Adapters, devices, and methods are provided that permit catalytic monolith modules to be used in catalytic converter systems designed for fixed bed catalysts using granular catalysts. The adapter provides air flow straightening upstream from the catalytic monoliths, mitigating non-uniform flow into the catalytic monoliths. The adapter is reusable, allowing simple replacement of spent catalytic monolith modules.

Life support systems are required on submarines, space vehicles, and other closed air environments where human occupancy is necessary for extended periods of time, and such systems operate by controlling the temperature, barometric pressure, and composition of the enclosed air. Temperature and barometric pressure are controlled by air conditioning and nitrogen reservoir systems, respectively, while the composition of the environment is controlled by oxygen generation (or replenishment), carbon dioxide removal, and other systems designed to remove contaminants that are generated or released by personnel, equipment, and materials into the closed environment. On a submarine, these contaminates include carbon monoxide, hydrogen, volatile organic compounds (VOC), halogenated VOC, and particulate material, which would adversely affect the sailors if they were not continuously removed. Techniques used to control the amounts of contaminants in the breathing air onboard closed air environments such as on a submarine include absorbents for selected contaminants, filters for particulates, restrictions on materials and activities permitted on board the submarine, and engineered systems.
Engineered systems for contaminant removal include, among others, catalytic converters. A type of catalytic converter known as a burner heats contaminated air, exposes the heated air to a catalyst which removes contaminants, and thereby produces purified air. One such system that removes carbon monoxide (CO), hydrogen (H2), and many VOCs from the air on a submarine is the Carbon Monoxide-Hydrogen (CO—H2) burner, which is based on catalytic oxidation at elevated temperature. Air enters the CO—H2 burner through a particulate filter and is passed through a heat exchanger before being heated further and then passed through an oxidation catalyst bed. One commonly used catalyst is a mixture of copper oxide and manganese dioxide (known as a Hopcalite® type catalyst) which operates by chemically converting harmful contaminants to other chemical compounds which are less hazardous and/or which can be removed from the submarine by other systems. From the catalyst bed, the treated air flows again though the heat exchanger, where a majority of the heat is transferred to the incoming air, and then to a cooling coil. An after-filter consisting of a granular basic material (e.g., lithium carbonate) is placed downstream from the cooling coil to capture acidic compounds that may form over the catalyst.
Gravimetrically, Hopcalite® type catalysts have relatively low activity and their use therefore requires a large mass of catalyst to perform the necessary chemical conversions. Hopcalite® type catalysts are also granular and have to be manually poured or scooped into the catalyst tray or drawer within the catalyst chamber. When the Hopcalite® type catalyst is handled in this fashion, it creates a significant amount of toxic and irritating dust in the air. Consequently, operators are required to wear respirators, chemical protective gloves, and goggles for protection and other personnel are required to leave the immediate vicinity. Hopcalite® type catalysts are also hazardous materials, and the spent catalyst must be treated as a hazardous waste.
When loading the granular catalyst into the catalyst drawer, it is often difficult to achieve a uniform void fraction throughout the bed, and particularly at the edges of the drawer. Areas of a higher void fraction offer lower resistance to air flowing through the bed and cause flow non-uniformity, known as channeling. Channeling is analogous to flow that is bypassing the bed, reducing the overall effectiveness of the catalyst because contaminants are not chemically converted unless they contact the catalyst surface. Even if a uniform void fraction were achieved during the loading process, non-uniformities in the void fraction can develop over time due to catalyst settling, attrition, and thermal cycling when the burner is started up and shut down, which may lead to fracturing of the catalyst granules and dust formation. This problem can be severe for fixed bed catalysts operating with air flowing in a non-downward direction. These problems with fixed bed catalysts are well known to those skilled in the art.
The catalyst industry has developed catalytic monoliths to address certain problems associated with fixed beds. Monoliths are structures that provide high geometric surface area to support the catalytically active ingredients while eliminating dust and attrition and presenting a low pressure drop for the flowing air. Monoliths are widely used in automotive catalytic converters and stationary emission control applications. The monoliths are manually placed into a catalyst drawer as one would arrange blocks or bricks in a single layer to fill the drawer. A gravimetrically highly active catalyst is required to use a monolith, however, because the geometric surface area of a monolith is usually lower than that of a fixed bed of granular material. Hopcalite® type catalysts are generally not used in monolithic form because of their low gravimetric activity.
One disadvantage of placing multiple smaller catalytic monoliths in a catalyst drawer is that after placing them into position, some monoliths may have to be manually cut or carved for placement around the peripheral dimensions of the catalyst chamber. However, most catalyst chambers are designed to be rectangular, and one or multiple monoliths are commonly installed into a metallic frame that approximates the catalyst chamber dimensions.
Poor air flow distribution, that is, non-uniform flow, upstream from the monolith will not self-correct as it travels through the structure. Regions with higher air flow are characterized by reduced catalyst contact time and concomitantly lower conversion of contaminants. This problem is less severe for fixed or packed beds where readily free and extensive radial flow in all directions promotes mixing and cross-flow of incoming air and promotes a more uniform velocity profile throughout the catalyst bed when channeling is not present. Monoliths, however, generally provide at best a limited ability for cross-flow of incoming air and have a limited ability to promote flattening of the velocity profile therein. Extruded ceramic monoliths may be made from a variety of ceramic materials such as cordierite and the like. Such extruded ceramic monoliths with channels therethrough prevent all air flow from one channel to another, allowing radial dispersion only within each individual channel (and thereby access to the catalytic inner surface of the channel) as the air flows through the channels from the upstream inlet entry surface to the downstream outlet exit surface. Use of an extruded ceramic catalytic monolith thus requires more uniform incoming air flow in order to spread the mass of the air to all the channels and to the full surface area of the catalyst in the channels.
Metal foil monoliths may be constructed in a variety of configurations. See generally Gulian et al., Ind. Eng. Chem. Res., vol. 30, no. 1 (1991). Some such configurations, such as wound corrugated metal foil monoliths, provide channels passing through the monolith allowing no cross-flow and mixing between channels. In such a design, the wound metal foil monolith behaves similarly to an extruded ceramic monolith, in that the air flow entering each channel is restricted to passage only through that same channel. Other configurations, such as folded layered metal foil monolith structures, may provide at least some cross-flow and mixing between channels in designs in which the folding creates interconnections between the channels. Such configurations allow air entering one channel to disperse to one or more adjacent channels, but such dispersion is generally far less than in a fixed bed system. Because non-uniform flow distribution through the monolithic structure lowers the overall effectiveness of the system, effective monolithic catalyst systems would be improved by providing a uniform air flow upstream from the monolith.
Methods of achieving more uniform air flow are well known to those skilled in monolith system design and typically include providing long and straight ducting upstream from the monolith for air self-straightening, flow straighteners, installing air expansion zones, and/or installing screens. Straight ducting and expansion zones are preferred in certain applications, particularly those that have sufficient physical space, because they introduce the least turbulence and back pressure. Maintaining lower turbulence and lower back pressure are particularly important in, for example, automotive and pollution control applications, in order to achieve optimum performance and efficiency, and may also reduce system noise where such noise reduction is desirable. Flow straighteners using perforated plates or screens are not well suited in such applications because they generally increase back pressure.
Catalytic burners onboard US submarines are designed to fit in highly constrained tight spaces and do not have sufficient space for long straight lengths of ducting or expansion zones. Additionally, the space constraints on submarines contribute to more severe non-uniform air flow distribution upstream from the catalyst chamber. This flow non-uniformity would reduce the effectiveness of a catalytic monolith used in a submarine CO—H2 burner designed for a fixed bed catalyst.
The art is in need of improved devices and methods enabling the use of catalytic monoliths in catalytic converters otherwise designed for use with a fixed bed catalyst.

The United States of America, as represented by the Secretary of the Navy


A method for creating a split face on a block, such as a retaining wall block, that includes curved features. The method includes using at least one curved blade to impart a splitting force on an unfinished block. The curve of the blade is imparted through the block as the block splits. The result is an irregular, broken split face having a curved feature.

The method and device of the present invention relate to the production of retaining wall blocks having decorative front features.
Over the past several years, the popularity of aggregate blocks for use in building retaining walls has increased dramatically. This increase in popularity has predictably been accompanied by an increase in the number of block types available for purchase by landscapers and homeowners alike.
Most of the blocks on the market are of similar composition and quality. For the average buyer, selecting one block over another usually becomes a matter of aesthetics. The most popular blocks include a broken front face. Broken front faces are created by molding a double block—a block that, when split, will become two finished blocks. The double blocks lack front faces. The front faces of the two finished blocks are created by splitting the double block down the center. Splitting the block involves placing the blocks between two opposing blades along a split line. The blades are moved slightly toward each other, causing the block to break in half. The result is a broken front face that is very irregular and unique. A wall made up of blocks having broken front faces is attractive because it is more complex and less patterned than walls created from blocks having molded front faces.
The popularity of the broken front face led to the creation of a block with three broken front faces. These blocks have a center front face that is relatively normal to the depth of the block, and two side front faces that angle rearwardly, and may be created by making two subsequent splits after the double block is split into two blocks. Time saving measures have included using blades having multiple straight portions to create angled cuts in a single step. These angled cuts have heretofore always involved angles that splay away from the centerline. Angling toward the centerline, in order to produce a somewhat scalloped, or concave effect in the front face of a wall block have not been successful due, in part, to the binding effect on the blade of the material being cut away. Curved cuts have also not been attempted.
The three faced design is easily the most popular block design being sold today, and has resulted in significant litigation among competitors. Inevitably, a design loses distinction as its popularity grows, which eventually results in waning sales. However, broken faces are objectively more attractive than smooth faces due to the rustic look and interesting shadows cast by the irregularities in the broken faces. Unfortunately, the present splitting techniques are limited in their ability to create different effects. Additionally, creativity with the present splitting techniques usually comes at the cost of significant wasted block material.
There is a need for an alternative splitting technique that allows unique curved patterns to be made in the front face of a retaining wall block.
There is also a need for an alternative splitting technique that can create unique patterns in the front face of a retaining wall block with a single split.
There is a further need for an alternative splitting technique and device that allows concave features to be formed in the front face of a retaining wall block.

Method and device for creating a decorative block feature


A modular roller-top conveyor belt constructed of a series of rows of belt modules having hinge elements at opposite ends of each row. The hinge elements of each row are interleaved with the hinge elements of an adjacent row and interlinked by hinge pins to form an endless conveyor belt. Each of the belt modules includes a body section extending between opposite ends of each row in the direction of belt travel. Cavities formed in at least some of the modules open onto an upper conveying surface of the belt. Rollers residing in the cavities protrude onto the upper conveying surface to engage conveyed articles in rolling, low-friction contact. The rollers may be cylindrical rollers that rotate about axles, spherical balls that rotate in all directions, or caster-like roller assemblies. The rollers may be arranged to rotate about axes in the direction of belt travel for side-off transfer of articles, about axes oblique to the direction of belt travel for side justification, or about axes transverse to the direction of belt travel for low backline pressure.

The invention relates to power-driven conveyors and, more particularly, to modular conveyor belts constructed of rows of belt modules hingedly interlinked end-to-end by hinge pins.
Conventional modular conveyor belts and chains are made up of modular links, or belt modules, arranged in rows. Spaced apart link ends extending from each end of the modules include aligned apertures. The link ends along one end of a row of modules are interleaved with the link ends of an adjacent row. A pivot rod, or hinge pin, journalled in the aligned apertures of the end-to-end-connected rows, connects adjacent rows together to form an endless conveyor belt capable of articulating about a drive sprocket.
In many industrial applications, articles are allowed to accumulate on a continuously moving conveyor belt before being off-loaded. Friction between the conveying surface of the moving belt and the accumulated articles causes the articles to push against each other increasing backline pressure. Backline pressure can cause damage to the articles, excessively load the conveyor belt and its drive components, and accelerate belt wear. Rotatable elements, such as rollers, in rolling contact with the undersides of conveyed articles have been used to reduce friction and lower backline pressure.
In other conveyor applications, articles must be pushed off the side of a constantly moving or stop-and-go conveyor belt. Rollers oriented with their axes of rotation in the direction of belt travel have been used to provide low friction rolling contact with the undersides of conveyed articles being pushed off the side of a conveyor.
Arscott U.S. Pat. No. 4,231,469, issued Nov. 4, 1980, discloses a conveyor comprising a plurality of interconnected cradles and a rotatable member mounted in each cradle. The rotatable members extend above the respective cradle for rolling contact with an object placed on the conveyor to allow the objects to move relative to the conveyor. The Arscott patent discloses rotatable members with axes of rotation in the direction of belt travel for side off-loading and perpendicular to the direction of belt travel for low backline pressure.
One shortcoming of the Arscott conveyor and other roller-top belts is that they are difficult to clean owing to the many surfaces and nooks and crannies associated with the rollers. Cleanability is especially important in some industries, such as meat-handling, where bacteria can form in and spread from difficult-to-clean areas.
Another shortcoming of many low backline pressure conveyors is the placement of a roller on the pivot rod. Such a placement requires fewer or thinner link ends resulting in less belt pull strength or narrow rollers resulting in high contact pressure on conveyed articles. Thus, there is a need for a modular conveyor belt that features low backline pressure or low-friction side transfer and that is easy to clean.
In yet other applications, it is desirable to justify conveyed articles along one side of the conveyor belt where they can be appropriately processed. Examples include applying labels, reading bar codes, and singulating. Pusher bars, slat conveyors with side-to-side moving shoes, and other even more complex mechanisms are used for these purposes. What is needed is a modular conveyor belt that can be used to justify articles in a simple manner.
These needs and others are satisfied by the invention, which provides a modular roller-top conveyor belt. The belt is constructed of a series of rows of belt modules having hinge elements at opposite ends of each row. The hinge elements of one row are interleaved with the hinge elements of an adjacent row. Hinge pins interlink the interleaved hinge elements of adjacent rows to form an endless conveyor belt with pivotable joints between each row. Each row is constructed of one or more belt modules. Each module includes a body section extending between first and second ends in the direction of belt travel. The body section includes a bottom surface and an opposite upper deck that forms an upper surface. At least one cavity is formed in the body section of one or more of the modules. The cavity opens onto the upper surface. A roller residing in the cavity engages conveyed articles in rolling, low-friction contact.
In various versions of the belt of the invention, the rollers are cylinders for rotation about axes parallel to, perpendicular to, or oblique to the direction of belt travel or balls for omnidirectional rotation.
In one version of the belt of the invention, the cavity extends from the upper surface completely through the body section to an opening in the bottom surface to allow debris to fall through. In another version, the belt has a transverse drive element extending from the bottom surface and the cavity does not extend through the drive element to allow for placement of drive sprockets across the entire width of the belt row.
In versions with a cylindrical roller, the belt includes an axle that fits through a central bore in the roller. Opposite walls of the cavity have collinear holes to support the ends of the axle. In a version having more than one cavity in the body section, the collinear holes can be extended to join the cavities and form a passageway along a transverse axis to admit a single axle on which all the rollers ride. The roller can be made of a rubber material with its bore lined by a bushing to receive the axle. In a version designed for side transfer of articles, at least one of the collinear holes opens into a gap between consecutive hinge elements for easy insertion of the axle during module construction. As the belt is put together, the axle is retained in the holes by an interleaved hinge element of an adjacent belt row disposed in the gap. To guide articles that drop onto the conveyor on an edge or otherwise skewed orientation, another version of the belt of the invention features an upwardly sloping, for example, convex, upper surface. The upper surface rises from the first and second ends of the belt rows toward the roller. This construction tends to guide the skewed article into a conveying position atop the roller. A version with a pivotable support mounted in the cavity and a roller and axle rotatably supported in the support provides a caster-like action that gives the rollers the versatility to roll in all directions.
In a version of the belt of the invention used for justifying articles along one side of the belt, the cavities are formed to admit cylindrical rollers arranged to rotate on an oblique axis. The cavities extend completely through the module body section. The diameter of the rollers is preferably greater than the thickness of the body section. In this way, the roller protrudes above the upper conveying surface of the module to engage conveyed articles in rolling contact and below the bottom driving surface to engage a roller bearing surface in the belt conveyor support frame that causes the rollers to rotate, thereby guiding the conveyed articles toward one side of the belt justified along a side edge.
In one version of the belt of the invention for use with roller balls, the cavity includes a recessed surface that supports bearing elements, which provide low-friction bearing surfaces for the ball. The bearings elements are ridges rising from the recessed surface of the cavity. In another version, the bearing elements include a plurality of ball bearings in a ball bearing holder. A cover has a circular aperture with a diameter less than the diameter of the ball to retain it in the cavity with just a portion of the ball protruding above the surface of the cover into rolling contact with conveyed articles. The cover can be integrally molded with the upper deck to engage retention structure on the upper deck in snap-fit retention. In one integrally molded version, the cover includes a lip defining the circular aperture whose diameter is adjustable by deformation, for example, from a first diameter to a second diameter. The first diameter is greater than the diameter of the ball to allow the ball to be installed in the cavity. The second diameter is less than the diameter of the ball to retain the ball in the cavity with a portion of the ball protruding through the cover into rolling contact with conveyed articles. In another version, the cover has sloping sides to guide askew articles into position atop the roller balls.

Modular roller-top conveyor belt with obliquely-arranged rollers


A system and method for facilitating user interface interactions between different computing devices. An example method includes providing a first user option to select a first portion of a first user interface display screen presented on a first computing device; providing a signal based on the selected portion; and using the signal to display one or more items in a second user interface display screen via a second computing device based on the first portion and one or more mapping rules. In a more specific embodiment, the example method further includes providing a second user option to adjust the mapping rules. The first portion includes, for example, a table row or column. The one or more items displayed via the second computing device include, for example, a visualization based on data associated with the first portion.

The present application relates to software and more specifically to user interface designs and accompanying methods for facilitating interaction between different computing devices or resources.
Software and methods for facilitating coordination of data and activities across multiple computing devices are employed in various demanding applications, including distributed enterprise computing applications, remote access software for employing mobile devices to communicate with desktop devices, and so on. Such applications often demand efficient mechanisms for enabling different devices, such as mobile devices and desktop computers, to access similar software or functionality to enhance user productivity.
For example, an enterprise employee may have a mobile device (e.g., a smartphone, tablet, laptop, etc.) and a desktop computer at work. The employee may run a given software application on the desktop computer. To use the mobile device to access similar functionality as provided by the desktop software application, a mobile version of the software application is installed on the mobile device. Alternatively, both the desktop and mobile device applications are cloud based, i.e., run on a server (i.e., server side) and accessed by browsers running on the different devices. In other cases, similar operating systems are run on both the mobile device and desktop computer, enabling running similar software applications on the different devices.
However, such configurations typically lack or overlook mechanisms for enabling functionality of each computing device or resource to fully complement each other. Absence of such mechanisms may reduce user productivity and inhibit efficient performance of computing tasks.


A modular valve field convertible between a wet and dry configuration including a valve body and a passage within the valve body for allowing fluid to flow therethrough. A valve seat and clapper are positioned within the valve body. The clapper is allowed to pivot between a first position wherein the clapper is sealingly engaged with the valve seat and a second position wherein the clapper is spaced from the valve seat to allow fluid to flow through the valve. The operator controls the position of the clapper with respect to the valve seat. An operator securely retains the clapper in the first position in a first mode of operation and allows the clapper to freely move between the first and second positions in a second mode of operation. A controller governs the position of the clapper with respect to the valve seat when the operator is in the second mode of operation. The controller has a set position wherein the clapper is maintained in the first position and an activated position wherein the clapper is free to move between the first and second positions.

Depending on the nature of the sprinkler system and the environment it is designed to protect, the system valve may be any of the following types: alarm valve ("wet" system), deluge valve ("wet", "dry" or "electric" systems), check valve ("wet" system), dry valve ("dry" system), dry differential valve ("dry" system) and control valve. Typically, the type of sprinkler system is selected during the design phase of the building which receives the sprinkler system. The type of sprinkler system selected dictates the type of system valve used.
While buildings typically remain useful for decades, it may become necessary to modify the sprinkler system in accordance with the evolving needs of the building. For instance, the building may initially be used as an office building. Such an office building typically includes a "dry" sprinkler system which employs a dry valve. After a significant period of years, the owner of the office building may decide to attract other clientele. For instance, the owner could convert the building to a facility for storing flammable products. In such an event, the original "dry" sprinkler system and dry valve would not provide adequate fire protection. Therefore, it would become necessary to convert the "dry" sprinkler system and dry valve to a "wet" sprinkler system and deluge valve for the purpose of insuring the safety of the building.
To convert the "dry" sprinkler system or a deluge valve and dry valve to a "wet" sprinkler system, it would be necessary to remove the dry or deluge valve from service and replace it with a wet valve. This process requires a significant period of time to accomplish, thereby increasing the overall cost of modifying the sprinkler system. Hence, a need has arisen for a modular system valve which can be readily field converted between an alarm valve, deluge valve, check valve, dry valve, dry differential valve and control valve.
As mentioned above, sprinkler systems often include a dry valve as the system valve. Some dry valves are problematic because the air pressure on the system side of the valve must be maintained at a relatively high level (e.g., 30-60 psi) in order to maintain the clapper in the closed position. Once the system is activated, the clapper is released from its closed position due to reduced air pressure within the system. Typically, the clapper is released before the residual air pressure within the system has decreased to the point where water can freely flow into the system (i.e., without being inhibited by the air pressure). Thus, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) requires such systems to include quick opening devices to assist in the exhausting of air so the water can freely flow into the system.
Even including such quick opening devices, the conventional dry valve systems are generally slow acting to a fire condition. Hence, a need has arisen for a dry valve which is maintained in a set position by a relatively low air pressure within the system to enable the system to be more quickly filled with water upon actuation.
In addition, conventional deluge valves are problematic because they are slow to allow the lever to move from its latched position on the clapper. That is, such deluge valves typically include a diaphragm chamber which receives water or air pressure for causing a nose pin to engage and hold the lever in its latched position on the clapper. When the water or air pressure within the diaphragm chamber begins to decrease, the nose pin slowly moves away from the lever allowing the lever to slowly pivot away from the clapper. Hence, a need has arisen for providing an additional force to the nose pin to quickly move the nose pin from the set position to the activated position upon the activation of the system. Thus, there is a desire for a deluge valve which opens quickly in response to the activation of the system.
Conventional differential dry valves are cumbersome to reset after the system has been activated and the fire extinguished. That is, the entire sprinkler system must be shut down and the interior of the differential dry valve must be accessed to reset the valve. More particularly, once the differential dry valve is activated, the clapper pivots upwardly and is latched away from the valve seat to insure that it does not interfere with the flow of water therethrough. Once the fire has been extinguished, it is necessary to shut off the main supply of water, drain the water from the system and then access the interior of the differential dry valve to unlatch and reset the clapper. Accordingly, a need has arisen for a differential dry valve which can be reset without having to shut down the main supply of water and access the interior of the differential dry valve to reset the clapper.
None of the above-mentioned wet system valves include a flow switch within the valve body. Conventionally, flow switches are installed within the sprinkler system downstream from the system valve in one of the pipes. As such, it is necessary to purchase different size flow switches in accordance with the size of the pipe for which it is to be installed. Accordingly, a system valve which incorporates a flow switch within the body thereof, would enable one switch to fit all sprinkler systems and thereby reduce installation expense.
Some system valves may be controlled or accessed from the exterior of the building in which the valve is installed. Typically, such access is provided by the use of a wall indicator post. Wall indicator posts are typically designed to operate non-rising stem (inside screw) control valves, which are used to control the water supply to an automatic sprinkler, water spray deluge, foam-water deluge, or standpipe fire protection systems. Wall indicator posts permit operation of valves located immediately inside exterior walls while providing an exterior visual indication as to whether the valves are open or shut, in addition to a means for locking or sealing the valves in a particular position. Since wall indicator posts allow for valve operation from outside of the protected property, the opportunity for more prompt valve operation in an emergency situation is provided.
While conventional wall indicator posts are useful from outside the building, they are problematic in that they do not provide any ability to control the valve from within the building or to provide any interior visual indication as to whether the valve is open or shut. The ability to control the valve from within the building as well as to monitor the condition of the valve from within the building is particularly useful during an emergency situation. Hence, there exists a need for a valve and wall indicator post combination which would allow the valve to be controlled and monitored from both inside and outside of the building.
The most common type of check valve is a swing check valve consisting of a hinged clapper assembly mounted inside a pipe line. The clapper assembly generally includes a clapper and a clapper arm which suspends the clapper from the valve body. When there is no flow in the pipeline, the clapper of the assembly is maintained in a closed position. As fluid flows through the pipeline in the desired direction, the fluid pressure swings the clapper partially open. When fluid tries to flow in the undesired direction, the reverse fluid pressure presses the clapper shut, thereby stopping such flow.
In such conventional check valves, there is no intermediate position wherein the valve controls the degree of fluid flowing through the pipeline in the desired direction. To obtain a degree of control over the fluid flowing through the check valve, a control valve is installed in series with the check valve. Hence, to prevent back flow of fluid, it is necessary to use two valves. This increases costs since two valves must be purchased and installed. As such, there exists a need for a check valve which includes the further feature of being able to control the flow rate of the fluid flowing through the valve.
The present invention overcomes many of the disadvantages inherent in the above-described system valves by providing a modular valve which can be field converted between a wet configuration for a wet piping system and a dry configuration for a dry piping system. The dry differential valve of the present invention is of the low air pressure type which permits the sprinkler system to be quickly filled with water and opens relatively quickly. Moreover, the low air pressure dry valve of the present invention can be reset externally without disassembly, thereby saving time and effort. Further, the check valve of the present invention can function purely as a check valve or as a control valve to control the flow of water therethrough. In addition, the valve body of the present invention includes a flow switch thereby eliminating further installation expense of such a flow switch downstream from the valve. Consequently, use of the present invention results in a considerable savings in money by reducing the number of valves as well as time when converting the sprinkler system to a different system valve and in resetting the system valve. Use of the present invention allows the system to be reactivated relatively quickly and is, therefore, safer than existing systems.


Gallium nitride (GaN) transistors with source and drain field plates are described. In an example, a transistor includes a gallium nitride (GaN) layer above a substrate, a gate structure over the GaN layer, a source region on a first side of the gate structure, a drain region on a second side of the gate structure, the second side opposite the first side, a source field plate above the source region, and a drain field plate above the drain region.

RF power amplifiers (RF PAs) are needed to transmit RF signals between mobile devices and base stations located at far distances away, such as greater than 1 mile. The efficiency of these RF PAs is a key determinant of battery life in mobile handsets and power consumption (cost) in RF base stations. Good linearity of the RF power amplifier is required for modern communication standards such as 4G LTE and future 5G standards. RF PAs typically operate at several dB back-off from its saturated mode in order to meet the linearity requirements. Thus, the efficiency suffers and in most PAs, it may degrade by a factor of 2-3×. Due to its wide bandgap and high critical breakdown electric field, gallium nitride (GaN) transistors are considered for high voltage applications such as power converters, RF power amplifiers, RF switch and high voltage applications. Simple transistor architecture, namely, having a single gate, source and drain, falls short of realizing the full potential of GaN in achieving the maximum breakdown voltage as dictated by its material properties. This is because the drain electric field concentrates at the edge of the gate and causes premature breakdown.

Gallium nitride transistors with source and drain field plates and their methods of fabrication


A smart home device (e.g., a voice assistant device) includes an audio control system that determines a set of one or more audio devices to include nearby devices that are capable of providing audio streams that are audibly detected by a microphone of the smart home device. The audio control system initiates a voice-interaction mode for operating the smart home device to receive voice commands from a user and provide audio output in response to the voice commands. The audio control system transmits an audio control signal to nearby devices that configures each nearby device to implement one or more of: reducing a volume level associated with the audio streams generated by the nearby devices while the smart home device is operating in the voice-interaction mode; and transmitting, to the smart home device, audio stream data associated with a current audio stream generated for audible output by the nearby device.

Some user computing devices are configured to operate in a variety of different input modes configured to obtain different categories of input from a user. For example, a device configured to operate in a keyboard mode can utilize a keyboard or touch-screen interface configured to receive text input from a user. A device configured to operate in a camera mode can utilize a camera configured to receive image input from a user. Similarly, a device configured to operate in a microphone mode can utilize a microphone to receive audio input from a user.
Some user computing devices configured to operate in a microphone mode can be more particularly designed to operate in a voice-interaction mode whereby two-way communication between a user and the device is enabled. More particularly, a device operating in voice-interaction mode can be configured to receive voice commands from a user and provide an audio response to the voice command. When a user is interacting with a device in such a manner, accurate recognition of the user's speech is critical for a good user experience. If other devices in the area are playing media (e.g., music, movies, podcasts, etc.), that background noise can negatively affect the speech recognition performance.

Ducking and erasing audio from nearby devices


In a vehicle navigator using an acceleration sensor for detecting a running distance, the precision of measuring the running distance is intended to be improved. Output data of the acceleration sensor during a predetermined time duration is stored in an output storage, and the average value or "mean acceleration" of output data is calculated by a mean acceleration calculator A running distance calculator calculates a difference between the acceleration measured with the acceleration sensor and the mean acceleration calculated by the mean acceleration calculator, and this difference is double integrated to obtain the running distance.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vehicle navigator which can calculate a vehicle running distance by using output data of an accelerometer
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional vehicle navigator will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 to 10.
FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the structure of a conventional vehicle navigator. In FIG. 7, reference numeral 101 represents an acceleration sensor for detecting an acceleration of a vehicle along its running direction. Reference numeral 102 represents a gyro sensor for detecting an angular velocity of a vehicle along its yawing direction. Reference numeral 107 represents a running distance calculator for calculating a vehicle running distance in accordance with output data of the acceleration sensor 10. Reference numeral 108 represents a running azimuth calculator for calculating a vehicle running azimuth in accordance with output data of the gyro sensor 102. Reference numeral 109 represents an arithmetic unit for calculating the position of a vehicle in accordance with the calculation results given by the running distance calculator 107 and the running azimuth calculator 108.
Reference numeral 104 represents a map storage for storing map data, and reference numeral 105 represents a display unit with a display screen. Reference numeral 106 represents a controller for receiving vehicle position information of the arithmetic unit 109, reading map data of a predetermined area from the map storage 104, and displaying the map data together with the position of a vehicle 100 (shown in FIG. 8) on the display unit 105.
FIG. 8 shows a coordinate system of a vehicle. As shown in FIG. 8, an X-axis is along the running direction of the vehicle 100 in the horizontal plane, a Y-axis is along the direction perpendicular to the X-axis in the horizontal plane, and a Z-axis is along the gravitational direction of the vehicle 100. In the following description, the motion of the vehicle 100 about the X-axis is called as a roll operation, and an angle of the rotation of the vehicle 100 caused by the roll operation is called as a roll angle .theta..sub.x. Similarly, the motion of the vehicle 100 about the Y-axis is called as a pitch operation, and an angle of the rotation of the vehicle 100 caused by the pitch operation is called as a pitch angle .theta..sub.y. The motion of the vehicle 100 about the Z-axis is called as a yaw operation, and an angle of the rotation of the vehicle 100 caused by the yaw operation is called as a yaw angle .theta..sub.x. The yaw angle .theta..sub.z represents a change of the running direction of a vehicle 100, and is also called as a running azimuth .theta..sub.z.
The operation of determining a position of the vehicle 100 having the vehicle navigator constructed as above will be described in which the position of a vehicle 100 is calculated by the arithmetic unit 109 in accordance with output data from the acceleration sensor 101 and gyro sensor 102.
At a predetermined time interval .DELTA.t, data is output from the acceleration sensor 101 and gyro sensor 102 to the arithmetic unit 109. The arithmetic unit 109 converts output data of the acceleration sensor 101 into an acceleration A.sub.x (i) and converts output data of the gyro sensor 102 into an angular velocity .omega..sub.x (i).
First, the running distance calculator 107 supplied with the acceleration A.sub.x (i) calculates a velocity V.sub.x (n) of the vehicle 100 by the equation (1) where the velocity at time n is V.sub.x (n), the acceleration at time i is A.sub.x i, a time interval of obtaining output data of the acceleration sensor 101 is .DELTA.t, and the initial velocity is V.sub.x (O). ##EQU1##
As the velocity V.sub.x (n) of the vehicle 100 at the time n is calculated by the equation (1), the running distance calculator 107 calculates a running distance .DELTA.D(n) of the vehicle at the time interval .DELTA.t by the equation (2). EQU .DELTA.D(x)=V.sub.x (n-1).multidot..DELTA.t+0.5.multidot.A.sub.x (n).multidot..DELTA.t.sup.2 (2)
The running azimuth calculator 108 supplied with the angular velocity .omega..sub.x (i) calculates the running azimuth .theta..sub.x (n) of the vehicle at the time n by the equation (3). ##EQU2##
When the running distance .DELTA.D(n) and running azimuth .theta..sub.x (n) at the time n are supplied from the running distance calculator 107 and running azimuth calculator 108 respectively, the arithmetic unit 109 executes a cumulative calculation starting from the initial position (X(0), Y(0)) as illustrated in FIG. 9 by using the equations (4) and (5), to thereby obtain the position (X(n), Y(n)) at the time n. ##EQU3##
As the position (X(n), Y(n)) of the vehicle 100 is obtained, the controller 106 marks the position of the vehicle 100 on map data supplied from the map storage 104, if necessary, by converting the position of the vehicle 100 into the coordinate system of the map data, and outputs it.
With the conventional vehicle navigator as mentioned above the running distance of the vehicle 100 is calculated by using the acceleration sensor 101. However, for example, in the case of a sloped road such as shown in FIG. 10 the acceleration A.sub.x (i) detected with the acceleration sensor 101 contains the running direction component of the gravitational acceleration G in addition to an acceleration a.sub.x (i) of the vehicle 100. Therefore, a correct acceleration of the vehicle 100 cannot be obtained. From this reason, an additional acceleration sensor, gyro sensor, or the like has been used conventionally to detect the pitch angle .theta..sub.y (i) of the vehicles to calculate the running direction components of the gravitational acceleration. In this manner, the running direction component of the gravitational acceleration G is removed from the acceleration A.sub.x (i) detected with the acceleration sensor 101. With this method, however, the number of acceleration sensors or gyro sensors increases and the apparatus becomes expensive.

Vehicle navigator for calculating distance based on mean acceleration

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


A method and system for acquisition of a service provider communications network by a mobile communications device is disclosed. In accordance with an embodiment of a method of the present invention, the method includes storing a control channel designation in a database in the mobile communications device and accessing the control channel designation from the database by the mobile device. The service provider communications network is acquired by the mobile communications device through a control channel associated with the control channel designation accessed from the database. In accordance with an embodiment of a system of the present invention, the system includes the mobile communications device with the database. A control channel designation is stored in the database. The mobile communications device accesses the control channel designation from the database and acquires the service provider communications network through a control channel associated with the control channel designation accessed from the database.

As is known, the use of cell phones is becoming increasingly popular. One drawback with the operation of known cell phones is the time required to acquire the service provider communications network when powering up in any particular cell. This can present drawbacks. For example, the user is required to wait until the network is acquired before being able to utilize the phone for communications. Even though this may not require a great amount of time, in view of today's fast paced world and general impatience of the population, this can present an inconvenience. Additionally, any time required for acquisition of the network utilizes available battery life that could otherwise be used by the user for communicating with the phone.
Currently, in acquiring the service provider network when powering up, the mobile communications device must scan through a large number of control channels in a bandmap to acquire the one channel that is assigned to the cell/sector in which the phone is located when powering up. The phone sequentially scans the bandmap to find the channel of the cell in which the phone is located. This can present delays and inefficiencies in the powering up process.
For example, assume that there are 200 control channels in the network numbered 1 through 200 in the bandmap. Further assume that the phone is located in a cell that is serviced by control channel number 200. If it takes an average of 0.40 seconds to scan each control channel in the bandmap, a total time of 80 seconds will be required (0.40 seconds×200 channels) for the phone to sequentially scan the bandmap before it finds channel number 200. Thus, at least 80 seconds is required before the phone can acquire the network with channel number 200. As discussed above, this is inefficient and can be inconvenient.
Therefore, it would be desirable to provide an improved method and system for acquisition of a service provider communications network by a mobile communications device.

Method and system for acquisition of a service provider communications network by a mobile communications device


A manually operable hand tool for installing laminate flooring includes an elongated shaft and a base member statically connected to the elongated shaft and including a downwardly averted shoulder spaced from a distal end of the shaft. A first handle is slidably engaged with the shaft, and a stop member is statically affixed to the distal end of the shaft. A second handle is connected to the base member and extends upwardly from a top surface thereof. Such a second handle is forwardly offset at an oblique angle biased towards the averted shoulder and is securely welded to the base member for providing an additional gripping surface seated above the base member for applying additional weight to the base member during installation procedures.

1. Technical Field
This invention relates to hand tools and, more particularly, to a portable apparatus for installing laminate flooring on a floor surface.
2. Prior Art
Laminate flooring is the hottest trend to hit the residential flooring industry since the early days of linoleum! As the younger generation of homeowners look to modernize the look and feel of their decor, laminate flooring has slowly become one of the hottest consumer products on the house and home market. Laminate flooring is an ultra-durable product that looks like a real wood or stone floor. But it's less costly than the 'real thing', easier to install and can last a lot longer. Laminate floors are quickly becoming the flooring of choice for active families and homeowners. If you love the gorgeous look of a wood or stone floor but are worried about high traffic that can ruin expensive floors, laminate flooring is probably the best option on the market. Laminate flooring is a lot like Formica countertops—a combination of layers of wood and melamine plastic that imitate real wood, stone or other textures. But what you're seeing when you look at laminate flooring is actually a picture—a high-quality photograph of real wood or stone that has been placed on top of the floor and covered with ultra-strong, clear plastic. Laminate flooring is available in planks, strips and tiles.
Traditionally, it is glued into place, but in the past few years manufacturers have introduced some incredible glueless and pre-glued formats that cut installation time in half! Laminate flooring is installed on top of your existing floor. And, if you choose a glueless floor, you can even remove the floor and take it with you when you move! One of the few disadvantages to laminate flooring is that it cannot be refinished, sanded or stripped. However, with some of the strongest warranties in the flooring industry, there's not much chance you'll ever need to replace your laminate floor! However, the installation of laminate flooring can be both difficult and tedious at times. Obviously it would be advantageously to develop a device that would make the installation of laminate flooring simple and convenient.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,971,361 to Heimbach discloses a clampless flooring tool that includes a base, a wedge sidewardly guidable by and in slidable contact with the base, and a force applying device secured to the base and in contact with the wedge, which drives the wedge sidewardly. The wedge provides a force oblique to the force applied from the force applying device such that a flooring piece can be acted upon by the oblique force in a direction oblique to the direction of the force applied by the force applying device. An obliquely movable member, which, in addition, may be sidewardly immovable, may be provided between and in contact with the wedge for contact with the flooring. The tool is especially useful in installation of laminate flooring. Unfortunately, this prior art example may still require use of a hammer.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,788,221 to Muhlebach discloses a multi-part gripping device for pressing together flooring elements, such as laminates and finished parquet, in side-by-side relationship includes two rod parts that are axially and telescopically connected. One of said rod parts includes a pressure jaw at an end having parallel shoulders that extend toward the other rod part, the shoulders being at a different spacing from the associated rod part for abutting a base portion of a flooring element over which the gripping device is positioned. A longitudinally adjustable lead screw is pivotally connected between the two rod parts for moving the two rod parts together, such that a connecting pressure is applied to a flooring element being interconnectably positioned adjacent one or more previously positioned flooring elements. Unfortunately, this prior art example is not designed to work with the pushing and pulling motions of a user's weight.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,964,450 to Pasto discloses a flooring tool for the installation or repair of wooden tongue and groove flooring. The tool has a jack for exerting linear force, with a fixed and a movable portion. A pivoting gripper is mounted upon the movable portion, and a guide is mounted upon the fixed portion, which allows a brace such as a 2 by 4 board to be inserted into the guide and gripper and held in place, extending the reach and usefulness of the tool. A foot upon a push-pull rod extends downwards from the fixed portion of the jack, and pushes upon the flooring planks. In a preferred embodiment, two attachment points are provided for the foot on its rod, at each end of the fixed portion, providing maximum flexibility. Unfortunately, this prior art example is not designed to work with various types of floor boards.
Accordingly, the present invention is disclosed in order to overcome the above noted shortcomings. The present invention is convenient and easy to use, lightweight yet durable in design, and designed for installing laminate flooring on a floor surface. The manually operable hand tool is simple to use, inexpensive, and designed for many years of repeated use.

Portable apparatus for installing floor boards and associated method


A transmission driver including a main driving stage and a sub-driving stage is provided. The main driving stage has a main current source, and is adapted for receiving a first differential input data stream and outputting a differential output data stream by using the main current source. The sub-driving stage has two sub-current sources, and is adapted for receiving a second differential input data stream and counteracting/reducing the attenuation or distortion of the differential output data stream caused by a long transmission distance by using the sub-current sources. There is a delay of a specific bit length between the first and the second differential input data streams.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic signal transmission device, more particularly, to an electronic signal transmission device having an emphasis function.
2. Description of Related Art
With a high-speed development of semiconductor manufacturing process (a supply voltage is gradually reduced), not only sizes of devices within an integrated circuit (IC) are gradually reduced, but also transmission lines between the devices are gradually elongated and narrowed as a size of the IC is increased. Therefore, since the transmission line would cause a considerable high-frequency attenuation, not only a signal transmission quality is influenced, but also a receiving terminal/side may receive a distorted signal that cannot be interpreted/identified. Therefore, how to maintain a high-speed transmission characteristic (for example, a data transmission rate of 100 M-10 G bps) of the IC is a quite important issue in the field of the present invention.

Transmission device having emphasis function


A head for a line trimming apparatus includes a body member and a detachable cover that may include a replaceable insert for connecting the head to a drive shaft of a line trimming apparatus. The body member includes opposed openings and a filament-receiving channel for inserting an elongated flexible cutting filament into the head for retention thereon. A spring-biased clamp is supported on the body member and is engageable with the filament portion residing in the channel to releasably retain the filament connected to the head. An actuator button projects through an opening in the body member and is operable to be pressed to cause the clamp to release forcible engagement with a filament so that the filament may be removed and replaced. In one embodiment the clamp and actuator are an integrally formed part and the filament projects through openings formed in spaced apart arms of the clamp member. In embodiments, the clamp and actuator members are separate parts that are mounted for sliding movement in the body member. Coil springs are operable to bias the clamp members of the embodiments into forcible engagement with the filament.

Rotary line trimmers are widely used for cutting or trimming grass, weeds and other vegetation in the upkeep of lawns. Line trimming apparatuses are typically characterized by a flexible, nylon trimming filament or "line" which is attached to a rotatable head of the apparatus. The line head is attached to a motor shaft which is rotated at high speeds, typically by trigger operation of a small gasoline engine or electric motor. When the line head is rotated, the rotating trimming filament serves as a cutting blade to cut grass, weeds or other vegetation.
After prolonged use of the apparatus, the cutting filament becomes worn and breaks, eventually requiring replacement. Accordingly, some line trimming apparatuses utilize a spool of the trimming filament or line which is incorporated in the whirling line head. The trimming filament is wound on the spool such that the filament can be dispensed from the spool as the rotating head is struck lightly against the ground. In other line trimming apparatuses, one or more short segments of trimming filament are attached to the line head for achieving the trimming function, and the trimming filaments are replaced by attaching replacement lengths of the trimming filament to the head. In both types of line trimming apparatus, the trimming filament typically extends from the line head through only one opening, and the edges of the opening engage the filament as the line head is rotated. After brief use of the apparatus, the edges tend to score the filament, causing premature breakage of the filament and requiring frequent and often difficult replacement of the filament in the head.
Line trimming apparatuses having heads of various design and including features for facilitating replacement of worn or broken trimming filaments, are well-known in the art. Patents of interest include U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,571,831; 5,303,476; 5,345,683; 5,758,424; 5,836,227; 5,887,348; and 5,896,666.


An apparatus for providing enhanced peripheral vision to a wearer of a helmet in accordance with the present invention includes at least one lens member adapted to be received at a predetermined location in the helmet. The lens member is operable to direct light from a side portion of the helmet to a location adjacent the eyes of a wearer of the helmet.

The present invention relates in general to helmets and helmet devices.
One of the casualties of on-going efforts to improve the safety of football helmets in particular and safety helmets in general is the obstruction or total loss of peripheral vision. The football helmet has evolved from a form fitting, leather, aviator-style cap to today's high-impact plastic, shock absorbing crash helmet. This high-tech box is further augmented for player safety with padded chin strap, and face cage. For linemen, a wrap-around plexiglass shield for eye protection may also be added. While all these features add to player safety, the effect is to limit the field of the player's vision. The vision restrictive nature of the helmet is sometimes compounded with padding and structural features on shoulder pads which nominally protect against rotational and snap back injuries to the neck, which limits the view of the player to that similar to a tunnel.
That the players' peripheral vision is compromised is on display wherever football is being played. Virtually all players to greater or lesser extent display the same exaggerated "turn to Look" behavior when on the field of play. While on the surface this may not be much of a problem, lack of peripheral vision undoubtedly results in injury when contact from the side or back is unexpected, not to mention the innumerable dropped passes, missed tackles and blocks, and quarterback sacks.
It is desirable, therefore, to provide a helmet apparatus that provides peripheral vision to the wearer of a helmet.


A biocidal polymer including at least one repeating unit of formula (A):

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a biocidal polymer, in particular a biocidal polymer the backbone chain of which is constituted of at least one repeating unit having one or more biocidal functionalities, in particular N-halamine groups, and the preparation process and applications thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
There have been researchers investigating the preparation of high molecular weight N-halamine polymers. For example, in Journal of Polymer Science: Polymer Chemistry Edition, Vol. 21, pp. 335-340 (1983), A. A. Koutinas and P. G. Demertzis reported the preparation of N-halamine polymers by chlorinating commercial polymers that carry N—H bonds, such as polyamide and polyurea, in which an organic or inorganic hypochlorite was used as a chlorinating agent. It is noted that if a higher degree of chlorination is intended for a polyamide polymer (i.e., more hydrogen atoms at the N—H bonds of the polyamide polymer are to be substituted by a chlorine atom), a more expensive organic reagent, e.g., tert-butyl hypochlorite (t-BuOCl), should be used and a longer reaction is required.
Thereafter, some investigators developed biocidal polymers the backbone chains of which are grafted with cyclic N-halamine units. However, recent researches reveal that while cyclic N-halamine derivatives exhibit excellent biocidal effects and are more stable than free halogen, ozone, and chlorine dioxide, they require more time to exhibit the biocidal effects thereof and have a molecular weight not greater than 200. Therefore, safety concerns may arise when these cyclic N-halamine derivatives are put into practical use.
In addition, referring to Yuyu Sun and Gang Sun (2004), Ind. Eng. Chem. Res., 43:5015-5020, it is noted that whether or not the N—H bonds of a polymer carrying amide bonds can be chlorinated to a N—Cl bond depends on the existence of α-hydrogen next to the amide bond. Referring to Scheme 1, which shows the mechanism of a chlorination reaction where Ar represents an aromatic group and Me represents a methyl group, if there is no α-hydrogen next to the amide bond, formation of the N—Cl bond is possible.

Referring to Scheme 2, if there is α-hydrogen next to the amide bond, it is presumed that the α-hydrogen next to the amide bond will be shifted to the nitrogen atom of the amide bond due to 1,4-hydrogen shift, so that the nitrogen atom cannot be bonded with a chlorine atom to form a N—Cl bond,

In order to understand the biocidal mechanism of compounds carrying amide bonds, in the above-described 2004 article, Yuyu Sun and Gang Sun further performed chlorination to commercial polyamides that carried no α-hydrogen, such as the Kevlar polyamide having repeating units represented by the following formula (p1) and the Nomex polyamide having repeating units represented by the following formula (p2).

Their experimental results reveal that the Nomex polyamide can be continuously chlorinated, whereas the Kevlar polyamide cannot be chlorinated and the chlorination treatment will lead to decomposition thereof. With respect to the observed phenomena, Yuyu Sun et al. proposed that the Keviar polyamide contains weak para-amide bonds linked to the benzene rings, which makes it easier for the Kevlar polyamide to be hydrolyzed during chlorination.
To explain the decomposition of the Kevlar polyamide caused by chlorination, in J. Phys. Chem. B, 111:5581-5586 (2007), S. D. Worley et al., belonging to the same research team of Gang Sun, proposed a reaction mechanism as shown in Scheme 3, which reveals that the chlorinated Kevlar polyamide with contact of water loses one of the chlorine atoms to form a negative charge which, when delocalized, leads to dissociation of the other chlorine to yield a quinone-type structure.

In contrast, when the chlorinated Nomex polyamide is dechlorinated, it is presumed that a stable resonance structure as shown in Scheme 4 will be formed.

In view of the foregoing, it was concluded that two prerequisites may be required for the manufacture of a N-halamine polyamide that exhibits biocidal effects: (1) there is no shiftable α-hydrogen next to the amide bond; and (2) a stable structure will be formed after dechlorination.
Therefore, the research team of S. D. Worley and Gang Sun endeavored to develop cyclic N-halamine polymers that met the above two prerequisites. In fact, in the recent three decades, the research team of S. D. Worley and Gang Sun developed a variety of cyclic N-halamine polymers, including: polymers having side chains grafted with an oxazolidinone of the following formula (p3), polymers having side chains grafted with an imidazolidinone of the following formula (p4), polymers having side chains grafted with a hydantoin of the following formula (p5), etc.,

(wherein Ra1-Ra10 independently represent a C1-C4 alkyl group).
These polymers were subjected to a halogenation treatment so that the hydrogen atom of the N—H bond was substituted by a chlorine atom, thereby rendering the chlorinated polymer to become biocidal. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,490,983 discloses 9 cyclic N-halamine biocidal polymers. However, during the preparation of these polymers, the cyclic compounds as described above must be subjected to a preliminary treatment for conversion to a reactive functional group that may be grafted onto the side chain of a selected host polymer. Hence, the preparation processes of these polymers have the disadvantages of complexity in manufacture and limited types of host polymers.
Therefore, there is still a need to develop a new biocidal polymer that exhibits excellent biocidal effects and is easy to fabricate.

Biocidal polymer and process for preparing the same

Abstract: wherein:                R1 in each occurrence independently represents a divalent aromatic group containing 6 to 30 carbon atoms, a C2-C16 alkylene group or an alkylene biscyclohexyl;        Y in each occurrence independently represents an oxygen atom or a sulfur atom; and        Z1, Z2, Z3 and Z4 in each occurrence independently represent a hydrogen atom or a halogen atom;        wherein at least one of Z1, Z2, Z3 and Z4 in the at least one repeating unit of formula (A) is a halogen atom.


A check system aims at checking at least one of a control model in which requested specifications for controlling a target are described and a control program generated based on the control model. The system has a first establishing unit configured to establish a first monitor section at a first location in the one of the control model and the control program. The system has a first identifying unit configured to automatically identify a second location in the other of the control model and the control program to establish a second monitor section at the second location in the other thereof. The second location corresponds to the first location of the first monitor section in the one of the control model and the control program.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method, a system, and a program product for checking at least one of a control model and a control program installable in an electronic control unit. The control program is generated based on the control model.
2. Description of the Related Art
Development of control programs for controlling a target, such as an engine installed in a vehicle, includes the following steps of:
writing a control program based on a control model in which requested specifications for controlling a target are designed to be described;
checking whether the coded control program contains bugs to debug the bugs when the bugs are contained in the control program based on the checked result;
installing the debugged control program in an electric control unit installed in an actual vehicle to check the fitness of the installed control program; and
debugging the control program based on the result of the fitness check.
In recent years, model-based development of control programs has been carried out. The model-based development includes automatically generating a control program written in a program language from a control model in which requested specifications are described.
In the model-based development, simulation of the control model on the computer allows the validity of the control model's operations to be verified. Construction of the control model is more simplified than generation of the control program so that adaptation of the model-based development to control program development will make the control program development more efficient.
Let us consider cases of automatically coding the control program or hand-coding it.
When debugging the control model and the control program generated by the automatic coding or the hand coding, it is important to verify not only the operations of the control model and the control program on a personal computer simulation, but also the operations of them on an electronic control unit in which the control program is installed. This requires debug of the automatically coded or hand-coded control program installed in the electronic control unit. The control program is commonly installed in the electronic control unit as part of an operating system (OS), such as a real-time operating system (RTOS). When finding bugs in any one of the control model and the control program during the debugging, the construction of the control program may make it difficult to identify locations of bugs in the other of the control model and the control program that correspond to the locations of the bugs in the one of the control model and the control program.

Method, system, and program product for checking control model and/or control program


An exothermic reaction assembly includes a reaction chamber and a generator operative to generate an AC electrical signal and apply the signal to the reaction chamber by superimposing the AC signal over a DC signal. A gas manifold and controller is operative to connect a vacuum pump and one or more gas chambers to the reaction chamber and to control a pressure of the reaction chamber. The signal generator is operative to create a plasma in the reaction chamber by superimposing the AC electrical signal to the reaction chamber over the DC signal. The gas manifold and controller are operative to adjust the pressure within the reaction chamber to achieve a predetermined plasma frequency.

The generation of anomalous heat from hydrogen and/or deuterium loaded in metals or alloys has been an ongoing topic of research for over 25 years. However, the mechanisms of, and triggers for, such exothermic reactions are not fully known. Devising a reliable triggering mechanism for exothermic reactions, to generate excess heat in a metal or alloy loaded with hydrogen/deuterium, stands as a major challenge in this field of research.
In the early 2000s, the present inventor triggered exothermic reactions by exciting a metal occluded with deuterium and natural abundance hydrogen with visible laser light. These experiments are detailed in published US Patent Application No. 2004/0173462, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Briefly, a metal electrode capable of absorbing hydrogen (e.g., palladium) was prepared by cold working, etching, polishing, cleaning and annealing, to increase the average grain size of the lattice and introduce dislocations to the lattice structure. After undergoing electrolysis in a solution of heavy water and acid or salts to load the electrode with hydrogen/deuterium, gold was plated onto the electrode. The electrode was then illuminated with a tunable laser beam focused to a narrow spot, with the frequency of the laser being adjusted. At certain laser frequencies, excess heat may be generated at a power density many times greater than that achievable in fuel cells. In one experiment, laser beams of two different frequencies were focused to the same spot, generating anomalous heat.
Recent research in exothermic reactions has utilized a sealed, metal reaction chamber, evacuated to a vacuum and into which controlled quantities of hydrogen/deuterium gas are introduced. The hydrogen/deuterium molecules in a plasma are accelerated to a hydrogen-absorbing metal or alloy plated onto an electrode or the (grounded) interior surface of the chamber wall (acting as a cathode). Because the reaction chamber is opaque, laser light cannot easily be used to trigger exothermic reactions in the hydrogen/deuterium-loaded metal.
The Background section of this document is provided to place embodiments of the present invention in technological and operational context, to assist those of skill in the art in understanding their scope and utility. Approaches described in the Background section could be pursued, but are not necessarily approaches that have been previously conceived or pursued. Unless explicitly identified as such, no statement herein is admitted to be prior art merely by its inclusion in the Background section.


A semiconductor or memory device has a decoder circuit for decoding a plurality of external address signals. The external address signals include first and second external address signals. A first address buffer receives the first external address signals and outputs first internal address signals to first address lines. A second address buffer receives the second external address signals and outputs second internal address signals to second address lines. First predecoders have input terminals connected to the first address lines, and output first predecode signals to first predecode lines. Second predecoders have input terminals connected to the second address lines and output second predecode signals to second predecode lines. Main decoders have input terminals connected to the first predecode lines and the second predecode lines and output decode signals. The number of the first external address signals are greater than the number of the second external address signals. The second predecoders and the second predecode lines are provided at least in double in such a manner that inputs of the main decoders to be connected to each of the second predecode lines are equal in number to inputs of the main decoders to be connected to each of the first predecode lines. It is possible to shorten the transition time of predecode signals because of the same capacitive load of the predecoder circuit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a decoder circuit of a semiconductor memory device, and, more particularly, to the structures of address lines and predecode lines which can shorten the cycle time.
2. Description of the Related Art
The capacities of semiconductor memory devices like dynamic random access memories and static memories are becoming ever greater. To match the increment, the number of addresses for designating a memory address is increasing too. A conventional decoder circuit is separated into predecoders and main decoders in accordance with the increased number of addresses to reduce the burden on an address buffer or the like. The predecoders are further separated into a plurality of predecoder groups to which divided addresses are respectively input. Predecoded signals are then input to the main decoders.
The number of addresses is determined by the memory capacity and the structure of the output circuit. In dividing an address to a plurality of sub addresses, it is inevitable that the number of divided addresses does not become uniform. As a result, the capacitive loads of the address lines or the outputs of address buffers and the predecode lines or the outputs of predecoders vary from one divided group to another.
In general, a decoder circuit outputs its decoded output in response to an address latch signal or the like after an address signal to be input is settled. The time for one cycle therefore comprises a standby time (address transition time) from the input of the address signal to the settlement of the input of the decoder circuit and an address latching time for the output of the decoder circuit to become valid after settlement.
When predecoders are unevenly divided as mentioned above, the timing for settling the predecode lines or the inputs of the main decoders vary. This variation leads first to variations in the start times for the rising and falling of the predecode lines, secondly to a variation in the rising duration or the falling duration, and further to variations in the end times for the rising and falling of the predecode lines. Such variations demand a longer standby time (address transition time) for the input signals to the main decoders to be settled. This results in a longer cycle time, or a shorter address latching period if the cycle time is constant.

Decoder circuit for a semiconductor memory device