The invention relates to a method, an engineering system and a programming device which simplify the projection and/or configuration of a project which represents an automation device for controlling a technical facility. For this purpose, the project engineer simply deposits in a project references that indicate which project components have to be deposited. Copies of said project components are automatically made and are deposited in the project on the programming device. The invention reduces error-proneness and projection complexity.

An engineering system of the kind referred to at the beginning is known from Siemens Catalogue ST PCS 7, Chapter 3, May 2003 edition. This engineering system is a component of a process control system which controls a plant and is, in particular, provided for the configuration of hardware and/or software components, for the design of communications networks and continuous and sequential process operations, and also for the design of operating and observation strategies and for the creation of recipes for batch processes. The project design blocks required for designing and/or configuring a project which represents the automation equipment to be designed are components of a library which can be stored in a memory of a programming device or of a server. Furthermore, the programming devices, which are involved in design and/or configuration in a multiuser operation for example, can access this common library. The project design blocks of the automation equipment to be designed that are needed for a project comprising a plurality of part projects are saved in the form of copies in the programming devices, and design engineers have to copy the project design blocks themselves. These copies stored locally on the programming devices enable each part project to be processed autonomously, and an online connection to the server's library is initially no longer required. It is possible that the library will be updated, that is to say, new versions (revision levels) of these project design blocks will be stored in the library, in which case the design engineers are responsible for again storing appropriate copies of these new revision levels in the programming devices. This procedure is prone to error and involves a considerable amount of work in respect of the handling of the project design blocks.

Method for projecting and/or configuring a project


An apparatus and method permitting a user to perform a simulated climbing and full body exercise is provided. The design includes a frame and a pair of lever arms and a pair of foot platforms and a torso support. The frame is configured to place the operator's center of gravity in a position of falling away from the frame, lever arms, foot platforms and providing a torso support enabling the operator to be supported by hanging from the hands and supported by the feet and torso support. The frame may be rotated through varying angles from vertical permitting the operator's center of gravity to fall away from the frame and allow the operator to hang away from the frame further enhancing the climbing experience.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of exercise equipment, and more specifically to exercise apparatus for aerobic and anaerobic strength training that permits a user to perform a simulated climbing and full body exercise.
2. Description of the Related Art
Cardio-pulmonary, cardiovascular, and strength training exercise equipment found in today's exercise and health centers as well as in the home seek to improve and maintain an individual's aerobic and strength fitness. Many types of exercise equipment, including treadmills, rowing machines, stationary bicycles, stair-stepping machines, and dry-land swimming machines are available for individuals who desire to maintain and improve their overall fitness and conditioning.
Elliptical exercise machines with and without arm engagement provide users a means of engaging the legs and arms in an aerobic exercise involving the leg muscles and arm muscles and balance and attempt to recreate the action of running without the accompanying impact of actual running and generally against a resistance created either by a friction pad against a flywheel or magnetic resistance. Tread mills provide users with an aerobic exercise involving the leg muscles only and attempt to recreate running in place against a moveable conveyor belt type tread sometimes against friction or sometimes the treadmill is slightly inclined to simulate climbing a hill. Various lat pull machines and leg press machines provide the user with an anaerobic exercise in which the user exerts his or her muscles against a resistance generally determined by the stacking of weights. These types of anaerobic exercises are done generally in sets and last typically a few seconds and engaged by exerting the muscles of one part of the body against a movable weight. Rope climbing machines exist and provide the user with a simulated rope climbing exercise which is generally involved with the arms and is a combination of aerobic and anaerobic exercise in which the user is basically stationary and the rope is pulled past the user and the difficulty of the pulling the rope is controlled by some type of friction device that the rope pulls through. Climbing machines provide the user with many ways to climb simulated ladders, rock walls and other combined leg and arm exercise where the user is stationary and the ladder rungs, rock wall, etc. are pulled past the user by the user's legs and feet and arms and hands while the user stays in the same place. In all of these machines the user is sitting upon, standing on, walking or running on or supported by the machine or equipment in a vertical position that eliminates the effect of gravity on the user's body in the sense that the user is not resisting the pull of gravity to maintain his or her body position.
The present full body exercise apparatus offers the user the opportunity to exercise in a manner that can be as extreme as attempting to climb under an overhanging rock outcropping while on belay. Or, can be as gentle as a typical elliptical machine or treadmill. The present full body exercise apparatus provides the user with the opportunity to engage in a combined aerobic and anaerobic exercise that can not be maintained for longer than a few minutes depending on the condition of the user and the adjustment of the machine but over time will allow the user to gradually increase the length of time before maximum exertion is reached but ultimately maximum exertion will be reached providing a tremendous and compelling challenge to the user.
Other machines provide the user with the opportunity to max out his physical ability but this is accomplished by increasing the weight that the user is elevating or by increasing the friction against the device that is resisting the user's efforts. The present upper body exercise apparatus accomplishes the ability to require maximum effort from the user by positioning the user's body relative to the machine in a position that is angled away from the machine. This causes gravity to be exerted on the body in such a way that no weight other than the user's body is needed to increase effort. Depending on the angle of the machine maximum effort is only sustainable for a finite amount of time while exercising. The present machine provides the user with the opportunity to aerobically press with their legs and feet while hanging from their arms and engaging in a running type motion while hanging cantilevered in space relative to the machine. The present invention provides the user with a device to work against the effects of gravity. When the user operates the present device engaging the machine only by the hands and feet the user depending on level of fitness can expect to reach maximum exertion in less than five minutes when the machine is at its extreme setting.
The same user in the same physical condition can expect to use the machine for a much greater time when the following second aspect of the full body exercise apparatus is engaged by the user. While the user is suspended in space and while his hands and feet engage the handles and foot platforms a secondary device is provided to engage and support the operator's back or buttocks in a manner that partially offsets the pull of gravity on the user's arms making the exercise apparatus much easier to use and spreads the required work load across a larger portion of the body through the abdominals and midsection providing an incredible exercise. The combination of the back support and the angle of the apparatus that establishes the amount of cantilever of the user and the amount of the effect of gravity on the user determine the level of exertion necessary to operate the exercise apparatus. Although angle alone and use of or lack of use of the back support is sufficient to determine the level of exertion, the full body exercise apparatus also includes the opportunity to provide frictional or magnetic resistance against the moving arm levers and feet platforms to give even greater control of the exercise experience.
Lat pull machines provide the opportunity to exercise the arm and upper body muscles groups and leg press machines provide the opportunity to exercise the legs and lower body muscle groups but in an essentially anaerobic manner. The user is unable to rhythmically move the machines in a steady sustained manner for any length of time and thus the exercise is completed in numerous sets of activity. Elliptical machines, treadmills, rope climbing machines, rock climbing machines provide some opportunity to engage in aerobic exercise but do not suspend the user's body nor support the user's body against the pull of gravity in such a manner that the user can use his or her own weight to determine the level of exercise up to the point of maximum exertion. It is desirable in these high paced modern times to be able to exercise quickly and with the greatest involvement and the use of the most muscle groups of the body for the shortest time but still to the point of maximum benefit. Existing elliptical machines and treadmills require long periods of time, even against maximum resistance settings, to elevate a well conditioned athlete to maximum exertion and heart rate. Rope climbing machines and wall climbing machines, even with maximum resistance, can not quickly force the user to maximum effort because the user will simply climb the wall or the rope when the effort exerted is greater than the pull of gravity. In the present full body exercise apparatus the user will reach maximum exertion to the point of cessation in as little as one or two minutes if the angle determining the amount of suspension of the user and the resistance are set to maximum.
It would therefore be beneficial to provide a full body exercise apparatus that provides the maximum amount of conditioning in the shortest time using the greatest amount of muscle groups. This creates the most complete combination of aerobic and anaerobic exercise that the user desires and overcomes the limitations found in the current elliptical machines, treadmills, rope climbing machines, stair stepping machines and moveable rock climbing walls.

Simulated climbing and full body exercise and method


A lamp holder used in a backlight module is disclosed. The lamp holder includes a supporting part, a fixing part, and U-shaped holding parts. The supporting part separates the diffusion sheet of the backlight module from the lamps by a distance. The fixing part fixes the supporting part to the back plane of the backlight module. The U-shaped holding parts are used to hold lamps and the opening width of each U-shaped holding part is substantially the same as the diameter of the lamp.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates in general to a lamp holder, and more particularly to a lamp holder using U-shaped holding parts to hold lamps.
2. Description of the Related Art
In order to meet the requirement of a large-scale liquid crystal display, the bottom lighting backlight module and its interior lamps have to be elongated. As the backlight module is configured upright, the interior lamps are usually curved downward for the gravity, which causes a serious shading issue on the display pictures. In order to prevent the downward deformation of the lamps, a lamp holder is generally used to clamp the middle parts of the lamps.
Referring to FIG. 1, a partial cross-sectional view of the conventional bottom lighting backlight module is shown. The backlight module 100 includes a back plane 110, a diffusion sheet 120, lamps 130 and a lamp holder 140. The back plane 110 is used for setting the lamps 130, while the diffusion sheet 120 for uniformly diffusing the light emitted by the lamps 130. The lamp holder 140 includes a supporting part 142, a fixing part 144, and C-shaped clamping parts 146. The supporting part 142 separates the diffusion part 120 from the lamps 130 by a predetermined distance, and the fixing part 144 is fixed on the back plane 110. The C-shaped clamping parts 146 are used for clamping the lamps 130 in order to prevent the downward deformation of the lamps 130 as the backlight module 100 is configured upright.
However, when the lamp holder 140 is used to hold the lamps 130, the lamps 130 have to be pressed into the C-shaped clamping parts 146. For the opening width of the C-shaped clamping part 146 is smaller than the diameter of the lamp 130, the lamp 130 is easily pressed to break. In addition, the lamp holder 140 can hold one or two lamps only that makes a back light module has to be equipped with a lot of lamp holders, thereby complicating the manufacturing process.


A LAN switch architecture has a hybrid switch fabric which combines crossbar and time division multiplexed bus architecture and allows next-available transmit channel routing and associative output-port routing. The LAN switch architecture has multiple port groups with multiple device ports, a switching fabric for facilitating communication between device ports in different port groups and a controller for controlling the switching fabric. Each of the multiple port groups comprises a communication channel for interconnecting the port group to the switching fabric.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a local area network (LAN) switch architecture, and particularly to a high speed LAN switch which combines different bus architectures to provide superior performance in throughput and latency for switching 1 Mbps-155 Mbps LAN traffic.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Prior art LAN switches are based either on a crossbar architecture or on a time division multiplexed bus architecture.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,264,842 to P. A. Franaszek describes switch connections with wait chains. In a multiport communication system requestors for a busy port are enqueued in the wait chains. The connectivity of a crossbar switch is employed to store the wait chains. Elements of the wait chain are modified to provide the right connections; that is, a group of ports are connected by a form of linked list but with the pointers being comprised of connections in the switch itself. These connections are used both for storing the list structure as well as passing information. This concept requires control information to be transmitted from one port to subsequent ports of the switch fabric matrix.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,179,552 to H.H. J. Chao a knockout switch design is described. The crosspoint matrix switching element for a large packet switch or a non-buffer based statistical multiplexor uses a crossbar matrix network in which the output ports of individual switching elements are partitioned into various groups in order to share routing paths among the elements in any such group. The outputs of each such group are themselves recursively partitioned into a succession of serially connected groups that each provides a decreasing number of outputs until one such output is provided for each corresponding output port of the switch. The switching element includes a control circuit which compares corresponding bits of two incoming bit streams in specific time windows to generate control signals and a routing circuit responsive to the control signals for routing the two input bit streams alternatively to two data outputs. With this method, if more packets than the switch can handle are presented to the "concentrator", the "concentrator" simply "knocks" them out and relies on the error detection and message re-transmission functions of "higher layer software" to re-transmit the discarded data. Reliance on higher layer protocols to detect lost packets and re-transmit them can produce excessive packet latency and session drop-out due to time-outs. In addition, the re-transmission of "knocked-out" packets further contributes to network congestion and can cause additional packets to be knocked out. This method also uses multiple cell buffers, each such buffer adding one cell delay. This is undesirable in a LAN switch environment where minimum packet latency is highly desired.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,197,064 to H.-H. J. Chao describes a distributed modular packet switch employing recursive partitioning. Such a switch utilizes channel grouping to improve overall performance and a crossbar switching fabric that internally distributes contention resolution and filtering functions among the individual switching elements themselves. Output port grouping is applied recursively until one output path is provided for each output port.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,189,665 to J. A. Niehaus et al. discloses a digital crossbar switch designed to facilitate interconnection of up to 8 data ports. The device includes 8 bidirectional ports, each 8 bit wide. Interconnection of the port is controlled by 32 stored control memory locations associated with each port. In the LAN environment, where port densities in the hundreds are common and desirable, the limitation to an 8 port maximum makes this switch un-attractive.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,404,461 to H. T. Olnowich et al. a broadcast/switching apparatus for executing broadcast/multi-cast transfers over unbuffered asynchronous switching networks is described. The patent teaches a method of transmitting data as unicast, multicast or broadcast packets using an asynchronous approach to resolve either broadcast or multicast contention among input ports. The broadcast/switching apparatus makes connections from any one of the input ports to any one of the output ports, from any one of the input ports to a fixed number of subsets of multiple output ports simultaneously or from any one of the input ports to all output ports simultaneously.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,179,669 to D. V. Peters teaches a multiprocessor interconnection and access arbitration arrangement. The processors in the multiprocessor system are interconnected by a non-blocking communication medium such as a crossbar switch. By an optical link each processor is connected to a dedicated port circuit at the crossbar switch. By an electrical link each port circuit is connected to the crossbar switch. The port circuits are interconnected by a contention medium. Circuitry at each port circuit receives requests for access to the connected processor, prioritizes conflicting requests and grants them sequentially.
This arrangement uses one link between each port of the switch fabric and each attached processor node.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,845,722 to A. R. Kent et al. a computer interconnect coupler employing crossbar switching is disclosed. The coupler has a set of junctors which are assigned to channel transmitters and channel receivers for the routing of messages from the channel receivers which are addressed to the channel transmitters. When a message is received by a channel receiver, the channel receiver stores the beginning portion of the message in a first-in-first-out buffer and sends a route message request to central switch logic. If the destination transmitter or receiver is busy, the central logic places the message request on a destination queue and returns a signal to the requesting source transmitter to turn on a flow control signal which is transmitted back to the data processing device having originated the message. Any message addressed to this data processing device, however, is inserted into the flow control carrier with pauses both before and after the message, and provisions are also made to allow the data processing device to return an acknowledgement code responsive to the incoming message. The requests are grouped into different priority levels and separate but duplicate arbitration logic is used to resolve simultaneous requests within the same priority group. This patent teaches the use of one bi-directional link or two uni-directional links between each port of the crossbar switch and each attached processor node.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,261,059 to W. F. Hedberg et al. describes a crossbar interface for a data communication network. The crossbar interface between a host computer and a crossbar switch employs data buffering using multiple-port RAM devices. The receive and transmit data is clocked into or out of separate serial ports of the RAM, and at the same time a local processor can access the RAM by a random access port, asynchronous to the serial ports, to execute the protocol. The order of storing bursts of data in the multiple-port RAM is defined by a free buffer manager which keeps account on which locations are free. The addresses of these locations are moved to a received list after being used for incoming packets. After the protocol processor has finished with its tasks, these addresses, referred to as burst data descriptors, are moved to a transmit list to await loading of burst data back to the serial registers for clocking out, then when transmitted the descriptors are again entered into the free buffer manager. This patent teaches the use of a dual-port RAM to improve the efficiency of communications between two connected processors.

International Business Machines Corporation


In a circuit arrangement for regulating a DC signal component of a signal that is input to a frequency mixer, the regulation comprises a detector which detects the DC component of the input signal. A comparator compares the DC component with a reference value, and drives an apparatus for influencing the DC component based on the comparison.

Particularly in the case of analogue multiplier circuits which are designed and operated as radiofrequency mixers, a signal with a fixed, previously known DC component has to be provided at the signal input at which the useful signal is fed in. Depending on whether the input of the radiofrequency mixer is designed as a current input or as a voltage input, the DC component of the input signal has to be provided either as a DC voltage offset or as a DC current offset.
In mobile radio applications, two functional units are usually provided, namely a baseband signal processing and also a radiofrequency processing usually designed using analogue circuitry, which are normally arranged in separate integrated circuits (ICs). In the transmission direction, signals to be transmitted are processed in a baseband processor in accordance with the desired channel coding and modulation methods and converted into analogue, that is to say time- and value-continuous, signals at the output of the baseband block in a digital/analogue converter. This analogue signal provided at the output of the baseband chip is usually provided as a complex-valued signal with an in-phase component I and a quadrature component Q, I and Q signal component usually being carried as symmetrical or differential signals.
In the subsequent functional block, which effects the frequency conversion onto a radiofrequency carrier by means of a modulation, for example a quadrature modulation, provision is made of the radiofrequency mixers described in the introduction, which enable the frequency conversion from the baseband to a frequency in the radiofrequency range and, on the output side, are coupled to a transmission antenna, for example. The baseband processing block described and also the functional block of analogue design connected downstream are usually arranged on a respective integrated semiconductor chip. Since a signal with a fixed, previously known DC component has to be provided on the input side at the radiofrequency mixer, it is necessary for the connected baseband chip to provide a matching DC component at its output.
In order to ensure operation at a desired operating point of the frequency mixer, the DC voltage or DC current component on the input side is permitted to vary only within defined tolerances. However, the different baseband chips available have different DC components at the output which, moreover, are additionally subject to manufacturing tolerances.
It is an object of the present invention to specify a circuit arrangement for regulating a signal DC component which can be connected to an input of a radiofrequency mixer and enables the connection to different baseband signal processing circuits, and also a mobile radio transmitter having the circuit arrangement.

Circuit arrangement for regulating a DC signal component and mobile radio transmitter


A fluid treatment element for treating a fluid flowing through the element comprises a first conductive layer and a second conductive layer electrically connected to the first conductive layer. The element further comprises a nonconductive porous treatment medium between the first and second conductive layers. The first and second conductive layers are positioned to offset electrical imbalances caused by fluid flowing through the nonconductive porous treatment medium.

A wide variety of elements are used to treat fluids, i.e., gases, liquids, and mixtures of gases and liquids. Examples of fluid treatment elements include separation elements, such as filter elements and separator elements, coalescer elements, and mass transfer elements. They may be used in a wide variety of ways including to remove one or more substances, such as solids, liquids or chemical substances, e.g., a protein, from a gas or liquid; to concentrate or deplete one or more substances in a gas or liquid; to accrete one phase of a fluid, e.g., a liquid discontinuous phase, in another phase of the fluid, e.g., a continuous liquid or gas phase; or to transfer mass, such as a gaseous or chemical substance, between two fluid streams. In use, any of these elements may develop an electrical change imbalance or buildup that can potentially damage the fluid treatment system.
For example, filter elements, in addition to removing contaminants such as solids from fluids, may remove or add electrons to fluid passing through the filter elements, causing an imbalance in electrical charge or potential between the fluid, the filter element, and/or the surrounding housing, pipes, and fluid cavities. A gradual buildup of electrical charge may eventually lead to a discharge through a path of least resistance to, for example, the filter housing, the pipes, or any other conductive component such as a turbine-bearing cage. This discharge can degrade the fluid or harm the components experiencing a discharge arc. The service life of the fluid, the filter element, and the system containing the fluid is thus reduced.
Various techniques exist that purport to deal with the accumulation of charge and the resulting discharge in fluid treatment systems. One technique is to add conductive additives to the fluid. This technique can degrade fluid performance and also requires regular monitoring as the additive's effectiveness diminishes over time and use. Another technique is to provide some path to ground through the fluid treatment element. However, many of these grounding techniques require that extraneous and expensive components be included to provide a conductive path to ground. This not only increases the cost of the fluid treatment elements, it can also reduce the performance of the fluid treatment element, e.g., increase the pressure drop through the fluid treatment element. Further, these grounding technique often lead to complicated and expensive retrofitting of older systems to prevent the undesirable discharges.

Fluid treatment packs, fluid treatment elements, and methods for treating fluids


The invention relates to powder-coated substrates bearing on a powder-coated surface a scratch-resistant and abrasion-resistant topcoat of a coating material which comprises:

The present invention relates to powder-coated substrates with a scratch-resistant and abrasion-resistant topcoat of a coating material comprising condensates based on hydrolysable silanes containing at least one epoxide group, and processes for producing the powder-coated substrates.
The advantages of powder coating materials for the coating of surfaces, such as very good adhesion to metal surfaces, corrosion protection for metal surfaces, and ease of processability, for example, are known from the prior art. However, there is great interest in improvements to the coat morphology (increase in smoothness and uniformity, reduction in coat thickness) and in increasing the surface hardness and abrasion resistance. In the field of acrylate powder coating materials, a number of processes are known for providing the powder-coated surface with a coating based on organic-inorganic copolymers which is applied by wet chemical means.
JP-A-04318088 describes a methacryloyloxy-propyltrimethoxysilane-styrene copolymer for coating surfaces coated with an acrylate powder coating material. The transparent coatings, 20-30 xcexcm in thickness, are said to possess good acid-resistance and scratch-resistance.
JP-A-06039349 describes a coating material based on polymerization products of hydrolysable silanes with a methacryloyloxypropyl substituent, further hydrolysable silanes, acrylate, methacrylate and epoxy methacrylate, and also the curing catalyst aluminium tris(acetylacetonate).
It is known that essentially inorganic coatings, i.e. coatings based on inorganic components, frequently have good surface hardness and abrasion resistance. Because of their high hardness, however, inorganic coatings are more brittle than essentially organic coatings, i.e. coatings based on organic components, with the result that cracking may occur. In particular, inorganic coatings are more brittle than organic powder coatings, with the result that cracking may occur on thermal curing at temperatures near the crosslinking temperature of the powder coating material and on cyclic temperature loading of the composite coating system.
The present invention is therefore based on the object of applying a thin, abrasion-resistant coat to powder-coated surfaces without the occurrence of cracking or brittleness under temperature load.
This object is achieved by means of the powder-coated substrates of the invention, bearing on a powder-coated surface a scratch-resistant and abrasion-resistant topcoat of a coating material which comprises:
a) condensates based on hydrolysable silanes containing at least one non-hydrolysable. substituent, the hydrolysable silanes having an epoxide group on at least one non-hydrolysable substituent;
b) a curing catalyst selected from Lewis bases and alkoxides of titanium, zirconium or aluminium;
c) nanoscale particulate inorganic solids having a particle size in the range from 1 to 100 nm; and
d) at least one organic monomer, oligomer or polymer containing at least one epoxide group.
The invention further provides a process for producing a coated substrate, in which a powder coating material is applied to and cured on an optionally precoated substrate and on the powder coating a topcoat material comprising the abovementioned components a) to d) is applied and cured.
In accordance with the invention, surprisingly thin, highly abrasion-resistant coatings are obtained which adhere particularly well to powder-coated surfaces, are very well adapted to the powder coating in their flexibility, and consequently possess a markedly improved cyclic temperature resistance (no cracking during preparation and application) and, moreover, exhibit very good scratch resistance or surface hardness and abrasion resistance.
In relation to the prior art, the process of the invention is easier to carry out, since it does not require complex preparation of copolymers or polymerization products of hydrolysed silanes with organic monomers or oligomers prior to the application of the coating material, so that it is possible to form substantially thinner coats having the aforementioned advantages.
The hydrolysable silanes containing at least one non-hydrolysable substituent, the hydrolysable silanes having an epoxide group on at least one non-hydrolysable substituent, comprise one or more silicon compounds possessing from 1 to 3, preferably 2 or 3, with particular preference 3, hydrolysable radicals and 1, 2 or 3, preferably one, non-hydrolysable radical. At least one of the non-hydrolysable radicals possesses at least one epoxide ring.
The silanes of component a) comprise, for example, compounds of the general formula (I):
RnSiX4xe2x88x92nxe2x80x83xe2x80x83(I)
in which n is 1, 2 or 3, preferably 1 or 2, with particular preference 1, X may be identical or different and is a halogen (F, Cl, Br and I, especially Cl and Br), alkoxy (especially C1-4 alkoxy, such as methoxy, ethoxy, n-propoxy, isopropoxy and butoxy, for example), aryloxy (especially C6-10 aryloxy, e.g. phenoxy), acyloxy (especially C1-4 acyloxy, such as acetoxy and propionyloxy, for example) and alkylcarbonyl (e.g. acetyl), and R may be identical or different and is a non-hydrolysable radical, at least one radical R having an epoxide group.
Particularly preferred hydrolysable radicals X are alkoxy groups, especially methoxy and ethoxy. Examples of non-hydrolysable radicals R without an epoxide ring are alkyl, especially C1-4 alkyl (such as methyl, ethyl, propyl and butyl, for example), alkenyl (especially C2-4 alkenyl, such as vinyl, 1-propenyl, 2-propenyl and butenyl, for example), alkynyl (especially C2-4 alkynyl, such as acetylenyl and propargyl, for example) and aryl (especially C6-10 aryl, such as phenyl and naphthyl, for example), it being possible for the groups just mentioned to carry, if desired, one or more substituents, such as halogen and alkoxy, for example. Also deserving of mention in this context of radicals R are methacrylic and methacryloxypropyl radicals.
Examples of non-hydrolysable radicals R with an epoxide ring are in particular those possessing a glycidyl or glycidyloxy group. They may be linked to the silicon atom via an alkylene group, e.g. a C1-6 alkylene, such as methylene, ethylene, propylene, butylene. Specific examples of hydrolysable silanes which may be used in accordance with the invention may be found, for example, in EP-A-195493.
Hydrolysable silanes which are particularly preferred in accordance with the invention are those of the general formula (II):
X3SiRxe2x80x83xe2x80x83(II)
in which the radicals X, identical to or different from one another (preferably identical), are a hydrolysable group, for example one of the radicals X described above for the formula (I), preferably C1-4 alkoxy and with particular preference methoxy and ethoxy, and R is a glycidyloxy-C1-6 alkylene radical. Owing to its ready availability, xcex3-glycidyloxypropyltrimethoxysilane (referred to below as GPTS for short) is used with particular preference in accordance with the invention.
In addition to the hydrolysable silanes containing at least one epoxide group, other hydrolysable compounds may also be used to construct the inorganic matrix. By other hydrolysable compounds are meant hereinbelow those not comprising hydrolysable silane containing at least one epoxide group. These other compounds likewise include an inorganic element with hydrolysable substituents attached to it.
It is possible to use one or more other hydrolysable compounds together with the hydrolysable silane or silanes containing at least one epoxide group in component a), the amount of the other hydrolysable compounds preferably not exceeding 80 mol %, and especially 60 mol %, based oh the total hydrolysable compounds employed. Preferably at least 10, and with particular preference at least 20, mol % of all hydrolysable compounds employed are the other hydrolysable compounds which are different from the hydrolysable silane or silanes containing at least one epoxide group on a non-hydrolysable substituent.
Examples of suitable other hydrolysable compounds are hydrolysable compounds of elements selected from the third and fourth main groups (especially B, Al, Ga, Si, Ge and Sn) and from the third to fifth transition groups of the Periodic Table (especially Ti, Zr, Hf, V, Nb and Ta). However, other metal compounds may also lead to advantageous results, such as those of Zn, Mo and W, for example. With particular preference, the compounds in question comprise hydrolysable compounds of elements from the group consisting of Si, Ti, Zr, Al, B, Sn and V which are hydrolysed with the hydrolysable silane or silanes of component a).
All of these compounds contain hydrolysable groups. As examples, reference may be made to the examples of X listed for formula (I). In addition to the hydrolysable groups, the compounds may also contain non-hydrolysable groups. Except for Si, however, this is not preferred. As examples, reference may be made to the examples of R listed for formula (I), with the proviso that R is not an epoxy-containing group. For the silanes which may be used, reference may be madexe2x80x94with the aforementioned provisoxe2x80x94for example to the general formula (I), in which n may also be 0. Specific examples of these other hydrolysable compounds are:
Si(OCH3), Si(OC2H5)4, Si(O-n- or i-C3H7)4, Si (OC4H9)4, SiCl4, HSiCl3, Si(OOCCH3)4, CH3xe2x80x94SiCl3, CH3xe2x80x94Si(OC2H5)3, C2H5xe2x80x94SiCl3, C2H5xe2x80x94Si(OC2H5)3, C3H7xe2x80x94Si(OCH3)3, C6H5xe2x80x94Si(OCH3)3, C6H5xe2x80x94Si(OC2H5)3, (CH3O)3xe2x80x94Sixe2x80x94C3H6xe2x80x94Cl, (CH3)2SiCl2, (CH3)2Si(OCH3)2, (CH3)2Si(OC2H5)2, (CH3)2Si(OH)2, (C6H5)2SiCl2, (C6H5)2Si(OCH3)2, (C6H5)2Si(OC2H5)2, (i-C3H7)3SiOH, CH2xe2x95x90CHxe2x80x94Si(OOCCH3)3, CH2xe2x95x90CHxe2x80x94SiCl3, CH2xe2x95x90CHxe2x80x94Si(OCH3)3, CH2xe2x95x90CHxe2x80x94Si(OC2H5)3, CH2xe2x95x90CHxe2x80x94Si(OC2H4OCH3)3, CH2xe2x95x90CHxe2x80x94CH2xe2x80x94Si(OCH3)3, CH2xe2x95x90CHxe2x80x94CH2xe2x80x94Si(OC2H5)3, CH2xe2x95x90CHxe2x80x94CH2xe2x80x94Si(OOCH3)3, CH2xe2x95x90C(CH3)xe2x80x94COOxe2x80x94C3H7xe2x80x94Si(OCH3)3, CH2xe2x95x90C(CH3)xe2x80x94COOxe2x80x94C3H7xe2x80x94Si(OC2H5)3, Al(OCH3)3, Al(OC2H5)3, Al(O-n-C3H7)3, Al(O-i-C3H7)3, Al(OC4H9)3, Al(O-i-C4H9)3, Al(O-sec-C4H9)3, AlCl3, AlCl(OH)2, Al(OC2H4OC4H9)3, TiCl4, Ti(OC2H5)4, Ti(OC3H7)4, Ti(O-i-C3H7)4, Ti(OC4H9)4, Ti(2-ethylhexoxy) 4; ZrCl4, Zr(OC2H5)4, Zr(OC3H7)4, Zr(O-i-C3H7)4, Zr(OC4H9)4, ZrOCl2, Zr(2-ethylhexoxy)4, and also Zr compounds containing complexing radicals, such as xcex2-diketone and methacrylic radicals, for example,
BCl3, B(OCH3)3, B(OC2H5)3, SnCl4, Sn(OCH3)4, Sn(OC2H5)4, VOCl3 and VO(OCH3)3.
As can be seen, these compounds (especially the silicon compounds) may also possess non-hydrolysable radicals having a carbon-carbon double or triple bond. Where such compounds are used together with the silicon compound of component a), it is also possible in addition to incorporate (preferably hydroxyl-containing) unsaturated monomers, such as (meth)acrylates, for example, into the composition. In the case of thermal or photochemically induced curing of the corresponding compositions, then, in addition to the build-up of the organically modified inorganic matrix, an addition polymerization of the species containing unsaturated bonds takes place, thereby raising the crosslinking density and thus also the hardness of the corresponding coatings.
Furthermore, it is also possible in addition or alone to use, as other hydrolysable compounds, for example, one or more hydrolysable silicon compounds having at least one non-hydrolysable radical having from 5 to 30 fluorine atoms attached to carbon atoms which if desired are separated from Si by at least two atoms. Hydrolysable groups which may be used in this context are, for example, those as specified for X in formula (I). The use of a fluorinated silane of this kind additionally gives the coating in question hydrophobic and oleophobic (dirt-repelling) properties.
The hydrolysable fluorinated silanes which may additionally be used in the topcoat material are those which possess at least one non-hydrolysable radical having from 5 to 30 fluorine atoms attached to carbon atoms which if desired are separated from Si by at least two atoms. Silanes of this kind are described in detail in DE 4118 184. Specific examples thereof are the following:
C2F5CH2xe2x80x94CH2xe2x80x94SiY3
n-C6F13CH2CH2xe2x80x94SiY3
n-C8F17CH2CH2xe2x80x94SiY3
n-C10F21CH2CH2xe2x80x94SiY3
(Yxe2x95x90OCH3, OC2H5 or Cl)
i-C3F7Oxe2x80x94(CH2)3xe2x80x94SiCl2(CH3)
n-C6F13CH2CH2SiCl2(CH3)
n-C6F13CH2CH2SiCl(CH3)2
These fluorinated silanes are used in general in an amount from 0.1 to 15, preferably from 0.2 to 10 and with particular preference from 0.5 to 5% by weight, based on the mass of all hydrolysable compounds (component a) and the other hydrolysable compounds) and of components b) to d).
The hydrolysable silanes of component a) and, if appropriate, the other hydrolysable compounds are used together, for example, in an amount of from 40 to 90% by weight, based on the mass of all hydrolysable compounds and of components b) to d).
The coating material for the topcoat further comprises a curing catalyst selected from Lewis bases and alkoxides of titanium, zirconium or aluminium. This curing catalyst acts in particular as a catalyst for epoxide-epoxide and/or polyol-epoxide crosslinking. In the corresponding compositions, the curing catalyst is used in general in an amount of from 0.01 to 0.6 mol per mole of epoxide group of the hydrolysable silanes of component a). Preference is given to amounts in the range from 0.02 to 0.4, and in particular from 0.05 to 0.3, mol of curing catalyst per mole of epoxide group.
As the curing catalyst it is possible, for example, to use a Lewis base. The Lewis base preferably comprises a nitrogen compound. Nitrogen compounds of this kind may be selected, for example, from N-heterocycles, amino-containing phenol""s, polycyclic amines and ammonia (preferably in the form of an aqueous solution). Specific examples are 1-methylimidazole, 2-(N,N-dimethylaminomethyl)phenol, 2,4,6-tris(N,N-dimethylaminomethyl)phenol and 1,8-diazabicyclo[5.4.0]-7-undecene. Among these compounds, particular preference is given to 1-methylimidazole.
A further class of nitrogen-containing Lewis bases which may be used in accordance with the invention are hydrolysable silanes possessing at least one non-hydrolysable radical comprising at least one primary, secondary or tertiary amino group. Such silanes may be hydrolysed together with the hydrolysable silane or silanes of component a) and in that case constitute a Lewis base built into the organically modified inorganic network. Preferred nitrogen-containing silicon compounds are those of the general formula (III):
X3SiRxe2x80x3xe2x80x83xe2x80x83(III)
in which the radicals X are defined as above in the case, of the general formula (I) and Rxe2x80x3 is a non-hydrolysable radical attached to Si and comprising at least one primary, secondary or tertiary amino group. Specific examples of silanes of this kind are 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane, 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane, N-(2-aminoethyl)-3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane, N-[Nxe2x80x2-(2xe2x80x2-aminoethyl)-2-aminoethyl]-3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane and N-[3-(triethoxysilyl)propyl]-4,5-dihydroimidazole.
Instead of or in addition to the Lewis base it is possible as curing catalyst to use an alkoxide of Ti, Zr or Al. The alkoxide in question is preferably of the general formula (IV):
M(ORxe2x80x2xe2x80x3)mxe2x80x83xe2x80x83(IV)
in which M is Ti, Zr or Al, Rxe2x80x2xe2x80x3 is an alkyl group having preferably 1 to 4 carbon atoms (methyl, ethyl, n-propyl, isopropyl, n-butyl, sec-butyl or tert-butyl) or an alkyleneoxyalkyl group having preferably 1 to 4 carbon atoms both for the alkylene unit and for the alkyl unit (e.g. methylene, ethylene, 1,2-propylene, 1,3-propylene and 1,4-butylene for the alkylene unit and the examples given above for the alkyl group for the alkyl unit) and n is 4 (M=Ti, Zr) or 3 (M=Al). Preferred curing catalysts are Al(OCH2CH2OC4H9)3 (aluminium tributoxyethoxide), where the butyl group is preferably an n-butyl group, aluminium sec-butoxide, and mixtures of aluminium tributoxy ethoxide and aluminium sec-butoxide.
The curing catalyst is used, for example, in an amount of from 2 to 15% by weight, based on the mass of all hydrolysable compounds and of components b) to d).
The nanoscale particulate inorganic solids may comprise any desired inorganic materials, but in particular comprise metal or metal compounds such as, for example, (optionally hydrated) oxides such as ZnO, CdO, SiO2, TiO2, ZrO2, CeO2, SnO2, Al2O3, In2O3, La2O3, Fe2O3, Cu2O, Ta2O5, Nb2O5, V2O5, MoO3 or Wo3; chalcogenides such as, for example, sulphides (e.g. CdS, ZnS, PbS and Ag2S), selenides (e.g. GaSe, CdSe and ZnSe) and tellurides (e.g. ZnTe or CdTe), halides such as AgCl, AgBr, AgI, CuCl, CuBr, CdI2 and PbI2; carbides such as CdC2 or SiC: arsenides such as AlAs, GaAs and GeAs; antimonides such as InSb; nitrides such as BN, AlN, Si3N4 and Ti3N4; phosphides such as GaP, InP, Zn3P2 and Cd3P2; phosphates, silicates, zirconates, aluminates, stannates and the corresponding mixed oxides (e.g. those with perovskite structure such as BaTiO3 and PbTiO3). It is possible to use one kind of nanoscale particulate inorganic solids or a mixture of different nanoscale particulate inorganic solids.
The nanoscale particulate inorganic solids preferably comprise an oxide, oxide hydrate, nitride or carbide of Si, Al, B, Zn, Cd, Ti, Zr, Ce, Sn, In, La, Fe, Cu, Ta, Nb, V, Mo or W, with particular preference of Si, Al, B, Ti and Zr. Preferred particulate materials are boehmite, ZrO2 and TiO2 and also titanium nitride. Particular preference is given to nanoscale boehmite particles.
The nanoscale particulate inorganic solids are obtainable commercially in the form of powders and the preparation of (acidically stabilized) sols thereof is likewise known in the prior art. Furthermore, reference may also be made for this purpose to the preparation examples given below. The principle of the stabilization of nanoscale titanium nitride by means of guanidine propionic acid is described, for example, in DE 43 34 639.
The variation of the nanoscale particles generally goes hand in hand with a variation of the refractive index of the corresponding materials. Thus, for example, replacing boehmite particles by ZrO2 or TiO2 particles leads to materials having higher refractive indices, the refractive index resulting additively, in accordance with the Lorentz-Lorenz equation, from the volume of the component of high refractive index and the volume of the matrix.
The nanoscale particulate inorganic solids generally possess a particle size in the range from 1 to 100 nm, preferably from 2 to 50 nm, and with particular preference from 5 to 20 nm. This material may be used in the form of a powder but is preferably used in the form of a sol (especially an acidically stabilized sol).
The nanoscale particulate inorganic solids may be used, especially when value is placed on very good properties of high scratch resistance, in an amount of up to 50% by weight, based on the mass of all hydrolysable compounds and of components b) to d). In general, the amount of nanoscale particulate inorganic solids is in the range from 1 to 40, preferably from 1 to 30, with particular preference from 1 to 15% by weight, based on the mass of all hydrolysable compounds and of components b) to d).
It is also possible to use nanoscale particulate inorganic solids which have been provided with addition-polymerizable and/or polycondensable organic surface groups. Such addition-polymerizable and/or polycondensable nanoparticles and their preparation are described, for example, in DE 19746885. It is also possible to use nanoscale particulate inorganic solids which on the basis of Lewis base groups or Lewis acid groups on the particle surface also act as a hydrolysis and curing catalyst. Nanoscale particulate solids modified in this way are described in PCT/EP98/03846.
As a further component, the topcoat material used in accordance with the invention comprises at least one organic monomer, oligomer or polymer containing at least one epoxide group, or mixtures thereof. These organic monomers, oligomers or polymers containing epoxide groups are, for example, compounds which are known per se and which are used in accordance with the prior art as epoxy resins, casting resins and epoxy reactive diluents. They may comprise, for example, aliphatic, cycloaliphatic or aromatic compounds, aliphatic, cycloaliphatic or aromatic esters or ethers, or mixtures thereof, based for example on ethylene glycol, 1,4-butanediol, propylene glycol, 1,6-hexanediol, cyclohexanedimethanol, pentaerythritol, bisphenol A, bisphenol F or glycerol, in each case as monomers, oligomers or polymers, which contain at least one epoxide group. They may also contain a plurality of epoxide groups; in the case of monomers or oligomers, for example, 2 or 3.
Specific examples are 3,4-epoxycyclohexylmethyl 3,4-epoxycyclohexanecarboxylate, bis(3,4-epoxycyclohexyl) adipate, 1,4-butanediol glycidyl ether, phenyl glycidyl ether, o-cresyl glycidyl ether, p-tert-butylphenyl glycidyl ether, cyclohexanedimethanol diglycidyl ether, glycerol triglycidyl ether, neopentyl glycol diglycidyl ether, pentaerythritol polyglycidyl ether, 2-ethylhexyl glycidyl ether, 1,6-hexanediol diglycidyl ether, polypropylene glycol diglycidyl ether, epoxy resins based on bisphenol A, epoxy resins based on bisphenol F, and epoxy resins based on bisphenol A/F.
The epoxy resins which may be used preferably have an epoxide equivalent weight of from 130 to 455 g/equivalent and are preferably liquid with a viscosity of from 1.2 to 12,000 mPas at 25xc2x0 C.
As organic monomer, oligomer or polymer containing at least one epoxide group it is possible, for example, to use readily available commercial products, such as the products Ruetapox(copyright) (from Bakelite AG), the products Polypox R(copyright) (from U. Prxc3xcmmer Polymer-Chemie GmbH), the products Araldit(copyright) GY 257, Araldit(copyright) GY 266, Araldit GY 179, Araldit(copyright) PY 309, Araldit(copyright) DY 3601, Araldit(copyright) CIBA, Araldit(copyright) GY 285 (from Carl Roth and from Ciba-Geigy) and the products Cyracure(copyright) Resin UVR 6128, Cyracure(copyright) Resin UVR 6110 (from Union Carbide).
The organic monomer, oligomer or polymer containing at least one epoxide group is used, for example, in an amount of from 6 to 30% by weight, based on the mass of all hydrolysable compounds and of components b) to d).
To form the condensates a), the hydrolysable silanes having at least one non-hydrolysable substituent containing at least one epoxide group, together if used with the above-described other hydrolysable compounds, are subjected to hydrolysis. Hydrolysis is preferably carried out using a catalyst. Preferred catalysts are those which are not at the same time condensation catalysts for the epoxide-epoxide crosslinking. A preferred acidic catalyst is aqueous HCl. The hydrolysis is preferably conducted using from 0.5 to 4.0 mol of H2O per mole of hydrolysable radical. The hydrolysis is conducted, for example, at room temperature.
The hydrolysis is also accompanied by condensation reactions between the hydrolysable compounds, producing condensates. The degree of condensation depends on the reaction parameters, so that the person skilled in the art can adjust the degree of condensation, as and when required, by adjusting these parameters. In general, the procedure is such that, although some condensation has taken place prior to the addition of the remaining components b) to c), condensation is not yet complete, so that it is also possible to talk of precondensates. However, the nanoscale particulate inorganic solids (component c)) may also be added to the hydrolysable silanes and, if appropriate, the other hydrolysable compounds prior to the hydrolysis. Preferably, the nanoscale particulate inorganic solids are added in the form of a suspension in the preferred catalyst, aqueous HCl.
Hydrolysis and partial condensation are followed by the addition of the other components in any desired sequence. As mentioned, however, the hydrolysis may also take place, for example, in the presence of the nanoscale particulate inorganic solids.
Where in addition to the relatively slow-to-react silicon compounds use is also made of other hydrolyzable compounds which are more reactive, such as compounds of Ti, Zr and Al, for example, it is advisable to add the water in steps and/or with ice cooling and/or to use compounds which have been made slower to react by complexation (as in the case of Al(OC2H4OC4H9)3, for example).
If desired, inert solvents may be added to the compositions at any stage of the preparation for the purpose of adjusting the rheological properties of the compositions. These solvents preferably comprise alcohols and/or alcohol ethers which are liquid at room temperature, for example C1-8 alcohols, which in addition are also formed during the hydrolysis of the preferably employed alkoxides of the corresponding elements, or monoethers of diols such as ethylene glycol or propylene glycol with C1-8 alcohols.
Furthermore, the coating material for the topcoat may comprise further additives. These comprise the customary additives, such as colorants, levelling agents, UV stabilizers, antioxidants, such as sterically hindered amines (HALS), photoinitiators, photosensitizers (if photochemical curing of the composition is intended), and thermal polymerization catalysts, for example.
The substrate to be coated may comprise, for example, a substrate made of metal, glass, plastic, wood, or ceramic. The substrate is preferably of metal. The substrate may have been pretreated, by phosphating, for example. If appropriate, the substrate has already been provided with customary primers or coatings.
A powder coating material is applied to the substrate. A powder coating material comprises a coating material which is applied in powder form and whose film-forming phase comprises binder, possibly pigments, possibly fillers and possibly additives, and which after baking forms a coating film. The powder coating material employed may comprise any of the powder coating materials known from the prior art. For thermoset coating films (thermosetting powder coatings), curing agents and binders such as epoxides, polyesters, epoxy-polyester mixtures, polyurethanes or acrylates, for example, are used. In the case of thermoplastic powder coating materials, polyolefins or PVC, for example, are used as binders.
The powder coating material is applied by the customary techniques. Subsequently, a film on the substrate is formed from the powder, and is cured. The coating material for the topcoat is then applied to the cured coating film formed from the powder coating material.
The application of the above-described topcoat material to the powder-coated substrate may take place by standard coating techniques, such as dipping, spreading, brushing, knife coating, rolling, spraying and spin coating, for example.
Subsequently, directly or after initial drying at room temperature beforehand (for partial removal of the solvents), a curing (condensation) is carried out. Curing preferably takes place thermally at temperatures in the range from 50 to 300xc2x0 C., preferably from 70 to 200xc2x0 C., with very particular preference from 90 to 180xc2x0 C., under educed pressure if desired.
By means of the topcoat materials used in accordance with the invention, topcoat thicknesses of, for example, from 1 to 30 xcexcm, preferably from 1 to 20 xcexcm and in particular from 3 to 10 xcexcm may be obtained.
The coatings may if desired possess high transparency and are also notable for high scratch resistance, long-term hydrophilicity (as a result of the acidically catalyzed hydrolysis) and dirt-repelling properties (if fluorinated silanes are used in addition). If certain surfactants are added to the composition of the topcoat material, an improvement in the (long-term) hydrophilicity is obtained. If certain aromatic polyols are added to the composition of the topcoat material, the coatings obtained are particularly corrosion-inhibiting. For appropriate surfactants and aromatic polyols, reference may be made to WO 95/13326.
Furthermore, it has surprisingly been found that by using the organic monomers, oligomers and/or polymers containing at least one epoxide group it is possible to obtain no disadvantageous embrittlement but rather, in contrast, an advantageous flexibilization without adversely affecting the scratch-, abrasion- or acid-resistance. Very well-adhering topcoat films are formed whose flexibility is very well adapted to the powder coating and which therefore possess a markedly improved cyclic temperature stability (no cracking during preparation and application). The topcoat compensates for unevennesses in the powder coating surface (orange peel), and the coated particles acquire a more appealing appearance.
The topcoat materials used in accordance with the invention are therefore outstandingly suitable for coating powder-coated substrates. They are particularly suitable, for example, for coating powder-coated surfaces or casings, especially metal casings, of industrial equipment or powder-coated surfaces of furniture, iron goods and means of transport.
Examples of powder-coated surfaces or casings, especially metal casings, of industrial equipment are industrial ovens, switching desks, computers and production plants. Examples of powder-coated surfaces of furniture are surfaces of shelving, cupboards, chairs and tables. Examples of powder-coated surfaces of iron goods are surfaces of frames of windows and doors, valves, fittings, railings and posts. Examples of powder-coated surfaces of means of transport are surfaces of bicycle frames, mopeds and motorbikes, bodywork parts and wheel rims of motor vehicles.
The examples which follow are intended to illustrate the present invention without, however, restricting its scope.

Powder-coated substrates with topcoat based on silanes containing epoxide groups

Abstract: a) condensates based on hydrolyzable silanes containing at least one non-hydrolyzable substituent, the hydrolyzable silanes having an epoxide group on at least one non-hydrolyzable substituent;

Institut Fxc3xcr Neue Materialien gemeinnxc3xctzige GmbH


A method for monitoring an intrabody region of a patient. The method comprises intercepting electromagnetic (EM) radiation from the intrabody region in a plurality of EM radiation sessions during a period of at least 6 hours, calculating a dielectric related change of the intrabody region by analyzing respective the intercepted EM radiation, detecting a physiological pattern according to said dielectric related change. and outputting a notification indicating the physiological pattern.

The present invention, in some embodiments thereof, relates to a system and a method for monitoring a pathological condition of a patient and, more particularly, but not exclusively, to a system and a method for monitoring pathological and physiological condition of a user using EM radiation.
During the last years, various methods and devices have been developed for diagnosing intrabody tissues using electromagnetic (EM) radiation. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,061,589, published on Sep. 5, 2000 describes a microwave antenna for use in a system for detecting an incipient tumor in living tissue such as that of a human breast in accordance with differences in relative dielectric characteristics. In the system a generator produces a non-ionizing electromagnetic input wave of preselected frequency, usually exceeding three gigahertz, and that input wave is used to irradiate a discrete volume in the living tissue with a non-ionizing electromagnetic wave. The illumination location is shifted in a predetermined scanning pattern. Scattered signal returns from the living tissue are collected and processed to segregate skin tissue scatter and to develop a segregated backscatter or return wave signal; that segregated signal, in turn, is employed to detect any anomaly indicative of the presence of a tumor or other abnormality in the scanned living tissue.
In another example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,919,838 published on Jul. 19, 2005, describes a scanner or imager that employs a plurality of microwave transmitters that emit a multiplicity of pulses, which are received by a plurality of receivers. An object or person positioned between the transmitters and receivers can be scanned and subsequently imaged in extreme detail, due to the broad spectral content of the pulses.
International Patent Application Number IL2008/001199, filed on Sep. 4, 2008, which is incorporated herein by reference, describes a method for monitoring thoracic tissue. The method comprises intercepting electromagnetic (EM) radiation from thoracic tissue of a patient in continuous or intermittent EM radiation sessions during a period of at least 24 hours, detecting dielectric coefficient of the thoracic tissue by analyzing respective intercepted EM radiations, and outputting a notification indicating the change. The intercepted EM radiations changed as an outcome of physiological processes as well as thoracic movements which occur during the period. The intercepted EM radiation may be reflections of EM radiation transmitted toward the thoracic tissue, EM radiation passing through the thoracic tissue, and/or EM radiation scatter from the thoracic tissue.
International Patent Application Number IL2008/001198, filed on Sep. 4, 2008, which is incorporated herein by reference, describes a wearable monitoring device for monitoring at least one biological parameter of an internal tissue of an ambulatory user. The wearable monitoring device comprises at least one transducer configured for EM radiation to the internal tissue and intercepting EM radiation therefrom in a plurality of continuous or intermittent EM radiation sessions during at least 24 hours, a processing unit configured for analyzing respective intercepted EM radiation and identifying a change in the at least one biological parameter accordingly, a reporting unit configured for generating a report according to the change, and a housing for containing the at least one transducer, the reporting unit, and the processing unit, the housing being configured for being disposed on the body of the ambulatory user.

Methods and systems for monitoring intrabody tissues


A portable computer system and method include an auxiliary system including a first wireless sending/receiving part; and a main system including a data storing part storing data, a second wireless sending/receiving part, a mounting part mounting the auxiliary system thereto, and a mounting sensing part sensing whether the auxiliary system is mounted on the mounting part, where when displaying the data of the main system on a display part, the main system transmits the data stored in the data storing part to the auxiliary system to process and to display the data on the display part, and when not displaying the data on the display part, the main system supplies a signal to the switching part to cut-off electric power to the auxiliary system through the mounting part or the first wireless sending/receiving part.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a computer system and a control method thereof, and more particularly, to a computer system and a control method thereof in which data of a main system are displayed on a display part of an auxiliary system, enabling a speedy data processing even while a user is in motion.
2. Description of the Related Art
A portable computer, in contrast to a desktop computer, allows mobility and simplicity. The portable computer refers to portable computers such as a laptop computer, a notebook computer, a palmtop computer, and the like.
Under these portable computers, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) is used to effectively manage personal information. That is, the PDA has a function called PIMS (Personal Information Management System) to help conduct personal business, including at least a name and address database, a to-do list, and a note taker.
Further, the PDA can serve as a multimedia, being used for a computer game, a photo album, listening music and reproduction of moving picture files, and can communicate data with the desktop PC.
However, the PDA has a problem with capacity of RAM (Random Access Memory), when multimedia files are used. Further, a predetermined cable should be used with the PDA to communicate data with the desktop PC, thereby making it impossible for a user to operate the desktop PC when mobility is needed.
A notebook computer can serve also as the PDA, but it is very inconvenient to use the notebook computer as the PDA when the user is operating while in motion. For instance, the user must open a display panel of the notebook computer and boot up the notebook computer, even when the notebook computer is used only to read an e-mail and to use a multimedia file and to conduct a simple business such as PIMS, thereby causing waste of time and waste of electric power.

Method of controlling power to an auxiliary system comprising a display part and a wireless sending/receiving part connected to a portable computer through a mounting part


When a desired field frame is specified on an area of a display in which pages connected in series are displayed in their compressed form, the data in the specified field frame is displayed in a document image display section. When the specified field frame is moved with the use of a previous-page button, a next-page button, a forward-slide button, or a backward-slide button, the data in the moved field frame is displayed in the document image display section. The information concerning the movement of the field frame is transferred to other terminals so that on the white boards of the other terminals, the same processing is performed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a network image-processing system in which the white boards respectively provided for each of a plurality of terminals connected to a network operate cooperatively with each other.
2. Description of the Related Art
In many conventional network image-processing systems, each white board cooperatively operating at a respective one of a plurality of terminals connected to a network has just a single page, and drawing is performed on that page. Even in systems in which the white board handles a plurality of pages, the pages are sequentially switched to show each page separately, and drawing is performed on each page separately.
Since, in the conventional network image-processing system, drawing is performed only page by page, when a new drawing is to be made based on a portion of a drawing on another page, it is impossible to use only the required portion by sliding the unwanted portion out of the drawing area, and instead the unwanted portion must be deleted in order to start the new drawing. Alternatively, the required portion must be copied to a new page to start the new drawing.
More specifically, an upper portion or a lower portion of the drawing area cannot be used separately, since the drawing area needs to be moved in page units. Therefore, unnecessary objects need to be deleted or the required portion needs to be copied, reducing work efficiency.


The present invention relates to alkaline proteases having high specific activity and strong oxidant resistance. The present invention also relates to alkaline proteases having excellent detergency that are to be added to a detergent.

Proteases have conventionally been used in a variety of fields such as various detergents (including laundry detergents), cosmetics, bath agents, food modifiers, and pharmaceuticals (such as digestion aids and anti-inflammatory agents). Of these uses, proteases for detergents are industrially produced in the largest amount and have a great market value. Accordingly, a number of proteases are now available on the market.
In most cases, stains on clothes contain not only proteins but also plural components such as lipids and solid particles. Therefore, there is a demand for detergents having a sufficient detergency to remove complex stains. To address this demand, the present inventors applied for a patent (WO99/18218), which provided alkaline proteases having a molecular weight of about 43,000 that are capable of retaining caseinolytic activity even in the presence of a high concentration of fatty acids. The alkaline protease provided in WO99/18218 also exhibited excellent detergency even when the stain is composed of not a simple protein component but plural components, for example, protein and lipid.
Alkaline proteases having improved specific activity, oxidant resistance and detergency that are usable for detergents of wide-ranging compositions remain in demand.


In accordance with the teachings of the present invention, a method and apparatus for automatically performing a function based on the reception of information corresponding to broadcast data is provided. In one embodiment, an apparatus includes a receiver to receive information corresponding to broadcast data, a control logic to compare the information to target data, and a programming guide to store programming information. The control logic accesses the programming guide if at least a portion of the information matches at least a portion of the target data. The control logic then performs a predetermined function based on accessing the programming guide.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to the field of media technology. More particularly, this invention relates to the art of performing a function based on the reception of information corresponding to broadcast data.
2. Background
Numerous advances in media technology have been made in recent years. The number of media sources has increased, and the volume of information from each source has increased. For example, innovations include internet "appliance" devices used with televisions to access the internet, digital satellite broadcasts which can provide a viewer with hundreds of channels of audio and video programming, and home computer packages designed especially for audio/video applications. As media technology progresses, the lines between video, audio, and interactive media become more obscure. An individual may become overwhelmed with the flood of information and entertainment available.
Innovations have also made media information more accessible and meaningful to a wider range of users. For example, subsidiary or hidden information, such as closed caption text, can be synchronously broadcast with a television program so that the closed caption text corresponds to the dialogue of the program. Real time closed captioning is also frequently available for live broadcasts.
Other examples of innovations which take advantage of subsidiary information include toys for children. A toy can be placed near a television which is receiving subsidiary information. The toy can receive the subsidiary information from the television, and be programmed to respond accordingly. For instance, a stuffed animal toy can be sold with a video tape of children's songs with corresponding subsidiary information. The toy could be made to sing along with the songs as the video tape is played on the television.
The programming guide is another innovation in media technology designed to help a user sort through the mass of media choices. Many cable providers broadcast a programming guide on a cable channel. A viewer can select the channel and view a scrolling grid which displays the channel, time, and title of programming scheduled for the immediate future. Some programming guides also display codes that allow a user to select a particular program to view or record. For example, a viewer may be able to order a pay-per-view program or program a video cassette recorder to record a selected program from the codes in the programming guide. A programming guide may also provide a viewer with rating information so that unsuitable programming can be identified.
A need remains, however, to provide additional means by which a user can recognize and select pertinent information and entertainment from the onslaught of massive volumes of information. Therefore, it would be beneficial to provide a method and apparatus that takes advantage of these and other innovations in media technology to automatically perform predetermined functions to improve a user's access to relevant information and preferred entertainment.

Method and apparatus for automatically performing a function based on the reception of information corresponding to broadcast data


A multi-length sheet material conveyor and collator is provided including a first conveyor for receiving successive cut sheets from a cutter and a second conveyor for receiving cut sheets from the first conveyor and arranging the received cut sheets in collated sets of sheets. The second conveyor includes drive structure for intermittently driving the collated sets of sheets therealong and support structure whereby additional equipment may be supported from the second conveyor for performing single or multiple additional operations on the collated sets of sheet material such as stapling, gluing and token tipping.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the collation and preparation of flexible (paper) sheets for use on mail preparing machines known as inserters and constitutes an improvement over that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,033,727.
2. Description of Related Art
Known inserter machines have insert storing hoppers positioned along a common conveyor. The inserts within each hopper are dispensed one at a time to the common conveyor for presentation to the insert station.
The inserts within each insert storing hopper are separated from the supply stack of inserts therein by a vacuum cup and a separator foot. Since the vacuum foot pulls downward on the bottom of the lowest sheet of material in the supply stack, the bottom sheet must be singular or, if plural, must be bound with a folded edge, stapled, glued or some other means to the sheet or sheets of material thereabove. This is necessary if the multiple sheets are to be dispensed to the conveyor as a set.
Another common means to dispense multiple pages from a supply stack is by means of aligned punched holes in a number of lower pages. A vacuum cup is positioned over the aligned holes and vacuum penetrates the holes to the first unperforated sheet. As the vacuum cup pulls downward, the perforated sheets and the unperforated sheet thereabove are pulled downward and separated from the stack.
This latter method of sheet preparation presents one obvious problem. Holes must be placed in sheets which have printing thereon, thus restricting the positioning of the printing.
The objective for the instant invention is to provide a means of taking paper which has been cut from a continuous web by a paper cutting machine and presenting the paper on an electronically controlled intermittently driven conveyor. The conveyor electronically counts incoming sheets of paper and indexes when a preset number of sheets has been cut. The conveyor has the ability to collate sheets of one length or sheets of multiple lengths. Once collated, the sheets of material may be transferred by the conveyor to an addition modular supply hopper which dispenses a cover sheet to the conveyor path. The collated sheets are transferred to a modular device which binds the sheets together with a staple or staples along a common edge. The bound collated sheets are then placed on a conveyor and manually gathered into stacks where the conveyor can be an in-line modular piece of the production line consisting of a paper cutter or other equipment such as a paper folding machine or bound edge padding machine.

Multi-length sheet material conveyor and collator


An information processing apparatus includes an acquisition unit configured to acquire a plurality of positions on a surface of a measurement target object using information of light reflected from the measurement target object on which structured light is projected, a position of a light source of the structured light, and a position of a light reception unit configured to receive the reflected light and acquire the information of the reflected light, a calculation unit configured to acquire at least one of a position and a direction on the surface of the measurement target object based on the plurality of the positions, and a correction unit configured to correct at least one of the plurality of the positions based on information about an error in measurement for acquiring the plurality of the positions and at least one of the position and the direction on the surface of the measurement target object.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus for performing three-dimensional measurement on a measurement target object, and an information processing method.
2. Description of the Related Art
For measurement of a shape, a position, and an orientation of an object to be measured in a three-dimensional space, a measurement apparatus for measuring depth information of a surface of the object to be measured with respect to an imaging apparatus has been provided. Especially, in a non-contact type measurement apparatus, methods for measuring depth information to a measurement target by analyzing reflected light of light emitted onto the measurement target are widely used.
The measuring methods include, for example, a light-section method and a spatial coding method in which an imaging apparatus (camera) captures an image of a measurement target onto which known structured light is projected, and depth information is calculated using a trigonometric method from the light source position, the camera position, and the pattern position on the captured image. Further, the methods for calculating the position and orientation of the measurement target often uses a method for fitting a shape model of the measurement target to depth information or a two-dimensional image.
A position and orientation measurement method by model fitting is discussed in a document 1, P. J. Besl and N. D. Mckay, "A Method for Registration of 3-D Shapes", IEEE Transactions on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence, Vol. 14, No. 2, pp. 239-256, 1992. In the method discussed in the document 1, the position and orientation of an object are estimated by performing nearest neighbor search on correspondence of measurement points acquired from depth information and a shape model surface, and minimizing the corresponding distances.
However, when a user acquires the depth information (three-dimensional position) of the measurement target according to the above-described conventional method, the acquirement accuracy of the depth information may decrease depending on various conditions.
For example, it is assumed that a receiving unit receives reflected light of structured light projected onto a measurement target, and the depth information is measured using a trigonometric method. In such a case, if the target object is a semi-transparent object made of a material containing plastic or wax, the light scatters in the target object (i.e., subsurface scattering). Due to the subsurface scattering, the projection light is measured at a position deviating from the projection position. As a result, the distance value different from a true distance value is measured.
In another case, if the measurement target object is a material which causes anisotropic reflection such as mica, metal, shiny fiber, or the like, the accuracy in the depth information acquisition may be decreased due to the anisotropic reflection. Further, depending on the calibration accuracy of a camera (imaging apparatus), the depth information acquisition accuracy may decrease.
To deal with the subsurface scattering, a method is discussed in the document 2, M. Gupta, Y. Tian, S. G. Narasimhan, and L. Zhang, "(De) Focusing on Global Light Transport for Active Scene Recovery", IEEE Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR) 2009. In the method, using a phenomenon in which a high-frequency pattern is attenuated due to subsurface scattering, a projection pattern in a phase shift method is converted into a high-frequency pattern.
By the method discussed in the document 2, a distance value can be measured while effects due to indirect reflection components such as the subsurface scattering are reduced. However, such a method takes time for the measurement because a plurality of times of projection of high-frequency patterns by shifting phases is required in addition to projection of a pattern minimum required to the distance measurement. Moreover, in the method discussed in the document 2, if an object to be measured may have a subsurface scattering characteristic, the object is measured using scatter components on the surface, so that the information of the subsurface scattering is not used.

Information processing apparatus and information processing method


Methods and apparatus are provided for decoding codes that can be described using bipartite graphs having interconnected bit nodes and check nodes. A magnitude of a check-to-bit node message from check node j to bit node i is computed based on a sum of transformed magnitudes of bit-to-check node messages for a plurality of bit nodes connected to the check node j, less a transformed magnitude of the bit-to-check node message for bit node i and check node j. A sign of the check-to-bit node message from check node j to bit node i can also be computed by multiplying a product Sj of the sign of bit-to-check node messages among a plurality of bit nodes connected to the check node j by the sign of the bit-to-check node message for bit node i and check node j. A decoder architecture is also disclosed for decoding a code that can be described using a bipartite graph having interconnected bit nodes and check nodes. The disclosed decoder can be concatenated with a soft output detector.

Coding is widely used to decrease bit and packet error probabilities in the transmission of digital information. In many applications, convolutional codes are used for this purpose. A convolutional code is defined by a state machine with state transitions determined by the input bits to be encoded. The two most common decoding algorithms for convolutional codes or codes based on convolutional codes are the Viterbi algorithm and the maximum a-posteriori probability (MAP) algorithm.
For applications requiring greater error correcting capability, turbo codes or LDPC codes are often used. The decoding of concatenated codes, such as turbo codes, requires the result of decoding one code trellis as input for decoding the next code trellis, and so on for subsequent code trellises. The iterative nature of the decoding algorithms for turbo codes present significant implementation challenges.
LDPC codes are promising next-generation error-correcting codes, which can outperform Turbo codes in terms of coding gain. A number of techniques have been proposed or suggested for parallel or serial decoding of LDPC codes. A. J. Blanksby and C. J. Howland, "A 690-mW 1-Gb/s 1024-b, Rate-1/2 Low-Density Parity-Check Decoder," IEEE J. Solid-State Circuits, Vol. 37, 404-412 (March 2002) and U.S. Pat. No. 6,539,367, to Blanksby et al., for example, describe block-parallel decoding of Low Density Parity Check (LDPC) codes.
A serial implementation of an LDPC decoder may share some hardware and thus require a smaller number of computational elements and a less complicated routing mechanism compared to a parallel decoding method. The serial method, however, typically requires additional memory since all the messages along the edges of a bipartite graph need to be saved, and the throughput is limited since a serial implementation takes a larger number of clock cycles to decode a block of code. Generally, a bipartite graph is a graphical representation of a parity check matrix that is used by the LDPC code. The typical memory requirement is proportional to twice the number of edges in the code and the number of cycles is typically proportional to the sum of number of bit nodes and check nodes in the code.
Zining Wu and Gregory Burd, for example, have proposed a serial architecture for a communications system where an LDPC decoder is concatenated with a channel detector. The disclosed architecture reduces the memory requirement relative to a conventional serial implementation. See, Z. Wu and G. Burd, "Equation Based LDPC Decoder for Intersymbol Interference Channels," IEEE Proc. of Acoustics, Speech, and Signal Processing 2005 (ICASSP '05) Vol. 5, 757-60 (Mar. 18-23, 2005). D. E. Hocevar proposes a serial architecture for stand-alone LDPC decoders that also reduces the memory requirement relative to a conventional serial implementation. See, D. E. Hocevar, "LDPC Code Construction With Flexible Hardware Implementation," IEEE Int'l Conf. on Comm. (ICC), Anchorage, Ak., 2708-2712 (May, 2003).
A need still exists for a serial LDPC decoding architecture, both for stand-alone and concatenated LDPC decoders, that exhibits further improvements in the memory requirement or number of cycles per iteration (or both) and in bit error rate performance, relative to both parallel and serial implementations.

Methods and apparatus for low-density parity check decoding using hardware-sharing and serial sum-product architecture


Biometric authentication technology, in which biometric data is maintained for a group of people. The biometric data includes sorted similarity scores, where each of the sorted similarity scores is computed to represent similarity between a corresponding biometric image and a reference image. A biometric verification system accesses a biometric image of at least a portion of a person, accesses the reference image, and computes a similarity score that represents similarity between the accessed biometric image and the reference image. The biometric verification system searches the sorted similarity scores included in the biometric data using the computed similarity score and outputs a result based on the searching.

A typical biometric authentication system includes a database of biometric information (e.g., fingerprints, iris scans, facial images, etc.) about individuals. To identify or authenticate a sample of biometric information, the typical biometric authentication system compares the sample with entries in the database one by one until a match is found. As a result, the time to find a matching entry grows linearly and may be time consuming when the database includes many entries.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


The present invention provides a process cartridge that is freely attachable to and detachable from a main body of an image forming apparatus and that includes a latent image bearing body and a developing device having a developer storage space for storing a developer, the image forming apparatus and an image forming method. The invention also provides another image forming method using a one-component magnetic toner that is employable in a wide region of from a low process speed to a high process speed while achieving a high fixing ability.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or printer, and particularly to an image forming apparatus and image forming method in which latent images on an image bearing body are made visible with a developer, and a process cartridge used therefor. The invention also relates to an image forming method using a one-component magnetic toner.
2. Description of the Related Art
A number of electrophotographic processes are known in the art. In the electrophotographic process, a fixed image is formed through a plurality of steps comprising electrically forming a latent image by various methods on an electrostatic latent image bearing body utilizing a photoconductive material, developing the latent image using a developer containing a toner, transferring the toner latent image on the electrostatic latent image bearing body onto a transfer body such as a sheet of paper with or without interposition of an intermediate transfer body, and fixing the latent image by heating, compressing or heating with compression, or with a vapor of a solvent. If necessary, toner remaining on the latent image bearing body is cleaned off by various methods, and the aforementioned plural steps are repeated. Printers and copying machines utilizing the electrophotographic process are widely used, and accordingly, requirements with respect to performance and image quality are become more strict year by year.
Developing methods for the electrophotographic process are divided into one-component developing methods and two-component developing methods. While the two-component developing method has widely been used for development since it is advantageous for high speed processing, it involves disadvantages such as deterioration of the developer due to adhesion of the toner on the surface of a carrier and a large size of the developing device since the mixing ratio of the toner to the carrier should be kept constant so that the toner concentration in the developer does not decrease due to only the toner being consumed in this method. Consequently, the cost of controlling the toner density becomes high. On the other hand, since the one-component developing method is advantageous in that the device is compact and the cost may be reduced without producing the above-mentioned defects, the device is prevalent in small offices and in the field of personal users.
The one-component developing method is roughly divided into a non-magnetic one-component developing method and magnetic one-component developing method. The former is suitable for color printing because the toner does not contain magnetic powders. On the other hand, the magnetic one-component developing method is frequently used in a monochromatic electrostatic copying method since the toner can be retained on the toner bearing body using a magnetic force of the magnetic powder contained in the toner, and from the viewpoints of good conveying ability of the toner and easily inhibition of fogging of the toner at non-image portions.
The one-component developing method is more suitable for making the apparatus compact as compared with the two-component developing method. However, while so-called long life is urgently required for increasing the number of printing sheets (the number of copying sheets) per process cartridge in addition to the requirement for more compactness in recent years, a space for accommodating the developer is further reduced by making the process cartridge small. Consequently, the number of printing or copying sheets printed or copied before the toner in the cartridge has been depleted is reduced. Therefore, various methods have been devised for satisfying requirements of both small size and long life.
For example, a compact apparatus has been realized by disposing the developing section, exposing section and cleaning section at the same side relative to a vertical face intersecting the center of rotation of the image bearing body in the process cartridge used for the image forming apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication (JP-B) No. 6-12475. Further, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 2002-040787 discloses a method in which the developing device is made compact by simplifying the construction thereof in order to ensure a sufficient space for accommodating the developer. However, there has been a problem in that undeveloped developer remains in a dead space in the cartridge.
In order to reduce the size, and particularly the width, of the apparatus, it has been proposed to arrange a recording medium path from a transferring step to a fixing step in a substantially vertical direction to discharge the recording medium at the upper portion of the apparatus instead of discharging the recording medium to the side of the apparatus. However, since a developing device is positioned below a scanning light path in a process cartridge image forming apparatus such as described above, the size of the developing device must be small for reducing the height of the apparatus. Since the developing device is equipped with a developer storage portion for storing the developer, the size of the developer storage portion is inevitably small, whereby it is difficult to reduce the size of the apparatus with the volume of the developer storage portion unchanged.
It is also a drawback of the one-component developing method that toner conveyability onto the toner bearing body is likely to be unstable and distribution of electric charges of the toner tends to be broadened, since a charge donating ability, a developer conveying ability, and a developer stirring ability of the carrier cannot be utilized in this method. Consequently, development ghosts, fogging of the toner at non-image portions, and a decrease in development density are liable to occur. Since a darker black hue is required than conventionally from the viewpoint of improving image quality, higher image density is demanded. On the other hand, the foregoing problems are more liable to occur due to making members such as the toner bearing body compact in accordance with the trend toward a small-sized apparatus, due to shortening the charging time and developing time for high speed processing, and due to reducing the charge amount per toner particle in accordance with a reduced particle size of the toner for obtaining high quality images.
A variety of proposals have been made to solve the aforementioned problems.
It has been found that a development ghost could usually be removed using a method for suppressing charge-up of the toner. In a technology utilizing the above-described discovery, electrical resistance of the developer holding member (sleeve) is reduced to lower the absolute value of the toner charge by providing, for example, a resin layer comprising a phenol resin and carbon and having electrical conductivity and surface lubricity, on the toner bearing body in order to prevent a development ghost from occurring (e.g., see JP-A No. 1-276174). However, developing ability from the developer bearing body to a latent image bearing body (photoreceptor) may be deteriorated by reducing the charge amount of the toner, resulting in a decrease in image density. Since the charge amount per toner particle has been reduced in recent years by forming toner with a smaller particle diameter for complying with the requirement of high image quality, fogging is liable to occur. In another method disclosed, for example, in JP-A No. 10-177275, a developer bearing body having on its surface a film that contains Mo, O and H as main components is used, and a titanium compound obtained by a reaction between TiO(OH)2 and a silane compound is added to a magnetic one-component developer. A layer of toner transferred onto the bearing body is made uniform using the developer bearing body having the Mo-based material, and a ghost is prevented from being generated by utilizing a rapid charge exchanging property by adding the titanium-based compound. This method is quite effective. However, in a contact type transferring system, an electric field may affect the toner since the titanium-based compound as an additive has a relatively low electrical resistance to thereby reduce transferring efficiency and image density. These phenomena are apt to occur in a high temperature/high humidity environment and in a low speed machine having a long transferring time. Transferring ability is also liable to be impaired due to a decrease of the charge amount resulting from reduction of the particle diameter as described above. Further, the amount of the residual toner on the latent image bearing body is certain to increase, even when impaired transferring ability causes no problem with respect to image quality. Thus, further improved transferring efficiency is required from the viewpoint of reducing the amount of wasted toner.
With respect to deterioration of the transferring ability due to the electric field, a technique has been proposed in which the transferring ability may be improved at a process speed below 120 mm/s by optimizing a change in the resistance of the toner (e.g., see JP-A No. 2002-169329). However, in such a one-component magnetic toner, when the process speed exceeds 120 mm/s, worsening of a development ghost and a decrease in image density, due to high resistance of the toner as a result of speeding-up of the process, becomes more prominent than the transferring ability improving effect. Further, when the development electric field is increased to obtain higher image density, an increase in the process speed is accompanied by an increase in toner that contributes to fogging. Therefore, compatibility of transferability and developing ability is a current issue.
As a toner capable of complying with high speed processing, a toner has been proposed, which uses a magnetic powder whose magnetic property, fluidity, environmental stability and resistance can be adjusted by a composite oxide film of aluminum and iron, and which does not reduce the blackness of the toner (see, for example, JP-A No. 2002-72545). When the magnetic powder is used in the magnetic toner, excellent developing ability and transferability can be achieved by decreasing the content of the magnetic powder in the toner in a low process speed region below 120 mm/s. On the other hand, the toner can effectively be used when the process speed exceeds 120 mm/s by increasing a content of the magnetic powder depending on the process speed and using an additive having a relatively low resistance such as a titanium-based additive. However, even if such a means is adopted, the content of the magnetic powder must be adjusted depending on the process speed, and currently available one-component magnetic toners cannot satisfy all of the properties such as developing ability and transferability in a region of from a low speed (120 mm/s or less) to a high speed (up to 250 mm/s) when one kind of toner is used.
Moreover, the fixing ability of the toner is not sufficient when the process speed is 180 mm/s or more and a heating time for fixing is shortened. From this standpoint as well, conventionally known one-component magnetic toners cannot exhibit sufficient ability in the region of from a low speed (120 mm/s or less) to a high speed (up to 250 mm/s) when one kind of toner is used.

Process cartridge, image forming apparatus and image forming method