The interference signal cancellation system of the invention has: usual CDMA demodulators respectively disposed for codes, each of the CDMA demodulators having a matched filter 105 and an identifier 107; and a likelihood calculator 108 for each of the demodulators. The apparatus further has: a buffer 103 which stores provisional decision values; another buffer 109 which stores likelihoods; an order determining device 110 which determines an order in accordance with the likelihoods; a respreading device 111 which performs respreading in accordance with the determined order; a delay device 102 which delays a received signal; and a subtractor 112 which subtracts a result of the respreading from the delayed data. For each symbol, the largest likelihood is selected, and a replica is generated by using it. A desired performance is attained by performing one provisional decision and one demodulation. Therefore, computational complexity is reduced and realization is facilitated.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an interference signal cancellation system which is used in a CDMA mobile communication system, and particularly to an interference signal cancellation system which can increase a communication capacity by suppressing interference.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, examples of an interference signal cancellation system are proposed in, for example, Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication (Kokai) Nos. Hei 7-131382 and Hei 7-273713.
In the examples, the accuracy is gradually increased by repeating an interference canceling operation several times. The error rate is improved by canceling mutual interference among plural users, so that the capacity is increased.
FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an interference cancellation system of the prior art. In FIG. 7, a received signal 1 is supplied to a delay device 2 and matched filters 9. An output of each matched filter 9 is multiplied in a coefficient multiplier 10 with the eigenvalue .lambda. of a cross-correlation matrix of input signals, and the multiplied output is sent to a first-stage correlation cancellation circuit 7. In the circuit, the output is supplied to a respreading device 11 and a delay device 13. The output of the respreading device 11 is subtracted in a subtractor 12 from an output of the delay device 2.
When plural codes are used, the subtraction is conducted for all the codes. The result of the subtraction is supplied via an inverse diffusion device 14 to a coefficient multiplier 15 to be multiplied with the eigenvalue .lambda. of the cross-correlation matrix of the input signals. The multiplication result and an output of the delay device 13 are added to each other in an adder 16 to be output as a first-stage demodulation result 17.
The output of the delay device 2 is output via a delay device 3 as a first-stage delayed received signal 4. An Mth-stage correlation cancellation circuit 8 is dependently connected to the rear of the first-stage correlation cancellation circuit 7. An Mth-stage input signal 5 is supplied together with an Mth-stage demodulation input 18 to the Mth-stage correlation cancellation circuit 8 which in turn outputs an Mth-stage delayed signal 6 and an Mth-stage demodulation result 19.
The operation of the prior art example will be described with reference to FIG. 7. The received signal 1 is a CDMA multiple signal. The corresponding matched filter 9 correlates diffusion codes of the users, and fetches the signal of the corresponding user while suppressing signals of the other users and thermal noises. The signal is multiplied in the coefficient multiplier 10 with the eigenvalue .lambda. of a cross-correlation matrix of input signals among the users. The multiplication result is rediffused in the respreading device 11, and supplied also to the delay device 13.
The signal of each user which has been rediffused is subtracted in the subtractor 12 from the signal which is obtained by delaying the received signal 1 in the delay device 2. The output of the subtractor is then subjected to inverse diffusion in the inverse diffusion device 14. The result of the inverse diffusion is multiplied in the coefficient multiplier 15 with the eigenvalue .lambda. of the cross-correlation matrix of the input signals. The multiplication result and the output of the delay device 13 are added to each other in the adder 16 to be output as the first-stage demodulation result 17. This result exists for each of the users.
The output of the delay device 2 is further delayed in the delay device 3 so as to be output as the first-stage delayed received signal 4. The block which receives the outputs of the delay device 2 and the multiplier 10, and which outputs the first-stage delayed received signal 4 and the first-stage demodulation result 17 constitutes the first-stage correlation cancellation circuit 7.
The Mth-stage correlation cancellation circuit 8 is configured in the same manner as the first-stage correlation cancellation circuit 7, and dependently connected to the rear of the first-stage correlation cancellation circuit 7. As the number of stages which are dependently connected is larger, performance is higher. Therefore, two or more circuits are usually connected in order to attain higher performance.
In this way, even an interference signal cancellation system of the prior art can suppress interference and allow the capacity to be increased.
In the prior art example described above, however, the interference canceling operation must be repeated in order to attain desired performance. Namely, processes such as inverse diffusion and diffusion which require large computational complexity are repeated, and hence computational complexity becomes enormous, thereby producing a problem that it is difficult to realize desired performance.

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


In a multi-panel sunshade device for a vehicle comprising a drive panel and a plurality of follower panels slidably supported between the right and left guide rails to selectively open and close the roof opening, the right and left guide rails each comprises an upper guide rail and a lower guide rail, and right and left front slide shoes of each follower panel are supported by the right and left upper guide rails, respectively, while right and left rear slide shoes of each follower panel are supported by the right and left lower guide rails, respectively. Further, a pair of right and left front slide shoe storing rooms are connected to the right and left upper guide rails, respectively, and a pair of right and left rear slide shoe storing rooms are connected to the right and left lower guide rails, respectively.

Conventionally, it is known to constitute part of a roof of an automobile with a glass panel to give an open-air feel to the passenger compartment. Some of such automobiles with the so-called glass sunroof are provided with a plurality of sunshade panels that are slidable in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle beneath the glass panel to control the amount of sunlight entering the passenger compartment.
An exemplary one of such sunshade devices comprises three sunshade panels, where the right and left side edges of each panel are supported by a corresponding one of three pairs of guide rails positioned at different heights, and an engagement and disengagement mechanism is provided between end portions of fore-and-aft adjoining panels so that the three panels can be selectively closed and opened in a manner similar to a double sliding door by driving the forefront sunshade panel forwardly and rearwardly (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (kokai) No. 2004-249851, for example).
In this conventional sunshade device, a step is formed between fore-and-aft adjoining panels in the fully closed state due to the difference in height of the panel positions, whereby deteriorating the appearance. Further, this device uses the three guide rail pairs for slidably guiding the three individual panels, and this makes it difficult to simultaneously achieve both of reduction in the total vehicle height and increase in the headroom of the passenger compartment because the sunshade device requires an amount of accumulated thickness of the three guide rail pairs over an entire length of the movable range of the forefront panel.
In order to deal with such a problem, it is proposed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (kokai) No. 5-24437 to provide a sunshade device having front and rear sunshade panels which are slidably supported by the same guide rail pair.
In the sunshade device disclosed in JPA No. 5-24437, the front and rear sunshade panels are stored in a rear portion of the vehicle with the front panel being stacked over the rear panel in a fully open state, and the sunshade panels are drawn out in the forward direction to fully close the roof opening. In order to achieve this, a power source is connected to the front panel to drive the front panel, and the rear panel is selectively linked to the front panel to follow the move of the front panel.
In JPA No. 5-24437, the linkage mechanism for linking the sunshade panels comprises a projection provided to a rear end portion of the front panel (drive panel) and a hole defined in a front end portion of the rear panel (follower panel) so that the projection of the front panel can engage the hole of the rear panel to link these sunshade panels. It should be noted that the number of the follower panels can be more than one and in such a case, adjoining follower panels can be linked to each other so that one panel can follow the other (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 62-68126, for example).
In the fully open state, the panels are stacked together in a stored state to provide a wide opening. In order to achieve the stacking of the front and rear panels in the stored state, in JPA No. 5-24437, each sunshade panel is provided with a pair of right and left front slide shoes (sliders) and a pair of right and left rear slide shoes, and these slide shoes are slidably received by the corresponding one of the pair of right and left guide rails. Further, each guide rail is formed with a front opening and a rear opening in its rear portion so that when the front slide shoe and the rear slide shoe of the rear sunshade panel are aligned with the front opening and the rear opening of the guide rail, respectively, the front and rear slide shoes of the rear panel can be pushed downward through the front and rear opening of the guide rail against an upward urging means (spring) into the respective slide shoe storing rooms to whereby move the rear panel down to the stored position which is provided below the rear portion of the guide rails. The force for pushing down the rear panel against the spring force is provided by the rearwardly driven front panel overriding the rear panel.
In JPA No. 5-24437, the front and rear slide shoes of each panel are received by the same guide rail (i.e., the left front and rear slide shoes are received by the left guide rail while the right front and rear slide shoes are received by the right guide rail), and this can create a problem that the rear slide shoe of the rear panel can inadvertently fall into the front opening formed in each guide rail. In order to solve such a problem, in JPA No. 5-24437, the front opening of the guide rail is provided with a shorter length than the rear opening and correspondingly, the front slide shoe of the rear panel is provided with a shorter length than the rear slide shoe. However, this still cannot completely eliminate the possibility that the movement of the rear slide shoe can be unfavorably interfered by the front opening of the guide rail and thus the sliding move of the rear slide panel can be hindered when there are oscillations or the like during travel of the vehicle.
Further, in the above sunshade device, it is desired to ensure that the slide shoes can be stored into the corresponding slide shoe storing rooms smoothly and reliably without requiring complicated structure therefor.


The present invention provides a method for performing association beamforming training (A-BFT) between an enhanced STA device and a PCP/AP (Personal basic service set Control Point/Access Point) in a wireless communication system. Specifically, the method performed by the enhanced STA device comprises receiving, from the PCP/AP, a beacon frame during a beacon interval, wherein the beacon frame includes information element (IE) used for an enhanced directional multi-gigabit (EDMG) operation; and performing the A-BFT with the PCP/AP based on the received IE, wherein the IE includes control information related to an access attempt of the A-BFT.

WI-FI is a wireless local area network (WLAN) technology which enables a device to access the Internet in a frequency band of 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz or 60 GHz.
A WLAN is based on the institute of electrical and electronic engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standard. The wireless next generation standing committee (WNG SC) of IEEE 802.11 is an ad-hoc committee which is worried about the next-generation wireless local area network (WLAN) in the medium to longer term.
IEEE 802.11n has an object of increasing the speed and reliability of a network and extending the coverage of a wireless network. More specifically, IEEE 802.11n supports a high throughput (HT) providing a maximum data rate of 600 Mbps. Furthermore, in order to minimize a transfer error and to optimize a data rate, IEEE 802.11n is based on a multiple inputs and multiple outputs (MIMO) technology in which multiple antennas are used at both ends of a transmission unit and a reception unit.
As the spread of a WLAN is activated and applications using the WLAN are diversified, in the next-generation WLAN system supporting a very high throughput (VHT), IEEE 802.11ac has been newly enacted as the next version of an IEEE 802.11n WLAN system. IEEE 802.11ac supports a data rate of 1 Gbps or more through 80 MHz bandwidth transmission and/or higher bandwidth transmission (e.g., 160 MHz), and mainly operates in a 5 GHz band.
Recently, a need for a new WLAN system for supporting a higher throughput than a data rate supported by IEEE 802.11 ac comes to the fore.
The scope of IEEE 802.11ax chiefly discussed in the next-generation WLAN task group called a so-called IEEE 802.11ax or high efficiency (HEW) WLAN includes 1) the improvement of an 802.11 physical (PHY) layer and medium access control (MAC) layer in bands of 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, etc., 2) the improvement of spectrum efficiency and area throughput, 3) the improvement of performance in actual indoor and outdoor environments, such as an environment in which an interference source is present, a dense heterogeneous network environment, and an environment in which a high user load is present and so on.
A scenario chiefly taken into consideration in IEEE 802.11ax is a dense environment in which many access points (APs) and many stations (STAs) are present. In IEEE 802.11ax, the improvement of spectrum efficiency and area throughput is discussed in such a situation. More specifically, there is an interest in the improvement of substantial performance in outdoor environments not greatly taken into consideration in existing WLANs in addition to indoor environments.
In IEEE 802.11ax, there is a great interest in scenarios, such as wireless offices, smart homes, stadiums, hotspots, and buildings/apartments. The improvement of system performance in a dense environment in which many APs and many STAs are present is discussed based on the corresponding scenarios.
In the future, it is expected in IEEE 802.11ax that the improvement of system performance in an overlapping basic service set (OBSS) environment, the improvement of an outdoor environment, cellular offloading, and so on rather than single link performance improvement in a single basic service set (BSS) will be actively discussed. The directivity of such IEEE 802.11ax means that the next-generation WLAN will have a technical scope gradually similar to that of mobile communication. Recently, when considering a situation in which mobile communication and a WLAN technology are discussed together in small cells and direct-to-direct (D2D) communication coverage, it is expected that the technological and business convergence of the next-generation WLAN based on IEEE 802.11ax and mobile communication will be further activated.
On the other hand, IEEE 802.11ad defines performance enhancement for ultra high throughput in the 60 GHz band.
In IEEE 802.11, TGad (Task Group ad) was devoted to develop the standard that uses the unlicensed mmWave spectrum (57-64 GHz) and its revision is being under development.
Advanced antenna technology was introduced to handle a single stream transmission. It showed that maximum data rate around 6.9 Gbps over 2.16 GHz channel bandwidth can be achieved.
In addition, IEEE 802.11ad introduced a new network architecture termed as personal basic service set (PBSS). It combines the distributed nature of connections among the stations with central coordination point known as PBSS control point (PCP). The station that roles as a PCP and has access point capability is termed as PCP/AP.
Also, there is a discussion on IEEE 802.11ay for introducing channel bonding and MIMO technology to IEEE 802.11ad systems.
That is, new task group termed as TGay (task group ay) considers the enhancements on IEEE 802.11ad by considering antenna technology to transmit and receive multiple streams, channel aggregation (aggregation of more than one 2.16 GHz channel bandwidth), multiple accesses over multiple channels, and so on. Its main target operation environments include dense and urban environments.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method and apparatus for associating between a station and an access point in a wireless communication system


A vehicular transmission includes a transmission input shaft to which engine torque is input, first and second differential mechanisms as transmission mechanisms to which the engine torque is input through the transmission input shaft, a torque limiter arranged between the transmission input shaft and an engine configured to enable torque transmission between the transmission input shaft and an engine output shaft and inhibit an input of excessive torque larger than predetermined torque between the transmission input shaft and the engine output shaft, and a one-way clutch arranged between the torque limiter and the engine for prohibiting reverse rotation of the engine while allowing normal rotation of the engine.

A vehicular transmission provided with a device for locking rotation in one direction which prohibits reverse rotation of an engine while allowing normal rotation of the engine by being disengaged when an engine output shaft normally rotates and engaged when the engine output shaft is about to reversely rotate is conventionally known.
A vehicular transmission of Patent Literature 1 is provided with a one-way clutch as a locking device and a planetary gear mechanism provided with rotational elements to each of which an output shaft of the one-way clutch and a transmission output shaft side (drive wheel side) are connected. A hybrid system including the vehicular transmission is provided with a first motor-generator connected to another rotational element of the planetary gear mechanism and a second motor-generator connected to the transmission output shaft side (drive wheel side). In the vehicular transmission of Patent Literature 1, the one-way clutch is arranged between an engine and the planetary gear mechanism in an axial direction of a transmission input shaft. In the hybrid system of Patent Literature 1, the first and second motor-generators are used together as power sources at the time of travel.
A vehicular transmission of Patent Literature 2 is provided with a one-way clutch as a locking device, a damper device which inhibits torque variation between a transmission input shaft and an engine output shaft, and a planetary gear mechanism provided with rotational elements to each of which the transmission input shaft and a transmission output shaft side (drive wheel side) are connected. A hybrid system including the vehicular transmission is provided with a first motor-generator connected to another rotational element of the planetary gear mechanism and a second motor-generator connected to the transmission output shaft side (drive wheel side). In the vehicular transmission of Patent Literature 2, the one-way clutch is arranged between the planetary gear mechanism and the first motor-generator in an axial direction of the transmission input shaft and an inner ring of the one-way clutch is connected to the rotational element (rotational element to which the first motor-generator is connected) of the planetary gear mechanism.
Patent Literature 3 discloses a vehicular transmission to which a meshing clutch is applied as a locking device. The meshing clutch may allow normal rotation of an engine in a disengaged state and prohibit reverse rotation of the engine by stopping rotation of an engine rotational shaft in an engaged state. In a hybrid system including the vehicular transmission, the meshing clutch is engaged at the time of EV travel and regenerative travel and the meshing clutch is disengaged at the time of engine travel.


A holder clamp assembly having a compressible, substantially spherical gripping member with a centrally located cavity, a compressing mechanism, a mounting bracket, and optionally a swivel joint. The cavity of the gripping member is a channel for receiving the barrel of a flashlight or other substantially cylindrical and elongated section of a device. The gripping member while holding the device may pivot inside the compressing mechanism. The compressing mechanism constricts the gripping member around the device holding the device in place. The optional swivel joint connects the compressing mechanisms to the mounting bracket. When the optional swivel joint is used, the mounting bracket once tightened on a substrate holds the swivel joint in place. One member of the mounting bracket when inverted relative to the other members, enables clamping onto smaller substrates.

The field of the present invention is a device mounting apparatus.
Hand held flashlights of various sizes, shapes, and containing various features are well known. Flashlights having particularly desirable features include those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,577,263; 4,658,336; 4,899,265; 4,656,565; and 4,851,974. It is also well known that bicycles may be equipped with lights for use after dark. It would, therefore, be highly desirable to provide a clamp assembly by which a flashlight could be secured to the handlebars of a bicycle and adjustable about a variety of axes. Such clamp assembly should also be economical to manufacture and easily adjustable. It would also be desirable to provide an assembly which has an adjustable mounting for a flashlight for use on other support structures including those where the axis of the support structure is parallel to the axis of the barrel of the flashlight, such as for use in conjunction with a rifle. It would also be desirable to provide an assembly which has the capability of adjusting the angle of the clamp itself with respect both to the support structure and to the flashlight.


A microwave popcorn product is provided. The product includes a flexible expandable bag having a charge of unpopped popcorn and oil/fat-containing slurry therein. The oil/fat-containing slurry includes a solid oil component and a liquid oil component. Preferred products may be blended to have advantageous nutritional characteristics.

The present disclosure relates to microwave popcorn and its preparation. That is, the disclosure concerns arrangements that involve unpopped kernels of popcorn which are prepared and presented in a manner such that they readily pop, upon exposure to microwave energy in a microwave oven.
In many conventional microwave popcorn systems, the popcorn is packaged in a flexible, foldable, typically paper, construction with: oil/fat; flavoring, if desired, for example salt; and, optionally, coloring. When the package is placed in the microwave oven, the popcorn is popped in the presence of the oil/fat and the flavoring/coloring is distributed over the popcorn.
A typical such system is used in the consumer product ACT II.RTM. Buttered Popcorn, available from Golden Valley Microwave Foods, Inc. of Edina, Minn., the Assignee of the present invention. A typical such product contains, in each bag, about 70-80 grams of popcorn and about 30 grams of an oil/fat slurry. The oil/fat slurry includes about 9% salt by weight, with the remainder primarily comprising the fat/oil, and some butter flavor (about 2% butter flavor, including the weight of the carrier for the flavor, typically maltodextrin).
It is important that such microwave popcorn products be substantially shelf stable. In these types of systems, "shelf stability" is generally associated with the following principal characteristics.
(1) Some acceptable, preferably very low level of wicking or leakage of oil/fat from the inside of the package, during storage and handling at normally encountered ambient temperatures; PA1 (2) An acceptably low level of moisture loss from within the popcorn kernels, during storage and handling; PA1 (3) A polyunsaturated oil presence sufficiently low that undesirable levels of oxidation do not occur during storage.
In general, loss of moisture from the kernels is typically associated with less efficient and effective popping, and loss of oil/fat is associated with increased scorching, less flavor distribution and a less efficient popping process.
In general, in conventional systems of the type previously described, control of moisture loss and shelf stability are, in part, obtained through the selection of a particular type of oil/fat and the utilization of selected, preferred, amounts of the oil/fat material. More specifically, the typical oil/fat component of common, conventional microwave popcorn charges is a solid, partially hydrogenated soybean oil. Such a material has a melting point (Mettler Dropping Point) of about 100-105.degree. F. and a SFI (Solid Fat Index-AOCS Cd 10-57, Dilatometric) typically as follows:
______________________________________ Temperature (.degree. F.) Solid Fat Index (SFI) ______________________________________ 50 53-57 70 38-42 92 14-18 104 3.5 maximum ______________________________________
One such material, available from Cargill Refined Oil, Minneapolis, Minn. 55440, as a microwave popcorn shortening, has a free fatty acid (oleic) content of 0.04% maximum (AOCS Ca 5a-40), and a moisture content (AOCS Ca 2c-25, Karl Fisher Method) of 0.10% maximum. The peroxide value is about 1.0 Meq/Kg maximum (AOCS Cd 8-53).
This product contains a fatty acid content, by weight, of about: 10.2% C16 unsaturated; 10.2% C18 unsaturated; 40.2% C18 monounsaturated (oleic); 34.3% C18 monounsat. trans(elaidic); 1.7% C18:2 cis(diunsaturated); 2.3% C18:2 trans(diunsaturated); 0.1% C18:3 unsat. (cis); 0.1% C20 saturated; and 0.3% C22 saturated. Thus it contains about 20.8%, by weight, saturated fatty acids; about 74.5%, by weight, mono-unsaturates (cis+trans); and about 4.1% polyunsaturates. The content of trans unsaturates (total) is about 36.6%.
Such a material is generally desirable for shelf stability since it is relatively solid under most handling conditions, for example storage at room temperature or even in warm environments. Since it is solid, i.e. has a relatively high SFI index, it does not readily wick into or permeate conventional greaseproof-type paper sheets of the type used in conventional microwave constructions. Thus, it does not readily leak from the systems, or wick through the systems, in use.
In addition, in conventional systems such an oil/fat is typically utilized in an amount, by weight, such that it has enough volume to substantially engulf or enrobe the popcorn kernels (i.e. about 27.sup.+ grams of oil/fat per 70-80 grams of unpopped kernels). This tends to trap the moisture within the kernels, and to inhibit loss of moisture from the kernels during storage. Because the oil/fat material sets up (solidifies) rather quickly during processing, and does not melt and flow substantially under normal handling (ambient) conditions, the kernels can remain engulfed within the oil/fat during storage, and less moisture loss from the unpopped kernels occurs.
In general, solid, partially hydrogenated soybean oil in the amounts indicated has been the oil of choice for many conventional microwave popcorn systems. Not only is the material associated with shelf stability, when used in conventional paper microwave popcorn packaging, but also it is associated with good flavor and texture, and does not substantially scorch or burn during the microwave popcorn process, even when in close thermoconductive proximity to microwave interactive constructions such as the microwave susceptors used in conventional packaging.
In addition, the oil/fat, during the microwave popping process, for conventional systems, is an important component in the distribution of flavoring/color over the popped kernels. In general, the flavoring and color is dispersed in the hot liquid oil/fat during the microwave popping process, and as the kernels pop and bounce around inside the bag, the liquified oil/fat splashes over them, distributing the flavor and colorant to the surfaces of the flakes. This presents the product with a desirable hue or color and desirable aroma. Also it is associated with relatively high flavor impact, since the flavorant is located on the outer surfaces of the flakes where it will be readily encountered by the taste buds of the consumer when the product is eaten.
In recent years, consumer interest in the nutritional values of snack foods, such as popcorn, has heightened. In many instances, consumers prefer to prepare their foods by means other than through the utilization of substantial amounts of oil/fat in the preparation process. This general consumer desire has been addressed by the microwave popcorn industry, through the development of "light" or "ultra-light" popcorn products.
Some approaches to presenting light or ultra-light products to the microwave popcorn industry, have simply involved the utilization of less of the same solid, partially hydrogenated, soybean oil as used in other products, per gram of unpopped popcorn kernels, in the microwave popping formulations. That is, typically the approach has involved the continued use of solid, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, but in lesser amounts. A typical such product contains about 6.5 to 7.5 grams of partially hydrogenated soybean oil per 77 grams of unpopped popcorn kernels, i.e. the oil being provided as a flavored slurry with the slurry provided in an amount of 9-10 grams per 77 grams of unpopped kernels. In general, the continued use of the solid, partially hydrogenated soybean oil has been associated with good shelf stability, with respect to wicking or leakage from the package, due to the solid nature of that oil/fat material. However, utilization of lesser amounts of the oil has involved less enrobing of the kernels, and thus a greater propensity for moisture loss. In some systems, this has been addressed by the utilization of better moisture barrier overwrap packaging, for the microwave popcorn products.
The utilization of lower amounts of fat/oil in conventional products has also been associated with a need for greater control of cooking time in order to avoid scorching. In some instances, it has also involved less effective distribution of flavorant/colorant, over the kernels.
In addition, completely satisfactory nutritional limits have not been achieved with these conventional systems.
Relatively recently, "no-added fat" microwave popcorn systems (i.e. systems which are free of added fat) have been developed. Such systems are described, for example, in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/198,892 filed Feb. 18, 1994, now abandoned; Ser. No. 08/391,437 filed Feb. 21, 1995, now abandoned; and Ser. No. 08/397,481 filed Mar. 2, 1995, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,585,127, each of which is incorporated herein by reference, and is owned by Golden Valley Microwave Foods, Inc. In general, such systems involve coating of the individual kernels, before packaging, with an adhesive composition including flavorant/colorant. Thus, the kernels are maintained in individual flowable form, each being coated and having flavorant adhered thereto. Essentially no oil/fat is added to the system, to facilitate cooking.
Such arrangements have been relatively effective. However, it has been found that, in general, some consumers prefer the mouth-feel, hue, aroma, and/or taste, associated with oil/fat. Thus, it is desirable, if possible, to develop an improved fat-containing, low-fat microwave popcorn system that is shelf stable, includes a sufficient amount of oil/fat for the satisfaction of certain consumer preferences and which also meets preferred nutritional guidelines.


A shock-resistant solenoid assembly includes a trip solenoid and an inertia lock, the inertia lock being operable to resist unintended engagement of a core of the trip solenoid with a trip plunger of a trip unit of a circuit breaker. The core is movable along a tripping path between a retracted position and an extended position, with the core engaging the trip plunger in the extended position. The inertia lock includes an inertia member and a latch. In response to shock loading, the inertia member interposes the latch into the tripping path to engage the core and resist the core from operatively engaging the tripping plunger under inappropriate conditions. The Abstract shall not be used for interpreting the scope of the Claims.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to circuit breakers and, more particularly, to a shock-resistant solenoid assembly with an inertia lock for use in a circuit breaker.
2. Description of the Related Art
Numerous types of circuit breakers are known and understood in the relevant art. Among the purposes for which circuit breakers are provided is to interrupt current on demand or under certain defined circumstances. In this regard, multi-phase circuit breakers typically include a trip unit that can simultaneously open the contacts of all of the phases to interrupt electrical current. The trip unit typically includes a latch mechanism that rotates a crossbar to pivot movable contacts away from stationary contacts on demand.
While the latch mechanism is typically operated automatically during specified overcurrent and under-voltage conditions, it is often desirable to additionally provide a mechanical trip plunger on the trip unit that can operate the latch mechanism to permit the circuit breaker to be tripped manually as needed. A solenoid or shunt is typically provided to selectively engage the trip plunger to operate the latch mechanism.
While such tripping solenoids operate reliably under many conditions, circuit breaker trip mechanisms employing such tripping solenoids are often subject to inadvertent tripping during shock loading of the circuit breaker. As is known in the relevant art, a solenoid includes a core that is axially-movable with respect to the solenoid housing. During shock loading of the circuit breaker, the core of the tripping solenoid can be induced to move with respect to the solenoid housing, which can result in the core engaging the trip plunger to inappropriately trip the circuit breaker, even though the solenoid is in a deenergized condition. Such inappropriate tripping of a circuit breaker is to be particularly avoided in critical applications in which loss of power would create an unsafe or harmful condition. It is thus desired to provide a circuit breaker solenoid assembly or shunt trip apparatus that is resistant to shock loading yet is capable of engaging on command the trip plunger of a circuit breaker trip unit.
In accordance with the invention, a shock-resistant solenoid assembly includes a trip solenoid and an inertia lock, with the inertia lock being operable to resist unintended engagement of a core of the trip solenoid with a trip plunger of a trip unit of a circuit breaker. The core is movable along a tripping path between a retracted position and an extended position, with the core engaging the trip plunger in the extended position. The inertia lock includes an inertia member and a latch. In response to shock loading, the inertia member interposes the latch into the tripping path to engage the core and resist the core from operatively engaging the tripping plunger under inappropriate conditions.
In view of the foregoing, an objective of the present invention is to provide a solenoid assembly that is shock-resistant.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide a solenoid assembly that includes an inertia lock.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide a solenoid assembly that can selectively engage a trip plunger of a trip unit to trip a circuit breaker on command, yet that is resistant to shock loading.
An aspect of the present invention is to provide a shock-resistant solenoid assembly for selectively engaging a trip plunger of a trip unit of a circuit breaker and for resisting inappropriate engagement of the trip plunger in response to a shock load, the general nature of which can be stated as including a trip solenoid having a core movable along a tripping path between a retracted position and an extended position, in which the core in the extended position is engaged with the trip plunger, and an inertia lock having an inertia member operatively connected with a latch, the latch being disposed on a mount and being actuatable by the inertia member in response to the shock load to engage the core to restrain movement of the core to the extended position.
Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a shock-resistant solenoid assembly in which the latch is movable between a rest position and an activated position, in which the latch, in the activated position, engages the core. The latch is biased to the rest position by a first biasing device, and the latch in the rest position is outside the tripping path.
Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a shock-resistant solenoid assembly in which the latch is pivotably mounted on the mount.
Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a circuit breaker, the general nature of which can be stated as including a trip unit having a trip plunger, a shock-resistant solenoid assembly for selectively engaging the trip plunger and for resisting inappropriate engagement of the trip plunger in response to a shock load, the shock-resistant solenoid assembly including a trip solenoid and an inertia lock, the trip solenoid having a core movable along a tripping path between a retracted position and an extended position, in which the core in the extended position is engaged with the trip plunger, and the inertia lock having an inertia member operatively connected with a latch, the latch being disposed on a mount and being actuatable by the inertia member in response to the shock load to engage the core to restrain movement of the core to the extended position.
Still another aspect of the present invention is to provide a method of resisting a core from engaging a trip plunger of a trip unit of a circuit breaker in response to a shock load, the plunger being movable along a tripping path between a retracted position and an extended position, the plunger in the extended position engaging the trip plunger, the general nature of which can be stated as including the steps of moving an inertia lock into the tripping path in response to the shock load and contacting the core with the inertia lock at a point between the extended and retracted positions to resist the core from engaging the trip plunger.
Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a method of resisting a core from engaging a trip plunger in which the step of moving the inertia lock into the tripping path included the steps of repositioning the inertia lock from a rest position to an activated position and overcoming the bias of a biasing device that biases the inertia lock to the rest position.
Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a method of resisting a core from engaging a trip plunger in which the step of contact in the core includes the step of resisting relative movement between the core and the trip plunger in a direction toward the extended position.

Shock-resistant circuit breaker with inertia lock


The string securing apparatus for string instrument of this invention arranges a plurality of saddle-attaching members on the top face of a bridge base in correspondence with strings, and secures them to the bridge base so that they can be movably adjusted in the front-rear direction. A bridge saddle is attached to each saddle-attaching member so as to rotate up and down. The string is inserted through a pipe section in the bridge saddles and led above the bridge saddles by a lever attachment hole; the string is curved forward to a string supporting section. A cam lever is inserted in the lever attachment hole of the bridge saddles so as to freely rotate, and a spring presses the cam lever forward. A cam section of the cam lever pushes the string and secures it by tightening it to the string supporting section.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a string securing apparatus for string instrument and, more particularly, to a string securing apparatus for string instrument that is used as a tremolo apparatus for an electric guitar.
Priority is claimed on Japanese Patent Application No. 2004-80272, filed Mar. 19, 2004, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference.
2. Description of Related Art
An electric guitar can obtain a special sound effect known as a tremolo effect, in which the musical interval is minutely increased and decreased by using a tremolo apparatus to repeatedly change the tension of a string in rapid cycles (e.g. see Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Application, First Publication No. Hei 2-119300, and Japanese Examined Utility Model Publication Nos. Sho 63-44864 and Sho 63-33242).
The tremolo apparatus includes a bridge base that is attached to the body of the guitar in a manner that it can pivot on the body of the guitar, and a plurality of bridge saddles that are arranged on the bridge base in correspondence with respective strings. One end of each string is secured to its respective bridge saddle, and the other end is wound around a peg (turning screw) provided at a head (the end of the neck) of the guitar. The most common method of securing the strings to the bridge saddles is a tightening method in which a clamp member is attached to the bridge saddle by using bolts, and securely tightens the strings to the bridge saddles. In other words, the strings are fastened in place by the bridge saddles and the clamp members (e.g. see Japanese Unexamined Patent Applications, First Publication Nos. 7-56558 and 2003-114683).
A tremolo apparatus for guitar disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. 7-56558 uses a tightening manner that is similar to the conventional one described above. Saddle members are provided on a bridge plate (bridge base), blocks for clamps are fitted to the saddle members, the ends of the strings are inserted between the block for clamps and the saddle members, and bolts are used to securely tighten the block for clamps to the saddle members, thereby clamping the strings to the saddle members.
In a tremolo apparatus disclosed in the aforementioned Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. 2003-114683, saddle-attaching members are provided on the base plate so that they can be movably adjusted in the head-side and the tail-side directions, saddles are fitted on the saddle-attaching members so that the saddles can rotate freely upward and downward, and clamp pads are provided over the saddles. Ends of the strings are inserted between the clamp pads and the saddles, and bolts are used to tightly secure the clamp pads to the saddles, thereby securing the strings to the saddles.
Such kind of the conventional tremolo apparatus that uses the tightening method will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 7 to 9. FIG. 7 is a plan view of the tremolo apparatus used in a guitar, FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VIII-VIII of FIG. 7 in which a front face of the guitar is shown in the upper side and a rear face thereof is shown in lower side, and FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the tremolo apparatus.
In FIGS. 7 to 9, a body 1 of an electric guitar is formed with a storage recess 2 which is adapted to receive some of the constituent parts of a tremolo apparatus 3. A plurality of (six) strings are clamped along the body 1.
The tremolo apparatus 3 includes a bridge base 5, six bridge saddles 6, each of which is provided on the bridge base 5 to hold one end of each of the strings 4. Each of clamp members 7 tightly secures the one end of each of the strings 4 to the bridge saddles 6. The bridge base 5 has a tremolo arm 8 that protrudes from the treble string side (upper side in FIG. 7, it may be referred to as "treble side" hereinafter) of its front face, and is arranged on the body 1 so as to cover the storage recess 2. A pair of fulcrum sections 9 are shaped like a knife-edge, and are formed at the treble side end and bass string side (lower side in FIG. 7, it may be referred to as "bass side" hereinafter) end of a head side (leftward side in FIG. 7) of the bridge base 5. A pair of fulcrum pins 11 protrude from the front side of the body 1 to be located to correspond to the respective fulcrum sections 9. The fulcrum sections 9 are pressingly connected the fulcrum pins 11, respectively, by the spring force S of a balance spring 12 and the tension T of the strings 4 toward the head side. The balance spring 12 is located in the storage recess 2, with its head-side end interlocking with a metal fitting 13 provided in the inner wall of the storage recess 2, and its tail-side (rightward side in FIGS. 7 and 8) end connecting to the bottom end of the bridge base 5. Consequently, the bridge base 5 receives a counterclockwise (as viewed in FIG. 8) rotational momentum M1 of the tension T of the strings 4 with the fulcrum section 9 as a rotational fulcrum or a pivot, and a clockwise rotational momentum M2 (M1=M2) of the spring force S of the balance spring 12, holding the bridge base 5 in a flat state that is usually approximately horizontal.
Six saddle-attaching members 14 are secured by bolts 15 at the head-side end of the front face of the bridge base 5 in correspondence with the respective strings 4. Each of the saddle-attaching members 14 is provided with a string-length adjusting screws 24 for sliding movement toward the head-side and the tail-side directions (the stretch direction of the strings 4), as explained later. The bridge saddles 6 are connected to the saddle-attaching members 14 at the head side of the bridge saddles 6 via a rotational axis 16 so as to be able to rotate freely to the front and rear directions.
Openings 17 for storing the clamp members 7 are provided in the center of the front faces of the bridge saddles 6. Pipe sections 18 for inserting the strings 4 extend down from the center of the rear faces of the bridge saddles 6. The insides of the pipe sections 18 connect to the openings 17, and the pipe sections 18 lock with ball ends 19 that are affixed to the ends of the strings 4 by their rear or bottom faces.
The clamp members 7 are incorporated into the openings 17 in the bridge saddles 6 so that they can slide forward and backward (in the head-side and tail-side directions). A lock bolt 20 moves each the clamp member 7 forward, securely tightening the string 4 to the head-side wall of the opening 17. The lock bolts 20 are hexagonal hole-fitted bolts, being the same shape as the bolts 15, and each is fastened or loosed by an L-shaped wrench 21.
String-adjusting screws 23 that minutely adjust the tension of the respective strings 4 are fitted to the front face of the tail-side end of the bridge base 5, and the bottom or rear ends of the string-adjusting screws 23 directly contact the front faces of the lock bolts 20. When the string-adjusting screws 23 are tightened so as to press the lock bolts 20 downward, the bridge saddles 6 rotate around the rotational axis 16 in the clockwise direction (as viewed in FIG. 8). This increases the tension of the strings 4 by pulling them to the tail side. Conversely, when the string-adjusting screws 23 are loosened, the tension of the strings 4 causes the bridge saddles 6 to rotate in the counterclockwise direction, lowering the tension of the strings 4.
The string-length adjusting screws 24 are fitted to the rear face of the tail-side end of the bridge base 5, and movably adjust the saddle-attaching members 14 by moving them in the head-side and tail-side directions. Since the string-length adjusting screws 24 are provided in order to adjust the actual string length (slightly longer than the logical string length) of the strings 4 having different thicknesses. The adjusting screws 24 are rotatably attached to the tail side of the bridge base 5 and their head sides are screwed into screw holes provided in the tail side ends of the saddle-attaching members 14. Therefore, when one string-length adjusting screw 24 is rotated so as to adjust the saddle-attaching member 14 by moving it to the head-side direction, the bridge saddle 6 also moves to the same direction together with the saddle-attaching member 14, adjusting the actual string length of the string 4. Incidentally, when using the string-length adjusting screw 24 to adjust the position of the bridge saddle 6, the bolt 15 is loosened beforehand to enable the saddle-attaching member 14 to slide freely with respect to the bridge base 5.
The tremolo apparatus 3 having the above constitution obtains a special sound effect known as the tremolo effect by plucking the string 4 with a plectrum or a finger, and then using a tremolo arm 8 to repeatedly cause the pivotal movement of the bridge base 5 in rapid cycles with the fulcrum pin 11 as its pivot. This operation repeatedly changes the length of the string 4, in other words, changes the tension of the strings 4, whereby the musical interval is minutely increased and decreased.
However, since the conventional tremolo apparatuses described above secures the strings to the bridge saddles by using bolts to tighten the clamp members, the bolt must be loosened and then retightened by using a suitable tool, such as an L-shaped wrench every time a string is replaced.
In particular, since the tremolo apparatuses disclosed in the aforementioned Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publications Nos. 7-56558 and 2003-114683 use the clamp member for tightening near the ends of the strings, it is necessary to cut off the ends of the strings beforehand by using pinchers or the like to remove their ring-shaped ball ends in order to prevent the ball ends from becoming obstructive.
Further, the conventional tremolo apparatus 3 shown in FIGS. 7 to 9 has a disadvantage of poor outside appearance, since the bolts 15 for securing the saddle-attaching members 14 to the bridge base 5 are exposed on the front face of the saddle-attaching members 14.

String securing apparatus for string instrument


A recovery boiler plant of a chemical pulp mill including: a boiler including a lower region with an outlet to discharge smelt; a dissolving tank proximate to the outlet and configured to receive smelt; a smelt spout coupled to the outlet and including a chute extending from the outlet to a position at or over an inlet to the dissolving tank; and a shielding room including walls, a ceiling and a floor, wherein one of the walls includes a wall of the boiler, and the shielding room encloses a volume adjacent the boiler and above the dissolving tank, wherein the enclosed volume includes and the smelt spout and a working area in front of the smelt spout.

The present invention relates to a recovery boiler plant of a chemical pulp mill having a smelt spout area comprising smelt spouts, which are connected to the lower part of the boiler for discharging smelt from the boiler into a dissolving tank, and a working area in front of the smelt spouts. The invention also relates to a method at a recovery boiler plant of a chemical pulp mill.
An essential apparatus in the recovery cycles of sulfate- and other Na-based pulping processes is the recovery boiler for waste liquor containing cooking chemicals, such as a soda recovery boiler, wherein the chemicals are processed into a form suitable for recovery purposes. The most important chemicals in a sulfate process are sodium and sulfur. Organic substances that have dissolved in waste liquid in the cooking are combusted in the boiler, generating heat that is utilized on one hand for converting inorganic compounds contained in the waste liquid back to chemicals to be used in cooking, and on the other hand for generating steam. The inorganic matter of the waste liquid melts in the high temperature of the boiler and flows in form of smelt onto the bottom of the furnace.
From the bottom of the boiler the chemical smelt is led via cooled smelt spouts into a tank, wherein it is dissolved in water or weak white liquor for producing soda liquor, i.e. green liquor. The main components of smelt, and thus also of green liquor, in the sulfate process are sodium sulfide and sodium carbonate. The green liquor is then led to the causticizing plant, where it is used for producing white liquor.
The dissolving tank is a large cylindrical tank having a horizontal bottom and cover. The tank is usually made of black plate and the interior of it is lined with water-proof concrete or acid-proof plate. The smelt is usually dispersed by directing a steam jet into the smelt stream flowing from the spout. Small explosions happen in the dissolving tank all the time, as anyone who has been near to dissolvers can conclude from the noise. Hot smelt flow causes crashes or explosions when falling into the dissolving tank. The noise is due to explosion reactions between smelt and water as smelt meets green liquor in the dissolving tank. The temperature of the smelt is in the range of 750-820° C. and the temperature of the green liquor (or weak white liquor) containing mainly water in the dissolver is in the range of 70-100° C.
The part of the smelt spout that extends to the outside of the wall of the furnace of the boiler is surrounded usually by a closed hood, i.e. protective housing, by means of which liquid and smelt splashes and vent vapors are prevented from passing to the surroundings. The bottom part of the hood is connected to a smelt dissolving tank located below the smelt spout, into which tank the smelt falls from the spout and wherein the smelt is dissolved in liquid forming green liquor. Nozzles spraying a medium for dispersing the smelt stream are typically mounted in the hood and directed towards the smelt stream falling from the spout. Smelt splashes can enter and stick to the hood and the walls of the dissolving tank. Smelt cakes thus formed also cause explosions when falling into the dissolving tank.
Working conditions of the recovery boiler are demanding. Splashes of hot chemical smelt, liquor, hot surfaces, high ambient temperature, chemical fumes in the breathing air and noise cause hazardous situations. Working in the vicinity of the smelt spouts is inevitable due to control, maintenance and overhaul work. It can e.g. be necessary to rod the smelt spouts, because of possible cloggings, which prevent the smelt from flowing. The noise exposure in chemical pulp mills is often over 85 dB.
FI-patent publication 121313 discloses a solution, where a shielding wall is arranged in front of the smelt spouts so that the operator is safe behind the wall when performing measures in the smelt spout area during operation. Thus, the shielding wall is located between the smelt spouts and the working area.
The heat in the smelt spout area, the noise and gases and smelt splashes possibly entering from the smelt spouts disturb also those who do not actually work in this area but are to walk or work in the vicinity thereof.

Recovery boiler plant of a chemical pulp mill


A head suspension assembly includes a support plate, an interconnection member including a metal plate on the support plate, a first insulating layer on the metal plate, a conductive layer on the first insulating layer and forming a pair of connection pads, and a second insulating layer on the conductive layer, a head mounted in the interconnection member, and a piezoelectric element electrically connected to the connection pads and configured to displace the head when a predetermined voltage is applied across the connection pads. At least one opening is formed in each of the connection pads. The piezoelectric element is electrically connected to each of the connection pads by a conductive adhesive that is between the piezoelectric element and each of the connection pads and filled in the opening.

A disk apparatus, such as a hard disk drive (HDD), includes a plurality of magnetic disks rotatable within a casing, a plurality of magnetic heads each reading and writing information from and to one of the magnetic disks, and a head actuator supporting each magnetic head so that the magnetic head is movable with respect to the corresponding magnetic disk.
The head actuator has a plurality of head suspension assemblies each having a tip end portion that supports one magnetic head. Each head suspension assembly has a base plate having one end fixed to an arm, a load beam extending from the base plate, and a flexure or an interconnection member provided on the load beam and the base plate. The flexure has a displaceable gimbal portion and this gimbal portion supports the magnetic head.
In recent years, a head suspension assembly having a microactuator formed of a piezoelectric element has been proposed. The piezoelectric element is mounted in the flexure. Electrodes of the piezoelectric element are electrically and mechanically connected to a conductor pattern, for example, conductive pads on the flexure by, for example, a conductive adhesive.

Head suspension assembly and disk apparatus

TOSHIBA ELECTRONIC DEVICES & STORAGE CORPORATION


Computer implemented methods and systems are provided that comprise, under control of one or more processors of a medical device, where the one or more processors are configured with specific executable instructions. The methods and systems obtain motion data indicative of at least one of a posture or a respiration cycle; obtain cardiac activity (CA) signals for a series of beats; identify whether a characteristic of interest (COI) from at least a first segment of the CA signals exceeds a COI limit; analyze the motion data to determine whether at least one of the posture or respiration cycle at least in part caused the COI to exceed the COI limit. Based on the analyzing operation, the methods and systems automatically adjust a CA sensing parameter utilized by the medical device to detect R-waves in subsequent CA signals; and detect an arrhythmia based on a presence or absence of one or more of the R-waves in at least a second segment of the CA signals.

Embodiments herein generally relate to methods and systems for reducing false declarations of arrhythmias, and more particularly, to methods and systems for reducing false declarations of arrhythmias due to undersensing or oversensing R-waves.
Implantable medical devices (IMDs) are well known in the art. IMDs may take the form of implantable defibrillators or cardioverters which treat accelerated rhythms of the heart such as fibrillation. IMDs may also take the form of implantable pacemakers which maintains the heart rate above a prescribed limit, such as, for example, to treat a bradycardia. IMDs may also incorporate more than one of a pacemaker, a cardioverter and a defibrillator. Defibrillators may include "shock only" functionality or, in addition to shocking functionality, a defibrillator may be capable of providing cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) functionality.
IMDs are coupled to one or more leads that include electrodes to sense one or more types of information and to deliver various types of treatments and/or therapies. IMDs typically include various sensing circuitry and logic that monitor a heart for cardiac activity signals, and analyze the cardiac activity signals to identify normal sinus rhythm, arrhythmias, physiological status of the patient, and the like. IMDs may be configured to generate alerts and/or deliver therapies based on the identification of cardiac events (e.g., arrhythmias), physiological status of the patient, and the like. However, IMDs may incorrectly interpret the cardiac activity signals and declare a false cardiac event and/or physiological status of the patient due to oversensing or undersensing one or more characteristics of interest of the cardiac activity signals. For example, adequate detection of atrial contraction (e.g., P-waves, the QRS complex, R-wave amplitude, and the like) is important for reliable cardiac event (e.g., arrhythmia) detection and/or treatment delivery. Conventionally, a clinician may adjust certain programmable parameters of the sensing circuitry during implantation or revision of the IMD to change the fixed sensitivity of the sensing circuit in order to ensure more accurate detection of one or more characteristics of interest of the cardiac activity signals. One consideration for achieving adequate detection of the cardiac activity signals is placement of the IMD in an optimal anatomical orientation and/or location. However, it may not be possible to always achieve the optimal anatomical location and/or orientation during implantation. Furthermore, other factors such as patient posture and a respiration cycle may impact the ability of the IMD to correctly detect and interpret the cardiac activity signals post-implantation.
Oversensing or undersensing of one or more characteristics of interest (e.g., R-waves) of cardiac activity signals may adversely impact patient outcomes by leading to false declarations of cardiac events. For example, therapies and/or interventions delivered by IMDs with defibrillation functionality are painful. When defibrillation therapies and/or interventions are unnecessarily administered, they have a deleterious impact on quality of life. Unnecessary administration of defibrillation therapies and/or interventions occur at a rate that renders them a concern in the long-term management of the corresponding patient population. Accordingly, a desire remains for methods and systems to reduce false declaration of cardiac events due to undersensing or oversensing of R-waves.

Methods and systems for reducing false declarations of arrhythmias


Processes for producing long chain secondary alcohols from fatty acids and fatty oils, wherein at least one fatty acid or a fatty acid mixture is contacted with a ketonization catalyst in a ketonization catalyst under ketonization conditions to provide a long chain ketone, and the long chain ketone is contacted with a selective ketone hydrogenation catalyst that lacks catalytic activity for alcohol dehydration to selectively hydrogenate the long chain ketone to provide the corresponding long chain secondary alcohol.

Heretofore, long chain alcohols have typically been prepared by hydrogenation of fatty oils and fatty acids or through Fischer-Tropsch (F-T) type chemistry, both of which place the alcohol group towards the end of the molecule. Also regarding chain length, it is typically expensive to prepare alcohols with a carbon chain length above that of available fatty acids, i.e., typically up to C18 for the most common fatty acids and fatty oil feedstocks.
There is a need for processes for efficiently producing long chain secondary alcohols from fatty acids and fatty oils.

Long chain secondary alcohols from fatty acids and fatty oils


A chainless bicycle has a frame with a top bar, steering tube, front forks, front wheel, handlebar assembly, seat assembly, seat tube, and front downtube. The seat tube and front downtube extend angularly downwardly and are connected at their lower ends to a special crank hanger which pivotally supports a pedal gear box containing drive gears connected to the pedal arms. A pair of hollow support tubes connected to the pedal gear box extend rearwardly to a rear wheel gear box at each side of the rear wheel. A drive shaft is rotatably carried in each support tube and each has a bevel gear at the front end selectively engaged with the drive gears in the pedal gear box and a bevel gear at the rear end inside the rear wheel gear box. The hub of the rear wheel has a drive and braking mechanism which is connected to bevel gears at each side. The gears of the rear wheel hub are received in toothed engagement with the bevel gears in the rear wheel gear boxes. A pair of fluid shock absorbers are mounted between the rear wheel gear boxes and the seat tube. Thus, the chainless bicycle has a "floating" drive train and rear wheel suspension system to isolate the gear drive train from jarring, vibration, and impact, and prevent the gear drive members from becoming misaligned and damaged

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to chainless bicycles, and more particularly to a chainless bicycle having a dual drive shaft and floating drive train suspension system.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Since the bicycle was first invented, it has gone through several stages of development. The first bicycles were rigid frames with pedals connected directly to the front wheel. Later bicycles were provided with a chain sprocket having pedals which was rotatably mounted on the frame and connected to a smaller gear sprocket mounted on the hub of the rear wheel by a chain. Three-speed bicycles were developed which had a lightweight frame with a pedal sprocket and a series of smaller sprockets at the rear wheel which allowed the cyclist to selectively change gear ratios by a lever and flexible cable.
The three-speed bicycles were replaced by ten-speed bicycles. The ten-speed bicycles had a lightweight frame and a pedal sprocket which had a series of laterally spaced drive sprockets of various diameter and a series of laterally spaced smaller sprockets at the rear wheel. The ten-speed bicycle had a first lever for switching the chain between the pedal sprockets and a second lever for switching the chain between the rear wheel sprockets. This allowed a wider range of gear ratio selections between various combinations of pedal sprockets and rear wheel sprockets. The chain was shifted from one pedal sprocket cog to another and from one cog of the rear wheel sprocket to another by a pair of devices known as a derailleur. The derailleur was a very delicate mechanism and required frequent adjustment and repair.
Another bicycle development was a bicycle known as a "BMX" bicycle. These bicycles were small and very rugged and were used in racing on rough terrain and specially designed obstacle courses or dirt tracks wherein the participants raced over hills, birms, mud, and a variety of obstacles and performed acrobatic maneuvers such as "jumps", "wheelies", and "handlebar stands." The sport of BMX racing led to the development of very strong lightweight metal alloy frames and wheel rims and high impact plastic wheel rims. The BMX bicycle was also driven by a pedal sprocket connected to the rear wheel sprocket by a chain and usually had a low gear for torque and may or may not have had a selective gear ratio.
Recently, a new type of bicycle known as the "mountain bike" has been developed. The "mountain bike" combines the features of the ten-speed bicycle and the BMX bicycle. The "mountain bike" is used on rough mountain terrain, hiking trails, and cross country riding, wherein the cyclist rides on rocks, grass, mud, etc. The mountain bike has a very strong lightweight metal alloy frame and wheel rims and a wide selection of gear ratios, however, the mountain bike is also driven by a pedal sprocket connected to the rear wheel sprocket by a chain and has a delicate derailleur device.
Thus, the trend has been toward increasingly rugged all-terrain bicycles with a wide range of gear ratios which are ridden on very rough terrain and subjected to much abuse. Although the frames, wheels, rims, and sprockets are very strong and can withstand the abuse, the chain drive and delicate gear selection mechanisms remain the weakest link in the system. The chain is exposed to water and abrasives, such as dirt, sand, and mud. If not properly maintained, a chain can wear out in only 500 miles. A worn chain can jump off gear teeth and cause an accident.
Others have attempted to overcome these problems and provide more efficient drive mechanisms by replacing the chain drive with a single or dual drive shaft. There are several patents which disclose various chainless bicycles having single or dual drive shafts. However, the pedal drive gear and rear wheel of the bicycle are rigidly fixed to the frame of the bicycle. This rigidly fixed arrangement is unsatisfactory, since the modern bicycle is subjected to a great deal of jarring, vibration, and impact, and the rigidly fixed gears would soon become misaligned and, damaged.
Fryer, U.S. Pat. No. 506,685 discloses a dual drive shaft driven bicycle which has a double faced bevel gear which is moved laterally to engage either of two pinion gears or an intermediate neutral position between the bevel gears by an upstanding fulcrum lever which allows the bicycle to coast without pedaling. The drive shafts are rotatably secured to the frame of the bicycle. Thus, the drive shafts are rigidly mounted to the frame and when the gears are engaged, the pedals will constantly rotate unless they are manually disengaged by the upstanding fulcrum lever. The fulcrum lever also presents a safety hazard if the cyclist should slip or fall.
Harden, U.S. Pat. No. 616,571 discloses a dual drive shaft driven bicycle which has a pair of bevel gears at each side of the crank hanger which are constantly engaged with two pinion gears at the forward end of drive shafts. The drive shafts extend rotatably through tubular bottom run members which are rigidly secured to the crank hanger at their forward end and to the rear stays at their rearward end. The crank hanger, bottom run tubes and rear stays form an integral rigid portion of the frame. The power is applied equally on both sides of the rear wheel and there is no provision for selective gear ratios or for a neutral gear for coasting without pedaling, and the drive shafts are rigidly mounted to the frame.
Jocelyn, U.S. Pat. No. 620,929 discloses a dual drive shaft driven bicycle which has a double faced bevel gear which is constantly engaged with two pinion gears at the forward end of drive shafts. The pedal gear box is joined to the rear wheel gear box by a pair of laterally spaced tubular tie bars in which the drive shafts are journalled. A pair of bevel gears are slidably mounted on the axle of the rear wheel hub and are moved laterally to engage either of two pinion gears at the rear end of the drive shafts or an intermediate neutral position between the bevel gears to allow the bicycle to coast without pedaling. The gear boxes and tie bars are formed in an upper half and a lower half which ar joined together to surround the drive shafts and gears, and form an integral rigid portion of the frame. The pinion gears are provided with a polygonal socket and the ends of the drive shafts are provided with a mating polygonal end which is received in the pinion gear sockets. Thus, the drive shafts move axially relative to the pinion gears to compensate for slight yielding of the bicycle frame in use.
Schoenthal, U.S. Pat. No. 653,968 discloses a single drive shaft driven bicycle which has a bevel gear at one side of the crank hanger which is constantly engaged with a pinion gear at the forward end of a drive shaft. The drive shaft extends rotatably through a tubular member of a frame component having a pair of parallel support tubes above and below the drive shaft tube which are rigidly secured to the crank hanger at their forward end and to a D-shaped bracket at their rearward end which supports the rear wheel and the rear stays. The frame component which carries the drive shaft forms an integral rigid portion of the frame. The power is applied equally only on one side of the rear wheel and there is no provision for selective gear ratios or for coasting without pedaling.
Brown et al, U.S. Pat. No. 744,038 discloses a single drive shaft driven bicycle which has a bevel gear at one side of the crank hanger which is constantly engaged with a pinion gear at the forward end of a drive shaft. The drive shaft extends rotatably through a tubular member of a frame component which is rigidly secured to the crank hanger the forward end and to a pinion gear housing at the rearward end which supports the rear wheel and the rear stays. The frame component which carries the drive shaft forms an integral rigid portion of the frame. The power is applied only on one side of the rear wheel and there is no provision for selective gear ratios or for coasting without pedaling.
Hussey, U.S. Pat. No. 2,378,634 discloses a single drive shaft driven bicycle which has a circular face gear in the crank hanger which is dished outwardly from the hub and has three concentric rings of gear teeth of different diameters. The drive shaft extends rotatably through a tubular member of a frame component which is rigidly secured to the crank hanger the forward end and to a bevel gear housing at the rearward end which supports the rear forks of the frame. A pinion gear slidably mounted on the forward end of the drive shaft slides axially on the drive shaft to engage selective ones of the rings of gear teeth on the face gear to change gears or to be positioned in a neutral position. The tubular component which carries the drive shaft forms an integral rigid portion of the frame.
Mendoza, U.S. Pat. No. 3,861,715 discloses a single drive shaft driven bicycle which has a large diameter crown gear at one side of the crank hanger. The drive shaft extends rotatably through a tubular member of a frame component which is rigidly secured t the crank hanger the forward end and to a gear housing at the rearward end which supports the rear forks of the frame. A pinion gear secured on the forward end of the drive shaft is engaged with the gear teeth of the crown gear and a set of conical gears at the rear of the drive shaft are connected to a free-wheeling mechanism in the hub of the rear wheel to allow coasting without pedaling. There is no provision for changing gears and the tubular component which carries the drive shaft forms an integral rigid portion of the frame.
Conventional chain driven bicycles have a rigid frame comprising a downtube, seat tube, and a pair of horizontal chain stays which are secured to a crank hanger which contains the pedal assembly. The chain stays are rods or tubes which extend horizontally rearward and have a slotted bracket or dropout secured to the rear ends into which the rear wheel is mounted. The frame also includes a pair of seat stays which are rigid tubular members secured at their top ends to the seat tube and to the rear wheel dropouts at their bottom ends. The seat tube, chain stays, and seat stays form the rigid rear triangle of the bicycle frame.
The chainless, or drive shaft driven, bicycles of the prior art replace one or both horizontal chain stays with a hollow tube which contains the drive shaft. However, these tubular members are rigidly secured to the crank hanger and have a rear wheel bracket or gear box at their rearward ends, and a pair of rigid seat stays or tubular braces are secured angularly between the seat tube and the rear wheel bracket or gear boxes. Thus, these chainless bicycles also provide a rigid rear triangle for the bicycle frame. This rigid frame construction subjects the gear drive train and gear mechanisms to vibration, jarring, and impact, and the rigidly mounted gears would soon become misaligned and damaged.
The present invention is distinguished over the prior art in general, and these patents in particular by a chainless bicycle having a frame with a top bar, steering tube, front forks, front wheel, handlebar assembly, seat assembly, seat tube, and front downtube. The seat tube and front downtube extend angularly downwardly and are connected at their lower ends to a special crank hanger which pivotally supports a pedal gear box containing drive gears connected to the pedal arms. A pair of hollow support tubes connected to the pedal gear box extend rearwardly to a rear wheel gear box at each side of the rear wheel. A drive shaft is rotatably carried in each support tube and each has a bevel gear at the front end selectively engaged with the drive gears in the pedal gear box and a bevel gear at the rear end inside the rear wheel gear box. The hub of the rear wheel has a drive and braking mechanism which is connected to bevel gears at each side. The gears of the rear wheel hub are received in toothed engagement with the bevel gears in the rear wheel gear boxes. A pair of fluid shock absorbers are mounted between the rear wheel gear boxes and the seat tube. Thus, the chainless bicycle has a "floating" drive train and rear wheel suspension system to isolate the gear drive train from jarring, vibration, and impact, and prevent the gear drive members from becoming misaligned and damaged.

Chainless bicycle with dual drive shafts and floating drive train suspension system


A new and distinct Dendrobium cultivar named ‘SPCDW1007’ is disclosed, characterized by a large purple flower color and good disease resistance. The new variety is a Dendrobium, typically produced as an indoor ornamental plant.

This application relates to a new cultivar of Dendrobium hybrid. The new variety is the product of a planned breeding program. The new variety originated as a seedling from the crossing of the unpatented, proprietary seed parent Dendrobium '125T' with the unpatented, proprietary pollen parent referred to as Dendrobium 'WS'. The crossing was made by the inventor in his research greenhouse in Chonburi, Thailand in December of 2001.
The new variety was first selected by the inventor, Thumrong Suphachadiwong, a citizen of Thailand, in a research greenhouse belonging to the inventor in Chonburi, Thailand. After identifying the new variety as a potentially interesting selection, the inventor continued confidential testing and propagation of 'SPCDW1007', assessing stability of the unique characteristics of this variety.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar 'SPCDW1007' was first performed at a commercial laboratory belonging to the inventor in Chonburi, Thailand by tissue culture propagation was performed using meristem culture in March of 2006. The very growing centre of a new growth bud is taken and grown on by agitating constantly in a special nutrient rich liquid until the cell mass is large enough to be split in to small sections these are then either grown on in to plants or the process is repeated to produce more tissue for growing on. This method is often used to mass produce a specific hybrid for commercial purposes. Access to all plants was restricted, as plants were kept in a greenhouse not open to the public, and tissue culture plantlets were in a laboratory belonging to the inventor, and not accessible to the public. Through subsequent propagation, multiple generations have been reproduced, which have shown that the unique features of this cultivar are stable and reproduced true to type.


A charge coupled device (CCD) has a single level electrode of single crystalline silicon on an insulating layer over a surface of a body of single crystalline silicon. The CCD is made by forming a layer of insulating material on a surface of a body of single crystalline silicon with a portion of the surface being exposed. A layer of single crystalline silicon is then epitaxially grown by epitaxial lateral overgrowth on the exposed surface of the body and over the insulating material layer. The layer of single crystalline silicon is removed from the surface of the body to insulate the single crystalline silicon layer from the body by the insulating material layer. Portions of the layer of single crystalline silicon are removed to form a plurality of separate gate electrodes.

A CCD, in general, comprises a body of a semiconductor material, such as single crystalline silicon, having a channel region in and along a surface of the body. A layer of an insulating material, typically silicon dioxide, is on the surface of the body and over the channel region. A plurality of conductive gate electrodes, typically of doped polycrystalline silicon, are on the insulating layer and extend across the channel region. The gate electrodes are positioned along the entire length of the channel region.
In a two phase CCD, the gate electrodes are arranged in two sets which alternate along the channel region. The gate electrodes of one set are connected to a first phase potential, and the gate electrodes of the other set are connected to a second phase potential. The gate electrodes are generally made of doped polycrystalline silicon since it is easy to deposit polycrystalline silicon on a layer of insulating material.
The two sets of gate electrodes could be formed from a single layer of the doped polycrystalline silicon by depositing the single layer and defining it by photolithography and etching to form the spaced gate electrodes along the channel region. However, using commercial type photolithographic and etching techniques and equipment, it is difficult to form the polycrystalline silicon gate electrodes having very narrow spacing therebetween with the spacing being uniform across the entire width of the gate electrodes. Since relatively wide and/or non-uniform spacing can form potential barriers between the gate electrodes, they can interfere with the transfer of charge from one gate electrode to the next. Therefore, it has been the practice to form the gate electrodes from two separate levels (layers) of polycrystalline silicon.
For a two level system, a first layer of polycrystalline silicon is deposited and defined to form one set of the gate electrodes. The first set of gate electrodes is covered with a layer of an insulating material, typically silicon dioxide. A second layer of polycrystalline silicon is then deposited over the first set of gate electrodes and the spaces between the first set of gate electrodes. The second layer of polycrystalline silicon is then defined to form the second set of gate electrodes which are between the gate electrodes of the first set. Also, each of the gate electrodes of the second set overlaps the adjacent gate electrodes of the first set. Since the gate electrodes overlap each other, there are no gaps therebetween which can form undesirable potential barriers. However, the two level gate electrode system is relatively complex in structure and requires two deposition steps, two definition steps and an oxidation step. In addition, there is provided an inter-gate capacitance where the gate electrodes of the two sets overlap each other. Therefore, it is desirable to have a CCD having gate electrodes formed from a single level (layer) of a conductive material. Also, it would be desirable to be able to make the gate electrodes of single crystalline silicon since single crystalline silicon can be defined to have very narrow and uniform gaps.

Method of making CCD having a single level electrode of single crystalline silicon


An electrical cord management device includes an elongate housing having open first and second ends, an open side, and an open interior area extending between the open ends and open side. A first friction fit clip is positioned in the open interior area and coupled to the housing for attachment to a first electrical cord. A second friction fit clip is positioned in the open interior area and coupled to the housing for attachment to a second electrical cord. The first and second clips are sufficiently spaced apart to allow an end of the first electrical cord to be coupled to an end of the second electrical cord while the first electrical cord is coupled to the first friction fit clip and the second electrical cord is coupled to the second friction fit clip. A lanyard is positioned adjacent the housing first end.

The present invention relates generally to securing devices and, more particularly, to an electrical cord management device for selectively securing respective ends of two electrical cords in an engaged configuration.
Extension cords provide a desirable convenience in that they enable many electrical devices to be electrically energized even when situated far from an electrical outlet. For example, extension cords allow use of electrical items such as a televisions, lamps, or even tools such as drills, table saws, or the like in home or outdoor environments. Although providing great utility, extension cords may become burdensome when the ends of two cords repeatedly become unintentionally unplugged, the cords become tangled, or a cord becomes snagged on another object.
Various devices have been proposed for securing respective ends of a pair of electrical cords together. Although assumably effective for their intended purposes, the existing devices and patent proposals do not adequately shield and guard the cord ends from becoming snagged on other objects as they slide across a floor or ground surface. Further, the existing devices are incapable of securing a cord to the shielding device even while intentionally disconnected from another electrical cord.
Therefore, it would be desirable to have an electrical cord management device that secures respective ends of two cables while engaged. Further, it would be desirable to have an electrical cord management device that enables two electrical cords to slide across a floor or the ground without becoming snagged or entangled. In addition, it would be desirable to have an electrical cord management system that includes a lanyard for storing an extension cord when not in use.


Systems and methods are provided for illuminating a surface to be observed microscopically using a retractable beamsplitter. The retractable beamsplitter allows the use of coaxial illumination when the beamsplitter is positioned in the operator's line of sight. The retractable beamsplitter allows the use of non-coaxial illumination without reducing the amount of illumination that reaches the operator when the beamsplitter is retracted from the operator's line of sight. As a result a single system can be used effectively to provide various types of illumination.

This disclosure refers to various outside documents to aid the reader in understanding the embodiments of the processes, machines, manufactures, compositions of matter, and other teachings of the present disclosure; to enable those of ordinary skill in the art to practice the embodiments of the processes, machines, manufactures, compositions of matter, and other teachings of the present disclosure; and to allow one of ordinary skill in the art to understand the metes and bounds of the embodiments of the processes, machines, manufactures, compositions of matter, and other teachings of the present disclosure. No admission is made that any such document meets any legal definition of "prior art" in any country, and the Applicants reserve the right to demonstrate that any such document meets or fails to meet any legal definition of "prior art" in any country. All such documents are incorporated by reference herein so far as is necessary to enable those of ordinary skill in the art to practice the embodiments of the processes, machines, manufactures, compositions of matter, and other teachings of the present disclosure; and to allow one of ordinary skill in the art to understand the metes and bounds of the embodiments of the processes, machines, manufactures, compositions of matter, and other teachings of the present disclosure.
In the surgical setting, there have been a number of different microscopes designed and sold for ophthalmic surgery. Presently there are no microscopes that deliver two collimated light beams in stereoscopic to the subject surface, e.g., the tissue under examination in a surgical procedure.
Until now microscopes have delivered to the subject surface (1) one or more uncollimated light beams from the objective lens or (2) a single uncollimated light beam below the objective. Routing a parallel light beam through the objective lens transmits a light beam which is not collimated. The illumination system, described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,779,968 delivered a single uncollimated light beam from a single light source to the subject surface through objective lens (shown as 1 or 1a), wherein FIGS. 1 and 3 of U.S. Pat. No. 4,779,968 depict the beam to the subject surface passing through an objective lens which is uncollimated. Another illumination system believed to be from the Zeiss Lumera microscope delivered two focused (uncollimated) beams to the subject surface through the objective lens. Another illumination system from the Moller EOS 900 microscope delivered two focused (uncollimated) light beams through the objective lens to the subject surface.
U.S. patent publication 2010/0118549, published May 13, 2010, describes an invention directed toward cataract surgery in which the microscope light reflects from the retina to produce a red reflex, in essence a backlighting of the lens in cataract surgery.
Illumination in retinal surgery is different from that in cataract surgery. In retinal surgery the microscope is equipped with a device for magnifying the retina so that the surgeon sees a large view of the operative site. However, the illumination of the surgical microscope for cataract surgery is not used in retinal surgery. In retinal surgery, a small fiber-optic pic about 1 mm in diameter is inserted through the sclera and into the vitreous body for direct illumination of the retinal surface. The surgeon holds this fiber-optic pic such that light exiting the tip of the fiber-optic pic is directed toward the retinal tissue on which the operating instruments are utilized.

Retractable beam splitter for microscope


Disclosed are an apparatus and method for transmitting/receiving control information in a wireless communication system that supports carrier aggregation. According to the present invention, a processor of a base station device that transmits control information configures a component carrier type for each of a plurality of downlink component carriers (DL CCs) in accordance with whether or not each of the plurality of DL CCs can support a relay PDCCH (R-PDCCH), which is a downlink control channel dedicated to a relay node. A transmitting antenna transmits information on the type of each of the configured DL Cs to the relay node.

In case that a channel status between an eNode B and a user equipment, a relay node (RN) is installed between the eNode B and the user equipment, thereby providing the user equipment with a radio channel having a better channel status. Moreover, by introducing a relay node into a cell edge area having a poor channel status from an eNode B, if the relay node is used, it may provide a faster data channel and extend a cell service area. Thus, a relay node is the technology introduced to solve the propagation shadow zone problem of a wireless communication system and is widely used.
Compared to a conventional relay node having a function limited to a function of a repeater configured to simply amplify and transmit a signal, a recent relay node is evolved into a further-intelligent form. Moreover, the relay node technology corresponds to the technology essential to service coverage extension and data throughput improvement as well as cost reductions for base station expansion and backhaul network maintenance in a next generation mobile communication system. To keep up with the ongoing development of the relay node technology, it is necessary for a new wireless communication system to support a relay node used by the related art wireless communication system.
At least one or more cells exist in a single base station (or eNode B). The cell sets a single carrier to one of bandwidths including 1.25 MHz, 2.5 MHz, 5 MHz, 10 MHz, 15 MHz, 20 MHz and the like and then provides DL/UL (downlink/uplink) service to a plurality of user equipments. In doing so, different cells may be configured to provide different bandwidths, respectively. A base station (or eNode B) transmits downlink (DL) scheduling information for downlink (DL) data to inform a corresponding user equipment of time/frequency region for transmitting data, coding, data size, HARQ (hybrid automatic repeat and request) related information and the like. The base station also transmits UL scheduling information for uplink (UL) data to the corresponding user equipment to indicate time/frequency region available for the corresponding user equipment, coding, data size, HARQ related information and the like. Moreover, an interface for user or control traffic transmission may be usable between base stations (or eNode Bs).
Wireless communication technology has been developed up to LTE based on WCDMA (wideband code division multiple access). Yet, the demand and expectation of users and service providers has increased persistently. Moreover since many ongoing efforts are made to research and develop other radio access technologies, the demand for new technology evolution is increasing to have competitive power in the future. In particular, cost reduction per bit, service availability expansion, flexible frequency band use, simple-structured open interface, reasonable power consumption of user equipment and the like are required.
Recently, ongoing standardization of the next technology of LTE is performed by 3GPP. Such technology shall be named LTE-A. Big differences between LTE system and LTE-A system may include a system bandwidth difference and an adoption of a relay node.
The goal of LTE-A system is to support maximum 100 MZ wideband. To this end, LTE-A system uses carrier aggregation or bandwidth aggregation to achieve the wideband using a plurality of frequency blocks. According to the carrier aggregation, a plurality of frequency blocks are used as one wide logical frequency band to use wider frequency band. And, a bandwidth of each frequency block may be defined based on a bandwidth of a system block used by LTE system. And, each frequency block is transmitted using a component carrier.

Apparatus and method for transmitting/receiving control information in a wireless communication system that supports carrier aggregation