A latch structure for a tail gate comprises a housing having an opening groove; a catch having a locking groove disposed in the housing; a pole rotatably mounted on the housing that restricts the rotation of the catch when a protruding portion thereof enters the locking groove; a rail fixed to the housing and having a sliding groove; a link arm having a first end rotatably coupled to the catch, and a second end mounted to be movable along the sliding groove based on the rotation of the catch; a striker; and a stopper disposed in the sliding groove, wherein when the catch is an open position, the striker is configured to enter and exit the locking groove, when the catch is in a locked position, the striker is restricted from entering and exiting the locking groove, and the stopper restricts the movement of the link arm to prevent the catch from rotating.

A sedan-type passenger vehicle typically includes a trunk disposed at the rear of the vehicle in order to accommodate articles, and isolated from a space in which occupants are located, and the trunk is typically configured to be opened and closed by opening a trunk lid.
An SUV, an MPV, or the like, in which a space for accommodating articles and a space for accommodating the occupants are not separated from each other, has an opening formed at the rear of the interior of a vehicle body so as to easily accommodate articles, and a tail gate is mounted to open and close the opening that is an entrance for an accommodating space.
That is, there is a difference in size and shape between the trunk lid and the tail gate, but the trunk lid and the tail gate serve as a door, which is rotatably mounted to the vehicle body and opens and closes the accommodating space in the vehicle, and commonly have a locking device so as to be prevented from being opened when the vehicle travels or when the vehicle is parked.
The locking device includes a striker which has a loop shape and is fixedly mounted to the vehicle body, and a latch which is mounted at an end of the tail gate or the trunk lid, and coupled to the striker so as to maintain a locked state when the tail gate or the trunk lid is closed.
Referring to FIG. 1, the latch has a structure in which a catch 2 is rotatably mounted to a housing 1 having an opening groove 1A that is formed so that a striker may enter the opening groove 1A. The catch 2 maintains an open position, at which the striker may enter the locking groove 2A, by a spring, and after the striker enters the opening groove 1A, the catch 2 rotates to a locking position at which the striker is restricted from exiting. Further, when the catch 2 rotates to the locked position, a pole 3 having a protruding portion is fitted into the locking groove 2A, thereby restricting the rotation of the catch 2.
The prior art discloses a cinching latch structure for a tail gate, which provides a half locked state that closes the tail gate that is not locked. In the cinching latch structure, in order to implement two locked states, a fully locked state and a half locked state, a catch 2 has a structure in which a second locking groove 2B into which a pole 3 is fitted in the half locked state is additionally formed in addition to a locking groove 2A into which the pole 3 is fitted in the fully locked state.
However, in the cinching latch structure, there is a problem in that the unlocked state may be inadvertently changed to the half locked state due to the weight of the tail gate, which may cause a user to sense that the tail gate is caught when the tail gate is opened and closed.
That is, when the pole 3 is rotated by an operation of a motor in the fully locked state in which the striker is completely fastened, the catch 2, which has been fixed by the pole 3, is rotated to the unlocked state by elastic force of the spring while passing through the half locked state (for reference, the catch is in the half locked state when the catch rotates 30 degrees, and the catch is in the unlocked state when the catch rotates 60 degrees).
However, there may be a problem in that when the half locked state is changed into the unlocked state, the catch sags due to a weight of the tail gate (as the catch is pressed by the striker), and then returns to the half locked state, and this problem causes the user to sense that the tail gate is caught and/or sense heterogeneity when the tail gate is opened.


A bus connector configured for receiving a bus is provided. An example bus connector includes a plurality of contact fingers configured to engage with the bus. The plurality of contact fingers include a first set of contact fingers and a second set of contact fingers arranged substantially parallel to one another, and the first set and second set clamp the bus when the bus is inserted between the first set and the second set. The bus connector further includes a connector frame, wherein the connector frame is configured to hold the plurality of contact fingers. The plurality of contact fingers includes contact fingers of a first length and contact fingers of a second length, wherein the second length is different than the first length.

Unless otherwise indicated herein, the materials described in this section are not prior art to the claims in this application and are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
The present disclosure is generally directed to bus connector assemblies for use with an electric power switching apparatus. More specifically, the present disclosure is generally directed to a bus connector for use with an electric power switching apparatus with isolation means such as a transfer switch or a circuit breaker. Such connector assemblies allow the switching apparatus to achieve a very high withstand current ratings. For example, the high withstand current rating may be 100,000 amperes or above. In one arrangement, the present disclosure relates generally to a connector assembly arrangement that may be used for interconnection between a device and a bus structure. More particularly, the connector assembly arrangement may be used in an isolation-bypass automatic transfer switch. However, aspects of the present disclosure may be equally applicable in other scenarios as well.
An automatic transfer switch is designed to provide a continuous source of power for critical loads by automatically transferring from a normal power source to an emergency power source when the normal power source falls below a preset limit. Automatic transfer switches are in widespread use in, e.g., airports, subways, schools, hospitals, military installations, industrial sites, and commercial buildings equipped with secondary power sources and where even brief power interruptions can be costly or perhaps even life threatening. Transfer switches operate, for example, to transfer a power consuming load from a circuit with a normal power supply to a circuit with an auxiliary power supply. A transfer switch can control electrical connection of utility power lines and the diesel generator to facility load buses. In certain installations, the transfer switch automatically starts a standby generator and connects the standby generator to the load bus upon loss of utility power. In addition, the transfer switch can automatically reconnect the utility power to the load bus if utility power is reestablished.
Automatic transfer switches are typically of two types: (i) an automatic transfer switch comprised of a single switching apparatus mounted in an enclosure; and (ii) an automatic transfer switch interconnected with a redundant switch (e.g., manual or automatic switch) mounted in a single enclosure or in multiple adjacent enclosures. This second configuration is typically referred to as a bypass-isolation transfer switch. Typically, one or both switches are provided with isolation means allowing disconnecting the switch from a bus structure and removal out of the enclosure.

Bus connector with reduced insertion force


A wiring board of the present invention is equipped with a laminated waveguide as a high-frequency signal transmission line. The laminated waveguide is composed of a dielectric substrate, a pair of main conductive layers laminated on the upper surface and the lower surface of the dielectric substrate, a plurality of via-holes extending in a thickness direction in the dielectric substrate so that they electrically connect the pair of the main conductive layers, and a sub-conductive layer provided in the dielectric substrate so that it is parallel to the main conductive layers and is electrically connected to the via-holes, the plurality of the via-holes form two rows extending in a signal transmitting direction with a mutual distance from each other, and in each row, the distance between adjacent via-holes is adjusted to less than 1/2 of a signal wavelength, a region surrounded with the pair of the main conductive layers and the two rows of the via-holes forms a signal transmitting region, and on both sides in the outside of the signal transmitting region, the sub-conductive layer is provided. The transmittting line by the laminated waveguide which is formed in this wiring board has especially excellent transmitting characteristics of high-frequency signals. In addition, since this wiring board can be easily produced by a laminating technology of ceramics, this wiring board also has excellent productivity.

(1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a wiring board equipped with a line for transmitting high frequency signals such as microwave and millimetric wave bands.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
As lines for transmitting high frequency signals such as microwaves or millimetric wave bands, waveguides, dielectric waveguides, strip lines and microstrip lines have been conventionally known.
However, these transmission lines have had the following problems.
The strip lines and microstrip lines have a very simple structure and are suitable for production by a laminating technology. But in millimetric wave bands having at least 30 GHz, these lines have a low transmission characteristic.
On the other hand, the waveguides have excellent transmitting chacteristics, but have a defect in respect of their large sizes. For example, a standard rectangular waveguide for 60 GHz has a long diameter of 3.76 mm, and a short diameter of 1.88 mm and is too large for use in a wiring board or a semiconductor package used to transmit microwaves or millemetric wave bands. Among waveguides, a so-called dielectric waveguide in the inside of which an dielectric body is packed has a size of 1/.di-elect cons..sup.1/2 if the dielectric constant of the dielectric body is .di-elect cons.. Accordingly, the dielectric waveguide can decrease its size by using a dielectric body having a high dielectric constant. However, since basically the outside of the dielectric body should be coated with a conductor wall, it was difficult to produce this dielectric waveguide by a laminating technology.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 53711/1994 discloses a waveguide, as described in FIG. 19. In this waveguide, a conductive layer 12 and a conductive layer 13 are provided respectively on the upper surface and the lower surface of a dielectric substrate 11, and the upper conductive layer 12 and the lower conductive layer 13 are electrically connected by a plurality of via-holes 14 which extend in the thickness direction in the dielectric substrate. Furthermore, a plurality of via-holes 14 are arranges in two rows, and a region surrounded by the via-holes 14 and the conductive layers 12 and 13 acts as a line for transmitting signals. By the rows of via-holes 14, a pseudo-conductor wall is formed.
Since such a prior art waveguide line can be prescribed only by processing a plurality of holes in the dielectric substrate, it has excellent advantages in small sizing and productivity. However, since pseudo-conductor walls of a waveguide in this waveguide line are composed of only via-hole rows, the mode which propagates through the waveguide is limited. Even if the distance between via-holes is fully smaller than the signal wavelength, an electromagnetic wave which the conductor wall of via-hole rows can reflect is limited to an electromagnetic wave in which the direction of the electric field is that of the thickness direction of the substrate. Thus, the propagating mode of the electromagnetic wave in the waveguide line is limited to a TEn0 (n: 1, 2, 3 . . . ) mode. In other words, a component in which the direction of an electric field is perpendicular to the thickness direction of the substrate cannot be reflected by the conductor walls due to the via-hole rows. For this reason, the transmission characteristics vary by slight variations of the signal used, or the transmission characteristics are deteriorated in a connecting portion between the waveguide line and another transmission line or a discontinuous portion such as a bent portion. Furthermore, when the frequency number is lowered, the sectional shape of the waveguide increases and simultaneously, the via-hole becomes longer. As a result, the hole processing becomes difficult.

Wiring board equipped with a line for transmitting a high frequency signal


A vehicle including a door and a ballistic protection device for a door having a ballistic protection element connected to the door via a device for automatically bringing closer and spacing apart the protection element when opening and closing the door, the device for bringing closer and spacing apart include at least one upper connecting arm and at least one lower connecting arm of the same length and hinged to the protection element and the door, so that the protection element and the door can be brought closer to and spaced apart from each other, while remaining parallel to each other, and at least one actuating arm, hinged to the at least one lower connecting arm and to a fixed part of the vehicle, so as to control, by action on the at least one lower connecting arm, the displacement of the protection element with respect to the door.

The technical field of the present invention is the technical field of devices for protecting vehicles, particularly armoured vehicles, from ballistic projectiles, particularly hollow-charge projectiles such as rockets (RPG).
Protecting armoured vehicles from projectiles very often consists in installing, all around the vehicle, a protection device comprising a ballistic protection element spaced apart from the vehicle structure and generally constituted by grids, nets or other openwork devices, the mesh size of which is intended to destroy or neutralize the priming of the projectile.
The operating principle of this type of protection, referred to as passive protection, requires to move the protection element away from the vehicle structure at about 300 mm, more generally between 200 and 400 mm. The integration of such a passive protection device has to be performed so as not to interfere with the basic functionalities of the vehicle, namely the doors having to remain operational.
The vehicles are generally equipped with a door, particularly a rear door, closing an opening and hinged to the vehicle so as to constitute an access ramp for the vehicle in its entirely open position.
When it is desired to protect such a door, there is a problem according to which the maximum opening angle of the door is reduced due to the presence of the protection element which will come into contact with the ground if no means for limiting the opening angle are provided, such contact with the ground being likely to damage the protection element and thus to render the protection device inoperative.
To solve this problem, the French patent application FR 2 958 738 discloses a protection device comprising connecting means and spacing means arranged between the protection element and the door, the connecting means allowing to bring them closer when opening the door, and the spacing means allowing to space them apart when closing the door. In this manner, the protection element can be positioned at a nominal distance when the door is closed, and can be brought closer to the door when opened, so as to be sufficiently spaced from the ground to prevent its deterioration, while allowing to increase the maximum opening angle of the door.
In this protection device, the protection element is carried only by the door, the coming closer together of the protection element and the door is ensured by springs, and the spacing apart of the protection element and the door is caused by the support of struts against a fixed part of the vehicle, around the opening closed by the door.
Although this protection device satisfactorily solves the aforesaid problem, it has the disadvantage of having a relatively complex structure involving a significant number of parts and a meticulous assembly, thereby causing a relative increase of the manufacturing costs.
Thus, there is a need for a protection device having a simpler and industrially-optimized structure with a lower cost, while allowing to automatically bring the protection element and the door closer during the opening of the door and space them apart during the closing thereof, respectively.
The present invention is intended to meet this need by providing a protection device with which the protection element is connected to the door by forming a deformable parallelogram(s) structure, the deformation of which is automatically controlled when opening and closing the door.
The use of at least one deformable parallelogram allows not only to solve the aforesaid problem, but also to provide a gradual and smooth movement of the protection element with respect to the door.

Vehicle equipped with a door protection device ensuring an optimization of the opening clearance


An implantable medical device that can include a main body having a tissue-contacting surface comprising a first edge and a second edge, an elongated shaft coupled at or near a first edge of the main body, and an anchoring feature extending from a second end of the elongated shaft. The elongated shaft can have a long axis that extends from a first end of the elongated shaft to a second end of the elongated shaft. The elongated shaft can be oriented such that the second end is positioned above the tissue-contacting surface and an angle between the long axis of the elongated shaft and the tissue-contacting surface is an acute angle. The device can further include an opposing elongated shaft coupled at or near a second edge of the main body.

Implantable medical devices are a growing field of medical technologies for detecting, treating, or otherwise interacting with conditions within the body. Many types of implantable medical devices exist, including bioelectronic devices intended to detect or supply electrical stimulation to targeted tissue within the body.
Due to current design limitations, however, medical implants often require a lead that extends from a controller (e.g., a subcutaneous pulse generator) to the target tissue. The controller is often implanted in a subcutaneous pouch near the surface of the skin, while the lead travels from the controller to the target tissue. The implant site of the controller can often produce a cosmetically undesirable bulge and may require a large incision and pocket which can increase the risk of infection. Further, when intrathoracic tissue is targeted (e.g., the heart, the spleen, or nearby nerve tissue), the lead from the controller to the target tissue must cross through several body compartments. As each of these body compartments move relative to one another, the lead can undergo large, localized mechanical loads, which can lead to premature failure due to fatigue fracture. In some cases, leads can be passed through adjacent body compartments intravascularly, however such an intravascular approach can limit the possible target sites.
Some designs may attempt to address some issues using leadless devices, such as devices implanted entirely within the heart. However, such devices can have drawbacks associated with their design and form factor, such as only being able to target tissue at the implant site. Further, deep-organ implants suffer from other complications, such as the need for increased wireless communication power due to the deeper implant site.

Intercostal muscle fixation for an implanted medical device


In order to examine a degree of monocular diplopia is easily examined in a quantitative manner, a plurality of circular eye marks are seen from a predetermined examination distance with a single eye of a patient to find a particular eye mark whose double vision images are observed to be circumscribed each other, and a degree of monocular diplopia is determined by a view angle of the relevant circular eye mark. Since the eye mark is formed as a circular pattern, a degree of monocular diplopia can be examined irrespective of an axial direction along which double vision images appear.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of examining or checking a degree of monocular diplopia in a quantitative manner through a sight of a patient and an eye mark chart for use in such an examining method.
2. Related Art Statement
Monocular diplopia is a kind of double vision in which even when an object is viewed with a single eye, double vision images are observed. In the past, the monocular diplopia was scarcely observed, but recently the monocular diplopia due to generally caused deficient in refraction of optical system of an eye has been diagnosed frequently. A degree of double vision does not appear constantly, but has been found to change in a day. Monocular diplopia is caused by astigmatism accompanied by presbyopia, and thus highly aged people have frequently suffered from monocular diplopia. Therefore, it is preferable to provide a useful eye mark chart by means of which a patient can easily examine monocular diplopia in a quantitative manner.
There have been announced many studies about monocular diplopia and there have been proposed several methods of examining monocular diplopia by directly inspecting an optical system of an eye. However, any method has not been proposed to examine a degree of monocular diplopia quantitatively in an easy manner by utilizing sight of a patient.

Method of inspecting monocular diplopia and eye mark pattern for use in the same


A charging plug for a charging column having a contact carrier and a housing shell. The housing shell has a first duct and a second duct, the first duct and the second duct leading into the contact carrier. The first duct is bent to a greater extent than the second duct. Also described is a corresponding charging column.

In electrical engineering, any stationary device or electrical system which serves for supplying energy to mobile, battery-operated units, machines or motor vehicles by way of simple setting or insertion without it being necessary for the energy storage device—for example the traction battery of an electric automobile—to be removed is referred to as a charging station. Charging stations for electric automobiles are also referred to colloquially as "electric filling stations" and may comprise multiple charging points which, depending on the type of construction, are characterized as "charging columns".
Known here in particular are fast charging/high-performance charging (HPC) systems based on direct current (DC) such as the so-called combined charging system (CCS), which is widespread in Europe. In the case of direct-current charging of the generic type, direct current is fed from the charging column directly into the vehicle and, for this purpose, is provided by way of a powerful rectifier from the power supply system or by way of large buffer accumulators at solar charging stations. Situated in the vehicle is a battery management system which communicates with the charging column in order to adapt the current intensity, or to terminate the process when a capacity limit is reached.
According to the prior art, the power electronics required for this purpose are normally integrated in the charging column and able to be loaded up to a power limit of 50 kW.
Since the direct-current connections of the charging column are connected directly to corresponding connections of the traction battery, it is thus possible for high charging currents to be transmitted with little loss, this allowing short charging times but also placing high demands on the charging plug.
Particularly in the case of high charging currents of more than 250 A, the necessary cables and copper conductors are very thick, inflexible and have the minimum possible bending radii. For this reason, charging plugs of the generic type are usually very unwieldy. Although the plug is plugged virtually horizontally and the cable tends to fall to the ground perpendicularly on account of the weight thereof, known plugs usually have a very limited outlet angle of the cable: either the angle is steep but with the consequence that the plug is large, unwieldy and difficult to hold in order to make possible the bending radius with respect to the plug, or the plug is delicate and convenient—with too narrow an angle.
DE112014002324T5, which is incorporated by reference herein, discloses a holding structure for a connection part. A shielded cable, which is led out of a connection receiving chamber, is bent at a right angle here by the application of a protective covering to a shielding plate and then led out via a wire outlet opening section. A rubber cap is installed in the wire outlet opening section and the shielded cable passes through an interior of the rubber cap, as a result of which the shielded cable is prevented from being bent to too great an extent.
DE19650097C2, which is incorporated by reference herein, relates to a charging plug for an electric automobile having feed lines and two line securing pins. Since said line securing pins press onto the feed lines from opposite directions, said feed lines are themselves secured in a bent state, and when tensile stress acts on the cable, the friction resistance offsets the arising tensile stress.
DE102013019882A1, which is incorporated by reference herein, finally discusses charging cables that provide a charging cable plug on the end side and are embodied with different line cross sections. This results in the outer diameters of the charging cables varying to a great extent. In order to ensure a defined guidance of the charging cable from the charging cable plug, the contour of the charging cable plug and, in particular, the charging cable connection opening provided on the plug housing are adjusted to the respective outer diameter.

Charging plug for a charging column and charging column having such a plug


Methods and systems for modelling pipeline construction, include or implement steps of (a) obtaining ranging data of a pipeline construction location including a pipe; (b) processing the ranging data to produce a spatially organized point cloud; and (c) processing the point cloud to identify at least one geometric feature comprising a point or a two-dimensional feature representative of a pipe centreline, and associating the at least one geometric feature with the pipeline construction location. The ranging data may be data obtained from a lidar device. The pipeline construction may be underground construction, where pipe is laid in a ditch. Relevant information, such as depth-of-cover may be calculated from identified geometric features. Relevant information may be determined in real-time or near-real-time and displayed, communicated or recorded as desired.

Pipeline construction conventionally involves trenching, where a narrow ditch is dug, the pipeline placed within the ditch, and the ditch is filled in with soil, which is typically the soil which was displaced when digging the ditch. Above-ground pipeline construction of course does not require trenching, but may still require monitoring and reporting of the position of the pipeline as it is being constructed.
Many jurisdictions regulate pipeline construction by stipulating minimum depth-of-cover, which is the distance from the pipeline to the top edge of the ditch. Pipeline construction companies must dig adequately deep ditches to ensure the minimum depth-of-cover is met. Conventionally, a surveyor manually surveys each location prior to the pipe being lowered into the ditch. The depth-of-cover is calculated manually and visually using different tap measures and leveling instruments such as a theodolite. This approach relies heavily on human judgment. As a result, it is vulnerable to significant human error. Furthermore, workers must be on-site and often place themselves in physically vulnerable or dangerous positions to obtain the required information.
Additionally, with this conventional method, near real-time data processing is not available. Generally, in such types of construction, time is of the essence in respect of collecting and processing this data. Using conventional methods usually results in delays in data processing and realization of results, as well as introduces opportunities for the corruption or loss of collected data.
There is a need in the art for systems or methods of obtaining desired data which may mitigate some or all of the difficulties posed in the prior art, by automating at least a portion of the process and reducing human intervention.

Automated pipeline construction modelling


The circuit breaker comprises a circuit breaker unit onto which there are fixed a communication module, a processing module and a calibration module. The communication module communicates with the processing module only via a connection with galvanic isolation, preferably an optical connection, whereas the calibration module is electrically connected to the processing module. The communication module is, in addition, connected by a mechanical connection to parts of the circuit breaker unit representative of the state of the circuit breaker, and by a bidirectional electrical connection to an external communication bus. An interface connected to the circuit breaker unit can act as support for the calibration module and for an additional module containing information representative of the breaking capacity of the circuit breaker and electrically connected to the processing module.

The invention relates to a circuit breaker comprising a circuit breaker unit, a removable processing module comprising an electronic processing unit and mechanically and electrically connected to the circuit breaker unit, a removable calibration module, comprising calibrating means, mechanically fixed to the circuit breaker unit and electrically connected to the processing unit, and communication means connected to an external communication bus.
It is known to use a circuit breaker with different types of electronic trip devices. These trip devices are generally removable and are only fitted in the circuit breaker when the latter is installed.

Circuit breaker with a circuit breaker unit and processing, calibration and communication modules


Disclosed is a pedestrian airbag cushion. The pedestrian airbag cushion includes a cushion inflated to cover a windshield glass by an inflator, with a vent hole formed in the cushion. A tether is provided on a portion of the cushion corresponding to a driver's seat and is connected at a first end to an upper portion of the cushion. The tether extends downwards and is connected at a second end to a lower portion of the cushion. The tether has a contractive force to pull the portion of the cushion corresponding to the driver's seat downwards after the cushion is deployed.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a restoring structure for an airbag cushion that is deployed from a vehicle to protect a pedestrian, and, more particularly, to a pedestrian airbag cushion, which is configured to automatically restore and fold the cushion after the deployment of the cushion so as not to obstruct a driver's field of vision after the deployment, thus being capable of preventing a secondary collision after a pedestrian accident.
2. Description of Related Art
In order to efficiently prevent injuries when a pedestrian is struck by a vehicle and thus his or her head collides with a vehicle hood or a cowl part, a sensor mounted on a bumper detects the presence of the pedestrian and then transmits a signal. In response to the signal, the airbag mounted to a lower end of the vehicle hood is deployed to a windshield and an A pillar, thus protecting the pedestrian's head.
The airbag deployed in this way is intended to prevent the pedestrian's head from directly colliding with a stiff part of the vehicle, such as the cowl part or the A pillar of the vehicle.
However, such a pedestrian airbag is problematic in that, even if the deployed airbag is vented, it is difficult to sufficiently secure a driver's field of vision, thus causing a secondary collision due to a lack of his or her field of vision.
The information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the general background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art.


A CNC cylindrical grinding machine comprising a bed, a worktable movable relative to the bed along a linear path, wheelhead movable in a direction generally perpendicular to the direction of worktable travel, a rotatable grinding wheel mounted thereon for engagement with a workpiece mounted on the worktable, wheel drive means on the wheelhead for rotating the grinding wheel, headstock and tailstock means carried by the worktable for supporting a workpiece at its opposite ends, drive means associated with the headstock and tailstock means for rotating the workpiece, worktable drive means for effecting movement of the worktable relative to the bed and therefore the wheelhead, wheelhead drive means for effecting movement of the wheelhead and therefore the grinding wheel towards and away from the workpiece, control means by which all of the drive means and particularly the worktable and wheelhead drive means, are controlled, thereby to enable the workpiece to be positioned axially and rotationally relative to the grinding wheel, and to move the grinding wheel into engagement with the workpiece, further comprising transducer means for generating position and speed of rotation signals from at least the worktable and the wheelhead, and the headstock drive, for supply to the said control means, thereby to enable complex shapes and forms to be ground in the surface of the workpiece.

Due to forces exerted on a workpiece, the worktable and workpiece supporting structures of such machines, distortions and misalignments occur. These result in inaccuracies in the dimensions and shape of the final machined article.
Where the dimensional errors are of the same order as the accuracy to which the article is to be machined it is impossible reliably to machine the article.
Distortions misalignments and other error producing effects which can arise amd tend to be cumulative must therefore be reduced to a level which is such that the magnitude of the cummulative error in the final article is much less than the error which can be permitted therein.
One of the primary controlling parameters in a machining operation is the accuracy with which the workpiece position relative to a machining tool is known. This parameter has been addressed and solutions proposed in our co-pending applications No (our references C421.01/L, C422.01/L,) filed concurrently herewith.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a system and method of operation of such a machine by which complex shapes and forms can be machined (typically by way of grinding) thereby to take advantage of the high accuracy now available when using such a machine.
The invention is of particular relevance to a cylindrical grinding machine.


A multi sensor module especially designed for use in sleep-study applications includes a PVDF film piezoelectric transducer enclosed between an upper layer of a single-sided adhesive tape strip and a lower layer of a double-sided adhesive tape strip. Also adhesively affixed to the upper single-sided adhesive tape strip, but not overlaid by the lower double-sided adhesive tape strip are first and second conductive electrodes. The combination sensor module is adapted to be adhesively affixed to the chest area of a person and further included in an extension of the PVDF strip that is adapted to overlay the suprasternal notch of a person for producing signals responsive to respiratory activity of the person.

I. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to physiologic sensors, and more particularly to a sensor module which when affixed to a person's chest will provide information related to respiratory effort, cardiac rhythm and sleep apnea.
II. Discussion of the Prior Art
In conducting a sleep study on a patient, it is customary to append a plurality of sensors to the patient for measuring and recording a number of physiologic parameters including, but not limited to, rapid eye movement, electric myograph (EMG), electrocardiograph (ECG), respiratory air flow, respiratory effort, cardiac rhythm, leg twitches, etc. Typically, individual sensors will be placed on the head, face, chest, abdomen and legs. The sensors typically have elongated electrical wire leads for connection to electronic display and recording modules. With all of these wires involved, it is often difficult for a patient to sleep comfortably, especially to be able to periodically roll over in bed. In addition, to monitor respiratory effort, it is the practice to affix respiratory effort belts about the chest and/or abdomen that must be snug to prevent the belt from slipping out of place. This too is inimical to patient comfort.
It is accordingly a principle object of the present invention to provide a sensor module for use in sleep study applications that combines plural sensors into a single package that when appropriately placed and adhered to a patient's skin allows plural parameters to be monitored and/or recorded. As such, the sensor leads can be combined in a single cable that can be more readily routed in a way that interferes less with a patient's ability to shift positions. Moreover, the use of effort belts is avoided.


A foam facer mat incorporates a natural short wood pulp fibers to provide dimensional stability to foam insulation for roof insulation. The facer mat also employs chopped glass fibers with the wood pulp.

Fibrous, non-woven fabrics, mats, and papers have found particular utility for providing dimensional stability, fire resistance and flexural strength. The use of glass fibers in paper making has long been known. Glass fiber paper was produced on production equipment as early as the 1930's. Since that time, very fine blown micro-fibers, glass fibers and even glass flakes have been used to produce specialty papers. These papers have been produced in all-glass form and in ad-mixes with cellulose, and other fibers. The use of micro-fibers and glass fibers alone or in combination with other fibers for high temperature filtration or controlled porosity is disclosed in the prior art. Also disclosed, is the use of glass fibers and wood pulp to control dimensional stability. Composites panels having foam cores with fibrous mats on one or opposite surfaces of the core also are known. Roofing insulation often embodies a composite panel comprising an organic foam core with an inorganic fibrous mat on the upper and lower surface thereof. The industry refers to the mats as "foam facer mats" and refers to the composites as "rigid foam insulation."
I have invented a new foam facer mat which uses a blend of glass fibers and wood pulp fibers to control the porosity of the mat. The amount of cellulose fiber required to achieve the desired low mat porosity is strongly influenced by the cellulose fiber length and the degree of fibrillation of the cellulose fiber. An accepted measure of cellulose fiber length/fibrillation is the "Canadian Standard Freeness" of the pulp.
Many closed-cell organic or plastic foams particularly polyurethanes, have excellent insulating properties. However, such foams are commonly lacking in dimensional stability particularly when subjected to non-uniform temperatures. In addition, the facings required in the manufacturing process can exacerbate these tendencies. Such characteristics have rendered these organic foams less than suitable for roof insulation particularly when placed on layers of hot asphalt applied on the underlying roof structure and when hot asphalt is applied over the foam.
By employing layers of inorganic fibers on one or both major surfaces of a foam core or slab, the changes in dimensions of the foam in aging tests are reduced to a small percentage of the former changes encountered. The inorganic fibers employed are preferably glass fibers, having high strength and a high modulus of elasticity, and at least one of the layers of fibers preferably is in the form of an nonwoven mat, being randomly disposed in a plane parallel to the core.
An effective method of achieving the structural integrity is to place the fibrous layers in contact with the foam forming the core during foaming so that the foam will tend to penetrate interstices in the fibrous layers to form an interlocking inter-face therebetween. For this purpose, a suitable organic foam mixture can be applied to one of the fibrous layers with the other fibrous layer then placed on the foaming mixture and backed up or supported so that it will not be able to move completely freely outwardly from the first fibrous layer as the mixture foams. This achieves penetration by the foam into both layers. The inorganic facings restrain dimensional changes in the foam when subjected to changes in temperature and moisture. This substantially reduces warping and cell rupture of the foam.
More specifically, the first fibrous layer can be moved in a flat, supporting position on a belt-type conveyor above which is suitable mixing apparatus and a nozzle or nozzles, the nozzle(s) evenly distributing the foam mixture onto the first fibrous layer. The second fibrous layer is then directed onto the foam mixture, preferably after the foaming has commenced. A second belt-type conveyor is then disposed above a portion of the first conveyor a predetermined distance, with the second conveyor backing up and restricting upward movement of the second fibrous layer as foaming of the mixture moves the second layer upwardly. A composite panel thereby results consisting of the organic foam core or slab and the two fibrous layers located in substantially parallel relationship, with this panel being cut or shaped to any desired size and predetermined configuration.
Specifically for use in roof installation, a polyurethane foam slab is employed having a mat of fibers on the upper surface thereof and a layer of fibers on the lower surface. The lower layer can be in the form of a board of fibers or a mat of them, similar to the mat on the paper surface of the slab. Whether the bottom surface is thicker board or a thinner mat depends primarily on the nature of the underlying roof structure and whether or not the roof insulation must be fire retardant or resistant. In either case, the core with the inorganic fibrous layers on the surfaces produces a balanced system which has many advantages over insulating structures heretofore known, particularly in achieving dimensional stability with reduction in warping and cell rupture of the foam.
The use of chopped glass fibers is well known. The chopped glass is produced in the form of individual strands which are sized, gathered into rovings and chipped to a desired length. Various fiber diameters have been evaluated with K.times.1/2" being preferred on a cost effectiveness basis. K fibers refers to the diameter of each filaments and is 13.5 micro meters. Glass fibers used in the practice of this invention can be, but are not restricted to "E" glass fibers, well known to those skilled in the art. Such fibers are described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,334,961.
The facers described in the disclosure relies on two types of physical attributes to obtain "foam hold-out", i.e. control foam bleed through.
The pore structure of the mat which is controlled by the fiber input to a large extent and is defined by the air-permeability of the mat.
The low surface energy of the binder system which is achieved through the use of a fluorocarbon "antiwetting" agent. The low surface energy prevents the foam from wetting the surfaces of the pores. Smaller pores do not require as low a surface energy to prevent wet-through of the mat as do larger pores.
The Canadian Standard Freeness (CSF) is a measure of how "slow" a paper stock is, i.e., how much the stock retards the drainage of water during the forming of the stock into a paper web. The lower the CSF the more closed and dense the paper structure. The CSF is controlled by both the length of the fiber and the degree of fibrillation of the fiber.
The structures of my invention have an air-permeability of less than 150 cubic feet per minute per square foot (CFM/SF). When using air through drying systems a practical lower limit of mat air-permeability is 50 CFM/SF as below 50 CFM/SF, the structure is too dense for practical drying. Generally, the mat has an air permeability ranging from 50 to 150 CFM/SF.
The foam facer mats that make use of the fluorocarbon anti-wetting agent are acceptable for mechanically fastened and ballasted roofing systems, but at this time are not considered acceptable for fully adhered systems. Apparently, the fluorocarbon antiwetting agent changes the foam cell structure right below the facer such that even though the 90 degree pull, facer adhesion test is "good" the facer can be peeled off the underlying board when the force is applied so a shear is applied to the foam cell structure. Shear loads can be applied to the facer/foam interface by stress induced by temperature changes seen in normal use as well as various kinds of "application" damage.

Fibrous mat with cellulose fibers having a specified Canadian Standard Freeness


An optical device (112, 212, 312) with first (118) and second contacts (119, 219, 319), a molded waveguide (101,201) with first (115) and second metal tracks (117) and electrical couplings from contact (118) to the first metal track (115, 315) and from the second contact (119, 219) to the second metal track (117, 217, 317) by reflowing first and second bump balls (126) positioned between the first (118) and second (119) contacts and the first (115) and second (117) metal tracks, respectively.

This invention relates, in general, to fabrication of optical devices and, more particularly, to interconnecting optical devices and waveguides together.
This application is related to copending application that bearing attorneys docket number CRO7823 and Ser. No. 07/889,335, titled MOLDED WAVEGUIDE AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME, filed on May 1, 1992 which is hereby incorporated by reference herein.
At present, interconnection of an optical device and a waveguide is a difficult task which typically is achieved by use of hand methods or use of semiautomatic methods for interconnection or mating of the waveguide and the optical device. Generally, these methods are complex, inefficient, and not suitable for high volume manufacturing. However, a major problem associated with interconnection of optical devices to waveguides is a fabrication method and structure which will allow electrical and mechanical coupling between the optical device and the waveguide.
In the prior art, interconnection of the optical device and the waveguide typically is achieved by carefully aligning the optical device to the waveguide by hand, commonly called active alignment, and subsequently cementing or adhering the optical device to the waveguide. However, many problems arise by aligning the optical device and the waveguide by hand, such as being extremely labor intensive, costly, inaccuracy of alignment, and the like. Further, curing of the adhesive which binds the optical device and the waveguide together often results in a shifting of the alignment of the optical device to the waveguide, thus causing a potential inefficient transfer of light from the optical device. Moreover, if the misalignment is severe enough, unusable product is manufactured, thus increasing cost and reducing manufacture capability.
It can be readily seen that conventional methods for connecting an optical device to a waveguide have severe limitations. Also, it is evident that the conventional processes that are used to fabricate the interconnection between the optical device and the waveguide are not only complex and expensive, but also not effective processes. Therefore, a method for making an interconnection between an optical device and a waveguide would be highly desirable.

Optoelectronic mount and method for making


A reactant gas manifold (6), to be used with a fuel cell stack (17) having a flat seal surface (16), is provided with a convex seal surface (13) so that when the manifold (6) is distorted by being bolted (20) to the fuel cell stack, the distortion will provide substantially uniform seal pressure along the length of the seal between the surfaces (13, 16).

This invention relates to reactant gas manifolds for fuel cell stacks having an initial convex shape which distorts when bolted to the fuel cell stack to provide a substantially uniform seal pressure along the length of the manifold.
Fuel cell stacks which utilize gaseous reactants conventionally are provided with opposed pairs of external manifolds which distribute the reactant gases to the cells in the stack, and which gather reactant exhaust gases from the cells in the stack. In the larger commercial stacks, the manifolds may take the form of large shells which abut the sides of the stack and are secured in place by some sort of fastening means. U.S. Pat. No. 4,345,009 is illustrative of such a commercial stack and manifold construction.
When this type of construction is used, care must be taken to seal the edges of the manifold against the stack so that the reactant gases and the exhaust gases will not escape into the ambient surroundings. This seal has been effected with elastomeric gaskets and also with elastomeric adhesive gaskets. The elastomeric gaskets rely on the compression forces of the mechanism which secures the manifold to the stack for their integrity. The elastomeric adhesive gaskets provide a more stable seal because they rely on compressive forces plus adhesion to the stack and to the manifold for their integrity.
Common practice has been to provide fuel cell manifolds with extremely flat sealing surfaces. However, even when elastomeric adhesive gaskets are employed, complex load retention systems are still required to obtain uniform pressure along the length of the manifold seal.
Objects of the invention include: provision of a fuel cell reactant gas manifold which inherently provides a more uniform pressure along the length of the seal between the manifold and the fuel cell stack; a fuel cell reactant gas manifold which simplifies manufacture and assembly and reduces cost of producing fuel cells; and a fuel cell stack having better seals between the stack and the reactant gas manifolds.
According to the present invention, a manifold for reactant gases of a fuel cell stack is produced with a convex sealing surface in at least one dimension; distortion of the manifold when bolted to the fuel cell stack straightening the convex surfaces and providing a substantially uniform pressure seal along the length of the manifold-stack interface. The invention is particularly suited for use where it is difficult or impossible to establish a bolt line along the seal.
Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent in the light of the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments thereof, as illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

Convex fuel manifold providing uniform pressure seal to fuel cell stack


The present invention is directed to compounds useful as probes for characterizing and studying the adenosine A.sub.2 receptor. The present invention is also directed to methods of treating central nervous system disorders and cardiovascular disorders which include treating hypertension and thrombosis by administering said compounds.

a) Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to compounds useful as probes for characterizing and studying the adenosine A.sub.2 receptor. The present invention is also directed to methods of treating central nervous system disorders and cardiovascular disorders which include treating hypertension and thrombosis by administering said compounds.
b) Description of Related Art
Adenosine acts as a modulator of activity in the cardiovascular system, central nervous system, immune system, and other physiological systems. Adenosine receptors are subdivided into two subclasses; the A.sub.1 - and the A.sub.2 -receptors, which are in general inhibitory and stimulatory, respectively, towards adenylate cyclase.
A.sub.2 -adenosine receptors mediate the following physiological effects of adenosine: the inhibition of platelet aggregation, immunosuppression, vasodilation, and anti-psychotic like actions.
EP-A 354,180 discloses certain imidazo [4,5-b] pyridine derivatives which exhibit pharmacological properties as A.sub.2 -receptor antagonists and the preparation thereof. These compounds differ from the present compounds as the present compounds make use of a lower alkyl diamine moiety bound to a carboxy group, which is active alone or can be then derivatized with other compounds, e.g. compounds having acyl radicals which are in turn also active at the adenosine A.sub.2 receptor.

2-substituted adenosines and 2-substituted adenosine 5'-carboxamides

The United States of America as represented by the Department of Health and Human Services


An image forming method which can provides excellent cleaning property, no occurrence of unusual noise or curling of a blade, and a high quality image. The method includes forming a latent image on a cylindrical electrophotographic photoconductor including a mass additive therein; and developing the latent image with a developer comprising a toner, wherein the toner comprises a ratio (Dv50/Dp50) of a 50% volume particle size (Dv50) to a 50% number particle size (Dp50) of 1.0 to 1.15, a ratio (Dv75/Dp75) of a cumulative 75% volume particle size (Dv75) from a larger volume particle size to a cumulative 75% number particle size (Dp75) from a larger number particle size of 1.0 to 1.20, and the number of toner particles having a particle size of 0.7×(Dp50) or less in an amount of not greater than 10 number %.

1. Field of the Art
This invention relates to an image forming method of an electrophotographic type for use in a copying machine or a printer.
2. Description of Related Art
With the recent development of digital technologies, image formation based on the degital method has become dominant in the electrophotographic image forming method. The method of forming a digital image is based on the formation of a positive image from a dot image of e.g. of 400 dpi (number of dots per 2.54 cm) defined by small pixels. There is a demand for image quality enhancing techiques for faithfully reproducing such a dot image formed of small dots.
As one of the image quality enhancing techniques, there have been proposed an electrophotographic developer or an image forming method, in which the particle size distribution of a small particle-sized toner or a toner particle and the shapes of particles thereof are made uniform, using a polymerization toner. The polymerization toner is manufactured by uniformly dispersing a raw material monomer in an aqueous medium and then causing polymerization thereof. Therefore, it is possible to obtain toner which is uniform in particle size distribution, and shapes. However, toner particles of such a small particle-sized toner are mutually chohesive and strongly adhere to the photoconductor, which tends to degrade cleaning property, and cause defective cleaning, such as uneveness of halftone, toner filming, and curling of a cleaning blade. These problems make it difficult to put the technique into practice.
Further, when the toner reduced in particle size is used, there is a problem that the color difference between an image formed at an early stage of deveopment and an image formed after runnings tends to become large.
On the other hand, when a drum-shaped (cylindrical) eletrophotographic photoconductor is employed, the clearning blade more often than not jumps on the surface of the photoconductor drum the without smoothly sliding thereon, to cause chattering, and the chattering can cause resonance of the photoconductor drum to produce offensive noise. Particularly, when the small paritcle-sized toner is used and the cylindrical organic photoconductor is employed, the adhesion of the toner to the photoconductor increases, and the above-mentioned problems in cleaning are liable to occur. To overcome these problems, there has been proposed a method of insertig a filler, a vibration-restraining material, a noise-abosribing material, or the like, within the photroceptor drum, as in Jp-Jitsukaisho-62-127567A, Jp-Tokukaisho-63-271388A, Jp-Tokukaihei-02-118684A, Jp-Tokukaihei-03-44689A, Jp-Tokukaihei-03-45981A, Jp-Tokukaihei-05-188671A, Jp-Tokukaihei-08-146686A, and WO-00/49466. However, for the use of the small paricle-sized toner, no sufficient soultion to the above problems have been provided.
Further, when a contact-type charging device is empolyed which is reduced in the amount of generation of ozone and operates to charge the photorecetpor by bringing a roller type or blade-type member thereof into contact with the photoconductor, due to the additional load of the contact-type charging device, the above-mentioned problem of cleaning, such as the phenomenon of chattering, beocmes laible to occur. More specifically, due to resonance with the chattering phenomenon caused during cleaning, the photoconductor drum and the charging roller are vibrated to produe unsual noise. To overcome this problem, it has been proposed to put various kinds of inserts within the photoconductor drum, as proposed in Jp-Tokukaihei-05-35048A, Jp-Tokukaihei-06-19377A, and Jp-Tokukaihei-05-333615A. However, the chattering phonomenon which is liable to occur during cleaning or due to contact charging when a small paticle-sized toner is employed is not fully investated.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A reflective display device includes a retroreflective layer including a plurality of unit structures that are arranged two-dimensionally on a virtual plane and a modulating layer, which is arranged closer to a viewer than the retroreflective layer is and which is switchable between a first state and a second state that have mutually different optical properties. The reflective display device conducts a display operation by using light that has been reflected back from the retroreflective layer. Each unit structure of the retroreflective layer has a recess defined by three planes that are opposed substantially perpendicularly to each other. The unit structures are arranged so as to face substantially the same direction. An azimuthal direction, which is defined by projecting a normal to one of the three planes onto the virtual plane, and another azimuthal direction, which is defined by projecting a screen downward direction onto the virtual plane, form an angle of less than 30 degrees.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a reflective display device including a retroreflective layer.
2. Description of the Related Art
A reflective liquid crystal display device for conducting a display operation by utilizing surrounding light as its light source has been known in the art. Unlike a transmissive liquid crystal display device, the reflective liquid crystal display device needs no backlight, thus saving the power for light source and allowing the user to carry a smaller battery. Also, the space to be left for the backlight in a transmissive device or the weight of the device itself can be saved. For these reasons, the reflective liquid crystal display device is effectively applicable to various types of electronic devices that should be as lightweight and as thin as possible.
A technique of combining a scattering type liquid crystal display mode and a retroreflector is one of known measures to improve the display performance of a reflective liquid crystal display device. Such a technique is disclosed in Japanese Patent Applications Laid-Open Publications Nos. 5-107538, 2000-19490, 2002-107519 and 11-15415, for example.
Hereinafter, the operation principle of a display device that adopts such a technique will be described with reference to FIGS. 1A and 1B, which schematically illustrate the black and white display modes of the display device.
As shown in FIG. 1A, if a liquid crystal layer 1 is controlled to exhibit a transmitting state, an incoming light ray 3, which has been emitted from a light source 5 outside of the display device, is transmitted through the liquid crystal layer 1 and then reflected back by a retroreflector 2 toward its light source 5 as pointed by the arrow 4b. Thus, the light ray 3 that has been emitted from the light source 5 does not reach the eyes of a viewer 6. In such a state, the image reaching the eyes of the viewer 6 from this display device is the image of his or her own eyes. In this manner, the "black" display mode is realized.
On the other hand, if the liquid crystal layer 1 is controlled to exhibit a scattering state, the incoming light ray 3 that has been emitted from the light source 5 is scattered by the liquid crystal layer 1 as shown in FIG. 1B. Specifically, if the liquid crystal layer 1 is a forward scattering liquid crystal layer, most of the incoming light ray 3 is scattered forward by the liquid crystal layer 1 and then reflected back by the retroreflector 2 toward the viewer 6 through the liquid crystal layer 1 in the scattering state (as pointed by the arrows 4w). In this case, since the retroreflectivity of the retroreflector 2 is disturbed by the scattering caused by the liquid crystal layer 1, the incoming light ray 3 does not return to its light source. In the meantime, another portion of the incoming light ray 3 is scattered backward by the liquid crystal layer 1 and directed toward the viewer 6 (not shown). In this case, that portion of the light directed toward the viewer 6 reaches his or her eyes, thus realizing a "white" display mode. According to this operation principle, not just the backscattering but also forward scattering of the liquid crystal layer 1 can be used effectively. As a result, a brighter "white" display is achieved.
By conducting a display operation based on this operation principle, a monochrome display is realized without using any polarizer. Consequently, a high-brightness reflective liquid crystal display device, of which the optical efficiency is not decreased by the use of polarizers, is realized.
As the retroreflector 2 shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, a two-dimensional array of unit structures, such as a microsphere array, a microlens array or a corner cube array, may be used. Among these various types of arrays, the "corner cube array" is a two-dimensional arrangement of corner cubes, each defined by three planes that are opposed substantially perpendicularly to each other, on a certain "virtual plane". The "virtual plane" is typically a plane that is defined parallel to the surface of the display panel of a display device. A light ray that has entered a corner cube is ideally reflected back toward its source by the three planes that form the corner cube. FIGS. 2A and 2B are respectively a plan view and a perspective view illustrating the configuration of a corner cube array. The corner cube array shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B is a cubic corner cube array in which a number of corner cubes, each being defined by three square planes that are opposed perpendicularly to each other, are arranged two-dimensionally.
A corner cube array may have a high retroreflectivity. That is why by using a corner cube array, the contrast ratio can be increased on the display screen of a reflective display device. To further increase the contrast ratio on the screen of a reflective display device that uses a corner cube array, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2002-107519 suggests that a corner cube array consisting of corner cubes of a reduced size be used as a retroreflector. A corner cube array consisting of corner cubes of such a reduced size (e.g., with an arrangement pitch of 5 mm or less) will be referred to herein as a "micro corner cube array (MCCA)". Also, the arrangement pitch of corner cubes in an MCCA is identified herein by Pcc (i.e., the shortest distance between two adjacent vertices) as shown in FIG. 2A.
Next, a specific configuration for a reflective display device that uses an MCCA as a retroreflector will be described.
A reflective display device with an MCCA may be formed by arranging the MCCA outside of a display panel such that the MCCA is located on the opposite side (i.e., the non-viewer side) of the display panel. Such an arrangement in which an MCCA is attached to the non-viewer side of a display panel (which will be referred to herein as an "MCCA attached structure") is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 11-15415, for example. As used herein, the "display panel" refers to a panel in which a modulating layer such as a liquid crystal layer and a voltage application means for applying a voltage to the modulating layer are sandwiched between two opposed substrates. Of these two opposed substrates, the one substrate to face the viewer will be referred to herein as a "front substrate" and the other substrate not to face the viewer a "rear substrate". In the MCCA attached structure, the MCCA is arranged behind the rear substrate.
Meanwhile, a reflective display device with a structure in which an MCCA is arranged between the two substrates of a display panel (which will be referred to herein as an "MCCA embedded structure") was also proposed. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2002-107519 mentioned above discloses a structure in which a retroreflector is arranged between the modulating layer and the rear substrate of a display panel.
In a reflective display device that uses an MCCA, the black display may sometimes have a slightly decreased contrast ratio due to the leakage of light and turn slightly lightened black (which is called a "dark-state leakage") or white and black may sometimes be inverted in a grayscale tone display mode (which is called a "grayscale inversion") due to the shape and plane accuracy of the MCCA or according to the direction in which light has entered the MCCA. The present inventors analyzed these problems extensively. And the results of our analysis will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
In the following example, MCCA Nos. 1, 2 and 3 with mutually different shapes will be described. FIGS. 3A, 3B and 3C are top views illustrating the unit structures (i.e., corner cubes) of MCCA Nos. 1, 2 and 3, respectively.
FIG. 3A shows one of the corner cubes that form MCCA No. 1. This corner cube has three rectangular isosceles triangular planes that are opposed substantially perpendicularly to each other, and is illustrated as an equilateral triangle 7 consisting of three isosceles triangles on this top view. In MCCA No. 1, a lot of corner cubes like this are arranged on a virtual plane. FIG. 3B shows seven of a huge number of corner cubes that form MCCA No. 2. Each of the corner cubes forming MCCA No. 2 is illustrated as a regular hexagon 8, of which the center is defined by a bottom point, on this top view. FIG. 3C shows six of a huge number of corner cubes that form MCCA No. 3. Each of the corner cubes forming MCCA No. 3 is illustrated as a rectangle 9, of which the center is defined by a bottom point, on this top view.
First, a situation where the corner cubes that form an MCCA are not represented by a point symmetric pattern, of which the center of symmetry is defined by a bottom point, on a top view will be described. For example, the corner cube shown in FIG. 3A is represented by the equilateral triangle 7 on its top view but the equilateral triangle 7 is not point symmetric. Thus, in an MCCA consisting of such corner cubes, even a light ray that has been incident perpendicularly to the MCCA may not be reflected by all three planes that form a corner cube depending on its point of incidence on the corner cube. It should be noted that the MCCA has corner cubes that are arranged two-dimensionally on a virtual plane as described above. Thus, the phrase "perpendicularly to an MCCA (or a corner cube array)" means herein "perpendicularly to the virtual plane of the MCCA. Generally speaking, if something enters perpendicularly to an MCCA, it will impinge perpendicularly onto the surface of the display screen of a display device including the MCCA.
As shown in FIG. 3A, a light ray that has been incident perpendicularly onto an MCCA 1 at a point a is reflected from the points a, b and c in this order. That is to say, the light ray is sequentially reflected by the three planes of a single corner cube back toward its source. However, another light ray that has been incident perpendicularly onto the MCCA 1 at another point d is reflected from the points d and e in this order and then leaves this corner cube. In other words, the light ray that has been incident on the point d is reflected by only two of the three planes of the corner cube and therefore, is not retroreflected but goes in a different direction. Stated otherwise, a light ray that has been incident from that different direction onto the point e will be reflected from the point d and then leave the corner cube perpendicularly to the MCCA 1.
As described above, when a light ray is incident perpendicularly onto an MCCA, the light ray will be retroreflected just as intended if the light ray enters predetermined areas of the three planes of a single corner cube. In the corner cube shown in FIG. 3A, the predetermined areas are represented by a regular hexagon 7′, of which the center is defined by the bottom point on its top view. Meanwhile, a light ray that has been incident onto other areas of the three planes of the corner cube will be reflected in a different direction, not the direction the light ray has come from. This means that if a light ray has entered a corner cube from the former direction, then the light ray will be reflected away perpendicularly to the MCCA. That is why in a reflective display device using such an MCCA, even if the viewer faces its screen squarely, part of the external light to be used for display purposes in a black display mode will enter his or her eyes, thus causing the dark-state leakage or grayscale inversion mentioned above.
Next, a situation where the corner cubes that form an MCCA are represented by a point symmetric pattern, of which the center of symmetry is defined by the bottom point, on its top view will be described. For example, each of the corner cubes shown in FIGS. 3B and 3C is represented by a point symmetric pattern, of which the center of symmetry is defined by the bottom point, on its top view (i.e., a regular hexagon 8 or a rectangle 9). Likewise, in the cubic corner cube array that has already been described with reference to FIGS. 2A and 2B, each corner cube is represented by a regular hexagon, of which the center of symmetry is also defined by the bottom point, on its top view.
Any light ray that has been incident perpendicularly onto an MCCA consisting of such corner cubes will always be reflected back toward its source by the three planes of one of its corner cubes, including the point of incidence, no matter at which area of the corner cube the point of incidence is located. Consequently, if the viewer squarely faces the screen of a display device including such an MCCA, no dark-state leakage or grayscale inversion should occur as a matter of principle. However, even in a reflective display device including such an MCCA, if a light ray is incident non-perpendicularly onto the MCCA, part of the light ray will not be reflected back toward its source as will be described in detail later. That is why the dark-state leakage or grayscale inversion may still happen depending on the direction in which the viewer is watching the screen of that display device.
Furthermore, no matter what planar pattern each of the corner cubes of an MCCA has, it is extremely difficult to define the corner cubes with high plane accuracy, particularly when the corner cubes are arranged at a very small pitch in the MCCA. Thus, each corner cube will actually have some errors in its "normal angle" or its degree of planarity. As used herein, the "normal angle" refers to the angle formed between a normal to some plane of a corner cube and a virtual plane. Therefore, if the normal angle has some error, then the angle defined by a normal to one plane of a corner cube with respect to the virtual plane is not an ideal one, and the angle formed by the three planes of the corner cube is not equal to 90 degrees, either. On the other hand, the error of the planarity refers to partial or entire warp of some plane of a corner cube and to rounding of the peak or bottom point of a corner cube. Due to those errors, the retroreflectivity of the MCCA decreases. As a result, even if the viewer is facing the screen squarely, dark-state leakage or grayscale inversion may still happen.
Consequently, it is difficult to eliminate such dark-state leakage or grayscale inversion and get excellent display quality realized by using a conventional reflective display device with an MCCA.


A single needle extracorporeal blood circuit for connection to a blood treatment device includes an arterial portion having an arterial reservoir, an end for connection to the needle, an end for connection to the blood treatment device, and a first valve for flow communicating the needle with the arterial reservoir. The blood circuit also includes a venous portion having a venous reservoir, an end for connection to the blood treatment device, an end for connection to the needle, and a second valve for flow communicating the needle with the venous reservoir. Detectors monitor quantities of liquid in the arterial and venous reservoirs so that the first valve is opened in response to the presence of a first predetermined quantity of liquid in the arterial reservoir or a second predetermined quantity of liquid in the venous reservoir. Similarly, the second valve is opened in response to the presence of either a third predetermined quantity of liquid in the arterial reservoir or a fourth predetermined quantity of liquid in the venous reservoir.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of extracorporeal blood circulation in a single needle circuit. More particularly, the invention relates to a method and apparatus for controlling alternating flow within a single needle circuit having arterial and venous stages.
2. Description of the Related Art
In an extracorporeal treatment, blood is drawn from the patient, treated by an appropriate device and then restored to the patient. The drawing and restoration of blood to the patient can be undertaken via two different access points on the patient's body. However, when treatments have to be carried out in a repetitive manner such as is necessary with dialysis treatments of patients with chronic renal insufficiencies, it is advantageous to limit the number of punctures and to use a single needle extracorporeal blood circuit. In a single needle circuit, blood is drawn and restored to the patient via a single vascular access point. When a single needle system is used, the blood must alternately circulate from the needle in one direction and then to the needle in an opposite direction. It is therefore necessary to resolve problems associated with the alternation of the aspiration or arterial stages and the restoration or venous stages.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,776,837 relates to a single needle extracorporeal circuit, including an arterial portion comprising an arterial reservoir and means for opening and closing of the circuit situated ahead of the arterial reservoir and downstream from the needle. It also includes a venous portion comprising a venous reservoir and means for opening and closing the circuit situated downstream of the venous reservoir and upstream of the needle.
According to U.S. Pat. No. 4,776,837, the operation of the venous stage, also referred to as the blood restoration stage, is initiated in response to the presence of a top quantity limit of liquid inside the venous reservoir. Similarly, the operation of the arterial stage, also referred to as the blood aspiration stage, is initiated in response to the presence of a bottom quantity limit of liquid inside the arterial reservoir.
The authors of the '837 patent suggest that their method for alternately operating the arterial and venous stages is self-regulating and affords an optimum use of treatment time because the arterial stage is only started when the quantity of liquid present in the arterial reservoir becomes insufficient, and the venous stage is only started when an adequate quantity of liquid is present in the venous reservoir.
However, there are safety problems with this related art control method. During the arterial stage, the quantity of liquid increases simultaneously in both the arterial and venous reservoirs. If the upper limit condition is only detected in the venous reservoir, it is possible for an unduly high quantity of liquid to be present in the arterial reservoir before the top quantity limit is reached in the venous reservoir, which can result in blood overflowing from the arterial reservoir.
Similarly, during the venous stage, the quantity of liquid diminishes simultaneously in the two reservoirs. If only the presence of a bottom quantity limit in the arterial reservoir is detected, the quantity of liquid present in the venous reservoir may become insufficient. There is then a risk that air will be injected into the patient along with treated blood, which can cause serious disorders such as embolisms.

Method and apparatus for controlling the circulation of blood in a single needle circuit


A lift assembly includes a work platform pivotally mounted on the end of a boom for rotation through 270.degree. around a vertical post on the outer end of the boom. Rotation of the platform is effected manually by an operator on the platform, who also controls the location of the platform with respect to a truck or trailer carrying the lift assembly. A foot operated latch mechanism on the platform retains the platform in one position on the outer end of the boom.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a lift assembly, and in particular to an assembly for elevating a work platform.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
The lift assembly described herein is designed for use on a truck or trailer. The prior art contains many examples of vehicles carrying aerial work platforms. In general, existing apparatuses include a turntable carrying a boom on which a work platform is mounted. The following are examples of patents describing arrangements of the type in question.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,954,092, which issued to Thornton-Trump on Sep. 27, 1960 discloses a mobile apparatus including a swingable boom supporting a work platform, which moves vertically and horizontally from the ground to an elevated position.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,998,861, which issued to Hotchkiss on Sep. 5, 1961 discloses an orchard crane, which is self-propelled and which carries a platform on a boom having a levelling arm for maintaining the platform in a horizontal plane. The platform is mounted on a turntable, which is rotated by cables.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,127,952, which issued to Baerg on Apr. 7, 1964 describes a mobile work platform designed to position a worker close to trees in an orchard. The platform carrying the worker is elevated and rotatable on a main support in combination with a parallelogram lift beam assembly, which maintains the platform in a substantially horizontal position during movement. The main control system of the apparatus is hydraulically actuated.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,116,304, which issued to Durnell on Sep. 26, 1978 discloses an aerial personnel lift including a bucket, the position of which is automatically controlled. In the Durnell arrangement, a telescopic boom is maintained in a vertical position using an electric motor and mercury sensor switches.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,757,875, which issued to Hade et al on Jul. 19, 1988, describes a self-propelled aerial work station including a turntable on a vehicle. A parallelogram linkage connecting the turntable to a boom supports a work platform. When the platform is being raised or while in the elevated position, the structure is within the wheel base of the vehicle to provide stability and zero tailspin.
While the prior structures described above may be generally acceptable, the apparatuses are relatively complex and consequently expensive to manufacture and maintain. The assemblies also lack positive control of the work platform, the location thereof, and maneuverability.


An equipment unit protection switch from an in-service equipment unit to a standby equipment unit is realized prior to any movement of the active equipment unit about to be removed from an equipment frame in which it is inserted. This is achieved by advantageously incorporating apparatus for generating an equipment unit removal indication signal that enables a controller to anticipate the removal of the equipment unit from the equipment frame. To this end, the equipment units employ an equipment unit latch and an associated switch to generate the equipment removal indication signal. Initial movement of the latch causes the equipment unit removal indication signal to be generated prior to any movement of the equipment unit in the frame in which it is inserted.

It has been the practice to employ redundant equipment units, e.g., plug-ins, circuit packs and the like, to enhance product reliability. The enhanced reliability has been realized by controllably switching service to a standby equipment unit upon detection of a failure of an in-service equipment unit or its removal from a connector in an equipment frame.
Prior known equipment unit protection switching arrangements that were specifically directed toward removal of equipment units, relied upon the complete disengagement of the equipment unit from its connector before initializing an equipment unit protection switch. Any movement of an equipment unit in its connector tends to cause transmission errors which have the potential for affecting customer service. This is especially true in relatively high digital bit rate transmission arrangements.
In such prior equipment unit protection switching arrangements, the time required to effect an equipment unit protection switch is directly dependent upon the speed at which the equipment unit is being removed from its connector. If the equipment unit was removed quickly, the protection switch would occur sooner than if it was removed slowly. In any event, the interval is still too long before completion of the equipment unit protection switch. Prior attempts at minimizing the time required to complete an equipment unit protection switch were primarily directed toward the use of complex fault detection and isolation algorithms. Such prior algorithms required a significant amount of processing time and processing resources.

Apparatus for equipment unit protection switching


This invention is related to the field of the prevention and treatment of kidney disease. The treatment of kidney disease may be tailored depending upon the need for, or expectation of, renal recovery. For example, renal recovery can be determined by monitoring urine biomarkers related to the development of chronic kidney disease. For example, a normalized time course of approximately fourteen Days measuring urinary proteins can be used to establish the risk of recovery versus non-recovery in patient's having suffered an acute kidney injury. Alternatively, the invention describes signature protein expression profiles to establish the probability of renal recovery and/or renal non-recovery.

Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) has an estimated incidence rate of approximately 2000 per million population and this rate is increasing. Ali et al. "Incidence and outcomes in acute kidney injury: a comprehensive population-based study" J Am Soc Nephrol 18:1292-1298 (2007). Approximately 5% of all people admitted to intensive care units around the world develop severe AM requiring dialysis. Uchino et al., "Acute renal failure in critically ill patients: a multinational, multicenter study" JAMA 294:813-818 (2005). A recent, multi-center study found that fewer than only about 60% patients surviving severe AKI recovered renal function by two months. Palevsky et al., "Intensity of renal support in critically ill patients with acute kidney injury" N Engl J Med 359:7-20 (2008). Thus, a large number of patients with AKI go on to have end-stage renal disease (ESRD).
However, since only a fraction of patients with AKI fail to recover renal function, interventions aimed at improving recovery or providing renal support (e.g. early dialysis) cannot be targeted appropriately without some means of determining which patients will recover and which will not. Unfortunately, clinical risk prediction for recovery after AKI is extremely limited. Research efforts to treat AM and prevent ESRD could be tailored according to long-term-prognosis. In other words, with an accurate prediction of which patients will not recover kidney function, medical efforts could focus the development and application of aggressive treatment interventions on just these patients. Conversely, patients with a favorable prognosis would be spared from more aggressive interventions and their potential adverse effects.
Thus, development of a biomarker or biomarker panel that allows early prediction of recovery of kidney function would be an extremely valuable clinical tool. What is needed in the art are a panel of biomarkers to predict renal recovery after AKI.

Urine biomarkers for prediction of recovery after acute kidney injury: proteomics

University of Pittsburgh—Of the Commonwaelth System of Higher Education


Provided are embodiments of a method of synthesizing nano scale electrode materials using an ultrafast combustion technique and nano scale electrode materials synthesized using the method. The method does not require a process of annealing reaction products required for synthesis of electrode materials or any other additional processes, such as cleaning, filtering, and drying processes, so that it can take only several seconds to several minutes to obtain a resultant product.

Recently, rapid developments of the electronics industry, various information communications including mobile communications, and mobile information technology (IT) products has led to an increase in the use of secondary batteries. Owing to techniques for producing hybrid automobiles, the demand for batteries having larger capacities and higher energy densities has started to increase. As a result, lithium (Li) secondary batteries having the highest performance, among batteries having large capacities and high energy densities, have been required more and more. To meet these requirements, it has become more necessary to improve performance of active materials among electrode materials.
Three essential components of lithium secondary batteries are a positive electrode, a negative electrode, and an electrolyte. Lithium transition metal compounds, such as LiCoO2, LiMn2O4, LiNiO2, Li(Mn,Ni,Co)O2, LiMnO2, or LiFePO4, may be mainly used as positive electrode active materials of the lithium secondary batteries. Lithium ions of these materials are intercalated into and deintercalated from crystalline structures to cause electrochemical reactions.
As application fields of lithium secondary batteries start from small-sized electronic products and cover a wide range, the efficiency of industrial activity of portable and mobile electronic products and hybrid automobiles has greatly improved. However, due to some disadvantages of batteries, such as thermal instability, high prices, and long manufacturing times, a large amount of research has been conducted into developing cheap, safe materials, reducing manufacturing process times, and improving economical efficiency.
The commonest material of positive electrode materials capable of causing improvements in price, safety, and capacity and producing the maximum effects, among battery materials, is LiCoO2. Although LiCoO2 has good conductivity and high performance, since LiCoO2 is expensive and problematic in safety, materials to replace cobalt (Co)-containing positive electrode materials are being studied. Among powerful candidates, LiFePO4, which has a theoretical capacity of about 170 mAh/g, provides theoretical capacities according to conditions and is superior to LiCoO2 in terms of price and safety.
However, the biggest disadvantage of LiFePO4 is low conductivity. LiFePO4 itself has low electrical conductivity, and large particles of LiFePO4 have low ionic conductivity. To solve this problem, research has been conducted on various methods, for example: a method of improving a diffusion speed of lithium ions by synthesizing uniformly distributed small-sized particles to enhance rate capability, or a method of coating LiFePO4 with carbon (C) to improve electrical conductivity.
However, to synthesize LiFePO4 having high crystallinity using a conventional method, such as a solid-state reaction, a sol-gel reaction, thermal synthesis, or a co-precipitation reaction, an annealing process should be performed at a high temperature. Also, a polyol method involves a cleaning process, a filtering process, and a drying process. Accordingly, a synthesis process may be complicated, incur high costs, and degrade time efficiency.

Method for synthesizing nano scale electrode materials using an ultra-fast combustion method, and nano scale electrode materials synthesized by the method

INDUSTRY FOUNDATION OF CHONNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY