A signal processing device for processing a machine vibration signal includes a peak value detector for determining the peak vibration amplitude values during predetermined sample time periods. In one embodiment, the vibration signal is digitally processed prior to receipt by a digital peak value detector. In another embodiment, analog processing and peak value detection of the vibration signal is employed. The peak values are then made available for further processing. In many situations, the peak values will be associated with mechanical faults which will be detected at periodic rates corresponding to the mechanical component defect frequencies without additional signal enhancement. Further enhancement can be acquired by synchronous averaging the peak values with the speed of a rotating element. A signal representing the speed of a rotating element (target element) may be obtained directly from a speed sensor that is measuring the speed of the target element, or if the target element is inaccessible, a corrected pseudo-speed signal can be calculated from the speed of an accessible rotating element that is linked to the target element. Transformation of synchronous amplitudes to the frequency domain by means of a fast Fourier transform reveals information that can be used to assess whether or not a fault is present in the rotating machine element.

Today, most manufacturing processes require complex industrial machines utilizing rotating or reciprocating elements. The efficient operation and maintenance of these machines is essential to maximizing production and minimizing downtime. When a rotating machine element acquires a defect, that defect is seldom catastrophic at onset. Instead, the defect is usually of a latent or incipient nature, such as a hairline fracture in the tooth of a gear. Notwithstanding a probable reduction in the efficiency of the machine, if such a fault is not detected, isolated, and repaired it could grow into a catastrophic failure of the machine with resultant loss of production and possible injury to personnel. Unfortunately, due to the noise generated by these machines and the acoustic environment in which they normally operate, it is often difficult if not impossible to detect latent or even incipient defects in rotating elements of the machine by visual or aural inspection. Further complicating the detection of such faults is that faulty components may be hidden from view, such as a single gear in an enclosed gearbox.
It is desirable to detect and locate faults while the machine is operating in its normal environment so as not to interfere with the production process. Taking the machine off line to perform predictive maintenance creates an undesirable and inefficient situation, requiring a back-up or redundant machine in order to prevent a shutdown of the production process.
It is known that a defective rotating or reciprocating machine element will generate periodic vibrations as the defect comes into contact with other machine elements along its path of rotation. For example, a roller bearing having a hairline fracture will generate a vibration each time the fracture contacts another machine element, generating a periodic series of vibrations. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,109,700 to Hicho, these periodic vibrations are detected by a vibration transducer attached to the machine. The transducer converts the vibrations into an electrical signal which is filtered to obtain selected frequencies of the electrical signal. The filtered electrical signal is then converted into a frequency spectrum by a fast Fourier transform. Random or spurious components are eliminated leaving only frequency components that are representative of the machine running speed. Corresponding frequency components remaining are averaged, and the highest average amplitude value is used as a bearing condition indicator.
Another prior art approach to detecting faults in rotating machine elements is that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,007,630 to Noda. Noda describes a device for detecting damage to rotators, such as ball bearings. Mechanical oscillation is converted into an electric signal, and the peak values of this electric signal are detected, retained for a period of time, and reset to zero. The output signal is fed into a smoothing integrator to extract a mean value from which the presence of a rotator fault is determined.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,931,949 to Hernandez et al., a gear defect analyzing system is disclosed. Signals from an accelerometer and a shaft encoder pass through full wave rectifiers and low pass filters in order to extract the amplitude envelope, which is then converted to a digital signal for analysis by a microcomputer. A Top-Dead-Center pulse (once per shaft revolution pulse) is added to ensure that an encoder pulse was not missed. Time history analysis is performed on the signal, and tooth-to-tooth interaction is recorded until the pattern begins to repeat. Subsequent recordings are averaged with respect to previous records to produce a unique pattern to identify which tooth-to-tooth interaction is likely to involve defective teeth.
A consideration which the prior art fails to account for involves the trade-off that exists between the required sampling rate of a vibration signal and the time record length. Generally, an impact or other event of interest will generate a signal which lasts for only a few milliseconds at best. As a result, the envelope of this signal will only be present for a few milliseconds, typically 5 to 10. A minimum sampling rate in the ten to fifty thousand samples per second range must be employed to capture an event of such short duration, and a typical time record could demand a system capable of storing up to 3,000,000 samples. With a large computer, records of this size can be dealt with, but large computers are generally not very portable and are difficult to use in a typical industrial setting where many machines are periodically monitored for faults. In addition, typical field portable data collectors/analyzers are incapable of handling extremely large time records. Therefore, there is a need for a highly portable fault detection system that is capable of employing existing field portable data collectors while ensuring that events of interest are captured within the time record.
Variations in gear ratios due to "slop" in the gear train are another impediment to accurate vibration analysis. If one is attempting to analyze a rotating element that is buried within a gearbox, it is known to use a shaft speed indicator signal, or tachometer signal, from another shaft in the gear train that is easily accessible and then multiply or divide that tachometer signal by the gear ratio to arrive at a corrected speed representative of the rotating element under analysis. However, there is often considerable slack or slop in most gear trains, and this slop will cause errors in the tachometer signal which will introduce errors when the tachometer signal is synchronously averaged with a vibration signal. This error is particularly amplified where the shaft being monitored by the tachometer is a relatively slowly rotating shaft, and the gear of interest is rotating at a relatively high frequency. In such a case, it is likely that the averaging will totally eliminate the frequencies of interest because the tachometer signal will not be properly synchronized with the high speed gear. Adding to this problem is the natural high frequency signals that are produced by impacting gear teeth. These-high frequency impact signals are the most telling of a cracked tooth, but their high frequency makes them most susceptible to being averaged out during synchronous averaging should the tachometer signal be slightly asynchronous.

Machine fault detection using vibration signal peak detector


Plasticizer-free ion-detecting sensors for detecting a target ion in a sample are provided. The sensor comprises a plasticizer-free copolymer comprised of polymerized units of methacrylate monomers and a polymerizable ion exchanger, wherein the methacrylated monomers have pendent alkyl groups of different length and wherein the functionalized ion-exchanger is grafted into the copolymer through covalent linkages. The ion exchanger comprises a C-derivative of a halogenated closo-dodecacarborane anion having a polymerizable moiety. Sensors of this invention include carrier-based ion-selective electrodes or optodes such as thin film ion-specific optodes, particle-based optodes, or bulk optodes.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to systems for detecting target ions in a sample, and more specifically, to ion sensors comprising an ion exchanger covalently grafted to a plasticizer-free co-polymer.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Throughout this application, various references are referred to within parentheses. Disclosures of these publications in their entireties are hereby incorporated by reference into this application to more fully describe the state of the art to which this invention pertains. Full bibliographic citation for these references may be found at the end of this application, preceding the claims.
Highly selective chemical sensors based on molecular recognition and extraction principles are a very important, well understood class of sensors.1,2 Ion-selective electrodes (ISEs) and optodes in particular have found widespread use in clinical laboratories3 and are being explored for numerous other applications.
Traditionally, these sensors are based on hydrophobic plasticized polymeric membranes or films that are doped with one or more ionophores in addition to a lipophilic ion-exchanger. Each of these components plays an important role to the sensor response.2,4 The hydrophobicity of the polymer assures that spontaneous, non-specific electrolyte extraction from the sample is suppressed. At the same time, the membrane matrix must act as a solvent of low viscosity for all active sensing components in the film. Each ionophore acts as a lipophilic complexing agent, and the ion-exchanger is responsible to extract the analyte ions from the sample to the membrane to satisfy electroneutrality.
In many ways, the basic composition and function of these ISEs still mimics that of early liquid membrane electrodes, where all components were simply dissolved in an organic solvent. However, modern ion sensors are moving towards drastic miniaturization and these sensors are often in contact with relatively lipophilic sample environments such as undiluted whole blood. Microelectrodes have been used for a long time to probe intracellular ion compositions and are also used for chemical profiling and chemical microscopy.5 Microsphere optodes with varying compositions are today developed in view of the measurement of biological and clinical samples.6 Optical sensing spheres that are a few hundred nanometers in diameter are currently explored for intracellular ion measurements.7 These important applications expect that cross-contamination of sensors and leaching of active components from the sensor membrane are reduced or even eliminated.
Earlier work has focused on improving the lipophilicity of all sensing components for improved lifetime of these sensors. There is likely a practical limit to synthesizing ionophores and plasticizers with longer alkyl chains to make them more lipophilic,8 since they still must remain soluble in the polymeric membrane phase. One solution to the problem of insufficient retention has been the covalent attachment of all active sensing components onto the polymeric backbone. Over the years, plasticizer-free ion-selective membranes based on different materials have been evaluated. Suitable matrices include polyurethanes,9 polysiloxanes,10,11 silicone rubber,12,13 polythiophenes,14 polyacrylates,15 epoxyacrylates,16 sol-gels,17,18 methacrylic-acrylic copolymers19-22 and methacrylate copolymers.23,24 Among these, the methacrylic-acrylic copolymers and methacrylate copolymers, which are synthesized via free radical-initiated mechanisms, are attractive because various monomer combinations and the numerous polymerization methods are available to create polymers with different physical and mechanical properties. Of the plasticizer-free copolymers reported, a methyl methacrylate and decyl methacrylate copolymer (MMA-DMA) has been studied by Peper et al. (U.S. Patent Publication No. 2003/0217920) as a promising matrix, with functional ISEs23 and optodes25 reported for Li+, Na+, K+, Ca2+, and Mg2+.
Early work towards covalent attachment of ionophores made use of functionalized poly(vinyl chloride)26,27, which could not be used without plasticizer. In later work, Na+, K+ and Pb2+ selective ionophores were covalently grafted to a polysiloxane matrix and applied to the fabrication of CHEMFET sensors.10,28 Another notable direction in ionophore grafting by the sol-gel technique has been introduced by Kimura, with demonstrated applications to serum measurements.17,18. Recently, neutral ionophores were covalently attached by Pretsch and coworkers to a polyurethane membrane matrix in view of reducing ion fluxes across the membrane.29 In other recent reports, two hydrophilic crown ether-type potassium-selective ionophores, 4′-acryloylamidobenzo-15-crown-5 (AAB15C5) and 4′-acryloylamidobenzo-18-crown-6 (AAB18C6),20 a sodium-selective ionophore, 4-tertbutyl calix[4]arene tetraacetic acid tetraethyl ester,21 as well as a new calcium ionophore N,N-dicyclohexyl-N′-phenyl-N′-3-(2-propenoyl)oxyphenyl-3-oxapentanediamide (AU-1; see FIG. 1)24 have been copolymerized with other acrylate monomers by a simple one-step solution polymerization method. The simplicity of this procedure constitutes an important advantage over most other methods described above. These polymers containing grafted ionophores showed comparable selectivity and improved lifetime compared to ISEs with free, unbound ionophore present. Numerous promising approaches are therefore available to obtain plasticizer-free polymers containing covalently attached ionophores.
Unlike the grafting of ionophores, the covalent attachment of ion-exchangers has been much less explored. Reinhoudt reported on the covalent attachment of the tetraphenylborate anion, TPB−10,28 and Kimura also successfully attached a cation-exchanger (TPB−)17 as well as an anion-exchanger (tetradecyldimethyl(3-trimethoxysilylpropyl)ammonium chloride) into a sol-gel matrix.18 Unfortunately, it is known that the unsubstituted tetraphenylborate is highly susceptible to decomposition by acid hydrolysis, oxidants and light.30-32 It was also reported that ppb levels of mercury ions in aqueous solution can cause rapid decomposition of sodium tetraphenylborate and potassium tetrakis-(4-chlorophenyl) borate in plasticized PVC membranes.33 Therefore, the reported covalent attachments of a simple tetraphenylborate may likely not solve these inherent problems. Although the highly substituted derivatives, such as sodium tetrakis[3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]borate (NaTFPB) have a much improved stability, the borates can still be protonated under acidic conditions and subsequently hydrolyze.32 A decrease in selectivity and response slopes of ion-selective membranes after prolonged exposure to a continuous water flow was observed, which was explained on the basis of the change of ionophore and ion exchanger (NaTFPB) ratio caused by slow degradation of the borate anions.10 In addition, the preparation of highly substituted borate anions, especially asymmetric analogs, is quite difficult and synthetically complex.34,35 A further modification of these compounds, such as the preparation of polymerizable derivatives has never been reported.
It was recently shown that carboranes can be used as alternative cation-exchangers in ion selective sensors.36-38 Carboranes are a relatively new class of weakly coordination anions based on an extremely stable boron cluster framework (CB11H12−), as shown in FIG. 1. Carboranes are weakly coordinating anions that are based on a relatively stable boron cluster framework. They also have versatile functionalization chemistry, as both the boron-vertexes and carbon vertex can be chemically modified.39,40 The B—H bonds of the parent closo-dodecacarborane (CB11H12−) are somewhat hydridic and suitable for electrophilic substitution such as halogenation.
Chlorinated, brominated and iodinated carborane anions at boron atoms have been prepared by solid-state synthesis.36,37 Recently, halogenated dodecacarboranes were found to be improved cation-exchanger in terms of lipophilicity and chemical stability. These boron derivatives have a much higher lipophilicity compared to the water-soluble unsubstituted parent carborane anion, and were demonstrated to be very promising alternatives to the tetraphenylborates.36 In contrast, the C—H bond in the carborane anion is somewhat acidic. It was reported that C-lithiation of CB11H12− followed by treatment with alkyl, silyl, or phosphine halides leads to different carbon derivatives.40 Such carborane anions are quite inert chemically and electrochemically and exhibit no absorbance in the UV-Vis range. These compounds have weak coordination and ion-pair formation properties, which are attractive for ion sensing applications. Furthermore, both the boron-vertexes and carbon vertex can be quite easily modified chemically.39,40 However, the commercially available cesium carborane (CsCB11H12) is water-soluble and its poor lipophilicity limits its application as ion-exchanger. In our laboratory, therefore, a number of more lipophilic B-halogenated carborane anions were recently synthesized, and many showed nearly identical ion-exchange and improved retention properties compared to the best tetraphenylborate available, tetrakis[3,5-(trifluoromethyl)]phenyl borate (TFPB−).36,37
In addition to potentially unparalleled lipophilicity, the carboranes possess many other characteristics that make them suitable for electrochemical applications. For example, they are not susceptible to acid and base hydrolysis and they are relatively inert to electrochemical oxidation (.about 2.0 V vs. ferrocene/ferrocenium at Pt in dichloromethane) (67). High Ih symmetry and tangentially delocalized σ-bonding make the carboranes one of the most chemically stable classes of compounds in chemistry. Furthermore, their bulky size (nearly 1 nm in diameter) and sufficient charge delocalization meet the criteria imposed for sufficient ion-exchanging. Another advantage, important for bulk optode studies, is their lack of absorption in the UV-Vis spectrum. Therefore, it is desirable to further study the carboranes for developing a more robust ion-exchanger to be used in chemical sensors.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Ion-detecting sensors comprising plasticizer-free copolymers


A method for deriving an image sensor's 3D pose estimate from a 2D scene image input includes at least one Machine Learning algorithm trained a priori to generate a 3D depth map estimate from the 2D image input, which is used in conjunction with physical attributes of the source imaging device to make an accurate estimate of the imaging device 3D location and orientation relative to the 3D content of the imaged scene. The system may optionally employ additional Machine Learning algorithms to recognize objects within the scene to further infer contextual information about the scene, such as the image sensor pose estimate relative to the floor plane or the gravity vector. The resultant refined imaging device localization data can be applied to static (picture) or dynamic (video), 2D or 3D images, and is useful in many applications, most specifically for the purposes of improving the realism and accuracy of primarily static, but also dynamic Augmented Reality (AR) applications.

Augmented Reality (AR) is a mode of Human Computer Interaction in which virtual content is overlaid onto a user's visual perception of their local environment such that the virtual content appears to be physically present in a given scene. The overlay may occur on static images in an offline mode, or to video images in real-time or non-real-time modes. A number of electronic displays may be employed to facilitate the presentation of such AR content to a user, such as: mobile or large-format flat panel displays (e.g. LCD, OLED, etc.), head mounted displays (e.g. near-eye microdisplays, waveguide relay displays, semi-reflective displays, virtual retinal displays, etc.), or projection displays.
In the first implementations, AR systems employed optical markers—high contrast 2-dimensional printed images—to query a local or remote database and retrieve virtual content that was to be overlaid on a user's view of a real scene, whether viewed indirectly through a desktop display or directly through head-mounted video or optical see-through displays. In a marker-based configuration, a camera records an image of the scene in which the marker is present, computer vision algorithms search for the marker pattern in the observed image and identify the key features of the marker image. The identification of a marker may be used to automatically query a database to retrieve a corresponding file containing virtual content to be overlaid, such as 2D or 3D static or animated model(s). The spatial transform of the marker to inform the system about the spatial depth (scale and z-axis location), orientation (rotation), and lateral/vertical position (x- and y-axis location); effectively yielding a camera pose estimate. The virtual content is then presented to the user to complete the illusion that the virtual model content is truly present in the user's local environment. However, physical markers must be printed, which is cumbersome. Additionally, for static images, markers must be placed in a scene prior to capturing an image and the marker position & orientation cannot be altered after image capture.
Advancements in real-time Computer Vision image feature mapping have enabled modern AR applications to perform real-time "markerless" tracking of a scene and an associated virtual content overlays; in a sense, the scene becomes the marker. However, for a scene to serve as a marker, the Imaging systems used for markerless AR and other applications that require understanding of a scene's 3D content have employed many combinations of a variety of sensors to ascertain the camera's 3D position and orientation vector (i.e. pose estimate) relative to an observed scene from which accurate virtual object overlays can be referenced. 3D sensors have proven costly, bulky, and complex. In lieu of direct 3D scene measurement, 3D content may be derived from a plurality of 3D images using Structure from Motion (SFM) algorithms. Such software has proven computationally expensive. In either case, applications using such 3D scene content generally require additional software to understand the local and global context of that pose estimate, such as but not limited to, the height above a detected floor plane or orientation relative to the Earth's gravitational vector.
No prior art has demonstrated the ability to generate 3D scene map with a contextually refined image sensor pose estimate from a single 2D image, which is critical to practical static image-based AR applications and can be applied to simplify video-based AR applications. Herein, the terms "map" and "image" are used interchangeably.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,411,327 discloses a typical modern stereoscopic camera system for generating a 3D scene map directly, through which an accurate and contextual pose estimate could be derived from additional post-image processing. However, the disclosed system, typical of all stereoscopic imaging systems, requires complex optics and the computationally intensive transmission and correlation of a stereoscopic image pair. The method is reliant on a stereo-image pair and thus cannot be used to derive a pose estimate from a 2D image.
U.S. Patent Application No. 2009/0110267 demonstrates the typical mapping a 3D scene from which the image sensor pose estimate can be derived directly through the use of a Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) imaging system. LIDAR belongs to a class of imaging systems that emit a typically electromagnetic wave and then measure changes to the spatial or temporal properties of the wave following the reflection off of objects within a scene to discern the topography of the scene. While this class of device inherently provides a direct and sometimes accurate imaging device pose estimates, the hardware is generally expensive, bulky, and power intensive, and therefore are not practical for mobile device applications. Additionally, the resultant metadata describing a scene's 3D and camera pose can drive file sizes to be relatively large, taxing data storage or network transmission resources.
Users typically capture static images and dynamic video without the intent of using this data for AR applications, and as a result there are numerous image and video files available that lack the requisite 3D scene metadata needed for realistic dynamic overlay of AR content integration into the image. Thus, reliance on 3D imaging device-based pose estimates (i.e. sensors that encode pose measurement data into the image file) also precludes the derivation of pose estimates from images captured on standard 2D camera systems.
In the past decade, mobile devices (e.g., phones, tablets, Head Mounted Displays (HMDs), etc.) with integrated cameras have emerged, and often also often include processors running algorithms that automate the scene depth modeling and refinement process. However, most mobile devices use monocular cameras, and thus the vast majority of image content captured by users is limited to 2D.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 9,119,559 and 9,148,650 both disclose unique embodiments of SFM technology, which maps a 3D image from a plurality of 2D images. Similar technology is exhibited in commercially available software such as Autodesk 123d Catch®. In dynamic (i.e. video input) applications the technique is often referred to as Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) algorithms. The technique employs the process of correlating a set of 2 or more static images of an observed scene to build a 3D map of the environment from which a camera pose estimate is derived. However, this method requires complex computer vision software operating on multiple 2D images, generally taken from a video stream or requiring the user to capture a sequence of individual static images from sufficiently different perspectives while ensuring the scene content remains largely static. Thus, the method is computationally expensive, sometimes labor intensive, and the generation of a 3D map or derivation of the camera pose estimate from a single image is not achievable using such methods.
Techniques have emerged which employ Machine Learning constructs and algorithms, such as Markov Random Fields (MRFs), or Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs), commonly Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs), or combinations thereof, trained on scene images with corresponding high accuracy depth maps to generate estimated depth maps from a single 2D image input. In the present invention, a CNN is employed, but any machine learning algorithm capable of being trained to estimate depth of a scene based on 2D images may be employed. As described in "Make3D: Learning 3D Scene Structure from a Single Still Image" A. Saxena, et al., IEEE Transactions on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence (Volume: 31, Issue: 5, May 2009), image sets may be used in a supervised or unsupervised manner to train an ML system (an MRF in this instance), to detect depth of points in a 2D image. In an analogous CNN implementation, the CNN generates depth by rapidly and inherently analyzing subtle depth cues present in an image which may not be apparent to the human observer, such as relative degree of focus, texture variations, lighting effects, as well as other likely depth cues typically present in 2D images which the CNN has learned during training, but which have not been characterized by humans. While a 3D map is generated, the method for inferring a contextually refined image sensor pose estimate, a property critical to the realistic representation of the physical interaction between virtual objects and the real scene content, is not disclosed in prior art.

Machine learning based model localization system


An example contactor weld detection method for an electric vehicle includes detecting that a contactor is welded closed when the contactor is commanded closed.

This disclosure relates to detecting welded contactors in electric vehicles.
Generally, electric vehicles differ from conventional motor vehicles because electric vehicles are selectively driven using one or more battery-powered electric machines. Conventional motor vehicles, by contrast, rely exclusively on an internal combustion engine to drive the vehicle. Electric vehicles may use electric machines instead of, or in addition to, the internal combustion engine.
Example electric vehicles include hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), fuel cell vehicles, and battery electric vehicles (BEVs). A powertrain of an electric vehicle is typically equipped with a battery that stores electrical power for powering the electric machine. The battery may be charged prior to use. The battery may be recharged during a drive by regeneration braking or an internal combustion engine.
The powertrain of the electric vehicle includes contactors (or relays). During a drive cycle, the contactors close to electrically couple the battery with other areas of the powertrain. When the drive cycle is complete, the contactors open to, for example, protect a technician servicing the vehicle. If the contactor is welded closed, the contactor does not open and the circuit may remain open. Prior art techniques identify welds at key off at the completion of a drive cycle.

Method and system for contactor weld detection


‘DR5000’ is a distinctive variety of Dianella revoluta, which is characterized by its combination of bluish leaf color, short height, upright growth habit, very dense shoots, and narrow-to-medium leaf blade.

The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of evergreen perennial Dianella revoluta, which has been named 'DR5000'. Dianella are a genus of ornamental grass-like plants. In general, Dianella revoluta has flax-like leaves with curved edges. Deep blue flowers on stems up to one meter high typically develop in spring and early summer and are followed by blue berries.
An application for plant breeders' rights for 'DR5000' has been lodged with the Australian Plant Breeders Rights Office, which was received on May 23, 2002 and accepted on Jul. 12, 2002 (under Application No. 2002/132).
Parentage: The cultivar 'DR5000' was discovered in 1996 in Clarendon, New South Wales, Australia, during a seedling selection of cultivated Dianella revoluta 'DR4000' (unpatented). The parent 'DR4000' is characterized by a wide leaf, tall plant height, and medium plant density. Selection criteria for 'DR5000' were bluish leaf color, strong glaucosity and compact habit.
Asexual reproduction. The new variety 'DR5000' was first asexually propagated by vegetative division in the state of New South Wales, Australia in September 1998 and has been asexually propagated since that time by division and micropropagation. The distinctive characteristics of cultivar 'DR5000' have remained stable and true to type through successive cycles of asexual propagation.


A drive system includes a plurality of electric power devices, a drive case having a plurality of case segments which are connected to each other, each of the electric power devices being contained in one of the case segments, and a plurality of inverters, one for each of the electric power devices. The inverters are collectively attached to one of the case segments, and a flow path of a coolant for cooling the inverters is positioned between the case segment to which the inverters are attached and the inverters. Accordingly, a cooling unit which performs heat insulation and cooling between the drive system and the inverters is positioned only on the outer surface of one of the case segments and does not extend across the connection interfaces between the case segments. Therefore, the risk of leakage of the coolant into the drive case can be substantially eliminated.

1. Field of Invention
The invention relates to a drive system including a plurality of electric power devices, and more specifically relates to a technique for integrating inverters with a drive system for an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle.
2. Description of Related Art
As an example of a known drive system for a hybrid vehicle, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 6-328950 discloses a drive system including two electric power devices (in the present specification, the term "electric power device" generically refers to motors, motor generators, and generators) and a drive case constructed of case segments, each electric power device being contained in one of the case segments. The case segments are combined together such that the two electric power devices are mounted on a common shaft in the drive case, and the size of the drive system is thereby reduced.
Drive systems for a hybrid vehicle or an electric vehicle generally include three-phase brushless electric power devices as the vehicle's drive source and for energy regeneration. When the electric power devices are operated with a direct-current power supply mounted in the vehicle, an inverter having a power module, which includes a switching element, is required for each of the electric power devices (the inverter functions as a converter during energy regeneration by a motor or power generation by a generator). Although the inverters may be arranged separately from their respective electric power devices at suitable positions as they are connected to the electric power devices with power cables, the inverters are preferably integrated with their respective electric power devices for convenience in mounting them in the vehicle.
Currently, however, the maximum operating temperature of the inverters is lower than that of the electric power devices. Therefore, when the inverters are integrated with the drive system as described above, direct heat conduction from the drive system to the inverters must be blocked in some way to protect the inverters. In addition, because the temperature of the inverters increases due to heat emitted from the switching elements included therein, the inverters must be cooled to keep the temperature below the maximum operating temperature. For this purpose, a cooling unit may be disposed between the drive system and the inverters and heat insulation and cooling may be achieved by causing a coolant to flow inside the cooling unit.
When the inverters are integrated with the above-described drive system for a hybrid vehicle or with a drive system for an electric vehicle which includes a plurality of electric power devices, the inverters may be arranged on their respective case segments of the drive case. In this case, however, the coolant's flow path interposed between the drive case and the inverters, for achieving heat insulation and cooling of the inverters, extends across the interfaces between the case segments, and there is a risk that the coolant which flows through the flow path will leak into the drive case along the connection interfaces between the case segments. Such leakage must be prevented as it may lead to a reduction in the insulation performance of the electric power devices.

Drive system including electric power devices


A system can include a completion string with a tubing and a dip tube secured in the tubing. A gas is injected into an annulus between the tubing and the dip tube, and the gas and well liquids flow into the dip tube. A method can include installing a completion string including a tubing, a dip tube in the tubing, and a packer downhole of a gas lift valve, and flowing a gas into the tubing via the gas lift valve, into an annulus between the tubing and the dip tube, and then into the dip tube. Another system can include a tubular connector connected between adjacent sections of the tubing, with the dip tube secured in the tubing and connected to the tubular connector. A gas flows from the gas lift valve to the annulus via a gas flow path formed in the tubular connector.

This disclosure relates generally to equipment utilized and operations performed in conjunction with a subterranean well and, in an example described below, more particularly provides an artificial lift system of the type known to those skilled in the art as a gas lift system, and associated methods.
In a well used to produce liquids from a subterranean formation, the liquids may not be able to flow unassisted to the earth's surface, due to various factors. For example, pressure in the formation may not be sufficient to overcome hydrostatic pressure in the well.
In situations where the liquids cannot flow unassisted to the surface, techniques known to those skilled in the art as "artificial lift" may be used to produce the liquids to the surface. One such artificial lift technique is known as "gas lift," in which a gas is injected into the liquids in the well, so that a density of the liquids is reduced.
It will, therefore, be readily appreciated that improvements are continually needed in the art of constructing and utilizing gas lift systems for producing liquids from wells. It is among the objects of the present disclosure to provide such improvements to the art.


A support system for recycling a glass material to which an electronic tag is attached, having a storing device for storing information about plural types of glass materials corresponding to plural glass material identification data that are stored in electronic tags attached to glass materials, a reading device for reading a glass material identification data from an electronic tag that is attached to a discarded glass material, a determining device for determining a particular type of the discarded glass material based on the glass material identification data read by the reading device by referring to information about the types of glass materials stored in the storing device, and a displaying device for displaying the type of the discarded glass material.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a support system for recycling glass material.
2. Related Art
Recently, in view of environmental preservation, in a recycling based society, a demand to use resources for effectively reducing waste has increased. The recycling may be applied to glass material, such as a window of an automobile or a window of a building or structure. It is possible to reuse discarded glass material (hereinafter, referred to as waste glass) that can no longer be used as a glass product for a window of an automobile or the like by remelting the discarded glass. However, most conventional waste glass is generally disposed as industrial waste; therefore the glass is scarcely recycled to become new glass raw material.
In order to prevent waste glass from being disposed as industrial waste, a technique in which waste glass incapable of being reused as glass raw materials is recycled into a material for public works is disclosed (see JP-A-2004-035351)
The reason why conventional waste glass is not generally recycled into new glass raw material is that glass does not characteristically recycle efficiently.
In general, glass includes silicon oxide, which is a main raw material, aluminum oxide, potassium oxide, calcium oxide, magnesium oxide, etc. Glass is graded based on its composition. For example, different types of glass having different functions, such as UV cut glass, and IR cut glass can be obtained by changing the composition.
When each component melts to form glass, it is difficult to extract each component from the glass. Therefore, when waste glass is used as a part of new glass raw material, it is impossible not to use a granular material so-called cullet that is obtained by pulverizing waste glass. In order to maintain the same high quality of glass, the composition of cullet should be compatible to that of the glass to be manufactured. The compatibility is especially important when a glass product, such as a window of an automobile which requires high quality control, is manufactured. For this reason, it is necessary to properly classify or separate waste glass according to its type in order to reuse waste glass as a part of the new glass raw material.
Even though each glass has similar transparency and color, each composition is not always compatible with each other; therefore, the composition of glass cannot be determined by appearance. For this reason, when various types of waste glass are collected, they cannot be properly classified or separated. Therefore, waste glass has been disposed as industrial waste.
For example, a front window of an automobile uses laminated glass in which a flexible and strong interlayer film is interposed between two sheets of flat glass. Even though the interlayer film used in the laminated glass is a material that can be reused as glass, the composition of the interlayer film cannot be determined by appearance as well as the composition of the glass; therefore, the interlayer film is disposed along with the glass.

Support system for recycling glass material


This invention provides a drive system of a display device preventing an uneven display caused by output current values of current conversion circuits. A drive system of a display device of the invention has a plurality of pixels disposed in a matrix of m rows and n columns and having current drive elements, n pieces of current conversion circuits converting digital display signals inputted from outside into analog signals corresponding to the digital display signals, a first selector circuit selectively supplying the digital display signals to the n pieces of the current conversion circuits, and a second selector circuit selectively supplying current outputs of n pieces of the current conversion circuits to pixel groups divided in columns.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a drive system of a display device, particularly to such a system having a drive circuit using a current programming method.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, organic electroluminescent (hereafter, referred to as EL) display device using organic EL elements have been receiving attention as a display device substituting for a CRT or an LCD. Particularly, an active matrix type organic EL display device having thin film transistors as switching elements for driving the organic EL elements has been developed. Different from LCDs, such organic EL elements are self-light-emitting elements providing luminance corresponding to a current flowing in the EL elements.
There are various types of drive systems for such an organic EL display device, and one of these is a current programming method. In this method, for obtaining luminance corresponding to a digital display signal, by utilizing such current and luminance correspondence characteristics of the organic EL element described above, a current value corresponding to the digital display signal is set by a current conversion circuit (also called a current DAC) and the current is supplied from the current conversion circuit to each of the pixels.
Particularly, in a high-precision organic EL display device, a plurality of the current conversion circuits are provided for each of pixel groups divided in columns in order to secure time for programming the current to the pixel. Such a drive system is called a multi-channel current DAC method since a channel is provided in each of the pixel groups divided in columns.
FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a drive system of an organic EL display device of a conventional art. A plurality of pixels P11, P12 . . . each having an organic EL element is disposed in a matrix of m rows and n columns. The n pieces of current conversion circuits DAC1 to DACn are disposed for the pixel groups divided in columns, respectively. These current conversion circuits DAC1 to DACn convert digital display signals D1 to Dn inputted therein into currents I1 to In having current values corresponding to the signals D1 to Dn, respectively, and supplies the currents I1 to In to the pixel groups divided in columns, respectively.
For example, during the first horizontal scanning period, the currents I1, I2, . . . and In are supplied to the pixels P11, P12, . . . and P1n, in this order. Then, during the next horizontal scanning period, the currents I1, I2, . . . and In are supplied to the pixels P21, P22, . . . and P2n, in this order, respectively. Such a horizontal scanning is repeated to the whole remaining lines, thereby completing one field scanning period.
FIG. 5 is a table showing a correspondence relationship between the pixel groups divided in columns and the current conversion circuits DAC1 to DACn for driving these pixel groups in this drive system of the organic EL display device. As seen in FIG. 5, the pixels in each of the pixel groups divided in columns are driven by the same current conversion circuit. For example, in an n-th field, the pixels of the pixel group in the first column are driven by the current conversion circuit DAC1 indicated by "1" in FIG. 5, and the pixels of the pixel group in the second column are driven by the current conversion circuit DAC2 indicated by "2" in FIG. 5. The correspondence relationship is the same in an n+1 field and an n+2 field. The relating technology is disclosed in the Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2003-150118.
Generally, n pieces of the current conversion circuits DAC1 to DACn are formed of LSIs, and there occurs variation in output current values of n pieces of the current conversion circuits DAC1 to DACn due to manufacture variations. This variation in the output current directly causes variations in luminance of the organic EL elements as current drive elements.
In the drive system of the display device of the conventional art shown in FIG. 4, the pixels of the pixel group in each of the columns are driven by the same current conversion circuit all the time. Therefore, when the value of the output current of the current conversion circuit provided for a certain column is unusually too high or too low compared with others, an uneven display with bright and dark parts appears in the line corresponding to the pixel group in that column.
Generally, human eyes can not recognize such an uneven display if variation of luminance is 1% or less, but it is difficult to keep the variation at 1% or less by current LSI manufacturing technologies.


Embodiments of the invention include a method and system for displaying an in vivo imaging procedure. The method includes receiving real-time image data captured by the capsule, and continuously generating an updated summarized color bar, said color bar comprising color strips and time scale marks. The color bar is calculated based on color values of received image data, and is updated continuously as new image data is received. The displayed time period is periodically updated, for example based on predetermined fixed time intervals, based on varying time intervals, or based on an accumulated amount of received image data. Other methods of determining the periodic updates may be used.

An in-vivo imaging system which is carried by an ingestible capsule may be used to image lumens within a patient's body, such as, for example, the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. The imaging system captures and transmits images of the passage or cavity to an external device, such as a recording device, while passing through the body. The images, when combined in sequence, may form a moving image stream of the passage.
As a passive system with no active maneuvering capability, once ingested, the capsule is carried throughout the entire GI system by natural peristalsis, while the orientation within the GI tract is random and uncontrollable. The capsule can neither be advanced forward to skip over regions that are not of interest, nor delayed or reoriented to provide a more in-depth view (e.g., closer examination) of suspected pathologies. The latter function is particularly important, as the mucosal surface of the GI tract is not smooth and often requires images of interest to be illuminated and visualized from various angles.
Magnetically maneuverable capsule endoscopy systems are disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 20110301497 to Shachar et al., in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/314,273 to Khait et al., in PCT Application No. PCT/IL2012/050096 to Khait et al. and in PCT Application No. PCT/IL2012/000972 to Rabinovitz et al. Bladen et al. each of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. A medical navigation apparatus for locating three dimensional position and orientation of a sensor by generating magnetic fields which are detected at the sensor in U.S. is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,174,202 to Bladen et al.

System and method for automatic navigation of a capsule based on image stream captured in-vivo


The present application discloses a composite substrate with a protective layer for preventing metal from diffusing, comprising: a thermally and electrically conductive layer (2) having a melting point of greater than 1000° C., and a GaN mono-crystalline layer (1) located on the thermally and electrically conductive layer (2). At least the side wall of the composite substrate is cladded with a protective layer (3) for preventing metal from diffusing. The composite substrate not only takes account of the homoepitaxy required for GaN epitaxy and improves the quality of the crystals, but also can be used directly to prepare LEDs with vertical structures and significantly reduce costs. The disclosed composite substrate effectively avoids the pollution of experimental instruments by the diffusion and volatilization of a metal material during the growth of MOCVD at high temperature.

The present invention relates to a composite substrate used for GaN epitaxial growth, especially an efficient composite substrate with a protective layer for preventing metal from diffusing.
In recent years, III/V nitride materials, mainly GaN, InGaN, and AlGaN, have received much attention as semiconductor materials. The III/V nitride materials have direct band gaps that can be continuously varied from 1.9 to 6.2 eV, excellent physical and chemical stability, and high saturation electron mobility. They have become the preferred materials for optoelectronic devices such as laser devices and light-emitting diodes.
However, to the present GaN-based semiconductor material device, due to a lack of GaN substrate, the epitaxial films of the GaN-based LED are mainly grown on the substrates such as sapphire substrates, SiC, Si substrate and so on. So far, epitaxial-growth technologies of GaN material series are basically based on highly mismatched hetero-epitaxy technologies. A hetero-epitaxial growth technology of sapphire substrate is the most widely used and protected. The main problems are that: firstly, the large lattice mismatch and thermal stress between the epitaxially grown GaN and the sapphire substrate can produce high concentration of dislocations of about 109 cm−2, which seriously degrades the quality of GaN crystal, and reduces illumination efficiency and the lifespan of LED. Secondly, because sapphire is an insulator with an electrical resistivity greater than 1011 Ωcm at room temperature, it is not suitable to be used for forming devices having vertical structures. Sapphire is usually only used to prepare N-type and P-type electrodes on the surface of the epitaxial layer, reducing effective lighting area, increasing the lithography and etching processes during the fabrication of the devices, and reducing the material utilization. Thirdly, sapphire has a poor thermal conductivity of about 0.25 W/cm K at 1000° C., which significantly affects performances of GaN-based devices, especially the large-area and high-power devices in which heat dissipation is required. Fourthly, sapphire has a high hardness and its lattice has a 30 degree angle relative to the lattice of GaN crystal, it is difficult to obtain a cleavage plane of the InGaN epitaxial layer to obtain a cavity surface during the fabrication of GaN-based Laser Diode (LD).
However, to the SiC substrate, it has lattice parameters closest to those of GaN and smaller lattice mismatch, but it also is hetero-epitaxy, and comprises misfit dislocations and thermal misfit dislocations. Moreover, SiC is expensive, making it unsuitable for many GaN-based optoelectronic devices (LED). In recently years, Si has also been studied as a substrate for the epitaxial growth of GaN. However, Si has a lattice mismatch to GaN even larger than sapphire/GaN, and Si has cubic crystalline lattice while GaN has a hexagonal crystalline lattice, which makes it difficult to support epitaxial growth of GaN material. The GaN layer grown on Si substrates faces serious problems such as cracking; the growth thickness usually cannot exceed 4 μm.
Therefore, to crystalline epitaxy, either the theory of epitaxial growth, or the development history of the semiconductor epitaxy technology, has proved that, homoepitaxy is an optimal selection. Recently, preparation technology of GaN mono-crystalline substrate has been developed, the appearance of GaN mono-crystalline substrate, makes GaN epitaxy return to homoepitaxy, and improves the quality of epitaxially grown GaN crystal. Moreover, the good thermal conductivity of the GaN crystals allows the GaN epitaxy substrate to be used in the formation of vertical structures for LED devices. The properties of the devices are improved under large current injections. However, the high cost of the GaN mono-crystalline substrate severely restricts its usage in LED devices. While a 2 inch wide high power LED epitaxial substrate is typically less than 100 dollars, the price for a 2 inch wide GaN mono-crystalline substrate currently can reach 2000 dollars.

Composite substrate with a protective layer for preventing metal from diffusing


A mountable article retaining system for retaining articles in a storage mode or a display mode is provided and includes a grid layout having an open wire grid and a plurality of corner assemblies secured to the open wire grid. The open wire grid has a rectilinear substantially planar suspension engagement area. The mountable article retaining system also includes a liaison component, the liaison component being securable to an external structure on which the grid layout is to be mounted and the liaison component being operable to maintain the grid layout relative to the external structure such that the rectilinear substantially planar suspension engagement area of the grid layout has a non-horizontal slope with at least one corner assembly being higher than another given corner assembly.

Wall mounted storage and display systems such as pegboards are commonly attached to a wall and are designed to support specially designed hooks attached to "peg" holes in the pegboard. The hooks may be used to attach or hold implements or tools in a fixed position relative to the pegboard. In reality, many conventional pegboard systems can only support a limited number of items and a limited amount of weight without damaging the pegboard. In addition, the hooks used with many conventional pegboard systems may inadvertently be removed or dislodged, which may allow items to fall and break. It is known to use fasteners to help secure the hooks to the pegboard, but these fasteners require additional time to install and often offer limited assistance in keeping the hook attached to the pegboard. Further, because pegboard is typically constructed from relatively weak materials such as fiberboard or particle board, conventional pegboard cannot support significant loads and the pegboard may fail if excessive weight is placed on the hooks.
In addition, pegboard is typically constructed from wood and is consequently often heavy. However, because the pegboard is usually constructed from thin sheets of wood, the pegboard can be brittle and easily broken. Further, if the pegboard is broken or damaged, it may be difficult and time consuming to repair. Moreover, the wood comprised in the pegboard is subject to moisture damage and often requires painting or staining to help protect the wood.
A slat wall storage and organization system typically includes a panel with a series of generally horizontal grooves or channels that run along the length of the panel, providing a slatted appearance. Typically, hooks may be selectively connected to and disconnected from the grooves, and items such as tools or implements may be placed onto the hooks for storage. The hooks may be used to support a variety of objects such as tools in a workroom or garage to products that are on display in a retail store.
Conventional slat wall systems may allow the hooks to be placed in a variety of desired positions relative to the panel. The panels of some conventional slat wall systems may be made from relatively heavy materials such as particle board, plywood, or fiberboard. This may undesirably increase the weight of the panels, which may make the panels more difficult to install and the slat wall system more expensive to store in a retail inventory or to deliver to a customer.
Slotted wall panels or pegboard panels are commercially available in sheets that are 4 feet wide by 8 feet long. The slotted wall panels are ¾ inch thick and the pegboard panels range in thickness from ⅛-¼ inch thick. The installation of slotted wall panels involves driving screws of sufficient length through the center of horizontal grooves and into structural supports of the wall. Because of the relatively heavy thickness and dense material composition of a typical slotted wall panel, relatively heavy items can be stored or merchandise items can be displayed on the accessories designed for the slotted wall panel.


An entitled price in an electronic transaction is provided to a public electronic environment (e.g., a browser on a global computer network) from a private electronic environment (e.g., an ERP application on a private computer network) by electronically sending from a requestor a request for an entitled price via a public electronic environment; automatically routing the request to a private electronic environment; obtaining the entitled price within the private electronic environment while the requestor waits; and automatically returning the entitled price from the private electronic environment to the public electronic environment for providing to the requestor.

1. Technical Field
The present invention generally relates to obtaining an entitled price in an electronic transaction. More particularly, the present invention relates to obtaining an entitled price in a public electronic environment from a private electronic environment.
2. Background Information
Electronic transactions involving the purchase of various goods and services have steadily increased with the popularity and use of public electronic environments, such as, for example, global computer networks (e.g., the INTERNET). Among the biggest participants in such electronic transactions are large businesses that typically make volume purchases. These types of companies tend to negotiate price discounts with one or more sellers of goods they need. Such negotiated prices are referred to herein as the "entitled price," which is the price a buyer is entitled to for a given item based on an entitlement, such as, for example, a contract with the seller or a promotional offer from the seller (e.g., a coupon) or a program with a business partner of the seller (e.g., "point" programs similar to airline mileage programs).
Due to the number of and differences among the various entitlements for various customers of a given seller, the calculation of an entitled price is no trivial matter for many sellers. In the past, sellers have been unable to provide an entitled price in response to a price inquiry from a potential buyer in an electronic purchasing environment while the potential buyer waits, for example, an inquiry to a commerce site on a global computer network. The information needed to calculate the entitled price, as well as things such as taxes and shipping costs, typically resides in a private electronic environment, such as, for example, a secure computer or computer network housing an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) application. ERP applications are large, expensive and complex computer programs that track massive volumes of data (e.g., base prices, customers, contracts, price rules, tax conditions, etc.), and calculate, among other things, an entitled price. Due to the sensitive nature of such information, both for the buyer and the seller, ERP applications have not been made accessible from public electronic environments for security reasons.
It has been suggested that commerce sites simply develop their own pricing engines to provide an entitled price. However, since the key data resides with the ERP application, such pricing engines require that the data be kept current in more than one location. Such a situation could result in a price provided to the buyer that does not equal the price ultimately charged, for example, if a base price update has not yet been made for the pricing engine. Worse, some commerce sites will actually go offline to calculate the entitled price and send it back to buyer, making it appear to the buyer to be automatically generated. This practice, known as "rip and read" can also lead to inaccuracies, due to time constraints and human error. Such confusion causes various problems for the buyer, not the least of which is budgeting, and serves only to reduce the credibility of the seller.
Thus, a need exists for a way to automatically provide an accurate entitled price in an electronic transaction.

Method, system and program product for providing an entitled price in an electronic transaction

International Business Machines Corporation


A diaphragm-type control valve for irrigation systems has an outer clam-shell housing that encloses a vertically reciprocable diaphragm assembly. A primary valve seat inside the housing is engaged and disengaged by a seal on the underside of the diaphragm to open and close the valve by connecting and disconnecting its inlet and outlet passages. Pressurized water from a lower inlet chamber of the valve travels through a small metering orifice in the center of the diaphragm assembly to an upper pressure control chamber above a flexible membrane of the diaphragm assembly. A solenoid actuated pilot valve is operatively coupled to the upper pressure control chamber for venting pressurized water therefrom to permit the diaphragm assembly to move upwardly to open the valve. A filter screen is mounted to the underside of the diaphragm assembly to prevent debris from clogging the metering orifice, clogging the small passages of the pilot valve, or fouling the solenoid. A cylindrical wiper element supported by a cylindrical carrier surrounds the filter screen and is moved up and down along the filter screen as the valve opens and closes to scour algae, mineral deposits and other debris from the surface of the filter screen which are carried away through the main outlet passage of the valve.

The present invention relates to irrigation systems, and more particularly, to an improved filter screen assembly for diaphragm-type irrigation control valves.
The use of valve controlled pressurized irrigation systems for supplying water for the irrigation of plants is extensive throughout the world today. One of the most prevalent systems, particularly for lawn areas and athletic fields, includes a plurality of sprinklers positioned for distributing water over the surface of a land area. One or more control valves connect and disconnect water from a pressurized main supply line to branch lines each typically having several sprinklers connected thereto.
Commercial, municipal and golf course irrigation systems increasingly rely on alternative water sources including reclaimed water. This trend has been prompted by a need to conserve water in many parts of the country. Other water sources used for irrigation include lakes, reservoirs, wells, and the like. However, since water from these sources often contains dirt, sand and other particles and debris, its use has brought with it an increase in the incidence of clogging of various components of irrigation systems. While the most readily apparent solution is to filter the water before it enters the irrigation system, the cost of stand-alone filters, and their maintenance, limits the degree of filtering that is economically feasible.
The problem of clogging in irrigation systems is most acute in portions of the system where water must pass into and around small spaces and through small openings. Small openings occur, for example, in irrigation systems having pilot operated and pressure responsive control valves, pressure regulating valves, in drip systems, and in other low flow irrigation configurations. Another area where dirt and debris cause problems is where the water comes into contact with moving parts. One example where such problems occur is in small solenoid operated plunger valves which have a small valve seal on the end of a plunger which extends into a water passage and acts as a pilot valve.
Pressure responsive and pressure regulating valves used in irrigation systems typically have a main diaphragm valve that is normally pilot operated. Upstream or inlet water pressure passes via a small metering orifice to the back side of the main diaphragm assembly to apply valve closing pressure. The water is vented from the back side of the diaphragm valve via a small pilot valve passage controlled by a solenoid operated pilot valve to the main outlet passage of the valve. Hydraulically actuated diaphragm valves also vent water pressure from the downstream side of the diaphragm, without the need for a solenoid. The small metering orifice through the main diaphragm assembly can become clogged, thereby causing valve failure. The small pilot valve passage can also become clogged with dirt and other debris and impair proper operation of a diaphragm valve.
The pilot valve of an electrically controlled diaphragm valve is normally operated by a plunger of a solenoid that moves back and forth in a bore in a housing surrounded by a coil with the valve seal being an elastomeric disc on the end of the plunger which selectively engages a valve seat. The water controlled by the pilot valve typically flows around and frequently along between the pilot valve plunger and its housing either during pressurization or venting of the control valve. Dirt and debris in the water frequently jam between the plunger and its housing preventing its normal operation. Sealing around or between the plunger and its housing is difficult because the plunger must be free to move and air or other fluids must be free to move in and out of the bore along the plunger.
Accordingly, there is a need for an irrigation control valve with a built-in filter to protect its metering orifice, pilot valve, solenoid, venting passages and other delicate components from clogging and contamination.

Diaphragm valve with filter screen and movable wiper element


A signal is applied to the body of a MOSFET to enhance the transconductance of the MOSFET. The signal applied to the body of the MOSFET has essentially the same waveform as an input signal supplied to the gate of the MOSFET, and is shifted by approximately 180 degrees with respect to the input signal. The signal applied to the body of the MOSFET may be provided by a phase-adjusting feedback circuit that generates the signal from a signal representing the output of the MOSFET.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of electronic amplifier circuits.
2. Description of Related Art
The growth of technologies such as wireless communication has led to an increasing need for high performance electronic amplifiers that have high gain and low noise.
FIG. 1 shows a typical example of a low noise RF amplifier known as a cascode amplifier. The cascode amplifier includes a first MOSFET transistor 10 and a second MOSFET transistor 12 that are connected in series between a load impedance Zload driven by a voltage source Vdd and a common potential (referred to herein as ground). The first transistor 10 receives an input signal RFin at its gate along with a DC bias voltage supplied by a bias circuit 14. The input signal RFin is amplified in the first transistor 10 to produced an amplified signal at the drain of the first transistor. The amplified signal is received at the source of the second transistor 12 and is conducted through the second transistor 12 to an output node where an output signal RFout is presented. The second transistor 12 typically does not amplify the signal provided by the first transistor 10, but rather is used to prevent the output node from seeing parasitic capacitances of the first transistor, thus lowering the output impedance of the amplifier circuit and improving its frequency response.
As seen in FIG. 1, the substrates of the MOSFET transistors 10, 12 are coupled to their respective sources. This arrangement is utilized to eliminate the substrate bias effect or "body effect," in which the MOSFET substrate (also referred to herein as the "body") acts as a second gate that influences carrier availability in the MOSFET channel region. The body effect is explained in more detail with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3.
FIG. 2 shows a cross-section of a typical n-type MOSFET comprised of a p-type substrate 20 in which n-type source and drain regions 22, 23 are formed at opposing sides of a channel region 24. For purposes of the present explanation, the channel region 24 is shown as having an n-type inversion layer formed therein. A gate dielectric 26 lies between the channel region 24 and a gate electrode 28. A depletion layer 29 separates the p-type and n-type regions. The thickness of the depletion layer with respect to the other elements is exaggerated for purposes of illustration.
The drain current of the MOSFET is controlled by modulating the availability of majority carriers (in this case, conduction band electrons) in the channel region between the source and drain. Carrier availability is largely controlled through a capacitive effect that is caused by application of a voltage to the gate 28. Consequently, variations in the gate voltage produce corresponding variations in carrier availability that cause the drain current to be modulated in a manner that corresponds to modulation of the gate voltage. However, carrier availability is also affected in a similar manner by any voltage applied to the body of the MOSFET. Thus, the MOSFET is typically modeled in the manner shown in FIG. 3. In this model, the behavior of the MOSFET is approximated by a pair of parallel connected current sources 30, 32 that produce a drain current Id. The first current source 30 represents the effect of the gate voltage Vg on carrier availability, which produces a current having a magnitude approximately equal to the MOSFET transconductance Gm times the gate-source voltage Vgs. The second current source 32 represents the effect of the body voltage Vb on carrier availability, which yields a current having a magnitude approximately equal to the body effect transconductance Gmb times the source-body voltage Vsb. As shown by this model, the application of a reverse bias to the source-body junction (i.e., a voltage that widens the depletion layer 29) has an effect that is equivalent to the generation of a current in the channel region that is opposite in polarity to the current produced in response to the gate voltage, resulting in an over-all reduction in the drain current produced in response to a given gate voltage. Since the MOSFET body is typically held at a fixed voltage, the body effect is generally understood to reduce the transconductance of the MOSFET or to increase the threshold voltage of the MOSFET. In order to avoid this effect, MOSFET circuits such as the cascode circuit of FIG. 1 connect the source directly to the body so that the source-body voltage is zero.

MOSFET amplifier having feedback controlled transconductance


A non-volatile memory device includes a memory cell array including memory cells, a read circuit that, in operation, obtains pieces of resistance value information each relating to the resistance value of one of the memory cells, an arithmetic circuit that, in operation, calculates a binary reference value based on at least a part of the pieces of resistance value information, and a data adjustment circuit. In operation, the read circuit assigns, based on the binary reference value, 0 or 1 to each of the pieces of resistance value information. In operation, the data adjustment circuit determines whether to adjust the binary reference value, in accordance with a difference between the numbers of pieces of digital data “0” and digital data “1” in the pieces of digital data.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a tamper-resistant non-volatile memory device including a plurality of non-volatile resistive memory cells.
2. Description of the Related Art
The market for electronic commerce services rendered via the Internet, such as electronic banking or electronic shopping, is rapidly expanding. Such services are paid for with electronic methods of payment like electronic money using integrated circuit (IC) cards and smartphone terminals whose use is also expanding. These services require high-level security technology for mutual authentication during communication and encryption of communication data all the time in order to make payment safe.
In terms of software technologies, due to the accumulation of encryption techniques based on program processing, such as high-level encryption algorithms, a sufficient level of security has been achieved. However, technological advances have lead to a rapid growth of concerns about the direct interception of inside information on circuitry from outside parties.
International Publication WO2012/014291 proposes a solution to such concerns. In general, security-enhanced ICs encrypt confidential information by using a built-in cryptographic circuit and use the encrypted information to prevent leakage of information. In this case, it is required that information on an internally stored encryption key (also referred to as a "private or secret key") not be leaked to the outside.
Typical standards for cryptographic circuits, such as Triple Data Encryption Standard (3DES) and Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), are widely used. These encryption standards employ sophisticated cryptographic algorithms that make it difficult to identify the encryption key within the realistic constraints of time even if pairs of plaintext (unencrypted data) and ciphertext constituting input and output are obtained and analyzed by making full use of top-speed computers, and the safety thereof has been confirmed. However, such standards, which are regarded as being safe in providing protection against hacking of encrypted data, have still involved a concern for vulnerability of the encryption key to direct hacking.
In an IC that adopts a classic technique, an encryption key is stored in an internal fuse read-only memory (ROM) or a non-volatile memory. The former configuration has experienced a problem that permits the state of the fuse element to be observed using X-ray projection or the like and the electrical conductivity of the fuse element to be analyzed, resulting in the stored key information being hacked or stolen. The latter configuration does not lead to analysis by using X-ray projection but has a problem in that the key information can be hacked by direct application of probes to both ends of a memory element of the non-volatile memory to electrically read the state of the element. To address this problem, security-enhanced ICs are manufactured using latest fine process technology so as to prevent direct application of probes to an internal circuit. That is, the manufacture of an IC using latest fine process technology with a finer process rule than the diameter of the leading edge of a probe addresses a threat of analysis with probing.
However, techniques called side-channel attacks, which have been attempting to break the countermeasure described above, can constitute threats. The side-channel attacks are techniques for, as described in International Publication WO2012/014291, identifying an encryption key by using side-channel information such as power consumption of a semiconductor device when each signal processing circuit is executed and radiated electromagnetic waves dependent on the power consumption. These techniques are threats because such techniques enable an attacker (or hacker) to hack key information without causing any physical damage to an IC when the IC is in actual operation.
Differential Power Analysis (DPA), which is a type of side-channel attack, was introduced by P. Kocher in 1999. The DPA technique uses the fact that there is a correlation between a signal value or signal transition frequency and power consumption during operation of an IC. Specifically, the DPA technique involves integrating the correlation described above multiple times to reduce noise and performing machine learning control to derive a fixed pattern, thereby identifying key information. The example disclosed in International Publication WO2012/014291 provides an example in which key information is identified through the operation of a cryptographic processing circuit. Key information stored in a non-volatile memory is read at the timing when the execution of cryptographic processing acts as a trigger. Based on the principle of DPA, if data read at timing similar to the timing described above is identified and obtained, the content of the data might be analyzed using DPA. In addition, if the internal specification of an IC leaks, a hacker will be able to understand the control method of the IC and, as described above, all of the data stored in the non-volatile memory, including cryptographic key information, will be hard-copied so that a duplication of the IC might be created.
In recent years, Physically Unclonable Function (PUF) technology has been proposed to address the problems described above. PUF technology is a technology for generating unique entity identification information different for each IC by exploiting manufacturing variations. In this specification, entity identification information generated using PUF technology is hereinafter referred to as "digital ID data". The digital ID data can be regarded as random-number data specific to each device, which is associated with variations in the physical properties of an IC. Since it is not possible to artificially control the physical properties of each IC, data whose physical duplication is not possible can be generated.
Even if it is possible to some extent to control variations in the physical properties of an IC, using random process variations caused during manufacture would make it easy to create unique digital ID data specific to each IC by using PUF technology. In actual use, however, specific entity identification information determined in advance is difficult to create on purpose. In a semiconductor process, manufacturing variations occur in terms of various physical properties. Examples of the manufacturing variations include the amount of doping in the semiconductor process, oxide thickness, channel length, the width and thickness of a metal wiring layer, parasitic resistance, and parasitic capacitance.
In the related art, specific examples of static random access memory (SRAM) PUF are disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication (Translation of PCT Application) No. 2013-545340 and "A 0.19 pJ/b PVT-Variation-Tolerant Hybrid Physically Unclonable Function Circuit for 100% Stable Secure Key Generation in 22 nm CMOS", K. Mathew, et al., ISSCC 2014 (hereinafter referred to as Non-Patent Literature 1). The disclosed examples use a phenomenon in which, in each memory cell in an SRAM, the tendency of whether digital data of the initial value when power to the SRAM is turned on is likely to be in state "1" or state "0" differs mainly due to the Vt variations (variations in operating voltage) across the transistor in the memory cell. This tendency is specific to each cell of an SRAM on each IC, and differs from one cell to another. That is, the initial value data at power-on of the SRAM is used as digital ID data.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2012-43517 discloses a modification of SRAM-PUF which uses a phenomenon in which defective bits of memory cells of an SRAM randomly occur. In addition, in International Publication WO2012/014291 and "The Design and Evaluation Methodology of Dependable VLSI for Tamper Resistance" by Takeshi Fujino in "Fundamental technology for dependable VLSI system", CREST 2009 Research Theme, 2012 Annual Report (hereinafter referred to as Non-Patent Literature 2), PUF technology called Arbiter PUF or Glitch PUF has been introduced. Arbiter PUF and Glitch PUF use random changes in the output of a combinational circuit with respect to the input by using a gate delay or a wiring delay. The gate delay or wiring delay, which changes due to manufacturing variations, constitutes an amount of delay specific to each IC. Thus, each IC outputs a substantially equal result with respect to the input, where the results of the individual ICs are different from each other, and can therefore generate digital ID data.
Accordingly, PUF technology enables digital ID data serving as a random number specific to each IC to be generated as unduplicatable data. The digital ID data is used as a device key for encrypting the private or secret key described above. A private or secret key encrypted with the device key (digital ID data) is stored in a non-volatile memory as an encrypted private or secret key. That is, the encrypted private or secret key recorded on the non-volatile memory can be decrypted into the original private or secret key data only with the device key. Thus, even if all the data in the non-volatile memory has been hard-copied by hacking, the device key (digital ID data) specific to each IC is not duplicatable, which prevents the encrypted private or secret key from being restored to the original form to make the private or secret key unavailable.
In addition, since the digital ID data generated using PUF technology is generated by using subtle manufacturing variations, environmental variations including temperature or power supply variations under which the digital ID data is generated, as well as, for example, deterioration over time, may cause changes in available physical properties, and may result in an error being caused in data obtained. Accordingly, as disclosed in Non-Patent Literature 1, parity data for error correction is computed based on digital ID data generated using PUF technology in the inspection step during manufacture. The parity data is separately stored in the non-volatile memory or the like. When the system uses digital ID data, the digital ID data, which is generated using PUF technology and contains an error, undergoes an error correction process using the parity data to obtain constantly the same ID data.
While the technology described above, which involves subjecting data containing errors to data correction, seems to be inefficient, such inefficiency becomes another important feature. Each time digital ID data is re-generated using PUF technology, random errors are generated in the data. Thus, even if the data is exposed to a hacking attack such as the side-channel attack described above, the data pattern remains unfixed and is difficult to analyze, thus achieving a significant improvement in security.
As described above, PUF technology is an important technology to increase security for secure cryptography and mutual authentication.

Tamper-resistant non-volatile memory device

PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.


A method according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure includes, among other things, adjusting the feel of a brake pedal based on a comparison between a predetermined level of resistance to an input braking force and a measured input braking force.

This disclosure relates to a system and method for brake pedal feel control.
In non-hybrid electric vehicles, a brake pedal is connected to a hydraulic pressure booster. The booster provides resistance to a user's braking force, which is experienced by the user as "pedal feel."
In hybrid electric vehicles, the brake pedal is ordinarily not connected to a booster. In order to simulate brake pedal feel, one known brake pedal assembly includes a roller bearing that follows a cam surface. The contour of the cam surface dictates the level of resistance felt by the user during braking.
In another known brake pedal assembly for a hybrid electric vehicle, such as that described in U.S. 2002/0108463 to Shaw et al., a brake pedal is connected to a piston assembly including a magneto-rheological fluid. The viscosity of the magneto-rheological fluid is selectively adjustable in response to changes in a magnetic field. As the magnetic field changes, the viscosity of the magneto-rheological fluid changes, which results in changes in pedal resistance felt by the user.

System and method for brake pedal feel control


In one embodiment, a method comprises transmitting a PING from a network element to a computing device, wherein a static route is between the network element and the computing device. The method also includes causing a distribution of availability of the static route to at least one other network element based on whether the computing device responded to the PING.

In the field of communications and networking, a number of approaches are employed for establishing routes within a network. A first approach is based on static routing protocols wherein a network administrator typically provisions the routes within the network, thereby provisioning the routing tables stored in different network elements (such as routers). Accordingly, this static routing enables the path through the network that the data traverses to be known and allows for a greater degree of control in comparison to routing based on dynamic routing protocols (discussed below). Disadvantageously, if links or network elements within the static route are unavailable or are not operating, data attempting to be transmitted through the static route is lost or not routed.
A second approach for establishing routes within a network is based on dynamic routing, wherein dynamic routing protocols, such as Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) and Interior Gateway Protocol (IGP), are employed. Such dynamic routing protocols enable network elements within a network to announce or advertise which network elements that they are coupled to in the network. Accordingly, the network elements are able to make intelligent route selection based on an understanding of the network topology because of the data received from such dynamic routing protocols. Therefore, the network elements are aware if a link or network element is unavailable and modify the route to traverse a different link and/or network element within the network. Furthermore, the network elements can be configured to allow for the distribution of static routes using the dynamic routing protocols. Accordingly, the network element can announce static routes that it is aware to other network elements in the network.
Moreover, within networks, the storage of data, such as web pages from various web sites, can be stored in a bank of servers known as a web farm. In particular, a web farm can store web pages from a number of different web sites. Further, a given web page can be stored across different web farms. For example, a given web page may be stored in web farms within the United States as well as web farms in various European and Asian countries. Accordingly, if a web page cannot be retrieved from one web farm because of equipment failure related to the servers therein, the web page may be retrieved from other web farms.
In a typical network configuration, the bank of servers within a web farm are coupled to the network through an edge router using static routes. In operation, the edge router announces these static routes to other network elements in the network using dynamic routing protocols (as described above). However, in such a configuration, if the static route becomes unavailable (because the server or link is "down" for example), the static routing protocols do not provide a mechanism to determine this unavailability. Accordingly, when requests are made for web pages for a given static route that is unavailable from the edge router, the edge router is unable to retrieve this web page for the requesting device.
A conventional approach to preclude such a scenario is to have the bank of servers and the edge router include communications based on a dynamic routing protocol, thereby enabling a server within the bank of servers to communicate the availability of routes between itself and the edge router. Accordingly, this router can announce the changes in the availability of routes learned between itself and the bank of servers to other network elements in the network. Requests will, therefore, not be made to the edge router for a given web page that is unavailable because a route is "down", thereby allowing the requesting device to obtain the web page from another server in another web farm. Disadvantageously, this approach requires that the servers become pseudo routers by requiring communications based on the dynamic routing protocol. Furthermore, servers within a web farm can be based on different manufacturers and executing different operating systems. For example, a first server can be a workstation that is executing a first type of operating system, while a second server can be a personal computer that is executing a second type of operating system. Accordingly, the different servers may have to execute different types of dynamic routing protocol software. Moreover, as described, this approach can be expensive through the installation of this routing software on each of the different servers across different web farms.
Another typical approach to preclude having an edge router announcing the availability of a web page when the route for this page is not accessible within a server of a bank of servers encompasses periodic checks and updates by the web sites that are allowing their web pages to be hosted within the web farm. In particular, a computing or monitoring device external to the edge router and the web farm checks availability of web pages within the web farm. Upon determining that a web page is unavailable, the computing device logs into the edge router and modifies the static routing tables therein to remove the associated static route. Additionally, this computing device can continue to check when the web page is subsequently available and again log into the edge router to modify the static routing tables therein to add the associated static route. However, as described, such an approach can require a separate monitoring device, developing associated monitoring software and a flood of logins into the edge router and modification to the static routing tables therein.

Updating of availability of routes in a network


A transverse bolt (1) is to be fastened to a formwork element (110, 120) of a concrete formwork (100), preferably a curved concrete formwork. The transverse bolt (1) comprises a first end section located at a first end of the transverse bolt (1), in the longitudinal direction thereof, having at least one elongated hole, and at least one round hole. A curved concrete formwork comprises formwork elements (110, 120) that are provided with such a transverse bolt. A bolt fixture (2), by means of which the transverse bolt (1) can be fastened to the formwork element (110, 120) of the curved concrete formwork, is arranged on the transverse bolt. The elongated hole (3) and the round hole (4) are preferably located next to each other in the longitudinal direction of the transverse bolt (1) in the first final section of the transverse bolt (1).

The invention concerns a curved concrete formwork having a transverse bolt for attachment to a formwork element of the curved concrete formwork, each transverse bolt having a first end region at a longitudinal first end thereof, wherein the transverse bolt has at least one elongated hole and at least one round hole. A bolt fixture for fixing the transverse bolt to the formwork element of the curved concrete formwork is also disposed or formed on the transverse bolt. Curved concrete formworks of this type are used for molding curved or bent walls.
G 89 08 345 U1 discloses transverse bolts for a curved concrete formwork, and a curved concrete formwork. The transverse bolts have round holes and neighboring transverse bolts are connected via a telescopic spindle configuration to a spindle screwed into threaded screw holes of bolts, wherein the bolts are inserted into the round holes of the transverse bolts. This curved concrete formwork is disadvantageous in that neighboring transverse bolts have to be fixed by a further stabilizing transverse bolt in order to stabilize the transverse bolts. This increases both the assembly effort as well as the depth of the concrete wall formwork, which is disadvantageous, in particular, when only little space is available.
EP 1 321 601 A1 discloses a transverse bolt of this type. An end region of the transverse bolt is mounted to a longitudinal bolt of the curved concrete formwork via a bolt guided through an elongated hole, and a further end region of the transverse bolt is mounted to a second longitudinal bolt via a bolt guided through a round hole. The transverse bolt comprises a bolt fixture for mounting to the curved concrete formwork via a telescopic spindle configuration. This curved concrete formwork is also disadvantageous since respective neighboring transverse bolts have to be fixed with a further transverse bolt in order to stabilize the transverse bolts. Moreover, the stabilizing transverse bolts of EP 1 321 601 A1 are also connected to each other using telescopic spindle configurations. This configuration requires a great deal of assembly effort by specially trained staff.
EP 0 807 501 A and GB 1 001 768 A each disclose a curved concrete formwork having transverse bolts, whereby the transverse bolts each have a longitudinal hole and/or a round hole on their respective ends. Neighboring transverse bolts of the curved formwork are disposed with overlapping ends in such a fashion that the round holes and/or the longitudinal holes form through holes for bolts. EP0807501A requires differing transverse bolts to be connected to each other. The transverse bolts of GB 1 001 768 A must be screwed together at the bolt through holes in order to fix and define the curvature of the curved formwork.
It is the underlying purpose of the invention to provide a concrete wall formwork that overcome the disadvantages of prior art, which are particularly simple and inexpensive to use, and which require minimum depth.