The present invention provides a plasma display device, a luminescent device, and an image display system each having an excellent moving-image quality, a long lifetime, and high performance. The plasma display device has a plasma display panel having at least a pair of substrates, a discharge gas space formed between the pair of substrates, electrodes formed on the respective opposing surfaces of the substrates, and a phosphor layer formed on the surface of one of the pair of substrates in contact with the discharge gas space and a driver circuit for driving the panel via the electrodes. In the plasma display device, the decay time ( 1/10 decay time) of light generated from each of the phosphor layers for providing red, green, and blue emission which compose the phosphor layer is not more than 8 ms. The plasma display device and the luminescent device use a blue phosphor (a divalent europium activated alkali earth silicate phosphor) having high performance under excitation caused by a vacuum UV beam and a low-speed electron beam and a composition represented by the following compositional formula:(Ae)a-c(Ae′)bSixOy:Euc.

The present invention relates to a plasma display device used in a broadcast receiver or for image display, to a luminescent device excited by a rare gas resonance UV beam or a low-speed electron beam, and to an image display system using the display device and the luminescent device.
In recent years, a plasma display device using a plasma display panel (hereinafter simply referred to as PDP) has been mass-produced as a flat-panel display device used in a broadcast receiver or a computer terminal or for image (video) display.
The plasma display device performs color display by causing a phosphor disposed in an extremely small discharge space containing a rare gas in the PDP to emit light by using, as an excitation source, a short-wavelength UV beam (which has a resonance line at 147 nm or 172 nm if xenon is used as the rare gas) generated in the negative glow region of the discharge space.
In the PDP of the plasma display device, the resonance line of a rare gas shorter in wavelength than the resonance line of mercury vapor, which is at 253.7 nm, or the like is used as an excitation source for the phosphor. The short wavelength limit thereof is the wavelength of the resonance line of helium, which is 58. 4 nm.
An exemplary structure of the gas discharge cell is as shown in "Technology & Materials of Color Plasma Display Panel" published by CMC Publishing Co. Ltd. A representative structure thereof is shown in FIG. 9. FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view showing the structure of a typical surface-discharge color plasma display device (PDP). The PDP shown in FIG. 9 is a reflective PDP obtained by bonding a front glass substrate 10 and a rear glass substrate 20, each composed of a glass substrate, to each other in integral relation and forming phosphor layers 24, 25, and 26 in red (R), green (G), and blue (B) colors, respectively, on the rear glass substrate 20.
A pair of sustaining discharge electrodes 11 and 12 are formed in parallel to have a specified distance therebetween on the surface of the front glass substrate 10 opposing the rear glass substrate 20. The pair of sustaining discharge electrodes 11 and 12 are composed of transparent electrodes. Opaque bus electrodes 13 and 14 for compensating for the conductivity of the transparent electrodes are provided in superimposing relation on the sustaining discharge electrodes 11 and 12.
These electrodes 11 to 14 are covered with a dielectric (such as lead glass) layer 15 for AC driving. The dielectric layer 15 is provided with a protection film 16 made of a magnesium oxide (MgO).
Magnesium oxide (MgO), which is high in resistivity for sputtering damage and in secondary electron yield, functions to protect the dielectric layer 15 and lower a discharge initiation voltage.
The rear glass substrate 20 has, on the surface thereof opposing the front glass substrate 10, a group of electrodes consisting of address electrodes 21 which are orthogonal to the pair of sustaining discharge electrodes 11 and 12 on the front glass substrate 10. The address electrodes 21 are covered with a dielectric layer 22. Barrier ribs 23 for separating the address electrodes 21 from each other are provided on the dielectric layer 22 to prevent the expansion of a discharge (define a region for the discharge). The barrier ribs 23 are composed of a low-melting glass and formed with equal spacings to have the same heights and identically configured sidewalls.
The phosphor layers 24, 25, and 26 are coated successively in stripes in such a manner as to cover the groove surfaces between the barrier ribs 23. The formation of the phosphor layers 24, 25, and 26 is performed by coating, on the rear glass substrate 20 having the address electrodes 21, the dielectric layers 22, and the barrier ribs 23 formed thereon, phosphor pastes prepared by mixing phosphor particles forming the phosphor layers 24, 25, and 26 and vehicles by a method such as screen printing and then removing a volatile component therefrom by baking.
A discharge gas (a gas mixture of, e.g., helium, neon, xenon, and the like) is sealed in the discharge space between the front glass substrate 10 and the rear glass substrate 20, though it is not depicted in FIG. 9.
In the PDP, a discharge cell (a unit light-emitting region or a discharge spot) is selected by either one of the sustaining discharge electrodes 11 and 12, e.g., the sustaining discharge electrode 12 and the address electrode 21 and a gas discharge is caused repeatedly in the selected discharge cell through a sustained discharge between the sustaining discharge electrodes 11 and 12.
A vacuum UV beam resulting from the gas discharge excites the phosphor layers in the region so that visible emission is obtained. Color display is obtained by combining emission of each of unit cells having the red, green, and blue phosphor layers 24, 25, and 26 corresponding to the three primary colors.
Color PDPs which have been improved increasingly in performance year after year are replacing direct-view cathode ray tube color televisions. For the PDPs to be widespread as major large-scale televisions for home use as television broadcast receivers, they should have a higher moving-picture quality and a longer lifetime.

Plasma display device, luminescent device and image and information display system using the same


A media hold down and heating assembly of one embodiment of the invention is disclosed that includes a dielectric against which media is positioned, a conductive heating element, and an electrostatic hold down element. The conductive heating element is to conductively heat the media through the dielectric. The electrostatic hold down element is to electrostatically hold down the media against the dielectric.

Inkjet printers have become popular for printing on media, especially when precise printing of color images is needed. For instance, such printers have become popular for printing color image files generated using digital cameras, for printing color copies of business presentations, and so on. An inkjet printer is more generically a fluid-ejection device that ejects fluid, such as ink, onto media, such as paper.
To maintain positioning of the media while fluid is being ejected onto the media, some fluid-ejection devices utilize various hold down elements to keep the media properly in place. Furthermore, to expedite drying of the fluid that has been ejected onto the media, some fluid-ejection devices utilize various heating elements. However, including both a hold down element and a heating element in the same fluid-ejection device can cause the two elements to interfere with one another, such that one or both of the elements may not function correctly or optimally.

Media electrostatic hold down and conductive heating assembly

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


A coupling device is for the reversible establishment of a drive connection between a driving unit (13) of a tool turret and a driven unit (46) of a tool receptacle (36) attached to the tool turret and in which a machining tool is able to be received. In a coupling position, a drive shaft (14) of the driving unit (13) is engaged by way of its external toothing (32) with an internal toothing of a driven shaft (44) of the driven unit (46). For a collision-free orientation of the external toothing (32) with respect to the internal toothing, before coupling, an aligning device is used. The orienting device passes through parts of the driven shaft (44) and has a control on one side for the cooperation with the drive shaft (13) and an aligner that is actuable by the control on the other side. The aligner is securable to the tool receptacle.

DE 10 2009 042 772 A1 discloses a drive device for selectively driving a tool holder disk of a tool turret and at least one machining tool, which is attached to the tool holder disk by a tool holder, which may be driven by two drives that have a common drive device comprising a drive shaft. The drives are connectable with one another via a coupling device that may be controlled by at least one operating device each. The drives have the purpose of driving the tool holder disk or the machining tool. At least the drive device together with the drives are disposed inside the tool holder disk.
In one operating mode of the known coupling device, the drive shaft of the drive unit of the tool turret engages, in one clutch position, its internal gearing with an external gearing of the output shaft of the output unit of the tool holder for rotationally driving a machining tool that was attached for this purpose. Once the machining process has been completed with this particular tool, the clutch is released by disengaging the gearing. Through rotating or swivelling of the tool holder disk with respect to the stationary drive unit of the tool turret, a new tool holder with its tool, which is disposed on the outer circumference of the tool holder disk, can be moved into machining position, for which the coupling device then engages again the gearing of drive shaft and output shaft.
To achieve a collision-free coupling process, it is necessary to align the gearing exactly so that the teeth of the one gearing, such as the external gearing of the output shaft, are able to engage, largely without play, in the spaces between the teeth of the other gearing, in this instance in form of the internal gearing of the drive shaft. To ensure this anti-rotation, locks are used, which are also known in the industry as indexing devices.
An anti-rotation lock of this kind is disclosed in DE 42 28 946 A1 for a spindle head for tool turrets, in which a spindle is rotatably supported. The spindle is disposed on a bushing that is longitudinally moveable but non-rotatable, comprising a locking element. As an anti-rotation lock in its effective operating position, the axial displacement range of the bushing is limited in the one direction through positive locking, and is engaged with a locking element of the housing. Through axial displacement of the bushing against the force of a pre-tensioned spring, the bushing can be disengaged from the locking element of the housing. The surfaces of the locking elements that cooperate in their effective operating position, at least those of the one locking element, are inclined with respect to the axial direction to a degree that excludes self-locking. In this manner, it is possible to limit the torque that can be transferred via the locking elements to a value that prevents damage or destruction. Furthermore, in this manner it is ensured without particular precision that the clutch profile provided on the spindle can be aligned exactly with the profile of the clutch counterpart so that a collision between the profiles, which are usually in form of gear profiles, cannot occur. An anti-rotation lock of this kind or similar is usually attached to the outer circumference of the output shaft of the output unit of every known tool holder.
Although the known coupling devices with anti-rotation lock have proven themselves successfully in practical application, problems can occur if it is desired to transfer a higher machining torque with the drive unit of the tool turret. This limitation is because the highest transferable torque is always limited by the strength of the shaft-hub connection in form of the engaged gears, which is by design necessarily relatively low.


Programmable delay compensation for interfacing transceiver with a micro-controller. The total propagation delay in transmitting a symbol across the transceiver and receiving an echo back from the transceiver is programmed by a user or software. Depending upon the protocol used in interfacing and symbol transmission, the total propagation delay, which is stored in a programmable register, is subtracted from prespecified symbol timings so that when the propagation delay is accounted for, the symbols, when echoed, will in reality, match the timings as prespecified by the protocol, so that successive symbols are timed appropriately.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of micro-controller devices. More specifically, the present invention relates to the protocols used in bussing and networking of micro-controller devices.
2. Description of Related Art
Certain bussing and networking protocols are based upon transmitting time dependent symbols rather than bits. One such protocol, which is used in automotive production vehicles for data-sharing and diagnostics, is the SAE J1850 Standard, published in "Class B Data Communications Network Interface," Rev. May 1994 by the SAE Vehicle Network for Multiplexing and Data Communications Standards Committee. Recently, Intel Corporation released a protocol handler to be integrated onto micro-controller devices for in-vehicle networks. These in-vehicle networks allow for better on-board diagnostics and allow sensors employed within the automobile to share data to eliminate redundant processing and sensing of information. In-vehicle networks are classified as follows according to the rate of data transmission they are capable of: Class A--Less than 10 Kilobits/second, Class B--Between 10 Kilobits/second and 125 Kilobits/second and Class C--Greater than 125 Kilobits/second. The J1850 protocol is of the Class B type of vehicle networks which are used for diagnostic and non-real-time data sharing applications (those not requiring high speed data transmission for on-the-fly vehicle control).
Micro-controllers, which are primarily digital and which employ J1850 and other such serial data transmission protocols can interface with remote transceivers to lower system cost and add flexibility. As a result, micro-controllers must interface with transceivers which convert TTL Level Digital signals to J1850 bus signals and vice versa. When the transceiver converts signals from the micro-controller, an inherent propagation delay adversely affects the timing of the J1850 symbol as detected on the J1850 bus when the micro-controller is transmitting. Likewise, when the micro-controller is receiving signals from the J1850 bus, another propagation delay due to the transceiver converting the J1850 signals to TTL signals, adversely affects the timing of symbols as detected at the input of the micro-controller.
One solution has been to hardwire delay compensation into each transceiver. However, since compensation must be achieved for the timing of specific bus protocols as well as the transceiver itself, such a solution is inadequate. Furthermore, introducing delay compensation into an analog device entails combining analog and digital circuitry in the same manufacturing process which adds to cost, size and complexity of the transceivers. Another solution is to couple delay compensation onto the micro-controller. However, to date, such solutions are based upon fixed delay compensation without regard to the transceiver specifics. This approach fails to account for the ability of the micro-controller to interface to transceivers with wide specification tolerances and with different types and models of transceivers, each with different delay characteristics.
Thus, a flexible approach is needed that can account for the differences in propagation delay from one model of transceiver to the next so that a micro-controller can be reliably interfaced with any transceiver device, and maintain accurate bus symbol timing when transmitting and receiving signals on the J1850 bus.


A dryer unit for a vehicle wash system including an upper head portion with an air inlet. An impeller having a plurality of vanes rotatably disposed adjacent the air inlet. The impeller configured to rotate in a predetermined direction about an axis of rotation to draw air into the upper head portion through the air inlet. A flow channel formed in the upper head portion around a periphery of the impeller. A cut-off portion located adjacent a discharge area of the flow channel. A body portion disposed generally beneath the upper head portion with respect to a direction of fluid flow through the dryer unit. A plurality of outlet nozzle portions integrally formed with the body portion and in fluid communication with the air inlet. The plurality of nozzle portions configured to direct high velocity air flow toward a vehicle treatment area. At least one of the plurality of nozzles being located above the cut-off portion.

Automated systems for washing automotive vehicles have become popular as a way of quickly and efficiently washing a vehicle. The systems have assumed numerous configurations including tunnel-type washes wherein a plurality of wash apparatus are longitudinally aligned for sequential washing of a vehicle that is conveyed therealong. Another common form of automatic system is a gantry-type system wherein the vehicle remains stationary and the wash apparatus is reciprocated back and forth across the vehicle. In a gantry-type wash system, different wash operations are performed in each pass of the apparatus along the length of the vehicle to effectuate the cleaning process.
In any automated wash system, it is desirable to dry the vehicle after it has been washed and rinsed. The conventional systems for drying vehicles consist of multiple air blowers. Such blowers have assumed numerous configurations with the most common blowers being fixed relative to the vehicle to direct air generally horizontally at the sides of the vehicle and downwardly onto the top of the vehicle. As with the washing of the vehicle, the vehicles are moveable relative to the blowers so the drying occurs as the vehicle is relatively moved past the blowers.
Current dryer configurations consist of a large blower unit having a single air inlet and a plurality of air outlets. The blower unit typically includes a plastic housing and generally utilizes an impeller disposed in the air inlet to draw air into the housing. Due to the velocity requirements of existing wash dryer units, the air outlets are all disposed lower than or beneath the impeller unit. The coverage area serviced by existing dryer units is thus limited. To provide a greater coverage area, the dryer unit would need to be made significantly larger, which is undesirable and not practical. Another possible solution to provide sufficient water removal capabilities is to employ additional drying units as part of the wash system. However, this requires significant additional cost or additional conveyor space, which is often not available. Another possible solution includes increasing the velocity at which the dryer units operates. This also increases the cost to operate and the system and yields a significant increase in the noise level, which is undesirable.
As will be appreciated, there is a need for an improved dryer unit for automotive car wash systems that provides increased drying capabilities.


The polishing solution is useful for preferentially removing barrier materials in the presence of nonferrous interconnect metals with limited erosion of dielectrics. The polishing solution comprises 0 to 20 weight percent oxidizer, at least 0.001 weight percent inhibitor for reducing removal rate of the nonferrous interconnect metals, 10 ppb to 4 weight percent complexing agent, 0 to 50 weight percent abrasive and balance water; and the solution having a pH of less than 7.

The invention relates to chemical mechanical planarizing (CMP) formulations for removing barrier metals and, more particularly, to polishing compositions for selectively removing barrier metals in the presence of interconnect structures in integrated circuit devices.
In recent years, the semiconductor industry has increasingly relied upon copper electrical interconnects in forming integrated circuits. These copper interconnects have a low electrical resistivity and a high resistance to electromigration. Since copper is very soluble in many dielectric materials, such as silicon dioxide and low-K or doped versions of silicon dioxide, a diffusion barrier layer is necessary to prevent the diffusion of copper into the underlying dielectric material. Typical barrier materials include, tantalum, tantalum nitride, tantalum-silicon nitrides, titanium, titanium nitrides, titanium-silicon nitrides, titanium-titanium nitrides, titanium-tungsten, tungsten, tungsten nitrides and tungsten-silicon nitrides.
In response to increasing demands for high density integrated circuits, semiconductor producers now fabricate integrated circuits containing multiple overlying layers of metal interconnect structures. During device fabrication, planarizing each interconnect layer improves packing density, process uniformity, product quality and most importantly, enables manufacturing of multiple layer integrated circuits. Semiconductor producers rely upon chemical-mechanical-planarizing (CMP) as a cost effective means of producing flat substrate surfaces. The CMP process is typically carried out in a two-step sequence. First, the polishing process uses a "first-step" slurry specifically designed to rapidly remove copper. For example, Carpio et al., in "Initial Study on Copper CMP Slurry Chemistries" Thin Solid Films, 262 (1995), disclose the use on a 5 weight percent nitric acid solution for efficient copper removal. Similarly, Kondo et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 6,117,775, disclose the use of nitric acid and BTA for copper removal.
After the initial copper removal, a "second-step" slurry removes the barrier material. Typically, second-step slurries require excellent selectivity to remove the barrier material without adversely impacting the physical structure or electrical properties of the interconnect structure.
Because it was traditionally perceived that alkaline polishing slurries have a much higher tantalum and tantalum nitride removal rate than acidic slurries, commercial second-step slurries typically have a neutral-to-basic pH. Another factor pointing to the advantages of neutral to basic pH barrier metal polishing slurries relates to the need to preserve the metal overlying the barrier metal during the second-step polishing. The metal removal rate should be very low to reduce dishing of the metal interconnects.
In acidic slurries that include oxidizing agents, copper tends to have both a high removal rate and a high static etch rate. Cote et al. however, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,375,693, disclose an acidic CMP slurry for barrier materials. The slurry of Cote et al. operates with a hydrogen peroxide oxidizer, a benzotriazole inhibitor and a sulfated fatty acid at a pH range of 2 to 7.5. Similarly, Wojtczak et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 6,409,781, disclose an acidic polishing slurry that relies upon a potassium iodate oxidizer, iminodiacetic acid as the copper corrosion inhibitor and nitric acid as the copper activator to selectively polish the barrier material. Unfortunately, acidic polishing slurries can have stability problems wherein the slurry undergoes a yellowing or other color change. This yellowing occurs after the addition of hydrogen peroxide to the acidic polishing slurry. Furthermore, since polishing slurries typically have a pot-life of several days, this yellowing phenomena can result in a slurry that darkens with time. And this color change can be an indicator of changing polishing performance that can result in decreased semiconductor wafer yields.
Future low k and ultra-low k integrations of the IC structure will require low metal and dielectric losses in the CMP step. Accordingly, a selective slurry for barrier removal will most probably be adopted. While neutral-to-basic polishing slurries have advantages known to those skilled in the art, such as those described above, these slurries also tend to have low tantalum removal rates. In addition, because tantalum is readily oxidized, the oxidizing agents in the slurry can react with the tantalum to form an oxide layer on the surface. In view of the above, there exists a need to provide a second-step slurry that possesses a high removal rate of barrier materials, excellent selectivity to interconnect metals and controlled removal of dielectric materials. In addition, there is a need for a slurry with sufficient stability over time to avoid the adverse color change associated with acidic barrier slurries.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Rohm and Haas Electronic Materials CMP Holding, Inc.


A planetary gear system includes a planetary gear assembly having a first planetary gear, a second planetary gear rotatable relative to the first planetary gear, and a torquing mechanism. The torquing mechanism generates a torsional spring force of the planetary gear assembly to cause the first planetary gear to rotate along a first direction and the second planetary gear to rotate along a second direction, opposite to the first direction. As a result, the teeth of the first planetary gear contact teeth of a corresponding first stationary ring gear and the teeth of the second planetary gear contact teeth of a corresponding second stationary ring gear. The torquing mechanism, along with the configuration of the planetary gear assembly, minimizes or eliminates the presence of gaps between the contacting teeth of the planetary assembly and the stationary gear rings and minimizes backlash within the planetary gear system.

Conventional epicyclic gear trains, or planetary gear systems, include a central sun gear surrounded by one or more planetary gears. The planetary gears couple to a carrier via gear shafts or axes and mesh with an outer ring gear. During operation, for example, the sun gear provides an input rotation into the planetary gear system. In response to the rotational input, the planetary gears, and associated axes, rotate about the sun gear and, in turn, cause the outer ring gear to rotate.
Typically, manufacturers use epicyclic gear trains as part of actuation assemblies to control the movement of associated components. In the aerospace industry, for example, manufacturers utilize actuation assemblies to control the movement of aircraft wing flaps. One particular type of actuator used to control wing flap movement is a rotary actuator, such as the POWER HINGE manufactured by Curtiss-Wright. In aerospace applications, the rotary actuator functions as both a hinge that allows rotational movement of the wing flap relative to the wing of an aircraft and as an actuator that causes or creates motion of the wing flap relative to the wing.

Methods and apparatus for minimizing backlash in a planetary gear mechanism


The density of rigid foamed articles made by the thermal decomposition of a blowing agent in a vinyl chloride polymer is reduced by the use of an organotin halide in combination with a mercaptocarboxylic acid ester or a sulfide of such ester or a mixture of the ester and the sulfide to activate the blowing agent.

This invention relates to the preparation of cellular vinyl chloride polymers. It relates more particularly to combinations of certain organotin compounds which are superior activators for blowing agents employed in the preparation of cellular vinyl chloride polymers.
One important utility for vinyl chloride resins is in the preparation of rigid foamed articles. The articles are manufactured by known methods such as extrusion of a blend of the resin and additives with a suitable blowing agent and choosing the processing temperature such that it is above the decomposition temperature of the blowing agent. The bubbles of gas evolved by the blowing agent are entrapped within the molten resin, thereby forming a cellular structure that are commercially useful articles such as pipe, decorative molding and structural siding. Usually, the polymer is melted at a temperature between 150.degree. and 200.degree. C. and it is necessary to include a stabilizer in the formulation for the purpose of eliminating or at least minimizing the heat-induced discoloration of the vinyl chloride polymer which would otherwise occur at these temperatures. Also, when the decomposition temperature of the blowing agent is much above the processing temperature, activators are employed to hasten the decomposition of the blowing agent and/or lower the decomposition temperature. The combination of a blowing agent and an activator increases both the degree and the rate of blowing agent decomposition. The resultant larger volume of gas generated is desirable, since it reduces the amount of blowing agent required.
It is a well known fact that a variety of organotin compounds, particularly dimethyltin derivatives of mercaptocarboxylic acid esters, will impart useful levels of heat stability to vinyl chloride polymers. German Pat. Nos. 2,133,372 and 2,047,969 disclose the use of organotin mercaptocarboxylic acid estets in foamed polyvinyl chloride. These compounds stabilize well but do not effectively activate blowing agents such as azobisformamide. Organotin carboxylates such as dibutyltin maleate, dibutyltin dilaurate and dibutyltin maleate-half esters are disclosed in Japanese Pat. No. 6264/67 as being useful in flexible, i.e., plasticized, polymer foams. Although these organotin compounds activate azodicarbonamides, they are poor thermal stabilizers for the polymer. Thus, it can be seen that organotin mercaptocarboxylic acid esters impart good thermal stability but poor blowing agent activation, while organotin carboxylates offer good activation, but poor thermal stability with a resultant lack of proper melt viscosity control.
Dworkin et al teaches in U.S. Pat. No. 3,953,385 that organotin carboxylates provide only marginal improvement in the activation of a blowing agent when combined with the organotin mercaptocarboxylic acid esters described therein. In contrast to that teaching, we have found that organotin chlorides, in combination with organotin mercaptocarboxylic acid esters and with sulfides of such esters, are unexpectedly good activators for blowing agents such as the azobiscarbonamides, 5-phenyl tetrazole, and benzene sulfonylhydrazide in foamed polyvinyl chloride. The combination works well as a stabilizer for the vinyl chloride polymers.


The method and equipment for detangling individual jets in an ink jet print station utilizes a reservoir containing fluid and a printhead. The printhead has a drop generator, an orifice structure connected to the drop generator for forming numerous jets, a catcher connected to the drop generator; and a charge device secured to the catcher. A fluid supply system is connected between the printhead and the reservoir. A controller and numerous actuators are connected to the drop generator, and adapted to vibrate the drop generator. A fluid pump is connected to the fluid supply line, is operated by the controller, and is adapted to raise the pressure on the drop generator to at least an operating pressure and lower the pressure on the drop generator to a minimal pressure to prevent entanglement of the jets.

The present methods and devices relate to multi-jet generator devices useful in ink jet printers, such as those used as output devices for computers and the like, for printing, marking or plotting on various surfaces.
Droplets are formed in an ink jet print station by forcing a printing fluid, or ink, through a nozzle. Hence, the ink-jet devices typically include a multitude of very small diameter nozzles or orifices.
A need exists for an ink jet system and method that establishes jets for ink jet printing that are able to operate with a wide variety of ink compositions without decreasing the reliability of the system and without having tangled jets.
The embodied methods described herein are designed to meet these needs.

Method for establishing jets for an ink jet printhead


A bilateral dynamic external distractor is disclosed for the treatment of complex fracture luxations of the PIP of the hand. The distractor comprises two setscrews, one left proximal guide block, one right proximal guide block, two threaded rods, two distal guide blocks, and two optional alignment guide clips. The left and right distal guide blocks each comprise a threaded passage, and the first threaded rod extends between the right proximal guide block and the right distal guide block, and the second threaded rod extends between the left proximal guide block and the left distal guide block. Furthermore, rotation of the first and second threaded rods causes the left and right distal guide blocks to move relative to the left and right proximal guide blocks along an axis of the first and second threaded rods.

Fracture dislocation of the Proximal Interphalangeal Joint (PIP) is a common injury of the digits of the hand. The principle of traction to treat a fracture is a relatively old idea, but the concept of movement is relatively new. In 1978, Oganesyan described an apparatus for the treatment of intra-articular fractures, with simultaneous movement, see U.S. Pat. No. 4,100,919. The device was constructed of at least two wires drawn through bones on either side of the affected joint. These wires were rigidly connected to arches, which externally bridge the affected bones, creating a rigid construct. A key feature of this device was a threaded rod designed to alter the distance between the wires, and the bone segments attached thereto. The purpose of the distraction was to increase the distance between the bones at the axis or rotation of the joint, in order to promote healing and preserve the cartilage at the joint during active motion. The traction applied to the articulation not only aimed to re-focus the skeleton but also to generate a force of distal distraction. This distraction offers several beneficial effects. First, it allows the reduction of articular fragments and restoration of continuity by drawing on their joint ligament attachments and the volar plate, via the process of ligamentotaxis. Maintaining this tension allows distal fragments to remain in place during healing. Secondly, the distraction force prevents retraction of distal capsulolabral structures. Further, joint mobilization improves cartilage regeneration and healing. The combined results of these two methods are anatomic restoration of joint function, all without invasive surgery.
Then in 1986, Schenck introduced this technique to the field of hand surgery, see U.S. Pat. No. 4,724,827. Schenk described an apparatus to treat fracture luxations of the PIP with dynamic traction. His device involved passage of a K-wire transversely through the phalanges distal to P2, and attaching elastic bands to a rigid arc surrounding the digit. The elastic bands created a stretching force of 300 grams, and the device permitted passive motion of the digit. Patients treated with this device responded well to the treatment with little loss of range of motion and none of the complications related to the open reduction procedures, which had been the standard of care up until this innovation. However, the device was cumbersome and complicated and as such it was not well accepted in the surgical community.
In 1986, De Bastiani described a unilateral articulated mini fixation device, see U.S. Pat. No. 4,604,997, which was comprised of a hinge between two blocks, which may be attached to bone segments proximal and distal to the PIP. A threaded adjustment rod is included to provide longitudinal displacement between the blocks.
Then in 1987, Agee described a device for the treatment of unstable fracture luxations of the PIP, see U.S. Pat. No. 4,548,199. The Agee device was based upon placement of two K-wires placed proximal and distal to the PIP. A bone screw was drilled into the ulnar surface of the middle phalanx distal to the PIP, and attached to elastic bands stretched across vertical risers on the K-wire, on either side of the digit, proximal to the PIP. The device provided some degree of distraction of the PIP. It also permitted limited passive and active mobilization of the digit. However, the device was not well tolerated by patients due to its cumbersome design. In addition, the bone screw through the ulnar surface of the phalanges could result in damage to the extensor tendon. As a consequence, the surgical community did not adopt this technique.
Between 1987 and 1993, surgeon inventors described several other devices in an effort to improve the treatment of fracture luxations of the PIP. Most of these devices were complicated and cumbersome, and none were widely accepted in the surgical community.
In 1994, Hotchkiss described dynamic joint support, see U.S. Pat. No. 5,376,091. The invention provided for proximal and distal support sections and means for rigidly connecting each support section to bone and a pair of hinges connecting each support section to each other. Further, the device provided pivoting at the joint to cause movement of the support section and its corresponding attached bone through the movements of flexion and extension. The hinge was driven in its movement by a threaded worm gear mechanism. The dynamic joint support included a threaded rod distraction mechanism for movement of the bones out of contact in the joint, allowing for an active range of motion at the joint. While providing improved clinical results, the device proved expensive to manufacture and cumbersome to use and was subsequently discontinued.
In 1994, Suzuki described a low profile system, which seemed to solve many of the issues related to previous designs. The Suzuki system involved placement of K-wires, one proximal and one distal to the PIP. Results using the operating room constructed Suzuki technique have proven to be better than previous methods. However, patient outcome varies significantly with surgeon skill and experience. The Suzuki technique has a significant learning curve to master the shape and length of the wires. And, care must be exercised to avoid side loading damage to the bones, while bending the wire. In addition, movement of the proximal wire within the bone during passive and active motion can result in an increase in pin tract infection. Furthermore, the device was limited to 30 degrees of flexion, and distraction force varied greatly depending upon the rubber bands available and the length of the physician created device. This limited range of flexion resulted clinically in an average range of motion of only 74 degrees.
In 1999, Graham described a device for treatment of fracture dislocations of the interphalangeal joints, see U.S. Pat. No. 5,976,125. This apparatus required assembly of a series of components including proximal and distal fixators, proximal and distal guide rods, and adjustable threaded distraction rods. By assembling the fixators contralaterally with their respective guide rods and ipsilaterally with respect to their distraction rods, a rigid rectangular construct is formed, through which K-wires may be drilled proximal and distal to the PIP. Placement of the proximal K-wire at the center of the axis of rotation of the PIP, and perpendicular to the PIP, is critical to the optimal functioning of dynamic distraction. Unfortunately, this is difficult to accomplish while holding the construct over the PIP, and frequently results in an off center, or angled K-wire placement with respect to the plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the PIP. Furthermore, this technique is contrary to the traditional surgical technique of wire placement before attachment of the distraction device. The Graham device can be assembled subsequent to wire placement, however this further complicates the procedure due to the number of setscrews, clips, rods, and stabilizers required for assembly. A further disadvantage of this device is that adjustment of the distraction rods is accomplished with an Allen wrench. This can lead to excess distraction force resulting in stress or failure of the digital ligament. Further, no provision is made to lock the distraction rod in place and prevent it from unwinding once optimum distraction has been achieved. In addition, there is no provision to prevent ulnar or palmar luxation of the phalanges, a frequent complication of distraction devices. Finally, due to its complicated design, the device is expensive to manufacture, and bulky to utilize, therefore it has not achieved wide spread use among hand surgeons.
In 2006, Pélissier of France disclosed a simple, low profile device for ligamentotaxis of the PIP (see EP 1898815). His device consisted of two springs, and two grommets held in place by two longitudinal wires. Each longitudinal wire was placed in the lumen of each spring. Once the K-wires were placed at the axis of rotation of the PIP and a point distal to the PIP, the distal wire is bent at a right angle on either side of the digit, and cut to a length approximately equivalent to half the distance between the proximal and distal wires. The open end of each spring is then slipped over the right angle sections of the distal K-wire, and the proximal wire is passed through the grommet at the opposite end of the spring. The proximal wires may then be bent and capped to retain the springs in place on either side of the affected digit. Distraction is accomplished by clockwise rotation of the springs. While the Pélissier device was an improvement over previous designs, this device has one serious disadvantage; the metal springs are placed on either side of the digit, preventing radiographic confirmation of articular distraction in the lateral view.
The novel device herein presented, addresses the deficiencies identified in the above-recited prior art and provides an improved dynamic external distractor for the treatment of complex fracture luxations of the PIP of the hand. The device provides a simple, low cost solution for the treatment of fracture dislocations of the PIP. Further, the device permits standardization of treatment, by enabling surgeons to determine distraction forces, an important treatment parameter, which heretofore was impossible due to the limitations of the above-described prior art devices. Additionally, standardization will permit better patient outcomes than currently possible with existing systems.
All references cited herein are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

Bilateral dynamic external distractor for the treatment of complex fracture luxations of the proximal interphalangeal joint of the hand


A hand-held shower comprises a handle through the interior of which the water supply to the shower head is effected, the connection fitting for the shower hose is held in an axially displaceable manner: in a first axial position, the connection fitting is freely rotatable relative to the handle so that the shower hose connected to the hand-held shower is prevented from twisting. In the second axial position of the connection fitting, the free rotatability relative to the handle is suspended by a form closure.

The invention relates to a hand-held shower.
A shower is known having (a) a shower head with a plurality of water outlet openings, (b) a hollow handle, which is connected to the shower head and through the interior of which the water supply to the shower head is effected, (c) a connection fitting, which is freely rotatable on the end of the handle relative to said handle and to which the end of a shower hose is attachable, and (d) a device, by means of which the rotatability of the connection fitting relative to the handle may be suspended.
When such a shower after use is replaced into its holding device, it may happen that it is replaced in a position which is rotated relative to the original position. If such rotation occurs more frequently, the shower hose connected to the hand-held shower becomes twisted, which may lead to mechanical loading of the shower hose, an unattractive appearance and obstruction of the flow of water through the shower hose. For this reason, it is known to connect the shower hose in a freely rotatable manner to the handle of the hand-held shower. This may be effected in two different ways:
Firstly, it is possible to make the connection fitting of the shower hose freely rotatable relative to said hose. This has the drawback that the shower hose, which in the course of its period of service is more susceptible to damage, includes the relatively costly connection fitting construction which, if need be, has to be exchanged along with the shower hose.
Secondly, the shower hose may be rotatably connected to the handle, in which case the rotatable connection fitting is situated on the handle of the hand-held shower. In this case, it is necessary to ensure that the free rotatability of the connection fitting is suspended for the purpose of screwing the shower hose onto the hand-held shower because, otherwise, it would be impossible to screw the connection thread of the shower hose onto the connection thread of the hand-held shower. To this end, in known rotatable connection fittings integrated into a hand-held shower, a surface for applying a spanner is provided in the region of the connection fitting projecting axially beyond the handle. The spanner surface however lengthens the axially projecting region of the connection fitting and, after the shower hose has been fitted, leaves behind a clearly visible gap between the end face of the handle and the fitted shower hose.


A fluid having magnetorheological (MR) properties and including a finely-divided abrasive material is directed through a non-ferromagnetic nozzle disposed axially of the helical windings of an electric solenoid. The MR fluid may contain magnetosoft or magnetosolid particles or mixtures thereof. A magnetic field created by the solenoid orients and aligns the magnetic moments of the particles to form fibrils thereby stiffening the flowing MR fluid which, when ejected from the nozzle, defines a highly-collimated jet. Collimation of the MR material persists for a significant time outside the magnetic field, permitting use of the abrasive jet to shape and/or polish the surface of a workpiece at some distance from the nozzle. The jet is directed into a shroud against a workpiece mounted for multiple-axis rotation and displacement to meet predetermined material removal needs for shaping. The solenoid may be similarly mounted to also move the jet over the surface of the workpiece. The apparatus may be provided with a plurality of independently-powerable electromagnets disposed in a plane orthogonal to the jet for deflecting the jet as desired to a specific target area on the workpiece or to move over the surface of the workpiece in a complex, predetermined pattern. The shapes and locations of anomalies to be removed may be pre-programmed into a computer-operated controller which calculates and controls the intensity and dwell time of the jet as it traverses repeatedly over the workpiece to achieve the desired result.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to methods and apparatus (a system) for shaping and polishing (finishing) a surface, more particularly to methods and apparatus for shaping and polishing a surface by the impingement of an abrasive jet, and most particularly to methods and apparatus for shaping and polishing a surface by the impingement of a magnetically-modifiable and magnetically-directable jet.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Water jets containing abrasive particles are known to be used for cutting or shaping materials such as glass, ceramics, plastics and metals. This technology is known generally as abrasive stream finishing, or abrasive suspension jet machining, or abrasive flow machining. Typically, such jets are impinged upon the substrate to be cut at a relatively high velocity, which may exceed 10 meters per second. When the jet strikes the impact zone, the abrasive particles in the water carrier chip away particles of the substrate surface. The rate of material removal is a function of the kinetic energy of the jet, the sharpness, size, and hardness of the abrasive particles the material of the substrate, the distance from the jet nozzle to the workpiece, and the angle of incidence of the jet.
It has been difficult in practice to adapt abrasive liquid jet technology for precision finishing of surfaces of highly-demanding objects such as, for example, optical components. A fundamental property of a fluid jet is that it begins to lose its collimation as the jet exits a nozzle, due to a combination of abruptly imposed longitudinal and lateral pressure gradients, surface tension forces, and aerodynamic disturbance. A water jet tends immediately to spread out and to break into droplets within a short distance of a nozzle, typically within a few nozzle diameters of the nozzle orifice, increasing thereby the cross-sectional area of the jet and proportionally decreasing the unit kinetic energy within the jet. For this reason, the nozzle of an abrasive cutting jet typically is situated as close as is practical to the workpiece to be cut. Reducing pressures and flow rates to place the jet in a flow regime where it can polish rather than cut also serves to degrade the jet further so that it is not readily concentratable on a small area of the workpiece. Increasing the viscosity of the cutting medium by addition of viscosity-building agents can help to stabilize the jet but also proportionally increases the resistance to fluid flow in the delivery system and the pumping power required to deliver the fluid to the nozzle, making impractical a high speed, high-viscosity jet for either cutting or polishing.
A further limitation of using an abrasive water jet for polishing is that the jet is positionable against the workpiece only by adjusting either the attitude of the nozzle or the position of the workpiece. The jet itself cannot be redirected or guided once it leaves the nozzle orifice.

System for abrasive jet shaping and polishing of a surface using magnetorheological fluid


A method of operating a fuel cell stack including disconnecting the primary electrical device and purging gas in the cathode reactant gas flow field by flowing air into the cathode reactant gas flow field. Thereafter, the gas in the cathode reactant flow field is purged again by flowing hydrogen into the cathode reactant gas flow field. Gas in the anode reactant gas flow field is purged by flowing air into the anode reactant gas flow field. Thereafter, the anode reactant gas flow field is filled with hydrogen and both the anode and the cathode are stored with hydrogen.

In vehicle applications, a fuel cell stack may be required to undergo more than 30,000 startup/shutdown cycles. During normal operation of the fuel cell stack, air is continuously flowing into the cathode side of the stack and hydrogen is continuously flowing into the anode side of the stack. During shutdown, if the electrical circuit is open and there is no longer a load on the cell, unacceptable anode and cathode potentials may develop resulting in catalyst and catalyst support oxidation and corrosion, and cell potential degradation.


The present invention includes novel (7R)-7-(acylamino)-3-(arylthio)-3-cephem-4-carboxylic acids or their pharmacologically acceptable salts which exhibit antibiotic activity against a wide spectrum of organisms including organisms which are resistant to .beta.-lactam antibiotics and are useful as antibacterial agents. The invention also relates to novel intermediates useful for making the novel compounde of the present invention and to novel methods for producing the novel compounds and intermediate compounds.

1. Related Applications
This application is related to provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/005,389, filed on Oct. 12, 1995, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, including any drawings.
2. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to novel cephalosporin antibiotics and their methods of production and use. These compounds are expected to exhibit antibiotic activity against a wide spectrum of organisms, including organisms which are resistant to conventional .beta.-lactam antibiotics.
3. Review of the Background Art
The following review of the background of the invention is merely provided to aid in the understanding of the present invention and neither it nor any of the references cited within it are admitted to be prior art to the present invention.
Over the past three decades a large variety of antibiotics have become available for clinical use. One class of antibiotics which has seen remarkable growth are the cephalosporins, over 70 of which have entered clinical use for the treatment of bacterial infections in mammals since 1965. The cephalosporins exhibit their antibacterial activity by inhibiting bacterial peptidoglycan biosynthesis, and have been extremely effective in treating a wide variety of bacterial infections. Cephalosporins that are said to have antibacterial activity are described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,992,377 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,256,739.
Unfortunately, the wide-spread and indiscriminant use of these antibiotics has led to a rapid increase in the number of bacterial strains which are resistant to these compounds. Most importantly, this resistance has emerged among clinically important microorganisms which threaten to limit the utility of presently available cephalosporin antibiotics. In particular, resistant strains of Salmonella, S. pneumoni.ae butted., Enterobacteriace.ae butted., and Pseudomonas have emerged which threaten to undo many of the strides made in reducing mortality and morbidity from bacterial infections.
Bacterial resistance to cephalosporins follows three major pathways: (a) the development of .beta.-lactamases capable of inactivating the .beta.-lactam ring of the cephalosporin; (b) decreased cephalosporin penetration into the bacteria due to changes in bacterial cell wall composition; and (c) poor binding to penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs). The latter pathway is especially important, as the binding of .beta.-lactams to PBPs is essential for inhibiting bacterial cell-wall biosynthesis. Certain Gram-positive bacteria, namely methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus ("MRSA") and enterococci are highly resistant to .beta.-lactam antibiotics. Resistance in MRSA is due to the presence of high levels of an unusual PEP, PBP2a, which is insensitive, or binds poorly, to .beta.-lactam antibiotics. The activity of .beta.-lactam antibiotics against PBP2a-containing organisms has been shown to correlate well with the binding affinity of the antibiotic to PBP2a. Currently, the glycopeptides vancomycin and teicoplanin are primarily used for MRSA bacteremia. The quinolone antibacterials and some carbapenems, such as imipenem, have been reported to be active against a few MRSA strains, but their use is restricted due to emerging resistant MRSA strains.
Experimental compounds which may possess utility as anti-MRSA or anti-enterococcal bactericides include the glycylcyclines (see. e.g., P.-E. Sum et al., J. Med. Chem., 37, (1994)), FK-037 (see, e.g., H. Ohki et al., J. Antibiotics, 46:359-361 (1993)), RP-59,500 (see. e.g., S. K. Spangler et al., Antimicro. Agents Chemother., 36:856-9 (1992)), the everninomycin complex (see. e.g., W. E. Sanders et al., Antimicro. Agents Chemother., 6: 232-8 (1974)), the 2-(biaryl)carbapenems (see. e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,025,006), 3-(benzothiazolylthio)cephems (see. e.g., EP Application No. 527686), 3-(thiazolylthio)carbacephems (see. e.g., R. J. Ternansky et al., J. Med. Chem., 36:1971 (1993) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,077,287) and arbekacin (S. Kondo, et al. J. Antibiotics 46:531 (1993).
Recent advances in the compounds, compositions and methods useful for treating infections in mammals arising from .beta.-lactam antibiotic resistant bacteria are described in commonly owned International Application No. PCT/US95/03976 and U.S. patent applications Ser. Nos. 08/222,262, filed Apr. 1, 1994; 08/369,798, filed Jan. 6, 1995; 08/413,713, 08/413,714, 08/415,065, 08/413,712, 08/415,064, and 08/415,069, all of which were filed on Mar. 29, 1995; 08/455,969, filed May 31, 1995; and 08/457,673, filed Jun. 1, 1995, all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety, including any drawings.


An orthopedic implant screw driver includes drive shaft. A first gear is operably coupled to the drive shaft and in meshing engagement with a hollow gear which rotates in response to rotation of the drive shaft. The hollow gear includes a passage defining an inwardly facing screw engagement periphery configured to receive and drivingly rotate a threaded portion of the screw. A method of securing an orthopedic implant to a bone includes positioning a screw within the passage which is configured to drivingly engage a threaded portion of the screw and rotating a drive shaft in driving engagement with the gear causing the gear to engage the screw along the threaded portion of the screw and rotatably drive the screw via the threaded portion.

This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
The human musculoskeletal system is composed of a variety of tissues including bone, ligaments, cartilage, muscle, and tendons. Tissue damage or deformity stemming from trauma, pathological degeneration, or congenital conditions often necessitates surgical intervention to restore function. Surgical intervention can include any surgical procedure that can restore function to the damaged tissue or correct the deformity, which can require the use of one or more orthopedic prostheses, such as orthopedic screws, nails, etc.
In one example, in order to restore function to or correct a deformity of the spinal column, one or more intervertebral implants are used to restore the height and stabilize the anterior column of the spine. This technique can also be used through various lumbar approaches, such as anterior, posterior, posterolateral, direct lateral as well as through various approaches in the thoracic and cervical spinal regions. In some cases, additional stability and security of the spacer is achieved by affixing bone screws to the bone either exterior to the spacer, such as with pedicle screws and rods or anterior screws and plates, or through the spacer itself.
During surgery, for example, the angle or path of approach through an opening or channel in the body to the site where a screw needs to be attached can be very limited, both in direction and width. In some cases, the angle at which a screw needs to be driven can be quite different from the available angle of approach. In addition, it may be impossible or undesirable to widen the path or channel of approach or to create another opening through the body along the axis of the screw to allow a screw driver to engage the end of the screw. Driving screws at the desired angles and with the necessary torque is often difficult or impossible during surgery using standard screw drivers.

Screw driver, combination, and related methods


A shiftable device which acts as a brake or coupling, such as a frictional brake or a frictional clutch, includes a first component and a second component and a pressure ring arranged between the first and second components, wherein the pressure ring is connected non-rotatably or stationary to the first component, while being movable by an actuating and restoring device between two work positions which are axially offset relative to each other. At least one friction element which is compressed in an active position of the pressure ring is arranged between the pressure ring and the second component. A plurality of radially resilient tongues which each have a fixed tongue end are fastened without play in the area of the first component. A plurality of guide members supported on the pressure ring and connected to the other movable tongue ends serve to convert the axial movement of the pressure ring into a radial movement of the movable tongue ends. Each guide member has two ends which are offset relative to each other axially as well as radially. A cylindrical drum is provided on the second component, wherein the cylindrical drum axially overlaps the movable tongue ends, wherein the friction element is arranged in the radial space between the cylindrical surface of the drum and the free tongue ends.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a shiftable device which acts as a brake or coupling, such as a frictional brake or a frictional clutch. The device includes a first component, such as the stator of a brake or the first half of a clutch and a second component, such as the rotor of a brake or the second half of a clutch. A pressure ring is arranged between the first and second components, wherein the pressure ring is connected nonrotatably or stationary to the first component, while being movable by means of an actuating and restoring means, such as springs, an electric magnet and/or pressure means, between two work positions which are axially offset relative to each other. The first work position constitutes a first position of operation (active position), such as the engaged position of a brake, and a second position of operation (non-active position), such as a released position of the brake. At least one friction element which is compressed in the active position of the pressure ring is arranged between the pressure ring and the second component.
2. Description of the Related Art
Devices of the above-described type are used in servo-motors as frictional brakes which are required to precisely control drives in accordance with a certain movement pattern. The brake not only has to be effectively actuated at a certain time; rather, the brake must hold in its active position the rotor relative to the stator of the brake without play. When the brake is engaged, no further rotation may occur after standstill has been reached.
In known devices of this type, the requirements mentioned above can only be achieved through very expensive means. In a known device, constructed as an electromagnetically releasable spring pressure brake, the first component is a stator with integrated coil fixed to the machine frame, wherein an armature disk acting as pressure ring is attached through a diaphragm in an axially movable manner. The armature disk is under the influence of compression springs which have the tendency to press the armature disk against an axial friction element which is mounted on a brake disk arranged axially in front of the armature disk. The brake disk constitutes the second component which acts as a rotor and is connected to a shaft to be decelerated. By switching on the coil current, the armature disk is released electromagnetically from the friction element of the brake disk against the spring force acting on the armature disk, so that the released position of the brake is reached. The electromagnetic control only permits small axial movements of the armature disk between the active position and the released position thereof. Consequently, seen in the released position, the minimum air gap between the brake disk supporting the friction element, on the one hand, and the armature disk, on the other hand, must be adjusted very precisely. This requires a very complicated manufacture and time-consuming assembly of the structural components within very narrow tolerances. When wear occurs after longer periods of operation, complicated readjustments are required. The axial frictional engagement between the armature disk and the brake disk is determined exclusively by the spring force which, in the case of high braking torques, requires appropriately substantial spring elements. In the active position of operation of the brake, the braking torque is applied to the armature disk and must be transmitted axially to the stator of the brake through the diaphragm or the like supporting the armature disk.

Shiftable device acting as a brake or clutch, such as a frictional brake or a frictional clutch


Dry drilling fluid additives may include a dry mixture that comprises a clay stabilizing agent at about 76% to about 93% by weight of the dry mixture, a dispersant at about 3% to about 6% by weight of the dry mixture, and a surfactant at about 4% to about 18% by weight of the dry mixture. Such dry drilling fluid additives may be useful in methods and systems for drilling wellbore penetrating subterranean formations, especially deviated and highly-deviated wellbores.

The embodiments described herein relate to drilling fluid additives.
In drilling operations, a drilling fluid is implemented to cool the drill bit and cake the sides of the wellbore to mitigate caving in until a liner or cement casing is put in place. Moreover, the weight of the drilling fluid mitigates formation fluids (e.g., oil, gas, or water) from infiltrating into the wellbore during drilling.
Drilling fluids are typically complex fluids with several components (drilling fluid additives) that may be in a solid powder form or a liquid additive form. Drilling fluids are often precisely formulated taking into consideration several factors including, for example, the lithology of the formation, the formation pore pressure, and the drilling operational parameters (e.g., the rate of penetration and the angle of drilling). Variations in the concentration of drilling fluid additives can decrease the efficiency of the drilling operation and cause downhole problems. For example, if the drilling fluid is prepared with too high of a viscosity, the energy required to pump the fluid and trip the drill string may increase. In some instances, if the viscosity is too high, especially after incorporating drilling cuttings, the drilling fluid may become unpumpable and costly remedial operations may be needed to resume drilling fluid circulation. In another example, with too low of a viscosity, the drilling fluid may not effectively remove cuttings from the wellbore, which may cause the viscosity of the drilling fluid near the drill bit to be high, which may lead to cessation of drilling fluid circulation.

Dry drilling fluid additives and methods relating thereto


It is possible that at a predetermined position of the imaging components of a radiographic imaging system the object is not fully viewed. The object can be a calibration phantom, which means that it is not possible to directly determine an imaging rule with the aid of the calibration phantom at this position of the imaging components. According to the invention, an imaging of the calibration phantom at a different position takes place and an imaging rule for this position is determined. This is then converted, provided a movement parameter is known which describes the movement from the position with the record of the calibration phantom to a different position. The imaging rule obtained in this way can be further improved, e.g. with the aid of a recording of the calibration phantom from the position in question, including if the calibration phantom is not completely imaged.

The relevant area of expertise has long been engaged in determining imaging rules. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,963,612 and 5,963,613 are examples of this. The imaging rule is normally determined with the aid of a "calibration phantom". Such a calibration phantom has pre-determined structural elements that are reflected in certain structures in an X-ray image of the calibration phantom and the imaging rule can be deduced from these imaged structures. U.S. Pat. No. 6,044,132 describes an example of a calibration phantom. A different calibration phantom is described in the article by N. Strobel, B. Heigl, T. Brenner, O. Schutz, M. Mitschke, K. Wiesent, T. Mertelmeier, entitled "Improving 3D image quality of X-ray C-arm imaging systems by using properly designed posed determination systems for calibrating the projection geometry, Medical Imaging 2003", and was published in the year 2003 in the book entitled "Physics of Medical Imaging" by Yaffe, Martin J., Antonuk, Larry E., Proceedings of the SPIE, Vol. 5030, pages 943 to 954.
A precondition to enable the imaging rule to be determined with the aid of an image of a calibration phantom is normally that a minimum amount of the structural elements can be imaged in the X-ray image. If the calibration phantom is placed on the patient table, this means that the determination of an imaging rule at any positions of the imaged components as required is not possible. At some positions, the amount of the calibration phantom that can be recorded is so small that a determination of an imaging rule is not possible. This problem is shown sharply with the method described in DE 10 2007 026 115.4, published after the date of filing of this application. The object of this method is to generate a 3D reconstruction of a particularly large body, which cannot be recorded by a single projection. To solve the problem, at least two projections (X-ray images), each of which records part of the body, are taken at each position of an X-ray C-arm, but, overall, each structure of the body is recorded on one of the two projections. DE 10 2007 026 115.4 is concerned with the problem that the real sources Q1 and Q2 do not coincide with both projections. After filtering with the aid of a virtual detector, the imaging rules, which have lead to both projections (i.e. both X-ray images), are used reversed and individually in a filtered back-projection to generate the 3D reconstruction. With the method from DE 10 2007 026 115.4, it is therefore necessary to determine the imaging rule for both positions of the imaging components at which both X-ray images were taken. Because these positions are chosen so that the particularly large body is imaged in the border area in each case and the border area is covered anyway, the X-ray images are individually recorded, i.e. each on its own, from a particularly unusual perspective. If a calibration phantom is placed on the patient table, this is only approximately half covered in each case. If the calibration phantom from the article by Strobel et al. is used, this would make the determination of the imaging rule impossible on the basis of a single X-ray image alone.

Method for determining an imaging rule and method for generating a 3D reconstruction


Particulate material used for proppant flowback control from the fracture, where the material is a polymer which increases its hardness under downhole conditions.

The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
This invention relates to oil and gas industry, particularly, to methods of reservoir stimulation during production and to methods of proppant flowback control.
A serious problem in oil production is flowback of proppant from the fracture back to the well: this happens after hydraulic fracturing of formation, during the first cleanup, and sometimes after well completion. The literature data show that up to 20% of the pumped proppant is usually removed from a fracture during fracture cleanup and production, and this causes several adverse consequences. In wells with a low production rate, the removed proppant may deposit on the casing; this situation requires regular cleanup and makes costly the repair operations. Another problem that can be caused by high proppant flowback rate is a failure or fast depreciation of electrical submersible pumps (ESP). Proppant flowback reduces the fracture conductivity due to fracture thickness loss; this reduces the well production rate.
There exist several known methods for proppant flowback control.
A widespread method is based on using a proppant with curable resin coating which is pumped to the fracture at the final stage of fracturing treatment. But the application of this proppant is restricted by secondary reaction of the resin coating with the fracturing fluid. These reactions cause partial degradation of resin coating and reduce the strength of bonding between RCP particles and the strength of the proppant packing. Besides, chemical reaction between the resin coating and fracturing fluid results in uncontrollable changes in the fluid rheology; this also affects the hydrofracturing efficiency. All the listed factors and cyclic loading caused by well opening/closure may be detrimental for the proppant packing strength.
A mixture of proppant with adhesive polymer materials can be used for proppant flowback control. Adhesive material comes in contact with proppant and makes a thin and tacking coating. This material facilitates adhesion between particulate and sand or/and crashed fines; this stops completely or partially the proppant flowback from the fracture. The typical feature of adhesive coating is that particles remain tacky for a long time even at elevated downhole temperatures without cross-linking or solidifying.
Adhesive materials can be matched with other reactants used in the hydrofracturing treatment, e.g., with inhibitors, bactericide agents, gel breaker, paraffin and corrosion inhibitors.
The U.S. Pat. No. 7,032,667 teaches about fracture propping with use of tacky agents and resin-coated proppant.
The U.S. Pat. No. 6,742,590 discloses the method of proppant flowback control by mixing of tacky materials with deformable particles (every component is already effective tool for flowback control).
Another kind of material suitable for proppant flowback control is thermoplastic materials. Thermoplastic compound is mixed with proppant, then it melts at a higher subterranean temperature and sticks to proppant; this creates aggregates of adhered proppant.
The U.S. Pat. No. 5,697,440 describes the method of application of thermoplastic material with resin-coated proppant.
The U.S. Pat. No. 6,830,105 teaches about the method for proppant flowback control, wherein the thermoplastic elastomer is mixed with proppant as a liquid (or a solution with appropriate solvent). Then the dissolved elastomer is cured independently or with curing agent producing a thermoplastic coating.
The U.S. Pat. No. 5,330,005 describes the method for proppant flowback control through mixing of a regular proppant with fiber material. Fibers intermingle with proppant pack and reduce flowback. Besides the strengthening of the proppant pack, added fibers redistribute the loads, making bridges on the most part of proppant pack area. A fiber-hold structure is more flexible than that composed of resin coated proppant: it allows small shifts in the proppant-fiber packing without loss in strength.
One approach is a fiber bundle of 5 to 200 separate fibers collected with the length from 0.8 to 2.5 mm and the diameter ranging from 10 to 1000 microns. These bundles are usually fixed at one end.
Mechanisms of using deformable, thermoplastic, and elastomeric materials for proppant flowback control is based on indenting of proppant particulate into deformable material. U.S. Pat. No. 6,059,034 describes deformable beaded particulate. Deformable particulate facilitates effective redistribution of stresses inside the packing, and improves the packing strength due to a higher contact area between the particles. A serious drawback of this soft material in a significant reduction in the free pore space in particulate packing because particles penetrate the pores and reduce the fracture permeability and, ultimately, the well production.
On another side, if we take a hard material, this is better for packing permeability, but also reduces the solid proppant penetration into the deformable material. The result is a lower strength of packing and danger of proppant flowback.

Particulate material for proppant flowback control


Problem of the present invention is to enable elimination or reduction of a signal wire in a dedicated cable for a magnetic bearing device for supplied an electric power from a control device to a magnetic bearing main unit via the dedicated cable. A magnetic bearing device 100 according to the present invention has a magnetic bearing main unit 10 having an electromagnet 12M for magnetically levitating and rotatably supporting a magnetic rotating body 11 and functioning as a magnetic bearing, a control device 20 having a compensating circuit 25 for generating a control signal for controlling a levitation position of the magnetic rotating body 11, and an electricity supply line 30L for supplying an electric power from the control device 20 to the magnetic bearing main unit 10. The magnetic bearing main unit 10 has a modulation carrier circuit 22 for generating a modulated wave and a first alternating-current coupling section 23A for transmitting the generated modulated wave to the control device 20 by the alternating-current coupling with the electricity supply line 30L. The control device 20 has a second alternating-current coupling section 23B for separating the modulated wave alternating-current coupled from the electricity supply line 30L and a carrier wave demodulating circuit 24 for detecting the separated carrier signal wave.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a magnetic bearing device, a rotating mechanism, and a model identification method of a magnetic bearing main unit or a rotating machinery main unit. More particularly, the present invention relates to the magnetic bearing device for transmitting a signal between the magnetic bearing main unit and a control device by a power line communication with an alternating-current coupling. In addition, the present invention relates to the model identification method of the magnetic bearing main unit of the magnetic bearing device or the rotating machinery main unit of the rotating mechanism of a constitution in which the control device (the control device set with a control condition optimal for each model) having a different control condition according to each model is connected via a dedicated cable with the magnetic bearing main unit or the rotating machinery main unit for supporting a rotating body by a bearing.
2. Related Art
A magnetic bearing control system has a large-scale structure as a whole in which a magnetic bearing main unit including an actuator and connected with a turbo-molecular pump and the like and a control device constituted with a displacement detection sensor, a signal processing circuit, a compensating circuit, a motor drive circuit, and so forth are integrated. As it causes a restriction of an installation location and a deterioration of a maintenance performance, the magnetic bearing main unit and the control device are generally disposed in separate places and connected by a dedicated cable in a constitution.
FIG. 25 shows a block diagram of a conventional magnetic bearing device 100X. In FIG. 25, the magnetic bearing control device 100X includes a magnetic bearing main unit 10X, a control device 20X, and a dedicated cable 30X for the connection. The magnetic bearing main unit 10X has an electromagnet 51 for magnetic bearing as well as a positional displacement detection sensor 52 and a signal processing circuit 53. The electromagnet 51 for magnetic bearing supports a rotational shaft by a magnetic levitation for example, with a magnetism between two couples of radial electromagnets facing about the rotational shaft (11R in FIG. 1) of a magnetic rotating body (11 in FIG. 1) and a magnetism between a couple of axial electromagnets and controls the position of the rotational shaft by the balance of the magnetisms between the electromagnets. The positional displacement detection sensor 52 detects the positional displacement of the rotational shaft. The signal processing circuit 53 outputs the detected positional displacement signal as a signal at an appropriate level to a compensating circuit 54 in a next step. The output of the signal processing circuit 53 is transmitted to the compensating circuit 54 of the control device 20X via a signal wire in the dedicated cable 30X. The control device 20X has the compensating circuit 54, a bearing drive power amplifier 55, and a circuit drive power supply 56. The bearing drive power amplifier 55 generates a magnetism for magnetically levitating and for rotatably supporting the magnetic rotating body in the electromagnets constituting two radial magnetic bearings and the electromagnet constituting one axial magnetic bearing. In addition, the bearing drive power amplifier 55 supplies a direct current for adjusting the displacement of the magnetic rotating body by balancing the magnetisms in the electromagnets. The compensating circuit 54 supplies to the bearing drive power amplifier 55 with the compensating current to each electromagnet for constituting magnetic bearing corresponding to the amount of the positional displacement. The circuit drive power supply 56 supplies an electric power to necessary components constituting the magnetic bearing device 10X such as the electromagnets, a motor, a sensor, and an electric circuit. The electric power is supplied from the control device 20X to the magnetic bearing main unit 10X via the dedicated cable 30X.
The inventors proposed a structure that a controlling section with a displacement detection sensor was mounted in a magnetic bearing main unit of a magnetic bearing device having a constitution in which such a magnetic bearing main unit and a control device were connected via a dedicated cable in order to transmit a displacement sensing signal to the control device via the dedicated cable, to control a drive circuit of an electromagnet for magnetic bearing via a compensating circuit, and to supply a driving electric power to the magnetic bearing main unit via the dedicated cable again. As a result, it has been made possible that a variation in individual magnetic bearing main unit is taken no account in design because of an adjustment by the controlling section. In addition, the magnetic bearing main unit and the control device are freely combined. The cost reduction of the entire system has been thus achieved. (See Patent Document 1.)
When a magnetic bearing main unit connected with a high-speed rotational body such as a turbo-molecular pump and a control device are combined, because a compensating characteristic necessary for a magnetic bearing control varies according to a structural difference of a pump side, some model identification methods of a magnetic bearing main unit have been proposed to prevent an occurrence of an abnormal control caused by a mistake of a combination. For instance, proposed methods include a method for identifying a model with the specificity of a characteristic by providing a specific element such as a resistor and an inductors to the inside of a pump, a method for identifying the specificity of a model by detecting an electric characteristic of a motor mounted to a pump, a method for identifying the specificity of a model by measuring a control characteristic of a magnetic bearing, and a method for identifying a model by mounting a mechanism for storing control characteristic data on a pump and reading the data at a start of a power supply.
FIG. 26 shows a block diagram of a magnetic bearing device 100Y for executing a conventional model identification. In FIG. 26, the magnetic bearing device 100Y includes a magnetic bearing main unit 10Y, a control device 20Y, and a dedicated cable 30Y for the connection. The magnetic bearing main unit 10Y has the electromagnet 51 for magnetic bearing as well as the positional displacement detection sensor 52, a temperature sensor 57, a rotation sensor 58, and a motor driving coil 59. The electromagnet 51 for magnetic bearing and the positional displacement detection sensor 52 function as those of the magnetic bearing control device 100X in FIG. 25. The temperature sensor 57 detects a temperature at a predefined position of the magnetic bearing main unit 10Y provided with a heater such as a turbo-molecular pump. On the other hand, the rotation sensor 58 detects the rotational speed of a rotational shaft (11R in FIG. 1) of a magnetic rotational body (11 in FIG. 1). The motor driving coil 59 is the coil for driving a motor 14, typically supplies a three-phase alternating current to three stators constituting the motor 14, and rotatably drives a magnetic rotating body 11 extended to a rotor 15. The control device 20Y has a compensating circuit 54, a bearing drive power amplifier 55, a circuit drive power supply 56, an inverter 61 for motor drive, and a multiple signal processing circuit 62. The compensating circuit 54, the bearing drive power amplifier 55, and the circuit drive power supply 56 function as those of the magnetic bearing device 100X in FIG. 25. The inverter 61 for motor drive supplies a three-phase alternating electric power to the motor driving coil 59. The multiple signal processing circuit 62 converts the rotational speed and the temperature detected by the rotation sensor 58 and the temperature sensor 57 into a signal easily processed by the inverter 61 for motor drive and a temperature control device (not shown). A signal processing circuit such as a positional displacement detection sensor section, a temperature sensor section, and a rotation sensor section may be connected with the detection signal of the positional displacement detection sensor 52, the temperature sensor 57, and the rotation sensor 58 in order to transmit a processed signal to a control device 20.
A rotating mechanism for supporting a rotating body such as a turbo molecule pump with a magnetic bearing needs an electric control compensating circuit corresponding to a property characteristic of the rotating body for executing a magnetic levitation support control of the rotating body in a predefined position. In addition, as for an inverter for driving a driving motor for rotatably driving the rotating body, an inverter having an output characteristic corresponding to the characteristic of the driving motor is necessary.
FIG. 27 is a view showing an example of a constitution of a rotating mechanism to which a control device is connected via a dedicated cable dedicated to a magnetic bearing main unit (a rotating machinery main unit) of a turbo-molecular pump as an example of a conventional rotating mechanism. The turbo-molecular pump as a rotating mechanism has a magnetic bearing main unit 10Z and a magnetic rotating body 11Z. In the magnetic rotating body 11Z, radial magnetic bearing targets 16A and 16B, radial displacement detection sensor targets 17A and 17B, an axial magnetic bearing target 16C, and the rotor 15 are fixed around a rotational shaft 11R. The constitution includes the radial magnetic bearing targets 16A and 16B, the radial displacement detection sensor targets 17A and 17B, the axial magnetic bearing target 16C, and the rotor 15. The magnetic bearing main unit 10Z is constituted with radial magnetic bearings 12A and 12B (constituted with a radial electromagnet) facing the radial magnetic bearing targets 16A and 16B, an axial magnetic bearing 13 (constituted with axial electromagnets) facing the axial magnetic bearing target 16C, and a stator of a motor 14 for driving a rotating body facing the rotor 15. The magnetic bearing main unit 10Z executes a magnetic levitation support control (a five-shaft control) for the magnetic rotating body 11Z. A rotor blade of the turbo-molecular pump (not shown) is mounted on top of the rotational shaft.
The stator faces the outer circumference of the rotor 15. As a driving current is supplied to the stator, the rotor 15 rotates, and the rotating body 11Z rotates around the rotational shaft 11R. Radial displacement sensors 18A and 18B face the radial displacement detection sensor targets 17A and 17B and detects a displacement of the radial displacement detection sensor targets 17A and 17B in the radial direction. An axial displacement detection sensor 18C faces the lower end of the rotational shaft 11R and detects the displacement of the rotational shaft 11R in the axial direction. A casing 121 of the magnetic bearing main unit 10Z is provided with a plug-in receptacle 122 with which a plug 131 mounted on one end of a dedicated cable 30Z is connected. The casing of a control device 20Z is provided with a plug-in receptacle 141 with which a plug 132 mounted on the other end of the dedicated cable 30Z is connected. The control device 20Z can be connected with the magnetic bearing main unit 10Z via the dedicated cable 30Z.
FIG. 28 is a block diagram showing a circuit constitution of the magnetic bearing main unit 10Z and the control device 20Z. The parts indicated with the same reference numerals and symbols as in FIG. 26 are the same as or similar to corresponding parts. The magnetic bearing main unit 10Z has a positional displacement detection sensor section 52A, a temperature sensor section 57A, a rotation sensor section 58A, the electromagnet 51 for magnetic bearing, and the motor driving coil 59. The control device 20Z has a compensating circuit 54A, a multiple signal processing circuit 62A, the bearing drive power amplifier 55, the inverter 61 for motor drive, and the circuit drive power supply 56.
A position displacement sensor section 52A of the magnetic bearing main unit 10Z includes the radial displacement sensors 18A and 18B and the axial displacement detection sensor 18C. The position displacement sensor section 52A is a circuit section for amplifying the output signals of the displacement sensors by a preamplifier or the like and processing the output signals into signals appropriate for transmitting to the compensating circuit 54A of the control device 20Z. A temperature sensor section 57A of the magnetic bearing main unit 10Z includes a temperature sensor 57 provided to a predefined position of the magnetic bearing main unit 10Z. The temperature sensor section 57A is a circuit section for amplifying the output signal of the temperature sensor 57 by a preamplifier or the like and processing the output signals into a signal appropriate for transmitting to the multiple signal processing circuit 62A of the control device 20Z. A rotation sensor section 58A includes the rotation sensor 58 for detecting the rotational speed of the rotating body 11Z. The rotation sensor section 58A is a circuit section for processing the output signal of the rotation sensor 58 into a signal appropriate for transmitting to the multiple signal generation circuit 62A of the control device 20Z. The electromagnet 51 for magnetic bearing of the magnetic bearing main unit 10Z is constituted with the radial magnetic bearings 12A and 12B and the axial magnetic bearing 13. The motor driving coil 59 is a coil of the rotating body drive motor 14 as a stator. The compensating circuit 54A and the multiple signal processing circuit 62A are different from the compensating circuit 54 and the multiple signal processing circuit 62 in FIG. 26 only in that a processed signal is received.
The compensating circuit 54A of the control device 20Z has a function as a control signal generating circuit. The compensating circuit 54A receives the output signals from the radial displacement sensors 18A and 18B and the axial displacement detection sensor 18C of the position displacement sensor section 52A and generates a control signal for controlling the radial magnetic bearings 12A and 12B and the axial magnetic bearing 13. The control signal generated in the compensating circuit 54A is output to the bearing drive power amplifier 55, is amplified by the bearing drive power amplifier 55, becomes a control current, and supplied to the electromagnet 51 for magnetic bearing, which includes the radial magnetic bearings 12A and 12B (the radial electromagnets) and the axial magnetic bearing 13 (the axial electromagnets). As a result, the rotating body 11Z is levitationally supported by a magnetic force generated by the radial electromagnets 12A and 12B and the axial electromagnet 13. In addition, a driving current is supplied to the stator of a motor 14 for driving the rotating body 11 from the inverter 61 for motor drive, and the rotating body 11 rotates around the rotational shaft 11R.
Recently, a control device used for a turbo-molecular pump in which a rotating body is supported by a magnetic bearing is not often individually prepared as a dedicated control device corresponding to a model of a turbo-molecular pump but often prepared as an integrated control device covering a predefined range of specifications in consideration of a balance between production cost and the number of products. Such a control device is often used by changing an internal setting (adjustment). In other words, it is preferable to drive a plurality of models of the turbo-molecular pumps by an identical control device in relation to an electric circuit design from a technical viewpoint and from a viewpoint of cost.
However, there are problems described below. As an internal setting of a constitutionally identical control device is incorrect, a turbo-molecular pump cannot be normally driven. When a control device at a site of use needs to be used for a turbo-molecular pump corresponding to a different setting from the original, the control device has to be returned inconveniently to its manufacturer for the change of the internal setting. Because of failures of a control device integration, cost reduction does not advance.
As a counter measure, it is considerable that a control device is provided with a setting function of a turbo-molecular pump to be connected for making a setting according to the model of the turbo-molecular pump when a connection is made. However, because a setting distance between a control device and a pump is long or because a wiring in a device is complex in the case of a turbo-molecular pump or the like, it is not possible to discriminate which turbo-molecular pump is connected with the control device in a use condition, so that the aforementioned conventional device is not practicable. As a result, a function for a control device to identifying a model of a connected turbo-molecular pump has been wanted as a function of a control device.
On the other hand, a magnetic bearing mechanism for supporting a rotating body by a magnetic levitation is so designed that the installing orientation of the rotating body is free in consideration of its function. However, it is understood that a stable control is executed when a magnetic bearing control characteristic for use is changed on the basis of a difference in the installing orientation of the whole turbo-molecular pump according to the weight of the rotating body and the constituent features of the magnetic bearing in consideration of practicality.
The conventional methods described below have been proposed for an identification of a model of a turbo-molecular pump main unit. According to a method, a model identification element of a resistor or the like provided in a pump main unit is determined by a signal means sent from a high hierarchy control device, and the compatibility between a turbo-molecular pump and a control device is established. According to a method, a magnetic property of a motor coil is detected on the side of a control device in order to detect a property of the turbo-molecular pump, and the compatibility between a turbo-molecular pump and a control device is established. According to a method, a DSP (Digital Signal Processor) is used for mechanically moving and vibrating a rotating body, and the model of the turbo-molecular pump is identified on the basis of the property data on the turbo-molecular pump obtained through the response. (See Patent Documents 2 to 11)
[Patent Document 1] JP-A (Patent Laid Open)-2001-352114
[Patent Document 2] JP-Patent-3382627
[Patent Document 3] JP-Patent-3457353
[Patent Document 4] JP-A-H10-77993
[Patent Document 5] JP-A-H10-122182
[Patent Document 6] JP-A-H11-294454
[Patent Document 7] JP-A-H11-311249
[Patent Document 8] JP-U (Utility Model Laid Open)-H04-46226
[Patent Document 9] JP-U-H04-62393
[Patent Document 10] JP-A-H04-42290
[Patent Document 11] JP-A-2003-148386

Magnetic bearing device, rotating mechanism, and model identification method of rotating machinery main unit