Low molecular weight Mannich base condensates of hydroxy aromatic compounds, an aldehyde; and an amine, wherein the combined number of substituent carbon atoms does not exceed 80. Such compounds are useful as soot dispersants in lubricating oils when used alone, or in combination with high molecular weight dispersants.

This invention relates to a novel class of Mannich base condensation products that act as potent soot dispersants in lubricating oil compositions. The invention is further directed to lubricating oil compositions containing said soot dispersants.
Lubricating oil compositions comprise a major amount of a base oil and additives that improve the performance and increase the useful life of the lubricant. Nitrogen-containing dispersants are commonly used lubricant additives. The function of a dispersant is to maintain in suspension within the oil, insoluble materials formed by oxidation and other mechanisms during use of the oil, to prevent sludge flocculation and precipitation of the insoluble materials. Another function of the dispersant is to reduce the agglomeration of soot particles, thus reducing increases in the viscosity of the lubricating oil upon use. Crankcase lubricants providing improved performance, including improved soot dispersancy, have been continuously demanded.
To improve the sludge dispersing characteristic of lubricating oils, industry has moved to the use higher molecular weight materials, which have superior sludge dispersing properties compared to lower molecular weight materials, and have used such high molecular weight dispersants in ever increasing amounts. However, dispersants are expensive, may contain residual levels of chlorine, which leads to problems with the disposal of used lubricants, do not blend well in lubricants also containing overbased detergents and contain a high level of basic amine, which causes the deterioration of seals within the engine during service. In addition, high molecular weight dispersants, even when used in greater amounts, do not provide sufficient soot dispersing properties, particularly in high soot environments as are encountered with lubricating oils for heavy duty diesel engines. Therefore, it would be advantageous to be able to provide a lubricant with adequate soot dispersancy properties, and preferably, to do so using reduced amounts of high molecular weight dispersant.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,442,808 relates to lubricating oil additives prepared by reacting alkenyl succinic anhydride with a Mannich base condensation product prepared by condensing alkyl substituted phenol, formaldehyde and polyalkylene polyamine.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,458,495 relates to oxidation inhibitors and dispersant-detergent oil additives comprising the reaction product of one equivalent of a phosphosulfurized hydrocarbon and about 0.5 to 4 equivalents of an alkylene amino phenol. The phosphosulfurized hydrocarbons are prepared by reacting a terpene, a petroleum fraction or a 500 to 200,000 molecular weight C2 to C6 olefin polymer (including polymers of ethylene, propylene, butylene, isobutylene or isoamylene) and from 5 to 40 wt % of a sulfide of phosphorous. The alkylene amino phenol is prepared by a Mannich base condensation of aldehyde, alkylene polyamine and alkyl phenol.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,354,950 discloses a method of preparing Mannich base derivatives of hydroxyaryl succinimides of the formula:
wherein R is hydrocarbyl of 25 to 200 carbon atoms, Rxe2x80x2 is H, alkyl or halogen, xe2x80x9cnxe2x80x9d is 2 or 3, xe2x80x9cmxe2x80x9d has a value of 1 to 5, Y is H or a methylene hydroxyaryl succinimide radical, xe2x80x9cxxe2x80x9d has a value of 1 to 2 when Y is H and a value of 1 when Y is a methylene hydroxyaryl succinimide radical. The above succinimides are formed in a stepwise reaction, e.g., by reacting a polyalkenyl succinic anhydride with an aminophenol to produce an intermediate N-(hydroxyaryl) hydrocarbyl succinimide, which is then reacted with an alkylene diamine and an aldehyde (e.g., formaldehyde) in a Mannich base reaction to produce the desired product. The resulting succinimides may be added to a base oil of lubricating viscosity to form lubricant concentrates and lubricating oil formulations.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,017,299; 5,186,851 and 5,345,002 describe Mannich base condensates of alkyl substituted hydroxy aromatic compounds with formaldehyde and an amine, wherein the alkyl-moiety of the aromatic compound is derived from ethylene alpha-olefin copolymer having a number average molecular weight of 300 to 10,000, and wherein at least 30% of the polymer""s chains contain a terminal ethenylidene unsaturation.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,580,484 describes a succinimide Mannich base condensate of an alkyl substituted hydroxy aromatic compound, an aldehyde and a xe2x80x9cheavy polyaminexe2x80x9d defined as a mixture of polyalkylenepolyamines comprising small amounts of lower polyamine oligomers, such as tetraethylene pentamine and pentahexamine, and a large majority of oligomers with 7 or more nitrogens and 2 or more primary amines per molecule, and a greater degree of branching compared to conventional polyamine mixtures. Again, the alkyl-moiety of the aromatic compound is described as being derived from a polymer backbone having a number average molecular weight of greater than 300.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there are provided novel Mannich base condensates of hydroxy aromatic compounds, optionally substituted with one or more short-chain (C1-C20) hydrocarbyl moieties; an aldehyde; and an amine, wherein the combined number of carbon atoms in any optional hydrocarbyl substituents of the hydroxyaromatic moiety, the aldehyde, and the amine does not exceed 80.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a lubricating oil composition is provided which comprises a base oil of lubricating viscosity and an effective amount of a soot dispersant which are Mannich base condensates of hydroxy aromatic compounds, optionally substituted with one or more short-chain (C1-C20) hydrocarbyl moieties; an aldehyde; and an amine, wherein the combined number of carbon atoms in any optional hydrocarbyl substituents of the hydroxyaromatic moiety, the aldehyde, and the amine does not exceed 80.
In accordance with still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a lubricating oil composition or concentrate which comprises a base oil of lubricating viscosity and an effective amount of (1) a Mannich base condensate of a hydroxy aromatic compound, optionally substituted with one or more short-chain (C1-C20) hydrocarbyl moieties; an aldehyde; and a primary or secondary amine, wherein the combined number of carbon atoms in any optional hydrocarbyl substituents of the hydroxyaromatic moiety, the aldehyde, and the amine does not exceed 80, and (2) a high molecular weight nitrogen-containing dispersant.
Compared to the Mannich base materials of the prior art, the lower molecular weight materials of the invention provide lubricating oils with superior soot dispersing characteristics and, when used in combination with conventional high molecular weight nitrogen-containing dispersant, synergistically enhance the inherent soot dispersing properties of the high molecular weight dispersant. As an added benefit, the addition of the Mannich base materials of the present invention to a lubricating oil composition provides an antioxidancy credit.

Hydroxy aromatic mannich base condensation products and the use thereof as soot dispersants in lubricating oil compositions


The invention relates to a compressed air motor comprising a housing and a rotor rotatably mounted therein, the rotor being provided with substantially radial slots and plate-like vanes being mounted in the slots so as to be radially displaceable by the centrifugal force, and variable, all-round air chambers being formed between the housing and the outside of the rotor. The vanes are surrounded on the outside by a rotatable sleeve which is provided with at least one passage for the compressed air.

The invention relates to a compressed air motor comprising a housing having a guide bore and a rotor rotatably mounted therein, the rotor being provided with slots which run outwards and in which plate-like vanes are mounted so as to be radially displaceable by the centrifugal force, and a substantially cylindrical, freely rotatable sleeve which covers the outside of the vanes is arranged in the region of the vanes between the outside of the rotor and the guide bore of the housing.
The prior art recognizes various types of vane motors which are operated with compressed air. European Patent EP-B1-394651 describes a design comprising a rotor and vanes displaceable by centrifugal force, the rotor being arranged in a rotatable sleeve which is housed inside a bore of a housing.
This rotatable sleeve has the function of preventing the vanes from shearing against the inner surface of the housing. During operation, the rotor and the rotatable sleeve therefore rotate.
In this known design, the bore of the housing is not cylindrical but is non-cylindrically deformed on one side by a pocket. This is because it was evidently thought that feeding of compressed air into the space between the rotatable sleeve and the outer cylinder wall is required. Another reason is that the deformation on one side on the outside of the cylinder has presumably been required because there was also a tendency to lateral displacement of the rotatable sleeve due to the pressure load of the compressed air flowing axially into the space between the rotor and the rotatable sleeve, which lateral displacement could be compensated by the additional radial play in the recess.
The non-central formation of the bore in the housing results not only in greater manufacturing costs but also in an air loss during operation, which manifests itself in a low efficiency.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,197,061, Boeing has disclosed a compressed air motor which manages without eccentric recesses in the housing bore but provides separate air-conveying channels on the inner surface of the housing which are supplied by means of compressed air and thus fill the space between the rotatable sleeve and housing with compressed air. The manufacture of these additional channels is, however, very complicated and interrupts the cylindrical formation of the housing bore, which can likewise lead to lower performance.
A further document of the prior art, U.S. Pat. No. 4,648,819 describes a pump which likewise has a rotatable sleeve. This rotatable sleeve is provided on its outside with various types of grooves which are intended to serve for conveying the medium to be pumped. The production of the grooves—extending partly over the circumference of the sleeves—on rotatable sleeves which themselves are composed only of a relatively thin-walled material is a relatively complicated measure. This known design gives no instructions at all regarding the manufacture of a compressed air motor.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,616,985 discloses a compressed air compressor which has vanes radially displaceable in a rotor and a sleeve surrounding said vanes and having orifices. The sleeve consists of a light metal alloy. The compressed air compressor has a relatively low speed and there therefore tends to be few problems with regard to wear.
The compressed air motors stated in the prior art and having a rotatable sleeve should—as already mentioned—in particular reduce the friction which occurs between the vanes and the outer housing in other compressed air motors and thus permit oil-free operation.
Particularly in the case of devices which are to be used in the area of surgery, it is important to be able to offer compressed air motors without oil lubrication, since no lubricating oil at all is permitted to enter the human body. Owing to their high speeds (up to about 80,000 rpm), compressed air motors used in surgery are difficult to seal in such a way that no leakage air losses and, associated therewith, oil emergence from the compressed air motor occur.


A heat exchanger is cleaned, inspected and/or plugged while the heat exchanger is in operation. In some embodiments, the heat exchanger includes a channel cover having valve-seal assemblies allowing isolation tools to be inserted through the channel cover into sealing engagement with the ends of tubes to provide a flow path separate from the normal flow paths through the heat exchanger. Cleaning and/or inspecting can be done through the isolation tools and tubes that are leaking can be plugged through the valve-seal assemblies. In some embodiments, brushes are located inside the heat exchanger and can be independently advanced into cleaning relation with a large majority of the tubes.

There are several types of heat exchangers used in various industries. A common type is known as a shell and tube type. Modern shell and tube exchangers are of several types, including: (1) a straight through version where the heat exchange tubes are generally straight, (2) a U-tube version where the heat exchange tubes are bent into a U so the inlets and outlets of the heat exchange tubes pass through the same tube sheet and open into compartments provided by a channel and (3) a floating head type where the inlets and outlets are at one end of the exchanger, the tubes are straight and open, at the opposite end of the exchanger, into a floating head or manifold that directs flow back toward the outlet. U-tube type heat exchangers have a cost advantage because only one set of inlet/outlet channels is required. Straight through heat exchangers are typically selected when the tube side fluid deposits materials in the tube or is corrosive because it is usually more difficult to clean the curve in a U-tube type.
The performance of shell and tube heat exchangers degrades over time by the deposition of solids from the tube side flow onto the inside wall of the heat exchanger tubes. This is commonly referred to as tube side fouling and can significantly impair the performance of heat exchangers. Fouling deposits act as an insulator and thereby reduce heat transfer across the walls of the tubes. This fouling can also cause increased pressure drops across the tubes thereby decreasing flow through the tubes. Under certain conditions, these deposits can also promote corrosion of the inside of the tube wall, a phenomenon known as under-deposit corrosion. This corrosion, if left unchecked, can produce leak paths through the tube wall allowing commingling of the heat exchange fluid and the process fluid. Even though tube side fouling is a persistent maintenance problem, it is much preferred to shell side fouling because it is much easier to clean and inspect the interior of the heat exchange tubes as compared to the outside. For this reason, in situations where one of the two fluids is more corrosive or more prone to produce deposits in the heat exchanger, this fluid may preferably be put through the tubes rather than through the shell.
Various methods have been developed to clean the inside of heat exchanger tubes to remove deposits. These deposits are often relatively hard and therefore difficult to remove from the tube walls. To effectively clean tube side fouling, the heat exchanger must be taken off-line and out of service to access and mechanically clean the inside of the tubes. These off-line methods of cleaning include high pressure water cleaning known as hydroblasting, mechanical cleaning using brushes, scrapers or projectiles, and blasting with abrasive media. Once the tubes are cleaned and while the heat exchanger is off-line, the tubes may be inspected to determine if corrosion has thinned or pitted the tube wall and a determination can be made to replace or retain the tube. In some circumstances, the tube may be replaced or simply plugged, i.e. a plug is placed in the tube to block flow through it.
As currently practiced, all inspection techniques require the heat exchanger to be out of service. Cleaning by circulation of abrasive media may conventionally be done while a heat exchanger is in operation by inserting media into the flow entering the tubes and then separating the media from flow out of the tubes. As currently practiced, heat exchangers must be out of service in order to plug a leaking or unserviceable tube. The cost of disassembling and then reassembling the heat exchanger to permit access to the tubes for cleaning and inspection can be significant. More significant in many situations is the lost production cost from taking the heat exchanger and its associated equipment out of service.
The costs associated with reduced capacity of heat exchanger tubes can also be substantial in situations where the throughput of process fluids has to be curtailed. In one oil refinery, the estimated lost production costs of reduced throughput from a catalytic cracker due to deteriorating heat exchange performance has been in the range of $500,000/year.
Disclosures relative to this invention are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 571,016; 2,882,022; 3,312,274; 3,708,098; 3,954,136; 4,599,975; 4,920,994; 5,060,600; 5,083,606; 5,307,866; 5,512,140; 5,983,994 and 6,408,936 and in WIPO publications WO 87/05992, WO 90/09556 and WO 2010/095110.


The present invention has an object for setting thermal resistance corresponding to a contact condition of a contact face between two elements automatically and generating analysis data including a thermal conductivity of the contact face accurately in a short time when analysis data is generated based on three-dimensional design data of an object formed by a plurality of elements. An apparatus according to the present invention includes a retaining unit for retaining thermal resistance information for obtaining thermal resistance of the contact face in accordance with contact condition of the contact face; a thermal conductivity calculating unit for calculating a thermal conductivity of the contact face based on the thermal resistance information which is retained in the retaining unit and corresponds to the contact condition of the contact face set by a contact condition setting unit; and a generating unit for generating the analysis data including the thermal conductivity.

1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technique for generating analysis data for analyzing (for example, thermo-fluid analyzing) an object formed by a plurality of elements based on three-dimensional design data of the object.
2) Description of the Related Art
In resent years, a three-dimensional design using CAD (Computer Aided Design) has been improved in design developments of an apparatus or the like. In order to utilize the three-dimensional CAD data (hereinafter, referred to as three-dimensional design data) generated by CAD effectively, tools for converting the three-dimensional design data into analysis data (an analysis model) for analyzing (simulating) the object has been developed (for example, see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. HEI 8-263697).
When an analysis model is generated automatically with the use of such a tool, the time for generating the analysis model can be significantly reduced.
Regarding an object of an apparatus or the like, since it is difficult to show a contact condition (mode) of a contact face where end faces of a plurality of elements contact with each other in the three-dimensional design data, such a contact condition is not included in the three-dimensional design data.
Here, the contact condition of the contact face between the elements represents a contact mode at the contact face where end faces of two elements contact with each other. The contact condition is indicated by a simple contact where elements simply contact with each other, a spring contact where elements are adhered to each other by a force of a spring, an adhesive contact by an adhesive material, an adhesive contact by an adhesive sheet, a connection contact by a screw, and the like.
The contact condition of the contact face between the elements has a great influence on a thermal conduction between the elements. Accordingly, when a thermo-fluid analysis (thermal conduction analysis) is implemented with the use of thermal conductivities of the elements, it is preferable to see the conduction manner of heat between the elements (that is, a thermal conductivity) in consideration of the contact condition of the contact face between the elements. This allows an implementation of a high-accuracy thermo-fluid analysis of the object.
Conventionally, for the case that an element is changed in an analysis model for implementing a casting analysis simulation, there has been a technique for searching the changed element according to a contact condition between elements and setting a thermal transferring coefficient based on the type of the element (for example, see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-34100).
However, as described above, since the contact condition of the contact face between the elements is not included in the three-dimensional design data in conventional art, an operator manually sets thermal conductivities of contact faces in analysis data when a thermo-fluid analysis of an object is implemented.
Here, a conventional analysis data generating method will be explained, taking an example of generating analysis data of an object 100 based on three-dimensional design data of the object 100 shown in FIG. 9.
Since a heat sink 101, a heating element (for example, an LSI (Large Scale Integration)) 102, and a printed board 103, which constitute the object 100, have thicknesses greater than a predetermined level, they are included in the three-dimensional design data. Accordingly, the heat sink 101, the heating element 102, and the printed board 103 are automatically modeled by the above-described tool for generating analysis data from the three-dimensional design data.
However, an adhesive material 104 for connecting (adhering) the heat sink 101 and the heating element 102 is so thin (for example, about 20 μm), that it is not included in the three-dimensional design data.
Therefore, a person who implements an analysis (an operator) firstly interviews a designer of the object 100 to recognize a contact condition of a contact face (here, an adhesive area between the heat sink 101 and the heating element 102). Then, she/he inputs the thermal resistance (° C./W or K/W) of the contact face, that is, a thermal resistance of the adhesive material 104, with reference to a catalog or the like, defines the thickness of the adhesive material, obtains the dimension of the contact face, and obtains the thermal conductivity of the contact face based on the thermal resistance of the adhesive material, the thickness of the adhesive material, and the dimension of the contact face to add the thermal conductivity to the analysis data.
As described above, conventionally, the operator is required to input the thermal resistance based on the contact condition of the contact face manually in order to set the thermal conductivity of the contact face in the analysis data. Accordingly, it takes long time to generate the analysis data.
Further, since manual input by an operator is required, input errors or the like may be made, if there are a large number of elements in an object to be analyzed and a great number of contact faces between the elements. As a result, an accurate analysis data can not be generated and it may affect the accuracy of analysis results.

Analysis data generating apparatus, analysis data generating method and computer-readable recording medium containing analysis data generating program


A system and method is provided for estimating a trajectory of an incoming bullet based on the acoustics of the shock wave created as the bullet travels through the air. A first auditory signal representing a direct sound from the shock wave is recorded and its azimuthal direction is determined. Based on this azimuthal direction and other assumptions two possible bullet directions that can cause that shock wave are estimated. A second auditory signal representing a reflection of the shock wave as it travels through the air also is recorded and its azimuthal direction determined. The azimuthal direction of the ground reflection will lie between the azimuthal direction of the first auditory signal and the more correct of the two estimated trajectories, and thus can resolve the ambiguity in the estimated direction of the bullet source.

Modern warfare poses many risks to the men and women in war zones, including the men and women in the United States Marine Corps. One problem that Marines have in many conflicts is with untrained insurgents shooting at them from short range with assault rifles. These shooters are not trained snipers, but just lone individuals taking potshots at the Marines. Reacting to these shots can require the use of a Marine's time and resources that may better be used elsewhere. More significantly, often these shots hit their targets, injuring or even killing Marines in the line of fire. In many cases, the Marines cannot effectively respond to the shots or capture the shooter because they cannot accurately determine the direction from which the rifle was fired.
Often these shots come from assault rifles firing supersonic bullets. When a bullet is fired from a gun at supersonic speeds, the gunshot creates two sources of sound. The first sound is carried by an acoustic shock wave, akin to a small "sonic boom," that is created by the bullet as it travels through the air at supersonic speeds. The second sound is the muzzle blast caused by the explosion of superheated gases from the muzzle of the gun.
Because the acoustic shock wave is caused by the bullet as it travels at supersonic speed, the first sound heard by a Marine in the area is caused by the acoustic shock wave, which travels outward in a cone from the bullet's trajectory. However, this shock wave does not come from the direction in which the bullet was fired but instead comes at an angle from that direction, and therefore the shock wave can't reliably be used to determine the source of the gunfire. In addition, although a gunshot will produce a shock wave as it travels through the air which can be perceived by a nearby Marine, the same perceived shock wave can also be produced by a gunshot traveling in a second direction. This ambiguity in direction cannot be resolved using only the direct sound from the shock wave.
The Marine may also hear the muzzle blast a short time after hearing the shock wave. Under conditions the muzzle blast can be used along with the shock wave to locate the shooter. However, the sound from the shock wave can be loud enough to reduce the hearing sensitivity of Marines within earshot for a short time, and so a Marine may not hear the muzzle blast. In addition, at longer ranges, many echoes of the muzzle blast are produced in an urban environment, making it impossible to decipher the muzzle blast direction. Moreover, if the Marine does not have a direct line of sight to the shooter, he may not hear the muzzle blast at all, even if his hearing sensitivity is not reduced by the shock wave.
Because of these shortcomings in a Marine's ability to determine the direction of incoming gunfire by simple auditory sensing, many developers are working on acoustic sniper detectors. Most of these detectors use arrays of sensors to detect both the shock wave and the muzzle blast and can give a very precise location for the sniper. In current use, these sensors are placed on poles, for example for ground- or vehicle-mounted sensor arrays, or are placed in arrays mounted on a Marine's helmet. However, none of these existing systems are compact enough to be carried by a single Marine without networking.
For example, in existing systems, achievement of high precision in determining the location of a shooter requires that the sensors be spread out over a large area. This can be achieved in many ways.
One current system is the Boomerang system produced by BBN Technologies of Cambridge, Mass. The Boomerang system comprises a vehicle-mounted array of microphones to detect incoming fire. However, the Boomerang system requires a computer such as a small desktop computer, and can take some time to respond, during which time many additional shots can be fired, posing additional risks to nearby Marines.
Other systems, such as ShotSpotter® system deployed in some locations use sensors mounted in multiple arrays connected by a wireless network between sensors mounted in multiple places. Such wireless networks can create problems with communications security and interference, and in the case of helmet-mounted sensors, can increase the risk to the Marines, with each Marine becoming a radio beacon broadcasting his location to anyone listening.
Thus, none of the existing sniper detection systems have proven to be satisfactory.

The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy


In a computer system having a host system including a plurality of disk devices, a CPU, a main memory and a disk control circuit for controlling the disk devices, a host CPU executes a program unit to generate intermediate data for parity generation and holds it in a data holding unit to asynchronously conduct a data write process and a parity write process. A unit for generating parity and a unit for transferring data operate without the intervention of the CPU in accordance with a command issued by the program unit executed by the host CPU.

A disk array system is an external storage apparatus having a plurality of disk devices arranged in array to process a read request (data read request) and a write request (data write request) by a parallel operation of the disks at a high speed and enhance reliability by adding parity (redundant data). The disk array system is called a RAID (Redundant Arrays of Inexpensive Disks) and it is classified into five levels depending on type and structure of the parity data. (Article: "A case for Redundant Arrays of Inexpensive Disks (RAID)", David A. Patterson, Garth Gibson and Randy H. Katz, Computer Science Division Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences, University of California Berkeley).
In the level 5 (hereinafter referred to as a RAID5) of the above classification methodology, parities are scattered to respective disks and stored therein so that the concentration of the process to one parity disk during the parity updating is prevented and the performance reduction during the write process is suppressed. Accordingly, the performance is enhanced for the random access in which the reading/writing of small size data occurs frequently. ("Special Issue on Disk Array System", Nikkei Electronics Apr. 26, 1993, No. 579, pages 77.about.91).
In the disk array system, in order to operate the disks in parallel and add the parity data, a special address translation is required and such address translation has been conducted by dedicated hardware in the prior art. A known example of such system is disclosed in JP-A-2-236714. However, as the performance of a CPU (Central Processing Unit) of a host system is enhanced, a disk array system which conducts the address translation inherent to the disk array by software program. In the present specification, such disk array system is referred to as a software RAID. A known example of the disk array system which conduct the address translation for the parallel operation of the disks is disclosed in JP-A-5-250099.
As prior art, the software RAID of the RAID5 is explained with reference to a system configuration of FIG. 21. In FIG. 21, numeral 1 denotes a host system, numeral 4 denotes disk interface control means and numeral 3 denotes a disk device group.
The host system 1 comprises a host CPU 101, a cache 102 which can be read and written at a high speed, a local bus-system bus bridge 103, a main memory 104 for storing data and programs, and a bus interface 107. A local bus 105 connects the host CPU 101, the cache 102 and the local bus-system bus bridge 103. A system bus 106 connects the local bus-system bus bridge 103 and the bus interface 107. A disk array control program area 109 is arranged in the main memory 104 and stores a disk array control program necessary to control the disk array system.
The disk interface control means 4 is connected with the bus interface 107 of the host system 1.
The disk device group 3 comprise five disk devices 301.about.305 in the present prior art example. The disks 301.about.305 are connected to the disk interface control means 4 by daisy chain connection.
In the disk array system, a plurality of disks are striped, and parity data is added to each striping to enhance the reliability. During the disk array write process, a parity is generated by an exclusive OR operation of data of each stripe of each disk device. The host CPU 101 conducts the address translation and the parity generation for the striping by using the disk control program stored in the disk array control program area 109.
The read process and the write process conducted by the overall system including the disk parallel operation and the parity data addition are referred to as a disk array read process and a disk array write process, respectively. In the disk array read process and the disk array write process, a disk for which data is read and written is referred to as a data disk, and a disk for which parity data is read and written is referred to as a parity disk.
In the prior art RAID5 disk array write process, a parity is derived from a formula (1), where XOR represents an exclusive OR operator. EQU New Parity=New Data XOR Old Data XOR Old Parity (1)
In the formula (1), the new data is data to be newly written in the disk array write process, and the old data is data immediately before the writing of the new data, that is, data on which the new data is to be overwritten. The new parity is a parity for the new data and the old parity is a parity for the old data.
In the disk array write process, the old data is read from the data disk and the old parity is read from the parity disk, and the new parity is generated in accordance with the formula (1), and then the new data is written into the data disk and the new parity is written into the parity disk.
The old data read process from the data disk is referred to as an old data read process, and the new data write process to the data disk is referred to as a new data write process. Similarly, the old parity read process from the parity disk is referred to as an old parity read process and the new parity write process to the parity disk is referred to as a new parity write process.
In the disk array write process in the prior art disk array, data and a parity corresponding to the data are updated substantially simultaneously to secure the reliability for a disk fault. However, when the disk array write process is to be conducted once, the read process and the write process are to be conducted once for each of the data disk and the parity disk, that is, a total of four times of disk access is required.
Further, since two disk devices are occupied, the multiplicity of the parallel operation of the disk devices is lowered.
As discussed above, in the prior art disk array, the write process performance is reduced.
Further, in the disk array with the redundancy by the software control, the address translation inherent to the disk array and the exclusive OR operation to generate the parity are conducted by the CPU and a load to the CPU required for the control of the disk array process program is large. Accordingly, when a large volume of disk array write processes are to be conducted, the application performance is lowered by the increase of the CPU load required for the control of the disk array process program.

Parity generation system for generating new parity using old data in temporary storage without accessing main disk storage of disk drive


An aromatherapy herb pack has a flexible, aroma-permeable cover having upper and lower layers joined at their outer edges to form an interior space to contain thermal reservoir and aromatherapy materials. The interior space is divided into a series of subspaces in the form of parallel, tube-shaped containers to prevent shifting of the contained materials. A central opening is provided penetrating the upper and layers of the cover. The opening permits a user to place the herb pack over his head and onto his shoulders. The opening is X-shaped to permit maximum shoulder contact. The openings are circular in another embodiment, designed to fit snugly about a user's neck. A slit is provided extending from the outer edge of the herb pack to the opening for easy placement about the neck. A fastener, such as a hook and loop, button, zipper or tie string is used to close the slit.

Heating and cooling pads have long been in use for alleviating soreness, stiffness, aching muscles and the results of various types of injuries. Likewise, aromatherapy products have been in use in Eastern cultures for hundreds of years and are now achieving prominence in the West. The combination of heating and cooling devices with aromatherapy products has served to provide increased benefits for those with muscle, tendon and joint problems. A number of inventions have been developed that use one or more of these components to alleviate pain or soreness.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,699,271, issued to Clayton, describes a therapeutic wrap designed to be applied to various portions of an individual, such as the neck and shoulders. The wrap contains a plurality of narrow channels into which a filler material, such as Basmati rice, is provided. Various herbs such as chamomile or lavender are also provided within each of the channels to allow for aromatherapy. The rice serves as heat-transferring material. Each channel is separated from its adjoining channel by stitching it closed such. The neck wrap is designed to encircle the neck of the user and fasten with Velcro fasteners. The Velcro fasteners and the use of narrow channels keep the filler material within the wrap from shifting and hold it close to the neck during treatment. Basmati rice and aromatic herbs are the preferred fillers. In use, the wrap is heated by placing it in a conventional oven, crockpot or microwave, or cooled by placing it into a freezer or refrigerator.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,476,492, issued to Unrug, discloses a body warmer for therapeutic purposes containing whole herb seed. The body warmer is comprised of a shell of an elastic breathable and pliable material, divided into chambers containing rebufacient herbal material in the form of whole seed grains, and means of attachment to keep the warmer in place in a desired area of the human body. The shell is made in two layers of fabric fastened along two long sides at side seams. Other seams divide the shell into a number of tubular chambers filled with herb seed. Ribbon tie straps attached to comers of the shell are used to fasten the shoulder warmer pad to the body.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,603,727, issued to Clark et al., is directed to a thermal pack having temperature-retaining particles within the packet. A plurality of barriers located within the packet form migration paths and retaining areas. The pack that has pliable container consisting of top and bottom surfaces connected about their periphery. Barriers within the compartment to direct the migration of the heat retaining particles in the compartment are formed by sewing portions of the top and bottom surfaces together in a chevron shape. Heat retaining particles are preferably re-cleaned animal feed corn, which can be scented. The thermal material can be either heated or cooled depending on the appropriate treatment.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,948,010, issued to Adamee, discloses a therapeutic heat application device. The device comprises a pad portion having a wide central portion divided into a plurality of narrow sections by vertically extending seams. Each of the tapered side portions are divided into two sections by a horizontally extending seam. The sections of the central portion and side portions are filled with a granular natural filler material where the seams would maintain the proper positioning of the filler material throughout the pad portion. A pair of straps have hook and loop fasteners for fastening the pad around the body of the wearer. In use, the device would be heated in a microwave oven or chilled for cold therapy.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,890,487, issued to Kimmel, is directed to a flat fabric bag that holds a quantity of dried Indian corn, which can be scented. The bag can then be heated in a microwave oven or cooled in a freezer. The heating pad that is formed by sewing two pieces of cloth together to form closed bag which is then filled with corn. To keep the corn spread throughout the bag, a number of baffle stitches are used which divide the bag into sections that hold a uniform quantity of corn. The bag is used primarily over the shoulders, where the wide end portions drape over the tops of the shoulders and the long center portion runs along the upper back or neck.
It is an objective of the present invention to provide a means to provide a means to alleviate muscle soreness, cramps, aches and pains, etc. without the use of drugs or invasive procedures. It is a further objective to provide a pad that provides these benefits that can be comfortably and easily worn by a user. It is a still further objective of the invention to provide a pad that can provide both heating and cooling to the body. It is yet a further objective to provide a pad that includes the benefits of aromatherapy for the user. Finally, it is an objective of the invention to provide a pad with the above benefits that is easily attached and removed.
While some of the objectives of the present invention are disclosed in the prior art, none of the inventions found include all of the requirements identified.


A mechanical limiter switch for use in a medical or surgical device has a substantially cylindrically shaped housing with a perimeter and an opening in an axial direction. The housing has a pattern along the perimeter. A spring is mounted in the opening along the axial direction, and is pre-stressed for movement in a radial direction and pre-stressed for movement in the axial direction. The spring has a radial member protruding through the pattern of the housing. A plunger is mounted in the opening along the axial direction, abutting the spring for urging the spring in the axial direction and for moving the member in the pattern along the perimeter. After a pre-determined number of activations of the plunger in the axial direction, the member will come to a terminating position and will either contact a pin to establish electrical continuity or at the terminating position break electrical continuity.

Current methods to limit the number of uses of electrical devices, such as those used in surgical procedures or other health or medical related applications have relied upon regulatory actions, such as regulations promulgated by the United Stated FDA and the European Regulatory body (EUR). Clearly, this method relies upon the user to adhere to those regulations subject to penalties for non-compliance. Thus, this is only a self-adhering method to limit the use of these devices.
Minimally invasive surgical devices comprise most of the electrical devices whose use is limited by regulatory action. These devices can be expensive and reimbursement for their use can be tightly controlled by health insurance. Further, in many parts of the lesser-developed countries of the world, availability can be limited. These devices are regulated to limit the amount of usage because of efficacy, sterility, and to limit cross contamination etc. Within the US, tracking of the devices by lot and serial number is required in the entire distribution channel to the end use. The tracking system, along with the threat of lawsuit, creates a barrier to misuse. However, outside of the US where the tort system is not as well developed, multiple misuses can occur with greater frequency. These factors present a potential liability for the manufacturer of these devices along with the associated tarnishing of goodwill and reputation to the manufacturer.
Another prior art method has been the implementation of electrical circuits with associated electronic integrated circuits, and associated software to limit the use of the device. This "solution" has at least two limitations. First, they cannot be used to retrofit existing devices easily. Since such devices must work with an electronic controller that manages the device, the retrofitting of the existing devices may necessitate a retrofit of the controller. Second, one of the most effective method of sterilizing these devices is through the use of gamma radiation (or x-ray). X rays potentially can destroy integrated circuits and/or alter the content of memory and integrated circuits, thereby altering the software in an uncontrollable manner.
Hence, there is a need for a limiter switch that can be used in a surgical or medical device to limit the amount of uses of such devices that is both easy to use and is immune to most sterilization techniques, and is stable in all known forms of sterilization, e.g. Gamma, ETO, E-Beam, AutoClave, etc.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A document scanning device is disclosed. For example, the document scanning device includes a platen glass, an optical scanner located below the platen glass, a plurality of light arrays located around a perimeter of the platen glass, and a processor communicatively coupled to the optical scanner and the plurality of light arrays, wherein the processor is to control a portion of the plurality of light arrays to define an origin and an orientation of a document for a scan job and control the optical scanner to scan the document on the platen glass.

Multi-function devices (MFDs) are used to process print jobs. An MFD can perform a variety of different functions including printing, scanning, copying, faxing, and the like.
The MFD may include a platen glass upon which a document is placed. A scanner may be located below the platen glass to scan the image for copying, scanning, or faxing. For example, a document may be placed on the platen glass, a scanning function may be initiated, and a scanner may move across the platen glass to capture an image of the document.


An opening and closing mechanism includes a fixed member which has a fixed cam on its side face; a movable member which has a movable cam on an opposing face to the fixed cam, and which is rotatably disposed relative to the fixed member; a case housing the fixed member and the movable member; and a spring applying a force toward the fixed member to the movable member. The movable member has a recess at its radial center, and the first end of the spring is inserted in this recess.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to opening and closing mechanisms used in a range of electronic devices such as mobile phones and personal computers, and also relates to electronic devices using the opening and closing mechanisms.
2. Background Art
With electronic devices such as mobile phones and personal computers becoming increasingly smaller and lighter, many products are adopting designs that attach a movable housing to a fixed housing in an openable and closable fashion, a so-called folding design. The opening and closing mechanisms used in these folding electronic devices are also required to be downsized while ensuring reliable opening and closing operations.
A conventional opening and closing mechanism is described next with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. In the drawings, a sectional view is radially enlarged for easier understanding of the relation between a fixed cam and a movable cam.
FIG. 4 is a sectional view and FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the conventional opening and closing mechanism. In the drawings, roughly cylindrical fixed member 51 is made of metal, and fixing section 51A is formed on its left side face. A pair of fixed cams 52 are formed on the periphery of a right side face of this fixed member 51. Each of these fixed cams 52 includes protrusion 52A and two sloped portions 52B and 52C extending upward and downward from protrusion 52A.
Movable member 53 is also roughly cylindrical and made of metal. This movable member 53 is disposed in a rotatable fashion in opening and closing directions and also in an axially-movable fashion relative to fixed member 51. A pair of movable cams 54 are provided on the periphery of a left side face of movable member 53, which is an opposing face to fixed cams 52.
Case 55 is roughly cylindrical and made of metal. Fixed member 51 and movable member 53 are housed in this case 55. Spring 56 is slightly compressed and placed between latching part 53A on a right side face of movable member 53 and an inner side face of case 55. This spring 56 applies a leftward force to movable member 53, and thus tips of movable cams 54 resiliently contact sloped portions 52B of fixed cams 52.
Furthermore, a left end of roughly columnar fixed shaft 57 is secured to fixed member 51. Fixing section 51A of this fixed member 51 rotatably protrudes from a left side face of case 55. A right end of fixed shaft 57 passes through a hollow portion of movable member 53 and spring 56, and is rotatably attached to an outer side face of case 55 by stopper ring 58, configuring opening and closing mechanism 60.
Opening and closing mechanism 60 as configured above is assembled in an electronic device such as a mobile phone (not illustrated). Fixing section 51A of fixed member 51 is attached to a fixed housing (not illustrated) where keys, a microphone, and so on are formed. Case 55 is attached to a movable housing (not illustrated) where a display, speaker, and so on are formed. With this opening and closing mechanism 60, the movable housing is supported relative to the fixed housing in an openable and closable fashion, configuring the electronic device.
In the above structure, spring 56 applies a force in a closing direction to movable member 53 when the tips of movable cams 54 are resiliently contacting lower sloped portions 52B of fixed cams 52, as shown in FIG. 4. The movable housing, to which case 55 is attached, is thus retained in a closed state relative to the fixed housing.
When the movable housing is opened by hand from this closed state, case 55 attached to the movable housing rotates, and movable member 53 rotates as it moves in the axial direction inside case 55. The tips of movable cams 54 then ride over protrusions 52A of fixed cams 52, and resiliently contact upper sloped portions 52C. This applies a force in an opening direction to movable member 53, and thus this force applies a force in the opening direction to the movable housing. Accordingly, the movable housing is opened at a predetermined angle relative to the fixed housing.
In other words, movable member 53, which has a force imparted thereto by spring 56, is moved in an axial direction by rotating case 55 attached to the movable housing. This makes the tips of movable cams 54 resiliently contact either sloped portions 52B or sloped portions 52C of fixed cams 52, resulting in opening and closing of the movable housing relative to the fixed housing.
One prior art configuration related to the present invention is disclosed in Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 2004-245342.
In order to make the entire size of the above conventional opening and closing mechanism smaller, components such as movable cam 54, fixed cam 52, and spring 56 need to be made smaller. However, these components require a certain degree of size and load in order to ensure reliable opening and closing operations. Accordingly, downsizing of the prior art is difficult.

Opening and closing mechanism, and electronic device


A method for fabricating an epi wafer according to the embodiment comprises depositing an epi layer on a wafer in a first chamber; transferring the wafer to a second chamber connected to the first chamber; forming a protective layer on the wafer in the second chamber; and cooling the wafer in the second chamber.

In general, materials are very important factors to determine the property and the performance of final products in the electric, electronic and mechanical industrial fields.
Since silicon (Si) used as a representative semiconductor device material is weak at the temperature of 100° C. or above, a semiconductor device may erroneously operate or may be failed frequently, so the semiconductor device requires various cooling apparatuses. As silicon (Si) has the physical limitation, wideband semiconductor materials such as SiC, GaN, AlN, and ZnO have been spotlighted as next semiconductor device materials.
In this case, when comparing with GaN, AlN, and ZnO, SiC represents the superior thermal stability and superior oxidation-resistance property. In addition, the SiC has the superior thermal conductivity of about 4.6 W/Cm° C., so the SiC can be used for fabricating a large-size substrate having a diameter of about 2 inches or above. In particular, a silicon carbide epi wafer having a high quality, which is heavily doped at a low concentration, can be used in the field of high-power devices.
According to the related art, in order to grow the silicon carbide epi layer on a wafer, the silicon carbide is deposited on the wafer in a chamber and an annealing process and/or a cooling process is performed to provide an epi wafer on which the silicon carbide epi layer has been grown.
That is, according to the related art, a silicon carbide wafer has been introduced into a single or batch-type reaction chamber and a layer has been deposited on the silicon carbide wafer. Then, in general, the wafer has been introduced into an annealing apparatus and/or a cooling apparatus and processes for removing defects on the surface of the wafer have been performed in sequence, such that a silicon carbide epi wafer has been manufactured.
At this time, if the epi wafer manufactured through the cooling step after growing an epi layer is exposed to the outside of the chamber, a surface of an epi thin film may be contaminated with external impurities. Thus, the product yield of the epi wafer may be lowered.
Therefore, there is necessary to provide a method of fabricating the silicon carbide epi wafer which can protect the surface of the epi wafer from the contamination caused by external impurities after growing a silicon carbide epi layer.

Apparatus and method for fabricating epi wafer and epi wafer

Abstract: Further, an apparatus for fabricating an epi wafer according to the embodiment comprises a first chamber comprising an epi deposition part; a second chamber comprising a protective layer forming part and a cooling part; and a wafer transfer apparatus connected to lower portions of the first chamber and the second chamber.


Processes for electrolysis of alkali metal chlorides with oxygen-consuming electrodes having startup and shutdown conditions which prevent damage to the constituents of the electrolysis cell.

The invention proceeds from electrolysis processes known per se for electrolysis of aqueous alkali metal chloride solutions using oxygen-consuming electrodes in the form of gas diffusion electrodes which typically comprise an electrically conductive carrier and a gas diffusion layer comprising a catalytically active component.
Various proposals for operation of the oxygen-consuming electrodes in electrolysis cells on the industrial scale are known in principle from the prior art. The basic idea is to replace the hydrogen-evolving cathode in the electrolysis (for example in chloralkali electrolysis) with the oxygen-consuming electrode (cathode). An overview of the possible cell designs and solutions can be found in the publication by Moussallem et al "Chlor-Alkali Electrolysis with Oxygen Depolarized Cathodes: History, Present Status and Future Prospects", J. Appl. Electrochem. 38 (2008) 1177-1194.
The oxygen-consuming electrode—also called OCE for short hereinafter—has to meet a series of requirements to be usable in industrial electrolyzers. For instance, the catalyst and all other materials used have to be chemically stable against concentrated alkali metal hydroxide solutions and towards pure oxygen at a temperature of typically 80-90° C. Similarly, a high degree of mechanical stability is required, such that the electrodes can be installed and operated in electrolyzers with a size typically more than 2 m2 in area (industrial scale). Further desirable properties are: high electrical conductivity, low layer thickness, high internal surface area and high electrochemical activity of the electrocatalyst. Suitable hydrophobic and hydrophilic pores and a corresponding pore structure for transmission of gas and electrolyte are likewise necessary, as is such imperviosity that gas and liquid space remain separate from one another. Long-term stability and low production costs are further particular requirements on an industrially usable oxygen-consuming electrode.
A problem in the case of arrangement of an OCE in a cathode element arises from the fact that, on the catholyte side, the hydrostatic pressure forms a gradient over the height of the electrode, which is opposed on the gas side by a constant pressure over the height. The effect of this can be that, in the lower region of the electrode, the hydrophobic pores too are flooded and liquid gets onto the gas side. On the other hand, in the case of excessively high gas pressure in the upper part of the OCE, liquid can be displaced from the hydrophilic pores and oxygen can get onto the catholyte side. Both effects reduce the performance of the OCE. In practice, the effect of this is that the construction height of an OCE is limited to about 30 cm unless further measures are taken.
A preferred solution to this problem results from an arrangement in which the catholyte is conducted from the top downward through a flat porous element mounted between OCE and ion exchange membrane, called a percolator, in a kind of free-falling liquid film, called falling film for short, along the OCE. In this arrangement, no liquid column bears on the liquid side of the OCE, and no hydrostatic pressure profile builds up over the construction height of the cell. A description of this arrangement can be found in WO 2001/57290 A1.
In another version, the ion exchange membrane which, in the electrolysis cell, divides the anode space from the cathode space, without an intervening space for the flow of an alkali, called catholyte gap for short, directly adjoins the OCE. This arrangement is also referred to as the "zero gap" arrangement, as opposed to a "finite gap" arrangement in which the alkali metal hydroxide solution is conducted through a defined narrow gap between OCE and the membrane. The zero gap arrangement is typically also employed in fuel cell technology. A disadvantage here is that the alkali metal hydroxide solution which forms has to be passed through the OCE to the gas side and then flows downwards at the OCE. In the course of this, the pores in the OCE must not be blocked by the alkali metal hydroxide, and there must not be any crystallization of alkali metal hydroxide in the pores. It has been found that a very high alkali metal hydroxide concentration can indeed arise here too, but it is stated that the ion exchange membrane at these high concentrations lacks long-term stability (Lipp et al., J. Appl. Electrochem. 35 (2005)1015—Los Alamos National Laboratory "Peroxide formation during chlor-alkali electrolysis with carbon-based ODC").
An oxygen-consuming electrode consists typically of a support element, for example a plate of porous metal or a metal wire mesh, and an electrochemically catalytically active coating. The electrochemically active coating is microporous and consists of hydrophilic and hydrophobic constituents. The hydrophobic constituents make it difficult for electrolytes to penetrate through and thus keep the corresponding pores in the OCE unblocked for the transport of the oxygen to the catalytically active sites. The hydrophilic constituents enable the electrolyte to penetrate to the catalytically active sites, and the hydroxide ions to be transported away from the OCE. The hydrophobic component used is generally a fluorinated polymer such as polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), which additionally serves as a polymeric binder for particles of the catalyst. In the case of electrodes with a silver catalyst, for example, the silver serves as a hydrophilic component.
A multitude of compounds have been described as electrochemical catalysts for the reduction of oxygen. However, only platinum and silver have gained practical significance as catalysts for the reduction of oxygen in alkaline solutions.
Platinum has a very high catalytic activity for the reduction of oxygen. Due to the high costs of platinum, it is used exclusively in supported form. A preferred support material is carbon. However, stability of carbon-supported and platinum-based electrodes in long-term operation is inadequate, probably because platinum also catalyses the oxidation of the support material. Carbon additionally promotes the unwanted formation of H2O2, which likewise causes oxidation. Silver likewise has a high electrocatalytic activity for the reduction of oxygen.
Silver can be used in carbon-supported form, and also as fine metallic silver. Even though the carbon-supported silver catalysts are more durable than the corresponding platinum catalysts, the long-term stability thereof under the conditions in oxygen-consuming electrodes, especially in the case of use for chloralkali electrolysis, is limited.
In the case of production of OCEs comprising unsupported silver catalyst, the silver is preferably introduced at least partly in the form of silver oxides, which are then reduced to metallic silver. The reduction is generally effected when the electrolysis cell is first started up. The reduction of the silver compounds also results in a change in the arrangement of the crystals, more particularly also to bridge formation between individual silver particles. This leads to overall consolidation of the structure.
It has been observed that, when the electrolysis current is switched off, the silver catalyst can be oxidized again. The oxidation is apparently promoted by the oxygen and the moisture in the half-cell. The oxidation can result in rearrangements in the catalyst structure, which have adverse effects on the activity of the catalyst and hence on the performance of the OCE.
It has also been found that the performance, especially the electrolysis voltage required, in an OCE with a silver catalyst depends considerably on the startup conditions. This applies both to the first startup of an OCE and to the further startups after a shutdown. It is one of the objects of the present invention to find specific conditions for the operation and especially the startup of an OCE with a silver catalyst, which ensure a high performance of the OCE.
A further central element of the electrolysis cell is the ion exchange membrane. The membrane is pervious to cations and water and substantially impervious to anions. The ion exchange membranes in electrolysis cells are subject to severe stress: They have to be stable towards chlorine on the anode side and to severe alkaline stress on the cathode side at a temperature around 90° C. Perfluorinated polymers such as PTFE typically withstand these stresses. The ions are transported via sulphonate groups or carboxyl groups polymerized into these polymers. Carboxyl groups exhibit higher selectivity, have lower water absorption and have higher electrical resistance than sulphonate groups. In general, multilayer membranes are used, with a thicker layer containing sulphonate groups on the anode side and a thinner layer containing carboxyl groups on the cathode side. The membranes are provided with a hydrophilic layer on the cathode side or both sides. To improve their mechanical properties, the membranes are reinforced by the inlaying of wovens or knits; the reinforcement is preferably incorporated into the layer containing sulphonate groups.
Due to the complex structure, the ion exchange membranes are sensitive to changes in the media surrounding them. Different molar concentrations can result in formation of significant osmotic pressure gradients between the anode and cathode sides. When the electrolyte concentrations decrease, the membrane swells as a result of increased water absorption. When the electrolyte concentrations increase, the membrane releases water and shrinks as a result; in the extreme case, withdrawal of water can cause precipitation of solids in the membrane or mechanical destruction of the membrane.
Concentration changes can thus cause disruption and damage at the membrane. The result may be delamination of the layer structure (blister formation), as a result of which the mass transfer through the membrane deteriorates.
In addition, pinholes and, in the extreme case, cracks can occur, which can result in mixing of anolyte and catholyte.
In production plants, it is desirable for electrolysis cells to be operated over periods of up to several years, without opening them in the meantime. Due to variation in demand volumes and faults in production sectors upstream and downstream of the electrolysis, electrolysis cells in production plants, however, inevitably have to be repeatedly switched off and back on again.
On shutdown and restart of the electrolysis cells, there occur conditions which can lead to damage to the cell elements and considerably reduce the lifetime thereof. More particularly, oxidative damage has been found in the cathode space, as have damage to the OCE and damage to the membrane.
The prior art discloses few modes of operation with which the risk of damage to the electrolysis cells in the course of startup and shutdown can be reduced.
A measure known from conventional membrane electrolysis is the maintenance of a polarization voltage, which means that, when the electrolysis is ended, the potential difference is not run down to zero, but maintained at the level of the polarization voltage. In practical terms, a somewhat higher voltage than that required for the polarization is set, such that a constant low current flows and electrolysis proceeds to a minor degree. However, in the case of use of OCEs, this measure is insufficient to prevent oxidative damage to OCEs which have been shut down.
Published specification JP 2004-300510 A describes an electrolysis process using a micro-gap arrangement, in which corrosion in the cathode space is to be prevented by flooding the gas space with sodium hydroxide solution on shutdown of the cell. The flooding of the gas space with sodium hydroxide solution accordingly protects the cathode space from corrosion, but gives inadequate protection from damage to the electrode and the membrane on shutdown and startup, or during shutdown periods.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,578,159A1 states that, for an electrolysis process using a zero gap arrangement, purging the cathode space with 35% sodium hydroxide solution prior to startup of the cell, or starting up the cell with low current density and gradually increasing the current density, prevents damage to membrane and electrode. This procedure reduces the risk of damage to membrane and OCE during startup, but does not give any protection from damage during shutdown and shutdown periods.
Document U.S. Pat. No. 4,364,806A1 discloses that exchange of the oxygen for nitrogen after downregulating the electrolysis current will prevent corrosion in the cathode space. According to WO2008009661A2, the addition of a small proportion of hydrogen to the nitrogen will give rise to an improvement in protection from corrosion damage. The methods mentioned, however, are complex and entail the installation of additional equipment for nitrogen and hydrogen supply. Moreover, the addition of hydrogen increases the safety risk in the course of operation of such electrolysers through formation of explosive gas mixtures, since residues of oxygen may be present in the cathode space. On restart, the pores of the OCE are partly filled with nitrogen, which prevents the supply of oxygen to the reactive sites. The process also does not give any protection from damage to the ion exchange membrane.
The Final Technical Report "Advanced Chlor-Alkali Technology" by Jerzy Chlistunoff (Los Alamos National Laboratory, DOE Award 03EE-2F/Ed190403, 2004) details conditions for the temporary shutdown and startup of zero gap cells. In the case of shutdown, after the electrolysis current has been stopped, the oxygen supply is stopped and replaced by nitrogen. The moistening of the gas stream is increased in order to wash out the remaining NaOH. On the anode side, the brine is replaced by hot water (90° C.). The procedure is repeated until a stable polarization voltage (open-circuit voltage) has been attained. The cells are then cooled, then the supply of moist nitrogen and the pumped circulation of the water on the anode side are stopped.
For the restart, the anode side is first filled with brine; on the cathode side, water and nitrogen are introduced. The cell is then heated to 80° C. Then the gas supply is switched to oxygen and a polarization voltage with low current flow is applied. Subsequently, the current density is increased and the pressure in the cathode is increased; the temperature rises to 90° C. Brine and water supply are subsequently adjusted such that the desired concentrations on the anode and cathode sides are attained.
The known processes described are complex to conduct; this is especially true of industrial electrolysis plants, where safety aspects are of increased importance. Moreover, not all processes can be applied to electrolysis cells with a finite gap arrangement.
It should be stated that the techniques described to date for startup and shutdown of an OCE are disadvantageous and give only inadequate protection from damage.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved electrolysis process for chloralkali electrolysis using an OCE in the finite gap arrangement with suitable operating parameters for startup and shutdown of the electrolysis cell having an OCE with a silver catalyst as the electrocatalytic substance, which are simple to perform and where compliance prevents damage to membrane, electrode and/or other components of the electrolysis cell.

Process for electrolysis of alkali metal chlorides with oxygen-consuming electrodes


According to one embodiment of the present invention, a method for locating experts is provided. The method includes receiving a first query from a first user requesting the identity of persons having desired skills. The names of persons in a database having the desired skills are then identified. A second query is sent to a plurality of additional users requesting the verification of the information relating to the skills of the identified persons. Responses from the plurality of users are used to amend the information relating to skills of the identified persons.

The present invention relates to knowledge management systems (KMS), and more specifically, to an expert locator based on user polling.
There are currently KMS solutions that provide some form of expert location. for example, the AskMe solution provided by Realcom (http://www.realcom-inc.com/product/) has an expert locator. AskMe uses collaboration to identify experts for particular areas of knowledge, implementing expert profiles to manage human sources of area-specific knowledge. These profiles can be updated dynamically by the experts themselves or may be automatically updated through processes which monitor information published by the expert.

International Business Machines Corporation


The present invention is concerned with a novel bioherbicide, and composition thereof for the control of broadleaf weeds in lawns, golf courses, parks, sports fields, other turfed areas, and grass crops such as corn and cereal grains. More specifically, the invention is concerned with a novel isolate Sclerotinia minor IMI 344141, agricultural formulations thereof, and its use as a bioherbicide to control troublesome broadleaf weed species.

Numerous broadleaf weed species, including dandelion (Taraxacum officinale), plantain (Plantago species), knotweed (Polygonum species), ground ivy (Gleocoma hederacea), ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia), white clover (Trifolium repens), black medic (Medicago lupulina) and henbit (Lamium amplexicaule) infest turfgrass areas such as lawns, golf courses, parks and sports fields. Chemical weed control using chemical herbicides is often the easiest, most effective and least expensive way to control broadleaf weeds in turf. Herbicides such as 2,4-D (2,4-dichlorophenoxy acetic acid), mecoprop [2-(4-chloro-2-methylphenoxy) propanoic acid], dichlorprop [2-(2,4-dichlorophenoxy) propanoic acid], dicamba (3,6-dichloro-2-methoxybenzoic acid) and mixtures of these four chemical herbicides are commonly recommended and used to provide broadleaf weed control in turfgrass areas.
There is now significant public concern over the safety and use of chemical herbicides, particularly in the urban environment. These public concerns include toxic chemical residues in soils and water, contamination of foodstuffs, adverse effects on non-target organisms and public health. It would therefore be highly desirable to find a herbicidal composition which has a broad spectrum of activity against troublesome broadleaf weed without damaging desirable grass species, and which has a benign effect on the environment and reduces the input of chemical pesticides.

Sclerotinia minor for broad spectrum broadleaf weed control

The Royal Institution for the Advancement of Learning (McGill University)


A room pressure controlling system having a local exhaust valve, a supply air valve, a common exhaust air valve, controllers and a differential pressure sensor. The controller calculates a correction control output value for the valve operated as the room pressure controlling valve, which is either the supply air valve or the common exhaust air valve, based on a setting value and a room pressure measured by the differential pressure sensor. The controller evaluates whether or not the supply airflow rate and/or the exhaust airflow rate is changing, and if an airflow rate is changing, emphasizes rapid responsiveness of the room pressure control than a reduction in the frequency of actuation of the room pressure controlling valve, if the airflow rate is stable, the controller emphasizes the reduction in the frequency of actuation of the room pressure controlling valve than the rapid responsiveness of the room pressure control.

In chemical experiments, during the process of the external operations, often biochemical substances that are harmful to humans are produced. Fume hoods are used as one type of equipment to prevent these biochemical substances from being diffused into a room and to prevent them from coming into contact with the human body. Typically, fume hoods are provided with an enclosure with a sash that can be opened either vertically or horizontally, where an operator in the laboratory can access the inside of the enclosure through the sash. So that the operator will not be exposed to harmful biochemical substances during the operations using the fume hood, the enclosure is connected to a local exhaust duct that removes the biochemical substances.
The room pressure controlling system is a system for maintaining a constant pressure within a room so that when biochemical substances are handled within a fume hood, the airflow rate of the local exhaust duct will be adjusted so as to maintain a specific speed for the planar airflow rate within the sash plane so that there will be no backflow of biochemicals into the room, so that biochemical substances will not leak out of the room and that contamination, and like, will not leak into the room (See, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication H9-201540). FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating the structure of a conventional room pressure controlling system. The room pressure controlling system comprises: a fume hood 101 that is disposed within the room 100; a local exhaust duct 102 that is connected to the fume hood 101; a supply air duct 103 for supplying supply air to the room 100; a common exhaust duct 104 for the air of the room 100; a local exhaust air valve EXV for regulating the airflow rate of the local exhaust duct 102; a supply air valve MAV for regulating the airflow rate of the supply air duct 103; a common exhaust air valve GEX for regulating the airflow rate of the common exhaust duct 105; a controller 105 for controlling the local exhaust air valve EXV; a controller 106 for controlling the supply air valve MAV; a controller 107 for controlling the common exhaust air valve GEX; and communication lines 108 for connecting together the various controllers 105-1, 106, and 107. The fume hood 101 is provided with a sash 111 that can be opened and closed, and a sash sensor 112 for detecting the degree of opening of the sash 111.
In this type of room pressure controlling system, in order to maintain the pressure of the room 100 at the setting value, the degrees of opening of the supply air valve MAV and the common exhaust air valve GEX, and of the local exhaust air valve EXV, are controlled so that the supply airflow rate of the supply air duct 103, the exhaust airflow rate of the common exhaust duct 104, and the local exhaust airflow rate of the local exhaust duct 102 will satisfy the relationship of "Supply airflow rate=common exhaust airflow rate+local exhaust airflow rate+offset airflow rate." Moreover, in recent years a PCV (pressure control valve) function, for performing stabilized pressure control by adjusting the degree of opening of the PCV valve based on a pressure differential by measuring the pressure differential between the inside and the outside of the room has been added as well. This PCV function is achieved through causing the room pressure controlling operations to be performed as well in addition to the actual functions of either the supply air valve MAV or the common exhaust air valve GEX.
Conventionally, the valve that has handled the PCV function has been established unchangingly at the time of system configuration, causing it to be operated more frequently then the other valves in order to perform the fine adjustment operations for the room pressure, which is problematic in that the frequency of actuation is higher, reducing the service life. When a valve that handles a PCV function fails, it tends to cause large failures in the room pressure control.
The present invention was created in order to solve the problems set forth above, and the object thereof is to provide a room pressure controlling system able to extend the service life of a valve that is provided with a PCV function and to be able to extend the up-time, and the time between maintenance.


Optical waveguide paths are formed under the surface of a glass substrate by a method comprising (a) forming by ion-exchange a dopant ion path on a first substrate surface, (b) applying an electrode to the second surface, (c) contacting the first surface with a molten salt bath, and (d) applying an electrical field across the substrate to drive the dopant ions deeper into the substrate. The current resulting from high fields can overheat the substrate, thereby causing substrate warping and burying of paths to uneven depths. One aspect of the invention involves cooling the substrate by flowing the molten salt along the first surface of the substrate at a sufficient rate of flow to adequately decrease its temperature and by rapidly flowing the furnace atmosphere over the surface of the substrate. A further aspect of the invention involves initially applying a voltage V.sub.i across the substrate, allowing the current to increase to a predetermined level I.sub.m, and maintaining the flow of current at the predetermined level I.sub.m by decreasing the applied voltage at a rate necessarry to maintain the current at level I.sub.m. The electrical field remains for a predetermined period of time to bury the ion path a predetermined depth.

The present invention relates to an electrical field assisted ion-exchange method of making buried waveguides.
Passive optical waveguide paths have previously been formed in the surface of a glass substrate by ion-exchange processes. Such waveguide paths are useful for integrated optical applications due to their compatibility with optical fibers and their low cost of fabrication. A first surface of a glass substrate is initially masked by depositing a layer of masking material on a surface of the substrate, and photolithographically etching the layer of masking material, leaving openings where the waveguide path is to be formed. The masked surface is contacted by a first molten salt bath. In most cases, sodium ions in the substrate glass are exchanged for a dopant cation such as Cs, Ag, Ru or Tl. An electrical field is sometimes applied during this first ion-exchange process. The waveguide path can be buried under the substrate surface by removing the mask, applying an electrode to the second surface of the substrate and contacting the active side with a second molten salt bath which contains ions that contribute less to the substrate refractive index, eg. Na and K ions. While in contact with the second salt bath, an electrical field is applied between the bath and the second surface electrode.
As a result of this double ion-exchange process, there is formed beneath the first substrate surface a signal carrying region that has a higher refractive index than the region surrounding it. It is advantageous to have fairly sharp boundaries between the higher refractive index region and its neighboring regions. Moreover, the higher refractive index region should be buried deeply enough beneath the substrate surface to prevent scattering from surface irregularities and defects. A depth greater than 15 .mu.m is conventionally employed to prevent the electromagnetic field from reaching the surface of the glass. The refractive index profile depends on such parameters as the composition of the substrate glass, the nature of the incoming dopant ion, its concentration in the source, salt bath temperature, diffusion time, and the magnitude of the externally applied field.
The adverse effects of thermal diffusion can be reduced by burying a waveguide at a relatively low temperature. However, the processing time required to achieve a given depth correspondingly increases. An electrical field has been used to increase the rate of ion movement at low temperatures. U.S. Pat. No. 4,913,717 states that waveguides having sharp, well defined boundaries can be formed by performing the first ion-exchange at low temperature and under the influence of an electrical field of up to a few hundred volts per millimeter and burying the waveguide at a low temperature and again applying the voltage.
Although further increase in electrical field strength can decrease processing time, it can result in a number of problems: (a) it can cause arcing, (b) it can cause breakage of the glass substrate by having short circuits between the two sides of the glass substrate, these short-circuits being due to ion migration up the edges of the substrate, and (c) it can cause process instability due to Joule effect heating of the substrate.
Joule effect heating due to the application of high electrical fields can have the following effect on the process. As a high voltage is applied to the wafer, Joule effect heating of the wafer increases current flow due to the higher mobility of the ions. More power is then dissipated in the wafer, and the temperature of the wafer continues to increase. This can result in (a) a loss of control of the process due to overheating of the substrate, such overheating sometimes leading to substrate breakage, (b) a non-uniformity of waveguide characteristics (index of refraction, waveguide dimension, and depth of burial) due to the temperature gradients created, and (c) a warping of the substrate, whereby attachment of optical fibers to the waveguide paths becomes more difficult.

Method of burying optical waveguide paths


A telephone switching system includes line packages and a switch unit allowing a path to be established between the line packages. At least one line package is interconnected to, e.g. a broadband-adaptive unit, and is adaptive to both of a first coding rule expected of the switch unit and a second coding rule higher in compression ratio than the first coding rule. The broadband-adaptive line package, monitoring the coding rule of another line package connected thereto, adapts itself to the first coding rule if the other line package is adaptive only to the first coding rule, or adapts itself to the second coding rule if the other line package is adaptive to both of the first and second coding rules.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a telephone switching system, and more particularly to a telephone switching system applicable to a PBX (Private Branch exchange) accommodating, e.g. units adaptive to an existing communications network such as a public switched telephone network and a broadband network.
2. Description of the Background Art
Today, the rapid growth of broadband communications has not only made transmission equipment on the network side adaptive to broadband services, but also promoted the replacement of ordinary subscriber lines with broadband circuits such as ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line) or optical fibers. In parallel with such spread of broadband networks, or broadband IP (Internet Protocol) networks, broadband CODECs (COder-DECoders) are used so that communications units and terminals such as IP telephone sets are spreading for thereby enhancing communications quality.
A conventional switching network has, in many cases, a particular kind of CODEC. In other words, a particular coding rule is assigned to each interface. Such a switching network was therefore, in this sense, problematic little. However, considering the current trend toward the mixture of a conventional network such as a public switched telephone network with a modern broadband network, it is necessary to select a particular kind of CODEC for each call. For example, a conventional circuit switching system or a conventional PBX uses a coding rule that basically accords to ITU-T (International Telecommunication Union-Telecommunication standardization sector) Recommendation G.711 (G.711 coding rule hereinafter). However, when the circuit switching system or the PBX accommodates a broadband interface according to ITU-T Recommendation G.722 (G.722 coding rule hereinafter), it is necessary to match its CODEC to the other station to be connected. More specifically, communications must be held in a G.722 or broadband mode if the other station connected is a broadband station using the G.722 coding rule, or be in a G.711 mode if it accords to the G.711 coding rule.
Now, the frequency band available with a broadband IP network is basically not limited, and therefore promotes services using broadband audio signals. More specifically, human voices are originally not limited to the frequency band below 4 kHz inclusive, but include harmonics components, so that broadband communications are more desirable in establishing conversation that sounds more natural or less wearing.
IP telephone systems, for example, can implement broadband communications. More specifically, when the G.722 coding rule is used in combination with, e.g. H.323, MGCP (Media Gateway Control Protocol), SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) or similar protocol standardized by the ITU-T, the frequency band for communications can be broadened if CODEC negotiation is executed. However, the following problem would arise when an IP telephone set is accommodated in a conventional PBX based on a time switch.
Generally, the coding rule of a conventional PBX is fixed to the G.711 or similar coding rule not adaptive to broadband applications. If an IP telephone set adaptive to broadband communications is accommodated in such a PBX, then the IP telephone set must be designed to negotiate a coding rule with a central control module included in the PBX for controlling call switching processing. However, it would be impractical for the central control module, which inherently bears a heavy load, to perform negotiation on the coding rule as well.

Telephone switching system accommodating a plurality of line packages


An exhaust gas purifying catalyst comprises: a plurality of catalyst units which contain anchor particles that support noble metal particles; and an enclosure material that internally contains the plurality of catalyst units and separates the catalyst units from each other. Both the anchor particles and the enclosure material contain an alkali element and/or an alkaline earth element. Due to this configuration, this exhaust gas purifying catalyst is capable of maintaining the exhaust gas purification performance by suppressing agglomeration of the noble metal particles even in cases where the ambient temperature is high.

There are known three-way catalysts as exhaust gas purifying catalysts installed in vehicles and the like to oxidize or reduce harmful gas (hydrocarbon (HC), carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxide (NOx)) contained in exhaust gas. In association with the recent increase in consciousness of environmental issues, regulations on exhaust gas emitted from vehicles and the like are being tightened. In response to such regulations, advances are being made in the improvement of three-way catalysts.
For example, there is disclosed a three-way catalyst as an exhaust gas purifying catalyst in which particles containing noble metal particles supported on a metal oxide are covered with a porous oxide (for example, refer to Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 2008-284534). In this exhaust gas purifying catalyst, the metal oxide contains a rare earth element, alkali metal and alkaline-earth metal. Therefore, since the noble metal particles are prevented from moving from the metal oxide and being aggregated even under high temperature conditions, particle diameters of approximately several nanometers can be maintained.

Exhaust gas purifying catalyst and method for producing same


Distress feeds, such as refinery sludge and slop oils are upgraded over hot equilibrium catalyst (E-Cat) removed from an FCC regenerator. Hot E-Cat demetallizes and/or demulsifies slop and sludge streams in an auxiliary reactor without contaminating the FCC catalyst inventory. Waste streams are upgraded with a "waste" catalyst stream. The auxiliary reactor and FCC reactor may share a product fractionator.

Many refineries devote extraordinary amounts of energy and operating expense to convert most of a whole crude oil feed into high octane gasoline. The crude is fractionated to produce a virgin naphtha fraction which is usually reformed, and a gas oil and/or vacuum gas oil fraction which is catalytically cracked to produce naphtha, and light olefins. The naphtha is added to the refiners gasoline blending pool, while the light olefins are converted, usually by HF or sulfuric acid alkylation, into gasoline boiling range material which is then added to the gasoline blending pool.
Catalytic cracking started as a fixed bed process, then evolved to a moving bed process, and finally a fluid bed process, with considerable competition and overlap as each improvement displaced earlier cracking processes. The fluid bed process itself underwent considerable evolution, going from a long folded riser cracking with limited conversion and 10-60 seconds of residence time, to dense bed cracking with increased conversion and residence time, to riser cracking with 1-10 seconds of residence time.
The fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) process is now the preferred process in the petroleum refining industry for converting higher boiling petroleum fractions into lower boiling products, especially gasoline. A finely divided solid cracking catalyst promotes cracking reactions. The catalyst is in a finely divided form, typically with a particles of 20-100 microns, with an average of about 60-75 microns. The catalyst acts like a fluid (hence the designation FCC) and circulates in a closed cycle between a cracking zone and a separate regeneration zone.
In FCC, fresh feed contacts hot catalyst from the regenerator in a reactor. The cracked products are discharged and separated and cracking reactor vapor sent to a main fractionator which produces several product streams. The catalyst is regenerated, and reused.
Depending on the size of the unit, from a few tons to 50 or 60 tons per minute of regenerated catalyst meets feed in the reactor. Each day most units remove a few to about 50 tons of catalyst from the unit, and usually refer to it as E-cat, or equilibrium catalyst, and replace it with fresh or makeup catalyst. As feeds get worse, catalyst removal and makeup rates usually increase, primarily because of metals contamination.
A further description of the catalytic cracking process may be found in the monograph, "Fluid Catalytic Cracking With Zeolite Catalysts," Venuto and Habib, Marcel Dekker, N.Y., 1978, incorporated by reference.
Modern refiners are faced with several dilemmas. They must process large amounts of crude oil, frequently containing so much metal that the spent catalyst becomes a disposal problem. Large refineries also generate significant amounts of slop or sludge streams which are very small in terms of crude throughput, but so contaminated with metals and solids that processing of the slop streams is difficult. As an example, many refinery sludges contain so much metal and/or solids that they cannot be cracked in the FCC unit, but these same sludges contain a lot of potentially recoverable hydrocarbon.
In addition, refineries produce other hazardous waste streams such as spent caustic, various spent amine solutions (diethanolamine, DEA and/or methanolamine, MEA). Spent caustic solutions are now hauled away at great expense. It is difficult to even concentrate some of these streams because of corrosiveness and/or fear of plugging equipment with salts.
Activated carbons and various resin catalysts and other absorbents are used in many refineries, and all of these materials become contaminated with metals and/or hydrocarbons during use. They represent another large, and expensive, disposal problem.
I discovered an efficient way to upgrade these waste refinery streams, by making unusual use of another by-product of a refinery, the tons per day of equilibrium catalyst removed from the FCC unit. Catalyst which must be removed from the FCC unit, usually because it has too much metal on it, makes an efficient slop oil upgrader with a large capacity for metals and solids.
In a preferred embodiment, I use not only the adsorbent value of the catalyst, but also make productive use of its thermal energy for upgrading waste streams. Thus, a spent caustic stream can be discharged at relatively low temperature into a vessel containing hot E-Cat. The caustic will be neutralized on the acid sites of the FCC catalyst, which reduces the acidity of the FCC catalyst. Water in the spent caustic is recovered as steam, while hydrocarbons and/or sulfur compounds are generally recovered as hydrocarbon vapor products or H2S. The spent caustic can be added at a relatively low temperature, because the hot FCC catalyst efficient heats even cool caustic streams. The net effect of all this is to make the caustic disappear, and reduce the acidity of the spent FCC catalyst. A waste stream has been eliminated, and the FCC catalyst is no more difficult to dispose of after eliminating the spent caustic Many refinery solid and liquid streams can be eliminated in this way, using spent FCC catalyst as a treating medium.

Processing waste over spent FCC catalyst