An alternator for a vehicle includes a stator, and an armature coil wound on the stator. A rectifier unit includes a terminal base. A connection terminal electrically connected with the armature coil extends into the terminal base. The connection terminal has an L-shaped cross-section. The connection terminal includes an exposed portion projecting from the terminal base. The exposed portion has an end electrically connected with the armature coil.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to an alternator for a vehicle such as a passenger car or a truck. This invention particularly relates to the structure of a terminal for connection between an armature-coil lead and a rectifier assembly in an alternator.
2. Description of the Related Art
UK patent application GB 2235822 A (corresponding to Japanese patent application publication number 3-107356) discloses a rectifier assembly for motor vehicles. In UK patent application GB 2235822 A, the rectifier assembly has positive and negative diodes respectively inserted by their housings into two metallic, mutually parallel cooling plates between which is disposed a printed circuit board for connecting the diodes to one another as well as to wires of a stator winding of the alternator. On the front, positive cooling plate, there is a radially outwardly guided positive terminal, which comprises a retaining plate and a bolt, and which is fastened thereto and projects radially beyond the cooling plates.
The retaining plate is riveted by spaced rivets onto the front cooling plate, and a plastics part is formed onto the outer edge of the circuit board to accommodate the limb of the retaining plate.
In UK patent application GB 2235822 A, using a plurality of external crimped connectors in the printed circuit board, the diodes are electrically connected to connecting wires of a stator winding of the alternator. Each of the crimped connectors has an exposed U-shaped portion. In order to provide the necessary space in the region of the positive terminal, the limb of the retaining plate is provided between the rivets with an opening, through which one of the crimped connectors passes to the front for contacting a connecting wire of the stator winding with the conductors in the printed circuit board. The crimped connector passing through the opening of the retaining plate is embedded in a sleeve, which is formed onto the printed circuit board and which engages in a corresponding recess of the two cooling plates.
The rectifier assembly and the stator winding vibrate as the body of a related motor vehicle vibrates. In UK patent application GB 2235822 A, both the vibration of the rectifier assembly and the vibration of the stator winding are transmitted to the crimped connectors. Since the rectifier assembly and the stator winding occupy separate portions in the alternator, the vibration of the rectifier assembly and the vibration of the stator winding have different frequencies respectively. Thus, a phase difference between the vibration of the rectifier assembly and the vibration of the stator winding causes stresses to be applied to the crimped connectors. Such stresses adversely affect the crimped connectors. The strength of the stresses increases as the level of the vibration of the vehicle body rises.
Japanese patent application publication number 5-49221 (application number 3-196380) discloses an alternator for a vehicle in which an extension of an armature coil is connected to a thin-wall terminal projecting from and supported by a rectifier assembly. The extension of the armature coil is firmly held by the terminal as a result of pressing and deforming the walls of the terminal. A great stress tends to be applied to the terminal when the body of the vehicle vibrates at a high level. Such a stress adversely affects the terminal.
It is an object of this invention to provide an alternator for a vehicle which includes a terminal having a strong or rugged structure.
A first aspect of this invention provides an alternator for a vehicle. The alternator comprises a stator (2); an armature coil (21) wound on the stator (2); a rectifier unit (5) including a terminal base (55); and a connection terminal (51) electrically connected with the armature coil (21) and extending into the terminal base (55); wherein the connection terminal (51) includes an exposed portion (511) having a U-shaped cross-section and emerging from the terminal base (55); the exposed portion (511) has a groove (512) designed so that at least two of three sides of the U-shaped cross-section remain; and the exposed portion (511) has an end electrically connected with the armature coil (21).
A second aspect of this invention is based on the first aspect thereof, and provides an alternator wherein the two of the three sides of the U-shaped cross-section form a corner (513).
A third aspect of this invention is based on the first aspect thereof, and provides an alternator wherein a part of the groove (512) is located in a wall of the terminal base (55).
A fourth aspect of this invention provides an alternator for a vehicle. The alternator comprises a stator (2); an armature coil (21) wound on the stator (2); a rectifier unit (5) including a terminal base (55); and a connection terminal (51D) electrically connected with the armature coil (21) and extending into the terminal base (55); wherein the connection terminal (51D) includes an exposed portion (511D) having a U-shaped cross-section and emerging from the terminal base (55); the connection terminal (51D) has a buried portion having a U-shaped cross-section and located in a wall of the terminal base (55); and the buried portion of the connection terminal (51D) has a groove (512D) designed so that at least two of three sides of the U-shaped cross-section remain.
A fifth aspect of this invention is based on the first aspect thereof, and provides an alternator wherein the electrical connection between the armature coil (21) and the connection terminal (51) is provided by a welding process.
A sixth aspect of this invention is based on the first aspect thereof, and provides an alternator wherein the electrical connection between the armature coil (21) and the connection terminal (51) is provided by a crimping process.
A seventh aspect of this invention is based on the fifth aspect thereof, and provides an alternator wherein the welding process is of a TIG type.
An eighth aspect of this invention is based on the first aspect thereof, and provides an alternator wherein the armature coil (21) includes an electric conductor having a flat type cross-section.
A ninth aspect of this invention provides an alternator for a vehicle. The alternator comprises a stator (2); an armature coil (21) wound on the stator (2); a rectifier unit (5) including a terminal base (55); and a connection terminal (51E, 51F, 51G, 51H) electrically connected with the armature coil (21) and extending into the terminal base (55); wherein the connection terminal (51E, 51F, 51G, 51H) has an L-shaped cross-section; the connection terminal (51E, 51F, 51G, 51H) includes an exposed portion (511E, 511F, 511G) projecting from the terminal base (55); and the exposed portion (511E, 511F, 511G) has an end electrically connected with the armature coil (21).
A tenth aspect of this invention is based on the ninth aspect thereof, and provides an alternator wherein the electrical connection between the armature coil (21) and the connection terminal (51E, 51F, 51G, 51H) is provided by a welding process.
An eleventh aspect of this invention is based on the tenth aspect thereof, and provides an alternator wherein the welding process is of a TIG type.
A twelfth aspect of this invention is based on the ninth aspect thereof, and provides an alternator wherein the armature coil (21) includes an electric conductor having a flat type cross-section.
A thirteenth aspect of this invention is based on the ninth aspect thereof, and provides an alternator wherein the exposed portion (511G) has an L-shaped cross-section, and is formed with a cut (512G) designed to leave two sides of the L-shaped cross-section.
A fourteenth aspect of this invention is based on the ninth aspect thereof, and provides an alternator wherein the connection terminal (51H) has a portion embedded into the terminal base (55) and being of an L-shaped cross-section, and the embedded portion has a cut (512H) designed to leave two sides of the L-shaped cross-section.

Vehicle alternator rectifier having L-shaped connection terminals


A device (10) for removing a connecting peduncle (28) passing through a separation slot (42) between two printed circuit boards (26, 27) includes a reciprocating moving element (13) having a cutting face (14) thereon formed on a undersurface of a projection projecting from a shank (2) slidable between a pair of bucking elements (17, 18) facing each other to provide at least in an initial section thereof a seat in which the shank (2) is insertable without play. The transverse dimension of the moving element (13) is such as to be received in a sliding manner guided in the slot (42) to receive the peduncle between its cutting face (14) and the edges of the bucking elements. The inner end of the shank (2) is connected to a reciprocating part of a motor device (11) so that upon operation of the motor device (11) the moving element (13) cuts the peduncle while the bucking elements (17, 18) engage with their bucking surfaces (15, 16 ) at the sides of the peduncle to avoid transmission of transverse strains in the printed circuit boards to be separated.

This invention relates to a device for removing peduncles between printed circuit boards.
In the art of mass production of printed circuits there are often provided multiples of the same printed article in a single plate to be later separated from each other after completion of treatment and mounting of the components. Said art is advantageously applied especially with small printed circuits the handling of which whether manual or automatic would be difficult if taken individually, especially in the assembly and welding phase of the components thereof.
Generally, to make easier the subsequent separation of the printed circuits during the production of the board the separation lines between them are milled, thus providing between the printed circuit boards a slot broken only by small joining peduncles which are removed at the end of the assembly operations.
In the known art various solutions to the problem of removing said peduncles have been proposed but they all suffer from various drawbacks which make them unsatisfactory.
For example, there are known numerically controlled machines which eliminate the peduncles by the automatic movement of a small milling head. The need to program the machine on the basis of the conformation of the printed circuit boards to be treated makes the solution acceptable only for large production runs because of the high cost of the machine. In addition the production of dust is high and harmful to the quality of the electronic circuit being processed.
Another separation method calls for the use of shears under which an operator positions sequentially the peduncles of the printed circuit boards to be separated. Shears suffer however from the serious drawback of excessively stressing the printed circuit boards and causing cracking at the edges and possible detachment of the welded components. In addition, the danger of the devices for the operator is high since only a brief distraction is enough to cause a serious injury. Lastly, good skill is required to obtain perfect removal of the peduncles without affecting other parts of the printed circuit board.
As an alternative to the use of expressly made devices there are also used methods which call for the use of general purpose hand cutting tools such as nippers and the like and then hand filing of the ragged edges thus obtained. But it is clear that such systems produce considerable loss of time and results which are not always acceptable. In addition, with very small printed circuit boards the welded components are very near the edge and hence easily damaged during processing.

Device for removing a peduncle from a printed circuit board


The invention relates to a display rack for shades of nail varnish, comprising a support and colored tabs which are mounted on the support in a mobile manner, independently from each other.

This type of display rack is sometimes called a nail art palette. It is used in sales outlets and allows customers to choose shades of nail varnish.
Existing display racks of this type have the general shape of a round or rectangular palette with kinds of petals radiating outwards. The petals have the shape of a fingernail and are decorated. The user who wishes to select a color or decoration for her nails can superimpose one of the petals from the palette on one of her nails. On some nail art palettes, the petals are mounted on the palette with a spring clip system so that they can be removed if necessary and replaced by other petals.
However, these operations are relatively difficult to perform and make it more complicated to choose the shades. In particular, the entire palette must be held in the hand to superimpose a petal on the nail, and while doing so, neither hand is resting on a firm support.
One objective of the invention is to simplify this choice.


Stretch wrapper machine is mounted upon a pallet carrier so that, as a loaded pallet is carried, it is stretch-wrapped.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention is directed to a stretch wrapper which is mounted on a pallet carrier so that, as a loaded pallet is moved, it is also stretch-wrapped.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Modern mechanized handling requires that a number of small packages be packed together so that they can be handled in larger units. Pallets are used as a base, and packages are stacked on the pallet to a convenient size and weight for mechanical handling. One approach to retaining the packages on the pallet has been steel banding. Steel bands were placed around the packages and the pallet, and the bands tightened and clamped. The problem with steel banding is that loads can shift and, under the wrong circumstances, all the packages on the outer extremities of the load directly under the steel bands can be crushed. Furthermore, the steel bands are most useful on heavy metal objects, such as pipe and other forms of steel. It must also be noted that steel banding does not provide any weather protection for the packages.
A newer method of securing packages on a pallet to provide a palletized load is to shrink wrap the packages and the pallet. In this arrangement, bags are made out of shrinkable material (usually polyethylene), and the bag is placed over the palletized packages. Thereupon, the bag is subjected to heat whereupon it shrinks to unitize the palletized load. Shrink wrapping is useful for loads which are uniform size, but requires special equipment for causing the shrinkage. Since heat is used to cause the shrinkage, it cannot be used in cold rooms or other areas where high heat loads are objectionable. Furthermore, it cannot be used over polyethylene wrapped packages because of sticking between the shrink wrapping material and such packages.
To overcome these disadvantages, stretch-wrapping has been developed. In these machines, one of which is seen in Lancaster, U.S. Pat. No. 3,867,806, a stack of packages is placed on a turntable. Usually, these packages are mounted on a pallet. The turntable is rotated, and the palletized load of packages is wrapped with a stretch-wrap material. This material may be polyethylene or polyvinylchloride web or film and is manufactured to be able to stretch at least 25 percent. During wrapping of the load, tension on the stretch-wrap film provides a tension which stretches the film from 15 to 25 percent. The film is thin, usually about 1,100th of an inch thick, and the load is wrapped with as many thicknesses as is necessary to obtain the desired unitized load strength.
The stretch wrap film may be as tall as the load or may be narrower than the height of the load. In the latter case, the narrower film is spiral-wrapped around the load. Since more wraps are necessary at the top and bottom of the load than at the middle for best strength, this is more economical of material. However, these stretch-wrap concepts have been limited to those loads which can be placed on the turntable and rotated.
Goldstein U.S. Pat. No. 4,067,174 employs stretch-wrap film and overcomes many of the disadvantages of the prior art by having a motive unit which carries the stretch-wrap unit, with the motive unit guided around the material to be wrapped. In employing that stretch-wrap unit, the material to be wrapped is in a stationary position, and the motive unit is guided around the material by any of a variety of guiding or steering devices and methods.
Goldstein U.S. Pat. No. 4,095,395 further improves stretch-wrapping equipment, again by employing a motive unit carrying a stretch-wrap unit. In this case, the motive unit is self-guided around the material to be wrapped by employing a follower to contact the load so that no separate guiding or steering equipment is necessary. In this way, irregular loads are more easily accommodated, and no special location with its guiding track is necessary.
In each of the foregoing stretch-wrap methods, a certain amount of floor space is required. The amount of floor space is particularly large when the turntable structure is employed, but sufficient floor space must be provided for the stretch-wrap equipment which travels around the load.


The present invention is directed to a piezoelectric vibrator unit including an elastic plate made of piezoelectric material having at least one curved portion. The piezoelectric vibrator unit also includes at least one common electrode and a discrete electrode which are formed on opposite sides of the elastic plate. The application of an electric field applied between the electrodes 3 and 4 causes the extension or contraction of the curved portion of the plate.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a piezoelectric vibrator unit suitable for an ink jet recording head and an ink jet recording head using the piezoelectric vibrator unit. In particular, the present invention relates to a piezoelectric vibrator unit having curved portions which correspond to deformable regions of the vibrator unit.
2. Description of the Related Art
An actuator unit in which minute regions (arrayed at fixed pitches) are deflected is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Sho. 58-7364. The actuator unit includes a lower electrode, formed on the surface of a thin plate, which is elastically deformable. A green sheet, which is shaped like a rectangular strip and made of piezoelectric material, is layered on the thin plate surface with the lower electrode by bonding or coating. The resultant structure is sintered to form a piezoelectric layer. In addition, upper electrodes are formed on the surface of the sintered structure.
However, the bonding or coating process, by which the rectangular green sheet made of piezoelectric material is layered on the thin plate's surface is an essential step in the manufacture of the above-mentioned actuator unit. Therefore, the manufacturing of the actuator unit is inefficient. Furthermore, the lower electrode is easily peeled away from the piezoelectric layer in the sintering process. In this respect, the actuator unit is poor in durability.
To cope with this, a unique actuator unit is proposed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Sho. 62-101455. The actuator unit includes a thin elastic plate made of ceramic which has an electromechanical displacing property. A ceramic piece is inserted in a region of the elastic plate which is to be deflected. In addition, electrodes are attached to both sides of the region containing the ceramic piece.
The actuator unit described above eliminates the need for the bonding or coating process associated with the green sheet of piezoelectric material. In addition, the piezoelectric member has a single layer structure. Therefore, it rarely happens that the electrode is peeled away. However, the actuator unit has the following disadvantage. An elasticity and a rigidity of a vibrating region of the elastic plate are substantially equal to those in a non-vibrating region. Therefore, a displacement of the vibrated region by its deflection is small. Accordingly, when the actuator unit is applied to an ink jet recording head in which the volume of the pressure generating chamber is varied in order to discharge an ink droplet, a high voltage is required in order to drive the recording head.

Layered type ink jet recording head with improved piezoelectric actuator unit


An optical switching network comprises a plurality of optical splitters coupled respectively to inlet highways for receiving wavelength-time division multiplex (WTDM) signals through the respective inlet highways, each of the multiplex signals comprising a series of WTDM signals each being identified by a unique wavelength and a unique time slot. A like plurality of sets of tunable wavelength filters are provided. The filters of each set are coupled to respective outputs of the splitters for selecting one of the WTDM signals. A like plurality of time-space switches are associated respectively with the sets of the tunable wavelength filters. Each of the time-space switches has input ports and output ports, the input ports of the time-space switch being coupled respectively to outputs of the filters of the associated set for interchanging the time slot of the selected WTDM signal with another time slot and establishing a path for the selected wavelength between the input ports and the output ports. A like plurality of sets of wavelength tunable lasers are provided, the wavelength tunable lasers of each set being coupled to the output ports of an associated one of the time-space switches for generating an optical output according to the WTDM signal from the established path, the optical output having a wavelength different from the wavelength of the selected WTDM signal. A like plurality of optical combiners are provided for coupling the output of the wavelength tunable lasers of different sets to a respective one of outlet highways.

The present invention relates generally to switching systems, and more specifically to a wavelength-time division switching system.
A time and wavelength division switching system as disclosed in the aforesaid U.S. application Ser. No. 07/251,486 comprises a splitter for splitting an inlet highway into a plurality of paths which lead to multiple wavelength selectors respectively, multiple optical time switches coupled respectively to the outputs of the wavelength selectors and multiple wavelength converters coupled respectively to the outputs of the time switches. A wavelength-time division multiplex (WTDM) signal is supplied through the inlet highway to the wavelength selectors. Control signals are applied to the wavelength selectors, time switches and wavelength converters to select a wavelength of the WTDM signal on each divided path and interchange time slots of the selected wavelength and finally converts the selected wavelength to a desired wavelength. The optical outputs of the wavelength converters are combined together by a combiner for coupling to an outlet highway.
Since the prior art switching network is only capable of switching optical signals in the wavelength and time domains, it is desired to increase the number of channels that can be switched.

Wavelength-time-space division switching system


Using three pieces of element data w1, w2, and w3 obtained by partitioning storage data D, an encryption unit generates three sets of a first set A1 in which the first to third pieces of element data are sequentially arranged, a second set A2 in which the second to third pieces of element data are sequentially arranged, and a third set A3 composed of the third piece of element data. The encryption unit encrypts each piece of element data included in each set with a random number R(1) by a CBC mode.

Searchable encryption is a technique that allows searching while search target data and search content remain encrypted.
In recent years, with the spread of cloud services and the like, data management on the Internet has become possible. However, for the data management on the Internet, there are risks such that a server such as a cloud which is an outsourcing contractor of the data management may be infected with malware such as a computer virus, and that an administrator of the server may commit fraud, thereby leaking outsourced data to the outside. If the data outsourced to the server is personal information or confidential corporate data, this leakage is a serious problem.
There is an encryption technique as a method to avoid such a security threat. However, if data is simply encrypted and stored in the server, there arises a problem that searching of the data cannot be performed. In order to avoid this problem, there has been devised a method in which when a search is performed, encrypted data stored on the server is once decrypted to then perform the search. However, the data returns to plaintext for a certain period of time in the server, so that this method cannot be regarded as adequate as a countermeasure.
Therefore, a "searchable encryption technique" which is a cryptographic technique that allows searching while data remains encrypted has been devised. Many specific methods of the searchable encryption technique have been disclosed in recent years.
In the searchable encryption technique, schemes that allow "exact match searching" which is simple searching (see Non-Patent Literature 1, for example) have been mainly considered. In recent years, schemes that allow more flexible searching, for example, "partial match searching" (see Patent Literature 1 and Non-Patent Literature 2, for example), schemes that allow "similarity searching" (see Non-Patent Literature 3 and Non-Patent Literature 4, for example), and the like have also been considered. Hereinafter, a scheme that allows partial match searching will be referred to as a "searchable encryption technique with partial matching", and a searchable encryption technique that allows similarity searching will be referred to as a "similarity searchable encryption technique".
The searchable encryption technique is broadly divided into two types, schemes based on public-key cryptography and schemes based on common-key cryptography.

Encryption device, search device, computer readable medium, encryption method, and search method


An optical lithography system comprises a light source, a spatial light modulator, imaging optics and means for continuously moving a photosensitive substrate relative to the spatial light modulator. The spatial light modulator comprises at least one array of individually switchable elements. The spatial light modulator is continuously illuminated and an image of the spatial light modulator is continuously projected on the substrate; consequently, the image is constantly moving across the surface of the substrate. While the image is moving across the surface, elements of the spatial light modulator are switched such that a pixel on the surface of the substrate receives, in serial, doses of energy from multiple elements of the spatial light modulator, thus forming a latent image on the substrate surface. The imaging optics is configured to project a blurred image of the spatial light modulator on the substrate, enabling sub-pixel resolution feature edge placement.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of optical lithography, and in particular to printing patterns on the following substrates: wafers; printed circuit boards; flat panel displays; masks; reticles; and plates used for the reproduction of magazines, newspapers and books.
2. Description of the Related Art
The semiconductor industry uses very expensive stepper tools for lithographic processing. Furthermore, very expensive reticles are used in this processing—the cost of the reticles is sufficient to make low volume production of chips (such as custom ASICs) prohibitively expensive. The semiconductor industry needs a lower cost lithography process. Furthermore, every time the lithography pattern changes, several days or more are required to produce a new reticle. The semiconductor industry needs a lithography process which can quickly accommodate pattern changes.
The printed circuit board (PCB) industry has similar problems with its lithography processes. Furthermore, the substrates used in the PCB industry undergo distortion during fabrication which limits the use of high resolution lithography processing to small area substrates and the use of steppers. A high resolution lithographic process is required for large PCB substrates in which the pattern can be quickly and economically adjusted to accommodate the distortions, where the distortions vary from one substrate to the next.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,330,878 5,523,193 5,482,818 and 5,672,464 to Nelson describe a method and apparatus for patterning a substrate. The apparatus uses a spatial light modulator (SLM), specifically the Texas Instruments deformable mirror device (DMD), in place of a reticle. The DMD is an array of individually controllable reflective elements. An image of the DMD is projected on the substrate by an imaging lens. Whether or not an individual element of the DMD reflects light into the imaging lens, such that it is projected on the substrate, is determined by computer; thus the pattern projected on the substrate is computer controlled and readily changed. Improvements are required to this approach in order to meet the high resolution and throughput requirements of both the semiconductor and PCB industries. Furthermore, advancements are available to reduce the cost of the apparatus, while increasing the throughput and meeting the high resolution requirements.

Apparatus for SLM-based optical lithography with gray level capability


A bicycle rear derailleur is provided for shifting a chain from one sprocket to another of a multiple freewheel which includes a plurality of sprockets each having a lowermost edge portion. The derailleur comprises a control mechanism pivotally mounted to a bicycle frame by a first pivot shaft which is parallel to the hub shaft, and a chain guide pivotally mounted to the control mechanism by a second pivot shaft which is parallel to the hub shaft. The chain guide rotatably supports an upper guide wheel and a lower tension wheel. The chain guide is biased in a chain tensioning direction by a spring and controlled by the control mechanism to move axially of the hub shaft. The guide wheel has an uppermost edge portion located ahead of the lowermost edge portion of each sprocket which the chain engages. The control mechanism is freely pivotable about the first pivot shaft without any spring bias at least within a predetermined range.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a bicycle rear derailleur for shifting a chain from one sprocket to another of a multiple freewheel.
2. Description of the Background Art
As is well known, a bicycle rear derailleur is provided adjacent to a freewheel for shifting a chain from one sprocket to another sprocket of the freewheel. A typical prior art rear derailleur is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,610,644 for example.
Specifically, the prior art derailleur of the above U.S. patent comprises a chain guide and a pantograph linkage assembly for moving the chain guide axially of the rear hub shaft on which the multiple freewheel is rotatably mounted. The chain guide rotatably supports an upper guide wheel and a lower tension wheel. The pantograph linkage assembly comprises a base member pivotally mounted to a rear fork end of the bicycle frame by a first pivot shaft, inner and outer links having their respective base ends pivotally connected to the base member by first and second pins, and a movable member pivotally connected to the respective free ends of the inner and outer links by third and fourth pins. The movable member pivotally supports the chain guide by a second pivot shaft. The first to fourth pins are located at the four corners of a parallelogram.
The base member of the pantograph linkage assembly is pivotally biased rearward by a first coil spring mounted on the first pivot shaft. Similarly, the chain guide is pivotally biased rearward by a second coil spring mounted on the second pivot shaft. Thus, the chain in engagement with the guide and tension wheels of the chain guide is tensioned by the first and second coil springs. The derailleur incorporating the two chain tensioning springs is said to have a double-tension mechanism.
Further, each of the first to fourth pins of the pantograph linkage assembly is inclined so that its lower end is located laterally outwardly from its inner end. As a result, when the pantograph linkage assembly is deformed to move the chain guide laterally inward, the chain guide also moves downwardly. Due to the inclination or slanting of the pins, the pantograph linkage assembly is referred to as a "slant pantograph linkage assembly".
The prior art derailleur having the slant pantograph linkage assembly and the double tension mechanism has been found to work well with respect to a certain range of freewheels if the first and second coil springs are properly adjusted in their respective spring force. However, the prior art derailleur is still disadvantageous in the following points.
Since the sprockets of the freewheel diametrically increase inward axially of the hub shaft (i.e., the freewheel), the guide wheel of the chain guide need to move downward as it moves inward axially of the hub shaft. On the other hand, the chain tension progressively increases as the chain shifts to a diametrically larger sprocket of the freewheel, so that the chain tension tends to pivotally move the entirety of the derailleur (including the guide wheel) upward about the first pivot shaft against the first coil spring. Thus, due to the increasing chain tension, the guide wheel may actually move upward toward a diametrically larger sprocket despite the fact that the slant pantograph mechanism itself tends to move the guide wheel downward toward a diametrically larger sprocket of the freewheel. As a result, the prior art derailleur may fail to properly shift the chain from a smaller sprocket to a larger sprocket. This disadvantage will be particularly remarkable when a diametrical difference between the largest and smallest sprockets is large.
The above disadvantage itself may be overcome by increasing the elastic force of the first coil spring. However, this solution gives rise to a new disadvantage that the guide wheel becomes excessively far from a diametrically smaller sprocket (due to forcible rearward pivoting of the base member under the strong elastic force of the first coil spring) when the chain shifts thereto from a diametrically larger sprocket. Further, if the first coil spring is made to have an increased elastic force, the chain tension will inevitably increase, consequently hindering smooth shifting of the chain.
Moreover, the double tension mechanism is also disadvantageous in that the elastic forces of the two coil springs must be adjusted in relation to each other for providing a good chain shifting performance with respect to every particular freewheel.


An example method includes during execution of a software application by a processor, receiving, by a copy processor separate from the processor, a request for an asynchronous data copy operation to copy data within a memory accessible by the copy processor, wherein the request is received from a copy manager accessible by the software application in a user space of an operating system managing execution of the software application; in response to the request, initiating, by the copy processor, the asynchronous data copy operation; continuing execution of the software application by the processor; determining, by the copy processor, that the asynchronous data copy operation has completed; and in response to determining that the asynchronous copy operation has completed, selectively notifying, by the copy processor, the software application that the asynchronous copy operation has completed.

This specification relates to techniques for performing copy operations within memory asynchronously.
During execution of a software application, a processor may need to frequently copy or move data within memory. For example, networking stacks may move data within memory from a user buffer at first location to a network buffer at a second location accessible by a network interface in order to send the data. Software applications may also perform explicit copying of data within memory from one location to another. When a large amount of data is copied, processing delays may occur if execution of the processor blocks while waiting for the copy operation to complete.

Asynchronous copying of data within memory


A different approach to tender assisted drilling which has the flexibility to be used with multiple jack-up rigs, and nearly any type of fixed offshore production platform. A skid base includes distinct capping beam feet and skid-off feet, the former adjustable to capping beam spacing and the latter restricted to support of the skid base upon cantilever beams. A special swivel mechanism and sliding mounting in the capping beam feet, and a vertical jack in the aft skid-off feet, enable the skid base to be transferred to the fixed platform simply by aligning them over the capping beams and depressurizing the skid-off feet. Thus, walking mechanisms may be swivelled and oriented upon the capping beams, notwithstanding relative movement between the jack-up rig and the platform. The skid base is simply walked across from the cantilever beams to the platform. The drill floor package is installed onto the skid base by raising and locking the cantilever beams into alignment with the skid base, while the skid base remains in a floating condition upon the fixed platform, and by skidding the drill floor package atop the skid base. The skid base may then be uncoupled from the cantilever and aligned with the platform using the walking and swivel mechanisms and the sliding mountings of the capping beam feet. Longitudinal and transverse movement abilities of the drill floor permit tender-assist drilling upon a variety of precise locations of the platform, and is readily supported from the jack-up rig with the aid of modular piping.

Offshore oil and gas production platforms include fixed platforms supported above the sea surface by fixed legs, dug into the sea floor. These platforms are one mechanism for harvesting oil and gas from wells which have been drilled into fields located beneath the sea floor. Much as with conventional on-shore drilling, these platforms use a derrick and associated equipment to perform the actual drilling operation prior to oil or gas production. Once oil or gas is struck, capping equipment is used to contain the well and to govern removal of the oil for storage,, transportation and refinement. The drill floor package (typically including the derrick, drill floor and substructure) is then no longer needed and consequently, for all but the largest platforms, is removed and used to drill another nearby well or is removed to some other remote location for drilling. In this manner, the same drill floor package can be advantageously used on numerous fixed platforms. When the drill floor package is removed, the fixed platform becomes merely a production platform, no longer having drilling capabilities.
An offshore platform typically includes anywhere from four to forty drilling positions that may be used to drill wells into at least one production field below the sea floor. Consequently, the offshore platform serves as a central collection point for oil and gas obtained from the wells, which may be extend downwardly and outwardly in many directions through the sea floor. The larger the size of the production field, the larger the size of fixed platform used to collect the oil or gas taken from the field.
Typically, an offshore platform is positioned above a promising field in a manner that allows the most efficient drilling of this multiplicity of wells. Thus, the drill floor package and other drilling equipment are generally used over a short span of time to drill a number of proximate wells at a time when the platform is first constructed. However, production requirements and changes in capacity may require the drilling of additional wells at times after the original drilling process has been completed. It is therefore often desirable for the drill floor package to be brought back to the fixed platform, so that additional wells may be drilled to increase the production of oil harvested by the fixed platform, or for other reasons. It is, for example, sometimes desirable that the drill floor package be replaced on the fixed, production platform so that existing wells may be "reworked" to maintain a desired level of production.
As an alternate method to assembling the drill floor package (which may weigh as much as three-million pounds and extend one-hundred and fifty feet into the air) directly upon the upper surface of the platform, a floatable vessel, called a "jack-up rig" may also be used to drill the wells for the fixed platform. The jack-up rig, after completion of the drilling operation, is towed to other locations to provide other drilling services.
The jack-up rig is essentially a mobile drilling facility having everything necessary to support drilling operations, including crew facilities, storage tanks for fluid supply and storage, a derrick, and some drilling support equipment, such as well control equipment and the like. Roughly shaped like the home plate of a baseball diamond, the jack-up rig mounts three downwardly extendable legs which it extends into the sea floor in order to lift its hull above the surface of the water to perform the actual drilling, significantly insulated from the effect of wind and waves. When the rig is floating, the downwardly extendable legs may be moved with respect to the rig. When the legs are resting upon the sea floor, the hull may be moved with respect to the legs, above the surface of the water. Jack-up rigs are generally either used to perform exploration drilling or to perform production drilling over a fixed platform.
The design of early jack-up rigs evolved into what is commonly known as a "slot-type" jack-up rig. These rigs feature a derrick that movably overlies a slot existing in the aft end of the jack-up rig. Typically, the slot is sufficiently large that the jack-up rig may be positioned about a small fixed platform, which is entirely engulfed within the slot. The hull of the jack-up rig is then elevated so that the hull of the rig is raised above the fixed platform, and the derrick is moved over the slot to drill a limited number of wells through the slot and the fixed platform.
In recent decades, however, the tendency has been for fixed, offshore platforms to grow in size. Primarily, these larger platforms are used for production drilling of larger fields in relatively deeper waters, and are needed to withstand the more extreme weather and wave conditions that exist in that environment. In addition, the larger platforms are also able to sustain a larger number of well positions, corresponding to larger field size. With these large platforms, drilling equipment, including the drill floor package, may be permanently stationed upon the fixed platform.
The permanent installation of drill floor packages aboard platforms has certain problems, however. First, the drill floor package, which is a large and expensive piece of equipment, is used only for a short period and remains idle, when it could be used elsewhere. Second, the permanent installation of drill floor packages requires extensive support facilities, storage tanks, crew quarters, and the like. This requires much space aboard the fixed platform and requires much expense incurred only for the relatively-short duration drilling procedures. Third, in more recent years, the larger production fields are harder to find, and thus, the recent trend has been for somewhat smaller platforms to be constructed for production from a smaller number of wells. Thus, permanent installation of the drill floor package aboard a fixed, offshore platform is tending to become less economical.
Since many of the present day platforms are too large to accommodate drilling in the slot-mode (the platforms are too large to fit within the jack-up rig's slot), many jack-up rigs have been constructed to operate in a "cantilever mode." These jack-up rigs do not have a slot defined by their aft ends, but rather, have a cantilever structure that may be extended over the aft end of the jack-up rig and retracted to a stowed position aboard the jack-up rig. The drill floor package is typically mounted at the aft end of the cantilever structure. Thus, when it is desired to drill an oil or gas well from above a fixed platform, the jack-up rig is maneuvered adjacent to the fixed platform and its hull elevated above the sea surface and above the fixed platform. The cantilever is then extended over the desired drill slot and drilling occurs above and through the fixed platform.
The cantilever-type jack-up rigs have become quite popular, especially since they may be used with the larger platforms. Operators of slot-type jack-up rigs have thereby faced an economic incentive to adapt their rigs to use with large platforms, and to thereby remain competitive with the cantilever-type rigs. In part to address this problem, a method of "tender assist" drilling has been developed wherein the drill floor structure is skidded across from the deck of the jack-up rig's hull onto the fixed platform. When the jack-up rig is positioned with its aft end adjacent to the fixed platform, the hull of the jack-up rig is elevated to exactly the level of the fixed platform. A "pony base" is then pushed onto the upper surface of the fixed platform, and is supported by "capping beams" of the fixed platform (generally two parallel I-beams) that are capable of supporting the pony base. The drill floor package serves as a balancing load during this process, supporting the pony base by a pinned connection. That is, the pony base is not supported by a cantilever structure, but is coupled to the drill floor package which thereby keeps the pony base from tilting during the transfer procedure. Once the pony base is supported upon the capping beams, it is disconnected from the drill floor assembly, the hull of the jack-up rig is elevated until its upper surface is on a horizontal level with the top of the pony base, and a bridge structure is erected between the hull and the pony base. The drill floor package is then pushed across the bridge and onto the top of the skid base, and drilling is performed with the drill floor package continually supported by the fixed platform. The jack-up rig, its crew facilities and support equipment support the actual drilling operations. This type of tender assist drilling is generally described in PCT publication number WO 92/08007.
However, operating a jack-up rig in the cantilever mode in deeper waters (as deep or deeper than three-hundred feet) can present several difficulties. First, extreme weather conditions will frequently cause relative motion between the jack-up rig and the platform which will cause drilling operations to be suspended. Second, it is difficult to maneuver the jack-up rig sufficiently close to the platform for the cantilever structure to reach sufficiently onto the platform in order that all desired drilling positions may be accessed.
In partial response, cantilever-type jack-up rig operators have also developed their own methods of tender assist drilling which also use a procedure by which the drill floor package is loaded onto a fixed platform. These methods also present the advantage that the drill floor package is supported entirely upon the fixed platform, enabling drilling to continue in relatively harsh weather conditions, and over a larger number of possible well positions.
One such method for tender assist drilling using a cantilever jack-up rig is generally described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,938,628 and 5,052,860 to Ingle. The drill floor package is positioned at the aft end of the cantilever structure, which is extended in overlapping bracketing relation with the capping beams. Since the spacing of the lateral cantilever beams of the cantilever structure is approximately sixty feet, and since capping beam spacings generally vary between forty and fifty-five feet, the cantilever beams are used to place the drill floor package directly above the fore ends of the capping beams. The hull of the jack-up rig is then lowered, such that the capping beams lift the drill floor package directly off the cantilever structure, and continue to support the drill floor package during drilling operations.
These methods work relatively well and facilitate continued drilling under harsh weather conditions, because any relative motion between jack-up and platform no longer affects the drilling operation. They are not, however, without disadvantages. In particular, offshore drilling platforms are built in many configurations and styles by different operators. Thus, drill floor packages must generally be specially adapted to the design of the drilling platform, such that the framework of the drill floor package structure is properly supported upon the platform's capping beams. Depending upon the configuration of offshore platform, capping beams generally vary in spacing between 40 feet to 55 feet, and there is no uniform standard of construction. Also, since most fixed platforms feature decking that is positioned about and between the capping beams, the latter-described method of tender assist drilling must overcome a significant obstacle in an endeavor to place the drill floor package over any desired drill slot on the fixed platform.
Significantly, the transfer of the drill floor package, known as a "skid-off" or "skidding" procedure, presents inherent safety concerns. Basically, these methods involve the transfer of a three-million pound structure between two separated platforms which are both elevated a significant distance above the water. Although drilling itself is facilitated in relatively harsh weather conditions, the skid-off transference procedure requires relatively calm conditions, and thus, ties up use and location of the jack-up rig in attendance of calm weather for placement or removal of the drill floor package. This may require the attendance of a jack-up rig for as many as three weeks in some environments (such as the Central North Sea), awaiting an appropriate weather window. Aside from the typical $50,000 per day rental costs that are lost by the jack-up operator (jack-up rig mobilizations are very often lump sum transactions), production drilling is also delayed.
These methods also have certain other limitations. For example, during the "skid-off" procedure, there is a period when the drill floor package rests both upon the capping beams of the fixed platform and the cantilever beams. This can impose undesired side loads which are detrimental to both the cantilever structure and the capping beams of the fixed platform, because waves and weather may cause relative motion between the jack-up rig and the fixed platform during the skid-off procedure. Also, the jack-up rig must be positioned very closely to the fixed platform, and very accurately aligned therewith, which requires the most benign weather conditions. Although sophisticated alignment methods enable generally accurate alignment between the jack-up rig and the fixed platforms, there may be some limited misalignment between the cantilever beams and the capping beams, which causes these undesired side loads to be imposed upon one or both during skidding. This effect, as mentioned, may significantly heightened during harsh weather conditions. When such misalignment and relative movement occurs, the longitudinal capping beams are subjected to non-intended, non-vertical loads that may threaten the integrity of the platform structure and reduce safety factors.
Therefore, mobilization of a jack-up rig for a skidding operation may entail a significant amount of unused time which is devoted solely to awaiting ideal weather conditions. In addition, removal of the drill floor package also presents difficulties and consumes time, as the legs of the jack-up rig may settle into the sea floor, creating or amplifying misalignment between the fixed platform and the rig and delaying removal while the problems are cured.
Because tender assist drilling is now being applied to deep water and harsh environments, it is even more arduous to accurately position the jack-up rig alongside the fixed platform, unless the weather is very calm. Current skid-off methods do not work if the misalignment exceeds quite low values. When combined with the problem of undesired side loads and differing construction standards for capping beam surfaces, it is apparent that current skid-off methods have some significant drawbacks.
Thus, a need exists for a flexible approach to the skid-off process that may be safely performed in relatively harsh weather conditions, under circumstances in which there is relative motion between the jack-up rig and the fixed platform, and in which the jack-up rig need only be positioned within a tolerance not acceptable to current practice. Furthermore, a need exists for a practical method of transferring a drill floor package to and from offshore platforms and that can provide drilling access to all of the drill slot locations on the larger platforms. A need also exists for a drill floor package support structure that can be adapted on-site to be loaded upon the upper platform surfaces of nearly any offshore platform, irrespective of the spacing between the capping beams or the existence of decking. Still further, this drill floor package support structure should preferably be, despite the enormity of its size and weight, capable of assembly at sea and should not require the jack-up rig to be towed into port for installation and preparation. The current invention is intended to satisfy these needs and to provide further related advantages.

Method and apparatus for skid-off drilling


A user interface and method for displaying information in an ultrasound system are provided. A medical image display of the ultrasound system includes a plurality of segmented regions each corresponding to a region of an imaged heart. The medical image display further includes a tracking quality indicator displayed in connection with one or more of the plurality of segmented regions having a tracking quality below a predetermined level.

Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to medical imaging systems, and more particularly, to medical imaging systems displaying strain information related to an imaged heart.
Ultrasound systems are used in a variety of applications and by individuals with varied levels of skill. In many examinations, operators of the ultrasound system provide inputs used by the system to process the information for later analysis. Once processed, the information may be displayed in different formats. For example, the processed information may be displayed in different charts and/or plots showing quantitative parameters or values. For example, strain values based on myocardial deformation (e.g., systolic and/or diastolic compression/expansion of the heart wall) due to cardiac ejection and/or filling may be plotted on a bullseye display. Using the bullseye display, which is typically segmented into a plurality of segments, quantitative assessment of regional myocardial function may be performed. The plurality of segments may correspond to a segmented model of the heart having radial, longitudinal and circumferential coordinates.
Local deformation may be measured to determine local contribution to ejection and/or filling based on, for example, lengthening/shortening and thickening/thinning of the heart wall and that defines a strain rate. Thus, measuring the local strain velocity provides information about the local shortening and lengthening of the heart wall. Also, determining a strain velocity provides information about the local thickening of the muscle.
The strain associated with muscle tissue generally corresponds to a ratio of the change in muscle tissue length during a time period to an initial length. In ultrasound imaging, the rate of change of strain (e.g., strain rate, strain velocity, etc.) may be visually presented to a physician as a colored segmented image, such as a bullseye plot, wherein variations in color correspond to different strain velocities. For example, strain velocity provides a direct and quantitative measure of the ability of the myocardium to contract and relax. By imaging along the myocardium from an apical view, the local strain velocity component along the long axis of the heart can be measured. By imaging from the parasternal view, the strain velocity component perpendicular to the heart wall can be determined.
Accordingly, using strain and strain rate ultrasound imaging, assessment of myocardial function may be performed. Strain measurements may be performed using different known methods to estimate cardiac deformation based on tissue deformation properties, such as tissue strain and strain velocity. However, if the determination of the strain value, for example, the tracking of the heart function is poor, such as, due to image quality (e.g., noise in the image), the calculated value may be unreliable. Thus, the display presented for review and evaluation may contain numerical values that are based on heart function tracking that is not acceptable, resulting in possible errors in evaluation and subsequent treatment.

User interface and method for displaying information in an ultrasound system


A once through steam generator (10) for sliding pressure operation from supercritical pressure at high loads into the subcritical range at low loads, having vertical tubes (14) lining the furnace (12) walls and passing their entire length without a mixing header. The furnace tubes are internally rifled and have orifices (47) associated with them to proportion the flow at full load. A steam separator (26) receiving effluent from the tubes sends steam to the superheater (70) and at low ratings returns water (32,40) to the tubes for recirculation therethrough. The tubes (14) are sized in accordance with a specified criteria based on the mass flow rate at full load, or on the ratio of friction drop to static head.

The invention relates to once-through steam generators and in particular to supercritical pressure steam generators which operate at subcritical pressure when at low ratings.
Steam power turbo-electric plants can be designed and operated at lower heat rates if they operate at supercritical pressures such as 220 atmospheres. The turbine is designed to pass the full steam flow with the design supercritical pressure at the turbine inlet. The steam generator must, accordingly, be designed to produce steam at supercritical pressure.
In an electric generating plant it is frequently required that the turbine operate at low load, particularly at night and during weekends when electric demand is low. At significantly reduced load where the turbine does not require supercritical pressure, continued operation of the steam generator at the high supercritical pressure actually increases the heat rate. Regardless of the turbine inlet design, there are inherent efficiency losses in such operation. Supercritical pressure steam from the steam generator must be throttled to the appropriate turbine inlet pressure. There is a substantial temperature drop involved in such throttling and, except for the few valve points on certain turbine types, there is a throttling loss. Accordingly, it would be preferred to operate the steam generator itself at a reduced pressure during the reduced load operation.
The high temperature steam turbine cannot tolerate rapid temperature changes. During a restart of the turbine it is important to match the steam temperature to the turbine metal temperature. During rapid load changes the temperature of the steam entering the turbine stages may not change drastically without creating stress damage to the turbine. As load is decreased with constant steam generator outlet temperature and pressure, the turbine valve throttling drop creates a temperature drop in the turbine.
This changing temperature limits the permissible rate of load change. If the steam generator pressure is reduced with load, the throttling pressure drop does not occur. Accordingly, the throttling temperature drop does not occur, thereby removing this limitation on the rate of load change.
For these reasons steam generators have been operated at sliding pressure. This is generally accomplished by maintaining a substantially fixed turbine throttle valve position, and varying load by changing the steam generator pressure.
With all throttle valves wide open, supercritical pressure such as 250 atmospheres, is required at full load. The required pressure decreases approximately linearly with load.
A common form of sliding pressure operation uses full pressure operation from full load down to the first valve point (about 75 to 80 percent load), and full sliding pressure below this load. This maximizes turbine efficiency of partial arc turbines, and provides energy storage for improved control response.
One of the problems, where such operation encompasses both supercritical and subcritical pressures, relates to an inherent difference in the behavior of water at supercritical and subcritical pressures. At subcritical pressures a two-phase mixture occurs in the combination of water and steam at the same temperature. At supercritical pressure the change from water to steam is gradual and uniform with no two-phase phenomenon occurring. This has created conflicting requirements on pressure part design, particularly in furnace wall circuits.
The two-phase subcritical pressure operation has the advantage that low enthalpy water may be separated from high enthalpy steam with the water being sent back for recirculation through the waterwalls. This ability to separate, however, is a problem when a two-phase mixture must be passed from one group of tubes to another, with the probability of a poor distribution of water and steam entering the circuits of the succeeding group.
Once-through boilers have been operated in the subcritical mode with a slight amount of water leaving the waterwalls. This water is then discharged back to the feedwater system. Some have been operated such that full evaporation occurs in the waterwalls and only dry steam leaves the waterwalls.
At full load operation a particular heat distribution pattern occurs in the furnace which is a function of the firing equipment used and the slagging pattern occurring on the walls. This heat absorption pattern may be predicted with reasonable accuracy. At low load operation, however, the heat distribution pattern of the same unit changes. Accordingly, designing for a predicted heat distribution at full load can create temperature maldistribution problems at low loads.
Temperature maldistribution problems show up in the steam generator as excessive temperature levels in particular tubes which are receiving heat out of proportion to the amount of flow allocated to them. They also produce excessive stresses caused by large temperature differences between various tubes in the furnace wall structure.
Several methods have been used in the past to meet this problem. The furnace wall tubes have been arranged in a spiral configuration so that they pass angularly around the entire periphery of the furnace to achieve an equalized heat absorption. This results in difficult construction problems, particularly with wall support and burner openings.
Multiple passes of fluid through the furnace wall tubes in series has been used to decrease the amount of heat absorbed in each path and, accordingly to limit the temperature unbalance occurring in each pass. This produces an arrangement with multiple downcomers which is also difficult to construct and which creates problems in distributing a two-phase mixture between the various passes.
Another approach has been to introduce mixing headers at one or more locations throughout the furnace height so that the water passing therethrough is mixed to an average heat content before entering the next section, thereby reducing temperature unbalance. This also is an expensive arrangement, and the problem of distributing a two-phase mixture continues.
The furnace wall tubes face furnace temperature on the outside and the fluid temperature on the inside. The actual tube wall metal temperature is a function of the heat transfer rate between the tube metal and the fluid passing through the tube. This heat transfer rate is generally a function of the mass flow rate of the fluid and is excellent when nucleate boiling occurs. It is good for supercritical fluid. When film boiling occurs in a plain tube, the transfer rate is very poor. It is known that internal flow disturbers such as internally ribbed tubing greatly improves this heat transfer rate where film boiling occurs.
During initial start-up of a steam generator, it is required that there be some flow through the furnace wall tubes. This is required to provide uniform heating of the structure and also to provide sufficient heat transfer at local points in the tube to avoid local overheating. On drum-type units recirculation is always used for this purpose. On once-through type steam generators a minimum flow may be provided (usually in the order of 30 percent of full load flow) with any excess beyond that which is changed to steam being passed back to the feedwater train. Another approach has been to use pumped recirculation of water through the tubes of the furnace.
The desirability of sliding pressure operation has long been known. The simplicity of fabrication and construction of a furnace structure using vertical tubes, without mixing of headers, or multiple passes is clearly desirable. Still, sliding pressure once-through units for supercritical operation have employed the complex furnace tubing arrangements.

Once through sliding pressure steam generator


In an electroslag remelting plant including at least one electrode arranged in a pivotable electrode car and in which each electrode car is connectable by an electrically conducting connection to a source of electric current, the electrically conducting connection is composed of two parts separable and connectable at the height of the pivotable electrode car by a pivotal movement of the same.

The invention relates to an electroslag remelting plant comrising at least one electrode arranged in a pivotable electrode car, the electrode car being connectable to a source of electric current by means of an electrically conducting connection.
In recent years the requirement for an increase in the magnitude of the ingots produced in electroslag remelting plants (ESR-plants) has come up, thus resulting in an enlargement of the electrodes used in such plants. The increase in the diameter and the weight of the ingots and electrodes necessitates a considerable excessive proportional increase in the current required for the remelting process. In particular an ingot with a diameter of, for instance, 1000 mm requires a current of 20 kA, while a current of 30 kA will be necessary for an ingot having a diameter of 1200mm. Since the current increases to a larger extent than the diameter of the ingot, the inductive losses in the secondary circuit and the induction losses in the carrying construction of the ESR-plant also increases to a larger extent than its useful output, i.e. the efficiency of the output into the slag is reduced.
In order to remelt several elctrodes into a single block, it is necessary to effect an exchange of electrodes, for instance by means of a pivotable electrode car. With known ESR-plants, taking into consideration this requirement, there results an increase in the length and the area of the secondary electric circuit and thus an increase in its impedance.
The production of large ingots therefore necessitates first an increase of the specific energy consumption (kWh/t), and second a reduction of the efficiency factor of the secondary electric circuit, whereby a retroactive an overload of the electric network and an instability of the efficiency control is caused. Pivotable electrode cars furthermore cause a distortion of the current supply cable during the electrode exchanging processes, an additional mechanical strain on the current supply cables thus being caused.
The invention aims at avoiding these disadvantages and difficulties and has as its object to provide an electroslag remelting plant of the intitially-described kind in which the impedance of the secondary electric circuit and its magnetic effect will be reduced, and in which no distortion of the current supply cables during the exchange of electrodes will occur. The length of the current supply cable as far as to the elelctrode is also to be reduced.
These objects are achieved according to the invention in that the electrically conducting connection comprises two parts that are separable and connectable at the height of the electrode car by a pivotal movement of the same.
According to a preferred embodiment, the two parts are connectable by means of a clamping device, wherein the clamping device advantageously is designed as a tong whose cheeks are actuable by means of hydraulic or compressed-air cylinders.
According to another embodiment, the clamping device suitably is designed as a coupling.
A preferred embodiment of the electroslag remelting plant has two electrode cars, each being movable by means of a slide piece along a guide and pivotable about the guide. On each of the cars there is fastened an electrode carrier comprising an electrode gripping tong. This embodiment is improved in that for each electrode car, one part of the connection is designed as a flexible current supply cable secured by a console that is carried by the slide piece of the electrode car. A clamping device is fastened at the end of the current cable. The other part of the connection is rigidly fastened to the pivotable electrode car and is pivotable with the same. One end of this part of the connection is connected to the electrode gripping tong, and the other end is free and is designed so as to be insertable into the clamping device.
According to the invention, the distortion of the electrically conducting connection is avoided during the exchange of electrodes. The flexible connection only has to compensate for the path of the car. The connections of the secondary electric circuit for supplying and conducting away the current, are arranged closer to one another and can possibly be arranged one above the other.


A self-closing valve assembly for installation in a dispensing opening of a container, a seal cap or the like, includes a first closure element having a domed wall portion of resilient material incorporating a passage-opening, said wall portion being resiliently deformable from a closed position into an open position under the influence of a first differential pressure force resulting from pressures acting on its opposite surfaces, and a second closure element having a domed wall portion for sealing the passage-opening when the first closure element is in its closed position. In order to balance the pressure prvailing in a container provided with the valve assembly when a pressure-increasing squeezing force is no longer exerted on the container, the second closure element is adapted to be brought out of its sealing relationship with the passage-opening in the first closure element under the influence of a second differential pressure force resulting from pressures acting on its opposite surfaces, said second differential pressure force being directed oppositely to said first differential pressure force.

1. Field of the invention
The invention relates to a self-closing valve assembly for installation in a dispensing opening of a container, a seal cap or the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
A valve assembly of the present type, integrated into a seal cap, is known from DE-A-195 10 007. Therein, a membrane-like closure element of flexible material having a central, permanently open passage-opening is clamped between parts of the seal cap adapted to be screwed onto the neck of a container. In the inoperative state, the closure element is concavely curved and its outer face rests on a sealing element which is held stationary in the cap part in order to seal the passage-opening. The closure element can be lifted off the sealing element by an increased pressure exerted on the closure element applied from the side thereof facing the sealing element so that a medium can flow out along the passage-opening from a container, upon whose neck the seal cap can be screwed. As soon as the pressure force on the closure element is removed, the latter readopts its inoperative position due to the elasticity of the flexible material and thereby seals the passage-opening. On the other hand, the closure element is clamped in the cap part such that the tensional effect enables the entry of air, when a low pressure prevails in the interior of the container, in order to effect pressure balance. The pressure balancing function is thus dependent on how the closure element is clamped in the cap part and may be adversely affected by the elasticity of the closure element and the clamping forces effective thereon, so that the pressure balancing function cannot always be guaranteed. Moreover, the channels, along which the ventilating air can flow for producing the pressure balancing effect, can readily be blocked in use and the pressure balancing function may thereby be lost. It is also disadvantageous that the sealing of the passage-opening in the closure element is effected by means of a rigid, flat sealing element so that the sealing function can easily be adversely affected by deposits or dirt on the sealing surface.
An object of the invention is to provide a self-closing valve assembly of a type referred to above having improved sealing and pressure balancing functions. Another object of the invention is to provide a self-closing valve assembly of a type referred to above which can be more conveniently manufactured than prior self-closing valve assemblies. Still another object of the invention is to provide a self-closing valve assembly of a type referred to above which readily can be miniaturized.

Self-closing valve assembly for a dispensing opening of a container


An electrode material obtained using a polyol process and a synthesis method is provided. The synthesis method includes steps of preparing a mixed solution by mixing a transition metal compound, a polyacid anionic compound and a lithium compound with a polyol solvent; and obtaining a resultant product by reacting the mixed solution in a heating apparatus. There is an advantage in that the electrode material, which has crystallinity due to a structure such as an olivine structure or a nasicon structure, can be synthesized using a polyol process at a low temperature without performing a heat treatment proces. The nanoelectrode material synthesized by the method has a high crystallinity, uniform particles, and a structure having a diameter ranging from several nanometers to several micrometers. Further, the electrode material has a high electrochemical stability.

Recently, according to the rapid development of the electronic industry and communication industry, such as various information and telecommunications technologies including mobile communications technology and the demand for light, thin, short and small electronic equipment, mobile IT products, such as notebook PCs, PDAs, digital cameras, and camcorders, have been widely adopted, and thus small sized lithium ion batteries exhibiting high performance, high capacity and high density have been competitively developed all over the world.
Various materials have been researched with an eye to their use as electrode material for lithium ion batteries. Among the various materials, transition metal oxides, such as LiCoO2, LiNiO2 and LiMnO4, have attracted considerable attention as cathode material for a lithium secondary battery. However, the cathode material for the lithium secondary battery has problems in that environmental problems occur, manufacturing costs thereof are high, and thermal stability thereof decreases when it is in a charged state.
In order to solve the problems, LiFePO4 has been actively researched as an alternative to cathode materials for a secondary battery, such as transition metal oxides.
The LiFePO4 has many advantages in that thermal stability is excellent because (PO4)3− has a strong covalent bond, the discharge capacity thereof is high, and this discharge capacity only slightly reduced even after undergoing numerous charge and discharge cycles.
However, the LiFePO4 has disadvantages in that the electric conductivity thereof is low and the diffusion rate of lithium ions is low.
As a method for solving the problems, there is a method of improving the rate capability of electrode material by synthesizing an electrode material having small sized particles and a uniform particle distribution. Various methods of synthesizing LiFePO4 having nanostructured particles and a uniform particle distribution, such as a sol-gel method and a solid reaction method, are being researched.
However, a high-temperature post heat treatment process must be performed so as to synthesize LiFePO4 having high crystallinity using the conventional sol-gel method or solid reaction method. Accordingly, there are problems in that the process of synthesizing the LiFePO4 is complicated and the manufacturing cost thereof is increased. Furthermore, there are problems in that particles grow and electric conductivity is decreased.

Method for synthesizing electrode material using polyol process

Industry Foundation of Chonnam National University


Examples associated with template generation are disclosed. One example includes identifying a set of edges of a set of labels from an image of a sheet of labels. Members of the set of labels in an unused state are also identified. A printing template is generated for the sheet of labels based on the edges of the set of labels and based on which members of the set of labels are in an in-used state.

Adhesive label sheets are made up of three layers of material: a face material, a pressure sensitive adhesive material, and a backing sheet from which adhesive labels comprising the first two materials. Labels are used for a variety of purposes including, for example, mailings, identification, information provision, and so forth. In some cases, label sheets may be run through printers that rely on customized templates for the label sheets. The templates may ensure that information printed on labels falls within single printed labels so that the labels remain usable after printing.

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


The multi-band image photographing method and apparatus photograph a subject by dividing a photographing wavelength region into plural bands and obtain spectral images of the subject corresponding to the respective divided plural bands. The method and apparatus detect a sensitivity balance among the respective plural bands from photographing data of each of the spectral images obtained by preliminary photographing performed prior to main photographing, determine photographing conditions for the respective plural bands based upon the detected sensitivity balance, and perform the main photographing in accordance with the determined photographing conditions to photograph a multi-band image. The program is used to cause a computer to execute this method or part thereof.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a multi-band image photographing method and apparatus, and a program for executing the method. In particular, the invention relates to a multi-band image photographing technique with which a multi-band image providing satisfactory noise balance to a reproduced image and contributing to reproduction of a natural image is obtained.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, the progress of an image pickup technique is attaining commercialization of a multichannel photographing unit (multi-band camera), in particular, a photographing unit having plural channels (bands) that allow a spectral waveform of a subject to be restored with a practically sufficient accuracy. This is a camera with which a subject is photographed in plural wavelength regions (multi-band) that allow plural kinds (four or more kinds in many cases) of light to pass therethrough, thereby obtaining plural image data (spectral image data (multi-band image data) for each band (channel)). The camera is mainly constructed by, for example, a CCD and a color separation filter.
In the multi-band camera, reflected light obtained by illuminating a subject with illumination light having a specified (constant) spectral intensity distribution is allowed to pass through a spectral filter having a specified (constant) spectral transmittance distribution which is different for each band. The light is then focused on a light-receiving surface of an image pickup device via an optical lens of the camera having a specified spectral transmittance distribution, whereby a multi-band image having spectral images for respective plural bands is obtained.
Therefore, in the conventional multi-band camera, the sensitivity of each band is determined based on the product of the characteristics of spectral filters for respective plural bands and the spectral sensitivity distribution of an image pickup device.
That is, the effective exposure amount at the time of photographing with the multi-band camera is defined by the product of filtering characteristics of the spectral filters, that is, spectral transmittance distributions and a spectral intensity distribution of illumination light at the time of photographing. More precisely, the effective exposure amount is defined by including a spectral sensitivity distribution of the image pickup device in the product, and by further including a spectral transmittance distribution of the optical lens of the camera in the product.
However, deviation in these spectral characteristics may cause unbalance of the effective exposure amount for each band, and the dynamic range of a certain band may become narrow compared with those of other bands. As the result, there is a problem that an S/N ratio of the band decreases and data in the band is acquired as image data containing noise.
On the other hand, in the case where there is a deviation in the spectral distribution of a light source as exemplified by a fluorescent lamp, a deviation occurs in the intensity of the illumination light source in each band. As a result, image data obtained by photographing in a band having a low illumination light source intensity provides an image with lower S/N ratio than that in image data obtained by photographing in other bands. The effective exposure amount obtained by photographing in each band using a multi-band camera can be deemed to be given by a function of the "spectral sensitivity of a multi-band camera" corresponding to each band and the "spectral energy distribution of a light source" corresponding to each band. The amount of light obtained in each band and the S/N ratio has a functional relation in which the S/N ratio is improved together with the increase of the amount of light.
In this case, in a reproduced image obtained by compositing spectral images of the respective bands, noise or unevenness in a certain color becomes conspicuous, that is, decrease in image quality occurs.
An exemplary method of removing such noise includes a method in which a noise suppressing parameter is changed in accordance with the noise level by later image processing. However, there is a problem that such a method may cause differences in the artifact upon noise suppression if there are too large differences in the noise level and consequently lead to reproduction of an unnatural image.

Multi-band image photographing method and apparatus, and program for executing the method


The innovation disclosed and claimed herein, in one aspect thereof, comprises a management system and method of handling unpatched users. When a user requests to access their user account or a network, the user is checked for type of browser the user is being used and which version of the browser is being used. If the user is using an unsecured or unpatched browser, the system offers to update the browser software or provide a virtual machine through the browser so that malware cannot transfer from the user computer to the network. The virtual machine can provide a virtual keyboard to protect the user's login credentials from a key logger. The user logs into the user account within the virtual machine.

Providing customers access to networks is becoming increasingly more common. Customers demand access to networks to be available at any time, in particular financial institutions that provide network access to user accounts. However, such access can be dangerous for the network providers as well as dangerous for less technologically advanced users. A user operating an outdated browser, computer, or has not updated for crucial security patches are susceptible to malware that can steal their online logins and access to their financial accounts.


An abrasion resistant wear plate is mountable within a rotor or a vertical shaft impact crusher to protect the rotor from material fed into the rotor. The wear plate includes a main body that mounts and supports at least one abrasion resistant insert to define, in part, a contact face over which feed material is configured to flow.

Vertical shaft impact (VSI) crushers find widespread use for crushing a variety of hard materials, such as rock, ore, demolished constructional materials and the like. Typically, a VSI crusher comprises a housing that accommodates a horizontally aligned rotor mounted at a generally vertically extending main shaft. The rotor is provided with a top aperture through which material to be crushed is fed under gravity from an elevated position. The centrifugal forces of the spinning rotor eject the material against a wall of compacted feed material or specifically a plurality of anvils or retained material such that on impact with the anvils and/or the retained material the feed material is crushed to a desired size.
The rotor commonly comprises a horizontal upper disc and a horizontal lower disc. The upper and lower discs are connected and separated axially by a plurality of upstanding rotor wall sections. The top aperture is formed within the upper disc such that the material flows downwardly towards the lower disc between the wall sections and is then ejected at high speed towards the anvils. A replaceable distributor plate is mounted centrally on the lower disc and acts to protect it from the material feed. Example VSI crusher distributor plates are described in WO 95/10359; WO 01/30501; US 2006/0011762; US 2008/0135659 and US 2011/0024539.
As will be appreciated, due to the abrasive nature of the crushable material, the distributor plate and the surrounding wear plates (that sit radially outside distributor plate and are mounted to both the upper and lower rotor discs) are subject to substantial abrasive wear which significantly reduces their operational lifetime and increases the frequency of servicing intervals. Accordingly, it is a general objective to maximise the operational lifetime of the plates. US 2003/0213861; US 2004/0251358; WO 2008/087247; WO 2004/020101 and WO 2015/074831 describe wear plates having embedded tungsten carbide inserts exposed at the wear or contact face of the plate. However, conventional plates due to the choice of material of the component parts tend to be thick and heavy which introduces a number of a significant disadvantages. In particular, conventional plates are typically difficult to handle and in particular manoeuvre to and from the rotor. Additionally, the thickness of conventional plates reduces the free-volume within the rotor though which material is capable of flowing that, in turn, restricts crushing capacity and increases the likelihood of rotor chocking. Accordingly, what is required is a wear plate mountable at a VSI crusher rotor that addresses the above problems.

Abrasion resistant wear part for VSI crusher rotor


An atomic oscillator includes a base, an atomic cell unit that is disposed on the base, a lid that constitutes an internal space accommodating the atomic cell unit together with the base, and a getter material that is disposed on the base with a gap with respect to the base in the internal space.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an electronic device, a quantum interference device, an atomic oscillator, a magnetocardiograph, oscillator, an electronic apparatus, a moving object, and a method of manufacturing an electronic device.
2. Related Art
There have been known electronic devices that accommodate functional components in a package which is airtightly sealed (for example, see JP-A-2013-003139).
For example, a vapor cell atomic clock physical package disclosed in JP-A-2013-003139 includes a ceramic body and a ceramic lid bonded to the ceramic body, and the ceramic body and the ceramic lid define a cavity that accommodates a laser, a wavelength plate, a vapor cell, a heater, a photodetector, and the like. In general, in the package, the cavity is vacuum-sealed to achieve an improvement in characteristics such as power saving of a heater.
However, in the package disclosed in JP-A-2013-003139, the degree of vacuum of the cavity is lowered due to unnecessary gas released over time from a component disposed in the cavity, or the like during sealing or after sealing, which results in a problem that it is not possible to sufficiently achieve an improvement in characteristics.

Electronic device, quantum interference device, atomic oscillator, magnetocardiograph, oscillator, electronic apparatus, moving object, and method of manufacturing electronic device


An approach for providing electronic media on clothing is described. A media to be presented on a wearable device that includes one or more displays is determined. A determination is made as to whether the wearable device is registered with a media delivery service offered by a service provider. The transfer of the media is initiated over a wireless network to a mobile device if the wearable device is registered with the media delivery service, wherein the media is presented on the one or more displays of the wearable device.

Service providers are continually challenged to deliver value and convenience to consumers by providing compelling network services and advancing the underlying technologies. One area of interest has been the development of services and technologies relating to advertising. For example, in recent years, advertisements on conventional billboards and posters have been replaced or supplemented with advertisements on electronic billboards, posters, and other displays due to the advantages of electronic advertising. The use of electronic displays, for instance, enables advertisers, developers, and other content providers to modify the presentation of advertisements or other information without physically replacing the displays, allowing for increased efficiency in updating and more relevant content. Unfortunately, little effort has been spent on involving the consumers themselves in providing media, in this context.
Therefore, there is a need for an effective approach for disseminating electronic media, particularly in the context of advertising.

Method and system for providing electronic media on wearable displays


There is provided a light-emitting device capable of suppressing a decrease in a light emission amount. A light-emitting device including a container member including a ceramic package provided with a depressed portion serving as a discharge space, and a light transmitting member which is attached to the ceramic package via a joining layer formed of a joining material so as to close the depressed portion; an inert gas encapsulated inside the discharge space; and a couple of discharge electrodes which are disposed in the depressed portion of the ceramic package so as to be spaced from each other, the joining material including glass exhibiting a white color, and oxide ceramic powder.

In the related art, a light-emitting device such for example as an electric-discharge lamp having a structure in which an inert gas is filled in a glass tube has been known. In the light-emitting device of the related art, a couple of discharge electrodes are fixed to the glass tube with protruding from an end portion of the glass tube into a discharge space, and a discharge induction electrode is disposed on an outer periphery of the glass tube. An example of the electric-discharge lamp is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication JP-A 09-180677 (1997).
In recent years, for example, the light-emitting device such as an electric-discharge lamp is needed to be further miniaturized so as to mount the same to a portable terminal and the like. However, the light-emitting device having the conventional glass tube has a structure that is difficult to be made small. In order to solve the miniaturization problem, a structure of a light-emitting device which includes a package and a light transmitting member joined to the package and has a discharge space in a container member has been known. An example of the light-emitting device is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication JP-A 2011-96562.
The light-emitting device including the package and the light transmitting member joined to the package has a problem that a light emission amount decreases because the package and the light transmitting member are joined via a joining material and the light generated in the discharge space is thus likely to be absorbed by the joining material.
The invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a light-emitting device capable of suppressing a decrease in a light emission amount due to a joining material for joining a package and a light transmitting member.