An inkjet printer includes an ink jet head having a plurality of nozzles, a head scanning mechanism moving the ink jet head in multiple passes in a scanning direction during an ink jet printing operation, and a feeding mechanism moving a print medium in a feeding direction during the ink jet printing operation. A controller determines a first time function f1(x) identifying ink ejection timing values for positions x across a width of the print medium in the scanning direction, determines a second time function f2(x) identifying ink ejection timing values for positions x across the width of the print medium in the scanning direction, and uses the first and second time functions to adjust ink ejection timing while printing on one print medium sheet.

A known inkjet printer is configured to perform printing by ejecting ink from nozzles. The inkjet printer is configured to corrugate a recording sheet along a scanning direction with corrugated plates and corrugated spurs. The inkjet printer is configured to read deviation detecting patterns printed when a recording sheet is in a predetermined position, to obtain amounts of ink landing position deviations. In the inkjet printer, the amplitude of the corrugations of a recording sheet and an average height or level of the recording sheet vary according to the positions of a leading end and a trailing end of the recording sheet fed in a feeding direction. In the inkjet printer, the obtained amounts of the landing position deviations are corrected according to the positions of the leading end and the trailing end of the recording sheet. More specifically, when a landing position deviation amount obtained from the deviation detecting patterns is expressed as "Y", the corrected landing position deviation amount Y′ is calculated using a formula, "Y′=a·Y+b", where "a" and "b" are constants. Ink ejection timings from the nozzles are determined based on the corrected landing position deviation amounts.

Inkjet printer and inkjet printing method


Supporting an optimized idle mode handoff of user equipment from a 3GPP to a non-3GPP system. Namely, during an idle mode registration of the user equipment with the non-3GPP system, the user equipment may provide an indication to the access node on the non-3GPP system so that the access point in that non-3GPP system contacts the appropriate entity (HSS or AAA) on the home network for the user equipment to download the addresses of the multiple PDN gateway addresses that are currently in use by the user equipment. This indication to the non-3GPP access node, the contact message from the access node to the home network, and the response from the home network to the access node on the non-3GPP system provide the access node with sufficient information to maintain multiple PDN connectivity to the user equipment during an idle mode handover.

When a mobile unit is traveling, it may need to be handed off from one network to another. There are different types of wireless communication systems, such as general packet radio service (GPRS), global system for mobile (GSM)/enhanced data rates for GSM evolution (EDGE) radio access network (GERAN), and long term evolution (LTE) evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (EUTRAN). LTE/EUTRAN system has a different physical layer and a different architecture from those systems preceding it, i.e., GPRS, GERAN, or UTRAN. Since not all networks are identical, a method for supporting the handoff between systems would be beneficial.
U.S. Patent Publication Nos. US 2008/0268846A1 and 2008/0192697A1 describe a prior art method and system for supporting a handoff of user equipment from a GPRS/GERAN system to an LTE EUTRAN system, and vice versa, respectively. These references include a FIG. 1 exemplary diagram of a system including an LTE system architecture shown by an LTE/EUTRAN and its evolved packet core interworking with an existing GERAN, UTRAN, and their GPRS Core. The LTE/EUTRAN comprises an E-Node B that is connected (S1) to an evolved packet core containing a mobility management entity/user plane entity (MMETUPE) and an inter AS anchor Gateway. The Evolved Packet Core connects (S6) to a home subscriber service (HSS), and connects (S7) to a Policy and Charging Rules (PCRF). The inter AS Anchor gateway connects (Gi) to Operator IP Servers (such as IMS, PSS), connects (S2) to a Non-3GPP IP Access network 108, and connects (S2) to a WLAN 3GPP IP Access network 109.
The GPRS Core shown in FIG. 1 of these prior art references comprises a Serving GPRS Support Node (SGSN) which is responsible for Mobility Management, Access Procedures, and User Plane Control. The GPRS Core also comprises a Gateway GPRS Support Node (GGSN), where the network is connected to external networks and other operator servers. The Non-3GPP IP access network 108 includes connections to other technologies that are developed in other standard Forums such as 3GPP2 (CDMA2000) and WiMAX (IEEE 802.16 system). The WLAN 3GPP IP access network has WLANs incorporated into 3GPP systems via interworking architecture defined in 3GPP. These identified patent references, however, do not address the optimized handover procedures and system for an idle mode handover of user equipment from a 3GPP (EUTRAN) to a non-3GPP (HRPD cdma2000) system where the user equipment wishes to maintain connectivity with multiple PDN networks.
The Technical Specification 3GPP TS 23.402 V8.1.1 (2008-03) describes a 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Technical Specification for enhancements and interactions with non-3GPP accesses. The particular version of the Technical Specification is Release 8, which describes the general network resources, entities, functions, and handover procedures for certain inter-technology combination handover systems, protocols, and procedures. Like the above-identified references, this Technical Specification also fails to address the optimized handover procedures and system for an idle mode handoff of user equipment from a 3GPP (EUTRAN) to a non-3GPP system (HRPD cdma 2000) where the user equipment wishes to maintain connectivity with multiple PDN networks. It would be beneficial to have a method and system that could support such an idle mode handover while maintaining the user equipment's connectivity to multiple PDN networks.

Method and system for maintaining multiple PDN network connection during inter-technology handover in the idle mode


An electrophotographic printing machine of the type in which an electrostatic latent image recorded on a charge retentive surface is developed with toner particles to form a visible image thereof, including; a housing having a supply of toner and developer therein; a donor member for transporting toner from the housing to the development zone; a means for conveying toner to the donor member; blower for generating a negative air stream for carrying toner therein; and a filter for removing the toner from the negative air stream, the filter including filter material and spring blower, connected thereto, for oscillating the filter material to dislodge toner material collected in the filter when the generating means is disabled.

This invention relates generally to the development of electrostatic images, and more particularly concerns a development system having an electrostatic filtering system which allows a steady flow of air into a development housing and prevents toner emission therefrom.
The invention can be used in the art of electrophotographic printing. Generally, the process of electrophotographic printing includes sensitizing a photoconductive surface by charging it to a substantially uniform potential The charge is selectively dissipated in accordance with a pattern of activating radiation corresponding to a desired image. The selective dissipation of the charge leaves a latent charge pattern that is developed by bringing a developer material into contact therewith. This process forms a toner powder image on the photoconductive surface which is subsequently transferred to a copy sheet. Finally, the powder image is heated to permanently affix it to the copy sheet in image configuration.
Two component and single component developer materials are commonly used. A typical two component developer material comprises magnetic carrier granules having toner particles adhering triboelectrically thereto. A single component developer material typically comprises toner particles having an electrostatic charge so that they will be attracted to, and adhere to, the latent image on the photoconductive surface.
There are various known development systems for bringing toner particles to a latent image on a photoconductive surface. Single component development systems use a donor roll for transporting charged toner to the development nip defined by the donor roll and the photoconductive surface. The toner is developed on the latent image recorded on the photoconductive surface by a combination of mechanical scavengeless development. A scavengeless development system uses a donor roll with a plurality of electrode wires closely spaced therefrom in the development zone. An AC voltage is applied to the wires detaching the toner from the donor roll and forming a toner powder cloud in the development zone. The electrostatic fields generated by the latent image attract toner from the toner cloud to develop the latent image. In another type of scavengeless system, a magnetic developer roll attracts developer from a reservoir. The developer includes carrier and toner. The toner is attracted from the carrier to a donor roll. The donor roll then carries the toner into proximity with the latent image.
One method of controlling toner emissions from developer housings in xerographic equipment is to relieve any positive pressure generated in the housing. Moving components such as the magnetic brush rolls and the mixing augers can pump air into the housing, causing slight positive pressures. These positive pressures can result in air flow out of the housing via low impedance leakage paths. This air escaping from the housing contains entrained toner and is a major potential source of dirt within the system. A common approach to relieving this pressure is through the use of a "sump sucker". In its simplest form a sump sucker is a simple port into the air space above the developer material in the housing. This lowers the pressure in the housing below atmospheric pressure, therefore air flows into, rather than out of any low air impedance leakage paths within the housing. This toner laden air is drawn through a tube to a filter/waste sump assembly. A shortcoming of this system involves the waste toner removed from the system with this air flow. The amount of toner withdrawn from the system has a direct negative effect on total systems efficiency by increasing the total amount of waste toner, resulting in increased cost of ownership to the customer. Further, toner particle size distributions and additive concentrations can be affected if there is preferential air entrainment of some particles.
Further, the scavengeless development housings have decreased in size, thus, increasing magnetic roll speeds have been required to obtain adequate developability or donor reload in the case of HSD. Under these conditions toner emissions have increased and are considered a serious problem.

Filtering system for removing toner from an air stream in a development housing


Disclosed herein are a signal detecting apparatus and a wireless power transmitting apparatus having the same. In the signal detecting apparatus, a resonance tank circuit is resonated by a magnetic field change of a power transmitting coil generated according to a signal transmitted to the wireless power transmitting apparatus by a power receiving apparatus to generate a resonance signal, and a signal extracting unit extracts the signal transmitted by the power receiving apparatus in the generated resonance signal. The resonance tank circuit includes a radio frequency identification (RFID) transponder detecting the magnetic field change signal of the power transmitting coil, and a capacitor connected in parallel with the RFID transponder to be resonated by the magnetic field change of the power transmitting coil. The signal transmitted to the wireless power transmitting apparatus by the power receiving apparatus may be accurately detected by a simple circuit configuration.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a signal detecting apparatus for detecting transmission signals transmitted by a power receiving apparatus in a wireless power transmitting system, and a wireless power transmitting apparatus having the signal detecting apparatus for detecting transmission signals.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, various portable terminals such as cellular phones, smart phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and the like, has been mounted with a power receiving apparatus for supplying an operation power thereto.
The power receiving apparatus, which is charged with a power supplied from an external charging apparatus and supplies the charged power as an operation power to the portable terminal to operate the portable terminal, may comprise a battery cell module charged with the power, a charging and discharging circuit which uses the power supplied from the external charging apparatus to charge the battery cell module and discharges the power charged in the battery cell module to supply the discharged power as the operation power to the portable terminal, and the like.
In a known method of electrically connecting the charging apparatus to the power receiving apparatus, a terminal through which the power is outputted from the charging apparatus is directly connected to a terminal to which the power is inputted into the power receiving apparatus through a cable, a connector, or the like.
With the terminal connection method, the terminal of the charging apparatus and the terminal of the power receiving apparatus have different potential differences. Therefore, when the terminals are connected to or disconnected from each other, an instantaneous discharging phenomenon occurs. This instantaneous discharging phenomenon causes abrasion of both terminals. In addition, if foreign materials have accumulated in the terminals, the foreign materials may be heated by the instantaneous discharging phenomenon, such that there is a risk of an accident such as a fire, or the like.
Further, the power charged in the battery cell module in the power receiving apparatus is naturally discharged into the environment through the terminal of the power receiving apparatus due to moisture, or the like, such that lifespan of the power receiving apparatus may decrease and performance of the power receiving apparatus may deteriorate.
Recently, a wireless power transmitting system which wirelessly transmits the power has been suggested in order to solve several problems of the terminal connection method as described above.
In known wireless power transmitting systems, a wireless power transmitting apparatus wirelessly transmits the power using electromagnetic induction. A power receiving apparatus then receives the power wirelessly transmitted by the wireless power transmitting apparatus and charges the received power into the battery cell module.
Many have sought to improve the described wireless power transmitting system such that the wireless power transmitting apparatus wirelessly transmits the power stably at high efficiency, and such that the power receiving apparatus receives as much of the power transmitted by the wireless power transmitting apparatus as possible to charge the power in the battery cell module.
In the known wireless power transmitting system described above, the power receiving apparatus generates a transmission signal, including a unique ID signal and a power charging information signal indicating the power charged in the battery cell module, and transmits the transmission signal to the wireless power transmitting apparatus through a power receiving coil, and the wireless power transmitting apparatus receives the transmission signal through a power transmitting coil.
Since a voltage and a current of the power transmitting coil of the wireless power transmitting apparatus are changed according to the transmission signal transmitted by the power receiving apparatus through the power receiving coil, the wireless power transmitting apparatus may detect the voltage and the current of the power transmitting coil using a voltage sensor, a current sensor, a current transducer, and the like, and determines the detected voltage and current by using a detecting circuit or the like to detect the transmission signal transmitted by the power receiving apparatus.
Therefore, a configuration of a circuit which detects the transmission signal transmitted by the power receiving apparatus is significantly complicated, such that manufacturing costs increase. Furthermore, there is a limited precision in detecting the transmission signal.

Wireless power transmitting apparatus having signal detecting circuit for detecting transmission signals


A ballistic assault ladder for utilization in counter-terrorism and hostage rescue activities and the like. The preferred embodiment of the present invention contemplates a ladder having a standard rung-type design, the ladder having first and second edges, a front face and a back face, the back face having situated about the supports of the ladder a spacer and engagement hardware configured to securely engage ballistic-resistant material, forming a shield which is spaced from the rungs of the ladder so as to allow a user to utilize the ladder as a shield in a hostile area while approaching a target, by holding the rungs from the front face, and utilize the ladder in a traditional fashion once the user has reached the target. The present invention also includes a method of approaching a hostile target utilizing the ballistic assault ladder of the present invention, wherein the user grasps the ladder in a designated fashion in a protective capacity while approaching a target, and utilizes said ladder in a designated fashion upon reaching the target. The preferred embodiment of the present invention further contemplates a port or window situated in the shield, the port or window also fabricated from a ballistic material.

While the prior art has contemplated a variety of shields, including projectile shields and guards to prevent the use of ladders, and riot shields, bullet proof vests, and flak jackets and the like, none appear to have contemplated or suggested the combination of the present invention.
A listing of some patents which may be considered pertinent to the present invention follow:
______________________________________ Patent Number Inventor Issue Date ______________________________________ 4,579,197 Spurling 04/01/1986 4,674,394 Martino 01/23/1987 4,843,947 Bauer et al 07/04/1989 5,241,703 Roberts et al 09/07/1993 ______________________________________
U.S. Pat. No. 4,579,197 teaches a ladder guard comprising a flat, planer surface adopted to engage one side of a fixed ladder in order to prevent unauthorized parties from climbing the ladder when in the closed, locked position.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,764,394 to Martino teaches a "Portable Bullet-Proof Shield" of ballistic material, the shield including a portal for viewing therethrough, also of bullet-proof material.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,241,703 and 5,641,934 contemplate transparent protective shields of bullet resistant material.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,843,941 teaches a riot shield, and is of general pertinence.
Approaching a hostile target is a difficult and dangerous operation for police, military, and the like. In the past, one had to rely upon a shield or other protective item placed between the target and the user, or the user was exposed to firepower. This problem was compounded when the user had to scale an obstacle such as a fence or vehicle, or had to gain access to a raised point of entry, such as a window, as the choice was either a ladder or a shield; without the shield, the user was exposed; without the ladder, the user faced problems in quickly scaling the obstacle.
Based upon a review of the above prior art, it would appear that the concept of a specially designed ladder configured for utilization in an offensive assault, further including a spaced shield separated therefrom of projectile resistant material has not been shown or suggested in combination in the prior art.

Ballistic assault ladder and system for use thereof


This invention relates to An N-phenyl carbamate compound which is represented by the following formula (1): wherein R.sup.1 represents a hydrogen atom, an alkoxyalkyl group having 2 to 5 carbon atoms, an alkynyl group having 2 to 5 carbon atoms, an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, an alkenyl group having 2 to 5 carbon atoms, CO.sub.2 R.sup.6 or an alkoxy group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms;. where R.sup.6 represents an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms; PA1 R.sup.2 represents an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms; PA1 R.sup.3 and R.sup.4 each independently represent a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms; PA1 R.sup.5 represents a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group having 1 to 8 carbon atoms, a haloalkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, a halogen atom, an alkylcarbonyl group having 2 to 5 carbon atoms, a phenyl group, an alkoxycarbonyl group having 2 to 5 carbon atoms, an alkylsulfonyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, a nitro group, a cyano group, a benzyloxycarbonyl group or a haloalkoxy group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms; PA1 X represents O or S; and PA1 n represents 1, 2 or 3; PA1 a process for producing the same and an agricultural or horticultural fungicide containing the compound as an effective ingredient.

As the compound which is similar to the novel N-phenyl carbamate compound of the present invention, the compound represented by the following formula: ##STR1## wherein R.sup.1 represents an alkyl group; R.sup.2 represents a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group, an alkenyl group, an alkynyl group, a CO-(alkyl group), a cycloalkyl group; Z represents CH.sub.2 S, CH.sub.2 ON.dbd.C-(hydrogen atom, etc.), or the like; R.sup.3 represents a benzoxazolyl group, a benzothiazolyl group, etc.; A represents a hydrogen atom, etc. Incidentally, the definitions for R.sup.1 to R.sup.3, Z and A used in the description of this compound are limited only to the description of this compound,
has been described in Japanese Provisional Patent Publication No. 170726/1993.
However, in the above-mentioned publication, there is no exemplary description of the compound having the combination of the substituents which show the N-phenyl carbamate compound of the present invention.
And, in the above-mentioned publication, when an exemplary compound which is similar to the N-phenyl carbamate compound of the present invention is forced to be mentioned, those shown in Table 1 can be mentioned, but physical properties and fungicidal effects thereof have not yet been confirmed.
TABLE 1 ______________________________________ Compound No. 362 ##STR2## Compound No. 363 ##STR3## Compound No. 364 ##STR4## ______________________________________
The problem of the present invention is to provide a novel N-phenyl carbamate compound which is useful as an agricultural or horticultural fungicide containing the same as an effective ingredient.

N-phenyl carbamate compounds, process for producing the same, and agricultural or horticultural bactericides


A ventilation system including a heat recovery assembly having a first heat exchanger for heat recovery with a first flow path and a second flow path to exchange heat energy from air transported in one of paths to the other. A peripheral inlet to the first flow path is arranged to surround a central outlet of the second flow path and a peripheral inlet to the second flow path is arranged to surround a central outlet of the first flow path. The assembly further includes a peripheral outlet and a central inlet, the peripheral outlet arranged to surround the central inlet, and the heat recovery assembly is arranged such that air entering the peripheral inlet of the first flow path exits by the peripheral outlet; and air entering the central inlet will exit by the central outlet of the second flow path.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a ventilation system. In particular, it relates to a passive ventilation system with heat recovery for a building. It also relates to a heat exchange for a heat recovery ventilation system. The invention also relates to a method of installing a ventilation system in a building.
2. Description of Related Art
As buildings are becoming better insulated and more airtight, the need for adequate ventilation, to maintain a healthy indoor environment, is important. As many buildings are heated to temperatures above that of the outside temperature, ventilation systems can be the source of significant heat loss. Thus, warm "stale" air from inside the building is vented to the atmosphere, while colder "fresh" air is drawn in from outside. The building's heating system then has to work harder to warm the incoming cold air and maintain an even temperature.
Ventilation systems with heat recovery are known. These systems comprise an outflow duct and an inflow duct and a heat exchange. A first electric fan is used to move air from inside the building to the outside through the outflow duct, while a second electric fan is used to bring fresh air inside through the inflow duct. The heat exchange comprises a region where the inflow duct and outflow duct are separated by a thin membrane that allows heat transfer therethrough. Thus, the warm outgoing air is used to heat the cooler incoming air. These systems have been shown to be able to recover up to 80% of the energy of the outgoing air. These systems can therefore provide ventilation without a significant effect on heating requirement. However, if we take account of the electricity used by the fans, the overall saving in energy usage is very small.
For example, in a typical dwelling of 150 m2 with a standard ventilation system operating at 60 liters per second, and assuming an average 10 degree temperature difference between the inside and outside temperatures will increase the energy usage by 5140 kWh. Using a heat recovery ventilation system will save approximately 4100 kWh (i.e. 80%). However, a typical known heat recovery system will use approximately 900 kWh in electricity for the fans. Thus, the total saving in energy consumption is very small.


A positive-working resist composition comprising (A) a resin that increases solubility in an alkali developing solution by the action of an acid, (B) a compound which generates an acid upon irradiation of an actinic ray or radiation, (C) a nonionic cyclic compound having at least one partial structure represented by the following formula (I) or (II) and at least having either a melting point of 35° C. or more or a boiling point of 100° C./10 mmHg or more:

A chemically amplified positive-working resist composition is a pattern formation material in which an acid is generated in the exposed area upon irradiation of radiation, for example, a far ultraviolet ray, and solubility in a developer between the exposed area and unexposed area is differentiated by a reaction using the acid as a catalyst, whereby a pattern is formed on a substrate.
As to chemically amplified resist compositions, a resist composition containing as a solvent a compound having a carbonyl group is described in Patent Literature 1 (JP-A-6-130665 (the term "JP-A" as used herein means an "unexamined published Japanese patent application")), and 2 a resist composition containing octanone as an additive is described in Patent Literature 2 (JP-A-2002-148784).
Such conventional resist compositions, however, involve the problem that, in forming a fine pattern, there arises a pattern collapse, leading to insufficient image properties.
Patent Literature 1: JP-A-6-130665
Patent Literature 2: JP-A-2002-148784

Abstract: and (D) a solvent.


A wellhead hanger system that allows the use of either of two casing hangers depending upon whether the casing string to be suspended becomes stuck during installation and cannot be lowered to its expected depth is disclosed. A full bore test plug for use with the system is disclosed also.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a wellhead system to allow an operator the option to suspend casing within the wellhead housing using either a casing hanger with a threaded lower connection or a casing hanger with a plurality of slip segments for suspending the casing. Additionally, the casing hangers utilize either an expandible load ring or a plurality of moveable load segments on their exterior to transfer the load of the suspended casing from the casing hanger to the wellhead housing. Such a system allows an operator to handle situations in which the casing may stick in the well bore before being lowered fully into position and require the casing to be cut off and thereby require the use of a slip type hanger.
As more oil wells are drilled and produced from conventional fixed bottom platforms or tension leg platforms, operators wish to minimize the size of the wellhead assemblies commonly referred to as Christmas trees on these platforms. Operators also wish to squeeze more wells into tighter spacing arrangements to minimize the size of the platforms and therefore their costs. This desire to minimize the size of Christmas trees and minimize the spacing of well bores has imposed the requirement of using smaller blowout preventers for drilling a given size casing hole. This requirement poses difficulties for wellhead system designers who require certain minimum size blowout preventers to allow the casing hangers and seal assemblies to be lowered through the blowout preventer during installation.
These requirements of minimization have necessitated wellhead designers to develop innovative ways to suspend the plurality of concentric casing strings within a wellhead housing while maintaining proper vertical spacing between the tops of the casing strings to allow seal assemblies to be installed and allow access to the annuli between adjacent casing strings. In typical wellhead system installations, this is not a problem as the casing string to be suspended is able to be lowered into position with the last or topmost casing joint threaded into a mandrel type casing hanger which comes to rest on a mating shoulder in the wellhead housing. In the event that the casing becomes stuck in the well bore before the full length of casing can be lowered into the well bore, a typical solution has been to use a slip type hanger that utilizes a plurality of tapered wedges or "slips", as commonly known in the industry, to encircle the casing and suspend the casing in a tapered bowl formed on the interior of the wellhead housing. This type of installation however, typically required substitution of a special casing hanger and/or wellhead housing. This was a logistical and operational nightmare for the operator.
Additionally, these special hangers and wellhead housings were often bigger than the standard assemblies therefore taking up more space. These various limitations run directly contrary to the requirement of minimization mentioned above, particularly in regard to the requirement to minimize spacing between well bores and allow the use of smaller size blowout preventers. It is therefore desirable to have a wellhead system that allows minimizing the spacing between well bores, the use of the smallest size blowout preventer possible and allows for the contingency of casing strings that may become stuck during installation and require cutting of the casing string prematurely. The wellhead assembly of the present invention offers a substantial improvement by offering a wellhead housing and a pair of casing hangers that allows minimization of well bore spacing and the use of the smallest size blowout preventer.
2. Description of Related Art
U.S. Pat. No. 4,262,748 to K. G. Kirkland shows a multiple string well completion system for subsea wellheads that tubing strings to be installed independently. The use of expanding segmented hangers for suspension of some casing strings is disclosed.
A subsea casing hanger suspension system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,595,063 to C. E. Jennings et al. Load ring slips that are radially expanded into mating wellhead housing grooves for suspension of casing strings are shown.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,236,037 to B. J. Watkins shows a unitized wellhead system with seal assemblies sealing on a tapered neck of the casing hanger to allow annulus monitoring.
A concentric tubing completion system utilizing a ratcheting lock mechanism is disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US 2002/0074124 A1 to C. E. Cunningham M. Childers et al.
UK Patent Application No. 2 208 123 A to M. Mcintosh discloses a wellhead assembly utilizing expanding type hangers to suspend casing and tubing.


A synchronous rectifier of a resonant switching power converter is provided to improve efficiency. The synchronous rectifier includes a power transistor and a diode connected to a transformer and an output of the resonant switching power converter for ratifications. A controller generates a drive signal to control the power transistor in response to an on signal and an off signal. A causal circuit is developed to generate the off signal in accordance with the on signal. The on signal is enabled once the diode is forward biased. The on signal is coupled to enable the drive signal for switching on the power transistor. The off signal is coupled to disable the drive signal for switching off the power transistor. The off signal is enabled before the on signal is disabled.

1. Filed of Invention
The present invention relates to a power converter, and more particularly, relates to a synchronous rectifier for a resonant switching power converter.
2. Description of Related Art
FIG. 1 shows a schematic circuit of a resonant switching power converter. The resonant switching power converter includes a transformer 10 to provide isolation from a line input voltage VIN to an output voltage VO of the resonant switching power converter for safety. Switches 20 and 30 develop a half bridge circuit to switch a resonant tank and the transformer 10. An inductor 5 and a capacitor 40 form the resonant tank. The inductor 5 can be an inductance device or the leakage inductance of a primary winding NP of the transformer 10. The inductance L of the inductor 5 and the capacitance C of the capacitor 40 determine a resonance frequency f0 of the resonant tank.
                              f          0                =                  1                      2                        π                                                      L                ×                C                                                                        (        1        )
The transformer 10 transfers the energy from the primary winding NP to secondary windings NS1, NS2 of the transformer 10. Rectifiers 61, 62 and a capacitor 65 perform the rectifying and filtering function to the transformer 10 for generating the output voltage VO (DC voltage) at the output of the power converter. The detailed skill of the resonant switching power converter can be found in a text book titled "Resonant Power Converters" by Marian K. Kazimierczuk and Dariusz Czarkowski, 1995 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Although the resonant switching of the power converter can achieve high efficiency and low EMI (electric-magnetic interference) performance, a forward voltage of rectifiers 61 and 62 still causes significant power losses. The present invention is accordingly directed to a synchronous rectifier for a resonant switching power converter to achieve higher efficiency.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Offline synchronous rectifier with causal circuit for resonant switching power converter


An improved high-efficiency furnace for use with manufactured housing has a modular heat exchanger assembly having a drum and a plurality of serpentine shaped tubes. A burner extends at least partially into the drum portion of the heat exchanger which acts as a combustion chamber. Hot combustion gases flow upwardly within the drum and enter the tubes heating the drum and tubes. Room air is drawn into the furnace by a circulating blower and blown against the plurality of tubes. The room air is then directed to flow around the drum portion of the heat exchanger where it is further heated before being discharged into the space being heated. The burner includes an inwardly tilted target plate having a plurality of fingers for facilitating the formation of a stable ball of flame within the drum. A lower airbox which provides combustion air to the burner includes a smooth turn and a neck-down portion for reducing undesirable flow patterns and an axial combustion fan provides positive static pressure in the inlet airstream. With oil-fired burners, the furnace includes an improved ceramic combustion chamber having multiple openings and a groove channel.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the field of space heating, and more specifically to an improved high-efficiency furnace for use in heating mobile homes.
2. Description of the Related Art
To heat manufactured housing, such as mobile homes, forced hot air furnaces that are small and compact have been developed. These furnaces are often located in a closet or alcove of the mobile home. A blower or fan is typically used to draw room air to be heated into the furnace. The air is then blown downwardly past an enclosed heat exchanger, causing it to be heated. Heated air is then forced out of the furnace at its base, which is coupled to an arrangement of hot air ducts. These ducts typically run underneath the floor of the mobile home and include a number of outlets. Heated air is thus delivered to various parts or rooms of the mobile home.
Partially disposed within the heat exchanger, which also acts as a combustion chamber, is a burner assembly that typically runs on fuel gas (natural gas or propane) and includes a gas control and an ignitor. The burner assembly introduces a fuel-air mixture inside the combustion chamber which is ignited and burned, thereby heating the combustion chamber. Combustion gases and other reactants generated during the combustion process flow upwardly through the combustion chamber, exiting the furnace through an upwardly extending vent or chimney. As the hot combustion gases are moving upwardly through the heat exchanger, room air is being forced downwardly past the heat exchanger by the fan, as described above.
As shown in commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 4,924,848, other heat exchangers in addition to the combustion chamber may also be utilized to improve the efficiency of the furnace. For example, a radiator which receives combustion gases from the combustion chamber may be disposed adjacent to the fan in order to extract additional heat from the combustion gases before they are discharged from the furnace. More specifically, room air is first drawn past the radiator before it enters the fan, so the air is pre-heated. This pre-heated air is then blown downwardly by the fan past the combustion chamber where it is further heated before being discharged through the furnace outlet.
An intermediary heat exchanger, which interconnects the combustion chamber and the radiator, may also be provided. The intermediary heat exchanger may consist of a plurality of horizontal tubes that extend from the top of the combustion chamber to the base of the radiator, allowing combustion gases to flow therebetween. The tubes, moreover, may be disposed directly below the downward facing fan outlet so that the air being heated first flows past the intermediary heat exchanger and then past the combustion chamber.
Although the furnace disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,924,848 represents a significant improvement in compact furnace designs, it nonetheless has several limitations. First, while the radiator indeed provides some improvement to the operating efficiency of the furnace, its design nonetheless has several drawbacks. In particular, the thin, box-like radiator is typically mounted along one of the side walls of the furnace housing, facing one of the fan inlets. That is, the radiator is positioned parallel to the direction of air entering the furnace, but orthogonal to the direction of the air entering the fan. Due to the relative positioning of the fan and the radiator, air being drawn into the fan typically flows across only one surface of the radiator, limiting the amount of preheating performed by the radiator. In addition, a significant amount of room air enters the fan through its second inlet which is opposite the radiator and is thus not preheated at all.
Furthermore, mobile homes obviously come in many different sizes and floor plans. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a furnace that may be easily modified so as to increase or decrease its thermal output depending on its intended environment. Nevertheless, the furnace disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,924,848 does not lend itself to easy modification. For example, all three heat exchanger components must be installed and used for the furnace to operate, making it extremely difficult, if at all possible, to adjust the furnace's thermal output. It is also desirable to provide a single furnace design that may accommodate either home heating oil or natural gas burners with little, if any, modification. The configuration of the burner assembly, however, varies significantly depending on whether it burns oil or gas and also whether it operates under pressure or natural draft conditions. Due to these configuration differences, the inlet formed in the combustion chamber must be sized for the particular burner assembly being installed. For example, if the combustion chamber is to accept a natural draft burner which typically utilizes a venturi and pilot assembly, the inlet configuration includes a relatively small diameter opening. This inlet configuration, however, prevents the combustion chamber from accepting, for example, an oil-fired burner which typically includes an outer tube and mounting flange, thereby requiring a different (often larger) inlet configuration. Thus, a different chamber design is required for each burner type.
The burner assembly itself may also introduce several inefficiencies to the operation of the furnace. For example, as mentioned above, in order to permit the burner assembly to extend partially into the combustion chamber, a large inlet is often formed in the base of the combustion chamber. Ideally, the burner assembly generates a steady, round ball of flame, centrally disposed within the drum so as to heat the drum evenly. Conventional burner assemblies, which often include flat, rectangular spreader plates, however, typically produce fluctuating and/or misshaped flames, resulting in uneven heating of the combustion chamber. This uneven heating of the combustion chamber, in turn, results in less efficient heat transfer to the room air being blown downwardly by the fan.
Additionally, the lower airbox which is mounted to the base of the combustion chamber and delivers combustion air to the burner assembly often introduces undesirable flow characteristics, such as nonuniformity, into the airflow being provided to the burner assembly. This nonuniformity may result in inefficient and unstable operation of the burner assembly. For example, the airflow may fluctuate over time, causing instabilities in the operation of the burner assembly. These instabilities often reduce the operating efficiency of the furnace.
With many furnaces a blower is provided to increase the static pressure of the air being supplied to the burner assembly, thereby improving the heat transfer process by establishing forced convection. The blower additionally forces the combustion gases and reactants through the furnace and out the vent. To generate the requisite increase in static pressure economically, centrifugal sheet metal blowers are typically employed. These types of blowers, however, present several disadvantages. For example, a centrifugal blower, by design, tends to have a small outlet with a non-uniform, high velocity airflow, which often disrupts the flow of air into the burner (a highly undesirable effect for the reasons described above). The placement and installation of a centrifugal blower also results in added complexity to the furnace. Centrifugal blowers are also relatively expensive components, increasing the overall costs of the furnace.
Oil-fired furnaces often include a ceramic combustion chamber to protect the heat exchanger from the intense, often localized flame of an oil-fired burner. These chambers, which are typically disposed in an upright manner within vertical heat exchangers, include a side opening form receiving the oil-fired burner and an opening in the top end for releasing the flame and heat. Although these designs are generally acceptable, the applicants herein have identified several disadvantages. For example, the flame and heat are mainly directed upwardly causing non-uniform heating of the heat exchanger. Additionally, these chambers are problematic to install and position within the heat exchanger due, at least in part, to the large opening required for their assembly within the heat exchanger.

High-efficiency furnace for mobile homes


A circuit adapted to a first-in/first-out device ("FIFO") is disclosed. The circuit includes a counter and a first end of packet detector that is coupled to the counter. The first end of packet detector increments the counter if an end of packet is detected at an input of the FIFO. The circuit also includes a second end of packet detector coupled to the counter. The second end of packet detector decrements the counter if an end of packet is detected at an output of the FIFO. A detector circuit is coupled to an output of the counter and requests a bus transaction in response to the output of the counter. In another aspect, the present invention is a method of preventing data over-run errors in a receive FIFO having an input and an output. The method includes the steps of monitoring an input of the receive FIFO to determine a number of data packets received, monitoring an output of the receive FIFO for an end of packet to determine a number of data packets drained, and asserting a busy acknowledge line if the difference between the number of data packets received and the number of data packets drained is greater than and alternatively equal to a predetermined value.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of computer systems, and specifically, to a method and apparatus for minimizing asynchronous transmit FIFO under-run and receive FIFO over-run conditions.
2. Background Information
A general purpose computer system typically includes a processor, memory, and one or more peripheral devices coupled together by one or more buses. Recently, serial peripheral buses (e.g., a universal serial bus "USB", a 1394 serial bus, IEEE 1394-1995 High Performance Serial Bus IEEE, 1995, etc.) have become increasingly popular in computer systems mainly because they offer a low cost, high performance alternative to other bus architectures. A serial bus architecture typically includes transmit and receive first-in/first-out devices ("FIFOs"), an interface module which interfaces between the computer system bus and the FIFOs, and a serial interface module that operates as an interface between the serial bus (and one or more peripheral devices on the serial bus) and the FIFOs. These serial buses transmit and receive asynchronous data as well as isochronous data depending on the peripheral device coupled to the serial bus. Asynchronous transmission places emphasis on guaranteed delivery of data over guaranteed timing whereas isochronous transmission places emphasis on guaranteed timing of data over delivery of data.
For data transmission, the host processor creates a context program in memory, the context program including data and commands. The commands direct how the data is to be assembled for transmission, the destination of the data packets, etc. The interface module retrieves the commands and data packets from memory and places them into the transmit FIFO. However, before data can be read from memory, the interface module must request access to gain control of the system bus. The time that it takes to gain control (referred to as "system bus latency") of the system bus is non-deterministic and depends on several factors including the bus speed, the number of devices requesting access to gain control of the bus, and the like.
As soon as data is placed in the transmit FIFO, transmit FIFO control circuitry requests to transmit the data on the serial bus. Similarly, the time that it takes for a serial bus grant (referred to as "serial bus latency") is non-deterministic and depends on a number of factors including the serial bus speed, the number of serial peripheral devices on the serial bus, and the amount of isochronous traffic. Once access is granted, the data is transmitted on the serial bus. If the data packet size to be transmitted is greater than the transmit FIFO size, portions (or the balance) of the data packet must be retrieved from memory as the data is drained from the transmit FIFO onto the serial bus. However, if the system bus latency for retrieving the balance of the data packet is greater than the time that it takes to drain the transmit FIFO, an under-run condition will occur. The chances of an under-run condition occurring rapidly increases in a computer system having a heavy traffic on the system bus. An under-run condition is undesirable because it wastes serial bus bandwidth, thus slowing the system down.
Accordingly, there is a need in the technology for a method and apparatus to minimize/prevent an asynchronous transmit FIFO under-run condition due to system latencies.
Data that is received from a peripheral device on the serial bus in a receive FIFO is placed in memory for processing by the processor. In this case, if data is not placed in memory fast enough, a data over-run condition may occur (i.e., when data is received by a full FIFO to cause data already in the FIFO to be overwritten). The depth of the receive FIFO is one factor in determining the system bus latency that the FIFO can handle without an over-run condition occurring. The issue of system bus latency is exacerbated by the fact that the interface module may need to fetch commands from memory prior to being able to write data from the receive FIFO into memory. That is, a typical asynchronous packet may require a command fetch, data storage, and status write-back, all to different locations in memory. If many small asynchronous packets are received in the receive FIFO, the system bus latency required to fetch commands from and complete the status write-back to memory may greatly exceed the time required to drain the data from the receive FIFO.
Accordingly, there is a further need in the technology for a method and apparatus to eliminate over-run conditions in a receive FIFO.

Method and apparatus for minimizing asynchronous transmit FIFO under-run and receive FIFO over-run conditions


Methods for single cell analysis by determining the presence and/or amount of one or more target molecules in a plurality of cells may include: (i) immobilizing said plurality of cells on a solid substrate, wherein the cells are immobilized in form of a monolayer; (ii) determining the position of the individual immobilized cells on the solid substrate; (iii) measuring the auto-fluorescence of the individual immobilized cells; (iv) contacting the immobilized cells with a first detection reagent comprising (a) a moiety that specifically recognizes and binds a first target molecule and (b) a fluorescent label under conditions that allow binding of the detection reagent to the first target molecule; (v) measuring the fluorescence of the fluorescent label of the detection reagent bound to the first target molecule for the individual immobilized cells; (vi) determining the presence and/or amount of the first target molecule in the individual immobilized cells by comparing the fluorescence measured in step (v) with the fluorescence measured in step (iii) on a cell-by-cell basis.

Flow cytometers and fluorescence-activated cell sorters (FACS) are currently the gold standard for the characterization of cells in suspension using fluorescent antibodies and other dye-tagged probes. They are widely used analytic tools in biomedical research and clinical diagnostics and greatly facilitate the study of both physical properties (e.g., size, shape) and biochemical properties (e.g., cell cycle distribution, DNA contents) of biological samples, such as cells. Information about the cells of interest is obtained optically in a nondestructive and quantitative manner (Givan, A., 2001, Flow Cytometry: First Principles, John Wiley & Sons, New York). Flow cytometry is commonly used in a variety of biomedical fields (for example, immunology or cellular and molecular biology), allowing studies of cell cycle analysis, gene expression levels, intracellular cytokine measurement, vaccine analysis, phagocytosis, and much more (Shapiro, H. and Leif, R., 2003, Practical Flow Cytometry, Wiley-Liss, New York). Besides its applications in basic biomedical research, flow cytometry has become an important clinical tool to monitor the progression of hematological diseases such as leukemia and AIDS. Modern FACS systems can optically screen tens of thousands of cells per second and then sort out a specific subpopulation of cells for further analysis, enabling studies of rare samples, such as stem cells (Gratama J., et al., 1998, Cytometry 34, 128).
Traditional flow cytometry detects and analyzes optical signals (angular light scatter or emitted fluorescence) to identify individual cells or biological samples. For the case of fluorescent signal detection, the measured signal consists of background noise, autofluorescence of the cell, the signal of non-specifically bound fluorescence markers and finally the signal of specifically bound markers attached to target molecules on or in the cells (provided that the measurement is carried out in the dynamic range of the FACS device). For determining the desired result only the signal of the specifically bound markers is of relevance, while the rest of the measured signal is "noise" or so-called error of measurement. This error prevents that the specific signal can be measured more sensitively and in cases of a low intensity of the specific signal and a relatively high intensity of the background, the specific signal may "disappear" in the background leading to the false negative results. The background signal therefore directly influences the detection sensitivity of the flow cytometry measurement. Further, the background signal also influences the distinction between positive and negative samples/cell populations, as the measured positive and negative values may become indistinguishable dependent on the background signal.
The main reasons for measurement errors are a high background signal and a small dynamic range of the detection device, high autofluorescence signals of the cells, unspecific binding of the markers to the cell and variations that occur during the staining process (e.g. different marker concentrations, labeling of the marker or staining conditions). While it is desirable to reduce the unspecific background signals as much as possible, FACS-based methods have only limited potential to reduce background signals. In principle, it is only possible to reduce the basic background signal of the FACS device by providing a broad dynamic measurement range and by avoiding the accumulation of interfering signals.
In order to eliminate the background signal of the detection device and the autofluorescence of the cells, currently known methods typically use a control sample in which the investigated cells are not treated with the fluorescence detection reagent. However, this approach has a number of drawbacks, as by comparing two different populations of cells further measurement errors may occur. This is due to the fact that the populations may differ in their density, age, expression intensity of the investigated marker, etc. Further, also the fluorescence of the sample material (aside from the cells) may vary between different samples due to variations in their manufacturing processes or their compositions. Finally, and most significantly, the control sample value is typically an average value that is calculated on the basis of a control sample measurement and does not take into consideration the variations that exist between individual cells. This leads to the situation that cells having a low autofluorescence and cells having a high autofluorescence are calibrated against the same average control sample value, with the result that cells having a low autofluorescence are prone to be evaluated as (false) negatives and cells having a high autofluorescence are likely to be evaluated as (false) positives. As all the above can significantly impair sensitivity of the detection method, it would be desirable to have methods available that overcome the drawbacks of existing methods and allow a more sensitive and reliable cell analysis.

Method of determining the presence and/or amount of target molecules


An RF volume resonator system is disclosed comprising a multi-port RF volume resonator (40, 50; 60), like e.g. a TEM volume coil or TEM resonator, or a birdcage coil, all of those especially in the form of a local coil like a head coil, or a whole body coil, and a plurality of transmit and/or receive channels (T/RCh1, . . . T/RCh8) for operating the multi-port RF volume resonator for transmitting RF excitation signals and/or for receiving MR relaxation signals into/from an examination object or a part thereof. By the individual selection of each port (P1, . . . P8) and the appropriate amplitude and/or frequency and/or phase and/or pulse shapes of the RF transmit signals according to the physical properties of an examination object, a resonant RF mode within the examination object with an improved homogeneity can be excited by the RF resonator.

In an MR imaging (MRI) system or MR scanner, an examination object, usually a patient, is exposed within the examination space of the MRI system to a uniform main magnetic field (B0 field) so that the magnetic moments of the nuclei within the examination object tend to rotate around the axis of the applied B0 field (Larmor precession) resulting in a certain net magnetization of all nuclei parallel to the B0 field. The rate of precession is called Larmor frequency which is dependent on the specific physical characteristics of the involved nuclei and the strength of the applied B0 field.
By transmitting an RF excitation pulse (B1 field) which is orthogonal to the B0 field, generated by means of an RF transmit antenna or coil, and matching the Larmor frequency of the nuclei of interest, the spins of the nuclei are excited and brought into phase, and a deflection of their net magnetization from the direction of the B0 field is obtained, so that a transversal component in relation to the longitudinal component of the net magnetization is generated.
After termination of the RF excitation pulse, the relaxation processes of the longitudinal and transversal components of the net magnetization begin, until the net magnetization has returned to its equilibrium state. MR (relaxation) signals which are emitted during the relaxation processes, are detected by means of an RF/MR receive antenna or coil.
The received MR relaxation signals which are time-based amplitude signals, are Fourier transformed to frequency-based MR spectrum signals and processed for generating an MR image of the nuclei of interest within an examination object. In order to obtain a spatial selection of a slice or volume of interest within the examination object and a spatial encoding of the received MR relaxation signals emanating from a slice or volume of interest, gradient magnetic fields are superimposed on the B0 field, having the same direction as the B0 field, but having gradients in the orthogonal x-, y- and z-directions.
The above RF (transmit and/or receive) antennas can be provided both in the form of so-called body coils (also called whole body coils) which are fixedly mounted within an examination space of an MRI system for imaging a whole examination object, and as so-called surface or local coils which are arranged directly on or around a local zone or area to be examined and which are constructed e.g. in the form of flexible pads or sleeves or cages like head coils.
Further, such RF transmit and/or receive antennas can be realized on the one hand in the form of an RF antenna array or array coil, which comprises a number of coil elements which are individually selected for being driven by an RF current source in order to generate (and/or receive) their own local magnetic field such that a desired overall magnetic field distribution is generated within the examination space by all coil elements. However, this requires that the coil elements are decoupled from each other, or the mutual couplings (mainly due to magnetic flux) between the elements are compensated. On the other hand, an RF transmit and/or receive antenna can be realized in the form of an RF resonator, especially an RF volume resonator, which comprises a number of conductor elements which are electromagnetically coupled to each other such that by driving the RF resonator at one or two ports by an RF current source, a number of linearly independent resonant current distributions ("resonant modes") can be excited in the RF resonator for generating magnetic fields at certain resonance frequencies in a volume of interest (usually an examination space).
U.S. Pat. No. 7,285,957 discloses a multi-port RF birdcage coil assembly which comprises a coil structure having a number of coil elements extending between an inferior and a superior end-ring, wherein capacitors being connected with the end-rings, and a drive network being provided with multiple drive ports at the coil structure which are configured to drive the coil structure at more than two points on one of the end-rings with phase-shifted voltages at the same time such that an asymmetrical loading of the coil by a patient as a result of patient asymmetry is reduced and a substantially circular polarization of the field inside the coil structure is maintained. For eliminating standing waves on voltage cables leading to a power source, a balun network is provided, wherein each drive port is connected to a dedicated balun. Further, each balun is fed by a splitter network for receiving, splitting and phase-shifting a voltage input from the power source.

Multichannel RF volume resonator for MRI


This invention relates to core-shell nanoparticles having acid sites, a method of manufacturing the same, and a method of directly producing hydrogen peroxide using the same.

A nanomaterial exhibits properties different from its inherent properties with a decrease in the size thereof, and thus is utilized in various fields including optical, electronic, medical and chemical fields, and is receiving attention in many industrial fields.
The application of the nanomaterial to catalytic fields using chemical properties thereof has a variety of advantages. When a nano catalyst, the size or shape of which is controlled, is decreased in its size, exposure of active sites thereof is increased and also the proportion of corners or edges having a large number of dangling bonds may increase, thus making it easy to participate in the reaction.
However, the use of metal nanoparticles is limited due to physicochemical properties of a metal nano catalyst. For example, when the reaction temperature is high, some nanoparticles are observed to lose the controlled shape and size. Many attempts have been made to solve problems in which thermal stability of the metal nanoparticles is decreased. In the case of a transition metal, study for ensuring thermal stability through sulfur treatment is reported. Also, in the case of some metals, various techniques are tried to ensure thermal stability because they are poisoned to sulfur and thus cannot undergo sulfur treatment. In particular, a core-shell structure in which an oxide is used for the shell is effective at maintaining thermal stability of the central meal.
A variety of materials are reported for oxide for the shell. Examples thereof may include SiO2, TiO2, Al2O3, ZrO2 and CeO2, and SiO2 is particularly useful. Based on the properties of conventional shells, the number of materials having acid sites is very low. Typical acid sites are classified into Lewis acids and Bronsted acids, and alumina is known to have weak acid sites and to be composed mainly of Lewis acids. Depending on the kind of acid, reaction activity may vary in some catalytic reactions. Examples of the reactions may include isomerization and hydrocracking of n-alkane and hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) for removing oxygen by the addition of hydrogen, and such reactions are known to be carried out in the presence of a bicomponent catalyst having a Bronsted acid and a noble metal. For example, in n-alkane reaction and hydrocracking, a Bronsted acid is known to be an active site. Here, n-alkane does not contain a double bond or a triple bond and thus undergoes a decomposition reaction at a relatively high temperature. When a metal having the ability to remove hydrogen is added, an alkane is dehydrogenated into an alkene. The alkene thus converted has a double bond and thus is decomposed at a relatively low temperature. Such a decomposition reaction is known to be carried out at the Bronsted acid site. However, a shell having a considerable amount of Bronsted acids has not yet been reported.
Also, hydrogen peroxide is used as a bleaching agent for pulp and fiber, a disinfectant, a semiconductor cleaning liquid, an oxidizing agent in a water treatment process, or an environmentally friendly oxidizing agent for a chemical reaction (propylene oxide synthesis). Hydrogen peroxide was produced in an amount of 2.2 million tons in the year 2009, and the demand for hydrogen peroxide is expected to increase together with the increase in the demand for propylene oxide.
Currently, as disclosed in Korean Patent Application Publication Nos. 1999-0027774 and 2001-0076225, hydrogen peroxide is produced from an anthraquinone-based compound through continuous oxidation and hydrogenation processes. Here, a large amount of organic solvent is used and wasted. Furthermore, the production of hydrogen peroxide is problematic because multi-stage continuous processes are performed, followed by purification and concentration after production, thus incurring the consumption of large amounts of energy.
Hence, a direct production process for synthesizing hydrogen peroxide by directly reacting hydrogen with oxygen is receiving attention, and thorough research into such a direct production process is ongoing because water is produced as a reaction byproduct and the use of organic solvents is low, thus being promising as a replacement for commercial processes. Also, a direct production process is simple and thus enables the on-site production of hydrogen peroxide, thus significantly reducing the risk of explosion upon storage and transport of hydrogen peroxide.
Therefore, a catalyst and a reaction system for directly producing hydrogen peroxide are currently under study. However, a catalyst system for directly producing hydrogen peroxide mainly includes a metal catalyst, and the addition of an acid to a solvent is typical. The acid (H+ ion) is reported to have various functions, among which functions of inhibiting the decomposition of synthesized hydrogen peroxide and increasing the selectivity of hydrogen peroxide are reported. However, the use of the acid may cause the dissolution of the active metal of the catalyst or the corrosion of the reactor. Furthermore, it is preferred that the acid be added in a small amount or not be added during the process of removing soil contaminants or bleaching cloth or texture using hydrogen peroxide. Hence, the acid, which is typically added to the solvent, is not used, or the amount thereof needs to be decreased.
Moreover, various catalysts using palladium to directly produce hydrogen peroxide from hydrogen and oxygen are being developed. When a catalyst carrier is used during the direct production of hydrogen peroxide, there are many reports of the acid properties of the carrier being changed, whereby the amount of acid used for the solvent is reduced. However, the use of a nano catalyst without a carrier has not yet been reported.
In particular, a palladium/silica-alumina catalyst having a core-shell structure, in which acid sites are utilized to thus decrease the amount of the acid added to the solvent so as to inhibit the dissolution of the catalyst and the corrosion of the reactor, has not yet been studied.

Core-shell nanoparticle, method for manufacturing same and method for producing hydrogen peroxide using same

Korea University Research and Business Foundation


In a microwave downstream process, a microwave plasma is formed from a gas that has a small quantity of fluorine to enhance ashing without substantial oxide loss. This process can be performed before or after other microwave downstream processes or reactive ion etching processes.

In the manufacture of a number of semiconductor devices on a wafer, photolithography steps and etching, thin film deposition, and/or ion implantation steps are alternately performed to build up the of the devices. The photolithography steps typically include steps of coating a wafer with a photoresist, typically an ultraviolet (UV) photosensitive organic material; exposing the photoresist through a mask; developing the resist; and etching the exposed resist to leave certain exposed areas on the wafer surface. Further processing steps, such as deposition, implantation, or etching can then be employed on the exposed areas.
Etching is typically performed with either a wet etching process in which the wafers are immersed in a chemical etchant; or a dry etching process, such as downstream microwave plasma etching or reactive ion etching (RIE). After photoresist is patterned on a surface and after further processing steps are performed in exposed areas, the photoresist is stripped.
Microwave downstream processing can be performed with atomic oxygen to strip resist when wafers cannot tolerate electrical damage. Because atomic oxygen is very chemically reactive, however, it can recombine very rapidly on the surface of a metal, such as aluminum that may be used in chambers for cleaning and stripping. The nature of these reactions, and the factors that influence the effects, are not well understood, so manufacturers have been discouraged from using aluminum chambers for microwave downstream ashing with atomic oxygen.

Cleaning and stripping of photoresist from surfaces of semiconductor wafers


A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a server having a controller to receive a digital signal representative of media content where the digital signal includes a main profile version of the media content and one or more lower profile versions of the media content and where the one or more lower profile versions have higher error correction than the main profile version, monitor the main profile version for an undesired condition that jeopardizes video continuity for a viewer of the media content, and transmit one of the one or more lower profile versions over an internet protocol television system to the viewer when the undesired condition is detected, where the transmission of the lower profile version to the viewer maintains video continuity for the viewer. Other embodiments are disclosed.

As communication networks continue to grow and provide more services over larger areas, viewers can sometimes experience undesired conditions during the presentation of media content. Error correction techniques have been employed to reduce undesired conditions in a video stream, such as the use of redundant data to address the issue of lost packets during transmission in a multicast environment as described in U.S. Publication No. 20080008167 to Ver Steeg. The Ver Steeg application also describes addressing the issue of lost packets through re-transmission requests sent by a receiver back to a sender which results in a unicast transmission of the missing packets to the receiver.

Apparatus and method for distributing media content


Methods that can verify a password utilizing commitments are provided. One method includes receiving from a client device and storing, by a processor, an initial commitment representing a password for a user account without storing the actual password on the apparatus, receiving, from the client device, a subsequent commitment, and verifying that the subsequent commitment represents the password for the user account based on a difference between the initial commitment and the subsequent commitment. Systems and apparatus that can include, perform, and/or implement the methods are also provided.

In some conventional computing network, systems, and apparatus, user passwords are sent in clear form from a client device to a server and then hashed on the server. In other conventional computing network, systems, and apparatus, the user passwords are hashed on the client device using a static key (or salt) and then transmitted to the server for storage on the server. In further conventional computing network, systems, and apparatus, the user passwords are encrypted with a public/private key cryptography and interactive zero knowledge systems (ZKS) schemas. While these techniques provide a level of password protection, improved password protection can be made available.

Systems, apparatus, and methods for verifying a password utilizing commitments


A thermal processor for thermally processing a sequence of exposed photothermographic media comprising: a rotatable thermally conductive drum; a heat source for heating the drum to a setpoint temperature; a plurality of rollers spaced around a portion of the periphery of the drum for holding down exposed photothermographic media to the drum for thermal development thereof; a sensor for sensing the temperature of the drum; and a control for controlling the temperature of the drum as a function (1) of the setpoint temperature, (2) of the sensed drum temperature, and (3) of the status of the processor, i.e., whether or not photothermographic media is being processed by the drum, in order to compensate for heat loss due to media heating and roller heating.

Exposed photothermographic media (film, paper) is developed by a thermal processor. A typical thermal processor includes a heated drum to which the media is held by means of a belt or rollers, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,304,985, issued Dec. 8, 1981, inventor Miller; and PCT unexamined International Application WO 95/30934, published Nov. 16, 1995, inventors Star et al. In the latter application, the hold down rollers are of hollow or solid metallic material that are thermally conductive, as a result of exposed film in passing over the drum surface has a tendency to sink heat from the rollers at an accelerated rate for the first several films in a burst. The consequence of this is that the roller temperatures drop, thereby giving less heat energy to the film until an equilibrium is reached. This results in a density shift from film to film during burst. The temperatures of the pressure rollers drift depending on the time sequence of sheets being processed. The amount of drift is bounded by a maximum equal to the drum temperature setpoint, T0 and a minimum equal to the temperature at which zero roller-to-film heat transfer occurs (lowest for the first roller and increasing for succeeding rollers). As roller temperatures drift, corresponding variations in roller-to-film heat transfer occurs. If a simple thermal control servo is used to hold the drum temperature perfectly constant at some fixed sensor location, then these variations in roller-to-film heat transfer will cause corresponding variations in the time-temperature profile of the emulsion. The end result of all this is decreasing sheet-to-sheet density (a repeatability problem)--even though the drum temperature is held perfectly constant at the sensor location. It has been found that the density can decrease by as much as 10-15% for successive processing of ten or more sheets.
There exists a need therefore for a thermal control process that compensates for roller temperature variations.

Photothermographic media processor thermal control


The present invention relates to beamforming in a multi-carrier multi-user communication system applying an adaptive method for determining transmit weights for the various antenna beams. A set of complex transmission weights is adapted in response to appropriate feedback information on transmission quality from receiving units in order to achieve a maximization of a function of said quality indicator and thus optimize the transmission of the pilot signal.

Multiple antenna elements can be used to adapt the effective radiation pattern to varying channel and interference conditions. In its simplest form the signal is transmitted from all the antennas with antenna specific complex weights, i.e. a weight that is determined by an amplitude value and a phase. By this means it is possible to achieve a directivity gain when focussing the transmitted energy to the intended receivers instead or merely spreading energy uniformly over the whole coverage area.
There are several techniques commonly used in second and third generation systems: Conventional beamforming assumes a reasonably well-behaved propagation and requires a calibrated antenna array so that a direction of arrival can be determined from the average correlations of the received signals. Based on the direction and knowledge of the array geometry, transmit weights are determined as functions of the direction. In fixed multibeam antenna systems a set of fixed beams with different pointing directions is used and subset of the beams are selected for downlink transmission. Typically, the beam in which the most power is received is used for transmission. This technique has less requirements on calibration compared to conventional beamforming but still requires a reasonably well-behaved propagation environment. Yet another technique is closed loop transmit diversity where the transmitter transmits antenna specific pilots from which the receivers can estimate the channels. The transmitters and the receivers use an agreed set of weights. The receiver determines the weight in the set that best matches the channel and signals this to the transmitter. The weights are in essence adapted to the instantaneous downlink channel.
Another possibility is to transmit antenna specific training signals from which the terminals can estimate the complex valued downlink channel responses. The estimated downlink channels are then fed back to the receiver and used to construct transmit weights, see e.g. Gerlach, Paulraj: "Adaptive Transmitting Antenna Arrays with Feedback", IEEE Signal Processing Letters, Vol 1, No 10, p 150-152, October 1994. Such an approach considers only the channel, and a practical implementation will require some form of quantization and agreed code book in order to fed back complex valued channel responses.
A simpler approach is considered in Banister, Zeidler: "A Simple Gradient Sign Algorithm for Transmit Antenna Weight Adaptation with Feedback", IEEE Transactions on Signal Processing, volume 51, No. 5, p 1156-1171, May 2003. Here, a single weight vector for a single user is tracked. This is done by creating two weight vectors as slightly randomly perturbed versions of the currently tracked weight vector. Multiplexed pilot signals are then transmitted so that the receiver can measure the received power on the two weight vectors and report back to the transmitter which pilot was received with the highest power. The transmitter will then replace the currently used weight vector with the weight vector corresponding to the strongest received pilot signal. The process is then repeated in a continuous fashion. Thus, only a single user is considered and only a single bit is fed back to the transmitter for each measurement period. A similar method is proposed in Banister, Zeidler, "Feedback Assisted Transmission Subspace Tracking for MIMO Systems", IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communications, Vol. 21, No. 3, p 452-463, April 2003. In this case antenna specific pilots are used in addition to the pilots used to transmit data, and only a single feedback is generated.


A method of manufacturing shaped bodies, in particular boards, out of gypsum, water of hydration and comminuted fibers containing lignocellulose and/or cellulose is described in which all components are combined into a single starting mixture and at least one water saturated, essentially ground-moist, light aggregate is dispersed in this mixture as a fixed pore former. From this starting mixture there is formed a mat which is built up symmetrically in cross-section by means of a single double-sided wind sifting scattering process wherein the light aggregates are located in the central layer. This mat which is built up symmetrically in cross-section is pressed while supplying heat.

The invention relates to a method of manufacturing shaped bodies, in particular boards, from mixtures containing gypsum, water of hydration for the gypsum and comminuted fibers containing lignocellulose and/or cellulose, wherein a mat which can be pressed into shaped bodies is formed from the mixtures by means of scattering onto a moving substrate.
A method for the continuous manufacture of shaped bodies, in particular of boards, is known from DE-OS 34 39 493 or its equivalent CA-PS 1,261,125 in which, in order to obtain higher board strengths, provision is made for splitting up at least one mass flow of a moistened gypsum fiber mixture into partial mass flows which are separate from one another, for scattering each partial mass flow to form a layer of a multi-layer shaped body onto a substrate or onto a proceeding layer, and for subsequently moistening each scattered layer with water, with the quantity of water which is supplied to a shaped body being so dimensioned that it amounts to 25% more than the stochiometric quantity of water required for the curing of the gypsum-fiber mixture scattered to form the shaped body. A disadvantage is that the realization of this method requires much complexity and effort and is thus expensive.
Moreover, one obtains in practice neither a satisfactory uniform moistening of the mat nor of the multi-layer shaped body that is obtained which negatively influences its homogeneity and surface quality.

Method for manufacturing shaped bodies from gypsum, water, fibers and light aggregate particles

Bison-Werke Bahre & Greten GmbH & Co. KG


According to one embodiment an apparatus to monitor the temperature of a transformer is disclosed. The apparatus includes a fiber optic cable having a temperature sensing probe on one end embedded in windings of a transformer. An optical converter transmits light to the probe and receives light from the probe, and converts the light received to an electrical signal. The light received back from the probe is controlled by temperature of the probe. Monitors are used to monitor different parameters of the transformer. A controller generates a simulated winding temperature based on data received from the monitors and converts the electrical signal to a direct winding temperature. The controller analyzes the operation of the transformer by comparing the direct winding temperature to the simulated winding temperature. Other embodiments are disclosed herein.

Transformers are utilized in power transmission and distribution systems to modify the voltage of the power being provided. Being able to monitor and analyze various attributes about the transformer is critical for maintenance and troubleshooting as well as for proper and/or optimum loading. Various techniques are used to track the parameters of the transformer. Thermal stresses are a major factor in determining the lifespan of transformers. The operating temperature of the transformer has a major influence on aging of the insulation of the windings of the transformer.
Accordingly, there is a need to know the temperature (e.g., hot spot temperature) of the windings. The temperature of the windings may be simulated by measuring the temperature of the top oil of the transformer and then simulating the temperature increase for the hot spot. The temperature of the top oil may be measured using a capillary thermometer and a small heater may be used to simulate the temperature rise of the winding hot spot. Current from one of the bushings of the transformer is passed through the heater in order to raise the measured temperature. The heater requires calibration to remain accurate and is known to deteriorate with time. The capillary thermometer may provide a fairly accurate simulation of the hot spot temperature (e.g., within 2-3 degrees C.). However, for changes in temperature (e.g., increases) the capillary thermometer may lag behind the actual winding temperature in recording the changes (e.g., take 4 hours to reach direct winding temperature).
Electronic temperature monitors (ETMs) can also be used to calculate the temperature of the windings. ETMs may use resistive thermal devices (RTDs) that are more accurate (e.g., within 0.2 degrees C.) to measure the top oil temperature. The additional temperature rise of the winding hot spot over the oil temperature is added digitally. The ETM has the ability to tune the time constant of the ETM to match the time constant of the transformer (can adjust for different loads and thermal transients). Advanced ETMs may be able covert the temperature data into information that can be used for loading and/or maintenance.
Both the simulated and calculated temperature measurements are only predictions of the winding hot spot temperature. The measurements are only as accurate as the calibration information used to predict the temperature. Moreover, any change that may cause the windings to run hotter may not be detected.
Fiber optic probes may be used to measure direct winding temperature. However, the fiber optic cables and probes may be fragile and break. Moreover, the light source often has a limited life cycle. Replacing the bulb may require recalibration with sophisticated equipment and possible return to the factory. In addition the light source and the optical system may need to be calibrated so that they stay aligned.
What is needed is a more robust and maintainable system for measuring the direct winding temperature. Additionally, a system is needed for analyzing both predicted and actual temperature measurements for maintenance and operational purposes.

Transformer temperature monitoring and control


Disclosed herein is a floor system for efficiently absorbing an impact applied to a floor. The floor system includes a first impact-absorbing material, and a second impact-absorbing material installed at an upper side of the first impact-absorbing material and having a higher density than that of the first impact-absorbing material.

Generally, houses provide an environment appropriate for human life, to serve as dwelling units for human beings. For this, the houses are provided with cooling/heating systems. A representative form of a dwelling in modern society is an apartment complex.
The apartment complex has a multi-floor structure in which a plurality of dwelling units are stacked in a vertical direction from the ground surface. Due to the particularity in that neighboring dwelling units jointly own floors and walls dividing them, the apartment complex has a necessity for a sound-insulating system capable of preventing transmission of noise between the dwelling sites, in addition to having cooling/heating systems.
A floor heating system should be designed to achieve a rapid room heating with low fuel costs and to have a high heat accumulation capacity for maintaining a heated state for a long time without addition of fuel.
The floor heating system is generally constructed by a wet construction method in which a heat radiator is directly buried in concrete slabs by use of a mortar and a dry construction method in which a heat-insulating material is disposed on concrete slabs and in turn, a heat radiator is mounted in the heat-insulating material.
Floor systems having the above heating system may take the form of a conventional floor system in which the heating system is directly constructed in concrete slabs, or a floating floor system in which the heating system is spaced apart upward from concrete slabs. The floating floor system is also called a double floor structure.
Giving a definition of a floor impact sound in association with the apartment complex, it is a noise being transmitted through floors between dwelling units. The floor impact sound has to be reduced as much as possible, and it has been found that the floating floor system is more advantageous to reduce the floor impact sound than the conventional floor system.
In general, an impact sound generated in a floor passes through a sound-insulating sheet prior to being transmitted to floor slabs. The sound-insulating sheet serves to absorb the impact sound, thereby enabling the insulation of noise. However, conventional sound-insulating sheets have a limit to insulate noise because they should be manufactured in consideration of heating effect in addition to sound insulation effect.
Specifically, increasing the weight of the sound-insulating sheet is advantageous to improve sound insulation effect, but may cause problems of excessively increasing heat-insulation and heating costs. On the other hand, reducing the weight of the sound-insulating sheet is suitable to improve heat insulation effect, but has a problem of deterioration in sound insulation effect.
Further, in the case where the sound-insulating sheet is configured to have a relatively thick thickness for the sake of improving sound insulation effect, there is the risk of rolling of the floor by walking load because of characteristics of the sound-insulating sheet that is made of a flexible material for the absorption of an impact.
Korean Patent Laid-open Publication No. 2004-0071641 discloses a sound-insulating type double floor structure comprising: a plurality of floor supporting panels installed above a base floor at a predetermined height level by use of a group of supporting legs installed through elastic prop members; and a finishing material formed on the supporting panels. The disclosed conventional double floor structure has a feature in that a hardboard or high-density fiberboard having a bending strength of 35˜50 (N/mm2), bending young's modulus of 4000˜5000 (N/mm2) and density of 0.8˜1.2 (g/cm3) is installed between the floor supporting panels and the finishing material. However, it will be appreciated that the conventional double floor structure has no relation with the present invention dealing with a plurality of impact-absorbing materials having different densities from each other.