A housing for a microwave circuit is formed from a base made of metal matrix composite material and walls made of sheet metal. The base and the walls are joined together by diffusion soldering. Some holes to receive feedthroughs are formed at the junction of the base and a wall.

This invention relates to electrical apparatus and is particularly, but not exclusively, related to housings for microwave circuits. The term microwave includes circuits operating at or above a frequency of 1 GHz and may cover millimetric, quasi-optical and optical frequencies.
It is convenient to house an electrical circuit in a housing. As well as providing protection against environmental and other influences the housing can provide an electrical function. Electrically conducting metal boxes are used as housings and serve to screen against leakage of electrical signals. This is particularly important for a circuit operating at microwave frequencies where electrical signals are prone to leak from the circuit. A conductive housing may also provide a conductive ground plane or a conductive path. In addition it is convenient for a housing to be thermally conductive in order to remove heat from the circuit.
Conductive housings are conventionally formed out of sheet metal, such as aluminium, brass or stainless steel, or machined out of solid metal. Aluminium is preferred because of its ease of machining, low cost and low weight.
Circuits are often fabricated on thin substrates of ceramic type materials including aluminium oxide, boron nitride and sapphire or on semiconductor materials such as silicon, gallium arsenide, CdHgTe or InP. It is important that the substrate is in intimate contact with a thermally conductive mounting surface (which is usually flat) in order to remove heat efficiently from the substrate and thus from the circuit. It is also important that good electrical contact is achieved between the substrate and the mounting surface. Usually the face of the substrate in contact with the mounting surface is provided with a conductive layer and bonded with a conductive adhesive. The substrates generally have a low coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) and metal housings in which they are housed have a relatively high CTE. Therefore direct mounting of such a substrate directly onto part of a metal housing is not advisable since over the temperature range of operation, differential thermal expansion may damage the substrate. This is particularly the case for a microwave circuit because it may be relatively large, for example in the region of 10 cm long.
Materials which can be used as mounting surfaces are available which have a low CTE over a limited range of temperatures. These materials are usually metal alloys. An example is a commercially available material called Kovar (Fe-29Ni-17Co wt%). Although these materials are satisfactory for small circuits, they are less so for larger circuits since generally they are expensive. Furthermore, they have high densities, relatively poor thermal conductivity and they do not machine readily.
Another type of material having a low CTE is a metal matrix composite (MMC) material. This comprises a metal matrix or binder having in it a filler of a material different to the matrix, often in the form of crystals in the microstructure of the alloy material. MMC material is relatively lightweight, has high thermal conductivity and low CTE. Furthermore it is relatively stiff. This is advantageous because it resists flexing under vibration and thus protects the circuit from damage. However MMC materials are generally difficult to machine.
Difficulty in machining such low CTE materials increases as the size of the housings increase. Simple single compartment small housings are easier to make than large housings having multiple, relatively deep, compartments.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved housing for electrical circuits.
According to a first aspect the present invention provides a housing for an electrical circuit comprising a plurality of parts joined together by diffusion soldering in which at least one hole passing from the inside of a compartment in the housing to the outside of the compartment is formed at the junction of at least two of the parts.
Preferably a housing comprises a plurality of compartments each of which is adapted to receive at least one circuit. The or each circuit may be sealed in a compartment by a lid. The or each hole may pass from the inside of the compartment to the inside of another compartment or from the inside of the compartment to the outside of the housing.
Using diffusion soldering is advantageous because it means that there can be a series of steps in assembling the housing. It permits assembly in a number of separate stages without previously made joints remelting. It is a relatively low temperature process which minimizes distortion of the base by heat or differential contraction following the joining operation. This is important because there must be good thermal and electrical contact as discussed above.
Preferably the housing is conductive. The housing may be coated with a high conductivity material such as silver. This is advantageous for high frequency applications. A coating may be applied to individual pieces before joining, or to a complete assembly.
Preferably one or more of the plurality of parts comprises MMC material. Preferably the MMC material comprises a matrix such as aluminium or aluminium/copper or aluminium/silicon. Preferably the metal matrix composite comprises a dispersion of crystals in the matrix. The dispersion may comprise silicon and/or silicon carbide. Preferably the ratio by volume of matrix material and dispersion material is 1:1. Most preferably there is more dispersion material than matrix material by volume.
Preferably the housing is fabricated by assembling together one or more walls and a base. Conveniently the walls may comprise an external outer wall divided by one or more internal walls into a plurality of compartments. The base may be of a low CTE material such as Kovar. Preferably it is of MMC material. Preferably the walls are of MMC material. Alternatively the walls may be of another material such as Kovar, aluminium, aluminium alloy, copper alloy including copper/tungsten or steel.
Preferably at least one wall and the base are of different materials. Any combination of materials may be used as long as they have appropriate electrical properties and their CTEs are not sufficiently different so as to lead to stresses caused by differential thermal expansion or contraction being larger than the strength of the joints over the temperature range of use. An advantage of making parts of the housing from different materials is that port of the housing which is to be of MMC material can be chosen to be in a shape which is relatively easy to machine or fabricate whilst more complex shapes, for example the walls, may be formed of material which may easily be pressed, punched, bent or otherwise formed into shape. As a result, parts of the housing not needing to be of low CTE may be made from cheaper materials. Furthermore, they may be fabricated to be thinner and lighter. One such embodiment may be an MMC material base and a peripheral wall formed from aluminium.
The circuit may be joined to the base by a suitable conductive adhesive or they may be diffusion soldered together. The circuit may be attached directly to the base or attached to an intermediate plate of MMC material or another low CTE material which is attached in turn to the base.
The term circuit includes a circuit mounted on a substrate. Preferably the substrate is in contact with the base.
Preferably the or each hole is adapted to receive a feedthrough.
A further advantage of joining initially separate walls to the base is that feedthroughs for conductors passing through the walls may be located very close to the base. The closeness of holes to a base in monolithic housings is determined by tool clearance inside a compartment and above the base. Conveniently, rather than holes being drilled, cut-outs or notches at an edge of a wall may be machined which form holes when the walls and base are joined.
According to a second aspect the present invention provides a housed circuit housed in a housing in accordance with the first aspect of the invention.
Preferably the electrical circuit is a microwave circuit.


A memory card is provided having a memory, in which data entered through a plurality of data input-output terminals are written. The voltage of a backup battery for supplying the memory to preserve the data therein is compared with two different reference voltages so as to detect two binary battery check signals. When the memory card is loaded in an electronic device, one of the two battery check signals is outputted to the electronic device through one of the data input-output terminals, while the other battery check signal is outputted through a battery check terminal. Alternatively, both of the battery check signals are outputted through two of the data input-output terminals. The electronic device displays a condition of the backup battery by energizing green, yellow or red LEDs to emit light, in accordance with the battery check signals.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a memory card, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for checking a backup voltage necessary for reserving data in the memory card.
2. Related Art
Memory cards have been well known which each have a general purpose memory such as SRAM, EEPROM, ROM, and the like. The memory cards are used as external memories for electronic instruments, personal computers, metering devices, and so forth, or as recording mediums for electronic still cameras. If a RAM is used in the memory card, it is necessary to continuously supply the RAM with a predetermined voltage so as to preserve data written in the RAM. Therefore, the memory card is mounted with a backup battery for supplying the RAM. A lithium battery or another kind of battery which lasts for a relatively long time is typically used as the backup battery.
In this type of a memory card, if the backup battery is consumed, the data written in the RAM will vanish. Therefore, it is necessary check the condition of the backup battery and to replace the backup battery with a new one, before the back up battery in consumed. In checking the voltage of the backup battery of the memory card, it is determined whether the voltage is above or below a predetermined reference voltage in a battery check section of an electronic device to which the memory card is connected. Such an electronic device is hereinafter referred to as an external device. However, the conventional battery check system using only one reference level has the following problems.
If the reference voltage is set at a high level for safety, the backup battery may be changed even through the backup battery still has a sufficient charge amount to preserve the data for a relatively short time. This is apparently uneconomical and wasteful of the battery. On the contrary, if the reference voltage is set at a lower level, the user is required to prepare a spare backup battery for enabling a quick change of the backup battery at any time.
In order to solve the above-described problem, it is desirable to check the voltage V of the backup battery in two steps. Namely, the voltage V should be compared with two different levels of voltages V1 and V2 (V1>V2). When V>V1, the backup battery is determined to be sufficient. When V1.gtoreq.V>V2, the backup battery is determined to be critical. When V.ltoreq.V2, the backup battery is determined to be consumed.
Although at least two connector terminals are necessary for sending check signals of the battery voltage to a battery check section of an associated external device for checking the battery voltage in two steps, only one connector terminal is allocated to battery checking in memory cards having a specific function allocated to each individual connector terminal. Such memory card is, referred to, for example, in JEIDA's "IC Memory Card Guide Line" Ver. 3 JEIDA: Japan Electronic Industry Development Association) as an I/0 Bus-type memory card, which has an interface connector with 20 terminals, as shown in FIG. 2. In this memory card, one terminal Vbat is allocated for battery checking.

Memory card and method and apparatus for checking backup voltage of memory card


An image conversion unit (100) for converting an input image into an output image includes a first computing device (104) for computing a first weighted sum of a first group of pixel values, the first group of pixel values corresponding to pixels of the input image; a second computing device (102) for computing a second weighted sum of a second group of interpolated values, the second group of interpolated values being computed by interpolation for spatial locations which are not present at the sampling grid of the input image; a combining device (106) for computing a third sum by combining the first weighted sum and the second weighted sum; and a clipping device (108) for clipping the third sum between a minimum value and a maximum value, the minimum value and the maximum value being derived from pixel values of the input image.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an image conversion unit for converting an input image into an output image.
The invention further relates to an image processing apparatus comprising:
receiving means for receiving a signal corresponding to a sequence of input images; and
an image conversion unit for converting a first one of the input images into an output image.
The invention further relates to a method of converting an input image into an output image.
The invention further relates to a computer program product to be loaded by a computer arrangement, comprising instructions to convert an input image into an output image, the computer arrangement comprising processing means and a memory.
2. Description of the Related Art
Interlacing is the common video broadcast procedure for transmitting the odd or even numbered image lines alternately. De-interlacing attempts to restore the full vertical resolution, i.e., make odd and even lines available simultaneously for each image. For the conversion of interlaced video signals to progressively scanned signals, a variety of methods have been proposed over the last few decades. An introduction to de-interlacing can be found in the overview article "De-interlacing—An overview", by Gerard de Haan and Erwin Bellers in the Proceeding of the IEEE (1998).
The algorithms that offer the highest image quality adapt the interpolation to the maximum correlation found in either the spatial dimension (edge-dependent interpolation), or in the temporal dimension (motion-compensated interpolation). The currently most advanced methods apply both motion compensation and directional adaptation. A disadvantage of these methods is that they are prone to motion vector and/or edge-orientation errors. As a consequence, serious artifacts might occur.


An X-ray CT apparatus includes an X-ray tube configured to emit X-rays, a detector faced against the X-ray tube, the detector having a detector element with a plurality of slots and a plurality of a collimator boards inserted into the slots, a data acquisition system configured to receive data detected by the detector, a computer unit configured to reconstitute the data from the data acquisition system and a display configured to show images by the data.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an X-ray CT(computer tomography) apparatus, an X-ray detector and a method of manufacturing an X-ray detector.
2. Description of the Related Arts
In an X-ray CT apparatus, X-rays are emitted from an X-ray tube and are formed into a fan-like shaped X-ray beam by a collimator.
The X-ray tube, and a circular arc like detector and a collimator facing the X-ray tube are rotated around a target object.
The detector receives X-rays which have passed through the target object and obtains X-ray information as a signal from the received X-ray. An X-ray tomography picture of the target object is obtained by processing the X-ray information by using a computer.
Some of the X-rays emitted from the X-ray tube travel straight and penetrate the target object, and other X-rays are scattered by the target object.
The collimator has a collimator board provided in front of the detector. The collimator removes the scattered X-rays incident from the oblique direction. The collimator passes the X-rays which have traveled straight and penetrated the target object. The collimator board forms an X-ray shield wall in front of the detector. The detector has detection elements which are arranged in a one- or two-dimensional manner. FIG. 17 and FIG. 18 show perspective views of known collimators and X-ray detectors. FIG. 17 shows a collimator having a collimator board arranged in the one-dimensional manner. FIG. 18 shows a collimator having a collimator board arranged in the two-dimensional manner.
In FIG. 17, collimator boards 50, 51 are shown together with a detection element array 52. In FIG. 18, a collimate board 53 is shown together with a detection element array 54.
The collimator arranged in one-dimension removes scattered X-rays in a certain direction, for example, a channel direction. The collimator arranged in two dimensions removes scattered X-ray in two directions, for example, channel and slice directions.
When manufacturing the X-ray detector, a collimator and an X ray detector are needed to be assembled with sufficiently accurate positioning.
This is because the collimator and the X ray detector are manufactured separately as shown in FIG. 17 or FIG. 18.
The collimator may contain a plurality of Mo(Molybdenum) boards. The X-ray detector may contain a reflector. In the assembling process, it is necessary to position the collimator and the X-ray detector with a small gap in a rotating direction.
But it takes considerable time to carry out the assembling process with high positioning accuracy.

X-ray CT apparatus, X-ray detector and method of manufacturing X-ray detector


The present invention provides an integral skin molded article used for vehicle internal parts, which enables good production efficiency and cost reduction and has good external appearance, and a method of preparing an integral skin molded article, and also provides a laminate with a skin comprising the integral skin molded article and a core material, and a method of preparing a laminate with a skin. Disclosed are an integral skin molded article obtained by injecting a polyurethane foam for a skin into a die after injecting a high density polyurethane resin for a core, containing a high density polyurethane resin for a skin, containing a polyol component, 1-methyl-3,5-diethyl-2,4-diaminobenzene and/or 1-methyl-3,5-diethyl-2,6-diaminobenzene, and a blowing agent into the same die; and a method of preparing a laminate with a skin comprising a skin molded article and a core material.

Conventionally, many materials obtained by various molding methods are used as a skin for vehicle internal parts. These materials and methods include for example, vacuum molding of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), vacuum molding and powder molded articles using thermal plastic olefins (TPO), or slush molded articles of thermal plastic polyurethane (TPU), articles produced by spraying polyurethane material (polyurethane liquid mixtures mixed by collision under high pressure of a polyol and an isocyanate) and articles molded using RIM (Reaction Injection Molding).
Generally methods for producing a laminate using a core material or an integral skin molded article comprising a cushioning material such as a skin formed as described above and polyurethane foam for example include setting a skin and a core material pre-placed in a mold for heating or vacuum molding in order to set in the mold and then injecting polyurethane as a cushioning material between the skin and the core material or a method of adhesive molding in which an adhesive is applied.
However, these methods for producing a laminate using a core material or an integral skin molded article require two molding steps and therefore complicate product processing with respect to equipment or the like, increase production time, increase costs and thus adversely affect productivity.
Furthermore, there are respectively some shortcomings in the materials used for the skin up until now. PVC materials produce dioxin or chlorinated byproducts when decomposed and therefore have an adverse effect on the environment. In addition, disposal and recycling is difficult and therefore such materials are considered not to be preferred.
Vacuumed-molded articles using TPO are not suitable since they are hard to the touch. Powder molded articles require a large amount of energy and time in the molding process and therefore similar to PVC are associated with low efficiency production and therefore are not economic.
Although articles which are slush molded using TPU have improved tactile characteristics, they require large amounts of energy and time in processing, are associated with low efficiency production and therefore are not economic.
Instead of conventionally used TPU slush molding, articles which employ spraying of polyurethane material in order to improve productivity generally attempt to increase productivity by using highly reactive materials. However since dispersal of materials during the spray processing is prohibited, time is required since it is necessary to eliminate dispersed materials from around the mold. Thus the time required to eliminate dispersed material often causes a reduction in productivity. Furthermore the use of materials is higher than the required amount due to the prohibition on dispersal of materials. This therefore increases costs, adversely affects the working environment and thus is not preferred.
Polyurethane materials in the spray used in methods of spraying are liable to be affected by humidity or the surrounding temperature and tend to produce foam as a result of moisture in the air or air in air bubbles in the article. Furthermore the molding of articles for internal parts of large vehicles require spraying of the mold on a number of occasions. Consequently layers of differing density or hardness tend to be generated at the interface regions before and after blasting of polyurethane material. This tendency results in undesirable surface tactile characteristics. For these reasons, there are drawbacks with respect to a lack of uniform tactile characteristics resulting from the density of the skin, that is to say, the thickness or hardness.
Since RIM molded articles using polyurethane materials faithfully reproduce surface irregularities, a superior outer design appearance can be achieved. In addition, since the internal die capacity is fixed, these methods have the advantage of stable density, thickness or hardness and therefore have been applied in a wide range of applications. The thickness of the skin used in the design surfaces of vehicle internal parts is generally approximately from 0.5 mm to 3.0 mm and is generally thicker than RIM molded articles. Consequently flow resistance increases and it is necessary to delay the reaction to an extent in order to fill up to the extremities of the article. As a result, curing time (the time from injection of polyurethane materials into the die up to the commencement of die opening) increases and productivity is adversely affected.
Vehicle internal parts with a skin for example instrument panels or door trim on which a skin is used on the design face, and in particular, an automobile instrument panel, naturally require physical characteristics such as UV stability, anti-wear characteristics, airbag expansion characteristics, durability but also require a skin satisfying quality outer appearance and tactile characteristics. Therefore there is a need for a method of preparing which integrally molds an integral skin molded article comprising semi-hard polyurethane foam in order to soften shocks with the design surface skin, or a laminate comprising a core material which retains the integral skin molded article. The method should reduce cycle times improve productivity with respect to use of materials and reduce production costs.
There is a need for articles and a method of preparing such articles such as vehicle internal parts, in particular for a skin for internal automobile parts, which improves productivity and reduces production costs. There have been several proposals made up to date.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 52-142797 discloses a method of preparing a polyurethane flexible molded article using a specific polyol and a specific aromatic diamine. The method disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 52-142797 proposes the molding in a short time of a polyurethane flexible body using a specific polyol and a specific aromatic diamine. However the molded article has a weight of 3 to 10 kg or more and is directed to large externally mounted articles, for example, bumper bars. The examples of Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 52-142797 disclose a molded article which has a thickness of 4 mm and which is comparatively hard with a Shore hardness of 84 or more. However, the skin of this disclosure can not be used in the design surface of vehicle internal parts.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 53-86763 discloses a method of forming a foam layer by molding a skin using reaction injection molding of a polyurethane material in a die cavity, leaving the skin in the die and setting a second core die capable of forming a cavity corresponding to the thickness of a foam layer instead of removing the first core die. A foam layer which tightly adheres to the skin is formed by injecting a foam molding material into the cavity. The method disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 53-86763 proposes a method of integrally forming internal articles with a skin. However the disclosure is only related to a urethane skin material and detailed description of a urethane composition, urethane density or surface hardness related to the present method is not provided and therefore is not sufficient.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2003-19056 discloses a seat cushion using a seamless skin material and a method of preparing same. The method disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2003-19056 proposes a seat cushion formed from a foam body having a shape approximately corresponding to the border of the seat cushion and a seamless skin material which is tightly and integrally adhered to the surface and side faces of the foam body. However this disclosure is only related to a urethane skin material and detailed description of a urethane composition, urethane density or surface hardness related to the present production method is not provided and therefore is not sufficient.    [Patent Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 52-142797    [Patent Document 2] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 53-86763    [Patent Document 3] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2003-19056
Thus with respect to integral skin molded articles formed from high density polyurethane resin and polyurethane foam, there is no current solution to the need for a method of forming a skin having a superior external appearance, an integral skin molded article using the skin and a laminate with a skin laminated using a core material which reduces production costs and improves productivity.

Integral skin molded article and method of preparing integral skin molded article and laminate having skin


An image pickup apparatus includes an eyepiece unit configured to facilitate viewing an optical image of an object, an image pickup element configured to convert the optical image of an object into an electrical signal, an optical member disposed in front of the image pickup element and in an imaging light axis, an piezoelectric element disposed on the side of the optical member close to the eyepiece unit, where the piezoelectric element vibrates the optical member, a biasing member disposed on the side of the optical member opposite the piezoelectric element, a lowpass filter holding member configured to hold the optical member, the piezoelectric element, and the biasing member, and an image-pickup-apparatus body chassis having a flat surface portion perpendicular to the imaging light axis, where the flat surface portion has an opening therein. The lowpass filter holding member is disposed in the opening of the body chassis.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to an image pickup apparatus and, in particular, to technology for removing a foreign substance deposited on a surface of an optical member disposed along an imaging light axis.
2. Description of the Related Art
Image pickup apparatuses, such as digital cameras, that capture an image by converting an image signal into an electrical signal receive light using an image pickup element, such as a charged coupled device (CCD) or a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) sensor. The image pickup apparatuses convert a photoelectrically converted signal output from the image pickup element to image data. Thereafter, the image pickup apparatuses store the image data on a recording medium, such as a memory card. In such image pickup apparatuses, an optical lowpass filter and an infrared cut filter are disposed on the front side (an object side) of the image pickup element.
If a foreign substance, such as dust or dirt, is deposited on surfaces of the cover glass of the image pickup element or these filters, the foreign substance generates a black spot in a captured image, and therefore, the quality of the image deteriorates.
In particular, since digital single-lens reflex cameras with interchangeable lenses include a mechanical operating unit, such as a shutter and a quick-return mirror, disposed in the vicinity of an image pickup element, a foreign substance, such as dust or dirt, is possibly generated by the operating unit and is deposited on the surfaces of the cover glass of the image pickup element and the filters. In addition, when the lens is changed, a foreign substance may enter inside the camera body from the opening of a lens mount and may be deposited on the surfaces of the cover glass of the image pickup element and the filters.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-319222 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. 2003202114 A1) describes technology in which a dust-proof member that allows an imaging light beam to pass therethrough is disposed on the object side of an image pickup element and is vibrated by means of a piezoelectric element, and therefore, a foreign substance deposited on the surface of the dust-proof member is removed.
In such a structure in which a foreign substance deposited on the surface of an optical member can be removed by vibrating the optical member, a biasing force may be applied to the optical member by means of a biasing member in addition to vibrating the optical member by means of the piezoelectric element.
However, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-319222 and other documents have not provided specific proposals in terms of the layout of the vibrating unit, such as that concerning a piezoelectric element, and a biasing member. In particular, a structural member of the body of the image pickup apparatus should maintain rigidity to support the entire body. In addition, the layout of the vibrating unit and the biasing member should be designed so as to maintain rigidity of an eyepiece unit to which an external force tends to be applied.

Image pickup apparatus having device for removing foreign substance deposited on surface of optical member


A device for indirectly heating fluids, particularly for high temperature processes, includes a heating space in which at least one tube coil is arranged. The tube coil is constructed in a planar manner and the fluid to be heated can be conducted through the tube coil. Heat radiators act from the outside on the tube coil. The heat radiators have a heat radiation surface shaped corresponding to the planar extension of the tube coil. The heat radiators are arranged on opposite sides of the tube coil. Longitudinal ribs are provided on two opposite sides of the tube of the tube coil with respect to the tube cross section. The longitudinal ribs extend along the entire or almost entire length of the tube coil into the intermediate space situated between the loops of the tube coil

1. Field of the Invention
The invention is directed to a device for indirectly heating fluids, particularly for high temperature processes. The device includes a heating space in which at least one tube coil is arranged. The tube coil is constructed in a planar member and the fluid to be heated can be conducted through the tube coil. Radiation heat of a heat radiator may act from the outside on the tube coil.
2. Description of the Related Art
Such devices are required particularly for carrying out high temperature processes which occur frequently in oil refining and petrochemistry. The fluid to be heated, e.g. liquid or gaseous hydrocarbons or a mixture of hydrocarbons and steam, is conventionally guided through a heating space in heat exchanger tubes and heated by the tube wall of the heat exchanger tubes without coming into direct contact with the heating medium. The transfer of heat to the tube wall is usually primarily effected by heat radiation which proceeds from an open flame of a combustible material burned in the heating space and to a small extent by the hot combustion gases by way of convection. The heat exchanger tubes run through the heating space in the form of tube coils.
The great disadvantage of open flames is that it is very difficult to adjust a desired geometric form of the flame and a temperature distribution which is as uniform as possible. Uniform heating ratios are therefore very difficult to achieve particularly under variable operating conditions. The boundaries for corresponding intervention for purposes of control are very narrow in practice. Changes in the flame geometry are equivalent to changes in the distance of individual locations of the heat exchanger tubes from the "flame surface". This means that the flow of heat through the heat exchanger tubes always fluctuates considerably not only along the tube coil. In particular, a nonuniform flow of heat can also be determined along the circumference of the heat exchanger tubes, since the individual partial pieces of the tube surface differ in their alignment with respect to the flame in a compulsory manner and are sometimes even remote from the flame and accordingly irradiated at different intensities. This can lead to localized overheating at isolated points of the heat exchanger tubes and simultaneously to a considerable drop below the desired tube wall temperature at other locations. Accordingly, thermal damage to the heat exchanger tubes can occur proceeding from the outside on the one hand and undesirable effects can also be triggered with respect to the fluid to be heated (e.g. coking of the inner surface of the tubes) on the other hand. In conventional furnaces for high temperature processes, the differences are often so great that the ratio of the maximum to mean heat flow in the walls of the heat exchanger tubes can lie in the range of 3:1 to 4:1.
It is known in practice to burn gaseous combustibles (gas or evaporated liquid combustibles) without flame formation in a burner with a heat radiation surface in that the gaseous combustible which is mixed with an oxygen containing gas (e.g. air) is guided through a porous radiation body and ignited and burned on its outer surface. The ignition is effected by the glowing of this outer surface (heat radiation surface). Corresponding to the geometric form of the radiation body, the heat radiation surface has a regular shape which, in contrast to an open flame, does not change when the supply of combustible material changes. Moreover, the temperature distribution within the heat radiation surface is very uniform.
Such a burner with heat radiation surface (heat radiator) is known e.g. from U.S. Pat. No. 4,722,681. Its radiation body is formed from a ceramic fiber matrix and has great length and width compared to the physical depth of the burner, resulting in a large heat radiation surface. This burner is provided for thermally treating long webs of paper or woven materials.
Further, it is known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,865,543 to use a burner with a heat radiation surface for heating an apparatus, a flat tube coil being guided as heat exchanger through its heating space. The fluid to be treated flows in the tube coil and is heated indirectly as a result of the heat radiation. As a result of the combustion, the heat radiator which is constructed as a fiber burner and arranged at the base of the heating space releases hot combustion gases which rise up and are carried out of the heating space at the top. The tube coil of the heat exchanger lies in a vertical plane and the tubes of the individual loops of the tube coil are arranged substantially horizontally.
Finally, a heating apparatus is known from EP 0 385 963 A1 which is formed from a cylindrical housing in which a likewise cylindrical ceramic hollow body with porous walls is arranged. Moreover, another cylindrical heat exchanger is installed in the housing at a distance from the cylindrical surface of the ceramic body, a heat carrier medium flowing through this cylindrical heat exchanger. A mixture of gaseous combustible material and an oxygen containing gas at above-atmospheric pressure is introduced in the intermediate space between the casing of the housing and the outer surface of the ceramic body. This mixture flows through the ceramic body and is burned when ignited on the inner surface of the ceramic body. The hot flue gases occurring as a result of the combustion can enter the hollow space enclosed by the heat exchanger through suitable through-openings in the outer surface area of the cylindrical heat exchanger while giving off heat and can be carried off from there to the outside. This heating apparatus in which a large portion of the heat absorbed by the heat exchanger is transmitted by convection is primarily conceived as a heating furnace for heating systems in buildings and is not suitable for implementing high temperature processes.
The fluid to be heated is introduced into the heat exchanger from above and drawn off again at the bottom so that the "transporting direction" of the tube coil is directed opposite to the upwardly directed flow of the combustion waste gases. Evaporated liquid combustibles such as kerosene, diesel, naphtha or alcohol are used for the combustion.
In this known apparatus the lower portions of the heat exchanger tube coil are exposed to an intensive heat radiation, while the upper portions can no longer be reached by the heat radiation of the burner and are substantially heated by convection. But the heat radiation can only act on a part of the tube surface even in the lowest heat exchanger tube.
Whereas the lateral regions of the horizontally disposed tubes are irradiated to a considerably lesser extent than the underside of the heat exchanger tube at the bottom, the upper sides of the heat exchanger tubes are not directly irradiated at all. This means that the flow of heat is subject to considerable fluctuations in the circumferential direction of the heat exchanger tubes as well as in the transporting direction of the heat exchanger.
A device for indirectly heating fluids is known from EP 0 233 030 A2, a plurality of rows of flat radiation burners arranged one on top of the other being mounted in its heating space at a distance from one another and so as to be parallel to one another. A tube heat exchanger with a plurality of substantially horizontally extending tube loops arranged substantially in two vertical parallel planes relative to the radiation burners is located in the intermediate spaces of these rows of burners. The intermediate spaces between every two directly adjacent tube loops are open. The distance from the effective radiation surfaces of the radiation burners as well as the irradiation angle of the heat radiation vary as seen along the tube circumference of the tube loops, so that the temperature of the tube wall is nonuniform along the tube circumference.


For the measurement of the voltage of each block which constitutes a battery pack with different timings, a voltage (V) and current (I) every block the current of which is measured at the same timing as the voltage is measured are read (S100-S108) and an inner resistance (R) is derived from the temperature (T) of the assembled battery (S110, S112). A value of the difference (IN−IN+1) of two currents corresponding to two voltages of respective blocks of a plurality of battery blocks multiplied by the inner resistance (R) of the battery pack is added to the difference (VN−VN+1) of two voltages to calculate the voltage difference ΔV (S116). When the maximum value ΔVmax of the calculated voltage difference ΔV exceeds the threshold value Vref, the state is judged to be an overdischarge (S122, S124, S128).

Conventionally, as an apparatus for judging the state of an assembled battery of this kind, the following apparatus has been proposed. That is, a voltmeter is attached to each of a plurality of battery blocks composed of one or a plurality of single cells constituting an assembled battery for supplying power to a load. The voltmeter is used for measuring the voltage of each of the plural battery blocks simultaneously. Then, the apparatus judges an abnormality of the assembled battery on the basis of the respective voltages measured simultaneously. When a deviation of two voltages among the respective voltages measured simultaneously is equal to a predetermined value or more, the apparatus considers that there is an overdischarged single cell, and judges the assembled battery to be abnormal.
However, the apparatus for judging the state of an assembled battery of this type has the possibility of misjudgment of an abnormality of the assembled battery when each voltage of a plurality of battery blocks cannot be simultaneously measured. That is, because the single cells of the battery blocks include internal resistance, there may be cases where a deviation of voltages equal to the predetermined value or more is produced though the assembled battery when the current flowing the assembled battery changes in a process of measuring each voltage of the plural battery cells, and this in fact normal. The possibility of the misjudgment is based on the above matter. Such a problem is highlighted in the system in which the current flowing an assembled battery greatly changes.
An apparatus for judging the state of an assembled battery of the present invention has an advantage of solving such a problem and to perform the accurate judgment of the state of a battery by the use of an apparatus which cannot simultaneously detect each voltage of a plurality of battery blocks. Moreover, the apparatus for judging the state of an assembled battery of the present invention has another advantage of performing the accurate judgment of the state of a battery by the use of a more inexpensive apparatus.

Apparatus for judging state of assembled battery


A TOE (TCP/IP Offload Engine) can transmit data to and receive data from a network without causing a plurality of high order processes to influence each other in a computer mounted by a plurality of processors, each of which is mounted by a plurality of cores. The TOE 101 generates a notification queue for each high order process. The TOE driver 102 holds information that tells which high order process corresponds to which socket and which notification queue. When transmitting data, the outgoing data are temporarily held on the transmission buffer queue 102-4 and the transmission buffer is added to the notification queue that corresponds to the relevant high order process after the transmission. When receiving data, the incoming data are stored in the reception buffer on the reception buffer queue 102-3 and the reception buffer is added to the notification queue that corresponds to the relevant high order process.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method and an apparatus for transmitting data to a network and a method and an apparatus for receiving data from a network. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for transmitting data to a network and a method and an apparatus for receiving data from a network without causing a plurality of high order processes being executed in a plurality of processors operating simultaneously or a plurality of high order processes being executed in a plurality of cores operating simultaneously by one processor to influence each other.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, a computer is executing a plurality of processes apparently simultaneously by means of a single processor on a time-sharing basis. When each of a plurality of processes being executed simultaneously is adapted to transmit and receive IP (Internet Protocol) packets, the IP packets transmitted from the plurality of processes pass through the same queue and the IP packets that the plurality of processes will receive pass through the same queue.
Meanwhile, there is a trend that a plurality of processors are mounted on a single computer. Additionally, there is also a trend that a plurality of cores are mounted on a single processor.
However, when such a computer is operated in such a way that each of a plurality of processes that are executed simultaneously transmits and receives IP packets, the IP packets transmitted from the plurality of processes pass through the same queue in the computer and IP packets that the plurality of processes will receive pass through the same queue in the computer.
Particularly, the received IP packets are added to the same queue without discrimination among the processes. Therefore, if a process having a vast quantity of process causes a delay in taking out data from a queue, then the progress of the other processes using the same queue is also delayed. For example, such a situation becomes conspicuous when a NFS (network file system) and a CIFS (common internet file system) coexist in the same file server and the amount of the communication concentrates on one of the file systems. Further, such a situation becomes conspicuous when there exist a plurality of high order processes of NFS and the amount of the communication concentrates on one of the processes. Similarly, such a situation becomes conspicuous when there exist a plurality of high order processes of CIFS and the amount of the communication concentrates on one of the processes.
In a structure in which hardware having a TOE (TCP/IP Offload Engine) function of executing TCP/IP protocol processes in place of the CPU operating on the host is adapted, a single queue for temporarily holding transmission completion notification/receiving data is provided and a TOE driver and the firmware uses the single queue on the TOE. With this arrangement, the quantity of outgoing/incoming data that can be handled on a TOE card is limited. Additionally, when a high order process having a large quantity of outgoing/incoming data and a high order process having a small quantity of outgoing/incoming data operate simultaneously, the response time of the high order process having a small quantity of outgoing/incoming data will be delayed. This is caused because the processing operation of the process having a large quantity of outgoing/incoming data takes a long time and the processing operation of the process having a small quantity of outgoing/incoming data is forced to wait until the processing operation of the former process temporarily ends at a predetermined breakpoint.

Method and apparatus for transmitting data to network and method and apparatus for receiving data from network


Provided are an apparatus and method for recognizing continuous speech using search space restriction based on phoneme recognition. In the apparatus and method, a search space can be primarily reduced by restricting connection words to be shifted at a boundary between words based on the phoneme recognition result. In addition, the search space can be secondarily reduced by rapidly calculating a degree of similarity between the connection word to be shifted and the phoneme recognition result using a phoneme code and shifting the corresponding phonemes to only connection words having degrees of similarity equal to or higher than a predetermined reference value. Therefore, the speed and performance of the speech recognition process can be improved in various speech recognition services.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for recognizing continuous speech using search space restriction based on phoneme recognition and, more specifically, to a technique for recognizing continuous speech in which a search space is reduced by restricting connection words to be transitioned at a boundary between words based on a phoneme recognition result in order to improve the speed and performance of speech recognition.
2. Discussion of Related Art
In general, a continuous speech recognition system employs a word network in order to restrict a search space, and the word network is principally embodied by a finite state network (FSN), word-pair grammar, or N-gram. A general idea of the word network is to connect words subsequent to a word by fixing the subsequent words according to rules or connecting statistically probable values.
According to the word-pair grammar, only words that can be subsequent to a specific word are connected. The word-pair grammar is a technique of searching words on the principle that, for example, words "want" and "to eat" can be connected in this order, but they cannot be connected in reverse order. However, according to the word-pair grammar, when a user speaks without using previously defined, standard grammar rules, it is impossible to search words.
The N-gram makes use of statistical probability to connect words. Specifically, the probability of a certain word being subsequent to another word is calculated using a bundle of learning data so that a search process is performed on highly probable words. However, practical use of the N-gram necessarily requires a large number of word bundles, and the N-gram is inadequate for dialogic speech recognition.
According to the FSN, all sentences that can be composed are bundled as a network. Although the FSN can speed up a recognition process, when the number of sentence patterns to be recognized increases, the size of a search space expressed by the FSN also increases, so that a search time increases and speech recognition performance deteriorates.

Method and apparatus for recognizing continuous speech using search space restriction based on phoneme recognition

Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute


An objective of the present invention is to provide an anti-inflammatory analgesic for external use comprising etodolac as NSAID. The anti-inflammatory analgesic for external use is excellent not only in skin permeability but also in penetratability and diffusivity into tissues present in portions deeper than the skin, can act directly on the muscles or joint tissues with inflammation or pain, and is a little irritant to the skin. The anti-inflammatory analgesic for external use of the present invention is characterized by comprising etodolac and a local anesthetic.

Conventionally, a Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug (hereinafter, referred to as "NSAID") is known as an anti-inflammatory analgesic. This NSAID has an action of suppressing production of prostaglandin correlated with inflammation and pain, by inhibiting cyclooxygenase (hereinafter, referred to as "COX") catalyzing an initial step in an arachidonate cascade which is a metabolic route intensifying pain.
However, since prostaglandin has various actions in addition to actions such as inflammation and pain, serious side effects may occur in some cases in case that production of prostaglandin is suppressed to an extent more than necessary by administration of NSAID. For example, when the action of COX is suppressed, the activity of lipoxygenase is enhanced to increase leukotriene. As the result, secretion of gastric juice decreases, and simultaneously active oxygen disrupting a mucous membrane of a digestive tract increases, leading to the development of an ulcer. Additionally, side effects such as kidney function impairment, liver function impairment, skin eruption are known, and aspirin asthma may be induced particularly as a life-threatening side effect.
Accordingly, regarding NSAID, external preparations with a relatively low risk of these side effects have been developed. That is, such an external preparation delivers NSAID transdermally to an affected area so that systemic side effects can be reduced and the drug concentration can be enhanced in a local affected area.
However, some NSAIDs are extremely poor in skin permeability and their effects remarkably decrease in case that they are administered as external preparations compared with the case of oral administration. Then, technologies for improving skin permeability of NSAIDs are developed variously.
For example, an invention described in Kokai Publication No. Hei 14-128699 is an anti-inflammatory analgesic preparation for external use containing an NSAID and a local anesthetic, and has an object to be solved of improving skin permeability. In an example of this publication, a preparation containing loxoprofen sodium as an NSAID and a local anesthetic is prepared, and a test for evaluating its skin permeability is described.
However, evaluation of only skin permeability is not satisfactory for determining a value of a drug delivery system of an NSAID. The reason for this is that a portion generating pain is muscle tissue and joint tissue, and a portion to which an NSAID should reach is not a skin surface portion at which capillary blood vessels are present, but is a deeper portion at which muscle tissues and the like are present. Namely, when skin permeability and blood concentration are especially improved, the drug may not necessarily have an effect of penetratability and diffusivity in muscle tissues or the like and may not act directly on an affected area. Actually, according to findings of the present inventors, penetratability and diffusivity of some kind of NSAID in tissues are deteriorated by adding a local anesthetic. Nonetheless, in conventional preparation design, penetratability and diffusivity into portions deeper than corium are not taken into consideration at all under present circumstances.
Further, even with a preparation showing high skin permeability, unless it allows an NSAID to penetrate and diffuse into a deeper portion, the drug cannot but remain on a surface portion of the skin. As the result, secondary disorders such as decrease in safety due to skin irritation and the like are possibly caused. Additionally, it is thought that when the concentration of an NSAID inside the skin increases, concentration gradient against the drug present on the surface of the skin decreases, and therefore its absorption efficiency is deteriorated. Consequently, even if the content of an NSAID in an external preparation is increased, the amount to be absorbed does not increase and its effect is neither improved, thus, the NSAID concentration in traditional external preparations is at most about 1%, and its effect is recognized to be saturated even if it is further added.
Other preparations containing an NSAID and a local anesthetic are also known, like the invention described in Kokai Publication No. Hei 14-128699. For example, WO 01/047559 describes a patch drug for external use containing a local anesthetic and an NSAID, from the point of view of letting it act on both the inflammatory portion and the peripheral nervous system, and indomethacin and the like are exemplified as specific examples of NSAID. However, there is no description regarding etodolac nor skin permeability and the like, although this publication discloses the result of a sensory evaluation test as an example.
Also WO 03/099293 describes salts formed with an NSAID having a carboxyl group and a local anesthetic having an amino group, and describes etodolac as an example of NSAID. However, the technology described in this publication is directed to enhancing drug-sustained-releasability of an injection and the like by decreasing water-solubility of NSAID, but is not directed to external use. Thus, there are neither descriptions nor suggestions at all regarding skin permeability, nor penetratability nor diffusivity in muscle tissues and the like. Actually, produced salts in examples of this publication are only those containing diphnysal as an NSAID.
By the way, there are mainly type 1 and type 2 isozymes of COX. COX-1 is expressed constitutively in most tissues of the body, and is thought to fill the role of maintaining stability of the body including a stomach mucous membrane protecting action and the like. On the other hand, though the expression level of COX-2 under usual conditions is low, it is induced by inflammatory irritation and the like. Thus, it is thought that when COX-2 can be inhibited selectively, inflammation and the like can be reduced while suppressing the body damage. However, NSAIDs such as indomethacin, dichlofenac and the like, disclosed specifically as examples in the prior publications described above, inhibit COX non-selectively. That is, even if skin permeability of these external preparations is enhanced, side effects accompanying the increase of drug concentration in plasma can cause a problem, rendering the external preparations meaningless.

Anti-inflammatory analgesic for external use


A method of assembling a gear arrangement for a capper of an inkjet printer includes the steps of: mounting a first gear assembly to the printer to cooperate with a motor gear for driving rotation of the first gear assembly, the first gear assembly including a driving gear from which a code feature protrudes, the driving gear meshed with the motor gear; engaging the printer with a jig; and mounting a second gear assembly to the printer using the jig, the second gear assembly mounted to cooperate with the first gear assembly to be rotatable therewith and to further cooperate with a capper for capping a printhead so that the rotation of the second gear assembly moves the capper out of and into capping position. The step of mounting the second gear assembly further includes a step of sliding a slider block of the holding feature about the code feature of the driving gear, whereby the code feature cooperate with the holding feature to maintain the first gear assembly at a predetermined position during the mounting of the second gear assembly.

In inkjet printers having printheads of ink ejection nozzles for ejecting ink onto a surface of print media, such as paper, it is important to cap the nozzles from the atmosphere when the printhead is not in use. This is because, when exposed to the atmosphere ink within the nozzles may dry. This dry ink may clog the nozzles rendering the printhead inefficient and at worst unusable. A capping mechanism is conventionally used for this purpose. It is important that the capping mechanism normally caps the printhead. Preferably, this normally capped position is maintained without requiring power. This ensures that minimal power is consumed for the capping/uncapping operation and that the printhead will only be uncapped upon performance of printing and not in the event of a power cut to the capping mechanism. However, such a quality assurance feature of the capping mechanism can be destroyed if, during the manufacture assembly of the capping mechanism, the correct capping timing position is not maintained.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method of assembling printhead capping mechanism


The present invention is directed to a natural formulation for treatment of male pattern hair loss. The formulation contains a combination of Saw Palmetto extract, African Pygeum extract, stinging nettle extract, and optionally zinc, vitamin B6 and green tea extract. The various extracts are prepared according to the traditional procedures, then combined in a suitable formulation for administration to the patient for treatment of the male pattern hair loss.

Human hair undergoes a normal growth cycle where each hair grows continuously for approximately 2 to 4 years, and stops growing for 2 to 4 months, and then falls out. In its place, a new healthy hair begins to grow and this cycle is repeated. The hairs on the head are always in different stages of the cycle, so it is normal to loose scalp hair everyday. On average, up to about 100 hairs is lost per day.
In male pattern hair loss, the normal hair growth cycle is disrupted and more than the average number of hairs are shed per day without having the old hairs replaced by new ones. Male pattern hair loss is determined by a combination of male hormones (androgens) and heredity. Men susceptible to male pattern baldness usually experience the onset sometime in their 20's and it becomes more common as they age. Androgenetic alopecia is the most common type of hair loss in men, with approximately 50% of men experiencing this hair loss to some degree by the age of 50.
In addition to adrogenetic alopecia, other factors may influence hair loss, many of which are temporary. Amongst these factors include stress of an illness or major surgery, medicines, such as those used in chemotherapy, blood thinners, antidepressants, excessive amounts of vitamin A and certain disease states like diabetes.
There is increasing evidence of the link between male pattern hair loss and the level of 5 alpha-reductase. 5 alpha-reductase converts the hormone testosterone into dihydrotestosterone (DHT). There have been many reports of men with male pattern hair loss having increased levels of DHT in the scalp. It appears that DHT contributes to the shortening of the growth phase and thinning of the hair.
A number of preparations have recently been proposed for treating male pattern hair loss, of which the most well known is Minoxidil. Minoxidil is applied topically to the scalp and has been shown to stimulate hair growth in individuals with androgenetic alopecia. The exact mechanism of the action of Minoxidil in the treatment is not know, and it is thought that there is more than one mechanism by which Minoxidil stimulates hair growth. Some of the mechanisms by which Minoxidil may stimulate hair growth include phasodilation of the micro circulation around the hair follicles, which may stimulate hair growth; direct stimulation of the hair follicle cells to enter into a peripheral phase whereby resting phase follicles are stimulated to pass into active phase folicles; or alteration of the effect of androgens on genetically predetermined hair follicles. It was thought that Minoxidil might affect the androgen metabolism in the scalp, inhibiting the capacity of androgens to affect the hair follicles. Another medication utilized for treatment of adrogenetic alopecia is Finisteride. Finisteride is an inhibitor of type II 5-alpha-reductase and has been shown to be effective in decreasing scalp DHT by inhibiting conversion of testosterone to DHT. Oral administration of Finisteride slowed hair loss, increased hair growth and improved the appearance of hair.
5-alpha-reductase enzyme has also been linked to benign prostatic hyperplasia. A number of the medications now utilized for treating the male pattern hair loss were originally developed for treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia.
Recently, there has been increased interest in the use of natural therapy for treatment of a diseased state. A number of herbal extracts have been demonstrated to be useful in the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia. Once such herbal extract is the extract of the berries of Saw Palmetto. Saw Palmetto is a small palm tree with large leaves and large deep red black berries. Saw Palmetto berries contain an oil with a variety of fatty acids and phytosterols. The fat soluble extract of Saw Palmetto berries has been shown to inhibit the conversion of testosterone, which is thought to be responsible for the enlargement of the prostrate. In addition, Saw Palmetto extract inhibits the binding of DHT to receptors, thus blocking DHT's action and promoting the breakdown of the potent compound. Another herbal extract utilized is African Pygeum. Pygeum is a large evergreen tree growing in the higher plateaus of southern Africa. The bark of the tree is processed to produce a fat-soluble fraction, which contains phytosterols, pentacyclic triterpenoids and ferulics esters of long chain fatty acids. African Pygeum extracts in double blind clinical trials have been found to be effective in treating a wide range of prostatic hyperplasia. Consumption of Pygeum extract resulted in a significant amelioration of symptoms, reduction in prostate size and clearance of bladder neck urethral obstruction.
Stinging nettles extract, which are an extract of a perennial plant growing worldwide, have been demonstrated to show a reduction in prostatic growth potential in mice with the administration of a high dosage of the nettle root extract. Stinging nettles have also been traditionally been known as a hair and skin tonic, stimulating hair growth, improving condition of the hair and skin and treating dandruff.
There still remains a need for a natural hair growth stimulant for use in treating androgenetic alopecia, having reduced side effects and risk of toxicity compared with synthesized pharmaceutical compounds.

Natural preparation for treatment of male pattern hair loss


A device and a method for controlling a cold start of a fuel cell system are provided and are capable of increasing a fuel cell load to reduce a cold start time using a kinetic energy storage method for a rotor of a motor for driving a fuel cell system. The method improves cold start performance by performing self-heating of a fuel cell stack based on an increase in an output current amount of a fuel cell and by restricting a motor torque simultaneously with generating the motor torque while applying a current to a motor when a vehicle stops to consume an output current of the fuel cell.

(a) Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a device and a method for controlling a cold start of a fuel cell system. More particularly, the present invention relates to a device and a method for controlling a cold start of a fuel cell system capable of increasing a fuel cell load for reducing a cold start time using a kinetic energy storage method for a rotor of a motor for driving a fuel cell system.
(b) Background Art
In a hydrogen fuel cell system, cold start performance during the winter season (e.g., during substantially cold weather) may be difficult. Methods in the related art have been developed for rapidly thawing pure water within a stack using a heater, for using an anti-freezing liquid for a fuel cell stack as cooling water, and the like.
Despite the methods developed for securing cold start performance, when the fuel cell system is left in substantially low-temperature environment such as below zero temperatures, a temperature of the fuel cell stack equipped in the fuel cell system decreases below zero degrees, thus causing the fuel cell stack to potentially be frozen. To rapidly increase the temperature of the stack during the cold start of the fuel cell system, it is efficient that the fuel cell stack outputs a substantial current to use heat generated by a unique chemical reaction of the stack. Accordingly, a method has been developed for outputting an output current of the stack by maximally using various loads equipped within a vehicle during the cold start, and a motor has been used as a heating element to increase a current load of a stack.
In other words, a technology of contributing to the increase of the temperature of the stack by transferring heat from a motor and an inverter to the stack by using phase resistance heating of a driving motor as a current load of the stack but performing a control to interrupt a generation of a motor torque so as not to prevent the motor from being driven has been developed. Accordingly, various technologies for enhancing the cold start of the fuel cell system have been proposed, but a more effective method has been continuously required.
The above information disclosed in this section is merely for enhancement of understanding of the background of the invention and therefore it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art.

Device and method for controlling cold start of fuel cell system


A method for providing name pronunciation guides includes storing a plurality of audio files in a database, each audio file representing a particular pronunciation of one of a plurality of names, receiving user information from the first user via a communication network, the user information including name information of the first user, searching the database to find one or more audio files corresponding the name information, providing the first user with one or more audio files in the database corresponding to the name information via the communication network for the first user's listening and selection, creating a user profile for the first user, the user profile comprising the user information and the selected audio file, storing the user profile in the database, allowing a second user-initiated search for names, providing a second user with first user profiles indicating the first user's name and name pronunciation preferences.

1. Field of the Disclosure
This disclosure is directed to a method and system for name pronunciation guide services, and, particularly to guiding individuals and organizations to learn how to call people what they want to be called and to have their names pronounced the way they want them pronounced by others.
2. Related Art
There currently does not exist any system or method to provide services designed to help people pronounce another person's name the way that person wants it pronounced except by hearing recordings made by the person themselves, such as voice mail, which present challenges such as accents, recording quality, recording equipment challenges, background noises, accessibility, and speech impediments. There are a few websites dedicated to helping pronounce names or words where one can hear a recording of a name being pronounced. However, there are many limitations, such as, e.g., limited availability of pronounced names, incorrect and/or poor pronunciations, questionable quality of recordings and lack of advice or guidance on how to pronounce names, and/or the like. Very few sites provide written advice for how to pronounce a name, but no website provides any tools to practice name pronunciations. Moreover, when there are multiple possible and acceptable pronunciations of a name, there is no systematic method that allows a person to specify their own preferred pronunciation save by recording their own name.
Accordingly, there is a need for a method and system that can provide improved name pronunciation guides to help people say another person's name the way that person wants it said. This method and system are unique because one of the primary components is high quality recordings made and edited by professionals. Individuals, or "first users," can create profiles to let others know what they want to be called and how they want their own name pronounced by others, not just recording their own name, but by selecting the professional recording that best represents how they want their name said. Other people, or "second users," can access the first user profiles and not only hear superior recordings but also have additional tools such as pronunciation advice, multispeed recordings, International Phonetic Alphabet transcriptions, "practice pronunciation" features, pronunciation feedback tools and other assistance that would be impractical or impossible to provide with a system relying on self-made voice recordings such as voicemail.
In addition, the system and method allow other people to receive likely pronunciations, or best guesses, as to how an individual would want to hear their name pronounced when a first user profile is not available. Since the system and method includes first user profiles, these probable or likely pronunciations may be created and prioritized based on unique data unavailable elsewhere. Second users can save those searches and can create profiles for other individuals, either for their own use or for the use of others.

Method and system for name pronunciation guide services


An inverter device according to an embodiment includes a constant power controller. The constant power controller computes and outputs, when a value of a voltage reference to an AC motor exceeds a predetermined threshold value, a d-axis current reference correction value on the basis of the value of the voltage reference and the predetermined threshold value. Moreover, the constant power controller generates the d-axis current reference correction value by using a constant power model determined by a torque reference or a speed reference and a supplied direct voltage at an output switching timing determined based on a winding switching signal and outputs the d-axis current reference correction value for a predetermined time.

There is known a conventional winding switching method for allowing wide-range operations from a low-speed area to a high-speed area by switching armature windings of an AC (alternating current) motor.
The conventional winding switching method takes measures to prohibit winding switching, for example, in a situation where the number of rotations of the AC motor is suddenly changed, in order to reduce a shock by winding switching. However, such measures have a problem that efficiency is low and further sufficient torque cannot be obtained, for example, when continuous acceleration is performed from a low speed to a high speed.
In this regard, the present applicant has proposed an inverter device that can reduce a shock by winding switching even during acceleration or deceleration, which is disclosed in Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2010-22165. More specifically, when a voltage reference exceeds the maximum voltage value that can be output to an AC motor, the inverter device disclosed in Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2010-22165 calculates a d-axis current reference correction value that is a correction value of a d-axis current reference and performs a process for correcting the d-axis current reference by using the calculated d-axis current reference correction value.
At this time, the inverter device disclosed in Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2010-22165 previously computes a d-axis current reference correction value before winding switching and corrects a d-axis current reference by using the previously computed d-axis current reference correction value at the time of winding switching. As a result, because the calculation delay of the d-axis current reference correction value that is one of generation causes of a shock by winding switching can be removed, the inverter device can perform smooth winding switching even during acceleration or deceleration.
Furthermore, the inverter device disclosed in Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2010-22165 preliminarily computes a d-axis current reference correction value by using a torque reference, a source voltage value, and a rotational speed of the AC motor as parameters.
However, the inverter device disclosed in Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2010-22165 has room for improvement in that an influence by winding switching can be further reduced.
For example, the inverter device disclosed in Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2010-22165 uses the rotational speed of the AC motor as a parameter for determining the d-axis current reference correction value. However, the rotational speed of the AC motor comes under the influence of transient phenomena by winding switching. In other words, there is a possibility that a detection value of the rotational speed of the AC motor includes a noise component caused by transient phenomena by winding switching. When the d-axis current reference correction value is computed by using the detection value that comes under the influence of the transient phenomena, there is a possibility that the resolution time of the transient phenomena is prolonged.

Inverter device and electric motor drive system