The present invention relates to expression control sequences of a vertebrate liver fatty acid binding protein (L-FABP) gene that, when operably linked to a reporter (e.g., a heterologous reporter, such as the green fluorescent protein (GFP)), directly express the reporter in a fashion that mimics the liver-specific development of the L-FABP gene in the vertebrate.

The liver fatty acid binding protein (L-FABP) of zebrafish is a 14-kD cytoplasmic protein that binds long-chain fatty acids (LCFAs) with high affinity. The putative functions assigned to L-FABP include the desorption of LCFAs from the plasma membrane to the cytoplasm, the promotion of intracellular fatty acid (FA) diffusion, the targeting of FAs to different metabolic pathways, and protection against the cytotoxic effects of free FA. Three FABP types have been found in zebrafish organs/tissues: intestinal-type FABP (I-FABP), brain-type FABP (B-FABP), and liver-type FABP (L-FABP). The zebrafish FABPs were originally named according to their site of initial isolation. The zebrafish I-FABP is uniformly expressed throughout the intestine. The zebrafish B-FABP mRNA is expressed in the periventricular gray zone of the optic tectum of the adult zebrafish brain. The L-FABP is expressed exclusively in the liver of the adult zebrafish.
FABPs are found in other vertebrates as well, for example, in mice, rats and humans. Three homologous genes encode FABPs in mice: mouse liver fatty acid-binding protein (L-FABP, or Fabpl), intestinal fatty acid-binding protein (I-FABP, or Fabpi), and ileal lipid binding protein (Ilbp). Mouse, rat, and human L-FABP are transcribed in the liver (hepatocytes) and intestines (postmitotic, differentiating members of the enterocytic lineage), in contrast to zebrafish, in which L-FABP is expressed solely in the liver. The study of mouse and rat L-FABP has been used as a model for understanding the mechanisms that determine distinct regional expression along the gut tube, as well as within the liver. As in zebrafish, L-FABP is thought to play a pivotal role in other vertebrates in the intracellular binding and trafficking of fatty acids in the liver. The importance of L-FABP in vertebrate physiology is underscored by the fact that L-FABP mRNA constitutes 1.6% of translatable RNA of adult male rat livers and accounts for 3 to 5% of the cytosolic protein mass in rat hepatocytes.
Zebrafish have been used extensively to study vertebrate embryonic development, yielding insights into the formation and function of individual tissues, organ systems and neural networks. Transgenic zebrafish, which express transgenes under the control of either zebrafish or heterologous expression control sequences, have been particularly useful in this regard. Zebrafish comprising transgenes, mutant genes, or genes whose expression is altered in some other fashion, can also serve as model systems for diseases in other vertebrates, including humans, and can provide insight into disease mechanisms. Review articles summarizing the use of zebrafish as disease models include Shin et al. (2002), Ann Rev Genomics Hum Genet 3, 311-40; Grunwald et al. (2002), Nature Reviews/Genetics 3, 717-724; Briggs et al. (2002), Am J Physiol Regulatory Comp Physiol 282, R3-R9; Zon (1999), Genome Research 9, 99-100; and Amatruda et al. (2002), Cancer Cell 1, 229-231, which are herein incorporated by reference.
In view of similarities in liver function and development between zebrafish and other vertebrates, it is expected that mutant zebrafish, including transgenic zebrafish, could serve as models for pathological studies of the liver in other vertebrates, including humans. At approximately 32 hpf, the zebrafish liver derives from the primitive gut tube as a morphologically distinct left ventrolateral diverticulum. Like its mammalian counterpart, the zebrafish liver produces bile, which is evident by 3 dpf under the dissecting microscope. Several zebrafish mutations with early liver degeneration have been isolated. For example, the lumpazi, gammler, and tramp mutations encode defects at three loci that lead to liver necrosis. The beefeater mutation shows liver necrosis and impaired glycogen utilization, as seen in the human glycogen storage diseases. Many different types of hepatic injury—e.g., alcohol, infection, and toxins—cause a similar pattern of histological degeneration and ultimately lead to cirrhosis. The pathways leading to massive liver failure are presently poorly understood. The only remedy currently available at such late stages in humans is transplantation of the liver.
Studies with zebrafish, particularly transgenic zebrafish, in which reporter genes are driven by liver-specific expression control sequences, would be useful for, e.g., the study of pathways involved in liver morphogenesis, for the study of disease conditions involving liver pathology, and as the basis for assays for modulatory agents, such as drug candidates or environmental mutagens.

Transgenic fish germline expression driven by liver fatty acid binding (L-FABP) gene promoter and applications thereof


A bulk container for fluid materials comprises a bin having a plurality of interconnected sidewall panels, a closed bottom, and an open top. A rim around the top of the bin defines a downwardly facing shoulder. A lid covers the open top and has elongated depending skirt panels extending downwardly past the shoulder. A clamping band is tightened around the lid skirt below the shoulder to secure the lid to the bin. Notches in an outer surface of the rim receive bendable locking strips on the lid skirt to lock the lid in position on the bin, and locking tongues on a first skirt panel are engageable in respective locking slots in an adjacent second skirt panel to hold the skirt panels in their operative downwardly folded positions. A tray and liner insert may be positioned in the bin, and a fluid-containing bag may be placed in the liner.

Containers of relatively large size are commonly used for the bulk transportation and storage of materials such as, e.g., solvents, lubricants, inks, dyes, abrasives, adhesives, resin, insecticides, dry chemicals, powdered detergents, grains, frozen concentrate, meat, spices, sauces, and the like. These bulk containers must be capable of withstanding the weight of the contents as well as the rough handling to which they may be subjected. Further, they should be capable of being stacked on top of one another and should remain securely closed in the event they are tipped over or dropped.
A bulk container commonly in use comprises a cylindrical drum made of solid fiber, plastic or metal. These drums typically are provided in sizes from 35 to 55 gallons and have metal rings or bands at their top and bottom ends, with a lid or cover removably secured in place by a clamping band. The drums can be picked up and transported by mechanized equipment, including engaging the tines of a forklift under the rim provided by the band at the top of the drum. They also may be manually moved around on a supporting surface by tilting the drum and rolling the bottom edge of it along the supporting surface.
Depending upon the product stored in them, when full these cylindrical drums can weigh upwards of 500 pounds. Accordingly, manual handling of them can be difficult, especially when they are tilted and rolled along a supporting surface, since the metal band at the top does not provide much surface to grip and control the drum. Moreover, the circular configuration at the bottom end enables momentum or inertia to be built up when the drum is being rolled, making it difficult to control.
Further, due to their construction, cylindrical drums must be fully assembled and shipped to a user in their normal usable configuration. This requires substantial storage and shipping space for empty drums, adding to freight and warehousing costs. In addition, these types of drums are not easily recyclable.
To address these concerns with prior art containers, applicant developed a multi-sided bulk shipping container for liquids and semi-liquid fluids in drum form made of corrugated fiberboard and that generally looks, handles, stores, ships, and can be received like the fiber, plastic or steel cylindrical drums conventionally used. These containers are described in Applicant's prior copending patent application Ser. Nos. 12/471,904, filed May 26, 2009 and 12/471,949, filed May 26, 2009, the disclosures of which are incorporated in full herein by reference. The containers described in those applications comprise multi-sided bins having an integral rim at their upper end, and a lid that is placed over the open upper end to close it. Locking means on the bin and lid interlock to secure the lid to the bin. The locking means includes inwardly bendable locking strips on the lid skirt that engage in notches in the rim, and a locking band placed around the lid skirt to press the bendable locking strips into the notches and clamp the lid to the rim. The containers may be palletized for handling and storage, and have superior stacking strength, with a top to bottom compression of 6,000 pounds, and may be stacked three high with a safety factor of 5:1. They are easily and fully recyclable and when empty the containers may be shipped and stored in a knocked-down or flattened condition, although they can be shipped in fully assembled condition, if desired. The containers may be lifted and carried by engaging the tines of a forklift under the rim at the top of the bin, and they may be manually moved by tilting and rolling them on their bottom edge. The rim at the top of the container provides a more secure surface for engagement with the tines of a forklift, and better gripping and control when the containers are being manually moved by tilting and rolling them on their bottom edge. Further, the plurality of short straight sides or surfaces provided by the multi-sided construction retards the build-up of momentum or inertia when the containers are tilted and rolled on their bottom edge, thereby enhancing control over the containers when they are being moved manually.
Although the containers described in applicant's above-noted prior co-pending patent applications meet or exceed the requirements for normal use, they may not meet the UN/DOT regulations for use in hazardous waste disposal. In order to be fully certified under UN/DOT regulations for use in hazardous waste disposal, the drum needs to pass a series of 48″ drops while containing 500 lbs of material. Under these extreme conditions the lid in conventional containers could become dislodged from the bin.
Accordingly, there is a need for an affordable, recyclable, functional bulk container for liquids and semi-liquid fluids that has the advantages of a cylindrical drum but that is free of the disadvantages, and that has a lid that resists dislodgement when the container is tipped over or dropped. In particular, it would be desirable to have a container as above that meets or exceeds the UN/DOT regulations for use in hazardous waste disposal.

Bulk container for liquid and semi-liquid fluid


A phase shift device includes an input quadrature junction for receiving an input EM signal and extracting a first electromagnetic (EM) signal, a second EM signal, a third EM signal, and a fourth EM signal from the input EM signal. Four waveguide arms are operatively connected to the input quadrature junction for respectively conveying the first, second, third, and fourth EM signals therethrough. At least two of the waveguide arms shift the phase of EM signal conveyed therethrough such that two of the first, second, third, and fourth EM signals are phase shifted with respect to the other two of the first, second, third, and fourth EM signals. An output quadrature junction is operatively connected to the waveguide arms for combining the first, second, third, and fourth EM signals. Thus, polarization adjustment may be achieved through rotation of the phase shift device.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to phase shift devices and methods for use with antennas for transmitting and/or receiving electromagnetic (EM) signals.
2. Description of the Related Art
In satellite communication systems, it is often necessary to adjust the angle of polarization of an EM signal that is transmitted or received. Typically, such an adjustment is achieved by physically rotating an antenna or an entire antenna feed assembly. Such an arrangement is bulky and often cost prohibitive.
As such, there remains an opportunity to adjust the angle of polarization of an EM signal without using large or bulky rotation components.


A scheme for propagating, between views of a network, status information for elements of the network in a way that mirrors how the network is maintained. The propagation scheme divides the elements of the network into either connections or equipment, groups the elements in each of these two partitions into increasingly higher-level views and propagates status of fundamental and compound objects between the different views to help locate the source of any malfunction of the network. This status propagation scheme is particularly suited for monitoring a wide-area network, where there are more connections and more complex equipment than in a typical local area network, these connections are usually more geographically disbursed, and most importantly these connections are maintained by different people than those who maintain the other equipment of the network. By providing both a multi-level equipment hierarchy and a multi-level connection hierarchy, and providing both upward and sometimes downward propagation of status information between different views of the network, the present invention makes possible more rapid diagnostic of both connection and other equipment malfunction.

1. Technical Field
The present invention pertains to the field of network fault management tools. More particularly, the present invention concerns reporting to a user the status of components of a wide area network.
2. Prior Art
A propagation scheme is a method used by a network to indicate to a user information about the status of elements of the network, enabling the user to locate the source of a network malfunction. A propagation scheme developed by Hewlett Packard is accomplished by the Hewlett Packard Open View (HPOV) process called the Network Node Manager, version 3.31, which runs in the HPOV environment. The propagation scheme carried out by this HPOV process, called here the standard HPOV propagation scheme, is intended for use in a transmission control program/internet protocol (TCP/IP) network. Any HPOV propagation scheme, i.e. any propagation scheme running under HPOV, assumes that elements of the network exchange status information according to a simple network management protocol (SNMP).
HPOV is a configuration, performance, and fault management application for multivendor TCP/IP networks; it performs many functions. For example, it automatically discovers what devices are on the network and monitors their status. It automatically draws network maps and submaps based on the discovered devices, and places the discovered devices in one or another submap, based on topology. A network submap represents the physical topology of the network at the level of network segments (subnetworks) and gateways (routers), repeaters, multiport repeaters (hubs), and bridges that are attached to those segments.
The standard HPOV propagation scheme works well for Local Area Networks (LANs), but does not work very well for wide area networks. Its upward propagation scheme can incorrectly report interface level status at the equipment level (i.e. a problem at the physical line level is reflected in the status of the node). In addition, the standard HPOV propagation scheme does not downward propagate. Without downward propagation, an operator cannot determine that a sub-component is out-of-service purely because a component at an upper level has malfunctioned.
What is needed is a propagation scheme more suitable for a wide area network, i.e., a kind of network that generally has more complex equipment and connection hierarchies and is more geographically dispersed than a LAN, and in which connections are maintained separately from the other equipment. In particular, what is needed is an HPOV propagation scheme that does not report status problems at higher levels than is accurate.

Method for propagating between views of connection object status in network

Alcatel Alsthom Compagnie Generale d'Electricite


A method and device that can vary the dose of a gaseous drug provided to a patient based on a comparison of the normal resting breath rate for each individual patient and the current breath rate of the patient so that the patient does not become desaturated.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to a method of delivering doses of a gaseous drug through an ambulatory device to treat a patient with lung disease. The invention more particularly relates to an ambulatory device that provides a specific dose of a gaseous drug to a patient on each breath and can vary that dose to adjust to the patient's needs, as well as deliver it at various flow rates to maximize comfort and decrease noise.
2. Description of Related Art
The treatment of patients with lung disease often involves the use of ambulatory oxygen dosing systems.
Oxygen dosing systems are currently commonly referred to as conserving devices because they only allow oxygen to be provided at fixed flows during a specific portion of the inhalation cycle. Conservers typically get oxygen from high pressure tanks that are delivered to the patient by an oxygen dealer. The design of these units is to conserve oxygen so that oxygen is not provided when the patient cannot use it and therefore it is not wasted. These types of devices were focused on using less oxygen so that deliveries of the tanks to the patient were less frequent and thereby saving costs. However, while these conservers are often effective at using less oxygen, they do not dose the patient properly. Clinical information on these types of devices can be found in, "A Guide to Understanding Oxygen Conserving Devices 2003" by Valley Inspired Products which is herein incorporated by reference.
Research on oxygen conserving devices dosing can be found in the following documents which are herein incorporated by reference: (a) Trina M. Limberg, Roberta S. Colvin, Maria Correa, Rosanna Costello, Cindy G. Morgan, and Andrew L. Reis, "Changes in Supplemental Oxygen Prescription in Pulmonary Rehabilitation"; (b) A. Somfay, J. Porszasz, S. M. Lee, and R. Casaburi, "Dose-Response Effect of Oxygen on Hyperinflation and Exercise Endurance in Nonhypoxaemic COPD Patients", European Respiratory Journal, July 2001, volume 18 at 77-84; (c) Luis Puente-Maestu, Julia Garcia de Pedro, Yolanda Marinez-Abad, Jose Maria Ruiz de Ona, Daniel Llorente, and Jose Manuel Cubillo, "Dyspnea, Ventilatory Pattern and Changes in Dynamic Hyperinflation Related to the Intensity of Constant Work Rate Exercise in COPD", Chest, August 2005, volume 128 at 651-656; (d) O. Diaz, C. Villafranca, H. Ghezzo, G. Borzone, A. Leiva, J. Milic-Emili, and C. Lisboa, "Breathing Pattern and Gas Exchange at Peak Exercise in COPD Patients With and Without Tidal Flow Limitation at Rest", European Respiratory Journal, June 2001, volume 17 at 1120-1127; and (e) Peters, MM, Webb, K A, and O'donnell, De, "Combined Physiological Effects of Bronchodilators and Hyperoxia on Exertional Dyspnea in Normoxic COPD", Thorax, July 2006, volume 61 at 559-567.
The fixed flow conserver devices can be categorized into either constant minute volume or constant volume conservers.
Constant volume devices really are fixed flow/variable time. On a device that has patient settings of 1-6, which can correspond to a patient's LPM prescription, each setting would provide a fixed volume per breath delivered. An example of this type of device can be seen in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,005,570 and 5,370,112 to Perkins. These types of devices in commercial application typically have different settings to provide different volumes of oxygen. These devices typically provide for 16 cc of volume for each setting, so that a patient who is on a 2 setting would receive 32 cc of oxygen at each inhalation cycle. The flow is fixed by an orifice against a known pressure and the device calculates the valve on-time to deliver a desired volume. This flow and valve on-time is the same for a patient who is breathing at 12 breaths per minute ("BPM") as it is for a patient who is breathing at 35 BPM. The device is designed to handle the highest expected breath rate and therefore, delivers a higher than necessary flow in a shorter than necessary window for patients breathing at a more relaxed rate.
Constant minute volume devices simply act as on/off valves at a fixed flow and do not predetermine a dose, but rather are demand valves. They turn on during inhalation, and turn off during exhalation. These devices simply supply the patients' prescription flow. Since the I:E ratio is thought to remain constant, 1:2 for example, it is thought that the valve will be on for a fixed percentage of the time in the course of a minute, and therefore are called constant minute devices. Constant minute volumes also often insert an accumulator chamber that is replenished during valve off times. Assuming that the device fills this accumulator at a fixed rate (often 0.7-1 SLPM), then the patient depletes this on every breath. The patient can never get more than the limit of 1 SLPM of oxygen and if they breathe too fast, the accumulator can not be filled due to recovery time.
The above non-feedback devices do not adjust for a larger dose per breath as the patient ambulates, and in many cases, the patients will desaturate, i.e. have low oxygen levels in bloodstream.
Also, because the non-adjusting units give fixed doses at fixed flows, they do not adjust the flow down to minimize the flow required for that breath dose of oxygen. Fixed volume units give a specific, repeated dose by opening the valve for a fixed time, regardless of the inhalation time. Because the flow is not minimized there is noise created through the nasal canula, creating an unpleasant experience for the oxygen patient because the flow can startle the patient and cause nasal dryness.
The above prior art devices also are inefficient because oxygen is wasted. Oxygen from the above devices can be delivered during the second half of inhalation. Oxygen delivered during the second half of inhalation fills the upper airway where no gas exchange takes place and has no therapeutic value. Additionally the above devices do not deliver doses that fit the patient's need when their breath rate rises.
Further, some clinical personnel have migrated to using two prescriptions for a patient; one for rest and another, higher setting for the patient to use during ambulation. This points out the need for additional oxygen during exercise, but also puts the burden on the patient to remember to turn up their conserver when they get up and start walking, and then to remember to turn it back down when they sit down. Many of these patients are in their later years and can often forget to turn the device up or down, resulting in desaturation, or oxygen being wasted respectively.
Other than the above devices there are devices that use pulse oximetry as a feedback method and then adjusts to provide a target oxygen saturation. Examples of such devices can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,532,958 to Buan et al.; U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 20060225737 to Iobbi; U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 20060213519 to Schmidt; U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 20060011199 to Abdul-Aziz; U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 20060005842 to Abdul-Aziz; U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 20040159323 to Schmidt; and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 20030145852 to Schmidt.
However, oximetry is a very cumbersome means of feedback. A separate oximetry sensor must be attached to the patient usually on the patient's finger. Additionally, oximetry is not very accurate on a patient who is ambulatory.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,880,556 tries to address the deficiencies with the prior art conservers. To do this U.S. Pat. No. 6,880,556 uses a predetermined normal breath rate. This breath rate is used for all patients. A person of ordinary skill in the art would believe that there is a universal breath rate that could be used, such as 20 bpm, that is the normal resting breath rate for all people and that this could be used to effectively dose all patients. U.S. Pat. No. 6,880,556 uses an on/off valve to deliver a volume of oxygen. All of the oxygen is delivered at the same flow rate.
Historically, everybody skilled in the art and in the industry assume that the normal resting breath rate is 20 breaths per minute. One of ordinary skill in the art would expect to be able to use 20 breaths per minute; and that at 20 breaths per minute, all patients would be kept saturated.
However, through extensive research and clinical work we have figured out that there is not a normal resting breath rate that applies to all people. We have discovered that normal resting breath rate is not the same for every patient. There is a normal resting breath rate for each and every patient that is particular to that patient and the normal resting breath rate for each individual patient varies over time. It can even vary through the day. The normal resting breath rate for a person can vary from hour to hour.

Method and apparatus for delivering a dose of a gaseous drug to a patient


An engine oil composition that has lower viscosity then the lowest viscosity grade specified by the current standard (SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) viscosity classification) and achieves excellent abrasion resistance under conditions of high temperature and high shear rate without an increase in the amount of anti-abrasion agent, said engine oil composition characterized by the following facts: the engine oil composition contains 0.02-0.12 mass % of zinc dithiophosphate, measured in the phosphorous amount based on the total weight of the composition, in a base oil compromised of a mineral oil and/or a synthetic oil;                (1) the high-temperature high-shear viscosity at 150° C. and at a shear rate of 1×106 s−1 is less than 2.6 mPa·s;        (2) the engine oil composition satisfies the following equation:

Engine oil is the general lubricating oil used for internal-combustion engines. In addition to lubricating the piston rings/cylinder liners, crankshaft bearings, dynamic valve mechanism, and other sliding parts in an engine, engine oil has many other functions, such as cooling the engine and cleaning, dispersing, and neutralizing the combustion products entering the crankcase. The aforementioned piston rings/cylinder liners, crankshaft bearings, dynamic valve mechanism, and other sliding parts are the places where friction and abrasion are particularly serious in the engine.
Among the aforementioned sliding parts in the engine, lubrication of the piston ring/cylinder liner and crankshaft bearing mainly belongs to the area of fluid lubrication, while lubrication of the dynamic valve mechanism, that is, the cam/tappet, mainly belongs to the area of elastic fluid lubrication—the area of mixed/boundary lubrication. The friction condition is the most serious. In particular, the shear rate in a dynamic valve system is also as high as 107-108 s−1. An engine oil should be able to withstand such severe conditions.
In particular, demand has developed in recent years for an engine oil with a significant fuel savings effect as an environmental protection measure. Although lowering the viscosity of engine oil is effective in reducing friction in the fluid lubricating area, the lubricating oil film will be destroyed on sliding surfaces in the dynamic valve system in the mixed/boundary lubricating area with a high shear rate. As a result, metal-metal contact is increased, and the increased friction can cause abrasion or seizure. Consequently, it is indispensable to form and maintain a lubricating oil film and guarantee the abrasion resistance when creating a low-viscosity engine oil.
Usually, however, an agent for increasing the viscosity index is added to engine oil in order to guarantee high abrasion resistance at high temperature and good flowability at low temperature to widen the application temperature range. High polymers are widely used as the aforementioned agent for increasing viscosity index. The high-polymer-based viscosity index improver has the typical property of such improvers, that is, a temporary viscosity decrease due to orientation, etc., occurs during operation at high speed/high load or under other high shear conditions, and irreversible viscosity decrease occurs due to molecular weight decrease as a result of chopping of the polymer molecules when the shear conditions become severe. Also, when the viscosity of an engine oil is reduced, the engine oil film itself becomes thinner, which is related to aggravation of the shear conditions. Therefore, for an engine oil in which a viscosity index improver is added, if the viscosity is reduced by simply reducing the viscosity of the base oil, it is not possible to guarantee the oil film under high shear conditions, and abrasion can easily occur.
Consequently, in order to guarantee high abrasion resistance, the amount of zinc dithiophosphate (hereinafter referred to as "ZnDTP") or another organic metal-based phosphorous compound added as anti-abrasion agent is increased. However, since ZnDTP will poison the catalyst used to clean the exhaust gas, its amount should be reduced rather than increased.
Given this situation, a multi-grade lubricating oil with excellent fuel savings effects and heat resistance was proposed by using an alkali earth metal salt of alkyl salicylic acid and an alkali metal salt of alkyl aryl sulfonic acid in combination to create a viscosity index improver (Japanese Kokai Patent Application No. Sho 59[1984]-27994)). However, according to the application examples, the oil type used is adjusted to SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) No. 10W-30 grade oil. Although the abrasion resistance of the dynamic valve system is improved, since the high-temperature high-shear viscosity at 150° C. (referred to as "HTHS 150° C. viscosity" hereinafter) is required to be 2.9 mPa·s or higher, the good fuel savings effect that is an object of the present invention cannot be realized.
Also, a lubricating oil composition containing 0.04-0.12 mass % of ZnDTP, measured as the phosphorous amount, and 0.8-1.8 mass % of an alkali earth metal salt of alkyl salicylic acid, measured as the amount of sulfate ash, and having an HTHS 150° C. viscosity in the range of 2.4-3.7 mPa·s was proposed as an internal-combustion engine lubricating oil composition having excellent abrasion resistance for the parts of the dynamic valve system (Japanese Kokai Patent Application No. Hei 11[1999]-315297)). However, data for only two HTHS 150° C. viscosities, 2.6 mPa·s and 3.7 mPa·s, are described in the application examples. There is no proof at all concerning whether the abrasion resistance is good enough when the HTHS 150° C. viscosity is reduced to 2.4 mPa·s.
Based on the development situation disclosed by the aforementioned patent references, it is clear that there is an urgent demand for a low-viscosity engine oil with good fuel savings effects, that is, an engine oil having an HTHS 150° C. viscosity lower than 2.6 mPa·s, and excellent abrasion resistance under conditions of high temperature and high shear rate.

Low viscosity, high abrasion resistance engine oil composition

Abstract: kinematic                                      viscosity                                      at                                              100        ∘                                                    C        .                                                    (                                    mm              2                                                  /                                    s                    )                                                                        high                                            -                                          temperature                                                                                high                                            -                                          shear                                                                                viscosity                                                                                at                                                                                100                                  ∘                                                                                C                .                                                                                and                                                                                at                                                                                a                                                                                shear                                                                                rate                                                                                of                                                                                1              ×                              10                6                                                                                s                                  -                  1                                                                                (                                  mPa                  ·                  s                                )                                                                                ≤      1.3    .


Image-based object tracking system includes at least a controller with two or more color clusters, an input button, a processing unit with a camera, an object tracking algorithm and a display. Camera is configured to capture images of the controller, the processing unit is connected to display to display processed image contents, the controller is directly interacting with displayed processed image content. The controller can have two or three color clusters located on a side surface thereof and two color clusters having concentric circular areas located at a top surface thereof, the color of the first color cluster can be the same as or different from the color of the third color cluster. An object tracking method with or without scale calibration is also provided, which includes color learning and color relearning, image capturing, separating and splitting of the controller and the background, object pairing procedure steps on the controller.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a controller utilizing an image-based object tracking method to perform real-time tracking of movements and rotations of the controller. More particularly, the present invention relates to one or more controller each having multiple color clusters, and an image-based object tracking method in 3D space using the one or more controllers having multiple color clusters.
2. Description of the Related Art
A growing trend in the electronic gaming industry is to develop games and controllers that increase the real-time 3D spatial interaction between a game player and an electronic gaming system. One method of accomplishing a richer real-time interactive experience is to use game controllers whose movement and motion are tracked by the electronic gaming system in order to track the game player's movements and use these movements as control or command inputs for game play. Traditional method of object tracking used on tracking the movement and motion of the game controllers are achieved via embedded motion sensors and may have a singular distinguishable color detecting region disposed on the game controller. However, the singular colored color detecting region of the game controller fails to provide multi-color segmentation functionality, and is thereby subjected to color blending problem when encountering color interference from the image background. Furthermore, the game controller is visually tracked only by the singular distinguishable color detecting region without correct determination on geometry, shape and the pointing direction of the game controller itself. Appearance of the tracked game controller in the captured image may be varied or distorted, or even to the point of being completely disappeared during certain movements thereof, especially while being held toward the camera for performing object tracking.
Meanwhile, other disadvantages of conventional motion controller and image-based object tracking system in 3D space include for example, having complex device architecture, reliability issues, and excessive costs. Therefore, there is room for improvement in the art.

Image-based object tracking system in 3D space using controller having multiple color clusters


A system for the determination of an analyte in a bodily fluid sample includes an analytical test strip and an analytical meter. The analytical test strip has a substrate layer, an electroluminescent component (either an electroluminescent module and/or an electroluminescent lamp) disposed on the substrate layer, and a sample chamber configured for receiving a bodily fluid sample disposed above the substrate layer. Moreover, the analytical meter is configured for insertion of the analytical test strip therein and subsequent determination of the analyte.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, in general, to analytical devices and, in particular, to analytical test strips and related systems and methods.
2. Description of the Related Art
The determination (e.g., detection and/or concentration measurement) of an analyte (such as glucose) in a bodily fluid sample is of particular interest in the medical field. For example, it can be desirable to determine glucose, cholesterol, acetaminophen and/or HbA1c concentrations in a sample of a bodily fluid such as urine, blood or interstitial fluid. Such determinations can be achieved using analytical test strips based on, for example, photometric or electrochemical techniques, along with an associated meter.
Typical photometric analytical test strips employ a fluid sample application zone (e.g., a sample chamber), a photometric enzymatic reagent that engages in a photometric reaction (for example a color-inducing reaction) with an analyte of interest, and a detector of an associated meter to determine the concentration of the analyte. For example, a photometric analytical test strip for the determination of glucose concentration in a blood sample can employ a * photometric enzymatic reagent that includes the enzyme glucose oxidase and a chromophore (such as 3-methyl-2-benzothiazolinone hydrazone hydrocholoride [MBTH] and 3-dimethyaminobenzoic acid [DMAB]). Further details of conventional photometric analytical test strips are included in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,753,452, 6,168,957, 6,555,061, 5,426,032 and 6,821,482, each of which is hereby incorporated in full by reference.

System for determination of an analyte in a bodily fluid sample that includes an electroluminescent component


In remote data replication between storage systems, there are cases where the storage extent capacity used as the temporary storage extent in the storage system will incur waste. In a system having a management computer, a host computer, a first storage system, and a second storage system, when maintaining the replicated data of the first storage system in the second storage system via remote data replication, a change or the like in the traffic from the host computer to the first storage system is monitored, and the management computer instructs the storage system to switch the remote data replication mode in accordance with such traffic.

The present invention generally relates, in general to a computer system, and, more particularly, the invention relates to a method of management of a data transfer between storage systems in a computer system.
In recent years, in order to continue the processing in a computer system, even when a malfunction occurs in a storage system (hereinafter referred to as a "first storage system" or "primary storage system") in the computer system, such as during a disaster, technology for replicating data recorded in the first storage system to another storage system (hereinafter referred to as the "secondary storage system"), which has been established at a remote location from the first storage system, is becoming important. Patent Document 1 (U.S. Pat. No. 5,170,480) discloses technology (hereinafter referred to as "synchronous remote data duplication") for proceeding with the processing in the first storage system after the data is updated in the first storage system and after the data replication in the second storage system is confirmed.
Further, Patent Document 2 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. H7-239799) discloses, in addition to the technology of synchronous remote duplication, technology for continuing the processing in the computer system only with the update of the first storage system, and replicating data in the secondary storage system asynchronous with the update of data in the first storage system (hereinafter referred to as "asynchronous remote data replication").
Moreover, Patent Document 3 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2004-259079) discloses, as a type of asynchronous remote duplication, technology in which the primary storage system stores the update information of data to be stored therein as a journal (update log), the primary storage system forwards this journal to the secondary storage system, and the secondary storage system updates the data stored therein in the same manner as the primary storage system by employing the forwarded journal.
Patent Document 4 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2001-236258) discloses technology for transferring the computer system implementing asynchronous remote duplication to implement a synchronous remote duplication based on the information of a malfunction that has occurred.
The foregoing three types of remote duplications in accordance with conventional technology each have unique characteristics, and they are used according to the particular objective. Nevertheless, in accordance with conventional technology, once the mode of remote duplication to be executed with the system is determined, unless the administrator or the like stops the system and changes the mode, remote duplication is executed in the system based on the same mode. Here, with this technology, depending on the operating status of the system, there are cases where resources in the system will incur a waste.
For example, with the asynchronous remote duplication process disclosed in Patent Document 3, when an update of data in the first storage system is not conducted frequently, the storage extent secured for storing the journal will hardly be used, and the storage capacity used for such portion will be wasted.
Meanwhile, Patent Document 4 discloses technology for automatically changing the remote replication mode in the system for the purpose of preserving data in the system. Nevertheless, since no consideration is given to the effective use of resources in the system, even if the remote replication mode is merely changed using the technology disclosed in Patent Document 4, a waste of resources cannot be overcome.

Switching method of data replication mode


A two-piece, decorative fastener assembly for securing a license plate to a vehicle. The decorative fastener uniquely includes a threaded fastener for securing the license plate to the vehicle and a decorative cover that can be quickly and easily connected directly to the head portion of the threaded fastener.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to license plate fasteners. More particularly, the invention concerns license plate fasteners that comprise a threaded fastener for securing the license plate to the vehicle and a decorative cover that is removably connected to the threaded fastener.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
A number of different types of license plate fasteners have been suggested in the past for interconnecting license plates to the front and rear of vehicles. Exemplary of such license plate fasteners is the fastener disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,890,967 issued to Rosenbaum. The Rosenbaum invention concerns a bolt cap cover that comprises a locking retainer member that fits over the flats of a standard hex-headed bolt and a cap having a generally cylindrical inner surface that fits over the retainer. The retainer is made of a resilient material such as nylon and is designed such that it abuts the lateral flats of the bolt head when the cap is installed. The cap itself may be of various designs and materials, thereby permitting a variety of decorative appearances to be achieved. The cylindrical inner surface of the cap compresses the retainer against the flats of the bolt head as the cap is installed over the retainer, thereby securing both the cap and retainer to the bolt head.
Another type of prior art license plate fastener is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,964,549 issued to Fallon. The Fallon fastener comprises a generally tubular insert or adaptor made of a resilient material structure like Nylon that includes an annular first end surface surrounded by a peripheral skirt. The annular first end surface is engageable in the manner of a washer by the head of a license plate fastener that is otherwise surrounded by the skirt with the free edge of this skirt provided with an exterior peripheral bead shaped for radial capture in an interior recess formed in a domed, decorative covering cap. A circular seat provided on the domed cap exterior is then useful and conformed to receive one of variously marked plugs to match the logo, style or mark of the vehicle manufacturer or any other style or symbol.
A typical component of the prior art license plate fasteners is some type of retainer member that fits over the head of the fastener used to connect the license plate to the vehicle. The retainer member of the prior art devices constitutes the means by which the decorative cover portion of the device is affixed. In other words, the prior art devices consist of three parts, namely the threaded connector for connecting the license plate to the vehicle, the retainer member that fits over the threaded connector and the decorative head cover that is held in position by the retainer member. In sharp contradistinction, the novel apparatus of the present invention comprises only two components, namely a threaded fastener used to interconnect the license plate to the vehicle and a decorative cover that is removably interconnected directly with the head of the threaded fastener.


The present invention is directed to a method and apparatus for beamline security in radiation beam treatment facilities. The system monitors and controls the radiation beam steering system to safeguard against wrong-path and multiple-path conditions which could otherwise lead to accidental radiation exposure. One aspect of the method involves comparing the beam path configuration signals to signals corresponding to a requested beam configuration to check for agreement, as well as singular path configuration. Controller checks are performed using complimentary-redundant logical communication paths applied to the state of the beam steering system. Upon detection of any one of several possible error conditions, such as over-heating, communication link failure, unauthorized personnel entry and multiple path condition, the beamline power supplies are disabled, preventing transfer of the radiation beam to the treatment room.

Contemporary radiation therapy utilizes several types of ionizing radiation, such as .beta.-rays, .gamma.-rays, X-rays and high-energy protons applied to malignant tissue to prevent and control the spread of cancer. Proton beam therapy, in particular, has undergone dramatic development in recent years with attendant advances in therapy techniques and facilities. In most proton therapy systems around the world, the proton accelerators were originally built for physics research and later adapted for part-time clinical research and therapy. However, the imminent advantages of proton beam therapy is best realized with the development of dedicated, clinically based facilities. One such therapy facility, located at the Loma Linda University Medical Center, was purposely built to provide therapeutic proton beams to a multiplicity of treatment rooms, thereby increasing patient throughput and defraying the cost of an otherwise expensive form of treatment. An overview of the facility and its development is provided in "The Proton Treatment Center at Loma Linda University Medical Center: Rationale for and Description of its Development," J. M. Slater, et al., Intl. J. Radiation Oncology, vol. 22, no. 2, 1992, pp.383-389, and herein incorporated by reference. A more detailed description of the proton beam apparatus and facility is provided in U.S. Pat. No. 4,870,287 by F. T. Cole, et al., entitled "Multi-Station Proton Beam Therapy System," also herein incorporated by reference.
Proton radiation beamlines operate using large high-field electromagnets for beam deflection and focussing. At the Loma Linda Facility, the proton beam is generated with an on-site proton synchrotron and transferred by such beamlines to any one of several target destinations. To insure protection from proton radiation exposure, the beamline magnets must be monitored and controlled to prevent beam misdirection and mistiming. To this end, a method of treatment room selection verification has been employed by which a selected or desired beam path implementation is verified before authorizing beam delivery. The method of selection verification is more fully disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,260,581, herein incorporated by reference. While such a method appears to be a necessary safeguard from radiation misexposure, it does not detect all potentially hazardous fault conditions. The collection of such magnets often require megawatts of electrical power, which itself presents a lethal hazard to facility personnel if appropriate safeguards are not taken to insure personnel non-contact. Thus, in addition to properly coordinating and timing the magnet array, appropriate measures should be taken to insure against mechanical, electrical and thermal breakdown. In the event of component failure, by any means, the high-power apparatus should be disabled and the radiation beam directed to a so-called "beam dump." Clearly, meeting these challenging demands is a necessity of great importance.
In the broader context of radiation therapy, a necessary precondition for treatment is the safeguard of patients and personnel from accidental radiation exposure. In particular, at proton beam treatment facilities, accidental exposure to beam radiation or derivatives thereof is perceived to be the principal threat to patient and personnel safety. Inadvertent exposure to radiation may for example occur through beam misdirection or improper timing of radiation beam delivery. Nevertheless, as the demand for proton beam therapy increases and treatment facilities become more complex, as for example at the Loma Linda University Medical Center, beamline safety becomes a premium and the challenge of insuring beamline safety is taken very seriously.

Beamline control and security system for a radiation treatment facility


A low noise filter is arranged to receive an input signal from a downconverter. The low noise filter is constructed to block or cancel any DC offset in the input signal, as well as filter selected frequency components from the input signal. The low noise filter uses a shared capacitor both to handle the DC offset and to set filter response characteristics. As the low noise filter is implemented with a Frequency Dependent Negative Resistance (FDNR) device, the shared capacitor may be relatively small. The low noise filter has a load capacitor, with the output of the load capacitor coupled to a bias resistor and voltage. This bias structure cooperates with the load capacitor to set a high cutoff frequency for the low noise filter useful for blocking or canceling the DC offset.

This application is related to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/715,631, filed Nov. 18, 2003 and entitled "Low-Noise Filter for a Wireless Receiver", and to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/725,767, filed Dec. 2, 2003, and entitled "DC Offset Cancellation in a Wireless Receiver", both of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The field of the present invention is electronic circuits for active filtering. More particularly, the present invention relates to low-noise filters.
Wireless communication systems generally transmit a modulated radio frequency (RF) signal that is converted to a baseband signal in a receiver. A conventional receiver does this conversion in a two-stage process. In a first stage, the RF signal is down converted to an intermediate frequency (IF) signal, and then in a second stage, the IF signal is further down converted to the baseband frequency. This process enables simplified filtering and processing, but the two-stage architecture consumes valuable space and power in wireless devices. Accordingly, a newer single-stage architecture is being deployed. This single-stage architecture converts the RF signal directly to the baseband signal, and is typically referred to as direct conversion receiver (DCR) structure. As an alternative, some of the benefits of the DCR structure may be realized using a low IF architecture, while retaining some of the simplified filtering and processing of the IF structure. A low IF receiver converts a radio frequency (RF) signal to an intermediate frequency that is lower than the IF of a convention receiver.
The direct conversion receiver downconverts a radio frequency (RF) signal directly to baseband (DC) without first converting the RF signal to an intermediate frequency (IF). One of the benefits of a direct conversion receiver is the elimination of costly filter components used in systems that employ an intermediate frequency conversion. For example, in a conventional code division multiple access (CDMA) communication system, one or more surface acoustic wave (SAW) filters are implemented to aid in filtering the desired channel. To further complicate the circuitry, these SAW filters are typically located on a different device (i.e., "off-chip") than many of the receiver components.
A low IF or a direct conversion receiver allows the filter components to be implemented using electronic circuitry that can be located on the same device (i.e., "on-chip") as many of the receiver components. In a direct conversion receiver implementation, high-order (e.g., fifth-order or higher) active filters are used to attenuate the interferers before the baseband chip. Unfortunately, because the filters are implemented using electronic circuitry on the same chip as the receiver components, the filters add significant noise to the received signal. The added noise reduces the sensitivity of the receiver, thereby making such an active filter challenging to implement.
Noise contributed by a filter to the received signal can be defined by the equation Noise=kT/C (Equation 1), where k is a constant, T=temperature, and C=capacitance. From equation 1 it is clear that the noise is inversely proportional to the capacitance. To reduce the noise, the capacitance values are typically made large. Unfortunately, increasing the capacitance consumes valuable area on the integrated circuit (IC) on which the receiver is fabricated. The space required for these capacitors substantially increases the overall size for the receiver IC, as the filter capacitors typically represent the largest block on the IC.
When implementing a low IF or a direct conversion receiver, there is typically some amount of offset (referred to as "DC offset") that appears on the downconverted baseband signal. The DC offset occurs due to filter or front-end mismatch and also due to self-mixing that can occur with the local oscillator (LO) signal, the radio frequency (RF) signal or interfering signals in the receiver. Typically, filter and front-end mismatch due to temperature change over time results in static DC offset. Self-mixing among the LO, RF and interfering signals, as well as reflection at the antenna, temperature variation and LO leakage result in dynamic DC offset. Correction for DC offset is typically performed on the baseband amplifier located in the receiver. Many techniques have been proposed to minimize DC-offset. For example, it is possible to minimize DC offset using digital calibration techniques in the analog-to-digital converter (A/D) located in the receiver. Alternately, sampling techniques and Sample-and-Hold (S/H) circuits have been used to subtract the estimated offset of the variable gain amplifier from the received signal.
Unfortunately, one or all of these techniques can only be applied to a system in which the receiver does not continuously operate, such as in a TDMA communication system. In a CDMA system, these techniques will not be effective because the receiver works continuously with no interruption. Furthermore, DC-offset correction using so called "auto-zeroing" techniques during start-up is not practical in a CDMA system because of dynamic offsets. In a CDMA system the only option that shows promise is the implementation of a so called "servo-loop" like architecture around the variable gain amplifier.
In a servo-loop architecture, the high pass cut-off frequency is dependent upon the gain characteristics of the variable gain amplifier and the amplifiers in the servo-loop. Because the transconductance of the variable gain amplifier varies significantly with the applied gain control signal (usually above 50 dB of range), the cut-off frequency varies by more than 50 dB, which places the cut-off frequency at a point at which data carried in the received signal will likely be lost. It is possible to adjust the high pass cut-off frequency by varying the gain of the amplifiers in the servo-loop inversely proportional to the transconductance amplification of the VGA. Since the transconductance amplification of the VGA varies proportionally to the exponential of the control voltage, the amplification of the amplifiers in the servo-loop must vary with the inverse of the exponential of the control voltage. Unfortunately, such a servo-loop increases significantly the complexity, power consumption and the area on the device occupied by the architecture.
Therefore, it would be desirable to minimize the amount of noise contributed to a received signal by filter components in a direct conversion receiver, while maximizing receiver sensitivity. It is also desirable to minimize the amount of area on a device consumed by the filter components, especially capacitor devices. It would also be desirable to efficiently provide DC offset cancellation in a wireless receiver operating in a communication system in which the receiver operates continuously.

Low noise filter for a wireless receiver


A spray brush includes at least one fluid-dispensing outlet which is positioned on a manifold and is, through the manifold, in fluid communication with a pump assembly, which is in fluid communication with a fluid reservoir. The manifold is contained in a brush head. A pump trigger is in mechanical cooperation with the manifold, and circumferentially surrounds a portion of a brush handle. Activation of the pump trigger is accomplished by depressing or pulling from any normal hand-held position without the need for additional rotation of the hairbrush.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to hairbrushes, and in particular to hairbrushes incorporating a liquid dispensing assembly.
2. Description of Related Art
A common problem encountered by hairdressers and individuals occurs during the acts of styling or curling hair with a hairbrush with one hand, and then picking up a bottle of hair spray or setting fluid and spraying the hair that is curled or otherwise styled with the brush with the other hand. The individual or stylist also typically sets down the bottle to manipulate a hairdryer so that the fluid can be dried while the hair is in the curled or styled position. This is a tedious but conventional method typically repeated dozens of times by each stylist hundreds of times per month, and can lead to repetitive motion injuries or conditions.
There exist various types of hairbrushes with integrated spray structures. However, a common problem among those that exist relates to the ease of manipulation of the mechanism that actuates the spray. For instance, RE25585, US D279648 and U.S. Pat. No. 1,891,471 show mechanisms at the back of the handle. U.S. Pat. No. 5,746,531 describes a brush in which the spray emits from the opposite end. U.S. Pat. No. 7,011,468, U.S. Pat. No. 5,927,290 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,055,195 disclose pressurized reservoirs. U.S. Pat. No. 5,909,737 discloses an electric pump. US 2004/0031499A1 discloses fluid that is discharged via gravitational force. U.S. Pat. No. 5,024,243, U.S. Pat. No. 7,261,108 and U.S. Pat. No. 2,617,431 disclose brushes in which the handle must be squeezed in order to spray fluid.
Certain brush configurations have a trigger mechanism proximate the intersection of the handle and the brush head. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 4,557,619 discloses an aerosol can in which a wire element couples to a trigger of the spray can. In addition, the trigger is in a compromising position. With the relation to the brush head bristles and the spray trigger it is inevitable hair would become entangled in the trigger when in use for curling and other styling operations.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,235,637 discloses a pair of studs to manipulate a piston. Liquid travels through a number of narrow chambers leaving the pump system difficult to clean and maintain.
US 2002/0153020A1 discloses an actuator on a spray bottle at the intersection of the handle and the brush head. The liquid sprays through bristle chambers, and uses a brush handle/aerosol can that is disposable. Aerosol cans have a wide grip making it difficult to manipulate around the head.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,339,745 discloses a trigger for moving a valve plate that regulates liquid dispensation. This design is intended for low viscosity fluids, and it is difficult to control the amount of fluid being sprayed.
Therefore, a need exists for a brush with a dispensing apparatus that is easy to manipulate, convenient to clean and refill, and conducive to dispensing fluid during the styling process thus alleviating the labor involved by stylists and individuals.

Hairbrush with liquid dispensing apparatus


The present disclosure provides a system and method for controlling positioning of a movable member of a MEMS microactuator to reduce bouncing and ringing. The system includes control circuitry in communication with the MEMS microactuator. The control circuitry is adapted to linearly increase an actuation signal from a first state to a second state to urge the movable member from a first position to a second position and hold the movable member in the second position. The control circuitry is further adapted to linearly decrease the actuation signal from the second state to the first state to release the movable member to the first position. A transition time is not less than the inverse of one quarter of a natural frequency of the movable member as the movable member moves to the first position.

As electronics evolve, there is an increased need for miniature switches and microactuators that are provided on semiconductor substrates along with other semiconductor components to form various types of circuits. These miniature switches often act as relays, and are generally referred to as micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) switches. In many applications, MEMS switches may replace field effect transistors (FETs), and are configured as switches to reduce insertion losses due to added resistance, to reduce parasitic capacitance and inductance, and to reduce signal distortion inherent in providing FET switches in a signal path. MEMS switches are currently being considered in many radio frequency (RF) applications, such as antenna switches, mode switches, transmit/receive switches, switches in tunable networks, and the like.
Turning to FIGS. 1A and 1B, a MEMS device 10 having a MEMS switch 12 is illustrated according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. The MEMS switch 12 is formed on an appropriate substrate 14. The MEMS switch 12 includes a movable member, such as a cantilever 16, which is formed from a conductive material, such as gold. The cantilever 16 has a first end and a second end. The first end is coupled to the substrate 14 by an anchor 18. The first end of the cantilever 16 is also electrically coupled to a first conductive pad 20 at or near the point where the cantilever 16 is anchored to the semiconductor substrate 14. Notably, the first conductive pad 20 may play a role in anchoring the first end of the cantilever 16 to the semiconductor substrate 14 as depicted.
The second end of the cantilever 16 forms or is provided with a cantilever contact 22, which is suspended over a contact portion 24 of a second conductive pad 26. Thus, when the MEMS switch 12 is actuated, the cantilever 16 moves the cantilever contact 22 into electrical contact with the contact portion 24 of the second conductive pad 26 to electrically connect the first conductive pad 20 to the second conductive pad 26. The MEMS switch 12 may be encapsulated by one or more encapsulating layers 30, which form a substantially hermetically sealed cavity about the cantilever 16. The cavity is generally filled with an inert gas and may be sealed in a near vacuum state. Once the encapsulation layers 30 are in place, an overmold material 32 may be provided over the encapsulation layers 30 as part of a high volume packaging process. It is to be understood that a movable member having a fixed end and a free end such as cantilever 16 is but one type of configuration for a microactuator. Various types of microactuators known to those skilled in the art can have movable members that are fixed at more than one point or end.
To actuate the MEMS switch 12, and in particular to cause the cantilever 16 to move the cantilever contact 22 into contact with the contact portion 24 of the second conductive pad 26, an actuator plate 28 is disposed over a portion of the substrate 14 and under the middle portion of the cantilever 16. To actuate the MEMS switch 12, an electrostatic voltage is applied to the actuator plate 28. The presence of the electrostatic voltage over time creates a force that moves the metallic cantilever 16 toward the actuator plate 28, thus moving the cantilever 16 from the position illustrated in FIG. 1A to the position illustrated in FIG. 1B.
Problematically, actuation of a MEMS switch 12, especially one maintained at near vacuum conditions, results in the cantilever 16 moving toward contact portion 24 with a momentum sufficient to cause the cantilever contact 22 to bounce one or more times off of the contact portion 24 of the second conductive pad 26 after initial contact. Such bouncing degrades circuit performance and effectively increases the closing time. The article entitled "A Dynamic Model, Including Contact Bounce, of an Electrostatically Actuated Microswitch," by Brian McCarthy et al., provides a detailed analysis of this bouncing phenomenon and is incorporated herein by reference. The dynamic closing forces may also be sufficient to damage both the contact portion 24 of the second conductive pad 26 as well as the cantilever contact 22, thus causing excessive wear, which results in a shortened operating life for the MEMS switch 12.
As a result, efforts have been made to control the speed with which the cantilever 16 moves cantilever contact 22 toward the contact portion 24 of the second conductive pad 26 at the moment of contact to reduce bouncing. In particular, an actuation signal having a special waveform is initially applied to the actuator plate 28. The actuation signal moves the cantilever 16 downward, such that the contact pad 22 at the end of the cantilever 16 initially moves rapidly toward the contact portion 24 of the second conductive pad 26. The actuation signal is configured such that the effective electrostatic voltage is reduced or removed prior to the cantilever contact 22 coming into contact with the contact portion 24 of the second conductive pad 26. The downward momentum will continue to move the cantilever 16 downward, albeit at a decreasing rate, wherein the contact pad 22 lands softly and slowly on the contact portion 24 of the second conductive pad 26. Once the MEMS switch 12 is closed, a hold signal is applied to actuator plate 28 to hold the cantilever 16 in a closed position such that the contact pad 22 is held in contact with the contact portion 24 of the second conductive pad 26. The article "A Soft-Landing Waveform for Actuation of a Single-Pole Single-Throw Ohmic RF MEMS Switch," by David A. Czaplewski et al., provides a technique for providing a pre-determined actuation signal to control the closing of a MEMS switch 12 and is incorporated herein by reference.
Providing an actuation signal to effect soft closings of the MEMS switches 12 theoretically reduces bouncing and increases the operating life of the device. In practice however, process variation in the switch manufacture will reduce or eliminate the efficiency of a waveform to effect soft closing as described. Circuits which can adapt to this process variation in the switch manufacture have been proposed but these represent additional cost and complexity. Accordingly, there is a need for a technique to reduce or eliminate bouncing in MEMS switches 12 over process variations and operating conditions using simple waveforms and circuits.
MEMS switches 12 also have issues associated with being released from a closed position, or opening. The cantilever 16 can be effectively a metallic beam, which is deflected when the MEMS switch 12 is closed and is suspended in a natural state when the MEMS switch 12 is open. Releasing the MEMS switch 16 entails turning off the hold signal, and thus releasing the deflected cantilever 16 from the closed position. Once released the cantilever 16 springs upward and begins mechanically oscillating up and down. Such mechanical oscillation is referred to as ringing, and in a cavity in a near vacuum state this ringing may continue for an extended period of time. Such ringing may degrade circuit performance and effectively increases the opening time. Further, the magnitude and time of ringing may vary over various operating conditions and process variations.
If the cantilever 16 is still ringing when the next actuation signal is applied, the nominal actuation signal may not provide a bounce free closing given the cantilever's position, upward momentum, downward momentum, or a combination thereof. Accordingly, there is a further need for a technique to reduce or eliminate ringing of MEMS switches 12 over various operating conditions and process variations using simple waveforms and circuits. More generally, there is a need for a technique to suppress bouncing and ringing of movable members of MEMS microactuators that include MEMS switches, but also include MEMS capacitors and microscopic servomechanisms.
Summary of the Disclosure
The present disclosure provides a system and method for controlling positioning of a movable member of a micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) microactuator to reduce bouncing and ringing. The system includes a MEMS microactuator having a movable member relative to a fixed member, which is fixed to a substrate on which the MEMS microactuator resides. For example, in one embodiment, the MEMS microactuator is a MEMS switch, and the movable member is a cantilever. The system also includes control circuitry in communication with the MEMS microactuator, wherein the control circuitry is adapted to execute a method that increases an actuation signal from a first state to a second state to urge the movable member from a first position to a second position and hold the movable member in the second position. A rate of increase in the actuation signal is a positive slope with the lowest possible magnitude which will ensure full compliance with the predetermined application specification in the time allotted by that specification as the movable member moves from a first position to the second position. Using the lowest possible slope magnitude will ensure that the closing occurs with the smallest possible momentum and therefore will create the least possible amount of bouncing when using the simple positive slope waveform. For the purpose of this disclosure slope is defined as rise over run,
At some point, it is desirable to return the movable member to the first position. Therefore, the control circuitry is further adapted to decrease the actuation signal from the second state to the first state to release the movable member to the first position. In at least one embodiment, the rate of decrease for the actuation signal between the second state and the first state has a slope with a transition time that is not less than the inverse of one quarter of a natural frequency of the member in the first position as the movable member transitions from the second position to the first position.
In another embodiment, the control circuitry is further adapted to decrease the actuation signal from the second state to a third state to release the movable member to a third position and decrease the actuation signal from the third state to the first state to release the movable member to the first position. In this embodiment, the rate of decrease for the actuation signal from the second state to the third state can be as fast as or not less than the inverse of a quarter of a fixed-fixed natural mechanical frequency in which the both ends of the movable member are fixed. An example of a fixed-fixed movable member is a closed MEMS switch in which one end of the movable member is anchored and the other end has a contact that is firmly closed against a contact plate. In at least one embodiment, the rate of decrease for the actuation signal between the third state and the first state has a slope with a transition time that is not less than the inverse of one quarter of a natural frequency of the movable member in the first position as the movable member transitions from the from the third position to the first position.
In yet another embodiment, the control circuitry is further adapted to hold the movable member in the third position before decreasing the actuation signal between the third state and the first state. In this way energy stored in the movable member is further dissipated before proceeding from the third position to the first position.
Those skilled in the art will appreciate the scope of the present disclosure and realize additional aspects thereof after reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments in association with the accompanying drawing figures.

Actuation signal for microactuator bounce and ring suppression


Building panels, especially laminated floor panels are shown, which are provided with a locking system and several core grooves at the rear side in order to save material and decrease weight. Building panels, each having a surface layer on a front side, a backing layer on a rear side and an intermediate core, wherein the intermediate core and the surface and the backing layer all comprise wood fibres and thermosetting resins, the building panels are provided with a locking system for vertical and horizontal locking of a first edge of a first building panel to an adjacent second edge of a second building panel.

Traditional laminated panels, intended to be used for, e.g. flooring or furniture components, are produced by the following steps as shown in FIGS. 1a-1d. A decorative paper 2b and a wear resistant transparent overlay paper 2a are impregnated with a thermosetting resin, such as melamine, and are applied on the upper part of a HDF core 3. A balancing paper 4 impregnated with a melamine resin, general called backing, is applied on the backside of a HDF core. The core 3 with the upper 2 and lower 4 layers is moved into a press 5 and pressed under heat and pressure such that the thermosetting resins are cured and the layers are attached to the core as shown in FIG. 1b.
Typical press parameters are 40 bar pressure and a temperature of 160-200 C.° with a pressing time of 12-30 seconds.
This production method and product produced by such methods are generally referred to as the DPL process and DPL products (Direct Pressure Laminate) The upper and lower surface layers have generally at thickness of 0.1-0.2 mm
HDF (High density fibreboard) comprises wood fibre and a thermosetting resin that also is cured by heat and pressure to a board with a thickness of about 6-12 mm and a density of about 800 kg/m3.
The most common floor size is a rectangular panel of 1.3*0.2 m with a thickness of about 8 mm. The panels are packed and supplied in a packet that contains about 10 panels with a floor area of about 2 m2. The weight of each packet is about 16 kg.
Recently new floor panels with a wood powder based surface and backing have been developed. The paper is replaced with a powder backing 4 comprising wood fibres and melamine particles that is scattered on one side of a core 3 and a powder based surface layer 2 comprising wood fibres, thermosetting resins, preferably melamine particles, aluminum oxide particles and color pigments, is scattered on the other side of the core that generally is a HDF board. The scattering is made by rollers and brushes and very accurate layers of about 100-800 gr/m2 may be scattered with high precision on the HDF core material that generally has a thickness of about 7-10 mm. The surface 2, the core 3 and the backing 4 are pressed under heat and pressure in a continuous or discontinuous press 5 to obtain a product with a paper free and solid surface layer and backing.
The pressed powder based layers may have a thickness of about 0.2-1.0 mm. Typical press parameters are similar to conventional laminate flooring and may be a pressure of 40-80 bar and a temperature of 160-200 C.° with a pressing time of 10-40 seconds.
Such wood fibre based floors, generally referred to as WFF floors, have considerably better properties than traditional laminate floors since a thicker and more impact and wear resistant surface may be produced in a cost efficient way.
These two production methods may be combined.
A laminate floor with a paper based surface layer may have a powder based sub layer under the decorative paper in order to provide better impact resistance and deeper embossing. The paper backing may be replaced with a powder backing. The sub layer may be used to impregnate the decorative paper during pressing when the resins from the sub layer penetrate into the decorative paper.
WFF floor may also have several different layers on the upper side for example a high quality top layer 2a and a more cost efficient sub layer 2b under the top layer. The sub layer may comprise lower resin content and no aluminum oxide particles are needed.
A common feature for the paper or powder based surface layers, the paper or powder based backing layers and the HDF core is that all these materials comprise wood fibres and thermosetting binders, preferably melamine or urea, and that they are cured by heat and pressure. The wood fibres may be of the same type.
The layers are exposed to a first shrinking when the thermosetting resin in the upper and lower layer cures during pressing. The HDF core is also heated and becomes soft and easy to bend. The backing layer balances the tension that is created by the surface layer and the panel is substantially flat with a small convex backward bending when it leaves the press. The second temperature shrinking, when the panels is cooled from about 160-200° C. to room temperature, is also balanced by the backing layer and the panel 1 is essentially flat. A small convex backward bending is preferred since this counteracts upward bending of the edges in dry conditions when the relative humidity may go down to 20% or lower during wintertime.
This essentially flat pressed board comprises tension forces caused by the shrinking of the surface and balancing layers.
The board is generally cut and formed into several floor panels with locking systems on long and short edges as shown in FIG. 1c. The locking system comprises generally a tongue 10 and a tongue groove 9 for vertical locking and a strip 6 with a locking element 8 that cooperates with a locking groove 14 for horizontal locking.
The surface layer 2 has about the same length and width as the backing layer 4 as shown in FIG. 1d. The locking system may be formed in one piece with the core. Alternatively separate materials may be used to form for example the tongue 10 and/or the strip 6.
The prices for wood fibres and thermosetting resins are increasing and major increases are expected in the future due to shortage and the possibility to use wood fibres for energy production.
Several methods have been used to save material and to reduce costs. Such methods are mainly aiming to make thinner products that comprise a minimum of resins. Further cost savings are limited by minimum quality requirements related to the floor panel and the geometry of locking system.
It would be a major advantage if it would be possible to reduce the weight and material content. The problem with the present laminate and WFF floors is that they must have a high density core such as HDF that is needed for the stability, impact resistance and the strength which is needed to resist the heat and pressure from the pressing operation. Another problem is that the panels must have a minimum thickness and a core with high shear strength in order to allow the forming of a locking system with sufficient strength and geometry that allows easy installation.
It is known that grooves may be formed on the rear side of solid wood floors mainly in order to increase the flexibility of the panel. Such panels are easier to glue down to the sub floor. Grooves at the rear side of the panels are not used in laminate and WFF floors, which are installed with mechanical locking systems. The main reason is that such groove will have a negative impact on the stability of the panel and on the locking system since material will be removed from the balancing layer and the lower parts of the locking system.
Definition of Some Terms
In the following text, the visible surface of the installed floorboard is called "front side" or "surface", while the opposite side of the floorboard, facing the subfloor, is called "rear side". The starting board material that is used as a base material is called "core". When the core is coated with a surface layer closest to the front side and preferably also a balancing layer closest to the rear side, it forms a semi manufacture, which is called "a board" that in a subsequent operation generally is divided and machined into a plurality of "floor panels".
By "horizontal plane" is meant a plane, which extends parallel to the outer part of the surface layer. Immediately juxtaposed upper parts of two neighboring joint edges of two joined floorboards together define a "vertical plane" perpendicular to the horizontal plane.
The outer parts of the floorboard at the edge of the floorboard between the front side and the rear side are called "joint edge". As a rule, the joint edge has several "joint surfaces" which may be vertical, horizontal, angled, rounded, beveled etc.
By "locking system" is meant co-acting connecting means, which connect the floor panel vertically and/or horizontally. By "mechanical locking system" is meant that joining may take place without glue.
By "up or upward" means toward the surface and by "down or downward" means toward the rear side. By "inwardly" is meant towards the centre of the floorboard and by "outwardly" means in the opposite direction.
By "carving" is meant a method to form a groove or a protrusion on an edge of a panel by carving a part of the edge to its final shape by one or several carving tool configurations comprising several non-rotating and fixed chip-removing surfaces located along the feeding direction
Brief Description of Embodiments
An objective of embodiments of the present invention is to provide laminated panels comprising thermosetting resins and a method to produce such panels with the aim to reduce the weight and material content of such panels, especially floor panels, and to combine such cost saving and material reducing methods with a high quality locking systems and a core that provides sufficient stability which is needed in the pressing operation and when the floor is used. A further objective is to provide solid wood floors with reduced weight and material content and increased stability.
A first aspect of the invention is building panels having a surface layer on the front side, an intermediate core and a backing layer on the rear side of the core, wherein the core and the layers all comprise wood fibres and thermosetting resins. The panels are provided with a locking system for vertical and horizontal locking of a first edge of a first building panel to an adjacent second edge of a second building panel. The upper parts of the first and the second edge in a locked position together define a vertical plane perpendicular to a horizontal plane, which is parallel to the surface. Said locking system comprises a tongue and a tongue groove configured to cooperate for vertical locking, and a strip, which is provided with a locking element and configured to cooperate for horizontal locking with a downwardly open locking groove formed in an adjacent edge. The backing layer and the core comprise several vertically extending core grooves with an opening towards the rear side. The area of the backing layer is less than about 90% of the area of the surface layer.
The backing layer may comprise at least three core grooves spaced horizontally and inwardly from the locking system at one pair of opposite edges.
The area of the backing layer may be less than 80% of the area of the surface layer.
The entire parts of at least one core groove may be located inside the vertical plane VP at all edges.
The panels may be rectangular with long edges and short edges and the core grooves may be parallel with the long edges.
The core grooves may have a groove depth that is at least 0.3 times the floor thickness. The core grooves may comprise an opening that is large than an inner part of the grooves.
The backing layer may comprise essentially the same fibres as the core.
A second aspect of the invention is a method to produce a floor panels each having a surface layer on the front side, an intermediate core and a backing layer on the rear side of the core wherein the core and the layers all comprise wood fibres and thermosetting resins. The method comprises the steps of:                creating wood fibre chips by forming core grooves in the rear side of previously produced panel;        producing a mix by mixing the wood chips with thermosetting resin,        scattering the mix of wood chips and thermosetting resin on the upper and/or lower side of the core,        forming a board by curing the mix with heat and pressure,        cutting the board into several floor panels, and        forming a locking system at a first and a second panel edge, the locking system comprises a strip, a locking element and a locking grove for horizontal locking and a tongue and a tongue groove for vertical locking.
The mix may be scattered on the lower side of the core.
The mix may be scattered on the upper and lower side of the core.
The core may be HDF.
The core grooves may be formed prior to the forming of the locking system on long or short edges.
The core grooves may be formed by a jumping tool comprising several rotating saw blades or a carving tool.
The pressed board may be more convex than the floor panel.
The core grooves are used to create wood fibre material that may be used in a second step to form the upper or lower layers of the floor panel. The material that is removed from the core when forming the core grooves, reduces the weight of the panel in spite of the fact that the original panel thickness is maintained and that a panel which is thicker than the original core may be formed by using the chips from the forming of the core grooves. The whole floor panel including the upper and lower layers may be formed by materials comprising the material from the core.
The core and the layers may, as an alternative, comprise a thermoplastic material, such as PVC, PET or vinyl, preferably provided with a filler, and the chips created are, for this alternative, embodiment plastic chips.
The locking system may, as an alternative, comprise a protruding strip at the first or the second panel edge and a recess on a lower side of the other of said first or second panel edge. An upper surface of the protruding strip or a lower surface of the recess is preferably provided with an adhesive, such as an adhesive tape, preferably provided with a removable strip.
A third aspect of the invention is a wood based floor panel having an upper and a lower layer of solid wood. The lower layer comprises cavities and the upper layer forms an upper part of the cavities.
The panels may have a mechanical locking system at two opposite edges.
A fourth aspect of the invention is a method to produce essentially flat floor panels, each having a surface layer on a front side, a backing layer on a rear side, and an intermediate core, wherein the surface and backing layer comprise thermosetting resins and wherein the method comprises the steps of:                forming a large board with convex pretension backwards by connecting the core, the surface layer and the backing layer with heat and pressure;        dividing the board into several floor panels;        forming core grooves at the rear side of the panels such that the convex pretension is at least partly released.
The core grooves may be formed after the dividing of the board into several floor panels.
The above objects are achieved wholly or partly by locking systems, floor panels and production methods according to embodiments of the invention.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.