In the context of a structure wherein outer casing(s) is/are disposed so as to permit opening and closing about shaft(s), stopper member(s) and engagement piece(s) engaging with such stopper member(s) being disposed at such outer casing(s) so as to permit independent displacement in pivoting fashion about shaft(s) for each thereof, one end(s) of arm member(s) is/are supported by outer casing(s) so as to permit displacement in pivoting fashion, and shaft(s) of stopper member(s) is/are secured to other end(s) of such arm member(s). In addition, when bottom region(s) of stopper member(s) in engaged state(s) with engagement piece(s) abuts or abut and is/are pressed upward by original(s) loaded in original tray(s) during closing of outer casing(s) which had at least immediately prior thereto been in open state(s), this causes other end(s) of arm member(s) to be displaced upward in pivoting fashion, in accompaniment to which stopper member(s) is/are lifted upward.

This Nonprovisional application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(a) on patent Application No.2003-041395 filed in Japan on Feb. 19, 2003, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
The present invention pertains to an original transport apparatus for taking up one or more original sheets one sheet at a time and transporting same during image capture.
Conventionally known techniques for capturing images of originals include two capturing methods, these being stationary-original capture and moving-original capture.
Because the stationary-original capture method is such that capture takes place with the original being held stationary and with scanning being accomplished through movement of the image information capture component (optical unit), this is suitable where the original is a book or is card stock. There is also the advantage that because scanning is performed by an image information capture component (optical unit), the precision with which capture takes place can easily be increased.
In contrast thereto, because the moving-original capture method is such that capture takes place with the image information capture component (optical unit) being held stationary and with scanning being accomplished through movement of the original, this has the advantage that the apparatus can be reduced in size, and also that the area occupied by the apparatus can be made small; e.g., when the apparatus is employed in an image forming apparatus. Furthermore, if a number of originals are placed together in the original tray, there is the significant advantage that because capture takes place automatically with these being taken up one sheet at a time, a large quantity of originals can be captured in a short period of time with little inconvenience to the operator.
Furthermore, with the moving-original capture method, whereas the number of original sheets that could be placed in the original tray at a single time was previously on the order of 20 to 40 sheets, it has in recent years become possible to place somewhere in the neighborhood of 100 sheets therein. This has been made possible due in part to improved printing speed, increased memory capacity of the controller provided within the capturing apparatus which temporarily stores image data, improved controller processing speed, and so forth.
However, where the number of original sheets placed therein increases as has been stated to be the case, the likelihood that any given set of stacked originals (one job) can be transported and captured without incident decreases. Furthermore, where an original capturing apparatus is used in combination with an image forming apparatus as a copier, occurrence of a problem at the image forming apparatus will also cause operations at the original capturing apparatus to be temporarily stopped. In the event that an original becomes stuck in this way somewhere along the original transport path, it will be necessary to remove that original.
Now, there are arrangements in which a stopper member for stopping original lead edges and blocking off the near side of the transport path is arranged at an original tray so as to align lead edges and prevent skewing of originals loaded in an inclined original tray while withstanding the weight of such originals during the period prior to initiation of transport of the first original from the original tray, while also preventing situations such as those in which originals accidentally enter the transport path and cause multiple sheets to be transported in conjunction with initiation of transport (see, e.g., Japanese Patent Application Publication Kokai No. 2001-199584).
With an original tray such as is described in such places as this Japanese Patent Application Publication Kokai No. 2001-199584, in the event that an original becomes stuck somewhere along the original transport path, it will as has been described above be necessary to remove that original therefrom, but because it has not conventionally been possible to open and close the outer casing thereof, retrieval of originals therefrom has been troublesome. Accordingly, there has been a need to implement operations such as would permit opening and closing of the outer casing so as to facilitate retrieval of originals which have become stuck therein.
But in constitutions in which a stopper member such as is described in the aforementioned Japanese Patent Application Publication Kokai No. 2001-199584 is, for example, provided at the outer casing, implementation of operations for opening and closing the outer casing can sometimes result in situations in which opening of the outer casing causes originals to slide down the original tray under the force of their own weight and to be displaced from original loading location(s), resulting in alteration of the timing with which originals are taken up thereinto and so forth. Furthermore, when an attempt is made to close the outer casing, a new problem can occur in which the stopper member comes in contact with the leading edges of originals sliding down thereonto, piercing and damaging originals in a worst-case scenario.
The situation will be described in detail with reference to the original transport apparatus of constitution as shown in FIGS. 21 through 25. Note that FIGS. 21 through 24 are vertical sectional views of the original transport apparatus, and FIG. 25 is a schematic plan view thereof.
Outer casing 1, which houses pickup roller R1 and separation roller R2, is such that the basal side thereof (the right side in the drawing) is supported by shaft 2, disposed in a direction perpendicular to the original transport direction, so as to permit opening and closing about a horizontal axis; shaft 2 disposed in a direction perpendicular to transport direction X of original 11 serving as center of rotation during opening and closing. Furthermore, at the free side (the left side in the drawing) of outer casing 1, stopper member 4 is supported by shaft 3, disposed in a direction perpendicular to transport direction X, so as to permit displacement in pivoting fashion.
Furthermore, in the region of an edge at the basal side of outer casing 1, separation roller R2 is rotatably supported by support pin 5, which is disposed in a direction perpendicular to transport direction X; one end of pickup arm 6 being supported by this support pin 5 so as to permit displacement in pivoting fashion. Furthermore, at the other end of pickup arm 6, pickup roller R1 is rotatably supported by support pin 7, which is disposed in a direction perpendicular to transport direction X.
Moreover, post 8 is provided at outer casing 1, engagement piece 9 being supported by this post 8 by means of support pin 9c so as to permit displacement in pivoting fashion. Furthermore, engagement finger 9a, provided in the region at one end of this engagement piece 9, engages with engagement finger 4a provided in the region of the top end of stopper member 4, causing stopper member 4 to be retained such that it is roughly vertical. As a result, stopper member 4, as has been described, blocks the near side of transport path 12 so as to align lead edges 11a of originals 11 loaded in original tray 10 while withstanding the weight of such originals 11, and also prevents originals 11 from accidentally entering transport path 12.
Moreover, protruding horizontally from the region at the other end of engagement piece 9 is thrust pin 9b, this thrust pin 9b being pushed on and driven by thrust piece 6b, which is provided in the region at one end of pickup arm 6.
At this engagement piece 9, the weight to the engagement finger 9a side of support pin 9c is greater than the weight to the thrust pin 9b side thereof. Accordingly, when thrust piece 6b is not in contact with thrust pin 9b, i.e., when pickup arm 6 is in its raised position (the situation shown in FIG. 21), the aforementioned weight distribution causes the engagement finger 9a side thereof to be displaced downward in pivoting fashion, so that engagement finger 9a engages with engagement finger 4a of stopper member 4 as described above.
FIG. 25 is a schematic plan view of an original transport apparatus constituted as described above.
Disposed more or less centrally in the width direction of outer casing 1 of this original transport apparatus is pickup arm 6 possessing pickup roller R1 and separation roller R2; furthermore, stopper members 4 and engagement pieces 9, constituted as described above, are respectively arranged at locations outward from, and to either side in the width direction of, this pickup arm 6. That is, stopper members 4 and engagement pieces 9 are disposed at locations outward from pickup arm 6 such that a pair of each respectively straddles pickup arm 6.
Furthermore, provided at one side of pickup arm 6 is drive control means which drives pickup arm 6 so as to displace it in pivoting fashion, this drive control means being primarily made up of electromagnetic clutch 81, torque limiter 82, and pickup arm spring 83. That is, engagement and disengagement of drive is carried out by electromagnetic clutch 81, pickup arm 6 being driven in pivoting fashion by virtue of the force at torque limiter 82. Furthermore, the restoring force from pickup arm spring 83 is always acting on pickup arm 6 in a direction tending to raise it upward, so that, at times when there is no force acting at torque limiter 82, the restoring force from this pickup arm spring 83 causes pickup arm 6 to be raised and assume a prescribed position within outer casing 1.
FIG. 21 shows the situation described above which exists when engagement finger 4a of stopper member 4 is engaged with engagement finger 9a of engagement piece 9, and the near side of transport path 12 is blocked off.
When capture of originals is initiated with the apparatus in this state, the aforementioned drive control means, as shown in FIG. 22, causes pickup arm 6 to pivot as indicated by the arrow at reference numeral 91, and pickup roller R1 comes in contact with the topmost sheet(s) among originals 11, taking up the topmost original sheet. Furthermore, pivoting displacement of this pickup arm 6 causes thrust piece 6b to press down on and lower thrust pin 9b, causing the engagement finger 9a side of engagement piece 9 to rise up as indicated by the arrow at reference numeral 92, and causing the two engagement fingers 9a, 4a which had been mutually engaged to become disengaged. Accordingly, as the taking up of topmost original sheet(s) 11a proceeds, the lead edge(s) of such original(s) 11a cause stopper member 4 to be lifted up as indicated by the arrow at reference numeral 93, opening up access to transport path 12, whereupon separation roller R2 and separation plate 16 cause only a single sheet to be selectively extracted from original(s) 11a, and this is then guided toward an original capturing unit, not shown.
With a constitution such as has been described, when outer casing 1 is opened due to occurrence of a transport problem as shown in FIG. 23, originals 11 slide down original tray 10 under the force of their own weight and are displaced from original loading location(s). Furthermore, when outer casing 1 is opened, engagement finger 4a of stopper member 4, which is raised up thereto in accompaniment to movement of outer casing 1, engages with engagement finger 9a of engagement piece 9, engagement piece 9 having been in its freed orientation.
With the apparatus in this state, closing outer casing 1 as indicated by the arrow at reference numeral 94 causes the problematic situation shown in FIG. 24 in which the bottom region of stopper member 4 abuts originals 11 during closing of that outer casing 1 and forces its way past originals 11.
The present invention was conceived in order to solve such problems, it being an object thereof to provide an original transport apparatus capable of mitigating problems associated with stopper member(s) occurring in conjunction with opening and/or closing of outer casing(s) without interfering with intended function of stopper member(s) (ability to constrain original lead edge(s) when original(s) is/are loaded).


An interconnect comprises a trench and a number of metal layers above the trench. The trench has a depth and a width. The depth is greater than a critical depth, and the number of metal layers is a function of the width. In an alternate embodiment, a metallization structure having a trench including a metal layer and a second trench including a plurality of metal layers coupled to the metal layer is disclosed. The metal layer is highly conductive, and at least one of the plurality of metal layers is a metal layer that is capable of being reliably wire-bonded to a gold wire. The trench is narrower than the second trench, and at least one of the plurality of metal layers is copper or a copper alloy.

Copper and copper alloys are often substituted for the more traditional aluminum and aluminum alloys as the primary signal and power carrying conductive structures in integrated circuits. Unfortunately, when copper and copper alloy pads are wire-bonded to a highly conductive wire, such as a gold, using current state-of-the-art wire-bonding processes, the resulting copper and gold bonds or copper alloy and gold bonds are not as reliable as aluminum and gold bonds or aluminum alloy and gold bonds used in the prior art.
One solution to this problem is shown in the prior art bonding structure 100 of FIG. 1. Bonding structure 100 includes substrate 103, copper conductor 106, dielectric layer 109, barrier layer 112, aluminum layer 115, passivation layer 116 and polyimide layer 118. To avoid wire-bonding to copper, dielectric layer 109 is etched at the location of copper conductor 106, and a barrier layer 112 of titanium or titanium nitride is deposited above copper conductor 106. Aluminum layer 115 is deposited above barrier layer 112, and passivation 116 and polyimide layers 118 are deposited above aluminum layer 115. Finally, passivation 116 and polyimide 118 layers are etched to expose aluminum layer 115 for wire-bonding. Unfortunately, this solution has several problems. First, it requires two extra masking operations that are not required when wire-bonding to an aluminum or an aluminum-copper conductor. It requires a masking operation to expose copper conductor 106 prior to depositing barrier layer 112 and aluminum layer 115, and it requires a masking operation to pattern aluminum layer 115, prior to wire-bonding. Second, the extra processing steps increase the complexity of the manufacturing operation and the failure rate of the manufactured circuits. Third, the solution is expensive, since it requires more materials, masking steps, and time than the prior art processes to manufacture the integrated circuit.
For these and other reasons there is a need for the present invention.


This invention provides novel pyrimidines or their pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof and process for preparation thereof. The novel compounds are useful for neurological diseases of the peripheral and central nervous systems of animals.

Japanese Patent Publication No. 23,394/1971 discloses that aminopyrimidines represented by the following formula ##STR1## wherein A represents an alkylene group having up to 16 carbon atoms, or a lower alkylene group substituted by an amino group or a C.sub.2-5 acylamino group, N represents H, Na, K, NH.sub.4, Mg, Ca or an organic basic ammonium salt, and n is a value equal to the atomic valency of M,
have interesting therapeutic activity, particularly as an anti-melanchoric agent and psychoanaleptic agent in the field of psychosis.
Japanese Patent Publication No. 22044/1976 discloses that dichloro-lower aliphatic carboxylic acid salts of 2-isopropylaminopyrimidine, such as 2-isopropylaminopyrimidine dicloroacetate, are useful as a therapeutic agent for a neurological disease.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 00477/1977 (Patent Publication No. 28548/1984) discloses that 2-isopropylaminopyrimidine phosphate is useful as a therapeutic agent for a neurological disease.
Japanese Patent Publication No. 157575/1979 discloses a process for producing 2-chloropyrimidine in a high yield. A working example in this patent publication describes the preparation of 2-chloropyrimidine in a yield of 69%.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 393/1980 discloses a process for producing 2-isopropylaminopyrimidine in a high yield. A working example of this patent publication describes the preparation of 2-isopropylaminopyrimidine in a yield of 60%.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 122768/1980 discloses that a hydroxy derivative of 2-isopropylaminopyrimidine represented by the following formula ##STR2## wherein A.sup.4, A.sup.5 and A.sup.6 each represent H or OH, and at least one of them represents OH,
is useful in the field of nerve regeneration and for treatment of myodystrophy.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 145670/1980 discloses that 2-isopropylaminohalogenopyrimidines represented by the following formula ##STR3## wherein A.sub.4 ', A.sub.5 ' and A.sub.6 ' each represent H or a halogen atom, and at least one of them is a halogen atom,
are useful for treatment of various neurological diseases and myodystrophy.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 145,671/1980 discloses a process for producing a hydroxy derivative of 2-isopropylaminopyrimidine.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 151,571/1980 discloses that 2-isopropylamino-5-halogenopyrimidines are interesting in the treatment of neurological diseases.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 10177/1981 discloses a process for producing 2-isopropylaminopyrimidine substantially in a quantitative yield by aminolyzing 2-methylsulfonylpyrimidine with isopropylamine.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 26880/1981 discloses a process for producing 2-isopropylaminopyrimidine which comprises reacting bis(isopropylguanidine) sulfate with 1,1,3,3-tetraethoxypropane.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 90,013/1981 describes a therapeutic agent for myodystropy, myopathy, muscle rigidity and/or dysfunction of neuro-muscular transmission comprising substituted derivative of pyrimidine or its therapeutically acceptable salt or its metabolite as an active ingredient. However, it merely discloses various salts such as an orthophosphate, of 2-isopropylaminopyrimidine as an active compound.
Japanese Laid-Open-Patent Publication No. 65873/1986 discloses that 2-piperazinopyrimidine derivatives of the following formula ##STR4## wherein R.sup.1 is H or aralkyl, and Y is a divalent organic group defined in the claim of this patent publication,
are useful as a herbicide for paddies and upland farms.
The present inventors previously provided a novel therapeutic agent for neurological diseases comprising a specified 2-piperazinopyrimidine derivative or its pharmaceutically acceptable salt (International Laid-Open No. WO87/04928).

Pyrimidines and pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof useful in treatment of neurological disorders


A liquid crystal display panel and a substrate manufacturing method are provided. The liquid crystal display panel includes an array substrate, a color filter substrate, and a liquid crystal layer disposed between the array substrate and the color filter substrate. A first protrusion is disposed on a surface of the array substrate away from the liquid crystal layer, a second protrusion is disposed on a surface of the color filter substrate away from the liquid crystal layer, and the first protrusion is opposite to the second protrusion.

In liquid crystal display panel industries, a camera hole or a sensing hole of a sensor can be formed on a display area by through hole technologies, thereby greatly increasing a screen-to-body ratio. However, in a through hole region, since layer structures of an array substrate and a color filter substrate are all hollowed out, thicknesses of the through hole region and a liquid crystal layer of the display area are different, thereby generating interference patterns.

WUHAN CHINA STAR OPTOELECTRONICS TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.


A transmitter arrangement, a polar modulator arrangement, a polar modulation method and a polar transmitter arrangement are disclosed. A polar modulator arrangement includes a polar generator to provide a phase component and an amplitude component of a complex signal, a filtering block to filter the phase component, and a combiner to combine the amplitude component and the filtered phase component.

In modern transmitter arrangements, complex signal processing is widely used. A complex signal can be represented by an in-phase component I and a quadrature component Q. This is normally referred to as Cartesian representation. I and Q signals are separated by a phase of 90°. However, when applied in a transmitter in the digital communications field, a conventional modulator needs two carrier signals, namely of 90° phase difference but at the same frequency. These multiplied signals are summed together and passed to the output driver. A resulting signal has a continually variable amplitude and phase.
However, a complex signal can also be represented by amplitude and phase. This is also referred to as polar representation. In a polar modulator, the amplitude can directly be used to control the output amplitude, typically by converting the amplitude to an analogue value which drives a mixer. Phase information can be used to control a frequency synthesizer such that a phase of a generated carrier signal tracks the desired phase.
Polar modulation offers a potential for reduced complexity and current consumption in the modulator path, removing the requirement to generate separate I and Q carrier signals, eliminating the problem of image rejection and making frequency synthesis more robust by allowing the oscillator to operate at the same frequency as the carrier frequency or an integer multiple thereof. Moreover, since more and more functionality can be implemented in the digital domain instead of the analogue domain, the polar modulation concept is more suitable for implementation in advanced, complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) processing technologies.

Polar transmitter arrangement and method


A wall block having a block body and a vertical plane of symmetry. The block body having a front portion, a rear portion and a neck portion. The wall block including a core extending through the neck portion and dividing the neck portion into first and second neck wall members extending rearward from the front portion to the rear portion. The wall block having a flange extending downward from the block body. The wall block having a channel positioned in the rear portion of the block body. The wall block having a first plane parallel to the plane of symmetry that passes through the first neck wall member and a second plane parallel to the plane of symmetry that passes through the second neck wall member, the first and second planes being located approximately midway between the plane of symmetry and the lateral outermost points of the wall block.

Numerous methods and materials exist for the construction of retaining walls. Such methods include the use of natural stone, poured in place concrete, masonry, and landscape timbers or railroad ties. In recent years, segmental concrete retaining wall units which are dry stacked (i.e., built without the use of mortar) have become a widely accepted product for the construction of retaining walls. Such products have gained popularity because they are mass produced, and thus relatively inexpensive. They are structurally sound, easy and relatively inexpensive to install, and couple the durability of concrete with the attractiveness of various architectural finishes.
Typically, retaining walls are constructed with multiple courses of blocks. The various courses may be tied together or connected in some manner. For example, numerous block designs have used a sheer connector embodied in the blocks shape to align the blocks with a setback, or batter. A common form of such sheer connectors is a rear, downwardly projecting lip or flange. In forming a multi-course wall, the blocks are placed such that the flanges contact the upper back edge of the blocks located in the course below. As such, blocks having flanges are caused to become aligned with the blocks position below, while at the same time providing a degree of resistance against displacement of individual blocks by earth pressures. In walls formed using blocks of this type, the rear flanges of the blocks cause the wall to have a setback from course to course such that the wall slopes backward at an angle which is predetermined by the width of the flanges. However, blocks with flange connection and setback means are susceptible to having the flange crack or break away from the block due to forces and pressures caused by debris and/or excess material buildup that accumulates between courses of blocks adjacent the flange. The cracking or breaking away of the flange destabilizes the structure and can result in the displacement of blocks within the structure; cracks to form in individual blocks of the structure; and the potential collapse of portions or all of the structure.
It would be desirable to provide a retaining wall block system having a flange connection means that would minimize or eliminate any cracking or breakage caused by debris or excess material buildup adjacent the flange between courses of blocks in a retaining wall. It would be desirable to provide a retaining wall block system having a flange connection means that would minimize or eliminate the ability of retaining forces acting on a block in a course of blocks in a structure to pivot upward (skyward). It would be desirable to provide a retaining wall block system having a flange connection means that would allow for the flange to be more readily broken away cleanly and completely from the block body, eliminating/reducing any excess material that may extend below the bottom face of the block. It would be desirable to provide a method of manufacturing a retaining wall block having a flange connection means that would minimize or eliminate deformation of the flange and to prevent the formation of sharpened edges or burs. It would further be desirable to provide a retaining wall block system having a flange connection means that would form continuous vertical cavities from the uppermost course of retaining wall blocks to the lowermost course of retaining wall blocks to allow stabilizing material to be inserted within the retaining wall to further strengthen the structure.

Retaining wall block and retaining wall block system


There is provided a method for determining colour correction parameters for a digital imaging device. The method comprises simulating target and raw value pairs for a set of colours based on pre-determined sample transmission spectra of the set of colours; i) a sensitivity spectrum of a monochrome sensor of the digital imaging device; and illumination spectra of different colours of a light source of the digital imaging device; or ii)—sensitivity spectra of pixels of different colours of a colour sensor of the digital imaging device; and an illumination spectrum of a light source of the digital imaging device. The method comprises determining a colour correction transformation for transforming the raw values to target values, wherein the colour correction transformation is parametrized by transformation parameters; and solving the transformation parameters for the colour correction transformation using an optimization problem.

Various colour spaces exist which define organization of colours. Colour space describes the capabilities of e.g. an image capture device or a display device to reproduce colour information. The colour space identifies a combination of a colour model and a mapping function between the colour model and a reference colour space. Examples of colour models are CIE (created by the International Commission on Illumination known as the Commission Internationale de l'Elcairage i.e. CIE), RGB, YUV and CMYK, etc. Examples of colour spaces are CIE 1931 XYZ, CIELUV, CIELAB and sRGB, etc.
For example, standard Red Green Blue (sRGB) colour space is widely used on computer displays, printers and internet. In order to be able to display an image on a display with correct colours, colour calibration and colour correction are needed.
Digital imaging devices may be calibrated using custom made calibration slides. However, the number of colours is limited.
Therefore, there is a need for a new method for colour correction and imaging device calibration.


A vehicular vision system includes at least one imaging sensor for sensing images of objects in a forward field of view of the imaging sensor. The imaging system includes a control responsive to an output of the imaging sensor. The control modulates at least one headlamp of the vehicle in response to the output of the imaging sensor. The control may process an output of the imaging sensor to identify a headlamp or taillight of another vehicle in the forward field of view of the at least one imaging sensor and to determine a distance between the controlled vehicle and the identified headlamp or taillight of another vehicle. The control may modulate the at least one headlamp of the vehicle in response to the image processing.

This invention relates generally to vehicular vision systems and, more particularly, to a vehicular vision system which is operable to determine a distance from the vehicle to an object or light source remote from the vehicle. More particularly, the present invention is directed to determining the distance to an object whose image is captured by an image capture device. One application for the imaging system of the present invention is with a vehicle headlamp control and may identify particular light sources of interest and adjust a vehicle's headlamps according to the distance between the vehicle and the particular light sources.
Vehicle camera or vision systems have been proposed for various applications, such as rear and/or side view vision systems, back up aids, collision avoidance systems, rain sensor systems, head lamp control systems and the like. These systems may include a camera or sensor positioned on the vehicle for capturing an image of a scene exteriorly of the vehicle. The vision systems may also include a display for displaying a captured image, or may control an associated accessory on the vehicle, such as windshield wipers, headlamps or even the brake system in response to one or more characteristics of the captured image. In some applications, it has been recognized that distance information between the vehicle and an object in the captured scene may be helpful. In such applications, a ranging device may also be included to provide this information. Various ranging devices have been proposed, such as radar, ultrasonic, sonar, infrared beam/detector devices or similar proximity sensing devices. While such devices provide distance information to the associated vehicular system, this requires an additional sensing device separate from the vehicular vision or camera system, which adds to the bulk and costs associated with the system.
One vehicle system which distance information may be particularly useful is a vehicle headlamp control system for adjusting a vehicle headlamp in response to a detection of oncoming headlamps or leading taillights associated with other vehicles. To date, there have been many proposed headlight dimmer control systems. Many of the prior attempts at vehicle headlight dimming controls include a single light sensor which integrates light from a scene remote from the vehicle. The vehicle headlights are then dimmed when the integrated light exceeds a predetermined threshold. However, these systems typically require a sufficiently low threshold of detection such that many other lower intensity light sources may also be interpreted as headlights or taillights. These systems also have difficulties in reliably detecting taillights of other vehicles traveling ahead of the operative vehicle, since the intensity of taillights is typically substantially less than the intensity of oncoming headlights.
Other proposed headlight dimming controls implement an imaging array sensor which not only senses the light originating from both headlights and taillights, but may further determine the color and intensity of the light, thereby further determining whether the light source is a headlight or a taillight. Such systems are deficient in determining the distance between the sensed light source and the subject vehicle, which would be helpful modulating the headlamps in response to both the sensed light and the distance to the light. One proposed solution is to estimate the distance between the vehicle and the light source in response to the brightness or intensity of the sensed light source, since the detected signal from the light source may at times vary with the square of the distance to the light source. However, such a calculation is only accurate when the sensed light source intensity is within a predetermined level corresponding to a known or assumed intensity of headlamps and is at certain distances. Because the intensity of headlamps and taillamps vary between vehicles and may further vary as the headlamps are modulated between high and low beams and as the brake lights are activated or deactivated, such an estimation of distance may be inaccurate in many cases.


When a DC/DC converter switches between a primary voltage control mode, a secondary voltage control mode, and a current limiting mode as operation modes, an I-term resetting processor outputs an I term depending on the duty ratio in the operation mode before being switched to a PID processor. The PID processor performs a PID control process based on the input I term. A drive duty ratio setter outputs a drive duty ratio immediately after the control mode switching, which is substantially equal to the duty ratio in the operation mode before being switched. As a result, the duty ratios in the operation mode before being switched and the operation mode after being switched are made continuous with respect to each other.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of controlling a DC/DC converter disposed between a first power device and a second power device for energizing switching devices with given duty ratios, a method of controlling a DC/DC converter apparatus incorporating such a DC/DC converter, and a method of controlling driving operation of an electric vehicle incorporating such a DC/DC converter apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Heretofore, there has been proposed an electric vehicle wherein a travel electric motor is energized by a battery and a fuel cell, the fuel cell being connected to the travel electric motor through an inverter and the battery being connected to the fuel cell through a DC/DC converter which functions as a bidirectional voltage converter (see, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2007-159315).
A DC/DC converter apparatus which incorporates the DC/DC converter controls the voltage across the secondary side of the DC/DC converter (hereinafter referred to as "secondary voltage"), i.e., the voltage (inter-terminal voltage) of the fuel cell, and also controls electric currents flowing through the respective phases of the DC/DC converter so that the electric currents will be lower than an allowable current level depending on the temperature of each of the switching devices of the phases of the DC/DC converter.
Providing an accessory is connected to the battery, if the power cable interconnecting the battery and the DC/DC converter is disconnected, it is desirable to interrupt an ordinary process of controlling the secondary voltage (hereinafter referred to as "secondary voltage control mode") and to control the voltage across the primary side of the DC/DC converter (hereinafter referred to as "primary voltage"), i.e., to control the voltage across the battery for protecting the accessory for normal operation (hereinafter referred to as "primary voltage control mode") in order to keep the voltage applied to the accessory connected to the battery at an appropriate level.
In the electric vehicle, a fuse is connected to an output terminal of the battery. When an overcurrent flows from the battery, the fuse is immediately blown out to prevent the overcurrent from further flowing from the battery, thereby protecting the battery. If the fuse is blown out, then the battery is unable to supply electric power through the DC/DC converter and an inverter to the electric motor until the fuse is replaced with a new one. As a result, the electric vehicle cannot be driven in the meantime. Therefore, it is desirable to interrupt the secondary voltage control mode before the fuse is blown out, and to change to a control process for keeping the current flowing through the DC/DC converter below a given threshold level (hereinafter referred to as "current limiting mode").
The operation modes of the DC/DC converter, i.e., the primary voltage control mode, the secondary voltage control mode, and the current limiting mode, have different variables to be controlled. Consequently, simply switching from one of the operation modes to another tends to cause voltage and current fluctuations (disturbances) such as temporary overshoots of the primary voltage, the secondary voltage, and the current upon switching between the operation modes.

Method of controlling DC/DC converter, method of controlling DC/DC converter apparatus, and method of controlling driving operation of electric vehicle


There is disclosed a cemented carbide tool containing tungsten carbide, titanium carbide, nickel and cobalt, molybdenum and chromium. The composition of the materials provides a good resistance to corrosion as well as high hardness and wear resistance. These properties are particularly interesting for the manufacture of tools for coldforming operations. Cold forming tools made with these materials have steady performance over a long period of time.

The present invention relates to a method of making improved cemented carbide tools for shaping or otherwise working materials. The invention has particular application in making metal working tools, and specifically tools used in the manufacture of tubular casings and similar articles, such as two-piece beverage cans.
A two-piece can is made by a drawing and wall ironing process. In general, a two-piece can is made by stamping out metal discs from a metal plate. A metal "cup" is formed from the disk. The formed cups are pushed through a body-forming die comprising a plurality of annular rings, generally known as draw, redraw, and ironing rings, by a body-forming punch. The clearances between the body-forming punch and the plurality of rings become progressively smaller so that the thickness of cup wall is reduced and the cup is elongated. This process is generally referred to as the ironing operation. It is a particularly demanding operation causing high wear on the tools and is sensitive to the dimensional changes and lubrication conditions. Because of the tremendous volume of beverage cans manufactured each year, each slight improvement in the manufacturing process can result in tremendous savings.
Tools for imparting a desired shape, form, or finish to a material, such as dies, punches, and the like, are characterized by extreme hardness, compressive strength and rigidity. This is particularly necessary when shaping metals or similar materials. Commercial material working tools for mass production must also be resistant to wear, erosion and chipping from repeated and continuous stress and abrasion. In addition these tools should also exhibit good corrosion resistant properties in order not to be damaged by the surrounding liquid media (coolant/lubricant). These tools must also be made from materials which can be designed and machined to close tolerances and maintain dimensional stability over a wide range of operating conditions.
It is known to make punches, dies, deep draw tooling and similar material working tools from a variety of materials, including metals, cemented carbide and conventional ceramics. These known materials all have certain undesirable limitations. When making tools for shaping metal articles, particularly tubular casings such as two-piece beverage cans, the problems of prior known materials becomes particularly significant.
A possible way to achieve better performance in can manufacturing is the use of ceramic materials, e.g. whisker reinforced alumina or silicon nitride as are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,095,730 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,396,788 respectively, but so far conventional cemented carbide seems to keep its position as the preferred material.
A second possible way to achieve better performance is the use of ultrafine grained cemented carbide. Many improvements could be reached by a grain size reduction leading to better wear resistance as described in EP-A-1726672.
Slightly better corrosion resistance is expected from ultrafine material as also described in EP-A-1726673. However, this improvement is believed to be a result of thinner binder films obtained via the WC grain size reduction. Thus, even if a slight improvement is reached, the leaching mechanism will not be drastically modified, leading to binder elimination with a consequent destruction of the cemented carbide structure.


A device for coding HF transponders moving along a conveyor device. The device includes a first machining station, arranged and designed to identify a respective HF transponder being guided past the first machining station, and a second machining station with an HF antenna. The HF antenna has a transmission region that is arranged and designed to simultaneously detect a plurality of the HF transponders being guided past the second machining station by the conveyor device. The second machining station is additionally designed to select a respective HF transponder detected in the transmission region of the HF antenna for transmission of data and to transmit data to the selected HF transponder, where the transmitted data is ascertained on the basis of the identification of the selected HF transponder by the first machining station.

There are described herein a device and a method for coding HF transponders. There are described in particular a device and a method for coding RFID transponders in the HF wavelength range. Features and properties of the device and of the method are defined in the claims; however, the description and the figures also disclose characteristics of the device and of the method and of the various aspects thereof.
Such HF transponders are used, for example, for labels, such as, for example, price tags, documents of value or security documents or the like, and generally have a single- or multi-layer body.
In order to take account of increasing security requirements, transponders (transponder inlays), for example, are increasingly being used also in documents of value and security documents (debit cards, credit cards, passports, identity cards, access control cards, etc.). RFID transponders for documents of value and security documents are nowadays frequently manufactured in a standardized form, apart from personalization data, and subsequently coded with individual data sets and/or transponder-individual information.
A HF transponder, in particular for RFID (=radio frequency identification) applications, has essentially a semiconductor chip and an antenna in the form of a coil, loop or dipole. The antenna permits contactless data access, that is to say contactless, automated writing, or coding, and/or reading of (personalization) data to/from the semiconductor chip of the transponder.
A system for continuous RFID coding is known from US 2007/0120670 A1. The system comprises a sensor antenna and a coding antenna. RFID tags with their transponders are guided in succession past these two antennas, wherein the sensor antenna serves to identify the transponders and the coding antenna serves to code the transponders.
A device with which data can be stored in RFID tags is known from US 2008/0231419 A1. For that purpose, the tags are guided past multiple stations, each of which has an antenna. A first station serves to identify the tags, and at a second station the data are written to the tags.
In order to code HF transponders with transponder-individual information, it has hitherto been necessary to selectively address and write to, or code, each HF transponder by means of a corresponding coding device. For that purpose, the transponder to be written to is guided into the detection range of a HF antenna, remains there during addressing and writing, and is finally removed from the detection range of the HF antenna again, so that a further HF transponder can be supplied or coded. In other words, the HF transponders are supplied to the coding device, coded and removed one after the other in a "stop & go" method. However, this method has the disadvantage that, even when the addressing, writing and transport operations are completely or at least almost optimized, a loss of time always occurs due to the necessary acceleration or the necessary slowing down of the HF transponders (or of a transport device which holds the transponders ready) in the region of the coding device. Since the acceleration or slowing down of the HF transponder (or of the transport device) is a mechanical operation, it cannot moreover be accelerated or retarded at least arbitrarily. Coding of HF transponders can take place, for example, within a time period of from 50 to 300 milliseconds, so that a time period in which a coded HF transponder is mechanically removed from the detection range of a coding device and/or a further transponder to be coded is supplied to the device always leads to a relevant delay of the coding operation. Owing to the supply or removal of the HF transponders, time windows in which the coding device is not actively coding a transponder regularly occur. The throughput speed, or the maximum production rate, of a coding device is limited thereby.
Despite known coding devices, there is accordingly a need for an improved device which in particular permits the continuous coding of a plurality of HF transponders without the occurrence at a processing station of waiting times for the supply or removal of individual HF transponders to be coded.

Device and method for coding high frequency (HF) transponders


In an angle electric power tool 1 in which an output axis P intersects and is orthogonal to a motor axis J, a battery attachment portion 40 is provided to the rear of a grip 30 so as to extend in the rearward direction and a battery pack 50 is configured to be attached to an upper surface of said battery attachment portion 40. Because of this configuration, the battery pack 50 does not directly come into contact with a working surface W, thereby preventing flaws and scratches on the working surface W.

Generally, in an angle polisher used for performing polishing work, or in an angle disc grinder used for performing grinding work, an output shaft to which an end tip tool such as a polishing pad or a circular whetstone is attached is disposed perpendicular to a motor shaft of an electric motor serving as a power source. Angle electric power tools are disclosed in non-patent literature such as, for example, Makita General Catalogue No. Z11203C1 published June, 2017, which shows a model No. 9237C on page 97. When disc grinders such as those previously known are used, some flaws or scratches which result on the working surface from application of the polisher do not raise any problem since a working surface (grinding object) is, for example, stone material. However, when the polisher is used on another working surface, such as e.g. an automobile body, even a slight flaw or scratch may cause a problem since the working surface is more sensitive. Because of this reason, for example, special care needs to be taken when operating such a polisher on such a working surface. In particular, in polishing the working surface when the polisher used is operated by, for example, AC power, an operator must be careful not to contact the power cable with the working surface. Also, when the polisher used is operated by DC power, the operator must be careful not to contact a battery pack to the working surface.
The angle polisher Model No. 9237C disclosed in the above-described non-patent document is operated by AC power.
When said polisher is used, the user may need to stretch their hand with respect to a wide working surface (polishing surface) such as an automobile body, for using the polisher on said surface. In this case, if the user uses the polisher to which a battery pack is attached, in an up-to-down vertical direction, and in addition the user is positioned upwards relative to the polisher (in a direction away from the polishing surface), then in this case when the user attempts to use the polisher on the working surface, the battery pack may interfere with the user's hand, which may prevent the user from sufficiently stretching their hand, and may force the user to perform a polishing work with a limited range of movement, resulting in a limited tight posture. In this respect, this situation presents a problem of maneuverability, impairing the ease of use of the polisher.
Furthermore, a lower portion of the polisher may scratch, for example, an automobile body etc.
Thus, as a result of the mentioned deficiencies in the art, there is a need for polishers used in the aforementioned polishing work, on, for example, automobile body surfaces, to successfully prevent or suppress flaws or scratches from developing on the working surface as a result of application of said polisher. In addition, there is also a need for the user being able to use the polisher in a comfortable posture while stretching their hand, thereby improving maneuverability and enhancing ease of use of the polisher.


A low-cost non-contact type charging device having excellent uniform charging performance and long stable charging characteristic includes an insulating support body having an insulating surface, first electrodes, to which a first voltage is applied, and second electrodes, to which a second voltage is applied. The first electrodes and the second electrodes, isolated from each other, are alternately formed, in non-parallel to a relative moving direction between a charging member and a charged body. Further, the first electrodes and the second electrodes are provided at respective positions in a width in the relative moving direction of the charging member, and moved close to the charged body in a non-contact state.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a charging device in an image forming apparatus and, more particularly to a charging device which charges a charged body by moving a charging member close to the charged body in non-contact state.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Image forming apparatuses including optical printers such as copiers, laser printers, electrostatic image recording apparatuses and the like, use a photosensitive body, a dielectric body or the like as an image carrier to be charged in image formation. That is, the image carrier such as the photosensitive body or dielectric body is a charged body. As a charging device to charge the charged body, a corona-discharge type charging device using a corona wire is known.
In recent years, a pin-discharge type charging device using a metal plate having a number of sharp edge portions on the charged body side, i.e., so-called saw-tooth electrode plate has been proposed. This charging device performs corona discharge from the end of the sharp edge portions. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-106198 discloses the corona charging device with a saw-tooth electrode.
Further, in recent years, contact-type charging devices such as a brush charging device, a roller charging device or a blade charging device, which charge a charged body by bringing a charging member into contact with the charged body, have been proposed and put into practical use. These contact-type charging devices perform charging by bringing the charging members such as brushes, rollers or blades and a blade, connected to a power source output, into contact with the surface of an image carrier as the charged body.
However, the above-described respective charging devices have the following problems. The corona charging device using the corona wire needs a high-voltage power source having the absolute output value of 4-7 kV and space for providing a shield around the wire. This causes problems when treating the device or performing wiring and setting the size of the device. Further, as corona discharge by a high voltage causes a large amount of corona products such as ozone, it is necessary to take measures to cope with the corona products. Further, the discharge by using a wire causes discharge unevenness in a wire lengthwise direction, thus easily causes charging unevenness. The charging unevenness is also caused by contamination of the wire. The charging unevenness can be improved by a scorotron charging device having a grid electrode between a discharge wire and a discharged body, however, in the scorotron charging device, the wire voltage must be higher, therefore, the occurrence of ozone and the like increases.
As a compact charging device to replace the corona charging device using the corona wire, a pin-discharge type corona charging device using a needle electrode or saw-tooth electrode has been proposed. However, the pin-discharge type charging device still needs a high-voltage power source similar to that of the corona charging device. Further, as discharging portions are arranged at fixed intervals, charging unevenness easily occurs. This charging device cannot be applied to high-density and high-resolution image formation, which must be further improved. When foreign materials are attached to the end portion of the sharp discharging portions or any mechanical defect occurs, charging uniformity is a more serious problem. Similar to the above-described scorotron charging device, a charging device with a grid electrode has been proposed to improve the charging unevenness in the pin-discharge type discharging device, however, it is not effective to obtain charging uniformity.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-106198 proposes a charging device using a saw-tooth electrode and a grid electrode, where the end of the saw-tooth electrode plate is opposite to the shield so as to obtain a small and uniform charging characteristic. However, in this charging device, a high voltage of -5 kV must be applied to the saw-tooth electrode, which causes a large amount of ozone and the like. Further, even though the size of this device is smaller than that of the wire-discharge type device, the downsizing has not been made on a large scale. Accordingly, an image forming apparatus using this device needs large space, in consideration of measures against corona products.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 61-99172 proposes a construction of a scorotron charging device in which the grid electrode is divided in an axial direction of a photosensitive body into several portions to respectively receive an applied potential. The grid portion having a first electrode, an insulating layer and a second electrode controls selective charging with respect to the photosensitive body. However, for the purpose of charging uniformity, the respective layers having an opening pattern must be precisely deposited. Further, if the grid portion has a three layer structure, higher deposition precision is required. This increases the price of the product. Further, wiring must be made on the respective electrodes, which also increases the price. As the size and arrangement of the opening patterns influence the charging uniformity, the opening size and the opening pattern arrangement cannot be optimized without difficulty, and practical patterns cannot be designed without difficulty. Further, in a case where the grid has the second electrode to perform charging/not charging control, as the opening pitch and arrangement of the opening patterns influence the image forming resolution, this structure cannot be applied to high-resolution image formation without difficulty. Further, the device basically usels a corona wire, it has problems regarding its high-voltage power source, device size and corona products, similar to those of the above-described corona charging device.
In recent years, the contact-type charging devices widely used in small laser printers and the like also have problems. In the use of brush charging, it is difficult to realize a stable charging uniformity through manufacture of the brush, attachment of the brush, determination of power application condition and the like. This may cause charging failure, and cannot obtain high reliability. In the use of roller charging, the problems in the charging uniformity and reliability are reduced since manufacture and attachment of the roller are easier in comparison with the case of the brush, however, there are still problems in deterioration of charging performance when the roller surface has a flaw or foreign material is attached to the roller surface and in image formation at a high speed. In the use of blade charging, as the same linear portion is always in contact with a charged body, maintenance of the characteristic of the contact portion is very significant.
This poses problems in reliability, cost, and image formation at a high speed.
Further, it can be generally considered in all the contact-type charging devices that, if there is a defect such as a pin hole on the charged body side, spark discharge occurs and charging failure occurs in the lengthwise direction including the pin hole. Furthermore, when a multi-color image is formed on the image carrier such as a photosensitive body, the contact-type charging disturbs an image formed on the image carrier, and the image cannot be used.

Charging device for charging charged body in non-contact state


A method of transmitting data packets, in particular a real-time or near-real-time data over an internet protocol (IP) network using a real-time protocol (RTP) for media data packets and a real-time control protocol (RTCP) for control data packets. Each protocol is allocated a fraction of the available transmission bandwidth. The method comprises the steps of determining the needed RTCP bandwidth based on known link parameters for an individual media session, transmitting control data packets using the needed RTCP bandwidth and transmitting media data packets using the remainder of the available bandwidth.

Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP) is used widely for the transmission of real-time or near-real-time data over IP networks. It comes with a companion protocol named Real-time Transport Control Protocol (RTCP), which is used to monitor the transmission, collecting statistics and sending control data in the forward transmission direction or as a feedback from the receiver back to the sender.
RTP normally restricts the amount of feedback by two rules: First there is a certain fraction (recommended to be 5%) of the RTP session bandwidth allocated for RTCP. All receivers share this bandwidth and calculate from this value the time duration, during which they send the feedback. The second rule is that the interval between two feedback transmissions must be at least five seconds (five seconds as the recommended value).
While these rules make RTP stable and usable for large multicast groups, it is not optimized for unicast or small multicast transmissions. In these groups more feedback per user would be beneficial and could be sent. The problem was already identified. In an extended version of the a new RTP protocol, the rule that the interval between two feedback transmissions must be at least five seconds is omitted. Thus the receiver can send much more feedback, depending on the session parameters. The rule that the allocated RTCP session bandwidth must not be exceeded is still valid.
As mentioned above, the fraction of RTP bandwidth for the transmission of control data that is allocated for RTCP is generally fixed to a recommended value of 5%. However a solution is presently standardized to change this fraction to other values. The bit rate can also be set to zero in order to turn RTCP feedback off.

Method of transmitting data packets using RTP and RTCP protocols

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


A reinforcing bar support or hanger for use in a masonry block wall incorporates a pair of supporting arms for contacting the surface of a supporting block and includes vertically extending hanger members terminating in a rebar cradle for receiving and supporting a rebar to be positioned within the wall. The support arms have a transverse length less than the transverse thickness of the masonry wall and the vertical thickness of the support arms is equal to or less than the thickness of the mortar joints between successive courses of the wall. The hanger may include longitudinally extending ridges for assisting in the transverse positioning of the hanger within the masonry block.

Masonry wall systems frequently require the utilization of means for stabilizing, strengthening and insuring masonry wall system integrity; such requirements are usually met through the use of vertically extending reinforcing bars (rebar) that extends through the voids in the successive courses of masonry block and is anchored in the wall system footing. However, wall systems also frequently require the inclusion of horizontal rebar that must be positioned within the wall system and temporarily supported in position until mortar or grout completely encases the rebar. The Uniform Building Code requires that such rebar be maintained distant from any surface of a masonry block and shall be spaced not less than 1/4 to 1/2" depending on the particular grout used in the construction. The Code also requires that the rebar be completely imbedded in mortar or grout and that it be held in position during the pouring of the grout.
In the field, it is difficult to always obtain compliance with the Code since the positioning of longitudinal or horizontal rebar within a masonry wall system may be time consuming and always requires care; the pressures of time schedules frequently result in the abandonment of strict Code compliance and proper support is frequently not provided for the horizontally extending rebar prior to the introduction of grout material.


The present invention relates to a breast pump (1) for extracting milk from a female breast comprising an expression kit (2), a container (5) connected to the expression kit (2), and a vacuum unit (6) connected to the expression kit (2), wherein the combined volumes of the expression kit (2), the container (5), the vacuum unit (6) and the connections thereof define a system air volume, and a vacuum pressure sensor for determining volume changes in the system air volume in response to changes in vacuum pressure.

WO 2010/095133 A1 refers to a device and a method for measuring an amount of breast milk suckled during a breastfeeding session, the device including a mechanism for determining the change in volume of a breast during the breastfeeding session (before breastfeeding and after breastfeeding), and a calculation unit for calculating therefrom the quantity of milk suckled during the breastfeeding session.
US 2015/0112298 A1 discloses a breastfeeding device having a microprocessor having a memory embedded therein that can be pre-programmed to have a plurality of different sucking cycles interspersed with periodic pauses. These different cycles and pauses allow for an accurate modeling of a woman breastfeeding a child. In addition, this system and process can also result in a pre-programmable breastfeeding pump, which creates a preset time for initialization and a preset schedule of a series of events for breastfeeding over a period of time such as over a 24 hour or 30 hour period of time so that the user can automatically use the breast pump without having to use any of the keys on the keyboard of the device. In at least one embodiment, the device including any software which can be programmed thereon, is configured to mimic or model itself towards a suction pattern of a child.

Breast pump, method and computer program


A closer for pressing a lid onto a container includes a presser foot mounted for reciprocating movement into and out of force applying engagement with the lid; an actuator moveable between retracted and extended positions; and a force multiplying assembly disposed in operative relationship intermediate the presser foot and the actuator for multiplying an input force from the actuator to a predetermined maximum lid pressing force at the extended position.

This invention relates generally to closing and sealing of fluid containers.
Various kinds of fluids are stored in containers that must be tightly sealed. For example, paint is often sold in plastic or metal cans with press-fit lids.
Paint is often tinted by mixing appropriate amounts of colorants into a can of base paint. The paint can is capped with a press-fit lid and agitated, which thoroughly mixes the colorant throughout the base paint and produces paint of the desired color. The machines used to mix the paint subject the can to high forces, and require that the can be securely sealed and undamaged in order to avoid leakage or failure.
The most common method for sealing a paint can involves hammering the lid down with a rubber mallet or similar tool. This is inconsistent and can cause paint spillage. The prior art has attempted to replace the mallet with hand-operated press-type sealing machines or "closers" that multiply manual force to the required level. However, these machines are dependent on operator skill to achieve consistent sealing, and are also capable of crushing a paint can if used too vigorously.


The invention relates to fusion proteins capable of acting as transcriptional repressors of cytokinin signaling, to polynucleotides encoding these fusion proteins, to vectors and cells comprising these polynucleotides, and to transgenic plants and parts thereof comprising these polynucleotides, vectors, and cells.

Cytokinin Signaling
The plant hormone cytokinin is involved in many developmental processes and plays a critical role in numerous physiological responses to changes in the environment (Mok and Mok, 2001). In recent years significant progress has been made towards the understanding of how the cytokinin signal is perceived and transduced (Ferreira and Kieber, 2005; Grefen and Harter, 2004; Heyl et al., 2006; Hwang et al., 2002; Hwang and Sakakibara, 2006; Kakimoto, 2003; Mizuno, 2004). In the current model, which has been mainly developed in Arabidopsis, the hormone is perceived by membrane-bound hybrid histidine kinase receptors (AHKs), which auto-phosphorylate upon binding of the hormone ligand. After trans-phosphorylation within the receptor, the phosphoryl residue is transferred to a histidine phospho-transfer protein (AHPs), which subsequently locates to the nucleus, where it activates B-type response regulators (ARRs) via phosphorylation. These transcription factors activate the transcription of their target genes, one group of which are the A-type response regulators. A negative feedback on the cytokinin signaling pathway was shown to be mediated by members of this protein class (Hwang and Sheen, 2001; To et al., 2004).
B-type response regulators are characterized by the presence of Myb-class DNA binding domain, called GARP domain, in addition to the response regulator domain. Several experiments have shown that B-type ARRs can bind to DNA and activate the transcription of their target genes in response to cytokinin treatment (Hosoda et al., 2002; Hwang and Sheen, 2001; Imamura et al., 2003; Lohrmann et al., 2001; Sakai et al., 2000). RT-PCR and promoter-GUS fusion experiments have demonstrated that the members of the B-type ARR family have large and overlapping expression domains (Mason et al., 2005; Tajima et al., 2004). The analysis of B-type ARR mutants has revealed their involvement in cytokinin signaling, but also a high level of functional redundancy (Hass et al., 2004; Horák et al., 2003; Mason et al., 2005; Sakai et al., 2001). Mason et al. (2005) studied single, double and triple mutants of ARR1, ARR2, ARR10 and ARR12 in various combinations (Mason et al., 2005). Different cytokinin response assays showed an increasing cytokinin resistance for higher order mutants. Surprisingly, beside a longer primary root in some mutants no strong morphological alterations were detected, which would be expected in case of a strong reduction of the cytokinin responsiveness. This could indicate that the degree of redundancy among B-type ARRs is even higher and/or that other transcription factors compensate for the loss of B-type ARRs. One other family of transcription factors which has recently been shown to be involved in mediating a cytokinin response are the cytokinin response factors (CRF)(Rashotte et al., 2006).
Chimeric Repressor Silencing Technology
The chimeric repressor silencing technology (CRES-T) has been developed to study the consequences of silencing the target genes of transcription factors and has also been used to overcome the experimental limitations caused by functional redundancy of transcription factor families. In 2001 Ohta and colleagues mapped a repression motif of transcriptional repressors of the class II ethylene response factors (ERF) which is both necessary and sufficient for the repression activity of the protein (Ohta et al., 2001). This so-called ERF-associated Amphiphilic Repression (EAR) motif or variations of it are found in numerous plant transcriptional repressors (Kazan, 2006; Ohta et al., 2001; Tiwari et al., 2004). The length and the repression potential of the EAR motif were improved resulting in the so-called SRDX motif (Hiratsu et al., 2003). Fusion of this motif to transcriptional activators converts them into dominant repressors (Hiratsu et al., 2003). Interestingly, these dominant repressors may repress not only the transcription of their own target genes, but also the expression of target genes of other members of their respective gene family. For example, the CUC1 and CUC2 transcription factors are functionally redundant and a loss of function phenotype is seen only in the cuc1 cuc2 double mutant plants, while mutation of both single genes does not cause a phenotype (Aida et al., 1997; Takada et al., 2001). The transgenic expression of a chimeric CUC1-SRDX gene induced the compound phenotype of a cuc1,cuc2 double mutant, demonstrating that its dominant-negative function encompassed CUC1 and CUC2 target genes (Hiratsu et al., 2003). The technology has not yet been used to investigate transcription factor gene families with numerous members.

Transcriptional repressors of cytokinin signaling and their use

Abstract: The invention further relates to a process for making these transgenic plants and to the use of these transgenic plants for producing seeds of enhanced size, with enhanced seed filling, with reduced seed loss and/or with more rapid germination, and/or for producing a live root system with increased root mass, root length and/or root branching. The invention also relates to a method for enhancing the seed size, for enhancing seed filling, for reducing seed loss, and/or for reducing germination time and/or reproduction time, and/or for enhancing the root mass, root length and/or root branching of a plant and to seeds obtainable by the methods of the present invention.


Overlapping pores in a multiscale model of heterogeneous core formation contributes errors during flow simulations. A scale-coupled multiscale modeling that corrects for contributions of overlapping pores may be used to determine capillary pressure and relative permeability of the heterogenous core formation more accurately. The effects of overlapping pores may be removed by converting pores that have a certain radius or are filled with certain fluids into solid regions. The effects of overlapping pores may also be removed by running flow simulations on a modified model and correcting various fluid properties of the core formation with the results.

During oil and gas exploration and production, reservoir core or core samples are taken out from the field and analyzed to determine the petrophysical properties of the subterranean formation. Core analysis of a sample from a borehole in a subterranean formation provides a means of measuring downhole conditions to determine formation properties such as input porosity, absolute permeability, capillary pressure, and relative permeability. Core analysis is useful for well log calibration and providing direct evidence of the presence, distribution, and deliverability of hydrocarbons. Moreover, core analysis provides important information useful to determine the optimal values for various parameters during formation drilling and hydrocarbon production, such as when to drill, what target depth to set fracturing, which wells to inject with fluids, etc. Determination of various material properties of the core may also be a part of reservoir modeling or simulation which is a process of creating a digital representation of the reservoir. Such simulation of the reservoir aids in various stages of the drilling process including well planning to well abandonment.
Various properties of the subterranean core formation are required to create simulations of the reservoir that are able to predict the location of hydrocarbons and improve drilling production. They include input porosity, absolute permeability, capillary pressure, relative permeability, and others. Two of the properties, capillary pressure and relative permeability, are typically obtained by physical laboratory experiments performed on a sample core or plug of core, such as porosimetry, nuclear magnetic resonance techniques, and gas adsorption techniques. These processes however can be costly and time consuming.

Scale-coupled multiscale model simulation


Disclosed herein are systems, methods, and non-transitory computer-readable storage media for simplifying and clarifying user interfaces, both their design and usage. The disclosed system creates and applies rules user options. Upon application of the rules, the system automatically organizes the user options in accordance with the rules, such that the programmer no longer needs to organize every aspect of an options menu and a user can quickly and efficiently choose from the options. Statistics regarding usage and probability are stored to make the options presented more efficient.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to user interfaces and more specifically to a particle system graphical user interface.
2. Introduction
As options and intricacy increase in graphical user interfaces, the need for simplicity and clarity in making selections becomes ever more important. User interface design improves by minimizing the time required to view information and make a selection from a variety of options. In static user interfaces, such as restaurant menus or car dashboards, this improvement process proceeds iteratively with each new version or model becoming slightly more user friendly. For example, in recent years the speedometer located in dashboards has become much more prominent, readable, and central to the driver than previous designs.
In dynamic user interfaces, where the information and options available to the user change, the desire for simplicity and clarity continues to apply. The most common type of dynamic user interface, a Graphical User Interface (GUI), uses computer software to determine what the user sees, and often shows user input while making these decisions. As the user proceeds to provide input, the options displayed change in accordance with the user's actions.
For example, common word processing programs have options for saving files, copying text, changing views, and other formatting options. While a select few commands have keyboard shortcuts, many options are only accessible through the menu options located at the top of the GUI. These options are static within the menu, allowing users to remember the locations and become proficient in accessing specific options. A disadvantage of this system is that options are located in menu systems separate from the text, requiring one to divert attention from the text of the word processing program to the menu system.
Similar disadvantages appear in GUI portions of computer operating systems or television menus. The options presented to the user, while changing in response to user action, are located in fixed positions often resulting in inefficient use of the user's time. Attempts to improve this inefficient use of time, such as presenting options for 'recent' files, actions, or channels, nevertheless continue to be located in pre-existing menus lacking improved simplicity and clarity.

System and method for a particle system based user interface


An apparatus for measuring a maximum static friction force is disclosed, in which the displacement of the relative positions of first and second objects due to the operation of a driving unit is suppressed for measuring an accurate static friction force characteristic. The static friction force measuring apparatus for measuring the static friction characteristic between a first object fixed on a mounting base and a second object in contact with the first object and held in a holder comprises an external force buffer interposed between the mounting base and the mounting base side fixed end of the apparatus, a speed controller arranged in the drive unit for controlling the relative speeds of the holder and the mounting base to a level sufficiently low as compared with the resonance frequency of a frictional force detector, and a device for suppressing the displacement of the relative positions of the first and second objects to such an extent that the external force exerted substantially in parallel with the contact surface between the two objects exceeds the maximum static friction force. The frictional force detector detects the maximum static friction force immediately before the displacement begins between the two objects.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for measuring static friction force and, in particular, to an apparatus for measuring the static friction force between a magnetic disk and a magnetic head of a hard disk unit.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, the requirement for increasing the storage capacity of the hard disk units has made it necessary to increase the density of magnetic disks. The current trend, therefore, is toward decreasing the flying height of the magnetic head above the magnetic disk. Specifically, in the case where an increased recording density of a magnetic disk is desired for the hard disk unit, the magnetic disk and the magnetic head are required to operate in positions closer to each other by reducing the spacing therebetween. For a stable air-bearing characteristic of the magnetic head to be maintained with a decreased flying height of the magnetic head from the magnetic disk, a smooth surface of the magnetic disk is required. Once the surface of the magnetic disk is smooth, however, the magnetic disk in a stationary state and the magnetic head attract each other. This poses the problem of a larger torque required for restarting the hard disk unit.
In order to obviate this problem, vigorous tribology research and development efforts are continuing to solve the two conflicting objects of smoothing the surface of the magnetic disk on the one hand and preventing the attraction of the magnetic head to the surface of the magnetic disk in stationary state on the other. The demand is very high, therefore, for an apparatus capable of measuring the static friction force between the magnetic head and the magnetic disk with high accuracy.
In a conventional apparatus for measuring the static friction force between magnetic disk and magnetic head, the magnetic disk is fixed on a mounting base movable by motor having an end thereof secured to a mounting base side fixed end of the apparatus. The magnetic head placed in contact on the magnetic disk, on the other hand, is held by a holder connected to a friction force detector having an end thereof secured to a holder side fixed end of the apparatus.
In the case where the static friction force is measured using a static friction force measuring apparatus configured as described above, a motor is activated to generate an external force and thus to move the mounting base. Then, the maximum output value of the friction detector is detected to calculate the static coefficient of friction is. Specifically, with the head kept in close contact with the magnetic disk under the spring load of the head, the motor is driven at low speed. The maximum output value produced from the friction force detector after starting the motor is determined as a maximum static friction force.
In this conventional static friction force measuring method described above, however, the static friction force between the magnetic disk and the magnetic head cannot be measured accurately, in view of the fact that the true friction force between the magnetic disk and the magnetic head undergoes changes too rapid to be followed by the response characteristic of the friction force detector.
In a method conceived to improve this point, a wide-band sensor high in response speed (about 5 kHz) comprising a combination of a parallel spring and a distortion gage is used as a friction detector. The use of a wide-band sensor as a friction force detector, however, undesirably causes the resonance of the wide-band sensor under the effect of acceleration at the time of starting the motor, thereby making it impossible to determine a true friction force.

Apparatus for measuring friction force between a magnetic head and a magnetic disk


A method for monitoring exception events generated by a software application including operating the software application to generate exception event data responsive to an exception event, monitoring the software application to identify an occurrence of the exception event and to obtain the exception event data, examining the exception event data to determine type of the exception event and processing the exception event data responsive to the type of the exception event.

Systems that run application software typically employ a Fault Management System (hereinafter "FMS") to monitor and manage any faults that occur in the system. As such, an FMS must be able to identify situations that constitute a fault condition and then determine what information needs to be collected about that particular fault situation. A typical FMS includes at least one software application to be monitored, at least one monitoring agent and at least one fault event management system. When the software application being monitored encounters a fault situation, the software application generates a fault event message which is captured by the monitoring agent and reported to the fault event management system.
Currently, a number of different approaches are used to determine what situations constitute a fault situation and, in the event of a fault situation, what information regarding the fault situation should be collected and reported. For example, one approach may be to leave the fault situation determination up to the developer. Thus, the developer will program in specific event situations that constitute a fault event. Unfortunately, however, this approach has several disadvantages. One disadvantage occurs because the FMS completely relies on the software application being monitored to provide all of the required information regarding the fault event and if the application fails to report a fault event to the FMS, the FMS has no information regarding the fault event. Another disadvantage occurs because the fault event information to be reported to the FMS is defined during the development of the software application and is thus, 'hard' programmed into the software. In this situation, the fault event information to be reported to the FMS is not easily modified and cannot be adjusted 'on-the-fly'. Thus, if the reported fault event information is not sufficient for issue resolution, modifications to the software application are necessary in order to collect more information and troubleshoot the cause of the fault event.
Still another disadvantage occurs when, at a section of the source code where a fault event occurs, the developer may not have sufficient information to decide if the fault event is a critical event, whether the fault event needs to be reported to the FMS or if the fault event should be handled by the software application itself. For example, consider the situation where a software application comprises two components, a Business Component (BC) and a File Access Component (FAC), where the BC uses the FAC for all file related operations and where an exception (i.e. a fault event) occurs when the FAC attempts to access a specific file. The moment the exception occurs, the FAC will have all of the information about the application environment, such as file name, file path, current settings, etc. However, at this point, the FAC does not have enough information to determine whether the BC will correctly handle the exception. Moreover, although the BC has enough information to determine whether the exception is a critical exception, the BC does not have information about the exception environment besides that information that is reported by the FAC. Thus, when an exception occurs, the software application has all of the information about the exception environment, but no information regarding the criticality of the exception and when the software application does have information regarding the criticality of the exception, the exception environment does not exist.
One way to solve this problem would be to collect all known information about the exception environment and provide this information to upper level components, allowing these components to make decisions about the criticality of the exception. Unfortunately however, because the application would spend a significant amount of time collecting information regarding the exception environment, this approach may seriously affect the performance and scalability of the application. Another way to solve this problem would be to collect minimal information regarding the exception environment and to provide this information to an upper level component. Unfortunately however, while this approach does not appear to impact application performance, it may lead to situations where there is not enough information to trouble shoot an issue, thus leading to the same problems listed above.
One alternative approach to relying on the software developer for application fault reporting involves performing an Automated Static Instrumentation of the code. For example, once an application has been developed, the application is process using an instrumentation tool which adds exception management code onto the source code or at the binary level. The resultant, or processed, code is then used. Unfortunately, although this approach resolves the issue of the FMS relying on the software application being monitored to detect and report fault situations, the problem of static amounts of reported information and the inability to distinguish between critical exceptions and non-critical exceptions at the moment the exception occurs still exists.


The invention relates to a gas-cooled electrical device (13), especially a gas-cooled generator, which comprises at least a rotor (1), a stator (2) and also a stator casing (3) which encloses this stator, and an end-winding space (5). In this case, passages for a cooling gas are provided both in the rotor (1) and in the stator (2), wherein the end-winding space (5), especially connectors (7) and/or output conductors (7) which are arranged therein, are impinged by at least some of the cooling gas flow (8) which issues from the rotor (1). In order to be able to achieve an especially concentrated and controlled cooling, at least the connectors (7) and the output conductors (7) are arranged in the working area of at least one guiding device (14) which guides the cooling gas flow (8).

Electrical devices which are formed as generators as a rule comprise a rotor, a stator, and also a casing which encloses the stator. Stator winding bars, which are constructed from strands which are insulated against each other and arranged one above the other in slots, in this case are arranged in a stator body, especially in a laminated stator core, on the end faces of which they project into an end-winding space. There, they are bent in the radial direction and in the circumferential direction, and at their ends are electrically and mechanically connected to a winding. The end-winding space in this case accommodates the stator end windings and also the connectors and output conductors. In the case of electrical devices with indirectly cooled stator winding, a gaseous cooling medium, as a rule cooling air, is introduced into the rotor in the region of the rotor hub. By slots in the rotor rim it discharges in an air gap in order to impinge upon essentially radially extending passages of the stator for the purpose of cooling the stator winding. A partial flow of the cooling gas flow is axially deflected in the direction of the end-winding space and used for cooling the components which are located there, especially the connectors and the output conductors. Alternatively, this partial flow can also be provided by a ventilation device which is installed on the rotor on the end face, especially by a fan or by an external fan which is arranged in the region of the end windings. Especially in the case of modern high-power units, reliable cooling of the connectors and output conductors represents an increasing challenge in this case. While the part of the winding which is embedded in the winding slots is cooled in a concentrated manner, the exposed winding parts in the end-winding space, especially the connectors and output conductors, are exposed to the risk of excessive heating. On account of their position, like in the lee of the end windings, a defined cooling of the connectors and output conductors is simply difficult to realize. The flow velocity of the cooling gas flow in this region, moreover, is low and the cooling gas flow is unevenly distributed so that the flow parameters are altogether simply difficult to control.
Pressure losses and flow deflections during exposure of the end windings to throughflow, furthermore, bring about an uneven impingement upon the downstream components which are to be cooled, and the comparatively low flow velocity with the inevitable consequence of the risk of an at least locally unsatisfactory cooling of these components. A theoretically possible increasing of the volumetric flow of the cooling gas flow in this region does not provide a significant alleviation of this problem.
In the case of electrical devices with directly cooled stator winding, however, the described problems do not occur since the cooling gas which flows through the hollow conductor brings about an adequate cooling of the conductor bars. Measures for such a direct cooling of the conductor bars, however, are associated with significant cost.


A direct line sampling system includes a flow line for a process flow, a diluent flush line for a diluent, and a sampling valve structure disposed in the flow line. The sampling valve structure includes a sampling chamber and has a first position in which the sampling chamber is in communication with the flow line so as to provide a path for the process flow through the sampling chamber. The sampling chamber captures a sample from the process flow when the sampling valve structure switches to a second position in which the sampling chamber is in communication with the diluent flush line. The diluent flushes the sample to a mixing chamber disposed downstream of the diluent flush line where the sample is diluted. An outlet line extends from an outlet of the mixing chamber to an analysis instrument configured to analyze particles in the diluted sample of the process flow.

Representative sampling and dilution is advantageous when using instruments to analyze a process flow in order to accurately study the process fluid or slurry. A dense slurry can prevent signals, such as laser, visual, infrared or ultraviolet light, from penetrating the mass of particles. As a result, a corresponding sensor is unable to receive the signals in order to analyze the particulate features including, for example, size, shape and quantity. By diluting a representative sample of the process flow, the signals can penetrate the fluid or slurry and accurate signals can be obtained and analyzed. If the sample is representative, the analysis will present an accurate characterization of the process flow as a whole. Being able to dilute the fluid or slurry at the flow line allows the process flow to be analyzed in a timely manner. If the sample removed and taken to a lab for analysis, the process requires considerable manpower and time, both of which are disadvantage. Moreover, the time required for lab analysis typically prevents the possibility of obtaining real time results. Due to the delay in performing lab analysis, the characteristics of the process flow can change considerably before the analysis is known. is critical in analyzing a process in a timely manner. During this time, if unfavorable conditions exist, it is possible for the process to proceed to an out of control condition.
Many flow analysis systems use a sample from a single point in the process flow. However, such point sampling can lead to several errors. First, due to the possible stratification of the flow in the line, the point sample is unlikely to be an accurate representation of the flow. This is particularly true for slurries, where the weight to lift ratios of the particulates can result in varying characteristics of the flow across the line due to gravity. Further, the piping configuration itself can cause the flow to stratify so that the point sample is unlikely to be representative of the entire flow. In addition, the types of samplers used to provide a point sample of the process flow often exacerbate the problems associated with stratification of the flow. The structure of the sampler within the flow line may lead to changes in the fluid velocity within the flow, which will lead to further stratification of the flow. Lastly, the sampling tube devices that are often used for point samples can change the velocity of the sampled fluid which also leads to stratification and may cause heavier particles to drop out of the sampled flow and be excluded from the sample entirely. This iso-kinetic characteristic of a drawn sample is always of concern when trying to achieve a representative sample.

Direct line sampling and dilution system


The present invention provides a process for producing an electrophotographic photosensitive member through application of a paint by dipping an object to be coated into a paint coating bath. The process comprises steps of: blowing a gas periodically into the paint from a lower portion of the paint coating bath agitate the paint, and dipping the object to be coated at a predetermined time after agitating the paint.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for producing an electrophotographic photosensitive member, more particularly to a process for producing an electrophotographic photosensitive member employing dip coating.
2. Related Background Art
Dip coating has been widely practiced in coating processes for forming a photosensitive layer or an intermediate layer in production of electrophotographic photosensitive members. This method of dip coating comprises basically a means for bringing down an object to be surface-coated into a paint in a coating bath and subsequently pulling up the object at an appropriate speed.
Such a method of dip coating is suitable for production of electrophotographic photosensitive members having a seamless drum shape or the like in comparison with other coating methods in viewpoints of productivity, and the like. This method, however, frequently causes coating irregularity and coating defects depending on characteristics of the paint employed. In particular, defects such as coating irregularity, small lumps, and streaks are known to be liable to occur when a paint containing fine pigment particles is applied in a thin layer less than 10 .mu. thick. The main causes of defects include (i) turbulence of paint in a paint coating bath, (ii) sedimentation of pigment particles in a paint coating bath, (iii) coagulation of paint by thixotropy in a paint coating bath, and other causes. In the cases where a paint containing fine pigment particles having an anisotropic shape is used, particularly the third cause, namely thixotropy, exerts harmful influences. In an extreme case, a part of the paint undergoes gelation in the piping to make paint application impracticable, which is a serious problem in production of electrophotographic photosensitive members.
To solve such problems, the measures hitherto taken include (i) treatment of the paint itself such as addition of a dispersant, pretreatment of the pigment, selection of the optimum particle size of the paint, and so on, (ii) provision of an agitation apparatus in the paint coating bath or in the piping, and like methods.
However, the former measure (i) is not necessarily effective because there are many restrictions in consideration of the characteristics of electrophotographic photosensitive members, while the latter measure (ii) is also not effective because the agitator itself gives rise to turbulence of the paint. Use of ultrasonic wave was proposed, but it was impracticable because of generation of noise and heat.

Process for producing electrophotographic photosensitive member