An apparatus and method for supporting a location update registration process used for an idle mode operation of a Mobile Station (MS) in a Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communication are provided. The method includes determining whether a system global location update registration timer is applied to the MS, when it is determined that the global location update registration timer is not applied, determining a timer for updating a location when the MS operates in an idle mode, and transmitting a message including the timer to the MS.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system for supporting machine-to-machine communication. More particularly, the present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for supporting a location update registration process used for an idle mode operation of a mobile station in a machine-to-machine communication system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Research is being conducted on a Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communication service supporting data communication between devices in which there is little or very limited human interaction. The M2M communication service is drawing attention in terms of cost reduction in managing devices through automatic control and communication, and is recognized as a technique applicable to fleet management of vehicles and products mounted to the vehicles, smart metering, home automation, and healthcare.
An M2M communication system supporting the M2M communication should consider support of a device which transmits and receives limited data only during a restricted time, differently from a mobile station in a general communication system. For example, a smart metering device may only transmit a value measured once a month to a smart metering server, and a healthcare device may only be updated with healthcare information from a healthcare server once a day.
Since such devices operate in an idle mode most of the time, an idle mode process defined in a wireless communication system of the related art can be applied. However, it is inefficient to apply a paging cycle of a device of the related art to the device which does not frequently transmit and receive data as described above. Also, a long paging cycle is not defined in the wireless communication system of the related art and thus should be defined.
A time-based location update registration process used in the idle mode of the wireless communication system of the related art can also be applied to the M2M communication system, whereas unique characteristics of the device should be considered. Particularly, a method for operating a location update registration timer of the related art applies the same value to mobile stations in the idle mode. When the same location update registration timer is applied to the device of the long paging cycle as in the M2M communication system, the mobile station frequently wakes up for the location update registration even when there is no data to receive. The location update registration process can cause considerable control signal overhead and power consumption of the device. Hence, it is desirable to define the location update registration process by considering the M2M communication service of the infrequent data transmission and reception as discussed above.

Apparatus and method for supporting location update registration process in machine to machine communication system


An apparatus (100) for additive manufacturing of a part of an article from a first material comprising particles having a first composition is provided. The apparatus (100) comprises a layer providing means (110) for providing a first support layer from a second material comprising particles having a second composition, wherein the first composition and the second composition are different. The apparatus (100) comprises a concavity defining means (120) for defining a first concavity in an exposed surface of the first support layer. The apparatus (100) comprises a depositing means (130) for depositing a part of the first material in the first concavity defined in the first support layer. The apparatus (100) comprises a levelling means (140) for selectively levelling the deposited first material in the first concavity. The apparatus (100) comprises a first fusing means (150) for fusing some of the particles of the levelled first material in the first concavity by at least partially melting said particles, thereby forming a first part of the layer of the article. In this way, the second material may be thus used to provide a support structure during additive manufacturing of the part of the article.

Additive manufacturing (AM), popularly known as three-dimensional (3D) printing, generally refers to processes used to create articles or objects from layers of material sequentially formed under computer control. Additive manufacturing provides creation of articles having complex shapes, geometries or structures, including internal voids, that may not readily be formed according to conventional subtractive manufacturing processes, such as machining, or conventional casting or moulding processes. Materials suitable for additive manufacturing include metals, ceramics, glasses and polymers.
ISO/ASTM52900-15 defines seven categories of additive manufacturing processes, including powder bed fusion. Particularly, powder bed fusion techniques, such as selective laser melting (SLM), are suitable for creation of, for example, metal articles. In order to create the relatively complex shapes of the articles, support structures may be required to support, at intermediate stages of additive manufacturing, the layers of material sequentially formed. The support structures may provide structural support and additionally or alternatively, may provide anchoring for overhanging structures, melt pool heat dissipation and/or prevention of thermally-induced distortions. In powder bed fusion techniques such as SLM, the support structures are formed from the same materials as the articles. Removal of the support structures after forming of the articles may be problematic since the support structures may be fused to the articles and/or situated in inaccessible internal voids. Further, since the support structures are formed from the same materials as the articles, material consumption is increased, thereby increasing cost. In addition, reuse or recycling of unfused materials may be precluded due to contamination and/or effects due to thermal cycling in these powder bed fusion techniques. Disposal of waste materials may be environmentally hazardous.
Furthermore, conventional SLM, as based on spreading a layer of material over a build platform using a roller or a blade followed by selective laser fusion for example, provides printing of only a single material in each particular layer, thereby limiting structure, function and/or properties of articles created in this way.
Hence, there is a need to improve additive manufacturing.

Apparatus for and process of additive manufacturing


An overcharge or excess discharge of a battery cell can be avoided by an electronic switch formed of a single transistor. A positive electrode of a battery cell (3) is connected to a positive connection terminal (1). A negative electrode is grounded and connected through a transistor (4) to a negative connection terminal (2). When a terminal voltage of the battery cell (3) is a detected to be a predetermined voltage or greater, an output from a detecting circuit (5) is supplied through a series circuit of two resistors (6), (7) and a positive temperature coefficient resistor (PTC) (8) to the base of the single transistor (4) and supplied to power supply terminals of two comparators (9), (10). Further, voltage-divided outputs of two resistors (11), (12) and the negative connection terminal (2) are respectively connected through two resistors (13),(14) to positive and negative input terminals of the comparators (9), (10). The outputs of the comparators (9), (10) are connected through two transistors (15), (16) to a junction between the two resistors (6) and (7). The output from one of the comparators (9) is grounded through a fourth transistor (17) and the base of the fourth transistor (17) is grounded and connected to the connection terminal (2) through two additional resistors (18), (19).

The present invention relates to a control circuit for protecting an excess discharge of a battery and, particularly to, a battery protection circuit housed in a so-called battery pack, in a battery charger, or in devices driven by a battery.
Self-discharge amounts of battery packs are very small even after they have been left for a long time. Under normal room temperature circumstances, the battery packs are never entered into the excess discharge region even after they had been left about a year. If however the battery packs are not in use and left under the condition that they are electrically connected to some audio and video devices, such as a video camera, then a dark current of about 2 to 20 mA flows even though the power switch of the video camera has been turned off. As a consequence, the battery packs reach the excess discharge region within about one to six months. The battery packs, in worst cases, will not recover from the excess discharge state even with help of the ordinary battery charger.
To solve the above-mentioned problem, a proposed battery pack houses a battery protection circuit to protect the battery from overcharge and excess discharge. Specifically, the battery protection circuit includes an electronic switch connected in series between one of the positive and negative connection terminals connected with a load or a battery charger and a battery cell. The battery protection circuit can protect the battery pack from overcharge or excess discharge by use of this electronic switch.
In the above-mentioned battery protection circuit, when the battery pack is discharged by the load connected to the positive and negative connection terminals or the battery pack is charged by the battery charger connected to the positive and negative connection terminals, a current flows in the battery protection circuit in the respective opposite directions. Accordingly, the above-mentioned electronic switch uses a field effect transistor (FET) which enables a current to flow in the two directions opposite to each other. Alternatively, the electronic switch uses transistors of positive and negative directions connected in parallel to each other to enable a current to flow in the two directions opposite to each other when the battery pack is discharged or charged.
Further, in order to protect the battery pack from overcharge, the battery protection circuit uses some suitable means, such as a thermostatic switch for detecting a temperature of a battery cell and opening and closing the circuit based on a detected result. Further, a detector for detecting charge and discharge includes a resistor connected in series to a power supply. A resistance value of this resistor is selected to be sufficiently small so as not to affect the output of the detector. To avoid the battery from being discharged excessively, the charge and discharge detector is formed of a suitable means, such as a CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) circuit whose power consumption is small.
However, the above-mentioned battery protection circuit uses the FET, the thermostatic switch, the resistor having low resistance value and the CMOS circuit all of which are relatively expensive circuit elements. Moreover, in order to drive the transistors connected in parallel under predetermined conditions, respectively, there has to be provided a complicated circuit arrangement. Therefore, if the battery pack incorporates therein the above battery protection circuit, then it is unavoidable that the battery pack becomes expensive.
Further, when the battery protection circuit uses the temperature detecting circuit, such as the thermostatic switch in order to prevent overcharge, if the battery protection circuit is placed in the abnormal load state, such as short-circuits repeatedly occurring between the positive and negative connection terminals, then the temperature detecting circuit chatters and an operation temperature exceeds a predetermined temperature. There is then the risk that the battery protection circuit will not be operated normally.

Method for protecting an excess discharge of a battery


The present invention relates to a damper unit for damping oscillations of a tower structure when secured thereto, the damper unit comprising a damper unit structure adapted for attachment to the tower structure, a pendulum structure, a suspension arrangement for suspending the pendulum structure from the damper unit structure such that the pendulum structure is allowed to displace from a neutral position for the pendulum structure, the suspension arrangement comprising one or more wires for suspending the pendulum structure, a sensor adapted for measuring oscillations of the tower structure, and tuning means configured for adjusting the natural frequency of the suspended pendulum structure in response to measured oscillations of the tower structure. The present invention further relates to an associated method.

Vortex shedding is a phenomenon that occurs due to instability of the flow around an object, such as a wind turbine tower. Low-pressure vortices are created on the downstream side of the tower and intermittently detach from either side of the tower. The tower will tend to move towards the low pressure, i.e. an alternating force is applied to the tower. The frequency by which the force alternates from side to side depends on the diameter of the tower and the wind speed. At a certain wind speed the frequency of the alternating force coincides with the natural frequency of the wind turbine tower, i.e. the tower frequency of the wind turbine tower. This wind speed is known as the critical wind speed. At this wind speed the tower will start to oscillate.
The amplitudes of the oscillations at the critical wind speeds depend on the structural damping of the wind turbine tower. If no additional damping is added to the wind turbine tower the oscillations can result in severe deflections of the wind turbine tower.
The effects of vortex shedding are especially pronounced during construction of the tower until the nacelle has been installed.
It may be seen as an object of embodiments of the present invention to provide a damper unit for damping oscillations of wind turbine towers.
It may be seen as a further object of embodiments of the present invention to provide a simple and robust automatically tuned mass damper unit for damping oscillations of wind turbine towers.


In one embodiment, a single input terminal of a parameter control circuit is utilized to form two different parameters of the parameter control circuit. In another embodiment, the parameter control circuit can include charging and discharging current mirrors.

The present invention relates, in general, to electronics, and more particularly, to methods of forming semiconductor devices and structure.
In the past, the electronics industry utilized various methods and structures to form switching power supply controllers that regulated an output voltage to a desired value. In some cases, the power supply systems included a transformer and used a power switch to control current through a primary side of the transformer and a secondary switch in the secondary side of the transformer. Often, a signal from the secondary side of the transformer was used as a control signal to control the switching of the secondary switch. One example of such a power supply system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,535,400 that issued to Christopher David Bridge on Mar. 18, 2003. One problem with such power supply systems was noise that was created on the synchronization signal due to the switching of currents through the secondary side of the transformer. These noise signals often resulted in inefficient operation of the power supply system.
Also, the number of package terminals used for an integrated circuit had an effect on the cost of the integrated circuit. The more terminals, the more complex the package, thus, the higher the cost. When integrating a secondary side power supply controller, it was important to minimize the number of pins utilized for the power supply control.
Accordingly, it is desirable to have a circuit that minimizes the effect of oscillations of the synchronization signal and that reduces the number of terminals required for the circuit.
For simplicity and clarity of the illustration, elements in the figures are not necessarily to scale, and the same reference numbers in different figures denote the same elements. Additionally, descriptions and details of well-known steps and elements are omitted for simplicity of the description. As used herein current carrying electrode means an element of a device that carries current through the device such as a source or a drain of an MOS transistor or an emitter or a collector of a bipolar transistor or a cathode or anode of a diode, and a control electrode means an element of the device that controls current through the device such as a gate of an MOS transistor or a base of a bipolar transistor. Although the devices are explained herein as certain N-channel or P-Channel devices, a person of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that complementary devices are also possible in accordance with the present invention. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the words during, while, and when as used herein are not exact terms that mean an action takes place instantly upon an initiating action but that there may be some small but reasonable delay, such as a propagation delay, between the reaction that is initiated by the initial action.

Parameter control circuit including charging and discharging current mirrors and method therefor

Semiconductor Components Industries, LLC


A zonal underground structure detection method based on sun shadow compensation is provided, which belongs to the crossing field of remote sensing technology, physical geography and pattern recognition, and is used to carry out compensation processing after a shadow is detected, to improve the identification rate of zonal underground structure detection and reduce the false alarm rate. The present invention comprises steps of acquiring DEM terrain data of a designated area, acquiring an image shadow position by using DEM, a solar altitude angle and a solar azimuth angle, processing and compensating a shadow area, and detecting a zonal underground structure after the shadow area is corrected. In the present invention, the acquired DEM terrain data is used to detect the shadow in the designated area; and the detected shadow area is processed and compensated, to reduce influence of the shadow area on zonal underground structure detection; finally, the zonal underground structure is detected by using a remote sensing image after shadow compensation, so that the accuracy of zonal underground structure detection is improved and the false alarm rate is reduced compared with zonal underground structure detection using a remote sensing image without shadow compensation processing.

Shadow is a common physical phenomenon in nature, and is generated when a light source is blocked by an object. A shadow in an image has different effects on related issues in the field of computer vision, including positive and negative effects. For example, adding shadows to objects in virtual reality and 3D games can improve the sense of reality of a scene, but in more cases, a shadow in an image has a negative effect on related issues in computer vision. For example, in a remote sensing image, a shadow affects many subsequent processing operations on the remote sensing image, such as image matching, pattern recognition, and surface feature extraction. In video surveillance, the combination of a shadow and a moving target results in an error when the computer extracts and tracks the target object. Therefore, it is necessary to detect and analyze a shadow in an image, and further eliminate or reduce the effect of the shadow as required.
At present, many experts and scholars around the world have conducted intensive research on elimination of shadow in video, and have proposed many effective algorithms. These algorithms are widely applied in fields such as video surveillance and vehicle tracking, but cannot be used to process static images. Shadow detection in a static image has always been a difficult problem, because the static image contains less information, and a shadow therein cannot be detected by using an inter-frame relationship, which is used to detect shadows in video. Meanwhile, in research fields based on a static image, such as remote sensing imaging, after a shadow is detected, influence of the shadow further needs to be reduced or eliminated as far as possible, to recover original features of an object in the shadow, so as to improve the authenticity of an infrared remote sensing image.
At present, there is no related report on detecting a zonal underground structure, such as an underground river or an underground tunnel, by using the infrared imaging technology around the world. A shadow in an infrared remote sensing image increases the false alarm rate in zonal underground structure detection, and reduces the detectivity.

Zonal underground structure detection method based on sun shadow compensation

Huazhong University of Science and Technology


An automated software production system is provided, in which system requirements are captured, converted into a formal specification, and validated for correctness and completeness. In addition, a translator is provided to automatically generate a complete, robust software application based on the validated formal specification, including user-interface code and error handling code.

Software engineering is the application of a systematic and disciplined approach to the development and maintenance of computer programs, applications, and other software systems. Due to the increasing computerization of the world's economy, the need for effective software engineering methodologies is more important than ever.
The traditional software development process involves a number of phases. First, the requirements of the program are specified, typically in the form of a written specification document based on customer needs. Then, a software developer writes source code to implement the requirements, for example, by designing data structures and coding the system logic. Finally, the software developer undergoes an extensive testing and debugging phase in which mistakes and ambiguities in the requirements are identified and errors in the software code are fixed. Having to refine the system requirements is one of the most serious problems that might occur, because any modification to the requirements necessitates a redevelopment of the source code, starting the process all over again. Thus, the testing and debugging phase is the longest phase in the software engineering process and the most difficult to estimate completion times.
For the past forty years, there have been many attempts to improve isolated portions of the software engineering process. For example, the creation of first higher-level languages such as FORTRAN and then of structured programming languages such as ALGOL has helped ease the burden of implementing the system logic. As another example, the introduction of object-oriented methodologies has helped in the design and implementation of the data structures. These improvements in the software engineering process have lessened the mismatch between the problem space, which is the Conceptual Model for the application, and the solution space, which is the actual software code. Nevertheless, some mismatch between the problem space and the solution space remains, which gives rise to an opportunity for programming errors. Because of the programming errors, it is necessary to undergo an extensive testing and debugging phase to isolate and fix the software faults.
Lately, there has been some interest in the use of "requirements analysis" and Computer Aided Software Engineering (CASE) to facilitate the first phase of the software engineering process, which is the identification and specification of the requirements. In particular, these approaches attempt to allow for software engineers to formally specify the requirements and build a prototype to validate and test the requirements. After the requirements are tested, the prototype is discarded and the software engineer develops the complete software application based on the requirements.
One example is known as "OMTROLL", whose objective is to assist software designers by means of an Object Modeling Technique (OMT)-compliant graphical notation to build the formal specification of the system. This specification is based on the TROLL specification language and has to be refined to a complete system specification. In addition, OMTROLL has a CASE support called TrollWorkbench, which provides a prototyping function by generating an independently executable prototype from a graphical conceptual specification. The prototype generated is a C++ program that includes the static/dynamic aspects of the system and uses an Ingress database as a repository of the specification.
OBLOG is another object-oriented approach for software development that falls within the scope of the European ESPRIT project IS-CORE (Information Systems-Correctness and Reusability). The OBLOG semantics is formalized in the context of the theory of categories. OBLOG also employs a CASE tool for introducing the specifications that has been introduced, and enables a developer to build a prototype by supplying rewrite rules to convert the specifications into code for the prototype. The rewrite rules must be written using a specific language provided by OBLOG.
Another approach that focuses more on levels of formalism is the Object System Analysis model (OSA). The aim of OSA is to develop a method that enables system designers to work with different levels of formalism, ranging from informal to mathematically rigorous. In this context, this kind of tunable formalism encourages both theoreticians and practitioners to work with the same model allowing them to explore the difficulties encountered in making model and languages equivalent and resolve these difficulties in the context of OSA for a particular language. OSA also has a CASE support tool called IPOST, which can generate a prototype from an OSA model to validate the requirements.
A different approach has been proposed by SOFL (Structured-Object-based-Formal Language), whose aim is to address the integration of formal methods into established industrial software processes using an integration of formal methods, structured analysis and specifications, and an object-based method. SOFL facilitates the transformation from requirements specifications in a structured style to a design in an object-based style and facilitates the transformation from designs to programs in the appropriate style. In accordance with the previous arguments, the SOFL proposal attempts to overcome the fact that formal methods have not been largely used in industry, by finding mechanisms to link object-oriented methodology and structured techniques with formal methods, e.g. VDM (Vienna Development Method) style semantics for its specification modules. Combining structured and objected-oriented techniques in a single method, however, makes it difficult to clarify the method semantics; thus, effective tool support is necessary for checking consistency.
Still another approach is known as TRADE (Toolkit for Requirements and Design Engineering), whose conceptual framework distinguishes external system interactions from internal components. TRADE contains techniques from structured and object-oriented specification and design methods. A graphical editor called TCM (Toolkit for Conceptual Modeling) is provided to support the TRADE framework.
Although these approaches are of some help for the first phase, i.e. in refining the requirements before the computer application is coded, they do not address the main source for the lack of productivity during later phases of the software engineering process, namely the programming and testing/debugging phases. For example, once the requirements are identified, the software engineer typically discards the prototype generated by most of these approaches and then designs and implements the requirements in a standard programming language such as C++. The newly developed code, due to the mismatch between the problem space and the solution space, will commonly contain coding errors and will need to be extensively tested and debugged.
Even if the prototype is not discarded and used as skeleton for the final application, the software developer must still develop additional code, especially to implement the user interface and error processing. In this case, there still remains the need for testing and debugging the code the programmer has written. The rule-rewriting approach of OBLOG, moreover, fails to address this need, because the difficulties associated with programming are merely shifted one level back, to the development of the rewriting rules in an unfamiliar, proprietary language.
Other approaches include those of Rational and Sterling, but these are not based on a formal language.
Therefore, there exists a long-felt need for improving the software engineering process, especially for reducing the amount of time spent in the programming and testing phases. In addition, a need exists for a way to reducing programming errors during the course of developing a robust software application. Furthermore, there is also a need for facilitating the maintenance of software applications when their requirements have changed.


In a holding device comprising a handle and a holding section for exchangeably arresting a dental cleaning brush with a wire stem, the holding section having a bore extending about perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis of the holder and approximately corresponding to the diameter of the wire stem of the brush and into which the stem of the brush can be inserted, a longitudinally displaceable locking member being provided to arrest the stem safeguarded against rotation by a longitudinal slot after its being bent by 90.degree., it is provided in accordance with the invention that the bore opens into a longitudinal recess at the free end of the holding section, and that from the free end the locking member displaceably engages with the longitudinal recess, the stem of the brush being bent over by the displacement of the locking member inwards in the axial direction and being arrested between a longitudinal slot of the locking member and the internal wall of the longitudinal recess on the one hand and in the bore on the other hand.

A holding device of the generic type is known for instance from U.S. Pat. No. 4,222,143 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,319,377.
The prior art device has the bore provided at one end of the holder such that when inserted the stem of the brush exits at the other end of the bore, which passes throughout the handle member. To be arrested the stem must be bent by 90.degree. manually, for instance with the help of the thumb, so that it rests in a longitudinal groove of a thumb trough, a locking member in the form of a longitudinally displaceable sleeve surrounding the holder being pushed over the thus positioned stem end for fastening.
This kind of arresting of the brush has the disadvantage that to mount the brush it takes comparatively much skill and attention to bend the stem such that the locking sleeve can then be pushed over. When the brush is removed for instance to be exchanged for a new one, the stem of the brush must be dug out of the recess with the help of the finger nail and bent upwards, so that it can then be pulled out through the bore.


A machine management system improves flexibility in control of an apparatus and installation of an additional apparatus. A plurality of refrigerators send operational information to a virtual machine constructor. The virtual machine constructor constructs virtual machines corresponding to the refrigerators using the received information, and holds the virtual machines therein. Each time the virtual machine constructor receives new information from the refrigerators, it updates the virtual machines. Controllers receive and hold virtual machines from the virtual machine constructor. The controllers cause one of the virtual machines to be selected and displayed in response to a user's request.

The present invention relates to an apparatus management system for providing apparatus management functions such as control and monitoring.
There are various kinds of apparatuses which are subjected to management such as control, monitoring, etc. For example, a variety of electric apparatuses are installed in a house and a business office as such apparatuses subjected to management. These apparatuses should be operated at preset operating conditions. For example, an air conditioner installed in each room of a house adjusts the temperature of ambient air at a temperature preset by a user.
Such an apparatus to be controlled generally requires settings for operation. It is therefore necessary for a user to manipulate such an apparatus directly or using a remote control device.
In a business office or factory, machine control functions such as start and stop, controlled on a centralized control board. However, for monitoring operating conditions of respective apparatuses in detail using such a control board, it is necessary to preset control conditions and to use a control board manufactured on the basis of the preset conditions. In addition, whenever an additional apparatus to be controlled is installed, modifications of the control board may be required. Thus, the use of such a control board creates difficulties in changing preset control conditions for the apparatuses and in installing an additional apparatus, which reduces flexibility in installing and controlling additional apparatuses.

Apparatus management system having virtual machines corresponding to apparatuses to be controlled


Systems and methods are provided for image enhancement using self-examples in combination with external examples. In one embodiment, an image manipulation application receives an input image patch of an input image. The image manipulation application determines a first weight for an enhancement operation using self-examples and a second weight for an enhancement operation using external examples. The image manipulation application generates a first interim output image patch by applying the enhancement operation using self-examples to the input image patch and a second interim output image patch by applying the enhancement operation using external examples to the input image patch. The image manipulation application generates an output image patch by combining the first and second interim output image patches as modified using the first and second weights.

Image manipulation programs are used to enhance or modify digital image content. For example, an image manipulation program can increase the resolution of digital image content, decrease a level of noise present in the digital image content, and/or decrease an amount of blurring of the digital image content.
Prior solutions for image enhancement may involve deficiencies. For example, image enhancement operations may involve up-sampling a digital image to increase the resolution of the digital image. Up-sampling the digital image may blur or otherwise remove high-frequency content. High-frequency content can include image content having a greater variety of detail, such as a picture of a multi-colored building having a variety of differently shaped windows, doors, and other structures. Removing high-frequency content may negatively impact the aesthetic quality of the digital image.
It is therefore desirable to improve operations used for image enhancement operations.

Image enhancement using self-examples and external examples


An enclosed type two-stage garbage compaction and storage structure, in particular a structure having both a hydraulic cylinder and a rotary inner cylinder provided with guide plates to compact garbage in two stages. The structure includes a housing, the hydraulic cylinder, and the inner cylinder. The housing is provided with a plurality of garbage slots to achieve quick collection of garbage. The housing has a front outlet and a lid. A slide plate is provided in front of the front outlet. The hydraulic cylinder is disposed horizontally, and has a piston rod at a front end and a push stop plate connected to the piston rod for pushing dumped-in garbage into the inner cylinder. The inner cylinder has a gate at an entrance thereof and a plurality of guide plates on its inner wall. When the inner cylinder rotates, a compaction effect is generated. The arrangement of a hydraulic cylinder having a greater compression force and a rotary inner cylinder provided with guide plates considerably enhances the compaction and storage of garbage.

(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an enclosed type two-stage garbage compaction and storage structure, and more particularly to a compaction and storage structure having both a hydraulic cylinder and a rotary inner cylinder to compact garbage in two stages so as to considerably increase garbage compaction and storage efficiency.
(b) Description of the Prior Art
Garbage disposal is an aggravating problem. It is therefore important to improve existing garbage disposal and storage structures. In densely populated communities where the amount of garbage is considerable, efficient garbage collection and storage structures are necessary.
There has been developed a kind of garbage storage device that utilizes guide plates to achieve garbage compaction. However, since there are different types of garbage, some relatively bulky garbage such as PE bottles and cartons will discount its storage efficiency. There has been later developed a kind of device with cutters for shredding the garbage so as to decrease its overall size and achieve higher storage efficiency. In such a device, garbage is dumped into a cutter device, which cuts the garbage into pieces for storage in a storage tank. The cut garbage is then discharged via an outlet to be removed by a garbage truck. More garbage can be dumped into, cut, and accumulated until the device is saturated. However, there are the following disadvantages with such a device:
1. The cutter device is not effective on larger or harder objects, which will damage the blades. Replacement of the blades is necessary, which adds to the cost and is therefore economically impractical.
2. As the storage tank relies on an inner cylinder with guide plates to compact the garbage, the compaction rate is not good. Besides, using cutters to reduce the size of the garbage is not reliable and economical, hence not suitable for the general users.
There is also available a kind of device that utilizes a hydraulic cylinder with a propeller to compact garbage until the device is saturated. However, although the compaction force of the hydraulic cylinder is large, there are the following disadvantages:
1. Using a hydraulic device as a main power source for garbage compaction will make the hydraulic cylinder and the propeller a large-size device, which requires a very large space and expensive maintenance. This is impractical for small communities, buildings or institutes such as schools.
2. There is only a single garbage slot, which is inconvenient.
3. Once such a device breaks down, repair thereof is costly and time-consuming. Therefore, it is not cost-effective.

Enclosed type two-stage garbage compaction and storage structure


Disclosed is a warm window system that utilizes individual buss bars that are placed within the space between an inside window pane and an outside window pane and creates sufficient physical force to create an electrical contact on the tin oxide layer on the inside surface of the inside pane of glass. An insulating nonconductive layer can also be used in conjunction with the buss bars. That include metal strips, braided wires, spring loaded indentations, etc. The buss bars have a modulus of elasticity to ensure sufficient electrical contact with the tin oxide layer. The buss bars can be used with either hard coat or soft coat tin oxide coatings on tempered glass or annealed glass. Electrical connections and wires are hidden from the viewing area of the warm window system to enhance the aesthetic value of the warm window system. Retrofit systems allow use of the warm window system in conjunction with an existing installed window system.

a. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains generally to heating and insulation and more particularly to warm window systems.
b. Description of the Background
Warm window systems using tin oxide coatings have existed for a number of years. These systems operate by applying an electrical signal across the surface of tin oxide coated glass. The resistive qualities of the tin oxide create heat in response to the electric current that warms the window pane. A typical warm window system is disclosed by Prelco at Prelco website. The Prelco website discloses many of the advantages of warm window systems.
Application of electrical current to the tin oxide coating is normally made through a buss bar connection. Typical buss bar connections are made using copper strips that are connected to the tin oxide layer using an adhesive or by silk screening of the buss bar. Adhesive copper strips are only able to carry low currents and easily delaminate. Silk screening processes are not well adapted to low cost and high volume manufacturing. Silk screening is a multi-step process and must be done on the individual plates of glass after they have been coated with the tin oxide layers. The process is slow and awkward and require time consuming curing processes.
Some buss bar connections are made through high temperature deposition techniques. These techniques require that the tin oxide coated glass be subjected to the high temperature deposition technique. As a result, tempered or heat strengthened glass must be used to prevent breakage. Less expensive annealed and/or laminated glass cannot be used in this type of process because high heat differentials during deposition of the buss bar cause the glass to break. In addition, the entire pane of glass must be subjected to this process, which is awkward and results in expensive fabrication processes.


A heatsink includes a thermally conductive body including a plurality of fins configured to conduct and dissipate heat. The body is configured to receive a circuit board containing heat-producing electrical components along a width of the body. The heatsink further includes a pivot mechanism pivotally coupled to the body and configured and disposed to contact the heat-producing electrical components. The heatsink further includes a bias device connected to the body and the pivot mechanism and configured to change from a first state to a second state to cause the pivot mechanism to rotate relative to the body to move a contact portion of the pivot mechanism toward the body. The heatsink is configured to receive the heat-producing electrical components between the contact portion of the pivot mechanism and the body, and the bias device is configured to bias the contact portion of the pivot mechanism to urge the heat-producing electrical components against the body when the bias device is in the second state.

Large heatsinks that are attached to multiple heat-producing electrical components can be more efficient at cooling than individual heatsinks attached to individual heat-producing electrical components. A single large heatsink is typically attached to a row of heat-producing electrical components (e.g., semiconductors) by individual springs where each spring is attached to the heatsink with an individual screw. Attaching a large number of screws (e.g., up to about 20 screws per heatsink) is labor intensive, takes a long time and typically involves repeated labor as the screws can come loose or not be adjusted properly, thereby hindering the heat transfer of some of the heat-producing electrical components. Further, high profile components are not able to be located in the vicinity of the heatsink where a screw driver is positioned to tighten the screws to facilitate screw tightening.


A connector including a plurality of terminals, a housing having a plurality of cavities, and a front holder to be inserted into the cavities. Each of the terminals has a resilient portion which forces the terminal up in a direction perpendicular to a direction of insertion of the terminal when the terminal is inserted into a proper position in the cavity. A limitation portion is provided in each of the cavities, and the limitation portion forces the terminal down in a direction perpendicular to the direction of insertion of the terminal until the terminal is inserted into the proper position in the cavity. The front holder has a plurality of push arms arranged like teeth of a comb, and when each of the terminals is inserted into the proper position in the associated cavity, each of the push arms is inserted into a space formed by the terminal, forced up by the resilient portion, and a cavity wall. When any of the terminals is not inserted into the proper position in the cavity, the associated push arm abuts against the terminal, thereby pushing this terminal out of the cavity.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a connector in which the half insertion of terminals is detected by a front holder, and more particularly to a connector in which the half insertion of terminals can be positively detected, and any half-inserted terminal among the plurality of terminals can be easily specified.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a conventional connector in which the half insertion of terminals is detected by a front holder.
In this Figure, the connector 100 comprises terminals 101, a housing 110, and the front holder 120.
The housing 110 has cavities 111 for respectively receiving the terminals 101, and a lance 112 for retaining the inserted terminal 101 is provided in the cavity 111 in a projected manner.
A front-holder receiving portion 113 for receiving the front holder 120 is formed in a bottom wall of the cavity 111.
Although not shown in the drawings, the cavities 111, as well as the lances 112 and the front-holder receiving portions 113, are arranged in a juxtaposed manner within the housing 110, and correspond to the plurality of terminals 101, respectively.
The front holder 120 has a plate-like or a comb-like shape corresponding to the front-holder receiving portions 113 formed respectively in the cavities 111.
In this conventional connector, when each terminal 101 is inserted into a proper position in the cavity 111 as shown in FIG. 10(a), the front holder 120 can be inserted into the front-holder receiving portions 113 until it reaches the inner ends of the front holder-receiving portions 113, and the lances 112 are forced up toward the terminals 101 by the front holder 120.
As a result, each lance 112 retains the associated terminal 101, thus holding the terminal 101 in the cavity 111.
When the terminal 101 is not inserted into the proper position in the cavity 111 (that is, the terminal 101 is in a half-inserted condition) as shown in FIG. 10(b), the distal end of the lance 112, pressed by the terminal 101, interferes with the front-holder receiving portion 113, and the front holder 120 can not be inserted as far as the inner end of the front-holder receiving portion 113.
Therefore, the operator can detect the half insertion of the terminal 101.
In the above conventional connector, however, although the half insertion of the terminal 101 can be detected, it is impossible to specify which terminal 101 is in a half-inserted condition since the plurality of terminals 101 are received respectively in the plurality of cavities 111, and thus there has been encountered a problem that much time and labor are required for specifying the half-inserted terminal 101.
More specifically, the half-inserted terminal 101 in the cavity 111 can not be specified from the appearance, and therefore the half-inserted terminal 101 must be found, for example, by pushing the plurality of terminals 101 one by one into the respective cavities 111.


Subjecting lignocellulosic components coated with an aqueous alkaline phenolic resole resin solution to carbon dioxide inhibits overpenetration of resin and improves bond strength when the coated components are heated to cure the resin by application of steam and pressure in the preparation of structural panels. Also, contact with carbon dioxide of high moisture resin coated lignocellulosic components accelerates the speed of cure and improves bond strength of panels cured under heat and pressure.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method for bonding lignocellulosic material with an aqueous alkaline solution of a phenolic resole resin for the manufacture of structural panels under heat and pressure.
2. Prior Art
Panel products which use phenol-formaldehyde resole resins as binders for lignocellulosic materials are usually manufactured in a hot press which is heated by steam, hot oil, or electricity. In the production of such panels, a phenolic binder, e.g. phenol-formaldehyde resin, is applied to cellulose components such as chips or veneers to form a mat or to otherwise consolidate the components. The consolidated components, also referred to as a mat herein, are then placed between two heated platens and pressed into the composite panels. Conventionally, during pressing, heat is supplied to the mat to plasticize it, thereby making the mat easier to compress and also to cure the thermosetting binder. The time spent in pressing is the major bottleneck in the production of such panels.
The panels can be cured more rapidly by injecting steam into the lignocellulosic mat to heat the resin. This heats the board by injecting steam directly into the board through openings in the press platens. Steam injection press cycle times are generally much shorter than with conventional pressing times since the heat transfer into the board is almost instantaneous.
Liquid phenol-formaldehyde resins do not perform well in steam injection presses, except possibly in a process for making fiberboard. In fiberboard, the wood particles are very small and pliable. It is possible that when phenolic resin is used in steam injection pressed fiberboard the resin saturates the wood and is still available at the wood surface for bonding. When larger wood particles are used the effect is different. Steam injection pressing yields panels that have delaminations in areas that show a loss of the phenolic resin. One explanation for this effect is the penetration of resin into the wood surface in the zone where steam condensate dilutes the resin before there is enough heat to start resin gelation, or thickening. Such penetration diminishes the amount of resin available on the surface of the cellulose components for binding the components and results in poor bonds. This overpenetration is also referred to as "washout" herein. By the time the zone subjected to washout does see enough heat to cure the resin, it is no longer at the wood surface to act as a binder.
Overpenetration of the resin is also a problem with resin coated components of lignocellulosic material when the moisture content is high even when the panel is cured by conventional heated platens without the use of steam injection.
At the present time, the thermoset binders used commercially in steam injection press operations are urea formaldehyde and polymeric isocyanate. Urea resins are not durable and are not used to manufacture exterior panels. Isocyanate is a very efficient and durable binder, but is marked by high cost and health questions. Isocyanate binders also require the use of expensive release agents since they bond wood to metal as well as wood to wood.
Other processes disclosed in the literature use certain gaseous esters, acids, bases, or amines as catalysts when using steam injection of lignocellusosic components coated with phenolic resole resins. However, the use of such catalysts suffer from a number of shortcomings such as: high cost for the catalyst; the need for means to scavenge or recover excess catalyst; many such catalysts are detrimental to health and environment; they can cause unduly rapid cure; have a deleterious effect on the panel; and can have little or no effect on the overpenetration of resin into the cellulosic components.
The use of alkali metal carbonates is well known for thickening phenolic resole resins and accelerating their cure. Such carbonates are applied in solution, such as with water, to the resin before it is applied to the cellulosic components. There are a number of disadvantages to such applications such as increase in viscosity of the resin prior to being applied to the components due to the action of the alkali metal carbonate, non-uniform application of the alkali metal carbonate, and the introduction of additional water to the components.
A prior art document, specifically an English abstract of Soviet Union patent SU 301284-S which has a publication date of Oct. 13, 1969 and is assigned to Leningrad SM, discloses mixing wood chips with a binder, molding the mixture to form a board, treating the surface of the board with a solution of potassium carbonate, and then subjecting the board to hot pressing. It is alleged that such board has improved physico-mechanical properties and that good flameproofing effects are achieved. Although the English abstract from which this information is obtained does not disclose the type of binder used, it is not seen that this reference obviates applicants' invention since, among other reasons, the carbonate is applied as a solution to the surface of the board.
It has now been found that subjecting lignocellulosic components coated with an aqueous alkaline phenolic resole resin solution to gaseous carbon dioxide inhibits overpenetration of resin, increases bond strength and prevents delamination of the finished panel due to application of steam to the components during steam heating and subsequent cure in the preparation of structural panels. The advantages of subjecting the resin coated cellulose components to carbon dioxide is also evident when forming panels on conventional heated platens without steam injection. This is particularly the case when the components have a high moisture content.

Method for bonding lignocellulosic material with phenol-formaldehyde resin and carbon dioxide


A method includes acquiring process data collected in an industrial process control and automation system. The method also includes reducing a dimension space of the process data by combining two or more parameters of the process data or examining a frequency response of the process data. The method further includes determining a change in a process based on a change in the process data in the reduced dimension space. The method also includes outputting a result based on the determined change in the process.

Industrial process control and automation systems are often used to automate large and complex industrial processes. These types of systems routinely include sensors, actuators, and controllers. Some of the controllers typically receive measurements from the sensors and generate control signals for the actuators. Other controllers often perform higher-level functions, such as planning, scheduling, and optimization operations.
The quality of products produced in industrial processes typically depends strongly on having the automatic control system for the process operating well. Most automatic control loops or multivariable controllers have tuning parameters that are adjusted to the dynamic behavior of the process. When these are adjusted correctly, the controller takes good actions, the process is well controlled and high quality products result. However, should the dynamic behavior of the process change, the controller may need to be re-tuned to avoid a degradation of control performance and consequent poor quality production.

System and method for monitoring changes in process dynamic behavior by mapping parameters to a lower dimensional space


A polyimide resin semipermeable membrane has a continuous structure of a homogeneous skin layer part having an average thickness of 5-1000 nm and a porous layer that is made of the same materials and has the same thickness as the skin layer. The porous layer is formed by the void structure having the average hole diameter of less than 3 .mu.m so that a gas separation membrane can be provided, having high permeability and satisfying cost efficiency requirements can be provided. The above-mentioned membrane is formed by the following steps: a solution is made by adding diethylene glycol dimethyl ether into polyimide; the obtained solution is left for deaeration and adjusted; the film-forming solution is cast on a polyester nonwoven cloth, which serves as a supporting layer, with an applicator; the solution is soaked in water as a solidifying solution for 5 minutes and in a water. Thus semipermeable membrane comprising the homogeneous skin layer part and the porous layer. Crosslinking silicone resin solution may be formed on the surface of the above-mentioned semipermeable membrane to form the overcoat.

In the field of the reverse osmosis membrane, thin membranes have been examined on an industrial level. For example, as an asymmetric membrane, the Lobe membrane made of cellulose acetate is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,133,132 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,133,137. The surface skin layer of this membrane has a semipermeability, however it does not have a high separation property for smaller molecules such as gas molecules. On the other hand, as a composite membrane, a polyamide thin membrane formed on the porous supporting membrane by the interfacial polymerization method is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,277,344. The surface skin layer of this type of membrane has also a semipermeability, however it does not have a separation property for smaller molecules such as gas molecules, either.
Recently reducing the thickness of the macromolecule materials such as for separating gas molecule has been investigated. This is conducted taking into consideration providing asymmetric membranes and composite membranes having a practical mechanical strength.
In the case where a macromolecule material having a high separation factor is formed as a membrane on a proper porous supporting film, it is preferable that the membrane should have no defects and the thickness of the membrane should be not more than 100 nm so as to increase a gas permeating speed practically. U.S. Pat. No. 4,929,405 discloses that the thickness of a homogeneous fluorine-containing aromatic polyimide membrane is controlled to be smaller than the required limitation of not more than 100 nm or not more than 400 angstrom(A) in a water facial expansion method. However, it is impossible to manufacture membranes having the above-mentioned thickness on an industrial level. Various methods have been also disclosed in, for example, Japanese Laid Open Patent No. Tokkai-Hei 4-40223 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,230,463, in which a polymer solution is coated onto the proper porous supporting film and then dried to form a thin film. When such an ultra thin film without having pin-holes is manufactured on an industrial level, the manufacturing process becomes complicated, the yield deteriorates and the cost is raised. Moreover, the ultra thin film has a void structure with large hole diameters and cannot be manufactured on an industrial level. The application of the interfacial polymerization method also has been investigated (See, for example, J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 44 (1992)1087-1093). However, a sufficient permeability and separation property cannot be obtained. In addition, a membrane of the skin layer and that of the porous supporting film are not made of the same materials, thus causing detaching from each other at the interface and also deteriorating the strength of the membrane.
An asymmetric membrane has been investigated in various ways. Tai-Chung et al. reported in J. Memb. Sci., 88 (1994)21-36 discloses a hollow fiber membrane having a no-defects skin layer of 200-300 nm level. But a pinhole-free skin layer having a thickness of not more than 100 nm that satisfies the required limitation cannot be manufactured on an industrial level. Moreover, the method for manufacturing the asymmetric membrane is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,705,540 in which the asymmetric membrane is formed by drying the surface of a membrane and then soaking it in water. But this method has not come into practice. In other words, this method remains as a laboratory level method for forming membrane. Thus, it is difficult to provide membranes stably on an industrial level by this method. U.S. Pat. No. 4,880,441 and J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 41 (1990)713-733 etc disclose an asymmetric membrane (hollow fiber membrane) having skin layers which gradually become dense, but these membranes are also insufficient in the thickness as well as the method for industrial use. Moreover, these asymmetric membrane have a relatively dense porous layer located under the skin layer. There arises a problem such that as the permeability of the skin layer increases, the permeation resistance of the porous layer increases. In order to obtain a pinhole-free asymmetric membrane, Japanese Laid Open Patent Nos. Tokkai-Hei 5-049882 and Tokkai-Hei 5-146651 disclose the post-treatment method and Japanese Laid Open Patent No. Tokkai-Hei 5-184887 disclose the pre-treatment method. Moreover, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,902,422, 5,085,676 and 5,165,963 disclose the improvement in the manufacturing process.
However, the above-mentioned methods have problems as follows: the manufacturing process is increased and becomes complicated; the manufacturing cost is raised; and it is difficult to stably manufacture membranes on an industrial level. If the semipermeable membrane is required to be manufactured for the practical use and on an industrial level and separated sufficiently, the above-mentioned methods of the prior art cannot provide the semipermeable membrane with the satisfactory structure. More specifically, first, in the case of a composite membrane, thin film is formed in the porous supporting film so that the strength of the interface is not sufficient. Additionally, the holes on the porous supporting film are filled in order to obtain a no-defect membrane so that the thickness of the membrane is required to be greater. Secondly, in the case of an asymmetric membrane, the skin layer and the porous layer are formed together so that they are not detached from each other on the interface. In other words, in this case, the strength of the membrane is sufficient. However, it is impossible to manufacture a skin layer having a thickness of not less than 100 nm and no deficiency on an industrial level. The structure is characterized in that the hole diameters are made to be gradually larger from the skin layer part to the porous part. Consequently, near the skin layer and the porous part, when the quantity of permeation is great, the permeation resistance is also great. As a result, sufficient permeability and separation properties cannot be provided.


A continuous method of producing a process fluid gas from a feed stream that includes the process fluid and impurities. The method includes: (a) providing a first and second vessel, each vessel containing one or more regenerable purifier materials for removing at least one of the impurities from the feed stream; (b) removing at least one of the impurities by passing the feed stream through one or the other of the vessels to provide a purified process fluid gas, with the vessel being maintained at a first temperature during the removal of impurities; and (c) regenerating the purifier materials in the vessels at a second temperature and during the time when it is not purifying the feed stream by flowing a portion of the purified process fluid or the feed stream or a separate source of the process fluid gas therethrough.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to fluid purification systems, and more particularly to methods of regenerating purifier materials used in process fluid purification systems.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The provision of high purity gas streams is critically important in a wide variety of industrial and research applications. The rapid expansion of vapor-phase processing techniques, e.g. chemical vapor deposition, in the semiconductor industry has been associated with the deployment and use of manufacturing equipment that is totally reliant on the delivery of ultra-high purity process gases at the point of use in the semiconductor manufacturing facility.
Fluid purification systems are used to remove impurities from contaminated or otherwise impure fluids for the production of high purity process gases. The fluids may be liquid and/or gaseous, and are typically purified to provide a high quality fluid source for manufacturing or consumption purposes, or to remove toxins and other contaminants prior to the disposal of the fluid. Such systems usually include "consumables" such as filters or getters, which must be periodically replaced. For example, ammonia is a process gas that is very important in the semiconductor industry for the formation of nitride layers in electronic transistors through chemical vapor deposition and epitaxy processes. More specifically, ammonia is commonly used for the formation of silicon nitride and silicon oxynitride films by direct nitridation of silicon oxide. Growing films of silicon nitride and silicon oxynitride requires ammonia of very high purity. Ammonia is also used in the production of compound semiconductors such as GaN, AlGaN, GaInN, etc. Oxygen is a particularly harmful contaminant because its high chemical reactivity leads to its incorporation as an impurity into films during thermal nitridation of silicon oxide or during the production of GaN and GaAlN semiconductors. Since the manufacturing of GaN films requires very large amounts of ammonia during the processing steps, new methods of ammonia purification are required to reduce the cost of manufacturing wafers in the GaN process. Regenerable purifiers are also becoming more important as the cost of ownership becomes a more critical parameter.
Because gas purifier materials tend to be expensive, semiconductor manufacturers want to get as much use out of them as possible before they are replaced. However, semiconductor manufacturers tend to err on the side of conservatism, since using a gas purifier material past its allotted lifetime can result in inadequate gas purification and a possible contamination of a semiconductor manufacturing process utilizing the impure gas, which can be considerably more costly than the cost of replacing a gas purifier vessel.
Gas purifiers working on sorption of impurities mainly belong to two categories: getter-based purifiers and catalyst-based purifiers. Getter-based purifiers operate using the chemisorption principle, that is, non-reversible sorption, so that once the purifier is exhausted it must be replaced. In these systems, getter materials are encased in stainless steel columns and are either used at room temperature or are heated to a temperature in the range of 300° C.–450° C. Impurities from gases flowing through a getter column are trapped by the getter materials, thereby providing a purified gas at the outlet of the getter column. For the most part, the gettering process is not reversible, resulting in the eventual saturation of the gas purifier material with the impurities. Therefore, getter-type materials have a finite "life-time," making the getter columns a "consumable" item. The getter columns contain substantial quantities of expensive getter material and have a finite useful lifetime. The actual period of time that the getter column lasts depends upon the type and amount of impurities, the flow rate of the gas, the duration and frequency of the gas flow, and a number of environmental factors.
Another type of gas purifier system utilizes catalyst-based purifiers that operate by a physisorption principle. These purifiers may be regenerated by thermal or chemical treatment once exhausted.
Current gas purification systems typically comprise at least two purifier vessels for continuous operation, in addition to heating units, switching manifolds, and electronics modules. During purification, one purifier vessel is on-line for purifying a bulk gas. Before this purifier vessel becomes saturated with contaminants, the second purifier vessel is put on-line and the first purifier vessel is regenerated. One method of performing the regeneration process is by heating the purifier vessel and flowing a reactivation gas through the spent purifier material. After regeneration, the purifier bed is cooled and purged and is then ready to purify the bulk gas. Typical systems use hydrogen and/or nitrogen for the regeneration process, each requiring regeneration process gas connections and vent lines.

Methods for regenerating process gas purifier materials


A communication resource allocator can reduce control channel traffic for limited audience communications in the following manner. After receiving and granting a request for allocation of a communication resource by a communication unit, the communication resource allocator determines whether the request is for a limited audience communication. If the request is for a limited audience communication, the communication resource allocator periodically transmits the communication resource allocation until it receives an acknowledgement from each of the communication units in the limited audience communication.

Trunking communication systems are known to comprise a plurality of communication units, a limited number of communication resources that are transceived via a predetermined number of repeaters, or base stations, and a communication resource allocator that allocates a limited number of communication resources among the plurality of communication units. The communication resources may comprise a TDM bus, a carrier frequency, a pair of carrier frequencies, and any RF transmission means. Of the communication resources, one is selected as the control channel that transceives operational data between the communication resource allocator and the communication units. The communication units, which may be portable radios and/or mobile radios, are arranged into talk groups by commonality of use. For example, a talk group may comprise communications that are operated by a police department while another talk group comprises communication units operated by a fire department.
Trunking communication systems very efficiently process communications between a large group of communication units. This efficiency is primarily due to the relative large coverage area that one system services and the ability to assign one communication resource to the large group of communication units. Once a communication resource is allocated to the large group, the communication resource allocator periodically transmits a refresher message that indicates which communication resource is assigned to the large group. The refresher message is transmitted on the control channel such that, if any of the communication units in the large group temporarily lose which communication resource is allocated to the large group, it can simply monitor the control channel for the refresher message.
Trunking communication systems also support communications for a relative small group of communication units or even one-to-one communications. However, the system's efficiency is reduced because one communication resource is allocated to a small number of communication units. The efficiency is also reduced because the communication resource allocator continues to periodically transmit refresher messages on the control channel for the small group of communication units. Therefore, a need exists for a method that allows the communication resource allocator to reduce control channel traffic for small groups, or limited audience communications.

Method for reducing control channel activity for limited audience communications


A color ink-jet printer having a heating blower system for evaporating ink carriers from the print medium after ink-jet printing. A preheat drive roller engages the medium and draws it to a print zone. The drive roller is heated and preheats the medium before it reaches the print zone. At the print zone, a print heater heats the underside of the medium via radiant and convective heat transfer through an opening pattern formed in a print zone heater screen. The amount of heat energy is variable, depending on the type of the print medium. A crossflow fan at the exit side of the print zone direct an airflow at the print zone in order to cause turbulence at the medium surface being printed and further accelerate evaporation of the ink carriers from the medium. An exhaust fan and duct system exhausts air and ink carrier vapor away from the print zone and out of the printer housing.

The present invention relates to the field of computer ink-jet printers.
With the advent of computers came the need for devices which could produce the results of computer generated work product in a printed form. Early devices used for this purpose were simple modifications of the then current electric typewriter technology. But these devices could not produce picture graphics, nor could they produce multicolored images, nor could they print as rapidly as was desired.
Numerous advances have been made in the field. Notable among these has been the development of the impact dot matrix printer. While that type of printer is still widely used, it is neither as fast nor as durable as required in many applications. Nor can it easily produce high definition color printouts. The development of the thermal ink-jet printer has solved many of these problems. U.S. Pat. No. 4,728,963, issued to S. O. Rasmussen et al., and assigned to the same assignee as is this application, describes an example of this type of printer technology.
Thermal ink-jet printers operate by employing a plurality of resistor elements to expel droplets of ink through an associated plurality of nozzles. In particular, each resistor element, which is typically a pad of resistive material about 50 .mu.m by 50 .mu.m in size, is located in a chamber filled with ink supplied from an ink reservoir comprising an ink-jet cartridge. A nozzle plate, comprising a plurality of nozzles, or openings, with each nozzle associated with a resistor element, defines a part of the chamber. Upon the energizing of a particular resistor element, a droplet of ink is expelled by droplet vaporization through the nozzle toward the print medium, whether paper, fabric, or the like. The firing of ink droplets is typically under the control of a microprocessor, the signals of which are conveyed by electrical traces to the resistor elements.
The ink cartridge containing the nozzles is moved repeatedly across the width of the medium to be printed upon. At each of a designated number of increments of this movement across the medium, each of the nozzles is caused either to eject ink or to refrain from ejecting ink according to the program output of the controlling microprocessor. Each completed movement across the medium can print a swath approximately as wide as the number of nozzles arranged in a column on the ink cartridge multiplied times the distance between nozzle centers. After each such completed movement or swath, the medium is moved forward the width of the swath, and the ink cartridge begins the next swath. By proper selection and timing of the signals, the desired print is obtained on the medium.
In order to obtain multicolored printing, a plurality of ink-jet cartridges, each having a chamber holding a different color of ink from the other cartridges, may be supported on the printhead.
Current ink-jet technology printers are not able to print high density plots on plain paper without suffering two major drawbacks: the saturated media is transformed into an unacceptably wavy or cockled sheet; and adjacent colors tend to run or bleed into one another. The ink used in thermal ink-jet printing is of liquid base. When the liquid ink is deposited on wood-based papers, it absorbs into the cellulose fibers and causes the fibers to swell. As the cellulose fibers swell, they generate localized expansions, which, in turn, causes the paper to warp uncontrollably in these regions. This phenomenon is called paper cockle. This can cause a degradation of print quality due to uncontrolled pen-to-paper spacing, and can also cause the printed output to have a low quality appearance due to the wrinkled paper.
Hardware solutions to these problems have been attempted. Heating elements have been used to dry the ink rapidly after it is printed. But this has helped only to reduce smearing that occurs after printing. Prior art heating elements have not been effective to reduce the problems of ink migration that occur during printing and in the first few fractions of a second after printing.
Other types of printer technology have been developed to produce high definition print at high speed, but these are much more expensive to construct and to operate, and thus they are priced out of the range of most applications in which thermal ink-jet printers may be utilized.
The user who is unwilling to accept the poor quality must either print at a painfully slow speed or use a specially coated medium which costs substantially more than plain paper or plain medium. Under certain conditions, satisfactory print quality can be achieved at print resolutions on the order of 180 dots per inch. However, the problems such as ink bleeding are exacerbated by higher print. In particular, it has heretofore not been possible to achieve acceptable color printing or throughput on plain paper medium at 180 dots per inch.
Using thermal transfer printer technology, good quality high density plots can be achieved at somewhat reduced speeds. Unfortunately, due to their complexity, these printers cost roughly two to three times as much as thermal ink-jet types. Another drawback of thermal transfer is inflexibility. Ink or dye is supplied on film which is thermally transferred to the print medium. Currently, one sheet of film is used for each print regardless of the density. This makes the cost per page unnecessarily high for lower density plots. The problem is compounded when multiple colors are used.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a color ink-jet printer which prints color images on plain paper which are comparable in quality to color images printed on special papers.
A further object is to provide a plain paper color ink-jet printer characterized by high throughput and reliable, quiet operation.

Print zone heater screen for thermal ink-jet printer


A spinning reel comprises a reel body casing, a rotational frame member rotatably provided for the reel body casing, a spool shaft provided for the reel body casing to be movable in a rotation axis direction of the rotational frame member, a spool mounted to one end portion of the spool shaft, a handle lever operatively connected to the rotational frame member capable of rotating the same, an oscillator secured to another end portion of the spool shaft, an oscillator gear provided for the reel body casing to be rotated by the handle lever and a rotational member mounted to the oscillator gear to be rotatable. The rotational member is formed with a first projection engageable with a cam groove formed to an inner surface of the reel body casing and a second projection engageable with the oscillator.

The present invention relates to a spinning reel, particularly for a fishing reel, provided with a mechanism smoothly movable or slidable in an axial direction of a spool shaft.
In general, there is widely known a spinning reel for winding up a fishing line by rotating a rotational frame of the reel and moving a spool reciprocally in a rotation axis direction of the rotational frame.
FIG. 53 shows one example of a conventional spinning reel, in which reference numeral 201 denotes a body casing, i.e. reel body, and a handle shaft 202 is mounted to the body casing 201 to be rotatable. A coupling gear 203 is secured to the handle shaft 202, and the coupling gear 203 is engaged with an oscillator gear 204 rotatably mounted to the body casing 201. A pin 205 engaged with a slot 206a formed to an oscillator 206 is provided for the oscillator gear 204. Secured to the oscillator 206 is a spool shaft 208 having a front end to which a spool 208 is mounted.
When the spinning reel of the structure described above is operated by gripping and rotating a handle lever 209 to rotate the handle shaft 202, the coupling gear 203 mounted to the handle shaft 202 is also rotated, thus the oscillator gear 204 being rotated, thereby moving the pin 205 along the slot 206a. In this manner, the oscillator 206 and, hence, the spool shaft 207 is moved reciprocally in a longitudinal direction, i.e. bilateral direction in FIG. 53.
However, according to the above prior art structure, the spool shaft does not perform a uniform reciprocal motion and, under such state, when the fishing line is wound up, the fishing line is not uniformly wound up around the spool and will be relaxed as shown in FIG. 54.
In order to obviate such defect, a prior art further provides a structure for making almost uniform the reciprocal motion of the spool shaft such as disclosed in the Japanese Patent Publication No. HEI 2-60295.
FIG. 55 shows a structure of a spinning reel of this publication, in which reference numeral 301 denotes a body casing to which a handle shaft 302 is mounted to be rotatable. Secured to the handle shaft 302 is a coupling gear 303 which is engaged with an oscillator gear 304 mounted to the body casing 301 to be rotatable. The oscillator gear 304 is formed with a slot 304a extending in the radial direction thereof, and a follow-up pin 305 penetrates the slot 304a. The follow-up pin 305 has one end engaged with a cam groove 301a formed to the body casing 301 and has another one end engaged with a slot 306a of an oscillator 306. A spool 308 is mounted to one end of a spool shaft 307. The cam groove 301a has a shape enabling the spool 308 to perform almost uniform motion.
When the handle shaft 302 is driven and rotated by a handle lever 309, the coupling gear 303 is rotated and hence the oscillator gear 304 is also rotated. Upon the rotation of the oscillator gear 304, the follow-up pin 305 penetrating the slot 304a moves along the cam groove 301a and the slot 306a. In this manner, the oscillator 306 and the spool 308 is moved reciprocally in the bilateral direction as viewed in FIG. 54 at substantially the uniform motion speed.
Furthermore, it has been considered that a clearance having a proper gap is made between the follow-up pin 305 and the cam groove 301a.
However, even in the above structure, there is provided the following problems. That is, according to the above structure, since the follow-up pin 305 inclines during its movement, the spool is not moved smoothly. The inclining motion of the follow-up pin 305 will cause wearing of the slots, the cam groove and the follow-up pin itself, thus being not advantageous. Furthermore, when an impact is applied in the spool axis direction by a falling down shock of the spinning reel, for example, the slots, the cam groove and the follow-up pin will easily damaged, also providing a problem. The inclining motion of the follow-up pin 305 will not cause a smooth rotation of the rotational frame of the spinning reel. Still furthermore, since the follow pin 305 has to be disposed inside tooth bottom of the oscillator gear 306, it is difficult to make large strokes of the oscillator and the spool.
In the arrangement provided with the clearance mentioned above, the axial movement of the spool shaft is not stable, and an undesired backlash may be caused during the movement between the spool and the reel body, also providing a problem.


A method of and apparatus for recording information from a master medium onto a slave medium. In one embodiment, digital information on a master medium is reproduced and stored at a first rate, typically at real time, in a first high speed digital storage device such as a magnetic disk drive. The digital information stored in the first storage device, when needed, is transferred at a second rate, much higher than the first, to a second digital storage device in which it is stored until it is scheduled for duplication, at which time the digital information is repeatedly played back at a third rate, much higher than the first rate and slower than the second rate, is converted from digital information into analog information and applied to a duplicating device for recording the analog information onto a slave medium. Because the information stored in the first digital storage device is not directly used in production, the duplicating device can be duplicating information previously transferred from the first storage device to the second at the same time information is being reproduced from a master medium and loaded, in real time, into the first storage device.

This application includes a microfiche appendix consisting of nine (9) microfiche and 491 frames.
This invention relates generally to apparatus for recording information from a master medium onto a slave medium, and, more particularly, to apparatus for transferring audio signals from a master medium, such as a source tape, at high speeds onto a slave medium such as the magnetic tape of an audio cassette.
Heretofore, duplicating equipment for the mass production of prerecorded magnetic tapes containing music or language programs employed a device for reproducing a master or like source and a device for recording the reproduced information on slave tapes. In one approach, a "running master" is installed on a playback device and during playback is advanced as an endless loop through a temporary storage bin. A slave tape in the form of a "pancake" of a length sufficient to replicate many times the programs stored on the endless loop tape is placed on each of several slave transports and moved at a speed which is a synchronous multiple of the recording speed of the original master. The master tape is advanced through the temporary storage bin a sufficient number of times to reproduce the program information on a desired number of segments of each slave tape, which usually is done at a speed which is multiple of the speed of which the information was recorded on the master tape, typically, sixty-four.
The "running master" duplication approach has many drawbacks including breakage both of master and slave tapes which require shutdown to correct, master tape wear which requires frequent replacement and thus the need for many copies of the master, and abrasion of the playback head by the movement of the master tape thereacross with resulting degradation in the frequency response of the system. The cost consequence of such failures is the time lost to stop the duplication process to replace the master tape, replace and/or recue the slave tape to the proper start point, and restart the duplication process.
Another early tape duplicating apparatus for transferring information from a master tape onto plural slave tapes employed a reel-to-reel master tape transport and on play-through the information was recorded on each of the slave tapes. Thereafter, the master had to be rewound and then replayed to transfer the master information to the slave tapes a second time, and so on, an obviously unacceptably slow process for the mass production of prerecorded programs.
A tape duplicating apparatus described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,410,917 to Newdoll et al, addresses the tape wear and breakage problem of such earlier systems and seeks to increase the duplicating speed. In this system, information recorded on master tape, which may be in either analog or digital form, is reproduced from the master medium at the same speed at which it is recorded, normally real time or a small multiple (e.g., two or four) of real time. The reproduced information is stored in a digital storage device (in the analog case after conversion to digital information) at the same rate at which it was reproduced. The digital information is then recovered from the digital store at a rate which is a multiple of the digital recording speed, is converted to analog information and applied to a recording device for recording on a slave medium. The rate at which the digital information is recovered from the digital storage device and applied to the slave tape is not specified, other than that it is faster; however, the described equipment suggests that the multiple was only about six times real time. Furthermore, the method of bit-rate reduction used to achieve this speed puts in doubt the audio quality of the duplicated product.
While Newdoll et al. substantially eliminated master tape wear, and wear and tear of the playback head of the master reproducing device, and achieved some increase in duplicating speed over the prior art systems, the system would be inefficient and impractical in a production environment. Assuming, for example, a typical line in which digital information from the digital store is converted to analog and applied in parallel to fifteen duplicating machines, when the pancakes on the duplicating machines are filled the operator stops them, removes the fully recorded pancakes and reloads the machines with new pancakes. Changing fifteen pancakes and cleaning and lacing up the machines takes about two minutes, not a major loss of time if the production schedule calls for additional replications of the program then stored in the digital store; however, should the schedule call for duplication of a different selection, the master tape, too, has to be changed, and however the program information is recorded, it has to be loaded, in real time, into the digital store. A typical one-hour program, that is, up to thirty minutes on each side of a cassette tape, would take one hour, resulting in a loss of at least fifteen machine-hours of production. This number becomes extremely significant in a major duplicating facility which typically may have seventy selection changes during an 8-hour production shift, of which there may be two and sometimes three per day.
Another tape duplicating system in which analog signals recorded on a master tape are converted to digital form, stored in a digital storage device, and then transferred to slave tapes after conversion to analog form, is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,355,338. The digital store employs magnetic disks, each having plural magnetic head groups, on which digital signals are recorded on a time-axis compressed basis and driven in parallel to achieve increased signal transfer rate; the patent suggests that slave tapes can easily be obtained in 1/32nd of the normal tape translation speed. This system suffers the same disadvantage as the Newdoll et al. system, namely, that each time there is a selection change the slave machines are idled for the time required to load the new program information, typically an hour for a cassette tape recorded on both sides.
A primary object of the present invention is to provide apparatus for recording information reproduced from a master medium onto a slave tape medium which significantly improves the utilization of the slave tape machines.
Another object of the invention is to provide apparatus for recording information reproduced from a master medium which enables recording of information on the slave medium at the same time that information is being reproduced from the master medium.
It is another object of the invention to provide apparatus for duplicating information stored on a master medium in which master tape wear and tape breakage is essentially eliminated.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a method and apparatus for recording information reproduced from a master medium onto a slave tape medium at signal transfer rates which are large multiples of real time.
A further object of the invention is to provide a large duplicating system having many groups of duplicators each of which groups is capable of reproducing information from different sources and all or a desired number of which may reproduce information from a single source.

Method and apparatus for high speed duplication of audio or digital signals


A system and method are provided that allow for localization of a mobile device using detected magnetic signals and magnetic survey data. The magnetic signals may be produced by one or more magnetic signal sources, which are located at particular positions. The mobile device may be localized without information regarding the positions of the magnetic signal sources.

There are devices that use global positioning systems (GPS) to determine their current geographic location. However, GPS receivers typically rely on signals that are transmitted from satellites that orbit the Earth. Any obstruction in the line of sight to these satellites may prevent the GPS device from providing reliable location information. Accordingly, GPS is often not suitable for many environments, including indoor locations. In addition, many of the other existing solutions for localization within an obstructed environment do not provide accurate position and orientation information.

Mobile device position and orientation from multiple unsurveyed magnetic sources


A method for fabricating an optically transparent conductor including depositing a plurality of metal nanowires on a substrate, annealing or illuminating the plurality of metal nanowires to thermally or optically fuse nanowire junctions between metal nanowires to form a metal nanowire network, disposing a graphene layer over the metal nanowire network to form a nanohybrid layer comprising the graphene layer and the metal nanowire network, depositing a dielectric passivation layer over the nanohybrid layer, patterning the dielectric passivation layer using lithography, printing, or any other method of patterning to define an area for the optically transparent conductor, and etching the patterned dielectric passivation layer to define the optically transparent conductor.

Advances in IR imaging technologies for high-resolution wide-area surveillance are driving small pixel, high-density, large-format infrared (IR) focal plane arrays (FPAs). However, conventional metal contacts and metal grid lines used in prior art 3D heterogeneous integration partially cover the active area of a pixel, decreasing fill factor and quantum efficiency (QE).
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/183,237, filed Feb. 18, 2014, which is incorporated herein by reference as though set forth in full, describes IR-transparent ohmic contacts and interconnects and silver nanowire (Ag NW) network based Infrared-transparent conductors (ITCs). Ag NW-based ITCs, however, have decreasing optical transmittance with increasing wavelength due to reflections, which are quite significant for long wavelength infrared (LWIR). Also Ag NW networks are porous, which is not ideal for making contacts on small (sub-wavelength-sized) IR pixels operating at long wavelength infrared (LWIR) wavelengths.
The prior art for IR-transparent conductors includes the following. "Widely transparent electrodes based on ultrathin metals", Optics Letters 34, 325 (2009), incorporated herein by reference, describes ultra thin 2 nanometer (nm) Ni films with a resistivity of ρ˜200 μΩ cm (Rs ˜1 kΩ/sq.), and an optical transmittance Tλ of about 82% over a 400 nm-25 μm wavelength range. "Transparent, Conductive Carbon Nanotube Films", Science 305, 1273 (2004), incorporated herein by reference, describes a 50 nm thick single walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) film deposited on a quartz substrate, which provides Tλ>70% in the visible and Tλ ˜80%-95% in near infrared (NIR) with ρ=150 μΩ cm (Rs=30 Ω/sq.), and also describes a 240 nm thick SWNT free-standing film, which provides Tλ ˜6-35% in the visible and Tλ ˜6%-86% over a 400 nm-20 μm wavelength with no information on ρ or Rs. "Infrared transparent carbon nanotube thin films", Appl. Phys. Lett. 94, 081103 (2009), incorporated herein by reference, describes a 25 nm thick carbon nanotube (CNT) film deposited on a quartz substrate, which provides Tλ ˜70-82% in the visible, Tλ ˜82%-94% in Near Infrared-short wave infrared (SWIR), and Tλ ˜94%-85% in 2.5 μm-20 μm wavelength range with Rs=200 Ω/sq.
"Prospects for nanowire-doped Polycrystalline graphene films for ultratransparent, highly conductive electrodes", Nano Letters 11, 5020 (2011), incorporated herein by reference, describes a theoretical simulation predicting Rs and Tλ in the visible spectrum for a hybrid system using Ag NW doped with graphene, and describes such a hybrid system for high performance transparent conductors. The simulation results indicate that both Rs and its variation can be significantly improved by using the hybrid system without a loss of transmittance. "Improved electrical conductivity of graphene films integrated with metal nanowires", Nano Letters 12, 5679 (2012), incorporated herein by reference, describes graphene films integrated with Ag NWs that provide Rs=30-80 Ω/sq. for Tλ ˜90% at 550 nm. "Hybrid Transparent conductive film on flexible glass formed by hot-pressing graphene on a silver nanowire mesh", ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 5, 11756 (2013), incorporated herein by reference, describes a hot-pressed graphene film on an Ag NW mesh prepared on a flexible glass substrate, demonstrating Rs ˜14 Ω/sq. and Tλ ˜90% at 550 nm.
"High-performance, Transparent, and stretchable electrodes using Graphene-Metal nanowire Hybrid Structure", Nano Letters 13, 2814 (2013), incorporated herein by reference, describes Ag NW-graphene hybrid films which provide Tλ ˜94% in the 400 nm-1.5 μm wavelength range with Rs˜33 Ω/sq., and describes Ag NW-graphene hybrid electrodes fabricated on an InZnGaO (IZGO) film.
Although the prior art describes electrical contacts and interconnects that are transparent for some wavelengths, what is needed is electrical contacts and interconnects, and/or grids that are transparent over visible to LWIR wavelengths. The embodiments of the present disclosure address these and other needs.

All-wavelength (VIS-LWIR) transparent electrical contacts and interconnects and methods of making them