A cutting tool for milling titanium and titanium alloys which includes a substrate that comprises tungsten carbide and cobalt. The substrate further includes cobalt in the range of between 5.7 to 6.3 weight percent and chromium in the range of between 0.3 and 0.5 weight percent. The cutting tool has a coating of tungsten carbide applied to the substrate by physical vapor deposition.

Titanium metal and many of its alloys (e.g., Ti-6Al-2Zr-2Mo and Ti-6Al-4V) present a high strength-weight ratio which is maintained at high temperatures. Titanium metal and its alloys also have exceptional corrosion resistance. These characteristics are very desirable and have been the principal cause for the rapid growth of the titanium industry from the 1950's to the present. The aerospace industry has been the major consumer of titanium and titanium alloys for use in airframes and engine components. Non-aerospace applications include medical components, steam turbine blades, superconductors, missiles, submarine hulls, chemical apparatus, and other products where corrosion is a concern.
Titanium and titanium alloys possess physical properties which make these materials difficult to mill. Hence, cutting inserts used to mill these materials face special challenges which require the careful selection of the appropriate cutting insert.
In milling, there are repeated mechanical shocks due to the interrupted nature of the process. The mechanical shock may also produce cracks that result in microchipping of the cutting edge of the cutting insert.
The interrupted cutting process of the milling operation also causes thermal shocks since the cutting insert repeatedly heats up when in contact with the workpiece and cools down when removed from contact with the workpiece. In the milling of titanium and its alloys the magnitude of these thermal shocks is especially severe because of the typically high temperatures, and the accompanying large temperature differential between the high temperature and the low temperature of the cutting insert associated with a milling operation. Like with mechanical shock, thermal shock may produce cracks that result in microchipping of the cutting edge of the cutting insert.
Another reason that titanium and its alloys are difficult to mill is that they have a low thermal conductivity which worsens the ability to transfer heat into the workpiece and the chips and away from the cutting insert. This is especially true when one considers that when milling titanium and its alloys the chip travels across a surface of the cutting insert at a relatively fast speed, i.e., at a speed two to three times faster than when machining steel, with only a small area of contact between the chip and the surface of the cutting insert. Such a circumstance produces considerable heat-producing shearing of the chip which results in high temperatures (e.g., about 1093.degree. C. (2000.degree. F.) at the interface between the cutting insert and the chip).
At interface temperatures of about 500.degree. C. (932.degree. F.) and above, which includes 1093.degree. C. (2000.degree. F.), titanium and titanium alloys are typically chemically reactive with the cutting insert material, as well as with the nitrogen and the oxygen in the air. This chemical reactivity typically increases with an increase in temperature so that at high cutting insert-chip interface temperatures such as 1093.degree. C. the titanium workpiece is very reactive with the cutting insert and its surrounding environment.
Because of the high temperatures generated at the cutting insert-chip interface and the highly reactive nature of titanium and its alloys, diffusion of elements of the cutting insert into the chips (of the workpiece material) may cause cratering of the cutting insert.
The cutting insert-chip interface may be under pressures in the order of about 1.38 to 2.07 gigapascal (200,000 psi to 300,000 psi). These high stresses at the cutting edge of the cutting insert may lead to deformation and fracture of the cutting insert.
Thus, it is apparent that a cutting insert for use in milling titanium and its alloys should possess certain physical and mechanical properties which will enable it to address the challenges inherent in the milling of titanium and its alloys. More specifically, the cutting insert should be able to resist mechanical shocks and thermal shocks which are inherent in a milling operation. The cutting insert should be able to withstand the high temperature at the cutting insert-chip interface so as to minimize cratering. The cutting insert should also be able to withstand the high stresses which may lead to deformation, especially at the high operating temperatures associated with milling titanium and its alloys.

Cutting insert for milling titanium and titanium alloys

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A method for determining a reference value for controlling a vehicle's speed by a vehicle control system is described. The method includes: making a first prediction and a second prediction of the speed along a horizon, the first prediction based on an engine torque that retards the vehicle as compared with a conventional cruise control, and the second prediction based on an engine torque that accelerates the vehicle as compared with the conventional cruise control; comparing the first prediction and second prediction, respectively, with a lower limit value and/or an upper limit value, which delineate a speed range within which the speed is to be maintained; and determining the reference value based on at least one of the respective comparisons and the first prediction and second prediction so that the set speed is within the speed range bounded by the lower and upper limit values.

Cruise control is now usual in motor vehicles, e.g. cars, trucks and buses. An object of cruise control is to achieve a uniform predetermined speed. This is done either by adjusting the engine torque to avoid retardation, or by applying braking action on downhill runs where the vehicle is accelerated by its own weight. A more general object of cruise control is to provide convenient driving and better comfort for the vehicle's driver.
A driver of a vehicle equipped with cruise control usually chooses a set speed vset as the speed he/she wishes the vehicle to maintain on level roads. A cruise control then supplies an engine system of the vehicle with a reference speed vref used for control of the engine. The set speed vset may thus be regarded as an input signal to the cruise control, whereas the reference speed vref may be regarded as an output signal from the cruise control and is used for control of the engine.
Today's traditional cruise control (CC) maintains a constant reference speed vref usually set by the vehicle's driver in the form of a set speed vset which is thus here a desired speed chosen for example by him/her, and for today's conventional cruise controls the reference speed is constant and equal to the set speed, i.e. vref=vset. The value of the reference speed vref changes only when adjusted by the driver while the vehicle is in motion. The reference speed vref is then sent to a control system which controls the vehicle so that its speed corresponds when possible to the reference speed vref. If the vehicle is equipped with an automatic gearchange system, the gears may be changed by that system on the basis of the reference speed vref to enable the vehicle to maintain the reference speed vref, i.e. to enable it to maintain the desired set speed vset.
In hilly terrain, the cruise control system will try to maintain the set speed vset uphill and downhill. This may result inter alia in the vehicle accelerating over the crest of a hill and into a subsequent downgrade. It will then need to be braked to avoid exceeding the set speed vset or will reach a speed vkfb at which the constant speed brake is activated, which is a fuel-expensive way of driving the vehicle. It may also need to be braked downhill to avoid exceeding the set speed vset or the constant speed brake's activation speed vkfb in cases where the vehicle does not accelerate over the crest of the hill.
To reduce fuel consumption, especially on hilly roads, economical cruise controls such as Scania's Ecocruise® have been developed. This cruise control tries to estimate the vehicle's current running resistance and also has information about its historical running resistance. The economical cruise control may also be provided with map data comprising topographical information. The vehicle is then located on the map, e.g. by means of GPS, and the running resistance along the road ahead is estimated. The vehicle's reference speed vref can thus be optimised for different types of roads in order to save fuel, in which case the reference speed vref may differ from the set speed vset. This specification refers to cruise controls which allow the reference speed vref to differ from the set speed vset chosen by the driver, i.e. reference speed-regulating cruise controls.
An example of a further development of an economical cruise control is a "look ahead" cruise control (LACC), a strategic form of cruise control which uses knowledge of sections of road ahead, i.e. knowledge of the nature of the road ahead, to determine the reference speed vref. LACC is thus an example of a reference speed-regulating cruise control whereby the reference speed vref is allowed, within a certain range [vmin, vmax], to differ from the set speed vset chosen by the driver, in order to achieve more fuel saving.
Knowledge of the road section ahead may for example comprise information about prevailing topology, road curvature, traffic situation, roadworks, traffic density and state of road. It may further comprise a speed limit on the section ahead, and a traffic sign beside the road. Such knowledge is for example available from location information, e.g. GPS (global positioning system) information, map information and/or topographical map information, weather reports, information communicated between vehicles and information provided by radio. All this knowledge may be used in a variety of ways. For example, information about a speed limit on the road ahead may be used to achieve fuel efficiency by lowering the vehicle's speed before reaching a lower speed limit. Similarly, knowledge of a road sign which indicates for example a roundabout or intersection ahead may also be used to achieve fuel efficiency by braking before the vehicle reaches the roundabout or intersection.
An LACC cruise control does for example make it possible, before a steep upgrade, for the reference speed vref to be raised to a level above the set speed vset, since the vehicle will be expected to lose speed on such a climb owing to high train weight relative to engine performance. Similarly, before a steep downgrade, the LACC cruise control makes it possible for the reference speed vref to be lowered to a level below the set speed vset, since the vehicle will be expected to accelerate on such a downgrade owing to its high train weight. The concept here is that reducing the speed at which the vehicle begins the downhill run makes it possible to reduce the energy braked away and/or the air resistance losses (as reflected in the amount of fuel injected before the downgrade). The LACC cruise control may thus reduce fuel consumption without substantially affecting journey time.
In hilly terrain, a reference speed-regulating cruise control, unlike a conventional cruise control, can thus actively vary the vehicle's speed. For example, the vehicle's speed will be reduced before a steep downgrade to enable it to utilise more of the cost-free energy provided by the downgrade, instead of braking it away. The speed may also be increased before a steep climb to prevent the vehicle from losing too much speed and time.
A problem with reference speed-regulating cruise controls is that it is difficult for the control system to determine how much the cruise control is to be allowed to vary the reference speed vref.
This is because external parameters, e.g. traffic situation, driver temperament and terrain may also affect the range within which it is appropriate to allow the reference speed vref to vary in a specific situation. A wider speed range generally results in more fuel saving but also in large speed variations which may be disturbing to surrounding traffic.
In the aforesaid Scania Ecocruise® function there is a tightly specified speed range between the truck's speed limit (which is often 89 km/h) and a lower speed which is 20 km/h below the set speed but never below 60 km/h.
US-2003/0221886 refers to a cruise control in which speed ranges are set. The system can anticipate downgrades and upgrades and incorporate them in the calculations, but the specification gives no details about how this is done in practice.
DE-10 2005 045 891 refers to a cruise control system for a vehicle which sets a range within which the vehicle's speed is allowed to vary. The object is inter alia to account for the wind conditions to which the vehicle is subject.
JP-2007276542 refers to a cruise control in which the vehicle's speed is allowed to fluctuate relative to a predetermined speed in order to reduce fuel consumption.

Method and module for determining of at least one reference value for a vehicle control system


A high frequency module comprises: a switch circuit connected to first and second antenna terminals; a first diplexer connected to first and second reception signal terminals and the switch circuit; a second diplexer connected to first and second transmission signal terminals and the switch circuit; and a layered substrate for integrating these components. The layered substrate includes a first region and a second region that are divided from each other by an imaginary plane that passes through the center of the bottom surface of the layered substrate and that intersects the bottom surface at a right angle. The first diplexer is located in the first region while the second diplexer is located in the second region. The locations of the first antenna terminal and the first and second reception signal terminals and the locations of the second antenna terminal and the first and second transmission signal terminals are symmetric with respect to the imaginary plane.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a high frequency module used in a communications apparatus for a wireless local area network (LAN), for example.
2. Description of the Related Art
Attention has been recently drawn to a wireless LAN that forms a LAN through the use of radio waves as a technique for constructing a network easily. A plurality of standards are provided for the wireless LAN, such as the IEEE 802.11b and the IEEE 802.11g that use a 2.4 GHz band as a frequency band and the IEEE 802.11a that uses a 5 GHz band as a frequency band. It is therefore required that communications apparatuses used for the wireless LAN conform to a plurality of standards.
Furthermore, the communications status on the wireless LAN varies depending on the location of the communications apparatus and the environment. It is therefore desirable to adopt a diversity for choosing one of a plurality of antennas whose communications status is best.
In the communications apparatus for the wireless LAN, a circuit portion that is connected to antennas and processes high frequency signals (the portion is hereinafter called a high frequency circuit section) is incorporated in a card-shaped adapter, for example. In addition, it is expected that the communications apparatus for the wireless LAN be installed in a mobile communications device such as a cellular phone. A reduction in size of the high frequency circuit section is therefore desired.
A type of mobile communications device such as a cellular phone is known, wherein a high frequency circuit section is formed as a module operable in a plurality of frequency bands. For example, Japanese Published Patent Application 2003-152588 discloses a module incorporating two diplexers and a single switch circuit. In this module the switch circuit switches one of the two diplexers to be connected to a single antenna. Each of the diplexers separates two signals in different frequency bands from each other.
Japanese Published Patent Application 10-145270 discloses a high frequency switch provided for a diversity that enables a transmission port and a reception port to be each switched to be connected to one of two antennas.
Japanese Published Patent Application 2002-64400 discloses a high frequency switch module operable in two frequency bands. This high frequency switch module comprises: a first switch circuit for switching transmission signals and reception signals of a first transmission/reception system; a first low-pass filter circuit connected to a transmission path of the first switch circuit; a second switch circuit for switching transmission signals and reception signals of a second transmission/reception system; a second low-pass filter circuit connected to a transmission path of the second switch circuit; a separator circuit for separating the first and second transmission/reception systems; and a layered structure for integrating the foregoing circuits.
Japanese Published Patent Application 2002-64400 discloses that transmission terminals and reception terminals are located in separate regions from each other with respect to a center line of the layered structure and that the arrangement of the transmission terminals and the reception terminals is line-symmetric. In addition, this publication discloses that, when antenna terminals, the transmission terminals and the reception terminals are called high frequency terminals, ground terminals are respectively disposed between adjacent ones of the high frequency terminals.
As described above, it is desirable that the communications apparatus for the wireless LAN conform to a plurality of standards whose operable frequency bands are different. It is therefore desired that the high frequency circuit section of the communications apparatus for the wireless LAN be capable of processing transmission signals and reception signals in a plurality of frequency bands. In addition, it is preferred that the communications apparatus for the wireless LAN adopt a diversity. Because of this, the high frequency circuit section of the communications apparatus for the wireless LAN preferably has a function of switching a plurality of antennas to be connected to an output port of reception signals and an input port of transmission signals. Furthermore, a reduction in size of the high frequency circuit section of the communications apparatus for the wireless LAN is desired.
In the module disclosed in Japanese Published Patent Application 2003-152588, a transmission circuit for processing transmission signals and a reception circuit for processing reception signals are placed inside a layered structure. As a result, there sometimes occurs electromagnetic coupling between the transmission circuit and the reception circuit in such a module. If such coupling is established, there occurs a problem that transmission signals leak from the transmission circuit to the reception circuit and/or reception signals leak from the reception circuit to the transmission circuit, and the isolation between the transmission circuit and the reception circuit is thereby degraded. This problem becomes more noticeable as the module is reduced in size. The problem therefore interferes with a reduction in size of the module.
In the module disclosed in Japanese Published Patent Application 2003-152588, no specific consideration is given to the arrangement of the terminals connected to the antennas and the terminals for receiving and outputting signals. In this case, it is difficult to separate the transmission circuit and the reception circuit from each other and it is therefore difficult to improve the isolation between the transmission circuit and the reception circuit. In this case, furthermore, it is required to separately design the transmission circuit and the reception circuit to be placed inside the layered structure, and it thus takes a longer period of time to design the transmission circuit and the reception circuit. Moreover, there tends to be unwanted portions of transmission lines provided in the layered structure, and it is therefore likely that loss and noise occurring in the module increase.
As previously described, Japanese Published Patent Application 2002-64400 discloses that the transmission terminals and the reception terminals are arranged in line-symmetry. However, this publication does not mention any specific consideration for the positional relationship between the transmission and reception circuits and the transmission and reception terminals. It is therefore difficult to solve the foregoing problems even if the technique disclosed in this publication is used.


A water washed air scrubber in which the contaminated air is first directed toward the surface of a bath of water and cleaning agent at relatively high velocity to create adequate turbulence to achieve a scrubbing action to remove a majority of the contaminate, and thereafter passed through a filter to remove any remaining liquid and/or contaminate.

This invention relates to air cleaning apparatus, and more particularly to a water washed air scrubber for removing grease and other impurities from the exhaust system for a cooking appliance in a restaurant kitchen.
As is well recognized, the exhausting of any products into the atmosphere now raises significant environmental issues, as a result of which very strict regulations have recently been passed to deal with such issues. The normal exhaust from a restaurant kitchen can therefore present an environmental problem, in addition to the established fire hazard and roof deterioration problems resulting from grease carryover.
It is therefore a primary object of this invention to provide an improved exhaust air scrubber, particularly suited but not limited to use in cleaning the exhaust air from restaurant cooking appliance hoods, which is (a) relatively simple in construction and inexpensive to manufacture and maintain, (b) highly efficient in grease and other contaminant removal, (c) economical in power consumption, (d) presents no slipperiness hazard resulting from water spillage on the kitchen floor, (e) does not require any more than minimum kitchen ceiling height, (f) does not utilize any kitchen space and (g) has reliable means for sensing and maintaining cleaning fluid level and composition.
The present invention is an improvement over the air scrubber disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,323,373.
Additional objects, advantages, and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description and appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.


The present invention provides a non-metallocene catalyst comprising a complex having one or more ligands coordinated a transition metal. The catalyst contains substituents bonded to the transition metal through a heteroatom such as oxygen or sulfur. Furthermore, the complex includes a Group 3 to 10 transition or lanthanide metal and one or more anionic or neutral ligands in an amount that satisfies the valency of the metal such that the complex has a net zero charge. The present invention also discloses a method for preparing the catalyst and polymerizing olefins utilizing the catalyst of the present invention.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to transition metal catalysts having at least one heterocyclic ligand, and in particular, to transition metal catalysts useful for olefin coupling and polymerization.
2. Background Art
The chemical industry uses a wide variety of transition metal complexes as catalysts for organic reactions. Olefin polymerization is an important example of such a reaction. While conventional Ziegler-Natta catalysts continue to dominate the industry, highly active metallocene and non-metallocene single-site catalysts that give new polymers with narrow molecular weight distributions, low densities, and good comonomer incorporation are emerging.
Transition metal complexes used to polymerize olefins are normally non-zero-valent metals (e.g., Ti4+, ZR4+, Sc3+) surrounded by anionic ligands (e.g., chloride, alkyl, cyclopentadienyl) that satisfy the valency of the metal and often improve the solubility of the catalyst in the reaction medium. Anionic ligands can dramatically affect catalyst activity and polymer properties. Thus, a catalyst structure can be fine-tuned to give polymers with desirable properties. Furthermore, the anionic ligand will affect the stability of the transition metal complexes.
Metallocene polymerization catalysts contain one or two cyclopentadienyl groups as anionic ligands. These serve to stabilize the active catalytic species, modulate the electronic and steric environment around the active metal center, and maintain the single-sited nature of the catalyst. Polymers with narrow molecular weight and composition distributions are formed from these metallocene catalysts. Such complexes frequently contain cyclopentadienyl groups. Putting substituents on the cyclopentadienyl ring, for example, changes the geometry and electronic character of the active site.
Another class of anionic ligands is those which are heteroatomic ring ligands which are isolobal to the cyclopentadienyl ring; that is, the orbital interaction of the metal with the ligand is similar in both cases. Examples of such ligands are boraaryl (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,554,775), pyrroyl and indolyl anions (U.S. Pat. No. 5,539,124), azaborolinyl groups (U.S. Pat. No. 5,902,866), indole-indenyl groups, phospholyl anions, and tris(pyrazolyl)borate anions.
Frequently, transition metal catalyst exhibit sensitivity to moisture and oxygen and poor stability during storage. This poor sensitivity and stability is often caused by a halogen attached to the transition metal or by an alkyl or aryl ligand that is attached to the transition metal of the catalyst by a bond to a carbon atom.

Catalysts containing at least one heterocyclic ligand for improving the catalysts' performance of olefin polymerization


A general purpose engine control apparatus can detect misfire occurrence with high accuracy, while reducing adaptation man hours of misfire determination. The apparatus includes a first air/fuel ratio determiner to make a rich/lean determination, an injection amount corrector to calculate a corrected injection amount corresponding to a stoichiometric air/fuel ratio, an injection controller to supply fuel to the engine so as to match the corrected injection amount, a second air/fuel ratio determiner to make a rich/lean determination based on a comparison of the O2 sensor output with a rich and a lean determination voltage, a rich/lean period calculator to calculate a rich/lean period according to the determination of the second air/fuel ratio determiner, and a misfire determiner to determine the presence or absence of a misfire based on the rich/lean period. The injection controller stops fuel injection to the engine in the presence of a misfire.

In the past, in ordinary engine control apparatus, a signal in synchronization with the rotation of an engine is used at the time of controlling the ignition timing, fuel injection, etc., of the engine, but in cases where ignition is not carried out in a normal manner due to the failure of an ignition control system, etc., a misfire may occur, so that unburnt gas can be discharged, thus leading to the occurrence of defect or trouble in an exhaust system.
In addition, upon the occurrence of a misfire, the reduction of the engine output and the reduction of engine stability will be caused, and besides, the unburnt gas will be discharged as it is, thus resulting in an increase of harmful components in the exhaust gas.
Further, in cases where the unburnt gas burns inside a three-way catalyst which is arranged in an exhaust passage, there is a problem that the temperature of the three-way catalyst goes up unusually, causing damage or deterioration of the three-way catalyst.
Accordingly, in order to avoid the above-mentioned problems, there has been proposed a misfire detection device for an internal combustion engine (for example, see a first patent document).
In the conventional misfire detection device described in the above-mentioned first patent document, the angular velocity of the engine is calculated from a deviation between the current rotation period and the last rotation period detected by an engine rotation period detecting means, and the angular velocity and the angular velocity deviation at the time of the occurrence of a misfire are adapted in advance for every engine operating state to adaptively prepare a misfire determination angular velocity determination value, so that in cases where the angular velocity of the engine during operation thereof is larger than the misfire determination angular velocity determination value thus adaptively prepared, a determination is made that a misfire has occurred.
On the other hand, in general purpose engines which are mounted on products such as an electric generator, a lawn mower, etc., it is known that it is desirable for the engine to be driven to operate at an air fuel ratio at which the output power of the engine becomes a maximum (a so-called output air fuel ratio) and which is richer than the stoichiometric air fuel ratio.
In addition in recent years, the strengthening of exhaust emission control values according to legal regulations is also promoted in general purpose engines from the point of view of environmental protection, and hence, it is required that the general purpose engines be each equipped with a three-way catalyst and an O2 sensor, similar to car or automobile engines, so that they are controlled at a stoichiometric air fuel ratio at which the purification rate of the three-way catalyst is high.
However, those equipment on which general purpose engines are mounted may be difficult to carry out periodical maintenance, and so, they are often continued to be operated, while malfunctions in the general purpose engines are not been noticed.
In such a case, if an operating person has continued to operate a general purpose engine, without noticing a malfunction thereof (e.g., a defect of an ignition system such as a spark plug, etc.), it will be concerned, similarly as stated above, that unburnt gases generated by misfiring burn in the three-way catalyst arranged in the exhaust passage to raise the temperature of the three-way catalyst in an abnormal manner, so that the three-way catalyst may be damaged, resulting in a remarkable reduction in the exhaust gas purification ability thereof.
In addition, the deteriorated state of the exhaust gas due to the damage to the three-way catalyst is not sensed or noticed by the operating person, and hence in the worst case, harmful components in excess of the exhaust emission control values may continue to be discharged into the atmospheric air.
Here, note that, as in the above-mentioned first patent document, a misfire detection device based on the fluctuation of the angular velocity of an engine has been proposed, but in the case of a general purpose engine, it is difficult to detect, because of the engine structure, the fluctuation of the angular velocity of the engine due to misfiring thereof.
This is because the general purpose engine, being used in a lower rotational speed range in comparison with ordinary engines, is designed to have a large rotational inertia so that a stable operation can be obtained at low speed rotation.
In view of such a structure, the fluctuation of the angular velocity of a general purpose engine at the time of misfire can not be easily detected, and products and equipment on which general purpose engines are mounted cover a wide variety of range, and hence, it is also difficult to specify loaded conditions in advance.

Control apparatus for general purpose engine


A heat dissipation base includes a fixing plate and a metal heat conduction block. The fixing plate includes a plurality of heat pipe partitions and a plurality of heat pipe fixing openings, and the heat pipe fixing openings are formed between the heat pipe partitions. The metal heat conduction block is fixed to the fixing plate, and the fixing plate further includes a plurality of supporting portions to support shear surfaces at two ends of the heat conduction block.

With the increasing computing power of computers, the temperature control of electronic components such as central processing units and other electronic components is becoming more and more important. At present, most computers with high-speed computing performance use active cooling modules. The cooling module basically includes a fan, a heat pipe and cooling fins. The heat pipe utilizes a copper block fixed on the heat dissipation base to connect to a heat source, e.g. a central processor unit, and the heat pipe is also connected to the cooling fins, so that the heat is transferred to the cooling fins through the heat pipe. The cooling fins are assembled at the outlet of the fan, and the heat of the cooling fins is taken out of the computer by the airflow of the fan so as to stabilize the operation of the electronic component.
However, when the cooling module is fixed on a carrier board with fastening devices and screws, the substrate of the heat dissipation base has to bear a downward force generated by the screws, and the copper block in the heat dissipation base has to bear an upward force generated by the electronic component, so that the copper block may be recessed relative to the substrate of the heat dissipation base at the two ends of the rectangular copper block due to the shear force action. The depression phenomenon may reduce the heat dissipation efficiency of the cooling module.
Therefore, there is a need to improve the capability of the cooling module to resist the shear force between the copper block and the substrate so as to improve the heat dissipation efficiency of the cooling module.


A disclosed interactive gaming apparatus may include a flexible mat structure. The flexible mat structure may have at least one sensor module placed therein. The gaming apparatus may also include a main body having a computation module with gaming software installed therein. When the human operator motions, the sensor module may detect such motions along with data arising out of contact by the human operator on the flexible mat structure and deliver the same to the computation module. The computation module may compute the detected and enable a projector module to project an output image upon a surface of the flexible mat structure.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a gaming apparatus, in particular, to a gaming apparatus capable of interacting with human operators.
2. Description of Related Art
In recent days, the development of arcade gaming devices have been maturing as a variety of companies continue rolling out innovative games into the markets such as adventure games (AVG), shooting games (STG), light gun shooting games (GSTG), Action Games (ACT), fighting games (FTG), first-person shooting games (FPS), sports games (SPG), or racing games (RAG). Those games generally provide a platform allowing for the interactivity between the games themselves and human operators.
In one arcade gaming device in a traditional amusement park, a host with a built-in video game program, a display showing the execution result of the video program, a joystick or other control means and a token receptor are installed. Generally, the human operator inserts the token or coin into the token receptor and controls the video program with the joystick or other control means so as to achieve the interactivity.
However, in the above-mentioned operation mode the interactivity between the video program and the human operator is by shaking or waving the joystick or other control means, which renders any feedback (e.g., vibrations) to the operations of the human operator undesired when it comes to the user experience. Therefore, how to enhance increase the degree of verisimilitude should be among the top priority issues to be addressed by the industry.
Thus, an interactive gaming apparatus having any sensor modules and display modules incorporated and enabling the operations or maneuvering of the human operator to be more accurately presented on the display modules with the sensor modules, the interactivity or the related user experience would significantly improve when the human operator is expected to be in contact with the display modules.

Interactive gaming apparatus using an image projected onto a flexible mat


A beach umbrella is provided having a lowermost section assembled selectively with an intermediate and upper section, with the upper section including an umbrella canopy mounted thereto. The lowermost section includes a plurality of handles pivotally mounted about an upper collar of the lower section to enhance rotation of the lower section, with the lower section provided with a screw thread directed about a lowermost portion of the lower section to permit projecting of the lowermost section into an underlying beach surface to secure the umbrella in a fixed relationship to the beach. Latch means are arranged to secure the sections together.

1. Field of the Invention
The field of invention relates to umbrella structure, and more particularly pertains to a new and improved beach umbrella arranged for fixed securement to a beach surface.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Beach umbrellas of various types have been utilized throughout the prior art and typically, they are subject to prevailing winds and individuals inadvertently contacting the umbrella inducing the umbrella to tip and pivot requiring its repositioning. The instant invention attempts to overcome deficiencies of the prior art by providing for anchoring structure mounted within the beach umbrella to enhance the securement to a beach or an underlying support surface.
The prior art has heretofore failed to direct structure in a manner as set forth by the instant invention to permit securement of a beach umbrella to an underlying beach surface and accordingly there remains a need for a new and improved beach umbrella as set forth by the instant invention addressing both the problems of ease of use as well as effectiveness in construction and in this respect, the present invention substantially fulfills this need.


A circuit tuning radio frequency (RF) power. The circuit includes a low to mid frequency (LF/HF) tuning circuit including a variable LF/MF capacitor coupled in series with an LF/MF inductor. The LF/MF tuning circuit is coupled between ground and a common node configured to receive an RF input. The circuit includes a high frequency (HF) tuning circuit coupled in parallel to the LF/MF tuning circuit between ground and the common node. The HF tuning circuit includes a variable HF capacitor coupled in series with an HF inductor. Cross parallel isolation occurs between the LF/MF inductor of the LF/MF tuning circuit and the HF inductor of the HF tuning circuit when adjusting the variable LF/MF capacitor or variable HF capacitor.

In multi-station semiconductor processing systems including those performing deposition, input RF power is split and distributed to the multiple stations. In particular, the input RF power is split using one module or box for all the stations. That is, after splitting the RF power, no feasible tuning is available on a station-by-station basis. With the use of a single control box, it is infeasible to control the RF power delivered to each station to achieve any desired power distribution (balanced or unbalanced).
In addition, the real estate inside the module used for splitting the RF power may be limited, wherein the module splits and distributes the input RF power to multiple stations. This may be problematic as clearance and creepage limits increasingly become harder to meet, thereby introducing a risk of arcing within the internal circuitry.
Further, current technology uses series elements to adjust tune the output RF power, as supplied through a low to mid frequency RF power and/or a high frequency RF power. However, because of the nature of the topology, when tuning the output RF power there is no isolation between the circuit elements used for tuning. That is, tuning the low to mid frequency RF power will have an effect on the high frequency RF power, and vice versa tuning the high frequency RF power will have an effect on the low to mid frequency RF power. To accommodate for the lack of isolation may require additional circuit elements. However, this would require an increase in the volume of the module used for splitting the RF power, which is not always possible. Also, the additional circuit may create a risk of very high voltages, because of the series resonance.
In addition, current technology implements the manual tuning of capacitive elements within the module used for splitting the RF power, wherein the module splits and distributes the input RF power to multiple stations. However, once the capacitive element is set, the capacitor position (and value) is not further monitored. That is, there is no active tuning of the RF power once the capacitive element is set. Further, when communication is cut from the system or power cycle, the last capacitor position is not known.
The background description provided herein is for the purposes of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure
It is in this context that embodiments of the disclosure arise.

Modular recipe controlled calibration (MRCC) apparatus used to balance plasma in multiple station system


A method for imaging a scan region by controlling at least one of the relative phase and relative amplitude of multiple optical modes propagating through a multimode optical fiber to control the position of an output beam emitted from the output facet of the optical fiber is disclosed.

Optical fibers have become the backbone of terrestrial telecommunications systems, due to their enormous information carrying capacity. An optical fiber is a substantially transparent, flexible pipe, typically about the same diameter as a human hair, which can guide optical energy (i.e., light) along a path. Normally, an optical fiber is made of either glass or plastic.
An optical fiber guides light within a core that is surrounded by a cladding that serves to confine light within the core via a process referred to as "total internal reflection." In other words, as the light travels down the fiber, the interface between the core and the cladding acts like a mirror that reflects light rays back into the core material—even at bends in the optical fiber (subject to some practical limits). As a result, the optical fiber can guide light along a significantly circuitous route with little attenuation of the light.
Optical fibers typically fall into two main categories—single-mode fibers and multimode fibers. In a single-mode fiber, all of the optical energy of a light signal propagating through the fiber travels substantially along a single path down the core of the fiber. As a result, all of the optical energy in the signal travels the same distance and emerges from the output facet of the fiber concentrated in a single spot (i.e., as a single optical mode).
In a multimode fiber, however, optical energy of the light signal can take many different paths (typically hundreds to tens of thousands) down the core of the fiber. The different optical modes supported by the fiber reflect from the core/cladding interface at different angles and, therefore, travel different total distances through the fiber. The different modes can emerge from the output facet of the fiber with slightly different phase, launch angle, and from different locations on the output facet. In telecommunications applications, the disparity between the exit characteristics of the modes conveyed by a multimode optical fiber normally limits their use to short-distance applications, while single-mode fibers are primarily used for long-distance links.
In addition to their use in telecommunications, optical fibers have found utility in medical imaging applications. Conventional confocal microscopes or multiphoton microscopes are limited to imaging biological tissue to depths much less than one millimeter. Optical fiber-based endoscopes, on the other hand, can be inserted directly into a subject, such as an animal or a human, to enable imaging of matter deep within tissue. Endoscopes are widely used to image region within large body cavities, such as the gastrointestinal tract, the respiratory tract, as well as other regions such as brain matter and joint tissue during arthroscopic surgery.
A typical conventional flexible endoscope includes a bundle containing thousands of optical fibers, a high-power light source, and a miniature camera. Some of the fibers in the fiber bundle are used to channel light to the objective end to illuminate the tissue of interest. The remaining fibers in the bundle are used to relay optical images from the sample end to the camera.
More recently, endoscopic imagers have begun incorporating a scanning function, wherein a scanner at the source end is used to illuminate each fiber in the fiber bundle sequentially. This enables the output beam from the fiber bundle to be scanned over a sample area. The reflected light (or fluorescence signal) from the sample is then imaged back through the same fiber core so that a full sample image can be developed over a single scanning period.
One such fiber-bundle-based scanning endoscope was disclosed by French, et al., in U.S. Patent Application Publication 20110137126, published Jun. 9, 2011. In this system, a synthesized curved wavefront is provided to the input end of a fiber bundle containing thousands of single-mode optical fibers. By controlling this wavefront, the relative phase of the light in each single-mode optical fiber can be made to constructively interfere in a desired manner at the output end of the fiber bundle. Control over this constructive interference enables focusing of the light emerging from the fiber bundle over different points in a three-dimensional volume.
Unfortunately, due in part to the limited number of optical fibers in the fiber bundle, the image quality of such endoscopes is limited. In addition, the relatively large diameter of the fiber bundle (0.5 mm or more) makes them incompatible for insertion into sensitive, confined areas of tissue. As a result, efforts toward reducing the size of these imaging systems have been of great interest.
Di Leonardo, et al., presented a fiber-based imaging system based on a single optical fiber in "Hologram transmission through multi-mode optical fibers," Optics Express, Vol. 19, No. 1, pp. 247-254 (2011). The disclosed imaging system replaced control of the optical modes in each single-mode fiber of a bundle of optical fibers by control over the different optical modes travelling through a solitary multi-mode optical fiber. As a result, the disclosed imaging systems can potentially have a significantly reduced size. Unfortunately, these systems are limited to scanning the output beam of the optical fiber in two dimensions. Further, the reliance of these single-fiber systems on a collimating lens at the output of the optical fiber places an upper bound on which the size of such systems can be reduced.
A small diameter, fiber-based beam scanning system that can scan an output signal in three-dimensions, therefore, remains unrealized in the prior art.

The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University


Systems and methods are described for remotely controlling a personal or digital video recorder (PVR/DVR), a set top box (STB), a placeshifting device, or any other media server. A communications session is established between a server host and the media server in response to a connection request received from the client. Information about the content processed at the media server is received via the session and provided to the client. In response to subsequent instructions received from the client, the media server can be controlled, or other actions can be taken, by providing directions to the media server from the host via the communications session. Additional or alternate features may be provided as desired.

The Internet and other digital communications networks continue to have significant effects on every aspect of personal and professional life. Network communications are becoming increasingly ubiquitous due to the reduced cost and increased capability of portable computing devices, as well as the increasing prevalence and capability of mobile telephony and other wireless communications technologies. Additionally, more and more devices, including set top boxes (STBs), television receivers, personal or digital video recorders (DVRs), placeshifting devices and the like are becoming enabled for communications over digital networks. Consumers are therefore expecting convenient control of their media content from a wide range of locations and settings.
A challenge often arises, however, in remotely controlling network-enabled media devices such as STBs, DVRs, placeshifting devices, and the like. Firewalls and other security mechanisms, for example, can limit direct access to consumer devices that are located on a home network. As a result, difficulties can arise in contacting the device to record or view programming, to change settings on the device, to view content available via the device, or to perform other tasks. Although some have attempted to establish communications with media devices over the Internet or other networks, these limited solutions have typically relied upon periodic polling by the device to obtain any commands from a remote server. These polling schemes are prone to processing delays, as well as a lack of convenient feedback or confirmation when a user requests an action. Further, the types of actions that are available through polling schemes have, in practice, been severely limited.
As a result, it is now desirable to create systems and methods for controlling a DVR, STB, placeshifting device or other network-enabled media server device. Such systems and methods would ideally provide a rich set of control options that would be available from a wide array of client devices. These and other desirable features and characteristics will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background section.

Systems and methods for remotely controlling a media server via a network


A vacuum operated container holder includes a support having a valve actuated vacuum source coupled thereto for selectively applying a vacuum to a resilient horizontally extending container support member for holding a container in place thereon. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the container holder valve is actuated by the placement of a container on the support platform and rotating the container to activate or deactivate the valve which couples the support platform to a vacuum source using a natural wrist motion.

The present invention pertains to a container holder for a vehicle and particularly one which employs a vacuum source for operation.
Container holders for vehicles have become a popular accessory to allow, for example, a driver or passenger of a vehicle to enjoy a cup of coffee or soft drink in relative safety when both hands are needed. The container can be placed in a holder which frees the hands of the user for driving activities when not actually drinking from the container. There have been a variety of container holders which accommodate cans, mugs, Styrofoam cups and other containers for such purpose. Frequently the arms of the container holders are either adjustable or flexible in some manner to accommodate different container shapes. The primary difficulty with holding a variety of containers is that the diameter and/or sidewall taper of the containers can vary greatly from container to container thereby requiring a container holder with somewhat complicated mechanical arms or other structure to accommodate the varying shape of the containers now in common use. The disadvantage of such prior systems is the complexity required which not only increases the cost of the container holders but also increases the possibility of mechanical failure due to the many moving parts common in several container holder designs.
One common parameter for all containers be they cups, cans, mugs or the like is that they all either have a flat bottom or a bottom with a ring which forms a flat ring support for the container when resting on a substantially flat surface. This common design feature in all containers has not, to date, been recognized as one which can be utilized as a design parameter for the design of a uniform cupholder which relies entirely upon this design parameter for its holding mechanism.


An underwater scooter including a main frame on which are disposed two air tanks serving as a saddle area for the operator, a depth adjusting mechanism disposed to the fore of the air tanks, and a steering mechanism disposed to the aft of the air tanks. The depth adjusting mechanism can be swiveled freely around a vertical axis using a swivel mechanism, and moreover the angular displacement in this swiveling is transmitted by a swivel angle displacement transmission mechanism to the steering mechanism so that a rudder swivels around a vertical axis, and thus while the underwater scooter is traveling, the operator can ride upon the main frame and also adjust the depth of travel and direction of forward motion of the underwater scooter by manipulating the depth adjusting mechanism and steering mechanisms. Thus, the burden on the operator is reduced in comparison to that of the conventional types of scooters that tow the operator.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an underwater scooter that can travel on the surface of the water or underwater.
2. Description of the Related Art
Underwater scooters that can travel on the surface of the water or underwater under the control of an operator (diver) have been proposed in the past. This type of underwater scooter typically generates thrust by an internal combustion engine or electrical motor that drives a propeller as the drive power. Moreover, it is provided with grips that are held onto by the operator, in a constitution such that it tows an operator holding onto the grips and assists their forward motion, as taught in Japanese Patent Publication No. Hei 4(1992)-17832, for example.
With underwater scooters according to the prior art, the operator must continue to hold onto the grips during the entire time while being towed by the underwater scooter, so there are drawbacks in that the arms may readily become fatigued and this is a heavy burden. When adjusting the direction of movement or depth of travel, the operator must use the arms to adjust the direction of the underwater scooter, so the burden is particularly heavy at these times.


A charged particle reaction cell of the present invention has a serially-arranged plurality of ring electrodes, wherein a modulated radio frequency voltage obtained by modulating the amplitude of a radio frequency voltage is applied, whereby ions are captured at the bottom of the ups and downs of a formed pseudopotential and are transferred with the move of the pseudopotential. In the charged particle reaction cell, the time required for the charged particle reaction can be secured and also the problem of the decrease of the throughput or the mass resolution can be solved, and the speed of the structure analysis of a measurement sample can be accelerated.

In mass spectrometry, sample molecules are ionized and introduced into a vacuum (or ionized in a vacuum), and mass to charge ratios of target molecular ions are measured by measuring movements of the ions in an electromagnetic field. Since the obtained information represents macroscopic quantities of the mass to charge ratios, it is difficult to obtain information on internal structure by a single mass analysis. Accordingly, a method called tandem mass spectrometry is used. That is, sample ions are isolated or selected in the first mass analysis. These ions are referred to as precursor ions. Subsequently, the precursor ions are dissociated by a certain technique. The dissociated ions are referred to as fragment ions. The dissociated ions are further mass-analyzed, thereby obtaining information on the generation patterns of the fragment ions. Since there is a rule for dissociation patterns depending on each dissociation technique, it is possible to infer the sequence structure of the precursor ions. Particularly, in the fields of analysis of biomolecules composed of protein, adiabatic reactions, such as charged particle reaction, using Collision Induced Dissociation (CID), Infra-Red Multi-Photon Dissociation (IRMPD), and Electron Capture Dissociation (ECD), Electron Transfer Dissociation (ETD), Proton Transfer charge Reduction (PTR), and Fast Atomic Bombardment (FAB), are used for the dissociation technique.
CID is currently widely used in the field of protein analysis. A kinetic energy is provided to the precursor ions to allow them to collide with gas. Molecular vibration is excited by the collision and the molecular chain is dissociated at sites susceptible to cleavage. Further, a method that has recently come to be used is IRMPD. The precursor ions are irradiated by an infra-red laser to allow them to absorb multiple photons. The molecular vibrations are excited and a molecular chain is dissociated at a site susceptible to cleavage. The sites susceptible to cleavage by CID or IRMPD are sites designated as a-x and b-y in the backbone consisting of an amino acid sequence. It is known that a complete structural analysis cannot be carried out only by CID or IRMPD, because even when sites correspond to a-x and b-y, those are sometimes hard to be cleaved depending on the kind of the amino acid sequence pattern. Therefore, a pretreatment using an enzyme or the like is necessary, which hampers high-speed analysis. Further, when CID or IRMPD is used for post-translationally modified biomolecules, side chains involved in the post-translational modification tend to be easily cleaved. Due to facile cleavage of the side chains, it is possible to determine, based on lost mass, molecular species involved in the modification and whether or not it is modified. However, important information on modification sites concerning which amino acids are modified is lost.
On the other hand, ECD, ETD, and the like, which are the adiabatic dissociating methods using an electron, as other dissociation means, are less dependent on an amino acid sequence (as an exception, proline residue with a cyclic structure is not cleaved) and cleave only one c-z site on the backbone of the amino acid sequence. Therefore, a complete analysis of the backbone chain sequence of a protein molecule can be performed only by the mass spectrometric approach. In addition, ECD, ETD, and the like are suitable for research and analysis of post-translational modification owing to its property of hardly cleaving side chains. Therefore, the dissociation techniques of ECD and ETD have attracted particular attention in recent years. CID and IRMPD, ECD and ETD, and the like can be utilized mutually complementarily because they provide different sequence information, respectively.
In the mass spectrometers of an ion trap type, a quadrupole type, or the like, a radio frequency voltage is applied to a three-dimensional ion trap or to multipole electrodes, thereby focusing the ions to their trajectories.
Non-Patent Document 3 describes a principle that ions are focused to their trajectories in the radial direction by an application of a radio frequency voltage with the use of an idea of pseudopotential. The pseudopotential is the one obtained by expressing a potential in the radial direction formed by a radio frequency voltage with such a potential that is formed by a DC voltage. The ion trap using the radio frequency voltage features that ions can be focused and captured regardless of a positive ion or a negative ion.
Non-Patent Document 1 describes an ETD technique inside a radio frequency ion trap. In a structure of three-series of quadrupole ion traps (LTQ mass spectrometer) provided with wall electrodes, positive ions are introduced from one of two input/output ports for ions placed on both sides and then are kept captured, subsequently negative ions are introduced from the opposite port, and both the positive and negative ions enter into a potential generated by an application of a DC voltage. Then, a secondary radio frequency voltage is applied to the quadrupole and the wall electrodes to react the positive ions and negative ions to each other, thereby causing an ETD reaction.
An ECD technique inside the three-dimensional and radio frequency linear ion traps is described in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2. Here, there is proposed the ECD technique, in which a magnetic field is applied onto ion trajectories of the three-dimensional ion trap and linear ion trap, and this magnetic field restricts the electron trajectories so as to avoid the heating of electrons. In the configuration using a three-dimensional ion trap, there is proposed a method, in which a magnet is placed inside a ring electrode or outside an end cap, and electrons are introduced from the outside of the ion trap. Moreover, in the configuration using a linear ion trap, there is proposed a method, in which a magnetic field is applied onto the central axis of the linear ion trap, and electrons are introduced from within the magnetic field onto the ion trajectories.
An ECD technique inside a radio-frequency linear ion trap is described in Non-Patent Document 2. Here, there is described the ECD method, in which a magnetic field is applied to the ion trajectories of a linear quadrupole electrode ion trap to restrict the electron trajectories, thereby avoiding the heating of electrons.
Patent Document 3 discloses a method, in which ions are transported using a DC voltage in a fragment device comprising a serially arranged plurality of electrodes. Namely, a potential hill and well are formed with a DC voltage, and ions are pushed out at this potential hill and are captured at this potential well, whereby the ions are transported by transferring the potential hill and potential well. Moreover, by changing an applying method of the DC voltage, the speed of the potential hill and well can be adjusted, and consequently the transporting speed of ions can be adjusted. This approach can adjust the transit time of ions.    Patent Document 1: U.S. Pat. No. 6,800,851 B1    Patent Document 2: US Patent Application Publication No. US 2004/0155180 A1    Patent Document 3: U.S. Pat. No. 6,884,995 B2    Non-Patent Document 1: John E. P. Syka et al., PNAS, vol. 101, No. 26, pp. 9528-9533    Non-Patent Document 2: Takashi Baba et al., Analytical Chemistry, 2004, vol. 76, pp. 4263-4266    Non-Patent document 3: H. G. Dehmelt et al., Adv. At. MolPhys 353 (1967), pp. 53-72

Ion guide device, ion reactor, and mass analyzer


An electrical connection structure includes a variable-composition nickel alloy layer with a minor constituent selected from a group consisting of boron, carbon, phosphorus, and tungsten, wherein at least over a portion of a conductive substrate, the concentration of the minor constituent decreases throughout the variable-composition nickel alloy layer in a direction from the bottom surface of the variable-composition nickel alloy layer to the top surface of the variable-composition nickel alloy layer.

Barrier layers can be used in myriad electrical connections in a variety of electrical applications. For example, a barrier layer can be used in semiconductor applications to prevent diffusion of the materials adjacent the barrier layer. For example, a barrier layer can be used to prevent diffusion between a substrate layer and an adhesion layer. Barrier layers can also be used to promote the adhesion (i.e., the wetting characteristic) between two or more materials, such as between a substrate layer and an adhesion layer. Barrier layers can be also used in, for example without limitation, semiconductor chip structures, packaging, flat panel applications, and magnetics.
In order to minimize the overall size of the electronic structure in which the barrier layer is used (e.g., an interconnect structure) and to reduce manufacturing costs, it would be beneficial to incorporate barrier layers that are thinner than traditional barrier layers yet retain the functionality of the barrier layer, such as preventing diffusion of the layers adjacent the barrier and providing adhesion.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


Multistrand metal cable of 4×(4+M) construction, which can especially be used for reinforcing tire belts for industrial vehicles, formed from four elementary strands assembled in a helix with a helix pitch P3, each elementary strand consisting of a two-layer cable of 4+M construction comprising an inner layer C1 formed from four wires of diameter D1, assembled in a helix with a pitch P1, and an unsaturated outer layer C2 of M wires, M being greater than or equal to 8 and smaller than or equal to 11, of diameter D2, these being assembled in a helix with a pitch P2 around the inner layer C1, P1 being smaller than P2, the four wires of the inner layer C1 being wound in a helix in the same twist direction as the M wires of the outer layer C2, and wherein each of the diameters D1 and D2 is greater than or equal to 0.10 mm but less than or equal to 0.50 mm.

As is known, a radial tire comprises a tread, two inextensible beads, two sidewalls connecting the beads to the tread, a carcass reinforcement and a belt placed circumferentially between the carcass reinforcement and the tread. The belt is made up of various rubber plies (or "layers") which may or may not be reinforced by reinforcing elements such as cabled threads or monofilaments, of the metal or textile type.
The belt generally consists of several superposed belt plies, sometimes called "working" plies or "crossed" plies, the generally metallic reinforcing cables of which are placed so as to be practically parallel to one another within a ply but at an angle from one ply to another, that is to say they are inclined, whether symmetrically or not, to the median circumferential plane. These crossed plies are generally accompanied by various other auxiliary rubber plies or layers, which vary in width depending on the case and may or may not comprise metal reinforcing elements. Mention may in particular be made of what are called "protective" plies responsible for protecting the rest of the belt from external attack and especially from perforations, or else what are called "hooping" plies having metallic or non-metallic reinforcing elements oriented substantially along the circumferential direction, (so-called "zero-degree" plies), irrespective of whether they are radially outside or inside with respect to the crossed plies.
As is known, such a tire belt must meet various, often contradictory, requirements, in particular:
it must be as rigid as possible at low deformation, as it contributes substantially to stiffening the tire crown;
it must have as low a hysteresis as possible, in order, on the one hand, to minimize heating of the inner region of the crown during travel and, on the other hand, to reduce the rolling resistance of the tire, this being synonymous with fuel economy; and
finally, it must have a high endurance, in particular with respect to the phenomenon of separation, i.e. cracking of the ends of the crossed plies in the shoulder region of the tire, known as "cleavage", which in particular requires metal cables that reinforce the belt plies to have a high compressive fatigue strength, even in a relatively corrosive atmosphere.
The requirement of high endurance is particularly important in the case of tires for industrial vehicles, such as heavy goods vehicles or civil engineering machinery, which are designed in particular to be able to be retreaded one or more times when their treads reach a critical stage of wear after prolonged travel or usage.
Furthermore, the tire belts for industrial vehicles comprise, as is known, one or more "protective" crown plies or layers located beneath the tread and covering the working crown ply or plies, which are designed to protect the rest of the belt from external attack, tearing or other perforations.
These protective plies or layers must be sufficiently flexible and deformable so that, on the one hand, they best follow the shape of the obstacle on which the belt bears during travel and, on the other hand, they prevent the penetration of foreign bodies radially thereinto. As is known, to meet such criteria requires the use, in these protective layers, of reinforcing elements or cables having a high elasticity and a high fracture energy.
For the reinforcement of the protective crown plies, the hooping plies and the working crown plies of tires for heavy industrial vehicles, it is general practice at the present time to use multistrand cables, especially multistrand cables having a single layer (i.e. with no central core of one or more other strands) of K×(L+M) construction, the K elementary strands of which are assembled, wound simultaneously in a helix as a single layer, with an assembly pitch PK. Each of the K two-layer elementary strands, of L+M construction, itself comprises a plurality of steel wires also wound together in a helix as two concentric layers (an inner layer of L wires and an outer layer of M wires).
Such multistrand cables having a K×(L+M) construction, especially of the type having a high elongation, are well known and have been described in many patent documents, in particular for reinforcing protective crown plies of tires for industrial vehicles such as heavy goods or civil engineering vehicles (see for example EP 1000074, U.S. Pat. No. 6,475,636, U.S. Pat. No. 7,458,200, WO 2004/003287 or US 2005/0183808, WO 2004/033789 or U.S. Pat. No. 7,089,726 or else RD (Research Disclosure) No 33877, June 1992, 488-492.
As is well known to those skilled in the art, these multistrand cables must be impregnated as much as possible by the rubber in the tire belts that they reinforce so that said rubber penetrates as much as possible into the spaces between the wires constituting the strands. If this penetration is insufficient, empty channels then remain along the strands, and corrosive agents, for example water, capable of penetrating the tires, for example as a result of the tire belt being cut or otherwise attacked, travel along these channels through said belt. The presence of this moisture plays an important role, causing corrosion and accelerating the fatigue process (so-called "fatigue-corrosion" effect) compared to use in a dry atmosphere.
All these fatigue effects, generally grouped together under the generic term "fatigue-fretting corrosion", are the cause of progressive degeneration of the mechanical properties of the cables and strands and may, under the most severe running conditions, affect the lifetime of the tires.

High-permeability elastic multistrand metal cable

COMPAGNIE GENERALE DES ESTABLISSEMENTS MICHELIN


A downhole plug, has an elongate body, the body having a longitudinal axis; a first seal arranged on an outer surface of the elongate body; and a second seal arranged on the outer surface of the elongate body and spaced longitudinally from the first seal. A production tubing for a petroleum well, includes a pipe, at least one side pocket mandrel, and at least one plug.

During downhole operations in petroleum production, there are in certain situations a need for communication between a production tubular and an outer annulus between the production tubular and the well casing. Two examples of such downhole operations are gas lift and chemical injection. During gas lift, injecting gas into the production pipe from the annulus assists the production, i.e. the well flow. Similarly, chemical injection can be used, wherein chemicals are injected into the production pipe.
Typically, a controlled amount of gas or chemicals can be injected by means of a control device, which can, for example, be integrated into a side pocket mandrel (SPM) in the production tubular. Such a control device will typically comprise one or more valves disposed in openings in the production pipe, thereby permitting a controlled fluid communication between the annulus and the inside of the production pipe. In some cases, a plurality of valves are provided in series to achieve a double (or multiple) barrier. Documents which may be useful for understanding the background include international patent applications WO 2014/118380 A2 and WO 2016/003890 A1, and US patent document U.S. Pat. No. 6,932,581 B2, U.S. Pat. No. 5,054,558 and US 2010/0122819 A1.
A well goes through several phases during its lifetime. Production rates will usually decline as the well gets more mature, because reservoir pressure drops. Various means can be employed to counteract such a decline in production, for example downhole pumps, gas lift or chemical treatment. There may also be a need for stimulation of the reservoir itself, e.g. through fracturing, chemical treatment, or similar.
When using gas lift valves arranged in SPMs in the production tubing, there may be a considerable period between completion of the well and start of production, and the time at which the pressure has dropped to a level where gas lift is required. This period may be several years. During this time there is no need to have idle valves installed in the SPM, and it may be disadvantageous since such valves may be subjected to clogging, erosion, or other negative effects. In such cases, complicated and laborious operations may be required to repair or replace the valves. Also for the purpose of various other well operations it may be an advantage not having SPM valves installed from the time of completion.
Rather than leaving operational valves installed, unused and idle, it is common to use so-called dummy plugs. These are, in principle, plugs which close the connection between the annulus and the production tubing. When required, the dummies can then be replaced with operational valves in a well intervention operation.
Since the installation of such dummies takes place downhole, it is important that these are easy to install and remove, with low risk of error. Moreover, such dummies may be installed and left in place for long periods of time, commonly several years, and may be subjected to very harsh conditions downhole. It is therefore of critical importance that these dummies are reliable and have low failure rates.
The present invention aims to address challenges and limitations with known technology and provide improved solutions and techniques in relation to such plugs.

Plug and production tubing for a petroleum well


A push-on switch includes a contact substrate provided thereon with a switch contact assembly, and an elastically deformable member disposed on the switch contact assembly. The push-on switch further includes a push button having a plate portion and a tubular portion. The tubular portion extends downward from the peripheral edge of the plate portion to surround an upper portion of the elastically deformable member. The plate portion is formed with a recess on an underside thereof at its center. A bottom surface of the recess is placed on a top surface of the elastically deformable member. The push-on switch further includes a tubular case fixed to the contact substrate. The tubular case supports the tubular portion of the push button so as to be vertically movable in the tubular case.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a push-on switch having a long operation stroke, which is utilized, for example, in a keyboard for an electronic device.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Recently, following size reduction and functional advancement of electronic devices, there has been an increased demand for push-on switches having long operation strokes for avoiding misoperation, in addition to having reduced size and thickness and providing enhanced feedback operation feelings.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 3-214519 discloses a long-stroke push-on switch, which will be explained with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9A-9B.
FIG. 8 is a front-sectional view of the conventional long-stroke push-on switch. In the figure, numeral 1 denotes a box-type switch case made of resin by molding. At the bottom of the switch case 1, a pair of outer fixed contacts 2 and a central fixed contact 3 are fixed through insert molding. The outer fixed contacts 2 are connected to a connecting terminal 2A while the central fixed contact 3 is connected to a connecting terminal 3A. A movable contact member 4 in the form of an elastic metal thin plate is disposed on the outer fixed contacts 2.
FIGS. 9A and 9B are a plan and a front view of the movable contact member 4, respectively. As shown in these figures, the movable contact member 4 comprises a tongue contact portion 4A formed at the center by blanking the metal thin plate, and a peripheral portion 4C continuous with the tongue contact portion 4A at a root portion 4B. The tongue contact portion 4A is bent at the root portion 4B so as to protrude upward. The peripheral portion 4C is disposed on the outer fixed contacts 2 and thus electrically connected thereto, while the central tongue contact portion 4A confronts the central fixed contact 3 with a gap therebetween in the non-actuated state of the switch.
Numeral 6 denotes a dome-shaped spring member made of an elastic material, such as rubber. The spring member 6 has a dome-shaped hollow body 6A whose lower end is disposed on the peripheral portion 4C of the movable contact member 4. The spring member 6 further comprises an upward projection 6B and a downward projection 6C provided at the top of the dome-shaped body 6A. A push button 7 is placed on the upward projection 6B, while the downward projection 6C confronts the tongue contact portion 4A of the movable contact member 4.
The push button 7 comprises a lower portion 7A having a pair of projections 7B formed on the outer periphery thereof, and an upper portion 7C continuous with the lower portion 7A. The lower portion 7A is received in the switch case 1 such that the outer periphery of the lower portion 7A is vertically slidable along the inner periphery of a side wall 1A of the switch case 1 without inclination. Further, the projections 7B are slidably received in a pair of vertical grooves 1B formed on the inner periphery of the side wall 1A so as to be prevented from rotation and slipping off upward.
Now, an operation of the conventional push-on switch will be explained. When the top surface of the push button 7 is pressed by an operation button (not shown) of a using device, the dome-shaped spring member 6 in the switch case 1 is pushed downward by the push button 7 so as to be elastically deformed with tactile feedback to a user's finger. Then, the downward projection 6C of the spring member 6 pushes downward the tongue contact portion 4A of the movable contact member 4 so that the underside of the tongue contact portion 4A abuts the central fixed contact 3. Thus, electrical connection is achieved between the outer fixed contacts 2 and the central fixed contact 3, that is, between the connecting terminals 2A and 3A. Thereafter, when the push button 7 is released, the switch returns to the state shown in FIG. 8 due to elastic restoring forces of the dome-shaped spring member 6 and the movable contact member 4 so that the connecting terminals 2A and 3A are disconnected from each other.
As described above, in the foregoing conventional push-on switch, the dome-shaped spring member 6 in the switch case 1 is pushed downward by the push button 7 so as to be elastically deformed with the tactile feedback to the user's finger. However, for holding the push button 7 in the switch case 1 so as to be vertically movable along the inner periphery of the side wall 1A without inclination, a length H1 of the lower portion 7A of the push button 7 is required to be considerably large. Further, for reliably operating the switch, a length H2 of the upper portion 7C projected from the switch case 1 is required to be larger than an operation stroke of the switch. Accordingly, it is difficult to reduce the height of the switch.
Further, it is difficult to form, with high accuracy, the vertical grooves 1B on the inner periphery of the side wall 1A of the switch case 1 by molding with resin, particularly, in the small-size switch.

Long-stroke push-on switch with reduced height

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


A candle box for storing individual candles and candle accessories. The box includes a housing with a top opening, a tray for storing candle accessories that fits within the top opening of the housing, and a slidable lid for covering the tray. The housing has a bottom and four side walls that define the top opening. The tray has a bottom integral with four tray side walls that, when placed within the opening of the housing, engage the interior surface of housing side walls to create an airtight enclosure. The lid has a top cover and three side walls, two of which are adapted to slidably engage any two opposing side walls of the tray. The top cover includes a snap-lock for engaging one of tray walls when the lid is in the closed position.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to storage containers, and more particularly to boxes for storing candles and associated candle accessories.
2. Description of Related Art
Candles are delicate and easily damaged. They must be transported and stored with care to prevent damage, or in case of scented candles, to assure fresh scent at the time of use. Furthermore, exposure to moisture may inhibit relighting, and continuous exposure to light may cause candle colors to fade. Finally, candle accessories, such as candle matches and candle wipes for cleaning soot from candle jars, are usually kept out of sight or stored in separate containers.
Candles are typically sold in retail boxes that usually do not meet the strict requirements for proper long term candle care, since the purpose of retail boxes is to provide an inexpensive transport container. More specifically, the retail boxes are usually made of paper material that does not effectively prevent fragrance evaporation nor protect against moisture. Thus, candle enthusiasts often have to resort to wrapping candles in paper towels, sealing them in airtight plastic pouches, and storing them out of direct sunlight.

Box for storing candle and candle accessories


A wafer level package with integrated antenna includes a contacting layer, an antenna layer with integrated antenna as well as a chip layer having at least one chip arranged between the contacting layer and the antenna layer. Further, means for shielding are implemented between the antenna layer and the chip layer.

The antennas in eWLB and InFO cannot be optimized without adapting the dimensions of the RDL and the mold material, which limits the freedom of design of the platform.
Both in eWLB and in InFO, the fields of the integrated antennas are not shielded from the chips and other integrated components. The undesired interaction can result in EMC problems.
In eWLB, the radiation of an integrated antenna cannot cover the entire hemisphere (the entire horizontal and vertical plane) without causing undesired coupling with other integrated components. The reason for that is that other components are integrated on the same plane as the antennas. Thus, there is the need for an improved approach.

Wafer level package with integrated antennas and means for shielding

Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der angewandten Forschung e.V.


A storage case that detects and indicates presence of oscillating or quiescent activity of hearing aids is disclosed. Within the storage case, there is a transducer coupled to a logic circuit. The logic circuit is further coupled to one or more visual cues. The transducer picks up any sounds within the storage case and converts the sounds into electrical signals. The logic circuit receives the electrical signals and activates a visual cue that alerts the user if the logic circuit interprets at least one of the electrical signals to be from an oscillating or quiescent activity of the hearing aid.

1. Field of Invention
This invention is directed to storage cases for hearing aids. More particularly, this invention is directed to storage cases which are employed by the hearing aid users when the hearing aids are not being used, i.e., when the hearing aids are removed from the users' ears.
2. Description of Related Art
Hearing aids are generally used by people whose hearing is impaired. By using a hearing aid, the user is able to hear sounds which otherwise would not be heard. A popular hearing aid is a miniaturized ear insertion device that contains a microphone, an amplifying circuit and a loud speaker. These hearing aids are usually provided with a rotary switch that provides for volume (gain) control. Usually, the rotary switch can be rotated to an off position.
A hearing aid user frequently removes the hearing aid from his or her ear for various reasons, including to sleep. In many of these instances, the user wants to turn off the hearing aid to conserve battery power, but inadvertently increases the volume control to maximum volume instead (e.g., by rotating the volume control knob in the wrong direction). In other instances, the user simply forgets to turn off the hearing aid upon removal.
When a hearing aid is "on" and set on an acoustically reflective surface such as a nightstand, the loud speaker may become acoustically coupled to the microphone due to inherent "noise" in the hearing aid, which may create an oscillating phenomenon with an acoustic output. This oscillating phenomenon dissipates battery energy as acoustical energy. Because the user's hearing is impaired, the user does not hear this oscillating phenomenon. This results in the battery of the hearing aid being prematurely and unnecessarily drained, thereby shortening the battery life.
Hearing aid storage cases are known which automatically turn off hearing aids when the hearing aids are properly aligned in the cases. However, many users find the proper alignment of the hearing aids in these storage cases to be inconvenient and difficult, and these cases do not work with all brands and models of hearing aids.
Thus, there is a need in the art for an apparatus which signals hearing aid users when they have removed their hearing aids, but have forgotten or inadvertently neglected to turn the hearing aids off. This invention addresses this need, as well as other needs apparent from this disclosure.

Hearing aid storage case with hearing aid activity detection


The current document discloses an automated method and system for inferring the logical rules underlying the configuration and versioning state of the components and subcomponents of a complex system, including data centers and other complex computational environments. The methods and systems employ a database of configuration information and construct an initial set of logical rules, or hypotheses, regarding system configuration. Then, using simulated annealing and a variant of genetic programming, the methods and systems disclosed in the current document carry out a search through the hypothesis state space for the system under several constrains in order to find one or more hypotheses that best explain the configuration and, when available, configuration history. The constraints include minimization of the complexity of the hypotheses and maximizing the accuracy by which the hypotheses predict observed configuration and configuration history.

As the data-storage capacities, computational bandwidths, data-transfer bandwidths, and other characteristics of computer systems have geometrically increased during the past 60 years, and as computer systems and processor-control devices have inexorably permeated and come to dominate many different areas of human activity as well as provided the foundation for many new types of human activity, including electronic commerce and electronic social networking, the complexity of computer systems has also geometrically increased. While early computers featured a single processor, very small, dedicated data-storage components, and primitive input/output devices, modern computer systems may comprise thousands or more processors within hundreds or more discrete computer systems distributed over geographical areas and interconnected by high-speed electronic communications connections. While early computer systems were capable of running only a single program, at any given point in time, even modern personal computers may store the data and instructions for tens, hundreds, or even thousands of different programs, a large number of which may be running at any given point in time. Early computer systems lacked even basic operating systems, while modern computers often feature virtualization layers, multiple operating systems, many specialized applications, and many other types of programs and utilities.
The configuration, management, and administration of large, complex modern computer systems has, as a result of the increasing complexity of modern computer systems, become a separate field in computer science and an important and ongoing undertaking within organizations that deploy and maintain computer systems, including data centers, cloud-computing facilities, and networked personal computers and servers that together provide computational facilities for employees within various types of organizations. In general, in modern computer systems, the components and subcomponents of a computer system, including firmware components, hardware components, and software components, are associated with various types of identifying information, including a version number. Generally, during the period of time over which a type of product is manufactured and sold, the product is revised and updated at various points in time, with each new revision and major update associated with a new version number. Often, the version numbers are multi-part version identifiers that identify the major version and one or more additional levels of subordinate versions. One part of the configuration and administration tasks associated with complex systems is to ensure that components of the complex systems are updated according to various rules, procedures, policies, and schedules. As one example, software applications and operating systems are frequently updated through distribution of various patches produced by ongoing bug detection and amelioration efforts carried out by operating-system vendors. Administration of the system may involve formulating various procedures and rules, such as a rule that each operating system within one or more discrete computer systems within a complex, distributed computing environment must be updated to the most current available major version of the operating system and to within three versions of a latest subordinate version, such as subordinate versions corresponding to minor feature-and-function updates.
Unfortunately, while the various rules, procedures, policies, and schedules for carrying out updates to, and replacement of, components of a complex system are often rationally devised and well understood by certain individuals within an organization, they may be easily lost due to personnel changes and reassignments or become obscured, over time, as the complex systems grow and change and additional administrators are assigned to their administration. In many cases, including cases in which complex systems are virtualized for running within virtual data centers, acquired by new management groups or organizations, or operationally moved to different physical facilities, it may become necessary to determine and clearly specify the various procedures, rules, policies, and schedules that underlie the current configuration and, when available, the configuration history of a complex system. Currently, only imperfect methods and techniques are available for recovering information about the rules, procedures, policies, and schedules that define system configurations and that steer system administration. These methods include interviewing those who developed the rules, procedures, policies, and schedules and those who have used the rules, procedures, and schedules to configure and maintain a system and attempting to infer the rules, procedures, policies, and schedules from incomplete written records. The current document is directed to an automated system for inferring the logical rules underlying the configuration and version management within complex systems using information about the current configuration of the complex system as well as historical configuration information, when available.

Method and system for determining configuration rules based on configurations of complex systems


A drilling tool includes a drill body having axially spaced front and rear ends. The front end includes tangential pockets for carrying cutting inserts spaced by respective radial distances from a center axis of rotation of the drill body. Two chip canals are formed in the front end surface adjacent respective pockets for conducting away chips. The canals are interconnected by a chip space located rearwardly of the front surface, to form in the drill body a bridge which extends diametrically and carries a plurality of the pockets. Each insert pocket includes an axially extending abutment surface against which a rear wall of a respective insert engages. Each of the abutment surfaces and rear walls is of semi-circular shape.

The present invention relates to a drilling tool for the chip-breaking machining of metallic materials, especially for so-called ejector drilling. However, it may also advantageously be used for so-called BTA-drilling.
It is known to use cutting inserts of cemented carbide for drills, which inserts are fastened by mechanical fastening arrangements, the inserts being provided with one or more recesses in the chip surface for chip-breaking purposes. Such drills are, for instance, known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,215,957. However, it has turned out to be difficult to attain an optimal forming of the chips. That is, it has been impossible to attain the desired short, comma-shaped chips, at the same time as it has been impossible to reduce power consumption when running the drill in the desired way.
Further, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,302,060 drilling tool is described comprising a drill body on which two or more cutting inserts are mounted. The inserts are substantially formed as trapezoids and are axially mounted, i.e., the abutment surfaces of the cutting inserts extend axially, the inserts suitably being fixed by brazing. This makes the brazing of the inserts more difficult, since accessibility to the inserts in the axial direction is considerably reduced in the chip flute or canal. Moreover, during manufacture of the drill body it is difficult to position a milling tool downwardly into the chip flute in cases when the insert seats or pockets are to be milled out. A further drawback with this construction is that the axial extension of the inserts are bulky and that the chip flutes or canals become long, and this increases the risk of chip jamming. Furthermore, the long chip flutes have the consequence that one has to mill relatively deeply, with large over-hangs resulting.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,768,901 a drilling tool is disclosed having a tangential positioning of the drilling inserts on the upper or end-side of the drill head. Admittedly, this has made possible shorter chip flutes and, consequently, a decreased risk for chip jamming. On the other hand, the drill inserts and/or the tangential insert seats is/are unnecessarily complicated. Thus, the inserts shown in FIG. 3 of this citation are apt to break, on one hand because of the included 90.degree. angles which function as kerfs, and on the other hand because of the complicated geometry, which causes compacting problems when the inserts are pressed. Moreover, the formation of insert seats necessitates a relatively complicated and very precision-demanding milling operation in order to obtain a satisfactory abutment of the seat against the insert, particularly since the latter is fastened by screws and not by solder.
Thus, a primary object of the present invention is to provide a drilling tool that is easy to manufacture.
A second object of the present invention is to simplify, as far as possible, the production of the insert pockets in a drill head, particularly in an ejector drill head, and also simplify the production of the cutting inserts, particularly by avoiding all compacting problems when pressing them.
Another object of the present invention is to reduce the number of different cutting insert designs to a minimum, in particular to only one design.

Drilling tool with rounded insert support surfaces