A therapeutic system for supplying active substances to the skin consists of a backing layer remote from the skin, with at least one active substance depot. The depot may consist of a fluid active substance or a fluid composition comprising an active substance delivery control matrix. There is also included an adhesive fixing device for fixing the therapeutic system on the skin. The therapeutic system is characterized in that the active substance depots (14) consist of at least one adjuvant having a supporting and distributing function by being provided with a planar textile material completely surrounded by matrix (12).

The invention relates to a therapeutic system for applying active substances to the skin, with a backing layer remote from the skin, at least one active substance depot, an active substance distribution device which is linked with the active substance depot, an active substance delivery control device controlling the delivery of the active substance through the system and a pressure sensitive adhesive fixing device for the therapeutic system on the skin, its use and process for the production thereof.
Therapeutic systems for the transdermal administration of medicaments supply one or more active substances at a predetermined rate and in continuous manner over a fixed period to a given application point on the skin.
These systems are therapeutic precision instruments ensuring a continuous active substance release.
Such therapeutic systems can have both a topical and a systemic action and the large number of active substances which can be applied in this way and their different chemical, physical and pharmacological characteristics make ever new demands on the production of such systems.
Conventionally these transdermal systems have at least one active substance reservoir, where the active substance is present in solid, liquid or disperse molecular form and an adhesion layer through which the system is closely connected with the skin and through which active substance transfer takes place, a control membrane and protective/covering layers which are substantially impermeable for the active substance.
The known systems are difficult to manufacture and have a complicated structure.
One problem of conventional systems is that of being able to process readily volatile active substances, because the evaporation of the active substance is difficult to control during production.
Thermally sensitive active substances can only be used to a limited extent in the system in the case of matrices or therapeutic systems which have to be thermally treated and which are produced with heat treatment stages.
Attempts have already been made to introduce pure active substance in fine-crystalline form into a pressure sensitive adhesive polymer, so that the finely divided, fine-crystalline active substance dissolves with time as depot crystals in the adhesive matrix layer (DE-OS 35 00 508=U.S. Pat. No. 4,719,226). This process is not suitable for volatile and thermally sensitive active substances, because it includes thermal treatment stages.
Another attempt to increase the capacity of such therapeutic systems comprises embedding in a pressure sensitive adhesive layer of such a system active substance depots in the form of microcapsules, which are surrounded by a control membrane (see U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,598,123 and 3,731,683). The production of such control membrane-surrounded microcapsules is extremely complicated and expensive and cannot be performed for many active substances. The mixing of the active substance-containing microcapsules under a reservoir material constitutes a further difficult process stage, during which the microcapsules can easily be damaged or destroyed, which can lead to an unsatisfactory constancy of the active substance content in the finished therapeutic system. The process of U.S. Pat. No. 3,598,123 is difficult to perform for liquid active substances, particularly if the liquid substance is present in readily volatile form.
German patent 3 424 837 discloses a depot plaster, which can be used for liquid materials and has a covering film, a liquid active substance in an outwardly bulging region of the covering film and a control membrane covering the active substance and permeable for the latter. Between the covering film and the control membrane is provided an active substance distribution device, namely a non-woven fabric, which uniformly distributes the active substance liquid on the control membrane and which is effective over a large surface area. In the case of the depot plaster of German patent 3 424 837 the covering film and the control membrane are welded together in their outer regions in order to prevent an outward flow of the liquid active substance.
However, the known depot plaster is disadvantageous in that the liquid therein flows freely and can easily run out if the adhesive or welded edges are damaged and also requires an expensive control membrane, which must be provided in addition to the active substance distribution device in order to kinetically control the delivery of the active substance.
The problem of the present invention is consequently to provide a novel therapeutic system with active substance depot for the administration of the active substance, which can be manufactured less expensively and more reliably than the prior art systems, which is also suitable for processing volatile and/or thermally unstable components.
According to the invention this problem is solved by a therapeutic system, which is characterized in that the active substance distribution device and the active substance delivery control device are a reservoir matrix having one or more discrete active substance depots arranged in a spatially defined manner with respect to one another and having a higher active substance concentration than in the reservoir matrix. During the production of the therapeutic system, the reservoir matrix can be free from active substances and is only enriched therewith over a period of time, i.e. during the storage of the system or, in the case of highly volatile substances, during the production of the system. Thus, it is an advantage of the invention that now active substances, which are thermally unstable and/or volatile can be introduced during manufacture into transdermal systems in the form of a depot and without any thermal stressing. There is no need for stages, such as the mixing of the reservoir matrix material with the active substance, and instead said material becomes saturated with the active substance at room temperature during the storage of the therapeutic system. Production is simplified due to the omission of the production stages for the active substance-saturated matrix.
Due to the fact that here a reservoir matrix with its own control function is used, which is inter alia determined by the migration speed of the active substance through the matrix, there is no need to provide a control membrane, which requires additional process stages and membrane material during production. The depot can consist of pure active substance, which can be solid or fluid, but may contain also inert adjuvants. The term xe2x80x9cinertxe2x80x9d is here understood to mean that active substance and adjuvant do not react with one another. An xe2x80x9cinertxe2x80x9d adjuvant can also be a substance having physiological effects, such as e.g. dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) or the like, which e.g. increases the permeability of the skin. Suitable adjuvants are also support materials which make the active substance depot insensitive with respect to pressure and tension application, as well as carriers. Thus, the support material may be an inert adjuvant of planar fabric material for providing and supporting a distributing function. For example, a non-woven fabric may serve as an inert adjuvant and as the supporting fabric and assist the uniform distribution of nicotine or any other active substance referred to hereafter. In other words, such fabric material will facilitate the processing of the active substance.
It is possible to use active substances which can be applied in transdermal manner and typical examples of these are given below.
Nicotine.
Corticosteroids: hydrocortisone, prednisolone, beclomethasone-propionate, flumethasone, triamcinolone, triamcinolone-acetonide, fluocinolon, fluocinolinacetonide, fluocinolon-acetonide acetate, clobetasolpropionate, etc.
Analgesics, anti-inflammatory agents: acetaminophen, mefenamic acid, flufenamic acid, diclofenac, diclofenac-sodium-alclofenac, oxyphenbutazone, phenylbutazone, ibuprofen, flurbiprofen, salicylic acid, 1-menthol, camphor, sulindac-tolmetin-sodium, naproxen, fenbufen, etc.
Hypnotically active sedatives: Phenobarbital, amobarbital, cyclobarbital, triazolam, nitrazepam, lorazepam, haloperidol, etc.
Tranquilizers: fluphenazine, thioridazine, lorazepam, flunitrazepam, chloropromazine, etc.
Antihypertensives: pindolol, indenolol, nifedipin, lofexidin, nipradinol, bucumolol, etc.
Antihypertensively acting diuretics: hydrothiazide, bendroflumethiazide, cyclopenthiazide, etc.
Antibiotics: penicillin, tetracycline, oxytetracycline, fradiomycin suflate, erythromycin, chloramphenicol, etc.
Anesthetics: lidocaine, benzocaine, ethylaminobenzoate, etc.
Antimicrobiological agents: benzalkonium chloride, nitrofurazone, nystatin, acetosulfamine, clotrimazole, etc.
Antifungal agents: pentamycin, amphotericin B, pyrrolnitrin, clotrimazole, etc.
Vitamins: vitamin A, ergocalciferol, chlolecalciferol, octotiamine, riboflavin butyrate, etc.
Antiepileptics: nitrazepam, meprobamate, clonazepam, etc.
Coronary vasodilators: dipyridamole, erythritol tetranitrate, pentaerythritol tetranitrate, propatylnitrate, etc.
Antihistamines: diphenyl hydromine hydrochloride, chlorpheniramine, diphenylimidazole, etc.
Antitussives: dertromethorphan (hydrobromide), terbutaline (sulphate), ephedrine (hydrochloride), salbutanol (sulphate), isoproterenol (sulfate, hydrochloride), etc.
Sexual hormones: progesterone, etc.
Thymoleptics: doxepin, etc.
Further medicaments/pharmaceuticals: 5-fluorouracil, fentanyl, desmopressin, domperdon, scopolamine (hydrobromide), peptide, etc.
Obviously, this list is not exhaustive.
Advantageously the active substance reservoir matrix can be built up in layer form, the layers being the same or different. The reservoir matrix can be pressure sensitive adhesive and can e.g. be a rubber material, such as styrene/isoprene/styrene block copolymers, silicone rubber or synthetic resins, such as poly(meth)acrylate, polyurethane, polyvinylether, polyester, etc.xe2x80x94a list of suitable matrix materials appearing e.g. in DE-OS 35 00 508, corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 4,719,226 the whole content of which is incorporated by reference. It can be advantageous if the reservoir matrix is pressure sensitive adhesive, because this can obviate the need for providing a separate pressure sensitive adhesive fixing device in the system. The use of such a pressure sensitive adhesive matrix is inter alia dependent on the compatibility of the matrix material with the active substance. Pressure sensitive adhesive matrix materials are known.
Preferred non-pressure sensitive adhesive matrix materials are polymers comprising poly(meth)acrylate, polyvinylpyrrolidone, ethylcellulose, hydroxypropyl-cellulose, hydroxypropylmethylcellulosephthalate, polyvinylalcohol or copolymers thereof with vinyllaurate or maleic acid, vinylacetate or copolymers thereof with vinyllaurate or maleic acid, polyvinylether, butylrubber and polycaprolactam.
For example, the active substance depot or depots can be introduced between a backing side reservoir matrix layer and a skin side reservoir matrix layer, the thickness ratio of the reservoir matrix layers preferably being between approximately X:Y=1:1 and 1:20 and in particularly preferred manner 1:1 and 1:5.
It can be appropriate in other cases if the reservoir matrix or reservoir matrix layers from which said matrix is formed, to be provided at least on one side with pressure sensitive adhesive coatings.
According to a further advantageous development of the inventive system, the active substance depot can be arranged between the reservoir matrix and the backing layer, which is e.g. suitable for solid active substances which may be applied in the form of a corpuscle.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention the fixing device can be formed by adhesive portions embedded in the reservoir matrix, such as e.g. an all-round adhesive edge or adhesion points.
In conventional manner, it is possible to provide a detachable protective layer for the surfaces of the therapeutic system facing the skin.
The sum of the active substance in the depot and reservoir matrix is advantageously up to 20 times the therapeutically necessary active substance quantity.
A particularly preferred process for producing such systems comprises the reservoir matrix being formed from two reservoir matrix layers, which can be the same or different, between which is introduced the active substance depot. The reservoir matrix layers can be joined together by the application of pressure and/or heat. The depot can also be introduced into the reservoir matrix under pressure application, e.g. by injecting, for example, through a hypodermic syringe, a predetermined quantity or pressing in an active substance corpuscle into a soft matrix layer.
A further preferred process is forming at least part of the therapeutic system by strewing on particles.
It is also possible to produce a multilayer active substance matrix. The covering and reservoir matrix layer can also be joined by heat or pressure. The reservoir matrix layer or layers can at least partly be produced from liquid materials, e.g. from a dispersion, a melt or solutions.
The inventive therapeutic system is in particular suitable for local or systemic transdermal active substance application in human or veterinary medicine or can also be used in cosmetics.


A flexible reclosable container with a header strip, fastener elements, and a slider. The header strip preferably extends from the mouth of the bag, and includes a line of weakness for easy tear off of the bag. The slider and profiles are arranged such that the mouth of the bag is substantially open.

Flexible recloseable containers are provided in some applications where a plurality of containers are mounted together in such a way that the containers are separated from one another as they are used. Examples of this include containers provided in a supermarket for use by a store employee in the meat department. As the employee receives an order for food, a container is separated from the group of containers, and filled with the product to be sold.
It is important in such a retail situation to minimize the time required by the employee to serve the customer. Therefore, bags that are provided to the employee in an upside-down orientation require wasted effort on the part of the employee to reorient the bag. Further, containers that are provided in the closed state must be opened prior to the insertion of the goods. This further wastes the time of the employee.
What is needed is a flexible recloseable container that overcomes these problems. The present invention does this in a novel and unobvious way.


In one exemplary embodiment of the invention, a vehicle warning system is provided. The system includes a vehicle having a door movable between a closed position and a fully open position, and an outer zone associated with the door. The outer zone defines an area providing a sufficient clearance to move the door to the fully open position. The system further includes an active safety system that monitors the outer zone and generates a warning signal if an object is located within the outer zone such that the door does not have sufficient clearance to move to the fully open position.

Some known vehicles may include one or more active safety systems that warn a driver of danger that may require immediate attention. For example, the systems may include a forward collision warning system that warns a driver of a potential collision with a moving object such as a vehicle or a pedestrian, or with a non-moving object such as a building. Other active safety systems may include adaptive cruise control, park assist, rear and side object detection, and/or lane departure warning systems.
Some known active safety systems include one or more sensors such as radar, acoustic, and/or optical sensors. For example, park assist, collision warning, and side object detection systems typically include one or more radar sensors that are pointed in forward, rearward, and/or side directions. The radar sensors generate output signals that are used to measure a distance and velocity between the vehicle and other moving and/or non-moving objects. The systems may also compute the relative speeds of the vehicle and the objects and/or angles between the vehicle and the objects.
The active warning systems may trigger audio, visual, and/or haptic alarms to alert the driver if needed. Haptic alarms provide physical feedback such as seat vibration. Usually, the audio alarm is generated using the speakers that are associated with a radio system in the vehicle to reduce cost, although other audio output devices may be used. Additionally, dedicated visual indicators and/or visual indicators that are associated with an instrument panel of the vehicle may also be used.
Although park assist may assist a driver, for example, to safely back into a parking space, the vehicle may be parked too close to an object for full vehicle function. For example, the vehicle may be located too close to a wall, which may interfere with a safe vehicle liftgate opening operation.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a detection system to determine if a vehicle component has sufficient clearance to operate properly.

Systems and methods to indicate clearance for vehicle door


The present invention is a folded cascode operational amplifier provided with a differential input portion 10, cascode current source portion 20, current mirror portion 30, output portion 40, and differential amplifier 50 serving as a differential amplifying portion. The differential input portion 10 has P-type MOS transistors M2 and M3 of a differential pair for respectively inputting a differential signal and the MOS transistors M2 and M3 are respectively provided with a well terminal. The differential amplifier 50 compares the source voltage of each of the MOS transistors M2 and M3 with a predetermined reference voltage Vref, generates an output voltage in accordance with the comparison result, and supplies the generated output voltage to well terminals as well voltages of the MOS transistors M2 and M3. An operational amplifier is provided which performs the rail-to-rail operation at a low voltage and in which an input current is zero.

A power supply voltage which can be supplied to an LSI circuit (Large Scale Integrated circuit) is reduced because a recent process is miniaturized. A day on which only about 1 V can be supplied is near in future. Moreover, in recent years, a circuit has been requested which can operate even if the number of batteries is decreased because electronic equipment becomes portable.
Particularly, the above mentioned becomes a serious problem for an analog circuit for handling continuous signals. The representative of analog circuits is an operational amplifier. It is not too much to say that whether an operational amplifier can operate at a low voltage holds the key on advisability of change of an analog circuit to a low voltage.
FIG. 8 shows a conventional operational amplifier to be operated by a low-voltage power supply.
As shown in FIG. 8, this operational amplifier has a differential input portion 110 constituted of MOS transistors M101 to M103, a differential input portion 120 constituted of MOS transistors M104 to M106, a summing portion 130 constituted of MOS transistors M107 to M114, and an output portion 150 constituted of MOS transistors M115 and M116, a resistor R100, and a capacitor C100.
Moreover, the operational amplifier has a non-inversion input terminal 100, an inversion input terminal 101, bias terminals 102, 103, and 107 for supplying a bias voltage to gates of MOS transistors M103, M106, M113, M114, and M116 respectively operating as a current source, bias terminals 104 and 105 for supplying a bias voltage to gates of MOS transistors M109, M110, M111, and M112 respectively functioning as a cascode MOS transistor, and an output terminal 106.
In FIG. 8, a circuit constituted of the MOS transistors M104 to M116 omitting the MOS transistors M101 to M103 is a folded cascode operational amplifier using an N-type MOS transistor as an input transistor which has been well-known so far.
Moreover, in FIG. 8, a circuit constituted of the MOS transistors M101 to M103 and MOS transistors M107 to M116 omitting the MOS transistors M104 to M106 is a folded cascode operational amplifier using a P-type MOS transistor as an input transistor which has been well-known so far.
Therefore, the operational amplifier in FIG. 8 can be regarded as a circuit constituted by combining a folded cascode operational amplifier using a P-type MOS transistor as an input transistor and a folded cascode operational amplifier using an N-type MOS transistor as an input transistor.
In this case, when taking out the folded cascode operational amplifier using the P-type MOS transistor as an input transistor from the operational amplifier shown in FIG. 8, the circuit shown in FIG. 9 is obtained. In FIG. 9, 140A denotes a cascode power supply portion and 140B denotes a current mirror portion.
Then, the operation of the operational amplifier shown in FIG. 8 is described below.
In general, a relation between input voltage Vin of an N-type MOS transistor and current Ids flowing between a drain and a source can be shown by the following expression.Ids=(W/L)·μ·Cox(Vin−Vs1−Vthn)2  (1)
In this case, W denotes the channel width of a MOS transistor (MOSFET), L denotes the channel length of the transistor, μ denotes mobility, Cox denotes the capacity for unit area, Vs1 denotes the source voltage of the MOS transistor, Vthn denotes a threshold voltage.
According to the expression (1), no current flows unless the input voltage Vin has a value larger than Vs1+Vthn in the case of an N-type MOS transistor. That is, in this case, the N-type MOS transistor is turned off and normal operation cannot be performed.
Similarly, a relation between input voltage Vin of a P-type MOS transistor and current Ids flown through the P-type MOS transistor is shown by the following expression.Ids=(W/L)·μ·Cox(Vs2+Vthp−Vin)2  (2)
In this case, W denotes the channel width of a MOS transistor, L denotes the channel length of the transistor, μ denotes mobility, Cox denotes the electrostatic capacity for unit area, Vs2 denotes the source voltage of the MOS transistor, and Vthp denotes a threshold voltage.
According to the expression (2), no current flows unless the input voltage Vin has a value smaller than Vs2+Vthp in the case of a P-type MOS transistor. In the case of the enhancement type PMOS which is normally used, the symbol of Vth is negative.
Then, in the case of the operational amplifier shown in FIG. 8, an input signal voltage and an operable range are described below by referring to FIGS. 10A to 10C.
In FIGS. 10A to 10C, Vss denotes a lower (low-potential side) power supply voltage and Vdd denotes an upper (high-potential side) power supply voltage. The hatched portion in FIG. 10A shows that an N-type MOS transistor does not operate and the hatched portion of FIG. 10B shows that a P-type MOS transistor does not operate. Moreover, in the case of FIG. 10C, a hatched portion is formed in a range in which the N-type MOS transistor or P-type MOS transistor does not operate. However, because either of the N-type MOS transistor and P-type MOS transistor operates without fail, in accordance with FIGS. 10A and 10B, an input signal always operates from a positive power supply to a negative power supply.
Then, an operation range when lowering by a power supply voltage without changing the sum (Vth+Vs) of the threshold voltage Vth and source voltage Vs of a MOS transistor is described by referring to FIGS. 11A to 11C.
The hatched portion of FIG. 11A shows a portion where an N-type MOS transistor does not operate and the hatched range of FIG. 11B shows a portion where a P-type MOS transistor does not operate. Because both power supply voltages are lowered compared to the case of FIGS. 10A to 10C, not-hatched portions where a transistor can operate are decreased though the widths of hatched portions are the same. FIG. 11C shows the range in which the both do not operate by the hatched portion. This range in which the both do not operate is formed at a portion close to the center of the power supply voltage.
Therefore, when the sum of threshold values of the P-type and N-type MOS transistors exceeds the power supply voltage, it is impossible to operate an operational amplifier.
To solve the above problem, it is also considered to lower the threshold value, for example, make the threshold voltage Vthn negative and realize the so-called depletion type.
In this case, however, the Vs1 serving as a source voltage becomes higher than the input voltage Vin as understood from the expression (1). When the input voltage is equal to or close to the power supply voltage Vdd, no operation can be performed because the source voltage becomes higher than the power supply voltage Vdd. That is, in FIG. 10A, a hatched portion, that is, a region where no operation is performed is formed at the power supply voltage Vdd side, the operation region of operational amplifier is not improved even if changing the symbol of the threshold voltage Vthn.
Moreover, it is considered that operation is actually performed by setting the threshold voltage Vthn to a value close to zero. However, control of the absolute value of the threshold voltage Vthn is not easy and fluctuation of ±0.1 to 0.2 actually occurs. Furthermore, because the threshold voltage Vthn is fluctuated by temperature, a method of setting the threshold voltage Vthn to zero is not a realistic solution.
Therefore, to solve the above trouble, a method of securing an operation range by using a level shifter circuit is proposed in "J. Francisco Duque-Carrilo, L. Ausin Torelli, Jose M. Valverde, Miguel A. Dominguez, IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits, Vol. 35, No. 1, January 2000, p. 33".
Moreover, a method of widening the dynamic range of an operational amplifier by controlling a well potential is disclosed in JP5-102756A.
However, the method in the above document has a problem that input current is not zero. When there is input current, it is impossible to apply the method to a switched capacitor circuit or it is necessary to add a resistance to an input terminal like the case of a bipolar circuit. When the resistance value is large, a problem occurs that offset becomes large. Moreover, when the resistance value is small, the resistance of the whole circuit is restricted to a small value and an operational amplifier to be used has a trouble that a capacity for driving the small resistance is applied.
However, the method according to the above patent gazette has a problem that the well potential can select only the binary value of either of source potential and power supply. Therefore, a threshold value to be realized through control is only a binary value and the versatility of the obtained threshold value is narrow. Moreover, a switching control signal for selecting is necessary, a trouble occurs that the application of operational amplifier is restricted.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide an operational amplifier which performs the rail-to-rail operation even for a low-voltage power supply and in which input current is zero.


An engine ECU executes a program including the steps of: calculating a correlation coefficient K based on the result of comparing a vibration waveform of an engine and a knock waveform model stored previously; calculating a magnitude value LOG(V) from the magnitude V detected based on a signal transmitted from a knock sensor; creating frequency distribution of magnitude values LOG(V) by using magnitude values LOG(V) in an ignition cycle in which the correlation coefficient K larger than a threshold K(1) is calculated; and counting knock proportion KC by using the created frequency distribution. If the vibration waveform includes a waveform of vibration of noise components, the correlation coefficient K is calculated to be smaller comparing with a case of not including it.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a knocking state determination device and particularly to a technique of determining a knocking occurrence state based on a waveform of vibration generated in an internal combustion engine.
2. Description of the Background Art
Conventionally, there have been proposed various methods of determining whether knocking (knock) is present or absent. A knock control device of an internal combustion engine described in Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2003-021032 includes a knock sensor for detecting a knock of the internal combustion engine, a statistical processing portion for statistically processing an output signal detected by the knock sensor, a first temporary determination portion for determining whether or not the knock has occurred based on a processing result by the statistical processing portion, a second temporary determination portion for determining whether or not the knock has occurred based on a waveform of the output signal detected by the knock sensor, and a final knock determination portion for finally determining whether or not the knock has occurred based on the results of the knock temporary determination by the first temporary determination portion and the knock temporary determination by the second temporary determination portion. The final knock determination portion finally determines that whether or not the knock has occurred when both the first temporary determination portion and the second temporary determination portion determine that the knock has occurred.
With the knock control device described in this official gazette, the knock temporary determination by a statistical processing program and the knock temporary determination by a waveform program are used and it is finally determined that the knock has occurred only when it is determined that the knock has occurred in the respective temporary determinations. Thus, with regard also to an output signal based on which knocking was detected erroneously by knocking determination using only one of the statistical processing program and the waveform program, it is possible to accurately determine whether or not the knocking has occurred.
However, in the knock control device described in Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2003-021032, the knocking determination by the statistical processing and the knocking determination by a shape of the waveform are performed independently of each other. Therefore, accuracy of each determination method is not improved and deterioration of the accuracy by a noise component is not resolved in each determination method. Therefore, the device is susceptible to further improvement so as to accurately determine whether the knocking is present or absent.


An optical fiber feedthrough assembly includes a glass plug disposed in a recess of a feedthrough housing. The glass plug may define a large-diameter, cane-based, waveguide sealed within the recess in the housing and providing optical communication through the housing. Sealing occurs with respect to the housing at or around the glass plug of an optical waveguide element passing through the housing by braze sealing to the glass plug and/or embedding the glass plug in a polymer bonded with the plug to form a molded body that is sealed in the housing by, for example, compression mounting of the molded body or providing a sealing element around the molded body.

1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the invention generally relate to feedthroughs for optical waveguides.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many industries and applications utilize apparatus where small diameter wires and/or optical waveguides penetrate a wall, bulkhead, or other feedthrough member wherein a relatively high fluid or gas differential pressure exists across the feedthrough member. In addition, one or both sides of the feedthrough member may be subjected to relatively high temperatures and other harsh environmental conditions, such as corrosive or volatile gas, fluids and other materials. For example, a bulkhead feedthrough may require sealing an optical waveguide at high pressures of about 138,000 kilopascal (kPa) and above, and high temperatures of about 150° C. to 300° C., with a service life of 5 to 20 or more years.
Several problems exist with constructing such an optical fiber feedthrough. One of these problems involves the susceptibility of the glass fiber to damage and breakage due to its small size, flexibility and brittle nature. A feedthrough based on soldered or epoxy secured fiber passing through a ferrule may result in premature failure during demanding applications due to damage, stress and weakening of the fiber caused by assembly processes and/or design characteristics of the feedthrough. Further, the glass-to-sealing material interface may create thermal stress problems that affect performance of the seal and/or optical characteristics of the fiber since the coefficient of thermal expansion of the optical fiber is essentially zero unlike surrounding materials of the feedthrough.
Therefore, there exists a need for an improved optical waveguide feedthrough assembly.


A shade roller includes a roller, a first tube slidably received within the roller and a second tube having a part of the first tube securely received therein. Due to the extendable characteristics of the first tube and an outer diameter of the second tube being manufactured to be the same as that of the roller, a user is able to adapt to different widths of different windows and roll up or down a shade which is originally wound around the shade roller evenly.

Shade rollers are widely used on balconies or windows to reach a purpose of blocking the sun or on indoor-walls to enrich the color of the room. Most shade rollers are provided with an ability that when the shade is pulled down to an extent, a fitting device mounted within the roller is able to maintain the shade at that extent, and when the shade no longer needs to be drawn, a user will only need to pull down the shade slightly and then release it, whereby the shade roller is able to roll back the shade automatically due to the recovery force stored within the roller when rotated to allow extension of the shade.
However, such a shade roller suffers a serious drawback concerning parts kept in stock for manufacturing of the rollers, because the various size requirements of the windows means manufacturers will need to have all sizes of the rollers to fulfill the needs. Such need for comprehensive stocks of parts incurs extra expenses of manufacturing different sizes of rollers, leasing for a warehouse for storing products, etc.
To solve such a problem of excessive stocks, there is provided a shade roller structure as shown in FIG. 6. The shade roller 80 includes a roller 81, a first tube 90 slidably received within the roller 81, a positioning cap 82 securely mounted to a first end of the roller 81, a knob 91 pivotally connected to a first end of the first tube 90, a first U-shaped rod 83 and a second U-shaped rod 92. A first end (not numbered) of the first U-shaped rod 83 is respectively inserted into the positioning cap 92 and the roller 81 and a coil spring 85 is securely mounted onto a portion 84 of the first U-shaped rod 83 which is inserted into the roller 81. A first end of the second U-shaped rod 92 is respectively inserted into the knob 91 and a part of the first tube 90 which extends out from the roller 81. A shade 95 is wound around a shaft (not numbered) combined by the roller 84 and an extension of the first tube 90. Second ends of the first U-shaped rod 83 and of the second U-shaped rod 92 are respectively and securely provided with one of a pair of brackets 86, 94. Therefore, when both of the brackets 86, 94 are securely attached on a surface such as a wall and the shade roller structure extends therebetween, the shade 95 is able to be pulled down by a user and the shade 95 is then able to be positioned by a bracket (not shown) whenever a desired length of the shade 95 is reached. When the user needs to roll up the shade 95, he/she simply pulls down the shade 95 to disengage the limitation of the bracket, then the shade 95 will be rolled back by a recovery force created by the coil spring 85. It is to be noted that due to the first tube having the adaptability of different widths, the structure solves the over stocking problems. However, if the first tube 90 is to be slidably received within the roller 81, a diameter of the first tube 90 must be smaller than that of the roller 81, such that a circumferential surface combined with the roller 81 and the first tube 90 is inclined toward the knob 91, which shows no difference when the shade 95 is completely pulled out from the shaft, but a great difference when the shade 95 is partly pulled out and partly is still wound around the shaft. Due to the inclination of the shaft, the shade 95 will not be wound around the shaft evenly, which spoils the appearance of the blind, the window and a view therethrough.
From the previous description, it is noted that to fully solve the aforementioned problems, alternatives and/or improvement(s) to the conventional shade rollers are thus required. A shade roller constructed in accordance with the present invention tends to mitigate and/or obviate the aforementioned problems.


An injection valve arrangement for injecting a pressure medium into a combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine comprises a valve body formed with a feed duct and an actuation chamber, and an elongated valve member fitted in the valve body and movable in the valve body between an open position and a closed position. The valve member is formed with an internal chamber which is in communication with the feed duct and is also formed with one or more nozzle orifices which provide fluid communication between the internal chamber and the combustion chamber when the valve member is in the open position. The valve member has a piston surface bounding the actuation chamber such that force acting on the valve member due to pressure in the actuation chamber urges the valve member toward its open position against the force of a spring. A control valve controls feeding of pressure medium to the actuation chamber, so that when the control valve is open, supply of pressure medium to the actuation chamber causes an increase in pressure in the actuation chamber.

The invention relates to an injection valve arrangement.
Different injection solutions with electronic control are known for injecting different auxiliary or supplementary substances such as water, fluid ammonia (such as liquid ammonia or an aqueous solution of ammonia), urea or the like into the combustion chamber of an engine in order to influence the combustion process so that as a consequence thereof the quantity of harmful substances such as oxides of nitrogen, NOx, created would be less than without injection of these auxiliary substances. Complicated construction and space requirements are problems in these known solutions, which is particularly due to the fact that oil is used as a pressure medium for controlling the injection and sealing arrangements must be provided to prevent mixing of oil and the auxiliary substance.


A method of suppressing the number of PIM messages from extranet receivers is disclosed. Each receiver, before sending a PIM message, first searches for any other receivers other than itself. If there are no other receivers, then the PIM message is sent; otherwise, the receiver suppresses sending the PIM message. PIM Join, triggered Join, and Prune messages may be suppressed. If there are multiple receivers, the PIM messages are sent by a source Extranet receiver located in a provider edge router, for example. The receiver sends the PIM messages for the rest of the Extranet receivers in the provider edge router, and also maintains a counter, ensuring that only one PIM message is sent within a specified time period. As a result, the number of PIM messages traversing core elements of a service provider network may be greatly reduced.

The approaches described in this section could be pursued, but are not necessarily approaches that have been previously conceived or pursued. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated herein, the approaches described in this section are not prior art to the claims in this application and are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
Multicasting technology is a bandwidth-conserving network technology that reduces network traffic by simultaneously delivering a single stream of information to thousands of recipients. Applications that can use multicast include videoconferencing, corporate communications, distance learning, and distribution of software, stock quotes, and news. Internet Protocol (IP) Multicast delivers source traffic to multiple receivers without adding any additional burden on the source or the receivers, and while using the least network bandwidth of any competing technology.
Multicasting is based on the concept of a group. An arbitrary group of receivers expresses an interest in receiving a particular data stream. Receivers may include network infrastructure elements, such as routers and switches, or end station devices, such as workstations or personal computers. A multicast group does not have any physical or geographical boundaries; receivers (also termed "hosts") can be located anywhere in the Internet. Hosts that are interested in receiving data flowing to a particular group must join the group. In a typical approach, Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP) is used to dynamically register individual hosts in a multicast group on a particular LAN. Hosts identify group memberships by sending IGMP messages to a local multicast-enabled router. Under IGMP, routers listen to IGMP messages and periodically send out queries to discover which groups are active or inactive on a particular subnet.
To receive a data stream associated with a group, a receiver must be a member of the group. Multicast traffic flows from the source to the multicast group using a distribution tree that connects all of the sources to all of the receivers in the group. Distribution trees define the path that multicast traffic takes through the network to arrive at group members. Distribution trees comprise either source trees or shared trees. A distribution tree may be shared by all sources (a shared tree), or a separate distribution tree can be built for each source (a source tree). The shared tree may be one-way or bi-directional.
For a source to build a distribution tree, sources such as routers implement Protocol Independent Multicast (PIM) in software. PIM software forwards IP Multicast traffic using the standard Unicast routing table that is maintained in the router. PIM uses the Unicast routing table to decide if the source of an IP multicast packet has arrived on an optimal path from the source. Typically, the router sends PIM messages upstream to the source to refresh the forwarding state once every sixty (60) seconds. Thus, receivers notify a source that they want to receive the data stream by sending the PIM messages to the source. Using PIM in this manner results in the most efficient delivery of data to multiple receivers possible.
Because of increasing usage of IP Multicast in the networks of business enterprises, network service providers who offer Layer 3 Virtual Private Network (VPN) services have moved to offer IP Multicast-enabled VPNs. A VPN provides secure, private network connectivity across a non-secure or shared infrastructure, such as the internetworks owned and operated by Internet Service Providers (ISPs). VPN multicasting offers the same multicasting technology as conventional IP multicast, but traverses shared infrastructure elements between the source and the receivers. Multicast Virtual Private Network service aims to provide the same policies and performance as a private network, without requiring enterprises to purchase dedicated lines or service.
In Multicast Virtual Private Network (MVPN) service, a service provider establishes a secure logical connection or "tunnel" between provider edge (PE) routers in the ISP network for communication of multicast information. The PE routers transmit IP multicast traffic for default Multicast Distribution Trees (MDTs) and Data MDTs across the MDT Tunnel. The MDT Tunnel provides protection and integrity for the private data involved in the multicast VPN, since that data travels over public connections of the ISP. Information identifying the PE routers involved in a VPN, and the receivers that are authorized to receive VPN traffic, are stored in a VPN routing/forwarding ("VRF") table. The number of multicast sources in a default MDT group is equal to the number of PE routers connected to the VRF table using the default MDT group.
The approach described above for VPN multicasting was designed for applications on an Intranet, in which all sources and receivers are in the same domain and have the same administrative scope. However, there is a present need to expand VPN multicasting for use in an Extranet, in which sources and receivers are not in the same domain or same administrative scope. To extend VPN multicasting to an Extranet, a VRF can be established on an Extranet source, so that the Extranet source can communicate with each VPN associated with a PE router that wishes to receive data from the Extranet source. However, this approach to VPN Multicasting on an Extranet causes complications because of the VPN boundary line and the different administrative scopes.
In particular, in the current approach PIM messaging applied to VPN Multicasting on an Extranet causes certain participating network elements to send far too many messages. For example, by conforming to conventional PIM protocol operations, the Multicast VPN Extranet routers send PIM messages for each VRF in a PE router to a Reverse Path Forwarding (RPF) neighbor. In the case of multicast VPN, the RPF interface is the MDT Tunnel. Therefore, for every VRF receiver, a PIM message is sent through the MDT Tunnel, even though sending only one PIM message is needed.
The resulting number of PIM messages causes an unnecessary amount of network traffic. For example, if a multicast group has 100 VPNs established in a PE router, then 100 PIM messages are sent through the MDT Tunnel. Processing the PIM messages consumes resources on each router. Additionally, the MDT tunnel becomes flooded with unnecessary PIM messages, thereby consuming unnecessary bandwidth.
Based on the foregoing, there is a clear need for an approach to reduce the number of PIM messages that are sent from an Extranet receiver in a VPN multicasting network.

Method for suppression of multicast join/prune messages from extranet receivers


Nucleic acid molecules such as shRNA clusters and artificial miRNA clusters are disclosed, Also disclosed are methods of use, compositions, cells, viral particles, and kits relating to the nucleic acid molecules disclosed herein. The disclosure provides, at least in part nucleic acid molecules such as shRNA clusters encoding shRNA-like molecules and artificial miRNA clusters encoding modified pri-miRNA-like molecules. The shRNA clusters and artificial miRNA clusters disclosed herein can be used, for example, to produce artificial RNA molecules, e.g., RNAi molecules. Cells, viral particles, compositions (e.g., pharmaceutical compositions), kits, and methods relating to the nucleic acid molecules, e.g., shRNA clusters and artificial miRNA clusters, are also disclosed. The nucleic acid molecules (e.g., shRNA clusters and artificial miRNA clusters), artificial RNA molecules (e.g., RNAi molecules), cells, viral particles, compositions (e.g., pharmaceutical compositions), and kits and methods disclosed herein can be used to treat or prevent a disease, e.g., HIV infection and/or AIDS.

Following successful clinical trials, there has been a resurgence of interest in using ribonucleic acid interference (RNAi) to treat many diseases including cancer and HIV-1 infection (Davidson and McCray (2011). Nat Rev Genet 12: 329-340). Although short hairpin RNAs (shRNA) can be used to inhibit human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) replication (Lee et al. (2005). Blood 106: 818-826; Lee et al. (2002). Nat Biotechnol 20: 500-505; DiGiusto et al. (2010). Sci Transl Med 2: 36ra43), one potential problem of shRNAs expressed under the commonly used Pol III promoters is that the overexpressed shRNA can cause toxicities by competing with endogenous microRNAs (miRNAs) for cytoplasmic transport (Grimm et al. (2006). Nature 441: 537-541; McBride et al. (2008). Proc Nati Acad Sci USA 105: 5868-5873; Boudreau et al. (2008) RNA 14: 1834-1844). Moreover, shRNAs in the cytoplasm that are processed by the Dicer enzyme can also bind all Ago proteins, further compromising endogenous miRNA function (Grimm et al. (2010). J Clin Invest 120: 3106-3119).
A major concern in using traditional shRNA for HIV-1 therapy is the rapid emergence of escape mutations since HIV-1 evolves very quickly due to highly error-prone reverse transcription (Boden et al. (2003). J Virol 77: 11531-11535; Das et al. (2004). J Virol 78: 2601-2605). Therefore, to minimize this problem, it is important to be able to express multiple shRNAs in a single vector to target host factors and viral genes. However, attempts to express multiple shRNAs using tandem repeats of the same promoter were unsuccessful because the cassettes were prone for deletion due to homologous recombination (Brake et al. (2008). Mol Ther 16: 557-564). Similarly, expression of multiple shRNAs using the same miRNA backbone is also likely to lead to deletion by homologous recombination. Alternatively, multiple shRNAs may be expressed using the naturally occurring polycistronic miRNA clusters (Liu et al. (2008). Nucleic Acids Res 36: 2811-2824; Aagaard et al. (2008). Gene Ther 15: 1536-1549; Chung et al. (2012). Hum Gene Ther 23: 1200-1208). However, currently the maximum number of shRNAs that can be expressed in a polycistronic miRNA backbone is limited (Liu et al. (2008). Nucleic Acids Res 36: 2811-2824). Although mathematical modeling suggests that a combination of four shRNAs may be sufficient to overcome escape, this requires all four shRNAs to be matched to each of the circulating 100's of viral variants and the viral quasispecies present in patients (McIntyre et al. (2011). AIDS Res Ther 8: 1).
MiRNAs are transcribed as long (up to several kb) primary miRNAs (pri-miRNAs) containing the miRNA duplex with long 5′ and 3′ flanking sequences (Lee et al. (2004). EMBO J 23: 4051-4060; Cai et al. (2004). RNA 10: 1957-1966). Pri-miRNAs are processed in the nucleus by Drosha/DGCR8 complex to generate pre-miRNAs, which are then exported to the cytoplasm for further processing by Dicer to generate mature miRNAs (Lee et al. (2003). Nature 425: 415-419; Han et al. (2004). Genes Dev 18: 3016-3027). Generally, long stretches of flanking sequences are used to design shRNAs in a endogenous miRNA backbone (shRNA-miRs) in the hope that it will lead to processing by Drosha/DGCR8, just like primary miRNAs (Chang et al. (2006). Nat Methods 3: 707-714). However, multiplexing shRNAs with different miRNA backbones by this method is impractical because of the long stretches of flanking sequences.
Delivery of shRNA to the relevant (HIV-1 susceptible) target cells in vivo remains a great challenge. It is a common strategy to deliver shRNA via a VSV-G pseudotyped lentiviral vector because the VSV receptor is ubiquitously expressed in most cell types. VSV-G pseudotyping allows transduction of many different cell types. However, CD4 T cells, the major targets of HIV-1, can be transduced by VSV-G pseudotyped lentivirus only after activation, which could impact their repertoire and long-term survival (Agosto et al. (2009). J Virol 83: 8153-8162; Yu et al. (2009). PLoS Pathog 5: e1000633).
In spite of current therapies, the need exists for developing novel therapies that treat and prevent HIV and AIDS.


A method of object association is disclosed. The method includes receiving object location information for a first object, receiving object location information for a second object, determining an existence of a correlation between a varying position of the first object and a varying position of the second object over for a predetermined amount of time and dynamically associating the first object with the second object based on the correlation.

Assets used in a field service operation entering the field service company supply chain typically have excellent documentation, inventory, and accountability at the initial point of receipt, such as the central warehouse or at the organization that directly receives an item (e.g., the directly delivered test set). However, once there is movement of that asset beyond the initial point of entry into a field service company control, inventory, and accountability become a real problem regarding loss prevention, leakage, and lack of asset knowledge leading to overstock.
Today assets used by field service technicians are not tracked with the kind of precision needed for proper accountability and control. In some cases today, where companies have tried to implement accountability and control measures, increases in labor costs and human intervention have been known to cause errors and reduce the accuracy of these control measures.

Object association using dynamic object location correlation


A spread-spectrum transmitter is disclosed. The transmitter includes a modulator configured to produce an intermediate frequency signal, a frequency shifter configured to shift the intermediate frequency factor by a first factor, and a local oscillator (LO) configured to generate a LO signal. The transmitter further includes a ramp signal generator configured to determine the value of the first factor and a second factor, is configured to transmit the value of the factor to the frequency shifter, is configured to transmit the value of the second factor to the LO, where the frequency of the intermediate frequency signal shifted by the first factor is shifted synchronously with the frequency of the LO signal shifted by the second factor. The transmitter includes a mixer configured to mix the shifted intermediate frequency with the shifted LO signal that has been shifted by the second factor, producing a spread leaked LO signal.

Spread spectrum techniques are commonly used in radio communications, whereby data signals intended for transmission are initially code-modulated by a modulator. This code modulation increases the bandwidth that the data occupies. When the transmitted code-modulated data is received by a receiver, the modulation is removed and the original data signals are restored.
In preparing the data signal for transmission, the code-modulated signal exists initially as an intermediate frequency (IF) signal that is then mixed with a local oscillator signal to produce an RF signal that is then amplified and transmitted. Local oscillators commonly leak energy, which then may be inadvertently amplified and transmitted along with the RF signal. The transmitted signal from the local oscillator is problematic to radio systems that are designed for minimizing the probability of detection, as the local oscillator signal may potentially be detected by an adversary. Methods to reduce local oscillator energy leakage (e.g., such as through a double-conversion filtering architecture) are often expensive and increase power consumption while increasing size. Therefore, it is desirable to provide a system that avoids the shortcomings of conventional approaches.

Fast local oscillator tuning transmitter


A recording/reading apparatus includes a recording/reading device for recording or reading information on sheets, a suction cup for picking up an object by suction, with the suction cup having an air outlet hole, a container having an inner space that is closed except for an opening for connection with the air outlet hole. The container has a flexible portion, and the volume of the inner space is variable through deformation of the flexible portion. Also provided is a driving device for deformation-driving of the container and a hollow member for connecting the opening for connection with the air outlet hole of the suction cup.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a recording/reading apparatus and a suction device that can be effectively used therein. The present invention is satisfactorily applicable, for example, to a sheet feeding device for feeding sheets to an image recording apparatus, an image reading apparatus or the like. Further, the present invention is applicable to a recording/reading apparatus that records images on sheets fed by such a feeding device or reads images from the sheets.
2. Description of the Related Art
Sheet feeding devices have been used in various apparatuses including image recording apparatuses and image reading apparatuses. There are various known structures and mechanisms of such sheet feeding devices. There are various types of means for realizing the function of a sheet feeding device by which sheets can be extracted one by one from a number of sheets stacked together. In many cases in which sheets of paper are to be fed, rubber rollers are used to extract the sheets one by one. When the sheets consist of films, static electricity is liable to be generated due to the smaller degree of surface roughness as compared with that of paper sheets, with the result that the sheets that are stacked together are attracted to each other by a greater force. In view of this, a suction cup is often used. By reducing the inner pressure of the suction cup, sheets can be taken one by one off the pile.
FIG. 1 schematically shows the construction of a device for reducing the inner pressure of a suction cup to pick up sheets by suction. In FIG. 1, numeral 81 indicates a suction cup having a hole 81a formed for the purpose of expelling air from the suction cup. This hole is connected to a hose 82a. The other end of the hose 82a is joined to an electromagnetic valve 83. The other end of the electromagnetic valve 83 is connected to an electromagnetic pump 84 through a hose 82b. A diaphragm 85 that is made of rubber, shown in FIG. 2, is provided inside the electromagnetic pump 84. The diaphragm 85 has a central portion 85a which is repeatedly moved back and forth at high speed by an electromagnetic force generating means (not shown). The diaphragm 85 is fitted onto a base 86, which has an air inlet hole 86a, an air outlet hole 86b, and one-way valves 87 and 88. The hose 82b is connected to the air inlet hole 86a of the diaphragm 85 inside the electromagnetic pump 84. Thus, the gas drawn in through the air inlet hole 86a as a result of the back-and-forth movement of the diaphragm 85 is expelled through the air outlet hole 86b, whereby the pressure in the device portion that is connected to the air inlet hole 86a can be reduced.
In the above-described construction, when a sheet is to be picked up by suction, the suction cup 81 is pressed against the sheet, and the electromagnetic valve 83 is closed. Then, the electromagnetic pump 84 is operated. The operation of the electromagnetic pump 84 is continued throughout the sucking up of the sheet. When the sucking action is to be cancelled, the electromagnetic valve 83 is opened, and the electromagnetic pump 84 is stopped. The reason for using an electromagnetic valve is to draw in air quickly to thereby speedily cancel the sucking action.
Apart from the diaphragm type electromagnetic type shown in the drawing, there are various other types of electromagnetic pumps applicable. In some cases, a centrifugal pump as shown in FIG. 3 is used. In FIG. 3, numeral 90 indicates an impeller, and numeral 89 indicates a body having an air inlet hole 89a and an air outlet hole 89b.
According to a known method, a sheet can be picked up by suction by using an air cylinder as shown in FIG. 4, (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 60-118550). According to another known method, a suction cup is first deformed and then restored to its original shape by a restoring force of the suction cup itself, as shown in FIG. 5, whereby a sheet can be picked up. In FIG. 4, numeral 91 indicates an outer cylinder to which a hose 93 is joined. Numeral 92 indicates an inner cylinder which can be moved to the right and left (as seen in the drawing) to thereby increase and decrease the volume of the interior while keeping the interior airtight with respect to the inner wall of the outer cylinder 91. A suction cup is joined to the forward end of the hose 93 and pressed against a sheet. In this condition, when the inner cylinder 92 is pulled, the pressure of the interior is reduced, thereby enabling the sheet to be picked up by suction. In the case of FIG. 5, a suction cup 94 having no air outlet hole is used. When the suction cup 94 is pressed against a sheet, a cone-shaped section 94a of the suction cup 94 is deformed, and, due to the restoring force of this deformed section 94a, a reduction in the pressure of the interior of the suction cup 94 occurs to thereby pick up the sheet by suction.
The above-described conventional mechanisms, however, have the following problems:
1. Since the electromagnetic pump continues to be driven while the sheet is being picked up by suction, a noise continues to be generated from the pump, so that the device is rather noisy. PA1 2. Since the electromagnetic pump continues to be driven while the sheet is being picked up by suction, a vibration continues to be generated from the pump, thereby causing a deterioration in the performance of the device. On the other hand, provision of a vibration isolator would result in an increase in cost. PA1 3. The electromagnetic valve and the electromagnetic pump are rather expensive and lead to a rather high cost. PA1 4. When a rubber member of low durability is used in the movable section of the electromagnetic pump, a periodical replacement of this rubber member is required, resulting in an increase in running cost. PA1 5. In the case of the cylinder type device, it is necessary to maintain the requisite airtightness in the slide section, which means this type of device involves problems in terms of manufacturing precision and durability. PA1 6. In the type of device utilizing the deformation of the suction cup, no good method is available for cancelling the sucking action.

Suction device and recording/reading apparatus


Adjustable organizer shelf system and assemblies for use with an appliance are provided. Shelf assembly includes a pair of brackets and a fixed shelf mounted between the brackets. Shelf assembly also includes a movable shelf with a pair of rear lower hinges and a pair of lower guides. Shelf assembly also includes a lifting arm assembly attaching the movable shelf to the brackets. The lifting arm assembly can include a pair of lifting arms attached to each of the brackets. Lifting arm assembly also include an upper rear hinge affixed to each bracket, an upper guide affixed to each bracket, and a roller disposed within each of the upper guides and lower guides. The end of each lifting arm can be fastened to one of the rollers disposed with each of the guides.

Consumer appliances, such as refrigerator appliances, generally include a cabinet that defines one or more internal chambers. In the case of refrigerator appliances, a chilled chamber may be defined for receipt of food articles for storage. Consumer appliances can also include various storage components mounted within the one or more internal chambers. For example, refrigerator appliances can include various storage components within the chilled chamber, which are designed to facilitate storage of food items. Such storage components can include racks, bins, shelves, or drawers that receive food items and assist with organizing and arranging food items within the chilled chamber.
Some existing refrigerator appliances include one or more shelves for holding or supporting food items within the chilled chamber. Certain refrigerator appliances can include adjustable shelves that permit a user to change the positioning of the shelves. However, existing approaches to adjustable shelves present certain challenges and include limited adjustments or configurations that are not desirable for a particular consumer or application. For instance, existing adjustable shelves can include a single storage shelf divided into a fixed plate section and movable plate section, thus allowing adjustment of only a portion of the plates and leaving the fixed plate section to utilize and reduce storage capacity of the chilled chamber and reduce storage versatility in the chilled chamber.
Accordingly, an appliance with movable shelf features that address one or more of the challenges noted above or which provide additional shelf configurations would be useful and welcomed.


A thermally activated short-circuit switch for connection in parallel with a battery cell has first and second contact elements (6; 3) which are distinct from the electrodes of a diode, and thermally activatable means (45) for short-circuiting the first and second contact elements (6; 3). The first and second contact elements have respective first and second regions (6; 3) facing each other, and said thermally activatable means (45) is mechanically linked to the first contact element (6).

A large number of solutions enabling a thermally-activated short-circuiting switch to be connected in parallel with a battery cell have been proposed in the past.
In particular, some solutions take advantage of the fact that when the battery cell becomes faulty and becomes open circuit, a bypass diode is generally provided to allow current to continue flowing through the other battery cells that are connected in series with the faulty cell.
The flow of current through the diode causes the diode to heat up, and a switch of a first type makes use of this rise in temperature to establish a short circuit directly between the anode and the cathode of the diode.
Thus, for example, European patent EP-0 173 690 (Hughes Aircraft Company) proposes short-circuiting the electrodes of a bypass diode, either by causing a solder preform to run by a wick effect, thereby short-circuiting the contacts, or else by producing mechanical deformation of an electrode pressed against the diode and serving to establish a short circuit with another electrode on the periphery of the diode.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,213,345 (Mallory) proposes a bypass diode having an electrode urged resiliently towards the periphery of its package in a short-circuit position and soldered to the diode by solder which is caused to melt by a high current passing through the diode, thereby establishing the desired short circuit.
Finally, German patent DE-1 613 968 (Brown Boveri) proposes a device comprising two anti-parallel diodes which device is short-circuited by an alloy melting in the event of bypass current flowing, the short circuit taking place in a cavity situated in the bottom portion of the diode and producing a short circuit at the periphery thereof.
Each of the solutions described above suffers from the drawback of depending on the particular shape of the electrodes of the diode. Thus, European patent EP-0 173 690 establishes a short circuit on a ring constituting the outside of the diode, which means that it is difficult to obtain contact that is reliable, having low resistance, and enabling a high nominal current to pass. U.S. Pat. No. 3,213,345 provides contact that is very small only, since the resilient electrode soldered to the diode cannot be very large in size. Finally, the solution proposed in German patent application DE-1 613 968 also depends closely on shape, in particular of the diode, in order to be able to achieve sealing around the periphery thereof, and it also implies that the diode remains in a vertical position since flow takes place by gravity. Such a solution is unsuitable for use on board a satellite, in particular.
In European patent application EP-0 226 360 (Powerplex Technologies) a switch is described that is similar to the first above-specified type and that uses a zener diode in parallel with a battery cell. In the event of the battery cell failing, the battery current flows through the zener diode by melting it, providing the package of the diode is not damaged. This short-circuiting makes use of a mechanism that is not well understood, thereby making it difficult in practice to control the value of the contact resistance, and in particular the reproducibility thereof.
From the above, it results that however attractive it may appear, implementing short-circuit switches of the first type by producing a direct short circuit between the electrodes of a bypass diode suffers from drawbacks and/or limitations in practical implementation that are quite severe.
A second type of switch makes a short circuit directly across the battery cell.
PCT application WO 88/00400 (Hughes Aircraft Company) thus proposes using an electrode that is soluble in the electrolyte of the cell. That solution turns out to be difficult to implement, since the desired short circuit is obtained by nickel being deposited on the electrode. In addition, the resistance of the short-circuit contact and the possibility of allowing a high current to pass are not guaranteed.
A third type of switch achieves a short circuit without directly short-circuiting the contacts of bypass diodes. Such switches, which may optionally be connected to the electrodes of a bypass diode, are also described in a certain number of prior publications.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,025,119 (Hughes Aircraft) describes a short-circuit switch implementing a self-solderable resilient blade contact controlled by an electromagnetic coil. This implies that a sensor detects faulty operation of the battery cell and activates the electromagnetic coil. In other words, the operation of that device depends on the reliability of an external circuit which gives rise to qualification problems for a system on board a satellite which needs to be effective for very long missions, e.g. exceeding five years, and possibly as long as fifteen years.
European patent application EP-0 372 823 (Hughes Aircraft) describes a short-circuiting device connected in parallel with a bypass diode of a battery cell and controlled by a thermal switch which itself uses a relay to actuate a main contact capable of passing all of the current flowing through the battery cells connected in series with the faulty cell. As in the preceding case, implementation depends on the reliability of several electronic components.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,061,955 (NASA) describes a short-circuiting circuit comprising a fault-detecting semiconductor device coupled with a relay. As before, that technique suffers from drawbacks of reliability associated with having an electronic circuit for detecting a fault.
Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 4,252,869 (Dow Chemical) describes a device for short-circuiting two electrodes, a central electrode and an electrode disposed concentrically thereabout, in the event of heating caused by current passing because of a faulty battery cell breaking an ampoule containing a conductive liquid which forms a short circuit between the two above-mentioned electrodes. That device can operate only under gravity, and it is not usable in weightlessness on board a satellite.

Thermally-activated switch for short-circuiting a battery cell


A launch control for a vehicle drive line (10) including a selectively engaged clutch (14) and an electronically controlled engine (12). Throttle position (THL) is sensed to determine a target engine speed (ES.sub.T), the engine is commanded to achieve the target engine speed, and the clutch is engaged as a function (82) of sensed engine speed (ES), known maximum torque engine speed (84), and the known maximum engine torque (80) at the sensed engine speed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to controls for vehicular master clutches, preferably wet friction clutches, utilized in partially or fully automated mechanical transmission systems. In particular, the present invention relates to a control system/method for controlling the vehicle master clutch during a vehicle launch operation.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Partially and fully automated vehicular mechanical transmission systems utilizing friction master clutches are known in the prior art, as may be seen by reference to U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,361,060; 4,595,986; 4,850,236; 4,648,290; 5,389,053; 5,487,004; 5,487,005 and 5,509,867, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Controls for automated friction master clutches, usually dry friction clutches, utilized in vehicular automated transmission systems are known, as may be seen by reference to U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,081,065; 4,646,891; 4,860,861; 5,275,267; 5,293,316; 5,314,050; 5,337,868; 5,337,874; 5,383,823; 5,393,274; 5,411,124; 5,404,301; 5,630,773; 5,624,350 and 5,738,609, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Vehicle launch automated master clutch control


Various water basins and systems are described that include a first basin having a longitudinally upward extending tower, a first side, a second side, and a plurality of supports. The plurality of supports are adjustable from the first side of the first basin. The system includes at least a water system having a pump and a water line that extends from the pump to the second side of the first basin.

Water systems are typically installed or integrated as part of a structure designed to receive and support the basin of a water system. These water systems require on-site work, including on-site design and installation of various lines, valves and controls. Further, these water systems require on-site connections of water, gas, and/or electrical lines and systems and these systems are not portable or adjustable. The on-site work adds unpredictable amounts of time and installation costs and the systems cannot be installed in environments having rough or uneven support surfaces.
Accordingly, an improved water basin and system is desired that includes at least a preconfigured water system that includes an adjustable base for installation in unpredictable environments, including environments having rough and uneven support surfaces.


An angular velocity sensor comprises a silicon substrate, a vibration mass formed separate from the silicon substrate on a principal surface of the silicon substrate to vibrate in directions along first and second orthogonal axes, supporting portions for supporting the vibration mass and positioned symmetrically with respect to the first axis and the second axis and having equal spring constants in directions along the first and second axes, drive electrodes and driving means for driving the vibration mass in the direction along the first axis, and detection electrodes and detecting means for detecting displacement of the vibration mass in the direction along the second axis. The drive and/or detection electrodes of the angular velocity sensor are split into a plurality of capacitors which permit a plurality of voltage values to be applied to capacitors. Accordingly, when the vibration mass is rotated around a third axis perpendicular to the principal surface of the substrate while vibrating in the direction along the first axis, an angular velocity around the third axis can be measured by detecting a Coriolis force generated in the direction along the second axis.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates an angular velocity sensor (an angular rate sensor) for detecting a Coriolis force of a vibration mass generated in a direction perpendicular to a driving direction and detecting an angular velocity of rotating motion of a vibration mass if the rotating motion is applied to the vibration mass.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As an angular velocity sensor using semiconductor manufacturing technology, a technology disclosed in Patent application Publication (KOKAI) No. 5-312576 has been known. In this angular velocity sensor, an oxide film is formed on a first silicon substrate, then the oxide film is patterned, then a second silicon substrate is bonded to the first silicon substrate via the oxide film with the use of a silicon direct bonding (SDB) method. Then the second silicon substrate in the SDB structure is polished up to a predetermined thickness, and then the second silicon substrate is etched to form grooves having vertical side walls. The vibration mass, first and second supporting portions, and frame portions of the angular velocity sensor are patterned by using the grooves. Almost whole peripheral side surfaces of the vibration mass are isolated by the side walls of the grooves, but parts of the vibration mass are supported by the first supporting portions. The first supporting portions (on the opposite side to the connection portions to the vibration mass) are connected to the frame portion which is separated from the vibration mass by the grooves. The frame portion is supported by the second supporting portions. Comb electrodes, or the interdigital capacities for driving the vibration mass by an electrostatic force in the x axis direction to vibrate are constituted at a predetermined position of the frame portion. In order to detect displacement of the vibration mass due to the Coriolis force, piezo resistance bridges are formed around the connection portions between the first supporting portions and the frame portion. In addition, detection electrodes are formed in the grooves between the vibration mass and the frame portion. Thus the angular velocity sensor in Patent application Publication (KOKAI) No. 5-312576 (referred to as a "first conventional example") is constituted. Since the vibration mass is formed of a single crystal semiconductor thin film, mass m of the vibration mass is small. Therefore, the Coriolis force generated is slight, and it cannot be measured actually by the resistance bridge consisting of the piezo resistances. For this reason, displacement of the vibration mass must be measured according to change in electrostatic capacitance of a capacitor, i.e., a pair of detection electrodes between the vibration mass and the frame portion. However, because the detection electrodes are formed on surfaces of side walls of the vibration mass and the frame portion, opposing areas of the simple parallel plate capacitor are small so that electrostatic capacitance values cannot be assured. As a result, there has been caused a problem that an S/N ratio cannot be sufficiently assured in measuring displacement of the vibration mass. In addition, there has been another problem that it is difficult to assure sufficient opposing areas in the comb electrodes to drive the vibration mass, so that sufficient vibration amplitude cannot be achieved.
In the first conventional example, there has been still another problem that miniaturization of the supporting portion and the drive electrodes become difficult since electrical connections between piezo resistances or detection electrodes and the comb electrodes via the supporting portions are needed and also electrical isolation therebetween are needed.
In the first conventional example, there has been yet still another problem that, if the electric connection is made by metal such as aluminum, since difference in thermal expansion coefficient is large between the metal connection and the supporting portions such as a silicon and an insulating film, it is likely to cause an offset in the output of the angular velocity sensor because of bowing of the structural body generated by thermal stress. And also it is likely to cause plastic deformation of the metal portion because of significant deformation of the supporting portions. Hence, deterioration of the output of the angular velocity sensor will be caused with elapsed time.
In the meanwhile, as another conventional example, there has been known an angular velocity sensor which is disclosed in, for example, J. Bernstein et al. "Micromachined Comb-Drive Tuning Fork Rate Gyroscope" Digest IEEE/ASME Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) Workshop, Florida, 1993, 143-148 (referred to as a "second conventional example"). In the second conventional example, all the structural bodies are formed of polysilicon thin film stacked on a silicon substrate. In other words, the vibration mass, the supporting portions for supporting the vibration mass on the silicon substrate, the comb electrodes, and the drive electrodes constituted by the comb electrodes fixed to the silicon substrate are patterned to be separated by grooves formed in the polysilicon thin film. The angular velocity sensor is so formed that the oxide film is formed on the silicon substrate and the vibration mass is disposed on the oxide film. The vibration mass is separated from the oxide film and the detection electrodes are formed on the oxide film and directly below the vibration mass.
In the angular velocity sensor of the second conventional example, detection of the angular velocity is carried out in such a manner that vibration due to the Coriolis force generated along the detection axis direction is detected in a vibration state of the vibration mass which is driven along the drive axis direction. Accordingly, abnormality to disturb the operation of the vibration mass can be immediately detected by monitoring vibration amplitude along the drive axis direction. However, in the event that the vibration mass can vibrate at a predetermined amplitude along the drive axis direction whereas vibration of the vibration mass exceeding a predetermined amplitude is prevented along the detection axis direction due to enter of movable dust between the vibration mass and the substrate, it is difficult to detect an abnormal state easily by the conventional vibration gyroscope. Further, even if the movable dust disturbing the vibration of the vibration mass exists very near the vibration ranges of the vibration mass along other two orthogonal axis perpendicular to the detection axis, there exists the possibility that a failure of the angular velocity sensor is caused.


An economic and safe process includes a catalytic cracking of the rubber tires and rubber products in the presence of mica catalyst selected from muscovite, sericite and biotite at a reaction temperature of 230.degree.-400.degree. C. under a pressure of 1-2.5 atmospheres for forming mixed oils, carbon black, gaseous products, and other residual products.

Conventional waste tires may be crushed or pulverized for producing reclaimed rubber which is used in limited proportions as an extender to lower the cost of rubber products. It may be somewhat deleterious to the final physical properties of the rubber product, but it aids in the processing because it flows and extrudes readily. However, the reclaimed rubber generally accounts for a low percentage such as about 10% of rubber consumption in the United States. For environmental protection, it is necessary to treat the waste rubber tires not used in the above-mentioned reclaiming processes.
Several conventional cracking processes are therefore applied for treating the rapidly growing waste rubber tires for producing fuel oils and gases by cracking the waste rubber tires, of which a conventional process discloses a cracking reaction conducted at a high temperature of more than 1000.degree. C. under a high pressure of 3-30 kilograms per square-centimeter. However, such a conventional cracking process for cracking waste rubber products at high temperature and pressure may have the following drawbacks:
1. A high initial cost is required for installing the high pressure vessel at higher reaction temperature. PA1 2. Since many flammable gaseous products, such as: hydrogen, low-carbon hydrocarbon gases including methane, ethane, propane, butane, isobutane, butene, etc., may be produced during the cracking process, such flammable gases produced from the high temperature, high pressure reactor will be very dangerous or hazardous to the working environment in view of industrial safety factor. For instance, the hydrogen gas has an ignition temperature of 1085.degree. F. (585.degree. C.); methane of 999.degree. F. (537.degree. C.); ethane of 959.degree. F. (515.degree. C.), etc. They are all flammable, or easily explosive once leaked from the high-temperature cracking reactor and should be handled or treated very carefully, thereby increasing operation complexity and cost therefore. PA1 3. It will consume much energy to conduct the cracking reaction at higher temperature, thereby wasting valuable energy resources.
It is therefore expected to disclose a process for cracking waste rubber tires at lower temperature and pressure.

c/o Hung Hsing Patent Service Center P.O. Box 55-1670


A key duplication system may include a housing, a key blank receiving aperture, a cutter and a clamp adjacent to the receiving aperture, wherein the key blank is guided to a predetermined position in relation to the cutter through engagement of a carrier with the housing. A method of aligning a key blank blade with a key blank carrier in relation to a cutter may include guiding a key blade into a cutting position through contact with a key blade receiving aperture, securing at least a portion of the carrier with a clamp, cutting a key bit pattern into the key blank blade and releasing the key blank.

1. Technical Field
Aspects of this document relate generally to key duplication. More specific implementations involve public use key cutting, key duplication and key vending systems for reproducing keys. Some specific implementations use a key blank carrier to assist in aligning a key blank with a key blank cutter to assist in accurately cutting the key blank.
2. Background Art
Conventionally, when a master key for opening a lock is duplicated, it is duplicated by first classifying the master key to be able to identify an appropriate key blank for the duplicate key, selecting the appropriate key blank to match the master key, placing the selected key blank in a key cutter, and cutting the bit pattern of the master key into a blade of the key blank. Methods such as tracer bars and image capture are known for use in identifying a master key bit pattern.
Conventional systems have required the operation skills of a trained worker to properly select the appropriate key blank. An example of an elaborate system used to assist a trained worker in selecting an appropriate key blank and appropriately positioning the appropriate key blank and master key for cutting is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,443,339 to Heredia et al., titled "Method and Apparatus for Aligning and Cutting Single-sided and Double Sided Keys." In Heredia, a plurality of clamping units, each comprising its own clamp and cutter fixturing is provided. The trained worker selects an appropriate key blank and an appropriate clamping unit for the particular key blank and clamps the key blank into the unit. Then the trained worker couples the clamping unit with a cutting wheel for cutting. More recent master key identification systems, such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,836,553 to Campbell et al., titled "Key Identification System," the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference, automatically identifies the appropriate key blank and indicates that number for key selection.
A recent key duplication system described in International Application Number PCT/US2007/024522 to Freeman, et al. titled "Fully Automatic Key Duplicating Machine with Automatic Key Model Identification System" sought to reduce the need for the operational skills of a trained worker by automatically identifying master keys and automatically cutting and dispensing a duplicate key from a limited selection of keys within the key duplication system. Another recent key duplication system described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,890,878 to Bass et al., titled "Object Identification System," discloses a system that identifies an appropriate key blank by flashing a light adjacent the appropriate key blank on a product display next to a key blank cutter so that the user or a trained worker can select the appropriate key for insertion into the key blank cutter. Other systems require changing of clamps for different key blank models to enable secure positional clamping of the different key blank models in relation to the cutting wheel of a key blank cutter.
Each key blank type and model is a little bit, and sometimes a lot, different from the others in its relative dimensions and keyway dimensions and placements. As a result, efforts to eliminate the necessity for the operation skills of a trained worker has yielded difficulties in enabling a system to cut the wide variety of master key types and models accurately with little or no skill have yielded a relatively high rate of miscut keys for reasons such as an incorrect key blank being selected, a key blank being inserted backwards or not being inserted in far enough, and from a key blank being moved during cutting due to not being clamped securely. Each of these issues may result in a duplicate key being cut that does not match the master key and will not work in the lock. Many times, however, the user who cuts a key or even the trained worker who cuts a key is not aware that the duplicate key has an error until the user tries the key in the lock at home and is frustrated that another trip to the store is required to replace the miscut key.

Interaction between a key duplication housing and a key blank carrier


In an embodiment, a transistor device includes a semiconductor substrate having a main surface, a cell field including a plurality of transistor cells, and an edge termination region laterally surrounding the cell field. The cell field includes a gate trench in the main surface of the semiconductor substrate, a gate dielectric lining the gate trench, a metal gate electrode arranged in the gate trench on the gate dielectric, and an electrically insulating cap arranged on the metal gate electrode and within the gate trench.

Common transistor devices for power applications include Si CoolMOS®, Si Power MOSFETs, and Si Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors (IGBTs). U.S. Pat. No. 9,680,004 B2 discloses a power MOSFET including a metal gate electrode in a gate trench having a stripe shape. The power MOSFET also includes a field plate in a field plate trench which has a columnar or needle shape. The field plate provides charge compensation and offers an opportunity to reduce the area specific on resistance of the MOSFET device.
Methods allowing simpler manufacturing of transistor devices including a metal gate electrode and transistor devices including a metal gate electrode having even better performance would be desirable.

Transistor device and method of fabricating a gate of a transistor device


A valve manifold for interfacing between a flowline control manifold and first and second pressure sensor units, the manifold having a monolithic body defining a mating surface for mating with the process control manifold and an instrument face for mating with the first and second pressure sensor units, the body having a peripheral wall with a first portion thereof being on the opposite side of the instrument face with respect to the mating face, the first portion of the peripheral wall forming an equalizing valve pocket surface for high and low pressure equalizing valve pockets carrying high and low pressure equalizing valves, respectively. High and low pressure fluid passageways extend from the mating surface to the equalizing valve pockets. The high pressure fluid passageway communicates with a high pressure plenum in the instrument face while the low pressure fluid passageway communicates with a low pressure plenum formed in the instrument face. An equalizing fluid passageway interconnects the high pressure and low pressure equalizing valve pockets. A gauge pressure passageway is connected to the high pressure fluid passageway and is in open communication with a second high pressure plenum formed in the instrument face. A block valve selectively controls flow through the gauge pressure passageway.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a valve manifold for controlling fluid flow between a main flowline and a plurality of pressure sensors/transmitters.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is frequently necessary to obtain pressure and/or flow characteristics of a fluid in a pipeline or flowline. One common way to accomplish this is by disposing in the flowline a restriction such as an orifice plate, a flow nozzle, or a venturi tube. The high and low pressure values taken from opposed sides of the flow restriction in the flowline are detected by a pressure sensor/transmitter assembly that measures and/or transmits the measured pressures or pressure differential by a suitable mechanical or electrical signal to a remote location, e.g., a control room.
Typically, a valve manifold is mounted between the flowline and the pressure sensor/transmitter, the manifold, in addition to controlling flow to the pressure sensor/transmitter, permitting various functions such as blocking, venting, zero checking, and calibration. A typical manifold includes a plurality of valves, each movable between open and closed positions relative to a flow pathway in the manifold so as to control the flow of fluid through the pathway.
There is an ever increasing desire by the manufacturers of pressure sensors/transmitters to reduce the size, not only of the pressure sensor/transmitter, but also of the package comprised of the manifold that attaches to the flowline and the attached pressure sensor/transmitter. Large, heavy manifold/pressure transmitter packages are more expensive to make, difficult to handle and install, and in many cases simply will not fit appropriately in their intended environment, meaning they have to be installed at another location or in undesirable orientations.
In co-pending application Ser. No. 08/941,951, filed Oct. 1, 1997, and entitled Two-Piece Manifold, there is disclosed a two-piece modular manifold comprised basically of what may be characterized as a process module and an instrument module, the process module being connected to the flowline, the instrument module mating with the pressure sensor/transmitter. The modular manifold disclosed in the latter mentioned patent application is extremely compact and is especially useful for a single, coplanar pressure sensor/transmitter and, more specifically, a differential pressure sensor/transmitter.
It is frequently desired not only to have a differential pressure measurement across the flow restrictor in the pipeline, but also to be able to determine absolute line pressure. For the latter purpose, a gauge pressure transmitter is installed on the pipeline, the gauge pressure transmitter measuring the pressure upstream of the flow restrictor in the flowline. In the distant past, this generally required a separate installation for the differential pressure transmitter and the gauge pressure transmitter. This was clearly undesirable as it increased the likelihood of leakage since it required two separate taps in the flowline installations. Moreover, the requirement of two installations mandated the use of a larger amount of space, often times in environments where space was at a premium. To overcome the problem of two separate installations, various solutions have been proposed. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,036,884, the problem of overcoming dual installations was addressed by means of a valve manifold and an interfacing or transmitting mounting plate providing communication between the valve manifold and the two different transmitters. However, this solution required that the two main block valves that control flow from the high and low pressure outlets from the main flowline, plus any equalizing or venting valves, be carried by the manifold. Furthermore, the assembly shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,036,884 is bulky and subject to undesirable torsional and bending loads, particularly in flowlines subject to vibrations and/or pulsations from compressors, pumps, and the like in the flowline. To overcome these torsional and bending loads, it is desirable to reduce, to the extent possible, the distance between the orifice taps in the flowline and the laterally outwardmost portions of the manifold/pressure sensor unit package.

Manifold for use with dual pressure sensor units


A distributive transmissometer, comprising a series of light sources that illuminate and map out a volume of space to be sampled to a one-dimensional space, a light detector, the one-dimensional space being mapped to the light detector such that spatial dust density distribution of the volume to be sampled can be determined; and, a lens for focusing light emitted by the light sources toward the light detector.

A transmissometer may be described as, but without limitation, an instrument for measuring the extinction coefficient of the atmosphere and for the determination of visual range. A tranmissometer typically operates by sending a narrow, collimated beam of energy (usually a laser) through a propagation medium. A narrow field of view receiver at the designated measurement distance determines how much energy is arriving at the detector, and determines the path transmission and/or extinction coefficient. Transmissometers may be referred to, but without limitation, as telephotometers, transmittance meters, or hazemeters.
Currently there is no commercial apparatus available to provide real time spatial dust density distribution in a large volume. Point sampling transmissometers are sometimes used; however, the spatial samplings from these types of transmissometers are finite and typically limited by beam and detector size. Additionally, the spatial resolution provided by point sampling transmissometers is limited.

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