The present invention is a system and method for transmitting data symbols in a CDMA communication system including a transmitter having an antenna array and a receiver. The system generates a first and second data field of symbols, then encodes them to produce complex conjugates of the respective symbols. A first communication burst including the first and second data fields, which are separated by a midamble, over a first antenna, and a second communication burst produced using said complex conjugates of said first and second data fields, which are separated by a midamble, over a second antenna are then transmitted by the transmitter. The receiver then receives and decodes the first and second communication bursts to recover the first and second data fields.

The present invention relates to communications systems imploring code division multiple access (CDMA) techniques. More particularly, the present invention relates to a transmission diversity scheme which can be applied to a CDMA communication system.
Spacial diversity has been proposed for support of very high data rate users within third generation wide band code division multiple access systems. Using multiple antennas, the systems achieve better gains and link quality, which results in increased system capacity. Classically, diversity has been exploited through the use of either beam steering or through diversity combining.
More recently, it has been realized that coordinated use of diversity can be achieved through the use of space-time codes. Such systems can theoretically increase capacity by up to a factor equaling the number of transmit and receive antennas in the array. Space-time block codes operate on a block of input symbols producing a matrix output over antennas and time.
In the past, space-time transmit diversity systems have transmitted consecutive symbols simultaneously with their complex conjugates. This type of system, though may result in symbol overlap at the receiving end, with the amount of overlap being dependent on the length of the impulse response of the propagation channel. In time division duplex (TDD) mode, this symbol overlap will have to be accounted for in the joint detection receiver. The joint detector will have to estimate the transmitted symbols and their conjugates, resulting in an increase in complexity of the joint detection.
In order to alleviate this increase in joint detection, systems have been created which transmit two similar but different data fields. The first data field, having a first portion, D11, and a second portion, D12, is transmitted by the first antenna. A second data field is produced by modifying the first data field. The negation of the conjugate of D12, –D12*, is the first portion of the second data field and the conjugate of D11, D11*, is the second portion. The second data field is simultaneously transmitted by the second antenna. This type of system results in the joint detection implemented at the receiver needing only to estimate the same amount of symbols as in the case of a single transmit antenna. A block diagram of this system is illustrated in FIG. 1.
Neglecting the cross interference between the blocks the received signal model can be approximated as
                                          [                                                                                r                    →                                                                                r                      →                                        2                    *                                                                        ]                    =                                                                      [                                                                                A                          11                                                                                -                                                      B                            11                                                                                B                          22                          *                                                                                A                          22                          *                                                                                ]                                                  ︸                  E                                            ·                              [                                                                                d                          1                                                →                                                                                d                          →                                                2                        *                                                                                ]                                      +                          [                                                                                n                        1                                            →                                                                                n                        →                                            2                      *                                                                                ]                                                                                where                                                                                d              ->                        1                    =                                    [                                                S                  1                                ,                                  S                  2                                ,                ⋯                                                                                ,                                  S                                      N                    /                    2                                                              ]                        T                                                                                d              ->                        2                    =                                    [                                                S                                                            N                      /                      2                                        +                    1                                                  ,                                  S                                                            N                      /                      2                                        +                    2                                                  ,                ⋯                                                                                ,                                  S                  N                                            ]                        T                                              Equation                                                  1            are the vector forms of the transmit symbol sequences. Aij and Bij are the sub-matrices of the banded propagation matrices A and B according to the channels from antenna 1 and 2 to a specific user respectively. They are rewritten by the following (2×2) block matrix representations:
      A    =          [                                                                  A                11                                          O                                                                                A                21                                                          A                22                                                        ]        ,                B    =                  [                                                                              B                  11                                                O                                                                                B                  21                                                                  B                  22                                                                    ]            .      Each column of the matrices A and B is the shifted versions of the convolution of the spreading code and the channel impulse response from the first and diversity antennas respectively.
The model of Equation 1 can be solved using a MMSE BLE by
                                          [                                                                                d                      →                                                              mmse                                                                                1                                                                                d                      →                                                              mmse                                                                                2                                        *                                                                        ]                    =                                    D                              -                1                                      ·                                          E                H                                                          [                                                                                r                          1                                                →                                                                                r                          →                                                2                        *                                                                                ]                                                    ,                                                                with                                                                          D                    =                                                    E                H                                          E                        +                                          σ                n                2                                          I                                                          Equation                                                  2            where σn2 is the variance of the additive white Gaussian noise. It can be simplified using the sub-block matrix manipulations and banded Toeplitz approximations.
The problem with the above-transmit diversity system is that the first and second portion, D11, D12 of the first data field requires the same number of symbols in each of the portions. Some TDD data fields include an odd number of symbols. Therefore, when the data field is split into two portions, the portions have a different number of symbols. A method to deal with this inequality must be implemented. One approach duplicates the first symbol to alleviate this problem. Other approaches are known in the art. Utilizing one of these methods results in additional computations for joint detection at the receiver. In particular, the first symbol is not STTD encoded, and hence the STTD encoder output becomes:S1,−(S(N+1)/2+1,S(N+1)/2+2, . . . SN)*, (S2,S3, . . . ,S(N+1)/2)*
Furthermore, the initial approximation by eliminating the center elements of Equation 1 introduces a small error in the joint detection process.
Accordingly, there exists a need for other transmit diversity systems.

Modified block space time transmit diversity encoder


Because of the necessity of resolver for detecting a rotating position, which is very expensive, and noise suppression of the rotating position signal line on a doubly-fed machine, cost increase of the generator and reduced reliability due to possible failures are inevitable. In order to solve such problem, a generation system in the present invention is equipped with an exciter that estimates the slip frequency of the doubly-fed machine from each primary current I1 and voltage V1 and secondary current I2 and voltage V2 of the doubly-fed machine and excites the secondary of the doubly-fed machine at the estimated slip frequency.

The present invention relates to a rotating electrical machine control unit and power generation system, particular to a control unit and power generation system of a doubly-fed machine.
Doubly-fed machine has conventionally been used as the generator for an aerogeneration system. It is a generator-motor, equipped with 3-phase winding laid in slots provided at equal distance on the stator and rotor, that is operated at variable speed by applying variable-frequency alternating current power particularly to the secondary of the generator-motor. As disclosed in the Japanese Application Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Hei 05-284798 (hereinafter called the Patent Document 1), the doubly-fed machine like the above has a resolver for detecting a rotating position, slip frequency which is the differential between the primary frequency and secondary frequency is calculated, and the output is controlled by a power converter.
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Application Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Hei 05-284798

Electrical rotating machine control unit and power generation system


Circuitry for providing an oscillating output signal. This circuitry includes a transconductance circuit having a first input, a second input, an output. The transconductance also includes a first transistor, a second transistor, and chopping circuitry. The chopping circuitry is for alternatively connecting, in a first clock cycle phase, a first node to a first terminal of the first transistor and a second node to a first terminal of the second transistor and, in a second clock cycle phase, following the first clock cycle phase, the first node to the first terminal of the second transistor and the second node to a first terminal of the first transistor. An oscillator circuit is also included and coupled to receive voltage from the output of the transconductance circuit, wherein the oscillating output signal is responsive to an output of the oscillator circuit. Further connected to the transconductance circuit are circuitry for providing a first voltage to its first input and a frequency controlled circuit for providing a second voltage to its second input.

The preferred embodiments relate to electronic oscillators.
Electronic oscillators are well-known devices operable to produce an oscillating output signal. Thus, electronic oscillators are well-known for timing and synchronization and occur in numerous electronic circuits, devices, and industries. In many of these applications, various or all of the oscillator components are combined into an integrated circuit. As such, design considerations contemplate the oscillator as well as the overall integrated circuit. For example, with respect to the oscillator, key considerations are to reduce the effects of non-idealities in the oscillator and to ensure desired precision or lack of error in the output frequency. As another example, with respect to the integrated circuit, and of course the oscillator it includes, power consumption should be minimized, particularly in instances where the device for which the oscillator is operating has limited or consumable power (e.g., in battery-operated applications). As still another example, area consumption of the oscillator layout on the integrated circuit is desirably kept to a minimum.
Oscillators also are now being integrated, as are other complex analog circuits, into microcontrollers, as this trend reduces overall system cost by reducing the number of components. This trend is also opening up new markets and applications for microcontrollers as the capability of integrated analog grows. There are myriad numbers and varieties of end applications, and in this regard another key consideration for integrated analog circuits is to offer maximum flexibility to the end user. For example, many applications need an accurate integrated oscillator that may be linearly tuned over a wide frequency range. An example for such an application is a communication system with non-standard clock frequency.
One often important requirement for integrated oscillators is linearity of frequency tuning, as that enables a user to accurately choose and select frequency without having to measure the oscillator output frequency in every single chip. One prior publication in this context describes an oscillator with an 8 bit resistor option to trim the resistor so as to adjust oscillator frequency (Kunil Choe, Olivier D. Bernal, David Nuttman and Minkyu Je, "A Precision Relaxation Oscillator with a Self-Clocked Offset-Cancellation Scheme for Implantable Biomedical SoCs" in IEEE Intl. Solid-State Circuits Conf. Dig. Tech. Papers, February, 2009, pp. 402-403). Also in this context, another prior publication describes an oscillator with an 8 bit capacitor trim (A. V. Boas, et al., "A Temperature Compensated Digitally Trimmable On-Chip IC Oscillator with Low Voltage Inhibit Capability," Proc. ISCAS, pp. 501-504, September 2004.). In A. V. Boas, et al., with an option to use an off-chip resistor, the flexibility to directly use resistor based tune/trim schemes does not exist.
Another issue arising with oscillators is that there are components that have high mismatch with significant dependence on temperature, apart from the variations in values of resistance and capacitance affecting the frequency accuracy. To improve the Temperature Coefficient (TC) of frequency drifts and close-in phase noise, chopping has been proposed for low frequency applications. Prior publications, for example, describe offset cancellation techniques applied to an RC oscillator, but for low (32 kHz) and moderate frequencies (3 MHz) (see, e.g., Keng-Jan. Hsiao, "A 32.4 ppm/° C. 3.2-1.6V self-chopped relaxation oscillator with adaptive supply generation," Dig. Symp. VLSI Circuits, pp. 14-15, June 2012.; see also, above-introduced Kunil Choe, Olivier D. Bernal, David Nuttman and Minkyu Je, "A Precision Relaxation Oscillator with a Self-Clocked Offset-Cancellation Scheme for Implantable Biomedical SoCs" in IEEE Intl. Solid-State Circuits Conf. Dig. Tech. Papers, February, 2009, pp. 402-403.)
Given the preceding, the present inventors have identified improvements to the prior art, as are further detailed below.

Stability controlled high frequency chopper-based oscillator


A method and apparatus configures a beamforming coefficient based on the signal strength information without collecting channel information by adjusting the phase of the antennas through random perturbation. An antenna control method of a base station in a wireless communication system using a beamforming technique includes measuring nth received signal strength at nth phase of at least one receive antenna, measuring (n+1)th received signal strength at (n+1)th phase shifted randomly from the nth phase in one of forward and backward directions, and configuring a beamforming coefficient with the phase at which the received signal strength is greatest through comparison of received signal strengths. The random perturbation-based beamforming method and apparatus of the present disclosure is capable of configuring the beamforming coefficient appropriate for the normal cellular environment using a plurality analog array antenna without channel estimation overhead.

Mobile communication systems developed to provide the users with voice communication services on the move. With the rapid advance of technologies, the mobile communication systems have evolved to support high speed data communication services as well as the standard voice communication services. As a consequence, the wireless data traffic has increased considerably, resulting in needs of higher data rate.
Typically, the data rate can be increased by increasing the frequency bandwidth or improving frequency utilization efficiency. In the latter case, the current generation communication technologies have almost reached to the theoretical limit of the frequency utilization efficiency, it is difficult to further increase the frequency utilization efficiency through technical improvement. Accordingly, the technology of using wide frequency bandwidth receives attention.
Since it is very difficult to secure broad frequency bandwidth in the frequency band (<5 Ghz) on which the current cellular mobile communication system, there is a need of securing the broad frequency bandwidth in the higher frequency band. Since the frequency band available for broadband communication in the bandwidth over 1 Ghz is limited under the current frequency distribution policy, it is proposed to use the millimeter wave band over 30 Ghz for wireless communication.
However, such a high-frequency band communication has a drawback in that the signal attenuation increases significantly as the propagation distance increases. In detail, as the frequency increases, the propagation pathloss increases and the propagation distance decreases, resulting in reduction of the service coverage. One of the key technologies to mitigate the propagation pathloss and increase the propagation distance is beamforming.

Random perturbation-based beamforming method and apparatus for use in mobile communication system

Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology


A voice-coil transducer includes two radially concentric magnets, a voice-coil located in the gap between the inner and outer magnets, and a diaphragm coupled to the voice-coil. An audio loudspeaker includes the voice-coil transducer with two radially concentric magnets, a voice-coil located within the gap between the inner and outer magnets, a diaphragm coupled to the voice-coil in order to create sounds from the voice-coil, and a chassis to support the magnets, voice-coil, and diaphragm.

1. Technical Field
This invention relates to audio transducers. More particularly, this invention relates to lightweight, audio transducers.
2. Related Art
Electrodynamic loudspeakers include a diaphragm connected to a voice-coil. The voice-coil is positioned in an air gap between the poles of a magnet. The magnets produce magnetic flux in the air gap. These magnets are typically permanent magnets and are used in a magnetic circuit of ferromagnetic material to direct the flux produced by the permanent magnet into the air gap.
The voice-coil is placed in the air gap with its conductors wound substantially cylindrically so as to be placed perpendicular to the main component of the magnetic flux in the air gap. The coil is then connected mechanically to a loudspeaker diaphragm that is driven or vibrated by the axial motion of the voice-coil produced by the motor force on the voice-coil when it is connected to an audio amplifier. The coil is referred to the "voice" coil because, in loudspeakers or similar electromechanical transducers, the frequency range of interest is in the extended range of the human voice.
The voice-coil is normally connected to an audio amplifier of some type that produces a current in the voice-coil that is a function of the electrical signal to be transformed by the loudspeaker into an audible, sub-audible or ultrasonic pressure variation. The voice-coil is intended to carry a current in a direction that is substantially perpendicular to the direction of the lines of magnetic flux produced by the permanent magnet. The magnetic structure is often arranged to provide cylindrical symmetry with an annular air gap in which the magnet flux lines are directed radially with respect to the axis of cylindrical symmetry of the loudspeaker.
Permanent-magnet electro-dynamic loudspeakers employ a diaphragm that is vibrated by an electromechanical drive. The drive generally includes a motor structure comprised of one or more magnets plus ferrous material, and a voice-coil with an electrical signal passed through the voice-coil. The interaction between the current passing through the voice-coil and the magnetic field produced by the permanent magnet causes the voice-coil to oscillate in accordance with the electrical signal and, in turn, drives the diaphragm and produces sound.
In loudspeaker magnet systems, ferrous pole material is employed to create the gap and to guide the magnetic field, i.e., create the magnetic circuit. An axially magnetized magnet is positioned in a ferrous cylinder so that one pole of the magnet is in contact with bottom of the cylinder. The diameter of the magnet is less than that of the cylinder such that there is created an annular gap between the lateral sides of the magnet and interior walls of the cylinder. A second ferrous material, such as a disk that is roughly the same diameter as the magnet, is placed on top of the magnet so as to be in contact with the opposing pole of the magnet. The cylinder focuses the magnetic flux from the magnetic pole with which it is in contact and disk. One or multiple axially magnetized magnets may be included in such systems.
These ferrous materials may contribute a significant portion of the total mass of the system. Ferrous systems also may increase voice-coil inductance. Thus, as frequency increases, voice-coil inductance increases, resulting in reduced speaker output. Further, in operation, the resistance of the conductive material of the voice-coil causes the production of heat in the voice-coil or winding. The presence of ferromagnetic material may also contribute to an increased production of heat.
The problems produced by heat generation are further compounded by temperature-induced resistance, commonly referred to as power compression. As the temperature of the voice-coil increases, the DC resistance of copper or aluminum conductors or wires used in the voice-coil also increases. For example, a copper wire voice-coil that has a resistance of six ohms at room temperature has a resistance of twelve ohms at 270 degree C. (520 degree F.) At higher temperatures, power input is converted mostly into additional heat rather than sound, thereby seriously reducing loudspeaker efficiency.
Thus, heat production is a major determinant of loudspeaker maximum sound pressure output. Thus, devices may be limited in their maximum sound pressure because of the heat they generate. In a typical single voice-coil design using a ceramic magnet, the loudspeaker is very large and a heat sink is usually not employed. As such, because the driver must not overheat, the maximum allowable temperature limits the input power capacity of the loudspeaker. A common approach in the design of high power professional loudspeakers consists of simply making the motor structure large enough to dissipate the heat generated in the voice-coil. Producing a high power loudspeaker in this way results in a very large and heavy loudspeaker with a large motor structure. These large and heavy loudspeakers may not be feasible for use in vehicular applications due to weight and space limitations.
Thus, there is a need for loudspeaker systems that dissipate the heat generated by the voice-coil, thus, improving efficiency and producing greater power output. It may also be desirable to have a magnetic field system that is constant in a region and drops to a low value outside the region. Therefore, a need exists for a magnetic field system that can produce a desired magnetic field distribution without the use of any ferrous pole material.

Harman International Industries, Incorporated


The impact strength of articles made from a flame-retarded formulated ABS resin containing an impact modifier is increased by forming a concentrate or masterbatch containing the flame retardant and impact modifier, blending the concentrate with ABS resin and extruding the resultant blend.

ABS resins are well known in the synthetic organic polymer art as a class of thermoplastics which offers excellent mechanical properties as well as good processability and chemical resistance. The general characteristics of ABS resins are described, for example, in "Modern Plastics Encyclopedia," McGraw-Hill, New York, N.Y., 1990, pp 90-91. ABS resins are co- or terpolymers which generally comprise a rigid styrene/acrylonitrile continuous phase in combination with a polybutadiene elastomer disperse phase. A graft copolymer in which small amounts of styrene and acrylonitrile are grafted onto butadiene chains may also be present to bridge the rigid phase and the elastomer phase and make them more compatible.
For purposes of the instant invention, an ABS resin is a thermoplastic, the chemical structure of which includes each of the following structural units, however combined: ##STR1## Further, a formulated ABS resin, for all purposes herein, comprises at least about 50 wt % ABS resin. The remainder of the formulated ABS resin comprises various monomeric or polymeric additives which modify the properties of the ABS resin. These additives include, for example, various impact modifiers, stabilizers, processing aids, pigments, flame retardants, synergists, etc. They can be incorporated into the ABS resin in various ways.
Incorporation of the various additives is not a trivial matter, and the properties of the formulated ABS resin can be affected by the manner in which it is done. When the additives are solids, dry-blending can be employed. For example, the solids can be mixed and heated to soften and homogenize the mass, which can then be sheeted, chopped, and pelletized.
A flame retardant, such as a halogenated organic compound, is often incorporated into a formulated ABS resin so as to constitute as much as about 25-30 wt % of the formulation. Such incorporation can adversely affect the properties, other than the flammability, of the formulated ABS resin. For example, a flame retardant having a high melting point range, such as decabromodiphenylethane, or decabromodiphenyl oxide will have a filler type effect on the ABS resin formulation, whereas a flame retardant having a lower melting point range will have a plasticizer effect on the formulation. Because of the effect flame retardants have on articles containing such ABS resin formulations, improvements in such formulations and formulation techniques are highly desirable and of significant commercial importance.

Flame-retarded abs formulations with high impact strength


In a manufacturing process for color filters wet-chemical fixing and cleaning steps, as well as the use of several (toxic) chemicals can be avoided by using a combined fixing and cleaning step with the aid of UV radiation in an ozonic atmosphere.

The invention relates to a method of manufacturing a color filter, in which at least one color pattern is provided in a patterned polymeric material layer, whereafter this layer is fixed. The invention also relates to a color filter manufactured by means of said method, and to a display device and a pick-up device provided with such a color filter.
A method of the type mentioned above is described in Japanese Patent Application No. 58-207010 laid open to public inspection. In the method described in this application a solution of a photosetting polymeric material (for example, gelatin dichromate) is provided on a glass substrate, which solution is subsequently exposed via a pattern so that a cured part is produced. This cured part may be striped or mosaic. After the non-cured part has been removed by means of a suitable solvent, the patterned cured part is coloured with one of red, blue, green, yellow, cyan or magenta dyes. The colored part is then fixed successively in tannic acid and antimony potassium tartrate.
If the color filter has several colours, this series of treatments must be repeated several times including the intermediate cleaning steps which are not mentioned. Another drawback of the method is the use of toxic chemicals such as said antimony potassium tartrate. Moreover, the chemicals used have a limited storage life so that the fixing quality deteriorates rapidly.


A method and apparatus for deferring media writes for emulation drives are provided. By deferring media writes using non-volatile storage, the performance penalty associated with RMW operations may be minimized. Deferring writes may allow the RMW operations to be done while the disk drive is idle. Further, deferring writes may also allow data blocks to be accumulated over time, allowing a full (4K) disk drive block size to be written with a simple write operation, thus making a RMW unnecessary.

1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to computer systems, and more particularly, to improving the performance of computer systems as the industry transitions to hard disk drives formatted with larger memory blocks.
2. Description of the Related Art
Modern hard disk drives (HDD) internally use a standard block size of 512 data bytes (0.5 KB). This block size has been in use for over 20 years. As a result, 0.5 KB block size is pervasive in all of today's system software, including operating systems and application programs.
Innovations in the disk drive industry have led to the recording density of disk drives increasing dramatically. Naturally, this equates to a decrease in the physical area of the disk required to contain a standard block of data. However, the size of physical defects (e.g. contaminates and scratches) has not decreased in any significant way. Consequently, when physical defects occur within a block, a greater percentage of the data within the block becomes corrupted when compared to less dense drives.
To overcome this problem, a more powerful error correction code (ECC) method is necessary. However, a more powerful ECC necessitates more redundancy, which calls for a greater percentage of a disk's space to be used for ECC, and results in less space for a user's data. One way to mitigate a decrease in data formatting efficiency is to employ the more powerful ECC on a larger standard block. By implementing a larger standard block, the cost of additional redundancy is amortized over additional bytes.
An additional issue to examine is the need of an ECC to have a substantial portion of the data block error free. Despite the power and sophistication of an ECC, error correction requires a significant portion of the data block to be correct. Accordingly, the denser the recording, the greater the number of bytes a given defect may span, and the larger the data block must be to continue to accommodate error correction.
The ideal solution to working with larger standard memory blocks would be for all the operating systems, firmware, and applications, in use today to be changed to work with larger blocks, for example 4 KB memory blocks. In fact, some operating systems, such as Windows Vista, will soon support 4 KB standard blocks. However, due to the number of applications in use today, it is likely to take many years for all such programs to be converted to a 4 KB block size.
Another possible solution to working with larger standard memory blocks is for the disk drive to internally use a larger block size, such as 4 KB, but externally interface with the host using the current 0.5 KB block size. To do this the drive would have to handle the conversion from 0.5 KB logical block size to its internal 4 KB physical block size. The conversion from 0.5 KB to 4 KB may involve mapping eight 0.5 KB logical blocks to one 4 KB physical block. This technique is known as emulation and allows 0.5 KB legacy software to run on 4 KB internal disk drives.
Unfortunately, writing the 0.5 KB blocks to the hard drive in emulation mode requires a read modify write (RMW) operation. An entire 4 KB block is read out of the disk drive, modified with the 0.5 KB write data, and written back to the disk drive. These operations are costly from a performance standpoint and reduce the amount of time a disk can spin down.

Non-volatile cache in disk drive emulation

Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands B.V.


In the absorption of acetylene from a crude gas mixture containing mostly C.sub.2 hydrocarbons by scrubbing with an absorbing agent, an externally produced mixture of about 10-70% by weight acetylene-free C.sub.2 hydrocarbons and about 30-90% by weight absorption agent is introduced in the absorption column, in order to prevent the formation of foam. The mixture is produced in a static mixer outside the absorption column, and is supplied from outside the column to a mixing tank installed between two plates within the column.

This invention relates to a gas absorption process and apparatus, particularly for scrubbing acetylene out of a crude gas mixture containing mostly C.sub.2 hydrocarbons.
The invention is especially directed to an improvement in the operation of a plate column, wherein the crude gas mixture is fed into the lower zone of the absorption column; fresh or regenerated absorption agent is fed to the upper zone of the absorption column; loaded absorption agent is drawn off the bottom of the absorption column and is fed to a regeneration stage; an acetylene-free product gas stream is withdrawn from the head of the absorption column, optionally after separation and recycling of a reflux condensate to the absorption column, and wherein a substantially acetylene-free liquid C.sub.2 stream is introduced into the absorption column between the respective feed points for the crude gas mixture and the absorption agent.
In the extraction of ethylene from a thermally cracked cut of hydrocarbons, a crude gas mixture is obtained containing mostly C.sub.2 hydrocarbons (ethylene, acetylene and optionally ethane). Besides the C.sub.2 hydrocarbons, the crude gas mixture may also contain C.sub.3 hydrocarbons and/or methane. Acetylene is conventionally removed from this crude gas mixture by scrubbing with an absorption agent selective for acetylene; however.
The absorption agent tends to foam under normal operating conditions, which results in downtime and/or acetylene escaping into the product gas.
The formation of both hydrocarbon-rich and hydrocarbon-poor liquid phases, in addition to the vapor phase, are generally responsible for the foam. These two liquid phases are formed when the saturation limit of the absorption agent is exceeded relative to the hydrocarbons present. But foam formation can also occur far below the saturation limit in the absorption column, particularly under unstable operating conditions.
In this connection, EP-B 158 280, corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 4,655,798, describes a process intended to prevent foam formation by providing an additional feed of a substantially acetylene-free liquid C.sub.2 stream into the absorption column. From DE-OS 38 33 795, another process is known wherein the gaseous stream withdrawn from the head of the absorption column, is partially condensed and is recycled into the absorption column and a branched partial stream of the reflux condensate is introduced in the absorption column between the feed points for the crude gas mixture and for the absorption agent. Both of these processes, however, do not solve the problem of foam formation entirely satisfactorily.

Absorption column with external mixing for absorption of acetylene


A bag-on-valve aerosol valve system in a container. Propellant is pressure filled around the valve stem, outwardly over the stem gasket and down into the container space outside the bag. Product is filled through the valve stem into the bag. The valve stem has an exterior intermediate frusto-conical annular surface and the valve housing has an interior frusto-conical annular surface, with both surfaces engaging in annular sealing contact to block propellant access to the bag when the valve stem is deeply depressed to a first predetermined position for propellant pressure filling. A stem exterior surface indent interacts with radially-biased spring-loaded slides to lock the stem in a second less depressed predetermined position for product filling through the stem down into the bag. The propellant and product may be pressure filled in either order using essentially conventional pressure filing equipment, after the valve is mounted on the container and the bag is mounted on the valve.

Aerosol containers of the barrier pack type include the well-known piston-in-can, and bag-in-can, embodiments. In one form of the latter, to which the present invention is directed, a flexible bag within the can may have its open end sealingly connected to the valve housing of the aerosol valve. Such embodiments are referred to as bag-on-valve systems. The product to be dispensed from the aerosol container commonly is filled into the flexible bag within the container and a liquified propellant or compressed gas is filled into the aerosol container outside of the bag between the bag outer wall and the inner wall of the can. When the aerosol valve is actuated, the propellant acts against the outer wall of the bag to force the product being dispensed out the aerosol valve to the environment outside the can. When the valve actuation cases, of course, the product dispensing ceases.
Heretofore, the filling of the propellant into the container outside of the bag usually has been accomplished by filling propellant under the mounting cup or through the bottom of the container or by other complex schemes and structure. Such forms of propellant filling may require special and expensive filling equipment not owned by many commercial fillers who generally do own conventional pressure filling equipment to fill aerosol containers that do not include bag-on-valve systems. Such prior art forms of propellant filling can also be slow. In addition, prior art bag-on-valve systems do not generally permit product and propellant pressure filling to separately occur after the valve has been fixed to the container, such that the product and propellant cannot mix and the product filling cannot be shut off by imprecise stem positioning during product filling.

Means and method for filling bag-on-valve aerosol barrier packs


Disclosed herein are systems and methods for device authentication or pairing. In an aspect, a wearable display system comprises a display, an image capture device configured to capture images of a companion device, a computer-readable storage medium configured to store the images of the companion device, and a processor in communication with the image capture device and the storage medium. The processor can be programmed with executable instructions to receive a first image of a first optical pattern displayed by the companion device captured by the image capture device, wherein the first optical pattern is generated by the companion device based on first shared data, extract first data from the first optical pattern in the received first image, authenticate the companion device based on the first data extracted from the first optical pattern, and notify a user of the wearable display system that the companion device is authenticated.

To securely transfer data between a user device (e.g., a head mounted display) and a companion device (e.g., another user device, such as a mobile device or a totem), the user device and the companion device need to pair to each other. The process of pairing to each other can include the user device authenticating that the companion device is authorized to communicate with the user device. After authentication, the user device and the companion device can establish shared information or data (e.g., a shared key, shared secret, or shared signing key) which can be used to encrypt data being transferred between these two devices. Conventional pairing processes between devices can be cumbersome and involve multiple steps such as typing in a personal identification number (PIN) on both devices.


A dual band antenna includes a metal strip and a feeding leg. The metal strip formed on a substrate further comprises a first band portion and a second band portion, in which a tail of the first band portion is connected to the second band portion. The feeding leg extended from a head of the first band portion is led to connect with a signal processing circuit. The metal strip can be tuned to second frequency band signals, in which the first band portion is purposely tuned to first frequency band signals. Also, the second band portion has a function of adjusting frequencies of the second frequency band.

(1) Field of the Invention
The invention relates to antennas, and more particularly to multi-band antennas formed on printed circuit boards.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
With current developments in communication technology, many electronic devices need antennas which can receive and transmit signals in two frequency ranges, three frequency ranges, or more. Commercially, one of major concerns upon those multi-band products is their efficiency, appearance, size, etc. Actually in most communication devices, the efficiency of signal transmission is the most important of all. In particular, the performance of the antenna in the communication device takes a major share to the efficiency of signal transmission. Generally, to achieve a modern appearance design of the communication device without sacrificing the efficiency of antenna has become the major goal to most designers in this industry.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,166,694 to Zhinong Ying, Lund describes a multi-band antenna titled as "Printed Twin Spiral Dual Band Antenna". As shown in FIG. 1 thereof, the dual band antenna is attached over the printed circuit board (PCB) 1 via a dielectric substrate 2 and is also connected with the PCB 1 through a feeding pin 6 and a grounded post 7. A matching bridge 5 is introduced to connect the feeding pin 6 and the grounded post 7. As shown, the dual band antenna assembly comprises two conductor arms, each of which, a first spiral arm 3 and a second spiral arm 4, is configured in an inner spiral shape. The first spiral arm 3 is tuned to receive lower frequency band signals, while the second spiral arm 4 is tuned to receive higher frequency band signals. Under such an arrangement, the antenna assembly is allowed to operate in multiple frequency bands.
As shown in FIG. 1, a dielectric substrate 2 is positioned between the antenna assembly and the printed circuit board 1. In manufacturing process, an extra process should be increased in order to form the dielectric substrate 2 on the PCB 1. Moreover, the antenna assembly and the main circuit wires of the communication device are manufactured in different processes. If simplifying the manufacturing process is possible, the manufacturing time can be definitely saved. Additionally, an additional space on the PCB 1 is needed for constructing the antenna assembly, and as a consequence layout complexity of the main circuit wires has been increased. Therefore, an easy solution for constructing a multi-band transmission device with a PCB having a built-in planer antenna is surely welcome to the skilled person in the art.


A laundry dryer umbrella or like frame has between bracing arms and main arms, respective swing arms which form with each bracing and main arm a three link chain which can buckle inwardly at the swing arm so that the main arm assumes a slightly open positioning, thereby facilitating movement of the star-shaped parts to which the bracing arm and main arm are connected, toward one another for opening of the frame.

A clothing dryer frame can be provided with a star-shaped array of main arms which are swingable outwardly from a closed position of the frame and wherein the main arms are spanned by cords or the like to support laundry to be dried. Umbrella frames, especially for garden umbrellas can have main arms spanned by a canopy. Such frames are characterized by an arrangement in which the star-shaped two members on the support post can be moved toward and away from one another for the opening or closing of the frame respectively.
More particularly, such a frame can comprise a tubular support post which can have a first star-shaped member axially fixable thereon and forming pivots for the main or support arms. A second star-shaped member which also can be axially fixed to the support tube can be formed with pivots for the bracing arms and, by axial shifting of one of the star-shaped members, the main and bracing arms can be swung between the closed positioning which the arms lie along the support tube, and an open position in which the arms are spread outwardly.
Between each main arm and a respective support arm, a knuckle joint is provided which is opened up upon the spreading of the arms and which is folded inwardly when the arms are closed.
In the opening of the frame, assuming that the main and bracing arms have been swung inwardly to lie generally along the post, opening or spreading of the frame is effected by moving one of the star shaped members axially along the support tube toward the other of these members until the cords or canopy are tensioned and the main arms are spread outwardly and are fixed under tension. The movable star-shaped member can then be secured on the support tube. To fold the main arms again inwardly, the axial fixation of the movable star-shaped member is released and that member is then moved away from the fixed star-shaped member until the canopy and cords are drawn inwardly and the main arms are caused to lie along the support tube. In this inwardly swung position of the arms, the movable star-shaped member can be clamped axially once again to hold the frame in its folded position. The force required to open the frame, especially when the bracing and main arms are aligned in the direction of force application, can be substantial.
The support tube or post may be vertically anchored in a base or stand in the case of a garden umbrella, or in the ground in the case of a laundry dryer. The fixed star-shaped member is usually provided at the top of the post and the movable star shaped member is spaced below the latter and can pivotally carry the bracing arms for swinging outwardly the main arms which are pivotally mounted on the upper or fixed star-shaped member.
A detent system can be provided for locking the lower star-shaped member along the support tube.
For clothing dryers or the like which are mounted in the ground, the star-shaped member to which the bracing arms are pivoted may be located above the star-shaped member to which the main arms are pivotally connected and to swing the main arms outwardly, the upper star-shaped member may be drawn downwardly toward the lower star-shaped member and locked in place appropriately along the post.
In most cases, the frame is closed until it is to be used and only then opened, whether it is permanently mounted in a vertical position or can be laid down. When, however, the dryer or umbrella is to be used to hang up laundry or protect an area from rain or sun, the frame must be swung into its open position. In practice, the opening of the frame has required considerable force even for an initial spreading of the main arms and the bracing arms outwardly. Until this initial resistance has been overcome, it is not possible to relatively move the star-shaped members easily so as to continue the outwardly spreading operation. After this initial resistance, the movement of the movable star-shaped member must overcome the weight of the arms and any canopy or cords thereon.
For laundry dryers, usually four main arms are provided and once these arms are fully swung outwardly, they must be able to carry the weight not only of the arms and the cords, but also the considerable weight of wet, heavy laundry in a stable manner. The force necessary for opening the frame in the past has, therefore, been relatively high. Furthermore, the lower star-shaped member is frequently located so close to the ground that it is difficult for the user to exercise even the initial force required to spread the main arms outwardly without awkward manipulation or bending.
Various proposals have been made to ease the outward spreading of the arms of such frames. For example, it has been proposed to connect the two star-shaped members by a cable which can run from one to the other along the support tube and can be diverted at the lower star shaped member away from the post. To swing the arms of the frame outwardly, the cable is drawn upwardly at an angle to the post and radially outwardly from the star-shaped member close to the ground. The cable eliminates the need for the operator to bend, but the significant resistance of the frame to opening is not easily overcome through the use of the cable which itself introduces a significant frictional component.
EP 113 789 B1 discloses an umbrella like laundry dryer with a star-shaped member fixed axially at the upper end of the support tube and a cable passing twice between the upper and lower star-shaped members in an effort to gain a mechanical advantage. The bracing arms are pivotally mounted on the upper star-shaped member and are radially inwardly offset with respect to the outer periphery of the support tube. The support arms themselves are of an offset nature. In this kind of system, there is indeed a facilitation of the opening operation, but the system is more expensive to fabricate and has tended to be more bulky.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,289,450 discloses another kind of umbrella shaped dryer in which, in the closed position of the frame, the knuckle joints between the support arms and the bracing arms lie outwardly of the lines connecting the pivots for the support arms at the lower star-shaped member and the bracing arms at the upper star-shaped member. The star-shaped members are comprised of two elongated sleeves which have ends turned toward one another and locked together when the arms are in their fully spread positions.
The support arms are formed with projections at their ends connected to the upper star-shaped member which project radially inwardly of the periphery of the support tube in the fully spread positions of the arms. The locking system is here comparatively complex as well.
EP 220 565 A2 describes an umbrella shaped laundry dryer which has at the upper end of the post or support tube an axially fixed second star-shaped member to which a cable is affixed while the lower star-shaped member, about which the cable passes, forms the pivots for the support arms. In this arrangement, there is a danger that the lover star-shaped member, which is free to wobble, may be jammed in use. There is also a problem here with an increasing tendency to jam with greater application of force to the cable. Finally, mention may be made of the umbrella type laundry dryer of EP 649 935 which requires that the bracing elements penetrate through openings in the support tube or post radially and which has been found to be a drawback because openings in the support posts tend to weaken the latter.


A system for adjusting misalignment between a read/write head and a flexible data storage media is provided. The system includes a head carriage assembly, a linear assembly that includes a pivot member pivotably supporting the head carriage assembly, and a magnetic assembly coupled to the head carriage assembly. Current is applied to the magnetic assembly for dynamically positioning the head carriage assembly relative to a direction of media movement across the head carriage assembly. A first current is applied to the magnetic assembly for track following of media moving across the head carriage assembly. A second current is applied to the magnetic assembly for dynamically rotationally positioning the head carriage assembly to compensate for skew of flexible media moving across the head carriage assembly.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to flexible media data storage devices and systems, and more particularly, to a head positioning system for adjusting for misalignment between a read/write head and a flexible data storage media, such as magnetic tape.
2. Background Information
Business, science and entertainment applications depend upon computers to process and record data, often with large volumes of data being stored or transferred to nonvolatile storage media, such as magnetic discs, magnetic tape cartridges, or optical disk cartridges. Digital data-recording on magnetic data storage tape remains a viable solution far storage of large amounts of data.
Increased data storage capacity and data storage and retrieval performance is desired of all commercially viable mass storage devices and media. In the case of linear magnetic data storage tape, a popular trend is toward multi-channel movable head structures with narrowed track widths so that many linear data tracks may be achieved on a recording medium of a predetermined width, such as one-half inch width magnetic tape. To increase the storage density for a given cartridge size the bits of data on the recording medium must be accurately written to smaller areas and on the plurality of parallel linear data tracks.
As more data tracks are recorded on a tape, each track becomes increasingly narrow and thus, more susceptible to errors that may be caused by misalignment of the tape head to the data tracks. One known problem, as a result of the increase in track density, is tape skew with respect to a reference centerline of the tape head.
The magnetic data storage tape is generally allowed to move perpendicular or laterally to a direction of tape motion. The lateral motion of the tape maybe due to tape path tolerances and dimensional variations of the tape path built into the drive. Examples of tolerances that allow for lateral motion of the tape may include cartridge reel height, take-up reel height, guide heights, tape guide flange-to-flange spacing, take-up and supply reel flange-to-flange spacing, and tape width variations among several other tolerances. Further, as tape is generally read and written by the tape head in both directions the skew may vary with the direction of tape travel.
During data writing operations, separate channels allow for simultaneous read and write operations to a particular data track. Simultaneous read and write operations are know as read-while-write, or read-verity-write, where data is read immediately after being written to the tape to confirm the correct storage of data on the tape. Tape skew may limit the ability to read-while-write for a given data track and read/write element dimensions, since the read element may not be aligned with the data track written by the write elements. To compensate for tape skew, the data tracks are written with sufficient width, such that the read head will be on track during the maximum expected tape skew events. However, writing the tracks with sufficient width to compensate for tape skew, limits the possible density of data tracks for a given tape width and correspondingly limits the storage capacity of the tape. Accordingly, tape skew is one factor that limits the track density and data storage capacity of a magnetic data storage tape.
A system for limiting tape skew is disclosed in United States Patent Application Publication; Pub. No.: 2006/0103,968 A1, to Jurneke. Disclosed therein is a system for positioning a transducer head to a storage medium. The system purportedly compensates for skew of a storage medium, such as magnetic data storage tape and includes a transducer head assembly that includes read and write elements, at least one actuator for adjusting the azimuth position of the transducer head, first and second position sensors, and a controller. The first and second sensors sense a reference associated with a position of the tape, where the first and second sensors are positioned on opposite sides of a centerline of the read and write elements of the transducer head along a direction of tape movement. The sensed positions of the reference on opposite sides of the read and write elements may indicate the relative slope or skew of the tape and data tracks thereon to the transducer head.
The controller adjusts the azimuth position of the transducer head in response to sensed positions of the reference by the first and second sensors. Adjustments to the transducer head may be made on the fly during reading and writing operations. Further, the reference associated with the position of the tape may include one or more edges of the tape that may be a magnetically and/or optically detectable feature of the tape. The transducer head may be adjusted by differential actuators, such as piezoelectric actuators, which rotate the transducer head around its center of mass.
The system disclosed by Jurneke also includes a method for detecting the position of a transducer head with respect to a storage medium. The method includes sensing a reference associated with a position of a storage medium at a first position along a direction of storage medium transport, sensing the reference associated with the position of the storage medium at a second position along the direction of storage medium transport, wherein the first position and the second position are on opposite sides of a transducer head along a direction of storage medium transport, and positioning the azimuth of the transducer head relative to the storage medium in response to the sensed first position and the second position of the reference.
A disadvantage of the disclosed system is that adjusting the position of the transducer head about the center of mass of the head may not offer optimum alignment of the head with the linear data tracks. Ideally, the center of the transducer head should be coincident about a center of mass of the actuator assembly that adjusts the head, including any supporting structure and cabling.
Another known disadvantage of the disclosed system is that means used to adjust the azimuth and other positioning of the transducer head, such as stepper motors and gears, may not be able to dynamically adjust the head quickly enough to maintain proper track following. Further, stepper motor and gear systems are known to fail over time due to wear, for example.
A magnetic tape head tilting mechanism for tilting the magnetic head to a desired azimuth angle system for limiting tape skew is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,307,718, to Kasetty. Described therein is a magnetic tape head tilting mechanism that uses a worm gear and worm. The worm gear is driven by a stepper motor which adjusts the position of the magnetic head during recording of the signal onto the tape by the write head gap to maintain the strongest signal that is received by the read head gap. Fine angular resolution enables writing very high track densities and providing strong read signals. However, a disadvantage of the disclosed mechanism is that a worm gear and stepper motor system does not provide sufficient bandwidth or reliability needed to support high speed track following. Further, these systems are prone to wear and may fail prematurely.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,680,278, to Sawtelle Jr., describes a mechanism and method for providing rotational and linear movement to an azimuth tape recording head. The disclosed mechanism includes a toothed gear upon which the read/write head is mounted. Two identical threaded shafts, each extending from identical stepper motors are mounted on a base, along a same vertical plane as the toothed gear. Rotational axes of the threaded shads are arranged in a parallel relation such that each is meshably engaged to the toothed gear on opposing sides. Rotational movement of the head is achieved by synchronously rotating the threaded shafts, at the same speed, in opposite directions. Linear movement, or lifting/lowering, of the head is achieved by synchronously rotating one threaded shaft in one direction and the other threaded shaft in the opposite direction. As discussed above, a known disadvantage of worm gear and stepper motor systems is that they do not provide sufficient bandwidth or reliability needed to support high speed track following and that they are prone to wear.

System including a pivot assembly for adjusting misalignment and skew between a read/write head and a flexible data storage media

International Business Machines Corporation


An assembly (40) which is disposed within a conventional radio (10) and a method (200) for replaying a real time audio signal (50). Particularly, the assembly (40) includes a memory assembly (56) which records a digitally converted analog signal (53), compresses the recorded signal in a digital signal processor (54), and allows a user (20) to selectively listen to up to sixty seconds of missed audio signal (53, 57) while obviating missing any of the real time audio signal (50) immediately following the missed audio signal (53, 57).

Automotive entertainment systems are conventionally capable of multiple modes of operation, such as and without limitation, AM/FM/satellite radio, Tape cassette play, MP-3 play, and/or CD-sourced play. Although, the abovementioned modes of play do desirably provide a user with desirable entertainment, each suffers from a substantially similar drawback.
For example and without limitation, the AM/FM/satellite radio (i.e., Amplitude Modulation, Frequency Modulation, and satellite radio) each is a different form of a steady stream broadcast-signal which is non-repeating. Therefore, if a listener of a respective one of these types of broadcast signals happens to miss a portion of a song, broadcast, show, news story, and/or the like, the listener cannot rewind the signal and play the signal back. Hence, the listener simply must accept that he/she cannot hear the missed portion of the broadcast signal.
In further example and without limitation, tape cassette play, MP-3 play, and CD-sourced play all desirably allow a user to play back a missed portion of a story or song, however, they all also suffer from a substantially similar drawback. That is, each of these modes of operation require a respective form of rewinding the mode of operation, which undesirably forfeits the last heard moment (e.g., note, lyric, word, beat, and/or the like) of the form of entertainment (e.g., a tape cassette requires a user to stop the tape cassette from playing a certain form of entertainment, rewind the cassette to a certain point at which the user missed a portion of the entertainment, and either listen to the entire form of entertainment over again or stop the cassette from playing and fast forward the cassette to the location at which the user originally stopped the cassette). Therefore, the listener oftentimes must spend a relatively long amount of time attempting to hear only a small portion of missed entertainment.
There is therefore a need for a method and an assembly which allows a listener of substantially any desired form of conventional automobile entertainment to selectively listen to a missed portion of the entertainment in a convenient manner. There is also a need for a method and an assembly which allows a listener to easily select which portion of entertainment he/she desires to listen to by one or more depressions of a button. There is still a further need for a method and an assembly which allows a user to selectively listen to a missed portion of the entertainment in a compressed format which eventually and seamlessly transitions from the compressed mode of operation to a non-compressed mode of operation or "normal operation", which overcomes some or all of the previously delineated drawbacks of prior automobile entertainment systems.


A method of monitoring a microbiological process in a fluid supply involving isolation of a fluid sample from a fluid supply, measuring the pH of the fluid sample at selected time intervals, then calculating changes in pH, if any, to determine a pH variation rate for the sample. The dissolved oxygen in the sample is also measured at selected time intervals substantially synchronously with the pH measurements, and changes in dissolved oxygen, if any, are calculated to determine a biological oxygen consumption rate for the sample.

Microbial use of organic and inorganic substrates in metabolic processes can cause detectable changes in measurable parameters such as pH and oxygen utilization rates. The metabolism of certain organic and inorganic nutrients results in the production of various products including, but not limited to, energy, water (H.sub.2 O), carbon dioxide (CO.sub.2), hydroxyl ions (OH.sup.-), hydrogen ions (H.sup.+), and the like. As the environmental supply of exogenous organic and inorganic substrates changes, overall metabolic rates and/or patterns can change in response. Such changes can affect other measurable parameters whose values are influenced and dependent upon the presence of and/or rate at which the substrates are metabolized. The microbially mediated reactions presented below illustrate examples of how the metabolism of organic and inorganic substrates can affect measurable, dependent parameters like oxygen utilization and extracellular pH: EQU CH.sub.3 COOH+2O.sub.2 .fwdarw.2CO.sub.2 +2H.sub.2 O (1) EQU NH.sub.4.sup.+ +2O.sub.2 .fwdarw.NO.sub.3.sup.- +2H.sup.+ +H.sub.2 O (2)
Reaction (1) describes the aerobic degradation of an organic carbonaceous substrate (CH.sub.3 COOH) and illustrates the direct quantitative relationship between substrate consumption and oxygen utilization. Reaction (2) describes the biologically mediated conversion of ammonia (NH.sub.4.sup.+), an inorganic substrate, to nitrate (NO.sub.3.sup.-) in a process commonly referred to as "nitrification". This reaction illustrates the direct quantitative relationship between ammonia conversion and both oxygen utilization and the production of hydrogen ions (H.sup.+). The production of these hydrogen ions (H.sup.+) can ultimately affect the pH of the extracellular media.
Furthermore, when CO.sub.2 gas from aerobic degradation of organic substrate(s) is dissolved in water, carbonic acid, a relatively weak acid, is formed according to Reaction (3): EQU CO.sub.2 +H.sub.2 O.revreaction.H.sub.2 CO.sub.3 ( 3)
Carbonic acid dissociates in water to form carbonic and bicarbonic ions according to Reactions (4) and (5): EQU H.sub.2 CO.sub.3 .revreaction.HCO.sub.3.sup.- +H.sup.+ ( 4) EQU HCO.sub.3.sup.- .revreaction.H.sup.+ +CO.sub.3.sup.- ( 5)
This carbonic acid "system" provides a buffering effect on the pH of the extracellular media.
Because of the quantitative nature of these biochemical reactions, the abundance and/or availability of reactants, i.e., available exogenous inorganic and organic substrates, can affect the magnitude of changes in other parameters. For example, if the nitrification reaction (2) described above is a predominant reaction within a microbial culture, the production of hydrogen ions (H.sup.+) from the nitrification process would be expected to decrease markedly upon the exhaustion of readily usable ammonia (NH.sub.4.sup.+) below some metabolically critical level. Consequently, the activity of hydrogen ions in solution, i.e., pH, would also be expected to change.
Similarly, the oxygen utilization of a microbial culture would be expected to be higher in a condition in which exogenous organic substrates were readily available and plentiful than in a condition where these substrates were depleted below some metabolically significant level. In both of these examples, the measurable rate of change in pH, sometimes hereinafter referred to as "pH variation rate" or "pHPR," and oxygen utilization, sometimes hereinafter referred to as "biological oxygen consumption rate" or "BOCR," would be directly affected by the rate of substrate metabolism over time. Thus, assuming that changes in pH and oxygen consumption in a medium result from microbial metabolic activity alone, pHPR and BOCR could theoretically be used to signal metabolically significant transition points in a microbiological process.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,013,442 to Davis et al discloses a method of aerobic wastewater treatment which utilizes alkalinity as a control parameter. However, "alkalinity" is defined in Davis et al as the ability to buffer acids determined by titrating with sulfuric acid to a select end point of 4.5 pH. Thus, alkalinity as defined in Davis et al is clearly different from pH. Further, Davis et al fails to disclose the use of pHPR and/or BOCR together as control parameters for a microbiological process and also fails to teach any means for blocking non-microbial effects on pH and D.O.
Analytical methods to determine maximum utilization rates of ammonia, nitrate and oxygen are disclosed in the article "Characterization of Functional Microorganism Groups and Substrate in Activity Sludge and Wastewater by AUR, NUR and OUR," Wat. Sci. Tech., Vol. 25, No. 6, pp. 43-57 (1992). However, there is no disclosure of a method of control which utilizes pHPR and BOCR together as control parameters for a microbiological process or any means for inhibiting non-microbial effects on pH and D.O.
A model of the nitrifying activated sludge process is used in the article "Effects of Oxygen Transport Limitation on Nitrification in the Activated Sludge Process," Research Journal WPCF, Vol. 63, No. 3, pp. 208-19 (1991) to investigate the effects of mass-transport resistance and heterotrophic/nitrifier competition on the apparent relationship between dissolved oxygen concentration and nitrification. However, there is no suggestion that pHPR and BOCR be used together as control parameters for a microbiological process or of any means for inhibiting non-microbial effects on pH and D.O.
There remains a need for a practical and convenient method, usable in virtually any microbiological process in a liquid medium, for monitoring transitions in microbial metabolic behavior and controlling a microbiological process according to those transitions.

Method for monitoring and controlling biological activity in fluids


One implementation provides a method that includes receiving a first identification of one of several knowledge bases of electronically stored content, receiving a second identification of one of several executable software applications for which user-initiated knowledge base content searching services will be provided for the identified one of the knowledge bases, and receiving a third identification of one of several different search engines to be used in performing index searches when a request for a search is received from the identified software application and the request is directed to the identified one of the several knowledge bases. Received identifications are stored for later access to determine which of the several search engines is to execute a request to perform an index search that is received from the identified one of the several software applications and which index search request is directed to the identified one of the several knowledge bases.

In today's ever more complex enterprise computing systems, it is often desirable, and even necessary in many cases, to have within a single enterprise computing system various different software applications from different software vendors. In such a case, the enterprise computing system is referred to as having a heterogeneous system landscape. Integrating various software applications from different vendors, and sometimes applications from the same vendor, is a challenging and often costly task.
There are many software applications where it is helpful for a user, when using the software application, to perform a search for content electronically stored in a knowledge base. One example of such a software application is a customer interaction center software application. A customer interaction center application is a software application that is used in a customer interaction center, for example, a call center. A customer interaction center software application assists a human being agent (that is, a user) in interacting with a customer. During the course of a customer interaction, it may be helpful for the interaction center agent to search for information that is stored in a knowledge base, for example, to find a solution to a customer's problem.
It is possible that search engine functionality may be built in, or pre-configured, to operate with a particular software application. Such may be the case, for example, when both the software application and the search engine functionality are provided by the same software vendor. Even where a software application and a search engine application are not designed to work with one another, because for example the two are provided by different software vendors, it may be possible to integrate the search engine application with the software application so that functionality from both software applications may be executed as an integrated software solution where, from the user's perspective, it appears that a single software application is being executed. Although such integration may be possible, it typically has required a costly and time-consuming software integration effort.
As a result, in many cases where there is implemented, in a single computing environment, both a software application and a search engine application that may be needed in combination with the software application, the two applications operate entirely separately. As such, a user will need to switch between the two applications, for example, by switching between different windows. Particularly in a customer interaction center application, where timeliness is typically essential, this switching between the interaction center application and the search engine application may take too much time, and as such may be unacceptable from a customer care perspective. In addition, where the two functions are not integrated, various functions that may be possible with an integrated solution may not be possible.


A semiconductor device connected by an anisotropic conductive film, the film having a storage modulus of 100 MPa to 300 MPa at 40° C. after curing of the film, and a peak point of 80° C. to 90° C. in a DSC (Differential Scanning calorimeter) profile of the film.

1. Field
Embodiments relate to a semiconductor device connected by an anisotropic conductive film.
2. Description of the Related Art
An anisotropic conductive film is a material for electrically connecting a small electric component such as a semiconductor device to a substrate or for electrically connecting substrates to each other in manufacture of electronic products such as liquid crystal displays, personal computers, mobile communication devices, and the like.

Semiconductor device connected by anisotropic conductive film


Hair compositions which provide improved styling and conditioning properties are disclosed. The compositions comprise from about 0.01% to about 20% of an anionic hair styling polymer comprising acrylate groups; from about 0.01% to about 10% of a zwitterionic hair conditioning polymer; and from about 0.5% to about 99.9% of a carrier comprising a solvent (for the hair styling polymer and the hair conditioning polymer) selected from the group consisting of water; water soluble, organic solvents; organic solvents which are strongly to moderately strong in hydrogen-bonding parameter; and mixtures thereof. These compositions provide superior style achievement and improved long lasting hold even though anionic polymer based wet styling products typically result in poor wet combing.

The desire to have the hair retain a particular style or shape is widely held. The most common methodology for accomplishing this is by spraying a composition, typically from a mechanical pump spray device or from a pressurized aerosol canister, to the hair. Other means of providing style or shaping to the hair are mousses, gels, lotions and the like. Such compositions provide temporary setting benefits and can usually be removed by water or by shampooing. The materials used in these types of hair styling compositions are generally resins, gums, and adhesive polymers which are capable of imparting style or shape to the hair. For example, anionic polymers are typically employed as hair styling polymers since they have good style/hold properties.
Certain styling products that are commonly used on wet or damp hair (e.g., mousses, gels, spray-on gels, etc.--hence called "wet styling products") often contain nonionic hold polymers, cationic hold/conditioning polymers or combinations thereof Polymers traditionally used in wet styling products are PVP, PVP/IVA, and polyquaternium-type polymers. While they provide good style/hold, anionic polymers are not typically found in wet styling products. The primary reason for their non-use is that they provide poor combing and feel attributes on wet or damp hair even though they tend to provide good style hold. In many cases, wet combing with an anionic polymer based composition can be worse than combing untreated wet hair. Thus, this wet combing negative poses a significant problem to the wet styling product consumer. Although cationic conditioning polymers are typically added to nonionic polymers to improve combing and feel on wet or damp hair, formulating cationic conditioning polymers with most anionic polymers is difficult.
However, several benefits would be derived from the incorporation of anionic polymers into wet into wet styling products. These benefits include superior style achievement and improved long lasting hold over polymers traditionally used in wet styling products. These benefits result from the improved adhesive properties of anionic polymers, s especially acrylate polymers. This improved adhesion, however, causes poor wet combing of the hair to which the polymer is applied. In many cases, wet combing with an anionic polymer based composition can be worse than combing untreated wet hair. Thus, this wet combing negative poses a significant problem to the wet styling product consumer. Therefore, there is a need for a wet styling product that can deliver improved wet combing as well as a long lasting hold. It would be desirable to provide a wet styling product containing an anionic styling polymer which does not suffer from the drawbacks of poor combing and feel attributes on wet or damp hair.
It has now been discovered hair care compositions comprising anionic styling polymers, zwitterionic conditioning polymers, and a suitable solvent provide superior style achievement and improved long-lasting hold over traditional wet styling polymers as well as improved wet hair combing feel.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide hair styling/conditioning compositions, containing anionic styling polymers and zwitterionic conditioning polymers which provide an improved wet combing and feel properties.
It is another object of this invention to provide hair styling/conditioning compositions that provide good style retention without unacceptable stiffness or stickiness. Another object of this invention is to provide hair styling/conditioning compositions that both look and feel natural.
It is another object of this invention to provide methods for styling, holding and conditioning hair.
These and other objects will become readily apparent from the detailed description which follows.


A life preserver assembly includes a substantially planar main body portion formed from a buoyant material and separation means defining in said main body portion at least one life preserver. The separation means permits the life preserver to be removed from the main body portion. The life preserver is a unitary U shaped structure where the life preserver is preassembled for immediate use.

Life preservers are a necessary safety precaution for boats and aircraft flying over water. The buoyant material from which many life preservers are constructed is a polymer foam which is lightweight but bulky and consequently is difficult to store on boats or planes where there is a limited amount space for storage. The lack of storage space combined with the generally bulky nature of life preservers can result in operators not carrying life preservers, or not carrying a sufficient number of life preservers to accommodate each passenger.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


Disclosed is a human sensing back-up alarm system capable of generating a loud alarm sound for a predetermined period of time using a speaker to protect humans or vehicles if the humans or vehicles are detected behind construction equipment or a vehicle when the construction equipment or the vehicle backs up, and generating a low alarm sound if the humans or vehicles are not detected behind the construction equipment or the vehicle, thereby effectively preventing accidents while minimizing ambient noise and noise pollution. The human sensing back-up alarm device includes a PCB control part for controlling an alarm sound, a human sensing part for electrically sensing an optical signal, and a speaker part for converting an electric signal into a mechanical signal. The PCB control part includes a clock generator for generating the alarm sound, a clock divider for dividing clocks generated from the clock generator, a terminal unit, a loudness control unit for adjusting the loudness of the alarm sound, a non-continuous sound control unit for generating a non-continuous sound, a speaker drive unit for driving the speaker part and a power source for stabilizing power applied to a vehicle.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a back-up alarm device of construction equipment or a vehicle including an optical human sensing part and a human sensing part. More particularly, the present invention relates to a human sensing back-up alarm device capable of detecting the rear of construction equipment or a vehicle by using an optical human sensing part when the construction equipment or the vehicle backs up, generating a loud sound for a predetermined period of time by using a speaker if a human or a vehicle is detected behind the construction equipment or the vehicle to ensure safety of the humans and vehicles, and minimizing ambient noise by generating a low sound when there are no humans or vehicles behind the construction equipment or the vehicle.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventionally, when construction equipment, such as a loader, a forklift truck, an excavator or a bulldozer, or a vehicle, such as a dump truck or a cargo truck, backs up, a back-up alarm device operates together with a back-up lamp by means of a switch attached to a reverse gear.
The above back-up lamp and the back-up alarm device are installed in the construction equipment in order to prevent accidents caused by the construction equipment being operated in a large working field where many workers are on the job.
However, various back-up alarm devices capable of generating sounds having various levels are installed on the rear portion of the construction equipment according to the type of the construction equipment. Thus, since such construction equipment is used in various working fields, the level of ambient noise is variously formed in the working fields.
In addition, the back-up alarm device generating a sound having a predetermined level may be useless if it is employed in a working field having a high level of ambient noise. In order to solve the above problem, it is necessary to provide an intelligent back-up alarm device capable of automatically adjusting the loudness of the sound according to the environment in the working field.
According to conventional technologies, back-up alarm devices generating sounds having various loudness levels or a sound having the loudness level to be controlled according to the level of ambient noise during an alarm is generated with a high/low frequency compensation function for effectively removing high/low frequency signal components of detected ambient noise and a response compensation function for responding to an instant signal component of detected ambient noise are provided for mobile structures or industrial machines.
Until now, the back-up alarm device generating a sound having predetermined loudness is generally used for the construction equipment. Thus, when the construction equipment backs up in the working field having a high level of ambient noise, people cannot recognize the sound generated from the back-up alarm device because the predetermined sound loudness is too low for the above working field. In contrast, when the construction equipment backs up in the resident region, the sound generated from the back-up alarm device may cause noise pollution because the predetermined sound loudness of the sound generated from the back-up alarm device is too high for the resident region.
In order to solve the above problem, a back-up alarm device capable of controlling the loudness of a sound according to the loudness level of ambient noise has been suggested. However, since the back-up alarm device is attached to the rear portion of the construction equipment, the back-up alarm device may regard the sound generated from an engine of the construction equipment as ambient noise, so the back-up alarm device generates the sound with the maximum loudness. Thus, the back-up alarm device also causes sound pollution when it is used in the resident region.
The conventional technologies also provide a back-up alarm device, in which all kinds of switches of the construction equipment are connected to a buzzer sound output section through internal circuits, so that the driver can be alerted to whether the driver has precisely operated a desired functional switch based on a signal tone generated when the switches are operated. In addition, the driver can recognize whether the switches are operated based on the signal tone. Furthermore, a back-up alarm device having an error diagnosis function is provided in order to allow the driver to check whether the circuits and switches have defects during the switching operation.
As mentioned above, according to the conventional the back-up alarm installed in the construction equipment, the driver must directly control the loudness of the sound generated from the back-up alarm device based on ambient noise, so the driver of the construction equipment may feel inconvenienced in using the conventional back-up alarm device.


An adjustable medical outdwelling, normally closed, pressure-responsive slit valve flow control for fluid (liquids and gases) and related methods wherein a diaphragm having a slit therein may be flexed both distally and proximally by respective pressure differentials across the diaphragm. One or more adjustment members are provided on one or both sides of the diaphragm to selectively adjust the amount of pressure differential required to open the slit valve.

Valuable prior medical inventions pertaining to fluid flow (flow of liquids and gases) to and from a medial patient are acknowledged. Nevertheless, to some important extent, control of when and to what extent liquid and gas flow is permitted into and from a patient has been a long standing need in certain medical applications. Control of gas and liquid flow can be critical to the care for the patient. Flow of liquid to and from the patient includes but is not limited to infusion of intravenous liquid into the cardiovascular system and removal of blood samples. Flow of gas typically involves the respiratory system of the patient, including but not limited to preventing the patient from exhausting all gas within the lungs during exhalation, to thereby keep the air sacks in the lungs partially inflated and, therefore, continuously open. Control of gas and liquid flow can be critical to the care for the patient.
More specifically, in respect to liquid flow to the patient, it has long been recognized to be medically desirable to intravenously infuse a predetermined liquid into and to sample blood or other liquids from a patient. Typically, during delivery of IV solution to the patient through an infusion administration set comprising a cannula, such as a catheter tube or IV needle, it is difficult to accurately predict the point in time when the supply of IV solution will become exhausted. It is even more difficult to coordinate availability of nursing personnel to timely disable the IV administration set to prevent flow from a soon-to-be dry IV supply through the catheter tube or needle. As a consequence, the distal tip of the cannula sometimes experiences bleed-back and clotting. Also, as a container of IV solution progressively empties, a corresponding change in the hydraulic head takes place. As a consequence, a desired well regulated drip rate is not conventionally available.
More specifically, when a conventional IV administration set is connected to a patient, the flow of IV solution occurs because the force of gravity upon the solution in the elevated container exceeds the blood pressure in the cardiovascular system of the patient to the extent permitted by a manually-controlled drip mechanism. As the supply of IV solution is progressively used until exhausted, the pressure difference changes until there is no pressure component from the IV solution.
When the availability of IV solution is undesirably exhausted or low, the cardiovascular pressure prevails, causing blood flow into the IV catheter tube for a distance, which may vary depending on circumstances. Sometimes, this blood flow reaches, contaminates, and requires replacement of an IV filter, forming a part of the IV administration set. In any event, the aforesaid blood in the catheter will clot, within a short time. Subsequent negligent introduction of the clot into the bloodstream becomes a risk, which, if not discovered, places the patient at jeopardy. If timely discovered, replacement of the IV system is required.
Also, where the patient raises the venipuncture site above the IV container, refluxing or bleedback flow of blood into the distal end of the cannula sometimes occurs. This reflux may or may not reach the filter of the IV administration set, but, in either event, causes IV flow to stop, which results in clotting within either the cannula, the filter, or both. When and if discovered, both the clotted IV filter and catheter tube are replaced. This is disadvantageous because of accompanying patient trauma, expense, and risk. It is bad practice and an unacceptable risk to the patient to force a clot from the catheter tube into the bloodstream, but, due to negligence, this sometimes happens.
It is known to use a standard one-way outdwelling (outside the patient) valve to prevent undesired blood flow into the distal end of an indwelling cannula, such as a catheter tube or IV needle. This standard one-way valve will not allow blood sampling when the standard one-way valve is located between the catheter tube and the sampling site.
It has also been proposed that a two-way outdwelling slit valve (such as that disclosed in commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 5,205,834) be used. With such a two-way outdwelling slit valve which has great medical value, the pressure requirements to open the slit valve are substantially fixed, i.e. built into the valve at the time of manufacture. The desired pressure requirement to open the slit valve in one direction of flow can be different than to open it in the other direction of flow.
Prior out-dwelling slit valves which are not readily adjustable, typically require a relatively high degree of manufacturing precision to ensure that the resulting valve opens in a given direction at the desired threshold.
In certain medical applications, it has been found desirable for outdwelling slit valves of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,205,834 be inventively extended into environments where the characteristics of the valves may be varied for control and adjustment purposes. For example. use of an outdwelling slit valve having variable characteristics in lieu of a mechanical drip controller, if inventively achieved would overcome or substantially alleviate the problems mentioned above concerning the IV administration sets.
Turning to flow of gases, proper respiratory care for the patient likewise requires precise control of the types and quantities of gases delivered to and expelled from the respiratory system of the intubated patient. When the patient is afflicted with some form of lung disease, the patient is typically placed on a respirator or ventilator. Sometimes controlled amounts of pure oxygen are cyclically delivered to the patient. Gas born medications are likewise sometimes introduced into the lungs on a controlled or metered basis. To prevent collapsing of the air sacks in the lungs, in the past, a C-PAP valve has been used to limit exhalation and prevent complete gas discharge from the lungs.
Reliability and precision of gas flow control devices, such as the C-PAP valve, for use with the respiratory system of a patient have presented persistent problems. Almost constant or regular intermittent overseeing has often been required by a medical provider in order to insure that errors and malfunction of such prior art gas flow control devices do not work adversely to the best interests of the patient.
There has long existed a need for a gas flow control which is precise, reliable, and unlike the present C-PAP valves, for example, does not require substantial on-going monitoring by a nurse or other medically trained person.

Outdwelling slit valve and variable control for controlling opening and closing the slit