The electrocatalysts in certain fuel cell systems can be poisoned by impurities in the fuel stream directed to the fuel cell anodes. Introducing a variable concentration of oxygen into the impure fuel stream supplied to the fuel cells can reduce or prevent poisoning without excessive use of oxygen. The variation may be controlled based on the voltage of a carbon monoxide sensitive sensor cell incorporated in the system. Further, the variation in oxygen concentration may be periodic or pulsed. A variable air bleed method is particularly suitable for use in solid polymer fuel cell systems operating on fuel streams containing carbon monoxide.

The present invention relates to methods for operating fuel cells on impure fuels. In particular, it relates to methods for substantially reducing the effect of or preventing carbon monoxide poisoning of fuel cell anode electrocatalysts by introduction of a variable concentration of oxygen into the fuel stream.
Electrochemical fuel cells convert reactants, namely fuel and oxidant, to generate electric power and reaction products. Electrochemical fuel cells generally employ an electrolyte disposed between two electrodes, namely a cathode and an anode. An electrocatalyst typically induces the desired electrochemical reactions at the electrodes. In addition to electrocatalyst, the electrodes may also comprise a porous electrically conductive sheet material, or xe2x80x9celectrode substratexe2x80x9d, upon which the electrocatalyst is deposited. The electrocatalyst may be a metal black, an alloy or a supported metal catalyst, for example, platinum on carbon.
Solid polymer electrolyte fuel cells employ a membrane electrode assembly (xe2x80x9cMEAxe2x80x9d) which comprises a solid polymer electrolyte or ion-exchange membrane disposed between the two electrode layers. Separator plates, or flow field plates. for directing the reactants across one surface of each electrode substrate, are disposed on each side of the MEA. Solid polymer fuel cells operate at relatively low temperatures (circa 80xc2x0 C.) compared to other fuel cell types.
A broad range of reactants can be used in electrochemical fuel cells. For example, the fuel stream may be substantially pure hydrogen gas, a gaseous hydrogen-containing reformate stream, or methanol in a direct methanol fuel cell. The oxidant may be, for example, substantially pure oxygen or a dilute oxygen stream such as air.
The fuel stream may contain impurities that do not contribute to, and may actually inhibit, the desired electrochemical reaction. These impurities may, for example, originate from the fuel stream supply itself, or may be generated, for example, as intermediate species during the fuel cell reactions, or may be impurities entering the fuel stream from elsewhere in the system. Some of these impurities may be chemically adsorbed or physically deposited on the surface of the anode electrocatalyst, blocking the active electrocatalyst sites and preventing these portions of the anode electrocatalyst from inducing the desired electrochemical fuel oxidation reaction. Such impurities are known as electrocatalyst xe2x80x9cpoisonsxe2x80x9d and their effect on electrochemical fuel cells is known as xe2x80x9celectrocatalyst poisoningxe2x80x9d. Electrocatalyst poisoning thus results in reduced fuel cell performance, where fuel cell performance is defined as the voltage output from the cell for a given current density. Higher performance is associated with higher voltage for a given current density or higher current for a given voltage.
In the absence of countermeasures, the adsorption or deposition of electrocatalyst poisons may be cumulative, so even minute concentrations of poisons in a fuel stream, may, over time, result in a degree of electrocatalyst poisoning which is detrimental to fuel cell performance.
Reformate streams derived from hydrocarbons or oxygenated hydrocarbons typically contain a high concentration of hydrogen fuel, but typically also contain electrocatalyst poisons such as carbon monoxide. To reduce the effects of anode electrocatalyst poisoning, it is known to pre-treat the fuel supply stream prior to directing it to the fuel cell. For example, pre-treatment methods may employ catalytic or other means to convert carbon monoxide to carbon dioxide. However, known pre-treatment means for reformate streams cannot efficiently remove 100% of the carbon monoxide. Even trace amounts less than 10 parts per million (ppm can) eventually result in electrocatalyst poisoning which causes a reduction in fuel cell performance.
Substances other than carbon monoxide are also known to poison fuel cell electrocatalysts. Poisons may also be generated by the reaction of substances in the reactant streams with the fuel cell component materials. For instance, carbon monoxide or other impurities can be generated from carbon dioxide in the presence of an electrocatalyst. This can occur when there is a relative abundance of carbon dioxide and a relatively low concentration of carbon monoxide such that equilibrium conditions favor some limited carbon monoxide formation. What constitutes a poison may depend on the nature of the fuel cell. For example, whereas methanol is the fuel in a direct methanol fuel cell, in a hydrogen fuel cell operating on a methanol reformate stream, traces of unreformed methanol can be detrimental to the electrocatalyst performance.
Conventional methods for addressing the problem of anode electrocatalyst poisoning include purging the anode with an inert gas such as nitrogen. However, such purging methods involve suspending the generation of power by the fuel cell, thus a secondary power source may be needed to provide power while the fuel cell anode is being purged.
Another approach for removing poisons from an electrocatalyst comprises introducing a xe2x80x9ccleanxe2x80x9d fuel stream containing substantially no carbon monoxide or other poisons to a poisoned fuel cell anode. Where the adsorption is reversible, an equilibrium process may result in some rejuvenation of the electrocatalyst. However, a disadvantage of this approach is that it is generally not effective against irreversibly adsorbed poisons. Furthermore, the recovery of the anode electrocatalyst by such an equilibrium process can be very slow, during which time the fuel cell is not able to operate at full capacity.
Another technique for counteract carbon monoxide electrocatalyst poisoning is to continuously introduce a low concentration of oxygen into the fuel stream upstream of the fuel cell, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,910,099. Therein, oxygen levels from about 2% to 6% were injected into fuel streams having carbon monoxide levels from about 100 to 500 ppm. However, such an oxygen bleed into the fuel stream results in some consumption of hydrogen and hence a reduction in fuel efficiency. Further, an oxygen bleed results in undesirable localized exothermic reactions at the anode, particularly near the fuel inlet, which may damage fuel cell membranes and reduce fuel cell lifetime. Further still, since in practice oxygen bleed is typically obtained by compressing air (it is often drawn from a compressed air stream provided as a fuel cell oxidant), use of an oxygen bleed may result in an additional parasitic load on a fuel cell system. Thus, the use of an excessive amount of oxygen bleed is undesirable.
To efficiently and effectively counteract carbon monoxide poisoning, it is desirable to know the approximate concentration of carbon monoxide in the fuel stream. However, directly measuring the concentration of carbon monoxide in a fuel stream can be difficult in practice. Thus, while a sensor for directly measuring carbon monoxide is desirable in a fuel cell system, often the concentration is inferred based on the known operating conditions of the fuel cell system (for example, carbon monoxide concentrations can be determined under various operating conditions in a laboratory and can then be inferred for a fuel cell system operating under similar conditions in actual use). While many early fuel cell applications may have had relatively constant operating conditions and therefore relatively consistent levels of carbon monoxide in the fuel stream, the potential applications for fuel cells are expanding. As a result, the carbon monoxide concentration in the fuel streams now tends to vary for many reasons (for example, depending on reformer temperature, or fuel cell and/or reformer load demand conditions).
A low output voltage from one or more of the fuel cells in a fuel cell system might be used as an indicator of carbon monoxide poisoning. Preferably perhaps, a sensor cell might be incorporated in the fuel cell system for this purpose. As described in U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/091,531 filed Jul. 2, 1998, by the same applicant as the present application and previously incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, a sensor cell can be incorporated whose performance is more sensitive to carbon monoxide poisoning than other fuel cells in the fuel cell system. Thus, a sensor cell can be used to indicate an abnormal or undesirable operating condition (for example, high level of CO) before it affects the performance of the other fuel cells.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/998,133, filed Dec. 23, 1997, by the same applicant as the present application, discloses a fuel cell operating method in which a substantially fuel-free liquid (which may contain oxygen) is periodically introduced into the fuel stream in order to cause a fuel starved condition.
Introducing a variable concentration of oxygen into an impure fuel stream can be advantageous for the removal of fuel stream impurities. If oxygen is introduced in accordance with the impurity level in the fuel stream, fuel losses, localized heating, and parasitic losses can be reduced. Further, a method involving a periodic or intermittent introduction of oxygen has been shown to be effective to remove impurities using a smaller integrated amount of oxygen than a method involving a constant introduction of oxygen.
These advantages may be obtained in a fuel cell system which includes a fuel cell operating on a stream of impure fuel supplied to the fuel cell, and which includes a mechanism for introducing oxygen into the fuel stream for reaction with an impurity in the fuel stream within the fuel cell. The method is particularly suitable for use in systems comprising solid polymer fuel cells that operate at relatively low temperatures.
It can be advantageous to vary the concentration of oxygen introduced in accordance with a fuel cell system operating characteristic indicative of the concentration of the impurity. Suitable operating-characteristics for this purpose include the voltage of a sensor fuel cell incorporated in the system that is sensitive to a particular impurity, or the concentration of an impurity monitored or measured by an impurity sensor located somewhere in the fuel stream. Additionally, other suitable operating characteristics include the voltage of another fuel cell in the system, the voltage drop across a part of a cell (for example, the voltage differential between parts of a cell associated with a partial length of a flow field), and the temperature of a component of the fuel cell system (for example, the temperature of a reformer). The concentration of oxygen introduced into the fuel stream is desirably adjusted in response to measured or monitored variations in one or more of these operating characteristics.
In principle, it can also be advantageous to vary the amount of oxygen introduced into the fuel stream independently of the operating state of the fuel cell system. For instance, it can be advantageous to introduce oxygen into the fuel stream periodically, such as in a series of periodic pulses rather than in a continuous (steady state) manner. This technique results in a similar removal of impurities, but using a smaller total amount of oxygen. It is particularly preferred to also vary the concentration of oxygen introduced in accordance with a fuel cell system operating characteristic indicative of the concentration of the impurity.
A periodic or cyclic variation in the concentration of oxygen introduced into the fuel stream can be characterized by a waveform (for example, sinusoidal, sawtooth, square wave pulse). Further, the concentration of oxygen introduced can be varied cyclically but also in proportion to an operating characteristic of the fuel cell system indicative of impurity concentration, such as in a series of pulses whose number or amplitude vary in proportion to an impurity concentration detected.
The method is particularly suitable for substantially reducing the effect of or preventing carbon monoxide poisoning of an anode electrocatalyst, although similar benefits can be expected with regards to poisons originating from carbon dioxide or other oxidizable impurities. The method is effective when the fuel stream comprises at least up to about 1000 ppm carbon monoxide.
In the preceding, oxygen introduced may be substantially pure oxygen, in a dilute oxygen stream such as air, in an oxygen containing solution, or generated in-situ from a suitable compound such as hydrogen peroxide. In a preferred embodiment of the method, for use with fuel streams comprising carbon monoxide impurity, less than about 4% air by volume is introduced in periodic pulses. The period of the pulses may be in the range from about 1 to 50 seconds. The pulse duration or width may be less than about half the period of the pulses. In addition to such periodic pulses of air, a steady baseline concentration of air bleed (for instance less than about 0.8% by volume of the fuel stream) may be maintained in the fuel stream between pulses. In this way, some lower level of oxygen bleed is maintained at all times for baseline carbon monoxide scavenging or for purposes of carbon dioxide scavenging.
Embodiments of the methods described above can substantially reduce the effect of electrocatalyst poisoning without substantially affecting the electrical output of the fuel cells in the system. As long as a sufficient concentration of fuel is maintained in the fuel stream, temporary fuel starvation can be generally avoided. Fuel starvation occurs when the fuel stoichiometry (the ratio of the amount of fuel supplied to the amount of fuel actually consumed in the electrochemical reactions) is less than 1 and is characterized by a rise in the anode voltage in the system fuel cells, possibly resulting in fuel cell reversal in some cells (that is, where the cell voltage goes below zero).
To carry out embodiments of the above method, a mechanism is included in the fuel cell system for introducing a variable amount of oxygen into the fuel stream for reaction with an impurity in the fuel stream within the fuel cell. The oxygen introducing mechanism can comprise, for example, a flow controller for periodically introducing pulses of oxygen into the fuel stream. Further, the system can comprise one or more monitoring devices for monitoring a fuel cell operating characteristic, such as those described above, and a controller responsive to the monitoring device for adjusting the concentration of oxygen introduced into the fuel stream. The monitoring device may preferably comprise a sensor fuel cell.

Method for operating fuel cells on impure fuels


The present invention provides novel monoclonal antibodies with a high binding affinity to all five isoforms of human VEGF.

Angiogenesis, i.e., new blood vessel formation, is essential during embryogenesis and occurs directly after the process vasculogenesis [Gilbert et al. (1997) Developmental biology, Sunderland (MA): Sinauer]. It also plays a critical role in various pathologic disorders including neoplastic [Folkman et al. (1974) Adv Cancer Res 19: 331-58] and certain non-neoplastic diseases such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD), rheumatoid arthritis and diabetic retinopathy [Ohno-Matsui et al. (2001) J Cell Physiol 189: 323-333; Aiello et al. (1994) N Engl J Med 331: 1480-1487; Boulton et al. (1998)Br J Opthalmol 82: 561-568].
Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is one of the most potent positive regulators in angiogenesis [Ferrara et al. (2004) Endocr Rev 25: 581-611]. Blocking the activity of VEGF derived from tumor cells by specific antibodies suppressed tumor growth in mouse models [Kim et al. (1993) Nature 362: 841-844; Liang et al. (2006) J. Biol. Chem. 281: 951-961]. Bevacizumab, a specific humanized antibody against human VEGF, was approved for treating colorectal cancer patients [Hurwitz et al. (2004) Clin. Colorectal Cancer 4: suppl. 2, S62-S68] and Ranibizumab, a recombinant humanized antibody fragment against human VEGF, was also clinically effective for neovascular AMD patients [Rosenfeld et al. (2006) N Engl J Med 5; 355(14):1419-31]. It is validated that anti-angiogenesis is a successful approach to arrest tumor growth and improve visual acuity in neovascular AMD through blockade of VEGF.


An identification level control method and an optical receiver are disclosed to determine an optimal identification level in a simple structure without clock extraction. In the identification level control method, an identification level supplied to a limiter amplifier is changed from a lower bound to an upper bound thereof and is stored together with an output average of the limiter amplifier. Then, a first average and a second average are set based on the output average. A first identification level corresponding to the first average and a second identification level corresponding to the second average are obtained, and an optimal identification level is computed based on the first identification level and the second identification level, and is supplied to the limiter amplifier.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an identification level control method and an optical receiver in accordance with the identification level control method. More particularly, the present invention relates to an identification level control method for an optical receiver that converts an optical signal from an optical fiber into an electric signal and reproduces data after amplification of the converted electric signal by a limiter amplifier, and an optical receiver in accordance with the identification level control method.
2. Description of the Related Art
In an optical transmitter to receive an optical signal transmitted from an optical fiber at a high speed, for example, at 10 Gbps (Gigabits per second), an identification level has to be optimally maintained independently of a transmission distance of the optical fiber.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary structure of a conventional optical receiver.
Referring to FIG. 1, an incoming optical signal from an optical fiber is converted into a current signal by a light receiving element 10, and then the converted current signal is converted into a voltage signal by a preamplifier 12. A limiter amplifier 14 amplifies a signal supplied from the preamplifier 12 via a capacitor 13 to an amplitude level identifiable by CDR (Clock & Data Recovery) 16. CDR 16 extracts a synchronization clock from the signal supplied from the limiter amplifier 14. Then, CDR 16 reproduces data by using the synchronization clock, and supplies the clock CLK and the data DATA to the next stage.
In general, a high gain (about 30 dB to 40 dB) differential amplifier is used as the limiter amplifier 14. In this case, however, the optical receiver may have insufficient receiving sensitivity, because an input offset voltage arises due to non-uniformity and temperature characteristics of transistors in the limiter amplifier 14. In order to prevent occurrence of such an input offset voltage, a direct current (DC) feedback circuit 20 is provided to monitor for a forward output and a backward output and compensate for the input offset voltage.
In the DC feedback circuit 20, an average detection circuit 22 detects an average of the forward output and the backward output of the limiter amplifier 14, and an amplifier 24 differentially-amplifies the detected average. The DC feedback circuit 20 controls an input voltage supplied opposite to a main signal input of the limiter amplifier 14 so that these input voltages can become equal. In order to make the voltages of the forward and backward outputs of the limiter amplifier 14 different intentionally, an offset voltage Voff from an offset circuit 26 is added to the average Vav.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 60-197051 discloses a technique for detecting a code error of a signal identified for an incoming digital signal by an identification device and controlling an identification determination value of the identification device to make the code error alleviated.
Also, the phases of an input signal and an oscillation output are synchronized to make a difference between the phases fixed. Then, a clock timing corresponding to the transmission rate of the input signal is extracted, and the phase of the detected clock is sequentially swept to a voltage threshold for the input signal in a reproduction control circuit. Furthermore, it is determined whether levels of adjacent monitor points are the same, and data reproduction is controlled by using an identification point, where errors least occur in an eye pattern effective area, as an optimal point.
Ideally, it is desirable that an identification level be maintained at an optimal level of an input waveform, that is, at a BER (Bit Error Rate) minimum level. However, it is not practical to install a large-scale circuit to detect BER into an optical receiver. Also, another method of maintaining an identification level at an optimal level based on a feedback signal from a FEC (Forward Error Correction) circuit is proposed. However, such a method cannot be applied to transmission systems without a FEC circuit.
Accordingly, in a conventional optical receiver, an optimally adjusted identification level is fixed and maintained stably. However, as an optical transmission speed is higher, waveform distortion due to dispersion of the optical fiber becomes more influential.
FIGS. 2A and 2B show exemplary optical waveform before and after optical fiber transmission of 10 Gbps, respectively. As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, an optical waveform has some distortion features. The first feature is that a large overshoot occurs. The second feature is that cross points of rising curves and falling curves are positioned downward and the duty cycle becomes small.
The limiter amplifier 14 shown in FIG. 1 has no AGC (Auto Gain Control) function. Accordingly, if an input amplitude is large, an output amplitude of the limiter amplifier 14 is limited. Specifically, the amplification is performed in a condition where the input waveform is partially cut.
If the offset voltage Voff of the offset circuit 26 is zero, the amplifier 24 operates to make an forward output and a backward output of the limiter amplifier 14 equal to the average voltage thereof. Accordingly, in an output of the limiter amplifier 14, an area "a" in the vicinity of cross points of an input waveform-is cut, as illustrated in FIG. 2A. Since a portion of the optical input waveform is cut in the limiter amplifier 14, such a cutting level in the limiter amplifier 14 substantially becomes equivalent to an identification level.
If the dispersion value of an optical fiber is fixed, the identification level can be optimally regulated depending on the dispersion value. In fact, however, the dispersion value is variable depending on transmission distances and kinds of optical fibers. Also, the dispersion value may vary during operation in a system, in which a transmission path changes during operation thereof, such as a recent metro transmission apparatus. For these reasons, it is necessary to widen a range of dispersion value (dispersion tolerance) receivable by an optical receiver as much as possible.
As shown in FIG. 2B, after optical fiber transmission, the cross points are positioned downward to the low level side (optical quench side). In such a case, a cut portion in the limiter amplifier 14 follows the cross points, and the area "b" at the low level side of the input waveform is cut and amplified. Accordingly, although the identification level is set around the center of the waveform before transmission, the identification level is shifted to the low level side after the transmission. This difference deletes a low level side noise margin, resulting in degradation of BER and limitation of the dispersion tolerance.
In actual optical transmission, the high level side (optical emission side) and the low level side have different S/N (Signal-to-Noise) ratios. Specifically, the high level side has a poor S/N ratio in general. Thus, it is necessary to set the optimal value of the identification level at the side slightly lower than the waveform center and adjust the limiter amplifier 14 to cut the side slightly lower than the waveform center. The offset circuit shown in FIG. 1 cuts the slightly lower side by additionally supplying the offset voltage Voff from the offset circuit 26 to the amplifier 24.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2003-018140 discloses a transmitter to address the above-mentioned problem. However, since the disclosed transmitter needs a PLL (Phase-Locked Loop) circuit to extract a clock, it is impossible to prevent a size increase of the circuit.

Identification level control method and optical receiver


The invention provides a tack gripper for a tack welding gun wherein the tack gripper is U-shaped in design. The tack gripper has two arms connected by a base. At least one arm of the tack gripper is resilient in design. The arms have a bent back portion at their free end. The portion is arranged between the respective arms. The portions contain holes in which the catch knobs formed on the workpiece to be welded can engage.

Welding has evolved in mechanical engineering to a production process with broad applications which is adopted in particular in the case of light construction. Welding also affords an excellent opportunity to reduce the assembly cost of components. In the production of motor vehicles, in particular, welding is the main process for body assembly. Workpieces which serve as fastening and/or holding elements are welded on the body.
It is known to arrange, for example, solid bolts on the body by welding. The welding process as such is substantially automated. The positioning of the workpieces, in particular in the vehicle body region, also takes place substantially automatically. Apparatuses which combine a welding device and a supply device for workpieces are also known.
For the tack welding of workpieces, in particular strip-form workpieces, welding guns are provided with tack grippers. These tack grippers are designed in the manner of tongs. As a result, these tack grippers have a plurality of mechanically moving parts. Welding spatter which impairs the operability of the mechanically moving parts of the tack gripper can be formed during the welding process. In addition to such welding spatter, the mechanically moving parts are contaminated so the mechanically moving parts are subject to increased wear in the course of time. It may also happen that the holding force of the tack gripper no longer suffices as the tong-form tack gripper is inaccessible. It has also been found that contamination on the surfaces of the tack gripper adversely affect the reliable supply of current owing to welding spatter and that the desired resultant weld is not therefore always obtained. As a result, the welds have to be reworked under certain circumstances.

Tack gripper for a tack welding gun and process for connecting a strip-form workpiece to a component


An object acquiring system includes a cloud center, a target device disposed on an object, a host device, and a plurality of acquiring and tracking devices. The target device is provided with an ID. The host device registers an object account database, according to the ID, in the cloud center, and records a state message for the target device in the object account database. When receiving the ID transmitted by the target device, the acquiring and tracking devices log in the cloud center to check the state message, and determine whether to report the geolocation, and/or the time the ID is received, to the cloud center. The geolocation and the time information, reported by the acquiring and tracking devices, are used to track the moving trace of the target device, so that the object can be quickly located when straying or getting lost.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to an object acquiring system and acquiring method, and more particularly, to an object acquiring system and acquiring method for monitoring an object and tracking the moving trace of the object.
2. Description of Related Art
Many people tend to carelessly place an object (e.g., a key) in any place, and later forget where the object was located when they want to use it. The time spent in acquiring the object often causes inconvenience in their daily life.
To easily locate or acquire an object, an object acquiring device with short-range communication protocol (e.g., Bluetooth) may be disposed on the object in advance, such that when a user sends a short-range wireless signal to the object acquiring device via an electronic device (e.g., a smartphone), the object acquiring device will respond to the signal, allowing the user to locate the object. However, once the object acquiring device is out of the communication range with the electronic device, the user will not be able to get access to, and control, the object acquiring device, thus making the object acquiring device unusable. Hence, such short-range based object acquiring device is just applicable to an object acquiring scenario in locating a fixed object.
It is common for a pet owner to carry a pet when he/she goes out for a walk or an outing. A pet, once being out, is prone to be intrigued by the outside environment, especially a spacious and open place (e.g., a park or roadway), and may act out in an unexpected way, a behavior that could cause the pet to escape from the pet owner's observation, so increasing the chance the pet strays or gets lost. Likewise, when a family member goes out with a child or an elderly person with dementia, it is likely that the child or the elderly person walks spontaneously and escapes from the family member's observation. Once straying or getting lost, the child or elderly person may not clearly describe themselves for assistance, thereby making object acquiring more difficult.
To prevent the object, such as a pet, a child, or an elderly person, from straying, a monitoring device equipped with a positioning (e.g., GPS) and long-range communication component (e.g., GSM) may be disposed on the object in advance. When the object strays or gets lost, the owner or the family member uses a smartphone to receive a location signal, transmitted by the monitoring device, indicating the location of the object. The monitoring device is configured to monitor the object's location in a long range; however, the installation cost of GPS and GSM is high, and related communication modules for GPS and GSM are power consuming. Hence, the battery of the monitoring device may quickly run out, causing the monitoring device to fail to keep monitoring on the object.
In view of the foregoing, the present disclosure provides an object acquiring system and acquiring method, which keeps monitoring on the object (e.g., a child, an elderly person, a pet, or a car) to lower the chance the object strays or gets lost, and quickly locates the object by tracking the moving trace of the object when the object strays or gets lost.

Object acquiring system and acquiring method thereof


A dispenser for tableted chemical treatment material into an air conditioner condensate pan drain line comprises a container for the tablets and a removable cover sealed to the container by a gasket. The cover includes legs that extend into the container to prevent the tableted material from floating upward and blocking the inlet and outlet to the container. The container is secured in the drain line by conduits on either end.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to central air conditioners and more particularly relates to an apparatus for dispensing treatment chemicals for preventing the formation of drain blocking algae growth. More particularly the invention relates to an apparatus that may be placed in the drain line from the pan.
2. General Background
Generally central air conditioning units have the evaporator coils placed in the attic of homes because of the availability of space. Because of the nature of these units they require a reservoir called a drain pan for catching condensate water which is generated on a constant flow basis while the units are in operation. Most of the water drains from the pan through a drain line provided to a sewer or simply outside of the attic. However, there is typically a residue of water which remains in the pan at all times. The water remaining in the pan can become contaminated with algae growth, fungus and the like which can accumulate in the pan or drain line and cause a blockage. A blockage in the drain line can be disastrous for a home owner for the drain pan can overflow causing damage to the ceiling, walls and carpets.
The constant problem of drain blockage in the central air conditioning units has been a major problem since their inception. While several solutions are available most are primitive and manual. One of the most common is to put chemical agents in the drain pan to prevent the buildup of the algae and fungus.
Some of the chemical agents come as tablets which are placed in the pan and dissolve in the water. At least one of the tablet manufacturers packages the tablets in a multiple tablet holder with a sponge like support beneath the tablets for slow dissolving. Even this requires dismantling the service panel to access the drain pan. Thus a simple method of adding the chemical treatment, especially the tablets, was seen to be desirable. On of the problems associated with the tablets is that they tend to float to the surface and are not dissolved effectively.

Air conditioner drain pan treatment dispenser


The optical storage medium comprises a substrate layer, a data layer with a mark/space structure arranged in tracks on the substrate layer, and a cover layer. One track comprises positive marks and a neighboring track comprises negative marks. The tracks are arranged in particular as spirals wherein one spiral contains a track with only positive marks and a neighboring spiral contains a track with only negative marks. The positive marks of a track and correspondingly the negative marks of a track are separated each by spaces. The optical storage medium is particularly a read-only optical disc and comprises a mask layer with a super resolution near field structure, wherein the tracks of the data layer are arranged as two spirals, one spiral consisting of positive marks only and the other spiral consisting of negative marks only. For the production of the optical storage medium, a stamper and production methods for a master for a stamper production are provided, comprising a surface with positive and negative marks, which correspond to the respective positive and negative marks of the data layer of the optical storage medium.

Optical storage media are media in which data are stored in an optically readable manner, for example by means of a pickup comprising a laser for illuminating the optical storage medium and a photo-detector for detecting the reflected light of the laser beam when reading the data. In the meanwhile a large variety of optical storage media are available, which are operated with different laser wavelength, and which have different sizes for providing storage capacities from below one Gigabyte up to 50 Gigabyte (GB). The formats include read-only formats (ROM) such as Audio CD and Video DVD, write-once optical media as well as rewritable formats. Digital data are stored on these media along tracks in one or more layers of the media.
The storage medium with the highest data capacity is at present the Blu-Ray disc (BD), which allows to store 50 GB on a dual layer disc. Available formats are at present for example read-only BD-ROM, re-writable BD-RE and write once BD-R discs. For reading and writing of a Blu-Ray disc an optical pickup with a laser wavelength of 405 nm is used.
On the Blu-Ray disc a track pitch of 320 nm and a mark length from 2 T to 8 T, maximum 9 T, is used, where T is the channel bit length, which corresponds with a length of 69-80 nm. Further information about the Blu-Ray disc system is available for example from the Blu-Ray group via Internet: www.blu-raydisc.com.
New optical storage media with a super-resolution near-field structure (Super-RENS) offer the possibility to increase the data density of the optical storage medium by a factor of three to four in one dimension in comparison with the Blu-Ray disc. This is possible by using a so-called Super-RENS structure or layer, which is placed above the data layer of the optical storage medium, and which significantly reduces the effective size of a light spot used for reading from or writing to the optical storage medium. The super-resolution layer is also called a mask layer because it is arranged above the data layer and by using specific materials only the high intensity center part of a laser beam can penetrate the mask layer.
The Super-RENS effect allows to record and read data stored in marks of an optical disc, which have a size below the resolution limit of a laser beam used for reading or writing the data on the disc. As known, the diffraction limit of the resolution of a laser beam is about lambda/(2*NA) according to Abbe, where lambda is the wavelength and NA the numerical aperture of the objective lens of the optical pickup.
A Super-RENS optical disc comprising a super-resolution near-field structure formed of a metal oxide or a polymer compound for recording of data and a phase change layer formed of a GeSbTe or a AgInSbTe based structure for reproducing of data is known from WO 2005/081242 and US 2004/0257968. Further examples of super-resolution optical media are described in WO 2004/032123 and by Tominaga et al., Appl. Phys. Lett. Vol. 73, No. 15, 12 Oct. 1998.
The super RENS effect allows to increase the resolution of the optical pickup for reading of the marks on an optical disc in track direction, but does not allow to reduce the track pitch.

Optical storage medium comprising tracks with positive and negative marks, and stampers and production methods for manufacturing of the optical storage medium


A method of butt welding is performed in the following steps: a step of pressing first and second blank materials onto first and second loading bases respectively by clamping devices thereby fixing them; a step of shearing end surfaces of the first and second blank materials thereby forming joint surfaces; and a step of performing butt welding on each of the joint surfaces of the first and second blank materials while these blank materials are maintained in fixed state where the first and second blank materials are pressed by the clamping devices.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus of butt welding and, more particularly, to a method and an apparatus of butt welding which enable to suppress deformation of sheared first and second blanks and enable to butt weld the sheared first and second blanks even in a case where straightness of joint surfaces of the sheared first and second blanks are likely impaired due to the residual stress after the first and second blanks are sheared.
2. Description of Earlier Technology
In earlier technology, at a stage of a producing operation of a side panel outer which is a piece of automobile parts, a tailored blank material is previously produced by jointing a plurality of blank materials by butt welding each joint surface of the plurality of blank materials in a butt welding machine or in a laser welding machine. Generally, there are variable case, for example, a case where each of the plurality of blank materials has same thickness and material quality or another case where each of the plurality of blanks material has different in both the thickness and the material quality. Sequentially, the tailored blank material is worked by pressing operation or stamping operation in a power press machine with desired molds or desired dies, and is made into the side panel outer of the automobile.
Since a residual stress exists in a coiled steel plate, when shearing the blank material by a metal mold of a press machine, it sometimes happens that the residual stress is released with the result that the straightness of the joint surfaces of the blank material is impaired. In this case, it is arranged that in a construction wherein as illustrated in FIG. 1 a relatively large notch or recessed portion is formed in the central part of each of blank materials 503, 511 and joint surfaces 503A, 503B, or 511A, 511B are formed on both sides of each blank material the joint surface has been formed on a forward end portion of the portion that has been sheared in three directions. Therefore, the straightness of the joint surface is largely deteriorated and this raises the problem that even when butting the joint surfaces 503A, 503B of the first blank and the joint surfaces 511A, 511B of the second blank material to each other, a relatively large gap is formed between these butted surfaces and, when butt welding is performed, humping beads are likely to be produced.
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described matters.
It therefore is an object of the present invention to provide a method and an apparatus of butt welding which enable to suppress deformation of sheared first and second blank materials and enable to butt weld the sheared first and second blank materials even in a case where straightness of joint surfaces of the sheared first and second blank materials are likely impaired due to the residual stress after the first and second blank materials are sheared.
To achieve the object, a method of butt welding according to an aspect of the present invention comprises the following steps: pressing first and second blank materials onto first and second loading bases respectively, by clamping devices thereby fixing them; shearing end surfaces of the first and second blank materials thereby forming joint surfaces; and performing butt welding on each of the joint surfaces of the first and second blank materials while these blank materials are maintained in fixed state where the first and second blank materials are pressed by the clamping devices.
According to the present invention, even when after having sheared the end surfaces of the first and second blank materials the residual stress is released and as a result a deformation tends to occur to impair the straightness of the joint surfaces, since the first and second blank materials are held in a state where they are pressed and fixed on the first and second loading bases by the clamping device, it results that the tendency that the straightness of the joint surfaces will be deteriorated is suppressed and the straightness thereof is maintained as is.
And, since in a state where the first and second blank materials are maintained to be pressed and fixed the joint surfaces are butted together, the butting of the joint surfaces are performed with a high precision. Thereafter, butt welding is performed thereon, with the result that highly precise butt welding is realized.
An apparatus of butt welding according to another aspect of the present invention comprises: a first loading base that has a clamping device to clamp a first blank material, the clamping device being capable of holding the first blank material in a state where this blank material is pressed and fixed on the first loading base; a second loading base that has a clamping device to clamp a second blank material, the clamping device being capable of holding the second blank material in a state where this blank material is pressed and fixed on the second loading base; a first shearing machine to shear an end surface of the first blank material pressed and fixed onto the first loading base and thereby forming a joint surface; a second shearing machine to shear an end surface of the second blank material pressed and fixed onto the second loading base and thereby forming a joint surface; and a butt welding machine to perform butt welding on the joint surfaces of the first and second blank materials which are butted each other by the first and second loading base in a state where the first and second blank materials blank materials are maintained to be pressed and fixed onto the first and second loading base, respectively.
According to this aspect of the invention, the deformation that occurs due to the residual stress after having sheared the first and second blank materials by the shearing machine is suppressed by the blank materials being pressed and fixed by the clamping device.
Accordingly, it is possible to perform butt welding on the joint surfaces of the first and second blank materials highly precisely and therefore to realize excellent butt welding.
In the apparatus of butt welding described above, in case where the first and second loading bases are equipped with each of a blank positioning device capable of positioning end portions of the blank materials on the loading bases, each of the end portions of the blank materials has protruded from each of the end edges of the loading bases.
Accordingly, when shearing the end portion of the blank material and thereby forming a joint surface, the portion in the vicinity of the shearing portion of the blank material can be pressed and fixed by a blank holder equipped to the shearing machine and as a result highly precise shearing can be performed.
Furthermore, in case where position pressing and fixing the first and second blanks by the clamping device is set at a location near the shearing surface in order to prevent wrinkle from occurring due to the influence of a plastic deformation at the time of shearing performed by the shearing machine, the wrinkle will be reduced at the position in the vicinity of the sheared portion, therefore the straightness precision at the time of shearing can be maintained.


An apparatus for driving a machine in a replaceable cartridge supporting a first rotatable element for transferring rotary motion to the machine includes a housing for accommodating the cartridge at a pre-determined position. The housing supports a second rotatable element. A locking mechanism includes a component, provided on a certain one of the first and second rotatable elements, capable of assuming a state of readiness in which, with the cartridge at the pre-determined position, the component is positioned relative to the other rotatable element such that, upon rotation of the second rotatable element in at least one direction, the first rotatable element rotates with the second rotatable element, and in which state the rotatable elements are axially decoupled. The certain one of the first and second rotatable elements is provided with a mechanism for exerting a torque on the component tending to establish the state of readiness.

Replaceable cartridges including machinery driven by a rotatable element are to be found, for example, in printer apparatus. In some types of electrophotographic printing apparatus, a replaceable binary ink dispersion cartridge (BID cartridge) is used to transfer toner to an electrostatically charged drum carrying a latent electrostatic image. The BID cartridge contains a mechanism for stirring the toner, in order to apply it homogeneously to the drum. In other embodiments of electrophotographic printing apparatus, the drum is comprised in the same cartridge as the toner. In that case, there is also a mechanism for rotating the drum.
The cartridge is replaceable because it contains components that wear out quickly and/or are consumed. When a new cartridge has been inserted into the apparatus, a so-called "soft start" is generally necessary. This is a method of driving the mechanism in the cartridge using an external drive according to particular characteristic programmed in the external drive control system. Generally, it involves driving the cartridge at a lower speed, allowing a component on a driven shaft to align correctly with a component on a shaft of the cartridge so that the two can engage to assume a state of readiness for driving at normal operating speeds. The soft start routines therefore involve a control system with a relatively elaborate and complicated implementation to effect this alignment.
It would, alternatively, be possible to engage a shaft of the cartridge by means of a clamping mechanism or some other kind of friction fit. This, however, makes removal of the cartridge more difficult, since such a connection would also lock the shaft in position in an axial direction (i.e. in a direction parallel to its rotation), the direction coinciding generally with the direction in which the cartridge is inserted in and withdrawn from the apparatus's housing.

Apparatus and method for driving a machine in a replaceable cartridge


A medical device includes a surgical needle attached to a hollow tubular suture. The suture is constructed of macroporous hollow tubular wall that facilitates and allows tissue integration into the suture core subsequent to introduction to the body, thereby preventing suture pull-through and improving biocompatibility.

One of the foundations of surgery is the use of suture to re-appose tissue, i.e., to hold tissue in a desired configuration until it can heal. In principle, suturing constitutes introducing a high tensile foreign construct (looped suture) into separate pieces of tissue in order to hold those pieces in close proximity until scar formation can occur, establishing continuity and strength between tissues. Sutures initially provide the full strength of the repair, but then become secondarily reinforcing or redundant as the tissue heals. The time until tissue healing reaches its maximal strength and is dependent on suture for approximation, therefore, is a period of marked susceptibility to failure of the repair due to forces naturally acting to pull the tissues apart.
Conventional sutures provide a circular or single-point cross-sectional profile extended over the length of the suture material. Such a suture has the great benefit of radial symmetry, which eliminates directional orientation, allowing the user (e.g., physician, surgeon, medic, etc.) to not have to worry about orienting the suture during use. However, a considerable disadvantage of the currently used single-point cross-section is that it does not effectively distribute force, and actively concentrates force at a geometric point (e.g., the point at the leading edge of the circle) creating a sharp edge in the axial dimension. Under these conditions, the tissue is continuously exposed to tension, increasing the likelihood that stress concentration at a geometric point or sharp edge will cut through the tissue.
Indeed, studies of surgical closures, a most prominent example being hernia repairs, demonstrate that the majority of failures or dehiscences occur in the early post-operative period, in the days, weeks, or months immediately following the operation, before full healing can occur. Sutures used to close the abdominal wall have high failure rates as demonstrated by the outcome of hernia formation. After a standard first-time laparotomy, the postoperative hernia occurrence rate is between 11-23%. The failure rate of sutures after hernia repair is as high as 54%. This is a sizeable and costly clinical problem, with approximately 90,000 post-operative hernia repairs performed annually in the United States. Surgical failures have been blamed on poor suture placement, suture composition, patient issues such as smoking and obesity, and defects in cellular and extracellular matrices. Clinical experience in examining the cause of these surgical failures reveals that it is not breakage of suture as is commonly thought; in the majority of cases the cause is tearing of the tissue around the suture, or from another perspective, intact stronger suture cutting through weaker tissue. Mechanical analysis of the suture construct holding tissue together shows that a fundamental problem with current suture design is stress concentration at the suture puncture points through the tissue. That is, as forces act to pull tissues apart, rather than stress being more evenly distributed throughout the repair, it is instead concentrated at each point where the suture pierces through the tissue. The results are twofold: (1) constant stress at suture puncture points causes sliding of tissue around suture and enlargement of the holes, leading to loosening of the repair and an impairment of wound healing, and (2) at every puncture point where the stress concentration exceeds the mechanical strength of the tissue, the suture slices through the tissue causing surgical dehiscence. In addition, high pressure on the tissue created during tightening of the surgical knot can lead to local tissue dysfunction, irritation, inflammation, infection, and in the worst case tissue necrosis. This tissue necrosis found within the suture loop is one additional factor of eventual surgical failure.
There has been no commercial solution to the aforementioned problems with conventional sutures. Rather, thinner sutures continue to be preferred because it is commonly thought that a smaller diameter may minimize tissue injury. However, the small cross-sectional diameter in fact increases the local forces applied to the tissue, thereby increasing suture pull-through and eventual surgical failure.
One alternative to the conventional suture is disclosed by Calvin H. Frazier in U.S. Pat. No. 4,034,763. The Frazier patent discloses a tubular suture manufactured from loosely woven or expanded plastic material that has sufficient microporosity to be penetrated with newly formed tissue after introduction into the body. The Frazier patent does not expressly describe what pore sizes fall within the definition of "microporosity" and moreover it is not very clear as to what tissue "penetration" means. The Frazier patent does, however, state that the suture promotes the formation of ligamentous tissue for initially supplementing and then ultimately replacing the suture's structure and function. Furthermore, the Frazier patent describes that the suture is formed from Dacron or polytetrafluoroethylene (i.e., Teflon®), which are both commonly used as vascular grafts. From this disclosure, a person having ordinary skill in the art would understand that the suture disclosed in the Frazier patent would have pore sizes similar to those found in vascular grafts constructed from Dacron or Teflon®. It is well understood that vascular grafts constructed of these materials serve to provide a generally fluid-tight conduit for accommodating blood flow. Moreover, it is well understood that such materials have a microporosity that enables textured fibrous scar tissue formation adjacent to the graft wall such that the graft itself becomes encapsulated in that scar tissue. Tissue does not grow through the graft wall, but rather, grows about the graft wall in a textured manner. Enabling tissue in-growth through the wall of a vascular graft would be counterintuitive because vascular grafts are designed to carry blood; thus, porosity large enough to actually permit either leakage of blood or in-growth of tissue, which would restrict or block blood flow, would be counterintuitive and not contemplated. As such, these vascular grafts, and therefore the small pore sizes of the microporous suture disclosed in the Frazier patent, operate to discourage and prevent normal neovascularization and tissue in-growth into the suture. Pore sizes less than approximately 200 microns are known to be watertight and disfavor neovascularization. See, e.g., Mühl et al., New Objective Measurement to Characterize the Porosity of Textile Implants, Journal of Biomedical Materials Research Part B: Applied Biomaterials DOI 10.1002/jbmb, Page 5 (Wiley Periodicals, Inc. 2007). Accordingly, one skilled in the art would understand that the suture disclosed in the Frazier patent has a pore size that is at least less than approximately 200 microns. Thus, in summary, the Frazier patent seeks to take advantage of that microporosity to encourage the body's natural "foreign body response" of inflammation and scar tissue formation to create a fibrous scar about the suture.


Two heat generating resistors are formed on a substrate in the upstream side with respect to an air flow direction and two other heat generating resistors are formed in the downstream side. A thermometer resistor for detecting a temperature in the intake manifold is formed on the substrate. A bridge circuit is formed of the heat generating resistors. A temperature of the four heat generating resistors is controlled to be at a predetermined temperature by balancing a bridge circuit constituted of the thermometer resistor or the like with a differential amplifier and a transistor. When air flows, electric potentials of the intermediate terminals in the bridge circuit change. A flow quantity and a flow direction of the air are calculated by detecting the electric potential difference.

A mixture of air and fuel is burned in an engine combustion chamber for producing power of an automobile. Herein controlling a ratio of air and fuel (air-fuel ratio) is an important factor for appropriately driving the automobile in accordance with conditions thereof. Inappropriate control of this air-fuel ratio causes deterioration of fuel economy and increase of exhaust gases. In addition, knocking possibly occurs due to abnormal combustion of a mixture. Therefore, a flow sensor is generally disposed in an intake manifold of an engine for detecting a flow quantity of air, thus determining an injection quantity of fuel in accordance with the detected intake air quantity. That is, an air-fuel ratio of a mixture introduced into an engine combustion chamber is controlled.
Air flowing in the intake manifold is supposed to flow in one direction under normal conditions. However, as an engine rotational speed rises from a low speed region to an intermediate region to increase an intake air quantity and an exhaust gas quantity, opening/closing of an intake valve and an exhaust valve overlaps, possibly blowing a part of the exhaust gas back into the intake manifold. As a result, this causes a possible reverse flow of the air in the intake manifold. On such occasion, when a flow sensor, which is incapable of recognizing a flowing direction of the air, is used, the flow sensor has no other choice but to determine that the air flows in a forward direction. Accordingly, it is difficult to accurately control an air-fuel ratio of a mixture. Therefore, in recent years, a flow sensor used particularly for engine control in an automobile is designed to detect a flow quantity of air, as well as recognize whether the air flows in a forward direction or in a reverse direction.
JP-A-8-43162 discloses a thermal-type flow sensor, which is also capable of detecting a reverse direction of air. FIG. 4A shows a circuit diagram showing a circuit arrangement of a flow sensor arranged based upon the technology described in this prior art, and FIG. 4B shows heat generating resistors (Rh5 and Rh6) and thermometer (heat sensing) resistors (Rt2 and Rt3) formed on a substrate 1c in the flow sensor. As shown in FIG. 4B, the flow sensor is formed in such a way that the two heat generating resistors Rh5 and Rh6 are placed to be opposed with each other in the flow direction on the substrate 1c and the thermometer resistors Rt2 and Rt3 respectively for adjusting a temperature of each heat generating resistor are formed on the same substrate 1c.
These resistors are connected as shown in FIG. 4A. A drive circuit 100 controls a temperature of the heat generating resistor Rh5 so as to be by a predetermined value higher than the surrounding temperature thereof and a drive circuit 200 controls a temperature of the heat generating resistor Rh6 so as to be by a predetermined value higher than the surrounding temperature thereof. In order to control the temperatures of the heat generating resistors Rh5 and Rh6 so as to be the same, each of the drive circuit 100 and the drive circuit 200 is formed of an element having the same properties.
Each of the heat generating resistors Rh5 and Rh6 and the thermometer resistors Rt2 and Rt3 has resistance having temperature-dependent properties, i.e. the resistance, a resistance value of which changes with its temperature and is formed of, for example, a platinum film or a polysilicon film. Since the heat generating resistors Rh5 and Rh6 are controlled to be at high temperatures by the current flowing through themselves, the resistance value of each is made smaller than that of each thermometer resistor Rt2 and Rt3 for smoother flow of the current therethrough.
In the above arrangement, the substrate 1c on which the heat generating resistors Rh5 and Rh6 and the thermometer resistors Rt2 and Rt3 are formed is located in the air fluid so that each resistor is positioned to be perpendicular to a flow direction of air. On this occasion, one of the heat generating resistors Rh5 and Rh6 is positioned in the upstream side with respect to the flow direction of air and the other is positioned in the downstream side with respect thereto.
In addition, each of the heat generating resistors Rh5 and Rh6 is controlled by the respective drive circuits 100 and 200 operated with a power supply voltage Vb in such a way that a temperature of each is higher by a predetermined value (for example, 150° C. ) than the surrounding temperature thereof.
When air flows in the forward direction under such conditions, air cools the heat generating resistor Rh5, thereby reducing a resistance value thereof. A reduction quantity of the resistance value increases in proportion to the air flow. On the other hand, the air heated by the heat generating resistor Rh5 passes through the heat generating resistor Rh6 located in the downstream side of the heat generating resistor Rh5, and therefore, it is not so much cooled. That is, the resistance value of the heat generating resistor Rh6 is not so much reduced as that of the heat generating resistor Rh5. As a result, an electric potential V10 of a terminal 70 to which one end of the heat generating resistor Rh5 is connected increases in comparison with that before the air flows therethrough. On the other hand, an electric potential V20 of a terminal 71 to which one end of the heat generating resistor Rh6 is connected does not change so much before and after the air flows therethrough.
On the contrary, when the air flows in the reverse direction, the resistance value of the heat generating resistor Rh6 reduces and the resistance value of the heat generating resistor Rh5 does not change so much. That is, the electric potential V20 in the terminal 71 increases in comparison with that before the air flows therethrough. The electric potential V10 in the terminal 70 does not change so much before and after the air flows therethrough.
Accordingly, when a difference Vo between the electric potential V10 in the terminal 70 and the electric potential V20 in the terminal 71 is monitored and as a result the difference Vo is a positive value, it is determined that the air flows in the forward direction. When the difference is a negative value, it is determined that the air flows in the reverse direction. Further, a flow speed of the air is calculated on the basis of a magnitude of the difference Vo.
In the above arrangement, the flow sensor for controlling each of the heat generating resistors Rh5 and Rh6 to be at a predetermined temperature is provided with the drive circuits 100 and 200 separately arranged. It is preferable to use the drive circuits 100 and 200, each of which is formed of an element having as much the same properties as possible for controlling temperatures of the heat generating resistors Rh5 and Rh6 in the same way. In particular, in regard to each of differential amplifiers 30 and 31, which monitors an intermediate electric potential difference of each bridge circuit, since each current value flowing in the heat generating resistors Rh5 and Rh6 is determined by each output of the differential amplifiers 30 and 31, it is preferable to use an ideal differential amplifier, an offset voltage of which is zero.
However, variations in each of the differential amplifiers occur, and therefore, it is difficult to provide the differential amplifiers, each having the exactly same properties. Accordingly, the offset voltage is in fact produced in each of the differential amplifiers 30 and 31, and also the offset voltage itself differs in magnitude therebetween. Therefore, the difference in properties between the differential amplifier 30 and the differential amplifier 31 causes an error in temperature control between the heat generating resistor Rh5 and the heat generating resistor Rh6. As a result, the sensitivity to the air flow differs between the heat generating resistor Rh5 and the heat generating resistor Rh6. That is, when the air flow is designed to be more accurately calculated, unevenness in properties between the drive circuit 100 and the drive circuit 200 causes obstruction to accurate calculation. In particular, in recent years, a flow sensor is desired more and more to detect air flow quantity with high accuracy in an internal combustion engine to meet exhaust gas emission regulations for an automobile.


The present invention is directed to the use of an irreversible ligand of a serine protease selected from the group consisting of leukocyte elastase, thrombin, tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) and plasmin for the molecular imaging of said serine protease and the diagnosis of pathophysiological conditions associated with said serine protease activity.

Serine proteases have been shown to play a role in diverse physiological functions, many of which can play important roles in disease processes such as cardiovascular disease (Kohler, H. T., et al., (2000) N. Engl. J. Med. 342(24):1792-801; Hamsten, A., et al., (2000) Thromb. Haemost. 83(3):397403; Califf, R. M., et al., (2000) Circulation, 101(19):2231-8; Krendel, S., et al., (2000) Ann. Emerg. Med. 35(5):502-5), cancer (Schmidt, M., et al., (1999) Acta Otolaryngol. 119(8):949-53; Raigoso, P., et al., (2000) Int. J. Biol. Markers, 15(1):44-50; Haese, A., et al., (2000) J. Urol. 163(5):1491-7; Hoopera, J. D., et al., (2000) Biochim. Biophys. Acta, 2000, 1492(1):63-71; Wallrapp, C., et al., (2000) Cancer Res. 2000, 60(10):2602-6; Cao, Y., et al., (2000) Int. J. Mol. Med. 2000, 5(5):547-51), asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), inflammatory diseases (Rice, K. D., et al., (1998) Curr. Pharm. Des., (5):381-96; Nadel, J. A., et al., (1998) Eur. Respir. J., (6):1250-1; Wright, C. D., et al., (1999) Biochem. Pharmacol., 58(12):1989-96; Burgess, L. E., et al., (1999) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A., 96(15):8348-52; Barnes, P. J., et al., (2000) Chest, 117(2 Suppl):1OS-4S) and bacterial infections (Al-Hasani, K., et al., (2000) Infect. Immun., 68(5):2457-63; Gaillot, O., et al., (2000) Mol Microbiol. 35(6):1286-94; Lejal, N., et al., (2000) J. Gen. Virol., 81(Pt 4):983-92).
Accordingly, serine protease activities of leukocyte elastase, thrombin, tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) and plasmin are considered as potential useful markers for the diagnosis of some of these pathologies. For example, the tissue pathology of serine proteases is linked to their ability to be retained within diseased tissue, therefore providing molecular targets for in situ molecular imaging. However there remains a need in the art for new approaches of the molecular imaging of serine proteases in tissues. Serine protease molecular imaging agents that are easy and relatively cheap to produce are therefore particularly desirable.
Leukocyte elastase, thrombin, tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) and plasmin belong to the S1 family of serine proteases, whose the mechanism of action is well known (Barrett, Handbook of Proteolytic Enzymes, 2nd Ed). The catalytic activity of the S1 family of proteases is provided by a charge relay system involving an aspartic acid residue that is hydrogen-bonded to a histidine, which itself is hydrogen-bonded to a serine. The sequences in the vicinity of the active site serine and histidine residues are well conserved in this family of proteases. The specificity of these proteases is essentially ensured by the "nonprime" domain of their active site i.e. the S5 or S4 to S1 binding subsites (following the nomenclature of Schechter and Berger (Schechter I., and Berger A. (1967) Biochem Biophys Res Commun 27, 157-162)) In these serine proteases, the amino acid interacting with the S1 subsite is either an arginine residue (t-Pa, Thrombin, Plasmin) or an hydrophobic residue (Leukocyte elastase)
Various irreversible ligands of the selected serine proteases are reported in the literature (Teger-Nilsson, 1977), (Kettner, 1978) (see table 1), They are constituted by small peptides interacting with the S5 or S4-S2 domain of the peptidase, and the amino acid binding the S1 subsite is replaced by an aminoacyl chloromethylketone (cmk) which interacts covalently with the serine of the catalytic site. Consequently, due to the restricted selectivity of the P1 residue, some of these irreversible inhibitors do not possess the required parameters of affinity and selectivity needed for a specific labelling of each protease. For example: in table 1, it was observed that the same peptide is described for Thrombin and t-PA.
TABLE 1Examples of irreversible ligands of the selected serine proteasesSerineproteasePeptideReferenceLeukocyteMeOSucAla-Ala-Pro-Ala-cmkNavia, PNAS, (1989), 86elastaseMeOSucAla-Ala-Pro-Val-cmkPowers, Biochim BiophysActa (1977), 485, 156tPAD-Phe-Pro-Arg-cmkBoatman, J Med Chem(1999), 42, 1367PlasminD-Val-Phe-Lys-cmkWoessner, Steroids(1989), 54, 491ThrombinD-Phe-Pro-Arg-cmkKettner, Thromb Res(1979), 14, 969
However, as shown in table 1, the ligand D-Val-Phe-Lys-COCH2Cl (dVFK-cmk, M.W. 500) was developed as a very selective irreversible peptide ligand of plasmin active site with high affinity (Collen, Biochimica and Biophysica Acta, 165 (1980), 158-166).
Moreover, no investigations have been carried out to use these irreversible ligands for the molecular imaging of serine proteases.

Agents for the molecular imaging of serine-protease in human pathologies

Institut National de la Sante et de la Recherche Medicale (INSERM)


A method of transmarking a watermarked media signal to adapt the watermark to the robustness and perceptibility constraints of a new environment. This transmarking method detects the first digital watermark in the media signal. It then embeds message information from the first digital watermark into a second digital watermark in the media signal before the media signal undergoes a transformation process. The second digital watermark is adapted to survive the transformation process. A variation of this method detects the first digital watermark in the media signal, converts the media signal to a different format, and embeds message information from the first digital watermark into a second digital watermark in the converted media signal. The second digital watermark is adapted to robustness or perceptibility parameters associated with the new format.

Digital watermarking is a process for modifying physical or electronic media to embed a machine-readable code into the media. The media may be modified such that the embedded code is imperceptible or nearly imperceptible to the user, yet may be detected through an automated detection process. Most commonly, digital watermarking is applied to media signals such as images, audio signals, and video signals. However, it may also be applied to other types of media objects, including documents (e.g., through line, word or character shifting), software, multi-dimensional graphics models, and surface textures of objects.
Digital watermarking systems typically have two primary components: an encoder that embeds the watermark in a host media signal, and a decoder that detects and reads the embedded watermark from a signal suspected of containing a watermark (a suspect signal). The encoder embeds a watermark by altering the host media signal. The reading component analyzes a suspect signal to detect whether a watermark is present. In applications where the watermark encodes information, the reader extracts this information from the detected watermark.
Several particular watermarking techniques have been developed, and, for robust watermarks, the goal is to design an imperceptible watermark that survives transformation. However, this cannot always be accomplished. The reader is presumed to be familiar with the literature in this field. Particular techniques for embedding and detecting imperceptible watermarks in media signals are detailed in the assignee's co-pending application Ser. No. 09/503,881 (now U.S. Pat. No. 6,614,914) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,862,260, which are hereby incorporated by reference.
The invention provides methods and related systems, devices and software for transmarking media signals. Transmarking relates to converting auxiliary data embedded in a media signal from one digital watermark format to another. It is used in processes that transform the media signal, such as compression, broadcast, editing, rendering, etc., to change the characteristics of the embedded watermark so that the watermark has improved robustness or perceptibility characteristics for its new environment. In some cases, transmarking can be extended to cases where out-of-band data file the header or footer of a media file, or other metadata provided with the media file is transmarked into a watermark or is derived from a watermark. Thus, the watermarks appear to be robust to all transformations.
One aspect of the invention is a method of transmarking a media signal previously embedded with a first digital watermark using a first digital watermark embedding method. This transmarking method detects the first digital watermark in the media signal. It then embeds message information from the first digital watermark into a second digital watermark in the media signal before the media signal undergoes a transformation process. The second digital watermark is adapted to survive the transformation process.
Another aspect of the invention is another method of transmarking a media signal. This method detects the first digital watermark in the media signal, converts the media signal to a different format, and embeds message information from the first digital watermark into a second digital watermark in the converted media signal. The second digital watermark is adapted to robustness or perceptibility parameters associated with the new format.
Further features will become apparent with reference to the following detailed description and accompanying drawings.


A vehicle side underrun protection having at least one load-bearing member that extends between the wheels or sets of wheels of the vehicle in the vehicle's longitudinal direction. The member(s) extend basically along the outer contour of the vehicle and serves as side impact protection and/or protection to prevent unprotected road-users ending up under the vehicle. The side underrun protection (1) has at least one longitudinal section (12, 13, 14) suspended in at least two first brackets (2, 3) fixed to the vehicle, along which brackets (2, 3) at least one end of each individual section (12, 13, 14) of the side underrun protection (1) is vertically adjustable from at least a first, active position to a second, inactive position. The invention also relates to a vehicle provided with such a side underrun protection.

Nowadays it is not all that uncommon for unprotected road-users to end up between the wheels or sets of wheels of a heavier vehicle or right under the vehicle, causing not only severe damage to the vehicle they are traveling on but also serious injury to the road-users themselves.
There are now various types of side underrun protections on the market designed to prevent or reduce the injurious effects of such collisions. However, these hitherto known side underrun protections have various disadvantages. Among other things they are difficult to remove when a driver of a heavy vehicle, in the event of a puncture, for example, has to release a spare wheel which is situated behind the side underrun protection, for example, or if the side underrun protection for other reasons has to be removed or adjusted for better access under the vehicle. According to some known solutions a number of pins and/or bolts have to be removed in order to be able to release the side underrun protection and these fixing arrangements are often difficult to manipulate due, among other things, to the dirt etc. which is always deposited on the chassis of the vehicles and also on the actual side underrun protections.
Current side underrun protection is generally also fixedly mounted and does not allow the entire side underrun protection or parts thereof to be readily adjusted in any way. This may be relevant if the vehicle has to be maneuvered on uneven ground, for example on minor forest roads or on a construction site. Since a side underrun protection may be fitted relatively low down, at a height corresponding to the front of an automobile, there is a risk of it catching on the ground if there are hollows and bumps, resulting in damage to the side underrun protection.
There may also be a need to be able to adjust an upper section vertically, for example on a vehicle with interchangeable bodies, in order to make the distance between the side underrun protection and the interchangeable body conform to any statutory requirements.
The object of the present invention is to eliminate these known problems and provide a side underrun protection comprising at least one individually adjustable section, which through very simple operations can be vertically and/or longitudinally adjusted on the brackets supporting it on the vehicle in question.

Arrangement for a vehicle side fairing, and a vehicle comprising such a side fairing


A closure assembly for a mouth and neck portion of a container for liquid has a sleeve adapted to lie substantially concentrically with respect to the mouth and provided with a mechanism for fixing the sleeve on the container. A first outer sleeve is coaxially mounted over the sleeve and a second outer sleeve separate from the first outer sleeve and substantially tight fit with a container closure member. The first and second outer sleeves are axially aligned and have respective initially adjacent portions. A mechanism is provided for spacing apart the initially adjacent portions of the first and second outer sleeves upon reclosure of the assembly after an initial opening of the container.

For various reasons, it may be desirable to ensure that a used container, such as a bottle intended to contain a liquid such as a valuable liquid, (e.g. spirits such as alcoholic beverages), is not re-filled with a replacement quantity of another liquid, the characteristics and quality of which may differ from the original contents. Attempts to provide closures which make such re-filling difficult are not always proof against determined tampering. While it is considered advantageous to provide a tamper-indicating means which provides evidence that the bottle and its original contents are intact, if the bottle is resealable with a substitute cap or closure, there may be little to indicate to a purchaser that the bottle has been tampered with and that the contents may be inferior to the original contents.
It has, therefore, been found desirable to provide a closure which cannot be removed without an extreme level of effort, or breakage being caused to the bottle. Such an arrangement is shown, for example, in GB Patent No. 2 274 837 also by the present Applicant, selected merely by way of illustration.
Whilst it is very important that an original closure cannot be removed without visible damage or breakage being caused either to the closure and/or to the bottle, it has been found that a closure that cannot readily be removed will become the target of attempts to re-fill the container by overcoming the feature provided in the closure intended to hinder or prevent such refilling. Therefore, in addition to providing devices to prevent re-filling of bottles, there is a need to provide such devices with further tamper-indicating features which, while not acting in any preventive role, give a clear irremovable and/or irreversible indication that a bottle has been opened since being originally filled with the genuine contents. Such clear indicators have been somewhat lacking in previous closure designs.
Furthermore, there is a need for simple designs of closure assemblies allowing easy and reliable manufacture, assembly and fitting to bottle necks. Such simplicity has been somewhat lacking in previous closure. designs.
It is an object of at least one aspect of the present invention to provide an improved closure assembly which does not have any parts which are frangible and/or removed upon initial opening and which are liable to be reattached by counterfeiters or the like in a way suggesting that the closure assembly had not previously been opened.
It is also an object of a least one aspect of the present invention to obviate or at least mitigate at least one of the aforementioned problems/disadvantages in the prior art.


A fill level measurement device includes at least first and second removable and replaceable components that each includes a non-volatile memory device. The device senses that the first removable and replaceable component has been inserted into the fill level measurement device, and provides a sensed signal indicative thereof. In response to the sensed signal, component customer parameter data is received at the first removable and replaceable component, and the received component customer parameter data is written into the non-volatile memory device of the first removable and replaceable component.

The present invention relates to the field of fill level sensors, and in particular to fill level sensors that include various removable and replaceable components that include memory containing fill level sensor data.
To measure the fill level of solid bulk goods or liquids in a container, several measurement techniques are known. For example, fill level measurements that employ radar, vibrating rods, pressure, and capacitance measurements are known.
These known sensing techniques often include a measurement sensor that is connected to a converter. This common connection on the converter and measurement sensor is often referred to as the process connection. The supply lines and the electric measurement lines of the measurement sensor are connected to those of the converter.
Voltage flashovers can occur at the measurement sensor, which destroy parts of the measurement sensor or the electronic analytical device. For applications in hazardous areas, precautions are prescribed, such as for example minimum distances between the electric lines, to assure reliable protection against explosions.
The data generated by the measurement sensor are conducted to a measurement data converter, which for example converts them into digital data, and transmits the digital data to an electronic analytical device. Before the fill level measurement device is started, customer-specific parameter data must be entered into the fill level measurement device. When the measurement data converter or the electronic analytical device are replaced, these customer-specific parameter data must be re-entered into the fill level measurement device, which results in undesirable complication.
Therefore, there is a need for a fill level measurement device that automatically updates customer specific parameter data when a component of the measurement device is replaced.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Fill level measurement device with removable and replaceable components


A portage computer case whether in a closed state or open state permits a user to exercise control and monitor certain operating features. The user may toggle a control switch to place the computer system in a secondary operational mode, determine when a computer system is in a secondary operational mode, and adjust a digital master volume control during the secondary operational mode. The portable computer system includes a status indicator for indicating when a computer is in a secondary operational mode, digital master volume control buttons operable in a secondary operational mode, and a control switch for placing the computer system in a secondary operational mode. The status indicator, volume control buttons, and control switch are preferably provided on a top surface of the bottom shell of the portable computer for convenient access by a user. As such, a user is capable of placing the computer system in a secondary operational mode and determining when the computer system is in a secondary operational mode without opening the portable computer case. A user is also capable of adjusting volume control during a secondary operation mode without the need to access a plurality of volume controls, sort through software to adjust the volumes of the audio sources, or open the portable computer case to visualize volume controls for the audio sources on the main display screen.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to controls and indicators, including master volume control buttons, a status indicator, and a control switch for a secondary operational mode of a computer system such as a mode for playing audio CDs in a CD-ROM drive independent of an operating system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Operating a CD-ROM drive in a computer system has required booting an operating system and loading and utilizing a CD-ROM drive application. The RAM-based CD-ROM device driver of the CD-ROM drive application allowed for operation of the CD-ROM drive. The lengthy duration of the booting process for an operating system and the considerable user interaction required by a CD-ROM drive application render playing an audio CD in the CD-ROM drive of a computer system, as opposed to in a conventional audio CD player, undesirable. An audio CD player, unlike a CD-ROM drive of a computer system, does not involve a timely initialization process and substantial user interaction. As such, despite the CD-ROM drive present in conventional computer systems, users have maintained a separate audio CD player in place of the portable computer. In addition, where a user is away from his or her audio CD player, a conventional computer system due to its initialization and user interaction requirements is unsuited to playing an audio CD as quickly and easily as allowed by a conventional audio CD player. Because of the initialization process and user interaction required, portable computer users would often carry a separate audio CD player for music listening even though the portable computer had music playing capability. Also, since a CD-ROM drive application was dependent upon an operating system, it was necessary to use a display screen to visually indicate to the user when a CD-ROM drive application was being operated. As such, portable computer users have been required to maintain the portable computer case containing a portable computer in its open state to determine the status of a CD-ROM drive application.
Further, a conventional computer system has required a user to access numerous locations, software and hardware, to adjust the volume and other settings of various audio sources such as a CD, wave, and synthesizer for music listening. These locations typically include a mixer in a Windows CD-ROM drive application for controlling the volume of audio sources, a software master volume control in a Windows task bar, and a hardware volume thumbwheel. As these volume control sources controlled volume independent of each other, it was necessary for a user to sort through cumbersome CD-ROM drive software to adjust the volume of the appropriate audio sources. In light of the software nature of certain volume controls, it was also necessary to maintain the portable computer case in its open state with the display screen visible to a user to allow for certain volume adjustments during music listening.
With the present invention, a user is capable of accomplishing several control and monitoring functions whether a portable computer case is maintained in a closed state or open state. These functions include toggling a control switch to place the computer system in a secondary operational mode, determining when the computer system is in a secondary operational mode, and adjusting digital master volume control during the secondary operational mode. The portable computer system of the present invention includes a status indicator for indicating when a computer is in a secondary operational mode, digital master volume control buttons operable in a secondary operational mode, and a control switch for placing the computer system in a secondary operational mode. The status indicator, master volume control buttons, and control switch are preferably provided on the top surface of the bottom shell of the portable computer for convenient access by a user. Thus, a user is able to of placing the computer system in a secondary operational mode and determining when the computer system is in a secondary operational mode without opening the portable computer case. A user is able to adjust volume control during a secondary operation mode without the need for tedious, cumbersome tasks, such as to access a plurality of volume controls, sort through software to adjust the volumes of the audio sources, or open the portable computer case to visualize volume controls for the audio sources on the computer""s main display screen.

Method and system for controlling a CD-ROM drive in an operating system-independent reduced power mode

Compaq Information Technologies Group, L.P.


A fluorescent lamp ballast utilizes a single a transformer for providing both tank inductance and current mode feedback to the ballast driver circuitry. The transformer has an "EE" core with inductor windings on the center legs and gate windings on one of the outer legs. The center leg is gapped to avoid magnetic core saturation and to adjust inductance to a desired value. Coupling can be adjusted further by gapping one or the other of the outer legs.

In self-resonant ballast circuits, a signal is fed back from a resonant LC tank to the drive circuitry of a pair of half-bridge switches. Two common classes of self-resonant circuits are those which feed back a sample of the tank inductor voltage and those which feed back a sample of the LC tank current. Ballasts of the voltage feedback class have the advantage of simple construction, requiring only a single magnetic component. Secondary windings are wound on the ferrite or other magnetic core used to construct the tank inductor to act as transformer windings, providing the inductor voltage to the drive circuits of the ballast switches. Disadvantageously, however, such voltage feedback circuits suffer from poor input power regulation as either the lamp resistance or line input voltage is changed.
Ballasts of the current feedback class exhibit much better input power regulation. In such current feedback circuits, a current transformer is inserted into the LC tank circuit to feed back a sample of the tank current to the ballast drive circuitry. The transformer is wound on a magnetic core separate from the core used by the tank inductor. Disadvantageously, however, since they require two magnetic components, current feedback ballasts suffer from increased circuit and layout complexity as well as added cost.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a fluorescent lamp ballast which achieves current feedback performance using a single magnetic component to function as both tank inductor and current feedback transformer.

Fluorescent lamp ballast with current feedback using a dual-function magnetic device


A throttle lever device for an engine having a decreased number of parts and capable of facilitating an assembling operation. An operation grip for controlling an engine of a mowing machine or the like is provided on opposite sides thereof with a throttle lever and a lock lever engageable with the throttle lever, respectively. A lock button is arranged in proximity to the lock lever so as to hold the throttle lever at a half throttling position. The throttle lever, lock lever and lock button are arranged so as to be pushable in toward a center of the operation grip. The lock lever and lock button are formed integrally with each other and constantly urged by an elastic member so as to be projected outwardly of the operation grip.

This invention relates to a throttle lever device for an engine, and more particularly to an improvement in a structure including a throttle lever, a lock lever and a lock button which are arranged on an operation grip of a mowing machine, a chain saw or the like.
A conventional mowing machine or a chain saw generally includes an operation grip, which is provided with a throttle lever for controlling rotation of an engine of the mowing machine or chain saw. Thus, when the operation grip is gripped during carrying of the machine or saw, transportation thereof or the like, the throttle lever is pushedly operated or pushed in concurrently, resulting in a blade of the mowing machine or the chain saw being often driven accidentally or unintentionally. In order to eliminate such unintended driving, a lock lever is arranged opposite to the throttle lever, so that the throttle lever is kept from being actuated unless the lock lever is operated.
Also, in the conventional mowing machine or chain saw, it is required to push in the throttle lever to an intermediate position in a movable range to keep it at a half throttling state at the time when the engine is started. For this purpose, a throttle lever device is provided which is so constructed that a lock button is arranged on the throttle lever in a manner to be in proximity to the lock lever. The lock button is adapted to be engaged with the throttle lever kept at the half throttling state, resulting in holding it at the half throttling state.
The operation grip is constructed of two grip members or halves laterally split from each other, which are provided with the throttle lever, the lock lever, the lock button, a spring and the like which constitute a main part of the throttle lever device. Then, the two grip halves are joined together, resulting in the throttle lever device being assembled. Mounting of the above-described members on the two grip halves is carried out in such a manner that one of the grip halves is mounted thereon with the throttle lever and the other grip half is mounted with the lock lever and lock button, followed by joining of the halves to each other.
However, in the prior art, it is required to carry out joining between the two grip halves while keeping the members from being unintendedly removed from the halves. Also, it is required that the members are each provided with a small-sized spring which acts to force or urge the member, to thereby outwardly project it. Thus, the joining is highly troublesome, resulting in requiring a great deal of skill.