An apparatus and a method for heat treating a fluid product by injection of steam therein in order to provide a sterilization, pasteurization and/or a homogenization of the product. The apparatus includes a mixing chamber having a steam injection inlet, a product inlet, and an outlet for the treated product, a rotatable shaft disposed within the mixing chamber, a plurality of discs each comprising at least one product passage opening, the discs being disposed substantially co-axially on the shaft, and a motor for rotating the shaft with the discs. The invention also relates to a shaft to be used for homogenizing and mixing in an apparatus or a process for heating by steam injection a fluid product.

Direct steam injection is e.g. used in the food industry for pasteurising or sterilising of milk or cereal products. Various types of apparatus for pasteurising or sterilising fluid food products by injection of steam are known. The present invention relates to a method and apparatus wherein steam is injected into a product stream.
Whereas direct steam injection does not raise particular problems for low viscosity fluids such as milk, whey and cream, the pasteurisation of e.g. infant cereal based food, with far higher viscosity, e.g. comprising 20% starch, is very difficult to control in a homogeneous mixing. An inhomogeneous mixing will mean that temperature varies through the product mass and consequently the product is not homogeneously heat treated. In order to safeguard sufficiently heat treatment of the product i.e. to make sure that all parts of the product mass are heated to a high enough temperature, such as is crucial in pasteurising and sterilising processes, additional steam will need to be injected. This additional steam consumption is expensive and undesirable.
Homogenisation and mixing may be improved by passing the product through a venturi shaped nozzle in order to increase turbulence and velocity of the product, however, this may not provide a sufficient enough mixing. Alternatively, a mechanical mixing of the product and the steam may be necessary.
Mixing of the product and steam may be obtained by passing the product through a static mixer. However, substantial wear of the static mixer is likely to result from the passage of highly viscous products there through. Such static mixer will therefore have to frequently be replaced, which increases production costs. Alternatively, a screw may be used for mixing and for building up a pressurised product. However, the product creates a large momentum on the screw when rotated, and hence considerable motor capacity is required for the mixing.

Apparatus and method for heat treating a fluid product


The invention provides a process for isocyanate dimerization (uretdione formation) and a process for preparing polyisocyanates having a high content of uretdione groups, using specific phosphines as catalysts. The phosphines have one or two tertiary alkyl radicals bound directly to phosphorus.

Aliphatic isocyanates which have uretdione groups and are based on optionally branched, linear-aliphatic diisocyanates have a particularly low viscosity. Products based on cycloaliphatic diisocyanates generally range from highly viscous to solid substances which can be used as emission-free, internally blocked crosslinkers in coating systems.
An overview of isocyanate oligomerization is given in J. Prakt. Chem./Chem. Ztg. 1994, 336, 185-200.
Tris(dialkylamino)phosphines (DE-A 3 030 513), if appropriate in combination with cocatalysts (DE-A 3 437 635), display a good selectivity for the formation of uretdione groups (uretdione selectivity). However, the serious problem of the high cancer-causing potential of their phosphorus oxides, e.g. hexamethylphosphoramide, stands in the way of their industrial use.
DE-A 3 739 549 discloses catalytic NCO dimerization using 4-dialkylaminopyridines, e.g. 4-dimethylaminopyridine (DMAP), but uretdione formation proceeds selectively only in the case of specific cycloaliphatic isocyanates such as isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI). Linear-aliphatic isocyanates such as hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI) and branched, linear-aliphatic isocyanates such as trimethylhexane diisocyanate (TMDI) and methylpentane diisocyanate (MPDI) give mainly strongly coloured, heterogeneous reaction products when DMAP and related compounds are used.
DE-A 1 670 720 discloses the preparation of aliphatic polyisocyanates having uretdione groups, with tertiary phosphines having at least one aliphatic substituent and also boron trifluoride and its adducts being used as catalysts. It is indicated that high proportions of uretdione groups in the product can be obtained only at low conversions and reaction temperatures in the range from 50 to 80° C., with isocyanate trimers (isocyanurates and iminooxadiazinediones) and, especially at elevated temperature, other by-products such as carbodiimides or uretonimines being simultaneously formed. Uretonimines are a particular problem since they tend to liberate monomeric isocyanate during storage.
DE-A 10254878 describes the use of phosphines having at least one cycloaliphatic, P-bonded radical as catalysts for NCO dimerization. These catalysts display a significantly higher uretdione selectivity than other trialkylphosphines of the prior art. The use of a special case of these phosphines, namely representatives having bicyclic radicals, for the same use is described in DE 10354544.

Preparation of polyisocyanates containing uretdione groups using phosphine catalysts


The present invention describes a method of determining the active talker for display on a video conferencing system, including the steps of: for each participant, capturing audio data using an audio capture sensor and video data using a video capture sensor; determining the probability of active speech (pA, pB . . . pN), where the probability of active speech is a function of the probability of soft voice detection captured by the audio capture sensor and the probability of lip motion detection captured by the video capture sensor; and automatically displaying at least the participant that has the highest probability of active speech.

In video conferencing systems, identifying active talkers from other locations is desirable for natural communications. However, providing, setting up, and maintaining video conferencing systems which allow the user to easily see and identify the active talker are often expensive and complex to implement, requiring significant user or technician effort to configure and maintain. For example, the HP Halo video conferencing system provides an immersive video environment where the active talker can be easily identified. However, it requires a dedicated room that has high bandwidth requirements.
Due to bandwidth limitations, many video conferencing systems have a single outbound audio and video stream from each end-point. When there are multiple people engaged in a live meeting in a room with a single out-bound connection (as one node in a multi-party video conferencing scenario), the remote participants may only see a wide-angle view of the meeting room. Due to bandwidth limitations, this view may not provide enough pixels on faces of the participants to have their expressions easily recognizable to have effective communication.
Many systems find active talkers by source localization using a microphone array. Video conferencing systems equipped with this technology often use pan-tilt-zoom cameras and microphone arrays on a single unit attached to a display and usually pan, tilt, and zoom video cameras in the direction of the active talkers. Some systems have a structured microphone array attached to the equipment. Another type of system distributes microphone arrays in a room to localize active talkers. But in most cases, these systems do not perform well enough for practical uses due to the problem of limited viewpoints and detection errors. Again, these types of video conferencing systems often require a dedicated room and a complex configuration and set up process.
A video conferencing system which easily identifies and displays the active talker and does not require a dedicated room and complex configuration process is needed.

System and method for determining the active talkers in a video conference

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


An adhesive therapeutic cover comprises at least one lift device and a single sheet of at least a two-ply material that includes a cover material with an adhesive on a bottom surface and a backing layer. The cover material defines at least one opening therethrough or at least one opening area which is removable after application of the cover material to a patient to form an opening through the cover material. The at least one lift device comprises a connector adhered or adherable to the cover material in alignment with the opening or opening area. The connector can be connected to a pressurized source of a flowable lifting agent, to urge the flowable lifting agent through the connector and the opening to separate the cover material from patient skin. Sensors can be provided to monitor and/or control the flow of lifting agent through the lifting device during removal of the cover from the patient.

This application relates to adhesive therapeutic covers, such as bandages, medical drapes, and the like, and in particular to such covers wherein the covers are provided with ports adapted to connect the cover to sources of pressurized gas and/or fluids and sensors to monitor various parameters in the area of the cover in proximity to the port.
Approximately 1.5 million patients acquire injuries to the skin caused by tape/bandage removal annually. Elderly and/or sick patients require repeated taping over the same area, making them highly susceptible to dermis stripping from bandage removal.
Adhesive therapeutic covers, such as bandages and drapes, have long been used to cover wounds. However, such covers can be painful to remove, especially for sensitive skin or previously damaged skin, or if the bandage is covering body hair (such as arm hair or leg hair). Thus, for example, adhesive bandages are not applied to burn victims or skin grafts for fear of damaging newly formed skin.
In addition, adhesive therapeutic covers can include retractors, such as disclosed in WO 2014/120746, which is incorporated herein by reference, which can be used to reposition or retract a patient's excess flesh (such as a panniculus) to facilitate certain medical or surgical procedures. Such retractors are comprised of large sheets of adhesive film which are adhered to the patient's skin and which can be painful to the patient to remove.
It would be desirable to provide an adhesive therapeutic cover which would facilitate removal of the adhesive therapeutic cover to thereby reduce the likelihood of damage to skin during removal and to make removal of adhesive therapeutic cover less painful for the patient.


A cradle apparatus for a digital camera with a control program preliminarily installed, including a communicating device in which an information signal is sent and received between an information processing apparatus and the digital camera, an output by which video signal is output, a connector onto which the digital camera is detachably connected, a charging detector to detect a voltage level of battery in the digital camera, and a version detector to detect the control program for the digital camera being sent and received as the information signal between the digital camera and the information processing apparatus by the communicating device to re-write the control program.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cradle apparatus for a digital camera by which a battery charging of the digital camera and for sending and receiving a signal between an external equipment and the cradle apparatus.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A conventional cradle apparatus technology has been adapted to attain an object to transfer image data photographed by a digital camera from the digital camera through a destination computer system or a network to an oriented server apparatus. In a description of Japanese Patent Publication No. 2000-232699 titled "Digital Camera, Operating Method, computer readable recording medium, computer system, automated system and digital photograph", an image detecting unit by which an image is received and image data representing the image are output, a memory unit by which the image data are stored, and input-output adapter which is made operable to detect a connection to a network, to settle a connection for communication with a destination system, and to transfer the stored image data to the destination system, are included in a digital camera, on the other hand a connection to external power source and a connection for communication are carried out by a cradle apparatus assembly.
The cradle apparatus with this kind of structure can, however, supply the operating power source of the digital camera and at the same time can transfer the image data which are photographed and sent to the destination computer, but there are problems that the cradle apparatus can not perform a battery charging of battery in the digital camera and the cradle apparatus can not deal with video signal output from the digital camera.


An imaging device includes a first detection unit, a vector correction unit, and a second detection unit. The first detection unit is configured to detect a motion vector based on reference image data and input image data after aberration of a lens is corrected. The vector correction unit is configured to correct an error component included in the motion vector detected by the first detection unit according to an aberration characteristic of the lens. The error component is produced by aberration correction. The second detection unit is configured to set a search area of the motion vector based on the motion vector corrected by the vector correction unit and detect the motion vector in the search area.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technique for detecting a motion vector from image data generated based on a subject image input through a lens having aberration such as distortion in an imaging device.
2. Description of the Related Art
A digital camcorder and a digital still camera photograph a subject, and encode and store a captured moving image. Examples of the digital camcorder and the digital still camera include an interchange lens type (for example, a digital single-lens reflex camera) having a detachable lens. The lens can be replaced by various lenses such as a telephoto lens and a wide-angle lens according to a photographic scene. Examples of the lens include a super-wide-angle lens referred to as a fisheye lens. The super-wide-angle lens has great distortion. An image captured by the super-wide-angle lens is magnified toward a center of a frame, and is reduced toward a periphery of the frame. On the other hand, there is a known technique (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-193458) for correcting distortion of a lens in an imaging device having an attached super-wide-angle lens.
A technique for compression-encoding moving image data and storing the compression-encoded moving image data in a storage medium is generally used in a device taking a moving image to acquire an input signal. A high efficiency encoding system such as moving picture experts group phase 2 (MPEG-2) or H.264 has been known as a system for encoding the moving image data. The high efficiency encoding system employs a method referred to as inter-frame prediction (inter prediction) to obtain high compression efficiency. The method generates prediction image data based on frames at different times, and encodes difference image data between input image data and the prediction image data. A technique indispensable in the inter-frame prediction is motion compensation. This technique is used to detect a motion vector and generate the prediction image data from reference image data and the motion vector, to further reduce an amount of information of the difference image data.
Here, when the taken image data is greatly distorted, the motion compensation of the conventional technique causes the following problem. For example, a subject image is distorted by distortion of a lens, and thereby a shape of a subject represented by input image data becomes different from that of a subject represented by reference image data. This disadvantageously causes reduction in encoding efficiency when motion compensation is performed.


A clean-in-place housing for use is a material processing mill including a screen inside the mill housing that moved from processing position to cleaning position with a screen carrier without disassembling the housing.

This application claims benefit of the filing date of provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/423,847 filed Nov. 5, 2002.
(1) Field of the Invention
This invention concerns a clean-in-place processing mill including a pull-in-place screen as well methods for cleaning a processing mill having a pull-in-place screen. The processing mill of this invention includes a housing having a screen that is movable inside the mill. The screen is moved away from sealing surfaces before cleaning without disassembling the machine thereby facilitating the cleaning of all surfaces with a cleaning fluid. Once cleaning is complete, the screen may be indexed back into position for further processing or the machine may be disassembled an reconfigured.
(2) Description of the Art
The requirement for clean-in-place machinery has become a standard in the food industry and the standard is fast being adopted by the pharmaceutical industry. Clean-in-place machinery allows the processing portions of the machinery to be cleaned without dissembling the machinery thereby providing total containment of the processed materials and the cleaning fluids during the cleaning process. In addition, clean-in-place machinery protects operators from being exposed to hazardous processing materials and cleaning fluids.
Some processing machinery includes screens or other components which are mechanically fastened inside a housing when the equipment is assembled for operation. One problem with such machinery is that processing debris must be removed from all internal machine surfaces during cleaning. For typical processing machinery, this requires disassembling portions of the machinery so that all the machinery surfaces can be cleaned. Disassembling processing mills for cleaning is time consuming and the resulting cleaning process is messy making it very difficult to contain the cleaning fluids.
There is a need therefore, for pharmaceutical and food processing machinery that can be thoroughly cleaned in place without dissembling the processing machinery.


A gas radiation burner includes a gas supply member for injecting a gas; at least one mixing pipe producing a mixed gas by sucking air together with the gas injected by the gas supply member, the at least one mixing pipe uniformly injecting the mixed gas; a burner pot having a lateral side opening connected to the at least one mixing pipe to accommodate the mixed gas supplied by the at least one mixing pipe; a burner mat provided over the burner pot to emit radiant heat generated by combustion of the mixed gas supplied by the burner pot; and a burner housing provided on the burner mat to provide a combustion room.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a gas radiation burner. Although the present invention is suitable for a wide scope of applications, it is particularly suitable for supplying a mixed gas uniformly and accelerating combustion of the gas.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Generally, a gas radiation burner provided to a gas oven or range is a device for cooking in a manner of heating an object by radiant waves generated from a radiant body that is heated as a mixed gas burns. This mixed gas includes gas and air.
In particular, since a glass is placed over the gas radiation burner, the glass can prevent the flame from being externally exposed. Therefore, a fire can be prevented. In addition, the gas radiation burner facilitates cleaning to enhance its convenience for use.
An example of a gas radiation burner 10 according to a related art is explained in detail with reference to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 as follows. FIG. 1 is a schematic layout of a gas radiation burner according to a related art and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional diagram of the gas radiation burner along a cutting line II-II shown in FIG. 1. Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, a gas radiation burner according to a related art mainly includes a mixing pipe 2, a burner pot 4, a burner mat 6, a burner housing 8 and a glass 10.
The mixing pipe 2 provides a space into which a gas fuel and air are introduced to be primarily mixed. In this case, the gas fuel is sprayed from a nozzle 1 that configures a gas supply member. In addition, the air is introduced into the mixing pipe 2 by a spray pressure of the gas fuel to be mixed therein.
A lower portion of the burner pot 4 is connected to the mixing pipe 2 to provide a space, into which the mixed gas supplied from the mixing pipe 2 is introduced therein.
The burner mat 6 is mounted on a mounting part 5 provided over the burner pot 2. The burner mat 6 plays a role as a radiant body that generates radiant waves when the mixed gas introduced into the burner pot 4 burns.
The burner housing 8 plays a role as a body of the gas radiation burner. The burner pot 4 is locked to the burner housing 8. An object to be heated is placed on the burner housing 8. In this case, the burner housing 8 is provided with a circular opening 9 through which the radiant energy emitted from the burner mat 6 passes.
The glass 10 is placed on the burner housing 8. The object to be heated is placed onto the glass 10. Besides, an outlet 11 is provided within the burner housing 8. Therefore, an exhaust gas produced from burning the mixed gas is discharged via the outlet 11.
An operation of the above-configured gas radiation burner is explained as follows. First of all, a user puts an object to be heated onto the glass 10 and then activates the gas radiation burner. Subsequently, a gas fuel and air are introduced into the mixing pipe 2 respectively. The introduced gas fuel and air are supplied to the burner pot 5 and mixed together. The mixed gas is then sprayed via the burner mat 6.
Simultaneously, the mixed gas is ignited by a prescribed ignition device (not shown in the drawings) and is then burnt on the burner mat 6. As the mixed gas is burnt, the burner mat 6 is heated to emit radiant energy. Therefore, the object put on the glass 10 is heated by the generated radiant energy. In this case, an exhaust gas generated from the combustion of the mixed gas at about 500° C. or higher is discharged via the outlet 11 provided within the burner housing 8.
However, the related art gas radiation burner has the following problems.
First of all, since the mixing pipe 2 of the conventional gas radiation burner is connected to the lower portion of the burner pot 4, the entire gas radiation burner is thick and would be difficult to make the gas radiation burner structurally compact.
Secondly, in the related art gas radiation burner, since the gas and air are supplied via the mixing pipe 2 provided to one side of the gas radiation burner and are mixed with each other within the burner pot 4, a mixed rate between the gas and air is deflectively and non-uniformly distributed within the burner pot 4. Therefore, incomplete combustion takes place locally, whereby irregular combustion takes place on a surface of the burner mat 6. The irregular surface combustion reduces combustion efficiency, increases the amount of a discharge gas, and lowers heat efficiency of the gas radiation burner.
Thirdly, the burner mat 6 is formed of a ceramic-based material in general. Since a temperature for sustaining durability is low due to properties of the ceramic-based material, the corresponding durability of the burner mat 6 is low.
Fourthly, the burner mat 6 has difficulty in generating a large amount of heat, thereby reducing efficiency. In particular, since it is better to keep a temperature of the ceramic-based burner mat 6 low to extend its life span due to the material properties of the burner mat 6, it is difficult to raise the temperature over a prescribed temperature. Hence, it further limits the amount of heat generated on the burner mat 6.
Fifthly, the ceramic-based burner mat 6 has low thermal conductivity due to the properties of the ceramic-based material. Since it takes longer to accumulate heat, radiant efficiency of the burner mat 6 is low.
Finally, since gas and air are mixed together in the burner pot 4 of the related art gas radiation burner, the burner pot 4 should be provided with a sufficient internal space to well mix the gas and air. Therefore, it is difficult to reduce the size of the burner pot 4. In particular, if a height of the burner pot 4 is lowered, the flow resistance of the gas and air is increased within the burner pot 4. Therefore, the gas and air cannot be well mixed together if a height of the burner pot 4 is lowered.


A computer based network system includes a first node having a data value, medium for transmitting a network frame, and first and second node computers coupled to the medium. The first node computer is programmed to generate a numeric address based on at least a portion of a publication title, to load the data value and publication title into a data field of the network frame, to load the numeric address into a destination address field of the network frame, and to send the network frame on to the destination address via the medium. The second node computer is programmed to have the publication title associated with the data value, to generate the numeric address based on at least a portion of the publication title, to receive from the medium the network frame with this numeric address, to evaluate the received frame to determine whether the publication title used to generate the numeric address is in the data field of the network frame, to remove the data value from the data field of the network frame when the publication title used to generate the numeric address is in the data field, and to discard the network frame when the data field of the network frame lacks the publication title used to generate the numeric address. A computer-readable medium including a computer software program having a set of executable modules for transmitting data on a network via a network frame is also disclosed A computer based networking method is further disclosed.

The present invention relates to a software program. More particularly, the present invention relates to a software program for computer network systems that utilizes at least a portion of a data publication title to create a numeric destination address for a computer network system network frame so that the network frame is sent directly to the destination address and received by one or more computer network system subscribers of the network frame without the use of a network address server.
A typical computer network system includes a network medium such as coaxial cable or twisted-pair cable, and a plurality of nodes, such as computers, terminals, printers, data storage devices, and servers that are connected to the media. The nodes communicate with one another according to an architecture model, such as the Open-Systems Interconnection (OSI) Model. The OSI Model includes seven different layers. These layers are: Physical, Data Link, Network, Transport, Session, Presentation Services, and Application.
A Media layer includes hardware or software used for connecting nodes together, such as the above-described coaxial cable or twisted-pair cable. The Physical layer is the connection interface between a node and the Media layer, such as RS-232C or IEEE 802.3. The Data Link layer is the mechanism used for data transfer across the Physical layer. The Data Link layer can be subdivided into a Logic Link Control (LLC) sublayer and a Medium Access Control (MAC) sublayer. The LLC sublayer governs the connection between end points via a protocol, such as Ethernet. The MAC sublayer assembles data to be sent into a frame and disassembles data before passing it to the LLC sublayer.
The Network layer is in charge of routing either through connection-oriented or connectionless-oriented means. This layer forms data packets and routes them from one node to another. Protocols used at this layer include X.25 and ISDN. The Transport layer is a network independent service provided to the Session layer. The Transport layer receives data from the Session layer and sends it to a destination. The Transport layer performs the reverse function when data is inbound from a target node. The Session layer is where connection points between nodes are established. Addresses used at this layer differ from those used at the Transport layer. Session layer addresses are used by programs or users. Transport layer addresses are used to establish Transport layer connections. The Session layer is responsible for establishing a connection for an application to use. The Session layer is also responsible for enforcing protocols between applications and reconnection in the event of a failure between two layers.
Translation of data passed between nodes is performed at the Presentation Services layer. The Presentation services layer also provides transformation of data exchanged between the Application layer and items above the Application layer. Finally, the Application layer provides services to applications so that the OSI capabilities can be accessed.
As noted above, Ethernet is a lower layer networking protocol in the OSI Model. Ethernet operates in one of three addressing modes: unicast, broadcast, and multicast. Unicast is a point-to-point technology which directs a message from one node to a second node on the network, with no other network nodes receiving this message. Broadcast addressing sends a network frame via the medium to all nodes connected to the network on which the network frame is transmitted. Each node on the broadcast network must read the frame and discard it if the network frame is unwanted. This requires Central Processing Unit (CPU) time which constitutes a significant portion of overall available CPU bandwidth for less sophisticated CPUs. The same issues arise for multicast addressing which Ethernet also supports. Multicast addressing is a specialized type of broadcast transmission in which a subset of the network nodes receive a network frame.
Multicast addressing attempts to overcome the disadvantages, noted above, with broadcast addressing by accessing only a subset of the nodes on a network. However, such multicast addressing must be managed by one of several techniques. One technique is to use a computer network system address server to manage the allocation of network addresses on the network. Such an address server utilizes a look-up table to determine which address to use. This table typically includes a list of network frame titles to which a corresponding publisher list and subscriber list are indexed. Use of an address server has the disadvantage of requiring each node to establish a dialogue with the address server to determine which addresses to use for the various frames.
Another disadvantage associated with multicast addressing is that an additional protocol needs to be developed to access the address server. A further disadvantage includes that additional network frames or traffic are present on the computer network system in order to talk with the address server. The address server is also a single point of failure for the computer network system. Additional complexity is required to deal with replacing a server while a network system continues to operate (e.g., hot standby or disk mirrors). Still further disadvantages include that additional network frames or network traffic are required to determine when an address is no longer in use and when a node powers up, it must talk to the address server, possibly overloading or swamping the computer system network if a large quantity of nodes are present.
The present invention is directed to alleviation of the above-described problems associated with broadcast and multicast network addressing. The present invention reduces the number of unwanted messages received by nodes, allowing lower performance CPUs to be used and providing greater available CPU processing time for other tasks. The present invention also eliminates the use of an address server which reduces extra equipment, eliminates address server network frames, and eliminates the single point of failure caused by the use of an address server. Furthermore, the present invention eliminates information processing by nodes caused by the address server protocol normally present.
An embodiment of the present invention is a computer based network system. The computer based network system includes a first node having a data value and medium, such as coaxial cable, twisted-pair cable, microwaves, etc., for transmitting a network frame. The computer based network system also includes a first node computer coupled to the medium and programmed to have a publication title associated with the data value. The first node computer is also programmed to generate a numeric address based on at least a portion of the publication title and to load the data value and publication title into a data field of a network frame. The first node computer is further programmed to load the numeric address into a destination address field of the network frame and to send the network frame on to the destination address via the medium. The computer based network system further includes a second node computer coupled to the medium and programmed to have the publication title associated with the data value. The second node computer is also programmed to generate the numeric address based on at least a portion of the publication title and to receive from the medium the network frame with this numeric address. The second node computer is further programmed to evaluate the received frame to determine whether the publication title used to generate the numeric address is in the data field of the network frame, to remove the data value from the data field of the network frame when the publication title used to generate the numeric address is in the data field, and to discard the network frame when the data field of the network frame lacks the publication title used to generate the numeric address.
The above-described computer based network system may be modified and include the following characteristics as described below. The first and second nodes of the computer based network system may each include a sensor. The network frames used on the computer based network system may include Ethernet frames.
The second node computer may also be programmed to have a second publication title associated with a second data value, to generate a second numeric address based on at least a portion of the second publication title, to load the second data value and the second publication title into a data field of the second network frame, to load the second numeric address into a destination address field of the second network frame, and to send the second network frame on to the second destination address via the medium. Such programming allows the second node to communicate with other nodes on a network, including the first node.
The first node computer may be programmed to have the second publication title associated with the second data value, to generate the second numeric address based on at least a portion of the second publication title, to receive from the medium the second network frame with the second numeric address, to evaluate the received second network frame to determine whether the second publication title used to generate the second numeric address is in the data field of the second network frame, to remove the second data value from the data field of the second network frame when the second publication title used to generate the second numeric address is in the data field, and to discard the second network frame when the data field of the second network frame lacks the second publication title used to generate the second numeric address. The second data value may include a control value that adjusts a set point of the first node, such as temperature. The computer based network system may additionally include a second node having the second data value. This second node may be a sensor.
Another embodiment of the present invention is a computer-readable medium including a computer software program having a set of modules executable by at least one computer for transmitting data on a network via a network frame. The software program includes a publication title module that generates a publication title associated with a data value. The software program also includes an address module that generates a numeric address for a destination address field of the network frame based on at least a portion of the publication title. The software program additionally includes a system call module that makes a system call to an operating system to load the data value and the publication title into a data field of the network frame, to load the numeric address into the destination address field of the network frame, and to send the network frame on to the destination address via a medium for transmitting the network frame.
The above-described computer-readable medium including the software program may be modified and include the following characteristics as described below. The software program may additionally include a receive module and an evaluation module. The receive module receives the network frame with the destination address from the media. The evaluation module evaluates the received frame with the destination address to determine whether the publication title used to generate the numeric address is in the data field of the network frame, removes the data value from the data field of the network when the publication title used to generate the numeric address is in the data field, and discards the network frame when the data field of the network frame lacks the publication title used to generate the numeric address.
The network frames may include Ethernet frames. The computer-readable medium may include things such as magnetic media, Read Only Memory (ROM), Random Access Memory (RAM), and CD ROM.
Another embodiment of the present invention is a computer based networking method. The computer based networking method includes the steps of creating a publication title associated with a data value and generating a numeric address based on at least a portion of the publication title. The method includes the additional steps of loading the data value and the publication title into a data field of the network frame and loading the numeric address into a destination address field of the network frame. The method further includes the step of sending the network frame on to the destination address via the network media.
The above-described method may be modified and include the following steps as described below. The above-described method may further include the steps of receiving from the media the network frame with the numeric address, evaluating the received frame to determine whether the publication title used to generate the numeric address is in the data field of the network frame, removing the data value from the data field of the network frame when the publication title used to generate the numeric address is in the data field, and discarding the network frame when the data field of the network frame lacks the publication title used to generate the numeric address.
Other objects, advantages, and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Multicasting employing publication title to create numeric destination address for computer network system frame


A rotor shaft for an electric machine includes a rotor shaft main body and a rotor shaft core which is arranged therein and which is connected to the rotor shaft main body. The rotor shaft comprises a substantially axially running cooling cavity configured to conduct a cooling fluid, and the rotor shaft core is composed of a different material than the rotor shaft main body.

The invention relates to a rotor shaft for an electric machine, and to an electric machine.
Rotor shafts for electric machines are, in the prior art, commonly equipped with a so-called hollow-shaft cooling arrangement. Here, the shaft is equipped with an axial bore into which a cooling fluid, for example water, is introduced.
The cooling fluid may be introduced into the axial bore by means of a so-called cooling fluid lance. Here, the axial bore may be a blind bore. The cooling fluid then emerges again on the same side of the shaft at which it is introduced through the cooling fluid lance.
It is additionally known from the prior art that a cooling fluid present in an axial bore generates friction losses during the rotation of the rotor shaft. Therefore, in the case of rotor shafts which rotate at high rotational speeds, the axial bore for the cooling fluid is designed with a relatively small diameter. Friction losses generated by the cooling fluid can thus be reduced.
In order to realize a good cooling action by means of the cooling fluid, known rotor shafts are generally produced from a solid material. Good thermal conductivity between the cooling fluid and a shell surface of the rotor shaft is then ensured. The formation of cavities for weight reduction purposes is in this case associated with a considerable impairment of said thermal conductivity, such that, in many cases, this is dispensed with.
It is an object of the present invention to further improve known rotor shafts. In particular, it is sought to provide rotor shafts which can be cooled in an efficient and effective manner and which at the same time have a low weight and therefore a low inertia.
This object may be achieved by means of a rotor shaft for an electric machine, having a rotor shaft main body and having a rotor shaft core which is arranged therein and which is connected to the rotor shaft main body, wherein the rotor shaft comprises a substantially axially running cooling cavity for conducting a cooling fluid, and the rotor shaft core is composed of a different material than the rotor shaft main body.
The cooling fluid is for example water.
The cooling cavity may be open axially on one side. It is then possible in a known manner for a cooling fluid lance to be introduced such that an adequate cooling action can be realized. The cooling cavity may also be designed to be open axially on both sides. The cooling fluid can then be conducted axially through the rotor shaft.
The rotor shaft core is preferably produced from a material which has a lower density than the material from which the rotor shaft main body is produced.
It is furthermore preferable for the thermal conductivities of the two materials to be of similar magnitude.
Alternatively, the thermal conductivity of the material of the rotor shaft core may be greater than that of the rotor shaft main body. Such a shaft is therefore lighter in relation to known shafts. At the same time, good heat conduction between the shell surface of the rotor shaft and the cooling cavity is ensured. By means of the reduced weight, the inertia of the rotor shaft is also reduced. In this way, dynamic mobility of the rotor is made possible. The stator defects and advantages apply in particular for rotor shafts with a relatively large outer diameter, which are designed for fast rotation, because, in the case of such rotor shafts, the heat conduction path between the shell surface of the rotor shaft and the cooling cavity is relatively long. It is accordingly also possible for a large amount of weight to be saved. By means of the respective proportions of the rotor shaft main body and of the rotor shaft core and by means of the materials used for these two components, it is furthermore possible for the mechanical characteristics of the rotor shaft, for example with regard to bending, torsion or thermal expansion, to be set in an exact manner.
In one embodiment, a cooling fluid lance and preferably a cooling fluid diverting piece are arranged in the cooling cavity. The cooling fluid is introduced in a known manner into the rotor shaft from one axial side through the cooling fluid lance. The fluid diverting piece then ensures that the cooling fluid emerges from the rotor shaft again on the same side. For such a shaft, the connection to a cooling fluid line system takes up only a small amount of structural space. At the same time, the cooling cavity can be produced with little effort, for example by means of a blind bore. The cooling fluid diverting piece is then the base of the blind bore.
The rotor shaft core may be produced from an aluminum material, a magnesium material and/or a plastic, and the rotor shaft main body may be produced preferably from a steel material. Here, by means of the steel material, the rotor shaft is provided with adequate mechanical strength and stiffness. Since aluminum and magnesium have a considerably lower density than steel, weight can be saved through the use of such a rotor core. This also applies to the use of a plastic, which generally likewise has a lower density than steel. At the same time, aluminum and magnesium exhibit considerably higher thermal conductivity than steel, whereby the heat conduction from the shell of the rotor shaft to the cooling cavity is considerably improved. In this way, the cooling capability of the rotor shaft is also facilitated. It is furthermore conceivable for the rotor shaft core to be produced from a combination of the stated materials.
The cooling cavity preferably runs substantially centrally and in continuous fashion in the rotor shaft. Here, "in continuous fashion" means that the cooling cavity runs from one axial rotor shaft end to the other axial rotor shaft end. Uniform cooling of the rotor shaft is thus ensured both from a radial aspect and from an axial aspect. Stresses resulting from thermal expansion are thus prevented in an effective manner, resulting in reliable functioning and a long service life of the rotor shaft.
The cooling cavity may run partially in the rotor shaft main body and partially in the rotor shaft core. A high level of design freedom for the mechanical and thermal configuration of the rotor shaft is thus provided. The rotor shaft is thus easily and reliably adapted to the given usage conditions.
In one variant, the rotor shaft core is spaced apart axially from a first and/or a second rotor shaft end. The two rotor shaft ends are thus formed as constituent parts of the rotor shaft main body. High mechanical stability of the rotor shaft ends is thus ensured, which are commonly formed as bearing points or the like.
In one embodiment, the rotor shaft core is introduced by means of a casting process into the rotor shaft main body. After the space provided for the rotor shaft core has been created in the rotor shaft main body, the rotor shaft core is thus introduced in liquid form into said space. The rotor shaft core then solidifies in the interior of the rotor shaft main body. Mechanical reworking, for example by cutting, may follow. In particular, the cooling cavity may be formed in retroactively by cutting machining. The rotor shaft is thus produced easily and inexpensively. At the same time, particularly good thermal contacting between the rotor shaft core and the rotor shaft main body is ensured in this way.
In an alternative embodiment, the rotor shaft core is introduced as a solid body into the rotor shaft main body. For example, for this purpose, the rotor shaft core is inserted into the rotor shaft main body. The cooling cavity or at least a part thereof may in this case have already been prefabricated in the rotor shaft main body and/or in the rotor shaft core.
The rotor shaft main body may be in two parts, wherein the second rotor shaft main body parts are connected to one another preferably after the introduction of the rotor shaft core and in particular by welding. Such a rotor shaft main body is advantageous in particular in conjunction with a rotor shaft core which is introduced as a solid body into the rotor shaft main body. For example, the rotor shaft main body comprises a rotor shaft primary body and a rotor shaft end piece which is connected to the rotor shaft primary body after the installation of the rotor shaft core. Simple assembly of the rotor shaft is thus realized.
In one embodiment, the rotor shaft comprises at least one axially continuous air channel. In particular, the air channel runs parallel to a rotor shaft axis. By means of the air channel, the weight and the inertia of the rotor shaft are further reduced. Furthermore, in this way, additional air cooling of the rotor shaft is made possible. In relation to known rotor shafts, in particular in relation to rotor shafts with cavities which are however formed without a rotor shaft core, improved thermal conductivity between the shell of the rotor shaft and the cooling cavity is realized.
The air channel may be produced for example by drilling and/or erosion. The production thereof is thus simple and inexpensive. In the case of production by erosion, it is furthermore possible for any desired, even varying, cross-sectional form to be selected.
In one variant, the air channel encloses an acute angle with a rotor shaft axis. The air channel is thus inclined relative to the axis of rotation of the rotor shaft. When the rotor shaft rotates, the inertia of the air then results in a suction effect which causes ambient air to be drawn through the air channel. If multiple air channels are formed in the rotor shaft, these may be arranged with the same or different acute angles.
The air channel may run partially in the rotor shaft main body and partially in the rotor shaft core. This yields a high level of design freedom for the rotor shaft with regard to the air channel.
Furthermore, the rotor shaft may comprise multiple, preferably between four and ten, air channels, and the air channels may be circumferentially uniformly distributed and arranged in each case with an identical radial spacing around the cooling cavity. In the case of such a rotor shaft, effective air cooling is realized in addition to the cooling via the cooling cavity. Furthermore, the air cooling is uniform from a radial and axial aspect. Furthermore, such a rotor shaft is balanced from an axial and radial aspect, such that no imbalances arise.
Furthermore, the object is achieved by means of an electric machine having a rotor shaft according to the invention. An electric machine of said type is preferably an electric motor, for example a permanently excited synchronous machine (PSM) or an asynchronous machine (ASM). Such electric machines exhibit particularly high performance owing to the improved cooling. The low weight of the rotor shaft means that the electric machine can be activated and moved with very high dynamics.
The invention will be discussed below on the basis of various exemplary embodiments which are shown in the appended drawings, in which:
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of one or more preferred embodiments when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Rotor shaft for an electric machine and electric machine

Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft


There is provided a low oil cream composition which does not require a large amount of any particular emulsifying agent but has good physical properties after the whipping as well as good flavor and melting property in the mouth, even a low oily ingredient content such as not greater than 40%, and also provides is an oil-and-fat feedstock for production of the cream composition.

The present invention relates to an oil-and-fat feedstock for production of cream by a specific formulation with particular physical properties. It also relates to a low-oil cream composition produced from such an oil-and-fat feedstock.
In recent years, there has been a demand in the field of food industry on the development of low-caloric, light and soft food with varying the habit of eating and with increasing the intention of health.
Although fresh cream obtained from fresh milk is excellent in view of its flavor, body and the like, it has a very high fat content and is not necessarily suitable in veiw of the recent demand for the development of low-caloric food. In addition, fresh cream has unstable physical properties and is expensive.
It has been proposed to produce whipping cream having stable physical properties from vegetable fats and oils. By using such whipping cream, it is possible to produce food of lower caloric value than that obtained with fresh cream. However, such whipping cream does not ordinarily exhibit stable physical properties after whipping, if the content of oily ingredients is not greater than 40%, based on the total weight of the cream. Therefore, attempts to decrease the content of oily ingredients have been made for the purpose of attaining a light flavor a decrease in and calories. That is, JP-B 62-118855, JP-B 63-32421, JP-A 64-51054 and the like disclose various methods in which a particular emulsifying agent is added to cream in a great amount. Also, a process for producing low-oil cream is proposed in JP-A 2-100646 by adjusting the amount of lauric-type oil-and-fat ingredient and solid fat content (SFC) in cream.
However, these kinds of whipping low-oil cream have the following disadvantages. For example, in the case of cream characterized by the use of an emulsifying agent, the addition of a selected particular emulsifying agent to the cream in great amounts is required for the purpose of attaining stable physical properties of the cream. Even if the physical properties of the cream are said to be stable, this only means that the texture of the cream is achieved with air bubbles held as a result of the function of the emulsifying agent. Such a kind of cream has only a small portion of the original good taste provided by oil, and the flavor thereof is significantly deteriorated by the addition of an emulsifying agent in great amounts.
In the low-oil creamy oil-and-fat composition disclosed in JP-A 2-100646, the solid fat content (SFC) of oily ingredients contained therein is not less than 50% at 5xc2x0 C. and 30% to 40% at 15xc2x0 C. Such oily ingredients exhibit a relatively gentle curve of the solid fat content (SFC); therefore, even if a cream composition is produced using these oily ingredients and then whipped, it is difficult to obtain whipped cream having sharp melting properties in the mouth and cool feeling. This composition exhibits poor shape retention when left to stand at room temperature. Further, with a decrease in the oily-ingredient content, the physical properties of the composition, such as over-run after the whipping and capability of making artificial flowers (decorations) are seriously deteriorated.
One object of the present invention is to provide a low-oil cream composition which does not require the use of a great amount of a selected particular emulsifying agent, even if the oily-ingredient content is low, has good over-run after whipping and capable of making artificial flowers, exhibits good stability at room temperature and possesses an excellent flavor as well as excellent and melting properties in the mouth. Also provided is an oil-and-fat feedstock for production of the cream composition.
As described hereinafter, it has been found that the above problems can be solved by combining certain amounts of lauric-type oil-and-fat ingredient and SUS-type triglycerides in oily ingredients. In addition, it has also been found that, when fresh cream (cream containing milk fat) is added to feedstocks so as to provide the flavor and body of fresh cream, the properties of the whipped cream are deteriorated in respect to artificial flower making capablility and shape retention.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a low-oil cream composition containing milk fat which has good shape retention after the whipping and has excellent capability for making artificial flowers as well as good flavor and possesees a body comparable to fresh cream.
In general, conventional oily ingredients having a high content of SUS-type triglycerides are disadvantageous in that any cream composition prepared therefrom has quite poor emulsion-stability and has a tendency to cause the so-called xe2x80x9cthickening (plasticization)xe2x80x9d. It has, therefore, been said so far that the conventional oily ingredients are unfavorable as the raw materials of whipping cream.
However, the present inventors have studied in detail the original function of oily ingredients, and found that the above-described problems can be solved by combining a lauric-type oil-and-fat ingredient with the conventional oily ingredients which are rich in SUS-type triglycerides. Further, they have succeeded in obtaining, with the use of such a mixture of oily ingredients, a low-oil cream composition having good whipping properties, excellent stability at room temperature, as well as extremely good flavor and melting properties in the mouth.
That is, one aspect of the present invention relates to an oil-and-fat feedstock for the production of cream, which comprises SUS-type triglycerides at an amount of at least 25% and a lauric-type oil-and-fat ingredients in an amount of from 5% to 60% based on the total weight of the oily ingredients, and a low-oil cream composition produced by using the feedstock.
The present inventors have further studied a combination of the oil-and-fat feedstock comprising a mixture of oily ingredients rich in SUS-type triglycerides and a lauric-type oil-and-fat ingredient with fresh cream. As a result, they have succeeded in obtaining a low-oil cream composition having good whipping properties, excellent stability at room temperature, as well as extremely good flavor and body, which is comparable to natural fresh cream, by mixing a separately prepared emulsion of the above-described particular oily ingredients and fresh cream (cream containing milk fat) rather than emulsification of all feedstocks of cream together, i.e., with prevention of the integration of all or most all of the oily particles in the respective ingredients.
That is, another aspect of the present invention relates to a low-oil cream composition which comprises a mixture of an emulsion comprising SUS-type triglycerides at an amount of at least 25% and a lauric-type oil-and-fat ingredient at an amount of from 5% to 60% in the oily ingredients [hereinafter sometimes abbreviated as Emulsion (A)] and an emulsion comprising milk fat [hereinafter sometimes abbreviated as Emulsion (B)] and, based on the total weight of the oily ingredients, the content of SUS-type triglicerides being at least 20%, the content of a lauric-type oil-and-fat being from 5% to 60% and the content of milk fat being from 5% to 25%. All the percents used herein relating to the amount of the ingredients are by weight.
As used herein, the term xe2x80x9ccreamxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9ccream compositionxe2x80x9d refers to an oil-in-water (O/W) type or water-in-oil-in-water type (W/O/W) emulsion having whipping properties which contains base materials such as oily ingredients, proteins, water and other ingredients. Such cream or cream composition may also be called xe2x80x9cwhipping creamxe2x80x9d. When this cream composition is whipped so as to hold air bubbles therein, with a whipping tool or an exclusive mixer, it will become xe2x80x9cwhipped creamxe2x80x9d, so called in general.
Similarly, Emulsion (A) and (B) of the present invention contain oily ingredients, proteins, water and other ingredients.
Hereinafter the present invention is further illustrated in detail.
The oil-and-fat feedstock for production of cream according to the present invention is characterized in that it is composed mainly of a lauric-type oil-and-fat ingredient and an oily ingredient rich in SUS-type triglycerides.
Examples of the oily ingredient rich in SUS-type triglycerides (2-unsaturated-1,3-disaturated triglycerides) are palm oil, illipe butter, shea butter, hardened or fractioned oil-and-fat ingredients thereof, or interesterified oil-and-fat ingredients obtained by introducing saturated fatty acids at the 1- and 3-positions of triglycerides contained in oily ingredients rich in unsaturated fatty acids at the 2-position of the triglycerides. The fatty acid residues thereof have from 8 to 22 carbon atoms (they may contain a small amount of short-chain fatty acids). Examples of the 2-unsaturated fatty acids are oleic acid, linoleic acid and linolenic acid.
Examples of the lauric-type oil-and-fat ingredients are coconut oil, palm kernel oil, or hardened, fractioned or interesterified oil-and-fat ingredients thereof.
The oily ingredients of Emulsion (A) contain preferably at least 25%, more preferably at least 35% of SUS-type triglycerides. Further, the lauric-type oil-and-fat is added at an amount of from 5 to 60%. When SUS-type triglycerides are too little, or the lauric-type oil-and-fat is too much, it is difficult to whip the cream composition finally obtained. When the lauric-type oil-and-fat is too little, the emulsion is liable to be broken during the production steps. In addition, a small amount of other oily ingredients can be added. However, preferably, the solid fat content (SFC) in the oily ingredients of Emulsion (A) is not less than 50% at 5xc2x0 C. and not less than 40% at 15xc2x0 C. so as to provide sharp melting properties at about body temperature.
The cream composition of the present invention has an oily-ingredient content of not greater than 40%, preferably 10% to 35%, based on the total weight of the composition. For using Emulsion (A) together with Emulsion (B), the amount of oily ingredients in Emulsion (A) is preferably at most 35%, more preferably form 10 to 35%. When the amount of oily ingredients in Emulsion (A) exceeds 35% and fresh cream, which normally has a high oily ingredient content is used together, the total amount of oily ingredients of a cream composition becomes too high and the composition is liable to cause thickening.
Typical examples of proteins to be used in Emulsion (A) are milk powders such as skimmed milk powder and whole milk powder, thick beast milk and the like. They provide the composition with milk flavor. In general, as solids-not-fat, they are used at an amount of 3% to 8%, preferably 4% to 7% based on the total weight of Emulsion (A).
Emulsion (A) may further contain various salts and an emulsifying agent. As the salts, conventional salts for use in cream, such as alkali metal salts of phosphoric acid or those of citric acid, can be used. As the emulsifying agent, any of conventional emulsifying agents, such as soybean lecithin, diacetyl tartrate monoglyceride, sucrose fatty acid esters, polyglycerol fatty acid esters and sorbitan fatty acid esters, can be used. In particular, when diacetyl tartrate monoglyceride is used, the low-oil cream composition having better over-run and mouthfeel can be obtained. The amounts of these ingredients to be added may be as small as about 0.1% for the salts and about 1% for the emulsifying agent, based on the total weight of Emulsion (A).
Emulsion (A) can be produced according to an ordinary process for production of filled cream or imitation cream. That is, the above respective ingredients of Emulsion (A) can be emulsified by a conventional emulsification technique. However, it is desired to carry out the emulsification under such conditions that oily particles become as fine as possible rather than those for a mere pre-emulsification. Normally, the emulsification is carried out by, after pre-emulsification, further subjecting Emulsion (A) to homogenization according to a conventional technique. When the above ingredients are mixed with fresh cream and other ingredients without carrying out this emulsification, even if homogenization is carried out afterwards, it is difficult to whip the emulsified product obtained, or the shape retention and capability of making artificial flowers thereof after the whipping are deteriorated, and the product has poor flavor and does not possess the body of fresh cream. The homogenization may be either so-called pre-homogenization or post-homogenization which is carried, out before or after pasteurization or sterilization, or may be two-step homogenization as a combination of both. The pasteurization or sterilization can be carried out according to a conventional technique, for example, by ultra-high-temperature (UHT) sterilization for several seconds. However, it is not essential to carry out the pasteurization or sterilization during the preparation of Emulsion (A).
Emulsion (B) may be fresh milk, so-called fresh cream obtained by concentration and separation from milk and, usually, it is commercially available. In many cases, the oily ingredient content of fresh cream is 45 to 47% but the oily ingredient content of fresh cream is not specifically limited thereto. Emulsion (B) may be cream reconstituted by adjusting the oily ingredient content with milk solids such as milk fat, whole milk powder, skimmed milk powder and the like to the desired content.
Then, Emulsion (B) is mixed with Emulsion (A). The mixing ratio can be suitably selected. Preferably, the mixing ratio is adjusted so that the total oily ingredient content in the cream finally becomes not more than 40%, preferably 10 to 35%, and that, in the total oily ingredients of the cream, the SUS-type triglyceride content is not less than 20%, the lauric-type oil-and-fat ingredient content is 5 to 60% and the milk fat content is 5 to 25%. If the SUS-type triglyceride content and the lauric-type oil-and-fat ingredient content are outside these ranges, the desired effect obtained by limiting these oily ingredients as explained with respect to the above-described Emulsion (A) is scarcely expected. In addition, if the milk fat content is less than 5%, poor flavor and body is provided, although no influence on physical properties of cream is observed. On the other hand, if it exceeds 25%, whipping properties and shape retention after the whipping are deteriorated.
In the case that Emulsion (B) has been pasteurized of sterilized and, in so far as the Emulsion (A) has been emulsified, they may be mixed with each other in any step and then, preferably, the mixture is homogenized. More preferably, after pasteurization or sterilization and homogenization of Emulsion (A), they are aseptically mixed.
Then, according to a conventional method, cooling and aging are carried out to obtain the desired low-oil cream composition.
Hereinafter, as embodiments of the present invention, low-oil cream compositions were produced according to the formulations illustrated in each Example. In addition, the cream compositions before whipping were incubated at 20xc2x0 C. for 2 hours, and then stirred for 5 minutes, followed by evaluation for the occurrence of thickening, over-run after the whipping, shape retention at 5 to 20xc2x0 C. and the like. Whipping was carried out with Kenwood mixer. The results of comparative experiments are illustrated in each Comparative Examples.

Oil-and-fat feedstock for production of cream and low-oil cream composition

Abstract: The oil-and-fat feedstock for production of the cream composition is obtained by formulating not less than 30% of SUS-type triglycerides and 5 to 60% of a lauric-type oil-and-fat ingredient. A low-oil cream composition can be produced by the feedstock alone or, by further adding a cream containing milk fat to the cream. Then, it is possible to provide a low-oil cream composition having flavor and body comparable with fresh cream and to provide a process for production thereof.


Techniques for reconfiguring utility meters from a mobile mode to a network mode are discussed. A utility meter may be configured for operation in a mobile mode environment, wherein it transmits data using radio frequency (RF) transmissions, such as by “bubbling-up” a “standard consumption message” at intervals. However, a switchover from mobile mode to network mode may be scheduled. The switchover may involve a plurality of endpoints (i.e., metering devices together with associated mobile mode and network mode functionality) transitioning from mobile mode functionality to network mode functionality. In one example, processors on an endpoint using a first “image” including executable software providing mobile mode functions may reboot to use a second image providing fixed network mode functions (e.g., mesh or star network operability). Following the transition, the endpoints may discover adjacent or nearby endpoints, and a fixed network having network mode functionality may be configured.

Electricity, natural gas and water are examples of consumables that may be delivered and sold within a metered environment. The metered environment may be configured in an automated meter reading (AMR) configuration and/or an advanced metering infrastructure (AMI). A first example of the metered environment operates according to a mobile mode or state. In the mobile mode, meters may transmit consumption messages over one or more radio frequencies (RF). The transmitted consumption messages may be received by a mobile or portable device, which may include a vehicle-based or handheld radio. A second example of the metered environment operates according to a network mode or state. In the network mode, metering devices are configured as nodes in a fixed network (e.g., a "mesh network" or a "star network") wherein consumption messages are passed from nodes directly or indirectly to a root node or other data collector.
In many environments, metering devices have a lifetime of twenty years or more. Even gas and water meters, which may depend on battery power, may have such a lifespan. Because of the lifespan of such equipment, it may be difficult to justify transitioning an entire metering environment at once from a metered environment based on a mobile mode to a metered environment based on a network mode.

Automated reconfiguration of utility meters


A port assembly (100) is generally disclosed that has an annular port ring (110) configured for placement in a barrier wall (10). The annular port ring (110) defines a port opening (20) extending from a first end (22) to a second end (24) and an annular sealing surface (118) about the port opening (20) on the second end (24). A port cover (120) is mechanically coupleable to the annular port ring (110). The port cover (120) defines an annular mating surface (124) configured to couple to the annular sealing surface (118) of the annular port ring (110). A manually actuatable handle (130) is in mechanical communication with the port cover (120). The handle (130) extends from the first end (22) of the annular port ring (110) away from the second end (24).

In various industries it is preferable to work, test, assemble, and the like, in an environment that is isolated from normal ambient conditions. For example, it can be preferable for such activities to be contained in a substantially dirtier environment than the ambient conditions, such as hot cells or laboratories, so inside waste does not substantially affect conditions on the outside. In other examples, such as medical and pharmaceutical applications, it may be preferable for activities to occur in a substantially cleaner environment, where outside debris and bacteria cannot substantially affect conditions in the clean environment. A sealed containment system having an access port facilitates the performance of work within an enclosure. For example, an operator outside of the enclosure can extend a hand and arm through a glove sealed in an access port (also known as a "glove port") in a barrier wall of the enclosure. As another example, items can be transferred into the containment system through an access port (also known as a "transfer port") in the barrier wall.


An organic light emitting display and an image compensation method improves the Long Range Uniformity (LRU) of the output image by displaying the identical image when the identical image is input to each pixel, by measuring the luminance, chromaticity coordinates and color temperature after an organic light emitting display panel is fabricated, by storing the compensation values thereof in a memory in the form of a look-up table in advance, and by compensating one of a power supply voltage, a data voltage and a light emission time. The organic light emitting display device and an image compensation method includes: a video signal processor; a control unit coupled to the video signal processor to compensate the luminance, chromaticity coordinates and color temperature in order to have the identical output image in relation to the identical input image; and an organic light emitting display panel coupled to the control unit to display the compensation image in which the luminance, chromaticity coordinates and color temperature have been compensated.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an organic light emitting display and image compensation method, and more particularly, the present invention relates to an organic light emitting display and image compensation method for improving the Long Range Uniformity (LRU) of the output image by displaying the identical image when the identical image is input to each pixel, by measuring luminance, chromaticity coordinates and color temperature after an organic light emitting display panel is fabricated, by storing the compensation values thereof in a memory in the form of a look-up table in advance, and by compensating one of a power supply voltage, a data voltage and a light emission time using the compensation values.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, the video characteristics of the organic light emitting display, (for example, luminance, chromaticity coordinate and color temperature), include electrical characteristics, thin film transistor characteristics and organic light emitting diode characteristics.
An organic light emitting diode may be composed of an anode, an organic layer and a cathode. The organic layer may be composed of an emitting layer (EML) that emits light by forming an exciton when an electron and a hole contact each other, an electron transport layer (ETL) for transporting the electron, and a hole transport layer (HTL) for transporting the hole. An electron injecting layer (EIL) may be formed on one side of the electron transport layer, and a hole injecting layer (HIL) may further be formed on one side of the hole transport layer. Furthermore, in a phosphorescent organic light emitting diode, a hole blocking layer may be selectively formed between the emitting layer and the electron transport layer, and an electron blocking layer may be selectively formed between the emitting layer and the hole transport layer.
The resistance of an anode and a cathode of the organic light emitting diode, a voltage drop (IR drop) in the power line (ELVDD, ELVSS) and a degree of uniformity when the organic light emitting diode is deposited on an organic thin film layer, etc. are known factors in the degrading of a Long Range Uniformity (LRU) of the video characteristics.
To reduce this problem, many others have tried to improve the material of the anode and cathode of the organic light emitting diode, to increase the mobility of electrons and holes by laminating organic thin film layers, and to reduce the resistance of the power line by adjusting its width, depth, etc.
However, in spite of these efforts, the LRU of the video is still main issue in the product development and it is not fully improved. That is, there is a deviation of luminance, chromaticity coordinate and color temperature at each pixel even if the material and process are improved as described above, and thus the LRU as well as the short range uniformity are degraded.
In other words, there is a problem that the reliability of the display is reduced and the life time of the display is shortened, since a different image is displayed even when the identical image is input to each pixel with time.

Organic light emitting display and image compensation method


A dispensing unit for dispensing a beverage from a pressurized container having a tapping column fixed to and extending normal to the top surface of a top plate with an opening and forming an elbow is disclosed. The column has an elongated inner channel bringing in fluid communication the support plate with a tapping pinch valve located in a tapping head at the elbow. The tapping pinch valve has jaws for receiving in pinching relationship the outlet end of the dispensing line and controlling flow of liquid by varying the distance between the jaws from a closed to an open position. A flexible dispensing line, having inlet and outlet ends, extends in the channel. The outlet end engages the pinch valve, and the inlet end connects to a keg. A device for opening the channel includes the pinch valve so a distance larger than the open position separates the jaws.

Draught beer is often preferred by consumers to bottled or canned beer. Draught beer is generally served at the counter of a public house out of a refrigerated keg provided with a fluid connection to a source of pressurized gas for driving the dispensing of the beer through a dispensing line fluidly connecting the keg to a dispensing tap, comprising a valve for controlling the flow out of said tap. In case of a temporary social event outside a public house, such as an outdoor event, wedding party, fair and the like, consumers like to be offered draught beer for consumption. Furthermore, above a critical volume of consumption, serving bottled or canned beer would be too expensive and would generate too much waste. For these reasons, roving or mobile beverage dispensing units, offering the same quality of beer as a draught beer served at a public house, were developed and brought to the market. They are designed to accommodate a keg or container containing the beer, with a source of pressurized gas, such as a pressure gas bottle or a compressor. The containers used can be traditional metal kegs as used in public houses, possibly but not necessarily of smaller dimensions, or can include so called bag-in-containers as disclosed e.g., in EP2146832, EP2148770, EP2148771, EP2152494 and the like.
For example, US2004/0226967 proposes a dispensing unit comprising a cooling chamber suitable for accommodating and cooling a beer keg, a hollow column supported on said cooling chamber and a dispensing head comprising a tap valve. A source of pressurized gas, such as a compressor or a CO2 cartridge is provided for ensuring the necessary pressure for driving the beer flow out of the keg. A dispensing tube fluidly connects the keg to the tap valve. For reasons of hygiene, the dispensing tube is disposable and must be changed with each new keg. In one embodiment, the dispensing line is even permanently coupled to the keg to ensure that it will not be used a second time. Upon use, a new keg can be installed into the cooling chamber, and fluidly connected to a source of pressurized gas, generally located in the same chamber. The dispensing line is either permanently coupled to the keg or must be coupled thereto, before it is run through a channel defined in the hollow column until the dispensing tube outlet reaches the dispensing head of the column and is engaged into the tap valve mechanism. This "bottom-up" insertion system, wherein the dispensing tube is installed starting from the keg (located at the bottom) all the way up to the dispensing head (located at the top) requires that the dispensing line be provided with a shut-off valve to prevent the flow of beer out of the keg before the dispensing line is in place in the tap valve. It is clear that providing a shut-off valve to a disposable tube increases substantially the cost of use of the system. Furthermore, it can be quite cumbersome to drive up a flexible dispensing line through the hollow column which outlet to the cooling chamber is positioned at the back thereof and can easily be appreciated when looking e.g., at FIG. 2 of US2004/0226967.
In order to facilitate the engagement of the dispensing tube into the tap valve, a rather critical operation which is difficult to control from the interior of the cooling chamber, WO2009/115928 suggests to allow the opening of the dispensing head so that the dispensing tube outlet emerging from the opening at the top of the column can be handled from outside the cooling chamber and engaged more comfortably into the tap valve mechanism.
EP1982952 extends the idea of allowing the opening of the column to the entire length thereof. This solution greatly simplifies the "bottom-up" installation of the dispensing tube since it needs only be passed from the interior to the exterior of the cooling chamber through a short channel crossing the top board of the cooling chamber before it can be handled from outside the cooling chamber, instead of having to drive it from the inside of the cooling chamber all the way up to the dispensing head.
In spite of the various solutions proposed to simplify it, the "bottom-up" installation of a disposable dispensing tube remains cumbersome since the user must crouch and engage the head and shoulders into the cooling chamber to access the opening connecting the cooling chamber to the dispensing column inner channel, push up the flexible tube either all the way up to the dispensing head like in US2004/0226967, or only until the outlet of the tube reaches the opening in the column as in WO2009/115928 and in EP1982952, at which point it must be grabbed from the outside before it falls back all the way down into the cooling chamber. Since this operation must be repeated with each new keg installed into the cooling chamber, if the installation of the tube is too uncomfortable, users may become reluctant to use such roving beverage dispensing unit.
The change of dispensing tube with every new keg remains a rather delicate operation, often to be performed in the dark, in noisy and crowded environment, and also in stressful conditions. The present invention proposes a solution to greatly simplify the loading of a new dispensing tube into a tapping column to bring the dispensing unit into operational condition whenever a new keg is loaded.

Beverage dispensing unit with openable pinch valve


A cooling system for an internal combustion engine mounted in a vehicle includes a first flow circuit with a pump for circulating coolant via ducts in the cylinder block of the engine and a radiator. The first flow circuit is separated from atmospheric pressure. The cooling system also includes a second flow circuit which is provided with a coolant reservoir with a normal pressure which is lower than the pressure in the first flow circuit, and a pump for circulating coolant via a pipeline between units with a cooling requirement and a second radiator. The second flow circuit is connected to the first flow circuit via a one-way valve opening in the direction of the first flow circuit.

The present invention is a continuation of International Application PCT/SE2004/001509, filed Oct. 19, 2004, which claims priority to SE 0302834-7, filed Oct. 19, 2003, both of which are incorporated by reference.
The present invention relates to a cooling system for an internal combustion engine mounted in a vehicle, which cooling system comprises a flow circuit with a pump for circulating coolant via ducts in the cylinder block of the engine and a radiator, which flow circuit is separated from atmospheric pressure.
In conventional cooling systems for an internal combustion engine mounted in a vehicle, use is made of a relatively large expansion tank as a reserve volume for coolant and in order to compensate for the expansion of the coolant which takes place when it is heated up from cold starting to full operating temperature, around 80–90° C. The expansion tank requires space and encroaches on the cooling area.
The development of heavy-duty, turbocharged diesel vehicles, for example trucks, has meant an increasing demand for cooling capacity for oil coolers for engine and gearbox, charge air coolers, coolers for EGR gas and coolers for retarders. Some of these devices, for example charge air coolers, EGR coolers and transmission coolers, often require a lower temperature of the coolant inflow than that required by the internal combustion engine.
This demand has usually been met by increasing radiator area and coolant flow. These measures generally mean that the risk of cavitation at the coolant pump increases because the pressure drop in these cooling systems is great.
From U.S. Pat. No. 6,532,910, for example, it is known to pressurize a cooling system via the expansion tank by means of positive pressure from the intake side of the engine. The pressure increase means that a higher temperature can be maintained in the cooling system, at the same time as the cavitation risk decreases. One problem with this known solution is that it can take several minutes from the engine being started until the pressure in the cooling system has been built up, if the engine is run at low load. During this period of time, cavitation in the cooling system circulation pump and cylinder liners can lead to local overheating which may involve engine damage. Moreover, the system pressure can disappear in the event of minor valve leakage.
It is desirable therefore to produce a cooling system which makes more rapid pressure build-up possible, which can be designed in a space-saving way and with a low pressure drop and which does not lose the system pressure in the event of moderate valve leakage.
According to an aspect of the present invention, a cooling system for an internal combustion engine mounted in a vehicle comprises a first flow circuit with a pump for circulating coolant via ducts in a cylinder block of the engine and a radiator, the flow circuit being separated from atmospheric pressure, and a second flow circuit comprising a coolant reservoir with a normal pressure which is lower than a pressure in the first flow circuit, and a pump for circulating coolant via a pipeline between units with a cooling requirement and a second radiator, wherein the second flow circuit is connected to the first flow circuit via a one-way valve opening in a direction of the first flow circuit.
This design of the cooling system can allow the two flow circuits to be optimized individually for different tasks/temperature ranges with advantageous flow resistance. The flow circuit operating with a higher temperature range can be designed to be closed to the atmosphere, so that the pressure build-up in this circuit can take place rapidly. Normal pressure means the pressure which normally arises in the second flow circuit when the engine operates.


Via structure and process flow for interconnection in a semiconductor product. A bottom metal layer is provided to represent a connection layer in the semiconductor product. An isolation layer on the bottom metal layer comprises a via hole exposing a portion of the bottom metal layer. The via hole comprises a sidewall and a bottom. A first barrier metal layer is disposed on the sidewall of the via hole, but not on the bottom of the via hole. A metal under-layer is formed on the bottom of the via hole and on the first barrier metal layer. A second barrier metal layer is formed on the metal under-layer. A metal fill layer fills the via hole. A lattice mismatch between the metal under-layer and the second barrier metal layer is less than about 5%.

The present invention relates in general to semiconductor products. More particularly, it relates to via structures used in semiconductor products.
The escalating requirements for high density and performance associated with ultra large scale integration (ULSI) semiconductor device wiring are difficult to satisfy in terms of providing sub-micro-sized, low resistance-capacitance (RC) metallization patterns. This is particularly applicable when the sub-micro-features, such as vias, contact areas, lines, trenches, and other shaped openings or recesses have high aspect ratios (depth-to-width) due to miniaturization.
Copper (Cu) or copper-based alloy has been used as the major material for semiconductor wiring to replace aluminum (Al), due to the low resistance and high melting point provided by Cu. Cu, however, lacks excellent properties that Al has. For example, Cu cannot form a dense protective layer such as Al2O3, has bad adhesive strength to SiO2, and is difficult to dry-etch. In addition, its diffusion coefficient in silicon is approximately 106 times larger than that of Al, and it is known that Cu diffused into the silicon forms a deep level in a band gap. Furthermore, copper's diffusion coefficient in SiO2 is known to be large, which decreases the ability of SiO2 to insulate between Cu lines. As a result of copper's large diffusion coefficient in silicon and SiO2, the reliability of the semiconductor device is reduced. Accordingly, to ensure the reliability of the device, a diffusion barrier layer capable of blocking Cu from rapidly diffusing into the silicon or SiO2 is required.
FIG. 1 shows the general concept of a dual damascene process for manufacturing Cu lines with a barrier layer. An inter-metal dielectric (IMD) or an inter-layer dielectric (ILD) 100 is patterned through lithographic and etch processes to define a trench and a via hole. A diffusion barrier layer and a seed layer are then deposited to coat the trench, the via hole, and the top surface of the dielectric layer. Through the assistance from the seed layer, Cu is then plated on the entire surface to fill the trench and the via hole. Chemical mechanical planarization can be used to remove the excessive copper on the top surface of the dielectric layer. Copper in the trench and the via hole respectively provide lateral and vertical electronic connections.
The general requirements for barrier layers include:
step coverage on high aspect ratio via holes and trenches;
low thin film resistivity;
adhesion to the IMD or ILD;
adhesion to Cu;
stability at all process temperatures;
compatibility to the IMD or ILD;
compatibility to CMP process; and
resistance to Cu diffusion.
In view of these requirements, Ta and/or TaN thin films deposited by a sputtering process are currently being used as the diffusion barrier layer for Cu. Challenge for forming a better diffusion layer, however, still remains.

Via structure and process for forming the same

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd


Provided are a lubricating oil composition having a high intermetallic friction coefficient and having excellent clutch anti-shudder performance of excellent initial clutch anti-shudder performance and a long clutch anti-shudder lifetime, and a lubrication method and a transmission using the lubricating oil composition. The lubricating oil composition contains an amide compound (A) having a specific structure, a metal-based detergent (B), and at least one phosphorus acid ester (C) selected from an acid phosphate ester and an acid phosphite ester; and the lubrication method and the transmission use the lubricating oil composition.

As transmissions for use in automobiles, manual transmissions, automatic transmissions, continuously variable transmissions and the like are now placed on the market, and special attention is paid to continuously variable transmissions for the reason that they are free from gear shift shock and from dropping down of engine revolutions in shifting up, and, can therefore improve acceleration performance. As continuously variable transmissions, metal belt-type ones, chain-type ones, toroidal-type ones and the like have been developed. A continuously variable transmission requires high-capacity power transmission by the friction coefficient between a belt or a chain and a pulley, and therefore the lubricating oil for use for these is required to have an intermetallic friction coefficient on a predetermined level or more.
These days further sophistication of continuously variable transmissions is being advanced, and those mounted with a lock-up clutch-attached torque converter have been developed. A torque converter transmits power while absorbing the differential rotation through stirring of a lubricating oil, and in any other than starting, the torque converter directly transmits power via a rock-up clutch to reduce energy loss. For rock-up clutch control, direct fastening may be combined with slip control for power transmission with slipping, and in such a case where the frictional properties of a lubricating oil are unsuitable, there may occur self-excited vibration called shudder. Accordingly, a lubricating oil is required to have clutch anti-shudder performance of both initial clutch anti-shudder performance and long-term clutch anti-shudder lifetime.
For example, there have been proposed a lubricating oil composition containing (a) an alkaline earth metal sulfonate or phenate, (b) an imide compound and (c) a phosphorus compound (see PTL 1), a lubricating oil composition produced by blending (A) at least one phosphorus-containing compound selected from phosphoric monoesters, phosphoric diesters and phosphorous monoesters having a hydrocarbon group having 1 or more and 8 or less carbon atoms, and (B) a tertiary amine compound having a substituent of a hydrocarbon group having 6 or more and 10 or less carbon atoms in a base oil (see PTL 2), and a lubricating oil composition produced by blending (A) a tertiary amine having a predetermined structure, (B) at least one of an acid phosphate and an acid phosphite, and (C) at least one of a metal sulfonate, a metal phenate and a metal salicylate in a lubricant base oil (see PTL 3). In addition, PTL 4 discloses a lubricating oil composition produced by blending (A) a primary amine, (B) a tertiary amine, (C) at least one of a metal sulfonate, a metal phenate and a metal salicylate, and (D) at least any one of an acid phosphate and an acid phosphite in a lubricant base oil and PTL 5 discloses a lubricant additive containing an amide compound having an alkyl group having 16 to 22 carbon atoms in the molecule.

Lubricating oil composition, lubricating method, and transmission