A grommet has a plurality of inner projecting strip portions and a plurality of outer projecting strip portions on inner and outer peripheral surfaces of the tapered portion, respectively. The plurality of inner and outer projecting strip portions respectively extend in an axial direction of the tapered portion and are spaced from each other in a circumferential direction. The outer projecting strip portions are located opposing to the inner projecting strip portions. A projection amount of the outer projecting strip portions is changed at a contact point. At the contact point, when the grommet is inserted into a through hole, the grommet first contacts an inner peripheral surface of the through hole. The projection amount between the contact point and a large diameter side end of the projecting strip portions is smaller than a second projection amount between the contact point and a small diameter side end.

1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to a grommet. In particular, this invention relates to a grommet that engages around a wire harness to be mounted on an automobile, and is mounted in a through hole of an automobile body panel, and improves protection of the wire harness at a position where the wire harness passes through the hole, as well as improving waterproofness and dustproofness.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventionally, a grommet engages around a wire harness to be mounted to extend from an engine compartment to a passenger compartment of an automobile, and the grommet is mounted in a though hole in an automobile body panel that divides the engine compartment from the passenger compartment. Thus, the wire harness passing through the through hole is protected, and intrusion of water, dust and. sound from the engine compartment side to the passenger compartment side is prevented.
As the grommet described above, a so-called one motion grommet is provided. When the one motion grommet is simply pressed into the through hole in the automobile body panel from one side to the other, an automobile body engagement recessed portion provided on an outer peripheral surface of the grommet engages with an edge of the through hole.
As shown in FIG. 17, the above-described grommet 1 is provided with a small-diameter cylindrical portion 2, and a tapered portion 3 which extends from an end of the small-diameter portion 2. The tapered portion 3 is provided with an automobile body engagement recessed portion 4 around a larger diameter end. Both side walls facing each other across a groove 4a of the automobile body engagement recessed portion 4 include a vertical wall 4b at the larger diameter side and an inclined wall 4c at a smaller diameter side. A wire harness W/H (FIG. 18) is inserted into a hollow portion extending from the small-diameter cylindrical portion 2 to the tapered portion 3 of the above-described grommet 1, and the grommet 1 is fixed with the wire harness W/H using a tape T at an end of the small-diameter cylindrical portion.
As shown in FIG. 18, during a mounting operation of the grommet 1 into the through hole H of the automobile body panel P, the grommet 1 is inserted into the through hole H from the small-diameter cylindrical portion 2, and the inclined wall 4c is pressed inwardly and deformed to pass through the through hole 4. Then, the inclined wall 4c, which recovers its original shape after passing through the through hole H, and the vertical wall 4b are tightly pressed into contact with both surfaces of the automobile panel P, respectively. Thus, the automobile body engagement recessed portion 4 of the grommet 1 engages with the through hole H of the automobile body panel P.
However, as shown in FIGS. 19(A) and 19(B), when the one motion grommet 1 is inserted into the through hole H so as to be inclined, one side of the tapered portion 3 is pressed excessively, and thus, an outer peripheral surface of a thin portion of the tapered portion 3, extending to the inclined wall 4c of the automobile body engagement recessed portion 4, is deformed inwardly. The inclined wall 4c, which must be bend inwardly, is bent and warped (flipped over) outwardly, and the inclined wall 4c touches the automobile body panel P. Thus, the grommet is prevented from passing through the through hole H.
When the grommet 1 is inserted straight so that the center axis of the grommet 1 is aligned with the center of the through hole H, the above-described problem does not occur. However, during the insertion operation of the grommet 1 into the through hole, it is sometimes difficult to insert the grommet 1 into the through hole straight, because of the restriction on a space. Thus, in many cases, the grommet is inserted in an inclining posture.
Further, if the tapered portion of the grommet 1 is thick so as to be incapable of being bent, the above-described problem is resolved to a certain extent. However, in that case, an insertion force required to insert the grommet into the through hole become larger.
On the other hand, if the tapered portion is too thin, since the stiffness of the tapered portion becomes small, and thus, the tapered portion becomes easily extended while the inserting operation is performed, an insertion stroke becomes long.
Accordingly, the present invention is provided in view of the above-described problems, and an objective of the present invention is to prevent the insertion force from being too large, and to enable a grommet to be mounted into a through hole of an automobile panel, even if the grommet is inserted in an inclining posture, and to reduce extension of the grommet at the time of insertion into the through hole and thus, to shorten the insertion stroke.
To achieve the above and/or other goals, the present invention provides a grommet configured to engage around an outer periphery of a wire harness and to be mounted in a through hole of an automobile body panel. The grommet includes a generally cylindrical portion, a tapered portion extending from one end of the generally cylindrical portion and a plurality of projecting strip portions provided on an outer peripheral surface of the tapered portion. The tapered portion includes an automobile body engagement recessed portion provided on an outer peripheral surface of the tapered portion to engage with the automobile body panel. The plurality of projecting strip portions extend in an axial direction of the tapered portion and are spaced from each other in a circumferential direction, A projection amount of the plurality of projecting strip portions is changed at a point in the axial direction so that a first projection amount between the contact point and a large diameter side end of the plurality of projecting strip portions is smaller than a second projection amount of the plurality of projecting strip portions between the contact point and a small diameter side end of the plurality of projecting strip portions. The above-described contact point is located substantially at a position where an outer surface of the plurality of projecting strip portions first contacts an inner peripheral surface of the through hole when the grommet is inserted into the through hole from the end of the grommet having the generally cylindrical portion.
Preferably, the grommet is made of a suitable elastic material, such as an elastic or an elastomer, similar to the conventional grommet.
If the projecting strip portions that extend in an axial direction and spaced from each other in a circumferential direction are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the tapered portion of the grommet, when the grommet is inserted in an inclining posture, first, the projecting strip portions touch the inner peripheral surface of the through hole. Accordingly, the operator can recognize the inclined insertion and can reinsert the grommet in a straight manner.
The above-described automobile body engagement portion can include a vertical wall at a large diameter end side of the tapered portion, and an inclined wall that faces the vertical wall across a groove. The inclined wall is bent inwardly to enable the grommet to pass through the through hole.
Preferably, the projecting strip portions provided on the outer peripheral surface of the tapered portion extend between an end connecting to the generally cylindrical portion to an edge of the inclined wall of the above-described automobile body engagement recessed portion.
As described above, if the projecting strip portions are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the taper end portion, the tapered portion is strengthened (reinforced). When the grommet is inserted in an inclining posture, the phenomenon in which the thin tapered portion extending to the inclined wall of the automobile body engagement recessed portion is warped outwardly (flipped over) at the side contacting the inner peripheral surface of the through hole, does not occur. Accordingly, the problem that occurred at the time of inclined insertion in the conventional grommet can be obviated.
Thus, the projection amount of the above-described projecting strip portions is changed at a contact point where the projecting strip portions contact an inner peripheral surface of the through hole during the insertion into the through hole, so that the projection amount between the contact point and a large diameter side end of the projecting strip portions becomes small.
Accordingly, when the grommet is inserted in the through hole of the automobile body panel, since the projection amount of the projecting strip portions changes, a tactile sensation is generated when the contact point reaches the panel position. From this contact point, the inclined wall must be pressed to be bent inwardly. Thus, from the time when the tactile sensation is generated, if the operator increases the force to press the grommet into the through hole without stopping, the inserting operation of the grommet into the through hole becomes efficient. In addition, since the projection amount of the projecting strip portions becomes small from the contact point, the inserting force can be reduced.
Preferably, an outer surface of the plurality of the projecting strip portion has an arced shape between the contact point and the large diameter side end, i.e., the edge of the inclined wall of the automobile body engagement recessed portion.
As described above, if the arced shape is formed between the contact point and the edge of the inclined wall of the automobile body engagement recessed portion, the grommet can be pressed toward and inserted into the through hole smoothly along the inner peripheral surface of the through hole. Accordingly, the tactile feel at the time of operation can be improved.
Instead of the arc, an outer peripheral surface of the plurality of projecting strip portions can be bent at the point so as to have different inclination angles.
In addition, preferably, the outer surface of the plurality of projecting strip portions extends parallel to the axial direction from a position where a height of the plurality of projecting strip portions from an axis of the grommet becomes equal to a height of an edge of a small-diameter-side (second side) wall of the automobile body engagement recessed portion.
In other words, the outer surface of the projecting strip portion that changes the inclination angle at the contact point, further changes the inclination angle at the position where the height thereof (from the axis of the grommet) become the same as that of the edge of the inclined wall. In other words, the projection amount of the projecting strip portion is gradually decreased. Thus, the inclination angle of the outer surface of the projecting strip portion with the axis changes at three levels. At the small diameter cylindrical side, the inclination angle is the largest. At the contact point, the inclination angle is decreased. Further, when the height of the outer surface of the projecting strip portion (from the axis) becomes the same as that of the edge of the inclined wall, the inclination angle is set to 0. Accordingly, both the correction of the inclination and the reduction of the inserting force into the through hole can be achieved.
According to the another aspect of the present invention, a grommet configured to engage around an outer periphery of a wire harness and to be mounted in a through hole of an automobile body panel is further provided. The grommet includes a generally cylindrical portion, a tapered portion extending from one end of the generally cylindrical portion, and a plurality of inner projecting strip portions provided on an inner peripheral surface of the tapered portion. The tapered portion includes an automobile body engagement recessed portion provided on an outer peripheral surface of the tapered portion to engage with the automobile body panel. The plurality of inner projecting strip portions extend in an axial direction of the tapered portion and are spaced from each other in a circumferential direction.
As described above, if the inner projecting strip portions are provided on the inner peripheral surface of the tapered portion, the stiffness of the grommet can be increased to a certain degree by which an excessive extension of the tapered portion does not occur during the grommet insertion operation into the through hole, and a flipped-over (warp) condition of the grommet at the time of the inclined insertion does not occur. In addition, the insertion stroke can be reduced. Further, since the inner projecting strip portions provided on the inner peripheral surface of the tapered portion extend in the axial direction, the action of the tapered portion reducing the diameter thereof is not prevented at the time of the inserting operation. On the contrary, the inner projecting strip portions works to equally reduce the diameter of the tapered portion toward the center thereof.
The grommet can further includes a plurality of outer projecting strip portions provided on an outer peripheral surface of the tapered portion. The plurality of outer projecting strip portions extend in an axial direction of the tapered portion and are spaced from each other in a circumferential direction. The plurality of outer projecting strip portions are located opposite the plurality of inner projecting strip portions.
A projection amount of the plurality of outer projecting strip portions is changed at a contact point in the axial direction so that the projection amount between the contact point and a large diameter side end of the plurality of outer projecting strip portions is smaller than a second projection amount of the plurality of outer projecting strip portions between the contact point and a small diameter side end of the plurality of outer projecting strip portions. The above-described contact point is located substantially at a position where an outer surface of the plurality of projecting strip portions first contacts an inner peripheral surface of the through hole when the grommet is inserted into the through hole from the generally cylindrical portion.
Preferably, the outer projecting strip portions provided on the outer peripheral surface of the tapered portion extend between a connection end, which connects to the generally cylindrical portion and the edge of the inclined wall of the automobile body engagement recessed portion.
As described above, when the outer projecting strip portions are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the grommet, and when the grommet is inserted in an inclining posture, first, the outer projecting strip portions touch the inner peripheral surface of the through hole. Accordingly, the operator can recognize the inclined insertion, and reinsert the grommet in a straight condition.
Further, if the outer projecting strip portions are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the tapered portion as well as the inner projecting strip portions provided on the inner peripheral surface of the tapered portion, when the grommet is inserted in an inclining posture, the phenomenon in which the thin tapered portion extending to the inclined wall of the automobile body engagement recessed portion is warped outwardly (flipped over) at the side contacting the inner peripheral surface of the through hole, does not occur. Accordingly, the problem that occurred at the time of inclined insertion in the conventional grommet can be obviated.
In particular, even if the height of the outer projecting strip portions provided on the outer peripheral surface of the tapered portion is small, the inner projecting strip portions are provided on the inner peripheral surface of the tapered portion opposite the outer projecting strip portions. Thus, the combined thickness of the outer projecting strip portions and the inner projecting strip portions is large, and the required reinforcement can be obtained. Accordingly, the height of the outer projecting strip portions provided on the outer peripheral surface of the tapered portion can be small, and thus, the profile of the entire grommet is prevented from being larger.


The present invention relates to a drive unit for a model helicopter comprising a fuselage in the central portion of which both the drive unit and a rotor shaft 1 are supported, characterized in that the drive unit comprises a horizontally arranged turbine 2 having a turbine shaft 3 which is extended in the inlet portion of the turbine 2 and connected to a transmission 4.

The present invention relates to a drive unit for a model helicopter according to the preamble of the main claim.
In detail, the invention relates to a drive unit for a model helicopter comprising a fuselage the central portion of which has formed thereon bearing points for the detachable attachment of a carrier for supporting a rotor shaft, a transmission and a drive.
Very different designs of drive units for model helicopters are known from model construction. These normally comprise model engines based on the two-stroke combustion principle, as are also used in fixed-wing airplane models.
It is desired in model-making and, in particular, in airplane and helicopter model construction, that the models are as realistic as possible not only optically but also with respect to their operability. That is why it has always been found to be a disadvantage when internal combustion engines of a standard construction are installed in helicopter models. Piston engines produce a very typical sound which differs from that of the original examples operated with turbines. In addition, the exhaust generation in two-stroke engines is not realistic. This is also true for airplane models of jet engine airplanes which have the additional flaw that propellers must be provided that impair their appearance quite considerably.
That is why attempts have recently been made to build miniature turbines which both in their form and their noise generation and also with respect to their exhaust characteristics correspond to original turbines and jet engines, respectively. The installation of such miniature turbines in fixed-wing airplanes does not present any problems because the original examples can be followed.
By contrast, it is not possible to install miniature turbines in helicopter models of a standard size because both the installation position and transmission arrangements cannot be exactly copied on a reduced scale. In addition, it is difficult to imitate adequate air intake openings and exhaust openings of the original design because the model turbines, based on the scale of such helicopters, are not small enough.
On the other hand it has so far not been possible to provide transmission assemblies suited for a model drive.
It is the object of the present invention to provide a drive unit for a model helicopter of the above-mentioned type which, using a turbine and being of a simple construction and reliable operability, can be used in a model helicopter.
According to the invention this object is achieved by the features of the main claim; the subclaims show further advantages arising from the design of the invention.
The drive unit according to the invention is characterized by a number of considerable advantages.
Thanks to the horizontal arrangement of the turbine it is possible on the one hand to adapt the direction of flow of the turbine of the model helicopter to the original examples of helicopters and, in particular, to design the fuselage true to scale. This applies, in particular, to the inlet portion and the air supply to the turbine.
Thanks to the extended design of the turbine shaft in the inlet portion it is possible in a particularly easy manner to support the turbine in an operationally safe manner and to transmit the output power to the transmission. At the same time the air inflow to the turbine effects an efficient cooling of the transmission.
It is of particular advantage that the turbine shaft is supported on a carrier which carries the transmission. As a result, a safe assignment between turbine and transmission is ensured.
The turbine shaft is preferably supported on the carrier by means of a pre-loaded bearing. Advantageously, the bearing is mounted on the free end portion of the turbine shaft so that the transmission can be flanged to the area of the turbine shaft positioned behind the bearing. This measure enhances the overall stability of the arrangement.
Both for reasons of an optimum center-of-gravity position and for diverting the exhaust gases in an advantageous manner, it is intended that the turbine is installed in the direction of flow behind the rotor shaft.
According to the invention the transmission is preferably of a three-stage configuration; it can be designed as a belt transmission, as a toothed gearing or as a friction gear.
Preferably, the transmission has a gear reduction of 100,000 rpm to 1,200 to 1,800 rpm.
A clutch is preferably arranged between the transmission and the rotor shaft so as to separate the transmission and the rotor, in particular in case of transmission or turbine failures. In such a case the model helicopter can land safely by autorotation of the rotor.
It is particularly advantageous when the turbine is provided with a speed limiter. The limiter may e.g. comprise a control means for a fuel pump.


A clamping means support for use with orbital tube welding that resists the outward flexure of abutting tubes is provided. The invention generally is comprised of a left clasp and a right clasp, being congruent. The right clasp is generally square cornered J-shaped, having a mounting leg, and an engaging leg, an engagement notch formed between the long leg and the short leg. The right clasp is fastened upright, at the mounting leg, to a right top side of a clamping means. The left clasp is fastened invertible, at the mounting leg, to a left top side of a clamping means. Wherein, in the closed position, the engagement leg of the right clasp interlocks within the engagement notch of the left clasp, effectively preventing outward movement of the right top side and the left top side of the clamping means, relative one to the other.

In high purity applications, it is common to use an orbital welding device, such as the device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,196,664 to McGushion (1993), to butt-weld together two components with annular cross sections, held together end to end by a clamping means. The components could include pipes, tubes, or tubular extensions protruding from components, such as regulators, valves, mass flow controllers/meters, or a wide variety of other similar components with a tube-like extension. Tube is used interchangeably for any of the above mentioned components.
The clamping means has primarily two sides, each side clamping one tube. Each side being normally comprised of two sections, top and bottom. Wherein the top and bottom are clamped together, with a tube interposed, lying within semicylinders formed through the mating faces of the top and bottom parts, or through interchangeable inserts fastened to the top and bottom. The semicylinder radius substantially matches the radius of the pipe. The semicylinder is designed to prevent significant lateral movement of the tube, relative to the semicylinder.
The two bottom sides are fastened together, with a spacer between them, bringing. The complete clamping means, including the two sides and the spacer, is assembled, and the tubes inserted between the top and bottom of each side. The top and bottom for each side can be hinged on one side to allow the top to swivel open, to receive the tube, the opposing side having a clamping mechanism, to draw the top down towards the bottom, engaging the tube. Alternately, the top portion can be separable from the bottom, with a camping means on both sides; or a latching means on one side and a clamping means on the opposing side.
The orbital welding device is inserted between the two sides, the sides straddling the C-shaped tip of the orbital welding device, the spacer being slightly thicker than the C-shaped tip. The electrode of the orbital welding device is substantially aligned with the seam, protruding from a C-shaped gear within the C-shaped tip. When welding, an arc is formed between the electrode and the seam of the tubes. The electrode orbits the seam, melting the parent material, resulting in the fusion of the two tubes at the seam.
Often, it is the case that two tubes in a complex system need to be welded together, in a very limited space, such as found in the semiconductor and aerospace industries. Therefore, for these applications, the orbital welders and clamping means are designed to occupy a limited space, preferably making them as small as possible. The thickness of the clamping means, as well as the overall dimensions, are often minimized, increasing compactness, but reducing overall strength.
When welding together long lengths of tubing or heavy components, the two sections, prior to welding, tend to exert a downward force, causing the top section on one or both sides to flex out, away from the seam. The outward flexure allows the two tubes to separate, causing a gap in the seam to form. On average, a gap of less 10% of the wall thickness can cause severe weld degradation. So, it is of great importance to eliminate this flexure to minimize or eliminate any significant gap.
The clamping means described previously allows for slight, but unacceptable, movement of the tubes during welding, because of its light construction. This is due to each of the top side pivoting outwardly in relation to the bottom sides. The hinges and clamping mechanisms fastening the top sides to the bottom sides cannot effectively prevent this skewing.
The resulting gap can degrade the weld, or cause it to fail completely. The ends of the two tubes need to be squarely butted one against the other, with minimal gap, continuously throughout the weld. An unacceptably wide gap in the seam can result in an uneven weld bead, having less parent material in that general area, or a an actual hole or permanent gap can be formed in the resulting cured weld bead. It can also result in a blowout of the weld, if an internal purge is utilized. All of these conditions, as well as others, can cause a weld to be rejected by quality control, costing an unacceptable loss in time and money.
To prevent a gap in the seam, several devices have been made to securely hold the tubes in abutment, resisting the pull exerted on the tubes. These designs, although preventing significant outward movement of the top sides, either introduce new undesirable effects or do not fully satisfy industry requirement. These requirements include: a clamping means that securely holds two tubes in abutment without significant gap, a lightweight clamping means, a clamping means that is compact and able to fit into confined spaces, and a clamping means that can operate with the tubes being clamped, one before the other, in any order, depending on what is immediately needed.
In an attempt to strengthen the clamping means, existing designs were made substantially larger than preceding designs. The overall size, thickness, and weight of the clamping means were increased. This heavy design decreased flexure and provided an allowable seam for which to weld. However, this heavy design was large, and could not be used in tight situations. Thus, the heavy design was limited in its applications. Additionally, the large, heavy clamping means design required a larger orbital welding device to mate effectively with the camping means during a weld. The overall size and weight of a setup increased significantly.
In another attempt to minimize fixture size and prevent outward flexure during the weld, a series of tack welds are applied around the seam, in a process called pre-tacking. Pre-tacking is a preliminary operation to the weld; therefore, requiring much more time to complete a weld.
Additionally, the presence of tack welds can be detected after the weld has been completed. Witness marks are evident in the finished weld, a thickening of the weld bead at the point of the tack weld. Since it is desirable to have a smooth, continuous weld bead, pre-tacking is not ideal. Moreover, pre-tacking often introduces additional impurities, compared to a continuous weld bead.
An additional existing design can be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 5,824,983 to Huddleston (1998). The bottom sides of the clamping assembly are affixed to the weld head; and the top sides are hinged to the bottom sides. The top sides are rigidly connected one to the other, across the top of the fixture, by a bracing plate.
Although this significantly reduces the outward flexing of the fixture, the design of the plate limits the usage of this device. Often, it is necessary to clamp one tube before the other in a welding setup; where one side of the clamping means is closed and fastened before the other. Huddleston, as well as other similar designs, are limited to clamping both sides simultaneously. When welding a tube to a stationary assembly of components, it is often more advantageous to clamp the assembly side of the tube junction, leaving the opposing clamping means side open. The clamping means, attached to the assembly, can be left in place, without being manually held, while the tube is prepared, and later clamped within the opposing side of the clamping means. Depending on clearance issues and individual setup needs for the preparation of each welding joint, it may be preferable to have either one of the sides closed before the other.
In other attempts to solve the problem of clamping means flexure, a bracing plate similar to Huddleston is employed. Instead of being fastened to both sides of the clamping means, synchronizing their actions, the bracing plate is fastened to just one side. The plate extends to the opposing side, engaging the opposing side with a clasping means, preventing both sides from outwardly flexing.
Again, this clasping device prevents flexure. However, the design restricts the use of the clamping means, a specified sequence of side closure. The side with the bracing plate attached, must be closed secondly, after the opposing side. Because the bracing plate is designed to engage the opposing side from above, this clamping sequence is required. This design would be difficult or impossible to use in restricted setups.
What is needed is a clamping means support for orbital tube welding that resists the outward flexure of the adjoining tubes, minimizing the gap in the seam formed between the tubes. What is also needed is a clamping means support that allows for either side of the clamping means to be engaged in any order, responding to each particular situation, and providing flexibility in use. What is additionally needed is a clamping means support that is lightweight and compact, able to be easily supported in close quarters by hand or by clamping one side to a stationary pipe assembly.

Orbital tube welding clamping fixture support


An improved system for cellular surgery which includes a laser for producing a laser beam, and confocal optics for scanning and focusing the laser beam in tissue and generating confocal images of the tissue in accordance with returned light from the tissue. The confocal images are visualized on a display. The system includes a controller for enabling the operator to select one or more cells of the tissue in the displayed confocal images for surgical treatment. The controller operates the laser and confocal optics in a first mode to treat the tissue when the confocal optics focus the laser beam at at least one region associated with the selected cells in the tissue, but at all other times operates the laser and confocal optics in a second mode which does not damage the tissue. The treatment may be localized to concentrate the energy of the laser to the region including the selected cell or cells, or the treatment may be non-localized to distribute the energy of the laser to the region which includes the selected cell(s) and also the cells of the tissue surrounding such selected cell(s). In another embodiment, an apparatus is provided having a confocal imaging system, which focuses a first laser beam through confocal optics to tissue and provides confocal images of the tissue, and a treatment system which focuses a second laser beam through the confocal optics coaxial with the first laser beam for treating at one or more selected locations in the imaged tissue.

Confocal microscopy involves scanning tissue to produce microscopic sectional images of surface or subsurface tissue. Such microscopic imaged sections may be made in-vivo and can image at cellular resolutions. Examples of confocal scanning microscopes are found in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 80/650,684, filed May 20, 1996, by James M. Zavislan, and in Milind Rajadhyaksha et al., "In vivo Confocal Scanning Laser Microscopy of Human Skin: Melanin provides strong contrast," The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, Volume 104, No. 6, June 1995, pages 1-7. For further information concerning the system of the Zavislan application, see Milind Rajadhyaksha and James M. Zavislan, "Confocal laser microscope images tissue in vivo," Laser Focus World, February 1997, pages 119-127. These systems have confocal optics which direct light to the patient's tissue and image the returned reflected light. These confocal systems although useful for examination of lesions or other diseased tissue have no capability for treatment of cells, such as, for example, to cause thermolysis, photolysis, or ablation of imaged cells.
An optical microscope apparatus has been proposed for targeting a laser beam to a cell, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,289,378, which utilizes a visible marker laser beam and a non-visible working laser beam focused to different spots of a cell of an in-vitro sample This device however does not use confocal microscopy for tissue imaging and does not provide treatment of cells of in-vivo tissue of a patient.
A microsurgical instrument with electronic visualization of tissue being treated is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,653,706, in which energy from a single laser is applied to selected locations under skin to provided localized photothermolysis of tissue at such locations. Visualization of the tissue is provided by a CCD video camera in the instrument. Confocal microscopy is not utilized for tissue imaging.

Cellular surgery utilizing confocal microscopy


A navigation system for providing different modes of navigation guidance to drivers is provided. A smart card stores user information. In a main apparatus, a parameter table storage section stores parameters which are used for controlling the outputting of navigation guidance to an entity. A control section acquires at least one parameter from the parameter table storage section based on the user information stored in the smart card, and thereafter generates information necessary for providing navigation guidance for the entity in accordance with the acquired parameter(s). A display section or an audio output section outputs various information generated by the control section.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a navigation system, and more particularly to a navigation system which is capable of utilizing user information which has been read from a storage medium.
2. Description of the Background Art
An example of a conventional navigation system which is mountable on a vehicle performs the following processes. The navigation system continuously checks the level of driving proficiency of the driver while the driver is driving the vehicle. Also during the driving of the vehicle, the navigation system sets a current location and the user's destination on a map, and then predicts the traffic situation within an area which is defined based on the current location and the destination which have been set. Thereafter, the navigation system determines an optimum route by taking the current traffic situation into consideration, and displays a map with the determined optimum route superimposed thereon. The driver, who will normally advance the vehicle in accordance with the determined optimum route, may occasionally desire to go on a different route (for reasons such as traffic congestion), in which case the driver instructs the navigation system so. In response to such an instruction, the navigation system will determine another route based on the level of driving proficiency of the driver and the current traffic situation, and further guide the driver in accordance with the newly determined route. Through this process, the navigation system guides the driver to the destination in accordance with optimum routes which have been determined based on the level of driving proficiency of the driver.
However, the conventional navigation system has a problem in that navigation guidance is given in the same manner irrespective of who the driver is. For example, intersection information is outputted with a fixed timing during navigation guidance to the driver, so that the conventional navigation system may not be able to give sufficient time for an elderly driver to become ready to turn at an intersection. Moreover, since the format of the displayed map is fixed, the conventional navigation system may provide elderly drivers with more information than they can handle.

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


Waste water discharged from a reverse osmosis unit served by a water feed line and producing potable water is returned to the water feed line for water conservation purposes. After periodic flushing of the reverse osmosis unit, the flush water may be returned to the water feed line or channelled to a drain. After each cycle of operation, any pressure differential between the water inflowing to and water outflowing from the reverse osmosis unit is relieved.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to water treatment and recycling apparatus and, more particularly, to apparatus for recycling concentrate water from a reverse osmosis water purification unit.
2. Background of the Invention
Reverse osmosis (R/O) units have been used for years to obtain near pure water for human consumption and other uses. These units are often located on the premises of businesses and residences to serve potable water needs. The operation of an R/O unit is well known. Generally, one or more filters are located upstream to remove particulate matter of a size corresponding to five microns or more. The filtered water may be passed through an activated carbon filter to reduce the presence of chlorine, THM's, TCE, pesticides and other harmful and foul tasting chemicals.
The filtered water is introduced to one side of a semipermeable membrane under pressure. The water flowing through the membrane is effectively filtered by restricting passage of particles therethrough of a size down to 1/10,000 of a micron. This filtration will remove 99.99% of bacteria, viruses, cysts and pyrogens. Up to approximately 98% of various metals and chemicals commonly found in city water, as well as in water from natural springs, are removed. The filtered water is referred to as the permeate and the water containing the filtered elements is referred to as the concentrate. Representative R/O units are available from Kelco Water Engineering, Inc. of Tempe, Ariz. and include model numbers RO-TFC-MS, RO-TFC-MX3, RO-TFC-LPP, RO-CTA-MS, and RO-CTA-LPP.
During filtration, the water on the upstream side of the membrane, including particulate matter removed from the water passing through the membrane, is discharged. Thus, this water has a higher concentration of particulate and other matter than the water entering the R/O unit. In practice, two to three times as much water is discharged from the upstream side of the filter as is filtered. Because the filter has a very low porosity in order to effectively serve its filtering function, the production of 15 gallons per day at conventional city water pressure is the norm. This translates into approximately 45 gallons of water per day that is discarded into the drain or sewage system. Periodically, the upstream side of the manifold adjacent the membrane may be flushed to remove the filtered particles, etc. The flush water is generally conveyed to a drain and becomes part of the waste water of the business, residence or other place of use.
The ever present need and desire for essentially pure water for potable purposes must be balanced with the quantity of waste water produced by conventional R/O units. Where water is at a premium in terms of availability, a user may have to forego water treated by an R/O unit in favor of water conservation.

Method and apparatus for recycling R/O waste water


An apparatus is for a changing gear in a marine propulsion system. A cam rotates about a first axis with a shift shaft. The cam has a body and an arm that radially extends from the body with respect to the first axis. A cam follower moves parallel to a second axis that is perpendicular to the first axis to cause movement of a clutch, thereby enacting a gear change. The cam follower defines a pocket that is elongated with respect to the second axis and a recess that extends from the pocket along a third axis that is perpendicular to the first and second axes. The cam is disposed in the pocket and the arm extends into the recess. During a constant rotation of the shift shaft in a first direction about the first axis, the cam follower moves with respect to the second axis to enact the gear change and also dwells with respect to the second axis.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,544,083, which is incorporated herein by reference in entirety, discloses a gear shift mechanism in which a cam structure comprises a protrusion that is shaped to extend into a channel formed in a cam follower structure. The cam follower structure can be provided with first and second channels that allow the protrusion of the cam to be extended into either which accommodates both port and starboard shifting mechanisms. The cam surface formed on the protrusion of the cam moves in contact with a selected cam follower surface formed in the selected one of two alternative channels to cause the cam follower to move axially and to cause a clutch member to engage with either a first or second drive gear.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,817,461, which is incorporated herein by reference in entirety, discloses a clutch mechanism for changing gear in a marine propulsion system having a cam member that is rotatable about a first axis in coordination with the rotation of a shift shaft. A cam follower is associated with the cam member and supported for axial movement along a second axis. The cam follower is provided with cam follower surface segments that cause the cam follower to move axially in a direction parallel to the second axis in response to rotation of the cam member about the first axis between first and second rotational positions. Further rotation of the cam member from the second rotational position to a third rotational position causes no further movement of the cam follower because of the shape and position of cam follower surface segments that allow continual contact between the cam member and the cam follower while allowing rotation of the cam member without associated axial movement of the cam follower.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,435,090, which is incorporated herein by reference in entirety, discloses a marine drive comprising a gear case housing a vertical drive shaft that rotates a generally horizontal propulsor shaft in a forward direction upon operational engagement with a forwardly rotatable gear and rearward direction upon operational engagement with a rearwardly rotatable gear. A lubricant exclusion cover is disposed between the forwardly and rearwardly rotatable gears so as to limit churning of lubricant by at least one of the forwardly and rearwardly rotatable gears.
A variety of shift mechanisms for changing gear in marine propulsion systems exist in the prior art, examples of which are described in the above-referenced U.S. patents. In some examples, a device that is commonly referred to as a bell crank mechanism has high efficiency, but does not provide a dwell function to allow for over-travel. In other examples, a device commonly referred to as a desmodromic mechanism is a cam that is constrained in size, which leads to high pressure angles and low mechanical efficiency.

Apparatuses for changing gear in marine propulsion systems


A method for providing a gas barrier film with ample gas barrier properties even in a high temperature, which is maintained when the film is bent. The gas barrier film also has excellent resistance to cracking. A gas barrier film, and a method for manufacturing the same is also disclosed.

A demand for electronic devices having long-term reliability, flexible shapes, and a curved display has been added to the longstanding demands for larger and lighter electronic devices. To meet such demands, film substrates have been used that are composed of transparent plastics instead of glass substrates, which are heavy, fragile, and unsuitable for use on large areas.
Unfortunately, film substrates composed of transparent plastics have inferior gas barrier properties compared to glass substrates.
For example, a substrate having inferior gas barrier properties may allow permeation of water vapor and oxygen, and thus may lead to deterioration in an electronic device, for example.
Typically, a film having gas barrier properties is formed on a film substrate and serves as a gas barrier film. For example, known gas barrier films that serve as wrapping materials for wrapping objects that require a barrier against gases and are provided in liquid crystal displays are formed through vapor deposition of silicon oxide or aluminum oxide on a film substrate.
Unfortunately, the vapor deposition described above leads to a water vapor barrier rate of approximately 1 g/m2·24 h at most.
Recent development of high definition large displays requires superior gas barrier properties of film substrates. Specifically, the water vapor barrier rate required is approximately 0.1 g/m2·24 h for liquid crystal displays, and approximately 10−6 g/m2·24 h for organic electroluminescence elements.
To meet the requirement of a high water vapor barrier rate, gas barrier layers have been disclosed that include a barrier layer formed through polymer multilayering (PML) (for example, refer to PTL 1).
Gas barrier films have been disclosed that can be bent without degradation in gas barrier properties for water vapor and oxygen, as well as barrier properties (for example, refer to PTL 2).

Gas barrier film and method for manufacturing gas barrier film


A ductile, gamma radiation resistant olefin polymer composition, including (a) an olefin in polymer, (b) an amount of N,N-dialkylhydroxylamine which is effective to increase the ductility of the composition, and (c) a polysiloxane which contains sterically hindered piperidino groups and which is present in an amount effective to increase the gamma radiation resistance of the composition. The composition may be used to manufacture sterilizable articles including food packaging and medical articles.

It is known to incorporate additives into articles made from olefin polymers to prevent fading and embrittlement over time due to exposure to UV radiation. For example, European Patent Publication No. 343,717 discloses the use of polysiloxanes containing sterically hindered piperidino groups to stabilize polyolefins against ultraviolet radiation and heat. There is no disclosure concerning stabilization against gamma radiation, which has a wavelength of 10.sup.-10 to 10.sup.-12 meter and is thus significantly more energetic than ultraviolet radiation having a wavelength of 10.sup.-6 to 10.sup.-7 meter.
It is also known to sterilize polyolefin articles with 2.5 to 5.0 megarads of high energy gamma radiation. However, polymeric articles exposed to such radiation typically suffer from discoloration and embrittlement, which can render them unfit for their intended use.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,371,124 provides a good summary of the various additives which have been proposed to enhance the radiation resistance of propylene polymer compositions prior to molding or shaping the polymer into a useful article. See also U.S. Pat. No. 4,888,369. However, any additive must be compatible with the other components of the polymer composition, and may cause other problems, including objectionable odor and/or color, processing difficulties, bleeding of the additive from the article over time, etc. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,710,524, which suggests that the inclusion of a mobilizing additive as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,110,185 and 4,274,932 produces undesirable handling and imprinting problems.
Syringe grade material made from polypropylene is typically peroxide visbroken from a polymer having a low melt flow rate (MFR) to obtain a narrower molecular weight distribution and contains oil as a mobilizer to improve the free radical scavenging ability of a hindered amine light stabilizer additive. The polypropylene material typically also contains a sorbitol-based additive as a nucleator.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,876,300 discloses that long chain N,N-dialkylhydroxylamines can be used as process stabilizers for polyolefin compositions in order to minimize discoloration and melt flow rate increase due to extrusion. However, there is no recognition that such long chain N,N-dialkylhydroxylamines can also improve the ductility of a polyolefin composition which has been subjected to high energy gamma radiation.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,668,721 broadly discloses that hydroxylamine derivatives may be used to stabilize polyolefin compositions against degradation due to extrusion, exposure to the combustion products of natural gas, gamma radiation or upon storage for extended periods. The hydroxylamine derivative may have a chemical structure which conforms to one of fourteen structural formulae. Although data is presented for processing stability, resistance to gas fading and resistance to discoloration due to oven aging, no data is presented concerning gamma irradiation. Moreover, almost all of the data is directed to polyolefin compositions stabilized with N,N-dibenzylhydroxylamine; the only dialkylhydroxylamine evaluated was N,N-di-n-octylhydroxylamine.
Recently, European Patent Publication No. 664,315 proposed the use of mobilizing oil and a polysiloxane ether of a hindered piperidine to stabilize polypropylene against sterilizing radiation. There is no disclosure regarding the addition of a N,N-dialkylhydroxylamine to improve ductility of the propylene composition.
An object of the present invention is to provide a ductile polymer composition which can be easily injection molded into flexible, substantially transparent articles.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a gamma radiation resistant polymer composition which is particularly resistant to yellowing.

Ductile gamma radiation resistant polyolefin composition and articles produced therefrom


An agent based system utilizes a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA)-based, Global Positioning System (GPS)-enabled information gathering agent that relies on knowledge of a shopper's physical location to support a shopping task while shopping at a mall. Shoppers indicate their shopping goals to the system. Then, as shoppers stroll through a mall, the system informs them of the availability of items of interest to them available in the immediately surrounding stores, as well as any cheaper local alternatives.

Agent based technology has become increasingly important for use with applications designed to interact with a user for performing various computer based tasks in foreground and background modes. Agent software comprises computer programs that are set on behalf of users to perform routine, tedious and time-consuming tasks. To be useful to an individual user, an agent must be personalized to the individual user's goals, habits and preferences. Thus, there exists a substantial requirement for the agent to efficiently and effectively acquire user-specific knowledge from the user and utilize it to perform tasks on behalf of the user.
The concept of agency, or the user of agents, is well established. An agent is a person authorized by another person, typically referred to as a principal, to act on behalf of the principal. In this manner the principal empowers the agent to perform any of the tasks that the principal is unwilling or unable to perform. For example, an insurance agent may handle all of the insurance requirements for a principal, or a talent agent may act on behalf of a performer to arrange concert dates.
With the advent of the computer, a new domain for employing agents has arrived. Significant advances in the realm of expert systems enable computer programs to act on behalf of computer users to perform routine, tedious and other time-consuming tasks. These computer programs are referred to as "software agents."
Moreover, there has been a recent proliferation of computer and communication networks. These networks permit a user to access vast amounts of information and services without, essentially, any geographical boundaries. Thus, a software agent has a rich environment to perform a large number of tasks on behalf of a user. For example, it is now possible for an agent to make an airline reservation, purchase the ticket, and have the ticket delivered directly to a user. Similarly, an agent could scan the Internet and obtain information ranging from the latest sports or news to a particular graduate thesis in applied physics. Current solutions fail to apply agent technology to existing calendar technology to provide targeted acquisition of background information for a user's upcoming events.
A central issue for developing agents of all types is identifying easily computed features that are either very suggestive of the user's preferences and goals or can somehow be used to constrain the task of the agent. Keyword-based approaches are commonly used. For example, users may be asked to specify keywords to explicitly identify their goals, or keywords and key phrases may be extracted from user data. Collaborative filtering, another technique, involves extending user specified preferences by incorporating those of other users whose preferences overlap. The demographic generalization method involves classifying a user using minimal user input into demographic categories with well-understood preferences. These techniques are all intended to infer as much as possible about a user's goals and preferences based on observable features, while minimizing the need for user input. These web agents have not used physical location as a predictive feature because the locations from which users access the web have largely remained constant—typically their home or office. Moreover, location has not been a particularly easy feature to compute and unambiguously communicate to an agent.
Location has, of course, played a significant role in other areas research. Navigation, most obviously, has relied on the ability to detect and monitor location. Recent work on supporting user mobility in which personalized computing environments follow users to remote locations also rely on knowledge of a user's location. In these cases, however, location is the problem. That is, a vehicle must be guided from one point to another, or a computing environment must be replicated at a remote location. The ParcTab based "location browser", which displays file directories and runs programs associated with particular rooms in an office, is somewhat similar in its use of location-awareness as a means of capturing the user's context.
However, the explosive growth in the use of laptops and Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) signals an important change. As we begin to find ourselves bringing our PDAs and laptops everywhere we go, the particular locations we use them will increasingly reflect an important part of our current context. Furthermore, a user's precise location can now be passively and unambiguously obtained by software through the use of Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers. Such receivers are becoming increasingly affordable and compact. Some are now available as PCMCIA cards. In a system in accordance with a preferred embodiment, the user's location is used in a very different way. Rather than defining the problem, the user's location is a crucial piece of data that can be used to inform and constrain the information gathering task. There is now a business and consumer need to enhance the effectiveness of shoppers through the utilization of location information.

Location-based filtering for a shopping agent in the physical world


A passive temperature-compensated optical grating arrangement includes a housing of low CTE material, with the optical grating stretched across the housing between a first, fixed sidewall and a lever arm, the lever arm also being formed of a low CTE material. An expansion element of high CTE material is attached to the frame and disposed to contact the lever arm, resulting in rotating the lever arm as changes in temperature change the dimensions of the expansion element. By properly sizing the lever arm and the expansion element, changes in grating wavelength as a function of temperature can be compensated for by adjusting the strain applied to the grating as it is pulled or compressed as the lever arm is moved.

Optical gratings are important elements for selectively controlling specific wavelengths of light within optical systems. Such gratings include Bragg gratings, long period gratings and diffraction gratings and typically comprise a body of material and a plurality of substantially equally spaced optical grating elements, such as index perturbations, slits or grooves.
A typical Bragg grating comprises a length of optical waveguide, such as an optic fiber, including a plurality of index perturbations substantially equally spaced along the waveguide length. The perturbations selectively reflect light of wavelength λ equal to twice the spacing Λ between successive perturbations as multiplied by the effective refractive index, i.e., λ=2neffΛ, where λ is the vacuum wavelength and neff is the effective refractive index of the propagating mode. The remaining wavelengths pass essentially unimpeded. Such Bragg gratings have found use in a variety of applications including, among others, filtering, adding and dropping signal channels, stabilization of lasers, reflection of fiber amplifier pump energy, and compensation for waveguide dispersion.
A long period grating typically comprises a length of optical waveguide wherein a plurality of refractive index perturbations are spaced along the waveguide by a periodic distance Λ′ which is large compared to the wavelength λ of the transmitted light. Diffraction gratings typically comprise reflective surfaces containing a large number of parallel etched lines of substantially equal spacing. Light reflected from the grating at a given angle has different spectral content dependent on the spacing. The spacing in conventional diffraction gratings, and hence the spectral content, is generally fixed.
A common difficulty with all of these grating devices is temperature sensitivity. In Bragg gratings, for example, both neff and Λ are temperature dependent, with the net temperature dependence for a grating in silica-based fiber being approximately +0.0115 nm/° C. for a wavelength λ=1550 nm. The temperature-induced shift in the reflection wavelength is primarily due to the change in neff with temperature. While such a temperature-induced wavelength shift can be avoided by operating the grating device in a constant temperature environment, this approach requires the use of expensive and relatively bulky equipment to maintain the constant temperature.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,148,128, issued to S. Jin et al. on Nov. 14, 2000 discloses a passive temperature-compensated tunable optical fiber grating, where the grating is fixed within a stationary frame and a fiber-flexing movable body is disposed above the fiber to "flex" the fiber and induce a tensile strain so as to alter the resonant wavelength of the device. In particular, the movable body is magnetically (or mechanically) actuated to press against the fiber grating to provide a predetermined strain.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,295,399 issued to J. W. Engelberth on Sep. 25, 2001 discloses a different type of temperature compensating device for a fiber grating, using fiber and second expansion members having different coefficients of thermal expansion. The expansion members are elongated in a direction parallel to the fiber grating, with levers secured to both ends of the expansion members. Each lever has a first end flexibly secured to a respective end of the first expansion members and a middle portion flexibly secured to a respective end of the second expansion member. The other end of each lever is secured to a respective end of the fiber grating through a respective quartz block. The dimensions of the expansion members and the quartz blocks, as well as the materials of the expansion members, are selected to achieve a non-linear temperature response of the fiber grating.
While these and other devices have been useful in providing temperature compensation for fiber gratings, the devices are in general rather large in size and oftentimes cumbersome to operate. What is needed, therefore, is an arrangement for providing temperature compensation to a fiber grating that is relatively small and easy to package.

Temperature-compensated fiber grating packaging arrangement


Methods and apparatus are provided for enhancing the situational awareness of an operator. Automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) traffic data transmitted by a traffic entity are received. The ADS-B traffic data are processed to determine traffic entity position. The traffic entity position is mapped to corresponding image coordinates on an enhanced vision system (EVS) display. A region of interest around at least a portion of the corresponding image coordinates is selected. An actual image of the traffic entity is rendered on the EVS display, at the corresponding image coordinates, and with at least a portion of the region of interest being highlighted.

Air travel has long been, and continues to be, a safe mode of transportation. Nonetheless, substantial effort continues to be expended to develop flight systems and human-factors practices that even further improve aircraft flight safety. Some examples of these flight systems include flight management systems, global navigation satellite systems, differential global positioning systems, air data computers, instrument landing systems, satellite landing systems, traffic alert and collision avoidance systems, weather avoidance systems, thrust management systems, flight control surface systems, and flight control computers, just to name a few.
Despite good flight system design and improved human-factors practices, there is a continuous desire to provide further flight safety improvements. One particular aspect that is presently undergoing significant improvement is in the area of obstacle avoidance. It is generally understood that improving aircraft flight crew situational awareness during flight operations, ground operations, and landing operations, will likely improve the ability of a flight crew to avoid obstacles.
During flight operations, flight crews make every effort to consistently survey the region around the aircraft. However, aircraft structures, such as the wings and the aft lower fuselage, may block large regions of airspace from view. Moreover, at times the cockpit workload can possibly detract the flight crew from visual scanning. To enhance situational awareness during crowded air traffic and/or low visibility flight operations, many aircraft are equipped with a Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System (TCAS). Although the TCAS does provide significant improvements to situational awareness, the burden remains on the pilots of TCAS-equipped aircraft to avoid another aircraft.
During ground operations, the possibility for a runway incursion exists, especially at relatively large and complex airports. Governmental regulatory bodies suggest that most runway incursions that have occurred are due to pilot induced errors. These regulatory bodies also suggest that the likelihood of a runway incursion increases if a pilot lacks awareness on the position and intention of other traffic in the vicinity of the aircraft.
Regarding landing operations, there is presently no method or device that provides a visual display of another aircraft encroaching on the flight path of the host aircraft during simultaneous approach on parallel runways. Although the Instrument Landing System (ILS) does provide lateral, along-course, and vertical guidance to aircraft that are attempting to land, the ILS may not maintain adequate separation during a simultaneous approach on parallel runways because the displayed localizer signal during an ILS approach does not support independent parallel approaches. Although parallel approaches may be adequately staggered in fair weather, and the ILS is intended to maintain an adequate vertical separation between aircraft until an approach is established, inclement weather may decrease airport capacity and compound the potential parallel approach problem.
Hence, there is a need for a system and method of improving aircraft flight crew situational awareness during flight operations, ground operations, and landing operations that does not suffer the drawbacks of presently known systems. The present invention addresses at least this need.

Enhanced situational awareness system and method


The disclosure is directed to a system and method of providing illumination for reticle inspection. According to various embodiments of the disclosure, a multiplexing mirror system receives pulses of illumination from a plurality of illumination sources and directs the pulses of illumination along an illumination path to a plurality of field mirror facets. The field mirror facets receive at least a portion of illumination from the illumination path and direct at least a portion of the illumination to a plurality of pupil mirror facets. The pupil mirror facets receive at least a portion of illumination reflected from the field mirror facets and direct the portion of illumination along a delivery path to a reticle for imaging and/or defect inspection.

Some optical systems rely on ambient light from their surroundings to provide sufficient illumination for inspection, metrology, or any other type of sample analysis. Other optical systems require specialized illumination systems to project illumination within constraints such as, but not limited to, angle, area, wavelength, and/or intensity. Reticle inspection typically requires irradiance patterns directed at a reticle plane with specified numerical aperture and cone orientation. As such, Illumination systems for reticle inspection are among the most specialized illumination systems.
The extent of the irradiance pattern is also carefully controlled for reticle inspection, and irradiance uniformity at the reticle is among the most sensitive requirements. Present and past reticle inspection systems have relied upon a number of different illumination systems. However, extreme ultraviolet (EUV) reticle inspection presents problems that are not fulfilled by the current art. Some existing illumination systems utilize deep ultraviolet (DUV) wavelengths. Accordingly, the size and type of defects that can be detected and reviewed are limited.
Single source illumination systems are unable to provide illumination with sufficient brightness for EUV lithography, and multiple source illumination systems tend to exceed desired size restrictions and/or fail to provide the required uniformity. Various designs and concepts can be found in the following references: U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,396,068, 6,861,656, 7,183,565, US Patent Application No. 2007/0181834, and non-patent literature: Proc. OF SPIE Vol. 6517 56170J-1—Development of optics for EUV lithograph tools, published by NIKON Corporation. The foregoing are all incorporated by reference in their entirety as if fully set forth herein. In light of the foregoing systems and methods, there clearly exists a need for a cohesive and competitive illuminator layout that is compatible with plan-of-record optics design and also meets all known system throughput, footprint, cost, manufacturability, uniformity, size, and debris mitigation requirements.

Illumination system with time multiplexed sources for reticle inspection


The solution involves placing additional information in the AgentX error status field. In a preferred embodiment, the Agent X error status field is a 32-bit field. The lower 5 bits are reserved for the SNMP-defined error codes which are very general in nature and, therefore, communicate limited information. Additional error information or specific error codes are placed in the upper 27 bits. As a result, thousands of very specific error codes can be communicated by the AgentX packet to the human operator, thereby allowing the operator to know exactly what is wrong. In another preferred embodiment, the internally defined error code is a 16-bit number—the lower 5 bits are reserved for SNMP-defined error codes and the next 11 bits are used to store an internal portion of the additional error information. In another preferred embodiment, the error status field can be divided into 3 sections. The top 5 bits identify the group of error codes (groups are assigned to teams or to software modules). The middle 6 bits identify a unique code within that range. The lowest 5 bits are reserved for the SNMP error code.

When a configuration command fails, the SNMP protocol sends an error code back to the user. Examples of a configuration command include setting the line speed on a peripheral. An error will occur if that peripheral can't support the line speed. However, SNMP only permits a limited number of error codes. Consequently, many times there is not enough information contained in the code for the operator to know exactly what's wrong. More specifically, in the Agent X standard (RFC 2741) the error status field of a response message is limited to a few AgentX-specific error codes (not applicable to the 7770 RCP architecture), plus the 18 SNMP error status values defined in RFC 1905. This means that the applications may only report one of the 18 error codes defined by SNMP. In the majority of error situations, more specific information about the error is known. However, when the standard SNMP protocol is used, this additional specific information can not be passed back to the user. Consequently, the human operator may be unable to determine exactly why the management operation failed. Thus, he will be unable to correct the error.


An intake and exhaust system for a dual mode HCCI engine, which provides superior intake temperature control and homogeneity for engine operation in SI and HCCI modes, as well as during transition between SI and HCCI modes and vice-versa. The system includes adjusted intake cam movement event lengths for intake valve operation at specified modes of operation. The system further includes at least one cam profile switching device operatively connected to intake and exhaust valves in an engine for controlling event length, maximum lift, and valve opening/closing timings for the intake and exhaust valves. The system yet further includes a bifurcated intake system and camless valve actuators for controlling intake valves for facilitating operation in SI or HCCI modes, as well as transition between SI and HCCI modes and vice-versa.

a. Field of Invention
The invention relates generally to intake and exhaust systems for engines, and, more particularly to the control of an intake and exhaust system for a dual mode HCCI engine, which provides superior intake temperature control and homogeneity for engine operation in SI and HCCI modes, as well as during transition between SI and HCCI modes and vice-versa.
b. Description of Related Art
Compared to conventional engines, homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) engines potentially have high efficiency, very low emissions of oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and particulates, and relatively low cost. HCCI engines however generally operate over the same operating range, with regard to speed and torque, as conventional SI or diesel engines, for achieving the same vehicle performance. Because HCCI is limited by harsh combustion at higher torques, it is common for the engine to employ both SI and HCCI combustion mode technology. At medium torque, the engine can operate in HCCI mode to achieve high fuel efficiency and low NOx emissions. At higher torques however, the combustion mode of the engine is typically switched to SI mode. Hence, there exists a need to improve upon existing, or alternatively, develop new methods and mechanisms for optimal engine operation in HCCI and SI modes, as well as during HCCI and SI combustion mode switching.
For combustion in an HCCI engine with a limited compression ratio, the gas temperature when the piston is at top dead center (TDC) should be high enough (i.e. about 1000K) for autoignition. The high temperature may be realized by using higher compression ratio and/or higher charge temperature before compression. In general, the lower the torque, the higher the intake temperature should preferably be.
For typical operation, the air-fuel mixture in a dual combustion engine in HCCI mode is diluted by air or by exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) through the use of high intake pressure (i.e. unthrottled operation at medium torque) to suppress NOx formation. In contrast, the intake temperature of a dual combustion engine in SI mode should preferably be low enough (i.e. close to ambient temperature) to avoid knocking, the compression ratio should be limited (i.e. CR<˜11:1), and the air-fuel mixture should preferably be at, or close to, stoichiometric. Thus, when a dual combustion engine is switching from HCCI mode to SI mode, the inlet temperature should preferably decrease quickly and the intake pressure should preferably also decrease quickly to restrict the intake airflow to form a stoichiometric mixture at a medium torque.
Another concern with dual mode HCCI engines is in the heterogeneity of the temperature distribution in a cylinder, which is known to affect the overall HCCI combustion rate. In HCCI mode, autoignition first starts at the hot regions within a cylinder, followed by autoignition in the cold regions. Thus, the overall combustion rate in a cylinder can be decreased due to heterogeneity of the temperature distribution within a cylinder.
In addition to the heterogeneity of the temperature distribution in a cylinder, effective intake temperature control is also of importance in a dual combustion HCCI engine. For example, in order to promote spontaneous HCCI combustion, it is necessary to maintain the homogeneous air/fuel mixture at a certain temperature so the active radicals will auto-ignite at the correct time in the cycle (i.e. proper combustion phasing). If the temperature is too high, the radicals can autoignite too early, creating excessive peak pressures, poor efficiency and other issues (i.e. engine damage). If the temperature is too low, the radicals may not combust at all, creating a misfire condition. Moreover, the required temperature varies with engine condition (i.e. speed, load, EGR, A/F ratio etc.).
Accordingly, the intake/exhaust system for a dual-mode HCCI engine can be relatively complicated and can include several factors which can effect the performance thereof, as evidenced by the aforementioned discussion.
Various related-art intake/exhaust systems for HCCI engines are known and disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,295,973 to Yang, assigned to the assignee of the present application, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,276,334 to Flynn, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/573,743, and SAE paper No. 2002-01-0105, the respective disclosures of which are incorporated herein in their entirety by reference.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,295,973 to Yang, for example, discloses an intake system for an HCCI engine, which proposes using the waste thermal energy in the coolant and exhaust gases to heat the intake air and control the intake air temperature by mixing the heated and un-heated air streams with different mass ratios of the two air streams. U.S. Pat. No. 6,276,334 to Flynn discloses that varying the opening and closing timing of intake valves can be used to advance or retard the combustion event as desired. One drawback with the invention of Flynn is that it requires the continuous varying of valve timing, which can be difficult to implement for the HCCI and SI combustion mode transition region.
In order to improve upon the intake/exhaust systems of dual combustion engines, related inventions have tested HCCI-SI dual-mode engines with negative valve overlap. In these tests however, the engine geometric compression ratio remains low (CR<˜12:1), and the effective compression ratio for both HCCI and SI combustion remains essentially unchanged. Further, the results from these tests are not directly applicable to engines with a high geometric compression ratio (CR>˜15:1). Additionally, currently available HCCI-SI dual-mode engines rely fully on the hot residuals for autoignition, hence include a large negative valve overlap, which should preferably be avoided or minimized.
Lastly, in pending patent application Ser. No. 09/573,743, which is co-owned by the Assignee herein and the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference, HCCI-SI dual-mode engine operation strategies and mechanisms based on variable cam timing (VCT) are proposed. For the invention disclosed in application Ser. No. 09/573,743, the cam phasing speed can be of importance during combustion mode transition.
Based upon the aforementioned factors and concerns, there remains a need for a system for precisely controlling each cylinder's inlet air temperature and density in order to promote efficient and stable HCCI combustion, an intake system/strategy that can control both the overall air-fuel charge temperature and heterogeneity of temperature distribution in a cylinder, as well as a system which can facilitate HCCI-SI combustion mode transition, the system being structurally and economically feasible to manufacture and install, and the system efficiently and reliably achieving the aforementioned requirements for the relatively complicated operation of a dual-mode HCCI engine.

Method and apparatus for controlling operation of dual mode HCCI engines


Method including casting a first plurality of rays towards an original 3-D scene comprising objects with object surfaces. Method also includes constructing a simplified representation of the original 3-D scene and adjusting the simplified representation to be consistent with the original 3-D scene. Simplified representation is adjusted by using known rays and object surface intersections obtained from the casting, to produce an adjusted simplified representation. Method further includes steps for rendering a high quality image: casting a second plurality of rays toward the adjusted simplified representation and testing the second plurality of rays for points of intersection with the object surfaces within the adjusted simplified representation, estimating incoming light within the adjusted simplified representation at the points of intersection with the object surfaces, examining material properties of the object surfaces, and calculating a color and light intensity for a plurality of pixels associated with the second plurality of rays.

Light transport algorithms based on ray tracing are used to sample a three dimensional scene and its illumination by casting rays within the scene. Typically, a large number of rays are required for high quality rendering, i.e. with an acceptable noise level. Because of this complexity, it is often beneficial to perform parts of lighting computations using a simplified representation of the three dimensional scene. Typical simplified representations are created using a standard k-nearest neighbor search to adapt to the local density of ray endpoints and derive a radius for each one. However, while creating a simplified representation is fast and automatic, there is no guarantee that the obtained simplified representation faithfully represents the original three dimensional scene. Scene misrepresentations due to simplification can lead to unwanted artifacts in rendered images.

Light transport consistent scene simplification within graphics display system


A method of making a single crystal comprises heating a material comprising magnetic anisotropy to a temperature T sufficient to form a melt of the material. A magnetic field of at least about 1 Tesla is applied to the melt at the temperature T, where a magnetic free energy difference ΔGm between different crystallographic axes is greater than a thermal energy kT. While applying the magnetic field, the melt is cooled at a rate of about 30° C./min or higher, and the melt solidifies to form a single crystal of the material.

Single crystalline materials (both pure and alloyed) may exhibit unique mechanical, electrical, and optical properties. For metallic single crystals, high strength and resistance to creep are demonstrated, which is important for turbine blades. Single crystalline copper and aluminum exhibit better electrical conductivity, which makes possible reduced parasitic heating in electrical power transmission and motors.
In addition to metals, other materials are grown as single crystals for a variety of applications, including radiation detectors, semiconductor electronics, and optical devices. Conventional methods of producing single crystals generally require slow solidification rates and tightly controlled thermal gradients, which lead to energy intensive and costly manufacturing processes. For example, a single finished five-inch semiconductor grade single-crystal silicon wafer can cost thousands of dollars, and a single-crystal turbine blade can cost upwards of $10K. Much of the cost associated with these components is linked to the processing time and energy associated with manufacturing.
Several methods are currently used to produce high purity semiconductor crystals, including float zone melting, the Czochralski process, and the Bridgman and Stockbarger techniques, while other crystal growth methods may be employed for lower purity applications. In addition to crystal growth, purification steps such as zone refining, in which a narrow region of a crystal is melted and moved along the crystal length, are employed to concentrate impurities at one end of the ingot, leaving the bulk purer after each pass. All of these methods require significant time for the growth to take place—several days to weeks—due to the kinetics at the solidification interface.
An area of materials technology that may benefit from further development of single crystal growth processes is magnetocaloric materials. The magnetocaloric effect (MCE) is based on the change in entropy that occurs with magnetic domain alignment as ferromagnetic materials approach their Curie temperature or as paramagnetic materials are magnetized and demagnetized. The MCE is exhibited as a reversible change in temperature of a ferromagnetic material upon the application or removal of a magnetic field. Advanced magnetocaloric alloys based on earth-abundant non-toxic elements are needed to meet the demands of commercial heating and cooling systems. The classic MCE may be greatly enhanced when the Curie temperature is coupled with a structural transition (magnetostructural coupling), and the cooling effect from the structural transformation may be several times that from the magnetic transformation, and are said to exhibit "giant MCE." Advanced materials are desired that exhibit large magnetostructural coupling effects and large changes in entropy near ambient temperatures at modest fields of 1-2 Tesla. Refrigeration systems based on the magnetocaloric effect have the potential for improvements of 60-100% in performance over conventional gas compression systems.
For a giant MCE, the structural transition is most commonly a martensitic shear transformation with an associated shape change. As a result, there can be severe transformational stresses that need to be accommodated along the habit plain between the parent and shear phases. There is a threshold defined by the mechanical properties of the alloy above which the transformational stresses are accommodated irreversibly (inelastically) and cannot be used in a refrigeration cycle. Texturing of a material can be an effective method of facilitating the accommodation of these stress, thereby lowering the activation energy for the transformation. This may be accomplished by aligning the structural domains along low energy boundaries such that the direction perpendicular to the habit planes is nearly parallel, as in a single crystal or highly textured material. Improved performance of single crystals in magnetic refrigeration applications has been demonstrated (e.g., Kimura, H., Numazawa, T., Sato, M., Ikeya, T., Fukuda, T., and Fujioka, K., "Single crystals of RAlO3 (R: Dy, Ho and Er) for use in magnetic refrigeration between 4.2 and 20 K," Journal of Materials Science, vol. 32, pp. 5743-5747, 1997). However, powders may be synthesized with a particle size distribution that is less than the characteristic domain size of the MCE material, essentially making single crystal particles. In addition, extensive thermomechanical processing may be employed to produce a high degree of deformation texture. However, both of these methods result in structural alignment that is less perfect than what is found in a single crystal. In short, various industrial applications, ranging from magnetocaloric devices to semiconductor chips, could benefit from the development of an economical process for fabricating single crystal materials.

Iron-based composition for magnetocaloric effect (MCE) applications and method of making a single crystal


A display apparatus driving method for a field time division type display apparatus displays grayscale by combining a plurality of subfields into which one field has been divided. Each subfield includes a resetting, an addressing, and a sustaining. At least one extra subfield is additionally provided which does not have a resetting, and which stays always ON with a luminance level higher than a prescribed input luminance level.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a display apparatus and a display driving method, and more particularly to a display apparatus and a display driving method suitable for driving a plasma display panel (PDP).
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, surface-discharge AC plasma display apparatuses have been commercially implemented as flat panel display apparatuses, and have come into wide use in such applications as display apparatuses for personal computers, workstations, and the like, as hang-on-the-wall televisions, or as apparatuses for displaying advertisements, information, etc.
The surface-discharge plasma display apparatus has a structure such that a pair of electrodes are formed on the inside surface of a front glass substrate and a rare gas is filled therein; in this structure, when a voltage is applied between the electrodes, a surface discharge occurs at the surface of a protective layer and dielectric layer formed on the electrode surface, resulting in the emission of ultraviolet light. The inside surface of a rear glass substrate is coated with phosphors of three primary colors, red (R), green (G), and blue (B), which when excited by the ultraviolet light, produce visible light to achieve a color display.
In the prior art, there is proposed a display apparatus that is designed to enhance the luminance grayscale resolution by converting input video data into output display data having a smaller grayscale step than the grayscale step of the input video data (for example, refer to Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2001-092409: which corresponds to EP-1085495-A2). More specifically, in the plasma display apparatus proposed in the prior art, a fractional luminance subfield whose luminance level weight is smaller than "1" (that is, whose luminance level weight is "0.5") is additionally provided, and the luminance grayscale resolution is increased by using this fractional luminance subfield, without changing the number of grayscale levels normally used to represent the input video data.
The prior art and its associated problems will be described in detail later with reference to accompanying drawings.

Display apparatus and display driving method for enhancing grayscale display capable of low luminance portion without increasing driving time


A method and apparatus for graceful restart is described. A method in a network device provides for refreshing a set of one or more labels after a label propagation module has restarted, the set of one or more labels having been allocated for the label propagation module prior to the label propagation module dying, and communicating the refreshed set of labels to a set of one or more peer label switching network devices.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the field of communication. More specifically, the invention relates to communication networks.
2. Background of the Invention
The multi-protocol label switching (MPLS) protocol may be categorized as a network layer protocol of the Open Standards Institute (OSI) reference model. MPLS provides a method for generically tunneling data through networks with label switching paths (LSPs).
FIG. 1 (Prior Art) is a diagram of a label stack entry according to multi-protocol label switching (MPLS). A label stack entry 100 is a 32-bit value that includes the following fields: a label identifier field 101, a stack bit field 103, an experimental field 105, and a time to live field 107. The label identifier field 101 includes a 20-bit value identifying a label for a label switch to path (LSP). The stack bit field 103 includes a single bit to indicate whether the label stack entry 100 is the last label stack entry of a packet. The experimental field 105 includes 3 bits reserved for experimental purposes. The time to live field 107 includes 8 bits to indicate the number of hops a label stack entry should exist.
To be used, a label identified by the label identifier field 101 is allocated and then propagated by a label distribution protocol (LDP) module of a label switching router (LSR). The label is passed from the LSR to an upstream LSR for a specific label switched path (LSP) that traverses the upstream LSR and the LSR. If the LSP module of the LSR dies for some reason, the LSR deletes all labels previously allocated for the dead LSP module. In addition, the upstream LSR deletes all forwarding entries with labels learned from the LSR. Since all of the labels propagated by the LSR are deleted, 1) traffic cannot be forwarded along the LSP from the upstream LSR to the LSR and 2) the LSR must allocate another label for the LSP and communicate the newly allocated label to the upstream LSR.

Method and apparatus for graceful restart


A vehicle storage structure includes a removable storage structure that is secured to a passenger compartment floor of a passenger vehicle. A first compartment lid is movably supported on the storage structure to move between an open position and a closed position. A seat is operably fixed to the passenger compartment floor with at least a first seat portion of the seat being movable between a compartment lid covering position and a compartment lid exposing position. The first compartment lid is movable from the closed position to the open position when the first seat portion is in the compartment lid exposing position.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a vehicle storage structure. More specifically, the present invention relates to a vehicle storage structure that is concealed under a passenger seat within a passenger vehicle.
2. Background Information
Most passenger vehicles have unused space beneath passenger seats within the vehicle. In some vehicles, such as sedans, station wagons, sport utility vehicles and vans, the area under the passenger seats is empty space that is either too small to use for storage or may not have accessibility for use as a storage or cargo space. Attempts have been made to utilize the space under a passenger seat in vehicles. However, these attempts have some disadvantages.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,106,044 to Schlachter and U.S. Pat. No. 5,902,009 Singh et al. each disclose a vehicle that includes several passenger seats. One of the passenger seats has a bench seat with room for three passengers. The space under the bench seat is configured to form a storage area that is accessed by lifting the bench seat. One problem with the configurations disclosed in both Schlachter and Singh et al. is that the entire bench seat must be lifted to access the storage area. The bench is long and appears to be difficult to manipulate. Further, seated passengers must first leave the bench before the storage area can be accessed. Therefore, the storage area is not accessible by the passengers while in the car. Another disadvantage is that the storage area is defined by uneven contours on the floor surface beneath the bench seat. The storage space therefore has limited usefulness.
In view of the above, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure that there exists a need for an improved storage compartment in the space under passenger seats. This invention addresses this need in the art as well as other needs, which will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure.

Nissan Technical Center North America, Inc.