A passivity indicating apparatus for use with structures to be joined by a threaded component including a tool for tightening the threaded component to at least one of the structures, the tool being driven by a motor; measuring device for measuring the change in torque over a time period delivered by the motor to the tool during tightening; indicator receiving output from the measuring device of the change in torque over the time period and indicating precision of fit between the structures.

Where teeth have been lost, as a result of, for example, dental disease, it may become necessary to install dental implants. Dental implants are usually made of titanium or other bio-compatible materials, and form a strong inflexible union with bone. This type of union has been termed "osseointegration". It is now understood that osseointegration will endure for many years in favorable circumstances. However this union may rapidly break down if the implant is overloaded by unfavorable forces.
It is common practice to use several implants to support a dental bridge. It is also common practice to use retaining screws to connect such bridges to the implants.
Bridges are presently fabricated by casting wax or plastic patterns in dental alloys, or by using computer aided design and computer aided milling technology. Most stages of construction are carried out on models prepared from impressions of the patient's mouth. There is thus a great potential for error in the fabrication of the bridge framework, and so it is not surprising that small discrepancies in the mechanical fit of the bridge superstructure to the dental implants arise.
When positioned in the mouth a small discrepancy may sometimes go unnoticed with the result that, when the bridge is screwed into place, in spite of a small error in fit, flexure of the implant, surrounding bone, bridge superstructure, retaining screen, and any other prosthetic components may permit the bridge to be seated in spite of the imperfect fit. As a result of this flexure, there may then be a considerable build up of stress or strain in the system. This later manifests itself, as failure of one of the components, or failure of osseointegration and ultimately the loss of the implant.
When the implant supported bridge superstructure fits against the implants precisely it is commonly said to fit "passively" that is, when the screws are tightened no stress or strain is introduced. Under these circumstances, tightening the screws that retain the bridge superstructure merely compresses the framework against the head of the implant.
The rapid increase in torque as the retaining screws arc tightened when the screw head contacts the bridge superstructure, and the superstructure fits the implants passively is illustrated in FIG. 1.
Where the implant retained bridge superstructure fits the implants poorly, tightening the retaining screws results in a relatively slower build up of tension in the screw as the various components of the system are flexed.
The tension in (or torque applied to) the retaining screw increasing slowly as the various components of the system are flexed, and then rapidly as the superstructure is compressed against the implant when the superstructure finally contacts the implant is shown in FIG. 2.

Apparatus for testing the passive fit of screw retained structures


In certain embodiments of the present disclosure, a solid oxide fuel cell is described. The solid oxide fuel cell includes a hierarchically porous cathode support having an impregnated cobaltite cathode deposited thereon, an electrolyte, and an anode support. The anode support includes hydrocarbon oxidation catalyst deposited thereon, wherein the cathode support, electrolyte, and anode support are joined together and wherein the solid oxide fuel cell operates a temperature of 600° C. or less.

Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) have the potential to convert the chemical energy in fuels, including hydrocarbon fuels, directly to electricity as schematically shown in FIG. 1. However, the cost of current SOFC systems is still prohibitive for wide-spread commercial deployment. Reducing the operating temperature of the current SOFC systems to 400-600° C. can dramatically reduce the cost of the SOFC technology since relatively inexpensive metallic components can be used for interconnects, heat exchangers, manifolding and other structural components of the SOFC system. Lowering the operation temperature can also offer quick start-up ability, which in turn can enable their use in applications such as transportable power sources and auxiliary power units for automobiles. A lower operating temperature would also ensure a greater overall system stability and durability due to a reduction in the thermal stresses in the active ceramic structures, leading to a longer expected lifetime for the SOFC system.
Eliminating the external hydrocarbon reforming system that generates hydrogen, and directly utilizing hydrocarbon fuels on the anode will increase SOFC efficiency while decreasing the complexity and cost of the SOFC system. However, the current state-of-the-art Ni-based anode deactivates rapidly with direct utilization of hydrocarbon fuels due to carbon deposition on the Ni catalyst surface. Further, SOFC performance becomes unacceptably low at reduced temperature with conventional SOFC technology. However, by controlling the microstructure of the electrode, it is possible to achieve high cell performance at reduced operating temperature and to utilize Ni-based anode materials for direct hydrocarbon oxidation.
In view of the above, a need exists for high performance low temperature direct-hydrocarbon SOFCs.

Electrode design for low temperature direct-hydrocarbon solid oxide fuel cells


A first trip unit for interconnection with a second trip unit includes current transformers and potential transformers for sensing current, voltage and frequency conditions of a circuit breaker's separable contacts. A microprocessor-based trip mechanism provides a trip signal, which is employed by the circuit breaker's operating mechanism to open the separable contacts as a function of the sensed electrical conditions and related predetermined operating values. The microcomputer's transceiver communicates with the second trip unit over a passive two-wire communication cable to acquire the predetermined settings of the second trip unit. The microcomputer includes a firmware routine which employs the acquired predetermined settings as its predetermined values.

Electrical switching devices include, for example, circuit switching devices and circuit interrupters such as circuit breakers, contactors, motor starters, motor controllers and other load controllers. Circuit breakers are generally old and well known in the art. Examples of circuit breakers are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,606,313; 4,887,057; 5,200,724; and 5,341,191.
Circuit breakers are widely used in industrial, commercial and residential applications for protecting electrical circuitry, conductors and apparatus from damage due to an overcurrent condition, such as an overload condition or a relatively high level short circuit condition. Initially used as a direct replacement for fuses, circuit breakers have been gradually called upon to provide more sophisticated types of protection other than merely interrupting the circuit when the current flow exceeds a certain level. More elaborate time-current trip characteristics have been developed such that a circuit breaker can rapidly open upon very high current with the time delay being roughly inversely proportional to the degree of overload. Circuit breakers are also available which interrupt upon the detection of ground fault currents. As the complexity of electrical distribution circuits has increased, the control portions of the circuit breaker have been augmented to provide appropriate protection and monitoring functions.
During the late 1960's, solid state electronic trip units were developed for use in high power, low voltage circuit breakers. These electronic trip units performed functions such as instantaneous and delayed tripping which were traditionally achieved by magnetic and thermal means. The improved accuracy and flexibility of the solid state electronic trip units resulted in their wide spread acceptance.
The earliest electronic trip unit circuit designs utilized discrete components such as transistors, resistors and capacitors. More recently, designs, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,428,022, have included microprocessors which provide improved performance and flexibility. See also, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,525,985.
These digital systems sample the current waveforms periodically to generate a digital representation of the current. The microprocessor uses the samples to execute algorithms which implement the current protection curve which is typically based upon a constant value of I.sup.2 t where "I" is the value of current and "t" is the time-to-trip. Typically, in air circuit breakers and vacuum circuit interrupters, this protection curve provides an instantaneous trip, a long delay trip and, if appropriate, a short delay trip function. In some circuit interrupters, the microprocessor also performs voltage protection as well as calculations for metering such as determining the RMS value of the highest phase current.
It is also common today to have a plurality of such circuit interrupters monitored and controlled by a central network control station such as is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,420,799. The central monitoring and control network typically communicates digitally with multiple circuit interrupters over a common network. In turn, the circuit interrupters usually have mechanical status indicating accessory devices mounted within the casings which are used by external and remote monitoring and control equipment. Examples include auxiliary contacts which follow the open/close status of the circuit breaker and bell alarm contacts which are closed if the breaker is in the tripped condition.
The increase in functional versatility that the electronic trip units of circuit breakers have added by employing the capabilities of microprocessors has required the processing circuitry to monitor wide ranges in current and related parameters which can vary from the open state, to a normal operating range in which most of the metering calculations are performed, to short circuit states which exceed the normal operating range by a factor of ten times or much greater. In turn, the process required to configure such electronic trip units is very complex and typically requires either the substantial involvement of a user through a programming panel or separate programming device or, alternatively, the use of a host computer or the like to automatically perform such programming.
Accordingly, there is room for improvement in the configuration of trip units and electrical switching devices employing such units.

Electrical switching device or trip unit acquiring predetermined settings from another electrical switching device or trip unit


A dielectric-film-type electron emitter includes an emitter section, a first electrode, and a second electrode. The emitter section is formed of a thin layer of a polycrystalline dielectric material. The dielectric material constituting the emitter section is formed of a material having high mechanical quality factor (Qm). Specifically, the dielectric material has a Qm higher than that of a so-called low-Qm material (a material having a Qm of 100 or less). The Qm of the dielectric material is preferably 300 or more, more preferably 500 or more.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electron emitter which is configured such that it can emit electrons through application of a predetermined electric field.
2. Description of the Related Art
This type of an electron emitter is configured such that when a predetermined electric field is applied to an electron emission section (emitter section) in a vacuum having a predetermined vacuum level, electrons are emitted from the electron emission section (emitter section).
Such an electron emitter is employed as an electron beam source in various apparatuses that utilize electron beams. Specific examples of such an apparatus include a display (in particular, a field emission display (FED)), an electron beam irradiation apparatus, a light source device, an electronic-component-manufacturing apparatus, and an electronic circuit component.
In application to an FED, a plurality of electron emitters are two-dimensionally arrayed. In addition, a plurality of phosphors corresponding to the electron emitters are arrayed with a predetermined gap therebetween.
In an FED having such a configuration, among the two-dimensionally arrayed electron emitters, certain electron emitters are selectively driven so as to emit electrons therefrom. The emitted electrons collide with phosphors corresponding to the driven electron emitters. The phosphors hit by the electrons fluoresce, thereby providing a display.
Electron beam irradiation apparatuses are employed for, for example, the following applications: solidification of an insulating film during wafer lamination in a semiconductor chip production process; hardening or drying of printing ink; and sterilization of a packaged medical instrument. Electron beam irradiation apparatuses are superior to ultraviolet-ray irradiation apparatuses, which have conventionally been employed for the aforementioned applications, in that high output is easily obtained, and radiated electron beams are absorbed by a target object in a highly efficient manner.
The aforementioned electron emitter is suitable for use in a light source device requiring high brightness and high efficiency. Specific examples of such a light source device include a light source device of a projector. As compared with an ultrahigh-pressure mercury lamp, which has conventionally been employed as such a light source device, a light source device employing the electron emitter is advantageous in that the device can attain miniaturization, long service life, high speed, and reduction of load imposed on the environment. A light source device employing the electron emitter can be employed in place of an LED. Specifically, such a light source device can be employed in, for example, an interior lighting apparatus, an automobile lamp, a traffic signal, or a backlight of a small liquid crystal display for cellular phones. Combination of the electron emitter and a phosphor can form a light-emitting device for exposure of a photosensitive drum of an electrophotographic apparatus.
When the electron emitter is applied to an electronic-component-manufacturing apparatus, the electron emitter is employed in, for example, an electron beam source of a film formation apparatus (e.g., an electron beam deposition apparatus), an electron source for plasma formation (for activation of gas, etc.) in a plasma CVD apparatus, or an electron source for gas decomposition.
Examples of electronic circuit components to which the electron emitter is applied include digital elements such as switches, relays, and diodes; and analog elements such as operational amplifiers. When the electron emitter is applied to such an electronic circuit component, current output can be increased, and amplification factor can be enhanced.
In addition to the aforementioned applications, the electron emitter is employed in, for example, vacuum micro devices such as high-speed switching devices operated at a frequency on the order of tera-Hz, and large-current outputting devices. The electron emitter is also suitable for use as an electron source for charging a dielectric material.
Specific examples of the electron emitter are disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (kokai) Nos. 07-147131, 2000-285801, 2004-146365, 2004-172087, 2005-116232, and 2005-142134.
The electron emission section (emitter section) of the electron emitter disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (kokai) No. 07-147131 or 2000-285801 is formed of a fine conductive electrode having a pointed tip end portion. Such a disclosed electron emitter includes a counter electrode provided so as to face the emitter section. The electron emitter is configured such that when a predetermined drive voltage is applied to the emitter section and the counter electrode, electrons are emitted from the tip end portion of the emitter section.
When the electron emitter disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (kokai) No. 07-147131 or 2000-285801 is to be produced, forming the aforementioned emitter section from such a fine conductive electrode requires micromachining that employs, for example, etching or fine forming (electro fine forming), and thus production of the electron emitter involves a complicated process.
In the electron emitter disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (kokai) No. 07-147131 or 2000-285801, a high level of drive voltage must be applied to the electron emitter for causing a sufficient quantity of electrons to be emitted from the tip end portion of the conductive electrode. Therefore, driving the electron emitter requires an expensive drive element (e.g., IC) which is applicable to high-voltage drive.
Thus, the electron emitter disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (kokai) No. 07-147131 or 2000-285801, which includes an emitter section formed of a conductive electrode, involves a problem in that high cost is required for producing the electron emitter per se, or a device employing the electron emitter.
In order to cope with the problem, there has been devised an electron emitter including an emitter section formed of a dielectric thin layer (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (kokai) No. 2004-146365, 2004-172087, 2005-116232, or 2005-142134). Hereinafter, such an electron emitter may be referred to as a "dielectric-film-type electron emitter."
The dielectric-film-type electron emitter disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (kokai) No. 2004-146365, 2004-172087, 2005-116232, or 2005-142134 includes the aforementioned emitter section, a cathode electrode, and an anode electrode. The cathode electrode is formed on the front surface side of the emitter section. The anode electrode is formed on the reverse surface side of the emitter section, or on the front surface side of the emitter section at a position a predetermined distance away from the cathode electrode. Specifically, the dielectric-film-type electron emitter is configured such that an exposed portion of the front surface of the emitter section at which neither the cathode electrode nor the anode electrode is formed is present in the vicinity of a peripheral edge portion of the cathode electrode.
The dielectric-film-type electron emitter is operated as follows.
Firstly, in the first stage, voltage is applied between the cathode electrode and the anode electrode such that the cathode electrode is higher in electric potential. An electric field generated by the applied voltage brings the emitter section (in particular, the aforementioned exposed portion) into a predetermined polarization state.
Subsequently, in the second stage, voltage is applied between the cathode electrode and the anode electrode such that the cathode electrode is lower in electric potential. At this time, electrons are emitted from the peripheral edge portion of the cathode electrode, the polarization of the emitter section is inverted, and the electrons are accumulated on the front surface of the emitter section. When voltage is again applied such that the cathode electrode is higher in electric potential, the polarization of the emitter section is re-inverted, and the thus accumulated electrons are emitted by means of electrostatic repulsion between the electrons and dipoles. The electrons fly in a predetermined direction by means of an externally applied, predetermined electric field; i.e., the dielectric-film-type electron emitter emits electrons.

Electron emitter formed of a dielectric material characterized by having high mechanical quality factor


Techniques for cloning programming code are disclosed. In an embodiment, the cloned code is in the form of functions in the C language. Further, in a method embodiment, a clone of a function is invoked, and information mapping the clone to the function is generated. At link time, if no function body of the clone is accessible by a linker, then the linker uses information mapping the clone to the function to satisfy a linker's requirement. At load time, if no function body of the clone is accessible by a loader, then the loader, based on the mapping information, allows selection of a body of the function. However, if the body function of the clone is accessible by the loader, then the loader allows selection of the body of the clone.

Cloning programming code refers to creating various versions of the code, usually in the form of a function, to optimize the function's performance. Generally, one or more versions of a function are created or "cloned" from the function, and each cloned version performs better if a condition is satisfied. During program execution, if the condition corresponding to a cloned function is met, that cloned function, instead of the original function, is invoked, and the program therefore executes better because it runs a better version of the function.
Currently, to identify cloning candidates, the compiler needs to identify the callers and their relevant information, such as context information, values, properties, etc., of the argument, global variables, etc. The compiler also needs to identify the definition or the function body including the programming code of the function to be called (e.g., the callee) so that the compiler can perform analysis to determine the cloning benefits, strategies, etc. The compiler further needs to process the source code of the program and related libraries at the same time.
Additionally, independent cloning for shared libraries that contain functions including their cloned versions cannot be done because when a shared library is built independently from other routines of a program, information related to the calls, the callers, etc., is not available. However, when the program applications invoking the cloned functions are built, information of the callers is available, but the source code of the library may not be available for modification. Building a library or a program refers to creating binary programming code from its source code, including compiling and linking various objects, object modules, etc.
Based on the foregoing, it is desirable that mechanisms be provided to solve the above deficiencies and related problems.

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


A method is provided for heavy metal stabilisation comprising: mixing waste, comprising heavy metals, with molecular sieve with the proviso that carbon-based molecular sieve is excluded, and clay; and vitrifying the mixture. In particular, a method comprising the steps of: preparing a pre-stabilised mixture by mixing waste, comprising heavy metals, with the molecular sieve, and optionally other chemicals; mixing the pre-stabilised mixture with clay; and vitrifying the obtained mixture is provided. It also provides a product comprising heavy metals that have been stabilised into the structure of the clay-based ceramic matrix, wherein the product is a vitrified product of a mixture of at least waste, comprising heavy metals, molecular sieve (with the proviso that carbon-based molecular sieve is excluded) and clay.

The waste generated by many industrial activities, as well as hazardous waste, is particularly problematic because of proper disposal requirements. Industrial waste containing heavy metals has to be treated before it is disposed. Left untreated, this waste could contaminate the environment and cause harm to life forms.
Several prior art processes have been proposed for treating and extracting toxic waste from industrial sludge. Many of these processes utilize various types of clay or shale to absorb or adsorb the heavy metals and other toxic materials from liquid and solid industrial waste.
Lo, I. M-C., et al., (1997, J. Envir. Engrg. Div., ASCE 123(1), pp 25-33) disclosed a method for the stabilisation of heavy metals in clay through heavy metal adsorption on the clay minerals. Adsorption can be external, occurring on the mineral surface, or internal, occurring within the mineral structure itself, for example, between the mineral layers of clay, as cations are attracted to the negatively charged clay particles.
Clay minerals are known to have a property termed Cation Exchange Capacity (LaGrega, M. D., 1994, McGraw-Hill, Inc., New York) whereby cations originally present in the clay structure are replaced by external cations. In fact, it is also through a cation exchange process that clay minerals, which consist of sheets of alumina and silica, acquire their overall negative charge. This happens when Si4+ cations are replaced by lower charged cations like Al3+, or when Al3+ cations are replaced by divalent cations like Fe2+, Mg2+ or Ca2+ (Weaver, C. E., 1989, "Clays, mud and shales." Elsevier, New York). This negative charge makes it possible for heavy metals to be adsorbed on the clay mineral surfaces (external adsorption).
The metal stabilisation begins with the migration and adsorption of heavy metals on the mineral surfaces. Furthermore, layered clay minerals like montmorillonite are known to internally adsorb cations (Conner, J. R., 1990, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York). Montmorillonite consists of individual layers, each made up of one alumina sheet between two silica sheets linked by cations like Ca2+. The interlayer cations can then be replaced by heavy metals through internal adsorption. Clay minerals have a basic alumina-silica structure and undergo chemical transformation when subjected to heat. These chemical transformations change the original chemical phases of the clay e.g. kaolinite and montmorillonite into mullite and cristobalite phases. The incorporation process of heavy metal cations is completed during the firing process through the formation of new phases in which the adsorbed heavy metals become incorporated. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis reveal that the firing process results in the transformation of kaolinite and montmorillonite, originally present in marine clay, into cristobalite and mullite, which have been reported to incorporate heavy metal cations (Schneider et al, 1994, Wiley and Sons, New York; Dion, L. B., 1996, Engineer Thesis, Stanford University, California, USA; Deer et al, 1992, 2nd edition, Longman Scientific & Technical, New York, Wiley).
The methods for clay stabilisation as described in the prior art can be generally distinguished as "encapsulation" and "incorporation" processes. Both processes involve a final step of vitrification of the matrix.
When heavy metals are present in the form of compounds or complexes, for example as metal oxides, the added clay-based ceramic minerals encapsule (or surround) the metal compounds. However, the metal compounds are not chemically bonded with the original clay-based ceramic minerals and are not transformed into a bonded crystalline phase. The encapsulation process can be carried out in the micro (<10 μm) or macro (>10 μm) state.
Clay-based ceramic matrix has a limited capacity and once its saturation capacity has been reached there will be no more incorporation and encapsulation taking place from there on. Once the sites of the matrix are filled, the clay has exhausted its stabilisation capability. Furthermore, different clay-based ceramic matrices have different incorporation and encapsulation abilities due to their varying chemical compositions. Further, encapsulation is not an efficient mechanism of metal stabilisation because once the surrounding clay matrix is disturbed or destroyed, the metals will be freed from the matrix and leach into the environment.
When the heavy metals are present in the form of heavy metal cations and metal compound anions, the heavy metal cations and metal compound anions chemically bind to and are incorporated into the clay. After firing at elevated temperatures, the heavy metals get incorporated into the mullite and cristobalite structure as part of the clay-based ceramic matrix. However, even if the heavy metals in this form are better stabilised than those stabilised with the encapsulation method, the stabilisation capacity for the clay is limited and the heavy metals need to be present as metal cations and anions before such incorporation could take place.
Clay has a limited stabilisation capacity based on the active adsorption sites within the clay matrix. However, when the incorporation capacity of heavy metals is exceeded, the heavy metals are simply encapsulated. Under this condition, when the clay matrix is disturbed, for example by external factors, heavy metals may leach out into the environment. Kaolinite, for example, is a layered structure with limited adsorption and ion exchange properties. Because it is a layered structure, the strength of the matrix is weak and can be destroyed by acid. Heavy metals may leach out as a result.
Accordingly, a substantial drawback of the above-described prior art is that the waste materials may not be environmentally safe in the long-run. These materials need to be kept under surveillance and are not suitable for uses like construction or land filling materials.
It would therefore be desirable to provide a process which would improve the stability of hazardous heavy metals and reduce or eliminate long-term storage risks while providing safe value-added products at the same time.

Method for waste stabilisation and products obtained therefrom


An apparatus and method for an RFID operated gun lock is disclosed. The gun lock comprises a security assembly secured to the muzzle of a firearm and RFID communication for locking and unlocking the firearm. A safety round is also employed and a power sub-system is provided to operate the apparatus. A manual override feature is also disclosed.

The present invention comprises an apparatus for safely locking and unlocking firearms and a method of using the apparatus. More specifically, the present invention comprises an apparatus for safely locking and readily unlocking firearms using radio frequency identification (RFID) technology and a method of locking and unlocking a firearm using the RFID apparatus.
According to recent national studies, approximately 42% of U.S. households owned a firearm in 2017. Accordingly, it is estimated that 22 million children in the U.S. live in homes with at least one firearm, and approximately 4.6 million children live in households with at least one loaded and unlocked firearm.
Along with firearm ownership comes the risk of unauthorized or accidental use. Managing the balance between having a loaded firearm accessible for protection, and securing firearms from unintended use and discharge, has previously been challenging. Prior art solutions to securing firearms have included keyed and dial locking mechanisms to secure either the trigger or barrel of the firearm.
However, these prior art solutions require a coordinated effort to unlock. In a situation requiring use of a firearm, an owner's fine motor skills are typically reduced such that unlocking prior art systems is difficult precisely when the firearm is required.
A need therefore exists for an improved locking system which provides the user with the ability to unlock the firearm without procedures such as inserting a small key into a correspondingly small key lock, or recalling and precisely input a numeric code or the like.
In addition, as with all automated systems, contingencies need to be in place for manual override. A need therefore exists for an improved locking system that further provides for a manual override so that electronic unlocking features can be bypassed.


A joint prosthesis comprises a distal component for anchoring to a first bone, a proximal component for anchoring to a second bone, and a coupling piece that, together with the first component, forms a flexion bearing around a first axis and, together with the second component, forms a rotary bearing formed by the pin and the bearing bush around a second axis oriented transversely to the first axis. The rotary bearing comprises a multi-layer bearing insert, having a sliding sleeve surrounding the pin and a support sleeve that encloses said sliding sleeve and is fastened to the coupling piece by means of a securing element, wherein the securing element comprises an actuation unit within the support sleeve and can be connected to the coupling piece such as to ensure tensile strength by means of two aligned bores in the support sleeve and the coupling piece.

Prostheses of the aforementioned type are used in particular as knee joint or elbow joint prostheses. Owing to the high load placed on them by the body weight and owing to their complex movement pattern, namely the flexion as the main movement combined with a rotation of the tibia relative to the femur as a secondary movement, knee-joint protheses in particular are relatively susceptible to malfunction due to wear or disease. To treat this, knee joint prostheses are needed that preferably permit both movements, in the interest of restoring the joint function to as close as possible to the anatomical conditions. A further requirement of the joint prosthesis is that it must have sufficient stability, particularly if the support apparatus (ligaments, etc.) composed of soft-tissue parts is already weakened.
In the prior art, various knee prostheses have been disclosed with the aim of combining these partly contradictory objectives of, on the one hand, mobility about two axes and, on the other hand, sufficient stability. In a known rotary knee prosthesis (EP 0174531 B1), a tibial component and a femoral component are connected to each other by a coupling piece, which has an axial eye for receiving an axle carrying a femoral component, in order thereby to create a bending joint. The coupling piece also has a bearing bush which faces toward the tibia and into which a pin arranged on the tibial component engages, in order thereby to form a rotary joint. In order to create favourable friction conditions in this rotary bearing formed by pin and bearing bush, a sliding sleeve made of plastic is arranged in the bearing bush. It is cap-shaped, with a hemispherical top part covering the tip of the pin. The substantially cylindrical jacket bears on the wall of the coupling piece forming the bearing bush. This results in a chambering effect. However, it has been shown that jamming of the bearing sleeve can still occur. For the patient, this defect of the prosthesis generally entails revision surgery.
To overcome this disadvantage, an improved knee-joint endoprosthesis has been made known which is marketed under the name "Endo Modell" by Waldemar Link, Hamburg, Germany. In this, the metal sleeve is designed in two parts, wherein the plastics material providing good sliding properties is enclosed tightly by a shrunk-on metal sleeve with a plurality of drilled holes. The plastics material is better supported by this unit, such that the risk of a defect of the sliding sleeve, particularly on account of cold flow of the plastic as a result of high loading, is greatly reduced. In practice, however, it has been found that the now most important component in the direction of force flow, namely the coupling piece receiving the actual bearing bush, is susceptible to failure as a result of overloading. In a revision of the prosthesis, withdrawal of the bearing bush often proves difficult.

Rotary joint prosthesis having a reinforced bearing bush


A planar optical device useful as a low order wavelength router is realized by using a waveguide grating comprising two curved arrays of opposite curvatures. The diffraction order is determined by the angles of rotation of the two curved arrays, and any nonzero order less than about 30 can be realized. This arrangement is smaller, and performs better than a previous grating using a combination of three curved arrays.

A key component in current optical networks is the waveguide grating router described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,136,671, issued on Aug. 4, 1992, and entitled "Improved Optical Switch, Multiplexer and Demultiplexer". This router is currently used in optical networks to increase the long distance capacity of optical fibers by increasing the number of wavelength channels simultaneously transmitted in each fiber. Typically, in optical networks using Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM) the order of each router is larger than 30, and the grating can then be realized by simply using a symmetric arrangement of two identical sections A and B, equally contributing to the order of the grating as shown in FIG. 1. On the other hand, in Local Access Networks using Course Wavelength Division Multiplexing (CWDM) the order can be appreciably smaller than 30, and the grating geometry must then be modified, as shown for instance in U.S. Pat. No. 5,212,758, issued on May 18, 1993. In that patent the grating comprises two sections A and B of opposite curvatures, and an additional section C is included between A and B as shown in FIG. 2. A disadvantage of this arrangement, however, is that section C substantially increases the size of the grating, thus increasing loss and crosstalk, and reducing the maximum number of devices that can be included in each wafer.

Waveguide grating optical router suitable for CWDM


Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, implement techniques for structuring applications into reusable components. A reusable software component is implemented. The component encapsulates functionality, where multiple instances of the component are usable at the same time. The component has at least one visual representation. The component has a programming interface for programmatic interaction with the component, a data-binding interface for data communication with the component, and a visual interface to access the at least one visual representation of the component.

The present invention relates to electronic data processing in general, and particularly to application programming.
Applications can be developed using various architectures, including, for example, a model-view-controller (MVC) architecture. The MVC architecture breaks an application into three separate parts—models, views, and controllers. Each model can have multiple views, where each view displays information about the model to a user. A controller of the model receives events, for example, raised by a user interacting with a view to manipulate the model. Each model can have multiple controllers, and a controller can relate to multiple views. The models and the controllers typically include application code. When changes occur in a model, the model updates its views. Data binding is used for data transport between the view and its model or controller. For example, a table view can be defined to display data of a corresponding table that is stored in the model or controller. The table is used as the data source for the table view (data binding). For example, the table view can be replaced by a further view, such as a graph view, that binds against the same table. In this case, the further view displays the table data without changing anything in the controller or the model.
Application development is often divided into two general stages: design time and runtime. Design time can include designing the views of an application (including the layout of the user interface (UI) elements in each view), modeling of the application flow (including the selection of the views to displayed), designing one or more models, and creating and editing other application elements, such as controllers and contexts. Design time can also include the binding of UI elements within the views to data sources that are defined in a data type repository.
Information created during the design time can include application metadata. Application metadata can be stored in a metadata repository, and used as input to the runtime process. During the runtime process, the application metadata can be used to generate the actual runtime code of an application. In some implementations, the application metadata is platform independent, and the generated runtime code is platform specific. The runtime code can be executed in a runtime environment that provides a general framework for running applications. For example, a runtime environment can provide services for deploying and maintaining applications, as well as features such as a caching mechanism that can be used to improve performance, and automatic input assistance and default error handling that is based on the declared application metadata.
Regardless of which architecture is used, it is often desirable to structure an application (including, for example, the models, views, and controllers that make up an MVC application) into reusable entities or components. The reusable components can be embedded by the application, or by another reusable component.


A vehicle seat assembly with integrated safety restraint belts includes a bottom frame and a backrest frame. The backrest frame is pivotally connected to the bottom frame by first and second pivot elements. The first and second pivot elements may include motor driven actuator screws for remotely controlling the pivoted position of the backrest frame under power. The bottom frame includes first and second side rails for mounting to the floor panel and permitting forward-rearward sliding adjustment of the seat position. The first and second side rails each have cuff at their rearward ends to rigidify the first and second side rails so that they can better withstand elevated forces occurring during instances of sudden deceleration. The integrated safety restraint belt includes a shoulder strap segment connected to the upper end of the backrest frame, above the first pivot element, and a lap strap segment. A spool, mounted to the bottom frame, plays out and reels in strap material from a concealed segment interposed between the spool and the shoulder strap segment. The concealed segment of the safety restraint belt is hidden within a hollow stile of the backrest frame. A guide is mounted within the hollow stile, for controlling the concealed segment within the hollow passage during movement of the safety restraint belt to help prevent binding or misalignment when the backrest frame is articulated. An anti-rotation stop plate is formed as part of the bottom frame and positioned to abut a nose portion of the first pivot element in the event of severe loading and deformation resulting from sudden deceleration. In this manner, the anti-rotation stop plate restrains unwanted deformation of the first pivot element relative to the bottom frame.

1. Field of the Invention
The subject invention relates generally to a vehicle seat having an integral safety restraint system, and more particularly to such a vehicle seat including an improved structural design capable of withstanding high impact loading without jeopardizing structural integrity or occupant safety.
2. Description of Related Art
Vehicular, and in particular automotive, seat assemblies are becoming increasingly unitized so that they can be rapidly and easily installed as a modular component in the passenger compartment via an assembly line type operation, thereby reducing vehicle assembly time and the assembly line personnel required to complete the installation. One such adaptation toward this end has been the integration of a safety restraint belt with the seat assembly. In this manner, the seat assembly together with the safety restraint belt are installed as an integral unit in the passenger compartment at the time of vehicle manufacture.
One important consideration when the safety restraint belt is integrated with the seat assembly becomes the strength and integrity of the seat assembly components so as to withstand the severe loading which may occur in emergency situations of sudden deceleration, such as may occur in a collision. Sudden deceleration creates elevated forces resulting from the mass of a seated and restrained occupant tending to remain in motion, while the vehicle rapidly decelerates. Under these conditions, when the safety restraint belt is rapidly tensioned by the momentum of an occupant, the restraining forces are transmitted through the safety restraint belt to its points of connection with the seat assembly, which usually comprise at least two connection points on the bottom frame (for a lap strap segment) and either a connection point or pulley on the backrest frame (for a shoulder strap segment). These forces travel from the connection points, through the various structures in the seat assembly, and finally to the locations at which the bottom frame is anchored to the floor of the passenger compartment. Each and every structural component through which forces flow during periods of severe loading must be adequately designed to prevent unnecessary injury to the occupant.
Furthermore, the seat assembly must be properly designed to allow free flowing movement of the safety restraint belt as it is played out and reeled in. It must not snag or cause binding in the safety restraint belt in any way. The subject invention is directed at providing a seat assembly with an integrated safety restraint belt which is capable of withstanding severe loading resulting from sudden deceleration, which is easily and quickly installed in the passenger compartment of an automobile during manufacture, and which does not cause binding or snagging of the safety restraint belt.

Vehicle with integrated restraint system


An apparatus for merging real and virtual images in which points in three dimensions of an actual scene are obtained and selected in a random fashion and in a number sufficient to track the movement of the three dimensional scene relative to an observer wearing the apparatus. Updating of selected points occurs responsive to movement of a video camera pair observing the actual scene. The position and orientation of the unit housing the video camera pair is utilized to properly merge a generated virtual image with the real image. Selection of points and orientation of the unit relative to a three dimensional real image are obtained in real time. Microprocessor-based apparatus is utilized to perform the method of the invention.

The present invention relates to personal display systems and more particularly to a display system which uniquely combines both virtual and real images in xe2x80x9creal timexe2x80x9d.
Virtual reality systems are presently in widespread use and typically comprise a headset display which presents an image which is generated to simulate a real image (hence, xe2x80x9cvirtualxe2x80x9d reality). Virtual reality systems lack the capability of presenting real images and especially lack the capability of presenting virtual images combined with real images and especially in xe2x80x9creal timexe2x80x9d.
The present invention provides a dual reality (DR) system which is characterized by providing apparatus and a process in which computer generated objects and images similar to those created by virtual reality systems, appear to the participant in the real world.
Similar to virtual reality, the dual reality environment is presented to the observer by way of a headset or visor which, similar to the virtual reality visor, provides a virtual image, and, in addition thereto, presents a stereoscopic view of the real environment through the employment of a pair of cameras coupled to the visor through a computer to present a stereoscopic view of the real environment to the participant through the visor.
The computer performs triangulation calculations which determine the distances from the visor to the selected navigational points to determine the position and orientation of the visor, which process will hereinafter be referred to as xe2x80x9cvisual navigationxe2x80x9d.
As one example, a computer generated object, such as a ball, viewed through the dual reality visor appears to float in front of the wearer. The observed surroundings are coupled to the visor display from the cameras and present a view of the actual surroundings as opposed to a computer generated display (i.e., a computer generated display of the actual surroundings.
The system employs environment mapping which can, for example, generate an image of the ball which appears to bounce on a real table in front of the participant or against real walls of a room that the participant is observing.
The dual reality system and method utilizes three basic components which include:
(a) a visual navigation technique which determines the location and orientation of the dual reality system in a real three-dimensional space utilizing random points selected from an observed field of view;
(b) the dual reality superimposition technique superimposes computer generated objects with images of the real three-dimensional space. An observer wearing a dual reality headset employing visual navigation can walk around a computer generated object in his or her real surroundings, observing the object from all sides. Hereafter, computer generated objects and images will be referred to as supplemental objects or collectively as supplemental reality;
(c) environment mapping is the process by which supplemental objects are caused to xe2x80x9cinteractxe2x80x9d with the real environment and with the observer identifying surfaces (such as walls, tables, panels, hands, etc.) in three-dimensional space wherein mathematical rules govern the interaction of supplemental objects with objects or surfaces in the real environment.
It is therefore one object of the present invention to provide a display which presents to an observer a dual reality image in which a computer generated image is superimposed with and reacts with a real image.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a display to an observer in which random points selected from a field of view are utilized to determine the location and orientation of the observer in a real three-dimensional space.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a dual reality image presented to an observer by way of a visor worn by the observer, which dual reality image presents a computer generated image (virtual image) interacting with an actual three-dimensional image.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a dual reality display presenting a virtual image interacting with a real, three-dimensional image wherein the interaction is obtained in accordance with pre-determined mathematical rules which govern the interaction.


A three-dimensional (3D) collision detection method for a measuring machine comprises the steps of: receiving parameters of a to-be-measured workpiece and a moveable arm; simulating a to-be-measured workpiece 3D-model in accordance with the parameters of the to-be-measured workpiece, and a moveable arm 3D-model in accordance with the parameters of the moveable arm; combining the to-be-measured workpiece 3D-model with the moveable arm 3D-model to form a 3D collision model; generating a measuring path of the moveable arm by calculating positional coordinates of the moveable arm according to the 3D collision model; detecting whether the moveable arm collides with the to-be-measured workpiece according to the measuring path; and outputting collision results that include the collision coordinates and the measuring path. A related system is also disclosed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to the field of a collision detection technology, and more particularly to a three-dimensional collision detection system and method for a measuring machine.
2. Description of Related Art
It is understood that, measuring machines, as used in product development and production, are used for improving production quality of an enterprise. In general, three-Dimensional (hereinafter, "3D") measurement is widely used in the manufacturing industry for detecting a newly developed product on a measuring machine. However, the 3D measuring machines need to have a high precision when measuring physical dimensions and geometric tolerances of the product.
A 3D collision is a collision between a moveable arm of the measuring machine and a to-be-measured workpiece on the measuring machine when an operator measures the physical dimensions and the geometric tolerances of the product. Such 3D collisions may result in damaging or even destroying the to-be-measured workpiece and/or the measuring machine, as a result the measuring machine may malfunction. More importantly, manually predicting, calculating, and avoiding the 3D collisions becomes a severe inefficiency problem resulting in time consuming and decreased productivity.
What is needed, therefore, is a 3D collision detection system and method for a measuring machine, which can automatically detect the 3D collision between the moveable arm of the measuring machine and the to-be-measured workpiece on the measuring machine by utilizing a computer program instead of the manual measurement means. Such 3D collision detection method can obtain accurate results of the 3D collisions, and can automatically predict and avoid the 3D collisions on the measuring machine.

Three-dimensional collision detection system and method for a measuring machine

Hong Fu Jin Precision Industry (ShenZhen) Co., Ltd.


An analyzing device configured to separate a solution component 18a in a separating cavity 23, which is connected to a measuring cavity through a connecting channel 37 and a measurement channel 38. A first capillary cavity 33 is provided on one side of the separating cavity 23 so as to communicate with the connecting channel 37. The first capillary cavity 33 is formed to extend to the outside of a separation interface 18c of a sample liquid separated in the separating cavity 23.

In the prior art, liquids collected from organisms and the like have been analyzed by known methods using analyzing devices in which liquid channels are formed. Such analyzing devices can control fluids by using rotators. Further, such analyzing devices can dilute sample liquids, measure solutions, separate solid components, transfer/distribute separated fluids, and mix solutions and reagents by using centrifugal forces, thereby enabling various biochemical analyses.
In an analyzing device for transferring a solution by using a centrifugal force according to Patent Document 1, as shown in FIG. 59A, a sample liquid is collected from an inlet 55 to fill a first cavity 56 by capillarity and then the sample liquid in the first cavity 56 is transferred to a separating cavity 58 by rotating an analyzing device 54 about an axis 57. After that, as shown in FIG. 59B, the sample liquid is centrifugally separated into a plasma component 59a and a blood cell component 59b. The plasma component 59a in the separating cavity 58 is drawn into a cavity 62 through a capillary cavity 61 connected to one end of a capillary channel 60, and a mixture obtained by mixing the plasma component 59a with a reagent retained in the cavity 62 is analyzed by a photometer.
Patent Document 2, Patent Document 3, and Patent Document 4 describe analyzing methods for measuring samples by using centrifugal forces.
FIG. 60 shows the technique of Patent Document 2.
Provided from the center to the outer edge of an analyzing device are a central storage portion 143 for storing a liquid to be diluted before analysis, a measuring chamber 144, an overflow chamber 145, a mixing chamber 146, and measurement cells 147. The measuring chamber 144 is disposed substantially in parallel with the overflow chamber 145, and an opening 150 is provided on the wall surface of the measuring chamber in addition to a feed port 148 and an overflow port 149 so as to be opposed to the feed port 148. The opening 150 is always opened and has a cross section much smaller than those of the feed port 148 and the overflow port 149.
This configuration makes it possible to fill the measuring chamber 144 at high speeds and quickly remove an overflow. When the measuring chamber 144 is filled with a liquid, the liquid immediately starts flowing out of the chamber. Thus it is possible to reduce a ratio of a "feed time" to an outflow time of an "outlet", the ratio being a function of a ratio of an "inlet sectional area" to an "outlet sectional area". Hence, accurate measurement can be achieved.
FIG. 61 shows the technique of Patent Document 3.
This analyzing device has a fluid chamber 151, a measuring chamber 152 that is connected to the fluid chamber 151 and is disposed outside the fluid chamber 151 in the radial direction, an overflow chamber 153 connected to the measuring chamber 152, a receiving chamber 154 disposed outside the measuring chamber 152 in the radial direction, and a capillary connecting device 155 for supplying a liquid from the measuring chamber 152 to the receiving chamber 154. The capillary connecting device 155 has a siphon 156 having a capillary structure. The elbowed portion of the siphon 156 is positioned at substantially the same distance from the center of the analyzing device as the innermost point of the measuring chamber 152 in the radial direction, so that a capillary force is smaller than a centrifugal force during a rotation of the analyzing device. For this reason, the interface of liquid/air has the same axis as the analyzing device, the measuring chamber 152 is filled according to the shape of a rotating cylinder having a radius as long as the distance from the center of the analyzing device to the innermost point of the measuring chamber 152 in the radius direction, and an excessive fluid flows into the overflow chamber 153. When the analyzing device is stopped, the liquid supplied into the measuring chamber 152 flows into the capillary connecting device 155 by a capillary force. When the analyzing device is rotated again, the siphon starts to discharge the liquid in the measuring chamber 152 to the receiving chamber 154.
FIG. 62 shows the technique of Patent Document 4.
This analyzing device includes a retaining part 157 having the outer side shaped like a fan extending from the inner periphery to the outer periphery, and a blood cell storing part 158. A portion 159 for connecting the blood cell storing part 158 and the retaining part 157 is convexly formed to prevent a blood cell component fed by centrifugal separation from flowing backward to the retaining part 157. Further, a siphon-shaped output channel 160 is connected to a side of the retaining part 157 and is followed by a configuration in which a sample liquid after an operation can be supplied to the subsequent operation region. Initial blood is supplied to the retaining part 157 through an output channel 161, and a blood cell component having a large specific gravity in the supplied blood is stored in the blood cell storing part 158 by a centrifugal force. The number of revolutions of the analyzing device is reduced when the separation is nearly completed, so that a balance between a capillary force that is applied to a solution in the output channel 160 connected to the retaining part 157 and a centrifugal force is reversed and plasma and serum components remaining in the retaining part 157 are discharged to the subsequent operation region through the output channel 160 by centrifugal separation.
In recent years, there have been growing demands in the market for a reduction in the volume of a sample liquid, size reduction of a device, short-time measurement, simultaneous measurement on multiple items, and so on. Thus more accurate analyzers have been demanded to react a sample liquid such as blood with various analytical reagents, detect a mixture of the sample liquid, and inspect the stages of various diseases in a short time.
Generally, in such an analyzing device, a sample liquid is rarely reacted as it is with a reagent and frequently requires pretreatment such as the dilution of the sample liquid with a buffer solution and the like and the removal of fine particles in the sample liquid according to the purpose of analysis. For example, when the sample liquid is diluted, it is necessary to accurately derive a dilution factor in an actual calculation process of a measurement value.
The analyzing device of Patent Document 5 is an example in which pretreatment is performed and a dilution factor is derived optically on the analyzing device.
FIG. 63 shows the analyzing device of Patent Document 5.
A rotor body 202 is substantially formed of a solid disk. FIG. 44 shows a bottom layer 204 of the rotor body 202. An enclosed reagent container 206 is placed in a chamber 208 of the bottom layer 204 and extends from an outlet channel 210 to the inside in the radial direction. A reagent is transferred into a mixing chamber 212 through the outlet channel 210.
The reagent container 206 contains a diluent to be mixed with a biological sample. For example, when the sample is blood, the diluent may be an ordinary saline solution (0.5% saline solution), a phosphoric acid buffer solution, a Ringer lactate solution, and a standard diluent similar to these solutions. The enclosed reagent container 206 is opened in response to the installation of the rotor body 202 in an analyzer. After the opening of the reagent container 206, the reagent in the reagent container 206 flows into the mixing chamber 212 through the outlet channel 210.
The mixing chamber 212 contains a marker mixture that is photometrically detectable and specifies the dilution of the biological sample to be tested.
After the mixing, the diluent flows out of the mixing chamber 212 into a measuring chamber 216 through a siphon 214. The measuring chamber 216 is connected to an overflow chamber 218. The volume of the measuring chamber 216 is smaller than that of the reagent container 206. An excessive volume of the diluent flows into the overflow chamber 218 with a predetermined volume of the diluent remaining in the measuring chamber 216. The excessive volume of the diluent in the overflow chamber 218 flows into a collecting chamber 222 through a passage 220.
Next, for use as a reference value in an optical analysis of the biological sample, the diluent flows outward in the radius direction and flows into system cuvettes 224. The predetermined volume of the diluent in the measuring chamber 216 flows into a separating chamber 228 through a siphon 226 and is mixed with the biological sample to be analyzed, so that the sample is diluted. The sample is supplied into the rotor body 202 through an inlet on a top layer (not shown).
A sample measuring chamber 230 is connected to a sample overflow chamber 232 via a connecting channel 234. The depths of the sample measuring chamber 230 and the overflow chamber 232 are selected to be capillary dimensions. The measured sample then flows into the separating chamber 228. The separating chamber 228 is used for removing cellular materials from a biological sample such as whole blood. The separating chamber 228 is made up of a cell trap 236 formed on the outer periphery relative to the radial direction and a receiving hole region 238 formed along the inner periphery relative to the radial direction. A capillary region (not shown) is formed between the receiving hole region 238 and the cell trap 236 to prevent backflow of a cellular component trapped in the cell trap 236 as a result of centrifugal separation. The volume of the receiving hole region 238 is so large as to receive plasma containing no diluted cellular components. The diluted plasma flows from the separating chamber 228 into a second separating chamber 244 though a siphon 242, and cellular components are further separated in the second separating chamber 244.
Next, the diluted sample flows into a collection chamber 248 through a passage 246 and is transferred to cuvettes 250 to conduct an optical analysis. The cuvettes 250 contain a reagent necessary for the optical analysis of the sample. The dilution factor of the sample can be derived from the optical measurement value only of the diluent obtained by the foregoing technique and the optical measurement value of the diluted sample.
In some methods of the prior art, a biological fluid is electrochemically or optically analyzed using a microchip on which a micro-channel is formed. In an electrochemical analysis method, a biosensor for analyzing specific components in a sample liquid determines a blood sugar level and so on by, for example, measuring a current value obtained by a reaction of glucose in blood and a reagent such as glucose oxidase retained in the sensor.
In an analyzing method using a microchip, a fluid can be controlled using a rotator having a horizontal axis and it is possible to measure a sample liquid, separate cellular materials, transfer/distribute a separated fluid, and mix/stir a liquid by using a centrifugal force, thereby conducting various biochemical analyses.
FIG. 64 shows a centrifugal transfer biosensor 400 illustrated in Patent Document 6 and so on. The centrifugal transfer biosensor 400 can conduct a quantitative analysis simultaneously on multiple sample solutions introduced into a microchip. In this configuration, a sample solution is transferred from an inlet port 409 to an outlet port 410 by a capillary force and fills capillary channels 404a to 404f. After that, a centrifugal force generated by a rotation of the biosensor 400 distributes the sample liquid in the capillary channels through liquid branch points 406a to 406g arranged on the same circumference. Further, the sample liquid passes through small connecting conduits 407a to 407f and is transferred to the subsequent processing chamber (not shown).
Patent Document 1: National Publication of International Patent Application No. 4-504758
Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 61-167469
Patent Document 3: National Publication of International Patent Application No. 5-508709
Patent Document 4: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-345160
Patent Document 5: National Publication of International Patent Application No. 7-503794
Patent Document 6: National Publication of International Patent Application No. 2005-502031

Analyzing device and analyzing method using same


A terminal is disclosed including a processor that adjusts an uplink transmission timing based on granularity relative to a largest subcarrier spacing among subcarrier spacings of a plurality of uplink bandwidth parts in a same timing advance group and based on a timing advance command; and a transmitter that performs uplink transmission according to the uplink transmission timing. In other aspects, a transmission method performed by a terminal is also disclosed.

Long Term Evolution (LTE) has been specified for achieving a higher data rate, lower latency, and the like in a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UNITS) network (see Non-Patent Literature (hereinafter, referred to as "NPL") 1). Successor systems of LTE have also been studied for achieving a broader bandwidth and a higher speed based on the LTE. Examples of the successor systems of the LTE include, for example, systems called LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), Future Radio Access (FRA), 5th generation mobile communication system (5G), 5G plus (5G+), New Radio Access Technology (New-RAT)), and the like.
In radio communication systems, time alignment is important to suppress symbol interference of uplink signals. NPLs 2 and 3 define Time Advance (TA) and the like used for the time alignment.
In a next generation radio communication system such as 5G, introduction of a plurality of numerologies has been considered. For example, it is considered that a plurality of Sub Carrier Spacings (SCS) is applied to an uplink signal of the next generation radio communication system.

User terminal and transmission timing control method


There is provided a tape printing apparatus in which characters to be printed on a recording face of a recording tape layer of a print tape are inputted, and a folding-line position of a pseudo-laminate layer of the print tape is defined. A print-width range on a recording face is defined based on the defined folding-line position to print the characters therein.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tape printing apparatus and a tape printing method in which printing is performed by the use of a print tape partially serving as a laminate tape.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional tape cartridges include: a type in which a print tape and an ink ribbon are accommodated in a cartridge casing and freely reeled out therefrom; and a type in which a print tape, a laminate tape, and an ink ribbon are accommodated in a cartridge casing and freely reeled out therefrom. These two types of tape cartridges are put into their dedicated tape printing apparatuses. In the former case, a print tape is printed and then cut off to form a label, and in the latter case, a print tape is printed and bonded with a laminate tape prior to cutting thereof to form a laminated label.
Note that the tape printing apparatus in the latter case enables to form non-laminated labels with a tape cartridge not dedicated to lamination being inserted thereto. The tape printing apparatus in the former case, however, does not enable to form laminated labels even with a tape cartridge additionally accommodating a laminate tape being inserted thereto, since the apparatus has no mechanism of bonding a print tape and a laminate tape together.
Accordingly, in the case of the printing apparatus which has no mechanism of bonding a print tape and a laminate tape together, it is thought possible to form a print tape serving as a laminate tape by performing printing using a print tape laminated with a recording tape for printing and a laminating transparent tape and then folding the transparent tape thereon. However, since the transparent tape is folded after the print tape is printed, there may arise a case where the print face is not fully laminated or printed characters are only partially folded depending on the position of folding involved.

Tape printing apparatus and tape printing method


Disclosed herein is an apparatus selectively attachable to an ultrasonic device to disrupt target cells from underlying tissue for treatment of an ocular condition, including a shaft, a coupling portion at an end of the shaft, and a cell disrupting end extending from a distal portion of the shaft. The shaft has a longitudinal axis and a first diameter. The coupling portion includes a connector portion and a hub configured to selectively couple to the ultrasonic device and impart ultrasonic vibration to the shaft. The cell disrupting end is solid and has a second diameter and a smooth, continuous, curved shape.

Visually impairing cataract, or clouding of the lens, is the leading cause of preventable blindness in the world. Presently, cataracts are treated by surgical removal of the affected lens and replacement with an artificial intraocular lens ("IOL"). Cataract extractions are among the most commonly performed operations in the world.
FIG. 1 is a diagram of an eye 10 showing some of the anatomical structures related to the surgical removal of cataracts and the implantation of IOLs. The eye 10 comprises an opacified lens 12, an optically clear cornea 14, and an iris 16. A lens capsule 18, located behind the iris 16 of the eye 10, contains the opacified lens 12, which is seated between an anterior capsule segment or anterior capsule 20 and a posterior capsular segment or posterior capsule 22. The anterior capsule 20 and the posterior capsule 22 meet at an equatorial region of the lens capsule 18. The eye 10 also comprises an anterior chamber 24 located in front of the iris 16 and a posterior chamber 26 located between the iris 16 and the lens capsule 18.
A common technique of cataract surgery is extracapsular cataract extraction ("ECCE"), which involves the creation of an incision near the outer edge of the cornea 14 and an opening in the anterior capsule 20 (i.e., an anterior capsulotomy) through which the opacified lens 12 is removed. The lens 12 can be removed by various known methods including phacoemulsification, in which ultrasonic energy is applied to the lens to break it into small pieces that are promptly aspirated from the lens capsule 18. Thus, with the exception of the portion of the anterior capsule 20 that is removed in order to gain access to the lens 12, the lens capsule 18 remains substantially intact throughout an ECCE. The intact posterior capsule 22 provides a support for the IOL and acts as a barrier to the vitreous humor within the posterior chamber 26. Following removal of the opacified lens 12, an artificial IOL is typically implanted within the lens capsule 18 through the opening in the anterior capsule 20 to mimic the transparency and refractive function of a healthy lens. Alternatively, a lens material may be injected to fill the lens capsule 18 and create an artificial "lens" in situ. The IOL may be acted on by the zonular forces exerted by a ciliary body 28 surrounding the periphery of the lens capsule 18. The ciliary body 28 anchors the IOL in place and facilitates accommodation, the process by which the eye 10 changes optical power to maintain a clear focus on an image as its distance varies.
A frequent complication of ECCE and other forms of cataract surgery is opacification of the posterior capsule 22. Posterior capsule opacification ("PCO") results from the migration of residual lens epithelial cells from the "equatorial" region of the lens toward the center of the posterior capsule 22. Subsequent to ECCE, the lens epithelial cells may proliferate between the IOL and the surface of the posterior capsule 22, leading to wrinkling and clouding of the normally clear posterior capsule 22. If clouding of the posterior lens capsule 22 occurs within the visual axis, then the patient will experience a decrease in visual acuity and may require additional surgery to correct the patient's vision.
A widely utilized procedure to clear the visual axis of PCO is Neodymium:Yttrium-Aluminum-Garnet ("Nd:YAG") laser capsulotomy, in which a laser beam is used to create an opening in the center of the cloudy posterior capsule. However, Nd:YAG laser capsulotomy exposes patients to the risk of severe complications that can lead to significant visual impairment or loss, such as retinal detachment, papillary block glaucoma, iris hemorrhage, uveitis/vitritis, and cystoid macula edema. Moreover, the laser energy is ordinarily directed though the IOL, which may damage the optics of the implant or disrupt its placement within the lens capsule. Also, a laser capsulotomy may compromise the accommodative ability of the lens implant. Accordingly, there exists a need to prevent the occurrence of PCO rather than treating PCO at a later date after implantation of an IOL. This is especially desirable for the new generation of IOLs (i.e., accommodating IOLs) that are capable of accommodating in response to ciliary body contraction and need an intact posterior capsule to optimally function.
Other attempts to prevent PCO have included constructing IOLs to include sharp posterior edges to provide a structural barrier to the migration of lens epithelial cells from the equatorial zone to the visual axis of the posterior capsule 22. However, such lenses are relatively expensive and may introduce complications of their own, such as capsular adhesions. Still other attempts to prevent PCO have included the introduction of various chemical agents into the lens capsule 18 to destroy the residual lens epithelial cells before they migrate between the IOL and the posterior capsule. However, the use of these agents has been limited by their cytotoxic effects on other cells within the eye.
There remains a need for a device, system, and method to reduce the need for PCO treatments and their associated costs by reducing the chance of PCO before implantation of an artificial IOL. The system and methods disclosed herein overcome one or more of the deficiencies of the prior art.

Rounded-end device, system, and method for preventing posterior capsular opacification


In a method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device in which a liquid crystal layer is formed by dropping liquid crystal by a dropping method, a surface of a sealant which is formed over a first substrate is cured by a first cure treatment before dropping the liquid crystal, and then the liquid crystal is dropped. A second substrate has a plurality of projections in a sealant adhesive region. The first substrate and the second substrate are attached to each other with the liquid crystal interposed therebetween so that the plurality of projections is in contact with an uncured region in the sealant formed over the first substrate.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display device and a manufacturing method thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, a liquid crystal display device is used in a wide range of fields such as a liquid crystal television, a PDA, a mobile phone, and office automation equipment like a personal computer, as well as a clock and a calculator.
In a liquid crystal display device, liquid crystal is sealed between two substrates. When voltage is applied, an orientation of liquid crystal molecules is changed and light transmittance thereof is changed, so that an image or the like is displayed optically.
An image quality and reliability of the liquid crystal display device are largely affected by whether the two substrates are attached to each other with good adhesion with the same interval or not. A technique to reduce unevenness of a sealant caused by a wiring which is under the sealant by formation of a dummy wiring and to keep the interval between the substrates has been reported (see Patent Document 1: Japanese Published Patent Application No. H9-179130).
As a method for forming a liquid crystal layer in the liquid crystal display device, a dipping method in which liquid crystal is injected with the use of capillary phenomenon after attachment of a pair of substrates (also referred to as a pumping method or a vacuum injection method) and a liquid crystal dropping method in which liquid crystal is sealed by a dropping method are given. Time required for a process can be shortened and productivity can be improved in a liquid crystal dropping method as compared to a dipping method.
However, when a liquid crystal dropping method is used, since an uncured sealant and liquid crystal is in contact with each other, there has been a problem in that the liquid crystal is contaminated by the sealant and a sealant with little contamination of liquid crystal has been developed (for example, see Patent Document 2: Japanese Published Patent Application No. 2005-115255).

Liquid crystal display device and manufacturing method

Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.


The present invention relates to copolymers made from a polymerization mixture comprising (a) one or more polymerizable monomers, which monomers are characterized as having at least one vinylic group and not containing an amino acid residue, (b) one or more not-functionalized side chain-linked amino acids, (c) one or more functionalized side chain-linked amino acids, (d) a free radical initiator and, optionally, (e) a chain-transfer-agent. It also relates to block copolymers comprising the same monomers. The invention also encompasses silicone hydrogel contact lenses coated with or comprising the latter copolymers and block copolymers as well methods for introducing the copolymers and block copolymers into silicone hydrogel contact lenses.

A stable uniform tear film over the surface of a contact lens is a key element for good vision. Contact lenses which do not have good wetting characteristics cause rapid breakup of the lens tear film and a consequent reduction in vision. A stable lens tear film also provides a lubricating effect resulting in comfortable lid movement over the surface of the lens. A wettable contact lens also stabilizes a continuous tear film between the surface of the lens and the cornea. Contact lens surface characteristics influence biocompatibility. A poorly wettable or poorly lubricious contact lens causes acceleration of tear film deposits especially when portions of the lens surface dry out [1, 2]. These deposits are composed of proteins and lipids present in the tear film which proteins and lipids tend to bind especially strongly to silicone and silicone-hydrogel lens materials, leading to a reduction of wear comfort and vision [3] [and reference therein].
Friction is the resistance developed between contacting surfaces when one of the bodies moves over the other. The friction coefficient is the ratio of the friction between two surfaces and the force pushing them together. Lubricity is the reciprocal of friction.
Lenses with high friction coefficients cause autoimmune reactions, mechanical irritation of the tarsal conjunctiva and other ocular tissue and in some cases considerable discomfort. A severe consequence has been the development of contact lens papillary conjunctivitis (CLPC) [4, 5]. The development of disposable lenses substantially reduced these problems.
Occurrence of CLPC was observed with the first generation of silicone hydrogel contact lenses. Silicone hydrogel lenses rely on silicon, rather than water, to transport oxygen through the lens.
Currently, there are two broad material classes that chemists use to provide silicon for silicone hydrogel contact lenses: TRIS [(trimethylsiloxysilyl) propyl vinyl carbamate] and siloxy macromers. Three generations of silicon hydrogel lenses were developed in the past using chemistry.
First generation silicone hydrogel lenses use some form of the TRIS molecule and may include siloxy macromers. The Balafilcon A material has a Dk (oxygen transmissibility, a measure of oxygen permeability) of 99 barriers and makes use of a TRIS-based approach to provide the silicon moiety. Bausch & Lomb may have taken advantage of the TRIS molecule during plasma oxidation of the lens surface because oxidation of TRIS produces hydrophilic, glassy silicate islands. Lotrafilcon A employs siloxy macromers in addition to a TRIS-based backbone. It has the highest Dk (140 barriers) of any silicone hydrogel material and also has the highest modulus. Lotrafilcon A took advantage of TRIS and other hydrophilic monomers to phase independently, producing a material that has two distinct phases, a water and a gel phase, which the manufacturer calls co-continuous phases. This allows for high oxygen permeability as well as high water and sodium permeability.
Second-generation lenses are based on the Tanaka monomer which Vistakon improved after the original patent (U.S. Pat. No. 4,235,985) had expired. Galyfilcon A is a mixture of the Tanaka monomer, a siloxy macromer and hydrophilic monomers, 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) and N,N-dimethylacrylamide (DMA). The lens has a Dk of 60 barriers, the lowest of all the silicone hydrogel lenses, but it has a very high water content 47% (w). Vistakon uses a similar polymer, Senofilcon A, for its Acuvue Oasys lens.
Comfilcon A (Biofinity, CooperVision) was the first third generation polymer. With no TRIS-based derivatives, all of the silicon added to the material's chemistry is based on siloxy macromers which represents a unique way to combine the lens' silicone and water properties. The material uses two siloxy macromers of different sizes that, when used in combination, produce very high oxygen permeability.
The lens has a Dk of 128. Enfilcon A (Avaira, CooperVision) is another third-generation material that is naturally wettable. The Enfilcon A material has 46% water. The lens has a low modulus of 0.5 MPa and a Dk of 100.
Newer silicone hydrogel lenses have a lower frequency of CLPC which is ascribed to an improved lubricity achieved by increased water content and the introduction of methods to retain surface moisture. Conditions described subsequent to the introduction of silicone hydrogel lenses include lid-wiper epitheliopathy (LWE), affecting a band of tissue of the marginal conjunctiva of the upper eyelid that wipes the ocular surface [6]. Lid-parallel conjunctival folds (LIPCOF) which are sub-clinical folds of the bulbar conjunctiva above and parallel of the lower lid margin is a related condition that also appears to be correlated with suboptimal lubricity of the lens [7].
To achieve increased lubricity, efforts were made to enhance the wettability of lenses and their ability to retain moisture during application. One approach was to include wetting agents such as polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl pyrrolidone or hyaluronic acid [8]. Another approach is exemplified by the water-gradient silicone hydrogel lens Delefilcon A [9, 10]. The lens has a water content ranging from 33% at the core to about 80% at the surface. A minimally cross-linked thin hydrophilic gel layer is graded on the surfaces of a silicone hydrogel lens. This results in surfaces with very low friction coefficients [10].
Among marketed contact lenses, the wettability of Lotrafilcon A and B lenses was improved by the formation of a permanent, ultrathin, continuous hydrophilic plasma coating with high refractive index. In Balafilcon A, oxidative plasma treatment created a film of hydrophilic silicates on the lens surfaces. Surface treatment of Asmofilcon A made use of a nanoglass technology. Delefilcon A (e.g., Dailies Total 1®, DT-1®, Alcon) lenses are made from two hydrogel materials, of which one is a silicone hydrogel with relatively low water content but high oxygen transmissibility that is present in the core and the other is a non-silicone-containing hydrogel of very high water content that covers the surfaces of the core material. The latter hydrophilic hydrogel layer drastically improves the wear comfort of these lenses. Comfilcon A and Enfilcon A lenses are made from silicone hydrogels that include hydrophilic monomers that diffuse to the lens surfaces, thereby having a lubricating effect. Long chain, high molecular weight agents based on polyvinyl pyrrolidone serve as internal wetting agents in Galyfilcon A, Senofilcon A and Narafilcon A & B lenses. External wetting agents are introduced by lens care solutions containing surfactants, e.g., OptiFree RepleniSH, BioTrue, RevitaLens, or ClearCare. Wettability could also be improved by the addition of polyethylene glycol, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, polyvinyl alcohol, or polyvinyl pyrrolidone in the packaging solution [8, 11, 12]. The above-mentioned external wetting agents are lost from the lens surface within a fraction of an hour upon ocular application of the lens.
While, as outlined above, multiple approaches have been disclosed that can increase the lubricity of a silicone hydrogel lens, most of these approaches also encompass undesirable features, such as, for example, a requirement for non-standard lens production in multiple steps, inability to thermally sterilize the lenses, or the introduction of monomers or polymers causing low biocompatibility. This invention describes a class of new leachable polymers and copolymers that improve lens lubricity, biocompatibility, comfort and manufacturing of silicon hydrogel lenses as well as are believed to effectively prevent lipid deposition.

Polymer materials for contact lens applications


The invention is directed to a method and arrangement for detecting edges and bores on a workpiece with an optical probe head. The optical probe head is guided with constant beam power over the workpiece surface for detecting the edges and bores. In addition to the distance signal of the probe head, the intensity of the radiation backscattered from the workpiece is determined and stored. With the intensity values simultaneously stored with the coordinates of the workpiece surface in the region of the edges and bores, the coordinates of the edges and bores are determined from abrupt changes of the trace of the intensity.

Switching mechanical probe heads are primarily used when measuring a motor vehicle chassis with the aid of coordinate measuring apparatus for measuring the position of edges, bores, gap widths and the like. In contrast, for the measurement of the surface contours of such workpieces, optical measuring probe heads such as so-called triangulation probes are often also used. These triangulation probes supply a measurement signal proportional to the distance of the probe from the workpiece surface. Accordingly, time consuming probe exchange operations are necessary when the chassis is to be completely measured with the mechanical probe head attached to the measuring arm of the coordinate measuring apparatus being exchanged for an optical probe head and vice versa.
In addition, purely optical chassis measurement methods are also known. In these methods, larger areas of the workpiece are imaged and the workpiece image is processed with the methods of image processing. These evaluation methods are however very complex and offer only a limited precision of the coordinate measurement. Furthermore, a two-dimensional image sensor is required for this purpose.
Finally, it is also known to measure a chassis with a special optical probe head which emits a fanned light beam and the coordinate values of the workpiece surface including any edges and bores are obtained according to the light-intersection method. Such an optical probe head is, for example, known under the name "Perceptron-Contour-Sensor" and is described in a publication of the Perceptron Company entitled "MV-300 Machine Vision", page 11. This optical probe head also utilizes a two-dimensional image sensor in order to evaluate the shape of the light intersection at bores and edges. Furthermore, an additional rotational axis in the laser direction is required for the operation of this sensor so that the emitted fanned light can be adjusted perpendicularly to the edge to be measured. When an additional rotational axis is needed at this location, then the condition must be considered that optical probe heads are often attached to the measuring arm of the coordinate measuring apparatus by means of a so-called rotation-pivot unit so that spatially inclined workpiece features can be measured in a simple manner. With its two rotational axes, this rotation-pivot unit expands the coordinate measuring apparatus into a five-axis apparatus. However, a still further axis (a sixth axis) is needed for aligning a light intersection to an edge on the workpiece.
A further embodiment of the above-mentioned probe is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,822,163. The light intersection of the probe described there is wedge-shaped and extends in several directions whereby it is no longer necessary that the probe must be rotated about the sixth axis.
However, the last-mentioned probe requires also a two-dimensional image sensor and relatively complex image processing electronics.

Method and arrangement for detecting edges and bores of a workpiece with an optical probe head


A device for fastening a reed on a mouthpiece of a wind instrument includes two rod members extending essentially parallel to one another, each of the rod members being provided with a plurality of annular grooves. An elongate flexible traction member or string has opposite ends fastened to respective ones of the rod members and is wound partially about the rod members so as to be partially disposed between each of the rod members and the wind instrument mouthpiece. The string is wound in alternation about the rod members so as to define arcs of partial turns having alternating directions. Screws or other adjustment components are connected to the rod members for adjusting a distance between the rod members to thereby vary a winding tension of the string, which is wound about the rod members in the grooves to obviate an exertion of pressure on the string by the rod members, whereby sliding of the string relative to the rod members during adjustment of the distance between the rod members is facilitated.

The present invention relates to a device for fastening the reed on the mouthpiece of single reed wind instruments, in particular of clarinets and saxophones.
Single-reed wind instruments, clarinets, saxophones and the like have a vibrating reed, constituted by a thin blade or lamina, which is usually made of bamboo and is tied to the mouthpiece of the instrument, by a reed holder, also known as ligature.
The inner face of the reed has a planar configuration, while the outer face, in the region affected by the reed holder, has a rounded shape with two small planar vertical edges.
A first type of reed holder is constituted by a string manually wound around the reed and the mouthpiece in several continuous and contiguous turns. To keep the string under tension, the ends thereof are fixed by placing them below the adjacent turns; the mouthpiece is provided with circular dents on the cone in the fastening region in order to keep the string turns in place.
This system has some shortcomings: first of all, the tension which can be applied to the string is small and sometimes insufficient; this device furthermore does not allow, once assembled, to adjust the string tension; finally, the preparation of the fastening requires a certain manual skill.
Reed holders are therefore usually constituted by a metal strap, or band, having a double screw clamp at each end for adjusting the securing action.
There are numerous variations of the strap holder, characterized by the material used for manufacture--metal, rigid or semirigid plastics--or characterized by a shaped profile for accommodating the reed, by the provision of the clamp on the reed or diametrically opposite thereto, or again characterized by the position, shape and number of the lightening openings of the strap.
A strap system is also known (see DAS MUSIKINSTRUMENT 3/4, March/April 1988, page 78) the winding element whereof is constituted by a plastic band which is folded at its ends so as to constitute two slots in which two rods are inserted; said rods are mutually connected by two adjustment screws. The region of contact with the reed is sometimes stiffened by means of the insertion of a metallic blade.
A system is also known which is constituted by a truncated cone made of rigid plastics which is internally provided with concentric raised rings which act as supports both for the reed and for the mouthpiece. By modifying the axial position of the cone, the securing pressure of the reed is adjusted (STRUMENTI E MUSICA 7/8, July/August 1989, page 71).
Finally, a non-winding system is also known which comprises a bridge-shaped U bolt which is provided with fastening and adjustment screws and is inserted in adapted grooves defined on the mouthpiece (DAS MUSIKINSTRUMENT 3/4, March/April 1988, page 76 and page 78).
Since the purpose of the reed holder, or fastening, is to provide a connection between an elastic vibrating element, the reed, and a rigid element, the mouthpiece, and since the reed, which is made of bamboo, is very delicate, the size of the fastening forces, as well as the uniform distribution of these forces on the reed, are very important in relation to the vibration behavior of the reed and thus to the quality of the sound which can be obtained from the musical instrument.
Fastening devices wherein the elements in contact with the reed are made of a rigid, or insufficiently flexible, material unavoidably produce nonuniform pressure distributions, with the consequent creation of excessively loaded regions and of totally unloaded regions.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,185,535 (Lorenzini) discloses a reed-holding device constituted by string sections extending from brackets and embracing the reed. The brackets are connected by thumb screws and tightening the screws draws the string sections in tension. This reed-holder can be operated easily and rapidly, as a metal band reed holding device, while it should provide a uniform pressure on the reed. The Lorenzini holder, however, has some inconveniences.
A first inconvenience s that the brackets must have a configuration matching that of the mouthpiece in order to allow proper use. A second greater inconvenience is that the device applies tension to the string sections at only two locations and tends to leave one or more of the various sections not in proper contact with the reed. A further inconvenience is caused by the configuration of the brackets: when the thumb screws are tightened the upper parts of the respective brackets are brought together while friction causes the lower parts, where the string section holes are provided, to pivot on the mouthpiece rather then sliding on it, thereby limiting the tightening that can be applied to the string sections.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,258,604 (Giokas) discloses a device similar to that of lorenzini and having the same inconveniences.

Device for fastening the reed on the mouthpiece of wind instruments


A display device is described which indicates the number of heatings performed, especially for the purpose of autoclave sterilization. The display device comprises a temperature-sensitive mechanical element which essentially reversibly transforms from a first spatial state to a second spatial state when the temperature-sensitive mechanical element is heated in excess of a predetermined temperature. The temperature-sensitive mechanical element is coupled to the actuating element of a counter mechanism and upon the transformation to the second spatial state effects movement of the actuating element into an actuation position.

Conventionally, surgical instruments have been made of metal. In this case there is no problem in sterilizing the instruments using an autoclave where they are heated up 135.degree. C. The application of plastics for surgical instruments, however, has some advantages over metal: it can easily be molded in complicated shapes, it has a light weight, and it is less expensive than metal. Especially for elaborate instruments, such as those used in minimally invasive surgery or in laparoscopic operations, there is a trend to manufacture from plastics.
In many cases, the whole instrument or part of the instrument is designed to be disposable after the operation. To save costs it is often advantageous if the instrument has some reusable parts, which have to sterilized in an autoclave after the operation. Some plastic materials can resist heightened temperatures during this process (120.degree. C. to 135.degree. C.), for instance, polyetherimide. Generally, even these plastic instruments by autoclave only for a limited number of times (on the order of 10 times), because they age, crack, etc. Consequently the instruments are less reliable after having been heated too often.

Display device for the number of heatings performed