A transmitting system inserts runt abort packets in an outgoing data stream during idle time inter-frame time fill. The runt abort packets cause the receiving system to synchronize itself to the transmitting system so that even if an error during inter-frame time fill causes the receiving system to go into an erroneous state, the receiving system will be synchronized with the transmitting system before receiving valid data. In one embodiment, the transmitting system transmits data in packets over SONET. The packet data is scrambled at the transmitting end and descrambled at the receiving end. Runt abort packets sent during inter-frame time fill resynchronize the descrambler. If there is an error in the inter-frame time fill bytes, causing the receiving end descrambler to no longer be synchronized with the transmitting end scrambler, the runt abort packets will cause the descrambler to resynchronize state with the transmitting scrambler.

A. Field of the Invention
Systems, apparatus, and methods consistent with the present invention relate generally to data communications and, more particularly, to systems, apparatus, and methods for increasing resiliency of data communications.
B. Description of Related Art
Transmitting data reliably in a network requires transmitting and receiving systems to process data in the same way. For example, if the transmitting system scrambles data, the receiving system must descramble the data in the same manner in which it was scrambled. Standards often define how transmitting and receiving systems should process data. The Synchronous Optical NETwork (SONET) standard is one such standard.
SONET was developed for transporting data over optical links. In SONET, data is transmitted in a SONET payload envelope (SPE). SONET is sometimes used to transport other protocols. For example, standards have been developed for transporting Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) data over SONET. One approach to PPP over SONET is described in a paper entitled "PPP Over SONET (SDH) at Rates From STS-1 (AU-3) TO STS-192c (AU-4-64c/STM-64)," S. Merchant (prepared for the PPP Extensions Working Group, 1998) ("Merchant"), the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
Merchant describes encapsulating data in a frame format similar to the frame format used in the High-level Data Link Control (HDLC) protocol. The HDLC-like frame is then placed in the SPE for transport over SONET. The data is delineated with a 0x7e flag at the beginning of the data and the same flag, 0x7e, at the end of the data. Therefore, 0x7e followed by a data value indicates the start of an HDLC frame, and a data value followed by 0x7e indicates the end of an HDLC frame.
A problem arises, however, if a data byte between the 0x7e flags happens to also equal 0x7e. To solve this problem, the data values are analyzed. Each single byte 0x7e data value is replaced, or "escaped," by the two-byte value 0x7d 0x5e. This operation is referred to as byte expansion because one byte is replaced by two bytes.
On the receiving end, the receiving system passes 0x7e values until a non-0x7e value is received, meaning a data stream has started. When the receiving system encounters the two-byte 0x7d 0x5e sequence in the data, it converts the sequence back to 0x7e. This solves the problem of flag values appearing in the data.
But this raises another problem. How does the receiving end know when 0x7d is data, and when it is the first byte of the sequence 0x7d 0x5e? To solve this problem, the transmitting system also replaces each single byte 0x7d data value by the two-byte sequence 0x7d 0x5d. The receiving system, in addition to converting 0x7d 0x5e in the data back to 0x7e, also converts 0x7d 0x5d back to 0x7d.
Byte expansion solves the problem of flag bytes appearing in the data, but unfortunately raises another. An attacker might use this property to overload a link by sending a long string of 0x7d and/or 0x7e data values. Since these single-byte values are expanded to two bytes, the number of bytes is effectively doubled. This reduces bandwidth on the link by half. Thus, an attacker can reduce the bandwidth by sending through a long string of 0x7d and/or 0x7e data values.
Merchant proposes solving the byte expansion problem by scrambling the data using an HDLC scrambler. Scrambling the data before the data is analyzed for flag values virtually eliminates the possibility of an attacker using byte expansion to halve the bandwidth. Thus, scrambling the values thwarts an attacker sending through all 0x7d's and 0x7e's.
One problem with using an HDLC scrambler, however, is that the receiving end HDLC descrambler might fall out of synchronization with the transmitting end HDLC scrambler. On the transmitting end, the HDLC scrambler only advances when packet data is coming through. Thus, during idle time, the HDLC scrambler is not advancing its state and the transmitting system is sending 0x7e inter-frame time fill bytes in each SPE.
A problem arises, however, when there is an error in one or more of the 0x7e inter-frame time fill bytes. If there is an error in one of the inter-frame time fill bytes, the receiving system interprets the byte as a data value because it no longer has a value of 0x7e. On the receiving end the HDLC descrambler is active only when packet data is being received (e.g., bytes other than 0x7e inter-frame time fill bytes are being received). Thus, when there is an error in one of the inter-frame time fill bytes, the byte appears to not be an inter-frame time fill 0x7e byte, which causes the HDLC descrambler to advance during idle time, when it should not. This causes the receiving end HDLC descrambler to no longer be synchronized with the transmitting end HDLC scrambler because it has advanced based on an error, when it should not advance.
When the next data packet is received at the HDLC descrambler, the packet will not be descrambled correctly because the HDLC descrambler is not in the correct state. Consequently, the packet will be thrown out.
Therefore, there exists a need for systems, apparatus, and methods that maintain a link between two systems even when there are bit errors during slow transmission periods.

System, apparatus, and method for increasing resiliency in communications


A system and method are disclosed for controlling an engine using pre-chamber ignition. According to at least one aspect of the present disclosure, the system includes a pre-chamber ignition system in communication with a combustion cylinder of the engine. The ignition system includes a pre-chamber having a pre-chamber injector, an igniter, and a pre-chamber port structured to introduce a purge gas into the pre-chamber. The system further includes an exhaust gas recirculation system to dilute a main charge introduced into the cylinder. The ignition system improves engine efficiency and lowers emissions.

Modern internal combustion engines must meet stringent emission standards that include limits on the amount of soot, oxides of nitrogen (hereafter "NOx" to include nitric oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2)), carbon monoxide (CO), unburned hydrocarbons (HC), and various greenhouse gases that may be emitted from an engine in operation. Many engines now utilize aftertreatment systems to reduce engine-out emissions to allowable regulatory levels before release to the atmosphere, including lean-burn, compression-ignition engine systems such as diesel engines and stoichiometric, spark-ignition engine systems such as gasoline engines.
The operating conditions of an engine, including the ratio of air to fuel used and the peak combustion temperature within the engine, may affect the amount and type of emissions generated. A "lean mixture" is one in which the ratio of air to fuel is greater than the stoichiometric mixture, which is the ratio where exactly enough oxygen is available to consumed all of the available fuel. For example, gasoline has a stoichiometric air-to-fuel ratio ("AFR") of about 14.7:1 by mass, meaning the mixture is stoichiometric when about 6.8% of the mass of the mixture is fuel (i.e., gasoline). Lower AFRs, referred to as "rich mixtures," may result in unreacted fuel in the exhaust gases due to an insufficient amount of oxygen. Unreacted fuel may also be the result of insufficient mixing of the fuel within the charge gas mixture. Higher, lean AFRs may cause the combustion process to become unstable due to an insufficient concentration of fuel to maintain the combustion process or due to a slower combustion reaction that does not run to completion within a single combustion stroke of the engine, both of which may lead to increased HC emissions and lower thermal efficiency. Further, lean AFRs tend to generate a mix of exhaust gases that render the conventional and widely-used three-way catalytic converters ineffective because three-way catalytic converters depend on a specific balance of exhaust species to effectively complete the necessary oxidation and reduction reactions to eliminate undesirable emissions.
Lean-burn systems may expel more NOx emissions than an engine using a stoichiometric AFR due to an excess of oxygen and nitrogen in the combustion process and the difficulty of catalyzing and reducing such emissions. Nonetheless, lean-burn systems may be more fuel efficient due to the lower quantity of fuel added to a given volume of air in the combustion process. Exhaust gas recirculation ("EGR"), in which a portion of the engine's exhaust gas flow is routed into the intake flow into the engine's combustion cylinders (referred herein as "EGR gases"), has been used in both lean-burn and stoichiometric systems to reduce engine-out emissions. However, the use of lean AFR in spark-ignition engine systems has been limited for several reasons, including poor combustion stability, which may increase HC emissions, lower thermal efficiency, and incompatibility with three-way catalytic converter. Accordingly, there remains a need for further contributions in this area of technology.

System and method for engine control using pre-chamber ignition


The invention relates to a device (10) for fixing a battery (11), consisting of a support tray (12) comprising an essentially-flat support face (16) and two longitudinal flanges (17a, 17b). According to the invention, the first longitudinal flange (17a) comprises fixed lugs (20) which serve as positioning stops for a first lug (14a) of the battery (11). The support tray (12) comprises mobile lugs (21) which are connected to the second longitudinal flange (17b) and which each define a first blocking surface (22) for a second lug (14b) of the battery (11). The fixing device (10) comprises elastically-deformable actuation levers (25) which are associated with the mobile lugs (21) and a locking ramp (26) which co-operates with each mobile lug (21) and each corresponding actuation lever (25) such as to lock the battery (11) in position in the support tray (12).

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns a hold-down device for a battery, particularly for automotive vehicles.
2. Description of the Related Art
In all types of automotive vehicles, the battery is a standard component whose dimensions are governed by precise standards. There are various types of known hold-down devices for placing and immobilizing the battery on the chassis of the vehicle. A first type of known hold-down device utilizes the upper surface of the battery and a second type of known hold-down device utilizes the lugs of the battery.
A first example of a hold-down device utilizing the upper surface of the battery consists in resting the battery on a support tray, placing two vertical rods one on each side of the battery and positioning a bracketing element that connects the two vertical rods above the battery. The hold-down device then exerts a vertical clamping action on the battery by bearing on its upper surface. The rods generally have threaded ends that pass through the bracketing element and cooperate with nuts to bring about the clamping action. However, this type of device calls for the use of tools, especially for tightening the nuts, and the manipulation of the various parts is exacting.
Other examples of hold-down devices utilizing the upper surface of the battery consist in employing a support tray having raised side walls replacing the vertical rods and cooperating with a bracketing element that connects the two walls of the tray and is fixed by one or two anchoring points. Another example of a hold-down device uses a simple fabric strap surrounding the battery with its ends fastened on one and the other side of the battery.
However, all these examples of hold-down devices utilizing the upper surface of the battery have proven overly complex, since they are made up of several easy-to-lose parts and necessitate the use of tools for installing and removing the battery. Furthermore, the retention of the battery in its support tray is not safeguarded.
A first example of a hold-down device utilizing the lugs of the battery is a metal clamp integral to the support tray and made to bear against a lug of the battery. The clamp is fixed to the support tray, for example by a screw fastening system, and produces a high clamping pressure on the lug of the battery. However, tools still have to be used to install and remove the battery, and the hold-down device is made up of several parts that are hard to manipulate. In addition, the production cost of such a device is still high.
Another example of a hold-down device utilizing the lug of the battery is a pivoting cam system. One side of the battery is gripped in a fixed lug on the support tray and the other side of the battery cooperates with a cam system mounted to rotate parallel to the support tray. The cam is set in motion manually by an eccentric, which comes to bear against the lug of the battery in the locking position, while at the same time applying a clamping force to the lug. However, this type of device also requires the use of a screwdriver-type tool, especially during the removal of the battery. In addition, dust can come to foul the internal friction zones of the hold-down device. This then creates difficulties in removing the battery.
Another example is given by the document FR 2 796 494, which describes a battery hold-down device that is an integral part of the support tray. As illustrated schematically in FIG. 1, the hold-down device 10 for a battery 11 comprises a support tray 12 with a first flange 13a, serving as a stop for a first lug 14a of the battery 11. The support tray 12 comprises a second flange 13b provided with a deformable tab 15, articulated in rotation according to arrow F1 and designed to quickly immobilize and release the battery 11. The immobilizing is done by pressing the second lug 14b of the battery 11 against the tab 15, which deforms, thereby making it possible to position the battery 11 on the floor of the support tray 12. The battery 11 is loosened by exerting a pressure according to arrow F2 on the free end of the tab 15, which then releases the second lug 14b of the battery 11 and allows the battery 11 to be disengaged.
Although this type of device avoids the use of tools, it does not ensure safeguarded retention of the battery 11 in the support tray 12 and does not make it possible to determine whether the lug of the battery is actually in place. In addition, such a hold-down device does not permit positive locking of the battery in the support tray.


This invention relates to a method for producing a lactone comprising culturing Candida sorbophila in a medium containing at least one selected from the group consisting of a hydroxy fatty acid, a hydroxy fatty acid derivative, and a hydrolysate of a hydroxy fatty acid derivative and recovering the produced lactone from the medium. This invention also relates to a method for producing a lactone comprising culturing Candida sorbophila in a medium containing at least one selected from the group consisting of a hydroxy fatty acid, a hydroxy fatty acid derivative, and a hydrolysate of a hydroxy fatty acid derivative and lactonizing the lactone precursor hydroxy fatty acid produced in the medium.

Aromatic substances are roughly classified into two categories: that is, chemically synthesized (so-called "synthetic aromatics"); and non-chemically synthesized (so-called "natural aromatics"), depending on the starting material thereof or the method for producing the same. Recently, consumers tend to prefer "natural products" over "synthetic products." However, natural substances contain only very small amounts of, for example, optically active substances of γ-decalactone (R-γ-decalactone or S-γ-decalactone) and δ-decalactone, which are important ingredients of natural food flavor. Thus, processes such as extraction of such optically active substances with high optical purity or isolation thereof via other means are disadvantageous from technical and economical viewpoints. As a result, large quantities of synthetic products are generally supplied at low prices at present. In contrast, the scale of manufacturing natural products is small, and such natural products are often expensive.
Development of a method for supplying large quantities of the aforementioned natural aromatics at prices as low as those of currently used synthetic aromatics has been awaited. Among the methods for supplying large quantities of natural aromatics that have been proposed a microorganism-based fermentation technique has drawn attention. In this technique, natural R-γ-decalactone is produced from natural materials or degradation products thereof via biological or physical techniques without any chemical techniques.
For example, JP Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 59-82090 A (1984) discloses a microorganism-based method for producing γ-decalactone from castor oil or a hydrolysate thereof. In this method, microorganisms such as Aspergillus oryzae, Candida rugosa, Geotrichum klebannii, and Yarrowia lipolytica are used to produce γ-hydroxydecanoic acid, and the resultant is acidified with the addition of hydrochloric acid or the like, followed by heating for lactonization, and thus γ-decalactone is produced. JP Patent Publication (Kokai) No.63-56295 A (1988) and the report by K. A. Maume et al. (Biocatalysis, vol. 5, 79–97, 1991) disclose a method for producing γ-decalactone wherein γ-hydroxydecanoic acid is produced from ricinoleic acid sources using Sporobolomyces odorus or Rhodotorula glutinis, and the resultant is also lactonized. JP Patent Publication No. 2-174685 A (1990) discloses a method for producing γ-decalactone from castor oil or ricinoleic acid via production of γ-hydroxydecanoic acid with the use of microorganisms such as Aspergillus niger. JP Patent Publication No. 3-117494 A (1991) discloses the same technique with the use of microorganisms such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Prior to the disclosure of these techniques, S. Okui et al. reported the presence of γ-hydroxydecanoic acid and γ-decalactone as intermediates during the process for oxidizing and degrading ricinoleic acid with the use of several cell strains of the genus Candida (J. Biochem., vol. 54, No. 6, 536–540, 1963). Also, EP 997533 discloses a method for producing γ-decalactone from castor oil at 12 g per liter using Yarrowia lipolytica. This method for production, however, is extremely disadvantageous from the viewpoint of production efficiency due to the necessity of the use of an emulsifier or pH adjuster during the culture and a small amount of a starting material, i.e., castor oil, to be added to the culture system, which is as low as 0.0247 kg/L. Further, the microorganisms disclosed in such publications and the like, which are of species different from those of the microorganisms used in the present invention, are not always suitable for practical use because of the difficulty of separation of cell strains from culture products and insufficient amounts of production from an economical viewpoint.
Alternatively, a method for producing γ-decalactone from a sugar substrate with the aid of Sporobolomyces odorus (S. Taqhara et al., Agric. Biol. Chem., vol. 36, No. 13, 2585–2587, 1972; N. Jourdain et al., "Top. Flavour Res., Proc. Int. Conf," H. Eichhorn, 427–441, 1985) or Fusarium poae (J. Sarris et al., Agric. Biol. chem., vol. 49, No. 11, 3227–3230, 1985), which is an example of methods in which a component other than castor oil or a hydrolysate thereof is employed as a carbon source, has been reported. However, these techniques are not suitable for industrial-scale production since only a very small amount of γ-decalactone is produced.
Accordingly, development of a method for effectively producing γ-hydroxydecanoic acid and γ-decalactone that does not require the use of an emulsifier or pH adjuster and that allows the addition of a highly concentrated starting material, i.e., castor oil and/or a hydrolysate thereof, has been awaited.
It is also reported that the abundance of R-γ-decalactone enantiomer in naturally occurring γ-decalactone is excessive (A. Bernreuther et al., J. Chromatography, 481, 363, 1989). A method for producing a pure optically active form of such R-γ-decalactone via chemical synthesis is disclosed in JP Patent Publication No. 4-108782 A (1992).
R-γ-decalactone can also be produced by selectively separating R-γ-decalactone from racemic mixtures as extracted from natural substances by a technique known to a person skilled in the art. Because of the very small amount of R-γ-decalactone in natural substances and a physical difficulty in separating R-γ-decalactone from other volatile compounds, however, extraction thereof from natural substances is not cost-effective. In order to deal with increasing demands for natural compounds as mentioned above, development of a method for effectively producing natural R-γ-decalactone using techniques different from the chemical synthesis thereof or the separation thereof from racemic mixtures, has been awaited.
A method for producing δ-decalactone using microorganisms, which makes use of the reducing ability of fungi, particularly that of yeast, has been proposed. For example. JP Patent Publication No. 3-155792 A (1991) discloses a method for producing 5-decanolide from naturally occurring 2-decen-1,5-olide with the utilization of the reducing ability of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. JP Patent Publication No. 6-225781 A (1994) reports a method for producing δ-decanolide, δ-dodecanolide, or a mixture thereof from a substrate material containing a corresponding unsaturated lactone, i.e., δ-decen-2-olide, δ-dodecen-2-olide, or a mixture thereof, via biohydrogenation with the use of yeast such as Saccharomyces delbrueckii. However, a technique of chemical conversion utilizing the reducing ability of yeast is still problematic in terms of, for example, the difficulty in acting on high concentrations of the substrate and the necessity of a long period of time to obtain the substance of interest.


A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device includes: forming electrodes on a first major surface of a semiconductor substrate having first and second major surfaces facing in opposite directions; and forming a cleavage-inducing pattern on the first major surface of the semiconductor substrate. The cleavage-inducing pattern extends over a target cleavage position located between the electrodes, has a recess extending over the target cleavage position, and is made of a material different from the material of the semiconductor substrate. The method includes forming a scribed groove in the second major surface of the semiconductor substrate and in a position facing the target cleavage position; and cleaving the semiconductor substrate having the scribed groove and the cleavage-inducing pattern by applying pressure, through a cleaving blade, to the first major surface of the semiconductor substrate.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device which can perform cleavage at the target cleavage position with high positional accuracy no matter what the accuracy of positional control of the cleaving blade.
2. Background Art
To cleave a semiconductor substrate, a scribed groove is formed in one surface of the semiconductor substrate and cleavage starting from the scribed groove is caused by applying a cleaving blade with pressure to the opposite surface (see, for example, FIG. 1(b) in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2012-9517).
Manufacturing methods for improving the positional accuracy of this cleavage have been proposed. For example, a manufacturing method has been proposed in which an auxiliary groove for cleavage is formed on the semiconductor growth layer side in the vicinity of a target cleavage position (see, for example, Japanese Patent No. 5151400). A manufacturing method has also been proposed in which an opening portion where a particular semiconductor layer and an insulating layer do not exist is formed in a region where a scribed groove is to be formed. This is intended to form a crack extending vertically and linearly from the scribed groove toward the surface opposite from the surface in which the scribed groove is formed (see, for example, Japanese Patent No. 4862965). A manufacturing method has also been proposed in which a semiconductor substrate is etched to form a recess in one surface thereof opposite from the surface in which a scribed groove is formed (see, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-284293).

Method of manufacturing semiconductor device


A method, apparatus and system for adaptably distributing video server processes among processing elements within a video server such that video server operation may be adapted in a manner facilitating rigorous timing constraints.

A key feature of a video server is its ability to generate streams of video at a precise bit rate. This is critical for compliance with the Motion Picture Experts Group (MPEG) standard. A secondary goal for a video server is of-course, a low cost of its components. There is a conflict between these two goals, since cheaper components tend to have higher drift. This is particularly true of components such as crystals. Earlier video servers that do not utilize this invention required expensive, highly stable crystal oscillators to be included in their design.
Commonly available General Purpose Operating System software does not provide deterministic response times to events (such as the availability of data from a disk, or the need to output data at a given time). To solve these problems, two solutions are typically employed either together or singly. First, operating system software with deterministic behavior is utilized. This software has a premium cost associated with them in the form of runtime royalties and development seat costs. Second, custom hardware is designed to tackle the timing problems and the Operating system read/writes data to/from the hardware via a buffering system, separating the Operating system from the time critical constraints. Such hardware development and fabrication have costs and risks associated with them.

Low cost, highly accurate video server bit-rate compensation


In a method for forming a fine pattern of a semiconductor device, forming a spacer for double patterning of a cell region is performed separate from forming a mask pattern that defines a dummy pattern for a pad of a peripheral circuit region.

The present invention relates to a method for forming a fine pattern of a semiconductor device, and more specifically, to preventing a defect generated from first and second mask processes in a double exposure process to overcome a resolution limit of an exposer.
As semiconductor devices become smaller and more highly-integrated, the chip area is increased in proportion to an increase of memory capacity, but an area of a cell region where a pattern of the semiconductor device is formed is decreased. Since more patterns are required in a limited cell region in order to secure a desired memory capacity, a critical dimension (CD) of the pattern is decreased so that the pattern becomes finer.
A lithography process is commonly used to obtain a pattern having a smaller CD. The lithography process includes: coating a photoresist over a substrate; exposing the photoresist with an exposure mask having a fine pattern by using a light source having a wavelength of 365 nm, 248 nm, 193 nm and 153 nm; and performing a development process to form a photoresist pattern that defines the fine pattern.
In the lithography process, the resolution (R) is determined depending on a wavelength (λ) and a numerical aperture (NA) of the light source as shown in the equation R=k1×λ/NA. In the equation, k1 is a process constant having a physical limit, so that it cannot be decreased by a general method. A new photoresist material having a high reactivity to short wavelengths is required with an exposer using the short wavelengths, so that it is difficult to form a fine pattern having a CD less than a short wavelength.
As a result, 'a double patterning technology' has been developed for overlapping patterns under consideration of an exposer to obtain a fine pattern.
The double patterning process includes forming a first hard mask over a semiconductor substrate. The first hard mask defines a CD three times larger than that of a fine pattern. A second hard mask is formed over the first hard mask such that it is aligned alternately with the first hard mask, thereby obtaining a fine pattern by the first and second hard masks. However, a process margin for aligning the first hard mask and the second hard mask accurately is decreased to reduce a margin of the double patterning process.
In order to prevent decrease of the margin, a sacrificial oxide pattern is formed, and a spacer is formed on sidewalls of the oxide pattern so that the spacer may be used as a hard mask that defines a fine pattern. Although the method for forming a fine pattern using the spacer may improve a process margin for forming a fine pattern, a dummy pattern also becomes smaller to generate a defect of the dummy pattern.
As mentioned above, in the conventional method for forming a fine pattern of a semiconductor device, it is difficult to form a fine pattern having a small CD due to limits of the resolution of the exposer. In the double exposure process for overcoming the limits, patterns may be misaligned in a mask forming process that is performed twice. Although a method for forming a fine pattern using a spacer is developed, a dummy pattern is also defined in a spacer hard mask forming process for forming a fine pattern. As a result, the dummy pattern is deteriorated, and yield and reliability of the semiconductor device is degraded.

Method for forming a pattern of a semiconductor device


A lever type electrical connector includes an insulating housing provided with a least one terminal and a mating face that receives a complementary mating connector. A cam plate is arranged on the insulating housing and is moveable in a sliding direction substantially perpendicular to a mating direction of the complementary mating connector. A lever is mounted on the insulating housing. The lever has a shaft extending substantially perpendicular to the sliding direction and the mating direction and is rotatable about the shaft between an open position and a closed position to move the cam plate in the sliding direction. An elastically deformable bearing section is provided on the insulating housing and supports the shaft. A reinforcement member is removably attached to the bearing section and abuts the bearing section such that the reinforcement member receives a force applied from the shaft to the bearing section when the lever is rotated.

In an electrical connector where multiple contacts are simultaneously contacted, the amount of force required for connecting and disconnecting the connector with a complementary mating connector increases with multi-polarization. Thus, it is known to provide the connector with a lever for assisting in the connection and disconnection of the complementary mating connector from the connector. An example of such a connector is illustrated and described in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. H11-250985.
A lever type electrical connector has, for example, a housing that engages with a complementary mating connector. A sliding member having a cam face abutting a cam follower of the complementary mating connector is slidably mounted to the housing. A lever moves pivotally around a rotation shaft to slide the sliding member. The lever and the sliding member having the cam face constitute a force-doubling mechanism that reduces the force needed for connecting and disconnecting the complementary mating connector. When the lever is operated, the lever slides the sliding member. As a result, the complementary mating connector is pulled into the housing by an amplified force. Accordingly, the connector and the complementary mating connector are mated. On the other hand, when the lever is operated to move pivotally in an opposite direction, the complementary mating connector is pushed away from the connector in a direction in which the complementary mating connector separates from the housing. Accordingly, the complementary mating connector is disconnected from the connector.
In the above-described connector, even in an irregular mating state in which the positioning of the complementary mating connector with the connector is incomplete or a foreign substance is inserted therein, the operating force of the lever is not always large enough to make the lever difficult to be operated by an operator. Thus, an operator may not sense the irregular mating state and will still perform a forcible lever operation. If this occurs, a bearing section that supports a rotating shaft of the lever may receive an excessive force and thereby be damaged. In a case, where the bearing section is formed integrally with the housing, if the bearing section is damaged, the entire housing will need to be replaced. Thus, all electrical wires which connect the housing to a device at the time of the connecting operation will have to be re-wired to a new housing.


A method and apparatus for transmitting sound generated at an event to those in attendance at the event is shown. This is accomplished by a system that collects an acoustic audio signal generated at a first location within a fixed space. The system also conditions the audio signal without introducing audio signals generated from outside said first location. Finally, the system transmits the conditioned audio signal to a receiver worn by at least one of a plurality of individuals within the aforementioned fixed space. This is particularly useful in settings such as a football stadium, a basketball arena, a hockey arena, a baseball stadium, an auditorium, a performance area in a restaurant or cruise ship, a soccer arena, a boxing ring or wrestling ring, an automotive racing track, or any other space within which a performance takes place.

Sporting events have become a part of the American culture, oftentimes serving as a focal point around which friends and families gather. Fans hungrily devour sports information and discuss the latest game. To serve this ravenous interest, various enterprises have sprung up, including sports-oriented networks, websites and magazines. The goal of each of these services is to give each fan what he or she most desires: to be closer to the game.
Nowhere can a fan be closer to a game than by actually attending the game in a front-row seat. With a front-row seat, every nuance of the game can be seen and heard. Coaches and players can be overheard. Players can be heard shouting encouragements and discussing strategy. A front-row seat permits a fan to experience the game in a personal and dramatic way. Front-row seats are exciting. Unfortunately, front-row seats are not available to everyone.
Fans who attend sporting events, but are not lucky enough to possess front-row tickets find their experiences to be more remote. Small gestures by the players and coaches cannot be seen from a distance. The various sounds of the game go unheard. The shouts of players become inaudible. It is impossible to hear coaches and players discussing the game. Even the sound of a bone-crunching tackle cannot be heard. Quite simply, the game loses some of its drama.
To counteract the negative effects of distance, fans have employed many strategies. Many fans bring binoculars to aid them in seeing the visual nuances lost with distance. Other fans bring radios to permit them to hear a broadcast of the game. Radio broadcasts are not effective surrogates for a front-row seat, however. Radio broadcasts do not carry sounds collected from the field of play, nor do such broadcasts carry sounds collected from areas immediately surrounding the field of play (such as dugouts or team benches). Additionally, radio broadcasts are typically delayed so that they are not synchronized with the game as it actually occurs. An additional drawback of radio broadcasts is that they carry a narrative of the game, an often unwanted feature for a fan that is already able to discern the major developments of the game.
Some fans bring hand-held televisions to sporting events. Hand-held televisions also have drawbacks, though. They are small and require the fan to remove his attention from the field of play, instead turning it to the television. Additionally, the broadcast is delayed. Most importantly, when viewing a televised sporting event, the fan is receiving a produced version of the game, rather than a true-to-life front-row experience.
The inadequacies of radio and television broadcast are reflected in the attendance figures for professional sports. Many professional sports teams fail to sell-out a significant number of their games, leading to several undesirable results. Often, in response to low attendance figures, professional sports organizations are forced to lower ticket prices for seats that offer a less intimate game-time experience. Some leagues impose television blackouts with respect to games that fail to sell-out, thereby inducing further losses due to lost television revenue. Even if tickets are sold, non-attendance results in lost concession and souvenir sales. Low revenues—whether the low revenues stem from unsold tickets or from non-attendance—are also a major factor in the relocation of professional sports franchises. Relocation of professional sports franchises is troubling on two fronts. When a professional sports franchise relocates, the community that loses its franchise loses a source of community pride and entertainment. Additionally, professional sports leagues that permit its franchises to move often suffer from fan cynicism, with many fans choosing to turn away from the particular sport entirely, thus resulting in further lost revenue for the league as a whole.
To preserve fan interest in and attendance of sports events, there exists a need for a method or system for providing fans with an experience approximating the close, exciting, and personal feel of a front-row ticket.

Personal listening device for arena events


In a network architecture, selective grooming is performed. In selective grooming, a low traffic node is coupled (a) directly to an other low traffic node via a high capacity trunk, and (b) to a high traffic node via a high capacity trunk such that only a portion of the client signals destined for the other low traffic node are groomed into the high capacity trunk to the high traffic node.

In an undersea cable system, trunk and branch architectures provide a cost-effective way of connecting many landing stations to a single cable. Moreover, inherent to trunk and branch architectures are desirable features like security (very important when connecting many sovereign countries together) and high availability. (Security, as used herein, refers to the lack of direct access by a third-party node to the communications traffic between a first party node and second party node.)
An undersea cable system generally spans many countries, which may have diverse bandwidth needs so it is common for an undersea cable system to provide more than one level of bandwidth. For example, client signals may range from E1 (PDH (plesiochronous digital hierarchy)) level of transport (2 Mbps (millions of bits per second)) to synchronous transport module (STM)-16 (2.5 Gbps (Giga bits per second)), while the undersea transport infrastructure for these client signals may utilize higher rate signals such as STM-64 (10 Gbps and up). As such, various traffic grooming methods are used to increase utilization of the high rate undersea transport infrastructure.

Traffic grooming methods for undersea trunk and branch architectures


A passenger protection system for a vehicle includes a vehicle sensor control system having at least one processor and computerized memory storing vehicle control software therein, wherein the vehicle control software receives input data from a plurality of vehicle sensors. A digital control sequence is triggered in the software by a presence of at least one occupant other than a driver in the vehicle, with the digital control sequence activating and de-activating an alert system on a door of the vehicle. The alert system includes at least one of an audible alert and/or a visible alert and/or haptic alert on the door of the vehicle.

The present disclosure relates generally to the field of sensing methods to detect a child in a vehicle to warn a driver or other adult that the child is still present before the driver or adult exits the vehicle. More specifically, the disclosure relates to capacitive sensing systems, weight sensing systems, and occupant monitoring camera systems to prevent a child from being left unattended in a vehicle. The term "vehicle" as used herein includes all of the broadest plain meanings for the term within the context of transportation (i.e., any references to an automobile are for example purposes only and do not limit this disclosure to any one embodiment).
Every year brings more incidents of children being accidentally left unattended in a vehicle with the adult in the car leaving the vehicle without realizing that the child has been left behind. Without the ability to exit on their own, the children face the dangers of extreme temperatures and even accidental death. There is a need for a system and method for accurately detecting that a child is present in the vehicle and that the adult is attempting to exit the vehicle while the child is still inside. A warning can be provided to the adult/driver as needed to remind the adult to check on all children who might be left in the car.
One preliminary aspect of providing a warning that a child is being left behind lies in determining that a child is in the vehicle at all, and then preferably, determining that the child is of a size and/or age that would likely be unsafe if left unattended for an extended period. Numerous systems have been developed for differentiation of an adult driver, an adult passenger, a child occupant, and an inanimate object placed on a seat in an occupant classification system. For example, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/655,542, published as Pub. No. 2018/0022233 and incorporated by reference herein, explains examples of occupant detection and classification systems. In certain earlier occupant classification systems, an occupant detection system may include a seat weight sensor and/or an electric field sensor, each operatively connected to a controller for detecting an occupant in a vehicle. The seat weight sensor is adapted to generate a measure of weight upon the vehicle seat, e.g. upon the associated seat bottom. The electric field sensor may include at least one electrode located, for example, in the seat bottom under the seat cover and close to the top of a foam cushion, and adapted to enable detection of a type of occupant or object that may be upon the seat bottom of the vehicle seat.
The seat weight sensor is responsive to a force upon the vehicle seat. The seat weight sensor, for example, may include one or more load cells operatively coupled to at least one load path between the seat bottom and the vehicle, e.g., between the seat frame and the floor pan of the vehicle, e.g. at the corners of the seat frame, so as to measure the weight of the entire vehicle seat and objects or occupants placed thereon. For example, the one or more load cells could use a strain gauge, a magnetic-restrictive sensing element, a force sensitive resistive element, or another type of sensing element to measure the associated load. For example, the seat weight sensor may be constructed in accordance with the teachings of U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,905,210, 6,069,325 or 6,323,444, each of which is incorporated herein by reference.
The seat weight sensor may alternately include at least one mass sensing element, e.g. a force sensitive resistive element, a membrane switch element, a pressure sensitive resistive contact, a pressure pattern sensor, a strain gage, a bend sensor, or a hydrostatic weight sensing element, operatively coupled to one or more seating surfaces in the seat base or seat back, e.g. in accordance with the teachings of U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,918,696, 5,927,427, 5,957,491, 5,979,585, 5,984,349, 5,986,221, 6,021,863, 6,045,155, 6,076,853, 6,109,117 or 6,056,079, each of which is incorporated herein by reference. For example, the seat sensor may have a hydrostatic sensing element—e.g. a fluid containing bladder, underneath the seat cover of the seat bottom and supported by the seat frame—wherein a pressure sensor operatively connected to the bladder measures the pressure of the fluid contained therein so as to provide a measure of occupant weight. The pressure sensor is operatively connected to the controller so as to provide a pressure signal thereto, which determines a measure of weight therefrom.
Other occupant detection systems include an "electric field sensor," referring to a sensor that generates a signal that is responsive to the influence that an individual or object being sensed has upon an electric field. One form of electric field sensor is a capacitive sensor, wherein the capacitance of one or more electrodes is measured—from the relationship between received and applied signals—for a given electrode configuration. What has commonly been referred to as capacitive sensing actually comprises the distinct mechanisms of what is referred to as "loading mode," "shunt mode", and "transmit mode" which correspond to various possible electric current and/or electric field pathways. In the "shunt mode", a voltage oscillating at low frequency is applied to a transmit electrode, and the displacement current induced at a receive electrode is measured by sensing electronics, whereby the displacement current may be modified by the body being sensed. In the "loading mode", the object to be sensed modifies the capacitance of a transmit electrode relative to ground. In the "transmit mode", the transmit electrode is put into circuit transmission with the user's body, which then becomes a transmitter relative to a receiver, either by direct electrical connection or via capacitive coupling.
Accordingly, the electric field sensor is either what is commonly known as a capacitive sensor, or more generally an electric field sensor, operating in any of the above described modes. The electric field sensor may include at least one electrode operatively coupled to at least one applied signal so as to generate an electric field proximate to the at least one electrode, responsive to the applied signal. The applied signal, for example, includes either an oscillating or pulsed signal. At least one electrode is operatively coupled to a sensing circuit that outputs at least one response signal responsive to the electric field at the corresponding electrode wherein the response signal is responsive to at least one electric-field-influencing property—for example, dielectric constant, conductivity, size, mass or distance—of an object proximate to the electric field sensor. For example, for the electric field sensor as a capacitance sensor, the sensing circuit measures the capacitance of at least one electrode with respect to either another electrode or with respect to a surrounding ground, for example, a seat frame of the vehicle seat, connected to circuit ground. The at least one applied signal is, for example, generated by the sensing circuit that also outputs the at least one response signal. The sensing circuit and associated at least one applied signal may be adapted to be responsive to the influence of a water soaked vehicle seat, on measurements from the electric field sensor.
The sensors described above may detect, and record with a computer, an empty vehicle seat, an infant seat, a child seat, or a booster seat on the vehicle seat with or without an infant or child seated therein. The sensors also distinguish adult passengers in seats, conductive objects on seats, or an occupant on the vehicle seat in a position that is substantially different from a normal seating position. The at least one electrode may be, for example, located under the seat cover and substantially the same size as a region to be sensed on the vehicle seat, extending from near the back of the seat bottom to near the front of the seat bottom.
In some non-limiting embodiments, the electric field sensor has a relatively short range and principally senses an occupant when a large surface of the occupant is relatively close to the sensor. Occupants normally seated directly on the seat cover typically have a large surface of their body relatively close to the electrode. When infants or children are in child seats, most of their body is elevated several inches off the seat bottom surface, resulting in a relatively small influence upon the electric field sensor. The electric field sensor in the seat bottom distinguishes between a large body immediately above the seat cover—for example a normally seated, forward facing teen or adult occupant in the seat—and an infant or child seat—including rear facing, front facing and booster seats—that are located on a vehicle seat. When the vehicle seat contains a child seat (including a rear facing infant seat, a forward facing child seat and a booster seat), or when the vehicle seat is empty, no forward facing occupant is detected near to the seat bottom and, as a result, the electric field sensor can communicate the occupant status to a computer.
An electrode of the electric field sensor may be constructed in a variety of ways, and the method of construction is not considered limiting. For example, an electrode may be constructed using rigid circuit board or a flexible circuit using known printed circuit board techniques such as etching or deposition of conductive materials applied to a dielectric substrate. Alternately, an electrode may comprise a discrete conductor, such as a conductive film, sheet or mesh that is distinct from or an integral part of the vehicle seat or components thereof. The assembly of one or more electrodes together with the associated substrate is sometimes referred to as a sensing pad or a capacitive sensing pad.
The above described technology has also been incorporated in occupant classification systems using a heater as a sensor. The seat may include a heater controller to regulate the heaters in the seat bottom and/or the seat back and an electronic control unit (ECU) coupled to the sensors in the seat bottom and/or seat back to detect and categorize an object or occupant in the seat. The ECU may include sensing and measurement circuits. If the sensor is integrated into the heater system, the heater controller and the ECU may be connected in series such that power and/or control signals may be provided to the conductor (i.e., sensing and heater device) by, for example, the heater controller through the ECU. While the heater controller and the ECU are often provided under the seat bottom of a vehicle, in various embodiments the heater controller may be provided elsewhere in the vehicle.
Up until recent developments, the Occupant Classification Systems of the prior art have depended upon either the above noted capacitive sensing methods or a seat weight rail system. A seat weight rail system measures deflection of the seat rails and determines a weight on the seat. This gives 5 states of measurement: 1 yo, 3 yo, 6 yo, 5th female, 50th male. This system is expensive and heavy (a concern for electric vehicles).
Embodiments of an Occupant Classification System using seat weight rail systems, capacitive sensing, and heater as a sensor embodiments have been heavily scrutinized by regulatory bodies in the United States and abroad. For example, in the United States, Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards No. 208 (FMVSS 208) has recognized deficiencies in the use of capacitive sensing and heater as a sensor embodiments for occupant classification. In particular, these prior embodiments do not adequately provide clear occupant classification distinctions between vehicle occupants that, with the technology described above, must be grouped together. For example, in the case of capacitive sensing, the system is not accurate enough to provide classification beyond "large" (e.g., 5th percentile sized female and larger) and "small" (infant or empty vehicle seat). A system of occupant classification, using capacitive sensing, for example, may distinguish a general division in classes with infant-female separation in weight classes providing the only classification threshold. This threshold, however, does not provide the best resolution to distinguish the characteristics of occupants within the large and small categories.
Infant-Female separation is a weight based measurement system using capacitance as described above but only provides a two state solution. Several publicly available charts promulgated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration show how the United States regulation FMVSS 208 has mapped certain un-identifiable and non-classifiable grey zones in traditional occupant classification systems, namely a system using a heater as a sensor technology for capacitive sensing. The grey zones in these public documents reflect that currently used occupant systems are largely ineffective to determine physical characteristics, and associated safety protocols, when occupants are between the traditional small and large classifications (e.g., small adults sized larger than a six year old child and smaller than a 5th percentile female, as well as adults sized between 5th percentile females and 50th percentile males). The following table shows certain categories used today to illustrate occupant classification:
1 YO1 Year Old Infant3 YO3 Year Old Child6 YO6 Year Old Child5th Fe5th Percentile Female by Weight - Live50th Male50th Percentile Male by Weight - Live
Again, these categories show unreliable grey zones between a six year old child and a small adult who can weigh significantly less than 100 pounds. The same kind of grey zone is present between females weighing over 120 pounds and men weighing, for example, under 135 pounds. Accuracy in these categories is extremely important in regulations dictating how vehicle manufacturers design vehicle seats, air bag deployment statuses, and numerous safety features in a vehicle. Upon the above considerations, new guidelines from regulatory bodies such as the United States New Car Assessment Program via the National Highway and Transportation Safety Administration require improved occupant classification technologies to remedy the grey zones in traditional classification systems. In fact, certain prior art technology, such as older seat track position sensors, will no longer be allowed for occupant classification purposes.
Attempts to cure the problems with the above described grey zones have brought forth newer and more advanced Occupant Monitoring Systems. In one commonly owned disclosure set forth in U.S. Ser. No. 16/841,154, published as U.S. Pub. No. 2020/0320318, incorporated by reference herein, a vehicle cabin monitoring system includes an image sensor connected to a computer processor and computer memory storing software that controls the image sensor, wherein the image sensor is positioned to capture images of at least a portion of a vehicle interior. At least one reference structure may be positioned in the vehicle cabin within a field of view of the image sensor. In some non-limiting embodiments, an optically active component is positioned on the reference structure, such that the reference structure incorporates a lighted surface that is included within at least one of the images. A sequence of the images shows differences regarding the lighted surface of the reference structure, and differences in the images indicate at least one status change of at least one item in the vehicle interior. In other embodiments, the image sensor may be incorporated into a system that detects and tracks physical features of occupants in a vehicle, as explained in commonly owned the disclosure set forth in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/834,664, published as U.S. Pub. No. 2018/0186321, incorporated by reference herein.
For the purpose of this disclosure, one non-limiting example of an active optical image sensor is a 3-D Time of Flight camera that can emit sinusoidal light using LED(s) or laser diode(s) with a center wavelength of approximately 850 nm and a range of +/−50 nm. The camera includes an image sensor having a pass band filter using the same center wavelength of 850 nm (or any other chosen wavelength) and corresponding range so that the image sensor is sampled at two or more equally spaced times during the light source sine wave (DT1, DT2, . . . ). By using a very fast sine wave, compared to the fastest possible movement of objects, the detected "point cloud image" represents a three-dimensional snapshot of the image sensor field of view. The duration for which the camera integrates collected light at these sampling times (e.g. integration times) can also be controlled within the image sensor. The intensity of the light reaching the image sensor is a function of the emitted light wavelength range, intensity and phase, the location (distance) of objects within the field of view, the size and orientation of the objects, and other factors such as the surface characteristics of the objects (e.g. material reflectivity in the sensor detector wavelength range, macroscopic/microscope surface normal, e.g., rough or smooth).
For the purpose of this disclosure, an example application is defined as an Occupant Monitoring System (OMS). In this non-limiting example, a 3-D TOF sensor is fixed within a vehicle and collects sequential point cloud images which are used by computer algorithms to discretely or continuously monitor the full cabin to the extent that a camera field of view and range make the full cabin view possible. The OMS also encompasses human occupants and objects within the cabin.

Systems and methods for child presence detection with driver warning alerts and bypass option


A system has an alkaline capture stream as an input, an alkaline depleted stream as an output, a carbon dioxide removal unit operation having a return stream as an output, and a series of electrolyzers, each electrolyzer to receive a CO2-rich input stream and produce an acidified output stream that is more acidic than the CO2-rich input stream, and to receive a return stream and produce a basified output stream that is more alkaline than the input return stream. A method of removing carbon dioxide from an atmosphere and generating hydrogen includes capturing carbon dioxide from an atmosphere in an alkaline capture solution, sending the alkaline solution as a CO2-rich input solution to a series of electrolyzers in a CO2-rich path, removing carbon dioxide from the acidified CO2-rich solution at a removal unit to produce a CO2-poor solution, sending the CO2-poor solution to the series of electrolyzers in a return path, and returning the return solution to the alkaline capture stream. An electrolyzer is also discussed.

Carbon dioxide continues to build up in the environment. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the growth of carbon dioxide in the earth's atmosphere was 3 parts per million (ppm) per year in 2015 and 2016, and 2 ppm in 2017. Techniques to remove carbon dioxide from the air have become a critical area of research.
One approach involved the use of bipolar membrane electrodialysis (BPMED). BPMED uses electrochemistry and has the potential of efficiencies in the 90% range. BPMED devices use ion exchange membranes to separate ionic species in solution when a stack of membranes receives a voltage. One process of BPMED produced concentrated acid which the process then added to a bicarbonate rich stream to desorb CO2. However, some of these efforts reached the conclusion that the costs, including those of pumping and electrodialysis, were too high even for the best-case scenario [Eisaman, M. D., International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control (2018), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijggc.2018.02.020].
A process and apparatus are still needed to remove CO2 from the earth's atmosphere that has relatively low costs, high efficiencies and relatively low, or even negative, emissions.


The present invention relates to a magnetoresistive head capable of converting a change in a magnetic field generated by a magnetic recording medium into a change in electric resistivity by utilizing spin valve magnetoresistance effect to read signal information. The magnetoresistive head comprises a first magnetic layer, a second magnetic layer formed on the first magnetic layer through a first nonmagnetic metal layer and magnetized in one direction, a third magnetic layer formed on the second magnetic layer through a second nonmagnetic metal layer, and an electric current supplying layer for applying a constant current to at least the third magnetic layer, the second nonmagnetic metal layer and the second magnetic layer in one of the same direction as and the opposite direction to the direction of magnetization of the second magnetic layer.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a magnetoresistive head and, more particularly, a magnetoresistive head capable of reading signal information by converting a change in magnetic field generated from a magnetic recording medium into a change in electric resistivity by use of spin valve magnetoresistance effect, upon reading information signal from the magnetic recording medium.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As a device for reading information signals from the magnetic recording medium such as a hard disk, magnetic card, a magnetic tape, the magnetoresistive head employing the spin valve magnetoresistance effect has been proposed in Patent Application Publication (KOKAI) 4-358310 (U.S. Pat. No. 5,206,590).
The magnetoresistive head has a structure shown in FIGS.1A and 1B, for example.
In FIGS.1A and 1B, a lower ferromagnetic layer 2, a nonmagnetic metal layer 3, an upper ferromagnetic layer 4, and an antiferromagnetic layer 5 are formed in that order on a substrate 1 having large electric resistance. Respective layers from the lower ferromagnetic layer 2 to the antiferromagnetic layer 5 have a plane rectangular shape. In addition, a pair of lead electrodes 6a, 6b are formed in the longitudinal direction at a distance on the antiferromagnetic layer 5, thus completing a magnetoresistive head. As materials constituting these layers, an iron-manganese (NiFe) is used as upper and lower ferromagnetic layers 2, 4, a copper (Cu) is used as the antimagnetic metal layer 3, and an iron-manganese (FeMn) is used as the antiferromagnetic layer 5, for example. In FIGS. 1A and 1B, a Z-axis denotes the direction of film thickness.
The upper ferromagnetic layer 4 is magnetized by exchange coupling of the antiferromagnetic layer 5, and the direction of magnetization is a width direction (an X axis direction in FIG. 1B). The lower ferromagnetic layer 2 is magnetized in the longitudinal direction (a Y axis direction in FIG. 1B). It is preferable that the direction of magnetization of the lower ferromagnetic layer 2 intersects orthogonally the direction of magnetization of the upper ferromagnetic layer 4 if the external signal-magnetic field is zero. The external signal magnetic field is a magnetic field generated from the magnetic recording medium, and is generated in the width direction of each layer (an X axis direction). The direction of magnetization of the upper ferromagnetic layer 4 is perpendicular to the surface of the magnetic recording medium whereas the direction of magnetization of the lower ferromagnetic layer 2 is formed along the surface of the magnetic recording medium.
If the external signal magnetic field is applied to such spin valve magnetoresistive head, the direction of magnetization of the lower ferromagnetic layer 2 is inclined at an angle corresponding to the strength and direction of the external signal magnetic field.
A component of the direction of magnetization of the lower ferromagnetic layer 2 in the direction opposite to the direction of magnetization of the upper ferromagnetic layer 4 causes scattering of electrons passing through these layers, thus increasing electric resistance of entire layers. On the other hand, a component of the direction of magnetization of the lower ferromagnetic layer 2 in the same direction as the direction of magnetization of the upper ferromagnetic layer 4 decreases scattering of electrons passing through these layers, thus decreasing electric resistance of entire layers.
The electric resistance of the sense current area S is changed in proportion to cosine of angle difference .theta. between the direction of magnetization of the lower ferromagnetic layer 2 and the direction of magnetization of the upper ferromagnetic layer 4, i.e., cos .theta..
In addition, in order to change the electric resistance to the signal magnetic field generated from the magnetic recording medium linearly, the direction of magnetization of the lower ferromagnetic layer 2 is intersected with the direction of magnetization of the upper ferromagnetic layer 4 under the condition that the external signal magnetic field is zero. This signal magnetic field is applied to the same direction as or the opposite direction to the direction of magnetization of the upper ferromagnetic layer 4, i.e., the fixed direction of magnetization.
Thereby, as shown in FIG. 1C, a relation between the external signal magnetic field H and the electric resistance .DELTA.RR(H)-Ro(H=0)! can be derived.
In case the signal magnetic field generated by the magnetic recording medium is converted into an electric signal, a change in the electric resistance due to the signal magnetic field can be converted into a change in electric voltage by passing a constant current between a pair of lead electrodes 6a, 6b. The change of the voltage is used as a reproducing electric signal. This is the same in the embodiments described hereinafter.
In addition, a width of a sense area S which reads a signal magnetic field by a spin valve magnetoresistance effect has been defined by a distance between the pair of lead electrodes 6a, 6b.
However, according to the laminated layer structure shown in FIG. 1A, a leakage magnetic field from a side portion of the upper ferromagnetic layer 4 enters into a side portion of the lower ferromagnetic layer 2 and acts as a bias magnetic field even when the external signal magnetic field is in a zero state.
Therefore, the direction of magnetization of the lower ferromagnetic layer 2 made of a soft magnetic material is inclined by the leakage magnetic field, so that the direction of magnetization of the lower ferromagnetic layer 2 does not intersect orthogonally with the magnetization of the upper ferromagnetic layer 4. As a result, there is caused a drawback that the electric resistance (specific resistance) cannot change linearly with respect to the signal magnetic field and thus the voltage waveform as a reproducing signal is distorted.
On the contrary, a magnetoresistive head wherein the direction of magnetization of the upper magnetic layer is not fixed and varied by the external signal magnetic field along with the direction of magnetization of the lower magnetic layer has been set forth in Patent Application Publication (KOKAI) 2-61572. But, although influence of the leakage magnetic field from the ferromagnetic layer need not be considered, there is no recitation in this Publication how to adjust a relative angle between directions of magnetization of two ferromagnetic layers concretely. In practice, it is hard to operate the magnetoresistive head linearly by intersecting directions of magnetization of these layers with each other.
As shown in FIG. 2, a signal magnetic field H.sub.t of a track adjacent to the magnetic recording medium beneath the lead electrode 6a leaks into the sense area S via soft magnetic layers 2, 4 formed immediately below the lead electrodes 6a, 6b. Therefore, there has been caused another drawback that noise enters into a reproducing electric signal.
In addition, the sense area S must be defined essentially by the distance between two lead electrodes 6a, 6b. However, the spin valve magnetoresistance effect is in practice caused in a wider area than that defined by the distance between two lead electrodes 6a, 6b. Thus, there has been caused another drawback that the sense area for reading the signal magnetic field becomes vague, so that it is difficult to clearly define the sense area.

Magnetoresistive head and magnetic recording apparatus


A polygonal bit is frictionally retained in a mating socket opening of a drive socket by the provision of recesses in the flat surfaces of the bit, the formation of each recess creating a raised ridge of material displaced from the recess and projecting from the flat surface around the perimeter of the recess for frictional engagement with the corresponding drive surface of the drive socket. Recesses may be formed in flat surfaces on opposite sides of the bit, with one or two recesses being formed in each such surface. Various shapes of recess are disclosed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to driven members, such as tool bits or the like, and in particular to means for retaining such a driven member in an associated drive socket.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various techniques have heretofore been used for retaining driving and driven members in coupling engagement with each other. A standard technique for coupling a driven bit to a drive socket is the use of a coupling pin extending diametrically through the two intercoupled members. This has the disadvantage of requiring a separate part. Also, the bit and drive socket must have diametrical holes therethrough which are substantially perfectly aligned and accurately sized relative to the pin, otherwise the pin may become loose and fall out or may be sheared in use. Furthermore, the design is costly to manufacture.
Other retention schemes utilize a spring-biased ball in the bit which is engageable in a complementary recess or groove in the socket. This, again, is a complex and costly construction involving the assembly of multiple parts.

Bit with frictional retention in drive socket


A system for reacting fuel and air into reformate, with a reformer (10) which has a reaction space (12), a nozzle (14) which at least in part is formed as a Venturi nozzle for supply of a fuel/air mixture to the reaction space (12), the Venturi nozzle part has a small diameter area (16) from which a diffuser extends to the reaction space. A first gas supply means (20) is provided on the side of the small diameter area which side faces away from the diffuser, and second gas supply means (26, 28) are provide at the small diameter area. A fuel supply (22) is also provided for supplying fuel to the nozzle and it preferably extends along the longitudinal axis of the nozzle.

1. Field of Invention
The invention relates to a system for reacting fuel and air into reformate, with:                a reformer which has a reaction space,        a nozzle which is made at least in sections in the manner of a Venturi nozzle for supplying a fuel/air mixture to the reaction space, the section of the nozzle which is made in the manner of a Venturi nozzle having:        an area with an extremely small diameter,        a diffuser which extends between the area with the extremely small diameter and the reaction space and        first gas supply means on the side of the area with the extremely small diameter, which side faces away from the diffuser, and        a fuel supply for supplying fuel to the nozzle.
2. Description of Related Art
A system of the type noted above is known from published International Patent Application WO 03/022424. These systems are used to convert chemical energy into electrical energy. For this purpose, fuel and air, preferably in the form of a fuel/air mixture, are supplied to the reformer. The reaction of the fuel with atmospheric oxygen takes place in the reformer, preferably the process of partial oxidation being carried out.

System for reacting fuel and air into reformate


A spinal fusion device abutting and fixed between adjacent vertebrae. The spinal fusion device includes a support frame. The support frame has a plurality of extending bodies, each radially extending from a center of the support frame. A predetermined gap exists between every two adjacent extending bodies, receiving a bone graft.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to spinal fusion, and in particular to a device enhancing bone fusion.
2. Description of the Related Art
When the human spinal column is subjected to force or extreme angles, discs between adjacent vertebrae can experience long-term compression, whereby soft tissues of the discs retrograde or protrude from the spinal column. The protruded soft tissues of the disc press nerves, causing pain.
To solve the aforementioned problem, the disc is conventionally removed. A bone graft is then implanted in the gap vacated by the disc, fusing the adjacent vertebrae. The spinal column is thus fixed and stabilized. Moreover, to guarantee bone fusion and prevent the bone graft from breakage and separation from the vertebrae due to insufficient strength thereof, an internal cage is often applied with the bone graft. In order to bear high compression or stress from the vertebrae in different positions, the internal cage is often metal (such as stainless steel or titanium alloy) or macromolecular material (such as Polyetheretherketone, PEEK).
In addition to supporting the adjacent vertebrae, the internal cage guides newgrown bone proliferating from adjacent vertebrae thereinto, thereby enabling bone fusion. Specifically, the internal cage has a hollow interior to receive the bone graft, which induces the bone fusion. Additionally, to reduce complexity of surgery and hospital time, the internal cage combines artificial porous bone material to induce proliferation of bone.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,245,108 discloses a prosthetic implant comprising a hollow casing with a plurality of ridges formed thereon. The ridges enhance engagement between the prosthetic implant and adjacent vertebrae, such that the prosthetic implant can be secured therebetween. The hollow casing receives a bone graft. Nevertheless, fragments of the bone graft easily pass out of the hollow casing, increasing the difficulty of implantation.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,609,635 discloses an interbody spinal fusion implant configured with an upper plate and a lower plate. A bone graft is contained in the interbody spinal fusion implant and maintained between the upper plate and the lower plate, preventing fragments from escaping during implantation surgery.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,865,848 discloses a spinal fusion implant assembly with a detachable structure receiving a bone graft. Multiple complementary protrusions and recesses are formed on a-top surface and a bottom surface, enhancing engagement between the spinal fusion implant assembly and adjacent vertebrae.
WO2005/037137A2 discloses a spinal cage with a hollow interior receiving a bone graft. The spinal cage is integrally formed and can be easily implanted between two adjacent vertebrae.
Accordingly, the bone graft (including both organic and artificial bone) is accommodated in the interior of the prosthetic implant, interbody spinal fusion implant, spinal fusion implant assembly, or spinal cage. Bone proliferates along the interior of the prosthetic implant, interbody spinal fusion implant, spinal fusion implant assembly, or spinal cage and then covers the exterior thereof. The prosthetic implant, interbody spinal fusion implant, spinal fusion implant assembly, or spinal cage, however, is composed of metal or macromolecular material which provides poor bone guidance and bonding. New bone covers the exterior of the prosthetic implant, interbody spinal fusion implant, spinal fusion implant assembly, or spinal cage after fibered connective tissues are formed thereon. Thus, loose bone bonding with the prosthetic implant, interbody spinal fusion implant, spinal fusion implant assembly, or spinal cage and poor bone fusion are easily generated.
Hence, there is a need for a spinal fusion device receiving a bone graft. The spinal fusion device bears compression or stress from adjacent vertebrae and enables newgrown bone from the vertebrae to simultaneously grow along the interior and exterior of the spinal fusion device and fuse with the bone graft.

Industrial Technology Research Institute


A method for screening a patient for mucopolysaccharidoses is provided in which sample urine absorbed onto a porous sheet and dried is extracted with water. 1,9-dimethylmethylene blue dye reagent in buffer is added to the aqueous extract to produce a test solution which is assessed spectrophotometrically for color change indicative of mucopolysaccharidoses. The invention is particularly applicable to rapid and reliable mass screening and diagnosis of newborn infants.

Mucopolysaccharide storage diseases or mucopolysaccharidoses (MPS) are lysosomal storage disorders that result from the deficiency of specific lysosomal enzymes. Currently, there are ten types of MPS. They differ in clinical features, accumulated storage materials and deficient enzyme. These storage diseases are characterized by intralysosomal accumulation of mucopolysaccharides, excessive urinary excretion of mucopolysaccharides, progressive mental and physical deterioration, and premature death. Patients are usually born without the visible clinical features of MPS, but develop progressive clinical involvement. Each type of MPS has a specific lysosomal enzyme deficiency with a characteristic degree of organ involvement and rate of deterioration. See Muenzer, Adv. Pediatri. 33:269-302(1986)
Known methods for the quantitative measurement and characterization of MPS are complicated and labor intensive. Generally urine specimens are first concentrated, dialyzed, or the mucopolysaccharide precipitated. The mucopolysaccharide is then identified and quantified by electrophoresis, by determination of uronic acid or by fractionation on a Sephadex column.
A number of screening tests for MPS exist. These tests can be divided into two types: metachromatic reactions of various dyes to glycosaminoglycans; and turbidity or precipitation tests with glycosaminoglycans interacting with acidified albumin solutions of quarternary ammonium compounds. Muenzer, supra. Several of the dye based procedures have been reduced to "spot" tests. These include: Toluidine Blue O Spot Test (Berry Spot Test) [Laboratory Techniques for the Detection of Hereditary Metabolic Disorders, Chp. 5:103-118 (CRC Press); Berry, Clin. Biochem.,20:365-71(1987)]; and Alcian Blue Spot Test [Laboratory Techniques for the Detection of Hereditary Metabolic Disorders supra.]. A qualitative colorimetric method using 1,9-dimethylmethylene blue on liquid urine samples to detect mucopolysaccharidosis in older children exhibiting physical abnormalities associated with MPS is also known. Humbel & Etringer Rev. Roum. Biochem.,11:21-24(1974).
There are a number of drawbacks associated with existing MPS screening tests precluding their use for mass screening of children for MPS in the United States. Many paper spot tests give a high incidence of false-negative results. See Muenzer, supra. In the case of the Berry spot test, a high incidence of false positive is reported and fresh or frozen urine is required. The acid albumin gross turbidity test requires pure liquid urine and is relatively difficult, time consuming and expensive. Specifically, in the case of infants, liquid urine samples are time consuming and inconvenient to obtain and prepare, thus leading to higher costs. Many of the known mucopolysaccharide testing methodologies are inefficient in detecting all mucopolysaccharide disorders. One mucopolysaccharide disorder which is difficult to detect with certain existing methodologies is Morquio syndrome.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved method to rapidly and accurately detect the presence of all MPS in urine without elaborate sample preparation and need to separate glycosaminoglycan from potentially intereferring substances (e.g., by chromatography) and which is also convenient with respect to the collection and preparation of small samples obtained from newborn infants and young children.

Method for the detection of mucopolysaccharide storage diseases


A method of detecting a deflated tire on a vehicle by comparing the rolling radii of the tires by means of comparing angular velocity speed signal values C1, C2, C3 and C4 from wheel speed sensors on wheels 1-4 at the left-hand front, the right-hand front, the left-hand rear and the right-hand rear wheel position respectively, comprising the step of calculating an error value DEL' in normal driving by processing the four angular velocity speed signal values C1-C4 in a central processing unit (10) which subtracts the sum of the signal values from one pair of diagonally opposite wheels from the sum of the signal values from the other pair of diagonally opposite wheels and expressing the results as a percentage of the mean of the sums EQU DEL'=(C1+C4-C2-C3).times.50/((C1+C2+C3+C4)/4),. sensing when the magnitude of the error value DEL' is between a DEL' min value of 0.05 and a DEL' max value of 0.5 and when it is carrying out the step of deciding which tire is apparently deflated by comparison of the angular velocity speed signal values C1-C4 with each other, and finally operating a tire warning indicator in the vehicle to warn the driver that that particular tire is deflated, wherein there is determined from the wheel speed signal values C1-C4 the vehicle speed SPD in which EQU SPD=(C1+C2+C3+C4)/(4.times.KPHFAC). and wherein KPHFAC is a constant representing the number of wheel speed signals per wheel speed sensor per unit of speed, deriving a corrected error value DEL by dividing the error value DEL' by a correction factor SPDELCOR related to the vehicle speed SPD and using the corrected error value DEL in place of the error value DEL' to warn of a deflated tire.

The present invention relates to a method of detecting a deflated tire on a vehicle suitable for cars, trucks, buses or the like.
Prior art methods of detecting a deflated or partially deflated tire on a vehicle operate by comparing the rolling radii of the tires. These systems utilize wheel speed signals such as those from electronic anti-lock braking systems (ABS) and compare the signals from each wheel in various ways to determine if one wheel is rotating significantly faster than the others thus indicating a reduced rolling radius caused by the tire being deflated.
The inventor of the present application however has found that for a deflated or partially deflated tire the rolling radius increases significantly with rotational speed due to increasing centrifugal forces which act on the tread mass on the radially outer periphery of the tire. While this phenomenon may also occur to a very limited degree with a normally inflated tire, it apparently is much greater in the case of a deflated tire in which the tread mass is unrestrained by tension on the casing plies.
As a result the speed signal differences, which the deflation warning system compares in order to detect the deflation, decrease with increasing vehicle speed. In fact at very high vehicle speed it has been found that a deflated tire can grow to a diameter beyond that of a normally inflated tire so that the deflation warning system would detect that the other normally inflated tires were apparently deflated.

Method of detecting a deflated tire on a vehicle


A semiconductor integrated circuit device includes a processor, a first clock generating section and a control section. The processor core operates in synchronism with a first clock and includes first and second critical paths. The first clock generating section controls a duty of an externally input second clock to generate the first clock. a control section detects a first phase difference between the first clock and a third clock obtained by delaying the first clock by a delay time in the first critical path and a second phase difference between the first clock and a fourth clock obtained by delaying the first clock by a delay time in the second critical path. The control section instructs the first clock generating section to control the duty so as to minimize a difference between the first and second phase differences.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor integrated circuit device operating in synchronism with a clock and a method for controlling the duty of the clock. For example, the present invention relates to a method for controlling the duty of the clock in a processor core including a critical path that is active while the clock is at an "H" level and a critical path that is active while the clock is an "L" level.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, the operating speed of semiconductor integrated circuits (LSI) has been remarkably increased. With the increased operating speed of the semiconductor integrated circuits, processors have been commonly used which operate in synchronism with both rising edge and falling edge of a clock.
In LSIs using these processors, the duty of the clock has a significant effect on the operation characteristics, yield, and the like of the LSI. It is thus important to appropriately adjust the duty, and relevant proposals have been made by, for example, Jpn. Pat. Appln, KOKAI Publication No. 2005-159613 and Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2004-088434.
However, these conventional techniques are not sufficient in terms of the appropriate adjustment of the duty. It has thus been difficult to further improve the operating speed of LSIs operating at higher frequencies.
Furthermore, systems using semiconductor devices or the like often require a basic clock having a duty of 50%. However, the optimum duty of high-speed clocks exceeding, for example, a GHz order is not always 50%. A duty of a different value is often required. Thus, a configuration for controlling the duty is disclosed in, for example, the sixth page of the specification and FIG. 8 of Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKOKU Publication No. 7-114349.
This conventional configuration enables the duty to be controlled by varying the resistance ratio of resistance elements in a voltage setting circuit. However, the configuration requires the resistance ratio to be preset. Thus, if the duty of an input signal deviates from a set value, the duty of an output signal changes correspondingly. Obtaining the desired duty has thus been difficult.

Semiconductor integrated circuit device operating in synchronism with clock and method for controlling duty of clock


A system and method to shred, transport and reconstruct plastic drums. The drums are loaded into a shredding apparatus that shreds the drums into shreddings. The shreddings are then projected into a compartment in a storage means in a trailer. The loaded storage means is transported to a remote location to be further ground and pelletized for construction into new drums.

Liquids and other fluidizable materials have long been shipped and stored in drums. Fifty five gallon drums formed of steel have been used for many years. More recently fifty five gallon drums formed of plastic materials have become common. Flexible drum liners that protect the drum interior from contact with the fluid are now beginning to be used. Although the drums with flexible liners are intended to avoid contact between the drum and the drum contents, some residuals from the hazardous liquids, materials or oils can leak or seep into contact with the drums.
As a result of the possible leakage of hazardous liquids, materials or oils the drums, whether steel or plastic, have customarily been reconditioned before being reused. In effect, an entire industry exists to remove all traces of the contents of the drums and safely dispose of the contents. Further, the chemicals used to properly clean the drums are often strong and harsh in nature. These chemicals also pose a risk to the environment.
In view of the hazardous nature of many of the liquids found in the drums and the chemicals used to recondition the drums, the problem of disposing of the contents in the drums and the liquids used to recondition the drums in an ecologically safe manner has arisen. Consequently, destroying and recycling the drum instead of reconditioning the drum is less detrimental to the environment because the harsh chemicals which damage the environment are not needed.

Process for recycling contaminated drums


The invention provides a flotation device including a thickening tank (1) having right cylindrical sidewalls and a downwardly sloping frusto-conical floor. A drive shaft (2) is centrally rotatably mounted within the tank. Each one of a plurality of rake arms (3) is fixedly connected to the drive shaft and extends radially outwardly, substantially parallel to the tank floor. Each arm supports an array of blades (4) extending axially into the tank. An array of baffles in the form of rectilinear baffle plates (5), fixed relative to the tank, extends axially into the tank in complementary alternate radially spaced relationship with the blades (4). The baffle plates are located within the swept volume of the blades to retard fluid rotation in response to the rotation of the rake. A diametrical service bridge (6) is fixedly connected to the tank for mounting the baffle plates.

The following discussion of the prior art is intended to present the invention in an appropriate technical context and allow its significance to be properly appreciated. Unless clearly indicated to the contrary, however, reference to any prior art in this specification should not be construed as an admission that such art is widely known or forms part of common general knowledge in the field.
Thickeners are known as a means of separating suspended pulps. They are commonly used in the field of mineral processing and extraction, as well as other industries such as paper production.
Known thickeners typically include a thickening tank and a feedwell. The feedwell includes a chamber having an inlet for receiving feed liquid and an outlet in fluid communication with the tank. In use, flocculation takes place in the tank, whereby pulp of higher relative density tends to settle towards the bottom of the tank, forming a bed of thickened pulps and dilute liquor of lower relative density is thereby displaced towards the top of the tank.
The feedwell is configured to reduce the turbulence of the incoming feed stream, to allow flocculants to be mixed into the liquid, and to allow sufficient residence time for reaction between flocculants and reagents before the treated liquid is discharged into the thickening tank. The configuration of the feedwell also promotes even distribution of liquid flowing from its outlet into the thickening tank.
The thickening tank may include a rotatably mounted rake. The rake is typically mounted on a centrally located drive shaft, driven by a motor and an associated gearbox. Each one of a plurality of radially extending rake arms is fixedly connected to the rake and supports an array of fixedly connected rake blades. The blades extend axially into the tank such that as the rake rotates, the blades sweep through the fluid in the tank. This sweeping shears the pulp particles, releasing trapped water, which rises to the surface through the sheared material, allowing the solids to settle into a more dense bed of thickened pulp. This process is referred to in the art as "dewatering". The sweeping also rakes the settled solids to the centre of the tank from where they are discharged.
In contrast to its intended purpose, however, this rake in practice tends to push the whole or part of the settled material around with it, thus preventing it from performing its functions of assisting in the dewatering process and raking the settled solids to the central discharge point. This condition is referred to in the art as "donutting" and impedes the formation of the desired bed of relatively uniform, thickened pulp.
It is an object of the invention to overcome or substantially ameliorate one or more of the deficiencies of the prior art, or at least to provide a useful alternative.

Pulp stabilisation apparatus for a thickener


A fluid atomizer and methods of atomizing fluids are disclosed. The fluid atomizer may comprise an inner member and one or more outer members. The inner member defines an interior conduit for providing a first-fluid flowpath from a supply end of the atomizer to a discharge end of the atomizer along a central axis. The one or more outer members are positioned radially outward of the inner member from the central axis. The inner and outer members define a second-fluid flowpath extending from a second-fluid supply conduit to a second-fluid discharge plenum. The second-fluid flowpath comprises a tangential conduit spiraling along the axis from the second-fluid supply conduit to a terminal end; an annulus downstream from and in fluid communication with the tangential conduit; and a second-fluid discharge plenum downstream from and in fluid communication with the annulus.

Fluid atomizers are used to break a bulk fluid into droplets. For example, fuel injectors direct fuel from a fuel manifold as a bulk fluid to a combustion chamber where the fuel is broken into droplets. A typical fuel injector may comprise a fuel nozzle located within the combustion chamber and a fuel supply conduit coupled between the fuel manifold and the fuel nozzle. The fuel nozzle may atomize the fuel as the fuel is directed into the combustion chamber. In an airblast-type fuel nozzle, conduits for high pressure air may be positioned proximate the fuel nozzle such that high pressure air is directed into the fuel ejected from the fuel nozzle, thus aiding atomization. As but one example, such fuel injectors may be used in a gas turbine engine.
A typical fuel nozzle comprises an inner member and outer member, with a fuel flowpath defined between the members. Fuel may be supplied from the fuel manifold via a fuel supply conduit. Fuel is received in the flowpath defined between the inner member and outer member, and flows through the flowpath until ejected from the fuel nozzle. However, existing fuel nozzles generally require complex machining of one or both of the members to form intricate flowpaths designed to improve atomization of the fuel.