A propulsion assembly for an aircraft, comprising a pylon to be secured below a wing of the aircraft and having a front face and a lower face, and a turbomachine comprising, from upstream to downstream in a direction of a flow of air passing through the turbomachine during operation, a fan and an engine driving the fan. The fan is faired by a fan casing and the engine is faired, from upstream to downstream, by an intermediate casing and an engine casing, the intermediate casing having a hub and an outer ring extending the fan casing, the ring being spaced apart radially from the hub and secured to the latter by arms extending in an air duct. The propulsion assembly comprises a front engine attachment secured between the pylon front face and the hub and a rear engine attachment secured between the pylon lower face and the engine casing.

An aircraft typically comprises a wing beneath which there is secured a pylon, to which there is secured an engine via a system of engine attachments which consists, inter alia, of a front engine attachment at the front and of a rear engine attachment at the rear. The assembly consisting of the pylon and its system of attachments is located radially above the engine, in a clock sector that can be defined as between 10 o'clock and 2 o'clock.
As is known, for example as described in documents EP2332835 and WO2010/007226, the rear engine attachment is reacted by the engine casing, which is also termed the "core-turbine" casing in aeronautical terminology, and the front attachment is reacted by the outer ring of the intermediate casing of the engine, which extends the casing of the fan of the engine.
The invention aims to propose an alternative architecture for the system of engine attachments.


A glass antenna attached to a vehicle side window glass for receiving radio waves such as FM radio broadcast waves and AM radio broadcast waves is provided. The glass antenna comprises a feed point disposed adjacent one of the lateral edges of the window glass, a first vertical element extending upwardly from the feed point along one of the lateral edges to a place adjacent the upper edge of the window glass, a first horizontal element extending from the first vertical element along the upper edge to a nearly central portion of the window glass, a second vertical element extending from the first horizontal element through the nearly central portion to a place adjacent the lower edge of the window glass, a second horizontal element extending from the second vertical element along the lower edge to a place adjacent the other of the lateral edges, and a third vertical element extending upwardly from the second horizontal element along the other of the lateral edges of the window glass.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a glass antenna attached to a vehicle side window glass such as for automobiles, particularly of the kind suited for receiving FM radio broadcast waves and AM radio broadcast waves.
2. Description of the Related Art
Examples of glass antennas having been heretofore known and put into practical use are an antenna attached to a marginal area or space of a rear window glass above or below a defogger electric heating element and an antenna including a conductive strip provided to a windshield, the former antenna however being not always capable of attaining a sufficient reception gain since the space occupied by the antenna is required to be small for eliminating the possibility that the antenna makes poor the visibility.
Further, the latter antenna, i.e., the antenna provided to a windshield can attain a relatively high reception gain but is encountered by a larger restriction on its attaching place than the rear window glass so that it never blocks the driver's visibility.
An antenna provided to a vehicle side window glass has come to attract attention since it is not encountered by the above described restriction and an automobile with a large side window such as a recreational vehicle (RV) has come to be used widely, and a number of proposal relating to such an antenna have been made as is disclosed in Japanese utility model provisional publication No. 58-61509 and Japanese patent provisional publication No. 61-265904.
However, most of the proposals relate to an antenna for receiving television (TV) broadcast waves, and there have been little proposals relating to an antenna for receiving FM (Frequency-Modulated) radio broadcast waves and AM (Amplitude Modulation) radio broadcast waves.
Particularly, in case of recreational vehicles (RV), many of their rear windows are capable of opening and closing, so the rear window glass is small-sized, resulting in a small marginal area or space above or below the defogger heater element for disposition of an antenna, and furthermore the rear windows are disposed nearly vertical, though this similarly occurs even in case their rear windows are of the type incapable of opening and closing. Thus, antenna strips arranged at such a small and nearly vertical marginal space of the rear window glass cannot attain a sufficient reception gain. This is particularly pronounced in case of antenna strips for receiving AM radio broadcast waves which are of low frequency and FM radio broadcast waves. Thus, an antenna provided to a side window glass for receiving radio broadcast waves has been demanded recently, but there have been little proposals to such an antenna.
Furthermore, for receiving ultrashort waves such as FM radio broadcast waves, it is a usual practice to dispose a plurality of antennas in predetermined places and switch the connections of the antennas selectively so that the ultrashort waves are received by one of the antennas which can attain a higher reception gain than any other antennas. In such diversity reception, even such an antenna which effects a particular drop or fall of gain (i.e., a so-called dip) in a particular direction, i.e., which exhibits a sharp directivity when used alone can be used. However, such an antenna cannot be used alone for reception of FM radio broadcast waves other than for diversity reception.

Vehicle side window glass antenna for radio broadcast waves


A method of applying, through spray on, extruded or flow-on application, a projectile resistant material. The method includes selecting an epoxy, selecting a fiber, selecting a ratio for combining the epoxy and the fiber, based on the ratio, combining the epoxy and the fiber to form a malleable projectile resistant type material, and applying the material. The projectile resistant material includes an epoxy and several fibers. The fibers are mixed within the epoxy based on a predetermined ratio. The predetermined ratio is for determining the projectile resistance of the material. The fibers are randomly disposed within the epoxy.

Historically, in the field of bullet proofing, armored vehicles used heavy metal plates as protective armor. More recently, wearable bullet resistant materials have been fabricated by long strand fibers, such as weaving Kevlar® or a similar aromatic polyamide (or "Aramid") fiber into cloth. The cloth is then cut and stitched to construct wearable personal body armor. The cloth is also incorporated into bullet proofing vehicles including military vehicles. The length of the fibers associated with the friction along the length provide the strength.
However, the approaches known in the art suffer a number of drawbacks. For instance, heavy metal plating for armored vehicles undesirably adds to the weight of the vehicle, which reduces the speed of the vehicle, reduces load bearing capability of the vehicle, and increases the maintenance and costs of operating the vehicle. Hence, the conventional methods of armoring a vehicle negatively impact the vehicle's effectiveness in the field, and reduces the useful life of the chassis and drive train components of the vehicle.
Both metal plates and fiber woven cloths are expensive. A typical steel armor plate for Level III threat protection costs about $5000. A 52″ by 63″ Spectra panel costs about $6000. These are only the material costs, and do not include installation costs.
Moreover, the manufacturing processes for forming metal plating and also weaving fibers are complex, costly and time consuming. Further, deploying these conventional materials is non trivial. The conventional materials are difficult to work with, rigid, or unmalleable, and hence, are difficult to implement in tight areas such as the pillars, frame, and doors of a vehicle for example. Accordingly, specific implementations of the conventional armoring techniques often require extensive modifications. For instance, armor for a vehicle door often requires accommodation for the functional latch components of the door.
Further, the conventional methods are severely limited for implementation in potentially high value and/or critical situations, such as for example, during combat and/or at a forward field position. Meanwhile, the need for broader ranging, more cost effective applications of projectile protection grows, for example, with the proliferation of guerilla style and urban attacks. These attacks not only comprise bullets, but also mines, grenades, other explosives, and the like.


Two transducers to be rotated around a circumferential location on a cylindrical body for structural testing of the body are carried on a mounting and drive apparatus including a magnetic attachment which can be manually brought up to a pipe from one side only for fixed connection to the pipe on that side at a position axially spaced from a weld. A collar shaped support for the pair of transducers is formed of a row of separate segments which wrap around the pipe from the one side and is rotated around the axis of the pipe to carry the transducer around the circumferential weld. The segments carry rollers to roll on the surface and are held against the pipe by magnets. The transducers are carried on the support in fixed angular position to track their position but in a manner which allows slight axial or radial movement relative to the pipe.

Inspection of welds in pressure vessels is important to ensure the proper maintenance of the pressure vessel. One particular problem which requires attention is that of testing the circumferential welds in boiler pipes. Such pipes are arranged in an array of side by side pipes with only a very small clearance between each pipe and the next. Such pipes have a number of circumferential welds which require to be inspected, bearing in mind that the pipe can only be accessed from a front face so that the rear face of the pipe and the rear part of the weld is difficult to access.
Ultra-sonic transducers have become available which carry out an inspection of the weld and require to be transported along the length of the weld that is angularly around the axis of the pipe so as to extend along the full 360° of the circumferential weld. The ultra-sonic transducers have been designed so that they lie primarily along the length of the pipe so that the transducer itself can pass between the pipes as its height from the surface of the pipe is relatively small.
Two such transducers are required so that each lies along the pipe with a head of the transducer immediately adjacent the respective side of the weld. These transducers are then carried around the pipe and it is desirable that the position of the transducers angularly around the pipe is carefully monitored so that the signal from the transducers can be coordinated with the position of the transducers angularly of the pipe to provide a signal which locates any faults in the weld and their position angularly of the pipe.
The transducers have a cable which extends from one side of the transducer to carry the signals from the transducer to a remote control and monitoring system. The transducers also include a liquid supply which generates a film between the head of the transducer and the weld of the pipe or the pipe surface so that the sound waves are effectively transmitted between the transducer head and the pipe itself.
The requirement therefore is to provide an apparatus which can be readily mounted on the pipe at the position adjacent the weld and which carries the transducers and rotates those transducers around the pipe, bearing in mind that effective access to the pipe is generally only available from one side of the pipe.

Apparatus for structural testing of a cylindrical body


A chip carrier having improver thermal properties, wherein the chip carrier may be formed having waist section, and a first transverse end portion joined to the waist section. A first surface of the carrier being configured to receive a chip thereon, and a second surface of the carrier configured to be coupled to a thermal control unit to provide cooling of the carrier and chip. The chip carrier may have a second transverse end portion joined to the waist portion in certain embodiments.

There is an increasing demand for tunable lasers for test and measurement uses, wavelength characterization of optical components, fiberoptic networks and other applications. In dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) fiberoptic systems, multiple separate data streams propagate concurrently in a single optical fiber, with each data stream created by the modulated output of a laser at a specific channel frequency or wavelength. Presently, channel separations of approximately 0.4 nanometers in wavelength, or about 50 GHz are achievable, which allows up to 128 channels to be carried by a single fiber within the bandwidth range of currently available fibers and fiber amplifiers. Greater bandwidth requirements will likely result in smaller channel separation in the future.
DWDM systems have largely been based on distributed feedback (DFB) lasers operating with a reference etalon associated in a feedback control loop, with the reference etalon defining the ITU wavelength grid. Statistical variation associated with the manufacture of individual DFB lasers results in a distribution of channel center wavelengths across the wavelength grid, and thus individual DFB transmitters are usable only for a single channel or a small number of adjacent channels.
Continuously tunable external cavity lasers have been developed to overcome the limitations of individual DFB devices. Various laser tuning mechanisms have been developed to provide external cavity wavelength selection, such as mechanically tuned gratings used in transmission and reflection. External cavity lasers must be able to provide a stable, single mode output at selectable wavelengths while effectively suppress lasing associated with external cavity modes that are within the gain bandwidth of the cavity. These goals have been difficult to achieve, and there is accordingly a need for an external cavity laser that provides stable, single mode operation at selectable wavelengths.
Temperature control of emitter chips may be employed in laser devices cool the emitter chips during laser operation. Prior art diode or emitter chip carriers have not been configured for effective heat transfer between the chip and a thermal control source such as a thermoelectric controller or TEC to maintain the chip at an optimal temperature. Typically, the carriers used have a generally square or rectangular shape, with the diode chip mounted on the top of the block-shaped carrier. This type of chip carrier system results in many shortcomings. For example, the square/rectangular shape of the carrier has poor thermal control properties. Particularly, a simple rectangular carrier provides poor heat flow properties, with heat flows occurring primarily in a vertical direction, thus limiting the ability of the rectangular carrier to dissipate heat. As a result of poor heat flow, localized heating on the upper surface of the carrier may occur, which may interfere with the thermal control of the diode chip during and after operation. Diode chips are subject to temperature control during operation to maintain a desired output, and if a desired temperature cannot be maintained, desired output may not be achieved.
Additionally, a simple rectangular carrier can physically hinder the close placement of collimating lenses to the diode chip, therefore requiring the collimating lenses to be positioned at a distance from the diode chip. Positing the collimating lenses further away to accommodate the carrier results in an overall increase of the size of the external cavity diode laser (ECDL), which is undesirable in many applications. Narrowing the width of the carrier to allow closer positioning of the collimating lenses to the diode can overcome this problem. This approach, however, creates a further problem of restricting the thermal conduction path to the heatsink and exacerbates the thermal control problem. In addition, it creates a carrier that may be easily tipped over during assembly (before it is bonded to the TEC or other substrate), therefore making it difficult to handle during assembly. This leads to additional care needed in handling the narrow carrier during assembly, which then leads to increased manufacturing costs of the laser.
Therefore there is a need for a carrier that provides good heat transfer capabilities, that allows the collimating lenses to be placed close to the diode to provide a compact and efficient overall package, and which is easy to handle during manufacturing and assembly. The present invention satisfies these needs, as well as others, and overcomes the deficiencies found in the prior art.


A system clock switching apparatus, which includes a clock source for providing a reference clock signal; a frequency divider electrically connected to the clock source for dividing the reference clock signal to produce a frequency-divided signal and a system clock signal; and an enable signal generator electrically connected to the frequency divider for dividing the frequency-divided signal to produce at least one enable signal. The frequency divider switches the frequency of the system clock signal at a time period corresponding to a pulse edge of the frequency-divided signal.

The disclosure relates to frequency switching techniques for a system clock signal, and more particularly, to system clock switching apparatuses and related methods that avoid drift of enable signals corresponding to the system clock signal while switching the frequency of the system clock signal.
In a synchronous circuit, each individual module or component synchronously operates according to a system clock signal. The synchronous circuit may change or switch the frequency of the system clock signal to meet different operational requirements. For example, power consumption can be reduced by lowering the frequency of the system clock signal. In the related art, a phase-locked loop (PLL) or a digital frequency divider is typically employed to change or switch the frequency of the system clock signal.
In addition to the system clock signal, the synchronous circuit further utilizes one or more enable signals with fixed frequency to maintain the system functionalities. For example, a GSM communication system requires an enable signal QBIT_EN for determining the timing of signal transmission and reception. If the enable signal drifts, the communication quality and performance of the GSM system is seriously deteriorated.
As mentioned previously, the PLL is widely employed to switch frequencies of system clock signals in the related art. As is well known in the art, when the PLL switches the frequency of an output clock signal, a settling time is required for the frequency of the output clock signal to reach a stable status again. During the settling time, the enable signal often drifts since the frequency of the output clock signal generated from the PLL is not stable.
Please refer to FIG. 1, which shows a block diagram of a conventional system clock generating device 100. The system clock generating device 100 utilizes a PLL 110 to generate a clock signal PCLK as a system clock signal SCLK of a system circuit 130. As mentioned above, the PLL 100 requires a settling time for the frequency of the clock signal PCLK to reach a stable status again while changing the frequency of the clock signal PCLK. To avoid the operations of the system circuit 130 from being negatively affected by the unstable frequency of the clock signal PCLK within the settling time, the multiplexer 120 bypasses the clock signal PCLK from the PLL 110 and instead selects an external clock signal XCLK with a fixed frequency to be the system clock signal SCLK. When the PLL 110 reaches a new stable status, the multiplexer 120 switches the system clock signal SCLK from the external clock signal XCLK to the clock signal PCLK generated by the PLL 110.
Hereinafter, a conventional method of switching the system clock signal SCLK is described by employing the operations of switching the frequency of the clock signal PCLK from 52 MHz to 26 MHz made by the PLL 110 as an example.
First, the multiplexer 120 bypasses the clock signal PCLK (52 MHz) from the PLL 110 and switches the system clock signal SCLK to the external clock signal XCLK. Next, the PLL 110 adjusts the frequency of the clock signal PCLK to 26 MHz. After the PLL 110 reaches a stable status, the multiplexer 120 switches the system clock signal SCLK from the external clock signal XCLK to the clock signal PCLK (26 MHz) from the PLL 110.
However, the multiplexer 120 switches the system clock signal SCLK from the clock signal PCLK to the external clock signal XCLK or from the external clock signal XCLK to the clock signal PCLK is an asynchronous clock switching operation. Thus, the clock signal PCLK from the PLL 110 and the external clock signal XCLK may be different in phase or frequency during the switching operation. As a result, it is difficult to maintain the period of the enable signal constantly while switching the frequency of the system clock signal SCLK and thereby causing the enable signal to drift.
As mentioned above, the digital frequency divider can be employed to generate the system clock signal of different frequency in the related art. However, employment of the digital frequency divider may also cause the enable signal to drift. In general, the enable signal is generated from a counter. Please refer to the example illustrated in FIG. 2, which depicts a block diagram of a conventional system clock generating device 200 while applying a digital frequency divider to change a frequency of the system clock signal. A digital frequency divider 210 of the system clock generating device 200 divides a reference clock signal RCLK which has a fixed frequency for generating a system clock signal SCLK. A counter 220 then generates an enable signal according to the system clock signal SCLK. Take the enable signal QBIT_EN that has a frequency of 13/12 MHz for example. When the frequency of the system clock signal SCLK generated from the digital frequency divider 210 is 52 MHz, the counter 220 generates an enable signal QBIT_EN every forty-eight system clock periods. When the frequency of the system clock signal SCLK is 13 MHz, the counter 220 generates an enable signal QBIT_EN every twelve system clock periods. However, the digital frequency divider 210 may switch the frequency of the system clock signal SCLK at any time, and frequency switch therefore may change the period of the enable signal QBIT_EN generated by the counter 220.
Please refer to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4. FIG. 3 shows a timing diagram of the enable signal QBIT_EN with a lengthened period. As shown in FIG. 3, the system clock signal SCLK is lengthened when the digital frequency divider 210 switches the frequency of the system clock signal SCLK from 52 MHz to 13 MHz. As detailed in the aforementioned descriptions, when the frequency of the system clock signal SCLK is 52 MHz, the counter 220 generates an enable signal QBIT_EN every forty-eight system clock periods, i.e., once the counter 220 counts from forty-seven to zero (the count value QBIT_CNT from forty-seven to zero), an enable signal QBIT_EN is generated. If the digital frequency divider 210 does not switch the frequency of the system clock signal SCLK, the count value sequence of the counter 220 should be equal to QBIT_CNT(expected) and the counter 220 should generate the enable signal when the count value QBIT_CNT(expected) is zero, such as the QBIT_EN(expected) shown in FIG. 3. However, because the frequency of the system clock signal SCLK is switched from 52 MHz to 13 MHz, the system clock period is lengthened and the counting period of the counter 220 is extended. Therefore, the actual count value sequence from the counter 220 is QBIT_CNT. As a result, the time at which the enable signal QBIT_EN occurs is delayed and the period of the enable signal is lengthened, thereby causing the enable signal to drift.
As shown in FIG. 4, the system clock signal SCLK is shortened when the frequency of the system clock signal SCLK is switched from 13 MHz to 52 MHz. As detailed in the aforementioned descriptions, when the frequency of the system clock signal SCLK is 13 MHz, the counter 220 generates an enable signal QBIT_EN every twelve system clock periods, i.e., once the counter 220 counts from eleven to zero (the count value QBIT_CNT from eleven to zero), an enable signal QBIT_EN is generated. If the digital frequency divider 210 does not switch the frequency of the system clock signal SCLK, the counter 220 should generate the enable signal when the count value QBIT_CNT(expected) is zero, such as the QBIT_EN(expected) shown in FIG. 4. However, because the frequency of the system clock signal SCLK is switched from 13 MHz to 52 MHz, the system clock period is shortened and the counting period of the counter 220 is thereby shortened.
As a result, the time at which the enable signal QBIT_EN occurs is advanced and the period of the enable signal is shortened, thereby causing the enable signal to drift.

Method and apparatus for switching frequency of a system clock


A conventional steel C-channel used as a side rail in a truck frame is strengthened by forming, after heat treating, strengthening lips on the edges of the C-channel flanges while the C-channel is still hot from the final tempering step of the heat treating process. The method obviates the need to use more expensive quenching dies and is advantageously performed immediately after tempering.

The present invention pertains to a method for strengthening a structural steel channel member and, more particularly, to a method of forming strengthening lips on the end flanges of a channel member after the member has been heat treated.
High strength, low carbon steel channel members, sometimes referred to as C-channels, are widely used as the longitudinal side rails in the fabrication of truck frames. A typical C-channel includes a central web and a pair of parallel flanges extending perpendicularly from the opposite edges of the web. C-channels are typically cold rolled from a low carbon steel and then initially heated to develop a desired austenite grain structure which is converted to a martensite structure by rapid quenching in water, and then tempered to create a desired toughness. The foregoing process is particularly desirable for C-channel members used as side rails in heavy truck frames where steel having a tensile strength well in excess of 50,000 psi is required.
The rapid, high volume water quench used to convert the austenite grain structure to martensite is known to cause extreme distortion of the C-channel member. Such distortions may be removed after quenching, but the preferable method has been to utilize quenching dies that restrain the member from distortion while a high volume flow of water is directed through the die to all surfaces of the member. However, quenching dies are extremely costly and are only practical for use in very high volume standard steel sections.
It is also known that the stiffness and strength of a C-channel can be increased by forming a small lip on the free edge of each of the flanges. Such lips are formed by rolling or otherwise turning the edges of the flanges toward one another such that the lips extend generally perpendicular to the flanges. Although it would be possible to form strengthening lips on a C-channel in the initial cold rolling process from which the member is formed, such preformed sections would require even more complex and costly quenching tooling than a C-channel without preformed strengthening lips. This is because a typical quenching die utilizes a collapsible configuration that necessarily becomes even more complex when it must be constructed to accommodate the presence of in turned lips. Furthermore, because heavy truck manufacturers have varying size and gauge requirements for C-channels used as frame side rails, customized quenching dies would be required for each different size and gauge, a situation that would be completely cost-prohibitive.
In accordance with the present invention, a method is provided for forming strengthening lips on flanges of a channel member after heat treating. The preliminary heat treating comprises the steps of heating the member to an austenitizing temperature of at least about 1400xc2x0 F.; quenching the member in a quenching die; and reheating the member to a tempering temperature of at least about 800xc2x0 F., followed by the step of forming lips along the edges of the flanges while the member is still hot, preferably at or close to the tempering temperature.
The method of the present invention is particularly well suited for channel sections made from low carbon steels (having a carbon content in the range of about 0.20 to 0.30 weight percent). Such steels are amenable to heat treating as described above to tensile strengths in excess of 100,000 psi.
The preliminary austenitizing step is preferably performed at a temperature in the range of about 1400-1700xc2x0 F. After quenching, the tempering step is preferably performed at a temperature in the range of about 800-1000xc2x0 F. The final lip forming step is preferably performed at a temperature in the range of about 500-900xc2x0 F., more preferably in the range of about 800-900xc2x0 F.
The strengthening lips are preferably formed by rolling. The rolling step is preferably performed with a series of progressive rollers. The formed strengthening lips may extend from the flanges inwardly at an angle of about 90xc2x0, but an angle in the range of about 80xc2x0 to 100xc2x0 is satisfactory.

Method for strengthening a steel channel member


A microfluidic chip formed with multiple fluid channels terminating at a tapered electrospray ionization tip for mass spectrometric analysis. The fluid channels may be formed onto a channel plate that are in fluid communication with corresponding reservoirs. The electrospray tip can be formed along a defined distal portion of the channel plate that can include a single or multiple tapered surfaces. The fluid channels may terminate at an open-tip region of the electrospray tip. A covering plate may substantially enclose most portions of the fluid channels formed on the channel plate except for the open-tip region. Another aspect of the invention provides methods for conducting mass spectrometric analysis of multiple samples flowing through individual fluid channels in a single microfluidic chip that is formed with a tapered electrospray tip having an open-tip region.

Electrospray ionization is used to produce ions for mass spectrometry analysis including ions that are derived from relatively large complex molecules such as proteins and nucleic acid molecules. During the electrospray ionization procedure, a sample solution is exposed to an electrical field that charges the surface of the liquid and emerges from an electrospray tip or needle. A spray of finely dispersed charged droplets is thereby generated that is suitable for analysis by a mass spectrometer. The need for conducting high-throughput analysis of relatively small biological samples has led to the development of microfluidic chip devices for electrospray ionization applications.
Microfluidic chips are often constructed using well-known techniques employed in the semiconductor industry such as photolithography, wet chemical etching, and thin film deposition. These devices conveniently support the separation and analysis of sample sizes that are as small as a few nanoliters or less. In general, these chips are formed with a number of microchannels that are connected to a variety of reservoirs containing fluid materials. The fluid materials are driven or displaced within these microchannels throughout the chip using electrokinetic forces, pumps and/or other driving mechanisms. The microfluidic devices available today can conveniently provide mixing, separation, and analysis of fluid samples within an integrated system that is formed on a single chip.
There are numerous design alternatives to choose from when constructing an interface for microfluidic chips and electrospray ionization mass spectrometers. Some electrospray ionization interfaces include microfluidic chips that attempt to spray charged fluid droplets directly from the edge of the chip. But the accompanying solvent is known to wet much of the edge surface of the chip so as not to offer a high-stability spray for many applications. Other attempts to spray ionized particles directly from the edge of a microfluidic chip edge therefore rely on the formation of a hydrophobic surface that can yield improved spray results; however, even that often proves to be insufficiently stable. At the same time, adequate results can be also achieved with other chip devices that incorporate fused silica capillary needles or micro-machined or molded tips. In particular, some recent electrospray ionization designs incorporate small silicon etched emitters positioned on the edge of a microfluidic chip. While it is possible to generate a relatively stable ionization spray for mass spectrometric analysis with some of these microfluidic devices today, they generally require apparatus that is relatively impractical and economically unfeasible for mass production.
A high performance electrospray ionization device is therefore needed for mass spectrometry applications that can be economically produced using large scale manufacturing processes.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Microfluidic chip with enhanced tip for stable electrospray ionization


A method for exchanging data with a mobile device that begins with the step of detecting a data exchange event. Next, at least one data exchange threshold is identified for the mobile device. An exchange urgency value is then determined and compared to the data exchange threshold. If the comparison is favorable, then the data exchange occurs immediately. Otherwise, the data exchange is placed in a delayed transmission queue, to be sent after a delay period.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of mobile communications and, more particularly, to an intelligent and resource saving technique for exchanging data with a mobile device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Mobile devices are widely used by people to stay connected with family, friends, and occupational obligations. The connectivity provided by such devices allows businesses to overcome geographical distances, creating a distributed system of virtual offices. The common communication modes that mobile devices are used for include email, data transfer, text messaging, phone, two-way radio and instant messaging. Many of these mobile devices provide an integrated storage space, such as flash memory or a hard drive, that is synchronized with a storage space of a permanent computer. Within the synchronized data space, people can share and collaborate on a variety of files, such as calendar information and documents. Examples of data exchanges where storage spaces are synchronized can include a conveyance of patient records to/from a medical record system, an update of customer account information in response to a banking transaction or purchase through an e-retailer, and/or an inventory update between a barcode equipped scanning device and an inventory management system. A capability of synchronizing data spaces can allow a mobile device or remote computer system to function as an extension of an existing company network.
However, data exchanges made via this extensive network are not without cost. A data exchange between a mobile device and another remote computing device consumes device resources and sometimes incurs a monetary usage charge. For example, sending a text message from a mobile phone consumes battery power of the phone and connectivity providers often charge a user a fee for each text message sent.
Further, mobile devices often have a limited battery life that is consumed when a transceiver, such as a BLUETOOTH transceiver, a WIFI (802.11 family of protocols) transceiver, or a mobile telephone transceiver is active. Many mobile devices utilize a power-down or power-saving mode, which selectively activates transceivers on an as needed basis. Repeatedly powering these devices on and off when data exchanges occur, however, can have a significant detrimental effect on battery life. Similarly, bandwidth is usually limited when a mobile device is not within close proximity to a fixed computing device supplying connectivity. Appreciably, most mobile phones have multiple mutually exclusive modes, such as a data mode and a calling mode, so that when a large file is being downloaded/uploaded to or from a mobile phone and when bandwidth for these exchanges is relatively limited, the mobile phone is not available to receive incoming calls or to make outgoing calls for a potentially lengthy duration. Accordingly, data exchanges involving mobile devices can result in significant connectivity expenses and/or a significant lack of availability.
Conventional mobile devices have limited configurable options for exchanging data. One option is to immediately send and/or receive all messages whenever messages are available. This method can be extremely costly from a resource consumption perspective. Another conventional option is to connect the mobile device periodically to a remote data source on an iterative basis. Although this can conserve device resources, some data exchanges have a relatively high priority to the user and delays occurring between data exchanges can have negative effects.
For instance, it is desirable for a businessman to receive a meeting cancellation notice before the businessman is traveling to the meeting. If the notice is sent via email or text message near the time of the meeting, the businessman can become frustrated with any delay in receiving the cancellation notice.
Conventional mobile devices and exchange technologies lack mechanisms that permit a user, corporate system administrator, or message sender to balance message urgency against resource costs incurred though mobile device data exchanges.

Synchronization technique for exchanging data with a mobile device that conserves the resources of the mobile device

International Business Machines Corporation


A racquet grip teaching device including a top clasp having five faces shaped and orientated to mate with a tennis racquet handle. The top clasp includes exactly five faces. The racquet grip teaching device includes a finger connector extending downwardly from the top clasp at a first end region of the top clasp. The device includes a finger guide disposed at an end of the finger connector, opposite of the top clasp, and shaped to receive a finger. The racquet grip teaching device includes a thumb connector extending downwardly from the top clasp at a second end region, opposite of the first end region. The teaching device includes a thumb guide disposed at an end of the thumb connector, opposite the top clasp, and shaped to receive a thumb.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to athletic training devices, specifically a racquet grip teaching device.
Description of the Related Art
In tennis and in all racquet sports such as racquetball and squash, players use several grips (i.e. specifically how the player's hand interfaces with the handle of the racquet). In fact, during the course of playing tennis, one player may constantly make grip adjustments. The particular grip a player uses may vary because of the type of shot to be hit. For example, the serve, volley and overhead are appropriately hit using a continental grip. To hit a forehand or backhand, a player may use a variety of different grips ranging from an eastern to a full western grip.
Regardless of the grip the player chooses to use, the grip of the racquet is the foundation of all tennis shots. How a player holds the racquet influences the angle of the racquet face, where the player must meet the ball in relationship to his or her body, and especially what happens when the impact between the ball and racquet occurs. Failure to properly grip a racquet will result in poorer performance during a game and even small variations in the interface between the players hand and the racquet can result in an improper grip. Additionally, a proper grip is generally not how a player who is learning the game will tend to grip the racquet. Thus a large part of teaching/training is wrapped up in teaching and maintaining proper grips.
In tennis, there are four basic grips: continental, eastern, semi-western and western. Each of these grips has advantages and disadvantages. One of the most important grips for a tennis player to master is the continental grip. The continental grip is one of the most useful grips for a tennis player to learn because it may be used on a variety of shots including the player's serve, overhead, both forehand and backhand volleys and half-volleys as well as the slice forehand and slice backhand ground strokes. The continental grip is particularly useful for a player that serves and volleys because the player may hit the serve, volley and overhead with one grip. Of all of these shots, the serve with a continental grip is one of the most difficult shots to hit and, not surprisingly, the continental serve is one of the most difficult shots for tennis teaching professionals to teach. As many players are learning this shot, they struggle to consistently and correctly serve by using the continental grip in part because the continental grip feels awkward and uncomfortable.
Even if a player invests in private tennis lessons, the implementation of the continental grip while serving is difficult and the tennis player often does not realize that he or she is using the incorrect grip. For example, a tennis player who has initially learned to serve by using an eastern grip may gravitate back toward the use of the eastern grip on his or her serve even after being taught the continental grip serve. As a result, many tennis players struggle to make the change to the continental grip serve which may significantly preclude them from improving the quality of their tennis skills. Similar issues arise when players try to learn continental grip volleys or when players try to learn any other grip that is new to them. Without the consistent and correct practice with the new grip, improvement is difficult.
Some improvements have been made in the field. Examples of references related to the present invention are described below in their own words, and the supporting teachings of each reference are incorporated by reference herein:
U.S. Pat. No. 3,868,110, issued to Jones, discloses a detachable grip for tennis racket handles having finger and hand indentations accommodating different positions of the hand for forehand and backhand strokes.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,664,381, issued to Aaron, discloses a grip for a tennis racket handle, the grip providing guides for proper gripping techniques and tending to discourage improper gripping techniques. A projection extends from the bottom of the handle to receive the forefinger both to place the forefinger and to provide a trigger for leverage in striking a ball. The side of the handle has a curved ridge, the rearward edge of which defines a thumb recess and the forward edge of which defines a trigger for a backhand grip. A knob rearwardly of the thumb recess defines the rear of the recess without obstructing other gripping techniques. A butt ridge provides a sufficient ridge to give the player a sure grip on the racket. The grip may be symmetrical, so the same grip can be used for both left-hand and right-hand gripping techniques.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,276,000, issued to Baker, discloses a training grip that can be installed onto a tennis racquet handle for positioning a tennis player's hand or hands correctly on the racquet to teach or train the player individual tennis strokes. The training grip is adapted to be easily and removably installed onto the eight-sided handle of a tennis racquet directly over an existing grip that is permanently affixed to the racquet. The training grip is an elongated cup having a slit that runs lengthwise from the first end of the grip to the opposing second end of the grip and through the bottom of the grip through which the grip may be installed onto the racquet handle. The outer surface of the grip is molded to have ridges and depressions creating contours for receiving and positioning the player's fingers and thumbs of the player's hand or hands. The grip is used to teach or train the player on the proper hand positioning for various methods of holding the tennis racquet commonly used to achieve various tennis strokes including the Continental Forehand, the Semi-Western Forehand, the Western Forehand, the Eastern Backhand, and the Two-Handed Backhand.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,758,455, issued to Thomas, discloses a training grip for a tennis racket. The training grip has a series of protrusions and recesses that receive a user's hand and place it in proper position for a particular grip type. The present invention, in one embodiment, includes a universal training grip that allows the grip to be used for more than one grip type. The present invention includes methods, systems and kits that encompass such a tennis training grip.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,896,762, issued to Schroeder, discloses a grip trainer for positioning a user's hand on a sports racquet includes a base configured to be removably attached to the sports racquet handle in a plurality of different positions that correspond to different grips related to the sport for which the racquet is designed for use, a finger positioning device that includes a generally cylindrical projection extending upwardly from the base and configured to position the user's hand on the racquet handle in one of the plurality of positions. A method of positioning a user's hand in any of the forehand, backhand, and service position on a tennis racquet also is disclosed.
The inventions heretofore known suffer from a number of disadvantages which include being difficult to use, being cumbersome to use, being uncomfortable, being limited in use, being inconsistent, being limited in application, being unduly complex, being expensive, being difficult to apply to a racquet/handle, requiring straps and/or tie-downs, failing to remain in place during use, being difficult to install/apply, separating too large a portion of the player's hand from the racquet, changing the feel of the racquet handle too much, failing to fit multiple grip/finger sizes, failing to fit multiple handle/racquet sizes, not being adaptable, failing to force a correct grip, failing to restrict inappropriate movement of the hand with respect to a racquet, failing to allow fingers and thumb movement, being difficult to manufacture, being too heavy, not being durable, blocking the view of the players hand while in operation, being unduly complex to use, being too large, and/or requiring a trainer during use.
What is needed is a racquet grip teaching device that solves one or more of the problems described herein and/or one or more problems that may come to the attention of one skilled in the art upon becoming familiar with this specification.


An adjustable depth electrical wall mount ring can include a base ring and a finishing ring. The base ring can be configured to be attached to a junction box. The finishing ring can be configured to be adjusted relative to a ring portion of the base ring to extend away from the junction box through a wall layer. Adjusting the finishing ring can cause one or more outward extensions on the finishing ring to bear on an exterior surface of a wall layer and thereby urge the junction box towards the wall layer.

The present invention relates to electrical in-wall wiring, including adjustable depth electrical wall mount rings for wiring operations that use prefabricated assemblies.
Electrical contractors have been accelerating the use of prefabrication (e.g., configuration of electrical assemblies at an off-site facility or otherwise at locations other than an installation location) to install electrical wiring and systems in both residential and commercial applications. Most prominently, prefabrication is being adopted for "in-wall" rough installation typically required for receptacles, switches, lighting and other electrical branch distribution needs.
Traditionally, electrical contractors complete the electrical installation by installing electrical wiring devices such as receptacle and switches after all wall finishes, e.g., painting, wallpapering, tile, etc., have been applied to walls. Devices are installed after wall finish because a device's "yoke" (metal frame) must rest on the outside of the finished wall to support the device so it does not push into the wall when used by the consumer, e.g., by pushing an electrical plug into an electrical receptacle. After the device is installed a finish plate is attached to protect the consumer from internal wiring as well as to improve the aesthetics of the installation.

Adjustable depth electrical wall mount ring


A board-to-board electrical connector assembly includes a first connector having a dielectric housing for mounting on a first printed circuit board for receiving a plug portion of a second connector mounted on a second printed circuit board. The connectors are mateable in a mating direction. A plurality of first conductive terminals are mounted on the housing of the first connector along the receptacle for engaging a plurality of second conductive terminals mounted along the plug portion of the second connector. A first retention member is mounted on one of the connectors and is engageable with a second retention member on the other connector in the mating direction. The first retention member includes a flexible engaging portion which extends in a direction generally perpendicular to the mating direction. The second retention member includes a rigid engaging portion for engaging and flexing the flexible engaging portion to hold the connectors in mated condition.

Miniature board-to-board electrical connector assemblies are known in the art. Conventionally, a first or receptacle connector is mounted on a first printed circuit board, and a plug or second connector is mounted on a second printed circuit board. The plug connector is inserted into the receptacle connector, with the two printed circuit boards in generally parallel relationship.
For example, such board mounted electrical connectors are used in portable telephones, digital video cameras, digital still cameras or the like. In such small electronic devices, multiple circuit boards are disposed within a narrow confined space, and the connectors are used to provide electrical connection between the boards.
Conventionally, retention means are provided to hold the connectors in mated condition. Heretofore, a retention member having a first engaging portion is mounted on one of the connectors, and a second retention member having an engaging portion is mounted on the other connector. One of the engaging portions on one of the retention members comprises a protrusion which engages a flexible or spring engaging portion on the other retention member, thereby preventing inadvertent decoupling of the connectors. Examples of such retention means are shown in Japanese Patent Documents JP 2004-55306 A (which has a United States counterpart in U.S. Pat. No. 7,128,581); JP 2004-55463 A; JP 11-74024 A (which has a United States counterpart in U.S. Pat. No. 6,466,867); and Utility Model Application Laid-Open No. Hei 5-2385.
With conventional retention means, such as in Japanese Patent Document JP 2004-55306 A, the spring engaging portion on one of the one retention members is relatively long and extends in the mating or height direction of the connectors. This makes it difficult to miniaturize the connectors or reduce the connector heights. If the length of the spring engaging portion is reduced to reduce the height of the connector, a limitation is imposed on the elastic force of the spring engaging portion and causes a large force to act on the base of the spring, resulting in possible elastic deformation of the spring engaging portion. The elastic deformation makes it disadvantageously impossible to retain the connectors in mated condition.
In addition, the retention members often are used as ground terminals between a pair of circuit boards. If the spring engaging portion undergoes elastic deformation, the contact forces between the ground terminals is decreased, making the electrical connection unstable and reducing the reliability of the grounding function. The present invention is directed to solving this myriad of problems.


Adaptive acoustic pressure estimation is provided in medical ultrasound. The responses of tissue of a specific patient at different frequencies (e.g., linear and non-linear responses) are measured. The responses are used to determine the acoustic pressure. The measurement in a specific patient adapts the estimate to the patient. The acoustic pressure for the desired locations is determined in order to set the transmit power to the desired level, such as for contrast agent imaging with high SNR but with limited destruction of the contrast agents or to provide the desired thermal dose the acoustic therapy.

The present embodiments relate to medical use of ultrasound. In particular, acoustic pressure of ultrasound adapts for diagnostic or therapeutic needs.
Ultrasound contrast agents are stabilized microbubbles. Contrast agents are pressure sensitive. High acoustic pressures destroy the microbubbles. In order not to destroy microbubbles, the transmit power is typically reduced by 10 dB-30 dB compared to typical B-mode imaging conditions. Moreover, the non-linear response of a microbubble may be weaker than the linear response of a scatterer in tissue. Thus, the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of contrast images is low, so using the maximum power that does not break the microbubbles is desirable.
Adjusting the transmit power to improve SNR or to minimize bubble destruction interferes with the data acquisition as the adjustment can only be performed after microbubbles have entered the imaging plane. Before a higher-quality acquisition may be repeated, the microbubbles have cleared the blood stream (e.g., about 15 minutes). Moreover, multiple injections of contrast agent are undesirable from a patient safety perspective and from a cost perspective.
In an attempt to set the transmit power before injection of contrast agents, clinicians use the mechanical index (MI) value as an indicator of acoustic pressure. While the MI is related to acoustic pressure, MI does not consider the patient's anatomy and does not provide information about the distribution of acoustic pressure in the imaging plane. Experienced clinicians may make adjustments based on the SNR of the B-mode image, but this is guesswork.
For ultrasound therapy, a desired thermal dose is to be applied to the patient. To much thermal dose may harm healthy tissue, and too little thermal dose may not fully treat the patient. However, various intervening structures may result in unexpected thermal dose. Like contrast agent imaging, the ability to predict the actual pressure is limited.
Other therapeutic applications may require certain acoustic pressure levels, for example to release drugs from microbubbles by destroying the shell or to establish stable cavitation.

Adaptive acoustic pressure estimation in medical ultrasound


Embodiments of the invention provide a method, system and apparatus for detecting a merchandise marker in which a first antenna has a circuit having a first loop defining a first area and a second loop defining a second area substantially coplanar with the first area. A second antenna is substantially coplanar and orthogonally positioned with respect to the first antenna. The second antenna has a circuit having a third loop defining a third area and a fourth loop defining a fourth area substantially coplanar with the third area.

1. Statement of the Technical Field
The present invention relates to merchandise surveillance systems and more particularly to antennas for detecting merchandise markers.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a surveillance system, antennas, such as magnetoacoustic EAS (Electronic Article Surveillance) antennas or RF (Radio Frequency) antennas, transmit interrogation signals that are received by markers by RF markers in the case of Radio Frequency ID (RFID) or magnetoacoustic markers in the case of EAS, located on merchandise within an establishment. The markers send corresponding signals back to the antenna. Thus, the interaction between the antennas and the markers establish an interrogation zone that can provide an establishment, such as a retail store, with a security system for its merchandise.
Conventional EAS surveillance systems, such as those that operate at 58 kHZ, include EAS antennas located in a pedestal, the floor, the ceiling or wall or a combination of each such that the EAS antennas can be used to monitor a large volume with the minimum number of antennas. While these types of systems are fine for large department stores and supermarkets, small shop retailers have different concerns since their security budgets may be lower and floor space may be at a great premium. Furthermore, because small retailer establishments are typically smaller than those of major retailers, the small retailer in-store items may need to be situated very close to the detection system, thereby increasing the probability of a false alarm. If large pedestals are used, the space available for items may have to be reduced.
Thus, a need has arisen to overcome the problems with the prior art and more particularly for a smaller and more efficient detector of markers for merchandise surveillance systems.

Merchandise surveillance system antenna and method


A method and system of replicating data where data is copied from a host server to a storage device in a first group of storage devices. A receipt is sent from the first group of storage devices to the host server when the data has been copied to all storage devices within the first group. The data is copied from the first group to at least one further group of storage devices. A receipt is sent from each further group of storage devices to the first group of storage devices when the data has been copied to all storage devices within each further group.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to relates generally to the field of data replication within distributed computer systems.
2. Related Art
It is well known that storage devices (e.g. disk drives) may fail over time or may be lost due to theft or natural disasters such as fire. However, whilst hardware can usually be replaced with relative ease, the loss of data can be catastrophic as another copy cannot simply be purchased off the shelf. Therefore, individual users and organizations typically create backup copies of data so that in the event of a hardware loss, such as disk failure, normal operations can be resumed with minimal disruption.
Typically, a large organization will back up the contents of its disk drives onto (relatively slow) tape storage devices. However, a considerable length of time, perhaps several hours, may be required to take a full backup of a large data set and so backups often have to be made during 'down times' such as overnight or out of business hours. Furthermore, inconsistencies can arise if changes are made to the data while the backup is in progress and so write operations may need to be blocked while the backup is being created. However, this unavailability is not acceptable to organizations which require uninterrupted access to their data.
Therefore, it is advantageous to create an instantaneous copy of a disk's contents while applications are running. Virtualization techniques can be used within networks to create and maintain (in real-time) a replica of the data set on other storage devices, the replica being updated over time as the data changes in response to write operations. In this way, reliable access to the data may be preserved via the remotely stored replica if the local storage device becomes inoperable, whilst maintaining high availability of data and functionality. Thus, whilst a backup copy may remain unchanged for a relatively long period of time, a replica will be updated frequently as a result of applications which are running and writing updates to the data set. Several known replication techniques have been developed to copy data to other storage devices.
Mirroring
Mirroring is a known data replication technique where the contents of a logical disk volume are copied onto other storage devices. Each time a write operation occurs, the data is copied from the host server to the other storage devices. These other storage devices may be situated locally or remotely, or may sometimes be provided as a combination of both. As multiple copies of the data exist, the data can be retrieved from at least one of those copies should a hardware failure occur. Typically, the data is mirrored onto physical devices (hard drives) although logical drives may also be used. Moreover, replication may be implemented as microcode on a disk array controller or as software running on a server. FIG. 1 shows a simple illustration of a prior art mirroring arrangement.
When this process is performed over a relatively short geographical distance, the term 'mirroring' may often be used. However, the term 'storage replication' is typically used when larger geographical distances are involved. Various replication techniques are known.
Synchronous Storage Replication
Synchronous storage replication is a known data replication technique where identical copies of the data are stored on separate storage devices in communication with the host server. When performing a write operation, the server needs to know when the data has been copied to each and every storage device. Thus, each storage device sends a receipt when it has received and stored the data. The write is only considered complete when it has been performed on, and acknowledged by, all the storage devices. If one of the storage devices fails to acknowledge completion of the write operation, then the overall write operation is deemed not to have been completed.
The advantage of this approach is that high availability is possible. If one copy of the data becomes unavailable to the host server, the host server can instantly fail over and use another copy of the data, in the knowledge that the copy it is accessing contains data exactly as expected; no consistency checking of the data is necessary.
However, as applications running on the server may wait for a write operation to complete before proceeding with other operations, the overall performance of the system can decrease considerably if it takes some time for the acknowledgement to be received by the server. This latency problem increases over large geographical distances, and so synchronous replication is only really practical over smaller distances.
Asynchronous Storage Replication
Asynchronous storage replication is a known data replication technique where separate storage devices are used to store copies of the data. Although all storage devices are updated when a write operation is requested by an application, the write operation is considered complete as soon as (only) one designated storage device acknowledges it. Whilst long-distance performance is greatly increased in comparison to the synchronous approach, if the designated storage device fails then the other storage device(s) are not guaranteed to store the current copy of data. Thus, whilst synchronous mirroring usually achieves a Recovery Point Objective (RPO) of zero lost data, with asynchronous writing the most recent updates to the data may be lost and the application data stored may not be self consistent. Thus, there is a problem of 'crash-consistency' which typically necessitates data consistency checking and repair before the copy is usable.


Systems for adjusting and evaluating the positional relationship between a light-receiving element and an optical fiber optically coupled thereto. The light-receiving element comprising a lens and a light-receiving portion with an electrode surface is a back incidence type having the lens located on the side opposite to the electrode surface of the light-receiving portion. The adjusting system scans the optical fiber with respect to the light-receiving element in order to obtain the intensity distribution of reflected feedback light from the electrode surface in the fiber scanning direction. The system then finds a region where the measured intensity increases in the intensity distribution and obtains the positional relationship between optical fiber and light-receiving element based on that region. The relationship thus obtained provides the basis for allowing the system to displace at least one of the optical fiber and light-receiving element so as to attain a necessary positional relationship therebetween.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to systems for adjusting and evaluating the positional relationship between a light-receiving element and an optical fiber optically coupled thereto.
The growing demand in recent years for long distance communications has entailed a trend towards higher transmission rates being required of communication systems. Of the communication systems, optical communication systems in particular are required to offer increasingly higher transmission rates on the order of multiple gigabits. Efforts are being made to develop optical communication equipment that would meet the high-speed requirement. In this respect, it is mandatory illustratively for optical receivers to have fast-acting light-receiving elements. Light-receiving elements of this kind are generally small in diameter so as to reduce the element capacitance. Furthermore, single-mode fibers used as high-speed optical transmission paths are also small in diameter. Where a light-receiving element and an optical fiber are to be connected under the constraints above, the positional relationship therebetween needs to be adjusted and evaluated with high precision by appropriate systems. The evaluation of the positional relationship is contingent illustratively on the time-induced deterioration of the efficiency of coupling between light-receiving element and optical fiber.

Systems for adjusting and evaluating positional relationship between light-receiving element and optical fiber


The application relates to a gel polymer electrolyte and/or polymer modified electrode materials for lithium batteries. The gel polymer electrolyte or the polymer modified electrode material includes at least a polymer represented by the following formula (I):

1. Technical Field
The disclosure relates to an electrolyte, and more particularly relates to a gel polymer electrolyte.
2. Background
Lithium-ion secondary batteries are the main stream commercial products and presently developed toward lighter weight, higher energy capacity, longer life span and better safety. However, the nonaqueous electrolyte solution used in the commercial batteries are prone to leakage and explosion and thus dangerous. Also, dendrite present on the negative electrode of the batteries may lead to shorts or even explosions. Further improvements are required to ensure the safety of the nonaqueous electrolyte solution for daily applications.
On the other hand, polymer gel electrolyte has been developed as a safer alternative for the nonaqueous electrolyte solution. However, due to the higher viscosity of the polymerized gel electrolyte, it is unlikely to use vacuum filling process to fill the electrolyte for battery fabrication, which becomes the fabrication bottleneck.

Gel polymer electrolyte and lithium polymer battery

Industrial Technology Research Institute


An ink-jet printing head comprises a laminated unit integrally formed as a sintered ceramic product and including a bottom insulating plate element, a top insulating plate element, and a piezoelectric plate element between the bottom and top insulating plate element, the laminated unit having a pressure chamber formed at the piezoelectric plate element fillable with an ink, the piezoelectric plate element having electrode layers formed on opposite surfaces thereof surrounding the pressure chamber, the laminated unit also being provided with an orifice in communication with the pressure chamber. The piezoelectric plate element is constituted such that its thickness is reduced upon applying a drive pulse voltage thereto, resulting in a decrease of the pressure chamber volume, whereby an ink-jet drop is ejected from the orifice.

1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a printing head for an ink-jet printer, and more particularly, to a drop-on-demand type ink-jet printing head.
2) Description of the Related Art
As is well known, an ink-jet printer is a typical non-impact printer having a simple construction and suitable for chromatic color printing. Generally, an ink-jet printing head for the ink-jet printer includes a head body having a plurality of pressure chambers formed therein, and a plurality of orifices communicating with the respective pressure chambers, a plurality of piezoelectric actuators arranged in the head body to thus partially define the pressure chambers. respectively, and an ink source for supplying an ink to the pressure chambers, which are filled with the ink. When each of the piezoelectric actuators is selectively energized on the basis of image data obtained from a word processor, a personal computer, or the like, a volume of the corresponding pressure chamber is instantly changed and thus an ink-jet drop is ejected from the orifice thereof, and accordingly, an image is recorded on a sheet of paper by the ejected ink-jet drops.
Two drive modes for the ink-jet printing head are known in this field; a Kaiser drive mode and a shearing drive mode.
In the Kaiser drive mode as disclosed in, for example, Examined Japanese Patent Publications No. 53(1978)-12138 and No. 57(1982)-20904, the piezoelectric actuator, which is constructed as a plate-like bimorph type actuator, is arranged such that it defines a top wall of the pressure chamber, and when this plate-like bimorph type piezoelectric actuator is electrically energized, it is instantly bent in such a manner that a volume of the pressure chamber is reduced, and accordingly, an ink-jet drop is ejected from the orifice. The plate-like bimorph type piezoelectric actuator must have a relative large wide area, to enable a pressure to be generated in the pressure chamber that will cause the ejection of the ink-jet drop from the orifice. Accordingly, the pressure chambers must be disposed at a considerably wider pitch than a fine pitch at which the orifices are located. For this reason, in the Kaiser drive mode ink-jet printing head, a plurality of relative long passages must be formed, to connect the pressure chambers to the respective orifices, and thus, the Kaiser drive mode ink-jet printing head has a relatively large size, and has a further disadvantage in that a pressure loss occurs due to the long passages formed between the pressure chambers and the orifices.
In the shearing drive mode as disclosed in, for example, Unexamined Japanese Patent Publications No. 63(1988)-252750, and No. 63(1988)-247051, the pressure chambers are disposed side by side, and the piezoelectric actuators are arranged such that they form side walls of the pressure chambers. To generate a pressure at one of the pressure chambers, and eject an ink-jet drop from the orifice thereof, the piezoelectric actuators or side walls of the pressure chamber concerned are electrically energized, and thus instantly deformed, to thereby reduce a volume of the pressure chamber. The deformation of the side walls is carried out in such a manner that these side walls are subjected to a shearing stress. Of course, in this arrangement, the energizing of the piezoelectric actuators or side walls of the pressure chamber concerned affects a pressure of the ink held in the side pressure chambers adjacent thereto. Namely, the ink cannot be statically held in each of the pressure chambers, and thus it is difficult to constantly carry out a stable printing operation. Also, the shearing drive mode ink-jet printing head is disadvantageous in that ink-jet drops cannot be simultaneously ejected from the two adjacent orifices, because the two adjacent pressure chambers are bounded by the common piezoelectric actuator or side wall therebetween. Further, production of the shearing drive mode ink-jet printing head is costly because fine and precise cutting work is required when forming pressure chambers having a width of several tens of microns.


A pretensioner is provided, which can be partially changed in mechanical strength of in a cylinder, in addition, can be widely used. In the pretensioner, the cylinder is molded by forging, and a positioning portion as a high-strength portion is formed from a partition formed using a excess portion produced during the forging-molding. Therefore, while an outer circumferential shape of the cylinder is not changed, a specification of the positioning portion can be varied, the specification including a formation position of the positioning portion, an extension dimension of the positioning portion from the cylinder, and thickness of the positioning portion along a through direction of the cylinder.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a pretensioner that increases tension of a webbing belt configuring a seatbelt device of a vehicle in a vehicle rapid-deceleration state or the like.
2. Related Art
In a pipe for pretensioner (a configuration corresponding to the pipe is called "cylinder" in the present invention) disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 2004-1656, a seamless pipe which will to be a pretensioner pipe is subjected to pipe-expanding, thereby an inner diameter dimension of the pipe is partially expanded in order to form a portion for accommodating a gas generator, the region having a large inner diameter dimension compared with other regions.
Since a seamless pipe is subjected to such pipe-expanding, and thereby wall thickness of the seamless pipe may be partially changed, so mechanical strength of a pretensioner pipe may be partially changed. However, in such pipe-expanding, since the seamless pipe is pressurized from the inside to the outside of the pipe so that an inner diameter dimension is increased, so an outer diameter dimension is also changed. Therefore, a specification of a frame of a webbing winding device, the frame being mounted with a pretensioner pipe, needs to be changed for each specification of an inner diameter dimension of a pretensioner pipe, leading to low wide-usability.


A conductive path structure includes a conductor that includes a first conductive portion and a second conductive portion which are connected to each other through a cut-off facilitating portion, and an insulation member that covers the cut-off facilitating portion directly or indirectly. When the cut-off facilitating portion is cut off so as to separate the first conductive portion and the second conductive portion to each other due to an impact applied to the cut-off facilitating portion, the insulation member is configured so as to cover the separated first conductive portion and the separated second conductive portion.

Recently, hybrid motor vehicles and electric motor vehicles as eco cars have been attracting interest. Furthermore, a distribution rate thereof has increased. Hybrid motor vehicles and electric motor vehicles are equipped with a motor as a power source. In order to drive the motor, there is a need to electrically connect a portion between the battery and the inverter, and a portion between the inverter and the motor by a high voltage wire harness. The high voltage wire harness includes a plurality of high voltage wires that is conductive paths.
A plurality of high voltage wire harnesses is suggested. As an example thereof, there is a wire harness disclosed in Patent Literature 1 described below.

Conductive path structure and wire harness


A continuous web cleaner having two elongated manifolds, each having an elongated row of brushes attached to either side of the manifold with both manifolds being physically oriented such that they face each other. The manifolds are offset from one another so that a continuous paper web can pass in between and through the two elongated manifolds. Each manifold is coupled to an exhauster outside or inside the room which creates a vacuum to remove paper dust, chad and other contaminants from the paper web itself and any contaminants collected by the elongated rows of brushes. Static electrical charges are removed from both sides of the continuous paper web by elongated static eliminator bars mounted at the input and output of the apparatus, both below and above the paper web. The continuous web cleaner can be used on the input side of electronic printers, used in conjunction with roll paper unwind equipment and/or used after the electronic printer if necessary for post processing equipment such as roll paper rewinders, folders and cutters.

Today a great deal of printed material which people receive is part form letter and part personalized for the individual receiving the document. Through the use of computers and high-speed electronic variable data printers, these customized documents can be created automatically with custom information being supplied by a computer database. One of the features that increases the speed at which the electronic variable data printers can process paper is by being fed a continuous web or roll of paper rather than individual sheets or fanfold perforated paper.
The major manufacturers and resellers of electronic continuous web printers are IBM, OCE and Xerox. The speed of these types of printers is continually increasing and are currently capable of running at speeds of up to 310 feet per minute of paper web which equates to about 466 pages of customized letters per minute. Such electronic high speed continuous web printers are extremely expensive and can cost several hundred thousand dollars making proper maintenance of the printers essential and down or stop time costly.
One of the largest obstacles to keeping electronic continuous web printers running correctly is the accumulation of paper dust, chad and static within the printer. Paper dust and chad gathers upon components within the printer which can cause the printer to jam, stop and function irregularly. These unwanted particles within the printer also cause contamination of the final printed product as well as internal printer mechanisms making it unacceptable to customers causing time and money to be wasted. Static electricity built up on the paper web furthers the accumulation of contaminants as it tends to attract paper dust and chad within the environment. In addition, static electric charges cause damage to the electronic components within the electronic variable data printers causing significant periods of down time and costly repairs.
Up to now all that could be done to prevent damage to the electronic printers and the printed product itself was to periodically stop the printing process and clean the paper dust and chad from the printer using a vacuum or other miscellaneous tools. Significant costs are attributed to this type of maintenance because there is down time in which no printed product can be produced while the cleaning is being done and additional manpower must be expended as the cleaning must be done manually. Consumables such as toner and developer must also be replaced more often as they to become contaminated by the paper dust.
An additional problem caused by the paper dust and chad is that because the paper webs are being processed at high speeds some of the dust is discharged into the surrounding work environment and poses significant health problems for workers in and around the electronic continuous web printers.
Therefore, in light of the foregoing deficiencies in the prior art, the applicants invention is herein presented.


An illuminated keyboard includes a keycap, a keycap guiding frame, a light guide plate and a sensing circuit layer, which are sequentially arranged from top to bottom. The keycap guiding frame is used for fixing the keycap and guiding movement of the keycap. The light guide plate is used for fixing the keycap guiding frame and transferring the light beam from a light-emitting element. As the keycap is depressed by the user, the approaching keycap is sensed by the sensing circuit layer, and thus the sensing circuit layer generates a corresponding non-contact key signal.

A keyboard is one of the widely-used computer peripheral devices. Via the keyboard, the user may input characters or commands into a computer. FIG. 1 is a schematic top view illustrating the outward appearance of a conventional keyboard. As shown in FIG. 1, the conventional keyboard 1 comprises plural keys 10. When one of these keys 10 is depressed by the user's finger, a corresponding signal is transmitted from the keyboard 1 to the computer, so that a corresponding key function is implemented by the computer. For example, by depressing the key 101, a corresponding English letter or a corresponding symbol is inputted into the computer. By depressing the key 102, a corresponding number is inputted into the computer. Moreover, by depressing the key 103, a corresponding programmed function is quickly executed.
With increasing development of science and technology, the keyboard manufacturers make efforts in designing novel keyboards with diversified functions in order to meet the requirements of different users. Recently, an illuminated keyboard with an illuminating function has been introduced into the market. Consequently, in a case that the illuminated keyboard is used in the dim environment with insufficient luminance, the characters marked on the keys of the illuminated keyboard are still clearly visible to the user.
Since the outward appearance of the conventional illuminated keyboard is similar to the outward appearance of the conventional keyboard 1, only the inner structure of the conventional illuminated keyboard will be illustrated in more details as follows. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a conventional illuminated keyboard.
Hereinafter, the components of the conventional illuminated keyboard will be illustrated with reference to FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 2, the conventional illuminated keyboard 2 comprises at least one key 21, a membrane switch circuit module 22, a base plate 23, and a backlight module 24.
The key 21 comprises a keycap 211, an upward/downward supporting member 212 (e.g. a scissors-type supporting member), and an elastic element 213.
Moreover, the membrane switch circuit module 22 comprises an upper wiring plate 221 and a lower wiring plate 222. An upper contact 221a is formed on the upper wiring plate 221. Corresponding to the upper contact 221a, a lower contact 222a is formed on the lower wiring plate 222.
Moreover, the backlight module 24 comprises a light guide plate 241, a reflective plate 242, and a light-emitting element 243.
An assembling method and the operating principle of the conventional illuminated keyboard 2 will be illustrated in more details as follows. Firstly, both of the key 21 and the membrane switch circuit module 22 are disposed on the base plate 23, and the backlight module 24 is disposed under the base plate 23.
In particular, the upward/downward supporting member 212 of the key 21 is connected with the keycap 211 and the base plate 23. The elastic element 213 is disposed within the upward/downward supporting member 212, and arranged between the keycap 211 and the base plate 23. The membrane switch circuit module 22 is arranged between the elastic element 213 and the base plate 23.
As the key 21 is depressed, the keycap 211 is correspondingly moved with the upward/downward supporting member 212 in a vertical direction toward the base plate 23, and the membrane switch circuit module 22 is pushed by a protrusion part 213a within the elastic element 213. Under this circumstance, the upper contact 221a and the lower contact 222a of the membrane switch circuit module 22 are contacted with each other to be electrically conducted. Consequently, a corresponding input function is executed. Moreover, the elastic element 213 also provides an elastic force for allowing the keycap 213 to be moved upwardly or downwardly relative to the base plate 23.
Moreover, the light guide plate 241 is disposed under the base plate 23. The reflective plate 242 is disposed under the light guide plate 241. The light-emitting element 243 is located at a side of the light guide plate 241. The light-emitting element 243 is used for providing a light beam to illuminate the illuminated keyboard 2. After the light beam emitted by the light-emitting element 243 is incident into the light guide plate 241, the light beam is guided by the light guide plate 241 to be projected onto the base plate 23. Moreover, the light beam from the light-emitting element 243 may be reflected by the reflective plate 242, so that the light beam is transferred within the light guide plate 241 more uniformly.
From the above discussions, the keycap 211, the upward/downward supporting member 212, the elastic element 213, the membrane switch circuit module 22, the base plate 23, the light guide plate 241 and the reflective plate 242 of the conventional illuminated keyboard 2 are sequentially arranged and assembled from top to bottom.
However, the conventional illuminated keyboard 2 still has some drawbacks. For example, in the conventional illuminated keyboard 2, the base plate 23 is required to support the upward/downward supporting member 212, and the light guide plate 241 is required to transfer the light beam. Consequently, the overall thickness of the conventional illuminated keyboard 2 is increased. Moreover, during the light beam is transferred within the light guide plate 241 and projected upwardly onto the keycap 211, the light beam is firstly hindered by the circuit pattern of the membrane switch circuit module 22, so that a portion of the light beam is lost or the projecting direction of the light beam is changed. In addition, the light beam is then hindered by the upward/downward supporting member 212 or the elastic element 213, so that another portion of the light beam is lost or the projecting direction of the light beam is changed. Finally, the light beam which is projected onto the keycap 211 fails to be uniformly distributed and the luminance of the light beam is impaired.
Moreover, the elastic element 213 of the conventional illuminated keyboard 2 is mainly used to press the membrane switch circuit module 22 in order to make electrical connection between the upper contact 221a and the lower contact 222a. Consequently, the protrusion part 213a within the elastic element 213 is an essential component. Due to the protrusion part 213a, the shape of the elastic element 213 is restricted and fails to be changed at will. Due to the shape of the elastic element 213, the light beam is readily projected to other places instead of the keycap 211. Under this circumstance, the luminance of the keycap 211 is adversely affected.
Therefore, there is a need of providing an improved illuminated keyboard in order to eliminate the above drawbacks.


An image sensor may include an array of image pixels. The image pixel pixels may be arranged in columns and rows. Each column of image pixels may be coupled to column readout circuitry via respective column lines. The column readout circuitry may include amplifier circuitry, a first source follower stage, and a second source follower stage. The first and second source follower stages may be interposed between the amplifier circuitry and a sampling capacitor. A switch may be interposed between the first and second source follower stages. The second source follower transistor may be configured to provide an intermediate sampling voltage to the sampling capacitor. The first source follower transistor may be configured to provide a final sampling voltage to the sampling capacitor. In such a manner, kickback from sampling signals using readout circuitry may be reduced.

This relates generally to imaging devices, and more particularly, to imaging devices that mitigate signal sampling kickback.
Image sensors are commonly used in electronic devices such as cellular telephones, cameras, and computers to capture images. In a typical arrangement, an electronic device is provided with an array of image pixels arranged in pixel rows and pixel columns. Readout circuitry is commonly coupled to each pixel column for reading out image signals from the image pixels.
The readout circuitry sample signals from the image pixels for storage at a sampling node. However, the sampling process as done by an amplifier or other readout circuitry components can cause kickback noise at the input of the amplifier, thereby undesirably adding additional phase delay onto (e.g., increasing settling time on) the signal path. It is similarly undesirable to provide additional current to improve line settling as this would increase current requirements, which may not be acceptable in some applications.
It would therefore be desirable to provide imaging devices with reduced signal sampling kickback.

Image sensors with reduced signal sampling kickback

SEMICONDUCTOR COMPONENTS INDUSTRIES, LLC


A zoom lens includes, sequentially from an object side, a positive first lens group, a negative second lens group, a positive third lens group, and a positive rear lens group. During zooming from a wide angle position to a telephoto position, an interval between the first lens group and the second lens group increases, and an interval between the second lens group and the third lens group decreases. The rear lens group includes a positive first sub-group, a negative second sub-group, and a positive third sub-group, and focusing is performed by moving the second sub-group toward an image surface side. The zoom lens satisfies the following conditions: 0.2<frt/ft<1.8 and 0.2<|fb|/frt<1.0, where “frt” denotes a focal length of the rear lens group at the telephoto position, “fb” denotes a focal length of the second sub-group, and “ft” denotes a focal length of the zoom lens at the telephoto position.

1. Field
One or more embodiments of the invention relate to a zoom lens and an electronic device employing the same, and more particularly, to a zoom lens used in, for example, a video camera, a digital camera, a camera-equipped mobile phone, an information portable terminal, or the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the related art, a focusing method of zoom lens in the nearest position (i.e., focusing on an object in the nearest position) includes (1) a focusing method using a first lens group and (2) a focusing method using a lens group other than the first lens group.
The zoom lens using the focusing method (1) has a simple structure and a relatively simple design. However, in particular, in the case where the foremost lens group of the zoom lens is a lens group having a positive refractive power and having a wide angle, the focusing method (1) has a problem in that a diameter of a foremost lens of the foremost lens group is increased.
On the other hand, as an example of the focusing method (2), there are methods for resolving the above-mentioned problem. In particular, in the case where the foremost lens group of zoom lens is a lens group having a positive refractive power, and focusing is performed using a second lens group having a negative refractive power, the above-mentioned problem is easily resolved, and thus the focusing method (2) is particularly known as being appropriate for a zoom lens of a high magnification (for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 05-142475, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 06-75167, etc.).
In addition, as an example of a zoom lens using the focusing method (2), a known zoom lens includes a first lens group having a positive refractive power, a second lens group having a negative refractive power, and a third lens group having a positive refractive power, which are disposed in this order from an object side, and focusing is performed through the third lens group (for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 10-133109, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 10-133111, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 10-133112, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 11-295597, etc.).
Furthermore, as an example of a zoom lens using the focusing method (2), a known zoom lens includes a first lens group having a positive refractive power, a second lens group having a negative refractive power, and a third lens group having a positive refractive power, which are disposed in this order from an object side, and focusing is performed by moving a negative lens included within the third lens group toward an image surface side (for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2011-247962, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2011-247963, and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2011-247964).
However, in the above examples, in which a lens group having a positive refractive power precedes a second lens group having a negative refractive power, a focusing method that performs focusing through the second lens group has a problem as follows. In a zoom lens in which a lens group having a positive refractive power precedes a second lens group having a negative refractive power, since the second lens group having the negative refractive power generally affects the magnification within the whole optical system, the second lens group has a large number of lenses and is large in mass. Accordingly, it is difficult to control the second lens group to be minutely moved forward and backward. In particular, the second lens group is not appropriate for auto-focusing through the detection of blur of an imaging element.
In addition, a zoom lens—in which a first lens group having a positive refractive power, a second lens group having a negative refractive power, and a third lens group having a positive refractive power are disposed in this order from an object side and focusing is performed through the third lens group—has a large number of lenses, and thus the focusing method has the above-mentioned problem.
Furthermore, a zoom lens—in which a first lens group having a positive refractive power, a second lens group having a negative refractive power, and a third lens group having a positive refractive power are disposed in this order from an object side and focusing is performed by moving a negative lens included within the third lens group toward an image side surface—has only two magnification groups, and thus the focusing method is at a disadvantage in terms of high magnification. To achieve a high magnification ratio, a satisfactory optical performance of the zoom lens may not be maintained, or the optical system may increase in size.