A half duplex switching device includes an input connection for receiving an input audio signal, and classification module coupled to the input connection. The classification module provides an output which indicates a classification of the input signal based upon a density of the input audio signal, an energy level of the input audio signal, and classification data provided with the input audio signal. A switching device is coupled to the classification module and determines if the received input audio signal contains speech signals based upon the output of the classification module. The communication receiving device can be used in both communication systems which provide continuous speech signals, and communication systems which remove silence and only provide speech signals.

The present invention relates generally to audio communication and in particular the present invention relates to capturing audio data transmissions.
In many digital communication systems, audio captured at a remote location is delivered to a local location in either a continuous stream of data, or in bursts of data packets. When a continuous stream is delivered, it contains all audio captured at the remote location. When bursts of data packets are delivered, the packets typically contain only speech or music deemed important by the remote endpoint. Thus, the packets containing silence are typically not delivered. These audio packets can arrive at the local location at unpredictable intervals, or may even be dropped, due to unreliable network behavior or audio system behavior caused by heavy loading. These unpredictable delivery patterns make it extremely difficult to design Half-Duplex Open Audio functionality into such systems.
Traditional half-duplex hands-free audio systems assume that a continuous stream of remote audio is delivered, and that the contents of remote audio can be analyzed using a voice activity detector (VAD) to make meaningful speech/noise classifications on the received audio data. Because remote locations adhering to new protocols attempt to conserve network bandwidth by dropping rather than transmitting unnecessary audio packets, the assumption of continuous data does not hold true on today""s digital systems. Thus, the local half-duplex communication algorithms do not get a chance to analyze the content of all the audio captured at the remote location. Half-duplex communication algorithms operating under these conditions either rely on remote speech/noise classifications when determining whether the remote audio should be played at the local site or, play all audio received, under the assumption that all packets received from the remote site contain meaningful audio.
For the reasons stated above, and for other reasons stated below which will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading and understanding the present specification, there is a need in the art for a communication system which allows half-duplex communication in systems receiving either continuous data or packet-based data.
In one embodiment, a communication receiving device comprising a density measurement device is coupled to receive an input audio signal and provide an output indicating if the received input audio signal contains speech signals based upon a density of the input audio signal. A voice activity detector is coupled to receive the input audio signal and provide an output indicating if the received input audio signal contains speech signals based upon energy levels of the input audio signal. A parser device is coupled to receive the input audio signal and provide an output indicating if the received input audio signal contains speech signals based upon data provided with the input audio signal. A classifier device is coupled to the density measurement device, voice activity detector, and parser device for classifying the received input audio signal.
In another embodiment, a half duplex switching device comprising an input connection for receiving an input audio signal, and classification module are coupled to the input connection. The classification module provides an output which indicates a classification of the input signal based upon a density of the input signal, an energy level of the input signal, and classification data provided with the input audio signal. A switching device is coupled to the classification module. The switching device determines if the received input audio signal contains speech signals based upon the output of the classification module.

Audio classifier for half duplex communication


Systems and methods for determining a display device's behavior based on a dynamically-changing event associated with another display device are disclosed. In one example, a peer-to-peer distributed data network system comprises a first display device that operates a peer-to-peer distributed system application, which detects a dynamically-changing event associated with a second display device to either maintain or change the first display device's current behavior. In one example, the dynamically-changing event is a change of display content, new sensory information, or another new event for the second display device. If the peer-to-peer distributed system application determines that the dynamically-changing event of the second display device merits a change in the first display device's current behavior, the first display device's current behavior may be replaced by a new device behavior, such as switching from a currently-shown content or a user interface menu to a different content or a different menu.

The present invention generally relates to networked or connected display devices. More specifically, the present invention relates to systems and methods for determining a display device's behavior and information display content based on a dynamically-changing event associated with another display device. Furthermore, the present invention also relates to a peer-to-peer distributed system connection of display devices for management, information presentation, and behavioral changes among a plurality of display devices.
Display devices are commonly deployed near each other in commercial buildings, shopping malls, and other publicly-accessible locations. Clustering a multiple number of display devices near each other in public or commercial locations can create an effective marketing and information dissemination environment by displaying either the same information in the multiple number of displays or different but related information in the multiple number of displays. Therefore, advertisers, shop owners, and other commercial building entities increasingly deploy a clustered group of display devices at highly-visible locations as effective marketing tools to consumers.
A conventional method of displaying information in a multiple number of display devices typically involves a centralized server-based display content management. For example, a computer server connected to a plurality of display devices stores display content information in its information storage, and a program executed in the computer server manages each connected display device to display a particular content at a particular time. In some cases, the computer server also transfers information to be displayed on each displayed device. In other cases, the computer server simply instructs each display device to play a particular content already locally stored in each display device. This conventional method of display content management generally involves showing a preset visual slide sequence, in which a set of scheduled multimedia information is displayed in each display device.
The centralized server-based display content management that merely shows a preset visual slide sequence in display devices connected to the server has several drawbacks. For example, if a computer server malfunctions or something is wrong with the display content management program executed by the computer server, all contents that are supposed to be displayed by a plurality of display devices become inoperable. Furthermore, displaying the preset visual slide sequence in each display device according to the display content management program executed in a computer server, as embodied by the conventional method of display content management, does not accommodate adaptive, peer-to-peer, behavioral, and display information changes on a plurality of display devices based on a dynamically-changing event associated with one particular display device. In numerous situations, a more personalized and custom visualization environment for consumers and other users may be achieved if display devices located near a particular display device can adaptively and dynamically change display contents based on a dynamically-changing event on the particular display device.
Therefore, it may be desirable to provide one or more systems and methods that can determine a display device's behavior and information to be displayed based on a dynamically-changing event associated with another display device. Furthermore, it may also be desirable to provide a peer-to-peer distributed network of display devices for adaptive behavioral changes, information sharing, and display content change triggers among a plurality of peer display devices, wherein each peer display device does not entirely depend on a centralized computer server for all aspects of display content management and distribution. In addition, it may also be desirable to utilize such novel systems and methods to provide personalized and adaptive information dissemination and marketing environments using a plurality of display devices.

System and method for determining a display device's behavior based on a dynamically-changing event associated with another display device


Disclosed herein is a medicine composition for facilitating treating organs of a mammal, in accordance with some embodiments. Accordingly, the medicine composition may include carbanions and a diluting agent. Further, a carbanion of the carbanions may include a carbon atom. Further, the carbon atom may include a formal charge of −1. Further, the diluting agent may be capable of combining with the carbanions for forming at least one appliable form of the medicine composition. Further, a ratio of the diluting agent to the carbanions by volume ranges from 512:1 to 32:1. Further, the combining facilitates applying of the at least one appliable form of the medicine composition to at least one organ of the mammal.

When it comes to treatment for diseases caused by organisms such as viruses bacteria, fungi, insects, it may be a financial issue for people who are in need of treatment. Further, the organism such as the viruses, the bacterial, fungi, insects, etc. may infect organs of mammal such as humans causing the diseases. Further, treatments for infectious viruses causing the diseases may vary in price. For the very common and well-known virus, the materials needed to produce a treatment for the said virus will most likely be relatively cheap. On the other hand, for the more rare and undiscovered virus, the materials needed to produce a treatment for the said virus will definitely be expensive as there are lesser known cases of the rare virus, and maybe more difficult to find a treatment. Another issue with infectious viruses is that not all of the viruses have been studied as there is an unknown number of undiscovered viruses. One prime example of an unknown virus was COVID-19. In December 2019, COVID-19 was newly discovered as an outbreak occurred from Wuhan, China. COVID-19 lead to an international pandemic. Due to the unknown virus COVID-19, the treatment for COVID-19 has yet been discovered even a few months after the discovery of the virus itself. The complexity of finding and producing a treatment for COVID-19 is extremely difficult due to the anomaly of the newly discovered virus.
Existing compositions for facilitating treating organs of a mammal are deficient with regard to several aspects. For instance, existing compositions do not perform treatment of various organs of a mammal. Furthermore, existing compositions do not eliminate viruses, bacteria, fungi, and insects present on various organs for treating the various organs. Moreover, existing compositions do not totally derive from organic matter.
Therefore, there is a need for an improved medicine composition for facilitating treating organs of a mammal that may overcome one or more of the above-mentioned problems and/or limitations.

Medicine composition for facilitating treating organs of a mammal


A method of forming a high quality channel region of a TFT by forming a large size monocrystalline silicon thin film using a patterned metal mask and a grain boundary filtering region is provided. The method includes sequentially stacking a first buffer layer and an amorphous silicon layer on a substrate, forming a first silicon region in which crystallization begins, a second silicon region having a width smaller than a width of the first silicon region and located on a central portion of a side of the first silicon region, and a third silicon region having a width than greater the width of the second silicon region and contacting the second silicon region, forming a metal mask partly on the first silicon region, and crystallizing the amorphous silicon layer by cooling the amorphous silicon layer after melting the entire amorphous silicon layer except for a portion of the amorphous silicon layer under the metal mask by radiating laser beams to the patterned amorphous silicon layer.

1. Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates to a method of forming a channel region of a thin film transistor composed of monocrystalline silicon, and more particularly, to a method of forming a high quality channel region of a thin film transistor (TFT) by forming a large monocrystalline silicon thin film using a patterned metal mask and a grain boundary filter region.
2. Description of the Related Art
Of the elements that form a flat display device, such as a TFT LCD, the core element is the TFT which is a switching device. Generally, a channel of a TFT is formed of amorphous silicon or crystalline silicon obtained by crystallizing amorphous silicon. That is, as depicted in FIG. 1A, after forming a buffer layer 12 formed of silicon oxide on a substrate 11 formed of glass, silicon, or plastic, an amorphous silicon layer 13 is formed on the buffer layer 12. Next, a TFT 14 as depicted in FIG. 1B is formed by patterning and doping the amorphous silicon layer 13. In this case, a channel region of the TFT is amorphous silicon.
However, the high-speed operation of a device is difficult since amorphous silicon (a-Si) has low charge mobility. Accordingly, the amorphous silicon cannot be applied to a high-resolution display panel. To solve this problem, the TFT 14 depicted in FIG. 1B can be formed after forming polycrystalline silicon by crystallizing the amorphous silicon layer 13 depicted in FIG. 1A. In this case, a channel region of the TFT 14 is polycrystalline silicon. Polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si) has a charge mobility of more than 100 times faster than that of amorphous silicon (a-Si). Due to this advantage, a driving circuit can be built directly on a display panel. Therefore, manufacturing costs can be reduced and a slim and high-resolution large screen display can be produced.
Methods of crystallizing an amorphous silicon thin film deposited on a substrate are an excimer laser annealing (ELA) method and a solid phase crystallization (SPC) method. Recently, improved ELA methods, such as a metal induced lateral crystallization (MILC) method or a continuous grain solidification (CGS) method are also used. These are methods for crystallizing an amorphous silicon thin film to a polycrystalline silicon thin film.
However, even in the polycrystalline silicon thin film, the flow of charges is interrupted by many grain boundaries. Accordingly, to obtain superior electrical characteristics, the entire region on which a channel of a TFT is formed must be formed of monocrystalline silicon.
FIGS. 2A through 2C illustrate conventional methods of crystallizing silicon to form monocrystalline silicon, and FIG. 2D is a drawing illustrating a mask used in the crystallization methods of FIGS. 2A through 2C.
Referring to FIG. 2D, in a mask 15, a plurality of first and second apertures 16 and 17 having a rectangular shape spaced at a predetermined distance in a vertical direction are formed in two columns. As illustrated, the first and second apertures 16 and 17 are disposed in a zigzag shape.
After disposing this type of mask 15 a predetermined distance above amorphous silicon, the amorphous silicon under a region corresponding to the first and second apertures 16 and 17 melts when a laser beam is vertically irradiated through the mask 15. When the amorphous silicon irradiated by the laser beam is completely melted, the irradiation of the laser beam is terminated. Then, as depicted in FIG. 2A, crystallization begins from an outer boundary surface and proceeds toward an inner side of the melted amorphous silicon while the melted amorphous silicon is being cooled. At this time, a grain boundary of the silicon crystal proceeds in a direction of approximately 90° with respect to the outer boundary surface of the melted silicon. FIG. 3A is a photograph of a crystallized region indicated by "A" in FIG. 2A. Referring to FIG. 3A, the crystallization has proceeded from both an upper boundary surface and a lower boundary surface of melted silicon toward a central portion thereof. As a result, fine boundaries are vertically formed, and a bold grain boundary in a horizontal direction is formed at the central portion where crystallization from two directions meets at the central portion.
Next, as depicted in FIG. 2B, the mask 15 is horizontally moved, and the amorphous silicon between the regions on which the crystals have been formed is melted. That is, the amorphous silicon between the regions melted by laser beams passed through the second aperture 17 of the mask 15 in FIG. 2A is melted by laser beams passed through the first aperture 16 of the mask 15 in FIG. 2B. At this time, outer boundaries of the melted regions contact with or are partly overlapped by regions already crystallized in FIG. 2A. Then, the amorphous silicon is crystallized as depicted in FIG. 2C when the melts are slowly cooled by terminating the irradiation of the laser beams. That is, the crystallization proceeds continuously from crystals of the already crystallized region. FIG. 3B is a photograph of a crystallized region indicated by "B" in FIG. 2C. As depicted in FIG. 3B, large and continuous grains, in which grain boundaries are formed in one direction, are grown.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating another conventional method of crystallizing silicon using an aluminum (Al) mask. Referring to FIG. 4, an amorphous silicon layer 21 is formed on an oxide substrate 20 such as silicon oxide, and a mask 23 formed of aluminum (Al) is partly formed on the amorphous silicon layer 21. Afterward, laser beams are vertically applied onto the amorphous silicon layer 21 using an excimer laser. Accordingly, a portion of the amorphous silicon layer 21 covered by the aluminum mask 23 is not melted and the remaining portion of the amorphous silicon layer 21 exposed to the laser beams is melted. When the irradiation of the laser beams is ended, crystallization proceeds from boundaries between the aluminum mask 23 and the amorphous silicon layer 21 inward to the melted amorphous silicon layer while heat is discharged rapidly through the aluminum mask 23, which has a relatively high thermal conductivity.
According to the method of crystallizing amorphous silicon described above, relatively large-sized of monocrystalline silicon can be obtained. However, this method cannot completely remove grain boundaries and many minute grain boundaries remain in the crystal. More specifically, the charge mobility in a vertical direction to the grain boundary is very low.

Method of forming channel region of TFT composed of single crystal Si


A fluorine-containing graft copolymer prepared by a step (i) of polymerizing a monomer having formula (I) and an unsaturated carboxylic acid or a monomer having a glycidyl group to obtain a copolymer, ##STR1## wherein R represents --H or --CH.sub.3 group; and A represents --COOC.sub.n H.sub.2n+1 or OC.sub.n H.sub.2n+1, in which n is an integer of 6 to 20; a step (ii) of esterifying the resulting copolymer by using a monomer having a glycidyl group in the case where a constituting monomer of the above copolymer is an unsaturated carboxylic acid, or by using an unsaturated carboxylic acid in the case where a constituting monomer of the above copolymer is a monomer having a glycidyl group; and a step (iii) of graft-polymerizing a monomer comprising at least fluoroalkyl acrylate or fluoroalkyl methacrylate on the above esterified copolymer. In addition, a toner comprising a coloring agent and a resin component which comprises the above-mentioned fluorine-containing graft copolymer is disclosed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fluorine-containing graft copolymer, which is effective as a resin component when contained in a dry-type toner or wet-type toner for developing latent electrostatic images for use in electro-photography, and to the dry- or wet-type toner which comprises the above-mentioned fluorine-containing graft copolymer.
2. Discussion of Background
In recent years the electrophotographic technology has been applied not only to an electrophotographic copying apparatus, but also to a laser beam printer. The necessity for high-speed recording therefore becomes important in this field, so that a heat-application roller is widely used as an image fixing means because of its high-speed image fixing performance.
Furthermore, demands for image fixing performance of recorded images are diversified. For example, copied or printed images formed on a sheet of paper by the electro-photographic technology are used as direct mail advertising, which is sometimes utilized by folding an image-bearing sheet of paper. In addition, printing or copying is performed on a thick sheet such as a post card. Under such circumstances, excellent image fixing performance of toner images is necessarily required.
In Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application 50-134652, there is proposed a toner for use in an electrophotographic apparatus comprising a copolymer resin of styrene - acrylic monomer having a degree of dispersion of 3.5 to 40, which serves as a binder resin. This toner can decrease a hot off-set phenomenon in the course of image fixing operation.
In Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application 62-115170, a resin composition of a toner for use in an electrophotographic apparatus is disclosed. This resin composition is prepared by mixing copolymer resin (A) of styrene - acrylic monomer having a weight-average molecular weight of 10,000 to 30,000 and a glass transition temperature ranging from 60.degree. C. to 70.degree. C. and copolymer resin (B) of styrene - acrylic monomer having a weight-average molecular weight of 200,000 to 400,000 and a glass transition temperature ranging from 55.degree. C. to 65.degree. C. at a mixing amount ratio of 90:10 to 50:50, and the thus prepared resin composition shows a melt viscosity of 10,000 poise or less at 140.degree. C.
In addition to the above, many proposals are made to obtain improved toners having high image fixing performance adaptable to a high-speed development mode and sufficient resistance to blocking and hot off-set phenomenon.
However, when the aforementioned conventional toners for use in an electrophotographic apparatus are used in a wet-type developer, their dispersibility is not stable in a carrier liquid such as aliphatic hydrocarbon. When used as a dry-type developer, conventional toners cannot be satisfactorily fixed on a transfer sheet if their energy for image fixing is small.
Accordingly, there are no toners which can satisfactorily show the image fixing performance without the hot off-set phenomenon in a high-speed development mode, and which have resistance to blocking and sufficient dispersibility in a carrier liquid.
With the above-mentioned problems taken into consideration, a resin component of the toner becomes the object of attention. There are conventionally known as the resin component a fluorine-containing acrylate type copolymer, a fluorine-containing polyether type copolymer, fluorine-containing urethane type oligomer and the like.
Although the above-mentioned polymers show good water and oil repellency when used in a toner, they have shortcomings in the durability, flexibility, adhesiveness which relates to the durability, and dispersibility.
As the flexibility of the conventional fluorine-containing polymers is increased, the initial performance is degraded and durability is decreased; and the fluorine-containing polymers having sufficient durability lack in flexibility.
It is difficult for conventional fluorine-containing polymers serving as a resin component in the toner to satisfy all the properties such as water- and oil-repellency, durability, flexibility, adhesiveness and dispersibility at the same time.

Fluorine-containing graft copolymer and toner using the same


A blood-vessel recognizing method for recognizing blood vessels present in biological tissue, the method including: obtaining real-time Doppler spectra on the basis of time waveforms data of intensities of scattered light generated in the biological tissue due to irradiation with laser light; calculating average frequencies of the real-time Doppler spectra; correcting the calculated average frequencies on the basis of peak intensities of the real-time Doppler spectra; and determining whether or not blood vessels are present in regions of the biological tissue irradiated with the laser light on the basis of the corrected average frequencies.

In performing a surgical procedure on biological tissue, it is important that the surgeon accurately recognizes blood vessels in the interior of the biological tissue. Thus, there is a known device equipped with a function for recognizing blood vessels present in biological tissue (for example, see Patent Literatures 1 and 2). In Patent Literatures 1 and 2, blood vessels are extracted from an image on the basis of differences between the blood vessels and other regions in terms of light reflection or absorption, and the extracted blood vessels are emphasized in the image.

Blood-vessel recognizing method and blood-vessel recognizing device


An information processing apparatus 101 processes a print job based on job data inputted from a PC 103 to a hot folder and retains print job history information and job data relating to the print job history information. The information processing apparatus 101 receives an instruction from a user and determines a dependency relation between the job history information and the job data to set a retention period of the print job history information and a retention period of the job data so that the retention period of the print job history information is over the retention period of the job data. The information processing apparatus 101 deletes the print job history information and the job data based on the set retention period of the print job history information and the retention period of the job data.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a printing technique using a hot folder for printing job data inputted to a folder.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, an example of a known system for printing an imaged photograph includes a printing system for creating a photographic print of an album by inputting and printing image data to be printed.
In the printing system, when contents data (image data or text data) to be printed is designated, the contents data and a print setting information file (a setting file describing information (print setting information) related to a setting of a printer for producing a print) are stored in a folder called a hot folder. The hot folder denotes a folder set in a high-capacity storage apparatus, such as a hard disk, and contents data to be printed is stored.
A hot folder application has a folder monitoring function, and when new image data is stored in the hot folder, the data is detected to execute print processing. The hot folder application is different from a normal printing application in that the printing function can be realized by simply inputting data to the folder without using a special API, when the application is used from another system such as a photographic processing system.
The hot folders are roughly classified into two types, a flexible type and a fixed type. The flexible type denotes a hot folder without print setting information specific to the folder, and content data and a print setting information file need to be inputted to the folder for each job. The fixed type denotes a hot folder with print setting information specific to the folder, and printing is possible just by inputting contents data.
In the flexible-type hot folder, the print setting needs to be inputted, along with the contents data, to the hot folder every time. The fixed-type hot folder is provided to reduce that load.
In a conventional technique, the hot folder is used to list a plurality of pieces of job history information (print history information for one print job) in order to check an execution result of a printed job. The list of the job history information allows checking an interruption or an error in the printing. Along with the job history information, job data (print setting information file and contents data) associated with the print job can be held to reprint the print job with an error or interruption (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-129556).
In a holding method of the data associated with the print job in the conventional technique, a set of all necessary data (job history information, print setting information file and contents data) is held for one print job.
When the job history information, the print setting information file and the contents data are collectively held, unnecessary print setting information file and contents data are left even if, for example, only the history of the print job needs to be checked for a purpose other than for re-printing. Therefore, the disk capacity is wastefully consumed.
When a printed job is applied to print the data by replacing only part of the contents data, the replaced print data is unnecessary, and it is only necessary to hold required contents data.
The data necessary for the print job is automatically held in the conventional technique, and the user needs to check the disk capacity to organize the disk if necessary. Therefore, the disk capacity may become full if the user does not organize the disk.

Print control apparatus controlling deletion of print job history and job data based on a set retention period


A system and method for bicycle sharing and rental with a rack and one or more bicycles. The rack has a base with one or more locking arm(s), wherein each locking arm has a first end secured to the base and a second end, further wherein the second end has a fixture attached. The rack does not have any closed loops, preventing unauthorized bicycles from being secured to it. The bicycles have a controllable portion of a locking mechanism and a control device, wherein the control device is configured to enable the fixture to be secured to the controllable portion of the locking mechanism and further secure the bicycle device(s) to the rack.

With the problems of rising energy costs and urban congestion, municipalities and communities are increasingly looking towards bicycles as an economical and environmentally friendly method of transportation. Despite the advantages of bicycle transportation, bicycles can be cost prohibitive for many individuals. Moreover, many individuals use bicycles infrequently, and thus will not invest in a bicycle. In addition, bicycle ownership may not be practical for certain users. One example of a drawback to bicycle ownership appears in the context of public transportation. Many commuters travel long distances for work using public transportation, but lack the means to travel from the public transportation station to their home or work. This is referred to as the "last-mile" problem, and often causes commuters to rely on personal automobiles rather than public transportation. Bicycle ownership is not a viable solution to this problem because it is difficult to transport a bicycle on public transportation.

System and method for bicycle sharing and rental


Embodiments of the present invention relate to a heating device for a fluid line, in particular for a crankcase venting system in an internal combustion engine, with a heating element and with a holding device, through which the heating element can be mounted on the fluid line. Embodiments of the invention also relate to a fluid line for the accommodation of the said heating device and to a heating module with a fluid line and a heating device fitted to it. Embodiments of the invention also relate to a method for the manufacture of the heating device mentioned above.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention generally relates to a heating device for a fluid line, in particular for a crankcase venting system in an internal combustion engine, with a heating element and with a holding device, through which the heating element can be mounted on the fluid line. The invention also relates to a fluid line for the accommodation of the said heating device and to a heating module with a fluid line and a heating device fitted to it. Finally, the invention also relates to a method for the manufacture of the heating device mentioned above.
2. Description of the Related Art
In modern internal combustion engines, vents are provided for the crankcase which houses the crank mechanism with the crankshaft, the connecting rods and the pistons as well as the cylinders. The crankcase is sealed on the cylinder side by one or more cylinder heads and underneath a sump pan is normally joined to the crankcase.
When the internal combustion engine is operated, the crankcase fills up to the cylinder head with oil vapours and gases which leak out of the combustion chamber in the cylinders past the piston rings. These oil vapours and gases are also known as blow-by gases. Due to the pumping motion of the pistons, the blow-by gases are subjected to pressure. Since the oil vapours and gases in the crankcase contain large quantities of ecologically harmful hydrocarbons, measures have to be taken to prevent the escape of the oil vapours and gases from the crankcase.
For this purpose it is known that crankcase vents can be provided which connect the internal space of the crankcase to the air intake lines of the internal combustion engine, so that the blow-by gases are sucked out of the crankcase, together with the fresh air and are burnt.
If the fresh air and the blow-by gases from the crankcase exhibit however substantially different temperatures, condensation and precipitation can take place in the mixing section, which blocks the crankcase vents.
In particular with car engines, high temperature differences arise in winter between the cold intake air on one hand and the blow-by gases from the crankcase which heat up quickly with the engine block. In some cases this can even lead to the icing up or blockage of the opening of the fluid line of the crankcase vent. With a blockage of the crankcase vent a high pressure builds up in the crankcase which can press the lubricating oil out of the seals on the crankshaft, sump pan or out of the opening for the oil dipstick. In addition, the pistons are subjected to increased work against the high pressure in the crankcase, leading to a reduction in the efficiency of the internal combustion engine.
The condensation of the gases and the precipitation of mixture constituents at low outside temperatures is avoided in the state of the art by heating devices in the lines to the crankcase vent. These types of heating devices are for example known from DE-A-2432782, U.S. Pat. No. 4,922,882, U.S. Pat. No. 5,970,962, U.S. Pat. No. 6,062,206, JP-AA-10231543, JP-M-10121937 and EP-A-1164264.
With the crankcase vent of DE-A-2432782 the opening of the venting line on the intake system can be heated electrically. For this, a heating device is used which consists of a metal tubular piece with an electrical heating conductor arranged coaxially on its jacket surface. For heating, a winding of resistance wire located on a coil bobbin is used. A disadvantage with the heating device of DE-A-2432782 is primarily the large space requirement which renders its use with modern engines almost impossible. In addition, the heating device in DE-A-2432782 is difficult to install and difficult to replace should damage occur.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,922,882 deals with a crankcase venting system which is heated via the cooling system of the internal combustion engine. For this, a ring pipe is provided surrounding the intake line and being located in the region of the feed line of the crankcase gases into the engine intake line. With very cold outside temperatures, the ring pipe is heated by the cooling system.
With the further developed heating devices of U.S. Pat. No. 5,970,962 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,062,206 a PTC (Positive Temperature Coefficient) heating element is used instead of the resistance wire. The heating element is connected for thermal conduction with a heatsink which surrounds the opening of the crankcase vent. The heatsink and the heating element are integrated into a plug which simultaneously forms the opening of the crankcase vent. Although the space requirement with the devices of U.S. Pat. No. 5,970,962 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,062,206 is less than with the heating device of DE-A-2432782, their complicated manufacture and their poor accessibility on the internal combustion engine are disadvantages during servicing.
In JP-AA-10231543, a heating device is shown with which a cylindrical, metal thermal radiator element is inserted into a through opening of a pipe. At the other end of the thermal radiator element a mounting seat is attached water-tight to a mounting seat on the pipe end. The cylindrical thermal radiator element protrudes into a flow and transfers heat from the heating device directly into the fluid in the pipe.
JP-AA-10121937 relates to a heater for blow-by gases using a PCV valve. The housing of the PCV valve is heated by a heater hose via a leaf-spring clip.
In EP-A-1164264 the PTC elements are stuck onto the fluid line for the crankcase venting by an electrically non-conducting silicone adhesive and sprayed with plastic after mounting. In this way a compact construction is achieved irrespective of the design of the fluid line. However, the heating device of EP-A-1164264 can be improved with respect to its service friendliness.
Considering the disadvantages of the state of the art of known heating devices, it is desirable to improve a heating device for fluid lines, in particular for crankcase vents of internal combustion engines, such that with a compact construction they are more convenient for servicing and are easier to install.

Heating device for a fluid line and method of manufacture


A material suitable for use as the active anode surface in the electrolytic reduction of alumina to aluminium metal defined by the formula: A1+xB1+δCdO4 where A is a divalent cation or a mixture of cations with a relative preference for octahedral coordination, B is a trivalent cation or mixture of cations with a relative preference for tetrahedral coordination, C is a trivalent cations with a relative preference for octahedral coordination or a four-valent cation with a relative preference for octahedral coordination, O is the element oxygen: When C is trivalent x=0, 0.8<d<1, δ<0.2 and x+d+d is essentially equal to 1. When C is four-valent 0.4<x<0.6, 0.4<d<0.6, δ<0.2 and x+d+δ is essentially equal to 1.

Conventionally, aluminium is produced by the electrolysis of alumina dissolved in a cryolite based molten salt bath by the more than hundred years old Hall-Heroult process. In this process carbon electrodes are used, where the carbon anode is taking part in the cell reaction resulting in the simultaneous production of CO2. The gross consumption of the anode is up to 550 kg/ton of aluminium produced, causing emissions of greenhouse gases like fluorocarbon compounds in addition to CO2. For both cost and environmental reasons the replacement of carbon anodes with an effectively inert material would be highly advantageous. The electrolysis cell would then produce oxygen and aluminium.
Such an anode will, however, be subject to extreme conditions and will have to fulfil very severe requirements. The anode will simultaneously be subjected to around 1 bar of oxygen pressure at high temperature, the very corrosive molten salt bath specifically designed to be a solvent for oxides, and a high aluminium oxide activity. The corrosion rate must be low enough so that a reasonable time between anode changes is achievable, as well as the corrosion products must not adversely affect the quality requirements of the produced aluminium. The first criterion would mean a corrosion rate not higher than a few millimeters per year, while the second is very dependent on the elements involved, from as high as 2000 ppm for Fe to only a few tens ppm or lower for elements like Sn to fulfil today's requirements for top quality commercial aluminium.
Many attempts have been made to develop inert anodes. The work can be divided into three main approaches; a ceramic material doped to sufficient electronic conductivity, a two or more phase ceramic/metal composite or a metal alloy anode.
Many of the compounds in the first group that much work later have been focused on, were first studied in this context by Belyaev and Studentsov (Legkie Metal.6, No.3, 17–24(1937)) a.o. Fe3O4, SnO2, Co3O4 and NiO and Belyaev (Legkie Metal.7, No.1,7–20(1938)) a.o. ZnFe2O4, NiFe2O4.
Later examples from the first group are anodes based on SnO2 doped with e.g. Fe2O3, Sb2O3 or MnO2 documented in U.S. Pat. No. 4,233,148 (electrodes with up to 79 wt % SnO2) and U.S. Pat. No. 3,718,550 (electrodes with more than 80 wt % SnO2). Sn impurities in the produced aluminium do, however, strongly impair the properties of the metal even at very low concentrations and so render an anode based on SnO2 impractical.
Further, in EP0030834A3 doped spinels are described, with a chemical composition based on the formula MIxMII3−xO4.yMIIIb+On/2 where MI is a divalent metal a.o. Ni, Mg, Cu and Zn, while MII is one or more divalent/trivalent metals from the group Ni, Co, Mn and Fe, and MIII is one or more from a large group of 4- , 3-, 2- and monovalent metals.
Other examples are the range of spinel and perovskite materials described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,039,401 and 4,173,518 of which, however, none have proven practical for use in an aluminium electrolysis cell. This is partly because of limited corrosion resistance and partly because of low electronic conductivity.
In U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,374,050 and 4,478,693 is disclosed a generic formula describing compositions of possible anode materials. The formula would cover practically all combinations of oxides, carbides, nitrides, sulfides and fluorides of virtually all elements of the periodic table. The examples concentrate on various stoichiometric and nonstoichiometric oxides of the spinel structure. None of these have proven practical, presumably because of limited stability towards dissolution and low electronic conductivity. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,399,008 a material is described consisting of two oxide phases of which one is a compound of two oxides and the other a pure phase of one of the component oxides.
As the low electronic conductivity of the anode materials has been a problem, a number of efforts have been documented where the aim has been to combine an inert material with an interwoven matrix of a metallic phase. This is the second group mentioned above. General examples are U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,374,761 and 4,397,729. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,374,761 the compositions of the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 4,374,050 are described as the ceramic part of a cermet with a metallic phase that can consist of a range of elements. An example from the extensive work carried out on the cermet anodes based on the spinel NiFe2O4 with a Cu or Ni based metal phase is U.S. Pat. No. 4,871,437 describing a production method for making electrodes with a dispersed metal phase. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,865,980 the metal phase is an alloy of copper and silver. The apparent problems with these materials are partly corrosion of the ceramic phase, and partly oxidation and subsequent dissolution of the metal phase under process conditions.
The third group is exemplified by a number of patents on alloys and alloy configurations. The advantage is the high electronic conductivity and the attractive mechanical properties, but common to all metals and metal alloys is, however, that none except the noble metals will be stable towards oxidation under working anode conditions. Different avenues to solve this problem have been followed. U.S. Pat. No. 5,069,771 discloses a method comprising the in-situ formation of a protecting layer made from a cerium oxyfluoride that is generated and maintained by the oxidation of cerium fluoride dissolved in the electrolyte. This technology was first described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,614,569, also for use with ceramic and cermet anodes, but in spite of extensive development work it has so far not found commercial application. One problem is that the produced metal will contain cerium impurities, and thus requires an extra purification process step.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,620,905 a metal anode that will form a protective layer by in situ oxidation is described. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,284,562 describes alloy compositions based on copper, nickel and iron where the oxide formed creates a layer that is protective towards further oxidation. International applications WO 00/06800, WO 00/06802, WO 00/06804, WO 00/6805 describe variations of very similar approaches. In U.S. Pat. No. 6,083,362 an anode is described where the protective layer is formed by the oxidation of aluminium on the surface of the anode, the layer being thin enough to still have acceptable electrical conductivity, and being replenished by the diffusion of aluminium through the metal anode from a reservoir in the anode.
Common to all these suggestions is, however, that none offers fully satisfactory solutions to the problem that metals or metal alloys except the noble metals will oxidize under working anode conditions. The formed oxide will gradually dissolve in the electrolyte, the rate of dissolution depending on the oxide formed. In some cases this leads to build-up of oxide layers resulting in low electrical conductivity and high cell voltage, and in other cases gives spalling and excessive corrosion of the anode. In the ideal case the oxide is formed at the same rate as it is dissolved, the rate not being too high for a reasonable lifetime of the anode and causing unacceptable concentrations of impurities in the produced metal. No such system has been demonstrated.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Material for a dimensionally stable anode for the electrowinning of aluminum


A temperature-stabilized photonic circuit comprising: a material platform; a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS)-compatible, photonic device integrated on the material platform, wherein the photonic device has a positive thermo-optic coefficient; and a liquid crystal layer clad over the photonic device, wherein the liquid crystal layer has a negative thermo-optic coefficient such that the temperature of the circuit is passively stabilized through adjustment of the effective refractive index of the photonic device.

Network technical requirements and operational needs continue to evolve towards a direction in which information and services can be transmitted rapidly and at low cost to anyone, anywhere, at any time. Growing bandwidth needs have presented the need for optical communication at scales and distances smaller than previously envisioned. The silicon photonics platform, with its ability to manifest CMOS-compatible photonic devices, is promising for use in next-generation optical links. However, as optics penetrates deeper into the chip temperature stability becomes more important due to silicon's high thermo-optic coefficient (1.86×10−4/° C.) accompanied by an appreciable modification of the refractive index in the presence of rising temperature and resulting in performance deterioration of photonic devices and systems. Correspondingly, at power densities of 100 W/cm2 in modern microelectronic Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI) chips, the problem of heat dissipation is a major challenge even with the most advanced packaging technologies. Local temperature stabilization becomes impossible with thousands of devices with varying temperature profiles across a single chip.

Apparatus and method for stabilizing the temperature of a photonic circuit

The United States of America as represented by Secretary of the Navy


A method, an apparatus, and a computer program product embodiments are disclosed for detection of the availability of a battery (160) by a host terminal (100) during a data exchange session with the battery (160). In accordance with the embodiments of the invention, sampling, data communication with the battery pack (150), and detection of battery (160) removal, may occur substantially simultaneously. The battery (160) removal may be detected during data transmission from the terminal (100) to the battery pack (150). Moreover, a response may be received by the terminal (100) from the battery circuits (155) in response to data communicated to the battery (160) on the battery communication line (140), during sampling in a timed manner.

Batteries are essential for the portability of wireless terminals, for example cellular phones and other portable communication devices. The Subscriber Information Module (SIM) card is a programmable card in cellular phones, which stores all of a cell phone subscriber's personal information and phone settings. Battery removal detection in a cellular phone is a part of the battery interface in a cell phone because the SIM card needs to be powered off in controlled manner to be able to avoid being permanently damaged. In case of a sudden battery removal, a fast indication of battery removal to the SIM interface is needed because the SIM interface may loose power rapidly after battery removal. Recently cell phone batteries have included circuitry to identify the battery type, sense battery temperature, and store other related information. Temperature sensing, among other features, requires the ability of the cell phone to engage in data communication with the battery pack.

Detecting true battery removal from a host device by comparing a voltage level on a communication line with a threshold voltage level


A semiconductor memory device is capable of controlling a tAC with a timing margin in an output data process. The semiconductor memory device includes a delay locked loop circuit, a tAC control unit, a reference signal generating unit, and a data output block. The delay locked loop circuit produces delay locked clock signals through a delay locking operation. The tAC control unit adjusts a delay value of the delay locked clock signals in order to control a tAC timing, thereby generating output reference signals. The reference signal generating unit produces a latch reference signal in response to the delay locked clock signals. The data output block latches data in response to the latch reference signal and for outputting the latched data in response to the output reference signals.

The present invention relates to a semiconductor memory device; and, more particularly, to a data output circuit in a semiconductor memory device.
In a system equipped with a plurality of semiconductor devices for performing various functions, a semiconductor memory device functions as an apparatus for storing data. The semiconductor memory device outputs data, which correspond to the address signals inputted from a data processing unit, for example, a central processing unit, to a device to request the data, or stores data delivered by the data processing unit in unit cells corresponding to the address signals which are inputted together with the data.
The operating speed of the system is getting faster and faster. Therefore, the semiconductor memory devices are more and more required to have fast input and output speed in the data processing unit. Recently, the operating speed of the data processing unit is getting faster and faster in the engineering development process of the semiconductor integrated circuits; however, the semiconductor memory devices to deliver the data to the data processing unit is not in compliance with the input and output speed of the data processing unit.
In order to enhance the data I/O speed of the semiconductor memory device to a degree which is satisfied by the data processing unit, various semiconductor memory devices have been developed up to now. Synchronous memory devices in which the data are inputted and outputted in response to system clock signals have been proposed until a recent date. The synchronous memory devices output the data to the data processing unit in response to the inputted system clock signals and also receive the data from the data processing unit in response to the inputted system clock signals. However, since the synchronous memory devices are unable to follow the operating speed of the data processing unit, DDR synchronous memory devices have been developed. The DDR synchronous memory devices input and output the data in response to a transition timing of the system clock signal. That is, in the DDR synchronous memory devices, the data are inputted and outputted in synchronization with rising and falling edges of the system clock signal.
However, the system clock signal inputted into the semiconductor memory device reaches to a data output circuit, inevitably having a delay time which is caused by both a clock input buffer disposed within the memory device and a transmission line to transmit the clock signal thereto. Therefore, when the data output circuit outputs the data in synchronization with the system clock signals which already have such a delay time, an external circuit which receives the output data from the semiconductor memory device may take them asynchronously with the rising edge and the falling edge of the system clock signal.
To solve this problem, the semiconductor memory device includes a delay locked loop circuit for locking an amount of the delay time of the clock signal. The delay locked loop circuit is a circuit to compensate for the delay time which is caused by the internal circuits in the memory device until the system clock signal is delivered to the data output circuit after being inputted to the memory device. The delay locked loop circuit finds out an amount of the delay time of the system clock signal which is caused by delay circuits, such as the input buffer and the clock signal transmission line, and delays the system clock signal based on the amount of delay which has been found. The delay locked loop outputs the delayed system clock to the data output circuit. That is, the system clock signal inputted into the memory device is delivered to the data output circuit with a fixed delay time by the delay locked loop. The data output circuit outputs the data in synchronization with the delay-locked clock signal and the external circuit regards the output data as the normal data which are accurately outputted in synchronization with the system clock signal.
In the actual operation, the delay-locked clock signal outputted from the delay locked loop circuit is transferred to an output buffer at a point of time which is determined faster than the data output time by one period of time and the data are outputted in synchronization with the transferred delay-locked clock signal. As a result, the data are more rapidly outputted than the amount of delay time of the system clock signals caused by the internal circuits of the memory device. In this way, it seems to the external circuit of the memory device that the data are accurately outputted in synchronization with the rising edge and the falling edge of the system clock signal. In conclusion, the delay locked loop circuit is a circuit to find out a delay value to compensate for the delay time of the system clock signal within the memory device, thereby achieving the fast data output operation.
The semiconductor memory devices output the data to an external circuit in synchronization with the delay locked clock signals after internally preparing the data to be outputted using the delay locked clock signals from the delay locked loop circuit. Generally, the timing relation between the transition timing of the system clock signal and the output timing of the data is expressed as "tAC." Accordingly, in order to control "tAC," the semiconductor memory devices should control the output timing of the delay locked clock signal. However, this causes a mismatch of a timing required to process the data to be outputted therein. As a result, there is a problem in that the data are not outputted at a predetermined timing.

Semiconductor memory device capable of controlling tAC timing and method for operating the same


A heat exchanger washing device includes a wash water storage chamber to store wash water in a case, a wash water injection chamber to jet the wash water stored in the wash water storage chamber to a heat exchanger, and a bypass path unit to guide the wash water jetted from the wash water injection chamber to a side surface of the heat exchanger after bypassing an upper surface of the heat exchanger.

1. Field
Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to an air conditioner equipped with an improved device for cleaning a heat exchanger.
2. Description of the Related Art
An air conditioner is a system configured to control heat and humidity of ambient air. Heat exchange of such an air conditioner with ambient air is achieved by a simple refrigeration cycle.
The refrigeration cycle may include a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, and an evaporator. High-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant emerging from the compressor exchanges heat with outdoor air while passing through the condenser, so that it is changed into a low-temperature state. The refrigerant is then changed into a low-temperature and low-pressure state while passing through the expansion valve. The low-temperature and low-pressure refrigerant subsequently exchanges heat with indoor air while passing through the evaporator, so that the indoor air is cooled.
Heat exchangers are classified into vehicle heat and domestic heat exchangers in accordance with the installation place thereof. The vehicle heat exchanger and the domestic heat exchanger differ in terms of the kind of refrigerant used therein and the operation environments of the installation place thereof such as air flow and air velocity. For this reason, these heat exchangers have different design factors in terms of material and size, in order to obtain optimal heat exchange efficiencies.

Heat exchanger washing device and air conditioner having the same


A liquid cartridge mountable on a liquid droplet ejection device, includes a liquid chamber configured to store a liquid therein, and a pump unit configured to generate a pressure for the liquid stored in the liquid chamber to be supplied to the liquid droplet ejection device. The pump unit includes a cylinder; a piston slidably mounted in the cylinder and configured to define a pressure chamber with the cylinder; a force transfer member coupled to the piston and including an engagement portion and a support portion; and a support member configured to contact the support portion to support the force transfer member to be movable. The engagement portion is configured to engage a drive member of the liquid droplet ejection device and to receive a drive force from the drive member to displace the piston.

A known ink jet printer as an example of a liquid droplet ejection device uses a so-called station supply system. The ink jet printer has a recording head, a sub-tank communicating with the recording head, and a carriage configured to reciprocate. The ink jet printer is configured to mount an ink cartridge. The ink jet printer is configured such that the carriage mounts thereon the recording head and the sub-tank, and the ink cartridge communicates with the sub-tank only when ink needs to be supplied from the ink cartridge to the sub-tank. In the other timing (when the ink needs not to be supplied from the ink cartridge to the sub-tank), the ink cartridge does not communicate with the sub-tank, and the ink cartridge and the sub-tank are separated from each other. Accordingly the ink is supplied from the ink cartridge to the sub-tank intermittently (e.g., see JP-A-2004-181952).


An N-way radio frequency (RF) divider/combiner is formed as a combination including an input port electrically coupled to a first 2-way divider/combiner and a second 2-way divider/combiner. An antenna may be coupled to at least one port of the N-way divider. The antenna may be formed as a compound printed loop (CPL) antenna. The N-way RF divider/combiner may be configured to provide N inputs and M output ports, wherein N and M are integers and any of the M output ports and N input ports can be connected to any combinations of devices. Such devices may include, e.g., an antenna including but not limited to a CPL antenna, RF receive port, transmit port, amplifier, RF switch, low noise amplifier (LNA), oscillator, tuning circuit, matching circuit, lumped element circuit, active circuit, diode, adjustable inductive circuit, and adjustable capacitive circuit.

The present invention relates to a multipart splitter/divider or combiner. It finds particular, but not exclusive, use in allowing a single transceiver to be connected to a plurality of antennas, power amplifiers, oscillators or other devices. As understood by those skilled in the art, it is often advantageous to be able to drive more than one transmitting antenna, or to receive signals from more than one receiving antenna. For example, having more than one receive antenna allows a degree of receive diversity to be employed and can increase the received signal strength. However, due to problems in impedance mismatch, it is not a simple matter of connecting more than one antenna to the respective input or output of a transceiver. The present invention provides improvements in the field of radio frequency (RF) combiners/splitters and related circuitry.
Throughout the specification which follows, reference will be made to splitting or dividing a signal into two or more components, but the skilled person will appreciate that such description also includes combining two or more signals together, since these structures are intrinsically bi-directional. Additional background information may be found in U.S. Pat. No. 8,040,204 B2, Oct. 18, 2011, entitled "Radio Frequency Combiners/Splitters" (Brown), which describes the well-known Wilkinson Divider/Combiner and an improved RF divider arranged in the form of a microstrip circuit. See also, U.S. Pat. No. 8,368,485 B2, Feb. 5, 2013, "Radio Frequency Combiners/Splitters".

Power combiner and fixed/adjustable CPL antennas


A method of manufacturing an assembly, including a plurality of blades mounted in a platform preparing a mixture of metal powder and thermoplastic binder, includes manufacturing the blades separately from the platform, and finishing the blades after the manufacturing. The method also includes injecting the mixture into a mold to obtain a platform blank, removing the binder from the platform blank prior to assembling the finished blades with the blank, inserting one end of the finished blades into a housing formed in the platform blank in order to assemble the assembly, and sintering the assembly comprising the platform blank and the finished blades to unify the assembly.

Hereinafter, a fixed blisk sector is known as a stator guide vanes assembly when it forms part of the compressor of the turbo machine and is known as a nozzle guide vane assembly when it forms part of the turbine of the turbo machine.
A stator guide vanes assembly or nozzle guide vane assembly is formed of angular sectors each comprising a plurality of blades held between two platforms. For example, for an axial-flow turbo machine, the blades are held between a radially outer platform known as the outer platform sector and a radially inner platform known as the inner platform sector.
In one method of manufacturing a blisk, a stator guide vanes assembly sector or nozzle guide vane assembly sector is formed using what is known as the "lost-wax" casting method in which:                first of all a wax (or some equivalent material) model of the stator guide vanes assembly sector is produced;        a mold is created around this model by dipping it into a slurry to form a layer of material in contact with its surface;        the surface of this layer is coated with sand and dried;        this operation of dipping into slurries possibly of different compositions is then repeated to form a shell made up of a plurality of layers;        the wax is then removed from the shell mold, this being an operation whereby the original model is eliminated;        molten metal is poured into the mold and solidifies;        the shell is broken off and manufacture of the stator guide vanes assembly sector is finished off.
During the manufacture of a stator guide vanes assembly sector using the lost-wax casting method, it is necessary for the platform sectors and the blades to be machined and then polished in order to correct manufacturing defects, and this adds to the cost. In general, it is necessary to use machining to correct the connection between the blades and the platform sectors and this is complicated because of the close proximity of the blades to one another, it being difficult to manipulate the machine tool appropriately.
Aside from the abovementioned disadvantages, a lost-wax casting method is costly to perform because of the numerous stages that the method comprises and because of the equipment needed to implement it.
According to another method of manufacture, the platform sectors and the blades are formed independently of one another and then brazed together. This method, known by those skilled in the art as "mechanically brazed" assembly is a process that is lengthy and complex to perform.
One possible solution might be to use a metal powder injection molding method of manufacture known by the abbreviation MIM, which offers numerous advantages in terms of having mechanical properties that are comparable with the advantages that can be had from forging methods. Furthermore, the cost of series-production of metal components using an MIM method are lower by comparison with a lost-wax casting method.
Remember that a method of manufacturing a metal component using MIM conventionally involves:                preparing a mixture of metal particles and thermoplastic binder;        molding the mixture in a mold to obtain a "green" blank of the component that is to be formed, the blank being of dimensions greater than the final dimensions of the metal component;        removal of the binder from the blank to form what is known as a "brown" blank which is therefore porous, and        sintering the "brown" blank to densify it, which causes shrinkage of the blank, the component thus formed being then at its final dimensions.
The MIM manufacturing technique is commonly used for the manufacture of relatively small-sized components. Proposals have also been made for this method to be used for the manufacture of the blades and of the platforms independently of one another, as described in published US Patent Application 2007/0102572 A1. The manufacturing method has to be supplemented by an assembly step, preferably using brazing, and this lengthens the manufacturing time.
One solution might be to use the MIM technique to manufacture the blisk sector in a single operation but the MIM method is not suited to the manufacture of large-sized metal components.

Method for manufacturing an assembly including a plurality of blades mounted in a platform


A straddle electric vehicle includes a battery case which accommodates a battery as an electric power supply for an electric motor, and is placed between a front wheel and a rear wheel; and a swing arm pivotably coupled at its front end portion to a vehicle body frame such that the swing arm supports the rear wheel by its rear end portion; wherein the electric motor is placed rearward relative to the battery case and forward relative to the rear wheel.

In recent years, a straddle electric vehicle which incorporates as a driving power source an electric motor activated by electric energy stored in a battery has been developed. In the straddle electric vehicle, it is necessary to incorporate a battery with a heavy weight, as compared to a conventional straddle vehicle which incorporates only an internal combustion engine as a driving power source (see e.g., Patent Literature 1).


A touch panel is disclosed, which includes a substrate, plural sensing units, plural wires, and a grounding component. The substrate includes a touch area and a wiring area surrounding the touch area. The sensing units are formed in the touch area. The wires are formed in the wiring area and are connected to the sensing units. The ground component is formed in the wiring area and includes plural hollow portions and conductive portions. At least parts of the hollow portions and at least parts of the conductive portions are alternatingly arranged. The situation of metal peeling can be prevented by slicing the grounding component in the touch panel.

1. Field of Invention
The invention relates to a touch panel. More particularly, the invention relates to a capacitive-type touch panel.
2. Description of Related Art
A touch and display device has advantages of being convenient for operation, fast response speed and reduced space. The touch and display device can provide users with an intuitive and convenient operation method, so that the touch and display device has become an important input interface, and is widely applied in various consumer electronics, such as e-books, personal digital assistants (PDAs), smart mobile communication devices, notebook computers, sales management systems and the like electronics.
Generally, the touch and display device includes a display panel and a transparent touch panel disposed above the display panel. The transparent touch panel adheres to the display panel to achieve touch and display functions at the same time. With the rapid development of the aforesaid touch hardware and the sensing accuracy thereof, attentions are gradually paid to a novel touch input interface which gradually takes the place of the conventional input device such as a keyboard and a mouse.
Therefore, industries want to improve the reliability of the touch panel effectively and simplify the manufacturing steps of the touch panel.


Disclosed are a method and a device for diagnosing a catalytic converter located in a exhaust gas flow. Said method and device are based on an evaluation of the hygroscopic properties of the catalytic converter.

Due to DE 44 26 020 A1 the procedure for diagnosing a catalytic converter arranged in an off-gas stream becomes known, which is based on the evaluation of at least one temperature, that is influenced by a possibly happening exothermic reaction in the catalytic converter. The already known catalytic-diagnose is implemented on the basis of two temperature signals. The first temperature signal provides a temperature sensor, which is arranged downstream after the catalytic converter. The second temperature signal is attained by a temperature model in the catalytic converter. Both temperature signals are balanced in a preset operating condition of a combustion engine, in whose exhaust gas area the catalytic converter is arranged. The temperature obtained by the temperature model can be achieved either on the basis of a fully inoperative catalytic converter, a fully operative catalytic converter or a so-called Grenz catalytic converter, whereby the Grenz catalytic converter shows a conversion ability that lies in between those two extremes, which just complies with the legal stipulations of the conversion ability.
Due to DE 197 51 58 A1 the procedure for diagnosing a catalytic converter arranged in an off-gas stream becomes known, which is based on the evaluation of at least one dimension for the oxygen concentration in the exhaust gas. A first dimension for the oxygen concentration is provided by a lambda sensor, which is arranged downstream after the catalytic converter. A second dimension for the oxygen concentration downstream after the catalytic converter is obtained by a catalytic converter model. A dimension for the difference between the measured and the calculated dimension is evaluated. The catalytic converter diagnose is based on the evaluation of the oxygen capacity of a catalytic converter, whereby it is assumed that a new catalytic converter shows a higher oxygen capacity than an old catalytic converter. The already known procedure particularly evaluates the amplitude of the measured lambda signal, which occurs downstream after the catalytic converter due to the specifically preset lambda modifications upstream before the catalytic converter.
Due to DE 41 28 823 A1a further procedure for diagnosing a catalytic converter arranged in an off-gas stream becomes known, which is based on the evaluation of at least one dimension for the oxygen concentration in the exhaust gas. The diagnose of the catalytic converter is based on the determination of the oxygen capacity of the catalytic converter. The oxygen capacity is determined by an integral, which considers the sucked in air stream and the exhaust gas lambda upstream before the catalytic converter of a combustion engine, that has the catalytic converter arranged in the exhaust gas area. The integration begins if a lambda modification appears upstream before the catalytic converter, which can for example be specifically preset. The integration ends if a lambda sensor, that is arranged downstream after the catalytic converter, detects occurring modifications of the exhaust gas lambda as a result of the lambda modifications upstream before the catalytic converter.
A further alternative for diagnosing a catalytic converter arranged in an off-gas stream directly includes the ascertainment and evaluation of at least one of the exhaust gas components that need to be eliminated. A corresponding procedure is described in DE 199 63 901 A1. An downstream NOx-sensitive sensor that is arranged after a NOx-storage catalytic converter provides a dimension for the NOx-concentration downstream after the NOx-storage catalytic converter, which is directly used for the diagnose of the NOx-storage catalytic converter.
Due to DE 43 38 342 A1 the procedure of simulating the dimension for an exhaust gas temperature and/or an exhaust gas sensor temperature and/or a catalytic converter temperature, that considers besides the operating parameters of a combustion engine at least one liquid signal, which determines that the occurrence of liquids in the exhaust gas area of the combustion engine and/or the catalytic converter can be expected. During the simulation of a dimension for the temperature the evaporation of the liquid is considered. The already known procedure can be used for instance for the regulation of a filament heating of a sensor that is arranged in the exhaust gas area, whereby the imminent danger of a destruction exists, if a heating is designated simultaneously with a liquid condensation on the sensor's surface.
The liquid is generally water, which condenses on surfaces if the temperature falls below dew point. Because of the existing conditions in the exhaust gas area of a combustion engine the dew point of water is lower than in the ambient air. The deviations rest upon the fact that the steam concentration in the exhaust gas is lower than in the ambient air on the one hand, and on the other hand on the fact that the exhaust gas pressure in the exhaust gas area of a combustion engine is generally higher than the ambient pressure.
Due to DE 100 65 125 A1a further improvement of the already mentioned DE 43 38 342 A1 described procedure is known, which considers besides the influence of liquid evaporation additionally the evacuation of condensed liquid through the exhaust gas flow.
Finally in DE 10 2005 041 661 a procedure for operating a heating element of a ceramic sensor that is arranged in the exhaust gas area of a combustion engine is described, whereby the heating element is only taken into operation, if the combustion engine is in its operating status, in which it can not be reckoned, that there is any liquid in the exhaust gas area. This specific operating status is indicated when the heat flow, that has been added up over time and carried by the exhaust gas flow, exceeds a preset threshold.
The invention is underlying the purpose of showing a procedure and an implementation for diagnosing a catalytic converter arranged in an off-gas stream, that is simple to implement and allows a reliable diagnose.
The purpose is solved by the indicated features in the independent claims.

Method for the diagnosing of a catalytic converter located in an exhaust gas flow, and device for carrying out said method


A camouflage cover for equipping an outdoor enclosure with three-dimensional nature effects includes a plurality of elongated nature-effect strands that drape over the enclosure in a substantially vertical arrangement. The vine-like nature-effect strands help conceal hard lines and corners of the enclosure structure. The cover may include adjustment straps that allow a single cover to adapt to a number of enclosure structures. The adjustment straps, where used, may include interwoven cords and cord locks for adjusting tension of the straps. The nature-effect strands may have different camouflage patterns so that an enclosure can have an appropriate camouflage scheme no matter what season or environment. Tiebacks may optionally be used to permit horizontal adjustment of the nature-effect strands, in order to prevent allow free access to windows and doorways. Auxiliary loops may also be provided to allow attachment of additional nature effects by a user.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to concealment-enhancing accessories for use in conjunction with portable shelters and similar outdoor enclosures, for providing a hidden location for a hunter or naturalist to occupy in the field while observing or waiting for game or other wildlife. More particularly, the present invention relates to an adjustable covering for an outdoor enclosure such as a tent or hunting blind, in which the covering includes three-dimensional nature effects, and is made adjustable to fit over numerous styles, shapes and sizes of outdoor enclosures.
2. Description of the Background Art
When out in the field for moderate or long periods, hunters often spend time in hunting blinds to disguise themselves from game, and also to protect themselves from inclement weather. However, a problem arises because the hunting blind or shelter is an unnatural object, and its unusual shape and colors tend to make it stand out when viewed by game. As a result, game generally avoids the blind or shelter, and the hunter's position is compromised.
Similarly, naturalists, nature photographers, and environmental scientists often work out in the field, such as in forest or wilderness areas. Naturalists often wish to approach and view wild animals as closely as possible without being detected, in order to photograph or observe the animals in their natural habitat, while disturbing them as little as possible. Accordingly, these people also find it useful to disguise their presence while also being sheltered from the elements of nature.
Many designs for hunting blinds are known. Class 135, subclass 901 is provided in the U.S. Patent Classification System for the listing of hunting blinds and ice fishing shelters.
Adams, U.S. Pat. No. 6,009,673 discloses a portable insulated modular shelter, which is usable as a hunting blind, ice fishing shelter, or wildlife observatory. Several other known designs for hunting blinds, ice fishing shelters and similar enclosures are referred to and discussed in the background section of the Adams '673 reference.
It is further recognized in the art that camouflage material having three-dimensional elements are very effective in breaking up hard lines and corners which are artificial to a natural environment. Several patents employing various types of three-dimensional camouflage exist. The following patents demonstrate various implementations of three-dimensional camouflage.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,517,230, entitled Artificial Camouflage Leaf Construction, granted to Crawford discloses a camouflage system in which simulated leaves are attached to an elongated flexible strip of material, and these leafy strips of material are attached in turn to an outdoorsman's clothes.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,792,471, entitled Body Wrap Camouflage Strip For Hunters, granted to Lee discloses a camouflage system in which simulated foliage is removably attached to an elongated flexible strip of material. It is envisioned that one long strip of this flexible material would be wrapped in multiple loops about a person.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,060,142, entitled Universal Three-Dimensional Camouflage System, granted to Rossini discloses simple three-dimensional elements that can be attached to any piece of clothing or structure in order to provide a degree of camouflage. A plurality of fabric strands having varying lengths are attached at their midpoints to an alligator clip. Any number of these attachments can be applied to any surface capable of being engaged by an alligator clip.
Although the known devices provide some utility for their intended purposes, a need still exists in the art for an improved three-dimensional camouflage covering that can be used with any number of outdoor enclosures by adapting to the structural, window, and door features of the enclosure.

Universal 3-D camouflage strips with nature effects, camouflage cover formed therefrom, and outdoor enclosure incorporating same


Apparatus and method for surgery is disclosed which includes a retractor having a substantially planar base defining an opening for overlying an operative site on a patient, and at least one retractor blade slidably mounted to the base. The base is positioned on the patient such that the opening therein overlies the operative site. The operative site is percutaneously accessed, and obstructing tissue is retracted by engaging the tissue with the retractor blade. A surgical instrument is provided which is engageable with the base and operable at the operative site through the opening in the base. A surgical procedure is carried out through the opening in the base with the surgical instrument.

1. Technical Field
The subject disclosure relates to minimally invasive surgical procedures and apparatus, and more particularly to an instrument and method for performing surgery associated with the thoracic cavity.
2. Background of Related Art
The diagnosis and treatment of coronary disease and related conditions typically requires access to the heart, blood vessels and associated tissue. Such procedures include cardiopulmonary bypass, valve repair and replacement, and treatment of aneurysms. Access to the patient's thoracic cavity may be achieved by a large longitudinal incision in the chest. This procedure, referred to as a median sternotomy, requires a saw or other cutting instrument to cut the sternum and allow two opposing halves of the rib cages to be spread apart U.S. Pat. No. 5,025,779 to Bugge discloses a retractor which is designed to grip opposite sternum halves and spread the thoracic cavity apart. The large opening which is created by this technique enables the surgeon to directly visualize the surgical site and perform procedures on the affected organs. However, such procedures that involve large incisions and substantial displacement of the rib cage are often traumatic to the patient with significant attendant risks. The recovery period may be extended and is often painful. Furthermore, patients for whom coronary surgery is indicated may need to forego such surgery due to the risks involved with gaining access to the heart.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,503,617 to Jako discloses a retractor configured to be held by the surgeon for use in vascular or cardiac surgery to retract and hold ribs apart to allow access to the heart or a lung through an operating window. The retractor includes a rigid frame and a translation frame slidably connected to the rigid frame. Lower and upper blades are rotatably mounted to the rigid frame and the translation frame respectively.
Once access to the thoracic cavity has been achieved, surgery on the heart may be performed. Such procedures typically require that the heart beat be arrested while maintaining circulation throughout the rest of the body. Cardioplegic fluid, such as potassium chloride (KCl) is delivered to the blood vessels of the heart to paralyze the myocardium. As disclosed in WO 95/15715 to Steman et al. for example, cardioplegic fluid is infused into the myocardium through the coronary arteries by a catheter inserted into the ascending aorta. Alternatively, cardioplegic fluid is infused through the coronary veins in a retrograde manner by a catheter positioned in the interior jugular vein accessed at the patient's neck. Such procedures require the introduction of multiple catheters into the blood vessels adjacent the heart, which is a complicated procedure requiring that the desired vessels be properly located and accessed. The progression of the guide wires and catheters must be closely monitored to determine proper placement. Furthermore, the introduction of catheters forms punctures in the blood vessels that must be subsequently closed, and there is an increased risk of trauma to the interior walls of the vessels in which the catheters must pass.
Therefore, a need exists for an apparatus and procedure which provides access to the thoracic cavity without causing extensive trauma to the patient. A procedure is needed to at least locally stabilize a predetermined area of the heart surface that is relatively simple to perform and incorporates instruments that are simple and reliable. Furthermore, an apparatus and procedure is needed which provides a stable framework for supporting additional instruments which may be used during these procedures.

Surgical retractor and method of surgery


According to one embodiment, there is provided a communication device including a first communication layer receiving processor to perform a receiving process on a first communication layer on data received from a first communication device. The first communication layer receiving processor includes a first key identifying unit to identify, a key required to process the data; a first attribute identifying unit to identify, pursuant to key data, first attribute information that is attribute information associated with the key as identified; and a data processor to process the data using the key as identified. The data processed by the data processor and the first attribute information are passed to a second communication layer processor configured to perform a process on a second communication layer.

Conventionally, a method has been known that refers to identification information included in received data, and determines the process on the received data. This method has a problem of being inapplicable if a communication layer on which an encrypting (decrypting) process is performed is different from a communication layer on which the process on the received data is determined.
Another method has also been known that determines the content of a process on received data on the basis of a MAC address or an IPv6 address. Unfortunately, each address can be spoofed, this method has a security problem in the case of use for a smart meter.

Communication device, communication method and computer program


Compositions having electrocatalytic activity and composites having electrocatalytic activity, as well as processes for making compositions and composites are described. Also, processes for using such compositions and/or composites, such as, for example, a machine or equipment are described. Some aspects of embodiments and/or embodiments of the present invention are directed to a nanosize transition metal alloy (such as for example an alloy and/or one or more intermetallics comprising copper, cobalt, nickel, palladium, platinum, ruthenium, the like, and combinations thereof) that is electrocatalytically active. Some other aspects of embodiments and/or embodiments of the present invention are directed to a composite material comprising a nanosize transition metal alloy and a carbonaceous matrix.

Electrochemical devices realize an electric current from a change in one or more oxidation states during a chemical reaction. An electrochemical cell includes two types of electrodes—anodic and cathodic. An oxidation reaction occurs at the anodic electrode(s) while a reduction reaction occurs at the cathodic electrode(s).
A fuel driven electrochemical cell (hereinafter "fuel cell or fuel cells) is open system that consumes a fuel and oxygen source. Both are supplied to the fuel cell during its operation in which the fuel oxidizes at the anodic electrode(s) while at the same time the oxygen source reduces at the cathodic electrode(s). By regulating a supply of fuel and the oxygen source to a fuel cell, a user is able to controllably produce an electric current. Methanol, ethanol, and hydrogen are some examples of fuels usable in a fuel cell. Air and oxygen are some examples of oxygen sources usable in a fuel cell.
In a fuel cell having a proton conducting membrane (PCM), using hydrogen as the fuel, and air as the oxygen source, the hydrogen electrooxidizes at the anodic electrode(s) (diatomic hydrogen disassociates to protium [H2→2H°] and the protium in turn ionizes to generate one electron per proton [2H°→2H++2e-]). The protons are transported from the anodic electrode(s) to the cathodic electrode(s) through the proton conducting membrane (PCM) while the electrons are transported from the anodic electrode(s) to the cathodic electrode(s) along the external circuit via a load. Oxygen from the air reduces at the cathodic electrode(s) (e.g., diatomic oxygen converts to oxygen anions by four electrons discharged during oxidation of hydrogen [O2+4e-→2O2- (with a 2- charge)]). The product of reaction of protons and oxygen anions on the cathodic electrode(s) is water [2O2-+2H+→H2O]. An overall reaction (i.e., sum of half cell reactions at both types of electrodes) in a fuel cell with a proton conducting membrane theoretically produces current at a voltage very close to thermodynamic equilibrium voltage, that is, it operates at a voltage of about 1.23 V at 298 K. For decades, platinum (Pt) has been used as an electrocatalyst for the reduction of oxygen on the cathodic electrode(s) in hydrogen fuel cells. However, the reduction of oxygen at a Pt-cathodic electrode(s) occurs irreversibly that in turn causes high activation polarization losses that in turn significantly reduce fuel cell efficiency. There is a need for a new electrocatalyst having lower activation polarization losses while at the same time reducing cathodic electrode(s) platinum (Pt) content. Some alloys of Pt with transition metals (M) with an atomic ratio Pt/M=3:1 on activated carbon (hereinafter "Pt-M/C") exhibit a specific catalyst activity (jk, IR-corrected) about 2.5 to about 3 times the specific catalyst activity (jk, IR-corrected) of elemental platinum (Pt) on activated carbon (hereinafter "Pt/C"). Yet such improved specific catalyst activity (jk, IR-corrected) is insufficient to justify a use of such fuel cells for automobile drive assemblies. It is estimated that at least 4-times higher specific catalyst activity (jk, IR-corrected) and mass activity (jm) with respect to Pt/C would be desirable in order for the fuel cells to be applicable in a commercial electric drive in automobiles. Detailed technical and economic parameters for cathodic electrode(s) electrocatalyst are set forth in B. Pivovar et al., "Applied Science for Electrode Cost, Performance, and Durability," in the 2007 Progress Report for the US Department of Energy (DOE) Hydrogen Program (http ://www.hydrogen.energy.gov/pdfs/progress07/v_a—4_pivovar.pdf22 Apr. 2011).
GB2190537A discloses an electrocatalyst from a platinum-copper alloy containing 15 to 50 atomic percent (at %) copper (the balance being platinum) supported on a suitable substrate. These catalysts have enhanced activity and improved maintainability than previously known platinum electrocatalysts. According to one method, both platinum and copper are deposited simultaneously on activated carbon or another type of electrically conductive substrate from a mixture of platinum salt solution and copper salt solution. According to another method, first platinum is deposited from the platinum salt solution and then copper is deposited from the copper salt solution. Heat treating is carried out in a reducing atmosphere at temperatures ranging between 600° C. and 900° C. The maximum IR corrected specific catalyst activity (jk, IR-corrected) of these catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is 0.108 mA/cmESA2 at 0.9 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE).
US2009/0114061A1 and US2009/0098420A1 disclose a preparation of nanoparticles with a "core-shell" morphology using two-component alloys and three-component alloys of platinum and non-noble transition metals. In paragraphs [0027] to [0029], it is emphasized that the atomic ratio of platinum to non-noble (alkali) transition metals (Pt/M(alkali)) of the alloys is not limited. One method is strictly limited to the use of classic platinum catalysts on activated carbon (Pt/C) that are mixed with a previously prepared solution of copper or copper and cobalt salts (preferably nitrates). The resulting slurry is then frozen using liquid nitrogen and evacuated. The resulting powder containing Pt/C and alkali elements (Cu, Co) is then annealed in a muffle furnace between 200° C. and 1000° C. in an inert atmosphere. A catalyst thus obtained is then etched in an acid either prior to application to an electrode in a fuel cell or after the preparation of a membrane-electrode assembly. The alloy composition changes during etching as a considerable amount of non-noble metals (Cu and/or Co) is removed. After etching with an acid, all catalysts prepared according to US2009/0114061A1 and US2009/0098420A1 contained between 79 at % and 86 at % platinum with the balance being non-noble alkali transition metals. The maximum specific catalyst activity (jk, IR-corrected) and mass activity (jm) of a catalyst with an initial composition Pt25Cu75 mounted after etching and ionic exchange directly in the fuel cell at 0.9 V vs. RHE to 1.964 milliampere per square centimeter platinum (mA/cm2Pt) and 0.413 ampere per milligram platinum (A/mgPt). U.S. Pat. No. 7,700,521B2 discloses a preparation of electrocatalysts on the basis of nanoparticles of Pt—Cu alloys on electrically conductive substrates for application in anodic electrode(s) (oxidation) and cathodic electrode(s) (reduction) reactions for the production of electric current in fuel cells. Hydrogen or a hydrogen containing gas (e.g., methanol) is used as fuel and oxygen or air is used as oxidant. The catalyst alloy comprises 50 weight percent (wt %) to 80 wt % Pt.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,422,994B2 discloses a synthesis and preparation of electrocatalysts based on nanoparticles of Pt—Cu—W alloys and Pt—Cu—Ni alloys on electrically conductive substrates for use in anodic electrode(s) (oxidation) and cathodic electrode(s) (reduction) reactions in fuel cells. The catalyst alloy comprises 50 wt % to 80 wt % of Pt.
Thus, there exists a need for composition(s) and/or composite material(s) that provide improved catalytic activity with lower concentration of noble metals. Further, there exists a need for machine(s) and/or equipment including such composition(s) and/or composite(s). Furthermore, there exists a need for process(es) for synthesizing such composition(s) and/or composite(s).

Electrocatalytic composite(s), associated composition(s), and associated process(es)


An assembly and method for attaching an engine pylon to an aircraft wing. The method may include attaching a first forward wing-mounted fitting to the pylon at a first side of the pylon between upper and lower spars of the pylon and attaching a second forward wing-mounted fitting to the pylon at a second side of the pylon between the upper and lower spars of the pylon. The second side of the pylon is located opposite of the first side of the pylon. Mechanical attachment devices may be inserted through holes on the sides of the pylon aligned with holes formed through the forward wing-mounted fittings. The mechanical attachment devices may be made of steel and the forward wing-mounted fittings may be made of composite or aluminum material.

Aircraft engines are typically supported below aircraft wings by structural elements called "pylons." Such pylons are subjected to substantial forces and therefore must be securely mounted to their associated wings and engines.
Prior art methods of mounting an engine pylon to an aircraft wing include using various mechanical attachments to attach a top surface or a top spar of the pylon to the wing. The mechanical attachment is generally made of high strength steel to handle the engine thrust loads or rather may require larger joints having more material.
In designing a pylon and determining how to best mount the engine nacelle and pylon to the wing, several factors must be considered, including engine/nacelle placement with respect to the wing (which may make longer pylons desirable), reducing the height of the supporting structure or pylon, and increasing loads at the pylon/wing attachment location. To maintain the necessary vertical stiffness of the joint between the nacelle and the wing while accounting for each of these design considerations, larger joints with more material or higher strength materials are generally used to attach the pylon to the wing and/or the nacelle to the wing, sometimes sacrificing durability of the joint. Larger joints attaching the top surface or top spar of the pylon to the wing may undesirably increase the space between the wing and pylon.

Method for mounting a pylon to an aircraft