A combustion engine throttle valve includes a multipiece clamshell throttle body which is divided along an axis of rotation of a throttling member subassembly, which may be placed within the throttle body as one component. The throttle body further includes a face sealing ledge within the throttle body's air conduit, with the ledge being positioned so that the throttle plate will be in contact with the ledge when the plate is in the closed position, and such that the plate pivots perpendicularly off the ledge when opening. The clamshell design permits greater use of lighter plastics in place of metallic components and minimizes the number of parts through incorporation of plastic injection molding techniques.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a throttle valve for an internal combustion engine. More particularly, this invention relates to a two-part clamshell throttle body which permits a one-piece, drop-in-place method of assembling a throttling member subassembly.
2. Disclosure Information
With advances in plastics technology, the automotive industry continues to push for the use of plastics in place of metal. Aside from weight reduction benefits, plastics are generally more corrosion resistant than many metals. Also, plastic molding techniques minimize complicated machining requirements and reduce the required number of parts so that assembly is simplified and cost is reduced.
The throttle valve is one automotive component which traditionally is composed of many parts. Unfortunately, the high precision relationship of these parts to one another, because of prior art configurations coupled with external environmental factors, has limited their makeup to metallic compositions as opposed to plastics. The use of plastics was not practical due to manufacturing process limitations along with material rigidity and expansion concerns.
Typical throttle valve designs include throttle bodies which are composed of a one-piece housing. This hinders the possibilities of simplifying the throttle valve manufacturing process since the throttle body's internal components (e.g., throttling member subassembly) must be assembled around and into the throttle body on a piece-by-piece basis. Such assembly techniques do not lead to a robust product and often create quality problems since it reduces the opportunities to utilize injection molded plastic technologies which serve to reduce the number of parts.
The present invention resolves this issue by providing a throttle body of a two-piece, clamshell design. With the clamshell, the throttling member subassembly can be constructed independent of the throttle body housing. Once constructed, the throttling member subassembly can then be dropped in place as one part. Without the clamshell design of the present invention, pre-assembly and utilization of injection molded plastics for the throttling member subassembly would be severely limited.
Combustion engine throttle valve art demands that air leakage through the valve be minimal in order to assure that established idle speeds are not erratic. The trend of the automotive industry is directed towards further reducing engine idle speeds. The lower the idle speed, the smaller the idle air flow demand around the throttle valve. Therefore, concerns about air leakage through the throttle valve, in today's market, has become ever more enhanced.
Prior art has minimized air leakage by maintaining a high precision fit between the throttle body bore (walls of the air conduit) and the pivotal throttle plate when in the closed position. To achieve this high precision, prior art has found it necessary to machine bore throttle bodies of cast aluminum and precision stamp throttle plates of a metallic composition. The necessary precision of this arrangement eliminates the opportunity to utilize plastics for the throttle body or the plate.
To further reduce the already low leakage rates, prior art has found it necessary to decrease the plate's closed idle angle position. The reduction of this angle, however, has increased the chances of the metallic plate becoming wedged against the internal cylindrical walls of the metallic throttle body as a result of misalignment or sludge buildup. To further explain, the plate's outer perimeter edge must conform to the internal walls in order to minimize air leakage through the throttle body when the plate is in the closed position. In fact, the tolerance between the plate edge and the wall is often so tight that the plate scrubs or scratches the wall as it pivots to an open position. If the scrubbing is excessive, the plate can become wedged in the closed position. The smaller the plate angle, or degree off-set, at closure, the greater the chances are of excessive scrubbing. Currently, sticking throttle valves, in the closed idle position, is a warranty concern with throttle valve assemblies. With past throttle body designs, a throttle plate with a zero degree off-set at closure was not advisable.
This invention resolves the wedging problems of prior are by utilizing a face sealing ledge. The high precision requirement between the plate's outer perimeter edge and the throttle body internal wall is eliminated because the plate edge no longer requires the surface of the tangentially positioned internal wall to minimize air leakage, but instead utilizes a parallel plane seating arrangement where the plate makes contact with the seat when in the closed position and pivots open, in a perpendicular direction, off of the seat. That is, when the plate pivots open, it lifts perpendicularly off of it's near zero leakage sealing surface instead of scraping along the interior walls of the throttle body.
Relying on the face sealing ledge to create a near zero air leakage rate is superior to relying on the longitudinal surfaces of the internal throttle body walls because it further limits air leakage necessary for today's slower idle speeds, and it eliminates the number one product warranty concern for throttle bodies, that of plate wedging.
French patent 2,606,115 displays a butterfly valve where the shell is divided along the shaft centerline. However, journals and spindles are utilized for end-play limitation and no mention is made of pressed on bearings as taught through this invention. Also, the two shell pieces of the prior art do not incorporate the concepts of a face/ledge seal, zero leakage, or zero plate angle as does the present invention. Instead, the prior art continues with the utilization of an idle stop screw.
German patent 5,687,691 shows a plastic throttling member lever arm which is made of plastic and formed about the end of a metallic shaft utilizing a slot as a means to resist torsion forces. No mention is made of a tang in place of the slot, nor is any mention made of a "slot-free" throttling shaft as taught through the present invention.


The image forming apparatus comprises: an ink ejection device which ejects droplets of a radiation-curable ink onto a recording medium; a conveyance device which causes the ink ejection device and the recording medium to move relatively to each other in a relative movement direction by conveying at least one of the ink ejection device and the recording medium; a radiation irradiation device which irradiates radiation to the droplets deposited on the recording medium by the ink ejection device; a dot formation conditions determination device which determines a dot size of dots and a pitch between adjacent dots to be formed by the ejected droplets, according to print data; and a droplet ejection timing control device which sets an ejection interval between the droplets according to information relating to the dot size and the dot pitch determined by the dot formation conditions determination device, and controls an ejection timing of a subsequent droplet ejected subsequently in an overlapping fashion, in such a manner that the subsequent droplet is ejected to form a dot overlapping with a dot formed by a droplet deposited previously on the recording medium, after a surface of the previously deposited droplet is preliminarily cured to a threshold cured film thickness by the radiation.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus and method, and more particularly, to an image forming apparatus and method for forming images on a recording medium by using a radiation-curable ink which is cured by irradiation of radiation such as ultraviolet light or the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
Technology using ultraviolet-curable ink (so-called UV ink) in an inkjet type image forming apparatus is known. Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2004-42548 discloses technology for preventing the occurrence of mottling and bleeding, in cases where dots are recorded by depositing droplets of ultraviolet-curable ink from different nozzles, at prescribed staggered time intervals, by irradiating ultraviolet light in conjunction with the deposition timing of the respective droplets, thereby pre-curing mutually adjacent droplets to a degree which prevents them from mixing together, and then subsequently irradiating ultraviolet light again to perform main curing.
However, in ultraviolet-curable inks, it is rare for the viscosity to pass through a semi-solidified state and for the ink to then solidify, due to irradiation of radiation, and in most cases, the ink changes directly from a liquid state to a solid state. In other words, when ultraviolet light is irradiated onto ultraviolet-curable ink droplet after the ink droplet has been deposited, rather than the viscosity of the ink droplet increasing and the ink droplet thereby solidifying in a continuous fashion as the ultraviolet light is irradiated, the solidification takes place in a step fashion (liquid phase to solid phase) from the outer surface of the approximately hemispherical ink droplet toward the inside.
In order to deposit ink droplets at high speed while preventing landing interference therebetween, it is necessary to deposit one droplet so as to overlap with another droplet at a timing at which landing interference will not occur, during the curing process which progresses from the surface of the ink droplet to the inner side thereof. However, this timing varies with different conditions. In Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2004-42548, there is no disclosure regarding optimal droplet deposition timing which takes account of the aforementioned point, and it is not possible to achieve both high-speed printing and high-quality printing.


A conveyor system having an inlet, an outlet, and a first endless conveying element having a contact surface and configured to transport at least one object along a transportation path from proximate the inlet to proximate the outlet. Securing means are also provided for securing the at least one object to the contact surface along a secured portion of the transportation path.

For the food industry, as for other industries, plant floor space is at a premium.
Certain types of forming and processing machines discharge their product at well above head-height (often 3 metres or more) above the floor level of the plant. The product typically must be lowered from this height to about waist-height (approximately 1 metre) above floor level for packing into boxes or other shipping containers.
Accordingly, the inventors have recognized a need for an effective conveyor system.


An apparatus includes an occlusion device operable to fit securely in an anatomical passageway within a head of a human. The occlusion device is configured to move unitarily with the head when the occlusion device is installed in the anatomical passageway. The occlusion device is further configured to prevent passage of fluid through the anatomical passageway when the occlusion device is installed in the anatomical passageway. A position sensor is fixedly integrated into the occlusion device. The position sensor generates signals indicating a position of the occlusion device in three-dimensional space, thereby indicating the position of the head in three-dimensional space. A connector communicatively coupled to the position sensor is operable to receive and transmit the signals generated by the position sensor.

In some instances, it may be desirable to dilate an anatomical passageway in a patient. This may include dilation of ostia of paranasal sinuses (e.g., to treat sinusitis), dilation of the larynx, dilation of the Eustachian tube, dilation of other passageways within the ear, nose, or throat, etc. One method of dilating anatomical passageways includes using a guidewire and catheter to position an inflatable balloon within the anatomical passageway, then inflating the balloon with a fluid (e.g., saline) to dilate the anatomical passageway. For instance, the expandable balloon may be positioned within an ostium at a paranasal sinus and then be inflated, to thereby dilate the ostium by remodeling the bone adjacent to the ostium, without requiring incision of the mucosa or removal of any bone. The dilated ostium may then allow for improved drainage from and ventilation of the affected paranasal sinus. A system that may be used to perform such procedures may be provided in accordance with the teachings of U.S. Pub. No. 2011/0004057, entitled "Systems and Methods for Transnasal Dilation of Passageways in the Ear, Nose or Throat," published Jan. 6, 2011, now abandoned, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein.
In addition to or in lieu of dilating ostia of sinuses, it may be desirable in some instances to irrigate the sinuses to flush contents from the sinuses. For instance, it may be desirable to provide such irrigation for therapeutic purposes and/or in order to clear a site before and/or after a sinuplasty procedure as described herein. Sinus irrigation may be performed using an irrigation catheter that is positioned within the sinus. The irrigation catheter may have one or more distally positioned openings that are configured to emit fluid (e.g., saline) as the fluid is communicated through the irrigation catheter. While procedures such as sinus irrigation are performed, it may be desirable to prevent the irrigation fluid and/or flushed debris from traveling down the patient's nasopharynx. This may be attempted using suction devices, occluding devices, and/or other kinds of devices. A variety of devices that may be used to prevent such travel are described in U.S. Pub. No. 2012/0245419, entitled "Devices, Systems and Methods for Diagnosing and Treating Sinusitis and Other Disorders of the Ears, Nose and/or Throat," published Sep. 27, 2012, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 8,905,922 on Dec. 9, 2014, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein.
While an endoscope may be used to provide visualization within an anatomical passageway, it may also be desirable to provide additional visual confirmation of the proper positioning of a dilation catheter or some other instrument before performing an operation with that instrument. This may be done using image-guided surgery (IGS), which is a technique where a computer is used to obtain a real-time correlation of the location of an instrument that has been inserted into a patient's body to a set of preoperatively obtained images (e.g., a CT or MRI scan, 3-D map, etc.) so as to superimpose the current location of the instrument on the preoperatively obtained images. In some IGS procedures, a digital tomographic scan (e.g., CT or MRI, 3-D map, etc.) of the operative field is obtained prior to surgery. A specially programmed computer is then used to convert the digital tomographic scan data into a digital map. During surgery, special instruments having sensors (e.g., electromagnetic coils that emit electromagnetic fields and/or are responsive to externally generated electromagnetic fields) mounted thereon are used to perform the procedure while the sensors send data to the computer indicating the current position of each surgical instrument. The computer correlates the data it receives from the instrument-mounted sensors with the digital map that was created from the preoperative tomographic scan. The tomographic scan images are displayed on a video monitor along with an indicator (e.g., cross hairs or an illuminated dot, etc.) showing the real time position of each surgical instrument relative to the anatomical structures shown in the scan images. In this manner, the surgeon is able to know the precise position of each sensor-equipped instrument by viewing the video monitor even if the surgeon is unable to directly visualize the instrument itself at its current location within the body.
While several systems and methods have been made and used in ENT procedures, it is believed that no one prior to the inventors has made or used the invention described in the appended claims.
The drawings are not intended to be limiting in any way, and it is contemplated that various embodiments of the invention may be carried out in a variety of other ways, including those not necessarily depicted in the drawings. The accompanying drawings incorporated in and forming a part of the specification illustrate several aspects of the present invention, and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention; it being understood, however, that this invention is not limited to the precise arrangements shown.

Posterior nasal packing with integrated sensor as patient tracker


An image reading apparatus includes an apparatus body, a document sheet cover, a magnetic force generating portion, and a magnetic force control portion. The apparatus body has a document placement surface. The document sheet cover is supported by the apparatus body so as to be pivotable between an open position where the document placement surface is uncovered and a closed position where the document placement surface is covered with the document sheet cover. The magnetic force generating portion is able to selectively generate a magnetic attraction force and a magnetic repulsion force between a pair of a permanent magnet and an electromagnet provided in the cover portion and the apparatus body, respectively. The magnetic force control portion switches the magnetic force generating portion between a state where the magnetic force generating portion generates the attraction force and a state where the magnetic force generating portion generates the repulsion force.

The present disclosure relates to an image reading apparatus having a cover portion for covering a document placement surface, and an image forming apparatus including the image reading apparatus.
An image reading apparatus having a cover portion provided above an apparatus body having a document placement surface, and an image forming apparatus including the image reading apparatus, such as a multifunction peripheral, have been well known. Usually, the cover portion is supported so as to be pivotable between an open position and a closed position, at a position on the back surface side of the apparatus body. The open position is a position where the document placement surface is uncovered, and the closed position is a position where the document placement surface is covered with the cover portion.
Before reading of an image of a document sheet is started, a user brings the cover portion to the closed position, with the document sheet being placed on the document placement surface. When the reading is completed, the user brings the cover portion to the open position and then takes the document sheet from the document placement surface.
In an image reading apparatus of a type having an automatic document feeder (ADF) mounted to the cover portion or a type usable for a large-size (e.g., A3 size) document sheet, the cover portion is heavy. In this case, it is difficult for a powerless user to perform the opening/closing operation of the cover portion as described above.
On the other hand, when the thickness of a document sheet is relatively large, the document sheet sometimes cannot be sufficiently pressed by the weight of the cover portion alone. Also when a document sheet has a fold, the document sheet cannot be sufficiently pressed by the weight of the cover portion alone, and a portion of the document sheet may rise up from the document placement surface. Furthermore, if the user fails to pay attention as to whether or not execution of image reading is completed, he/she may open the cover portion during reading of the document sheet. In such a case, it is troublesome for the user to continuously press the cover portion during the image reading while paying attention to completion of the image reading, in order to obtain a clear read image.
An object of the present disclosure is to provide an image reading apparatus capable of enhancing operability and convenience of a cover portion that covers a document placement surface, and an image forming apparatus including the image reading apparatus.

Cover portion of image reading apparatus and image forming apparatus


A tailgate of a motor vehicle has an opening apparatus configured to avoid overshooting during opening of the tailgate. The opening apparatus is connected to a silicone damper to bring about a damping action in the opening direction and a freewheeling action in the closing direction. Additionally, the opening apparatus is configured so that closing of the tailgate and lock actuation are not impeded.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an opening apparatus for a tailgate of a motor vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
DE 10 2011 053 331 A1 discloses an ejection device for a lid of a motor vehicle. The lid can be adjusted by a spring force from a lowered closed position into an open position. Damping elements are arranged in the ejection device and act as both rotational and linear dampers.
It is an object of the invention to provide an opening apparatus for a tailgate of a motor vehicle that suppresses overshooting of the tailgate after opening.

Opening apparatus for a tailgate of a motor vehicle

DR. ING. H.C.F. PORSCHE AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT


A follow-up control system follows up a head of a storage device to a storage medium. A sine wave signal learning section (82) which learns sine wave signals according to follow-up error signals which are input to a feedback control system (80), and performs time lead compensation corresponding to a delay of the feedback system (80), is provided. Since the time lead compensation is used for the sine wave signal learning model which can learn at high-speed, frequency disturbance of high frequency, for which phase lag must be considered, can be a compensation target, and the present invention contributes to the improvement of follow-up accuracy of the storage device.

Increasing the storage capacity of a storage device using such a storage medium as an optical disk and magnetic disk is demanded, and for this, the recording density, particularly the track density of the storage medium is increasing remarkably. In such a storage device, the head for reading and/or writing the storage medium must follow up the storage medium at high precision. In an optical disk, for example, focus and track control of the optical beam to the optical disk are required. And to increase the accuracy of the follow-up control system, a disturbance near one or a plurality of specific frequencies deteriorates the follow-up accuracy conspicuously, so a control system for suppressing this effectively is demanded.
For example, in the track follow-up control of an optical disk, the disturbance of a specific frequency may have a dominant negative effect on the track follow-up accuracy. Generally there is a disturbance synchronizing with the rotation of the optical disk, and a disturbance not synchronizing with the rotation. The most conspicuous disturbance synchronizing with rotation is a disturbance due to rotation frequency and an integral multiple of the rotation frequency caused by eccentricity.
It has been shown that such a disturbance can be efficiently compensated by a learning control system synchronizing rotation (e.g. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-339729, U.S. Pat. No. 4,616,276, and the publication "Modern Control Series 4, 'Motion Control', (by Dote and Harashima), published by Corona Ltd.").
In other words, in these learning controls, a low frequency disturbance can be easily compensated when the disturbance frequency is low frequency (e.g. rotation frequency).
For example, the disturbance removal method by learning disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,616,276 and the publication "Modern Control Series 4, 'Motion Control' (by Dote and Harashima), published by Corona Ltd." will be described with reference to FIG. 27 and FIG. 28.
This disturbance removal method is to express the model of a signal (unknown) for compensating frequency disturbance to be a problem by a composite representation of sin and cos, and to adaptively identify the amplitude gain of the respective component of the signal sequentially, thereby sequentially identifying the amplitude and phase of the target frequency disturbance and compensating the target frequency disturbance by feed-forwarding the identification result.
This will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 27(A) and 27(B). When the target is a specific frequency disturbance, the model representing the control signal for compensating disturbance which has the frequency fd [Hz] (hereafter called disturbance compensation signal) is represented with the amplitude A and the phase φ as the following formula (1).Dfd=A×sin(2×π×fd×t+φ)  (1)Also the formula (1) is expanded to the formula (2) by a composite formula of trigonometric functions.
                                                                                Dfd                    =                                                                                A                      ×                                              sin                                                                          (                                                                                2                              ×                              π                              ×                              fd                              ×                              t                                                        +                            ϕ                                                    )                                                                                =                                                                                a                          ×                                                      sin                                                                                (                                                              2                                ×                                π                                ×                                fd                                ×                                t                                                            )                                                                                +                                                                                b                      ×                                              cos                                                                          (                                                      2                            ×                            π                            ×                            fd                            ×                            t                                                    )                                                                                Here                                                                                A                                =                                  (                                                                                a                        ⋀                                                                  2                                        +                                                                  b                        ⋀                                                                  2                                                        )                                            ,                              ϕ                =                                                      tan                                          -                      1                                                                                (                                          b                      /                      a                                        )                                                                                (        2        )
In this way, the control signal is represented by the weighted sum of the sine and cosine functions removing the phase φ. In other words, an arbitrary disturbance compensation signal having the frequency fd [Hz] (that is a disturbance compensation signal having the frequency fd [Hz] which has an arbitrary amplitude A and an arbitrary initial phase φ) can be represented by determining the amplitudes a and b for the sine and cosine functions in formula (2) respectively.
Here the values a and b are obtained on line by a learning rule (also called an adaptive-rule). FIG. 27(A) is a diagram depicting the sine wave signal learning section 100 which learns the amplitude and the phase of an arbitrary sine wave signal having the frequency fd which was input to Xref, and outputs the signal Y where the learned amplitude and phase are copied.
The error e indicates the error between the input signal Xref and the signal Y which was copied by the learning section 100. The sine wave signal learning section 100 updates the values a and b sequentially by inputting the error e, and outputs the latest sine wave signal generation result Y. The values a and b are sequentially updated according to the following learning rule by the formula (3).a(t)=k×sin(2×π×fd×t)×e(t)b(t)=k×cos(2×π×fd×t)×e(t)  (3)And the latest sine wave signal generation result Y is sequentially output by the following formula (4).Y(t)=a(t)×sin(2×π×fd×t)+b(t)×cos(2×π×fd×t)  (4)
As learning progresses and Y (t) becomes equal to Xref (t), the error e (t) becomes "0", the rate of change of the values a and b represented by the formula (3) become zero respectively, and learning converges. The sine wave signal learning section 100 described above has the function to extract sine wave signals, which have a preset specific frequency, out of the input signal, and the functions to integrate and output the sine wave signals.
Therefore in the configuration in FIG. 27(A), specific frequency components which are preset are extracted from the error signals, are integrated and output, and when the error becomes "0", integration stops.
When the present principle is applied to the follow-up control system of the storage device, the sine wave signal learning section 100 is integrated into a normal control system 101, as shown in FIG. 27(B). The sine wave signal learning section 100 extracts a specific frequency component which is preset in the direction to make the error signal "0" concerning the follow-up error signal PES, and integrates and outputs it. Therefore if the sine wave signal learning section 100 is integrated into the control system in this way, the compensation signal is finally output for the specific frequency component, which is preset, after learning. In other words, the influence of the disturbance of that frequency can be removed (suppressed).
In such a prior art, the disturbance of eccentric frequency synchronizing disk rotation, which is a conspicuous frequency disturbance in the tracking control system and the focus control system of a storage disk, such as an optical disk, can be effectively suppressed.
In the case of the learning method according to the above mentioned Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-339729, the rotation cycle is divided into N, and N number of values corresponding to each divided area become the learning target (e.g. divided into 32, and 32 values are learned), so time for converging learning is required after the disk rotates once so that learning is performed for each value, and this learning takes time, however the removal of a disturbance can be executed by a simpler operation. In other words, if a digital processor is used, the remove of a disturbance can be implemented by fewer operation steps.
On the other hand, in the case of the learning control using sin and cos, as in U.S. Pat. No. 4,616,276, and the publication "Modern Control Series 4, 'Motion Control' (by Dote and Harashima), published by Corona Ltd.", the number of parameters to be learned is 2 per frequency (weight with respect to the sine and cosine functions), and as the learning rule in formula (4) shows, the update operation is constantly performed. While in the learning control system of the above mentioned Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-339729, the update operation is performed for N number of parameters only in the corresponding time block of each rotation. Therefore the former learning control using sin and cos allows faster learning than the latter learning control. For example, learning can be converged in a very short time within 1 cycle of a disk rotation. However the computing processing is complicated, so this learning control is not suitable for -processors which processing speed is slow.
Conventional learning control, as seen in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-339729, on the other hand, can suitably support the suppression of frequency component synchronizing rotation which has a certain frequency or less, as shown in FIG. 28, but the learning takes time to suppress the frequency disturbance due to a high frequency which tends to fluctuate (particularly a high frequency disturbance not synchronizing rotation). In other words, in the case of the learning method of Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open-No. 2000-339729, learning takes time, particularly the learning of a high frequency disturbance which tends to fluctuate after seeking, and in the case of the learning method of U.S. Pat. No. 4,616,276 etc., high-speed learning is possible but learning does not converge so easily due to the phase lag of the control system, and it is difficult to suppress high frequency disturbance effectively.
Because of this, for disturbance not synchronizing rotation, a method for suppressing the disturbance by improving the disturbance suppression performance of the feedback control system is used. For frequency disturbance due to a frequency which is somewhat lower than the control band, a sufficient suppression performance is frequently obtained by increasing the degree of the integration compensation of the feedback controller, for example. However, if the disturbance of a specific frequency, which is close to the control band or exceeds the control band, exists conspicuously, it is extremely difficult to suppress the disturbance by a linear feedback controller.
When a desired track follow-up accuracy cannot be achieved due to such a disturbance, all that is possible is to generally investigate the generation source of the disturbance, and to decrease the amplitude of the disturbance itself by improving the design of the mechanism, for example.

Head follow-up control method, head follow-up control device and storage device thereof


A drive axle, in particular an industrial truck drive axle, has an electric motor (2), a differential (4) of a traction drive, which differential is oriented coaxially with the electric motor, and a planetary gear set (3) that is connected between the electric motor (2) and the differential (4). To reduce the effort and expense required to construct the drive axle, the electric motor (2) can be connected in a drive connection by means of a coupling device (5) that is in an operative connection with the planetary gear set (3), with the traction drive, and/or with a work drive. The electric motor (2) can thereby feed a work drive alternatively or in addition to the traction drive.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a drive axle, in particular the drive axle of an industrial truck, with an electric motor, a differential of a traction drive oriented coaxially with the electric motor, and a reduction gear that is connected between the electric motor and the differential.
2. Technical Considerations
DE 102 11 193 A1 describes a drive axle in which, inside a common axle housing, there are a first electric motor for a traction drive and a second electric motor for a hydraulic pump of a work drive. In two of the three exemplary embodiments described in the above-referenced document, downstream of the electric motor of the traction drive are a planetary gear set and a differential. To create the space inside the axle housing required for the second electric motor, there is a bypass gear set connected to the differential. The bypass gear set has two spur gear stages that are at some axial distance from each other, and between which the second electric motor is located, oriented at a right angle to the first electric motor.
The drive axle described in the known reference is preferably provided for use in fork lift trucks. In this case, the second electric motor and the hydraulic pump of the work drive driven by it generate the lifting and tilting movements of a load lifting device.
It is an object of this invention to provide a drive axle of the general type described above but that is easier and more economical to construct.

Drive axle with a work drive that can be driven by the electric motor of a traction drive


A bolt fastener includes a plurality of fixing structures that are arranged radially around a receiving space for a bolt and are axially pivotable, wherein the fixing structures have, in the direction of an axial receiving space for a fastening bolt, engagement faces for engagement with a bolt and have, at diametrically opposite ends, bearing faces with which the fixing structures are supported counter to an outward movement, wherein bearing structures for the bearing faces are also provided, which cooperate in a supporting manner with the bearing faces, wherein the bearing face and bearing structure are dimensioned such that they disengage when the fixing structures are pivoted counter to the insertion direction of the bolt, wherein the radial spacing between the bearing structures and a bolt mounted in the receiving space is smaller than the entire extent of the fixing structures.

In particular in motor vehicles, and also in aircraft, it is common practice to provide fastening bolts on a vehicle body or other bodies, said fastening bolts protruding from the body or the vehicle body and serving to arrange components, assemblies, holders and the like here.
Bolts of this kind are usually bolts with an external contour that allows engagement by a bolt fastener. In the simplest case, a bolt of this kind can have an in particular standardized screw thread, onto which a corresponding counterpart, for example a nut, can be screwed.
Furthermore, it is conventional to push latching elements onto the thread.
In the case of plastics, bolts of this kind can be attached to a surface by adhesive bonding, friction welding or similar processes, and in the case of metal vehicle bodies or bodies, it is conventional to fasten bodies of this kind using the joining methods conventional for metal materials, but in particular via welding.
In particular, elements in motor vehicles are now fastened for example to trim elements using bolts of this kind.
EP 3 444 485 A1 discloses a fastening element and a fastening arrangement, wherein this fastening arrangement is intended to be placed on a fastening bolt that has a fastening bolt head that is pushed through an opening into the device and the undercut of which is then engaged behind in order to effect fastening. In order to keep the fastening under tension, resilient elements are provided.
Furthermore, the prior art discloses fastening in particular trim elements with anchor foot fasteners in holes in vehicle bodies, in particular door trim elements of motor vehicles.
In known fastening mechanisms, fastening has to take place blind, i.e. without each individual fastening element being engaged visibly.


A cutting tool for rotary cutting includes a rotatable basic body and a replaceable cutting part or loose top, which is connectable to the basic body via a male/female coupling, which includes a groove and a male part. The groove is formed in a front end of the basic body and is delimited by a bottom surface and two side surfaces. The male part is insertable into the groove along the axis of rotation and protrudes rearwardly from the loose top. The male part has an end surface and two flank surfaces. In the front part of the basic body a forwardly open slot is formed, which separates two elastically deflectable legs wich clamp the male part in the groove. In either the end surface or the bottom surface a recess is formed for receiving a projection on the other surface. The recess is larger than the projection in order to enable the male part to reciprocate a short distance in the groove, whereby the loose top is self-centering with respect to the axis of rotation.

Cutting tools of the type that makes use of a basic body, as well as a separate, replaceable cutting part, may in practice comprise drilling tools, milling tools, such as end mills or slitting cutters, thread cutters, etc. Usually, the basic body consists of an elongate shaft of a cylindrical basic shape. In modern machine tools, the basic bodies are so sophisticated and expensive that they, for economical reasons, cannot be integrated with the cutting part, which constitutes the wear part of the tool and has a limited service life. In other words, it is profitable to make the actual cutting part in the form of a separate, releasable unit, which by those skilled in the art usually is denominated "loose top", and which can be exchanged after wear, while the expensive basic body can be used for a longer time (usually 10 to 20 exchanges). In practice, the loose top is manufactured entirely or partly from a hard, wear-resistant material, such as cemented carbide or the like, while the basic body is made from a material having greater elasticity, e.g., steel. It should also be pointed out that tools of the kind in question primarily—though not necessarily—are intended for the machining of workpieces of metal.
The development of loose top tools is particularly intense and interesting in the field of drilling. For drilling purposes, either simple drilling machines or multioperation machines are used, which in both cases include a strong and rigidly mounted machine spindle or holder, in which a rear end of the basic body of the cutting tool can be fixed, at the same time as the front end of the basic body is freely available for the mounting and dismounting of the loose tops that should carry out the cutting or chip removing task in the workpieces in question. Under absolutely ideal conditions, not only the geometrical center axis of the basic body, but also the geometrical center axis of the loose top should coincide exactly with the geometrical center axis of the machine spindle, in order to generate a hole having optimum precision in respect of shape as well as position in the workpiece. However, in practice it is difficult to reach an optimum precision, above all because of inevitable tolerances in the interface between the loose top and the basic body, which, as known, are individually manufactured in different operations and from different materials, but also because of various form defects in the basic body as well as the loose top. Therefore, in reality the result will not infrequently be that the drill wobbles when entering a workpiece, i.e., the tip of the loose top is unintentionally located offset from the geometrical center axis of the machine spindle, which determines the geometrical position of the hole to be made. Instead of moving linearly into the workpiece, the tip of the loose top, therefore, initially describes a circling or planetary motion before being stabilized in a linear track of motion that may be located more or less far from the intended track of motion.

Rotatable tool for chip removing machine


A cutting tool (1), and a method of exchanging an interchangeable blade as well as a cutting tool housing, in particular for severing flat and/or strand-form materials. The cutting tool (1) includes a housing (2), at least one interchangeable blade (8) arranged at a holding portion (6) of the housing (2), and a locking member (40) arranged movably on the housing (2) for locking the blade (8) to the housing (2). The housing (2) has first positively locking elements (23, 24, 26, 28) and the locking member (40) has second positively locking elements (42) which jointly lock the blade (8) in a given position to the housing (2).

The invention concerns a cutting tool, in particular for severing flat and/or strand-form materials. The invention further concerns an interchangeable blade in particular for use in a cutting tool of the foregoing kind as well as a cutting tool housing, in particular for use on a cutting tool of the foregoing kind. The invention further concerns a method of changing an interchangeable blade.
Cutting tools of that kind generally have a housing and a blade which is replaceable. The housing serves, on the one hand, to hold the blade and, on the other hand, to grip the cutting tool so that it can be guided with the hand. In principle a distinction can be drawn between two different kinds of cutting tool with interchangeable blades, more specifically on the one hand cutting tools with strip steel blades which for resharpening or resetting have a strip steel blade having a plurality of segments. The blade can be pushed out of the housing and, at the front thereof, individual segments which have become blunt can be separated off so that a sharp blade for cutting purposes is always available. On the other hand, there are also cutting tools which have a non-segmented blade which is replaceable as a whole. Such a cutting tool is disclosed for example in International patent application WO 2012/019589 A2 to the present applicant.
A disadvantage with cutting tools in which only the blade is replaceable as a whole is that the replacement operation is generally time-consuming and can only be performed with the aid of a tool like, for example, a screwdriver.

Cutting tool with interchangeable blade and method for replacing an AC-blade


A flow rate and volume sensor for determining the rate and volume of fluid flowing through an apparatus, such as an apparatus for filtering and/or conditioning and/or purifying fluid, such as water, and for indicating when a predetermined volume of fluid has flowed through the apparatus to, for example, signal when a cartridge filter housed in an apparatus for filtering and/or conditioning and/or purifying fluid should be replaced. In an apparatus for filtering and/or conditioning and/or purifying fluid, such as water, having a pressure vessel, an inlet port formed in the pressure vessel for introducing fluid to the pressure vessel, an outlet port formed in the pressure vessel for discharging fluid from the pressure vessel, and a chamber formed in the pressure vessel between the inlet and outlet ports for holding a cartridge filter, the fluid flow rate and volume sensor comprises an impeller mounted inside the pressure vessel for rotating in response to and at a rate in proportion to fluid flowing through the pressure vessel and past the impeller device, and a sensor device positioned outside the pressure vessel responsive to the impeller device for determining rate and volume of fluid flowing through the pressure vessel and for indicating when a cartridge filter housed in the apparatus for filtering and/or conditioning and/or purifying fluid is to be replaced based upon a determination by the sensor device that a predetermined volume of fluid has flowed through the pressure vessel.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a flow rate and volume sensor for determining the rate and volume of fluid flowing through an apparatus, such as an apparatus for filtering and/or conditioning and/or purifying fluid, such as water, and for indicating when a predetermined volume of fluid has flowed through the apparatus to, for example, signal when a cartridge filter housed in an apparatus for filtering and/or conditioning and/or purifying fluid should be replaced.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Filtration apparatuses and purification apparatuses comprising pressure vessels that hold cartridge filters or the like for filtering and/or conditioning and/or purifying fluid (for example, water) are used in residential drinking water systems, boats, recreational vehicles, aircraft, and vending machines. The cartridge filter, or the like, used in the pressure vessel for filtering and/or conditioning and/or purifying fluid removes contaminants from the fluid as the fluid flows through the cartridge filter, or the like, thereby filtering and/or conditioning and/or purifying the fluid. The cartridge filter, or the like, has a specific lifespan for filtering and/or conditioning and/or purifying fluid, and at the end of the lifespan, the cartridge filter, or the like, should be replaced with a fresh cartridge filter, or the like, in order to continue to effectively remove contaminants from the fluid flowing through the pressure vessel. Failure to replace a cartridge filter, or the like, after the cartridge filter, or the like, has been spent may possibly lead to contaminants not being removed from the fluid by the spent cartridge filter or the like, which may lead to hazardous situations. For example, when the fluid is water, contaminants may remain in the water after passing through the spent cartridge filter, or the like, and when such water having unremoved contaminants therein is consumed, health hazards may occur.
With some filtration apparatuses and purification apparatuses, after a certain amount of fluid has been filtered and/or conditioned and/or purified, the cartridge filter or the like becomes clogged with contaminants and therefore spent. A reduction in or slowing down of the normal flow rate of filtered/conditioned/purified fluid from the filtration apparatus or the purification apparatus indicates that the cartridge filter or the like has become clogged With contaminants and needs to be replaced.
Various attempts have been made to provide an indication for when a cartridge filter or the like should be replaced with a fresh cartridge filter or the like in place of merely waiting for the cartridge filter or the like to become clogged and the flow rate therethrough reduced to an unacceptable rate. For example, a known water filtration apparatus has a flow indicator that senses water flow and indicates that water flow is taking place.
Another known water filtration apparatus senses water flow and assumes a flow rate to calculate an estimated total flow of water through the water purifier. This known water filtration apparatus is complicated and only produces an estimated total flow, which leads to the cartridge filter being replaced prematurely if the actual flow rate used is typically lower than the assumed flow rate and to the cartridge filter being replaced well past the recommended life of the cartridge filter if the actual flow rate is typically higher than the assumed flow rate.
Another known water filtration apparatus uses a timer to determine when it is time to replace the cartridge filter. Because replacement of the cartridge filter is determined by time rather than by usage of the water filtration apparatus, replacement of the cartridge filter may be called for prematurely when the water filtration apparatus is not regularly used or replacement of the cartridge filter may be called for well beyond the recommended life of the cartridge filter when the water filtration apparatus is used a lot.
However, it would be desirable to provide a flow sensor that indicates when a cartridge filter or the like should be replaced based on the actual amount of fluid flow that the cartridge filter or the like has been designed to filter and/or condition and/or purify, rather than a possibly inaccurate estimated amount of fluid flow.

Fluid flow rate and volume sensor, and filtration apparatuses and purification apparatuses having such a sensor


An electro-optical device includes pixels that are provided to correspond to intersections of a plurality of rows of scanning lines and a plurality of pairs of first and second data lines; a scanning line driving circuit that selects the plurality of rows of scanning lines according to a predetermined sequence; and a data line driving circuit that supplies a data signal having a voltage according to a gray-scale level of each of pixels corresponding to the selected scanning line to the first data line, and supplies an inverted data signal obtained by inverting the data signal on the basis of a predetermined potential to the second data line. Each of the pixels has a pixel electrode; a common electrode that faces the pixel electrode; a first transistor that is turned on when a corresponding scanning line is selected to supply the data signal from the first data line to the pixel electrode; and a second transistor that is turned on when another scanning line different from the corresponding scanning line is selected prior to the corresponding scanning line, and supplies the inverted data signal from the second data line to the pixel electrode.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a technology for preventing occurrence of crosstalk.
2. Related Art
An electro-optical device which performs display through an electro-optical change of liquid crystal or the like has a structure in which a pixel having a pixel capacitor and a first transistor is disposed so as to correspond to an insulating intersection between a scanning line and a data line. Among them, the pixel capacitor has a structure in which an electro-optical material is interposed between a pixel electrode provided for each pixel and a common electrode that is opposite to the pixel electrode and has a predetermined voltage in a time-variant manner. In addition, an optical characteristic of the pixel (transmittance and reflectance) varies in accordance with an effective voltage value written in the pixel capacitor. If the scanning line is selected, the corresponding first transistor enters an electrically conductive state (on state) between the data line and the pixel electrode. For this reason, when the scanning line is selected, a voltage according to a gray-scale level is supplied to the data line, so that gray-scale display can be performed for each pixel.
In recent years, with higher definition of a pixel, a period in which one scanning line is selected has become shorter. For this reason, a technology has been proposed in which an additional second transistor is provided, a voltage having the same polarity as a written voltage is written in advance through the second transistor before writing a voltage according to a gray-scale level through the first transistor, and a time required for writing the voltage is reduced (for example, JP-A-4-110891).
However, since the transistor is not completely turned off in a non-selection state of the scanning line (holding period), the voltage written in the pixel capacitor may leak in the data line through the transistor. An amount of leaking voltage varies in accordance with a potential of the data line for the holding period, and the potential of the data line is determined in accordance with display contents corresponding to one column corresponding to the data line in a vertical direction. For this reason, according to a display pattern, an amount of leaking voltage in the pixel may be different for every column. This means that a deviated amount from a target gray-scale level is different from every column. Therefore, even when display is performed with the same gray-scale level, a gray-scale level may be different from every column, thereby lowering a display quality. In addition, this phenomenon is called vertical crosstalk because it is generated in a vertical direction along the data line.

Electro-optical device, method of driving electro-optical device, and electronic apparatus


Systems and methods for surfacing contextually relevant data into the workflow of a third party system are discussed herein. The system implements a near-real-time method of detecting activity corresponding to particular electronic health records associated with particular patients in third-party systems using specifically configured software systems. A cloud-based micro-services architecture is communicably coupled to the third-party systems and is operable to transmit contextually relevant data to the third-party system in response to particular detected activities, such as accessing a patient's electronic health record. The contextually-relevant data is identified by comparing electronic health record data from various third-party systems, each third-party system associated with the particular patient, to determine gaps in the records. The contextually relevant data is transmitted to the third-party system and visually integrated into the third-party system's pre-existing clinical workflow.

In 2009, legislation was enacted establishing the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) to carry out the directives contained in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) and the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, which aimed at incentivizing provider organizations to adopt and implement new healthcare technologies called Electronic Medical Record (EMR) systems to better manage overall patient care as a response to a lack of technology adoption in previous years. As of 2011, Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems, as defined by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) as being required for Meaningful Use (MU) in order for Eligible Providers (EP) to receive incentive payments tied to care coordination, are at last becoming more widely adopted.
Meanwhile, other risk-based incentive programs, focusing on quality outcomes for populations, are gaining traction from an ever-changing landscape of market participants such as private insurance companies seeking to supplement Medicare beneficiary risk mitigation as a response to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) enacted by the federal government on Mar. 23, 2010. As part of this evolution, the U.S. federal government has committed to those privately held insurance companies, in what has come to be known as the Medicare Advantage (MA) program, that if the quality of care improves while the cost of care is lowered all while keeping patient satisfaction levels high (i.e. the Triple AIM), greater incentive payments shall be awarded while Medicare beneficiaries are under their management and control as weighted against a quality rating measurement scale known as the "Five-Star Quality Rating System." The goal of this CMS-defined quality rating system is to measure a Medicare beneficiaries' experience with their health plans and the health care system overall. This recent evolution has driven many private insurance companies to advance their employment of analytic strategies across their networks in an effort to gain greater efficiencies related to chronic care management as well as risk mitigation practices. In turn, the correlation of EHR-generated patient data married to health plan analytic membership data optimizes the opportunity for the ACA to have a greater impact on overall population health outcomes.
In response to these changes in administrative incentive payments, private insurers have positioned themselves to becoming more tightly affiliated with their enrolled members' EPs as they now have a driving force to better balance membership risk to incentive payments, as that ties to both health plan and EP revenues. This has led to the rise of a payment distribution arrangement whereby the insurance plan may share certain incentive payments or savings with partnering clinical entities known as Accountable Care Organizations (ACO) in what has been termed a Medicare Shared Savings Plan (MSSP) created in 2011 by the federal government's Health and Human Services (HHS) division. In these arrangements, the insurance company may incentivize primary care physicians for better communicating the risk of a plan member under their care. This is called a Medicare Risk Adjustment and is a core concept in many risk reduction programs.
In 2015, the most common risk adjustment method used in MA risk reduction programs is a manual chart audit. This audit is typically conducted by a private insurer's employee who has been deployed onsite to capture and collect all the clinical documentation necessary to bolster a private insurer's ability to appropriately assess a member's overall risk such that the member may be categorized into suitable stratified risk panels thereafter. In other cases, providers have lobbied to be allowed to risk adjust their own patients without manual chart audit intervention. However, prior to these events, CMS created what are known as Hierarchical Conditional Codes (HCC) in 2004 to assist private insurers with the risk stratification process when adjusting bundled incentive payments (e.g. capitation payments) for the monetary expenditure of their members/enrollees. Therefore, in order for the providers to get what they have lobbied for, insurance companies may need to find a way to support not only risk identification via an electronic medium, but also empower providers to capture HCC on their own at the time of risk adjustment. To combat this challenge, electronic web portals were developed to enable providers an electronic way of supplying risk adjustment data to health plans in order to qualify for their shared savings incentives. This requires immense documentation of clinical activity external to the provider's workflow, which unfortunately is a time-consuming effort that replicates data that has likely already been captured within an EHR system. Additionally, EHR systems are generally "closed," so the data stored therein cannot be easily accessed.
Therefore, there is a long-felt but unresolved need for a system or method that: a) more efficiently collects and analyzes data by reducing data collection time and replication; b) connects disparate systems via a novel computer architecture; c) improves existing EHR computer systems; and d) interacts seamlessly with provider EHR systems and insurance company data analytics systems to support Medicare risk reduction programs in an effort to improve the overall course of care for patients and better health outcomes for populations.

Systems and methods for surfacing contextually relevant content into the workflow of a third party system via a distributed architecture


A liquid level detection apparatus includes a resistance plate which has a conducting pattern formed on a board, the conducting pattern including a first slide portion, a second slide portion, a plus electrode electrically connected to the first slide portion, and a minus electrode electrically connected to the second slide portion, a float which moves in accordance with a change of a liquid level, a float arm connected to the float, a sliding arm which slides over the resistance plate in accordance with a pivotal movement of the float arm, a plus connection terminal connected to the plus electrode, a minus connection terminal connected to the minus electrode, and a protective layer formed on the plus connection terminal so as to cover the plus connection terminal.

This invention relates to a liquid level detection apparatus, and more particularly to a liquid level detection apparatus capable of detecting a liquid level within a fuel tank of an automobile using as fuel an electrolyte (alcohol) (such as ethanol, methanol, etc.) itself or gasoline containing such electrolyte.
There are known related liquid level sensors as a liquid level detection apparatus for detecting a liquid level of a fuel tank of an automobile, in which a sliding arm is slid over a resistance plate by a float moving upward and downward in accordance with a change in the liquid level, and the liquid level is converted into a potential difference, thereby detecting the liquid level (see, for example, Patent Literature and Patent Literature 2). As shown in FIG. 8, the liquid level sensor 1 disclosed in Patent Literature 1 comprises a frame 2, a float arm 3, an arm holder 4, a contact piece 5, a float 6, a resistance plate 7, and output terminals 8A and 8B.
The float 6 is mounted at one end of the float arm 3, and the other end portion of the float arm 3 is pivotally supported by a bearing portion formed integrally with the frame 2. The contact piece 5 is fixed to the arm holder 4 held on the float arm 3, and in accordance with a pivotal movement of the float arm 3, a contact provided at a distal end of the contact piece 5 is angularly moved in contacted relation to the resistance plate 7. Therefore, the liquid level is converted into a potential difference between the output terminals 8A and 8B, and is outputted. In Patent Literature 1, details of a material, etc., of the output terminals 8A and 8B, as well as an output harness connecting the output terminals 8A and 8B to an external circuit or the like, are not particularly described.
The liquid level detection apparatus disclosed in Patent literature 2 has a detection mechanism similar to that of the liquid level sensor 1 of Patent Literature 1, and includes a terminal and a connector terminal plate for connecting one end of a resistor to an external circuit. The terminal is made of phosphor bronze or beryllium copper, and one end of the terminal is contacted with the one end of the resistor by a resilient (spring) force, and the other end thereof is press-clamped to the connector terminal plate to be electrically connected thereto.    [Patent Literature 1] Japanese Patent No. 3,898,913    [Patent Literature 2] JP-A-9-5145


A space deployable antenna apparatus includes an inflatable antenna configurable between a deflated storage position and an inflated deployed position. The inflatable antenna includes collapsible tubular elements coupled together in fluid communication. The collapsible tubular elements in the deployed position include a longitudinally extending boom tubular element, at least one driven tubular conductive element transverse to the boom tubular element, at least one reflector tubular conductive element transverse to the boom tubular element, and at least one director tubular conductive element transverse to the boom tubular element. A foam dispenser is configured to inject a solidifiable foam into the inflatable antenna to configure to the inflated deployed position.

Deployable antennas are highly desirable in satellite and other space applications. In such applications, it is important for an antenna to be able to fit into a small space, but also be expandable to a fully operational size once orbit has been achieved.
The issue of antenna deployability is especially critical as the size of satellites get smaller. While the sensors and operating electronics of miniaturized satellites can be scaled to extremely small volumes, the wavelengths of the signals used by such miniaturized satellites to communicate do not scale accordingly. Given that the wavelength of a signal determines the size of an antenna used to communicate that signal, antennas for miniaturized satellites still have dimensions similar to those of larger satellites.
One approach for a space deployable antenna is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,791,510 where the antenna includes an inflatable structure, a plane antenna supported by the inflatable structure and a plurality of tensioning cables for supporting the plane antenna with the inflatable structure. When the antenna is initially placed in a satellite that is to be launched, the plane antenna and the inflatable structure are both stored inside a rocket fairing in their rolled or folded states. After the rocket is launched and the antenna is set on its satellite orbit, a gas or a urethane foam is filled into the inflatable structure to deploy the inflatable structure to its shape. The plane antenna, which is in the rolled or folded state, is extended and the tensioning cables pull uniformly on the membrane surface periphery of the plane antenna to extend it into a flat plane without distortions.
Yet another approach for an inflatable antenna is disclosed in U.S. published patent application no. 2014/0028532. The inflatable antenna includes an inflatable dish with a RF reflective main reflector and an opposing RF transparent dish wall. An inflatable RF transparent support member and an RF reflective subreflector extend from the dish wall. When the antenna is inflated, the main reflector and the subreflector oppose each other to reflect RF energy toward each other to form an antenna. A gas or a hardening foam may be used to fill the inflatable antenna.
Even in view of the above described inflatable antennas, there is still a need to reduce the weight of such antennas. For example, the cost/pound to launch a satellite in a low earth orbit (LEO) is about $10,000, whereas the cost/pound for a synchronous orbit is about $20,000. Consequently, any reduction in weight for a spaced based antenna may result in significant cost savings.

Space deployable inflatable antenna apparatus and associated methods


A high pressure liquid containment joint in an apparatus for injecting high pressure liquid into turf. A preferred high pressure liquid containment joint includes an O-ring (72). The high pressure liquid containment joint also includes a cylindrical plug (70). The plug (70) includes a first end and a second end, external threads (71) located between the first and second ends, a shoulder (73) for accepting the O-ring (72) wherein the shoulder (73) is located between the external threads (71) and the second end. The plug (70) also includes a hexhead (75) connected with the first end for accepting rotational force. The high pressure liquid containment joint also includes a high pressure liquid containment vessel for containing high pressure liquid wherein the vessel includes a threaded bore (74) wherein the bore (74) includes internal threads (172) for engaging the external threads (71) and two, smooth machined frusto-conical surfaces (174, 175) for contacting the O-ring. The O-ring (72) and the frusto-conical surfaces (174, 175) form a liquid impermeable barrier when the external threads (71) engage the internal threads (172) and the plug (70) and the O-ring (72) are rotated relative to the threaded bore (74) and wherein the barrier lies between the high pressure liquid and the external and internal threads (71, 172) whereby stresses on the internal threads (172) in the containment vessel are reduced resulting in a reduced chance of structural failure of the containment vessel.

Turf grasses are utilized for functional, recreational and aesthetic purposes, including, but not limited to, the playing surfaces of turf facilities of golf courses, parks, sports fields, cemeteries, highway right-of-ways and industrial and home lawns. Intensive use of a turf area and maintenance operations often result in turf wear and soil compaction. This compaction reduces large, or macro, pore space and total pore space in the soil which in turn reduces water infiltration into the soil, percolation through the soil, and drainage out of the soil; limits exchange of soil gasses, especially soil oxygen, with the atmosphere; and tends to restrict and reduce root growth and development of turf grasses, for example, causing, in some cases, substantial reduction of the root system and often death of deeper roots.
The proper cultivation of turf to enhance drainage, and thereby thorough root growth, and improve the soil-air-water relationship has long been a problem within the industry and a great number of devices have been proposed in the past in an effort to find a solution.
Core cultivation (aerification) is widely utilized as a long term program to alleviate compacted conditions in the soil root zone. Several different types of core cultivation equipment are available commercially. One such type is The Toro Company's Greens Aerator. Core cultivation equipment utilizes vertically operating hollow or solid metal tines which are forcibly driven into the turf to a depth of 21/2 to 3 inches and extract a plug, or core, of the turf which is then deposited on the turf surface of the green. In all instances, the cores are collected and removed from the green and may be dried and used in a mix which is returned to the green to fill the holes. Research has shown that core cultivation creates a serious problem. Repeatedly forcing the metal tines into the turf to a common depth will, over time, create a compacted subsurface layer of soil, sometimes called "plow sole," at a depth about 1 inch deeper than the length of the tines, in other words at about 31/2 to 4 inches below the surface of the turf. Further, the metal tines also tend to glaze the soil and create some compaction along the sides of the coring hole. This subsurface compaction creates two major problems with turf management. First, the compacted layer interferes with proper water movement within the soil, and second, the compacted soil interferes with proper root growth of the turf grasses. In addition to the compaction problem, core cultivation creates another problem--the removal or utilization of the removed turf cores. Present techniques often leave a golf green unplayable for two to three days after treatment. The high pressure liquid containment joint of the present invention is incorporated in an apparatus which will allow immediate turf and subsoil treatment at the time treatment is needed rather than waiting for a convenient time, and thus allows immediate use of the treated turf.
The high pressure liquid containment joint of the present invention is incorporated in a unique apparatus for accomplishing subsoil cultivation which utilizes periodic turf and soil injection of a substantially incompressible liquid, such as water, in a pattern, and at sufficient pressure, to lift and fracture the soil to reduce the compaction, or general density, of the treated area. The apparatus, in utilizing high pressure liquid to cultivate turf, incorporates components for pressurizing and routing the high pressure liquid. The components include a high pressure pump, a pump head incorporating various water passages and check valves, an accumulator for storing pressurized water and a discharge manifold with nozzles. These components incorporate high pressure liquid seals at various joints to contain the high pressure liquid. These high pressure liquid containment joints must have a high degree of structural integrity in an environment with high liquid pressure loads and high frequency pressure spikes while, at the same time, forming a liquid impermeable barrier. Such joints typically incorporate fastening means, such as threads, on the components to be joined, and a resilient sealing member, such as a flexible O-ring, which forms a liquid impermeable barrier when the threaded joint is tightened.
Prior art high pressure liquid containment joints incorporate various combinations of O-rings and threads to form liquid impermeable barriers while maintaining some degree of structural integrity. One prior art high pressure liquid containment joint, e.g., as shown in SAE Standard J514 dated 1980, incorporates an O-ring, a cylindrical plug with external threads located between the two ends of the plug, and an internally threaded containment vessel for accepting the cylindrical plug. When the threaded plug is engaged with the internal threads on the containment vessel and the plug is rotated, the plug is drawn into the containment vessel wherein one end of the plug contacts the high pressure liquid. The O-ring is located between the external threads of the plug and the plug end opposite the high pressure liquid. Accordingly, the high pressure liquid surrounds, contacts and exerts considerable force on the threaded portion of the joint since the high pressure liquid is restrained only by the O-ring, which does not protect the threads from the high pressure liquid. This particular prior art joint incorporates a smooth, tapered seat located just above the internal threads of the containment vessel. The seat is tapered so that the resilient O-ring, which is placed on the plug before the plug is tightened into the internally threaded containment vessel, will slide down and will seat on the smooth tapered surface without crushing or otherwise damaging the O-ring as the plug is tightened. While this particular high pressure liquid containment joint is effective in creating a liquid impermeable barrier, it does subject the threaded portion of the joint to substantially high stresses since the high pressure liquid contacts and surrounds the threads. The threaded portions of the joint, especially the internally threaded area of the containment vessel, are inherently more susceptible to stress induced failures due to the stress concentration factors associated with threads.
Another prior art high pressure liquid containment joint, e.g., as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,817,994, incorporates a resilient O-ring, a cylindrical plug with external threads located between the two ends of the plug, and an internally threaded containment vessel for accepting the cylindrical plug when the externally threaded plug is engaged with the internal threads on the containment vessel. When the threaded portion of the containment vessel, which rotates freely relative to the remainder of the containment vessel, is rotated, the plug is drawn into the containment vessel. In this prior art high pressure liquid containment joint design, the O-ring is located on the flat end face of the plug that contacts a flat sealing surface on the liquid containment vessel. Since the threaded portion of the containment vessel rotates and draws the plug into the remainder of the containment vessel, the plug and the remainder of the containment vessel do not rotate relative to each other. Since the flat end face of the cylindrical plug and the flat sealing surface of the liquid containment vessel do not rotate relative to each other, the O-ring, which nests in a circumferential ring groove on the plug face and which also does not rotate relative to these two surfaces, is not damaged as the plug is drawn into the containment vessel. As the plug is drawn into the vessel, the O-ring contacts the sealing face and a liquid impermeable barrier is formed. Accordingly, the threaded portions of this high pressure liquid containment joint are not exposed to high pressure liquid. The threaded portions of this joint are, therefore, not directly subjected to the high pressure liquid loads, resulting in reduced stress on the threaded portions of the joint. However, as noted above, this joint does require the use of a high pressure containment vessel that incorporates a threaded portion which rotates independently of the remainder of the containment joint.
Another prior art high pressure liquid containment joint, e.g., as shown in Fluid Line Products, Inc.'s Uniport 10K System brochure, incorporates a resilient O-ring, an inner cylindrical plug with two ends, an outer cylinder concentrically surrounding the inner plug wherein the outer cylinder incorporates external threads located between the two ends of the outer cylinder, and wherein the liquid containment joint includes an internally threaded liquid containment vessel for accepting the inner plug and outer cylinder when the externally threaded cylinder is engaged with the internal threads of the containment vessel. The outer cylinder engages the inner plug so as to transfer the axial movement of the outer cylinder to the inner plug without transferring the rotational movement of the outer cylinder to the inner plug. The engagement of the outer cylinder to the inner plug is accomplished by a heat treated pressure ring which seats in an internal groove on the outer cylinder and an external groove on the internal plug, allowing the transmission of axial force between the cylinder and plug but prohibiting rotational force transmission between the two members. The resilient O-ring mounts on the inner plug in a circumferential groove located near the end of the inner plug which extends beyond the outer cylinder. When the outer cylinder, which retains the inner plug, engages the internal threads of the containment vessel and is rotated, the outer cylinder and the inner plug move axially into the containment vessel. The resilient O-ring, which is mounted on the internal plug, engages a smooth, cylindrical seat on the containment vessel as the outer cylinder is rotated and tightened in relation to the containment vessel. Since the O-ring moves only axially but does not rotate since it is mounted on the inner plug, the O-ring seats against the smooth, cylindrical seat in the containment vessel without incurring any substantial damage that would be incurred if the O-ring moved axially and rotationally along the cylindrical seat. The O-ring and the smooth, cylindrical seat seal the high pressure liquid in the containment vessel from the internal threads of the containment vessel and the external threads of the outer cylinder. The threaded portions of this high pressure joint, therefore, are not directly subjected to the high pressure liquid loads, resulting in reduced stress on the threaded portions of the joint. However, as noted above, this joint does require a separate outer cylinder which transmits axial, but not rotational, motion to the plug. This additional component permits the resilient O-ring to seal against the smooth cylindrical surface without subjecting the O-ring to any substantial damage.
The present invention addresses the problems associated with the prior art high pressure liquid containment joints discussed above. In particular, a preferred high pressure liquid containment joint according to the present invention incorporates the fewest possible number of parts while providing a liquid impermeable seal that protects the threads from being contacted by the high pressure liquid which, in turn, results in lower stresses on the threaded portions of the joint. A preferred high pressure liquid containment joint according to the present invention incorporates a plug with a first end and a second end and a liquid sealing element and external threads between the ends of the plug and means for accepting the liquid sealing element between the external threads and the second end and means on the plug for accepting rotational force. A preferred embodiment of the high pressure liquid containment joint of the present invention also incorporates a high pressure liquid containment vessel in fluid communication with a liquid pressurizing means wherein the vessel includes means for accepting the plug, the means including internal threads for engaging the external threads of the plug and means for contacting the liquid sealing element wherein the liquid sealing element and the contacting means form a liquid impermeable barrier when the external threads engage the internal threads and wherein the plug and said O-ring rotate relative to the containment vessel and wherein the barrier lies between the high pressure liquid and the external and internal threads whereby stresses on the internal threads of the containment vessel are reduced resulting in a reduced chance of failure of the containment vessel.

High pressure liquid containment joint for hydraulic aerator


There is described a method for determining the torque applied to a pedal axle (210) under load. The method comprises measuring the strain experienced by the pedal axle (210) as a result of the load, determining the orientation of the load from the strain measurement, determining the magnitude of the load from the strain measurement and determining torque from the orientation and the magnitude. There is also described a method for determining the orientation of a pedal axle (210) under load. The method comprises measuring the strain experienced by the pedal axle (210) as a result of the load and determining the orientation of the load from the strain measurement.

Existing embodiments of bicycle pedal dynamometers incorporate strain gauges in either the pedal body or pedal axle, such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,463,433 (Hull et al).
In order to determine the torque or power applied to a pedal, it is necessary to determine the angular orientation of the applied force. However, in order to establish the angular orientation of the applied force, existing arrangements suffer from the disadvantage of requiring angular position transducers, such as a rotary potentiometer or an electromagnetic/optical encoding transducer. Such arrangements are therefore necessarily bulky, complex and subject to mechanical failure.


A semiconductor device includes a fin-type active region; a gate dielectric layer covering an upper surface and opposite lateral surfaces of the fin-type active region; and a gate line extending on the gate dielectric layer to cover the upper surface and opposite lateral surfaces of the fin-type active region and to cross the fin-type active region. The gate line includes an aluminum (Al) doped metal-containing layer extending to cover the upper surface and opposite lateral surfaces of the fin-type active region to a uniform thickness, and a gap-fill metal layer extending on the Al doped metal-containing layer over the fin-type active region. Related fabrication methods are also described.

The inventive concepts relate to semiconductor devices including transistors, and more particularly, to semiconductor devices including fin-type field effect transistors (FinFET).
As semiconductor devices are becoming more highly integrated, a planar metal oxide semiconductor FET (MOSFET) may be replaced by a FinFET having a channel with a three-dimensional (3D) structure.

Fin-type field effect transistors including aluminum doped metal-containing layer


Methods for auction negotiation support executed by a negotiator agent module are provided. The best bid corresponding to a product/service and a total number of negotiator agent modules placing the best bid are received. It is determined that a bid is placed by a following strategy or an exceeding strategy. The following strategy indicates that, when the received best bid is not equal to the prior bid placed by the negotiator agent module, the negotiator agent module places the bid equal to the received best bid. The exceeding strategy indicates that, when the inverse of the total number of negotiator agent modules placing the best bid is lower than a predetermined threshold, the negotiator agent module places the bid advanced to the received best bid.

The invention relates to negotiation support, and more particularly, to systems and methods of auction negotiation support.
Online auctions are increasingly being used for a variety of trading applications due to their ability to rapidly and automatically determine a winning bidder. Auctions, however, are liable to experience the 'price collision loop' problem, in which two agents give the same bid for a good/service, leading the auctioneer to try and raise the price and try again, leading to the same bid collision. An auctioneer may resolve this problem by randomly selecting a winner, thus, some of the colliding bidders are disqualified. With an increased number of bidders, multiple price collisions may occur between the same pairs of agents with the same preferences often contend for similar goods/services. The occurrence of multiple price collisions creates a need for agent negotiations.

Auction negotiation support systems and methods


A system and method for generating a data set including information with respect to a plurality of data elements utilized by an application program is disclosed. The data set is used to automatically initialize a database of said data elements for use with said application program. The data set is also utilized to automatically generate a set of database maintenance applications providing user interfacing to the database.

It is common today for a business or similar entity to utilize a voice response unit (VRU) in conjunction with a communication system and host information processor system in order to automate responses to client requests for services or information. Typically, a VRU is implemented at a business location as a subsystem interacting with the business'telephone communication system, such as a private branch exchange (PBX), and data processing systems.
The VRU subsystem itself is a processor-based system requiring an operating algorithm, or application, in order to interact with the PBX and data processing host, such as a LAN, according to the entity's desires in response to the user's inputs or data queries. This algorithm is a set of instructions presenting a user interface, or user dialogue, in the form of a call flow.
Typically, the user dialogue is but one component of a VRU application. Presently, to generate this one component, it is not uncommon for a developer to utilize some form of high level scripting tool to define a dialogue presenting the caller's choices, soliciting responses, and data input from callers. The dialogue may also provide for accessing other attached systems to retrieve information or perform some other functions, such as a call completion on behalf of the caller. Additionally, the dialogue may provide for the user to modify or customize the environment by allowing the input of certain parameters, such as a number of voice mailboxes desired, a length of message to record, etcetera.
However, operation of the VRU subsystem to present a desired call dialogue requires manipulation and interaction of a complex set of data elements including: system configuration options, such as system wide and user specific configuration options; system user or subscriber preferences and information; system access information, such as security or feature accessibility; etcetera. These data elements must both be initialized as well as be accessed from time to time, such as from a support system, in order to be maintained
In present systems, data element initialization and maintenance functions are handled as a separate, and very discrete, programming function. For instance, a VRU application that maintains a data base for a set of subscribers, including user preferences, home phone numbers, cellular phone numbers, office phone numbers, etc., typically also includes a set of parameters that describe from a system level (application level) how the application should behave or operate, setting for instance the number of maximum mail boxes per user and algorithms for determining what messages should be forwarded to which mail boxes, etc.
All of the data elements used by the call dialogue must be initialized (create a data fill) upon deployment of the VRU application. Thereafter, the database storing the data elements may be runtime accessed by the VRU application to control the behavior of the application or to provide the data elements required for operation of the application.
Currently, providing user interfaces for database maintenance functions requires a second step of using a database programming language in order to build a separate set of interfaces for the database. Through these interfaces, typically in the form of user interactive input screens, an administrator or user may access the data elements to vary them or initialize them for a particular subscriber.
A problem encountered in present implementations is that changing the VRU application and/or adding new data elements requires a separate discrete programming effort to update the user interfaces to reflect changes in the data elements. Therefore, there is a real problem in synchronization of these user interfaces as changes and modifications are made to the application and/or its data elements. Maintaining this synchronization presently requires a considerable amount of time and effort in order to keep current these data maintenance screens.
Another problem with present implementations is the provision and modification of data element parameters such as data security level, data fill information, or what user has what type of access to a particular data element. For example, there may be a data element, such as the number of mail boxes or the length of a mail box in a voice mail application, which is initially modifiable by a system administrator. If the restriction were to be modified to enable the data element to be user modifiable, on a user by user basis, to be able to change the data element dynamically and to allow for all possible security levels and access methods to that data, a large number of screens would need to be built or modified. As a result, even where the data sets have been varied only slightly with the characteristics of that data, a significant amount of synchronization, and thus parallel programming, is required of present implementations.
A need therefore exists in the art for a system and method for providing data set definitions from information provided to an application creation tool.
A need also exists in the art for a system and method which generates user interfaces suitable for manipulating fill data associated with data sets utilized by an application creation tool.
A further need in the art exists for a system and method for modifying data set definitions when an associated application is modified.
A still further need in the art exists for a system and method for creating and/or modifying user interfaces suitable for manipulating fill data associated with the data sets of a service application as modified.
A need in the art also exists for a system and method providing initial fill data to initialize data sets associated with an application generated by an application creation tool.

Auto definition of data sets and provisioning interfaces for call automation