Injection molding apparatus having a cavity insert (10) with integral inner and outer portions (136, 138) having a cooling fluid flow channel (166) extending therebetween. In a preferred embodiment, the cooling fluid flow channel (166) is formed by a groove (164) machined in the outer surface (162) of the inner portion (136). This brings the cooling fluid flow closer to the cavity (66) and improves cooling efficiency and reduces cycle time.

This application relates generally to injection molding apparatus and more particularly to injection molding apparatus having a cavity insert with a cooling fluid flow channel therein.
Injection molding apparatus having cooling fluid channels or conduits are well known. For instance, the applicant""s U.S. Pat. No. 5,427,519 which issued Jun. 27, 1995 shows a thermal setting application wherein a cooling fluid channel extends around a central liquid molding material channel in a nozzle. The applicant""s U.S. Pat. No. 5,443,381 which issued Aug. 22, 1995 shows hot runner apparatus having cooling fluid conduits extending through a gate insert. Canadian Patent Application Serial Number 2,228,931 filed Feb. 2, 1998 by Mold-Masters Limited is another example of a gate insert having helical cooling fluid conduits or passages.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to at least partially overcome the disadvantages of the prior art by providing a cavity insert with inner and outer portions integrally joined together with a cooling fluid flow channel extending between the inner and outer portions. Also provided is a method to improve the cooling efficiency of a mold cavity to reduce the cycle time.
To this end, in one of its aspects, the invention provides injection molding apparatus having a cavity with an outer surface extending in a mold and a hollow cavity insert having an inner surface mounted in the mold, wherein the inner surface of the cavity insert forms the outer surface of the cavity. The cavity insert has a hollow inner portion and a hollow outer portion integrally joined together. The outer portion has an inner surface and the inner portion has an outer surface. The inner portion fits inside the outer portion with the outer surface of the inner portion adjacent the inner surface of the outer portion. Either the outer surface of the inner portion or the inner surface of the outer portion has a groove therein to form a cooling fluid flow channel extending between the inner portion and the outer portion. The cooling fluid flow channel extends from a cooling fluid inlet to a cooling fluid outlet in a predetermined configuration around the cavity.


The present invention provides multi-arm siloxane-based molecules suitable for use as a drug delivery vehicle comprising a central core molecule that comprises a cyclic or cubic siloxane, and a plurality of arms attached to the central core molecule, wherein each arm comprises an organic moiety. The multi-arm siloxane-based molecules described herein are suitable for encapsulation of a therapeutic agent. The invention further includes pharmaceutical compositions comprising the claimed multi-arm siloxane-based molecules and an encapsulated therapeutic agent in combination with a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier. Methods of making and using the multi-arm siloxane-based molecules are also provided.

Drug discovery recently has experienced tremendous growth, facilitated in part by novel technologies, such as combinatorial chemistry and high-throughput screening. These novel approaches have led to drugs that generally are more potent and have better solubility and activity profiles than drugs developed from traditional approaches of medicinal chemistry. The discovery of such drugs has resulted in a more urgent focus on developing novel techniques to deliver these drugs more effectively, efficiently, and safely.
The conventional oral and intravenous routes of drug administration do not provide ideal pharmacokinetic profiles, especially for drugs that display high toxicity and/or narrow therapeutic windows. For such drugs the ideal pharmacokinetic profile would be one wherein the drug concentration reaches therapeutic levels without exceeding the maximum tolerable dose and maintains these concentrations for extended periods of time until the desired therapeutic effect is reached. One approach for achieving such a profile is encapsulating the drug in a polymer matrix.
Although efforts have been made to develop suitable polymer matrices for drug delivery, there remains a need in the art for compositions and methods for therapeutically effective and safe delivery of a drug to a subject. Compositions and methods that provide for drug delivery on demand, localized drug delivery, sustained or controlled-release of a drug, or improved drug stability are particularly advantageous.

Multi-arm cyclic or cubic siloxane-based formulations for drug delivery

Research Foundation of the City University of NY


In the system which connects an operation apparatus and a standby apparatus through a bus, the operation apparatus includes a controller which controls the operation of the operation apparatus, operation manager, and the switch. The operation manager monitors the operation of the controller and notifies the standby apparatus through the bus that the controller operates normally. The switch disconnects the operation manager from the bus except when the operation manager notifies the second apparatus that said controller is operating normally through the bus.

The present invention relates to an operation apparatus, a standby apparatus, operation and standby systems, and operation and standby control methods and more particularly to an operation apparatus, a standby apparatus, operation and standby systems, and operation and standby control methods that can avoid an error caused by noise during failure management.
In conventional operation and standby systems disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Hei No. 11-338,724, the operation system and the standby system send heartbeat signals to each other in order to confirm the operation status of the other system. When the standby system does not receive a heartbeat signal from the operation system after a certain period of time, it is determined that the operation system must have a failure.
In the conventional operation and standby-systems, the operation and standby systems have a problem. The problem is that there is no countermeasure for noise. For example, when a failed operation system is replaced by a hot-swap, noise is generated in the signal transmission path between the operation system and the standby system. The standby system will have an error due to this generated noise because these operation and standby systems do not have a countermeasure for noise.
The specification of I2C bus is described in "The I2C Bus from Theory to Practice, Ed. BK&DISK, written by Dominique Paret and Carl Fenger, published by WILEY".

Apparatus including an operating manager and a switch for disconnecting the operating manager from a bus


A metal laminate gasket includes two surface plates, and an intermediate plate. The second surface plate has a folded-back piece folded back around a sealing hole and disposed on a first bead of the first surface plate surrounding the sealing hole. The first plate has a curved portion with a height higher than that of the folded-back piece and disposed adjacent to an outer peripheral edge of the folded-back piece. The curved portion has a crank shape section or a Z-character shape section. A second bead is provided in the intermediate plate adjacent to the curved portion.

The invention relates to a metal laminate gasket having two surface plates and an intermediate plate and, more specifically, relates to a metal laminate gasket wherein a secondary sealing around a sealing hole is reinforced.
There has been a metal laminate gasket formed by laminating thin metal plates provided with sealing means as a gasket to be used at a connecting portion of a cylinder bead and a cylinder block of an internal combustion engine, other connecting portions of the internal combustion engine, a joint portion of pipes or the like.
In an internal combustion engine installed in an automobile, especially a small diesel engine, a size and weight of the engine have been reduced, and a cylinder head and a cylinder block have been made of an aluminum alloy and the like with a relatively low rigidity. Accordingly, along with an increase in an inner pressure of the cylinder due to a high energy output of the engine, a deformation of the cylinder head has been a problem.
The cylinder head has a small deformation in the vicinity of a tightening bolt, and the deformation increases as the distance from the tightening bolt increases and it increases toward a center of a cylinder bore where a large combustion pressure is applied.
In order to obtain a sufficient sealing ability while following the deformation of the cylinder head, it is necessary to provide not only a primary sealing but also a secondary sealing around the cylinder bore. Especially, in view of a local deformation around the cylinder bore, since the deformation at a central side is larger than that at an outer peripheral side, it is important to obtain a surface pressure distribution such that a sealing surface pressure is large at an inner side and decreases stepwise toward an outer side in order to follow an inclined deformation.
On the other hand, along with the reduction in size, and weight and cost of an engine, in a metal laminate gasket, the number of laminated plates has been reduced, and sealing means to be employed has been simplified. As a metal laminate gasket with a relatively simple structure, there has been a metal laminate gasket formed of two surface plates and an intermediate plate.
In such a metal laminate gasket formed of the three metal plates, several cylinder head gaskets with a secondary sealing reinforced stepwise have been tried in order to deal with a local deformation of a cylinder head and a cylinder block of a small engine.
In such cylinder head gaskets, a primary sealing is provided with respect to a sealing hole such as a cylinder bore, and a secondary sealing is provided outside the primary sealing, so that a surface pressure distribution of the secondary sealing becomes stepwise wherein a surface pressure becomes highest at inside and gradually decreases toward outside.
As an example, a metal laminate gasket shown in FIG. 6 and a metal laminate gasket shown in FIG. 7 have been developed.
In the metal laminate gaskets, a first bead is provided on an inner peripheral side of a step portion of a first surface plate to form a primary sealing, and a second surface plate is folded back to protect the first bead from high temperature combustion gas and the like. An outer peripheral edge of the folded back piece faces the step portion of the first surface plate.
Also, in order to form a secondary sealing, in the conventional gaskets shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, a secondary bead 71 (FIG. 6) is formed in an intermediate plate 70, or a shim 80 (FIG. 7) is disposed on an intermediate plate 70A. In order to dispose the intermediate plate 70 or 70A between a first surface plate 50 and a second surface plate 60, a step portion 52 is formed in the first surface plate 50 between the first bead 51 and the second bead 71, and the second bead 71 or the shim 80 is provided on an outer peripheral side of the step portion 52.
However, in the metal laminate gaskets 5 and 5A shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the step portion 52 of the first surface plate 50 is gradually bent and the first bead portion 51 is located under a fold-back piece 61 of the second surface plate 60. Accordingly, when the gaskets 5 and 5A are tightened, it is difficult to generate a large surface pressure at the step portion 52.
As a result, with the secondary sealing reinforcing method, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, a surface pressure distribution P becomes a mountain-type in which a surface pressure increases at a central portion or a rectangular-type in which a surface pressure becomes flat. In a recent cylinder head having a relatively small rigidity, a center of a cylinder bore 2 separates from a cylinder block 9 as shown in FIG. 8. Accordingly, a deformation decreases toward outside the cylinder bore 2, i.e. an inclined deformation, thereby making it difficult to obtain a sufficient sealing.
On the other hand, the present inventor has proposed a metal laminate gasket in which a first surface plate is folded in a step shape to form a curved portion with a crank shape section or Z-character shape section at a step portion of the first surface plate adjacent to a folded portion of a second surface plate, so that a large sealing surface pressure is generated at the step portion. It is intended to apply this structure to the present invention (for example, refer to Patent Document 1).
Patent Document 1; Japanese Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 10-38086
In view of the problems described above, the present invention has been made, and an object of the present invention is to provide a metal laminate gasket capable of generating a primary sealing with a first bead disposed in a folded-back piece around a sealing hole and a secondary sealing disposed around the primary sealing and having a surface pressure distribution decreasing stepwise from inside to outside.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the invention.


Various exemplary embodiments relate to a pressure sensor including a pressure sensitive membrane suspended over a cavity, wherein the membrane is secured by a set of anchors to a substrate; and a getter material embedded in the membrane, wherein the surface of the getter is in contact with any gas within the cavity, and wherein two end points of the getter material are attached through the substrate by anchors capable of conducting through the substrate an electrical current through the getter material.

Micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) pressure sensors rely on an accurate measurement of the deflection of a suspended membrane (e.g. silicon or silicon nitride). Typically such sensors have well-known piezo resistive or capacitive read-outs. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 8,256,298 to Suijlen et al., "MEMS pressure sensor." In order for these sensors to have an accurate reference pressure, the cavity underneath the membrane must be sealed perfectly from the environment, which poses strict constraints on the packaging used to seal the cavity. Conventional arrangements employ an expensive dual wafer bonding technique to create a hermetically sealed cavity.
Pressure sensors with a capacitive read-out have clear advantages over pressure sensors with conventional piezo resistive read-out, including very low power consumption and higher sensitivity. For example, certain pressure sensors employ a thin suspended silicon nitride (SiN) membrane as a capacitive MEMS pressure gauge. To achieve the necessary pressure reference, the cavity underneath the SiN membrane is hermitically closed using a plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) SiN sealing process. Device performance is largely determined by the physical, mechanical and structural properties of this film and the thickness necessary to prevent holes forming in the membrane. Among other performance factors, film density and composition determine out-gassing behavior and diffusion barrier properties. Internal stress and hence the sensitivity of the pressure sensor are determined by the membrane's thickness and rigidity, which are related.
Because a getter film is currently used in the art to cover the membrane, the getter material is activated once when the membrane is sealed by placing the whole structure in a heated environment.

Pressure sensor with geter embedded in membrane


A cooler for cooling bulk material such as cement clinker may include a stationary aeration grate that is for receiving the bulk material is passably by a flow of cooling gas, a conveyor unit having conveyor planks that are disposed above the aeration grate and that for transporting the bulk material are movable in a reciprocating manner in a conveying direction and counter to the conveying direction, a seal assembly that prevents grate riddlings and is attached to the stationary aeration grate, and a drive element that drives the conveyor planks and extends through the stationary aeration grate. The seal assembly may lie against the drive element, and spacing between the seal assembly and the drive element may be adjustable. Further, a method for preventing grate riddlings in a cooler may involve in the event of wear decreasing the spacing between the seal assembly and the drive element.

For cooling hot bulk material such as, for example, cement clinker, it is known for the bulk material to be deposited on an aeration grate of a cooler that is able to be passed through by a flow of cooling gas. For cooling, the hot bulk material is subsequently moved from one end of the cooler to the other end and herein passed through by a flow of cooling gas.
Various possibilities are known for transporting the bulk material from the beginning of the cooler to the end of the cooler. In a so-called reciprocating grate cooler the transportation of the bulk material takes place by movable conveyor elements which move in the conveying direction and counter to the conveying direction. The conveyor elements have a thrust edge that transports the material in the conveying direction.
A cooler which has a plurality of conveyor elements which are movable in the conveying direction and counter to the conveying direction is known from DE 100 18 142 B4. Each of the conveyor elements is connected to suitable transport mechanisms by way of a support element which mounts the conveyor elements so as to be movable on a machine frame structure. The material is transported in the conveying direction by a suitable movement pattern with a forward stroke and a reverse stroke.
A cooler which has a plurality of conveyor elements that are movable in the conveying direction and counter to the conveying direction is known from EP 2021692 B2. The conveyor elements are attached to a frame structure which by way of bearings is mounted on the machine frame. The conveyor elements have a shape that enables the transportation in the conveying direction.
On account of the movements of the cooler elements relative to one another, it often arises during the operation of the cooler that bulk material to be cooled drops through the cooling grate (grate riddlings) and negatively influences the functionality of the mechanical components of the cooler, for example. Extensive wear on the drive elements likewise often arises during the operation of the cooler on account of the relative movement.
Thus, a need exists for a cooler which has a low incidence of grate riddlings and simultaneously protects the drive elements against wear.

Cooler for cooling hot bulk material and method for preventing grate riddlings in a cooler


An optical adapter is configured to be removably secured to a wearable monitoring device. The monitoring device includes a housing having a portion with a biometric sensor that is wearably positionable adjacent the skin of a subject. The biometric sensor includes an optical emitter and an optical detector. The optical adapter includes a base that is configured to be removably secured to the housing portion. The optical adapter includes a first light guide extending outwardly from the base that is in optical communication with the optical emitter when the base is secured to the housing portion, and a second light guide extending outwardly from the base that is in optical communication with the optical detector when the base is secured to the housing portion. The optical adapter also includes a plurality of stabilizing members extending outwardly from the base.

Photoplethysmography (PPG) is based upon shining light into the human body and measuring how the scattered light intensity changes with each pulse of blood flow. The scattered light intensity will change in time with respect to changes in blood flow, blood vessels, or blood opacity associated with heart beats, breaths, blood oxygen level (SpO2), and the like. Such a sensing methodology may require the magnitude of light energy reaching the volume of flesh being interrogated to be steady and consistent so that small changes in the quantity of scattered photons can be attributed to varying blood flow. If the incidental and scattered photon count magnitude changes due to light coupling variation between the source or detector and the skin surface, then the signal of interest can be difficult to ascertain due to large photon count variability caused by loss or variation of optical coupling. Changes in the surface area (and volume) of skin being impacted with photons, or varying skin surface curvature reflecting significant portions of the photons, may also significantly impact optical coupling efficiency. Physical activity, such a walking, cycling, running, etc., may cause motion artifacts in the optical scatter signal from the body, and time-varying changes in photon intensity due to motion artifacts may swamp-out time-varying changes in photon intensity due to blood flow changes. Each of these changes in optical coupling can affect the photonic interrogation count by a large percent of the total photon count and diminish the quality of the signal of interest, with lower probability of obtaining accurate values of desired data.
An earbud is a good choice for incorporation of a photoplethysmograph device because it is a form factor that individuals are familiar with, it is a device that is commonly worn for long periods of time, and it frequently is used during exercise which is a time when individuals may benefit most from having accurate heart rate data (or other physiological data). Unfortunately, incorporation of a photoplethysmograph device into an earbud poses several challenges. For example, earbuds may be uncomfortable to wear for long periods of time, particularly if they deform the ear surface. Moreover, human ear anatomy may vary significantly from person to person, so finding an earbud form that will fit comfortably in many ears may pose significant challenges. In addition, earbuds made for vigorous physical activity typically incorporate an elastomeric surface and/or elastomeric features to function as springs that dampen earbud acceleration within the ear. Although, these features may facilitate retention of an earbud within an ear during high acceleration and impact modalities, they do not adequately address optical skin coupling requirements needed to achieve quality photoplethysmography.
Conventional photoplethysmography devices, as illustrated for example in FIGS. 1A-1C, typically suffer from reduced skin coupling as a result of subject motion. For example, most conventional photoplethysmography devices use a spring to clip the sensor onto either an earlobe (FIG. 1A) or a fingertip (FIG. 1B). Unfortunately, these conventional devices tend to have a large mass and may not maintain consistent skin contact when subjected to large accelerations, such as when a subject is exercising.
A conventional earbud device that performs photoplethysmography in the ear is the MX-D100 player from Perception Digital of Wanchai, Hong Kong (www.perceptiondigital.com). This earbud device, illustrated in FIG. 1C and indicated as 10, incorporates a spring 12 to improve PPG signal quality. However, the spring 12 forcibly presses the entire earbud 10 within the ear E of a subject to minimize motion of the entire earbud 10. There are several drawbacks to the device 10 of FIG. 1C. For example, the source/sensor module is coupled to the entire earbud mass and, as such, may experience larger translation distances resulting in greater signal variability when the ear undergoes accelerations. In addition, because the earbud 10 is held in place with one primary spring force direction, significant discomfort can be experienced by the end user. Moreover, the earbud motion may only be constrained in one direction due to the single spring force direction.
Another conventional wearable monitoring device is illustrated in FIGS. 2A-2C. The monitoring device 200 includes a housing 210 having a screen 220 attached to a band B that is configured to be secured around an appendage of a subject. The housing 210 includes a portion 210a with a biometric sensor 212 that is wearably positionable adjacent the skin of a subject. The biometric sensor 212 includes one or more optical emitters 214 and one or more optical detectors 216 (FIG. 2B). As illustrated in FIG. 2C, the biometric sensor 212 does not extend outwardly from the housing portion 210a. Unfortunately, wearable devices such as illustrated in FIGS. 2A-2C may not maintain consistent skin contact with the sensor 212 when the device is subjected to large accelerations, such as when a subject is exercising.

Optical adapters for wearable monitoring devices


A touch panel and a touch display device are disclosed, in which the touch panel includes a substrate, a touch component layer and a shielding-electrode film. The substrate has a surface. The touch component layer is disposed on the surface of the substrate and includes a metallic layer, an electrode layer, a protection layer and a hard coat layer. The protection layer is disposed between the metallic layer and the electrode layer. The hard coat layer at least covers the metallic layer and the electrode layer. The shielding-electrode film is disposed on the hard coat layer of the touch component layer, wherein the touch component layer is located between the substrate and the shielding-electrode film, and a resistance of the shielding-electrode film is greater than a resistance of the electrode layer.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention generally relates to a touch panel and a touch display device, and more particularly, to a touch panel and a touch display device with better touching sensitivity.
2. Description of Related Art
The existing touch panel comprises a glass substrate, a touch component layer and a transparent cover lens, in which the touch component layer is disposed on the glass substrate and located between the glass substrate and the transparent cover lens. In order to advance the operation characteristic of the touch panel, an electromagnetic shielding film is usually employed and adheres onto a surface of the glass substrate opposite to the transparent cover lens by using optical glue so as to increase the touching sensitivity of the touch panel. However, such design makes the whole thickness of the current touch panels unable to be effectively reduced so as to fail meeting the modern trend of slimming electronic products today. In this regard, how to effectively reduce the whole thickness of a touch panel and meanwhile advance the component operation characteristics of the touch panel becomes an important issue to be solved today.


A process of forming a structure by diffusion bonding and superplastic forming includes forming a pack from at least one skin sheet and at least one core sheet, placing the pack in a mould and heating it. A gas is injected between the skin sheet and the core sheet to urge the skin sheet against an internal face of the mould, thereby forming a cavity. Gas is also injected on the other side of the core sheet to urge it against the skin sheet, and gas pressure is maintained on said side of the core sheet thereby forming a diffusion bond between the skin sheet and the core sheet. Helium gas is used to maintain a regulated pressure of helium in the cavity between the skin sheet and the core sheet, which allows such gas trapped between the skin sheet and the core sheet to diffuse through the core sheet.

Combined superplastic forming /diffusion bonding (SPF/DB) is an established technique for making structural components, particularly lightweight components requiring complex internal structures, from materials that exhibit superplastic properties at elevated temperatures. These materials are primarily titanium alloys, especially (but not exclusively) titanium/aluminium/vanadium alloys.
Typical examples of known superplastic forming/diffusion bonding processes are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,143,276, U.S. Pat. No. 4,534,503, GB-2,030,480, GB-2,129,340, U.S. Pat. No. 4,607,783U.S. Pat. No. 4,351,470, U.S. Pat. No. 4,304,821, U.S. Pat. No. 5,994,666 and EP-0,502,620.
A typical known SPF/DB process will now be described in connection with FIG. 1, which shows four steps for forming a panel. In step 1, stopping off material may be applied between two core sheets 10, 12; stopping off material forms a layer that prevents the core sheets being diffusion bonded together at operating temperatures in the areas to which the stopping off material has been applied. The core sheets are then joined together by line bonds 14. These bonds can be formed by diffusion bonding the two core sheets 10,12 together, in which case the stopping off material should be omitted in the region of the line bonds 14. Alternatively, the core sheets can be bonded together by other techniques, for example resistance welding or laser bonding.
In step 2, a pack assembly is formed by sandwiching the core sheets 10, 12 between skin sheets 16, 18; the pack may then be sealed around its outer perimeter by a weld or a bond (not shown). Ducts are included in the pack assembly allowing gas to be injected into the region between the core sheets 10, 12 and independently in the region between the skin sheets 16, 18 and their adjacent core sheets, 10, 12. If necessary, gaps can be left in the line bonds 14 to allow the passage of gas between adjacent regions of the core sheets.
In step 3, the pack assembly is then placed between two halves of a moulding tool 20 that can be heated. The two halves of the moulding tool 20 are pressed together to form a gas tight seal between the edges of the pack assembly and the internal cavity in the tool. The clamping forces, when subsequently supplemented by heating, can provide for the development of diffusion bonds 21 around the periphery of the pack if so desired.
The tool is heated to a temperature at which superplastic forming takes place, which is typically in excess of 850° C. for a typical alloy, such a Ti-6% Al-4% V. An inert gas is firstly injected between each skin sheet 16, 18 and its adjacent core sheet 10, 12 respectively. This causes the skin sheets 16, 18 to be urged against the internal face of the mould tool 20, thereby adopting the shape of the internal face of the mould tool 20. Once the skin sheets 16, 18 have been urged away from the core sheets 10, 12, e.g. once they have been partially or fully formed into shape by the tool 20, gases are injected between the core sheets 10, 12 causing the areas between the bonds to "inflate". The inflation continues until the core sheets form a series of cells 22 divided by walls 24. The upper half of each wall 24 is formed by a double-backed section of core sheet 10; likewise, the bottom half of each wall 24 is formed by a double-backed section of core sheet 12. The bonds between the two halves of the wall are the line bonds 14 formed in step 1.
In step 4, the gas pressure within the cells 22 is maintained for a time after the cells have been inflated to form diffusion bonds 28 between the skin sheets 16, 18 and the adjacent areas of the core sheets 10, 12. Likewise, diffusion bonds 28 are formed between the double-backed sections of the core sheets 10,12 forming the walls 24 and between the outer edges 26 of the outer perimeter of the pack compressed by the two halves of the moulding tool 20.
The strength of the panel is greatly enhanced by the presence of the diffusion bonds 28 and it is desirable that they should be formed at all interfaces between the core sheets and the skin sheets. To that end, the gas within the cavities 30 between the core sheets and the skin sheets is controlled and gas is withdrawn from the cavities as they shrink during inflation of the cells to prevent the gas being trapped between the core and skin sheets, which would prevent intimate contact between these sheets and so hinder diffusion bonding. Gas is withdrawn from the cavities 30 in the region of the spandrels 32 formed at the top and bottom of the walls 24 between the core sheets and the skin sheets.
At superplastic forming temperatures, titanium alloys can form a surface layer (or "case"), which is an alpha phase formed particularly in the presence of alpha phase stabilising elements, such as oxygen and nitrogen. The formation of an alpha case in a location that is to be diffusion bonded drastically reduces the strength of the diffusion bond and in addition has a detrimental effect on fatigue performance. For this reason, the gas used in superplastic forming should be substantially free of such alpha case stabilising elements and so a high purity gas with a very low content of alpha case stabilising elements (in excess of 99.999% purity) should be used. In addition, the gas is customarily passed over a "getter" to further reduce the amount of any impurities that may be present. The gas that is almost universally used in superplastic forming is argon because it is inert and relatively cheap. Other inert gases have not been used since there has been no perceived advantage in using them over and above argon.
During the inflation of the core sheets, when the core sheets first contact the skin sheets (so-called "sticking contact"), there is a tendency for a compressive stress to be imparted by the expanding core sheets to the skin ahead of the advancing sticking contact point. This progressive stress can cause buckling of the skin layer, which is unsupported ahead of the advancing sticking contact point. The development of such buckling eventually causes excess skin material to be drawn into the cell structure at the point of the cell boundaries (i.e. above the spandrels) and a line defect in the skin occurs above the spandrels. It is customary, in order to minimise skin buckling, to maintain a back pressure of gas in the cavity 30 between the core sheet and the skin sheet during inflation of the cores. The magnitude of the back pressure necessary to avoid such buckling depends on the relative thickness of the core and the skin sheets and the geometry of the cells. The back pressure is normally removed once the cores have been fully formed (or approaching being fully formed) in order to prevent gas being trapped between the core sheet and the skin sheet, which reduces the strength of the diffusion bond between these sheets or indeed can prevent a diffusion bond being formed in those areas where gas is entrapped. Gas is usually removed from the cavity between the core and skin sheets via the spandrels, which maintains a gas conduit for at least a time after the core cells have been substantially formed. Thus, the removal of the back pressure between the core and skin sheets minimises the degree of potential gas entrapment within the spandrel structure that may result if the spandrel network should subsequently become blocked.
A schematic pressure-time cycle (PTC) in respect of the inflation of the core sheets is shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 2 does not include a PTC in respect of the inflation of the skin sheets. As can be seen, a back pressure (dashed line (-----) "a") is maintained between the core sheets and the skin sheets during inflation of the core sheets (step 3, indicated by arrow "3") but, once the core cells 22 have been substantially formed, the back pressure is removed and the pressure within the core cells is maintained for a predetermined time to allow for diffusion bonding within the panel. The pressure in the cells 22 is indicated by chained line () "b", giving a net pressure across the core sheets 10,12 indicated by solid line() "c".
The quality of the diffusion bonds formed during and after superplastic forming can be adversely affected by the use of a back pressure of gas in the cavity between the core sheets 10,12 and the skin sheets 16,18 caused, it is believed, by entrapment of small pockets of gas during the SPF/DB process. This is true even in the case of a PTC shown in FIG. 2 where the backing gas is evacuated as the cores are formed and the cavity between the core sheet and the skin sheet reduces in size. FIG. 3 shows a photomicrograph through the diffusion bonded region between a core sheet and a skin sheet using the above-described SPF/DB process. The black areas show entrapped gas. The rounded nature of the ends of the malformed bonds ("disbonds") is characteristic of there having been gas entrapment preventing intimate contact from occurring. The absence of any alpha case at the bond line confirms that the surfaces of both layers were clean during diffusion bonding.
Without wishing to be committed to any particular theory, it is believed that the gas is trapped as a result of high levels of strain-induced surface roughness. During superplastic forming, the high level of strain is accommodated by the material of the sheets by a process known as "grain boundary sliding", that is to say individual grains within the metal slide past each other during superplastic forming. The inevitable result of grain boundary sliding is that the surfaces of the sheets become roughened at a microstructural level due to individual surface grains protruding out of the original planar surfaces of the sheets being formed. As the surfaces of the core and skin sheets are brought into intimate contact under the application of the bonding pressure within the cores, any previously roughened surfaces will deform to produce an essentially flat interface. However, it is believed that gas can become trapped in the crevices behind protruding grains and become isolated from the receding cavity that will eventually become the spandrel. Without such a vent path back to the spandrel, a pocket of gas forms and prevents diffusion bonding. The application of back pressure compounds the above problem since a greater quantity of gas will be present in the cavity between the sheets to be diffusion bonded.
WO02/22286 describes a method of superplastic forming a single sheet using a silica mould. In order to prevent excessive contact between the sheet and mould, which could contaminate the sheet, a barrier is formed between the sheet and the mould, which may be solid or gaseous, e.g. boron nitride or an inert gas such as helium or argon.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,500,033 discloses a method of expelling entrapped air during superplastic forming by coating the superplastic sheets with a material that decomposes at a temperature below superplastic forming temperature to form an inert gas. The decomposition gas is then flushed out together with entrapped air by means of argon.

Superplastic forming and diffusion bonding process


A clip strip is formed as a unitary member which includes an elongated panel and an array of clips mounted on flexible resilient supports which project from the panel. Pressing on a first end of one of the clips moves the opposite end of the chip away from the elongated panel allowing merchandise to be inserted between the opposite end of the clip and the elongated panel. The resilient action of the support returning toward its unstressed condition holds the merchandise to the elongated panel. Alternatively merchandise having apertures may be hung on the first end of the clips.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to retail display units and more particularly to a clip strip which incorporates a flexible clip.
2. The Prior Art
Relevant prior art includes numerous devices among which are the devices shown in the following U.S. Patents.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,291,810 to Rubinstein shows a retaining assembly for packages which has a hollow support member having a front opening and a mounting bracket near the opening. A V-shaped clip has a back leg which passes through the opening and is compressed against a back wall of the support member. The clip includes a front member which is mounted pivotally on a mounting bracket. A front leg of the mounting bracket extends beyond the pivot point and is clamped against the support member by the back leg.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,573,590 to Ellis shows a clip strip display unit which has a row of flexible spring clips mounted on a vertical unit. The vertical unit includes a pair of oppositely directed flexible brackets which are proportioned to engage an edge of a shelf.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,096,070 to Jaynes shows a clip strip which incorporates a series of upwardly directed fingers which are designed to engage a hole in a bag of items to be supported. Adjacent each finger there is a pair of downwardly directed flaps which extend over a top of the bag and secure an upper edge of the bag to a backing sheet.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,461,387 to Belokin, Jr. shows an elongated steel support member which has a plurality of clips formed along its length. The clips are punched from the support member and are formed with an arcuate spring-like portion attached to the support member. An integral spring clip support assembly includes a base which holds a pair of support members in a vertical position. A wedging plug is inserted in the base and engages the support member to hold it tightly in the base.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,115,921 to Lavelle shows a display unit which includes an upright standard and branches carried by the standard end projecting laterally therefrom. The branches incorporate clips with each clip having a pair of jaws and a coil spring which urges the jaws toward a closed position.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,199,578 to Pendergraph et al. shows a display assembly which has a vertically disposed elongated planar strip of synthetic resin. A multiplicity of incisions are spaced along the strip with each incision having a pair of spaced, vertically extending legs and a transverse head portion. The incisions form upwardly extending tabs which are hinged to the planar strips. The tabs have horizontally extending ears which facilitate lodging the tabs in hanger apertures formed in blister cards.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,553,721 to Gebka shows a display unit made of plastic sheet which has W-shaped slits defining central fingers pointing to one end of the strip for suspending apertured products and outer fingers for suspending slotted products.
U.S. Design Pat. No. Des. 309,252 to Crowley shows a clip strip in which a plurality of clips are formed on a planar substrate by forming a plurality of W-shaped incisions in the substrate.
Despite developments of the prior art, there remains a need for a spring clip display unit which is economical to manufacture, easy to clean and which can be used easily to display merchandise which has apertures and also merchandise which does not have apertures.

Clip strip having flexible trapezoidal shaped intermediate support


An implantable device for controlling a body conduit including a cuff portion adapted to substantially encircle a body conduit. An inlet tube is operatively connected for delivering fluid to the cuff portion. The inlet tube has a one-way valve. An outlet tube is operatively connected to the cuff portion for releasing fluid therefrom and includes a normally closed valve. A pumping reservoir is in communication with the inlet tube and the outlet tube, wherein manipulation of the pumping reservoir inflates the cuff portion and manipulation of the normally closed valve deflates the cuff portion. An inflatable lumen surrounds the pumping reservoir and the cuff portion to provide rigidity and balance pressure between the cuff portion and the pumping reservoir.

1. Field of the Invention
The subject disclosure relates to systems for artificially constricting body conduits, and more particularly to an improved artificial sphincter for preventing fecal incontinence.
2. Background of the Related Art
In the medical field, colostomies, Krohn""s disease, short-gut syndrome in children, bowel resections for colorectal carcinoma and a variety of other circumstances can cause an individual to become incontinent. To accommodate such conditions, it is desirable to artificially constrict a body conduit or otherwise stop the flow of biological material therethrough.
Several devices have been developed to perform this function. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,750,194 to Summers discloses an apparatus for reversibly closing a body passage which includes a pump activated by an external switch to fill or empty a band, which acts as an artificial internal sphincter. U.S. Pat. No. 4,428,365 to Hakky discloses an anti-incontinent prosthesis which includes a strip of silicone rubber which has three bladders which are connected to tubing. The tubing connects the bladders to a flexible bulb. A non-return valve, between the bulb and the tubing, can be deformed to open the valve allowing the bladders to deflate. Pinching the flexible bulb fills the bladders with fluid.
Further examples include U.S. Pat. No. 4,634,443 to Haber, which discloses an elastofluidic sphincter having an occlusion cuff surrounding an expandable chamber. Primary and secondary fluid paths communicate with inlets and outlets of the expansible chamber. The fluid paths consist of several tube connectors and manually manipulatable one way check valves communicating with patient controlled hemispheric fluid reservoir-actuators. Depression of the fluid reservoirs increases pressure in the expansible chamber and manual manipulation of the check valves relieves pressure within the expansible chamber. A physician control port connected to the primary path facilitates adding more fluid to the system at any time.
Still further, U.S. Pat. No. 4,222,377 to Burton discloses a pressure regulated artificial sphincter having cuff member which encircles an affected vessel. A variable volume chamber, communicating with the cuff member, regulates system pressure. The cuff member receives fluid from hoses attached to a pump. Squeezing the pump introduces fluid into the cuff and chamber. A check valve prevents backflow when the pump is not being squeezed. To release the pressure within the cuff member, a tip portion of stem is depressed to overcome a spring tension against a blocking plug to unblock the check valve. U.S. Pat. No. 4,351,322 to Prager discloses a stoma control device having a ring for surgical implantation around an emerging bowel. The ring can be a gel filled skin containing a balloon which inflates to block the stoma.
Also, U.S. Pat. No. 4,994,020 to Polyak discloses an artificial sphincter which includes a cuff having a non-elastic backing and an inflatable inner cushion. The cuff is in fluid communication with a pump bulb by means of a tube. The tube has a one way check valve and a deactivation valve. U.S. Pat. No. 5,893,826 to Salama discloses an artificial sphincter. The artificial sphincter includes an inflatable balloon cuff which receives fluid through a tube from a syringe-type bulb pump connected to a one-way valve. The patient squeezing the valve with their fingers opens the valve and allows the cuff to deflate. The bulb pump is constructed of rubber or plastic with sufficient memory to allow it to maintain shape.
In light of the foregoing, a need exists for an artificial sphincter which is simple, reliable, cost-effective and which will not fail or damage the adjoining tissue.
The present disclosure provides an device for controlling the flow of matter through a body including a cuff portion configured to substantially encircle a section of a body conduit. An inlet conduit is operatively connected to the cuff portion for delivering fluid. The inlet conduit has a first flow control device operatively associated therewith. An outlet conduit is operatively connected to the cuff portion for releasing fluid therefrom. The outlet conduit has a second flow control device. A pumping reservoir is in fluid communication with the inlet conduit and the outlet conduit, wherein actuation of the pumping reservoir causes fluid to ingress into the cuff portion such that the cuff portion radially contracts and actuation of the second flow control device causes fluid to egress from the cuff portion such that the cuff portion radially expands. A lumen surrounds the cuff portion for admitting a fluid to provide rigidity and balance the pressure between the cuff portion and the pumping reservoir.
Another embodiment of the present disclosure is an artificial sphincter having an inflatable cuff for occluding a body passageway. The inflatable cuff has an interior wall portion and an exterior wall portion, wherein a first lumen is defined between the exterior wall portion and the interior wall portion, and a second lumen is defined by the interior wall portion. A pumping reservoir is in fluid communication with the inflatable cuff for controlling the ingress and egress of fluid to and from the second lumen to cause the inflatable cuff to radially contract and expand relative to the body passageway.
Still another embodiment of the present disclosure includes an implantable device for reversibly closing a body passageway. The device includes a coil having an elastic radially inner portion configured to be positioned about a body passageway such that when pressure within the coil increases, the elastic radially inner portion expands radially inward to block the body passageway. When pressure decreases, the elastic radially inner portion contracts and the body passageway opens. An outer housing provides structural support to the coil and a port is provided to inject fluid into the outer housing to adjust the rigidity of the outer housing. A reservoir stores fluid to reversibly inflate the coil by way of the at least one tube operatively connecting the coil to the reservoir. The tube has a valve to prevent backflow of fluid from the at least one coil into the reservoir and allow opening to allow fluid to flow from the coil into the reservoir.
Yet another embodiment of the present disclosure includes an artificial sphincter for controlling incontinence which has a cuff in the form of at least part of a turn of a coil. The cuff has an outer wall, an intermediate wall and an elastic inner wall. The outer wall and intermediate wall define a first lumen therebetween and the intermediate wall and the elastic inner wall define a second lumen therebetween. An injection port is provided to allow a surgeon to inflate the first lumen to set shape and rigidity but not to occlude the bowel and a pumping reservoir allows the patient to reversibly inflate and deflate the second lumen.
These and other unique features of the system disclosed herein will become more readily apparent from the following description, the accompanying drawings and the appended claims.

Device for preventing fecal incontinence


A crash box for a vehicle may include a first plate having a middle end formed with a cylindrical first flange protruding in one direction, a second plate having a middle end formed with a cylindrical second flange protruding in another direction, a pipe having each of both ends coupled to the corresponding first and second flanges respectively, and an impact absorbing device configured to absorb an impact while the first flange and the pipe matched with each other through the impact absorbing device may be shear-deformed at a time of crash by pressing an overlapping portion of the first flange and one end of the pipe to deform shapes of a pressed portion of the first flange and the pipe into shapes matched with each other.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a crash box for a vehicle, and more particularly, to a crash box for a vehicle capable of increasing the absorption of crash energy by a molding structure of the crash box by matching, deformation, and welding of a flange and a pipe and reducing the cost and weight of a product by reducing the number of parts.
2. Description of Related Art
A bumper serves to buffer crash energy generated at the time of a crash of vehicles and as illustrated in FIG. 1, is configured to include a bumper stay 11 which is coupled to a vehicle body, a back beam 12 which is coupled to the bumper stay 11, an absorber 13 which is coupled to a front surface of the back beam 12 to absorb crash energy, and a bumper cover 14 which is coupled to the vehicle body in a form enclosing the absorber 13 from being exposed to the outside.
Further, a crash box 30 is mounted between the back beam 12 and a side member to absorb the crash energy at the time of low-speed crash, thereby minimizing a damage of parts of a vehicle and providing for the safety of passengers.
The crash box 30 has a square box structure of which the inside is empty and is configured to absorb the crash energy while the box structure collapses at the time of the occurrence of accidents.
As the typical crash box, a crash box structure filled with a foam member to increase absorption efficiency of crash energy, a crash box structure absorbing crash energy in such a manner that a plurality of squared axis pipes are coupled with each other, and the like have been proposed; however, these crash box structures have a disadvantage in that cost and weight are increased due to the increased number of parts, energy deforming a vehicle body is excessively present, and absorption efficiency of crash energy is small.
The information disclosed in this Background of the Invention section is only for enhancement of understanding of the general background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art.


A method of using climate data to determine activity index values for a given activity. One embodiment provides a method of more objectively determining the desirability of an activity based on climate data by determining an activity index value using a weighted-element type analysis. Multiple activity index values may be determined for different time periods and used to provide information useful in comparing the desirability of the different time periods for a given activity. The activity index values may be used to answer questions such as “what is the best month to visit Kingston, Jamaica” and “what is the worst season for allergies in Atlanta.”

The Internet is a rapidly developing source of information useful to consumers in planning their activities and travel. Weather and climate information are of particular interest in this planning. Unfortunately, the Internet sites that provide weather and climate information have generally focused on providing short term weather forecast information and have limited content for longer-term planning. Furthermore, consumers generally have to go through several layers of navigation before reaching information that is useful for planning purposes. For more information on the deficiencies of some current weather information services see U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/766,295 to Ryan, et al. entitled "Weather Information Delivery Systems and Methods Providing Planning Functionality And Navigation Tools" published as U.S. Patent Application 20020130899 and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/707,335 entitled "Targeted Weather Information Delivery Systems and Methods;" now abandoned, both incorporated herein by this reference.
Weather and climate have a great influence on people's activity and travel planning. People rely on weather forecast and climate information when making decisions and planning their activities and often wonder and discuss the optimal times to do certain things (e.g., play golf, visit a particular city, plant trees or flowers). They frequently ask questions such as what is the best time to visit Colorado, what is the best time of year to vacation in Kingston, Jamaica, are conditions good for a vacation to Cancun, etc. Unfortunately, there is no comprehensive source that provides objectively based answers to these questions.
Guide books, almanacs, and travel planning guides may offer recommendations about the best and worst times of year to visit an area and may even mention times of the year that are better for certain activities, such as golf, than other times of year. One of the problems with these recommendations is that they are typically vague and have a high level of subjectivity. Furthermore, the recommendation information does not take into account the consumer's specific preferences. For example, one person may prefer playing golf in hot weather rather than cool weather, while another prefers playing in cool weather rather than hot weather, while yet another is relatively indifferent to the temperature as long as its within a certain range but is more sensitive to and does not enjoy playing in windy conditions.
Weather forecast information available on the Internet may also be useful in planning activities. However, this type of information is typically based on short term weather forecasts. Weather forecast based activity indexes currently provide activity specific information based mostly on short term forecasted weather conditions, such as a 10-day forecast. For example, golf indexes are available as a measure of a set of weather conditions that influence the game of golf, such as temperature, humidity, lightning conditions, wind conditions, and precipitation. This allows consumers to more easily plan their activities by giving consumers the short term forecasted weather information tightly integrated with golf information.
Weather forecasts typically involve very limited climate information. Climate information may be used as a check to tell when short term forecasts are far off. Typical forecasts are based on ground observations of current and recent weather conditions such as dew point, humidity, visibility, cloud cover, etc. Weather forecasts are also based in part on current and recent weather balloon data. Typically, weather forecasting systems combine the ground and weather balloon observation data in a computer model to create a weather forecast. This is done for multiple locations around the globe and forecasts are typically combined together to create a model of the global flow of weather around the planet. These forecast models are usually run and rerun four or five times a day to ensure that the information in the model is current. These weather forecasting and modeling techniques provide useful weather information for short term activity planning.
In spite of the many uses and benefits of the weather-based activity planning tools available, there continues to be a need for additional and more powerful activity planning functionality. Specifically, consumers desire a tool that can help them make longer term planning decisions based on climate data as well as other factors. Climate data, which is typically based on historical data, is useful in understanding expected weather conditions for a given location. Climate data is often important for making long term and more general predictions about the weather conditions. For example, some sources of climate data provide data for a set 30 year period, allowing predictions to be made about future years, e.g. the fact that the average temperature in Atlanta in August over a recent 30 years period was 92 degrees can be used to predict that next August in Atlanta will have daily temperatures somewhere around 92 degrees. Climate data is typically collected and maintained in 30 year sets of data and updated every ten years rather than on a rolling period. For example, some sources of climate data are currently using a data set that includes information compiled from 1970 to 2000. Thirty years of relatively recent data is typically enough to provide reliable averages but does not extend so far back that global shifts in climate skew the results. Generally, the dataset of climate data should encompass a range of years that is broad enough that it provides a representative picture of what usually happens and current enough to reflect recent climatology shifts.
Current planning systems and tools do not allow users to conveniently and easily see how climate data impacts activity planning. There is currently no source of weather information that provides a comprehensive tool for long term planning based on more general climate data. Accordingly, there is a need for a comprehensive source to provide climate-based activity and travel planning.

Method of determining a climate-based activity index and best-time-to recommendation


The present invention relates to a furnace (10), its method of operation and control. The invention overcomes problems associated with existing furnaces by improving the recovery rate of waste metal. In a preferred embodiment the furnace (10) comprises a cylindrical body of constant internal diameter. The furnace body (12) is mounted on a frame (15) pivoted to a ground members (16a and 16b), the furnace body (12) is adapted to be reclined or inclined or at various angles (α and ⊖); a burner (30) to heat the furnace, and a door (19a, 19b) for sealing an open end (14). As the internal walls of the furnace body (12) are of a constant diameter, it is no longer necessary to incline the furnace (10) to such a degree in order to pour molten metal, because there is no narrow neck (which previously acted like a weir). In a preferred embodiment combustion air is routed through the door hinge to the burner (30). As a result the air/fuel delivery system has gas tight rotary and elbow joints is attached to the furnace (10) and tilts and moves with the furnace (10). An artificial intelligence system monitors process variables and controls the operation of the furnace (10).

Furnaces for the recovery of metals, such as aluminium, are well known. Increasingly there is a demand for such furnaces, as legislation tends to encourage recovery and recycling of materials, particularly waste metals. There are also environmental benefits in recovering waste metals, rather than mining and smelting virgin ore. Aluminium is particularly well suited for mixing recovered (waste) aluminium with new aluminium material.
For the purposes of the present specification and the understanding of the invention, the furnace, its methods of operation and control will be described with reference to recovery of aluminium. However, it will be understood that variation to materials, operating conditions and parameters may be made so as to modify the furnace in order to enable recovery of other non-ferrous metals.
Furnaces for recovering waste aluminium have a heating system which melts the aluminium. A flux is introduced into the furnace to assist with the aluminium recovery. The flux generally consists of NaCl and KCl, other chemicals such as cryolite, may be added to the flux. The flux or salt cake assists in the process and is a well-known art. At elevated temperatures, typically from 200° C. -1000° C., the melted flux floats on the molten aluminium, as it is less dense. Pouring of recovered liquid aluminium is then possible by tipping or tilting the furnace in such a way that the flux remains in the furnace.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Furnace, its method of operating and control


Disclosed is an electric power system including a first unit (for example, a unit 201) equipped with a first power source (for example, a solar panel (201b)), a first rechargeable battery (for example, a unit storage battery (201c)) to which an output of the first power source is input, and a first power consuming portion (not shown) to which an output of the first rechargeable battery is input; a second rechargeable battery (for example, a shared storage battery (202)); and an electric power line (for example, a shared electric power line (203)) for sharing electric power between the first rechargeable battery and the second rechargeable battery.

Regarding electric power supply, various proposals are presented from a viewpoint of environmental load reduction. For instance, Patent Document 1 discloses a photovoltaic power generation system constituted of solar cells, a storage battery, and an interconnection inverter having a self sustaining function, which is operated as an interconnection photovoltaic power generation system when the system power supply is normal, and in a disaster situation the inverter is operated in a self sustaining mode using the solar cells and the storage battery as power sources so as to supply electric power to a specific load. In this photovoltaic power generation system, the inverter has a bidirectional function, and supplemental charging of the storage battery is performed with the system side electric power by operating the inverter in a converter mode when the system power supply is normal. It is also proposed that the supplemental charging of the storage battery should be performed after the interconnection photovoltaic power generation operation is stopped, and further that the supplemental charging of the storage battery should be performed during a time slot to which a midnight power rate is applied. In addition, Patent Document 2 proposes an electric power selling system by the photovoltaic power generation.


An inductor includes soft magnetic alloy powder-containing resin that contains amorphous soft magnetic alloy powder, which resin is used as a sealing material that seals a coil wound around a winding core of the core. This soft magnetic alloy powder-containing resin contains two groups of large and small particles having a first peak and second peak in their particle size distribution, where the particle size corresponding to the second peak is equal to or smaller than one-half the particle size corresponding to the first peak, and the magnitude ratio (abundance ratio) of the second peak and first peak is 0.2 or more but 0.6 or less. The inductor demonstrates improved DC superimposition characteristics and does not cause sealing irregularities.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an inductor, and specifically to a coil-type inductor.
2. Description of the Related Art
Inductors do not permit high-frequency components to easily pass through and are therefore used in filters and power circuits for noise elimination, smoothing, etc. Inductors are structurally classified into the coil type, laminated type, thin-membrane type, etc., among which, coil-type inductors are frequently used particularly in DC-DC converters and other applications where large current is applied.
Recent years have seen a growing demand for smaller inductors with an increase in the component mounting density of electronic devices. However, a smaller inductor means a reduced volume of the inductor core (core made of magnetic material), which makes the inductor prone to deterioration of DC superimposition characteristics (inductance when a DC current load is applied).
As a result, inductors whose DC superimposition characteristics will not deteriorate even when the inductor size is reduced, are desired.
Patent Literature 1 mentioned below discloses a technology relating to a mold coil whose structure is such that the coil is sealed by magnetic mold resin (resin with magnetic powder dispersed in it) (hereinafter referred to as "prior art"). It is stated that, according to this prior art, excellent DC superimposition characteristics can be obtained (Paragraph [0011] in the literature).


A printer includes a lower tray and an upper tray disposed above the lower tray. An optical sensor which detects the presence or absence of a sheet is disposed above the upper tray. The optical sensor is disposed in a roller support member which supports a feeding roller and serves as a swingable swing member. A distance between the optical sensor and the sheet is adjusted by swing of the roller support member according to the number of sheets.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a recording apparatus and a medium feeding device which include a medium accommodation unit for accommodating a medium and a medium detection unit that detects the presence or absence of the medium in the medium accommodation unit.
2. Related Art
In a recording apparatus represented by a facsimile machine and a printer, a sheet feeding tray (cassette) which is attachable to and detachable from an apparatus body has been widely used in the related art. In some cases, a sensor is disposed so as to detect the presence or absence of a sheet or to detect the presence or absence of the sheet feeding cassette itself. In addition, when separate sensors respectively detect the presence or absence of the sheet and mounting of the sheet feeding cassette, the cost is increased. In view of the increasing cost, a sheet feeding device disclosed in JP-A-2006-282311 has a configuration where one sensor detects the mounting of the sheet feeding cassette and the presence or absence of the sheet.
Incidentally, the number of sheets inside the sheet feeding tray varies each time. Accordingly, for example, in a configuration where an optical sensor is arranged at a position opposing the sheet feeding tray and the presence or absence of the sheet is detected by using a change in reflectivity, there is a possibility that detection accuracy may also vary due to a changing distance between the optical sensor and the sheet depending on the number of sheets.
For example, when the number of sheets is small, a reflection position (uppermost position of the sheet) of light emitted from the optical sensor is far from the optical sensor. Accordingly, there is a possibility that a light amount of reflection light received by a light receiving unit may be decreased and thus the detection accuracy may be degraded. In order to prevent such a problem, the light amount of the reflection light is determined based on a case where the number of sheets is small. In this case, there is a possibility that the light amount of the reflection light received by the light receiving unit may be increased when the number of sheets is large and the light receiving unit may be progressively degraded.

Recording apparatus and medium feeding device


The present invention provides a composition and food for improving skin condition containing exopolysaccharides produced by Ceriporia lacerata, a mycelial culture fluid of Ceriporia lacerata comprising the exopolysaccharides, a dry powder of the mycelial culture fluid or an extract of the mycelial culture fluid as an active ingredient. The composition and the food for improving skin condition have a superior skin whitening effect, wrinkle improving effect, skin moisturizing effect or skin anti-aging effect.

Skin is the primary preventive barrier of human body, which protects the organs in the body from external environmental stimuli and plays an important role in maintaining the body's homeostasis. However, as the skin gets old, the skin undergoes aging process progressively, resulting in the phenomena such as loss of skin elasticity, keratinization, wrinkle formation, and skin atrophy, etc.
Accordingly, there has been an attempt to promote collagen synthesis using retinoic acid and animal placenta-derived proteins, etc., as substances for improving skin condition, however, since retinoic acid is unstable, it is not only difficult to be formulated, but has limitation in terms of safety, while animal placenta-derived proteins have a fatal disadvantage that it could be from bovine extracts from cows with mad cow disease.
On the other hand, as whitening ingredients for skin beauty, substances which inhibit tyrosinase enzyme activity such as kojic acid and arbutin, etc., hydroquinone, vitamin C and derivatives thereof and various plant extracts have been used. However, the use of these substances is limited due to poor stability in a formulation resulting in coloration from decomposition, generation of foul odor, and uncertainty of their effects at in vivo level, etc.
It is known that Ceriporia lacerata is a kind of white-rotting fungus and conducts co-metabolism, i.e., lignin decomposition, in order to use carbon sources such as cellulose, hemi-cellulose, other polysaccharides, and glycerol, etc., in the ecosystem.
Regarding the use of Ceriporia lacerata in medical treatment, only the use of the extract of the culture medium of Ceriporia lacerata disclosed in Korean Patent No. 10-1031605 in the treatment of in diabetes is known so far. However, it has not been reported that Ceriporia lacerata has skin condition-improving effect using yet.

Composition for improving skin wrinkle containing exopolysaccharide produced by


Described herein are compositions and methods relating to luminescent structures.

Zero-dimensional perovskites, such as Cs4PbBr6, promise outstanding emissive properties. However, current synthetic methods for such highly emissive materials are mostly based on the melting of precursor materials (such as CsBr and PbBr2). Melting of precursor products usually can lead to the co-formation of undesired phases and impure products, due to incongruent melting of reaction products, such as Cs4PbBr6. Utilization of impure products is not desired as the impure products may not meet the potential physical properties of pure products, preventing the widespread adoption of highly emissive and/or luminescent structures, such as those with zero-dimensional perovskites.
Accordingly, there is a need to address the aforementioned deficiencies and inadequacies.

Compositions and methods relating to luminescent structures

KING ABDULLAH UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY


A technique for simplifying the control of a switch is presented. In one embodiment, a method of controlling a switch as a function of the voltage across the switch is presented. In one embodiment a method of controlling a switch as a function of the slope of the voltage across the switch is present. In one embodiment a switching is switched on for an on time period that is substantially fixed in response to a voltage across the switch while the switch is off. In one embodiment a switch is switched on for an on time period that is substantially fixed in response to the slope of the voltage across the switch while the switch is off.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to switches and, more specifically, the present invention relates to semiconductor switches that are coupled to control circuits.
2. Background Information
Electronic circuits using switches coupled to control circuits typically have to be designed to meet cost targets defined at the start of a design. The control circuitry used to control the switching of the switches can be a significant part of the electronic circuit cost and any way to reduce the cost of this circuitry is therefore a benefit.
One circuit configuration using switches coupled to control circuits is a power conversion circuit called a half bridge converter. This circuit typically has two switches configured in a half bridge wherein one switch is referred to as a high side switch and the other is referred to as a low side switch as will be known to one skilled in the art.
The control of power delivery to the load in this type of circuit is typically achieved by a control circuit controlling the period of time for which each switch is on within a switching cycle. This on time period is typically controlled in response to a feedback signal received from a sense circuit coupled to the load. The frequency of the switching, being the reciprocal of the time between the start of one on time period and the start of the next on time period of one of the switches, is determined either by an oscillator forming part of the control circuit or a resonant frequency of the load circuitry coupled to the low side and high side switches.
In circuits where the oscillator forms part of the control circuit, turn on and or turn off signals are typically coupled to the high side switch in the half bridge by level shift circuitry, as will be known to one skilled in the art, which adds significant cost to the overall half bridge circuit. In circuits where the frequency of switching is determined by a resonant frequency of the load circuitry coupled to the low side and high side switches, the turn on and or turn off signals can again be coupled to the high side switch by level shift circuitry or using inductively coupled drive signals, which typically sense the current or voltage at the load to determine the time at which to turn on the low side and high side switches.
Since the inductively coupled drive signals can be coupled with separate windings and therefore individually referenced to the low side and high side switch control circuits, the requirement for other level shift circuitry is eliminated. However, the inductively coupled element is required which is coupled to the load and the control circuitry for both low side and high side switches, which again adds cost to the overall half bridge circuit.
In other configurations, inductively coupled drive signals can be used to determine the start of an on time period of either the high side or low side switches and individual oscillators coupled to both low side and high side switches are used to determine the time at which the low side or high side switches are turned off. Again, in these configurations, an inductively coupled drive circuit and an oscillator or timing circuit is required for both high side and low side switches, which adds cost. The same limitations apply to full bridge circuits and other configurations requiring a high side switch.

Method and apparatus for simplifying the control of a switch


A device with a memory function for detecting closure of vehicle doors and the method thereof is disclosed. Before a vehicle door is open, a detecting signal near the outer side of the door is emitted and its detection status is recorded. When the vehicle door is to be closed, a first detecting signal is emitted from the door frame top downwards and a second detecting signal is emitted near the outer side of the door. If the first detecting signal indicates that a person is at the door or the second detecting signal indicates that a person exists on the outer side of the door by comparison with a precious record, then the door is prohibited from being closed. Otherwise, the door can be closed. This automatic detection method can prevent the driver from accidentally hurt passengers by carelessly closing the doors.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a device with a memory function for controlling the closure of vehicle doors. In particular, the invention pertains to a device that is disposed around a vehicle door for detection, so that passengers can be prevented from being accidentally hurt by closing doors. The method thereof is also disclosed.
2. Description of Related Art
In mass transportation, it often happens that passengers are hurt by closing doors. For example, a bus usually has a front door and a rear door. The open, and close of the doors are controlled by the driver. To prevent the doors from hurting people or objects as they close, the driver has to check whether any person or object is in the vicinity of the door area through a rear mirror inside the vehicle or a side minor outside the vehicle. If there are many people inside the bus the driver's vision may be blocked so that the door is closed at the wrong timing to hurt passengers. This is particularly so for the rear door. If passengers are still getting on and off the bus, they may be hurt by the closing door. Such accidents happen all the time.
One solution is to install a camera near the door and a small monitor by the driver. However, this method requires the use of monitor and camera that involve a higher cost. Moreover, the camera may capture inappropriate images of ladies in summer time. Therefore, it is not widely used.
Another solution is to install a sensor on the door (similar to the elevator). If some person or object is squeezed by the door as it closes, the door automatically opens. However, if the pinched is a soft object such as a backpack belt, a scarf, or the edge of a skirt, then the above-mentioned sensor may not be able to detect it. Therefore, this is unsafe to people getting off the vehicle. For example, the passenger may be pulled by the vehicle because his/her backpack belt is held by the door.
A third solution is to install infrared (IR) or ultrasonic wave sensors above the door. When a person stands at the door, it notifies the driver not to close the door. Nevertheless, if the bus is crowded with people, the IR or ultrasonic wave sensor may incorrectly detect people or objects in the vicinity of the door, resulting erroneous reports.

Device with memory function for controlling closure of vehicle and method thereof