An infrared (IR) radiation transducer integrates an IR detector array with a liquid crystal (LC) readout. The IR detector is preferably a pixelized bolometer array, but other detectors such as pyroelectric materials are possible. To modulate the LC in response to detected IR radiation, a modulating section is provided that includes a charge injection structure which injects electrical charge in response to the detected IR radiation, and a charge transfer structure that transfers the injected charge to the LC readout section. During its active phase the charge transfer layer is depleted of majority charge carriers, and the charge injection and transfer mechanism operates in a manner analogous to a bipolar transistor. A visible readout is obtained by directing readout light through the LC, where it is modulated in accordance with the detected IR image. The transducers are small and light weight enough to be incorporated into a pair of goggles, for which no separate cooling is required.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to infrared to visible optical radiation transducers, and more particularly to such transducers that are sufficiently compact and light weight to be incorporated into goggles.
2. Description of the Related Art
An infrared (IR) vision capability is very useful for night vision and other low visibility conditions, such as fog or dust. Most available night vision goggles are large and heavy, and operate with a CRT type display that requires a relatively large amount of power and high voltage. These devices cannot operate under totally dark conditions, such as cloudy nights, since they are based upon light amplification. They are also not very useful under low visibility conditions such as fog, since they are limited to the detection of the visible portion of the spectrum. IR sensitive goggles would overcome these limitations, since they would not require an active illumination source such as star light, and IR radiation is capable of penetrating air turbulence and fog with a significantly reduced scattering.
While several types of IR imagers have been developed, they are not easily incorporated into a head mounted display system. They generally involve a narrow bandgap semiconductor material such as HgCdTe, which must be cooled to prevent it from becoming too conductive at room temperature. Cooling, however, results in a relatively large size and weight requirement and a significant power consumption that is impractical for goggles. Pyroelectric IR detectors and bolometers have also been developed recently that provide an electrical output in response to an IR input. Pyroelectric materials include potassium tantalate niobate, barium strontium titanate, lead zirconate titanate, triglycine sulfate, lead titanate and lithium tantalate, while bolometer arrays are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,010,251, issued on Apr. 23, 1991 to Grinberg et al. and assigned to Hughes Aircraft Company, the assignee of the present invention. To transfer the IR image from such a sensor array to a separate visible display, a complicated matrix-scanning readout circuit has previously been required. Since the signal generated in uncooled thermal detectors is relatively low, a pixel-amplifier array is also normally needed in the readout scheme. The matrix-scanning technique is described in Scribner, "Infrared Focal Plane Array Technology", Proc. IEEE, Vol. 79, 1991, pages 66-85. Unfortunately, the complicated readout circuitry tends to degrade the yield and to reduce the reliability of such uncooled IR focal plane arrays.
Outside the field of IR detection, protective goggles have been developed to protect the wearer from intense radiation. Such goggles, described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,081,542, issued Jan. 14, 1992 to Efron et al. and also assigned to Hughes Aircraft Company, employ a liquid crystal light valve (LCLV) to provide an image of a scene. The goggles respond to input radiation in the visible to near infrared range to modulate a visible optical readout. Lasers or other high intensity radiation sources are rejected by absorbing their energy in the LCLV's photoconductive layer, thereby protecting the wearer's eyes.
The basic LCLV mechanism is described in Efron et al., "The Silicon Liquid-Crystal Light Valve", Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 57, No. 4, 1985, pages 1356-1368. It employs a bulk photosensitive layer that converts an optical image into a two-dimensional photogenerated charge pattern, which is transferred through the photosensitive layer to activate a thin liquid crystal (LC) layer. An output image that replicates the input image is generated by modulating an independent light source with the LC layer. Since the input and output images are isolated from each other, various optical functions such as optical amplification, optical limiting, wavelength conversion and incoherent-to-coherent image conversion can be performed, as described in Efron, "Real-Time Signal Processing for Industrial Applications", Proc. of the SPIE, Vol. 960, 1988, pages 180-203. The LCLV has been used as a high intensity, high resolution, large screen projector display, and also for visible-to-IR image conversion (see Efron et al., "Liquid-crystal-based visible-to-infrared dynamic image converter", Optical Engineering, Vol. 24, No. 1, 1985, pages 111-118). An electrically addressed LCLV has also been developed in which a charge coupled device (CCD) array replaces the photoactive array on the input side of the light valve. The CCD-LCLV is described in Welkowsky et al., "Status of the Hughes Charge-Coupled Device-Addressed Liquid Crystal Light Valve", Optical Engineering, Vol. 26, No. 5, 1987, pages 414-417, and in Efron et al, "The Charged-Coupled-Device-Addressed Liquid Crystal Light Valve: An Update", Proc. of the SPIE, Vol. 1455, 1991, pages 237-247. Unfortunately, none of these LCLV devices has an IR detection capability.

Infrared transducer and goggles incorporating the same

The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Defense


A system and method which reduce a network cost of a domino circuit. The network costs of domino circuits can be reduced by utilizing the methods and systems disclosed. The domino circuit is represented as a mixed integer linear program. The mixed integer linear program is solved to determine an implementation that includes determining a final phase assignment that reduces the network cost.

This invention relates generally to domino circuits, and more particularly to reducing network costs for domino circuits.
The speeds at which electronic circuits are required to perform is constantly increasing. As the overall processor speed becomes faster, the need for faster internal circuitry has increased. The need for high speed circuits is not limited to processors, but applies everywhere from cellular phones to digital broadcast receiver systems. Many hand held devices use application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) and they must approach microprocessor frequency targets but have an even tighter area budget. A way to increase the speed of a circuit is to use domino circuits (dynamic logic circuits) instead of static CMOS circuits. A domino circuit includes one or more domino gates. A typical domino gate has a precharge transistor, an evaluate transistor, and an inverting buffer. Domino circuits are generally faster than circuits implemented in CMOS static circuits. For example, domino circuits typically account for thirty percent of the logic transistors of a microprocessor.
Domino circuits have a number of network costs which designers desire to reduce. Some of these costs are power consumption and area.
The use of domino circuits in high-performance microprocessor design is an efficient way of meeting demanding circuit speeds without exorbitant area penalty and high clock-loading implied by static CMOS implementations. One kind of Domino logic style allows a single clock to precharge and evaluate a cascade of dynamic logic blocks where a static CMOS inverting buffer or latch appears at the output of each dynamic logic gate. Despite various area and speed advantages, the safest and the fastest domino design styles can only implement logic networks without invertors because of the inherent monotonic nature of domino circuits. However, this fundamental constraint of implementing logic functions without any intermediate inversions implies significant area overhead from logic duplication for generating both the negative and positive signal phasesxe2x80x94the so-called xe2x80x9cdual-railxe2x80x9d implementations.
CMOS static logic is synthesized using the flexibility of manipulating inverters in the logic network. The inverter-free constraint in domino logic design limits this flexibility since it may require logic duplication because of the inverter-free constraint. This constraint implies that all logic inversions should be performed at the primary inputs or primary outputs where the inverters can be absorbed in registers.
Currently, a way to convert a logic circuit into an inverter free domino logic circuit is to convert the logic circuit into AND, OR, and NOT gates only. Then, the inverters can be propagated back from the primary outputs towards the inputs by applying simple De Morgan""s laws. Some inverters may not be capable of being propagated all the way to a primary input and will be trapped. Since these inverters cannot be removed, the gate at which the inverter is trapped requires duplication to be implemented. This duplication generally causes substantial area, power consumption, timing, and reliability penalties.
There are some ways to reduce this duplication penalty. Considering a combinational logic function, the process of propagating an inverter forward is similar to choosing an implementation phase or polarity of the outputs that eliminates this inverter. This process can be very complex with exponential possibilities. Moreover, some inverters may need to be propagated back and some invertors get trapped and can only be removed by fanin cone duplication alluded to above. Since there are 2n possible phase assignments for implementing n primary outputs, it is difficult to find an ideal output phase assignment to minimize area or other network costs, a matter further complicated by design constraints related to the availability of only some input polarities and the need for particular polarities at specific primary outputs, etc. Arbitrarily choosing phase assignments can result in substantial network costs and synthesis quality.
If the various network costs associated with domino circuits could be reduced, processors and ASICs could be produced that are faster and cheaper. Any use of domino circuits could be improved. What is needed is a way to reduce the network costs associated with domino logic.
One embodiment of the present invention provides a method for reducing a network cost of a domino circuit. The domino circuit is represented as a mixed integer linear program. The mixed integer linear program is solved to determine an implementation that includes determining a final phase assignment that reduces the network cost.
Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Method for reducing network costs and its application to domino circuits


A molded surface fastener has no stagger between the once engaged engaging elements and has high engagement force so as to strongly prevent the release of the engaging elements, whereby, it is possible to smoothly press and joint the molded surface fasteners made of a synthetic resin each other.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a molded surface fastener integrally molded from a thermoplastic synthetic resin. More particularly, the invention relates to a molded surface fastener, which is suitable to a case that engaging elements having substantially same shapes are securely engaged with each other by pressure.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, a molded surface fastener, which is integrally molded on a-plate-like substrate from a synthetic resin material and enables engaging elements having substantially same shapes to be engaged with each other by pressure, has been used, since the engagement operation of the molded surface fastener is easy, the engaging strength of the molded surface fastener is high, so that the molded surface fastener is particularly suitable for engaging an industrial material and an interior decoration or the like.
For example, a molded surface fastener disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2994464 comprises a mushroom engaging element having a rising portion which rises from a surface of a plate-like substrate and decreases a cross sectional area from a base end to an upper end, and an engaging head, which is located on a top end of this rising portion and is expanded around a circumference of this top end in a horizontal direction. In the molded surface fastener having such a shape, the engaging element works together with an engaging element of a mating surface fastener having the same shape at the time of their engagement, so that part of the head deforms elastically and the engaging element is expanded and contracted in a horizontal direction. Consequently, the engaging element is engaged with the engaging element of the mating surface fastener.
Alternatively, for example, a molded surface fastener disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,212,853 is provided with a gate type engaging element comprising a pair of leg portions rising from a surface of a substrate and an engaging head which couples top ends of these leg portions and is expanded in a horizontal direction orthogonal to an arranging direction of these leg portions. According to such a molded surface fastener, upon engaging, part of the head of the engaging element is elastically deformed as working with an engaging element of a mating surface fastener having the same shape to be enlarged and contracted in a horizontal direction, so that the engaging element is engaged with the engaging element of the mating surface fastener. Further, a columnar projection is protruded on a top portion of the engaging head or a position corresponding to the engaging head of the mating surface fastener on a surface of a substrate. The height of the columnar projection is set so that the columnar projection abuts against a surface of the substrate opposing to the each columnar projection or a top portion of an engaging head. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the stagger in a direction orthogonal to an engaging face between the engaged two surface fasteners.
The molded surface fastener disclosed in the Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2994464 provides a mushroom engaging element having the engaging head, which is located on the top end of the rising portion and is expanded around the circumference of this top end in a horizontal direction. Further, one engaging element is capable of being engaged with a plurality of engaging elements of the mating surface fastener in all directions of the engaging head, so that a high engagement ratio is secured. However, since a neck portion between the rising portion and the engaging head of the engaging element is narrow, the engaging heads are pulled to opposite directions each other upon releasing the engaging elements of an engagement state, so that the neck portions thereof are apt to be broken off. As such releasing operations are repeated, the engagement force is lowered and an original function as a surface fastener has been lost for a short period of time.
Further, the molded surface fastener disclosed in the in U.S. Pat. No. 5,212,853 provides the gate-type engaging element expanded only in opposite horizontal two directions orthogonal to the arranging direction of the leg portions of the rising portion. Therefore, upon releasing the engaging elements, the heads are not broken off as the mushroom engaging element, so that the engagement force between the rising portion and the engaging head is secured. However, the engaging head is engaged with the adjacent two engaging elements only in the expanding opposite two directions but it is not engaged with the mating fastener in the arranging direction of the leg portions. Therefore, if the engaged surface fasteners are displaced each other in the arranging direction of the leg portions of the engaging element, the engagement force is lowered, so that the surface fastener is easily peeled off.
This invention has been made to solve the problem mentioned above, and an object of the invention is to provide a molded surface fastener, which has no stagger between the once engaged engaging elements and has high engagement force so as to strongly prevent the release of the engaging elements.
In order to achieve the object, according to the invention, it is provided a molded surface fastener made of a synthetic resin, in which many engaging elements are integrally molded on a surface of a plate-like substrate and which is capable of being engaged with and disengaged from an engaging element of a mating surface fastener having the same shape thereof. Further, it is a character of the molded surface fastener that the engaging element has a rising portion, which rises from a surface of the plate-like substrate and in which a pair of opposite side faces are defined as inclined faces, an engaging head, which is continuously formed on a top end of the rising portion and which is expanded in a horizontal direction at the other opposite side faces except for the inclined faces, and a fitting projection, which is projected from a surface of the plate-like substrate, is positioned between the facing inclined faces of an adjacent pair of engaging elements of a mating surface fastener upon engaging the engaging elements each other and has an inclined face, which is fit with and abuts against at lease one of both inclined faces.
In such a molded surface fastener, the engaging head of the engaging element is expanded in a horizontal direction only at other side faces except for the inclined face of the rising portion. And an expanded side margin is engaged with a side margin of the engaging head of the engaging element of the mating surface fastener at the expanded side margin of the engaging head. By applying such a shape of the engaging element as having the engaging head expanded only at other side faces, it is possible to secure a sufficient engagement force as same as the molded surface fastener disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,212,853.
Alternatively, the molded surface fastener has a fitting projection, which is located between the facing inclined faces of an adjacent pair of engaging elements of the mating surface fastener upon engaging the engaging elements each other and has inclined faces which fit with and abuts against at lease one of both inclined faces of the engaging elements, so that it is possible to effectively prevent the displacement of the engaged surface fasteners in a horizontal direction and the engagement state is certainly maintained. Meanwhile, according to the invention, the fitting and abutting means a case such that the inclined face of the engaging element and the inclined face of the fitting projection are contacted each other and a case such that these inclined faces abut each other with a narrow gap.
Further, according to the molded surface fastener, it is preferable that the fitting projection is located in a position so as to be fit with and abut against both for facing inclined faces of an adjacent pair of engaging elements of the mating surface fastener. Thus, if the fitting projection is fit with and abuts against the both of facing inclined faces of an adjacent pair of engaging elements of the other surface fastener, the displacement between the engaged surface fasteners in a horizontal direction is perfectly prevented.
Further, a pair of the opposite inclined faces of one engaging element are inclined so as to come close each other gradually from a base end to a front end. Thus, if a cross sectional area of the rising portion is progressively increased from the front end to the base end as a joint portion with a surface of a substrate, the strength of the rising portion is increased. Additionally, even in the case that a side face of the engaging head at the expanding side is formed in vertical with respect to a surface of the substrate, because of the existence of the adjacent fitting projection, the surface fasteners are supported by the fitting projection even if they are bent to the vertical face upon pressing the fasteners, so that bending and falling down of the rising portion is restrained and it is possible to secure a required engagement ratio.
Alternatively, a pair of the opposite inclined faces of one engaging element are inclined so as to be substantially in parallel with each other from a base end to a front end. In such an engaging element, particularly, it is preferable that adjacent two engaging elements are shaped in a substantially V with the base ends of their rising portions jointed.
Thus, if the adjacent two engaging elements are jointed at their base ends of the rising portions and part of the rising portion is shared, it is possible to increase the strength of the rising portion. Alternatively, the adjacent two engaging elements are shaped in a substantially V and the engaging heads thereof are bent to the opposite direction so as to be apart each other by the pressure of the surface fasteners upon their engagement, so that it becomes easy to insert the fitting projection between the both engaging elements.
Meanwhile, it is preferable that a shape of the fitting projection is substantially identical with a shape of a space defined between the facing inclined faces of the adjacent pair of engaging elements of the mating surface fastener. For example, it is considered that the fitting projection has a cross section entirely shaped in a substantially trapezoid, or the fitting projection has a cross section entirely shaped in a substantially triangle.
Further, the integrally molded surface fastener has a constitution such that the fitting projection elastically contacts the engaging element firmly. Thus, by elastically contacting the fitting projection and the inclined face of the engaging element, the fitting projection is strongly fit between the engage elements, so that it becomes possible to more effectively prevent the displacement between the engaged two surface fasteners.
As a constitution in order to elastically contact the fitting projection and the inclined face of the engaging element, for example, a constitution such that the fitting projection or the engaging element is manufactured in a hollow shape and in a gate shape and a constitution such that the fitting projection is formed with a pair of elastic projections disposed at a specific distance in the arranging direction of the inclined face are considered.
Further, the projection height of the fitting projection is not more than the height of the engaging element. If the height of a projection in the fitting projection is higher than the height of the engaging element, a gap is generated between a top portion of the engaging element and a surface of the substrate of the mating surface fastener. This state is not desirable. In this case, in order to prevent the stagger in a direction orthogonal to an engagement face, it is further preferable that the height of the projection in the fitting projection is the same as the height of the engaging element.
Furthermore, the fitting projection is formed in the middle of the adjacent two engaging elements. For example, in the case that the inclined faces of the engaging element are arranged in a molding direction, the fitting projection is formed in the middle of the two engaging elements adjacent in a width direction of the resurface fastener. In this case, one engaging element is located between four engaging elements of the mating surface fastener, which are adjacent in a back/forth direction and a right/left direction, and engaged with the four engaging elements.
Alternatively, the fitting projection is formed in the middle of four engaging elements adjacent in a back/forth direction and a right/left direction. In this case, one engaging element is located between two engaging elements adjacent in a width direction of the mating surface fastener and is engaged with an expanded side margins of two engaging elements of the mating surface fastener at the expanded two side margins of the engaging head of this engaging element.

Integrally molded surface fastener made of synthetic resin

Abstract: A molded surface fastener made of a synthetic resin has an engaging element and a fitting projection on a surface of a plate-like substrate. The engaging element has a rising portion, which rises from a surface of the plate-like substrate and has an opposite pair of inclined faces, and an engaging head which is continuously formed on a top end of the rising portion and which is expanded at sides of opposite vertical faces in a horizontal direction except for the inclined faces. The fitting projection is positioned between the facing inclined faces of an adjacent pair of engaging elements of a mating surface fastener upon engagement of the engaging elements each other and has inclined faces, which are fit with and abut against both inclined faces, so that it is possible to prevent the stagger upon engagement.


An image forming apparatus includes a housing having a plurality of frames. At least one of the plurality of frames is a box-shaped frame with bent portions. The box-shaped frame has a first surface and a second surface overlapping the first surface, where the first surface has an insertion portion and the second surface has a receiving portion into which the insertion portion is configured to be inserted. The first surface and the second surface are connected to each other by insertion of the insertion portion in the receiving portion.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus and a sheet transfer apparatus connected to the image forming apparatus.
Description of the Related Art
Frames making up a housing of an image forming apparatus are formed of sheet metal in some cases. In such cases, some frames may be formed into a box-shaped frame, and overlapping portions of the box-shaped frame may be fixed with a screw or by welding so as to form the housing. In a technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-135956, a hole is provided in at least one of two overlapping sheet metal pieces, and the edge of the hole is welded to connect the two overlapping sheet metal pieces, and thus a box-shaped frame is formed.
However, in an image forming apparatus including a box-shaped frame having a corner fastened with a screw, loosening of the fastening connection may occur due to vibrations caused during transportation or by an accidental fall, for example. In addition, fixing of the frames by welding requires an additional equipment for welding.

Image forming apparatus having insertion portion and receiving portion to connect frames, and sheet transfer apparatus thereof


A power transfer unit for transferring power from a front wheel side to a rear wheel side comprises: a hollow transfer input shaft which is coupled to an engine and through which a right-side front-wheel axle is penetrated; a transfer output shaft disposed to extend in a direction orthogonal to the transfer input shaft; a transfer drive gear provided on an outer periphery of the transfer input shaft; and a transfer driven gear provided on an outer periphery of the transfer output shaft and meshed with the transfer drive gear. It further comprises a damper mechanism configured to absorb a fluctuation in torque input from an engine side into the transfer input shaft. The damper mechanism is disposed such that an intermediate portion and a left end-side portion thereof overlap the transfer driven gear in an extension direction of the transfer output shaft, in top plan view.

A four-wheel-drive vehicle is equipped with a power transfer unit for transferring power from a front wheel side to a rear wheel side, or from the rear wheel side to the front wheel side. For example, in the case where an engine is mounted on a front portion of a vehicle body, an output torque of an engine is input into a front-wheel differential gear unit (front differential) via a clutch or torque converter, and a transmission. The torque input into the front differential is transferred to right and left front wheels, respectively, through right and left front-wheel axles, and is input into a power transfer unit through a differential casing of the front differential.
The power transfer unit (transfer) comprises a transfer input shaft disposed to extend in a vehicle width (lateral) direction and a transfer output shaft disposed to extend in a vehicle front-rear (longitudinal) direction. A transfer drive gear is provided on an outer periphery of the transfer input shaft, and a transfer driven gear is provided on an outer periphery of the transfer output shaft, wherein the two gears are meshed with each other. The transfer input shaft is a hollow shaft, wherein one of the front-wheel axles is penetrated through the transfer input shaft, and the differential casing is coupled to the transfer input shaft to allow torque from an engine side to be input into the transfer input shaft. The torque input into the transfer input shaft is transferred to the transfer output shaft via the transfer drive gear and the transfer driven gear, and then taken out toward the rear wheel side through a propeller shaft coupled to the transfer output shaft.
Such a power transfer unit involves a problem that, upon a fluctuation in the output torque of the engine, gear rattle occurs between the transfer drive gear and the transfer driven gear, thereby causing noise. With a view to coping with this problem, the following Patent Literature 1 describes interposing a damper mechanism comprising a metal compression coil spring and a rubber member, in a power transfer pathway between a rotary member configured to receive an input of torque from the engine side, and the transfer drive gear. It also describes that a fluctuation in torque from the engine side is absorbed by the coil spring, and a fluctuation in torque from the rear wheel side is absorbed by the rubber member, whereby, in either event, the occurrence of gear rattle between the transfer drive gear and the transfer driven gear can be suppressed.

Motive force transmission device and production method therefor


A structure and a method for housing equipment pieces in space vehicles in which the pieces of equipment are suspended to the inside of a sealable container, said container (1) is then closed and filled by a light-weight loose material and a nonfreezing thermally conducting liquid under pressure.

The inside of telecommunication satellites and similar space vehicles is susbstantially occupied, besides fuel tanks, by a variety of electronic boxes, i.e. enclosed and sealed cases housing electronic devices and circuits, that are to be secured to the satellite frame and electrically connected to each other and to external devices. Such electronic boxes, collectively known as payload, include for example batteries, signal transponders, data handling equipment, converters and so on.
Within the spacecraft structure each box has a fixed location determined by a number of constraints, such as size, thermal dissipation, center of gravity, rigidity, EMC immunity. The boxes are linked to one another by a variety of electric wiring or harness.
Presently known arrangements for housing and securing such electronic boxes to the inside of a satellite or similar vehicle have the drawback of subjecting the equipment to amplification load coming from dynamic coupling environment. More particularly, a dynamic coupling is said to exist when a source of force (or acceleration) applies to the satellite a given force or acceleration (input force), and the equipment is subjected to a force or acceleration (output force) that is larger than that of the source. A relatively high level of force (or acceleration) applied to the payload requires the use of special and complex structures for mounting the payload that increases the overall mass of the satellite.

Structure and a method for housing equipment pieces in space vehicles such as telecommunication satellites


An air intake chamber is disposed at a location downstream of a supercharger and upstream of a throttle body. The air intake chamber serves to accumulate an intake air pressurized by the supercharger. This air intake chamber includes a confronting portion, which has an outlet and overlaps the throttle body, and a connecting portion that connects between the confronting portion and a discharge port of the supercharger. The connecting portion has an outlet side opening set to be larger than an inlet side opening thereof.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an air intake chamber in a saddle-riding type vehicle, in which an intake air having been pressurized by a supercharger is accumulated.
Description of Related Art
Hitherto in a saddle-riding type vehicle equipped with a supercharger, a surge tank or air intake chamber is disposed on an upstream side of a throttle body so that air pressurized by the supercharger can be introduced into the surge tank prior to a distributed supply of such pressurized air from the surge tank into a cylinder through the throttle body. A discharge port of the supercharger and an inlet port of the surge tank are fluidly connected with a tubular connecting pipe. In this respect, see the patent document 1 listed below.


A method of treating a subterranean formation may include preparing a mortar slurry, injecting the mortar slurry into the subterranean formation at a pressure sufficient to create a fracture in the subterranean formation, and allowing the mortar slurry to set, forming a mortar in the fracture. The mortar slurry may be designed to form a pervious mortar, to crack under fracture closure pressure, or both.

One method of treating a subterranean formation is fracturing. Fracturing is a process of initiating and subsequently propagating a crack or fracture in a rock layer. Fracturing enables the production of hydrocarbons from rock formations deep below the earth's surface (e.g., from 2,000 to 20,000 feet). At such depth, the formation may lack sufficient porosity and permeability (conductivity) to allow hydrocarbons to flow from the rock into a wellbore at economic rates. Manmade fractures start at a predetermined depth in a wellbore drilled into the reservoir rock formation and extend outward into a targeted area of the formation. Fracturing works by providing a conductive path connecting a larger area of the reservoir to the wellbore, thereby increasing the area from which hydrocarbons can be recovered from the targeted formation. Many fractures are created by hydraulic fracturing, or injecting fluid under pressure into the wellbore. A proppant introduced into the injected fluid may maintain the fracture width. Common proppants include grains of sand, ceramic or other particulates, to prevent the fractures from closing when the injection ceases. Some proppant materials are expensive and may be unsuitable for maintaining initial conductivity. The transport of the proppant materials can be costly, and ineffective. For example, proppant can have a tendency to settle in slick water jobs having short fracture lengths. Additionally, Slick water fracturing jobs demands the use of vast amounts of water and hydraulic horsepower. Gel jobs have also difficulties associated with proper clean up due to residue that contaminates the reservoir, impairing production, and the inability to stay functional (high viscosity) for long periods of time (5 to 24 hours) in formations that are tight and have long fracture closure times.
A method for providing permeability in fractures is described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,044,224. The method involves injecting a permeable cement composition, including a degradable material, into a subterranean formation. The degradation of the degradable material forms voids in a resulting proppant matrix. A problem of the method is that the degradation of the degradable material is difficult to manage. If the degradable material is not mixed uniformly into the cement composition, permeability may be limited. Furthermore, when degradation occurs too quickly, the cement composition fills the voids prior to forming a matrix resulting in decreased permeability. When degradation occurs too slowly, the voids lack connectivity to one another, also resulting in decreased permeability. In order for degradation to occur at the proper time, various conditions (such as pH, temperature, pressure, etc.) must be managed carefully, adding complexity and thus time and cost to the process. Another problem of the method is that the degradable material can be expensive and difficult to transport. Yet another problem of the method is that, even when large amounts of degradable material are used, permeability is only marginally enhanced. Furthermore, the addition of degradable material can have negative impact on flowability.

Method of treating a subterranean formation with a mortar slurry designed to form a permearle mortar


A device or structure for fitting on the bottom of an equine leg cast to protect the cast from abrasion and wear, to aid in keeping the cast clean and, in one aspect, to provide a shaped molded rocker bottom that allows the leg cast hoof to rock forward or back, allowing the equine to find a naturally comfortable position. A method of applying the device to an equine leg cast. The device or structure consist, in general, of a solid member having a top face and a bottom face and having malleable straps attached to the solid member and extending from at least two sides of the solid member, which straps are made of material and sized to be capable of being bent or folded upward in a plane perpendicular to the top face of the solid member to attach to an equine leg cast.

Equine leg casts are used for a variety of problems such as certain bone fractures, tendon and ligament injuries, wounds, and abnormal growth and development. Increasingly, veterinarians are also casting the hoofs of laminitic horses to stabilize the hoof in order to prevent further injury. Casts are often useful as first aid tools, for immobilization of limbs, to overcome tension which helps keep skin from pulling apart at wound sites, as rigid support to allow a horse to stand and use a limb during convalescence, and for protection and reduced concussion to a limb. Casts also provide external support and reinforcement for internal fixation devices such as plates or screws used in fracture repair.
One of the more serious difficulties with a typical cast is the lack of protection on the bottom of the cast so that the fiberglass or other cast material is abraded during use and the bottom becomes soiled and otherwise damaged. Another problem is that often the casting procedure fixes the leg in an awkward position. For example, when casting horses that are lying down, the hoof may inadvertently be set in a position that is unnatural for the equine. When casting, the leg is unloaded and non-weight-bearing so there is no tension on ligaments and tendons.
It is currently customary for some practitioners to use a non-ergonomically shaped wad of casting material at the base of the cast to provide a "rocker" effect. But in so doing there is no consistency and no repeatability from cast to cast. It is important to establish better standards of care so that more practitioners can perform the same procedure without need of an expensive specialist.
The present invention provides a high degree of consistency so that the level of care provided to the equine can be made without the services of an expensive podiatrist or specialist or outsourcing the patient to a referral clinic. The cast attachment of this invention is cost effective and provides consistency and repeatability. The equine leg cast attachment rocker helps to protect and stabilize the leg cast and provides more secure and natural footing for equines with a leg cast. The rocker bottom on the equine attachment allows the equine to find a comfortable position by allowing rotation or enabling a reduction of torque on the hoof.


An adaptive controller is provided for controlling the transition, in an injection molding apparatus, from the injection stage to the packing stage. The controller operates by controlling the velocity of the ram during the injection stage, and controlling the ram pressure during the packing stage. The controller anticipates the transition from the injection stage to the packing stage by monitoring the ratio of pressure to velocity. The divergence of this ratio forecasts the onset of the packing stage. At this time, a pressure relief valve is preset in anticipation of the packing stage, to prevent a pressure spike during the transition period. The flow control valve is held constant during the transition.

1. Field of the Art
The present invention relates to injection molding apparatus controllers, and more particularly, to a controller for controlling the transition between the injection stage and the packing stage of an injection molding apparatus.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
As is well known, injection molding apparatus operate to form a solid, plastic object by injecting molten plastic into a mold cavity, the mold cavity defining the shape of the solid object. The process of creating an injection molded object is broadly defined in four process stages. The first stage is the plastication stage, in which granulated plastic material is introduced and melted within a cylinder. The second stage is the injection stage, in which the molten plastic material is forced from the cylinder into an injection mold that is in fluid communication within the cylinder. Next is the packing stage which begins once the injection mold has filled with molten plastic. During this stage, additional molten plastic is forced into the mold to accommodate shrinkage as the plastic cools in the mold cavity. Finally, the last stage is the holding stage. In this stage, the plastic is maintained at a substantially constant pressure as the plastic solidifies to control plastic properties, such as density and resilience.
To more particularly describe the injection and packing stages of this process, during the injection stage a ram is disposed within the cylinder and is controlled to move within the cylinder to force the molten plastic out of the cylinder and into a mold cavity. The velocity of the ram is closely controlled to control the flow rate of the molten plastic into the mold cavity. Because plastic is flowed to sequentially fill spaces within the mold cavity, the velocity of the ram is preferably controlled in accordance with the interior cavity space being filled. Filling small areas too quickly can result in burning of the plastic, while filling the spaces too slowly may result in voids. It is appreciated that either of these outcomes may result in products that are undesirable and possibly unusable.
When, however, the mold fills and the apparatus enters the packing stage, the velocity of the ram falls to substantially zero. At this time, the process control is switched to pressure control, whereby a substantially constant pressure (of a predetermined value) is maintained on the injection ram. Just as it is important to closely control the ram velocity during the injection stage, it is equally important to control the ram pressure (and therefore the pressure applied to the plastic) during the packing stage. Pressurization during this stage affects the composition of the solidified plastic object, and over or under pressurizing the plastic may result in an undesireable or unusable part.
Numerous types of position sensors are known for detecting the position of the ram during the injection stage. By evaluating the change in ram position over time, the ram velocity may be ascertained. Similarly, pressure sensors are typically located in either or both the mold cavity and the injection cylinder (housing the ram), and these pressure sensors may be utilized to monitor the plastic pressurization during the packing stage.
In the prior art of which applicants are aware, the transition from the injection stage to the packing stage is determined either by monitoring the ram position or the pressure sensors. When the ram position crosses a threshold, it is assumed that the mold is full and pressure control for the packing stage should commence. Likewise, if the pressure detected by the pressure sensors exceeds a given threshold, it is assumed that packing stage control should begin.
The problem with both of these approaches is that an undesireable pressure spike usually occurs at the injection-to-packing stage transition. That is, by the time that the appropriate conditions are sensed and packing stage control is assumed, the plastic has become unduly pressurized. As previously mentioned, such overpressurization can result in undesireable and unusable parts.
Extreme pressure spikes may be somewhat mitigated by altering the predetermined sensing or trigger points. Alternatively, when monitoring pressure sensors, lowering the pressure threshold helps moderate the problem. Often, however, if the pressure overshoot is curtailed it is found that the overall system performance or efficiency has been compromised. It is, therefore, desireable to improve the controller performance in an injection molding apparatus, as the injection molding process transitions between the injection and packing stages.

Adaptive controller for injection molding


A lockout strip for an electrical switch of the type having a housing, an opening in the front face of the housing, an operating lever with lugs at its outer end extending out of the opening in the housing and stop surfaces at opposite ends of the opening in the housing. The stop surfaces define the "on" and "off" conditions of the switch. The lockout strip is formed of a thin, rectilinear piece of relatively stiff material, preferably plastic. An irregular shaped cutout is formed in the strip. The cutout has a central, rectangular portion of sufficient width to fit over the lever and its laterally extending lugs so as to allow the strip to be positioned against the front face of the switch housing. The cutout also has a narrow portion located longitudinally adjacent the central portion with sufficient width to receive the operating lever but not sufficiently wide to clear its lugs. This narrower cutout is inside lateral shoulders which fit under and engage the lugs of the lever. A projecting stop is formed on the bottom face of the strip so as to fit into the housing opening and engage a stop surface when the narrower cutout contacts the operating lever to thereby hold the lever in its "off" position to prevent the strip from being lifted off or slide out from beneath the lugs.

For years, it has been customary in industry and commerce to use lockouts to disable power sources for machinery and equipment when the machinery and equipment is being worked on either for maintenance or repair. In recent years, this standard procedure has become mandatory for businesses in the United States which are subject to the regulations of the Occupation Safety and Health Administration of the United States Department of Labor. In the past, lockout devices have customarily been locks, either keyed or combination, but their use has been by necessity limited to energy devices having handles and hasps to which the locks could be applied. In order to disable other types of power sources such as electrical switches that did not have operating handles or could not be readily adapted to receive hasps, it was necessary to install the switches in enclosures and provide mechanisms to lock out the entire enclosure even if only one switch had to be disabled. However, when an entire enclosure is locked out to protect only one switch, other workers cannot disable or actuate other switches for circuits in the same enclosure until the person who locked out the first switch unlocks the enclosure by removing his lockout device.
As part of its safety regulations, OSHA requires employers to establish safety procedures for deenergizing and reactivating equipment and machinery and to monitor and document compliance with these established regulations.
Accordingly, this invention is directed to a lockout device which may be used with individual switches of the type that do not accept locks, such as circuit breaker switches and enables an employer to completely monitor and document the deenergization and reactivation of such switches.
Another object of this invention is a lockout device which may be used with an individual switch of the circuit breaker type and when used does not affect or interfere with the operation of other switches in the same bank or enclosure.
Another object of this invention is a strip type lockout device which is adaptable to switches that do not have hasps or operating handles.
Another object of this invention is a one use, snap-in lockout device that must be cut away to be removed.
Another object of this invention is a strip type lockout device that can be removed only by rendering the device inoperative.
Another object of this invention is a strip type lockout device that can be snapped into place by the installer but must be cut apart to be removed.
Another object of this invention is a strip type lockout device that carries indicia which enables an employer to fully monitor and document the installation and removal of the lockout device in accordance with its established safety procedures and to thereby identify any employee who may violate safety procedures.
Other objects of the invention may be found in the following specification, claims and drawings.


A method for performing autonomous operation of a vehicle is provided. The method identifies, by at least one processor, an error condition of an electric power steering (EPS) device onboard the vehicle; obtains, by the at least one processor, input trajectory data for the autonomous operation of the vehicle; calculates, by the at least one processor, a feedforward rear steer angle, based on the input trajectory data; calculates, by the at least one processor, a feedback signal of the feedforward rear steer angle; calculates, by the at least one processor, a final steer angle command, using the feedforward rear steer angle and the feedback signal; and operates a steering mechanism of the vehicle using the final steer angle command, to autonomously maneuver the vehicle according to the final steer angle command.

An autonomous vehicle is a vehicle that is capable of sensing its environment and navigating with little or no user input. During an electric power steering failure, an autonomous vehicle will need to be controlled using a secondary steer mechanism. Due to the transient nature of the problem, the autonomous vehicle may need to be controlled at a higher lateral acceleration and/or through a rapidly changing longitudinal speed. In addition, the front steer may be moving due to a driver co-opting steer control, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) not holding the front steer, high road load, or the like. A robust controller with the capability to adjust for such dynamic variability may be required, to accommodate such circumstances.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide techniques for improved control of steering for autonomous vehicles. In addition, it is desirable to provide methods, systems, and vehicles incorporating such techniques. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background.

Methods and apparatus for robust trajectory control of an autonomous vehicle


A miniature current transformer is equipped with a primary winding insert formed as a stamped metal piece with elongate legs and a flange portion disposed at 90 degrees to the legs. The top of the flange is unobstructed by other structural details, and is wide enough to be gripped by vacuum pick-and-place equipment. At the same time the insert is electrically functional as the transformer's primary winding. The flange rests on surfaces formed in the transformer bobbin. The insert legs are mounted through passages n the bobbin leading out to the bobbin's bottom side. The legs are formed into gull-wing ends that have a dual role as lock tabs to secure the insert on the bobbin, and as the primary leads.

Typically, a miniature current transformer consists of a bobbin for mounting the primary and secondary windings, the windings themselves, and standard core inserts. Frequently, the primary winding has many fewer turns than the secondary winding and must handle substantially more current. The primary usually is made of a heavier gage wire.
This construction typically results in a bobbin with an irregular, as opposed to a substantially flat, winding surface. A large proportion of the assembly equipment which automates the manufacture of printed circuit board ("PCB") assemblies rely on vacuum picked heads to acquire and place the PCB components. However, the vacuum heads do not function well in picking up irregular surfaces.
In the prior art, adapting miniature transformer structures to vacuum pickup has involved adding flat, electrically non-functional pickup surfaces to the transformer structure. These additions, however, have increased the material costs and have complicated the soldering steps.

Surface mount current transformer structure


A semiconductor storage circuit has a plurality of storage elements which are provided with storage capacitors and which are grouped in rows and columns and integrated on a doped semiconductor body. The storage elements which form a row are provided with a common first drive line and the storage elements which form a column are provided with a second common drive line. The first drive lines are formed from strip-like electrically conductive layers which are separated by an insulating layer from the surface of the semiconductor body and the second drive lines consist of buried lines which extend within the semiconductor body and are oppositely doped with respect to the body. The insulating layer is designed to be thinner within the intersection zones of the drive lines so that in these zones insulating layer capacitors are formed which possess outer electrodes composed of parts of the first drive lines and which represent storage capacitors of the storage elements. The widths of the buried lines which represent the second drive lines are designed to be less than the dimensions, oriented transversely to these strips, of the outer electrodes, and between the buried lines which represent the second drive lines further buried lines are arranged which can be connected by way of terminals to a voltage source.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor storage circuit of the type in which a plurality of storage elements are provided with storage capacitors and are grouped in rows and columns and integrated on a doped semiconductor body, wherein the storage elements which, in each case, form a row are provided with a common first drive line, the storage elements which, in each case, form a column are provided with a common second drive line, the first drive lines are formed from strip-like electrically conductive layers which are separated by an insulating layer from the surface of the semiconductor body, the second drive lines consist of buried lines which extend inside the semiconductor body and are oppositely doped with respect to the semiconductor body, the insulating layer is designed to be thinner inside the intersection zones of the drive lines than outside thereof, and that in these zones insulating capacitors are formed which possess outer electrodes composed of parts of the first drive lines and which represent storage capacitors of the storage elements. More particularly, the width of the buried lines which represent the second drive lines is designed to be less than the dimensions, oriented transversely to these strips, of the aforementioned other electrodes, and that between the buried lines which represent the second drive lines further buried lines are arranged which can be connected by way of terminals to a voltage source.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A storage circuit of the type generally mentioned above is described in detail in the IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits, Vol. SC-12, No. 5, October 1977, pp. 534-536. In this storage circuit, the first drive lines are referred to as word lines, the second drive lines are referred to as buried collectors or bit lines, and the insulating layer capacitors are referred to as metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) capacitors. The German patent application No. P 27,43948.1 also describes a storage circuit of this type in detail.
When a recorded item of binary information is read from one of the storage elements, the two drive lines assigned to the element are connected to voltages which are such that the minority charge carriers stored in the insulating layer capacitor are injected into the semiconductor body and collected by the second drive line or buried collector. Here, a change occurs in the state of charge of the space charge capacitance of the second drive line which, for this purpose, is released from external potentials, i.e. occupies a "floating" state. While leaving other conditions unchanged, the change in charge leads to a read-out signal on the second drive line which is the greater in magnitude the smaller the quotient of the aforementioned space charge capacitance and the capacitance of the insulating layer capacitor.


A semiconductor device including a power transistor is prevented from being broken. A cathode of a temperature sensing diode and a source of a power MOSFET are electrically coupled to each other so as to have the same potential. Such a characteristic point allows the temperature sensing diode to be disposed in a power MOSFET formation region without considering withstand voltage. This means that there is no need to provide an isolating structure that maintains a withstand voltage between the power MOSFET and the temperature sensing diode. Consequently, the power MOSFET and the temperature sensing diode can be closely disposed.

The present invention relates to a semiconductor device, specifically a technique that is effectively applied to a semiconductor device including a temperature sensing diode.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2006-302977 describes a configuration where a cathode of a temperature sensing diode is electrically coupled to an emitter of an insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) via a constant current source.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. Hei 8 (1996)-213441 describes a technique where a temperature-sensed element and a temperature sensing diode are provided in the same semiconductor chip while the temperature sensing diode is disposed in the vicinity of the temperature-sensed element.


In a packet transmission method of forming m error correction code packets from n (n>m) data packets including headers, and transmitting the error correction code packets, an n-bit data code portion is formed by reading out pieces of bit information, of the data packets excluding headers, which are located at the same bit position, and sequentially arranging the pieces of bit information. An m-bit error correction code portion is formed by coding information of the data code portion and forming an error correction frame constituted by the data code portion and the error correction code portion. Each bit information of the error correction code portion is assigned as bit information of a corresponding error correction code packet at the same bit position as the bit position of each data packet, from which the bit information is read out. Formation of the data code portion and the error correction frame is repeatedly performed with respect to all bits excluding the headers of the data packets, thereby forming m error correction code packets, each consisting of the same number of bits as that of each data packet. The formed error correction code packets are transmitted, together with the data packets. A packet transmission apparatus is also disclosed.

The present invention relates to a packet transmission method and apparatus which can cope with a data transmission packet loss or error.
In an error correction scheme for a conventional fixed-length packet switching system, error correction codes are added in units of packets at most. In many cases, error correction codes are not added to all the data of one packet, but an error correction code is added to a header portion which is an important portion of a packet. In many cases, data are processed in units of packets.
In the error correction scheme for this conventional fixed-length packet switching system, error correction codes are added to data in units of packets. Therefore, this scheme exhibits a correction ability with respect to bit errors in one packet but no effect on a packet loss. Especially in a fixed-length packet switching network such as an ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode) switching network, in which no error re-transmission processing is performed, a packet may be lost. For this reason, a communication device demanding high reliability in terms of transmission quality cannot be connected to such a network.
In a data memory monitoring scheme disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2-159651, parity checks are performed in the vertical and horizontal directions of a plurality of data, thereby facilitating error detection processing. In such a monitoring scheme, a data loss can be detected at most, but no measures can be taken upon detection of a data loss.

Packet transmission method and apparatus


A medical needle unit has a front end with a tip and a rear end and insertable with a tip in as well as withdrawal from the body of a patient, a protective element for preventing accidental puncture by the tip of the needle after the withdrawal of the needle from the body, the protective element including a hood movable between an exposing position in which the tip of the needle is exposed and an enclosed position in which the tip of the needle is enclosed, a spring connecting with the hood so that when the spring is compressed the hood is in the exposed position and when the spring is relaxed the hood is in the enclosed position, and a retaining element which retain the spring in the compressed position and therefore the hood in the exposing position before an injection by the needle and is releasable during the injection so as to relax the spring and to move the hood to the enclosing position.

The present invention relates to medical needle units.
Medical needle units are widely known and used for injection and withdrawal of blood or other tissue fluids. After the withdrawal of blood or other tissue fluids, the needle of the needle unit is withdrawn from a muscle, vein, artery or another body area and a tip of the needle is exposed. The needle may contaminated with microorganisms, and it is possible that a technician, nurse or physician can be accidentally punctured by the exposed needle tip. In the event of contamination of the needle with viruses, etc. it can lead to very serious or even grave consequences. It is to be understood that it is desirable or at least decrease the tendency of the operator to be accidentally struck by an exposed needle tip.
Several solutions have been proposed to avoid the accidental puncture. One of such solutions includes for example a cylindrical hood which is movably attached to the needle which moves first to an exposing position in which the tip of the needle is exposed before the injection and back to enclosing position in which the cylindrical hood encloses the tip of the needle after the injection. Another solution is a hood which moves along the syringe and is also displaced to cover the needle. It is believed that the existing solutions are quite complicated, not self-operating, need additional procedures. It is therefore desirable to develop further protective elements for medical needle units which are simpler, less expensive, reliable and self-operation.


A method for producing high-efficiency methanol capable of reducing emission of carbon dioxide. The method includes: a first step of preparing mixed gas by using steam and natural gas as raw materials and converting C2+ hydrocarbon contained in the natural gas into methane on a catalyst; a second step of preparing a synthesis gas including carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen by reforming the mixed gas in a reformer filled with a reforming catalyst; and a third step of preparing methanol by using the synthesis gas as the raw material and reacting the synthesis gas.

Since the Kyoto Protocol on the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions has entered into force globally since 2005 due to the seriousness of global warming, there have been various studies on the efficient utilization of carbon dioxide, as well as the development of technologies to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
As a technology to utilize carbon dioxide, a method has been studied, in which synthesis gas is produced by performing steam and carbon dioxide reforming of natural gas (SCR) and useful chemical raw materials (e.g., methanol, dimethyl ether, etc.,) are produced by using the synthesis gas as a raw material.3CH4+2H2O+CO2→8H2+4CO ΔH=712 KJ/mol  SCR:CO+2H2→CH3OH ΔH=−90 KJ/mol  Methanol synthesis:CO2+3H2→CH3OH+H2O ΔH=−49.6 kJ/mol
U.S. Pat. No. 6,100,303 discloses a method for achieving reduced construction cost of a process and improved energy efficiency by using combustion type and heat exchanger type reformers which are two different types of reformers in a steam reforming process of natural gas and using some (purge gas) of unreacted gas as a raw material for reforming/methanol synthesis units and also as the fuel gas of the reformer, as a method for improving energy efficiency and CO2 utilization.
Further, U.S. Pat. No. 6,218,439 discloses a process for minimizing an emission amount of CO2 by re-inputting CO2 formed during steam reforming process into the reformer or methanol synthesis reactor after separation process as a utilization scheme of CO2 generated during the reaction.
However, a natural gas reforming method and a recycling method, which are presented in the above patents, are different from the methods used in the present invention. In particular, a layout of a heat exchanger used in the present invention is never disclosed.

Method for producing high-efficiency methanol capable of reducing emission of carbon dioxide

KOREA RESEARCH INSTITUTE OF CHEMICAL TECHNOLOGY


A reclosable pouch includes a body portion having first and second opposing sidewalls and a first web having a first portion attached to the first sidewall and a first unattached portion. The first web is disposed on an internal side of the first sidewall. The reclosable pouch further includes a second web having a second portion attached to the second sidewall and a second unattached portion. The second web is disposed on an internal side of the second sidewall. Additionally, the reclosable pouch includes a first closure mechanism having first and second closure profiles with the first closure profile disposed on the first web at the first attached portion and the second closure profile disposed on the second web at the second attached portion. Furthermore, the reclosable pouch includes a second closure mechanism having third and fourth closure profiles with the third closure profile disposed on the first web at the first unattached portion and the fourth closure profile disposed on the second web at the second unattached portion.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to reclosable pouches, and more particularly, to reclosable pouches having closures that include two closure mechanisms.
2. Description of the Background
Reclosable pouches that have two closure mechanisms, each including opposing interlocking closure elements, are known. In one instance, a closure for a reclosable thermoplastic pouch includes first and second profile strips. One profile strip has two elongate male interlocking profiles extending from one side of a backing member. The other profile strip has two elongate female interlocking profiles extending from one side of another backing member. The entire backing member of each profile strip is laminated to a respective first or second pouch wall.
In another instance, a similar set of profile strips also includes a center post extending from the backing member between the male interlocking profiles and a bumper ridge disposed on opposite ends of each backing member. The bumper ridges and the center post allow the profile strips to be sealed to thermoplastic film across the widths of their respective backing members without crushing or distorting the interlocking members.

Reclosable pouch and zipper for a reclosable pouch


A method for creating dynamic safe zones comprises determining, by a tracking device, the tracking device is outside a domicile, monitoring, by the tracking device, a location of the tracking device, in response to the location satisfying a condition, creating a safe zone for the tracking device, and while the tracking device is within the safe zone, reducing power consumption of the tracking device, wherein the method is performed using one or more computing devices.

The Global Positioning System ("GPS") includes a network of GPS satellites that orbit the Earth at an altitude of approximately 20,000 km. Typically, each GPS satellite broadcasts radio signals at regular intervals that a GPS receiver can receive and process to determine its location. As currently implemented, any GPS receiver on the Earth's surface should be in range of least four GPS satellites at any given time. Transmitted GPS radio signals include precise information about the satellite's position and time of transmission. Based on the received signals, a GPS receiver determines its location by calculating the distance from each of the satellites by calculating the amount of time that each respective signal took to arrive at the receiver.
Many wearable technologies incorporate GPS to allow for location-based functionalities. With advances in computing power and miniaturizing of electronic devices, wearable technology promises to interweave into everyday life. Although the possibilities are many, wearable technology can take the form of wearable computers, item location trackers, activity trackers, health monitors, and so-called smartwatches to name a few.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Safe zone creation to reduce power consumption in an electronic digital tracking device


A biofeedback game in which a target player sits on a "hot seat" where he is assailed by provocative questions or statements put to him by an inquisitor player, calculated to induce stress by embarrassing or otherwise upsetting the target player and thereby causing him "to lose his cool." The target player is coupled by means of a temperature sensor attached to one of his fingertips to a biofeedback unit whose indicator at the start of play is set to a base level representing the target player's initial state of stress. Should the target player who views the indicator while his fingertip temperature is being monitored and is therefore within the feedback loop, fail to control his reaction to a provocative question or statement, the resultant indication will deviate from the base level to a degree reflecting his loss of cool. The provocative question put to the target player must fall within a subject matter category, such as Sex, Education, or Hygiene, appearing on a category card drawn by the inquisitor player from a deck of such cards. The outcome of the game depends on the skill of the inquisitor player to frame provocative questions that lie within the selected category, as offset by the ability of the target player, by way of biofeedback regulation, to maintain his cool under pressure.

1. Field of Invention
This invention relates generally to biofeedback systems which act to monitor an involuntary physiological function of an individual and indicate the individual's state of stress, making it possible for the individual to exercise control over the function being monitored, and more particularly to a cool-under-pressure biofeedback game in which an individual who sits on a "hot seat" and assumes the role of the target player is assailed by provocative questions put to him by an inquisitor player which are calculated to induce stress, the outcome of the game depending on the skill of the inquisitor player to frame provocative questions that lie within a selected subject matter category, as offset by the ability of the target player to resist provocation and to maintain his cool.
2. Status of the Art
An individual's ability to mentally control certain of his physiological functions such as body temperature or blood pressure is known as self-regulation. But with the exception of those committed to transcendental meditation, self-regulation techniques have not been widely practiced in Western society, possibly because many disorders induced or aggravated by stress which lend themselves to alleviation by self-regulation can more readily be treated by medication. Thus a muscle contraction or tension headache as well as migraine, a vascular headache that is more painful than a tension headache, can, to some degree, be relieved by aspirin and other drugs. Such medication does not do away with stress factors responsible for the headache but serves only to moderate the symptoms. Moreover, aspirin and other drugs, when taken frequently and in large doses, often have deleterious side effects.
In recent years, biofeedback techniques have been developed which represent a more effective form of self-regulation In biofeedback, an involuntary or unconscious physiologic process, such as the heart beat or the brain wave, is made perceptible to the senses, thereby making it possible for the individual to manipulate the process by conscious mental control.
Stress is expressed in many ways, and may be manifested by a headache or by high blood pressure. Of overriding importance in stress therapy is learning to relax and thereby reduce tension and its physiological consequences. With biofeedback, one is able to achieve mental and physical relaxation by being fed back information regarding an unconscious physiological process. This information is derived by means of a non-invasive sensor which measures peripheral skin temperature or skin resistance, heart rate, blood pressure, pulse rate, and some other process variables.
Thus a signal from an electromyograph is indicative of varying levels of muscular activity; the higher the signal amplitude, the greater the amount of muscular tension. A high level of muscular tension reflects a high degree of stress, giving rise to tension headaches, facial pain and tics, and other stress-related illnesses. By means of biofeedback, one can monitor a specific physiologic process and derive therefrom a visible or audible signal indicative of the process. In this way, the user can manipulate the process being monitored by learning to control the signal it yields. By biofeedback one can reduce muscle tension, slow down a rapid heart rate, regulate blood flow to alleviate circulatory problems and, in general, relax the nervous system.
The efficacy of biofeedback is well established. Thus in the article by Sidney Leber, M. D., "Biofeedback in Clinical Psychiatric Practice" appearing in Psychiatric Opinion of October 1979, the author states that patients previously dependent on medication for migraine and other stress-related conditions which are responsive to feedback "can reduce their medications to a line of last defense rather than continue to routinely ingest medications as a way of life."
In my prior Spector U.S. Pat. No. 4,819,656, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, there is disclosed a biofeedback therapy system that includes a sensor continuously to monitor a physiologic function of the individual in the course of a training run to produce a signal representing the individual's prevailing level of stress. The system includes a scale responsive to said signal to visually indicate the level of stress, making it possible for the individual mentally regulate the function being monitored.
The individual being monitored during the course of the training run is subjected to a series of startling and disquieting stress-inducing sound stimuli which differ from each other and appear at random intervals, and are therefore unexpected, to induce internal stress in the individual in the course of the run.
These stress-inducing sounds are produced by a tape recording on which are recorded at intermittent times startling sounds, such as that of a police siren or a loud pistol shot. The listener, who is coupled to the feedback system and hears and reacts to these sounds, seeks to exercise control of his reaction.
In a cool-under-pressure biofeedback game in accordance with the invention, an individual sitting on a "hot seat" is placed within a biofeedback loop so that he sees indicated on a visual display the physiological function being monitored over which he seeks to exercise control when he is subjected to stress-inducing sounds. However, these sounds are not, as in my prior patent, pre-recorded sounds of a police siren, a human scream or a loud pistol shot, but take the form of improvised questions or statements put to him by an opposing player.
The questions are so framed as to be highly provocative, and they evoke in the individual on the hot seat a stress-inducing reaction causing him to lose his cool. This reaction to questions which are personal in nature is usually more pronounced than one induced by impersonal sounds. Thus almost all people, regardless of personal differences, react to the sounds of a fire alarm or that of a ringing telephone. However, the reaction of an individual to a question that touches on him personally depends, of course, on the nature of the question, and in some instances, a question which strikes on a sensitive nerve may evoke a very strong reaction. For example, when a person under oath is on a witness stand and is asked under cross-examination whether in his previous testimony his lied about his whereabouts on a certain day, his reaction could then be very strong had he in fact lied, but mild had he not.
Also of prior interest are the patents to Sidwell et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,727,604, to Generales, Jr., U.S. Pat. No. 4,166,452, to Forgione et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,088,125, and to Winberg et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,246,906.


A sealing element of a valve, e.g., a gas valve, for controlling a medium includes a base body having a sealing surface, the sealing surface either (i) being inclined in relation to a center axis of the sealing element or (ii) having at least one inclined area. In addition, a valve seat support of the valve for controlling a medium includes: a first ring-shaped valve seat in a first valve seat plane; a second ring-shaped valve seat in a second valve seat plane; and a passage aperture situated between the first valve seat and the second valve seat, the first and second valve seat planes being perpendicular to a center axis of the valve seat support.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sealing element of a valve and a valve seat support of a valve, e.g., a gas valve, and such a valve for controlling a gaseous medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
Valves for controlling media are known in various embodiments from the related art. In the automotive field, gaseous fuels, for example, natural gas or biogas are also increasingly being used in liquid fuel. In particular, the valves previously used for liquid fuels frequently do not correspond to the requirements of gas valves for gaseous fuels, however. For example, a valve which is designed in particular for gaseous hydrogen is known from Published German patent application document DE 10 2010 043 641 A1. A set of problems which is not yet completely solved in the case of gas valves relates in particular to a reliable opening of the valve in the event of cold outside temperatures or cold engine temperatures. More reliable operation of the valve must be made possible in this case in particular in a temperature range from −40° C. to 120° C. In particular at low temperatures, however, undesirable leaks may occur on the valve, since the sealing elements, which are typically manufactured from an elastomeric material, only have very low elastic properties at low temperatures. In particular at low temperatures, it has been found that problems may occur during opening in the area of the valve seat, whereby the opening times may become undefined.
It would therefore be desirable, with simple and cost-effective construction, to have improvements during the opening procedure at low temperatures.

Valve having an improved sealing element and an improved valve seat support


Ultrapure water of high purity having extremely low TOC concentration is produced by efficiently degrading urea in raw water by biological activated carbon treatment even when the raw water contains ammonium nitrogen. The ultrapure water production method, where raw water is treated in a primary pure water system, and then the resulting water is treated in a subsystem, contains a step of treating pretreated water with chlorine based oxidizer added by a biological treatment means installed upstream to the subsystem. Chlorine based oxidizer is added so that the chlorine based oxidizer concentration is 5 times or more than the ammonium nitrogen concentration of water treated in the biological treatment means in terms of Cl2.

Conventionally, ultrapure water used as semiconductor water cleaning water is produced by treating raw water (industrial water, city water, well water, and used ultrapure water discharged from semiconductor plants (hereinafter referred to as "recovered water")) with an ultrapure water production apparatus including a pretreatment system, primary pure water system, and subsystem (or secondary pure water system).
Ultrapure water produced with a conventional ultrapure water production apparatus contains about 2-5 μg/L of TOC (Total Organic Carbon). Methods for further reducing TOC in ultrapure water may include installation of multi-stage reverse osmosis membrane separation devices and increasing the ultraviolet irradiation dose in a low pressure ultraviolet light oxidation device, but these methods have not been successful in sufficiently reducing TOC in ultrapure water.
Patent document 1 discloses that raw water (city water, industrial water and the like) that is to become ultrapure water contains several tens to several hundreds of μg/L of urea, and that the major component of the TOC remaining in the ultrapure water is urea (NH2CONH2). Patent document 1 discloses that, in an ultrapure water production apparatus including a pretreatment device for raw water, primary pure water production device and subsystem, urea in raw water is highly removed at high levels and TOC in ultrapure water is reduced by incorporating a biological activated carbon device as a biological treatment device into the pretreatment device.
Patent document 2 discloses, in relation to the method disclosed in Patent document 1, that recovered semiconductor cleaning water is mixed with raw water and supplied to the biological activated carbon device with a view to improving the urea degradation rate.
Patent document 3 discloses that raw water (not including recovered water and recovered water) are separately treated with biological activated carbon and then supplied to the primary pure water production device to prevent the biological activated carbon treatment of urea from being inhibited by ammonium ions in the recovered semiconductor cleaning water.
Patent document 4 discloses that, in an ultrapure water production apparatus where a biological activated carbon column is installed in the primary pure water device, for the purpose of restricting the leakage of excessive fungi by adequately curbing the activities of living organisms in the biological activated carbon column and preventing the spillage of microorganisms into a downstream device, an oxidation agent such as hypochlorite is added to feed water which is supplied to the biological activated carbon column so that the residual chlorine concentration of the feed water is 0.5-5 mg/L.

Ultrapure water production method and apparatus therefor


A people counting device includes: a person presence region extraction unit which extracts a region in which a person is present by performing person detection in relation to an input image; a person presence state estimation unit which estimates a person presence state from an extraction result; a portion detector selection unit which selects a type of portion detector to be used for people count measurement based on the estimation result, and outputs portion detector information. The people counting device further includes: a portion detection process unit which performs a portion detection process for detecting a portion of a person based on the portion detector information; and a people counting unit which obtains a number of people within the input image from a portion detection process result.

In a surveillance camera system of recent years, person detection technology is employed in order to perform automatic detection of an intruder to a shop or the like and automatic counting or the like of a number of visitors. As a person detection technology of the related art, for example, those disclosed in Patent Document 1 or Non-Patent Documents 1 and 2 are known.
In the related art, Patent Document 1 discloses a method of performing a matching process between an input image that is imaged by a surveillance camera or the like and a background image database, and estimates the number of people according to the position and number of pixels detected by difference detection. In the related art, Non-Patent Document 1 discloses a method of extracting a Histogram of Oriented Gradient (HOG) feature value from a large number of detection target samples (images containing the whole body of a person) and non-detection target samples (images not containing the whole body of a person) in advance and modeling the boundary lines of each of the sample groups in the feature space using an Support Vector Machine (SVM), thereby realizing person detection technology from within static images. In the related art, Non-Patent Document 2 discloses a method of configuring a portion detector which detects a portion of a person, using an Edgelet feature value and a boosting algorithm, and combining the output results of each of the portion detectors into one by performing maximum a posteriori probability estimation.
The person detection from within a static image performed in Non-Patent Documents 1 and 2 is generally performed as follows. First, since the size and the position of a person within the input image imaged by a surveillance camera or the like is not fixed, the input image is converted into a pyramid image by repeatedly performing a scaling process of a resize process or the like in relation to the input image. Subsequently, an image window of a predetermined size is extracted from each of the scaling images which configure the pyramid image at a predetermined interval, and the person detection determination process is performed using threshold value determination of a score on the basis of a predetermined value of a feature value within each of the image windows.
Since the person detector is configured to achieve a robust (strong) detection function in relation to various shape variations of a non-rigid body such as a person, when the person detection result is displayed within the input image as a person detection candidate rectangular frame, as in FIG. 11, a plurality of person detection candidate rectangular frames 110a are output in the periphery of a person (hereinafter referred to as the person detection result positional shift issue). Finally, by performing a combination process on the person detection candidate rectangular frames 110a to determine whether they are of the same group on the basis of the property information of each of the rectangles (the center location, the size, the score and the like), a final combined result 111 is displayed as the person detection result (refer to FIG. 5.1 of Non-Patent Document 1). In a case in which people counting or the like is performed, the number of the final combined results 111 of the rectangles is counted as the number of people.

People counting device, people counting method and people counting program

Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.


A switching mode power supply is disclosed in which an input voltage is modulated by a switch and the modulated waveform is passed through an inductance, rectified and filtered to provide an output of a controlled value, and in which to determine the current passing through the inductance, the smaller of the root mean square (rms) current through the switch and the rms current through the rectifier is measured by including a current measuring resistor in series with that respective component, and the current through the other component is measured by including a current-sensing transformer in series with that component, the current through the inductor then being determinable as the combination of the other two currents.

In general terms, in a switching mode power supply an input voltage is modulated by a switch and the modulated waveform is passed through an inductance, rectified and filtered to provide an output of a controlled value. Such switching mode power supplies are very well known and examples of basic topologies are boost convertors, buck convertors and buck boost convertors.
In order to control the switching and therefore the output, it can be helpful to know the average current, or at least the peak current which is a fair approximation of the average current, passing through the inductor.
The current passing through the inductor can be measured directly by including a current sensing resistor in series with the inductor and measuring the voltage drop across that resistor. A problem with this solution, however, is that there are undesirable energy losses in the resistor. Also one cannot normally use a current sensing transformer in series with the inductor because this would become saturated by the DC component of the inductor current.
An alternative solution is to determine the currents flowing through the switch and the rectifier and to use those determinations to derive the current flowing through the inductor. This is possible because, irrespective of the relative positioning of the inductor, rectifier and switch, one has in effect three branches in the resulting electronic network, one containing the inductor, one containing the switch and one containing the rectifier, and all three branches have a common point so that the current in the branch containing the inductor will always be the combination of the currents through the switch and rectifier.
In order to determine the currents passing through the switch and rectifier, one could include current sensing resistors in series with each but this suffers from the problem noted above of undesirable energy losses and there would normally not be any advantage in using two resistors in place of a single resistor in series with the inductor. Therefore current sensing transformers have been included in series with these branches. This has cost and space disadvantages, however, since two are required and they are relatively large components.
The invention has therefore been made with these points in mind and it is an object of the invention to provide a compromise between these various factors.