A universal electromechanical strike locking system for doors comprising linear horizontal moving strikes in the doorjamb for locking and releasing both dead bolts and latch bolts. The system operates in doors having one or more dead bolts and/or one or more latch bolts. The system allows locking and releasing doors by either operating the conventional locking system of the door or the universal electromechanical strike locking system. The system comprises a controller with user access means that coordinates one or a plurality of electromechanical strikes in a fault tolerant method employing closed loop control.

The present invention relates to electric door locking and releasing systems, which comprise electromechanical strikes installed in the doorjamb, providing adaptable comprehensive door locking and releasing functions. It is applicable for use with most door locks and to a wide variety of combinations of dead bolts and latch bolts.
Most main entry doors consist of two types of bolts, a dead bolt and a latch bolt. These two types of bolts provide different and necessary functions that together enable the normal operation of a modem main entry door. The latch bolt latches and holds the door in a closed position. It enables the user to push or swing the door closed and latched, and positions it for the dead bolt operation. The dead bolt, when locked, provides a secure and tamper resistant locking function. The functions of these bolts are accomplished as follows:
Dead bolts usually have two detent positions, the locked position in which the dead bolt is extended out of the mortise in the door, and the unlocked position in which the dead bolt is retracted into the mortise.
There are two main kinds of latch bolts, the simple latch bolt and the complex latch bolt (the complex latch bolt is also known in the art as the dead latch bolt.) Latch bolts usually extend out of the door by a spring in the mortise. The simple latch bolt is an angular tongue-like bolt that operates against a spring in the mortise. The complex latch bolt is a similar angular tongue-like bolt that operates against a spring but also comprises a disabler element, collateral to the tongue-like bolt that operates against a second spring in the mortise. When the disabler element of the complex latch bolt is pushed into the mortise while the latch bolt is extended out of the mortise, the latch bolt is locked in its extended position and cannot be pushed into the mortise. This provides secure and tamper resistant functionality to the complex latch bolt, overcoming a shortcoming of the simple latch bolt. This feature of the complex latch bolt prevents a potential intruder from opening the latch bolt by sliding a thin card such as a credit card between the door end and the doorjamb.
The present invention, in contrast to prior art, operates with all conventional dead bolts and latch bolts, in any combination. The present invention enables operation with the two types of latch bolts, the simple latch bolt and the complex latch bolt, employing the same mechanism. The present invention can also operate the latch bolt independently, whether or not the dead bolt is extended out of the mortise.
Providing integrated solutions to all types of bolts is necessary for a comprehensive adaptable electromechanical strike locking system to be useful. Prior art adaptable electromechanical strike locking systems do not control the releasing and locking of strikes for both latch bolts and dead bolts in a single system since different strikes would be necessary for each type of bolt and different controllers would be necessary for each type of strike. It is cumbersome for a user to operate more than one controller to open an electromechanical strike locking systems. The present invention simplifies the control of the electromechanical strike locking system by providing a universal strike for both the dead bolt and the latch bolt and a single controller. Prior art electromechanical strike locking systems have not addressed integrated fault tolerant mechanisms. A fault tolerant system, operating both the dead bolt and the latch bolt, is necessary for locking systems to operate reliably and provide confidence to the user of reliability. These deficiencies in the prior art may have hindered the wide acceptance of this technology, as users require dependable operation under any conditions. There is a need for a complete integrated system that addresses the need for better functionality and flexibility of electromechanical strikes and the compatibility with a wide variety of door lock configurations as addressed by the present invention.
Prior art electromechanical strike locking systems have not gained widespread acceptance and use because of deficiencies in reliability, the lack of fault tolerance capability, and the inability to operate them with an assortment of preinstalled locks in various configurations. Prior art electromechanical strike locking systems are difficult to install and operate because they lack the universality of the present invention, i.e., one type of strike for both the latch bolts and the dead bolts, and the ability to employ the same strike for left and right doorjambs.
These deficiencies in prior art electromechanical strike locking systems are not an issue in exclusive electromechanical strike locking systems, which have gained wide acceptance in business and industrial applications. An exclusive electromechanical strike locking system is a self-contained locking system, i.e., the mortise in the door and the electromechanical strike are installed together as one operable unit, which does not allow for interoperability with other existing locking systems. An example of one exclusive electromechanical strike locking system is the SDC series 50 manufactured by Security Door Controls of Westlake Calif. The system does not allow for interoperability with other locking systems and, therefore, is an exclusive electromechanical strike locking system. The present invention, in contrast, is an adaptable and comprehensive electromechanical strike locking system that works with a variety of existing locks by requiring only the retrofitting of the strikes in the doorjamb.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,017,107 by Hanchett, dated Apr. 12, 1977 (hereinafter Hanchett 107) provides a strike frame for receiving a dead bolt or a latch bolt and to allow the bolts to move through a notch in the doorjamb. Hanchett 107 teaches the use of a rotary pivoting shutter as a lock system. The system operates by means of a vertical rotary motion that opens and closes the strike.
The present invention solves the deficiency encountered by the vertical rotary operation, in particular the operation with the latch bolts. The design of a latch bolt requires that it be pushed transversely upon a lipped plate to lock and latch the door. The contouring of the latch bolt tongue makes the vertical rotary motion of that type of strike unworkable. Also, the rotary motion of the shutter defeats the operation of the disabler of the complex latch bolt.
The improvements of the present invention for the locking and releasing of bolts are achieved by the use of linear horizontal movement of the strike. The linear horizontal motion of the strike enables controlling the motion contour of the strike in both directions, the distance of the motion and the calibration of the travel distance.
The present invention enables the use of locking mechanisms that can work with most sizes and combinations of dead bolts and latch bolts (both simple and complex latch bolts), and provides a complete and integrated system.
U.S. Pat. 5,100,186 by Nordvall, dated Mar. 31, 1992 (hereinafter Nordvall 186) teaches the employment of a linear vertical motion of a slide within a strike in the doorframe. The vertical motion of the slide presents limitations for the operation of the latch bolt, in particular for the transverse movement of the latch bolts tongue against the strike. In addition the fixed size of the recess in the strike is not adjustable to receive different sizes of dead bolts, and the strike is not reversible, thus, requires the use of left-right systems. The system in Nordvall 186 also does not provide a fault tolerant method employing closed loop control. In contrast, the present invention is universal to all left-right, inside-outside doors. It permits the control of the speed of the strike, the user can calibrate the travel distance of the strike, and it enables the use of a fault tolerant operation employing closed loop control. Further, the present invention, due to its horizontal motion, also operates with all types of latch bolts, thus, lending itself to a comprehensive lock system.
The present invention enables, for the first time, an adaptable and comprehensive electromechanical strike locking system, operating on both the dead bolt and the latch bolt, which allows the user to independently operate the door either by using the conventional door access system or the electromechanical strike locking system.

Universal electromechanical strike locking system


Electrical components in an electronic device are mounted on substrates such as printed circuits. Printed circuits contain signal paths formed from metal traces. The signal lines in the signal paths of the printed circuits are coupled together using electrical connection structures such as printed circuit board-to-board connectors, contacts joined by anisotropic conductive film, or contacts joined using solder. Electrical connection structures may be surrounded by conductive resilient ring-shaped structures such as conductive foam structures or spring structures. The conductive foam structures may be provided with a metal layer with which the conductive foam structures are soldered to a ring of metal on a printed circuit. Strain relief structures may be formed from an elastomeric ring that surrounds the electrical connection structures or an overmolded plastic structure. Coating layers and conductive plastic may be used in providing strain relief structures with electromagnetic interference shielding capabilities.

This relates generally to electronic devices and, more particularly, to electronic devices with electromagnetic interference shielding and strain relief structures.
Electronic devices include electrical components. Components are mounted on substrates such flexible printed circuits and rigid printed circuit boards. Interconnect lines formed from patterned metal traces carry signals within the substrates. For example, metal traces may carry signals between integrated circuits on a printed circuit.
Substrates such as printed circuits are often coupled together using connectors such as board-to-board connectors and using connections formed from conductive material such as anisotropic conductive film or solder. If care is not taken, electromagnetic interference may be emitted from the signal lines on printed circuits and other substrates, particularly in the vicinity of electrical connection structures formed from printed circuit connectors or connections formed from anisotropic conductive film and or solder. If not properly secured, electrical connection structures may also be susceptible to damage.
It would therefore be desirable to be able to provide improved arrangements for shielding and securing connections between substrates in electronic devices.

Electromagnetic interference shielding and strain relief structures for coupled printed circuits


A drive system for use in a bicycle or the like, which includes a manually-operable member and a drive train connected to the member for transferring drive from the member to at least one of the bicycle wheels. The member is mounted for substantially rectilinear reciprocating movement on a lever system having a first lever, a second lever and a tie rod. The first lever has a first end connected to a first pivot and a second end that is rotatable about the first pivot. The second lever has a first end that is pivotably connected to the second end of the first lever and a second end to which the manually-operable member is attached. As for the tie rod, it has a first end pivotably connected to the a second pivot and a second end that is pivotably connected to the second lever between the first and second ends thereof. The first lever is constructed and arranged for limited reciprocating rotation of the second end about the first pivot.

Drive systems for bicycles typically comprise a pair of rotating pedal cranks connected to the rear wheel of the bicycle by a chain and sprockets. Although these systems have been found useful, they also have inherent disadvantages. In particular, the tangential force exerted on the pedals by the cyclist varies considerably depending upon the relative position of the pedal cranks, the force generally being at a maximum only when the pedal cranks are approximately horizontal. This not only limits efficiency, but also the maximum power output of the cyclist.
Another approach utilizes a drive system having a drive link coupled by bearings to a crank and a tie rod. Drive forces are then transmitted by a cyclist from the drive link, through the crank, to the wheels of a bicycle. A system of this general description is provided, for example, in DE 4404831 A. A further conventional drive mechanism for bicycles has pedals attached to racks mounted for reciprocating movement. Such a mechanism is disclosed, for instance, in WO 96/22911.


A separate spout is attached to each open bottle in a tavern with each spout having a magnetically operable valve to control the flow of liquor from the bottle. A transponder is provided in each spout transmits an unique identification code. To pour liquor from a bottle, an actuator is placed over the spout. An interrogator coupled to an interrogator coil in the actuator for sending an activation signal to the transponder and thereafter reads the identification code. A memory provides a group of storage locations for each of the plurality of spouts. The group of storage locations for a given spout contains the identification code for that spout and data regarding a total volume dispensed from a particular bottle to which the given spout is attached, a quantity present in the particular bottle when full, and a price per volume unit. A controller energizes a valve operating coil in the actuator to open a valve in response to the interrogator reading the identification code from a spout. Upon energizing the valve operating coil, the controller accesses the memory and updates data in the group of storage locations which contain the identification code read from a spout. The system accounts for the amount of liquor dispensed from each bottle and the value of that liquor to monitor the liquor inventory and sales.

The present invention relates to systems for dispensing beverages from bottles, and more particularly to systems for dispensing measured amounts of liquid from a bottle and accounting for the quantity and cost of the liquid so dispensed.
A bartender commonly pours liquor from a bottle into a glass in which a drink is being mixed. A spout is often attached to the mouth of the bottle to dispense the liquor at a relatively constant flow rate so that a bartender can "free pour" the liquor without the need for a measuring device, such as a jigger. Even at a constant flow rate, the exact amount of liquor poured into each drink varies depending upon the bartender, and varies from drink to drink poured by the same bartender. Such variation affects the profits derived from a given bottle of liquor. In addition, simple bottle spouts do not provide any mechanism to ensure that each drink dispensed from a bottle was rung up on the cash register. Thus, a bartender has been able to serve free or generous drinks to friends and preferred customers without accounting to the tavern management.
In response to these problems, more sophisticated liquor dispensing equipment has been devised. One such system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,920,149 and provides each bottle with a spout that has a magnetically operated valve. When liquor was to be poured from a given bottle, its spout was placed inside an actuator ring that is connected to a computer via a cable. When the bottle and the ring were inverted, a switch closed causing an electromagnetic coil in the ring to be energized which opened the valve in the spout. The valve was held open for a defined period of time which dispensed a given volume of liquor because of a relatively constant flow rate through the spout. When that time period ends, the electromagnetic coil was deenergized by the computer and the valve closed.
Three rings were provided on the outside of the spout and by selecting either metal or plastic for each ring and the price of a drink could be encoded which was read electromagnetically by the actuator ring. However, the size of the spout accommodated only three rings which did not provide enough codes to uniquely identify each spout in the bar. As a consequence, the specific spout (or liquor bottle) could not be identified; rather, only an identification of the price class for the liquor. Thus, this previous system could not determine how many drinks were dispensed from each bottle and keep track of the liquor inventory at the bar.

Beverage dispensing system with bottle identification mechanism


A method (200) of establishing a secure connection (213) between a master device (101) and a slave device (102), sharing at least a first communication channel, is provided. The method comprises transmitting (201) an identifier IDM of the master device over the first communication channel, generating (202) a proof-of-possession Xs of a key Ks, using Ks, IDM, and a first identifier I DSi of the slave device, generating (202) a key MKS using IDM, I DSi, and Ks, storing (204) MKS, and transmitting (203) I DSi and Xs to the master device. The method further comprises transmitting (205) IDSi, Xs, and IDM, to a bootstrapping server, acquiring (206) Ks using IDSi, and generating (207) a proof-of-possession XB of Ks using Ks, IDM, and IDsi. The method further comprises, if XB and Xs are identical (208), generating (210) a key MKB using IDM, I DSi, and Ks, and transmitting (211) MKB to the master device where it is stored (212). Optionally, I DSi and Xs may be transmitted (203) to the master device over a second, preferably location-limited, communication channel, such as audio or video.

In recent years, the amount of accessory devices, such as audio/video output devices, which can be connected over wireless interfaces, have steadily increased. Examples for such devices are wireless speakers operating on IEEE 802.11 and the Intel Wireless Display. These audio/video output devices, throughout the present disclosure referred to as slave devices, need to be securely connected to other controlling devices, or parent devices, herein referred to as master devices, such as mobile phones, computers, tablet computers, and so forth.
The solution presented herein arises from the need to easily, yet securely, connect a slave device, such as a wireless speaker or wireless display to a master device, such as a mobile phone, e.g., for the purpose of streaming music or video content to the slave device. Adding additional interfaces to the slave device, such as Near Field Communication (NFC), for the purpose of establishing a secure connection is economically not feasible.
Known mechanisms for establishing trust relationships between two devices suffer from security and/or usability trade-offs. Current mechanisms for secure device pairing typically require significant user interaction, such as pressing buttons simultaneously or listening to confirmation messages on both ends. Although such involvement of the user generally increases security, it hampers usability and flexibility.
Previous work on pairing over out-of-band audio/video channels requires both the master device and the slave device to have microphones and speakers, or cameras and displays, for directly exchanging cryptographic information between the devices to be paired (see, e.g., C. Soriente, G. Tsudik, and E. Uzun, "HAPADEP: human-assisted pure audio device pairing", Proceedings of the 11th international conference on Information Security, Springer-Verlag, 2008, pages 385-400).

Establishing a secure connection between a master device and a slave device


A voice coil motor for a disk drive includes a permanent magnet, a voice coil adapted to move in an arc proximate to the permanent magnet, a top plate positioned above the voice coil, and a bottom plate positioned below the voice coil. The permanent magnet has two halves that are magnetized in opposite direction. The two halves of the magnet are split into a right half magnet portion and a left half magnet portion. The right half magnet portion and the left half magnet portion are attached to the top plate and the bottom plate respectively at opposite sides of the voice coil motor. The invention also discloses a disk drive unit with such VCM.

Disk drive devices are information storage devices that use magnetic media to store data and a movable read/write head positioned over the magnetic media to selectively read data from and write data to the magnetic media.
As shown in FIG. 1a, a conventional hard disk drive unit includes a magnetic disk 101 mounted on a spindle motor 103 for spinning the disk 101 at a constant high speed. A head gimbal assembly (HGA) 102 which includes a slider incorporating a read/write head (not shown) is actuated to move relative to the disk 101 so as to read data from or write data to the disk 101.
Typically, a VCM 150 is employed to actuate the HGA 102 so as to position the head with respect to the disk surface. The HGA 102 is mounted at a tip end of an actuator arm 104. The actuator arm 104 pivots about a cartridge bearing assembly 110 mounted to the disk drive base plate at a position closely adjacent to the outer extreme of the disk 101 so that the head moves in a plane parallel with the surface of the disk 101 and over data tracks of the disk 101.
The VCM 150 includes a coil 151 mounted radially outward from the cartridge bearing assembly 110, the coil 151 being immersed in the magnetic field of a magnetic circuit of the VCM 150. The magnetic circuit comprises one or more permanent magnet pairs and magnetically permeable plates. When a predetermined driving current flows through the coil 151, rotational forces or torques about the axis of the cartridge bearing assembly 110 are generated on the coil 151 as well as the actuator arm 104 by the interaction between the current and the magnetic field.
As shown in FIG. 1b, there are typically three principal torques experienced by the VCM and the actuator arm 104 as a result of the application of current to the coil 151. The first torque Mz (generated by force Fr as shown in the drawings), often called the main torque, causes the coil 151 and the actuator arm 104 to rotate about a z-axis 250 of the cartridge bearing assembly 110 in the plane X-Y. The second torque Mx (generated by force Ft as shown in the drawings), referred to as the torsion, causes the coil 151 and the actuator arm 104 to rotate or twist about an x-axis 254 of the cartridge bearing assembly 110. The third torque My, referred to as pitch torque, causes the coil 151 and the actuator arm 104 to rotate or bend about a y-axis 258 of the cartridge bearing assembly 110. As is known, the main torque Mz is the primary means by which the voice coil 151, and thus the head, is moved radially across the disk 101. Stated another way, the main torque Mz is a desired force which causes the actuator arm 104 and head to move in a plane parallel with the disk 101. In contrast, both the torsion Mx and pitch torque My cause motions in the actuator arm 104, the head, and the coil 151 which are not parallel to the plane of the disk 101. As such, the torques Mx and My affect the head slider's ability to maintain optimal flying height and to stay parallel to the disk over the data tracks, thereby interfering with the read/write operation of the head in the disk drive.
FIG. 2 shows a typical bode curve of a HSA. The curve can be viewed as the output/input ratio in frequency domain. The input is the electrical current applied on the coil, while the output is the lateral displacement between head and disk. The base line of the bode curve is a straight line with slope as −2, as shown by the dashed line. It can be observed that a peak exists at frequency 4 KHz, which corresponds to the coil torsion mode, and is caused mainly by Mx. This peak will adversely affect the slider's performance dramatically. Therefore, the coil torsion caused by the undesired torque Mx is very critical in VCM design, while the coil bend caused by the pitch torque My is less critical in VCM design.
Generally speaking, magnetic flux lines are representative of the magnetic fields generated by a permanent magnet or by a current flowing in a wire. With respect to permanent magnets, magnetic flux lines are typically represented by dashed lines that emerge from the magnet's north pole and enter the magnet's south pole. The density of the flux lines indicates the magnitude of the magnetic field generated by the magnet. If a magnetic conductive material, such as steel, is placed in a flux path, the magnetic flux will tend to pass through the steel rather than air surrounding the magnet, as the steel has a higher magnetic permeability.
Referring to FIG. 3b, FIG. 4b, FIG. 7 and FIG. 10, the dashed rectangle represents a transition zone, in which the magnetic flux changes direction from up to down. Thus, the magnetic flux in the transition zone is not vertical to the surfaces of the permanent magnets. This non-vertical magnetic flux will cause undesired force Ft and undesired torque Mx.
FIG. 3a illustrates a conventional dual magnet VCM 20. The conventional dual magnet VCM includes a top plate 21, a bottom plate 22 arranged in spaced relation and parallel to the top plate 21. Two pieces of permanent magnets 23, 24 are attached to the plates 21 and 22, respectively, such that an air gap is defined between the magnets. A movable coil 251 is positioned in a magnetic field defined between the two pieces of permanent magnets 23, 24. Each piece of the permanent magnets 23, 24 is divided into two halves, which are magnetized in opposite direction.
FIGS. 3b-3d illustrate the magnetic flux generated in the conventional dual magnet VCM by dashed arrows. Referring to FIG. 3b, in the air gap between the two permanent magnets 23, 24, lines of magnetic flux is almost vertical to the surfaces of the permanent magnets 23, 24. When a predetermined driving current flows through the movable coil 251, driving force Fr represented by the solid arrow is generated on the movable coil 251 according to the Fleming's left-hand rule by the interaction between the current and a magnetic field formed by the permanent magnets 23, 24, thereby driving the actuator arm to move. As shown in FIG. 3b, the transition zone of the dual magnet VCM is small and the vertical forces Ft generated on the coil 251 which cause undesired torsion Mx can cancel with each other. Put another way, when a predetermined driving current flows through the movable coil 251, the dual magnet VCM 20 suffers tiny or no torsion, as shown in FIG. 3e.
However, the cost of the dual magnet VCM is too high, as each dual magnet VCM must consume two pieces of permanent magnets. With the increase of the price of the permanent magnet, the HDD companies are trying to reduce the consumption of magnet material so as to lower the cost of VCM. Under this condition, single magnet VCM that consumes only one piece of permanent magnet has come into being.
Referring to FIG. 4a, the basic structure of a traditional single magnet VCM 30 is similar to the dual magnet VCM 20 except that there is only one piece of permanent magnet 33 attached to the bottom plate 32 as a total in the traditional single magnet VCM 30. The permanent magnet 33 is also divided into two halves that are magnetized in opposite direction. The work principle of the traditional single magnet VCM 30 is also similar to that of the conventional dual magnet VCM 20. When a predetermined driving current flows through the movable coil 351, a driving force Fr represented by the solid arrow as shown in FIG. 4b is generated on the movable coil 351 according to the Fleming's left-hand rule by the interaction between the current and a magnetic field formed by the magnet 33 and the plates 31, 32, thereby driving the actuator arm to move.
FIGS. 4b-4d show lines of magnetic flux generated in the traditional single magnet VCM 30. Although this VCM can lower the cost, the transition zone of the traditional single magnet VCM 30 is much larger than that of the dual magnet VCM 20 shown in FIG. 3b. Moreover, the vertical forces Ft generated on the coil 351 at opposite sides of the X-axis are at different direction, as best shown in FIG. 4e. These opposite vertical forces Ft cause a high torsion on the coil 351.
Referring to FIG. 11, the figures prove that the traditional single magnet VCM suffers a serious torsion Mx.
Hence, a need has arisen for providing an improved VCM capable of reducing the cost of the VCM as well as the torsion generated on the coil of the VCM.

Voice coil motor and disk drive unit with the same


A brushless motor that is smaller in appearance configuration, lighter, and easy to manufacture, and has a terminal connecting mechanism with an integral structure including mounting of a motor bus bar and an ECU terminal, and an electric power steering apparatus and a vehicle equipped therewith. The brushless motor includes a nut-integrated terminal connecting mechanism for inserting a motor bus bar terminal and an ECU terminal for connecting with a bolt and nut.

As an apparatus equipped with a brushless motor in a driving section, there is an electric power steering apparatus (EPS). The electric power steering apparatus is intended to apply a steering assist force (assist force) to a steering mechanism of a vehicle by a rotational force of a motor, and applies a steering assist force to a steering shaft or a rack shaft through a transmission mechanism such as gears with a driving force of a motor controlled by an electric power supplied from an inverter. Such the electric power steering apparatus in the related art accurately generates a torque of a steering assist force, and thus carries out a feedback control of a motor current. The feedback control is intended to adjust a voltage applied to the motor to reduce a difference between a steering assist command value (current command value) and a motor current detected value. Adjustment of the voltage applied to the motor is generally made by a duty adjustment in a pulse-width modulation (PWM) control, and as the motor, a brushless motor is typically used, which is superior in durability and maintainability and produces less undesired sound and noise.
To illustrate and describe a general configuration of the electric power steering apparatus in FIG. 1, a column shaft (steering shaft, handle) 2 of a steering wheel 1 is coupled to steered wheels 8L and 8R through reduction gears 3 in a reduction section, universal joints 4a and 4b, a pinion rack mechanism 5, tie rods 6a and 6b, and further through hub units 7a and 7b. The column shaft 2 is provided with a torque sensor 10 that detects a steering torque Th of the steering wheel 1 and a steering angle sensor 14 that detects a steering angle θ, and a motor 20 that assists a steering force of the steering wheel 1 is coupled to the column shaft 2 through the reduction gears 3. Power is supplied from a battery 13 to a control unit (ECU) 30 that controls the electric power steering apparatus, and at the same time, an ignition key signal is inputted into the control unit 30 through an ignition key 11. The control unit 30 calculates a current command value of an assist (steering assist) command based on the steering torque Th detected by the torque sensor 10 and a vehicle speed Ve1 detected by a vehicle speed sensor 12, and controls current supplied to the motor 20 for the EPS by a voltage control command value Vref with, for example, compensation made for the current command value.
The steering angle sensor 14 is not necessarily required and may not be disposed. The steering angle can also be obtained from a rotational sensor such as a resolver connected to the motor 20.
A Controller Area Network (CAN) 40 that sends or receives a variety of information on the vehicle is connected to the control unit 30, and the vehicle speed Ve1 can be received from the CAN 40 as well. The control unit 30 has also a Non-CAN 41 connected, which sends or recieves, for example, communications, analogue/digital signals, and radio waves other than the CAN 40.
An exemplary power transmission mechanism of the motor 20 of the electric power steering apparatus and an exemplary connection of the motor 20 with the control unit (ECU) 30 are as illustrated in FIG. 2.
As illustrated in FIG. 2, an output shaft 21 of the motor 20 is extended toward outside of a motor housing 22. The motor housing 22 that forms a motor yoke includes a bottomed, substantially cylindrical case body 23 that houses a motor body including a rotor, for example, and a motor mounting section 24 mounted on an opening side of the case body 23. The motor mounting section 24 is formed into a sheet as a whole, and via a through-hole in a central portion thereof, the output shaft 21 is inserted outside the motor mounting section 24. The motor mounting section 24 may be formed by a flange.
A power transmission mechanism 50 has a worm reduction mechanism comprising a worm 51 and a worm wheel 52 and further includes a connecting portion 53 that connects the worm reduction mechanism and the output shaft 21. The worm 51 is formed in a middle part of a worm shaft 51A that is coaxial with the output shaft 21, and is engaged with the worm wheel 52. An upper (steering wheel) side output shaft 2A of the column shaft 2 that integrally rotates with the worm wheel 52 is connected to a shaft center of the worm wheel 52. By the worm reduction mechanism, the rotation of the motor 20, that is, the rotation of the output shaft 21 is reduced and transmitted to the upper side output shaft 2A.
An internal space of a motor mounting section 54 on a side of the reduction mechanism is formed into a trumpet shape so as to expand on a side of the motor 20 (opening side), and an opening of the motor mounting section 54 is closed by bolting the motor mounting section 54 to the motor mounting section 24 on the side of the motor 20. In a condition illustrated in FIG. 2 where the motor 20 is mounted on the motor mounting section 54, the connecting portion 53 and the output shaft 21 are positioned at a shaft center of the internal space of the motor mounting section 54. Ina case where the motor mounting section 24 is formed by a flange, the motor mounting section 54 is, in response to this, formed by a flange as well.
The motor 20, and the control unit (ECU) 30 or an ECU substrate are separated from each other and wired by a lead wire 31, and the motor 20 is drive-controlled by the control unit (ECU) 30 through the lead wire 31.
In this type of the electric power steering apparatus, it is requested to reduce an overall weight and size including the motor, and it is also strongly desired to improve assemblability and axial precision of the motor.
A motor housing that can reduce part assembly work while maintaining insulation among power supply members and simplifies a power supply structure from an external power source to a motor is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Published Unexamined Paten Application No.2008-160988 A (Patent Document 1). A motor insulating housing 60 disclosed in Patent Document 1 is, as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, integrally formed with a housing body 65 by an insert-molding with power supply members 61 to 64 insulated, laminated, and arranged at a distance from one another in a through-thickness direction. It is disclosed that a power connector 66 that has supply terminals 61A to 63A of the power supply members 61 to 63 as connector terminals is integrally molded with the housing body 65. The power supply members 61 to 64 each are provided with a coil terminal 67 protruding outward.

Brushless motor, and electric power steering apparatus and vehicle equipped with the same


A portable automated pipette includes a linear actuator, a flywheel, an optical coupler and a control circuit. The linear actuator has a step motor and is connected to a control circuit. The step motor has a rotor and is connected to a flywheel. The flywheel includes a plurality of apertures formed on an internal surface of the flywheel. An optical coupler is arranged on two opposite sides of the flywheel and is connected to the control circuit. By means of the step motor, the portable automated pipette can monitor the displacement of the threaded rod to accurately control the picking/dispensing volume of liquid. Furthermore, the portable automated pipette can detect whether an aspirator is removed and can alert the user to check whether there is a wrong operation.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a portable automated pipette. More particularly, the invention provides a portable automated pipette having a step motor with feedback function.
2. Description of the Related Art
A pipette is a device that, like a syringe, picks up or dispenses a predetermined volume of liquid by a pumping means. The pumping means includes a motor transmission mechanism that can linearly move, and an aspirator removing mechanism. The pumping means is usually associated with a control circuit to control one or more aspirators. For example, the U.S. Pat. No. 4,671,123, U.S. Pat. No. 4,905,526, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,254,832, which are incorporated by reference herein, disclose pipettes that pick up or dispense a constant volume of liquid.
However, it is difficult to accurately keep a rotational speed of the motor transmission mechanism constant due to the manual operation or the liquid viscosity. For example, picking up 1 μl of liquid normally needs 100 revolutions of the motor. If a problem of manual operational occurs, the motor only runs, for example, 98 revolutions, which can not meet the requirement of accurate liquid picking. Furthermore, the pipette is incapable of detecting whether an aspirator is removed.


A tunable quadrature phase shifter including two branches each constituted by the cascade connection of a filter, an amplifier and a summing circuit, and two cross-connections constituted by amplifiers interconnecting the filter of one branch to the summing circuit of the opposite branch. An accurate 90 degrees phase shift between the two output signals is obtained by controlling the tail currents of the four amplifiers. The phase shifter used in mobile telecommunication transceivers may be easily and accurately tuned because the signals used in the summing circuits all have a similar amplitude. It is further adapted to operate with only a 3 Volt battery supply as used in wireless phones. The bandwidth of the amplifiers is increased by using double differential pair amplifiers which behave as cascode arrangements.

Such a quadrature phase shifter is already known in the art, e.g. from the European Patent Application EP-A1-0608577 of BELL TELEPHONE MANUFACTURING COMPANY N.V. entitled "GMSK modulator with automatic calibration" and published on Aug. 3, 1994. Therein, the first and second filter circuits provide respective first and second filter output signals which are roughly phase shifted by +45 degrees and -45 degrees with respect to a signal applied to the input. These roughly orthogonal filter output signals are amplified in their respective branches by the first and second amplifiers thereof. Each of the above first/second device used in this known phase shifter is a first/second multiplier which multiplies the first/second filter output signal of the first/second filter circuit with the phase adjust signal so as to provide a first/second device smaller output signal, i.e. a signal whose phase is the same as that of the first/second filter output signal but having a smaller amplitude. The device smaller output signal is then vectorially added to the larger amplified first/second filter output signal of the opposite branch by the second/first summing circuit and the results of these additions are the above second and first orthogonal output signals. An accurate angle of 90 degrees between these two output signals can thus be obtained by modifying the amplitude and/or the sign of the device smaller output signals. This modification is performed by changing the phase adjust signal which controls the devices, i.e. the multipliers. This phase adjust signal is for instance supplied by an external control circuit which measures the phase shift between the first and the second output signals.
This known phase shifter is used in the GSM (Global System for Mobile communications) and other radio transmitters and receivers where an accurate 90 degrees phase shift is necessary to obtain a sufficient image rejection in the transmitter and to have a correct 90 degrees phase difference between the I (In-phase) and Q (Quadrature-phase) base band phase vector signals in the receiver.
Over the past few years, Silicon Bipolar and GaAs MMIC's (Microwave Monolithic Integrated Circuits) were competing for the wireless phone radio transceiver application. As the circuits thereof required a 5 Volt supply, a known Gilbert cell could be perfectly used as a multiplier. Such a Gilbert cell is for instance known from the book "Analysis and design of analog integrated circuits" of P. R. Gray and R. G. Meyer, published by J. Wiley & Sons, New York, 1977, and more particularly from pages 563 to 575 thereof. It has, between the ground and the VCC (5 Volt) supply terminal, three levels of transistors: a bias signal or current source input level, a radio signal input level and a local oscillator input level.
Today, designers are struggling for the next step: to use a 3 Volt supply in battery operated wireless phones. Such a 3 Volt supply, with a tolerance of .+-.10%, allows to reduce the number of batteries, the cost, the volume and the weight of the handset. However, the above three transistor levels Gilbert cell can then no longer be used since the 1 Volt collector-to-emitter voltage drop (VCE) produced over each transistor, i.e. 3 Volts in total, leaves no headroom for the useful signal, especially when the supply voltage drops to 2.7 Volt at the end of the battery cycle. New circuits need thus to be designed.
Another problem with the above known phase shifter is the relative large amplitude difference of the different signals applied to the summing circuits, i.e. of the device smaller output signals and the larger signals at the output of the amplifiers. Indeed, in the transistor technique, e.g. from Chapter 4-6: "Frequency response of a transistor stage The short circuit current gain" at pages 121 to 126 of the McGraw-Hill book "Pulse, Digital and Switching Waveforms" by Millman and Taub (1965), it is well known that the transition frequency `fT` at which the short-circuit common-emitter current gain of a transistor attains unity and which thus corresponds to the bandwidth of the amplifier using the transistor, dramatically varies as a function of the emitter-to-collector voltage and/or the emitter current of this transistor. Because of the above large amplitude differences of the signals supplied to the first and second amplifiers and to the amplifiers included in the Gilbert cells, it is obvious that the gain thereof is not easy to control. As a result, the tuning of the known phase shifter is relatively difficult. This is especially true at the high frequencies at which it is operated in a radio transmitter or receiver.

Differential amplifier having a double differential amplifier pair with interconnected control electrodes


A method of conducting pattern matching is provided that includes establishing probe categories. Each probe category corresponds to pattern characteristics of one of a plurality of subpopulations. Moreover, the method includes coordinating combinations of the subpopulations and probe categories with pattern matching systems such that each combination corresponds to at least one of a plurality of the pattern matching systems, obtaining pattern data for an object, configuring the obtained object pattern data as a probe, and determining the probe category of the probe. Furthermore, the method includes conducting a matching transaction between the probe and each of the subpopulations using the at least one matching system corresponding to each combination of subpopulation and the determined probe category, and determining at least one candidate match when the probe matches at least one enrollment data record in the at least one matching system of any of the subpopulations.

This invention relates generally to methods and systems for conducting identification matching, and more particularly, to methods and systems for conducting biometric 1:N identification matching.
Biometric fusion combines a plurality of biometric samples, of the same or different biometric modality, to yield higher accuracy and lower false accept rates during matching in 1:N biometric matching systems. Known biometric fusion techniques include parallel fusion and cascade fusion. Parallel fusion techniques generally involve score-level fusion of individual biometric scores into a single composite score. However, known parallel fusion techniques always require biometric data for each modality to be matched.
Cascade fusion techniques generally execute a series of algorithms such that a subsequent algorithm is executed against candidate matches determined by a previous algorithm. However, cascade fusion assumes that every candidate always includes all the biometric modalities. However, it is rare for all members of a given population to be able to provide all biometric modalities required by either parallel or cascade fusion techniques. For example, amputees may not be able to provide finger biometric data samples. Furthermore, when using data from legacy systems to conduct 1:N identity matching, the legacy data may not include all the biometric data required by parallel and cascade fusion systems.
Known biometric matching systems fail to separate a matching coordinator system for an overall population from the provisioning of the matching systems. Thus, using known biometric matching systems, it is difficult, time consuming and expensive to apply certain matching algorithms to data from specific groups of individuals within the overall population. Consequently, it appears that separating the matching coordinator system operations from the matching systems may facilitate easier application of certain matching algorithms against data from specific groups of individuals, and may thereby reduce associated time and costs.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method and system for conducting identification matching


Systems and methods for removing casing from a wellbore including a casing removal tool that includes a tubular body configured to contain a thermite fuel mixture configured to initiate into a molten thermite fuel. The casing removal tool also includes a nozzle array having a plurality of nozzles positioned on an external surface of the tubular body. The nozzle array is configured to impinge the molten thermite fuel from within the tubular onto the wellbore casing. The casing removal tool also includes an orientation lug configured to anchor into a downhole orientation tool.

When an oil and/or gas well, or a portion of the well, ceases to become economically viable, that well or portion of the well may be abandoned. Abandoning a well involves sealing the intervals of the well to prevent the migration of oil, gas, brine and other substances into freshwater and preventing the migration of water or other contaminants into the oil and gas reservoirs.
A wellbore is very often drilled to depths many thousands of feet from the surface. The resulting disruption of geologic formations can cause contamination of otherwise useful fluid reserves when a fluid from one formation flows through the wellbore to a different formation. Well owners and operators have long known of these potential risks, but have increasingly become aware of the changes that can occur within a wellbore over very long periods of time. Past preferred methods of properly abandoning and preventing leakage between fluid reserves included placing cement plugs within the wellbore, across and on top of hydrocarbon bearing or aquifer zones. That cement placement forms a long-term seal and isolation of the formations of interest. The interval to be cemented may be up to several hundred feet in length.
The wellbore, however, may include fissures running on the outside of the outermost casing. Leakage between formations may thus occur on the outside of the casing even if the inside of the casing is sealed by a cement plug. The industry has increasingly become aware of the need to remove the casing entirely from within wellbore. When the casing is completely removed, the cement plug directly contacts the formation. Using existing equipment, operators generally remove the outermost casing using mechanical milling techniques; however, there are many drawbacks to the milling process. The operation is slow and may take a month or more to complete. The contaminated metal cuttings of the casing must be returned to the surface for processing and disposal. The milling drill must be large and powered by heavy rigs at the surface of the wellbore. Furthermore, if there is any interior casing or production tubing strings left in the wellbore, those must be removed before any drilling of the external casing. Therefore, a need exists for a long-term seal of a wellbore while minimizing time and financial resources used in pulling casing and/or production tubing strings from a wellbore and milling the outermost casing.
Alternatively to milling the casing, some abandonment projects consider perforation of the casing to be adequate. Operators typically use explosive perforating techniques to form holes in the casing throughout the zone(s) to be plugged. As known in the art, a perforating gun containing a series of shaped charges is lowered into the wellbore and the charges are ignited through electrical or mechanical means. The perforations provide a flow-path for cement between the interior of the casing and the annulus.
While perforation is typically easier than complete removal of the casing, perforation has several drawbacks. It is often difficult to achieve an adequate flow-path between the interior of the casing and the annulus, in some instances. Inadequate or inconsistent explosive perforation through the casing prevents cement from adequately flowing between the interior of the casing and the annulus. Under those conditions, the cement may not completely seal the annulus. These problems have been addressed, in some instances, by implementing a "cement squeeze," into the targeted area. A cement squeeze is a technique in which the cement is highly pressurized as it is forced into the wellbore. The pressurization is believed to ensure that cement fills any and all cracks in the casing or surrounding formation. A cement squeeze may be especially employed in wellbores which have multiple layers of piping and/or casing. That is, the inner tube string(s) may be perforated with a perforating gun and cement squeezed into the area. The cement is forced through the perforations in the inner tube string and fills the annulus between the inner tube string and the outer casing layer.
In a properly formed cement squeeze, cement hardens on both sides of the casing, ostensibly sealing that zone of the wellbore. Long term studies of wellbores have revealed, however, that after a few years the casing itself starts to deteriorate. In many circumstances, a deteriorating casing leaves fissures through which fluids may leak. Even a properly implemented cement squeeze does not address the problem of casing deterioration. Furthermore, cement squeeze techniques typically still require heavy equipment capable of producing the high pressures.
Therefore, a need exists for a wellbore sealing and isolation technique that does not require milling, explosive perforation, or tubing string extraction.
A need exists for sealing and isolation techniques which do not require a drilling rig, or a high pressurizing rig, to be transported to the wellbore site.
A need exists for sealing and isolation techniques that are not susceptible to fissures caused by deterioration of the casing after a cement plug has been established, which can lead to contamination issues.
Given the drawbacks associated with mechanical milling and with the explosive perforation, there is a need in the art for additional techniques for removing sections of casing or for creating adequate flow paths within the casing to facilitate abandonment operations.

Casing removal tool and methods of use for well abandonment


Heat insulations in houses having card-board lattice arranged behind a glass pane yield, in practice, a heat flow which is dependent on insolation. Said heat flow is lower at night and during weak insolation and begins to increase when the lattice is solar heated. The inventive solar cell (1) comprises a lattice (5) which is situated behind a rear-ventilated glass pane (2) and which exhibits durable storage properties. The solar cells characterize a solar energy yield (vxe2x80x2) by an arrangement which selects for an angle of incidence. Said solar energy yield does not lead to overheating in the room interior (R) also when the sun is at a high position. A thermal time constant is obtained by means of heat insulations (11, 12, 13) which are connected in succession. Said time constant guarantees comfortable temperatures in the interior (R) of the house also in the case of low supplementary heating. The solar cell (1) considerably reduces heat requirements and can be optimally adapted to a wide range of local climate relationships.

The invention relates to a solar cell.
Background of the Invention
U.S. Pat. No. 4,596,237 discloses a solar cell for obtaining transportable thermal energy. The cell has swivelling, slatted shading elements on the outside and/or a coating applied to the outer transparent cover, which limit the maximum incident thermal radiation. The energy taken up is transferred via subsequent absorber layers to a plurality of encapsulated latent heat stores which store the heat chemically and release it again to the adjacent rooms with a time delay on cooling, by resulting recrystallizations.
An air cushion forms between the heat stores, which are arranged opposite one another and are tightly sealed on all sides; only a very limited heat transfer can take place, so that the losses resulting from cooling are very high, which means that only a low heat flow to the inside of the building takes place with a relatively short time delay. A perceptible day/night compensation is therefore not possible due to the system. The solar converter containing chemicals is furthermore very expensive to produce and, depending on the storage medium used, is even an envimomental hazard and requires special disposal measures on later replacement or breakage.
A low-energy house with a honeycomb structure which absorbs radiant heat is known (Felix Schmid, Wxc3xa4rmedxc3xa4mmung mit Karton, Schweizer Energie-Fachbuch [Heat Insulation with Cardboard, Swiss Energy Textbook] 1988, Verlag Kxc3xcnzier-Bachmann AG, CH-9001 St. Gallen, p. 50-51). This structure comprises solar cells which are employed with a front glazing in elemental construction to build up a wall 30 to 40 cm thick. A wooden frame contains a conventional heat insulation and a cardboard honeycomb 8 cm thick positioned in front, which are protected by the rear-ventilated low-reflection glazing. The cardboard honeycomb acting as a solar collector reduces the temperature gradient in the outer skin of the house and minimizes the heat flow from the inside outwards. However, the actual energy gain is relatively small even on sunny days, since the solar radiation into the horizontal honeycombs made of recycled paper covers only the lower front region thereof and passes into the inside only by means of low thermal convection. The thermal time constant of the material used is inadequate per se and is intensified in its negative effect by the structure-related poor longitudinal conductivity of the honeycombs, which furthermore have channels with an approximately circular cross-section and a constant width.
In practical operation it has been found that on sunny days temperatures of up to more than 90xc2x0 C. partly arise on the cardboard honeycomb, while on a cloudy winter day xe2x88x923xc2x0 C. was measured at the same point. These high temperature gradients result in an accelerated ageing of the honeycomb material, the swelling properties thereof inter alia undergoing reversible deterioration.
AT-B-375 125 discloses an insulating faxc3xa7ade which has a stationary structure for shading, but its use is limited to south-side faxc3xa7ades. By horizontal channels closed on both sides in the insulating material, a direct introduction of thermal radition into the building is said to take place in the winter months. However, no storage of heat and also no time-delayed introduction of heat into the inside of the building is possible by this means. The necessary high number of channels causes high insulation losses, which has a particularly adverse effect if the temperature difference between the inside of the building and outside is high, i.e. in the absence of solar radiation and in particular in the late hours of the night.
Brief Summary of the Invention
The object of the present invention is therefore to provide a solar cell which does not have the abovementioned disadvantages and nevertheless has good summer/winter properties. The solar cell should achieve a temperature course in the house which is as balanced as possible, regardless of the height of the sun; allow a so-called comfort climate there, and in winter effect a noticeable solar heat gain. The solar cells must be aesthetically pleasing and it must be possible to integrate them both into new buildings and into existing structures, at least in a visually acceptable manner. The solar cell must be adaptable to the local circumstances of vapour diffusion (formation of dew). The structure thereof should also allow integration and/or combination with self-supporting structural elements known per se.
The materials used for the construction must moreover be biologically acceptable in building terms and as close to natural as possible; they should largely comply with the conditions of lasting construction.(according to the Brundtland Commission) and nevertheless be economical and maintenance-free. In particular, no expensive latent heat stores based on recrystallizations should be used in order to achieve the desired thermal time constant.
In accordance with the foregoing, a solar cell of the present invention includes a solar collector with a transparent, rear ventilated, cover. A stationery honeycomb structure for solar radiant heat absorption is at a geometry selected for the incident angle of the radiation, either with or without a front structure to further compensate for seasonal angle variations.
The term xe2x80x9cselective for the incident anglexe2x80x9d as used herein relates here to geometries and structures in and on honeycombs which, compared with those with only channels which are of uniform shape or slightly widened on the solar side, result in a better limiting of the summertime heating up temperatures and considerably reduce the heating requirement in winter.
In practice this means that only direct thermal radiation at an angle of  greater than 60xc2x0 to the perpendicular enters into the collector.
An embodiment of the solar cell which is open to vapour diffusion is important, which on the one hand serves for good transportation of heat in the day and night phases, and on the other hand prevents the formation of dew on separating layers. This embodiment can be implemented on the building object according to the sky direction and to geographical and local incident radiation circumstances.
The thermal time constant, calculated by conventional methods or determined and/or verified by experiments, is likewise adapted to the local circumstances and must guarantee a heat gain in the rooms lying behind during the night hours and delayed heating thereof during the day. In practice this leads to a reduction in the temperature gradient between the inside and outside on the building jacket.
When designing the insulation, because of obligatory building and energy regulations it is of course also necessary to reach compromises, which in physical terms often would not be necessary per se, since the invention relates to an active, self-regulating thermal system.
A volume ratio between the hollow spaces and closed volume of the honeycomb of  less than 4:1 regardless of the density of the material, results in a higher thermal capacity compared with the known cardboard honeycombs and therefore better storage properties.
The integration of mirrors to compensate for seasonal incident angle variation allows improved directing of the incident solar radiation. In the simplest case flat mirrors are used, these being assigned to the honeycomb openings, for example, as metal strips. A specific orientation of the mirrors adjusted to requirements in respect of the alignment of the wall surface or of the roof and the geographical position is particularly advantageous. The mirrors can also be of a bifocal construction.
By constructing the honeycomb with hollow spaces having larger dimensions in the direction of sun height as compared to an orthogonal direction, a higher introduction of energy can be achieved, so that rooms lying behind can be employed for drying numerous materials, or this type of solar cell can also be used in combination with heat exchangers for heating water or assisting heating. Such an arrangement may be appropriate in the roof area, where the highest energy yield is to be expected, corresponding to the inclination, which can be freely chosen within wide limits. Preheating of air in mechanical domestic ventilation systems and air-conditioning units can also be realized by means of simple cross-current heat exchangers.
Shading elements can be employed, and are particularly efficient in summer months and, with a size which is easy to optimize, do not interfere or interfere only slightly with the incident radiation in winter months.
By targeted structuring of the hollow spaces in the honeycomb, the heat absorption can be improved. By tapering or narrowing the hollow spaces in the inward direction the solar yield can be further increased or optimized. Inclined hollow results in an improved introduction of heat especially if the hollow spaces are not completely air-tight on the side of the heat insulation.
A transparent film may be employed for suppressing a backflow of heat caused by transportation of air in the region of the rear ventilation. The radiation yield is particularly efficient with use of a black radiation emitter film. The incorporation of further heat insulations in the honeycomb openings represents an expedient alternative to the films.
By the additional incorporation of known latent heat stores which release again during the night the heat excess present during the day, and on the other hand by so-called xe2x80x9cheat tubesxe2x80x9d, which transport the heat of evaporation from a first to a second zone and have the effect of a high heat insulation from the second to the first zone, the solar cell according to the invention may be further optimized.
Due to the high mass and the storage capacity which can thereby be chosen, a fine ceramic is particularly advantageous for the honeycomb, especially since this can be partly metal-coated economically favourably by glazes. Wood with a high hygroscopicity, results in a construction which is particularly close to natural and requires only little so called xe2x80x9cgreyxe2x80x9d energy.
The utilization of a transparent cover having a structured outer surface known per se which, without noticeable losses in energy transportation, generates iridescent light reflexes, depending on the height of the sun, can also be efficiently incorporated into the invention.

Solar cell with a solar collector and storage elements


The present invention relates to processes utilizing hydrogen species selectively permeable membranes for synthesis of products. The present invention also relates to processes for synthesizing products from hydrogen insertion or hydrogenation reactions utilizing hydrogen species permeable membranes. The present invention also relates to processes for synthesizing ammonia utilizing hydrogen species selectively permeable membranes. The membranes provide surfaced modified membranes that can comprise a porous layer containing a plurality of reactive sites comprising a metal species and a catalyst for promoting a reaction within the layer.

Over 100 million tons of ammonia is produced per annum using about 2% of the world's energy consumption. Ammonia is used mainly in the fertiliser industry (>80%) and for industrial processes (20%) as a source of nitrogen. Ammonia is produced at present through the Haber-Bosch process, which is an energy intensive process requiring hydrogen and nitrogen to react (i.e. 3H2+N2→2NH3) on an iron based catalyst at high temperatures (up to 500° C.) and high pressure (up to 300 bar). This reaction is exothermic and has a negative entropy change that requires high temperatures (kinetics) and high pressures for the reaction to proceed at reasonable rates, and there is only 10-15% conversion of reactants at each stage. Consequently, the step is repeated a number of times. The total energy consumption by this route is very high at 9500 kwh/ton of ammonia produced (12000 kwh/ton if H2 is produced via electrolysis rather than via natural gas reforming).
Other methods of producing ammonia include electrochemical based processes. The electrochemical route for production of ammonia can save more than 20% of the energy consumed as compared to the Haber-Bosch process, although still requires relatively high energy input and also suffers from low conversion rates. Hydrogen can be sourced from natural gas reforming or electrolysis of water, or can be produced in situ by electrolysis of water or decomposition of an organic solvent such as ethanol. The process can be carried out under ambient conditions or at higher temperatures depending on the type of the electrolyte material used.
There is a need to find an alternative route for ammonia synthesis that can reduce the severity of the process conditions, lower the energy consumption per unit of ammonia produced, and enhance the ammonia conversion rates.
Other industrially important chemical processes include hydrogen peroxide synthesis from oxygen and hydrogen, and hydrocarbon synthesis from carbon monoxide or carbon dioxide and hydrogen. Such processes either involve catalysed reactions operating at high temperatures and pressures, or direct or indirect electrochemical processes that also require a high energy input.
The above industrial processes are extremely energy intensive have low efficiency and energy recycling is poor. There is thus a need to identify novel processes for large scale synthesis of products at reduced energy inputs.

Processes utilising selectively permeable membranes

Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation


A method for polymerizing polyvinyl chloride and polyvinyl chloride copolymers is provided in which a monomer slurry is formed by adding the monomers and water (hot or cold) in the reaction vessel, and the slurry is brought to reaction temperature. After a time delay of 0 to 15 minutes, an emulsifier package is added, and after a further time delay of 0 to 15 minutes, a catalyst emulsion is added. The emulsifier package comprises a primary emulsifier which is partially saponified polyvinyl alcohol having a degree of saponification between about 60 and about 90 mole percent and a solubility in methanol index at 55.degree. C. in a range of up to about 60 percent. A secondary emulsifier is included in the emulsifier package which is a preferably cellulosic type emulsifier. Preferably an additional emulsifier is added which is a hydrolyzed polyvinyl acetate having a degree of hydrolysis of at least 68 percent. The polymerization product has good bulk density and porosity parameters. Resins produced from this product have low fisheye characteristics.

It is currently known to use a partially saponified polyvinyl alcohol emulsifier having a degree of saponification between about 60 and 90 mole percent and a solubility-in-methanol index at 55.degree. C. of at least up to about 60 percent. An example of such an emulsifier is Poval L9 sold by Kurara Co., Ltd. of Japan. This emulsifier has advantages in that it can be used at lower concentrations and it results in superior polymerization product, namely, the product has improved porosity and low gel content. However, in the past, it has not been known how to take advantage of the use of this emulsifier in "hot charge" reaction vessels. Specifically, at temperatures above 40.degree. C. the emulsifier causes an unstable suspension and difficulties in particle size control.

Method for providing improved colloidal stability and polyvinyl chloride using a hot charge polymerization procedure with emulsifier package


A chargeable resin powder is transported by means of an airstream which is a mixture of air and steam. This enables pneumatic transport of chargeable resin powder without building up electrostatic charges.

This invention relates to a method for the pneumatic transport of a chargeable resin powder such as vinyl chloride resin powder.
Pneumatic transport is often employed for conveying a large quantity of resin powder such as thermoplastic resin powder. The pneumatic transport is generally carried out by taking air from the ambient atmosphere, compressing the air by a boot blower, and optionally cooling the air.
One class of thermoplastic resin powder includes chargeable resin powders such as vinyl chloride resins, ABS resins and SBC resins. The pneumatic transport is also employed for conveying a large quantity of such chargeable resin powders.
However, during the pneumatic transport of chargeable resin powder, the resin powder tends to build up electrostatic charges due to friction or the like. Electrostatic charging gives rise to the following problems. (i) The resin powder itself is so reduced in bulk density that the transport becomes efficient. (ii) The resin powder forms aggregates or bridges within the transport pipe, reducing the transport efficiency and still worse, causing the pipe to be clogged to substantially restrain pneumatic transport. (iii) After the resin powder is transported to the tank, the powder forms aggregates or bridges in the tank. Since the resin powder is not permitted to fall under gravity upon withdrawal of the resin powder from the tank, it is necessary to apply vibration to the tank in order to withdraw the resin powder from the tank.
An object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved method for the pneumatic transport of chargeable resin powder which prevents the chargeable resin powder from building up electrostatic charges during the transportation and thus has solved the above problems (i) to (iii).
We learned that when a chargeable resin powder is transported by means of a conveying airstream obtained by compressing air in a boot blower and cooling to about 10 to 70xc2x0 C. in an after cooler, moisture in the resin powder volatilizes during transportation so that the chargeable resin powder becomes more and more readily chargeable. This, combined with friction among resin particles, causes the chargeable resin powder to readily build up more electrostatic charges. We have found that by using an air/steam mixture obtained by admixing the conveying air with steam, and properly adjusting the humidity of the air/steam mixture, the electrostatic charging of the chargeable resin powder is minimized, thereby preventing a lowering of bulk density, formation of aggregates or bridges, and clogging of the pipe due to electrostatic charging of the chargeable resin powder.
The invention provides a method for transporting a chargeable resin powder by means of an airstream. An air/steam mixture obtained by admixing air with steam is used as the airstream. The chargeable resin is typically a vinyl chloride resin.
In a preferred embodiment, the air/steam mixture is adjusted so as to meet the following relationship:
0xc2x0 C. less than (T1xe2x88x92K1)xc2x0 C.xe2x89xa660xc2x0 C.
wherein T1 is the temperature of the mixture which has been used in pneumatic transport of the powder and separated from the powder and K1 is the dew point of the mixture.

Pneumatic transport of chargeable resin powder


Two unshielded photosensors to determine the outside-light illuminance and two shielded photosensors are placed alternating both in the longitudinal direction and in the lateral direction. Then, the difference between the output of the unshielded photosensors and the output of the shielded photosensors is obtained. Accordingly, even when the thermoelectric currents differ from each other due to a variation in characteristics between the elements and a difference in the thermal distribution between the elements, the sensor currents can be corrected, so that a photodetector circuit which stably determines the outside-light illuminance can be provided.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a photodetector circuit that determines illuminance by taking a thermoelectric current into account.
2. Description of the Related Art
Liquid crystal display devices, which are light in weight, thin in shape, and low in power consumption, are frequently used as the display devices for information devices and for mobile terminal devices. To achieve a brighter display screen, many liquid crystal display devices are provided with backlights for emitting light from the back side of the liquid crystal panel. The necessary illuminance of the backlight for sufficient visibility differs depending on the brightness of a place where the liquid crystal display device is used. To detect the difference, some display devices have photosensors to determine the illuminance of the outside light to adjust the illuminance of the backlight. A known example of such display devices is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2007-114315.
Integration of the photosensor into the liquid crystal panel is advantageous for the downsizing of a liquid crystal display device. However, the photosensor that is formed integrally with the liquid crystal panel by the low-temperature poly-silicon technique has its own drawbacks. For example, the photosensor thus formed is likely to be affected by the thermoelectric current, which in turn makes it difficult to accurately determine the outside-light illuminance. To address this problem, the display device disclosed in the above-mentioned document is provided not only with a first photosensor to receive the outside light and to determine the illuminance thereof but also a second photosensor to determine the thermoelectric current while being shielded from the outside light. Calculating the difference between the two values thus determined gives a more accurate illuminance of the outside light.
However, in some cases, the first photosensor and the second photosensor have different levels of thermoelectric currents due to a variation in characteristics between the two photosensor elements and a difference in the temperature distribution between the positions where the two photosensors are respectively arranged. This causes a problem that a stable photodetector circuit cannot be provided.

Toshiba Matsushita Display Technology Co., Ltd.


An implant for bone fixation is presented. The implant comprises an elongated member configured to be wound around bone parts that are to be fixed. Further, an engagement feature is provided that is coupled to the elongated member and configured to engage a portion of the elongated member so as to secure the implant in a loop around the bone parts. A fastening member is arranged between and coupled to the elongated member and the engagement member. The fastening member comprises at least one opening for receiving a bone fastener. In one variant, at least one visual indicator indicating a region of the fastening member to be severed in order to detach the implant is provided. In another variant, at least one of the engagement member and the elongated member are coupled to the fastening member by injection molding.

Various surgical procedures require the surgeon to access the thoracic region of a patient. A known approach to access the thoracic region is to cut the sternum in two parts and separate these two parts from each other for gaining access to the thoracic region. After completion of the surgical procedure, the separated parts of the sternum are brought back to their initial positions and fixed, for example, with a bone plate attached to the sternum parts or a wire tensioned around the circumference of the sternum.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,417,698 discloses a closure element to be looped around a human sternum. The closure element comprises a strap which is inserted through and retained by a tightening plate.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,460,295 discloses a sternum repair device including a central body and a plurality of bands extending from the central body. The bands are wrapped around the sternum to keep the sternum parts together. The central body includes a view window which is used by a surgeon to line up the device during installation on the sternum.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,486,114 discloses a cerclage system including a cable that encircles the sternum parts and a bone plate having channels to receive segments of the cable. The bone plate further includes a pair of locking studs to lock the cable within the channels to the bone plate.
EP 0 608 592 B1 discloses an assembly for banding a sternum. The assembly comprises an elongated flexible band, a needle at one end of the band and a buckle proximate the other end of the band. A main section of the band includes a plurality of spaced apart slots which can engage at a locking mechanism.
After the thoracic procedure such as, for example, a bypass operation has been carried out on a patient and the sternum parts have been fixed using a suitable fixation assembly, the patient is normally kept under surveillance. If it is detected that the surgical procedure has failed or that complications occur, it may be desirable for the surgeon to again open the fixation system for accessing the thoracic region. The time required for this opening procedure may be critical for the patient's health and even life.
In other situations, a cable or wire tensioned around the sternum parts (so-called "primary closure") might become loose or break due to the load applied to the thoracic region of the patient. In such cases, the sternum part fixation may need to be stabilized by, for example, a bone plate (so-called "secondary closure").
Similar or related problems occur in connection with other surgical procedure in which two or more bone parts need to be fixed.
There is a need for an implant for bone fixation that can be attached or separated fast, easily and at low risk for the patient. Furthermore, there is a need for such an implant which provides a high implant-bone-construct-stability. Moreover, there is generally a need for an implant for bone fixation that exhibits good surgical results.


A method and apparatus for interactively generating data indicative of a three-dimensional free-form surface and visually displaying the surface comprising setting three-dimensional positional data representing sample points on the three-dimensional free-form surface to be generated and at least one auxiliary weight function. Then, calculating virtual data Yjm using the three-dimensional positional data and auxiliary weight function K2m. Next, calculating at least one main weight function K1j using the auxiliary weight function and virtual data so that the main weight function K1j is equal to a value other than zero at one sample point and is equal to zero at the remaining sample points. Then, calculating interpolation, values of the free-form surface using the main weight function K1j and virtual data to obtain data indicative of a modified three-dimensional free form surface. Finally, adjusting the data represent said sample points, and adjusting the auxiliary weight function with changing sample point data.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for designing a creative free-form surface in three-dimensional space and also for designing a free-form surface from a map indicating altitude or density and from coordinates of a three-dimensional object.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A free-form surface is designed for reproducing or modifying a curved surface existing in natural environment, or a curved surface obtained by experience, on computer, and also for designing a curved surface of buildings and industrial products.
In the past, a Bezier curved surface, a B-spline curved surface, a NURBS curved surface, a Gregory curved surface, etc. have been used for designing a curved surface on a computer. For example, the Bezier curved surface is expressed by the equation (1):                               S                                (                          u              ,              v                        )                          =                              ∑                          i              =              0                        n                                          xe2x80x83                                                        ∑                              j                =                0                            m                                                  xe2x80x83                                                                                B                  i                  n                                                                  (                  u                  )                                                                                B                  j                  m                                                                  (                  v                  )                                                                          P                ij                                                                        (        1        )
Vector S(u,v) is a position vector of a point on curved surface in three-dimensional rectangular coordinate system xyz, i.e.:
S(u,v)={x(u,v),y(u,v),z(u,v)}xe2x80x83xe2x80x83(2)
where u and v are real parameters, which change within the range of 0xe2x89xa6uxe2x89xa61 and 0xe2x89xa6vxe2x89xa61 respectively.
Vector Pij (i=0, . . . ,n; j=0, . . . , m) is a position vector of a control point of Bezier curved surface, and Bin(u) is Bernstein""s basic function, i.e.:                                           B            i            n                                          (            u            )                          =                                            n              !                                                      i                !                                                          xe2x80x83                                                                            (                                      n                    -                    i                                    )                                !                                                                    u            i                                          xe2x80x83                                                        (                              1                -                u                            )                                      n              -              1                                                          (        3        )
Meanwhile, Bin(u) is in form of a binomial coefficient with the relationship:                                           ∑                          i              =              0                        n                                          xe2x80x83                                                        B              i              n                                                  (              t              )                                      =                                            {                                                (                                      1                    -                    t                                    )                                +                t                            }                                                  xe2x80x83                                                                 n                                =          1                                    (        4        )
The sum of the product of two Bernstein""s basic functions is 1.                                           ∑                          i              =              0                        n                                          xe2x80x83                                                        ∑                              j                =                0                            m                                                  xe2x80x83                                                                                B                  i                  n                                                                  (                  u                  )                                                                                B                  j                  m                                                                  (                  v                  )                                                                    =                                                            {                                                      (                                          1                      -                      u                                        )                                    +                  u                                }                            n                                                  xe2x80x83                                                                  {                                                      (                                          1                      -                      v                                        )                                    +                  v                                }                            m                                =          1                                    (        5        )
In the equation (5), if n=m=3, the following relationship exists for each value of u and v:
xe2x80x83a00+a10+a20+a30+ . . . +a03+a13+a23+a33=1xe2x80x83xe2x80x83(6)
Point vector S(u, v) on a curved surface is given by:
S(u, v)=a00P00+a10P10+ . . . +a23P23+a33P33xe2x80x83xe2x80x83(7)
a00 to a33 are the product of two Bernstein""s functions. FIG. 8 represents Bezier curved surface in this case.
From the equations (6) and (7), a point on the curved surface can be given by barycentric coordinates having weight on each of control points. Thus, it is evident that the shape of Bezier curved surface can be changed within a convex polyhedron including control points by moving each control point vector Pij. The other curved surface such as B-spline surface, NURBS surface, and Gregory surface are given by the function using parameters u and v and control point vector Pij as in the case of Bezier surface. Thus, the shape of curved surface can be changed by control points.
On the other hand, in deforming the shape of a free-form surface, curved surface is not moved in any of expression modes of the above free-form surfaces, and inherent parameters for expressing shape are changed and the shape is indirectly deformed.
In other words, when the shape of the curved surface is deformed, it is not that points of the curved surface are directly manipulated, but control point in neighborhood of the curved surface must be manipulated.
Therefore, it is not possible to freely design a free-form surface unless more experiences are accumulated to be able to estimate how the shap of the curved surface is changed and which of the control points is moved, or how far and which of the control points should be moved in order to deform the curved surface as desired.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus which is capable of displaying a three-dimensional free-form surface on a display unit such that a desired curved surface can be obtained irrespective of the complexity of the curved surface by receiving commands from a user.
To attain the above-mentioned object, at least one auxiliary weight function is employed with plural sample points being set. The auxiliary weight function is first inputted by a user and is used to calculate virtual data and main weight function(s). The main weight function(s) is/are calculated using the auxiliary weight function and virtual data. Interpolation values are then calculated to obtain data indicative of a modified curved surface, and this curved surface is displayed. The user may adjust not only sample points but also auxiliary weight function so as to further modify the displayed curved surface. The change in the auxiliary weight function causes the change in virtual data and the main weight function(s). Therefore, the displayed curved surface can be modified at will of the user who continuously gives commands to vary the auxiliary weight function. With this arrangement, even if the sample points are fixed, various different desired curved surfaces can be obtained by changing the auxiliary weight function.
Therefore, according to the present invention, there is provided a method of interactively generating data indicative of a three-dimensional free-form surface and visually displaying the surface by a display unit, comprising the steps of:
a) setting three-dimensional positional data representing sample points on said three-dimensional free-form surface to be generated and at least one auxiliary weight function both in response to commands inputted by a user;
b) calculating virtual data using said three-dimensional positional data and said auxiliary weight function, and calculating at least one main weight function using said auxiliary weight function and said virtual data so that said main weight function equals a value other than zero at one sample point and equals zero at remaining sample points, and;
(c) calculating interpolation values of said free-form surface using said main weight function and said virtual data to obtain data indicative of a modified three-dimensional free-form surface;
(d) displaying said modified three-dimensional free-form surface by said display unit;
(e) adjusting said data representing said sample points in response to commands inputted by said user;
(f) adjusting said auxiliary weight function based on adjusted said data representing said sample points in response to commands inputted by said user; and
repeating steps (b) to (f) as long as said commands are inputted in said step (e) or (f) to obtain a finally modified three-dimensional free-form surface.
There is also provided, according to the present invention, an apparatus for interactively generating data indicative of a three-dimensional free-form surface and visually displaying the surface by a display unit, comprising:
(a) means for setting three-dimensional positional data representing sample points on said three-dimensional free-form surface to be generated and at least one auxiliary weight function both in response to commands inputted by a user; and
(b) means for calculating virtual data using said three-dimensional positioned data and said auxiliary weight function and calculating at least one main weight function using said auxiliary weight function and said virtual data so that said main weight function equals a value other than zero at one of said sampler points and equal zero at remaining sample points, and;
(c) means for calculating interpolation values of said free-form surface using said main weight function and said virtual data to obtain data indicative of a modified three-dimensional free-form surface;
(d) means for displaying said modified three-dimensional free-form surface by said display unit;
(e) means for adjusting said data representing said sample points in response to commands inputted by said user;
(f) means for adjusting said auxiliary weight function based on adjusted said data representing said sample points in response to commands inputted by said user; and
means for repeating said steps (b) to (f) as long as said commands are inputted in said step (e) or (f) to obtain a finally modified three-dimensional free-form surface.

Method for designing three-dimensional free-form surface and apparatus for executing the same

National Institute of Agro Environmental Sciences


A double-side and full color transfer paper for electrophotography having a paper layer divided into a felt side and a wire side, wherein the difference between the orientation of fiber in the felt side and that in the wire side of the paper layer is 0.1 to -0.1, and both of residual curvature of the transfer paper in a MD (in a movement direction of a paper machine) and that in a CD (in a direction perpendicular to the MD) are included in a range from 7 to -7 m.sup.-1 and the expansion ratio of the transfer paper in the CD is 0.55 or lower, if necessary.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a double-side and full color transfer paper for electrophotography having an improved traveling characteristic in an electrophotographic copying machine or a printer when a double-side copying operation is performed.
2. Description of the Related Art
Copying machines, printers and facsimile machines using the electrophotography are structured such that a charge pattern is formed on the surface of a photosensitive drum or a photosensitive belt containing amorphous silicon, an organic semiconductor and so forth to form a toner image by causing toner particles to adhere to the charge pattern. Then, transfer paper is brought into contact with the photosensitive surface to perform corona discharge or the like from the wire side of the paper so as to transfer the toner image to the transfer paper and fix the same with heat, pressure or the like to obtain a printed image.
Since the foregoing full color copying method uses toner in four colors, its transference mechanism is considerably different from that of the conventional white and black copying machine. It is important for the full color copying machine to accurately superimpose and transfer four color toner images. Therefore, -a transfer drum method has been employed which is arranged such that a transfer member, such as transfer paper, is supported on a transfer-member holding member, typified by a transfer drum, which is rotated in synchronization with a toner-image carrier, such as a photosensitive drum, and a toner image is transferred to the transfer paper supported around the transfer drum.
To improve productivity of the copying operation, a tandem method of forming a color image is employed by a portion of apparatuses, the method being structured such that a transference-member holding member in the form of an endless belt is employed and a plurality of image forming means corresponding to the colors are disposed along a direction in which the transference-member holding member is moved so as to sequentially transfer toner images in the respective colors on the transfer member held by the transfer-member holding member.
As described above, the transference mechanism and the like of the color copying machine are considerably different from those of the white and black copying machine. Therefore, considerably different characteristics are required for the transfer paper. Since there arise a variety of requirements in that the quality of the formed image must be improved and the state of curled paper must be stabilized, various improving means have been suggested (for example, refer to Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 1-292354, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-268567, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-291351, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-337736, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-349468, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-341553, Japanese Patent Laid- Open No. 5-53363 and so forth).
In recent years, many color copying machines have a double-side mechanism. Thus, means for improving requirements for the double-side copy to satisfy, for example, prevention of set-off and improvement in the quality of the formed image have been suggested (refer to, for example, Japanese Patent Laid- Open No. 6-186769).
If the transfer paper suggested so as to form a color image or transfer paper which has been used in a white and black electrophotographic method is used in the double side copying operation of a copying machine using the full color electrophotographic method, a fact has been detected that a critical problem arises in the traveling characteristic, and more particularly in the traveling characteristic in a low temperature and low humidity state.

Double-side and full color transfer paper for electrophotography


A holder for a paint striping tool as provided than has a plurality of guide pins which allow for engaging a temporary template to allow for the precise painting of single and multiple paint strips.

This invention relates generally to pinstriping tools that are used to apply paint in the form of decorative stripes to an automotive vehicle. In the years, the industry has utilized a Beugler™ tool as set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 1,998,710 and which is incorporated herein by reference.
A Beugler™ type tool requires a significant level of hand-eye coordination and training in order for the operator to consistently form painted lines without undesired curvature or deviation within the painted stripe. As is known and appreciated in the art the Beugler™ type tool includes a reservoir for paint along with a serrated rotary wheel which is used to receive paint from the tool reservoir and applying the paint while the serrated rotary edge is moved along the exterior painted surface of a vehicle.
There is a need in the art to provide for a tool that can be used to apply painted pinstriping that does not necessitate a high learning curve and expertise in order to obtain consistent professional results.
Accordingly, there remains room for improvement and variation within the art.