A method and apparatus for efficiently transmitting large multimedia data over a wireless network are provided. A wireless device includes a device information reading unit which receives and reads information regarding available capabilities of devices included in a wireless network; a control unit which selects a first device which can process a video stream and a second device which can process an audio stream from the devices based on the information; a stream generation unit which generates a video stream and an audio stream which form the same content; and a wireless transmission/reception unit which transmits the generated video stream to the first device and transmits the generated audio stream to the second device.

1. Field of the Invention
Methods and apparatuses consistent with the present invention relate to wireless communication technology, and more particularly, to efficiently transmitting large multimedia data over a wireless network.
2. Description of the Related Art
As networks become wireless and the demand for large multimedia data transmission increases, there is a need for studies on an effective transmission method in a wireless network environment. In particular, various home devices are increasingly required to wirelessly transmit high-quality videos, such as digital versatile disk (DVD) videos or high definition television (HDTV) videos.
An IEEE 802.15.3c task group is developing a technological standard for transmitting large-volume data over a wireless home network. The technological standard, which is called "millimeter wave (mm Wave)," uses an electric wave having a physical wavelength of a millimeter, i.e., an electric wave having a frequency band of 30-300 GHz to transmit the large-volume data. This frequency band, which is an unlicensed band, has conventionally been used by communication service providers or used for limited purposes, such as observing electric waves or preventing vehicle collision.
FIG. 1 is a diagram comparing frequency bands of the IEEE 802.11 series of standards and mmWave. Referring to FIG. 1, the IEEE 802.11b or IEEE 802.11g standard uses a carrier frequency of 2.4 GHz and has a channel bandwidth of approximately 20 MHz. In addition, the IEEE 802.11a or IEEE 802.11n standard uses a carrier frequency of 5 GHz and has a channel bandwidth of approximately 20 MHz. On the other hand, mmWave uses a carrier frequency of 60 GHz and has a channel bandwidth of approximately 0.5-2.5 GHz. Therefore, it can be understood that mmWave has a much greater carrier frequency and channel bandwidth than the conventional IEEE 802.11 series of standards.
When a high-frequency signal (a mmWave) having a millimeter wavelength is used, a very high transmission rate of several Gbps can be achieved. Since the size of an antenna can also be reduced to less than 1.5 mm, a single chip including the antenna can be implemented. Furthermore, interference between devices can be reduced due to a very high attenuation ratio of the high-frequency signal in the air.
However, the high-frequency signal has a short distance range due to the very high attenuation ratio. In addition, since the high-frequency signal has high directability, it is difficult to have a proper communication in a non-line-of-sight environment. In mmWave, an array antenna having a high gain is used to solve the former problem, and a beam steering method is used to solve the latter problem.
Recently, a method of transmitting uncompressed data using mmWave in a high-frequency band of several tens of GHz has been introduced to home and office environments, along with a related art method of transmitting compressed data using a band of several GHz of the IEEE 802.11 standard series.
Since uncompressed audio and video (AV) data is large-volume data that is not compressed, it can be transmitted only in a high-frequency band of several tens of GHz. Even when having a packet loss, the uncompressed AV data has relatively less effect on the quality of video display than the compressed data. Therefore, there is no need for an automatic repeat request or a retry.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a method of transmitting a multimedia stream from a source device to a sink device in a related art wireless home network. Referring to FIG. 2, a source device 21 transmits a multiplexed AV stream to a sink device 22. The source device 21 is a device generating an AV stream from a multimedia source and wirelessly transmitting the AV stream, such as a set-top box, a DVD player, or a portable multimedia player (PMP). The sink device 22 is a device receiving the AV stream and outputting the AV stream in a form that can be audio-visually perceived by a user, such as a beam projector, a television (TV), a monitor, or an AV receiver. Each of the source device 21 and the sink device 22 includes a wireless network interface. From the perspective of a wireless network, the source device 21 operates as a transmitting device, and the sink device 22 operates as a receiving device.
A broad bandwidth is required to transmit large multimedia data such as uncompressed video data, e.g., data that presents red (R), green (G) and blue (B) or yellow-ultraviolet (YUV) components, which constitute a pixel, as digital values. Although the sink device 22 can process only either of a video stream and an audio stream, if the source device 21 transmits an AV stream which contains both audio and video data to the sink device 22, the bandwidth is wasted. Therefore, the source device 21 needs to adaptively transmit a video stream, an audio stream, or an AV stream according to the available capability of the sink device 22.

Method of transmitting/playing multimedia data over wireless network and wireless device using the method


A mounting device is described which includes a channel having a top and spaced-apart sides. Registering openings are present in the sides. A key having elongated prongs is slidably received in the openings. The mounting device is useful in mounting a variety of objects (e.g., a fishing rod holder) to a desired substrate (e.g., a cleat, a rail, a block, etc.).

It is often necessary or desirable to be mount an object to a substrate or other surface or existing fixtures on a surface. For example, while in a boat it is often necessary or desirable to mount a fishing rod holder to a boat existing fixture such as a cleat or a rail. Although some boats include openings for supporting a beverage container, and such cups can sometimes be used to receive the handle of a fishing rod, that is not entirely satisfactory.
Boats typically include cleats for the purpose of enabling the boats to be tied to docks, for example. There has not heretofore been provided a means for mounting objects to cleats. Boats and other vehicles often include rails extending along the sides, but there has not been provided a means for mounting objects to the rails.


A protective vent line cap for protecting sanitary plumbing vent lines is described. The vent line cap includes an open bottom conically flared shroud that attaches to the vent line using a mounting strap having an adjustable strap clamp fastener and a mounting bracket. The mounting bracket is fastened at its top to the shroud and at the bottom to the strap clamp. The vent line cap is designed to be easily installed and removed using common hand tools. The vent line cap prevents foreign material from entering the vent line and subjacent plumbing while still allowing air to flow from the vent line as well as preventing rain water from entering sewer system.

Over the last one hundred twenty-five years (125 y.) or so plumbing has developed into a modern engineering marvel. American cities, suburbs and small towns have implemented a maze of plumbing pipes and pumps that both supply users with potable water from water sources and dispose of water borne waste into sewage systems.
The plumbing that removes water borne waste is commonly referred to as the drain-waste-vent (DWV) or sanitary piping system. The sanitary piping system removes sewage and greywater waste from a house or other building. Such waste is produced at toilets, sinks and showers. To prevent the unpleasant smell of sewer gas each sanitary piping fixture is supplied with a water trap, which is a section of pipe, usually containing a "U"-shaped trap filled with water. On one (1) side of the "U" shape traps are waste lines that run to the sewer system while on the other side is living or working spaces. Ideally the water in the "U" shape traps block sewer gas from seeping into the living spaces.
While sanitary piping systems work very well, they do have problems. Sewer gases can build up rather high pressures due to biodegrading sewer matter and other causes. Such pressure can cause sewer gases to escape back through the "U" shape traps. This is easily prevented by simply venting the sanitary piping system to atmospheric pressure using a vent line. A common sight on the roof of almost every home or building is the sanitary piping system vent line. Such vent lines release pressure build-up in the sanitary piping system which aids sewage transfer.
Properly maintained vent lines work very well. However, since the interior of the pipe is completely open to the environment, foreign objects or materials can easily enter. Items such as twigs, leaves, dirt, trash, and the like can fall or be blown inside, while birds, small animals, and insects can fly, crawl, or become trapped inside. Such materials can accumulate within the vent line, causing it to cease operating properly in that air does not freely enter and leave the vent line. This can result in piping backups and flooding. When such occurs the most realistic fix is to go to the roof and remove objects and blockages. A most unpleasant and dangerous task.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a means by which foreign material can be kept out of sanitary pipe vents in an effort to eliminate the problems as described above. Beneficially such a means would be easy to attach using common tools and fasteners and would allow air to readily enter the vent line. Even more beneficially that means would be easily removed to allow access to the vent line if required or if modifications are needed.


An external rearview mirror for automobile vehicles comprising a mirror plate, a regulating mechanism for positioning of said mirror plate, a casing accommodating said mirror plate and said regulating mechanism, a base supporting said casing and placeable on a side of an automotive vehicle, a tilting mechanism for tilting said casing which accommodates said mirror plate and said regulating mechanism and for stabilization of said casing in a position of use and in a tilted position, means for joining said casing with relation to said base around substantially vertical axis, a device for stabilization of said casing in the position of use and in the tilted position, and positioning elements including a support and a connection surface for said support provided in said casing and in said base correspondingly so as to ensure a locking pressure between a base flange and a structural element of the casing.

The present invention relates to external rearview mirrors and more particularly to a device for tilting and stabilization of external rearview mirrors of vehicles.
External rearview mirrors of automotive vehicles are known. The external rearview mirror usually includes a mirror plate, a setting device for positioning the plate of the mirror and actuatable directly or through a lever, a button and the like inside the vehicle, a casing which houses the plate and the adjustment mechanism, a base placed on a side of the vehicle and supporting the casing, and a mechanism for tilting of the casing relative to the base. This device is designed to comply with legal requirements. The safety device maintains the casing in the position of use even if it is subjected to typical vibrations during displacement of the vehicle, to reaction of the air displacement acting in the back front of the casing, and to the impact at the back front of the casing until certain safety limits. When the external rearview mirror collides against an obstacle, it also allows tilting of the casing when the impact surpasses a predetermined impact force. The mechanism of tilting with the safety device is disclosed for example in the patent documents MU 7201917, MU 7400425 and PI 9301058 of the applicant. The first two references disclose mechanisms in which a connection between the casing and the base is formed by helical springs which are selected to maintain the casing in the position of use and to allow the casing to tilt relative to the base when it is subjected to an impact. The third reference discloses a more developed tilting system, in which the casing can tilt and remain in a tilted detent position. This system corresponds to legal safety requirements and specifications, and is very useful for a customer since in places with a reduced space of parking and also for prevention of an impact which can damage the mirror, the mirror can be tilted to a position abutting against a side of the vehicle so as to avoid the above mentioned inconveniences. While this system is more advanced than the systems disclosed in the first two references, it is however relatively more complex and is produced by a more complicated and expensive manufacturing process.


A system and method for interconnecting electronic components on a circuit board that minimize etch lines, minimize stub lengths, reduce the number of vias that are needed, and densely pack electronic components on the circuit board. According to system and method, electronic components are attached to the top planar surface of the circuit board such that adjacent components are rotated 180.degree. in the plane of the top planar surface. These adjacent electronic components also are offset from one another. The electronic components that are attached to the bottom planar surface of the circuit board also have adjacent electronic components rotated 180.degree. in the plane of the bottom planar surface, and are offset. The arrangement of the components disposed at the bottom planar surface is a mirror image of the components disposed at the top planar surface.

In the design of circuit boards to which electronic components connect, signal lines, such as address bus lines, may be etched in internal layers of a circuit board. The electronic components that are disposed on the circuit board and connect to the signal lines, preferably, are packed on the surfaces of the circuit board in a space efficient manner. This packing of electronic components on a circuit board is done in light of certain physical and electrical considerations.
The physical considerations are the size of the circuit board, the size of the electronic components that are to be attached to the circuit board, and the area of the circuit board that is available for etching the signal lines.
With regard to electrical considerations, it is desirable that each etch line has as minimal as possible an effect affect on the signal characteristics of the overall design. Thus, the designer attempts to minimize the number of etch lines and minimize the length of any etch lines that are needed. One method to accomplish this is to provide etch lines with common connection nodes to which the number of electronic components may connect.
It is also desirable electrically to minimize the length of the lines (stubs) that are used connect electronic components to a common connection node. Furthermore, it is desirable that the stubs that connect to a particular common connection node be symmetrical.
Another electrical consideration is the desire to minimize the capacitive loading that is caused by vias. Each via impacts the signal on the etch line to which it connects by introducing a capacitive load similar to that of an actual component. This degrades the propagation of the signal along the etch line. Therefore, the number of vias is preferably minimized, and number of components that connect to a single via is the highest possible number considering the physical constraints of the circuit board and the components that attach to it.
Generally, there are two conventional methods of packing electronic components on a circuit board. These are to use a 2-dimensional approach or a simple 3-dimensional approach. Referring to FIG. 1, an example for laying out an area of tightly coupled electronic components, such as static random access memories ("SRAMs"), using the conventional 2-dimensional approach is shown. In this Figure, SRAMs 101, 102, 104, and 106 are mounted on circuit board 100. Circuit board 100 has etch lines 108, 110, 112, 114, 116, and 118 etched in it. In a representative fashion, etch line 108 connects to pin 1 of SRAM 101 at connection 120, connects to pin 1 of SRAM 102 at connection 122, connects to pin 1 of SRAM 104 at connection 124, and connects to pin 1 of SRAM 106 at connection 126. In like manner, etch line 110 connects to pins 2 of the SRAMs, etch line 112 to pins 3 of the SRAMs, etch line 114 to pins 4 of the SRAMs, etch line 116 to pins 5 of the SRAMs, and etch line 118 to pins 6 of the SRAMs.
When the 2-dimensional approach is used, the packing of electronic components depends on the size of the components, such as the SRAMs shown in FIG. 1. The closest that a connection point of one electronic component may be to the connection point of another component is the width of a component. It is also seen that the length of the etch line depends on the specific number of electronic components that are connected to circuit board 100.
A major disadvantages of the 2-dimensional approach is that the etch line will be considerably long. As such, there will be a significant delay associated with accessing the electronic components that are at, or near, the end of a row or column of electronic components.
FIGS. 2 and 3 show circuit board 200 that employs the conventional 3-dimensional approach for packing electronic components, such as SRAMs 201, 202, 204, 206, and 301 and the SRAMs that are disposed opposite SRAMs 202, 204, and 206 which are not shown. According to the conventional 3-dimensional approach, the SRAMs are connected to both planar surfaces of circuit board 200. Etch lines 208, 210, 212, 214, 216, and 218, which may be address lines, are etched in predetermined layers of circuit board 200.
Representative etch line 208 connects to common connection node 220. Common connection node 220 connects to via 302 that extends between the two planar surfaces of circuit board 200. Common connection node 220 connects to pin 1 of SRAM 201 at 306 through via 302 and stub 304, and connects to pin 1 of SRAM 301 at 312 through via 302 and stub 310.
In FIG. 2, the representative common connection nodes to which two SRAMs connect are nodes 220, 222, 224, and 226. It is understood that these nodes are representative of all of the nodes shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.
The conventional 3-dimensional approach has several advantages over the 2-dimensional approach. By using both planar surfaces of circuit board 200, the capability exists to decrease the length of the etch line by one half. It also provides for symmetrical stub lengths for the two SRAMs connected to a common connection node, such as node 220. However, this conventional 3-dimensional approach still has far too many vias.
The present invention solves these and other problems as will be set forth in the remainder of the specification referring the attached drawings.

Interconnect arrangement for electronic components disposed on a circuit board


A method for drive control of a motor vehicle in a drive train which comprises a drive engine built as a turbo-charged internal combustion engine, a startup and shifting clutch built as an automated friction clutch, and a transmission built as an automatic stepped transmission. The method overcomes drive engine torque deficiencies while traveling in which such torque deficiencies occur when the driver demands power corresponding to a target torque of the drive engine which is above the spontaneously attainable maximum torque. To avoid downshifting or starting from standstill, initially the clutch is disengaged up to slipping operation, the drive engine is then accelerated to the boost threshold speed or an engine speed which is slightly above the boost threshold speed, and the drive engine is then loaded up to substantially the full load torque with a substantially constant engine speed before the slipping operation of the clutch ends.

In motor vehicles, there has been increasing use of automatic stepped transmissions having at least one automated friction clutch as a startup and shifting clutch, in which the gear selection, the triggering of shift operations, the engaging and disengaging of gear steps, and the engaging and disengaging of the friction clutch are automated; that is, these actions occur by evaluating operating parameters in a transmission control device and the drive assigned to the control.
Particularly in the case of commercial vehicles, the drive engines are usually designed as diesel engines that can be boosted by a turbo-charger and that have a specific load build-up characteristic. As described in more detail in the document DE 10 2008 054 802.2, which was previously unpublished and which discloses a method for controlling an automatic stepped transmission depending on the dynamic operating characteristics of a turbo-charged internal combustion engine, a turbo-charged internal combustion engine can spontaneously, that is with high torque gradients, only reach an intake torque lying below the full load torque. A further increase of the engine torque is briefly possible, although with low torque gradients, only above a boost threshold speed, above which the turbo-charger creates a significant increase of the charge pressure and thus the engine torque. Thus aside from the idle speed, cut-off speed and the full load torque characteristic curve, the dynamic behavior of a turbo-charged internal combustion engine is also determined by the boost threshold speed and the intake torque characteristic curve as well as by the torque gradients present in certain ranges. Due to the limitation of the spontaneously achievable engine torque to the intake torque, with turbo-charged internal combustion engines, significant torque deficiency, generally referred to as turbo lag, is observed below the boost threshold speed when the power that is requested by the driver by deflecting the gas pedal requires engine torque that is greater than the intake torque.
To avoid or at least mitigate the undesired turbo lag, multiple technical solutions were disclosed such as an adjustable turbine geometry for improving the response behavior of the exhaust gas turbo-charger, or auxiliary devices for increasing the charge pressure at low engine speed, for instance a mechanically drivable compressor, an electrically drivable supplemental compressor, or a mechanical or electrical drive of the drive shaft of the exhaust gas turbo-charger. However, such devices are relatively complex and expensive, increase the construction space requirements and represent increased failure potential for the operation of the internal combustion engine, so they are frequently omitted.
Particularly in the case of a loaded commercial vehicle traveling uphill, which is typically performed at high engine load, that is, at an engine torque lying above the intake torque, a travel situation can occur with torque deficiency of the drive engine, for example when the driver briefly releases the gas pedal or significantly reduces the gas pedal setting to avoid a collision with a slower vehicle traveling in front for example. If the gas pedal setting and thus the power demanded by the driver is then significantly increased again, for example because slower vehicle traveling in front has turned off or can be overtaken, the charge pressure and the engine speed of the drive engine can have been reduced so far that the drive engine can no longer spontaneously attain the previously set high engine torque, however the briefly attainable maximum intake torque is not sufficient for overcoming the drive resistance.
The torque deficiency of the drive engine in this travel situation can be remedied either by shifting into a lower gear, or by startup from a standstill or from a slow rolling speed. For downshifting, a lower gear must be available however, which particularly in the case of a lighter weight commercial vehicle is frequently not the case due to a low number of gears of the respective stepped transmission. In addition the drive resistance (rolling resistance+incline resistance) must not be too high, because otherwise the motor vehicle is decelerated too greatly during the shift-dependent interruption of tractive force, and then startup from standstill is necessary in any case. However, startup from standstill is associated with a loss of comfort and with high thermal and mechanical loading of the friction clutch, and under certain circumstances, such as travel on difficult terrain, may no longer be possible.
A further driving situation with torque deficiency of the drive engine can arise during travel with low engine load and low engine speed, when the driver wishes to accelerate but the spontaneously attainable intake torque of the drive engine is not sufficient for this purpose, that is, no acceleration is possible (intake torque=drive resistance torque) or only very small acceleration (very low excess torque compared to the intake torque available for acceleration) is possible. The torque deficiency of the drive engine can be remedied in this driving situation too by downshifting, but at the cost of the aforementioned risks and disadvantages.
Many suitable methods have already been proposed for overcoming torque deficiency of a turbo-charged internal combustion engine occurring in other operating situations of a motor vehicle. Thus for example, the document DE 102 34 428 A1 discloses an appropriate method for the startup control of a motor vehicle, the drive train of which comprises a drive engine built as a turbo-charged internal combustion engine, a startup element built as a hydrodynamic torque converter and a transmission built as a planetary automatic transmission. This known method provides that during a startup procedure a load carrying friction shift element (clutch or brake) of the automatic transmission is operated with slip for a brief period of time such that the internal combustion engine can build-up increased startup torque using an increased engine speed.
The document U.S. Pat. No. 6,692,406 B2 describes a corresponding method for the gearshift control of a motor vehicle, the drive train of which comprises a drive engine designed as a turbo-charged internal combustion engine, a startup and shifting clutch designed as an automated friction clutch, and a transmission designed as an automatic stepped transmission. This known method provides that with an upshift at full load, the internal combustion engine is controlled such that the charge pressure is maintained during the shifting procedure either by increasing the exhaust energy or by maintaining the rotational speed of the exhaust gas turbo-charger, and thus sufficiently high engine torque can be built up at the end of the shifting procedure.
Due to different operating situations and other technical conditions, the two named methods cannot however be readily applied to the present stated problem.

Method for controlling the locomotion of a motor vehicle


The present invention provides methods for lathing at room temperature a silicone hydrogel material, in particular silicone hydrogel material having a high oxygen permeability and made of a polymerizable composition containing a relative large amount of oxyperm component, into contact lenses.

Contact lenses are widely used for correcting many different types of vision deficiencies. These include low-order monochromatic aberrations such as defocus (near-sightedness or myopia and far-sightedness or hypermetropia), astigmatism, prism, and defects in near range vision usually associated with aging (presbyopia). Contact lenses must allow oxygen from the surrounding air (i.e., oxygen) to reach the cornea because the cornea does not receive oxygen from the blood supply like other tissue. If sufficient oxygen does not reach the cornea, corneal swelling occurs. Extended periods of oxygen deprivation cause the undesirable growth of blood vessels in the cornea. "Soft" contact lenses conform closely to the shape of the eye, so oxygen cannot easily circumvent the lens. Thus, soft contact lenses must allow oxygen to diffuse through the lens to reach the cornea, namely having a relatively high oxygen transmissibility (i.e., oxygen permeability over the lens thickness) from the outer surface to the inner surface to allow sufficient oxygen permeate through the lens to the cornea and to have minimal adverse effects on corneal health. High oxygen permeable silicone hydrogel materials have been developed to fulfill such requirements for making contact lenses capable of providing corneal health benefits, such as, for example, Focus NIGHT & DAY™ (CIBA VISION).
Silicone Hydrogels are typically formed of a copolymer of a polymerizable mixture including at least one hydrophilic monomer and a silicone-containing monomer or macromer. In general, silicone hydrogel contact lenses are mass-produced by a full molding process involving disposable molds. Partly because of the relatively-high cost associated with use of molds and partly because of difficulty in managing an inventory with a huge number of SKUs, a family of silicone hydrogel contact lenses made by a lens molding process generally can only have a limited number of variations in optical power and/or choices of base curve and/or the like. In most cases, a patient has to use contact lenses which would have closes match to his (her) prescription. Made-to-order or customized contact lenses can be made, e.g., by directly lathing, to match to a patient's prescription. However, it is generally believed in the art that a silicone hydrogel material can only be lathed at low temperature because of its softness and/or stickiness. Manufacturing cost could be high due to the high cost associated with low temperature lathing. Therefore, it would be desirable for a manufacturer to lathe silicone hydrogel contact lenses at room temperature.
Moreover, although silicone hydrogel contact lenses can be mass-produced economically by a full-molding process involving disposable molds, a full-molding process using disposable molds may not be suitable for making a contact lens having a relatively complex surface design because of its relatively low fidelity in reproducing all features of a lens design due to unavoidable fluctuations in the dimensions of disposable molds. Examples of contact lenses with relatively complex surface designs include without limitation contact lenses for correcting astigmatism, prism, presbyopia and customized lenses for correcting high-order monochromatic aberrations (e.g., such as a non-standard amount of spherical aberration, coma, and other irregular high-order aberrations). Those contact lenses for correcting astigmatism, prism, presbyopia and high-order monochromatic aberrations must require at least some special features built in a contact lens to provide a rotational and/or orientational stability on an eye. Their effectiveness and performance may largely depend upon both the design of orientation/stabilization features and the accurate duplication of the designs of those features. However, it is expected that, during injection-molding of molds, fluctuations in the dimensions of molds can occur as results of fluctuations in the production process (temperatures, pressures, material properties) and/or of non-uniformly shrink after the injection molding.
Therefore, there is a need for a method of lathing silicone hydrogel contact lenses at room temperature (or ambient temperature).

Method for lathing silicone hydrogel lenses


A storage system comprising a host device, a storage device, a switching device, and a management terminal is provided. The host device has a plurality of first logical blocks. The storage device has a plurality of second logical blocks. The switching device transfers data between the host device and the storage device through a plurality of paths. The management terminal receives information on the first logical blocks from the host device, receives information on the second logical blocks from the storage device, and generates information showing connecting paths between the first logical blocks and the second logical blocks based on the information on the first logical blocks received and the information on the second logical blocks received. Accordingly, it is possible to get hold of the connected configuration of the first logical blocks and the second logical blocks.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a computer-system managing method for managing a state of connections between a host comprising first logical blocks and a storage device comprising second logical blocks. Further, the present invention relates to a computer capable of executing a management program used for the above-mentioned computer system, a storage device, a displaying device, and a storage system.
2. Description of the Related Art
With the rapid increase in the amount of data being handled by information systems, introduction of SANs (Storage Area Networks) is being promoted.
Currently, in system management for a SAN, management of a configuration regarding connections mainly among hardware devices, such as a configuration of connections between a host and a storage device, is being carried out.
A mainframe provides a platform for configuring a large-scale backbone system. In such a mainframe, there are cases in which a plurality of logical blocks operate independently. On the other hand, there are cases in which logical units divided into a plurality of regions operate in a storage device. Thus, it is expected to connect the devices, in which physical resources are shared among a plurality of logical processing units, to a SAN.
On the other hand, in a SAN, it is typical to redundantly configure paths for transferring data between a host and a storage device. In this case, path settings are carried out mainly in accordance with the connecting paths among the hardware devices. Since SANs have been developed mainly on platforms for constructing open systems, in conventional SAN-system management, the configuration of connections among hardware devices is mainly being managed.
Therefore, according to conventional SAN-system management, in cases where a device (such as a mainframe) in which physical resources are shared among a plurality of logical processing units is connected to a SAN, it was not possible for a system administrator to get hold of status on connections among logical processing units, and particularly, to visually grasp the connection status among the logical processing units.

Method for managing computer system, computer executing management program, storage device, displaying device, and storage system


A device for displaying items on a grave marker and a method for using the device are described.

Grave markers such as headstones, gravestones, or tombstones are traditionally used to mark the burial site or gravesite of deceased beings, for example, people or pets. In many cultures loved ones of the deceased will decorate the gravesites as symbol of remembrance and respect by placing items or memorabilia on or about the grave marker or headstone located within a cemetery. These display items may be in the form of plants or flowers, wreaths, vases, urns, flags, picture frames, banners, crosses, stuffed animals, etc. These display items are routinely placed on or inserted into the lawn space in front of, next to, or behind the grave marker.
Cemeteries traditionally have manicured lawns which require routine mowing and trimming at regular intervals. Lawn mowers and weed trimmers are used for maintaining the cemetery lawn. When decorations are placed around a grave marker, the yard keeper or landscaper must remove the decoration in order to tend to the lawn. It is common practice in cemeteries for the yard keeper to simply discard the decoration once it has been removed for mowing because considerable time would be spent replacing the items that have been uplifted from the ground during the mow. This means that the decorations placed at a gravesite by a loved one will only be on display between mowings. This is frustrating for loved ones when considerable time, expense, and/or effort is made to adorn a grave site with decorative items or when the items are sentimental.
Some grave markers also contain holes drilled directly on the marble stone, but the holes are limited in number which greatly restricts the number of display items that may be placed on display at a given time.
Therefore, it would be desirable to have a device for positioning, receiving, storing and/or securely displaying items for display at a gravesite and which device easily and securely attaches directly to a grave marker, and is configured to display a number of items until the items are removed by the user.

Device for displaying decorative items on grave marker


A transporting apparatus transports tubing in a forward direction. A tubing cutter is disposed along the transporting apparatus, and is activated at predetermined time intervals to cut a source of tubing into cut tubing portions as the source of tubing is being transported past the tubing cutter along the transporting apparatus. A first sensor is disposed along the transporting apparatus for detecting the leading edge of the cut tubing portion as the cut tubing portion passes by the first sensor on the transporting apparatus. A second sensor detects the leading edge of the cut tubing portion at a subsequent time. A length determiner determines the length of the cut tubing portion, based upon a first amount of time between two activations of the tubing cutter that were used to cut the front and rear portions of the cut tubing portions. The length determiner also measures a second amount of time between detections of the leading edge of the cut tubing portion by the first sensor and by the second sensor. The tubing length is determined using the first and second amounts of time.

The prior art has proposed a variety of mechanisms for generating and packaging flexible medical tubing. Various types of cutters, for example, have been used in cutting and collection processes. Many systems employ a manual method for monitoring the tubing diameter of cut tubing, by manually measuring the tubing diameter of samples taken at periodical intervals and analyzing these measurements using statistics. These manual methods are subject to error, since momentary variations in diameter may occur, for example. Momentary variations in diameter, resulting from momentary disruptions in a previous extrusion process, may be missed altogether by manual sample taking methods. Other approaches for monitoring the tubing diameter have incorporated laser measurement techniques, which may be programmed to shut the tube cutting machine down or to sound a buzzer when a tubing diameter is out of specification.
In addition to controlling the diameter of cut tubing portions, the prior art has also endeavored to control the length of these cut tubing portions. One method used by the prior art utilizes a pulse generator, which is driven by frictional contact with the moving cut tube portions. Pulses from the pulse generator provide an indication of movement length of the cut tube portion, for any given time period. By calibration of time interval pulse counts and lengths generated and measured by hand, approximate tubing lengths can be "dialed" into the operation by the machine operator. Corrections for machine speed and shrinkage variations may also be made.
One problem associated with this method results from slippage between the tube product and the pulse generator drive wheel. This slippage may introduce errors in the measured tubing length. Several attempts have been made by the prior art to automate the length control, and to compensate for machine speed variations. U.S. Pat. No. 4,585,600 uses the counting and storage of generated pulses between when the forward end of a cut propellant passing in sequence between two sensors as means for signalling a cutter. U.S. Pat. No. 3,406,601 uses a product movement-actuated-pulse-generator and at least one downstream sensor to actuate a cutter. Errors are minimized by further downstream checkpoints and feedback.
While these prior art approaches have been somewhat successful, an efficient and reliable length measuring device that is independent of slippage has not yet been developed. Additionally, a fully automated system for measuring cut tube portion diameters and lengths, and for feeding this data to a statistical controller, has not been developed. Nor has the prior art developed a controller for utilizing statistical data for sorting unacceptable cut tubing portions from acceptable cut tubing portions, and for generating certification printouts for each batch of cut tubing portions.

Automatic inspection and certification system


A sensor system for dialysis applications includes a plurality of pressure sensors, wherein each pressure sensor can be provided as an LC type sensor, and/or an RLC type sensor. Each sensor among the plurality of pressure sensors can be inductively coupled with a respective antenna among a plurality of antennas for the wireless transmission of pressure data. A dialysis machine is generally connected to the plurality of antennas, wherein the plurality of pressure sensors monitors pressure during operation of the dialysis machine to generate pressure data that is wirelessly transmitted to at least one antenna among the plurality of antennas.

Sensors are utilized in a number of applications, including various medical, commercial and industrial applications. For example, it is often necessary to monitor pressure and/or to detect flow rates in medical applications and processes.
One area where pressure sensors, for example, find particular usefulness is in the area of hemodialysis applications. In such medical procedures, a dialysis machine is utilized to clean wastes from the blood after the kidneys have failed. The blood travels through tubes to a dialyzer, a machine that removes wastes and extra fluid. The cleaned blood then goes back into the body.
A known-type dialysis machine comprises a first blood circulation circuit and a second circulation circuit for the dialysate liquid. The first circuit and the second circuit are connected to a filter for conveying, respectively, the blood and dialysate liquid through the filter, which is provided with a semi-permeable membrane separating the blood from the dialysate liquid. The first circuit is provided with a container, known as a drip chamber, into which the blood is supplied from a first tract of the first circuit, and drips and collects on the bottom of the container, thence to enter a second tract of the first circuit.
The container has the function of preventing air from becoming trapped in the blood in the form of bubbles, which might cause embolisms once the treated blood is returned to the cardiovascular system of the patient. To guarantee the safest possible treatment the blood level in the container must be maintained within an optimum range of values, below which the possibility of creating air bubbles in the blood returning to the patient exists, and above which the pressure increases to unacceptable values which are dangerous for the patient. Thus, the ability to monitor pressure in such a setting is critical to a proper, safe, and successful dialysis treatment.
One type of dialysis application is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,695,806, entitled "Artificial Kidney Set with Electronic Key," which issued to Gefland et al on Feb. 24, 2004 and is incorporated herein by reference. Another type of dialysis application is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,887,214, entitled "Blood Pump Having a Disposable Blood Passage Cartridge with Integrated Pressure Sensors," which issued to Levin et al on May 3, 2005 and is incorporated herein by reference. It can be appreciated that U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,695,806 and 6,887,214 are referenced herein for general background and edification purposes only and are not considered limiting features of the embodiments described herein.
Dialysis machines historically have utilized sets of disposable components that are assembled from various parts produced by different manufacturers. This allowed flexibility, but also resulted in certain disadvantages. Joints between component parts, for example, may leak, allow ingress of air and facilitate blood clotting. A high skill was required by hospital nurses and technicians to assemble the tubes, connectors, filters and accessories and then load them correctly into pumps, bubble detectors, pressures sensors and other elements of a dialysis machine. In the setting of a chronic dialysis center such practices were acceptable. In an acute setting, however, such an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of a hospital, the complexities of dialysis machines can become an impediment.
As a result, the use of mechanical fluid removal in the ICU, emergency rooms and general floors of a hospital has been limited. Some manufacturers have released sophisticated dialysis equipment based on the use of an integrated set of disposable dialysis components in which the tubing, filter and accessories are bonded together and no assembly is required. In such a device, the filter, sensor interfaces and four dedicated pump segments (for blood, dialysate, replacement solution and effluent) can be mounted on a flat plastic cartridge to simplify the loading of the dialysis pumps. Such a dialysis system has been marketed as offering an integrated system for continuous fluid management and automated renal replacement therapy blood.
While such devices do offer significant advantages, such equipment also has a number of deficiencies. One deficiency is that although such systems provide for a set of disposable dialysis components that are continuous and bonded together, the system does not present a smooth blood path, but incorporates elements that create stagnant and slow moving blood zones. In such blood zones clots are likely to form. Such devices may also employ an interface to pressure sensors that is relatively inaccurate, unreliable and requires maintenance. There is thus a need for an improved design of the blood flow dialysis set that is simple to use, requires no maintenance or special training, and also has an improved performance over existing sets of disposable components utilized in such dialysis machines.
Additionally, such dialysis machines do not integrate pressure sensors. Instead, these types of dialysis devices integrate pressure "pods" shaped as domes. The interface surface of a pod can be made from a silicon membrane approximately one inch in diameter. When mounted on such a dialysis machine, the pods interface with the permanently installed pressure sensors that form a part of the machine. The interface is sealed by a rubber gasket so that the pod membrane serves as a lid on the pressure transducer cavity. When in operation, blood and other fluids flow through the pods and come in contact with the membrane.
Pressure pods provide a means to measure the pressure of blood and other fluids flowing outside an interface surface. When the pressure inside the pod is increased, the diaphragm stretches and thereby compresses the air inside a transducer cavity. As a result, pressure in the bloodline or a fluid line can be measured. The pod membrane serves as a barrier between the blood and potential contamination from the environment, as is similar to the clinical invasive vascular blood pressure measurements. This method, although functional, has several deficiencies.
First, to be accurate such pods need to be positioned perfectly when the pressure inside is atmospheric. Over time, if there is even a miniscule leak on the transducer side of the membrane, the pod will creep and gradually stop transmitting pressure accurately because of the tension in the membrane. Second, stretchable membranes and air filled transducer cavities add compliance to the circuit. Compliance is a delay in a pressure measurement due to the time required to stretch the pods and compress the air inside the pod cavity. Compliance is not desired since it makes the system less responsive to controls.
Third, pods filled with blood increase the blood-plastic contact surface and create stagnant zones with low blood flow velocity that facilitate clot formation. Because the clots may form in the pods, the use of pods also necessitates the use of clot capture devices. Fourth, pod domes have a significant volume that increases the time that blood spends in contact with foreign materials. Altogether this increases the risk of blood loss, hypotension and clotting.
In order to address the needs of fluid removal and dialysis in acute emergency settings and to eliminate significant limitations of existing designs, it is believed that an improved sensor system should be adapted for use with dialysis machines. It is believed that the improved multiple sensor system disclosed herein can address these and other continuing needs.

Multiple wireless sensors for dialysis application


An object of the invention is to provide a brake apparatus which can facilitate slope starting and slope climbing and which can be produced small in size and light in weight. In addition, another object of the invention is to provide a brake apparatus which can obtain a stable brake force under any conditions including running in the rain.

In general, a brake mounted on a wheel chair is constructed such that a swingable lever is provided on a frame of the wheel chair so that part of the lever is pressed against a wheel to apply brakes. Note that since wheels of a wheel chair are constructed to rotate independently, brakes are designed to be applied to the wheels simultaneously.
Incidentally, when a user attempts to start a wheel chair on a slope while being seated therein, an operation is required of releasing brakes while rotating both wheels. However, both hands of the user are occupied to rotate the both wheels in this state. Therefore, it is extremely difficult to operate the lever to release the brakes in the state.
Even if the user operates the lever with one of the hands while press holding one of the wheels with the other hand, the wheel chair so stopped on the slope tends to turn on the wheel so press held with the one hand as an axis, and this may put the user in a dangerous situation. In addition, when the user is so old that he or she does not have enough physical strength, it is easily conceived that he or she cannot start his or her wheel chair on the slope due to a shortage of physical strength required to press hold the wheels.
In addition, not only when starting the wheel chair on the slope but also when climbing up the slope, an action to keep the wheel chair moving forward needs to be taken quickly within a very limited period of time while the wheel chair is advancing on inertia as a result of the rotation of the wheels by the user. Namely, unless the wheels are operated to rotate quickly and continuously, the wheel chair is forced to move backward. Consequently, it is extremely difficult for older and heavily handicapped people to keep the wheel chair running on the slope.
Then, with a view to attaining safe and easy start and continuous climbing movement of the wheel chair on the slope, improved brake apparatuses are proposed in JP-A-7-227408 and JP-A-11-28231.
In the case of a brake apparatus described in JP-A-7-227408, a brake arm is pressed against a wheel by operating a lever so that a braking portion attached to a distal end of the arm is brought into contact with the wheel so as to generate a braking force. However, there are provided two such braking portions, one braking portion functioning as a normal brake apparatus of a type in which brakes are applied while the wheels rotate forward and backward, the other braking portion functioning as a reverse-rotation preventing brake of a type in which brakes are applied only when the wheels rotate backward. Consequently, by using this apparatus, being prevented from descending the slope, the user can safely start the wheel chair from rest on a slope and keep it climbing the slope without having to release the brakes.
On the other hand, in the case of a brake apparatus described in JP-A-11-28231, a normal brake apparatus and a slop-starting brake apparatus are provided in a parallel fashion; the normal brake apparatus being of a type in which brakes are applied when a wheel chair is moved forward and backward by pressing a brake arm against a wheel through operation of a lever, the slope-starting brake apparatus being of a type in which a one-way roller (a roller designed to rotate smoothly in one direction but not to rotate in an opposite direction) is separably brought into contact with a wheel by operating a slope-staring lever which is provided separately from the normal brake lever so that brakes are automatically applied only when the wheel chair is moved backward when the one-way roller is brought into contact with the wheel, whereby when the wheel chair is started from rest on the slope, the wheel chair is only allowed to move forward by allowing only the one-way roller to be brought into contact with the wheel. Consequently, the safe slop starting and climbing can be attained without paying attention to release of the brakes.
However, in either of the brake apparatuses, since the brake force which enables the safe and easy slope starting and climbing is obtained through the construction in which the special members (the arms and the one-way roller) are brought into direct contact with the wheel, there has been caused a problem that the brake apparatus needs to be enlarged in size and weight as the wheels become larger.
In addition, since the brake force is constructed to be obtained through direct contact with the wheels, friction force between the brake member which contacts the surface of the wheel and the wheel changes due to various factors such as the wet surface of the wheel which would result, for example, when the wheel chair is running in the rain, the degree of wear of the wheel (tire) and the air pressure of the wheel, and this change in friction force calls for a change in brake force, leading to a problem that it is difficult to maintain a stable braking performance.
Additionally, since the brake members are exposed outside, there is also caused a problem that the appearance of the wheel chair itself which is equipped with the brake apparatus is aesthetically damaged.
The invention was made in view of the problems that have been described heretofore, and an object thereof is to provide a brake apparatus which can facilitate slope starting and climbing and which can be reduced in size and weight, and another object of the invention is to provide a brake apparatus which can obtain a stable brake force in every condition including running in the rain.

Abstract: The invention provides a brake apparatus in which a restriction is imposed on the rotation of a wheel (101) via a brake drum (3) provided on a rotational shaft of the wheel (101) so as to rotate together with the rotational shaft, the brake apparatus being characterized by comprising a brake shoe (30) for imposing a restriction on the rotation of the brake drum (3) in a forward or backward direction through wedge engagement with an inner circumferential surface of the brake drum (3) when the brake drum (3) rotates either in the forward direction or in the backward.


An apparatus and method for controlling a converter are provided. The apparatus includes a battery and a sensor configured to sense the battery to generate sensor state of battery information. A converter controller is configured to acquire the sensor state of battery information and vehicle state information received from a vehicle controller to calculate calibrated state of battery information based on whether a correction execution condition on the sensor state of battery information is satisfied. In addition, the converter controller uses the calibrated state of battery information and the sensor state of battery information to calculate an error correction value and uses the error correction value to calculate actual state of battery information. A converter is then configured to supply power to the battery based on the sensor state of battery information or the actual state of battery information.

A vehicle using an internal combustion engine uses gasoline or heavy oil as main fuel which causes pollutions such as air pollution. Recently, therefore, to reduce such pollutions, environmentally friendly vehicles have been developed. The eco-friendly or environmentally friendly vehicle is a type of vehicle that uses a battery engine operated by electric energy output from a battery. The eco-friendly vehicle uses a battery pack, in which a plurality of secondary battery cells which may be charged and discharged are formed in one pack, as a main power source. Therefore, the eco-friendly vehicle prevents the discharge or exhaust gas and generates minimal noise.
In particular, to supply power output to the battery pack to an auxiliary battery, the eco-friendly vehicle includes a low voltage direct current-direct current (DC-DC) converter (LDC), a converter controller configured to operate the LCD, a sensor configured to sense the auxiliary battery to generate state of battery information. However, a voltage control effect of the low voltage converter may not be constant due to errors of the state of battery information (e.g., state of charge (SOC)) generated by the sensor. In other words, the SOC generated by the sensor (e.g., intelligent battery sensor (IBS)) is 85% and a fuel efficiency effect is 1%, but actually, the SOC is 75% and the fuel efficiency effect is only 0.5%. Further, durability performance of the battery may be reduced. For example, the SOC generated by the sensor is 80 to 100% and durability cycle lifespan is 100%, but actually, the SOC is 70 to 100% and the durability cycle lifespan is only 90%.

Apparatus and method for controlling converter


Battery management system and a driving method thereof including a sensing unit and an MCU. The sensing unit measures a battery current and a battery voltage. The MCU sets an OCV during a no-load state period at time increments measured from the beginning of the no-load state period, and estimates an SOC corresponding to the set OCV.

1. Field of the Invention
Aspects of the present invention relate to a battery management system. More particularly, aspects of the present invention relate to a battery management system used in a vehicle using electrical energy.
2. Description of the Related Art
Vehicles with an internal combustion engine using gasoline or diesel have caused serious air pollution. Accordingly, various attempts to develop electric or hybrid vehicles have recently been made to reduce such air pollution.
An electric vehicle uses an electric motor operating by electrical energy output from a battery. As the electric vehicle generally uses a battery formed of at least one battery pack including a plurality of rechargeable/dischargeable (or secondary) cells, there is merit in that the electric vehicle generates no emission gases and produces less noise.
The term "hybrid vehicle" commonly refers to a gasoline-electric hybrid vehicle that uses gasoline to power an internal-combustion engine and a battery to power an electric motor. Recently, hybrid vehicles using an internal-combustion engine and fuel cells and hybrid vehicles using a battery and fuel cells have been developed. The fuel cells directly produce electrical energy through a chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen, which are continuously provided thereto.
Since battery performance directly affects the performance of the vehicle using electrical energy, it is required that each battery cell has great performance. Also, a battery management system (BMS) is necessary to measure a voltage and a current of the overall battery to efficiently manage charging/discharging operations of each battery cell therein.
In general, the battery management system uses a data table, in which a relationship between an open circuit voltage (OCV) and a state of charge (SOC) is stored, to estimate the SOC therefrom. In this case, it is required to precisely measure the OCV so as to precisely calculate the SOC.
When the battery is in the no-load state after being consistently charged or discharged, the OCV may not be precisely measured since polarization and internal resistance in the battery is generated. A length of time necessary to correct the polarization is required to precisely measure the OCV. However, it is difficult to guarantee such a time when a hybrid vehicle is driven. Accordingly, an error in measuring the OCV measured in a short time or before the correction of the polarization may cause an error in the calculation of the SOC.
The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the invention and therefore it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art.

Battery management system and driving method thereof


A diamond disc manufacturing process includes the following steps. Firstly, a container is provided, and an adhesion layer is formed in the container. A hollow member having a plurality of meshes is covered on the adhesion layer. A plurality of diamond particles is implanted on the hollow member and embedded into the meshes of the hollow member, so that the diamond particles are adhered onto the adhesion layer. Then, a resin material is infused into the container, so that the diamond particles are bonded on the resin material. Finally, the resin material together with the diamond particles is released from the container, so as to obtain a diamond disc base with the diamond particles having uniform distribution and orientation.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a diamond disc manufacturing process, and more particularly to a diamond disc manufacturing process which can provide uniform distribution and orientation of diamond particles.
2. Related Art
In recent years, since the technology of integrated circuits (IC) is developed rapidly and becomes mature, the semiconductor industry becomes one of the vigorously developed industries. Semiconductor products may be widely used in information, communication, consumer electronics, industrial instruments, transportation, defense and space, and other fields, and have great impacts on electronic products. Therefore, the semiconductor products certainly are of great importance.
Silicon wafer is a quite important material in the semiconductor industry. The silicon wafer must be subject to a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) process. Firstly, planarzing the wafer surface, so that subsequent processes for manufacturing chip may be performed thereon, thereby enhancing the accuracy and yield of the process. The efficiency of a polishing pad used in the CMP process for a long time will be gradually reduced since abrasive particles may be filled in the clearance of the polishing pad. Thus, the polishing pad must be conditioned regularly to remove residual impurities and polishing remains, so as to maintain an optimal polishing state. Therefore, the semiconductor industry applies the diamond to a diamond disc (pad conditioner) for cleaning the polishing pad. The diamond disc (pad conditioner) is disc-shaped or ring-shaped and is also referred to as a diamond disc (pad conditioner).
The method of manufacturing a diamond disc in the prior art includes forming a metal bonding layer by a electroplating or sintering process, so as to wrap diamond particles and stick them on a surface of a metal substrate. However, the two conventional methods of manufacturing a diamond disc cannot provide a sufficient bonding power to stick the diamond particles on the surface of the metal substrate closely. Thus, the diamond particles may drop off from the diamond disc (pad conditioner) due to the insufficient bonding power. In a CMP process, the dropped diamond particles easily scratch the expensive silicon wafer, leading to the damage to the surface of the silicon wafer. In order to solve the problem that the diamond particles easily dropping off, a brazing process must be added, but that will cause an increase of the manufacturing processes and cost.
In addition, in order to extend the lifetime of the diamond disc (pad conditioner) and improve the polishing characteristics. Taiwan Patent No. 412461 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,092,910 disclose a die hole or a screen with regularly distributed holes is used to make the diamond particles arranged on an abrasive tool in a pattern regularly and a manufacturing method thereof, which replaces the manner of arranging the diamond particles randomly and irregularly on the conventional polishing tool. Furthermore, Taiwan Patent No. 541226 discloses a method of uniformly arranging diamond particles to have the same height. The method arranges the polishing particles on a positioning trench on a carrier with an appropriate interval, and fills the bonding agent in the positioning trench to achieve the uniform orientation of the polishing particles.
Although Taiwan Patent No. 412461 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,092,910 may achieve the purpose of uniformly arranging the diamond particles with an appropriate interval. However, since the meshes of the adopted die hole or the screen have a size larger than that of the diamond particles, the diamond particles just only arranged regularly according to the positions of the meshes, but the orientation of each of the diamond particles in the arrangement position cannot be controlled, resulting in that the diamonds on the diamond disc (pad conditioner) have different heights, which negatively influences the polishing uniformity and lifetime of the diamond disc (pad conditioner). Furthermore, after the diamond particles stick and are arranged on the surface of the wafer, a brazing process is still reburied to be closely bond the diamond particles with the surface of the wafer, thereby causing the problems, such as deformation of the substrate and deterioration of the diamond particles.
In Taiwan Patent No. 541226, the carrier for arranging the diamond particles must be milled firstly into a positioning trench with a predetermined shape, which results in the increase of the manufacturing cost due to the additional processing procedure of the carrier. Furthermore, in order to make the diamond particles have uniform orientation, it is required to spend more manufacturing time on the procedure of placing the diamond particles, thus reducing the efficiency of manufacturing the diamond disc (pad conditioner).
In the conventional method of manufacturing the diamond disc (pad conditioner) although the plurality of diamond particles may be arranged regularly and uniformly, the diamond particles cannot have uniform orientation, or more manufacturing cost and time must be spent to achieve the purpose of arranging the polishing particles in uniform orientation.


A method and apparatus for sending and receiving messages between nodes on a compute cluster is provided. Communication between nodes on a compute cluster, which do not share physical memory, is performed by passing messages over an I/O subsystem. Typically, each node includes a synchronization mechanism, a thread ready to receive connections, and other threads to process and reassemble messages. Frequently, a separate queue is maintained in memory for each node on the I/O subsystem sending messages to the receiving node. Such overhead increases latency and limits message throughput. Due to a specialized coprocessor running on each node, messages on an I/O subsystem are sent, received, authenticated, synchronized, and reassembled at a faster rate and with lower latency. Additionally, the memory structure used may reduce memory consumption by storing messages from multiple sources in the same memory structure, eliminating the need for per-source queues.

Database systems distribute portions of a database across several nodes in a cluster in order to improve performance and provide scalability. Clusters are configured in one of two ways, as coherent memory clusters or compute clusters.
Nodes on a coherent memory cluster share physical memory. Sharing physical memory allows each node on the cluster to communicate very quickly. To send and receive messages between two nodes on a shared memory cluster, one node will write data to the shared memory and the other node will read the data from the shared memory. Unfortunately, coherent memory clusters are very expensive to build and there is a limit to the size of the shared memory that can be stored on a coherent memory cluster.
Nodes on a compute cluster do not share physical memory. Communication between nodes on a compute cluster may be performed through messages usually delivered over an I/O subsystem. An I/O subsystem may include an I/O link, a synchronization mechanism, and a server thread on the receiving node to process incoming messages. Furthermore, compute nodes may need to reassemble incoming messages and store the reassembled messages in a node's main memory. Such an IO subsystem incurs a performance penalty which increases the message latency and limits the message throughput.
The approaches described in this section are approaches that could be pursued, but not necessarily approaches that have been previously conceived or pursued. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated, it should not be assumed that any of the approaches described in this section qualify as prior art merely by virtue of their inclusion in this section.

Hardware message queues for intra-cluster communication


A meat injection machine has a frame, and a vertically movable head thereon. A horizontal conveyor is on the frame, and a plurality of injector needles are positioned over the conveyor. A plurality of vertically disposed needles are on the conveyor. Means are provided for connecting the needles to a source of fluid. The modules are in longitudinal and lateral staggered positions over the conveyor.

A meat injection machine is well known in the meat industry. It has a fluid manifold with a plurality of fluid reservoirs and group of injection needles associated with each reservoir. The purpose of these machines is to inject pickling solution into meat pieces at a pre-determined percentage rate.
Among the shortcomings of existing machines are wastage of injection fluid, often a brine material, lack of variable downward pressure on the meat product being injected; the absence of pneumatic power to move certain component parts; difficulty in cleaning and difficulty in filtering brine material causing a blockage of needles.
It is therefore a principal object of this invention to provide a meat product (meaning red meat, fish and poultry) injection machine that will overcome the above and other shortcomings of existing injection machines.
The meat injection machine 10 of this invention has a frame 12 with a horizontal conveyor 14 on the frame 12 for intermittently longitudinally moving meat products to be injected. A plurality of injector modules 16 are operatively associated with manifold 17 on a bridge 18 above the conveyor 14 and each has associated therewith a plurality of vertically disposed injection needles 50 which inject fluid into meat products. A stripper pad 20 on each module 16 cooperates with the needles 50 to hold the meat products in place and to facilitate the removal of the needles 50 from the meat products.
A first power means 22 is provided for raising and lowering a driven shaft 26 to permit insertion into and withdrawal of the needles 50 with respect to the meat products on the conveyor 14. Cam means 24 on shafts 26 are provided for adjusting the flow of valves 25 via crank arms 25A. Means are also provided for connecting the needles 50 with a source of fluid. The modules 16 are positioned in longitudinal and lateral staggered locations on the bridge 18 over the conveyor 14. A second power means 23 is provided to operate the stripper pad 20 and may be a pneumatic power means.
A continuous filter belt 28 extends longitudinally across and below a discharge end of the conveyor 14 for continuously filtering brine material from the needles 50 so that the brine material can be recycled and used again in the injection process. (FIGS. 1, 2, 8, and 9). This continuous filter belt 28 has one or more air knives 30 and 32 used to clean debris from the belt 28 and one or more water bars 34 also for cleaning which flush debris with cyclical bursts of water. The belt 28 is mounted to a subframe 29 of frame 12 by rollers 29A and 29B on opposite ends of the subframe 29. The subframe 29 is detachable from frame 12.
The tank 36 holding the brine contains within it a filter unit 36A (FIG. 10), to filter the brine before it enters the pump 38.
A third part of the filter system is in-line filter 37 (FIGS. 2 and 11). It is located after the pump 38 and before the needle modules 16. This filter 37 is flanked by two pressure sensors 40 and 42 in the system that monitor the condition of the filter. Fluid is routed through the filter 37 and as the filter 37 begins to fill up with particles the pressure (or flow or velocity) drop is monitored by the electronic controller. The electronic controller compensates for pressure (or flow or velocity) drop by increasing the speed of pump 38.
If the difference in pressures (and/or flow and/or velocity) reaches a programmably-predetermined variance, the operator screen 44A of operator interface 44 (where in the operator interface 44 may be an electronic controller) indicates the filter 37 is clogged and the flow should be changed to the other inline filer. This change can be accomplished automatically or manually. Once the flow has been rerouted the monitoring cycle begins again.
The brine system has a xe2x80x9ccontinuous fillxe2x80x9d system. The level of brine in the brine tank 36 is monitored by a level sensor 46 (FIGS. 1, 2, and 10). Programmable xe2x80x9cfillxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cfullxe2x80x9d levels can be set and as the fluid reaches either level the sensor 46 signals. This acts in conjunction with the electronic controller 44 to operate a solenoid 48 for the brine fluid inlet valve 47.
The final stage of the filtration system is a mesh screen 27 inserted between the needle module 16 and the manifold head 17.


System for delivery of a biologically active substance into an environment. The container is comprised of a single member or two mated members and defines first and second compartments. The container includes pores in at least a portion of the container defining the first compartment. The first compartment contains a polymer gel network which undergoes a volume expansion in response to an environmental condition which varies in the biological environment. The second compartment contains an effective amount of a biologically active compound and may include at least one passageway communicating with the biological environment. Drug delivery is initiated and continues only when the appropriate environmental condition or trigger is met, whereupon volume expansion of the polymer gel network causes the biologically active compound to be discharged into the biological environment.

This invention relates to method and apparatus for delivering a biologically active compound to a biological environment in a controlled fashion.
The more precise control of the release of orally administered drugs has long been sought. In particular, it is desired that an orally administered drug or other biologically active compound be released only upon the occurrence of a desired environmental condition within a biological system. For example, it may be desired that a biologically active compound be released only in the intestines rather than being released as the material passes through the mouth and stomach. Prior art controlled release techniques typically result in initiation and/or continuation of controlled release as a function of time after ingestion.
An example of a controlled release oral delivery system is the so-called osmotically-controlled delivery system. See, for example, Wang et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,413,572; Theeuwes et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,845,770; Wang, U.S. Pat. No. 5,312,390; Eckenhoff et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,474,575; Place et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,147,654; Eckenhoffet al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,539,004; Magruder et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,777,049; and EP 0 427 519 A2. The technology disclosed in these patents utilizes the osmotic pressure resulting from concentration gradients to expel a biologically active substance into the body. In some embodiments, the osmotic pressure moves a moveable partition to effect drug release. Wang et al., in the '572 patent, also teaches the use of a hydrogel which expands when contacted with water, the expansion serving to expel the biologically active material.
Osmotic pressure based systems have the shortcoming that they depend on flux and pressure for their operation. It is known that a desirable drug delivery system should be independent of both flux and pressure. In addition, an osmotic pressure based system has release kinetics that are highly dependent on orifice size. The osmotic pumps of the prior art operate on the principle of net flux of water across a semipermeable membrane into a compartment that contains the osmotic driving agent. The rate of flux is controlled by the water permeable membrane characteristics and the difference in osmotic and hydrostatic pressure between the compartment containing the osmotic driving agent and the outside of the device. The flux J of water may be represented as J=K.multidot.A.multidot.(.sigma..multidot..DELTA..pi.-.DELTA.P) where K is the permeability of the membrane, A is the membrane's surface area, .sigma. is the osmotic coefficient of the membrane, .DELTA..pi. is the osmotic pressure and .DELTA.P is the hydrostatic pressure. See, Theeuwes et al., "Principles of the Design and Operation of Generic Osmotic Pumps for the Delivery of Semisolid or Liquid Drug Formulations," Annals of Biomed. Eng., 4(343), 1976.
As stated above, the prior art osmotic systems are also very sensitive to the size of the delivery orifice. See, Theeuwes et al., "Elementary Osmotic Pump," J. Pharm. Sci., 64(1987), 1975. The orifice size must be small so as to minimize diffusion through the orifice and yet still be sufficiently large to minimize hydrostatic pressure inside the system that would affect the zero-order release kinetics. Further, the release kinetics in osmotic systems are independent of pH and motility of the gastrointestinal tract. See, Fara et al., "Osmotic Pumps in Drug Delivery Devices--Fundamentals and Applications," Praveen Tyle, ed., Marcel Dekker, Inc., p137 (New York).
Other systems for non-continuous delivery of drugs, for example, the Pulsncap system are known in the prior art. In this system there is a limiting osmotic pressure which, when achieved, pushes out a cap to begin drug release.
Reference is also made to the prior art connection of an osmotic system to a syringe-like system to provide an external continuous IV/IM/SQ infusion. See, U.S. Pat. No. 3,604,417 and Urquhart et al., "Rate-Controlled Delivery Systems in Drug and Hormone Research," Ann. Rev. Pharmacol. Toxicol., 24(199), 1984.
In none of the prior art delivery systems is there initiation and continuation of release upon the occurrence of an environmental condition such as pH which changes from place to place within the body.
Volumetric change phenomena have been observed in three-dimensional, permanently crosslinked polymer gel networks. As an external environmental condition (e.g., temperature, solvent composition, pH, electric field, light intensity and wavelength, pressure, ionic strength, osmolarity) is changed, the polymer gel network contracts and/or expands in volume. The volume of such a gel may, under certain circumstances, change reversibly by a factor as large as several hundred when the gel is presented with a particular external condition (i.e., the gel is a "responsive" gel; see, for example, Tanaka Phys. Rev. Lett. 40(820), 1978; Tanaka et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 38(771), 1977; Tanaka et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 45(1636), 1980; Ilavsky, Macromolec. 15(782), 1982; Hrouz et al., Europ. Polym. J. 17, p361, 1981; Ohmine et al., J. Chem. Phys. 8(6379), 1984; Tanaka et al., Science 218(462), 1982; Ilavsky et al., Polymer Bull. 7(107), 1982; Gehrke "Responsive Gels: Volume Transitions II", Dusek (ed.), Springer-Verlag, New York, p81-144, 1993; Li et al., Ann. Rev. Mat. Sci. 22(243), 1992; and Galaev et al., Enzyme Microb. Technol. 15(354), 1993, each of which is incorporated herein by reference).
Interpenetrating network polymers have also demonstrated similar volume change phenomena; see, for example, Tanaka et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 5,403,893 and Tanaka et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 5,580,929.
Thermally responsive polymers have been used in the preparation of delivery devices in which release of a biologically active agent into the host is dependent upon the temperature; see, R. Dinarvand and A. D'Emanuele, J. Control. Res. 36(3): 221 (October 1995). The devise incorporates the thermally responsive polymer as a valve which is swollen (and closed) at room temperature and contracted (an open) at biological temperatures. Thus, the polymer functions as an on-off switch, but has no means of actively delivering the active agent into the environment.
In a similar fashion, Bae et al (U.S. Pat. No. 5,226,902) report a drug delivery device which includes a hydrogel swollen with a solution containing a biologically active agent. The hydrogel is capable of contracting under certain environmental conditions. As the hydrogel contracts, the agent is released into the portion of the device previously occupied by the swollen hydrogel. The device provides orifices which allow movement of the agent out of the device; however, there is no means of active delivery of the active agent into the environment.
The desire to release drugs/agents into physiological fluids is well recognized. The ability to obtain linear or other desired pharmocodynamics to eliminate the peaks and troughs associated with other oral delivery formulations is a goal commonly accepted as difficult to obtain.

Chemo-mechanical expansion delivery system


Provided is a cartridge for a muzzle loading firearm. The cartridge includes a cylindrical sleeve portion defining an interior passage and a forward end comprising a tapered portion. A propellant charge is disposed within the interior passage, and an end cap defines a recess into which the tapered portion extends while the end cap is installed on the tapered portion. The end cap comprises a first fastener portion that cooperates with a second, compatible fastener portion provided to a bullet. The second fastener portion is disposed adjacent to a rearward end of the bullet to establish a friction fit between the bullet and the end cap that maintains a position of the bullet on the cartridge to be loaded into the muzzle loading firearm.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to muzzle-loading rifles, pistols, cannons, and other firearms and, more particularly, to an improved cartridge arrangement for loading these firearms which allows the loading of the entire cartridge into the barrel through the muzzle without the use of additional implements or devices.
2. Description of Related Art
While muzzle loading firearms would be considered obsolete with the invention of modern breech loading cartridge rifles, there has long been a small degree of interest in the manufacture and use of such firearms. In recent years, the interest has increased greatly because such firearms are not subject to all of the restrictions on manufacture and sale that are applied to modern breech loading cartridge firearms. That interest has greatly increased in recent years because of new provisions in the hunting laws that permit extended seasons for hunting certain animals such as deer, which are only open for the use of muzzle loading rifles.
Furthermore, other factors which have led to increased and more widespread interest in muzzle loading firearms, are modern developments such as the development of a black powder substitute commonly known under the Trademark Pyrodex® as well as developments in the firearm itself such as the change from an external hammer to an inline action that externally resembles very much a standard high power bolt action rifle. Also, there have been many improvements in projectiles from the original round ball or Minie bullet and particularly the development of sabot projectiles employing a subcaliber jacketed rifle bullet which greatly improves the accuracy and range of the firearm.
However, the basic steps of loading a muzzle loading firearm have continued. To load the rifle, it is necessary to stand it on its butt with the open muzzle upward and then pour a measured charge of propellant powder into the open muzzle usually using a powder horn or a measuring device on the end of a bulk powder container to ensure that all of the powder enters the bore. When a round ball is used, it is necessary to use a patch which is placed over the muzzle and pressed downward by the round ball until it is seated within the bore. A ramrod is then used to force the ball and patch down the bore to bring all of the powder together into a combustion chamber at the bottom which is then closed off by the patched ball. After the ramrod is removed, the rifle is lifted up, the hammer cocked and a percussion cap placed on the nipple, after which the rifle is ready to be fired again. The foregoing procedure can take a period of time up to a minute or more, particularly after the barrel has become fouled from prior shots and if the user is determined to get a high degree of accuracy by the use of a proper fitting ball and patch which may require considerable force in starting down the muzzle. This slowness of loading was the reason that for military purposes smooth bore muzzle loaders prevailed until well into the 19th century.
An important step forward historically was the development of the Minie bullet which was roughly conical with a large hollow base and external grooves to receive a lubricant. The development of this bullet speeded up the loading process by eliminating the patch and by using a bullet just slightly smaller than the bore diameter of the barrel was easily forced downward onto the powder and upon ignition the thin walls of the bullet expanded and together with a lubricant provided an effective seal. This arrangement in turn led to the development of integral cartridges formed from paper which contained the powder charge and the bullet sealed together in a paper container. Loading was then speeded up since it was only necessary to tear off the powder end of the cartridge, pour the powder down the barrel and then using the ramrod force home the paper cartridge and bullet together. While such arrangements were widely used in the middle of the 19th century before development of the breech loading rifle, they did require considerable labor in the preparation of the cartridge, did allow possibility of spilling the powder and were generally limited to projectiles of the Minie bullet type.
Modern efforts to speed up the loading of muzzle loading rifles, particularly in the field, have tended to take a different tack from that used many years ago. These approaches have generally required the use of a cartridge assembly which includes a cylindrical body closed off in some means at the bottom end which is intended to be placed over the muzzle of the rifle. A bore extends upward and contains a premeasured charge of powder and is closed off at the upper end by means of the bullet which may either be a round ball and a patch or some other similar arrangement. Typical devices for this purpose are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,862,623 issued Sep. 5, 1989 to Delap et al. in which the bore at the bottom end is closed off by means of a quarter turn plug valve and the upper end has a snap cover with a captive hinge. U.S. Pat. No. 5,094,024 issued Mar. 10, 1992 to Duke discloses an outer cylinder arrangement designed to fit over the end of the muzzle and holding two smaller cylinders each closed off at each end by means of a rupturable membrane with the bottom cylinder holding the premeasured powder charge and the upper cylinder holding the ball and wad. This device is simply placed over the end of the barrel and a ramrod used to break the membranes and force the ball and the powder charge down the barrel. A somewhat similar arrangement is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,097,615 issued Mar. 24, 1992 to Kearns. This arrangement shows a device including a starter ramrod designed to fit over the barrel and uses tubular cartridges containing the premeasured powder charge, a wad or patch and a projectile which is inserted in the device and then pressed downward by the starter rod. A similar arrangement carrying multiple charges is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,182,412 issued Jan. 26, 1993 to Mazza.
The problem of all of the above devices is that they require an expensive apparatus which, while reusable, consists of separate parts which may easily lost in the field and must be retained for subsequent reuse. While such arrangements have shown some popularity their complexity, cost and bulk all represent shortcomings which are solved by the present invention.


A method for obtaining segment routing over Internet Protocol version 6 data plane (SRv6) tunnel information of Internet Protocol version 6 segment routing, including sending, by a first network device, a request packet to a second network device, where the request packet is used to request to detect reachability of an SRv6 tunnel and obtain SRv6 tunnel information of the second network device, and the second network device is a network device on the SRv6 tunnel, receiving, by the first network device, a response packet from the second network device, where the response packet includes the SRv6 tunnel information of the second network device, and obtaining, by the first network device, the SRv6 tunnel information of the second network device based on the response packet.

Segment routing (SR) is a tunneling technology based on a source routing forwarding mode. A data plane of the SR is implemented by using multi-protocol label switching (MPLS) or an Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6). IPv6-based SR is referred to as SRv6.
On an Internet Protocol (IP) network, a path discovery function is usually implemented by using an IP traceroute tool. However, IP traceroute does not support obtaining information about an SRv6 tunnel currently.

Method, device, and system for obtaining SRv6 tunnel information


In a system and a method for postal matter processing, with automatic reception of postal matter in receiving stations and with a staggered postal matter processing, acquisition of shipping data and providing the postal matter with a machine-readable marking and storage of the mail take place in the receiving stations. The marked postal matter is transported to a remote distributing station having at least one franking means at which transfer of the shipping data allocated to the marking into a memory of the franking means ensues. The postal matter is franked in the distributing station according to the data that are stored in the memory allocated to the marking.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a method for processing postal matter and a postal matter processing system which allow staggered postal matter processing and are suited for use with multiple carriers.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Public, automatic franking units are already known wherein a weighing device is combined with a franking device (German OS 28 19 872). Such systems, however, do not yet have a multi-carrier capability. Mail to be sent abroad is already transported by at least two respective national public mail carriers. Future mail delivery will also be handled by private carriers who may potentially use their own logos and rather different regulations for franking than the public carriers. It is specifically private carriers who, will only be present locally in the establishment phase, and who will have to collaborate with public mail carriers.
An automatic unit for franking mail and also printing out documentation thereof is disclosed in German OS 24 30 413. U.S. Pat. No. 5,065,000, for example, also discloses that two printers be utilized for a direct printing of a bar code on the postal matter and a separate printing of a record thereof. U.S. Pat. No. 4,923,022 discloses an automatic postal device with a slot for postal items, a drive mechanism, weighing, stamping and sorting mechanism. Such postal devices require a large amount of floor space for the many containers for sorted mail and are complicated and expensive to operate. One of the containers is always full first, which then negatively influences the work of the entire postal device. When, however, the postal devices are emptied in short cycles, then the containers with sorted mail are filled to different degrees and must also be individually emptied although one container is nearly empty. The transport costs are proportional to the transport distance and inversely proportional to the quantity of mail. The sorted mail must, of course, be separately transported, which requires additional attention and exertions on the part of the carrier company. If some carriers make higher demands on the franking stamp imprint in the future, for example a security imprint with 2-D bar code, high-grade printers that are expensive to maintain must be utilized.
An automatic postal matter receiving system is disclosed in European Application 503 311 with a money card or customer card and with a standardized postal matter delivery with a transport stage that does not include either a device for weighing or for franking. The money card allows an immediate debiting of a postage fee that is derived on the basis of the selection of the standardized postal matter delivery. The postage calculation does not take the weight into consideration. The transport stage is unlocked after the postage calculation. The employment of separate storage containers is also necessary since a distinction between shipping types is no longer subsequently possible due to the absence of a franking imprint. A conventional postage fee memory in combination with a secured postal matter storage container is required in combination with the card reading unit. The container is emptied by an authorized person, who loads the data from the postage fee memory into a specific removal chip card. When the sender has been authorized with a specific customer card when the postal matter is received, the card allows the customer account to be charged with the incurred fees in a central accounting location.
The remaining method up to the distribution of the unfranked mail is not disclosed in European Application 503 311, however, it can be assumed that the carrier also undertakes the mail distribution. If a public carrier were engaged for the further transport and for the distribution of postal matters, then the stipulations of this carrier for identifying or franking mail as well as for debiting would have to be adhered to. Since, however, no franking ensues, the stipulations of, for example, the Deutsche Post AG (or the USPS) are not adhered to. As a rule, postal matter, for example letters to be sent abroad, must at least be stamped with an imprint. The elimination of a franking imprint harbors further disadvantages such as problems of data documentation, a risk of fraud due to the introduction of a plurality of unpaid or overweight pieces of mail, particularly given the standard delivery of large-format postal matter.

Method for processing postal matter and postal matter processing system


An actuator for a grille shutter assembly of a vehicle has a motor connected to an output via a gear train. The output has a connection for connecting to louvers of the grille shutter assembly. The gear train has a gear ratio which is variable depending on the actuation angle of the output shaft. Optionally, a return spring is arranged to resiliently return the output shaft to an initial actuation angle when the motor is not active.

Automated grille shutters for regulation of louver angle and thus air flow are increasingly important constituents of automotive engine thermal management systems. Regulation is conveniently accomplished by means of electromechanical actuators. The actuators turn the louvers of the grille shutter, generally through a gear train, to vary the size of the opening for air to flow to cool the radiator.
Open loop operation of stepper motor actuators is a reliable state of the art technique. In case of power failure or in any situation of incorrect louver positioning at shut down, however, a fail safe mechanism must be integrated in the grille shutter actuator. A return spring can for instance bring the louvers to an initial position (open or closed, whatever is required). In that case, when in operation, the actuator has to work permanently against the spring force plus any additional forces due to intense air flow when the vehicle is traveling at high speed. Normally that would require an over dimensioned or over powered electromagnetic motor to deliver the maximum torque at the extreme open (or closed) position. It also means high electric power consumption, which is not in accordance with an efficient environmentally-friendly or "green" system.
Hence there is a desire for an actuator for a vehicle grille shutter system, in which the output of the motor is more closely matched to the required output of the actuator. The present invention solves this problem by means of a progressive gear which compensates for the variable torque requirements.
Progressive or variable gears have been known for a long time. A comprehensive description of a progressive gear can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 2,061,322 or U.S. Pat. No. 8,196,487. In automotive applications progressive gears frequently appear in steering systems.