An endoscope apparatus includes: an insertion portion to be inserted into a living body, an optical fiber that is inserted through the insertion portion and emits light from a light source, a fixing member that holds the optical fiber in the insertion portion in a state where the optical fiber is protruded in a distal end direction of the insertion portion, an actuator that causes the distal end of the optical fiber to swing, and a distal end optical system having an optical characteristic in which a focal point position of the light is behind a distal end of the insertion portion when the optical fiber protruded from the fixing member is shortened by a predetermined length.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an endoscope apparatus and, more particularly, to an endoscope apparatus that acquires image signals through laser light scanning
2. Description of the Related Art
As is well-known, electronic endoscopes are used that carry out photoelectric conversion of a subject image by employing an image pickup apparatus including a solid-state image pickup device such as a CCD and CMOS and displays an acquired image on a monitor. In recent years, scanning endoscope apparatuses have been used for displaying a subject image, without employing the technology of the solid-state image pickup device. The scanning endoscope apparatus scans a subject with a distal end of an illumination fiber that guides light from a light source, receives return light from the subject with an optical fiber bundle disposed around the illumination fiber, and generates a subject image by using chronologically detected light intensity signals.
For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2011-19706 discloses a medical observation system including a scanning medical probe that transmits laser light from a laser light source to a distal end portion of an insertion portion via a single-mode optical fiber and irradiates the subject.
The medical observation system disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2011-19706 has an optical fiber inserted through and fixed in a through hole of an actuator formed with a piezoelectric device or the like and supplies a driving voltage to a plurality of electrodes provided to the actuator in XY-axis direction to cause the optical fiber to vibrate in a predetermined manner and scan the laser light.
FIG. 9A is a view for illustrating a state of propagation of a laser light in conventional arts.
As shown in FIG. 9A, a conventional scanning endoscope apparatus drives an actuator 100 to vibrate (double-pointed arrow 102) an optical fiber 101. The laser light emitted from the optical fiber 101 is concentrated, for example, at a focal point 105 by lenses 103, 104 constituting a distal end optical system. The vibration (double-pointed arrow 102) of the optical fiber 101 also causes the focal point 105 to vibrate (double-pointed arrow 106), thereby allowing to scan a living body with the laser light.
FIG. 9B is a view for illustrating a state of propagation of a laser light when the optical fiber is broken in conventional arts. As shown in FIG. 9B, when a part of the optical fiber 101 is broken which is on a distal end side with respect to the actuator 100, almost no amplitude (double-pointed arrow 102a) of the optical fiber 101 can be acquired.


Anion exchange materials loaded with oxygen-containing metal compounds within the exchange matrix as a sorbent, and a method for preparation. The materials remove arsenic and other ligands or contaminants from water and other fluid streams.

Sorption processes to remove contaminants from water are operationally simple, require virtually no start-up time, and are forgiving toward fluctuations in feed compositions. A viable and economically competitive sorbent should exhibit high selectivity toward the target contaminant, should be durable, and should be amenable to efficient regeneration and reuse. Removing the target contaminant should not cause major changes in pH or in the composition of the influent water.
Sorbents that contain at least one oxygen-containing compound of a metal, such as amorphous and crystalline hydrated iron (Fe) oxide compounds (HFO), may have these qualities. Such sorbents show strong sorption affinity toward both arsenic (III) and arsenic (V) species in solution. HFO particles also show strong sorption affinity towards phosphate, natural organic matter (NOM), selenite, molybdate, vanadate, arsenite, arsenate, phosphate, and other ligands. Other competing ions, such as chloride or sulfate, exhibit poor sorption affinity toward HFO particles.
Traditional synthesis processes of HFO produce only very fine (e.g., micron-sized) HFO particles. Such fine HFO particles are unusable in fixed beds, permeable reactive barriers, or any flow through systems because of excessive pressure drops, poor mechanical strength, and unacceptable durability. To overcome the problem of very fine HFO particles, strong-acid cation exchangers have been modified to contain HFO particles. These supported HFO particles are useful for the removal of arsenic and other contaminants.
Iron loaded cation exchange resins, complexing resins, and alginates have also been tried to remove selenium and arsenic oxyanions. Although cation exchanger loaded HFO particles are capable of removing arsenates or phosphates, their removal capacities are reduced because the cation exchange material is negatively charged due to sulfonic acid or other negatively charged functional groups. The HFO particles dispersed in the cation exchange material are not accessible to dissolved anionic ligands for selective sorption. Consequently, arsenates, phosphates and other oxyanions are rejected due to the Donnan co-ion exclusion effect.
Macroporous cation exchange sorbents with dispersed HFO particles provided arsenic sorption capacity of about 750 μg/g sorbent. Gel-type cation exchange sorbents with dispersed HFO particles provided minimal arsenic sorption capacity; a gel-type cation exchange sorbent loaded with eight percent iron resulted in almost immediate arsenic breakthrough. HFO particles encapsulated with cation exchange sites were not accessible to arsenates or other anionic ligands for selective sorption.
Accordingly, there is a need for a more effective medium and method for selective removal of contaminants from fluid streams, and a method for effectively dispersing HFO particles throughout anion exchange materials.

Method and sorbent for selective removal of contaminants from fluids


A method for operating an electronic gaming system captures an image of a gaming object, extracts identifying information from the image of the gaming object, and uses the extracted identifying information to reference a database to determine a behavior associated with the identifying information. The method returns data to the gaming system to execute or control the behavior of the gaming system in response to the gaming object. Various system configurations for this method as well as unique applications of it are also disclosed.

The gaming industry has expanded significantly in terms of the technology and variety of games, as well as the venues for the games. The gaming industry uses various forms of physical and electronic tokens, cards, chips, etc. as monetary units and playing objects. In addition, the technology now bridges conventional playing objects like chips, coins and cards in conventional venues to encompass the digital realm including electronic gaming machines, on-line gaming, electronic monetary units, etc.
Just as the technology used in gambling and casinos has diversified and become integrated with digital systems, so has the technology available to pirates. Pirates can cheat in new and various ways, from making counterfeit monetary tokens to faking playing objects like playing cards and dice.
The use of machine readable embedded data in gaming system offers a variety of ways to combat cheating as well as enhance the gaming experience. Steganographic techniques, such as digital watermarking, enable playing objects and monetary tokens to be authenticated and enhanced. Other forms of machine readable codes can be used in conjunction with digital watermarks for these applications as detailed in this document.
Digital watermarking is a process for modifying physical or electronic media to embed a hidden machine-readable code into the media. The media may be modified such that the embedded code is imperceptible or nearly imperceptible to the user, yet may be detected through an automated detection process. Most commonly, digital watermarking is applied to media signals such as images, audio signals, and video signals. However, it may also be applied to other types of media objects, including documents (e.g., through line, word or character shifting), software, multi-dimensional graphics models, and surface textures of objects.
Digital watermarking systems typically have two primary components: an encoder that embeds the watermark in a host media signal, and a decoder that detects and reads the embedded watermark from a signal suspected of containing a watermark (a suspect signal). The encoder embeds a watermark by subtly altering the host media signal. The reading component analyzes a suspect signal to detect whether a watermark is present. In applications where the watermark encodes information, the reader extracts this information from the detected watermark.
Several particular watermarking techniques have been developed. The reader is presumed to be familiar with the literature in this field. Particular techniques for embedding and detecting imperceptible watermarks in media signals are detailed in the assignee's U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,122,403 and 6,614,914, which are hereby incorporated by reference.
A related field in content recognition and identification uses image attributes to identify images. These attributes are typically derived from perceptual features and/or hashes of images. Such techniques can be used in conjunction with embedded information to identify and validate objects through comparison with stored attributes for the image.
One aspect of the invention is a method for operating an electronic gaming system. The method includes capturing an image of a gaming object; extracting identifying information from the image of the gaming object; and using the extracted identifying information to reference a database to determine a behavior associated with the identifying information. The method returns data to the gaming system to execute or control the behavior of the gaming system in response to the gaming object.
Various system configurations for this method as well as unique applications of it are also disclosed.
Further features will become apparent with reference to the following detailed description and accompanying drawings.


An electronic device may contain a camera, a camera flash, and a display in a housing. The camera flash or the display may provide illumination while capturing images with camera. The camera flash may be formed from light guiding structures that receive camera flash light from a light source. The camera flash may be located under a speaker port mesh. A speaker port may contain a camera and a camera flash. Light guiding structures may have a ring shape with an opening. A speaker port, camera, or button may be located within the opening. A button may have an opaque portion in which a transparent light guiding structure for a camera flash is embedded. Camera flash structures may produce camera flash light to capture images and can serve as a status indicator to indicate when a message is received or other state change is detected during operation.

This relates generally to electronic devices and, more particularly, to electronic devices with cameras and camera flash structures.
Electronic devices such as cellular telephones and other devices often contain cameras. A camera may be used in acquiring still and moving images. Flash structures based on light sources such as light-emitting diodes are incorporated into electronic devices to provide illumination for a subject during camera use.
Challenges arise when mounting flash structures in an electronic device. If care is not taken, flash structures may be bulky and obtrusive. Flash structures that are mounted poorly may detract from an otherwise aesthetically appealing device appearance.
It would therefore be desirable to be able to provide electronic devices with improved arrangements for mounting camera and flash structures.

Electronic device with camera flash structures


A symmetric multiprocessor computer is provided with a star interconnection architecture and a cooling system. The star interconnection architecture include a middle plane, and plural first processor boards and second processor boards configured vertically onto opposite surfaces of the middle plane. The first processor boards and the second processor boards are crisscross to each other at the opposite surfaces of the middle plane. The cooling system includes a first cooling module and a second cooling system module configured for generating a plurality of first airflows and second airflows for the first processor boards and the second processor boards respectively, wherein the paths of the first airflows and the second airflows are crisscross to each other at the opposite surfaces of the middle plane.

The challenge to build a large symmetric multiprocessor (SMP) computer is many interconnections are required. These interconnections connect each CPU (central processing unit) with every other CPU over a short distance. This creates a three dimensional nest of interconnects; each of interconnects are required to be shorter than a maximum trace length dictated by electrical performance requirements.
One approach to connect all the CPUs together is to create a backplane with all the CPUs (generally the CPUs are configured on several CPU boards/cards) connect to a same side of this backplane. Due to the requirements of maximum trace length, the CPUs (or CPU boards/cards) have to be placed very close to each other. The overall number of CPUs included in the system is dictated by the maximum allowable trace length. That is because each additional CPU (or CPU board/card) added to the backplane connection also increases the trace length between CPUs.
Another approach in the prior art to meet the aforesaid requirements is to use orthogonal connectors that allow each CPU board to connect to another CPU board in a right angle fashion. Currently, such connectors of this type available include connectors of Molex I-Trac and Amphenol-TCS (Teradyne). Not only are these connectors more expensive than traditional backplane connectors, these connectors also created a difficult cooling problem. When boards are placed in an orthogonal fashion, it creates a crisscross airflow path that makes it very difficult to bring cooling air into the system and guide warm air away from the components.

Symmetric multiprocessing computer and star interconnection architecture and cooling system thereof


A latex compound for dip molding, which can be used for production of a high-quality dip-molded product that is excellent in oil resistance and mechanical strength, has uniform film thickness and soft feeling to the skin and is free of pinholes, as is required for gloves etc. especially in the medical fields, and assumes no stickiness on the surface of the molded product after molding. This object is attained by a latex compound for dip molding which comprises a copolymer latex (L) obtained by emulsion polymerization of a monomer mixture and 0.05 to 5.0 parts by weight of a bubble breaker (A) consisting of a C8-22 fatty acid or a salt thereof, and if necessary, 0.1 to 5.0 parts by weight of a di C5-12 alkyl sulfosuccinate salt (B) and/or 0.5 to 10.0 parts by weight of a C13-20 alkyl benzene sulfonate (C) per 100 parts by weight of the monomer mixture.

The present invention relates to a latex compound for dip molding, particularly a latex compound for dip molding from which can be used for easily and efficiently producing a dip-molded product feeling soft and satisfying properties such as excellent oil resistance required for gloves used in medical fields and in a clean room for producing electronic parts, high mechanical strength and the absence of pinholes, as well as a dip-molded product obtained therefrom.
Dip-molded products such as gloves and fingerstalls used in the fields of medicine, hygiene and production of electronic parts should be excellent in oil resistance and mechanical strength, free of pinholes and also excellent in close fitting thereof to the skin.
As the method of dip molding, there are known an anode coagulant dip process wherein a mold made of wood, glass, ceramics, metal or plastics is dipped in a coagulant and then dipped in natural latex or synthetic rubber latex, and a Teague coagulant dip process, wherein a mold is dipped in latex and then dipped in a coagulant. The molded products obtained by these dip processes are called as a dip-molded product.
The film thickness of a dip-molded product such as a glove, the occurrence of pinholes therein and the close fitting thereof to the skin depend mainly on the latex compound and a coagulant.
Most of latex used heretofore in the dip molding method is natural rubber latex or synthetic rubber latex, but for the reason of high resistance to oil and organic solvent, acrylonitrile butadiene rubber (NBR) latex is preferably used. Recently, the NBR latex has been used more and more owing to the development of allergy in those who use natural rubber latex gloves. However, molded products produced from NBR by dip molding, though being excellent in oil resistance, have high glass transition temperature (Tg), and thus they hardly give soft feeling to the skin.
Accordingly, there are methods wherein, for instance, a conjugated diene compound such as butadiene is used in a larger amount in production of NBR, or NBR is blended with natural rubber, and NBR are laminated on the natural rubber layer. In these cases, however, the resulting products are poor in oil resistance or chemical resistance.
Meanwhile, as the method of obtaining NBR film which is excellent in oil resistance and has soft feeling to the skin, there are proposed methods wherein e.g. the molecular weight of copolymer latex and the content of insolubles in methyl ethyl ketone therein are prescribed (JP-A 5-247266 and JP-A 6-182788), but it cannot be said that the object has been achieved satisfactorily.
Along with this soft feeling to the skin, the presence or absence of pinholes is important for the gloves. In particular, when the molded product is used for medical purposes such as a surgical gloves, the presence of pinholes is fatal. The pinhole is easily generated if bubbles are mixed in latex compound, the chemical stability of latex compound to a coagulant is high, or the wettability of latex compound on a mold is not satisfactory. Bubbles in latex compound occurs mainly due to stirring during synthesis of latex or during addition of other ingredients to latex. Once bubbles are mixed, they do not easily disappear owing to the action of an emulsifying agent etc. in latex compound, and pinholes in the molded product are generated. If the chemical stability of latex compound to a coagulant is high or the wettability of latex compound on a mold is not satisfactory, then the film thickness of the molded product may become uneven or pinholes may be generated.
It is also important for the molded products that the surface of the molded product is not sticky. This stickiness is a property permitting products produced by dip molding to adhere one another owing to the sticky surfaces of the molded products. Once the molded products assume stickiness, their qualities are lowered and, resulted in a significant reduction in their commercial value.
The object of the present invention is to provide a latex compound for dip molding, which can be used for production of a dip-molded product that is excellent in oil resistance and mechanical strength, has uniform film thickness and soft feeling to the skin and no pinholes, and assumes no stickiness of the surface after molding.
As a result of their eager study for solving this object, the present inventors found that a specific amount of a bubble breaker consisting of a fatty acid containing 8 to 22 carbon atoms or a salt thereof, and preferably additionally a dialkylsulfosuccinate salt containing 5 to 12 carbon atoms for the respective alkyl groups and/or an alkyl benzene sulfonate whose alkyl group contains 13 to 20 carbon atoms, are blended with copolymer latex obtained by emulsion polymerization of a monomer mixture, whereby the bubble-breaking abilities of latex compound, the wettability of latex compound on the surface of a mold, the chemical stability of latex compound to a coagulant, and the anti-stickiness of the molded product are significantly improved, and on the basis of this finding, they extensively studied and completed the present invention.
That is, the present invention relates to:
(1) A latex compound for dip molding, which comprises a copolymer latex (L) obtained by emulsion polymerization of a monomer mixture and 0.05 to 5.0 parts by weight of a bubble breaker (A) consisting of a fatty acid containing 8 to 22 carbon atoms or a salt thereof per 100 parts by weight of the monomer mixture,
(2) The latex compound for dip molding according to item 1, which further comprises 0.1 to 5.0 parts by weight of a dialkylsulfosuccinate salt (B) represented by formula (1):
wherein R1 and R2 are the same or different and represent an alkyl group containing 5 to 12 carbon atoms and M is metal ion or ammonium ion, and/or 0.5 to 10.0 parts by weight of an alkyl benzene sulfonate (C) whose alkyl group contains 13 to 20 carbon atoms per 100 parts by weight of the monomer mixture;
(3) The latex compound for dip molding according to item 1 or 2, which further comprises 0.01 to 1.0 part by weight of a thickener per 100 parts by weight of the monomer mixture;
(4) The latex compound for dip molding according to item 1 or 2, wherein the emulsion polymerization of the monomer mixture is conducted in the presence of a polyhydroxy compound;
(5) The latex compound for dip molding according to item 4, wherein the polyhydroxy compound is a glycol;
(6) The latex compound for dip molding according to item 1 or 4, wherein the monomer mixture comprises 15 to 45 parts by weight of a vinyl cyanide monomer, 35 to 80 parts by weight of a conjugated diene monomer, 0.1 to 20 parts by weight of an ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid monomer, and 0 to 20 parts by weight of other ethylenically unsaturated monomers copolymerizable with the above monomers in 100 parts by weight of the monomer mixture;
(7) The latex compound for dip molding according to item 1, wherein the copolymer latex (L) has 51 to 90% by weight of gel content (methyl ethyl ketone-insolubles);
(8) The latex compound for dip molding according to item 1 or 6, wherein the copolymer latex (L) is obtained by emulsion polymerization of the monomer mixture in the presence of a seed polymer having an average particle diameter of 20 to 90 nm and glass transition temperature (Tg) of xe2x88x9250 to 50xc2x0 C. obtained by emulsion polymerization between a vinyl cyanide monomer and an ethylenically unsaturated monomer copolymerizable therewith;
(9) The latex compound for dip molding according to item 1, wherein the bubble breaker (A) comprises 15 to 50% by weight of stearic acid or a salt thereof;
(10) A dip-molded product produced by dip molding from the latex compound for dip molding according to any one of items 1 to 9; and
(11) The dip-molded product according to item 10, which is a glove.
The process for producing a latex component for dip molding according to the present invention is described below.
In the present invention, the bubble breaker (A) and, if necessary, the component (B) and/or the component (C) are blended with the copolymer latex (L) obtained by emulsion polymerization of a monomer mixture.
The copolymer latex (L) used in the present invention is obtained by emulsion polymerization of a monomer mixture, and the monomer is not particularly limited insofar as the resulting polymer has rubber-like properties. Preferably the monomer mixture comprises a vinyl cyanide monomer, a conjugated diene monomer and an ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid monomer and if necessary an ethylenically unsaturated monomer copolymerizable with these monomers.
The vinyl cyanide monomer includes acrylonitrile, methacrylonitrile, xcex1-cyanoethylacrylonitrile, fumaronitrile etc. These vinyl cyanide monomers can be used singly or in combination thereof. In the present invention, acrylonitrile is particularly preferably used.
The amount of such a vinyl cyanide monomer used is 15 to 45 parts by weight, preferably 23 to 40 parts by weight, in 100 parts by weight of the monomer mixture. If the amount of the vinyl cyanide monomer is less than 15 parts by weight, the oil resistance and chemical resistance of the resulting dip-molded product may be inadequate, whereas if it exceeds 45 parts by weight, the copolymerization reaction between the vinyl cyanide monomer and the conjugated diene monomer hardly proceeds so that a homopolymer of the vinyl cyanide monomer may be formed.
The conjugated diene monomer used may be a monomer usually used for production of latex, such as 1,3-butadiene, isoprene, 2-chloro-1,3-butadiene and 2-methyl-1,3-butadiene. These conjugated diene monomers can be used alone or in combination thereof. In the present invention, 1,3-butadiene is preferably used.
The amount of such a conjugated diene monomer used is in the range of 35 to 80 parts by weight, preferably 45 to 70 parts by weight, in 100 parts by weight of the monomer mixture.
If the amount of the conjugated diene monomer used is less than 35 parts by weight, the resulting dip-molded product may feel stiff. On the other hand, if it is more than 80 parts by weight, the strength of the dip-molded product may be lowered.
The ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid monomer includes e.g. monocarboxylic acids such as (meth)acrylic acid and crotonic acid, and dicarboxylic acids such as maleic acid, fumaric acid and itaconic acid, as well as anhydrides thereof, for example dicarboxylic acid monoesters i.e. half esters such as methyl maleate and methyl itaconate. These ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid monomers can be used alone or in combination thereof. Further, these ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid monomers can also be used as alkali metal salts or ammonium salts. Among these, acrylic acid and methacrylic acid are particularly preferably used.
The amount of such an ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid monomer used is in the range of 0.1 to 20 parts by weight, preferably 1 to 15 parts by weight and more preferably 3 to 7 parts by weight in 100 parts by weight of the monomer mixture. If its amount is less than 0.1 part by weight, the strength of the resulting dip-molded product may be lowered. On the other hand, if it is more than 20 parts by weight, the product may feel stiff.
The copolymerizable ethylenically unsaturated monomers other than the monomers described above include e.g. aromatic vinyl compounds such as styrene and xcex1-methylstyrene, unsaturated alkyl carboxylates such as methyl acrylate, ethyl acrylate, butyl acrylate, 2-hydroxyethyl acrylate, methyl methacrylate, 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate and glycidyl methacrylate, ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid amide compounds such as acrylamide, methacrylamide, N,N-dimethylacrylamide and N-methylolacrylamide, vinyl carboxylates such as vinyl acetate, and ethylenically unsaturated amine compounds such as methyl aminoethyl (meth)acrylate, dimethyl aminoethyl (meth)acrylate and 2-vinylpyridine. These can be used singly or in combination thereof.
The amount of these ethylenically unsaturated monomers used is 0 to 20 parts by weight, preferably 1 to 10 parts by weight, in 100 parts by weight of the monomer mixture.
In the present invention, a polyhydroxy compound may be present at the time of production of copolymer latex composition in order to improve the flexibility of the resulting dip-molded product.
The polyhydroxy compound is used to confer soft feeling to the skin on the dip-molded product, and it is added preferably before or during polymerization of copolymer latex. In the case where the polyhydroxy compound is added during polymerization, it is added preferably before the degree of polymerization of the monomer mixture reaches 70%, preferably 50%, because its softening effect tends to decrease as the degree of polymerization increases.
Such a polyhydroxy compound includes preferably a polyhydroxy compound with a molecular weight of 1000 or less, and the examples include glycols such as ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, trimethylene glycol, 1,4-butane diol, 1,5-pentane diol, 1,6-hexane diol and pinacol, trivalent alcohols such as glycerin and trimethylol propane, tetravalent alcohols such as erythritol, pentaerythritol and threitol, and hexavalent alcohols such as sorbitol, as well as sucrose and other polyether polyols. Among these, glycols are preferable, and propylene glycol is more preferable. The amount of the polyhydroxy compound used is preferably in the range of 1 to 10 parts by weight, more preferably 2 to 7 parts by weight, every 100 parts by weight of the monomer mixture.
For production of the copolymer latex in the present invention, a conventional method of emulsion polymerization, for example, a method for conducting emulsion polymerization by adding the monomer mixture, a polymerization chain transfer agent, a polymerization initiator and an emulsifying agent to an aqueous medium such as water may be mentioned. The polymerization chain transfer agent can make use of a usual chain transfer agent generally known in emulsion polymerization.
Examples of chain transfer agents include mercaptocarboxylic acids such as 2-mercaptopropionic acid or salts thereof (e.g., ammonium mercaptoacetate), mercaptodicarboxylic acids such as mercaptosuccinic acid or salts thereof (e.g., mercaptodicarboxylates), mercaptans having a hydroxyl group in the molecule, such as 2-mercaptoethanol, mercaptans having an amino group in the molecule, such as 2-mercaptoethylamine, monosulfides having a carboxyl group in the molecule, such as thioglycolic acid and 3,3xe2x80x2-thiodipropionic acid or salts thereof, monosulfides a having hydroxyl group in the molecule, such as xcex2-thiodiglycol, monosulfides having an amino group in the molecule, such as thiodiethyl amine, disulfides having a carboxyl group in the molecule, such as dithiodiglycolic acid and 2,2xe2x80x2-dithiodipropionic acid or salts thereof, acid anhydrides of monosulfides and disulfides, such as thiodiglycolic acid anhydride, disulfides having a carboxyl group and an amino group in the molecule, such as D-, L or D,L-cystine, halogenated hydrocarbons having a hydroxyl group in the molecule, such as chloromethanol and 2-chloroethanol, halogenated hydrocarbons having a carboxyl group in the molecule, such as monochloroacetic acid, dichloroacetic acid, chlorofumaric acid, chloromaleic acid and chloromalonic acid or salts thereof, acid anhydrides of halogenated hydrocarbons, such as chloromaleic acid anhydride, monothiols such as hexyl mercaptan, octyl mercaptan, n-dodecyl mercaptan and t-dodecyl mercaptan, dithiols such as 1,10-decane diol and triglycol dimercaptan, trithiols such as trimethylol propane tristhioglycolate, polythiols having at least 2 mercapto groups in the molecule, such as tetrathiols for example pentaerythritol tetrakisthioglycolate, xanthogen disulfides such as dimethyl xanthogen disulfide and diethyl xanthogen disulfide, thiuram disulfides such as tetramethyl thiuram disulfide, hydrocarbon halides such as carbon tetrachloride and carbon tetrabromide, alkyl mercaptocarboxylates such as 2-ethylhexyl mercaptoacetate and tridecyl mercaptopropionate, alkoxy alkyl mercaptocarboxylates such as methoxybutyl mercaptoacetate and methoxybutyl mercaptopropionate, mercaptoalkyl carboxylates such as 2-mercaptoethyl octanoate, and xcex1-methyl styrene dimer, terpinolene, xcex1-terpinene, xcex3-terpinene, dipentene, anisole and allyl alcohol.
These chain transfer agents are used singly or in combination thereof. In the present invention, monothiol, polythiol, xanthogen disulfide, thiuram disulfide, 2-ethylhexyl mercaptoacetate, 2-mercaptoethyl octanoate, methoxybutyl mercaptoacetate, methoxybutyl mercaptopropioate, xcex1-methyl styrene dimer and terpinolene are preferably used.
In the present invention, the amount of these chain transfer agents used is usually in the range of 0.05 to 20 parts by weight, more preferably 0.1 to 15 parts by weight, most preferably 0.2 to 10 parts by weight relative to 100 parts by weight of the monomer mixture.
The polymerization initiator is not particularly limited, and inorganic persulfates such as potassium persulfate, sodium persulfate and ammonium persulfate, organic peroxides such as cumene hydroperoxide and benzoyl peroxide, and azo-type initiators such as azoisobutyronitrile may be used. These can be used alone or in combination thereof. Among these, peroxides showing a half-life of 10 hours at a temperature of 100xc2x0 C. or more are preferably used. Further, in the present invention, the polymerization initiators described above can also be used as the so-called redox polymerization initiator by combination with a reducing agent such as sodium bisulfite and ferrous sulfate. In the present invention, the amount of the polymerization initiator used is usually about 0.01 to 5 parts by weight, preferably about 0.1 to 3 parts by weight, relative to 100 parts by weight of the total monomer mixture.
As the emulsifying agent used in emulsion polymerization, alkyl benzene sulfonates whose alkyl group contains 12 carbon atoms or less, such as sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate and sodium octyl benzene sulfonate; alkyl diphenylether disulfonate such as disodium dodecyldiphenylether disulfonate; anionic surfactants such as sodium lauryl sulfate and xcex1-sulfonated fatty acid salts, nonionic surfactants such as polyoxyethylene alkyl esters and polyoxyethylene alkyl aryl ethers, amphoteric surfactants of alkyl betaine salts, such as salts of lauryl betaine and stearyl betaine, and amphoteric surfactants of amino acid type, such as lauryl-xcex2-alanine, lauryl di(aminoethyl) glycine and octyl di(aminoethyl) glycine can be used in combination with the fatty acid containing 8 to 22 carbon atoms or a salt thereof (A), the dialkylsulfosuccinate salt (B) of formula (1), and the alkyl benzene sulfonate (C) whose alkyl group contains 13 to 20 carbon atoms.
Among these emulsifying agents, sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate and disodium dodecyldiphenylether disulfonate are preferably used. The amount of the emulsifying agent used is in the ratio of, usually 0.1 to 20 parts by weight, preferably 0.5 to 10 parts by weight.
The emulsion polymerization in the method of the present invention may be conducted in the presence of a chelating agent such as sodium ethylene diamine tetraacetate, a dispersant such as sodium formaldehyde sulfoxylate and an inorganic salt such as phosphates, if necessary.
For production of the copolymer latex (L) in the present invention, the emulsion polymerization is conducted usually at a temperature of 0 to 100xc2x0 C. until the degree of polymerization of the monomer reaches 90%, preferably 95% or more. Preferably, the emulsion polymerization is conducted at 40xc2x0 C. or less because the latex can be advantageously produced and a dip-molded product having high mechanical strength and soft feeling to the skin can be obtained.
As the method of emulsion polymerization, a method wherein the monomer component is added all at once to the polymerization system, and a polymerization method wherein the monomer component is added continuously or in divided portions to the polymerization system may be employed.
For production of the copolymer latex in the present invention, the emulsion polymerization is conducted preferably in the presence of a seed polymer having average particle diameter of 20 to 90 nm and Tg of xe2x88x9250 to 50xc2x0 C. obtained previously by emulsion polymerization of ethylenically unsaturated monomers copolymerizable with the vinyl cyanide monomer.
The vinyl cyanide monomer used in polymerization for the seed includes acrylonitrile, methacrylonitrile, xcex1-cyanoethyl acrylonitrile and fumaronitrile. These vinyl cyanide monomers may be used alone or in combination thereof. In the present invention, acrylonitrile can be preferably used. The ethylenically unsaturated monomers copolymerizable with this vinyl cyanide monomer include e.g. aromatic vinyl compounds such as styrene and xcex1-methyl styrene, unsaturated alkyl carboxylates such as methyl acrylate, ethyl acrylate, butyl acrylate, 2-hydroxyethyl acrylate, methyl methacrylate, 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate and glycidyl methacrylate, ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid amides such as acrylamide, methacrylamide, N,N-dimethyl acrylamide and N-methylol acrylamide, vinyl carboxylates such as vinyl acetate, ethylenically unsaturated amines such as methyl aminoethyl (meth)acrylate, dimethyl aminoethyl (meth)acrylate and 2-vinylpyridine, conjugated diene monomers such as 1,3-butadiene, isoprene, 2-chloro-1,3-butadiene and 2-methyl-1,3-butadiene, ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid monomers, for example monocarboxylic acids such (meth)acrylic acid and crotonic acid, dicarboxylic acids such as maleic acid, fumaric acid and itaconic acid, as well as anhydrides thereof, for example dicarboxylic acid monoesters i.e. half esters, such as methyl maleate and methyl itaconate. In the present invention, butyl acrylate is particularly preferably used.
The amount of the monomer mixture used for production of the seed polymer in the present invention is 0.5 to 10 parts by weight, preferably 1 to 5 parts by weight, relative to 100 parts by weight of the monomer mixture used for production of the copolymer latex.
In the emulsion polymerization for production of the seed polymer, surfactants such as anionic and nonionic surfactants may be used. The anionic surfactant includes e.g. sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate, sodium octyl benzene sulfonate, sodium lauryl sulfate, xcex1-sulfonated fatty acid salts etc. The nonionic surfactant includes e.g. polyoxyethylene alkyl esters, polyoxyethylene alkyl aryl ethers etc. Among these, sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate is preferably used.
The amount of the surfactant used is 1 to 20% by weight, preferably 2 to 10% by weight, relative to the total amount of the monomer mixture used in polymerization for the seed.
The emulsion polymerization in production of the seed polymer may be conducted in the presence of a chelating agent such as sodium ethylene diamine tetraacetate, a dispersant such as sodium formaldehyde sulfoxylate and an inorganic salt such as phosphates.
The polymerization initiator used in production of the seed polymer may be the same as in emulsion polymerization of the monomer mixture as described above, and the amount of the initiator used is usually 0.1 to 10% by weight, preferably 0.5 to 7% by weight, relative to the total amount of the monomer mixture used in polymerization for the seed.
For production of the seed polymer in the present invention, a chain transfer agent, typically mercaptans, may be used, if necessary. Production of the seed polymer is conducted usually at a temperature of 20 to 80xc2x0 C. until the degree of polymerization reaches 90%, preferably 95% or more.
The average particle diameter of the seed polymer is in the range of 20 to 90 nm, preferably 30 to 80 nm. If the average particle diameter of the seed polymer is less than 20 nm, it is difficult to attain a unimodal particle diameter for the resulting latex. On the other hand, if it is more than 90 nm, the particle diameter of the resulting latex is too large, and a too long time is required for the polymerization which is conducted until the degree of polymerization of the monomer mixture reaches 90%, preferably 95% or more.
The Tg of the seed polymer is in the range of xe2x88x9250 to 50xc2x0 C., preferably xe2x88x9230 to 30xc2x0 C. If it is lower than xe2x88x9250xc2x0 C., the strength of the dip-molded product may be lowered, while if it exceeds 50xc2x0 C., the dip-molded product may feel stiff.
This polymerization method using the seed is advantageous in that polymerization stability can be improved and that as compared with a conventional method of emulsion polymerization in the absence of a seed polymer, the number of particles during polymerization can be regulated by the seed polymer and thus the particle diameter of the resulting latex can be regulated.
The average particle diameter of the copolymer latex used in the present invention is preferably 80 to 200 nm, more preferably 90 to 180 nm. If the average particle diameter is less than 80 nm, the viscosity of the latex increases so that transportation of the latex may be hindered. On the other hand, if it exceeds 200 nm, coagulated materials are apt to generate during emulsion polymerization of the copolymer latex.
The gel content (methyl ethyl ketone-insolubles) in the copolymer latex used in the present invention is 51 to 90% by weight, preferably 51 to 80% by weight. If the gel content is too high, the molded product becomes too stiff and its feeling to the skin is deteriorated. On the other hand, if it is too low, the latex becomes increasingly thickened with an alkali, so that the viscosity of the copolymer latex may be increased excessively.
The gel content in the copolymer is determined by weighing a copolymer film obtained by drying the copolymer latex, immersing the film in methyl ethyl ketone, filtering it, weighing its dried insolubles, and calculating the ratio of the weight of the dried insolubles to the dry weight of the original film.
The swelling index (SI) of the methyl ethyl ketone-insolubles content in a copolymer obtained by drying the copolymer latex used in the present invention is preferably 10 or more and more preferably 15 or more. If the SI is less than 10, the strength of the dip-molded product may be diminished.
The SI is determined by obtaining a copolymer film by drying the copolymer latex, then immersing the film in methyl ethyl ketone, filtering it, measuring its wet weight, thereafter weighing its dry weight, and calculating the ratio of the dry weight to the wet weight.
The weight average molecular weight, as determined using polystyrene standards, of the tetrahydrofuran-soluble sol content in a dried film obtained from the copolymer latex used in the present invention is 50,000 to 300,000 and the number average molecular weight as determined using polystyrene standards is preferably 10,000 to 100,000, and the degree of dispersion is preferably 10 or less. If the weight average molecular weight is less than 50,000, or the number average molecular weight is less than 10,000, then the resulting dip-molded product, particularly when it is in the form of a thin film, may not only have a uneven film thickness but also be poor in strength. On the other hand, if the weight average molecular weight is more than 300,000, or the number average molecular weight is more than 100,000, significant shrinkage may occur during dip molding.
In addition, if the ratio of the number average molecular weight to the weight average molecular weight, that is, the degree of dispersion, is more than 10, then shrinkage becomes significant during dip molding process and the molded product may feel stiff.
The weight and the number average molecular weights of the tetrahydrofuran-soluble sol content in a film obtained from the copolymer latex used in the present invention are those determined by gel permeation chromatography. Specifically, a film was prepared from the copolymer latex, then the film was immersed in tetrahydrofuran, and the tetrahydrofuran-soluble sol therein was measured by gel permeation using polystyrene standards.
The bubble breaker (A) used in the present invention is a fatty acid containing 8 to 22 carbon atoms or a salt thereof. Examples of the fatty acid includes e.g. saturated fatty acids such as caprylic acid, capric acid, lauric acid, tridecyl acid, myristic acid, pentadecyl acid, nonyl acid, stearic acid and behenic acid and unsaturated fatty acids such as oleic acid, elaidic acid, linolic acid and linolenic acid.
Among these fatty acids, those having 12 to 20 carbon atoms are preferable, and those having 14 to 18 carbon atoms are more preferable.
Although elements constituting their salts are not particularly limited, alkali metals such as lithium, potassium and sodium, alkaline earth metals such as calcium and barium, and ammonium are mentioned, among which sodium, potassium, calcium and ammonium are preferably used, and sodium is more preferably used.
The amount of the bubble breaker (A) used is usually 0.05 to 5 parts by weight, preferably 0.5 to 3 parts by weight, more preferably 1 to 2 parts by weight, relative to 100 parts by weight of the monomer mixture. If it is less than 0.05 part by weight, the resulting latex compound may be not only high in the chemical stability to a coagulant but also poor in wettability to the surface of a mold and further, bubbles in the latex compound will not disappear and cause pinholes in the dip-molded product, or the product becomes sticky. On the other hand, if it is more than 5 parts by weight, oily components may float in the latex, thus deteriorating the mechanical stability of the latex compound for dip molding into which a vulcanizing agent has been incorporated.
The bubble breaker is preferably a mixture of fatty acid salts. If particularly C18 stearic acid or its salts are contained in an amount of 15 to 50% by weight, more preferably 30 to 45 by weight, the resulting dip-molded product is free of pinholes, is excellent in oil resistance and mechanical strength, and has uniform film thickness and soft feeling.
These bubble breakers (A) may be used during emulsion polymerization or after emulsion polymerization (when the degree of polymerization of the monomer mixture reaches 95% or more), but they are effective when added after emulsion polymerization.
The component (B) is a dialkylsulfosuccinate salt represented by formula (1):
wherein R1 and R2 are the same or different and represent an alkyl group containing 5 to 12 carbon atoms and M is metal ion or ammonium ion.
The alkyl group containing 5 to 12 carbon atoms represented by R1 and R2 in the formula includes e.g. straight-chain alkyl such as amyl, hexyl, heptyl, octyl and nonyl and branched alkyl such as 1,3-dimethyl butyl and 1-methyl amyl.
The esters of formula (1) include esters whose alkyl groups contain 10 carbon atoms in total, such as di-n-amyl, di-1-methyl butyl, di-2-methyl butyl, diisoamyl and di-1,3-dimethylbutyl groups, esters whose alkyl groups contain 12 carbon atoms in total, such as di-n-hexyl and di-1-methylamyl groups, esters whose alkyl groups contain 14 carbon atoms in total, such as di-n-heptyl, di-dimethylamyl, di-1-isopropylisobutyl, di-1-propylbutyl and di-1-methylhexyl groups, esters whose alkyl groups contain 16 carbon atoms in total, such as di-n-octyl, mono-hexylmonodecyl, mono-2-ethylhexyl-mono-1-methylpentyl, di-2-ethylhexyl, di-1-methylheptyl groups, esters whose alkyl group contain 17 carbon atoms in total, such as mono-2-ethylhexyl-mono-1-methyl-4-ethylhexyl group, esters whose alkyl groups contain 18 carbon atoms in total, such as di-n-nonyl, di-1-butylamyl, di-isobutyl-3-methylbutyl and di-1-methyl-4-ethylhexyl groups, and esters whose alkyl groups contain 22 carbon atoms in total, such as di-1-methyl-4-ethyloctyl group, among which those esters having a di-n-octyl or di-n-nonyl group are particularly preferable.
The metal represented by M in the formula (1) includes alkali metals such as lithium, potassium and sodium, alkaline earth metals such as calcium and barium, zinc group metals such as zinc and cadmium, carbon group metals such as tin and lead, and ammonium, among them, sodium and potassium are preferably used.
The amount of the used dialkylsulfosuccinate salt represented by the formula (1) is 0.1 to 5 parts by weight, preferably 0.2 to 3 parts by weight, more preferably 0.5 to 1.5 parts by weight, relative to 100 parts by the monomer mixture. If it is less than 0.1 part by weight, the latex compound may be poor in wettability to the surface of a mold, whereas if it is more than 5 parts by weight, bubbles are likely generated in the latex compound.
These dialkylsulfosuccinate salts may be used before and/or during emulsion polymerization or after emulsion polymerization (when the degree of polymerization of the monomer mixture reaches 95% or more).
Component (C) is an alkyl benzene sulfonate whose alkyl group contains 13 to 20 carbon atoms. The alkyl benzene sulfonic acids include e.g. tetradecyl benzene sulfonic acid whose alkyl group contains 14 carbon atoms, pentadecyl benzene sulfonic acid whose alkyl group contains 15 carbon atoms, hexadecyl benzene sulfonic acid whose alkyl group contains 16 carbon atoms and octadecyl benzene sulfonic acid whose alkyl group contains 18 carbon atoms.
Out of these alkyl benzene sulfonic acids, those whose alkyl group contains 13 to 18 carbon atoms are preferably used, and those whose alkyl group contains 14 to 17 carbon atoms are more preferably used. Salts thereof, that is, sulfonates, are not particularly limited, and the examples include salts of alkali metals such as lithium, potassium and sodium, salts of alkaline earth metals such as calcium and barium, and ammonium salts.
Out of these salts, sodium, potassium, calcium and ammonium salts are preferably used, among them, sodium salts are particularly preferable.
The amount of the alkyl benzene sulfonate used is usually 0.5 to 10 parts by weight, preferably 1.0 to 7 parts by weight, more preferably 2.0 to 5.0 parts by weight, relative to 100 parts by weight of the monomer mixture. If it is less than 0.5 part by weight, the stability in the polymerization of copolymer latex may not be satisfactory so that coagulated substance may be generated, or the latex compound may be poor in wettability to a mold. On the other hand, if its content is higher than 10 parts by weight, bubbles mixed in the latex compound will not disappear and these bubbles may cause pinholes in the dip-molded product.
When a pH adjuster is used for production of the latex compound for dip molding according to the present invention, an alkaline material such as ammonia, sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide or the like may be used.
The pH of the latex compound for dip molding is usually adjusted to the range of 5 to 11, preferably 7 to 10. If the pH value is less than 5, the mechanical stability of the resulting latex compound for dip molding is lowered. On the other hand, if the pH value exceeds 11, the strength of the dip-molded product may be lowered.
By incorporating a thickener into the latex compound for dip molding according to the present invention, the viscosity of the compound for dip molding can be improved. The thickener includes e.g. animal thickeners such as casein, glue and gelatin, plant thickeners such as alginates, starch and gum arabic, mineral thickeners such as bentonite, polymer thickeners such as polycarboxylates, acrylic copolymers, cross-linked acrylic copolymers, polyvinyl alcohol and polyacrylamide polyethylene oxide, cellulose derivatives such as carboxylated methyl cellulose, methyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose, hydroxyethyl cellulose, cellulose xanthogenate and carboxylated starch, and cationic thickeners such as cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide and cetyl pyridinium bromide. In particular, the polymer thickeners are preferably used, and the carboxylic acid-containing cross-linked acrylic emulsion is more preferably used. The amount of these thickeners used is usually 0.01 to 1.0 part by weight, preferably 0.02 to 0.1 part by weight, relative to 100 parts by weight of the monomer mixture. If the viscosity of the latex compound for dip molding according to the present invention is lower, there may run down on a mold after dipping in latex compound, but this can be solved by adding a thickener to the compound. However, if the amount of the thickener used is more than 1.0 part by weight, the viscosity of the latex compound for dip molding becomes high so that the component (A) may fail to exhibit the effect of breaking bubbles, thus permitting bubbles to generate pinholes.
In order to obtain a dip-molded product from the latex compound for dip molding according to the present invention, it is possible to employ any known dip molding techniques such as direct dip process, anode coagulant dip process and the Teague coagulant dip process.
The anode coagulant dip process suitable for production of e.g. surgical gloves will be described.
First, the mold is dipped in a coagulant, then raised and dried until the surface of the mold is almost dry. This coagulant is prepared by dissolving calcium salts such as calcium chloride, calcium nitrate and calcium acetate in water, a hydrophilic organic solvent such as alcohol and ketone, or a mixture thereof The concentration of the calcium salts in this coagulant is usually 5 to 50% by weight, preferably 10 to 30% by weight. The coagulant may, if necessary, contain, for example, surfactants such as nonionic and anionic surfactants, for example fillers such as calcium carbonate, talc and silica gel.
Then, the mold is dipped in the latex compound for dip molding and then raised whereby the latex compound is allowed to be coagulated on the mold, whereupon the latex compound reacts with the coagulant, to form a rubber-like film on the mold. This film is washed with water, then dried and stripped from the mold to give a dip-molded product.
The latex compound for dip molding according to the present invention may, if necessary, contains rubber latex such as natural rubber latex and isoprene rubber latex, a vulcanizing agent such as colloidal sulfur and thiuram disulfide, vulcanization accelerators such as dialkyl dithiocarbamate and xanthogenate, vulcanization accelerator activators such as zinc white, litharge (PbO), red lead oxide (Pb3O4) and magnesium oxide, fillers such as phthalic anhydride, benzoic acid, salicylic acid and magnesium carbonate, anti-oxidants such as styrenated phenol, imidazoles and p-phenylene diamine, and coloring agents such as fast yellow, phthalocyanine blue and ultramarine.

Alatex compound for dip molding and a dip-molded product


A liquid crystal display apparatus includes a liquid crystal display panel, a mold frame, chassis and a strength-reinforcing member. The liquid crystal display panel displays an image. The mold frame receives the liquid crystal display panel. The chassis is combined with the mold frame to secure an end of the liquid crystal display panel, and includes a first side portion and a coupling hole formed at the first side portion. The strength-reinforcing member is disposed between the first side portion and the mold frame. As a result, a strength of the chassis may be improved, and the to liquid crystal display panel may be prevented from being damaged.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a liquid crystal display apparatus, and more particularly, to a liquid crystal display apparatus capable of improving strength of a top chassis and preventing a liquid crystal display apparatus from being damaged.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
A liquid crystal display (LCD) apparatus displays an image by using liquid Crystal. The LCD apparatus has characteristics, for example, such as light weight, low power consumption, and low driving voltage. The LCD apparatus is used in a mobile display apparatus such as a notebook computer.
The LCD apparatus may include an LCD panel displaying an image, a backlight assembly providing light to the LCD panel, a mold frame receiving the LCD panel and the backlight assembly and a top chassis combined with the mold frame to secure an edge of the LCD panel.
The top chassis defines an outer shape of the LCD apparatus and prevents the LCD apparatus from being chemically or physically damaged. Furthermore, the top chassis may include a coupling hole formed at a side surface thereof for being combined with an external case using a screw.
In order to reduce weight of the top chassis in the notebook computer, the top chassis may include a light-weight material such as aluminum.
When a top chassis includes aluminum, some of the strength of the top chassis is sacrificed. As a result, the shape of the top chassis including aluminum may be deformed, and forming a tap for a screw to combine the top chassis with the external case is difficult. Therefore, a clip including a stainless material may be coupled to the mold frame combined with the top chassis.
However, an end portion of such a clip contacts an edge of the LCD panel so that the LCD panel can be damaged by external impact.


The present invention provides compositions and methods for the treatment of /?αs-expressing tumors using at least one DAC inhibitor (e.g., romidepsin).

Dysregulation or loss of control of cell division can result in the development of any of a variety of cell proliferative disorders, many of which are debilitating or deadly. Although much has been learned about mechanisms involved in cell proliferation, and therefore about common biological principles underlying a variety of different disorders, there remains a need for the development of new and/or improved therapies for the treatment of such conditions.
There is a particular need for the development of improved therapies for the treatment of tumors that express the Ras oncogene. Ras-expressing tumors are often more resistant to standard therapies. Furthermore, many of the most deadly cancers involve Ras-expressing tumors. For example, 90-95% of pancreatic tumors are Ras-expressing. Similarly, 40-45% of colorectal tumors, 40% of bladder tumors, 15-20% of non small cell lung carcinomas express Ras. Indeed, 10-25% of myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), which are not themselves cancer but are bone marrow disorders characterized by abnormal cell maturation that typically progress to cancer (AML), also express Ras. There is a profound need for the development of therapies for these and other Ras-expressing diseases and disorders.


A method and device, wherein the following steps are carried out: measurement or determination of waste gas concentration parameters, waste gas temperature, outside temperature, fuel power during a limited observation period; determination of the efficiency of the heating system in the area of observation over a period of time; determination of the average outside temperature in the area of observation; determination of heating performance produced in accordance with an average outside temperature on the basis of fuel power over a period of time and the efficiency of the heating system over a period of time in the area of observation; determination of maximum heating performance which is to be obtained in accordance with a minimum outside temperature from the average heating performance, minimum outside temperature, average inside temperature and average outside temperature in the area of observation; determination of the heat contact value of the heating system from the maximum heating performance and duration of observation.

The efficient use of energy is urgently needed from an economical and ecological perspective. Energy conservation is therefore a measure for both lowering costs and protecting the environment, and it can be achieved either by cutting energy use or through intelligent technical solutions. The energy-related and environmental performance of heating boilers has a great deal to do with this issue. Up to now, evaluations of energy efficiency were based mainly on static approaches. However, the interaction between the system and building is dynamic. As a result, the efficiency specified by heating boiler manufacturers deviates substantially in many cases from the degree of utilization achieved during operation in practice.
This is due, among other things, to the fact that systems of this type were frequently overdimensioned due to a false understanding of "the need for safety and comfort." This applies not only to private systems, but to a large extent also to buildings used for public and commercial purposes. The consequence of this overdimensioning is that the thermal systems are operated in uneconomical partial load situations for most of the heating period. This unsatisfactory situation results in the need to determine the actual heat requirements of a building to be heated to improve the building's energy efficiency so that the heating system can be optimally adapted thereto.
Up to now, the energy efficiency for heating an existing building has usually been ascertained as follows: The building to be subjected to an energy evaluation is assigned to its year of origin according to a typology. Based on plans or an inspection, the area is surveyed to ascertain the building geometry. The corresponding heat transfer coefficients are ascertained through comparison with flat-rate figures from a component catalog. Using existing software programs, the transmission and ventilation heat losses are calculated on the basis of this data, and these losses are used to calculate the heat demand. System efficiency is calculated on the basis of a heating system catalog, the energy efficiency being concluded in the evaluation from the system technology used and the year of construction. Based on the data ascertained in this manner, an overall assessment with regard to final energy demand, primary energy demand, and CO2 emissions is drawn up, and the building is placed on a rating scale.
This method is controversial due to the somewhat subjective evaluation factors, resulting in the need for a method based on an objective foundation.
The more the installed power deviates from the connected load of the building (overdimensioning), the farther removed from the optimum the energy efficiency of a heating system becomes. The determination of the connected load of the building therefore performs a key function in improving energy efficiency. In the case of heating, the connected load of the building is the maximum heat loss of the building and is calculated for the lowest local statistical outside temperature according to regulation DIN 4701/VDI 2067.
Heating systems are configured, i.e., engineered, with respect to this connected heating load. The installed power (nominal power) is sufficient to equalize the building's transmission and ventilation losses with continuous prevalence of the design temperature, taking wind conditions into account. The power needed to provide hot water is added to this value. The specific user behavior is, in principle, not taken into account.
Methods for determining the connected load via metrology have occasionally been used which calculate this connected load by measuring heat flow, but without providing a statement on ways to optimize a system. In addition, patent applications have been filed for methods which, in part, integrate the boiler's fuel performance into the calculation. In the case of these methods, however, the unsteady behavior of a heating system caused by cycling or modulating the boiler is ignored or not adequately considered. This unsteady behavior occurs when the power requirement lies below the installed power, thus determining the gap between the actual degree of utilization and the efficiency defined by the manufacturer or measured at certain points by waste gas analysis equipment.
A method is known from DE 3 730 529 A1 for measuring a dimensional characteristic of a heating unit of a heating system defined by the ratio between the setpoint capacity utilization and the actual capacity utilization, in which the heat demand is determined by measuring the setpoint capacity utilization via measurement of the outside temperature at constant time intervals, forming an average value and multiplying it by a climate factor, as well as by simultaneously measuring the actual capacity utilization via continuous measurement of the switch-on period of the heating unit in relation to the preset minimum measuring time. The disadvantage of this method is that it requires a "measuring boiler," which necessitates an extremely complex installation.
A method is known from DE 3 626 281 C2, in which the heat quantity is ascertained by a heat generator being used which has a high degree of efficiency. An observation period is divided into individual measuring periods, and the setpoint number of operating hours of the high-efficiency heat generator is related to the measuring period as a function of the outside temperature. The heat quantity transferred to the heated object within the observation period by the heat generator being used is then calculated from the nominal power thereof, taking into account the boiler efficiency and standby losses, as well as from the actual number of operating hours. The nominal power, in turn, is determined for a heat generator adjusted to the heat demand, using the quotient of the actual number of operating hours and setpoint number of operating hours. Although this method does not require such intensive intervention into the heating system as does the aforementioned DE 3 730 529 A1, numerous assumptions are nevertheless made which relate only to one average case, so that the ascertained heat demand may again deviate substantially from the actual heat demand. For example, only the boiler efficiency, which is ascertained once by the manufacturer, is used as a basis.
A method is known from DE 100 62 581, in which the outside temperature and a variable which is characteristic for an energy output of the heat source to the heating system are measured as a function of time, and the nominal heat demand is calculated from the measured values. However, the calculation of the energy output of the heat source is also based on different assumptions which distort an accurate determination of the actual energy output.
Accordingly, it may be desirable to specify a method and a system of the type mentioned above which does not have these disadvantages.

Determination of the connected heating load of a building


An installation tool for installing a support hanger in an aircraft, where the support hanger includes a main hook body and a complimentary hook body slidably coupled with the main hook body. The support hanger further includes a locking mechanism for selectively locking the main hook body and the complimentary hook body. The installation tool comprises a handle having a pivot surface that engages the main hook body of the support hanger. A wedge-shaped slot is formed in the handle and includes a pair of surfaces. An interfering member is then disposed within the wedge-shaped slot. This interfering member is positionable in a first position where the interfering member engages at least one of the pair of surfaces and a free end of the complimentary hook body and a second position where the interfering member is disengaged from the pair of surfaces so as to permit simple and convenient tightening of the support hanger.

The present invention generally relates to aircraft support hangers and, more particularly, relates to a support hanger installation tool for use with BACS 38P aircraft support hangers.
BACS 38P Support Hangers are often used in aircraft manufacturing to fasten or otherwise secure items to the interior of the aircraft. Specifically, the BACS 38P Support Hangers are typically two-piece plastic nut-plates that attach to the hat-section fuselage stringers. An example of a BACS 38P Support Hanger is illustrated in FIG. 1 in conjunction with the installation tool of the present invention.
Referring to FIG. 1, these conventional support hangers each include a main body portion having a primary hook member extending from an end thereof. This primary hook member engages a portion of the fuselage stringer of the aircraft. The main body portion includes an internal slot having a molded-in locking feature. This molded-in locking feature cooperates with a slidable tape member to lockingly engage the support hanger and the fuselage stringer. The slidable tape member includes a complimentary hook member opposingly positioned relative to the primary hook member of the main body portion, which is used to engage the opposite side of the fuselage stringer to retain the hanger support. The support hanger still further includes a support feature, such as but not limited to a nut, a protrusion, and the like, for attaching the item to be secured.
To effect a locking engagement of the hanger support to the fuselage stringer, the molded-in locking feature of the main body portion engages a ribbed or serrated portion of the slidable tape member. The slidable tape member is pulled through the internal slot of the main body portion until the appropriate amount of retaining force is achieved.
These hanger supports are traditionally manually installed by a workman during the assembly of the aircraft or when retrofits or repairs are necessary. To this end, the slidable tape member is inserted into the internal slot of the main body portion such that the primary and complimentary hook members are generally in a mirrored position. The opposing end of the slidable tape member that is exiting from the internal slot (a.k.a. the tongue portion) is pulled relative to the main body portion to tighten the grip of the support hanger to the fuselage stringer. Typically, this is accomplished using a pair of pliers or freely with the hand. As can be appreciated, hand installation can be fatiguing and may lead to repetitive motion stress. Alternatively, installation using pliers often slips or may similarly lead to repetitive motion stress due to the constant gripping of the pliers.
Accordingly, there exists a need in the relevant art to provide an installation tool capable of effectively and conveniently apply a gripping and tightening force to the tongue of a slidable tape member of a support hanger. Still further, there exists a need in the relevant art to provide an installation tool capable of overcoming the disadvantages of the prior art.
According to the principles of the present invention, an installation tool for installing a support hanger in an aircraft, where the support hanger includes a main hook body and a complimentary hook body slidably coupled with the main hook body, is provided. The support hanger includes a locking mechanism for selectively locking the main hook body and the complimentary hook body. The installation tool comprises a handle having a pivot surface that engages the main hook body of the support hanger. A wedge-shaped slot is formed in the handle and includes a pair of surfaces. An interfering member is then disposed within the wedge-shaped slot and is positionable in a first position where the interfering member engages at least one of the pair of surfaces and a free end of the complimentary hook body and a second position where the interfering member is disengaged from the pair of surfaces so as to permit simple and convenient tightening of the support hanger.
Further areas of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating the preferred embodiment of the invention, are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.


Stereoconservative method for preparation of an (R)- or (S)-isomer of the compound of the formula I with at least 95% optical purity ##STR1## wherein R.sup.1 is a hydrogen atom, a saturated or unsaturated lower alkyl group, a cycloalkyl group, or a group (CH.sub.2).sub.m Ph wherein m is 0-3 and Ph is a substituted or unsubstituted phenyl group including. 1) O,N-dialkylation, directly or stepwise of (R)- or (S)-proline PA0 2) aminolysis PA0 3) reduction to formation of the (R)- or (S)-isomer of the compound of the formula I, and new intermediates II and III in optical active form obtained by the reaction steps above and wherein R.sup.2 is defined as R.sup.1 above. ##STR2##

Two principal ways have been used to obtain the enantiomerically pure S-form of the amine of the formula I and R-form of the amine of the formula I, i.e. resolution of racemic amine of the formula I and stereocontrolled synthesis of the optically active amine of the formula I from a chiral starting material. The resolution procedures are described in GB 1 207 752 and AU 526 077 but they involve substantial loss of material and the requirement of often expensive resolving agents. The most attractive procedures rely upon the stereocontrolled conversion of a suitable chiral compound.
Stereocontrolled syntheses have been disclosed by Synthelabo in GB 1 555 890 and by Ravizza in GB 2 014 990.
The procedures of Synthelabo start with S-form or R-form of proline (Scheme 1), S-form or R-form of glutamic acid or S-form or R-form of prolinol. The procedures cover compounds of the formula I with different R.sup.a -groups such as alkyl, cycloalkyl and substituted phenyl. The preferred method using the S-form or the R-form of proline as starting material is a four step synthesis consisting of esterification, aminolysis, acylation and reduction as outlined in Scheme 1. No yields or optical purities besides optical rotations are disclosed. ##STR4##
The procedure starting from the S-form or R-form of glutamic acid is a six step synthesis involving condensation, hydrogenation, cyclization, esterification, aminolysis and reduction. No yields are reported.
The Ravizza patent describes a method of preparing the (S)-2-aminomethyl-1-ethyl-pyrrolidine (the compound of the formula I wherein R.sup.1 .dbd.CH.sub.3) in four steps involving acetylation, reduction, chlorination and amination as outlined in Scheme 2. The crude amine obtained in ca 35% yield from proline is not characterized but converted to sulpiride and purified as such. ##STR5##
N-alkylation of L-proline with retention of the stereochemistry is described in Beilstein, E III/IV 22, Syst. No. 3244, p. 23-24.
The denoted compounds in the reaction schemes are described in the above-mentioned prior art citations.
1-methyl-2-pyrrolidinecarboxamide prepared from L-proline is described in the European Patent Application 0121244. In Arch. Pharm. 309 (5), p. 380-85 (1976) is described the preparation of methyl (-)-1-methyl-2-pyrrolidinecarboxylate from (-)-proline by N-alkylation followed by O-alkylation. Arch. Pharm. 316 (9), p. 771-81 (1983) indicates manufacture of a 1-substituted phenylmethyl-2-pyrrolidinecarboxylate from methyl L-proline by N-alkylation.

Efficient stereoconservative synthesis of 1-substituted (S)- and (R)-2-aminomethylpyrrolidines and intermediates thereto


A method includes performing, by a microprocessor of a computing device, a coding to obtain a residual of a residual data block from an original data block. The method includes pre-defining a default order of symbols in the residual data block. The method includes re-ordering the symbols in the residual data block in an order other than the default order, such that a first set of most frequently used symbols are in a first location and a second set of least frequently used symbols are in a second location, producing a multi-symbol run-length code based on a group of symbols from the first set of most frequently used symbols, and detecting the second set of least frequently used symbols based on the multi-symbol run-length code.

In image or video compression coding, variable length coding and run-length coding are techniques used for codec designs, which can be employed to code information when there are long-runs with the same symbol. A short code word is assigned to the most frequently used symbols while a longer code word is used for the less frequently used symbols. The same symbol with a run-length is coded with the run-length, rather than code the same symbol many times. In this way, the bitstream representing the original information will be compressed.
However, such techniques may be less efficient when the symbols are distributed without long runs. In those cases, the variable-length coding ends up with coding a great deal of location information. In various coding schemes, spatial data coding may exhibit some properties such as short runs or very few code words. These properties have not been efficiently employed by existing entropy coders, such as variable-length coding and arithmetic coding. Accordingly, a need exists for systems, methods, and apparatus to address the shortfalls of present technology and to improve coding efficiency.


The present invention discloses a method including the main etching step for etching a semiconductor wafer having a resist film serving as an etching mask by plasma of an etching gas, and an post-processing step for processing the object after the main etching so as to remove remaining part of the resist film, a polymer adhered to the surface of the object, and a damage layer created during the primary etching. In the post-processing step, O.sub.2 gas is made into plasma, by which the remaining part of the resist layer, and the polymer adhered to the surface of the object are removed, and after such a process is substantially finished, a mixture gas including a halogen-containing gas such as CF.sub.4 and O.sub.2 gas is made into plasma, by which the damage layer is removed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an etching method for an object to be processed such as a semiconductor wafer, and more specifically to an etching method including a post-etching step for eliminating impurities created in an etching step, method of post-etching process and etching equipment.
2. Description of the Related Art
The degree of integration of the integrated circuit, which is the nucleus of the microelectronics, is presently increasing, and in accordance with an increase in the degree of integration, the width of the pattern is reduced, and the depth thereof is increased. In order to comply with this, there has been developed a dry etching method under a high vacuum condition as a thin film processing technique. In the dry etching, plasma is generated by using a reaction gas in a vacuum, and various materials on a semiconductor substrate is etched by ions, neutral radicals, atoms, and molecules in the plasma. In the dry etching, various types of gas can be used, and a type of gas is selected in accordance with a material to be etched. Thus, selection of an etching gas is a very important factor of the dry etching.
In the case where the material of an object to be processed is, for example, silicon (Si), or silicon oxide (SiO.sub.2), a fluorine-based (F) or fluorine-hydrogen-based (F--H) etching gas is used. In general, carbon tetrafluoride (CH.sub.4) is most commonly used. This is because it is essential in etching of a silicon oxide film that carbon (C) should be present and a great amount of fluorine ion should be generated.
In the etching of a SiO.sub.2 film, the most important factor is to raise the selection ratio of etching with respect to its underlying silicon. In order to increase such selection ratio, there has been proposed an addition of hydrogen to an etching gas, and more specifically, trifluoromethane (CHF.sub.3) is used as such an etching gas. By use of CHF.sub.3, a deposition layer is formed as a cover on the surface of the silicon layer such that the surface of the silicon layer cannot be directly attacked by ions. Consequently, the silicon substrate (wafer) is hardly etched. Also, when attacked by accelerated fluorine ions, the silicon oxide film generates oxygen, by which the polymer formed of C--H on the film can be removed, thereby achieving a sufficient etching process.
During the etching process, a damage layer containing impurities is formed on the bottom of an etching hole. Such a damage layer is removed after the etching process.
The use of CHF.sub.3 as the etching gas makes it likely that polymers adhere to the surface of the etched object. Due to the presence of the polymers, it requires a great amount of time in following steps such as ashing and light etching, after completion of the etching process, and the reproducibility of the etching is degraded.
Further, the polymers and resist include the following drawback. That is, in the case where fluorine radicals are used for removing the damage layer after the etching process, some of the fluorine radicals chemically react with the resist, and the damage layer cannot be fully removed as a result.
In order to solve such a problem, there has been proposed a technique for removing a damage layer, wherein polymers and a resist are removed, first, after the etching process, the object is once placed back to atmosphere, and once again, under a vacuum condition, the damage layer is removed. However, such a technique involves not only a large amount of time, but also a great number of facilities.
Presently, the size of the semiconductor wafer, the object to be processed, is changing from 6 inches to 8 inches, and under such circumstances, the drawbacks described above are delaying the processing time.

Semiconductor wafer etching method and post-etching process


A transmission bearing cover for limiting wear of a rotatable braking mechanism in a vehicle powertrain having a clutch for releasably coupling an engine to a transmission input shaft includes an annular non-rotatable member disposable about the input shaft and having an annular projection engageable with a non-rotatable clutch release bearing assembly. When the rotatable braking mechanism is substantially worn and the clutch is sufficiently disengaged, the clutch release bearing assembly axially translates to a clutch-braking position and engages the projection rather than the worn braking mechanism to prevent substantial damage to the bearing cover or bearing assembly.

A conventional master clutch functions as a releasable coupling between an engine and transmission components in a motor vehicle. Such clutches include a driving disc attached to an output shaft on the engine, and a driven disc attached to an input shaft on the transmission. To engage the clutch, the driving disc and the driven disc are forced into contact with each other, thereby reducing the relative speed difference between the discs until they are coupled through frictional force.
When the transmission is in neutral and the clutch is disengaged after being engaged with the engine running, the inertia of the driven components tends to keep them rotating, with only a gradual decrease in speed due to friction. This residual rotation prolongs the time required to complete a gear shift in the transmission because the driven components must slow down to the correct speed to allow engagement of the next gear. Therefore, after the clutch is fully disengaged, it is desirable to reduce the time required for the driven components to slow down, in the case of a moving upshift, or to stop rotating completely, in the case of a stationary shift.
It is well known in the art to retard rotation of the input shaft by using a clutch brake, which is activated by a clutch release bearing assembly upon sufficient disengagement of the clutch. Such a clutch brake typically has a steel core with friction material on each side of the core. After the friction material is sufficiently worn, however, the steel core causes damage to the clutch release bearing assembly and other surrounding components upon sufficient disengagement of the clutch.


A pelvis assembly for a dummy includes a pelvic plate attached to a lumbar region of the dummy, and one of more pelvic units, attached to the pelvic plate to transmit motion from a femur bar of the dummy to the plate. Each pelvic unit includes a hip joint, attached to the femur bar; a rotary axle, a first end of which is attached to the hip joint, and which is disposed laterally, to rotate together with the hip joint when the femur bar pivots vertically; and one or more pelvic angle adjusters, installed near a second end of the rotary axle, to transmit rotation of the rotary axle to the pelvic plate, thereby changing a vertical angle of the pelvic plate.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a pelvis assembly for a dummy used to evaluate the comfort of a vehicle seat.
2. Description of the Background Art
A dummy used to evaluate the comfort of a vehicle scat prototype should be able to accurately mimic various positions of human occupants. The angle of a human occupant's pelvis, for example, depends on the positioning of his/her thighs.


A multi-speed power transmission device includes an input shaft, first and second output shafts and a planetary gearset. An axially moveable sleeve fixes the first output shaft and the input shaft for rotation when in a first position and the sleeve fixes the sun gear and the input shaft for rotation when in a second position. A hub is axially moveable and free to rotate relative to the first output shaft when in the first position. The hub is fixed for rotation with the first output shaft when in the second position. A cam plate is continuously fixed for rotation with the carrier and urges the hub toward its second position when in a second axial position. The input shaft drives the first output shaft at a reduced speed via the planetary gearset when the sleeve, hub and cam plate are at their second positions.

Vehicles have been equipped with power transfer devices such as transfer cases for many years. Typically, transfer cases allow operation of the vehicle in a two-wheel drive mode or a four-wheel drive mode. Some transfer cases also provide multi-speed functionality.
Over the years, original equipment manufacturers have struggled to provide low cost and energy efficient transfer cases. For example, most transfer cases include wet clutches which exhibit oil churning losses as well as lubrication pump losses. In addition, some actuation systems require a relatively high electrical current draw to activate range and mode shifting systems.
Some of the two-speed transfer cases are relatively complex requiring a large number of relatively expensive components to provide the desired functions. In the past, dedicated single-speed or multi-speed transfer cases either shared few components or a single-speed version occupied the same packaging volume as the multi-speed version. Accordingly, it may be desirable to provide an optimized transfer case having a modular design to meet single-speed or multi-speed applications while maximizing the efficiency of the transfer case by minimizing the energy losses during operation.

Transfer case with high efficiency clutch actuator


A dark border region may be integrated with a window covering a patterning device, such that light from an active area of the patterning device passes through the dark border region, while excess light is removed from the system by the dark border region. The dark border region may be, for example and without limitation, a light-absorbing material, a wedged light reflective coating that reflects light out of the lithography system, or an interference grating that causes destructive interference in unwanted light to remove the unwanted light from the system. The dark border region may overlap a similar dark border region located on the surface of on the patterning device to optimize a width of the total dark border region without sacrificing excessive valuable real-estate area on the surface of the patterning device or compromising alignment tolerance levels of the lithography system.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed generally to lithography. More particularly, the present invention relates to maskless lithography.
2. Related Art
A lithographic apparatus is a machine that applies a desired pattern onto a substrate or part of a substrate. A lithographic apparatus can be used, for example, in the manufacture of flat panel displays, integrated circuits (ICs) and other devices involving fine structures. In a conventional apparatus, a patterning device, which can be referred to as a mask or a reticle, can be used to generate a circuit pattern corresponding to an individual layer of an IC, flat panel display, or other device. This pattern can be transferred onto all or part of the substrate (e.g., a glass plate, a wafer, etc.), by imaging onto a layer of radiation-sensitive material (e.g., resist) provided on the substrate.
The patterning device can be used to generate, for example, an IC pattern. The patterning device can additionally or alternatively be used to generate other patterns, for example a color filter pattern or a matrix of dots. Instead of a mask, the patterning device can be a patterning array that comprises an array of individually controllable elements. The pattern can be changed more quickly and for less cost in such a system compared to a mask-based system.
A flat panel display substrate is typically rectangular in shape. A wafer substrate is typically circular in shape. Lithographic apparatus designed to expose substrates of these types can provide an exposure region that covers a full width of the substrate, or covers a portion of the width (for example half of the width). The substrate can be scanned underneath the exposure region, while the mask or reticle is synchronously scanned through a beam. In this way, the pattern is transferred to the substrate. If the exposure region covers the full width of the substrate then exposure can be completed with a single scan. If the exposure region covers, for example, half of the width of the substrate, then the substrate can be moved transversely after the first scan, and a further scan is typically performed to expose the remainder of the substrate.
As is known, maskless lithography systems have been developed that replace a reticle with a patterning device including an array of individually controllable elements. The patterning device includes an active area or an array of active areas, each active area in the array having corresponding ones of the individually controllable elements, and inactive areas that include the control systems for controlling the individually controllable elements. The individually controllable elements are controlled to be positioned to form a desired pattern. These active elements are also known in the art as "pixels." A stored control algorithm based on a desired exposure pattern is used to control the pixels. Each pixel in the patterning device can vary its optical properties (e.g., amplitude/phase transmittance) in a controllable manner so as to provide a variation of a dose delivered to the substrate surface.
As maskless lithography capabilities increase, it is important to make as efficient use as possible of a beam of radiation (e.g., illumination light), while preventing excess light from reaching a projection system of the lithography system. To ensure that the active area of the patterning device is fully illuminated, a cross-sectional footprint of the illumination beam at the active area is typically larger than the size of the active area. Light that falls outside the active area (e.g., the overfill) is referred to herein as excess light. This excess light can enter the projection system as uncontrolled light and introduce errors and/or inconsistencies into the patterned beam of the lithography system.
Therefore, what is needed is a system and method for reducing lithography errors caused by excess light, while maximizing an active area of a patterning device.

Apertured window for enabling flexible illumination overfill of patterning devices


The invention relates to a method for using a mobile device camera, and particularly to implementing the camera rapidly and easily. The method according to the invention for triggering a mobile device camera (322) includes a predetermined key sequence for triggering the camera (322), so that as a response to feeding a predetermined key sequence, the camera is triggered (105, 205) irrespective of the current mode of the mobile device.

In a so-called camera phone, the camera may be a fixed part of the mobile device, or it may be an auxiliary accessory. These cameras are typically small-sized digital cameras. When the size of the cameras is reduced, they can be more easily integrated in smaller and smaller devices, and the cameras are available for the use of more and more users. As the quality of the cameras is improved, their fields and targets of usage become more versatile. Already at present, the camera features of a mobile device can be used professionally when producing and transmitting picture information: for instance when counting or identifying birds, pictures taken of the species in question offer a help. On the other hand, an explanatory picture of a device can be sent for instance from a factory to a dealer. An advantage in comparison with a regular camera is the small size of the device, as well as the fact that there is needed only one device, i.e. the mobile device, by means of which there can be performed both the photography, the transmission of the image and other communication connected to the situation. This makes the photography and the transmission of pictures more rapid—and in many cases it is the prerequisite for said processes—because separate devices and conversion programs are not needed.
When a picture should be taken by the camera of a mobile device, the camera function must first be started. When the mobile device is in normal mode, so that the keys are in use and the rest of the applications are turned off, the camera function can be started. Generally the camera function is started so that in the mobile device menu, there is searched the camera function, said function is selected and accepted to be activated. When the camera function is started, it is ready to be used, and the user can capture desired targets in digital picture files that are recorded in the memory unit of the mobile device. The memory unit may contain a certain area, a so-called picture archive sector, where the picture files made of the pictures taken by the mobile device camera are recorded. The mobile device may also include a separate memory unit for picture files storing digital pictures.
According to the prior art, a mobile device camera can be used for many types of photography. A small-size and light-weight camera is very useful in special conditions, where separate devices need not be provided in addition to the mobile device camera. In particular, a mobile device camera is useful if the pictures should be immediately sent to another device, because the pictures can also be transmitted by the same device, and they need not be transferred nor converted. A drawback in a mobile device camera application is that the camera functions are slow when they are being started and taken into use. The searching, selecting and activating of the camera application takes so much time that rapidly changing or passing situations cannot be captured, unless the camera application already is switched on, and the camera is in a standby mode. In addition, the time required for switching the camera application on depends on the current mode of the mobile device.
For instance when watching birds and writing statistics of the species, it is important to recognize the various species. The recognition can easily be ensured by saving the picture of the detected species, and by later comparing the picture with one found in a bird book or by sending the picture to a specialist. From a description based on human memory alone, the recognition of the species later on is remarkably more unreliable. In order to obtain a picture of a given bird species, other species or an otherwise moving target requires rapid shooting, which is not possible with the devices of the prior art.

Method and arrangement for taking a camera into use in a mobile device


A cable sleeve is composed of longitudinally-divided cable sleeve shells that have a housing parting plane. The cable introduction areas are disposed spaced from this parting plane and, preferably, in a separate introduction parting plane so that when the cable sleeve shells are opened up to gain access to the interior, the seals on the cable introduction openings are not destroyed and remain unaffected.

The present invention is directed to a cable sleeve composed of a longitudinally-divided cable housing having a sealing system in the parting plane of the housing and having cable introduction areas in the end faces of the housing.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,117,259, whose disclosure is incorporated herein by reference thereto and which claims priority from German Application 25 15 939, discloses a cable sleeve that is composed of two half-shells, wherein the cable introduction openings lie in a parting plane of the sleeve housing. Given such a sleeve form, the cable introduction openings must be completely renewed after the sleeve has been opened.

Cable sleeve composed of a longitudinally-divided housing