A travel limiter for landing gear extension legs which employs a pair of mechanically-operable cross-port valves fluidly coupled to the hydraulic circuit and connected between the telescoping upper and lower leg assemblies to mechanically sense when each travel stop limit is reached. The valves are mounted in the upper leg assembly and are operated by mechanical connection to the movable lower leg assembly. When actuated, each valve cross-ports the system's fluid flow from the valve's inlet port to the system's return line, thereby permitting all fluid flow and power to bypass the power drive motor.

The present invention relates generally to the field of power-driven landing gear equipment for semi-trailers, outriggers, crane stabilizers and the like, and more particularly to a means for effectively limiting the extension and retraction of the powered landing gear legs so as to prevent mechanical failure of the acme jack screw and other leg components due to power overload and over-torque.
At full extension, the acme screw travel in most current landing gear systems is stopped by a welded nut, pin or other mechanical stop to prevent the screw from being driven completely out of the nut. If one continues to fully extend the landing gear the stop nut or pin can fail. This in particularly true of 2-speed heavy lifting landing gear (˜50,000 lb. lift capacity as commonly used on most on-highway trailers) which has a high gear ratio and delivers as much as 14,000 inch pounds of torque to the acme drive screw.
Overextending the landing gear does not just put the acme screw mechanism at risk of failure, but it can also cause severe failure of the leg due to buckling from over-extension. The upper and lower telescoping leg assemblies of the landing gear are designed with a specified overlap at maximum extension. Overextending the leg effectively reduces this "safety" overlap, which can cause catastrophic failure due to leg buckling. In this type of failure, buckling of the landing gear can actually result in the entire trailer collapsing to the ground.
Similarly, at full retraction the acme screw drive nut located at the top of the lower leg assembly will bottom out against the stop plate of the upper leg assembly. If the acme drive screw is driven beyond its fully retracted position, the drive nut can strip, the acme drive screw can strip, or both can fail together resulting in an inoperable landing gear. In the worst case, this can result in the leg collapsing as well (with stripped threads the upper leg assembly is no longer supported by the threads and can collapse along the length of the acme screw). However, a more common failure is for the nut and screw to weld together under friction resulting in a leg that is inoperable (cannot be retracted or extended). This can also be the case at full extension, where the stop locking weld, washer or pin causes the threads to begin to strip and weld the screw and nut together, thereby resulting in the landing gear being inoperable.
The above-described failure modes are typically not as common in manual landing gear systems because of human operator fatigue. That is, the physical effort to continue cranking in the low speed mode beyond what is needed to lift the trailer for hooking or unhooking prevents operators from trying to fully extend the landing gear. In addition, most landing gear have markings painted on the lower leg indicating "Stop", "Alto" or "Halt" so as to warn the operator not to overextend the legs. It is believed, however, that with the increased use of hydraulic powered drive systems, these failure modes will become more common and more severe. Since safety is a primary objective of advancing the art (prevent injuries from manual cranking) preventing any additional potential failures and safety concerns is of primary concern. Given that an external power source is used and human effort to manually crank the landing gear is eliminated, the risk to over-extend or drive beyond the fully retracted and extended travel stop limits is increased and must be managed.
There have been ongoing efforts to develop a solution for the problem of limiting the end of travel of powered landing gear legs so as to prevent damage to the mechanical components thereof. A number of methods have heretofore been considered and evaluated for resolving the above problem. For instance, general pressure relief valves, with and without foam/rubber cushion stops, have been considered to protect the jacking screw and other components from mechanical failure due to over-torque or over-loading conditions. However, with pressure relief valves there is always an inherent problem that relief valves are unable to react fast enough to stop any spike in pressure and do not provide a reliable means to limit torque. The added elastomer cushion does dampen this spike, but ultimately this solution fails because it cannot be successfully implemented to prevent overload at the end of each travel stop.
Other efforts to resolve the above problem have included the implementation of a pressure switch to bypass or disable the powered drive unit from the landing gear. However, this system adds further complications as electric power needs to be provided and the pressure switch needs to be connected to the power unit or a cross-port valve. Moreover, of added concern is the fact that the pressure switch reaction time is still not fast enough to avoid over-loading the landing gear at both the fully extended and fully retracted travel stop limits. Still further, there is not a reliable way to stop the landing gear at the desired extended position, as it is desired to maintain mechanical over-lap of the upper and lower leg assemblies to provide strength and prevent the legs from failure (e.g., buckling) due to over-extension.
Still further efforts to resolve the above problem have included employing limit switches to trigger a bypass function or disable the powered drive unit of the landing gear. While this system does have merit, it requires the introduction of electrical connections and additional logic for reverse direction operation, as any solution to the above problem requires disabling of the powered drive unit in only one direction, without complete disablement of the drive unit. Such a solution could be costly to implement. It is also possible that an encoder could be utilized to count the number of revolutions of the acme screw and stop turning prior to the end of the stop limit, but here again, implementation of such a system could prove to be costly and add undue complexity to the system as well as require a PLC computer to provide proper control logic to disable the unit in one direction only (one must be able to extend from the fully retracted position or drive the unit to retract from the fully extended position).
Therefore, it is evident there is a substantial and unsatisfied need in the industry for a reliable and cost-effective solution to the problem of limiting the end of travel of powered landing gear legs so as to prevent damage to the mechanical components thereof and enhance safety for the operators of such equipment. Such a system desirably should be relatively simple and cost effective in construction yet capable of automated operation to avoid operator error. Moreover, such a system must overcome the problems of travel limit overload and the limitations inherent with conventional relief valve or pressure switch systems, as well as other issues associated with the aforementioned systems above, and remain capable of disabling travel in one direction while permitting travel in the reverse direction.

Powered landing gear with cross-port disable valve travel limiter


Embodiments include active protection systems and methods for an aerial platform. An onboard system includes one or more radar modules, detects aerial vehicles within a threat range of the aerial platform, and determines if any of the plurality of aerial vehicles are an aerial threat. The onboard system also determines an intercept vector to the aerial threat, communicates the intercept vector to an eject vehicle, and causes the eject vehicle to be ejected from the aerial platform to intercept the aerial threat. The eject vehicle includes a rocket motor to accelerate the eject vehicle along an intercept vector, alignment thrusters to rotate a longitudinal axis of the eject vehicle to substantially align with the intercept vector, and divert thrusters to divert the eject vehicle in a direction substantially perpendicular to the intercept vector. The eject vehicle activates at least one of the alignment thrusters responsive to the intercept vector.

Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPGs) and other human carried projectiles such as Man-portable Air-Defense Systems (MANPADS or MPADS) and shoulder-launched Surface-to-Air Missiles (SAMs) represent serious threats to mobile land and aerial platforms. Even inexperienced RPG operators can engage a stationary target effectively from 150-300 meters, while experienced users could kill a target at up to 500 meters, and moving targets at 300 meters. One known way of protecting a platform against RPGs is often referred to as active protection and generally causes explosion or discharge of a warhead on the RPG at a safe distance away from the threatened platform. Another known protection approaches against RPGs and short range missiles are more passive and generally employ fitting the platform to be protected with armor (e.g., reactive armor, hybrid armor or slat armor).
Active Protection Systems (APS) have been proposed for ground vehicles for defense against RPGs and other rocket fired devices with a good success rate for quite some time. However, these systems are proposed to protect vehicles that are: 1) armored, 2) can carry heavy loads, and 3) have plenty of available space for incorporation of large critical systems. Currently these systems can weigh anywhere between 300 to 3000 lbs. and can protect the vehicle when intercepting incoming threats as close as 5 to 10 ft.
There is a need in the art for active protection systems for mobile aerial platforms, such as, for example, a helicopter, from an aerial threat, as well as for relatively lightweight, agile and unarmored or armored land vehicles. There is also a need for such systems to be portable and lightweight enough for carrying on aerial and other mobile platforms that may have significant weight and size constraints, or on which an active protection system may be easily installed. For some systems, there is a need to have an active protection system that can be incorporated into existing systems already installed on the platform in question.

Methods and apparatuses for active protection from aerial threats


A LED module having a plurality of LEDs, comprising mixed-light LEDs and additional LEDs, wherein each of the additional LEDs (2) has a plurality of LED chips (6, 7, 8) having different emission wavelengths, which, in each instance, are arranged in a common housing.

Within the scope of the present invention, a mixed-light LED is understood to mean a component that comprises at least one LED chip and one conversion element, wherein the conversion element converts light emitted by the LED chip into light having a different, generally a greater wavelength. By means of the simultaneous perception of the light emitted by the LED chip and the light converted by the conversion element, the impression of mixed-color light is produced.
Such mixed-light LEDs are frequently configured as white-light LEDs. In this connection, a luminous substance is excited by means of an LED chip that emits in the blue spectral range; this substance in turn emits light in the yellow-orange spectral range. The mixture of blue and yellow-orange light is perceived as white light.
However, the spectrum of such a white-light LED clearly differs from a conventional white-light source such as an incandescent bulb, for example, since a conventional white-light source has a rather broad spectral distribution, which covers large parts of the visible spectral range, while a white-light LED of the type described above primarily shows blue and yellow-orange spectral components. This difference is particularly noticeable in connection with the different color reproduction of a white-light LED, on the one hand, and a conventional white-light source such as an incandescent bulb, on the other hand.
An improvement of the color reproduction can be achieved in that in the case of an LED module, both white-light LEDs and color LEDs are used, wherein the color LEDs supplement the spectral components that are missing in the spectrum of the white-light LEDs.
In similar manner, it can also be necessary, in the case of other non-white mixed-light LEDs having a conversion element, to supplement missing spectral components. However, here it is less the color reproduction than the desired exact color location that stands in the foreground. It is fundamentally possible to implement a predetermined color location of the mixed-color light generated by a mixed-light LED, by means of suitable coordination and mixing of luminous substances. However, the effort and expense for this is relatively great, since a special casting mass containing the corresponding luminous substances generally has to be produced and processed. In the automated production of large numbers of LEDs, in particular, this method of procedure is disadvantageous for economic reasons.


The present invention relates to an organic-inorganic hybrid thin film and a method for preparing the same and more specifically to an organic-inorganic hybrid thin film including a stable new functional group and a method for preparing the organic-inorganic hybrid thin film that is formed by the molecular layer deposition method alternately using inorganic precursor and organic precursor.

Organic-inorganic hybrid materials are such materials that are able to exhibit both properties of an organic material and properties of an inorganic material by binding the organic material with the inorganic material based on a physical or chemical method.
The method that has been used the most to prepare the organic-inorganic hybrid thin film is the sol-gel method and it enables the easy preparation of organic-inorganic hybrid materials at low temperatures with the result that research thereon has been carried out extensively for a long time. Nevertheless, the sol-gel method has shortcomings such that it is difficult to control in terms of a monomolecular layer and that deformation occurs following thermal treatment, which makes it difficult to prepare an organic-inorganic hybrid thin film of high quality.
Another method for preparing the organic-inorganic hybrid thin film is based on intercalation and enables the preparation of the organic-inorganic hybrid material which was difficult to prepare by the sol-gel method. Nevertheless, because this method is also difficult to control in terms of a monomolecular layer and has slow deposition rates, it presents difficulties when preparing an organic-inorganic nano hybrid super-lattice of high quality.
The molecular self-assembly method prepares an organic-inorganic hybrid thin film by using static electricity and is a very useful method that enables polymer, nanoparticles, nanoplate, etc. to be grown in a layer form. Much effort is being spent on researching it. Nevertheless, the molecular self-assembly method prepares organic-inorganic hybrid thin films by using static electricity and does not represent technology that controls a monomolecular layer in a strict sense. Its low thermal stability makes it difficult to prepare a stable organic-inorganic hybrid thin film of high quality. In addition, the thermal deposition (evaporation) method prepares an organic-inorganic hybrid thin film in a gas phase and makes it difficult to control a monomolecular layer. In addition, its raw material molecules are very restricted so that its applications are also limited.
In order to solve such problems with the existing methods for preparing an organic-inorganic hybrid thin film, molecular layer deposition technology has been developed that enables not only organic polymers but also organic-inorganic hybrid materials to be deposited. The molecular layer deposition technology represents gas phase deposition in which inorganic or organic molecules can be controlled in a molecular unit based on the self-controlled surface reaction of inorganic or organic molecules. The S. M. George group as a representative example used the molecular layer deposition technology to prepare the alucone polymer film with trimethyl aluminium (TMA) and ethylene glycol (EG). However, in such existing molecular layer deposition, the functional group including an organic precursor has been restricted to a hydroxyl group, a carboxyl group and their derivatives and the organic-inorganic hybrid thin film prepared accordingly has a problem such that it becomes unstable and decomposed upon standing in the air.
In order to prevent characteristic deterioration of electronic devices etc. due to oxygen or moisture, development of a superior passivation film is in progress. Currently, the passivation film has various forms including the single film based on inorganic materials such as SiO2, SiN and Al2O3, the multi-layered film prepared by alternately depositing inorganic materials, and the multi-layered film prepared by alternately depositing inorganic materials and organic materials. While ion beam deposition, electron beam deposition, plasma beam deposition and chemical vapour deposition have been used to form inorganic passivation films, such existing techniques have problems in that their deposition temperatures must be high and that coverage of a thin film was not excellent.
Thus the atomic layer deposition (ALD) method that enables the formation of a passivation film at low temperatures has been receiving much attention. ALD represents the ideal technology for preparing inorganic and metallic thin films in which a self-controlled reaction is used in an atomic unit to deposit a mono atomic layer and may be considered to be a deposition technique of a new concept that enables control of the thickness of a mono atomic layer. However, it has not achieved the desired performance yet because of the pin hole taking place during the process of passivation film formation.

Organic-inorganic hybrid thin film and method for producing the same

IUCF-HYU (Industry-University Cooperation Foundation Hanyang University)


A device includes a core having proximal and distal ends and defining a first female thread. A drive screw includes first and second ends. The first end includes a first male thread. The second end including a second male thread that engages the first female thread. A first body includes a second female thread that engages the first male thread. A second body is coupled to the drive screw. A first plate is coupled to the core and the first body. The first plate includes a first vertebral engaging surface. A second plate is coupled to the core and includes a second vertebral engaging surface. The drive screw is configured to rotate relative to the core to simultaneously pivot the first plate relative to the core and alter a distance between the first vertebral engaging surface and the second vertebral engaging surface.

Spinal disorders such as degenerative disc disease, disc herniation, osteoporosis, spondylolisthesis, stenosis, scoliosis and other curvature abnormalities, kyphosis, tumor, and fracture may result from factors including trauma, disease and degenerative conditions caused by injury and aging. Spinal disorders typically result in symptoms including pain, nerve damage, and partial or complete loss of mobility. For example, after a disc collapse, severe pain and discomfort can occur due to the pressure exerted on nerves and the spinal column.
Non-surgical treatments, such as medication, rehabilitation and exercise can be effective, however, may fail to relieve the symptoms associated with these disorders. Surgical treatment of these spinal disorders includes fusion, fixation, discectomy, laminectomy and implantable prosthetics. These treatments may employ interbody implants. This disclosure describes an improvement over these prior art technologies.


Systems and methods are provided for recognizing various sample containers carried in a rack. The systems and methods are performed to identify sample containers in the rack and detect various characteristics associated with the containers and/or the rack, which are evaluated to determine the validity and/or types of the containers in the rack.

A sample analyzer typically uses a sample presentation unit (SPU) for supporting and transferring a sample rack which holds a plurality of sample containers, such as sample tubes or cups. Typical SPUs allow only a single type of container to be held in a single sample rack. Problems can occur when another type of sample container is accidentally loaded into the rack by a user, or when containers in the rack are obstructed or not loaded into the proper position in the rack.


Users of a social networking system post questions for other users to answer. Questions are automatically tagged based on keywords extracted from text within the posted questions as well as user-selected tags. Answers may be voted on and sorted by social information related to the browsing user. Affinities for tags are recorded based on users' interactions with the question and answer service. Affinities for tags may also be used to target questions to other users and sort answers.

This invention relates generally to social networking and, in particular, to a system for enabling users of a social networking system to answer questions asked by other users of the social networking system.
Traditional question and answer software systems rely on documents that answer questions posed by users. A question entered by a user is searched using natural language processing systems to retrieve documents that answer the question. Often, the documents that are presented to the user do not specifically answer the question entered, and instead simply offer an encyclopedic explanation of the general topic of the question.
User-generated content question and answer systems have emerged in recent years to address this problem. A user posts a question to a forum, and another user answers the question. The answering user may or may not be an expert in the topic of the question. In fact, the answering user could simply be browsing questions in the forum, completely unrelated to the user asking the question. The questioning user has no way to judge the expertise of the answering user. The user posing the question classifies the question under as specific topic and waits for other users to answer the question. Because a user may not "tag" or classify the question under other related topics, the question may remain unanswered, or answers may be incorrect or incomplete. To maintain quality control, these systems rely on human moderators to monitor newly created questions and manually modify the topic of an incorrectly or incompletely tagged question with the correct tag(s).
Social networking systems enable users to communicate and interact with other users on an ongoing basis. Question and answer systems have not enabled users to interact with relevant questions and answers from other users they are connected to. As the number of users of a social networking system grows, the number of questions asked may overwhelm users and moderators of the question and answer system. Finding relevant questions to answer becomes more challenging as the number of questions and answers grow exponentially. Additionally, duplicative questions and answers may discourage users from using the question and answer service. Tools are needed to address these problems.

Tagging questions from users on a social networking system


A pipe bend for integration in a pipeline for conveying concrete has coupling flanges at the ends thereof which radially project beyond the outer surface of the pipe bend. The internal flow cross-section of the pipe bend is dimensioned essentially equal in any length portion of the pipe bend between the coupling flanges. The wall thickness of the radially outer bend portion facing away from the center of curvature increases in the conveying direction, wherein the internal flow cross-section has a ramp-like step in the radially outer bend portion at a distance from the end face of the pipe bend at the exit side corresponding approximately to twice the actual width of the coupling flange on the exit side.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a pipe bend for integration in a pipeline for conveying concrete.
2. Description of the Related Art
As a result of findings obtained in practice, it is an undisputable fact that the wear in such a pipe bend increases in the conveying direction from the entry side toward the exit side in the radially outer bend portion facing away from the center of curvature of the pipe bend. A significant reason for this fact is a segregation of the concrete in solid components and water. This is because the centrifugal force causes the solid components to be compacted in the radially outer bend portion, while the water concentrates in the radially inner bend portion. This effect increases in the conveying direction up to the exit end of the pipe bend.
In order to counteract this specific wear effect, the wall thickness has in the past been increased in the radially outer bend portion of a pipe bend, wherein the wall thickness in the radially outer bend portion increases continuously in the direction toward the exit end. This made it possible to increase the service life of the pipe bend, however, this measure was not really satisfactory. The wear at the exit end of the pipe bend, particularly in the area of the coupling flange provided in this area, still was comparatively substantial.


A fabric structure (1) having a cellular construction. The fabric structure comprises at least one base layer (6) consisting of warp threads (10), at least one top layer (7) consisting of warp threads (11) and weft threads (2) placed in between, wherein the fabric structure (1) is formed by a multiplicity of three-dimensional cells (3, 9) and the height (8) of each individual cell (3, 9) is defined by the spacing (8) between two warp threads (10, 11), located above the other in height direction z, in adjacent layers (6, 7), the length (12) of the cell (3, 9) is defined by the spacing (12) between two warp threads (10) or (11) adjacent in the weft direction x, in one layer (6, 7) and the width (13, 14) of a cell (3, 9) is defined by the extent (13) of the weft thread course in the warp direction y and/or the spacing (14) between the two weft threads (2) that are opposite in the warp direction y and adjacent to the particular cell (9). According to the invention, each weft thread (2) extends at least regionally in the fabric structure (1) in a dimensionally stable and three-dimensional manner and winds in the weft direction x about this axis (4) an imaginary, three-dimensional elongate hollow body, extending through the cells (3), having any desired end face (5). The weft threads (2) intersect the warp threads (10, 11) such that the weft threads (2) and warp threads (10, 11) retain one another and the fabric structure (1) is self-supporting.

The present invention refers to a fabric structure having cellular construction. This fabric structure is for example for use in light weight construction.
Typical cellular metallic light weight structures are metal foams. The production of metal foams is very time consuming and cost-intensive. There are light weight structures from lattice-shaped and honeycombed constructed polymer material. Lately, there is research activity on three-dimensional wire structures. Thus, at the Chonnam National University in South Korea experimental structures from wire helices were produced in a very complex six-axes production of a semi automated process as reported by Lee, Y.-H et al. A wire woven cellular metal: Part II, Evaluation by experiments and numerical simulations. Material & Design, 30, pp 4459 to 4468 (2009), as well as reported in Wire-woven bulk Kagome truss cores. Acta Materialia, 55 pp 6084 to 6094, (2007). These structures are however neither self-supporting nor stable against axial displacement but must be kept in a defined position and fixed by gluing, soldering or welding. A similar but much simpler production method is applied by the firm Kieselstein® in Chemnitz as it is known, among others, from Kieselstein et al. Cellular metals based on 3d-wire structures, CELLMET2008, 2d International Symposium, Oct. 8-10, 2008, Dresden. In this process specially formed wire spirals are wound together in a three-axes process into three-dimensional structures. This method is also very labor intensive and due to complex requirements not yet fully automated.
The structures known from the prior art are partly not self-supporting and not form-stable; that is, the single layers of the structures are partly axially displaceable against each other. None of the known structures can be produced fully automated, respectively, the production requires multi-step processes. An efficient commercial production can thus not be realized.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide cellular structures, which in particular correspond to the requirements for light weight construction and can be produced in automated processes.

Fabric structure with cellular construction


A method for performing scan test on a semiconductor integrated circuit including at least two blocks to be tested. The method includes isolating each of the at least two blocks to be tested exclusively from further blocks; and supplying a plurality of scan clocks having different phases each to each of the at least two blocks. In addition, a semiconductor integrated circuit includes at least two blocks to be tested, an Core Wrapper Architecture isolation unit for isolating each of the at least two blocks to be tested exclusively from further blocks, and an input terminal for inputting a plurality of scan clocks each to each of the at least two blocks, in which a Wrapper register included in the Core Wrapper Architecture is configured to be supplied selectively with one of a scan clock and a system clock for the blocks.

The standardization has been in progress recently on the method for testing integrated circuit cores mounted on a system-on-chip, as exemplified by IEEE P1500: Core Wrapper Architecture.
According to this standard, scannable flip-flops called 'Wrapper register' are provided on the peripheries of the cores, this makes the access becomes feasible to the cores from the exterior of LSI by means of serial signal transfer capability of the Wrapper register.
There connected to the Wrapper register are WPI (Wrapper Parallel Input) led to the input, and WPO (Wrapper Parallel Output) led to the output of the core. They are each connected serially to the Wrapper register and make it feasible to either apply test (test signals) for scanning the status of core ports or input serial test signals from the exterior.
The origin on the side of serial input to the Wrapper register is called WSI (Wrapper Serial Input), while the terminal on the side of serial output is WSO (Wrapper Serial Output). These WSI and WSO are interconnected to further WSI and WSO, which are provided separately in another core, so that a series can be formed.
Instructions to Wrapper register concerning to scanning and test application are controlled by WSC (Wrapper Serial Control). The WSC may connect to a command register of Boundary-scan Testing: IEEE 1149.1, or have their own command registers (WIR: Wrapper Instruction Register) to be arranged between TDI (test data in) and TDO (test data out) of the Boundary-scan Testing.
The Wrapper register is capable of transiting to safe mode through the control by the WSC or WIR. In the safe mode, the scan register in the interior of WPI operates to latch a logical value, 1 or 0, regardless of the state of the exterior of the core, while WPO controls the state of core output to either Hi-z state or logical value 1,0 regardless of the state within the core. Namely, in the safe mode, the core is excluded from the effects of external logics; namely the core is brought into the state separated from the exterior.
The type of core to be applicable to the Core Wrapper Architecture is not necessarily limiting. For example, after hierarchically dividing logics into modules with respect to function, Wrapper registers may be provided to ports of thus formed modules. Alternatively, Wrapper registers may be allocated to each layout block formed by hierarchical layout.
(1) Difficulty of Voltage Drop in Large Scale Circuits During Scan Test
Voltage drops in semiconductor chips are caused in general by parasitic resistance of power source wiring and current flowing through the resistance.
The degree of voltage drop at an arbitrary point j, 'ΔVj', is obtained as the product of two quantities, one the cumulative total of the parasitic resistance of source wiring up to the point j, 'Rj', and the other the amount of current flowing through the point j, 'Ij';ΔVj=Ij×Rj  (1).
Namely, the greater the number of cells operating simultaneously, the larger becomes the amount of current flowing in an instance. As a result, the voltage drop increases accordingly.
In addition, the larger the size of chip, the longer becomes the length of source wiring, so that the resistance increases. (Layout techniques through the analysis of voltage drops including preventive features have been disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Applications No. 2002-56044, 10-242283 and 2002-203001.)
In the case of scan test where the currents flow into all scan flip-flops included in an LSI in synchronous with a scan clock, this results in an instantaneous voltage drop. Therefore, for IC chips of relatively large size, difficulties are encountered more often such as the occurrence of scan test malfunction caused by the voltage drop, for example.
The techniques for averting the noted difficulties have been published as follows; a plurality of scan clocks is prepared and the phase of the scan clocks is made asynchronous with each other by means of a multi-phase generator provided in an LSI.
As a result, the scan flip-flops included in LSI can be prevented from operating simultaneously (Tsung-Chu Huang et al, "A Token Scan Architecture for Low Power Testing", p.660, Proc. International Test Conference 2001 IEEE, October 30, Baltimore Md., USA).
In this method, however, there still left unresolved is the mismatch of the phase of the plural scan clocks, this arises difficulty of another malfunction caused by clock skew.
In addition, the above publication has also proposed the technique. in which, by dividing the scan chain and providing scan clocks exclusively in each of the divided blocks, the number of scan flip-flops simultaneously operating during test scan can decrease. In this technique, however, the original advantage of parallel operation is impaired, thereby giving rise to prolonging test time.
(2) Difficulty of Metastable State Propagation in Asynchronous Circuits
In an LSI provided with a plurality of system clocks each having different rates, there is possibility of causing metastable state during data exchange among different clocks.
This metastable state is known to cause system delay and malfunction. As a previous method for positively preventing this difficulty, flip-flops have been provided to synchronize asynchronous signals on the signal reception side of the logic.
Accordingly, in the method of scan test on large scale integrated circuits and in the case where all scan flip-flops included in the circuits are operated in synchronous one another with scan clock, an instantaneous voltage drop and scan test malfunction may result. Although techniques for averting the difficulties have been disclosed as described earlier by providing multiple scan clocks to thereby properly shift the phase of the clock and avoid the voltage drop, here gives rise to difficulties of skew and concomitant malfunction.
It is therefore desirable in the present disclosure the scan test is carried out on each of the blocks in parallel unaffected by surrounding logics and the skew between blocks can be avoided. Furthermore, the difficulty of voltage drop is also prevented.
As also described earlier, the addition of flip-flops are disclosed to achieve the synchronization to thereby alleviate the occurrence of the metastable state. However, this technique may have several problems remained unsolved such as a required areal overhead, omission of needed flip-flop, and further examination of method for confirming the flip-flop.
It is also desirable, therefore, to prevent the occurrence of the metastable state by using Wrapper register provided on the peripheries of the cores (or block).
Furthermore, another difficulty of fault detection described earlier has to be considered, which is caused by the safe mode capability.
That is, the core in the safe mode is excluded from the effects of external logics, and brought into the state separated from the exterior. Since the core is fixed to the state held by the Wrapper register in the safe mode, it becomes difficult in fault detection with ATPG (Auto Test Pattern Generation) to carry out the fault detection on logics provided between the Wrapper register and FF (flip-flop) included in the block. This is also true for the fault detection with BIST (Built-In Self Test).
It is therefore desirable to avert the difficulty in fault detection, and to thereby improve detection rate in such detections.

Semiconductor integrated circuit and scan test method therefor


An illumination apparatus includes: a rod-like light guide member that directs light emitted from a first light source and a second light source from an emission surface to an illuminated body while propagating the light by reflection surfaces; and a light blocking member including a second surrounding portion slidably covering another end of the light guide member, wherein the second surrounding portion includes: a light blocking portion protruding toward one end of the light guide member and covering the emission surface of the light guide member; and a cut-out portion adjacent to the light blocking portion and exposing the reflection surface of the light guide member.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an illumination apparatus, an image sensor unit, and an image reading apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
An image sensor unit and the like including a light source, a light guide, and the like are known. Patent Document 1 discloses an image sensor unit including a freely slidable light blocking member loosely inserted at a position covering a free end of the light guide in the longitudinal direction. In the image sensor unit of Patent Document 1, the light blocking member can block leak light directly emitted from between the free end of the light guide and the light source toward the original to thereby prevent the generation of leak light even if the light guide is expanded or contracted due to the ambient temperature or the like.
Patent Document 1
Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication 2012-142738
However, although the light blocking member of the image sensor unit can block the leak light emitted from the light source toward the original, the light incident on the light blocking member and directly reflected by the inner surface of the light blocking member may leak from the free end side. Particularly, the inner surface of the light blocking member is exposed when the light guide is contracted, compared to when the light guide is expanded. Therefore, more light is directly reflected to the inner surface of the light blocking member, and more leak light is generated. As a result, the leak light varies in response to the expansion and contraction of the light guide due to the ambient temperature, and making the illuminance on the original uniform is difficult.

Illumination apparatus, image sensor unit, and image reading apparatus


There is provided a contents distribution method in which burdens imposed on a distribution service provider and a contents user are lightened so that the contents user can use contents as many as possible at low cost. A system comprises terminal apparatuses 1, a portal server 3, a contents DB 4, a contents distribution server 5, a cabinet management server 6, and an accounting server 7. The cabinet management server 6 manages the contents usable limit and contents storage status of each of the terminal apparatuses 1. The portal server 3 and the cabinet management server 6 cooperate with each other to generate the contents usable limit for each terminal apparatus 1 and instruct the contents distribution server 5 to distribute contents in accordance with a contents distribution request given from the terminal apparatus 1. To distribute the contents, the remaining capacity of the contents usable limit in the terminal apparatus 1 is obtained based on information concerned with available contents and deleted contents in the terminal apparatus 1 so that an instruction is given to distribute the contents within the remaining capacity.

Distribution of contents can be received through a network easily. When distribution of contents needs to be received with a fee, it is favorable to a contents user that the contents user can use contents as many as possible at low cost. In addition, it is preferable that procedures for distribution and use of contents are as easy as possible.
Also on the contents provider side, there is a demand that contents distribution procedures should be as easy as possible. Particularly in contents distribution service with a fee, there is a demand that accounting procedures are as few as possible and as easy as possible.
Patent Document 1 has disclosed a flat-rate contents distribution system. In this system, a user makes a contract with a contents provider for a flat-rate rental limit in advance. The contents provider distributes contents to the user in accordance with the contracted limit. Although the user can use distributed contents within the term of contract, the user can delete unnecessary contents within the term of contract when the unnecessary contents are included in the contents distributed at the flat rate. In this case, the contracted fee is discounted at an amount corresponding to the deleted contents when information concerned with the deleted contents is transmitted to a contract management center.
Since this system is basically a limited time rental service system, management burdens imposed on the user and the service provider are large. That is, the user has to always manage distributed contents while paying attention to necessity of the distributed contents to avoid wasteful payment. In addition, the user has to always make a new rental contract by troublesome procedures to receive distribution of new contents. On the other hand, the processing burden imposed on the service provider is also large because the service provider has to make management of a rental limit and a fee in accordance with each contract whenever a contents deletion process or a subscription to new contents distribution is made, and the service provider has to make an expiration period management process periodically.
Patent Document 2 has disclosed a system for use of contents with a fee, in which a paid fee is returned in accordance with a period of service. For use of this system, a user pays a provisional fee to a provider when contents with a fee are distributed. When unnecessary contents with a fee are deleted by the user after use of the contents, the provider returns a part of the provisional fee to the user. This returned amount of money is determined in accordance with the period of use of the contents. When a predetermined period has lapsed, the contents are regarded as "purchased" because the rental fee is equal to a purchase fee.
Also in this system, the burden imposed on the user is large because the user has to use distributed contents while always paying attention to the necessity of the distributed contents. The burden imposed on the service provider for management processing is also large because the service provider has to manage the periods of use periodically in accordance with contents. In addition, the burden for processing to return the paid fee is large.
In these systems, a contracted charge fee is discounted or a paid fee is returned when the user deletes distributed contents to disable the contents from use. It is therefore essential to system operation that information indicating deletion of contents (disabling contents from use) is highly reliable. Although Patent Documents 1 and 2 have described the fact that information indicating deletion of contents is transmitted, it is possible to make a false statement.
As an example of outputting of a signal for warranting deletion of contents stored in a storage device of a computer, a contents operation management apparatus has been described in Patent Document 3. In this apparatus, another computer having received a notice of deletion of contents checks a hard disk storing the contents and confirms deletion of the contents. It is however impossible to apply this technique to confirmation of deletion of contents in a user terminal through a network.    Patent Document 1: JP-A-2001-195464    Patent Document 2: JP-A-2001-325234    Patent Document 3: JP-A-2003-242037

Content delivery method, content delivery service computer, content delivery service system, data discard recognition method, data discard recognition computer, and terminal


In cooler used for coating a product such as food with a uniform layer of a liquid coating material, the mass of the product is measured either in the cooling chamber or just before it is introduced into the cooling chamber; the mass of a liquid cryogen which will suffice, when introduced into the cooling chamber and into contact with the product, to reduce the temperature of the mass of product to a first predetermined temperature below the melting point temperature of the coating material is calculated; the introduction of the calculated mass of liquid cryogen into the cooling chamber is controlled and the product is thereby cooled to the first predetermined temperature prior to application of a predetermined mass of coating material onto the cooled product to provide a coating thereon.

This invention relates to methods and apparatus for coating a product, particularly but not exclusively a food product, in a cooling chamber. In particular, the invention relates to the controlled application of a coating material to a food product within a tumble cooling apparatus.
Tumble coolers, or tumblers, are widely used and well known in the art of processing food products of the type comprising a plurality of discrete pieces or portions, such as raw meat pieces (e.g. ham or chicken nuggets), or fish (e.g. prawns, scampi, pieces of cod). The product is agitated by being "churned" in a drum which rotates about a substantially horizontal axis, whilst being sprayed with a coolant, either a liquid cryogen, such as nitrogen, or a gas at low temperature, such as carbon dioxide. The liquid cryogen mixes thoroughly with the particulate product, aided by the churning, or tumbling, effect of the rotating drum, and produces a marked reduction in the temperature of the product, to chill, freeze or "deep freeze" the product as required. Tumblers may be used to chill in batches, food being loaded in batches into the tumbler, chilled and then discharged from the tumbler, or they may be arranged as continuous cooling devices in which the food is fed into one end of the cylindrical drum, travels along the drum in an axial direction whilst being chilled and then is discharged from the other end of the drum. These two types of tumble coolers will hereafter be referred to as "batch tumblers" and "continuous tumblers", respectively (the present invention being applicable to both).
Such tumblers are now beginning to be used to apply coating materials to food products, for example coating materials such as flavored oils, sauces, batters and so on. This is accomplished by cooling the food product to a temperature substantially below the freezing point of the coating material and then spraying the coating material into the still-rotating tumbler and onto the churning food product so that the coating material freezes and adheres to the food product. Again, the continuous agitation of the food product helps to ensure that an even coating is applied, and also to prevent agglomeration of the product. A typical application would be to cool vegetable pieces to about -50.degree. C. for a sauce with a freezing point of -3.degree. C.; the sauce is then applied to the vegetables during tumbling (but usually whilst spraying with liquid cryogen has ceased) until a fairly even coating is produced.
When using a tumbler for coating a product, the cooling of the product has to be to the correct temperature, uniform and homogeneous, so as to ensure that each product piece is coated evenly and that all product pieces are coated to the same extent. If the product is too warm, the coating material does not freeze quickly enough to adhere firmly to the product. If the product is too cold, the coating material tends to freeze too fast, so that droplets of coating material larger than are desirable for an even coating accumulate on the surface of the product. If the product is much too cold, the coating material can freeze to, but subsequently de-bond from, the product due to the thermal contraction of the coating. If the core is very much too cold, the coating and/or the product may become brittle and break up due to the mechanical stresses produced by the churning of the tumbler, or simply as a result of the thermal stresses produced in the coating and/or the product.
The conventional methods used to control cooling in processes in which the tumbler is used for chilling/freezing only, such as timed application of liquid cryogen, controlled spray pressure and temperature feedback (i.e., adjusting liquid cryogen input in accordance with the temperature of the cryogen vapour leaving the tumbler) are unsuitable for tumble coating applications, since they are too coarse, and cannot produce a consistently uniform and properly adherent coating.
It is an aim of the present invention to overcome or ameliorate at least one of the disadvantages of the prior art, and hopefully to provide an effective method of tumble coating which is something of an improvement over the prior art.

Method of coating a product with a liquid coating in a cooling chamber


A new acoustic insulating sheet material comprises in laminar assembly a) a primary sound absorbing sheet, and b) a dense porous membrane that i) has an air-flow resistance of about 5000 rayls or less and ii) has an Acoustic Value Ratio as defined herein of at least 3000. Preferably, the membrane is about 200 micrometers or less in thickness, and more preferably is about 150 micrometers or less in thickness. Also, the Acoustic Value Ratio is preferably at least 7,000. The described membrane can also be used alone to acoustically insulate a space, e.g., by mounting it in planar array over an air gap and in position to attenuate noise from a noise source.

Some acoustic insulation tasks are best performed with a combination of a primary, relatively thick fibrous sheet and a secondary, thinner sheet or membrane (the term "membrane" means herein a thin sheet). In combination, the primary sheet and membrane reduce noise better than the primary sheet would by itself; for example, inclusion of the membrane can often enhance reduction of noise in lower frequency ranges. In addition, the membrane can offer physical protection for the primary sheet.
Membranes can also be used by themselves, mounted in a planar array over an air space (i.e., with the film stretched in a flat or curved plane over the air space or air gap). When positioned in a room or other enclosure in which it is desired to reduce noise, with an air gap of appropriate thickness behind the membrane, the membrane functions to absorb sounds in the enclosure.
A composite insulation of a thick primary insulating sheet and a secondary membrane-like sheet is described, for example, in Thorn et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,376, 396, which teaches as the membrane-like sheet a nonwoven web compacted in two sequential operations—a first stage of mechanical compaction (such as by needle-tacking or hydroentangling) and a second stage of compaction by heat and pressure with presses or calenders. Increased sound absorption is said to occur as a result of the second compaction.
Another prior art teaching is Tilton, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US 2004/0002274 A1, which teaches building panels, ceiling tiles, or similar building components in which a decorative fabric previously used to cover the exterior of the building component is replaced by a densified facing layer of polyester fibers. The densified facing layer, which is printed with aesthetically pleasing graphics or other indicia, is said to reduce costs and also to provide improved insulating properties.
See also Vanbemmel et al., U. S. Pat. No. 6,720,068, which focuses on a multilayered product or laminate useful as sound-absorbing insulation for automobiles. Recognizing a need for the insulation to be cheap, thin and lightweight, the patent describes a product comprising a backing layer—an open-cell foam or a sparingly compacted nonwoven fibrous web—coated with an extremely thin layer of microfibers (col. 2, 11. 7-9). The coating of microfibers "attains a thickness of only 0.2 to 1.0 mm, and in particular 0.3 to 0.7 mm and has a weight per unit area of 20 to 200 g/m2, and in particular 30 to 100 g/m2"(col. 1, 11. 62-64). There is no specific example or similar description in the patent of a laminate of the Vanbemmel invention.
Another commercial form of insulation uses a membrane-like sheet that comprises a multilayer sheet such as a spunbond-meltblown-spunbond laminate (SMS) point bonded with heat and pressure and assembled in combination with a primary insulating sheet.
A disadvantage with each of the described prior insulation composites is that in order to add desired levels of sound insulation to the composite the membrane-like secondary sheet is thick enough and heavy enough to add undesired cost and weight to the overall insulation package.


Disclosed are a polarizing glass comprising a glass layer(s) which contains shape-anisotropic metallic particles dispersed therein in an oriented state and a base glass which causes substantially no light scattering, said glass layer being provided on a part or whole of at least one of faces of said base glass, which has polarizing properties comparable to conventional counterparts, a largely decreased transmission loss and a strength acceptable to practical use. Processes for the production of the polarizing glass are also disclosed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to polarizing glass articles suitable for use in microisolators which are applicable in optical communication utilizing semiconductor lasers and optical fibers.
2. Related Art
Polarizing glasses which contain uniaxially oriented metallic particles having a large aspect ratio dispersed therein have already been known. Japanese Patent Application Laid Open JP-A-! No. 56-169140 (hereinafter referred to as "prior art 1"), for example, discloses a process for the production of a polarizing glass, which comprises the steps of stretching a glass containing silver halide particles such as AgCl, AgBr or AgI, and then reducing the stretched glass in a reducing atmosphere of 300.degree. C. or more, whereby uniaxially elongated metal silver particles are precipitated to afford a polarizing glass.
Japanese Patent Application Laid Open JP-A-! No. 5-208844 (hereinafter referred to as "prior art 2") discloses a polarizing glass and the production process thereof, which comprises bringing about the precipitation of copper halide particles such as CuCl, CuBr or CuI in the glass, stretching and reducing the resultant glass to obtain a polarizing glass which contains uniaxially stretched metallic copper particles precipitated therein.
Japanese Patent Application Laid Open JP-A-! No. 59-83951 (hereinafter referred to as "prior art 3") discloses a polarizing glass and the production process thereof, according to which, in order to avoid the glass to break due to concentrated tensile stress near the glass surface, a potential polarizing glass which contains unprecipitated and unstretched metallic particles and is called "core glass" is coated with a glass having much lower viscosity, whereby obtaining a photochromic polarizing glass in which tensile stress is scarcely present near the surface of the stretched article.
The polarizing glasses disclosed in prior art 1 and prior art 2 are produced by stretching a metallic halide-containing glass and then maintaining the stretched glass at an elevated temperature in a reducing atmosphere to precipitate metallic particles. In such processes, however, in the inner part of the glass, metallic halide particles remain almost in the unreduced state and consequently the precipitated metallic particles are present only in the surface layer having an extremely small thickness. Metallic halides remained in the glass give no contribution to polarizing properties of the glass. On the contrary, metallic halide particles, since having a refractive index different from that of base glass therearound, may cause light scattering and hence transmission loss due to the scattering of a part of incident light.
Moreover, metallic halide is partially ionized in the glass. Ionized metals absorb the light of specific wavelength ranges and this may cause additional transmission loss depending on the wavelength range.
Prior art 3 discloses a laminated polarizing glass. The invention of this prior art is directed to a polarizing glass having photochromic properties. Core glasses which can be used are only potentially polarizing glasses which contain unprecipitated and unstretched metallic particles and hence inevitably contain metallic halide particles. Consequently, light scattering occurs due to the difference in refractive index between the base glass and the metallic halide particles, which results in the transmission loss thereof.
Further, to avoid the break occurring due to the presence of tensile stress near the surface, the core glass is coated with a glass having a much lower viscosity. Thus, one of the characteristics of such glasses is that the coating glass is different in composition from the core glass. However, when the coated glass, i.e., surface glass has a composition different from that of a core glass, both glasses are generally differ in refractive index and the reflection loss occurs at the interface of the both glasses due to the difference in refractive index therebetween. This is another factor which may bring out the transmission loss of light.
As explained above, conventional polarizing glasses exhibit a large transmission loss, which is an important problem from the viewpoint of practical use. In particular, when a polarizing glass is to be applied to optical isolators, the transmission loss of a polarizing glass is responsible for the greater part of the total transmission loss of the isolators.
In the polarizing glasses described in the above-cited prior arts, it would be possible to diminish to some degree the transmission loss by applying a longer reduction time, but a satisfactory level of the transmission loss could not be obtained. Further, the longer reduction time may lead to a lower productivity and thus is scarcely practicable.
On the other hand, by making the total thickness of a polarizing glass smaller, a thinner layer containing metallic halide particles may be produced, thus enabling to diminish to some degree the transmission loss. Thinner polarizing glass may, however, be poorer in resistance to stress and therefore it may become more difficult to handle such glass and thus it is impracticable. In addition, while ordinary polarizing glass should be polished to improve the precision of the surface, a thinner glass may be disadvantageously unpolishable because its deformation may occur when placed on a polisher plate. As examined by the present inventors, when a polarizing glass disclosed in prior art 2 is imparted with a thickness of 0.3 mm instead of 1 mm, the glass may achieve the diminish of the transmission loss by about 2% while maintaining polarizing properties thereof. Such glass, however, did not have sufficient strength and thus is impracticable.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a polarizing glass having polarizing properties comparable to conventional counterparts, a largely decreased transmission loss and a strength acceptable to practical use as well as the production process thereof.

Polarizing glass and production process thereof


A system and computer program product for providing a software-based operator switchboard for a phone system provide improved functionality, with greater simplicity, than conventional techniques. A telecommunications system may comprise an operator switchboard computer system displaying and receiving input with a graphical user interface indicating an operation to be performed by an end-user device, generating a first message in a first message format based on the received input, and transmitting the message to a server computer system, and a server computer system receiving the first message from the first computer system, translating the first message from the first message format to form at least one second message in a second message format, and transmitting the second message to perform the operation to be performed by at least one end-user device. Messages may also be transmitted from end-user devices to the server computer system, translated, and transmitted to the operator switchboard computer system.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method, system, and computer program product for providing a software-based operator switchboard for a phone system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Currently there are a number of hardware-based Public-Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) managed switchboards for phone systems. Such conventional devices typically exchange complex messages between a signaling device and a server. For example, SIP-based devices must currently exchange complicated SIP messages, which travel between the signaling device and the central server. Traditional hardware-based switchboards have limited functionality and must execute complicated instructions—such as interception, send to voicemail, etc. A need arises for an improved switchboard implementation that can provide improved functionality, with greater simplicity, than conventional techniques.


System and method of radio-awareness of mobile device for sending server-side control signals using a wireless network optimized transport protocol are disclosed. One embodiment includes a method of sending a message over an alternate channel to a mobile device in the presence of an open TCP connection with a mobile device, including sending the message over the alternate channel to the mobile device, without utilizing the open TCP connection, responsive to determining that a timing criteria has been met. The alternate channel utilized need not cause a radio of the mobile device to switch on.

Network operators/carriers have the will and the resources to fix the wireless network overload problem. However, the increased availability of free applications only makes network congestion worse with constant signaling from the application to the application stores and/or advertiser websites. Part of that consideration includes traffic optimization, which can ameliorate signaling that comes from applications and from the network and optimizing traffic for resource conservation.

Radio-awareness of mobile device for sending server-side control signals using a wireless network optimized transport protocol


A device is disclosed for applying individual reinforcing threads onto a tubular layer. The device contains a positioning ring with equidistant holes that lie on a circumferential line, with the positioning ring surrounding and concentric with a rotationally symmetric, funnel-shaped deflection element. The deflection element deflects the reinforcing threads that are guided from radially outward to radially inward through the holes f the positioning ring into an essentially axial direction, wherein all the threads assume an equidistant spacing from one another. Also disclosed is a process for manufacturing an unfinished tube consisting of several layers with the aid of the device.

The present invention pertains to a device for applying individual reinforcing threads onto a tubular layer made of polymer material that is additionally processed into a thread-reinforced unfinished tube made of polymer material consisting of several layers. The invention also pertains to a process for manufacturing a thread-reinforced unfinished tube made of polymer material that consists of several layers with the aid of such a device.
Tubes and diaphragm for air springs are typical products manufactured from a thread-reinforced polymer material. For example, the diaphragm of an air spring is subjected to high pressure. Such a diaphragm contains multiple reinforcing threads that are positioned close to one another with an equidistant spacing in order to withstand this pressure (a conventional diaphragm for an air spring contains, for example, approximately 200-300 reinforcing threads per 10 cm).
It has been known for a long time to manufacture a diaphragm for an air spring from individual plane layers, in which the reinforcing threads are already embedded. The individual layers are wound onto a mandrel and connected to one another within an overlapping region or a joint region, and then vulcanized. The diaphragm for the air spring is finished after this vulcanization.
The aforementioned process has the advantage that a large number of reinforcing threads spaced equidistant from each other can be easily embedded in a plane layer. However, it has been determined that the overlapping region or the joint region of the diaphragm may disadvantageously influence the physical properties of the diaphragm and also reduce the stability of the diaphragm within this region.
Therefore, it has already been proposed to manufacture a diaphragm for an air spring from an endless tube, into which the equidistant reinforcing threads are already incorporated. The advantage of this manufacturing process can be seen in the fact that the tube, from which the diaphragm is cut at the desired length, contains neither an overlapping region nor a joint region. However, it is relatively difficult to embed a large quantity of equidistant reinforcing threads into a tube. Different processes for realizing this feature have already been proposed.
One example of a coextrusion device for manufacturing a thread-reinforced unfinished tube made of polymer material is known from EP 0 605 767 A1. The unfinished tube consists of three layers, with two helically wound layers of equidistant reinforcing threads located between the first layer and the third layer. The two reinforcing thread layers are separated from one another by the second layer. The coextrusion device for manufacturing such an unfinished tube contains a first flow channel with circular cross section, which is concentrically surrounded by a second and a third flow channel with circular cross section. These flow channels are used to manufacture the individual polymer layers of the unfinished tube. A guide element for the first layer of reinforcing threads, which also has a circular cross section, is situated between the first and the second flow channel. One additional guide element for the second layer of reinforcing threads is situated between the second and the third flow channel. The guide elements for the reinforcing threads are arranged in a rotating fashion between the flow channels so as to make it possible to embed the reinforcing threads in a helical pattern between the individual layers of the unfinished tube. Each guide element contains a series of equidistant guide channels, with one reinforcing thread being guided in each guide channel. The flow channels and the guide elements have the shape of a cone and taper in the longitudinal direction to the diameter of the unfinished tube to be manufactured.
An unfinished tube that contains two layers of helically wound, equidistant reinforcing threads can be manufactured in one step with the coextrusion device known from EP 0 605 767 A1. However, a complicated preparation of the coextrusion device is required before the manufacture of the unfinished tube can begin because the reinforcing threads must be individually guided through the guide channels of the guide elements.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,578,024 pertains to a coextrusion device that has a design similar to the coextrusion device known from EP 0 605 767 A1. This device also makes it possible to manufacture an unfinished tube with equidistant reinforcing threads in one step. In this coextrusion device, each individual reinforcing thread is guided into an assigned guide channel, so that a complicated preparation of the coextrusion device is also required in this case before the manufacture of the unfinished tube can begin.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to enable the applying of individual reinforcing threads onto a tubular layer made of polymer material to provide a simple manufacture of an unfinished tube with equidistant reinforcing threads and can be easily prepared for the manufacturing process.
Another object of the invention is to enable simple preparation and execution for the manufacturing of a thread-reinforced unfinished tube made of polymer material.
The above and other objects of the present invention can be achieved by a device for applying individual reinforcing threads onto a tubular layer of polymer material that can then be processed into a thread-reinforced unfinished tube of polymer material comprising a plurality of layers.
The device contains a positioning ring with at least one row of equidistant holes on a circumferential line, wherein the reinforcing threads are guided from radially outward to radially inward through the aforementioned holes at an inlet angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the positioning ring.
Further, the device contains a rotationally symmetric, funnel-shaped deflection element that surrounds one continuously tapering channel with an annular inlet surface and a smaller annular outlet surface, wherein the reinforcing threads are guided on the rotationally symmetric radially inner surface of said deflection element.
At the inlet surface, the deflection element has an inlet angle xcex1 relative to the longitudinal axis of the deflection element, which corresponds to a great extent to the inlet angle of the reinforcing threads relative to the longitudinal axis of the positioning ring.
At the outlet surface, the deflection element has an outlet angle xcex2 relative to the longitudinal axis of the deflection element that lies between approximately 0xc2x0 and 25xc2x0, preferably between 0xc2x0 and 10xc2x0.
The deflection element is concentric with and surrounded by the positioning ring and axially aligned relative to the positioning ring in such a way that reinforcing threads that are radially guided through the holes of the positioning ring can be directly guided into the inlet surface of the deflection element.
It is a feature of the invention to achieve the above and other objects by a process wherein:
a reinforcing thread is guided from radially outward to radially inward through each hole of the positioning ring at an inlet angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the positioning ring, and
the reinforcing threads are placed onto the radially inner surface of the deflection element and deflected by the inlet angle into a largely axial direction by the deflection element, with the reinforcing threads under constant tension, and with the following steps being carried out in order to manufacture a thread-reinforced unfinished tube:
a first layer of polymer material is applied onto a rotationally symmetric mandrel in a first processing station,
the mandrel coated with the first layer is concentrically guided from the inlet surface of the deflection element through the outlet surface of the deflection element such that the reinforcing threads situated on the radially inner surface of the deflection element are deposited on the radially outer surface of the first layer with an equidistant spacing from one another, and
the mandrel coated with the first layer is transferred to at least one additional processing station, in which another layer of polymer material is applied to the first layer.

Device for incorporating individual reinforcing threads into an unfinished tube and process for manufacturing a thread-reinforced unfinished tube with the aid of this device


In a CAN system, an arrangement is incorporated for making possible more efficient utilization of available band-width on the system's bus connection between, from and/or to modules incorporated in the system and/or reduction of accuracy requirements for clock functions utilized in the system. The system operates with communication on the bus connection that is in accordance with rules set up in the system and constitutes a combination of event-driven and time-controlled communication functions. The said functions are, together with a rule change in the time-controlled communication function, arranged to achieve the said making more efficient and/or reduction. The rule change is arranged to bring about deliberate collisions between messages appearing on the bus connection. In this way, the bandwidth utilization, the clock function and the system's general construction and function can be simplified according to the requirements imposed.

The CAN-system (Control Area Network) is currently well-known in various connections for controlling, processes, monitoring, etc. Among other things, it is used in various vehicle applications in order to control various processes in the vehicle. In addition, it is used for function control in machinery, for example within the construction industry, in weaving sheds, etc. In connection with this, reference can be made to the patent literature and the patent applications and patents that have been submitted and obtained by the Applicant of the present patent application.
In connection with control and monitoring systems of this type, there is an on-going need to make the system as such more efficient, to improve it and to make it cheaper. A bottleneck for system performance is the bandwidth of the bus. To date, most systems based on CAN have been constructed on the basis that messages are sent event-driven. This means that the bus is poorly utilized and that the time for message transfer varies greatly. This fact has resulted in CAN generally being considered to be unsuitable for safety-critical systems. Such systems should be based on time-controlled scheduling of message transfers between the nodes in the system. Special protocols for this have been developed, for example TTP and Flexray. A new standard for CAN with support for time scheduling is in preparation by ISO ("Controller area network (CAN) B Part 4: Time-triggered communication" ISO/CD 11898-4) which proposes how CAN messages can be time scheduled and how clocks for this can be arranged. An overview and discussion of the subject is published in the publication IEEE Micro July-August 2002. TTP can be considered best to correspond to the current technology concerning distributed systems with high real-time and security requirements. This is a modern, advanced and well-documented protocol for time-controlled systems that are used in vessels. For detailed information, refer for example to H. Kopetz, "TTP/C Protocol", TTTech 1999. A study of TTP/C shows that it makes high demands to the effect that the clocks in the respective modules must operate within a high given tolerance and that special circuits must be used, so-called Bus Guardians, in order to ensure that no module transmits messages that collide with other messages on the bus. In general, serial protocols are divided into three classifications: Collision Avoidance (CA), Collision Detection (CD) and Collision Resolution (CR). Definitions of the classifications and the boundaries between them can vary. TTP is a typical CA protocol, that is all measures and steps are taken in order to avoid collisions. This is a generally accepted starting point for traditional time-controlled systems. The Ethernet is a good example of a CD protocol. Collisions normally arise on the bus and are detected. Colliding messages are discarded and the transmitters send the messages again after a delay. The protocol has rules concerning this delay so that at least the modules that collided do not immediately collide again. The collisions thus give rise to reduced bandwidth and mean that the maximum delay for a given message can not be calculated and guaranteed. CAN is an example of a CR protocol. Collisions are resolved in a predictable way. The price of this characteristic is a low maximum bandwidth and this is one of the reasons that CAN has been considered not to be a suitable protocol for time-controlled systems. In addition, the collision-resolving characteristic has been considered by most experts not to be of value for time-controlled systems, as collisions are not supposed to occur.
Traditionally, time-scheduled transmission of messages is considered to be more efficient than event-driven transmission. However, the time slot that is allocated to a message must be longer than the message in order to take account of the difference between the modules' clocks. FIG. 1 shows schematically a traditional schedule with time slots in which the modules A and B place their messages. As their clocks are not precisely synchronized with the system clock, the messages are placed in practice slightly earlier or later in the allocated time slot than what is specified by the scheduling. This means that in traditional time-controlled systems the allocated time slot must be large in order for inaccurate clocks to be able to be used in the modules, which results in loss of bandwidth, or means alternatively that very accurate clocks must be used, which results in high costs. The present invention aims to solve this problem, among others. In addition, immediate retransmission of discarded messages is not permitted in traditional time-scheduled systems as this would require longer time slots. Extract from ISO 11898-4: "Arbitrating time window conflicts are resolved by the identifier arbitration of CAN and a CAN node may not start transmission if the bus is not idle. Several CAN nodes in the network may start a transmission within the Tx_Enable window of an arbitrating time window. The immediate automatic retransmission is disabled". The quotation shows that it is a widespread belief that automatic retransmission should not occur at all in CAN-based time-controlled systems and that a node is not to request start of message transmission of the bus if the bus is not expected to be free. The present invention aims, among other things, to allow immediate retransmission of discarded messages. A characteristic of the invention is that a CAN node starts transmission when the bus is engaged (not idle).
Time-scheduled communication requires each node to keep time within a given accuracy in relation to the system clock and requires each message to be transmitted/received in a given time slot for the respective message. This leads to the communication being sensitive to interference and to additional bandwidth having to be kept in reserve in order that important messages will be certain to get through in time. A further development of the basic idea of the invention avoids this need and makes possible the construction of a very robust communication system with predictable characteristics. A communication system can be constructed by means of the invention, that has the respective advantages of event-driven and time-controlled communication while at the same time eliminating their respective disadvantages. A robust communication system with great adaptability to the requirements of the total system and with "graceful degradation" characteristics can be constructed by means of the invention.

Schematizing of messages in distributed control and supervision system


Generating a path inventory for a communication network includes sending a path message through a sequence of nodes of the communication network. The sequence of nodes comprises an initiating node, a set of intermediate nodes, and a terminating node. The path message is sent from the initiating node, through the set of intermediate nodes, to the terminating node. The path message sent from the initiating node may not have a specified destination address. The following is repeated for each node of the set of intermediate nodes: establishing a next node subsequent to the each node, and gathering path information about the next node in the path message. The path message is received at the terminating node, and the path information is recorded in a return message.

A communication network includes paths of nodes that route packets through the network. An inventory describing the paths of a network may be generated to keep track of the paths. Known techniques of generating a path inventory include running complicated software programs that trace the paths of the network. Running these software programs, however, may be time consuming. For example, running a program for a network with 100 to 150 network elements may take up to 29 hours. Accordingly, these known techniques are typically not efficient. It is generally desirable to have efficient techniques for generating a path inventory.


A heater apparatus divides a heater capacity (heater wire), connects the divided heater wire portions to each other outside the a heat insulating layer, changes a connection mode irrespective of which of a 100 V system or a 200 V system is used as a supply voltage, and thereby suppresses a heater temperature to within a safe range even in a continuous current conduction mode, and uses a common heater and suppress management cost. Furthermore, since the heater wire portions are connected to each other outside the heat insulating layer for the heater embedded in the heat insulating layer of a refrigerator, the heater apparatus is capable of reducing production loss due to misconnections and using a common heater.

A refrigerator is generally constructed of an inner box formed through vacuum molding, metal outer walls outside the inner box, wall surfaces surrounding three sides of a storeroom of the refrigerator with a urethane foam heat insulator injected and made to foam in a space formed between the inner box and the metal outer wall, and a door provided in an opening of the storeroom in a freely openable/closable manner with its interior also filled with a urethane foam heat insulator.
Furthermore, many electrical components such as various temperature sensors for detecting temperatures of various storerooms provided in the refrigerator and detecting completion of defrosting, a fan that blows air to the respective storerooms, a damper for adjusting the amount of cold air blow are arranged in the refrigerator and these electrical components are connected to a control substrate set up outside the refrigerator via lead wires.
Furthermore, the refrigerator uses heaters for temperature compensation inside the refrigerator, for prevention of condensation, for prevention of freezing, for defrosting or the like (e.g., see Patent Literature 1). These heaters are connected to the control substrate outside the refrigerator via lead wires in a heat insulating layer. Furthermore, the condensation prevention heater and storeroom temperature compensation heater are arranged on the urethane heat insulating layer side from the standpoint of securing an accommodation volume and safety such as preventing the heaters from contacting people.


Aspects of this invention are related, at least in part, to the use of chemical compounds able to inhibit GSK-3 and/or to stabilize β-catenin and formulations thereof. Some aspects of this invention relate to compositions comprising such compounds. Some aspects of the invention provide methods of using such compounds and/or compositions in the treatment of subjects having a neurological disease and/or psychiatric disorder. Some aspects of this invention provide methods of using ruboxistaurin, enzastaurin, sunitinib, midostaurin, lestaurtinib, 7-hydroxystaurosporine, and/or Chir99021 in the treatment of subjects having a neurological disease and/or psychiatric disorder. In some embodiments, compounds are administered in combination with Lithium.

Approximately 1.7% of the genes in the human genome encode protein kinases making kinases one of the more abundant classes of enzymes. To date, there are no therapeutic compounds used for any brain disorders, other than brain cancers, that have been developed to purposefully modulate kinase activity despite the implication of kinases as important mediators of a variety of brain functions.
Indolocarbazole alkaloids such as staurosporine and K252a, which are known to target the ATP binding site of kinases, inhibit a variety of kinases in a dose dependent manner. Despite their lack of biochemical selectivity, a number of indolocarbazoles are currently in pre-clinical and clinical development largely for oncology indications, but also for other disease areas such as diabetic macular edema. Synthetic efforts that break the planarity of the indolocarbazole core, such as bisindoylmaleimides, have given rise to inhibitors with improved specificity between families of serine/threonine and tyrosine kinases.

Uses of chemicals to modulate GSK-3 signaling for treatment of bipolar disorder and other brain disorders


A woman""s shirts having an omasum-inner-wall like textile structure, defined as a bulbous unit above a planar base, to render desired elasticity to a shirt. The shirt of this invention is excellent in resilient elasticity, original shape retainability and shape stability. The shirts of this invention is free size, one size fitting all. The shirt is much lighter than average women""s winter shirts. Thermal insulation is adequate. Packing size is much smaller than comparable women""s winter wear. The material for these shirts is composed of wool and polyester which are treated with hand followed by heat treatment with heat and moisture to make the omasum-like structure. The shirts of this invention emphasize the bodyline of women""s breast and decorates the line with embossing to render a more sensual appreance.

The present invention relates to a women""s elastic winter shirts having excellent resilient elasticity, original shape retainability and shape stability for the omasum inner wall-like textile structure, defined as a bulbous unit above a planar base.
1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a lighter, smaller and more sensual elastic women""s shirts. The omasum-like structure, defined as a bulbous unit above a planar base made by the procedure of this invention renders excellent resilient elasticity, original shape retainability and shape stability to the textile and enables to produce women""s shirts which have intended characteristics.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Since they have high performance, synthetic fibers such as nylon and polyester fibers have been widely used for clothing and in industrial areas. Fibrous sheets composed of nylons and polyesters are frequently used as three-dimensional products such as interlining cloths for clothes, brassieres, and pads for breasts and shoulders. Recently, they have been applied to a shape stabilizer of the shirts made of blended yams containing polyester and cotton.
Conventional polyester fiber itself is poor in resiliency. To enhance reinsiliency, the fiber should be conjugated with highly resilient animal hair such as horse hair or even human hair for an application to interlining cloths. Sophisticated sewing technique is required to make clothing from the conjugated fibers.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,248,418 to Taguchi, et al. teaches the methods to manufacture materials having good resiliency, dimensional stability and three dimensional shape retainability from polyester itself by high speed molten polymer taking-up method followed by heat treatments. Taguchi, et al. teach to add materials such as wool to the polyester fiber by variant processing methods.
Taguchi, et al. teach to make shirts by weaving or knitting yams made by spinning only staple fiber or yarns made by mix-spinning of the staple fiber and other fibers, sewing it to form a shirt, and heat treating it at a temperature not lower than 120xc2x0 C. Taguchi, et al. teach an example that a shirt made by the procedure has three dimensional shape retainability and suited to the shape of the body. None is suggested or illustrated about flexible shirts of free size, retaining the omasum-like structure, defined as a bulbous unit above a planar base.
It is the object of this invention to provide a new women""s shirts, which have an omasum inner wall-like structure, defined as a bulbous unit above a planar base, to render resilient elasticity and oroginal shape retainability to the shirts.
The shirts of this invention are excellent in resilient elasticity, original shape retainability and shape stability. The shirts of this invention are free size, one size fitting all. They are much lighter than average women""s winter shirts. Thermal insulation is adequate. Packing size is much smaller than a comparable women""s winter wear.
The materials for these shirts are composed of wool and polyester, which are fabricated by hand followed by heat and moisture treatments to render the omasum-like structure.
The shirts of this invention emphasize the line of women""s breast and decorate the body line with embossing, which is possible due to the excellent resilient elasticity and original shape retainability rendered to the material by fabricating the material to have the omasum-like structure, defined as a bulbous unit above a planar base, as illustrated in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3. At the same time it is possible to make free size shirts taking advantage of excellent resilient elasticity.
The weight of the shirt of this invention is less than 200 g/shirt in dry state, which is much lighter than a typical women""s knit sweater and winter shirt. They usually weigh over 250 g/shirt.
Adequate thermal insulation effect comes from the air captured in the inner void of omasum structure, defined as a bulbous unit above a planar base, as indicated 11 in FIG. 5.
The structural characteristics of the shirt of this invention made it possible to manufacture women""s winter shirt of free size which is as warm as other women""s winter shirts but the packing volume and weight are smaller than those of other women""s winter shirts.

Women""s elastic free size winter shirts

Dongdaemun-Gu, Junnong 2-Dong, 127-379, Baekju Building 3rd Floor