An information processing apparatus comprises an operating member used for changing a sound volume, a display device which displays volume data of the sound volume changed in response to an operation of the operating member and a controller which changes the volume data. An indicator indicates level data changed in response to the operation of the operating member.

1. Field
Embodiments of the present invention relate to an information processing apparatus having a function of playing back sound and a sound volume control method for use in the information processing apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, a type of personal computer has been developed having an AV playback function which enables audio and video (AV) apparatuses including compact disk (CD) players, digital versatile disk (DVD) players, and TV receivers to be played back through the computer.
For example, Japanese Patent Publication (KOKAI) 2002-335137 (paragraphs 0002 to 0005) discloses an audio apparatus which is connectable with a computer. The computer can execute application software to play back sound from audio data stored in the computer and control the volume of the sound. GUI (graphic user interface) software provided by an OS (operation system) or the application software is used for controlling the volume of the sound. Also, pointing devices such as a mouse, a track ball or the like is used as typical input devices. The GUI displays a rotary volume knob or a sliding volume knob or the like.
This allows a user to manipulate the pointing devices such as the mouse and to drag the cursor for turning or sliding the volume knob displayed on the operating screen of the GUI. Accordingly, the sound amplitude of the audio apparatus can be controlled by the user operating the control on the display screen.
However, a problem is that the conventional volume control adjustment using the GUI is not performed until application software is started.

Information processing apparatus and sound volume control method


An airbag electrical control unit mounted in a vehicle includes a position detecting circuit that detects a current position of the vehicle; a computing circuit that computes impact that the vehicle undergoes using a signal from a sensor; and a notifying circuit that notifies a previously designated recipient of a notification data that includes the detected current information alone or both the detected current position and the computed impact. Here, a traveling mode that addresses a traveling-period trouble generated while the vehicle is traveling and a parking mode that addresses a parking-period trouble generated while the vehicle is being parked are switched into each other.

For instance, Patent document 1 describes an automatic notification system that uses a navigation system, a transmission module, and a cell phone in an integrated manner. The transmission module receives emergency signals such as an airbag expansion signal, an emergency button ON signal, etc, further receiving a vehicle's current position that is obtained from a GPS (Global Positioning System) of the navigation system. The transmission module generates sound notification data, from the emergency signals and the current position. The generated notification data is then sent to a previously designated notification recipient via the cell phone.
In the above automatic notification system, the cell phone and navigation system are indispensable. Therefore, an occupant who has no cell phone, or a vehicle that has no navigation system cannot use this automatic notification system, which indicates that this automatic notification system is not provided with practicability or expandability.
Further, the automatic notification system deals with only a traveling-period trouble that occurs while the vehicle is traveling. By contrast, Patent documents 2, 3, 4 describe alarming systems that deal with parking-period troubles such as stealing that occurs while vehicles are being parked; however, these alarming systems do not transmit notification data to notification recipients.
(Patent document 1: U.S. Pat. No. 5,555,286 A)
(Patent document 2: JP-H5-139250 A)
(Patent document 3: JP-2002-67882A (US 2002/0039951 A1))
(Patent document 4: JP-2001-71870 A)


The invention relates to a method for producing 3,3-dichloro-1,1,1-trifluoroacetone. This method includes a step of fluorinating pentachloroacetone by hydrogen fluoride in the presence of a fluorination catalyst. This fluorination may be conducted in a liquid phase in the presence of an antimony compound as the fluorination catalyst. Alternatively, the fluorination may be conducted in a gas phase in the presence of a fluorination catalyst which may be a fluorinated alumina or at least one compound of at least one metal selected from Al, Cr, Mn, Ni, and Co. The method is suited to an industrial scale production of 3,3-dichloro-1,1,1-trifluoroacetone. The invention further relates to another method for producing 3,3-dichloro-1,1,1-trifluoroacetone. This method includes a step of purifying a crude 3,3-dichloro-1,1,1-trifluoroacetone by a distillation in the presence of water, thereby to produce 3,3-dichloro-1,1,1-trifluoroacetone which is substantially free of organic matters other than 3,3-dichloro-1,1,1-trifluoroacetone. This crude 3,3-dichloro-1,1,1-trifluoroacetone may be the reaction products of the fluorination of pentachloroacetone in a gas phase. Due to the provision of the another method, 3,3-dichloro-1,1,1-trifluoroacetone can be produced with high yield.

The present invention relates to a method for producing 3,3-dichloro-1,1,1-trifluoroacetone which is useful as an intermediate of medicines and agricultural chemicals and as a reagent for introducing fluorine-containing groups.
English translation (pp. 241-245) of Doklady Akademii Nauk SSSR, Vol. 307, No. 6, pp. 1385-1390, August, 1989 discloses that 3,3-dichloro-1,1,1-trifluoroacetone is synthesized from 3,3,3-trichloro-1,1,1-trifluoropropane-2-one in an anhydrous solvent, through an Al-enolate intermediate, using a mercury compound catalyst. In this synthesis, it is necessary to strictly maintain the reaction system under an anhydrous condition and use a mercury compound catalyst which is hazardous. Thus, this synthesis is not suited to an industrial scale production of 3,3-dichloro-1,1,1-trifluoroacetone. In view of this, there is a demand for a method for producing 3,3-dichloro-1,1,1-trifluoroacetone, which is suited to an industrial scale production therefor.
Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication JP-A-9-227440 discloses another method for producing 3,3-dichloro-1,1,1-trifluoroacetone by chlorinating a trifluoroacetoacetate represented by the formula CF.sub.3 COCH.sub.2 CO.sub.2 R, where R is a lower alkyl group, and then decarboxylating the chlorinated trifluoroacetoacetate.

Method for producing 3,3-dichloro-1,1,1-triflouroacetone


A speech recognition system capable of recognizing a word or a plurality of words based on a continuous spelling of the word(s) by a user. The system includes a speech recognition engine with a decoder running in forward mode such that the recognition engine continuously outputs an updated string of hypothesized letters based on the letters uttered by the user. The system further includes a spelling engine for comparing each string of hypothesized letters to a vocabulary list of words. The spelling engine returns a best match for the string of hypothesized letters. The system may also include an early identification unit for presenting the user with the best matching word(s) possibly before the user has completed spelling the desired word(s).

A. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to speech recognition systems and, more particularly, to a system for recognizing words based on the continuous spelling thereof by a user and, when possible, for prompting the user with an early identification of the word being spelled.
B. The Prior Art
Speech recognition systems convert spoken language to a form, such as a data string, that is easily managed by a computer. Once converted to a data string, the information may then be used by the computer in a variety of ways. For example, it may be stored or output by the computer in textual form or it may be used to control a physical system. Since speech is the most common communication medium among people, significant effort has been directed at developing and improving speech recognition systems.
One commercially desirable application of speech recognition is a telephone directory response system in which the user supplies information of a restricted nature, such as the name and address of a telephone subscriber, and receives, in return, the telephone number of that subscriber. An even more complex system is a telephone ordering system in which the user supplies user-specific information (e.g., name, address, telephone number, special identification number, credit card number, etc.) as well as transaction-specific information (e.g., nature of item desired, size, color, etc.) and the system, in return, provides information to the user concerning the desired transaction (e.g., price, availability, shipping date, etc.).
The recognition of natural, unconstrained speech by a speaker-independent computer recognizer remains a complex and unsolved problem. The greatest difficulty arises from the enormous variations with which the same word or words may be pronounced by different people and even by the same person under different circumstances. This difficulty is exacerbated when there is environmental or background noise or when an inherently noisy transmission medium is being used (e.g., a telephone line). As a result, speech recognition systems often seek to simplify the recognition task in various ways. For example, they may require the speech to be noise-free (e.g., by using a good microphone), they may require the speaker to pause between words, or they may limit the vocabulary that can be understood to a small number of words.
A description of the current state-of-the-art in speech recognition systems may be found in D. Pallett, J. Fiscus, W. Fisher, J. Garofolo, B. Lund, A. Martin and M. Przybocki, 1994 Benchmark Test for the ARPA Spoken Language Program, Proc. Spoken Language Systems Technology Workshop Jan. 22-25, 1995, Austin, Tex. Furthermore, an example of an interactive, speaker-independent speech recognition system is the SUMMIT system being developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. This system is described in Zue, V., Seneff, S., Polifroni, J., Phillips, M., Pao, C., Goddeau, D., Glass, J., and Brill, E. "The MIT ATIS System: December 1993 Progress Report," Proc. ARPA human Language Technology Workshop, Princeton, N.J., March 1994, among other papers. Although still unable to recognize natural, unconstrained speech, as mentioned above, commercial adaptations of these research systems and other commercially available systems have attained a level of performance that makes certain general-use applications feasible.
Since present speech recognizers, especially user-independent systems, a re unable to recognize every word being spoken, it is desirable for such systems to employ some type of fall-back mode or procedure for those situations in which the recognizer fails to identify a given word or words. These fall-back procedures, moreover, must be highly accurate. Otherwise, the user, who has already encountered a misrecognition or non-recognition by the system , m ay become sufficiently frustrated as to terminate his or her interaction with the system.
For speech recognition systems that are accessed over the telephone, one such fall-back procedure is to instruct the user to spell the desired word using the keys of a touch-tone telephone. Each key typically represents three possible letter choices. To distinguish between the various letters assigned to each key, the user may be instructed to press two keys for each letter. For example, to select the letter "A" which is the first letter listed on the numeral "2" key, the user would press the "2" key to identify the letter group desired and then the "1" key to identify the position within the letter group of the desired letter. Although such systems are eventually able to recognize most words, the procedure is cumbersome and time-consuming. A significant improvement to this approach is described in J. Davis Let Your fingers Do The Spelling: Implicit Disambiguation of Words Spelled With The Telephone Keypad Journal of the American Voice I/O Society 9:57-66 (March 1991). In this system, the user presses one key per letter and the system keeps track of all possible letter sequences represented by the succession of single keystrokes (each of which may represent any of three letter s). Each possible letter sequence generated by the series of keystrokes is compared against a master list of allowed words stored in the system. Despite the large number of letter sequences, the system is typically able to match the keystrokes to a unique word in the list.
The system disclosed by Davis also provides for early identification. Early identification is the selection of a word for presentation to the user before the user has entered all of the letters of the word. That is, a word is identified by the system and acted upon as soon as the sequence of keystrokes eliminates all but one possibility, even if the word has not yet been completely spelled by the user. Such systems provide improved response time and performance, by not requiring the complete spelling of every word.
Nevertheless, there are several disadvantages to spelling an unrecognized or misrecognized word via the keys of a touch-tone telephone. First, such a system obviously relies on a telephone keypad that is accessible to the user and connected to the system. Thus, the system has limited applicability. Second, it is disrupting to the user to begin voice interaction with a computer system and then switch to touch key entry. Also, since most users have not memorized the location of each letter on a touch-tone keypad and since certain letters are missing, it is awkward and time-consuming to spell in this fashion. It would be more desirable for the user to speak to the system than use the touch keys of a telephone.
Spoken letter recognition by a computer, however, is a difficult problem to solve for several reasons. First, many letters, such as those comprising the "E-set" (i.e., B, C, D, E, G, P, T, V and Z) are often confused with one another. Furthermore, on the telephone, the speech signal is often degraded by bandpass filtering and the quality of some telephone components, causing additional confusion between letters such as "S" and "F". In addition, if the letters are spoken continuously, the boundaries between the end of one letter and the beginning of the next are not readily apparent, causing two possible problems. First, confusion among letter sequences may occur (e.g., A J versus H A). Second, the recognizer may erroneously insert and delete letters in its hypothesis, thereby detecting the wrong number of spoken letters and making recognition even more difficult. Since the prior art speech recognition systems are unable to overcome these problems, they are not sufficiently accurate for use as a fallback procedure.
A "discrete-spoken" spelling system that separately prompts the user to speak each letter of the unrecognized or misrecognized word (e.g., "state first letter", "state second letter", etc.) is described in Marx, M. (co-applicant herein) and Schmandt, C. "Reliable Spelling Despite Poor Spoken Letter Recognition" Proc. of the American Voice I/O Society, San Jose, Calif., Sep. 20-22, 1994. By prompting the user for each letter, this approach avoids any confusion over how many letters were spoken by the user. In addition, the discrete-spelling system can identify and process each spoken letter separately, potentially resulting in greater recognition accuracy as compared to a continuous spelling system.
The discrete-spoken spelling recognition system disclosed by Marx and Schmandt also incorporates the implicit disambiguation and early identification features of the touch-tone system described by Davis. As in the touch-tone system, the discrete-spoken spelling recognition system keeps track of all possible letter sequences while the user continues to spell the desired word(s) by stating each letter. Similarly, each letter sequence is compared with a list of allowable words and the system identifies the spelled word once the list is narrowed to only one possibility. This occurs even if the user has not yet spelled the word(s) to completion. Recall that in the touch-tone system, ambiguity arises from having three possible letters for each key. In the speech recognition system, the ambiguity arises from misrecognition of the individual letters by the recognizer employed in the system. That is, one letter may be confused with another (e.g., M for N).
As part of the development of the discrete-spoken spelling recognition system, a list of likely misrecognitions between letters was developed for each letter by running the speech recognition engine on various spoken examples of each letter (e.g., different speakers, different accents, etc.). The list thus provides a set of possible letters that may have been spoken by the user for each letter hypothesized by the speech recognition engine. For example, if the recognition engine returns a "v", the list indicates that the user might have said "b", "d", "e", "p", "v" or "z". This set of possible letters is then used by the disambiguation aspect of the system to generate all possible letter sequences for comparison to the list of allowable words. The Marx and Schmandt system is thus able to provide a high level of accuracy, despite errors made by the speech recognition engine.
Nonetheless, discrete-spoken spelling systems, such as the one described above, have certain limitations. For example, because the user must wait for the system to prompt him or her for each letter, the system appears slow and time-consuming to the user. In sales-oriented and other voice recognition systems, it is extremely important that the system appear quick to the user. Indeed, a system that seems time-consuming or slow may be avoided by a user, possibly resulting in lost sales. In addition, if a user were to provide two letters despite being prompted for only one or if the recognition engine so misidentifies a single letter that the corresponding set of possible letters does not include the actual letter spoken, then the system will not identify the correct word(s). The present invention is directed, in part, to solving these limitations by providing a highly accurate computer system for the recognition of continuously spoken spelling.

Method and apparatus for continuous spelling speech recognition with early identification


Examples of the present disclosure relate to a device and system in a vehicle for guiding light towards a user. In an example, the device includes a heads up display (HUD) to guide light towards a user in a vehicle, the HUD. In an example, the device includes a HUD housing with a base plane and a stationary mirror mount on the HUD base. The example can include an adjustable mirror mount on the HUD base and an attachment slot disposed in the HUD housing, the attachment slot to accept a mounting tab, wherein the attachment slot is shaped to accept both of either a predominantly vertical mounting tab or a predominantly horizontal mounting tab.

This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art, which may be related to various aspects of the present disclosure, which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it can be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.
A heads up display (HUD) provides information to a user and can include projecting a virtual image. The virtual image may be projected to appear at a location viewable to a user, such as a driver, where the virtual image can be seen while the user views another area in physical space. In the example of a driver of a vehicle, the HUD may display an image that is viewable as the driver also views the road ahead, thus avoiding the distraction of taking their eyes off road to see information traditionally displayed by cluster and screens on central panel. While the HUD can display images, it can also contain sensors to aid in monitoring the driver and mirrors to adjust the location of the image being displayed.

Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America, Division of Panasonic Corporation of North America


The use of a thermosetting epoxy resin blend as a casting compound for electronic or electrotechnical components. The blend contains a silicone-modified epoxy resin in which organic components containing epoxy groups are chemically bonded to silicone components, and a mineral filler, optionally silanized, that regulates the thermal expansion behavior, in an amount of 40 wt % to 75 wt %, based on the thermosetting epoxy resin blend. The thermosetting epoxy resin blends are used to particular advantage for casting diodes.

Use of casting compounds based on epoxy resins for encapsulating or coating electric or electronic components is known. Examples of such components include high-voltage ignition coils, electronic circuits or semiconductor elements such as diodes, silicon wafer chips or sensors. The casting compounds must comply with many different requirements in different combinations, depending on the application. In particular these casting compounds should:
have good flow properties at conventional processing temperatures, i.e., at room temperature and elevated temperatures up to approximately 80.degree. C., to permit mass production with short cycle times; PA1 be able to withstand high thermal stresses, i.e., have the highest possible glass transition temperature; PA1 adhere well to the substrates even with frequent temperature changes, in which regard a low coefficient of thermal expansion and a high internal flexibility can make a contribution; PA1 have good dielectric properties, in particular low dielectric losses, and a high dielectric strength, at least when used in the high-voltage range, for which purpose they should be free of ionic impurities as much as possible and should have low alkali content in particular; PA1 be resistant to various environmental influences at ambient temperature and optionally at high operating temperatures, e.g., resistant to fuels, oils and salt spray as well as oxidative degradation due to atmospheric oxygen; and PA1 provide effective corrosion protection for metallic substrates.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,849,187 describes encapsulating agents for transistors and other semiconductor elements that contain an epoxy resin and an amine, a phenolic novolak resin or a carboxylic anhydride hardener plus 0.1% to 5% of an added alkylalkoxysilane having two or three low alkoxy groups and one amino or epoxy group in the alkyl moiety. The silane should improve the insulation properties and endurance of the encapsulating agent and should make pretreatment or passivation of the transistor or semiconductor element superfluous. One disadvantage of these encapsulating agents is their poor thermal cycling behavior due to their greater brittleness.
German Patent No. DE 32 29 558 describes impregnating casting compounds for electric components consisting of an epoxy resin based on bisphenol A and a cycloaliphatic epoxy, a modified dicarboxylic anhydride hardener, an imidazole accelerator and a chalk filler. These impregnating compounds are not fully satisfactory because of their relatively low glass transition temperature, relatively high coefficient of thermal expansion and relatively low flexibility. Therefore, the cured impregnating compounds tend to shrink, crack and adhere poorly.
German Patent No. DE 39 13 488 describes casting compounds for electric and electronic components containing a cycloaliphatic epoxy resin having a low viscosity and the following formula: ##STR1## or a certain polyfunctional epoxy novolak resin; methylene-endo-methylenetetrahydrophthalic anhydride (also called methylnadic anhydride) as the hardener; a curing accelerator based on imidazole; amorphous silicon dioxide, optionally pretreated with an epoxysilane and having a certain particle size; a coloring agent and finally hollow glass beads as a filler. When used for components exposed to high stresses, the long-term thermal properties of the impregnating compounds and the thermal cycling behavior are inadequate.
These known casting compounds based on epoxy resins are free of silicone compounds. U.S. Pat. No. 4,560,716 discloses epoxy resin blends containing (a) an epoxy resin, (b) a hardener, (c) an additive to prevent rust such as dithiophosphoric acid, certain dithiophosphoric acid derivatives and/or certain metal salts of dithiocarbamic acids or oxidized waxes. These epoxy resin blends (d) may also contain a second additive having an alkylarylsilsesquioxane and/or an organosiloxane polymer. The following general formula is given for the alkylarylsilsesquioxane: ##STR2## where R.sup.1 through R.sup.6 may be the same or different and denote alkyl, aryl, alkenyl or aralkyl groups. The organosiloxane polymers should conform to the general formula: ##STR3## where R.sup.1 through R.sup.16 stand for alkyl, aryl, alkenyl, alkaryl groups, hydrogen or a hydroxyl group, and n and m stand for 0 or an integer of 1 or higher. The above-mentioned publication thus describes epoxy resin blends containing cyclic or open-chain silicone resins but not containing elastomeric polyorganisiloxane compounds. These epoxy resin blends are recommended for use as encapsulating materials for electric components. Their rust-preventing effect is based on the fact that after encapsulation, additives which do not react with the epoxy resin migrate to the surface of the encapsulated component, where they form a rust-preventing film. The organosilicon materials named as optional additives also prevent the loss of electric insulation properties.
German Patent No. DE 36 34 084 discloses a modified reaction resin blend that can be processed to thermoset plastics resins and may contain an epoxy resin as the reaction resin and also three-dimensionally cross-linked polyorganosiloxane rubbers in the form of particles with a diameter of 0.01 to 50 .mu.m having reactive groups at their surface which react chemically with the reaction resin, optionally in the presence of additives which serve as reaction mediators. According to this publication, these reaction resin blends are suitable in particular for production of optionally molded, high-impact thermoset plastics with good fracture toughness, fiber-reinforced plastics, insulation materials in electrical engineering and molded laminates. However, they are not recommended as casting compounds for electronic or electrotechnical components.

Use of silicone-modified epoxy resins as sealing compound


A spring is combined between the chassis and the pair of links arms. An electric actuator is combined between the chassis and the pair of links arms for compressing the spring with the assistance of gravity on a downward stroke of the electric actuator while lowering the pair of link arms, and wherein the pair of link arms are raised by an outward stroke of both the electric actuator and the spring.

Three point linkage (or three-point-hitch) is a standard system to attach implements to tractors. Such hitches comprise three movable arms assembled in a triangle formation. The lower lift arms are two rigid bars typically with ball joints at each end. The top link is rigid arm that sets the operating angle alignment of the implement. This type of hitch can be modified with a second top link to form a four-bar linkage. The operation of these hitches are similar.
Advances in robotics, automation, and battery technology has allowed for the development of robotic farm vehicles. While these vehicles are battery operated, the batteries power hydraulic systems to drive the hydraulic actuators necessary for lifting heavy loads on the hitches. An electrical actuator could be powered directly by the battery without the added weight and expense of a hydraulic system. Electrical actuators, however, lack the load capacity and ability to work under heavy pressures, which is critical in farming operations.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improvement to an electrically driven hitch assembly.

Lift assist for an electrically driven hitch on an robotic vehicle


Methods and systems are disclosed for drilling counter sink fastener holes in composite materials with conductive foil lightning strike protection systems. Initially a non-destructive depth detector is scanned over a prospective fastener hole location. Then the depth of a conductive foil below a surface is detected. When the detected depth is less than a predetermined depth, a signal that indicates that a countersink fastener hole may be drilled is output. When the detected depth is greater than a predetermined depth, a signal that indicates that a countersink fastener hole may not be drilled is output.

1. Field of the Disclosure
The disclosure relates to systems and methods for inspecting lightning protection systems and, more particularly, to systems and methods for inspecting lighting protection systems prior to the fastener installation process.
2. Description of the Related Art
Today's aircraft are being designed and built with greater percentages of composite material. For example, the Boeing 787 "Dreamliner" aircraft has more than 50% composites for its primary structure. Although composites are lighter and have better mechanical and fatigue properties than traditional aluminum, they are less electrically conductive, and have poor electromagnetic shielding, resulting in poor current dissipation when lightning strikes the aircraft. Compared to traditional aluminum, composites, in some circumstances, may be subject to greater damage due to lightning strikes.
When lightning hits an aircraft, a conductive path on its skin allows the electricity to travel along the skin, and then exit at some other location. Without an adequate conductive path, arcing and hot spots may occur. Arcing and hot spots have the potential to char, delaminate and/or penetrate the skin. In some circumstances, the charring, delamination, or skin penetration may reduce the load-bearing characteristics of the structure. The low electrical shielding capability of composite materials may increase the likelihood that electrical circuits will be affected by the lightning strike.
One way to protect composite skins from lightning strike damage is to include conductive Lightning Strike Protection (LSP) systems either in or on the composite skins of an aircraft. An example of an LSP system is shown in FIG. 1. The LSP system can consist of conductive (e.g., copper) sheets or foils 110 on the layer of composite material 120 nearest the aero surface. Fasteners 140 in aircraft structures require that a countersunk hole 130 be drilled into the composite surface. Current practice is to position the fastener head 142 deeper into its countersunk area to ensure that a minimum distance can be established between the conductive foil 110 and the fastener head 142.
This Lightning Strike Protection system functions by diverting the electrical energy through the conductive foil 110. The conductive foil (nearer the surface) attracts lightning away from the fastener heads 142 which are slightly lower. Maintaining the set minimum distance between the conductive foil 110 and the fastener head 142 reduces the chance of arcing. Dielectric sealant may also be placed on top of the fastener head 142 to prevent arcing from the foil 110 to the fastener 140.
As illustrated in FIGS. 2A and 2B (The cross section of FIG. 2B is perpendicular to the cross section of FIG. 2A) and shown in FIG. 3, wrinkles in the conductive foil 110 may occur due to thermal conditions during the composite curing process. When heated, conductive foils 110 tend to expand more than the composite materials, due to differences in coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE). For example, copper expands much more than graphite fiber. When heated to the standard cure temperature of 350° F., the conductive foil 110 expands relative to the composite materials 120. Since the foil 110 is restrained lengthwise, wrinkling can result. These wrinkles are then locked in place upon curing of the composites, and, when cooled, the wrinkles remain. These wrinkles cause the conductive foil to extend in depth below the designed level. In the wrinkles illustrated in FIGS. 2A and 2B the wrinkle depth is below the top of the fastener head 142.
These wrinkles increase the likelihood of arcing occurring between the fastener 142 and the conductive foil 110 when the aircraft is in service. When a fastener hole 130 is drilled into a composite panel where a wrinkle in the LSP exists, the resulting hole and LSP may require repair or some other action to maintain the minimum distance between the LSP and the fastener. The repair may result in substantial expense and an increase in production time.
Accordingly, there is a need for a system and method for inspecting the lightning protection system prior to fastener installation to ensure that there will be minimum gap between the conductive foil and the fastener head when the fastener is installed.

Rapid inspection of lightning strike protection systems prior to installing fastener


Geographic proximity and network congestion are used to determine efficient routing of data in networks. If two devices are geographically close, then device-to-device communication may be possible. Data may thus be routed using device-to-device communication, which avoids consuming bandwidth in wide area networks and in cellular networks.

Video streaming can waste network resources. For example, many people request video data for delivery to their mobile devices. However, the video data is often sent into a cellular or other broadband network and routed perhaps hundreds of miles, even though a mobile device is within feet of a WI-FI® or other peer-to-peer network. Cellular and network bandwidth are unnecessarily consumed and transmission delay and jitter may be introduced.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Optimized routing in connected environments


Strategies for increasing the productivity of alphavirus packaging cell lines and of reducing the possibility that replication competent virus may be generated during large scale production of recombinant alphavirus particles.

Recombinant alphavirus particles (alphavirus replicon particles) have great potential for use in protein production, antigen delivery, and various therapeutic applications. Alphavirus packaging cell lines (PCL) are the most efficient and cost effective way to generate alphavirus replicon particles. One obstacle in the development of alphavirus packaging cell lines, however, is the low particle yield. On the other hand, generation of RCV (replication competent viral particles) is a potential problem when generating large numbers of recombinant alphavirus particles. The probability of recombination can be greatly reduced by dividing the defective helpers in two separate cassettes, because multiple switches would be required to produce an infectious RNA. However, it is possible that large-scale production could still generate RCV. Thus, there is a need in the art for methods of increasing the productivity of PCL and of reducing the possibility that replication competent virus may be generated during large scale production of recombinant alphavirus particles.

RNA expression cassette and cells for making alphavirus particles


In one general aspect, a power semiconductor device can include a semiconductor substrate of a first conductivity type, and a semiconductor layer of a second conductivity type disposed on the semiconductor substrate. The semiconductor layer can include a high voltage unit, a low voltage unit disposed around the high voltage unit, and a level shift unit disposed between the high voltage unit and the low voltage unit. The power semiconductor device can include a first isolation region of the first conductivity type disposed between the high voltage unit and the level shift unit, and a second isolation region of the first conductivity type disposed between the low voltage unit and the level shift unit where the first isolation region and the second isolation region each are vertically aligned in the semiconductor layer and each extends to at least the semiconductor substrate.

High voltage integrated circuits (HVICs) in which one or more high voltage transistors are disposed with low voltage circuits on a single chip are being widely applied to power control systems such as switching power supplies and motor drivers. A high voltage integrated circuit (HVIC) includes a high voltage unit, a low voltage unit, and a junction termination disposed between the high voltage unit and the low voltage unit. The junction termination is a region that electrically separates the high voltage unit from the low voltage unit. Level shift devices that level down-shift a signal received from the high voltage unit and provide the signal to the low voltage unit are disposed in the junction termination.
Level shift devices include lateral diffusion MOS (LDMOS) transistors. LDMOS transistors are required to maintain a high breakdown voltage and minimize an on-resistance. By using a reduced surface field (RESURF) technique, a high breakdown voltage may be obtained while an LDMOS transistor has a low on-resistance.


This invention provides a liquid container capable of stably supplying a liquid contained therein, a liquid using device, a printing apparatus, and a method of manufacturing the liquid container. In one preferred embodiment of this invention, a one-way valve used in an ink tank is constructed of a flexible sheet. In an area of the flexible sheet, an undulated portion is formed whose undulated form is maintained in an operation range of the one-way valve.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid container capable of stably supplying a liquid such as ink contained therein, a liquid using device, a printing apparatus, and a method of manufacturing the liquid container.
2. Description of the Related Art
An ink tank for directly supplying ink to a print head capable of ejecting ink has a negative pressure generation mechanism that generates a negative pressure to be applied to the ink. The negative pressure generated by the negative pressure generation mechanism is set in an appropriate range that is large enough to balance with a retaining force of an ink meniscus formed at ink ejection portions in the print head to prevent leakage of ink from the ink ejection portions and which also allows ink ejections from the print head.
Such a negative pressure generation mechanism is formed, for example, by installing in an ink tank a porous material such as sponge capable of soaking and holding ink and generates an appropriate negative pressure by an ink retaining force of the porous material. Another example of the negative pressure generation mechanism has a bag-like member formed of an elastic material such as rubber capable of producing a tensile force that tends to expand a volume of the bag. The bag-like member is filled with ink and, through its tensile force, applies a negative pressure to the ink. Still another example has a bag-like member formed of a flexible film and engages a spring with an interior or exterior of the bag-like member to urge the flexible film in a direction that expands the volume of the bag, thereby applying a negative pressure to the ink in the bag-like member.
With these negative pressure generation mechanisms, however, the negative pressure generated tends to increase as the amount of ink remaining in an ink tank (bag-like member) decreases. When the negative pressure exceeds a predetermined level, ink can no longer be supplied stably to a print head. This gives rise to a possibility of the ink tank becoming unfit for use before the ink in the ink tank is completely consumed.
This is explained in the following example. U.S. Pat. No. 4,509,062 discloses an ink tank which comprises a hermetically closed resilient bag member and a spring member installed in the bag member. The resilient bag member directly accommodates ink and is deformable according to the amount of ink contained therein. The spring member urges the bag member in a direction that expands its volume. With this ink tank, the negative pressure in the bag member is basically such as will balance with a spring force of the spring member. Thus, as the bag member deforms to reduce its volume to match the ongoing consumption of ink and the inner spring is compressed, the negative pressure in the bag member increases. As a result, the negative pressure may increase in excess of an appropriate range that allows normal ink ejections from a print head, making it impossible for an adequate meniscus to be formed at the ink ejection portions of the print head or to supply ink stably to the print head. In this case, not all of the ink volume in the bag member cannot be used.
There is also an ink tank which produces a negative pressure by taking advantage of an elasticity of an ink accommodating bag member itself whose material and shape are determined appropriately. The bag member is formed flat so that its inner space vanishes when the ink contained therein is completely used up. This kind of bag member, however, has a limitation on the shape. If an ink tank is constructed of a box-like case accommodating a bag member, the bag member even when loaded with ink does not assume a shape that perfectly fits in the case, degrading an ink accommodation efficiency with respect to an overall ink tank space. Even with this bag member, when the ink is about to be used up, the negative pressure is so high as will cause a performance degradation in supplying ink to the print head or make the ink ejection operation of the print head unstable.
To prevent the level of negative pressure generated by the negative pressure generation mechanism from exceeding a predetermined level, the following adjust mechanisms have been proposed.
For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,917,523 and 5,600,358 disclose an adjust mechanism which has a ball arranged in a tube vent in an ink tank (container) so that when a negative pressure in the ink tank increases, air is taken into the ink tank to prevent a negative pressure increase. In this adjust mechanism, the tube vent (boss) communicating an interior of the ink tank with the outside has a plurality of protruding ribs formed on its inner wall. A ball with an outer diameter smaller than that of the boss is fitted inside the boss so that it is in contact with the protruding ribs. As a result, a roughly ring-shaped orifice is formed between the ball and the boss. A size of this orifice is so set that a small amount of ink is held as a liquid seal in the orifice by its capillary attraction. When the negative pressure in the ink tank approaches an allowable limit of the operation range of the print head, the negative pressure overcomes the ink capillary attraction in the orifice, breaking the liquid seal and allowing air to enter into the ink tank through the orifice.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 6-183023 (1994) describes another adjust mechanism for preventing a negative pressure rise. This adjust mechanism is used in a negative pressure generation mechanism which comprises a plate with a hole and a plate with a protrusion, both arranged to face each other in an ink bag of resilient sheet, and a spring member arranged between these plates. When the ink bag contracts as a result of a reduction in the remaining volume of ink and the inner negative pressure exceeds a predetermined value, the adjust mechanism causes the protrusion of one plate to fit into the hole of the other plate, thus separating the holed plate from the resilient sheet to allow air to be introduced into the ink bag. With this adjust mechanism, after air is drawn into the ink bag, the holed plate and the resilient sheet are brought into intimate contact with each other, preventing an ink leakage by an ink meniscus retaining force or a liquid seal between them.
These negative pressure adjust mechanisms disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,917,523, 5,600,358 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 6-183023 (1994), however, all require a plurality of parts in the air take-in portion, rendering the construction that much complicated.
The adjust mechanism disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,917,523 and 5,600,358 forms a hermetically closed system as an ink accommodation space through a balance between an ink meniscus force (liquid seal) in a ring-shaped orifice and a negative pressure produced by a spring. Although the mechanical construction is relatively simple, this adjust mechanism lacks a stability in maintaining the hermetically closed system. That is, the liquid seal in the orifice may be broken depending on various conditions, resulting in a leakage of accommodated ink. The conditions that may cause an ink leakage include a pressure difference between the inside and outside of the ink tank, a reduction in ink viscosity due to temperature rise, an inadvertent impacts on or fall of the ink tank during handling, and an acceleration to which the ink tank is subjected during a main scan in a serial printing apparatus in which the ink tank is moved in the main scan direction along with the print head. The liquid seal is easily affected by humidity variations, such as dry atmosphere. The humidity variations therefore make an air introducing operation unstable, which in turn may lead to a performance reduction in supplying ink to the print head and to a degraded quality of printed images.
To eliminate these problems, the adjust mechanism disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,917,523 and 5,600,358 provides an inlet maze connecting to an annular boss. The inlet maze is considered to function as an ink overflow container and secure a humidity gradient. The provision of the inlet maze, however, complicates the construction. Further, since the other end of the inlet maze (maze-like path) communicates with open air at all times, the ink unavoidably evaporates to some degree through this inlet maze.
There is another problem. When ink in the ink tank is used up, outer air rushes into the ink tank through the ring-shaped orifice to eliminate the negative pressure in the ink tank. At this time, the inrush air may cause the ink remaining in the print head and the ink tank to leak out of nozzles or through the ring-shaped orifice in which the meniscus has been broken.
Further, in the adjust mechanisms disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,917,523, 5,600,358, and Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 6-183023 (1994), a liquid-sealed opening is provided in the ink container (i.e., an ink tank in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,917,523 and 5,600,358; and an ink bag in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 6-183023 (1994)) to directly, introduce the atmosphere. When ink in the ink container is almost running out and a volume of air in the ink container is larger than that of ink, if the atmosphere is introduced into the ink tank through the opening, the maintenance of a meniscus in the liquid-sealed opening of the container and in the ink nozzle openings of the print head may become incomplete. This in turn may cause an ink leakage and render the introduction of air incomplete. Depending on a variety of conditions the liquid seal in the opening may be broken, resulting in an early introduction of air before the pressure in the ink container reaches a predetermined value or, conversely, a leakage of ink. The conditions leading to unwanted air introduction or ink leakage include a pressure difference between the inside and outside of the ink container, temperature variations, impacts on and fall of the ink tank during handling, and an acceleration to which the ink tank is subjected during a main scan in a serial printing apparatus in which the ink tank is moved in the main scan direction along with the print head. These conditions change depending on the design of the print head and ink tank and a physical property of ink, so it is difficult to properly design a shape and dimensions of the opening.
The negative pressure adjust mechanisms using the liquid seal described above may also reduce a degree of freedom of design in the printing apparatus.
That is, it is difficult to form the liquid seal portion separate from the ink tank and then removably mount it on the ink tank. If the liquid seal portion is formed separate from the ink tank, when it is directly mounted on the ink tank or indirectly connected to the ink tank through a tube or the like, complex processing or a special construction considering a pressure difference between the inside and outside of the ink tank is required in order to form a good meniscus in the liquid seal portion. Where the liquid seal portion is provided remote from the ink tank and connected to it through a tube, the tube needs to be filled with ink in order to form a meniscus in the liquid seal portion. The introduction of air through the liquid seal portion forces the ink in the tube back into the ink tank. Refilling the tube with ink after the air introduction requires complicated processing or construction.
In the adjust mechanism disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 6-183023 (1994), since air is introduced through a small clearance between a thin plate member and a flexible sheet, a capillary attraction produced by a liquid entering that clearance changes a force required to separate the holed plate and the flexible sheet. As a result, the negative pressure level at which the air introduction is executed may become unstable. Further, when a pressure of gas (air) in the ink bag increases as the temperature increases, the flexible sheet must be deformed to virtually increase the inner volume of the ink bag to alleviate the increasing inner pressure. Therefore, the flexible sheet member is formed of an easily deformable material with a very low stiffness.
However, low-rigidity materials used for such a flexible sheet generally have a small thickness and a high gas permeability, so air can easily pass through it. Thus, if ink is stored in the ink bag for a long period of time, a large volume of air, so large as cannot be dealt with by a buffer function originally intended to absorb an expanded portion of gas (air) in the ink bag, enters into the ink bag, rendering the buffer function ineffective. It is therefore necessary to use a very expensive material deposited with a metal vapor to meet both of the requirements of a low rigidity and a low gas permeability.

Liquid container, liquid using device, printing apparatus, and method of manufacturing liquid container


A cooling radiator for the engine of a motor vehicle includes two movable masking members associated with the same fluid manifold of the radiator and actuated by a common actuator in response to the engine temperature. A first of these masking members closes the inlet of the manifold to prevent any flow in the radiator when the engine is cold. The second masking member controls an aperture in an intermediate bulkhead in the fluid manifold so that a variable fraction of the fluid flow in the radiator is diverted (when the manifold inlet is open) through the aperture, so that it does not pass through the tubes of the radiator. This radiator performs the function of a thermostat and also regulates the cooling function at the correct efficiency according to the power being produced by the engine.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,432,410 and the corresponding French published patent application No. FR 2 481 791A describe a radiator of the above kind, comprising a fluid manifold having a tube branch for inlet or outlet of a cooling fluid, and a bundle of tubes the ends of which are open into the said fluid manifold, together with a bulkhead formed with an aperture and dividing the fluid manifold into a first chamber and a second chamber. The ends of a first group of the tubes, and the said inlet or outlet tube branch, are open into the first chamber, while the complementary group of tube ends is open into the second chamber. The radiator also includes a first masking or valve member for opening the aperture in the bulkhead, this masking member being movable by an actuator between an opening position and a closing position. In the opening position, the masking member enables the fluid passing into the fluid manifold through the inlet tube branch, or leaving it through the outlet tube branch, to be able to pass directly from the first chamber to the second chamber or vice versa. In the closing position, the masking member forces the fluid to pass through the tubes of the first group.
In that known radiator, the flow control device defined by the first masking member and the actuator serves the function of the traditional thermostat which is commonly placed on the outside of the radiator. Its effect is to suppress the circulation of the fluid in all or some of the tubes of the radiator when the engine is cold, and to set up normal circulation in all the tubes once the engine is sufficiently hot, i.e. after a certain running time.
In order to optimise the engine power output, it is desirable that it shall work at a constant temperature, which makes it necessary to cause the efficiency of its cooling to vary as a function of the heat energy which it emits, and therefore as a function of its loading. In order to make the cooling efficiency vary, and thus to regulate the temperature of the engine, it is possible to act on various parameters, and in particular on the flow of the fluid passing through the tubes of the radiator. To this end it is known to arrange, in series with the radiator, a flow regulating valve controlled by a cooling fluid temperature sensor placed at the fluid outlet of the engine. The use of such a regulating valve complicates the construction of the cooling circuit. In addition, rotary valves, such as are commonly used, do not have a sufficiently progressive regulating action at low rates of fluid flow.

Motor vehicle radiator having a fluid flow control device


Prioritizing workload and tasks by first determining if a prioritization state change is necessary, and if so setting priorities to change the prioritization state, and if not examining prioritization state determining inputs, calculating new prioritization states, and updating prioritization states. Next interrupts are processes and prioritization states are updates. The resulting settings and prioritization states are examines, new prioritization states calculated, the new prioritization states compared with existing prioritization states, and the prioritization states changed as a function of present prioritization states and calculated new prioritization states. As a last step either a new prioritization state is set and saved, or the existing prioritization states saved.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a computer program product and computerized method and system for the systematic and scientific analysis and evaluation for the programmed prioritization and scheduling of tasks or resources to an individual or group to accomplish competing tasks.
2. Background Art
Many individuals and most knowledge workers in today's society and economy must balance the priorities of tasks that compete for limited time and resources against deadlines. These many individuals and most knowledge workers have access to a variety of personal productivity devices, from personal digital assistants (PDAs) (typically integrated with cellular telephones), sophisticated cell phones, personal computers, and networked personal computers.
These individuals, especially the knowledge workers among them, interact with networked demands and tools and time dependent, prioritizable activities, for example, with financial institutions and transactions (on line banking, billing, bill paying, accounts payable scheduling and ordering, and stock transactions), health care providers (appointment scheduling, prescription management, e-mails to and from providers), and personal issues (birthdays, anniversaries. These same individuals frequently work with or otherwise interact with a variety of traditional applications (for example—general ledger, expense accounting, purchasing, problem management, or personnel systems), workflow, or calendar based applications that automate some of the operations of the enterprise or institutions.
The point of view of most designers of the traditional, workflow, or calendar based applications used by these enterprises and institutions has heretofore been limited. The designers typically see the application as single focused for the provider's application and the user's specific interaction or set of interactions with the provider. Therefore queues and prioritization schemes that implement the enterprise goals within the application are performed in isolation from other enterprise applications as well as from the user's other needs, tasks, and priorities. Consequently, the user, typically a cross-application knowledge worker, is constantly juggling competing priorities.
Most enterprises have responded to this state of affairs by using a de facto single point of contact to drive employees toward priorities associated with enterprise goals. That single point of contact is generally an e-mail interface, frequently an interface to collaboration tools, scheduling tools, and e-mail. However, the e-mail interface was never designed for use as a prioritization and dynamic scheduling tool.
Consequently, the user is presented with a proxy for enterprise goals through poor lenses when the uncorrelated priorities set by the individual user's wants and needs are divorced from enterprise goals and even more distant from the user's capabilities to respond on time.
This goes beyond mere workflow management and calendar management applications, which receive only limited input from heterogeneous applications in their native application context, and do not support inputs from users or users' colleagues.
Thus, there is need for the systematic and scientific analysis and evaluation of end user task scheduling through the programmed prioritization and scheduling of tasks or resources of an individual or group to accomplish competing tasks, preferable on time.
There is a further need for the programmed prioritization and scheduling of tasks or resources to assess the range of tasks, priorities, assess capacities, and provide responses, especially responses consistent with enterprise objectives.

Heterogeneous, role based, enterprise priority manager

International Business Machines Corporation


Methods and apparatus for ion mobility spectrometry and analyte detection and identification verification system are disclosed. The apparatus is configured to be used in an ion mobility spectrometer and includes a plurality of reactant reservoirs configured to contain a plurality of reactants which can be reacted with the sample to form adducts having varying ion mobilities. A carrier fluid, such as air or nitrogen, is used to carry the sample into the spectrometer. The plurality of reactants are configured to be selectively added to the carrier stream by use inlet and outlet manifolds in communication with the reagent reservoirs, the reservoirs being selectively isolatable by valves. The invention further includes a spectrometer having the reagent system described. In the method, a first reactant is used with the sample. Following a positive result, a second reactant is used to determine whether a predicted response occurs. The occurrence of the second predicted response tends to verify the existence of a component of interest within the sample. A third reactant can also be used to provide further verification of the existence of a component of interest. A library can be established of known responses of compounds of interest with various reactants and the results of a specific multi-reactant survey of a sample can be compared against the library to determine whether a component detected in the sample is likely to be a specific component of interest.

This invention pertains to the field of spectrometry, and in particular to ion mobility spectrometry (IMS). In one aspect, the invention pertains to a method and apparatus for analyte detection and identification verification using spectrometry and, in particular, IMS.
The term xe2x80x9cion mobility spectrometryxe2x80x9d refers to the principles, practice and instrumentation for characterizing chemical substances through gas phase ion mobilities. In modern analytical IMS methods, ion mobilities are determined from ion velocities that are measured in a drift tube at ambient pressure (i.e., atmospheric pressure) with supporting electronics. Ion mobilities are characteristic of substances and can provide a means for detecting and identifying chemical compounds, or specific components of a sample. In practice, the sample is vaporized (if not already in a vapor state) and is then introduced into the reaction region of a drift tube where neutral molecules of the vapor undergo ionization. The resultant ions, i.e., product ions, are injected into the drift region for mobility analysis. Mobility is determined from the drift velocity attained by ions in a weak electric field. Although the mobility analysis described above occurs in a drift tube, other apparatuses can be utilized for mobility analyses. The term xe2x80x9cspectrometry analyzerxe2x80x9d is used herein to refer to a drift tube or other apparatus utilized for mobility analyses.
Ion velocities are inversely dependent on the effective collisional cross section of an ion and this makes IMS a type of molecular size analyzer. As the reactant ions and product ions are drawn towards and collide with the detector plate, current is registered and a signal is generated. The mobility spectrum represents the ion current intensity as a function of time. In instances where ions of several identities and different mobilities exist in the drift tube, ions can be separated through differences in mobilities. In order to provide greater separation between mobilities of different components in the sample, it is common to react the sample vapor with a reactant or reagent to alter the mobility of the molecules of interest to give greater separation between those molecules and other molecules which can exist in the sample.
In particular applications, molecules of interest are combined with chemicals to produce a much larger molecule having a much lower mobility in the drift tube. For example, RDX (cyclo-1,3,5-trimethylene-2,4,6-trinitramine) reacts particularly well with chloride to form a large molecule known as an adduct. The adduct, being of larger size, moves through the drift tube relatively slowly compared to other molecules which can exist in the sample and, therefore, the peak which identifies the RDX adduct is displayed later on a time log than are the peaks for RDX itself and other components. Reactions using reagents as described are particularly effective for those substances of interest which are polar in nature.
In summary, ion mobility spectrometry is comprised of, and governed by, two sequential processes. These are: A) gas phase ionization in air (or nitrogen) at atmospheric pressure through collisional charge exchange or ion-molecule reactions, and B) ion characterization using mobilities of gas phase ions in a weak electric field at ambient pressure (i.e., atmospheric pressure).
Ion mobility spectrometry has received a renewed interest in the last few years where only a decade ago the technique was regarded largely as a curiosity or an anachronistic technology within the ion-molecule chemistry and vapor sensing community. The resurgence of IMS instrumentation and technique is related to its intrinsic features of response (excellent detection limits) and to practical considerations (size, weight, and power advantages) when compared with well-established technologies such as mass spectrometry or gas chromatography/mass spectrometry.
While the use of IMS as a detection tool has experienced recent attention, elementary concepts in IMS are still relatively unrefined as compared to techniques such as mass spectrometry. For example, comprehensive models of response characteristics do not exist. Also, ion mobility spectrometry is an inherently low level resolution technique, and the low resolution of the ion mobility spectrometer can result in the overlapping of interferent peaks with the analyte peaks of interest. Specifically, an interferent peak can appear at the time when an analyte peak is expected, generating a false alarm as to the presence of the subject of interest.
One of the current uses for IMS is for the detection of contraband. FIG. 1 is an environmental view showing a typical IMS application in an airport security station which uses spectrometers of the prior art, but can also use a spectrometer containing the improvements of the present invention. In the example shown, the security officer xe2x80x9cPxe2x80x9d is checking for contraband which can be left on the outside of a handbag xe2x80x9cAxe2x80x9d. The security officer will wipe the outer surface of the bag xe2x80x9cAxe2x80x9d with a small paper wipe xe2x80x9cBxe2x80x9d. The paper wipe xe2x80x9cBxe2x80x9d is then inserted into a receptacle 11 in the ion mass spectrometer 1. Typically, air is drawn through a paper filter which is also heated, and any traces of particles from the surface of the handbag xe2x80x9cAxe2x80x9d which are picked up on the paper xe2x80x9cBxe2x80x9d will be drawn into the spectrometer 1. If the spectrometer detects the presence of potential contraband, such as, for example, RDX, TNT (trinitrotoluene), or PETN (pentaerythritol trinitrate), then the security officer will typically rerun the test. A second positive result may result in a manual search of the handbag. Given the delays in rerunning samples, as well as the inherent low resolution, it is desirable to have an ion mobility spectrometer which provides more certainty as to the accuracy of the results. Therefore, it is desirable to have an ion mobility spectrometer and ion mobility spectrometry methods which produce precise, accurate results.
Method and apparatus for improved detection and identification of components within a sample using spectrometry are disclosed.
In one aspect of the invention, a spectrometer comprises a sample inlet system configured to introduce a sample into a carrier fluid stream for transport of the sample within the spectrometer as a sample stream. A spectrometry analyzer is positioned downstream of the inlet system and is in fluid communication with the sample stream. The spectrometry analyzer produces signals in response to the chemical composition of components in the sample stream. A flow path is formed between the sample inlet system and the spectrometry analyzer. The spectrometer further comprises a signal processor configured to process the signals produced by the spectrometry analyzer to produce an outlet signal indicative of the presence of an identified substance. The spectrometer further comprises a reagent system configured to selectively introduce at least two reagents into the sample flow path. The reagent system comprises a first reagent reservoir and a second reagent reservoir in selective fluid communication with the sample flow path.
In another aspect of the invention, an ion mobility spectrometer analyte detection and identification verification system is disclosed. The system comprises a first reagent reservoir and a second reagent reservoir. The system further includes a carrier fluid inlet manifold having a sample inlet configured to receive the sample into the inlet manifold, a carrier fluid inlet connectable to a source of carrier fluid, and first and second carrier fluid outlets in respective fluid communication with the first and second reagent reservoirs. Additionally the system comprises an outlet manifold having first and second sample stream inlets in respective fluid communication with the first and second reagent reservoirs, and a sample stream outlet.
In yet another method, the invention encompasses a method for verifying the probable presence of a specific component in a sample. The method comprises the steps of providing a sample to be analyzed for the possible presence of a specific component, and providing a plurality of reactants known to form adducts with the specific component, the adducts having known ion mobilities. The method further comprises the steps of vaporizing and ionizing at least a part of the sample along with at least some of the reactants to create at least one vaporized, ionized analyte stream and then analyzing the analyte stream to determine the existence of components having the known ion mobilities. The existence of components having the known ion mobilities are indicative of the presence of the specific component.

Ion mobility spectrometer, spectrometer analyte detection and identification verification system, and method


Apparatus and methods for discriminating late software commands sent to hardware from software executed by a processor. The apparatus, in particular, includes a storage device configured to receive information concerning a timing requirement for software commands transmitted from a microprocessor, where the timing requirement is dependent on a system time. A time counter is also included and configured to determine the system time. The apparatus further includes a comparator configured to determine whether the timing requirement has been met, and a switching circuit configured to selectively allow the software command to be issued from the processor to a hardware circuit based on the determination of whether the timing requirement has been met. Complementary methods are also disclosed.

1. Field
The present application relates to apparatus and methods for discriminating (e.g., filtering out) late software commands sent to hardware and, more particularly, to discriminating late software commands so as to prevent the late software commands from disrupting hardware circuitry operation.
2. Background
In many applications involving real-time software processing, hardware is responsible for executing certain operations at precise times specified by software, while software is responsible for complex synchronous processing. Synchronization between software and hardware is typically maintained through interrupts, which signal certain events to software. Software then computes and writes values to hardware registers that need to be updated at certain points in time. As the complexity of real-time software increases, however, it becomes more difficult to estimate the time that software will take to respond to real-time events, such as interrupts from hardware. As a result, it is known to add safety margin time (i.e., padding) to a nominal theoretical time that software can respond to real-time events with a given probability. An example of such a situation where adding safety margins is known, is that of a wireless communication device (e.g., a mobile transceiver) having sleep controller hardware that causes portions of the device to be put to sleep intermittently (i.e., temporarily shutting down circuitry within the transceiver) in order to conserve battery energy. Typically, conservative safety margins are factored in the software and hardware designs of such devices, which reduces the probability of late software commands (i.e., commands issued by software that adversely affect operation of the hardware due to their later timing in a sleep cycle, for example) in such devices to an acceptable level. However, the devices use more energy and run out of power quicker as a consequence of adding the safety margins. Moreover, this approach does not completely eliminate the possibility of disruptive late software commands, but merely reduces their probability to a tolerable level.
In certain applications, better performance may be engendered if late software commands are not executed at all because such late commands are disruptive to the hardware operation to a degree that adversely affects system performance. In such situations, it is possible to minimize the time of the software timely response confidence interval at the expense of a higher percentage of late software commands being ignored by hardware, if such commands being ignored prove statistically insignificant. An example of such a situation may be envisioned in the case of the wireless communication device (e.g., a mobile transceiver) having a sleep controller as discussed above. In such a case, the time of a software timely response confidence interval may be minimized in the sleep controller hardware and software in the wireless communication device (e.g., a mobile transceiver). The device would be allowed to stay turned on in the case where software misses the deadline of writing to registers, rather than lose part of the received communication signals if woken up late.


A low profile weighing scale for weighing and balancing aircraft and land vehicles. The electronic, strong, lightweight, economical and portable scale provides accurate and reliable results. The scale comprises: (a) a quadrilateral base having two sides and two ends, the base further having recessed load cell mounts, each load cell mount having a strain cavity disposed between two support positions, each support position having a threaded mounting screw aperture for reception of a mounting screw; (b) double ended shear beam load cells, each end of each load cell being mounted to a support position by a mounting screw; (c) a platform having a non-skid top surface for contact with a load and a bottom surface, the bottom surface having load cell recesses sized and aligned with the load cells, each load cell recess having an engagement surface; and (d) engagement members, each comprised of a load bearing, for moveably mating the platform to the load cells and effectively transferring a load force from the platform to the load cells, each load cell having a cupped surface for receiving a load bearing, load ball bearing being in simultaneous operational contact with a concave engagement surface on the platform. The design of the scale effectively and accurately distributes a load force applied to the platform through the engagement members to the load cells.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to weighing apparatus and particularly to portable, low profile weighing scales. The weighing scale provided by this invention is useful for weighing and balancing aircraft and land vehicles efficiently, reliably and accurately.
2. Background Information
Applicants Kroll et al. disclosed scales in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,714,121, 4,979,581, 5,232,064, and 5,646,376, and load cells in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,775,018, 4,813,504, and 5,228,527. The scales and load cells handle a broad range of weights and have varying degrees of accuracy. Additionally, the scales have varied designs in terms of height, weight, portability and method of use. A common design factor shared by all of these scales and load cells is that in each, the mounting of the load cell in and to the scale is unique and provides a significant advantage over the prior art.
Wheel scales or platform scales are commonly used to measure axle weight loads of vehicles and aircraft. While some scale devices are designed to accommodate the multiple wheels of dual tandem rear axle assemblies of commercial trucks, most wheel scale devices have a single platform to measure the load from single or dual wheels. The weighing scale assemblies and load cell structures of the present invention are particularly useful for weighing and balancing a variety of sizes and types of private, commercial and military aircraft, and for weighing a variety of sizes and types of land vehicles. These scales can be used either alone or in combination with other scales. To weigh a land vehicle for example, a pair of wheel scales is spaced apart and the vehicle is driven onto the scale platforms one axle at a time for all axles. Each axle weight load is recorded and the summation of axle weights yields the gross weight of the vehicle.
Wheel scales utilizing load cells for weighing axle loads of motor vehicles are known in the weighing art. Additionally, wheel scales which utilize strain gauge sensors fixed to deflectable load cells are known. However, the specific configuration of the load cells utilized in prior art scales, the placement of the load cells in these scales, and the cooperation of the active and inactive elements of these prior art wheel scale devices often yield complex and bulky wheel scales which are inaccurate and unrepeatable under many conditions of use.
Prior art wheel scale devices have been proposed and manufactured to use various types of load cell configurations for the purpose of yielding a lightweight, low profile and accurate portable wheel scale. Additionally, various wheel scale structures have been proposed and manufactured wherein these load cell configurations have been utilized with varying cooperative elements. However, these prior art wheel scale structures have often been difficult to use and transport, have been susceptible to damage, and have required the precise placement of loads to achieve reasonable scale accuracy and repeatability.
It is an object of this invention to provide a weighing scale that may be used to weigh and balance aircraft, as well as other vehicles. A further object of this invention is to provide electronic, strong, lightweight, low profile scales which are economical, easily manufactured and which yields reliable and repeatable weighing results with a high degree of accuracy. It is a particular object of this invention to provide a scale that has an improved platform member, an improved structure for mounting one or more load cells to a base member, and an improved engagement structure for effectively transferring a load force from the platform member to the load cells.


A measuring apparatus for producing a sequence of measured values of a measured variable, which is a function of a first auxiliary measured variable and at least a second auxiliary measured variable. The apparatus includes a first measuring transducer for registering and for outputting a sequence of values of the first auxiliary measured variable, at least a second measuring transducer for registering and for outputting a sequence of values of the second auxiliary measured variable, an evaluating unit for calculating the sequence of measured values of the measured variable based on the sequences of values of the first auxiliary measured variable and at least the second auxiliary measured variable; wherein the measuring apparatus furthermore has a control unit for synchronizing the registering of the sequences of the first auxiliary measured variable and at least the second auxiliary measured variable by means of a first sequence of control signals, which is output to the first measuring transducer, and a second sequence of control signals, which is output to the second measuring transducer, wherein at least the first sequence of control signals is variable independently of the second sequence of control signals.

Such a measuring apparatus is described, for example, in German patent application 102008054913. For operation of this type of measuring devices, synchronization of the measured value registering of the first auxiliary measured variable and the second auxiliary measured variable is of importance, since, for example in the case of a flow measurement according to the pressure difference principle with two pressure sensors, a fluctuation of the static pressure in the case of non-synchronized measured value registering would be interpreted as a fluctuation in the flow.


An image sensor is packaged by attaching the image sensor to a substrate, forming metallic bumps on either the image sensor or a transparent cover, where the metallic bumps are formed in a pattern around the perimeter of the active area of the image sensor. The transparent cover is then glued to the image sensor at the metallic bumps. Electrical connections are formed between the image sensor and the substrate using, for example, conventional wire bonding techniques. The electrical connections are encapsulated within an epoxy for protection. In an embodiment, multiple image sensors are packaged together on the same substrate and separated into individually packaged image sensors by, for example, sawing.

Image sensors that are used for digital imaging must be packaged to provide electrical connections between the image sensor and a circuit board. Image sensors are sensitive to dust and particulates that can be present during packaging and use. Therefore, image sensor packaging typically includes a transparent cover that is secured over the active area of the image sensor. Conventional techniques for securing a transparent cover over an image sensor include gluing the transparent cover directly to the image sensor and using a transparent cover with crystalline spacers that are formed on the transparent cover using a liquid crystal on substrate (LCOS) process. Although these techniques work well, they require multiple process steps and/or equipment that is not typically used in integrated circuit (IC) packaging processes.

Methods for packaging an image sensor and a packaged image sensor


A liquid photocurable resin composition having excellent applicability in a high speed drawing condition and high curability, providing a stable coating film which generates little hydrogen gas when used as a coating material for optical fiber. The liquid photocurable resin composition comprises 10-80 wt % of a polymer having an ether bond or an ester bond, and an ethylenically unsaturated group; 5-50 wt % of at least one monomer according to the formula ##STR1## wherein R.sup.9 is a hydrogen atom or a methyl group, R.sup.10 is an alkylene group having 2-4 carbon atoms, and n denotes an integer from 1-10; 0.1-10% by weight of a photopolymerization initiator; and optionally other compounds comprising one or more ethylenically unsaturated groups.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a photocurable resin composition, in particular, to a photocurable composition suitable as a coating material for optical fiber.
2. Description of the Background Art
An optical fiber, especially an optical glass fiber is produced by applying a coating material onto a quartz fiber, because the quartz fiber is fragile and easily damaged.
In the production of optical fiber, a resin coating is provided immediately after drawing a molten quartz fiber. Generally, two coatings are applied: a relatively soft primary, and a harder secondary coating. A coating material with a high cure rate is required so that the glass fiber can be produced at a high production rate. When the cure rate of the coating material is low, the productivity of the optical glass fiber cannot be improved, because the drawing speed must be reduced.
Also, characteristics required for a cured coating material include little physical change during temperature changes over a wide range, and high durability and reliability in a variety of environmental conditions.
Further, coated optical glass fibers are often used in a ribbon assembly. In a ribbon, a plurality of coated optical glass fibers is bonded in one structure by a photocurable matrix material.


The present invention provides a crawler type soil improving machine for efficiently crushing and mixing soft soil and a soil improving agent in order to regenerate such soil, and features excellent mobility and operability. The soil improving machine comprises: a crusher (4), disposed substantially at the center of a vehicle body (3), for crushing and mixing soil and a soil improving agent; a first hopper (40), disposed at one part of the vehicle body (3), for receiving soil; a second hopper (20), positioned between the crusher (4) and the first hopper (40), for receiving soil improving agent; a crawling member (2), arranged under the second hopper (20) and the vehicle body (3); a drive unit (5), arranged at the other part of the vehicle body (3) and including an engine (6) and hydraulic units (9, 10); and a conveyor (50), positioned below the first and second hoppers (40 and 20).

At present, it is inevitable that civil engineering works, construction works, etc., are required to be performed on soft ground, such as reclaimed land, in order to promote efficient use of limited space. Such soft ground is usually dehydrated by scattering a hardening agent so that the soil is regenerated. Further, when water supply or drainage works or gas pipe laying works are carried out, the ditches for laying the pipes are usually refilled, using soil which has been dug by construction machines such as hydraulic shovels. However, watery clay or sticky soil, which has been dug and stirred up by the hydraulic shovels or the like, cannot hold itself. Therefore, soil which is not usable for filling the ditches has to be relocated using dump trucks.
However, there is a problem in that a lot of dust is generated when soft ground is dried by the hardening agent. Further, there is a problem in that when a construction site is narrow, construction machines, such as vehicles for scattering hardening agents and vibrating rollers for ramming the land, etc., cannot be simultaneously introduced there. Still further, construction cost is increased when a number of construction machines are used according to conventional methods.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication 54-58901 has proposed a soil improving method to overcome these problems. According to the publication, a predetermined amount of sticky soil, which is not applicable to filling ditches, is sequentially supplied, contacted with a soil improving agent having wet-hard characteristics in a predetermined ratio, and then crushed and mixed. The publication also discloses a soil improving machine, which comprises a conveyor for relocating sticky soil which is not usable for filling ditches, a cut screw for slicing the unusable soil into layers having a predetermined thickness and for removing surplus soil at an appropriate position, a device for adding a predetermined amount of wet-hard type soil improving agent to a preset amount of soil carried by the conveyor, and a crusher for crushing and mixing the soil and the soil improving agent.
This crushing/mixing machine is a stationary type machine and cannot be easily moved between construction sites. Therefore, the machine has to be disassembled and re-assembled when it is relocated, which means increases in working time and cost.


In an image sensor using photodiodes, the structure is arranged so that a lens for each photodiode focuses light onto a first portion of the photodiode. Light from the scene directly illuminates a second portion of the photodiode.

Image sensing devices made up of an array of laterally spaced sensors are well known and can take a variety of forms. The array can be viewed as being made up of a number of laterally offset regions, commonly referred to as pixels or sensing elements. The art has recognized that sensing advantages can be realized by forming a lens array having a convex lens surface for each pixel. FIG. 1 shows a single pixel 10 on which a photodiode 12 can be seen through a light shield aperture 14 centrally located under a lens 16.
A lens array placed in registration with the device serves to focus the incident light upon the photodiodes. This has the effect of increasing the light gathering area of the photodiode and hence improving the signal.
The device has a lens supporting layer for offsetting the lens from the photodiode to maximize collection of light in the photodiode. The fabrication of lens arrays is based upon using conventional positive-working photoresists. A coating of the photoresist is exposed and developed to produce an array of resist islands. The resist pattern is then flood exposed to bleach the remaining photochemistry and subsequently heated until the resist material flows enough to form a lens and yet not so much as to cause adjacent lenses to flow together. Therefore, there has to be some spacing between the lenses.
The function of the photodiode is well known and produces electrons in proportion to the amount of light received on exposure. The problem with this arrangement is that light is focused onto a central region 17 of the photodiode. Since the light shield aperture and photodiode are elongated and the lens base is essentially square to match the pixel shape, the lens must be designed to focus the light through the smallest side of the light shield aperture. Therefore, only a portion of the photodiode is used to receive light. The efficiency of this type of arrangement is therefore not maximized.

Lens array for photodiode device with an aperture having a lens region and a non-lens region


The circuit device has a contact element, which electrically connects a wave guide (1) with a conductor strip (2). To avoid mechanical stresses due to thermal expansion the contact element is a pre-stressed prefabricated leaf spring having reproducible properties, which is bonded at one contacting area to the wave guide (1) or the conductor strip (2) by electrically conducting adhesive or glue, while a sliding contact is provided on the conductor strip (2) or the wave guide (1) at the other contacting area. The prefabricated leaf spring is preferably a MIGA leaf spring precisely made by UV depth lithography and multiplayer galvanic methods in a batch production process.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a circuit device with a contact element for electrically connecting a wave guide to a conductor strip.
2. Prior Art
A so-called stepping transformer, whose geometry is substantially determined by the wavelength of the frequencies used, is employed in high frequency circuitry in a frequency range over 50 GHz at the junction between a wave guide and conductor strip circuit elements.
Usually an electrical connection of the final stage of the stepping transformer to the conductor strip circuit device is required. This electrical connection is, for example, accomplished by glued conducting small gold bands. These small gold bands are either mounted over a corner or on the bottom side of the final stage. This fabrication method is very expensive. Furthermore the electrical connection is put under great mechanical stress by possible relative motion due to differing thermal expansion of the metallic wave guide and the dielectric conductor strip substrates.

Circuit device with a contact element for electrically connecting a wave guide and a conductor strip in a nearly stress-free manner


An extension is provided to a Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP) that can use the LACP protocol transport and provides Link Aggregation Group (LAG) management while also functioning as a full liveness detection protocol. Bi-directional link detection is supported and timers are configurable to any number. The extension can be backwards compatible with standard LACP and can use a subtype that is specified as unused. The extension can start up using standard LACP packet rates and include additional information in the unused subtype. If a LACP speaker does not support the extension, then the protocol conforms to standard LACP. A state machine of the extension is used if it detects conforming information from a peer speaker. The state machine can allow faster detection should a link error occur.

Liveness detection is a feature that allows a networking switch (or any host) to determine if a link is healthy and if it can continue to pass network packets. A healthy link is bidirectional and is not suffering from excessive amounts of packet loss or corruption. When a liveness detection process discovers that a link is no longer healthy, it notifies one or more upper layers that the link should be considered operationally down to avoid continued traffic impact. An example of a liveness detection protocol is Bidirectional Forwarding Detection (BFD). Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP) is an IEEE 802 protocol standardized as 802.3ad. Its main purpose is to dynamically manage bundled Ethernet links, which are referred to as a Link Aggregate Group (LAG). LAGs are used to increase network capacity through the use of multiple links between two network switches by presenting the bundled links as a logical interface on the switches. Traffic is balanced across the bundled links using various strategies.


A magnetoresistive effect element is a compound lamination including a first anti-ferromagnetic layer, a first fixed magnetic layer, a tunnel insulation layer, a free magnetic layer, a non-magnetic metal layer, a second fixed magnetic layer, and a second anti-ferromagnetic layer such that a TMR element and a SVMR element are formed, sharing the free magnetic layer.

In recent years, recording density of magnetic memory media has been remarkably increasing. For example, the surface recording density of a hard disk drive unit has been doubling each year, and it is considered that the spin valve type magnetoresistive effect head currently in use will reach the limit of its reproduction capability in the near future. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a magnetic effect element with higher sensitivity, which can form a magnetic head.
In a situation like this, the tunnel type magnetoresistive effect type head (TMR head) is considered indispensable as a promising candidate for a next-generation leading head, where a recording density of 100 Gbit/square inch is to be realized. The TMR head can provide a high MR ratio (40% or higher), and a reproduction output that is several times as high as the existing spin valve type magnetoresistive effect head (SVMR head), etc.
Although there are trial production reports concerning TMR heads from a plurality of companies, the surface recording density of the TMR head has not yet reached a satisfactory level according to these reports. The TMR elements that have been made so far have junction resistance values ranging between approximately 20 and 40 Ω/μm2, and MR ratios ranging between approximately 7 and 20%, which are not satisfactory to realize a magnetoresistive element that fully utilizes the real strength of a TMR element.
Further, since the junction area of the TMR element to be included in a magnetic head becomes smaller as the surface recording density of a magnetic record reproducing apparatus becomes higher, if junction resistance of a TMR element stays as it is at the present, the resistance of the magnetic head becomes greater rapidly. Because of this, problems arise, such as degradation of S/N, an increase in delay, etc., and accurate operations of the magnetic head become difficult.

Magnetoresistive effect element, a magnetic head, and a magnetic reproducing apparatus therewith


A load switch has a housing, a pair of main contacts fixed in the housing, and a movable main contact pivotal on the housing between end positions in each of which it engages a respective one of the fixed contacts and through a middle position in which it engages neither of the fixed contacts. A central shaft extending along an axis and pivotal in both directions thereabout carries a cam having offset from the axis a cam formation. A mechanical link engaged between the cam formation and the movable contact can pivot it between its end positions and through its middle position on rotation of the cam about the axis.

Such a load switch, as known from German patent 2,747,489 has for each of the phases to be switched respective auxiliary and main contact pairs which are moved with each switching one after the other. It further has for each phase to be switched two continuous main contact pairs, one contact pair of which conducts the main current in a stationary condition. The known load switch is formed as a cylinder; its housing is formed of cylindrical shells that carry the stationary main and auxiliary contacts. Arranged inside in sectors are the respective movable main and auxiliary contacts which are operated by a central switching shaft. Electrically parallel to the main contacts are respective load-free switching continuous current or continuous main contacts, the movable continuous main contacts being connected to the movable main contacts so as to be operated by them. It is known from German 1,930,719 that continuous main contacts connected to the respective main contacts are pivotal about a pin and biased by springs.
With the known load switch as described above the movable continuous main contacts are shifted together with the respective movable main contacts. Such a load switch is however principally intended only for carrying out such switching systems or switching sequences that are symmetrical, that is where independent of the switching direction and thus of the rotation direction of the switching shaft a fixed interval exists between the actuation of the main contacts and that of the respective continuous main contacts. In other words: with a symmetrical switching system with a reversed switching direction all the present main and auxiliary contacts are operated in the reversed order also.
Nonetheless so-called asymmetrical switching systems are known, for example from German 4,223,439 and WO 95/24724 which have electrical advantages and in particular are only logically usable when vacuum switches can be used as switching elements. With such asymmetrical switching systems the movement order of the individual main and auxiliary contacts is always the same; for example with the switching system known from WO 95/24724 in each switching direction the main contact moves before the auxiliary contact. The continuous main contacts that conduct the load current in the stationary condition must however open in any case even with asymmetrical switching systems as the first contact at the start of each load switching and as last contact at the end of each load switching. In other words, with such switching systems the actuation of the continuous main contacts remains symmetrical and that of the main and auxiliary contacts remains asymmetrical. This explains why the known load switch with a mechanical coupling of the continuous main contacts to the main contacts is not ideal for such switching systems.