An insulation displacement contact for a two wire termination connection strip includes first and second generally planar leaf elements, each having longitudinal centerlines lying in a common longitudinal plane. The longitudinal plane is perpendicular to both of the leaf elements. The first leaf element is formed with a first leaf longitudinal slot defined by a first leaf relieved edge located on a first side of the longitudinal plane, and a first leaf opposed cutting edge which is spaced from the first leaf relieved edge in a direction towards the first leaf longitudinal centerline. The second leaf element is formed with a second leaf longitudinal slot defined by a second leaf relieved edge and a second leaf opposed cutting edge, with the second leaf relieved edge located on the second side of the longitudinal plane and the second leaf opposed cutting edge being spaced from the second leaf relieved edge in a direction towards the first leaf longitudinal centerline. The first and second leaf longitudinal slots define a tortuous path for receiving two insulated wires, with the cutting edges cutting through the insulation of the two insulated wires to make electrical contact and the relieved edges defining open regions which receive portions of the insulation of the insulated wires which are displaced from the wires, such that insulation displaced from the first wire does not interfere with placement of the second wire. The insulation displacement contacts are preferably employed with a connector block having an insulation-displacement-contact-receiving cavity defined by first and second pairs of generally parallel walls having a generally parallelogram cross section. The first pair of parallel walls are generally perpendicular to the longitudinal plane, while the second pair of parallel walls are generally sized and shaped to create back-up portions which back up the first and second leaf cutting edges when the contact is inserted into the cavity, such that the first and second cutting edges are moved towards the relieved edges and are substantially fixed against in-plane motion. The special shape for the insulation-displacement-contact-receiving cavity assists in preventing springing of the contact when the second wire is inserted.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electrical connectors, and more particularly relates to a two wire termination connection strip.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many types of electrical connectors are known. In the field of telephony, one common type of connector assembly is the so-called connector block. Such blocks provide an interface, for example, between the internal telephone wires in a building structure and the external wires in an underground cable. Exemplary connector block assemblies are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,160,273 to Carney and U.S. Pat. No. 5,356,309 to Carney et al. The disclosure of both of these patents is expressly incorporated herein by reference.
Reference should be had to FIGS. 1 and 2, which are adapted from FIGS. 1 and 7 respectively of the Carney '273 patent. As shown therein, a prior art connector block 10 includes a contact holder portion 12 and a base portion 14. Contact holder portion 12 is formed with a plurality of slots 16, each of which has a wide portion 18 and a narrow portion 20. The wide portion 18 can receive and guide a wire into the narrow portion 20, which is preferably dimensioned to be less than the overall diameter of an insulated wire to be connected, yet greater than the diameter of the conductor portion of the wire. Thus, narrow portion 20 functions as a strain relief Contact holder 12 is formed with a plurality of internal cavities 22 for receiving insulation displacement contacts. Insulation displacement contacts 24 are inserted in cavities 22; the tails 26 of contacts 24 which are present in opposed cavities 22 touch and provide electrical contact.
Recently, it has become advantageous to be able to secure two wires in each slot 16, and thus in each insulation displacement contact 24. Such connections are desirable, for example, when installing additional equipment or extensions, and for other reasons known to those of skill in the art.
There are significant problems associated with attempting to secure two wires in prior art insulation displacement contacts, using prior art connector blocks. Reference should now be had to FIGS. 3A-3C which depict an insulation displacement contact 24 according to the prior art. The views are, respectively, a front, right side and rear view. FIGS. 3A and 3B depict the prior art insulation displacement contact 24 attached by its tail 26 to a forming strip 28, which is of use in manufacturing. Prior art contact 24 includes a V-groove 30 in both front and rear leaf elements 32,34. As an alternative, an opening with parallel sides, rather than a V-groove, can be used. In any event, it will be appreciated that when a wire is inserted in the V-grooves 30 of front and rear leaf elements 32,34, ears 36,38 separate. This effect is best seen in FIG. 4. As shown therein, as first wire 40 is inserted in V-groove 30, it spreads ears 36,38; they essentially bend as cantilevered beams. Thus, second wire 42 is not gripped securely when it is inserted. This can cause second wire 42 to be less securely retained than first wire 40. This effect is exacerbated by build up of insulation 44 which is sheared off of first wire 40 and then interferes with insulation 44 of second wire 42. Thus, there may not be room to fully receive second wire 42 into groove 30 due to interference from insulation 44. The interfering insulation and the spreading ears 36,38 which open up the V-groove 30 have made prior art insulation displacement contacts essentially unsuitable for use with two wires.
FIG. 5 depicts a prior art insulation displacement contact 24 secured in a prior art connector block contact holder 12. The insulation 44 of a wire 40 is secured by the strain relief elements 46 which define the narrow portions 20 of slot 16 (items 18 and 16 not labeled in drawing). It will be seen that both sides of insulation displacement contact 24 securely grasp the conductor of wire 40, however, it is also clear that there is no room for lateral displacement of insulation 44 and it will be substantially forced upward.
Reference should now be had to FIGS. 6A and 6B which are cross sections through the prior art connector block 10. In FIG. 6A, tails 26 of insulation displacement contacts 24 touch, and produce electrical contact between the two insulation displacement contacts 24. Contact is depicted by arrow 50. In FIG. 6B, tails 26 of contacts 24 are separated by a disconnect plug 48 formed from an insulating material. The separated contacts are indicated by arrow 52.
Reference should now be had to FIG. 7 which depicts a cross sectional plan view through a prior art contact holder 12 showing the insulation-displacement-contact-receiving cavity 22. The section is taken at a location where slots 16 have narrowed down to narrow part 20. It will be appreciated that cavity 22 includes a first pair of parallel walls 54 and a second pair of parallel walls 56 which are perpendicular to first pair of parallel walls 54. With continued reference to FIG. 7, and referring also back to FIG. 4, it will be appreciated that by making contact 24 a close fit in contact receiving cavity 22, spreading of V-groove 30 can be somewhat reduced by having ears 36,38 bear against walls 56. However, some clearance is generally necessary to insert contact 24. Further, the close fit can do nothing to alleviate the previously-discussed problem of interfering insulation, and may even exacerbate it.
At least one prior art device is specifically directed to terminating two wires in a single insulation displacement contact. U.S. Pat. No. 4,220,390 to Cobaugh et al. discloses a contact with three generally parallel leaf elements; two of which are essentially adjacent and have staggered offset slots which result in tighter gripping of wires when two wires are inserted. However, the construction of this device makes it not well suited for use in the confined spaces typical in modern telephone connector blocks. U.S. Pat. No. 5,588,859 to Maurice discloses a hermaphrodite contact having offset slots which are not staggered, and with two parallel leaf elements with no gap therebetween. It is not specifically directed to use with two wires, and although it has minimal depth, its relatively large width makes it undesirable for confined spaces. U.S. Pat. No. 5,131,863 to Gerke et al. discloses a cutting/clamping contact featuring a single plate-like element which is oriented at 45.degree. to the wire with which contact is to be made. There is no specific adaptation for two wires. Contact integrity in the Gerke et al. device could potentially be compromised by any melting or other degradation of the plastic body.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,097,107 to Hawkins discloses an insulation displacement terminal with offset, dogleg slots which are sprung with respect to each other for secure retention of a single wire; however, once a single wire is inserted, the configuration changes such that a second wire cannot be inserted.
In view of the deficiencies of prior art devices, there is a need for a two wire termination connection strip which is simple to manufacture, and which can provide reliable termination of two wires. The device should be adaptable to existing systems. Furthermore, any spreading open of the device upon insertion of the first wire should be minimized, and preferably substantially eliminated. Yet further, adequate provision should be made to deal with displaced insulation.


A surface cleaning and material removal system allows for the cleaning of applied or built-up coatings, debris, and any other matter from a surface. The surface cleaning and removal system includes a housing having a base with a wall extending obliquely therefrom. The base and wall define a cavity which covers the specific portion of the surface to be cleaned at that very moment, although the system is typically on wheels or portably movable so as to clean a very large surface in incremental portions. The system also includes a high-pressure-fluid mechanism for providing a high or ultra high pressure fluid flow against the surface to be cleaned where the mechanism includes either brushes or high pressure jets from which ultra high pressure water flows. In addition, the system includes a vacuum for moving all of the cleaning fluid and coatings, debris and any other matter from the cavity. In at least some of the embodiments, the system includes flexible members, seals, or brushes about the periphery of the walls extending obliquely from the base so as to better seal the cavity while still allowing for movement over the surface to be cleaned. In addition, more than one flexible member, seal or plurality of bristles or brushes may be present thereby defining a circumferential chamber therebetween which is fluidly connected to both the interior cavity and the environment so as to provide a better vacuum for better assuring that all of the cleaning fluids and coatings, debris, and any other matter are removed from the cavity and do not leak therefrom.

1. Technical Field
The invention relates to surface cleaning devices for removing dirt, buildup, paint, asbestos, coating materials, or any other buildup or layer on a particular surface by any of a number of methods including cleaning abrading, treating, sanding, grinding, or scraping. More particularly, the invention relates to a high fluid pressure cleaning and removal system for use in removing coatings and buildup from hard, often porous, and generally unpermeable surfaces such as concrete, brick, stone, asphalt, etc. Specifically, the invention is a surface cleaning and removal system using high pressure water with a number of different sized, shaped, and usage housings that include at least one rotating jet of high pressure cleaning water that is vacuumed out of the housing after cleaning by a high suction vacuum where the housing includes one or more rows of annular or peripheral sealing means such as brushes, rubber seals, rubber wipers, or other similar flexible yet sealing instruments.
2. Background Information
For decades, various devices have been used to attempt to clean generally planar surfaces such as walls, floors, driveways, sidewalks, etc. which are generally flat and hard, yet often porous. Specifically, cleaning has been necessary to remove applied layers or coatings such as paints, etc., as well as unintentional accumulated deposits buildup. For instance, many structures or buildings are built of concrete, brick, stone, block, or other similar materials which are painted and otherwise coated over time. In addition, dirt, pollution, smog and other airborne particles often also deposit thereon. At some point in time, these coatings and deposits may need removed.
This removal can be further complicated by additional factors such as asbestos coatings which can only be removed using methods certified by the Federal government due to the hazardous effects of airborne asbestos particles. For this reason, the removed material must be completely contained so as to avoid any airborne implantation of the particles.
In the past, sandblasting or other treating of surfaces by impingement of the surface with particulate abrasive material has often been used to remove the above-referenced materials from the above-referenced hard surfaces. However, sandblasting has various disadvantages including the degradation or destruction caused by the abrasive sand or other particulate material to the surface being cleaned. In addition, sand is generally messy and hard to contain. Furthermore, the use of sand or other abrasive materials requires a large supply of such material available at the job site, and therefore requires material transportation cost. A further disadvantage of the use of sand is the difficulty in removing the contaminants from the sand. Finally, often the structure being cleaned must be completely contained such as in a sealed tent or a wrap to assure containment of the sand or other abrasive material, and in the case of hazardous material removal, to assure containment of the loosened and removed hazardous material so that proper disposal is assured.
In response, several attempts have been made at alternative surface cleaning devices. For instance, devices using cleaning liquids directed against the surface have also been suggested, such as that in U.S. Pat. No. 4,895,179. The cleaning apparatus in '179 patent is for cleaning a generally planar and horizontal surface. The device includes a jet of cleaning liquid directed against the surface. Other liquid cleaning devices have also been invented.
The present technology of liquid cleaning devices has several disadvantages. First, the pressure and acceleration of the liquid is often merely sufficient to rinse away loose dirt and other buildup while not being sufficient to remove applied coatings. Second, many of the current cleaning devices do not provide a sufficient surface cleaning area to make use of the device feasible on buildings, driveways, etc., which include very large surface areas. Third, the prior art fluid cleaning devices have proved inefficient or completely ineffective at containing the cleaning fluid as well as the debris created therefrom, whereby such containment is critical for a number of reasons including overall cleanliness of the project and overall containment of any hazardous materials found in the removed coatings and buildup. Furthermore, all of the current fluid cleaning devices do not provide for any ability to clean nonplanar and often nonhorizontal surfaces. Similarly, corners and edges and other tight spots are also not addressed by the current fluid cleaning devices.
Clearly, an improvement is needed in the cleaning device area to overcome some or all of the disadvantages and problems addressed above.

High pressure cleaning and removal system


At least one exemplary embodiment is directed to an optical encoder which includes a first diffraction grating having a desired optical effective aperture ratio at an appropriate gap position so as to eliminate and/or reduce high-harmonic components from the light intensity distribution of interference fringes and reduce high-order spatial frequency components overlapped on a displacement signal of the interference fringes formed by the first diffraction grating.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical encoder configured to measure the displacement of a diffraction grating, more particularly though not exclusively, measuring the displacement by emitting a light beam from a light source onto the diffraction grating and counting light-dark fringes in the interference pattern formed.
2. Description of the Related Art
Known optical encoders include a main scale formed from a square wave amplitude grating in which light transmissive portions and light shielding portions (or light reflective portions and light non-reflective portions) having the same width are arranged at a predetermined pitch.
A transmissive optical encoder emits parallel light beams to the scale. The light beams passing through the scale and having a square wave pattern further pass through an index scale in which light transmissive portions and light shielding portions are arranged at a predetermined pitch. The transmitted light beams are received by a light-receiving element.
By receiving a light-dark pattern of the light passing through the index scale and being modulated by the relative movement of the main scale and the index scale, the light-receiving element generates a displacement signal that periodically varies in accordance with the relative movement. By processing the displacement signal, the displacement can be measured.
In the index scale, the light transmissive portions and light shielding portions (or the light reflective portions and light non-reflective portions) having the same width are alternately arranged at the predetermined pitch.
In most transmissive optical encoders, in order to obtain two sine wave signals that are out of phase by 90° (known as A-phase and B-phase sine wave signals), two square wave amplitude grating areas are provided.
In such measuring apparatuses, a fine measurement resolution is required. Accordingly, the number of interpolations is increased using an electrical dividing device. To obtain a finely divided signal, it is useful that an ideal sine wave signal is provided to the electrical dividing device used to divide the displacement signal.
However, geometrically, the displacement signal obtained from the above-described optical encoder is a triangular wave or a trapezoidal wave corresponding to changes in the overlap of the scale gratings.
In particular, if the pitch is relatively coarse or a sufficiently coherent light source is used, the displacement signal tends to be a triangular wave or a trapezoidal signal. The displacement signal composed of such a pseudo sine wave signal has a large waveform distortion.
Additionally, the distortion ratio markedly varies in accordance with variations in the distance between the main scale and the index scale. When a position is measured using such a displacement signal having such a variation in distortion-ratio, a large interpolation error occurs, which results in a measurement error of the position.
Accordingly, several techniques for reducing harmonic distortion of the optical encoder have been proposed.
For example, in order to reduce the harmonic components in the light intensity distribution of multiple wave interference fringes, which are formed in an area in an space behind the main scale where diffraction light beams overlap, a square wave amplitude grating is improved using the following techniques:    (1) The width of the light transmissive portion of the main scale of the square wave amplitude grating is non-uniformly differentiated from that of the light shielding portion while maintaining the pitch so that the square wave amplitude grating virtually functions as a sine wave grating (refer to, for example, Japanese Patent No. 2695623).    (2) The ratio of the width of the light transmissive portion to that of the light shielding portion is changed from 1:1 to 2:1 (refer to, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 09-196705).
However, in the technique (1), the illumination distribution on the scale should be uniform.
The optical encoder has a structure in which gratings having non-uniform aperture ratios are appropriately distributed on a surface of the main scale. In this structure, the optical encoder has an adverse effect from the non-uniform illumination distribution.
In the technique (2), the harmonic distortion can be reduced simply by changing the aperture width of the square wave amplitude grating on the main scale.
In addition, since the aperture widths are uniformly changed in the entire effective area of the gratings on the main scale, the distortion can be reduced even when non-uniform illumination is present.
Furthermore, from a viewpoint of the ease of manufacturing, it is easy to set a desired aperture ratio while maintaining the high precision of the pitch on the main scale.
However, in technique (2), the ratio of the width of the light transmissive portion to the light shielding portion is changed from 1:1 to 2:1. Therefore, the above-described feature disappears at a particular gap position. Therefore, the reduction in the distortion at any gap is difficult.
Accordingly, to remove or reduce the distortion more effectively, the harmonic distortion should be reduced from the light intensity distribution of the multiple wave interference fringes projected on the index scale.
That is, the distortion of a diffraction image on the main scale should be removed.
The problems of the technique (2) are described in detail with reference to a description and drawings of Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 09-196705 and FIGS. 17A and 17B.
FIG. 17A is a diagram illustrating the structure of the main portion of the known optical encoder.
As shown in FIG. 17A, a main scale 1 is a transmissive main scale on which light transmissive portions 11 and shielding portions 12 are arranged at a pitch of P. The width of the light transmissive portion 11 is 2P/3.
On an index scale 3, light transmissive portions and shielding portions are arranged at a pitch of P. The width of the light transmissive portion is the same as that of the shielding portion.
In such a structure, the operation and features of technique (2) are described as follows.
It is noted that, in the following description of the cited reference, "FIG. 4" in the cited reference is replaced with "FIG. 17B."
". . . In this exemplary embodiment, as described above, the width of the light transmissive portion 11 of the main scale 1 is set to 2P/3. Thus, the third harmonic wave of a displacement output signal, which is a pseudo sine wave, is removed. The principal is described next with reference to FIG. 17B. Let P denote the pitch of the main scale 1 and L denote the width of the light transmissive portion 11. When parallel beams are incident on the main scale 1 and only straight light components are discussed, the transmissive light pattern of the main scale 1 appears to be a square wave pattern, as shown in FIG. 17B. At that time, a transmissive light intensity pattern I(x) in the displacement direction x can be expressed using Fourier expansion as follows:
                                                                        I                                                  (                  x                  )                                            =                                                                            C                  ·                                                            ∑                                              n                        =                        1                                            ∞                                                                                1                          -                                                      cos                                                                                (                                                              2                                                                n                                                                                π                                                                                L                                  /                                  P                                                                                )                                                                                n                                                                                sin                                                                          (                                                      2                                                        n                                                                                π                                                                                x                              /                              P                                                                                )                                                                                +                                                                                C                  ·                                                            ∑                                              n                        =                        1                                            ∞                                                                                sin                                                                                (                                                          2                                                            n                                                                                π                                                                                L                                /                                P                                                                                )                                                                          n                                                                                cos                                                                          (                                                      2                                                        n                                                                                π                                                                                x                              /                              P                                                                                )                                                                                +                D                                                                        (        1        )
In equation (1), C and D denote constant values. This transmissive light pattern is further modulated by the index scale 3 on the light receiving side. Thus, a pseudo sine-wave output can be obtained. As can be seen from equation (1), when the third harmonic wave, which is the highest odd harmonic component, is discussed (i.e., n=3), both coefficients of the first and second terms become zero when L=P/3 or L=2P/3. Therefore, since L=2P/3 in this exemplary embodiment, the third harmonic component is removed from the displacement signal. Consequently, a displacement signal that is close to a sine wave can be obtained. . . . " (the end of cited sentences).
The above-described cited reference has several drawbacks. The first drawback is that the intensity pattern I(x) expressed as equation (1) represents the intensity transmission ratio distribution of the grating. There is no problem if the light intensity pattern immediately after the main scale is considered to be such a square pattern. However, as shown in FIG. 17A, in the actual structure of the encoder, a predetermined gap (z) is provided between the main scale and the index scale.
In this actual structure, equation (1) does not represent the light intensity distribution of the interference fringes overlapped on the index scale. That is, the light intensity distribution should be represented by at least a function I(x, z).
The light intensity distribution I(x) expressed as equation (1) is approximately true only at the following particular gap position Zn:Zn=nP2/λ(n=1, 2, 3, . . . )  (2)where λ is the wavelength of a light source and P is a scale pitch.
This intensity distribution appearing at the particular gap position Zn and being proportional to the intensity transmission ratio distribution of the grating is referred to as a "Fourier image."
As a second drawback, according to technique (2), it is assumed that, at the gap position Zn where equation (1) is approximately true and the Fourier image is generated, the optical effective aperture ratio (i.e., the ratio of the width of the transmissive portion to that of the shielding portion) of the main scale is set to 2:1 instead of 1:1.
In square wave amplitude gratings, some combinations of the 0th-, ±1st-, ±2nd-, and ±3rd-order diffracted light components in the generated diffracted light, that is, (0, +3), (0, −3), (+1, −2), and (−1, +2) contribute to the generation of the third harmonic component contained in the displacement waveform.
In the technique (2), when the aperture ratio is 2:1 (1:2 is also allowed), the third-order diffracted light is missing (a missing order).
Accordingly, the combinations (0, +3) and (0, −3) are eliminated. However, the components for the combinations (+1, −2) and (−1, +2) still remain. Except for the case where the components for the combinations (+1, −2) and (−1, +2) are canceled due to a 180° out-of-phase relationship, the third-order component distortion is not eliminated.
As described above, in the technique (2), I(x) is only a Fourier expansion of a transmissive light pattern on the surface of the main scale, and therefore, this equation does not represent the light intensity distribution in the diffraction space behind the main scale.
Consequently, to eliminate the high-order harmonic components by changing the optical effective aperture ratio of the main scale, the following light intensity distribution formed behind the diffraction grating on the main scale should be found using an optical effective aperture ratio of the diffraction grating AR and the gap size z:I(x, y, z, AR, λ)  (3)
That is, the light intensity distribution based on a so-called "diffraction theory" should be computed.

Optical encoder for measuring displacement


To realize reduction in vibration and noise while utilizing reluctance torque, a rotating electrical machine includes: a rotor having permanent magnets disposed in a cylindrical surface coaxial with a rotary shaft; and a stator having an annular stator core disposed coaxially with the rotary shaft, and a annular coil for magnetizing the stator core. The stator core has an annular part covering the annular coil, claws disposed at equal intervals in an inner radius surface of the annular part and extending axially, and magnetic gaps formed between neighboring claws. The number of claws is equal to the number of permanent magnets, and magnet flux in a direction orthogonal to a center axis of the magnetic pole of the permanent magnet at right angles in electric angle is larger than magnetic flux in the center axis direction generated between neighboring permanent magnets. Metal interpoles are provided between neighboring permanent magnets.

A representative example of a rotating electrical machine effectively using a reluctance torque is a drive motor for a hybrid electric vehicle. At the low-speed rotation, the motor generates a large magnet torque by a strong rare-earth permanent magnet. At the time of high-speed rotation, the motor achieves high output by utilizing the reluctance torque while suppressing motor voltage by a weakening field.
A brushless electric motor having such functions is disclosed, including: a stator obtained by winding a distributed coil around a stator core formed by laminating electromagnetic steel sheets; and a rotor having a permanent magnet and a high-permeability magnetic member (auxiliary salient pole) (Japanese Patent No. 2,667,815 (Claim 1 and FIG. 1).
In the brushless electric motor, however, it is difficult to make the magnetic field distribution at the time of no load in the air gap have a sine wave shape, and the rotor has a complicated magnetic structure in the circumferential direction. Consequently, the electric motor generates electromagnetic exciting force in various modes. As a result, vibration and noise tend to occur in the motor. Since a wire is wound around the stator core obtained by laminating electromagnetic steel sheets, a coil end is inevitably formed and, due to the coil end, the axial length of the motor increases. Particularly, in a flat motor, the coil end hinders realization of miniaturization of the motor.
An object of the present invention is therefore to provide a claw-teeth-type rotating electric machine capable of realizing reduction in vibration and noise while utilizing reluctance torque.

Claw-teeth-type rotating electrical machine

Hitachi Industrial Equipment Systems Co., Ltd.


Presented are a shape measuring step (A) in which the size L of an eyeball 1 and the shape R of the eyeground 2 are measured, an eyeball setting step (B) for setting an eyeball template 3, an eyeground image taking step (C) for taking images of the eyeground including superimposed portions d by shifting the imaging positions, a parameter setting step (D) for obtaining an eyeball parameter g that represents the positional relationship between the eyeground and images, an image pasting step (F) for pasting a number of images on the eyeball template, and a three dimensional image displaying step (H) for displaying three dimensional eyeground images 5 on the eyeball template on a display device 16.

1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to methods and apparatus for displaying an eyeground three dimensionally and measuring its coordinates from photos of the eyeground.
2. Description of the Related Art
An eyeground means the inner portion of an eyeball, and is one of the few portions of a human body wherein blood vessels and nerves can be directly observed. Conventionally, dedicated eyeground cameras have been used to observe the eyeground and diagnose abnormalities in blood vessels, retinas, tumors, etc.
The eyeground camera illuminates the interior of an eye through a pupil of a patient, and at the same time the camera takes a picture of part of the eyeground on photo film or CCD. However, the field of view of the eyeground camera is narrow at about 50 degrees, so even a specialized physician cannot easily make a precise diagnosis using a photo.
Therefore, a number of eyeground photos are connected according to conventional practice. That is, because the imaging range of an eyeground camera is narrow, photos taken in a number of directions such as center, upper, lower, left, and right directions are connected together, and the entire eyeground is diagnosed. Such connecting work is done not only manually but also semi automatically using an image processing method. In addition, eyeground cameras connected to computers have been developed for electronic clinical cards and video images can be filed.
However, because the eyeground is spherical and a photo of it is a projection of part of the eyeground on a plane, photos taken are not continuous and cannot be precisely connected.
Eyeground photos connected as described above consist of planes developed from the spherical eyeground, so only a specialist physician can precisely diagnose such photos, applying extensive expertise of the construction of an eyeball, and a physician without specialized knowledge or a patient cannot understand the images.
Furthermore, even if a specialized physician can diagnose an abnormality in blood vessels, retinas, tumors, etc. at the eyeground, images on eyeground photos have already been deformed, therefore, sizes and positions of blood vessels, retina detachment areas, etc. can neither be quantified as data nor be used as time series data or as an epidemic database.
To solve the aforementioned problems, "Methods and apparatus for recovering three dimensional patterns of an eyeground by superimposing eyeground images taken in multiple directions" (unexamined Japanese patent publication No. 2002-34925) has already been proposed.
According to this proposal, the lens of a living eye is modeled with a single lens, wherein the shape of the eyeground is regarded to be substantially a sphere; then, an image of the sphere taken through the single lens lies on a quadratic surface, and it can be assumed that the camera has taken pictures of the quadratic surface from various directions. Consequently, as shown schematically in FIG. 1, a number of unique points commonly contained in a number of eyeground photos are superimposed on the quadratic surface, thus camera positions and poses, when the shape of the quadratic surface and pictures were taken and estimated, the parameters of a single lens are obtained from the shape of the quadratic surface, and the shape of the eyeground can be reproduced.
Nevertherless, actual sizes and shapes of eyeballs vary by person, and it is known that if a person who is very near or far sighted in particular, the eyeballs deform from a precise sphere. Therefore, if the lens of a living eye is modeled with a single lens and the shape of the eyeground is regarded to be substantially a sphere, in the case of a deformed eye ball, if any, the reproduced eyeground differs from the actual eyeground, so the fact that the reproduced eyeground cannot be used for precision diagnostics or a database of eyeground data, is a problem.
According to the above mentioned method, if an eye ball is deformed significantly, images cannot be superimposed on a virtual quadratic surface. As a result, camera positions and poses when each image is photographed can no longer be estimated, so parameters for a single lens also cannot be obtained, and even the shape of the eyeground might not be reproducible.

Method and apparatus for three dimensionally displaying eyeground and measuring coordinates thereof


The subject invention provides a heat treating assembly. The heat treating assembly comprises a laser, a substrate, and a tool. The laser emits laser energy directed toward the substrate and the tool. The substrate absorbs the laser energy and produces heat energy within the substrate that alters the substrate. The tool is disposed in removable contact with the substrate to conduct the heat energy away from the substrate to limit the altering of the substrate. Preferably, the tool has a thermal conductivity greater than that of the substrate and is more preferably a copper material, a gold material, a silver material, or an aluminum material.

1. Technical Field
The subject invention relates to a heat treating assembly and a method for altering a defined area of a substrate with laser energy.
2. Related Art
Various heat treating assemblies are known to those skilled in the art that employ lasers and that use laser energy to treat a substrate. One drawback of treating the substrate with the laser is that once the laser emits the laser energy as a beam, it is difficult to restrict the energy to an area of treatment. The laser energy once absorbed by the substrate has a tendency to be conducted by the material of the substrate to regions beyond the areas directly exposed to the laser energy. This conduction makes it difficult it to precisely control the area of treatment. Known laser treatment systems also employ a relatively narrow beam of light in relation to the area to be treated in an effort to control the application of the laser energy to the desired area. Such a thin beam approach commonly requires that multiple passes (known as rastering) be made in a pattern scanning the area from side to side in lines from top to bottom. This approach is complex and costly, especially when there are multiple areas to be scanned and still does not avoid the problems associated with the controlling of the conduction of the laser energy beyond the intended target area near the boundaries.
Cross-sectional views of substrates 10, 12 that have been treated in accordance with the prior art methods are illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. The substrates 10, 12, after being treated with the laser, were sectioned and mounted for viewing to observe the alteration of the substrates 10, 12. Each of the substrates 10, 12 include a horizontal surface 14 and a vertical surface 16. The substrates 10, 12 were treated to harden the horizontal surface 14 while the vertical surface 16 was not to be hardened. The laser energy was focused on the horizontal surface 14, but once the substrates 10, 12 absorbed the laser energy, the heat generated was conducted from the horizontal surface 14 to the vertical surface 16. The conduction of the heat energy results in the vertical surface 16 being hardened, which may be detrimental to the usefulness of the substrates 10, 12. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the treated area slopes downwardly from the horizontal surface 14 toward the vertical surface 16.
The substrate 10 in FIG. 1 may be, for example, a steel piston and the horizontal surface 14 to be hardened may be a groove on the steel piston. The vertical surface 16 of the steel piston, if repeatedly stressed, may be prone to fatigue and possible failure as a result of being heat treated and hardened from the conduction of heat beyond the desired area. Prior art FIG. 2 illustrates another example in which an iron scraper ring is provided as the substrate 12 having the horizontal surface 14 to be treated. Again, the heat energy has been conducted from the horizontal surface 14 to the vertical surface 16 and the vertical surface 16 has been detrimentally hardened. For the same reasons stated above, it is disadvantageous to have the vertical surface 16 hardened.
Yet another disadvantage of the related art methods and assemblies is that the substrate has a tendency to be distorted after it has been treated. The surface areas of the substrate have stresses such that treatment of the areas increases the stresses and the substrate can become distorted. As an example, a piston ring has stresses as a result of the shape of the piston ring. When the piston ring is treated with the related art methods and assemblies, the piston ring has a tendency to bend and become distorted.


A web sterilizing device comprising a sterilizing solution tank 51, web guide means for guiding a web W so as to bring the web w into the tank 51, dip the web w in a sterilizing solution within the tank 51 and thereafter move the web W out of the tank 51, a pair of endless chains 105 extending in parallel to each other both inside and outside the tank 51, chain guide means for guiding the chains 105 so as to move the chains 105 along respective opposite sides of a path for the web W to move along by being guided through the tank 51 by the web guide means, and a web engaging member 133 extending between and connected to the chains 105.

The present invention relates to a web sterilizing device for use in packaging machines for producing closed content-filled rectangular parallelepipedal containers from a web of packaging material.
As disclosed, for example, in JP-A No. 60-110628, devices of the type mentioned are already known which comprise a sterilizing solution tank, web guide means for guiding a web so as to bring the web into the tank, dip the web in a sterilizing solution within the tank and thereafter move the web out of the tank, an endless chain extending both inside and outside the tank, chain guide means for guiding the chain so as to move the chain along one side of a path for the web to move along by being guided through the tank by the web guide means, and a web engaging pin attached to the chain.
One edge portion of the web is caught by the engaging pin on the chain, with the other edge portion left free. When moved to pull the web, the chain fails to smoothly pull the web if the leading end edge portion of the web loosens.


A semiconductor integrated circuit includes a boost circuit configured to boost a power supply voltage so as to generate first and second voltages, the second voltage being lower than the first voltage, a load circuit supplied with the first voltage, and a capacitor. The capacitor has first and second diffusion regions, a first insulating film formed on a channel region, a first electrode formed on the first insulating film, a second insulating film formed on the first electrode, and a second electrode formed on the second insulating film. The second voltage is applied to the first electrode. The first voltage is applied to the second electrode. The power supply voltage is applied to at least one of the first and second diffusion regions.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor integrated circuit. In particular, the present invention relates to a semiconductor integrated circuit including a boost circuit for boosting a power supply voltage.
2. Description of the Related Art
A semiconductor integrated circuit has a built-in nonvolatile memory such as NAND flash memory capable of electrically achieving write and erase. In the semiconductor integrated circuit, an internal voltage generation circuit built in a chip generates the following various voltages with a single power supply. One is a high voltage required for write and erase operations. Another is a channel boost voltage for preventing a write error to a non-select memory cell. Another is a read voltage applied to a non-select memory cell in a read operation.
For example, the internal voltage generation circuit is composed of a boost circuit, a potential detection circuit, a clock generation circuit and a stabilization capacitor. Specifically, the boost circuit boosts a power supply voltage supplied externally. The potential detection circuit controls an output voltage of the boost circuit to a desired voltage (internal voltage). The clock generation circuit controls the operation of the boost circuit. The stabilization capacitor stores a boosted charge. The stabilization capacitor achieves a function as an instantaneous charge supply source for the following advantages. Namely, the ripple of the output of the boost circuit is prevented in a steady-state operation. In addition, when a large load is connected to an output terminal of the boost circuit, the output terminal is assisted so that the terminal does not fall below a certain voltage.
A NAND flash memory requires a high write voltage; for this reason, it has a built-in transistor having a high breakdown voltage insulating film thicker than a tunnel insulating film of a memory cell. The foregoing transistor having the thick insulating film is usable as a capacitor element. However, the insulating film is thick; for this reason, the capacitance per unit area is small. If a capacitor having a large capacitance is formed in a semiconductor integrated circuit, this is a factor of increasing a chip area.
The following technique has been disclosed as this kind of related art (see Japanese Patent No. 3173327). According to the foregoing technique, even if defect exists in a dielectric layer between electrodes having a boost voltage stabilization capacitance, the boost voltage stabilization capacitance is prevented from being destroyed.


Wakesurf systems for improving and enlarging the wake behind a boat for wakesurfing. A wakesurf system can include a bracket configured to be attached to the hull of a boat. The bracket can be adhered to the hull. The wakesurf system can further include a magnetic connection between the bracket and a base of a wake forming assembly. The wake forming assembly may be collapsible and expandable. The wake forming assembly can including a base structure with a connector for attaching the base structure to the bracket when attached to the hull of the boat. The wake forming assembly can further include a water diverter pivotably attached to a second surface of the base structure and supports disposing the water diverter at an angle to the hull of the boat when the base structure is attached to the bracket and the wake forming assembly is in an expanded position.

The present invention relates to improvements in wake sport technology, in particular improvements to wake characteristics favorable to the sport of wakesurfing. Wakesurfing is a wake sport in which a rider rides upon a wake formed behind a boat. After often being initially towed by the boat, the wakesurfer rides the surface of boat's wake without being directly pulled by the boat. After getting up on the wake, typically by use of a tow rope, the wakesurfer will drop the rope and ride the steep face of the wake below the wave's peak in a fashion reminiscent of surfing. Wakesurfers generally use special boards, designed specifically for wakes.
A wakesurfing wake can be created without a surf system but this requires a large amount of weight to be placed on one side of the boat, thus listing the boat to one side. This displaces a large amount of water on the surfing side of the boat and reduces the flow of water on the opposite side of the boat. Most wake sport specific inboard engine boats have multiple integrated ballast tanks that are filled with ballast pumps controlled from the helm. Typically the configuration is based on a three tank system with a tank in the center of the boat and two additional ballast tanks disposed in the rear of the boat on either side of the engine compartment. Just like larger boats and ships when adding water ballast to smaller wakeboard boats the hull has a lower center of gravity, and increases the draft of the boat. However, this can make steering the boat more difficult. And, with particular regard to wakesurfing, this can require a significant amount of time to empty one side of the water ballasts and fill up the other side when switching the side of the boat which is being surfed on.
Boat manufacturers have adapted to the increase in popularity of wakesurfing by making boats with surf systems installed onto the boat. Many wake sport boat factory ballast systems can be upgraded with larger capacities by adding soft structured ballast bags. In some instances additional ballast bags may be added to compartments on each side of the motor of a boat. In some instances ballasts may be even added within the interior of the boat to add additional draft and increase the size and attributes of the boat's wake for wakesurfing. However, the addition of additional ballasts within a boat consumes storage space and may be otherwise inconvenient to the passengers therein. For example, in many instances the non-participating passengers of the boat may even alternate seating positions within the boat so as to add additional weight to one side of the boat, as opposed to the other side of the boat, depending on the side of the wake for which the wakesurfing is being performed.
The boats with built-in surf systems are costly and the systems are generally either hydraulic or electric. To change the shape of the wake, the surf systems can deflect water from either the port or stern side of the boat. Another method is by using paddles attached to the transom. Aftermarket products exist that can be attached to the transom, starboard, or port side of the boat which deflect water from one side of the boat creating a large wake on the opposite side of the boat, or by listing the boat to one side, or other methods. These aftermarket products are either entirely removable or may be temporarily attached to the hull of the boat.
Directed to this end, several designs exist which each is defined by several important and distinct limitations. For example, U.S. Publication US 2016/0009342 A1 published Jan. 14, 2016 is directed to a Wake Surf Shaper. The wake surf shaper can be used to modify the wake of a watercraft to make it more "surfable." The publication removably attaches the wake surf shaper to one side of a boat's hull which interrupts the flow of water diverted around one side of the bow applying force to the hull in such a manner as to dam the column of water diverted around the opposite side of the bow such that the release of water creates an increased wake behind the boat. At least one embodiment describes a wake surf shaper which has a hull attachment surface which extends substantially from bow to stern at or near the water line. Such wake surf shapers include an outer surface which interrupts the flow of water diverted around one side of the bow, with substantially symmetrical top and bottom surfaces configured to fit the space between the hull attachment side and the outer surface, a rear surface, and a hook and loop means such as VELCRO for removably attaching the hull attachment surface to the hull of the boat.
U.S. Pat. No. 10,059,404 B2 issued Aug. 28, 2018 and U.S. Pat. No. 10,183,726 B1 issued Jan. 22, 2019 are additional examples which each disclose a wake diverter and wake shaping apparatus and related technology respectively. Both patent documents are related to a device that attaches to a hull of a boat using suction cups. The devices disrupt water flow around the hull such that a wake created behind the boat modify the characteristics of the wake, such as making the wake larger, differently positioned, and/or differently shaped.
All of the aforementioned designs suffer from a lack of security in the mount design by which the devices are attached to the hull of a boat. Moreover, such devices suffer from an inherent lack of collapsibility for easy storage, complexity of design, floatation of the diverter, and/or a lack of adjustability by which the wake characteristics are modified. These shortcomings, as well as other shortcomings, in design, manufacture, and use will become apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art in view of the following disclosure herein as to one upon use of the applicant's disclosed embodiments as illustrated in the accompanying figures illustrating the applicant's designs and use thereof.
With reference to a boat, various terms are commonly known and used herein. For example, as referred to herein the following well-known terms are defined: abaft (preposition): at or toward the stern of a ship, or further back from a location; aft (adjective): toward the stern (rear) of a ship; aport: toward the port side of a ship (opposite of "astarboard"); astarboard: toward the starboard side of a ship (opposite of "aport"); astern (adjective): toward the rear of a ship (opposite of "forward"); athwartships: toward the sides of a ship; bottom: the lowest part of the ship's hull; bow or stem: front of a ship (opposite of "stern"); centerline or centerline: an imaginary, central line drawn from the bow to the stern; fore or forward: at or toward the front of a ship or further ahead of a location (opposite of "aft"); inboard: attached inside the ship; keel: the bottom structure of a ship's hull; port: the left side of the ship, when facing forward (opposite of "starboard"); starboard: the right side of the ship, when facing forward (opposite of "port"); stern: the rear of a ship (opposite of "bow"); and waterline: where the water surface meets the ship's hull.
The subject matter claimed herein is not limited to embodiments that solve any disadvantages or that operate only in environments such as those described above. Rather, this background is only provided to illustrate one exemplary technology area where some embodiments described herein may be practiced.


In a method for releasing a work having an adhesive tape from a holding member which sucks and holds the work having the adhesive tape, the work having the adhesive tape is released from the holding member while supplying a gas which reduces a holding force of the holding member between the holding member and the work having the adhesive tape.

(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a releasing method and a releasing apparatus of a work having an adhesive tape for releasing the work having the adhesive tape from a holding member which sucks and holds the work having the adhesive tape after it is subjected to a predetermined processing.
(2) Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, a surface protecting tape is joined to a surface of a semiconductor wafer formed with a pattern. The surface protecting tape protruding from an outer periphery of the semiconductor wafer is cut out along an outer peripheral edge of the semiconductor wafer, a back surface of the semiconductor wafer is polished in a state in which the entire semiconductor wafer surface is protected by the surface protecting tape, and the semiconductor wafer is thinned (see JP-A 6-302569, for example).
A protecting tape (dicing adhesive tape) is joined (wafer mount) to the semiconductor wafer whose back surface has been polished for cutting the water into chips (dicing). Then, in order to separate the surface protecting tape from the semiconductor wafer, the wafer is subjected to a so-called mount separating processing (see JP-A 2003-209082, for example). Since the semiconductor wafer is thin, it is general that the mount separating processing is carried out in a state in which a wide range of a back surface of the dicing adhesive tape is sucked and held on the holding member made of a porous material.
If the back surface of the dicing adhesive tape is sucked and held on the holding member made of a porous material, a delay of release is generated in a holding region is generated at the time of releasing, and there is a problem that the dicing adhesive tape is deformed and the semiconductor wafer is cracked or damaged.
In the mount separating processing, in order to facilitate the separation of the surface protecting tape, a heated holding member is used. Therefore, the dicing adhesive tape is deformed more and thus, the dicing adhesive tape is prone to enter into a sucking hole of the holding member, and the semiconductor wafer becomes prone to be damaged.

Releasing method and releasing apparatus of work having adhesive tape


A chain link for the antiskid device of a vehicle wheel, having a first end forming a closed eyelet for attachment to an adjacent chain link, and a second end forming a hook for attachment in an opening of a web or plate or arm of the antiskid device, the eyelet and hook having the equal inside width corresponding to the thickness of the web in the zone of the place of attachment, plus a slight extra dimension for adequate mobility upon the attachment.

In addition to snow chains, antiskid devices are known in which the antiskid means bearing against the wheel running surface is retained by arms which bear against the running surface and are attached to a retaining device which, in turn, is attached to the side of the wheel. The chain links must be readily and reliably attached to the plastics arms of an antiskid device mounted on a wheel. For this purpose it is known to construct the end link of a chain in the form of a hook which is hooked into an opening of the arm or of a web-shaped or plate-shaped intermediate member. It was found that such hook-shaped end links are subject to increased stressing and even break.

Chain link for the antiskid device of a vehicle wheel


Antenna arrangement (10) comprising at least one parasitic element (12), a feed element (14), and at least one-tuning circuitry (16). The at least one-parasitic element (12) comprises a first connection (18) connected to ground (20), and a second connection (22) connected to said at least one-tuning circuitry (16), and is galvanically separated from said feed element (14) and electromagnetically coupled to said feed element (14).

An antenna is a transducer designed to transmit and/or receive radio, television, microwave, telephone and radar signals, i.e. an antenna converts electrical currents of a particular frequency into electromagnetic waves and vice versa. Physically, an antenna is an arrangement of on or more electrical conductors that is arranged to generate a radiating electromagnetic field in response to an applied alternating voltage and the associated alternating electric current, or that can be placed in an electromagnetic field so that the field will induce an alternating current in the antenna and a voltage between its terminals.
Portable wireless communication electronic devices, such as mobile phones, typically include an antenna that is connected to electrically conducting tracks or contacts on a punted circuit board (PCB) by soldering or welding. Manufacturers of such electronic devices are under constant pressure to reduce the physical size, weight and cost of the devices and improve their electrical performance. This low cost requirement dictates that the electronic device and its antenna should be simple and inexpensive to manufacture and assemble.
A further challenge facing manufacturers is to provide electronic devices with a compact, high gain, multi-band antenna to cover a wider frequency range demanded by new bands in the Long Term Evolution (LTE) standard.


Compounds, compositions and methods are provided for modulating the expression of eIF4E-BP2. The compositions comprise oligonucleotides, targeted to nucleic acid encoding eIF4E-BP2. Methods of using these compounds for modulation of eIF4E-BP2 expression and for diagnosis and treatment of diseases and conditions associated with expression of eIF4E-BP2 are provided.

Eukaryotic gene expression must be regulated such that cells can rapidly respond to a wide range of different conditions. The process of mRNA translation is one step at which gene expression is highly regulated. In response to hormones, growth factors, cytokines and nutrients, animal cells generally activate translation in preparation for the proliferative response. The rate of protein synthesis typically decreases under stressful conditions, such as oxidative or osmotic stress, DNA damage or nutrient withdrawal. Activation or suppression of mRNA translation occurs within minutes and control over this process is thought to be exerted at the initiation phase of protein synthesis (Rosenwald et al., Oncogene, 1999, 18, 2507-2517; Strudwick and Borden, Differentiation, 2002, 70, 10-22).
Translation initiation necessitates the coordinated activities of several eukaryotic initiation factors (eIFs), proteins which are classically defined by their cytoplasmic location and ability to regulate the initiation phase of protein synthesis. One of these factors, eukaryotic initiation factor 4E (eIF4E), is present in limiting amounts relative to other initiation factors and is one component of the eIF4F initiation complex, which is also comprised of the scaffold protein eIF4G and the RNA helicase eIF4A. In the cytoplasm, eIF4E catalyzes the rate-limiting step of cap-dependent protein synthesis by specifically binding to the 5′ terminal 7-methyl GpppX cap structure present on nearly all mature cellular mRNAs, which serves to deliver the mRNAs to the eIF4F complex. Once bound, the eIF4F complex scans from the 5′ to the 3′ end of the cap, permitting the RNA helicase activity of eIF4A to resolve any secondary structure present in the 5′ untranslated region (UTR), thus revealing the translation initiation codon and facilitating ribosome loading onto the mRNA (Graff and Zimmer, Clin. Exp. Metastasis, 2003, 20, 265-273; Strudwick and Borden, Differentiation, 2002, 70, 10-22).
eIF4E availability for incorporation into the eIF4E complex is regulated through phosphorylation as well as through the binding of inhibitory proteins. eIF4E is a phosphoprotein that is phosphorylated on serine 209 by the mitogen-activated protein kinase-interacting kinase Mnk1, as well as by protein kinase C (Flynn and Proud, J. Biol. Chem., 1995, 270, 21684-21688; Wang et al., J. Biol. Chem., 1998, 273, 9373-9377; Waskiewicz et al., Embo J. 1997, 16, 1909-1920). The inhibitory eIF4E-binding proteins 1 and 2 (eIF4E-BP1 and eIF4E-BP2) act as effective inhibitors of cap-dependent translation by competing with eIF4G for binding to the dorsal surface of eIF4E (Pause et al., Nature, 1994, 371, 762-767; Ptushkina et al., Embo J., 1999, 18, 4068-4075). When complexed with bp1, eIF4E is not a substrate for phosphorylation by protein kinase C or Mnk1, indicating that dissociation of bp1 from eIF4E is a prerequisite for eIF4E phosphorylation (Wang et al., J. Biol. Chem., 1998, 273, 9373-9377; Whalen et al., J Biol Chem, 1996, 271, 11831-11837). Phosphorylation of eIF4E increases its affinity for mRNA caps, thus elevating translation rates (Waskiewicz et al., Mol. Cell Biol., 1999, 19, 1871-1880).
eIF4E-BP2 (also known as PHAS-II; 4EBP2; 4E-binding protein 2; EIF4EBP2) was cloned through use of the eIF4E protein in probing a cDNA expression library (Hu et al., Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 1994, 91, 3730-3734; Pause et al., Nature, 1994, 371, 762-767). eIF4E-BP2 is ubiquitously expressed in human tissues, including heart, brain, placenta, lung, liver, kidney and spleen, as well as adipose tissue and skeletal muscle, the major insulin-responsive tissues (Hu et al., Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 1994, 91, 3730-3734; Tsukiyama-Kohara et al., Genomics, 1996, 38, 353-363). The human gene maps to chromosome 10q21-q22 (Tsukiyama-Kohara et al., Genomics, 1996, 38, 353-363). The mouse bp1 gene consists of three exons, spans approximately 20 kb and maps to mouse chromosome 10 (Tsukiyama-Kohara et al., Genomics, 1996, 38, 353-363). The expression of eIF4E-BP2 does not appear to be altered in mice bearing a systemic disruption of bp1 (Blackshear et al., J Biol Chem, 1997, 272, 31510-31514).
Rather than preventing the binding of eIF4E to mRNA caps, eIF4E-BP2 prohibits the binding of eIF4E to eIF4G, thereby preventing formation of a complex that is necessary for efficient binding and proper positioning of the 40S ribosomal subunit on the target mRNA. When eIF4E-BP2 is bound to eIF4E, eIF4E does not serve as a substrate for phosphorylation by protein kinase C, suggesting that dissociation of eIF4E-BP2 from eIF4E is a prerequisite for phosphorylation of eIF4E (Whalen et al., J Biol Chem, 1996, 271, 11831-11837). The region to which eIF4E binds is a common motif shared by eIF4G and eIF4E-BP2, and point mutations in this region of eIF4E-BP2 abolish binding to eIF4E (Mader et al., Mol Cell Biol, 1995, 15, 4990-4997). Two conserved motifs are present in the eIF4E-BP2: the RAIP motif, which is found in the NH2-terminal region of EIF4E-BP2 and the TOS motif, which is formed by the last five amino acids of eIF4E-BP2 (Schalm and Blenis, Curr Biol, 2002, 12, 632-639; Tee and Proud, Mol Cell Biol, 2002, 22, 1674-1683).
Like eIF4E-BP1, insulin stimulates the phosphorylation of eIF4E-BP2 in cultured cells, which promotes the release of eIF4E-BP2 from eIF4E and allows for cap-dependent translation to proceed (Ferguson et al., J Biol Chem, 2003, 278, 47459-47465). Mitogen-activated protein kinase, the major insulin-stimulated kinase in rat adipocytes, can phosphorylate recombinant eIF4E-BP2 in vitro. However, treatment of 3T3-L1 rat adipocytes with rapamycin attenuates the effects of insulin on the phosphorylation of eIF4E-BP2, indicating that elements of the mTOR signaling pathway mediate the actions of insulin on eIF4E-BP2 (Lin and Lawrence, J Biol Chem, 1996, 271, 30199-30204). Additionally, serine-65 of eIF4E-BP2 represents an ideal consensus site for phosphorylation by cyclicAMP-dependent protein kinase. In rat 3T3-L1 adipocytes, where insulin or epidermal growth factor markedly increased the phosphorylation of eIF4E-BP2, compounds that increase cyclic AMP decrease the amount of radiolabeled phosphate incorporated into eIF4E-BP2, and attenuate the effects of insulin on increasing the phosphorylation of eIF4E-BP2. Incubation of eIF4E-BP2 with the catalytic subunit of cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase results in the rapid phosphorylation of eIF4E-BP2. Together, these data suggest that increasing cyclic AMP may selectively increase eIF4E-BP2 phosphorylation (Lin and Lawrence, J Biol Chem, 1996, 271, 30199-30204).
Induction of cellular differentiation and reduction of cellular proliferation are concomitant with a reduction in translation rates, as is observed in conjunction with differential regulation of eIF4E-BPs during human myeloid cell differentiation. When induced to differentiate into monocytes/macrophages, cells from the HL-60 promyelocytic leukemia cell or U-937 monoblastic cell lines exhibit a decrease in the phosphorylation of bp1. In contrast, when HL-60 cells are stimulated to differentiate into granulocytic cells, the amount of bp1 is decreased, whereas phosphorylation of bp1 is not affected. Conversely, eIF4E-BP2 levels are markedly increased. These findings suggest that translation machinery is differentially regulated during human myeloid cell differentiation (Grolleau et al., J Immunol, 1999, 162, 3491-3497).
The disregulation of signaling networks that promote cell proliferation is often observed in association with cancer (Lawrence and Abraham, Trends Biochem Sci, 1997, 22, 345-349). Expression of excess eIF4E-BP2 in cells transformed by eIF4E or v-src results in significant reversion of the transformed phenotype, demonstrating that eIF4E-BP2 can function as an inhibitor of cell growth (Rousseau et al., Oncogene, 1996, 13, 2415-2420).
The U.S. Pat. No. 6,410,715 describes a purified human nucleic acid sequence encoding a cellular component that binds to eIF4E comprising a coding sequence for the protein eIF4E-BP2, and discloses a method for screening a non-hormone agent potentially useful to treat a hormone disorder (Sonenberg et al., 2000).
Currently, there are no known therapeutic agents that target eIF4E-BP2. Consequently, there remains a long felt need for agents capable of effectively inhibiting eIF4E-BP2. Antisense technology is an effective means of reducing the expression of specific gene products and therefore is uniquely useful in a number of therapeutic, diagnostic and research applications for the modulation of eIF4E-BP2 expression.
The present invention provides compositions and methods for inhibiting eIF4E-BP2 expression.


A collector assembly is configured to vent dust-laden air through at least one filter in one direction using pressure in an air conveyor, whereby dust collects on one side of the filter or filters. The collector assembly is further configured to pulse compressed air through the filter or filters in an opposite direction to dislodge the collected dust into the air conveyor without the dislodged dust entering the atmosphere around the air conveyor.

This invention relates generally to pollution control and more particularly to methods and apparatus for reducing and recovering dust emissions from air conveyors.
Air conveyors are used for moving very dry, fluid materials, such as powdered substances at cement plants, lime plants, pharmaceutical plants, paint plants, and other facilities. The powdered material being moved is typically very fluid, and resembles face powder in that regard. At least one known fluidizing air conveyor has two chambers joined at a horizontal flange. In fact, the flange is not actually horizontal, but rather is inclined slightly (for example, at 7 to 8 degrees) to allow the conveyor to advantageously utilize the force of gravity to move the fluidized material from a silo or other material reservoir. An air-permeable fabric or felt is sandwiched in the flange. Below the flange, one of the chambers is an open metal box with pressurized air covered by the fabric. Because of the pressure differential between the lower chamber and the upper chamber (in some typical instances, for example, between 3 to 5 psi or 20.67 to 34.45 kpascal), air "bubbles up" through the fabric. Powder is dropped from a reservoir such as a silo into an opening in the elevated end of top chamber 18. That powder is transferred some distance (e.g., 50 to 100 feet in some cases) to where it is used or otherwise dispensed. By fluidizing the material with the pressurized air bubbled through the fabric and through the product, the material flows more easily. The slight incline allows gravity to cause the fluidized material to flow down the conveyor. The chamber below the fabric or felt is pressurized and the air supports and fluidizes the material so that it flows down, assisted by the air.
In some known configurations, a bottom chamber of the air conveyor is 2-4″ (5.08-10.16 cm) tall and up to 24″ (60.96 cm) wide, and a top chamber is 4-12″ (10.16-30.48 cm) tall and up to 24″ (60.96 cm) wide, depending upon how much material is being moved. The powdered material flows over the fabric that is laid as a top cover over the lower chamber, and flows down what is effectively a long, rectangular tube. Various types of fabrics are used in known configurations, depending upon the type of material being conveyed. For example, for very hot material, NOMEX® fabric (available from DuPont Corporation) can be used. For materials at room temperature, a polyester, felt polyester or other woven material can be used.
In known configurations, when the pressurized air exits at the discharge area for the conveyed material, the escaping air has a tendency to carry material dust into the atmosphere. Although a baghouse is sometimes used to prevent the material dust from entering the atmosphere, many material conveyors are in areas that are not generally accessible with low headroom clearances. In such installations, there is no room for a baghouse. In other cases, a baghouse is not practical to provide or is too expensive, because there also must be some way of collecting dust in the baghouse and feeding it back into the air conveyor, and a fan is required.

Methods and apparatus for air conveyor dust emission control


The present invention relates to a method for preparing photoluminescent silicon nanoparticles having uniformly hydrogen-terminated surfaces that are essentially free of residual oxygen. The present invention also relates to a method of preparing a blue-emitting photoluminescent silicon nanoparticle. The present invention further relates to a composition that includes a photoluminescent silicon nanoparticle having a surface that is uniformly hydrogen-terminated and essentially free of residual oxygen. The present invention also relates to a composition including a photoluminescent silicon nanoparticle having a surface that is uniformly coated with an organic layer and essentially free of residual oxygen. The present invention additionally relates to a composition including a photoluminescent silicon nanoparticle stably dispersed in an organic solvent and having a surface that is uniformly coated with an organic layer and essentially free of residual oxygen.

Light emission from silicon has been a topic of intense research interest due to its potential use in displays, general illumination, and the integration of optoelectronics with silicon technology (Lockwood, D. J., Ed., Light Emission in Silicon From Physics to Devices, New York:Academic Press (1998)). Most of this research has been carried out on porous silicon (PSi). However, it is now well understood that visible photoluminescence (PL) from PSi arises from silicon nanocrystals within it (Nirmal et al., Acc. Chem. Res. 32:407 (1999)). For many applications, well-characterized discrete nanocrystals would be much more useful than PSi. In silicon nanocrystals less than about 5 nm in diameter, quantum confinement widens the band gap, leading to particle size -dependence of the PL wavelength, from blue to the near infrared. Finite size effects also increase the probability of radiative recombination of excitons and decrease the possibility of non-radiative recombination (Nirmal et al., Acc. Chem. Res. 32:407 (1999)). Both non-radiative and radiative recombination may occur at the nanocrystal surface as well as within the nanocrystal. In particular, oxygen at the surface may introduce states within the bandgap that lead to loss of emission or red-shifted emission (Wolkin et al., Appl. Phys. Lett. 82:197 (1999)).
Several methods have been developed for preparing luminescent silicon nanoparticles outside of porous silicon, including fracturing of porous silicon by ultrasonication (Belomoin et al., App. Phys. Lett. 80:841 (2002), Yamani et al., J. Appl. Phys. 83:3929 (1998)), inverse micellar growth (Wilcoxon et al., Phys. Rev. B. 60:2704 (1999)), laser ablation (Carlisle et al., Chem. Phys. Lett. 326:335 (2000), Carlisle et al., J. Electron Spectroscopy 229:114-116 (2001)), thermal decomposition of organosilane precursors in supercritical solvents (English et al., Nano Letters 2:681 (2002), Holmes et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc. 123:3743 (2001)), solution phase methods (Baldwin et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc. 124:1150 (2002), Baldwin et al., Chem. Commun. 17:1822 (2002), Bley et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc. 118:12461 (1996), Heath, J. R. Science 258:1131 (1992)), plasma decomposition of silane (Bapat et al., J. App. Phys. 94:1969 (2003), Shen et al., J. Appl. Phys. 94:2277 (2003)), and vapor phase thermal decomposition of silane or disilane (Littau et al., J. Phys. Chem. 97:1224 (1993), Schuppler et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 72:2648 (1994), Wilson et al., Science 262:1242 (1993)). However, two major barriers have prevented the further investigation and application of free silicon nanoparticles: (i) lack of stability of the PL properties and surface state of the particles, and (ii) difficulty in producing macroscopic quantities of high-quality particles as stable colloidal dispersions.
A method for preparing relatively large quantities of brightly luminescent silicon nanoparticles was previously developed, in which non-luminescent, crystalline nanoparticles (˜5 nm diameter) are prepared by CO2 laser heating of SiH4-H2-He mixtures, and are then etched with a HF/HNO3/water mixture to reduce their size and passivate their surface (Li et al., Langmuir 19:8490 (2003)). By controlling the etching time and conditions, the particle luminescence could be tuned from green to the near-IR. However, the green and yellow emitting particles produced by this method are unstable in air. On time scales of minutes to hours, their emission red shifts and/or decreases in intensity due to surface oxidation. Formation of an organic monolayer by hydrosilylation is an effective means of stabilizing the surface of PSi (Buriak, J. M., Chem. Rev. 102:1271 (2002), Waltenburg et al., J. Chem. Rev. 95:1589 (1995)). Several groups have reported grafting of 1-alkenes or alkynes onto H-passivated PSi or silicon wafers (Linford et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc. 115:12631 (1993), Linford et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc. 117:3145 (1995), Boukherroub et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc. 121:11513 (1999), Buriak et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc. 121:11491 (1999), Buriak et al., J. Luminescence 80:29 (1999), Buriak et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc. 120:1339 (1998)). This technique has been extended to discrete nanoparticles, to produce clear, stable dispersions of them in polar or nonpolar solvents and to stabilize the PL properties of orange-emitting particles (Li et al., Nano Letters 4:1463 (2004), Ruckenstein et al., Adv. Coll. Inter. Sci. 113:43 (2005), Li et al., Langmuir 20:4720 (2004)).
Si particles ranging from 1 to 5 nm in diameter exhibit PL emission ranging from blue to the near infrared. The small size of these nanocrystals widens the band gap due to quantum confinement effects, relaxes the selection rules that decrease the efficiency of radiative recombination in indirect band gap materials, and reduces the probability of nonradiative recombination at defects. Both non-radiative and radiative recombination may occur at the nanocrystal surface, as well as within the core of the nanoparticle. Therefore, the origin and characteristics of the luminescence are associated with both the crystallite size and with the nature of the crystallite surface. In particular, as Wolkin et al. pointed out, the presence of oxygen at the particle surface can introduce states within the bandgap that lead to red-shifted emission (Wolkin et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 82:197-200 (1999)). An effective means of stabilizing the silicon surface and photoluminescence properties is to graft an organic monolayer to it through hydrosilylation of a hydrogen-terminated surface (Li et al., Nano Letters 4:1463-1467 (2004), Li et al., Langmuir 20:47204727 (2004), Buriak, J. M., Chem. Rev. 102:1271-1308 (2002), Buriak et al., J. Luminescence 80:29-35 (1999)) or through organosilane chemistry on a hydroxyl-terminated surface (Li et al., Langmuir 20:47204727 (2004), Ruckenstein et al., Adv. Coll. Inter. Sci. 113 :43-63 (2005), Li et al., Langmuir 20:1963-1971 (2004)). However, this has not generally been possible for blue-emitting silicon nanoparticles (˜1 nm in diameter). Preparation of organically-protected silicon nanoparticles with blue emission that remains stable in air has been a persistent challenge that has limited the possibility of using silicon nanoparticles in potential applications such as full-color displays or general illumination where full coverage of the visible spectrum is required. Alkyl-capped silicon nanoparticles prepared in solution have shown UV to blue photoluminescence, but in that case the alkyl groups were readily displaced from the surface by reaction with air (Yang et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc. 121:5191-5195 (1999)). More recently, siloxane-coated silicon nanoparticles with blue emission were prepared in solution and shown to be very stable against further reaction or degradation (Zou et al., Nano Letters 4:1181-1186 (2004). Silicon nanoparticles with blue emission have also been prepared from porous silicon (Belomoin et al., Appl. Phys. Lett. 80:841-843 (2002)).
The present invention is directed to overcoming these and other deficiencies in the art.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Production of photoluminescent silicon nanoparticles having surfaces that are essentially free of residual oxygen

The Research Foundation of State University of New York


A method and apparatus are provided for generating a character collage message. A character is recognized from an image. A region is extracted from the image to create a character image. The region includes the recognized character. The created character image is stored in a memory. At least the character image is output to an output unit as the character collage message in accordance with input of one or more characters through an input unit. At least one of the one or more characters corresponds to the character image, and the character image is output to the output unit as a substitute for the at least one of the one or more characters.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an apparatus and method for generating a character collage message, and more particularly to an apparatus and method for generating a character collage message by using images, each of which includes a character.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, messaging services used in portable terminals include a Short Message Service (SMS), a Long Message Service (LMS), and a Multimedia Message Service (MMS). The SMS and LMS are most frequently used by the users of portable terminals, but can be considered monotonous because the resulting messages are characteristically expressed only by text. To make up for the defects of these text-based message services, the MMS has been proposed and used. The MMS can transmit not only texts, but also images, web pages, and moving pictures as attached files. Thus, a user of a portable terminal can compose a personalized message and transmit the message to the user of a counterpart portable terminal.
Collage is a technique of pasting pieces, cut from papers, prints, photos, etc., on a picture to create a specific shape and/or message. A character collage message refers to a message that is composed of a combination of images, including respective characters, by using the collage technique, instead of a message composed by typical text characters. Conventionally, in order to compose a character collage message, a user creates an image file using a separate image editing program. Specifically, a user must perform complex steps of copying image pieces corresponding to respective syllables from a plurality of original images, pasting the copied image pieces on one image to create one collage image file, and then importing the created collage image file into an MMS program to transmit it to the user of a counterpart portable terminal. Moreover, in a common portable terminal that has no image editing program, in contrast to a smartphone, it is difficult to even create a collage image file. Accordingly, it is arduous to have to create a collage image file in an external computer, download the created collage image file to the portable terminal, and then transmit the downloaded collage image file.

Apparatus and method for generating character collage message

Korea University Research and Business Foundation


A check valve for controlling flow between a low-pressure reservoir and a source reservoir has a pin and an associated diaphragm. The pin has a shaft portion which is attached adjacent to the low-pressure reservoir and a closed head portion. The shaft of the pin has a central channel which opens into the low-pressure reservoir and is connected to the outer surface of the pin by at least one opening in the pin. The diaphragm is made of an elastomeric material and is disposed to tightly fit around, and bias against the surface of the pin. The diaphragm seals around the opening in the pin and is elastically deformable by a predetermined positive pressure to define a pathway from the high-pressure source into the opening in the pin and ultimately into the low-pressure reservoir.

The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for controlling the transfer of a fluid from a first container to a second container. Specifically, the present invention relates to a check valve used to control the transfer of fluid from a first container to a second container that has a sub-atmospheric pressure. One application of the present invention is the subdivision of pharmaceutical solutions where a pipetting device is used to transfer a liquid solution into an evacuated container containing a lyophilized drug.
Valve and pump systems for regulating fluid flow are generally known in the art. The prior art shows the use of rotary valves or pinching mechanisms to selectively direct fluid flow. For example, a rotary valve may be manipulated by an air cylinder or other mechanical means to selectively open and close particular fluid flow pathways. Fluid pathways may be pinched-off mechanically by a hinge plate or a cam lobe that presses a fluid containing tube shut to prevent fluid flow. The prior art also teaches the use of pumps and pressure differentials to control fluid flow through a valve system.
In addition, conventional one-way valves are generally known in the art. Conventional one-way valves are configured so a poppet is held against a seat by mechanical means, such as a spring. A conventional one-way valve operates to open only when pressure against the poppet is sufficient to overcome the mechanical means holding the poppet against the seat. The mechanical means of a conventional one-way valve exerts force in a direction opposite the driving force of the pressure gradient across the one-way valve in order to control flow from a high-pressure container into a low-pressure container. The mechanical means in a conventional one-way valve acts against the pressure gradient to keep the poppet in place and prevent uncontrolled flow into the low pressure container. As the pressure gradient between the two containers increases, the mechanical means must exert more and more force against the poppet to keep the poppet seated and the valve sealed.
As the pressure gradient increases, a conventional one-way valve also becomes more prone to "cracking." Cracking occurs when the mechanical means fails to keep the poppet seated because of the large pressure gradient across the one-way valve. When cracking occurs fluid flows through the valve and into the low-pressure container until the pressure difference between the two containers has diminished enough to allow the crack in the valve to reseal. As a result, conventional one-way valves are less reliable when used in applications where precise amounts of fluid must be transferred from a container at ambient pressure to a low-pressure container.

Method and apparatus for controlling fluid flow


A significant number of rescue workers are killed or injured each year as they conduct searches within damaged or burning structures, unaware that the structure is in imminent danger of collapse. The present invention provides a system and method for detecting and monitoring structural damages which are irreversible and which lead to inevitable collapse of a building or structure. The system includes at least one accelerometer that is housed in a device that is mounted on an exterior surface outside the burn area, and within the reach of the rescue worker. The device communicates with a remote display that provides visual and/or audible signals to indicate imminent collapse of the structure. Additionally, the system includes collapse detecting analysis processes for determining the likelihood of collapse.

Structural damage leading to collapse has resulted in injuries and death to rescue workers and others within the vicinity of the collapse. In many rescue operations, the condition of the structure plays a relatively minor role in deciding when and how to enter the structure, particularly if human lives are in danger. The typically complex nature of how damage propagates and may ultimately weaken a structure has made it very difficult to predict imminent collapse. Visual inspections alone, especially during firefighting operations, cannot guarantee detection of mechanisms that could lead to collapse and loss of life. A need exists, therefore, for a technical approach that can monitor structures that are severely damaged and in danger of collapse.
Collapse monitoring, however, is based on the premise that the degree of damage to the structure is so severe that continued exposure to the current loading condition will lead to imminent collapse. A burning structure is, by definition, already damaged due to the fire. The ability to simply detect and track damage mechanism due to fire does not provide a mechanism that will detect impending collapse.
Structural damage detection research is best characterized as using nondestructive testing techniques to determine the behavior of response characteristics under known loading conditions. The selection of the particular testing technique, however, plays a large role in the effectiveness of the detection technique. Prior art damage detection devices and methodologies do not provide nondestructive testing devices and methodologies.
Existing devices that detect damage in structures rely mainly on approaches that induce high frequency or acoustic energy into the structure or that use monitoring devices at critical locations within a structure.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,675,809 to Hawkins, for example, discloses a passive strain gauge that can be mounted to buildings. The gauge emits acoustic waves commensurate with load bearing stress exerted on a building in earthquakes and the like. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,404,755 to Olson, et al., disclose a method of testing stress in wood and other products using ultrasonic frequencies.
These types of gauges and methodologies operate over a wide frequency range, well beyond those associated with structural resonances. As such, they are not effective in isolating structural response behavior and do not possess the sensitivity required for collapse monitoring.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,138,516 (to Tillman) discloses a device that monitors the amount of shock applied to a location on a structure. The device is a shock detector and utilizes an accelerometer adapted to generate a rectified signal that is compared to a threshold level to produce a high voltage state. Detection of shock on a structure, however, cannot be used for monitoring structural response leading to collapse, particularly since Tillman utilizes a set threshold level below which the device remains in a low voltage state.
The need for determining impending structural failure is significant. The present invention provides a new and unique device and method for determining structural damage and imminent failure, which will help to prevent injuries and save the lives of rescue workers and persons within the realm of a building collapse.

Device and method for determining and detecting the onset of structural collapse


A method and apparatus for selecting terms, preferably higher order terms, for use in a stimulus vector of a holographic neural network. The method includes an evolutionary type algorithm in which stimulus vector arrangements are preferably modelled as chromosomes containing genes that each uniquely identify one of a plurality of terms in a corresponding stimulus vector. Techniques for introducing variation and for selecting fit chromosome/stimulus vector arrangements are also disclosed, as is an apparatus for executing the term selecting method.

In an effort to overcome the shortcomings of conventional neural networks, holographic neural networks have been developed. Holographic neural networks include two vectors and one matrix, all of complex numbers. The two vectors include the S or stimulus vector (length n) and the R or response vector (length m). The matrix is the X matrix (size n.times.m) that describes a mapping from S to R. These networks offer several advantages over conventional neural networks including that they are simpler to train and discern. In addition, while conventional neural networks are usually structured to approximate digital quantities, holographic neural networks are well suited to representing continuously valued mappings.
Notwithstanding these comparative benefits, first order holographic neural networks are limited in the complexity of the mapping that can be encoded. This is because (1) the X matrix has a finite capacity to contain encodings and (2) the encoding is unable to represent complex interrelationships between discrete components in the stimulus vector.
These disadvantageous aspects are addressed, however, through the provision of higher order terms in the stimulus vector (where a higher order term is defined as a product of two or more initial input first-order terms). The generation of higher order terms allows a large increase in the size and therefore encoding capacity of the network matrix. For example, from 10 distinct first-order terms, 55 distinct second-order terms and 220 distinct third-order terms can be generated. Higher order terms also represent interactions between discrete first-order components of the stimulus vector, allowing the holographic neural network to represent such interactions in a manner similar to that of conventional neural networks. Finally, higher order terms tend to be more evenly distributed through the phase space than first-order terms and this also increases encoding capacity.
With the availability of higher order terms, the design of a holographic neural network is directed toward the selection of which higher order terms to include in the stimulus vector. This choice can be extremely difficult and is a primary design challenge in the creation of useful holographic neural networks.

Method and apparatus for selecting higher order terms for a holographic neural network