The present invention is accomplished by a canister structure for an internal combustion engine that includes a container having a gas passage therein through which gas containing evaporative fuel flows from a first end to a second end, a purge portion disposed on the container and connected to the first end through which vacuum pressure is applied into the gas passage, a charge portion disposed on the container and connected to the first end through which the gas is introduced into the gas passage, a drain portion disposed on the container and connected to the second end through which the gas passage is made open to the atmosphere, and an adsorbent material, disposed in the gas passage, to temporarily adsorb the evaporative fuel, whose specific heat on the side of the second end is made higher relative to that on the side of the first end.

The contents of Japanese Patent Application No. 11-372877, with a filing date of Dec. 28, 1999, in Japan, is incorporated by reference herein, in its entirety.
The present invention generally relates to a canister structure preferably used for an internal combustion engine of a motor vehicle.
An internal combustion engine that combusts gasoline as a fuel usually has a canister to reduce the amount of evaporative fuel (or HC) released into the atmosphere.
The canister generally has a charge portion through which the evaporative fuel is introduced into the canister and a purge portion through which a vacuum pressure is applied into the canister, and these are disposed at a first end portion of the canister. The canister also has a drain portion at a second end portion thereof, through which the canister is open to the atmosphere.
The canister adsorbs the evaporative fuel introduced through the charge portion by means of adsorbent material disposed therein. In a predetermined engine operating condition, the atmospheric air is introduced into the canister through the drain portion, and adsorbed HC is thereby desorbed from the adsorbent material. In this manner, the atmospheric air purges the adsorbed HC off the adsorbent material. The evaporative fuel purged from the canister is sucked into an air intake system of the internal combustion engine through the purge portion, accompanied with the atmospheric air, and is combusted in the internal combustion engine.
Since the adsorption/desorption of the evaporative fuel is an exothermic/endothermic reaction respectively, the temperature of the adsorbent material increases when it adsorbs the evaporative fuel and the higher temperature tends to lower the adsorbence (i.e. the capability of adsorbing) of the adsorbent material. Conversely, the temperature of the adsorbent material decreases when it desorbs the adsorbed HC and the lower temperature tends to lower the desorbence (i.e. the capability of desorbing) of the adsorbent material.
Considering these characteristics of the adsorbent material, it is known, in the prior art, to lesser the decrease in the adsorbence and the desorbence by increasing the specific heat of the adsorbent material for preventing the temperature thereof from changing as much as possible. Japanese Provisional Patent (Kokai) Publication No. 10-339218 (1998) discloses a kind of adsorbent material that is made of activated charcoal bound together with heat-storing particles having high thermal conductivity and high heat capacity uniformly on the surface of the activated charcoal in order to increase the specific heat of the adsorbent material as a whole.
In the prior art described above, the adsorbent material cannot desorb all the adsorbed HC, and some amount of it remains adsorbed because the desorbence of the adsorbent material decreases as mentioned above, and further because of aging of the adsorbent material in the canister, or when the internal combustion engine is in a specific operating condition. Especially when the adsorbed HC remains near the drain portion, it migrates in the direction to the drain portion, forced by other evaporative fuel that is newly introduced from the charge portion. The remaining adsorbed HC that migrates to the drain portion may drain out of the canister, so that the amount of evaporative fuel released into the atmosphere may increase. This detracts from the most important characteristic of the canister, that is, reducing the amount of HC released into the atmosphere.
However, since the remaining HC adsorbed on any other part of the canister can be re-adsorbed downstream closer to the drain portion, when it migrates by newly introduced evaporative fuel, it causes few problems. Therefore, the amount of evaporative fuel released into the atmosphere by migration largely depends on the density of adsorbed HC (i.e. the amount of HC adsorbed in per unit amount of the adsorbent material) near the drain portion after a purge process has finished.
Some structural modifications to decrease the density of adsorbed HC mentioned above are considered, such as enlarging the capacity of the canister, or increasing the specific heat of the entire adsorbent material by binding heat-storing particles together uniformly on the surface thereof. However, these structures increase the desorbence of the adsorbent material even in parts of the canister other than near the drain portion, where it has no effect on the ability to reduce the amount of evaporated fuel released into the atmosphere. In considering the restriction concerning the size of the canister that is able to be equipped on the motor vehicle, such increase in size relatively restricts the improvement of the desorbence near the drain portion. Thus the evaporative fuel released into the atmosphere due to the migration cannot be reduced fully effectively although it makes more difficult to arrange the canister in the motor vehicle because of the increase in its size and also because of the corresponding increase in the cost of the canister.
Therefore, a general object of the invention is to provide an improved canister structure that alleviates one or more of the shortcomings discussed earlier herein.
An object of the invention is to provide a canister structure for an internal combustion engine that can provide an improved ability to reduce the amount of evaporated fuel released into the atmosphere, while also minimizing any increase in size and cost.
The above and other objects of the present invention can be accomplished by a canister structure for an internal combustion engine that includes a container having a gas passage therein through which gas containing evaporative fuel flows from a first end to a second end, a purge portion disposed on the container and connected to the first end through which vacuum pressure is applied into the gas passage, a charge portion disposed on the container and connected to the first end through which the gas is introduced into the gas passage, a drain portion disposed on the container and connected to the second end through which the gas passage is open to the atmosphere, and adsorbent material, disposed in the gas passage, to temporarily adsorb the evaporative fuel, whose specific heat on the side of the second end is made higher relative to that on the side of the first end.
It is essential that at least the adsorbent material disposed on the side of the second end has a specific heat higher than that on the side of the first end, thus the adsorbent material may be divided into a first adsorbent material disposed only on a purge and charge side of the gas passage and a second adsorbent material, which has a higher specific heat relative to the first adsorbent material, disposed only on a drain side of the gas passage.
In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the adsorbent material having a higher specific heat is made by mixing heat-storing material or activated charcoal having higher specific heat with the normal adsorbent material mainly made of activated charcoal.
According to one aspect of the present invention, since the adsorbent material having a higher specific heat disposed on the side of the drain portion prevents the temperature of the adsorbent material from changing due to the desorption of the adsorbed HC as much as possible, the canister can improve the desorbence of the adsorbent material, and reduce the amount (or the density) of the adsorbed HC remaining on the adsorbent material after purging. Therefore, the canister of the present invention can reduce the evaporated fuel released into the atmosphere due to the migration of the adsorbed HC.
Furthermore, when the second adsorbent material is disposed only on the side of the canister open to the atmosphere, and not disposed elsewhere, the necessary amount of the heat-storing material or the activated charcoal with a higher specific heat is lessened. Therefore, the canister can achieve the desired result, while the size and cost of the canister is kept as small as possible. The small size makes it easier to arrange the canister in the motor vehicle.
Generally speaking, as long as the same volume of adsorbent material is disposed, the smaller the sectional area of the gas passage is, the longer the length of the gas passage is made although the loss of pressure through the gas passage increases.
Therefore, it is preferable that a sectional area of the gas passage on the side of the second end is made smaller than that on the side of the first end. In this manner, the canister of the present invention can improve the desorbence of the adsorbent material near the drain portion, and reduce more effectively the amount of evaporated fuel released into the atmosphere by the migration.
As a way of narrowing the gas passage near the drain portion, the gas passage in the container may have a U-shape configuration. With the structure, the container can be made in a simple shape, such as a cylindrical or a box shape.
More particularly in this case mentioned above, it is preferable that the canister further includes a partition wall that divides the container into a larger chamber and a smaller chamber, where the smaller chamber is disposed on the side of the drain portion.
The canister of the present invention may further include a heat-insulating layer disposed in the gas passage, and the adsorbent material may be divided into a first adsorbent material disposed on the purge and charge side of the gas passage and a second adsorbent material, which has a higher specific heat relative to the first adsorbent material, disposed on the drain side of the gas passage. In this structure, the heat-insulating layer will be interposed between the first and second adsorbent material.
Through this structure, the heat-insulating layer can protect the second adsorbent material from being affected by the change of temperature of the first adsorbent material due to the desorption of the adsorbed HC. This reduces the temperature change of the second adsorbent material so that the desorbence of the second adsorbent material can be improved.
In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the heat-insulating layer is a heat-insulating filter made of foamed ceramic.
Further objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiments which follows when read in light of the accompanying figures and the claims.

Canister structure for internal combustion engine


In measuring the ac specifications of a microprocessor having within one chip, a clock generator which generates a clock signal, a first connecting terminal for connecting a crystal oscillator which regulates the oscillation frequency of the clock generator, a first driver which amplifies the power of the clock signal, a second connecting terminal which receives an output of the first driver, a peripheral circuit which receives the supply of a clock signal, a CPU which is operated by the clock signal and controls the operation of the peripheral circuit, a second driver which amplifies the power of an output of the CPU, and a third connecting terminal which receives the supply of an output of the second driver, there are executed a first step of measuring the ac specification of the clock generator with the output to the second connecting terminal by applying test pulses from an IC tester to the first connecting terminal under the condition in which the crystal oscillator is removed, and a second step of measuring the ac specification of the CPU with the output to the third connecting terminal by removing a connecting line and applying test pulses from the IC tester to a fourth connecting terminal.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for measuring the ac specifications of a microprocessor having a clock generator.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Generally, a square wave having a predetermined frequency is adopted as a clock signal used in a digital system for such reasons as that the states of various kinds of signals are binary and that it is convenient in the process of successively generating different signals from one signal. Due to the fact that almost all of the microprocessors that have been put to practical use in recent years are of von Neumann type, such a clock signal is used not only as an operating reference signal for the microprocessor itself, but also as a synchronizing reference signal that is required in inputting or outputting an internal signal of the microprocessor or as a reference signal for synchronizing an input or output signal between an external circuit and the microprocessor. An example of such a microprocessor is found in the 16/8-bit microprocessor .mu.PD70208 (Document Number IC-7078B (third edition), published in May, 1989) made by NEC Corp.
In a prior art microprocessor, a CPU which carries out signal processing, a clock generator and a peripheral circuit located in the periphery of the CPU, such as an auxiliary memory circuit or a signal input/output control circuit intended to enhance the operating speed of the microprocessor, are assembled on the identical chip. A crystal oscillator from outside of the chip is connected to the connection terminals that are joined to the clock generator. The CPU and the peripheral circuit are connected on the identical chip by signal lines for mutually transferring data, address signals and various kinds of signals. The clock generator is connected to a driver within the chip for amplifying an input signal to each control circuit unit within the chip, via a first driver that amplifies a clock signal from a clock oscillator to output it to a control circuit unit, and the output end of the first driver is connected within the chip to a first connecting terminal via a second driver. The output end of the driver within the chip is connected within the chip to the CPU and the peripheral circuit, and the output end of the CPU is connected to a second connecting terminal within the chip via a third driver. The first connecting terminal and the second connecting terminal are respectively connected to an external circuit in the outside of the chip. Accordingly, a clock signal generated in the clock generator is supplied almost simultaneously to the CPU, the peripheral circuit and the external circuit. Each of the CPU, the peripheral circuit and the external circuit executes the internal processing while synchronizing with the clock signal, and the signal generated as a result of this processing is output also synchronizing with the clock signal.
In order to evaluate the performance of the microprocessor its ac specifications are measured. What is meant by the ac specifications are the temporal specifications between the transition points (ac states) of the input/output signals. The contents of the specifications can be classified into the following items.
1. The cycle time of the clock signal PA1 2. The time width of a high level or a low level of the signal PA1 3. The rise time/fall time of the signal PA1 4. The delay time (the time from "completion of transition of a first signal" to the corresponding "completion of transition of a second signal") PA1 5. The setup time (The setup time margin for sampling a first signal with a second signal. It specifies the time from "completion of transition of the first signal" to "starting of transition of the second signal") PA1 6. The hold time (The hold time margin for latching or sampling a first signal with a second signal. It specifies the time from "completion of transition of the second signal" to "starting of transition of the first signal") PA1 7. The float delay time (The delay time in which, for a transition of a first signal, a second signal (output) goes to a floating (high impedance) state. It specifies the time from "completion of transition of the first signal" to "starting of transition of the second signal") PA1 8. The timing chart of the ac specifications (arranging into a chart of the above-mentioned items) PA1 9. The measuring points of the various input/output signals in the ac specification timing chart (for example, the measuring points for a maximum level of 2.4 V and a minimum level of 0.45 V are 2.2 V and 0.8 V, respectively)
The above-mentioned items define the temporal specifications between the transition points of the input/output signals. Considering the fact that these input/output signals are synchronized with the clock signal, it is mandatory that the clock signal and the above-mentioned ac specifications keep a close relationship.
The prior art microprocessor described above includes the following problems.
In taking measurement of the above-mentioned ac specification, the crystal oscillator is disconnected from the connecting terminals to input a clock signal from an IC tester to the connecting terminals, and the ac specification is measured using the first and the second connecting terminals. However, the ac specification measured in this manner does not correspond to the ac specification from the first connecting terminal to the second connecting terminal. Therefore, the reference signals of the ac specifications for the CPU within the chip and the external circuit in the outside of the chip adopted in defining the ac specifications, among the specified electrical properties, of the microprocessor, are not set to be equal.
In order to measure the ac specifications of a chip having a clock output terminal as in this example it becomes necessary to further measure the specification from the clock oscillator that constitutes the clock generator to the first connecting terminal, requiring a large amount of work.
In defining an ac specification of the microprocessor, after measuring the temporal specification of the second connecting terminal with respect to a clock signal to the connecting terminal by using an IC tester, the temporal specification of a clock signal to the second connecting terminal with respect to a clock signal to the first connecting terminal is defined by further measuring the delay time of the clock signal in the first connecting terminal with respect to the input clock signal. As in the above, the measurement of the AC specifications of the microprocessor according to the conventional technology not only generates troubles but also increases the measurement errors.

Method for measuring AC specifications of microprocessor


A multi-functional alert safety helmet assembly, comprises a safety helmet having a base plate, the base plate being installed with a wireless receiving module and a control unit; the safety helmet further installed with a display panel and indication lamps which are at the base plate; and the display panel is formed by light emitting elements; two sides of the display panel having the indication lamps; the light emitting elements flashing sequentially to present textures or patterns. The base plate is connected to the display panel and indication lamps for displaying signals from the wireless transmitting module; the flash of the indication lamps are controlled by the control unit; and display of the light emitting lights of the display panel; when turning right, right indication lamps will flash and when turning left, the left indication lamps will flash.

The safety helmet has the effect of protection the head of the driver so as to prevent from accidents. In many nations, it is required to wear the safety helmet in driving base on the traffic rules.
With the progress in technology, not only having the function of protection, the safety helmet also provides the function of air conditions so that the driver will feel comfortable.
However at night, the drivers at the rear side are not easy to adjudge whether a driver is at the front side so that accidents occur.

Multi-functional alert safety helmet assembly


The use of acylated carbohydrates selected from the group consisting of sucrose, maltose, lactose, palatinose, trehalulose, glucose and fructose or mixtures of these as a detergent constituent is characterized in that these acylated carbohydrate compounds contain one or two carboxyl functions and are in the form of the mono- or diacid or an alkali metal salt thereof, wherein the acyl radical is selected from the group consisting of C1- to C18-alkyl, tolyl and benzyl radicals and can be identical or different, and are used as bleaching agent activators or complexing agents in detergent formulations, the acyl radical preferably being a methyl radical.

Detergents also contain, in addition to surfactants and builders, per-compounds as bleaching agents, for example sodium perborate, or bleaching agent activators, such as tetraacetylethylenediamine (TAED). Since TAED has only two acetyl groups to form active species and the biological degradability of the remainder of the molecule is inadequate, and since furthermore the bleaching-active components are inactivated by the presence of metal cations, so that further complexing agents, such as acrylates and ethylenediaminotetraacetate (EDTA), have to be employed, all these detergents comprise components of difficult biological degradability.
Detergent components based on carbohydrates are gaining ever more importance in modern detergent research because they have a better biological degradability and are obtained from naturally regenerating raw materials.
For example, according to EP 0 325 184, acetylated sugar-ethers are employed for heavy-duty detergents because of their action as a bleaching activator and as a foam intensifier and because of their softening properties. EP 0 540 279 discloses 1-acyl-substituted acetylated sugars which, together with peroxides, cause the bleaching action in detergents and result in other properties which are suitable for detergents.
EP 0 380 437 discloses long-chain acylated mono- or diesters of hexoses which can likewise be employed as bleaching agent activators. The disadvantage of this compound is its poor water solubility, so that the activity thereof is significantly lower, in particular compared with TAED.
DE 43 08 123 A1 furthermore discloses acylated aminosaccharides as bleaching activators, but these are sometimes present as a yellowish oil and merely for this reason are not very suitable.
Finally, bleaching agent activators based on acetylated sucrose have been described by Mentech et al in "Carbohydrates as organic raw materials" (G. Descotes, 1993, pages 185-201). However, the preparation of partially acetylated sucrose leads to product mixtures, and it has been found that as bleaching agent activators the hexa- and hepta-acetyl-sucrose derivatives in particular correspond only to TAED in their activity. However, the preparation of these products is difficult, since the selectivity of the reaction can hardly be influenced in the direction of these derivatives.

Peracetylated or acylated carbohydrates as bleaching agent activators or complexing agents in detergent formulations


A shock absorbing apparatus for a vehicle may include a first coil provided in a bumper of the vehicle, a second coil provided on a vehicle body and facing the first coil, and a control unit applying voltage to generate a repulsive force between the first and second coils when a change in voltage may be detected by a movement of the first coil in an event of a vehicle collision, wherein an electric current flows between the control unit and the first and second coils.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to shock absorbing apparatuses for vehicles, and, more particularly, to a shock absorbing apparatus for a vehicle, which is configured to generate a repulsive force against a collision in the event of a vehicle collision, thus absorbing shocks.
2. Description of Related Art
A bumper is provided on each of front and rear surfaces of a vehicle to protect internal electronic parts and mitigate shocks acting on a passenger in the event of a vehicle collision. The bumper is generally configured to be bent or easily torn when shocks occur, thus effectively absorbing the shocks.
Such a bumper includes a bumper frame that is coupled to a vehicle body to support the bumper, and a bumper case that is coupled to the bumper frame in such a way as to be exposed to the outside. The bumper can absorb a varying degree of shocks, depending on the material of the bumper frame and the bumper case.
However, if the bumper merely includes the bumper frame and the bumper case as described above, it is difficult to effectively absorb different levels of shocks. For example, if small shocks occur in a vehicle collision, the bumper frame and the bumper case should be easily deformed. However, if the bumper is designed to meet these requirements, the bumper cannot effectively absorb shocks and in addition may be excessively deformed in the case of large shocks.
Therefore, in order to effectively absorb shocks depending on various conditions of collision, an additional shock absorbing device is generally installed in the bumper. In order to solve the above problems, a related art discloses a configuration provided with a shock absorbing beam in which a multi-layered hollow portion is formed.
However, such a conventional configuration is problematic in that it cannot vary the shock absorbing degree depending on a shock level, but has only to absorb shocks when they exceed a predetermined level, so that it cannot effectively cope with various levels of shocks.
The information disclosed in this Background of the Invention section is only for enhancement of understanding of the general background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art.


A part object which forms a model object is disposed by receiving a disposition direction for the part object and updating slot state data indicating a disposition state of the part object in a part slot provided corresponding to each part object. When another part object has been disposed in the part slot corresponding to the part object for which the disposition direction has been issued, whether or not to update the slot state data of the part slot is determined based on priority information which determines disposition priority of each part object, and the slot state data is updated based on the determination result.

The present invention relates to a program, an information storage medium, an image generation system, and an image generation method.
An image generation system (game system) has been known which generates an image viewed from a virtual camera (given viewpoint) in an object space (virtual three-dimensional space) Such an image generation system is very popular as a system which allows experience of so-called virtual reality. For example, an image generation system which produces a fighting game (competitive action game) allows a player to enjoy the game by operating a player's character player's object) using an operation section (e.g. controller, lever, or button) and fighting against an enemy character (enemy object) operated by a computer or another player. In such an image generation system, it is desirable that the player's character be customized corresponding to the preference of the player. This strongly prompts the player to play the game.
However, a known image generation system which enables such character customization allows only part of the character model provided in advance to be customized by changing the parts of the model. Specifically, a known image generation system cannot sufficiently satisfy the user's demand due to limited variations of customization.
When allowing the player to customize the character by overlapping the parts, the method of changing the parts of the model makes it necessary to provide object data after overlapping the parts. Therefore, it is necessary to provide an enormous amount of object data when pursuing a wide range of customization. Moreover, the processing load is increased.

Image generation system (game system), image generation method, program and information storage medium


A metering device for controlling the flow of granular material through a conduit. The metering device includes a electrical coil operably associated with the conduit, a ferromagnetic latching strip disposed in the magnetic field produced by the coil, and a pivoting gate including a magnet that is attracted toward and repelled from the latching strip as the direction of electrical current flowing through the coil is changed. A closed container includes the metering device secured to its bottom so that the granular material can be dispensed only through the meter. The closed container is electrically connected by wires to a dispensing controller located in the tractor cab. The granular material, such as insecticide, is simultaneously and equally dispensed at the desired rate to the seed furrows from all the individual planting units of the planter.

Various electromagnetic metering devices are known but none are completely satisfactory for handling granular materials. Devices opened and closed by a sliding action, such as a solenoid value, are often jammed by the granular material and are slow to open and close.
Co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/779,075, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 5,156,372 to one of the co-inventors herein, discloses electromagnetic metering devices which overcome these problems. The availability of reliable metering devices has led applicants to consider the solution of various dispensing problems using these electromagnetic metering devices.
Agricultural workers are frequently required to handle hazardous materials such as pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, fertilizers, and even treated seeds that present a hazard to the worker, co-workers, children, farm animals and the environment in general. Many hazardous materials are packaged in standard fifty-pound paper or plastic bags. Unused materials in unopened bags, opened bags, and in chemical hoppers increases the risk of accidental exposure at times when the unwary worker is not focused on the need to take precautions.
One setting where the worker is required to handle large quantities of hazardous materials is during the planting operation. In the planting operation, almost all soil insecticides are applied from a storage hopper carried on the subframe of a planting unit. Typically, an hour-glass type device is used to control the flow of insecticide from the storage hopper to the seed furrow. Rate selections are made by adjusting the diameter or flow area of the constriction zone. A meter wheel feeds the reservoir above the constriction zone in excess of flow needs and stops the flow when the planting unit is raised or the drive chain removed. Once the initial settings are made, flow rate from these devices is a function of time only. Therefore, the worker must determine the planting speed and stick to it to achieve planting rate accuracy. Further, there is great variation from one storage hopper to another and each row must be individually calibrated and rechecked periodically. Also, as the desired application rates are lowered, the accuracy of the hour-glass device becomes very erratic and eventually non-functional.
Those concerned with these and other problems recognize the need for an improved metering device for granular materials.

Electromagnetic meter for closed dispensing container


A security system has a base unit that includes a wireless telephone transmitter and receiver and a computer unit. The computer unit has a memory for storing an emergency phone number and an outgoing message. The security system is activated by a voice command such as xe2x80x9cfirexe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9chelpxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cpolicexe2x80x9d. When the voice command is detected, the computer unit will activate on audible alarm and cause the wireless telephone transmitter and receiver to connect to the location callable by the emergency phone number and to transmit the outgoing message.

This invention relates to personal security systems and in particular, to personal security systems utilizing a wireless connection.
A security system typically installed in residential or business establishments is connected to a monitoring station via the land lines through a central switching office. The disadvantage to these systems is that a would be intruder can disable the system simply by cutting or disconnecting the land lines. Similarly, many of the residential and business security systems provide personal security through the use of a panic button or the capabilities of entering a panic code through a touch pad that is centrally located within the building being monitored. The disadvantage to this system is that an attacker can prevent the victim from reaching the panic button or the touch keypad and thus prevent a cry for help from being transmitted to the monitoring location.
A security system has a base unit that includes a wireless telephone transmitter and receiver and a computer unit. The computer unit has a memory for storing an emergency phone number and an outgoing message. The security system is activated by a voice command such as xe2x80x9cfirexe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9chelpxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cpolicexe2x80x9d. When the voice command is detected, the computer unit will cause the wireless telephone transmitter and receiver to connect to the location callable by the emergency phone number and to transmit the outgoing message.
The security system includes an audible alarm operatively connected to the computer unit which turns on the audible alarm when the voice command is detected.
The security system can include a Blue Tooth transmitter operatively connected to the computer unit. The Blue Tooth transmitter transmits a warning signal to a remote unit when the voice command is recognized. The remote unit also includes a wireless telephone transmitter and receiver, a Blue Tooth receiver and a computer unit. The computer unit has a memory for storing an emergency phone number and an outgoing message and will transmit the out going message after a selected time period if the base unit fails to transmit the out going message and a cancel command has not been received.
The security system can further include an alarm located remotely from the base unit and connect thereto by the Blue Tooth network.
The security system can also be a mobile unit with GPS location capabilities.
It is an object of the invention to provide a personal security system that will allow an individual to say a predefined keyword and activate the alarm system.
It is yet another embodiment of the invention to provide a primary security system with capabilities of having one or more secondary systems to insure that in the event the primary system is detected by a would be intruder, the secondary system will continue with the notification of the authorities concerning the intrusion.
The above features and capabilities may be more apparent from a reading of the Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments in conjunction with the figures.


A containment tarpaulin is formed of an open weave knit stretch fabric having a major pore size which provides sufficient porosity to prevent lift of the tarpaulin due to airfoil effects. The open weave construction, particularly when polyester yarns are utilized, additionally provides resistance to tears, punctures, and abrasion. A rip-stop construction, preferably in the form of solid fabric areas extending across the width and length of the fabric, may be added to improve the strength of the fabric.

Containment tarpaulins are used to cover the beds of trucks, rail cars, barges and the like when transporting loads subject to dispersal during transport, such as the transport of trash to a disposal area such as a land fill or trash plant, in order to prevent the load from flying from the vehicle and thereby contaminating the surrounding area. Containment is also of concern when the load is of value, or when dispersal of the load could cause injury, such as when gravel is transported. Fast moving vehicles such as trucks are especially prone to release of the transported material as a result of high velocity air currents generated by the moving vehicle. A tarpaulin to cover a load must be of a size sufficient both to fully overlie the load and provide peripheral area for the tie down. Truck trailers are generally about 16 meters long and 2.4 meters wide and thus containment fabric is made oversized for such a trailer, the fabric might be 17.4 meters long and 4 meters wide.
In addition to load containment, tarpaulin-type constructions are used for other protective purposes, and as wrappings and coverings.
The prior art teaches the use of canvas, a tightly woven fabric, usually in a plain weave construction, for tarpaulin use. The weave construction utilized makes the fabric relatively costly to manufacture. In addition, being formed of large diameter warp and filling yarns, canvas is stiff, heavy and therefore often difficult to manipulate and cover the load contained in the vehicle. Often, because of the weight, more than one individual is required to put the canvas in place and tie it down. In addition, canvas has low stretch and is easily punctured by sharp articles. And, because canvas has a low permeability, canvas tends to lift from the load due to the airfoil created by a mound of load and the passing air current developed by the velocity of the vehicle. The lift and inflation of the tarpaulin creates a larger cross-sectional area which creates additional drag and therefore increased fuel consumption for the vehicle.
To overcome the high weight of canvas, loosely woven nonstretch filament yarn plain weave containment fabrics have been used. Such fabrics may be coated with resins, such as phenolics or urea formaldehydes, in an attempt to give stability to the loosely woven structure. Formaldehyde, however, is a known carcinogen and such treatment can pollute the atmosphere. There is also concern regarding the use of such treated fabrics. While light in weight, these containment fabrics are stiff and therefore difficult to handle. The nonstretch filament yarns, especially after coating, are especially resistant to stretching. As a result the containment tarpaulin often cannot be fitted tightly against the load, allowing the load to shift against the fabric, subjecting it to cuts, tears and punctures. Being of a coarse mesh count, once the fabrics are damaged they cannot easily be patched or otherwise repaired.
It is accordingly a purpose of the present invention to provide a tarpaulin-type fabric which is of light weight and rugged design.
A further purpose of the present invention is to provide a tarpaulin-type fabric having the capability to conform to the shape of a load about which it is placed.
Still a further purpose of the present invention is to provide a tarpaulin-type fabric which exhibits stretch and which has sufficient air permeability to prevent the generation of lift forces.


A vehicular rearview vision system includes a driver-side display device disposed at an interior driver side region of a vehicle and viewable by a driver of the vehicle, a first camera disposed at the vehicle so as to have at least a rearward and sideward field of view, and a second camera disposed at a driver side of the vehicle so as to have at least a sideward and forward field of view that at least partially views an A-pillar blind spot region forward and sideward of a driver-side A-pillar of the vehicle. The driver-side display device displays video images derived from image data captured by the first camera, and the driver-side display device displays driver-side A-pillar blind spot video images derived from image data captured by the second camera. The displayed rearview video images may be at least partially surrounded by the displayed driver-side A-pillar blind spot video images.

It is known to provide an automotive rearview mirror assembly that provides a rearview at the side and rear of a vehicle to a driver of the vehicle. It is also known to provide a rear vision system that utilizes rearward facing cameras that capture images of the side and rear areas of the vehicle for display of the captured images to the driver of the vehicle. An example of a known rearview system is shown in FIG. 1, where the vehicle has two exterior rearview mirror assemblies having reflective elements (such as those shown in FIGS. 2 and 3) that provide a rearward field of view to the driver that meets the regulatory requirements and that provide a selected wide view or wide angle view (such as via an aspheric or blind zone spotter mirror element) outboard of the regulatory field of view.
There have been many efforts to enhance vehicle visibility through the use of camera monitoring systems as well as through the use of additional specialized mirrors. Examples in the market today include backup/reverse aid cameras for camera monitoring systems and blind zone mirrors and/or the like. Efforts to completely replace mirrors with cameras have continued to take place as well. Examples of such proposed camera/mirror constructions are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,550,677; 5,760,962 and/or 5,670,935, which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

Vehicular rearview vision system with A-pillar display


A spark plug 100 comprised of a metal shell 1, an insulator 2, a center electrode 3 and a ground electrode 4. A rear-end face of the ground electrode 4 is welded to a front-end face of the metal shell 1, and a bent portion 5 located at the intermediated position in the longitudinal direction is bent toward the center of the spark plug 100. The ground electrode 4 assumes a circular-shape with a diameter of 2 mm or less whereby an inflow of an air-fuel mixture is not disturbed even when the air-fuel mixture directly flows into a back face of the ground electrode 4. The ground electrode 4 is comprised of an outer layer 4A made of a nickel alloy and an inner layer 4B made of pure copper with an excellent thermal conductivity, in which a ratio of a cross-sectional area of the inner layer 4B to the entire cross-sectional area of the ground electrode 4 is 10% or more to 35% or less. Thus, the spark plug 100 which is excellent in heat sinking ability and can prevent a spring back phenomenon due to a difference in a coefficient of thermal expansion.

A spark plug for use in internal-combustion engines, such as the engine of an automobile includes, for example, a center electrode, an insulator provided outside thereof, a cylindrical metal shell disposed outside of said insulator and a ground electrode whose rear portion is joined to a front-end face of said metal shell. The ground electrode assumes a generally rectangular form in the cross-section and is disposed so that a front-end portion inner side face thereof faces the front-end face of the center electrode. Thus, a spark discharge gap is formed between the front-end portion of the center electrode and the front-end portion of the ground electrode.
A screw portion (not illustrated) is formed on an outer circumferential face of the metal shell. A spark plug is mounted on an engine in such a manner that the screw portion of the metal shell screws into a female thread of a plug opening formed in the engine cylinder head. When the spark plug is mounted such that an air-fuel mixture is exposed to a back face of the ground electrode, there is a possibility that the inflow of the air-fuel mixture to the spark discharge gap may be disturbed by the ground electrode. As a result, the ignitability of the spark plug is unlikely to be stable.
On the other hand, the conventional art discloses a spark plug having two or more ground electrodes therein in which each ground electrode assumes a columnar form with a generally circular-shape in the cross-section (e.g. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (kokai) No. H11-121142). Thus, with forming the ground electrode into the generally circular-shape in the cross-section, the air-fuel mixture is unlikely to be exfoliated from the ground electrode and easily reaches the spark discharge gap by flowing to the inner side of the ground electrode, even in a case where the air-fuel mixture is exposed to the back face of the ground electrode.
However, since a ground electrode is joined to a front-end face of a metal shell, the cross-sectional area of the circular-shaped ground electrode has to be smaller than that of the rectangular-shaped ground electrode. As a result, so-called heat sinking ability (heat dispersion) of the ground electrode deteriorates, and the temperature thereof tends to increase at the time of high speed driving or the like. Consequently, the ground electrode suffers considerable erosion which leads to a poor durability thereof.
Therefore, it is thought that the ground electrode is formed with a two-layer structure comprised of an outer layer comprised of a nickel alloy, which is excellent in oxidation resistance, and an inner layer comprised of a metal having a better thermal conductivity (e.g., copper-system metal) than that of the outer layer. However, when the materials constituting the outer layer and the inner layer differ, a deformation (i.e., "spring back") of the ground electrode tends to occur due to a difference in the coefficient of thermal expansion between the outer layer and the inner layer, thereby possibly influencing the spark discharge gap. Specifically, a defect of the spark plug caused by such deformation is likely to occur when an outer diameter of the ground electrode is relatively small (e.g., 2 mm or less).

Spark plug for use in an internal-combustion engine with a bilayer ground electrode


A sensing device for vehicle includes a first sensing part configured to sense first information related to a wheel to generate a first signal; a second sensing part configured to sense second information related to the wheel to generating a second signal; a first insert to which the first sensing part is fixed; a second insert to which the second sensing part is fixed, the second insert being coupled to the first insert; at least one first connection part connected to the first sensing part and configured to supply a first power to the first sensing part or to transmit the first signal; at least one second connection part connected to the second sensing part and configured to supply a second power to the second sensing part or to transmit the second signal; and a body configured to accommodate the first and second sensing parts therein.

In various types of application systems, such as an Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS) applied to a conventional vehicle, the rotation speed and rotation direction of a wheel are measured. For example, the ABS is a system for preventing a vehicle from overturning or being skidded due to full-locking of a wheel by a brake at the time of braking the vehicle, and is configured to measure the rotation speed and rotation direction of a wheel by a wheel speed sensor in order to achieve such a purpose. The wheel speed sensor may comprise a target member provided in a ring shape on an inner ring of a bearing coupled to a rotational shaft of the wheel. The target member comprises a plurality of magnetic pole pairs. In the wheel speed sensor having such a configuration, the rotation speed and rotation direction of the wheel are measured based on the rotation speed and rotation direction of the target member. The measurement accuracy is determined by the number of magnetic pole pairs. Further, various sensing techniques for sensing information related to the wheel of vehicle are known.

Sensing apparatus for vehicle, wheel bearing assembly, and method for manufacturing sensing apparatus for vehicle


A light-emitting device includes an n-type silicon thin film (2), a silicon thin film (3), and a p-type silicon thin film (4). The silicon thin film (3) is formed on the n-type silicon thin film (2) and the p-type silicon thin film (4) is formed on the silicon thin film (3). The n-type silicon thin film (2), the silicon thin film (3), and the p-type silicon thin film (4) form a pin junction. The n-type silicon thin film (2) includes a plurality of quantum dots (21) composed of n-type Si. The silicon thin film (3) includes a plurality of quantum dots (31) composed of p-type Si. The p-type silicon thin film (4) includes a plurality of quantum dots (41) composed of p-type Si. Electrons are injected from the n-type silicon thin film (2) side and holes are injected from the p-type silicon thin film (4) side, whereby light is emitted at a silicon nitride film (3).

Semiconductor light-emitting devices using a semiconductor island structure (quantum dot) has been known (Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2003-332695). Such a semiconductor light-emitting device has a structure of n-type AlGaAs/n-type GaAs/InGaAs island structure/nitrogen-containing compound semiconductor/p-type GaAs/p-type AlGaAs.
An InGaAs island structure has internal stress that comes from compressive stress. The nitrogen-containing compound semiconductor has tensile stress. Thus, the internal stress of the InGaAs island structure is reduced by disposing the nitrogen-containing compound semiconductor on the InGaAs island structure.
As a result, the internal stress of the InGaAs island structure, which is a light-emitting layer, is reduced and an emission spectrum of 1.55 μm is achieved at room temperature.

Light-emitting device and method for manufacturing the same


In a vehicle safety belt system a gripping means (16) is arranged at a webbing section (10) extending between a deflection fitting (12) and the belt retractor (14). In the rest condition the webbing is led freely between the oppositely disposed clamping elements of the gripping means (16). The gripping means (16) is connected via a pulling cable (38) to a pyrotechnic or mechanical belt tightener drive. Return blocking means are formed by a cylinder (44) attached to the vehicle bodywork and a piston (42) displaceable therein, whereby the cylinder wall is deformed plastically for absorbing load peaks.

The present invention relates to a belt tightener for vehicle safety belt systems comprising a belt tightener drive and mechanical gripping means for engaging a belt webbing section upon activation of the tightener drive.
In a safety belt system of this type which is known from German Offenlegungsschrift 34 13 488, the gripping means is connected via a tension transmitting element to the tightener drive. The end of the tension transmitting element remote from the gripping means is connected to the piston of a return blocking means having a cylinder which is secured to the vehicle bodywork. The piston is displaceable within the cylinder in unrestricted manner in the tightening direction but in the opposite direction is blocked.

Belt tightener for vehicle safety belt systems


A lighting device including an electroluminescent (EL) material is connected to an external power supply easily and the convenience is improved. In a lighting device having a light-emitting element including an electroluminescence (EL) layer, a housing including a light-emitting element has a terminal electrode electrically connected to the light-emitting element on a peripheral end portion. The terminal electrode provided on the housing so as to be exposed to the outside is in contact with a terminal electrode for the external power supply, so that the external power supply and the light-emitting element are electrically connected to each other and power can be supplied to the lighting device.

1. Field of the Invention
One embodiment of the present invention relates to a lighting device including a light-emitting member exhibiting electroluminescence.
2. Description of the Related Art
As a next-generation lighting device, a lighting device using an electroluminescent material has attracted attention because it is estimated to have higher emission efficiency than filament bulbs or fluorescent bulbs. A thin film of an electroluminescent material can be formed to a thickness of 1 μm or less by evaporation or coating. Further, the form of such a lighting device has been devised; for example, a lighting device using an electroluminescent material in which the luminance is kept constant even when the area of the lighting device is increased is disclosed (for example, see Patent Document 1).

Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.


The specification provides an assay electrode including a composite containing a matrix and a multiplicity of graphene particles dispersed therein.

At this time, there are a number of commercially available instruments that utilize electrochemiluminescence (ECL) for analytical measurements. Species that can be induced to emit ECL (ECL-active species) have been used as ECL labels. Examples of ECL labels include: i) organometallic compounds where the metal is from, for example, the noble metals of group VIII, including Ru-containing and Os-containing organometallic compounds such as the tris-bipyridyl-ruthenium (RuBpy) moiety and ii) luminol and related compounds. Species that participate with the ECL label in the ECL process are referred to herein as ECL coreactants. Commonly used coreactants include tertiary amines (e.g., see U.S. Pat. No. 5,846,485, herein incorporated by reference), oxalate, and persulfate for ECL from RuBpy and hydrogen peroxide for ECL from luminol (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,240,863, herein incorporated by reference). The light generated by ECL labels can be used as a reporter signal in diagnostic procedures (Bard et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,238,808, herein incorporated by reference). For instance, an ECL label can be covalently coupled to a binding agent such as an antibody or nucleic acid probe; the participation of the binding reagent in a binding interaction can be monitored by measuring ECL emitted from the ECL label. Alternatively, the ECL signal from an ECL-active compound may be indicative of the chemical environment (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,641,623 which describes ECL assays that monitor the formation or destruction of ECL coreactants, herein incorporated by reference). For more background on ECL, ECL labels, ECL assays and instrumentation for conducting ECL assays see U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,093,268; 5,147,806; 5,324,457; 5,591,581; 5,597,910; 5,641,623; 5,643,713; 5,679,519; 5,705,402; 5,846,485; 5,866,434; 5,786,141; 5,731,147; 6,066,448; 6,136,268; 5,776,672; 5,308,754; 5,240,863; 6,207,369; and 5,589,136 and Published PCT Nos. WO99/63347; WO00/03233; WO99/58962; WO99/32662; WO99/14599; WO98/12539; WO97/36931 and WO98/57154, each of which are herein incorporated by reference.
Commercially available ECL instruments have demonstrated exceptional performance. They have become widely used for reasons including their excellent sensitivity, dynamic range, precision, and tolerance of complex sample matrices. The commercially available instrumentation uses flow cell-based designs with permanent reusable flow cells. The use of a permanent flow cell provides many advantages but also some limitations, for example, in assay throughput. In some applications, for example, the screening of chemical libraries for potential therapeutic drugs, assay instrumentation should perform large numbers of analyses at very high speeds on small quantities of samples. A variety of techniques have been developed for increasing assay throughput. The use of assay modules, e.g., multi-well assay plates and/or assay cartridges, allows for the parallel processing and analysis of multiple samples distributed in multiple wells or compartments of a plate. Multi-well assay plates and assay cartridges have been adapted to conduct chemical, biochemical and/or biological assays, including chemiluminescence, luminescence, and electrochemiluminescence assays, as described in U.S. application Ser. No. 10/185,274, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,842,246, U.S. application Ser. No. 08/814,085, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,140,045, and U.S. application Ser. No. 10/980,198, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
Assay modules configured to conduct electrochemiluminescence assays include integrated electrodes formed by screen printing a conductive ink on a substrate incorporated into the assay module, e.g., wherein the conductive ink comprises layers of carbon (see, e.g., U.S. application Ser. No. 10/185,274). Alternative conductive ink formulations suitable for use in assay modules configured to conduct biological or chemical assays are desirable, particularly those adapted to conduct electrochemiluminescence assays.


An information processing apparatus includes a keyboard for inputting character information and attribute information of the character information, a memory for storing the character information, and the attribute information entered by the keyboard, a search device for searching for attribute information set for a designated character string in a text, and a controller for substituting for the attribute information searched by the search device, new attribute information entered by the keyboard.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a word processor which can issue a command for performing heading, underscore or proportioning operations on input character data.
2. Related Background Art
In a prior art word processor, it is possible to substitute a specified character string in a text or a character string corresponding to a specified area with another character string. However, it is not possible to substitute a command for a heading, an underscore or a proportioning operation relating to the character string or substitute the character string by a command.
The prior art substitution process includes the following problem.
For example, when an enhanced character string having enlarged characters is to be changed to a heading character string, or when all single-line underscores in a text are to be changed to double-line underscores, a process of first resetting the current command and then setting a desired command must be repeated as many times as the number of character strings. This is very troublesome and time consuming. When one command is used many times in a text and small circles must be added to all of specified character strings, a process of adding the small circle must be repeated for each character string. This is also a very troublesome work.

Information processing apparatus and method for displaying a first window displaying a list of names of attribute information and a second window displaying search and substitution command columns


A cartographic device which can be converted from a globe to a map and vice versa. The marked surface layer of a globe is made removable and usable as a corresponding map. Conversion between the globe and map configurations is reversible and can be repeated indefinitely.

1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to cartography, specifically to the relationship between globes and maps.
2. Background of the Invention
The words "globe" and "map" as used herein refer, respectively, to three-dimensional and two-dimensional representations of the surface features of a three-dimensional object such as Earth. Other specific terms herein are used as defined in standard mathematical texts and in Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language (1996 Gramercy Books/Random House).
Historically, Earth and the celestial sphere have been the principal objects of interest in mapping. More recently, maps and globes representing the Moon, Mars, and other planets have also been developed. Globes and maps of Earth, in particular, are produced and used in large quantities.
A fundamental problem in cartography is to provide useful maps of solid objects. A useful map portrays with reasonable accuracy the absolute and relative positions of notable features of the original object, as well as distances, directions, and the outline shapes and sizes of notable features. Various methods of geometric projection have been devised to illustrate the features of spherical Earth, for example, on maps. But no map can portray a round surface such as that of Earth with absolute accuracy. Every method of projection produces certain inherent inaccuracies on a map. Representing any solid object on a map always requires a compromise between accuracy and other practical considerations. The representation on a map of any large portion of such an object usually results in some large inaccuracies.
Spherical globes offer the most realistic representations of spherical objects such as Earth, but globes are relatively difficult and costly to manufacture, they tend to be bulky, and they can be awkward to handle, use, and store. Globes can be accurately made, but in use it is difficult to measure or mark distances and directions on a round globe with ordinary tools. Maps are easier and more economical to manufacture than globes of comparable scale and accuracy, and maps are easier to use and store than globes. Maps are therefore useful and popular in spite of their inherent inaccuracies.
3. Prior Art
Fuller's U.S. Pat. No. 2,393,676 (1946) describes the use of the equilateral cuboctahedron as the basis of a useful mapping system. The equilateral cuboctahedron is a symmetrical solid with fourteen flat faces, six of which are squares and eight of which are equilateral triangles. All of the edges of this polyhedron are equal. In Fuller's method each face of the polyhedron becomes a map of a corresponding portion of Earth's surface, with greater overall accuracy than previous projection methods. A particular benefit of Fuller's technique is that the unavoidable inaccuracies are everywhere distributed within the individual faces of the polyhedron, rather than accumulating to produce large errors in a few places, or being concentrated near the edges of the map, as with most projections. This technique offers greater overall accuracy of feature shapes, sizes, and positions throughout the map, when compared to earlier projection methods.
The equilateral cuboctahedron is a particularly apt and convenient basis for representing a sphere by this technique, because each edge of the figure subtends a central angle of exactly sixty degrees. But Fuller's method is not at all limited to the cuboctahedron. The method can use most convex geometric solids as bases. Fuller eventually focussed his attention upon the regular icosahedron, with twenty (20) congruent equilateral triangular faces, as the preferred basis for his mapping system. The icosahedron provides greater overall regularity than the cuboctahedron, and the larger number of polyhedron faces and map segments yields even greater local and overall accuracy.


A method for connecting a first component to a second component having a through hole includes the following steps: bringing the two components against one another and positioning them relative to one another, detecting the spatial position of the hole by a position detection electronic unit, positioning a connecting element at a location within the hole as a function of the spatial position of the hole or as a function of position data determined by the position detection electronic unit, connecting the connecting element to the first component, with the result that the connecting element projects into or through the hole, and clipping onto the connecting element a clip element which holds the two components together.

The present invention relates to a method for connecting two components, as well as to a component connection.
The earlier German Patent Applications DE 10 2011 080 317 3 as well as DE 10 2012 203 217.7, which are not prior publications, are part of the relevant state of the art.
In the large scale production of vehicle bodies, a plurality of individual vehicle body parts as well as attachments, such as fixtures, etc., are largely assembled in an automated manner. In the case of a joining operation, two or more vehicle body parts are first positioned relative to one another by use of high-expenditure clamping and receiving techniques, and are subsequently connected with one another, for example, by welding, clinching or other joining methods.
It is an object of the invention to provide a method for connecting two components, which method can be implemented in a simple and cost-effective manner, is suitable for large-scale production and results in a high-strength component connection.
This and other objects are achieved by providing a method for connecting a first component with a second component having a through-hole as well as by a component connection so formed. The method includes the acts of: (a) bringing-together and positioning the two components relative to one another; (b) detecting a spatial position of the through-hole by way of an electronic position detection unit; (c) positioning a connection element at a point within the through-hole as a function of the spatial position of the hole or as a function of position data determined by the electronic position detection unit; (d) connecting the connection element with the first component, so that the connection element projects into the hole or through the hole; and (e) clipping a clip element holding together the two components onto the connection element.
It is the starting point of the invention to form-fittingly and/or frictionally mutually connect at least two (i.e. two or more) components to be connected with one another by way of a connection element projecting from a first one of the two components and a "clip element" clipped onto the connection element.
In a first method step, the two components are placed against one another or positioned relative to one another. It may be provided that the two components come in direct contact with one another, i.e. rest directly against one another. However, this does not necessarily have to be so. In principle, the two components could also be arranged to be spaced away from one another by use of one or more spacers, one or more components arranged in-between and/or an adhesive layer.
After the bringing-together and orienting of the two components, the position of a through-hole provided in the second component is determined by an electronic position detection unit. The term "position detection" applies very generally to data or information which describe the spatial position of the hole provided in the second component or relative to the first component or to other reference geometries.
Subsequently, the connection element is placed at a point within the hole as a function of the spatial position of the hole or as a function of position data determined by the electronic position detection unit. It may be provided that in this case the connection element comes in contact with the first component or, more precisely, with the side of the first component facing the second component. The connection element is preferably pressed against the first component.
It may be provided that the electronic position detection unit has an optoelectronics system or a camera system by which the spatial position of the hole is opto-electronically detected. In principle, the spatial position could also be detected purely electronically, mechanically, hydraulically or in a different manner.
After the positioning of the connection element, the latter is connected with the first component, so that it projects into the hole or through the hole and thereby through the second component. The connection element is preferably welded to the first component. Different welding methods, such as laser welding, resistance current welding, friction welding, etc. may be used.
In order to achieve a high joining precision, it is advantageous to connect the connection element with the first component only after the bringing-together and positioning of the two components relative to one another. Specifically, it can be ensured in this manner that the connection element is positioned precisely in the center with respect to the hole. A further advantage is the fact that two components can be positioned and oriented significantly more easily relative to one another, if, in this case, the connection element is not yet connected with the first component.
For a large scale production, it is advantageous for the connection element to be welded onto the first component by way of an electronically controlled welding device (for example, a welding robot).
After the connecting of the connection element with the first component, a clip element is clipped onto the connection element, which clip element holds the two components together. It may, for example, be provided that the clip element has a hat-type or mushroom-type head section, which reaches over the hole and thereby presses the second component in the direction of the first component.
The first component and the connection element may, for example, consist of metal. The first component and the connection element may, for example, be a steel or aluminum component. The second component may also be a metal component, such as a steel or aluminum component. As an alternative, the second component may also be a plastic component, particularly a component made of a fiber-reinforced plastic material. Particularly plastic components can be used which are reinforced by embedded carbon fibers, glass fibers, metal wires or the like.
The clip element may completely or partly consist of a plastic material. As an alternative, it may also consist of metal or another material, or of several materials (such as a metal element with plastic injected around it). It has to have sufficient elasticity so that it can be clipped onto the connection element and, after the clipping-on, be held thereon in a frictional and/or form-fitting manner. By means of the clip element, the at least two components are not only held or clamped together, but are also positioned relative to one another with a high dimensional stability.
In addition, the two components can be welded to one another, particularly after being clipped-together.
The above-mentioned hat-type and mushroom-type section of the clip element may have an elastic design. This has the advantage that the two components can be held on one another without play after the clipping-on of the clip element.
In the case of certain applications, particularly in the case of so-called mixed-construction connections, in which a metal component is connected with a plastic component, it may be an advantage to additionally glue the two components to one another. The two components may, for example, be glued to one another before the clipping-on of the clip element or already before the connecting of the connection element with the first component.
The clipping-on of the clip element may take place manually. However, preferably this process step will also be automated. For this purpose, the spatial position of the connection element is detected by an electronic position detection unit. As an alternative, by using the already determined present or known position data, an automated clipping-on of the clip element can take place by way of a robot system, in which case, the spatial position of the connection element should naturally also be taken into account.
The connection element may be a sphere, for example, a steel or aluminum sphere. The term "sphere" should be interpreted extremely broadly. It comprises not only connection elements with a spherical geometry in the strict mathematical sense but also partial spheres (spherical caps) or connection elements similar to spheres.
According to a further development of the invention, the connection element consist of two, three or several mutually connected spherical or sphere-like elements. In the case of two or more spherical or sphere-like elements, it may be provided that the latter are arranged in a row one behind another.
The clip element can be configured and clipped onto the connection element such that it reaches over and or around at least one spherical or sphere-like element of the connection element. The more spherical or sphere-like elements of the connection element are subjected to the reaching-over and/or reaching-around by the clip element, the higher the strength of the component connection tends to be.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of one or more preferred embodiments when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Method for connecting two components, and component connection

Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft


A method includes receiving a first control command including a value for a first control parameter. The method further includes determining an association between the first control command and an identifier of the first control parameter. The method also includes identifying a graphical user interface (GUI) tool and information of the GUI tool based on the identifier of the first control parameter. The method includes launching a GUI that includes the GUI tool. The method further includes updating the first control parameter using the GUI tool based on the information of the GUI tool and the value for the first control parameter. The method also includes initiating content streaming using a first modulator in response to updating the first control parameter. The method includes identifying performance data for the first modulator associated with the content streaming. The method further includes sending the performance data to a server via the network.

Content delivery platforms typically use multiple media distribution servers to provide content over a network. The media distribution servers may include one or more modulators that may transform a signal into a different form, such as digital to analog, prior to transmission of the signal to another device over a network. Despite being part of the same content delivery platform, the media distribution servers may use different hardware, which can cause issues in their ability to provide the content.
The subject matter claimed herein is not limited to embodiments that solve any disadvantages or that operate only in environments such as those described above. Rather, this background is only provided to illustrate one example technology area where some embodiments described herein may be practiced. Further, unless otherwise indicated, the materials described in the background section are not prior art to the claims in the present application and are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.

Net-aware service to control media distribution node output


A golf ball retrieval apparatus for retrieving a golf ball from a cupped hole is provided. The golf ball retrieval apparatus comprises an outer tube and an inner shaft slidably receivable within the outer tube. A retrieval mechanism is mounted to the inner shaft and capable of releasably grasping the golf ball. A cam system is mounted to the inner shaft for substantially centering the inner shaft within the outer tube and impeding the movement of the inner shaft within the outer tube. Interaction of the cam system and the outer tube impedes movement of the inner shaft within the outer tube and releasably, frictionally secures a desired position of the inner shaft relative to the outer tube. Golfers are enabled to facilitate expedient retrieval of a golf ball from a cupped hole or other location while remaining in a substantially upright position.

A popular recreational and competitive sport, the game of golf possesses a rich history. Roman emperors played a relaxing game called paganica, using a bent stick to drive a feather stuffed ball. Over the next five centuries the game developed on several continents, eventually evolving into a popular Scottish gamer known as golfe which is the direct ancestral game of golf played today. A relaxing outdoor sport of strategy and skill, golf has become a favored pastime of men, women and children.
The golf ball is a primary piece of golf equipment that comes with a specific drawback. It is taxing to constantly bend down to retrieve a played ball from the depths of a cup especially for those golfers who are elderly, obese, arthritic, or have simple back, knee and other joint pain. As a result, golfers can experience soreness and extreme discomfort shortly after beginning play, which can adversely affect their game.
The prior art has put forth several designs for golf ball retrieval devices. Among these are:
US Patent Publication 2012/0208652 to Bernhard Kaluza and Ralph Rhein describes a golf ball grabbing device including a cap affixable at the longitudinal extremity of the grip of a putter shaft and having a single central opening with finger receiving guide notches therearound. A movable grabber assembly has a base member movably retained within the shaft below the cap and at least three nondestructible resiliently deformable strip fingers. Each finger has a proximal end secured to the base member, an arcuate ball grabbing portion, and a distal end terminating in a camming member with a planar, ball engageable face. Each finger is slidably engaged within one of the notches. The movable grabber assembly is slidable with respect to the cap between a nonuse position and a use position.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,021,068 to Anthony F. Piazza describes a device for retrieving golf balls comprising a tapered receptacle and a vacuum pump whereby a golf ball is forced into and retained in the receptacle by direct pressure or by use of a vacuum producing means. The vacuum producing means functions as a pressurizing system for freeing a retained golf ball at the convenience of a user. The vacuum producing means is comprised of a tubular handle and a close fitting piston joined to an elongated and slidable rod which is terminated in its upper section in a knob for grasping. A lower rod section extends from the piston where entry of a golf ball into the receptacle is induced by lowering the receptacle over the ball. The lower rod section also functions in releasing the golf ball when said knob is pushed downwards with respect to the tubular handle.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,760,807 to William G Watson describes a golf ball retrieval device comprising a unique construction and arrangement of parts whereby a multiplicity of golf balls are expeditiously picked up and stored without a necessity of bending over or stooping. The ball retrieving component comprises a cylindrical tube open at one end for the reception of a ball and has circumferentially spaced apertures therein. A resilient ring mounted on the tube has anchoring lugs engaged in the apertures. The ring includes an internal shoulder at an intermediate point abutting the open end of the tube, and further includes an integral funnel on one end projecting beyond the open end of the tube and aligned therewith for directing the ball thereinto. The funnel includes a tapered inner end portion projecting into the tube from the shoulder and has spaced slots providing a plurality of arcuate resilient lips. The spaced slots define drain passages for the tube, and the lips are yieldable for ball passage and engageable therebeneath for ball retention.
None of these prior art references describe the present invention.


An administration server in a database management system retrieves log files in a plurality of formats from a plurality of clients through helper programs running on the clients. The plurality of clients can include Web servers, application servers, and database servers. The log files can be generated by software modules on the clients. An administration engine converts log entries in the log files into a unified format for display. The converted log entries can be stored in a log database. Upon a user request, the administration server presents the log entries to the user in a log viewer. The log viewer can display log entries originated from heterogeneous software modules in a unified view.

In a distributed computing environment, heterogeneous components of a database management system can be hosted on multiple servers. A database management application can have multiple software modules, such as Web servers, application servers, databases, and load balancers. The software modules can be hosted on a variety of computers running on a variety of operating systems. Each of the computers can have a unique system configuration. Each software module can also have an individualized or unique logging mechanism. For example, a system log can contain memory usage, disk usage, Input/Output (I/O) frequency, paging frequency, etc. A Web server log can contain access time, access Internet Protocol (IP) address, and page visited. An application log can contain tracing information. A database log can contain number of active connections, number of commits, number of reads, etc.
A system administrator is often required to monitor the status of software modules on a variety of servers. For example, in a complex Web-based, database-backed application, a system administrator needs to monitor the health of each database on each server, and load-balance the system by directing a next request to a proper database. For another example, if a Web-based, database-backed application fails to respond to a user request, a system administrator needs to locate a component in the system that failed. The failure can be a software failure or a hardware failure. The system administrator can identify a failed component by viewing logs for each software module and each computer.
Traditionally, system and database log files are vendor proprietary. A database vendor can provide homogeneous log files for the vendor's database, even when the database runs on a variety of operating systems. Similarly, a computer vendor can provide a homogeneous log files for the computer vendor's computers, no matter what database runs on the computers. Furthermore, technologies exist to view both a server log file and system log files in a single viewer. However, no existing solutions provide a unified viewer for interactive display of disparate log files.

Heterogeneous database management system


A transfer case for a four-wheel drive vehicle having a planetary gear assembly which integrates a gear reduction unit and an interaxle differential into a common assembly. A synchronized range clutch is operably associated with the input to the planetary gear assembly and can be selectively shifted on-the-fly for establishing high-range and low-range speed ratios. A biasing clutch is operably associated with the output of the planetary gear assembly to automatically limit speed differentiation and bias the torque distribution between the outputs of the planetary gear assembly in response to excessive wheel slip.

The present invention relates generally to transfer cases for use in four-wheel drive vehicles. More particularly, the present invention relates to a full-time transfer case having a two-speed gear reduction unit and an interaxle differential integrated into a planetary gear assembly, a synchronized range shift mechanism for shifting the input of the planetary gear assembly on-the-fly between high-range and low-range drive modes, and a biasing clutch for limiting slip between the outputs of the planetary gear assembly.
As is now conventional, many light-duty and sport-utility vehicles are equipped with a transfer case for transmitting power (i.e., drive torque) to all four of the wheels, thereby establishing a four-wheel drive mode of operation. To accommodate differing road surfaces and conditions, many transfer cases are equipped with a gear reduction unit which can be selectively shifted to permit the vehicle operator to choose between a four-wheel high-range (i.e., direct ratio) drive mode and a four-wheel low-range (i.e., reduced ratio) drive mode. In many instances, the four-wheel drive vehicle must be stopped before the transfer case can be shifted between its four-wheel high-range and low-range drive modes. Unfortunately, the need to stop the vehicle prior to shifting between the available four-wheel high-range and low-range drive modes is inconvenient, particularly upon encountering road conditions or surface terrains where continuation of the vehicle's rolling momentum would assist in overcoming the conditions encountered. To alleviate a portion of this inconvenience, some gear reduction units have been designed which permit the vehicle operator to shift without stopping the vehicle (i.e., "on-the-fly") from the four-wheel low-range drive mode into the four-wheel high-range drive mode. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,054,335 discloses a transfer case equipped with a synchronized range shift arrangement for "on-the-fly" shifting of a layshaft-type gear reduction unit. Alternatively, commonly-owned U.S. Pat. No. 5,346,442 discloses a transfer case having a synchronized range shift arrangement for "on-the-fly" shifting of a planetary-type gear reduction unit. Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 4,569,252 discloses a planetary-type gear reduction unit which permits synchronized shifting into and out of the high-range drive mode and the low-range drive mode.
In addition to the gear reduction unit, many transfer cases are also equipped with a mode shift mechanism which permits the vehicle operator to selectively shift between a two-wheel drive mode wherein only the rear driveline is driven and a "part-time" four-wheel drive mode wherein the front driveline is rigidly coupled for rotation with the rear driveline. Reference may be made to commonly-owned U.S. Pat. No. 4,770,280 for disclosure of an exemplary part-time transfer case equipped with a gear reduction unit and a synchronized mode shift mechanism. In view of increased consumer popularity in four-wheel drive vehicles for everyday use, the mode shift mechanism in some two-speed transfer cases is replaced with an interaxle differential which is operable for continuously transmitting drive torque to both the front and rear drivelines while permitting speed differentiation therebetween. Reference may be made to commonly-owned U.S. Pat. No. 4,677,873 for disclosure of an exemplary full-time two-speed transfer case equipped with a gear reduction unit and a dual-planetary interaxle differential. In order to prevent traction loss due to excessive interaxle slip, some full-time transfer cases are also equipped with a limited slip device which is operable for selectively or automatically biasing the torque distribution ratio across the interaxle differential while preventing or regulating speed differentiation in response to the slip condition. In some systems, a lock-out clutch is manually-actuated to lock the interaxle differential. However, other full-time transfer cases are equipped with a hydraulic coupling or an electronically-controlled bias clutch for automatically regulating the amount of allowable speed differentiation across the interaxle differential.
In an effort to minimize the overall size of full-time transfer cases, it has been proposed to incorporate the gear reduction unit and the interaxle differential into a common planetary gear assembly. One such arrangement is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,644,822 which discloses a transfer case having "back-to-back" first and second planetary gearsets with common components that can be selectively shifted to establish different four-wheel drive modes. Likewise, each of commonly-owned U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,284,068 and 5,411,447 discloses a full-time dual-speed transfer case equipped with an integrated planetary gear assembly that is shifted as a unit to establish the different available drive modes. Finally, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,677,875, 4,344,335, 4,215,593 and 4,805,484 each disclose a transfer case having a common planetary gear assembly which is operable to establish various drive modes through manipulation of one or more suitable shift mechanisms. While such prior art arrangements provide a compact construction, there is a continuing need to develop low cost, simplified alternatives which meet modern requirements for low noise and weight.

Full-time transfer case with integrated planetary gearset and biasing clutch


An uninterruptible power supply (UPS) system includes an AC power input configured to receive AC power from a single-phase AC power source or a multi-phase AC power source, a DC power source, an output circuit including a power output, a controllable switch configured to selectively couple at least one of the AC power input and the DC power source to the output circuit, and a processor coupled and configured to affect operation of the output circuit depending upon which of single-phase and multi-phase operation of the UPS is indicated.

Uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems are useful for protecting devices against power loss. UPSs typically have an input for an AC line source, rectification and boost circuitry, an inverter, and a battery. The UPSs can selectively supply power from either the AC line source to the load or from the battery to the load. When the battery is not being used to supply the load, it may be charged by power from the AC line source. The AC line source may be single phase or three phase, and UPSs exist that are configured to handle one or the other type of AC power. UPSs are typically configured to switch to battery if the input line voltage is beyond an allowable voltage range.
Various battery configurations may be used in UPSs, and battery charger failure may be detected so that failing UPSs can be repaired. UPSs may use single string or multi-string battery configurations. Single-string configurations typically provide a positive battery voltage and multi-string configurations typically provide positive and negative battery voltages. Which configuration a particular UPS has can be programmed into the UPS to help ensure proper operation of the UPS. The batteries can be monitored to detect failures and this is typically done by monitoring battery voltage and other parameters such as current flowing into or out of the battery, e.g., to determine if the battery has been exhausted. Batteries may drain, e.g., during storage due to leakage into battery bus capacitors and other components that are electrically connected to the batteries. Different UPSs, with different nominal battery bus voltages and/or different battery configurations typically have different battery packs. Further, replacing batteries or battery packs, at least for a mid-range capacity UPS (e.g., between about 3 KVA and about 10 KVA) typically involves disconnecting the UPS from the line source power and disassembling the UPS significantly to access the batteries/battery pack(s).
Various fault conditions may be detected and responsive actions taken. For example, inverter voltage may be monitored to detect load short circuits. If a short circuit is detected, the UPS may switch to bypass mode to connect the line source directly to the load. A UPS may also start in bypass mode so that an output short circuit is connected to the line source during startup, before the UPS has a chance to detect the short circuit.
Further, various components of UPSs can be replaced as they fail and/or as upgrades become available. For example, fans used to cool UPSs and/or microcontrollers used to control UPSs can be replaced by disassembling the UPSs.
Several factors influence aspects of UPS design, including growing demands for stable, reliable and continuous supply of electricity to sensitive electronic equipment and for increasingly compact devices to provide this power. There is a demand for power backup units to occupy a small amount of space and to provide significant amounts of stable power, e.g., to computers, servers, and other devices. UPSs provide backup power, but typically produce significant amounts of heat in doing so. To cool UPS components, one or more fans are often used to flow air through the UPS. Competing interests are that the cooling effect of the fans, as well as the noise and cost of the fans, is proportional to their size and number. The fans are typically inside a housing of the UPS and can be replaced by removing the UPS from its rack (if rack-mounted) and/or disassembling the UPS to access the fan.
As UPSs are used to provide continuous power to sensitive electronic devices, it is desirable that a UPS can be serviced/repaired without interrupting the power supplied to the electronic devices and without disturbing the physical location of the UPS. For example, it is desirable to replace a fan of a rack-mounted UPS without removing the UPS from the rack. Further, mid-range tower (stand-alone) or rack-mounted UPSs typically have large batteries/battery packs that require two or more people and/or lifting equipment to handle.


[Object]

Photolithography has hitherto been used in the manufacture of flat panel displays (FPDs) such as liquid crystal displays, semiconductor devices, charge-coupled devices (CCDs) or color filters. For example, in a photolithographic process for producing integrated circuits, a positive- or negative-working resist is cast on a substrate, then baked to remove the solvent, thereafter exposed to radiation such as UV light, far UV light, electron beams or X-rays, and finally developed to form a resist pattern.
In accordance with recent technological progress, semiconductor devices have been required to be highly integrated and hence miniaturization of resist patterns has been regarded as a problem to solve. Meanwhile, it has been also desired to provide a method capable of producing semiconductor devices at low cost and in high productivity. In view of this background, various photolithographic processes have been studied and brought into practice. Further, according to that, various researches have been made on new materials employed in those lithographic processes.
Hitherto, silicon oxide films have been generally adopted as masks of photoresist. The silicon oxide films can be relatively easily formed by casting and then firing compositions containing, for example, polysilazane, polysiloxane or the like, and therefore have been used in a great many processes. However, even the silicon oxide films cannot always fulfill their functions, and accordingly there is a case where the masks need to be made of new materials in place of silicon oxide. As one of those new materials, tungsten oxide is proposed.
Tungsten oxide films have a relatively low volume shrinkage ratio, and accordingly hardly suffer from defects such as voids. Further, they also have another advantage of being easily removed away by washing with water or the like. Accordingly, the tungsten oxide films often exhibit properties more advantageous than the silicon oxide ones. However, it has been difficult to produce tungsten oxide films by casting compositions in the same manner as the silicon oxide films, and hence they have been generally produced according to vapor deposition methods. Because of that, there is a problem in that the productivity thereof cannot be enhanced.
Although there is a known method to form a tungsten oxide film from an aqueous solution (e.g., Patent document 1), there is not any known method in which both coatability and film-formability are satisfying enough to apply to lithographic processes for producing semiconductor devices.

Composition for forming tungsten oxide film and method for producing tungsten oxide film using same

Abstract: [Object]

Abstract: To provide a composition for forming a tungsten oxide film from an aqueous solution, and also to provide a pattern formation method employing that composition.

Abstract: [Means]

Abstract: The present invention provides a tungsten oxide film-forming composition comprising: water, a water-soluble metatungstate, and at least one additive selected from the group consisting of anionic polymers, nonionic polymers, anionic surfactants, and tertiary amino group-containing nonionic surfactants. For forming a pattern, this composition can be employed in place of a silicon dioxide film-forming composition in a pattern formation process using an image reversal trilayer structure, a resist undercoat layer or a resist top protective film.