An armament system for aircraft includes gun mount and ejection system for a machine gun. The gun mount and ejection system includes an ejection chute assembly including a hopper positioned intermediate the uprights of a carriage supporting the machine gun.

The present disclosure relates to weapon systems and, more particularly, to helicopter armament systems.
It is known to provide weapon systems on aircraft, including helicopters. For example, 50 caliber machine guns have been mounted on helicopters using an external store support assemblies. However, there remains a need for a system to integrate updated weapons, including the GAU-21 50 caliber machine gun, onto helicopters, including the UH-1Y. Additionally, there is a need for an effective ammunition feed system, and casing and link ejection system.
According to an illustrative embodiment of the present disclosure, a gun mount assembly for a machine gun includes a gun cradle including spaced apart side members and configured to releasably couple to a machine gun, a carriage supporting the gun cradle and including a pair of spaced apart uprights and a downwardly extending pintle, and an ejection chute assembly including a hopper having an outlet opening. The hopper is positioned intermediate the spaced apart uprights of the carriage and is supported for movement with the cradle. An ejection tube includes an upper end coupled to the outlet opening of the hopper, and an open lower end positioned below the upper end. The hopper is configured to collect spent casings and links ejected from the machine gun and convey the spent casings and links to the ejection tube through the outlet opening.
According to another illustrative embodiment of the present disclosure, a method of ejecting spent casings and links from a machine gun comprises the steps of providing an ammunition belt to a machine gun, the ammunition belt including casings interconnected by links, ejecting spent casings downwardly from the machine gun into a hopper, ejecting spent links laterally outwardly from the machine gun, passing the spent links through a link chute from the machine gun to the hopper, and passing the combined spent casings and links from the hopper downwardly through a flexible ejection tube and out through an open lower end.
Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views. Although the drawings represent embodiments of various features and components according to the present disclosure, the drawings are not necessarily to scale and certain features may be exaggerated in order to better illustrate and explain the present disclosure. The exemplification set out herein illustrates embodiments of the invention, and such exemplifications are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention in any manner.

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


A dissection glove for forming in a patient a tissue pocket to receive an implantable device. The dissection glove is constructed of an absorbent material formed into at least one recess with an open end for receiving a portion of a surgeon's gloved hand. A retaining mechanism is provided for releasably retaining the dissection glove to a portion of the surgeon's gloved hand. An extraction mechanism is optionally provided for extracting the dissection glove from the tissue pocket. The dissection glove may be constructed from a variety of materials, such as polypropylene nonwoven mesh or calcium alginate gauze. The present invention is also directed to a method of forming a tissue pocket in a patient for receiving an implantable device using the present dissection glove.

Currently, surgeons use their gloved fingers to perform a blunt dissection to form a tissue pocket for receiving an implantable device. After the tissue pocket is formed, the surgeon typically packs the tissue pocket with gauze to help achieve hemostasis prior to inserting the implantable device. It is also common to irrigate the tissue pocket with an antimicrobial solution. After hemostasis is achieved, the gauze is removed from the tissue pocket and the implantable device is inserted.
Friction caused by the rough texture of the surgeons gloves tends to traumatize the tissue surrounding the tissue pocket. Conventional gauze used to achieve hemostasis tends to adhere to the tissue surrounding the tissue pocket. Consequently, hemostasis can be compromised by removing the gauze from the tissue pocket prior to insertion of the implantable device. Finally, the current three-step process is time consuming during the critical implantation phase.

Method for forming a tissue pocket to receive an implantable device


A method is provided for converting joystick deflection into a speed of relative motion between a image system and a workpiece stage in a computer vision system. The conversion of joystick deflection into speed may be described in terms of a speed/deflection profile that corresponds a present lens characteristics of the system. In one embodiment, the speed/deflection response of the system depends relatively strongly on the present lens characteristic at relatively lower deflections and depends on relatively weakly on the present lens characteristic as the deflection approaches a maximum deflection. The system is advantageous in that, for any lens used, it maintains consistent ergonomic and visual feel at small joystick deflections which typically occur during ostensible precision maneuvers, but is also able to provide fast long-range traverses for large joystick deflections.

Computer vision systems can be utilized to obtain precise dimensional measurements of inspected objects. Such systems may include a computer and a camera and optical system with a stage that is movable to allow the camera to scan the surface of an object that is being inspected. One exemplary prior art system that is commercially available is the QUICK VISION™ series of vision inspection machines and QVPAK™ software available from Mitutoyo America Corporation (MAC), located in Aurora, Ill. This product is able to provide images of an object at various magnifications, and move the stage as necessary to traverse the object surface beyond the limits of any single video image. A single video image typically encompasses only a portion of the object being observed or inspected, given the desired magnification, measurement resolution and physical size limitations of such systems.
Visions systems such as Quick Vision™ are generally designed to facilitate industrial inspection. Such systems frequently include a lens turret with lenses of various magnifications. It is common to inspect various aspects of a single object using the various magnifications. Furthermore, in industrial inspection environments, very large inspection objects are common, and dimensions to be measured often extend beyond a field of view. In such systems, a convenient and ergonomically intuitive manual motion control system that consistently addresses all the above factors is of great utility.
In contrast, in conventional laboratory vision systems which utilize microscopes, a single video image may often encompass an entire object or the object may extend a relatively small distance outside the filed of view, given the generally small size of objects observed by such systems. Some systems include a manual motion control system that responds to manual input, and the response to the input is linearly scaled according to a selected magnification. The joysticks in certain other systems include a contact switch which triggers high speed motion at large deflections.
An example of a vision system utilizing a microscope that includes dual joystick control modes for inspection and manipulation of relatively small objects is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,677,709. The system of the '709 patent teaches a joystick which controls a micromanipulator which is used to three dimensionally position an object in the field of the microscope. The system can be operated in a speed control mode and a position control mode. In the speed control mode an actuator is driven by a speed corresponding to the inclined amount of the manipulating lever for the joystick. In the position control mode, the actuator is driven by a distance corresponding to the inclined amount of the manipulating lever of the joystick. The system switches between the speed control mode and the position control mode according to a change-over switch. One of the problems that the '709 patent addresses is that when the mode is switched from the position control mode to the speed control mode while the joystick is inclined, the system will be started in motion even if this was not the intent of the operator. The '709 system avoids this problem by only switching between the modes when the joystick is in the neutral position. While the method of the '709 patent addresses certain issues regarding switching between modes in a joystick controlled microscope vision system, it still requires switching between the two modes in an inconvenient manner. In addition, none of the above systems offer a robust and appropriate method for manually controlling the motion axis of a machine vision system that alters the focus of the system.
The present invention is directed to providing a method that overcomes the foregoing and other disadvantages. More specifically, the present invention is directed to a method for converting the deflection of joystick or other manual control device into motion which uses speed/deflection profiles that are selected in accordance with the present lens characteristics of the system.

Method for converting joystick deflection into motion in a computer vision system


A semiconductor memory device uses a memory cell array having of a plurality of cell array blocks, a redundancy cell array as a replacement for a cell array block containing a faulty memory cell, a replacement-information memory circuit for holding faulty-cell detection information and discrimination information of a cell array block containing a faulty cell in a plurality of memory transistors each, in normal mode, with source and control gate electrodes kept at ground potential and a drain electrode kept at a specified voltage of lower potential than the supply voltage. Each is forced into depletion or enhancement mode depending on the accumulated charge on the floating gate. The memory also includes a redundancy selector for outputting the redundancy signal which goes to active level by the decision based on an information held in this replacement-information memory circuit that a cell array block containing a faulty cell has been selected.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a semiconductor memory device, and more particularly to the same with an electrically erasable and programmable read-only memory (EEPROM) element for keeping store information for instructing the replacement with a redundancy cell array.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Regarding a large capacity semiconductor memory device, faulty memory cell is found at a high incidence in the memory cell array. For overcoming this and increasing the yield redundancy technique of providing redundant elements replacing faulty elements is generally used.
Redundancy technique is various, for example, replacement for a memory cell array arranged in row and column directions in row or column unit by a certain number of redundancy cell rows or columns provided, or replacement for a specified storage capacity memory cell array consisting of blocks each including a specified number of memory cells arranged in block unit by a redundancy cell array having the same memory capacity as has one block.
In a semiconductor memory device of block-unit redundancy design by which replacement of a block containing a faulty memory cell by a redundant cell array is accomplished, after selecting a block of a memory cell array by a first address signal and then selecting a memory cell from the block by a second address signal, the write or readout of data into or from the memory is carried out. When the selected block contains a faulty memory cell, the write or readout of data can be carried out using the redundancy cell array.
Switch to the redundancy cell array is accomplished by a replacement-information memory circuit for holding replacement-request information indicating whether the memory cell array contains a faulty cell or not and discrimination-information indicating a block containing a faulty cell; and a redundancy selector which judges on the basis of these information whether a block selected by a first address signal contains a faulty cell or not.
The replacement-information memory circuit comprises a plurality of field effect transistors as electrically programmable read-only memory elements (Each transistor is referred to as memory transistor hereinafter).
In this memory transistor, in the state of the floating gate with no injected electrons on it, application of a specified voltage (usually supply voltage) to the control gate electrode results in forming a channel between the source and drain electrodes, through which electric current flows. In the state of the floating gate with injected electrons on it, if a specified voltage is impressed to the control gate electrode, the accumulated electrons on the floating gate inhibits formation of channel between the source and drain electrodes , hence no current flowing between them. By utilization of this characteristic of the memory transistor described above, the replacement-information memory circuit can hold replacement-request information and discrimination information as described above.
Injection of electrons into the floating gate region of the memory transistor is performed as follows:
Using the source electrode as a reference potential, high voltage is applied to the drain electrode and the control gate electrode to attract hot electrons generated between the source and drain electrodes. Consequently the thus-injected electrons are trapped at the floating gate located on the way of the attraction path.
Similarly, application of a high voltage to the control gate electrode using the source and drain electrodes as reference potential induces source electrode and drain electrode, in combination with a large electric field applied between the source/drain electrodes and control gate electrode, induces a Fowler-Nordheim tunneling current, and thus electrons are injected into the region of the floating gate located between these electrodes.
In the above-mentioned way of the injection of electrons into the floating gate region, the above-mentioned replacement-request information and discrimination information are written and stored in the specified memory transistors of the replacement-information memory circuit. The writing is carried out at the stage of products inspection. Thereafter the control gate electrodes of all memory transistors of the replacement-information memory circuit about every product are fixedly connected to the supply voltage terminal to be always allowed to read the stored information out of them.
Storage of a binary 1 or 0 in the above-mentioned memory transistors of the replacement-information memory circuit is carried out by injection of electrons to the floating gate region. Because of this, very thin insulating films between the floating gate and the source/drain electrodes and between the floating gate and control gate electrode are formed. Once the semiconductor memory device comprising the replacement-information memory circuit is connected to a supply source, the supply voltage is always applied to the control gate electrode of the memory transistor, and the resulting large electric field is applied to the accumulated electrons on the floating gate, which leaks out little by little because of very small flaws inevitable in the fabrication process in the insulating film and the occurrence of Fowler-Nordheim tunneling current. Thus there is danger associated with a long-term use them that the memory information of the replacement-information memory circuit fades away.


An air inlet assembly for the scroll housing of an automotive air conditioning and ventilation system is specially structurally matched to the scroll housing so as to be more compact and efficient. An inlet housing is fashioned coaxial to the scroll housing and blower, within which a coaxial, partially cylindrical door rotates around the central axis so as to open or close one of a pair of diametrically opposed air openings. An annular filter fits within the rotating door. Regardless of which air inlet is open, air that is pulled in by the blower is forced into a radial space between the filter and the door, three hundred and sixty degrees around, and is forced radially through the filter before entering the scroll housing. Because of the coaxial, matching relationship between inlet housing a scroll housing, the entire assembly is very compact and low in profile, as measured along the vertical co axis.

Vehicle HVAC systems typically use a cylindrical, centrifugal blower which is driven about a central axis and contained within a scroll housing. The scroll housing is essentially coaxial to the blower axis, although its side wall is arrayed in a spiral of steadily increasing radius. At least the top wall of the scroll housing is substantially flat, and open to the center of the blower, so that it can physically mount an air inlet assembly, which is the most upstream structure of the system. The air inlet assembly is typically a box like structure, sometimes peaked on top like a house roof, with a fresh air opening that faces toward the underhood space of the vehicle, and an opposed recirculation opening facing toward the vehicle interior. A flapper door swings back and forth, inside the inlet, selectively opening or closing the fresh air or recirculated air inlet to the system. Basically, a box shaped inlet is mated to a cylindrical blower and housing, which does not make for a compact, low profile assembly overall.
A relatively recent development in HVAC systems is the introduction of air filters, sometimes called pollen filters. These are usually flat structures, sometimes broken up into several pieces, which slide fit into the air duct work wherever there is access. Access is often difficult, requiring the use of dedicated access openings through the instrument panel. Access is often better just upstream of the fresh air inlet, under the hood, with the obvious drawback that only fresh inlet air is filtered. While the interior of air inlet assembly would be a desirable location for a filter, since it would be able to handle both fresh and recirculated air, the presence of the interior flapper door generally prevents such a filter location. One proposed design, disclosed in co assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,391,112, changes the traditional box shape to a semi cylindrical shape, although it is not coaxial to the scroll housing. A door swings over the outside of the housing, allowing for a U shaped filter internal to the housing, where it can filter both air inlet flows. The filter is a flat piece, inserted through one opening of the inlet and bent into a U shape, providing approximately 180 degrees of filtering surface. The inlet is not significantly lower in profile or more compact than a conventional box shaped inlet, however.

Low profile air inlet assembly for vehicle air conditioning system


A vehicle trailing arm suspension has an axle mounted to a pair of trailing arms through axle-mounting assemblies that include one or two beam-axle connectors mounted to one of the arms through a bushed connection and connected to the axle through a collar that receives the axle. An elastomeric layer is positioned between the axle and the collar for articulation. Each beam-axle connector can include an arcuate plate at the other end thereof and through which the beam-axle connector is mounted to the axle through welding or a compression mounting. The compression mounting includes a hollow wrapper band under tension sufficient to compress the axle to prevent movement of the axle with respect to the wrapper band under ordinary service conditions. A radius tower can also be mounted to an axle through the hollow wrapper band.

1. Technical Field
This invention relates to vehicle suspension systems for mounting ground-engaging wheels to a vehicle frame, and, more particularly, to vehicle suspensions having an improved system for mounting a wheel-carrying axle without weakening the axle. In another of its aspects, the invention relates to a trailing arm suspension wherein an axle is mounted to the trailing arm for articulation with respect to the trailing arm.
2. Description of Related Art
The U.S. Pat. No. 3,547,215 to Bird (issued Dec. 15, 1970), discloses a trailing arm suspension wherein a square axle is typically welded to a bracket which is, in turn, secured to the trailing arm of the vehicle suspension structure. The weld securing the axle to the bracket is usually made at the mid-point of the side of the axle where vertical bending moment stresses are neutral. However, these areas are areas of high torsional loading which results from brake torque, vehicle roll and diagonal axle (wheel) walk. The welding at the mid-point of the axle may introduce a point of weakness where cracks can initiate. The weakness in the typical axle welded to a bracket is caused, in part, by the undesirable heat-treating effects and microscopic cracking caused by the welding process upon the axle structure in the localized area adjacent to the weld. In addition, craters or strike marks may form points at which cracks may initiate or at which stresses may become concentrated.
Axles are typically welded to the brackets in order to securely attach the axle to the bracket under this high loading condition. The axle is welded to the axle bracket by a line weld on either side of the bracket. Because it is a line weld, the weld has xe2x80x9cendsxe2x80x9d at which stresses are concentrated and at which cracks may initiate.
A solution to this weld problem is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,693,486 to Pierce et al. (issued Sep. 15, 1987), which discloses a trailing arm suspension in which an axle secured to a trailing arm by a wrapper plate partially surrounding the axle, a bolt compresses the wrapper plate about the axle so that the wrapper plate supports and strengthens the axle, and a circular plug weld is positioned on the axle in a circular opening in the wrapper plate to attach the wrapper plate to the axle. Although this system is a significant improvement over the previous welds to the axle, the plug weld still may be a source of stress cracks in the axle.
The U.S. Pat. No. 5,116,075 to Pierce (issued May 26, 1992), discloses a trailing arm suspension wherein a wrapper plate is mounted to an axle through mechanical compression and without welding to the axle. Adapter plates mounted to the ends of the plate apply a compressive force to the corners of a square axle when the wrapper plate is compressed against the axle by a bolt. The wrapper plate is mounted on a pair of side plates which in turn are fixed to the trailing arm. Although the suspension is effective to overcome the potential of crack initiation of the axle between the axle and the axle bracket, the wrapper plate is relatively heavy and a considerable amount of skilled labor is involved in assembling the axle to the trailing arm suspension, frequently at the point of assembly to the axle and suspension to the vehicle. The forces of compression tend to be somewhat uneven. The compressive forces exerted by the adapter plates in particular can be relatively high compared to the compressive forces exerted by the wrapper plate.
The U.S. patent to Kaufman, U.S. Pat. No. 5,328,159, discloses a trailing arm suspension in which a pair of U-shaped bracket plates mount U-shaped rubber pads and are clamped onto a square axle with the rubber pads between the bracket plates and the axle. The axle is at a slight angle with respect to the bracket plates so that the bracket plates present a slight diagonal force to the side walls of the axle. The axle is presumably welded to the bracket plates.
The U.S. patent to Dilling et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,366,237, discloses a trailing arm suspension in which a pair of semi-cylindrical bracket plates are welded to a round axle through an opening between the two plates and along the parting lines between the bracket plates. The axle extends through two openings in the trailing arm and is secured thereto by welding the bracket plates to the beams. The bracket plates are relatively wide and do not deflect when the axle bends. Thus, stress risers can form on the axle at the side edges of the bracket plates. A brake actuator is mounted to the trailing arms for operating brakes on the axle wheels. Welding to the axle can also introduce undesirable microscopic cracks which can initiate fatigue cracks and ultimately lead to failure of the axle due to torsional stress on the axle.
It is also common to mount a track bar between a trailing arm and a central portion of an axle. The track bar is mounted to the axle through a tower bracket which is welded to a central portion of the axle. The welds between the tower bracket and the axle can introduce in the axle weak points and microscopic cracks which can form sources of cracks which may ultimately result in failure of the axle under severe or prolonged loading conditions.
DE 42 32 779 and DE 42 32 778 disclose a vehicle suspension system with an air spring or a leaf spring wherein a relatively square axle is tied in to the suspension through a U-bolt and axle plate which bears against the axle at an upper portion. A filler can be provided in the bottom of the U-bolt. A ring received in an opening in the axle plate is welded to an upper surface of the axle. Frictional force resulting from pressure applied by the axle plate at the upper corners of the axle and by the filler plate at the bottom corners of the axle coupled with the welded ring is said to hold the axle against movement in the mounting. A U-bolt does not give consistent and sufficient compressive forces to adequately prevent slippage of an axle in the mounting and does not work well with round axles.
In accordance with the invention, a trailing arm suspension for mounting ground-engaging wheels to a vehicle frame has an axle mounted to a trailing arm through an axle-beam connector. The suspension comprising at least two arms adapted to be secured to opposite sides of the frame and at least one wheel-carrying axle mounted to the arms through an axle-mounting assembly. Each of the axle-mounting assemblies comprises at least one beam-axle connector which is mounted to one of the arms at one end thereof through a bushed connection and is connected to the axle at another end thereof. Each of the arms forms a collar which receives the axle. An elastomeric layer is positioned between the axle and the collar for articulation between the axle and the collar. Preferably, the beam-axle connector is rigidly mounted to the axle at the other end thereof.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, there are two beam-axle connectors, one on each side of each arm, and each beam-axle connector is connected to the arm and to the axle in the same manner. Further, each of the beam-axle connectors is identical and is symmetrical about a longitudinal axis. Each beam-axle connector is generally triangular in two dimensional configuration and has a reinforcing gusset at an upper portion thereof and at a lower portion thereof. Preferably, each beam-axle connector further includes an arcuate plate at the other end thereof and through which the beam-axle connector is mounted to the axle.
In one embodiment, the beam-axle connector is mounted to the axle through a hollow wrapper band which circumscribes the axle and is under tension sufficient to compress the axle at at least two sets of diametrically opposed and circumferentially spaced external surfaces of the axle and to prevent movement of the axle with respect to the wrapper band under ordinary service conditions. To this end, the arcuate plate extends about 180xc2x0 around the axle and mates with a second arcuate plate to form a hollow wrapper band which circumscribes the axle and is under tension sufficient to compress the axle at at least two sets of diametrically opposed and circumferentially spaced external surfaces of the axle and to prevent movement of the axle with respect to the wrapper band under ordinary service conditions.
The invention provides for an assembly of an axle to a suspension, preferably a trailing arm suspension, whereby the axle is maintained in a high state of compression essentially sufficient to couple the axle to the axle mounting without any welding between the axle and the wrapper band. The axle is thus stronger because it is not welded to the mounting assembly. However, the axle is maintained in position on the mounting assembly and thus in a fixed position on the trailing arm suspension by frictional forces created by the compression between the mounting assembly and the axle. The axle mounting is stronger than previous system and further is adaptable to automated assembly techniques. Thus, the axle mounting assembly is less expensive to assemble, more reliable in service, longer lived and lower in weight compared to similar strength axle mounting assemblies.

Trailing arm suspension with wrapper compression axle mounting and articulated axle mounting


The invention provides a demolition utility tool that can be used in many ways for the demolition of materials and/or for the manipulation of clamps valves, nuts, or other hardware. The tool includes a handle having a head at one end. The head has a longitudinal central plane that bisects the head, a strike contact face, and toothed, stepped grasping jaws that accommodate multiple sizes of material. The demolition tool may include a fixed wrench element and/or a spanner wrench element on the head. The demolition tool may also include a bent end pry bar at a second end of the handle that is offset 90 degrees from the longitudinal central plane of the tool head enabling full range of motion without interfering with other tool functions. The bent end pry bar may include a slot between located between its forked end for manipulating gas shut-off valves.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a multi-functional demolition utility tool and methods for the manufacture thereof.
2. Description of Related Art
There are many hand tools that are traditionally used for demolition of construction or building materials. A "crow bar," for instance, typically has a straight pry bar end attached to a long lever arm and a hooked pry bar end at its opposite terminus. Some tools have pry bar ends that are forked for use in removing nails or other fasteners and otherwise wedging into building materials. Additional demolition tools include various sledge hammers, grasping equipment, and other tools.
However, some of these demolition tools present certain drawbacks or limited capabilities. For example, typical board grasping equipment is unsuitable for successfully demolishing lumber or grasping materials or boards of different thicknesses. In addition, certain tools with pry bar ends do not enable full range of motion due to other implements located at opposite ends of the tool bottoming out on a work surface. Furthermore, the configuration of these pry bar ends often interferes with the comfortable use of the implements located at the other ends of the tool.
Other demolition tools are made from material that is not intended to be struck by a striking tool to enable it to be used in a chisel-like manner. Some tools that are used for demolition, but designed for other purposes, are made from multiple parts as opposed to being integrally formed. This adds to the cost and complexity of the structure, and potentially reduces the strength thereof.
Additionally, certain demolition tool users such as, for example, fire and rescue professionals or other users, must carry a variety of specialty tools in addition to a demolition tool. A demolition tool with additional capabilities would be advantageous.


The present invention provides an organic light emitting diode comprising a substrate comprising a first sub-pixel, a second sub-pixel, and a third sub-pixel; a first electrode disposed on the substrate; a second electrode facing the first electrode; an emission layer disposed between the first electrode and the second electrode; and a first layer disposed between the first electrode and the second electrode and containing an ambipolar compound, and a method for manufacturing the organic light emitting diode.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an organic light emitting diode and a method of manufacturing the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
An organic light emitting diode is a self-emitting type display device, and not only has a wide viewing angle and excellent contrast, but also has a quick response speed, excellent luminance, excellent driving voltage, and an excellent response speed, and is capable of a polychrome.

Organic light emitting diode and method for manufacturing the same

Samsung-ro, Giheung-Gu, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-Do


A fastener for absorbent articles, such as pants-type diapers or incontinence guards, includes a first fastener element and a second fastener element (1, 4) which are intended to be hooked together when donning the article. The first element (1) includes an elastic structure (2) which includes openings (6) and is so constructed that the openings (6) will widen when the elastic structure (2) is stretched and closed together when the elastic structure contracts. The second element (4) includes hook devices (5). When the elastic structure (2) is sufficiently stretched, the hook devices (5) can be inserted into the widened openings (6), wherein subsequent contraction of the elastic structure (2) will cause the first and the second elements (1, 4) to be joined together with the opening (6) surrounding the hook device (5).

The present invention relates to fastener means for disposable absorbent articles, such as diapers, pants-type diapers, incontinence guards or the like. Disposable absorbent articles of this kind are normally comprised of a liquid-permeable outer sheet, a liquid-impermeable backing sheet and an absorbent core enclosed therebetween. The outer sheet and the backing sheet are normally joined together outside the edges of the absorbent core and together form a casing or envelope. The outer sheet may have the form of elastic pants having a waist opening and two leg openings and including an absorbent core and a non-elastic backing sheet. The article is normally elongated and has a front waist region, a rear waist region and a narrower crotch region situated therebetween. The article also includes different elastic devices, mainly at the side edges of the crotch region and at the end edges of the waist regions, the purpose of these devices being to improve the fit of the article around the leg openings and around the waist respectively.
The article is secured around the waist of the wearer with the aid of fastener means provided at the side edges of the waist regions. These fastener means may, for instance, have the form of adhesive tabs mounted on the side edges of the rear waist region and fastened to the front waist region of the article when the article is donned. The fastener means may alternatively have the form of mechanical devices, such as touch-and-close fasteners, e.g. Velcro.RTM. fasteners where one pile surface is comprised of hooks and is fastened to an adapted pile surface comprised of loops. The fastener means may also comprise press studs, other forms of studs, or buttons.
The aforesaid conventional fastener means are encumbered with many drawbacks.
Conventional fastener means are designed to close the article around the waist of the wearer. Seen generally, typical fastener means are comprised of a receiving element and an adhering element. The receiving element is mounted on each side edge of one waist region, normally the front waist region, and the adhering element is mounted on each side edge of the opposing waist region. The elements are fastened together and mutually connect the waist regions. When putting-on the article, the adhering element is pressed against the receiving element so that the elements stick together. The pressure is applied at right angles to the plane of the waist region, i.e. against the wearer's stomach.
One advantage afforded by the inventive fastener means is that the article is closed by deformation of one element parallel with the plane of the waist regions, without subjecting the wearer's body to any appreciable pressure.
Conventional fastener means are subjected to large shear forces in use, as a result of wearer body movement. The adhering element is normally fastened to the receiving element while the wearer stands in an upright or lies in a recumbent position. In these positions, both waist regions of the article are situated at generally the same height around the wearer's waist. The receiving element is most often mounted on the front waist-region of the article and the article is therewith closed and fastened in the vicinity of the wearer's stomach. When the wearer is seated, the front waist-region tends to move down and the rear waist-region tends to move up, which is a natural consequence of bending the body. This results in the occurrence of large shear forces between the adhering element and the receiving element. An attempt has been made to solve this problem, by providing the fastener elements with larger contact surfaces.
A clear advantage afforded by the inventive fastener means is that it is deformable even in a vertical direction and is able to follow the movements of the wearer, by contracting and stretching with no impairment to its fastening properties.
Another drawback with conventional fastener means is that the wearer is able to release the fastener easily at times which might prove hazardous, by simply tearing the fastener elements apart. This drawback is also eliminated by the inventive fastener means. In order to release an inventive fastener means, it is necessary to subject one fastener element to two forces in two different directions simultaneously, the first direction being parallel with the fastener element and the other direction being away from the wearer's body.
Another drawback with conventional fastener means, and then with adhesive tabs in particular, is that they lose some of their fastening ability when fastened and released repeatedly, or when coming into contact with skin cream or talcum powder, for instance. Mechanical fastener means are also difficult to locate on the article so as to obtain an optimal fit with regard to wearers of varying anatomies. In order to circumvent this problem, it is often necessary to provide the article with an otherwise unnecessarily wide receiving element, therewith adding considerable cost to the manufacture of the article. Excessively wide touch-and-close fastener surfaces also impair wearer comfort, because they are stiff, difficult to bend, inelastic, and also fasten readily to the wearer's and the nurse's clothing.
It is therefore apparent that the fastener means of absorbent articles, such as pants-type diapers, diapers, incontinence guards and like articles are in need of significant improvement.
The present invention eliminates all of the aforesaid drawbacks in an effective and efficient manner.

Fastener means for disposable absorbent articles


An in-application upgrade method is used for optical module firmware not breaking a service. A storage area for internal programs of an optical module is divided into two areas which are respectively used for storing upgrade and application programs, and is divided into an area for backing up an interrupt vector table of a Boot program. An upper computer is in communication with the optical module. The interrupt vector table is switched, and the jump between the Boot program and the application program is achieved. The method includes extracting the contents of firmware, entering a download mode and updating the firmware. The original firmware is erased, and new firmware is written. An application mode is entered, the upper computer sending an exit command from the download mode. The upgrade program exits and a new application program is executed. The optical module operates normally without interruption.

As an important component part-optical module in the existing optical communication industry, its production capacity is increasing, its process and control technology become more and more complicated. With the diversification of business, optical communication system providers put forward higher requirements to optical module manufacturers. The system providers also particularly concern about the in-application upgrade technology of the optical module firmware in this context. For example, if an online upgrade technology is not used in the existing optical module, the system providers will do performance adjustment of the optical module, or if design flaws are found in the optical module firmware, the usual practice is that the optical module manufacturers recall the optical modules and use a professional download tool to re-download the firmware after opening its shell, which not only consumes a lot of manpower and transportation costs, but also easily causes damage to the optical module. Currently, the control parts of the relatively high side optical module are mostly achieved on the basis of an ARM-core MCU (Micro Control Unit). Some well-known MCU manufacturers at home and abroad also provide in-application upgrade technology (IAP) of the MCU firmware, but the in-application upgrade technology applied in the field of the optical module still has certain obvious deficiencies, of which the biggest problem is that the reset operation of the MCU is required for the firmware provided by the MCU manufacturers in the updated scheme of application before or after upgrading the firmware without exception. In this way, the service of the optical module in the normal communication is broken to cause unpredictable risk for the operators. Meanwhile, the in-application upgrade technology provided by the majority of MCU manufacturers downloads and updates the firmware with a serial port or a network interface, which is also unacceptable for the smaller optical module.

In-application upgrade method for optical module firmware not breaking service

WUHAN TELECOMMUNICATION DEVICES CO., LTD.


In a housing device, a first wall portion 10A and a second wall portion 20A are adjacent to each other with a right angle formed therebetween when a case cover 20 is coupled to a case main body 10. A first recess 11 and a first claw 12 are integrally formed with the first wall portion 10A at a part thereof where the first wall portion 10A is butted to the second wall portion 20A. A second claw 21 and a second recess 22 are integrally formed with the second wall portion 20A at a part thereof where the second wall portion 20A is butted to the first wall portion 10A.

This invention relates to a housing device for various kinds of apparatuses including an electronic apparatus and, in particular, to a housing device comprising a case main body and a case cover removably coupled to the case main body.
Generally, a housing device of the type is designed so that a case main body is opened and closed by the use of a case cover in order to incorporate various electronic parts and mechanisms in a production process and to perform repair and maintenance. For an opening/closing structure of the case cover with respect to the case main body, it is desired that the case cover is not easily released in three-axis directions and that the structure is low in production cost and excellent in operability.
Referring to FIG. 1, a first conventional housing device will be described. The housing device comprises a case main body 110 and a case cover 120 removably coupled to the case main body 110. The case cover 120 is coupled to the case main body 110 via a hinge structure comprising an axial pin 130 and a pin stopper 140 so that the case cover 120 is rotatable in a direction OP and a direction CL to be opened and closed. The case cover 120 is removed from the case main body 110 by removing the pin stopper 140 and the axial pin 130.
Referring to FIGS. 2A to 2C, a second conventional housing device will be described. The housing device comprises a case main body 210 and a case cover 220 removably coupled to the case main body 210. The case main body 210 has a first recess 211 and a first claw 212. The case cover 220 has a second claw 221 adapted to be inserted into the first recess 211 and a second recess (hole) 222 adapted to receive the first claw 212. The case cover 220 is coupled to the case main body 210 to be openable and closable. By engagement between the first recess 211 and the second claw 221 and engagement between the first claw 212 and the second recess (hole) 222, the case cover 220 is coupled to the case main body 210. In order to prevent the case cover 220 from being easily released in a direction Z, the case cover 220 is provided with a rib 230.
Another housing device is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication (JP-A) No. H10-313181. The housing device comprises a case main body and a case cover removably coupled to the case main body. The case main body has a hole. The case cover is provided with a hook adapted to be inserted into the hole. The case cover is coupled to the case main body so that the case cover is rotatable around a pivot point to be opened and closed with respect to the case main body. The case cover is coupled to the case main body by engagement between the hole and the hook. The case cover is removed from the case main body by rotating the case cover around the pivot point and opening the case cover with respect to the case main body.


A magnetic resonance imaging magnet assembly (100) comprising: —a magnet (102) adapted for generating a main magnetic field for aligning the magnetic spins of nuclei of a subject (502) located within an imaging volume (504); and —a gradient coil (103) for generating a gradient magnetic field for spatial encoding of the magnetic resonance signal of spins of nuclei within the imaging volume, wherein the gradient coil is adapted to be mounted into the magnet, wherein the gradient coil comprises: —a first gradient coil section (112), wherein the first gradient coil section comprises a first rigid element (113), —a second gradient coil section (114), wherein the second gradient coil section also comprises a second rigid element (115), —a connecting element (116, 300, 302, 304, 400) for joining the two half gradient coils, wherein the connecting element comprises an elastic material (116), wherein the elastic material is in contact with the first rigid element and the second rigid element.

A static magnetic field is used by Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) system to align the nuclear spins of atoms as part of the procedure for producing images within a subject. This static magnetic field is referred to as the B0 field or the main field.
Magnetic field gradient coils are used to generate spatially and temporally variying magnetic fields which are used to spatially encode the nuclear spins being imaged. This spatial encoding is part of what allows the reconstruction of images from magnetic resonance imaging signals.
However Magnetic Resoance Imaging is typically performed in a large magnetic field. As current flows through a magnetic field gradient coil the Lorentz force on the coil may be enormous. Gradient coils are typically mounted on or embedded within a rigid carrier to which these forces are transferred. During operation the large forces exerted by the Lorentz for can cause acoustic vibrations in the gradient coil and the rigid carrier. These acoustic vibrations may sound like a large knocking, thumping, or clicking sound during the use of the magnetic resonance imaging system.
It is commonly known that increasing the strength of the B0 field used for performing a magnetic resoance imaging scan offers the opportunity of increasing the spatial resolution and contrast resolution of the diagnostics images. This increase in resolution and contrast benefits physicians using a magnetic resoance image to diagnose a patient. However as the strength of the B0 field increases, so do the Lorentz forces acting on the gradient coil during use. As the B0 field increases so does the noise generated by the gradient coils during operation.
In the journal article Michael Poole, Richard Bowtell, Concepts in Magnetic Resonance Part B, Vol. 31B(3), page 162-175, 2007 a method of designing gradient coils using the boundary element is disclosed. The minimization of a functional during the design process which imposes torque-balancing of the gradient coil is disclosed.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,764,059, an acoustically screened magnetic coil which is adapted to be placed in a static magnetic field is disclosed. Essentially a combination of active and magnetic screening for gradient coils is disclosed. A closed loop of the gradient coil carrying current is arranged such that the two different parts of the loop are mechanically coupled, dimensioned and arranged such that the Lorentz forces experienced by the magnetic equipment are substantially reduced and preferably cancelled. the US patent application US2004/0113618 shows a gradient coil system having two structurally independent sub-coils. These sub-coils are attached separately from one another so that an (RF) antenna system can be arranged between them.

Magnetic resonance imaging gradient coil, magnet assembly, and system


The invention relates to a novel method for producing a stable precipitate enriched in phycobiliproteins by means of salicylic acid precipitation. The invention also relates to the use of said precipitate enriched in phycobiliproteins for producing cosmetic or dermatological, and food or nutraceutical compositions.

Currently, these pigments are experiencing a renewed interest. There is in fact at the current time a strong trend toward replacing synthetic components with natural products. This trend is explained, on the one hand, by the increase in consumer demand for natural products for health, ecological and environmental protection demands and, on the other hand, by the change in legislation which aims to promote natural products over synthetic products. This situation explains the considerable increase in market demand for natural dyes.
A review of the list of natural dyes available on the market reveals a considerable lack of blue dyes. The only ones indicated are chamazulene (extracted from chamomile flowers) and indigo (resulting from the fermentation of indigo plant leaves). The availability of these two dyes remains however below market needs, owing to low extraction yields which, for both, do not exceed 0.1% of the dry weight.
Among the phycobiliproteins, phycocyanin holds a de facto monopoly owing to its unique blue color. Phycocyanin is a colored protein found exclusively in blue algae. It cannot be synthesized chemically. The results of various studies relating to phycocyanin make reference to the possibility of its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor capacity.
Phycocyanin is widely indicated for coloring certain food products blue (ices or sweet products of the type iced drinks, ice creams, doughs, cakes and cookies, etc.).
It can be introduced as a component into skin care creams, beauty masks and sun products. It advantageously replaces synthetic pigments considered to be suspect.
At the current time, the known applications of phycocyanin on an industrial scale are limited to a few food products (marzipans; sweet juices; ices, sorbets and incidentally chocolates) or to a few cosmetic formulations (creams and gels). The only sales of phycocyanin on the market are monopolized by a few companies (essentially Japanese) and manage to cover only 2% at most of the American market of natural food dyes.
Furthermore, phycocyanin can be extracted from the cyanobacterium spirulina (Arthrospira platensis), which can contain from 3% to 12% of phycocyanin. This blue microalga, considered by the WHO to be SAFE, is produced on an industrial scale. Its exploitation is widespread in several countries throughout the world.
Once phycobiliproteins have been extracted from biomass, it is necessary to carry out a concentrating step which usually results in a precipitation.
There are several phycobiliprotein concentrating processes. Some are lengthy using heavy equipment, such as centrifugation, lyophilization or else dialysis. The extrapolation of such processes on an industrial scale generates high investment costs. Others, which are simpler, use precipitation with salts and particularly ammonium sulfate which makes it possible, in addition, to preserve the phycobiliproteins against bacteria and fungi. In the context of a precipitation with ammonium sulfate, high amounts of this salt (greater than 60% of the weight of the extract) are required. Furthermore, ammonium sulfate is known for its acute effects of skin and eye irritation and of pulmonary congestion and respiratory difficulties in the event of ingestion or inhalation.
Excluded from this context are the other methods commonly used to precipitate proteins, which employ acids, organic solvents, nonionic polymers or even flocculating agents which are non-food-grade, and often cause denaturation of the phycobiliproteins.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,643,585 proposes using a material derived from red algae, in insoluble, more stable form; said material being obtained by means of a process using an organic solvent. This insoluble form limits the use of these pigments to powdered compounds.
Patent WO 2005/065697 describes a process for photostabilization of phycobiliproteins by adding an excipient containing ascorbic add to the aqueous extract. This process describes no step of concentrating the extract which is essential for preparations requiring a low water content.
Patent WO 2014/045177 describes a process for extracting and stabilizing phycocyanin by direct maceration of the biomass in glycerol or in a water/glycerol mixture, followed by filtration. The maceration time required is quite long, ranging up to 15 days. Likewise, the extraction yield is quite low, not exceeding 1% of the biomass used.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method for producing a stable precipitate enriched in phycobiliproteins


This invention describes a method for producing highly controllable motion in electroactive materials and electroactive actuators capable of pronounced contraction and expansion, which act as synthetic muscle, tendon, fascia, perimysium, epimysium, and skin that wrinkles, comprising ion-containing, cross-linked electroactive material(s); solvent(s); electrode(s); attachments to levers or other objects; and coating(s). Restriction of movement in undesired direction(s) produces pronounced movement in the desired direction(s). The electroactive material itself or the electroactive actuator may be used individually or grouped to produce movement when activated by electricity. This invention can provide for human-like motion, durability, toughness, speed, and strength. The electroactive materials and electroactive actuators, with highly controllable motion, can be attached to objects and devices to produce motion with no metal pulleys, gears, or motors needed.

Actuation is the conversion of one form of energy into another. Electroactive materials convert electrical energy directly into mechanical energy—motion—with no metal pulleys, gears, or motors required. Electroactive materials can be broadly separated into three types of materials: piezoelectric materials, elastomers between two electric plates, and ion-containing materials. Most piezoelectric materials undergo length changes of only a fraction of one percent. The movement from electroactive materials that use an elastomer between two electric plates is visible to the naked eye, however these materials use extremely high voltages, measured in the kilovolt range, and once that type of electroactive material is activated it remains static. With ion-containing electroactive materials, the material itself responds to electricity by movement that is visible to the naked eye, and as long as the electricity is on, these materials typically continue to move. The voltage requirements for ion-containing electroactive materials are much lower than elastomeric electroactive materials, typically less than 100 volts. Historically, ion-containing electroactive materials have had some drawbacks. Many of the ion-containing electroactive polymers are inherently weak materials and, typically being hydrogels, if they dry out then they become hard, brittle, inflexible, and thus electrically unresponsive.
Applicant has previously found that copolymers comprising cross-linked networks of methacrylic acid and 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate, (PMA-co-PHEMA), cross-linked with cross-linking agents such as ethylene glycol dimethacrylate and 1,1,1-trimethylolpropane trimethacrylate, are superior ionic electroactive materials, with tensile strengths well above the tensile strengths of other ion-containing electroactive materials found in the prior art at that time (U.S. Pat. No. 5,736,590 [1998]). A relatively small amount of electricity caused movement.
TABLE 1Strengths of some common ion-containing electroactive polymerscompared to PMA-co-PHEMA cross-linked networks.Tensile StrengthMaterial(MPa)Poly(acrylamide) gels0.03Poly(vinyl alcohol)-co-poly(acrylic acid) gels0.23Poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate)-co-0.33poly(methacrylic acid) cross-linked networks**0.28 to 0.76 MPa range for these types of materials.
In 2004 and 2005, applicant developed strong electroactive materials that had pronounced responsive movement to electricity, which led to another drawback. If the electroactive material responded quickly with a lot of movement, then the electrodes often detached. If even one electrode detached, then the actuator failed. This challenge was addressed by plasma treating the electrodes to improve the polymer-metal interface, so that the electrodes and the electroactive material would work as a unit, similar to how nerves are integrated into muscle tissue. By plasma treating the electrodes, which are inserted or embedded into the electroactive material, a much better polymer-metal interface could be achieved between the embedded electrodes and the electroactive material as described in applicant's U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/478,431 and U.S. Pat. No. 7,935,743. A good polymer-metal interface is crucial because the electroactive materials developed by applicant undergo pronounced movement. Applicant has found that by encapsulating or coating the electroactive materials, with embedded electrodes, the actuator can be free-standing, independent of submersion in an electrolytic solution as described by applicant's U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/478,431 and U.S. Pat. No. 7,935,743.
In 2008, applicant discovered that electroactive materials and electroactive actuators described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/319,804 and U.S. Pat. No. 8,088,453 that used ion-containing electroactive materials and that are produced within a defined range of cross-linking, along with other considerations, such as dilution of the monomer mix, choice of electrolyte, and the configuration of the electrodes, allowed for the preferred movements of contraction. Electroactive polymers in the prior art undergo a variety of movement. The movement of contraction is considered to be an extremely useful movement because of the similarity to movement produced by muscle tissue. U.S. Pat. No. 8,088,453 disclosed compositions of electroactive materials that undergo contraction and electrode configurations that further increase contraction in these electroactive materials and electroactive actuators. A superior method to significantly improve the polymer-metal interface was described, preferably by plasma treating the titanium metal electrodes of the actuators with nitrogen plasma, followed by oxygen plasma or treated individually with either nitrogen plasma or oxygen plasma. By encapsulating or coating the electroactive materials, with embedded electrodes, these actuators can be operational anywhere.
By blending the acetate of methacrylic acid with its suitable associated cation, such as sodium ion, with methacrylic acid and cross-linking, as described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/843,959, the final material did not need an electrolyte post-treatment step, the unnecessary anion (from electrolyte salt) is eliminated from the final material, and the final material is extremely electroactive.
In the instant invention, because of the high electroactivity of these novel materials, other cross-linking strategies, including the use of two or more different cross-linking agents, provided for tough, highly electroactive materials. This can also produce bimodal behavior in electroactive materials, which lends these materials to a variety of biomimetic applications. Since Applicant developed novel highly electroactive materials that underwent such drastic size changes, several strategies were used to keep the actuator together. In addition to plasma treatment, base treatment, etching, or otherwise treating the electrodes, a bending, spiral shaped, or preferably spring-shaped internal embedded electrode greatly improved the durability of the actuator because the metal electrode could flex as the highly electroactive material changed its dimension. For applications where high flexibility of actuation was needed, carbon fibers, carbon weaves, and carbon felts adhered well to these novel highly electroactive materials. By placing the positive electrode inside the highly electroactive material described, and having the negative electrode slightly external to the highly electroactive material, with suitable conduction through conductive solvent, such as distilled water with a slight amount of salt present or water containing metal and other ions, such as tap water, and applying electric input, contraction occurred. When the polarity of the electrodes was reversed, expansion occurred. Contraction and expansion could be cycled repeatedly. Also, at the distal ends of the actuator, where the internal electrode enters the highly electroactive material and where any attachments enter the highly electroactive material, a stronger formulation was provided at the distal ends. This tethered the electrodes and any attachments firmly into place where they entered the highly electroactive material of the highly electroactive actuator. The coating of the highly electroactive actuator could be a bilayer coating, where the inner layer is flexible and conductive, so also served as the slightly external electrode, and the outer layer served to retain moisture of the electroactive material inside, allowing these actuators to be operational anywhere.
In the instant invention, in order to produce fast, highly controllable motion in electroactive materials and electroactive actuators capable of pronounced contraction and expansion, the restriction of motion is paramount in controlling and amplifying the movement in the desired direction(s), producing novel, fast, highly controllable motion, without traditional pulleys, motors, or gears. In the instant invention, the highly controllable motion in electroactive materials and electroactive actuators capable of pronounced contraction and expansion can provide for a wide variety of actuation, such as rotational actuation(s), linked actuation(s), and haptic actuation(s), without traditional pulleys, motors, or gears. Producing movement of objects and devices using this novel method is challenging because of the large deformations that the electroactive materials undergo—pronounced contraction or expansion—when electrically activated. The instant invention describes how these challenges are met and the method to produce novel, extremely controllable, life-like motion of electroactive materials and electroactive actuators capable of pronounced contraction and expansion at low voltages with low heat and noise signatures, without traditional pulleys, motors, or gears.
The instant invention may revolutionalize robots and prostheses by providing highly controllable motion in electroactive materials and electroactive actuators capable of pronounced contraction and expansion, with smooth two and three-dimensional range of motion, good durability, good speed, high strength, and that may operate over a wide variety of environmental conditions. The degree of contraction, and expansion when the polarity is reversed, can be controlled by the restriction of motion in the undesired direction(s) and the voltage level of the electric input, so biofeedback could easily be linked in using these materials and actuators.

Highly controllable electroactive materials and electroactive actuators capable of pronounced contraction and expansion


An aqueous dispersion composition comprising a fluorine-containing melt-processable resin powder having an average particle size of 10 to 1000 .mu.m, a water-soluble solvent, a surfactant and water, and said fluorine-containing melt-processable resin powder being contained in an amount of 15 to 80 % by weight. Without generating cracks and pin holes, a thickness of coating film per one application can be increased more than 1 mm, and a total thickness can further be made thicker.

Fluorine-containing melt-processable resins such as tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroalkyl vinyl ether are excellent in chemical resistance, weatherability, heat resistance, non-stickiness and the like, and further are melt-processable. Therefore, the resins are used for enhancing functions such as corrosion resistance, non-stickiness and low abrasion by coating, for example, heat resistance substrates such as iron, aluminium and stainless steel.
Conventionally, as for such a use, there are paints of organic solvent type prepared by dissolving fluorine-containing melt-processable resins in organic solvents, and aqueous dispersion paints prepared by dispersing fluorine-containing melt-processable resins in water (JP-B-10896/1982).
The aqueous dispersion compositions are safe and easy to handle, and coatings thereof are formed by applying onto a primer layer of a substrate with brushing or air spraying, and then drying and sintering.
Since resin particles in the conventional aqueous dispersion paints are small in size, however, when increasing a thickness of one application, cracks occur on the resulting coating. Therefore, a coating obtainable by one application has a thickness of at most 50 .mu.m. In order to make the coating thicker even if the number of applications increases, cracks also occur when the thickness is large. Accordingly, a thickness of the coating prepared by recoating method cannot be beyond 1 mm.
Aqueous dispersion paints containing binders disclosed in JP-A-10896/1982 cannot be used in recoating method.
An object of the present invention is to provide aqueous dispersion compositions of fluorine-containing melt-processable resins which can increase a thickness of coating per one application and can give thicker coatings having no crack.

Aqueous dispersion compositions of fluorine-containing melt-processable resins


An acceleration sensor module capable of performing sensitivity adjustment in a minimum arrangement without containing an amplifier includes an acceleration sensor and a trimmable resistor which are mounted on a printed wiring board. At least one terminal of the acceleration sensor and at least one terminal of the trimmable resistor are connected to at least one external connection terminal of the printed circuit board through printed wiring.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an acceleration sensor module capable of performing sensitivity adjustment.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, as an acceleration sensor using piezoelectric ceramics, for example, the sensor described in Japanese Patent No. 2780594 has been known. Since such a sensor does not have an adjustment method for adjusting an individual sensor to a targeted sensitivity (voltage output in the case of applying a specified acceleration) or has difficulty in adjusting an individual sensor to a targeted sensitivity, it has a sensitivity tolerance between approximately xc2x15 and xc2x115% due to variations in manufacturing and materials.
However, a high-performance sensor having a sensitivity tolerance of less than xc2x15%, such as an acceleration sensor used in servo control of an MR-head for a Hard Disc Drive, is sometimes required. An ordinary procedure to meet the demand is to adjust the gain of an amplifier connected to the subsequent stage of the sensor. Consequently, in order to provide a sensor adjusted with high precision, a module having an amplifier therein is provided even if it is not necessary for the acceleration sensor characteristics itself, and the sensor is put into commercial production after adjustment of the gain is performed. As a result, this leads not only to increase in the size of the module, but also to an increase in cost.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an acceleration sensor module capable of performing sensitivity adjustment in a minimum arrangement without containing an amplifier.
In order to solve the above problems, an acceleration sensor module of the present invention includes a printed wiring board, and an acceleration sensor and a trimmable resistor, which are disposed on the printed wiring board, in which at least one terminal of the acceleration sensor and at least one terminal of the trimmable resistor are respectively connected via printed wiring to at least one external connection terminal on the printed wiring board to be connected to an external circuit.
The acceleration sensor and the trimmable resistor are mounted on the printed wiring board, and the terminal of the acceleration sensor and the terminal of the trimmable resistor are respectively separately connected to the external connection terminal disposed on the printed wiring board through the printed wiring. One of the terminals of the acceleration sensor and one of the terminals of the trimmable resistor may be connected to the external connection terminal by making a common connection in the circuit.
The resistance value of the trimmable resistor is adjusted by laser trimming or the like so as to adjust the sensitivity of the acceleration sensor, so that variations in the sensitivity can be held within a targeted tolerance. Since additional components such as an amplifier are not mounted on the printed wiring board on which the acceleration sensor and the trimmable resistor are mounted, miniaturization can be achieved, and moreover, significantly low-cost manufacturing is possible.
Although the trimmable resistor may be, for example, an individual component which is mounted on the printed wiring board by soldering or the like, it may also be a film-formed resistor, that is, a resistor film which is formed on or within the printed wiring board directly by a printing method or the like. In short, any type of resistor is usable as long as the adjustment of resistance values can be performed by laser trimming or the like.
As an acceleration sensor, a sensor using a semiconductor may be employed. According to an aspect of the present invention, it is preferable to use a piezoelectric acceleration sensor, wherein a piezoelectric ceramic element converts an acceleration into electrical signals and detects the acceleration. In this case, since a chip type of sensor can be formed, this contributes to miniaturization of the module.
According to another aspect of the present invention, it is preferable to connect a temperature compensation capacitor in parallel to the acceleration sensor in the vicinity of the acceleration sensor on the printed wiring board. The output voltage of the piezoelectric ceramic element is influenced by the ambient temperature in the piezoelectric acceleration sensor. However, it is possible to obtain an output voltage of the acceleration sensor which is hardly subjected to the influence of the ambient temperature by connecting a capacitor having appropriate capacitance and temperature characteristics in parallel with the acceleration sensor and in the vicinity of a place on the printed wiring board where the temperature is substantially the same as that of the acceleration sensor.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the invention which refers to the accompanying drawings.


In order to replace 1,1,2-trichloro-1,2,2-trifluoroethane and 1,1-dichloro-1-fluoroethane in compositions for treating solid surfaces (in particular defluxing), the invention proposes the use of a quasi-azeotropic mixture containing, by weight, from 75 to 95% of 1,1,1,3,3-pentafluorobutane, from 1 to 15% of methylene chloride and from 1 to 10% of methanol.

1,1,2-Trichloro-1,2,2-trifluoroethane (known in the trade by the name F113) has been used widely in industry for cleaning and degreasing a variety of solid surfaces (metal, glass, plastic and composite parts). Further to its application in electronics for cleaning soldering fluxes in order to remove the flux sticking to printed circuits, mention may be made of its applications for degreasing large metal parts and cleaning high-quality, high-precision mechanical parts such as, for example, gyroscopes and military, aerospace or medical equipment. In its various applications, F113 has most often been combined with other organic solvents (for example methanol), preferably in the form of azeotropic or quasi-azeotropic mixtures which do not demix and which, when used in reflux, have substantially the same composition in the vapour phase as in the liquid phase.
F113 has also been used in industry for drying or dewetting various solid substrates after they have been cleaned in an aqueous medium. In this application, intended to remove the water remaining on the surface of the substrates which have been cleaned, F113 was often supplemented by one or more surfactants (see for example Patents FR 2 353 625, FR 2 527 625, EP 90677 and 189 436, as well as the references cited in these patents).
Since F113 belongs to the chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) suspected of attacking or degrading stratospheric ozone, it has been proposed to replace it in these various applications by 1,1-dichloro-1-fluoroethane (known under the name F141b).
Although the ozone depletion potential (ODP) of F141b is much less than that of F113, it is nevertheless not zero, and the use of this substance has already been regulated.
In order to solve this problem, it has been proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 5 350 534 to replace F113 or F141b by an azeotropic mixture consisting, by weight, of from 30 to 69% of 1,1,1,3,3-pentafluorobutane (F365 mfc), from 30 to 60% of methylene chloride and from 1 to 10% of methanol. However, the high methylene chloride content of this mixture (30% minimum) makes it unusable for treating solid surfaces consisting entirely or partially of fragile plastics, because its use causes crazing or cracks on these materials and/or makes them tacky.
It has now been found that this drawback can be overcome, and essentially all the advantages of the azeotropic mixture mentioned above can be retained by using a mixture containing, by weight, no more than 15% of methylene chloride, the remainder consisting of from 75 to 95% purely of F365 mfc and from 1 to 10% of methanol, the minimum methylene chloride content being 1%.
This mixture allows unproblematic cleaning of sensitive materials such as acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymers (ABS), polycarbonates (PC) and polymethyl methacrylates (PMMA). Furthermore, this mixture does not exhibit a flashpoint under standard determination conditions (ASTM Standard D 3828) and therefore makes it possible to work in full safety.
A more particularly preferred mixture according to the invention contains, by weight, from 85 to 90% of F365 mfc, from 5 to 10% of methylene chloride and from 2 to 5% of methanol.
As in the known compositions based on F113 or F141b, the mixtures according to the invention may, if so desired, be stabilized against the hydrolysis and/or the radical attacks which may take place during cleaning processes. To this end, they are supplemented by a customary stabilizer such as, for example, a nitroalkane, an acetal or an epoxide, it being possible for the proportion of stabilizer to range from 0.01 to 5% relative to the total weight of the mixture.
The mixtures according to the invention can be used under the same conditions and according to the same techniques as the prior compositions based on F113 or F141b.
The mixtures according to the invention dissolve silicone products, in particular silicone greases. They can therefore be used to clean parts which have silicone derivatives on the surface or to deposit derivatives of this type on these parts, for example by soaking these parts in a solution of silicone in a mixture according to the invention.
The mixtures according to the invention are non-flammable and evaporate quickly. They can therefore be used, in full safety, in high-speed laser printers.

Quasi-azeotropic mixture based on 1,1,1,3,3-pentafluorobutane, methylene chloride and methanol for the treatment of solid surfaces


There is provided a liquid atomizing spray gun of the general type that produce single, finite bursts of gas/liquid mixture which overcomes disadvantages of prior designs in that it does not depend for pressurizing and propelling gas on the squeezing of a trigger while aiming the device throughout the spraying stroke and in which a gas compressing piston is not driven by or otherwise directly mechanically linked to a trigger. These and other objectives are achieved in part by providing a spray gun with a chamber containing a gas tight piston that is reciprocable within the chamber, but wherein the piston is not reciprocated by the trigger. Instead, the piston is independently drawn to a rearward position for drawing gas into the chamber through a one way gas intake valve by the creation of a partial vacuum within the chamber. The piston is then released and biased forward to compress the gas within the chamber. The compressed gas is stored within the chamber until it is released at high velocity through a conduit by a user's opening a second expulsion valve by means of a trigger where it then passes in the vicinity of an exit end of a conduit leading to the source of liquid to be sprayed and causes the suction of a quantity of that liquid into the path of the exiting gas in accordance with Bernoulli's Principle of inverse proportionality of fluid velocity and pressure. An atomized mixture of gas and liquid is thereby created and propelled generally in the direction of motion of the exiting gas. Applications for the device include the spraying of small localized quantities of insecticides, air freshening liquids, insect repellents, animal repellents, deicing solutions for locks in cold weather, water or any other liquid.

Devices for spraying liquids or liquid-gas mixtures for various purposes such as applying paint, insecticide, herbicide, water, fertilizer solutions and cleaning solutions exist in the prior art; indeed, several of these devices have been the subject matter of United States Patents and various configurations of such devices have been disclosed. In general terms, the fundamental objective of each such apparatus has been similar: To direct a pressurized gas through a conduit which conduit is in communication with a source of liquid to be sprayed, to draw upon the liquid, convert it to a spray or mist (i.e., atomize it) and discharge it from the liquid source onto a surface or into the air some distance from the liquid source. The differences among these spraying devices have primarily resided in the mechanisms employed to achieve the objective. Some of these prior mechanical arrangements have resulted in devices which spray in successive, finite bursts while others rely on a continuous flow of gas to discharge atomized liquid in an essentially continuous flow. Five patented devices relevant to the instant invention are briefly discussed below.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,822,553 issued to L. P. Uphoff et al. in 1928 discloses a spraying device which has a container for paint to be sprayed with a tube extending from the top of the container where it terminates in a nozzle. Movable into and out of perpendicular alignment with the paint tube is an air (gas) tube terminating in a nozzle which air tube is connected to a supply of air under pressure for expulsion through the nozzle. The device is directed toward paint spraying and is therefore dependent upon a continuous flow of gas through the air tube to deliver an even amount of paint to the surface being painted.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,127,189 to Scullari discloses one example of a single-burst spraying device wherein the squeezing action of a user's hand is directly responsible for the compression and ejection of a burst of gas under pressure through a port and over a liquid conduit which is in communication with the container storing the liquid to be sprayed. Specifically, the user's squeezing of a trigger moves a piston inside a gas cylinder to compress gas in the cylinder between the piston and a partition to force the gas through a hole in the partition and over the open end of the liquid conduit. When the user releases the trigger, the trigger is drawn back to an at-rest position by a spring and is ready to be squeezed again for the discharge of another finite burst of gas.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,264,312 discloses a spraying device which depends on a continuous flow of gas to produce a continuous spray of finely divided liquid particles.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,635,921 recites in every claim for the device described therein a "cartridge of self-pressurizing fluid propellant." Specifically, the invention relies on a prepackaged, disposable container of pressurized gas which is then mounted to the device and punctured by a piercing tool on the body of the sprayer itself allowing the gas in the cartridge to come into communication with a regulator assembly for controlled discharges of gas therefrom. This device is capable of producing both short, finite bursts or longer, more continuous discharges of gas and liquid depending on the length of time the user depresses the trigger.
Like the invention of U.S. Pat. No. 2,127,189 to Scullari, the invention disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,477,023 to Gates relies upon the user's squeezing of a trigger to pressurize and discharge gas through a port in finite bursts whereinafter a spring returns the trigger to its at-rest position and awaits subsequent activation by the user.
Of the devices described, the ones relating to continuous gas flow are less relevant to the present invention than those that discharge individual, finite bursts of gas and spray; the instant invention is generally of the latter type in that it produces single, finite bursts of gas and gas/liquid mixture. However, the mechanisms employed in the present invention for producing gas/liquid spray are substantially different from those employed in the two patented devices described above that produce finite bursts, namely, those of U.S. Pat. No. 2,127,189 to Scullari et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 4,477,023 to Gates, and yield corresponding advantages over these two devices. As previously described, the user of the Scullari and Gates devices must squeeze a trigger to translate a piston within a cylinder to pump gas through an exit port under pressure; in both instances gas is ejected for the duration of the user's squeezing action. If the user squeezes slowly, the gas discharge will be of a longer duration at a lower pressure within the gas chamber than if the user squeezes the trigger rapidly. There are two problems inherent in both prior designs. First, the user cannot reliably duplicate the rate at which he or she squeezes the trigger in order to regularly produce bursts of substantially equivalent duration, pressure and quantity. Second, in those applications where aim is important for spraying a particular region on a surface, the aim of the user is interfered with throughout the pulling of the trigger. This deviation in aim increases as a function of the force imparted to the trigger by the user. This principle is analogous to the proposition that it is generally easier to hit a target with the bullet from a handgun when the trigger is a "hair-trigger" as opposed to a trigger requiring substantial force over a substantial distance to discharge the gun.
The instant invention alleviates both difficulties discussed above and provides further advantages and objectives which are stated explicitly below or will be implicit to a user.


A method of operating a subscriber terminal to provide a flexible tapeless personalized auto-attendant telephone by means of measuring ring cadence of an incoming telephone call; and selecting one outgoing message in response to the ring cadence and playing it after a predetermined number of rings. The method also provides for the selection of group greetings and mailboxes automatically, for example, based on CLID and name match in a directory.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to telephone subscriber terminals in general, and in particular to processor controlled interactive telephones. More particularly, it relates to personalized telephones configurable to operate as automatic attendants capable of responding to predicted varieties of incoming and outgoing call circumstances. Hardware simplicity is achieved by means of multi-layered microprocessor-based control of a full digital, solid-state, telephone terminal.
2. Background Art
U.S. Pat. No. 4,266,098 granted May 5, 1981 to Novak discloses a device which monitors information contained in incoming telephone calls, and which, when attached to or combined with the circuitry of a telephone receiver, will automatically hold and display the identity of the caller while allowing the telephone bell to be rung only at certain times and/or for certain callers. The caller's identity can be determined by the called party without personally answering the telephone and without revealing to the caller whether the called party is at home or not. It can be used to automatically screen incoming calls and prevent the reception of calls which are unwanted. Accordingly, it can be used to allow unwanted calls to ring the telephone's bell and thus, for example, awaken the user at night, while preventing all unwanted calls from disturbing the called party.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,985,913 granted Jan. 15, 1991 to Shalom et al. discloses a telephone answering machine which stores a plurality of messages and establishes a correspondence between those messages and a plurality of phone numbers. The phone number of a caller is identified and one of the plurality of messages is selected for playback based on the identified phone number and the established correspondence. In a preferred embodiment, the answering machine is microprocessor-based and the correspondence of telephone numbers to messages is stored in a memory table. Messages may be stored either on magnetic media or in semiconductor memory using a signal compression/decompression module where economy dictates in order to reduce the size of the semiconductor memory. Microprocessor control allows economical realization of a full-featured machine.

Flexible, tapeless, personalized auto-attendant telephone


To obtain a hydraulic pressure control unit and a straddle-type vehicle brake system, each of which can answer a request for downsizing.

The present invention relates to a hydraulic pressure control unit in a straddle-type vehicle brake system and to a straddle-type vehicle brake system that includes the hydraulic pressure control unit.
As a conventional straddle-type vehicle brake system that has been available, the straddle-type vehicle brake system has a hydraulic circuit including: a primary channel through which brake fluid in a master cylinder is delivered to a wheel cylinder; a secondary channel which is provided with a pump and through which the brake fluid in the wheel cylinder is released to an intermediate portion of the primary channel by driving the pump; and a supply channel through which the brake fluid is supplied to a region on a suction side of the pump in the secondary channel (for example, see PTL 1).

Hydraulic pressure control unit for straddle-type vehicle brake system and straddle-type vehicle brake system

Abstract: The straddle-type vehicle brake system has a hydraulic circuit that includes: a primary channel through which brake fluid in a master cylinder is delivered to a wheel cylinder; a secondary channel through which the brake fluid in the wheel cylinder is released to a primary channel intermediate portion; and a supply channel that supplies the brake fluid to a secondary channel intermediate portion. In a state where a surface on which a motor 28 of a base body 51 in the hydraulic pressure control unit is vertically provided is seen from the front, an opening for a first valve 31 that controls a flow rate on the wheel cylinder side of the primary channel intermediate portion and an opening for a second valve 32 that controls a flow rate on an upstream side of the secondary channel intermediate portion overlap a first straight line L1, and an opening for a third valve 35 that controls a flow rate on the master cylinder side of the primary channel intermediate portion and an opening for a fourth valve 36 that controls a flow rate of the supply channel overlap a second straight line L2 that crosses the first straight line L1 at a right angle.


Novel methods for the preparation of polymers useful as precursors to ceramic materials by catalytic activation of Si--H bonds are disclosed. The methods comprise reacting, in the presence of a catalyst effective to activate Si--H bonds, Si--N bonds, or both, and/or a reactive solvent, a polymer in the form of a polysilane, polysilazane, polysiloxane or polycarbosilane with a reactant having the structural formula R--X--H, wherein X is NR' or O, R is H, organic, silyl, siloxyl, silazanyl or carbosilyl and may contain at least one additional X--H group, and R' is H, amino, silyl or silazanyl, to produce a modified polymer containing at least one Si--X bond. Polymers produced by these methods are also disclosed.

The invention relates primarily to the preparation of polymers that are useful as precursors to ceramic materials, i.e., which serve as "preceramic" polymers, by catalytic activation of Si--H bonds, or as high temperature resins. Preceramic polymers are polymers which may be converted upon pyrolysis to ceramic products. The present invention provides preceramic silane, silazane, siloxane and carbosilane polymers which are useful for preparing a wide variety of silicious ceramic materials and articles, e.g., fibers, films, shaped products and the like, comprising materials such as silica, silicon oxynitride or silicon carbide.
In general, preceramic silicon-containing polymers, or "ceramic precursors," may be prepared by catalytic activation of Si--H bonds, and/or Si--N bonds, as disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,788,309, issued Nov. 29, 1988, to Laine et al., 5,055,431, issued Oct. 8, 1991, to Blum et al., and 5,128,494, issued Jul. 7, 1992 to Blum, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated in their entirety by reference. Briefly, silicon-containing starting materials containing Si--H bonds, and/or Si--N bonds, are reacted with a compound of the general formula R--X--H, wherein X is typically O or NH, and wherein R is H, alkyl or aryl, a moiety containing an unsaturated carbon--carbon bond, an amine or an organic or hydroxy metal compound.
Previously, catalytic activation of Si--H bonds was primarily used for hydrosilylation of unsaturated compounds, as illustrated by reaction (1): ##STR1## Numerous homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysts have been used to promote such reactions. See, e.g., J. L. Speier et al. (1957) J. Am. Chem. Soc. 79: 974. Typical application of these reactions has been in organic synthesis or in the crosslinking of silicon rubbers (J. P. Collman et al. in "Principles and Applications of Organotransition Metal Chemistry", pp. 384-392. University Science Books, 1980). Such reactions have been used in crosslinking of preceramic polymers, as described in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,008,422, issued Apr. 16, 1991, to Blum et al., the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated in its entirety by reference.
Related reactions involving substitution at an Si--H bond have been used to form compounds containing Si--X groups wherein X is, for example, halogen, alkoxy, or substituted or unsubstituted amino: ##STR2## L. H. Sommer et al. (1967) J. Org. Chem. 32: 4270. Only mono- and di-substituted aminosilanes, halosilanes and alkoxysilanes have been synthesized by this method.
To date, many conventional methods of preparing ceramic precursors, and the precursors prepared thereby, suffer myriad problems including low ceramic yields and slow cure rates. High ceramic yields are of considerable value in binder applications, fabrication of injection molded parts and in matrix applications. During pyrolysis the density/volume change from preceramic polymer (1-1.3 g/cc) to amorphous ceramic (about 2.0 g/cc) can be significant. Thus, ceramic yields far below theoretical will only magnify the resulting density/volume change. For example, a 50% ceramic yield for a Si.sub.3 N.sub.4 precursor of density 1.0 will result in a final decrease in volume of approximately 80%. In general, preceramic polymers known in the art provide relatively low ceramic yields upon pyrolysis.
Synthesis of preceramic polymers generally includes a curing interval during which a preceramic composition must "set" before being amenable to pyrolysis to a ceramic material. This curing period can be slow, incorporate undesired elements such as excess oxygen and can significantly reduce the efficiency of the polymer processing method.
In addition, products of known synthetic methods are often undesirably contaminated with oxygen, are not readily machinable or otherwise workable and either cure too fast or too slowly. These disadvantages preclude the desired control of the preceramic polymer molecular weight, structural composition and viscoelastic properties which to a large extent determine the tractability of the polymer, the ceramic yield, and the capability for specific ceramic processing.
In addition to addressing the above-described disadvantages of the prior art, the present invention is directed to a new approach to polymer processing and involves preparation of preceramic polymers useful in making ceramic materials and reaction of polysilanes, polysiloxanes, polysilazanes and polycarbosilanes by catalytic activation of Si--H bonds contained therein. Preceramic polymers produced using the present method are highly "processable" and, upon pyrolysis, give the desired ceramic material in relatively high yield. The ceramic yield upon pyrolysis of ceramic precursor polymers produced as herein described is increased over that of previous polymers.
The invention also provides a unique and novel method of functionalizing silicon-containing preceramic polymers before, during or after curing. Previously, in order to obtain a preceramic polymer with specific functionalities, precursor monomers with the desired functional moieties were required as reactants in the polymerization process. The present invention represents a significant advance in the art by enabling functionalization of a basic preceramic polymer as desired, whether cured or not, rather than requiring de novo synthesis of a preceramic polymer possessing appropriate functional moieties. The invention provides an approach to preparing polymers containing functional groups such as NH.sub.2, OH, COOH or the like, that are also curable.
Advantages of the present invention include, but are not limited to, the following: the ability to modify preceramic precursors' rheological and pyrolytic properties; the ability to cure meltable preceramic polymers after fabrication without the need for conventional oxygen curing (oxygen curing produces oxides, thereby limiting ceramic fiber performance to about 1100.degree. C.); an increase in ceramic yield; and the ability to incorporate nitrogen in final ceramic products, thereby enhancing product performance.
Although the products of the method disclosed and claimed herein are referred to as preceramic polymers, the present invention can provide useful polymeric materials which are other than ceramic materials, i.e., polymeric materials which are useful without further conversion to a ceramic material.

Dehydrocoupling treatment and hydrosilylation of silicon-containing polymers, and compounds and articles produced thereby