An improved connector for orthogonally mounting circuit boards. The preferred embodiment of the present invention includes 40 female contacts which protrude from the two coplanar triangular surfaces. An additional 40 male contacts are located within channels in triangular projections. Further, the preferred embodiment of the present invention has an additional 16 leaf contacts located adjacent to the inner walls of the triangular projections. Each leaf contact protrudes from the inner wall of the triangular projections and comes into electrical contact with a corresponding leaf contact of a mating connector as the leaf contacts of each connector slide past one another.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrical connector for interconnecting electronic subsystems, and more particularly to an improved connector for orthogonally mounting circuit boards.
2. Description of Related Art
It is common today to design electronic systems having a multitude of subsystems which are electrically interconnected by means of electrical connectors. Often times such subsystems are designed on printed circuit boards. Therefore, it may be necessary to couple thousands of electrical signals between a large number of printed circuit boards within a system. Space limitations are frequently imposed upon the designer of such systems, making the size of the system, subsystem, and the components thereof, a critical factor. Therefore, the external dimensions of a connector suited to such applications should be very small.
One means for interconnecting large numbers of printed circuit boards within a system in which space limitations are imposed is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,708,660 issued to Claeys, et al., incorporated herein by reference. Claeys discloses a connector for orthogonally mounting circuit boards. The Claeys invention allows a first stack of horizontally-oriented printed circuit boards to be interconnected to a second stack of vertically-oriented printed circuit boards. This arrangement permits signals from any one circuit board to be coupled to any other circuit board over a relatively short signal path. Such arrangements have proved advantageous in a variety of applications, such as large multi-port memory systems in which memory is located on the horizontal boards and ports are provided on the vertical boards, and computing systems in which horizontal boards are used as adders, multipliers, and other "functional" subsystems and vertical boards are used for control memory. Attached to each circuit board in such arrangements, and running along an interfacing edge thereof, is an elongated separator. The separator includes an elongated base running along the interface edge and a plurality of perpendicular spaced-apart legs extending away from the circuit board. Supported along the separator are a plurality of electrical connectors. Each connector is secured to a pair of legs by a retaining cap. The connectors provide the means by which signals are coupled from one printed circuit board to another. Each connector has an electrically insulated body which is cubic in shape. Two generally triangularly-shaped opposing projections extend from one end of the cubic body. A plurality of socket contacts extend longitudinally from the same end of the body, but only about half as far as the triangularly-shaped projections. A plurality of male contacts are located within cylindrical channels in the triangular projections, and have a relative spacing and positioning equal to the relative spacing and positioning of the socket contacts. In the Claeys connector, each triangular projection has 20 contacts. Therefore, a total of 80 contacts (40 male and 40 female) are present in the connector. When one connector is rotated 90.degree. about its longitudinal axis, and 180.degree. about an orthogonal axis with respect to a second connector such that the projections of each connector face the other, the two connectors may be mated. When so mated, the projections of each connector are interleaved. Such connectors are also known as "bowtie" connectors, from the shape of the opposed triangularly-shaped projections.
While prior bowtie connector systems have a number of advantages as the number of electrical signals to be coupled from one printed circuit board to another increases, a need has arisen to increase the number of contacts in standard size bowtie connectors. That is, there is presently a need for an improved connector for orthogonally mounting circuit boards having the same external dimensions as those connectors known in the prior art, yet having more contact positions. The present invention provides such a connector.

Bowtie connector with additional leaf contacts


A phase shift mask includes a transparent substrate, a semi-dense pattern, and a dense pattern. The semi-dense pattern is formed on the transparent substrate including a plurality of phase shift regions and non-phase shift regions arranged successively. The dense pattern is formed on the transparent substrate including a plurality of non-phase shift regions, phase shift regions, and non-transparent regions.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a phase shift mask (PSM), and more particularly, to a phase shift mask simultaneously having a structure of a selective chromeless phase shift mask and a structure of an alternating phase shift mask.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In circuit making processes, a lithographic process has not only been a mandatory technique but also played an important role in limiting feature size. Only by a lithographic process can a wafer producer precisely and clearly transfer a circuit pattern onto a semiconductor wafer. In a lithographic process, a designed pattern, such as a circuit pattern or a doping pattern, is created on one or several photo masks, then the pattern on the mask is transferred by light exposure, with a stepper and scanner, onto a semiconductor wafer.
It is an important issue for solving resolution of the lithographic process due to the device sizes of the semiconductor industry are being reduced. There are primarily two methods in the prior art for improving resolution. One method involves using short wavelengths of light to expose a photoresist layer on the semiconductor wafer. Short wavelengths of light are desirable as the shorter the wavelength, the higher the possible resolution of the pattern. Another method involves the use of a phase shift mask (PSM) to improve the resolution of the pattern transferred to the semiconductor wafer. Please refer to FIG. 1, which is a structural diagram of a prior art alternating phase mask 10. As shown in FIG. 1, a fully opaque material such as chrome is used in a non-transparent region 12 of the alternating phase shift mask 10, and the non-transparent region 12 is flanked by transparent regions 14, 16. Both of the transparent regions 14, 16 are made of quartz. The thickness of the transparent region 14 is approximately 2280 Angstroms less than that of the transparent region 16. Therefore, light passing through the transparent region 14 has a phase shift of 180 degrees relative to light passing through the thicker transparent region 16, which results in destructive interference. Consequently, during the lithographic process, a dark unexposed region falls on an area of a photoresist layer and is located below the non-transparent region 12 of the alternating phase shift mask 10.
However, the alternating phase shift mask 10 has to perform a double exposure lithography technique employing a trim mask to complete pattern transferring. Additionally, the alternating phase shift mask 10 suffers from transmission imbalance occurred in the phase shift region, i.e. the transparent region 14, and the non-phase shift region, i.e. the transparent region 16.
Therefore, a selective chromeless phase shift mask is developed. Please refer to FIG. 2, which is a structural diagram of a prior art selective chromeless phase shift mask 20. As shown in FIG. 2, the selective chromeless phase shift mask comprises a transparent region 22 made of quartz, and the transparent region 22 is flanked by two transparent regions 24, 26 also made of quartz. The transparent region 22 is thicker than both the transparent regions 24, 26, which causes a 180 degree phase shift in light passing through the transparent regions 24, 26. In other words, the transparent regions 24, 26 are phase shift regions, and the transparent region 22 is a non-phase shift region. Because of this 180 degrees phase difference, there is destructive interference at the phase boundaries of the phase shift regions 24, 26 and the non-phase shift region 22. Consequently, during the lithographic process, a dark unexposed region falls on an area of a photoresist layer and is located below the non-phase shift region 22 of the selective chromeless phase shift mask 20.
However, with the increase of packing density of devices, a pitch between each device is reducing. Unfortunately, when the pitch is less than twice of a width of the device and forms a dense pattern, light of 0 degree phase shift and light of 180 degrees phase shift cancel out. Therefore, the prior art selective chromeless phase shift mask fails to transfer the dense pattern.


Display device includes: a first terminal part configured by arranging a plurality of connectors on a substrate; and a second terminal part configured by arranging a plurality of connectors on the substrate. The first terminal part includes a first support tool. The first support tool is provided with openings through which connection cables can be attached respectively to the connectors, and also provided with a first and a second mounting piece to be mounted on a mounting part. The second terminal part includes a second support tool. The second support tool is provided with openings through which connection cables can be attached respectively to the connectors, and also provided with a first mounting piece to be mounted on the mounting part on which the first mounting piece of the first support tool is mounted, and with a second mounting piece to be mounted on another mounting part.

1. Field of the Invention
The present technique relates to a thin display device such as a liquid crystal display device and a plasma display device.
2. Description of the Related Art
A thin display device such as a liquid crystal display device and a plasma display device employs a structure that a terminal part having various kinds of input/output terminals and control terminals such as an antenna input terminal, a component input terminal, an HDMI (registered trademark) terminal, and a video/sound output terminal is disposed on a back surface of the thin display device.
The terminal part of such a display device is configured by mounting a plurality of connectors respectively corresponding to the input/output terminals and the control terminals on a wiring substrate of an input/output circuit block. The terminal part includes support tools called brackets including openings respectively corresponding to the connectors, and the support tools having the openings corresponding to kinds and the number of the connectors are mounted on a chassis of the display device or on a back cover on the side of back surface of the display device so that only the connectors are exposed outside of the display device. The support tools are provided with indicating parts for indicating kinds of terminals so that connection cables can appropriately be connected to the respective connectors.
In a terminal part of an electronic device, as a structure using a bracket, there is known a structure in which a bracket is mounted on a substrate on which a terminal is disposed as described in Japanese Examined Utility Model Publication No. H05-26790.

PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.


A semiconductor laser of effective index type which has a lower cladding layer, an active layer, and an upper cladding layer, which are sequentially arranged upward, with said upper cladding layer being formed into the stripe ridge structure, wherein the upper cladding layer forming the foot and slope of said stripe ridge structure is covered with a buried layer of layered structure made up of two or more low refractive index layers to prevent absorption of the laser light, with a light-absorbing layer interposed between them which absorbs the laser light of oscillatory wavelength. This semiconductor laser prevents kinks due to higher-order modes, and hence it realizes a high level of output.

The present invention relates to a semiconductor laser and, more particularly, to a semiconductor laser of effective index type having the stripe ridge structure.
FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view showing an example of the semiconductor laser of effective index type having the stripe ridge structure. This semiconductor laser is based on AlGaInP and is designed to make recording on a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc).
The semiconductor laser shown in FIG. 2 is comprised of a substrate 101 of n-type GaAs, a lower cladding layer 102 of n-type AlGaInP, an active layer 103 of GaInP, an upper cladding layer 104 of p-type AlGaInP, and a contact layer 105 of p-type GaAs, which are sequentially arranged upward. The contact layer 105 and the upper part of the upper cladding layer 104 form the stripe ridge structure a. The upper cladding layer 104 (spreading over the foot and slope of the ridge a) is covered by the buried film b, which is comprised of a low refractive index layer 106 of AlInP and an anti-oxidizing layer 107 of GaAs. The contact layer 105 is covered by and connected to an upper electrode 108, and the substrate 101 is provided with a lower electrode 109. The buried layer b, which is comprised of a low refractive index layer 106 and an anti-oxidizing layer 107, reduces the internal loss of the laser beam generated, which is disclosed in the Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2002-198614 (paragraphs 3, 9, and 10) (hereinafter referred to as Patent Document 1).
Any semiconductor laser to be used as an optical pickup for recording is required to have a high output to increase the recording rate. FIG. 3 shows the L-I curve (light output versus current characteristics) of the aforesaid semiconductor laser based on AlGaInP. It is noted from FIG. 3 that the semiconductor laser usually increases in light output almost linearly in proportion to current above the threshold value. Unfortunately, the increased current causes the transverse mode of the laser to shift from the zeroth-order mode (fundamental mode) to the first-order or higher-order mode. As the result, the light output does not increase linearly any longer. This phenomenon is called "kink" (particularly higher-order mode kink). The light output (indicated by Lk in FIG. 3) at which this phenomenon occurs is referred to as the kink level. This kink level Lk often determines the maximum output of the semiconductor laser.
The condition for preventing the higher-order mode kink is represented generally by the equation (1) below.
                    W        ≦                              λ            0                                2                                                                        n                  1                  2                                -                                  n                  2                  2                                                                                (        1        )            where,    n1: effective refractive index of ridge a    n2: effective refractive index of buried film b    λ0: wavelength of laser beam    W: width of ridge    as shown in FIG. 2.
The equation (1) above suggests a possible way of preventing the higher-order mode kink by reducing the value of W (the width of the ridge) or by reducing the value of n1−n2 (the difference between the two effective refractive indexes). To achieve this embodiment, there has been proposed an idea of modifying the semiconductor laser shown in FIG. 2 by replacing the low refractive index layer 106 of AlInP with a semiconductor layer of AlGaAs having a refractive index of 3.4 to 3.55. This modification causes the value of n1−n2 to decrease to 0.001 to 0.005, thereby making it easy to attain the fundamental mode. (See Patent Document No. 1.)
In addition to the above-mentioned two methods, there is a third possible way of preventing the laser transverse mode from shifting from the zeroth-order mode to the higher-mode order. This embodiment is achieved by increasing the coefficient for absorption of higher-order mode in the buried film. A practical structure for this purpose is shown in FIG. 2, in which the low refractive index layer (AlInP) 106 is made thin so that the anti-oxidizing layer (GaAs) 107, which functions also a laser absorbing layer, comes close to the active layer 103.


A flywheel configured to couple to a manual transmission to an unrelated vehicle engine. Also disclosed is a method for retrofitting a manual transmission with an unrelated vehicle engine. Also provided is a flywheel comprising a removable friction region and/or a removable gear portion.

A flywheel is an integral part of an automobile that provides contact between the crankshaft of an engine and the clutch assembly of the manual transmission and enables the engine to run smoothly. Manual transmission automobiles come equipped with either a dual-mass or single-mass flywheel.
Dual-mass flywheels are two separate pieces joined together by a pair of springs. These springs provide progressive tension which allows the dual-mass flywheel to dampen vibrations and reduce wear on the manual transmission. While dual-mass flywheels allow for better reduction in vibration than current single-mass flywheels, they are also more expensive to produce and less durable. Dual-mass flywheels are also prone to having a build-up of heat because the friction region is only attached to the engine side of the flywheel through a bearing that does not allow heat to be spread away from the friction region efficiently. Dual-mass flywheels are also difficult and costly to repair or refurbish. As such, flywheels are typically replaced in their entirety.
Single-mass flywheels are manufactured as integral solid pieces that reduce engine vibrations through increased inertia and allow for an engine to have a higher revolution per minute than dual-mass flywheels. Single-mass flywheels are more durable and efficiently dissipate heat, unlike the dual-mass flywheel counterpart. Because single-mass flywheels are integral solid pieces, they are also less costly to manufacture.
There is an increased trend of wanting to transplant an unrelated internal combustion engine into an automobile. Typically, a user wanting to retrofit an engine with an unrelated manual transmission would have to undertake an expensive and time-consuming process to either convert the flywheel from single-mass to dual-mass, or vice versa, or to custom fabricate an adaptor or connection piece that allows the engine and manual transmission to operate collectively. Utilizing the adaptor or connection pieces is time consuming and not cost effective as it involves the use of various components and each of the components must be properly aligned.
Accordingly, there is a long felt need in the art for a flywheel that enables a user to efficiently and cost effectively pair an unrelated engine with a manual transmission. This is especially true when the manual transmission originally utilized a dual-mass flywheel. Because of the defects described above in connection with dual-mass flywheels, a flywheel capable of being a single, integral piece having a single-mass configuration with a thickness capable of being altered depending on the particular pairing of the manual transmission with the unrelated engine is desired. In some instances, the single-mass flywheel will have substantially identical thickness to that of a dual-mass configuration. Because of the thickness increasing from a standard single-mass flywheel, there is also a desire for the single-mass flywheel to be lighter in weight because the more weight a flywheel has, more energy must be expended to increase the speed of the automobile.
There is also a desire to replace certain components of a flywheel due to wear and tear that are currently not replaceable, namely, the friction region and/or the gear portion.
When replacing a clutch in a manual transmission, often, a user will also be required to replace the entire flywheel due to wear on the flywheel that leaves hot spots on the side used in connection with the clutch. These hot spots on the flywheel can lead to unwanted vibration, rattling, or complete failure of the flywheel. This complete replacement is an expensive undertaking. Accordingly, there is a long felt need for a flywheel that enables a user to simply replace the friction region of a flywheel without having to replace the entire flywheel.
The gear teeth on a flywheel assist in starting the internal combustion engine by engaging with the engine's starter motor and turning the crankshaft. These gear teeth can chip, crack, or be worn down over time. When this happens, the entire flywheel must be replaced, thus incurring an inordinate cost. Accordingly, there is a long felt need for a flywheel that enables a user to simply replace the gear portion without having to replace the entire flywheel.


There is provided a mounting system for a fish finding device to a watercraft which has a support for supporting a fish finding device on a watercraft. The support has a top, a bottom and a peripheral side wall which form a receptacle housing for a battery. Mounting means are positioned at the top of the support to receive a fish finder. Securing means are provided on the bottom of the support for mounting the support to a surface on a watercraft. Mounting means are provided for detachably securing a transducer to a watercraft.

Fish finding devices, or fish finders, are used by both recreational and commercial fishermen to locate fish. Fish finders typically have a viewer, a central processing unit, a power supply and a transducer that transmits and receives sound waves. The sonic waves are directed downward, and when they strike an object they are reflected back and are detected by the transducer. The central processing unit calculates the depth of the object, based on the time it took for the signal to return then displays information about the signal condition which the viewer can then use to determine the location of fish, depth of underlying surfaces 15 or information about other objects in the water.
Typically the central processing unit and display are mounted to the boat in a viewable position. Such mountings can be permanent or detachable. Lead lines are wired from the central processing unit into the boat's existing electrical system to supply power to the central processing unit. The transducers of fish finders are mounted to the transom or the hull of the boat, so that the transducer emits and detects sonar signals when in the water. Transducers can be mounted to the exterior or the interior surface of a hull. Those mounted to the interior surface of a hull emit and detect sonar signals directly through the hull. Depending on the design, users may be required to drill holes through the hull to mount a transducer to the exterior surface of a hall. Suction cups have also been used to stick the transducer to the outer hull.
The positioning of the transducer is essential for accurate readings. The transducer must be below the surface of the water, or in contact with a surface below water level in order to emit and receive the sonar signal proper properly. Ideally the face of transducer should be mounted to point straight down toward the underlying waterbed. Transducers mounted to the inside surface of a hull may experience inaccurate readings while emitting and detecting sonar signals through the hull. Those mounted to the exterior may not be easily accessible or adjustable, and can be vulnerable to damage.
Traditional fish finder and transducer mounts are not easily adapted for use on some types of fishing craft such as the inflatable or float tube variety, where the nature of inflatable craft or float tube makes mounting of the transducer at an accurate angle difficult. Many are permanently secured to a watercraft. Portable fish finder systems have been available for use on float tubes such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,230,646, which teaches the use of a long extension arm for mounting the transducer at a remote end. This places the transducer in an inaccessible position limiting the ability to reposition the transducer easily. The extension arm also makes the transducer vulnerable to damage when moving about as it can collide the obstacles in the water or the bottom of a waterbed.
Fishermen using smaller watercraft such as kayaks, canoes and smaller personal boats where space is limited may also find the use of traditional fish finder and transducer mounts problematic for similar reasons. Moreover, many fish finder devices come with an abundance of cable and lead lines which are difficult to contain and carry on float tubes and smaller watercrafts. Space is very limited on smaller water crafts such as canoes, kayaks, belly boats and float tubes, and they do not have an existing electronic power supply. As a result, an alternative power source must be carried on the watercraft to power the fish finder.
Due to their placement, transducers can be easily damaged when entering or exiting the water and when moving around obstacles, or simply during transportation of the water craft.
There is a need for a mounting system which is sufficiently compact and convenient for use on small personal watercraft, and allows for easy and accessible adjustment of the position of the transducer.

Mounting system for a fish finding device


The present invention relates to a torque wrench (1, 2) having an electronic measuring device which detects a prevailing torque by means of strain gauges, having a memory for the storing of measured values and an indicating device which indicates the minimum and maximum values reached by means of light-emitting diodes (5, 6, 7) of different color. In order to be able to use the torque wrench advantageously, in particular in routine work where the precise maintaining of a torque is of importance, the invention proposes that a measured value be stored by actuating an actuating button (8) which also serves to activate the torque wrench (1, 2).

The present invention relates to a torque wrench provided with electronic measurement and indication of torque by strain gauges in a bridge circuit arrangement.
Such torque wrenches are already known in various embodiments. Reference is had in this connection, merely by way of example, to U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,970,155, 4,006,629 and 4,522,075. Furthermore, such a torque wrench is known from French Patent 2 497 347.
The known torque wrenches have the fact in common that they are not yet satisfactory for use with the least possible problems in manufacture, and in installation or maintenance work. Thus, on the one hand, the excessive weight of such torque wrenches is criticized. Furthermore, verification as to whether the torque applied has reached the desired value is not always simple. It is furthermore also desirable to obtain a verification of the work in order to be able to determine whether the desired torques have in each case actually been applied.


An apparatus for handling safety valves used for shutting off high pressure upward flow through drill pipe or tubing. The apparatus includes an adjustable clamp assembly for holding the safety valve; a three-stage double-acting hydraulic extension system to provide horizontal (and optionally, rotational) movement of the safety valve; a telescoping, mechanically-extending stanchion with a stabilizing plate attached to the hydraulic extension system; a stable track assembly for vertical movement of the apparatus; and a positioning arm with a yoke for placement against the drill pipe or tubing, providing a distance measurement used to vertically align the safety valve with the drill pipe or tubing.

The present invention relates to apparatus for handling safety valves used for shutting off high pressure upward flow through drill pipe or tubing.
When an oil well is being drilled, drilling personnel may encounter an unexpected high pressure situation requiring them to install a safety valve into the top of the drill pipe or tubing, from which uncontrolled high pressure fluids and gases are flowing.
Various methods are presently used to attempt such installation. The methods share a common feature of positioning the safety valve over the drill pipe while the valve is suspended by a cable, chain or rope catline. Typically, drilling personnel are required to physically align the end of the safety valve (which can weigh from 50 to 300 pounds) with the top of the drill pipe (which may be 5 to 8 feet off the working floor), while fluids and gases are escaping. If flowing pressures do not exceed 50 psi, the present methods can be successful. However, higher pressures can result in serious injury to personnel, either by movement of the suspended safety valve or impact from blown fragments of sand and gravel. If a safety valve cannot be installed, the only recourse is to allow the blowout to continue until the pressurized fluids are exhausted, or until the formation collapses, with detrimental environmental repercussions.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,189,620, this inventor described apparatus for installing a safety valve. The present invention incorporates an improvement for stabilizing the hydraulic unit in extremely high pressure situations.
The present invention is directed to overcoming the problems associated with installing a suspended safety valve in extremely high pressure situations.
The present invention utilizes a three-stage double-acting hydraulic extension system to hold and stab a safety valve into the top of a drill pipe or tubing during extremely high pressure situation. The hydraulic extension system is mounted on a platform on wheels, which move on a track. Mounted on the platform next to the hydraulic extension system is a telescoping, mechanically-extending stanchion; a plate connects the top portion of the stanchion to the top of the hydraulic extension system. Attached to the hydraulic extension system is an extended arm with a clamp, which holds the safety valve. Also attached to the hydraulic extension system is a positioning arm, which is placed against the drill pipe or tubing in order to vertically align the safety valve. The length of both arms can be adjusted as necessary, by using the locking bolts. When not in use, the arms are out of the way. When the system is activated, the extended arm is rotated into position to align the safety valve directly over the drill pipe or tubing. The three-stage double-acting hydraulic extension system can raise the extension arm high enough vertically (up to 12 feet) to allow the operator to stabilize the safety valve, then lower it, without exposing drilling personnel to the well""s high pressures. The hydraulic unit can exert a downward force in excess of 3,000 psi through the extension arm, thereby preventing an oil well blowout the possibility of a fire, and environmental damage. The stanchion, which extends and retracts along with the hydraulic extensions, prevents any rotational movement of the hydraulic extensions. After lowering the valve into the drill pipe or tubing, the hydraulic extension system can hold the valve in position while a single crew member makes up the valve and closes the well in. Even these functions can be located and operated remotely, so that no drilling personnel need to be near the well during any part of the process. Because the present invention greatly reduces the length of time required to install a safety valve in unexpected high pressure situations, its use greatly improves safety for drilling personnel.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus to hold and stab a safety valve into a drill pipe or tubing when gases and liquids are flowing therefrom in an uncontrolled manner.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus which can be operated remotely, thereby keeping drill personnel away from hazardous conditions.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus which can operate properly and effectively, even in extreme high pressure situations.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus which operates quickly and efficiently to bring a well under control.
Yet another object of the present invention is to shut down a burning oil well, extinguish the fire, and prevent damage to the environment.

Method and apparatus for shutting off upward flow from a conduit


The present invention entails a plant tray that includes a plurality of individual plant cells with each cell having an open top and bottom. Each plant cell is designed to contain and hold a plant growing medium such as peat cake or peat-soil mix. A detachable screen secured to the bottom of the plant tray to provide air-pruning of plant roots can be conveniently removed from the plant tray to facilitate extraction of the individual plants from the plant tray. Air-pruning is the phenomenon in which plant roots emerging through the screen base of the plant tray shrivel due to contacting drier air. This promotes secondary root growth or root branching and eliminates root binding and root tangling resulting in enhanced plant growth. A number of different structural designs are provided for detachably securing the screen to the plant tray. For example, in one embodiment, the plant tray is provided with a plurality of spaced apart openings while the detachable screen is provided with a series of projecting pins that are designed to project into and through the various openings so as to detachably secure the screen to the plant tray structure.

Plant tray structures are widely used in greenhouse and planting operations today. A problem associated with a conventional plant tray is root-tangling or root-binding which deter development of the plant roots after the plants are transplanted. As an example of air-pruning plant growing trays which prevents root-binding, one is referred to the disclosure found U.S. Pat. No. 3,712,252.
One particular important application for plant trays is their use in conjunction with an automatic transplanter such as that disclosed by Dr. Barney K. Huang in U.S. Pat. No. 3,446,164. In such a case, the plant tray includes a series of plant cells that are open about the bottom and top with the plant extending from the top of each individual cell. Because of the particular taper of such a plant tray and because the bottom of the plant tray is open, it has been appreciated that individual plants can be extracted from the bottom of the plant tray and directed into the field by an automatic transplanter. However, one particular problem that has been presented with an open bottom plant tray of the type being discussed; is it is very difficult to confine and hold the plant growing medium, such as peat cake or peat mix, in the plant tray cells, especially during the early phases of the seed germination and root development. Again, it is important from the standpoint of providing air-pruning that the bottom of a plant tray be substantially open. Therefore, there has been and continues to be a need for a plant growing tray that will effectuate air-pruning but will still act to confine and retain the soil growing medium within the tray cells.


The present invention relates to dental apparatus including a fluid reservoir having a connection part, and a fluid reservoir receptor section having a reception part. The connection part includes a cylindrical member, a shaft member slidably arranged through the cylindrical member, and having a channel, a fluid passage defined between the channel and the cylindrical member, and an air passage formed in the cylindrical member for taking external air in. The openings of the fluid and air passages are openable by sliding the shaft member. The reception part includes a passage, a valve in the opening of the passage for taking external air in, and a releaser member for sliding the shaft member to open the openings of the fluid and air passages when the fluid reservoir is installed on the fluid reservoir receptor section.

There are known a fluid reservoir for containing fluid, such as chemicals for dental treatment, and dental apparatus in which such a fluid reservoir is installed for supplying chemicals to a dental handpiece. Such a fluid reservoir and dental apparatus are disclosed in JP-2002-320628-A. The fluid reservoir disclosed in this publication has a connector piece to be fitted in a reception member of the dental apparatus, and the connector piece is provided with two one-way check valves. One of the one-way check valves has a valve ball arranged over a discharge opening of the fluid reservoir. The valve ball is biased by a spring toward a valve seat to close the discharge opening. The other of the one-way check valves also has a valve ball biased by a spring to close an aeration opening. When the fluid is drawn out of the fluid reservoir to produce negative pressure inside the reservoir, the valve ball is pushed up against the biasing force of the spring, and air is taken into the reservoir through a clearance formed between the valve ball and the valve seat to balance the internal pressure of the reservoir.
In the apparatus of JP-2002-320628-A, upon replacing the fluid reservoir, negative pressure may be produced inside the fluid reservoir. Since the fluid reservoir is provided with the aeration one-way check valve, the fluid in the reservoir may flow out through the aeration opening of the valve under the action of the negative pressure. In addition, providing two valves for one fluid reservoir disadvantageously complicates the production process since a larger number of parts are involved. Further, when the interior of the fluid reservoir is washed for repeated use, the two valves provided thereon should be opened and closed for cleaning, which is complicated and bothersome.

Dental apparatus and fluid reservoir for the same


A string wireless sensor 11 comprising a wireless sensor 13, incorporating the transmitting portion, which transmits electric signals by wireless and a string holder (polymer 12) which holds the wireless sensor at a certain distance.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to string wireless sensor using fine wireless sensor and its manufacturing method.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the recent years attention has been paid to the technology of the information collection using many wireless sensors of sesame grain size comprising a wireless communication IC and an antenna as a nano-technology in the various fields.
When detailed information should be collected from a certain field using wires sensors as described in the above, it is possible to collect the information accordingly, if wireless sensors are placed in the field in question. However, it is not advisable to locate the sensors concentrated in a certain field as the cost becomes high, when taking the costs of wireless sensors into consideration. Also, it is not normally necessary to obtain much information from a narrow field, and it is generally useless.
Therefore, in order to use such wireless sensors effectively, it is necessary to distribute the wireless sensors uniformly to a certain degree. However, it is normally difficult to distribute the sensors always almost uniformly.

String wireless sensor and its manufacturing method


A cleaning apparatus having a flicker bar for detoning particles from the cleaning brushes. The flicker bar has an air channel integral therein. The solitary construction and the support bars in the top member of the flicker bar provides a uniform air channel width that is not compromised due to assembly tolerances.

This invention relates generally to an electrostatographic printer or copier, and more particularly concerns a cleaning apparatus used therein.
In an electrophotographic application such as xerography, a charge retentive surface (i.e. photoconductor, photoreceptor or imaging surface) is electrostatically charged, and exposed to a light pattern of an original image to be reproduced to selectively discharge the surface in accordance therewith. The resulting pattern of charged and discharged areas on that surface form an electrostatic charge pattern (an electrostatic latent image) conforming to the original image. The latent image is developed by contacting it with a finely divided electrostatically attractable powder referred to as "toner". Toner is held on the image areas by the electrostatic charge on the surface. Thus, a toner image is produced in conformity with a light image of the original being produced. The toner image may then be transferred to a substrate (e.g., paper), and the image affixed thereto to form a permanent record of the image to be reproduced. Subsequent to development, excess toner left on the charge retentive surface is cleaned from the surface. The process is well known, and useful for light lens copying from an original, and printing applications from electronically generated or stored originals, where a charge surface may be imagewise discharged in a variety of ways. Ion projection devices where a charge is imagewise deposited on a charge retentive substrate operate similarly.
Although a preponderance of the toner forming the image is transferred to the paper during transfer, some toner invariably remains on the charge retentive surface, it being held thereto by relatively high electrostatic and/or mechanical forces. Additionally, paper fibers, Kaolin and other debris have a tendency to be attracted to the charge retentive surface. It is essential for optimum operation that the toner remaining on the surface be cleaned thoroughly therefrom.
A commercially successful mode of cleaning employed on automatic xerographic devices utilizes a rotatable brush that frictionally engages the imaging surface to remove the residual toner and paper particles therefrom.
In brush cleaners such as those in a xerographic cleaner where a rotating brush is used to clean (via mechanical, electrostatic, or other means) toner (or other particles such as carrier beads, paper fibers, etc.) from the photoreceptor (or any other surface for that matter), detoning (or cleaning) the brush is necessary. Air detoning is one method where an air stream is pulled through the brush fibers, carrying away toner (and other collected debris). To enhance the lessening of debris from the brush fibers in this type of system, flicking devices (one or more) are employed to disturb the fibers and a nearby air slot provides the air flow to pull away loosened debris. The mechanical flicking is accomplished by placing some type of "flicker", e.g. a round bar, in the path of the rotating fibers. The location of "flicker bar" relative to an air slot, i.e. upstream and/or downstream may have different effects on the overall detoning performance, but will depend on the specific application. Typically, the flicker bar is considered a high wear item and requires replacement at specified intervals.
Various problems exist with the present cleaner brush detoning systems. In some systems, a flicker bar may be positioned on one side of an air passage with the other side formed by a separate part, leading to assembly-to-assembly variations in the air passage size and negatively affecting air flow characteristics that can result in clogging of the air passage. When the air passage is clogged, additional servicing (beyond servicing of the flicker bar) is required to clear the air passage. Normally, the flicker bar can only be accessed after some degree of disassembly which results in high service costs.
The following disclosures may be relevant to various aspects of the present invention and may be briefly summarized as follows:
U.S. Pat. No. 3,706,108 to Taylor discloses removing residual toner particles from a photoconductive surface using a rotating brush that contacts the surface. Removal of the residual toner particles from the brush fibers is assisted by applying a bias voltage to the brush to attract the toner particles to the brush and by using a flicker bar to loosen the toner particles from the cleaning blades.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,123,154 to Fisher discloses a cleaning apparatus wherein a flicker element removes residual material from a cleaner element. The flicker element works together with a corona charging device to neutralize the charge on the toner to aid in removal of the toner from the cleaning element.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,435,073 to Miller shows a cleaning brush with a plurality of flicker bars, at least one of which is fabricated from a material that will cause the charge on the brush to reverse at least once for every revolution of the brush, such reversal taking place while the brush fibers are subject to a toner removing airflow.

Flicker bar with an integral air channel


A fume-dispersing device and welder combination for removing unwanted gases from a welding work area comprises a welder including a grip portion having an axis, and a welding tip extending in an axial direction from said grip portion and providing a distal welding end that affects a welding operation; and a fume-dispersing device including a fume dispersion tube recessed axially from said distal end of said welding tip and providing an open end. A method is provided employing such a device.

Welding technology comprises a variety of methods to melt metal for joining two or more pieces of metal together into a unified piece. One major category of welding includes gas-assisted welding, wherein a quantity of inert gas is constantly delivered to the welding work area to prevent the work area from being fouled by contaminants in the ambient atmosphere and to stabilize the arc and molten metal at the point of welding. Such welding is commonly referred to as MIG (metal inert gas arc welding) or TIG (tungsten inert gas arc welding).
With MIG and TIG welding, the shielding gas is typically argon, and this gas, sometimes along with other types of supplemental gases, accumulates within the work area, posing a health and safety risk. These excess gases must be removed from the general work area so as not to interfere with the integrity of the gas shield or affect the weldor's health and ability to perform high quality welding.
As is well known, virtually all welding techniques employ gases and/or produce fumes (for example, through the burning of flux material) that can accumulate at the work area to a level at which they irrate the eyes and respiratory systems of the weldor and other nearby weldors and workers. Prolonged exposure to such gases can lead to persistent irritation of the eyes, respiratory system, and other organs, and, in some cases, to long-term or permanent afflictions of these organs and systems. Welding techniques include gas welding and electric welding. Gas welding includes the use of such welders as oxygen-propane torches and oxygen-acetylene welder, whether manual or mechanical. Electric welding includes the use of such welders as AC arc welders, DC arc welders, plasma arc welders, MIG welders, TIG welders, Mig spool gun welders, whether manual or mechanical. It will be appreciated that the invention to be described herein may be adapted for use in any of these and other welding operations.
Although the prior art contains numerous fume and gas extracting devices for welding, they are generally elaborate in design and cumbersome to use, containing features that limit their practical use and flexibility in various welding applications. They also focus on an actual vacuum extraction of the gases from the work area to a remote location, rather than focusing merely on removing the gases from within the immediate work area and around the weldor. Many of the devices can actually get in the way of the welding process, particularly in tight work areas. The designs of the prior art are exemplified by the following patents: U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,911,242; 5,007,664; 5,079,404; 5,313,039; 5,511,764; 5,807,414; 5,896,579; and 6,060,689.
In light of the foregoing, there is a need in the art for a device that can prevent the excess accumulation of gases and fumes associated with various forms of welding. There further exists a need for such a device to be portable, preferably carried as part of the welding device(s). Inasmuch as various welding devices currently exist, a device addressing this need in the art should also be capable of being retrofit to such existing welding device.

Less smoke fume-dispersing device for welding operations


A molded and undivided medical penetrating device comprises a first portion and a second substantially tubular portion having an outer surface, a proximal end and a distal end. The proximal end of the second substantially tubular portion of the device is joined to and is integral with the first portion of the device and is adapted to be maintained essentially outside a body while the first portion of the device is adapted to be retained within the interior of the body. The device includes an opening that extends through the first and second portions of the device and provides access to the interior of the body from outside the body. The opening and the outer surface of the substantially tubular second portion of the device define a wall that is thinner at the proximal end of the second portion than towards the distal end of the second portion.

The present invention relates to medical penetrating devices and in particular to molded and undivided medical penetrating devices that are adapted for insertion into a body cavity.
Certain medical conditions require the use of medical penetrating devices that are adapted to be inserted into a body cavity through an opening in the body. Examples of medical procedures where such medical penetrating devices may be employed for providing access to body viscera include, for example, ileostomies, jejunostomies, cystostomies and other urological procedures such as procedures for draining a bladder for example. In particular, gastrostomy devices are designed to penetrate through an opening, typically made by an incision, in the wall of the abdomen into the stomach of a patient. The gastrostomy device thereby provides access to the patient's stomach from outside so that the patient can be furnished with necessary fluids such as nutrients and medications. Such medical penetrating devices also can be used for decompression of the gut and to provide a means of access in connection with various examining procedures such as endoscopic examinations for example.

Molded and undivided medical penetrating device


A display apparatus includes a display unit which displays a content video thereon; a communication unit which communicates with an external server providing a social networking service (SNS); and a controller which receives from the external server feedback information of a part of a playing section of the content video based on feedback information of a plurality of users with respect to the content video, the feedback information being collected through the SNS, and provides feedback information of a user regarding the part of the playing section while the content video is played.

1. Field
Apparatuses and methods consistent with the exemplary embodiments relate to a display apparatus which plays and displays a content video transmitted from the outside, an apparatus for providing a content video and control methods thereof, and more particularly, to a display apparatus, an apparatus for providing a content video and control methods thereof which provide various users' preferences, opinions and other information for a predetermined content video.
2. Description of the Related Art
A display apparatus processes an image signal, which is input from an external image supply source by various methods, and displays an image on a display panel, such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) panel, based on the processed image signal. A display apparatus which is provided to users may include a TV or a monitor. For example, a display apparatus which is realized as a TV may provide an image of a desired broadcasting channel by processing a broadcasting signal transmitted by transmission equipment of a broadcasting station through various processing operations such as tuning and decoding operations, or may receive a digital content video from a streaming server and display the video.
If the display apparatus receives a content video from a streaming server and displays the content video, the content video may have a large quantity of data due to various features, such as contents, type, resolution and picture quality. For example, if the content video is a movie, a normal playing time typically exceeds one hour. If the content video is a high-resolution and high-quality video, the data quantity increases relatively. Even if communication conditions for the display apparatus and the streaming server guarantee a fast transmission speed, a large content video causes various problems regarding downloading time from the streaming server to the display apparatus, communication traffic at the time of downloading the content video, a system load to the display apparatus and the streaming server due to the downloading, etc.
Thus, the streaming server additionally provides an image belonging to a part of an entire playing section of the content video, i.e., a preview image. Prior to the reception of the content video, the display apparatus receives the preview image of the content video and provides a user with the preview image to enable a user to determine whether to receive, play and display the content video in the display apparatus.

Display apparatus, apparatus for providing content video and control methods thereof


A self cleaning filter for aqueous media such as sewage effluent which comprises a ventilated bed of discrete filtration material such as particulates, finely ground or shredded non-oil plastic materials, clay particulates, ground zeolite, diatomaceous earth powdered activated carbon, short fibre carbon and fine crushed charcoal, in which is dispersed a population of living organisms such as worms, insects, mothfly larvae, collembola, crustaceans and mites, which organisms have the ability to maintain at least a surface layer of the bed in an open and aerobic state.

THIS INVENTION relates to filters, particularly to self cleansing filters for aqueous media.
Aqueous media such as sewage effluent, water for consumption, swimming pool water, industrial effluent, aquaculture pond water and the like, are commonly filtered with particulate filtering materials such as sand, in order to remove suspended solids and biologically active material. Such filtering materials have the disadvantage that they are prone to clogging due to microbial growth on the surface of the filter bed where the organic matter from the raw aqueous media is retained and exposed to oxygen and endemic microbes.
Many sophisticated arrangements have been devised to address this problem of clogging, including moving bed filters, raking devices for the particulate bed surface, and other physical means which break up the filter material.
The use of relatively coarse filtering material and the expansion of the infiltration area have also been used. Unfortunately such methods generally involve high maintenance and have lower treatment performance and typically high construction costs. There is also the need to replenish the upper layers of the particulate filtering material from time to time.


The present application relates to a method for producing at least one component for a hydraulic displacement unit, wherein the method is characterized by the steps: prefabrication of a blank component for the at least one component, wherein at least one defined surface region of the blank component is fabricated intentionally with oversize, surface-hardening of the blank component, and final forming of the component from the hardened blank component by removal of the excessive material at the at least one defined surface region fabricated with oversize.

Certain components for hydraulic displacement units, such as axial piston machines, are hardened after production of the final shape in order to be able to meet the high demands in regards to material strength and durability. Known are methods for the overall hardening of a component as well as for the partial hardening of merely specific surface portions of the component. Depending on the profile shape of the components, such as in the region of concave portions, abrupt changes of the obtained degree of hardness can occur in the material structure. Such abrupt transitions pose a weakness of the material in any case, and in view of the bending and torsion forces acting on the component.
One example for such a component is the drive shaft of a hydraulic displacement unit, such as the drive shaft of an axial piston machine. The said drive shaft is subject to high stress due to high absolute values and high time gradients of the torsional moment, to a longitudinal bending, as well as to tensile stress and pressure loads in the longitudinal direction. An increased risk for rupture exists, e.g. in notches present in the components, such as in those transitions of the component where the hardness of the material changes abruptly. It is therefore desirable to prevent such abrupt changes of the material hardness.
Surface hardening is also problematic in those components that have to be formed in the assembly of the displacement unit, e.g. in order to be joined or connected to complementary components, such as is the case in a ball joint connection. In this case, microcracks can occur in the surface structure in the hardened surface already in the joining process. One example for this may be presented by an axial piston machine, in which the pistons are provided with sliding blocks for hydrostatic relief of engines and actuators. The connection between the piston and its sliding block occurs through a ball joint connection.
Piston/sliding block units, in which the ball head is connected to the sliding block in an integral manner and in which the ball sits on the piston, require a higher production effort, but also allow higher oblique angles (also referred to as setting angles) of the sliding block surface. Operation of piston engines with higher oblique angles leads to better effects and to an increase of their power density. The piston/sliding-block units used in engines of piston machines are subjected to stress alternately due to high pressure and tensile forces acting in axial and vertical directions. Without limitation, the causes therefore are as follows:
In operation of the engine, the piston/sliding-block unit is applied with the oil pressure at the high-pressure side.
In operation of the pump, pressure is applied to the oil by the pistons at the high-pressure side, whereas at the low-pressure side, the pistons generate the negative pressure required for suctioning the oil and are therefore subject to a tensile force.
Irrespective of whether a piston machine is operated as a pump or as an engine, friction forces occur between the side wall of the piston and the engine bushing; likewise between the sliding block surface and the support surface thereof.
The resulting axial and radial forces exert stress on a piston/sliding-block unit and therefore also on the ball joint connection not only with absolute values, but also by fast changes in these forces, so-called transients. The latter are, amongst other things, created by pressure pulses in the hydraulic oil circuit, which are not completely prevented; likewise in the case of a pump operation by transient changes of the supplied mechanical power, and in the case of engine operation by transient changes of the mechanical load.
As is the case in rotary machines, also in piston engines increased performance can be achieved in a more cost-effective manner by means of specific measures which allow for operation with increased rotating speed, in contrast to the designing of the machine from the very beginning for an operating range that allows higher torques. However, an increase in rotating speed results in an increase of the centrifugal forces originating from the piston/sliding-block units, which on the one hand apply the piston and the cylinder directly-mechanically or indirectly mechanically-thermally due to the increase of the frictional force as well as effect a higher mechanical stress of the piston retraction direction and also of the ball joint connections of the piston/sliding-block units.
A measure for increasing the allowable speed range of axial piston machines effective in multiple regards lies with the weight reduction of the pistons used in the engine, which can compensate the centrifugal forces originating therefrom and therefore also the negative consequences mentioned-above. For a long time, the pistons used in engines are formed in lightweight design as hollow pistons, wherein the hollow space is sealed in an oil-tight manner. Despite the fact that the weight reduction of the pistons by the creation of larger voids causes a reduction in the forces applied to the pistons, there is a trade-off between the lightweight construction and the durability of the pistons. FIG. 1 shows an example for a piston 1 provided with a hollow space in a piston/sliding-block unit, with the sliding block denoted with reference character 2. When making the ball joint connection, the protruding collar 1a of the recess for receiving the ball head 2a is deformed accordingly, whereby an inner surface is created in the forming region, which surface constitutes an exactly-shaped extension of the spherical cap 1b for enclosing the ball head 2a. Illustrated here is a suitable tool for forming the collar 1a. It goes without saying that the ball head 2a and the spherical cap 1b have smooth surfaces to avoid wear to a largest possible extent. Furthermore, the ball head 2a and the wall of the cap 1b have a certain strength in order that the surfaces in the connection region of the ball joint connection possibly do not change at all during the use, and to prevent a rupture of the connection.
The forming region of the protruding collar 1a of the recess for enclosing the ball head 2a constitutes a weakness region of a ball joint connection. Owing to forces acting between the ball head 2a and the cap 1b, there is a risk for material rupture damage in the forming region. Owing to pressure forces between the ball head 2a and the spherical cap 1b, the surface region can collapse, according to the principle of the so-called "eggshell effect." Besides such obvious defects, microcracks can occur already in production when inserting the ball head 2a. A break-loose of the material or of parts of the material upon insertion and over the period of use leads to a slow but progressive damage, even in smaller amounts, which then causes a fast ageing of the joint connection. Instead of a rupture or abrasion of the material, a slowly-progressive widening of the forming region can occur. In view of the long period of use of piston engines used in commercial applications, e.g. in the construction form of an axial piston engine functioning as an hydraulic pump or as an hydraulic engine, in a mobile working machine, also slowly-occurring damages might be prevented in ball joint connections of their piston/sliding block units by means of a corresponding quality of the components, because these damages continue in a progressive manner and may lead to an early destruction of the concerned piston/sliding block unit, or to an early failure of the mobile working machine.
It is therefore the object of the present application to provide a production method for components of a hydraulic displacement unit, which reacts to the above-mentioned drawbacks. A focus of the application also lies with the provision of a corresponding ball joint connection or a suitable production method for a ball joint connection, by means of which the above described disadvantages of existing solutions of the conventional art can be overcome.
The subject-matter of the application is a method for producing a component for a hydraulic displacement unit, such as an axial piston machine. The objective of the method lies with achieving a specific hardness profile at the surface of the component, which can in any case be exactly optimized by the method individually dependent upon the type of component and use.
According to the application, it is provided to that end that a blank component for the at least one component is prefabricated intentionally with oversize on at least one defined surface region. For example, a blank of the component is to be produced from a blank body by means of a machining method such as drilling or turning. However, defined surface regions of the components are intentionally prefabricated with oversize, while the remaining sub-regions of the components may already produced in their final size. The component is subsequently surface-hardened.
The final forming of the component follows the hardening process. At least the excessive material is removed at the at least one defined surface region of the component that had been produced with oversize. The material removal can be effected by means of a machining method. By the subsequent material removal, the previously achieved surface hardness can be reduced in a targeted manner again. This achieves a component which is characterized by subregions of its surface with different degrees of hardness. One feature of the method according to the application lies with the fact that surface regions directly adjacent to one another can be produced to have different material hardness by means of this method.
Consequently, the finished component can be provided with different, clearly-defined and thus optimized material hardness depending on the area. A continuous transition from strongly-hardened to less strongly hardened or completely unhardened component surface regions can ideally be achieved by means of the controlled removal of the oversize along the component surface.
A use of the method is reasonable in those components of the displacement unit that need to be formed in certain subregions for the mounting of the displacement machine, for example in order to produce a connection to corresponding counterparts. In components that are joined with mating parts by cold-forming, the surface hardness in the forming region can be optimized by means of the method, in order to avoid the disadvantages described with regard to the conventional art.
Another aspect of the application proposes a method for producing a ball joint connection consisting of a first joint part with a ball head and a second joint part with a complementary ball head receptacle. Even though reference was initially made to such a connection between a piston and a sliding block of an axial piston machine, this aspect of the application is not at all limited to such an application, because the solution according to the application can be used for any ball joint connections concerned by the drawbacks mentioned at the beginning.
According to this configuration and application of the method, it is proposed to produce a first and/or second blank joint part of the ball joint connection in a prefabrication step. A blank of the first and/or second joint part is to be produced from a blank body by means of a machining method such as drilling or turning, for example. However, defined surface regions of the first and/or second blank joint part are intentionally prefabricated with oversize, while the remaining subregions of the respective blank joint part are might be produced with their final size already.
The first and/or second blank joint part is subsequently surface-hardened.
After the hardening process, the final forming of first and/or second joint part is effected. At least the excessive material is removed from the at least one defined surface region of the first and/or second blank joint part that has been produced with oversize. The material removal can occur by means of a machining method. The previously achieved surface hardening can be reduced again by the subsequent material removal, in a controlled manner. This achieves a first and/or second joint part, which is characterized by subregions of its surface with different hardness degree. A feature of the method according to the application lies with the fact that surface regions directly adjacent to one another can be produced to have a different material hardness by means of this procedure.
In the final step, the joint parts are joined and at least one joint part is correspondingly formed for establishing the ball-joint connection. By the use of the method according to the application, a region to be formed of the joint part is distinguished by a reduced surface hardness while producing a ball-joint connection. The resulting sufficient ductility of the material in this region is a prerequisite for a plastic formability, free of cracks, of the material, whereby also a cold-forming, e.g. by rolling-in, rolling or bending of the joint part becomes possible without material deterioration. The remaining subregions of the joint part, at least those subregions that are stressed by the axial and radial forces occurring in operation, have a sufficient surface hardness by the hardening process. Where required or appropriate, the hardened surfaces can be smoothened in an intense manner by suitable processes and measures in order to reduce friction and wear.
The ball head receptacle of the second blank joint part might have a calotte shape after prefabrication, adjoined by a protruding collar. This producing collar is to be formable in such a way, after the joining of the joint parts by forming, that it at least partially engages behind the received ball head. As a result, the forming of the protruding collar is to complete the calotte shape for receiving the ball head, so that a sufficient stability of the joint connection can be achieved. It can thus be reasonable when at least a subregion of the protruding collar is prefabricated with oversize, so that after the hardening process, the material hardening initially achieved on the existing surface can be reduced by means of a corresponding material removal, whereby even in the case of cold-forming, a plastic deformability of the collar which is free of cracks for the subsequent forming process by a sufficiently high ductility of the said collar.
In an configuration of the method, the prefabrication of the blank joint part with oversize occurs in such a way that the surface of the collar, which engages behind and contacts the ball head after the cold-forming process, includes a subsection with a surface hardness which is higher than that of the remaining section of the surface contacting the ball head after the cold-forming. On the one hand, the joining region of the workpiece (collar), where the cold-forming takes place directly, is to have a relatively low hardness. On the other hand, after inserting the ball head into the ball head receptacle and cold-forming of the collar, a contact surface of the said subregion exists toward the ball head. By providing a suitably selected allowance in the designing of the shape of the blank joint part, a part of the hardened zone can be removed after material removal which occurs after the hardening process and, as a result, a hardened layer of a desired thickness htf can be maintained. The sub-portion might not extend all the way to the end of the collar facing the first joint part, but it is not excluded.
A first and/or second joint part is/are made of a material having high ductility shows advantages. However, a sufficient surface hardness is to be achievable for this material by means of a suitable hardening process. The hardening process is usually effected by means of a heat treatment. Suitable methods are, for example, nitration, gas nitration, gas nitro carbonation, or plasma nitration.
According to a configuration of the application, the ball head receptacle of the second blank joint part, i.e. the surface or wall of the blank joint part forming the recess/receptacle, is prefabricated with a bulge-like oversize, such as with an annular bulge, which extends along the surface of the second joint part forming the calotte shape.
After the hardening process, the material forming the bulge at the collar can be removed along with the finishing, so that the material hardness is reduced at the collar along this longitudinal section. According to a configuration, the material removal can progress along the bulge so far that it is not only fully removed, but finally an annular groove develops in the surface that forms the ball receptacle. As a result, due to the relatively high material removal, a groove is produced, the surface of which has a strongly reduced material hardness. Such as, an annular internal groove is produced in the surface of the second joint part forming the ball calotte. The purpose of this design lies with the prevention that the forces to be applied by the tools are introduced into the wall region that is already form-fittingly adapted to the ball head or no forming at all is caused in this region. The latter would logically lead to a potential jamming of the ball head connection. The mere introduction of forces into this hardened and thus brittle region could trigger small amounts of material or material fractions to break-out.
According to a configuration of the application, the bulge-like oversize is configured with tangent-like transitions, i.e. the contour of the bulge does not have or has only few edges, and is thus distinguished by a substantially edgeless contour.
According to a further embodiment of the method, at least one joint part of the ball joint connection according to the application, such as the second joint part, is preformed to have a cylindrical or almost cylindrical shape. This can be the case in the fabrication of the piston-sliding block unit described at the beginning, wherein the second joint part corresponds to the piston of a piston machine here. Part of the external cylinder wall of the blank joint part forms a part of the protruding collar. The external cylinder wall is removed in sections in the region of the collar during the final forming, so that a surface with reduced hardness for the subsequent cold-forming is produced here. In contrast, the remaining external cylinder wall is distinguished by maximum surface hardness achievable in the hardening process.
In addition, it is also conceivable that the external cylinder wall is fabricated with a larger diameter in the region of the collar to further reduce the surface hardness by larger material removal.
Besides the method according to the application, the present application also relates to a ball joint connection consisting of two joint parts, with a first joint part, which comprises a ball head, and a second joint part, which provides a ball head receptacle. According to the application, the ball joint connection is characterized in that the surface forming the ball head receptacle has regions of different surface hardness. Such as, the ball joint connection is characterized by neighboring surface regions with deviating material hardness.
According to a configuration of the application, the ball joint connection is produced by means of a method according to the present application or a configuration of the method according to the application. As a result, the ball joint connection is characterized by the same advantages and properties as have been described above based upon the method according to the application. For this reason, a repeated description is omitted.
According to a configuration of the ball joint connection, at least one groove, such as an annular groove, is provided in the calotte-shaped wall of the ball head receptacle, wherein this annular groove is characterized by a reduced surface hardness compared to the calotte-shaped wall.
Furthermore, a protruding collar adjoining the calotte shape can be provided, the surface hardness of which is at least sectionally reduced compared to the calotte-shaped wall.
Moreover, at least one joint part of the ball joint connection according to the application is formed in cylindrical shape, wherein its circumferential cylindrical surface predominantly is present with high surface hardness. Furthermore, it can be possible that a part of the external cylinder wall of the joint part forms a part of the protruding collar. In this case, the region of the external cylinder wall representing the collar is characterized by a reduced surface hardness. The external wall of the joint part usually has a reduced diameter in the collar region.
According to an configuration, the surface of the collar of the second joint part that engages behind and contacts the ball head can include a subsection with a surface hardness higher with respect to the remaining section of the surface engaging behind the ball head. On the one hand, the joining region of the joint part, in which the cold-forming directly occurs, is to have a (comparatively) low hardness. On the other hand, after inserting the ball head, a contact surface toward the ball head exists in the subregion concerned here. In order to take account for this point, there actually is hardened material in this subregion in a completed piston according to the application, but with a significantly lower hardness or a hardened layer with a significantly lower thickness hrt than in the regions of the high material hardness, e.g. the shell of the piston contacting the bushing of the engine. The subsection with the low material hardness can extend all the way to the end of the collar facing the first joint part, or might not reach as far as to the said end.
According to an configuration, this subregion might have a hardening depth htf in the range from 0.02 to 0.7 mm, or in the range from 0.02 mm to 0.25 mm. A surface hardness for this subregion in the range between 300 HV and 1000 HV is advantageous, further benefits might arise between 300 HV and 600 HV or 300 HV and 500 HV. The length ratio between the distance of the central axis of an annular internal groove and the end of the collar facing the first joint part, and the distance of the subregion from the end of the collar facing the first joint part is in the range between 0 and 40%, 0 and 35%, or 0 and 30%.
The application also relates to a sliding-block-piston unit with a ball joint connection. In an embodiment, the first joint part corresponds to the sliding block and the second joint part corresponds to the piston. Ideally, the sliding-block-piston unit is fabricated according to the method according to the application.
However, the method according to the application can not only be used for the production of components with forming region, but can also be used for the production of those components in which an increased strength can be achieved by a location-dependent adjustment of the material hardness. A specific example for that is the production of a drive shaft for a hydraulic displacement unit, such as for an axial piston machine.
A drive shaft is subject to high stress by high absolute values and high time gradients of the torsional moment, a longitudinal bending as well as tensile and pressure forces in the longitudinal direction. Such a drive shaft usually comprises one or multiple concave portions along its axis direction, e.g. in the form of a tapering-diameter recess for receiving a securing ring. With respect to the bending and the torsional moments, such concave sections are weak points of the shaft. A higher risk of rupture exists, inter alia, in notches existing in the component, and on those transitions of the component where the material hardness changes abruptly.
To that end, the blank of the drive shaft is formed with oversize, namely on the point of the drive shaft where such a concave portion is provided afterwards after completed final forming. After the surface hardening, the excessive material can be removed during the final forming at the at least one defined surface region of the drive shaft that has been produced with oversize, in order to obtain the desired concave portion. By the subsequent material removal, however, the previously achieved surface hardness is reduced in a controlled manner at the same time, so that ideally a continuous transition from strongly hardened to less strongly hardened and completely unhardened component surface regions is finally achieved. This prevents the weak points of the component, i.e. the drive shaft, caused by the notch effect, which result from direct transitions from strong-hardened to unhardened component regions. Furthermore, the gradient of the course of hardness starting from the component surface into the component interior can be set.
It is also conceivable that the at least one defined surface region intentionally produced with oversize is located in a place of the drive shaft which, in the final-formed state, is directly adjacent a concave and tapering-diameter region. The exact position of the surface region and the dimensioning of the oversize clearly depends on the desired final form of the drive shaft, the desired hardness degree as well as on the type of the hardening process performed.
For example, a convex material bulge is provided as an oversize of the blank in the defined surface region, the maximum of which bulge is located in the position where this drive shaft has its maximum depression/taper in the final-formed state. The blank might be globally hardened afterwards, potentially through nitration, gas nitration, gas nitro carbonation, or plasma nitration.
It is also conceivable to provide at least one convex material bulge, as an oversize of the blank, in the transition to a concave/tapering-diameter section of the drive shaft. The concave/tapering-diameter section usually exists in the blank already, merely the transition area from the non-tapered region to the tapered region is post-processed in the way of final forming. A partial hardening of the surface region lends itself for such a procedure, namely of a longitudinal section of the drive shaft, which reaches from the non-concave or non-tapering-diameter section all the way to the convex material bulge. A partial hardening is potentially made by means of induction hardening and/or laser beam hardening and/or electron beam hardening.
As has been described multiple times, a drive shaft is subject to high stress in the region of specific sections. For example, a high local stress occurs by the abutting of the drive shaft drum in an axial piston machine, which introduces the transversal forces into the drive shaft, which in turn result from the supporting of the pistons on the swashed plate. Furthermore, the by far largest portion of the torsional moment is produced along a drive shaft between the shaft input (i.e. the toothing of the drive shaft outside the housing) and the shaft toothing with which the drum is connected to the drive shaft in a form-fit and co-rotational manner. Due to this high stress of this longitudinal section, measures for preventing any notch stress is desirable.
The problem can be addressed by creating a longitudinal section of the drive shaft for stress handling. By an variant of the method according to the application, instead of a completely hardened drive shaft, a drive shaft with a specific hardness profile in the axial direction can be realized. The surface profile is adjusted in such a way here that material stress occurring in the component during regular operation of the displacement unit, such as of the axial piston machine, can be handled. Potentially, a higher stress resistance and durability of the drive shaft can be achieved if the drive shaft has a hardness profile advantageous in the axial direction within two longitudinal sections, which are located directly next to the toothing for the form-fit and co-rotational connection of a drive shaft drum, with a hardness degree HV(x)≤Max [HV(x)]. The surface of the drive shaft has a material hardness of Max [HV(x)] outside these longitudinal sections.
To that end, a blank of the drive shaft is produced, for example, in which an oversize is provided in the regions of the drive shaft, which are directly adjacent or in direct proximity to the toothing of the drive shaft. By the final forming after surface hardening, the above mentioned hardness profile can be achieved there, in order to support the handling of stress.
The surface hardening of the engine shaft can be carried out by means of global surface hardening of the blank, e.g. by means of nitration, gas nitration, gas nitro carbonation or plasma nitration, or, instead, by a partial hardening of the one or multiple longitudinal sections including the toothing, e.g. by means of induction hardening and/or laser beam hardening and/or electron beam hardening.
Besides the method according to the application for fabricating the drive shaft, the application also discloses a drive shaft which exhibits a material hardness profile with varying hardness degree in the longitudinal direction, wherein the resulting hardness profile potentially does not have abrupt changes of the hardness degree, but instead a tangentially-constant course of the hardness degree in the axial direction.
Further advantages and properties of the application will hereinafter be explained in more detail by means of an exemplary embodiment illustrated in the drawings. The

Method for producing at least one component for a hydraulic displacement unit


A method of optically scanning indicia on an object includes providing a coherent light source for illuminating the object with coherent light. The object is marked with indicia including a first feature and a second feature, with the first feature including reflection of coherent light and said second feature including emittance of non-coherent light when illuminated. An imaging device is capable of distinguishing coherent light from non-coherent light. The indicia are illuminated with coherent light generated by the coherent light source causing the indicia to reflect coherent light and emit non-coherent light. The coherent light is distinguished from the non-coherent light emitted from the indicia by a controller for identifying a pattern of one of said first feature and said second feature.

The use of indicia (coded markings) in the form of barcodes and QR markers have increased rapidly in manufacturing environments in recent years where indicia were previously primarily used in consumer markets. Indicia in this form have been used to identify products or objects to assist merchants in managing inventory and identifying the products at a point of purchase. In order to obtain an accurate scan of the barcode, and more recently QR marker that are usually affixed to a label, the label must be placed in close proximity to a barcode scanner. If the close proximity between the indicia and scanner is not achieved, the scanning process has proven unreliable.
More recently, the use of indicia in manufacturing has proven useful for quality control and to manage inventory in a factory or manufacturing setting. Assuring the proper part has been assembled to workpiece and signaling a controller a part has been removed from inventory has proven beneficial. However, the added step of scanning indicia due to proximity requirements has proven inefficient. In some instances a handheld scanner capable of wireless transmissions has been used. However, these handheld scanners are cumbersome and still require closes proximity to the indicia to work effectively. Alternatively, a stationary scanner is used that requires an operator to move the indicia into close proximity to the scanner, Which adds a step to the assembly process and reduces efficiency.
Attempts to reduce the inefficiency of using a close proximity scanner has, to date, proven futile. Long range scanning of indicia has proven futile as a method of eliminating the use of handheld scanners or close proximity scanning stations. Long range scanning would be particularly useful as quality control verification in the construction of composite assemblies where hundreds or even thousands of individual pieces of ply are layered over a mandrel. These pieces are often indistinguishable by appearance alone. Presently, attempts to use indicia to identify each piece by interpreting indicia disposed upon backing paper haven proven a hindrance to manufacturing efficiency due to the necessity of close proximity scanning. After a piece has been identified, further efficiencies can be achieved when a location for placement of the piece on the mandrel can be indicated by a laser projecting an outline using a laser projector of the type and process disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 9,200,899 LASER PROJECTOR SYSTEM AND METHOD, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Proper confirmation of which piece has been selected by an operator is critical for meeting quality standards, particularly in aerospace applications. Improper part identification or placement can result in catastrophic failure of an aerospace component. Close proximity indicia scanning can be utilized during manufacturing small components, such as, for example turbine blades. However, larger components, such as, for example engine cowling or wings require transporting individual pieces to and from a close proximity scanner causing unreasonable process delays. A similar situation is known of moving assembly lines in automotive assembly and related factories where indicia are used to verify part selection.
Ambient light causes additional qualitative anomalies when attempting to scan indicia in manufacturing environments, not limited to, but particularly long range scanning. A common method of scanning indicia for the purpose of identifying a product or part is by way of a flying laser spot. In this example, a laser scans indicia and return intensity is recorded while scanning. A laser is useful in close proximity scanning because a beam of light from the laser projector can be focused on a very fine focus. The fine focus can be useful in overcoming high intensity of ambient light.
However, a laser beam has an inherent disadvantage in that laser speckle that is typical of any laser beam disrupts the ability to discriminate the contrast of returned light. This is best represented in FIG. 1 where the laser speckle generates a blurred response that is inherently inaccurate for high precisions scanning, which is required of long range barcode interpretation. This problem is only compounded when attempting long range scanning. Even integrating high precision cameras cannot overcome the problems associated with laser speckle. Therefore, it would be desirable to develop a process for scanning indicia at long ranges to identify parts without required additional steps and handling to assure an accurate scan.

Long range barcode scanning through conversion of coherent light


In a hydraulic brake system, which includes: a hydraulic pump which is driven by an electric motor and has the purpose of generating a fluid volume flow for the hydraulic brake system; and a solenoid valve for controlling the fluid volume flow from the hydraulic pump to a wheel brake, a method includes actuating the solenoid valve in such a way that by this means a fluid pulsation at the wheel brake is counteracted. Furthermore, the method may be implemented in a corresponding device.

Driver assistance systems such as ESP require valves and a pressure supply unit in order to actively engage in the pressure modulation of the wheel brake calipers. These valves are usually embodied as solenoid valves which are firstly configured to regulate a predefined differential pressure and therefore have a very low hydraulic resistance. The design of a pressure supply unit which is used most frequently is the radial piston pump in combination with an eccentric which is driven by an electric motor. When operation at a constant rotational speed occurs, intake phases and delivery phases of the pump alternate periodically, wherein in an ideal case the volume flow respectively has a half-sine profile. In real operation, these profiles are however, also influenced by the behaviour of the inlet and outlet values. The delivered volume flow is, owing to the design, not constant over time but rather in an ideal case has a half-sine profile. These fluctuations give rise to audible pressure pulsations and, depending on the vehicle, can also give rise to perceptible vibrations at the steering wheel ("juddering").
In addition to the pulsations as a result of the half-sine profile, pressure peaks occur on the suction side as a result of air outgassing effects, while on the pressure side high-frequency pulsations are caused by the pump outlet valve (pump rattling). The pulsations are transmitted into the vehicle passenger compartment via structural vibrations of the hydraulic lines and are perceived as disturbing noises by the driver. This correspondingly has an NVH (noise-vibration-harshness) problem. In order to reduce the high-frequency pulsations which cause this, low-pass filter components (series connection of a capacitance and a throttle) can be installed. Disadvantages here are the costs of the damping measure, and also the throttle results in an additional load for the pump and motor.

Method and device for controlling a hydraulic brake system