A method efficiently manages equipment and personnel within a closed passage such as a tunnel and the like. At a first step, sensing values measured by sensors through a corresponding AUX device in each set are monitored to generate a set of monitored sensing values. At a next step, each monitored sensing value in the set is compared with a corresponding predetermined threshold value to provide information corresponding to the comparison result. At a final step, it is decided whether or not a trouble is detected within the passage based on the comparison result information to produce information representing the decision result and, in response to the decision result information, automatically sending predetermined emergency guide information to each of predetermined agencies and controlling the operation of each of components within the passage.

It is well known that a cable tunnel management system (CATMS), usually located above the ground level, manages facilities and workers within a closed passage such as a tunnel so as to protect them from disaster in case of a trouble such as a fire, harmful gas leakage, water intrusion or the like within the passage. In general, such a CATMS includes a central concentrated center (CCC) and a remote station (RS) module having a plurality of RS units which are incorporated above ground. The CATMS further includes an auxiliary (AUX) module having a number of sets of AUX devices and a number of sets of sensors which are installed within the closed passage, each AUX device of each of their sets being connected with a corresponding RS unit and also coupled with a corresponding set of sensors.
Specifically, when a predetermined start instruction is given by the CATMS's operator, the CCC issues a management start signal to each AUX device in said each of their sets through a corresponding RS unit to initiate a management process for facilities and workers in the closed passage. In response to the management start signal, each AUX device starts to receive sensing values measured by a corresponding set of sensors coupled thereto to generate and transfer formatted sensing data to a corresponding RS unit via a cable. The formatted sensing data includes overhead information which has data representing the type thereof, address data of each AUX device and data indicating the sequence of each sensor and sensing values obtained therefrom. The sensors in said each of their sets are capable of sensing a person, water level, fire, gas, temperature/humidity and door within the passage, and operation status of each of components included therein, respectively.
Each RS unit, which is connected between the CCC and each AUX device in a corresponding set of them, serves to add address data of said each RS unit to the formatted sensing data from said each AUX device to provide newly formatted sensing data to the CCC. Using the newly formatted sensing data, the CCC decides whether a trouble is detected within the closed passage, wherein the trouble may indicate a fire, a harmful gas leakage, a water intrusion, or the like within the passage. That is to say, the CCC first extracts the sensing values from the newly formatted sensing data based on the overhead information included therein and compares each of the extracted sensing values with a corresponding predetermined threshold value. Through such a comparison, if it is decided that a trouble is detected within the passage, the CCC displays warning information indicating the trouble on a monitor of a terminal therein and sounds a warning by using an alarm device contained therein so that personnel in the CCC are warned of the trouble or emergency in the passage.
When the CATMS' operator wishes to inform the emergency to all personnel within the passage and to predetermined organizations such as a firehouse, government and public office, and related sections in the CATMS, the CCC sequentially announces emergency guide information to all the workers through the corresponding RS units and AUX devices and to the organizations via corresponding telephone lines, wherein such a sequential announcement may be carried out by following an instruction issued by the CATMS's operator, which is very inconvenient and time consuming process. Further, in order to fix the trouble in the closed passage, the personnel involved usually enter the troubled area in person to take a series of actions needed to mend the trouble, resulting in a prolonged processing time. These whole time consuming processes may cause significant delay in taking steps to mend the trouble, thereby increasing a chance for a serious mishappening.

Method for managing facilities and workers within a closed range


A small structure which uses bonding wires to prevent disturbance and provide support and a method of fabricating the same are provided. The small structure includes a floating body having a plurality of first contact pads, a base having a plurality of second contact pads, and a plurality of bonding wires electrically connecting the first and second contact pads and elastically supporting the floating body. The method of fabricating the small structure includes preparing a base, forming a sacrificial layer on the base, disposing a floating body on the sacrificial layer, connecting the base and the floating body with bonding wires, and removing the sacrificial layer. Thereby, fabrication costs of the small structure are reduced.

1. Field of the Invention
Apparatuses and methods consistent with the present invention relate to a small structure such as a gyroscope, an accelerometer, a micro-mirror and so forth, and a method for fabricating the same, and more particularly to a small structure having a floating body and a method for fabricating the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a small structure using microelectromechanical technology, such as a gyroscope, an accelerometer and a micro-mirror is provided with a mass, such as a vibration piece, which constantly vibrates or rotates in a first axial direction. When such a mass rotates in a second axial direction perpendicular to the first axial direction at a constant angular velocity, the mass generates a coriolis force in a third axial direction, which is perpendicular to the first and second axial direction. According to this coriolis force, the mass generates a minute displacement, for example between tens of nanometers and several nanometers. This displacement is sensed by variation of capacitance, and detected as a rotational angular velocity.
However, this gyroscope is generally used under the exposure to a disturbance, such as noise, impact etc., other than the rotational angular velocity. When this type of disturbance acts on the gyroscope, the mass of the gyroscope generates displacement due to translational acceleration. As a result, a certain component of the displacement caused by the translational acceleration causes the mass to be displaced in the sensing direction, so that undesired signals are detected.
Therefore, the gyroscope is essentially required to isolate the mass from the disturbance such as noise, impact etc. introduced from an external environment.
Referring to FIG. 1, there is illustrated a general gyroscope 1, wherein an oscillator including an oscillating piece as a mass is isolated from a disturbance by means of an resilient member.
The gyroscope 1 is composed of a resilient member 4 enclosing an oscillator 2 and a printed circuit base (PCB) 3, and a housing 5 which receives the resilient member 4.
In this conventional gyroscope 1, the resilient member 4 is sealed in the housing 5 in a slightly compressed state so as not to move in the housing 5. Hence, when the resilient member 4, which encloses the oscillator 2 and the PCB 3, is sealed in the housing 5, a force applied to the oscillator 2 by the resilient member 4 is varied before and after sealing, so that the gyroscope is changed in output after sealing.
For this reason, in order to adjust the output after sealing, the gyroscope 1 should provide an output adjusting hole for the housing 5. As a result, the housing 5 fails to insulate a noise, etc.
In order to improve this problem, there has been proposed a gyroscope 1′ having a structure such that no force is applied to a resilient member when the resilient member is sealed in a housing, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. This technology is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2002-213960.
The gyroscope 1′ is composed of an oscillator 12 having a base 18 supporting an oscillating piece 14 (FIG. 3) by means of a supporting pin 16, wherein the oscillating piece 14 includes electrodes bonded to an outer surface by a piezoelectric element; a PCB 24 fixing resilient lead frames 20 of the base 18 to electrode pads 24a by soldering and having chip type electronic elements mounted thereon; resilient members 22 receiving the base 18 to prevent noise, vibration etc. from being transmitted to the base 18; and a stem 26 having a plurality of input/output lead pins 28.
The PCB 24, the resilient members 22 and the stem 26 are integrally fixed by disposing the resilient members 22 between the PCB 24 and the stem 26 and by soldering first ends of the lead pins 28 to through holes 24b of the PCB 24.
An upper cover 30 is fixed on the stem 26 by welding so as to seal the PCB 24 and the resilient members 22.
This conventional gyroscope 1′ does not bring the upper cover 30 into contact with the resilient members 22, so that, when the upper cover 30 is fixed, the oscillator 12 protected by the resilient members 22 is not pressed and displaced. Thus, there is an advantage in that, after the upper cover 30 is fixed, the gyroscope does not generate a change in output. However, the resilient members 22 should be separately fabricated, and also separate processes of maintaining the resilient members 22 between the PCB 24 and the stem 26 and of soldering the first ends of the lead pins 28 to the through holes of the PCB 24 in order to install the resilient members 22 are required, so that there is a problem in that the gyroscope has difficulty of assembling and increase of production costs.
Further, in the conventional gyroscope 1′, the lead pins 28, which are fixed to the stem 26, are directly fixed to the PCB 24, so that when any disturbance takes place, the disturbance is directly transmitted to the PCB without being isolated. Thus, the oscillator 12 generates displacement by means of translational acceleration, thus causing undesired signals to be detected.

Small structure and method for fabricating the same


The surface of an aromatic liquid crystalline polyester film is modified to have improved adhesion by: (a) applying an adhesion-promoting coating to the film; (b) subsequently heating the film to a temperature above the melting point of the polyester; and, (c) applying pressure to the heated film. Preferably, the film is placed between two portions of a release film (e.g. a polyimide) prior to applying pressure.

Compared to other polymer films, LCP films typically have high strength and modulus, and may also have other useful characteristics, e.g., low gas permeability and a low dielectric constant. For these reasons, it is desirable to bond an LCP film to another article or film. This makes it possible to form a laminate with another film. Furthermore, it may be desirable to coat an LCP film with another material to enhance its properties for certain applications. Preferably, the coating, article or film adheres well to the LCP film to avoid peeling or separating.
Ordinarily, adhesives can be used to bond two different materials or articles together. However, if one article or material does not form a strong bond with the adhesive, this procedure does not produce a good bond. LCP films usually do not adhere well to other materials, including many adhesive materials, due to the chemical and physical properties of the LCP. Therefore, it is difficult to bond such an LCP film to another film, to permanently coat the LCP film with a chemical layer, or to bond the LCP film onto an article.

Process for surface modification of an LCP film


A material comprising aerogel particles and a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) binder is formed having a thermal conductivity of less than or equal to 25 mW/m K at atmospheric conditions. The material is moldable or formable, having little or no shedding of filler particles, and may be formed into structures such as tapes or composites, for example, by bonding the material between two outer layers. Advantageously, composites may be flexed, stretched, or bent without significant dusting or loss of insulating properties.

The present invention relates to a material that is useful in multiple applications including insulation applications for garments, containers, pipes, electronic devices and the like. Among other things, the material of the present invention comprising aerogel particles and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), is formable, having low particle shedding and low thermal conductivity. Composites made from the material may be flexed, stretched, and twisted, with little or no shedding of aerogel particles or loss of conductive properties.
Use of aerogels for thermal insulation and the low thermal conductivity of aerogels is well known. Favorable thermally conductive properties result from the very high porosity of aerogel which is greater than about 95%, and the small pore size of aerogel material which is less than the size of the mean free path of air molecules at atmospheric pressure, or less than about 100 nm. Because of the small pore size, the mobility of air molecules within the material is restricted, and the effectiveness of air in conducting heat is reduced, resulting in low thermal conductivity. Under atmospheric conditions air has a thermal conductivity of about 25 mW/m K (milliwatt per meter Kelvin). Insulation having larger pore sizes, such as foam, batting, wool, and other common thermally insulating materials, has a thermal conductivity of about 40 mW/m K, which is higher than that of air due to the contribution of radiation and solid conduction. Aerogel powders and beads are known to have a thermal conductivity of about 9 to 20 mW/m K. However, such highly porous and low density material is not useful for many applications in the form of a powder due to the extensive dusting which makes installation, handling, forming and shaping particularly difficult, and further raises safety issues.
Traditional methods of making aerogels usually include extraction with supercritical fluids. The methods often include the steps of pouring an aerogel precursor liquid into a mold, drying the aerogel liquid to form a highly porous gel structure with a variety of liquid exchanges, and using supercritical fluid extraction to form an aerogel monolith. Processes, such as those using supercritical fluid extraction, are very time consuming and expensive. Further, the structures produced are rigid and have low mechanical strength and have limited ability to be further molded or formed into desired shapes after the aerogel material is formed. These materials often crack or shatter upon flexing and are known for shedding or "dusting" of fine aerogel particles.
In an attempt to increase the flexibility and strength of aerogel material, Stepanian et al. U.S. Patent Publication 2002/0094426 teach aerogel materials combined with a reinforcing structure, specifically a lofty fibrous batting. Preferably, the aerogel is reinforced by a fibrous batting structure in combination with randomly oriented microfibers and/or conductive layers. To form the aerogel sheet, an aerogel-forming precursor liquid is poured into the batting and supercritically dried to form an aerogel. It is taught that the resulting reinforced aerogel structure is drapable, less prone to shattering upon flexing and less prone to shedding of fine aerogel particles. However, applications for such materials are limited due to a lack of moldability and formability of these structures, as well as the costs associated with supercritical extraction steps.
To overcome the brittleness often associated with reinforced aerogels, U.S. Pat. No. 5,786,059, to Frank et al. teaches gluing aerogel powders together to form a continuous product. Specifically, an aerogel composite material having a layer of fiber web and aerogel particles is preferably formed as a mat or panel. The fiber web comprises a bicomponent fiber material of two firmly interconnected polymers having lower and higher temperature melting regions into which aerogel particles are sprinkled. Upon heating to the lower melt temperature, the fibers of the web are bonded to each other as well as to the aerogel particles. The resulting composites are relatively stiff structures, and upon the application of mechanical stress, granules break or become detached from the fiber so that aerogel fragments may fall out from the web.
Smith et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 6,172,120, disclose a process for the manufacture of aerogels wherein aerogels are formed as powders instead of monolithic blocks or sheets. The manufacturing process has the advantage of aerogel formation without the step of supercritical fluid extraction. However, in the form of a powder, aerogel is not useful for many applications due to high dusting and lack of formability.
There is a need for an insulating material that overcomes problems inherent in aerogel powders and composites, such as the lack of formability of aerogel powder and the lack of flexibility of composites, as well as the shedding or dusting of aerogel particles upon application of mechanical stress. There is a need for low conductivity, low shedding insulating materials that can be molded or formed into any desired shape subsequent to the formation of the insulating material composition, and which, therefore, can be easily suited to a wide variety of applications. Further, insulating materials which may be prepared without the high processing cost often associated with aerogel insulation would be greatly desired.

Aerogel/PTFE composite insulating material


A scanner for scanning three-dimensional objects, wherein the distance between the scanner and the object for each measured location is derived by determining the phase difference between a generated light beam, and light received off of the object being scanned. The phase difference is determined by mixing the modulation signal for the generated light with a second modulation signal, and also mixing the received light signal with the second modulation signal. Additionally, an approximation of the amplitude of the mixed received light signal and the second modulation signal is used in conjunction with the received light signal to generate a correction for delay inherent in a photoreceiver used in the scanner. The approximation and raw receiver signal may also be used to obtain texture information from a surface being scanned. The distance between two points may also determined by the apparatus and method of this invention.

The present invention pertains to an apparatus and method for determining the distance between two points. More specifically, the present invention pertains to a three dimensional scanner which determines a distance between a known position and the surface of an object by measuring phase shift associated with collimated light transmitted from the known position, reflected, scattered, or dispersed off of the surface being measured, and received by an optical receiver associated with the collimated light transmitter, and more particularly to three-dimensional optical scanners.
The conversion of geometric data associated with a surface to digitized data is important for the generation of computer graphics. These computer graphics can be used in applications including, but not limited to, virtual reality, computer games, and multimedia presentations. The digitized data can be used for presentations regarding artwork, such as a museum being able to catalog or provide three dimensional models of famous sculptures without harming the original sculpture. Digitizing may also be used in other fields, such as manufacturing, where the determination of the shape of an object can be used to generate profiles for computer-aided machining, as well as for determining the dimensional accuracy of finished products.
The conversion of geometric data can be accomplished by the repetitive measuring of the distance between the surface and a known position using a device with an electrical/electronic output. Early computerized measuring machines (hereafter CMM""s) used mechanical probes, which were repetitively advanced into contact and retracted from a surface to determine the distance between the surface and a known location.
More recent devices have used a beam of light to determine the distance between the source and the surface. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,470,698 to Green, Jr., et al., a system is shown which uses a reflected beam of light for measuring distances. The Green reference is directed towards a system for optimally determining the orientation of counter-rotating optical wedges used to direct a beam of light for scanning purposes.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,698,498 to Mahoney et al. describes a three dimensional scanner which uses separate optical wedge pairs for scanning horizontal and vertical axes. By counter-rotating the optical wedges at a common rotational speed, the deflection of a light beam is constrained along a linear path. By using one pair of counter-rotating optical wedges to direct a generated light beam along a linear path, with the position of the path determined by the rotational position of the optical wedges. By reflecting the light off of an elevation mirror, the light transmitter can cause the beam to sweep a rectangular area. By reflecting returning light off of the elevation mirror and through a pair of optical wedges, the system can receive reflections of the light beam, and focus the beam onto a photoreceiver.
The prior art measurement of phase shift used in an application such as described in the Green patent relies on mixing the measured signal with a reference frequency signal, and determining the frequency difference. The phase difference is measured as a time difference between zero-crossing transitions of the measured periodic signal. Any noise in the system, however, can result in errors in the measured time difference. In order to obtain sufficient accuracy, the measurement of a particular distance must be either prolonged or multiply repeated to allow averaging of the time value to minimize the effect of any noise. The resulting impact on the system is an increase in the time required to obtain accurate distance measurements. When multiple measurements are required to derive a surface profile, and each measurement requires a longer dwell time, the overall scanning rate is reduced.
Also, in order to minimize the effect of noise on the signal measurement, band-pass filters are employed. The band-pass filters cause limited bandwidth, which results in time domain distortions of the measured phase shift. Accommodating these distortions also results in a reduction of the rate at which distance measurements can be accurately obtained.
The nature of available photoreceivers also inserts uncertainty into the system. The signal delay of the photoreceiver is dependent upon the intensity of the light received, and upon the distribution of the light intensity on the active surface of the receiver, which is defined by the angle between the scanning beam and the optical axis of the device.
In order to accommodate this dependence, it is necessary to know the phase, amplitude, and deflection angle of the light beam. As a result, measuring phase shift between electrical signals is not sufficient for accurate distance measurement. This problem is described in the article in Yakovlev W. W., Phase distortions in Germanium Avalanche Photo-Diodes, The Journal of Optical-mechanic industry (Rus), 1983, N12, p.13-14. This article provided the following equation for assessing the delay inherent in a photo-diode:       tg              xe2x80x83            ϕ    =            1      2        ·                  1        +                  3          ·                                    (                                                                    u                    0                                    -                                      i                    ·                    R                                                                    u                  1                                            )                        2                                                (                                                    u                0                            -                              i                ·                R                                                    u              1                                )                ·                  (                      1            -                                          (                                                                            u                      0                                        -                                          i                      ·                      R                                                                            u                    1                                                  )                            2                                )                      ·                            u          m1                +                  u          m3                            u        m1              ·                  u        m2                    u        1
where:
"psgr" is the additional phase shift due to amplitude dependence
u0 is the offset voltage applied to the photo-diode
u1 is the threshold voltage of the photo-diode
um1, um2, and um3 are the amplitudes of the harmonic components of the received signal modulation
i is the average photo-current
R is the internal resistance of the photo-diode
The present invention overcomes these limitations by converting the output signal of the photoreceiver into a digitized signal, and comparing the digitized signal to a digitized reference differential signal corresponding to the generated light beam.
The optical scanner of the present invention may include a means for generating a first electronic modulation signal, a means for generating a second electronic modulation signal, and a means for generating a modulated beam of light, wherein the modulation of the light beam corresponds to the first electronic modulation signal.
A means for causing the modulated beam of light to be directed at a location on the surface to be measured is disposed between the means for generating a modulated beam of light and an object being measured. The means for causing the modulated beam of light to be directed at a location on the surface to be measured further provides a signal defining the orientation of the scanner to the object.
A means for receiving light from a surface being measured is disposed on the opposite side of the means for causing the beam of modulated light to be directed from the object being scanned. The means for receiving light includes a means for generating an output signal, which corresponds to the received light
A first mixer combines the first and second modulation signals to form a reference differential signal. A second mixer combines the output of the photoreceiver and the second modulation signals to form a mixed receiver signal. First and second analog-to-digital converters convert the reference differential signal and mixed receiver signal to form a digitized reference differential signal and a digitized mixed receiver signal.
A third analog-to-digital converter is provided to digitize DC and low frequency components of the raw receiver signal (photocurrent). The digitized raw receiver signal, digitized reference differential signal, and digitized mixed receiver signal are then communicated to a digital signal processor.
The digital signal processor determines a distance between the scanner and the object being scanned based on the phase difference between the digitized reference differential signal and the digitized mixed receiver signal. The digital signal processor then determines a correction factor to correct for delay inherent in photoreceivers by approximating the amplitude of the digitized mixed receiver signal and using this data in conjunction with the digitized raw receiver signal to determine the necessary correction, which is applied to the phase-derived distance to determine a more accurate distance. The distance value and position information identifying the location of the scanner derived distance are then communicated to an interface, so that the data can be communicated to a computer or other image processing element.
In a simple form, the invention is embodied in an apparatus for measuring the distance between two points having a photoreceiver which has an output signal. A converter compares the output signal to a digitized reference differential signal corresponding to a generated light beam. The comparison results in a resultant value which corresponds to the distance between the two points. The comparator further determines a correction factor for delays inherent in the photoreceiver. The correction factor applied to the resultant value provides a corrected resultant value.
Methodically, the invention is embodied in a process which involving converting an output signal from a photoreceiver into a digitized signal, and comparing the digitized signal to a digitized reference differential signal corresponding to a generated light beam. The comparison produces a resultant value, which corresponds to the distance between the two points. Also, a correction factor for delays inherent in the photoreceiver is determined based on the digitized output signal of the photoreceiver. This correction factor is applied to the resultant value to determine a corrected resultant value.


The present invention relates to aqueous acidic plating baths for copper and copper alloy deposition in the manufacture of printed circuit boards, IC substrates, semiconducting and glass devices for electronic applications. The plating bath according to the present invention comprises copper ions, at least one acid and an ureylene polymer comprising amino residues on both termini and which is free of organically bound halogen. The plating bath is particularly useful for filling recessed structures with copper and build-up of pillar bump structures.

Aqueous acidic plating baths for electrolytic deposition of copper are used for manufacturing printed circuit boards and IC substrates where fine structures like trenches, through holes (TH), blind micro vias (BMV) and pillar bumps need to be filled or build up with copper. Another application of such electrolytic deposition of copper is filling of recessed structures such as through silicon vias (TSV) and dual damascene plating or forming redistribution layers (RDL) and pillar bumps in and on semiconducting substrates. Still another application which is becoming more demanding is filling through glass vias, i.e. holes and related recessed structures in glass substrates with copper or copper alloys by electroplating.
The patent application EP 1 069 211 A2 discloses aqueous acidic copper plating baths comprising a source of copper ions, an acid, a carrier additive, a brightener additive and a leveler additive which can be poly[bis(2-chloroethyl)ether-alt-1,3-bis[3-(dimethylamino)propyl]urea (CAS-No. 68555-36-2) which contains an organo-bound halide atom (e.g., covalent C—Cl bonds) in at least one terminus (see comparative preparation example 1).
Such leveler additives in acidic copper plating baths are not suitable to fulfill the current and future requirements in manufacture of advanced printed circuit boards, IC substrates and metallization of semiconducting and glass substrates. Depending on the circuitry layout, BMVs′ in printed circuit boards and IC substrates need to be filled with copper completely and not only conformally. Typical requirements for BMV filling are for example: obtaining a completely filled BMV while depositing no more than 10 to 15 μm of copper onto the neighbouring planar substrate areas and at the same time creating a dimple on the outer surface of the filled BMV of no more than 0 to 10 μm.
In metallization of semiconducting wafers, TSV filling must lead to a complete and void-free filling with copper while creating no more than ⅕ of via diameter of overplated copper onto the neighbouring planar areas. Similar requirements are demanded for filling through glass vias with copper.


A superconducting oxide composite structure including a superconducting oxide member, a metal layer surrounding the superconducting oxide member, and an insulating layer of a complex oxide formed in situ adjacent to the superconducting oxide member and the metal layer is provided together with a method of forming such a superconducting oxide composite structure including encapsulating a superconducting oxide member or precursor within a metal matrix layer from the group of: (i) a reactive metal sheath adjacent to the superconducting oxide member or precursor, the reactive metal sheath surrounded by a second metal layer or (ii) an alloy containing a reactive metal; to form an intermediate product, and, heating the intermediate product at temperatures and for time sufficient to form an insulating layer of a complex oxide in situ, the insulating layer to the superconducting oxide member or precursor and the metal matrix layer.

Since the discovery of the first oxide superconductors less than a decade ago, there has been great interest in developing high temperature superconducting conductors for use in high current applications such as power transmission cables, motors, magnets and energy storage devices. These applications will require wires and tapes with high engineering critical current densities, robust mechanical properties, and long lengths manufacturable at reasonable cost. Superconducting oxide materials alone do not possess the necessary mechanical properties, nor can they be produced efficiently in continuous long lengths. Superconducting oxides have complex, brittle, ceramic-like structures which cannot by themselves be drawn into wires or similar forms using conventional metal-processing methods. Moreover, they may be subject to a magnetic effect known as flux jumping which causes sudden localized temperature variations that can force them out of their superconducting state if it is not compensated. Consequently, the more useful forms of high temperature superconducting conductors usually are composite structures in which the superconducting oxides are supported by a matrix material which adds mechanical robustness to the composite and provides good thermal dissipation in the event of flux jumping. The matrix material chosen must be readily formable, have high thermal conductivity, and be sufficiently non-reactive with respect to the superconducting oxides under the conditions of manufacturing and use that the properties of the latter are not degraded in its presence. For composites made by the popular powder-in-tube or PIT process, described, for example, by Yurek et al. in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,826,808 and 5,189,009, by Gao et al. in Superconducting Science and Technology, Vol. 5, pp. 318-326, 1992, by Rosner et al. in "Status of HTS superconductors: Progress in improving transport critical current densities in HTS Bi-2223 tapes and coils" (presented at the conference entitled `Critical Currents in High Tc Superconductors`, Vienna, Austria, April, 1992), and by Sandhage et al., "Critical Issues in the OPIT Processing of High Jc BSCCO Superconductors", in Journal of Metals, 43, 21, 1991, all of which are herein incorporated by reference, the matrix material must also provide sufficient oxygen access during manufacturing to allow the formation of a superconducting oxide from its precursor material. Very few matrix materials meet these requirements. Under normal manufacturing conditions, the original precursor mixture typically evolves to the final superconducting oxide, as well as some secondary phases, through a series of phase transformations which may take place at varying temperatures, pressures and oxidation conditions, and the phase transformations may indeed be optimized at somewhat different precursor stoichiometries from those needed to optimize the final superconductive oxide. An uncontrolled reaction between the precursor and the matrix during any one of these phase transformations can adversely affect the formation of the superconducting oxide. Because of this complex formation chemistry, it has frequently been preferred to minimize the potential for reactions between the matrix and the superconducting oxide or its precursors. Superconducting oxides have adverse reactions with nearly all metals except the noble metals. Thus, silver and other noble metals or noble metal alloys are typically used as matrix materials, and pure silver is the matrix material generally preferred for most high performance applications although composite matrices, including, for example, oxide diffusion barriers or silver layers between superconducting oxides and non-noble metals have been suggested in the prior art.
Many of the superconductor applications that have the greatest potential for energy conservation involve operating the superconductor in the presence of an alternating current (AC) magnetic field, or require that the superconductor carry an AC current. In the presence of time-varying magnetic fields or currents, there are a variety of mechanisms that give rise to energy dissipation, hereafter called AC losses, even in superconductors. Thus, the superconductor geometry must be selected to reduce AC losses, in order to preserve the intrinsic advantage of superconductors the absence of DC electrical resistance. The physics governing AC losses in low temperature superconducting composite materials have been described and analyzed, Wilson, Superconducting Magnets, Ch. 8 (1983,1990), and Carr, Jr., AC loss and Macroscopic Theory of Superconductors, Gordon and Breach Science Publishers, New York, 1983, and would be expected to operate in superconducting oxide composites with similar geometries. In general, the primary sources of AC loss are hysteretic loss within a superconducting filament or filaments, and eddy current loss in the matrix enhanced by coupling between superconducting filaments. To minimize hysteretic losses, the superconductor is preferably subseparated into many small filaments that are discrete and dimensionally uniform along the length of the conductor. Eddy current losses may be minimized by increasing the electrical resistivity of the matrix or by twisting the filaments, with tighter twist pitches providing lower losses. However, the inherent chemical and mechanical limitations of superconducting oxide composites limit the degree to which these approaches may be relied on for reducing AC losses in high temperature superconducting composites. Conventional methods for increasing the resistivity of the matrix have been limited. Silver, the matrix material of choice for these composites for the reasons discussed above, has a very low electrical resistivity. Efforts have been made to increase the resistivity of the matrix, for example, by distributing small amounts of simple oxide-forming metals in finely separated form in a silver matrix, and by using higher resistivity alloys to form all or part of the matrix adjacent to the filaments. However, the presence of even very small amounts of chemically reactive materials near the filament/matrix boundary during the manufacturing process can significantly degrade the properties of the superconducting oxide composite. This is a particularly delicate issue for composites consisting of many fine filaments as the higher surface to volume ratio greatly increases the risk of contamination. In the "PIT" manufacturing process, layers of high resistivity material can also block oxygen access to the filaments during manufacturing, inhibiting the formation of the superconducting oxide from its precursors. In addition, increasing the electrical resistivity of the matrix adjacent to the filaments, whether by surrounding the filaments with a resistive layer or by providing a uniformly doped matrix, generally decreases its thermal conductivity, increasing the risk of flux jumping during use.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,424,282 by Yamamoto et al. shows the formation of a simple oxide from a platinum-class element pipe such as platinum oxide produced by the heating of a platinum pipe and includes superconductive material therein adjacent to the simple oxide. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/444,564, filed May 19, 1995 by Snitchler et al. (abandoned in favor of Ser. No. 08/862,016, filed May 22, 1997) describes the in situ formation of insulating layers, but such insulating layers were not directly adjacent to the oxide superconductor filament or core. Neither of these efforts has achieved the results of the present invention.
It is an object of the present invention to provide multifilamentary superconducting composite articles in any desired aspect ratio with improved AC loss characteristics and high critical current densities, and a method for manufacturing them.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method of reducing coupling losses in multifilamentary superconducting oxide composite articles without significantly increasing the risk of contamination of the superconducting filaments by the supporting matrix.
Still another object of this invention is to provide a method of manufacturing superconducting composite articles suitable for AC applications which provides adequate oxygen access for formation of a desired superconducting oxide with optimal current carrying capacity.
A further object of the present invention is to provide highly aspected multifilamentary BSCCO-2212 and BSCCO-2223 composite conductors having high current densities, superior AC loss characteristics and robust mechanical properties, and a method for producing them.
A still further object of the present invention to provide a method of mitigating filament coupling currents in multifilamentary high temperature superconducting (HTS) wires or tapes.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide control or engineering of the composition of the superconductor material during processing by the encapsulating material around the superconductor material.

Structure for hts composite conductors and the manufacture of same

The Regents of the University of California


A carton is provided for carrying articles or containers in two layers with three rows of containers in each layer. The carton can have a dispenser flap in one side panel which can be opened for dispensing containers when the carton is placed on the end adjacent to the dispenser opening. The two layers of containers are kept separate during the dispensing by an interlocking separator pad that is interlocked to the side end flaps on one end of the carton by punch locks going through the primary female openings of the leading flap attached to the separator pad. A secondary locking system is provided by a swing lock in each side end flap on the interlocking end of the carton which has a secondary male lock attached to it that is inserted into a secondary female opening in the separator pad. Each secondary male lock may have a locking slot that engages a locking edge of the secondary female opening. A secondary locking system can be provided on the other end of the carton by side end flaps which have a swing lock to which is attached a secondary male lock having a locking slot that engages a locking edge of a secondary female opening in the separator pad. These locking systems hold the interlocking separator pad in proper position as containers are removed from the carton.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a carton for carrying cylindrical containers or other types of articles in two layers, with each layer having three rows of containers. An interlocking separator pad is provided which has female openings for receiving a punch lock and a secondary male lock attached to the side end flaps on the interlocking end of the carton. This carton may have a dispenser in a side panel to permit easy access and removal of the containers in the carton.
2. Background of the Invention
Fully enclosed cartons that are capable of carrying cans have been used in the past that have a feature for dispensing the cans one at a time. Many of these dispensers do not work in a satisfactory fashion when the cans are carried in two layers. It is desirable to carry cans of certain products in two layers, especially when the can size is small. It would be desirable to have a dispenser that would permit the dispensing of cans from each layer in a carton that contains two layers of cans. It would be desirable to have a divider or separator pad separating the two layers of cans in order for the dispenser in the carton to work properly. Otherwise, the cans in one layer could interfere with the dispensing of cans in the other layer. It would also be desirable to have a divider, or separator, pad that would remain in place during the dispensing of all cans in the carton. It would also be desirable to have a divider, or separator, pad that would work with the dispenser in the side panel of the carton.

Fully enclosed pack with interlocking separator pad and dispenser


A control circuit for DC-DC converters and a control method therefor wherein unstable operation in which output voltage fluctuates can be detected and the unstable operation be prevented from continuing are provided. The control circuit includes: an error amplifier ERA1 that has an inverting input terminal to which detecting voltage V1 detected according to output voltage is inputted and a non-inverting input terminal to which reference voltage e1 is inputted, and amplifies the difference voltage of detecting voltage relative to reference voltage e1; and a detection unit 50 that detects that an error output signal VOP of the error amplifier ERA1 stays at a predetermined voltage level. The detection unit 50 includes: a signal determination unit that determines that the predetermined voltage level is out of a normal operating range; and a duration count unit that detects that the predetermined voltage level stays out of the normal operating range for a predetermined time by the signal determination unit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a control circuit for DC-DC converters and a control method therefor.
2. Description of Related Art
Portable electronic equipment uses a battery, such as electric cell, as power source. The power of a battery is discharged as time passes after the portable electronic equipment is actuated, and the output voltage of the battery drops with time. DC-DC converters have been used to keep power supply voltage, supplied to portable electronic equipment, constant even after the output voltage of its battery drops.
Portable electronic equipment is connected with various devices. Therefore, it is required to prepare multiple DC-DC converters in correspondence with the target voltages of devices connected with the relevant portable electronic equipment.
To avoid preparing a separate control IC having specific characteristics for each operating condition of DC-DC converters and provide versatility, some of such portable electronic equipment are so constructed that the following is implemented: a resistance element and a capacitive element that establish operating conditions are externally added to a control IC.
Portable electronic equipment is often moved from one installation position to another when used indoors or is often taken out when used. When it is moved or taken out, it may be accidentally dropped. In such a case, troubles can be caused by dropping impact. For example, a resistance element or a capacitive element externally added to a control IC can come off or be loosened. As a result, they are not electrically connected with the control IC, or failure is produced in the electrical connection between the control IC and the resistance element or the like. As a result, a state of overvoltage in which output voltage is abruptly increased, for example, may be brought about.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2005-117784 discloses a technique to prevent occurrences of overvoltage. In the switching power supply unit described in this document, output voltage drop is prevented by taking the following measures: an IC for switching power supply compares reference voltage generated by a charging circuit with feedback voltage from an output circuit; and it brings the value of this feedback voltage close to the value of the reference voltage. When the IC for switching power supply is no longer electrically connected with the output circuit due to connection failure, for example, the following takes place: the value of feedback voltage from the output circuit is zeroed, and the difference between the value of feedback voltage and the value of reference voltage is increased. Consequently, the IC for switching power supply carries out control so as to bring the value of feedback voltage close to the value of reference voltage. As a result, output voltage rises, and overvoltage is caused. In this switching power supply unit, consequently, output voltage is prevented from rising by taking the following measures: when the value of feedback voltage lowers and the occurrence of a failure is detected, a switch means connected with an output terminal is turned off.
Some of the above-mentioned portable electronic equipment are provided with a DC-DC converter 100 illustrated in FIG. 7, for example. A resistor R3 and a capacitor C2 are externally added to a control circuit, and the feedback path for an error amplifier ERA1 is constructed of the resistor R3 and the capacitor C2.

Control circuit having error amplifier for DC-DC converter and control method therefor


Process for preparing 4'-methyl-2-cyanobiphenyl, comprising, catalytically hydrogenating at least one brominated cyanobiphenyl compound selected from 4'-dibromomethyl-2-cyanobiphenyl and 4'-bromomethyl-2-cyanobiphenyl; and process for regenerating 4'-methyl-2-cyanobiphenyl, comprising, catalytically hydrogenating at least one brominated cyanobiphenyl compound selected from 4'-dibromomethyl-2-cyanobiphenyl and 4'-bromomethyl-2-cyanobiphenyl, contained in a filtrate prepared by brominating 4'-methyl-2-cyanobiphenyl in a solvent; crystallizing 4'-bromomethyl-2-cyanobiphenyl from the resulting reaction mixture; and removing the resulting crystals from the reaction mixture by filtration. 4'-Methyl-2-cyanobiphenyl can be used as starting materials for 4'-bromomethyl-2-cyanobiphenyl.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a process for preparing 4'-methyl-2-cyanobiphenyl. More particularly, the present invention relates to a process for preparing 4'-methyl-2-cyanobiphenyl, which is useful as an intermediate of 4'-bromomethyl-2-cyanobiphenyl used as starting materials of pharmaceuticals such as antihypertensives, and also relates to a process for regenerating 4'-methyl-2-cyanobiphenyl from by-products formed during the preparation of 4'-bromomethyl-2-cyanobiphenyl from 4'-methyl-2-cyanobiphenyl.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Conventionally, there have been known a process for preparing 4'-bromomethyl-2-cyanobiphenyl, comprising dissolving 4'-methyl-2-cyanobiphenyl in a solvent; brominating the 4'-methyl-2-cyanobiphenyl; crystallizing the resulting 4'-bromomethyl-2-cyanobiphenyl; and collecting the resulting crystals by filtration as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,621,134, corresponding to Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 8-127562.
In the above process, there are some advantageous merits in being able to industrially and advantageously prepare 4'-bromomethyl-2-cyanobiphenyl from inexpensive starting materials in a high yield.
However, in the above process, after crystallizing 4'-bromomethyl-2-cyanobiphenyl from the reaction mixture and collecting the obtained crystals by filtration, the resulting filtrate contains 4'-dibromomethyl-2-cyanobiphenyl as a by-product as well as 4'-bromomethyl-2-cyanobiphenyl which remains in a mother liquor.
Therefore, the development of a process of efficiently reusing the by-product, 4'-dibromomethyl-2-cyanobiphenyl and the remaining desired compound, 4'-bromomethyl-2-cyanobiphenyl contained in the filtrate has been highly desired.
In view of the problems in the prior art mentioned above, an object of the present invention is to provide a process of efficiently reusing the by-product, 4'-dibromomethyl-2-cyanobiphenyl and the remaining desired compound, 4'-bromomethyl-2-cyanobiphenyl contained in the filtrate.
These and other objects of the present invention will be apparent from the following description.


The present invention provides a golf putter having a shaft attached to the club face of the head by a hosel. The hosel is attached to the face with the bottom of the hosel flush with the bottom of the head and the bottom of the face. The hosel maintains the face and the shaft in spaced parallel planes to define a space between the face and the shaft. The hosel may have a circular cross sectional shape or another cross sectional shape that allows the golfer to better see the bottom of the hosel. The present invention provides a golf putter that allows the golfer to clearly see the bottom of the hosel and, thus, gauge the distance to the ground and the bottom of the golf putter so that the golfer can know how far he may come up in the stroke to apply a top spin to the golf ball without topping the ball and allows the golfer to apply a pulling stroke rather than a pushing stroke.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to the field of sports equipment. More specifically, the invention relates to an improved golf putter that enables the golfer to better visualize the distance to the ground and the distance to the bottom of the club face, to better align the golf ball with the putter, and to provide a desired pulling stroke.
2. Related Art
Golf is a game of skill that requires concentration and focus making the mental portion of the game as important as the physical aspects. In some cases, the mental and physical aspects of golf intertwine. For example, when striking a golf ball the club head should strike the golf ball with the club face perpendicular to the swing travel path and with the club head striking the ball in the "sweet spot" of the club head. Variations in angle and striking location can cause the ball to travel along undesirable paths. This principle is true not only on the fairway, but also when putting on the green.
When putting, it is desirable to strike the golf ball in the sweet spot of the club head with the club face perpendicular to the desired travel path. A proper stoke preferably produces a slight top-spin on the ball. Although simple in principle, providing the correct amount of force to the ball in the proper direction with the proper spin is difficult in practice and may cause extreme frustration to amateurs and professionals alike. Often, problems with putting may be overcome with training, enhanced concentration, change of grip, approach, or stroke, or change of visualization or touch. For example, attempting to use or visualize a pulling motion, rather than a pushing motion, may improve the resulting putt. Due to the difficulty of putting, many styles and sizes of putters have been developed and used with some having traditional shafts and grips and some having modified shafts and grips. The existing putters vary in weight, balance, size, shape, hosel positioning, etcetera to allow the individual golfer to find the exact style with which he feels most comfortable. Some of the variations are tangible, such as a larger sweet spot, while others are less tangible, such as the weight of the club.
However, despite the use of the prior art features, there remains a need for additional putters. In particular, there remains a need for a putter that allows the golfer to better visualize and gauge the distance to the ground and the distance to the bottom of the club face, which is also generally the bottom plane of the golf ball, allowing the golfer to know how far the golfer may bring the putter from the bottom of the swing up in the stroke to impart a solid hit without fear of topping the ball facilitating placing the desired top-spin on the ball.


A fencing system is provided that is constructed from durable polymer components that are sufficiently rigid and durable while providing an integrated modular assembly that is easy to assembly and well suited to a do-it-yourself marketplace. In particular, the modular fence is an integrated system of interfitting vinyl components and a unique polycarbonate or ABS clip for interconnection thereof. The fence includes vertical posts with horizontal members extending therebetween. The horizontal members include grooves therein to support fence panels in the form of web panels. The horizontal members are connected to the vertical members utilizing a novel and uniquely configured connector element.

The present invention relates generally to a system and method for creating fencing systems. More specifically, the this invention relates to a new modular configuration that is particularly suited for fabricating and assembling vinyl fencing systems that are easier to install and are tailored to the do-it-yourself marketplace.
In the prior art, the vertical post members and the horizontal rail supports used in constructing fences have typically been made of wood. However, the traditional wood construction has become less desirable for several reasons. A primary drawback is that the overall cost of installing and maintaining a wooden fence system is relatively high due to the escalation in the cost of lumber materials in recent years and the fact that wood fences require constant maintenance such as painting or staining and prevention of rot. This is particularly true when wooden posts supporting a fence are anchored in the ground. If the posts fail due to rot, the entire fence is rendered useless. Although anchoring the posts in concrete can postpone these effects, it does not eliminate them. In addressing the preservation of the wood materials, the industry has created a secondary drawback related to the use of highly toxic preservatives to prevent the wood from rotting.
Further, fences have historically been designed and erected as permanent structures, without providing for subsequent removal or alteration. These permanent structures are been built on-site from the desired fencing materials, such as chain link or raw lumber, yielding integrated structures that cannot be easily dismantled without damaging the materials. The result is that most of these prior art fences that are constructed "on site" as unitary structures, are highly labor intensive and quite expensive to have initially installed. Additionally, wood fences constructed in this manner from raw lumber can also be non-uniform in appearance, detracting from their aesthetic qualities. This problem is further amplified when the installation process is attempted by a do-it-yourself installer who has relatively little experience in working with traditional fencing systems.
As an alternative to the wood fencing systems, fences having plastic horizontal rails that snap into vertical plastic posts are known. Typically, these plastic rails have snap-in connections formed on their ends and they "snap-in" directly to the plastic posts. Problems typically encountered with this type of plastic fence construction include the fact that these constructions do not take into account the expansion and contraction of the plastic and also that the support rails may tend to rotate in response to varying thermal conditions. Further, some of these plastic fences are made of a material that has sufficient plasticity to result in sagging rails and bending posts over time.
There is therefore a need to provide an esthetically pleasing fence that overcomes the above noted drawbacks associated with wood fencing systems. Further there is a need for a fencing system that is relatively inexpensive and durable, yet can be dismantled and reassembled in sections by a do-it-yourself consumer, if desired.


Methods and apparatus for monitoring an arc welding process are disclosed. In a preferred embodiment, the present invention creates a digital representation of the arc created during welding and, using a neural network computer, determines if the arc is representative of normal or abnormal welding conditions. The neural network disclosed is trained to identify abnormal conditions and normal conditions and may be adaptively retrained to classify images that are not in the initial set of normal and abnormal images. In certain embodiments, other data, such as current, weld wire emission spectra, or shielding gas flow rate are also collected and the neural network is trained to monitor these data. Also, in certain embodiments, an audio signal is collected from the vicinity of the welding process and is used by the neural network computer to further classify the arc as normal or abnormal. The present invention is most preferably implemented in repetitive and continuous welding operations, such as those encountered in the manufacture and rebuilding of steam turbines.

The possibilities of applying logic to industrial processes to enhance their efficiency has long been recognized, even prior to the advent of electronic logic circuits and computers. One form of control that has advanced along with computer technology is pattern recognition. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,589,140--Bishop discloses a system that uses a video camera to compare magnified images of circuit boards. Similarly, a video surface inspection system disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,675,730--Adomaitis et al. compares surface patterns to reference images and determines if an inspected surface falls within pre-determined minimum or maximum "grey level" values for the image.
Pattern recognition concepts are also useful when the "pattern" is not a video image of an object, but is instead a signal related to a characteristic. Thus, the sensed vibrational patterns of a machine tool can be analyzed using a pattern recognition system to determine tool breakage or other abnormal conditions as disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 4,918,427--Thomas et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,853,860--Thomas; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,724,524--Thomas et al.
Recent progress in computing technology and the application of cognitive science to industrial processes has led to so-called expert systems that are capable of reasoning and decision making beyond simply identifying whether a particular pattern "matches" a stored pattern. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,916,625--Davidson et al. describes an expert system as a software program that contains information concerning a real world situation or environment that makes inferences about a given state or change. Thus, an expert system will generally contain a knowledge base and an inference mechanism to manipulate the data in the knowledge base and collected data. The system disclosed by Davidson et al. manages the task of optimizing a fiber spinning operation in real time by sensing the occurrence of events and applying a set of rules and inferences derived from the knowledge base to collected data. Expert systems are based on inductive reasoning or scientific knowledge and can therefore draw conclusions from data. As disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,954,964--Singh, certain tasks normally undertaken exclusively by a human operator can be performed by a properly constructed expert system. The expert system disclosed by Singh accepts data concerning failed metal components and performs an analysis to determine the cause of the failure. By using a rule-based investigation, logically incorporated into a knowledge base, the cause of the failure can be systematically determined in much the same way a trained human failure expert makes similar determinations. Expert systems are also sometimes referred to as adaptive inference systems. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,000,714--Stark et al. discloses a system that locates faults in electrical or electronic assemblies.
The above-identified systems all require making sequences of logical decisions using large volumes of data. Since these systems are applied to actual processes, it is desirable that the logic be completed in as short a time as possible. Ideally, expert systems and the like should not delay the processes which they control. Those of ordinary skill will readily appreciate that in most practical instances, the computing power required to achieve this goal is immense and rarely cost-effective. Conversely, if a limited amount of computer assets are available, the system operates far too slowly to be practical. For this reason, expert systems are frequently created using advanced data processing and computer techniques that reduce either the computational power required or increase the processing speed, or both. However, these expert systems ultimately rely on algorithmic computing, i.e., they must be programmed with a specific set of "rules."
Another technique for implementing a complex computational task such as that performed by algorithmic expert system software is the use of a neural network. The term "neural network" is derived from the structural similarity of such systems to biological neural networks and their ability to exhibit self-learning. One advantage of neural network computers is their general applicability to many types of diagnosis and classification problems. Neural networks can process a wide variety and a large number of inputs which must be correlated to produce an output. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,965,725--Rutenberg discloses a neural network-based system for automatically classifying the images of cells generated by a microscope, a task previously performed by human operators. Neural networks differ from algorithmic computers and the expert systems discussed above in that the goal of neural learning is not the formulation of an algorithm or a set of explicit rules. During learning, a neural network self-organizes to establish a global set of weighted connections between parallel processors which will result in an output for a given input that most closely corresponds to what the network is told is the correct output for that input. It is this adaptive acquisition of connection strengths that allows a neural network computer to behave as if it knows the rules.
While a neural network computer is being trained, errors, which are defined as the difference between the appropriate output for an exemplary input and the actual output for that input, are propagated backwards from the output through the neural network to the input portion of the system. The errors are utilized at each layer of processing elements by a training algorithm to readjust the interconnection weight so that a future presentation of the exemplary pattern will result in the appropriate output. Unknown input patterns can also be classified by a neural network by placing them into the exemplary category which most closely resembles the input. Neural network learning is disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,916,654--Wood.
Although welding might typically be classified as an industrial process, it has been recognized that welding requires highly skilled personnel who have acquired a skill set that permits them to vary welding parameters to achieve consistent, high quality welds. It would be desirable, however, to automate welding processes in a manner that would impart the skill of an experienced welder to the automated system. Toward this end, others have attempted to automate certain aspects of various types of welding systems. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,561,059--Davis discloses a microprocessor controlled arc welding power supply. Systems disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,995,087 and 4,998,005, both to Rathi et al., automate welding to the extent that the process parameters for welding a work piece are pre-determined by digitizing a video image of the work piece. Others have attempted to adaptively control welding processes in real time by observing the weld "puddle" of molten metal formed during the process. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,739,404--Richardson discloses controlling a welding process by observing the oscillations in the size of the weld pool. Another pattern recognition system that uses video images of the weld puddle is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,877,940--Bangs et al. Others have also disclosed systems for permitting the visual monitoring of a weld site by filtering the arc light from the image. Examples of such systems are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,868,649--Gaudin and U.S. Pat. No. 4,918,517--Burgoon, the latter of which is assigned to the assignee of the present invention.
It is also known that the shape or position of the arc itself can provide information concerning the welding process for purposes of automation as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,951,218--Okumura et al.
Within the field of welding generally, it is well known that it is often possible to rebuild or restore worn or broken components by applying one or more weld beads and machining or finishing the repaired area. Such rebuilding may be undertaken, for example, on cylindrical objects such as portions of turbine rotors. Methods of repairing, rebuilding or modifying steam turbine rotors are disclosed in, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,633,554; 4,897,519; and 4,903,888, all issued to Clark et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 4,893,388 to Amos et al., all of which are assigned to the assignee of the present invention. Another example is the use of welding may be used to rebuild the turbine rotor steeples which provide blade attachments on a turbine rotor. Cracks in the steeples severely limit the life of the rotor; therefore, to prevent possible consequential damage from blade loss during turbine operation, rotor discs must be built up to a predetermined contour by welding and new steeples machined into the rotor discs.
In rotor welding processes, a new disc is built up by continuously winding a relatively fine filler wire or weld wire, typically about 0.0625 inches (0.159 cm) in diameter, on to the surface of a rotor while it is rotating at about 30 min./revolution (0.033 revolutions/min.). Simultaneously, this wire strand is automatically welded side-by-side to previously welded strands, and a weld deposit is typically built up to a width of about 4-5 inches (10-13 cm) and a depth of about 3 inches (7.6 cm) or more. The weld build-up is preferably formed of fine filler wire to avoid overheating the disc material during welding. Overheating would create damage in heat-affected zones, resulting in, for example, poor corrosion properties and reduced durability. However, it will be readily appreciated that building up a surface with fine filler wire is time-consuming.
A partial diagrammatic representation of the above-described process is illustrated in FIG. 1. A torch 12, a power supply and source of shielding gas 16 generate a welding arc 10. During the lengthy welding process, an operator 200 must visually monitor the welding arc 10 by viewing it through a filter 20. Additionally, at the end of each winding and welding revolution, the operator 200 must reposition the torch 12 to begin welding the next row of wound-on filler wire 14. This repositioning step, called indexing the arc, takes just a few seconds. However, at present a dedicated operator 200 is required for monitoring and indexing each welding machine. Thus, most of the operator's time is spent watching the arc 10 for anomalies. However, such anomalies occur relatively infrequently because of the use of automated welding equipment. Consequently, operator boredom can lead to associated problems such as lapses in worker concentration, diminished weld quality, and low worker morale.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a system for monitoring arc welding that can monitor an arc and detect anomalies during the welding process. A further object of the present invention is to provide such a welding system that has been taught to distinguish normal arc from abnormal arc using both audio and visual data.

Automated rotor welding processes using neural networks


A server application discovers its relevant data objects and generates a report of the current states of such objects at a moment in time that is relevant to a detected failure. Responsive to a request for a server application state, the application can identify root objects; discover data types, values, and related objects through recursive traversal and analysis of the object hierarchies; and generate a state description of the application for review and analysis by others. The state discovery may be synchronized among multiple threads to ensure that the state description represents a snapshot of the server application state and a single point in its execution. The state description can be analyzed by validation tools to detect where the error might exist in the application and how the error might be corrected.

Certain server-based applications can be executed by users on one or more servers across a network. For example, rather than running individual applications (e.g., individual spreadsheet applications) on desktop computers, multiple users can access a server over an Intranet through their desktop computers and execute a server-based application (e.g., a server-based spreadsheet application) on that server. Through this server-based application, multiple users can manipulate common functionality and data available on that server.
A typical scenario might include a server-based accounting program that is accessed by multiple accountants from various enterprise departments. The server-based application receives user requests, creates and accesses data objects, performs appropriate computations on these data objects, and renders application-specific presentations of the computation results for display on the users' desktop computers (e.g., through browsers or proprietary client interfaces).
Troubleshooting errors that arise during the execution of such a server-based application is difficult. Traditionally, a software application may be tested by applying a set of inputs to the application and checking that the outputs are correct (e.g., regression testing). If the test fails, correcting the error that resulted in the failure is usually attempted by a combination of examining an application log, debugging a dump of some portions of application memory, and/or re-running the failed scenario within a debugger or with a special debug version of the software (e.g., a version compiled with run-time error detection features, such as ASSERTs, embedded in the program code).
However, these approaches become more complicated and less effective in a multi-threaded, server-based scenario supporting multiple remote users. Furthermore, while the techniques listed above may be useful, they have important limitations. For example, application logs are incremental and require an understanding of all application events occurring since the application was initiated. Memory dumps are difficult to read, lack a lot of information and context, and require substantial program knowledge and programming skills. Debugging generally requires reproduction of the failure in a different debug version of the software or on a different computing environment (e.g., on the workstation of a programmer). As such, these approaches do not adequately support troubleshooting of multi-threaded, server-based applications.


The invention relates to a clock signal correction method, and to a clock signal input/output device into which a clock signal or a signal obtained therefrom is input and transmitted to a frequency divider, wherein a signal output by the frequency divider is transmitted to a signal integrator, and wherein a signal output by the signal integrator is transmitted to a first signal comparison circuit, wherein the signal output by the frequency divider is additionally transmitted to a second signal comparison circuit, and wherein the clock signal input/output device additionally comprises a signal input circuit for outputting a clock output signal as a function of a signal output by the first signal comparison circuit, and of a signal output by the second signal comparison circuit.

In semi-conductor devices, in particular in memory devices such as DRAMs (DRAM=Dynamic Random Access Memory and/or dynamic read/write memory) based on CMOS technology, so-called clock signals are used for the chronological co-ordination of the processing or relaying of the data.
Conventional semiconductor devices in general use a single clock signal present on a single line (i.e. a so-called "single-ended" clock signal), for this purpose.
The data may then, for instance, be relayed at the respective rising edge of the single-ended clock signal (or, alternatively, e.g. at the respective falling edge of the single-ended clock signal).
Further, so-called DDR devices, in particular DDR-DRAMs (DDR-DRAM=Double Data Rate DRAM) are already known in prior art.
In DDR devices—instead of one single clock signal present on a single line ("single ended" clock signal)—two differential, oppositely inverse clock signals present on two separate lines are used.
Every time, for instance, when the first of the two clock signals changes from a "logic high" state (e.g. a high voltage level) to a "logic low" state (e.g. a low voltage level), the second clock signal—substantially simultaneously—changes its state from "logic low" to "logic high" (e.g. from a low to a high voltage level).
Conversely, whenever the first clock signal changes from a "logic low" state (e.g. a low voltage level) to a "logic high" state (e.g. a high voltage level), the second clock signal (again substantially simultaneously) changes its state from "logic high" to "logic low" (e.g. from a high to a low voltage level).
With DDR devices, the data are, in general, relayed both at the rising edge of the first clock signal and at the rising edge of the second clock signal (or both at the falling edge of the first clock signal and at the falling edge of the second clock signal).
This means that data are relayed more frequently and/or faster (in particular twice as frequently and/or twice as fast) in a DDR device than in corresponding, conventional devices using a "single ended" clock signal, i.e. the data rate is higher, in particular twice as high, as that of corresponding, conventional devices.
The clock signal ("DQS" or "data strobe" signal) used internally in the device for the chronological coordination of the processing and/or relaying of the data (or—when differential, oppositely inverse clock signals are used—the internal clock signal DQS and the clock signal BDQS that is oppositely inverse to the clock signal DQS) has to be synchronous to a clock signal ("clk" or "clock" signal) input externally into the device (or synchronous to the differential clock signals clk, bclk input externally into the device, respectively).
The external clock signal(s) clk, bclk is (are) generated by an appropriate clock signal generator that is connected to the device.
For synchronizing the internally generated clock signal DQS or the internally generated clock signals DQS, BDQS, respectively, with the external clock signal(s) clk, bclk, a clock signal synchronizing device, e.g. a DLL circuit (DLL=Delay Locked Loop) is used. Such a circuit is, for instance, known form EP 964 517.
A clock signal synchronizing device may e.g. comprise a first delay means into which the external clock signal(s) clk, bclk is/are input, and which loads the input clock signal(s)—depending on a control signal output by the phase comparator—with a variable delay time tvar that is adjustable by the control signal.
The signal(s) output by the first delay means may be used—internally—in the device for the chronological coordination of the processing and/or relaying of the data (i.e. as—internal—clock signal(s) DQS or BDQS).
The signal DQS output by the first delay means is fed to a second delay means that loads the input signal DQS with a—fixed—delay time tconst that corresponds approximately to the sum of the signal delays caused by the receiver(s) ("receiver delay"), the respective data path ("data path delay"), and the off-chip driver(s) ("OCD delay").
The signal (FB signal or "feedback signal") output by the second delay means is fed to the above-mentioned phase comparator. There, the phasing of the FB signal is compared with the phasing of the clk signal that is also input in the phase comparator 4. Depending on whether the phase of the FB signal is faster or slower than that of the clk signal, the phase comparator outputs—as a control signal for the above-mentioned first delay means—an incrementing signal (INC signal) or a decrementing signal (DEC signal), said signals having the effect that the delay tvar of the clk signal caused by the first signal delay means is increased in the case of an INC signal and decreased in the case of a DEC signal, so that, finally, the clk signal and the FB signal are synchronized, i.e. the clock signal synchronizing device is "locked".
In particular at high frequencies, there can be relatively strong distortions of the clock signal clk—that is provided by the above-mentioned external clock signal generator—(or of the—externally provided, differential—clock signals clk, bclk, respectively). These result, for instance, in that the "logic low" state of the clk signal is e.g. shorter (or e.g. longer) than the "logic high" state of the clk signal (and e.g. the "logic low" state of the bclk signal is e.g. longer (or e.g. shorter) than the "logic high" state of the bclk signal). Consequently, the—internal—clock signal DQS or BDQS obtained by the above-mentioned clock signal synchronizing device, e.g. the DLL circuit, from the external clock signal clk or bclk is also relatively strongly distorted.

Clock signal input/output device for correcting clock signals


A thermoplastic material has a) from 5% weight to 95% by weight, preferably from 10% by weight to 60% by weight, of vulcanized rubber in a subdivided form; b) from 5% by weight to 95% by weight, preferably from 40% by weight to 90% by weight, of at least one heterophase copolymer having a thermoplastic phase made from a propylene homopolymer or copolymer and an elastomeric phase made from a copolymer of ethylene with an α-olefin, preferably with propylene; c) from 0% by weight to 90% by weight, preferably from 0% by weight to 50% by weight, of at least one α-olefin homopolymer or copolymer different from b); the amounts of a), b) and c) being expressed with respect to the total weight of a)+b)+c). The thermoplastic material shows improved mechanical properties, in particular, improved elongation at break.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a thermoplastic material comprising a vulcanized rubber in a subdivided form.
In particular, the present invention relates to a thermoplastic material comprising a vulcanized rubber in a subdivided form and at least one heterophase copolymer comprising a thermoplastic phase made from a propylene homopolymer or copolymer and an elastomeric phase made from a copolymer of ethylene with an α-olefin.
The present invention moreover relates to a manufactured product comprising said thermoplastic material.
2. Description of the Related Art
The increased production of industrial rubber products has resulted in the accumulation of large amounts of rubber wastes which per se do not find any practical applications and are generally disposed in dedicated landfills with the main drawbacks of environment pollution as well as of the need for large dedicated areas for storing said wastes.
It is known in the art to depolymerize waste stream of rubber, such as tyres, in an effort to reduce the volume of waste and obtain a useful byproduct. Likewise, rubber product may be devulcanized in an attempt to recycle the waste rubber.
In addition to these techniques, it is common in the art to grind the waste streams of rubber and utilize the ground particles so obtained. These ground particles are then typically compounded with other polymeric materials in order to make final product which may be employed in a plurality of applications.
However, it has been found that the addition of such ground rubber particles to the polymeric material results in a significant deterioration of the mechanical properties of the resulting polymeric composites.
Many efforts have been made in the art in order to overcome the above reported problems.
For example, patent U.S. Pat. No. 5,010,122 relates to thermoplastic compositions comprising rubber particulate having a size less than about 10 mesh, a thermoplastic material, and at least one coupling agent. The thermoplastic material preferably comprises an olefin, a co-polymer of an olefin, a homopolymer of an olefin, or blends thereof. The coupling agent preferably comprises a silane coupling agent. The abovementioned thermoplastic compositions are said to have excellent physical properties.
Patent U.S. Pat. No. 5,157,082 relates to thermoplastic compositions comprising mixtures of ground vulcanized rubber, polyolefin resin, and at least one functionalized olefin polymer which may be selected from a copolymer of at least one olefin and at least one ethylenically unsaturated organic monomer. The polyolefin resin is a solid, high molecular weight polymeric material made by polymerizing one or more olefinic monomers in a conventional manner. Preferred polyolefin resins are polyethylene or polypropylene. Also suitable for the practice of the invention are copolymers of two or more olefins with copolymers of ethylene and propylene being preferred. The abovementioned thermoplastic compositions are said to have improved mechanical properties.
Patent U.S. Pat. No. 5,889,119 relates to a thermoplastic rubbery composition comprising (I) from about 10 to about 40 parts by weight of a low-modulus binder including: (a) from about 75 to about 25 parts by weight of a crystalline polyolefin resin, and (b) from about 25 to about 75 parts by weight of a binder rubber in the form of particles having an average diameter of less than about 20 μm, said binder rubber having been dynamically vulcanized; and (II) from about 90 to greater than 50 parts by weight of ground vulcanized rubber particles having an average diameter in the range of from about 50 μm to about 1.2 mm. The polyolefin resins are preferably high density polyethylene or polypropylene. The abovementioned thermoplastic rubbery composition is said to have improved physical properties.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,015,861 relates to a method of preparing a rubber-blend thermoplastic composition, comprising the steps of: (a) providing a ground crosslinked rubber having an average particle size of about 80 mesh or smaller; and (b) combining the ground crosslinked rubber with a thermoplastic polyolefinic material and a compatibilizer based on a paraffinic oil to form a blend thermoplastic resin composition. The preferred thermoplastic polyolefinic material are polyethylene, polypropylene, ethylene copolymers, propylene copolymers, poly(ethylene propylene)copolymers, and mixtures thereof. The composition prepared by the abovementioned method is said to include a surprisingly high level of recycle rubber without adverse effect on its physical or aesthetic properties.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,031,009 relates to thermoplastic compositions comprising a blend of ground vulcanized rubber, at least one conventional olefin polymer and at least one metallocene single site catalyzed α-olefin copolymer. The olefin polymer is a solid, high molecular weight polymeric material made by polymerizing one or more olefinic monomers in a conventional manner. Preferred olefin polymers are polyethylene or polypropylene. The abovementioned thermoplastic compositions are said to have improved mechanical properties.
International Patent Application WO 00/78852 relates to a method for producing an elastomeric alloy similar to thermoplastic elastomers using reclaimed or waste rubber. To this end, a polypropylene copolymer or a mixture thereof with at least one polypropylene type, is melted in a mixer. Subsequently, powdered rubber, at least a part of which is pre-swollen in a radical donor, is added to the melt in a metered quantity, the powdered rubber is dispersed in the plastic matrix by applying high shear forces whilst adding radical-forming agents in accordance with defined mixing parameters to produce a phase coupling between the powdered rubber and the polypropylene copolymer or a mixture thereof. The obtained elastomeric alloy is said to have properties similar to thermoplastic elastomers.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,262,175 relates to a thermoplastic composition containing, in percentages by weight based on the total weight of the composition: about 5% to about 90% of vulcanized rubber crumb; about 5% to about 60% polyolefin; about 2% to about 30% uncured rubber or styrene-based thermoplastic elastomer; and about 2% to about 30% vinyl polymer selected from vinyl homopolymers, copolymers and mixtures thereof. The polyolefin is a solid, high molecular weight polyolefin homopolymer or copolymer, or mixtures thereof. Preferred polyolefin are polyethylene, polypropylene, or a copolymer of ethylene and propylene. The abovementioned thermoplastic composition is said to have excellent physical properties, including excellent ultimate elongation and tear strength.
International Patent Application WO 02/24795 relates to a method for recycling a thermoset rubber material comprising subjecting a recycled thermoset rubber material to a phase compatibility treatment with an oxidizing agent and blending the recycled thermoset rubber material with a thermoplastic polymer to obtain a material selected from the group consisting of a thermoplastic elastomer and an impact-strengthened thermoplastic. Polyolefins (e.g. polypropylene) are among the more preferred thermoplastic polymers.

Thermoplastic material comprising a vulcanized rubber in a subdivided form


A variable tension type belt fusing unit includes a main roller, a pair of belt driving rollers which is disposed near the outer circumferential surface of the main roller and is pressurized towards the main roller, and a fusing belt having a nip portion and a non-tension portion. At least one of the pair of belt driving rollers is independently and temporarily driven to apply or release a tension to the nip portion. In a driving method of the variable tension type belt fusing unit, the tension is applied to the nip portion of the fusing belt when the variable tension type belt fusing unit is prepared for an operation, the fusing belt travels while maintaining the tension during the operation of the variable tension type belt fusing unit, and the tension is released when the operation is completed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present general inventive concept relates to a fusing unit usable with an electrophotographic image forming apparatus which fuses an image onto a recording medium, such as a paper, in which a toner image is transferred, by applying heat and pressure, and more particularly, to a belt type fusing unit which includes a main roller and a fusing belt to rotate in contact with a portion of an outer circumferential surface of the main roller, wherein the fusing belt has a tension portion and a non-tension portion.
2. Description of the Related Art
Common image forming apparatuses, such as a laser beam printer, an LED printer, a digital copy machine, and a facsimile, transfer an image onto a paper as a visible image in response to a digital signal input from a computer or a scanner.
Electrophotographic image forming apparatuses form an electrostatic latent image corresponding to a desired image onto an outer circumferential surface of a photoconductor by exposing light to the outer circumferential surface of the photoconductor in response to a digital signal corresponding to the desired image to be printed using a predetermined pattern, develop the electrostatic latent image using a power type toner, transfer the developed image onto a paper directly or via a transfer medium, and perform a fusing process thereon.
As mentioned above, the electrophotographic image forming apparatus includes a fusing unit which fuses a toner image (i.e., the developed image) transferred onto the paper by applying heat and pressure. A conventional fusing unit used in the electrophotographic image forming apparatus includes a roller type fusing unit and a belt type fusing unit. Compared to the roller type fusing unit, the belt type fusing unit can ensure a long nip section, so that a fusing temperature can be lowered. In addition, since a belt having a small heat capacity is used, a heat transfer efficiency can be improved.
In the belt type fusing unit, the belt is pressurized towards a main roller to apply a tension to the belt. Since the belt is made of a material having a form of a thin film and is continuously subjected to a tension stress in a high temperature environment, deformation of the belt frequently occurs. In addition, a lifespan of the belt is severely reduced due to the high temperature environment and the tension. Additionally, if slipping or meandering occurs when a predetermined tension is applied, it is difficult to control the applied tension or to fix the slipping or meandering.

Variable tension belt type fusing unit usable with image forming apparatus and driving method thereof


An electrical distribution assembly for use in a modular wall panel assembly, which includes an electrical harness with a conductor carrier with a first carrier side, a second carrier side and a plurality of conductors therein and a connector electrically connected to the plurality of conductors and the conductor carrier. The connector includes an electrical connector port, and a modular receptacle connected to the electrical connector port. A first bracket is positioned on the first carrier side and a second bracket is positioned on the second carrier side and directly connected to the first bracket. An add-on modular receptacle is mechanically connected to the first bracket or the second bracket.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electrical distribution assemblies within a modular wall panel assembly, and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for retro-fitting another receptacle to an existing electrical distribution assembly.
2. Description of the Related Art
An electrified wall panel system is known where a power distribution server includes four receptacle ports which can have four corresponding power receptacles mounted thereto. The power distribution server is connected to a source of electrical power and, when a receptacle is connected to one of the receptacle ports, the receptacle is thereby connected to the source of electrical power. The electrified wall panel system is typically used to organize an office or industrial space into workstations where a worker may need to connect electrical equipment such as a computer, lights, electrical tools, other office equipment, etc., to a source of electrical power which can be conveniently accomplished by simply plugging the electrical equipment into a wall panel receptacle. The power distribution server includes a receptacle module retaining element which is riveted to a conductor channel of the power distribution server, and to which a receptacle is mounted to prevent the outward movement, or other movement, of the receptacle module retained in a respective port. Although this type of power distribution server is suitable for its intended purpose of connecting to four receptacles, there is no accommodation for adding additional receptacles in the field. For example, another receptacle module retaining element cannot be riveted to the conductor channel in the field as there are conductors existing in the channel which may be damaged by the riveting process. Further, even if the retaining element was safely riveted to the conductor channel, there is no additional electrical port on the power distribution server to which the additional receptacle can be connected.
An electrified space dividing panel is known which includes a modular electrical system with a terminal block which has first and second longitudinal ends, respectively, with the first end having first and second sockets of like construction, and with the second end having first and second sockets which are of the same construction as the first end sockets. Each of the sockets can be connected to a modular receptacle, or to a jumper cable. The terminal block also includes two lateral sockets which can connect to a different type of modular receptacle than which are connected to the end sockets of the terminal block. While this terminal block can theoretically connect to six modular receptacles, one of the end sockets must be use to bring power into the terminal block; therefore, realistically only five modular receptacles can be connected into the terminal block. A problem with this terminal block is that it requires two different types of modular receptacles. Another problem with this terminal block is that it is not easily adaptable to a power distribution server described above, or similar distribution unit, in order to retro-fit an add-on modular receptacle in the field. For example, the connector/socket types are different than the distribution unit which reduces the electrical compatibility with the modular electrical system, and the terminal block is bulky which reduces the mechanical compatibility with the modular electrical system and the electrified space dividing panel
What is needed in the art is a method and apparatus for easily retro-fitting another receptacle to an existing electrical distribution assembly, which doesn't require different types of modular receptacles, and which is adaptable and can be easily integrated into the existing electrical distribution assembly and modular wall panel assembly.

Retro-fit receptacle mounting method and apparatus