in which, even if an anti-counterfeit process is accidentally performed, it is possible to cancel the anti-counterfeit process so as to execute authorized copying whose purpose is not to counterfeit paper money or the like. Specifically, the system is configured as follows.
If the anti-counterfeit process in the copying machine is accidentally performed to prohibit copy output, a client using the copying machine notifies a control center of the prohibition.
After the notification, the control center will provide the client with a password that is administered by a client management database in the control center, the password corresponding to each of the clients using the copying machine.
The client using the copying machine will input the password into the copying machine, so that the anti-counterfeit process will be canceled and copying can be performed (See Unexamined Patent Application Publication 2003-50525).
However, with the above-described conventional technology, since the password is disclosed to the client in order to cancel the anti-counterfeit process, there is a risk that the password will be leaked to outsiders.
Moreover, even if the period of time in which the disclosed password can be used is limited, if the password is leaked after use, an outsider can subsequently use that password in an unauthorized manner during the remaining period of use.
Furthermore, in the above-described technology, there are other risk of password leakage, such as unauthorized access to the client management database by an outsider, or an outsider learning the password by surreptitiously observing a client inputting the same.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an image forming device which can improve the security of the password used to cancel an anti-counterfeit process.

Image forming device and storage medium storing control program for image forming device


A packing material for sealing electronic devices having improved, higher thermal conductivity than amorphous silica-containing packing material. The packing material comprises a thermosetting resin and a filler particle comprising a core inorganic particle and an amorphous silica coating on the core particle. The core particle is made from material having a thermal conductivity higher than that of amorphous silica, for example, a metal nitride such as aluminum nitride or silicon nitride, or a metal oxide such as aluminum oxide, or crystalline silicon dioxide. The amorphous silica coating may be formed by hydrolysis of alkoxysilane.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a packing material comprising a thermosetting resin and a particulate filler, and to a method of making the packing material. More specifically, the present invention relates to a packing material for sealing an electric device such as an integrated circuit (IC), a large scale integrated circuit, transistor, etc., and relates to a method for making the packing material. These electronic devices are mainly manufactured from silicon wafers. After printing an electronic circuit pattern, the silicon wafer is brought into a dicing process wherein the wafer is cut into individual chips. Then the chip is mounted to a base, and terminals are bonded onto the base. The electronic devices can work after bonding, but usually the chip is sealed by a packing material for protection. There are some existing methods and materials for sealing (packaging) the chip. For example, one method involves covering the chip with a metal casing, whereas in another the chip is entirely covered with a material having fluidity under specified conditions, such as glass, ceramics or resin. The present invention particularly relates to a packing material comprising thermosetting resin and filler particles.
2. Description of Related Art
In one of the conventional methods for sealing (packaging) an electronic device, a material comprising a thermosetting resin (e.g., epoxy resin) and inorganic filler particles dispersed into the resin is used as the packing material. Filler particle is used to decrease stress when the resin hardens, to increase the strength of the package and to improve the thermal conductivity. As a component of the filler particle, amorphous silica is used because of its excellent properties such as high electric insulation, heat resistance, low thermal expansion and affinity for thermosetting organic resins. (Hereinafter "silica" is referred to as "amorphous silica" or "amorphous silicon dioxide.") In addition, relatively pure silica can be prepared easily by synthetic methods or by purifying silica-containing material. Normally, silica particles used as filler will have a diameter of from about 1 .mu.m to about 100 .mu.m, depending upon the size of the package to be made.
The packing material can be manufactured by the following process steps:
(1) preparing silica particles by powdering and sieving high purity silica glass or sieving synthetic silica, such as that made from SiCl.sub.4 ; and
(2) dispersing the silica particles into a thermosetting resin, wherein the resin may comprise, for example, 30% by weight of the total weight of the dispersion.
A method for synthesizing silica by hydrolysis of alkoxysilane is also known.
Such a conventional packing material and a method for making it have the following disadvantages due to the fact that the silica particles are simply mixed and dispersed into the thermosetting resin:
(i) Since the thermal conductivity of the packing material is mostly determined by the filler particles, i.e., determined by the thermal conductivity of amorphous silica, to improve the thermal conductivity of the overall material is difficult.
(ii) As a result of (i), the conventional packing material cannot be sufficiently effective for more complex or larger electronic devices which generate more heat when used.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved packing material which provides improved thermal conductivity.

Packing material and method of making same


A steel bar for a downhole member is provided that is excellent in SCC resistance and SSC resistance. A martensitic stainless steel bar material for a downhole member of the present embodiment has a chemical composition that contains, by mass %, C: 0.020% or less, Si: 1.0% or less, Mn: 1.0% or less, P: 0.03% or less, S: 0.01% or less, Cu: 0.10 to 2.50%, Cr: 10 to 14%, Ni: 1.5 to 7.0%, Mo: 0.2 to 3.0%, Ti: 0.05 to 0.3%, V: 0.01 to 0.10%, Nb: 0.1% or less, Al: 0.001 to 0.1% and N: 0.05% or less, with the balance being Fe and impurities, and satisfies Formula (1) and Formula (2).[Mo]−4×[total Mo amount in precipitate at R/2 position]≥1.30  (1)[Total Mo amount in precipitate at center position]−[total Mo amount in precipitate at R/2 position]≤0.03  (2)

In order to extract production fluids such as oil or natural gas from oil wells and gas wells (hereinafter oil wells and gas wells are collectively referred to as "oil wells"), oil country tubular goods and downhole members are used in the aforementioned oil well environment.
FIG. 1 is a view illustrating an example of oil country tubular goods and downhole members that are used in an oil well environment. Oil country tubular goods are, for example, casing, tubing and the like. In FIG. 1, two strings of tubing 2 are arranged in a casing 1. The front end of each tubing 2 is fixed inside the casing 1 by a packer 3, a ball catcher 4, a blast joint 5 and the like. The downhole members are, for example, the packer 3, the ball catcher 4 and the blast joint 5, and are utilized as accessories of the casing 1 and the tubing 2.
Unlike the case of the oil country tubular goods, many downhole members do not have a symmetrical shape (point-symmetrical shape) with respect to the pipe axis (central axis of pipe). Therefore, a round bar (steel bar for a downhole member), which is solid, is usually adopted as a starting material for a downhole member. A downhole member having a predetermined shape is produced by subjecting such a round bar to cutting or piercing to remover a part of the bar. Although the size of a steel bar for a downhole member will depend on the size of the downhole member, for example, the diameter of a steel bar for a downhole member is from 152.4 to 215.9 mm, and the length of a steel bar for a downhole member is, for example, 3,000 to 6,000 mm.
As described above, downhole members are used in oil well environments, similarly to oil country tubular goods. Production fluids contain corrosive gases such as hydrogen sulfide gas and carbon dioxide gas. Therefore, similarly to oil country tubular goods, downhole members are also required to have excellent stress corrosion cracking resistance (hereunder, referred to as "SCC resistance"; SCC: Stress Corrosion Cracking) and excellent sulfide stress cracking resistance (hereunder, referred to as "SSC resistance"; SSC: Sulfide Stress Cracking).
If martensitic stainless steel containing around 13% of Cr (hereunder, referred to as "13Cr steel") is utilized for oil country tubular goods, excellent SCC resistance and SSC resistance are obtained. However, in the case of utilizing 13Cr steel for a downhole member, the SCC resistance and SSC resistance sometimes decrease in comparison to the case of oil country tubular goods.
Accordingly, an Ni-based alloy as typified by Alloy 718 (trade mark) is normally used as a round bar for a downhole member. However, when a downhole member is produced using an Ni-based alloy, the production cost increases. Therefore, studies are being conducted with respect to production of downhole members using stainless steel which costs less than an Ni-based alloy.
Japanese Patent No. 3743226 (Patent Literature 1) proposes a martensitic stainless steel for a downhole member that is excellent in sulfide stress corrosion cracking resistance. The martensitic stainless steel disclosed in Patent Literature 1 consists of, by mass %, C: 0.02% or less, Si: 1.0% or less, Mn: 1.0% or less, P: 0.03% or less, S: 0.01% or less, Cr: 10 to 14%, Mo: 0.2 to 3.0%, Ni: 1.5 to 7%, N: 0.02% or less, with the balance being Fe and unavoidable impurities, in which forging and/or billeting are performed so as to satisfy the formula: 4 Sb/Sa+12 Mo≥25 (Sb: sectional area before forging and/or billeting; Sa: sectional area after forging and/or billeting; Mo: mass % value of contained Mo) according to the Mo amount.

Steel bar for downhole member, and downhole member


A computer system includes a virtual machine supporting an object-oriented environment, in which programs to run on the virtual machine are formed from classes including methods. Applications run on the virtual machine. After a first such application has run on the virtual machine, a reset is performed on the virtual machine. The reset calls a first method in a class to perform a tidy-up operation which effectively puts the virtual machine back into a clean state. Subsequently a second application can be started on the virtual machine. As part of this start-up, the system calls a second method in the class to perform a reinitialization of the class.

Programs written in the Java programming language (Java is a trademark of Sun Microsystems Inc) are generally run in a virtual machine environment, rather than directly on hardware. Thus a Java program is typically compiled into byte-code form, and then interpreted by the Java virtual machine (JVM) into hardware commands for the platform on which the JVM is executing. The JVM itself is an application running on the underlying operating system. An important advantage of this approach is that Java applications can run on a very wide range of platforms, providing of course that a JVM is available for each platform.
Java is an object-oriented language. Thus a Java program is formed from a set of classes having methods that represent sequences of instructions (somewhat akin to subroutines). A hierarchy of classes can be defined, with each class inheriting properties (including methods) from those classes (termed superclasses) which are above it in the hierarchy. At run-time objects are created as instantiations of these classes, and indeed the classes themselves are effectively loaded as objects. One Java object can call a method in another Java object. In recent years Java has become very popular, and is described in many books, for example "Exploring Java" by Niemeyer and Peck, O'Reilly & Associates, 1996, USA, and "The Java Virtual Machine Specification" by Lindholm and Yellin, Addison-Wedley, 1997, USA.
The standard JVM architecture is generally designed to run only a single application, although this can be multi-threaded. In a server environment used for database transactions and such-like, each transaction is typically performed as a separate application, rather than as different threads within an application. This is to ensure that every transaction starts with the JVM in a clean state. In other words, a new JVM is started for each transaction (i.e. for each new Java application). Unfortunately however this results in an initial delay in running the application (the reasons for this will be described in more detail later). The overhead due to this frequent starting and then stopping a JVM as successive transactions are processed is significant, and seriously degrades the scalability of Java server solutions.
Various attempts have been made to mitigate this problem. EP-962860-A describes a process whereby one JVM can fork into a parent and a child process, this being quicker than setting up a fresh JVM. Another approach is described in "Oracle JServer Scalability and Performance" by Jeremy Litzt, July 1999. The JServer product available from Oracle Corporation, USA, supports the concept of multiple sessions (a session effectively representing a transaction or application), each session including a JServer session. Resources such as read-only bytecode information are shared between the various sessions, but each individual session appears to its JServer client to be a dedicated conventional JVM.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/304,160, filed 30 Apr. 1999 ("A long Running Reusable Extendible Virtual Machine"), assigned to IBM Corporation (IBM docket YOR9-1999-0170), discloses a virtual machine (VM) having two types of heap, a private heap and a shared heap. The former is intended primarily for storing application classes, whilst the latter is intended primarily for storing system classes and, as its name implies, is accessible to multiple VMs. The idea is that as each new VM is launched, it can access system classes already in the shared heap, without having to reload them, relink them, and so on, thereby saving significantly on start-up time. A related idea is described in "Building a Java virtual machine for server applications: the JVM on OS/390" by Dillenberger et al, IBM Systems Journal, Vol 39/1, January 2000. This describes two types of JVM, a resource-owning JVM which loads and resolves necessary system classes, and subsequent "worker" JVMs which can reuse the resolved classes. Again this implementation uses a shared heap to share system and potentially application classes for reuse by multiple workers, with each worker JVM also maintaining a private or local heap to store data private to that particular JVM process.
The above documents are focused primarily on the ability to easily run multiple JVMs in parallel. A different (and potentially complementary) approach is based on a serial rather than parallel configuration. Thus it is desirable to run repeated transactions (i.e. applications) on the same JVM, since this could avoid having to reload all the system classes at the start of each application. However, one difficulty with this is that each application expects to run on a fresh, clean, JVM, but the JVM specification states that class initialisation will be performed once and only once. If the JVM is preserved with any classes from one application to another, there is nothing to prevent the state left from a previous application somehow influencing the outcome of a new application. This unpredictability is unacceptable in most circumstances.
The problem can to some extent be alleviated by careful application design to try to undo any state changes that the application has made prior to its termination. However, this is not a robust approach, and is susceptible to unexpected events preventing such backtracking. Thus the prior art does not disclose any satisfactory method of running successive applications having the same clean initial state on a single JVM.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

International Business Machines Corporation


One embodiment of the present invention relates to a ski boot system including an upper shell, lower shell, and an articulation system. The upper and lower shell function to enable a user to move their encased foot in various dimensions/orientations corresponding to anatomical supination, pronation, dorsiflexion, and plantarflexion. The articulation system selectively affects the articulation freedom between the upper and lower shells in locked and unlocked configurations. The articulation system includes a lower shell coupler and an upper shell coupler coupled to the lower and upper shells, respectively. The locked configuration of the articulation system includes engaging the upper and lower shell couplers to restrict freedom between the upper and lower shell. The lower shell coupler is coupled within a recess in the lower shell that substantially restricts movement to a single orientation corresponding to coronal rotation.

A boot is a type of footwear that encases both the foot and a portion of the lower leg of a user. Boots are generally manufactured for a particular purpose or activity and therefore are designed to include characteristics consistent with the intended purpose. For example, a hiking boot is designed to support the ankle of a user while minimizing the overall weight. Likewise, a ski boot is designed to maximize a user's performance at a particular skiing activity.
Boots generally include a shell, a compression system, and a sole. The shell and compression system operate to encase and support the foot and lower leg of a user. Various well-known shell and compression systems are utilized to allow users to insert and remove their feet in an open boot configuration and compress the shell around the foot in a closed boot configuration. The sole of a boot is disposed on the bottom surface of the shell. The sole is generally composed of a rubber or plastic material. The sole may consist of a single piece or multiple blocks. The stiffness and/or weight characteristics of the sole have an effect on the overall performance of the boot.
Existing boot systems often include some form of articulation system coupling portions of the shell together to allow for selectable articulation to facilitate sufficient walking/skinning performance in addition to optimal skiing performance. These articulation systems are generally switchable between a locked configuration and an unlocked configuration. The locked configuration corresponds to supporting the shell components to facilitate optimal skiing characteristics. The unlocked configuration corresponds to enabling desired movement between the shell components to facilitate optimal walking and/or skinning. Unfortunately, these existing articulation systems often fail to properly provide support in the locked configuration and often cause undesirable vibrations due to the dimensional freedom necessary to provide the unlocked configuration.
Therefore, there is a need in the industry for a boot articulation system that provides desired support characteristics in the locked configuration and provides the necessary articulation in the unlocked configuration.


One embodiment of the present invention provides a system that verifies an integrated circuit (IC) chip layout. During operation, the system receives a layout of an IC chip after the layout has gone through a place-and-route operation. Next, the system performs a lithography compliance checking (LCC) operation on the layout to detect lithography hotspots within the layout, wherein each lithography hotspot is associated with a local routing pattern around the lithography hotspot. Next, for each detected lithography hotspot, the system compares the associated local routing pattern against a hotspot database to determine if the local routing pattern matches an entry in the hotspot database, which stores a set of known hotspot configurations. If so, the system corrects the lithography hotspot using correction guidance information associated with the hotspot configuration stored in the hotspot database. Otherwise, the system corrects the lithography hotspot by performing a local rip-up and reroute on the local routing pattern, iteratively, until achieving convergence or given number of iterations.

1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to semiconductor manufacturing. More specifically, embodiments of the present invention relate to a method and a system for identifying and correcting locations in a routed layout of an integrated circuit (IC) chip that are susceptible to lithography errors.
2. Related Art
Advances in IC manufacturing technology have enabled minimum feature sizes on IC chips to continuously decrease. Meanwhile, manufacturability-aware physical design, which takes into account both yield and reliability during the physical-design process, is becoming increasingly important in bridging the gap between design and manufacturing for nanometer-scale fabrication processes. Many yield and reliability issues can be attributed to certain layout configurations, referred to as "process-hotspots" or "hotspots," which are susceptible to process issues, such as stress and lithographic process fluctuations. It is therefore desirable to identify and remove these process-hotspot configurations and replace them with more yield-friendly configurations.
One of the main yield limiters is the increasing number of lithography "hotspots" that arise from the complexity of design layouts as technology nodes shrink to 65 nm and below. Although it is possible to deal with these lithography hotspots ("litho-hotspots" hereafter) during the resolution enhancement technology and optical proximity correction (RET/OPC) stage of the design cycle, it is becoming increasingly desirable to eliminate these litho-hotspots earlier in the design cycle (i.e., during or right after the physical design stage) because the RET/OPC stage has a heavy computational burden and little margin to effectively eliminate these lithography hotspots.
Conventionally, layout designers use manufacturer-provided design rules to represent litho-hotspots. A typical design rule checker can detect such litho-hotspots within the layout, which facilitates making corrections to the litho-hotspots to be compliant with the rules. However, this purely rule-based detection and correction approach has the drawback of introducing large number of false alarms. This drawback has become even more prominent as design rules become more numerous for sub-65 nm IC designs.
Another technique for detecting and correcting litho-hotspots involves manually fixing the hotspots by trial and error while using limited correction guidance information without taking into account the design rules. However, it is difficult to achieve a rapid and high-percentage correction convergence using this manual correction approach. Moreover, designers already have very limited time which makes such labor-intensive manual effort impractical.
Hence, what is needed is an automated and highly accurate litho-hotspot detection and correction technique which can be applied early in the IC design cycle.

Method and system for post-routing lithography-hotspot correction of a layout


Embodiments of the invention process a radar image arising from a radar antenna, by reading the reflectivity information associated with each pixel forming the radar image, processing the reflectivity information, pixel by pixel, with the aid of a first procedure. The method further includes a second processing of the radar image using a second procedure that includes extracting objects from the radar image, then calculating the extent and the position of each object, with the aid of an angular aperture between two signals. For each part of the radar image processed by the first procedure, corresponding to an extracted object, pixel within the result of the first procedure are replaced by corresponding pixels of the radar image processed by the second procedure, if the reflectivity value associated with the second pixel is greater than the reflectivity value of the first pixel, the parts of the radar image corresponding to zones situated at a distance greater than a given threshold from the radar antenna.

A meteorological radar makes it possible to locate precipitations such as rain, snow or hail, to measure their intensity and possibly to chart dangerous phenomena. Most meteorological radars are installed on the ground and often form part of a vaster meteorological monitoring network.
Nevertheless, ever more airborne applications are emerging, in order to make it possible to sidestep cumulonimbus formations. These enormous clouds are much feared by pilots as they sometimes produce violent storms. Specifically, lightning, hail, and strong wind shears inside the cloud are added to the risk of icing and may endanger the flight if the pilot tries to pass through.
A meteorological radar allows the detection of extended voluminal targets (objects) constituted by clouds, of which it must give the position, size and dangerousness. For this purpose, a meteorological radar can for example emit a wave in the X-band with the aid of its antenna. The distance to a cloud is deduced from the time necessary for the pulse emitted to perform the outward-return trip from the antenna of the radar to the cloud at the speed of light. This time corresponds simply to the duration between the emission of a pulse and the reception of its echo.
On the basis of the echoes received, radar images are formed. The pixels of each image are associated with reflectivity values corresponding to their amplitude. It is recalled that for a given point of the zone scanned by the radar, the reflectivity corresponds to the ratio of the energy reflected by this point to the total incident energy. The reflectivity value of each pixel is dependent on the intensity of the returned echo.
The size of a cloud is dependent on its surface area (the maximum horizontal distance over which it extends) and its elevation, (the maximum vertical distance over which it extends). The elevation defines first and foremost the dangerousness of the cloud: the higher a convective cloud, the more dangerous it is. But the dangerousness level of the cloud is also related to its reflectivity factor, denoted Z, which characterizes the concentration of hydrometeors in suspension in a volume of air, in liquid or solid form. Stated otherwise, the reflectivity factor Z represents the intensity of the cloud. On a logarithmic scale, it is measured in dBZ.
Specifically, a simplified representation of the clouds is displayed to the pilot by a viewing console, with the aid of a colour code characterizing the reflectivity, whether involving rain, snow or hail. For example, the colour black is often used for dry air, that is to say the absence of cloud. Green and yellow can be used for medium humidity concentrations. Red is often used for zones with very high humidity concentration, that is to say the most dangerous zones that absolutely must be sidestepped.
Currently, to determine the number of clouds, their position or else their intensity, the radar image is processed in one go, for example with the aid of a pixel-by-pixel processing procedure. By this processing, the reflectivity values associated with the pixels of the image are corrected, so as to approach as closely as possible to the real situation, that is to say the situation of the zone aimed at by the beam emitted by the radar antenna.
The quality of the result of this processing varies as a function of the separation distance between the zone and the radar antenna. Though it is relatively good at short distance, it becomes difficult to utilize at medium and long distance, especially if the resolution of the radar is low, this often being the case for airborne radars. In the case of meteorological radars, various phenomena will disturb the quality of the results.
For example, it then becomes particularly difficult to distinguish the ground clutter (spurious noise) from the useful signal, when the beam of the radar encompasses both the ground and the aerial domain.
Furthermore, the atmospheric attenuation makes it tricky to estimate the reflectivity levels.
All these constraints limit the maximum display distance to some hundred nautical miles, which in many situations is not sufficient.


A wireless communication device used in a wireless network includes: a storage configured to store information that identifies an adjacent wireless communication device; an obtaining unit configured to obtain, from a first wireless communication device among the adjacent wireless communication devices, information that identifies a second wireless communication device that is adjacent to the first wireless communication device; a selector configured to select an adjacent wireless communication device in accordance with a destination of data; and a transmitter configured to transmit the data to the adjacent wireless communication device selected by the selector. The selector decreases a priority of the first wireless communication device in selecting the adjacent wireless communication device when the information that identifies the second wireless communication device is not stored in the storage.

In recent years, research on ad-hoc networks in which wireless terminals are autonomously connected to each other has been developed. In an ad-hoc network, an access point is not provided, and each wireless terminal has routing information. Each wireless terminal forwards a packet received from an adjacent terminal to another adjacent terminal according to the routing information. Such a configuration allows a packet to be transmitted to a desired destination within the ad-hoc network.
In the ad-hoc network, a network environment frequently changes with, for example, a change in a radio field intensity or moving of a wireless terminal. Accordingly, each wireless terminal connected to the ad-hoc network performs routing control before the wireless terminal communicates with another wireless terminal. As an example, a wireless terminal newly connected to the ad-hoc network broadcasts presence information to an adjacent wireless terminal. The wireless terminal that has received the presence information generates routing information corresponding to the presence information and further transmits this routing information to an adjacent wireless terminal. As a result, wireless terminals in the network are notified of the routing information related to the new wireless terminal.
As a related art, the following route information relay method has been proposed. Each node connected to an ad-hoc network receives routing information from adjacent nodes. Each node acquires quality information indicating the quality of routes indicated by the route information with respect to the received route information. Each node determines whether or not a plurality of pieces of route information in which nodes that are the destinations of packets are identical are received for each predetermined period with respect to the received route information. As a result of the determination, if the plurality of pieces of route information in which the nodes that are the destinations are identical have been received, each node compares quality information for each of the plurality of pieces of route information received and selects route information corresponding to the quality information indicated to be the highest quality as a result of the comparison. Each node relays the selected route information to the adjacent nodes. (See, for example, Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2009-267532.)
For conventional ad-hoc networks, however, measures are insufficient for problems caused by hidden terminals. In the following, problems caused by hidden terminals will be described with reference to FIG. 1.
A node GW and nodes A-E are connected to an ad-hoc network illustrated in FIG. 1. Assume that the node A can perform favorable communication with the node GW. Although the nodes B and C can receive radio waves from the node GW, the quality of their communication with the node GW is not favorable. Radio waves from the node GW do not reach the nodes D and E. The node GW collects data from the nodes A-E.
In the ad-hoc network above, the node B holds the following routing information.
"When a destination of a data packet is node GW, this data packet is transmitted or forwarded to node A."
In this case, when the node B generates a data packet addressed to the node GW, the node B transmits this data packet to the node A. By so doing, the node A forwards the data packet received from the node B to the node GW. As a result, the node GW receives data of the node B. In this case, the node GW returns to the node A an ACK packet corresponding to the received data packet. Hereinafter, assume that the node B transmits data packets to the node GW via similar routes if necessary. In this case, the node A receives the data packet from the node B and receives the ACK packet from the node GW. However, the node GW and the node B can communicate with each other. Accordingly, the node GW and the node B can utilize, for example, CSMA/CA (Carrier Sense Multiple Access Collision Avoidance) to control their transmission timings. As a result, a packet collision which would occur at the node A is avoided or suppressed.
The node D holds the following routing information. "When a destination of data packet is node GW, this data packet is transmitted or forwarded to node A."
In this case, as with the node B, the node D transmits the data packet to the node A. By so doing, the node A forwards the received data packet to the node GW, and the node GW returns an ACK packet corresponding to the received data packet to the node A. In this case, the node A receives the data packet from the node D and receives the ACK packet from the node GW.
However, radio waves from the node GW do not reach the node D. And radio waves from the node D do not reach the node GW. That is, the node D is a "hidden terminal" for the node GW, and the node GW is a "hidden terminal" for the node D. Thus, the node GW and the node Dare incapable of performing transmission timing control to avoid a packet collision. As a result, when the node D transmits to the node A a data packet addressed to the node GW, a packet collision may occur at the node A.
The node D may relay a data packet transmitted from another node (e.g., the node E) and addressed to the node GW. In this case, the node D forwards the data packet transmitted from the node E to the node A, and the node A forwards this data packet to the node GW. And the node GW returns corresponding ACK packet to the node A. Accordingly, also in this case, a packet collision may occur at the node A.
As described above, when each node (a wireless terminal or a wireless communication device) forwards a packet by simply following routing information without considering a hidden terminal, the occurrence frequency of packet collisions increases. An increased occurrence frequency of packet collisions decreases a communication speed, causing a risk of congestion. That is, in the prior art, measures are insufficient for problems caused by hidden terminals, so communication efficiency decreases in some situations.

Wireless communication device and route selection method in wireless network


Methods and apparatus relating to low power optimized voltage regulators are described. In one embodiment, a voltage regulator controller may cause leakage current from a load to drain a capacitor (e.g., coupled in parallel with the load) during a reduced power state.

The present disclosure generally relates to the field of electronics. More particularly, an embodiment of the invention relates to low power optimized voltage regulator.
Portable computing devices are quickly gaining popularity in part due to their size. Since most portable computing devices rely on batteries to operate, efficient use of battery power can become a critical issue. For example, inefficient use of power in a portable computing device may shorten the period during which the device may of use to a user. Also, inefficient power usage may result in heat generation which may, in turn, damage the electronic components of the computing device.


A strap tightener assembly has a base, a tightening device mounted on the base and movable relative thereto, and a strap assembly coupled to the tightening device. The tightening device provides incremental movement of the strap assembly relative to the base at a plurality of predefined settings. A cover extends over the strap assembly and connects to the base so that the base and the cover form a channel permitting movement of the strap assembly therethrough. The cover defines an elongate slot extending along a portion of a length of the cover, and the strap assembly has an indicator identifying the relative location of the strap assembly to the cover. A strap is securable to the strap assembly.

Knee braces are widely used to treat a variety of knee infirmities. Such braces may be configured to impart forces or leverage on the limbs surrounding the knee joint to relieve compressive forces within a portion of the knee joint, or to reduce the load on that portion of the knee. In the event that knee ligaments are weak and infirm, a knee brace may stabilize, protect, support, unload, and/or rehabilitate the knee.
The knee is acknowledged as one of the weakest joints in the body, and serves as the articulating joint between the thigh and calf muscle groups. The knee is held together primarily by small but powerful ligaments. Knee instability arising out of cartilage damage, ligament strain and other causes is relatively commonplace since the knee joint is subjected to significant loads during the course of almost any kind of physical activity requiring using the legs.
A healthy knee has an even distribution of pressure in both the medial and lateral compartments of the knee. It is normal for a person with a healthy knee to place a varus moment on the knee when standing so the pressure between the medial and lateral compartments is uneven but still natural.
One type of knee infirmity that many individuals are prone to having is compartmental osteoarthritis. Compartmental osteoarthritis may arise when there is a persistent uneven distribution of pressure in one of the medial and lateral compartments of the knee. Compartmental osteoarthritis can be caused by injury, obesity, misalignment of the knee, or due to aging of the knee.
A major problem resulting from osteoarthritis of the knee is that the smooth cartilage lining the inside of the knee wears away. This leads to a narrowing of the joint space with developing cysts and erosions in the bone ends. Because of the narrowing of the joint, bone comes directly in contact with bone, and an uneven distribution of pressure develops across the knee which may cause the formation of bone spurs around the joint. All of these changes ultimately lead to increasing pain and stiffness of the joint.
While there are no cures to osteoarthritis, there are many treatments. Individuals who have diagnosis of isolated medial or lateral compartmental osteoarthritis of the knee are confronted with a variety of treatment options such as medications, surgery, and nonsurgical interventions. Nonsurgical interventions include using canes, lateral shoe wedges, and knee bracing.
Knee bracing is useful to provide compartmental pain relief by reducing the load on the affected compartment through applying an opposing external valgus or varus moment about the knee joint. Unloading knee braces have been shown to significantly reduce osteoarthritis knee pain while improving knee function.
In these unloading braces, straps fasten the brace to the limb and enable the strap to exert forces on the knee to unload the affected compartment of the knee. The tension in a strap affects the function, fit and comfort of the brace, especially when the strap is used to unload the knee. Inadequate tension may diminish the effectiveness of the brace to not only unload the knee but to stabilize the brace as well, whereas excessive tension may cause discomfort to the wearer. It would be beneficial to provide a device that indicates how much tension is in a strap and provide means by which the tension of the strap can be easily controlled.
The prior art suffers from disadvantages of providing adequate means for identifying the tension level or tightening in a strap, and rarely allows for incremental tensioning control of the strap at a plurality of predefined settings.

Strap tightener assembly for an orthopedic device


A wear-leveling method for managing flash memory is provided, including an access process to consult a translation table when accessing a data block in the data region, and a reconstruction process to reconstruct the translation table when powering on the flash memory. The translation table is defined to include a plurality of entries, and each entry includes a physical address field and an enduring counter field. The logical address of a data block is used as input to map to the entry in the translation table. The access process, further including a read process and an erase/program process, maps the logical address to the physical address, and uses the enduring counter to determine whether an update is required to avoid the disturbance. The reconstruct process uses the information stored in the spare data region to reconstruct the translation table for the access process to consult during flash memory accesses.

Flash memory, especially NAND flash memory, is used in a wide range of electronic products, such as MP3 players, digital camera, flash memory stick, mobile phones, PDA, and so on. NAND flash memory is usually structured with 16 neighboring cells serially connected without any contact area in-between to offer high density. Electron tunneling is used for erase/program, i.e., write, operations for low power consumption. NAND flash memory shows promising performance in write-intensive applications that demand faster writing time.
Conventional flash memory is configured as a data region and a spare region. The data region is for storing data, and is usually divided into data blocks, or simply blocks. The spare region is for storing additional information on the usage of the data region. FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of the configuration of a flash memory. As shown in FIG. 1, the spare region contains information such as logical address and the error correction code (ECC) of each flash memory block.
The flash memory management mechanism usually utilizes a translation table. The translation table records the mapping of a logical block address (LBA) to a physical address. When flash memory is powered on, the flash memory management mechanism includes the reconstruction of the translation table, and the translation table is then used for finding the physical address of the read and erase/program operations. FIG. 2 shows a schematic view of a translation table reconstructed from the information in the spare region of FIG. 1. This management mechanism provides good data access efficiency because the mapping of an LBA to a physical address can be easily found in the translation table.
However, a potential problem may occur if the application repetitively writes (erase/program) into the same logical block. This problem, commonly known as disturbance, is caused by the generation of oxide charges during the erase/program operation in flash memory. As the erase/program operation is accomplished by the tunneling algorithm using high voltage of about 20V, which leads to the degradation of the tunnel oxide quality and a failure if it is repeated without the limit. The limit is commonly referred to as endurance. When the number of erase/program operations exceeds the endurance, the un-updated data will be disturbed, i.e., ruined, and lost. Although not all the applications would exceed the endurance, flash memory designers should always bear in mind the existence of the endurance limit.
Many approaches have been developed to alleviate or postpone the disturbance effect. For example, a wear-leveling algorithm can be used to spread the erase/program operations evenly across all the blocks of the flash memory to avoid some of the blocks prematurely reaching the endurance. FIG. 3 shows a schematic view of a wear-leveling algorithm which is applied in the erase/program operation. As shown in FIG. 3, when an updated data is written into a block, the content of the block (with the updates) is copied to an empty block, and the original block is marked as erased. In other words, when an erase/program operation is executed, a different block is used to prevent repetitive wearing of the same data block. Therefore, wear-leveling algorithms prolong the life span of the flash memory.
U.S. Patent Application Publication US 2005/0073884 A1 disclosed a flash memory data correction and scrub technique to maintain the data integrity of flash memory that is susceptible to disturbance caused by operations in adjacent regions of the memory. U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US 2005/0055495 A1 disclosed a method for reducing wearing of memory hotspots by rotating the memory blocks on the physical level. However, the extent to which the wear-leveling algorithm can achieve remains the most important criterion.


The invention provides a method of handing over user equipment from a source cell to a target cell in a cellular communications network. The cellular communications system comprises a plurality of control units. The method comprises the steps of receiving a message indicating if the operation of the radio link control protocol is to be continued or reset when changing cell, resetting the operation of the radio link control protocol if the message indicates that the current radio link control protocol is to be reset, or continuing the operation of said radio link control protocol if the message indicates that the radio link control protocol is to be continued.

Wireless cellular telecommunication networks are known. In this regard, reference is made to FIG. 1 which schematically shows a cellular communications network 2. The area covered by the network 2 is divided into cells 4. Each cell is provided with a base station 6. The base station 6 is arranged to communicate with mobile stations or other user equipment 8 located in the cells.
Various standards have been proposed for communication within the network. For example, one known standard is the GSM standard (global system for mobile communications). This is primarily designed for speech. The GPRS standard (general packet radio service) has been proposed for data. The GPRS standard has generally been proposed in the context of the GSM standard. The GSM standard allows circuit switched communication whilst the GPRS standard allows packet switched communication.
When a mobile station or user equipment moves, it can move from one cell into another. When that occurs, the user equipment or mobile station will generally stop communicating with the base station of its old cell and start communicating with the base station of the new cell. This is referred to as handoff or handover.
In the context of the GPRS standard, cell reselection procedures are specified. Cell reselection is where the mobile station or user equipment changes the cell (and the base station) with which it is associated. Currently, the standard specifies three cell reselection procedures. With the first two procedures NC0 and NC1, the mobile station makes the decision as to which cell the mobile station is to be associated. In the procedure NC2, the network makes the decision as to the cell with which the mobile station is to be associated. As will be appreciated, if the cells are overlapping or if the mobile station is located in border regions, different decisions can be made in different circumstances as to the cell with which the mobile station is to be associated.
The cell reselection procedures specified in the current GPRS standard are based on the assumption that the L2 link (—this is the TBF—temporary block flow link which is set up to carry the data blocks) is set up in the new cell after the cell has changed and after the mobile station has acquired the necessary system information to operate in the new cell. In other words, the mobile station changes the cell (and hence base station) with which it is associated and only then is the mobile station able to acquire the necessary information to allow it to operate. This has the disadvantage that this procedure is relatively slow. It can take some time for the mobile station to obtain the necessary system information messages and after that set up the TBF link. This causes a gap in transmission during a cell change which can last several seconds. This can cause a noticeable degradation in the quality of service. GPRS is often used for non-real time services. However, even in the context of the non-real time services, the gap of several seconds can still make an adverse impact on the quality.
In one modification to the standard, the concept of a network assisted cell change procedure was introduced. In this proposal, there was the aim of shortening the gap in transmission by sending the target cell (ie the new cell) system information via the old cell before terminating the link with that old cell and leaving the cell. The target cell information refers to System Information (SI) and Packet System Information (PSI) messages that the mobile must acquire before accessing the cell. These messages are usually broadcast on broadcast channels. Because the broadcast channel capacity is not very high these messages are broadcasted relatively seldom which causes long delay if the mobile station acquires this information by listening to the broadcast channel. The modification provides a mechanism where these messages can be sent during the ongoing TBF (Temporary Block Flow) via the source cell. In other words the mobile station does not have to listen to broadcast messages but gets this information during the ongoing TBF in the source cell. With this mechanism, the mobile station can set up the TBF link in the target cell without having any delay caused by the mobile station listening to information broadcast by the base station of the new cell in order to get the required system information messages. However, this proposed method still has the problem that there is a gap in transmission during a cell change as it takes some time to set up the TBF and resolve the contention resolution. This gap may still be long enough to provide a noticeable quality degradation in the provided levels of services.
It has been appreciated by the inventors that when a mobile station changes cell, the target cell and the current cell may be controlled by the same packet control unit. Currently, it is proposed to always reset the radio link control protocol entity or TBF. This is disadvantageous.


A brick or masonry structure is drilled to receive an elongate reinforcing assembly comprising a core with one or more fabric sleeves over most of its length. The sleeves are injected with grout that seeps through the fabric to bond to the drilling wall. It may bond directly to the core or to a tube through which the core extends. The core is anchored to the structure at or near the mouth of the drilling while a tube farthest from the mouth may have a connection to the core that allows the core to be pulled towards the mouth with progressively greater resistance.

This invention relates to reinforcing structures, particularly those of brick or masonry.
It is a known technique to reinforce such a structure by drilling into it, inserting a rigid bar or rod encased in a fabric sleeve, and injecting that sleeve with cementitious grout. The grout expands to fill the space around the rod, and some seeps through the fabric to bond to the drilling wall when set. Thus, the structure acquires rigid xe2x80x9cbonesxe2x80x9d.
However, it is not always desirable to have such rigidity. Sometimes, one wants reinforcement capable of xe2x80x9cgivingxe2x80x9d a bit without breaking, so largely maintaining its integrity and holding the structure together.
It is the aim of this invention to provide such a reinforcement with at least a limited sacrificial property.
According to the present invention there is provided a method of reinforcing a structure comprising:
drilling into the structure,
inserting into the drilling an elongated reinforcement core carrying over part of its length a permeable fabric sleeve, injecting cementitious grout into the sleeve to expand that against the wall of the drilling, some grout seeping through to bond to that wall and thereby locally securing said core, and
anchoring the reinforcing core at a zone distinct from the grouted sleeve to complete a reinforcing assembly.
This separation of the grouted sleeve and the anchoring zone reduces the rigidity of the reinforcement, which may distort in various ways whilst still holding the structure together even though it might be impaired.
In some versions the sleeve encases a tube which receives part of the core, there being an engagement between tube and core which progressively resists a pull on the core in the direction towards said anchoring zone.
In other words, the sleeved and grouted tube is rigid with the structure at one zone and the core is fixed to the structure at another zone (the anchoring zone). If the zones start to separate, the core meets resistance within the tube that progressively increases. Small movements within the structure are therefore easily accommodated, but should those movements increase, the reinforcement acts ever more strongly to stop them.
This progressive resistance may be provided by the tube having a gradual internal taper, narrowing in said direction, and by the core having a plug with an easy fit in the larger end of the tube, movement of the core in said direction causing the plug to wedge into the tube. Alternatively, the tube could be a cylinder, the core a piston fitting the cylinder, and the resistance a liquid against which the piston acts in said direction, there being a highly restricted route for the liquid to escape from its space within the cylinder. In another arrangement the progressive resistance may be provided by a resilient element, such as a helical spring or a thick rubber sleeve, surrounding the core and acting between a formation on the core and an abutment internal of the tube.
The anchoring can be provided within the drilling by another, similar grouted sleeve and tube assembly, within which another part of the core engages with progressive resistance to its movement in the reverse direction.
Alternatively, the anchoring may be provided within the drilling by another grout filled fabric sleeve encasing another part of the length of the core directly so that the grout bonds to the core and through the fabric to the drilling wall.
The anchoring can be external of the drilling, the core projecting clear of the structure and being held by an abutment against the surface around the mouth of the drilling. Typically, this might be achieved by screw-threading the projecting end of the core to receive an apertured plate clamped against the structure by a nut.
In all these versions the core may have at least one further permeable fabric sleeve between the first mentioned sleeve and the anchoring zone, and cementitious grout will be injected into the or each further sleeve to bond that to the drilling wall. There would thus be a xe2x80x9cchainxe2x80x9d of reinforcements along the drilling. Should there be any move movement within the structure, the individual sections will stay rigid, but each can move relative to the next one.
The or each further grout filled fabric sleeve can encase the core directly so that the grout bonds to the core or it can encase a tube through which the core freely passes.
To keep the sleeves apart during insertion in the drilling and thus ensure that there are exposed portions of core between each pair of adjacent sleeves, spacers may be provided, each spacer being weak in relation to the solidified grout reinforcements to either side.
With several sleeves to fill, conveniently a conduit leads from the mouth of the drilling through one or more sleeves to a remote sleeve for the injection of grout, the remote sleeve being filled first, the conduit then being partially withdrawn to terminate in the next sleeve, that sleeve being filled next via the same conduit, and so on until the sleeve adjacent the mouth is filled and the conduit is wholly withdrawn.
When the anchoring zone and the or each grouted sleeve are separated longitudinally of the drilling, the core will be locally exposed and therefore be susceptible to being bent at the or each exposed portion by distortion of the surrounding structure. But it may be beneficial to have a preferential mode of bending, in which case the core could be a plurality of parallel reinforcing rods bundled in a manner such that their collective ability to bend is easier in some directions than others.
It may also be useful for each sleeved and grouted section or group of consecutive sections to have its own core joined to another core in a gap between sections. The joint can give certain characteristics. For example, adjacent cores can be different, one being stronger than the other, and so the weak one will bend first, particularly if a fixed joint is made between adjacent cores. But there could be a flexible or linked joint, and a linked one could be loose enough also to allow limited longitudinal expansion of the reinforcing assembly.
In all these arrangements a relatively weak joint, compared with others along the assembly, can be provided so that, if there is to be failure of the structure it will tend to be around that joint.
Instead of one or more reinforcing rods the core may be at least one wire. Particularly if multi-strand and laid with a twist, it will have an inherent stretchability, and so may be firmly secured to the structure at both ends and put under moderate tension and yet allow lengthening of the reinforcements without any extra measures being taken. A wire will of course allow bending or transverse displacement of the reinforcement. But to increase the scope for extension the wire may be kinked between sections.


Method of forming a compact based on the press forming method provides a compact having high density and not having cracking or surface roughness in a product and without compact adhesion to press forming mold wall occurring, including steps: filling raw material powder in a cavity formed by an outer mold and lower punch, or outer mold and lower punch and core rod, pressing and forming raw material powder between an outer punch and lower punch, and extracting the compact obtained out of the outer mold by the lower punch, wherein a lubricating film of a press forming mold lubricant containing oil as main component is formed on at least part of outer mold inner surface, or outer mold inner surface and core rod outer circumferential surface before filling the raw material powder in the cavity, and press forming so that compact density ratio is not less than 93%.

A forming method in a powder metallurgical method is classified generally as a press forming method, an injection forming method, an extruding forming method, a wet forming method and the like. Among these forming methods, the press forming method in which sintered parts can be produced at low cost is primarily employed because yield of raw material is high since it can be shaped to near-net-shape, because many compacts having the same shape can be produced when a metallic mold is produced once, because a shorter time is required for degreasing, and the like.
In the press forming method, a mold apparatus is used which includes a mold cavity of an outer mold forming an outer circumferential shape of a product, a lower punch slidably engaged with the mold cavity and forming a lower edge surface of the product, and an upper punch slidably engaged the mold cavity and forming an upper edge surface of the product. The press forming method includes a filling process in which raw material powder is filled in the cavity formed by the mold cavity and the lower punch, a forming process in which the raw material powder filled in the cavity is pressed and formed by the upper punch and the lower punch so as to form a compact having desired shape, and an extracting process in which the compact obtained is extracted from a mold cavity of the outer mold, these processes being performed in this order. In such a press forming method, a compact having a complicated shape can be formed by using multiple upper punches and lower punches and by performing multiple steps. Furthermore, a product having an axis hole can be formed by arranging a core rod.
In the forming process of such a press forming method, since pressure expanding to a vertical direction of forming pressure is imparted to the compact by the forming pressure during forming, and the compact contacts tightly on a wall surface of a press forming mold (inner circumferential surface the mold cavity of the outer mold), friction may occur between the press forming mold wall surface and the compact during the extracting process. If this frictional force is large, the compact may adhere to the press forming mold wall surface or the surface roughness of the compact may increase. In addition, if friction between the compact and the press forming mold wall surface is increased, a larger pressing force to cancel the friction may be required. Since residual stress in the compact may increase with the larger pressing force, cracking may easily occur in the compact due to excess stress during the extracting process. Therefore, in the press forming method, various kinds of lubricating methods are employed in order to reduce friction that occurs between the press forming mold wall surface and the compact.
The lubricating method in the press forming method is classified generally as a press forming mold lubricating method and an interfusion lubricating method. The press forming mold lubricating method is a method in which lubricant is preliminarily coated on a forming surface of the press forming mold such as an inner surface of the press forming mold and surface of the core rod, and after that, the raw material powder is filled and formed. The lubricant coated on the forming surface of the press forming mold exists between the forming surface of the press forming mold and the compact, and friction during the extracting process can be reduced. The interfusion lubricating method is a method in which powdered lubricant is added and mixed in the raw material powder, and then, the mixture is filled and formed. The lubricant melted by frictional heat seeps out between the forming surface of the press forming mold and the compact during extracting process, and friction between the forming surface of the press forming mold and the compact is reduced. It should be noted that in the Japanese Industrial Standards (JIS Z2500-1960) regarding terms of powder metallurgy, a lubricant coated on the press forming mold is called "press forming mold lubricant" and a lubricant mixed in the raw material powder is called "powder lubricant"; however, there is no difference in raw material of the lubricants, and a metallic soap such as stearic acid and metallic salts thereof, waxes or the like is generally used.
In recent years, in the sintered parts or the like produced by a powder metallurgical method, it has been required to increase strength. High strengthening of the sintered parts can be accomplished by using high-grade raw material; however, since raw material cost is increased in that case, advantages of the press forming method in which the sintered parts can be produced at lower cost is lost. In the press forming method, gaps between the raw material powder remain in the compact after forming, and these gaps may be dispersed in the sintered parts as a pore after sintering. As typical iron based sintered parts, parts having density ratio (ratio of density of a porous material to density of material having the same material composition and having no pores) of 83 to 90% (remainder being pores) is produced. These pores cause degradation of the strength of mechanical parts. Therefore, since the sintered parts having high strength can be accomplished without upgrading raw material if the compact is formed with high density, various methods of forming a compact having high density have been researched.
As the lubricating method in the press forming method, the interfusion lubricating method is typically applied from the viewpoint that the method can be easily performed and is appropriate for mass-production. However, in the interfusion lubricating method, there is a problem of decreasing flowability of the raw material powder, strength of the compact, and powder compacting density due to adding the powdered lubricant. Therefore, there are cases in which the press forming mold lubricating method is employed in order to obtain a compact having high density.
As the press forming mold lubricating method, a method has been researched in which powdered lubricant which is electrically charged by friction is electrostatically adhered on the press forming mold so that a solid lubricating film is formed on the press forming mold wall surface (see Patent Document 1).
In addition, as the press forming mold lubricating method, a method has been researched in which powdered lubricant is dispersed in a solvent such as an organic solvent, the dispersion is coated on the press forming mold wall surface, the coating is dried to remove the solvent, and a solid lubricating film is formed on the press forming mold wall surface (see Patent Documents 2 and 3). As the method of coating the press forming mold lubricant dispersed in the organic solvent on the forming surface of the press forming mold, a coating method by spraying or brushing on is performed (see Patent Document 2). However, it is difficult to uniformly coat the press forming mold lubricant on a surface sliding and contacting with the compact in the press forming mold by the spraying or brushing on. Therefore, as a method of uniformly coating the press forming mold lubricant on the forming surface of the press forming mold, a method has been developed in which the powder forming mold itself is used as a coating means of the press forming mold lubricant, and a press forming mold lubricant which is a dispersant in which particles of solid lubricant is dispersed in a liquid solvent that is not flammable is coated (see Patent Document 3).
The Patent Documents are as follows:                Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. Hei08(1996)-100203        Patent Document 2: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. Hei09(1997)-272901        Patent Document 3: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2012-234871
However, in the method disclosed in the Patent Document 1, in a case in which a mold cavity is deep or in a case in which shape of a product is complicated, it is difficult to form the lubricating film uniformly deep inside the deep cavity or on each part of the press forming mold wall surface having a complicated shape. Furthermore, in the methods of the Patent Documents 2 and 3 in which the powdered lubricant is dispersed in a solvent such as an organic solvent, the dispersion is coated on the press forming mold wall surface, the coating is dried to remove the solvent and the solid lubricating film is formed on the press forming mold wall surface, there may be environmental problems due to handling of organic solvents, a problem of decreasing production rate since time is required to dry the organic solvent, and the like.
Furthermore, lubricants used in the abovementioned press forming mold lubricating method mainly contain the solid lubricant such as a metallic soap such as stearic acid or metallic salts thereof, waxes or the like. The lubricating film of the solid lubricant exhibits superior lubricating effects in a region of static friction in which frictional resistance with the outer mold is overcome and the compact begins moving; however, lubricating effects are not great in a region of kinetic friction after the compact begins moving, and during forming a compact having high density which is required in recent years, there may be a case in which sufficient lubricating effect is not obtained.

Method for forming molded article by press molding


A baby bottle holder to be placed on the torso of an infant has means for tilting the bottle to enable the infant to feed therefrom and means for urging the baby bottle holder to roll off the infant's torso when the infant moves and disengages the nipple, e.g., because the infant has finished feeding. A weight is positioned in the baby bottle holder such that a moment is created that urges the roll off of the baby bottle holder. A pair of flaps stabilize the baby bottle holder while the infant is feeding.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a baby bottle holder, and more particularly, to a baby bottle holder that has a tendency to roll the baby bottle from the infant's torso when the infant has moved and disengaged the nipple.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many baby bottle holders have been designed to help relieve a parent or caretaker from having to maintain a baby bottle in an inclined position for a prolonged period during an infant's feeding. These holders can be used in a situation where the parent or caretaker has to temporarily attend to other demands while still meeting the needs of a feeding infant. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,895,327 to Malone et al. for "Infant Feeding Aid Apparatus and Method" discloses a feeding aid designed to be placed on the torso of an infant. The device includes two anchor sections to be placed on opposite sides of the torso of the infant during feeding. While this anchoring system may provide for the maintenance of the baby bottle while the infant is feeding, when the infant has finished feeding, the baby bottle remains secured in position on the infant until someone removes the device. A need exists for an apparatus that, when placed on a baby's torso, inclines the bottle to allow an infant to feed from the bottle and then causes the bottle to roll off the infant's torso when the infant disengages the nipple.

Baby bottle holder and feeding device with rolling means when baby disengages bottle nipple


Music information about songs recorded on multiple CD's is stored in a first storing means 21, and when music data of the individual songs of the CD 12 is stored on the hard disk drive 22, music information about the individual songs is read from the first storing means 21, is added to the music data, and the information and the data are stored. If the music information is not stored in the first storing means, the music data is stored without adding the music information, and contemporaneously, CD identification information and stored locations of the music data of the individual songs on the hard disk drive 22 are stored in second storing means 23. When the version of the first storing means 21 is updated, if music information about a CD indicated by CD identification information stored in the second storing means 23 is stored in the updated first storing means 21, the music information about a song read from the first storing means is added to music data at a stored location read from the second storing means.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a storing apparatus and method for music data, and specifically relates to a storing apparatus and method that adds music information about a song to music data of the song read from a storage medium such as a compact disc (CD), and then, stores the music information and the music data in a storing unit.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A music data storing apparatus that reads music data from a CD and records the data into a storing unit such as a hard disk drive (HDD) has been put into a practical use. Such an apparatus can read and reproduce the music data from the hard disk drive (HDD) after storing the music data.
In this music data storing apparatus, music information about songs recorded on multiple CD's is stored into first storing means (a local data base CDDB) 2 for the respective CD's in advance as shown in FIG. 11. For example, a combination of lengths of the individual songs and gap lengths contained in TOC information of a CD is used as CD identification information, and music information including an album title, an artist name, titles of the individual songs is stored in the CDDB2 in correspondence to the storage medium identification information. Note that the CD identification information is constituted as a first song length—a gap length—a second song length—a gap length— . . . —a last song length.
When music data from a predetermined CD 1 is stored on a hard disk drive (HDD) 3, a music data management control unit 4 refers to TOC information (CD identification information) of the CD 1, and determines whether music information is stored in the local CDDB 2, and the music data management control unit 4 adds music information 1 on a first song to music data 1 of the first song read from the CD 1, and stores them on the hard disk drive 3 if the music information about CD 1 is stored in the local CDDB 2. Subsequently, in the same manner, music information j (j=1, 2, 3, . . . ) is added to music data j read from the CD 1, and they are stored on the hard disk drive 3, and similarly further, music data read from another CD added with music information is stored on the hard disk drive 3. Then, as for reproduction, when reproduction from the HDD is requested from an operation unit 5 to the music data management control unit 4, the music data management control unit 4 sequentially reads music data from the hard disk drive 3, and supplies an audio circuit 6 with the music data, thereby outputting sound from a speaker 7. Additionally, reproduction at random is carried out by receiving a music information list by the music data management control unit 4, showing the list on a display unit of the operation unit 5, and allowing selection of desired music. In addition, when several sets of a sequence of desired songs to be reproduced are determined in advance as folders, it is possible to sequentially reproduce songs in a set by selecting the set.
Note that the above description is given of a case where the music information about the CD 1 is stored in the local CDDB 2. However, the music information stored in the CDDB 2 obsoletes and becomes old, the CDDB 2 does not contain music information about the latest CD's, and the music information about CD 1 may not be stored in the local CDDB 2. In this case, though music data can be stored in a music data entry 3b on the hard disk drive 3, correct music information cannot stored in a music information entry 3a, and substituting music information such as information entered from a key unit of the operation unit 5 and a recorded date are stored in the music information entry 3a.

Storing apparatus and storing method for music data


In a method for generating an IPDS data stream, different levels are defined with level numbers, whereby in each level a group of print data is combined on which the same operation is implemented. The operations are defined by operation numbers. A linkage exists between the level numbers and the operation numbers such that an operation number can be unambiguously assigned to a level number so that it can be determined using the linkage which level is provided for which operation. It is not necessary to generate and to maintain complex tables in order to be able to administrate the level corresponding to the required specification.

The invention concerns a method, software product, and computer to generate and interpret an IPDS data stream, wherein a plurality of data specifying pages to be printed are combined into groups by means of the IPDS command XOH DGB, whereby a level is respectively assigned to each group. The IPDS data stream (Intelligent Printer Data Stream) is specified in Intelligent Printer Data Stream Reference, IBM, S544-3417-05, 6th Edition (Mar. 1996), incorporated herein by reference. The commands XOH DGB (Define Group Boundary) and XOH SGO (Specify Group Operation) are explained on pages 214-218 and 262.
Print data is conveyed with the IPDS data stream from a device which generates and administrates print jobs to a printer via a data line. A controller of the printer converts the IPDS data stream into a control signal to control a print unit. An IPDS data stream comprises image data that typically specifies a page to be printed and control data that specifies general control events. In the data stream, the image data and the control data are typically arranged alternating successively, whereby individualized control data can also be comprised in the framework of the image data.
With the instruction XOH SGO, a command that is valid for a group of print data, in particular a group of print data describing a plurality of pages, is transmitted to a printer. This command (that is designated as an operation) is stored by the printer and implemented on the entire group of print data. A determined level is associated with this group. Within the group, a subgroup can again be grouped with the XOH DBL instruction, for which a further command is valid. This subgroup is assigned a further level with a lesser value than the level of the group above.
FIG. 1 shows an example of a data stream in which different levels are defined, whereby the levels are correspondingly marked. To simplify FIG. 1, the instruction "XOH SGO" is abbreviated as "SGO", and the instruction "XOH DGB" is abbreviated as "DGB". These abbreviations are also retained in the further specification.
First, the individual levels are defined with the instruction SGO, whereby the levels are designated as X80, X60, X40, X20, and a specific operation that is designated with X01, X03 or X04 is assigned to each level, whereby the letter "X" denotes a hexadecimal number. However, it is omitted in the following.
According to the current specification of the position detection system (FIG. 2), there are merely four different operations, namely one with the level number 01 for the operation that keeps the print data at a specific group together for a print job, one with the level number 02 for the command that keeps the print data together for the output of a microfilm, one with the level number 03 for the command to save the pages in the printer, and one with the level number 04 for the command "postprocess". The individual commands or operations can be more closely specified with the instruction DGB.
Before a DGB instruction can be used, the corresponding levels must be defined and an operation must be assigned to each level. The definition of the levels and the operations can thereby be cleared with solely an initialization of the system or of the printer. However, in running interference-free operation, it is not possible to implement such an initialization. This has the result that in the generation of a print data stream it must be exactly recorded which levels were defined and which operations were assigned to them. Since the use of a plurality of levels can result in very complex structures, in the generation of a print data stream it is often difficult, given the use of a plurality of levels, to prevent errors due to a false association of the operations to levels. Given the use of a level in the print data stream, each of them must be checked whether, for a specific operation to be implemented, a level can be found that is smaller than the current active level and that was not previously used in connection with another operation. It can thus be difficult to actually find a suitable level.
A print system comes from U.S. Pat. No. 5,592,683, incorporated herein by reference, in which commands for the preprocessing, for the print data, and for the post-processing are integrated into the data stream comprising the print data.
In the specification "UP3I; Universal Printer Pre- and Post-Processing Interface", Version 1.02 (Jul. 2002), incorporated herein by reference and published by the firms Duplo International Ltd., Hunkeler AG, IBM Corporation, Océ Printing Systems GmbH and Strålfors AB that can be downloaded as data at the Internet address www.up3i.org, various control instructions are provided that can be used in the generation of a printed document to control different devices of a print production system, such as printing devices and these upstream and downstream devices such as, for example, winders, cutting devices, punching devices, stapling devices, and binding devices. It is thereby provided that such data are exchanged between the different devices, thus for example between a paper dispensing device and a print device.
On pages 134 to 141 of the UP3I specification, examples are already cited as to how instructions for printing preprocessing devices or post-processing devices can be inserted into an AFP (MO:DCA) or IPDS data stream. With the UP3I expansion, AFP applications can now comprise UP3I control commands which are transmitted to a printer, whereby printer-specific data formats such as IPDS can be used. The UP3I control data are thereby initially mixed with the print data and are first separated from them in the printer. The further devices of the print production system (i.e. preprocessing devices and post processing devices for the print material such as, for example, paper dispensers, winders, staplers, punchers, folding devices, cutting devices, and binding devices) can then be activated via the UP3I interface of the printer.
With the level instructions cited above, various processing devices or processing steps can be associated with specific regions of the data stream. More is written on this in the German patent application Nr. 102 35 254.2, incorporated herein by reference.
The previously cited publications are hereby included by reference in the present application.

Method, software product, and computer to generate and interpret an IPDS data stream


A musical tone synthesizing apparatus for synthesizing musical tones generated by acoustic instruments. In the musical tone synthesizing apparatus, a closed loop circuit is provided to simulate the vibration of a vibrating element, for example, a string of piano. Additionally provided is a excitation and damping control unit for generating signals to be introduced to the closed loop circuit. When generating musical tones, the excitation and damping control unit generates an excitation signal corresponding to the excitation operation applied to the vibrating element from a excitation element, for example, a hamper of piano. When damping the musical tones, the excitation and damping control unit generates a signal corresponding to the excitation operation applied to the vibrating element from a damping element, for example, a damper of piano.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to musical tone synthesizing apparatuses, and more particularly, to musical tone synthesizing apparatuses applicable to synthesis of the sound of stringed instruments, especially plucked or percussive stringed instruments.
2. Prior Art
Various musical tone generating apparatuses are conventionally known, wherein the sound of one or more conventional, non-electronic musical instruments is synthesized through simulation of the mechanism of sound generation for each target instrument.
Examples of this type of apparatus include that disclosed in Japanese Patent Application, First Publication No. Sho-63-40199 and that disclosed in Japanese Patent Application, Second Publication No. Sho-58-58679, both of which are apparatuses which simulate the mechanism, and in this way synthesize the sound of plucked or percussive stringed instruments. Typically, these apparatuses include one or more closed loop circuits wherein the action of a vibrating string is simulated. Additionally, an excitation signal generating circuit is provided from which an excitation signal can be input into the closed loop circuit, and which acts to simulate the input of mechanical energy into a string of the conventional instrument, that is, the excitation signal generating circuit simulates the plucking or striking of a string in a plucked or percussive stringed instrument, respectively.
The above described closed loop circuit incorporates a low-pass filter and delay circuit in serial. The low-pass filter simulates acoustical losses which occur in a vibrating string following plucking or striking thereof, in other words, the time decay in amplitude of vibration, and hence of mechanical energy, in the vibrating string. The delay circuit acts to simulate the propagation delay imparted to waves traveling back and forth along the length of the string.
As mentioned above, the excitation signal generating circuit simulates the input of mechanical energy into a string of a stringed instrument. To do so, the excitation signal generating circuit injects an excitation signal, for example, an impulse signal into the closed loop circuit which then proceeds to circulate repeatedly therearound, the rate of circulation dependent on the characteristics of the above mentioned delay circuit, the energy of the circulating signal decaying with time at a rate dependent on the characteristics of the above mentioned low-pass filter. After the excitation signal has been input into the closed loop circuit, the circulating signal is sampled, thereby obtaining an output signal which represents the simulated sound of the target instrument.
With conventional stringed instruments, a damping operation is often applied to one or more of the vibrating strings during a performance. Depending on the technique employed by the performer as expressed by rate and intensity of damping, the vibration of a string and hence the sound produced thereby can be caused to gradually fade away or to suddenly stop. In the case of a conventional piano, each key is provided with a dedicated damping mechanism which includes a felt covered damping block which is brought into contact with the corresponding string or strings when the key is released, assuming that the sustain pedal is not depressed.
Aside from the piano or harpsichord, most other stringed instruments do not included a dedicated damping mechanism, for which reason musicians generally apply one of various manual damping techniques when it is desired to terminate the sound generation of one or more strings, or when a decrescendo effect is desired. Most often, these techniques involve pressing a finger or hand against the corresponding strings with a variable degree of pressure.
In the case of a guitar, when it is desired to damp all of the strings, a right handed player will most often press the ulnar aspect of his/her right hand against the strings in proximity to the bridge of the guitar, or alternately, the shaft of his/her left thumb at a position over the fretboard. When it is desired to selectively damp one or more strings, for open strings, the right handed player will generally apply the tip of one of the left fingers or thumb to each string to be damped. Additionally, for strings not open, damping can be effected by partially or completely releasing the finger which is holding a string against the fretboard.
In the case of electronic apparatuses which simulate the sound of conventional stringed instruments, none of the conventionally known apparatuses incorporate a means for simulation of controlled damping as described above. Ordinarily, in order to attenuate or stop the simulated tone corresponding to a vibrating string, these apparatuses incorporate a variable gain amplifier/attenuator circuit within the closed loop circuit. By this means, the amplitude of the generated signal can be caused to diminish gradually, or to terminate suddenly. Finely controlled damping as employed by musicians playing conventional stringed instruments, however, is generally not possible with these conventional apparatuses. Consequently, the ability to synthesize fully natural sounding musical tones is compromised with the result that music produced by such apparatuses tends to sound unrealistic.

Musical synthesizing apparatus for providing simulation of controlled damping