According to one aspect, a method for performance optimization of read functions in a memory system includes receiving, at the memory system, a read request including a logical address of a target data. The memory system includes a primary memory and a back-up memory that mirrors the primary memory. The method also includes searching a fault monitor table for an entry corresponding to the received logical address. The fault monitor table includes a plurality of entries that indicate physical locations of identified memory failure events in the primary memory and the back-up memory. Based on locating an entry corresponding to the received logical address, the method further includes selecting one of the primary memory and the backup memory for retrieving the target data. The selection is based on contents of the fault monitor table.

The present disclosure relates generally to computer memory, and more particularly, to performance optimization of read functions in a memory system.
Computer systems often require a considerable amount of high speed memory to hold information, such as data and programs, when a computer is powered and operational. Memory systems often maintain a back-up memory that mirrors the data stored in a primary memory, thereby providing a measure of security when the primary memory encounters a memory failure or fault event.
With the increase in memory densities comes an increased probability of encountering a memory failure during normal system operations. Techniques to detect and correct bit errors have evolved into an elaborate science over the past several decades. Perhaps the most basic detection technique is the generation of odd or even parity where the number of 1's or 0's in a data word are "exclusive or-ed" (XOR-ed) together to produce a parity bit. If there is a single error present in the data word during a read operation, it can be detected by regenerating parity from the data and then checking to see that it matches the stored (originally generated) parity.

Performance optimization of read functions in a memory system

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION


The invention relates to a robot and a method for controlling a robot. The distance between an object and the robot and/or the derivative thereof or a first motion of the object is detected by means of a non-contact distance sensor arranged in or on a robot arm of the robot and/or on or in an end effector fastened on the robot arm. The robot arm is moved based on the first motion detected by means of the distance sensor, a target force or a target torque to be applied by the robot is determined based on the distance detected between the object and the robot, and/or a function of the robot or a parameterization of a function of the robot is triggered based on the first motion detected and/or a target distance between the object and the robot and/or the derivative thereof detected by means of the distance sensor.

Robots are manipulating machines, which are equipped with useful tools for automatic handling of objects, and are programmable in a plurality of motion axes, in particular with regard to orientation, position and process sequence. Robots have essentially a robotic arm with a plurality of axes and levers, which are moved by drives. The drives are for example electric drives.
The robot or its robot arm can also be moved manually, for example by means of a hand-held device or by guiding it manually. In particular when moving the robot by guiding it manually, in the course of which a person for example pushes or pulls on the robot arm, the danger exists that by touching the robot arm the person guiding the robot will be contaminated by the robot. This is particularly disadvantageous when the robot is used in the medical environment.

Robot and method for controlling a robot


Disclosed is a waste gas treatment apparatus having a waste gas inlet for flowing a waste gas into a main combustion chamber provided in empty space inside a body, and a plasma torch configured to propagate flames against the waste gas flowing through the waste gas inlet. The apparatus comprises a steam injection nozzle configured to eject high temperature steam against the flames emitted through a nozzle of the plasma torch, and a reaction tube, extended longitudinally toward the bottom of the main combustion chamber into a tube shape, configured to perform the chemical reaction between a reaction accelerating compound and the waste gas induced by pressure of the nozzle of the plasma torch.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of an apparatus for treating a waste gas using a plasma torch, and more particularly to an apparatus for treating a waste gas using a plasma torch, capable of burning at high temperature, which can discharge a harmless byproduct and gas from the waste gas, which is harmful to the human body, by supplying a reactant that can substitute a harmless substance for a harmful substance while burning the noxious PFC gas generated by the manufacturing processes of TFT, LCD, OLED, and others.
2. Description of the Related Art
Environmental contamination, resulting from a harmful waste gas emitted from the industrial facilities following industrialization, has been a significant problem in the world. Thus, multilateral studies on the treatment of the waste gas produced during operation of the industrial facilities have been advanced.
As a part of such multilateral studies, Korean patent No. 10-0176659, which is the title of an apparatus for treating a harmful substance of a waste gas, discloses a waste gas treatment system which treats a harmful substance contained in a waste gas through a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process and a plasma etching process.
Korean patent No. 10-0529826, which is the title of a method and apparatus for treating wastes by plasma pyrolysis, discloses a waste gas treatment system mounted with a plasma torch for pyrolyzing a harmful waste gas while the harmful waste gas is passing through a furnace.
Korean patent No. 10-558211, which is the title of a power remover in semiconductor post-process using plasma, discloses a waste gas treatment system which can collect a harmful waste gas in a chamber by plasma discharge while the harmful waste gas is passing through the chamber.
Further, Korean patent No. 10-0459315, which is the title of hollow electrodes type plasma torch for waste treatment, discloses a plasma torch which is applicable to a waste gas system.
That is, since a plasma torch is provided on one side of a furnace for waste gas treatment so as to release high temperature combustion heat (4,000˜7,000° C.), a more harmless byproduct and gas may be produced by pyrolysis and isolation of the waste gas.
However, the conventional apparatuses have disadvantages that the pyrolysis and isolation of the noxious PFC gas generated from the manufacturing processes of TFT, LCD, OLED, and others, does not be sufficiently performed, and performance of the plasma torch is lowered.

Apparatus for treating a waste gas using plasma torch


The invention is related to a method for producing silicone medical devices, in particular, silicone contact lenses, having consistent mechanical properties in a cost-effective manner. The invention is also related to a silicone medical device, especially a soft silicone contact lens.

Cornea cannot receive oxygen from the blood supply like other tissue. When the eye is open, the cornea primarily receives oxygen from the atmosphere, via the tears. When the eye is closed (e.g., during sleep), the cornea receives oxygen mainly from oxygen diffusion from the capillary plexus of the upper palpebral aperture vasculature. If sufficient oxygen does not reach the cornea, corneal swelling occurs. Extended periods of oxygen deprivation cause the undesirable growth of blood vessels in the cornea. Wearing of a soft contact lens inevitably reduces the oxygen supply to the cornea, because it can form an oxygen barrier that prevents oxygen from reaching the cornea. The oxygen transmissibility (Dk/t) of the contact lens worn by a patient, depending upon the oxygen permeability (Dk) of the lens material and the thickness (t) of the contact lens, is of vital importance for the oxygen supply to the cornea either from the atmosphere in the open eye state or from the capillary plexus of the upper palpebral aperture vasculature.
In recent years, soft silicone hydrogel contact lenses become more and more popular because of their high oxygen transmissibility and comfort. Silicone hydrogel (SiHy) contact lenses are made of a hydrated, crosslinked polymeric material that contains silicone and from about 10% to about 80% by weight of water within the lens polymer matrix at equilibrium. However, a SiHy contact lens may not have a very high oxygen permeability (e.g., greater than 180 Barrers). A very high oxygen permeability is likely required for alleviating the adverse effect of oxygen-impermeable electro-optic elements, which are incorporated in contact lenses (see, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,851,805, 7,490,936 and 8,154,804), upon the permeation of oxygen through the contact lenses.
Silicone contact lenses, made essentially of a crosslinked silicone polymer (or a silicone rubber or elastomer), have been proposed previously (U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,916,033; 3,996,187, 3,996,189; 4,332,922; and 4,632,844, herein incorporated by references in their entireties), because of their very high oxygen permeability and good mechanical and optical properties. However, crosslinked silicone polymers generally are produced by crosslinking a silicone composition comprising (1) at least one polydiorganosiloxane having at least two alkenyl groups (e.g., vinyl group, allyl group, 1-propenyl group, and isopropenyl group) each bonded to the silicon atom of a siloxane unit, (2) at least one hydride-containing polydiorganosiloxane having at least two silane groups (one hydrogen atom bonded to the silicon atom of a siloxane unit), and (3) a hydrosilylation catalyst (e.g., a platinum group metal or its compounds), according to hydrosilylation reaction. This hydrosilylation crosslinking (curing) approach has several disadvantages. First, hydrosilylation crosslinking requires relatively long reaction time and thereby lower the production yield. Second, hydrosilylation reaction is performed at an elevated temperature with extended hours. If silicone contact lenses are produced by cast-molding in disposable plastic molds (e.g., polypropylene molds) in a mass-production manner currently used in contact lens industry for producing hydrogel or silicone hydrogel contact lenses, the harsh curing conditions (e.g., high temperature and extended hours) may cause significant issues in lens metrology. Third, the mechanical properties of silicone contact lenses are quit sensitive to the stoichiometry of silane and alkenyl groups in a silicone composition. It would be difficult to control this stoichiometry and to provide silicone contact lenses with adequate and consistent mechanical properties. Fourth, it would be a challenge to remove the hydrosilylation catalyst post molding so as to minimize or eliminate any toxicological risk.
Therefore, there is still a need for a method for producing silicone contact lenses having consistent mechanical properties in a cost-effective manner. There is also a need for silicone contact lenses with desired and consistent mechanical properties.


A fluid analysis element includes: a semi transmissive/semi reflective first reflector; a transmissive apertured member, having a plurality of apertures, with diameters sufficiently smaller than the wavelength of measuring light, formed therein for holding a fluid sample; and a second reflector, which is fully reflective or semi transmissive/semi reflective. The first reflector, the transmissive apertured member, and the second reflector are provided in this order from the side of the element into which the measuring light enters. Emitted light is emitted from the first reflector or the second reflector. The element displays absorption properties that absorb light of specific wavelengths according to the mean complex refractive indices of the first and second reflectors, and the mean complex refractive index and the thickness of the transmissive apertured member. Analysis of the fluid sample is performed by detecting physical properties or changes in physical properties that occur according to the absorption properties.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a novel fluid analysis element for analyzing the refractive indices, concentrations, and the like of fluid samples. The present invention also relates to a fluid analysis apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Interference filters, such as etalon filters, are known as light modulating elements that absorb specific wavelengths of light and modulate the light. Conventional interference filters are difficult to manufacture, due to the high requirements regarding accuracy of smoothness and film thickness, and therefore are expensive. In addition, it is difficult to manufacture conventional interference filters having large areas, due to these reasons. Further, because the structures of the conventional interference filters are fixed, the light modulating properties thereof are also fixed. Accordingly, in the case that the wavelength of light to be absorbed (filtered) changes, a different interference filter needs to be provided, which precludes flexibility in design changes to optical systems.
In view of this, International Patent Publication No. WO2002/082042 discloses a light modulating element comprising an apertured member having fine apertures (nodes) with diameters of 1.0 to 1.6 μm, which are filled with fluids. This light modulating element is of a photonic crystal structure, in which the diameters of the fine apertures are greater than the wavelength of light. This light modulating element modulates light with the interference effects of photonic crystals.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-174719 discloses a light modulating element comprising a container, in which a pair of light transmissive wall members is provided. The wall members are separated in the direction of an optical axis, and the distance therebetween is adjustable. Fluid fills the space between the walls within the container. In this light modulating device, multiple reflection (resonance) occurs between the pair of transmissive wall members, to cause multiple beam interference. Thereby, light of specific wavelengths is absorbed, and the light is modulated.
The light modulating elements disclosed in International Patent Publication No. WO2002/082042 and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-174719 both are capable of changing the light modulating properties by changing the fluid therein. However, it is difficult to perform fine high resolution light modulation as is possible with etalon filters.

Fluid analysis element and fluid analysis apparatus


This invention relates to a package for packing a wiper blade for a vehicle. The package is constituted of upper and lower cases, in which the upper case is partly opened from and closed again to the lower case. Thus, the package can be conveniently used again.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a blister pack, particularly to a package for a wiper blade of a vehicle, more particularly to a reusable package for a wiper blade of a vehicle, including upper and lower cases, in which the upper case is partly opened from and closed again to the lower case.
2. Description of the Related Art
Such a package is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,899,334, for example, as shown in FIG. 1. This package is adapted to be reusable in such a manner that upper and lower cases 10 and 15 are longitudinally coupled with each other throughout their entire lengths by a hinge 20, and are relatively opened and closed each other. In general, most of these packages are designed to open the lower case from the upper case in whole when a wiper blade is packed or unpacked.
As this package, there has been used a blister pack, one example of which is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,499,353. This blister pack is also adapted to be reusable in a manner that upper and lower cases are longitudinally coupled with each other throughout their entire lengths by a hinge. Similarly to that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,899,334, the blister pack is designed to open the lower case from the upper case in whole.


Disclosed is a computer-implemented method for determining a position of an anatomical tracking structure in a tracking image usable for controlling a radiation treatment such as at least one of radiotherapy or radio surgery of a patient, a corresponding computer program, a non-transitory program storage medium storing such a program and a computer for executing the program, as well as a system for the position of an anatomical tracking structure in a tracking image usable for controlling a radiation treatment such as at least one of radiotherapy or radio surgery of a patient, a system comprising an electronic data storage device and the aforementioned computer.

In a given gray-scale image or image sequence we want to track a structure, called "tracking structure". In this application, a tracking algorithm is presented which improves tracking on images where the tracking structure is (partially) occluded by another structure which moves differently than the tracking structure. A possible application of this invention is lung tumour tracking on x-ray images for markerless radiotherapy of lung cancer.
Tracking can be performed with the Template Matching algorithm. Template Matching is a method for searching and finding the location of a template image in a larger search image. The template image contains the tracking structure which will be searched for. The template image is slid over the search image and compared to the patch of the search image under the template image. The comparison results in a similarity value between the patch and the template. A template mask might be provided to the comparison method to weight the pixels in both the template and the patch. The patch which has the highest similarity with the template is considered as detection result. Its position represents the detected point.
The known tracking solutions based on Template Matching are shortly described as follows.
Template Matching on gray-scale images comprises selection of one image from an image sequence which is called "reference image" in this application. The template is given by a (rectangular) patch of the reference image containing the tracking structure. The template contains information about both the tracking structure and occluding structures. Gray values of the tracking structure in the template depend on the location of the occluding structure. The template contains not only the (occluded) tracking structure but also parts of the occlusion outside the tracking structure. This is because a rectangular template is used which in general does not agree with the shape of the tracking structure. Therefore, the template depends on the motion state represented in the selected reference image. The similarity between the template and the corresponding patch of a search image with a motion state different than the one of the reference image is less than the maximum similarity. The difference to the maximum similarity depends on how different the tracking structure and the occluding structure move. Fake structures which are structures different than the tracking structure in the search image with a high similarity to the template might have a higher similarity causing the tracking to fail.
DRR tracking on x-ray images comprises using a digitally rendered/reconstructed radiograph (DRR) of the tracking structure selected in a planning CT as template in a Template Matching algorithm. However, DRR and x-ray are of different modality so that a direct comparison of the images may be difficult. Furthermore, the DRR is artificial and depends on the used rendering algorithm. Also, the DRR is based on planning CT which is potentially outdated as it is acquired typically some days before the first treatment and only once, artefacts are possible due to breathing motion, and a DRR is often non-representative of a specific breathing state (e.g., full inhale or free-breathing).
The present invention is designed to provide an improved method of tracking a target structure in medical image data which delivers more reliable results.
The present invention can be used in connection with a system for image-guided radiotherapy such as VERO® and ExacTrac®, both products of Brainlab AG.
Aspects of the present invention, examples and exemplary steps and their embodiments are disclosed in the following. Different exemplary features of the invention can be combined in accordance with the invention wherever technically expedient and feasible.

Binary tracking of an anatomical tracking structure on medical images


A catalyst which exhibits superior control of product particle size in the insertion polymerization of alpha-olefins is described as transition metal compounds which associate with non-coordinating alumoxane anions which are dispersed throughout the interior of a silica support in the form of particles which are less than or equal to about 50 .ANG. (5 nanometers) in diameter. This catalyst is capable of gas phase (e.g. heterogeneous) polymerization of propylene into product granules with a high degree of control over granule particle size distribution and bulk density.

Over the past 10 years a new generation of catalysts which utilize alumoxane as an activator for mono, bis or tris cyclopentadienyl transition metal compounds ("metallocenes") has been developed in striking contrast to the previous Ziegler-Natta catalysts which utilize aluminum alkyls as the activators. This new generation of catalysts demands more efficient methods for producing and utilizing alumoxanes. It is known that alumoxanes can be produced generally by contacting a trialkylaluminum with water under controlled reaction conditions to produce an alumoxane. However, in recent years this simple method has been expanded. WO92/21685, U.S. Pat. No. 4,908,463, U.S. Pat. No. 4,937,363, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,968,827, 4,924,018, 5,003,095, 5,041,583, 5,066,631, 5,099,050, 5,157,137, 4,544,762, 5,084,585 and 5,064,797 all disclose various methods of producing alkylalumoxanes particularly methylalumoxane, to be used as a catalyst itself or as an activator for various catalysts such as mono, bis or tris cyclopentadienyl transition metal compounds. U.S. Pat. No. 4,952,540 discloses finely divided alumoxanes having an average particle size of 5 to 200 micrometers and a surface area of 20 to 1000 meters square per gram used in conjunction with a cyclopentadienyl transition metal compound to produce a polymer having high bulk specific gravity (also called bulk density). U.S. Pat. No. 5,015,749 discloses alumoxanes placed on a porous organic or inorganic aqueous imbiber material containing water. The support has an average surface area of 1 m.sup.2 /g to 1200 m.sup.2 /g and an average pore diameter of about 15 to about 10,000 angstroms.
While there are a multitude of references teaching various methods to produce alumoxanes it has not yet been discovered how to manipulate alumoxanes, specifically for maximizing supported catalytic activity and polymer product characteristics. Thus, a method is desired for manipulating alumoxane which produces catalysts with controlled bulk density, ash content, polymer particle sizes, and polymer particle size distribution.
During the polymerization process polyolefin catalyst systems comprised of co-catalyst/catalyst in a support become shattered into tiny fragments which end up being uniformly scattered throughout the final polymer product. The amounts of the individual residual elements relative to the total amount of polymer product are collectively referred to as the ash content. This is an important parameter from two points of view. First in some end product applications such as food packaging there are limits on the acceptable amount of ash, but even more important is the economic factor through the standpoint of catalyst efficiency. Lower ash contents are a direct effect of being able to make more polymer using less catalyst. Commercial polyolefin production reactors can be adversely influenced by inconsistencies in the individual behavior of any particular catalyst. A typical problem situation is one in which the catalytically active species become inhomogeneously distributed within the reactor to result in the build up of local "hot" spots. Here the temperatures get so high, that the product polymer melts and fuses together eventually forming internal chunks and causing reactor fouling. To ensure reactor operability it is preferred to run a catalyst system which maintains homogeneity of the active species throughout the reactor.
The ideal production scheme optimizes the final product properties as well as the physical form of the final product. Although the former of these can be optimized by means of chemistry and reactor conditions, the latter is controlled more by the fragmentation properties of the catalyst carrier which, in turn, are controlled by the dispersion of the catalyst on and throughout the carrier. Thus an important consideration in olefin polymerization has been developing methods for loading the carrier with catalyst. The location and chemical nature of the catalytically active species in the carrier microstructure is an important consideration. The exact arrangement of active catalyst sites within the carrier provides ultimate control over the carrier fragmentation behavior and, subsequently, over the physical form of the final product. Consequently, unambiguous knowledge of the supported catalyst microstructure can lead to control of final polymer product morphology, independent of the nature of the polymer being produced. This, in turn, provides control over the product bulk density as well as reactor operability and, as such, represents an improvement over the existing art.
In such reactor systems the amount of cocatalyst required to activate the catalyst is measured as the aluminum moles to metal moles ratio Al/M!. Depending on the particular process and catalyst there is a wide dispersion in values for this ratio, but often it is over 1000:1 and is typically over 500:1. Also large variations in bulk density values as well as intermittent reactor fouling are two problems often associated with alumoxane activated catalysts when they are supported on a silica carrier and used in a slurry or gas phase process.

Alumoxanes, catalysts utilizing alumoxanes and polymers therefrom


A network management approach for use in a vehicle to control activation of electronic control units (ECUs) networked together throughout the vehicle. The ECUs are grouped together by function into virtual networks, with each virtual network including those ECUs used in carrying out a particular control task, such as controlling power windows or automatic headlights. The virtual networks are activated using a messaging protocol that specifies which virtual network is being activated. Periodic messages specifying the virtual network are also used to maintain it active. This permits the ECUs to be maintained in a low power quiescent state when the control functions are not needed, while allowing only those needed for a particular control task to be awakened and maintained in an activated state to carry out their associated control task. An ECU can activate one of the virtual networks by transmitting a wake-up signal followed by a message identifying the virtual network. Each of the ECUs receive this message and, if it is a member of the virtual network being initialized, maintains itself in an active state to carry out the control task associated with the virtual network. The other ECUs return to the quiescent state. Using this approach, an ECU is able to activate only the necessary ECUs for a particular control task without having to know which or how many ECUs are involved in performing the task.

The present invention relates to networks used in vehicles to provide distributed control of various vehicle functions and, more particularly, to such networks which utilize different groupings of electronic control units (ECUs) to carry out different control tasks.
In contemporary vehicles, electronic control units (ECUs) are distributed throughout the vehicle to perform a variety of different vehicle functions. These vehicle functions can be operator-controlled or automated and are referred to herein generally as control tasks. These control tasks can include, for example, controlling vehicle door locks, seat position, cruise control, entertainment system devices (tuners, CD players, etc.), HVAC, intrusion alarms, interior and exterior lighting, electric window position, engine and vehicle system diagnostics, and, more recently, tasks such as seat heating and reverse sensing.
A common misconception is that each of the ECUs used in the vehicle is dedicated to a specific task. While some ECUs, including powertrain control modules and anti-lock brake system controllers, tend to be dedicated to a single control task, this is generally not the case for most other ECUs. Many control tasks are performed by several ECUs working in unison and coordinating their operation via a data link. A typical ECU may contain a portion of the control logic for several unrelated vehicle control tasks, and may not contain the complete control logic for any single control task.
The ECUs are typically connected together via one or more vehicle buses, which are generally implemented as serial communication buses in the form of a local area network. In addition to the basic mechanisms for transferring signals between ECUs over the vehicle bus, any reliable communication strategy must also ensure that a number of other ancillary tasks are performed. One of these tasks is called network management and is used to provide a system-wide common approach to handling such things as: orderly start up (activation) of communication capabilities; orderly shut down (deactivation) of communication capabilities; and predictable recovery from detectable communication errors.
Mechanisms to perform orderly start up and shut down are important so that ECUs can synchronize their signal reception expectations with the other ECUs signal transmission availability. If this synchronization does not occur, an ECU may interpret the lack of signal transmissions as the failure of one of the other ECUs and adopt safe default signal values that may be perceived by the occupant as improper vehicle operation. For example, headlights may default xe2x80x9conxe2x80x9d if the day/night sensor signal is not transmitted in a timely manner.
Existing vehicle network management strategies are relatively simple. This simplicity stems from the fact that all ECUs in a vehicle are activated and deactivated simultaneously. As a result, the only complicating factor is that some ECUs may activate slower than others. There exists vehicle network schemes which permit an ECU to activate other ECUs, but not in a manner that is independent of vehicle platform and that allows multiple ECUs to activate the same collection of ECUs. Furthermore, they are not as responsive in the manner in which they perform their xe2x80x9con-demandxe2x80x9d start-up operations. This severely reduces their effectiveness because the start-up process must be done quickly enough to keep the occupant from detecting delays following a button press that requires the ECUs to perform control operations. If this cannot be done, then the only other option is to keep the ECUs awake any time that an occupant may want to use their functionality.
The electrical power consumption in contemporary vehicles is approaching the limits for what can be economically provided by the existing vehicle electrical infrastructure. One method for reducing the consumption is to place ECUs that are not actively controlling vehicle functionality into a low power xe2x80x9cstandbyxe2x80x9d, or xe2x80x9csleepxe2x80x9d state. For example, window and seat control ECUs are used infrequently and can usually be placed in standby. From a network management perspective, vehicle systems with ECUs in standby introduce considerable complexity. In these systems, it is desirable to synchronize start up and shut down of arbitrary subsets of the vehicle""s ECU population while letting other ECUs xe2x80x9csleepxe2x80x9d. Furthermore, a robust network design should be able to start ECU sets on demand without disrupting the control operations being performed by the ECUs which are already awake. Lastly, in order for an ECU to be used in multiple vehicle platforms, the ECU should be able to start up its signal providers even though the signals may be provided by different ECUs on each platform.
It is therefore a general object of this invention to provide an on-board vehicle network which utilizes a network management strategy that permits distributed ECUs on the network to activate other ECUs in a platform-independent manner using a common communication strategy which permits the ECUs to be maintained in a low power quiescent mode until needed.
The present invention provides an on-board vehicle network and method for operating the network which permits an ECU to activate the other ECUs used for a particular vehicle control task without having to know in advance what ECUs are utilized in performing the control task. The network comprises a plurality of on-board vehicle electronic control units (ECUs) connected together via at least one network bus, with the network being arranged into a plurality of virtual networks that each comprise a group of the ECUs that together perform a vehicle control task. Thus, the ECUs that together comprise a first one of the virtual networks are operable together to perform a first control task and are each identified using a first code that is associated with the first virtual network. Similarly, the ECUs that comprise the second virtual network are operable together to perform a second control task and are each identified using a second code that is associated with the second virtual network. The first and second virtual networks can be activated using respective first and second messages that they receive over the vehicle bus. Once activated a virtual network is then operable to perform its associated control task. Preferably, the messages include one or more of the codes used to identify the ECUs in a particular virtual network. In this way, an ECU can wake-up other ECUs out of their standby mode without having to know which ECUs are a part of the virtual network used to implement a particular control task.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of managing an on-board vehicle network that utilize ECUs that can be switched between and active state and a low power quiescent state. The network includes at least one group or subset of the ECUs on the network, with the group of ECUs being operable together to perform a particular vehicle control task. The method includes the steps of: receiving a signal request for activating a control task; waking up the ECUs out of the low power quiescent state; and sending a message to the ECUs that includes a code associated with the control task. This message is received by some or all of the ECUs in the network and, for each of these ECUs, if the code included with the message corresponds to a control task associated with the ECU, then the ECU enters into an active state in which the ECU is operable to perform the control task together with other ECUs associated with the control task. However, if the code included with the message does not correspond to a control task associated with the ECU, then it enters into the low power quiescent state.
If necessary, the messages to the ECUs can be preceded by a wake-up signal which switches all of the quiescent ECUs to the active state. Once the ECUs are awakened, they each monitor the network for receipt of a message containing a code associated with one of the control tasks for which they are used. If no code is received within a period of time following the wake-up signal, they switch back to their low power quiescent state. If a code is received, then each ECU checks to see whether it is associated with the received code; if so, it enters into a program mode in which it operates with the other appropriate ECUs to carry out the associated control task. If not, the ECU switches back to the quiescent state. In this way, any ECU on the network can be used to activate other ECUs associated with a particular control task, and can do so without having to know which or how many other ECUs are involved. This permits system designs in which a particular ECU can be used on different vehicle platforms, even if the function is performed differently on each platform.

In-vehicle network management using virtual networks


An external part mounted electric wire 1 includes an external part 3 which is mounted on an electric wire 2 so as to be brought into engagement with a hole in a panel on which a wiring harness 25 is laid. The external part 3 is made of a resin and is formed integrally with the electric wire 2. In addition, a relative position of the external part 3 to the electric wire 2 is provided in such a position that the external part 3 can be brought into engagement with the hole in the panel.

1. Field of the invention
The present invention relates to an external part mounted electric wire which includes an external part adapted to be brought into engagement with a hole in a panel on which a wiring harness is laid and a wiring harness which includes the external part mounted electric wire.
2. Description of the related art
Various types of electronic devices and electrical equipment are mounted in a motor vehicle. In the motor vehicle, wiring harnesses are laid in the electronic devices and electrical equipment for supply of electric power from a battery or transmission of control signals from a control unit.
A wiring harness includes various types of external parts such as wiring clips, wiring harness grommets and wiring harness protectors.
A general wiring harness fabrication method includes a wiring step of laying a plurality of electric wires having connectors provided at ends thereof in predetermined positions on a wiring board along a wiring pattern drawn thereon in a predetermined order, an external part mounting step of mounting the external parts in predetermined positions on a bundle of electric wires made up of the plurality of electric wires laid in the wiring step, and a taping step of winding a vinyl tape around the bundle of electric wires on which the external parts are mounted in the external part mounting step (Refer to JP-A-2004-356064, for example).
According to the general wiring harness fabrication method, however, in the external part mounting step, a working person adjusts the mounting positions of the external parts one by one by using an adjusting jig. This makes complex the adjusting work of adjusting the mounting positions of the external parts. Consequently, a required time for fabrication of a wiring harness becomes long.
In the external part mounting step, the mounting positions of the external parts deviate depending upon the conditions of the electric wires laid on the jig, and therefore, the mounting accuracy of the external parts is reduced.
In addition, in the adjusting work of adjusting the mounting positions of the external parts, the mounting accuracy varies depending upon the degree of skill of each working person.

External part mounted electric wire, wiring harness including the same external part mounted electric wire, and method for fabricating the same wiring harness


In a PMOS transistor, the source-drain region is divided into four parts along the gate width and has an arrangement of four independent source regions and an arrangement of four independent drain regions. A partial trench isolation insulating film is arranged in contact with the whole of the opposed surfaces between the four source regions in such a manner that the channel region formed under the gate electrode is divided across the channel length. A body-tied region containing N-type impurities relatively high in concentration is arranged in contact with the side surface of the source region opposite to the gate electrode, and the potential of the body region is fixed through the well region from the body-tied region.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a semiconductor device, or in particular to a semiconductor device having a partial trench isolation structure.
2. Description of the Background Art
A semiconductor device of a SOI (silicon on insulator) structure (hereinafter referred to as the SOI device) in which a buried oxide film and a SOI layer are formed on a silicon substrate finds applications as portable devices due to the feature that the parasitic capacitance can be reduced and the operation is fast and stable with a low power consumption.
An example of the SOI device has a full trench isolation (FTI) structure in which a trench reaching a buried oxide film is formed in the surface of a SOI layer and an insulating material is buried in the trench. The full trench isolation insulating film thus formed is used to isolate elements electrically.
Various problems are caused, however, by the substrate floating effect in which carriers (holes for NMOS) generated by the impact ionization stay in the body region including the channel forming region, with the result that a kink is generated, the operation withstanding voltage is reduced or the unstable potential of the body region causes the frequency dependence of the delay time.
In view of this, the partial trench isolation (PTI) structure has been conceived, as disclosed in Yuuichi Hirano et al., "Bulk-Layout-Compatible 0.18-μm SOI-CMOS Technology Using Body-Tied Partial-Trench-Isolation (PTI)", "IEEE TRANSACTION ON ELECTRON DEVICES. vol. 48, No. 12, DECEMBER 2001, pp. 2816-2822": Non-Patent Document 1), in which a trench is formed in the surface of the SOI layer in such a manner as to leave a SOI layer of a predetermined thickness between the trench bottom portion and the buried oxide film, and which has a partial trench isolation insulating film formed by burying an insulating material in the trench.
By employing the PTI structure, carriers can be moved through the well region under the partial trench isolation insulating film, the carriers are prevented from staying in the body region, and the potential of the body region can be fixed through the well region. Thus, the various problems which otherwise might be caused by the substrate floating effect are not posed.
In the case where the PTI structure is employed, a high-concentration impurities region of the same conduction type as the body region is formed as a body-tied region in the surface of the SOI layer outside the ends of the gate electrode along the gate width, and this body-tied region is electrically connected to an overlying wiring layer thereby to fix the potential of the body region.
In the semiconductor device not using the PTI structure, on the other hand, the use of the T-shaped gate electrode or the source-tied gate electrode as shown in Kerry Bernstein and Norman J. Rohrer, "SOI CIRCUIT DESIGN CONCEPTS", Kluwer Academic Publishers, pp. 22-23 (Non-Patent Document 2)" has been proposed to fix the potential of the body region.
Specifically, FIG. 2.8(a) of Non-Patent Document 2 shows a configuration in which the gate electrode is in the shape of T and the portion corresponding to the leg of T functions substantially as a gate while the portion corresponding to the head of T extends to completely cover the short sides of the source region and the drain region with a body contact region formed outside the head of T. The body contact region contains high-concentration impurities of the same conduction type as the body region.
Also, FIG. 2.8(b) of Non-Patent Document 2 shows the gate electrode of what is called the source-tied type in which a protrusion is formed toward the source region from the neighborhood of the central portion along the gate width of the gate electrode, and a high-concentration impurities region having a different conduction type from the source region is formed in the surface of the source region under the protrusion.
With the size reduction of the semiconductor device, the gate length is also shortened. In the T-shaped gate electrode, however, the potential is fixed at one end of the gate electrode, and therefore, the gate length is shortened. In the case where the gate width is very large, in contrast, the resistance value of the body region is increased and the potential of the body region cannot be sufficiently fixed, thereby giving rise to the likelihood of generating a kink or reducing the operation withstanding voltage.
Also, in the case of the T-shaped gate electrode, the lower part of the head of T constitutes the same impurities region as the body region. Since a gate insulating film exists between the impurities region and the head of T, however, the unrequired capacitance component exists there and may affect the operation of the transistor.
In the source-tied gate electrode having a very long gate width as compared with the gate length, on the other hand, an increased number of protrusions toward the source region is equivalent to the division of the gate electrode into a plurality of parts, thereby making it possible to fix the potential of the body region for each of the short gate electrodes.
In forming a high-concentration impurities region in the surface of the source region under the protrusion, however, impurities are introduced by ion implantation. Due to the displacement attributable to the precision of the implantation mask, therefore, the position of the high-concentration impurities region under the protrusion and the potential fixed position are varied, thereby substantially resulting in the variation of the length of each of a plurality of divided gate electrodes. This may cause the variation of the operation characteristics of the transistor.
As explained above, the gate length is shortened with the size reduction of the semiconductor device, and in the case where the gate width is very large as compared with the gate length, the potential of the body region fails to be sufficiently fixed, resulting in the likelihood of a kink or reduction in the operation withstanding voltage. This problem cannot be obviated by the T-shaped gate electrode or the source-tied electrode.


A network system is constructed for operating a music apparatus having a function as an electronic musical instrument under control by a local terminal which is communicable with a host computer through a network. In the system, the host computer is installed with a capability utilized to compute data effective to extent the function of the electronic musical instrument. The local terminal is connectable to the host computer through the network to remotely control the capability of the host computer so as to compute the data prepared for the music apparatus. The local terminal downloads the computed data from the host computer into the music apparatus through the local terminal. The music apparatus operates according to the downloaded data to extend its own function as the electronic musical instrument. Further, the capability itself can be transferred from the host computer to the music apparatus through the local terminal.

The present invention generally relates to a network system constructed by a host computer and local terminals. Specifically, the present invention relates to a method of extending a capability of a music apparatus equipped in the local terminal in the form of an electronic musical instrument or a personal computer having function of an electronic musical instrument.
In the field of electronic musical instruments, various capabilities have been conventionally realized, including a timbre synthesis capability for synthesizing timbres and an automatic accompaniment capability for performing automatic accompaniment by reproducing play data of an accompaniment pattern. Some of these capabilities are initially provided on electronic musical instruments, while others are not. It would be convenient if the capabilities not inherently provided in an electronic musical instrument can be subsequently added thereto. It is desired to provide a service for implementing such addition of the various capabilities. The same is true for a personal computer having function of an electronic musical instrument realized by an application software.
Most of the above-mentioned capabilities are conventionally implemented by microcomputer-based data processing. Electronic musical instruments themselves are also controlled by a microcomputer. This makes it possible to use, via a network, programs and other software resources that can implement various capabilities, thereby extending capabilities of the electronic musical instrument and personal computer having the electronic musical instrument function.
Meanwhile, use of the software resources reserved in a host computer by local terminals such as personal computers is conventionally practiced by connecting these local terminals to the host computer through a network. A procedure most frequently used in such a configuration is downloading of application programs from the host computer into the local terminals.
However, In the above-mentioned conventional procedure, the local terminal cannot execute a downloaded program if hardware resources of the local terminal is not enough for executing the downloaded program. Another problem with the conventional procedure is that local terminals of some types cannot install the application program due to incompatibility of their operating system or else. Still another problem is that, if the size of a program to be used is huge, a local terminal must download the program while consuming a considerable time without recognizing advantage and performance that the program will provide until the downloading is finished.

Method of extending capability of music apparatus by networking


A disk array system includes a dedicated cache memory, a first host computer exclusively using the dedicated cache memory, data for a dedicated disk being written to or being read from the dedicated cache memory. The disk array system is connectable to the first host computer and to a second host computer.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a disk array system, a host interface unit, a control method for a disk array system, and a computer program product for a disk array system. More particularly, the present invention relates to a disk array system which is capable of installing an additional host computer or a host computer and a disk, reducing an occurrence of a bottleneck path, unaffected by the configuration.
2. Description of the Related Art
A disk array system including multiple hard disk devices is widely used as a large-scale storage device for a computer. One example of the disk array system includes a disk array system that is upwardly scalable by additionally providing a hard disk device or the like.
JP2002-24085A discloses an example of the above-mentioned disk array system. The disk array system includes a host adapter, an array disk, a disk adapter, and a cache memory. The host adapter, the disk adapter, and the cache memory are connected to a common bus in a removable manner. The disk array system is configured to be upwardly scalable by additionally providing a host adapter or the like.
Next, another conventional disk array system is explained.
FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a configuration of conventional large-scale disk array system 200. In FIG. 9, host interface card 202 activates, in response to a command from host computer 201, a data transfer between host computer 201 and cache memory 203. In a case of a cache miss when a read command is received, host interface card 202 issues a read command to disk interface card 204.
Disk interface card 204 transfers, in response to the instruction from host interface card 202, data from logical disk 205 to cache memory 203. Also, when cache memory 203 has write data, disk interface card 204 activates a data transfer from cache memory 203 to logical disk 205.
Also, another conventional disk array system is explained.
FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a configuration of conventional storage subsystem 210 structured by combining small-size storage devices 213. In FIG. 10, multiple small-size storage devices 213 are connected to multiple host computers 211 through switch 212, to thereby construct a storage area network. Small-size storage device 213 activates, in response to a command from host computer 211, a data transfer between host computer 211 and cache memory 213, and also activates a data transfer between cache memory 214 and logical disk 215 as needed.

Disk array system, host interface unit, control method for disk array system, and computer program product for disk array system


In a data processor including an input device for inputting commands and data, a central processing unit for executing processing in accordance with the input command or data from the input device and a display device for displaying the input command or data from the input device or the message generated by the central processing unit, the present invention discloses a data processor comprising an automatic input data memory for storing a trigger data to be displayed on the display device and automatic input data corresponding to the trigger data, a judgement device for judging whether or not the display of the display device is in agreement with the trigger data stored in the automatic input data memory, and an automatic input device for outputting the automatic input data corresponding to the trigger data from the automatic input data memory to the central processing unit in accordance with the result of the judgement operation performed by the judgement device.

This invention relates to an input reduction system in a computer system utilizing a personal computer or the like, and more particularly to a system which is suitable for carrying out an input work where data security is necessary.
In a computer system using a personal computer or a host computer, a data processor equipped with a so-called "automatic data input system" has been proposed conventionally in order to reduce an input operation of commands or data. In the data processor equipped with such an automatic data input system, commands or data necessary for data processing are inputted exclusively or reply data that have in advance been prepared so as to correspond to messages from the system are outputted.
The data processor equipped with this conventional automatic data input system does not sufficiently take into consideration the necessity of data security such as pass-words and the possibility of data-leakage to a third party. Moreover, since the check of the pass-word is made only by a counterpart system, the data processor has the problem that the pass-word cannot be assigned locally to each operator and cannot be freely registered or revised.

Insuring data security and requiring only the minimum necessary input operations


Curable, crosslinkable compositions and coatings prepared therefrom that can be used to form low-surface energy liners that can be used with aggressive pressure-sensitive adhesives, such as adhesives formed from silicone resins. The release characteristics of these coatings do not diminish upon aging and do not adversely affect the readhesion properties of adhesives that have-come in contact with the coatings. The invention further provides substrates bearing a layer of the composition of the invention. These coated substrates are particularly suitable for release liners, especially differential release liners and low-adhesion backsizes for pressure-sensitive adhesive tapes and sheet materials, especially for pressure-sensitive adhesives derived from silicone resins. Because the coatings of this invention can have more than 50% by weight inert oils without significantly reducing the readhesion of adhesives removed from them, they provide an economic advantage over those coatings prepared by using only the more expensive reactive group-containing polyfluoropolyethers.

1. Field Of The Invention
This invention relates to release liners, and more particularly, to release liners suitable for use with highly aggressive pressure-sensitive adhesives.
2. Discussion of the Art
Pressure-sensitive adhesive tape, which is typically wound into rolls, has a low-adhesion backsize coating applied to the major surface of the backing not bearing adhesive to permit the tape to be unwound without delamination and transfer of adhesive to the surface of the backing not bearing adhesive. The force required to separate the adhesive layer from the low-adhesion backsize coating, i.e., peel force, ranges from 6 to 35 Newtons per decimeter (N/dm) per unit width. If the tape is not wound into a roll, its adhesive layer is customarily protected by a disposable web that bears a low-adhesion coating to which normally tacky and pressure-sensitive adhesives adhere very weakly, e.g., a peel force ranging from about 0.2 to about 6 N/dm, preferably 0.2 to 2 N/dm. Release coatings having peel forces in this preferred range of 0.2 to 2 N/dm are hereinafter referred to as "premium release" coatings.
Release coatings must both adhere strongly to the backing and be sufficiently cured or rendered incompatible with the adhesive so that it does not transfer to the adhesive layer and adversely affect adhesive power of the adhesive. Low adhesion backsize coatings having such properties are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,318,852; 3,536,749; 4,057,596; and 4,216,252.
Certain pressure-sensitive adhesives, particularly those derived from silicone resins, are so aggressive that tapes employing them exhibit undesirably high peel forces upon removal from known low-adhesion coatings, especially after prolonged storage or when used in a high-temperature environment. The adhesive of such tapes may carry away, and consequently, be contaminated by appreciable amounts of the low-adhesion material. If this occurs, the tapes will exhibit poor readhesion when applied to "end-use" receptor surfaces.
Known low-adhesion coatings, e.g. poly(urethanes), poly(tetrafluoroethylenes), and poly(dimethylsiloxanes), do not provide release peel forces in the range 0.2 to 2 N/dm when used with poly(dimethylsiloxane) adhesives.
The utility of polymeric fluorocarbons as release coatings has been disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,472,480; 4,567,073; and 4,614,667. Uncrosslinked fluorinated waxes and oils are frequently used as lubricants and mold release agents in applications where low adhesion coatings are designed to fail cohesively within the bulk phase. Conversely, crosslinked fluorinated waxes and oils are preferred when it is desired to avoid cohesive failure of release liners. Examples of crosslinking reactions that have been used to prepare low energy release liners are photochemical crosslinking, described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,472,480; 4,567,073; and 4,614,667; thermal crosslinking of silicone resins, described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,472,480; and chemical crosslinking of silicone resins (hydrosilation), described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,565,741. U.S. Pat. No. 4,321,404 describes abherent coatings made by using electron beam radiation to polymerize a mixture of film-forming and polyfluorinated oligomers in a single step. The mixture is formulated so that the fluorinated materials tend to segregate at the coating surface, i.e., the air interface, so that the abherent coating can be crosslinked with a single pass through the electron beam curtain. These coating,#have excellent readhesion; however, they were formulated for use with acrylic adhesives and typically have high release values when used with these adhesives. These release values would be higher still if these abherent coatings were used with the highly aggressive silicone pressure-sensitive adhesives.
In order to further reduce the possibility of cohesive failure, a crosslinked primer coating to securely anchor the release coating to its backing has been used. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,567,073 and 4,614,667 disclose the advantage of first photopolymerizing a thin layer of a film-forming polymer that is strongly bonded to the surface of a substrate. This primer layer is also capable of subsequently reacting with functional groups attached to a polyfluoropolyether, which is applied as a second thin layer over the photopolymerized layer, thereby chemically bonding the release coating to the inner primer layer. These release liners exhibit release of about 0.6 N/dm, and excellent readhesion for certain classes of silicone-based pressure-sensitive adhesives.

Fluorocarbon-based coating compositions and articles derived therefrom

Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company


Disclosed is a process for making shape memory polyphenylene sulfide, comprising: curing polyphenylene sulfide to produce cured polyphenylene sulfide; comminuting the cured polyphenylene sulfide to form cured polyphenylene sulfide particles; disposing the cured polyphenylene sulfide particles in a mold; heating the mold for flowing the cured polyphenylene sulfide; compressing, by applying a compressive force, the cured polyphenylene sulfide; cooling the cured polyphenylene sulfide; relieving the compressive force; and de-molding the cured polyphenylene sulfide to produce the shape memory polyphenylene sulfide.

Shape memory polymers (SMPs) are polymers that regain their original shape when heated above their glass transition temperature (Tg). Articles are formed from shape memory polymers by first heating above the glass transition temperature and then shaping the polymer, then subsequently fixing the shape by cooling below the glass transition temperature. During deployment of the article, the shaped article is heated above the glass transition temperature to allow recovery of the first molded shape.
Shape memory polymers are useful as materials of construction of elements for variety of downhole applications, particularly those that require the sealing off a portion of a borehole or constricting the space around an element, whether coaxial with the borehole or otherwise. While a number of different shape memory polymers are commercially available, SMPs having still greater thermal and chemical stability as well as low cost would be well received in the art.

Shape memory polyphenylene sulfide manufacturing, process, and composition


A bicast vane and shroud rings is provided in which thermal stresses are minimized. The vane has a flange portion along its inner and outer edge. These flange portions extend from the mid-chord of the vane part way towards the leading and trailing edges and follow the camber of the vane. Each of the flange portions has a width greater than that of the vane so has to form an overhang or lip about which conventional shroud rings are cast. As the flange portions approach the leading and trailing edges their width decreases and the overhang blends into the inner and outer edge to form rounded tops and bottoms at the leading and trailing edge. These rounded tops and bottoms reduce stress concentrations in the shroud rings and increase shroud material near these edges. Additionally, a stress relieving member is provided that embraces the top and bottom edges of the thin trailing edge, and inhibits the melting of the trailing edge during bicasting.

Gas turbine engines typically have stators to direct the compressed high temperature gas against the turbine blades. Stators are comprised of an annular array of airfoils or vanes interposed between inner and outer shroud rings. Usually, the three components are cast from the same material making the vane integral with the shroud rings at the top and bottom edges of the vanes. During transient conditions, such as start up and shut down of the engine, the gas temperature rapidly changes. Because a larger portion of the vane relative to the shrouds is exposed to the gas, it respond more quickly to the changes in gas temperature. Thus, when heated faster then the shrouds, the vanes become susceptible to large thermal compressive stress because the vanes want to expand but are constrained by the shroud rings. Similarly, when cooled, a large tensile stress is created across the vane which wants to contract.
The thermal stresses are particularly high in the thin, trailing and leading edges. The cyclic nature of the thermal stresses make the vanes highly susceptible to low cycle fatigue cracking. Therefore, it is desirable to have vanes with good low cycle fatigue properties which tend to be expensive.
Bicasting is another method of forming a turbine stator. This method includes casting shroud rings around the tip and root edges of prefabricated vanes. The advantage to bicasting is that the vanes and shroud rings can be formed from materials having different compositions and crystallographic structure. This permits the use of single crystal or columnar grained crystallographic vanes which have low elastic modulus and good low cycle fatigue properties in the direction of primary stress.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,728,258 discloses a bicast turbine stator having a vane configured for mounting with a slip joint between the vane and the shroud ring to accommodate the thermal expansion of the vanes. The slip joint is produced by printing or stamping through the shroud ring which reduces its strength. Also, with slip joints, the hoop stress in the shroud ring must be carried by the portions of the ring surrounding the slip joint and adjacent the leading and trailing edges of the vanes. Not only does this reduce the amount of material available for carrying the hoop stress but compounds the problem by producing large stress concentrations at the leading and trailing edges.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,069,265 discloses a bicast turbine stator in which the shroud ring is strengthened by the addition of a rail which carries a portion of the hoop stress. A space is maintained between the rail and the shroud ring to accommodate the thermal expansion of the vanes. However, the rail adds weight to the shroud ring, increases the thermal mismatch between the vanes and the shroud ring, and increases the thermal stress in the shroud ring.
Thus disadvantages to slip joints are reduced material available in the shroud ring for carrying hoop stress, stress concentrations adjacent the vanes leading and trailing edges, radial space taken by the shroud rings and rails, increased weight, increased thermal mismatch between the vanes and shroud rings, and increased thermal stress in the shroud rings.
Accordingly, there is a need for a stator vane that when bicast to shroud rings increases the stator's structural integrity, and reduces thermal stresses.


A catalytic converter including a cylindrical catalyst carrier having a catalyst carried therein, a retaining mat wound around an outer peripheral surface of the catalyst carrier, and a casing including a cylindrical carrier retaining portion for retaining the catalyst carrier with the retaining mat compressed. The cylindrical carrier retaining portion is an assembly which is constructed of diametrically split halves whose axially extending opposite-side edges are fitted over each other with fitted portions bonded to each other. The cylindrical carrier retaining portion has an oval cross-sectional shape with a longer diameter between both the fitted portions. Thus, the density of the retaining mat in the circumferential direction of the catalyst carrier after being compressed can be varied in an increased manner to compensate for the decreasing variation in urging force provided by the cylindrical carrier retaining portion. Thus, it is possible to decrease the non-uniform degree of the surface pressure applied to the catalyst carrier by the cylindrical carrier retaining portion.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a catalytic converter comprising: a cylindrical catalyst carrier having a catalyst carried therein, a retaining mat wound around an outer peripheral surface of the catalyst carrier, and a casing including a cylindrical carrier retaining portion for retaining the catalyst carrier in a state in which the retaining mat is compressed. The cylindrical carrier retaining portion is an assembly which includes diametrically split halves whose axially extending opposite-side edges are fitted over each other with fitted portions thereof bonded to each other.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a conventional type of catalytic converter, the cylindrical carrier retaining portion of the casing is formed to have a cross-section with a true circular shape.
In making a catalytic converter, the following processes are employed: (1) one of the halves is retained on a lower mounting member with its opposite-side edges turned upwards; (2) the catalyst carrier with the retaining unit wound around the carrier is placed between the opposite-side edges; (3) an upper mounting member retaining the other half with its opposite-side edges turned downwards is lowered; the catalyst carrier is clamped by both the halves with the retaining mat compressed, therebetween and the opposite-side edges of the other half are fitted over the opposite-side edges of the one half, (4) both the fitted portions are bonded to each other by a means such as welding.
In this case, the urging force provided in a direction toward the center of the catalyst carrier by the cylindrical carrier retaining portion is largest at a circumferentially bisecting position in each of the halves; is relatively sharply decreased from the bisecting position toward the fitted portions; and is approximately zero at the fitted portions.
Therefore, to make uniform the surface pressure on the catalyst carrier over an area from the circumferentially bisecting position in each of the halves to the fitted portions to increase the retaining force applied to the catalyst carrier by the cylindrical carrier retaining portion, it is required that the density of the retaining mat after compression assume a predetermined value at the circumferentially bisecting position in accordance with the urging force, and is increasingly varied from the circumferentially bisecting position to both the fitted portions in accordance with the decreasing variation of the urging force so as to provide compensation.
In the prior art, however, because each of the halves has an arcuate inner peripheral surface, the amount of opposite-side edges of each half biting into the outer peripheral surface of the retaining mat and the frictional force of the inner peripheral surface of each half to the outer peripheral surface of the retaining mat are greater in the course of clamping of the catalyst carrier by both the halves and hence, the retaining mat is excessively drawn in a circumferential direction.
As a result, the density of the retaining mat after being compressed is low at the circumferentially bisecting position in each of the halves and is extremely high in the vicinity of both the fitted portions.
Because of this, the non-uniform degree of the surface pressure on the catalyst carrier in the circumferential direction thereof (excluding areas corresponding to both the fitted portions and this will also be applied hereinafter) is increased in such a manner that the surface pressure is extremely low at the circumferentially bisecting position in each of the halves and is extremely high in the vicinity of both the fitted portions. This causes a reduction in retaining force applied to the catalyst carrier by the cylindrical carrier retaining portion.


A laser energy transmission optical fiber having an optical fiber main body which has a hollow-core region with a diameter greater than a wavelength of transmitted light, an inner clad region which has a solid portion with plurality of holes formed therein, and an outer clad region formed surrounding the inner clad region. The outer clad region has a refractive index lower than the solid portion of the inner clad region.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an optical fiber for transmitting laser energy and, in particular, to an optical fiber that is suited to transmit high-output laser light with an infrared wavelength band which is useful for medical applications. This invention also relates to a laser energy transmission method and a laser energy transmission device using the optical fiber.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, according as semiconductor lasers or solid-state lasers are provided with a higher output or shorter pulse, various uses have been developed using laser energy with high peak power. Especially, the use for laser processing or a laser surgery attracts attention.
Conventionally, a silica optical fiber 30 with a large diameter as shown in FIG. 1 is generally used to transmit a high output laser light. It is structured such that, like optical fibers as used for communications, the laser light is transmitted concentrating its optical power in a core region 31 while satisfying the total internal reflection condition at the boundary of the core region 31 with a relatively high refractive index and a clad region 32 with a low refractive index.
In general, such a silica solid-type optical fiber can transmit a laser light of about 2 μm or less wavelength at a low loss. The silica solid-type optical fiber for high power transmission is different from the general optical fibers for communications in that single-mode transmission is not needed and the power density of transmitted laser light is reduced using a large core with a diameter of 100 to 600 μm. Since the silica solid-type optical fiber can transmit a laser light of about 2 μm or less wavelength at a low loss for a long distance, it is mainly used to transmit a neodymium (Nd)—YAG laser light (with a wavelength of 1.06 μm) which has high oscillation efficiency and high output, and it is in practical use for a laser processing or as a laser surgery for hemostasis. On the other hand, a holmium (Ho)-YAG laser light (with a wavelength of 2.1 μm) can be barely transmitted using the silica solid-type optical fiber for a distance of less than a few meters. The Ho-YAG laser light is taken into account mainly for medical use since it has a relatively high absorption to water.
When the wavelength of laser light is more than 2 μm, the silica solid-type optical fiber cannot be used for a long distance transmission. An erbium chrome (ErCr)-YSGG (=Yttrium Scandium Gallium Garnet: Y3Sc2Ga3O12) laser light (with a wavelength of 2.78 μm) and an erbium (Er)-YAG laser light (with a wavelength of 2.94 μm) are effective for cutting of a hard tissue such as a bone or teeth since they are well absorbed especially by water, e.g., very efficiently absorbed by a hydration shell between hydroxyapatite crystals. However, the laser light with a wavelength near 3 μm cannot be transmitted through the silica solid-type optical fiber. Therefore, a hollow fiber with a hollow region as a core is used therefor.
As shown in FIG. 2, the hollow fiber 40 comprises a hollow-core region 41, a dielectric layer 42 defining the hollow-core region 41 inside thereof, and a metal layer 43 formed surrounding the dielectric layer 42. The thickness of the dielectric layer 42 is optimized according to a wavelength of transmitted laser light to enhance the reflectivity of the inside wall to allow a low-loss transmission. It is mainly applied to laser therapy equipment for dentistry.
The related art of the invention is, for example, JP-A-2000-35521 and JP-A-2002-541507.
In general, the silica optical fiber is sufficiently transparent to light with a wavelength of less than 2 μm and is operable to transmit it at a low loss for a long distance. However, even in the case of a laser light with a wavelength of less than 2 μm such as a titanium (Ti)-sapphire laser light of a wavelength near 0.8 μm and a neodymium (Nd)-YAG laser light of 1.06 μm wavelength, the core region may be broken since its peak power can be extremely increased spatially and temporally when the laser light has a high output and short pulse. This is because, due to an increase in laser energy by nonlinear optical effect, the refractive index increases to allow the self-focusing of light.
Therefore, as shown in FIG. 1, the conventional laser energy transmission optical fiber needs to have the enlarged core diameter such that it can be used within such a power density as not to exceed a breakage threshold of the optical fiber. Thus, there is a problem that the conventional laser energy transmission, optical fiber is subjected to a limitation in transmission capacity of laser energy and in mechanical flexibility.
In recent years, a concept has been suggested that, in the case of a laser light with a very high power density as described above, a hollow core is advantageous to transmit the laser light even when its wavelength is 2 μm or less. This is because the breakage threshold of end face can be significantly enhanced without using the enlarged diameter. A transmission line suited for this concept is a photonic bandgap fiber that has a hollow central portion with plural holes formed outside thereof. The photonic bandgap fiber can have a bandgap to a specific wavelength depending on the hole diameter and the interval between the holes to offer a low-loss transmission while confining light in its hollow-core region.
However, since the bandgap is designed to be formed to a specific wavelength band to allow the low-loss transmission of a specific wavelength laser light such as a Nd-YAG laser light, laser light in another wavelength band cannot be always transmitted at a low loss. In practice, a visible laser light such as green or red light needs to be superposed as a guide light since the Nd-YAG laser light is invisible. Thus, although the conventional photonic bandgap fiber is excellent in transmission of only the specific laser light, it is not suited to transmit a visible light as the guide light together with the laser light.
On the other hand, in the case of an ErCr-YSGG laser light or Er-YAG laser light, the hollow fiber with the dielectric formed inside thereof (herein also called dielectric-formed hollow fiber) as shown in FIG. 2 is used since it is not possible to use the solid-type silica optical fiber. Also in this case, the visible light needs to be transmitted being superposed as the guide light. However, since the thickness of the dielectric layer 42 is set to allow the low-loss transmission of the specific infrared laser light, a large loss occurs in the visible laser light. When it is transmitted a few meters, the output of guide light may be recognized but a laser light source with high power needs to be used therefor.
As described earlier, laser light with a wavelength near 3 μm is well absorbed by water and, therefore, it is an important light source for medical use. Especially, a laser therapy intended to minimally invasive treatment attracts attention recently. In this use, the dielectric-formed hollow fiber with a diameter of about 500 to 1000 μm is generally used since it is difficult to make it a very narrow fiber with a diameter of about 100 μm.
Since the dielectric-formed hollow fiber has the hollow core, when its tip accesses or contact the affected part or it is inserted into the body, deterioration in optical or mechanical characteristics may occur such as an invasion of foreign material into the hollow-core region, an increase in loss due to the contamination of the tip portion and a breakage failure. Further, since it is difficult to clean or sterilize, it is not possible to reuse it.
A suggested solution for sealing the hollow part is attachment of a silica end chip to prevent the invasion of foreign material and to control the spread angle or direction of light outputted (K. Iwai, Y. Shi, M. Endo, K. Ito, Y. Matsuura, M. Miyagi and H. Jelinkove, App. Opt., vol. 43, pp. 2568-2571, 2004). It is structured such that the tip of the dielectric-formed metallic hollow fiber 40 is covered with the end chip, like a cap, to seal the hollow-core region 41. Since the dielectric-formed metallic hollow fiber 40 is composed of metal and dielectric film, the chip cannot be integrated by fusion-bonding. Therefore, the tip portion needs to be enlarged and the chip may fall off when the fiber is inserted into the affected part.

Laser energy transmission optical fiber, laser energy transmission method and laser energy transmission device


This invention relates to a method and device for recovery of energy from a medium containing combustible substances even at low concentrations. The method is characterized by raising the temperature of the medium in a regenerative combustor such as a reversal flow direction combustion device wherein the combustion takes place in a warm zone, to the combustion temperature at which essentially all chemical energy of the combustible substances is transformed into thermal energy. The heated medium is then utilized for the production of a wanted form of energy.

The subject invention relates generally to a method and a device for recovery of energy from media containing combustible substances even at low-concentrations, and more particularly to energy recovery in connection with the purification of said media by combustion of the combustible substances.
It is already known to purify exhaust fumes emanating for instance from painting and printing works and containing combustible substances, such as solvents, by heating the fumes up to the temperature of combustion of the combustible substances. However, this is an expensive process on account of the need to heat the entire flow of the exhaust medium. Owing to a "combustion exchanger", one embodiment of which is described for instance in connection with an absorption technique in the Swedish Patent Specification 8903556-2, it is possible to reduce the costs associated with heating the exhaust fumes. In said Patent Specification the combustion exchanger is defined as an apparatus comprising a heat-accumulating bed which may be heated up to the spontaneous combustion temperature of the combustible substances and in which bed the combustible substances, by reversing their direction of flow, attribute to sustaining the spontaneous combustion temperature inside the bed. An apparatus of this type is described also in e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 4,741,690. When certain amounts of the combustible substances are present in the medium the heating of the medium inside the combustion exchanger may take place by the energy released from the spontaneous combustion of the substances inside the bed. Supplementary heating thus becomes necessary only to heat the bed to the spontaneous combustion temperature when the plant is being started up or when the quantity of combustible substances is very small and insufficient to independently sustain the spontaneous combustion temperature inside the bed.
Owing to the high efficiency of the combustion exchanger it is, however, comparatively rare that the amount of combustible substances in the medium is insufficient, as in the latter case mentioned above. Thus, the amount of combustible substances usually is in excess of the amount required to sustain the spontaneous combustion temperature inside the bed. This leads to an increase of the heat in the bed, which in turn results in an increased demand for cooling of the bed in order to avoid damages thereto and to the surrounding area. In addition, the fact that the thermal energy developed in the combustion is not recovered is a problem as such, considering the high energy costs and environmental aspects.

Method and a device for recovery of energy from media containing combustible substances even at low concentration


Methods and systems for automatically bypassing a short message service center for short message service (SMS) messages destined for predetermined SMPP destinations are disclosed. A signal transfer point may receive SMS messages that are global title addressed to a short message service center. The signal transfer point may internally route such messages to a short message gateway. The short message gateway may identify SMS messages destined for predetermined SMPP destinations and forward those messages to the destinations in a manner that bypasses the SMSC. For other SMS messages, the short message gateway may forward these messages to the SMSC for delivery.

In mobile communications networks, it is now possible to send short text messages, referred to as short messages or short message service (SMS) messages, using mobile handsets. Some SMS messages may be sent from mobile handsets to other mobile handsets. Such SMS messages are referred to as mobile-terminated SMS messages. Other SMS messages are intended for non-handset destinations, such as machine destinations. An example of a machine destination is a voting machine that accepts SMS messages to tally votes for a one-time event, such as a contest.
The entity in the network that is responsible for delivering SMS messages to their destinations is the short message service center (SMSC). For mobile terminated SMS messages, the SMSC must query the destination subscriber's home location register to identify the MSC currently serving the subscriber and deliver the message to the subscriber via the MSC. If the subscriber is unavailable, the SMSC must store the message until the subscriber becomes available. For machine destinations, since these destinations are usually always available and in fixed locations, the SMSC simply delivers the SMS messages to such destinations. Another responsibility of the SMSC is to communicate with SS7 network elements via the SS7 protocol and to communicate with short message peer-to-peer (SMPP) entities via the SMPP protocol.
FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional telecommunications network including an SMSC 100, a signal transfer point (STP) 102, a mobile switching center (MSC) 104, a machine destination 106, and a mobile destination 108. For all mobile originated SMS messages, mobile switching center 104 sends the messages to STP 102. The messages are sent route on global title, and the global title addresses in the messages are set to the global title address of SMSC 100. The global title address of the SMSC is programmed into the mobile handsets of all users of SMSC 100. This parameter is sent automatically when a mobile subscriber originates an SMS message. STP 102 global title translates the mobile originated SMS traffic and routes the traffic to SMSC 100. It should be noted that all mobile originated SMS traffic with a global title address equal to that of the SMSC is sent to the SMSC regardless of whether the traffic is intended for a machine destination 106 or a mobile destination 108. When SMSC 100 receives the messages, SMSC 100 formulates SMPP messages and sends the SMPP messages to the appropriate destination.
Mobile telecommunications service providers must engineer their networks to have sufficient SMSC capacity to handle the SMS traffic in their networks. FIG. 2 is a graph illustrating SMS traffic versus time in a typical telecommunications network. In FIG. 2, the line 200 represents the baseline level of SMS traffic. Peak 202 represents a spike in SMS traffic caused by a flood of SMS messages sent through the service provider's network, for example, due to a voting event or spam SMS traffic. In order to engineer the network to handle both the normal traffic level and sporadically occurring peaks in traffic level, the service provider would be required to over-provision short message service centers in the network. However, since certain peak SMS traffic may be addressed to machine destinations or other destinations that are stationary and always on, there is no need to provide full SMSC functionality for such destinations. As a result, networks are either unable to handle peak SMS message traffic or are over-engineered.
Accordingly, there exists a long felt need for methods and systems for bypassing a short message service center for SMS messages destined for predetermined SMPP destinations.

Methods and systems for automatically bypassing short message service center for short message service (SMS) messages destined for predetermined short message peer-to-peer (SMPP) destinations


A tubing drain with a reusable body and a replaceable sacrificial burst element, the tubing drain comprising an annular body with a window and first and second connector ends, each connector end connectable to an end of tubing sections in a tubing string. The tubing drain also has an inner body insertable into the annular body, the inner body providing the replaceable sacrificial burst element. A burst profile in the inner body aligns with the window in the annular body and provides a burst element which may be configured to burst when a target pressure differential occurs across the burst profile, thereby draining fluids from the tubing string into the casing string.

In oil and gas extraction, casing is inserted into the well hole in the course of drilling and the casing is cemented in position. Depending on the nature of the formation and the intervening formations multiple layers of casing may be employed. After the casing has been secured, production pipe is inserted into the casing. Casing, production pipe and drill pipe typically comprise series of sections that are threaded together in a string. which are typically respectively called casing string, tubing string and drill string. In this document, the term "tubing string" also includes drill string. The production pipe extends into a formation where gas, oil or other materials may be located.
A tubing drain may be embedded in a tubing string to provide an outlet for fluids between the production string or drill pipe and the casing or surrounding formation. Some known tubing drains operate on the principle of a sacrificial downhole tool. The tool threads into the tubing string and a portion of the tool is designed to break or burst when exposed to targeted conditions, such as a surge in pressure.


An easily and inexpensively manufactured garment hanger of increased strength and durability. The garment hanger comprises a suspension hook secured to a support rib provided at a central hook region of the hanger. Incorporating the support rib through the central hook region of the hanger minimizes twist and other distortions of the hanger, even when under heavy garment loads.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention generally relates to garment hangers. More specifically, the invention relates to molded plastic garment hangers having a rib support structure at an interface of shoulder, arm and central hook regions of the hanger.
2. Related Art
Garment hangers have been known and used for years. Historically, as shown in FIG. 1, the basic garment hanger 1 was wire or wooden having opposed shoulders 2 joined at a central hook region 3. A suspension hook 4 projects from the central hook region 3 permitting the hanger 1 to be placed on a rod or other structure for storage in a closet, for example. From the central hook region 3, the opposed shoulders 2 each extend outwardly as arms 5 terminating at opposed ends 6 thereof. The opposed ends 6 of the arms 5 are often joined by a cross-member 7 extending between the opposed ends 6 to increase the strength and stability of the hanger.
Though the strength and durability of the wooden hangers, in particular, were appealing, the increased costs and additional weight of the wooden hangers resulted in the development of less expensive and lighter weight plastic hangers, such as those disclosed in Australian Patent No. 544211 (AU-B-21403/83) or U.S. Pat. No. 5,071,045 that are commonly-owned herewith.
The arms of such molded plastic hangers tend to bend at transition regions, such as between the central hook and shoulder regions, the shoulder and arm regions, or other transition regions when heavier garments are placed on the hanger. Moreover, where less flexible material, such as general purpose polystyrene, has been used to comprise the molded plastic hangers, the transition regions may even break under heavy garment loads.
To overcome the tendency to bend or break at transition regions, arms of molded plastic hangers have been reinforced with channel inserts or I-sections placed throughout, or at various intervals over or within, the arms as described in the above-mentioned commonly-owned patents. The channel inserts or I-sections may be co-molded with, or separately inserted on or into, the arms of the hangers. In any event, incorporation of such channel inserts or I-sections throughout, or at various intervals of, the arms of the hanger increase the time and costs to manufacture such hangers.
Additionally, the co-molding or other provision of the channels or I-sections to the arms of the hangers often cause rippling or other undesirable marring of exposed surfaces of the arms of the hangers, particularly where the channels or I-sections are located only at various intervals of the arms of the hangers. Collapsing or pinching of all or portions of sidewalls of the arms of the hangers have also been found to occur in some, particularly where the channels or I-sections are provided on an external surface of the arms or are provided at various intervals on or within the arms of the hangers. Moreover, experiments have shown that the use of such channel inserts or I-sections tend still to create regions of weakness in the hanger. The weak regions render the hangers susceptible to bending or breaking as before, particularly at the transition region between the central hook and shoulder regions, when the hanger experiences heavy loads.
Further efforts to overcome the tendency to bend or break at transition regions include co-molding U-shaped channels or depressions in an external surface of the central hook region of the hanger, whereat the shoulders converge as shown in the commonly-owned U.S. Pat. No. 5,071,045 discussed above, for example. The external channels or depressions are intentionally isolated from the channels of the arms, however, which renders the hangers susceptible to twisting. Such twisting can result in bending or breaking of the hanger as well.
In view of the above, a need exists for an easily and inexpensively manufactured molded plastic garment hanger having increased strength and durability at the interface of the central hook, shoulder and arm regions of the hanger.