A current bypass circuit used in a semiconductor integrated circuit supplied with power from power sources having respective different DC voltages in relation to a reference potential, a p type (or n type) substrate of the semiconductor integrated circuit being connected to the reference potential, includes a current switching circuit and a voltage level detecting circuit. The current switching circuit is connected between the reference potential and the DC voltage source for switching between a conductive state and a cutoff state. The voltage level detecting circuit is connected to a control power source that maintains the current switching circuit in a conductive state when the voltage appearing across both terminals of the current switching circuit is equal or lower than a predetermined voltage. The voltage level detecting circuit cuts-off the current switching circuit when the voltage across both terminals of the current switching circuit exceeds a predetermined value. Thereby, needed isolation between the elements in the semiconductor integrated circuit is provided.

1. Field of the invention
This invention relates to a semiconductor integrated circuit which receives electrical power at different direct current voltages. More particularly, the invention relates to a semiconductor integrated circuit for preventing deterioration of or damage to elements due to abnormal currents that can occur in a transient state, when a direct current is turned on and off in a semiconductor integrated circuit.
2. Description of the Prior art
It has been made possible to integrate a plurality of functions, implemented by several semiconductor circuits, into one semiconductor device or one monolithic semiconductor integrated circuit, by the introduction of the large scale semiconductor integrated circuit. Thus, the number of parts and size has decreased, and price and electrical power consumption have been lowered, while performance has been improved. This trend is accelerating, and much effort is being made to remove even one part from an electrical device. By integrating as many functions as possible into one semiconductor device, the number of electrical parts has been reduced.
In the past, semiconductor devices with different constructions were produced on respective independent substrates. Thus, the reduction in the number of parts has been limited. However, semiconductor devices having different constructions, such as identical substrate Bi-CMOS (Bipolar-Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) are easily produced at the present time. In this way, a large scale integrated circuit (LSI) has become of use with the advantages of bipolar transistors, such as analog processing ability, high current driving ability, and high speed operation and also the advantages of CMOS, such as high density integration and low power consumption, which helps to achieve the objects described above. However, in the case of an analog-digital hybrid circuit, such as a Bi-CMOS circuit, a CMOS logic circuit normally requires a positive power source, an analog circuit normally requires both positive and negative power supplies, and bipolar ECL (Emitter Coupled Logic) normally requires a negative power source for a reference potential, Vref. Generally, an input-output voltage of a CMOS logic circuit requires a positive voltage, an input-output voltage of an analog circuit requires both positive and negative voltages, and an input-output voltage of an ECL circuit requires a negative voltage. In a case like this where constructions and circuit systems differ, it is impossible to drive respective circuits with a single voltage, and it is necessary to provide power supplies with a different polarity or voltages compared to the reference potential Vref, according to circuit requirements.
FIGS. 11A-11F show a circuit block integrated into a single semiconductor circuit substrate. FIGS. 11A-11C show cases of a p-type substrate, and FIGS. 11D-FIG. 11F show cases of an n-type substrate. In FIGS. 11A-11F, frames drawn with dotted lines show portions of a semiconductor integrated circuit on the same substrate. A positive voltage +Vdd and a negative voltage -Vss, compared to the reference potential Vref, are supplied from the outside. Circuits 1, 2, and 3 are CMOS circuits, other MOS circuits, and logic circuits or analog circuits, including ECL bipolar elements, as described above.
In the past, in semiconductor integrated circuits that receive electrical power from the different DC (direct current) voltage power sources, compared to the reference potential Vref, and use the reference potential Vref, there have been cases in which the on-off sequence of the different power sources had to be decided prior to use. In addition, when the on-off sequence of the different power sources cannot be assigned, some measures are needed between the power source circuit and the semiconductor Integrated circuit.
When semiconductor integrated circuits are formed on one silicon substrate, even in the described BI-CMOS semiconductor integrated circuit, circuit elements on a p-type silicon substrate are mutually connected inside the circuit. The method normally used to isolate the Integrated circuits is a pn junction. In this method, elements are normally isolated by applying a reverse bias voltage to a pn junction. If a p-type (or an n-type) silicon substrate is employed in order to apply the reverse bias voltage to the pn junction, a minimum electric potential (or a maximum electric potential) is given to the substrate. If this condition cannot be satisfied, a parasitic circuit is secondarily activated in the designed elements. In a CMOS circuit, the activation causes latch-up, and excessive current flows into elements and wires and may cause deterioration or breakage. In the case of a bipolar circuit, activation of a parasitic element causes heating in labyrinthine circuits, sometimes causing deterioration of or damage to elements. In recent years, design technology has improved, and latch-up and deterioration of or damage to the elements has become rare. However, since the construction potentially Includes the phenomenon described above, depending on the on-off sequence of different power sources, protection is needed when the circuits are turned on or turned off.
FIG. 12 shows a sectional view of a simple Bi-CMOS Integrated circuit in a p-type substrate of a semiconductor integrated circuit. In FIG. 12 the circuit comprises internal electrical elements, power supplies providing voltages +Vdd and -Vss, and switches S1 and S2, which turn on or off the power source current, an input "in 1" of the CMOS circuit and an input "In 2" of the bipolar circuit. FIGS. 13A and 13B show electrical equivalent circuits of the structure of FIG. 12. Unimportant resistors and other elements are omitted in FIGS. 12, 13A, and 13B. In FIGS. 12, 13A, and 13B, p channel transistors T1 and n channel transistors T2 form the CMOS circuit, and npn transistors T3 and resistors R4 and RS, formed by diffusion, form the bipolar circuits. In FIGS. 13A and 13B, the single dot dashed line shows the designed circuit and the double dot dashed line shows the parasitic circuits. In FIGS. 13A and 13B, transistors Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4, and Q5, and resistors R1, R2, R3, and R4 are secondary parasitic elements. The application of the power supply voltages to these parasitic circuits is explained below.
FIG. 13A shows a normal case where the switch S2 is turned on prior to the switch S1, according to a normal sequence of power sources. In FIG. 13A, the switch S1 is opened, and the switch S2 is closed to apply a voltage -Vss to the parasitic circuits. Since the voltage -Vss, which is a reverse voltage, is applied to the p-type substrate, current does not flow in the parasitic circuit. That is, the negative voltage -Vss is applied to the base of the transistor Q3, as shown by the arrow V, and a ground potential, which is the reference potential Vref (potential 0), is applied to the emitter of the transistor Q3, as shown by the arrow U. Thus, the junction between the base and the emitter is in a reverse bias state, so current does not flow from the base to the emitter. The junction between the collector and the emitter of the parasitic npn transistor Q3 is in a non-conductive state. Hence, the parasitic circuit does not have any influence on the designed circuit, and the designed circuit operates as expected. Further, when the switch S1 is closed, the designed circuit enters a normal operational condition.
FIG. 13B shows an abnormal case where the switch S1 is turned on prior to the switch S2, which is a reverse sequence for applying the voltages. In FIG. 13B, the switch S1 is open, and the switch S2 is closed to apply the voltage +Vdd to the circuit. At this time, the p-type substrate is at a high electric potential compared to the reference potential Vref. A current flows from the voltage +Vdd to the ground as shown by an arrow W, through the resistors R4 and R5, the parasitic transistor Q5, parasitic resistors R3 and R2, and the base and the emitter of the parasitic npn transistor Q3. As a result, a path between the collector and the emitter of the parasitic npn transistor Q3 becomes conductive, and the electric potential of the base of the parasitic pnp transistor Q4 decreases.
Therefore, the current flows from the emitter to the base of the parasitic pnp transistor Q4 as shown by an arrow X, the path between the emitter and the collector of the parasitic pnp transistor Q4 becomes conductive, and the current flows from the base to the emitter of the parasitic npn transistor Q3, as shown by an arrow Y. Once this condition is achieved, the currents flow continuously through the transistors Q4 and Q3 as shown by arrows Y and Z, even if the current flow shown by an arrow W stops. As a result, the current path becomes warm, and elements might deteriorate or be damaged, which is referred to as a latch-up. Hence, normal operation cannot be ensured when the switch S2 is closed. In this manner, if the sequence for supplying the voltage is different from the normal sequence, problems could occur as explained above.
However, it is understandable that this kind of problem does not occur if the electric potential of the substrate Is maintained at the reference potential Vref, that is, the minimum electric potential. In other words, in FIG. 13B, if the substrate voltage is lower than around +0.3V, the current between the base and the emitter of the parasitic npn transistor Q3 hardly flows, and thus it seems possible to avoid problems such as explained above. However, the occurrence of the latch-up phenomenon depends on the pattern layout of the respective circuit elements, electric characteristics, and ambient temperature characteristics. Therefore, the pattern layout has to be designed with enough caution, just as in the conventional layout. If the switch S1 and the switch S2 are closed simultaneously, whether the latch-up phenomenon will result depends on the circuits, the pattern layout, and the electric characteristics of the elements.
As described above, when power is supplied to a monolithic semiconductor circuit which requires different DC voltage power sources, special attention is needed when turning on or turning off the power sources. If the substrate potential is unstable in a circuit with bipolar elements, the parasitic elements activate, depending on the layout of elements or circuit construction, which causes an abnormal current. As shown in the frames drawn with the dashed line in FIG. 13A or FIG. 13B, even in a simple circuit which is designed from resistors R4 and R5, and an npn transistor T3, a more complex circuit is secondarily formed by parasitic elements. In order not to active these parasitic elements, it is necessary to constantly maintain the electric potential of the substrate at the minimum electric potential. In order to maintain the electric potential, special attention is needed so that the electric potential of the substrate does not rise when the pattern layout is designed. If not, there is a possibility that the parasitic elements will be activated. In the frames drawn with double dot dash lines in FIGS. 13A and 13B, the parasitic circuit formed by the parasitic transistors Q1 and Q5 is similar to the previously described parasitic circuit formed by pnp transistor Q4 and npn transistor Q3. Therefore, when the electric potential of the substrate rises locally, excessive current may flow into the elements and even into the bipolar circuit.
As shown in FIGS. 11A-11F, when a plurality of circuits are formed on the same substrate, when voltages are supplied to a semiconductor integrated circuit using a p-type substrate (or an n-type substrate), it is preferable to apply a voltage -Vss prior to applying +Vdd (or +Vdd prior to -Vss). When disconnecting the voltage, it is preferable to disconnect voltage +Vdd prior to disconnecting voltage -Vss (or -Vss prior to +Vdd). FIG. 14A and FIG. 14B are timing charts showing a desired sequence of the turning on and turning off, and FIG. 15A and FIG. 15B are timing charts showing an undesired sequence of the turning on and turning off.
As described above, FIGS. 13A and 13B show circuits where a circuit 1 in FIG. 11A corresponds to a CMOS circuit comprising T1 and T2, a circuit 3 corresponds to a bipolar circuit comprising T3. As explained above, FIG. 13A illustrates a normal conventional power source voltage supplying sequence, while FIG. 13B illustrates an abnormal conventional power source voltage supplying sequence. Electrically, it is noteworthy that current flows from the base to the emitter of the parasitic npn transistor Q3 in the parasitic circuit in FIG. 13B, that is to say, the path between the collector and the emitter of the parasitic npn transistor Q3 becomes conductive, while current does not flow from the base to the emitter of the parasitic npn transistor Q3 in the parasitic circuit in FIG. 13A.
Abnormal current in the parasitic element is caused when the substrate electric potential exceeds the reference potential Vref. Especially when a silicon substrate is employed, once the substrate electric potential exceeds the reference potential Vref by the amount of a forward voltage (for example, about 0.7V), enough current to activate the parasitic circuit starts flowing. Thus, it is important to maintain the value of the substrate electric potential at a low level.
As explained above, a conventional semiconductor integrated circuit requires different direct current power sources. In such circuits, if the on-off sequence of the power supply sources is incorrect, some semiconductor integrated circuits suffer serious problems, such as deterioration or damage. In the past, in order to avoid such deterioration or damage from an abnormal current occurrence, the power source comprises a voltage on-off circuit. However, the voltage on-off circuit is very complicated, which makes the power source circuit expensive.

Current bypass circuit used in a semiconductor integrated circuit

Mitsubishi Electric Engineering Co., Ltd.


Process and device for decomposing fibrous material in an installation including a drum having an inner wall, a first end, and a second end, a displacer having an outer wall positioned inside the drum, and a processing channel formed between at least a portion of the outer wall and at least a portion of the inner wall. The process includes pouring fibrous material to be decomposed into the drum, relatively moving the outer wall relative to the inner wall in a peripheral direction of the drum, and mechanically processing the fibrous material in the processing channel.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a process and device for decomposing fibrous material.
In a particular example of the present invention, the device includes a drum having an inner wall, a first end and a second end, a displacer, having an outer wall, positioned inside the drum, and a processing channel formed between at least a portion of the outer wall and at least a portion of the inner wall. In a further example of the present invention, the process includes pouring fibrous material to be decomposed into the drum, moving the fibrous material from the first end to the second end, moving the inner wall relative to the outer wall in a peripheral direction of the drum, and mechanically processing the fibrous material in the processing channel.
2. Discussion of Background Information
Via a process similar in general to the above-noted type, contaminated, used paper is, in many cases, to be mixed with water and broken up. In the known processes, a decomposing drum, generally consisting of a cylinder in a horizontal position, which contains, for the most part, ring-shaped cover-plates on its front ends to avoid an undesirable escape of material, can be used in a first stage of the process. In the decomposing drum, water is added to the used paper to help break it up as is lifting, slipping, and falling or relative motions of the material segments to each other.
If sorting openings are provided in the jacket of the drum, the decomposed fibrous material can escape through them. Embodiments of such decomposition drums are illustrated and described, e.g., in German Patent Application No. DE-PS 32 10 503.
Processes for the treatment of used paper, which work with decomposing drums or similar devices discussed above, are known to have the advantage of an especially gentle decomposition, i.e., in regard to both sensitive types of fiber and undesired accompanying materials, which remain the ones to be sorted. However, the cost expenditure is a disadvantage in that this process can be used most favorably only with the kinds of used paper having a particularly simple decomposability, i.e., the used paper may not contain any parts of the kinds of paper which are difficult to decompose. The concepts of difficult and easy to decompose are well-known to the expert, such that newspaper paper is easily decomposed and "partial wet-strength," surface-treated, and "wet-strength" types of paper are difficult to decompose. The paper may also be discussed in terms of higher or lower decomposability. As a measure of decomposability, the specific work necessary during the decomposing process in the material decomposer to produce a slush is determined. For example, for newspaper paper, specific work amounts to about 15-20 kWh/t are necessary, while for liners or surface-treated paper, specific work amounts up to 80 kWh/t are necessary. For the reasons noted above, the process, in which decomposing drums, especially those that have proven reliable with so-called de-inking material, are used, the printed, sorted types of used paper are generally easy to decompose. However, even with this application, the decomposing drums have considerable dimensions.

Process and device for the decomposition of fibrous materials


A device for preventing infections during introduction of a fluid into a body, has an element which is formed so as to surround an introducer over its periphery and extend over a part of its elongation, so that when the introducer is introduced through an opening into the body the element completely covers an area of the opening, the element being composed of a material which is biocompatible and does not cause growth of germs, bacteria, and the like.

The present invention relates to an infection preventing device and to an introducer provided with such a device.
In the medical practice often various fluids are often introduced into a patient""s body such as for example blood, nutrient solution, etc. One, of the grave problems during such introduction of fluids is a danger of contamination since the introducer pierces the skin and tissues of a patient""s body and producers an easy entry for bacteria, germs, etc. which cause various infections. It is therefore believed to be clear that prevention of such infections is of exceptional importance for successful treatment of patients.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an infection preventing device which can be used during introduction of fluids into a patient""s body and efficiently protects the produced inlet from penetration of germs, bacteria, etc. with resulting infection.
In keeping with these objects and with others which will become apparent hereinafter, one feature of present invention resides, briefly stated in a device for preventing infections during introducing fluids in a body, which includes an element which is adapted to surround an introducer substantially over its periphery and extend transversely from the introducer so as to cover an area of an opening produced during introduction of a fluid by the introducer, wherein the element is composed of a material which is biocompatible, does not promote growth of bacteria, germs, etc. and prevents penetration of bacteria, germs, etc. through the opening into the body.
In accordance With another feature of present invention an introducer for introducing fluids into the body is provided, which has an introducing body with which a fluid can be introduced into the body and a device for preventing infections which has during introducing fluids in a body, which includes an element which is adapted to surround an introducer substantially over its periphery and extend transversely from the introducer so as to cover an area of an opening produced during introduction of a fluid by the introducer, wherein the element is composed of a material which is biocompatible, does not promote growth of bacteria, germs, etc. and prevents penetration of bacteria, germs, etc. through the opening into the body.
When the device and the introducer with the device are designed in accordance with the present invention, infections which are caused by insertion of an introducer for introducing fluids into the body are reliably prevented.
The novel features which are considered as characteristic for the present invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.

Infection preventing device, and an introducer provided therewith


A unitary tissue hook for permanently joining tissue segments together includes a base section and at least one pair of spaced apart arms. A first end of each of the arms is joined to the base section and a second end of each of the arms is provided with a tip. The tips of at least one pair of arms face each other for receiving and holding the tissue segments together. In a preferred form of the invention, the base section includes two pairs of spaced apart arms, with the arms in each pair being spaced apart in a first direction from each other and with each pair of arms being spaced from the other pair in a second direction that is transverse to said first direction. The preferred embodiments of the invention are non-deformable.

This invention relates generally to surgical devices and more particularly to surgical devices for closing a wound, incision, or other defect in tissue, e.g., fascia, ligaments and tendons, and to tools for applying the same.
Various types of devices for closing incisions, wounds, and other defects in body parts (e.g., tissue) are known, such as surgical staples, clips and sutures. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,950,284 (Green et. al.) discloses a fascia clip of two pieces having an elongated base and a flexible strap that can be used to close an incision in fascial tissue.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,602,634 (Barkley) discloses a method and instrument for joining tissue with a staple and a receiver. The staple is placed on one side of two tissues to be joined and the receiver on the opposite side of the tissue. The legs of the staple are grasped and/or guided as they penetrate the tissue and are retained by the receiver. The legs of the staple are caused to penetrate body tissue and then be guided through and retained within the openings in the receiver.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,423,857 (Roseman et. al.) discloses a surgical staple having at least two legs that are pivotally mounted in a frame such that when the staple is inserted into tissue and the legs are rotated inwardly, the staple secures the tissue and the legs are locked in a fixed position.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,929,240 (Kirsch et. al.) discloses a surgical microclip particularly adapted for microvascular anastomoses having a pair of arcuate legs interconnected by a briding section. The clip is formed of a unitary piece of biologically acceptable, plastically deformable material, that further has two spaced "ears" to facilitate handling and removal of the clip. Also disclosed is a tool for applying the clip.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,209,756 (Seedhom et al.) discloses a fixation device for securing a prosthetic ligament to a bone. The device comprises a bone staple having a head portion by means of which the staple can be driven into the bone, and a pair of legs extending from the head and having ends engagable into the bone. The device also is provided with a stirrup for guiding the driving movement of the staple and arranged also to cooperate with the staple in order to enable the prosthetic ligament to engage the staple and the stirrup and to be securable to the bone upon completion of driving of the staple into the bone. This staple also can be used for securing tissues.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,428,376 (Mericle) discloses a one-piece, self-locking, molded plastic staple useful as a tissue fixation device in surgical procedures. The staple has opposed, pointed, L-shaped legs hinged to a horizontal bridging member having expanding cam surfaces on each end. The staple is closed by rotating the legs 90 degrees. Also disclosed is a series of staples joined by a common member. This latter arrangement permits a plurality of staples to be loaded into a repeating staple setting instrument, wherein each staple is severed from the common member during the application process.
A typical problem encountered with the use of prior art staples, clips and sutures is that they tend to be applied in a manner that imposes an excessive "squeezing" force on the joined body parts. When connecting tissue segments, this excessive force cuts off, or greatly reduces, blood flow to the area at which the tissue segments are being connected, thereby causing ischemia, which impairs the healing process.
Although many of the above discussed surgical staples, clips and sutures have been used with some success, there is a need for an improved attachment device that eliminates or greatly reduces ischemia, is inexpensive to manufacture, is easy and fast to use and results in less pain and discomfort to the patient.

Tissue hooks and tools for applying same


A low-cost volume-reducing treatment method for waste which thermally decomposes or burns chlorine-containing waste while the generation of hydrogen chloride and dioxin is completely or considerably suppressed. According to the method, volume of the waste can be greatly reduced. Shredder dust and other waste which contains chlorine derived from, for example, chlorine-containing polymers is thermally decomposed or burned at a temperature of 300.degree. to 1000.degree. C. in a reducing atmosphere where unburned carbon remains. Preferably, a basic material like red mud which contains alkali metal oxides or alkaline earth metal oxides is added before treatment.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a volume-reducing treatment method for waste, such as shredder dust, which contains chlorine. In particular, the present invention relates to a low-cost waste treatment method which thermally decomposes or burns waste, such as shredder dust, which contains chlorine at relatively low temperatures in a reducing atmosphere, thereby completely or considerably suppressing the generation of hydrogen chloride and dioxin, obtaining a combustible gas, and greatly reducing volume.
2. Description of the Related Art
In conventional treatment methods for waste articles such as discarded automobiles and waste household electric appliances, the discarded articles are dismantled and recyclable parts are collected. Then, the remainder is torn into pieces by a shredder, and valuable metals are collected. Thus, a valueless mass is left as shredder dust. In actual practice, most of the shredder dust is disposed of in a reclamation yard without being burned. The shredder dust has a quite small bulk specific gravity, and the number of scrapped automobiles and the like is increasing. Accordingly, it is becoming difficult to find space for scrap yards where shredder dust is disposed of. In addition, in view of the fact that shredder dust contains inorganic matter, such as heavy metals, and chlorine in the form of a chlorine-containing polymer, such as a vinyl chloride resin and polychloroprene rubber, environmental regulations on scrap yards are tending to become stricter.
When shredder dust is burned, a great reduction in volume is attained, thereby facilitating its disposal. However, since the shredder dust has a high heat of combustion and contains chlorine-containing polymers, burning shredder dust involves the problems of corrosion of an incinerator caused by hydrogen chloride gas generated in combustion, and of the generation of dioxin.
Various techniques of incineration treatment for shredder dust and other waste which contains chlorine-containing polymers (and as a result which contains chlorine) are known. Japanese Patent Application Laid-open (kokai) No. 5-296429 discloses a fluidized-bed combustion apparatus wherein waste is burned in a low-oxygen atmosphere in a primary fluidized-bed, unburned solid matter is burned in a secondary fluidized-bed, a combustion exhaust gas is desulfurized and dechlorinated in a tertiary fluidized-bed, and the thus desulfurized and dechlorinated combustion exhaust gas is discharged. Japanese Patent Application Laid-open (kokai) No. 54-52873 discloses an incineration treatment method for vinyl chloride resins which involves spraying a basic calcium compound of 60-mesh or smaller particles preheated to a temperature of 200.degree. to 300.degree. C., over an object to be incinerated during incineration or thermal decomposition, so as to fix hydrogen chloride by reaction therewith. Japanese Patent Application Laid-open (kokai) No. 63-6313 discloses a combustion gas treatment method which involves subjecting an object to be incinerated to incomplete combustion in a dry distillation furnace, leading combustible gas which is generated into a secondary incinerator, and spraying an alkali agent such as calcium carbonate in the secondary incinerator so as to effectively remove harmful gases such as a hydrogen chloride gas or sulfur oxides. However, the conventional techniques described above carry out high-temperature oxidizing combustion on waste or a generated gas and add an exhaust gas treatment to the combustion treatment. That is, the conventional techniques are not intended to suppress the generation of harmful gases such as hydrogen chloride and dioxin during incineration and are not satisfactory because of both higher equipment costs and treatment and insufficient utilization of resources due to a low reaction efficiency.
Various techniques of thermal decomposition at relatively low temperatures in a reducing atmosphere for treating waste containing chlorine-containing polymers (and as a result which contains chlorine) are also known. Japanese Patent Application Laid-open (kokai) No. 48-67 discloses a method of indirect thermal decomposition treatment for waste or the like in a closed retort. Japanese Patent Application Laid-open (kokai) No. 49-78774, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open (kokai) No. 48-39572, and Japanese Patent Application Laid-open (kokai) No. 6-65582 disclose a technique of dechlorination treatment of chlorine-containing polymers in waste, attained by carrying out a first-stage thermal decomposition process at relatively low temperatures in a multi-stage thermal decomposition. Further, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open (kokai) No. 7-80433 discloses a treatment method which involves thermally decomposing vinyl chloride resin-containing dust into gases, oils, water, and solid residue at a temperature of 350.degree. to 500.degree. C. with oxygen being shut out as much as possible, and washing the generated gases and treating other elements which are generated so as to recycle them. The techniques described above, however, are for the purpose of to capturing a generated hydrogen chloride gas and carrying out an exhaust gas treatment such as washing neutralization as well as a secondary combustion treatment, and do not suppress the generation of a hydrogen chloride gas and dioxin.

Volume-reducing treatment method for waste


Mirror (1) of a laser printhead has an octagonal outer configuration. During normal use the mirror rotates at high speed, causing noise. To reduce the a wall (13a) surrounds the mirror and has lower flange extensions (13cxe2x80x2, 13cxe2x80x313cxe2x80x2xe2x80x313cxe2x80x3xe2x80x3) which firmly contact the lower plate (3) by attaching screws ( 17xe2x80x2, 17xe2x80x3). A cover (13) is over all of the circle defined by the wall and the underside of the cover is partially lined with a sound absorbing layer (19).

This invention relates to reducing noise caused by the rotation of an element having an outside surface in the shape of a polygon, such as an octagonal mirror.
Rotatable mirrors are commonly used in laser printers. The mirrors are a series of flat mirror surfaces combined to form a regular polygon. Each of the flat surfaces, as it rotates, directs a laser beam reflected form the surface to sweep across a photoconductor. This is widely practiced.
This invention is directed to reducing the noise caused by the air driven by the corners of the polygon. Such noise has a strong pure tone (single frequency component). A previous invention, shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,901,000, that is assigned to the assignee of this invention, employs a circular wall surrounding the mirror except for an opening permitting the light beam to reach the mirror and be reflected by the mirror to the optical system. That invention employs a depending rib to influence the airflow pattern and thereby reduce noise.
For purposes of this invention the mirror motor system and mounting may be the same as in the foregoing patent 5,901,000. This invention, however, does not employ the rib. Also, in the foregoing patent 5,901,000 the wall was suspended from a top cover. This invention fixes the wall to the bottom support.
In normal operation a polygonal mirror is rotated rapidly around the center of the polygon at one, predetermined velocity. A circular wall surrounding the mirror is fixed to a bottom support plate for the mirror and extends upward from that bottom support plate. The wall has an opening that permits light to reach the polygonal surface of the mirror and to be reflected so as to sweep across a surface such as a photoconductor. The wall has outwardly extending flanges, which contact the support surface except over a limited region in which the support surface is populated with electronic components. More than 200 degrees of the region surrounding the wall does have contact with the support surface. Finally, a major area of a top over the walls contains a sound absorbing material.

Sound reduced rotatable polygon assembly


An electronic camera apparatus reads out, from an image sensing device, an image signal which represents a color image constructed by a number of pixels to which predetermined colors are assigned and has pieces of luminance information with analog values representing luminances of the pixels, the luminance information being discrete on a time axis, and generates a desired image from the image signal. The apparatus has a luminance correction section.

The present invention relates to an electronic camera apparatus and, more particularly, to an electronic camera apparatus for correcting the luminance level of a luminance signal obtained from an image sensing device having a color filter.
Generally, many electronic camera apparatuses called digital still cameras employ an arrangement for sensing a color image using a color filter formed on one image sensing device.
In this arrangement, an analog image signal is obtained from the image sensing device, in which a color image is represented by assigning predetermined colors to a number of pixels in advance, and pieces of luminance information with analog values representing the luminances of the pixels are discrete on the time axis.
Normally, in sensing a color image, the luminance of an obtained image signal must be corrected in accordance with the type of light source and ambient brightness.
In the electronic camera apparatus, a luminance correction amount is calculated from an image signal obtained by the image sensing device in, e.g., a test photometry mode before image sensing, and an image signal obtained later by pressing the shutter button is corrected using the luminance correction amount.
Assume a case wherein an image signal is converted into digital image data by an A/D converter and then subjected to various image processing operations. After the image signal is A/D-converted, information of details is lost by quantization. For this reason, the image quality obtained by subsequent image processing is largely influenced by the quality of original information.
Especially, a pixel with low luminance has a very small amount of information and is also greatly influenced by noise and the like. Normally, before A/D conversion, an analog signal is directly amplified to minimize damage to the information amount of such pixel with low luminance.
FIG. 16 shows a conventional electronic camera apparatus.
A color image sensed by an image sensing device 101 in the test photometry mode is input to a variable gain amplification section 102 as an image signal 111.
The image signal 111 is amplified by the gain controlled by a gain control section 103, converted into a digital signal by an A/D conversion section 104, and temporarily stored in a digital memory 105 as image data.
Image data 113 is read out from the digital memory 105. A luminance detection section 106 detects statistical luminance information such as average luminance and maximum and minimum luminance values in units of colors of the image data 113.
In accordance with the detection result from the luminance detection section 106, a control section 107 calculates a correction coefficient common to all colors. The gain of the variable gain amplification section 102 is set by the gain control section 103 on the basis of the correction coefficient.
When an image signal is obtained indoors under an incandescent lamp, the white balance of the obtained color image is bad, and the luminance of blue (B) tends to extremely lower, as shown in FIGS. 17A to 17D.
For example, it should be balanced as shown in FIG. 17A under ideal light source, the output signal from the image sensing device 101 are not balanced due to the influence of the incandescent lamp, as shown in FIG. 17B.
In this case, the control section 107 calculates a correction coefficient that corrects with which the luminance of blue (B) has an appropriate value to some degree, and a corresponding gain is set by the gain control section 103.
In the subsequent image sensing mode, pieces of luminance information contained in the image signal 111 from the image sensing device 101 are amplified by the gain based on the correction coefficient at the same magnification for all colors, as shown in FIG. 17C.
Then, as described above, the image signal is converted into a digital signal by the A/D conversion section 104 and temporarily stored in the digital memory 105 as new image data.
After that, new image data 113 is read out from the digital memory 105, and the statistical luminance information of the new image data 113 is detected by the luminance detection section 106 in the same way as described above.
Accordingly, the control section 107 determines whether image processing is necessary and calculates parameters therefor. An image processing section 108 executes predetermined image processing for the new image data 113, e.g., processing of further amplifying the luminance of blue (B).
With this processing, image data color-balanced to some extent is generated, as shown in FIG. 17D, and stored in the digital memory 105.
The image processing section 108 also performs, other processing such as color correction, contour extraction, and compression.
However, such a conventional electronic camera apparatus has the following problems because the variable gain amplifier provided on the output side of the image sensing device amplifies the image signal obtained from the image sensing device by the same gain for all colors and all pixel positions.
Referring to FIG. 16, if the image signal 111 obtained from the image sensing device 101 has extremely different luminances of red, green, and blue (RGB), a color that originally obtains satisfactory luminance is saturated when amplified by the variable gain amplification section 102. The luminance distribution of the image shifts to the bright side, resulting in poor image quality.
For example, referring to FIG. 17C, when the luminance of blue (B) is amplified to an appropriate value, red and green (RG) exceed the input range (0 to 1.0) of the A/D conversion section 104.
Hence, the luminance distribution shifts to the high luminance side. In addition, all the luminance values exceeding the input range become the highest luminance value (1.0), and the original luminance information is lost, resulting in an image with poor quality.
Normally, in the optical system used to focus light to the image sensing device, light at corners is attenuated as compared to the central portion due to the Cosine Fourth Law or shading, as known as vignetting.
However, the variable gain amplification section 102 of the conventional electronic camera apparatus shown in FIG. 16 amplifies the entire image region by the same gain and therefore cannot correct vignetting.
Such vignetting may be corrected by filter processing by the image processing section on the output side. In fact, vignetting tends not to be corrected because the processing takes a time and consumes power.


A battery pack has battery cells and bus bars. Each of the battery cells is covered with an exterior case. All the battery cells are electrically connected in series through the bus bars. The battery cells are divided into a first stacked group and a second stacked group arranged adjacent to each other in a lateral direction of the battery pack. The battery cells in each stacked group are stacked in a thickness direction of the battery pack. The stacked groups have a different number of the battery cells in order to make a stair structure. An electrode terminal of one end terminal of the battery cells connected in series is arranged adjacent to the stair structure. A control board is arranged on a lower step part of the stair structure. Devices formed on the control board detect a state of each battery cell.

1. Field of the invention
The present invention relates to battery packs (or battery modules) having a structure in which a plurality of battery cells is electrically connected in series.
2. Description of the Related Art
There is a conventional patent document, Japanese patent laid open publication NO. 2004-200017, which discloses a battery pack having a structure in which a plurality of battery cells is arranged, for example, in three rows and three columns. The battery cells are electrically connected in series.
In the structure of the battery pack disclosed in the conventional patent document, a first battery cell having a negative electrode terminal of the minimum voltage potential and a final battery cell having a positive electrode terminal of the maximum voltage potential are arranged at opposite ends in the same row or in the same column, respectively, on one surface of the battery pack.
The battery pack disclosed in the conventional patent document has a size reduction structure because the battery cells in the battery pack are arranged in three rows and three columns and the negative electrode terminal having the minimum voltage potential and the positive electrode terminal having the maximum voltage potential are formed at the same surface of the battery pack. This structure does not require any connection plate in order to arrange the negative electrode terminal having the minimum voltage potential and the positive electrode terminal having the maximum voltage potential on one end surface of the battery pack. It is therefore possible to decrease the total number of components forming the battery pack and to prevent the strength of the battery pack from being decreased by heat energy.
There is a recent demand and a requirement to promote a downsizing of a battery pack because a device has a limited mounting space in which the battery pack is mounted. Further, there is another demand to reduce the device itself in view of the downsizing.
In order to solve the recent demand of downsizing, the conventional patent document, Japanese patent laid open publication NO. 2004-200017, provides the battery pack having the structure in which battery cells are arranged in three rows and three columns. However, such a structure of the battery pack disclosed in the patent document is insufficient to meet the recent demand and strict requirement.


Installing for use with a computer a file on demand using a preview file. A feature of a program is represented by a preview file and a feature file. The feature file contains all the components necessary to support the feature. The preview file contains a subset of the feature file. Only the preview file is initially installed. The preview file may be used to preview and select the feature. If the feature is selected, then the feature file is installed and the preview file is deleted.

During the installation of a computer program a number of files are typically installed on a user's local disk. For example, a file representing the executable code for the application program or a file representing a feature of an application program may be installed. Because local disk space is often at a premium, some application programs present display screen(s) that prompt the user to answer a series of questions to determine which files to install. The questions are designed to identify the files the user will need for proper operation of the application program so that local disk space is not wasted on unneeded files. However, in many instances the user is unable to properly answer the questions. For example, if the user is unfamiliar with the application program, the user may be unable to predict which files the user will need and to properly answer the questions.
If a file representing a feature is not initially installed, then the feature cannot be used until the file is installed. In this event, the user typically must manually install the needed file. To install the file, the user must locate the original source for the application program and then install the file. To avoid the possibility of having to install files after the initial installation, a user may decide, out of an abundance of caution, to initially install all available files. However, the user may never use many of these files. The unused files can contribute to a bloated installation size, sub-optimal use of local disk space and a lengthened configuration time.
Therefore, the user is forced to choose between installing all available files or installing only some of the files. Installing all available files avoids a second installation and insures that all features are available. However, installing all available files creates installation bloat and increases installation time. If the user could perform an initial installation which would support the installation of additional files on an as needed basis, then the user would not need to perform a second installation or to install files that are never used.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a method for installing a file on demand for operation with a computer.

Method for installing a file on demand using a preview


A radioactive waste body inspection device according to an embodiment includes a surface contamination inspecting unit configured to conduct a surface contamination inspection of a radioactive waste body while acquiring concavo-convex information on the radioactive waste body, and a dose rate inspecting unit configured to conduct a dose rate inspection of the radioactive waste body in consideration of the concavo-convex information.

Generally, before a radioactive waste body is housed and transported, it is necessary to conduct a surface contamination inspection or dose rate inspection of the radioactive waste body and confirm whether the state of the waste body is within a predetermined standard. These inspections are often conducted in independent procedures and devices. For example, the surface contamination inspection of the radioactive waste is conducted using a surface contamination inspection device (which is also called a "wiping device" or a "smear device"), and, afterward, the dose rate inspection is conducted using a surface rate inspection device different from the surface contamination inspection device.

Inspection device of radioactive waste body and inspection method of radioactive waste body


A mixing tool 10 can be mounted within a drum 20. A mixing arm 12 of the ing tool 10 can be held by a shaft borne in a rotatable fashion. A mixing body 11 is mounted to the mixing arm 12 and directed towards the inner surface of the drum. One or more rods 13 are introduced onto the outer surface 14 of the mixing body 11 and have a prominent mixing edge 18. A mixing tool of simple construction is developed with which nearly all mixable bulk products and/or product mixtures can be processed without leading to the formation of product deposits in the region between the inner surface of the drum and the mixing body 11.

The present invention concerns a mixing tool for attachment within a drum the mixing arm of which is mounted to a rotatably borne shaft and whose mixing body, mounted on the mixing arm is directed towards the inner surface of the drum.
A mixing tool of this type has become known in the art e.g. through DE 43 44 995 A1.
Mixing tools have been known in the art for decades and are used in substantially horizontally directed drums to mix bulk products and liquids of all kinds. The mixing tools are thereby mounted to a shaft which is rotatably borne in the drum. In order to achieve as complete a mixing of the bulk products as possible, the mixing tools should penetrate in particular through the bulk product whirling at the inner surface of the drum. Towards this end, the mixing tools are disposed within the drum in such a fashion that the separation of the mixing tools with respect to the inner surface of the drum is small. Due to expansion of the material (of the drum and/or of the mixing tool) or due to the intrinsic weight of the mixing tool, the separation between the mixing tool and the inner surface of the drum can decrease. A safety margin is therefore always required between the mixing tool and the inner surface of the drum.
When mixing particular products, a fraction of the bulk product can become attached to the surface of the drum in the region between the mixing tool and the inner surface of the drum. In particular, bulk products having sticky and hardening components tend to produce this type of product deposit. This sticky and hardened portion of the processed product interferes with the operation of the mixing tools. The tools can then undergo wear even after short operation times and/or the quality of the product being processed is compromised.
For this reason, prior art has already used so-called "cleat blades" as, e.g. known in the art from the brochure "Industrial Mixing in Continuously Operating Lodige-Mixers" from the company Lodige, published in 1993. These cleat blades attempt to positively influence the properties of the product deposit formed. The product deposit on the inner surface of the drum is broken-up by the cleat portion of the mixing tool during mixing. If, however, the mixing product has components which harden relatively quickly and which can form a hard product deposit, the action of such a cleat blade is insufficient to completely suppress formation of a product deposit on the inner surface of the drum.
In order to avoid this problem, prior art has already proposed introducing two cleat profiled mixing tools on one mixing arm. The overlapping of two cleat profiles allows for better processing of the product deposit. However, the mixing arm is subject to substantial load during the mixing process due to the presence of two mixing bodies having cleated sections. In addition, the inner volume of the drum available for accepting bulk product is disadvantageously reduced.
The technical problem underlying the present invention is therefore to develop a simply constructed mixing tool through the use of which nearly all bulk products or product masses which tend to produce product deposit can be processed without having material deposition occur in the region between the inner surface of the drum and the mixing body.

Gebruder Lodige Maschinenbau-Gesellschaft mit beschrankter Haftung


The present invention provides a method and apparatus of managing a storage array. The method comprises: striping the storage array to form a plurality of stripes; selecting F storage chunks from each stripe as local parity chunks, and selecting another L storage chunks from the storage array as global parity chunks; performing (F+L) fault tolerant erasure coding on all data chunks in a stripe to generate (F+L) groups of parity data, and storing F groups of parity data therein into the F local parity chunks; performing cross-stripe operation on another L groups of parity data to generate L groups of global parity data, and storing them into the L global parity chunks, respectively. The apparatus corresponds to the method. With the invention, a plurality of errors in the storage array can be detected and/or recovered to improve fault tolerance and space utilization of the storage array.

The present invention relates to a storage device, and more specifically, to a method and apparatus of managing and controlling a storage array consisting of storage devices.
With the rapid development of information technology, there is an increasingly huge amount of data to be stored and processed. To this end, the storage density and storage capacity of a single storage device is increased, and at the same time, a storage array consisting of a plurality of storage devices is generally used to store data. Typically, a storage array consists of a plurality of independent non-volatile storage devices, for example, devices such as disks, SSDs, etc; these storage devices are connected collectively to a storage array controller, and perform data storage-related operations under the control of the controller.
In addition to controlling the read and write operations of data in the array, the storage array controller further controls the storage device to detect and recover a variety of errors that may occur in the read and write operations. As known to those skilled in the art, there are three kinds of device errors in a storage array: device failure, latent error, and silent error.
Device failure refers to a case where the entire storage device fails and therefore cannot perform read and write operations. Latent error refers to a case where part of data chunks in the storage device (e.g., a certain sector in the disk) fail and thus it is impossible to perform read and write operations on the failed data chunks. Because the data read and write operations cannot be performed with respect to the failed device or failed data chunks, device failure and latent error can be detected by the storage device itself.
In order to be able to recover device failures and latent errors, there is proposed RAID (Redundant Arrays of Inexpensive Disks) technology. RAID5 with 1 fault tolerance, which is most widely used in this technology, distributes data to different storage devices by striping process in order to improve parallelism of data access, and employs one parity data chunk in each stripe so that the disk array can tolerate one disk failure or tolerate the presence of one latent sector error in one stripe. However, when one disk failure and one latent sector error appear simultaneously, RAID5 cannot repair a stripe containing two failed data chunks. With respect to this problem, RAID6 with 2 fault tolerance has been proposed and gradually applied. The RAID6 can tolerate one device failure and one latent error simultaneously. However, the existing RAID has the following deficiencies: firstly, the fault tolerant capability is still not ideal, and secondly, the storage efficiency is not high enough, leading to certain storage space wastage.
Another kind of device errors is silent errors. Silent errors are errors that cannot be detected by the storage device itself, and usually caused by unsuccessful data writes. There are several following typical reasons for silent errors: one is when data is written, a head positioning error leads to the writing of the data into a wrong storage position; one is that data writing process is not completed and the data fails to be written completely; and a further one is that a data write operation has not been truly performed and the target storage position still retains old data. In the above circumstances, the first two will cause data corrupted, and the last one will cause data stale. For the case of the silent error, the storage device itself cannot detect and report errors; and if it performs data read as usual in the case of the presence of a silent error, it will read wrong data. Therefore, for silent errors, it is necessary to additionally provide a certain mechanism to detect such errors, and then to repair the wrong data.
For silent errors, several solutions have been proposed for detecting them in the prior art. One is to improve encoding and decoding methods for data so as to implement the detection of silent errors through better coding mechanism. However, in such methods, the process for positioning a silent error is quite complicated, and the efficiency is not high. Another solution is to append and store check values for data. However, when silent errors occur in a storage area for storing the check values, such solution cannot work.
Therefore, to sum up, it is desired to propose an improved mechanism for managing the storage array so that the storage array can be able to detect and recover at least one device error.

Enabling efficient recovery from multiple failures together with one latent error in a storage array

International Business Machines Corporation


A sewing frame unit is provided. The sewing frame unit includes a frame support structure; a frame assembly affixed to the frame support structure; a machine carriage assembly mounted on the frame support structure. The machine carriage assembly provides for lateral and longitudinal movement of the sewing machine. A sensor is mounted on the machine carriage assembly or on the frame assembly for detecting a position of the sewing machine.

The present invention is in the field of devices and methods for machine quilting, and, in particular, in the field of quilting frames and other devices and methods for the positioning and detection of the sewing machine's position during sewing.
Devices for machine quilting typically consist of three primary components, a frame, a sewing machine, and a machine carriage having a carriage bottom plate that travels laterally on an x-axis and a carriage top plate that travels longitudinally on a y-axis. Fabric layers, that typically consist of backing fabric, batting, and top fabric, may consist of as few as one layer of fabric or more than three layers, which single fabric layer, or multiple layers collectively, referred to in this application as a "quilt core." The term "fabric layers" when used in this application, shall be defined to include a single layer of fabric. The fabric layers are rolled onto fabric layer rails and fed from the respective fabric layer rails to a take-up rail that passes through the throat of the sewing machine, suspending the fabric layers of the quilt core together to rest on the sewing machine bed. In order for the fabric layers of the quilt core to remain flat and straight, it is necessary for the fabric layer rails and the take-up rail to be longer than the quilt is wide.
For a typical quilting frame, the sewing machine is positioned on and secured to the quilting frame carriage top plate and is guided on the machine carriage to create a desired stitching pattern as the layers of fabric are quilted together. The sewing machine is guided longitudinally and laterally across the available quilting work area, which is determined by the length of the throat of the sewing machine and the width of the quilt fabric itself, the width of the quilt being limited to the width of the quilting frame.
When the fabric in the work area has been sewn, the fabric is rolled forward from the fabric layer rails to the take-up rail so that the completed area is rolled onto the take-up rail that passes through the throat of the sewing machine. This also advances the fabric that has not yet been quilted into the work area and the new strip of un-quilted fabric area may then be sewn. A typical quilting frame requires that the quilt be sewed from front to back, or vice versa, with the fabric progressively being fed onto the take-up rail as each strip of the quilt core is sewed from one side of the quilt core to the other.
An alternative to machine quilting with a traditional frame is to quilt by hand, performing all the stitching without a sewing machine, simply using a needle and thread. Another alternative is to baste the three layers of fabric together using pins or small stitches later to be removed. Once the fabric is basted, the user can quilt the layers together by guiding the fabric through the machine by hand. Hoops may also used to hold small areas of the quilt flat and straight to perform the stitching. Embroidery machines, for example, use a hoop to hold the fabric and then through motor control, move the hoop while the sewing machine stitches to create the desired patterns on the fabric.
Quilting without a frame requires basting, which is time consuming. Hand quilting or quilting by using a hoop also requires basting, and moving the fabric to create the sewing patterns can be cumbersome due to the amount of fabric that has to be manipulated in a large quilt. Machine quilting on a frame is a much more convenient and expeditious way to complete a quilt. Machine quilting on a frame requires a large frame, however, to make large quilts. Many quilters do not have enough space to accommodate the large quilting frame.

Sewing frame with workspace edge warning system


A cryogenic air separation system which is subject to periods of significant changes in product demand is controlled during such periods to minimize the impact of transient operation on product purity. The feed air is introduced directly into the higher pressure column of a distillation system having at least two columns, and nitrogen-rich and oxygen-rich vapor products are withdrawn from the lower pressure column. The flow rate of the nitrogen-rich vapor product is controlled as a function of the feed air flow rate by a feed air flow controller which controls the suction pressure of the nitrogen product compressor. The set point of the flow controller is manipulated as a function of the composition of the oxygen-enriched vapor product. A nitrogen-rich liquid is withdrawn from the higher-pressure column and introduced into the lower-pressure column as reflux. An inventory of this liquid is maintained in a holdup tank for storage or withdrawal during periods of transient operation. A feedforward control system increases or decreases the flow rates of the nitrogen-rich vapor product, the oxygen-rich vapor product, and the nitrogen-rich liquid during periods of increasing or decreasing product demand by manipulation of the set points of the feed air, the oxygen-rich vapor product, and the nitrogen-rich liquid flow controllers.

The generation of electricity by advanced gasification combined cycle power generation systems offers the potential for reduced power cost and lower environmental impact than standard coal-fired power plants. In these advanced systems, coal or other carbonaceous material is gasified with oxygen and the produced gas is cleaned to yield a low-sulfur fuel gas. This fuel gas is utilized in a gas turbine generation system to produce electric power with reduced environmental emissions. Because these advanced systems are more energy efficient than traditional coal-fired power plants, the amount of carbon dioxide produced for a given power output is reduced significantly. The growing interest in gasification combined cycle (GCC) technology in recent years has been stimulated by the higher efficiency and demonstrated reliability of advanced gas turbines, coal gasification processes, and air separation systems which are utilized in integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) systems. The proper integration of these three main components of an IGCC system is essential to achieve maximum operating efficiency and minimum power cost.
A general review of the current art in GCC and IGCC power generation systems is given by D. M. Todd in an article entitled "Clean Coal Technologies for Gas Turbines" presented at the GE Turbine State-of-the-Art Technology Seminar, July 1993, pp. 1-18. A review of various integration techniques and the impact thereof on GCC economics is given in a paper by A. D. Rao et al entitled "Integration of Texaco TQ Gasification with Elevated Pressure ASU" presented at the 13th EPRI Conference on Gasification Power Plants, San Francisco, Calif., Oct. 19-21, 1994.
The integration of air separation units and gas turbines in IGCC systems are reviewed in papers entitled "Next-Generation Integration Concepts for Air Separation Units and Gas Turbines" by A. R. Smith et al in J. Eng. For Gas Turbines and Power, Vol. 119, April 1997, pp. 298-304, and "Oxygen Production in an IGCC Plant" by R. J. Allam et al in Power-Gen Europe, Cologne (Germany), May 17-19 1994, pp. 581-596. Representative process configurations for integrated gas turbine and air separation systems are given in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,388,395, 5,459,994, and 5,609,041 and in European Patent Publication No. EP 0 773 416 A2.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,501,078 describes a method of operating the air separation plant of an IGCC system under turndown conditions at reduced oxygen product pressure and purity.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,501,078, 5,224,336, 5,437,160, 5,592,834, and 5,566,825 describe process control methods for operating IGCC systems under changing oxygen and nitrogen product demand. A typical double-column air separation distillation system is used in which nitrogen-enriched liquid is withdrawn from the higher-pressure column and introduced as reflux into the top of the lower-pressure column. During periods of increasing or decreasing product demand, a portion of this nitrogen-enriched liquid is either stored to reduce the amount of reflux to the lower-pressure column or withdrawn from storage to increase the amount of reflux to the lower-pressure column. U.S. Pat. No. 5,224,336 teaches that nitrogen-enriched liquid is stored when the feed air pressure to the higher-pressure column increases, thereby decreasing reflux, and that nitrogen-enriched liquid is withdrawn when the feed air pressure to the higher-pressure column decreases, thereby increasing reflux. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,437,160, 5,592,834, and 5,566,825 teach that nitrogen-enriched liquid is stored when a decrease in the feed air flow rate to the higher-pressure column or a decrease in product demand occurs, thereby decreasing reflux, and that nitrogen-enriched liquid is withdrawn from storage when an increase in the feed air flow rate to the higher-pressure column or an increase in product demand occurs, thereby increasing reflux.
It is well-understood in the art that control of the air separation system in response to changing oxygen product demand from the gasifier, which in turn is a result of changing electric power demand, is of critical importance for efficient IGCC system operation. Since the air separation system is closely linked with both the gasifier and gas turbine systems, lack of proper control in the air separation system will have a serious negative impact on the control of the entire IGCC system.
As described in the background art cited above, the air separation system is linked with the gasifier and gas turbine of an IGCC system in several ways. First, oxygen at the proper purity, pressure, and flow rate is supplied to the gasifier to produce fuel gas for the gas turbine combustor. Second, byproduct nitrogen at the proper purity, pressure, and flow rate is withdrawn from the lower-pressure column, compressed, and mixed with the fuel gas to the combustor to recover additional energy and reduce combustion temperatures for nitrogen oxide control. Third, some or all of the compressed air feed to the air separation system can be provided by a portion of the air from the gas turbine compressor. In addition, high pressure nitrogen can be supplied to the gasifier for inerting and solids handling requirements.
A fully integrated air separation unit in an IGCC system must be capable of operating in the range of 50% to 100% of design capacity while responding to air feed flow rate changes of at least 3% of design capacity per minute. The proper control of feed air to the air separation unit during these periods of transient operation is a very difficult problem because of the wide changes in air feed flow and supply pressure. In addition, there are conflicting requirements to balance minimum pressure drop in the air separation system against control performance and to minimize capital investment in control system hardware. Improving control of the air feed flow into the air separation system will improve the efficiency and capital effectiveness of the entire IGCC system. The present invention, as described in the specification below and defined by the claims which follow, is an improved method to control the flow of feed air to the air separation system during both variable and steady state IGCC system operation.

Air separation unit feed flow control in an IGCC power generation system


There is provided a drop detection device with which a falling state is properly detected even when the device is dropped while itself rotating, for example, and the mistaken detection of a falling state when there is in fact no falling state can be prevented, as well as an portable apparatus equipped with this drop detection device. The portable magnetic disk apparatus comprises an acceleration detector configured to detect acceleration, a calculator configured to calculate acceleration information including a second-order differential value of the acceleration with respect to time detected by the acceleration detector, a threshold setting component configured to set an acceleration threshold ATH with respect to the acceleration for determining whether or not a falling state exists on the basis of the second-order differential value of the acceleration, and a drop detection configured to detect that a falling state exists when the acceleration reaches the acceleration threshold set by the threshold setting component.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a drop detection device that detects its own state when it is being dropped, and to a portable apparatus in which this drop detection device is installed.
2. Description of the Related Art
Portable telephones, digital cameras, and other such portable apparatuses are at a greater risk of being dropped from the user's hand or the place where they have been set during use than are non-portable apparatuses. In particular, with an apparatus equipped with a head and a disk, such as a magnetic recording medium, the impact of falling can cause the head and disk to collide, and this may damage them.
With drop detection devices (mechanisms) used up to now, drop detection was performed by utilizing the fact that the acceleration when a device is in free fall is approximately zero (however, the acceleration in a stationary state is 1 G (G=9.8 m/s2). In other words, a fall is detected when the threshold with respect to acceleration is assumed to be approximately zero, and this threshold is reached (or under it) and this state continues for at least a specific length of time. Then specific anti-impact measures are implemented (see Japanese Patent No. 3,441,668 registered on Jun. 20, 2003, for example).
With a configuration such as this, however, when a device falls while rotating, for example, rotational momentum may cause centrifugal force to act on the acceleration sensor built into the device, so that the acceleration ends up not being approximately zero.
Therefore, with a device having this configuration, if the device itself falls while rotating, there is the danger that the fall may not be properly detected. On the other hand, if the threshold with respect to acceleration is set relatively high so that a falling state will be more readily detected in order to solve this problem, then there is the possibility that this device will misinterpret vertical motion of the device produced by action on the part of the user as a falling state.
Also, in order to prevent such a misinterpretation, there is a drop detection mechanism having a constitution in which two thresholds for acceleration are set, and a time during which no drop detection is performed is provided when the acceleration satisfies specific conditions with respect to these thresholds (see Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application 2007-109355 published on Apr. 26, 2007, for example).
However, even with a constitution such as this, in the event that the user drops the device from eye level, for example, there is the possibility that the above-mentioned specific conditions will not be met. Therefore, even with a device constituted as above, there is the danger that the device will be mistakenly assumed to be in a falling state, so it cannot really be said that proper drop detection can be executed.

Drop detection device and portable apparatus equipped therewith


A steel plate plated with an aluminum-iron alloy for hot press forming can include a base steel sheet and an alloy plated layer formed on the base steel sheet. The alloy plated layer can include an alloyed layer (I) formed on the base steel sheet and containing, by weight, Al: 5-30%; an alloyed layer (II) formed on the alloyed layer (I) and containing, by weight, Al: 30-60%; and an alloyed layer (III) formed on the alloyed layer (II) and containing, by weight, Al: 20-50%. The alloy layer (II) can have a FeAl (Si) alloy phase dispersed and distributed therein, in which the FeAl (Si) alloy phase includes, by weight, Al: 20-50% and Si: 5-20%, and the number density of the FeAl (Si) alloy phase having a circle-equivalent diameter of 5 μm or less 15 is 103/mm2 or more.

In recent years, due to depletion of petroleum energy resources and high interest in the environment, regulations on improving the fuel efficiency of automobiles have been strengthened. In terms of materials, reducing a thickness of a steel sheet used in automobiles may be a method for improving fuel efficiency of automobiles. However, the reducing a thickness of a steel sheet may cause problems in automobile safety, and thus, in this case, improvements of strength of the steel sheet should be facilitated.
Thus, there has been continuous demand for high-strength steel sheets, and various kinds of steel sheets have been developed. However, since these steel sheets have high strength in themselves, workability thereof is poor. That is, since a product of strength and elongation for each grade of steel sheet tends to always have a constant value, when strength of the steel sheet increases, there may be a problem that elongation, an index of workability, decreases.
In order to solve this problem, a hot forming method has been proposed. The hot forming method is a method forming a low temperature structure, such as martensite or the like, in a steel sheet by forming at a high temperature suitable for forming and then quenching the steel sheet at a low temperature to increase strength of a final product. In this case, there is advantage that the problem of workability may be minimized when manufacturing a member having high strength.
In the case of the aforementioned hot forming method, since the steel sheet has to be heated to a high temperature, a surface of the steel sheet is oxidized, which additionally requires a process of removing oxides on the surface of the steel sheet after press forming. In order to solve this problem, patent document 1 was proposed. In patent document 1, a steel sheet subjected to aluminum-plating is used in a process of hot forming or heating and quenching after room temperature forming (briefly, post-heat treatment). Since an aluminum-plating layer is present on the surface of the steel sheet, the steel sheet is not oxidized at the time of heating.
However, even if the aluminum-plating layer exists on the surface as in the patent document 1 and the steel sheet is not oxidized during heating, a member obtained after heating and forming may still be exposed to a corrosive environment. In particular, in the process of heating the plated steel sheet, base iron diffuses into the aluminum-plating layer to form a hard alloyed layer of Fe and Al on the surface of the steel sheet, but the alloyed layer may be fragile as a hard layer. Accordingly, there may be problems in which cracks occur in the plating layer, and a base steel sheet is exposed to a corrosive environment to deteriorate corrosion resistance.
(Patent document 1) U.S. Patent Publication No. U.S. Pat. No. 6,296,805

Steel sheet plated with Al—Fe alloy for hot press forming having excellent corrosion resistance and heat resistance, hot press formed part, and manufacturing method therefor


An optical member driving device of the present disclosure includes an optical member for changing an optical path, the optical member having a parallel flat plate shape; a driving mechanism having a movable portion controlled to move in a direction orthogonal to a surface of the optical member by a drive signal, the driving mechanisms being disposed outside the optical member; a connecting member rotatably connecting an end of the optical member and the movable portion of the driving mechanism on two axes orthogonal to each other at a surface center of the optical member; a support portion disposed between the end of the optical member and the movable portion of the driving mechanism, the support portion rotatably pivoting the connecting member; and a controller configured to control the movable portion of the driving mechanism.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to an optical member driving device for moving a position of an image to be projected for display, and a projection image display apparatus that uses the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
PTL 1 discloses an image moving device that moves a display position of a projector which projects and displays an image. This image moving device includes piezoelectric devices that hold four corners of parallel flat plate glass, between a fixed pixel type display device for optically modulating an image, and a quadrangular parallel flat plate glass for moving an image position. The image moving device applies a voltage to these four piezoelectric devices to move an image.

Optical member driving device and projection image display apparatus

Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.


An adjustable angle bar assembly (10) for a printing press (12) having a support (14), a hollow angle bar (18) pivotally mounted adjacent a longitudinal central portion (34) of the angle bar (18) to the support (14), with the angle bar (18) having a cavity (20) for the passage of air, and a plurality of openings 30 extending through the angle bar (18) and communicating with the cavity (20) for passage of air through the angle bar (18) from the cavity (20) to a web (32) passing over the angle bar (18), and a device for passing the air into the central portion (34) of the angle bar (18) for distribution of the air by the angle bar (18) against the web (32) irrespective of the orientation of the angle bar with respect to said support (14).

The present invention relates to angle bar assemblies for a printing press.
In the past, printing presses have been provided with angle bars for directing or changing the path or motion of a paper web in the press. Such angle or turning bars have been provided with aperture through which air passes to cause some flotation of the web relative to the angle bar as the web passes around the angle bar.
However, in the past, the air has been supplied through an end of the angle bar which has made it relatively difficult to change the direction of the angle bar relative to the press, since the source of air to the angle bar must also be changed. A web guiding system for a printing press has been provided by U.S. Pat. No. 5,100,117, which did not adequately solve the problem of directing air in a proper manner through the angle bar when the direction of the angle bar is changed.

Adjustable angle bar assembly for a printing press


A method and tools operative for treatment of a substance in association with a surface of an object or body have a first treatment tool and a second backing tool. The treatment tool has a rigid retention portion and a treatment portion, and is manufactured as a single integrated tool. A backbone extends in cantilever out of the retention portion to support a resilient and flexible blade, retained at a twist angle relative to the handle. The blade is configured for controlled deflection about the backbone when vertical forces in excess of a predetermined force are met, to prevent damage to the surface or to the object. The retention portion and the treatment portion are disposed in mutual angular spatial relationship for ease of use of the tool. The backing tool supports the object during treatment.

Treatment of a substance is understood as the application and shaping or sculpturing of the substance on a surface, as opposed to scraping and removal of the substance from the surface. The surface pertains to an object or body, but reference to the surface of an object is also meant to be a reference to the surface of a body.
It is well known that very often, when a knife, even a butter knife, is used to spread butter on a cracker, or other brittle food, the cracker breaks before the butter is spread. The reason is that forces applied to the butter are also transferred from the knife, via the butter or directly, to the cracker. Likewise, when a spatula is used to dress a large open wound by application of a layer of unguent, the pressure exerted by the spatula is a problem since it not only spreads the ointment but also presses on the open wound, which is painful to the patient.
Therefore, it is desirable to use tools that allow the application of controlled force to a treated substance, and to the surface onto which the substance is treated, and prevent the transmission of excessive forces, to avoid causing damage to the surface of and to the object or body. Known putty knives and spatulas do not provide the desired solution.
Improvements to spatulas may deal with the human engineering aspects of the tool. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,956,799, Cummings et al. disclose improvements to make the handle ergonomically superior, comfortable for use, and convenient and easy to insert and retrieve from a pocket. The handle has an inner core and a softer overlay.
In US Patent No. US 2003/0200619, to Kelsey et al., reference is made to "a spatula for personal use" but the term spatula is not used in the conventional meaning since there is divulged a spatula "used in the manner of a scraper or a strigil". There is described a hand-tool for the removal of a preparation applied to the skin, with a material-removal blade made of an elastomeric material, at one or both ends of a handle.

Tools for treatment of a substance on a surface


A gas turbine engine comprises a turbine scroll inside a combustor housing, discouragers with 90-degree bending angles, a radial nozzle contacting a forward bayonet on the forward side of the turbine scroll at a bayonet engagement point and a B-width measured between the discouragers. Retaining ring maintains the size of the B-width. The turbine scroll may have eight surfaces sealing at four locations and a provision to maintain constant “B-width” for the thin sheet metal scroll within the combustion system. The design allows the scroll to operate at high temperature while maintaining lowest possible thermal and mechanical stresses. It can be easily assembled with excellent capability to control gas leakage and minimal component interface wearing or fretting. The gas turbine engine is adapted for aircraft, spacecraft, missiles, and other flight vehicles, especially high performance, high cycle flight vehicles.

This invention relates to turbine engines, and to a method of preventing the turbine of a turbine engine from choking at high speed. More particularly, it relates to novel improvements to prevent air from compressor discharge to bypass the combustion system. The present invention concerns gas turbine engines for auxiliary power units on aircraft, spacecraft, missiles, and other vehicles.
A typical turbine scroll system is shown in FIG. 1. The prior art gas turbine engine 210 may contain a combustor scroll 240 with a spiral contour and gradual area reduction with one end open for gas inlet and a B-width 250 that covers the entire circumference for gas to exit. Thin sheet metal with a high temperature capability may be used to fabricate the body through a forming process and machined rings may be welded to the sheet metal to form specified interface characteristics and for structural reinforcement. The combustor scroll 240 may be supported at one end, suspended by axial fasteners 220, suspended by a suspension pin 230, or clamped (not shown). This prior art gas turbine engine 210 is adequate only for low cycle and low performance engines. For more advanced systems used on high performance vehicles, such as aircraft, the combustor scroll 240 must meet additional requirements.
Current needs for turbine scroll systems include the ability to control small amounts of gas leakage between components at various operating conditions for performance optimization. Two main operating conditions are an open-loop condition (e.g., ground maintenance or in-flight emergency power) in which the engine runs on its own power and a closed-loop condition (e.g., taxi condition and general flight conditions) in which the engine runs on the bleed gas of the main engine.
Being able to control the size of the B-width (gap between the combustor scroll 240 and associated structures to minimize the gas leakage that can adversely effect the engine performance) may be a concern during engine design and development. Controlling the size of the B-width becomes more critical when an engine is operated in dual modes. Keeping the size of the B-width constant and maintaining effective sealing for system performance and integrity is critical during all operating conditions and surges. A constant B-width size minimizes gas leakage and erosion between components that may cause excessive wear or fretting. Prior art systems usually require tight tolerances for the inner diameters and outer diameters of mating components and shields around surfaces to minimize leakage.
None of the prior art is specifically intended for high performance, high cycle applications, and some suffer from one or more of the following disadvantages:
a) excessive wear and fretting.
b) inability to maintain constant B-width size.
c) ineffective sealing.
d) gas leakage between components.
As can be seen, there is a need for an improved apparatus and method for an improved gas turbine engine system, which minimizes wear and fretting, maintains constant B-width size, and effectively seals to prevent gas leakage between components.

Multi-action on multi-surface seal with turbine scroll retention method in gas turbine engine


An emergency power circuit powers an induction motor which has at least first and second windings. The motor is normally operating at a normal speed determined by connection to commercial frequency power line, but which is subject to failure. During failure the emergency power circuit is used to supply emergency power from a DC storage battery. An inverter is supplied by the battery and has an output connectable to the motor. A control circuit for the inverter establishes a first frequency to run the motor at a running speed which is considerably less than the normal speed. Single, two-phase and three-phase systems are disclosed as well as a soft start system to start the motor at about one-fourth speed and run it at one-half speed. Preferably a high frequency oscillator is used with the frequency divided dozen to operate the motor at a speed below normal 60 Hz energization speed. The foregoing Abstract is merely a resume of general applications, it is not a complete discussion of all principles of operation or applications, and is not to be construed limitation on the scope of the claimed subject matter.

Many electrical circuits are intended to be used on commercial frequency power lines such as 60 Hz, 115/230 V AC. However, sometimes the commercial power line has an outage and it is then desireable to have an emergency power circuit to power such loads.
A typical emergency power supply, for example, for computers is to have a storage battery operating through an inverter to supply the same 60 Hz, 115/230 V AC output to the computer so that it is connected immediately upon failure of the commercial power line voltage. The computer may take only a few hundred watts and therefore the physical size and capacity of the emergency power supply is rather small. However, when the load is substantial, such as a home elevator, chair lift, wheel chairlift, etc., the physical size and cost of such an emergency power supply having an output at 60 Hz and 230 V AC becomes economically prohibitive.
An object of the invention, therefore, is to provide an emergency power supply of reduced physical size and electrical output capacity which still may be able to operate a substantial electrical load such as a home elevator, chairlift, wheel chairlift, etc.
Another object of the invention is to provide an emergency power circuit for an induction motor having at least first and second windings.
Another object of the invention is to provide an emergency power system to operate an electrical load at less than normal speed in order to reduce the power requirements.

Emergency power system for capacitor start motors


Provided is a voltage regulator capable of suppressing an overshoot with low current consumption. A comparator of an overshoot detection circuit is activated only when a power supply fluctuation occurs, and the comparator outputs a signal for reducing an overshoot occurring in an output voltage. In a steady state, the comparator of the overshoot detection circuit is turned off to prevent the current from being consumed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an overshoot detection circuit for a voltage regulator.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional voltage regulator is now described. FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram illustrating the conventional voltage regulator.
The conventional voltage regulator includes a power supply terminal 1, a ground terminal 2, an output terminal 3, a reference voltage circuit 10, a differential amplifier circuit 20, an overshoot detection circuit 30, PMOS transistors 31 and 40, and resistors 51 and 52.
The overshoot detection circuit 30 compares a feedback voltage divided by the resistors 51 and 52 with a reference voltage of the reference voltage circuit 10. Then, when the feedback voltage is lower than the reference voltage, the overshoot detection circuit 30 outputs HIGH to turn off the PMOS transistor 31. When an overshoot occurs in an output voltage of the output terminal 3 and the feedback voltage becomes higher than the reference voltage, the overshoot detection circuit 30 outputs LOW to turn on the PMOS transistor 31. As a result, the PMOS transistor 40 is turned off, and hence the overshoot can be prevented from being larger (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2005-301439).
However, the conventional technology has the following problem.
In order to increase the response speed of the overshoot detection circuit 30, it is necessary to supply a sufficient current to the overshoot detection circuit 30 all the time. Thus, the current consumption is increased. If the current consumption of the overshoot detection circuit 30 is suppressed, the response speed of the overshoot detection circuit 30 is reduced, and hence it becomes difficult to suppress the overshoot quickly.
The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problem, and provides a voltage regulator that includes an overshoot detection circuit having high response speed with low current consumption.