A debris trap assembly for use with downspouts connected to a rain gutter system. The debris trap assembly replaces the portion of the downspout from about waist height down to the drain tile connection. Rain water is carried by the downspout to the debris trap assembly where it flows through a strainer housing containing a strainer cup. The strainer cup accumulates the debris collected by the rain gutters and flushed down the downspout by the rain water. The strainer cup has a special shape that allows it to occupy nearly all the space in the housing while still being removable through an access opening to empty the debris from the cup. An indicator built into the strainer cup displays when the strainer cup needs to be emptied. To empty the strainer cup, it is first removed from the housing and then dumped in either the garbage or a compost pile. The strainer cut is then easily replaced into the strainer housing. In the event that the strainer cup is not emptied when full, a set of emergency drains conducts the rain water out of the debris trap assembly and directs it to the ground and away from the building.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the field of rain gutters and downspouts. In particular, the present invention is a debris trap assembly that is installed in place of the lower portion of a downspout from about waist height to near ground level. The debris trap comprises a strainer cup that can be conveniently emptied at any time by removing the strainer cup, dumping the debris accumulated in the strainer cup into the trash or compost bin, and then replacing the strainer cup in the debris trap assembly.
2. Background Art
Around the turn of the twentieth century, strainers were placed in rain water spouts to trap debris before it reached a rain water barrel or cistern. U.S. Pat. No. 527,400 (Barth) teaches a strainer of this type. In Barth, a cut-off box with an open front wall panel and a closed back wall panel is taught. A "V" shaped strainer is placed through the open front wall panel and tipped back so that it top edge rests against the back wall panel. The strainer's base is held in place by a bracket attached to the lower front end of the cut-off box. When the strainer is inserted, the user pulls up a handle that lifts a hinged flap. The flap is lowered into the strainer to secure the strainer in position. In this first operating position, the interior of the strainer extends beyond the cut-off box, exposing the debris to view. The strainer has a second operating position that deflects the rain water and debris out through the open portion of the cut-off box and away from the cistern. This involves removing the strainer, pulling a hinged diverter flap from the back of the cut-off box, and placing the strainer inside the cut-off box so that the diverter flap rests on top of the strainer.
Several other patents have described in-line filters and strainers for rain water downspouts. These mostly comprise an in-line box with a hinged door and an internal strainer. The strainer is cleaned by opening the door, manually removing the debris, and then closing the door. Examples of this type of configuration are found in U.S. Pat. No. 543,922 (Buckley), U.S. Pat. No. 2,887,073 (Thompson), and U.S. Pat. No. 4,183,368 (Husted).
There have also been several variations on this basic concept. For instance, in U.S. Pat. No. 1,076,075 (Steel), a strainer is connected to a door that is attached by a hinge to an in-line box. To empty the strainer, the user pivots the door and the attached strainer about the hinge until the strainer is inverted. In U.S. Pat. No. 1,653,473 (Schulz), the strainer is mounted inside the in-line box so that it is inclined toward a door that is hinged at the top. The debris is supposed to slide down the screen, open the hinged door, and fall away. U.S. Pat. No. 4,801,377 (Bolt), uses the same basic concept, but omits the hinged door.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,798,028 (Pinion) eliminates the in-line box by adapting the strainer to telescopically mount over the base of the downspout. In its operating position, a top portion of the strainer is mounted over a lower end of a downspout. A lower portion of the strainer fits inside the drain tile. To disengage the strainer, the strainer is pulled up over the downspout until the lower portion of the strainer is clear of the drain tile. The lower portion of the strainer is then titled away from the drain tile while the top portion is telescoped down and away from the downspout.

Removable downspout debris trap assembly


A method and a system for automatically updating video content are disclosed. In an embodiment, the method may include identifying a frame within a video content based on a plurality of timestamps assigned within the video content, wherein the frame is required to be updated. The method may further include extracting content information associated with the frame, and retrieving at least one source hyperlink used within the frame, based on the content information. The method may further include comparing a first textual content derived from the content information and a second textual content derived from at least one webpage associated with the at least one source hyperlink. The method may further include updating the frame with a summarized text associated with the second textual content and an audio content generated for the summarized text, based on the comparing, and merging the updated frame with the video content.

Video content sharing platforms, such as online tutorial platforms may offer video content, so as to provide users the facility of self-learning. Examples of such platform include Udemy™ and Edureka™. Video content for such video content sharing platforms may be prepared or contributed by content creators using various references from different sources. The content creators may include authors, instructors, and tutors.
These online tutorial platforms may provide the content creator a two-phase platform interaction. In one phase, the content creator after having created video content in an offline mode, may upload the video content on the online tutorial platforms. In the other phase, the content creator may be required to update the video content, for example, after the video content has become obsolete, or when the video content requires making a correction. The correction may include changes like adding an extra picture of a lecture slideshow, adding an additional mathematical formula from an academic journal, etc. Accordingly, the content creator is required to periodically perform validation of the existing video content, so as to check whether any updates are required, and take necessary action to update the video content.
The online tutorial content may include multiple slides. The slides may further include information sourced from one or more sources, such as webpages. The slides may also include details of these sources, such as hyperlinks associated with the webpages. Whenever there is any change in the original content of the respective source, the same changes have to be reflected in the video content.
Some techniques for updating the video content are known. These techniques may involve taking down the video content completely, followed by manually making changes to the video content, so as to create updated video content. The updated video content may then be uploaded on the online tutorial platform. It is observed that the process of updating is a time-consuming process. Further, during the time the video content is being updated, the video content suffers a downtime, as the video content is not available to the users. Such downtime may cause inconvenience to the users, especially when the users are in the middle of accessing the online tutorial content.

Method and system for automatically updating video content


An ink jet head with a head chip including a nozzle layer with nozzles for jetting ink and a pressure chamber layer with pressure chambers communicated respectively with the nozzles; and a manifold which stores the ink to be supplied to the pressure chambers; where the head chip has individual communication flow paths which are communicated respectively with the pressure chambers and which are capable of discharging the ink in the pressure chambers; and a common communication flow path which is disposed in a part facing the nozzle layer of the pressure chamber layer and which is connected to the individual communication flow paths to join the ink discharged from the individual communication flow paths together.

Ink jet recording apparatuses have been known in the art which form an image on a recording medium by jetting ink droplets from nozzles of an ink jet head. In ink jet recording apparatuses, single-pass printing of conveying a recording medium through a fixed ink jet head is known to have particularly high productivity. However, when there are bubbles and foreign matters near nozzles, a maintenance work is required to remove such bubbles and foreign matters. When the maintenance work takes a long time, the productivity is greatly deteriorated.
To address the problem, some ink jet recording apparatuses known in the art have a flow path in a head chip of an ink jet head, which can circulate ink to remove bubbles and the like near the nozzles without any additional maintenance work.
For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an ink jet head that includes a pressure chamber for storing ink to be jetted from nozzles and a communication flow path (high impedance channel) connected to the vicinity of the nozzles. In the ink jet head, the ink flows toward the nozzles through the communication flow path so that bubbles and the like near the nozzles can be discharged to a manifold through the pressure chamber.
Patent Document 2 discloses an ink jet head that includes pressure chambers that stores ink to be jetted through nozzles and that is defined by a partition wall of a piezoelectric material, individual communication flow paths connected to the vicinities of the nozzles, a common communication flow path that joins ink from the individual communication flow paths together, and a flow path for discharging the ink out of a head. In the ink jet head, the individual communication flow paths and a common communication flow path are disposed on a base board on which the nozzles are mounted, and bubbles and the like near the nozzles can be discharged out of the ink jet head through the flow paths along with the ink.
The ink jet heads of Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 can remove bubbles and the like near the nozzles while jetting ink from the nozzles. This can prevent deterioration of the productivity caused by an additional maintenance work.

Ink jet head and ink jet recording apparatus


Methods of designing and manufacturing a semiconductor device are disclosed in order to reduce the manufacturing cost of the semiconductor device, and to easily realize a high-speed circuit by reducing wiring capacity. A maximum pitch of wiring of the wiring layers is determined under a condition that power consumption of the semiconductor chips at a predetermined operating frequency is equal to or less than a predetermined value, and the width and spacing of wiring of the wiring layers and the width of each contact for mounting the semiconductor chips are determined based on the determined wiring pitch the semiconductor device is manufactured by using a mask and a manufacturing process by which the determined pitch and width of wiring are realized.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of designing a semiconductor device, and to a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, and in particular, relates to methods for reducing the manufacturing cost of the semiconductor device.
2. Description of the Related Art
In conventional methods of designing and manufacturing a semiconductor device, reduction of the manufacturing cost of the semiconductor device has been an important objective.
In a conventional method for achieving this objective, a semiconductor device having a semiconductor chip which is as small as possible is designed under specific conditions defined by the relevant manufacturing process, such as the overall structure, and the pitch, width, and spacing of wiring (lines) of the semiconductor device, and then an appropriate mask is manufactured; a semiconductor device is then manufactured using the mask. This method has been put into practice.
However, in the above-described method, a process of producing a semiconductor chip and a process of forming wiring are integrated in a single process. Therefore, if a process of producing a semiconductor chip having a fine structure is used, then a process of forming fine, wiring is simultaneously employed.
If the density of wiring lines with respect to the semiconductor chip size is low, the layout of the semiconductor chip can be modified even when the modification of the pitch and width of wiring is considerable. However, even in such a case, a mask and a semiconductor device based on design rules employing small pitch and width of wiring are employed in the above conventional method.
The manufacturing cost necessary for using a mask and a semiconductor device which have small pitch and width of wiring is higher than that necessary for using a mask and a semiconductor device which have large pitch and width of wiring. Therefore, the above conventional method is not satisfactory in consideration of reduction of the manufacturing cost of the semiconductor device.
In consideration of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a method of designing a semiconductor device and a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, in order to reduce the manufacturing cost of the semiconductor device. Another object of the present invention is to provide a method of designing a semiconductor device and a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, in order to easily realize a high-speed circuit by reducing wiring capacity (or capacitance).
Therefore, the present invention provides a method of designing a semiconductor device which includes at least semiconductor chips and wiring layers for connecting the semiconductor chips, comprising the step of:
determining a maximum pitch of wiring of the wiring layers under a condition that power consumption of the semiconductor chips at a predetermined operating frequency is equal to or less than a predetermined value.
The above method may further comprise the step of determining the width and spacing of wiring of the wiring layers and the width of each contact for mounting the semiconductor chips, based on the determined pitch of wiring of the wiring layers.
In addition, the above method may further comprise the step of selecting one or more of the wiring layers under a predetermined condition. In this case, in the step of determining a maximum pitch of wiring of the wiring layers, the pitch of wiring of only the selected wiring layers is maximized under the condition that power consumption of the semiconductor chips at a predetermined operating frequency is equal to or less than a predetermined value.
The present invention also provides a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device which includes at least semiconductor chips and wiring layers for connecting the semiconductor chips, comprising the steps of:
determining a maximum pitch of wiring of the wiring layers under a condition that power consumption of the semiconductor chips at a predetermined operating frequency is equal to or less than a predetermined value;
determining the width and spacing of wiring of the wiring layers and the width of each contact for mounting the semiconductor chips, based on the determined pitch of wiring of the wiring layers; and
manufacturing the semiconductor device by using a mask and a manufacturing process by which the determined pitch and width of wiring are realized.
This method of manufacturing a semiconductor device may further comprise the step of selecting one or more of the wiring layers under a predetermined condition. In this case, in the step of determining a maximum pitch of wiring of the wiring layers, the pitch of wiring of only the selected wiring layers is maximized under the condition that power consumption of the semiconductor chips at a predetermined operating frequency is equal to or less than a predetermined value.
In addition, the method of manufacturing a semiconductor device may further comprise the step of selecting a mask and a manufacturing process under a predetermined condition among masks and manufacturing processes for realizing the determined pitch and width of wiring. In this case, in the step of manufacturing the semiconductor device, the semiconductor device is manufactured by using the selected mask and manufacturing process.
According to the present invention, a maximum pitch of wiring of the wiring layers is determined under the condition that power consumption of the semiconductor chips at a predetermined operating frequency is equal to or less than a predetermined value. Therefore, a semiconductor device is manufactured, not by using an unnecessarily fine mask and manufacturing process, but by using a mask and manufacturing process which is determined based on relaxed design rules and has a lower manufacturing cost, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost of the semiconductor device.
In addition, by enlarging the pitch of wiring, the capacity between wiring lines can be reduced, thereby increasing the circuit speed and reducing crosstalk noise.

Method of designing semiconductor device, and method of manufacturing semiconductor device


A method of forming a marking portion on a golf ball. A toner image is formed on a release sheet on its release side by an electrostatic copying machine, and a transfer (adhesive) sheet is then placed on the release sheet under pressure such that the adhesive surface thereof contacts the toner image so as to transfer the toner image onto the adhesive surface. Subsequently, the transfer sheet is removed from the release sheet, and the toner image on the transfer sheet is impregnated with a chemical which dissolves the toner image without causing the toner image to run. The transfer sheet is then pressed against a golf ball such that the toner image on the transfer sheet contacts the marking-portion forming surface of the golf ball so as to transfer the toner image onto the marking-portion forming surface. Subsequently, the transfer sheet is removed from the golf ball. The method improves adhesion of the toner image onto the marking-portion forming surface of the golf ball to thereby satisfactorily form the marking portion on the golf ball. A sheet having no adhesive surface (unadhesive sheet) may also be used for the transfer sheet.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of forming a marking portion such as a mark, a number, an own name (ordered characters or a figure), or the like on the surface of a golf ball through use of an electrostatic copying machine, a printer, or a like machine.
2. Description of the Related Art
The surface of a golf ball bears a marking portion such as a mark, a number, an own name, and the like. Conventionally, the marking portion is formed on the golf ball surface primarily by a transfer printing method or a pad printing method. In the transfer printing method, a transfer foil which has been formed on transfer paper through printing is transferred onto a marking-portion forming surface of the golf ball through application of heat and pressure. In the pad printing method, a marking portion is formed by applying ink on the surface of a golf ball through use of a stamp.
According to the transfer printing method, a large number of identical marks and numbers are printed on transfer paper, and these printed marks and numbers are continuously transferred onto golf balls. According to the pad printing method, a marking portion is formed by applying ink on each of a large number of golf balls through use of a stamp. Accordingly, these methods can efficiently print an identical marking portion on a large number of golf balls, but are not suited for printing different markings, for example, different own names, on golf balls in small lots. The above-mentioned conventional methods are technically difficult to print a photographic image onto a golf ball.
By contrast, Japanese Patent Publication No. JP-B-1991-34480 discloses a method suited for printing different markings on golf balls in small lots. According to this method, through use of an electrostatic copying machine, characters, a symbol, a figure, or the like is printed onto a copying substrate in the form of a reverse toner image, and then the copying substrate is applied onto a transparent resin layer formed on a marking-portion forming surface of a golf ball through application of heat and pressure, to thereby transfer the toner image onto the marking-portion forming surface.
However, the method of Japanese Patent Publication No. JP-B-1991-34480 has involved the following drawbacks (A) to (D). Regarding characteristics of markings formed by this method, a marking portion in the form of a transferred full-color toner image has been inferior to a marking portion in the form of a transferred monochromatic toner image in mechanical strength and fixation.
(A) The method of Japanese Patent Publication No. JP-B-1991-34480 has sometimes resulted in defective markings due to poor adhesion of a toner image onto the marking-portion forming surface of a golf ball. According to studies conducted by the present inventors, this is caused by the following: PA1 (B) In the method of Japanese Patent Publication No. JP-B-1991-34480, a marking portion on a golf ball, particularly, in the form of a transferred color toner image has exhibited poor endurance to impact applied thereto and has been easily damaged by impact. PA1 (C) In the method of Japanese Patent Publication No. JP-B-1991-34480, when a copying substrate is pressed under a strong pressure against a golf ball in order to obtain a good fit between the marking-portion forming surface of the golf ball and the copying substrate for the purpose of solving the above problem (2), a toner image slips due to the applied pressure, resulting in a distorted transferred toner image. PA1 (D) In the method of Japanese Patent Publication No. JP-B-1991-34480, in order to solve the above problem (2), an attempt to use a polypropylene sheet, which is soft and extendable, as a copying substrate has involved the following problem. The thickness of a copying substrate is preferably 20 .mu.m to 80 .mu.m in view of thermal conduction during transfer, whereas an electrostatic copying machine is designed to receive sheets having a thickness of approximately 100 .mu.m. Thus, a polypropylene sheet having a thickness of 20 .mu.m to 80 .mu.m is not suited for use as a copying substrate. Also, a sheet on which a toner image is to be formed by an electrostatic copying machine must have a predetermined range of volume resistivity. However, the volume resistivity of a polypropylene sheet does not fall in the range. Thus, even when a polypropylene sheet having a thickness of approximately 100 .mu.m is used as a copying substrate, a good toner image is not obtained. Further, a polypropylene sheet having a thickness of approximately 100 .mu.m is usually manufactured without orientation. Since a nonorientation polypropylene sheet contracts and deforms when heated, the nonorientation polypropylene sheet passing through an electronic copying machine curls due to contraction and deformation caused by heat of a fixation roller section, disabling the machine operation.
(1) In an electrostatic copying machine, generally, copying paper onto which a toner image has been transferred from a drum is passed through a pair of fixing rollers so that the toner image is fixed on the copying paper. In this fixing step, silicone oil is fed onto the surface of a fixing roller which comes in contact with the toner image, in order to prevent the toner image from directly contacting the fixing roller surface. Thus, a small amount of silicone oil usually adheres to the surface of the toner image formed on the copying paper. According to the method of Japanese Patent Publication No. JP-B-1991-34480, a toner image which has been copied onto a copying substrate by means of an electrostatic copying machine is directly transferred onto a golf ball, so that a small amount of silicone oil is present between the marking-portion forming surface of the golf ball and the transferred toner image. As a result, the silicone oil impairs adhesion of the toner image to the marking-portion forming surface of the golf ball. PA2 (2) In a method where a toner image formed on a copying substrate is transferred onto the surface of a golf ball, the copying substrate is preferably soft and extendable so as to closely fit onto the dimpled marking-portion forming surface of a golf ball. However, if a copying substrate is so soft and extendable, it will not pass through an electrostatic copying machine. Accordingly, in the method of Japanese Patent Publication No. JP-B-1991-34480, a copying substrate must be hard enough to pass through an electrostatic copying machine. However, such a copying substrate does not closely fit onto the marking-portion forming surface of a golf ball due to dimples formed thereon, resulting in formation of a slight gap between a toner image and the marking-portion forming surface of the golf ball. Again, such a gap impairs adhesion of the toner image to the marking-portion forming surface of the golf ball.

Method of forming a marking portion on a golf ball and golf ball bearing a marking


A male connector and mating female connector for use in a cordless electric water beating jug. The male connector has a cup-shaped body with an open base within which are located a central pin terminal and two concentric annular terminals. The body of the female connector is dimensioned to fit within the male connector and has openings to receive the pin terminal and the inner annular terminal so that they may engage two female terminals. A further female terminal projects from the side wall of the female connector for engagement with the outer annular male terminal.

A cordless hot water jug comprises a jug containing an electrical immersion heater and which is placeable, in use, on a free-standing base unit which is connected to a power supply. An electrical connector is provided between the jug and the base unit such that when the jug is placed on the base unit, electrical connection is made between the immersion heater and the power supply. In most known cordless jug arrangements, the immersion heater and its associated control unit (usually including a "switch-on-dry" protector switch means and a steam sensitive switch means respectively operable to disable the heater in an overheat condition and on boiling) are mounted in a side wall of the jug adjacent the bottom of the vessel, as is also the case in traditional corded kettles. The electrical connection between the jug and the base unit is provided adjacent the control unit, to the rear of the vessel. In certain arrangements, terminal pins of the control unit extending horizontally from the control unit engage directly with a socket connector provided in an upstand at a peripheral part of the base unit. An example of such an arrangement is shown in WO 92/05604. In other arrangements, such as shown in GB 2221104, vertically extending pins mounted to the terminal pins of the control unit engage in a socket connector, again provided at a peripheral part of the base unit.
In other configurations, however, such as disclosed in GB 2178910 the immersion heater and control unit are mounted in the base wall of the jug, with terminal pins of the control unit engaging in a socket connector provided generally centrally of the base unit. Such arrangements have the advantage of giving a better engagement of the jug with the base unit since the connector is arranged closer to the centre of gravity of the jug but they do have certain disadvantages. Firstly it is no longer possible to use a standard heating element, which adds to the cost of the jug. Further, the control unit used in such an arrangement is not capable of being used in traditional corded kettles and jugs. Finally, because both a control unit and a connector are arranged in a compartment under a false jug base, the capacity of the jug relative to its height is significantly reduced.

Cordless electrical appliances and connectors therefor


A resin article is made between an outer concave mold part and an inner convex mold part that can fit together so that respective surfaces form a substantially closed mold cavity. This is done by first lining the surface of the outer mold part with a liner sheet and then fitting the lined outer mold part to the inner mold part to form the substantially closed mold cavity. A portion of the surface of the inner mold part is positioned to form a pocket open inward into the cavity and this pocket is filled with a mass of fluent synthetic resin. The surface portion is then pressed inward while the parts are fitted together and without otherwise relatively moving the mold parts to force the resin mass from the pocket into the cavity until the inner-part surface portion lies substantially flush with the rest of the inner-part surface.

A molded article is typically produced in a mold cavity formed between an outer mold part and an inner or core mold part and also in the case of a complexly formed or undercut article by a side part. In a first step the thermoplastic material is filled in fluent condition into the inner mold part, then the outer part is pushed down in it to conform the thermoplastic mass into the desired shape. The outer mold part can be lined with a cover sheet that will form the surface of the finished molded body.
In German patent 865,365 of H. Kattwinkel a molding system is shown where part of the surface of the cavity of the inner mold half is formed by a spring-loaded piston. The plastic mass is pressed into the closed mold cavity to push back this piston and give the finished object the desired end shape.
German patent document 1,729,178 of B. Lohmann describes a system wherein a complicated system of demolding wedges can move at an angle to the molded body to strip it from the mold.
In German patent 3,043,275 of H. Mettenbrink a complexly shaped laminated article is made in a mold having a core that is made of several parts that can be moved relative to each other to allow demolding of the finished article.
German patent document 3,336,080 of F. Bielfeldt describes an injection-molding press for making glass or fiber-reinforced heat-curing bodies which has an injection piston that, in an upper position, blocks a fill passage for the resin. In a lower position the fill passage is unblocked for introducing the resin into the mold.
European patent application A2 186,015 of S. Masui describes a mold for making a laminated body where the mold halves are used to shear off the edges of the liner sheet.
In European patent application A2 331,447 of S. Okubo the liner skin is placed in one mold half and a body of the fill resin on the other half. The fill resin is melted and the two halves are pressed together to produce a laminated article.
British patent document 1,585,554 of O. olabisi two different liquefied resins are fed through a complex piston arrangement to the mold interior. The resultant article is webbed with the two resins intimately integrated with each other.
British patent application 2,227,707 of M. Osada puts a high-density pellet of a meltable synthetic resin in a mold, melts it, then forces it throughout the mold cavity.
All such system are fairly complex and do not allow the simple mass production of parts like a motor-vehicle instrument console which must have one surface formed by an attractive skin but have a body made of a softer resin. The mold must be completely closed around the plastic body before it is compressed, or special edges must be provided in the mold to prevent it from getting between the mating mold surfaces and preventing full closing of the mold.

System for molding laminated articles of a thermoplastic resin


An electric vehicle control device is disclosed, which includes an AC motor for driving a vehicle; a main electric power conversion unit for supplying an AC voltage to the AC motor; a battery for supplying a DC voltage to the main electric power conversion unit; an auxiliary electric power conversion unit connected to the battery and adapted to be connected to a load or a power supply; a controller for controlling the main and auxiliary electric power conversion units so as to act selectively as an inverter or a converter; and a switching unit for giving selectively the AC motor the AC voltage from the main and auxiliary electric power conversion units under control of the controller. In the running mode of the electric vehicle, the controller described above makes the main electric power conversion unit act as an inverter and controls the switching unit so that the AC voltage from the main electric power conversion unit is given to the AC motor. Further, responding to detection of a failure of the main electric power conversion unit, the controller makes the auxiliary electric power conversion unit act as an inverter and controls the switching unit so that the AC voltage from the auxiliary electric power conversion unit is given to the AC motor.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electric vehicle control device driven by means of an electric motor, and in particular an electric vehicle control device having a high reliability, capable of running safely, even if a main electric power conversion unit for driving the motor is out of order.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As an example of the prior art electric vehicle control device there is known a method, by which an inverter for driving an AC motor for running is used also as a charger, as described in JP-A-Sho 59-61402. In such an electric vehicle, there are disposed a switch between the inverter and the AC motor and a charging terminal between the inverter and the switch so that a driving mode and a charging mode can be switched by opening and closing the switch. By this method stable charging can be effected without increasing the size of the device.
As another example of the prior art electric vehicle control device there is known a method, by which a motor for an air conditioner is disposed to be driven separately from the motor for running. Concretely speaking, a motor for driving a compressor for the air conditioner is disposed apart from the motor for running and the number of turns of the motor for driving the compressor is controlled by the inverter. By this method cooling and heating are possible at need without changing any characteristics of the motor for running not only at running but also at standing.


A remote device or module sends data to a base station when the change in data from the last transmission exceeds a predetermined threshold. The invention also allows for transmission at a minimal specific time interval. Additionally, the device allows for transmissions based on alarm or alerting conditions.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to remote transmission of data, and, more particularly, to methods and systems for remote transmission of data to conserve energy.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Operation of battery-powered remote transmitters that send periodic or continuous data transmissions have a relatively short time between battery replacements. Typical operational life for batteries used in these devices is six months to one year.
Battery replacement cost can be substantial considering not only the cost to replace batteries but also the labor cost involved. This is particularly true where there are numerous such devices at various remote locations. In this case, a person would have to go to each remote location, replace the batteries, test the equipment to make sure that it is properly functioning, and then return back.
Additionally, because conventional data transmitting devices require so much energy, relatively large size batteries are typically needed to power a unit for long periods of time. This presents a problem to designers where the battery is too large for the desired housing. If a smaller battery could be used, the device could be made physically smaller and lighter. In turn, a smaller device would also be less expensive to manufacture and could therefore be more competitively priced.

Method and system for efficiently regulating data transmissions


Systems and methods for tracking a heading of an excavator are provided. An initial heading of the excavator platform is obtained and a current azimuthal orientation of the excavator platform is associated with the initial heading. Coordinates of a measurement center of the GNSS device are obtained. Coordinates of a center of rotation of the excavator platform are determined using the initial heading of the excavator platform, the coordinates of the measurement center, and a known spatial relationship between the measurement center of the GNSS device and the center of rotation of the excavator platform. Rotation of the excavator platform is tracked from the initial heading to a first heading using rotation measurements from a swing sensor.

It is often usefel to track rotation of platforms such as excavator platforms. As used herein, an excavator refers broadly to any type of construction equipment that includes a rotating platform. The rotating platform generally sits atop an undercarriage that includes tracks or wheels. Some types of construction equipment include a bucket or other implement that is coupled to the rotating platform by an arm (e.g., boom and/or stick). Rotation measurements can be used to determine coordinates of a center of rotation of the rotating platform, which can be used to determine a location of the bucket or other implement in space. This information is useful, for example, during digging processes.
A conventional technique for determining coordinates of a center of rotation includes capturing a number of position measurements during rotation of a platform and fitting an arc to the measurements. This technique often requires the platform to rotate by up to 100° or more to provide a good curve for fitting. As an example, assuming a position measurement rate of 10 Hz, a swing of approximately 100° over a 4 second time period provides 40 data points for the curve fitting. When the platform is moved from one location to another, an ititialization process requiring large rotations must be repeated to determine the coordinates of the center of rotation at the new location.
In light of the above, improved methods for determining coordinates of a center of rotation of a rotating platform are desired.

Caterpillar Trimble Control Technologies LLC


An electrosurgical system and method are disclosed. The system includes an electrosurgical generator adapted to supply electrosurgical energy to tissue. The generator is further adapted to supply an electrical signal having at least one substantially constant value to tissue to determine initial tissue impedance response. The generator includes sensor circuitry adapted to continuously monitor initial tissue impedance response, wherein the initial tissue impedance response includes one of an initial impedance, an impedance drop, an impedance minimum and a first impedance rise. The generator also includes a microprocessor adapted to generate at least one tissue parameter based as a function of the initial impedance, the impedance drop, the impedance minimum and the first impedance rise. The system also includes an electrosurgical instrument including at least one active electrode adapted to apply electrosurgical energy to tissue for treatment.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a system and method for performing electrosurgical procedures. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a system and method for measuring tissue properties during tissue sealing procedures.
2. Background of Related Art
Electrosurgery involves application of high radio frequency electrical current to a surgical site to cut, ablate, coagulate, cauterize, desiccate or seal tissue. Tissue or vessel sealing is a process of liquefying the collagen, elastin and ground substances in the tissue so that they reform into a fused mass with significantly-reduced demarcation between the opposing tissue structures. Cauterization involves the use of heat to destroy tissue and coagulation is a process of desiccating tissue wherein the tissue cells are ruptured and dried.
In bipolar electrosurgery, one of the electrodes of the hand-held instrument functions as the active electrode and the other as the return electrode. The return electrode is placed in close proximity to the active electrode such that an electrical circuit is formed between the two electrodes (e.g., electrosurgical forceps). In this manner, the applied electrical current is limited to the body tissue positioned between the electrodes. When the electrodes are sufficiently separated from one another, the electrical circuit is open and thus inadvertent contact with body tissue with either of the separated electrodes does not cause current to flow.
A forceps is a pliers-like instrument which relies on mechanical action between its jaws to grasp, clamp and constrict vessels or tissue. So-called "open forceps" are commonly used in open surgical procedures whereas "endoscopic forceps" or "laparoscopic forceps" are, as the name implies, are used for less invasive endoscopic surgical procedures. Electrosurgical forceps (open or endoscopic) utilize mechanical clamping action and electrical energy to effect hemostasis on the clamped tissue. The forceps includes electrosurgical sealing plates which apply the electrosurgical energy to the clamped tissue. By controlling the intensity, frequency and duration of the electrosurgical energy applied through the sealing plates to the tissue, the surgeon can coagulate, cauterize and/or seal tissue. Selecting the appropriate energy parameters during the sealing procedure allows for efficient application of energy to tissue. Thus, a need exists to develop an electrosurgical system which effectively and consistently seals tissue.

System and method for measuring initial tissue impedance


An apparatus and method for estimating reflected radiance under complex distant illumination are described. In one embodiment, an importance sampling estimator is used with a novel piecewise constant importance function that effectively concentrates ray samples where energy is likely to be found. To properly account for the effects of a visibility term in the shading calculation, in one embodiment, a shadow cache is provided which caches information indicating ray directions that are occluded or unoccluded from a point in space. Accordingly, by concentrating hemispheric samples where the light source is likely to be strongest, a reflected radiance integral is efficiently computed and estimated in a real-world lighting situation.

In computer graphics rendering is a process of generating digital data that represents the projection of a three dimensional scene onto a two dimensional image plane in order to simulate the recording of the scene by, for example, a camera. The digital data generally represents the projection of surfaces of objects in a three dimensional scene, illuminated by one or more light sources, onto the two dimensional image plane. The two dimensional image is in the form of an array of picture elements (pixels). The rendering process may utilize a geometric model that specifies the position, shape and color of objects and light sources in a world space.
One approach to rendering is a two stage process comprised of a geometry stage and a rendering stage. In the geometry stage a data base of geometric descriptions of objects and light sources (the geometric model) is transformed from a world coordinate system (object space) into a view dependent coordinate system (screen space) taking into account a view point and view surface. The view point is a point in the object space from where the objects are being viewed to obtain the image. The view surface is the surface in the world space that corresponds to the screen space.
In the rendering stage, once the positions of the objects and the screen space are determined, each pixel is colored (assigned a color comprised of, typically, non-negative red, green, and blue values) depending on which objects are occluded or visible. Accordingly, color rendering is performed by determining which objects are visible from the view point within the bounds of the view surface and then determining the color of the light that is emitted or reflected from the visible objects in the direction of the view point.
A common rendering task in feature film visual effects is to integrate computer generated elements with a live action background. The computer generated (CG) elements or models range from organic characters animated via complex physical models to static objects like buildings or vehicles. Often, all of the light in the scene emanates from outside the object, and the object passively reflects incident radiance toward the camera. This process, called Image-based lighting (IBL), involves illuminating the CG elements (scene database) with images of light from the real world. IBL evolved from a reflection mapping technique in which panoramic images are used to texture maps on computer graphics models to show objects reflecting real or synthetic environments. In practice, these IBL renderings are frequently achieved using a number of heuristic techniques, mostly requiring labor intensive setup and tweaking by digital artists.
As computers get faster and global illumination algorithms improve, there is an increasing desire to calculate such "outside-in" image-based lighting situations using global illumination. One step in many global illumination algorithms is to compute, at a surface point, the radiance reflected toward some direction due to direct illumination (i.e., photons that have traveled directly from the light source to the surface, without having been reflected in between).
Generally, the contributions of the light reflected from the various surfaces in a scene to a pixel's value (representing the color and intensity of that pixel) are expressed in the form of one or more integrals equations, for example the Kajiya Rendering Equation. In particular, the reflected radiance integral describes the amount of light energy (radiance) reflected directly from a light source to a pixel's location on the view surface. This is the fundamental quantity that physically-based computer graphics rendering algorithms compute.
The integrand of the reflected radiance integral is the product of three functions, L, ƒr, and Vp, where L depends on the position, intensity, and output characteristics of light sources, ƒr (the bi-directional reflectance distribution function, or BRDF) depends on reflectance properties of the scene surfaces, and Vp (the visibility function) depends on the geometry of the scene. Since the reflected radiance integral will generally not have a closed form solution, numerical methods are used to evaluate it in order to generate pixel values. Typically, exact Monte Carlo methods or approximate methods have been used in computer graphics to numerically evaluate the reflected radiance.
Approximate methods are usually very fast but compute only an approximate value for reflected radiance. Therefore, they usually require significant additional hand tuning in order to obtain a visually realistic final rendered image. Exact algorithms have the property that if the algorithm runs for a long time, it is guaranteed to eventually yield arbitrarily low error. In other words, exact algorithms eventually converge to the correct solution, whereas this is not necessarily true for approximate algorithms. For this reason, exact algorithms are often preferred for high-end computer graphics applications. The most common exact method for computing reflected radiance under an environment map light source is Monte Carlo or Quasi-Monte Carlo BRDF weighted importance sampling.
In general, importance sampling estimates the value of an integral by sampling the integrand where it is likely to have the most energy, as specified by an importance function. In BRDF importance sampling, hemispherical samples are chosen relative to an importance function that weighs a particular direction of the hemisphere proportional to the value of the BRDF in that direction. For example, let ƒr(ω,n,ω′) be a BRDF that measures the amount of energy scattered from direction ω to direction ω′ at surface point p with normal n. To evaluate reflected radiance in direction ω from surface point p with surface BRDF ƒr(ω,n,ω′), the importance function I(ω′) is chosen proportional to ƒr(ω,n,ω′) (since n and ω are fixed, this is a function of ω′).
When ƒr is a Lambertian or Phong BRDF, methods exist for transforming samples drawn uniformly from the unit square into samples drawn according this importance function over the hemisphere. Samples over the unit square are drawn using independent uniform sampling, stratified sampling, or a Quasi-Monte Carlo low-discrepancy point sequence (such as the Halton sequence). These sample points are transformed to the hemisphere, and the resulting hemispherical directions are used as sample points in the standard importance-sampling estimator, weighted inversely proportional to the importance function I(ω′).
Unfortunately, the method of BRDF-based importance sampling used to evaluate the reflected radiance integrals has sub-optimal efficiency. This is because light source output L and scene visibility Vp may contribute significant energy to the reflected radiance integrand, but are ignored when placing random samples according to only the BRDF. When applied to complex real-world lighting situations, such as, for example, image-based lighting, BRDF-weighted importance sampling often misses the important features of the integrand and hence will require an enormous number of samples in order to compute an accurate image. Alternate importance sampling techniques take the light source L into account when placing samples, but ignore the effects of the scene visibility Vp and surface reflectance ƒr.

Apparatus and method for estimating reflected radiance under complex distant illumination


In an interference device, an elastic member elastically contacts a portion of an object to be detected. An optical probe is so constructed that light emitted from a light source is split into two light beams one of which is reflected by a reference reflecting surface thereof and the other of which is reflected by a reflecting surface formed on the elastic member, and both reflected light beams are mixed. In a sensor, an interference signal is obtained from the light mixed by the optical probe so as to obtain position information of the object to be detected from the interference signal. The reflecting surface on the elastic member is set to have a width substantially the same as a diameter of the other light beam to be incident on the reflecting surface.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an interference device. for detecting a positional displacement of an object, a position detection device for detecting position information of an object such as a magnetic head of a hard disk drive, using the interference device, an alignment device, and a servo signal write device using the alignment device.
The present invention is suitably applied to a manufacturing apparatus of a hard disk drive (to be abbreviated as an HDD hereinafter) used in a computer and, more particularly, to a device for accurately writing a servo track signal on a hard disk in the HDD.
2. Related Background Art
FIG. 1A is an explanatory view of a conventional device for writing a servo track signal on a hard disk in an HDD. Referring to FIG. 1A, a hard disk drive HDD has a hard disk RD, slider SLID, magnetic arm ARM1, voice coil motor VCM, spindle OHD (rotation Center) of the hard disk HD, and rotation axis O of the magnetic head arm ARM1.
A magnetic recording medium is deposited on the surface of the hard disk HD. The hard disk HD always rotates at high speed about the spindle OHD, and a magnetic head is placed in the vicinity of the surface of the hard disk HD. The magnetic head is built in a nearly parallelepiped portion called the slider SLID, which is attached to the distal end of the magnetic head arm ARM1 having the rotation center O outside the hard disk HD. When the magnetic head arm ARM1 is rotated by the voice coil motor VCM, the magnetic head can radially relatively move above the hard disk HD.
With this arrangement, the rotating hard disk HD and the magnetic head which moves along an arcuated path can read/write magnetic information at an arbitrary position (track) on the surface of the disk-shaped hard disk HD.
In the magnetic recording method on the surface of the hard disk HD, the hard disk HD is divided into a plurality of annular tracks which are concentric to the rotation center OHD of the hard disk and have different radii. Each annular track is divided into a plurality of arcs. Finally, information is time-sequentially recorded on/reproduced from a plurality of arcuated areas in the circumferential direction.
As a recent trend, an increase in recording capacity of the hard disk is required to record information on the hard disk at higher density. In order to record information on the hard disk at higher density, a method of decreasing the width of each concentrically divided track to increase the recording density in the radial direction is effective.
The recording density in the radial direction is expressed by a track density TPI (track/inch), and is currently around 10,000 TPI. This means that the track spacing is about 3 microns. In order to detect such small track pitch, the magnetic head must be aligned at a resolution (0.05 microns) around {fraction (1/50)} the track width in the radial direction to write a servo track signal in advance. To do this, it is important to devise a technique that can sequentially write servo track signal while aligning the magnetic head at high resolution within a short period of time.
FIG. 1A also depicts a conventional alignment device used for writing a servo track signal. The device shown in FIG. 1A comprises a push rod PROD, an arm ARM2 for the push rod PROD, an alignment control motor MO, a rotary encoder RE for detecting the rotational amount of the rotation shaft of the motor MO, a signal processor SP1 for analyzing the detection output from the rotary encoder RE, and generating an alignment command signal of the magnetic head to the write position of a servo track signal, and a motor driver MD for driving the motor MO in response to the command signal from the signal processor SP1.
Conventionally, as shown in FIG. 1A, the cylindrical surface of the push rod PROD is pressed against the side surface of the magnetic head arm ARM1, and the magnetic head is aligned while sequentially stepping the magnetic head arm ARM1 via the push rod PROD by rotating the arm ARM2 using the motor MO under the feedback control by the system including the rotary encoder RE, signal processor SP1, and motor driver MD. In this way, a servo track signal from a signal generator SG is sequentially written at each position. At this time, in order to assure contact, a current is slightly supplied to the voice coil motor VCM to also press the push rod PROD from the head arm ARM1 side. However, further improvements in performance upon writing information such as servo track signals at high density are demanded by realizing more accurate alignment of a rotary positioner system RTP in consideration of vibrations upon rotation of the hard disk HD.
Recently, to realize high-precision alignment, a method of measuring movement of a magnetic head arm using an optical means in place of mechanically pressing the magnetic head arm has been proposed. FIG. 1B shows an example of a device using an optical alignment means.
Referring to FIG. 1B, the device includes a (helium-neon) laser source HeNe, mirrors M1 and M2, a beam splitter BS, a retroreflector CC like a corner cube placed at a given portion on a magnetic head arm ARM1 and a light-receiving element PD.
In this device, the laser source HeNe, mirrors M1 and M2, beam splitter BS, and retroreflector CC construct a Michelson interferometer. Interference light obtained by bringing a light beam L1 via the retroreflector CC and mirror M2 and a light beam L2 via the mirrors M1 and M2 to interference is detected by the light-receiving element PD to obtain the position information of the magnetic head arm ARM1. Based on the obtained detection signal, a signal processor SP1 generates a command and controls a current to be supplied from a voice coil motor VCMD to a voice coil motor VCM to directly move the magnetic head arm ARM1, thus achieving appropriate control.
However, in such device, the retroreflector CC like a corner cube must be placed on the magnetic head arm ARM1, thus posing problems about the space to be assured, attachment/detachment of the retroreflector, poor control characteristics due to an increase in weight, and the like.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an interference device, position detection device, and alignment device, which can detect position information of an object such as a magnetic head arm with high reliability and high precision and at high resolution without arranging any special member on the object side, can align the object without placing any specific member on the object side, and can stably measure position information of a magnetic head arm of a hard disk, whose rotational speed is becoming higher year by year, irrespective of an air flow in a hard disk housing, and a servo signal write device using them.
Other objects of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the embodiments.

Interference device and position detection device using the same


A door including a leaf which is closable between an open position and a closed position. A guide rail arrangement directs the movement of the door leaf. A fastening arrangement fixes a rail element of the guide rail arrangement to a wall by a plurality of fastening elements, each of which can be fixed to the wall as well as to the rail element. The wall has an opening which can be closed with the aid of the door leaf. A pulling arrangement can be fixed to the door leaf as well as to a drive unit and/or a weight-balancing device. At least one protective element is assigned to the guide rail arrangement. The protective element can be fixed to the rail element and/or at least one of the fastening elements and is used for bridging an intermediate space between the rail element and the wall.

The invention pertains to a door having a door leaf which can be moved between an open position and a closed position, and a guide rail arrangement to guide the movement of the door leaf.
Doors of this type are used in the form of garage doors and industrial gates. The door leaf can consist of a plurality of panels, which are hinged to each other along axes which are perpendicular to the rail element. In these types of doors, also called sectional doors, the door leaf is in a substantially vertical plane when in the closed position and is usually in an overhead horizontal position when in the open position. So that the door leaf can be guided between the closed position and the open position, a guide rail arrangement is provided. This arrangement has at least one rail element which is substantially vertical and parallel to the lateral edge of the door leaf when the door is closed; a rail element which extends overhead in a more-or-less horizontal direction and is parallel to the edge of the door leaf when the door is open; and a circular arc-shaped rail element, which connects these other two rail elements. The substantially vertical rail element can be attached by a plurality of angle-shaped fastening elements to the wall containing the opening to be closed by the door leaf.
To assist the opening movement of the door leaf, a counterbalancing device is usually provided in the form of, for example, a tension spring or torsion spring arrangement, which is tensioned during the course of the closing movement and relaxed again during the course of the opening movement. The counterbalancing device is usually connected to the door leaf by a tensioning mechanism attached to the lower edge of the door leaf. During the operation of doors of this type, it is possible for the user to be injured by coming into contact with the tensioning mechanism when reaching into the gap formed between the substantially vertical rail element and the wall. To solve these problems, angle frames with two sidepieces are usually used. The sidepieces extend over the entire length of the substantially vertical rail element and form an angle of approximately 90° with each other. The first sidepiece is attached to the wall, the second to the rail element, so that the second sidepiece makes it impossible for anyone to reach into the gap formed between the rail element and the wall. Doors with these types of angle frames are described in, for example, DE 10 113 847. Pressed-out sections are also provided in the angled frame, with the help of which, in cooperation with a latching bolt attached to the door leaf, it is possible to prevent the door leaf from moving when such movement is not desired. It is thus possible effectively to prevent the door from dropping and also to prevent it from being raised.
Nevertheless, it has been found that it is comparatively complicated and therefore correspondingly expensive to install these types of doors in which the rail element is attached to the wall by an angle frame. Doors of this type are also indicated in EP 1 114 908A2. Sliding doors with a protective element assigned to a guide rail arrangement are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,398,902.


An ink jet printhead chip includes a substrate. Drive circuitry is positioned in the substrate. A plurality of nozzle arrangements is positioned on the substrate. Each nozzle arrangement includes nozzle chamber walls and a roof wall that define a nozzle chamber and an ink ejection port in the roof wall in fluid communication with the nozzle chamber. An ink pusher is operatively positioned with respect to the nozzle chamber and is displaceable through a range of between 1 micron and 5 microns to eject ink from the ink ejection port. An actuator is connected to the drive circuitry and the ink pusher to displace the ink pusher on receipt of an electrical signal from the drive circuitry.

Many different types of printing have been invented, a large number of which are presently in use. The known forms of printing have a variety of methods for marking the print media with a relevant marking media. Commonly used forms of printing include offset printing, laser printing and copying devices, dot matrix type impact printers, thermal paper printers, film recorders, thermal wax printers, dye sublimation printers and ink jet printers both of the drop on demand and continuous flow type. Each type of printer has its own advantages and problems when considering cost, speed, quality, reliability, simplicity of construction and operation etc.
In recent years, the field of ink jet printing, wherein each individual pixel of ink is derived from one or more ink nozzles has become increasingly popular primarily due to its inexpensive and versatile nature.
Many different techniques on ink jet printing have been invented. For a survey of the field, reference is made to an article by J Moore, "Non-Impact Printing: Introduction and Historical Perspective", Output Hard Copy Devices, Editors R Dubeck and S Sherr, pages 207-220 (1988).
Ink Jet printers themselves come in many different types. The utilisation of a continuous stream of ink in ink jet printing appears to date back to at least 1929 wherein U.S. Pat. No. 1,941,001 by Hansell discloses a simple form of continuous stream electro-static ink jet printing.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,596,275 by Sweet also discloses a process of a continuous ink jet printing including the step wherein the ink jet stream is modulated by a high frequency electrostatic field so as to cause drop separation. This technique is still utilized by several manufacturers including Elmjet and Scitex (see also U.S. Pat. No. 3,373,437 by Sweet et al).
Piezoelectric ink jet printers are also one form of commonly utilized ink jet printing device. Piezoelectric systems are disclosed by Kyser et. al. in U.S. Pat. No. 3,946,398 (1970) which utilizes a diaphragm mode of operation, by Zolten in U.S. Pat. No. 3,683,212 (1970) which discloses a squeeze mode of operation of a piezoelectric crystal, Stemme in U.S. Pat. No. 3,747,120 (1972) discloses a bend mode of piezoelectric operation, Howkins in U.S. Pat. No. 4,459,601 discloses a piezoelectric push mode actuation of the ink jet stream and Fischbeck in U.S. Pat. No. 4,584,590 which discloses a shear mode type of piezoelectric transducer element.
Recently, thermal ink jet printing has become an extremely popular form of ink jet printing. The ink jet printing techniques include those disclosed by Endo et al in GB 2007162 (1979) and Vaught et al in U.S. Pat. No. 4,490,728. Both the aforementioned references disclose ink jet printing techniques that rely upon the activation of an electro-thermal actuator which results in the creation of a bubble in a constricted space, such as a nozzle, which thereby causes the ejection of ink from an aperture connected to the confined space onto a relevant print media. Manufacturers such as Canon and Hewlett Packard manufacture printing devices utilizing the electro-thermal actuator.
A particular problem associated with thermal printers is that they are not suitable for pagewidth printheads capable of high definition printing. Such printheads require a very large number of densely packed nozzle arrangements that span a print medium. Applicant submits that operation of a required number of electro-thermal actuators would generate an unacceptable level of heat. This is the primary reason why the Applicant has developed MEMS-based printing technology. Such systems can be fabricated to define printhead chips having a large number of densely packed nozzle arrangements. In particular, Applicant has developed page width printheads that are capable of color printing over 20 pages per minute at resolution finer than 1200 dpi. Applicant has carried out many thousands of simulations in order to achieve an optimal design. In this work, Applicant has found that the ink pusher should move at least 1 micron in order to achieve effective drop ejection. Applicant has also found that certain problems arise with fabrication when an ink pusher is designed to move more than 5 microns. It follows that movement between 1 and 5 microns is most preferable.
As set out above, piezoelectric systems have been developed that act physically on the ink to eject the ink from the nozzle arrangements. In order to achieve ink drop ejection, the ink pusher is required to move through a particular range. Piezo-electric systems that use an ink pusher rely on the deflection of a plate or the like as a result of a force exerted in a direction that is generally at right angles to the direction of drop ejection. Applicant has found that a deflection of at least one micron would require a plate having a cross sectional area in excess of 100 square microns. This requirement precludes the fabrication of a printhead chip having the requisite number and density of nozzle arrangements.
A further problem with piezoelectric systems is that it is difficult to achieve an ink pusher that is capable of more than 100 nanometers of movement. This is largely due to the fact that such systems rely on buckling or deflection to achieve the necessary movement.
When creating a large number of inkjet nozzles which together form a printhead, it is necessary or desirable to ensure that the printhead is of a compact form so as to ensure that the printhead takes up as small a space as possible. Further, it is desirable that any construction of a printhead is as simple as possible and preferably; the number of steps in construction is extremely low, therefore ensuring simplicity of manufacture. Further, preferably each ink ejection nozzle is of a standard size and the ink forces associates with the ejection are regular across the nozzle.
Further, where the ink ejection mechanism is of a mechanical type attached to an actuator device, it is important to ensure that a substantial clearance is provided between an ink ejection nozzle and the surface of the paddle. Unless a large clearance is provided (of the order of 10 microns in the case of a 40 micron nozzle) a number of consequential problems may arise. For example, if a mechanical paddle ejection surface and nozzle chamber walls are too close, insufficient ink will be acted on by the paddle actuator so as to form a drop to be ejected.
Further, high pressures and drag is likely to occur where movement of a paddle occurs close to nozzle chamber walls. Further, if the paddle is too close to the nozzle, there is a danger that an unwanted meniscus shape may occur after ejection of an ink drop with the ink meniscus surface attaching to the surface of the paddle.
Further, should the ink ejection mechanism be formed on a silicon wafer type device utilizing standard wafer processing techniques, it is desirable to minimize the thickness of any layer of material when forming the system. Due to differential thermal expansions, it is desirable to ensure each layer is of minimal thickness so as to reduce the likelihood of faults occurring during the fabrication of a printhead system due to thermal stress. Hence, it is desirable to construct a printhead system utilizing thin layers in the construction process.
This invention is based on the fact that the Applicant has achieved a generic MEMS structure that facilitates a particular range of movement of an ink pusher, which can be in the form of a paddle. The advantage of this is set out above.

Ink jet nozzle assembly including displaceable ink pusher


A rotary member in the form of a sprocket or a brake disc for transmitting a drive force or brake force, the rotary member having an annular hub portion arranged on a center side, an annular ring portion arranged on an outer circumferential side, and a plurality of arm portions connecting the hub portion and the ring portion, with a plurality of weight reduction holes partitioned by the arm portions between the hub portion and the ring portion. The plurality of arm portions are provided so that centers of their distal end portions on the ring portion side and centers of their proximal end portions on the hub portion side are offset in one circumferential direction, respectively, and the hub portion and the ring portion are not directly connected to each other by longitudinal sectional lines that intersect with the arm portions in a radial direction of the rotary member.

The present invention relates to a rotary member for transmitting a drive force or a braking force of a sprocket, a brake disc or the like.
In general, a mechanism having a pair of sprockets and a change laid therebetween has been widely used as a drive force transmission means in a motorcycle or a bicycle.
Usually, a sprocket is integrally formed of an annular hub portion arranged in the center thereof, an annular ring portion arranged in a circumferential portion thereof, and a plurality of arm portions extending radially and arranged between the hub portion and the ring portion for connecting the hub portion and the ring portion at a constant angular interval in the circumferential direction.
A carbon steel plate has been widely used as a material for the sprocket. In a manufacturing method, after the carbon steel plate has been machined to have a form of the sprocket by mechanical machining or pressing, a tooth portion is annealed to have a desired hardness. Thereafter, a finishing treatment is effected on the sprocket.
Also, in view of an aesthetic design demand, there is a sprocket 100, as shown in FIG. 15, in which a center PR of a distal end portion on a ring portion 102 side and a center PH of a proximal end portion on a hub 103 side of each arm portion 101 are offset at a constant angle in the circumferential direction.
On the other hand, a brake disc in which an annular braking portion is formed in its outer circumferential portion and the braking portion clamped by pad members to generate the braking force has been extensively used as a braking mechanism in a motorcycle or the like.
A so-called floating disc brake mechanism has been widely practically used, in which a braking portion against which pad members are to be pressed and a disc like hub portion externaly fixedly mounted on an axle or the like are formed of discrete members, respectively; a plurality of pin members are mounted between the hub portion and the braking member; the braking portion is floatingly supported to the hub portion; and the braking portion and hub portions are slit at their edge to thereby prevent a warpage of the disc brake caused by heat generated during the braking operation.
Also, in a brake disc 110 as shown in FIG. 16, a hub portion 111 and a braking portion 112 are integrally formed with each other; the hub portion 111 and the braking portion 112 are coupled with each other through a plurality of arm portions 113; and in view of the aesthetic design demand, a center PR of a distal end portion on a braking portion 112 side and a center PH of a proximal end portion on a hub 111 side of each arm portion are offset in the circumferential direction with constant regularity.
In the sprocket in which the arm portions are radially arranged, after the annealing treatment for the tooth portion, the ring portion tends to shrink inwardly, but the hardness of the ring portion per se is high by the annealing treatment so that the shrinkage force is applied to the arm portions and the hub portion as a compression stress. Then, due to the compression stress, such a phenomenon that portions, corresponding to the arm portions, of the hub portion are deformed inwardly is generated. For this reason, after the annealing treatment of the tooth portion, a machining is effected to the inner circumferential surface of the hub portion. A cutting step is required to keep the inner circumferential surface in an exact circle. Thus, there is a disadvantage that the manufacturing steps for the sprocket are complicated.
Also, in order to solve this problem, it is possible to try to form the ring portion and the hub portion from discrete members like the braking portion and the hub portion of the floating disc brake. However, in this case, the number of the components is increased to raise the manufacturing cost corresponding to the additional components.
The present application made and tested various changes in shape of the arm portions and weight reduction holes on the basis of the concept that the compression stress applied to the hub portion was reduced by elastically deforming the arm portions. As a result, the present applicant has found out that the centers of the distal ends of the arm portions on the ring portion side and the centers of the proximal ends of the arm portions on the hub portion side are offset in one circumferential direction with a constant regularity, respectively, so that the deformation of the inner circumferential surface of the hub portion 102 may be reduced. Also, as shown in FIG. 15, even if the distal ends and the proximal ends of the arm portions 101 are offset in one circumferential direction with a constant regularity, if there are regions where the hub portion 102 and the ring portion 103 are directly connected with each other by longitudinal sectional lines intersecting with the arm portions 101 by hatching, it has been found that the deformation of the inner circumferential surface of the hub portion 102 is remarkable.
Namely, it has been found that not only in view of the design demand but also of the demand on the manufacture, the distal end portions and the proximal end portions of the arm portion are offset in one circumferential direction with a constant regularity, and in addition, the arm portions are formed so that the hub portion and the ring portion are not directly connected to each other by the longitudinal sectional lines intersecting with the arm portions in the radial direction of the sprocket, and in other words, the arm portions and the weight reduction holes are formed so that the lines in the radial direction of the sprocket are always kept to intersect with any weight reduction holes over the entire circumference of the sprocket, whereby it is possible to considerably reduce the deformation of the inner circumferential surface of the hub portion.
Also, even in a disc brake which is integrally made of a single steel plate, after the braking portion is annealed, there occurred a problem that is similar to that of the sprocket. In addition, due to the heat generation during the braking operation, the braking portion is expanded and a tension stress is effected at the arm portion so that the brake disc as a whole is subjected to the warpage. It is also found that the deformation of the inner circumferential surface of the hub portion or the warpage of the brake disc as a whole may be prevented in the same method. In the case where the ring portion is expanded due to the heat generation during the braking operation, this expansion is effectively absorbed by the arm portions.

Sprocket and brake disc having a function to prevent a warpage


Systems and methods to provide a navigated-shopping service are discussed. In an example, a method for navigated-shopping can include receiving a destination location, accessing a route to the destination, displaying the route with indications of a plurality of items for purchase, receiving selection of a selected item, and purchasing the selected item. The plurality of items for purchase can be within a predefined distance of at least one point along the route. The selection of the selected item can include selection of a retail location of a plurality of retail locations along the route.

The Internet and the World Wide Web have given rise to a wide variety of on-line retailers that operate virtual stores from which consumers can purchase products (i.e., merchandise, or goods) as well as services. Although the popularity of these on-line retail sites is clearly evidenced by their increasing sales, for a variety of reasons, some consumers may still prefer to purchase products and services in a more conventional manner—i.e., via a brick-and-mortar store. Even when purchasing products and services from a brick-and-mortar store, various web-based applications and tools may be used to perform preliminary research about products and services. Increasingly, brick-and-mortar stores are providing online and mobile-focused purchasing options to augment traditional in-store sales and to compete with purely online retailers.

Systems and methods for in-vehicle navigated shopping


A computer-implemented system and method for identifying tasks using temporal footprints is provided. A database of temporal footprints is maintained. Each temporal footprint is representative of a different task and includes one or more significant patterns of two or more sequential events. Events performed by one or more users are tracked. At least one pattern including sequential occurrences of two or more of the tracked events is identified. The identified pattern is compared to each of the significant patterns of the temporal footprints. A footprint score for the identified pattern is determined with respect to each temporal footprint. The task associated with the temporal footprint having the highest footprint score is assigned to the identified pattern.

Certain classes of routines can be characterized by repetitive events occurring with a periodic frequency or temporal regularity, known as rhythm. Patterns can be identified from the events to characterize a routine task performed by an individual at home, in the workplace, or during a social event. In the workplace, patterns provide valuable information for scheduling purposes and work efficiency. For example, the regular rotation of doctors while taking their hospital rounds generally follows a pattern with predictable regularity. The pattern can include events, such as visiting patients and family members, stopping for coffee, and restroom breaks. Once nurses are aware of a pattern, the nurses can determine the best time to contact a doctor, rather than waste resources and time waiting for the doctor. Routine tasks, such as the doctor's rotation, are characterized by specific recurrent events that are executed within nearly constant time intervals. By examining past, recurring rhythms, one can predict a task based on current events.
More recently, usage of certain media, such as email, has been observed to have rhythms. Conventional task management systems provide efficient methods for task switching, resumption, and identification. However, the conventional task management systems fail to use temporal information for describing and detecting routine tasks. For example, the TaskTracer system, which is a part of the Cognitive Assistant that Learns and Organizes project by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, focuses on determining how tasks are completed. A user's interactions with respect to computer applications are tracked. The interactions are then organized according to task. The task information is used to increase efficiency and productivity in a work environment. However, temporal information, including identifying durations between interactions is not considered.
Additionally, the Semantic Analysis of Window Titles and Switching History system ("SWISH") by Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, Wash., attempts to automatically detect tasks through window switching analysis by identifying windows on a user's desktop and determining a relationship between the windows. Windows that belong to the same task are assumed to share common properties, which are indicated by the relationship. The windows switching analysis of SWISH focuses on building a connected graph of window switch sequences within a predefined time interval, rather than characterizing a task using duration information between each window switch.
Thus, a system and method for describing and detecting routine tasks using temporal measures of user events is needed.

Computer-implemented system and method for identifying tasks using temporal footprints


There is described a gas-component concentration sensor, a method of using the sensor, and a method of manufacturing a particular electrode of the sensor, wherein the sensor comprises:. a first measurement chamber, an oxygen partial-pressure detection electrode in the first measurement chamber, a first oxygen-ion pump cell within and outside the first measurement such that in response to a voltage applied between the pair electrodes the cell pumps out oxygen to an extent such that a gas component such as NO.sub.x partially decomposes in said first measurement chamber in an amount of not more than 40 wt. % of the gas component present; PA1 a second measurement chamber into which the measurement gas is introduced from the first measurement chamber, a second oxygen pump cell having a pair of electrodes such that in response to a voltage applied therebetween the second oxygen-ion pump cell decomposes the gas component within the second measurement chamber; PA1 wherein the pair of electrodes of the first oxygen ion pump cell the electrode provided inside first measurement chamber includes fine particles having a function of suppressing dissociation of the gas component that are formed on and carried by a first constituent component of the electrode.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to an electrode of an oxygen-ion conductive cell used in sensors for detecting gas components such as NO.sub.x, CO.sub.2, SO.sub.x, HC and H.sub.2 O, such as a NO.sub.x --concentration sensor used for detecting the concentration of nitrogen oxides contained, e.g., in an exhaust gas from a stationary internal combustion engine for industrial use or an internal combustion engine for an automobile, ship, or airplane, or a combustion gas of a boiler or the like. More particularly, the present invention relates to an electrode provided in a first measurement chamber among a pair of electrodes of a first oxygen-ion pump cell of the sensor for measuring NO.sub.x concentration, to a method of measuring NO.sub.x -concentration using said sensor, and to a method for manufacturing the electrode provide in the first measurement chamber of the sensor.
2. Description of Related Art
In order to cope with increasingly strict regulation of exhaust gas, there has been studied a technique for directly measuring gas components in exhaust gas from an engine in order to control the engine or a catalyst device. Especially, because of the capability of measuring NO.sub.x concentration without influence of interference gases such as HC and CO, there has been widely studied an NO.sub.x -concentration sensor which utilizes an oxygen-ion conductor such as ZrO.sub.2 and in which oxygen is pumped out through a first oxygen-ion pump cell to such an extent that NO.sub.x substantially does not decompose, NO.sub.x contained in the remaining gas is decomposed through use of a second oxygen-ion pump cell, and the decomposition of the NO.sub.x is detected in the form of current.
For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-271476 which corresponds to U.S. Pat. No. 5,672,811 discloses a method of measuring a gas component and a sensing device for measuring the gas component. In this device, the electrode that constitutes the first oxygen pump means and is disposed within the first space is a cermet electrode formed of a mixture of Pt and ZrO.sub.2 or a cermet electrode formed of a Pt/Au alloy. The method of forming the Pt/Au-alloy cermet electrode or the microstructure of the cermet is not described in this prior art. However, it is supposedly generally formed as follows. That is, Pt powder, Au powder, ZrO.sub.2 powder, and a proper amount of organic solvent may be mixed and dispersed to obtain a mixture, to which may be added an organic binder. Subsequently, a viscosity modifier may be further added to and mixed with the mixture to obtain paste. The paste may be then applied onto a solid electrolyte layer and baked. As shown in FIG. 2, the thus-supposedly formed electrode will have a texture such that precious-metal alloy particles and ZrO.sub.2 particles exist independently of each other.
In the case of NO.sub.x measurement, the above-described first oxygen pumping means has a function of selectively pumping out oxygen without dissociating NO.sub.x. However, when the method of simply adding Au powder to an electrode constituent component is employed, Au and Pt do not form an alloy if the ratio of Au exceeds a certain value, so that Au unevenly disperses within the electrode (see FIG. 2). In such a case, the function of suppressing NO.sub.x dissociation unstably varies with time and also varies locally, and therefore, the function of suppressing NO.sub.x dissociation is difficult to improve. Further, since the function of the Au component for suppressing NO.sub.x dissociation is unstable, the oxygen concentration within the first internal space must be set slightly higher than a theoretical level, in consideration of variation in the suppressing function (because NO.sub.x dissociates when the oxygen concentration decreases). The excessive oxygen causes an error when a very small NO.sub.x concentration is measured.
In view of the foregoing, an object of the present invention is to provide an electrode which is provided in a first measurement chamber of a NO.sub.x -concentration sensor as one of the paired electrodes of a first oxygen-ion pump cell, which has an enhanced function of suppressing NO.sub.x dissociation, and which stably provides the function of suppressing NO.sub.x dissociation.


A baitcasting reel includes a spool for taking up a fishing line between a pair of right and left side cases, a handle attached to either of the side cases for rotating the spool, a clutch mechanism disposed inside the side case carrying the handle and operable to allow or break force transmission between the handle and a clutch control member operable to cause the clutch mechanism to break the force transmission. The clutch control member is disposed rearwardly of the spool and supported only to the one side case carrying the handle and positioned away from the other side case.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a baitcasting reel, and more particularly to a baitcasting reel including a spool for taking up a fishing line between a pair of right and left side cases, a handle attached to either of the side cases for rotating the spool, and a clutch mechanism disposed inside the side case carrying the handle and operable to allow or break force transmission between the handle and the spool.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional baitcasting reel having the above-described construction is known from e.g. Japanese laid-open patent gazette No. 59-192031. According to this reel construction, the clutch mechanism is operated for breaking the power transmission by means of a thumbing member (a kind of control member) extending between the right and left side cases to be depressed by the angler's thumb.
With the above construction, since the clutch control member is extended between the right and left side cases, it is necessary for side ends of this control member to be movable relative to the inner faces of the side cases.
For assuring such relative movements without causing physical distortion between these parts, it is essential that the side ends of the control member and the inner faces of the cases be manufactured with relatively high precision. In this respect, the conventional construction has room for improvement.
Incidentally, if such physical distortion occurs at said parts, this may bring the control member unoperable at all as the member is locked between the cases.
Taking the above-described state of the art into consideration, the primary object of the present invention is to provide an improved baitcasting reel which allows easy and comfortable reel operation while minimizing the physical distortion of the clutch mechanism control member.


A convertible rotary seal has a housing for receiving a polish rod. A mandrel is rotatably mounted in the seal housing and surrounds the polish rod. A wear sleeve surrounding the mandrel engages a primary seal. A secondary seal engages the mandrel and polish rod and rotates therewith but may be converted for use as a static seal if necessary. A locking mechanism selectively secures the mandrel in a stationary orientation with respect to the seal housing. Fluid that leaks past the primary seal will be detectible through an external orifice. If a leak in the primary seal is detected via the external port, then the mandrel may be secured in a stationary orientation with respect to the housing and the secondary seal may be reconfigured to operate as a stationary seal until such time as the rotary sealing unit can be overhauled.

In a standard wellhead, a stuffing box is used to provide a rotary seal around the polish rod of a rod string, which is used to drive a downhole pump. A typical stuffing box is constructed of a generally tubular housing that is threaded onto an upwardly projecting portion of a wellhead. The polish rod extends through the wellhead and through the stuffing box housing. An annular space is formed between stuffing box housing and the polish rod. Typically, a stack of compressible packing rings are positioned in the annular space to form a seal around the polish rod. An internal radial shoulder in the stuffing box housing supports the packing rings at a bottom end of the stack. An annular packing gland is typically positioned at the top of the stack of packing rings. An internally threaded compression nut is threaded onto an externally threaded upper end of the stuffing box housing to force the packing gland downwardly to compress the packing rings against the radial shoulder of the stuffing box housing. When the packing rings are compressed, the packing rings experience radial expansion, so that the rings seal against the polish rod and also against the inside surface of the stuffing box housing.
Problems associated with typical stuffing boxes include leakage and packing wear. A problem with progressive cavity pumps in particular is that the rod string is oftentimes not perfectly straight. Additionally, the rod string tends to oscillate during rotation, which can exacerbate packing wear and may result in the escape of pressurized well fluid.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide a stuffing box having a primary and a secondary seal to increase reliability of the stuffing box. It is further desirable to be able to detect when the primary seal has developed a leak so that repairs can be made before well fluid can escape. Once primary seal leakage is discovered, it is desirable for the stuffing box to have features that enable the stuffing box to be adapted for continued use with the secondary seal until such time as repairs can be made in a convenient and cost effective manner. Additionally, it is desirable to provide a sleeve for shielding the polished rod from sealing elements during operation to avoid polish rod wear.

Convertible rotary seal for progressing cavity pump drivehead


The invention presents a optical processing apparatus capable of detecting accurately the sticking status of deposits sticking to optical means in a background of same color as deposits, preventing occurrence of defective soldering due to feeding failure of wire solder, and detecting solder failure when the leading end portion of the wire solder does not reach up to the processing area. This optical processing apparatus comprises light energy output means for producing light energy, a first optical path for guiding the light energy into a work, optical means disposed in the first optical path for shaping the light energy, a second optical path sharing part of the first optical path for guiding the light from the work to photo receiving means, and driving means for changing the relative positions of at least the optical means and the work.

Hitherto, a optical processing apparatus comprises light energy output means for producing light energy, a first optical path for guiding the light energy into a work, optical means disposed in the first optical path for shaping the light energy, a second optical path sharing part of the first optical path for guiding the light from the work to photo receiving means, and driving means for changing the relative positions of at least the optical means and work.
Such conventional processing apparatus by light energy is disclosed in Japanese Laid-open Patent No. 2002-1521.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.