A composite particulate material for use in anodes of lithium-ion batteries. The particles of the material include a graphite core that has been provided with a surface layer including a non-graphitizable carbonaceous material. The graphite core having an interplanar spacing of at least about 0.346 nm. The method of producing the composite is also disclosed.

(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to lithium ionic batteries and, more particularly, to anode materials for use in rechargeable lithium ionic batteries.
(b) Description of Related Art
As a consequence of the rapid advancements made in microelectronics, the size and weight of portable electronic devices have been significantly reduced. This has spurred the development of many business- and entertainment-related portable electronic devices that require safe, long-life, and high energy density rechargeable batteries.
A battery or voltaic cell generally includes two chemicals or elements with differing electron-attracting capabilities that are immersed in an electrolytic solution and connected to one another through an external circuit. These two chemicals can be referred to as an electrochemical couple. In a zinc-acid cell, for example, the electrochemical couple is a zinc-hydrogen ion couple. The reaction that occurs between an electrochemical couple in a voltaic cell is an oxidation-reduction reaction.
The mechanism by which a battery generates an electric current typically involves the arrangement of chemicals in such a manner that electrons are released from one part of the battery via an oxidation-reduction reaction and made to flow through an external circuit or cell connection to another part of the battery. The element of the battery at which the electrons are released to the aforementioned circuit is called the anode, or the negative electrode. During discharge, oxidation reactions occur at the anode. The element that receives the electrons from the circuit is known as the cathode, or the positive electrode. During discharge, reduction reactions occur at the cathode.
At rest, a voltaic cell exhibits a potential difference (voltage) between its two electrodes that is determined by the amount of chemical energy available when an electron is transferred from one electrode to the other. The current that flows from a cell is determined by the resistance of the total circuit, including that of the cell itself. Further, a voltaic cell has a limited energy content, or capacity, that is generally given in ampere-hours and determined by the quantity of electrons that can be released at the anode and accepted at the cathode. When all of the chemical energy of the cell has been consumed (usually because one of the electrodes has been completely exhausted) the voltage falls to zero and will not recover unless the battery can be recharged. The capacity of the cell is determined by the quantity of active ingredients in the electrode.
There are two major types of voltaic cells, primary batteries and secondary (or "storage") batteries. Primary batteries are constructed so that only a single continuous or intermittent discharge can be obtained. Secondary batteries are constructed so that they can be discharged and then recharged to approximately their original state. Secondary batteries often include several identical voltaic cells.
Of the various types of secondary batteries currently available commercially, the lead-acid type is the most widely used, serving as a power source for the electrical systems of automobiles, for example. The active constituents of a lead-acid battery are sulfuric acid and two sets of plates (electrodes), one containing pure, elemental lead and the other lead dioxide. Each component cell includes several of these plate pairs connected in parallel and is capable of delivering approximately two volts. Therefore, three or six cells are typically connected in series to make a six or twelve volt battery, respectively. During discharge, the plate materials are converted into lead sulphate and the sulfuric acid is depleted. Discharge stops before all component chemicals are exhausted, usually when the acid can no longer physically reach the active materials. Charging the battery by passing a direct current through it reverses the chemical changes described above, displacing the sulphate from the plates and causing a rise in the specific gravity of the sulfuric acid.
Another type of secondary or storage battery is the nickel-cadmium battery, which operates similarly to the lead-acid battery described above, but with different chemical constituents. This type of battery can include a nickel hydroxide cathode and a cadmium anode immersed in an electrolytic solution of potassium hydroxide.
Presently, the most widely used rechargeable batteries are believed to be aqueous solution secondary batteries such as lead-acid, nickel-cadmium and nickel metal-hydride batteries. However, at least partially as a result of their relatively low energy densities, these aqueous solution batteries do not provide sufficiently long battery life.
Prior to approximately 1991, substantial worldwide research and development efforts were dedicated to the development of rechargeable lithium metal-based anode batteries because it appeared such batteries could produce energy densities as high as 150-200 Wh/kg (watt-hours per kilogram). However, it was found that this type of lithium battery could not be produced or manufactured successfully, at least on a commercial scale, because of severe safety problems associated with the metallic lithium anode interface during cycling. Safety problems with such batteries can include the danger of fires and explosions resulting from the lithium metal present therein.
In approximately 1991, Sony Corporation introduced a lithium ion ("Li-ion") battery. The fundamental difference between this battery and the aforementioned lithium metal battery is that the lithium (metal) anode was replaced by an anode made of a carbon material. In this battery, lithium metal need not be present at any time. Rather, lithium ions are dissolved in a non-aqueous electrolytic solution. These lithium ions could be transported back and forth between an intercalation compound cathode (normally containing a lithiated transition metal oxide such as Li.sub.x CoO.sub.2 or LiMn.sub.2 O.sub.4) and a carbon intercalation anode (such as Li.sub.x C.sub.6). In this arrangement, metallic lithium is not plated and stripped in the battery, and the safety of the system was significantly improved. Such batteries are described in Megahed et al., "Rechargeable Nonaqueous Batteries," Interface (Winter 1995); Azuma et al., "Extended Abstracts of Fall Meeting Electrochemical Society of Japan," Oct. 12-13, 1991; von Sacken, "Extended Abstracts, Seventh International Meeting on Lithium Batteries," May 15-20, 1994; and Ozawa et al., "10th International Seminar on Primary and Secondary Battery Technology and Application," March 1993, the respective disclosures of which are hereby incorporated herein in their entirety.
The aforementioned commercial Li-ion battery anode was composed of a non-graphitizable carbon material having a low crystalline property formed by heat-treating an organic material such as a furfural alcohol resin at a relatively low temperature. Non-graphitic carbon materials are generally manufactured with an intermediate temperature heat treatment, for example, about 700.degree. C. to about 1300.degree. C. A Li-ion battery including this non-graphitic carbon anode, a LiCoO.sub.2 cathode, and a liquid electrolyte comprising a propylene carbonate ("PC") solvent has been commercially available since approximately 1991.
Other carbon materials such as graphite, which has a high degree of crystallinity, have been studied as an anode material for Li-ion batteries. Graphite, however, had been considered to be less suitable for the anode because graphite decomposes propylene carbonate, which is the principal solvent used in the aforementioned non-aqueous Li-ion battery. However, it has been found that by replacing PC with ethylene carbonate ("EC") as the principal solvent, the rate of solvent decomposition is small enough to allow for use with natural graphite. Thus, a non-aqueous Li-ion secondary battery which has an anode formed of graphite and a non-aqueous liquid electrolyte using EC as the main solvent has been developed.
Although the solvent decomposition problem of graphite anode batteries has been reduced, the powder grains of graphite typically exhibit a plate-like shape with the shorter dimension along the crystallographic "c" axis (perpendicular to the plates of carbon atoms). This typically gives rise to anisotropic (dependent upon direction) flow properties under shear, so that an anode made of a rolled or pressed foil of graphite powder might exhibit a high degree of preferred orientation, undesirably resulting in particles with a c-axis perpendicular to the electrode surface. Such an orientation has been found to reduce the kinetics of lithium intercalation, since in this case the lithium ions must intercalate into the graphite at the edges of the plate-like structures which are oriented away from the electrolyte-carbon interface.
A graphite anode having a high true density (e.g., greater than 2.1 g/cm.sup.3) and a high intercalation capacity (372 mAh/g) exhibits a high energy density, as well as a relatively flat discharge curve. Therefore, batteries assembled with a graphite anode can provide the advantage of generating little or no energy loss in voltage conversion by an electronic device. However, an anode formed of planar oriented graphite, as described above, can require lithium ions to diffuse longer distances during charge and discharge cycles, and is likely to cause polarization. As a result, if the battery is charged with a relatively high current, an overpotential caused by the slow diffusion rate makes the anode potential more negative than the potential of lithium metal, possibly causing lithium metal to precipitate or plate on the surface of the graphite anode.
Therefore, it would be advantageous to provide an anode material having a relatively high capacity of graphite material in a form that will also have better cycle life than graphite.
Non-graphitic carbon materials typically include numerous disordered areas and some graphite-like crystallites in its particles. The coherence lengths of crystallites (aligned graphite sheets) are in the ranges of about 15-40 angstroms and about 20-100 angstroms for c-axis and a-axis, respectively. Due to the disordered structure, there are many orientations and many diffusion routes, thereby causing the diffusion rate of lithium ions into non-graphitic carbon to be relatively high. The carbon layers of non-graphitic carbons are cross-linked, resulting in a stable structure. A Li-ion battery utilizing a non-graphitic carbon anode shows high current output and less polarization. Even when such a battery is charged at high current densities, with such anodes there is no lithium metal precipitation on the carbon particle surface. Such unique characteristics of non-graphic carbon anode materials make the Li-ion battery advantageous for high charge and discharge currents and excellent rechargeability. These batteries are typically able to endure more than 1000 cycles. However, the lower true density of non-graphitizable carbon (<1.70 g/cm.sup.3), and the lower intercalation capacity of lithium ions into non-graphitic carbon (about 80% of the capacity of graphite) are the major disadvantages of non-graphitic carbon anodes.
To summarize, graphite anodes typically show high energy density and flat voltage discharge characteristics, but poor cycle life and severe capacity decay. Non-graphitic carbon anodes typically have excellent rechargeability and large charge/discharge current capabilities, but low packing density and low energy density.
In order to find a structure that combines the benefits of both graphite and non-graphitic carbons for anode electrode applications, a core-shell structure has been proposed by Isao Kuribayashi et al., "Journal of Power Sources," Vol. 54, pp. 1-5 (1995). The carbonaceous materials disclosed therein have an outer shell made of coke-like carbon and a core composed of graphite or pseudo-graphite. Each powder consists of natural graphite, spherical artificial graphite and pseudo-graphite from heat-treated mesophase-pitch beads, or polyhedral artificial graphite from coal tar, and was coated with pitch-blended phenol resins (modified phenol resins) in a kneader and then heat-treated at up to 1200.degree. C. in a nitrogen gas atmosphere. The distance between graphitic planes or plates in the carbon ("d(002)") of the graphite core and petroleum coke shell were 3.36 and 3.54 angstroms, respectively. The disclosed process utilized mechanical mixing, and the petroleum coke shell from phenol resins was a graphitizable carbon (d(002)=3.54). However, because the mechanically-made coating was not much different from the graphite (as shown by the d spacing), it is understood that the diffusion rate of lithium ions and battery performances could not be significantly improved by means of the disclosed technique.
A method for improving the rechargeability of lithium ion batteries assembled with graphite anodes has also been proposed by Atsuo et al. (European Patent Publication No. 627,777 dated Dec. 7, 1994). In this method, the carbon material for the anode contains both graphite and a non-graphitic carbon material formed of at least one of a non-graphitizable carbon material or a graphitizable carbon material. The graphite has a true density of 2.1 g/cm.sup.3 or greater, an interplanar distance of (002) of less than 0.340 nm, and a c-axis crystallite size of 14 nm or greater. The non-graphitizable carbon material is disclosed as having a true density of 1.70 g/cm.sup.3 or less and an interplanar distance of 0.37 nm or greater. In this disclosure, a graphite powder was formed by grinding natural or artificial graphite. A non-graphitic carbon was produced by grinding and oxidizing petroleum pitch or coal pitch to form a carbon precursor. The carbon precursor was ground and then heat-treated to form a non-graphitizable carbon powder.
The graphite powder and the non-graphitic carbon thus produced were mechanically mixed at various ratios to form concomitant bodies of graphite and non-graphitic carbon material. With the resulting concomitant body used for the anode, a non-aqueous liquid electrolyte secondary Li-ion battery (coin or cylindrical shapes) was produced. By increasing the content of non-graphitic carbon in the whole concomitant body, this document states that polarization values were decreased, and cycling life and battery capacity were increased. However, this composite anode is a mechanical mixture of different graphite powders and different non-graphitic carbons. It is believed that the mechanical mixing process disclosed therein could not ensure the optimum distribution of non-graphitic carbon and graphite powders, particularly on large scales.

Composite carbon materials for lithium ion batteries, and method of producing same


A system and method are provided for distinguishing between a plurality of sources based upon unconstrained acoustic signals captured therefrom. A spectrographic transformation is applied to time-captured segments of acoustic signals to generate a spectral vector for each. A selectively executed sparse decomposition includes in a training system mode simultaneous sparse approximation upon a joint corpus of spectral vectors for a plurality of acoustic signal segments from distinct sources. At least one sparse decomposition is executed for each spectral vector in terms of a representative set of decomposition atoms. Discriminant reduction executes during the training system mode to down-select from the representative set an optimal combination of atoms for cooperatively distinguishing acoustic signals emitted by different distinct sources. Classification is subsequently executed upon the sparse decomposition of an input acoustic signal segment unit to discover a degree of correlation for the input acoustic signal segment relative to each distinct source.

The present invention is directed to a system and method for processing signals for signature detection. More specifically, the system and method are directed to the processing of unconstrained acoustic signals such as audible speech and other sounds emitted by various sources. In certain embodiments and applications, the system and method provide for such processing in context-agnostic manner to distinguish the sources for identification and classification purposes. In certain speech applications, for instance, the subject system and method provide for the identification and classification of speech segments and/or speakers in context-agnostic manner.
Exemplary embodiments of the present invention utilize certain aspects of methods and systems previously disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/748,182, (now U.S. Pat. No. 7,079,986) entitled "Greedy Adaptive Signature Discrimination System and Method" referred to herein as reference [1], as well as certain aspects of methods and systems previously disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/387,034, entitled "System and Method For Acoustic Signature Extraction, Detection, Discrimination, and Localization" referred to herein as reference [2]. This techniques and measures disclosed by these references are collectively and generally referred to herein as [GAD].
Autonomous machine organization of collections of natural speech has proven to be a difficult problem to address. The challenge of selecting a robust feature space is complicated by variations in the words spoken, recording conditions, background noise, etc. Yet the human ear is remarkably adept at recognizing and clustering speakers. Human listeners effortlessly distinguish unknown voices in a recorded conversation and can generally decide if two speech segments come from the same speaker with only a few seconds of exposure. Human listeners can often make this distinction even in cases where they are not natively familiar with the speaker's language or accent.
Both voice recognition and voice-print biometric technologies are comparatively well developed. Hence, many researchers have addressed the problem of sorting natural speech by applying voice recognition to capture key phonemes or words, then attempting to establish a signature for each speaker's pronunciation of these key words. This is a natural approach to engineering a system from component parts; however, it is limited by language, accents, speaking conditions, and probability of hitting key signature words.
Attempts at using these and other technologies to even approach, much less exceed, the human ear's capability to distinguish different speakers from their speech samples alone have proven to be woefully lacking. This is especially so, where the speech samples are unconstrained by any cooperative restrictions, and the speaker is to be distinguished without regard to the language or other substantive content of the speech. There is therefore a need to provide a system and method for use in speech and other applications, whereby the source of unconstrained acoustic signals may be accurately distinguished from those signals in context-agnostic manner.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

System and method for distinguishing source from unconstrained acoustic signals emitted thereby in context agnostic manner


Radio frequency system (250) which includes a first and second sub-assembly (100, 200), each formed of a plurality of layers of conductive material (504, 508, 516) disposed on a substrate (102) and arranged in a stack. The stacked layers form signal processing components (108, 110) and at least one peripheral wall (104, 204) surrounding a walled area (118, 218) of each substrate. The second sub-assembly is positioned on the first sub-assembly with a first walled area of a first substrate aligned with a second walled area of a second substrate.

1. Statement of the Technical Field
The inventive arrangements relate to radio frequency (RF) electronic systems and more particularly to RF systems for microwave and millimeter wave communications which provide excellent performance, ease of manufacture and a small footprint.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many communication systems operate in high frequency bands. For example, communication systems operating at frequencies as high as 300 GHz are known. RF signal processing for these signals requires various components such as filters and switching devices. However, existing arrangements for high frequency (e.g. 10 GHz to 300 GHz) RF systems are known to suffer from certain limitations. For example conventional filters and switching systems designed for such frequencies are often based on thin film technology. Such designs tend to have relatively low power handling capability. Moreover, thin film designs also suffer from performance degradation as frequency increases.
Three-dimensional microstructures can be formed by utilizing sequential build processes. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,012,489 and 7,898,356 describe methods for fabricating coaxial waveguide microstructures. These processes provide an alternative to traditional thin film technology, but also present new design challenges pertaining to their effective utilization for advantageous implementation of various RF devices.

Monolithically integrated RF system and method of making same


A request is received for playback of a package of media files, the package of media files including at least a first set of media files of a first type and a second set of media files of a second type. The first set of media files and the second set of media files are retrieved via a network. The package of media files is provided to a media playback device such that at least some of the first set of media files are played generally simultaneously as at least some of the second set of media files.

Presently, many telecommunications customers receive video content via a content processing device, such as a set top box (STB). Often, such telecommunications customers access a data network for receiving data services, e.g., the Internet, and/or may also operate a network, e.g., a wireless local area network (LAN) for data communications within the customer premises. Further, content processing devices such as STBs are often connected to media playback devices such as high-definition televisions, stereos, and the like that are designed for enhanced playback of many forms of media content, including any combination of images, audio, video, etc.
Telecommunications customers may access a variety of multimedia files, e.g. images, audio, video, etc. through a network for playback through a content processing device such as an STB. Various multimedia files may be appropriate for playback with each other, e.g., a set of image files may be appropriate for playback or accompaniment by one or more audio files. However, telecommunications customers unfortunately at present have no easy and efficient way in which to play different files or sets of files of multimedia content together utilizing any available media playback device, e.g., television sets, stereo receivers, etc., that are connected to content processing devices such as an STB.


An electrosurgical handpiece for accommodating an assortment of different-sized electrodes having hollow shanks and provided with means for supplying suction adjacent the electrode tip for simultaneous removal of liquids or gasses. The handpiece can be fitted with a removable finger switch activator which can also be attached to other objects for the surgeon's convenience. Means for controlling the suction pressure at the electrode tip is also provided.

Electrosurgery is a common procedure for dentists, doctors, and veterinarians. Electrosurgical handpieces are commercially available that will accommodate a wide variety of electrode shapes and sizes, such as needles, blades, scalpels, balls and wire loops. Also, multi-function electrodes are available. For example, the Ellman company makes available a suction coagulator. This is an instrument that can be connected to a source of electrosurgical energy and that provides the electrode in the form of a hollow tube with an exposed tip. By connecting a suction source to the hollow tube, blood and other liquids at the operative field can be drawn out while simultaneously bleeding capillaries can be coagulated electrosurgically. This instrument has limitations, since the electrode is permanently attached to its handle. Thus, if the dentist or doctor desires to change the size or length of the electrode, it is necessary to substitute a new instrument. Another drawback is that this instrument is designed for use with a standard foot activator. There are many practitioners who now prefer finger activators, as it gives them greater tactile feel of the instrument during the procedure. A further limitation is that the degree of suction cannot be controlled.
We are also joint inventors of an electrosurgical adaptor which can be connected to an electrosurgical mainframe and into which can be plugged a finger switch handpiece that can operate the equipment in place of the usual foot switch. See U.S. Pat. No. 4,463,759. This unit is also available from the Ellman Company. While the finger switch handpiece described in this patent and available commercially will receive electrodes of varying shapes and sizes, it does not allow suction to be made available at the electrode tip for combined suction-coagulation. Another drawback is that the finger activator is integral with the handpiece. There may be situations where it would be extremely useful to be able to separate the electrosurgical and the switch functions for the convenience of the surgeon.

Finger switch for electrosurgical handpiece


A positive resist composition comprising: at least one compound selected from a compound capable of generating an acid represented by the formula (I) as defined herein upon irradiation with actinic rays or radiation and a compound capable of generating an acid represented by the following formula (II) upon irradiation with actinic rays or radiation; and a compound capable of generating an acid represented by the formula (III) as defined herein upon irradiation with actinic rays or radiation.

Along with the miniaturization of semiconductor devices, the trend is moving into shorter wavelength of the exposure light source and higher numerical aperture (high NA) of the projection lens. At present, an exposure machine with NA of 0.84 has been developed, where an ArF excimer laser having a wavelength of 193 nm is used as the light source. As commonly well known, these can be expressed by the following formulae:(Resolving power)=k1·(λ/NA)(Focal depth)=±k2·λNA2wherein λ is the wavelength of the exposure light source, NA is the numerical aperture of the projection lens, and k1, and k2 are constants related to the process.
In order to realize still shorter wavelength and higher resolving power, studies are being made on an exposure machine where an F2 excimer laser having a wavelength of 157 nm is used as the light source. However, the lens material used for the exposure apparatus so as to realize shorter wavelength and the material used for the resist are very limited and therefore, it is extremely difficult to stabilize the production cost or quality of the apparatus and materials. This may lead to a failure in procuring the exposure apparatus and the resist each assured of sufficiently high performance and stability within a required time period.
Conventionally, a so-called immersion method of filling a high refractive-index liquid (hereinafter sometimes referred to as an "immersion liquid") between the projection lens and the sample has been known as a technique of increasing the resolving power in an optical microscope.
As for the "effect of immersion", assuming that the wavelength of exposure light in air is λ0, the refractive index of the immersion liquid to air is n, the convergence half-angle of beam is θ and NA0=sinθ , the above-described resolving power and focal depth when immersed can be expressed by the following formulae:(Resolving power)=k1·(λ0/n)/NA0 (Focal depth)=±k2·(λ0/n)/NA02
That is, the effect of immersion is equal to use of an exposure wavelength of 1/n. In other words, in the case of a projection optical system with the same NA, the focal depth can be made n times larger by the immersion. This is effective for all pattern profiles and can be combined with super-resolution techniques such as phase-shift method and modified illumination method which are being studied at present.
Examples of the apparatus where this effect is applied to the transfer of a fine image pattern of a semiconductor device are described in JP-A-57-153433 (the term "JP-A" as used herein means an "unexamined published Japanese patent application") and JP-A-7-220990.
Recent progress of the immersion exposure technique is reported, for example, in SPIE Proc., 4688, 11 (2002), J. Vac. Sci. Tecnol. B, 17 (1999), SPIE Proc., 3999, 2 (2000), JP-A-10-303114 and International Publication No. WO 2004-077158. In the case of using an ArF excimer laser as the light source, in view of safety on handling as well as transmittance and refractive index at 193 nm, pure water (refractive index at 193 nm: 1.44) is considered to be a most promising immersion liquid. In the case of using an F2 excimer laser as the light source, a fluorine-containing solution is being studied in the light of balance between transmittance and refractive index at 157 nm, but those satisfied in view of environmental safety or refractive index have been not yet found out. Considering the degree of immersion effect and the maturity of resist, the immersion exposure technique is expected to be most soon mounted on an ArF exposure machine.
Since the discovery of a resist for a KrF excimer laser (248 nm), an image forming method called chemical amplification is used as the image forming method for a resist so as to compensate the reduction in the sensitivity due to light absorption. The image forming method, for example, using positive chemical amplification is an image forming method where an acid generator in the exposed area decomposes upon exposure to generate an acid, the acid generated is used as a reaction catalyst in the baking after exposure (PEB: post exposure bake) to convert the alkali-insoluble group into an alkali-soluble group, and the exposed area is removed by an alkali developer.
As for the acid generator which is the main constituent component of the chemical amplification-type resist composition, various compounds have been found. For example, JP-A-2004-002252 discloses an onium salt capable of generating a sulfonic acid upon irradiation with radiation.
Also, for example, JP-A-2003-261529, U.S. Patent Application Publication 2003/0148211A, U.S. Pat. No. 5,554,664, JP-A-2002-341539 and JP-A-2002-268223 disclose a photosensitive composition containing a sulfonium or iodonium salt having a bis-sulfonylimide or tris-sulfonylmethide anion.
However, many points still remain unsatisfied, and improvement is demanded with respect to the line edge roughness (LER).
The line edge roughness as used herein means a profile such that the resist edge at the interface between the line pattern and the substrate irregularly fluctuates in the direction perpendicular to the line direction due to the resist characteristics. When this pattern is viewed from right above, the edge gives an uneven appearance (on the order of ±several nm to several tens of nm). This unevenness is transferred by the etching step and when the unevenness is large, failure in electric characteristics is caused and the yield decreases.
On the other hand, it is pointed out that when immersion exposure is applied to the chemical amplification resist, the resist layer comes into contact with the immersion liquid at the exposure, as a result, the resist layer deteriorates or a component adversely affecting the immersion liquid bleeds out from the resist layer. International Publication No. WO 2004-068242 describes a case where when the resist for ArF exposure is dipped in water before and after exposure, the resist performance is changed, and this is indicated as a problem in the immersion exposure.
For example, in the immersion exposure, the line width is known to fluctuate due to time delay between exposure and PEB, and improvement is demanded in this respect.

Positive resist composition and pattern forming method using the same


A fuel supply method for a fuel injection device including a fuel injection unit, comprising: supplying fuel to a first fuel injection member of the fuel injection unit through a first fuel supply passage internally formed in a holding-and-supplying unit holding the fuel injection unit; and supplying fuel to a second fuel injection member of the fuel injection unit through a second fuel supply passage internally formed in the holding-and-supplying unit.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a fuel supply method and a fuel supply system and, more specifically, to a fuel supply method and fuel supply system for supplying fuel in a fuel injection device of a gas turbine so as to achieve low-NOx operation.
2. Description of the Related Art
There has been a demand in recent years for a fuel injection nozzle for combustors, capable of injecting fuel such that the exhaust gas has a low NOx concentration, owing to the recent progressively growing severity of controls concerning NOx emission imposed on aero and industrial combustors. To achieve low-NOx combustion, the fuel injection nozzle is required to inject fuel such that the mean flame temperature is low and temperature distribution in flames is uniform. Fuel must be mixed with a large amount of air to lower the mean flame temperature and to make temperature distribution in flames uniform.
When fuel is jetted by a conventional fuel injection nozzle N having a single fuel passage 101 as shown in FIG. 3, the fuel is mixed in a large amount of air for low-NOx combustion, the spatial distribution of the fuel is liable to occur, and flame temperature is distributed. Such a mode of combustion is undesirable to reduce NOx emission. Although no problem arises in combustion while the combustor is operating in a high power setting, the air-fuel mixture becomes excessively lean and combustion becomes unstable while the combustor is operating in a low-power or middle-power settings.
Unstable combustion that occurs in the low-power setting or middle-power setting may be avoided by an improved fuel injection nozzle obtained by altering the conventional fuel injection nozzle N. The improved fuel injection nozzle has a plurality of series of swirl vanes which are concentrically arranged in different radial positions, and a plurality of series of fuel injection mechanisms which are concentrically arranged in different radial positions. The operation of the fuel injection mechanisms is regulated according to engine power settings, and the amount of air into which the fuel is mixed is regulated for the so-called staging combustion. A fuel injection device provided with such fuel injection mechanisms is under development.
When the plurality of fuel injection mechanisms in different radial positions are used for staging combustion, problems arises in holding the fuel injection mechanisms and in a method of supplying fuel to the fuel injection mechanisms.
For example, if the fuel injection mechanisms are held individually on holding arms and the fuel is supplied through the arms, blockage of the air flow into combustor increases, and the air flowing into a fuel injection unit will be distorted. There is the possibility that joints of the fuel injection mechanisms and the arms are damaged due to difference in thermal expansion between the fuel injection mechanisms and the arms.

Fuel supply method and fuel supply system


A new and distinct cultivar of Poinsettia plant named xe2x80x98Eckalbenoxe2x80x99, characterized by its ball-shaped inflorescences with recurved pale yellow and pink bi-colored flower bracts; recurved dark green-colored leaves; uniform and mounded plant habit; early flowering; and excellent postproduction longevity.

Euphorbia pulcherrima.
The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Poinsettia plant, botanically known as Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd., and hereinafter referred to by the name xe2x80x98Eckalbenoxe2x80x99.
The new Poinsettia a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Encinitas, Calif. The objective of the breeding program is to create new Poinsettia cultivars having flower bracts with desirable colors, uniform plant habit and excellent post-production longevity.
The new Poinsettia is a naturally-occurring whole plant mutation of a unnamed proprietary induced mutation, not patented, that originated by exposing unrooted cuttings of the Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd. cultivar Eckaddis, disclosed in U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No. 09/779,340, to gamma radiation. The new Poinsettia was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single plant within a population of plants of the irradiated selection on or about Mar. 3, 2000, in a controlled environment in Encinitas, Calif.
Asexual reproduction of the new Poinsettia by terminal cuttings taken at Encinitas, Calif., since 2000, has shown that the unique features of this new Poinsettia are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations of asexual reproduction.
The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of xe2x80x98Eckalbenoxe2x80x99. These characteristics in combination distinguish xe2x80x98Eckalbenoxe2x80x99 as a new and distinct cultivar:
1. Ball-shaped inflorescences with recurved pale yellow and pink bi-colored flower bracts.
2. Recurved dark green-colored leaves.
3. Uniform and mounded plant habit.
4. Early flowering; natural season flower maturity date is December 1 for plants grown in Encinitas, Calif.; response time, about 9.5 weeks.
5. Excellent post-production longevity.
Plants of the new Poinsettia can be compared to plants of the cultivar Eckaddis. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Encinitas, Calif., plants of the new Poinsettia differed primarily from plants of the cultivar Eckaddis in flower bract color as plants of the cultivar Eckaddis have solid dark pink-colored flower bracts.
Plants of the new Poinsettia can also be compared to plants of the cultivar Windark, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 12,546. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Encinitas, Calif., plants of the new Poinsettia differed primarily from plants of the cultivar Windark in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Poinsettia were slightly taller than plants of the cultivar Windark.
2. Plants of the new Poinsettia had longer leaves than plants of the cultivar Windark.
3. Leaf and flower bract petioles of plants of the new Poinsettia were green in color whereas leaf and flower bract petioles of plants of the cultivar Windark were red in color.
4. Inflorescences of plants of the new Poinsettia were more rounded than inflorescences of plants of the cultivar Windark.
5. Flower bracts of plants of the new Poinsettia were pale yellow and pink bi-colored whereas flower bracts of plants of the cultivar Windark were solid red-colored.


An engineering drawing plotter includes a feed roller for moving paper lengthwise bidirectionally with respect to one or more plotting pens. A counter installed on the plotter includes a pulse switch for measuring absolute lengthwise paper displacement, a direction transducer for determining paper movement direction, and a counter responsive to the measuring device and direction indicating device, for determining and displaying cumulative net paper displacement.

This invention relates to the art of measurement and more particularly to a sheet length counter for measuring paper usage in an engineering drawing plotter or other machine having bidirectional paper movement.
It is important to be able to monitor the usage of an engineering drawing plotter, so that media usage and machine wear and tear can be accurately evaluated. Plotters pose two difficult problems.
First, the drawing papers may be of different lengths. Just counting copies does not accurately measure use. Prior counters measured machine and media use in terms of copies made. They were accurate only when material of a known standard size was used.
Second, in plotters, the paper moves backwards and forward with respect to stationary pens. A simple pulse generator, which produces a series of pulses, one every unit of sheet length, cannot distinguish between the two directions. Use of such a counter without correction for paper direction would produce a grossly distorted paper usage report.


A paper guide adjusting mechanism of an office machine includes a main body, a plurality of elastic elements, a transmission member, a plurality of fixing elements and a pressing plate. The main body includes a plurality of confining elements, which have respective recess structures. The transmission member includes a roller axle and a plurality of rollers, wherein the roller axle is partially received in the recess structures and the rollers are sheathed around the roller axle. The fixing elements are disposed in respective recess structures of the confining elements, wherein each fixing element has a base and the base has a first surface sustained against a corresponding elastic element and a second surface sustained against the roller axle. The pressing plate is sustained against the elastic elements.

With increasing power of personal computers, a diversity of office machines can be employed with the personal computers to achieve various purposes. The diverse office machines, however, occupy lots of space. A multifunction peripheral having multiple functions in one structural unit, for example the functions of a printer, a scanner, a fax machine and/or a copy machine, is thus developed. As a consequence, the processing capability of the multifunction peripheral is increased and the operative space thereof is reduced.
Nowadays, the printer, a scanner, a fax machine, a copy machine or the multifunction peripheral usually has an automatic document feeder for successively and continuously feeding many paper sheets. After a stack of papers to be scanned are placed on the sheet input tray of the automatic document feeder, the sheet-feeding mechanism of the automatic document feeder will successively transport the paper sheets into the inner portion of the office machine so as to implement associated operations such as scanning, faxing, scanning operations and the like.
Referring to FIG. 1, a schematic cross-sectional view of a conventional automatic document feeder for use with an office machine is illustrated. The automatic document feeder 10 of FIG. 1 principally includes a casing 11, a paper-feeding mechanism 12, a transfer module 13, an ejection module 14, a paper input tray 15 and a paper ejecting tray 16. After a stack of paper sheets 151 to be scanned are placed on the paper input tray 15, the paper-feeding mechanism 12 may successively pick the uppermost paper sheets one by one into the passageway within the automatic document feeder 10. In addition, the pick-up module 12 has a stopping plate 121, which is sustained against the front edges of the stack of paper sheets 151, for facilitating smoothly transporting the paper sheets 151 into the paper feeding port. The office machine further includes an image processing module 3 and a glass platform 4 under the automatic document feeder 10.
After a stack of paper sheets 151 to be scanned are placed on the paper input tray 15, the paper-feeding mechanism 12 may successively pick the uppermost paper sheets one by one into the passageway within the automatic document feeder 10. Next, the paper sheet 151 is transported through the transfer channel 133 by the paper guide members 131 and 132 of the transfer module 13. Once the paper sheet 151 is transported across the glass platform 4, a first side of the paper sheet 151 is scanned by the image processing module 3. The paper sheet 151 whose first side has been scanned is then ejected to the paper ejecting tray 16 by the ejection module 14. For a purpose of performing a duplex scanning operation, the transfer module 13 further includes an inverting member 134 adjacent to the ejection module 14. After the first side of the paper sheet 151 has been scanned and a majority of the paper sheet 151 is ejected to the paper ejecting tray 16, the paper sheet 151 is turned over by the inverting member 134 and then fed into the passageway. Next, the paper sheet 151 is transported through the transfer channel 133 by the paper guide members 131 and 132 of the transfer module 13. Once the paper sheet 151 is transported across the glass platform 4, a second side of the paper sheet 151 is scanned by the image processing module 3.
Referring to FIGS. 2(a) and 2(b), schematic cross-sectional views of the paper guide member 131 of the transfer module 13 are illustrated. The paper guide member 131 includes a pressing plate 1311, a plurality of springs 1312, a plurality of rollers 1313 and a roller axle 1314. The rollers 1313 are sheathed around and secured to the roller axle 1314. For each roller 1313, two springs 1312 are respectively arranged at bilateral sides thereof. A first end of the spring 1312 is sustained against the roller axle 1314. A second end of the spring 1312 is sustained against the pressing plate 1311. During the rollers 1313 are rotated to guide and transport the paper sheet 151, the roller axle 1314 is rotated with the rollers 1313 in the same direction. Since the diameter of the roller 1313 is greater than that of the roller axle 1314, the center of the roller axle 1314 will be shifted when the rollers 1313 are rotated. For example, when the rollers 1313 are rotated in the anti-clockwise direction, the center of the roller axle 1314 may be shifted from the position A as shown in FIG. 2(a) to the left position B as shown in FIG. 2(b). Since the spring 1312 is sustained against the roller axle 1314, the contact surface of the roller axle 1314 is arc-shaped. Due to the arc-shaped contact surface of the roller axle 1314, the spring 1312 is readily aslant if the force exerted thereon is not even. Under this circumstance, the forces exerted on bilateral sides of the roller 1313 are also uneven and thus the paper sheet 151 is usually aslant upon being guided by the paper guide member 131.
Especially when a duplex scanning operation or a double-side printing operation is performed, the paper sheet 151 is turned over by the inverting member 134 and then fed into the passageway. Next, the paper sheet 151 is transported through the transfer channel 133 by the transfer module 13. If no additional means is used to correct the aslant paper sheet 151, the image quality of the paper sheet after scanned by the reading line of the image processing module 3 is reduced.
In views of the above-described disadvantages resulted from the conventional mechanism, the applicant keeps on carving unflaggingly to develop a paper guide adjusting mechanism and an office machine using such a mechanism according to the present invention through wholehearted experience and research.

Paper guide adjusting mechanism and office machine using such mechanism


Each cell area within a mobile telecommunications service area is categorized in accordance with its associated terrestrial conditions and irregularities. As an illustration, each cell area is categorized as either a urban, suburban or rural area. Data indicative of the assigned category are then broadcast over a control channel to all mobile stations currently traveling within the respective cell area. The mobile stations then utilize the received data to determine appropriate air-interface settings and parameters and effectuate location adaptive air-interfaces with a serving mobile telecommunications network.

1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mobile telecommunications system and, in particular, to location dependent adaptive air-interface behavior associated with a mobile station within such a system.
2. Description of Related Art
An "air-interface" or "radio-interface" provides the connection between a mobile station traveling within a particular cell area and a base transceiver station (BTS) providing radio coverage for that particular service area. Within both analog and digital communications systems, several natural and man-made terrestrial conditions influence the performance and the quality associated with a particular air-interface effectuated for a mobile station traveling within a particular geographic area. Such terrestrial conditions include surface irregularities, line-of-sight obstacles, buildings, trees, and mountainous areas.
A mobile service provider initially performs a cell planning or designing to define an appropriate cell layout or plan to cover a particular geographic area and to situate a plurality of base transceiver stations or antennas at particular locations to achieve maximum communication coverage and/or quality. As a result, each cell site or cell layout is planned with the consideration and evaluation of associated terrestrial conditions and obstacles.
While establishing an air-interface with a serving BTS or base station controller (BSC), the mobile station initially utilizes network provided parameters or settings. Such settings are provided by the serving mobile telecommunications network before the mobile station effectuates an air-interface. As an air-interface is maintained between a serving BTS and a particular mobile station, in order to provide an acceptable communication quality, the mobile station and/or the serving BTS continuously reports and measures the relevant data or parameters associated with the resulting air-interface to properly adjust and to switch the communications channel effectuated therebetween. Such adjustments include, for example, frequency hopping, and power output adjustments.
However, there are certain parameters or settings utilized by the mobile station that are not dynamically controllable by the serving mobile telecommunications network. For example, a mobile station is typically associated with a factory defined data sensitivity level. The data sensitivity level is utilized by the mobile station to recognize and to select a proper communication channel to effectuate an air-interface. As a result, in case a mobile station is set with a too high sensitivity level, the mobile station ignores or is unable to locate a channel while traveling within a low powered cell area (e.g., rural area, indoor area). However, if the mobile station is set with a too low sensitivity level, in case the mobile station is traveling within a urban area, too many inappropriate channels are detected by the mobile station.
As a result, since mobile station associated air-interface settings or parameters are fixed, a mobile station traveling from one service area to another service area cannot change its air-interface settings and parameters to advantageously adapt to changing terrestrial conditions.
Accordingly, there is a need for a mechanism to enable a mobile station to automatically and dynamically change its air-interface settings or parameters to conform to a service area associated thereto.

System specified adaptive mobile station behavior within a mobile telecommunications system


A photographing device is provided, including a photographing unit, an image processor which separates an object from a first photographing image obtained by the photographing unit, a display which displays background live view on which the separated object is superimposed, and a controller which obtains a second photographing image corresponding to the background live view when a command to shoot a background is input, and generates a composite image by adding the separated object onto the second photographing image. Accordingly, a composite image may be easily generated.

With the development of electronic technology, various types of electronic apparatuses are mounted in a car and used therein. One of those apparatuses is a navigation device. The navigation device recognizes the current location of a vehicle and guides a user to the path to a destination using map information.
Thus, a user is able to derive the vehicle to the destination according to the guidance of the navigation device. Recently, a navigation device provides not only basic navigation functions but also various functions such as receiving DMB broadcasting and reproducing video and audio files. Such a navigation device may be installed inside a vehicle as a separate device, but also be installed integrally with the vehicle.
Meanwhile, when a user wishes to manipulate a navigation device, he or she needs to watch and touch the screen of the navigation device while driving the car, and thus there is high risk of getting involved with a car accident and actually, there are a lot of car accident taking place due to the above-mentioned problem.
Therefore, a method for preventing the risk of using navigation while deriving and enhancing user convenience at the same time is required.

User terminal, electronic device, and control method thereof


A motion limiting device for hingedly connected storage containers which includes a motion limiting protrusion, an arcuate slot, a rib, and an arcuate groove. The motion limiting protrusion and the rib are abutted and formed in the rear sidewall portion of a first member. The arcuate slot and arcuate groove are correspondingly shaped and formed in the rear sidewall portion of a second member such that the motion limiting protrusion and rib become matingly engaged with the arcuate slot and arcuate groove respectively when the first member and second member are hingedly connected.

1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to a motion limiting device for a storage container. More specifically, this invention relates to a protrusion mated with an arcuate slot on the rear portion of a storage container, which combine to limit the range of motion of the container.
2. Description of the Prior Act
Storage containers for compact disks, mini-disk cartridges, and the like often consist of a base tray and cover, which are hingedly connected at their rear. In order to alleviate the possibility of an object or material, such as promotional material, a compact disk or a mini-disk cartridge, from falling out of the cover of the storage container when the container is in the open position, motion limiting mechanisms have been incorporated into some containers. A preferred range of motion for the cover of such containers has been found to be 180 degrees from the closed to the open position. If the material or object inserted into the cover becomes dislodged, the 180 degree limitation restricts the article to falling within the container.
An example of one such motion limiting mechanism is a base tray with a rear ledge extending horizontally outward from its bottom such that the rear of the cover rests against the ledge when the container is in the completely open position of 180 degrees. This mechanism is sufficient for limiting the range of motion of the cover to 180 degrees. However, this mechanism usually only works well for squared cornered containers and adds to the length of the container. Further, this motion limiting mechanism is predominantly conducive to only 180 degrees because to vary the range of motion of the cover to other angles would cause the container to have a ledge extending outwardly at different angles from the rear bottom of the base tray. This configuration would likely make the container both more cumbersome and less attractive to the eye.
Another motion limiting mechanism is described in the applicant's application Ser. No. 07/929,276 entitled "Storage Container for Mini-Disk Cartridges" which was filed Aug. 13, 1992. As shown in FIGS. 10-13, this mechanism incorporates an arcuate slot 111' formed below a hinged depression or hole 49' in the inner rear side portion of the base tray 55' with a corresponding motion limiting protrusion 112' in the outer rear side portion of the cover 35'. As shown in FIG. 11, the motion limiting protrusion 112' rests within the arcuate slot 111'. Though not shown, the arcuate slot may also be formed above or on either side of the hinged depression. The arc of the arcuate slot may be enlarged or decreased to adapt to varying ranges of motion such that the range of motion of the cover may vary from within 0 to 360 degrees. FIG. 12 shows the placement of the motion limiting protrusion 112' and arcuate slot 111' when the container's cover has rotated 180 degrees, while FIG. 13 illustrates each when the cover has pivoted approximately 30 degrees from the closed position. Further, unlike the base tray with the bottom rear ledge, this mechanism is hidden within the container such that this configuration is less cumbersome and more pleasing to the eye than the base tray ledge motion limiter. However, as the container is increasingly opened and closed and other external pressures are applied to it, the protrusion occasionally tends to crack or break off.


A tire for a two-wheeled motorized vehicle includes a tread joined by two sidewalls to two beads, the tread having first and second elastomer compositions, crown reinforcement, radially inside tread having a crown layer having mutually parallel circumferential reinforcers forming an angle at most equal to 5° to the circumferential direction, a carcass reinforcement, radially inside crown reinforcement, having turnup. Carcass reinforcement includes mutually parallel reinforcers, and wrapped, in each bead, from the inside to the outside of the tire, about bead wire in order to form turnup having free end E2. Carcass reinforcement includes crown portion and lateral portion, crown portion extending axially between first and second ends E2, E′2, E2 and E′2 being symmetric to equatorial plane P of the tire, lateral portion extending symmetrically to equatorial plane P radially towards the inside, from radially outermost end E2 to fourth end E4 disposed at the bead wire.

In what follows, and by convention, the circumferential, axial and radial directions refer respectively to a direction tangential to the tread surface of the tire in the direction of rotation of the tire, to a direction parallel to the axis of rotation of the tire, and to a direction perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the tire. "Radially inside and, respectively, radially outside" means "closer to and, respectively, further away from the axis of rotation of the tire". "Axially inside and, respectively, axially outside" means "closer to and, respectively, further away from the equatorial plane of the tire", the equatorial plane of the tire being the plane passing through the middle of the tread surface of the tire and perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the tire. Angles with respect to the circumferential direction that are mentioned in what follows are not oriented and are given in terms of absolute value.
A tire comprises a tread that is intended to come into contact with the ground via the tread surface and is connected via two sidewalls to two beads that provide the mechanical connection between the tire and the rim on which it is mounted.
A radial tire also comprises a reinforcement comprising a crown reinforcement radially inside the tread and a carcass reinforcement usually radially inside the crown reinforcement.
The crown reinforcement of a radial motorbike tire generally comprises at least one crown layer made up of reinforcers coated in a polymer material of the elastomer type. The reinforcers are usually made of a textile material, such as aramid, but may also be made of metal. Those skilled in the art have proposed various crown reinforcement architectures depending on whether the tire is intended to be mounted on the front or on the rear of the motorbike. However, the crown reinforcement is usually made up of a circumferential crown layer comprising circumferential reinforcers, that is to say reinforcers which form an angle that is substantially zero and at most equal to 5° with the circumferential direction.
The carcass reinforcement of a radial motorbike tire comprises either a carcass layer that forms an angle of 90° plus or minus 5 degrees with the circumferential direction along its entire length, or a plurality of carcass layers that form an angle of greater than 65° with the circumferential direction, with a minimum value achieved at the middle of the tread surface.
A carcass layer is said to have a turnup when it comprises a main part that connects the two beads together and is wrapped, in each bead, from the inside of the tire to the outside around a bead wire so as to form a turnup having a free end. The bead wire is a circumferential reinforcing element, usually made of metal and coated in a generally elastomeric or textile material. In the case of a carcass layer with a turnup, the turnup in each bead anchors the turned-up carcass layer to the bead wire. The portion of bead wire in contact with the turned-up carcass layer contributes, particularly upon inflation, to the reaction by coupling of the tensile loadings in the turned-up carcass layer. This contribution towards reacting the tensile loadings is dependent on the torsional rigidity of the bead wire and on the geometry of the turnup. In instances in which the bead wire has high torsional rigidity, the tensile loadings on inflation are essentially reacted by the bead wire, with the turnup making a secondary contribution. In instances in which the bead wire has a lower torsional rigidity, the tensile loadings are reacted both by coupling with the bead wire and by shear between the turnup and the materials adjacent thereto, this requiring a turnup that is sufficiently long, that is to say the end of which is sufficiently radially distant from the radially innermost point of the bead wire. A turnup is said to be long when the radial distance between its end and the radially innermost point of the bead wire is at least equal to 0.3 times the design section height of the tire as defined by the standards of the European Tire and Rim Technical Organisation or ETRTO.
A carcass layer does not have a turnup when it is made up only of a main part that connects the two beads together without being wrapped around a bead wire. In the case of a carcass layer without a turnup, each of the two end portions of said carcass layer without a turnup may be coupled either with the turnup of at least one turned-up carcass layer or with the main part of at least one turned-up carcass layer. Coupling is understood to mean a region of overlap between the carcass layer without a turnup and a turned-up carcass layer, allowing the tensile loadings to be reacted by shear.
The reinforcers in the main part of a carcass layer with or without a turnup are substantially mutually parallel and form an angle of between 65° and 90° with the circumferential direction.
A first known architecture of a radial tire for mounting at the rear of a motorbike comprises a carcass reinforcement made up of a carcass layer with a turnup and a carcass layer without a turnup, radially inside a crown reinforcement made up of a circumferential crown layer. The carcass layer without a turnup is radially outside the main part of the turned-up carcass layer but radially inside the turnup of the turned-up carcass layer. The turned-up end of the turned-up carcass is radially inside the end of the circumferential crown layer, meaning that there is no overlap between the turnup of the turned-up carcass layer and the circumferential crown layer. The respective reinforcers of the turned-up carcass layer and of the carcass layer without a turnup form, with the circumferential direction, angles that are substantially equal in absolute value, of opposite sign and between 85° and 90°. On account of the coupling between the radial carcass layer and the circumferential crown layer in the crown region of the tire, such an architecture ensures satisfactory stability of the motorbike in a straight line. In a straight line, many motorbikes can achieve speeds in excess of 200 km/h.
A second known architecture of a radial tire for mounting at the rear of a motorbike comprises a carcass reinforcement made up of a carcass layer with a turnup and a carcass layer without a turnup, radially inside a crown reinforcement made up of a circumferential crown layer. The carcass layer without a turnup is radially outside the main part of the turned-up carcass layer but radially inside the turnup of the turned-up carcass layer. The turned-up end of the turned-up carcass is radially inside the end of the circumferential crown layer, meaning that there is no overlap between the turnup of the turned-up carcass layer and the circumferential crown layer. The respective reinforcers of the turned-up carcass layer and of the carcass layer without a turnup form, with the circumferential direction, angles that are substantially equal in absolute value, of opposite sign and between 65° and 85°. On account of the triangulation effect resulting from the criss-crossing of the reinforcers from one carcass layer to the other, particularly in the sidewalls, such an architecture ensures sufficient stability of the motorbike on a curved path. The camber angle of the rear tire, between the equatorial plane of the tire and the plane perpendicular to the ground and tangential to the path, is usually greater than 20° and can range up to 60° on a curved path.

Tire having specified carcass reinforcement for a two-wheeled vehicle

COMPAGNIE GENERALE DES ETABLISSEMENTS MICHELIN


In a system and method for managing repeated lock requests to synchronize an object with a particular thread, each lockable object has a lock datum and each thread can repeatedly request a lock for an object without knowing whether the thread is already synchronized with the object. Associated with each thread are a pair of locking registers and a pair of stack data structures. The registers reference the last object whose lock was acquired by the thread and contain a redundancy count indicating the number of consecutive lock requests for the object. The stack data structures contain references to other objects that are currently synchronized with the thread and an associated redundancy count for each such object. A locking procedure acquires the lock of an object only if a reference to the object is not contained in the registers or the stack data structures. For lock requests on objects that are already synchronized with the thread, the thread's locking registers and stack data structures are updated to reflect the additional lock request. An unlocking procedure releases an object's lock only when all lock requests for the object are relinquished by the thread.

In multiprocessor computer systems, software programs may be executed by threads that are run in parallel on the processors that form the multiprocessor computer system. As a result, a program may be run in parallel on different processors since concurrently running threads may be executing the program simultaneously. Moreover, if a program can be broken down into constituent processes, such computer systems can run the program very quickly since concurrently running threads may execute in parallel the constituent processes. Single processor, multitasking computer systems can also execute multiple threads of execution virtually simultaneously through the use of various resource scheduling mechanisms well known to those skilled in the art of multitasking operating system design.
The programs run on such computer systems are often object oriented. In other words, the threads executing the programs may invoke methods of objects to perform particular functions. However, some methods of some objects may be implemented only one at a time because of hardware or software constraints in the computer system. For example, an object may require access to a shared computer resource, such as an I/O device, that can only handle one access by one thread at a time. Thus, since concurrently running threads may concurrently seek to invoke such an object, the object must be synchronized with only one thread at a time so that only that thread has exclusive use to the object (i.e., only one thread at a time can own a lock on the object).
In the past, various approaches have been used to synchronize an object with a thread. These include the use of synchronization constructs like mutexes, condition variables, and monitors. When using monitors, each monitor identifies the thread that currently owns the object and any threads that are waiting to own the object. However, in the computer systems that employ these monitors there is often a monitor for every synchronizable object. As a result, this approach has the distinct disadvantage of requiring a large amount of memory.
A simple approach to reducing the memory required by these monitors is to allocate a cache of monitors and to perform a hash table lookup on each monitor operation. Such an approach can substantially increase the overhead of monitor operations, and the slow speed of this solution led to the present invention. Moreover, the use of a single-shared hash table in and of itself requires some synchronization among the threads. Contention for this shared resource can result in additional computational overhead.
Another approach to object locking requires only one bit per object. The bit is used as a "semaphore" having two states, "locked" and "unlocked." Two operations are provided on these semaphores: one waits until the bit is in the "unlocked" state and then sets it to the "locked" state, all as one atomic operation; the other resets the bit to the "unlocked" state. This simple approach is of limited use in a processing environment where within a single thread of execution, a procedure makes repeated requests to lock an object that is already synchronized with the thread. Often, it is desirable to write software in a modular fashion where in a single thread of execution many procedures may call one another. For reasons of software reliability and ease of verification, it is also desirable for each procedure to be coded in such a way that it locks any object it needs. Frequently one procedure calls another, and each requires the same particular object to be locked. If each procedure attempts to lock the same object using the simple semaphore procedure, the second attempt will fail because the object is already locked. For this reason, a desirable property of an object locking system is that an object may be locked more than once by the same thread, while other threads are prevented from locking the object until the object is completely unlocked.
It is also a desirable property of an object locking system that frequently occurring operations require few accesses to main memory.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an object locking system in which only one bit per object of memory overhead is imposed, as for the simple semaphore approach, while allowing any one thread to lock the same object more than once. In such a system an object is considered to be unlocked only if the thread has performed as many unlock operations on the object as it has performed lock operations.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a locking system that requires no data structures to be shared among threads for locking purposes other than the one bit per object already mentioned.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an object locking system and method that is computationally efficient in requiring no access to main memory, other than to the one bit of the object, when a requesting thread does not currently hold a lock on any objects and the object for which a lock is being requested is currently unlocked.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an object locking system and method that is computationally efficient in requiring no access to main memory at all when a requesting thread has already locked one or more objects and the object to be locked by the requesting thread is the one that was most recently locked by the requesting thread.
Other general and specific objects of this invention will be apparent and evident from the accompanying drawings and the following description.

System and method for space and time efficient object locking


Various examples are provided for object recognition in video. In one example, among others, a system includes processing circuitry including a processor. The processing circuitry is configured to process a sequence of images to recognize an object in the images, the recognition of the object based upon a hierarchical model. In another example, a method includes determining input data from a plurality of overlapping pixel patches of a video image; determining a plurality of corresponding states based at least in part upon the input data and an over-complete dictionary of filters; and determining a cause based at least in part upon the plurality of corresponding states. The cause may be used to identify an object in the video image.

Humans recognize objects in images with little effort, despite variations in the images resulting from different distances or orientations of the camera. Objects can even be recognized when they are translated or rotated within the image or are partially obstructed from view. Machine recognition of objects in images is significantly more difficult.

Distributive hierarchical model for object recognition in video

UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA RESEARCH FOUNDATION, INC.


A wheel has both wear resistance and heat-crack resistance sufficient for use in a high-speed railway vehicle. The chemical composition of a base steel comprises 0.4 to 0.75 % C, 0.4 to 0.95% Si, 0.6 to 1.2% Mn and less than 0.2% Cr. The wheel has a pearlitic microstructure in a region of at least 50 mm in depth from the tread surface of the wheel. When the tread of the wheel is quenched, a particular cooling process is applied in order to obtain the pearlitic structure.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a railway wheel having excellent wear resistance and heat-crack resistance and to a method of manufacturing such a railway wheel. More particularly, the invention relates to a solid railway wheel having wear resistance and heat-crack resistance which can cope with high speed of an engine, a passenger car, a freight car, and the like and to a method of manufacturing such a railway wheel.
2. Description of Related Art
There are railway wheels (hereinafter, simply referred to wheels) for an engine, a passenger car, a freight car, and the like having different functions, shapes, and so on. Therefore, wheels of different dimensions, shapes, and steels are used for respective purposes. Since the life of each wheel is usually determined by the degree of wear of the tread and the flange face, it is requested to use a steel which basically has high wear resistance for the wheel.
A solid wheel which is not produced by a shrinkage fit or the like is produced by the following method. First, a molten steel prepared to have predetermined chemical composition is cast in steel ingots having a circular shape of a diameter of about 360 to 450 mm in cross section by ingot making process or continuous casting processes. Each steel ingot is cut so as to have the thickness of about 300 to 500 mm and is formed in an almost wheel shape of the product by processes of forging, rolling, piercing, and the like. After that, heat treatment such as quenching and tempering is performed to the rim. Steps of machining and the like are further performed, thereby finishing it as a product.
In the quenching step, as shown in FIG. 7, cooling water is injected from nozzles 3 of a quenching ring 2 arranged so as to surround a rim portion 1 of a circular wheel toward a tread 4 and a region from the tread surface 4 to a depth of few tens mm is quenched. By such a quenching, the metallographic structure of an ordinary steel for a wheel becomes pearlitic structure. The wheel having a pearlitic structured region including the tread is wear-resistant and consequently has sufficient properties as a railway wheel ordinarily used.
However, since the speed of the railway vehicle is being increased in recent years, a change such as an increase in a heat generating amount when the brakes are applied occurs. In association with the change, heat-crack of the wheel, which is not conventionally a big issue, becomes an issue. In the increase in speed of the railway vehicle, the heat-crack resistance of the wheel is an important factor in determining the life of the wheel. The heat-crack of the wheel denotes a phenomenon such that tensile stress occurs on the tread and the flange face of the wheel due to thermal stress caused by heat generated by application of the brakes and cracking takes place by repetitive occurrence of the tensile stress. When the heat-crack occurs, the tread and the flange face of the wheel have to be machined to eliminate a portion in which the cracking occurs. The life of the wheel is consequently shortened. Further, when the heat-crack reaches the limit in length, a serious situation such as fracture of the wheel is caused.
The wheel for the recent high-speed railway vehicle is strongly requested to have both of the following properties at the same time:
A. strong wear resistance PA1 B. strong heat-crack resistance
The wear resistance and the heat-crack resistance are contrary properties of steels of the wheels and are generally incompatible properties. The reasons are as follows. In order to enhance the wear resistance, hardness has to be enhanced as much as possible while keeping the pearlitic metallographic structure of the tread portion as it is. However, when an alloying element for improving hardenability is added to increase the hardness, martensitic structure or bainitic structure is accordingly apt to be formed upon quenching or during use of the wheel. The heat-crack is apt to occur during use, so the heat-crack resistance cannot be satisfied. On the other hand, in order to obtain the heat-crack resistance, it is necessary to change the metallographic structure to the tough pearlitic structure and is necessary to reduce the hardness. In this case, however, sufficient wear resistance cannot be obtained. To satisfy both of the wear resistance and the heat-crack resistance at the same time is basically a difficult subject to be achieved.
Hitherto, when greater importance is attached to the wear resistance, some heat-crack resistance is sacrificed and a medium carbon steel (C: 0.65 to 0.75% by weight) is used. The steel is hard and highly wear-resistant and has a relatively high carbon content. When greater importance is attached to the heat-crack resistance, proof stress and wear resistance are ignored to a certain extent and a tough medium carbon steel (C: 0.45 to 0.55%) having a low carbon content and excellent heat-crack resistance is used.
Meanwhile, the applicant of the present invention have already proposed a steel for a wheel which simultaneously satisfies the two properties, that is, the wear resistance and the heat-crack resistance by choosing a proper chemical composition (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 57-143465). The chemical composition consists of 0.55 to 0.80% by weight C, 0.40 to 1.20% by weight Si, 0.60 to 1.20% by weight Mn, 0.20 to 0.70% by weight Cr, and the rest Fe and other incidental impurities. It is characterized in that the metallographic structure is mainly the pearlitic structure. The Si content of the steel of the wheel lies in a range from 0.4 to 1.2% and the Cr content lies in a range from 0.2 to 0.7% and the contents are high (in case of an ordinary wheel, the Si content is approximately 0.25% and the Cr content is approximately 0.10%). Thermal sensitivity (hardenability) is consequently rather high. Therefore, when heat is much generated when the brakes are applied or the like in a recent high-speed railway vehicle, there is a tendency such that a small quantity of the martensitic structure is formed on the surface layer of the wheel being used. When such a change in metallographic structure occurs, the heat-crack or spalling on the tread occurs or the martensitic structure peels off. Therefore, the life of the wheel is not always satisfactorily long.
When the deformation by wear or heat-crack occurs in the tread portion or the flange portion, the surface layer is removed by machining and the wheel is repeatedly used. In this case, it is desirable from the viewpoint of the life that the metallographic structure and hardness are uniform in the region from the new surface of the condemning limit. In the conventional wheel having a low Si content, since the hardenability is suppressed to obtain the high wear-resistant pearlitic structure, the region in which predetermined hardness is obtained is limited to a region from the tread surface to a relatively shallow point. Consequently, the life of the wheel is not satisfactorily long.
The invention is provided to solve the problems and it is an object of the invention to provide a long-life solid railway wheel and a method of manufacturing such a wheel which simultaneously satisfies both of wear resistance and heat-crack resistance good for use in a high-speed railway vehicle.

Railway wheel and manufacturing method of the railway wheel


Compositions and methods are provided for detecting and measuring DNA-binding proteins. The compositions and methods permit the simultaneous or near-simultaneous detection of multiple DNA-binding proteins in a multiplex or array format, and can be used to generate profiles of DNA binding activity by proteins, specifically, transcription factors. Multiple protein-DNA binding events in a single sample may be detected and quantitated in a high-throughput format.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention provides compositions and methods for profiling transcription factor activity. In particular, the invention provides nucleic acid constructs containing protein binding sites and methods for detecting and measuring the binding of proteins and particularly transcription factors to the binding sites in these constructs.
2. Background and Related Art
Eukaryotes are composed of specialized cell types that are organized into tissues and organs. Regardless of cell type and function, all cells within an individual eukaryotic organism contain the same set of genes referred to as the genome. Differences between cells arise through the differential expression of genes. Expression of individual genes is controlled through the binding of proteins to regulatory sequences of DNA in the genome such as promoters and repressors. Protein binding to such control sequences can cause an increase or decrease in the rate of transcription of a gene. These DNA-binding proteins, called transcription factors, regulate gene transcription and thereby control all of the essential characteristics of a cell including cellular reproduction, development and differentiation, response to environmental stimuli, and tissue homeostasis in normal and disease states. Transcription factors comprise hundreds of specialized proteins that regulate gene expression by either facilitating or inhibiting the enzyme RNA polymerase in the initiation and maintenance of transcription.
The activation or inhibition of regulatory transcription factors occurs as a downstream event in signal transduction cascades that are initiated by perturbations such as a change in the oxidation state of a cell, or the binding of a ligand to its cell surface receptor. In the case of cell surface receptors, a ligand-binding event may trigger signaling cascades that fan out to regulate multiple genes that contribute to biological responses. Cross talk between signal transduction systems also is common, with disparate stimuli utilizing many of the same protein kinases, phosphatases and second messenger systems. Highly refined regulation of biological responses, therefore, occurs as webs of interacting signaling systems involving kinases, phosphatases and second messengers triggered by each stimulus that culminate in qualitatively and/or quantitatively different sets of transcription factor activation. It has been estimated that there are approximately 1000 transcription factors in the human genome that contribute the specificity to regulate the independent expression of approximately 40,000 genes. Consequently, biological responses that are characterized by changes in gene expression may be defined by distinct signatures of transcription factor activation. Transcription factors, therefore, are of significant interest as targets to affect specific individual or global changes in gene expression.
Cell surface receptors have been a primary focus of pharmaceutical research and comprise the majority of therapeutic targets. These receptor-targeted strategies have been successful in treating disease and prolonging life, but most of these therapies suffer from a lack of specificity. In the majority of cases, cell surface receptors are multifunctional. For instance, a given receptor may reside on different cell types, and activate intricate webs of signaling cascades to regulate multiple biological responses. A well-characterized example of the multi-functional nature of receptors is the insulin receptor. Insulin receptors are broadly distributed in diverse tissues and activate multiple second messenger systems to directly affect metabolic responses ranging from glucose homeostasis to lipolysis, platelet aggregation, and more recently, the formation of memory (1–3).
The consequence of a multifunctional role for individual receptors is that many drugs on the market today have detrimental side effects that exact an enormous cost on society and the pharmaceutical industry. The need to better define biological responses to potential therapeutic agents and to more fully understand the nature of potential therapeutic targets has spurred great interest in the development and application of DNA microarrays for comparative gene analysis.
The result of this interest has been many advancements and successes using gene chip technology. By screening tens of thousands of genes on DNA microarrays, patterns or profiles of gene expression comprising up to several hundred genes have been used to diagnose and classify specific diseases (5). Nonetheless, obtaining profiles of gene expression that increase understanding of disease processes has proven difficult in many cases due to the complexity of the diseases.
In these circumstances, profiling transcription factor activity may provide an alternative means to diagnose and classify disease. In contrast to results obtained from gene expression profiling of mRNA, reports have demonstrated that significant qualitative and quantitative differences in transcription factor activation are associated with and may control the expression of disease-associated genes responsible for the onset and progression of infectious diseases, autoimmune, inflammatory, neurological, circulatory (14) and cardiovascular diseases (15,17), obesity (18) and cancer (15,16,19). Transcription factors have been demonstrated to have diagnostic (5) and prognostic (6) applications and have been identified as targets for therapeutic intervention into cancer and inflammatory diseases (4). Unfortunately, progress in transcription factor targeted therapy and transcription-factor based diagnostic and prognostic application has been slow due to the bottleneck that exists for screening large numbers of samples for multiple transcription factors. Currently, no technology is available for the rapid comprehensive profiling of the activity of multiple transcription factors.
Conventional methods of detecting and measuring DNA-binding proteins such as transcription factors include the electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) (24), supershift EMSA (25), and ELISA-based techniques. The EMSA or gel-shift assay provides a simple and rapid method for detecting DNA-binding proteins such as transcription factors, and has been widely used. The assay is based on the observation that complexes of protein and DNA migrate through a non-denaturing polyacrylamide gel more slowly than free DNA fragments or double-stranded oligonucleotides. The EMSA is performed by incubating a purified protein, or a complex mixture of proteins (such as nuclear or whole cell extract preparations), with a labeled DNA fragment containing the putative protein binding site. The reaction products are then analyzed by electrophoresis on a nondenaturing polyacrylamide gel. The specificity of the DNA-binding protein for the putative binding site is established by performing competition experiments using DNA fragments or oligonucleotides containing a binding site for the protein of interest or other unrelated DNA sequences. Gel-shift assays typically use radioactively-labeled DNA probes, but non-radioactive labels such as biotin or fluorescent dyes can also be used. This method is not suited, however, for rapid screening of large numbers of samples or multiple transcription factors simultaneously.
The supershift-EMSA is a complement to the gel shift assay that allows specific identification of the DNA-bound protein using specific antibodies. The supershift-EMSA is performed by incubating a purified protein, or a complex mixture of proteins (such as nuclear or whole cell extract preparations), with a labeled or unlabeled DNA fragment containing the putative protein binding site and an antibody to the putative protein. The reaction products are then analyzed by electrophoresis on a non-denaturing polyacrylamide gel and the DNA-protein-antibody complex can be detected by detecting the label on the DNA or by using an antibody to detect the antibody in the DNA-protein-antibody complex. Again, the specificity of the DNA-binding protein for the putative binding site is established by competition experiments using DNA fragments or oligonucleotides containing a binding site for the protein of interest or other unrelated DNA sequences. The "super-complex" of DNA-protein-antibody has significantly reduced mobility than the DNA-protein complex when subjected to electrophoresis in non-denaturing gels. Although useful for basic research, gel-shift and supershift assays have low sensitivity and very low throughput due to the large amount of handling that must be performed. Furthermore, the gel-shift and supershift assays are not quantitative and can only detect the presence or absence of a particular DNA-binding protein.
Recently, ELISA techniques have become available for detection of known DNA-binding proteins (22). In these ELISA assays, DNA fragments containing a putative protein binding site are bound to a solid phase such as the bottoms of the wells of a 96-well polystyrene plate. The sample containing a purified protein, or a complex mixture of proteins (such as nuclear or whole cell extract preparations) is incubated in the well containing the immobilized DNA fragment containing the putative protein binding site. The well is then washed to remove all non-bound components of the sample, and an antibody specific for the putative bound protein is added. Binding of the antibody is accomplished using standard ELISA techniques with colorimetric, fluorescent, or chemiluminescent detection.
ELISA assays are roughly 10-fold more sensitive than gel-shift assays and can be adapted to high-throughput analysis. However, they suffer a major disadvantage in that the target protein binding sequences must be known, and antibodies must be available to detect the bound protein. Thus, they are limited to studying systems that have already been well-characterized. Furthermore, these assays cannot be multiplexed and, accordingly, the sample volume required to obtain a panel of DNA-binding markers precludes the broad use of this technique for generating DNA-protein binding profiles.
A multiplex transcription factor assay based on a combination of gel shift and DNA chip technology has also been recently described (23). In this assay a nuclear extract is incubated with a pool of biotin-labeled double-stranded oligonucleotides. The protein-bound oligonucleotides are electrophoresed, and the portion that have gel-shifted are excised from the gel and eluted. The sequences of the oligonucleotides are then determined by hybridization to a membrane array. Although this technique is multiplexed and can provide a transcription factor profile, it involves multiple steps and requires many manipulations that must be performed by hand it and therefore is unsuitable for moderate or high-throughput analysis.
It is apparent, therefore, that compositions and methods that permit simultaneous detection of multiple DNA-binding proteins in a multiplex or array format, and that provide profiles of DNA binding activity by proteins, specifically, transcription factors, are greatly to be desired. In particular, it is highly desirable to develop assays that allow detection and measurement of multiple protein-DNA binding events in a single sample.
The present invention therefore provides novel compositions and assay methods that permit specific detection of DNA-binding proteins. In particular, the present invention represents a substantial improvement over the prior art in that it provides a quantitative output without the need for specific antibodies or protein binding reagents. Furthermore, the present invention does not result in the release of a soluble signaling molecule so that detection of DNA-binding proteins can be performed in a solid- or liquid-array format, thereby facilitating the use of signal amplification techniques that cannot be used when a soluble signal is generated.

Multiplex method of detecting sequence-specific DNA binding proteins using detection duplexes comprising unmodified nucleic acid sequences as capture tags