An aircraft angle of attack and sideslip angle indicator includes a display responsive to angle of attack and sideslip angle measurements from an angle of attack sensor and a sideslip angle sensor on an aircraft. The display depicts angle of attack along a first (preferably vertical) axis, and sideslip angle along a second (preferably horizontal) axis, with the axes intersecting at a display datum which represents acceptable angle of attack and sideslip angle values from the aircraft. The display depicts the aircraft's current angle of attack and sideslip angle with respect to the display datum, thereby indicating to the pilot whether non-optimal (and perhaps dangerous) flight conditions are occurring.

Fixed-wing aircraft can experience stall, a condition where the aircraft's angle of attack exceeds a critical angle beyond which the aircraft's wings experience decreasing (or no) lift. The term "angle of attack" refers to the angle between a reference line on the aircraft's wings—typically a chord line extending between wing tip and wing tail—and the direction of the oncoming air encountered by the wing, i.e., the aircraft's trajectory. Angle of attack can also be regarded as the angle between the aircraft's pitch, i.e., the angle of its nose-to-tail longitudinal axis versus horizontal, and its trajectory. When stall occurs, the aircraft drops, and typically experiences some degree of loss of control. This can lead to crashes, particularly if the aircraft is at such low altitude that it cannot overcome stall prior to ground impact.
Spin—that is, rolling of the aircraft about its vertical and longitudinal axis—is another dangerous condition, and can be particularly troublesome because it can be difficult to regain control of a spinning aircraft regardless of its altitude. Spin can be caused by a variety of conditions. Stall spin can occur when the aircraft's rudder is applied to accomplish a turn, and the aircraft is close to stall speed (the speed at which the aircraft must travel for its wings to generate lift). The turn generated by the rudder increases the relative speed of the wing on the outside of the turn (thereby increasing its lift) and decreases the speed of the wing on the inside of the turn (thereby decreasing its lift), such that the slower inside wing stalls, causing the aircraft to descend rapidly while rolling about its vertical and longitudinal axis.
Spin can also occur when an aircraft is near stall speed and has excessive sideslip, i.e., an excessive angle between the aircraft's longitudinal axis and an axis defining the aircraft's trajectory. The sideslip can arise from any one or more of aerodynamic conditions (such as rudder and/or aileron application), thrust conditions (such as an engine on one wing having lower power than an engine on an opposite wing), or atmospheric conditions (such as turbulence acting on one wing). Here too one wing can stall before the other, causing a spin. Sideslip can be addressed by applying the aircraft's rudder, but if the aircraft drops below its minimum controllable airspeed (often referred to as Velocity Minimum Control or Vmc, the speed below which the rudder stalls and becomes ineffective for sideslip correction), sideslip can increase to the point where one wing stalls, causing a spin referred to as a "Vmc roll." A Vmc roll is particularly dangerous because it tends to occur at low speed, typically on landing approach or shortly after takeoff, where the aircraft is too close to the ground to recover.
Aircraft are often equipped with angle-of-attack (AoA) indicators—in essence, lift indicators—to help their operators avoid approaching (and especially exceeding) the critical angle of attack. These AoA indicators receive signals from AoA sensors, and provide visual, tactile, audio, and/or other feedback to a pilot to indicate when the critical angle of attack is approached or exceeded, thereby helping a pilot avoid stall. AoA sensors may take a variety of forms and may operate using different principles, with common AoA sensors including:
(1) Vane sensors, which utilize movable members whose orientation determines he measured angle of attack. As an example, an angle of attack (AoA) vane, sometimes referred to as an "alpha vane," is a rotatable plate which is typically mounted to the fuselage to protrude in a manner similar to a wing. The vane rotates to orient itself parallel to the direction of oncoming airflow, and this orientation is measured (and compared to the chord or other reference line on the wing(s)) to provide an indication of angle of attack.(2) Pressure sensors, which use air pressure measurements to determine angle of attack. As an example, differential pressure sensors use orifices oriented at different angles within a vertical plane, with the orifices typically being at the end of a tube or cone protruding forwardly from the aircraft's nose or from a wing. The angle of attack is determined from pressure differences between the orifices.Some AoA sensors can be regarded as both vane sensors and pressure sensors. As an example, a null-seeking pressure sensor uses a rotatable member having orifices similar to those in differential pressure sensors. A mechanism rotates the member until the pressure difference between the orifices reaches zero, and the orientation of the member is then used to define the angle of attack.
Some aircraft also have yaw rate sensors which provide measurements of the aircraft's rate of turning about its vertical axis, typically via use of an accelerometer or gyroscope, though they do not provide measurements of the degree of sideslip itself. It is useful for a pilot to know the degree of an aircraft's sideslip, as excessive sideslip can greatly reduce aerodynamic efficiency and the climbing capability of an aircraft, posing problems when rapid ascent is needed (e.g., at takeoff). Additionally, knowledge of an aircraft's sideslip can help avoid Vmc roll and maximize climb, cruise, and drift-down performance. Knowledge of sideslip can also help a pilot of a multi-engine aircraft identify engine issues, as failure of an engine on one side of the aircraft typically causes sideslip.

Aircraft angle of attack and sideslip angle indicator


A two-way bending machine for a reinforcement includes a hollow worktable with a top, a drive mechanism, a bending mechanism and a retaining mechanism, the drive mechanism powered by a bi-directional motor to drive the bending mechanism at a reduced rotation, the bending mechanism being extended to the top where a turntable is provided, multiple positioning holes at the center of and on the turntable for insertion of a positioning member and a retaining member to hold the reinforcement in position, the retaining mechanism including two retaining blocks, a track and an air cylinder with both retaining blocks alternatively traveling laterally to get close to the left or the right side of the turntable to serve a support in the bending.

(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to a 2-way reinforcement bending machine, and more particularly, to one that bends reinforcement or steel pipe or the equivalent in a fast and easy fashion that is substantially free of defects.
(b) Description of the Prior Art
A constructional structure is usually made of cement and reinforcements. Wherein, the reinforcement must be bent into a certain shape as required so to provide the style sought by the structure, such as a beam, pillar or wall before pouring the cement. The bending machine for this purpose that is generally available in the market is essentially comprised of a turntable, a positioning member at the center of the turntable and a plunger on the peripheral of the turntable; a drive motor is used to control the turntable to rotate in one direction only; and a reinforcement is placed between the positioning member and the plunger with the turntable as a support to be pushed against the plunger and bent into a certain shape as desired. However, the prior art allows the bending only in one direction. When a certain shape such as a "" shape is desired for the reinforcement, one end of the reinforcement must be first bent and the reinforcement must be removed to change for bending the other end. The bending job becomes awkward, particularly so when the reinforcement is 5 meter in length or longer and/or heavier that demands at the same time a larger working space because the reinforcement has to be shifted in another direction. Consequently, the prior art is consuming too much time, effort and, as a result, offers reduced production speed. Furthermore, the prior art operates solely upon the turntable, the positioning member and the plunger without retaining or locking the reinforcement in position. Therefore, the reinforcement is vulnerable to produce an arc deformation, and larger curvature to thereby increasing waste materials, thus increasing cost that otherwise can be saved.


A server device has a case, a backplane board mounted inside the case, a plurality of data storage device replacement mechanisms inserted inside the case, a plurality of first data storage devices and a plurality of second data storage devices. The data storage device replacement mechanism includes a tray, a connector assembly and a circuit board. The connector assembly is disposed inside an accommodation space of the tray and includes a first connector and a second connector. The circuit board is installed inside a second arrangement area of the tray and electrically connected to the first connector, the second connector and the backplane board. The first data storage device is arranged inside a first arrangement area of the tray and electrically connected to the first connector. The second data storage device is arranged inside the second arrangement area of the tray and electrically connected to the second connector.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a server device, in particular, to a server device and a hard disc data storage device replacement mechanism thereof.
2. Description of Related Art
A server device has a wide using range. A place where Internet is necessary for signal data transmission needs the server device as a relay station to transmit data. The server device has a plurality of data storage devices (e.g. hard disk drives) mounted therein for accessing a large number of signal data.
A traditional server device comprises a case, a mother board, a backplane board, a plurality of trays, and a plurality of hard disk drives. The backplane board is disposed inside the case and coupled to the mother board and the hard disk drives with the trays. The tray is inserted inside the case. Each hard disk drive is mounted inside each tray and electrically connected to the backplane board. And the backplane board is electrically connected to the mother board for the server device to access a large number of signal data.
The traditional server device has the following disadvantages. Each tray merely can accommodate one hard disk drive. However, if the amount of the hard disk drive needs to be increased, the tray has to be increased in the same amount. In this case, the height and width of the server device have to be increased to accommodate the increasing structures of the tray. That is, it will occupy more space in the server device and less room for other components. Furthermore, more structure of the trays will increase the total weight and the material cost of the server device.

Server device and data storage device replacement mechanism thereof


A method for determining symbols PSK modulated on an optical carrier includes interfering a first polarization component of the modulated optical carrier and a reference optical carrier in a first optical mixer and interfering the first polarization component of the modulated optical carrier and the reference with a different relative phase in a second optical mixer. The method also includes sampling the interfered carriers from the first optical mixer to produce first digital sampled values and sampling the interfered carriers from the second optical mixer to produce second digital sampled values. The first and second digital sampled values of a sampling period form a first complex sampling value thereof. The method also includes offsetting a phase of a complex signal value corresponding to each first complex sampling value to correct for a phase error caused by a frequency offset between the modulated and reference optical carriers.

1. Field of the Invention
The inventions relate to optical receivers and methods of operating optical receivers.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
In some optical communication systems, a coherent optical receiver has a local optical oscillator that is not phase locked to the received data-carrying optical carrier. In such optical receivers, the local optical oscillator still may have a frequency that is close to the center frequency of the data-carrying optical carrier. In particular, an intradyne optical receiver has a local optical oscillator whose frequency is closer to the center frequency of the data-carrying optical carrier than the bandwidth of the data-carrying optical carrier. In an intradyne optical receiver, such approximate frequency matching may be achieved, e.g., without a loop that feeds back information on the received data-carrying optical carrier. That is, the local optical oscillator of an intradyne optical receiver may be free running.

Frequency estimation in an intradyne optical receiver


A new and distinct cultivar of Kalanchoe plant name ‘Forever Maxi Neon Rose’, characterized by upright, dense and uniform plant habit; freely branching growth habit; numerous dark cherry rose-colored flowers; and excellent post-production longevity.

The present invention comprises a new and distinct cultivar of Kalanchoe blossfeldiana, and hereinafter referred to by the varietal name 'Forever Maxi Neon Rose'. The new variety is a product of a planned breeding program conducted in Lompoc, Calif. The purpose of the breeding program was to create earlier flowering cultivars with large flower size and full flower clusters over the top of the plant. The new variety was selected from a seedling population which originated from a cross-pollination of a proprietary selection of Kalanchoe blossfeldiana identified as code number 98-109-2, not patented, as the female seed parent with a proprietary selection of Kalanchoe blossfeldiana identified as code number 96-182-2, not patented, as the male pollen parent. Comparisons between the new variety and its parents cannot be made, as the parental varieties no longer exist. The cultivar 'Forever Maxi Neon Rose' was discovered and selected in a controlled environment in Lompoc, Calif. Asexual reproduction of the new variety by terminal vegetative cuttings has shown that the unique features of this new variety are stable and reproduced true to type in successive propogations.
The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of 'Forever Maxi Neon Rose'. Characteristics that distinguish 'Forever Maxi Neon Rose' as a new and distinct cultivar from others known to the breeder include:                1) Medium height;        2) Good lateral and basal branching;        3) No heat delay with night temperatures of 22° C.;        4) Flower color of 53C to 57B;        5) Large flower size of 20 mm;        6) Excellent post-production longevity; and        7) Early to flower, flowering 9 to 9.5 weeks after start of short day treatment.
Plants of the new variety can be compared to plants of the Kalanchoe cultivar 'Forever Maxi Orchid', disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 12,413. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Lompoc, Calif., plants of the new variety differed from plants of the cultivar 'Forever Maxi Orchid' in the following characteristics:                1) Flower color of the new variety was 53C to 57B, whereas the flower color of 'Forever Maxi Orchid' was 63B;        2) Flower size of the new variety was 20 mm, whereas the flower size of 'Forever Maxi Orchid' was 18 mm;        3) Time to flower in the summer from the start of short day treatment for the new variety was 9 to 9.5 weeks, whereas the time to flower for 'Forever Maxi Orchid' was 9.5 to 10 weeks;        4) Leaf color of the new variety was 147A, whereas the leaf color of 'Forever Maxi Orchid' was 147A with a reddish cast to the leaf edges of 181A; and        5) Leaf shape of the new variety is ovate with crenate margins and large shallow lobes, whereas the leaf shape of 'Forever Maxi Orchid' is oval with almost dentate margins that are shallow lobed.

Kalanchoe plant named ‘Forever Maxi Neon Rose’


An integrally molded carrier for balanced lifting and carrying of multiple containers by their necks includes a substantially planar web having multiple nodes defining multiple aligned annular support rings, the web being provided with a flexibly attached U-shaped handle attached to one side of the web. Annular neck-engaging flanges integral with the web are arranged around the inside of the support rings for releasably engaging the necks of containers.

Multiple bottle carriers for holding and carrying bottles or jugs by their necks are well known. A common type of commercially available carrier is fabricated from thin gauge sheets of plastic. The thin planar sheet is die-cut to provide holes for engaging the necks of the containers and holes for grasping the carrier, and is thermo-formed into a three-dimensional shape to provide structural integrity to the carrier. There are several problems with this carrier. First, the thermo-formed plastic sheet shrouds the container, obscuring visibility of the product and product labels. Second, the thin gauge and sharp edges of the plastic material makes the carrier uncomfortable to carry.
An integrally molded carrier for carrying multiple containers by their necks is disclosed in commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 6,129,397. The carrier disclosed therein is designed to carry six large bottles, typically one-gallon plastic jugs containing a liquid such as milk, fruit juice or water. While such products are sold in bulk in packs of six, it is advantageous from a pricing standpoint for retailers to sell 64 ounce or half-gallon bottles three to a package.
Carrying handles for three or four bottles, however, are awkward and difficult to use. An example of such a carrier is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,093,295, which discloses an in-line design bottle carrier capable of carrying three bottles by their necks by means of three uniformly spaced split collars mounted within a frame interconnected by a single row of longitudinally extending rigid bars. The carrier features two loops that function as handles, which must be pulled up substantially simultaneously and drawn together before they may be grasped by the user, making the balanced lifting of three bottles awkward. These handles also tend to stick up above the necks of the bottles, making the bottle/carrier combination difficult to ship. Finally, the '295 carrier is also difficult to apply to groups of three bottles with automated equipment.


The apoptosis of CD4 cells in a person infected with the human immunodeficiency virus may be impeded by enterally feeding to the infected person a nutritional product which contains soy protein hydrolysate having a degree of hydrolysis in the range of about 14 to 17 and a molecular weight partition, as determined by size exclusion chromatography, wherein 30%-60% of the particles have a molecular weight in the range of 1500-5000 Daltons. The nutritional product also contains a source of intact protein. The nutritional product has a ratio, by weight, of n-6 to n-3 fatty acids of about 1.3:1 to 2.5:1. The nutritional product also contains a source of dietary fiber.

A profound wasting disease in humans associated with Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia was first described in the United States in 1981. The investigation of the symptoms associated with this disease ultimately focused public health and political structures on a disease described as acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). AIDS is defined by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and by the onset of several opportunistic infections, syndromes, and/or malignancies. These include, but are not limited to, tuberculosis, Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia, Salmonella bacteremia, Kaposi's sarcoma, Mycobacterium avium intracellulare, herpes simplex, toxoplasmosis, cytomegalovirus (CMV), dementia complex, and wasting syndrome.
The cell types infected by HIV play a role in defining the efforts of the virus on patterns of infection, and ultimately the effect of the disease on the metabolic and nutritional state of a person infected with HIV. The immune system develops several types of cells to deal with infection, including B and T lymphocytes, which produce antibodies and directly attack the invading pathogen. These cells and others, including macrophages, monocytes, and other cell types involved in the immune response, communicate through protein factors which they secrete (cytokines) and/or through the types of proteins and glycoproteins they display on their surface.
Health care professionals dealing with HIV-positive and AIDS patients face a multitude of management issues, including control of opportunistic infections and malignancies. Two major factors underlying how a patient may respond to the therapies required to manage the disease are: (a) the nutritional status of the patient early in the infectious process, and (b) the ability of the patient to take in and tolerate adequate nutrition.
There is disclosed herein a liquid nutritional product for enteral feeding which is formulated, on the basis of the latest and most compelling research, to meet the specific nutrient needs of persons infected with HIV. This calorie and nutrient-dense, low fat nutritional product contains enterotrophic peptides, a fat source high in omega-3 fatty acids, and fiber. Enterotrophic peptides appear to modulate a particular receptor pathway in cells which reduces the expression of apoptotic genes and alters the phosphorylation of cell division control protein. The peptides significantly reduce the expression of the apoptotic-associated gene, amyloid beta precursor protein, and apoptotic rescue protein. (This protein is a marker for the induction of cell death). This nutritional regimen results in a reduction in the rate of intestinal cell death. These formula components promote changes in the gastrointestinal tract that result in improved nutritional and physiological status for a HIV-infected person. The vitamin and mineral profile of this nutritional product provides for repletion of the nutrients for which HIV-positive persons have been shown to be at risk of depletion or deficiency. The nutritional product also contains .beta.-carotene.
The nutritional product of the present invention is acceptable total enteral support and may be consumed, either orally or by tube feeding. Flavor variety Orange Cream and Chocolate flavors are disclosed herein, promotes compliance when the nutritional product is used as an oral supplement or as a total oral diet when a person's condition precludes intake of solid foods.

Method of impeding apoptosis of CD4 cells in persons infected with human immunodeficiency virus


A method and system for decoding control data in GSM-based systems using inherent redundancy and physical constraints are presented. At least one estimated GSM-based bit sequence may be selected by performing searches that start from trellis junctions determined by the decoding algorithm. The estimated bit sequences may be selected based on corresponding redundancy verification parameters. At least one physical constraint test may be performed on the selected estimated GSM-based bit sequences to select a decoded output GSM-based bit sequence. A multilayer decoding process may comprise a burst process and a frame process. Results from a first burst process may be utilized to generate a decoded GSM bit sequence in the frame process. The frame process may utilize redundancy information and physical constraints to improve the performance of a decoding algorithm.

The evolution from wireless based voice only communication networks to wireless based voice and data communication networks has resulted in the development of general packet radio service (GPRS) and enhanced data rates for the global system for mobile communications (GSM) standards. Although speech still remains the dominant service by many cellular service providers, existing systems are being upgraded to provide greater support for data communication via the radio interface.
The GSM standard, for example, provides data services with bit rates up to 14.4 kbps for circuit-switched data and up to 22.8 kbps for packet based (non-circuit switched) data. For GSM, higher bit rates may be achieved utilizing technological advancements such as high-speed circuit-switched data (HSCSD) technology and general packet radio service (GPRS) technology, which are based on the original gaussian minimum shift keying (GMSK) modulation scheme employed by GSM. In eight-state phase shift keying (8PSK), there are eight possible states that a signal can transition to at any time. 8PSK is a variation of PSK and has a symbol rate that is one third of the bit rate. Minimum Shift Keying (MSK) is used in the GSM cellular standard. Frequency Shift Keying (FSK) and MSK produce constant envelope carrier signals, which have no amplitude variations, a desirable characteristic for improving power efficiency of transmitters. In practice, waveforms are filtered with a gaussian filter, resulting in a narrow spectrum and no time domain overshoot. MSK with a gaussian filter is termed GMSK. GMSK is a spectrally efficient modulation scheme and is useful in mobile radio systems. GMSK has a constant envelope, spectral efficiency, good bit error rate (BER) performance, and is self-synchronizing.
Enhanced data for global evolution (EDGE) provides an enhancement to GPRS, which leverages a new modulation scheme along with various coding and radio link enhancements to provide much higher bit rates and capacity than GPRS. Due to the higher bit rates and the need to adapt the data protection to the channel and link quality, the EDGE radio link control (RLC) protocol is somewhat different from the corresponding GPRS protocol. EDGE is a 3G technology that delivers broadband-like data speeds to mobile devices. It allows consumers to connect to the Internet and to send and receive data, including digital images, web pages and photographs, three times faster than possible with an ordinary GSM and or GPRS networks. EDGE enables GSM operators to offer higher-speed mobile-data access, serve more mobile-data customers, and free up GSM network capacity to accommodate additional voice traffic.
In some conventional receivers, improvements may require extensive system modifications that may be very costly and, in some cases, may even be impractical. Determining the right approach to achieve design improvements may depend on the optimization of a receiver system to a particular modulation type and/or to the various kinds of noises that may be introduced by a transmission channel. For example, the optimization of a receiver system may be based on whether the signals being received, generally in the form of successive symbols or information bits, are interdependent. Signals received from, for example, a convolutional encoder, may be interdependent signals, that is, signals with memory. In this regard, a convolutional encoder may generate NRZI or continuous-phase modulation (CPM), which is generally based on a finite state machine operation.
One method or algorithm for signal detection in a receiver system that decodes convolutional encoded data is maximum-likelihood sequence detection or estimation (MLSE). The MLSE is an algorithm that performs soft decisions while searching for a sequence that minimizes a distance metric in a trellis that characterizes the memory or interdependence of the transmitted signal. In this regard, an operation based on the Viterbi algorithm may be utilized to reduce the number of sequences in the trellis search when new signals are received.
Another method or algorithm for signal detection of convolutional encoded data that makes symbol-by-symbol decisions is maximum a posteriori probability (MAP). The optimization of the MAP algorithm is based on minimizing the probability of a symbol error. In many instances, the MAP algorithm may be difficult to implement because of its computational complexity.
The Viterbi algorithm may be utilized to perform the maximum likelihood decoding of convolutional codes. When a signal has no memory, a symbol-by-symbol detector may be utilized to minimize the probability of a symbol error. When a transmitted signal has memory, the signals transmitted in successive symbol intervals are interdependent. An optimum detector for a signal with memory may base its decisions on observation of a sequence of received signals over successive signal intervals. A maximum likelihood sequence detection algorithm may search for the minimum Euclidean distance path through a trellis that characterizes the memory in the transmitted signal.
Improvements in the design and implementation of optimized receivers for decoding convolutional encoded data may require modifications to the application of the MLSE algorithm, the Viterbi algorithm, and/or the MAP algorithm in accordance with the modulation method utilized in signal transmission.
Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditional approaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, through comparison of such systems with some aspects of the present invention as set forth in the remainder of the present application with reference to the drawings.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method and system for decoding control data in GSM-based systems using inherent redundancy


A trailer coupler system can include one or more skid plates made from extruded aluminum, one or more support tubes attached to the skid plates, a plurality of struts having a first end attached to the one or more skid plates, a ball housing attached to a second end of at least two of the plurality of struts, a first towball positioned within the ball housing, an adapter sleeve attached to the ball housing, a support plate extending from a support tube or skid plate to the adapter sleeve, an adapter having a kingpin coupler for coupling to a kingpin of a trailer, and a towball coupler for directly coupling with the first towball.

Generally described, aspects of the present disclosure relate to a lightweight and strong trailer coupler system made of extruded aluminum that is configured to be installed in the bed of a truck and to couple to a trailer. The trailer coupler system can be configured to be strong enough to tow a trailer (e.g., a horse trailer or consumer RV) while weighing less than or equal to about 45 pounds. The trailer coupler system can include a pin adapter with a greaseless towball coupler configured to couple to the towball of the coupler system with little or no need to use grease. The disclosed trailer coupler systems can be configured to reduce stresses on the trailer, transferring at least a portion of those stresses on the truck with the trailer coupler system.
Aspects of the present disclosure also relate to an adapter hitch for a trailer. The adapter can include a greaseless towball coupler configured to receive a towball with little or no need to use grease. The adapter hitch can include a funnel configuration to facilitate seating a towball within the greaseless towball coupler. The greaseless towball coupler can also be manufactured using extruded aluminum.
Aspects of the present disclosure also relate to the use of the disclosed trailer coupler systems with the disclosed adapter hitches with a trailer such as a horse trailer. This combination of devices can effectively shorten the stem portion extending from the trailer to the towball in the truck.
The fifth wheel coupling generally provides a link between a semi-trailer and a towing truck, tractor unit, leading trailer, or dolly. Typically, the coupling consists of a coupling pin, or king pin, on the front of the towed trailer, and a horseshoe-shaped coupling device called a fifth wheel on the rear of the towing vehicle. The fifth wheel pivotally accepts or receives the king pin thereby coupling the trailer to the towing truck.
A consumer grade fifth wheel hitch is commonly employed for coupling a recreational vehicle (RV) or trailer to a consumer vehicle, such as a pickup truck. The consumer fifth wheel hitch is generally patterned after the large commercial fifth wheel hitches used for towing industrial vehicles. Consumer grade fifth wheel hitches are not required to carry heavy industrial loads, and are therefore generally designed to be much lighter and smaller than commercial fifth wheel hitches. However, these lighter-weight copies still weigh much more than a single person can conveniently lift and position. In fact, some consumer fifth wheel hitches require the efforts of 3 or 4 people to lift and position the hitch in the bed of the towing vehicle. Similarly, the efforts of multiple people are required to remove the hitch from the towing vehicle should the user wish to use the bed of the towing vehicle for hauling other materials. This inconvenience commonly results in the user leaving the hitch installed as a permanent fixture in the bed of the towing vehicle.
The process of installing a consumer grade fifth wheel hitch in the bed of a towing vehicle often requires extensive modification to the towing vehicle. These modifications are largely dependent upon the bolt-hole pattern of the hitch, as well as the structural features of the towing vehicle's frame and bed. Since the structural features of both fifth wheel hitches and towing vehicles vary greatly between manufacturers, the pairing and installation of a consumer fifth wheel hitch becomes a custom procedure. Thus, when a user purchases a new towing vehicle or a new fifth wheel hitch, the hitch must be custom installed in the towing vehicle.
Thus, while techniques currently exist that relate to equipping consumer towing vehicles with consumer grade fifth wheel hitches, challenges still exist. Accordingly, it would be an improvement in the art to augment or even replace current techniques with other techniques.
Trailers, including cargo trailers, boat trailers, recreational vehicles, animal trailers, camping trailers and mobile homes, are designed to be towed behind a motor vehicle. During transport, the front end of the trailer is supported by and connected to the vehicle by an apparatus. A truck having a bed, with a connecting apparatus in the bed of the truck, is commonly used to tow trailers. A fifth-wheel trailer connects to a towing vehicle by a fifth-wheel hitch that is mounted on a frame within the vehicle bed such that the actual connecting apparatus is located above the plane of the truck bed. A gooseneck trailer connects directly to the towing vehicle via a ball hitch in the bed of the truck.
Fifth-wheel trailers commonly extend over at least a portion of the bed of the truck and attach to a hitch near the middle of the truck bed. A person who owns both a gooseneck trailer and a fifth-wheel trailer generally needs to own two different trailer hitches and a different trailer hitch must be installed, and/or removed, each time a different trailer is needed. It can also be difficult to mate the trailer to the coupling apparatus, further complicating the installation process.
Thus, it would be advantageous to provide a hitch adapter which allows the user to couple a standard fifth-wheel trailer to a standard ball hitch. Further, it would be advantageous to provide a hitch that is easy to install and remove and that permits vertical adjustment of the trailer.


A system and method are provided for a multi-network wireless communications access terminal (AT) to access multi-network coverage. The method registers a multi-network AT in a first communications network. In response to registering with the first network, the AT receives information via the first network that is required for accessing a second communications network (e.g., an IEEE 802.20 or 1xEV-DO network). The AT obtains services accessed via the second network, in response to the access information received via the first network. For example, the second network access information may be system information, channel information, or access point parameters. The AT retains the option of obtaining services accessed via the first network if the second network cannot be accessing the second network.

Traffic on the Internet is growing exponentially due to an increasing number of subscribers and the introduction of new applications. Wide area wireless networks are also experiencing rapid subscriber growth. Currently, there are many efforts underway to provide data services on wireless access networks, such as IEEE 802.11 networks. However, the provision of these high bandwidth data services is not necessarily conducive to efficient battery consumption, especially if a wireless access terminal (AT) spends long periods of time in the idle state.
Other networks, such as Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) wireless phone networks, with low bandwidth data rates, are optimized for paging services, supporting long idle and rapid page response times. ATs operating in these paging-optimized networks consume a minimum of battery power.
As the high data rate networks expand, more network coverage overlap is occurring with the above-mentioned paging-optimized networks. Concurrently, multi-mode ATs are entering the market that are able to communicate in both types of networks. While a multi-mode AT has the convenience of being able to communicate in either type of network, the battery consumption problem still exists if the AT is used to "camp" on the high data rate network.
It would be advantageous if an multi-network AT could seamlessly make use of the advantages offered by both paging-optimized and high data rate networks by camping on the paging-optimized network, and accessing the high data rate network only when data communications are required.
It would be advantageous if overlapping networks could cooperate, with the paging-optimized network providing high data rate network access information for any monitoring multi-network AT.

System and method for multi-network coverage


Provided is an apparatus for real-time non-contact non-destructive thickness measurement using a terahertz wave, and more particularly, an apparatus for real-time non-contact non-destructive thickness measurement using a terahertz wave, which is capable of measuring a thickness of a sample by irradiating a terahertz continuous wave, which is generated from a wavelength-fixed laser and a wavelength-swept laser and of which the frequency is changed at a high speed, to the sample and measuring the terahertz wave transmitting or reflected from the sample.

A terahertz wave band (0.1 THz to 10 THz) transmits a non-metallic material and a non-conductive material and has an electromagnetic wave of very low energy as much as several meV and therefore little affects a human body.
An example of the typical non-contact method for measuring a thickness of non-metallic material may include an optical method, which may not measure a thickness of material through which light is not transmitted. On the other hand, the terahertz wave may transmit the non-metallic material, and therefore a method for measuring a thickness of a non-metallic material through which light is not transmitted may use a terahertz wave.
Further, a resonance frequency of very various molecules is distributed in the terahertz wave band. In this case, these molecules are identified in real-time by a non-destructive, non-opened, non-contact method. As a result, it is expected that a new-conceptual analysis technology which does not exist now in medical treatment, medical science, agricultural food, environmental measurement, bio, advanced material evaluation, etc., may be implemented.
Therefore, researches to develop and use wave sources operated in a frequency band of 0.1 to 10 THz which is called a THz gap region have been conducted.
As the related art document disclosing a method for generating a terahertz continuous wave of which the frequency is changed at a high speed using a wavelength-fixed laser and a wavelength-swept laser, there is Korean Patent No. 10-1453472.
However, the method suggests only a technology of merely generating a terahertz wave but does not suggest a technology of measuring a thickness of a sample using the generated terahertz wave.

Apparatus for real-time non-contact non-destructive thickness measurement using terahertz wave

Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science


The cold rolled steel sheet or galvanized steel sheet comprises by weight C: 0.0001 to 0.0026%, Si: not more than 1.2%, Mn: 0.03 to 3.0%, P: 0.015 to 0.15%, S: 0.0010 to 0.020%, Al: 0.005 to 0.1%, N: 0.0005 to 0.0080% and B: 0.0003 to 0.0030% with the balance consisting of Fe and unavoidable impurities. A process for producing the above steel sheet is also provided which comprises the steps of: performing hot roll finishing of a slab having the above chemical composition at the Ar.sub.3 transformation point or above; preferably, then cooling the hot rolled strip, within 1.5 sec after the completion of the hot rolling, to 750.degree. C. at a rate of not less than 50.degree. C./sec; coiling the strip in the temperature range of from room temperature to 750.degree. C.; cold rolling the coiled strip a reduction ratio of not less than 70%; subjecting the cold rolled strip to continuous annealing at 600.degree. to 900.degree. C. or to continuous galvanizing by the sendzimer method; and performing temper rolling with a reduction ratio of not less than 1.5.times.(1-400.times.C) % and not less than 2080.times.(C - 0.0015) wherein C represents the carbon content in % by weight.

Technical advance of vacuum degassing process for a molten steel in recent years has facilitated the production of ultra low carbon steels, leading to an ever-increasing demand for ultra low carbon steel sheets having good workability.
It is well known that such ultra low carbon steel sheets generally contain at least one element selected from the group consisting of Ti and Nb. Ti and Nb exhibit a strong, attractive interaction with interstitial solid solution elements (C, N) in the steel to easily form carbonitrides, enabling a steel free from interstitial solid solution elements (IF steel: interstitial free steel) to be easily produced. IF steels are free from interstitial solid solution elements causative of strain aging and deteriorated workability and, hence, feature a non-aging property and very good workability. Further, the addition of Ti and Nb plays an important role, that is, it refines the diameter of grains, of a hot rolled steel sheet of an ultra low carbon steel, which are likely to be coarsened, and improves the deep drawability of a cold rolled, annealed steel sheet. However, ultra low carbon steels with Ti and Nb added thereto have the following problems. First of all, the production cost is high because the cost associated with the addition of expensive elements such as Ti and Nb is added to the cost of vacuum treatment for achieving ultra low carbon. Secondly, the absence of C and N in solid solution in product sheets results in drawing-induced embrittlement or disappearance of paint bake hardening property (BH property). Thirdly, the base metal and the spot weld zone have poor fatigue properties. The reason for this is that the strength of the material is low due to the nature of the ultra low carbon steel and, in addition, the microstructure of heat-affected zone in the spot welded area is coarsened to form a brittle area. Fourthly, Ti and Nb are strong oxide formers, and the formed oxides deteriorate the surface quality.
A large amount of research and development have been done with a view to solving the above problems of IF steels. One conceivable means for solving the above problems is to use as a base material an ultra low carbon steel with Ti and Nb not added thereto. this is because the use of a steel not containing Ti and Nb, as the base material naturally leads to the solution of the above first, second, and fourth problems. The adoption of such means is found, for example, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publications (Kokai) No. 63-83230, No. 63-72830, No. 59-80724, No. 60-103129, No. 1-184251, No. 58-141355, and No. 6-93376. In all of the above publications, attention is drawn to the properties influencing the press moldability of an ultra low carbon steel sheet not containing Ti and Nb, such as r value and elongation, and the BH property and the fabrication embrittlement resistance.
Regarding the fatigue properties as the third problem, however, only a few studies have been made. Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 63-317625 discloses a process for producing an ultra low carbon, cold rolled steel sheet excellent in fatigue properties of spot weld zone wherein Ti, Nb, and B are added in combination and the temper rolling is optimized. However, no mention is made of any method of improving fatigue properties in ultra low carbon steels free from Ti and Nb. Japanese Unexamined Patent Publications (Kokai) No. 6-81043, No. 6-81044, and No. 6-81080 disclose an ultra low carbon steel sheet, having excellent fatigue properties and deep drawability, containing at least one member selected from the group consisting of Ti and Nb, and a process for producing the same.
These unexamined publications disclose the method of increasing the yield strength and improving the fatigue properties of the base metal. However, no study, has been made on the fatigue properties of a joint in its spot weld zone. Further, for the above unexamined publications, only ultra low carbon steels with Ti and Nb added thereto are contemplated, and no study is made on ultra low carbon steels contemplated in the present invention, that is, those substantially free from Ti and Nb.
In general, for ultra low carbon steel sheets free from Ti and Nb, the fatigue properties of base metal are poor due to low yield strength, and heat applied at the time of spot welding is likely to cause abnormal grain growth, leading to a possibility that the fatigue properties of the joint in its spot weld zone become unsatisfactory. As described above, no technique for preventing these unfavorable phenomena has been proposed.

Ultra low carbon, cold rolled steel sheet and galvanized steel sheet having improved fatigue properties and processes for producing the same


This invention relates to an isolated nucleic acid fragment encoding an aspartate kinase. The invention also relates to the construction of a chimeric gene encoding all or a portion of the aspartate kinase, in sense or antisense orientation, wherein expression of the chimeric gene results in production of altered levels of the aspartate kinase in a transformed host cell.

Many vertebrates, including man, lack the ability to manufacture a number of amino acids and therefore require these amino acids preformed in the diet. These are called essential amino acids. Human food and animal feed, derived from many grains, are deficient in essential amino acids, such as lysine, the sulfur amino acids methionine and cysteine, threonine and tryptophan. For example, in corn (Zea mays L.) lysine is the most limiting amino acid for the dietary requirements of many animals. Soybean (Glycine max L.) meal is used as an additive to corn-based animal feeds primarily as a lysine supplement. Thus, an increase in the lysine content of either corn or soybean would reduce or eliminate the need to supplement mixed grain feeds with lysine produced via fermentation of microbes. Furthermore, in corn the sulfur amino acids are the third most limiting amino acids, after lysine and tryptophan, for the dietary requirements of many animals. The use of soybean meal, which is rich in lysine and tryptophan, to supplement corn in animal feed is limited by the low sulfur amino acid content of the legume. Thus, an increase in the sulfur amino acid content of either corn or soybean would improve the nutritional quality of the mixtures and reduce the need for further supplementation through addition of more expensive methionine.
Efforts to improve the sulfur amino acid content of crops through plant breeding have met with limited success on the laboratory scale and no success on the commercial scale. A mutant corn line which had an elevated whole-kernel methionine concentration was isolated from corn cells grown in culture by selecting for growth in the presence of inhibitory concentrations of lysine plus threonine [Phillips et al., Cereal Chem., (1985), 62, 213-218]. However, agronomically-acceptable cultivars have not yet been derived from this line and commercialized. Soybean cell lines with increased intracellular concentrations of methionine were isolated by selection for growth in the presence of ethionine [Madison and Thompson, Plant Cell Reports, (1988), 7, 472-476], but plants were not regenerated from these lines.
Lysine, threonine, methionine, cysteine and isoleucine are amino acids derived from aspartate. One approach to increasing the nutritional quality of human foods and animal feed is to increase the production and accumulation of specific free amino acids via genetic engineering of the biosynthetic pathway that leads from aspartate to lysine, threonine, methionine, cysteine and isoleucine. However, few of the genes encoding enzymes that regulate this pathway in plants, especially corn, soybeans and wheat, are available. Alteration of the activity of enzymes in this pathway could lead to altered levels of lysine, threonine, methionine, cysteine and isoleucine. For instance, recombinant DNA and gene transfer technologies have been applied to alter enzyme activity at key steps in the amino acid biosynthetic pathway. The introduction into plants of a feedback-regulation-insensitive dihydrodipicolinic acid synthase ("DHDPS") gene, which encodes an enzyme that catalyzes the first reaction unique to the lysine biosynthetic pathway, has resulted in an increase in the levels of free lysine in the leaves and seeds of those plants (Falco, U.S. Pat. No. 5,773,691; Glassman, U.S. Pat. No. 5,258,300). Also, expression in plants of a bacterial lysC gene with aspartate kinase activity has resulted in an increase in threonine content of the seed (Karchi, et al. The Plant J. 3:721-727 (1993); Galili, et al., European Patent Application No. 0485970). However, expression of the lysC gene results in only a 6-7% increase in the level of total threonine or methionine in the seed; thus, feed containing lysC transgenic seeds still requires amino acid supplementation.
The organization of the pathway leading to biosynthesis of lysine, threonine, methionine, cysteine and isoleucine indicates that over-expression or reduction of expression of several genes encoding key regulatory enzymes of the pathway in corn, soybean, wheat and other crop plants could be used to alter levels of these amino acids in human food and animal feed. For example, methionine, along with threonine, lysine and isoleucine, are amino acids derived from aspartate. The first step in the pathway is the phosphorylation of aspartate by the enzyme aspartate kinase (Tang et al. (1997) Plant Mol Biol 34:287-293; Frankard et al. (1997) Plant Mol Biol 34:233-242), and this enzyme has been found to be an important target for regulation of the pathway in many organisms. The aspartate family pathway is also believed to be regulated at the branch-point reactions. For methionine the reduction of aspartyl β-semialdehyde by homoserine dehydrogenase (HDH) may be an important point of control. Some aspartate kinases only carry aspartate kinase activity, in which case they are referred to as monofunctional, whereas there are bifunctional proteins found in bacteria and plants that carry both aspartate kinase and homoserine dehydrogenase enzymatic activities in two separate domains on one polypeptide. The first committed step to methionine, the production of cystathionine from O-phosphohomoserine and cysteine by cystathionine γ-synthase (CS), appears to be an important point of control of flux through the methionine pathway [Giovanelli et al., Plant Physiol., (1984), 77, 450-455]. The final step in methionine biosynthesis is catalyzed by the enzyme 5-methyltetrahydropteroyltriglutamate-homocysteine methyltransferase, also known as methionine synthase. Accordingly, availability of nucleic acid sequences encoding all or a portion of aspartate kinase would facilitate development of nutritionally improved crop plants.


A planting tray for direct deployment of trays and plants is described. The tray is ideally formed of a sturdy, biodegradable material. The tray has a flat member with a specific matrix of openings formed therein. A plurality of baskets, in a specific deployment, are affixed to the flat member. The baskets have a plurality of perforations, so that the roots of plants, deployed in soil within the basket, can grow out therethrough. Thus, the tray with plants can be embedded within the ground without the need for transplanting. The deployment of the baskets affixed to the flat member is such that two trays of the present invention may be intermeshed for spaciously efficient deployment.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns a planting tray. More particularly, the present invention concerns a planting tray wherein the plants and the tray may be planted in the ground without removing the plant from the tray.
2. Prior Art
Horticulturists practice the techniques of germinating seeds, starting unrooted cuttings, and transplanting propagating young plants in controlled environments, such as greenhouses, nurseries, and homes, or outdoors. By giving a young plant sufficient light, moisture and nutrients at the critical early developmental stage, the plant can develop a proper root system and become sturdy. The plant is then transferred to, usually, an outdoor environment, such as a garden.
There are, however, problems associated with these techniques. The transplanting of the young plant may induce a trauma in the plant, particularly to the root system. This trauma can interrupt the flow of nutrients to the plant. This will stunt the growth of the seedling or, in the extreme case, kill the plant. Other problems encountered include the loss of dirt, which can damage the root system, and possible physical injury to the plant. Thus, there is a need for a device to allow young plants to develop, while eliminating the damage incurred when transplanting.
One approach to satisfying this need is found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,918,863, issued Apr. 24, 1992 to Youssef. Youssef teaches a method for planting and germinating seeds, the seeds being planted in a germinating soil mix. The seeds and soil mix are held within the enclosures of an expandable honeycomb structure. The honeycomb is laid over a soil or similar medium. The seeds germinate in a defined, weed-free environment, with the root system growing downwardly into the soil.
Youssef, however, requires deployment of the honeycomb structure over the intended soil medium, so that the roots may grow thereinto. Thus, Youssef is not generally usable indoors or in most controlled environments. Further, the honeycomb structure loses dirt through its bottom, if it is moved after the dirt and seeds have been deployed therein. While Youssef does discuss the use of a plywood board as a base during indoor germination, the same difficulties of disrupting the soil, and thereby the root system of the seedlings and possible physical damage to the seedling, are encountered. Finally, Youssef forces development of the root system in a vertical direction, excluding horizontal growth. For many plants, this is decidedly a harmful and unfavorable situation.
What is needed is a device that will allow the young plants to develop in an enclosed environment and further allow that direct planting of the plant to a permanent soil medium without necessitating transplanting from the device. It is to this need that the present invention is directed.


High-pressure steam supply in hydrogen production process is made more efficient by water gas shift process which comprises, in alternating sequence: (a) a reaction stage wherein a feed gas comprising CO and H2O is fed into a water gas shift reactor containing a sorbent material capable of adsorbing H2O and CO2 and wherein a product gas issuing from the reactor is collected, (b) a regeneration stage wherein CO2 is removed from the reactor, (c) a loading stage, wherein H2O is fed into the reactor; wherein said feed gas mixture has a molar ratio of H2O to CO below 1.2, and the loading stage is performed at a lower pressure than the pressure of the reaction stage.

The water gas shift (WGS) reaction, which can be represented by the equation CO+H2O→CO2+H2, is a powerful tool for efficiently producing hydrogen-containing product gases from carbonaceous sources. Typically a feed containing carbon monoxide obtained for instance from gasification (partial combustion) of coal or biomass, and water (steam) is fed into a WGS reactor to obtain a mixture of hydrogen and other components, including carbon dioxide. Alternatively, methane can be used as a source of CO-containing gas for a WGS process, either by catalytic partial oxidation (CPO) according to the equation: CH4+½O2→CO+2H2 or by steam reforming according to the equation: CH4+H2O→CO+3H2, or by mixed modes thereof.
For a maximum conversion to hydrogen, an excess of water is required, and therefore conventional WGS processes use a H2O:CO molar feed ratio of well over 1, typically around 2 or higher. Removal of CO2 during or after the WGS reaction then results in a high purity hydrogen product. Conventionally, pure H2 is obtained by removal, not only of CO2, but also CO, CH4 and N2 via e.g. PSA. In the conventional process, CO is also present due to the thermodynamically limited CO conversion.
WO 2010/059052 and Van Dijk et al., Intern. J. Greenhouse Gas Control, 5 (2011), 505-511), describe a sorption-enhanced water gas shift (SEWGS) process to produce hydrogen and carbon dioxide as well as hydrogen sulphide, wherein the carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulphide are adsorbed onto an alkali promoted hydrotalcite adsorbent. The carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulphide are subsequently simultaneously removed from the adsorbent.
WGS processes are typically carried out at high pressures and at relatively high temperatures (200-600° C.). The supply of high-pressure steam is relatively expensive and detracts from the total process efficiency. This is particularly relevant for CPO (catalytic partial oxidation) and gasification feeds, since these feeds do not contain sufficient steam. Therefore there is a case for lowering the level of steam in a WGS feed, while retaining high conversion levels of CO to H2.
WO 2011/000792 (Shell) discloses a process for producing hydrogen-rich gas mixtures involving a WGS reaction wherein a low H2O/CO molar ratio of 0.2-0.9 is used in the feed mixture. As a result of this low molar ratio, the gas issuing from the WGS reactor still has a high CO content and a low H2/CO molar ratio of less than 1. This problem is overcome according to WO 2001/000792 by using multiple WGS reactors in series, wherein steam is added before each subsequent reactor. The WGS reaction proceeds at relatively low feed temperatures (190-230° C.) and requires high levels of hydrogen sulphide in the order of 2000 ppm in order to keep the WGS catalyst (Mo/Co-based) active. The H2S and the CO2 have to be removed downstream e.g. by washing with a polyethylene glycol ether. This is one of the downsides of the process of WO 2010/000792, together with the fact that, in accumulation, still about a stoichiometric amount of high pressure steam with respect to the amount of CO has to be supplied.
WO 2010/000387 (Haldor Topsøe) also deals with the problem of the high-pressure steam requirement, while avoiding methanation reactions, in high feed temperature (about 390° C.) WGS reactions. The solution proposed by WO 2010/000387 is to use an alkali-promoted zinc/alumina catalyst for the WGS reaction, as further detailed in co-pending EP 2141118. Although the catalyst stability appeared to be satisfactory, and the methanation appeared to be suppressed, no solution is provided for reaching satisfactory CO conversion levels while operating with reduced steam feeds.
Wright et al. (Energy Procedia, 4 (2011) 1147) describe the role of steam in the purging and rinsing of a SEWGS process using a steam/CO molar ratio of 1.6.
Jang et al. (Chem. Engineering Sc. 73 (2012) 431) describe a SEWGS process using a steam/CO molar ratio of 5. Using a theoretical model, they conclude that the optimum hydrogen production is achieved for the hydrogen production in a SEWGS process since the WGS reaction, and thus CO2 separation, are suppressed.

Stichting Energieonderzoek Centrum Nederland


Methods and systems are provided for boosted engines. In one example, a method for a boosted engine method may include storing compressed air in a reservoir for supply to the engine during increased engine load operating conditions and replenishing the air in response to pressure dropping below a nominal threshold; and increasing the pressure beyond the nominal threshold in response to increased temperature of the stored air in the reservoir even when operating conditions include decreased engine load, and purging the increased temperature stored air to bring pressure back down toward the nominal threshold. In one example, increasing pressure to the reservoir may include supplying compressed air from an air suspension system. In one example, increasing pressure to the reservoir may include supplying compressed air from an air compressor separate from an engine turbocharger compressor. In one example, the method may include, in response to a vehicle operator tip-in during the increasing of the pressure beyond the nominal threshold, simultaneously supplying stored compressed air to the engine while replenishing the air.

By incorporating a turbocharger, comprising a compressor driven by a turbine, into an engine of a vehicle, the efficiency and power output of the engine may be improved. The forced induction of extra air into a combustion chamber of the engine proportionally induces the combustion of additional fuel, producing more power than obtained from air intake at ambient pressure. The pressurized, or boosted, air is typically heated during compression and if combusted directly, may increase the risk of engine knock. Thus, boosted air is typically cooled by flowing the air through a charge air cooler (CAC) before entering the engine intake manifold, a process that also increases the density of the air and improves intake throttle response.
The air compression provided by the compressor of the turbocharger is enabled by the rotation of the turbine. Typically, at least a portion of the exhaust gas is routed to the turbine and the expansion of the exhaust gas causes the turbine to spin. Since the turbine is mechanically coupled to the compressor, as the turbine spins up, so does the compressor. However, there may be a delay between the time when an increase in torque is demanded and when the corresponding boost pressure is provided by the compressor. The delay, also referred to as turbo lag, is due to the turbine's inertia and friction when operating at low engine loads, and corresponds to a duration required for the engine to generate sufficient exhaust gas (e.g., exhaust flow and temperature) to spool up the turbine to drive the compressor. During this turbo lag, boosted engine performance may be degraded.
Various approaches have been developed to address the issue of turbo lag, including providing a boost reservoir. In an example of a boost reservoir, a turbo boost system may supply cool compressed air to an engine at high engine loads. At low engine loads, the boosted air may be stored in a reservoir while ambient air is alternatively supplied to the engine. Upon a vehicle operator tip-in, the reservoir may provide boosted air to the engine until the turbine spools to drive the compressor.
However, the inventors herein have recognized potential issues with such systems. In general, there may be conditions where the density of the compressed air held in the boost reservoir may decrease, reducing the engine's throttle response when the reservoir air is supplied to the engine. In particular, there may be conditions where a boost reservoir is purged of warmed boosted air and subsequently refilled. During the purge of warmed boosted air, the density of the compressed air held in the reservoir may decrease. In the event a tip-in occurs interrupting the purge of warmed air from the boost reservoir, the low-density air supplied from the boost reservoir may reduce the engine's response and engine may be unable to meet to the torque request.
In one example, the issues described above may be addressed by a boosted engine method for reducing turbo lag comprising: storing compressed air in a reservoir for supply to the engine during increased engine load operating conditions and replenishing the air in response to pressure dropping below a nominal threshold; and increasing the pressure beyond the nominal threshold in response to increased temperature of the stored air in the reservoir even when operating conditions include decreased engine load, and purging the increased temperature stored air to bring pressure back down toward the nominal threshold. In this way, the density of compressed air held in a boost reservoir may be maintained so that boost is readily available during an increase in torque demand.
As one example, a PAI system may be configured to store in a boost reservoir air compressed by an engine turbocharger. An external source of compressed air may be adapted to the PAI system. The external source of compressed air may increase the pressure of the boost reservoir by supplying additional compressed air to the PAI system. In one example, the external source of compressed air may include an air suspension system. Alternatively, compressed air may be supplied via an air compressor separate from the engine turbocharger compressor. While compressed air is stored, e.g., at low engine load or torque request below a threshold, the external source of compressed air may replenish and maintain the pressure of the boost reservoir by supplying additional compressed air. Immediately before a purge of the boost reservoir, the external source of compressed air may supply additional compressed air to increase the air pressure of the reservoir above the nominal threshold. Spark timing may be retarded in response to boosted air supplied to the engine in excess of torque demand. In response to a vehicle operator tip-in during the increasing of the pressure beyond the nominal threshold, stored compressed air may be supplied to the engine while replenishing the air.
In this way, by adapting a pressurized air induction system with an external source of compressed air, the boost pressure in a boost reservoir may be maintained. As such, this may improve turbo lag. The technical effect of using an external compressed air source to increase the air pressure in a pressurized air induction system is that the boost performance of the engine can be remain elevated and responsive to operator demand. Specifically, air in the reservoir may be maintained at a pressure threshold capable of improving throttle response when discharged. By maintaining the pressure of the reservoir with compressed air from an external compressed air source, the reservoir may rapidly provide boost pressure to engine cylinders during a tip-in. In this way, boosted engine performance is improved.
It should be understood that the summary above is provided to introduce in simplified form a selection of concepts that are further described in the detailed description. It is not meant to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, the scope of which is defined uniquely by the claims that follow the detailed description. Furthermore, the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any disadvantages noted above or in any part of this disclosure.


A storage container comprises a cleat configured to be connected to a structure. A lid is pivotably connected to the cleat. A bag support is releasably connected to the cleat separate from the lid. A bag is supported by the bag support.

The invention relates to storage containers and more particularly to temporary storage of recyclable materials and the like. Recycling programs are relatively common in most communities. Many recycling programs require the user to store recyclable articles and to periodically bring the recyclables to a pick-up destination that may be a public recycling center or curbside. The temporary storage of recyclables is a problem in the home environment.


A projector includes a support structure, which supports a light source and an image medium. The image medium is arranged such that light from the light source passes through one or more images carried by the image medium, thereby projecting intermediate images. An image dispersion element, having a plurality of reflective surfaces, is mounted in fixed position in the path of the intermediate images, to simultaneously redirect the intermediate images in a plurality of different directions from the projector to create a plurality of final images. An image medium driver drives the image medium relative to the light source. As an image carried on the image medium moves in the path of light emitted by the light source, the intermediate images move relative to the image dispersion element, and, consequently the final images move across the surface onto which they are projected.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to projectors for projecting images onto a surface. More specifically, the present invention relates to projectors having an image dispersion element that simultaneously redirects an intermediate projected image in a plurality of different directions from the projector to produce a plurality of final images.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Projectors for displaying images onto a surface are known. Such projectors are often used to display decorative images in either stationary positions or in motion. Projectors are also known that project multiples of the same or different images onto a surface. However, such conventional projectors can be relatively expensive to manufacture, due in part to the number and complexity of their moving parts.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,695,452 to Panasewicz et al. discloses an open frame assembly that at one end mounts a projector and at an opposite end spaced from the projector mounts a rotating mirrored ball. When the mirrored ball is rotated, it simultaneously redirects images projected from the projector in many different directions. The projector may incorporate an image disk or wheel that carries translucent images about its periphery and that may also independently be driven for rotation to continuously change the image being projected to the mirrored ball. This arrangement is relatively complex and requires structure to mount and drive the mirrored ball in addition to structure to mount and drive the image wheel, thereby increasing the cost of the overall device. Moreover, the large number of moving parts and large open space between the projector and ball make such an arrangement more subject to malfunction and obstruction by an external source, particularly if the device is used out of doors. For example, a branch, ice, snow, an animal, or the like may become lodged between the mirrored ball and the projector, preventing the mirror ball from rotating, damaging the moving parts, or obstructing the projector.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,145,228 to LaChance discloses a projector, similar to that shown and described in the Panasewicz Patent, that includes a rotating mirrored ball operated in conjunction with a projector that projects a single image such as that of a single snowflake. The rotating ball then projects multiples of the single image.
The mirrored ball and structure for mounting and rotating it, and the projector and structure for mounting it are independent and in use are spaced from each other. Therefore, this arrangement may also be subject to malfunction and obstruction by external objects.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,481,853 to Meng-Suen, which is assigned to the assignee of the present invention, disclosed a projector that incorporates a film assembly for mounting a plurality of films carrying images, at least one of which is mounted for movement to project multiple relatively moving images.
While the projector disclosed in the Meng-Suen Patent has many advantageous features, there remains a need in the art for a projector that is inexpensive, and that eliminates these and other problems associated with conventional projectors of the type disclosed in the Panasewicz and La Chance Patents.


A method and apparatus is provided to calibrate a LiDAR using a reflect array calibration target having a spatially varying spectral reflectance profile. A frequency modulated continuous wave LiDAR emits a beam that spans a range of wavelengths, and, therefore, spatially varying spectral features in the reflectance profile can be used as indicia of where the LiDAR beam hits the calibration target. For example, the center has one absorption wavelength and the periphery has another, such that alignment is achieved by changing the alignment direction to maximize the spectral feature at the one absorption wavelength while minimizing the spectral feature at the other absorption wavelength. Alternatively, at least one spectral feature can have a center wavelength that changes as a function of space. Thus, the LiDAR is aligned by changing the beam direction to shift the center wavelength to a value corresponding to the target center.

Like in radar, a LiDAR system can scan and monitor a surrounding environment to perform detection and ranging, except LiDAR uses shorter wavelength electromagnetic radiation than radar. LiDAR is an important technology for collision avoidance and for self-driving cars. To provide reliable information, the LiDAR should be aligned or calibrated to the axis of the car. For amplitude modulated continuous wave (AMCW) LiDAR, this alignment calibration can be performed using a target that includes one or more retroreflectors and a charge-coupled device (CCD) sensor. For example, using a high-precision retroreflector together with a CCD camera, a laser beam reflects off of the retroreflector directly back at the laser source. While the retroreflector may return laser beam back to the CCD camera, the illumination intensity on the conical/crosshairs of the image will not be even unless the system is perfectly aligned. Using beam steering technology, the feedback of the retroreflected spot relative to the crosshairs enables the system to be calibrated.
Although the above procedure and calibration target can be used for frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) LiDAR, differences between AMCW LiDAR and FMCW LiDAR allow for an improved calibration target and process for the alignment/calibration of the beam direction in FMCW LiDAR systems.

Method and reflect array for alignment calibration of frequency modulated LiDAR systems

TOYOTA MOTOR ENGINEERING & MANUFACTURING NORTH AMERICA, INC.


A thermally sensitive element is manufactured as follows: a carbonized sheet material is prepared by carbonizing an aramid film at a low temperature; a conductive layer made of carbon ink is formed on the surface of the carbonized sheet material; and a pair of extraction electrodes made of a thin metallic film are provided on the reverse surface of the carbonized sheet material. For applying the thermally sensitive element to a radiation sensor, the conductive layer is arranged to receive radiant rays from the outside, and terminals are connected to the extraction electrodes.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a thermally sensitive element whose resistance alters due to changes in the ambient temperature or infrared radiation, and a radiation sensor employing such a thermally sensitive element.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, temperature sensors employing a thermally sensitive element have been known in which said thermally sensitive element is prepared by carbonizing an organic material such as a phenol resin at 640 to 750.degree. C., as is described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-166295. Such temperature sensors detect the changes in resistance, in practice, changes in voltage, from electrodes formed at both ends of the thermally sensitive element based on the fact that the resistance of the thermally sensitive element alters according to the ambient-temperature change.
In addition, a thermally sensitive element composed of a fiber filament essentially consisting of silicon carbide and the like is known to detect infrared rays as a resistance change caused by the temperature change due to absorption of the infrared rays, as is described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3-96824. For assembling an infrared sensor employing such a thermally sensitive element, two of the four thermally sensitive elements are used for sensing radiation and the other two thermally sensitive elements are employed for temperature compensation, and they are alternately connected in series to form a bridge circuit. Changes in resistance of the thermally sensitive elements due to the ambient temperature can be thereby canceled so that changes in resistance due to only infrared absorption can be detected.
Carbonized materials treated at a low temperature exhibit semiconductor-like conductivity such that the temperature dependency (thermistor constant) increases according to a rise in the specific resistance and decreases according to a reduction in the specific resistance. Meanwhile, for employing such carbonized materials for a thermally sensitive element of a temperature sensor or a radiation sensor, the operating resistance of the thermally sensitive element is preferably low, considering the detecting circuit and level of noise in the sensor. However, in the thermally sensitive element used for the above-mentioned conventional temperature sensors, electrodes are formed on both ends of a sheet of a carbonized material treated at a low temperature so as to detect the resistance along the longitudinal direction of the carbonized sheet material positioned between the electrodes. Thus, to set the operating resistance between the electrodes in a general range, i. e., from several k.OMEGA. to several hundreds k.OMEGA., carbonized materials having high specific resistance cannot be used. Therefore, the temperature dependency of the thermally sensitive element is lowered, thereby disadvantageously reducing the sensor sensitivity.
Although the above thermally sensitive element can be also applied to radiation sensors such as infrared sensors, in such a case it is necessary to have either surface of the thermally sensitive element as a radiation sensitive face receiving radiant rays coming from the outside. However, since the above conventional thermally sensitive elements have their electrodes at both ends thereof, it is impossible to entirely use one surface of the thermally sensitive element as the radiation sensitive face. Thus the whole size of the thermally sensitive elements must be enlarged to ensure the required area of the radiation sensitive face. Therefore, disadvantageously, the heat capacitance of the thermally sensitive elements increases and the response rate of the resulting radiation sensors is lowered.
In a radiation sensor, such as an infrared sensor, employing a thermally sensitive element composed of a fiber filament, when a bridge circuit of the radiation sensor consists of four thermally sensitive elements, these four elements must have the same temperature dependency, which requirement is difficult from a manufacturing aspect. Moreover, electrodes must be fixed to both ends of each fiber filament by a conductive adhesive or the like, thus the assembling procedure is complicated, resulting in high cost.

Thermally sensitive element and radiation sensor


A method and system for preventing unauthorized dynamic host configuration servers from responding to client configuration requests in an Internet Protocol (IP) network. In accordance with the method of the present invention multiple network clients are simulated within a server checker client. At least one unauthorized dynamic host configuration server is then detected utilizing the server checker client within said IP network. Upon detection of an unauthorized dynamic host configuration server, configuration requests are delivered from the server checker client to the detected unauthorized dynamic configuration server such that the unauthorized dynamic host configuration server is unable to respond to configuration requests from actual network clients.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to computer networks, and in particular to a method and system in an Internet Protocol (IP) network for detecting and neutralizing one or a plurality of unauthorized Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) servers.
2. Description of the Related Art
Internet
The Internet is a global network of computers and computers networks (the "Net"). The Internet connects computers that use a variety of different operating systems of languages, including UNIX, DOS, Windows, Macintosh, and others. To facilitate and allow the communication among these various systems and languages, the Internet uses a language referred to as TCP/IP ("Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol"). TCP/IP protocol supports three basic applications on the Internet.
(1) transmitting and receiving electronic mail,
(2) logging into remote computers (the "Telnet"), and
(3) transferring files and programs from one computer to another ("FTP" or "File Transfer Protocol").
IP Addresses
Routers are utilized to interconnect two networks by forwarding packets from one network to the other. The term "IP router" is also used because the routing function is part of the IP network layer of the TCP/IP protocol.
IP addresses are utilized by the IP protocol to uniquely identify a host on the Internet. Strictly speaking, an IP address identifies an interface that is capable of sending and receiving IP datagrams, and one system can have more than one of such interfaces. However, both hosts and routers must have at least one IP address, so this simplified definition is acceptable. IP datagrams (data packets exchanged between hosts) are transmitted by a physical network attached to the host, wherein each IP datagram contains a source IP address and a destination IP address.
IP addresses are represented by a 32-bit unsigned binary value which is usually expressed in a dotted decimal format. For example, 184.108.40.206 is a valid Internet address. This numeric form is utilized by the IP software. The mapping between the IP address and an easier-to-read symbolic name, for example myhost.ibm.com, is performed by a Domain Name System (DNS).
IP Subnets
Due to the explosive growth of the Internet, assigning IP addresses is not flexible enough to allow efficiently facilitate changes in local network configurations. Such changes might occur when a new type of physical network is installed at a location. A growing number of hosts within a local network may also precipitate such configuration changes by requiring that the local network split into two or more separate networks. In addition, growing intranetwork distances require to divide a network into smaller networks separated by gateways.
The concept of subnets has been introduced to avoid the need to request additional IP network addresses in these cases. Subnets can be assigned locally, since the original single network still appears as one IP network with respect to the larger IP internetwork context. To designate a subnet, the host number within an IP address header is subdivided into a network number and a host number. This second network is termed "subnetwork" or "subnet". The original network now includes multiple subnets, and an IP address associated therewith is interpreted as:

Method and system for preventing unauthorized server interference in an internet protocol network

International Business Machines Corporation


A new laser perforator has been invented for perforating skin with a perforation to permit blood under a surface of the skin to flow out, the perforator in one embodiment having a laser light source for producing an output laser beam, and a mode distribution apparatus for intercepting the output laser beam to control distribution of laser energy of the output laser beam across the perforation of the skin. A laser perforator is disclosed for perforating skin with a perforation to permit blood under a surface of the skin to flow out, the perforator in one embodiment having a laser light source for producing an output laser beam having an energy level between about 0.1 to about 2.0 Joules, the perforation ranging in diameter between about 0.1 to about 2.0 millimeters, in depth between about 0.5 to about 4.0 millimeters, and ranging in width between about 0.05 to about 0.2 millimeters. A method is also disclosed for perforating skin for blood sampling.

1. Field of The Invention
This invention relates to lasers and laser systems, and, in one aspect to a laser-device for producing a hole in skin through which blood may be withdrawn. In one particular aspect this invention relates to modifying the output profile of a laser beam to produce improved skin perforators.
2. Description or Related Art
Capillary blood sampling is a process for obtaining blood samples from the sub-dermal capillary beds of patients. A common method is to produce a small wound in the patient's skin using a sharp needle or small blade, called a blood lancet. Lancets are commonly used once and discarded. The lancet procedure produces a sharp, blood infected waste product which represents a risk to patients and healthcare workers, and which must be disposed of under carefully controlled conditions. In addition, the use of disposable blood lancets requires the healthcare providing organization to maintain a large inventory of disposable lancets. Certain lancet designs include an exposed point which produce significant fear and apprehension in patients who anticipated a painful experience. Although modern designs have attempted to eliminate such apprehension, reduction of patient discomfort would significantly increase the usefulness of new capillary sampling techniques.
Solid state lasers typically have a light source for optical excitation, an active laser material, and a set of reflecting mirrors. Most solid state lasers have a design with a rod of laser crystal or glass material optically pumped by a high intensity lamp with mirrors placed a distance from, or in contact with, or coated onto, the surfaces of the laser rod. One mirror has either a hole or a reduced reflectance relative to the other. Light is injected from the lamp or LED array into the laser material initiating the discharge of photons from dopants in the rod. These photons travel between the two mirrors producing light amplification. The amplified laser beam escapes the system through the hole or area of reduced reflectance. As an active medium one can use various lasant materials to produce different wavelengths of laser light. These materials include, but are not limited to, rare-earth-doped oxide and fluoride laser crystals and glasses, e.g. yttrium-aluminum-garnet (YAG). Such crystals and glasses will be doped with impurities to fix the resultant wavelength of the laser. These traditional laser designs have precise mirrored surfaces. The reflective surfaces are usually made by coating the surfaces with several thin layers of dielectric material. If separate mirrors are used, they are placed precisely with respect to the optical axis of the laser rod and with respect to each other. The reflective mirror surfaces can be also produced by coating them onto the polished faces of a laser crystal.
Modal distribution is a property of guided light. A projection mode can be characterized by an angular direction vector in which light beams may travel with respect to some normal angle. The normal angle is defined usually as 0 degrees with respect to the optical axis of a system. The modal distribution of a system can be characterized by a set of angular vectors in which light travels upon output from the system. A low order distribution is one in which most of the energy in a light beam travels parallel or near to parallel with the optical axis with a single centroid. Most commonly available laser devices are designed to have a low order distribution of modes; i.e., most devices are preferably designed so that light energy travels only in the TEM.sub..infin. mode (parallel and close to the normal vector with low order distribution) or within a small set of angular vectors surrounding the normal vector. A higher order distribution is one in which energy light travels at greater angles in more complex patterns with respect to the optical axis.
Prior art lasers have been used for cutting materials such as skin tissue. Such laser devices, in general, have four distinct functional stages: 1) pumping, in which the laser gain material is stimulated to produce monochromatic emission; 2) resonation, in which the stimulated emission is amplified and the fundamental radiative properties of the beam are created; 3) output conditioning, in which optical devices such as lenses and filters are used to condition the emitted light into a suitable form for transmission; and 4) delivery, in which the light energy is projected onto the target in a useful manner. Prior art biomedical lasers have one of three delivery methods: 1) contact method, in which a solid transparent light delivery means is placed in direct contact with tissue to be cut or ablated and energy is transferred to the target tissue primarily by conduction; 2) non-contact method, in which the laser beam is projected through a transparent fluid medium, such as air, and energy is transferred primarily by radiation; and 3) indirect method, wherein one of the first two methods is used to heat an additional surface which, in turn, destroys the target tissue though conduction of black-body heat.
Prior art solid-state laser devices typically include various common elements such as: a) a rod of laser gain material composed of a host material (e.g., yttrium aluminum garnet, YAG) and dopant such as Holmium, Erbium, or Neodynium; b) a pumping source which emits photons into the gain material, such as a flashlamp or laser diode; c) a resonating chamber composed of reflective mechanisms which produce a coherent standing wave within the gain material, such as reflective coatings on the ends of the gain material rod or external mirrors mounted parallel to the ends of the gain rod; d) a reflector which may surround the pump source and gain rod and which directs photons toward the gain rod; e) beam conditioning optics which modify the laser output of the resonator and direct such energy toward a delivery mechanism, or towards the work target; and d) a delivery mechanism which collects emitted laser energy and transmits it to the work target. Each of these elements may be composed of various optical components and materials.
The light emitted by most lasers contains several discrete optical frequencies which can be associated with different modes of the optical resonator. It is common practice to categorize two types of resonator modes: transverse modes and temporal modes. The beam characteristics of a laser such as divergence, diameter, and cross-sectional energy distribution are governed primarily by the transverse modes. The modal distribution of a particular laser is a critical factor in determining its suitability for a given application. In general, laser beam quality is regarded as being higher when modal distribution is kept to a low order. This provides significant advantages in energy density and precision for many applications. U.S. Pat. No. 5,352,495 to Henderson et al teaches controlling modal distribution for the treatment of surfaces by a laser. Henderson further teaches achieving higher-order modal distributions by insuring the production of a large number of modes for the purposes of, e.g., marking paper. In an example Henderson introduces the concept of a "top hat" mode distribution, a combination of a plurality of single modes.
A variety of low-order and single mode lasers have been developed and are used in medical applications such as eye surgery, general surgery, tissue necrosis, and sensor probes. Laser skin perforators for capillary blood sampling are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,165,418, in Japanese Patent 4,314,428, and in PCT patent application U.S. 93/10279. Certain lasers of the type described in these publications will typically exhibit a low order distribution of modes with radiant energy concentrated toward the center of the beam and, thus, the holes, or wounds, produced are relatively deep and penetrating with respect to the thickness of the skin. Such wounds are the shape of a champagne glass with a broad entrance wound and a longer slender stem. The Russian scientific abstract "Non-contact device for blood taking" from the Moscow-Brest conference of 1990 on lasers in medicine specifically discusses this effect. Blood is found to be available from the upper bowl portion of the wound, but little blood escapes from the lower portion, or stem, of the wound.
There has long been a need to produce capillary blood samples without the production of hazardous waste products. There has long been a need to eliminate the use of disposable implements for performing such procedures while reducing worker exposure to infectious disease. There has long been a need to reduce patient discomfort and pain associated with capillary blood collection.


Fuel injection valves have swirl-generating configurations in order to atomize the fuel as it passes through a narrow flow opening. The fuel injection valve of the invention includes a conduit segment leading to a cylindrical injection conduit. The conduit segment includes a conical widening section and, in the region of a wall of the conical widening section, a highly unstable separation zone is created as fuel passes through it. This zone builds up and collapses again periodically with relatively high frequency so that turbulence created along the wall of the ensuing injection conduit causes the stream surface to break down early as the fuel leaves an injection port; as a result, the stream has fine fuel droplets and nevertheless has a defined stream pattern so that properly aimed injection is made possible. The invention is intended in particular for fuel injection systems for internal combustion engines.

The invention is based on a fuel injection valve for a mixture compressing internal combustion engine.
A fuel injection valve is already known (German Offenlegungsschrift 39 39 093), in which swirl-generating means are provided in order to atomize the fuel as it passes through a narrow flow opening. This has the disadvantage, however, that the strong centrifugal forces acting upon the fuel cause an undesirably pronounced flaring of the stream. In addition, the high frictional resistance upon passage to the narrow flow opening makes the fuel stream pattern even more nonuniform. With this arrangement, injection that is as properly aimed as possible and is finely atomized, which is a prerequisite for optimal fuel combustion, cannot yet be assured with satisfaction.