A filter element has a zigzag-shaped fold pack of folds. At least one terminal element is folded parallel to the folds of the fold pack. The at least one terminal element has a first leg, a second leg, and a third leg. The first leg is arranged substantially perpendicularly to a flow direction of a medium flowing through the filter element. The first, second and third legs are delimited by folds of the at least one terminal element. The first and second legs are positioned substantially at a right angle relative to one another. The third leg projects laterally away from the filter element to form a peripheral seal.

The invention relates to a filter element, in particular, an interior filter for filtering air for the interior of a motor vehicle.
Such a filter element serves for filtering fluid flows or gaseous media, for example, for filtering an air flow that is supplied to the interior of a motor vehicle. Even though the present invention can be used in connection with any filter element, the present invention as well as the problems to be solved by it will be explained in the following in connection with a filter element for filtering air for the interior of a motor vehicle. Such filters are referred to in the following as motor vehicle interior air filters or interior filters as well as cabin air filters.
In view of the increasing air pollution, in particular in metropolitan areas, in connection with the use of modern air conditioning devices, it is desirable and also necessary to purify by suitable filters the air that is supplied from the exterior to the interior of a motor vehicle and, in the process, conditioned or air-conditioned. For example, particle filters or odor-eliminating filters or their combinations are suitable for this purpose; the filters should remove or absorb as much as possible of suspended solids, particles and odors contained in the ambient air. Such filters for filtering air for the interior of a motor vehicle are generally known in a plurality of embodiments and variants so that their configuration and function will be explained only briefly in the following.
Since the efficiency of filters depends in particular on the size of the surface area of the filter through which the air passes, zigzag-shaped folded filter media, also referred to as pleated filter media, are utilized primarily in the case of motor vehicle interior air filters. By means of folding of the employed filter medium and depending on the fold height, the fold spacing, and the degree of compression of this accordion-like filter pack of the different fold sections of the filter medium, an enlargement of the filter surface area through which the air flow passes can be achieved. In order to be able to handle such filter elements with zigzag-shaped folded filter media better, in particular during mounting, frequently reinforcement elements are provided on the sides of the filter element along the filter pack of folded medium. These reinforcement elements serve for lateral fixation and stabilization of the zigzag-shaped filter medium and are usually attached by means of a suitable adhesive to the lateral edges of the fold pack. In this way, the filter element with strip-shaped reinforcements provided on the folded longitudinal sides can be inserted in a simple way without damaging it into a housing of a filter assembly or a matching filter receptacle, for example, a filter housing or an air conditioning device of a motor vehicle.
Filter elements of this kind are disclosed e.g. in German patent applications DE 102 31 696 A1 and DE 102 41 748 A1.
In addition to the requirement of stability, the filter elements for filter inserts must also seal-tightly connect to the edge areas of the corresponding housings so that the air to be filtered flows substantially completely through the filter medium or the fold pack and does not flow past it.
It is moreover desirable that these filter elements, in addition to a simple mounting-technological handling, should also be inexpensively and therefore should be producible with regard to manufacturing technology in a way that is as simple as possible. In this connection, it is also desirable that as little as possible of the filter material, e.g. non-woven filter material, is required.
Given this background, the present invention has the object to provide an improved filter element that has, in particular in the edge areas, a sufficient stability as well as a seal-tight connection to the filter housing.


Adjustable traction is provided in a traction cleat by selectively restricting or not the amount of flexure permitted for a dynamic traction element on the cleat. Restricting flexure is alternatively achieved by an adjustably positionable ring or by rotating the cleat to align the dynamic element with different shoe sole topographical features. A dual locking post is provided to reduce the surface area required on the cleat hub for locking structures. The cleat is formed in a two shot molding process that permits elongations of the dynamic traction elements without sacrificing the integrity of the cleat structure.

Technical Field
The present invention pertains to athletic footwear and, more particularly to athletic shoes and traction cleats for providing improved traction and comfort for the wearer of an athletic shoe. In addition, the present invention pertains to methods and apparatus for providing adjustability of the traction and comfort afforded by a cleat for a shoe, and for improving the mechanism and method for locking replaceable traction cleats in place in a receptacle mounted in the outsole of a shoe. Further, the invention relates to improving dynamic traction without sacrificing the structural integrity of a cleat.
Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention are described in connection with golf shoes and cleats for golf shoes, it is to be understood that the principles of the invention apply to any shoe on which cleats or similar traction-providing devices are utilized.
Discussion of State of the Art
Historically, golf shoes were provided with traction by means of sharp metal spikes that dig into turf. After many years it was realized that these metal spikes damage the root structure of grass on golf courses, particularly on greens, and as a result, plastic cleat structures were developed so as not to damage grass blades and roots. An early example of such a cleat is found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,354,021 (Deacon et al). A refinement of the plastic traction cleat concept appears in U.S. Pat. No. 6,052,923 (McMullin '923), the disclosure in which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. In McMullin '923 there is disclosed a cleat having a hub with a threaded stem projecting from its upper surface to threadedly engage a receptacle mounted in the outsole of a shoe. The underside of the hub has plural relatively short traction protrusions, each having a height sufficient to engage blades of grass in turf to provide traction without puncturing the turf. Subsequent developments increased the length and cross section of these plastic but relatively hard traction elements.
The next major development in the art of plastic traction cleats was dynamic traction elements. Specifically, as part of the dynamic traction concept, the underside of the cleat hub is provided with somewhat longer dynamic traction elements that are secured to and project downwardly and outwardly from the hub and flex to spread outwardly under the load of the weight of a wearer of the shoe to effect traction and a cushiony "feel" for the wearer. The cushiony "feel" results from the gradual spreading outwardly of the flexing traction elements as the sole of the shoe is forced against the turf or ground providing a feeling of resilience to the wearer. Examples of cleats that incorporate dynamic traction elements are found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,209,230 (Curley '230), U.S. Pat. No. 6,305,104 (McMullin '104) and U.S. Pat. No. 7,040,043 (McMullin '043); the disclosures in these patents are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. These cleats are typically secured to a threaded shoe receptacle or connector mounted in the shoe sole by means of a correspondingly threaded stem extending upwardly from the hub.
Cleats having a combination of both flexible (i.e. dynamic) and relatively inflexible (i.e., static) traction elements are also known in the art. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,834,446 (McMullin '446), the disclosure in which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. In operation, under the increasing weight of the wearer of a golf shoe during a walking step, the longer dynamic elements make initial contact with the turf and spread while deflecting toward the shoe sole. The static traction elements are configured to resist deflection when engaging the ground surface and to provide a suitable bearing for supporting weight applied through the shoe sole. The dynamic and static elements may be arranged in alternation around the hub periphery or in any symmetrical or asymmetrical array, depending on the intended static characteristics. If an asymmetrical array is used, it is known from U.S. Pat. No. 6,823,613 (Kelly et al '613) to design the threaded stem, or other connecting member on the cleat, and the threaded receptacle, or other mating connector in the shoe outsole, in a cooperative manner such that the cleat has only one specific rotational orientation relative to the outsole, whereby the positions of the static and dynamic traction elements are predetermined. The disclosure in the Kelly et al '613 patent is incorporated herein in its entirety.
Some golfers prefer the cushiony feel of dynamic traction elements while others prefer the harder feel of static traction elements. In many cases, differences in terrain and the turf can dictate the need for a harder or softer feel and for the nature of the required traction, (i.e., whether static or dynamic or some intermediate therebetween). We have realized, therefore, that there is a need for a shoe and cleat that permits the wearer to select between harder or more cushiony "feels", and between different levels of dynamic or static traction.
It is also known in the prior art to provide a locking mechanism associated with the connection of the cleat to the shoe-mounted connector to prevent inadvertent loosening of the connection and removal of the cleat. Examples of such locking mechanisms are found in Kelly et al '613 as well as U.S. Pat. No. 5,974,700 (Kelly '700) and U.S. Pat. No. 7,107,708 (Kelly et al '708), and in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0209239 Kelly et al '239) and the disclosures from these patents and published application are also incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. Among these locking mechanisms is one sold under the trademark FAST TWIST® comprising radially facing locking formations on the cleat and receptacle, respectively, operative to inter-engage when the stem has been screwed or otherwise rotatably engaged into the receptacle socket of the shoe-mounted connector. The locking formations on the outer wall of the internally threaded receptacle comprise an annular array of radially outward tooth-like projections, while the locking formations on the cleat include an angularly extending lead-in ramp, a recess and stop member. The tooth-like projection, during stem rotation, forcefully rides over a lead-in ramp before snapping into a recess, and then abuts the stop member to prevent the cleat from being screwed any further into the receptacle socket. The locking mechanisms allow the cleat to be unscrewed for removal and replacement upon exertion of a predetermined level of torque (i.e., typically by means of a special tool) by resilient yielding of the locking formations. The projections and lead-in ramps are typically formed on angularly-spaced, axially-extending webs surrounding the threaded stem and socket. The projection of one locking assembly may have a greater axial extent than the others, with a corresponding lead-in ramp of smaller axial extent. If this projection engages one of the other ramps, it will hold the threads of the stem and socket out of engagement, thereby preventing insertion of the threads at the wrong initial position.
There are several removable cleats being commercialized that utilize both the FAST TWIST® attachment mechanism and dynamic and/or static traction elements. Typically, these cleats utilize a molded first shot base which includes a body member or hub having, on its upper surface, a threaded stem form and a circular array of locking posts angularly spaced and uniformly arranged about a circular hub. Additional polymer material is molded (i.e., a second shot) on the lower surface of the hub to provide the dynamic or static traction elements or legs that extend downwardly and outwardly from the circular hub. The dynamic traction legs, depending of factors such as their length and flexibility, provide traction by: 1) tangling with grass; 2) deflecting upwardly toward the outsole of the shoe and trapping grass between the upper surface of the traction leg and the sole of the shoe; and/or 3) when the shoe slips sideways, absorbing or opposing the force of the lateral slip and folding inwardly toward the cleat axis, whereby the downward or vertical extension of the elements resiliently increases from the extension in the unflexed position.
Conventionally, the requirement that the dynamic traction elements extend from the periphery of the circular hub serves to restrict the downward or vertical extension that the traction element can achieve when providing traction against lateral slip. The present inventors are aware of an effort to mold dynamic legs or elements separately and then secure them to the hub by other than molding the hub and legs as an integral unit. This method, in theory, could allow the dynamic elements to be attached closer to the center of the cleat hub, thereby moving the element flexure point during lateral slip from the hub periphery to a location closer to the hub central axis. As a result, for the same overall height or vertical dimension of a cleat, the dynamic traction elements can be made longer from their proximal ends (i.e., the points of attachment to the hub) to their distal tips. The longer the lengths the dynamic traction elements, the greater is their ability to flex inward toward the axis and extend to provide increased traction during lateral slip. However, the method of separately molding the dynamic elements (as a unit) and then attaching them to the hub by means of a pin, or the like, is both costly and suffers from the possibility of the element unit becoming detached from the hub. In another aspect of the present invention we present a solution to that problem.
Another limitation in the design of prior dynamic traction cleats is the need to provide a substantially solid circular hub in order to accommodate the above described FAST TWIST® locking mechanism. More specifically, the typically six FAST TWIST® locking posts disposed on the cleat hub are required to be equi-angularly spaced in a continuous array about the threaded stem in order to function in concert with the teeth on the FAST TWIST® shoe-mounted receptacle. If the hub can be configured to require less material it would reduce the cost of manufacture. A feature of the present invention addresses this issue.


An exemplary sensor includes a sensor pad defining a perimeter, a light source, a light detector, and an adhesive layer. The light source is configured to generate near-infrared light and transmit the near-infrared light through part of a patient's body. The light detector is configured to receive the near-infrared light generated by the light source after it has traveled through part of the patient's body. The light received by the light detector indicates an amount of oxygen in the part of the patient's body through which the near-infrared light traveled. The adhesive layer is offset relative to the sensor pad to, for example, allow a clinician to easily remove the sensor from the patient.

Near-infrared sensors are used in the medical industry to measure the amount of oxygen saturation in a patient's blood or tissue. The sensor includes an adhesive so that the sensor will stay in place relative to the patient's body. The adhesive extends beyond the perimeter of the sensor to allow the sensor to fit the contours of the patient's body and to increase the holding ability of the sensor. However, this makes the sensor difficult to remove. In particular, it is difficult for clinicians to peel the adhesive part of the sensor from the patient's skin, leaving clinicians with few options. One option is to pull on the cable connecting the sensor to a controller or display device. Doing so, however, creates a negative pressure under the sensor. This negative pressure can injure the patient's skin and tissue, especially when the sensor is used with neonates. Accordingly, a sensor is needed that provides the clinician with an option to remove the sensor without creating the damaging negative pressure.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Physiological sensor with offset adhesive layer


A system includes a detector and a processing module. The detector includes pixels configured to detect an event corresponding to energy from a radiopharmaceutical. The processing module is configured to receive a request for each pixel that detects energy during a reading cycle. The processing module is configured to determine an energy level for each requesting pixel. For each requesting pixel, the processing module is configured to count the event when the energy level corresponds to an energy of the radiopharmaceutical, and to determine a combined energy level of the pixel and at least one adjacent pixel when the energy level does not correspond. The processing module is configured to count the event when the combined energy level corresponds to the energy of the radiopharmaceutical, and to disregard the event when the combined energy level does not correspond to the energy of the radiopharmaceutical.

The subject matter disclosed herein relates generally to imaging systems and techniques.
Detectors for diagnostic imaging systems, for example, detectors for single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and computed tomography (CT) imaging systems are often produced from semiconductor materials, such as Cadmium Zinc Telluride (CdZnTe), often referred to as CZT, Cadmium Telluride (CdTe) and Silicon (Si), among others. These semiconductor detectors typically include arrays of pixelated detector modules.
In pixelated detectors, charge-sharing between two or more adjacent pixels may occur. Charge-sharing is caused by photon absorption in a gap between adjacent pixels. The charge sharing causes each of the signals for the pixels to be out of the photo-absorption energy window (the energy range of an isotope used for imaging), and, therefore, rejected as being generated by photons that suffer from Compton Scattering in the body of a patient, which are not suitable for imaging purposes.
Also, Compton Scattering may occur in the detector, with the amount of Compton Scattering inside the detector increasing with photon energy. Photons absorbed in the detector may be absorbed by one step including photo-electric absorption or by a series of multiple steps including one or more steps of Compton Scattering that ends with photo-electric absorption. The chain of multiple Compton Scattering may occur in several adjacent pixels. In such a case, the energy of the photon is absorbed and shared between several pixels, causing each of the signals for the pixels to be out of the photo-absorption energy window. Such signals may thus be interpreted as being generated by photons that suffer Compton Scattering in the patient body and rejected.
Neighbor summing (summing signals received in adjacent pixels to recover the energy of neighboring pixels into one signal that is located within the photo-electric absorption energy window) may be attempted to address these issues. Conventionally, neighbor summing may be performed by a variety of techniques including verifying if the signals are in time coincidence within a specified time window.
However, such neighbor summing is not without drawbacks. For example, the determination or verification of whether signals are in time coincidence may present drawbacks. In CZT detectors, for example, the timing of a trigger signal indicating timing proportional to the absorption time of a photon in a pixel depends on the depth of interaction (DOI) of the absorbed photon in the detector. Thus, the timing of the trigger signal is strongly dependent on the DOI and therefore is not accurate enough to serve for time coincident measurements. Accordingly, the trigger signal may be derived from the cathode of the CZT detector. The cathode is a large contact and may produce a trigger signal immediately upon absorption of a photon in the detector. However, deriving the trigger signal from the cathode is difficult to implement because the signal is noisy. Also, the signal may need to be fed into an input from a remote distance. The relatively high noise produced by a large cathode requires the use of a relatively high threshold level in the input of a comparator in an electronic channel of a pixel to prevent propagation, in the electronic channels of the detector pixels, of the relatively high noise produced by the large cathode. The use of the high threshold level also causes rejection of all signals below the relatively high threshold level. Thus, many events for which charges are shared between pixels may be rejected as being too small due to the required high threshold level when the signal is derived from the cathode. As a result, the summing process may be inefficient when using timing derived from the cathode contact.

Systems and methods for summing signals from an imaging detector


A tool changer includes at least one tool changer unit, wherein the at least one tool changer unit includes: a tool holder that receives and holds a tool; a base member that supports the tool holder so that the tool holder can be slid along a longitudinal direction of the tool; and a moving mechanism that slides the tool holder relative to the base member.

The present invention relates to a tool changer that is used for a machine tool, and the like. In particular, the invention relates to a tool changer, a machine tool, and a method for changing a tool that are suitable for a long tool (i.e., a tool of long length).
A machine tool (e.g., lathe and multi-tasking machine) that utilizes a plurality of tools is provided with an auto tool changer (ATC) unit that includes an ATC and a tool magazine.
However, the tool magazine included in the ATC unit is normally limited as to the length of the tool that can be received therein in order to provide a number of tools.
A long tool may be required to work a long workpiece. The invention was conceived as a result of conducting studies with regard to a tool changer that is suitable for a long tool.
JP-A-2005-103650 discloses a tool changer that includes a tool support plate that positions and holds a tool in a laid-down state, and approximately extends in a horizontal plane.
However, since the structure disclosed in JP-A-2005-103650 is characterized in that a long tool is moved horizontally in a transverse direction that is orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the long tool, a large receiving space is required for the tool changer, and it is difficult to conserve space.

Tool changer, machine tool, and method for changing tool

NAKAMURA-TOME PRECISION INDUSTRY CO., LTD.


To suppress the increase of the cost and dimensions of an intelligent module which incorporates a control function with the driving circuit device having a bridge circuit for driving inverters etc. The module 70 has a rectangular base plate 30, along the long side of which are aligned power semiconductor elements 10. Chips of control input circuits 20 are displaced along the short side of the base plate 30, and arranged in close proximity to the corresponding semiconductor elements. Input terminals P, N and output terminals U, V, W are arranged on the long side of the base plate 30 along which the semiconductor elements 10 are arranged. Control input terminals Tc are arranged on another long side of the base plate 30. The input and output terminals are connected via conductors 40 with the corresponding semiconductor elements 10. And, the control input terminals Tc are connected via a wiring board 50 with the corresponding control input circuits 20.

The present invention relates to driving circuit modules as unit devices, which have a main circuit including a plurality of power semiconductor elements connected in a bridge circuit, for driving inverters etc.
Power converting apparatuses such as inverters etc. are widely used for driving motors etc. Usually, the driving circuit devices for driving power converting apparatuses are constructed as three-phase or two-phase bridge circuits which comprise semiconductor power elements such as insulated gate bipolar transistors, bipolar transistors, field effect transistors, etc. In practice, it is quite convenient to unitarily incorporate the semiconductor power elements with related elements such as free wheeling diodes etc. into a module. The semiconductor elements as the module constituents may be individual elements mounted individually inside a package. However, it is far more effective for reducing size and cost of the driving circuit modules to mount as made constituent semiconductor element chips on a base of the module, and then, mount the base in a package case to form a whole driving circuit module.
The conventional driving circuit modules have a metal base plate made of Cu, for example, which has high thermal conductivity. Necessary numbers of electrode plates made of Cu, for example, are held on the metal base plate through insulator plate made of ceramic materials which have high thermal resistance. Chips of the constituent elements such as transistors, annexed diodes, etc., the constituents of the module, are mounted on and bonded with the electrode plates. Output and input terminals are connected with the electrode plates through conductors. The thus assembled driving circuit device is covered with or fitted to a molded resin case. A resin is injected into the space between the case and the base plate, and hardened to form a solid unitary module. As is well known, the driving circuit modules are used with their base plate fixed to an A1 radiator in tight thermal contact, and with their case mounted on an inverter etc.
It is necessary for using the driving circuit modules in various applications to incorporate a control circuit with the driving circuit module and to command detailed on-off operations to each semiconductor element constituting the bridge circuit corresponding to the application and the state of the load. Therefore, it has been required for simplifying the overall structure of the system including the control circuit to construct the driving circuit as an intelligent module which executes at least some functions which the control circuit does.
Since the control circuits may be electronic circuits which consume little electric power, the recent circuit integration techniques facilitate integrating the control circuits into a very small chip, though the control circuit may be complicated, and mounting the chip on a module. The most serious problem is that the control signal wiring is so complicated that it is necessary to lead out extra control signal lines for providing multi-purpose driving circuit modules.
The complexity of the wiring may be avoided by using wiring boards. But, the wiring board increases the size of the module to elongate the wiring length in the conventional module structures. The elongated wiring length increases the cost for compensating the wiring inductance by a capacitor or capacitors. Reduction of the space between the wiring conductors tends to cause mal-function by mutual interference of the control signals. Though the space may be reduced by using the base plate as the wiring board, it becomes very difficult to secure the withstand voltage between the high voltage power semiconductor elements and the control circuit.


An information recording medium, 15 capable of recording information by irradiation of light or applying electrical energy, wherein at least one of first and second dielectric layers 102, 106, first interface layer and counter-incident side interface layer 103, 105 is formed from a Si—In—Zr/Hf—O-based material containing at least Si, In, M1 (M1 represents at least one element selected from among Zr and Hf) and oxygen (O), with Si content being 1 atomic % or more. This medium has high recording sensitivity when information is recorded thereon, high overwrite cycle-ability and high signal intensity.

There has been known a phase transition type information recording medium that is based on a phenomenon of phase transition taking place in a recording layer (phase transition material layer). An optical phase transition type information recording medium is a medium where the phase transition is caused to occur by means of laser beam, namely that is used to optically recording, erasing, rewriting and reproducing information. More specifically, information is recorded on the optical phase transition type information recording medium by causing transition of state between, for example, crystal phase and amorphous phase by the heat generated through irradiation of laser beam. The recorded information is read out by detecting the difference in reflectivity between crystal phase and amorphous phase.
A rewritable optical phase transition type information recording medium allows it to erase information recorded thereon and write over other information. In this medium, the initial state of the recording layer is crystal phase in general. To record information on this medium, it is irradiated with a laser beam of high power (recording power) so as to melt the recording layer and then quickly cool it, thereby turning the portion of the recording layer that has been irradiated with the laser into amorphous phase. To erase information from this medium, it is irradiated with a laser beam having an output power (erasure power) lower than that for recording to raise the temperature of the recording layer and then gradually cool it, so as to turn the portion of the recording layer that has been irradiated with the laser into crystal phase. Accordingly, it is made possible to record new information while erasing the recorded information, by irradiating the recording layer of the rewritable optical phase transition type information recording medium with a laser beam that has been power-modulated between a high power level and a low power level.
A write-once optical phase transition type information recording medium is a medium that allows it to record information thereon only once, and does not allow it to erase or write over information. In this medium, the initial state of the recording layer is amorphous phase in general. To record information on this medium, it is irradiated with a laser beam of high power (recording power) so as to raise the temperature of the recording layer and then gradually cool it, thereby turning the portion of the recording layer that has been irradiated with the laser into crystal phase.
There is also an electrical phase transition type information recording medium that records information by applying electrical energy (for example, electric current) instead of irradiation of laser beam. Information is recorded on the electrical phase transition type information recording medium by causing transition of state between crystal phase (low resistance) and amorphous phase (high resistance) in phase transition material layer of a recording layer by the Joule heat generated by the electric current. The recorded information is read by detecting the difference in electrical resistance between crystal phase and amorphous phase.
An example of the optical phase transition type information recording medium is a 4.7 GB/DVD-RAM. Constitution of the 4.7 GB/DVD-RAM is shown in FIG. 12. The information recording medium 12 (which hereafter may also be referred to simply as medium) shown in FIG. 12 comprises an incident side dielectric layer 2, an incident side interface layer 3, a recording layer 4, a counter-incident side interface layer 5, a counter-incident side dielectric layer 6, an optional compensation layer 7 and a reflective layer 8 which are provided in this order on a substrate 1 when viewed from the side where laser beam enters. A dummy substrate 10 is adhered on the reflective layer 8 by means of an adhesive layer 9.
The incident side dielectric layer 2 and the counter-incident side dielectric layer 6 have optical functions to increase the efficiency of the recording layer 4 to absorb light by regulating the optical distance and to increase the difference in the reflectivity between crystal phase and amorphous phase so as to increase the intensity of signals. These dielectric layers also have a thermal function to thermally insulate the substrate 1, the dummy substrate 10, etc. that are vulnerable to heat, from the recording layer 4 that is heated to a high temperature during recording. (ZnS)80(SiO2)20 (mol %) that is used to form the dielectric layer in the prior art is an excellent dielectric material having transparency, high refractive index, low heat conductivity, high thermal insulation, good mechanical characteristics and high humidity resistance.
The recording layer 4 is of a fast-crystallizing material containing (Ge—Sn) Te—Sb2Te3, which is prepared by substituting a part of Ge with Sn in a GeTe—Sb2Te3 quasi-dual component phase transition material, a mixture of compounds GeTe and Sb2Te3. The recording material of this material not only has high initial rewriting performance but also has high archival characteristic (capability to reproduce recorded information after a long period of storage) and high archival overwrite characteristic (capability to erase or rewrite recorded information after a long period of storage).
The reflective layer 8 has an optical function to increase the amount of light absorbed by the recording layer 4. The reflective layer 8 also has a thermal function to quickly diffuse the heat generated in the recording layer 4 and facilitate the phase transition of the recording layer 4 into amorphous phase. The reflective layer 8 further has a function to protect the multi-layer film from the operating environment.
The incident side interface layer 3 and the counter-incident side interface layer 5 have the function to prevent material transfer from occurring between the incident side dielectric layer 2 and the recording layer 4 and between the counter-incident side dielectric layer 6 and the recording layer 4. The material transfer is the diffusion of S (sulfur) into the recording layer in the course of repetitive irradiation of the recording layer 4 with the laser beam for recording and rewriting cycles, in the case where the incident side dielectric layer 2 and the counter-incident side dielectric layer 6 are of (ZnS)80(SiO2)20(mol %). Diffusion of sulfur in the recording layer causes deterioration of overwrite cycle-ability. In order to prevent overwrite cycle-ability from deteriorating, it is preferable to use a nitride containing Ge to form the incident side interface layer 3 and the counter-incident side interface layer 5 (refer, for example, to Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 10-275360 (FIG. 2, pp 2-6)).
Based on the findings described above, the 4.7 GB/DVD-RAM was commercialized by achieving high overwrite performance and high reliability.
In the meantime, various technologies have been investigated for the purpose of further increasing the recording capacity of the information recording medium. With regards to the optical phase transition type information recording medium, for example, such a technology has been under development that employs smaller spot of laser beam so as to record information with higher density. Specifically, it is investigated to use a blue-violet laser that has shorter wavelength than the red laser used in the prior art and use an objective lens having higher numerical aperture (NA) with decreased thickness of the substrate on the side where the laser beam enters. When information is recorded with laser beam of decreased spot size, the area irradiated by the laser beam becomes smaller so that the density of power absorbed by the recording layer increases, thus resulting in greater volume change. As a result, material transfer becomes easier to occur and the use of a material containing S such as ZnS—SiO2 in contact with the recording layer leads to deterioration of the overwrite cycle-ability.
Such an optical phase transition type information recording medium has also been developed that has two information layers each having a recording layer (may hereafter be referred to as double-layer optical phase transition type information recording medium) (refer, for example, to Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2000-36130 (FIG. 2, pp 2-11) and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2002-144736 (FIG. 3, pp 2-14)). The double-layer optical phase transition type information recording medium may have a recording capacity twice as large as the medium shown in FIG. 1. Recording and reproduction of information on and from the two information layers are carried out by means of a laser beam that enters on one side of the medium. Accordingly, recording and reproduction of information on and from the information layer located away from the surface where the laser beam enters (hereafter referred to as the second information layer) are carried out by means of a laser beam that has transmitted through the information layer located nearer to the surface where the laser beam enters (hereafter referred to as the first information layer). Therefore, the recording layer of the first information layer is made extremely thin, so as to increase the light transmittance. However, when the recording layer becomes thinner, it is subjected to the material transfer from the adjacent layers more significantly, and therefore the use of a material containing S such as ZnS—SiO2 leads to rapid deterioration of the overwrite cycle-ability.
In the past, the present inventors formed interface layers from a nitride that contains Ge on both sides of the recording layer so as to mitigate the influence of the material transfer and prevent overwrite cycle-ability from deteriorating in the high-density recording medium and the double-layer optical phase transition type information recording medium described above, similarly to the case of 4.7 GB/DVD-RAM.
However, in the optical phase transition type information recording medium where information is recorded in high density by using the laser beam of small spot size, much heat may be generated in the recording layer as higher energy (laser power) is applied to the recording layer when recording information. As a result, when the interface layer is of a nitride containing Ge as in the prior art, the interface layer may be destroyed by the heat generated in the recording layer. Destroyed interface layer is not capable of suppressing the diffusion of S from the dielectric layer. Thus the interface layer of a nitride containing Ge has the problem that it can cause rapid deterioration of overwrite cycle-ability.
Also nitride containing Ge has high heat conductivity. As a result, increasing the thickness of the interface layer for the purpose of suppressing the diffusion of S from the dielectric layer makes it easier for heat to diffuse. Thus the interface layer of a nitride containing Ge also has the problem that it can cause deterioration of sensitivity to recording.

Information recording medium and method for manufacturing the same


A communication module has a backplane interface circuit that enables the module to communicate with other components of the programmable controller, and has a network interface circuit which sends and receives messages via a serial communication link. A memory within the module stores a designation of a starting time, a designation of a length of a message repeat interval, and a file of message information. A clock circuit determines when the starting time occurs and thereafter determines the expiration of each successive occurrence of the message repeat period. A control mechanism responds to the clock circuit determining an occurrence of the starting time or determining an expiration of a message repeat interval, by operating network interface circuit to transmit a message, that contains the message information, over the serial communication link.

Programmable controllers are a common type of industrial computer for operating a wide variety of manufacturing equipment, such as assembly lines and machine tools, in accordance with a stored program. The program comprises a series of process control instructions which are read out and executed to examine the state of selected sensing devices on the controlled equipment, and to energize or deenergize selected operating devices contingent upon the state of one or more of the examined sensing devices.
The state of many sensing and operating devices can be represented by a single bit of data which is manipulated by the control program instructions. Other devices, such as position sensors, provide multiple bits of data representing a condition of the equipment being controlled. For these latter devices, instructions are provided to manipulate bytes and words of data representing the state of the sensing and operating devices. Additional program instructions perform arithmetic operations, timing and counting functions, and complex statistical reporting operations. Such instructions have become quite standardized in the industry and are directly associated with the elements of a ladder logic diagram which is easily understood by process control engineers. Program panels such as those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,808,612; 3,813,649 and 4,070,702 have been developed to assist the user in developing and editing ladder logic control programs comprised of such programmable controller instructions.
An assembly line typically is controlled by a number of programmable controllers. In which case, serial communication networks also interconnect the programmable controllers allowing them to exchange data regarding the operation of the assembly line. In addition, a central computer for the factory often is coupled to the network to receive assembly line status information from the programmable controllers and issue commands to them. In such installations, the programmable controllers periodically forward productivity information to the central computer. For example, at the end of every work shift in the factory the central computer gathers the productivity information from the programmable controllers for each assembly line and produces a production report for that work shift.
In order for a given programmable controller to send information at a particular time or at specified intervals, communication message commands heretofore had to be placed in the control program that was executed to control the associated section of the assembly line. For example, rungs had to be added to a ladder logic program to initialize a timer for the interval between message transmissions and to transmit the message when the timer interval elapses. The execution of the message handling rung took processing time away from the primary machine control function of the programmable controller. In some applications this could adversely affect the control function, especially when time critical processes were being controlled.
A complex process often is defined by a plurality of ladder logic control programs that are executed at different times in a sequence specified by a sequential function chart that is interpreted by the programmable controller. U.S. Pat. No. 4,858,101 describes the use of a sequential function chart. This operation further complicates periodic message transmission, since a different ladder logic program than the one with the message rung may be executing when it is time to send the message. In fact, it may be some time thereafter before the sequential function chart cycles to a point at which the particular ladder logic program with the message control rung is executed. This not only delays the transmission of the message, the message data that ultimately is sent represents the status of the programmable controller at that latter time rather than when the message should have been sent. Thus if a number of programmable controllers are to provide status reports to the central computer at the same instant in time, the delay in executing the communication instruction can result in reports from different programmable controller representing the state of the manufacturing equipment at different points in time.

Programmable controller with time periodic communication


Disclosed is a method for controlling a combustion engine, the combustion engine including an inlet circuit and an exhaust circuit, the method including the steps: determining a temperature of the exhaust gases flowing through the exhaust circuit of the combustion engine; comparing the determined temperature with a maximum threshold; and if the determined temperature is less than the maximum threshold, controlling the engine by decrementing the richness of operation by a predetermined value and jointly incrementing by a predetermined value a level of exhaust gases recirculated between the exhaust circuit and the inlet circuit of the combustion engine.

The present invention relates to a method for controlling an internal combustion engine, particularly for motor vehicles. The principle of recirculating a portion of the exhaust gases of an engine back to the engine cylinders is known, equipping, for example, a motor vehicle. "Exhaust Gas Recirculation" is commonly referred to as "EGR". Mixing exhaust gas with the admitted fresh air has an impact on the combustion of the fuel mixture. The presence of exhaust gases, which are inert to combustion, and have a high heat capacity, helps reducing the temperature in the cylinders. In a gasoline engine, it also reduces the risk of self-ignition of the mixture, which decreases rattling noises propensity. In addition, exhaust gases recirculation helps reduce pumping losses. The use of exhaust gas recirculation helps reducing the specific fuel consumption, making it a very interesting technology. We also know that in order to guarantee good conversion by the catalytic converter of the pollutants in the exhaust gases, the richness of operation needs to be close to 1, which means that the composition of the mixture of air and fuel is near to the stoichiometry. To minimize pollutant emissions, the major part of the engine operating conditions is thus guaranteed with a richness of 1, also called stoichiometric richness. An exception to this mode of operation is when the exhaust temperature is too high for operation at a richness of 1. These conditions are met when the power delivered by the engine is close to the engine maximum power available. In such conditions, the mixture is voluntarily enriched, which means that it has an excess of fuel in comparison to the stoichiometric mixture. The effect of such enrichment is to lower exhaust temperatures and make them acceptable.
The counterpart is an increase in the consumption of fuel and emission of pollutants. So the enrichment must be kept to a minimum. The value of the enrichment is thus defined for various operating conditions, defined for instance by the speed of rotation of the motor and the delivered torque.


A bidirectional tape cartridge incorporating first and second tensioning elements respectively located adjacent first and second reels on opposite sides of a transducer head and configured to act unidirectionally so that only the upstream element provides a significant drag force on the tape. Each tensioning element having a surface defining a tape path and including a first portion located closer to the corresponding reel and a second portion located closer to a corresponding tape guide, the first portion having a smaller radius of curvature than the second portion.

In a bidirectional drive tape cartridge of the type shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,692,255 in which the tape moves at high speeds between two reels and is subjected to high accelerations when the tape direction is reversed, it is important to minimize tape tension variations at the transducer head. Otherwise tape to head contact may be lost and data compromised.
One approach to reducing tension variations is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,221,348 which utilizes first and second tape wrap pins each mounted along the tape path between a reel and an associated tape guide. The tape wrap pins function to maintain the wrap angles around the guides more constant as the radius of the tape disposed on the reels varies between a minimum and a maximum. Despite the incorporation of the tape wrap pins, the tension still exhibits some variation between the beginning of tape (BOT) and the end of tape (EOT) and vice versa. Typically, tension increases from BOT to EOT by approximately 20%. Tests have revealed that although the pin upstream from the head has the most influence on the tension, in fact both pins contribute to the tension variations.
In a test using only a pin on the upstream side of the head, tension variations were reduced substantially as compared to the two pin case.

Unidirectional tape tension element and method of use thereof


A system for filtering and oxidizing particulate matter produced by a gasoline direct injection engine is disclosed. In one embodiment, engine cylinder air-fuel is adjusted to allow soot to oxidize at an upstream particulate filter while exhaust gases are efficiently processed in a downstream catalyst.

Direct injection gasoline engines offer improved efficiency because fuel injected directly into a cylinder can reduce cylinder charge temperature. As a result, additional air may enter a cylinder as compared to an equivalent cylinder that has port injected fuel. Consequently, engine power and efficiency may be improved. In addition, direct injection gasoline engines may exhibit improved transient fuel control because there is less tendency for fuel to collect at a cylinder intake port of a direct injection engine than for a port fuel injection engine. However, direct injection engines may generate soot at higher engine speed and load conditions because there is less time available to atomize fuel in the cylinder. As a result, it may be useful to incorporate a particulate filter in the exhaust system of a direct injection engine. Gasoline engines include those engines fueled by pure gasoline or mixtures of gasoline and other fuels such as alcohols. Further, other fuels used in spark ignited engines are also included such as liquid propane gas (LPG) or compressed natural gas (CNG).
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,738,702 a method for regenerating a particulate filter is described. In particular the reference describes a diesel engine having a particulate filter followed by a lean NOx catalyst or a SCR catalyst. The method describes adjusting engine fuel to provide an air-fuel ratio for purging catalyst. However, the method provides little detail as to how engine fuel is adjusted and any such adjustment is less likely to be effective for gasoline engines because gasoline engines are often operated at stoichiometric conditions whereas diesel engines are often operated with lean air-fuel mixtures.
The inventors herein have developed a method for adjusting fuel supplied to a spark ignited engine, comprising: providing an air-fuel mixture that varies about stoichiometric conditions, said air-fuel mixture substantially stoichiometric on average over a number of cylinder cycles while not actively regenerating a particulate filter during a first operating condition; and providing an air-fuel mixture that varies about stoichiometric conditions, said air-fuel mixture lean of stoichiometric on average over a number of cylinder cycles while actively regenerating said particulate filter during a second operating condition, said second operating condition different from said first operating condition.
By providing an air-fuel mixture that varies about stoichiometric conditions when not regenerating a particulate filter during a first operating condition, and by providing an air-fuel mixture that varies about stoichiometric, the air-fuel mixture lean of stoichiometric conditions during a second operating condition a three-way catalyst may operate efficiently whether or not a particulate filter is regenerating. For example, when a particulate filter is not regenerating little oxygen contained in exhaust gases participates in soot oxidation. On the other hand, during particulate filter regeneration, excess oxygen in exhaust gases may be consumed by oxidation of soot. If the engine is operating with a substantially stoichiometric air-fuel mixture while the particulate filter is not regenerating a three-way catalyst in the engine exhaust system can operate efficiently because there are oxidants and reductants in the exhaust gases. If the engine is operated with an air-fuel mixture that is lean of stoichiometric conditions, the excess oxygen can be consumed by oxidizing soot so that a substantially stoichiometric mixture enters a three-way catalyst for processing. Thus, whether the particulate filter is regenerating or not, the catalyst is exposed to a substantially stoichiometric exhaust gas mixture.
The present description may provide several advantages. Specifically, the description provides a method for storing and regenerating carbonaceous particulate emissions from a spark-ignited engine while maintaining net stoichiometric exhaust conditions to control tailpipe emissions. The approach may improve engine emissions by providing improved control over exhaust gases that are processed by a three-way catalyst. Further, engine air-fuel control may be simplified, especially if an oxygen sensor is placed in the exhaust system between the particulate filter and a downstream catalyst because a direct measurement of the amount of oxygen consumed by oxidizing soot is possible rather than an inference made by a model. Further still, the method regenerates a particulate filter without having to provide additional hardware, such as an air pump.
The above advantages and other advantages, and features of the present description will be readily apparent from the following Detailed Description when taken alone or in connection with the accompanying drawings.
It should be understood that the summary above is provided to introduce in simplified form a selection of concepts that are further described in the detailed description. It is not meant to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, the scope of which is defined uniquely by the claims that follow the detailed description. Furthermore, the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any disadvantages noted above or in any part of this disclosure.

Method for controlling fuel of a spark ignited engine while regenerating a particulate filter


A sealed battery has an opening in an external casing sealed using a sealing plate that is laser welded to external casing. The sealing plate has a drop formed near a perimeter of the external surface of the sealing plate so that the surface of the sealing plate is higher at a perimeter of the sealing plate than at a more central position. When the sealing plate is laser welded to the rim of the external casing, the presence of the drop means that there is no direct thermal conduction path from the welded parts to the center of the sealing plate, which reduces the dissipation of heat away from the welded parts. As a result, there is a reduction in the thermal stresses that occur at the welded parts, which means that the formation of cracks in the welded joins can be suppressed, even when a low-power laser beam is used.

This application is based on an application No. 11-71865 filed in Japan, the content of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to sealed batteries that are sealed by laser welding a closure cap onto an external battery casing. In particular, the invention relates to rectangular sealed batteries.
(2) Related Art
In recent years, sealed batteries have been widely used as a power source in portable electronic appliances such as mobile telephones, audio-video devices, and computers. Representative sealed batteries include alkaline batteries, such as nickel-hydrogen storage batteries and nickel cadmium storage batteries, and lithium-ion batteries.
Both cylindrical and rectangular sealed batteries are widely used, with rectangular batteries being subject to special attention due to their superior space-saving potential when used in portable devices.
Sealed batteries are constructed as follows. A cylindrical external casing with a closed bottom is first formed by subjecting a metal plate to a deep drawing process. A generator element formed of a positive and a negative electrode is placed inside the external casing and a closure cap is attached to an opening in the casing. The edges of the closure cap and the casing are then hermetically sealed to prevent the leakage of electrolyte or gas.
Nickel-plated steel or stainless steel is often used to make external casing, though the current trend is toward the use of an aluminum alloy, such as an alloy produced by adding manganese to aluminum, to reduce to weight of the cell.
Mechanical caulking is often used to form the seal. Since this technique is difficult for rectangular sealed batteries, such batteries are often sealed using laser welding. Laser welding is performed by having a laser beam scan around the edge of the closure cap and the edge of the opening in the external casing. The reliability of a cell and its life are greatly affected by how well this welded seal can be made.
When a battery is sealed using laser welding, it is desirable to suppress the power of the laser beam at the welded parts. This is because the closure cap is normally connected to one of the electrode terminals via a gasket, which is less likely to be damaged during the laser welding process if the power of the laser beam is restricted. The use of a low-power laser also makes the manufacturing process more energy-efficient.
When a laser source with the same power rating is used, a lower power setting for the laser at the welding parts enables the scanning speed to be raised. Also, a welding device used to form welded seals on batteries will usually include only one laser source that is split into several beams using optical fibers to allow a plurality of batteries to be welded simultaneously. If the power setting for the laser is lowered, a higher number of batteries can be simultaneously welded without changing the output of the laser source, thereby raising the efficiency of the manufacturing process.
When the power setting of the laser used to seal the battery is lowered, however, there is the problem of cracks tending to appear along the lines welded by the laser. Parts of the battery incident to the laser melt to form molten pools of metal. As these pools cool, they are pulled by the thermal stresses that occur in the surrounding metal When the power of the laser beam is low, there are sudden drops in temperature in the molten pools, which cause large thermal stresses.
Cracking is especially common in the welded parts when the external battery casing and closure cap are formed from an aluminum alloy sheet. This is because aluminum alloy has a lower tensile strength than iron or stainless steel, and because the thermal conductivity of aluminum is high, meaning that the molten parts cool rapidly.
As one example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. S61-3664 teaches a technique for producing a closure cap 131 with a turned-up outer edge 132 that is laser welded to the edge of the opening in the external casing 10 (see FIG. 8). In this technique, there is no linear path for heat to flow from the molten pools to the center of the closure cap, which reduces the dissipation of heat from the molten pools and so reduces the thermal stresses that occur at the welded parts.
When the outer edge of the closure cap is turned up, however, the width of the upper surface of the battery (equivalent to the length in the horizontal plane in FIG. 8) is increased by twice the width of the turned-up outer edge 132, represented by twice the thickness of the closure cap 131 given as W2 in FIG. 8. When the width of the entire cell is of the order of several millimeters, as in a slim rectangular sealed battery, however, this makes this technique very difficult to use.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a technique that facilitates the manufacturing of slim sealed batteries by suppressing the incident power of a laser beam used to form a welded seal while preventing cracks from forming.
The present invention achieves the stated object by forming a drop in the outer surface of a sealing plate that is laser welded to an opening in the external casing of a sealed battery. The presence of the drop means that the outer surface is higher at the perimeter of the sealing plate than in a more central position.
When the perimeter of the sealing plate is laser welded to the rim of the opening, the drop in the sealing plate cuts off the linear thermal conduction path from the welded parts to the center of the sealing plate, thereby suppressing the dissipation of heat from the welded parts. This reduces the thermal stresses that occur at the welded parts, and means that there is less cracking, even when the power of the laser beam is reduced.
One method of forming a drop in the outer surface of the sealing plate is to form a channel in the surface of a material used to form the sealing plate. Another method is to apply pressure to all but the perimeter parts of the material forming the sealing plate. A sealing plate can be easily formed in this way by forging, for example.
The drop can be formed in the sealing plate very close to the outside edge. This means that the sealing plate can be made narrower than for the case where the outside edges of the sealing plate are turned up, as shown in FIG. 8. As a result, the present invention provides a slim, rectangular sealed battery that is narrower than conventional batteries, but does not suffer from cracking in the welded seal.
Cracking is especially a problem when the external casing and sealing plate are formed from an aluminum alloy. This means that the suppression of cracks by the present invention is especially noticeable for batteries formed of this material.

Sealed battery suited to production in a slim rectangular form


A switch heater cover support rack includes at least one upwardly extending upright support unit including a ground-engaging base section, at least two generally horizontal cover support arms mounted on and extending generally perpendicular to the upwardly extending upright support unit and a locking device for releasably securing switch covers on the generally horizontal cover support arms.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to support structures for various types of covers and, more particularly, to a switch cover support rack including at least one upwardly extending upright support unit including a ground-engaging base section, at least two generally horizontal cover support arms mounted on and extending generally perpendicular to the upwardly extending upright support unit and a locking device for releasably securing switch covers on the generally horizontal cover support arms.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are hundreds of thousands of railroad switches across the United States and throughout the world, and a significant percentage of these switches are found in areas which receive climactic extremes, including temperature and precipitation ranges which test the very limits of the switch equipment. Several types of protective devices are used in connection with the switches, for example, it is common to find heating systems used in connection with switches found in railroad track areas exposed to the cold, wind, or other such environmental occurrences, which could degrade the functionality of the switch. To combat this, heating devices are used which supply warm air to the switch mechanism, thereby preventing the switch from freezing and preventing malfunctioning of the switch apparatus. To keep the heat within and around the switch, switch covers, generally manufactured of fiberglass, are used which are mounted over the switching device. Of course, it is often not necessary for the switch device to be covered and protected, particularly during the summer months when freezing of the switch is an impossibility. During this time, the switch covers are removed from the top of the switching mechanism and placed to the side thereof. Of course, this often results in the switch covers being lost in weeds near the tracks, and occasionally being run over by equipment, thus requiring the purchase and installation of new switch covers. There is therefore a need for a support rack which will not only eliminate the damage or loss of the switch heater covers, but also extend their longevity by supporting them above the ground surface thus reducing rust, corrosion, dry rot and other such damage.
Another problem encountered with the switch covers is that they are often taken or stolen by vandals or thieves, thus mandating their replacement. Others are taken by the homeless to use as shelters, also requiring the replacement of the covers. However, regardless of the way in which the covers are taken, the fact remains that the covers must be replaced, which results in a significant expenditure of time, effort and money by the railroad companies. There is therefore a need for a switch heater cover support rack which will also prevent the theft of the switch heater covers, in addition to preventing damage to the switch covers.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a switch heater cover support rack.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a switch heater cover support rack which includes at least one upwardly extending upright support unit including a ground-engaging base section, at least two generally horizontal cover support arms mounted on and extending generally perpendicular to the upright support unit and a locking device for releasably securing switch covers on the generally horizontal cover support arms.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a switch heater cover support rack which will support the switch heater covers above the ground surface in an easily accessible position which generally prevents damage to the covers.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a switch heater cover support rack which will support the switch heater covers above the ground surface in a position in which the switch heater covers may be quickly and easily located without requiring searching and potential replacement of the switch heater covers.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a switch heater cover support rack which will prevent unauthorized removal or theft of the switch heater covers supported thereon.
Finally, an object of the present invention is to provide a switch heater cover support rack which is safe, durable and efficient in use.
The present invention provides a switch heater cover support rack which includes at least one upwardly extending upright support unit including a ground-engaging base section which is adapted for securely mounting the upright support unit in the ground, at least two generally horizontal cover support arms mounted on and extending generally perpendicular to the upright support unit and a locking device for releasably securing switch covers on the generally horizontal cover support arms thereby preventing unauthorized removal of the switch heater covers from the support rack.
It is clear that the features of this invention combine to form an easily used and extremely durable and efficient switch heater cover support rack. The rack supports the switch heater covers over and above the adjacent ground surface, thereby generally preventing the rust, corrosion, dry rot and other such damage caused to switch heater covers when they are left unprotected on the ground. Furthermore, the switch heater covers being mounted on the switch heater cover support rack will prevent unauthorized access to the switch heater covers, thus greatly reducing the number of covers which need to be replaced due to theft or the like. Finally, the present invention provides protection for the switch heater covers from the elements due to the stacking of the switch heater covers on the rack. It is thus seen that the present invention provides a substantial improvement over the prior art.


A vehicular air-conditioning device includes a first water-refrigerant heat exchanger and a second water-refrigerant heat exchanger. The first water-refrigerant heat exchanger exchanges heat between a refrigerant of low-temperature and low-pressure and a heat transfer coolant to vaporize the refrigerant. The second water-refrigerant heat exchanger exchanges heat between the refrigerant of high-temperature and high-pressure and the coolant to condense the refrigerant. The coolant circulates through one of the first water-refrigerant heat exchanger and the second water-refrigerant heat exchanger, the other of the first water-refrigerant heat exchanger and the second water-refrigerant heat exchanger, a cooling path for cooling a heat generating component of a vehicle, and a heater core for heating air supplied to a vehicle interior in this order.

A conventional vehicular heating device is often constituted by a hot water heater which heats a vehicle interior by utilizing a high-temperature engine coolant. Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. 10-76837 discloses a vehicular air-conditioning device developed from an existing hot water heater. This vehicular air-conditioning device additionally includes a structure for heating a coolant of a hot water heater by utilizing a heat pump to achieve higher heating performance than the existing hot water heater. According to the vehicular air-conditioning device of Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. 10-76837, a coolant for cooling an engine is configured to pass through a condenser, a heater core, and an evaporator in this order as a serial flow. The coolant having passed through these components is again introduced into the engine. The vehicular air-conditioning device of Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. 10-76837 further heats the engine coolant at the condenser by utilizing a refrigerant discharged from a compressor to improve heating performance.

Vehicular air-conditioning device, and constituent units of same

PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.


An acoustic apparatus includes a back plate, a diaphragm, and at least one pillar. The diaphragm and the back plate are disposed in spaced relation to each other. At least one pillar is configured to at least temporarily connect the back plate and the diaphragm across the distance. The diaphragm stiffness is increased as compared to a diaphragm stiffness in absence of the pillar. The at least one pillar provides a clamped boundary condition when the diaphragm is electrically biased and the clamped boundary is provided at locations where the diaphragm is supported by the at least one pillar.

Different types of acoustic devices have been used through the years. One type of device is a microphone. In a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) microphone, a MEMS die includes a diaphragm and a back plate. The MEMS die is supported by a base and enclosed by a housing (e.g., a cup or cover with walls). A port may extend through the base (for a bottom port device) or through the top of the housing (for a top port device) or through the side of the housing (for a side port device). In any case, sound energy traverses through the port, deforms the diaphragm and creates a changing electrical capacitance between the diaphragm and the back-plate, which creates an electrical signal. Microphones are deployed in various types of devices such as personal computers, cellular phones and tablets.
One type of a MEMS microphone utilizes a free plate diaphragm. The biased free plate diaphragm typically sits on support posts located along the periphery of the diaphragm. The support posts restrain the movement of the diaphragm. Free plate diaphragms tend to have a high mechanical compliance. Consequently, designs that utilize free plate diaphragms may suffer from high total harmonic distortion (THD) levels, particularly when operating at high sound pressure levels (SPLs).
All of these problems have resulted in some user dissatisfaction with previous approaches.
Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity. It will further be appreciated that certain actions and/or steps may be described or depicted in a particular order of occurrence while those skilled in the art will understand that such specificity with respect to sequence is not actually required. It will also be understood that the terms and expressions used herein have the ordinary meaning as is accorded to such terms and expressions with respect to their corresponding respective areas of inquiry and study except where specific meanings have otherwise been set forth herein.

Acoustic apparatus with diaphragm supported at a discrete number of locations


A weft knitted double-jersey fabric is knitted in a construction of repeating groups of courses in which some courses have loops pulled to both fabric faces and some courses have loops pulled to one fabric face and are transversed by yarn regions which extend across at least two wales and up to seven or more wales. The yarn feed to the needle beds of the knitting machine is limited to no more than 4.0 cm/cm of bed length over which the fabric is knitted in courses in which loops are pulled to both faces of the fabric and to no more than 2.0 cm/cm of bed length, preferable no more than 1.8 cm/cm, in courses in which loops are pulled to one face of the fabric. The fabric has an extensibility of no more than 12% in wale and course directions. It is knitted with a high count yarn of 550 to 850 decitex which may be an air-textured polyester yarn. It is suitable for use as upholstery fabric particularly in the form of a vehicle seat upholstery cover which may be shaped to fit the seat in the knitting process.

Hitherto, woven fabrics have been used for covering vehicle seats and some warp knitted fabrics have been used for the same purpose. Weft knitted fabric has potential advantages for use in vehicle upholstery in terms of the ability of weft knitting machines to shape the fabric so that the number of seams required in a seat cover can be reduced. However, the inherent stretchability of conventional weft knitted fabric has been a major factor in preventing its use in vehicle upholstery because it gives rise to unsightly distortion and to damage of the fabric in use.
The present invention is based on the discovery that the choice of the right stitch structure together with a sufficient degree of tightness in that structure, that is a sufficiently small loop size, permit weft knitted fabrics to be produced which are sufficiently rigid and resistant to deformation as to make them suitable for upholstery use and some such fabrics can be made which are able to fulfill the stringent requirements for potential use in upholstery covers for automobile seats. The rigidity required for such upholstery fabric has been assessed as an extensibility in the course and wale directions of 12% or less in each case, when measured by the standard test procedure on a Fryma extensiometer.

Knitted fabric having low stretch for upholstery


Neodymium-doped yttrium calcium oxyborate (Nd:YCOB) is the single active gain element for a solid-state laser device capable of achieving both lasing and self-frequency doubling optical effects. A pumping source for optically pumping Nd:YCOB can generate a laser light output of approximately 400 mW at approximately 1060 nm wavelength and a self-frequency doubled output of approximately 60 mW at approximately 530 nm wavelength. Thus, a laser device can be designed that is compact, less expensive and a high-powered source of visible, green laser light.

The laser is a device for the generation of coherent, nearly single-wavelength and single-frequency, highly directional electromagnetic radiation emitted somewhere in the range from submillimeter through ultraviolet and x-ray wavelengths. The word laser is an acronym for the most significant feature of laser action: light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation.
There are many different kinds of laser, but they all share a crucial element: each contains material capable of amplifying radiation. This material is called the gain medium, because radiation gains energy passing through it. The physical principle responsible for this amplification is called stimulated emission. It was widely recognized that the laser would represent a scientific and technological step of the greatest magnitude, even before T. H. Maiman constructed the first one in 1960. Laser construction generally requires three components for its operation: (1) an active gain medium with energy levels that can be selectively populated; (2) a pumping process to produce population inversion between some of these energy levels; and usually (3) a resonant electromagnetic cavity structure containing the active gain medium, which serves to store the emitted radiation and provide feedback to maintain the coherence of the electromagnetic field.
In a continuously operating laser, coherent radiation will build up in the cavity to a level set by the decrease in inversion required balancing the stimulated emission process with the cavity and medium losses. The system is then said to be lasing, and radiation is emitted in a direction defined by the cavity.
A common approach to converting the laser wavelength to half its value (for example, from 1064 nm to 532 nm), often used to convert infra-red lasers to lasers emitting in the visible part of the spectrum, is to use intra-cavity frequency up conversion (IC). The most common IC approach is to incorporate a second crystal, a non-linear optical crystal, correctly oriented for phase matching, inside the laser resonator, and to adjust the reflectivity of the cavity mirrors to maximize the wavelength converted laser light emission.
The lasers of the present invention use a new crystal material as the active gain medium. The new gain medium is trivalent neodymium-doped yttrium calcium oxyborate referred to herein as Nd.sup.3+ :YCa.sub.4 O(BO.sub.3).sub.3 or Nd:YCOB for easier reference. Patent Corporation Treaty (PCT) application numbered WO 96/26464 reports the growth of calcium gadolinium oxyborate, GdCOB, as the first element of a new family of borate crystals. The abstract for WO 96/26464 states, "The crystals are prepared by crystallising a congruent melting composition of general formula: M.sub.4 LnO(BO.sub.3 ).sub.3, wherein M is Ca or Ca partially substituted by Sr or Ba, and Ln is a lanthanide from the group which includes Y, Gd, La and Lu. Said crystals are useful as frequency doublers and mixers, as an optical parametric oscillator or, when partially substituted by Nd.sup.3+, as a frequency doubling laser." Although, the general formula might be interpreted to include various Nd-doped crystals, the PCT application, WO 96/26464, only demonstrates and claims Nd-doped GdCOB or LaCOB. Additionally, the subject inventors have discovered that the orientation of axes and angles for the demonstrated crystals disclosed in WO 96/26464 are not efficient for a self-frequency doubling laser. More importantly, WO 96/26464 does not demonstrate nor claim any method nor apparatus for using Nd-doped YCOB as a self-frequency doubling laser.
In the prior art, there are no disclosures of Nd:YCOB as an active gain medium or as the gain medium in a harmonic generation laser. As a member of the oxyborate family of crystals, the non-hygroscopic YCOB crystal possesses nonlinear optical properties and when doped with Nd.sup.3+ ions, the new crystals have the advantage of combining the active gain medium and the nonlinear frequency conversion medium in a single element. Self-frequency doubled (SFD) lasers are an attractive alternative to conventional intra-cavity frequency doubling with a separate nonlinear crystal such as potassium titanyl phosphate (KTP), as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,942,582. A SFD laser incorporates lower reflection, absorption and scattering losses and leads to a simpler and more robust resonator design. With the addition of diode-pumping, the Nd:YCOB laser provides a new type of compact, high-powered, visible laser light source.
Trivalent neodymium-doped crystalline laser systems producing optical radiation are reported. U.S. Pat. No. 4,942,582 supra, discloses a single frequency solid state laser having an active gain medium which comprises a block of neodymium doped crystals of vanadium oxide (YVO.sub.4), garnet (YSGG) and borate (YAB) in combination with a separate frequency doubling crystal of KTP (potassium titanyl phosphate, or KTiOPO.sub.4); this invention overlooked the self-frequency doubling possibilities of the Nd:YAB crystal. U.S. Pat. No. 5,058,118 disclosed that a single crystal of neodymium doped borate (Nd:YAB) was useful as a self-frequency doubling minilaser generating a 0.532 .mu.m (green light) and 0.660 .mu.m (red light) laser beam. However, this laser configuration suffers from poor optical quality and self-absorption at 530 nm as disclosed in J. Appl. Phys., Vol. 66, pp. 6052-6058, 1989.
More recently, the approach to generating high power, visible laser light has been to use nonlinear optical crystals to convert near-infrared radiation to the visible portion of the spectrum via second harmonic generation (SHG) (sometimes termed frequency doubling and used interchangeably, herein). This process generates a harmonic wavelength that doubles the frequency of the fundamental wavelength. Since the SHG conversion efficiency is a function of the fundamental laser beam intensity, the nonlinear crystal is often placed inside the cavity of a low-power continuous wave laser to benefit from the higher intracavity fundamental beam intensity. This technique is discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,610,934 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,751,751 which provides an example of frequency doubling when neodymium doped crystals of vanadium oxide (YVO.sub.4) or (GdVO.sub.4) are bonded to non-linear crystals of potassium niobate (KNbO.sub.3) or .beta. barium borate (BBO). A fundamental beam of about 914 nm is frequency doubled to produce blue laser light at about 457 nanometers (nm) or (0.457 .mu.m).
U.S. Pat. No. 5,802,086 discloses a continuous wave (cw) microlaser with a highly absorbing solid-state gain material, preferably neodymium-doped yttrium orthovanadate (Nd:YVO.sub.4) that lases at two fundamental wavelengths and are frequency-mixed in a nonlinear crystal oriented within the cavity to generate a third wavelength which maybe difficult to generate directly or by frequency doubling.
Popular host crystals including garnet, especially yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG) and yttrium orthovanadate (YVO.sub.4) are discussed in the prior art. However, the search for smaller, less expensive, more powerful, multifunctional lasers continues. The discovery of a new class of laser hosts, the oxyborates, makes possible the combination of linear and nonlinear optical properties in a single active medium. More particularly, the neodymium-doped oxyborate crystal (Nd:YCOB) of the present invention generates a near infrared fundamental light which can be self-frequency doubled to provide a compact, efficient, source of visible green laser light.

Self frequency double nd-doped: YCOB LASER


An information processing method and a switch are described, in which the method includes the steps of acquiring a first information transmitted by the server through the first connection; deciding whether a first parameter in the first information matches a first predetermined parameter, the first parameter including at least Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) identification information and Internet Protocol (IP) address information corresponding to a network port into which the first connection line is plugged on the server; determining the first connection line connected at the switch is in a wrong connection when it is decided that the first parameter does not match the first predetermined parameter. The recognition whether a connection of a network cable plugged in a network port of the server and the port of the switch are correct may be realized automatically.

A server used in communication system is configured with a plurality of network cards of which each corresponds to one network port so as to be plugged by a network cable, and the other terminal of the network cable is usually plugged in certain port of a switch which is responsible for forwarding data of the server. At present, in order to detect whether the network cable plugged in the network port of the server is plugged in a correct switch or a correct port of a switch, a method is employed as follows: plugging tentatively a network cable plugged in a network port on a server into certain port of a switch, and then performing a ping operation on an Internet Protocol (IP) address on the network port. The connection of the port of the switch with the network port is correct if the ping operation is validated; plugging the network cable in certain port of next switch if the ping operation is not validated, and repeating continuously the method as described above, until the ping operation is validated. The method as described above is adapted comparatively to a network in which each of the numbers of the servers and switches are not massive, whereas the feasibility thereof is not satisfactory in terms of a system in which there are numerous servers and switches, e.g., a cloud computing system; further, the ping operation is a manual operation, and the operator need to check the result of ping operation on the server and change the network cable to another port of the switch or another switch manually, hence an efficient productivity cannot be achieved by the system if the aforementioned scheme is applied to the cloud computing system.

Information processing method and switch


A system including a host terminal having a controller which is coupled to a plurality of bridge interfaces, with each bridge interface being coupled to a separate plurality of secondary terminals over an associated data link. Each bridge interface has a communications chip, like an RS-422 chip therein. The controller is able to communicate with any secondary terminal in the separate pluralities of secondary terminals via the associated bridge interface without having to rely on a transmit/receive control line from the controller to each of said communication chips. In another embodiment, the bridge interface is used as a repeater.

(1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an interface for coupling a host terminal to a plurality of secondary terminals via standard communication chips.
(2) Background Information
FIG. 1 shows a prior art system which includes a host terminal or primary which is coupled to a plurality of secondary (Second.) terminals via a communication chip like the RS-422 XCVR. The host terminal or primary may be an NCR-5267 Financial Workstation, for example, and the secondary terminals may include a printer, magnetic card reader, keyboard, and the like. The primary polls the peripherals or secondary terminals over an RS-422 line using a conventional protocol such as Intel I8051. The NCR-5267 mentioned has a video display; however, it is not operated through the communication chip.
As an enhancement to the NCR-5267 Financial Workstation, there is provided an option which permits two bank tellers to operate their separate workstations while using the same host or primary. A teller's workstation may include several secondary terminals (shown in FIG. 1), with these secondary terminals including a printer, magnetic card reader, and a keyboard, for example.
One of the problems with the system described in the previous paragraph is that when two tellers' workstations operate from one NCR-5267 Financial Workstation, six connection nodes were required for making the connections to the tellers' workstations; three connection nodes were located in the base of the NCR-5267 and three were located in a plug-in board associated with the Workstation. One possible solution was to place a repeater in the system. However, this solution was not satisfactory because when the repeater was housed in the primary to reduce the cost of the system, the dirty signals or those containing noise from the secondary terminals were introduced into the interior of the primary. This was not a good solution because from a design standpoint, it is better to keep everything on the outside of the primary decoupled from what is on the inside of the primary to minimize noise generation and electromagnetic interference (EMI). The cables to the secondary terminals function as antennae and pick up the noise mentioned.

Terminals coupling system using bridge interfaces, located inside the host controller, with timer to determine start and end of transmission period


Methods, apparatus, and system for use in adaptive communication interfaces are disclosed. An adaptive communication interface is provided, in which a high-speed clock provided in a high-speed mode of operation is suppressed in a low-power mode of operation. In the low-power mode of operation, a low-speed command clock is used for data transfers between a memory device and a system-on-chip, applications processor or other device. A method for operating the adaptive communication interface may include using a first clock signal to control transmissions of commands to a memory device over a command bus. In a first mode of operation, the first clock signal controls data transmissions over the adaptive communication interface. In a second mode of operation, the second clock signal controls data transmissions over the adaptive communication interface. The frequency of the second clock signal may be greater than the frequency of the first clock signal.

Manufacturers of memory devices used in processing circuits and provided in graphics memory cards and users of such memory devices experience a continuous increase in demand for memory density and speed. The manufacturers and system on chip (SoC) vendors may respond by increasing the operating frequency of memory systems. For example, there is continuous pressure to increase the operating frequency of double data rate (DDR) synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM). For example, the nominal operating frequency of fourth generation low-power DDR (LPDDR4) of 4.2 gigabits per second (Bbps) may be insufficient to meet evolving application demands. There is also continuous pressure on designers to decrease power consumption while maintaining or increasing data rates associated with memory devices used in mobile communication devices, for example, in order to decrease battery drain through reduced power consumption.
By way of example of high-speed memory, the JEDEC Solid State Technology Association, or the Joint Electron Device Engineering Council (JEDEC) has specified the graphics double data rate type 5 (GDDR5) standard to provide a high-speed interface for LPDDR4 and other highs speed memory devices and arrays, including graphics cards and the like. Memory devices conforming to the GDDR5 standard can transfer to 32-bit wide data words per write clock (WCK). In order to accomplish the specified throughput, a memory device may perform a 256 bit wide write or read access within two clock cycles at the internal memory core. Such memory device may transfer eight corresponding 32-bit wide words at the I/O pins over a series of half WCK clock cycles.
The use of a WCK clocking scheme to meet higher speeds may increase the number of pins required for I/O and the power consumed when toggling the WCK. In some implementations, jitter and phase offsets may be addressed using an error detection and correction (EDC) signal, and a data bus inversion signal that provides timing information can be used to control signaling related to a corresponding byte of data transmitted on the memory bus, thereby increasing the pin requirement and power consumption further.

Low-power clocking for a high-speed memory interface


Immunogenic compositions against Bacillus anthracis comprising a stabilized protective antigen complex are disclosed. The stabilized complex comprises protective antigen protein and capillary morphogenesis protein-2, with the capillary morphogenesis protein-2 being bound to the protective antigen protein along a binding interface. The stabilized protective antigen complex has increased thermal and structural stability, along with resistance to premature proteolytic degradation. Methods of using the same to induce an immunogenic response in a subject against B. anthracis infection are also disclosed.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to stabilized protective antigen complexes and compositions, methods, and kits related to the same.
Description of Related Art
Protein subunit vaccines tend to be unstable and readily undergo physical and/or chemical degradation. There is a need for stabilized vaccines not only for storage during distribution, but for the preservation of native structures that are critical to inducing protective immunity.
The etiologic agent of anthrax (Bacillus anthracis) is a potential threat as an agent of biowarfare or bioterrorism because exposure to aerosolized B. anthracis spores can be lethal to mammals, such as humans. Anthrax toxin is a member of the class of bacterial toxins termed A-B toxins. A-B toxins are composed of two moieties. The A moiety is the enzymic portion of the toxin that catalyzes the toxic effect upon a cytoplasmic target within a target cell. The B moiety binds to a cellular receptor and facilitates the translocation of the A moiety across the cell membrane into the cytoplasm of the cell.
The B moieties of A-B toxins from tetanus, botulinum, diphtheria, and anthrax all form channels in membranes. The A and B moieties of anthrax toxin are secreted from the bacterial cell as distinct polypeptides. The A and B subunits of other A-B toxins are produced as single chain polypeptides or as separate chains that are assembled into oligomeric toxins before release from the bacteria.
The A-B toxin secreted from Bacillus anthracis is comprised of the B moiety protective antigen ("PA"), and the A moieties edema factor ("EF"), and lethal factor ("LF"). EF is a calmodulin-dependent adenylate cyclase which may protect the bacteria from destruction by phagocytes. LF is a metalloprotease that can kill macrophages or, at lower concentrations, prevent macrophages from secreting cytokines, resulting in a compromised host immunity. PA is a channel forming polypeptide that allows entry of EF and LF across membranes into the cell, a step that is critical for the pathogenesis of anthrax. PA is secreted as a four-domain, 83 kD protein that recognizes on the host cells the von-Willebrand factor A domain ("VWA") of two integrin-like receptors: anthrax toxin receptor 1, ("ANTXR1", formerly anthrax toxin receptor-tumor endothelial marker 8), and anthrax toxin receptor 2 ("ANTXR2", formerly capillary morphogenesis protein 2 ("CMG2")). Binding of PA to the receptor results in the proteolytic cleavage of PA by a furin-like protease on the cell surface, releasing the first 167 amino acid residues of domain 1. Thus, the C-terminal 63 kDa fragment ("PA63") remains bound to the cell and the N-terminal 20 kDa fragment ("PA20") dissociates from PA63. This proteolytic cleavage and subsequent dissociation of PA20 confer at least two new properties on PA63: (1) the ability to oligomerize into a ring-shaped heptameric sodium dodecyl sulfate ("SDS")-dissociable structure termed prepore and (2) the ability to bind EF and LF, which bind with a stoichiometry of three per heptameric prepore. Binding of PA to the receptor also initiates receptor-mediated endocytosis into an endosomal compartment, which eventually becomes acidified. The low pH within the endosome induces a conformational change in the protective antigen that results in the formation of a membrane spanning channel, and this new conformation of the entire PA heptamer is termed the pore. The pore allows the transport of EF and LF into the cytosol. The exact pH required for pore formation is dependent upon interactions with the receptor—in vitro studies indicate that the pH is about 5 if the receptor is ANTXR2, and a slightly higher pH (about 6) if the receptor is ANTXR1. The receptor then dissociates from PA, allowing conformational changes to occur throughout the protein such that PA forms a membrane spanning pore. Modified forms of PA have been developed for use as vaccine and antitoxins, including those described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,731,979, incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. However, storage and stability of such proteins remains a significant challenge.

Protective antigen complexes with increased stability and uses thereof