To satisfactorily carry out balancing even when balancing control is suspended. It is selected according to a condition which of battery cell information (old state information) by the last balancing stored in a storage device and battery cell information (new state information) acquired during a start of this time is used, and the balancing control is performed.

In an electric storage device mounted on an electric vehicle (EV), a plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV), or a hybrid vehicle (HEV), in general, a plurality of electric storage cells are connected in series to configure an electric storage unit. When there is an individual difference of an electric storage cell such as fluctuation in a capacity or self-discharge fluctuation among the electric storage cells, fluctuation occurs in states of charge (SOC) of the electric storage cells included in the electric storage device. When this fluctuation occurs, charge control is performed with reference to the electric storage cell having the highest SOC among the plurality of electric storage cells and discharge control is performed with reference to the electric storage cell having the lowest SOC. Therefore, energy usable by the electric storage unit decreases. When it is anticipated that a range of use of an SOC becomes wide as in the PHEV or the EV, in a state in which the SOC is high or low, deterioration of the electric storage cell tends to progress. Therefore, it is necessary to take measures for, when the SOC is too high, reducing the SOC and, when the SOC is too low, preventing a further decrease in the SOC. Accordingly, in order to eliminate fluctuation in SOCs among a plurality of electric storage cells that could occur when the electric storage cells are connected in series, there is proposed a method in which a balancing circuit configured by a bypass resistor and a bypass switch connected to the electric storage cells in parallel and electric storage cell controller for monitoring states of the electric storage cells are mounted and the electric storage cell controller controls the bypass switch of the balancing circuit on the basis of a fluctuation amount of a voltage. This method is a balancing method for forcibly discharging an electric storage cell having a high voltage and performing equalization of the voltage.
JP-A-2004-31012 describes that, only when an average value of charging capacities of all cells of a assembly battery is within a range in which a gradient |ΔVo/ΔSOC| in a charging capacity SOC-open circuit voltage Vo characteristic of the cell is equal to or larger than a predetermined value, capacity adjustment conditions for the cells of the assembly battery are determined and capacity adjustment is performed according to the conditions and that, when the capacity adjustment is suspended, remaining information of the capacity adjustment is stored in storing means and, when the capacity adjustment can be performed, the capacity remaining information is read out from the storing means and the capacity adjustment is resumed.


A method for determining an ophthalmic lens having unwanted astigmatism, the ophthalmic lens being adapted to a wearer, the method including: a wearer prescription data providing during which wearer prescription data indicative of an ophthalmic prescription of the wearer are provided; a wearer focal data providing during which wearer focal data indicative of the wearer preferred image focal plan are provided; an ophthalmic lens determining during which the ophthalmic lens is determined based on the prescription of the wearer and the wearer focal data to reduce impact of unwanted astigmatism of the ophthalmic lens for the wearer.

Usually, when determining an ophthalmic lens adapted for a wearer, prescription data are considered. The ophthalmic lenses, in particular progressive additional ophthalmic lenses may comprise unwanted astigmatism resulting from the optical design of the ophthalmic lens. The lens designer may modify the optical design so as to try to reduce the unwanted astigmatism however in some cases such unwanted astigmatism cannot be totally avoided or reducing the unwanted astigmatism requires reducing the optical performance of the optical lens.
Therefore there is a need for a method for determining an ophthalmic lens having unwanted astigmatism and adapted for a wearer so as to reduce the impact of the unwanted astigmatism of the ophthalmic lens for the wearer.
One object of the present invention is to provide such a method.

Method for determining an ophthalmic lens having unwanted astigmatism


In one embodiment, a shoulder exercise and stretching apparatus includes a forearm support, a forearm securing means for securing a user's forearm to the forearm support, an elbow support to capture the elbow of a user and keep the user's arm in a desired position to isolate the user's shoulder as a pivot point for rotation, and a rotation member coupled to the forearm support to rotate the forearm support through a desired plane and thereby provide an angular force to a target shoulder of the user. One or more handles, may be provided for grasping by a user's free hand to assist in the movement of the rotation member. Measurement means may be provided for determining the rotation of the apparatus. Resistance means may be provided to provide for resistance exercises of the shoulder.

It is often desirable to stretch and exercise a shoulder to increase the shoulder's strength, flexibility, and range of motion. For example, physical therapy programs, that include strengthening, stretching, and/or range of motion exercises, are often prescribed to assist a patient's recovery from shoulder injury. Assistive, passive exercises such as shoulder rotation and stretching exercises are generally recommended to rehabilitate the shoulder rather than active exercises. In a passive exercise, the shoulder is stretched and rotated in a manner that does not involve the tensing or exertion of the target shoulder muscles. In an active exercise, the target shoulder muscles are tensed or exerted during the exercise.
One therapeutic technique often employed is to stretch the shoulder through internal and external rotation. For example, a physical therapist may arrange the patient's arm in a desired position and rotate the arm through a desired rotation plane in order to stretch the shoulder. By supporting the user's arm and isolating the shoulder as a desired pivot point, a passive stretching is obtained which allows movement of the shoulder without tightening the target shoulder muscles. The therapist can move the arm into various positions to allow for both internal and external rotation of the shoulder in a variety of different planes. While this method works well, it requires the assistance of a physical therapist or other assistant to provide the necessary support and movement force.
Rehabilitation is most effective when a patient performs the exercises on a frequent basis, such as several times daily. Patient participation in an exercise program is usually increased if the patient can perform the exercises within the framework of his or her daily activities without the necessity of traveling to a special facility for ongoing supervision or specialized equipment. Exercise programs which can be performed by the patient in the home or the workplace without the assistance of a physician or physical therapist are desirable as it increases the availability and frequency of the exercise sessions.
But it is difficult for a patient to perform therapeutic programs without assistance from a physical therapist or other aide. Even with the aid of a physical therapist or other assistant, it has been proven difficult to apply a steady, safe, and consistent force to the shoulder for both internal rotation and external rotation. The extent to which the shoulder-related muscles are stretched or exercised can vary considerably between exercise sessions and even between different repetitions of the same session. When a person other than the patient is providing the force for the stretch, he must rely on the patient to tell him what the patient is feeling during the stretch, thereby making if difficult to determine the optimum stretch and obtain consistent exercises. Furthermore, it is difficult to document the amount of rotation or force exerted by the shoulder, thereby making it difficult to monitor a patient's performance and progress.
A number of shoulder rehabilitation devices have been developed. Most prior art devices, however, suffer from the fact that they are narrow in their purpose, only providing for movement in a limited number of planes and lacking the versatility to provide the full range of shoulder exercises that a patient may require. In addition, most devices do not provide for passive stretching in both internal and external rotation as well as both exercising and stretching. Furthermore, some equipment is large and bulky, making it difficult for a user to transport the device to the home and office, and thereby limiting the availability of the device and decreasing the frequency of sessions.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,352,174 to Mason discloses an active shoulder exercise system in which a patient moves his arm against the elastic resistance of an elastomeric tube while the device is anchored to the foot of the patient or a door jamb. While fit for its intended purpose, that device does not provide for passive movement, as it requires a user to grasp the device with the arm of the shoulder being rehabilitated, thereby tensing the shoulder muscles.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,520,615 to Fontana et al. discloses a self-assisted shoulder stretching and rotation machine in which one end of a rope is attached to each side of a forearm support to form a continuous loop. The patient lies in a supine position securing a forearm to the forearm support and pulling one end of the rope to move the forearm support in a first direction. While fit for its intended purpose, that device is not readily portable, does not provide for movement in a multitude of planes, is limited to a 180 degree range of motion (90 degree external and 90 degree internal), and requires that the patient be in a supine position.
Thus, there is a need for an apparatus and method that allows a user to perform passive stretching of the shoulder in both internal and external rotation and a broad range of shoulder stretches and exercises without the necessity of constant medical supervision or assistance from others. A shoulder apparatus is also needed which is portable and allows a user to perform exercises and stretches in a variety of different locations. A shoulder apparatus and method is also needed which provides for both stretching and exercise in an infinite number of planes. There is also a need for a shoulder stretching and exercise device that can be used by a user in a sitting, standing, supine or other position. There is also a need for an apparatus that allows a user to measure the stretching and exercise of the shoulder. There is also a need for an apparatus and method that fulfills the above-recited needs, yet which is relatively inexpensive to produce and maintain.


Provided is a method and apparatus for accurately estimating the volume of toner consumption of a laser printer by subtracting the volume of toner consumption corresponding to overlapping areas between adjacent bits of video data sequentially input by the bit from an average volume of toner consumption per bit. The apparatus includes an effective video data generator receiving video data and generating effective video data, a first storing unit receiving and temporarily storing the effective video data, and a toner consumption calculator receiving the effective video data from the first storing unit and calculating the volume of toner consumption per bit. The toner consumption calculator calculates the volume of toner consumption per bit by sequentially receiving the effective video data by the bit and subtracting the volume of toner consumption corresponding to overlapping areas between a bit and its adjacent bits from an average volume of toner consumption per bit.

This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(a) of Korean Patent Application No. 2003-90035, filed on Dec. 11, 2003, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for estimating the volume of toner consumption. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for accurately estimating the volume of toner consumption of an electrophotographic image forming device, such as a laser printer, by subtracting the volume of toner consumption corresponding to overlapping areas between adjacent dots.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a laser printer projects a laser beam emitted by a laser diode onto a photosensitive drum in response to a video signal of an input image. Toner is attached to the surface of the photosensitive drum, and the attached toner is attached to a sheet of paper, thereby forming an image, such as a character or a picture.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a conventional apparatus 100 for estimating the volume of toner consumption. The apparatus 100 includes an effective dot generator 110, an effective dot clock calculator 120, and a storing unit 130. Referring to FIG. 1, the effective dot generator 110 receives a video clock signal (VCLK) and video data, and generates effective dots at a high level. The effective dot clock calculator 120 accumulates and counts the effective dots generated by the effective dot generator 110 in response to a printing synchronous signal. The effective dot clock calculator 120 multiplies the number of the accumulated effective dots by the volume of toner consumption per dot and outputs a total accumulated volume of toner consumption. The storing unit 130 stores the total accumulated volume of toner consumption calculated by the effective dot clock calculator 120.
This method of estimating the volume of toner consumption does not consider that the volume of toner consumption corresponding to overlapping areas between adjacent dots should be subtracted from the average volume of toner consumption per dot. Hence, the volume of toner consumption is inaccurately calculated.
Another method of calculating the volume of toner consumption is disclosed in European Patent Publication No. 0587172, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. In this method, the integral volume of toner consumption is calculated by detecting the number of consecutive dots and the number of the consecutive dots is multiplied by the volume of toner consumption per dot. Integral rates are adjusted according to the intensity of an image (i.e., an increase in the number of the consecutive dots changes the integral rate).
To solve the problems discussed above and others, the embodiments of the present invention provide a method and apparatus for accurately estimating the volume of toner consumption of an electrophotographic image forming device, such as a laser printer, by subtracting the volume of toner corresponding to overlapping areas between adjacent bits of video data sequentially input by the bit, from an average volume of toner consumption per bit.

Method and apparatus for estimating the volume of toner consumption in consideration of overlapping areas


A frame buffer for a spatial light modulator in a image display system. The frame buffer is comprised of video random access memory devices (VRAM's) having sections of VRAM rows that receive a value from one bit position of all display rows. An allocation circuit provides addresses for filling said VRAM rows when data is being written to the frame buffer, updates an address memory as VRAM rows are emptied, and provides addresses for mapping VRAM rows to display rows of the spatial light modulator when data is being read out of the frame buffer.

A recent development in video display systems is the use of spatial light modulators, to take the place of raster-scan electronic beam devices. These modulators consist of an array of electronically addressable pixel elements. For display, light from each pixel is magnified and projected to a display screen by an optical system. The type of modulation depends on how the modulator is combined with an optical system.
A frequently used type of spatial light modulator is the deformable mirror device, in which each pixel element is a tiny mirror, each capable of separate mechanical movement in response to an electrical input. Incident light may be modulated in direction, phase, or amplitude by reflection from each pixel element.
For many applications, the spatial light modulator is binary in the sense that each pixel element may have either of two states. The element may be off, which means that it delivers no light. Or, the element may be on, which means that it delivers light at a maximum intensity. To achieve a viewer perception of intermediate levels of light, various pulse width modulation techniques may be used. These techniques are described in pending U.S. Pat. Ser. No. 678,761, entitled "DMD Architecture and Timing for Use in a Pulse-Width Modulated Display System".
Pulse width modulation uses various schemes for loading the modulator, including "bit-frame" loading, in which one bit per pixel for an entire frame is loaded at one time. Thus, for example, for 8-bit pixel resolution, the modulator is loaded eight times per frame, one pixel per frame at a time, with the load timing determined by the particular modulation technique being used. Several such methods are described in U.S. Pat. Ser. No. 678,761, entitled "DMD Architecture and Timing for Use in a Pulse-Width Modulated Display System". In those methods, the most significant bit is loaded for 1/2 of a frame period, the second most significant bit for 1/4, frame period, etc. The loading occurs in bit-frame bursts, during a "least significant bit-time" which is calculated by dividing the total frame-time into 2.sup.n -1 least significant bit-times, where n is the resolution of each bit. Either the bit-frame representing the least significant bit or the most significant bit may be loaded first, depending on the method being used.
Implementation of pulse width modulation requires the use of a frame buffer for incoming data. Because the modulator receives data in bit-frames, it is necessary for the frame buffer to receive an entire image before transferring data to the modulator. The frame buffer must permit one frame to be transferred to the modulator while the next frame is being input to the frame buffer. The most straightforward approach to providing a sufficiently large frame buffer is to provide memory space for two complete frames. In a two-frame memory, while the first part of the memory is being filled with the data from the incoming frame, the stored data from the previous incoming frame is being transferred from the second part of the memory to the spatial light modulator. After all of the data for the incoming frame has been stored into the first part of the memory, this data is transferred to the spatial light modulator while the next frame of incoming data is being stored into the second part of the memory. Thus, the two parts of the memory operate in a "ping-pong" manner, with each part alternating, on a frame-by-frame basis, between receiving incoming data and outputting data to the spatial light modulator. However, because this approach is expensive, a need exists for a means to decrease the required memory size.

Dynamic memory allocation for frame buffer for spatial light modulator


An ink set includes at least a magenta ink composition and a light magenta ink composition. The light magenta ink composition is formed with a pigment density lower than a pigment density of the magenta ink composition. A pigment used in the magenta ink composition is C.I. Pigment Violet 19, and a pigment used in the light magenta ink composition is C.I. Pigment Red 122.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an ink set and to an inkjet recording method and recorded matter using the ink set, and particularly relates to an ink set featuring excellent granularity and to an inkjet recording method and recorded matter that use this ink set.
2. Related Art
An inkjet recording method is a printing method which causes droplets of an ink composition to fly and adhere to a recording medium, such as paper or the like, to perform printing. Such a method features the characteristics of being capable of printing high-resolution, high-quality images at high speeds with a comparatively inexpensive apparatus.
In recent years, for such inkjet recording methods, ink sets formed of pluralities of color ink compositions have been constituted and the formation of color images has been performed therewith. Commonly, formation of color images is performed using: an ink set including three colors—a yellow ink composition, a magenta ink composition and a cyan ink composition; an ink set including four colors, with a black ink composition in addition to the above-mentioned colors; an ink set including colors other than those four colors, as secondary colors; an ink set including ink compositions (dark and light inks) which, while matching in color, have a variety of chromatic categories varying in shade (colorant density); or the like.
For example, as an ink set including colors other than the above-mentioned four colors as secondary colors, an aqueous pigment ink set for inkjets which features high color reproduction, color saturation and glossiness has been proposed (JP-A-2001-354886). This ink set is provided with a yellow ink composition, a magenta ink composition, a cyan ink composition and a black ink composition, and, in addition to those four colors, a green ink composition and a red ink composition.
As an ink set which includes dark and light ink compositions, an ink set has been proposed (JP-A-2003-238857) which is provided with two black ink compositions with different pigment densities and which improves color reproduction without adversely affecting granularity of low brightness portions.
However, with previous ink sets, a tendency for granularity of the recording images that are printed to be degraded has been apparent. Accordingly, various means for improving granularity have been tried, but the fact is that as yet images of sufficient quality have not been obtained.

Ink set and inkjet recording method and recorded matter using the ink set


Shear forces are used for essentially salt-free coagulation of plastics dispersions or rubber dispersions. For this, method of use is made of an apparatus with at least one shearing module which has a stator and a rotor arranged within the stator, where the surfaces facing toward one another in the stator and in the rotor are in each case smooth, or at least the rotor exhibits a structure formed on its surface and facing from this in the direction of the stator, and between the stator and the rotor there is a gap of predetermined gap width. The process is carried out by passing the dispersion to be coagulated through the gap between stator and rotor and precipitating the dispersion by rotation of the rotor with predetermined shear rate and shear deformation.

The invention relates to the use of an apparatus with at least one shearing module for essentially salt-free coagulation of plastics dispersions, and also to the process carried out with this apparatus.
Many polymers are prepared by homo- or copolymerization of suitable monomers in a liquid medium, e.g. by emulsion, miniemulsion or microsuspension poly-merization. Here, the polymer precipitates in the form of a usually aqueous dispersion of solid, from which the polymer has to be separated out, unless the dispersion is to be used as such.
The polymers are usually separated out from the dispersion by coagulation. There is a wide variety of different known methods for this. For example, dispersions can be coagulated by adding strong electrolytes. This is mostly done using salts which contain polyvalent cations, such as Ca2+, Mg2+ or Al3+. A disadvantage of this method is that relatively large amounts of precipitating agents remain in the product and impair important product properties. Downstream washing of the precipitated polymer with large amounts of water is therefore necessary, and this causes problems in terms of costs and the environment. Another disadvantage of precipitation with electrolytes is that the precipitated product is frequently produced as a clump which comprises unprecipitated material or excess precipitating agent, or as very finely divided material difficult to separate out by sedimentation or filtration.
It has also become known that polymer dispersions can be coagulated by subjecting them to high shear forces. Here, the respective polymer dispersion is subjected to high shear forces until the polymer particles agglomerate. If the solids content of the polymer is above 20%, the polymer coagulated in this way can become pasty to crumbly.
DE-A-196 54 169 discloses a process for coagulating graft-rubber dispersions, where coagulation is brought about using shear-precipitation in a stator-rotor arrangement. Both the stator and the rotor, which rotates within the stator, have slots through which the dispersion is passed radially from the inside to the outside as a result of the rotation of the rotor. The shear to which the dispersion is subjected here is strong enough for it to coagulate.
DE-A-29 17 321 discloses a process for separating out, from an aqueous emulsion, polymers which have a softening range above 100xc2x0 C., where the aqueous emulsion is coagulated in an extruder by shearing and/or heating to temperatures above the softening range of the polymer, and the coagulated material is then melted and discharged hot from the extruder, under pressure. The water is then separated out in a subsequent step. The process is very energy-intensive and requires a counter-rotating non-intermeshing twin-screw extruder for the precipitation. In addition, ammonium acetate is used as auxiliary to accelerate the coagulation, and this is undesirable for environmental reasons.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,821,348 describes a process in which acrylonitrile-copolymer dispersions or acrylonitrile-graft-polymer dispersions with a high acrylonitrile content and a very low content of elastomeric butadiene-acrylonitrile rubber are coagulated to give a paste, using a Waring mixer as the shearing apparatus, and then extruded through a fine die to give thin lengths and passed into hot water. The product is then washed, dried and finally shaped into lengths in a compression molder at 150xc2x0 C.
It is an object of the present invention, in the light of this prior art, to provide an apparatus and a process for coagulating plastics dispersions or rubber dispersions, with which cost-effective coagulation of dispersions of this type becomes possible without adding chemical coagulants.
We have found that this object is achieved by using an apparatus with at least one shearing module which has a stator and a rotor arranged within the stator, where the surfaces facing toward one another in the stator and in the rotor are in each case smooth, or at least the rotor exhibits a structure formed on its surface and facing from this in the direction of the stator, and between the stator and the rotor there is a gap of predetermined gap width.
For the purposes of the present invention, xe2x80x9cgapxe2x80x9d is a very general and inclusive term for any desired space between rotor and stator. The predetermined gap width may therefore also include the flight depth, defined as (outer diameter of a screw minus the diameter of the screw root)/2.
This apparatus has proven very reliable in the essentially salt-free coagulation of plastics dispersions or rubber dispersions. It is fundamentally very simple in construction, and no susceptibility to clogging has been found. If desired, additional conveying modules may be used to convey the dispersion to be coagulated to the apparatus and away from the apparatus after coagulation has taken place. However, the apparatus may also be freely operated without conveying modules of this type. In particular, there is no requirement to use, for example, pressure vessels or pumps to ensure the presence of a certain pressure in advance in order to supply the apparatus with the dispersion to be coagulated.
For the purposes of the present invention, plastics dispersions are dispersions in which the homo- and/or copolymers have a glass transition temperature above 0xc2x0 C., whereas the glass transition temperatures for rubber dispersions are below 0xc2x0 C.
The predetermined gap width may be constant, but may also in each case vary within each of the one or more shearing modules. The diameter of the rotor here may decrease or increase in the direction of conveying. This decrease or increase in the diameter in the direction of conveying may occur more than once.
It has proven advantageous for the diameter of the rotor to diminish in the direction of conveying, or for the predetermined gap width to decrease in the direction of conveying.
The rotor may have a toothed-wheel structure, the rows of teeth in which have a circular arrangement radially around the rotor. If desired, the stator may have one or more approximately complementary rows of teeth. In this arrangement the coagulation mechanism is different from that with smooth surfaces of the stator and rotor. Whereas in that case coagulation takes place as a result of exposure to a continuous shear field, the use of a stator-rotor combination whose rotor has a surface structure, or of a stator-rotor combination with complementary toothed wheel or, respectively, rows of teeth gives a constantly repeating shear stress. The dispersion experiences a reduction in pressure once one of the rotor teeth has passed by the stator, only to be subjected again to strong shear at the next tooth which follows. This arrangement gives very intensive shear action. Depending on the requirements relating to the dispersion to be coagulated, a selection may therefore advantageously be made between a smooth stator-rotor system, i.e. a stator-rotor system with a smooth surface, and one in which at least the rotor surface has a toothed-wheel structure.
The rows of teeth on the stator and on the rotor may be approximately rectangular. They may also have an approximately star-shaped arrangement on the rotor. A helical arrangement of teeth is also possible, but for this there can be no complementary shaping of the stator.
Upstream and/or downstream of the shearing module of the apparatus used according to the invention, there may be a conveying screw with one or more flights, preferably arranged on the same shaft as the shearing module. The feeding and transport of the dispersion to be coagulated in the apparatus, and also the to discharge of the coagulated dispersion, can be made to occur of their own accord if a conveying screw is used.
The gap width may vary within a relatively wide range, depending on the dispersion to be coagulated and the product quality desired. Gap widths of from about 0.05 to 20 mm give good results, and even if the gap width is in the lower region no susceptibility to clogging of the apparatus is found. Typical gap widths which may be mentioned for a stator-rotor arrangement with a structured surface are from 0.05 to 20 mm, while for a stator-rotor combination with a smooth surface they are within the range from about 0.3 to 10 mm.
In a preferred use, the shearing module is a screw module, the screw of which forms the rotor. Particular preference is given here to a screw in which the diameter of the screw root increase in the direction of conveying. This of necessity results in a decrease in the predetermined gap width, i.e. in the flight depth in this case, where the rotor is a screw. Such a screw module is named a screw having an increasing root.
The shearing module in the form of a screw module simplifies the construction of the apparatus used according to the invention, since the screw can serve simultaneously as conveying screw and as shearing module. It has been found that this arrangement can also considerably reduce the drive power used to transport the plastics dispersion or rubber dispersion to be coagulated, where appropriate in the partially coagulated state, through the shearing apparatus.
The invention also provides a process for essentially salt-free coagulation of plastics dispersions or rubber dispersions using the apparatus described in greater detail above. In this process, the dispersion is passed through the gap between stator and rotor and is precipitated and subjected to a predetermined shear rate and shear deformation by rotation of the rotor.
This type of shear precipitation can be carried out without the addition of strong electrolytes, as coagulants, to be dispensed with. The process can also be carried out continuously.
If the shearing gap is smooth, the decisive parameters for the quality of the precipitation are the shear rate and, respectively, the shear deformation.
In a preferred embodiment, the shear rate is from about 100 to 100,000 sxe2x88x921 and the shear deformation is from about 1 to 100,000.
The rotor may rotate at a rotation rate of from about 50 to 10,000 rpm, preferably from about 200 to 8000 rpm. For a stator-rotor combination whose surface has a toothed-wheel structure, rotation rates of up to 8000 rpm have also proven successful.
The novel process may be used, for example, for coagulating plastics dispersions and preferably rubber dispersions, composed, for example, of:
from 60 to 100 parts by weight, based on the total weight of the finished dispersion, of at least one monomer (main monomer) capable of being incorporated by polymerization,
from 0 to 35 parts by weight, preferably from 0 to 20 parts by weight, of at least one functional monomer (comonomer), and
from 0 to 5 parts by weight, preferably from 0 to 3 parts by weight, of an xcex1,xcex2-unsaturated mono- or dicarboxylic acid.
The main monomer has preferably been selected from the group consisting of:
esters preferably made from xcex1,xcex2-monoethylenically unsaturated mono- or dicarboxylic acids having from 3 to 6 carbon atoms, for example acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, maleic acid, fumaric acid or itaconic acid, and from in general C1-C12 alkanols, preferably C1-C8 alkanols and in particular C1-C4 alkanols.
Particular esters of this type are methyl, ethyl, n-butyl, isobutyl, tert-butyl and 2-ethylhexyl acrylates and the corresponding methacrylates;
vinylaromatic compounds, such as styrene, xcex1-methylstyrene, xcex1-chloro-styrene and vinyltoluenes;
vinyl esters of C1-C18 mono- or dicarboxylic acids, for example vinyl acetate, vinyl propionate, vinyl n-butyrate, vinyl laurate and vinyl stearate;
butadiene.
Particularly preferred main monomers are methyl methacrylate, methyl acrylate, n-butyl methacrylate, tert-butyl methacrylate, ethyl acrylate, n-butyl acrylate, 2-ethylhexyl acrylate, styrene and vinyl acetate.
Particularly suitable monomers are:
linear 1-olefins, branched-chain 1-olefins and cyclic olefins, e.g. ethene, propene, butene, isobutene, pentene, cyclopentene, hexene, cyclohexene, octene, 2,4,4-trimethyl-1-pentene, if desired mixed with 2,4,4-trimethyl-2-pentene, C8-C10 olefins, 1-dodecene, C12-C14 olefins, octadecene, 1-eicosene (C20), C20-C24 olefins; oligoolefins prepared with metallocene catalysis and having a terminal double bond, e.g. oligopropene, oligohexene and oligooctadecene; polyolefins prepared by cationic polymerization with a high proportion of a-olefin, for example polyiso-butene. However, it is preferable for no ethene and no linear 1-olefin to be incorporated into the polymer.
Acrylonitrile, methacrylonitrile
Vinyl and allyl alkyl ethers having from 1 to 40 carbon atoms in the alkyl radical, where the alkyl radical may also have other substituents, such as hydroxyl, amino or dialkylamino, or they may have one or more alkoxylate groups, for example methyl vinyl ether, ethyl vinyl ether, propyl vinyl ether, isobutyl vinyl ether, 2-ethylhexyl vinyl ether, vinyl cyclohexyl ether, vinyl 4-hydroxybutyl ether, decyl vinyl ether, dodecyl vinyl ether, octadecyl vinyl ether, 2-(diethylamino)ethyl vinyl ether, 2-(di-n-butyl-amino)ethyl vinyl ether, methyldiglycol vinyl ether, and also the corresponding allyl ethers, and mixtures of these.
Acrylamides and alkyl-substituted acrylamides, e.g. acrylamide, methyl-acrylamide, N-tert-butylacrylamide, N-methyl(meth)acrylamide.
Sulfo-containing monomers, e.g. allylsulfonic acid, methallylsulfonic acid, styrenesulfonate, vinylsulfonic acid, allyloxybenzenesulfonic acid, 2-acryl-amido-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid, and the appropriate alkali metal salts or ammonium salts of these, and mixtures of these, and also sulfopropyl acrylate, sulfopropyl methacrylate.
C1-C4-Hydroxyalkyl esters of C3-C6 mono- or dicarboxylic acids (see above), in particular of acrylic acid, methacrylic acid or maleic acid, or derivatives of these alkoxylated with from 2 to 50 mol of ethylene oxide, propylene oxide, butylene oxide, or mixtures of these, or esters, with the acids mentioned, of C1-C18 alcohols alkoxylated with from 2 to 50 mol of ethylene oxide, propylene oxide, butylene oxide or mixtures of these, for example hydroxyethyl (meth)acrylate, hydroxypropyl (meth)acrylate, 1,4-butanediol monoacrylate, ethyldiglycol acrylate, methylpolyglycol acrylate (11 EO), (meth)acrylates of C13/C15 oxoalcohols reacted with 3, 5, 7, 10 or 30 mol of ethylene oxide, or mixtures of these.
Vinylphosphonic acid, dimethyl vinylphosphonate and other phosphorus-containing monomers.
Alkylaminoalkyl (meth)acrylates, alkylaminoalkyl(meth)acrylamides or quaternization products of these, for example 2-(N,N-dimethylamino)ethyl (meth)acrylate, 3-(N,N-dimethylamino)propyl (meth)acrylate, 2-(N,N,N-trimethylammonium)ethyl (meth)acrylate chloride, 2-dimethyl-aminoethyl(meth)acrylamide, 3-dimethylaminopropyl(meth)acrylamide, 3-trimethylammoniumpropyl(meth)acrylamide chloride.
Allyl esters of C1-C30 monocarboxylic acids.
N-Vinyl compounds, such as N-vinylformamide, N-vinyl-N-methylformamide, N-vinylpyrrolidone, N-vinylimidazole, 1-vinyl-2-methylimidazole, 1-vinyl-2-methylimidazoline, N-vinylcaprolactam, vinylcarbazole, 2-vinylpyridine, 4-vinylpyridine.
Diallyldimethylammonium chloride, vinylidene chloride, vinyl chloride, acrolein, methacrolein.
Monomers containing 1,3-diketo groups, for example acetoacetoxyethyl (meth)acrylate and diacetoneacrylamide, monomers containing urea groups, for example ureidoethyl (meth)acrylate, acrylamidoglycolic acid, methyl methacrylamidoglycolate.
Monomers containing silyl groups, for example trimethoxysilylpropyl methacrylate.
Monomers containing glycidyl groups, for example glycidyl methacrylate.
Dispersions suitable for the novel coagulation process, besides normal emulsions, are in particular graft-rubber dispersions which have been prepared in aqueous emulsion at least in the final stage of the graft polymerization, by grafting of the elastomers with the monomers for the graft shell.
For the purposes of the present invention, graft rubbers are in particular those graft polymers in which monomers forming hard thermoplastics, for example in particular styrene, acrylonitrile and/or methyl methacrylate, are grafted as a graft shell onto particle cores made from soft rubber. This is done by polymerizing or copolymerizing the monomers for the graft shell in the presence of the rubber particles. Suitable soft rubbers are elastomeric polymers and/or copolymers with glass transition temperatures below xe2x88x9210xc2x0 C., preferably below xe2x88x9230xc2x0 C. Particularly suitable polymers are elastomeric 1,3-diene homo- and copolymers, such as homo- and copolymers of butadiene, isoprene or chloroprene, preferably butadiene rubber, and also elastomeric acrylate homo- and/or copolymers with the low glass transition temperatures mentioned. Preferred polymers for the graft rubbers coagulated according to the invention are elastomeric acrylate polymers and 1,3-diene homo- and copolymers, for example homo- and copolymers of C4-C8-alkyl acrylates, in particular of n-butyl acrylate and/or 2-ethylhexyl acrylate. Examples of preferred comonomers for the alkyl acrylates are crosslinking monomers having at least two nonconjugated Cxe2x95x90C double bonds, for example diallyl maleate, diallyl phthalate, diacrylates and dimethacrylates of diols, such as 1,4-butanediol or 1,6-hexanediol, etc., and also allyl methacrylate and dihydrodicyclopentadienyl acrylate, used in particular in amounts of from 0.5 to 10% by weight of the total amount of monomers in the elastomer preparation, and also polar monomers, such as acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, maleic anhydride, acrylamide, methacrylamide, N-methylolacrylamide and -methacrylamide, and alkyl ethers of these. The proportion of the elastomers in the graft rubber is generally from 30 to 85% by weight. The novel process may be used without difficulty to coagulate graft rubbers whose elastomer proportion is more than 30% by weight, based on the total solids content.
Suitable monomers for polymerizing-on the graft shell are in particular monomers and mixtures of these which form hard polymers or copolymers with glass transition temperatures above +50xc2x0 C. The type of monomer(s) depends here to a large extent on the type of the thermoplastics which form the polymer matrix after blending with the graft rubber and with which the graft shell should have some degree of compatibility or affinity, in order to achieve a fine two-phase distribution of the graft rubbers in the matrix. Particularly suitable and usual monomers are those having from 8 to 12 carbon atoms, for example, styrene, xcex1-methylstyrene, and also styrenes and a-methylstyrenes which have one or more alkyl substituents, in particular methyl substituents, on the benzene ring. They may be the sole monomers for preparing the graft shell, or be used in a mixture with other monomers, such as methyl methacrylate, methacrylonitrile or preferably acrylonitrile, in which case the proportion of methacrylonitrile monomer units and/or acrylonitrile monomer units in the graft shell is from 0 to 45% by weight, preferably from 10 to 40% by weight, of the graft shell. Preference is given to mixtures of styrene with from 10 to 40% by weight of acrylonitrile, based on the total amount of monomers. Other preferred monomers which may be mentioned for preparing the graft shell are methacrylates and acrylates, preferably methyl methacrylate, which may also be used as sole monomer or as the quantitatively predominant monomer for preparing the graft shell. Other suitable comonomers for preparing the graft shell are maleic anhydride, maleimide, N-phenylmaleimide, acrylic acid and methacrylic acid.
Examples of the preparation of dispersions of this type suitable for the application of shear precipitation are described, for example, in DE-C-2 60 135, DE-A-3 22 75 55, DE-A-3 14 93 57, DE-A-3 14 93 58 and DE-A-3 41 41 18, which are expressly incorporated herein by way of reference. However, these are in the nature of examples. The application of the shear precipitation according to the invention is not restricted to the examples of dispersions mentioned here.

Method for coagulating plastics dispersions using a device with shearing elements


A single-piece oil control ring for a piston may include a body having at least one upper portion and at least one lower portion each facing towards a cylinder wall of an internal combustion engine. At least one of the upper portion and the lower portion may respectively define a first surface extending substantially perpendicular to the body and a receding second surface extending from the first surface substantially at an incline. The first surface may protrude towards the cylinder wall in relation to the second surface. The first surface may have a first area of contact with the cylinder wall, and at least 95% of the first area may contact the cylinder wall.

Internal combustion engines are energy transforming mechanisms used by most automotive vehicles, and comprise basically two main parts: one or more engine heads and an engine block. At the bottom of the head (s) are located the combustion chambers (on Diesel engines, the combustion chambers are generally in the piston heads) and on the engine block are located the cylinders and the crankshaft assembly. The crankshaft assembly is composed by pistons, rods and crankshaft.
An engine converts the energy produced by combustion of the (fuel and air) mixture in the combustion chambers into mechanical energy capable of imparting movement to the wheels.
Since the driving power required for moving the automobile comes from the burning of the air/fuel mixture in the combustion chamber, and in order to ensure a homogeneous combustion, without burning oil, and still to prevent excessive passage of gases from the cylinder to the crank-case, it is necessary to use rings for promoting good sealing of the clearance existing between the piston and the cylinder wall.
Most of modern internal combustion engines that work according to the Otto and Diesel cycles use three rings, two of which being compression rings and one being an oil control (scraper) ring. The compression rings have the function of preventing passage of combustion gases into the crank-case, and the oil ring has the function of scraping excess oil from the cylinder wall and returning it to the crankcase, controlling the thickness of the oil film, so that the operation of the engine will take place within the premises of design and operation.
Another important function of the rings is that of serving as a bridge for transmitting heat from the piston to the cylinder wall/liner, where dissipation of the calorie takes place through the cooling system.
The oil scraping rings may be composed of one, two or three parts.
Two-piece or three-piece oil scraping rings are employed in the vast majority of applications, by virtue of their good global performance.
A two-piece ring comprises an annular body provided with two trapezoidal annular protrusions that face the cylinder sleeve and an equally annular, internal and concentric expanding element.
A three-piece ring, in turn, usually has a first upper annular segment and a second lower annular segment, which are associated to an intermediate expanding element, which presses in a controlled manner the upper and lower segments against the cylinder wall. The force exerted by the expanding element, which is nothing else than a resilient element, is calculated so that the oil film on the cylinder wall will have the desired thickness.
A single-piece ring, in turn, has a more restricted application due to the fact of having much flexibility inherent in its design, which, on the one hand, imparts excellent conformability to the ring when in operation, adjusting easily, and on the other hand makes its surface finish more difficult, which requires the ring to apply a great tangential force against the cylinder wall in order to guarantee that it will end up conforming to the cylinder sleeve during the engine run-in.
This high tangential force causes a high consumption of fuel by the engine, and still higher during the run-in operation, which renders the single-piece-ring solution widely left aside with respect to the two-piece or three-piece equivalents.
Until now, nobody had developed a single-piece oil-scraping ring capable of conforming easily to the cylinder by virtue of its flexibility and, concomitantly, applying a low tangential force, even during engine run-in, guaranteeing the correct oil-film thickness and decreasing the consumption of fuel by the engine, as well as emission of CO2.


A system and method for providing a telecommunications network with an improved way of transmitting management data between individual network elements, wherein all network elements (NEA1–NEA4) of the first type, which are supplied with the management data, form part of an at least partly closed ring (T1–T4) by way of which the management data is transmittable in the payload area of the data signals.

The network elements of telecommunications networks such as SDH networks require management information for data transfer. In order to be able to provide such information to the individual network elements from a central point, nowadays the network elements are usually interconnected via a data channel network (DCN) for the transmission of management data. Management of the traffic is via PCs or UNIX computers which provide the management data to one of the network elements via a management interface.
For example the standardised Q3 protocol can be used for managing network elements, with the management data being transported between the individual network elements in areas of the header of data blocks, reserved for the data channel network, such as within the header areas of a multiplexer or a regeneration section of SDH signals.
Frequently however, network elements used provide for non-standardised protocols for management. This can lead to problems in areas where network elements from various providers are used if for the transmission of management data from one network element which for example provides for the use of the Q3 protocol, a path to the other such network element is used which leads via network elements with another management protocol. This means that the areas of the header of data blocks which according to the Q3 protocol are provided for management data, cannot be used for transporting management data because these areas may be used for other purposes by the network elements using another management protocol. Thus in this case transmission of management data by means of standardised Q3 routing and thus remote managing of the target network element is not possible. The same problem occurs analogously with any other management protocol which is based on the transmission of management data in the header area of data signals.
For illustration, FIG. 2 shows an example of a section of a telecommunications network with network elements from various providers. The network is divided into a first area A with network elements NEA1–NEA3 of the provider A and a second area B with network elements NEB1–NEB3 of provider B. The connections between the shown network elements NEA1–NEA3 of provider A are all routed via network elements NEB1–NEB3 of provider B. All data which is to be transmitted from one of the network elements NEA1–NEA3 to another of the network elements NEA1–NEA3, thus needs to be forwarded from network elements NEB1, NEB2, NEB3 of provider B.
The network element NEA1 of provider A comprises a Q3 management interface by way of which management data can be input by a remote computer. In the example shown, this management data which is inserted in the areas of the header provided for this purpose, of the data blocks leaving the network element, cannot simply be transmitted to the network elements NEA2, NEA3 which also need this management data, because the Q3 areas in the header of the data blocks in the area with network elements NEB1, NEB2, NeB3 of provider B may be used for different purposes.
The same problem is encountered if different network elements provide for routing of management data according to a single management protocol, but the network operator desires strict separation between management of various groups of network elements.
Similarly, equipment of various manufacturers may be used layer by layer, with separate management being necessary.
For this reason, in practice, so-called "tunnelling" is used for the transmission of management data via network elements which provide for another management protocol or for separate management.
With tunnelling, data which usually, in accordance with a particular management protocol, is transported to areas in the header of data blocks provided for this purpose, is inserted into the area of the payload. During subsequent transmission of data it is then immaterial what software protocols in network elements of other providers by way of which transmission takes place, are used. The data in the area of the payload is not subject to interpretation and distribution by software. Instead, simple byte-by-byte transmission is carried out, with strict standardisation existing in planes in close physical proximity, which standardisation is applied equally by all providers.
Insertion of management data which is really transported in the header of the data blocks, into the area for the payload, takes place via termination points TP in a network element (head-end NE) which has access to management data according to protocol. Here, the term "access according to protocol" designates access which is provided according to the management protocol used by the network elements between which management data is to be transmitted. Such access according to protocol can for example exist in a management interface integrated into the network element, with the management data being input by an associated computer. But access can also consist of receiving data blocks with the management data in the header area provided for this purpose, by another network element which uses the same management protocol.
The network element with access according to protocol, to the management data, comprises a termination point TP for every other network element which needs to be supplied with management data via tunnelling. Starting from the network element to which the management data is directly made available, in a star-shaped manner, tunnels are formed to the other network elements in which the management data is transmitted in the area of the payload of data blocks. Each of the destination network elements comprises a termination point TP by means of which the management data is taken from the payload area and inserted into the header of a data block.
In the case of SDH networks, for transmission in the payload area, management data can for example be inserted into suitable areas of the transported virtual containers (VCs) within the STM signal or the PDH signal. Possible suitable insertion points may be one or several bits in the R-bytes (reserved but so far unused) of VC-12 containers. Further possibilities may be one or several bits in the standard F2 byte or in one of the time slots, in particular time slot 0, of a transported 2M signal.
If a large number of network elements are to be centrally managed by tunnelling, via a single management access in one of the network elements, the problem is encountered that the network element with access according to protocol, to the management data, needs to comprise a large number of termination points, namely one TP for each of the other network elements to be managed, which are reached via network elements working with another management protocol. Thus this necessitates considerable effort by this particular network element. Furthermore, there is the possibility that in extraneous networks comprising network elements with other management protocols, unnecessary capacity is used if the same data is to be transported several times over longer distances. In addition it must also be borne in mind that in the case of a failure of a tunnel, the associated network element is for the time being cut off from the supply of management data.

Telecommunications network and method for transmitting management data


A autostereoscopic display system includes an autostereoscopic display configured to project images representing a left-eye view and a right-eye view of an image, an emitter configured to emit a tracer beam having a directional relationship to that of the projected images, a sensor configured to detect reflections of the tracer beam, and a processing circuit. The processing circuit is configured to control an emission of the tracer beam, receive feedback data from the sensor, use the feedback data to determine an impact site on the viewer corresponding to the tracer beam and adjust a direction of the tracer beam based on the impact site.

Autostereoscopic arrays direct different scenes to each of a viewer's eyes. This can be used, for example, to generate perception of 3D depth in images, or to display separate images to each viewer. However, if the aiming is not accurate, it can result in poor quality viewing. Thus, in addition to tracking a viewer, there is a need for the autostereoscopic array to confirm that the projected images are indeed projected to the viewer's eyes.

Systems and methods to confirm that an autostereoscopic display is accurately aimed


Disclosed is a cooling device for a turbine nozzle guide vane with a low-melting-point metal as a flowing working media. A plurality of cooling channels and a cavity are arranged in a guide vane. The cooling device includes a flow divider, a collector, a radiator and an electromagnetic pump, the cooling device and the guide vane form a closed loop. Liquid low-melting-point metal or alloy thereof as the flowing working medium is driven by the electromagnetic pump to circularly flow in the closed loop and dissipate rapidly through the radiator. Air cooling is not adopted in the present disclosure, cooling air originally led out from a gas compressor is saved so as to increase the propelling power of an aircraft. Air film holes do not need to be formed in the outer surface of the guide vane so as to improve strength of the guide vane.

Aviation gas turbine engines need to achieve design goals by increasing total pressure ratio and turbine inlet temperature in order to improve thrust-to-weight ratio and thermal efficiency. Especially, the efficiency of the engine is directly affected by the increase of the turbine inlet temperature. At present, the turbine inlet temperature reaches up to 1800-2050 K, and under such high temperature, higher requirements are provided for the heat resistance of all parts of a turbine. On one hand, new heat-resistant materials need to be developed; on the other hand, protective measures need to be taken for hot section components through advanced cooling techniques.
For a turbine nozzle, it mainly includes an annular static vane cascade consisting of an inner ring, an outer ring and a guide vane of the turbine nozzle, and converts a part of heat energy of combustion gas flow passing through the turbine nozzle into kinetic energy and discharge the gas flow in a certain manner, so as to meet the inlet airflow direction required by the working turbine. However, the working conditions of the turbine nozzle are very severe, a first-stage turbine nozzle is connected to the outlet of a combustion chamber, the guide vane is surrounded by gas flow and exposed to high and non-uniform temperature, therefore, the guide vane is easy to burn. Furthermore, the guide vane is in direct contact with high-temperature combustion gas; therefore, material selection, structure and cooling modes must be considered in the design process.
According to a traditional cooling mode, secondary flow introduced from the combustion chamber are used for cooling the first-stage turbine nozzle and a second-stage turbine nozzle of the turbine, and the cooled air flows are converged with a mainstream air flow. Specifically, air film cooling is adopted on the outer surface of the guide vane, cooperating with a cooling mode and turbulent flow columns and other structures in the guide vane. However, all of the introduced cooling air is led out from an air compressor, so that the opportunity of doing work is lost in order to meet the cooling requirement, and the heat efficiency and the doing work capacity of the engine are greatly reduced. Furthermore, under the condition that the cooling air does not participate in a thermodynamic cycle, heat is absorbed from the main combustion gas flow in the thermal protection process of high-temperature parts, so that heat loss in the main combustion gas flow is aggravated; unstable flow of gas flow is easily caused after the cooling air is mixed with the main flow, so that aerodynamic loss of the main combustion gas flow is increased.

Cooling device for turbine nozzle guide vane by liquid metal with low melting point


The present invention provides an electrically conductive paste for connecting thermoelectric materials, the paste comprising a specific powdery oxide and at least one powdery electrically conductive metal selected from the group consisting of gold, silver, platinum, and alloys containing at least one of these metals. By connecting a thermoelectric material to an electrically conductive substrate with the electrically conductive paste of the invention, a suitable electroconductivity is imparted to the connecting portion of the thermoelectric element. Further, the thermal expansion coefficient of the connecting portion can be made close to that of the thermoelectric material. Therefore, even when high-temperature power generation is repeated, separation at the connecting portion is prevented and a favorable thermoelectric performance can be maintained.

In Japan, only 30% of the primary energy supply is used as effective energy, with about 70% being eventually lost to the atmosphere as heat. The heat generated by combustion in industrial plants, garbage-incineration facilities or the like is lost to the atmosphere without conversion into other energy. In this way, a vast amount of thermal energy is wastefully discarded, while acquiring only a small amount of energy by combustion of fossil fuels or other means.
To increase the proportion of energy to be utilized, the thermal energy currently lost to the atmosphere should be effectively used. For this purpose, thermoelectric conversion, which directly converts thermal energy to electrical energy, is an effective means. Such a thermoelectric conversion utilizes the Seebeck effect, and is an energy conversion method for generating electricity in which a difference in electric potential is caused by creating a difference in the temperature between both ends of a thermoelectric material.
In such a method for generating electricity utilizing thermoelectric conversion, i.e., thermoelectric generation, electricity is generated simply by setting one end of a thermoelectric material at a location heated to a high temperature by waste heat, and the other end in the atmosphere (room temperature) and connecting conductive wires to both ends. This method entirely eliminates the need for moving parts such as the motors or turbines generally required for electric power generation. As a consequence, the method is economical and can be carried out without generating gases by combustion. Moreover, the method can continuously generate electricity until the thermoelectric material has deteriorated. Furthermore, thermoelectric generation enables electric power generation at a high power density. Therefore, it is possible to make electric power generators (modules) small and light enough to use them as mobile power supplies for cellular phones, notebook computers, etc.
Therefore, thermoelectric generation is expected to play a role in the resolution of future energy problems. To realize thermoelectric generation, a thermoelectric module comprising thermoelectric materials that have both a high thermoelectric conversion efficiency and excellent properties in terms of heat resistance, chemical durability, etc., will be required.
CoO2-based layered oxides such as Ca3Co4O9 have been reported as substances that achieve excellent thermoelectric performance in air at high temperatures, and such thermoelectric materials are currently being developed (see R. Funahashi et al., Jpn. J. Appl. Phys., 39, L1127 (2000), for example).
The realization of efficient thermoelectric generation using such thermoelectric materials requires a thermoelectric element comprising a pair of connected p- and n-type thermoelectric materials, and a thermoelectric module obtained by integrating thermoelectric elements, i.e., an electric power generator. However, the development of thermoelectric elements and thermoelectric modules has been delayed so far as compared to the development of thermoelectric materials.
In particular, the development of a method for connecting thermoelectric materials with a low electrical resistance is important for putting thermoelectric modules into practical use. In the case of thermoelectric generation using high-temperature waste heat of 673 K (400° C.) or higher, thermoelectric materials are connected using, as a binder, a paste containing a noble metal such as silver, gold, or platinum because a connecting portion formed by soldering is likely to oxidize or melt under such conditions. However, such noble metal pastes are not suitable when oxides are used as substrate materials, thermoelectric material, etc. because there is a large difference in the thermal expansion coefficient between the oxide and the noble metal contained in the paste. Thus, repeated high-temperature power generations cause separation at the connecting portion, resulting in increased internal resistance and lowered mechanical strength. The connecting portion therebetween also has a problem of a large interface resistance due to contact between the metal and oxide.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Conductive paste for connecting thermoelectric conversion material

National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology


The present invention includes methods of permanently modifying the surface of a substrate material so as to develop a microscopically smooth, biocompatible surface thereon. A portion of the substrate surface is first removed, as by etching, in a radio frequency plasma reactor using inert argon gas. A biocompatible polymeric material may be covalently grafted to the surface of the substrate material by radio frequency plasma-induced grafting. The biocompatible polymeric material is preferably the same as the substrate material but may be different. Alternatively, after etching, the surface of a substrate material may be subjected to radio frequency plasma sufficient to raise the temperature at the substrate surface to just above the glass transition temperature (T.sub.g) of the substrate material for a time sufficient to produce a microscopically smooth, biocompatible surface on the substrate material. Further, the present invention includes a prosthesis used in mammals, including an intraocular lens, having a polymeric material core and a biocompatible polymeric material covalently grafted to the polymer core by radio frequency plasma treatment.

Prosthetic devices or prostheses are commonly used in medical procedures to replace or augment defective organs in mammals and humans. Such prostheses are numerous and diverse in structure and application. Examples of prostheses include artificial joints, valve replacements, artificial skin, vascular grafts, shunts, plates and contact and intraocular lenses. Typical prosthetic materials include metals, ceramics, silicone rubbers, polyesters, polyurethanes and/or polysulfones. Synthetic polymers, such as polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), silicone elastomers and polymers of hydroxyethylmethacrylate (HEMA), are preferred polymers for prosthetic use in general and contact lenses and intraocular lenses in particular.
PMMA has several beneficial characteristics for prosthetic use, including excellent light transmission capability, good optical clarity, resistance to fluid diffusion and in vivo deterioration, ease in processing (injection molding or machining, for example) and ease in implantation.
A problem with typical prior prostheses, such as lens prostheses, is that they are manufactured by machining and also some by injection molding. In the former, the machining process typically leaves circular lathe marks or grooves visible at even relatively low magnification. These machining marks render the lens unusable until the lens surface is smoothed, typically by a mechanical polishing process. However, conventional polishing processes generally take several days to complete, have failure rates in excess of 30% and fail to produce a microscopically smooth surface. The surfaces of injection molded lenses do not show machine lathe marks. However, their surfaces are also not microscopically smooth and reflect the surface finish of the mold.
Also, typical prosthetic devices comprise natural and/or synthetic materials which are highly irregular on the cellular level. These rough prostheses, especially those which are implanted, can cause tissue irritation, cell proliferation, edema and scarring. For example, posterior lens capsule opacification is a prevalent problem among those patients who have received intraocular lens implants comprising conventionally polished PMMA and other similar materials. Pseudophakic precipitates on the surfaces of an intraocular lens can be indicative of microscopic surface irregularities.
It is desirable to modify the surface properties of such abrasive materials without changing the beneficial characteristics thereof by developing a microscopically smooth surface to discourage tissue adhesion and inhibit unwanted cellular growth. Prostheses which do not promote tissue adhesion, which inhibit cellular growth, and which are not otherwise toxic to living systems may be considered "biocompatible." The biocompatible modified surface should be resistant to deterioration over time and should have no adverse effects on contacting tissues and cells.
Those skilled in the art have long recognized the need for biocompatible, surface modified materials for use in prosthetic devices and other materials. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,961,379 discloses a bioimplantable device manufactured from a cross-linked, swollen, hydrophilic polymer. These modified polymers must be solid and must be swellable by fluid swelling substances. Once swollen, the solid polymer is polymerized with a modifying substance by, for example, high energy particle radiation.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,189,364 discloses hydrophilic polymers formed in situ by irradiating a mixture of hydroxyalkyl methacrylate and a cross-linking agent. This patent discloses a process for forming hydrophilic polymer articles or hydrophilic polymer coatings on other substrates, such as glass or plastic, by polymerizing a hydrophilic monomer system by high energy particulate irradiation, such as accelerated electrons or nuclear particles including neutrons, protons, alpha, beta and/or gamma particles.
Radiation-induced grafting of acrylic acid onto other polymer films is disclosed by Gazard, M. et al., "Lithographic Technique Using Radiation-Induced Grafting of Acrylic Acid Into Poly(Methyl Methacrylate) Films," Polymer Engineering and Science, 20:16 (1980). Gazard et al. disclose that, under ionizing radiation, polymer properties, such as solubility, may be modified. Ionizing radiation of polymers leads to the formation of free radicals and other intermediates, which may be used to initiate the grafting of a monomer to produce a grafted copolymer with properties different from those of the initial polymer. For example, a grafted copolymer of irradiated PMMA and acrylic acid is insoluble in solvents of PMMA.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,999,056 also discloses that an unsaturated organic acid may be attached to a shaped polymeric structure by ionizing radiation.
Other methods of altering the surface of polymeric objects include exposing the surface of a polymeric article to low temperature plasma or an electrically charged gaseous atmosphere, followed by contacting the surface of the polymeric article with a surface modifying compound as described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,344,981. This two-step method is generally called plasma-induced coating. Plasma induction has been described generally in U.S. Pat. No. 4,328,257, Yasuda, "Plasma for Modification of Polymers," J. Macromol. Sci. C. Chem., 10(3):383 (1978), Mittal, "Interfacial Chemistry and Adhesion: Recent Developments and Prospects," Pure & Appl. Chem., 52: 1295 (1980) , Akovali, G. and Hasirci, N., "Polymerization of Hexamethyldisiloxane by Plasma on Activated Charcoal: Investigation of Parameters," J. Appl. Polymer Sci., 29:2617 (1984) and Liu, W. T. et al., "Polymethyl Methacrylate Resist Sensitivity Enhancement in X-Ray Lithography by In Situ Polymerization," Appl. Phys. Lett., 44:973 (1984), for example.
Ionized vapor or a plasma discharge is typically created in a vacuum chamber in which the object to be modified is placed. The plasma discharge conditions the surface of the object by creating free radicals and/or ions. It is known, for example, that exposing the surface of an object to a plasma discharge, such as an oxygen plasma, enhances the wettability or hydrophilicity of such a surface. However, such treatment is only temporary. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,925,178; 3,944,709; 4,072,769; 4,096,315; 4,122,942; 4,123,308; 4,131,691; 4,137,365; 4,214,014 and 4,478,873 disclose examples of polymers whose surface characteristics have been modified by a plasma discharge.
Plasma discharge treatment may also be used to prepare an object for the attachment or grafting of a compound or material to the plasma discharge treated object. For example, a plasma discharge step may be used to condition the surface for grafting by creating free radicals to which a compound or material may be grafted. Such compounds or materials are generally called surface modifiers. Knight, P.M. et al., in "Surface Modification of Intraocular Lenses to Reduce Corneal Endothelial Damage, "Am. Intra-ocular Implants Soc. J., 5:123 (1979) disclose one example of a polymer object having a surface modifier attached thereto using gamma irradiation and radio frequency (RF) gas plasma treatment to generate free radicals on the surface of a PMMA intraocular lens followed by polymerizing hydrophilic monomers, in particular, HEMA and vinyl pyrrolidone, as a coating on the surface of the lens. While the coated surfaces exhibited enhanced hydrophilicity, the coated surfaces were not stable when sterilized by boiling. Surface modification by gamma radiation followed by polymerization on the surface, on the other hand, remained intact through several hours of boiling. However, such coated PMMA surfaces were damaging to rabbit endothelial cells and surfaces coated with dissolvable coatings, such as polyvinyl acetate, were preferred.
Another example of a surface treated polymer is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,312,575. This patent discloses a soft, highly oxygen permeable, hydrophobic polymeric lens which has a surface coating of an ultra-thin, optically clear, permeable barrier. The coating is the reaction product resulting from a glow discharge polymerization process conducted in a hydrocarbon or halogenated hydrocarbon gaseous atmosphere. While the plasma discharge process, itself, results in a hydrophilic surface, this patent discloses that subsequent exposure to a glow discharge atmosphere of oxygen or ambient oxygen yields a still more hydrophilic surface.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,409,258 discloses a method for rendering contact lenses hydrophilic by bombarding the lens of PMMA or silicone, for example, with a positive ion beam generated by a plasma discharge, such as an oxygen plasma. The lens is thereafter hydrated, preferably at an elevated temperature.
Examples of surface treated polymeric lenses for use in humans are included in U.S. Pat. No. 3,880,818. This patent discloses a soft contact lens that is flexible and physiologically compatible. The lens is made by manufacturing a hard, inflexible prepolymer, such as a hard acrylic acid-type polymer, and reacting the inflexible prepolymer with an alcohol to esterify pendant carboxyl groups with alkyl groups, hydroxy alkyl groups or alkoxyalkyl groups, containing no more than eleven carbon atoms.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,143,949 discloses a discharge polymerization and coating process for making a hydrophilic contact lens from an oxygen permeable, hydrophobic polymer. The hydrophobic lens is placed in a glow discharge apparatus containing an atmosphere comprising a polymerizable organic monomer, such as hydroxyalkyl acrylate or methacrylate, glycidyl methacrylate, propylene oxide or N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone. The glow discharge is used to polymerize the monomer onto the surface of the contact lens.
Other examples of surface treated polymeric objects include U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,228,741; 3,959,105; 3,985,697; 4,055,378; 4,277,595; 4,405,773; 4,430,458; 4,463,148; and 4,731,080. U.S. Pat. No. 4,731,080, for example, discloses a coated intraocular lens having a hydrophobic cross-linked vinyl-containing silicone polymer placed on the lens surface in solution.
It would be desirable to have a biocompatible, surface modified material and a method for producing the same, wherein the surface of the substrate material is cleaned, and active species, such as ions and free radicals, are produced on the surface by a plasma treatment to enhance subsequent grafting of a polymeric biocompatible material to the substrate surface to provide a substantially permanent, smooth surface on a cellular level. A method for grafting a polymeric biocompatible material to the surface of a substrate is disclosed in our U.S. Patent No. 5,080,924 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,260,093 the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. By pretreating the surface of the substrate material, the smoothness of the substrate and the grafted surface may be improved.

Biocompatible, surface modified materials and method of making the same


A positive photosensitive resin composition exhibiting excellent heat resistance is provided, which comprises an alkali-soluble resin component (A) and a photosensitizer (B), the component (A) including a resin component (A1) having a structural unit (a1) represented by general formula (a1) shown below:

Generally, electronic parts such as liquid crystal display devices, integrated circuit devices and solid-state image sensors are provided with color filters, interlayer insulation films and lenses. These color filters, interlayer insulation films and lenses are produced from a photosensitive resin composition, and are required to possess various properties such as transparency and heat resistance. For example, a color filter used for a color display apparatus provided with a liquid crystal display device typically has a structure in which pixels (color layer) of red (R), green (G) and blue (B) are surrounded by what is called a "black matrix" which is a lattice light-proof layer.
As a method for forming the color layer and light-proof layer (such as a black matrix) of a color filter, a photolithography method has been known in which a photosensitive resin composition containing a colorant is used.
As the photosensitive resin composition for producing a color layer or a light-proof layer (such as a black matrix) by the photolithography method, a "negative-type" which cures upon irradiation of light has been put into practical use. However, a photosensitive resin composition which contains a colorant used for forming a color filter by the photolithography method is required to be capable of forming a fine pattern such as a black matrix or a color layer (pixels) with an excellent profile. Therefore, it has been desired that the conventional "negative-type" be replaced by a "positive-type", and the "positive-type" has begun to be proposed (see Patent Document 1).
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. 2003-270784

Photosensitive resin composition and color filter

Abstract: wherein R0 represents a hydrogen atom or a methyl group; R1 represents a single bond or an alkylene group of 1 to 5 carbon atoms; R2 represents an alkyl group of 1 to 5 carbon atoms; and a represents an integer of 1 to 5, and b represents 0 or an integer of 1 to 4, with the proviso that the sum of a and b is 5 or less, and when two or more R2 are present, R2 may be the same or different.


Control parameter (target opening) Xm is stored in a memory and the Xm value stored in the memory is used instead of a PBR value to calculate a deviation S value by a conventional control system. Change amount .DELTA.Xm of a first-order lag is found in response to the S value and the Xm value is corrected. The corrected Xm value is stored in the memory to update the memory contents and is transmitted to an air mix door actuator as a command value.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an air mix controller appropriate for an automobile air conditioner using a plurality of actuators of the same kind.
2. Description of the Related Art
A control system wherein door driving actuators are unified all to PBR actuators containing ICs for comprehensively controlling the actuators by an auto amplifier using serial communication over one communication line, which will be hereinafter referred to as "air conditioning LAN system, for decreasing the number of harnesses and reducing system costs is developed at present as an actuator control system used for an automobile air conditioner.
By the way, a method as shown in a flowchart in FIG. 3 is available as a conventional air mix control method in general automobile air conditioners other than the air conditioning LAN system. Here, only a brief description is given because a detailed description will be given later. Generally, the main body of an automobile air conditioner is made up of an intake unit for selectively introducing inside or outside air of an automobile, a cooling unit containing an evaporator forming a cooler cycle, and a heater unit containing a heater core circulating engine cooling water for controlling the heat air amount with an air mix door so as to adjust a temperature.
To control an actuator for driving the air mix door (air mix door actuator), an auto amplifier first inputs various data values, such as setup temperature, cabin temperature, outside air temperature, solar radiation amount, and suction temperature (air temperature at the cooling unit exit, namely, temperature of air sucked into the heater unit making a temperature adjustment) at step S21 and calculates a target temperature in the cabin (target room temperature) according to a predetermined calculation expression at step S22, then inputs the door opening value detected by PBR (PBR value) at step S23 and calculates the current opening of the air mix door, X, using a predetermined calculation expression according to the PBR characteristic considering a link, etc., at step S24. Then, at step S25, the auto amplifier calculates deviation S value according to a predetermined calculation expression from the target room temperature found at step S22 and the door opening X found at step S24.
When the S value is found, the auto amplifier compares the S value with .+-.2.degree. C. at step S26. As the result of the comparison, if the S value is less than -2.degree. C., the auto amplifier drives the actuator to the cool side at step S27; if the S value lies in the range of -2.degree. C. to +2.degree. C., the auto amplifier holds the actuator at step S28; if the S value is greater than +2.degree. C., the auto amplifier drives the actuator to the hot side at step S29. At the termination of steps S26 to S29, the auto amplifier returns to step S21 and repeats execution of step S21 and the following steps in a predetermined short control cycle.
However, such an air mix control method cannot be applied to the air conditioning LAN system. The reason why the method cannot be applied to the system is as follows: In the air conditioning LAN system, the auto amplifier simply transmits control data (target position) to actuators and the actuators perform specific positioning of doors on their own while monitoring the current positions according to the target position data, thus the detected PBR value is processed in the air mix door actuator and is not fed back into the auto amplifier.
Therefore, to construct the air conditioning LAN system, a new air mix control method (control program) for the system needs to be designed. At this time, if the minimum change is only required based on the conventional control program described above (see FIG. 3), it is extremely desirable because the conventional technique (control system) is followed, whereby the number of development steps is decreased and the control program reliability is also maintained.

Air mix controller of automobile air conditioner


A frame assembly is used to mount a screen. The frame assembly includes screen-perimeter members and frame-splice members. The splice members permit the perimeter members to be separated into segments.

Projection screens are used with projectors to present visual information to one or more viewers. In particular, relatively large projection screens can be used to present information to a relatively large number of viewers at the same time. Even when not necessary to accommodate a large group, viewers often appreciate relatively large projection screens. Typically, such projection screens are mounted on a structural support or frame assembly which spans the entire perimeter region of the projection screen and holds the projection screen substantially flat in an assembled viewing configuration.
However, storing and transporting large projection screens can raise many issues. The large size and awkward shape of projection screen systems makes them difficult to easily transport. For example, it is difficult and costly to transport a frame assembly for projection screens because screens are typically large in two dimensions and small in one dimension. This requires packages used to ship the frame assembly to be long enough to accommodate the longest dimension of the projection screen. Furthermore, the long thin boxes that most screen assemblies are shipped in may be vulnerable to bending. Thus, the screen and frame assembly may be easily damaged during transportation and may be difficult to store.
Some known solutions have attempted to mitigate these issues by providing screen frame assemblies capable of being assembled from smaller components, but such systems have not been entirely satisfactory in providing a straight, strong, and secure structure capable of holding the screen tight and substantially flat during viewing. Such systems have also not been entirely satisfactory in providing a frame assembly with a supporting structure which remains hidden from view so as to maintain a pleasing aesthetic appearance to the viewer from the viewing region.
To address these needs, the present invention provides a configurable frame assembly which may be selectively assembled and disassembled in a simple and cost effective manner for ease of shipping and storage, and which maintains rigid support for the projection screen without detracting from the aesthetic visual qualities of the viewing area of the projection screen system.

Frame assembly for a projection screen system


A medicine supply apparatus to discharge a medicine into packing paper having a nozzle for discharging a medicine from a tablet case and a shutter rotatably provided in the nozzle for opening/closing a medicine drop path. The shutter includes a first rotatable shutter plate of a size capable of closing the inside of the nozzle, a second shutter plate swingably connected to the tip of the first shutter plate, and a guide for swinging the second shutter plate in a direction opposite to the direction of rotation of the first shutter plate in a final stage of the medicine discharge while the first shutter plate is opened. The tip of the second shutter plate is located in a position to narrow an outlet of the medicine drop path when the first shutter plate is opened.

The present invention relates to a medicine supply apparatus that supplies medicines contained in a tablet case by the quantity specified by a prescription of a doctor, or that supplies and packs the medicines in a hospital, a pharmacy, or the like.
In hospitals or pharmacies, a medicine supply apparatus (tablet packing apparatus) has been conventionally used to offer medicines prescribed by a doctor to a patient. In such an apparatus, the medicines (tablets, capsules, or the like) in the quantity described in a prescription are discharged from a discharge drum (alignment board) in a tablet case (tablet containing/supplying body) one by one, then collected by a hopper, then discharged and projected into packing paper (medicine packing sheet) folded in half via a nozzle, and then packed per dose (e.g. see JP-A-H08-11805).
In the nozzle for discharging and projecting the medicines into the packing paper folded in half, there is provided a shutter for controlling projection of the medicines by opening/closing a medicine drop path in the nozzle. On the other hand, the medicine drop path in the nozzle is configured such that an outlet thereof is narrowed so as to enable projection of the medicines even into packing paper having a small depth (width). Consequently, there has been a problem that when discharging a medicine such as a long capsule, the medicine is blocked or caught in the nozzle.
The packing paper rolled into a roll generally has a substantially V-shape in cross section, i.e. the packing paper is generally open at its upper end and folded at its lower end (folded in half), and the nozzle is inserted into the packing paper from above. Consequently, there has been a problem that wrinkles or slacks occur on the packing paper depending on the size of the nozzle to thereby cause failure in packing condition.


Embodiments in accordance with the present invention relate to methods wherein a capacity of a disk drive is increased by partially overwriting adjacent tracks to shorten the track width and collectively updating a data update unit made up of a plurality of tracks, wherein the capacity reduction caused by a defective track is suppressed. Track groups having two types of track widths, or Shingled Tracks(ST) and Tiled Tracks(TT), are allocated in a zone. First, the zone is divided into two areas, namely, a shingled track (ST) area and a spare or tiled track (TT) area. When a defective track is detected in the shingled track (ST) area, it is checked whether or not the spare or tiled track (TT) area affords an area to be transferred. If it does, an area is transferred from the spare or tiled track (TT) area to the shingled track (ST) area. When it is confirmed that the allocation of ST has been completed, TT is allocated to the remaining spare or tiled track (TT) area in subsequent steps.

Embodiments in accordance with the present invention relate to a track allocation method of a disk drive. Particular embodiments in accordance with the present invention relate to a method of allocating a track group to a disk drive wherein there exist a plurality of track widths in a zone which is a group of tracks each having the same number of sectors.
As a method to improve recording density of a disk drive, its track width and track density are shortened. One of the ways of achieving this is to make a writing head and a reading head of the disk drive finer. By making the head finer, it becomes possible to write data to a track with narrower width. Further, the track density is improved by shortening the track width. The writing head and the reading head are fixed to an arm, and the arm is driven by a voice coil motor. Since the arm is moved by the voice coil motor, an error is caused as the arm moves. Therefore, there is possibility that the writing head juts out into the tracks on both sides of the subject track and destroys data. In order to prevent such data destruction, a track pitch is made to be larger than the track width to secure a writing margin. About 10 percent of the track width is provided on both sides of each track as a writing margin, which obstructs the improvement of the track density. The writing margins are needed on both sides of each track on the disk drive to write data to sectors at random. However, deletion of one of the writing margins becomes possible when writing data in sequence. Therefore, the improvement of the track density becomes possible that much. In other words, the capacity of the disk drive can be improved by about 10 percent even when using the same writing head, reading head, and storage medium.
The track pitch cannot be made narrower than the width of the writing head in the conventional method of writing data for the disk drive. Therefore, the smallest track pitch is determined by the width of the writing head. Accordingly, the method of reducing the track width to be less than the width of the writing head is needed to improve the capacity of the disk drive more than the amount of deletion of the writing margin. As such a method, the track width is enabled to be smaller than the width of the writing head by partially overwriting the adjacent tracks in U.S. Pat. No. 6,185,063 and WO99/45534.
In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 6,185,063 proposes two methods, namely, "write seldom format" and "paired format," as methods of overwriting tracks partially. The rate of reducing the track width is improved if a given track is made unable to be overwritten in a given order in the "write seldom format" by partially overwriting a plurality of tracks mutually. On the other hand, in the "paired format," the rate of reducing the track width decreases if a given track is made unable to be overwritten in a given order by partially overwriting two adjacent tracks.
In the case of saving data like video and audio data of which main purpose is referencing, since contents of the file storing video and audio data are hardly necessary to be updated, they are saved on the "write seldom format" track. On the other hand, since updating takes place in meta information, which is management information of a file, simply by reading the file. Therefore, it is effective to save it on the track of the "paired format."
Further, WO99/45534 proposes a disk drive wherein a zone comprising tracks each having the same number of sectors is divided into a plurality of areas whose track pitches are different.
Deletion of one of the writing margins of the track means that the track is limited to be written in one direction. This also means that it is necessary to divide an area on a storage medium into a plurality of areas and rewrite those areas collectively. Namely, when troubles such as a power failure and a runaway of a host take place and the writing processing is interrupted, there is possibility of destroying data of the track to be written to next because the writing margin doesn't exist. In the "magnetic disk drive" described in WO99/45534, due to its structure wherein adjacent tracks are partially overwritten, the data overwritten are lost.
To prevent such data destruction, WO99/45534 proposes to write additionally for each track or sector and to manage the relation between a logical block address (Logical Block Address, LBA) and a physical block address (Physical Block Address, PBA) by an address translation table. In this method, however, there is a problem of the address translation table becoming huge in volume. For example, when address translation of each sector on a disk drive with capacity of 100 GB is managed, the width of 28 bits is needed in LBA since there are 200 M numbers of sectors and one entry of the address translation table becomes 56 bits. Thus, the size of the address translation table becomes 1.4 GB. Since such a huge address translation table will be stored on the storage medium of the disk drive, the capacity of the disk drive is reduced. Further, since it takes time to search the address translation table, the performance of the disk drive is also lowered.
In order to avoid the performance degradation of the disk drive when updating data, it is effective for a high-order device to update collectively not a sector or a track but a plurality of tracks of which adjacent tracks are partially overwritten. It is desirable that sizes of subject data are the same capacity for the high-order device to update data collectively. There is a technique to allow such data updating wherein the same numbers of tracks are grouped in a zone and regarded as a unit of data update, and wherein the number of tracks in the zone is made to be an integral multiple of the number of tracks of the data update unit.
On the storage medium, there exist defective sectors where data cannot be read out due to the defects made when the storage medium is manufactured and the aged deterioration. Since defective sectors are generated stochastically, the servo data containing positioning information of a head might become a defective sector. The servo data are recorded in a plurality of places on the same track. When some of such servo data are defective sectors, the entire track is assumed to be a defective track and its use is prohibited. Therefore, if the number of tracks in the zone is an integral multiple of the number of tracks to be a data update unit, the track group whose number of tracks doesn't reach the number of tracks of the data update unit cannot be used even when only one defective track is generated. In order to cope with such a problem, there is a method wherein a spare track is prepared in the zone and a defective track is replaced with the spare track. Since it is not possible to predict how many defective tracks are generated, more spare tracks than actually required may be prepared. Because the effective capacity decreases as much as the amount of unused spare tracks, the effect of partially overwriting the adjacent tracks and increasing the capacity is lowered.
WO99/45534 proposes a disk drive wherein a track group with a plurality of track pitches exists in a zone. However, it doesn't disclose a method of allocating tracks to solve the above-described problem.

Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands B.V.