A battery module and a vehicle including a battery module. A battery module includes: a housing including an inlet to pass air from an outside of the housing into an interior of the housing; at least one rechargeable battery housed in the interior of the housing; and an opening/closing member configured to control an opening state of the inlet according to a pressure of the air acting against the opening/closing member from the outside of the housing.

1. Field
Aspects of embodiments of the present invention relate to a battery module.
2. Description of the Related Art
A rechargeable battery is a battery that can be recharged and discharged, unlike a primary battery that cannot be recharged. A low-capacity rechargeable battery is commonly used for small portable electronic devices, such as a mobile phone, a notebook computer, and a camcorder, and a large-capacity rechargeable battery may be used as a power supply for driving a motor of an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle. Recently, a high-output rechargeable battery using a non-aqueous electrolyte solution of high energy density has been developed. The high-output rechargeable battery is configured as a large-capacity battery module in which a plurality of rechargeable batteries are connected to each other in series so as to be used to drive a motor of a device requiring a large amount of power, such as an electric vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, or the like. The battery module is made up of several to tens of rechargeable batteries. Therefore, heat generated from each of the rechargeable batteries should be able to be easily emitted. When heat is not emitted, the internal temperature of the rechargeable battery increases, and, as a result, adverse reactions occur, thereby shortening the life span of the rechargeable battery. Further, when the temperature of the rechargeable battery is continuously increased, the rechargeable battery may combust or explode. The battery module includes a plurality of rechargeable batteries and a housing for receiving the rechargeable batteries and forming a shape, and a fan for cooling the rechargeable batteries is installed in the housing. However, when a cooling fan is installed, the volume of the battery module is increased, and power for driving the fan is consumed to deteriorate output of the battery module. The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the described technology and therefore it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art.

Battery module including opening/closing member to control opening state of inlet of housing


Disclosed is an imaging member which comprises a conductive substrate, a photogenerating material, a charge transport material, and a polymeric binder comprising (a) a first polymer comprising a polycarbonate, and (b) a second polymer of the formulae I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, or X as further defined herein.

The present invention is directed to improved photosensitive imaging members. More specifically, the present invention is directed to photosensitive imaging members containing improved polymeric binders. One embodiment of the present invention is directed to an imaging member which comprises a conductive substrate, a photogenerating material, a charge transport material, and a polymeric binder comprising (a) a first polymer comprising a polycarbonate, and (b) a second polymer of the formula ##STR1## wherein x is an integer of 0 or 1, A is ##STR2## or mixtures thereof, B is ##STR3## wherein v is an integer of from 1 to about 20, EQU --(CH.sub.2 O).sub.t --
wherein t is an integer of from 1 to about 20, ##STR4## wherein z is an integer of from 2 to about 20, ##STR5## wherein u is an integer of from 1 to about 20, ##STR6## wherein w is an integer of from 1 to about 20, ##STR7## or mixtures thereof, C is ##STR8## or mixtures thereof, wherein R is an alkyl group, an aryl group, an arylalkyl group, or mixtures thereof, and m and n are integers representing the numbers of repeating units.
The formation and development of images on the surface of photoconductive materials by electrostatic means is well known. The basic electrophotographic imaging process, as taught by C. F. Carlson in U.S. Pat. No. 2,297,691, entails placing a uniform electrostatic charge on a photoconductive imaging member, exposing the imaging member to a light and shadow image to dissipate the charge on the areas of the imaging member exposed to the light, and developing the resulting electrostatic latent image by depositing on the image a finely divided electroscopic material known as toner. The toner will normally be attracted to those areas of the imaging member which retain a charge, thereby forming a toner image corresponding to the electrostatic latent image. This developed image may then be transferred to a substrate such as paper. The transferred image may subsequently be permanently affixed to the substrate by heat, pressure, a combination of heat and pressure, or other suitable fixing means such as solvent or overcoating treatment.
Imaging members for electrophotographic imaging systems comprising selenium alloys vacuum deposited on substrates are known. Imaging members have also been prepared by coating substrates with photoconductive particles dispersed in an organic film forming binder. Coating of rigid drum substrates has been effected by various techniques such as spraying, dip coating, vacuum evaporation, and the like. Flexible imaging members can also be manufactured by processes that entail coating a flexible substrate with the desired photoconducting material.
Some photoresponsive imaging members consist of a homogeneous layer of a single material such as vitreous selenium, and others comprise composite layered devices containing a dispersion of a photoconductive composition. An example of a composite xerographic photoconductive member is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,121,006, which discloses finely divided particles of a photoconductive inorganic compound dispersed in an electrically insulating organic resin binder. Imaging members prepared according to the teachings of this patent contain a binder layer with particles of zinc oxide uniformly dispersed therein coated on a paper backing. The binders disclosed in this patent include materials such as polycarbonate resins, polyester resins, polyamide resins, and the like.
Photoreceptor materials comprising inorganic or organic materials wherein the charge generating and charge transport functions are performed by discrete contiguous layers are also known. Additionally, layered photoreceptor members are disclosed in the prior art, including photoreceptors having an overcoat layer of an electrically insulating polymeric material. Other layered photoresponsive devices have been disclosed, including those comprising separate photogenerating layers and charge transport layers as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,265,990, the disclosure of which is totally incorporated herein by reference. Photoresponsive materials containing a hole injecting layer overcoated with a hole transport layer, followed by an overcoating of a photogenerating layer, and a top coating of an insulating organic resin, are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,251,612, the disclosure of which is totally incorporated herein by reference. Examples of photogenerating layers disclosed in these patents include trigonal selenium and phthalocyanines, while examples of transport layers include certain aryl diamines as illustrated therein.
In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 3,041,167 discloses an overcoated imaging member containing a conductive substrate, a photoconductive layer, and an overcoating layer of an electrically insulating polymeric material. This member can be employed in electrophotographic imaging processes by initially charging the member with an electrostatic charge of a first polarity, followed by exposing it to form an electrostatic latent image that can subsequently be developed to form a visible image.
Japanese Patent Publication 63-247757 A2, the disclosure of which is totally incorporated herein by reference, discloses an electrophotographic photosensitive body consisting of a body in which a photoconductive layer laminated on a conductive support contains a charge generating substance and/or a charge transporting substance, and at least one polyether ketone polymer consisting of structural units which can be expressed by the following general formulae (I) and (II) ##STR9## wherein m is 0 or 1 and Ar indicates ##STR10## wherein R is an alkyl group, n is 0, 1, or 2, and X indicates ##STR11## with R' and R" each independently indicating --H, --CH.sub.3, --C.sub.2 H.sub.5, ##STR12## wherein the proportion of structural units in the polymer expressed by the general formula (I) is from 0.1 to 1.0 and the proportion of structural units in the polymer expressed by the general formula (II) is 0 to 0.9.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,336,577 (Spiewak et al.), the disclosure of which is totally incorporated herein by reference, discloses a thick organic ambipolar layer on a photoresponsive device which is simultaneously capable of charge generation and charge transport. In particular, the organic photoresponsive layer contains an electron transport material such as a fluorenylidene malonitrile derivative and a hole transport material such as a dihydroxy tetraphenyl benzadine containing polymer. These may be complexed to provide photoresponsivity, and/or a photoresponsive pigment or dye may also be included.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,801,517 (Frechet et al.), the disclosure of which is totally incorporated herein by reference, discloses an electrostatographic imaging member and an electrophotographic imaging process for using the imaging member in which the imaging member comprises a substrate and at least one electroconductive layer, the imaging member comprising a polymeric arylamine compound represented by the formula ##STR13## wherein n is between about 5 and 5,000, m is 0 or 1, Z is selected from certain specified aromatic and fused ring groups, Ar is selected from certain specified aromatic groups, R is selected from certain specified alkyl groups, Ar' is selected from certain specified aromatic groups, and R' and R" are independently selected from certain specified alkylene groups.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,806,443 (Yanus et al.), the disclosure of which is totally incorporated herein by reference, discloses an electrostatographic imaging member and an electrophotographic imaging process for using the imaging member in which the imaging member comprises a substrate and an electroconductive layer, the imaging member comprising a polymeric acrylamine compound represented by the formula ##STR14## wherein n is between 5 and about 5,000, m is 0 or 1, y is 1, 2, or 3, Z is selected from certain specified aromatic and fused ring groups, Ar is selected from certain specified aromatic groups, Ar' is selected from certain specified aromatic groups, and X' is an alkylene radical selected from the group consisting of alkylene and isoalkylene groups containing 2 to 10 carbon atoms. The imaging member may comprise a substrate, charge generation layer, and a charge transport layer.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,806,444 (Yanus et al.) and U.S. Pat. No. 4,935,487 (Yanus et al.), the disclosures of each of which are totally incorporated herein by reference, disclose an electrostatographic imaging member and an electrophotographic imaging process for using the imaging member in which the imaging member comprises a substrate and an electroconductive layer, the imaging member comprising a polymeric arylamine compound represented by the formula ##STR15## wherein n is between about 5 and about 5,000, m is 0 or 1, Z is selected from certain specified aromatic and fused ring groups, Ar is selected from certain specified aromatic groups, and Ar' is selected from certain specified aromatic groups. The imaging member may comprise a substrate, charge generation layer, and a charge transport layer.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,818,650 (Limburg et al.) and U.S. Pat. No. 4,956,440 (Limburg et al.), the disclosures of each of which are totally incorporated herein by reference, disclose an electrostatographic imaging member and an electrophotographic imaging process for using the imaging member in which the imaging member comprises a substrate and at least one electroconductive layer, the imaging member comprising a polymeric arylamine compound represented by the formula ##STR16## wherein R is selected from the group consisting of --H, --CH.sub.3, and --C.sub.2 H.sub.5, m is between about 4 and about 1,000, A is selected from the group consisting of an arylamine group represented by the formula ##STR17## wherein m is 0 or 1, Z is selected from certain specified aromatic and fused ring groups that also contain an oxygen or sulfur atom, certain linear or cyclic hydrocarbon groups, and certain amine groups, Ar is selected from certain specified aromatic groups, Ar' is selected from certain specified aromatic groups, and B is selected from the group consisting of the arylamine group as defined for A and EQU --Ar--V).sub.n Ar--
wherein Ar is as defined above and V is selected from an oxygen or sulfur atom, certain linear or cyclic hydrocarbon groups, or a phenylene group, and at least A or B contains the arylamine group. The imaging member may comprise a substrate, charge generation layer, and a charge transport layer.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,030,532 (Limburg et al.), the disclosure of which is totally incorporated herein by reference, discloses an electrostatographic imaging member comprising a support layer and at least one electrophotoconductive layer, said imaging member comprising a polyarylamine polymer represented by the formula ##STR18## wherein n is between about 5 and about 5,000, or 0 if p>0, o is between about 9 and about 5,000, or is 0 if p>0 or n=0, p is between about 2 and about 100, or is 0 if n>0, X' and X" are independently selected from a group having bifunctional linkages, Q is a divalent group derived from certain hydroxy terminated arylamine reactants, Q' is a divalent group derived from a hydroxy terminated polyarylamine containing the group defined for Q and having a weight average molecular weight between about 1,000 and about 80,000, and the weight average molecular weight of the polyarylamine polymer is between about 10,000 and about 1,000,000.
Copending application U.S. Ser. No. 08/976,004, filed concurrently herewith, with the named inventors Timothy J. Fuller, Leon A. Teuscher, John F. Yanus, Damodar M. Pai, Kathleen M. Carmichael, Edward F. Grabowski, and Paul F. Zukoski, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,814,426, the disclosure of which is totally incorporated herein by reference, discloses an imaging member which comprises a conductive substrate, a photogenerating material, and a binder comprising a polymer selected from (a) those of the formulae ##STR19## wherein x is an integer of 0 or 1, A is ##STR20## or mixtures thereof, B is ##STR21## wherein v is an integer of from 1 to about 20, EQU --(CH.sub.2 O).sub.t --
wherein t is an integer of from 1 to about 20, ##STR22## wherein z is an integer of from 2 to about 20, ##STR23## wherein u is an integer of from 1 to about 20, ##STR24## wherein w is an integer of from 1 to about 20, ##STR25## or mixtures thereof, C is ##STR26## or mixtures thereof, wherein R is an alkyl group, an aryl group, an arylalkyl group, or mixtures thereof, and m and n are integers representing the number of repeating units; (b) those of the formulae ##STR27## wherein x is an integer of 0 or 1, A is ##STR28## or mixtures thereof, B is ##STR29## wherein v is an integer of from 1 to about 20, EQU --(CH.sub.2 O).sub.t --
wherein t is an integer of from 1 to about 20, ##STR30## wherein z is an integer of from 2 to about 20, ##STR31## wherein u is an integer of from 1 to about 20, ##STR32## wherein w is an integer of from 1 to about 20, ##STR33## or mixtures thereof, C is ##STR34## or mixtures thereof, wherein R is an alkyl group, an aryl group, an arylalkyl group, or mixtures thereof, and m and n are integers representing the number of repeating units; (c) those of formulae I, III, IV, VII, or VIII wherein x is an integer of 0 or 1, A is ##STR35## wherein v is an integer of from 1 to about 20, EQU --(CH.sub.2 O).sub.t --
wherein t is an integer of from 1 to about 20, ##STR36## wherein z is an integer of from 2 to about 20, ##STR37## wherein u is an integer of from 1 to about 20, ##STR38## wherein w is an integer of from 1 to about 20, ##STR39## or mixtures thereof, C is ##STR40## or mixtures thereof, wherein R is an alkyl group, an aryl group, an arylalkyl group, or mixtures thereof, and m and n are integers representing the number of repeating units; (d) those of formulae I, III, IV, VII, and VIII wherein x is an integer of 0 or 1, A is ##STR41## wherein v is an integer of from 1 to about 20, EQU --(CH.sub.2 O).sub.t --
wherein t is an integer of from 1 to about 20, ##STR42## wherein z is an integer of from 2 to about 20, ##STR43## wherein u is an integer of from 1 to about 20, ##STR44## wherein w is an integer of from 1 to about 20, ##STR45## or mixtures thereof, C is ##STR46## or mixtures thereof, wherein R is an alkyl group, an aryl group, an arylalkyl group, or mixtures thereof, and m and n are integers representing the number of repeating units; or (e) those of formulae I, III, IV, VII, and VIII wherein x is an integer of 0 or 1, A is ##STR47## wherein v is an integer of from 1 to about 20, EQU --(CH.sub.2 O).sub.t --
wherein t is an integer of from 1 to about 20, ##STR48## wherein z is an integer of from 2 to about 20, ##STR49## wherein u is an integer of from 1 to about 20, ##STR50## wherein w is an integer of from 1 to about 20, ##STR51## or mixtures thereof, C is ##STR52## or mixtures thereof, wherein R is an alkyl group, an aryl group, an arylalkyl group, or mixtures thereof, and m and n are integers representing the number of repeating units.
Copending application U.S. Ser. No. 08/976,238, filed concurrently herewith, with the named inventors Timothy J. Fuller, Leon A. Teuscher, Damodar M. Pai, and John F. Yanus, the disclosure of which is totally incorporated herein by reference, discloses an imaging member which comprises a conductive substrate, a photogenerating material, and a polymer of the formula ##STR53## wherein x is an integer of 0 or 1, A is ##STR54## or mixtures thereof, B is ##STR55## wherein v is an integer of from 1 to about 20, EQU --(CH.sub.2 O).sub.t --
wherein t is an integer of from 1 to about 20, ##STR56## wherein z is an integer of from 2 to about 20, ##STR57## wherein u is an integer of from 1 to about 20, ##STR58## wherein w is an integer of from 1 to about 20, ##STR59## wherein (1) Z is ##STR60## wherein p is 0 or 1; (2) Ar is ##STR61## (3) G is an alkyl group selected from alkyl or isoalkyl groups containing from about 2 to about 10 carbon atoms; (4) Ar' is ##STR62## wherein s is 0, 1, or 2, ##STR63## and (6) q is 0 or 1; or mixtures thereof, wherein at least some of the "B" groups are of the formula ##STR64## or mixtures thereof, wherein R is an alkyl group, an aryl group, an arylalkyl group, or mixtures thereof, and m and n are integers representing the number of repeating units.
Generally the charge transport layer of a dual layer organic photoconductor employed in electrophotography consists of charge transport molecules dispersed in a single polymeric binder. Almost invariably, the binder of choice has been polycarbonate. Most transport molecules employed in the art disperse very well in polycarbonate and the devices containing transport layers of polycarbonate dispersed with molecules can be cycled for tens of thousands of cycles without any residual cycle-up caused by charge trapping in the transport layer. Phase separation of the molecules in the binder can lead to charge trapping and that can cause residual cycle-up. It would be advantageous to have a blend of two binders in which the charge transport molecules are dispersed. If the blend of polymers can be accomplished without phase separation, then it would be possible to tailor many properties of the dual layer device. The properties that can be improved include adhesion to the generator layer and the surface properties that affect the release properties, enabling easier transfer of the developed image and easy cleaning of the remaining toner particles. To be able to employ blends of polymers as binders for the transport layers, the two polymers should be compatible and should not phase separate. In addition, the charge transport molecules should disperse without phase separation in each one of the binders and in the blend of the two polymers.
While known compositions and processes are suitable for their intended purposes, a need remains for improved photosensitive imaging members. A need also remains for improved binders for photosensitive imaging members. In addition, there is a need for polymeric binders suitable for use in photogenerating layers in imaging members. Further, a need remains for polymeric binders suitable for use in charge transport layers in imaging members. Additionally, there is a need for polymeric binders with high glass transition temperatures. There is also a need for polymeric binders which enable the incorporation of high loadings of charge transport materials and/or plasticizers therein. In addition, a need remains for polymeric binders which exhibit good film properties and good adhesion to imaging member substrates. Further, a need remains for polymeric binders for imaging members which have high resistance to a wide variety of solvents. Additionally, a need remains for polymeric binders suitable for charge transport layers in imaging members which enable incorporation of charge transport materials such as N,N'-diphenyl-N,N'-bis(3"-methylphenyl)-(1,1'-biphenyl)-4,4'-diamine in the layer in amounts of 50 percent by weight and higher without resulting in severe plasticization. There is also a need for polymeric binders which can be coated onto photosensitive imaging members from a wide variety of solvents. Further, a need remains for polymeric binders in which charge transport molecules exhibit reduced or eliminated tendency to crystallize. In addition, there is a need for polymeric binders which have a reduced tendency to crystallize compared to widely used photoreceptor binder polymers. There is also a need for abrasion resistant and wear resistant photoconductive imaging members. Further, there is a need for photoconductive imaging members which are flat after oven drying. Additionally, there is a need for polymeric binders and transport polymers with improved wear and abrasion resistance compared to known polymers commonly used in photoconductive imaging members. A need also remains for photoconductive imaging members which are curl-free and stress-free after removal of coating solvents. In addition, a need remains for polymers suitable for use as adhesive layer materials in photoconductive imaging members. Further, a need remains for polymers suitable for use as protective overcoating layer materials in photoconductive imaging members. Additionally, a need remains for imaging members containing polymeric binders wherein the advantages of the commonly used polycarbonate binder materials, such as cost effectiveness, desirable mechanical characteristics, and the like, can be retained while also enabling additional advantages such as the ability to tailor the degree of adhesion between layers, the ability to tailor the surface properties of layers, increased solvent resistance, and the like, wherein these advantages are obtained by blending with the polycarbonate a second polymer which admixes well with the polycarbonate and exhibits little or no phase separation when admixed with the polycarbonate. There is also a need for imaging members containing polymeric binders comprising polymer blends which enable incorporation of charge transport molecules without causing charge trapping.

Imaging members with charge transport layers containing high performance polymer blends


A golf bag umbrella attached to the side of a golf bag for protecting the open end of the bag and golf clubs therein from the elements. The umbrella includes an articulated shaft, pivoted and locked by a button latch located above a lower end handle grip on the shaft. The umbrella ribs may be overbuilt to provide a strengthened umbrella that resists being everted in a moderate to strong wind. The umbrella may be removed and pivoted against the ground by a single hand of the user. The umbrella is readily attached to and removed from the bag by use of a pair of spring clips or clamps. During play in inclement weather, the golfer may use the umbrella conventionally, to protect himself, and then clip the open umbrella onto the bag, to protect the bag while taking a shot or stroke, and then readily detach the umbrella from the bag for protection, as the golfer walks to the ball to take another stroke. Also, with the umbrella clipped to the bag while taking a stroke, the umbrella will not blow away in the wind, as often happens with conventional umbrellas.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to umbrellas and, more particularly, to a golf bag attached umbrella with an articulated shaft, and dimensioned and strengthened so as to be immediately useable in the event of rain, to protect the open upper end of the golg bag and the golf clubs therein.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There exists a need for a readily available and deployable umbrella for golfers to use so that play can continue under showery conditions. It is important to be able to protect clubs, particularly the woods, should it rain while one is playing golf, and this is not an uncommon occurrence. Although many quality golf bags are known which are equipped with covers for the open top of the bag, often there is insufficient time to deploy such bag covers when a shower or rain arises suddenly. As for the classic golf umbrella, this is suitable for the player, but play must be interrupted since is difficult to place the umbrella and hold the same over the open top of the golf bag; most golfers would want to assure that the clubs stay dry, even at the expense of the golfer getting a little wet. Also, it is common for prior art umbrellas to become everted during even a moderate wind condition, thereby rendering the umbrella quite useless and, often enough, damaging the umbrella.
The instant invention solves these problems by providing an umbrella of extra strong construction, and a clip mount system, for holding the umbrella securely on a golf bag, the umbrella being easily opened to cover the clubs or club heads at the open end of the golf bag, the umbrella shaft being articulated and easily adjustable to a selected attitude by one hand operation only.
Several prior art umbrella constructions are relevant, and the following patents represent a cross section of several known umbrellas, including umbrellas with articulated shafts. The most relevant of the patents which are discussed herein is U.S. Pat. No. 3,304,035 issued Feb. 14, 1967 to Claude R. Davis, disclosing a golf cart attached umbrella including a crook necked, adjustable, articulated umbrella shaft having a base member semi-permanently attached to the golf cart handle. The umbrella is eccentrically shaped and may be detached from the cart. It is designed to protect the golfer from sun and rain, rather than the golf bag and clubs, and no provision is made for attaching the umbrella shaft directly to the bag.
The following patents are directed to somewhat more remote umbrella constructions. U.S. Pat. No. 2,905,187 issued Sep. 22, 1959 to R. Croce shows a garden umbrella with an articulated shaft, whereby the umbrella may be adjusted to one of three stable, locked positions or attitudes. However, the adjustment assembly is located directly at the pivot point on the umbrella shaft, no handle is provided, and the use of the invention is remote from the needs of golfers. Another umbrella having a three position tilting upper shaft, but with a button end key member for moving and latching the umbrella shaft in position being located almost directly at the pivot point of the assembly, rather than remotely therefrom, is seen in U.S. Pat. No. 4,877,045 issued Oct. 31, 1989 to Chin-Hui Lin. Another three or more position pivot shaft for an umbrella, again with an operating button and latch placed at the pivot point of the articulated shaft, is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 3,419,295 issued Dec. 31, 1968 to Samuel N. Small.
The following patent are directed to umbrella constructions having articulated shafts and useful with boats, to protect the occupants from the elements. U.S. Pat. No. 2,559,421 issued Jul. 3, 1951 to Jesse M. Garrett discloses an umbrella with a pivoting shaft, the umbrella being tilted to any number of positions, but using a pivot with a knob lock located directly at the pivot point of the shaft. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,765,434 issued Oct. 16, 1973 to Royal W. Riggs, another multiple articulated umbrella shaft construction is seen, but again the key or lock for the pivot adjustment or setting of the shaft is located at the shaft intermediate pivot point.
Another pivoting shaft assembly for an umbrella, with the latch mechanism again being located at the pivot point is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 3,145,720 issued Aug. 25, 1964 to Giichi Torii. Another umbrella tilting mechanism, wherein the two parts of the umbrella shaft are pulled apart slightly and then repositioned to set a tilted attitude to the umbrella is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,906,278 issued Sep. 29, 1959 to Samuel N. Small. Finally, a tilting umbrella having a pivot located between the ribs and stretchers of the articulated umbrella shaft is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 5,086,797 issued Feb. 11, 1992.
The prior art as just discussed in detail is not directed to an umbrella construction including an articulated or pivoted umbrella shaft, operable remotely from the pivot, and useful to cover the open upper end of a golf bag or, alternatively, readily detachable from the bag for use to protect the golfer.
Thus, none of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.


Systems and methods for creating a visual password are presented. A user having an account or profile is given the option to create a visual password via a graphical user interface. The interface displays a plurality of themes to the user, wherein each theme represents a category of images. The user selects a theme and is presented with a plurality of images within the category. The user selects one or more images in a certain order to create a visual password. The selected images and order of selection are saved as the user's visual password. When the user later attempts to electronically access his account, the user will be required to select the correct pictures in the correct sequence in order to access his account.

Currently, in order to electronically access a secure account, a user must enter a text-based password. The password is typically some combination of letters, numbers, and symbols. The user must remember this combination and keep it secure from others. Furthermore, many password-based systems require the user to update or change his or her password periodically, requiring the user to learn a new password. Text-based passwords may be difficult to create or translate across different languages and cultures.
These and other drawbacks exist.

System for and method of generating visual passwords


A cooling system for cooling food on board an aircraft includes a cooling circuit adapted to supply cooling energy to at least one cooling station, a refrigerant circulating in the cooling circuit selected such that it is convertible at least partially from the liquid to the gaseous state of aggregation on releasing its cooling energy to the at least one cooling station and subsequently convertible back at least partially to the liquid state of aggregation again by an appropriate pressure and temperature control in the cooling circuit, and a refrigerant container including a receiving space arranged in an interior space of the refrigerant container which receives the refrigerant circulating in the cooling circuit, the receiving space of the refrigerant container connected to the cooling circuit by a flow line for discharging the refrigerant from the receiving space and by a return line for returning the refrigerant into the receiving space.

A cooling system suitable for operation with a two-phase refrigerant is known from DE 10 2006 005 035 B3 and is used for example to cool food which is stored on board a passenger aircraft and intended to be distributed to the passengers. Typically, the food intended for supplying to the passengers is kept in mobile transport containers. These transport containers are filled and precooled outside the aircraft and after loading into the aircraft are placed at appropriate locations in the aircraft passenger cabin, for example in the galleys. In order to guarantee that the food remains fresh up to being distributed to the passengers, in the region of the transport container locations cooling stations are provided, which are supplied with cooling energy from a central refrigerating device and release this cooling energy to the transport containers, in which the food is stored. A cooling system with a central refrigerating device, as opposed to refrigerating units formed separately at the individual transport container locations, has the advantages of a smaller installation volume and a lower weight and moreover entails less outlay for assembly and maintenance. Furthermore, by using a cooling system with a central refrigerating device arranged outside the passenger cabin it is possible to avoid machine noises generated by refrigerating units placed in the region of the transport container locations, which noises are audible in the aircraft passenger cabin and hence may be found to be disturbing.
In the cooling system known from DE 10 2006 005 035 B3, the phase transitions of the refrigerant flowing through the cooling circuit which occur during operation of the system allow the latent heat consumption which then occurs to be utilised for cooling purposes. The refrigerant mass flow needed to provide a desired cooling capacity is therefore markedly lower than for example in a liquid cooling system, in which a one-phase liquid refrigerant is used. Consequently, the cooling system described in DE 10 2006 005 035 B3 may have lower line cross sections than a liquid cooling system with a comparable cooling capacity. What is more, the reduction of the refrigerant mass flow makes it possible to reduce the conveying capacity needed to convey the refrigerant through the cooling circuit of the cooling system. This leads to an increased efficiency of the system because less energy is needed to operate a corresponding conveying device, such as for example a pump, and moreover less additional heat generated by the conveying device during operation of the conveying device has to be removed from the cooling system.
A problem that is posed by the cooling system disclosed in DE 10 2006 005 035 B3 is, however, the high rest pressure of the refrigerant that may arise in the rest state of the system if the refrigerant in the rest state of the system is in the gaseous state. Whereas the rest pressure of the refrigerant in a liquid cooling system, in which for example Galden® is used as a refrigerant, is usually at most approx. 20 bar, in a cooling system designed for two-phase operation, in which for example CO2 is used as a refrigerant, pressures of 170 to 220 bar may arise at a system temperature of approx. 85° C. Consequently, the line system of the cooling system is exposed to considerable loads and has to be designed accordingly.
DE 10 2009 011 797 A1 therefore proposes equipping a cooling system described in DE 10 2006 005 035 B3 with a control valve which is arranged in the cooling circuit of the cooling system and is controlled, upon transfer of the cooling system to its rest state, in such a way that a desired operating pressure arises in the cooling circuit downstream of the control valve. Refrigerant cooled by the refrigerating device is received in a reservoir arranged upstream of the control valve in the cooling circuit.
The operating method described in DE 10 2009 011 797 A1 is able effectively to prevent a region of the cooling circuit lying upstream of the control valve, i.e. the lines and other components, such as for example valves, heat exchangers etc., provided in this region of the cooling circuit, from being subjected in the rest state of the cooling system to the high maximum rest pressure of the two-phase refrigerant that arises if the refrigerant is in the gaseous state. Instead, the region of the cooling circuit lying downstream of the control valve may be kept under a comparatively low operating pressure.
In the cooling systems known from the prior art, there is the problem that it is frequently difficult to accommodate the system components in the very limited installation space available on board an aircraft or even position them relative to one another such that, for example, efficiency-optimised operation of the cooling system is made possible by utilising gravity in the process management.

Cooling system and method for operating a cooling system


An authenticable optical disc and a system and method for authenticating the optical disc are provided. The optical disc comprising a reflective layer; an optically transparent substrate disposed between the reflective layer and a light incident surface of the optical disc; a data layer disposed between the substrate and the reflective layer, the data layer including a predetermined signature; and at least one measurable feature, wherein the at least one feature is compared to the predetermined signature for authenticating the optical disc. The method comprises the steps of preparing an optical disc with at least one optical feature; measuring intensity of transmitted light from the at least one optical feature; and comparing the measured intensity to a predetermined signature, wherein if the measured intensity and predetermined signature matches, access to the optical disc is granted.

This disclosure relates generally to optical data systems, and more particularly, to an authenticable optical disc and systems for authenticating optical discs and methods thereof.
Billions of dollars are lost every year due to copyright infringement. A common loss of revenue is through the unauthorized replication & distribution of optical media, e.g., compact discs (CDs) and digital video discs (DVDs). There have been many attempts to prevent copying of discs and limiting access to data on unauthorized copies of discs. Such methods include encoding patterns, applying coatings, or "burning" regions on the disc that result in errors in the datastream. Software encoded in the media "looks" for these errors and, if they are present, the rest of the software is allowed to execute. Unfortunately, these methods are easily defeated. Software programs such as "CDclone" or "Blindwrite/Blindcopy" actually look for these copy-protection regions in the datastream and re-create them so that the copy is similar to the original.
In Cyr et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,099,930, tagging materials are placed in materials such as digital compact discs as a means to determine the authenticity of the compact discs. A near-infrared fluorophore is incorporated into the compact disc via coating, admixing, blending, or copolymerization. Fluorescence is detectable when the fluorophore is exposed to electromagnetic radiation having a wavelength ranging from 670 nanometers to 1100 nanometers. An illumination source provides excitation light that impinges upon or penetrates the compact disc. Once excited, the near infrared fluorophore emits light at a longer wavelength than the respective wavelength of the excitation light. At least some of the fluorescent light and a portion of the excitation light are reflected by the compact disc and is directed towards a camera. The camera then produces an electric signal suitable to generate an image directly on a viewing means. The compact disc is then authenticated by a user viewing the image or by an image recognition device/software process.

Authenticable optical disc, system for authenticating an optical disc and method thereof


A system for wirelessly powering various devices positioned on an endoscope, including, for example, a light source, various electronics including an imager and/or a memory device. The endoscope is coupled to a camera where the endoscope may be rotated relative to the camera when coupled thereto. The system is further provided such that video signal processing parameters are automatically set for an endoscopic video camera system based upon characteristics of an attached endoscope, with reduced EMI and improved inventory tracking, maintenance and quality assurance, and reducing the necessity for adjustment and alignment of the endoscope and camera to achieve the data transfer.

An endoscope is an elongated, tubular structured medical device that is inserted into body cavities to facilitate visualization and examination by medical professionals. The endoscope includes a telescope with an objective lens at its distal end. The telescope includes an image-forwarding system, which in rigid endoscopes is typically a series of spaced-apart lenses. In flexible endoscopes, typically, the image-forwarding system is a bundle of tiny optical fibers assembled coherently.
Typically, at the proximal end of the image-forwarding system is an ocular lens that creates a virtual image for direct human visualization. Often a camera means, such as a charge coupled device (CCD) chip or a CMOS device is mounted to the endoscope. The camera means receives the image and produces a signal for a video display. While surgeons can, and often do, look directly into the endoscope through an ocular lens, it is more common for them to use an attached camera and observe an image on a video screen. In conventional and video camera arrangements, the camera (hereinafter referred to as a "camera head") is usually detachably connected to the endoscope. A camera control unit (CCU) is employed to provide, among other controls, a link between the camera head and the video display.
As the camera head is detachable from the endoscope, this necessitates a coupling mechanism to transmit, for example, data and/or optical energy (i.e. illuminating light) between the endoscope and detachable camera. However, it would be advantageous to eliminate the need for a coupling mechanism to transmit optical energy between the endoscope and detachable camera as misalignment, dirt/debris and damage to the optical path at the coupling location can reduce the efficiency of the optical path. However, the generation of optical energy in the endoscope has not been feasible because to the corresponding increase in weight of the endoscope when a power source (e.g. a battery) is positioned on the endoscope. Accordingly, a system that provides for the generation of optical energy in the endoscope is desired that does not significantly increase the weight and size of the endoscope is desired.
Some video endoscope systems have provided a coupling mechanism between the endoscope and the camera that includes, for example, a stem/receptacle arrangement for transmitting illuminating light from the camera to the endoscope and a stem/receptacle arrangement for transmitting image data from the endoscope to the camera. However, this arrangement does not necessarily provide an easy way to pan the endoscope. For instance, as the endoscope and camera are locked together, the surgeon has to rotate his/her wrist to achieve a panning effect. This only allows for limited rotation, i.e. a wrist cannot be rotated indefinitely, and causes disorienting image spin as the camera and endoscope are rotated as a single unit during panning.
Various systems have tried to address the issue of allowing relative rotation between the endoscope and camera with limited success. A challenge faced by designers is that as the shaft rotates relative to the camera, either the illumination system or the image optical system has to rotate around a central axis. Typically the image optical system is placed in the center, i.e. defines the central axis of the endoscope, and the illumination system is eccentric to the image optical system, causing the illumination system to move concentrically about the central axis of the endoscope as the shaft is rotated/panned. This rotatable illumination system makes it difficult to transfer light from the camera to the endoscope. One design has the portion of the illumination system that is housed in the camera be movable to follow the motion of the shaft. This requires the light conduit to wind up inside the camera head. It cannot, however, be wound indefinitely, and therefore it is necessary to limit the panning range. This limitation can be annoying to surgeons because once the limit is reached, the device has to be panned back the opposite direction to reach the viewing destination. Additionally, mechanical wear associated with repeated winding and unwinding of the illumination conduit is problematic, as well as "sealing" any moving parts to prevent undesired "leakage" of high intensity light from coupling.
Another design is based on what could be called an illumination slip ring where fibers are splayed out in a circular arrangement and will thus receive light regardless of rotational position. One could also use LEDs arranged in a circle. This optical slip-ring design is unfortunately difficult to manufacture and typically has problems of low efficiency, excessive and/or unsafe heat build-up, and non-uniform illumination.
Because of these many problems, endoscope designers have looked at placing the illumination source, which traditionally has been an external bulb providing light through an external light guide, inside the endoscope shaft. LEDs have been used to provide illumination. However, utilizing LEDs requires electrical power to the LEDs themselves. Arguably, electrical slip rings are more tried and true than optical slip rings, but electrical slip rings typically have problems with wear, electromagnetic noise, and reliability. Further, in a surgical/medical setting, there is the additional safety concern of electrical power transfer across an open rotating interface. The main drawback with a design which puts the light source in the endoscope however, is that it is not compatible with current endoscopic systems already in the field.
It should further be noted that endoscopes come in a variety of sizes for particular applications and surgical procedures. The telescope lens system may have a variety of optical properties. For example, the objective lens may include a prism whereby the image viewed is at some angle with respect to that of the axis of the telescope. Also, different endoscopes may have different fields of view (FOV). These and other variations affect the optical properties of particular endoscopes.
As above noted, the camera head is usually detachable from the endoscope, and is often conveniently constructed so as to be attachable to a variety of endoscopes having differing optical properties. For this reason, a CCU receiving a video signal from an attached camera head will need to know the endoscope optical properties in order to present an optimized image on the video monitor. Currently, the settings of the camera head and CCU are manually adjusted to the endoscope's optical properties.
It would be advantageous to simplify the task of using the endoscope and video camera system by eliminating the need to make manual adjustments to the camera head and/or CCU in order to optimize the video camera system settings for an attached endoscope.
To ensure optimal video system operation utilizing a particular endoscope, it is also necessary that the endoscope undergo periodic scheduled and unscheduled maintenance. Further, most endoscope manufacturers require their products to be maintained properly to assure reliable, accurate and precise functionality. This enhances the manufacturer's reputation and the reliance of health care professionals on the manufacturer's products. From a manufacturer's perspective, it is important that only factory authorized personnel service their products; however, it is a reality in the marketplace that some medical facilities may use unauthorized repair services. It is to a manufacturer's advantage to discourage such sub-optimal maintenance because if maintenance is performed incorrectly, medical personnel may attribute problems caused by the incorrectly performed maintenance to the product and/or manufacturing design.
Related to the maintenance of the endoscope are the usage characteristics of the endoscopes. For a manufacturer, how its products are used is valuable information. A manufacturer may want to know, for example, how often each product is used, the elapsed time of each use, the maintenance history of the product, and so on. These factors can impact future endoscope design related to durability, reliability, components and materials used in the manufacturing process.
It is known in the art to utilize electronic sensors to record operating conditions beyond the endoscope's recognized safe operating range to which it has been subjected. Peak values for conditions such as, pressure, humidity, irradiation, and/or shock or impact loads to which the endoscope has been exposed may be recorded. Upon failure of the endoscope, this information may then be utilized to determine the probable cause of the failure.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,896,166 to D'Alfonso et al. ("the '166 patent") and U.S. Pat. No. 6,313,868 to D'Alfonso et al. ("the '868 patent"), both disclose storing camera parameters and camera use characteristics in a non-volatile memory located in the camera head and transmitting the camera parameters and camera use characteristics to a camera control unit through a data coupling upon connection of the camera unit to a camera control unit. However, neither reference discloses a system where the endoscope has a memory device located in it, so that a single camera unit may be interchanged with a plurality of endoscopes and whereupon connection of the camera unit will automatically read the endoscope parameters and use characteristics. Further, neither the '166 nor the '868 patent discloses a system where the endoscope use characteristics can be updated to log a history of the particular endoscope use. Rather, both the '166 and the '868 patents are limited to updating only the camera unit. Still further, neither the '166 nor the '868 patent discloses a system wherein the endoscope parameters and use characteristics can be read automatically through non-contact transmission.
Another problem in the field of endoscope management is that of keeping track of the many different endoscopes used throughout the facility. There have been various approaches to keeping track of the locations and inventory of endoscopes. Simple inventory control and sign-out sheets are labor intensive and inaccurate, and, as a result, are ineffective for assuring the level of scrutiny that is required for medical equipment. Further, sign-out sheets do not allow for monitoring equipment, for example, determining whether the endoscope is functioning properly or needs maintenance.
Bar codes have been used for tracking purposes. Bar coding of equipment allows identification and locating of the equipment by reading the bar code with a portable bar code scanner. However, bar coding is ineffective when the equipment has been moved since the last time that it was scanned. Moreover, the use of bar codes can require the labor-intensive step of touring the facility with one or more portable scanners in search of endoscopes. Further, bar codes, like sign-out sheets, do not allow for the monitoring of equipment, for example, determining whether the endoscope is functioning properly or needs maintenance.
It is known in the art that energy and data transmission can take place through an inductive coupling in which high frequency coils act like a loosely coupled transformer as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,092,722 to Heinrichs et al. ("the '722 patent"). The high frequency coil, when power is applied to it, produces a high frequency field, which will be imposed upon the high frequency coil of another device when brought into close proximity.
One major problem with the use of inductive coupling as disclosed in the '722 patent is that it can create unacceptable levels of electro-magnetic interference ("EMI") in the operating room environment. Electronic equipment, such as the video signals transmitted from the camera head to the camera control unit, can be particularly sensitive to EMI. Therefore, to reduce the negative effects of EMI, adequate shielding should be provided. This, however, significantly adds to the cost and manufacturing time of the device. Therefore, a system that does not produce EMI is greatly desired.
Another disadvantage with the use of inductive coupling as disclosed in the '722 patent is that it necessitates the use of inductive coils both in the endoscope and the camera head adding greatly to the size and the weight of the devices. In addition to the added size and weight of the inductive coils, the necessary shielding for the EMI produced by the inductive coils will further increase the device size and weight. Endoscopes and camera heads that are lighter, smaller and easier to handle are desired.
Another disadvantage to the inductive coupling technique as disclosed in the '722 patent is because high frequency coils act like a loosely coupled transformer, both high frequency coils should be aligned one directly on top of the other in order to achieve an effective data transfer. The inductive field created by the high frequency coils is unidirectional and therefore accurate alignment of the component is important. This situation could be very frustrating for medical professionals, having to spend time trying to accurately align the camera head and endoscope to have the video system function properly. Therefore, a system that does not require precise alignment of the components is desired.
Radio frequency identification ("RFID") has been used to locate various devices and/or equipment. However, RFID used in the operating room environment has been limited due to the large power ranges required for locating the device. RFID utilized for locating purposes necessitates using a transceiver with as large a power range as is reasonable. A large power range, unfortunately, may cause receipt of the signal by unintended RFID receivers. That is, if an endoscope is in use in room A, it is undesirable to have unrelated endoscope equipment in room B "respond" to the transceiver. RFID has been limited to tracking the location of devices and/or equipment, facilitating only one-way communication from the device and/or equipment to the recording or tracking system.
While RFID has the advantage of having a relatively rapid read rate, one particular limitation RFID has encountered is accuracy of scans in relatively harsh environments. For example, RFID has been known to struggle with getting an accurate read through or near liquids and metals.
Therefore, a system is needed that simplifies and optimizes endoscope and video camera usage and does not interfere with sensitive electronic equipment, encourages customers to maintain the endoscope to manufacturer's parameters and provides the endoscope manufacturer with information regarding product usage and maintenance.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Wireless camera coupling with rotatable coupling


An image taking apparatus installed with an image blur correction unit for correcting image blur by combining images, so image taking time in a case of continuous shooting of the images is prevented from being long and operations are carried out in a manner in which a photographer does not feel disorder. Combination of a second frame and a third frame that are taken with split-exposure is started from a frame that is prior by two frames in terms of time. Thereby the number of times of split-exposure operations necessary to obtain three combined images is eight, so the image taking time is made to be shorter compared to a case of simple continuous combination of the images. Further, the three combined images produced in this way include a portion overlapped in terms of time, however, the combined images are images different from one another that are continuous in terms of time, so the photographer does not feel disorder as long as setting is made as to how many frames are shifted for combination.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image taking apparatus and an image taking method for improving an image quality of a taken image by correcting image blur caused by hand shake.
2. Related Background Art
In a recent camera, most of operations important for taking an image such as determination of exposure, and focusing are automated, so even an unskilled operator is not likely to fail in image taking.
Further, in resent times, a system for suppressing hand shake applied to the camera (vibration-proofing system=image stabilizer) has been studied. Therefore, there is almost no cause for failure in image taking.
For the image stabilizer, a system called an optical image stabilizer that detects vibration of the camera due to hand shake and displaces a correction lens in a plane orthogonal to an optical axis in accordance with a result of the determination is widely used.
In order to implement a high performance image stabilizer, it is important, firstly, to precisely detect the vibration of the camera, and secondly, to correct variance in the optical axis caused due to hand shake.
Then, high quality image blurring correction is carried out by driving shake correcting optical means that decenters an image taking optical axis on the basis of an output of a vibration detection section.
The camera shake at the time of taking an image is, in an ordinary case, a vibration of a frequency of 1 to 10 Hz.
Meanwhile, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. H05-7336 discloses a method in which an exposure time required for image taking is divided into multiple time periods, a plurality of times of image taking is repeated in a short exposure time to the extent that no hand shake occurs, positional deviations between a plurality of the obtained images are corrected, and thus a combined taken image of a part in which the position of the images are matched is obtained.
In recent times, a digital camera has been more and more miniaturized. The size of the digital camera is made small so as to be embedded in portable electronic apparatuses such as a cellular phone.
In installing a camera that has the optical image stabilizer mentioned above to a small apparatus like this, it is necessary to further downsize the shake correcting optical means, or otherwise, to downsize the vibration detection section.
However, there is a limit for the miniaturization because in the shake correcting optical means, it is necessary to support a correction lens and to drive the correction lens with high accuracy.
In addition, most of the vibration detection sections as presently used utilize inertial force, and therefore there arises a problem in that sensitivity of detection is deteriorated when the vibration detection section is downsized.
Further, as the vibration or shake applied to the camera, there is an angular vibration that is the vibration around a given axis and shift vibration that shakes the camera in parallel directions.
The angular vibration can be corrected by the optical image stabilizer, however, it is difficult to countermeasure the shift vibration.
In particular, as the camera becomes smaller in sizes, the shift vibration tends to be much greater.
On the other hand, as employed in a video camera, there is a method in which a motion vector of the screen is determined by the image taking element, a range of reading the image is varied in accordance with the motion vector, and thereby a motion picture without blur is obtained.
In the case of this method, a dedicated vibration detection section such as the optical image stabilizer as described above and the correction lens are not necessary, and therefore there is such a merit that it is possible to downsize the whole product.
However, it is difficult to apply the image stabilizer of the video camera to the digital camera.
This is because, in the video camera, the motion vector is extracted for each reading of the image and in a case where fifteen frames are extracted per one second, for example, it is necessary to determine the motion vector by comparing the extracted images to one another.
In a case where a still image is taken by the digital camera, only one exposure is carried out in relation to a photographing subject. Accordingly, it is not possible to determine the motion vector by comparing the images as in the case of the video camera.
Therefore, it is difficult to simply adapt the vibration system of the video camera to the digital camera.
On the other hand, in the image stabilization method as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. H05-7336, the images taken a plurality of times are combined to obtain one image in which image blurring is corrected, and accordingly, the time taken for image taking is long.
In addition, in the present times, most of the cameras are provided with a rapid shooting function for continuously taking a plurality of still images with one single operation of a release switch.
In this regard, if the image stabilization method as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. H05-7336 is used in combination with the rapid shooting function, there arises a further serious problem in that the time taken for image taking becomes long.

Image taking apparatus and image taking method


Cardiac pacing may be controlled through retrospective detection of events that are sensed during a given period of time. In some embodiments a detection decision is made substantially prior to the end of an escape interval. In some embodiments the mode of detection may be changed near the end of the period of time. In some embodiments the period of time is extended when an event is detected near the end of the period of time.

Implantable medical devices, such as pacemakers, defibrillators, and cardioverters (which may collectively be referred to herein as implantable cardiac stimulation devices), are designed to monitor and stimulate the heart of a patient that suffers from a cardiac arrhythmia. Using leads connected to a patient's heart, these devices typically stimulate the cardiac muscles by delivering electrical pulses in response to measured cardiac events that are indicative of a cardiac arrhythmia. Properly administered therapeutic electrical pulses may successfully reestablish or maintain the heart's regular rhythm.
In a healthy heart, contractions occur first in the muscles associated with the atrial chambers of the heart, followed by contractions in the muscles associated with the larger ventricular chambers of the heart. In this way, the atria assist in the filling of the ventricular chambers with blood returning from the veins. This increases the end-diastolic volume thereby increasing the stroke volume to enable the ventricles to more efficiently pump blood to the arteries.
Given the interaction of these chambers, efficient operation of the heart is predicated on each of the chambers operating in a proper timing sequence and having contractions that pump a sufficient amount of blood from the chamber. For example, during contraction the right atrium should pump enough blood to optimally "fill" the right ventricle chamber. Moreover, this should occur immediately before the right ventricle begins to contract. In this way, the heart may efficiently pump blood on a repetitive basis.
A healthy heart repetitively contracts in the above described manner in response to the generation and conduction of electrical signals in the heart. These electrical signals are generated in and conducted through the heart during every beat of the heart. A simplified example of these cardiac signals follows.
Activity for a given beat begins with the generation of a signal in a sinus node of the heart. This signal causes contraction to begin first in the atria. The signal from the sinus node propagates via a conduction system to an atrioventricular ("A-V") node. The signal is inherently delayed for a short period of time (usually less than 200 ms) within the AV node allowing the atria to contract to help to fill the ventricles. The signal then propagates from the A-V node through the bundle of His to the left and right ventricles via a specialized conduction system. Contraction in each ventricle commences in a coordinated manner when the signal "reaches" the respective muscle fibers in the ventricle.
In an attempt to maintain regular contractions in an unhealthy heart a typical stimulation device may track the type and timing of the signals generated by the heart. In this way the stimulation device may determine whether cardiac events (e.g., contractions) are occurring and whether they are occurring at the proper times. In the event contractions are not occurring or are occurring at undesirable times, the stimulation device may deliver electrical pulses to one or more of the chambers of the heart in an attempt to initiate the desired contractions at the desired times.
A typical stimulation device may track cardiac signals through the use of leads that are implanted in one or more of the chambers of the heart. Through the use of amplification, threshold detection and filtering, signals received via the leads may be associated with the cardiac events discussed above. Conventionally, these cardiac events may be referred to as P-waves, R-waves, T-waves, etc. Here, a P-wave corresponds to a contraction (depolarization) of an atrium. An R-wave corresponds to a contraction (depolarization) of a ventricle. A T-wave corresponds to a return to a resting state (repolarization) of a ventricle.
Conventionally, these events have been sensed and characterized in real-time. For example, implantable devices which detect the cardiac rhythm, e.g., spontaneous atrial contractions (or P-waves) and spontaneous ventricular contractions (or R-waves with or without a preceding atrial event), generally utilize the same basic structure for this function: 1) a sense amplifier feeding a threshold detector for cardiac event detection; 2) a refractory period followed by an alert period to qualify the output of the threshold detector; 3) a trigger signal out of the threshold detector during the alert period identifies a P-wave or R-wave; and 4) no trigger signal out of the threshold detector during the alert period results in a pacing pulse at the end of the alert period.
The sense amplifier may include or be associated with a signal filter. Here, a bandwidth of the filter may be selected to allow the signals that the system is attempting to detect to pass through the filter. Ideally, the filter will reject any other signals. That is, these other signals may not pass through the filter or may be significantly attenuated by the filter.
Any signals that pass through the filter may then be provided to the threshold detector. The threshold detector will generate an output signal in the event the amplitude of the signal exceeds a predefined threshold level. The output signal is thus taken as an indication that a certain cardiac event (e.g., an atrial or a ventricular contraction) has occurred.
By analyzing the type and timing of these indications the stimulation device may determine whether stimulation pulses need to be generated. Thus, if the stimulation device detects cardiac events at the appropriate relative times, the stimulation device may simply continue monitoring the received indications. On the other hand, if an indication has not been received for a predefined period of time, the stimulation device may deliver an appropriate stimulation (e.g., pacing) pulse to the heart.
Immediately after pacing or sensing, a blanking period (or refractory period) may be used to block the threshold detector output, preventing redetection of the event or detection of the depolarization created by the pacing pulse. Typically, the latter part of this refractory period includes a type of noise detection which acts to extend the blanking until the input signal has been quiet for some minimal time interval.
At the end of the blanking/refractory period the alert period begins. During the alert period, any signal that exceeds a programmed detection threshold (e.g., a second input to the threshold detector) causes a signal or interrupt to the stimulation device thereby signaling a detection of a cardiac event.
In practice, the above techniques may not always provide a proper indication of cardiac events. For example, very little information about the true nature of a detected event may be available at the point of detection of the typical P-wave or R-wave since the detection may occur close to the leading edge of the event. Moreover, P-wave detection is dependent on the bandpass characteristics of the sense amplifier and the timing of the alert period. As a result, a P-wave detection may identify a true P-wave in some instances and, in other instances, may identify a far-field R-wave, a far-field T-wave, extracardiac physiologic noise or external noise (from electrocautery, anti-theft systems, etc.). Similarly, an R-wave detection may signal the start of an R-wave in some instances and, in other instances, may identify a T-wave, redetection of the same R-wave, or noise as described previously for P-wave detection.
Various techniques have been developed in an attempt to improve the accuracy of the characterization of cardiac events. For example, post-ventricular atrial blanking ("PVAB") may act as a parallel refractory period for AF detection. Pre-ventricular atrial blanking ("PREVAB") may improve far-field R-wave discrimination. Morphology discrimination (e.g., characterizing the shape of a waveform) may be used in an attempt to classify a signal after is has been detected.
The use of these techniques, however, may not guarantee that a stimulation device will provide an accurate indication of all cardiac events. Accordingly a need exists for more effective techniques for identifying cardiac activity.

Apparatus and method for cardiac rhythm detection


A geothermal system transfers heat between the earth and a target. The system includes a containment vessel having an interior volume and a valve being selectively opened and closed to supply a first fluid to the interior volume of the containment vessel so that heat is transferred between the earth and the first fluid. An interior heat exchange line is located in the interior volume of the containment vessel. A second fluid is located in the heat exchange line to transfer heat between the first fluid and the target. A pump for circulates the second fluid through the interior heat exchange line. The system also includes a low temperature activated switch configured to open the valve in response to a temperature of the first fluid in the interior volume of the containment vessel dropping below a preset temperature, and a high temperature activated switch configured to open the valve in response to the temperature of the first fluid in the interior volume of the containment vessel rising above a preset maximum value.

The present invention relates to the field of heating and/or cooling, and, more particularly, to an apparatus and method for transferring heat between a fluid and the earth.
Geothermal heat pump systems are well known. These systems utilize the earth or a body of water as a means of extracting heat in a heating mode or dumping heat in a cooling mode. Systems are generally classified as open loop, closed loop, or direct exchange systems.
An open loop system pumps water from a well or other water source, uses it within a water-refrigerant heat exchanger located in the heat pump, and then dumps it either into an existing stream, body of water, surface water drainage system, or another well to the underground water source. In conventional open loop systems, the water passing through the water-refrigerant heat exchanger can become contaminated if there is a leak in the exchanger. Discharging this water either into a well or as ground water could contaminate the underground water source.
A closed loop system uses water, a water-antifreeze solution, or other liquid which is circulated through a liquid-refrigerant heat exchanger located in the heat pump system and then through pipes or tubing either buried vertically or horizontally in the earth or a surface body of water. Polymeric pipes or tubing are sometimes used to minimize corrosion where they contact the earth and/or the surface body of water. Contamination of the earth and/or the surface body of water may occur if there is a leak in the water-refrigerant heat exchanger. There is no means of containing a contaminate leak in conventional closed loop systems. Polymeric pipes or tubing have a very high resistance to heat transfer and therefore their use in an earth-liquid heat exchanger is very inefficient. Therefore, extensive lengths of piping or tubing must be used which typically increases the cost of the project.
A direct exchange ("DX") system eliminates the water-refrigerant heat exchanger at the heat pump by extending the refrigerant piping out of the heat pump and into the earth or surface water source to enable heat transfer between the refrigerant and the earth. As with the open and closed loop systems, DX systems can contaminate the earth if the refrigerant leaks through the piping.
An illustrated embodiment of the present invention comprises a geothermal system for transferring heat to and from a target. The target may be any conventional system utilizing a fluid to exchange heat. For example, the target can be the air side of an air/fluid heat exchanger as may be found in a conventional geothermal heat pump. In one embodiment, a geothermal heat exchanger includes a containment vessel having an interior volume defined by a wall, a near end, and a far end. The containment vessel illustratively has a cap at the near end and a plug at the far end. The cap and the plug seal the interior volume. The containment vessel is filled with a first fluid. Heat is transferred between the earth and the first fluid located in the containment vessel.
An illustrated embodiment of the present geothermal heat exchanger has an interior heat exchange line filled with a second fluid. The interior heat exchange line is located in the interior volume of the containment vessel and is configured to transfer heat between the first fluid and the second fluid. The interior heat exchange line illustratively has an input line and a return line. The input line is in fluid communication with the return line. Both lines exit the interior volume through orifices formed in the containment vessel. Illustratively, the lines exit the interior volume through orifices formed in the cap. In an illustrated embodiment, the interior heat exchange line is made of copper and the first fluid is water that is naturally or chemically treated to have a acidic level compatible with copper and with minimal contaminants to minimize corrosion and scaling of the copper lines. The interior heat exchange line is in fluid communication with a conventional exterior heat exchange line located illustratively outside the containment vessel and configured to transfer heat between the second fluid and a target.
In another illustrated embodiment, the system includes at least one metallic support fin for separating the input line and the return line. The support fin(s) is (are) designed to permit the first fluid to circulate around it (them) or through it (them). In one embodiment, the liquid and return lines pass through orifices formed in a support fin. In another embodiment, the liquid and return lines are inserted into slots having open-ends which are located on a periphery of a support fin. In another embodiment, a support fin has additional orifices to facilitate circulation of the first fluid within the containment vessel.
While it is feasible to insert the containment vessel into the ground with an installed cap, it is also economical to simply plug or seal the containment vessel after installation. The water that is in the containment vessel after installation and plugging, is simply pumped out and replaced with the first fluid. In one illustrated embodiment, the geothermal heat exchanger includes an inlet line for filling the containment vessel with the first fluid and an outlet line for determining the fill condition. These lines can also be used to route the first fluid to/from an external supplemental heater/chiller as discussed below.
The present system works by drawing heat from the earth and transferring it to the target during the heating cycle, or by drawing heat from the target and transferring it to the earth during the cooling cycle. The system's heat transfer coefficient is determined by the interior volume of the containment vessel, material choices and pipe diameters. In many locations, a system according to the aforementioned embodiments can reasonably be built that will satisfy the heating and cooling needs of the target. In other locations, however, a geothermal heat exchanger built according to the aforementioned embodiments will satisfy the heating and cooling needs of the target most of the time, but may not satisfy the target's needs during peak heating or cooling periods.
According to another illustrated embodiment, the system described above may also include a supplemental heat exchanger that operates during peak heating or cooling periods. Most of the time, the supplemental heat exchanger is idle. The supplemental heat exchanger has a controller and, optionally, a temperature sensor which is located in the interior volume of the containment vessel. The controller is programmed to cause the first fluid to be circulated through a supplemental heater/chiller whenever the first fluid temperature exceeds a predetermined minimum/maximum temperature. Another option that is very economical is to modify the normal on/off cycle of the geothermal system so that the geothermal system is locked out whenever the first fluid temperature exceeds a predetermined minimum/maximum temperature. This will allow the normal heat transfer from the earth to the first fluid to raise/lower the first fluid temperature back to an acceptable level.
In another illustrated embodiment, the first fluid is circulated through an external heat exchanger. A controller and temperature sensor(s) in the containment vessel cause the first fluid in the containment vessel to be circulated through the external heat exchanger whenever the first fluid temperature exceeds a predetermined minimum/maximum temperature.
In yet another illustrated embodiment, a portion of the first fluid is replaced with conditioned fluid whenever the temperature of the first fluid exceeds a pre-determined high or low temperature value. The replaced first fluid is discharged to any acceptable storm water drainage area in an illustrated embodiment as discussed below.
In a further illustrated embodiment, a quantity of auxiliary first fluid is stored in a near-surface storage tank to be used to replace a portion of the first fluid in the containment vessel. The replaced first fluid is illustratively returned to the auxiliary first fluid storage tank. A controller and temperature sensor(s) in the containment vessel cause the supplemental first fluid in the auxiliary storage tank to replace a portion of the first fluid in the containment vessel as discussed below.
In a still further illustrated embodiment, a quantity of auxiliary first fluid is stored in a near-surface storage tank to be used to replace a portion of the first fluid in the containment vessel after first being circulated through a supplemental heat exchanger (heater and/or chiller). The replaced first fluid is returned to the auxiliary first fluid storage tank. A controller and temperature sensor(s) in the containment vessel cause the supplemental first fluid in the auxiliary storage tank to replace a portion of the first fluid in the containment tank as discussed in detail below.
Additional features of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments exemplifying the best mode of carrying out the invention as presently perceived.
Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views. Although the drawings represent embodiments of the present invention, the drawings are not necessarily to scale and certain features may be exaggerated in order to better illustrate and explain the present invention. The exemplifications set out herein illustrate embodiments of the invention in several forms and such exemplification is not to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention in any manner.

Earth coupled heat exchanger for a geothermal heat pump


A multifunctional sprinkler structure comprises a water motor having an outlet seat and a top cover mounted to a top-end side, and two adjusting seats and a water supply seat assembled onto a bottom-end side. The bottom-end side of the water motor has a guide groove with a restrictive hole for the extension of a switch shaft there-through. The outlet seat has a water-discharge chamber with multiple barriers extending thereon corresponding to an impeller of the water motor, and an oblique-extending central guide port matching to a spray nozzle having multiple water-guiding ribs obliquely extending towards the same direction therein. Therefore, the barriers of the outlet seat and the water-guiding ribs of the spray nozzle are utilized to correspond to the direction of the water flow so that the water discharge can be easily switched to eject either in more direct and forceful column-like spray or in more expanding spray.

The present invention relates to a multifunctional sprinkler structure, comprising a water motor having an outlet seat and a top cover mounted to a top-end side, and two adjusting seats and a water supply seat assembled onto a bottom-end side wherein barriers of the outlet seat and water-guiding ribs of the spray nozzle are utilized to correspond to the direction of the water flow so that the water discharge can be easily switched to eject either in more direct and forceful column-like spray or in more expanding spray.
Conventional sprinklers (referring to U.S. Pat. No. 5,611,488 and German Patent No. DE4329616A1) include some disadvantages. For example, when the sprinkling control unit is adjusted to swing to the maximum angle, a switch shaft can hinder the smooth rotation of the sprinkler, which tends to make the sprinkler fail to swing a full 360 degrees and cause uneven distribution of the water discharge sprinkled onto the lawn thereon. Thus, the conventional sprinklers are reduced in function.


Provided are an off-axis illumination apparatus, an exposure apparatus, and an off-axis illumination method. The off-axis illumination apparatus may include a mask, a light source for emitting light to the mask, and an incident angle varying section for varying an incident angle of the light. The exposure apparatus may include the off-axis illumination apparatus in addition to a wafer stage and an optical detector. The off-axis illumination method may include irradiating light from the light source to a mask, and moving positions of the light source and the mask to vary an incident angle of the light to the mask.

1. Field of the Invention
Example embodiments described herein relate to an exposure apparatus for manufacturing a semiconductor device. More particularly, example embodiments are directed to an off-axis illumination apparatus, an exposure apparatus, and an off-axis illumination method capable of varying an off-axis angle to a mask.
2. Description of Related Art
Generally, as the integration density of a semiconductor device increases, the dimensions of the device decrease. Various technologies have been developed for forming fine patterns on a wafer in a semiconductor exposure process, which are used in the manufacturing of semiconductor devices.
A pattern formed through the semiconductor exposure process may be obtained by irradiating light, for example, a laser, to a mask having a pattern so that the light transmitted through the mask may be irradiated to a wafer through an optical system.
However, in order to form the pattern having a fine line width on a wafer, a high optical resolution is generally required. However, the optical resolution may be difficult to obtain.
Accordingly, technology is continuously being developed to improve optical resolution of semiconductor manufacturing devices, which may be used for semiconductor exposure processes. A conventional example of one these technologies is to employ an exposure apparatus using an off-axis illumination method as opposed to an illumination method. The conventional off-axis illumination method may provide an optical resolution about 1.5 times greater than a conventional illumination method. Further, a depth of focus associated with a conventional off-axis illumination method is generally better than the depth of focus of a conventional illumination method.
In addition, a conventional exposure apparatus may use a modified aperture, wherein a light transmission region is annular or dipole, instead of circular. By using a conventional exposure apparatus having a modified aperture and an associated method, a vertical axis of light irradiated to the aperture may be blocked, and only an oblique component (e.g., off-axis component) may be transmitted through the aperture to irradiate a mask. In this case, the light passes through light transmission regions having various sizes of the respective apertures to form different off-axis angles (e.g., an angle between an optical axis of the off-axis component and a vertical axis irradiated to the mask) of the light irradiated to a mask.
Therefore, the off-axis angle irradiated on the mask may be determined according to the shape of the light transmission regions of the apertures and the transmissivity of light passing through the mask, which may also be varied. Therefore, when the off-axis angle is varied to adjust rear transmissivity of the mask, the aperture should be changed to another aperture. Accordingly, it may be difficult to obtain uniform exposure of a wafer considering the variable rear transmissivity because the off-axis angle irradiated to the mask cannot be adjusted and thus, a desired amount of light may not be provided onto the wafer. Therefore, exposure pattern failures may occur on the wafer, which may cause product failures.

Off-axis illumination apparatus, exposure apparatus and off-axis illumination method


An IV adapter to allow for the mixing of multiple compatible medications with one another using a single bag of intravenous fluid. The IV adapter has multiple arms extending which gives rise to the ability to mix multiple medications. There is a spike within each arm to puncture the medication. The plurality of arms have built in mechanisms to control the flow of the medication and stop it from flowing in a certain direction. There are connections at the end of each arm allowing for a tight seal to be made to prevent any medication from leaking out of the IV line.

Intravenous(IV) lines are a very important tool medical professionals use to administer medications to a patient in a hospital setting. Not all medication is capable of being administered orally or even if capable of being administered orally, not all patients are capable of swallowing. Additionally, if a patient has more than one bag of medication that needs to be hung, an intravenous(IV) fusion line is limited to one spike or needle only allowing a single bag of medication to be hung at once.
An objective of the present invention is to provide users with an IV adapter that allows for multiple medications to be mixed and administered at once using a single intravenous port. The present invention intends to provide users with a device that has multiple arms allowing for the attachment of more than one bag, allowing for medications to be mixed within the same intravenous bag. In order to accomplish that, a preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises a first arm, a second arm, a third arm, with two of the three arms having a snap cap adapted to be attached medication vials. Thus, the present invention is an adapter to allow compatible medication to be mixed and administered to a patient.


Provided is a nitride semiconductor light emitting device including: a first nitride semiconductor layer; an active layer formed above the first nitride semiconductor layer; and a “C (carbon)”-doped second nitride semiconductor layer formed above the active layer. According to the present invention, the crystallinity of the active layer is enhanced, and the optical power and the operation reliability are enhanced.

A schematic stack structure of a general nitride semiconductor light emitting device and a fabrication method thereof will now be described.
A general nitride semiconductor light emitting device is provided in a stack structure including a substrate, a buffer layer, an n-GaN layer, an active layer and a pGaN layer sequentially stacked from a lower side.
In detail, in order to minimize the occurrence of crystal defects due to differences in the lattice constants and the thermal expansion coefficients of the substrate, for example, sapphire substrate, and the n-GaN layer, the buffer layer is formed of a GaN-based nitride or an AIN-based nitride having an amorphous phase at a low temperature. The n-GaN layer doped with silicon at a doping concentration of 1018/cm3 is formed at a high temperature as a first electrode contact layer. Thereafter, the growth temperature is lowered and the active layer is formed. Thereafter, the growth temperature is again elevated and the p-GaN layer doped with magnesium (Mg) is formed.
The nitride semiconductor light emitting device having the aforementioned stack structure is formed in a p-/n-junction structure which uses the n-GaN layer as the first electrode contact layer and uses the p-GaN layer as the second electrode contact layer.
To form the p-GaN layer used as the second electrode contact layer, the p-/n-junction light emitting device using the nitride semiconductor employs a doping source of Cp2Mg or DMZn. In the case of DMZn, since Zn is in 'deep energy level' within the p-GaN layer and has a very high activation energy, the hole carrier concentration serving as a carrier when a bias is applied is limited to about 1×1017/cm3. Accordingly, Cp2Mg MO (metal organic) having a low activation energy is used as the doping source.
In case the Mg-doped p-GaN layer is grown using a doping source of Cp2Mg, NH3 carrier gas and hydrogen (H) gas separated from the doping source are combined to form an Mg-H complex, which shows a high resistance insulation characteristic of more than ˜106Ω. Accordingly, in order to emit light during the recombination process of holes and electrons in the active layer, an activation process is essentially required to break the bond of Mg-H complex. Since the Mg-doped p-GaN layer has a high resistance, it can not be used without any change. The activation process is performed through an annealing process at an temperature range of 600˜800° C. in an ambient of N2, N2/O2. However, since Mg existing in the p-GaN layer has a low activation efficiency, it has a relatively high resistance value compared with the n-GaN layer used as the first electrode contact layer. In real circumstance, after the activation process, the atomic concentration of Mg in the p-GaN layer is in a range of 1019/cm3˜1020/cm3, and the hole carrier concentration contributing to a pure carrier conductivity is in a range of 1017/cm3˜1018/cm3, which correspond to a difference of maximum 103 times. It is also reported that the hole mobility is 10 cm3/vsec, which is a very low value. Due to the Mg atomic concentration remaining in the p-GaN layer without a complete activation, light emitting from the active layer toward the surface is trapped, or when a high current is applied, heat is generated due to a relatively high resistance value, so that the life time of the light emitting device is shortened to have a fatal influence on the reliability.
Especially, in the case of a large size/high power 1mm×1mm light emitting device using a flip chip technique, since a current of 350 mA which is very higher than a conventional current of 20 mA is applied, a junction temperature of more than 100° C. is generated at the p-/n-junction face, having a fatal influence on the device reliability and causing a limitation to product application in future. The generated much heat is caused by an increase of resistance component due to the Mg atomic concentration remaining in the p-GaN layer used as the second electrode contact layer without being activated as a carrier, and a rough surface property due to the increase of the resistance component.
Meanwhile, in the aforementioned p-/n-junction light emitting device, the n-GaN layer used as the first electrode contact layer can easily control the hole concentration within 5˜6×1018/cm3 within a critical thickness ensuring the crystallinity in proportional to the silicon doping concentration depending on an increase in the flow rate of SiH4or Si2H6, whilst in the p-GaN layer used as the second electrode contact layer, the hole concentration substantially serving as carriers is limited within a range of 1˜9×1017/cm3 although the flow rate of Cp2Mg is increased to dope Mg atoms of more than maximum ˜1020/cm3. To this end, the conventional light emitting device is made in a p-/n-junction structure having an asymmetric doping profile.
Thus, the low carrier concentration and high resistance component of the p-GaN layer used as the second electrode contact layer cause the light emitting efficiency to be decreased.
To solve the above problem, a conventional method of increasing the optical power by employing Ni/Au TM (transparent thin metal), having a good transmission and a good current spreading and a low contact resistance has been proposed, as a second electrode. However, the conventional method badly influences the device reliability when being applied to a large size/high power light emitting device. This problem still remains unsettled in the light emitting devices using the GaN semiconductor.

Nitride semiconductor light emitting device and fabrication method thereof