There is disclosed a method of separating enantiomers of 4-(3',4'-dichlorophenyl)-3,4-dihydro-1(2H)-naphthalenone comprising contacting the same with a homogeneous or nonhomogeneous liquid mixture of solvent and water, the mixture containing substantially pure and unsupported gamma-cyclodextrin or its derivatives. Also disclosed are methods of further enantiomerically enriching solid mixtures obtained from the enantiomer separation method and further extracting one enantiomer by solvent extraction of the solid mixtures obtained.

The cyclic ketone 4-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-3,4-dihydro-1-(2H)-naphthalenone (hereinafter referred to as "DCPN") is an important precursor in the formulation of an anti-depressant drug. See U.S. Pat. No. 4,536,518. Enantiomeric resolution of this precursor from racemic mixtures is currently limited to analytical scale chromatography. However, there is no known process for large scale, economical separation of DCPN.
The use of cyclodextrins for enantiomeric resolution of racemic mixtures of various optically active compounds is known. See, for example, Jin et al., 1 Chirality 137 (1989), which discloses the formation of cyclodextrin crystalline inclusion complexes of racemic 1-dimethylaminonaphthalene-5-sulfonyl [dansyl] amino acids in aqueous solutions of cyclodextrin, followed by precipitation of the complex by pH adjustment, and by selective recrystallization. However, such a process is suitable only for the separation of enantiomers, such as amino acids, that have water-ionizable acid groups that may be rendered insoluble by the protonation which occurs in an acidic pH range. Benschop et al., in Chemical Communications, pp 1431-1432 (1970), disclose the partial resolution of the liquid enantiomer isopropyl methyl phosphinate using beta-cyclodextrin complex formation as one of the steps in the resolution. The beta-cyclodextrin was suspended in the liquid phosphinate and a trace amount of water was added, causing the suspension to solidify into a crystalline mass. After 24 hours, the crystalline mass was washed with ether, with the ethereal phase containing the (+)-enantiomer 17% enriched in optical purity. Such a partial resolution has little practical value, however.
In general, no method has been devised in the art of enantiomeric resolution to predict those chiral moieties that may be resolved by complexation with cyclodextrins, let alone any specific methodology having universal application.

Enantiomeric resolution of 4-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-3,4-dihydro-1(2H)-naphthalenone


A mathematically describable outline font and system for generating cursively concatenated text output using context-sensitive letter forms drawn from a single, standard ASCII character set. In creating such letter forms, each letter of the alphabet, is reduced to its basemost, non-context-sensitive form and joined by context dependent connector characters, as determined upon base letterform pairs. Special characters and connectors are also substituted in the presence of predetermined adjacent character pairs, providing an unbroken sequence of output characters which simulates human cursive handwriting as taught by the Zanerian method. Unlike script fonts currently available in the art which rely on overlapping or disjointed connector components in an attempt to simulate handwriting, the font and system of type generation disclosed by the present invention produces electronically set type having interconnected cursive characters and a common stroke width.

The present invention relates to a mathematically definable outline character font and character generating system having particular, but not necessarily exclusive, application in electronic printing and/or visual displays.
Until recently, the bulk of typesetting was accomplished using photo-mechanical means. Typically performed on photo-compositors, this method of generating type is generally limited to 24 words per hour since each typeset character involves exposure through a film strip onto an underlying sheet of photosensitive paper. Once text has been fully exposed onto the photographic paper, the paper is then developed and subsequently positioned and affixed to a layout page. After layout is complete the page is then rephotographed with the resulting negative being retouched prior to creating an offset plate for printing to remove unwanted lines and marks that often appear on the negative.
The mechanics of typesetting and layout are undergoing significant changes. While photo-mechanical approaches are still being employed by many to typeset, their use is rapidly being replaced by a newer, electronic imagesetting technology. Faster and less expensive computers, and their associated input and storage devices and the availability of more sophisticated type generating software has brought the ability to produce high-resolution documents within the reach of more users than previously possible. Electronic layout, which enables a layout artist to electronically manipulate digitized images and text on a video display screen prior to printing it, eliminates the bulk of the mechanical layout effort. Using electronic layout techniques, a final layout may be output directly to a laser printer or to a high-resolution photographic imagesetting device without the need for the intermediate paste-up and photographic steps. Yet, however convenient electronic typesetting may be, it is viable as an alternative to other typesetting methods only if the perceivable typographic quality is comparable to that previously rendered by the slower photo-mechanical technique.
Several methods are available for electronically encoding a typeface including storing characters as bit maps and storing as mathematical descriptions of the characters' outlines. Since outline fonts are generally output device independent and offer a greater degree of resolution, they are the preferred choice for imagesetting applications. Currently the most widely accepted method for describing outline character fonts is a page description language called PostScript.RTM. by Adobe Systems. PostScript provides a means for describing and storing the graphical attributes of individual typeface characters mathematically as a combination of arcs, lines, curves and control points. Once defined, each character may be assigned a unique identifying number (0-255) conforming to a location in an ASCII character table for subsequent retrieval by an input device. Since outline characters are precisely described as a combination of mathematical elements, proportional sealing or digital manipulation may be performed without loss of the character's mathematically described features. In the above regard, reference is made to the following technical publication: "PostScript Language Reference Manual", Adobe Systems, Incorporated, Addison-Wesley Publishing Co., Inc. 1986.
Subsequent to being retrieved from their character table, a character outline may be filled to provide a solid font character for printing. Once the characters are filled they are prepared for printing using a rasterizing technique. Rasterizing produces a stream of data that when sent to a printer, such as a laser printer or imagesetter, yields a filled representation of the character outline stored in the font character table. Because of their mathematical nature, outline fonts may be sent to any output device equipped with suitable language interpreter, their resolution being limited only by the physical limitations of the rastering device.
As a result of the increased demand for electronic typesetting, literally thousands of outline fonts have been either created or derived from existing, mechanical typefaces using digitizing devices and outline font generating software available in the art, such as Fontographer.RTM. by Altsys. Font generating software converts hand sketched or traced character images into mathematical PostScript descriptions of the characters' outlines. After a complete set of characters in a typeface is converted, the collection is assigned a unique PostScript font identification number. When creating an electronic font, the spatial relationship, between adjacent characters may be just as critical as the description of the character itself. To accommodate situations where a character may change depending upon the context of its use, i.e., its context-sensitivity, electronic fonts may provide kerned pairs, ligatures, and composite character elements, such as accents. While not generally visible on a standard ASCII keyboard, these special characters are generally invokable by their ASCII address entered through a sequence of keystrokes on a keyboard.
A truly context-sensitive cursive typeface converted to an outline font will produce some characters with more than one outline description. For example, a context-sensitive, lower case "e" will appear in numerous forms depending upon its placement within a word and with which adjacent character it is connected. An e at the beginning of a word may differ form an e falling at the end of a word. So too, an e following a b has a differently shaped bowl and connecting point than an e that connectingly succeeds an l. Compounding the problem is the fact that both cases of a typeface, i.e., 52 alphabetic letters plus special, accented forms, must be considered. Consequently, if an outline character was generated for each possible permutation of a character based upon its contextual relationship, the font character table would soon become unmanageable by quickly exceeding the total of 256, the maximum number of characters available in a single font character table and addressable from a standard ASCII keyboard.
Examination of the art of mechanical typesetting discloses a plethora of typefaces with the two basic typeface families being manuscript and cursive. Cursive, sometimes referred to as script, is usually intended to emulate human handwriting. As such, a cursive type style relies heavily on context-sensitive characters, that is, character letter forms that change depending upon the characters with which they are joined. This is especially true with the Zaner-Bloser typeface which has, since the late 1800's, been used to instruct pupils in Zanerian method of correct cursive penmanship by creating exemplars for pupils to mimic. This familiar typeface uses a series of interconnected flowing strokes and curves to produce a pleasing handwriting display while accommodating the limited motor skills of the beginning cursive handwriting student.
Since the number of character variations required to produce a context-sensitive cursive type style exceeds the standard ASCII character set of 256, past efforts to create a context-sensitive outline font have relied on the creation of numerous, related fonts, each containing only a portion of the entire cursive character set. In setting context-sensitive type, appropriate characters would have to be selected from several different fonts depending upon its typographical environment. Therefore, to set cursive type using a PostScript outline fonts, more than one font had to be downloaded to the PostScript printing device for a given block of text. In addition to being awkward to implement, the use of multiple outline fonts to represent a single character set is both time consuming and an inefficient use of memory in the PostScript printing device which generally stores bitmapped renditions of the downloaded fonts in the printer's memory.
It is the generation of a context-sensitive cursive outline font which may be stored in a single standard ASCII character table to which the present invention is addressed.

System, method, and font for printing cursive character strings


There is provided according to the invention a pharmaceutical aerosol formulation which comprises:                (i) fluticasone propionate and        (ii) a hydrofluoroalkane (HFA) propellant,characterised in that the fluticasone propionate is completely dissolved in the formulation. The invention also provided canisters containing the formulation and uses thereof.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a pharmaceutical formulation for use in the administration of medicaments by inhalation. In particular, this invention relates to a pharmaceutical formulation of fluticasone propionate for use in metered dose inhalers (MDI's). The invention also relates to methods for their preparation and to their use in therapy.
2. Description of the Background Art
Inhalers are well known devices for administering pharmaceutically active materials to the respiratory tract by inhalation. Such active materials commonly delivered by inhalation include bronchodilators such as β2 agonists and anticholinergics, corticosteroids, anti-allergics and other materials that may be efficiently administered by inhalation, thus increasing the therapeutic index and reducing side effects of the active material.
(6a, 11b, 16a, 17a)-6,9-difluoro-11-hydroxy-16-methyl-3-oxo-17-(1-oxopropoxy) androsta-1,4-diene-17-carbothioic acid, S-fluoromethyl ester was described as an antiinflammatory steroid by U.S. Pat. No. 4,335,121. This compound is also known by the generic name of fluticasone propionate and has since become widely known as a highly effective steroid in the treatment of inflammatory diseases, such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Metered dose inhalers (MDI's) are the most common type of a wide range of inhaler types and utilise a liquefied propellant to expel droplets containing the pharmaceutical product to the respiratory tract as an aerosol. MDI formulations ar generally characterised as solution formulations or suspenston formulations.
The most commonly used aerosol propellants for medicaments have been Freon 11 (CCl3F) in admixture with Freon 12 (CCl2F2) and Freon 114 (CF2Cl.CF2Cl). However, these propellants are now believed to provoke the degradation of stratospheric ozone and their use is now being phased out to eliminate the use of all CFC containing aerosol propellants. There is thus a need to provide an aerosol formulation for medicaments which employ so called 'ozone-friendly' propellants.
Hydrofluoroalkanes (HFAs; known also as hydrofluorocarbons or HFCs) contain no chlorine and are considered less destructive to ozone and these are proposed substitutes for CFCs. In particular, 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane (HFA 134a) and 1,1,1,2,3,3,3-heptafluoropropane (HFA 227) have been acknowledged to be the best candidates for non-CFC propellants.
The efficiency of an aerosol device, such as an MDI, is a function of the dose deposited at the appropriate site in the lungs. Deposition is affected by several factors, of which one of the most important is the aerodynamic particle size. Solid particles and/or droplets in an aerosol formulation can be characterised by their mass median aerodynamic diameter (MMAD, the diameter around which the mass aerodynamic diameters are distributed equally).
Particle deposition in the lung depends largely upon three physical mechanisms:                1. impaction, a function of particle inertia;        2. sedimentation due to gravity; and        3. diffusion resulting from Brownian motion of fine, submicrometer (<1 μm) particles.
The mass of the particles determines which of the three main mechanisms predominates.
The effective aerodynamic diameter is a function of the size, shape and density of the particles and will affect the magnitude of forces acting on them. For example, while inertial and gravitational effects increase with increasing particle size and particle density, the displacements produced by diffusion decrease. In practice, diffusion plays little part in deposition from pharmaceutical aerosols. Impaction and sedimentation can be assessed from a measurement of the MMAD which determines the displacement across streamlines under the influence of inertia and gravity, respectively.
Aerosol particles of equivalent MMAD and GSD (geometric standard deviation) have similar deposition in the lung irrespective of their composition. The GSD is a measure of the variability of the aerodynamic particle diameters.
For inhalation therapy there is a preference for aerosols in which the particles for inhalation have a diameter of about 0.5 to 5 μm. Particles which are larger than 5 μm in diameter are primarily deposited by inertial impaction in the orthopharynx, particles 0.5 to 5 μm in diameter, influenced mainly by gravity, are ideal for deposition in the conducting airways, and particles 0.5 to 3 μm in diameter are desirable for aerosol delivery to the lung periphery. Particles smaller-than 0.5 μm may be exhaled.
Respirable particles are generally considered to be those with aerodynamic diameters less than 5 μm. These particles, particularly those with a diameter of about 3 μm, are efficiently deposited in the lower respiratory tract by sedimentation.
It has been recently demonstrated in patients with mild and severe airflow obstruction that the particle size of choice for a β2 agonist or anticholinergic aerosol should be approximately 3 μm (Zaanen, P. et al, Int. J. Pharm. (1994) 107, 211–217, Int. J. Pharm. (1995)114, 111–115, Thorax (1996), 51, 977–980.)
Many of the factors relevant to the MMAD of particles are relevant to droplets and the additional factors of rate of solvent evaporation, and surface tension are also important.
In suspension formulations, particle size in principle is controlled during manufacture by the size to which the solid medicament is reduced, usually by micronisation. However, if the suspended drug has the slightest solubility in propellant, a process known as Ostwald Ripening can lead to particle size growth. Also, particles may have tendency to aggregate, or adhere to parts of the MDI eg. canister or valve. The effect of Ostwald ripening and particularly of drug deposition may be particularly severe for potent drugs (including fluticasone propionate) which need to be formulated in low doses. Solution formulations do not suffer from these disadvantages, but suffer from different ones in that particle or droplet size is both a function of rate of evaporation of the propellant from the formulation, and of the time between release of formulation from canister and the moment of inhalation. Thus, it may be subject to considerable variability and is generally hard to control.
Besides its impact on the therapeutic profile of a drug, the size of aerosol particles has an important impact on the side effect profile of a drug. For example, it is well known that the orthopharynx deposition of aerosol formulations of steroids can result in side effects such as candidiasis of mouth and throat. Accordingly, throat deposition of such aerosol formulations is generally to be avoided. Furthermore, a higher systemic exposure to the aerosol particles due to deep lung penetration can enhance the undesired systemic effects of certain drugs. For example, the systemic exposure to certain steroids can produce side effects on bone metabolism and growth.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Pharmaceutical formulation of fluticasone propionate


Provided is a vehicle-mounted system capable of transmitting a command to a first system from a second system during a period in which the first system communicates with the second system according to a unidirectional communication protocol. A vehicle-mounted system 100 includes a sensor 10 (first system) and an ECU (second system). The sensor 10 outputs a message signal including a pause pulse to the communication line DATA according to SENT (a unidirectional communication protocol). The ECU 20 is connected to the communication line DATA, and transmits a command to the sensor 10 using the falling period of the pause pulse.

A communication scheme between a vehicle-mounted sensor and an engine control unit (hereinafter, referred to as the ECU) includes single edge nibble transmission (SENT) (for example, see PTL 1). The SENT communication is a unidirectional communication scheme from the sensor to the ECU, and can digitize and transmit a plurality of sensor signals using a single signal line and detect an error by CRC. Further, since no battery voltage is required during the communication, communication circuits mounted on the sensor and the ECU can be simplified.


A piston for an internal combustion engine of an automotive vehicle. The piston has a piston ring and a piston skirt section each of which has a sliding section in slidable contact with a cylinder bore section of a cylinder block in presence of a lubricating oil. The cylinder bore section is formed of eutectic or hyper-eutectic aluminum alloy. Additionally, a hard carbon thin film is coated on the sliding section of the piston and contains hydrogen atom in an amount of not more than 1 atomic %. Here, the lubricating oil contains at least one selected from the group consisting of ashless fatty acid ester friction modifier, ashless aliphatic amine friction modifier, polybutenyl succinimide, derivative of polybutenyl succinimide, zinc dithiophosphate, and derivative of zinc dithiophosphate.

This invention relates to improvements in a piston for an internal combustion engine, more particularly to a piston whose sliding section is coated with a hard carbon thin film such as a diamond-like carbon thin film which exhibits a highly excellent low friction characteristics particularly in presence of a specified lubricating oil (composition).
Global environmental problems such as global warming and ozone layer destruction are coming to the fore. As it has been said that the global warming is significantly affected by CO2 emission, the reduction of CO2 emission, notably the setting of CO2 emission standards, has become a big concern to each country. One of challenges to reduce CO2 emission is to improve vehicle fuel efficiency that depends on the performance of engine sliding members and a lubricating oil applied thereto. There are the following approaches to improving vehicle fuel efficiency: (1) lowering the viscosity of the lubricating oil, thereby reducing viscous resistance in hydrodynamic lubrication regions and agitation resistance in the engine; and (2) to adding a suitable friction modifier and other additives into the lubricating oil so as to reduce friction losses under the conditions of mixed lubrication and boundary lubrication.
In view of the foregoing, many studies have been made on various friction modifiers including organomolybdenum compounds, such as molybdenum ditiocarbamate (MoDTC) and molybdenum dithiophosphate (MoDTP). As a result of the studies, it has been found that the lubricating oil containing an organomolybdenum compound successfully produces a friction reducing effect on the steel sliding members in the early stages of use.


A system and method for reducing the time required to access peripheral devices or to perform peripheral device operations in a multiple bus architecture or hierarchical bus structure environment. A memory device is used to remember which addresses generated responses on which busses. The memory device is accessed in subsequent operations to eliminate the procedure for determining which bus is attached to the desired peripheral.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system for improving processing performance in a computer employing two or more bus architectures or employing a hierarchical bus structure.
2. Description of Prior Art
Over the past ten years, advances in microprocessor technology have enabled personal computers to achieve increasingly higher levels of performance. Software applications have also become much more complex and sophisticated during this same time period. Today's software involves sophisticated graphics, on-line transaction processing, local-area networking and real-time video. These relatively new applications require vast amounts of data to be processed and moved faster than ever before between a microcomputer computer's central processing unit (CPU) and peripheral units. The industry-standard 16-bit/8-MHz ISA (Industry Standard Architecture) expansion bus--the decade-old bus found in most computers today--cannot adequately transport the large amounts of data generated by these applications. The ISA expansion bus, introduced in 1984 by IBM, forces today's high-performance 32-bit microprocessors to wait as hard disks, video boards and other peripherals send and receive data along a path that is narrow, slow, and inefficient. Consequently, serious bottlenecks occur in modern microprocessor-based systems, operating at 66 MHz and faster, as applications using large files vie for the precious limited bandwidth offered by the ISA system bus.
Enhanced bus standards that have been introduced in an attempt to replace ISA, such as Extended Industry Standard Architecture (EISA) and Micro Channel Architecture (MCA), improve data throughput and provide capability for short bursts as fast as 33 MBps with EISA and potentially faster with MCA. But limited availability, design complexity, and high production costs have relegated these solutions to servers and specialized systems.
Today's solution to the bottleneck problem is generally acknowledged to be an innovation called the local bus. The bus is "local" in the sense that it brings peripheral functions closer to the microprocessor. The CPU bus provides a high speed data path that traditionally has been reserved for the CPU, cache and main memory subsystem. The expansion bus, by comparison, provides the lower speed data path and physical connection between all peripherals and the CPU bus. With the addition of a local bus, peripherals that require rapid transfers of large amounts of data are put in close connection with the CPU and memory subsystem. This arrangement allows high-performance peripherals such as video cards, network adapters and disk controllers to bypass the I/O bottlenecks of traditional system buses and take a short cut to the CPU. In a 486 DX2-66 CPU-based system, for example, the local bus is 32 bits wide and runs at 33 MHz for bus throughput as fast as 132 MBps.
Not all peripherals require high data transfer rates in order to perform up to their potential. Lower-bandwidth peripherals such as FAX/modems, tape drives and printers are still well served by the standard ISA expansion bus. Because of this, local bus systems are usually designed in conjunction with an ISA expansion bus. In a typical local bus implementation, the ISA expansion bus controller feeds into the local bus as though it were another peripheral, providing the interface for lower performance add-in cards that are configured within the system. Computing systems therefore often involve multiple bus architectures and a bus hierarchy. FIG. 1 shows a typical PC with a bus hierarchy. Both a local bus 10 and an ISA expansion bus 11 are shown. A graphics controller 12 and monitor 13 reside on the local bus, along with an IDE hard drive controller 14 and hard disk 15. A fax modem 16 resides on the ISA expansion bus. The bus structure of FIG. 1 is hierarchical since the local bus is typically accessed first to utilize its speed. The ISA bus is addressed only after the addressed device is determined not to be on the local bus.
A number of manufacturers (e.g., Dell, NEC, Hewlett-Packard) have developed proprietary local bus systems, most of which integrate local bus video on the motherboard. But there are two emerging local bus standards: (1) the VESA local bus (or VL bus), developed by the Video Electronics Standards Association, and (2) the Peripheral Component Interconnect standard, developed by Intel as a high-end alternative to the VL bus. Both of these standards make available standardized slots into which one can plug high-speed local bus peripherals. FIG. 2 shows the bus architecture for a PC with a CPU host bus 21, both VL and PCI local busses (22 and 23, respectively), and an ISA expansion bus 24.
FIG. 2 also shows a CPU device 31, and a main memory device 32. The busses in FIG. 2 are hierarchical, and the VL bus 22 is deemed to have a higher priority than the PCI bus 23, which has a higher priority than the ISA bus 24. When an I/O cycle is started in FIG. 2, the I/O address is decoded by a subtractive decoding scheme; i.e., by placing it on each of the busses until a device responds. Following this hierarchical order, the bus cycle operation is initiated first on the VL bus, and the CPU waits for a response from that bus (in the VL-bus context, this response is the "local device" or "LDEV" signal). Such a signal indicates that the address corresponds to a device on the VL-bus, and upon receipt, a bus operation is carried out on the VL-bus. If, however, no VL-bus device responds after a number of clock cycles (typically three or four clock cycles), it is assumed that the addressed device is not connected to the VL-bus. No bus operation is carried out on the VL-bus in this situation, and the address is issued next to the PCI bus. If the address corresponds to a device on the PCI bus, the PCI bus responds with "device select" signal ("DEVSEL"). Again, however, if no device responds after a number of clock cycles, the address is then issued to the next bus in the hierarchical order (the ISA bus).
This subtractive decoding scheme for multiple or hierarchical bus structures is inefficient and slow because a number of dock cycles can be expended waiting for a response from each bus. Yet the higher throughput afforded by local bus architectures are necessary for today's software, and hierarchical bus architectures have become the microcomputing norm. What is needed, therefore, is a method or apparatus for reducing delays introduced by the slow decoding schemes used in today's computers, while still providing the functionality and utility of multiple and hierarchical bus architectures.

Hierarchical bus structure access system


A condition of an industrial process is diagnosed based upon process variable information related to a value of a measured process variable. Histogram information is calculated based upon the determined process variable information and time information related to a duration of time the measured process variable has the value. Condition of the industrial process is diagnosed based upon the calculated histogram information.

The present invention relates to diagnostics of process control and monitoring systems for use with industrial processes. More specifically, the present invention relates to diagnostics which identify wear or degradation of components in industrial processes.
Process control devices are used in industrial process control systems to monitor and/or control a process. A control device is a field device which is used to control the process and includes pumps, valves, actuators, solenoids, motors, mixers, agitators, breakers, crushers, rollers, mills, ball mills, kneaders, blenders, filters, cyclones, centrifuges, towers, dryers, conveyors, separators, elevators, hoists, heaters, coolers and others. A process variable transmitter is a field device which is used to measure a process variable such as temperature, flow, pressure, turbidity, pH and others.
During operation of industrial processes, the various components used in the industrial process, or to control or monitor the industrial process, tend to degrade through continued use. Various diagnostic techniques have been utilized to identify a component prior to its ultimate failure so that the component can be replaced without interrupting normal operation of the process.
One technique used to replace components prior to failure is to identify a normal life span of the component. The component can then be replaced prior to the expiration of its expected life span.

Diagnostics in process control and monitoring systems


Disclosed herein is a battery. The battery includes a contactless communication control block configured to execute contactless communication as a transponder and a reader/writer which are based on electromagnetic induction. The battery further includes an antenna configured to execute the contactless communication as the transponder; and an antenna configured to execute the contactless communication as the reader/writer. The battery further includes a battery control block configured to control a charge operation of a cell block. The contactless communication control block communicates, in a contactless manner, a charge state of the cell block supplied from the battery control block.

The present disclosure relates to a battery, a battery pack, a battery charger, and a battery charging system and, more particularly, to a battery, a battery pack, a battery charger, and a battery charging system which are configured to execute, on the basis of a simple structure, charge/discharge control on battery cells even if the number of battery cells increases.
Charging a battery pack made up of two or more interconnected battery cells requires the consideration of a cell balance while checking the capacity, charge/discharge characteristics, and temperature of each battery cell, thereby executing charge/discharge control (refer to Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2002-320334 for example). For this reason, each battery cell has had the wiring dedicated to the obtaining of such charge/discharge control data as the cell voltage and temperature shown as enclosed by dashed lines shown in FIG. 1.

Battery, battery pack, battery charger, and battery charging system


A computer-implemented method for indicating positions of and directions to battlefield entities in a soldier's head-mounted display using annotated arrows which indicate units both in and out of the soldier's field of view. The method includes a Unit Identifier (100) for associating units in aerial imagery with soldiers on the battlefield, a Commander Presenter (102) for presenting the aerial imagery and unit positions to a commander, a Unit Annotator (104) for enabling commanders to identify unknown units, and a Soldier Presenter (106) for identifying and labeling units that appear in a soldier's head-mounted display.

1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to image analysis, specifically to identifying friendly and enemy units in a soldier's head-mounted display.
2. Discussion of the Background
In September 2000, the U.S. Army performed the first operational test of the Land Warrior soldier system. The system connects soldiers on the battlefield via a wireless network. In addition, each Land Warrior carries a computer connected to a GPS receiver, scope video camera, and head-mounted display. The head-mounted display presents video from the scope camera attached to the soldier's weapon. As a result, the soldier can point his or her gun around a corner to assess enemy activity while minimizing exposure to attack.
A Land Warrior's head-mounted display serves as a targeting system. A soldier aims his or her weapon by placing a crosshair over an enemy unit in the scope video. In the heat of battle, however, it is difficult to quickly determine whether an individual is a friendly or enemy unit. As a result, friendly fire occurs in which a soldier accidentally fires on a fellow soldier.
To combat friendly fire, the present inventor developed a system that differentiates friend from foe in a soldier's head-mounted display. The system leverages position information reported by friendly soldiers. In addition, if aerial imagery of the battlefield is available, the system enables commanders to tag unknown individuals as friend, foe, or neutral.
Existing systems served as a foundation for the present invention. These existing systems are described below.
Tracking Objects in Video
The present invention relies on an object tracker to detect units in aerial imagery and scope video. Object trackers perform image analysis to locate, recognize, and follow objects in video sequences. Inventors have devised several suitable object trackers. For example:
U.S. Pat. No. 6,529,613 to Astle (2003) relies on image templates to determine the positions of objects in video.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,507,660 to Wirtz et al. (2003) uses a reference image and performs edge detection to identify objects in aerial imagery.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,542,621 to Brill et al. (2003) performs probabilistic analysis to deal with occlusion while tracking multiple objects in video sequences.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,434,254 to Wixson (2002) detects objects in video images using one method suitable for daytime scenes and a second method suitable for nighttime scenes.
The present invention builds on these object trackers by associating objects detected in aerial imagery with those detected in scope video. As a result, when a commander identifies an enemy unit in the aerial imagery, the present invention labels the corresponding unit in a soldier's scope video.
Determining an Object's Position
The present invention determines the position of unknown units in aerial imagery and uses this information to identify unknown units that appear in a soldier's scope video. Several existing systems use multiple cameras to determine the position of objects. For example:
U.S. Pat. No. 6,539,330 to Wakashiro (2003) determines the three-dimensional position of objects based on images from two cameras.
The present invention takes a different approach in determining the position of unknown units. The battlefield's topology restricts one dimension of movement for ground troops. For the remaining two dimensions, the present invention performs a calculation based on the unknown unit's position in an aerial image and the image's latitude and longitude extents. This technique enables the present invention to deduce the position of an unknown unit using a single camera.
Labeling Objects in Video
The present invention labels friendly and enemy units that appear in a soldier's head-mounted display. Similarly, several existing systems identify objects such as waypoints that appear in real-world images. For example:
U.S. Pat. No. 5,786,849 to Lynde (1998) identifies waypoints, obstacles, and targets that appear in marine navigation binoculars.
The present invention combines information about the position and orientation of a soldier's scope video camera with knowledge friendly and enemy unit locations to accurately label objects in a soldier's head-mounted display.
Differentiating Friend from Foe
In response to friendly fire incidents during the Gulf War, the U.S. Army launched a combat identification program. The program's goal was to equip soldiers with systems for differentiating friend from foe in combat. The result was an interrogator/transponder pair carried by each friendly unit. To determine whether a unit was a friend or foe, a soldier aimed his or her interrogator at the unit. For units carrying a properly configured transponder, the interrogator would indicate that the individual was a friend. Otherwise, the system deduced that the unit was an enemy.
The present invention has several advantages over combat identification systems that employ an interrogator and transponder. First, the present invention requires no equipment in addition to that already worn by Land Warriors. Second, the present invention requires to effort on the part of soldiers to differentiate friend from foe. The present invention automatically identifies units that appear in a soldier's scope video. As a result, the present invention enables soldiers to make rapid firing decisions.
Prior Art Disadvantages
Existing systems for differentiating friend from foe in combat suffer from a number of disadvantages. Specifically, existing systems:
a. Delay firing decisions. Existing systems require that a soldier obtain line-of-sight access and initiate an identification sequence before determining whether a unit is a friend or foe. As a result, soldiers need to wait for units to come into view and to manually perform an interrogation before making a firing decision.
b. Fail to eliminate friendly fire. A soldier who improperly aims his or her interrogator or fires in the heat of battle before initiating an identification sequence may injure or kill fellow soldiers.
c. Fail to identify unknown units as friend, foe, or neutral. Although existing systems differentiate friendly units from unknown units, they cannot further classify unknown units as friend, foe, or neutral. As a result, soldiers must visually confirm at close range an enemy's identity.
d. Fail to provide advance warning when an enemy is approaching. Existing systems do not identify distant or obstructed units. As a result, soldiers are susceptible to surprise attack as enemy units suddenly come into view.
e. Require line-of-sight. To identify a unit using an existing system, a soldier must see his or her adversary. Unfortunately, a visible enemy unit may launch an attack before a friendly unit can initiate the identification sequence. As a result, existing systems place soldiers at risk of attack while they differentiate units.
f. Fail to expose hidden enemies. Existing systems require that a soldier obtain a clear view of an enemy before initiating the identification sequence. As a result, existing systems leave soldiers vulnerable to attack by obscured or distant enemies.
g. Require that soldiers carry interrogators and transponders. Land Warriors carry 90 pounds of equipment. The heavy load limits a soldier's range and maneuverability. Therefore, the U.S. Army would like to eliminate interrogators and transponders from combat identification systems.

Indicating positions of and directions to battlefield entities in a soldier's head-mounted display


According to one embodiment, a nonvolatile memory includes a memory cell array having a plurality of memory cells configured to store 3-bit data corresponding to first to third pages. Data coding, in which first page data values have one boundary, and second and three page data values each have three boundaries, is used to perform a first stage program based on data written into first page d, a second stage program based on data written into the first, second, and third pages, and a third stage program based on data written into the first, second, and third pages.

In a conventional NAND flash memory (hereinafter called NAND memory), information is stored as an amount of electric charge in each of floating gates of memory cells. Each memory cell has a threshold voltage according to an amount of electric charge. A plurality of data values to be stored in the memory cell is made to correspond to a plurality of threshold voltage regions. Electric charge is injected so that the threshold voltage of the memory cell is in a region corresponding to the data value to be stored. When data is read, it is determined in which region the threshold voltage of the memory cell exists. Accordingly the data value stored in the memory cell is allowed to be obtained.
A NAND memory with 3-bit/Cell configured to store 3-bit data in one memory cell has a larger number of threshold voltage regions than that of a NAND memory with 1-bit/Cell configured to store 1-bit data in one memory cell or a NAND memory with 2-bit/Cell configured to store 2-bit data in one memory cell. Therefore, the NAND memory with 3-bit/Cell needs to be precisely adjusted in threshold voltage, compared with the NAND memory with 1-bit/Cell or 2-bit/Cell. In addition, influence of interference between adjacent memory cells is increased between adjacent memory cells.

Nonvolatile memory and data writing method


Provided is an HNB gateway device capable of, while in an operation in a sleep mode, deactivating function units other than functions units associated with a mode check message and a sleep mode release request message from another HNB-GW, and thereby enabling a power saving operation. An HNB gateway device (2) includes a function to obtain a usage rate of the HNB gateway device, relays signals between a switching center and an HNB, and transits to a sleep mode when the usage rate reaches or falls below a predetermined value. The HNB gateway device includes means (HNB-GW list management unit 23) for changing, upon transition to the sleep mode, an HNB gateway list in the HNB performing HNB registration on the HNB gateway device using RPC:SetParameterValues from an HMS.

Since an HNB (Home Node B) forming the above femtocell system is installed in an ordinary household and an office, a usage rate of the HNB and an HNB-GW is low depending on the time of day. Although there are various research for a method of operating the HNB with reduced electric power, research is still required for a method of operating the HNB-GW with reduced electric power.
The femtocell system related to the present invention includes the HNB, the HNB-GW, and an HMS (Home Node B Management System). The HNB is a small-scale base station installed in homes and offices, and is also referred to as an FAP (Femto Access Point). The HNB-GW is a device that relays signals between a switching center and the HNB.
The HMS (Home Node B Management System) is equipped with a function for managing configuration information of the HNB such as a list of HNB-GWs capable of accepting HNB Registration from the HNB.
In regard to the above operation of HNB-GW with reduced electric power, there are techniques (e.g. patent literatures 1 and 2) for transitioning to a power saving state or an operating state depending on a server load and an accommodating status of mobile terminals. The technique disclosed in patent literature 1 deletes an entry from an MME pool held to an eNodeB before MME (MME) transitions to a power saving mode.
Note that a UE (User Equipment) Registration number is used as an index representing the usage rate of HNB-GW that is used in the method of operating the HNB-GW with reduced electric power. The UE Registration is a standard operation defined in following non patent literature 1.
In order for the HNB-GW to obtain or change a list of HNB-GWs capable of accepting the HNB Registration from the HNB, the HMS (Home Node B Management System) transmits to the HNB "RPC:Get Parameter Values" or "RPC:Set Parameter Values", and the HMS notifies the HNB-GW of the result.
Transmitting "RPC:Get Parameter Values" and "RPC:Set Parameter Values" from the HMS to the HNB is a standard operation defined in non patent literature 2.
The HNB is equipped with a function to hold a "list of HNB-GWs capable of accepting the HNB Registration from the corresponding HNB". Generally, as described in "FAPGWServer1", "FAPGWServer2", and "FAPGWServer3" in following non patent literature 3, multiple HNB-GWs can be specified to the "list of HNB-GWs".

HNB gateway device, femtocell system, and method of operating HNB-GW used for same with reduced electric power


A rotary connector using a plurality of flat cables in which buckling of the flat cable is prevented is disclosed. In a space defined between a fixed housing having an outer cylindrical wall and a movable housing having an inner cylindrical wall, two flat cables having reverse parts in the middle are overlapped and wound, and both ends of each of the flat cables are gathered at a fixed side joint on the outer cylindrical wall and a movable side joint on the inner cylindrical wall. Each of the first and second flat cables is a band-shaped body in which a plurality of conductors are laminated between a pair of base films. By performing a surface roughening process to the surface of one of the base films, a rough face having the central line average roughness Ra of 0.03 .mu.m or larger is formed. The flat cables are overlapped so that the rough surface comes into contact with the flat face of the other cable.

The present invention relates to a rotary connector which is assembled in a steering system of a vehicle and used as electric connecting means of an air bag system or the like. More particularly, the invention relates to a rotary connector in which a flat cable is wound in the opposite direction via a reversing part in an annular space defined between a pair of housings.
In a rotary connector, a movable housing is rotatably connected to a fixed housing and a flat cable is housed and wound in an annular space defined between the housings. The rotary connector is used as electric connecting means of an air bag inflator or the like attached to a steering wheel having a limited number of rotation. The flat cable has a band-shaped member holding a conductor on a base film. Two types of a flat cable wound like a spiral and a flat cable reversely wound halfway are known. The required length of a flat cable of the latter reverse type can be made much shorter.
In the rotary connector of the reverse type, usually one flat cable is used. When the number of conductors increases as the number of circuits increases, the flat cable is widened in accordance with the number of conductors, so that reduction in the thickness of the whole rotary connector is disturbed. On the contrary, according to the rotary connector disclosed in the specification of U.S. Pat. No. 3,763,455, the conductors are apportioned to two flat cables, thereby dealing with the increase in the number of circuits.
FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a schematic construction of the rotary connector disclosed in the above specification of the patent. As shown in the diagram, a movable housing 101 having an inner cylindrical wall is rotatably attached to a fixed housing 100 having an outer cylindrical wall. A first flat cable 103 and a second flat cable 104 are housed in an annular space 102 defined between the fixed housing 100 and the movable housing 101. The flat cables 103 and 104 are housed in the space 102 on the outer cylindrical wall of the fixed housing 100 and on the inner cylindrical wall of the movable housing 101 so as to be wound in different directions. At the positions where the winding directions are reversed, U-letter shaped reverse parts 103a and 104a are formed. Inner ends of the flat cables 103 and 104 are connected to cable leading parts 107 and 108 which are arranged close to each other on the inner cylindrical wall of the movable housing 101 and are led to the outside of the movable housing 101 via the cable leading parts 107 and 108. On the other hand, the outer ends of the flat cables 103 and 104 are connected to cable leading parts 109 and 110 which are arranged close to each other on the outer cylindrical wall of the fixed housing 100 and are led to the outside of the fixed housing 100 via the cable leading parts 109 and 110. Further, groups 105 and 106 of a plurality of rollers are arranged in the radial direction in the space 102. The reverse part 103a of the first flat cable 103 is looped about one of the group 105 of rollers. The reverse part 104a of the second flat cable 104 is looped about one of the other group 106 of rollers.
In the rotary connector having the above construction, for example, when the movable housing 101 is rotated in the clockwise direction of FIG. 4, the reverse parts 103a and 104a of the flat cables 103 and 104 move in the clockwise direction in the space 102 by a rotation amount smaller than that of the movable housing 101. The flat cables 103 and 104 are in the winding state where the winding amount on the inner cylindrical wall of the movable housing 101 is larger. On the contrary, when the movable housing 101 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction, the reverse parts 103a and 104a of the flat cables 103 and 104 move in the same direction by a rotation amount smaller than that of the movable housing 101. The flat cables 103 and 104 are in the rewinding state where the winding amount on the outer cylindrical wall of the fixed housing is larger. In events of the winding and rewinding, the rollers 105 and 106 receive forces from the reverse parts 103a and 104a of the flat cables 103 and 104 and move in the same direction.
In the rotary connector using the overlapped flat cables 103 and 104 as the foregoing conventional example, although the first cable 103 is directly wound on the inner cylindrical wall of the movable housing 101, the second flat cable 104 is wound on the outside of the first flat cable 103 which has been wound on the inner cylindrical wall by one turn. Consequently, the diameters of the wound flat cables 103 and 104 on the inner cylindrical wall have the difference corresponding to the thickness of the first flat cable 103. The winding amounts on the inner cylindrical wall or the rewinding amounts from the inner cylindrical wall of the flat cables 103 and 104 are not strictly the same. When the movable housing 101 is rotated, a phenomenon such that the flat cables 103 and 104 are slid and deviated in the winding direction on their contact faces occurs. In this case, since the flat cables 103 and 104 are respectively energized to the outer and inner cylindrical wall sides by reaction forces from the reverse parts 103a and 104a, there is a problem such that the sliding friction when deviation occurs becomes large and is not returned to the original state and the deviated one of the flat cables 103 and 104 is buckled.


A method for placing several electrical portions of an electrical component at substantially the same electrical potential includes identifying electrical conductors which lead to a first electrical portion and separate electrical conductors which lead to a second electrical portion. Indium metal is placed across the leads of the first electrical portion and the leads of the second electrical portion. An indium metal wire may be placed across the leads of the first electrical portion and the leads of the second electrical portion. A sheet of indium metal foil may also be placed across the leads of the first electrical portion and the leads of the second electrical portion. The indium metal, in either the wire form or the sheet form, is pressed across the leads of the first electrical portion and the leads of the second electrical portion. The indium metal material may be doped to porduce a static dissipative material.

The present invention relates generally to the field of grounding or maintaining parts of sensitive electrical components at substantially the same potential. More particularly, this invention relates to a shunt or jumper for connecting pins or other electrical connectors in a sensitive electrical component.
Electrostatic discharge (xe2x80x9cESDxe2x80x9d) is a large problem in sensitive electrical devices. Electrostatic discharge can and will damage sensitive electrical devices. There is a long list of sensitive electrical devices that are used and manufactured each day. Microchips and microprocessors are just two classes of devices which may be ESD sensitive. A constant goal of microchip manufacturers is to miniturize the device. Some microprocessors have in excess of 10,000,000 devices on a single chip. The miniaturization of electronic components in semiconductor devices such as the integrated circuits of microchips, results in extremely small conductive paths or traces. In other words, miniaturization of microchips and more specifically the number of devices that can be housed in a microchip result in path widths less than 0.5 microinches. Currently, the electrical paths or traces have widths of 0.3 microinches. Of course, thinner path widths are contemplated in the future as the drive to further miniaturize integrated circuits continues. The thin conductive paths or traces are also spaced on close centers within a microprocessor or other semiconductor device. The spacing between conductors will also lessen as miniaturization continues. The close spacing makes components more vulnerable to voltage spikes or transients. These transients come in many forms, including a common form caused by an electrostatic buildup of charge on operators or equipment.
Miniaturization of the electrical paths within the components has reached a point where dissipation of static within the device may ruin the circuitry within the device. In devices having line widths less than 0.5 microinches, an electrostatic discharge from a jumper or shunt having 2000 volts of static electricity may cause a failure in the device. The failures take the form of ruined circuits or electromagnetic interference. The electrostatic discharge (ESD) travels through multiple coupling paths, which include circuits, grounds, and transient electromagnetic fields. An electrostatic discharge event starts with a very slow buildup of energy, often taking tens of seconds, followed by a very rapid breakdown.
Microprocessors with narrow line widths may not function after an ESD event. Many times the excessive voltage ruins the circuit. One solution to the problem has been to provide the circuit with filters capable of withstanding an ESD event. The filters pass ESD spikes to ground or absorb the ESD spike before it damages the circuit. Adding filters is contrary to miniaturization of semiconductor devices. Filters and the related connectors require space. The use of filters also adds to the cost of the semiconductor devices or components. Adding filters increases the complexity of circuit design. Increased complexity also makes incorporating changes to a circuit more difficult.
Another device that is ESD sensitive is magnetoresistive (MR) heads. MR heads are commonly used in devices that record data magnetically, such as a disc drive or a tape drive. An electrostatic discharge occurring between an MR head and another electrical component will, more than likely, ruin the head. In each disc drive or tape drive, typically there are a number of MR heads.
During the manufacture of any device having sensitive electrical devices, there are opportunities for an ESD event. For example, when manufacturing a disc drive, there are many times when ESD sensitive electronic parts are assembled and handled. One example is during the assembly of the actuator assembly. While manufacturing the actuator assembly, it is handled and tested several times.
Yet another problem associated with electrically sensitive devices is an electrical overstress (EOS). Many in the electronics industry use the acronyms ESD and EOS interchangeably. However, ESD is a specific subset of EOS, and is generally considered a handling and packaging problem. Electrical overstress (EOS) is a broad definition encompassing many potential sources and failure modes. There are two types of failures: catastrophic, which can usually be identified by testing prior to shipment, and latent, which is a malfunction caused by electrical overstress occurring during normal operation. Latent electrical overstress does not cause catastrophic failure, but is severe enough to actually weaken the part, diminishing the life of the assembly. Latent electrical overstress is currently a larger concern for device failures than ESD.
For example, an integrated circuit (IC) has three primary failure modes: metal burnout, junction shorts, and dielectric breakdown. Excessive current in the IC, which heats the metal through resistance heating, causes all three failures. Voltages exceeding the specific breakdown level of the gate oxide send current through the oxide, damaging metal oxide semiconductors (MOS). Any amount of current in the oxide causes sufficient heating to cause damage. This type of voltage sensitivity has resulted in xe2x80x9con chipxe2x80x9d protection for most IC""s that use MOS technology.
One way to avoid ESD and to lessen the possibility of EOS, is to place the shunts on circuits in an ionized environment. In the ionized environment, the static charges are dissipated. This solution is fine for a factory; however, many of the users do not have access to such an environment.
Many users are placing shunts on circuits in a home or work environment so this is less than optimal solution. Most shunts are soldered or hardwired to the electrical leads on the electrical device. Removing such shunts can be time consuming if the leads to which the shunt is attached must be maintained. Removal requires desoldering the connection between the lead and the shunt. The removal of solder or desoldering may also lead to electrical overstress and a latent defect. These takes time and may cause the leads to fail. In instances where keeping the leads is not critical, the leads and the shunt are mechanically removed. Once removed, the leads can not be used for testing the part for example.
What is needed is a method and apparatus, which prevents an ESD event or lessens the severity of an ESD event resulting from placing a jumper or shunt onto a circuit which, includes microprocessors or microchips. If the ESD event can be prevented or lessened, then failures in microchips having thin traces will be prevented or much less likely to occur. What is also needed is a device, which can be used to lessen or avoid the effects of EOS. What is also needed is a shunt which can be used in a home or work environment without resulting in a failed circuit. Still further what is needed is a shunt that can be placed across the leads of an electrically sensitive device and which will stay in place. In addition, what is needed is a shunt that can be easily removed without destroying electrical leads so that a part may be shunted to prevent electrostatic discharge during one phase of manufacture and which can be electrically tested using the electrical contacts which were previously shunted at a different time in the manufacturing process.
A method for placing several electrical portions of an electrical component at substantially the same electrical potential includes identifying electrical conductors which lead to a first electrical portion and separate electrical conductors which lead to a second electrical portion indium metal is placed across the leads of the first electrical portion and the leads of the second electrical portion. An indium metal wire may be placed across the leads of the first electrical portion and the leads of the second electrical portion. A sheet of indium metal foil may also be placed across the leads of the first electrical portion and the leads of the second electrical portion. The indium metal, in either the wire form or the sheet form, is pressed across the leads of the first electrical portion and the leads of the second electrical portion. The indium metal material may also be across the bonding pads of the first electrical portion and the bonding pads of the second electrical portion.
A method for preventing electrostatic discharge between a first electrical portion of a device and a second electrical portion of a includes locating an electrical contact coupled to a first electrical portion, and locating an electrical contact coupled to a second electrical portion. An indium metal is placed onto the electrical contact coupled with the first electrical portion and onto the electrical contact coupled to the second electrical portion. Placing the indium metal onto the electrical contacts includes pressing the indium metal onto the electrical contact coupled with the first electrical portion and onto the electrical contact coupled to the second electrical portion to form a solderless contact. The method also includes removing the indium metal from the first electrical contact and the second electrical contact; and reusing the indium metal. Removing the indium metal may be done by using a static disappative mechanical apparatus, such as a tweezers. Reusing the indium metal includes ascertaining the amount of deformation the indium metal underwent as a result of a previous use, and pressing the indium metal onto another set of contacts on another device. Generally, the indium metal is pressed onto the electrical contact coupled with the first electrical portion and onto the electrical contact coupled to the second electrical portion to form a shunt contact. After removing the indium metal from the first electrical contact and the second electrical contact, the first electrical contact and the second electrical contact can be used again for any purpose, such as testing the electrical contacts. The first electrical contact may be a test probe and the second electrical contact may also be a test probe.
Advantageously, the above described method and apparatus prevents ESD events or lessens the severity of ESD events during the manufacture or handling to electrically sensitive parts during manufacture or other reconfiguration. Preventing or lessening the possibility of an ESD event lessens the number of failures in microchips or other electrically sensitive devices. This lessens the need for rework or scrapping devices altogether. This also streamlines manufacturing since the devices being built do not have to be sidelined for rework. The shunt can be used in a home or work environment without resulting in a failed circuit. The shunt can also be placed across the leads of an electrically sensitive device and will stay in place. The shunt can also be easily removed without destroying electrical leads so that a part may be shunted to prevent electrostatic discharge during one phase of manufacture and the leads can be reused for electrical testing. In other words, the electrical contacts which were previously shunted during manufacture can now be reused at a different time in the manufacturing process or when performing field upgrades. The shunts will also lessen the occurrence of an electrical overstress event.


A ceramic precursor batch composition comprising inorganic ceramic-forming ingredients, a hydrophobically modified cellulose ether binder having a molecular weight less than or equal to about 300,000 g/mole and an aqueous solvent is provided. The ceramic precursor batch composition has a ratio of binder to aqueous solvent of less than about 0.32. The ceramic precursor batch composition may be used to increase the rate of extrusion of the composition. A method for increasing a rate of extrusion of a ceramic precursor batch composition is also disclosed.

Hydrophobically modified cellulose polymers such as methylcellulose (MC) and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) have been used as binders in automotive substrate and diesel filter ceramic precursor batch compositions. These polymers give the batch the necessary plasticity and green strength in the forming and drying stages to produce high quality honeycomb ware. However, polymers such as MC and HPMC can undergo phase separation and subsequent gelation at a characteristic temperature. At the right temperature the polymer loses the water that surrounds the pendant methoxy side groups. This loss of hydration exposes the methoxy groups and enables hydrophobic associations to occur between the methoxy substituents of neighboring chains. This leads to phase separation and ultimately the build up of a long range network gel. (Sarkar, N., J. Appl. Polym. Sci, 24, 1073-1087 (1979); Methocel Cellulose Ethers Technical Handbook, Dow Chemical Co.; Li, L et al., Langmuir, 18, 7291-7298 (2002)). When the binder undergoes this thermal phase transition within a ceramic precursor batch, the batch becomes stiffer and the extrusion pressure increases significantly which can produce severe defects in the extruded honeycomb structure.
The thermal transition behavior of polymers like MC and HPMC can limit the extrusion process of numerous ceramic product lines. For example, production will have to significantly increase the extrusion feedrate of new diesel compositions such as aluminum titanate (AT) and advanced cordierite (AC) in the next 1-2 years due to increased demand for diesel products. However, the batch temperature increases with feedrate due to increased shear heating in the extruder. Ultimately, throughput reaches a limit as the batch approaches the thermal transition temperature of the binder.

Ceramic precursor batch composition and method of increasing ceramic precursor batch extrusion rate


A lead-through terminal for connecting a conductor so as to conduct electricity includes: a terminal housing having a bearing portion that abuts a wall of an electrical installation when in an installed state, the bearing portion defining on the terminal housing a first housing portion on a first side and a second housing portion on a second side of the bearing portion, a wall feedthrough being provided on the bearing portion; and a pivotable actuation device being provided on the terminal housing to clamp the conductor in a contact position on a current bar and to release the conductor when in an open position. The actuation device is located on the first side to a greater extent when in the contact position than when in the open position, in which the actuation device extends through the wall feedthrough onto the second side at least in part.

The prior art discloses a wide variety of lead-through terminals that are suitable for use on switchgear cabinets or other electrical apparatuses. In the process, the lead-through terminal is mounted on a wall or a housing of an electrical installation in such a way that a part of the lead-through terminal can be accessed from inside while a conductor can be connected from the outside. Often, screw terminals or spring clamps are used for the contact connections inside and outside. The disadvantage of the known lead-through terminals is the relatively high amount of space required.

Lead-through terminal and electrical component


A suspension arm is formed of at least two arm bodies formed by an extrusion. The arm bodies are coupled such that their extruding directions intersect each other. The coupled assembly is integrally provided at one end thereof with a mounting portion for mounting to a wheel and at the other end of the coupled assembly with a mounting portion for mounting to the vehicle body. Thus, a required rigidity and strength can be efficiently provided to portions of the suspension arm to oppose various external forces applied to such portions, while enabling a reduction in weight of the suspension arm.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a suspension arm for suspension of a wheel on an automobile vehicle body.
2. Description of the Related Art
A so-called A-shaped suspension arm conventionally, comprises a main arm, including mounting portions integrally formed at opposite ends of an arm body and adapted to be mounted to a wheel and to a vehicle body, respectively, and a subsidiary arm including an arm connecting portion secured to the main arm and a mounting portion mounted to the vehicle body. The arm connecting portion and the mounting portion are integrally formed at opposite ends of an arm body of the subsidiary arm. A damper is mounted to the main arm. Such suspension arm functions to transmit a load from a wheel W to the damper D and the vehicle body B, while being subjected to a first bending force FB applied from the damper D in a direction intersecting a plane .alpha. including points of application of the forces (i.e., mounting portions J.sub.1, J.sub.2, J.sub.3, and Jd) and a second bending force F.alpha. applied from the wheel W in a longitudinal direction along the plane .alpha., as shown in FIG. 1. A forging or pressing technique has been conventionally used in independently forming the main arm and the subsidiary arm.
In this type of the suspension arm, various different external forces, having different directions of application, are applied to the arm portions. However, a suspension arm has not been proposed as yet, which has a structure such that a required rigidity and strength is efficiently provided to various portions of the arm to oppose such various external forces, while at the same time, achieving a reduction in weight of the arm itself.
For example, when an arm body, comprised of a rib framework including a plurality of ribs extending in a directions connecting the points of application of forces, is formed by forging, a metal mold is used which is opened and closed in a direction intersecting a plane passing opposite the outer main ribs R, R, of the arm body 1' at right angles in FIG. 10 (i.e., in a lateral direction as viewed in FIG. 10). In order to facilitate the release of a forged product from the mold, a given draft .theta. is established in that side of the product which extends in the opening and closing direction.
Thereupon, when the main arm Am having the damper mounting portion Jd, as shown in FIG. 1, is intended to be designed within a given dimension in a vertical direction, because a large force F.beta. due to a vertical load from the damper D, is applied to the arm body, as described above, it is necessary to increase the sectional coefficient of the arm body in order to oppose such force. Therefore, for example, sectional centers o' of the main ribs R, R, from a bending-neutral plane n in FIG. 10, are disposed outwardly to the utmost (i.e., at locations vertically spaced from each other). However, the draft .theta. is established in the side of each of the ribs R, R, as described, above, and it is difficult to form the rib, itself, while reducing its thickness t'. For this reason, it is impossible to space the sectional center o' of the main rib R sufficiently outwardly apart from the neutral plane n. This is an obstacle to the insurance of a sufficient rigidity and strength required for the arm body 1' to oppose the bending force F.beta. with limitations of a predetermined weight (sectional area) and dimension H. Even with regard to the subsidiary arm As, to which the bending force F.alpha. is mainly applied along the plane .alpha., the draft .theta. provided for forging is an obstacle, for the same reason, to the insurance of a sufficient rigidity and strength required for the subsidiary arm As, itself, or a coupled subsidiary arm/main arm assembly As, Am, to oppose the bending force F.alpha. with the limitations of the predetermined weight (sectional area) and dimension.
In addition, it is difficult to form, by forging, a configuration having largely different wall thickness at various portions. Hence, the entire rib thickness is determined in accordance with the thickness of a rib portion requiring a largest strength. Thus, a part of the rib portions are formed thicker than necessary. Therefore, it is difficult to provide a reduction in weight of each arm body.
Further, if a thin plate material, having a relatively large thickness, is produced by pressing and is used in order to provide a large sectional coefficient, a large wrinkle suppressing margin must be specially left. In addition, the material is present in the vicinity of the neutral plane of the arm body and hence, the arm body is not of a reasonable section. Thus, a separate step, such as punching, is required for a reduction in weight, and the working efficiency is inferior.


A plastic bag sealing device includes a work table, a sealing device having a silicon rubber roller, a material intake press roller and a material outlet press roller fixed beside the silicon rubber roller to press thereon, plural rotating shafts fixed outside around the silicon rubber roller and respectively mounted with a sealing blade, plural guide rollers employed to conduct plastic bags, a dot-cutting device, an opening-cutting device, and a press roller fixed beside the dot-cutting device and the opening-cutting device. With the sealing blades to carry out multiple sealing at the same location, a plastic bag can be quickly and firmly sealed, and with the dot-cutting device and the opening-cutting device installed on the work table to respectively execute dot-cutting and opening-cutting, the work table can be comparatively downsized, thus greatly elevating economic gain.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a plastic bag sealing device, particularly to one able to carry out multiple sealing at the same sealing location of a plastic bag to achieve a quick and firm sealing work, installed together with a dot-cutting device to cut a dotted line near the sealing location of the plastic bag and with an opening-cutting device to cut an opening for the plastic bag to comparatively downsize a work table of the sealing device, greatly elevating economic gain.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A conventional plastic bag-sealing machine, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, includes a worktable 10 provided thereon with a material intake press roller 11. A guide roller 12 is positioned beside the material intake press roller 11, a silicon rubber roller 13 is provided near the guide roller 12, and a material outlet guide roller 14 is disposed beside the silica gel roller 13. A sealing device 15 is positioned opposite to the silicon rubber roller 13 and provided with a rotating shaft 16 having a sealing blade 17 fixed thereon. Plastic bags 19 are wound to pass around the material intake press roller 11, the guide roller 12, the silicon rubber roller 13 and the material outlet guide roller 14 orderly to be conveyed forward, and the sealing blade 17 is rotated together with the rotating shaft 16. When the sealing blade 17 is rotated for one round and contacts with the silicon rubber roller 13, as shown in FIG. 2, it will perform sealing at the sealing portion 18 of a plastic bag 19. When the sealing blade 17 is rotated together with the rotating shaft 16 for a circle, the plastic bags 19 will be conveyed by the material outlet guide roller 14 for a distance that is exactly equivalent to the length of a plastic bag 19, and when rotated for a second round and contacting with the silicon rubber roller 13 again, the sealing blade 17 will carry out sealing for another plastic bag 19. Such incessantly circulating movement enables the sealing machine 1 to perform sealing automatically. However, in order to tightly seal a plastic bag 19, the conventional plastic bag sealing machine 1 has to reduce the conveying speed of the plastic bags 19 and the rotating speed of the sealing blade 17 to enable the sealing blade 17 to stay longer at the sealing portion 18 of a plastic bag 19 for insuring firmness of the sealed line of the plastic bag 19, thus reducing sealing speed and producing speed of plastic bags. In addition, due to being sealed only one time by the sealing blade 17, the sealed location of a plastic bag is insufficient in strength, likely to cause disqualified products; therefore, the conventional plastic bag-sealing machine 1 is only applicable to comparatively thin plastic bags 19. Moreover, the conventional plastic bag-sealing machine 1 has all its components transversely disposed in a line on the worktable 10, taking too much space.


A sound recording apparatus for equalizing a sound signal before the sound signal is recorded onto a recording medium includes an amplifier to which the sound signal is inputted and a simulated inductor circuit connected to the amplifier. The simulated inductor circuit includes a buffer whose input side is coupled to a predetermined bias, a plurality of capacitors for connecting the output side of the buffer to the amplifier, and a switch for changing an equalizing characteristic by changing over a capacitor among the plurality of capacitors.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sound recording apparatus, and more particularly, to a recording apparatus for recording a standard sound signal for use in a video cassette recorder (VCR).
2. Description of the Prior Art
In video cassette recorders, a standard sound signal to be recorded onto a sound track is equalized before recorded. The equalizing is performed according to a recording speed mode such as EP (extended play) and SP (standard play) modes.
FIG. 1 shows a conventional circuit where equalizing is performed according to the EP or SP mode as described above. Numeral 1 is an operational amplifier. A sound signal is supplied to a plus input terminal thereof. To a minus input terminal thereof to which a negative feedback is applied through resistors R3 and R4, a first series circuit 2 is connected including an inductance coil L which is a discrete part, a capacitor C11 and a resistor R11 which circuit 2 is arranged between the minus input terminal and ground. To the minus input terminal, a second series circuit 3 is also connected including a capacitor C12, a resistor R12 and a switch 4 which circuit 3 is arranged between ground and a connection midpoint (a) located between the induction coil L and the capacitor C11. In the SP mode, the switch 4 is OFF. As a result, the capacitor C12 and the resistor R12 of the second series circuit 3 do not operate, and only the first series circuit 2 operates. Under this condition, the resonant frequency is, as shown by SP in FIG. 2, a comparatively high frequency f1 in middle and high bands. A gain of the amplifier 1 is boosted with the frequency f1 as the center.
In the EP mode, the switch 4 is ON. As a result, the second series circuit 3 operates in addition to the first series circuit 2. Under this condition, the resonant frequency is a low frequency f2 in the middle and high bands. A gain of the amplifier 1 is boosted with the frequency f2 as the center.
A sound signal is equalized in the above-described manner so that a predetermined band thereof is boosted in each recording speed mode. Thereafter, it is directed to a succeeding circuit (not shown), and is finally recorded onto a sound track of magnetic tape through a magnetic head.
In FIG. 2, the gain is not boosted in a band higher than the middle and high bands. This is because no sound signals are present in such a band of a standard sound signal for a video cassette recorder.
In the conventional circuit, since the discrete inductance coil L is used on the negative feedback side of the amplifier 1, the possibility is strong that noise is produced due to electromagnetic induction caused between the inductance coil L and a surrounding apparatus such as a television receiver.
Furthermore, since the cost of the discrete inductance coil is comparatively high compared to those of a capacitor and a resistor, the cost of the entire circuit increases. In addition, an additional work in manufacturing the VCR is required to connect the induction coil.


A screen enclosure device comprising a first frame member having an interior face and a second frame member having an interior face wherein the first and second frame members are configured to join at their interior faces to form a single frame structure. Serrated contacting structure including a plurality of rows of teeth extends substantially along and is interposed in contacting relationship between the substantial full perimeter of the opposing faces of these first and second frame members. Screen material is drawn tightly across the opening of the frame and is retained in this tight configuration by forces supplied by the serrated contacting structure in its sandwiched configuration between the opposing faces of the first and second frame members.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to screen inserts for doors and windows and more particularly to rigid screen inserts which sandwich the screen material between opposing frame members.
2. Prior Art
The use of screen material in doors and windows has been popular for decades for providing air flow into a room while preventing entry of insects and wind born debris. In window applications, screen material may be easily mounted on a frame which is positioned in a window opening and usually does not require special mounting structure to maintain its proper placement.
Screen inserts which are positioned in doors, however, are subject to more stringent conditions. For example, it is not uncommon for persons exiting a room to push on the screen insert for the purpose of opening the door as they exit. Most screen inserts are not adapted with structure to prevent the force applied to the screen material from displacing the screen from its point of attachment. Where young children are involved, the applied force to the screen material may be quite severe and may quickly lead to full detachment of the screen material.
The most common means for mounting screen material into an opening of a screen insert frame involves a peripheral channel formed in the frame which is sized to receive a smaller diameter rubber insert which captures the screen material within the channel when the insert is pressed therein. This offered the advantage of enabling simple repair following displacement by merely restretching the screen across the opening of the insert and repositioning the components to their original configuration.
Numerous improvements have been attempted to make screen attachments more permanent and stable. U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,212,676; 3,086,628 and 3,696,857 disclose a series of improvements which involve capturing the screen at a single gripping edge. In these instances, the screen material is stretched to a taught configuration and the gripping edge is applied against the frame, with the screen sandwiched therebetween. The disadvantages of this method of attachment include tearing of the screen material under nominal force and loss of tension in the screen stretched across the insert opening. This arises in part because of the localized stress which is totally focused along the gripping edge.
A second method for securing the screen material within the insert opening is represented by U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,436,277; 3,220,469; and 4,084,360. These three patents are representative of techniques which involve sandwiching the screen material between opposing plates which are compressed to grip the screen material therebetween. Essentially, opposing flat surfaces frictionally grip the screen material as they are forced toward each other. Several of these patents suggest the utility of having an arcuate configuration in which an insert portion extends into the arcuate cavity such that linear force applied along the screen material is resisted primarily at the juncture of a plane containing the screen material and a deviation of this screen as it wraps through the arcuate cavity, held by the inserted structure which is compressed against the screen. This prior art shows a number of variations of quick release, clip-on structure which facilitates removal of the opposing frame members such that the sandwiched screen can be repositioned in a taut configuration, with the opposing frame members being reconnected to grip the screen securely.
Although these various improvements have enhanced the ability of the screen material to resist strong forces applied, even these configurations will release or permit the screen to loosen when subjected to sever forces. In fact, if steel screen material is applied, its ability to survive extreme impacts results in the peripheral edges of the screen being pulled free from the support structure. What is needed is a different support system which has sufficient strength to resist release of the screen material from its sandwiched position, even with sever blows.


The present application is a detection system for locating and characterizing an object placed in a detection area in a three dimensional space. The detection system includes a plurality of magnetic field generators and magnetic field detectors arranged on opposite sides of the detection area and a control system for enabling generation of a magnetic field in the detection area by the magnetic field generators and for measuring of the magnetic field modified by the object at each of the magnetic field detectors. The detection system also includes a processor for processing the measured magnetic field to obtain a data set characterizing the object and a location of the object. The processor applies a reconstruction process on a predefined number of measurements of the modified magnetic field.

Walk-through metal detectors (WTMDs) comprising an array of transmitter coils and an array of detector coils are well known and widely used for screening of personnel at secure locations such as airports, prisons, government buildings and the like. WTMDs typically operate using coupling between pairs of coils, providing a multi-zone system with a coil pair for each zone, each pair operating as an independent metal detector. In conventional systems, the transmitter coils are typically located in one panel whereas the receiver coils are located in an opposite panel, wherein the two panels comprise a walk-through portal or "hallway".
While such systems are capable of detecting the presence of metal objects, they are limited in their ability to discriminate between different types of metal objects or accurately locate metal objects on the subject. Although there have been attempts to produce imaging metal detectors and even tomographic metal detectors that can address these concerns, these systems are limited due to the poor quality of the images that they produce. In general, such imaging systems do not produce images with sufficient quality to reliably discern the shape of the object. In addition, these conventional metal detection systems may not produce good results because they attempt to represent the metal object with a two-dimensional response. It should be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that a metal object has an inherent three dimensional response that is not taken account by employing a simple two-dimensional approach.
The limitations of currently available metal detectors are well known, such as the low sensitivity to low conductivity, non-magnetic metals, e.g. titanium, and false positives caused by innocuous objects, which, in turn, result in longer queues at checkpoints and borders. In recent times, X-ray backscatter imaging techniques and systems and some millimeter-wave scanning methods and systems are becoming more widely deployed. However, these are high performance, high cost systems which are only suited to specific screening applications and there are issues, such as negative public perceptions regarding radiation exposure and/or an invasion of privacy, relating to their use.
Therefore, what is needed is a metal detection system that is capable of characterizing and locating the position of hidden objects by combining spectroscopic, tomographic and ultra-wide band techniques.
There is also a need for a new generation of electromagnetic screening equipment for detecting metallic objects which addresses the limitations of prior art, and also has minimal impact on the environment.


Sub-aquatic sediment is covered with capping material by a capping system comprising a template barge and a spreader barge. While the spreader barge is distributing capping material, the template barge guides the spreader barge as it systematically moves over a pre-defined sediment capping region. The spreader barge comprises a spreader pool in which a broadcast spreader accurately and evenly distributes capping material within the pool, which then sinks to the sediment. The capping material is distributed with minimal disturbance to the sediment.

Sub-aquatic contaminated sediments often represent a harmful and long term source of pollutants to the environment. A variety of approaches, such as dredging, have been used for the treatment of contaminated sediments, but they are expensive and can have limited value. Due to the increased volume of contaminated sediment cleanup projects both in the U.S. and abroad, sediment capping has become an option. In many areas the removal of material from a water body is not cost effective. In-situ capping of contaminated sediment is an efficient alternative that can have an immediate beneficial impact on the environment, as the contaminated sediment is isolated from aquatic organisms. Furthermore, capping contaminated sediments generally creates an anaerobic environment which permits natural degradation processes, which provide an opportunity for destruction and detoxification of harmful contaminants. Sediment capping has been used to contain harmful contaminants, including pesticides, metals, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs), and polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).
The capping of contaminated sediments is designed to prevent the upward migration of residual contaminants and/or to provide a clean subsurface bed of sediment that can be colonized by uncontaminated organisms. Capping alone could be used as a strategy to eliminate the need for dredging or could be used in conjunction with dredging to cover dredged locations with a clean layer of material where target clean-up goals cannot be achieved.
Previous methods of capping contaminated sediments have often involved mechanical equipment using buckets or direct slurry discharge into a water body. The mechanical bucket method often requires dumping large volumes of capping material into the water using a variety of buckets, including a clamshell bucket or dragline bucket. After releasing a bucket load it falls through a water column often as a distinct mass, which usually comes to rest on top of the contaminated material. This method has had some success in deep water producing caps with designed thickness over 12″. The water depth allows the capping material to disperse somewhat reducing velocity and concentration as it travels downward through the water. The thick cap design then accommodates the placement inaccuracies inherent in mechanical bucket placement.
The mechanical bucket method poses problems for relatively shallow water depth capping. When the mechanical bucket method is used to install thin layer caps (3″ to 12″), especially in shallow water (less than 10′), the results are often problematic. The capping material travels a relatively short distance through the water, thus causing its weight and velocity to displace the soft contaminated sediments. Displacement of the contaminated sediment is adverse to the purpose and goals of sediment capping. Furthermore, bucket placement of capping material leaves uneven mounds, which must then be raked in order to produce the proper thickness. This raking action often disturbs the underlying sediments, thereby causing sediment mixing and re-suspending of both the capping material and the contaminated sediments. The raking step can result in low production rates and capping material waste, and therefore higher production costs. In addition, bucket placement requires deep vessel draft requirements and cannot be employed in relatively shallow operations.
An alternative known capping method involves the open water slurry discharge method. Due to the large volume of water needed to transport the sand or gravel material this method also tends to displace the soft underlying material needing to be capped. Another problem with this method is that it requires sand or gravel slurry to be directly placed in water which raises turbidity levels. It would be advantageous for a sediment capping process to provide delivery of granular material from shallow draft vessels at relatively high rates of production with minimal disturbance of the sub-aquatic sediment.

Method and system for broadcast sediment capping


Synthesis of thianthrene moiety containing silane and germane monomers and their polymerization is presented. The polymers show high refractive index, high transparency and excellent thermal stability. They are useful as dielectric films for semiconductor industry and for optical applications, including high-RI materials in CMOS image sensors.

There is a need for high refractive index materials in the electronics industry. Such materials are widely used in flat panel displays, CCD and CMOS image sensors, for example in light pipe structures, microlenses, and as color filter overcoats, where use of high-RI materials results in improved angular response and increased overall quantum yield. In general, these materials need to have an index of refraction (RI) above 1.6, and they need to be sufficiently transparent in the visible wavelength range (400 to 800 nm). They also need to have proper gap-filling and planarizing properties, as well as good thermal stability. To withstand common processing steps, they should be curable to yield solvent resistant films, which have good adhesion on surrounding materials. They should also be suitable for chemical mechanical polishing (CMP).
Conventionally, aromatic polymers containing phenyl groups and higher aromatic ring systems such as naphthalene, phenanthrene, and anthacene moieties have been used for these applications. They have relatively high refractive indexes, said indexes amounting to values between 1.50 and 1.65. As a rule of thumb, the larger the ring system, the higher is the RI of the material. However, ring systems having more than three fused aromatic rings have a problem: they will begin to absorb blue light. As the blue channel is commonly the least sensitive of the three photosites in the RGB (red-green-blue) matrix, the materials cannot be used as high refractive optical materials without further compromising the blue light performance of CMOS image sensor.
There exist some high refractive index sulfur-containing polymers, such as thioethers and thiocarbonates (reference 1). However, aliphatic sulfur-containing polymers have relatively poor thermal stability. On the other hand, high refractive index polyimides, like polyimides in general, need curing temperatures above 300° C., typically 350° C., which is sometimes too much for CMOS devices. Polyimides also tend to have yellow cast, limiting further their use in optical applications.
For the above reasons, there is continued need for high refractive index transparent materials that can be cured at or below 250° C. but which are nevertheless thermally stable up to 450° C.

Organometallic monomers and high refractive index polymers derived therefrom