A programmable logic device (PLD) with a JTAG port, such as an FPGA, is provided with a wireless JTAG adapter to enable wireless communications. Multiple PLDs connected with wireless-to-JTAG adapters can be wirelessly linked in a network to form a large boundary-scan chain serial interface. To communicate with the PLDs having a wireless JTAG port, a host PC running application software is also equipped with a wireless transceiver.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to uses for a boundary-scan or Joint Test Action Group (JTAG) interface port of an integrated circuit (IC). Further, the present invention relates to wireless network communications using an IC having a JTAG interface.
2. Related Art
Today numerous protocols exist that allow multiple devices to communicate with one another over a wireless link (e.g. 802.11/Wi-Fi, Wi-Max, Bluetooth, UltraWideband (UWB), 802.15.4/ZigBee). Wireless networks blanket the country providing access to mobile phone users and users of digital devices, such as lap top computers. The trend in electronics has been to remove cables wherever possible in favor of wireless communication systems.
One communication interface that continues to use a cable instead of a wireless connection, however, is a JTAG port. A JTAG port is a four-wire interface primarily used for system testing and debugging of an integrated circuit (IC). Two defining specifications for JTAG are IEEE 1149.1 and IEEE 1532. The IEEE 1149.1 boundary-scan standard defines an interface for accessing multiple ICs that are serially interconnected on a printed circuit board.
All ICs do not include JTAG ports, but Programmable Logic Devices (PLDs), such as Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) and Complex PLDs (CPLDs), are user programmable circuits that typically do include JTAG ports. JTAG headers can be found on most PLD development boards, providing a universal means of communicating with the PLD and other on-board devices. Other devices, such as microprocessors and Digital Signal processors (DSPs), sometimes also include JTAG ports. Because PLDs typically include a JTAG port, the JTAG interface has more recently been developed as a programming interface that provides a readily available programming link to the configuration memory of the PLD, as well as a communication link to the PLD for other purposes.
One FPGA manufacturer, Xilinx Incorporated of San Jose, Calif., provides tools that use the JTAG boundary-scan chain for functions such as testing and debugging, as well as for configuration or programming. For example ChipScope PRO uses JTAG for real-time debugging, EDK provides in-system processor debugging, System Generator for DSP (Sysgen) provides a tool available for high-level modeling and simulation, and iMPACT provides for configuration of programmable devices. These tools currently communicate to FPGA and CPLD devices via a programming cable (e.g., MultiLINX, Parallel Cable III, Parallel Cable IV). One end of the cable connects to the PLD development board and the other end connects to the host PC running application software.
Communication with an IC having a dedicated JTAG port is described with reference to the components of FIG. 1. Communication uses the JTAG interface 4 of a component 2, such as a PLD, to communicate with a host PC 6 having a JTAG communication port. Communication uses the JTAG interface components, including the Boundary Scan Chain (BSC) elements 10 and JTAG port 7 of the component 2 as a serial interface with the JTAG port of the host PC component 6. Data is provided serially between the primary Test Data Input (TDI) pin and the primary Test Data Output (TDO) pin of the JTAG access port 7. The Test Access Port (TAP) controls data flow and receives JTAG control signals from the Test Mode Select (TMS) and Test Clock (TCK) inputs.
For a single device 2, data is shifted is shifted around in the BSC elements 10 so that individual logic values appear on each of the I/O pins 12. The logic values are shifted into the component 2 using the four-wire JTAG interface 4. Data must be shifted into all input/output (I/O) pin locations 12 for every new I/O vector applied. In other words, to toggle a single output pin requires writing values and shifting them into all the I/O locations requiring a number of JTAG clock cycles to transfer a complete set of data. To monitor logic values applied to one of the I/O pins, the data can be shifted back through the JTAG boundary scan chain and out the TDO port. Data can similarly be shifted through the boundary scan of multiple ICs having JTAG ports linked or daisy chained together by cables.
For some design requirements, cables can be undesirable. Cables impose fixed structures linked with the boundary scan topology. Daisy chaining to link together the JTAG ports of multiple devices using cables is awkward as an adapter must be used to connect TDO to TDI pins between boards. Cables further restrict the physical distance between boards to the length of the cable.

Wireless dynamic boundary-scan topologies for field


A turboalternator system includes a turboalternator having a rotatable member operatively engaged to a bearing set, a radial support element, and a contact structure engaged with the radial support element. The rotatable member defines a first end, a second end and an axis of rotation. The turboalternator system is configured to be thermally adjustable such that in a first thermal condition the contact structure is at a first radial position with respect to the axis of rotation and contacts the rotatable member to provide support, and in a second thermal condition the contact structure is at a second radial position with respect to the axis of rotation that is spaced further from the axis of rotation than the first radial position.

The present invention relates to systems for restraining rotatable components, and more particularly to thermally operated systems for restraining rotatable components of turboalternators.
Foil bearings are a known type of bearing structure that utilize a thin metal journal lining to support a rotatable shaft and create a hydrodynamic film or air bearing with a working fluid (e.g., xenon gas). For example, certain closed Brayton cycle turboalternators can utilize a turboalternator shaft supported by foil bearings. At operational speeds, the rotating shaft is supported by the fluid pressure of the working fluid and generally does not contact the metal structures of the foil bearings. This means that no wear occurs due to direct physical contact with the rotating shaft during operation, although some contact with metal components of the bearings occurs during startup, shutdown and non-operational periods.
However, foil bearings are susceptible to damage, which can reduce or destroy bearing functionality. For instance, with foil bearings used in turboalternators for spacecraft, the turboalternator may not be used during a launch phase of a flight cycle and may only be activated for operation during a later orbital phase of the flight cycle. Because the launch phase will generally subject turboalternator components to stresses, vibration, displacement and other potential sources of damage, it is desired to restrain rotatable components of the turboalternator to prevent damage to the foil bearings during non-operational phases where a hydrodynamic film is not generated and rotatable components can contact the metal structures of the bearings. Active restraint systems, using solenoid actuators or the like, can be used to restrain the rotating components of the turboalternator during the launch phase, but those active systems contain moving parts that present undesirable reliability risks, especially under conditions of extreme ambient temperature variation that occur in aerospace applications.

Thermally operated rotatable component restraint system


The present invention contemplates a method for detecting a cytokine in a sample, said method comprising contacting an effective mount of said sample with an effective mount of SPGM-1 cells for a time and under appropriate conditions and then testing for the maintenance of said cells without loss of clonogenicity and tumorigenicity.

The cell line PGM-1 is a unique transplantable murine leukaemia generally maintained by serial passage in C3H/HeJ mice. The transient in vitro survival and proliferation of PGM-1 cells is absolutely dependent on stimulation of the cells by haemopoietic growth factors, and in particular, IL3 or GM-CSF. However, this in vitro survival and proliferation is always accompanied by differentiation of the cells to mature and non-dividing macrophages and granulocytes. These cells, once differentiated, neither form colonies in soft agar nor do they induce tumor formation in mice after sub-cutaneous injection and like normal differentiated myelo-monocytic cells these die in 7 to 14 days. PGM-1 tumor cells, therefore, resemble granulocytic/monocytic progenitor cells in having the capacity to differentiate to mature cells upon appropriate stimulation. However, PGM-1 cells exhibit variability on serial passage through mice. To avoid the high biovariability of PGM-1 cells derived from freshly isolated tumors, a permanent cell line, SPGM-1, was established in a two step approach.
First, freshly isolated tumor cells were cultured in transwell inserts on cloned human stromal cells transfected with plasmid DNA encoding Simian virus 40 (SV40) early region (see J. R. Novotny et al., Exp. Haematol. 18; 755-784, 1990) allowing continuous exchange of soluble factors. After several days in transwell cultures, PGM-1 cells were removed and transferred to small tissue culture wells. These cells received fresh stromal cell conditioned medium (CM) every second day. After an initial lag phase, proliferation was observed and cells were subsequently cultured in normal tissue culture flasks. In order for the cells to maintain dependence on exogenous factors for growth, strict culture conditions, i.e. seeding at a defined density in the presence of 25% (v/v) of the cloned stromal cell line CM, were required. Passaging every second day under these conditions yielded a stable and permanent cell line which was designated SPGM-1 (deposited at Public Health Laboratory Service, European Collection of Animal Cell Cultures, Porton Down, Salisbury, UK, on 26 April, 1991 under accession number 91042620).
In work leading up to the present invention, the SPGM-1 cell line was used to establish a bioassay in order to identify and characterise factors released by cell lines such as the human stromal cell lines of Novotny et al., and/or recombinant synthetic or derivative forms of such factors.


An attachment method and flange for connecting a ceramic matrix composite (CMC) component, such as a gas turbine shroud ring (36, 68), to a metal support structure. A CMC flange (20A) may be formed by attaching a wedge-shaped block (26) of a ceramic material to a CMC wall structure (22), and wrapping CMC layers (24) of the wall structure (22) at least partly around the block (26), forming the flange (20A) with an inner oblique face (34) and an outer face (35) normal to the wall structure. An adjacent support structure, such as a metal support ring (40A), may abut the outer face (35) of the CMC flange (20A) and be clamped or bolted to the CMC flange (20A).

Gas turbine engines have rotating turbine blades surrounded by a shroud. Each circular array of blades on a rotating turbine disc is closely surrounded by a shroud ring, which may be a full hoop or assembled from arcuate segments. Engine efficiency is proportional to combustion temperature, so modern gas turbines use ceramics in these shroud rings and other components, since ceramics surpass metals in heat tolerance. Ceramic matrix composite (CMC) components are often used, and they must be attached to metal support structures.
A flange is a common device for attaching components together with bolts, and flanges are often satisfactory for metal components. However, CMC has relatively weak inter-laminar tensile strength, which can cause weakness at the base of a CMC flange, especially in the cyclical thermal and mechanical stresses of a gas turbine engine environment. Thus, it has been problematic to design durable mechanisms for attaching CMC components to metal structures in gas turbines.

Ceramic matrix composite attachment apparatus and method


A dentally retained intra-oral appliance worn at night for treatment of snoring and obstructive sleep apnea. The appliance maintains the patient's mandible in an anterior, protruded position to prevent obstruction of the pharyngeal airway. The appliance allows a limited degree of lateral movement of the mandible relative to the upper jaw in the protruded position to prevent aggravation of the patient's tempromandibular joint and associated muscles and ligaments. The appliance preferably consists of an upper bite block conforming to the patient's maxillary dentition, a lower bite block conforming to the patient's mandibular dentition, and a connecting assembly secured to an anterior region of the upper and lower bite blocks for adjustably coupling the upper and lower bite blocks together.

Snoring and obstructive sleep apnea are typically caused by complete or partial obstruction of an individual's pharyngeal airway during sleep. Usually airway obstruction results from the apposition of the rear portion of the tongue or soft palate with the posterior pharyngeal wall. Obstructive sleep apnea is a potentially lethal disorder in which breathing stops during sleep for 10 seconds or more, sometimes up to 300 times per night. Snoring occurs when the pharyngeal airway is partially obstructed, resulting in vibration of the oral tissues during respiration. These sleep disorders tend to become more severe as patients grow older, likely due to a progressive loss of muscle tone in the patient's throat and oral tissues.
Habitual snoring and sleep apnea have been associated with other potentially serious medical conditions, such as hypertension, ischemic heart disease and strokes. Accordingly, early diagnosis and treatment is recommended. One surgical approach, known as uvulopalatopharyngoplasty, involves removal of a portion of the soft palate to prevent closure of the pharyngeal airway during sleep. However, this operation is not always effective and may result in undesirable complications, such as nasal regurgitation.
A wide variety of non-surgical approaches for treating sleep disorders have also been proposed including the use of oral cavity appliances. It has been previously recognized that movement of the mandible (lower jaw) forward relative to the maxilla (upper jaw) can eliminate or reduce sleep apnea and snoring symptoms by causing the pharyngeal air passage to remain open. Several intra-oral dental appliances have been developed which the user wears at night to fix the mandible in an anterior, protruded (i.e. forward) position. Such dental appliances essentially consist of acrylic or elastomeric bite blocks, similar to orthodontic retainers or athletic mouthguards, which are custom-fitted to the user's upper and lower teeth and which may be adjusted to vary the degree of anterior protrusion.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,901,737, which issued to Toone on Feb. 20, 1990, exemplifies the prior art. Toone discloses an intra-oral appliance for reducing snoring which repositions the mandible in an inferior (open) and anterior (protrusive) position as compared to the normally closed position of the jaw. Once the dentist or physician determines the operative "snore reduction position" for a particular patient, an appropriate mold is taken of the maxillary dentition and of the mandibular dentition for formation of the appliance template. The Toone appliance includes a pair of V-shaped spacer members formed from dental acrylic which extend between the maxillary and mandibular dentition to form a unitary mouthpiece. In an alternative embodiment of the Toone invention, the spacer members are formed in two pieces and a threaded rod is provided to enable adjustment of the degree of mandibular protrusion or retrusion after the mouthpiece is formed.
European patent application No. 0,312,368 published Apr. 19, 1989 also discloses an intra-oral device for preventing snoring. This device consists of a U-shaped mouthpiece which conforms to the upper dental arch of the user and includes a sloped, lower ramp for engaging the mandibular dentition. Normal mouth motions, such as the clenching of the jaw, will cause some of the mandibular dentition to engage the underside of the ramp, thereby camming the lower jaw forward to increase the spacing between the base of the tongue and the posterior wall of the pharynx.
While prior art dental appliances have proven effective in maintaining the mandible in a protruded position to improve airway patency, they often result in undesirable side effects. One of the most common side effects is aggravation of the tempromandibular joint and related jaw muscles and ligaments, especially in individuals who have a tendency to grind their teeth during sleep. Aggravation of the tempromandibular joint has been associated with a wide variety of physical aliments, including migraine headaches. Accordingly, many individuals suffering from sleep apnea and snoring disorders are not able to tolerate existing anti-snoring dental appliances for long periods of time.
The need has therefore arisen for a dental appliance for treatment of snoring and sleep apnea which will maintain the mandible in a preferred anterior position, but which will also allow a limited degree of lateral excursion of the mandible relative to the upper jaw to avoid discomfort to the tempromandibular joint and related muscles and ligaments.

Dental appliance for treatment of snoring and obstructive sleep apnea


An apparatus for performing an MultiMedia extension (MMX) Packed Sum of Absolute Differences (PSADBW) instruction is disclosed. The apparatus includes carry-generating subtraction logic that generates packed differences of the subtrahend from the minuend and associated carry bits indicating whether the difference is positive or negative. The apparatus selectively inverts the differences based on the carry bits. Addition logic adds the selectively inverted differences and carry bits substantially in parallel to generate the PSADBW instruction result. In one embodiment, the apparatus also includes two muxes. The first mux selects the selectively inverted differences in the case of a PSADBW instruction and selects a multiply instruction's partial products otherwise. The second mux selects the carry bits in the case of a PSADBW instruction and selects a second multiply instruction's partial products otherwise. The two mux outputs are provided to the addition logic. In one embodiment, the microprocessor translates the PSADBW instruction into at least first and second microinstructions for execution.

The x86 instruction set includes a PSADBW instruction. The PSADBW instruction includes two 64-bit input operands, each arranged as eight packed unsigned byte integers. One of the operands is a minuend operand of a subtraction operation and the other operand is a subtrahend operand of the subtraction operation. The PSADBW instruction generates an unsigned 16-bit result which is the sum of the absolute value of the eight differences of the corresponding eight unsigned byte integers when subtracting the subtrahend from the minuend. This particular result must be computed in various common applications, such as multimedia audio, video, or graphics applications, or scientific applications.
One approach to implementing the PSADBW instruction in a microprocessor is to generate the differences of the first and second packed operands, then take the absolute value of the differences, and then serially add the absolute values of the differences. However, this approach has the drawback of requiring a relatively large number of processor clock cycles to generate the result, particularly because the adds are performed serially. Therefore, what is needed is a fast apparatus for performing the PSADBW instruction.

Apparatus and method for generating packed sum of absolute differences


An aromatic polymer film substrate, or a grafted aromatic polymer film substrate having a monomer introduced therein as graft chains is irradiated with ionizing radiation to impart a crosslinked structure. The aromatic polymer film substrate or the grafted aromatic polymer film substrate, provided with the crosslinked structure, is directly sulfonated to obtain a crosslinked aromatic polymer electrolyte membrane. The crosslinked aromatic polymer electrolyte membrane has low water uptake, high proton conductivity, low methanol permeability, high chemical stability, and excellent mechanical characteristics. A method for producing the crosslinked aromatic polymer electrolyte membrane is also provided.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a crosslinked aromatic polymer electrolyte membrane which is suitable for use in a polymer electrolyte fuel cell, and which has low water uptake, high proton conductivity, low methanol permeability, high chemical stability, and excellent mechanical characteristics; and a method for producing the crosslinked aromatic polymer electrolyte membrane.
2. Description of the Related Art
A fuel cell using a polymer electrolyte membrane is operated at a temperature of as low as 150° C., and has a high power efficiency and a high energy density. Thus, such a fuel cell is expected to serve as a power source for mobile instruments, a power source for cogeneration stationary systems, or a power source for fuel cell vehicles (automobiles), which utilizes methanol, hydrogen or the like as a fuel.
In connection with the fuel cell, important component technologies on polymer electrolyte membranes, electrocatalysts, gas-diffusion electrodes, and membrane-electrode assemblies are existent. Development of a polymer electrolyte membrane having excellent characteristics for use in the fuel cell is one of the most important technologies.
In the polymer electrolyte fuel cell, the polymer electrolyte membrane acts as an "electrolyte" for conducting hydrogen ions (protons), and also acts as a "separator" for preventing direct mixing of hydrogen or methanol, as a fuel, with oxygen. The polymer electrolyte membrane is required to have high proton conductivity; excellent chemical stability ensuring long-term durability, especially, resistance to hydroxide radicals becoming a main cause of membrane deterioration (i.e., chemical stability); long-term thermal durability at the operating temperature of the cell, or at even higher temperatures; and constant and high water retention properties of the membrane for keeping proton conductivity high. To play the role of the separator, the polymer electrolyte membrane is required to be excellent in the mechanical strength and dimensional stability, and to have low permeability to hydrogen, methanol and oxygen.
A perfluorosulfonic polymer electrolyte membrane "Nafion (registered trademark of DuPont)" developed by DuPont, for example, has generally been used as the electrolyte membrane for the polymer electrolyte fuel cell. Perfluorinated polymer electrolyte membranes of the related art, such as Nafion, are excellent in chemical durability and stability. However, their water retention properties are insufficient at high temperatures and low humidity. Thus, the drying of the ion exchange membranes occurs, resulting in decreased proton conductivity. They are also disadvantageous in that when methanol is used as a fuel, swelling of the membrane or crossover of methanol takes place.
They have also been defective in that their mechanical characteristics under operating conditions involving temperatures exceeding 100° C., required for an automobile power source, markedly decline. Furthermore, the production of the perfluorinated polymer electrolyte membranes starts with the synthesis of fluorine-based monomers. Thus, the manufacturing process is so complex that a high cost is entailed. These have been a great impediment to the commercialization of these polymer electrolyte membranes-based fuel cells as power sources for stationary cogeneration systems or power sources for fuel cell vehicles.
Under these circumstances, the development of a low-cost polymer electrolyte membrane replacing the perfluorinated polymer electrolyte membrane has been energetically carried out. For example, attempts have been made to prepare partially fluorinated polymer electrolyte membranes by introducing styrene monomers into fluoropolymer films, such as polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF), and ethylene-tetrafluoroethylene copolymer (ETFE), by graft polymerization, and then sulfonating the graft polymers (see, for example, JP-A-2001-348439 and JP-A-2004-246376).
However, the fluoropolymer films have a low glass transition temperature, so that their mechanical strength at high temperatures of 100° C. or higher considerably declines. When a high electric current is flowed through the electrolyte membrane for a long time, moreover, the sulfonic acid groups introduced into the polystyrene graft chains become detached, resulting in the marked lowering of the proton conductivity of the electrolyte membrane. There is also the defect that crossover of hydrogen, as the fuel, or oxygen occurs.
On the other hand, an aromatic polymer electrolyte membrane has been proposed as a low-cost hydrocarbon-based polymer electrolyte membrane (see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,403,675). Since the aromatic polymer electrolyte membrane has excellent mechanical strength at high temperatures and low fuel permeability to methanol, hydrogen, oxygen or the like, its use at high temperatures is expected.
The aromatic polymer electrolyte membrane is prepared by dissolving an aromatic polymer material, typified by an engineering plastic, in a sulfonating solution such as concentrated sulfuric acid or chlorosulfonic acid to sulfonate the aromatic polymer, and then forming a solution of the sulfonated aromatic polymer into a membrane by casting (see, for example, JP-T-11-502245 and JP-A-06-049202).
The aromatic polymer electrolyte membrane is also obtained by the polymerization of an aromatic monomer having sulfonic acid groups bound thereto, and then forming the resulting polymer into a membrane (See, for example, JP-A-2004-288497, JP-A-2004-346163, and JP-A-2006-12791).
The aromatic polymer electrolyte membrane has excellent characteristics at high temperatures, so that its use at high temperatures is expected. However, the methods for preparing the aromatic polymer electrolyte membranes disclosed in JP-T-11-502245, JP-A-06-049202, JP-A-2004-288497, JP-A-2004-346163, and JP-A-2006-12791 use large amounts of strong acids for the purpose of dissolving the aromatic polymer materials, and thus use large amounts of diluting water in order to precipitate the sulfonated materials. As noted here, these methods require complicated steps. Moreover, the membrane-forming process by casting needs large amounts of organic solvents.
The electrolyte membranes prepared as above have no crosslinked structure. If the degree of sulfonation is high, or the temperature is heightened, therefore, problems occur, such as dissolution in water, or considerable dimensional changes or marked decreases in strength, due to absorption of water. As noted here, the electrolyte membranes do not possess mechanical strength which enables the shape of the electrolyte membrane to be maintained under the cell operating conditions.
Furthermore, the sulfonic acid groups exist randomly in the aromatic polymer chains, thus resulting in unclear separation between a hydrophobic layer for maintaining mechanical strength and an electrolyte layer in charge of proton conduction. Hence, proton conductivity, fuel impermeability, and chemical stability are insufficient.
The present invention has been accomplished in the light of the above-described problems. It is an object of the invention to provide an aromatic polymer electrolyte membrane which does not cause a problem, such as dissolution in water, or a considerable dimensional change or a marked decrease in strength, due to absorption of water, which possesses mechanical strength enabling the shape of the electrolyte membrane to be maintained under the cell operating conditions, and which is sufficient in proton conductivity, fuel impermeability, and chemical stability.
It is another object of the invention to provide a method for producing the aromatic polymer electrolyte membrane, which does not need complicated steps, can markedly reduce the cost of production, and obviates the need for a membrane-forming step by casting.

Crosslinked aromatic polymer electrolyte membrane and method for producing same


A pager includes a radio frequency (RF) attenuator which is initially rendered inoperative and which initiates attenuation of an incoming RF signal in response to a control signal. An amplifier is coupled to amplify the output of the attenuator. A signal level monitor (24, 26), coupled to the amplifier, determines if the output of the amplifier exceeds a predetermined level. A demodulator (16) is coupled to reproduce a base band signal from the output of the amplifier. A controller, following the demodulator, attempts to establish bit sync during each of a plurality of conventional and intermittently executed preamble searches. If bit sync is not established in a given preamble search and if the level monitor indicates that the output of the amplifier exceeds the predetermined level, the controller applies the control signal to the attenuator for activating the attenuator. Further, the controller extends the given preamble search by a predetermined time period for further determining whether or not bit sync is established. The attenuator, once being energized, continues to attenuate incoming RF signals until a predetermined time period elapses and another high input signal is received without establishing bit sync.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to improvements in a radio pager and more specifically to a method and apparatus via which a message receive ratio can be improved by reducing intermodulation noise induced in a radio pager.
2. Description of the Related Art
In order to meet the ever increasing number of pager subscribers in a radio paring system, a large number of radio channels (viz., frequencies) have been put into practical service. Further, a recent trend of introducing free competition in the radio paging business has brought about the possibility of an accelerated increase in the number of paging channels taking place.
With such an increase in the number of frequencies to be used in the same service area, a pager is liable to fail to receive a message(s) directed thereto due to intermodulation noise resulted from two high level carriers with different frequencies.
Throughout the instant disclosure, a desired frequency implies the frequency used to transmit a message to a pager in question, while an undesired or interfering frequency indicates the frequency which may cause intermodulation noise with the desired frequency. It is to be noted that the undesired or interfering frequency is in fact a desired frequency to a group of other pagers.
Even if a pager is located in a place wherein a desired frequency wave has electric field strength sufficient for a message to be received, it is often the case that the pager fails to receive the message if an undesired frequency wave also has a very high electric field strength.
One known approach to solving the aforesaid problem, is to automatically lower a RF signal level in response to the field strength of an incoming RF signal. As is known in the art, an attenuator, it not energized, passes therethrough a signal without attenuation. In other words, the attenuator always requires electric power to perform its attenuation operation. If attenuation is not needed, power is cut-off to the attenuator. It follows that the above prior art has encountered the problem that a battery life is undesirably shortened. In more specific terms, the attenuator is energized irrespective of whether or not an incoming signal is a desired signal. This means that the attenuator operates even when a desired signal is transmitted.
Additionally, if the auto gain control loop is not precisely adjusted, a desired frequency signal with a normal level can be undesirably lowered by the attenuator. This may lead to lowering of message receive ratio.

Radio paging system for improving message receive ratio by reducing intermodulation noise


A service provider node has an active network daemon running on it. Users control an adaptive pipeline via the active network capability of the service provider node by sending coded instructions to the service provider node. An adaptive pipeline is constructed within the service provider node according to control parameters contained in the coded instructions sent to it by a user. The adaptive pipeline includes a decode and an encode stage with zero or more intermediate filtering stages. The number and type of intermediate stages is determined by the values of the specified flow parameters.

The present invention relates in general to transcoding, and more particularly to network transcoding of multimedia data flow.
Distributed multimedia applications require communications support mechanisms with multiple clients on a network. Referring to FIG. 1, networking capability of a network node (a computer residing on a network) is divided into several layers that interface with each other. This is called the network stack. Starting from the bottom of the network stack, the physical network interface is responsible for receiving the electronic signals that come across the network wire. Moving up the stack the network signals are decoded further and passed to the next stack until the application layer is reached. It is this layer where the network traffic is interpreted in such a way that a response can be communicated to network clients to satisfy the ultimate service request by that client, such as a request for particular multimedia data flow.
Such network traffic needs to be delivered to end-systems, networks and end-users in a form that they can handle while satisfying the constraints imposed by the application. Quality of Service (QOS) mechanisms that allow full quality multimedia data playout on high-performance stations, while at the same time providing appropriately filtered lower quality playout, perhaps in a different coding format, at other end systems is called transcoding. However, current transcoders cannot scale, cannot adapt and are not flexible.
What is desired is a system for network transcoding of multimedia data flow wherein users can program a transcoding resource across the network and have a custom transcoder, so to speak, that scales, is adaptable and flexible.
In accordance with the illustrated preferred embodiment of the invention, a service provider node has an active network daemon running on it. Users control an adaptive pipeline via the active network capability of the service provider node by sending coded instructions to the service provider node. After intercepting a network client request for transcoding, an adaptive pipeline is constructed within the service provider node according to control parameters contained in the coded instructions sent to it by a user. The adaptive pipeline includes a decode and an encode stage with zero or more intermediate filtering stages. The number and type of intermediate stages is determined by the values of the specified flow parameters. The multimedia data flow requested by the network client is then processed through the adaptive pipeline and the resulting transcoded multimedia data flow is sent to the network client that requested it.
The objects, advantages, and other novel features of the present invention are apparent from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the appended claims and attached drawing.

System for network transcoding of multimedia data flow


A computer-implemented method for simulating file system instances may include identifying a file system to host a simulated file system instance. The computer-implemented method may also include intercepting attempts to read from the file system. The computer-implemented method may further include, for each intercepted read attempt, generating data to fulfill the intercepted read attempt. The computer-implemented method may additionally include fulfilling the intercepted read attempt with the generated data. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.

In the digital age, organizations increasingly depend on a variety of data management systems (e.g., data protection systems, archiving systems, etc.) to efficiently and effectively protect, organize, and analyze their data. Accordingly, data management system vendors may want to ensure that their data management products are efficient and reliable.
In order to properly test data management systems for functionality, scalability, and performance, vendors may require a very large test bed of data (e.g., a file system with tens of millions of files totaling tens of terabytes). In addition to consuming large quantities of storage space, creating a suitably large data set may take a long time (e.g., a couple of weeks). Unfortunately, such storage and time requirements may hinder the efficient and proper testing of data management systems, potentially resulting in delayed or inferior products (or product updates) from data management system vendors. Accordingly, the instant disclosure identifies a need for simulating file system instances to facilitate the efficient and proper testing of data management systems.

Systems and methods for simulating file system instances


A handwashing playground integrates handwash stations with an interactive, themed play attraction, such as a farm, and includes farm-themed playground with animals and a barn. The animals and farm implements replace faucets and sinks to provide an interactive and entertaining experience, thereby encouraging handwashing and other good personal hygiene behavior.

It is estimated that millions of health education dollars have been expended to teach children to wash their hands properly. For example, it is commonly recommended to wash hands with soap and water for approximately the same amount of time that it takes to sing the ABCs song, or to sing Happy Birthday twice. Videos and entertainment products have been produced to teach proper handwashing, yet fundamentally, a sink and faucet is nothing more than a sink and faucet, especially to a child. One possible reason children don't spend time washing their hands because it has yet to be offered to them in a creative and fun form that goes beyond mere utility.
Prior approaches have not featured comprehensive, integrated thematic entertainment elements into the handwashing and/or sanitizing experience. Rather, they attempt to compel proper handwashing techniques through warnings instead of attracting the desired behavior with interactive appeal. "These efforts are necessary to prevent a park from becoming a laboratory for spreading the flu, but they can also pose a challenge: How does this affect the entertainment experience and the image of a park as a safe place?" from a March 2010 article in Funworld Magazine, publication of the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions.
Accordingly, there is a need for an interactive, play handwash attraction that goes beyond mere utility, and makes the function of handwashing for children, and even adults, a form of entertainment.

System and method for a whimsical, interactive, and entertaining handwashing attraction


The apparatus for manufacturing a wiring substitute comprises a transporter having a circuit where a sheet is circulated; a screen printer for printing a conductive paste on the sheet; a counter for counting the number of times to print the conductive paste on the sheet; and a distributor for ejecting the sheet from the circuit when the counted number reaches a preset number. Thus, the conductive pillars having uniform properties can be formed automatically on the conductive foil with high productivity.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an apparatus for manufacturing a multi-layered wiring board, and more particularly to an apparatus for manufacturing a multi-layered wiring board having interlayer connection made by conductive pillars. The invention also relates to an apparatus for manufacturing a multi-layered wiring board having conductive pillars formed on a conductive foil and an apparatus for manufacturing a multi-layered wiring board having a conductive foil having conductive pillars laminated with an insulating resin layer.
2. Description of the Related Arts
Demands for high-density mounting of electronic elements are increasing as various types of electronic equipment are made compact and highly advanced in performance. In response to such demands, a type of wiring board, such as printed wiring board being used extensively is a multi-layered wiring board which has a laminated structure with insulating layers and wiring layers alternately overlaid. The multi-layered wiring board has wiring layers overlaid into a multi-layered structure in order to respond to the demands for high density and high performance. Interlayer connection of a plurality of wiring layers has been established by PTH (plated through hole(s)).
The multi-layered wiring board with via holes such as PTHs for interlayer connection of wiring layers has a disadvantage that it is not easy to comply with the demands for high-density mounting.
For example, wiring or mounting of electronic elements cannot be made in an area where a through hole is formed. Therefore, improvement of wiring density and high-density mounting is limited. In these years, wiring of the printed wiring board is also made to have high density as electronic elements are mounted in high density. When through holes are made to have a small diameter to comply with fine patterning of wiring, there is a problem that reliable interlayer connection is hardly assured.
In addition, for the interlayer connection with through holes, a through hole forming step and a plating step are involved, making the manufacturing process lengthy, and it is also disadvantageous in view of productivity.
For example, a step for forming through holes requires to make holes one by one by drilling and takes a long time. Especially, when through holes are drilled so to have a smaller diameter in this step, productivity is extremely lowered. Besides, after forming the through holes, a polishing step for removing burrs and a plating step are required.
Furthermore, positions where through holes are formed are required to be determined with high precision. It is also necessary to consider adhesion of plating to the inner walls of the through holes. Therefore, accuracy and conditions to form the through holes are complex to control, and productivity is decreased.
Especially, when the through hole has a diameter of about 0.2 mm or below, its formation takes a long time, and productivity is heavily decreased. Such problems can be remedied when a multi-layered wiring board is formed by making interlayer connection by means of conductive pillars to be described afterward.
In addition, a plating step, that electrical connection among a plurality of wiring layers is made with through holes, has to make a complex control to adjust a density of chemicals and a temperature. Besides, an apparatus for forming through holes and a facility for plating constitute a heavy burden in view of costs.
As described above, when the interlayer connection is made for the multi-layered wiring board using the through holes, productivity of the wiring substrate such as a printed wiring board (PWB) is decreased. Therefore, such a multi-layered wiring board is hard to comply with a demand for low cost.
To simplify the electrical connection among the wiring layers of the multi-layered wiring board, there is also proposed a method to connect the wiring layers with the conductive pillars. This method forms conductive pillars, such as via lands, as interlayer connections formed on a wiring circuit, and inserts the conductive pillars into the interlayer insulating layer such as a prepreg in its thickness direction to connect with the via lands formed on the opposed wiring layer.
The interlayer connection of the wiring circuit using the conductive pillars has advantages that a structure is simple, steps are not many, productivity is high, and high-density mounting can be made. However, a printed wiring board having the interlayer connection of wiring circuits using the conductive pillars has disadvantages to be described as follows.
The conductive pillars are formed on a conductive foil such as a copper foil by screen printing a plurality of times using a mask. However, no apparatus was available to print those pillars automatically. In making multiple printings by the manpower, it is difficult to keep a fixed time interval between respective printing steps, and the conductive pillars formed do not have uniform quality. Additionally an aspect ratio of the conductive pillars can be adjusted by the number of printing times, but management of the number of times to print on very many conductive foils becomes a very large burden decrease a productivity.
FIG. 19A and FIG. 19B are diagrams schematically showing a step of producing a multi-layered wiring board using conventional conductive pillars, wherein an insulating resin layer is pierced by the conductive pillars which are formed on a conductive foil.
It is seen that a conductive foil 52 such as a copper foil having conductive pillars 51 having a substantially conical shape is laminated with an insulating resin layer 53 such as a prepreg in a semi-cured state (B-stage), then heated and pressed by a plane press to pierce the insulating resin layer 53 by the conductive pillars 51. Reference numerals 91a, 91b denote press plates of the plane press. To keep the shape of the conductive pillars 51, a releasing sheet 56 is placed on the insulating resin layer 53.
However, the plane press is hard to press uniformly the entire area of the laminate. Therefore, all the conductive pillars 51 formed on the conductive foil 52 cannot pierce the insulating resin layer 53 satisfactorily due to non-uniform pressing. The conductive pillars 51 serve to make interconnection of the wiring layers of the multi-layered wiring board, so that such defective piercing is directly related to a failure of the multi-layered wiring board.
To pierce the conductive pillars 51 by the plane press, it is necessary to laminate the conductive foil 52, the insulating resin layer 53 and the releasing sheet 56 in each pressing process. After pressing, the laminate must be decomposed. Especially, when pressing is made manually, a long time is required to complete the process. Therefore, productivity of a wiring substrate is decreased.
Because of the drawbacks in the multi-layered wiring board having the interlayer connection made by the conductive pillars, it is hard to put into practical use.
Besides, when the conductive foil 52 and the insulating resin layer 53 are laminated, there is a problem that the conductive foil is readily contaminated by powder of the resin which forms the insulating resin layer.
For example, a conventional apparatus for manufacturing a printed wiring board which has the conductive foil 51 and the insulating resin layer 53 laminated has a structure as shown in FIG. 20.
For example, the insulating resin layer 53 such as a prepreg set at a predetermined position is adsorbed by aspiration heads 93 and transported so to be piled on the conductive foil 52 such as a Cu foil set at another predetermined position.
However, such a conventional apparatus has the following disadvantages.
The conventional aspiration heads partly hold the insulating resin layer by a point-to-point contact. Therefore, there is a problem that the insulating resin layer has a wrinkle when it is held and the resin forming the insulating resin layer is partly powdered to disperse to the surroundings. Furthermore, the powdered and dispersed portion of the insulating resin such as a prepreg adheres to the surface of the conductive foil and the like. As a result, an etching failure is caused or a dent is formed due to irregularities formed by the resin adhered after pressing.
In addition, the powdered prepreg produced in a step of cutting the prepreg adheres to the surface and end faces of the prepreg, and the powder has a problem of causing the same disadvantages as described above.


A light with a lamp and a reflector, includes a reflector formed by one surface of a kitchen utensil and having a reflector surface, and at least one lamp incorporated in at least one egg-shaped body which is transparent or translucent and which is fixed to the kitchen utensil in front of the reflector surface.

The invention relates to a light with a lamp and a reflector.
In numerous lights the lamp is disposed in front of a reflector which ensures that the light radiated from the amp is oriented primarily in a certain direction. In most cases, reflectors are made from thin sheets of aluminum, steel or stainless steel, which may be chrome-plated. These sheets are fixed by some suitable means to or in the light""s stand, housing or frame. Hence a relatively large number of components are always required to construct a light with its housing, the reflector and the lamp.
This invention is based on the task of providing a particularly simple light construction equipped with both a reflector and a lamp.
In a light of the above type, this task is solved in that the reflector is formed by one surface of a kitchen appliance, and in that at least one lamp is incorporated in at least one egg-shaped transparent or translucent body which is fixed to the kitchen appliance in front of the reflector surface.
The term xe2x80x98kitchen appliancexe2x80x99 as used in this invention does not refer to the usual fitted kitchen appliances such as ovens, dishwashers or microwave ovens, for which this tern is occasionally used. The invention relates far more to manual work utensils of the kind used in commonplace kitchen tasks.
Numerous kitchen utensils of this type are made from metals and, for aesthetic and hygienic reasons, have a smooth, e.g. chrome-plated or polished surface. This is the case for e.g. manual utensils such as ladles, skimmers, straining spoons, sieves or similar. In certain instances these utensils also have a bowl-shaped curved surface which is particularly suitable for use as a reflector surface. According to the invention, a lamp incorporated in a body in the shape of an egg is fixed in front of surfaces such as these.
The power supply line can run in some concealed place, e.g. along the back of the handle of a kitchen utensil, or can possibly also be ran inside a hollow handle, insofar as This is available.
The light consisting of the kitchen utensil and the lamp can e.g. be fixed to a supporting plate, thereby forming a lighting element in an original design that is particularly suitable for use in kitchens.


An image adjustment includes adapting a universal palette to generate (i) an input image palette statistically representative of pixels of an input image and (ii) a reference image palette statistically representative of pixels of a reference image, and adjusting at least some pixels of the input image to generate adjusted pixels that are statistically represented by the reference image palette. In some embodiments, a user interface for controlling the image adjustment includes a display and at least one user input device, the user interface displaying a set of colors indicative of the regions of color space represented by a palette and receiving a selection of one or more regions of the color space, so that the image adjustment adjusts those pixels of the input image lying within the one or more selected regions of the color space.

The following relates to the image processing, image presentation, photofinishing, and related arts.
The rise of digital photography and digital video has empowered amateur and professional photographers and cinematographers to perform photographic and video processing previously requiring expensive and complex darkroom facilities. Today, even amateur photographers can readily use home computers running photofinishing software to perform operations such as image cropping, brightness, contrast, and other image adjustments, merging of images, resolution adjustment, and so forth.
One task that has largely eluded such persons, however, is effective color adjustment. The difficulty is not lack of available tools—to the contrary, most image processing software provides a wide range of color adjustments such as color balance, hue, saturation, intensity, and so forth, typically with fine control such as independent channel adjustment capability for the various channels (e.g., the red, green, and blue channels in an RGB color space). The difficulty is that effective use of these color adjustment tools presupposes a level of color science knowledge and expertise that is beyond the capability of most amateur photographers and cinematographers, and even beyond the capability of some professionals. Additionally, using such color adjustment tools can be time-consuming, especially when dealing with long sequences of video frames or other large image collections.
Accordingly, there has been interest in the automation and simplification of color adjustment processing. One approach that has been to make standard color adjustments for certain color regions. For example, the color space may be broken up into palette regions, e.g. a red region, an orange region, a yellow region, and so forth, and a standard adjustment applied to image pixels in each palette region, such as a standard adjustment for pixels in the red region that shifts the pixel toward orange by a predetermined amount. Such adjustments can be performed relatively safely. For example, using a suitable transform it can be ensured that a reddish pixel will remain reddish after adjustment. To ensure a safe color transform, the color adjustment of each pixel can be bounded to remain within the palette region of the pixel.
These existing approaches are relatively inflexible. It is difficult to modify the transforms to accommodate different personal color preferences, or different images under adjustment, or other deviations from the general characteristics of the training images based upon which the transform was constructed. There is typically no intuitive way for the user to modify the color palette or transforms to adapt the color adjustment system to different personal color preferences, or different images under adjustment, or other deviations.

Color transfer between images through color palette adaptation


An adhesive preparation comprising a stretchable support and an adhesive layer laminated on at least one side of the support, wherein                the stretchable support comprises a interlock woven fabric subjected to crimping processing,        the adhesive layer contains 10% by mass or more of methyl salicylate with respect to the total mass of the layer,        the whole adhesive preparation has moisture permeability of 1 to 350 g/m2·24 hr measured at a temperature of 40° C. and a relative humidity of 90%, and        the methyl salicylate has a plasma AUC0-24 ranging from 3.0 to 60.0 ng·hr/mL in terms of a mean±standard deviation, and salicylic acid as a metabolite of the methyl salicylate has a plasma AUC0-24 ranging from 5000 to 13000 ng·hr/mL in terms of a mean±standard deviation, when the adhesive preparation is applied to a human skin for 8 hours such that an application amount of the adhesive layer applied is 50 to 300 g/m2 and a contact area is 280 cm2.

Heretofore, anti-inflammatory analgesics for external use, which are supplemented with a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agent such as a salicylic acid-based compound (e.g., methyl salicylate), indomethacin, diclofenac, or ketoprofen, and with 1-menthol as a cooling agent, have been frequently used, irrespective of patches substantially free from moisture in an adhesive or poultices containing moisture in an adhesive. However, adhesive preparations containing methyl salicylate have room for improvement in terms of analgesic effects, even though they are very frequently used.
Non-Patent Documents 1 and 2 have reported that the plasma concentration of methyl salicylate was measured, when an adhesive preparation supplemented with methyl salicylate was applied to a human. Of these documents, Non-Patent Document 1 discloses that the plasma concentration of methyl salicylate hardly rose, when two pieces of adhesive preparation supplemented with 74.88 mg/piece of methyl salicylate were applied to a human, and that a plasma concentration of methyl salicylate of approximately 30 ng/mL was obtained, when eight pieces of such adhesive preparation were applied to a human.
Non-Patent Document 1: Journal of Clin Pharmacol 2004; 44: 1151-1157
Non-Patent Document 2: Journal of chromatography. B, Biomedical sciences and applications, Jun. 11, 1999; 729 (1-2): 163-71

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


The invention relates to a method for monitoring an optical transmission line of an optical data network, wherein light is sent into the optical transmission line at a line input, and backscattered light of said light is detected at said line input and analysed, wherein during normal operation of said optical network, burst mode optical signals carrying a digital payload are sent onto the optical transmission line at the line input, and the backscattered light of said burst mode optical signals is detected at said line input and analysed. The inventive method is simple and cost-effective.

The invention is based on a priority application EP 05291727.5 which is hereby incorporated by reference.
The invention relates to a method for monitoring an optical transmission line of an optical data network, wherein light is sent into the optical transmission line at a line input, and backscattered light of said light is detected at said line input and analysed. The invention further relates to a measuring device and an optical transmitter.
Such a method has been disclosed, for example, in a lecture of W. Bludau, "Messverfahren zur Charakterisierung von Lichtwellenleitern und-komponenten", at the Symposium "Nachrichtenubertragung mit Lichtwellenleitern", Technische Akademie Esslingen, Oct. 18-20, 2000, Ostfildern-Nellingen (Germany).
Optical networks are used to transfer digital data. For this purpose, an optical network requires fully functional optical transmission lines. Therefore, the optical transmission lines need to be checked, in particular upon installation and in case of problems with the data transfer on a particular transmission line.
A method to check the state of an optical transmission line is optical time domain reflectometry (OTDR), as disclosed in the lecture of W. Bludau, see above. Short test pulses of light are sent into an optical fiber in order to activate Rayleigh back scattering within the optical fiber. The backscattered light is detected. A plot over time of the backscattered light is, when the optical fiber is fully functional, an exponentially declining curve. In case of defects within the optical fiber, abrupt changes are registered within the curve. The time delay between the illumination at the fiber input and the registry of back-scattered light indicates the position within the fiber where a problematic scattering event has taken place. In order to check the state of a fiber with this known method, it is necessary to interrupt the data transfer service, in particular for sending the short test pulses, and to reconfigure fiber connections manually; this makes this method cumbersome and expensive.
In a modified OTDR method, a sine wave modulation is done on top of a continuous data modulation (=super modulation), and the complex frequency characteristics of the backscattered channel are measured, followed by an inverse Fourier transformation. Thus the required impulse response is obtained. This modified method uses an operational data channel, but it reduces the extinction ratio of the data modulation. Further, it requires a linear operation of the modulator and its driver. Linear operating drivers and modulators are rather expensive compared to usual optical data transmitters which use nonlinear, on/off modulation techniques.

Method for monitoring an optical transmission line, corresponding measuring device and optical transmitter


A method for improving analog gain in long channel devices associated with a semiconductor workpiece is provided. A gate oxide layer is formed on the semiconductor workpiece, and a plurality of gate structures are formed over the gate oxide layer, wherein a first pair of the plurality of gate structures define a short channel device region and a second pair of the plurality of gate structures define a long channel device region. A first ion implantation with a first dopant is performed at a first angle, wherein the first dopant is one of an n-type dopant and a p-type dopant. A second ion implantation with a second dopant is performed at a second angle, wherein the second angle is greater than the first angle. The second dopant is one or an n-type dopant and a p-type dopant that is opposite of the first dopant, and a height of the plurality of gate structures and the second angle generally prevents the second ion implantation from implanting ions into the short channel device region.

In semiconductor manufacturing, a semiconductor workpiece or wafer often undergoes many processing steps or stages before a completed die is formed. For example, ion implantation processes are performed on the semiconductor wafer in order to provide a specific doping of the semiconductor workpiece in specific regions, such as seen in source and drain regions of CMOS devices. As integrated circuit devices are scaled down, designers face a tradeoff between short channel effects, drain induced barrier lowering, and output conductance when implementing both short channel and long channel CMOS devices on the wafer. Greater source/drain pocket (PKT) doping to suppress short channel effects in short channel devices typically worsens drain induced barrier lowering and deleteriously increases output conductance in long channel devices, such as analog devices.

Counter pocket implant to improve analog gain

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd.


This invention relates to non-polymeric, asymmetrical, low freezing, high boiling, aliphatic compounds containing from 2 to 5 pyrrolidonyl rings and from 13 to 40 carbon atoms which melt below 0.degree. C. and which boil above 300.degree. C. at atmospheric pressure and to the synthesis and use of said liquid polypyrrolidonyl compounds.

Substantially symmetrical polypyrrolidonyl compounds, such as polyvinylpyrrolidone, have been used as binders and film-formers in the cosmetic arts. They have also been found to have adhesive properties in pressure sensitive applications; however, these low molecular weight vinylpyrrolidone polymers occur as solids or thick viscous gels and are not useful as solvents or dispersants for chemicals which are difficultly soluble in conventional solubilizing agents.
Other symmetrical dipyrrolidonyl compounds, such as those disclosed in the Journal of the American Oil Chemists Society, 1990, Volume 67, pages 739-742; U.S. Pat. No. 3,989,815 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,988,315 have been found to possess surfactant and complexing properties. However, these symmetrical compounds have melting points of at least 10.degree. C. so that they are unsuitable for low temperature applications such as low temperature lubricants and dispersants or pre-emergent agricultural herbicides and the like which are preferably administered before the growing season during or after frost. Additionally, these compounds have limited use because of their tendency to foam during formulation with active chemicals.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a dispersant or lubricant which has a melting point below 0.degree. C. and a wide liquid range up to at least 250.degree. C. for applications which require operation over extreme temperature conditions.
Another object of this invention is to provide a non-foaming polypyrrolidonyl liquid as an improved dispersant for agrichemicals as well as a dispersing agent for cosmetics and pharmaceutical drugs.
Another object of this invention is to provide polypyrrolidonyl compounds which retain their liquid state over a wide temperature range and which are non-toxic for agricultural, pharmaceutical and cosmetic uses.
Still another object is to provide non-polymeric liquids having boiling points above 250.degree. C., which are compatible with a wide range of chemical additives and which do not materially alter the viscosity of a chemical composition.
Still another object is to provide a compound having the above properties which can be prepared by an economic and commercially feasible synthesis process.
These and other objects of the invention will become apparent from the following description and disclosure.

Asymmetrical polypyrrolidonyl compounds having a wide liquid range


An information distribution system capable of presenting an image photographed by a moving body, such as a robot or vehicle, selected by a user. The information distribution system includes moving bodies, local managers, and a global manager. When a user requests a connection with one of the moving bodies to the global manager through a portable terminal such as a portable phone, a menu generation section of the global manager generates a menu screen, and sends it to the portable terminal. The user selects one from the moving bodies through the menu screen, so that the portable terminal of the user connects with the selected moving body. An image photographed by a camera of the moving body is sent to the local manager, and information related to the image is superimposed on the image. Consequently, the superimposed image is sent to the portable terminal.

1. Field of the Invention
A system consistent with the present invention relates to an image distribution system.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, robots have become increasingly developed, and have been adapted for specific applications, including; pets, household use and dangerous-work use. To give an example, it is suggested that a robot for household use is disposed in a house, office or building, and a user can operate this robot through a portable terminal so as to remotely communicate with persons around the robot or to receive, through the portable terminal, pictures photographed by the robot, thereby perceiving situations around the robot (refer to Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2003-006532 (paragraphs 0005 to 0007, FIG. 3)).
However, such conventional techniques are centered on an operation of a robot through a portable terminal, and the robot is designed only to monitor images photographed by a camera provided on itself through the portable terminal. Additionally, the number of robots which a user can access through a portable terminal is confined to one, and the user can, therefore, know only about information sensed by this single robot.


A fire detector, for connection in a fire protection/alarm system, comprises an array of sensors, or a single sensor, of the semiconductor resistor type impregnated with a noble metal. The detector is responsive, by way of a decrease in its resistance, to an increase in any one or more parameters indicative of a fire, namely the atmospheric concentrations of carbon monoxide, hydrogen and water vapor, and temperature, so that a fire is detected regardless of which of these indicators is present. The sensor responds to all of the parameters, and the output signal simultaneously represents changes in all the parameters.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to fire detectors of the kind having transducer means, and capable of giving a reaction at ambient temperatures to changes in an atmospheric condition characteristic of the presence of combustion, with the transducer means being arranged to give an electrical output signal representing its response to the said changes. Such a fire detector will be referred to as a fire detector of the kind specified.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Commercially available fire detectors generally rely on purely physical principles, by detecting smoke particles or a significant increase in atmospheric temperature, or alternatively, to a lesser extent, by sensing heat or infra-red radiation generated by a fire. Common difficulties with such devices arise from spurious effects, e.g. presence of dust particles or heat emanating from sources other than a fire etc., all of which can lead to false alarms.
It is also known that a fire can be detected in some (though not all) cases by detection of gases produced by the combustion involved, and that this can often afford a means of obtaining very early warning. Studies to demonstrate this are described in the papers of Fardell et al., Fire and Materials, 10 (1986) p. 21-8, Hurst et al., Fire and Materials, 9 (1985) p. 1-8, and Harkoma et al., Combust. Sci. and Tech., 62 (1988), p. 21-9. It has been demonstrated specifically that carbon monoxide sensors can be used to detect fires, as described in Harwood et al., Fire Safety Journal 17 (1991) p. 431-443. In this last-mentioned paper, the sensors are of the impregnated semiconductor type which react to a change in the concentration of carbon monoxide in the atmosphere by a change in their electrical resistance.
Again, it is known that the incidence of false alarms can be reduced, and the security of detecting a fire improved, by using a combination of sensors of different types either in an array, or in single sensors of different type disposed around a building.
A fire variously produces gases (particularly carbon monoxide, and also, commonly, hydrogen), and smoke. Water vapor is often produced by combustion of hydrogenous matter such as hydrocarbons. In addition, of course, there will usually be an increase in atmospheric temperature. The extent to which any one of these factors is present to any significant, or easily-detectable, extent will vary according to the circumstances. This is especially so in the very early stages of a fire when, of course, it is most desirable that the fire be detected: the factor that is predominant at that time should be detected regardless of which factor it happens to be.
Sensors of the impregnated semiconductor resistor type for sensing changes in carbon monoxide (CO) concentration are essentially chemical in function, albeit producing a physical effect in the form of an electrical signal representing the resistance of the sensor. It is known to be desirable to be able to diagnose a fire chemically, using sensors with suitable characteristics, with a view to avoiding the disadvantages of fire detectors that rely on purely physical principles as mentioned above.
The characteristics which are important for fire sensors employing chemical principles include robustness against poisons in the air, sensitivity to gases given off in typical fires, very low power consumption, small size and low cost. While some of these characteristics are present in the general type of sensor described in the above-mentioned paper of Harwood et al., the known art of fire detection using such a sensor still envisages a sensor dedicated to the detection of a single effect characteristic of combustion, e.g. CO concentration. To detect any other effect (such as temperature), it has been thought that separate sensing means would be essential.
Sensors (transducer elements, semiconductor resistors) of porous tin dioxide (SnO.sub.2), impregnated with at least one noble metal deposited on the surface of its pores and capable of giving a reaction at ambient temperatures to changes in the concentrations of particular gases in the atmosphere, and methods of making them, are described in the British patent specifications GB 2 249 179A and GB 2 248 306A.
In the first of those documents, a tin dioxide sensor element is impregnated with platinum and an additive which increases its selective sensitivity to the presence of atmospheric hydrogen, by increasing its density. In GB 2 248 306A, a tin dioxide resistor for use as a transducer or sensor element is impregnated with at least one phase of a metal such that the electrical resistance of the sensor is a function of the concentration of a given gas in the atmosphere in such a way that its sensitivity to that gas in trace quantities is reduced, but its sensitivity to the same gas is not impaired at the higher concentrations at which the sensor is most useful.

Semiconductor sensors and method for detecting fires using such sensors


The invention relates to a method for separating a cast lens from shell molds, whereby a separating tool exerts pressure on the lens but a height of the separating tool is guided along the interface between the lens and the shell mold to be separated from the lens. In a preferred embodiment the composite consisting of the lens and the shell molds is fixed on a holding device that can be rotated on an axis of rotation. The holding device is rotated by means of a first motor and the height of the separating tool is tracked by means of a second motor in relation to the height of the interface depending on the angle of rotation.

A production line for the production of optical lenses is known from the international patent application WO 02/087861. With this production method a monomer is cast and polymerised in a cavity framed by two shell molds and a seal whereby the lens is formed. Afterwards, the seal is removed and the lens separated from the two shell molds in a separating device. The two shell molds are separated from the lens one after the other. The separating device consists of a holding device that secures the lens, a force transmitter that exerts a force on the lens, preferably at the interface between the lens and the shell mold, and a second force transmitter that exerts a force on the shell mold.
Separating the lens from the two shell molds is a tricky process with which there is a great danger that the lens and/or the shell molds are damaged or destroyed during the separation process. For this reason, separation is still done by hand, the separation process of WO 02/087861 was not reliable. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,251,474, a spatula is mentioned that is used to separate the lens from the shell molds.

Method and device for separating a cast lens from a shell mold


A light amplifying device, which employs a SOA, has been disclosed, wherein, the gain of the SOA is adjusted by the injection of light into the semiconductor optical amplifier. The signal light and the CW control light are combined, entered into the SOA, and the control light is removed from the light output from the SOA by the filter, the amplified signal light is divided by the divider, and the power of one of the divided lights is detected. The control unit changes the power of the control light in accordance with the detected power. The gain is adjusted by changing the power of the control light. In this structure, the density of the carrier in the active layer is reduced by increasing the power of the control light in order to decrease the gain, but the saturation light output power of the SOA is increased because the carrier life is reduced.

The present invention relates to a light amplifying device employing a semiconductor optical amplifier. More particularly, the present invention relates to a light amplifying device equipped with functions (ALC: Automatic Level Control, APC: Automatic Power Control), which control the level/power of output signal light to a constant value, and which can be used in a wavelength division multiplexed communication system.
Recently, development of a wavelength division multiplexed communication system, which will realize transmission through an optical fiber cable by multiplexing plural signal light of different wavelengths, has advanced to meet the increasing demands on communication systems. In a wavelength division multiplexed communication system, many optical components are used for light combination and light division, therefore, a light signal is attenuated by the losses of each optical component. To compensate for such losses, a light amplifying device is used.
Compared to the conventional optical fiber communication system, the wavelength division multiplexed communication system needs many more light amplifying devices, therefore, a light amplifying device must be compact and have low power consumption. Moreover, such a light amplifying device needs to have a large dynamic range to handle large variations in power level of the input signal light and functions (ALC/APC functions) to control the level/power of the output signal light to a constant value. Among various types of light amplifying devices, a semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) is compact and has a low power consumption and, therefore, attracts interest as a light amplifying device to compensate for losses in the wavelength division multiplexed communication system.
To realize the ALC function in a light amplifying device employing a semiconductor optical amplifier, a method may be used in which electric current supplied to the semiconductor optical amplifier is changed to vary the gain of the semiconductor optical amplifier, but this method will bring about a problem in that the saturation level of the output light varies if the electric current supplied to the semiconductor optical amplifier is changed, and distortion of the signal occurs due to the pattern effect. Therefore, a structure is employed, in which the semiconductor optical amplifier is driven under a fixed condition almost near the upper limit so that the amplification factor is maintained constant, an attenuator to attenuate light input to the semiconductor optical amplifier is provided, and light is input to the semiconductor optical amplifier, after being attenuated by the attenuator, so as to have a constant power.
FIG. 1 is a diagram that shows the structure of an example conventional light amplifying device that employs a semiconductor optical amplifier and has an ALC function. As shown schematically, the output light of a modulator integrated DFB laser diode (MI-DFB-LD) 11 is modulated by the signal from a modulation signal source 12. The light output from the MI-DFB-LD 11 is amplified to a fixed power by a light amplifying device 21.
The optical amplifying device 21 comprises an attenuator (Att) 23, which attenuates the input light and the attenuation factor of which can be changed, a divider 24, which divides the output of the attenuator 23 in the ratio, for example, of 10:1, a power meter 25, which detects the power of the light of lower strength divided by the divider 24, a control unit 26, which controls the attenuation of the attenuator 23 according to the light detected by the power meter 25, and a semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) 22, which amplifies the light of larger strength divided by the divider 24. The SOA 22 is driven under a fixed condition.
Next the ALC operation in the light amplifying device in FIG. 1 is described with reference to FIG. 2.
When modulated signal light is amplified in the SOA 22, it is necessary to set the average light output power of the SOA 22 lower than the saturated light output by a few dB in order to avoid signal distortion due to the pattern effect based on the gain saturation, in which the output light is saturated. Here, for example, it is set 5 dB lower than the saturated light output PS (dBm). Therefore, the permissible maximum value PSM (dBm) of the average light output power of the SOA 22 is shown as follows.
PSM(dBm)=PS(dBm)xe2x88x925dBxe2x80x83xe2x80x83(1)
When the level of the output signal light of the light amplifying device is controlled to be constant by the ALC function, it is desirable that the target level is as large as possible, therefore, the target level is set to PSM (dBm).
As described above, the drive condition of the SOA 22 is fixed and, because the input light is amplified with a fixed gain Gs (dB), the permissible maximum value PSIM (dBm) of the average light input power to the SOA 22 is show as follows.
PSIM(dBm)=PSM(dBm)xe2x88x92Gs(dB)xe2x80x83xe2x80x83(2)
Therefore, if the average light input power PSIM (dBm) to the SOA 22 is constantly adjusted so as to be PSIM (dBm) by the variable attenuator 23, the level of the output signal light of the SOA 22 is constantly a fixed PSM (dBm).
The lower limit PIMIN (dBm) of the average light input power to the light amplifying device 21, when no attenuation is carried out by the attenuator 23, is shown by the following expression, the basic loss LA1 of the attenuator 23 and the loss LD1 of the optical divider 24 being taken into account.
PIMIN (dBm)=PSIM(dBm)+LA1+LD1xe2x80x83xe2x80x83(3)
The dynamic range xcex94PIN (dB) of the light amplifying device 21 is determined by the maximum quantity of attenuation LATM (dB) of the attenuator 23.
xcex94PIN(dB)=LATM(dB)xe2x80x83xe2x80x83(4)
Therefore, the upper limit PIMAX (dBm) of the average light input power of the light amplifying device 21 is determined by the following expression.
PIMAX (dBm)=PIMIN (dBm)+xcex94PIN(dB) =PSIM(dBm)+LA1+LD1+LATM(dB)xe2x80x83xe2x80x83(5)
From the standpoint of generality, it is preferable that a light amplifying device can be used commonly for signal light of various wavelengths. For example, when combining plural types of signal light of different wavelengths transmitted from a transmitter, after each signal light is amplified to a fixed value, respectively, or when recombining plural types of signal light of different wavelengths received by a relay device, after each signal light is divided and amplified to a fixed value, individually, it is troublesome to use plural different light amplifying devices according to each wavelength, or to set different conditions even if a single light amplifying device is used.
The light amplifying device shown in FIG. 1 can provide light output of a fixed level as long as the wavelength of the signal light is fixed. Because the gain of the SOA 22 has wavelength dependence, however, levels of the output signal light of the light amplifying device vary depending on the wavelength of signal light, even though the average light input power to the SOA21 is controlled to be constant in the structure in FIG. 1. Therefore, in the structure in FIG. 1, if only the average light input power of the signal light is monitored and the wavelength of the signal light is not monitored, the average light output power does not remain constant, and the average light output power of the signal light varies depending on the wavelength by the difference xcex94Gs (dB) between the maximum gain GsH (dB) and the minimum gain GsL (dB) of the SOA 22 in the range of the used wavelength, as shown below.
xcex94Gs(dB)=GsH(dB)xe2x88x92GsL(dB)xe2x80x83xe2x80x83(6)
In order to keep the average light output power constant even when the wavelength varies, a mechanism is needed, which detects the output of the SOA and attenuates the output of the SOA according to the detected value. FIG. 3 shows an example of a structure, in which mechanisms that detect the level of the signal light and attenuate according to the detected value are provided on both sides of the SOA in order to obtain a fixed average light output power regardless of the wavelength.
In the structure shown in FIG. 3, a selector 20, which selects a light signal to amplify from among plural light signals of different wavelengths, is provided and the light signal selected by the selector 20 is input into the light amplifying device 21. Therefore, only one light signal is input into the light amplifying device 21 at one time, but the input light signals have plural wavelengths.
In the light amplifying device 21, a similar attenuation mechanism is provided for the output of SOA 22, in addition to the structure in FIG. 1. As shown schematically, this attenuation mechanism comprises a second attenuator (Att) 27, which attenuates the output of the SOA 22 and the attenuation factor of which can be changed, a second divider 28, which divides the output of the second attenuator 27, a second power meter 29 that detects the power of the light divided by the second divider 28, and a second control unit 30 that controls the quantity of attenuation of the second attenuator 27 according to the light detected by the second power meter 29.
The ALC operation of the light amplifying device shown in FIG. 3 is described with reference to FIG. 4.
It is assumed that the saturated light output of the SOA 22 slightly depends on wavelength and the saturated light output is constant at PS in the assumed range of wavelengths. As described above, if the average light output power of the SOA 22 is lower than the saturated light output PS by 5 dB, the permissible maximum value PSM (dBm) of the average light power of the SOA 22 is shown by the above-mentioned expression (1).
The permissible maximum value PSM (dBm) of the average light power in the assumed range of wavelengths is obtained when the light of wavelength xcexH that gives the maximum gain GsH (dB) of the SOA 22 enters, and it is expressed as below.
PSIM(dBm)=PSM(dBm)xe2x88x92GsH(dB)xe2x80x83xe2x80x83(7)
Therefore, on the input side of the SOA 22, the average light input power of the SOA 22 is adjusted to be PSIM (dBm) regardless of the wavelength, as described in FIGS. 1 and 2. In other words, the average light output power PSM1 (dBm) of the SOA 22 when the light of wavelength xcexH enters becomes PSM (dBm).
On the contrary, the average light output power of the SOA 22, when the light of wavelength xcexL that gives the minimum gain GsL (dB) of the SOA 22 in the assumed range of wavelengths is entered, becomes the minimum value PSM2 (dBm) and expressed as below.
PSM2(dBm)=PSIM(dBm)+GsL(dB)xe2x80x83xe2x80x83(8)
Because it is preferable that the output of the light amplifying device 21 is as large as possible, when the average light output power of the SOA 22 is PSM2 (dBm), the quantity of attenuation of the second attenuator 27 is regarded as the basic loss LA2 of the second attenuator 27. Moreover, taking the loss LD2 of the second divider 28 into account, the minimum value of the average light output power of the light amplifying device, that is the output of the second divider 28, is obtained by subtracting LA2 and LD2 from PSM2 (dBm). Therefore, the target value POSET when controlling the output of the light amplifying device 21 is set to this value. That is,
POSET(dBm)=PSM2(dBm)xe2x88x92LA2(dB)xe2x88x92LD2(dB) =PSIM(dBm)+GsL(dB)xe2x88x92LA2(dB)xe2x88x92LD2(dB) =PSM(dBm)xe2x88x92[(GSH(dB)xe2x88x92GsL(dB)) +LA2(dB)+LD2(dB)]xe2x80x83xe2x80x83(9)
On the other hand, the lower limit PIMIN of the average light input power of the light amplifying device is,
PIMIN (dBm)=PSIM(dBm)+LA1+LD1,
as mentioned above, and the upper limit PIMAX is,
PIMAX (dBm)=PIMIN (dBm)+xcex94PIN(dB) =PSIM(dBm)+LA1+LD1+LATM(dB),
as mentioned above.
When used in the wavelength division multiplexed communication system, it is necessary to use a light amplifying device having the ALC function as shown in FIG. 3, but two systems to control the light power are needed on both input and output sides and this leads to a larger scale of the device and, accordingly, a higher cost.
A problem in that the set value of the average light output power of the light amplifying device becomes smaller than the maximum average light output power of the SOA when the wavelength is fixed by [(GSH (dB)xe2x88x92GsL (dB))+LA2 (dB)+LD2 (dB)], as shown in the expression (9) is brought about.
The object of the present invention is to realize a light amplifying device which can be used in a wide range of wavelengths with a comparably simple structure and employs a SOA that can carry out the automatic control of the light output level at a high power level.
To realize the above-mentioned object, the gain of a semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) is adjusted by the injection of light into the SOA in the present invention. FIG. 5 shows the basic structure of a light amplifying device 31 of the present invention. As shown schematically, in the light amplifying device of the present invention, the signal light input into a combiner 33 and the continuous wave (CW) output from a control light source 38 are combined and entered into a SOA 32. The control light is removed from the light emitted from the SOA 32 by a filter 34, the signal light after amplified in a divider 35 is divided, and the power of one of the divided light is detected by a power meter 36. A control unit 37 changes the power of the control light output from the control light source 38 according to the power detected by the power meter 36. By changing the power of the control light to be input into the SOA 32, and therefore, by changing the consumed amount of the carrier in the active layer due to the induced stimulated emission process in the SOA 32, the gain is adjusted. In this structure, the power of the control light is increased and the carrier in the active layer density is decreased to reduce the gain, but as disclosed in the document A (IEEE PHOTONICS TECHNOLOGY LETTERS, VOL. 8, NO 1, JANUARY 1996 (Improvement of Saturation Output Power in a Semiconductor Laser Amplifier through Pumping Light Injection) (Manabu Yoshino and Kyo Inoue), the carrier life is reduced due to the induced stimulated emission process, and the saturation light output power of the SOA 32 is increased. That is, it is possible to reduce gain while increasing the saturation light output power.
It is also possible to adjust the variations of the output light power due to the wavelength dependence of the SOA gain by adjusting the control light power, therefore, the average light output power of the SOA can be set to PSM1 (dBm) regardless of the wavelength. The value that is obtained by subtracting the basic loss of the filter 34, LF (dBm), and the loss of the divider 35, that is LD2 (dB), from PSM1 becomes the average light output power of the light amplifying 31, that is PO (dBm), and shown by the following expression,
xe2x80x83PO(dBm)=PSM1(dBm)xe2x88x92LF(dB)xe2x88x92LD2(dB)
The set value of the average light output power of the light amplifying device, that is POSET (dBm) is assumed to the above-mentioned PO (dBm), when the level of the output signal light of the light amplifying device 31 is controlled to a fixed value. Therefore,
POSET(dBm)=PO(dBm) =PSM1(dBm)xe2x88x92LF(dB)xe2x88x92LD2(dB).
The output light level thus can be controlled to a fixed value at a power higher than that in the conventional structure in FIG. 3 by (GsH (dB)xe2x88x92GsL (dB)+LA2xe2x88x92LF).
As described above, the saturated light output is increased when the control light is injected into the SOA, therefore, it is possible to widen the input dynamic range upward because the permissible maximum light input power increases. It is also possible to apply to the wavelength division multiplex communication system while realizing a constant control of the output light level at a high power in a comparatively simple structure, because the variations of the output light power due to the wavelength dependence of the SOA gain can be controlled by adjusting the control light power.


A resistive sheet electrical mirror heater is provided for defogging a bathroom mirror. The heater may be retrofitted to a standard wall-mounted mirror. An elongated frame member rests along the top of the mirror and contains electrical circuitry. A planar heater sheet extends downwardly from and is supported by the frame member between the mirror and the wall. A power cord for connecting directly to a household outlet may extend from either end of the frame member.

The problem of condensation on mirrors is well known. In warm and humid environments such as bathrooms, ventilation fans are used to exhaust humidity from such environments, but their effect is slow, and is wasteful of heat energy in cold climates.
Mirror condensation can be eliminated by heating the mirror directly. A common approach is to use built in resistive electrical heating elements to provide such heat such as is shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,160,736 and 4,857,711.
The Spencer patent, U.S. Pat. No. 4,665,304, discloses a sheet-like heating element that can be mounted behind a sheet of conventional mirror glass. While the Spencer heating element may be attached to unmounted conventional mirrors, it is not easily retrofitable to an installed mirror. As shown in FIG. 8 of the Spencer patent, a transformer 20 in a junction box 19 and a cable enclosure 15 protrude from the rear of the mirror heater, necessitating cutouts in the wall on which the mirror is mounted. Installation, therefore, is difficult and expensive. The Spencer apparatus is not usable where holes may not be cut in the wall (i.e. in rental units and sites using masonry construction).

Mirror defogger with elongated frame member and downwardly extending heater sheet


A wheel end assembly for a vehicle includes an axle tube and a housing secured to the end of the axle tube. A hub includes a drive flange located axially outward from the housing and a spindle projecting from the drive flange into the housing. The hub spindle has a substantially solid body with drive splines about an external surface of the spindle. Rolling elements are located between the hub spindle and the housing for enabling the hub to rotate about an axis. The hub includes an inner race defining an inner raceway located around and carried by the hub spindle for engagement with the rolling elements. An axle shaft is positioned within the axle tube and includes splines that are coupled to the external drive splines of the hub. The axle shaft includes a substantially hollow end positioned within the housing having the shaft splines positioned within an inner surface of the hollow end of the axle shaft. The hollow end is configured for receiving a portion of the hub for coupling the shaft splines with the drive splines of the hub for transferring torque from the axle shaft to the hub.

The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
Automobiles and light trucks of current manufacture contain many components that are acquired in packaged form from outside suppliers. The packaged components reduce the time required to assemble automotive vehicles and further improve the quality of the vehicles by eliminating critical adjustments from the assembly line. So-called "wheel ends" represent one type of packaged component that has facilitated the assembly of automotive vehicles.
Traditionally, a solid rear axle shaft coupled a differential to a wheel end. The wheel end includes hub with a hollow spindle having an orifice with internal splines for receiving and mating with a splined-end of the axle shaft. The axle shaft includes a threaded end for receiving a nut to hold the wheel end onto the axle shaft and for supporting thrust loads. In these arrangements, the axle shaft must have a substantial size, strength and weight for supporting the transfer of torque as well as providing structural support to the wheel end. Consequently, the hub spindle must also have substantial diameter, size and weight.
Some automotive vehicles, particularly light trucks and sport utility vehicles, use solid rear axles of the semi-floating variety to transfer torque to the driving wheels for such vehicles. The typical semi-floating rear axle has axle tubes that are fastened to and extend from an axle center that contains differential gearing. The gearing drives two axle shafts that extend through the tubes and at their ends are provided with hubs to which road wheels are secured along with brake disks or drums. In such arrangements, a solid rear axle housed in an axle tube that is connected at one end to a differential and at the other end to a rear wheel end. A housing at the wheel end is bolted to the axle tube for providing thrust support in both directions. A solid axle shaft within the axle tube transfers rotational drive torque from the differential drive to a drive hub. As such, the axle shaft typically has a substantial diameter for ensuring the transfer of torque to the hub. The hub includes a hollow spindle that is mounted within the housing by antifriction bearings for providing near frictionless rotation of the hub within the housing. The hub has a driving flange on which a wheel is mounted. The spindle of the hub is hollow in that it includes a center hole or orifice having inner splines for receiving and engaging mating splines on the outside of an end of the axle shaft.
However, in current wheel end assemblies not only does the axle shaft have to have substantial diameter, but the spindle of the hub must have substantial diameter for receiving within its hollow body the axle shaft and for defining the internal splines for coupling to the axle shaft. As such, the antifriction bearings that surround the hub spindle to provide support to the spindle and the hub must also have substantial diameter. Consequently, the housing supporting the antifriction bearings must also have substantial diameter as required by the outer dimensions of the hollow spindle.

Vehicle wheel end assemblies and methods of assembly thereof