A rotor is disclosed for a synchronous machine comprising: a rotor core; a super-conducting coil winding extending around at least a portion of the rotor core, the coil winding having a pair of side sections on opposite sides of the rotor core; and a conductive shield around the rotor core and covering the coil winding.

The present invention relates generally to a super-conductive coil in a synchronous rotating machine. More particularly, the present invention relates to an electromagnetic shield for a rotor having super-conducting field windings.
Synchronous electrical machines having field coil windings include, but are not limited to, rotary generators, rotary motors, and linear motors. These machines generally comprise a stator and rotor that are electromagnetically coupled. The rotor may include a multi-pole rotor core and one or more coil windings mounted on the rotor core. The rotor cores may include a magnetically-permeable solid material, such as an iron-core rotor.
Conventional copper windings are commonly used in the rotors of synchronous electrical machines. However, the electrical resistance of copper windings (although low by conventional measures) is sufficient to contribute to substantial heating of the rotor and to diminish the power efficiency of the machine. Recently, super-conducting (SC) coil windings have been developed for rotors. SC windings have effectively no resistance and are highly advantageous rotor coil windings.
Iron-core rotors saturate at an air-gap magnetic field strength of about 2 Tesla. Known super-conductive rotors employ air-core designs, with no iron in the rotor, to achieve air-gap magnetic fields of 3 Tesla or higher. These high air-gap magnetic fields yield increased power densities of the electrical machine, and result in significant reduction in weight and size of the machine. Air-core super-conductive rotors require large amounts of super-conducting wire. The large amounts of SC wire add to the number of coils required, the complexity of the coil supports, and the cost of the SC coil windings and rotor.
High temperature SC coil field windings are formed of super-conducting materials that are brittle, and must be cooled to a temperature at or below a critical temperature, e.g., 27xc2x0 K., to achieve and maintain super-conductivity. The SC windings may be formed of a high temperature super-conducting material, such as a BSCCO (BixSrxCaxCuxOx) based conductor.
Super-conducting coils have been cooled by liquid helium. After passing through the windings of the rotor, the hot, used helium is returned as room-temperature gaseous helium. Using liquid helium for cryogenic cooling requires continuous reliquefaction of the returned, room-temperature gaseous helium, and such reliquefaction poses significant reliability problems and requires significant auxiliary power.
Prior SC coil cooling techniques include cooling an epoxy-impregnated SC coil through a solid conduction path from a cryocooler. Alternatively, cooling tubes in the rotor may convey a liquid and/or gaseous cryogen to a porous SC coil winding that is immersed in the flow of the liquid and/or gaseous cryogen. However, immersion cooling requires the entire field winding and rotor structure to be at cryogenic temperature, as a result no iron can be used in the rotor magnetic circuit because of the brittle nature of iron at cryogenic temperatures.
What is needed is a super-conducting field winding assemblage for an electrical machine that does not have the disadvantages of the air-core and liquid-cooled super-conducting field winding assemblages of, for example, known super-conductive rotors.
In addition, high temperature super-conducting (HTS) coils are sensitive to degradation from high bending and tensile strains. These coils must undergo substantial centrifugal forces that stress and strain the coil windings. Normal operation of electrical machines involves thousands of start up and shut down cycles over the course of several years that result in low cycle fatigue loading of the rotor. Furthermore, the HTS rotor winding should be capable of withstanding 25% over-speed operation during rotor balancing procedures at ambient temperature and notwithstanding occasional over-speed conditions at cryogenic temperatures during power generation operation. These over-speed conditions substantially increase the centrifugal force loading on the windings over normal operating conditions.
SC coils used as the HTS rotor field winding of an electrical machine are subjected to stresses and strains during cool-down and normal operation. They are subjected to centrifugal loading, torque transmission, and transient fault conditions. To withstand the forces, stresses, strains and cyclical loading, the SC coils should be properly supported in the rotor by a coil support system. These support systems hold the SC coil(s) in the HTS rotor and secure the coils against the tremendous centrifugal forces due to the rotation of the rotor. Moreover, the coil support system protects the SC coils, and ensures that the coils do not prematurely crack, fatigue or otherwise break.
Developing support systems for HTS coil has been a difficult challenge in adapting SC coils to HTS rotors. Examples of coil support systems for HTS rotors that have previously been proposed are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,548,168; 5,532,663; 5,672,921; 5,777,420; 6,169,353, and 6,066,906. However, these coil support systems suffer various problems, such as being expensive, complex and requiring an excessive number of components. There is a long-felt need for a HTS rotor having a coil support system for a SC coil. The need also exists for a coil support system made with low cost and easy to fabricate components.
Structural supports for the HTS field coil windings has been one of the primary challenges to incorporating SC coils into rotors. The structure must support the SC coil winding without conducting substantial heat into the winding. The structure of the coil support has been minimized so as to reduce the mass that conducts heat from the rotor core into the cooled SC windings. However, minimizing the coil supports also limits the level of forces that can be withstood by the supports. If the forces that act on the rotor exceed the force carrying ability of the coil supports, then there is a substantial risk that the coil support will fail or that the coil windings will be damaged.
A potential source of forces that act on the rotor is torque due to grid faults. A High Temperature Super-Conducting (HTS) generator has a field winding SC coil is susceptible to electrical grid faults. A grid fault is a current spike in the power system grid to which is coupled the stator of the machine. Under grid fault conditions excessive current flows in the stator. This current causes an electrical disturbance in the stator winding that induces a strong transient magnetic flux into the rotor field winding coils.
The potential penetration of a transient magnetic field into the rotor field winding coil creates significant torque forces on the rotor coil winding and induces hysteresis and eddy current heating (alternating current loses) in the super-conducting field winding that my result in loss of super-conductivity. In addition, reducing these extraneous magnetic field penetrations will reduce alternating current (AC) loses in the super-conductor and preserve the super-conducting state of the rotor field winding. Minimizing the forces that act on a rotor allows for reduction in the structure of the coil support system. Reducing the rotor torque due to grid faults and other extraordinary variations in the electromagnetic field surrounding the rotor allows the coil support structures to be minimized.
Shielding the rotor prevents magnetic flux from the stator from interfering with the rotor. If a rotor field winding coil is not well shielded, the coil support must be reinforced to support the fault torque. An electromagnetic (EM) shield prevents stator magnetic flux from penetrating the rotor, which is more important for a super-conducting machine than a conventional machine.
The EM shield may cover nearly the entire surface of the rotor core. A cylindrical shield shape is useful for providing EM protection to the rotor. The EM shield may also served as the vacuum boundary for the SC coils. This boundary establishes a vacuum around the SC coil winding. The EM shield may be made of highly electrical conducted material, such as copper or aluminum.
The HTS rotor may be for a synchronous machine originally designed to include SC coils. Alternatively, the HTS rotor may replace a copper coil rotor in an existing electrical machine, such as in a conventional generator. The rotor and its SC coils are described here in the context of a generator, but the HTS coil rotor is also suitable for use in other synchronous machines.
The coil support system is useful in integrating the coil support system with the coil and rotor. In addition, the coil support system facilitates easy pre-assembly of the coil support system, coil and rotor core prior to final rotor assembly. Pre-assembly reduces coil and rotor assembly time, improves coil support quality, and reduces coil assembly variations.
In a first embodiment, the invention is a rotor in a synchronous machine comprising: a rotor core; a super-conducting coil winding extending around at least a portion of the rotor core, said coil winding having a pair of side sections on opposite sides of said rotor core; and a conductive shield around the rotor core and covering said coil winding.
In another embodiment, the invention is a method for shielding a super-conducting coil winding on a rotor core of a synchronous machine comprising the steps of: assembling the coil winding and rotor core; attaching ends of the core to collars of end shafts coaxially aligned with the core, and installing a conductive shield around the rotor core, wherein the shield overlaps each of the collars.
Another embodiment of the invention is a rotor for a synchronous machine comprising: a rotor core having a conduit orthogonal to a longitudinal axis of the rotor; a race-track super-conducting (SC) coil winding in a planar race-track shape parallel to the longitudinal axis of the rotor; a tension rod inside the conduit of the core; a housing coupling the coil winding to the tension rod, and a electromagnetic shield around the rotor core.

High temperature super-conducting synchronous rotor having an electromagnetic shield and method for assembly


A rubbery composite material comprising a substrate and a rubber composition bonded thereto is prepared by metallizing a substrate with a thin film of zinc, copper, cobalt or an alloy thereof by dry plating such as vacuum deposition, ion plating, DC magnetron sputtering, bipolar sputtering, and RF sputtering processes, and pressing a vulcanizable rubber composition to the metallized substrate under heat and pressure to effect vulcanization bonding.

The present invention relates to a method for preparing rubbery composite materials whereby a substrate such as metals, plastics, and ceramics and a rubber composition are bonded with excellent adherence onto a composite body.
Composite materials have been of great interest in a variety of industrial fields because of their superiority in function, reliability, and durability and in cost to the respective components per se. There have been developed a number of new composite materials based on a specific combination of various components.
Composite materials are generally classified into blend and laminate types depending on their composite form. Among those types a more active development work has been focused on the laminate type composite materials because they can be conferred with unique properties as exemplified by anisotropy. Inter alia, rubbery composite materials constitute one class of material where the development work is most active as they can be utilized in a wider variety of fields including not only automobile parts such as tires, vibration dampers, and bumpers, but also electric and electronic parts, and sports items.
Production of a laminate type composite material depends on whether or not a substrate such as fibers, metals, etc. and a rubber compound can be fully bonded. Particularly when the lamination is of a rubber composition, a high level of technology is required because of the special factor that rubber matrix repeats great dynamic deformation. An improvement in bonding techniques is one of main concerns of laminate type composite materials, inter alia, rubbery composite materials.
In the prior art, laminate type composite materials, inter alia, rubber composite materials are produced, for example, by an indirect bond method wherein an adhesive is applied to at least one of a substrate and a coating of rubber composition to bond them together with or without forming a finely roughened surface on at least one of them. Another bonding method is by forming a metal thin film of zinc or brass on a substrate by wet plating and bonding a vulcanizable rubber composition to the metal thin film under heat and pressure.
The former method, that is, adhesive bonding between a substrate and a coating with or without a roughened surface on the substrate has been commercially practiced in the manufacture of vibration damping rubbers or the like. However, there remain many problems including coating considerations such as adherent pretreatment and adhesive maintenance, complicated operation, and safety and hygienic problems associated with the use of organic solvent and the post-disposal of a pretreating agent. Problems also arise when the substrate is of a plastic material. Not only is the adhesive which can bond a plastic material into a composite material limited to a special class of adhesives, but also the bondable substrate is limited to fewer types of plastic materials such as nylon and ABS resins. This indirect bonding method cannot be essentially used in the manufacture of tires and similar articles which are exposed to an extremely severe environment during service. There is the need for an adhesive-free bonding technique in the industrial fields of tire manufacturers and the like.
The latter method, that is, composite material production utilizing a wet-plated metal thin film is only successful with a few metals used as a metal thin film for composite bonding, usually zinc, brass (Zn--Cu alloy), and bronze (Sn--Cu alloy). The rubber composition which can be laminated on the metal thin film is accordingly limited to a few types. In utilizing the wet plating method, control of the thickness of a metal thin film is inherently done. The film tends to be irregular in thickness as often observed in electrolytic plating. A metal thin film having a uniform thickness cannot be obtained unless the thickness exceeds several microns. The intrinsic nature of a metal thin film having such a substantial thickness cannot be ignored depending on the intended type of composite material and sometimes detracts from the flexibility of the resulting composite material. Disposal of spent solutions with a strong acid or alkali is also a problem.
More specifically, the prior art methods for adhesion of a metal surface and an unvulcanized rubber are as follows:
(i) a method comprising applying an adhesive containing a chlorinated polymer, cyclized rubber or the like to a cleaned metal surface to bond it to a rubber;
(ii) a method comprising laminating a rubber composition containing resorcin, hexamethylenetetramine or the like on a metal such as brass, bronze, zinc or the like, and vulcanizing the rubber composition, thereby bonding the metal to the rubber composition; and
(iii) a method comprising laminating a rubber composition containing an organic cobalt salt such as cobalt naphthenate, cobalt stearate or the like on a metal such as brass, bronze, zinc or the like and vulcanizing the rubber composition, thereby bonding the metal to the rubber composition.
Method (i), which is referred to as an "indirect process", is mainly employed on the production of rubber vibration insulator. On the other hand, methods (ii) and (iii), which are referred to as a "dry process" or "direct process", are employed in a more severe use condition including the production of tire, conveyer belt, hose, etc. Method (ii), however, has a problem in that, although it provides good adhesion of the rubber composition and metal in an initial stage, the adhesion property would deteriorate after a long period of usage especially under a severe condition, such as high temperature, high moisture and corrosion circumstances. Further, method (ii) is inferior in workability and productivity. Therefore, method (iii), which uses an organic cobalt salt, usually in an amount of 1 to 3 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of a rubber component, is widely employed in the field of rubber articles, tires, etc. because the addition of the organic cobalt salt to a rubber composition would accelerate the adhesion reaction between the rubber composition and metal (brass, bronze and zinc), improve corrosion resistance and heat resistance of the adhesion interface, and stabilize the adhesion strength for a long period of time. See W. J. van Ooij, ACS Rubber Division 112th Meeting, No. 19, October 1977, Pages 18 to 19; W. J. van Ooij et al, ACS Rubber Division 124th Meeting, October 1983, Rubber Chemistry and Technology, 57, 686-702.
As described above, when bonding a metal (typically brass, bronze and zinc) to a rubber composition, it is a common practice in the field to blend an organic cobalt salt to the rubber composition. Such a rubber composition containing an organic cobalt salt is vulcanized by using sulfur. In this case, it is recognized that the sulfur content should be large, usually more than 6 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of a rubber component (W. J. van Ooij et al, ACS Rubber Division 118th Meeting, No. 36, October 1980, Page 15). However, the addition of an organic cobalt salt will accelerate heat aging of rubber and deteriorate the rubber property. Further, as the sulfur content becomes larger, the heat aging property of rubber becomes worser.
Benko U.S. Pat. No. 4,517,066, Haemers U.S. Pat. No. 4,255,496, Palmer U.S. Pat. No. 2,640,523 and Van Ooij U.S. Pat. No. 4,218,517 all disclose bonding methods of a rubber composition and a substrate.

Method for making rubbery composite materials by plating a plastic substrate with cobalt


A color printer calibration method for improving printer accuracy in regions of local non-linearity includes the steps of: a) starting with filled rectangular array of color mappings A.sub.0 mapping printer signals to device independent color space signals; b) empirically deriving a set of color mappings P.sub.i in an area of interest; c) using a set of planes defined by the color mappings of A.sub.0, and the set of empirically derived color mappings P.sub.i, identifying a new set of planes such that each point defined by A.sub.0 and each point defined by P.sub.i is located at the intersection of three planes, the intersection points of this expanded number of planes defining a set of points P.sub.i(expanded) that define a full rectangular array A.sub.1 of mappings including mappings A.sub.0, mappings P.sub.i and mappings P.sub.i(expanded) ; d) storing the mapping A.sub.1 for use in the creation of a new color space transformation LUT for use with the printer.

The generation of color documents can be thought of as a two step process: first, the generation of the image by means of scanning an original document with a color image input terminal or scanner or, alternatively, creating a color image on a work station operated in accordance with a color image creation program; and secondly, printing of that image with a color printer in accordance with the colors defined by the scanner or computer generated image. Scanner output is commonly transformed to a color space of tristimulus values, i.e., RGB (red-green-blue). Commonly, these values are a linear transformation of the standard XYZ coordinates of CIE color space, or a corrected transform of those values. In the case of computer generated images, colors defined by the user at the user interface of a workstation can be defined initially in color space of tristimulus values. These colors are defined independently of any particular device, and accordingly reference is made to the information as being "device independent".
Printers often have an output which can be defined as existing in a color space called CMYK (cyan-magenta-yellow-key or black) which is uniquely defined for the printer by its capabilities and colorants. Printers operate by the addition of multiple layers of ink or colorant in layers to a page. The response of the printer tends to be relatively non-linear. These colors are defined for a particular device, and accordingly reference is made to the information as being "device dependent". Thus, while a printer receives information in a device independent color space, it must convert that information to print in a device dependent color space, which reflects the gamut or possible range of colors of the printer.
The desirability of operating in a device independent color space with subsequent conversion to a device dependent color space is well known, as shown by U.S. Pat. No. 4,500,919 to Schreiber and U.S. Pat. No. 2,790,844 to Neugebauer, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,275,413 to Sakamoto. There are many methods of conversion between color spaces, all of which begin with the measurement of printer response to certain input values. Commonly, a printer is driven with a set of input values reflecting color samples throughout the printer gamut, the color samples are printed in normal operation of the printer. As previously noted, most printers have non-linear response characteristics.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,275,413 to Sakamoto, the information derived is placed into lookup tables, stored in a memory, perhaps ROM memory or RAM memory where the lookup table relates input color space to output color space. The lookup table is commonly a three dimensional table since color is defined with three variables. In RGB space, at a scanner or computer, space can be defined as three dimensional with black at the origin of a three dimensional coordinate system 0, 0, 0, and white at the maximum of a three dimensional coordinate system which an 8-bit system, would be located at 255, 255, 255. Each of the three axes radiating from the origin point therefore respectively define red, green, and blue. A similar construct can be made for the printer, with axes representing cyan, magenta, and yellow. In the 8-bit system suggested, there will be, however, over 16 million possible colors (2563). There are clearly too many values for a 1:1 mapping of RGB to CMY. Accordingly, as proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,275,413 to Sakamoto, only a relatively small number of samples are used to do the mapping from RGB to CMY, perhaps on the order of 1,000. Therefore, the lookup tables consist of a set of values which could be said to be the intersections for corners of a set of cubes mounted on top of one another. Colors falling within each cubic volume can be interpolated from the measured values, through many methods including tri-linear interpolation, tetrahedral interpolation, polynomial interpolation, linear interpolation, and any other interpolation method depending on the desired speed and accuracy of the result.
It would be very easy to index device dependent color values or specifications to device independent color specifications, but that is not the requirement. Instead, device independent specifications must be mapped to device dependent specifications. Several problems arise. Of course, the primary problem is that the printer response is not a linear response. A second problem is that the color space, and therefore the coordinates defined in the color space must be maintained as a uniform grid, for maximum efficiency of some interpolation methods, particularly for tetrahedral interpolation, a very desirable method of interpolation.
Accordingly, a three dimensional look up table (LUT) may be constructed which puts device independent input values into a predictable grid pattern. One method of accomplishing this requirement is by an interpolation process which derives a value at a desired location as a function of all (or a significant set) of measured color values. One way of doing this is to use Shepard's Method (see, for example "Shepard's Method of `Metric Interpolation` to Bivariate and Multivariate Interpolation" by W. Gordon and J. Wixom, Mathematics of Computation, Vol. 32, No. 141, January 1978, pp. 253-264). Shepard's Method suggests that a vector can be thought of as defining the difference between an asked-for color which was directed to a printer in the printed color. Then, for any other point in color space which is desired, that point can be thought of as a vector quantity, derived by averaging over the space all the vectors, each vector weighted by a function which decreases its effect on the vector as that vector is further and further away from the point coloring question. In one useful formula, each vector is weighted by a function of .sup.1 /.sub.d.spsb.4.
Alternatively the method of Po-Chieh Hung, "Colorimetric Calibration for Scanners and Media", SPIE, Vol. 1448, Camera and input Scanner System, (1991), describes a method of inverse tetrahedral interpolation, to the same effect as the described Shepard's Method (see also U.S. Pat. No. 5,296,923 to Hung, previously incorporated by reference for its teachings). A requirement of this method is that the color space be segmented into a set of non-overlapping, space-filling tetrahedrons. This segmentation requirement is fulfilled by using only data from a full rectangular array of points, where it is easy to define the mesh of points which define the tetrahedrons.
A problem encountered in the calibration process is that of having most colors being reproduced successfully, but having a few regions of color space that are not well behaved in terms of the empirically derived calibration model. The addition of a few more calibration points in these poorly behaved areas, would appear to be a solution to the problem. However, because inverse tetrahedral interpolation requires a full rectangular grid of data points, to obtain the "few more calibration points" in the poorly behaved areas really requires the addition of hundreds of more calibration points. FIG. 1 illustrates the problem in two dimensions for simplicity, where a, b, c and d represent colors which reproduce successfully in a color space transformation, while point e does not. Adding points P.sub.i, as in FIG. 1A presumably would resolve the reproduction problem, but that arrangement does not provide a color space which is readily segmentable into a set of non-overlapping, space-filling tetrahedrons. This segmentation requirement is fulfilled by using only data from a full rectangular array of points.
The references cited herein are incorporated by reference for their teachings.

Color printer calibration correcting for local printer non-linearities


A technique for displaying the results of a query on a database. The technique associates a subquery of the query with a space in a display and represents the results of the subquery by means of a symbol whose appearance varies with a characteristic of the results of the subquery. The technique may be used with queries on a data base of statistical articles. The display is a grid with each field of the grid representing a journal-year pair. A symbol appears in the field if a search of the data base results in a minimum number of hits in the year and journal represented by the pair. The appearance of the symbol varies with properties such as the number of hits and the number of pages in the hits. Bar graphs along the sides of the grid indicate total numbers of hits per journal and year. The symbol for a given journal-year pair changes its color when the pointer is moved over it, and if a mouse button is depressed when the pointer is over the symbol, the data base references for the hits corresponding to the journal-year pair are displayed in an article view window. Sliders control the number of hits required for the display of a symbol and the size of the symbols. The implementation employs memory mapping and caching techniques to achieve rapid generation of a display from the results of a search.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention concerns graphical displays in computer systems in general and graphical displays of the results of queries in particular.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As computers have become cheaper and more powerful, interactive data base systems have become widely available. Users in many different areas of endeavor employ interactive data base systems to find items of information in a large collection of information. A user of an interactive data base system provides the data base system with a query which the user believes will describe the items of information being sought. The data base system then responds to the query by returning a result which includes all of the information in the data base system which satisfies the query. The result generally also includes a value which indicates the number of hits, that is, the number of items of data which satisfy the query.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an example interactive data base system 101. The system includes terminal 103, which provides output to and receives input from the user, processor 113, which performs the actual searching operations, and memory system 115, which contains programs 119 executed by processor 113 and data base 117 which contains the data. In more detail, terminal 103 includes a display screen 105, upon which processor 113 displays information for the user. Display screen 105 also includes pointer 107, which specifies a location in display 105 and may be moved under control of either keyboard 109 or mouse 111. The user controls the operation of system 101 by inputs from keyboard 109 and/or mouse 111. Processor 113 may be any kind of processor, from a personal computer through a supercomputer. Memory system 115, finally, includes any data accessible to system 101, and may thus include random-access memory, a file system on magnetic or optical disk, or even remotely-located data bases. When employing system 101 to find information in data base 117, the user inputs a query using keyboard 109 or mouse 111; processor 113 executes programs 119 as required to perform the query on data base 117 and returns the number of hits and the results to display screen 105. The user can then use keyboard 109 and/or mouse 111 to examine the results in more detail.
The usefulness of interactive data base systems like system 101 is attested to by their popularity; present systems do, however, have their limitations. A recurring source of frustration among users of interactive data base systems is that the systems always seem to return either too little or too much information. A user is typically looking for a half a dozen good pieces of information; queries typically produce no hits or a hundred; when the query produces no hits, the user must broaden it, whereupon it produces hundreds; when it produces too many, the user must narrow it, whereupon it produces no hits. Very often, even experienced users are at a loss to find a query which will produce a useful number of hits.
The problems caused by large numbers of hits are aggravated by the fact that interactive data base systems typically only specify the number of hits, and thus provide no information which the user can take advantage of to subdivide the collection of hits. This tendency to treat the hits as a "black bag" also makes it difficult to use interactive data base systems to investigate questions like the relationship of the hits to a period of time or to a set of authors. It is an object of the invention to solve these and other problems of interactive data base systems.

Using symbols whose appearance varies to show characteristics of a result of a query


A liquid-cooled heat sink head includes a metal substrate, a first cover, and a plurality of heat dissipation fins. The first cover covers the metal substrate to form a heat exchange chamber and includes a first liquid inlet and a liquid outlet to allow a working fluid to flow in the heat exchange chamber. The heat dissipation fins are disposed on the metal substrate, are placed between the first liquid inlet and the liquid outlet, and are arranged sequentially from the first liquid inlet toward the liquid outlet. A liquid passage is disposed between each two adjacent heat dissipation fins. A portion of the heat dissipation fins are connected to the heat exchange portion, and at least one heat dissipation fin includes one opening to communicate with the liquid passages at two sides of the at least one heat dissipation fin.

Along with development of technology, electric components in the electronic products are further miniaturized with higher integration density and enhanced operation efficiency. Therefore, there have been demands for heat sinks having sufficient cooling ability in small space, so that temperatures of the electric components in the electronic devices can be maintained in proper ranges to facilitate heat exchange between the electric devices and the ambient environment to thereby protect the electric components and prevent the electric components and the electric products from being damaged due to overheating.
In conventional techniques, there are two types of heat dissipation methods, i.e. air-cooled and liquid-cooled heat dissipation methods. The air-cooled heat dissipation method utilizes a cooling device to dissipate heat of the components of the electronic devices. The conventional cooling device includes a body having a plurality of heat dissipation fins, and a fan is usually added and secured onto the heat dissipation fins to improve heat dissipation efficiency. When using the conventional cooling device, a bottom of the body is attached to a heating element, such as a central processing unit (CPU) or a graphic processing unit (GPU), which generates a great amount of waste heat, the heat is transferred from the body to the heat dissipation fins by thermal conduction, and then the waste heat is expelled by airflow generated by the fan, thereby cooling the heating element.
However, it is more and more difficult for the conventional air-cooled heat sink to satisfy the cooling demands for the foregoing electronic components, so the liquid-cooled heat sink is adopted increasingly. The conventional heat sink is constituted by spread-apart elements. For example, R.O.C patent no. M470293 discloses a liquid-cooled heat sink module comprising a pump and a heat dissipation element. The pump includes a housing, a centrifugal fan and a flow directing structure. The housing includes a chamber for entry of a fluid. The flow directing structure includes an opening and a plurality of pressure blades. The flow directing structure is provided for the fluid flowing out from around the blades. Since the fluid of the heat sink module has a long flowing path and is obstructed by the heat dissipation fins, the heat exchange efficiency is compromised. Furthermore, the foregoing flowing path includes at least three bends, and consequently a flowing speed is slowed down, and a great amount of kinetic energy is reduced. As a result, the fluid fails to flow to a root portion (i.e. where the heating element is) of each heat dissipation fin properly, and the heat dissipation efficiency is compromised.
Accordingly, the aim of this disclosure is to solve the above-mentioned problems, which industry in related fields has attempted to solve, by improving the conventional diversion design liquid-cooled heat sink.

Liquid-cooled heat sink head and heat sink system having the same


The present invention pertains to a fluoropolymer film comprising at least one fluoropolymer hybrid organic/inorganic composite [polymer (FH)], to a process for the manufacture of said fluoropolymer film and to uses of said fluoropolymer film in various applications, in particular in electrochemical applications.

Energy storage systems, including electrochemical devices such as Lithium-ion batteries having high energy densities, increasingly have to comply with safety requirements to meet the growing demand for large-size electrochemical cells.
One of the most critically important components to ensure safety of an electrochemical cell is the separator, whose primary function is to prevent physical and electric contact between the positive electrode and the negative electrode of the electrochemical cell while permitting electrolyte ions to flow there through.
Basically, two types of separators can be used: either porous ones, wherein a solution of an electrolyte in a suitable solvent fills the porosity of the separator, or non-porous ones, which are generally either pure solid polymer electrolyte (i.e. electrolyte dissolved in a high molecular weight polyether host, like PEO and PPO, which acts as solid solvent) or gelled polymer electrolyte system, which incorporates into a polymer matrix a liquid plasticizer or solvent capable of forming a stable gel within the polymer host matrix and an electrolyte.
The separator must be chemically and electrochemically stable towards the electrolyte and the electrode materials and must be mechanically strong to withstand high tensions generated during battery assembly operations. Also, its structure and properties considerably affect battery performances, including energy density, power density, cycle life as well as safety.
For high energy and power densities, the separator is required to be very thin and highly porous while still remaining mechanically strong.
For battery safety, the separator should be able to shut the battery down when overheating occurs so that thermal runaway, causing dimensional shrinking or melting of the separator, which results in physical contact of the electrodes, and the resulting internal short circuit can be avoided.
Also, a low thickness of the separator is required for high energy and power densities. However, this adversely affects the mechanical strength of the separator and the safety of the battery thereby provided.
One particular challenge always desired has been to provide a film separator or membrane separator with enhanced ionic conductivity allowing an excellent performance at higher charge/discharge cycle rates. In particular, in the case of hybrids inorganic-organic systems where safety is assured by the inorganic part, a higher performance of the membranes is highly desired.
There is thus still the need in the art for an alternative process for manufacturing membranes having high ionic conductivity to be suitably used as separators in electrochemical devices while maintaining outstanding thermo-mechanical properties during operation of the same.


An exterior heat exchanger is provided with paths P1-P4. The flow rate of the air being blown by an exterior blower to pass through the path P4 closer to a refrigerant outlet of the exterior heat exchanger is set to be higher than that of the air being blown by the exterior blower to pass through the path P1 closer to a refrigerant inlet of the exterior heat exchanger. An air-conditioning controller activates cooling fans during a defrosting mode of operation.

The present disclosure relates to a vehicle air conditioner including a heat pump device which performs heating and defrosting modes of operation.
A vehicle air conditioner with a heat pump device has been mounted on a car and other kinds of vehicles (see, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2010-111222). The heat pump device includes a compressor, an interior heat exchanger, an expansion valve, and an exterior heat exchanger. An interior fan to blow air toward the interior heat exchanger is provided inside the vehicle cabin, and an exterior fan to blow air toward the exterior heat exchanger is provided outside the vehicle cabin.
During heating, the interior heat exchanger functions as a radiator, and the exterior heat exchanger functions as a heat absorber. If frost is formed on the exterior heat exchanger during heating, the operation modes are switched into a defrosting operation mode to supply a high-temperature refrigerant to the exterior heat exchanger. According to Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2010-111222, the exterior fan is stopped during the defrosting mode of operation, and when the defrosting mode of operation ends, the airflow rate of the exterior fan is maximized to blow off the water deposited on the exterior heat exchanger.
While the defrosting mode of operation is being performed, the frost formed on the exterior heat exchanger melts and turns into water. However, if the exterior fan is stopped as in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2010-111222 when the frost turns into water, the water will be left in the fins of the exterior heat exchanger and will exchange heat with a high-temperature refrigerant flowing through the heat-transfer pipe of the exterior heat exchanger to remove heat from the high-temperature refrigerant. Thus, the quantity of heat it takes to melt the frost decreases so much that it takes a long time to finish defrosting, thus affecting the comfortableness of the occupant, which is a problem. Particularly when the outside air temperature is as low as 0° C. or less, a significant quantity of heat is removed from the refrigerant to make this problem a serious one.
In addition, the exterior heat exchanger is rarely frosted uniformly, if ever, and in most cases, has an easily defrostable region and a non-easily defrostable region. Furthermore, depending on the configuration and operating state of the heat pump device, sometimes a region closer to refrigerant outlet of the exterior heat exchanger may be frosted more easily than another region closer to refrigerant inlet thereof.
In view of the foregoing background, it is therefore an object of the present disclosure to increase the occupant's comfortableness by shortening the time for defrosting with the decrease in the quantity of heat of the refrigerant minimized by draining efficiently the water collected in the exterior heat exchanger during a defrosting mode of operation.


The invention concerns tachykinin antagonists. The compounds are nonpeptides which have utility in treating disorders mediated by tachykinins. Such disorders are respiratory, inflammatory, gastrointestinal, ophthalmic, allergies, pain, vascular, diseases of the central nervous system, and migraine. Methods of preparing compounds and novel intermediates are also included.. The compounds are expected to be especially useful in asthma and rheumatoid arthritis.

Over the last decade, major advances have been made in the understanding of the biology of the mammalian tachykinin neuropeptides. It is now well established that substance-P (1), neurokinin A (NKA) (2), and neurokinin B (NKB) (3), all of which share a common C-terminal sequence Phe-X-Gly-Leu-Met-NH.sub.2, (Nakanishi S, Physiol Rev 1987;67:117), are widely distributed throughout the periphery and central nervous system (CNS) where they appear to interact with at least three receptor types referred to as NK.sub.1, NK.sub.2, and NK.sub.3, (Guard S, et al., Neurosci Int 1991;18:149). Substance-P displays highest affinity for NK.sub.1 receptors, whereas NKA and NKB bind preferentially to NK.sub.2 and NK.sub.3 receptors, respectively. Recently, all three receptors have been cloned and sequenced and shown to be members of the G-protein-linked "super family" of receptors (Nakanishi S, Annu Rev Neurosci 1991;14:123). A wealth of evidence supports the involvement of tachykinin neuropeptides in a variety of biological activities including pain transmission, vasodilation, smooth muscle contraction, bronchoconstriction, activation of the immune system (inflammatory pain), and neurogenic inflammation (Pernow B, Pharmacol Rev 1983;35:85). However, to date, a detailed understanding of the physiological roles of tachykinin neuropeptides has been severely hampered by a lack of selective, high affinity, metabolically stable tachykinin receptor antagonists that possess both good bioavailability and CNS penetration. Although several tachykinin receptor antagonists have been described (Tomczuk BE, et al., Current Opinions in Therapeutic Patents 1991;1:197), most have been developed through the modification and/or deletion of one or more of the amino acids that comprise the endogenous mammalian tachykinins such that the resulting molecules are still peptides that possess poor pharmacokinetic properties and limited in vivo activities.
However, since 1991, a number of high-affinity nonpeptide antagonists have been reported. Snider RM, et al, (Science 1991;251:435), and Garret C, et al, (Proc Natl Acad Sci 1991;88:10208), described CP-96,345 and RP 67580, respectively, as antagonists at the NK.sub.1 receptor, while Advenier C, et al., (Brit J Pharmacol 1992;105:78), presented data on SR 48969 showing its high affinity and selectivity for NK.sub.2 receptors. It is of interest that most of the nonpeptide tachykinin receptor antagonists described to date arose, either directly or indirectly, out of the screening of large compound collections using a robust radioligand binding assay as the primary screen. Recently, FK 888, a "dipeptide" with high affinity for the NK.sub.1 receptor was described (Fujii J, et al., Neuropeptide 1992;22:24).
International Publication Numbers WO 93/01169, WO 93/01165, and WO 93/001160 cover certain nonpeptide tachykinin receptor antagonists.
Substance-P is widely distributed throughout the periphery and central nervous system. It is believed to mediate a variety of biological actions, via an interaction with three receptor types referred to as NK.sub.1, NK.sub.2, and NK.sub.3, including smooth muscle contraction, pain transmission, neuronal excitation, secretion of saliva, angiogenesis, broncho-constriction, activation of the immune system and neurogenic inflammation.
Accordingly, compounds capable of antagonizing the effects of substance-P at NK.sub.1 receptors will be useful in treating or preventing a variety of brain disorders including pain, anxiety, panic, depression, schizophrenia, neuralgia, and addiction disorders; inflammatory diseases such as arthritis, asthma, and psoriasis; gastrointestinal disorders including colitis, Crohn's disease, irritable bowel syndrome, and satiety; allergic responses such as eczema and rhinitis; vascular disorders such as angina and migraine; neuropathological disorders including Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, and Alzheimer's disease; and ophthalmic diseases including scleroderma.
The compounds of the invention, NK.sub.1 receptor antagonists, are useful as anti-angiogenic agents for the treatment of conditions associated with aberrant neovascularization such as rheumatoid arthritis, atherosclerosis, and tumor cell growth. They will also be useful as agents for imaging NK.sub.1 receptors in vivo in conditions such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease.


The shielding gas mixture is useful for MIG brazing galvanized steel. The gas mixture having by volume percent, about 0.5 to 4 carbon dioxide, about 0.2 to 1 hydrogen, and the balance is argon and incidental impurities.

This invention is related to a gas mixture and method for metal inert gas (MIG) brazing.
Presently, the performance of the existing shielding gases for MIG brazing of galvanized steels requires optimizing for each narrow coating layer thickness range. Whenever this thickness exceeds certain limits, poor arc stability occurs in the brazing process. This poor arc stability produces detrimental effects in the bead geometry and finishing, as well as produces a remarkable reduction in the corrosion resistance of the heat affected zone. Most often, the arc""s instability originates from excessive amounts of zinc oxide formation in the arc""s column.
At present, commercial gas mixtures rely upon oxygen additions to argon to stabilize the arc and thereby solve the problems of spatter generation. Unfortunately, oxygen detrimentally contributes to further zinc oxidation. Consequently, the oxygen damages the base metal coating layer, which affects the corrosion resistance of the joint. As discussed above, another limitation of these argon-oxygen mixtures is that the arc stability produced by the oxygen additions is restricted to a narrow coating thickness range.
Publications relating to shielding gas mixtures for MIG brazing include: Japan Patent No. JP9248668A2; WO Patent No. WO024545A1; H. Hackl, xe2x80x9cMIG brazing of Galvanized Light-Gauge Sheetxe2x80x9d, Fronius, Austria; G. Davies, xe2x80x9cPre-coated Steel in the Automotive Industryxe2x80x9d, MBM, May/1993; U. Dilthey et all, xe2x80x9cGMA-Brazing of Galvanized and Alloyed Steels. An Alternative Joining Technology in Vehicle Constructionxe2x80x9d, IIW, doc XII. As far as known, none of these shielding gases produce excellent arc stability independent of a coating""s thickness; reduce the damage to this coating layer; or maintain the corrosion resistance of the welded parts.
The shielding gas mixture is useful for MIG brazing galvanized steel. The gas mixture consists essentially of, by volume percent, about 0.5 to 4 carbon dioxide, about 0.2 to 1 hydrogen, and the balance is argon and incidental impurities. A MIG process uses this shielding gas to braze galvanized steels. First, an electric arc forms between a consumable copper-base alloy wire electrode and a workpiece. Then the shielding gas mixture shields the arc for MIG brazing the workpiece with the copper-base alloy wire. The shielding gas limits zinc oxidation of the galvanized steel and stabilizes the arc.
An argon gas mixture containing carbon dioxide and hydrogen unexpectedly improves MIG brazing. The argon-base gas mixture achieves its performance through the carbon dioxide and hydrogen additions. During MIG brazing, dissociation and recombination of the carbon dioxide and hydrogen molecules in the arc zone generate heat and improve both bead finishing and geometry. In addition, hydrogen provides a reducing environment that decreases zinc oxidation, improves arc stability and maintains corrosion resistance. Furthermore, the improved arc stability generates less spatter, improves bead geometry and appearance, enhances mechanical properties and maintains corrosion resistance of the brazed joint for a wide thickness range of the base metal""s coating layer. For purposes of this specification, MIG brazing includes: arc brazing processes having an electric arc established between a consumable copper-base alloy wire electrode and a workpiece; and continuously feeding the copper-base alloy wire to this arc as it moves with respect to a workpiece""s joint.
The shielding gas mixture operates in all welding (brazing) positions, both for manual and automatic brazing in short circuit or pulsed spray transfer modes.
The arc and the molten wire are protected by a shielding gas from the contaminants of the atmosphere. This shielding gas, as provided in the present invention, contains, by volume percent, from about 0.5 to 4 volume percent carbon dioxide. This specification identifies all concentrations by volume percent, unless specifically referenced otherwise. Advantageously, the shielding gas contains about 1 to 3 volume percent carbon dioxide for heating purposes. Most advantageously, the shielding gas contains a nominal concentration of about 2 volume percent carbon dioxide. In addition, the shielding gas contains from about 0.2 to 1 percent hydrogen to prevent zinc oxidation and to stabilize the arc. Advantageously, the stabilizing gas contains about 0.25 to 0.75 volume percent hydrogen; and most advantageously contains a nominal concentration of about 0.5 percent hydrogen. The balance of the stabilizing gas is argon and incidental impurities.
The stabilizing gas is most effective for hot dip galvanized steel and copper-base filler metals. This gas has proved particularly effective for copper-base alloys such as, AWS A5.7 ERCuSi-A (having a nominal composition of 94% Cu+0.6% Sn+0.3% Fe+0.8% Mn+3.3% Si+0.6% Zn) and 97% Cu+0.2% Sn+0.2% Fe+0.8% Mn+1.3% Si, by weight percent.


Technologies and implementations for providing an online game experience using multiple devices are generally disclosed including methods and devices for, in some examples, receiving first data from a first device, the received first data being associated with a first interaction with the online game, receiving a request to utilize a second device and responsive to the received request, transmitting second data to the second device, the second data being associated with a second interaction with the online game, the second interaction related to first interaction but being different from the first interaction.

Unless otherwise indicated herein, the approaches described in this section are not prior art to the claims in this application and are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
Conventional online computer games often provide interaction with a user through a single computing device. This interaction may include different types of information, such as, for example, display information. Due to the complexity of many online games, the display information may include a number of different pieces of information. Accordingly, in order to fully experience the online game, a computing device having a display large enough to view the different items of information is required. The alternative to using a sufficiently large display is to run the game at less than an optimal resolution, view smaller pieces of information at a time, or the like. Accordingly, although a computing device with a smaller than optimal display (e.g., a laptop, a tablet, a smart-phone, or the like) may be capable of allowing a user to play an online computer game, the display of the computing device may not be large enough to fully interact with the game.

Online game experience using multiple devices


Ultrasonic devices for preventing microbubbles and/or microparticles from reaching the brain during a PCI, or cardiovascular surgery. Devices 27 and 77 are designed for implantation in the chest cavity and operate in combination with needle vents or other vent systems for removing diverted microbubbles. Systems 77 and 83 are designed for noninvasive employment. Devices 57 and 87 are particularly designed to prevent microbubbles from reaching the great origins of the carotid arteries and/or for diverting bubbles that might reach the vicinity and otherwise pass through. Improved devices 11 and 94 separate microbubbles from a flowing bloodstream and produce a cleansed stream.

Sound waves may be viewed as being generally mechanical from the standpoint that they consist of the vibration of molecules about their equilibrium positions, and they are accordingly best transmitted through solid media. Sound waves with frequencies above the upper limit audible to the human ear (about 18,000 Hz) lie in the ultrasonic range. There are two main classes of ultrasound presently in clinical use: (1) High frequency (5-7 MHZ),low-power ultrasound, which is employed extensively in diagnostic ultrasonography; and (2) Low-frequency (20 to 45 kHz), high power ultrasound which has recently been put to therapeutic use.
It has been known for some time that the application of acoustic energy or force for a stream of flowing liquid, such as blood, will have an effect upon the behavior of gas bubbles entrained therein. An article entitled "Acoustic Effects on Gas Bubbles In the Flows of Viscous Fluids and Whole Blood" appeared in the Journal of Acoustical Society of America, 53, 5, 1327-1335, I. C. Maceto and Wen-Jeo Yang (1973), which discussed the use of acoustic or ultrasonic waves to trap small bubbles against the wall of the tube in which the liquid stream is flowing, using liquids that resemble whole blood in their rheological property; it was shown that the bubbles could be deflected and trapped against the sidewall of the tube in which flow is occurring. In 1992, Schwarz, Karl Q. et al., published an article entitled "The Acoustic Filter: An Ultrasonic Blood Filter for the Heart-Lung Machine", in the Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, 104, 6, 1647-1653 (December 1992). This article indicated that microbubbles in a chamber can be pushed to the opposite end of the chamber where they can be accumulated and eventually carried through a waste port, as a result of which it would be feasible to use acoustic radiation force to filter small gas bubbles from blood, while cautioning that such ultrasonic energy might cause implosion of gas bubbles that could potentially result in blood trauma, e.g. hemolysis, and thus should possibly be avoided for such reason.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,022,899, entitled Sonic Debubbler for Liquids, discloses devices that employ an ultrasonic transducer to produce low power anisotropic sound waves at about the resonant frequencies of bubbles to drive the bubbles in a specific direction where they would be rejected by being drawn out through a fluid outlet port or trapped in a disposable open cell bubble trap. Power levels are regulated so as to remain below a level which would cause hemolysis from cavitation. U.S. Pat. No. 5,334,136 shows a system for reducing post-cardiopulmonary bypass encephalopathy due to microembolization of the brain of a patient as a result of microbubbles that may arise during open-heart surgery when a cardiopulmonary bypass machine is employed. The patient's bloodstream is subjected to an ultrasonic traveling wave which is directed across the stream of blood without reflection so as to sweep the blood clean of microbubbles without inducing blood cell trauma. The microbubbles are carried by the traveling wave to a waste exit port.
Although such early devices as those in the above-identified U.S. patents showed the principle to be sound, devices for more efficient operation have continued to be sought as well as devices that could be associated directly with the human body itself so as to have an effect upon the internal bloodstream in a patient who is undergoing treatment.


A shadow mask frame assembly includes hook springs made of a plate-like bimetal member whose outer side is a high-expansion side and inner side is a low-expansion side, is fixed on a frame in the direction of an electron beam proceeding axis, and is nearly L-shaped to have a fixing portion welded to the base of the frame and a fitting portion having a fitting hole into which a stud pin on the inner side of a panel is fitted. The shadow mask frame assembly is not distorted or rotated with respect to the panel during the thermal expansion of a shadow mask due to electron beam collision, and is sufficiently compensated only in the direction of the electron beam's proceeding axis.

The present invention relates to a shadow mask frame assembly for a CRT, and more particularly to an improved hook spring for fixedly installing the shadow mask frame assembly to a stud pin on the inner side of a panel.
Generally, as shown in FIG. 1, a CRT comprises a shadow mask 6 for performing a color selection function to land an electron beam 2 projected from an electron gun 1 onto a phosphor surface 5 formed on the inner surface of a panel 3. Shadow mask 6 with countless electron beam-passing holes 7a has a beam-passing plane 7 perpendicular to a proceeding axis X--X of the electron beam and is welded to flames 9 by skirts 8 formed on the periphery of the shadow mask.
As shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of hook springs 10 having a fixing hole are fixed to the outer surface of frame 9 perpendicular to the electron beam proceeding axis X--X and in the same rotational direction. Respective stud pins 4 formed on the inner surface of panel 3 are fitted into the fixing holes of hook springs 10 so that shadow mask 6 is mounted onto panel 3, staying a certain distance apart from the inner surface of panel 3.
However, only 15-18% of electron beam 2 projected from electron gun 1 passes through electron beton-passing holes 7a of shadow mask 6, and the remainder collides against shadow mask 6. The colliding rays of electron beam 2 heat shadow mask 6 which is thermally expanded to have a doming phenomenon wherein the center portion of shadow mask 6 swells. Due to the doming, the periphery of shadow mask 6 has a greater discordance between the proceeding axis X--X of electron beam and electron beam passing holes 7a so that, in effect, electron beam 2 does not precisely land on phosphor surface 5, causing the deterioration of the picture's colorimetric purity. Such a problem can be solved by moving shadow mask 6 slightly toward phosphor surface 5 so as to accord electron beam-passing holes 7a with the proceeding axis X--X.
In FIGS. 3A, 3B and 3C, a conventional hook spring 10 for compensating for the shadow mask's position is illustrated which suppresses the reduction of colorimetric purity. One end of hook spring 10 is fixedly welded to frame 9 via a bimetal member 12 welded on the frame's outer side. A fixing hole 11 for fitting stud pin 4 of panel 3 is formed on the free end of hook spring 10. The bimetal member 12 is affixed to frame 9 so that, during thermal expansion of shadow mask 6 and frame 9, shadow mask 6 moves toward phosphor surface 5 of panel 3. In some cases, in order to cope with thermal expansion, the hook spring 10 is made of a plate-like material called parallel stick-together (PST) which is a stack of metals having different thermal expansion coefficients.
When the temperature of bimetal member 12 goes up, the conventional hook spring 10 expands most in an unwelded portion so that the hook spring is distorted in the direction of the electron beam's proceeding axis as well as perpendicular thereto, by certain angles .THETA.1 and .THETA.2. Thus, the shadow mask frame assembly is moved by a certain distance toward the phosphor surface to compensate for the landing position of the electron beam with respect to the thermal deformation of shadow mask 6.
However, since the movement of the conventional shadow mask frame assembly is determined by the deformation angle .THETA.1 of hook spring 10 in the direction the beam's proceeding axis and by the deformation angle .THETA.2 of hook spring 10 in the direction perpendicular to the beam's proceeding axis, the shadow mask frame assembly becomes abnormally rotated or distorted. This hinders the sufficient compensation for the position of shadow mask 6 with respect to its thermal expansion. Further, the conventional shadow mask frame lo assembly has a complicated manufacturing process in which a bimetal member 12 is welded onto locations around frame 9 and hook spring 10 is welded to each bimetal member 12. Besides, since the shadow mask frame assembly is supported by hook spring 10 extended from bimetal member 12 by a certain distance, the assembly is easily shaken by minor external impacts.


A test strip having at least one patch thereon and intended for use in occlusive epicutaneous testing in order to detect contact allergy to formaldehyde. The characteristic feature is that on at least one of the patches the test substance is a reversible N-formaldehyde derivative of succinimide which is formulated in a dry buffered vehicle.

The popular, English language derived name for occlusive epicutaneous testing is "patch test".
This term "patch test" reflects the fact that from the end of the 19th century onwards patches of fabric or paper were employed which were soaked with a test substance. The importance of occlusion for obtaining reliable and reproducible results became increasingly clear from the 1950's onwards. Various different types of patches have been brought forth with a view to obtaining occlusion and an adequate transfer of test substance to the skin: See for example U.S. Pat. No. 3,703,809, U.S. Pat. No. 3,894,531, U.S. Pat. No. 4,214,592, U.S. Pat. No. 4,158,359, U.S. Pat. No. 4,390,027, U.S. Pat. No. 4,450,844 and WO-A-86/01994. The term "patch" is construed in a very broad sense nowadays in the present context. In our specification and claims therefore the word "patch" designates the area carrying the test substance and applied to the skin. The most popular patches according to conventional technique are small cups of aluminum or plastic (Finn Chambers.RTM., Epicon Oy, Finland, and Chemotechnique Diagnostic AB, Malmo, Sweden, respectively) or small aluminum disks provided with filter paper (Al-test, Holister Stier, USA). On these conventional patches, the test substance formulated in a suitable vehicle has been applied immediately before the testing. The vehicle most commonly employed has been petrolatum (vaseline), but in the case of some, problematic contact allergens (e.g. formaldehyde) it was preferred to employ patches of fabric or filter paper soaked with the test substance dissolved in a suitable solvent (e.g. water). WO-A-86/01994 and Br. J. Dermatol. 112 (1985) pp 63-8 are considered to have come forward with an entirely new generation of patches.
The technique is called "TRUE Test"; it employs a patch which is a thin, dry polymer film capable of absorbing moisture from a tested skin area when the patch is applied under occlusion against the skin The most preferred vehicles have been said to be those that will then form a gel In a patch according to the TRUE Test method, a homogeneous distribution of the test substance in the polymeric film has been achieved already in the manufacturing stage The TRUE Test is the first system capable of providing customers with high-quality patches comprising a guaranteed quantity of test substance.
Occlusive epicutaneous testing for demonstrating contact allergy is performed with pressure-sensitive adhesive strips on which one or more patches containing a test substance have been applied Such strips may thus carry as many as up to 25 patches, although in most cases the number of patches is less than 15. It is known that the strips can be wrapped in materials that are impermeable to air, moisture and light.
In the epicutaneous testing procedure, an allergenic substance in the form of a suitable formulation is applied to normal skin under occlusion for a predetermined period of time and in a correct manner. This will then, in contact allergy cases, produce an allergic eczema in the test area. Irritant substances give rise to irritative eczema reactions of a similar character (Manual of Contact Dermatitis: Fregert S., 2nd edition, Munksgaard, Copenhagen (1981), pp 71-6). The side of the patch facing away from the skin is impermeable to moisture, to thus provide the said occlusion.
As far as we know, prefabricated formaldehyde patches for use according to the conventional patch test have never been available commercially. Fairly satisfactory patches for use in the TRUE Test for the purpose of demonstrating formaldehyde allergy could be constructed by means of having formaldehyde or paraformaldehyde in the form of a cyclodextrin complex incorporated in a polymeric film (EP-A-252,044). It has been found, however, that alternative solutions are needed for tackling the problems relating to formaldehyde.

Product to be used in occlusive epicutaneous testing for the purpose of demonstrating contact allergy to formaldehyde


An injection mold design method for correcting a profile of a product to be fabricated into a releasable profile from a mold to design an injection mold based on a corrected product shape, utilizing a storage device for storing information of the product shape and mold profile, a display device for displaying the product shape or the mold profile on a screen based on the information read from the storage device, an input device for inputting designation information necessary for correction of the product shape or the mold profile, and a controlling device for unloading information of lines or planes being obstructive to correction of the product shape and the mold profile in the storage device in response to the designation information input by the input device. The method comprises removing lines or planes from the screen, and replotting the lines or the planes on the screen in terms of the information of lines or planes unloaded into the storage device after the correction operation of the product shape or the mold profile is completed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an injection mold design system and an injection mold design method and, more particularly, a design support system for a mold used for fabricating resin (plastics) injecting moldings and a design method for designing the mold.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, according to demands for more variety of product design, users' various usages etc., plastics have been widely used as material of enclosures for electrical products since they may present an attractive appearance and may be molded arbitrarily. In addition, it entails such advantages that reduction in the number of parts and simplification of assembly may be attained. This is because seats, bosses (projections), etc., these being used for mounting printed circuit boards and other parts, and reinforcing members such as ribs may be formed integrally with the enclosures if the enclosures are fabricated by resin injection molding.
FIG. 1A shows an example of moldings (molded products) formed by resin injection molding. In FIG. 1A, a reference 1 denotes a molding used as an enclosure of a portable electronic device, and a reference 2 denotes a bore portion provided in the molding 1. After preparing the mold in which a cavity having the same profile as that of the product is in advance formed, melted resin is filled into the cavity and then cured, so that the molding 1 with a shape shown in FIG. 1A may be formed. At this time, the bore portion 2 may be formed by nests arranged in the mold.
FIG. 1B shows a configuration of the mold. In FIG. 1B, a reference 3 denotes a cavity (female mold) for defining an outer shape of the molding 1, and a reference 4 denotes a core (male mold) for defining an inner shape of the molding 1. When the cavity 3 is put on the core 4, the cavity corresponding to the products profile to be formed may be formed between them.
FIG. 1C shows a configuration of an injection molding machine on which the mold is mounted. With being arranged so as to oppose to each other in the vertical direction, the cavity 3 and the core 4 are clamped on a cavity plate 3A and a core plate 4A respectively. The cavity plate 3A may be driven by a driving apparatus (not shown) to move in the vertical direction. A reference 5 denotes a runner stripper plate in which a runner (not shown) is formed to introduce the resin 7 into the space in the mold. The runner stripper plate 5 may be placed on the cavity plate 3A. When the molds are opened, the runner stripper plate 5 may then be separated from the cavity plate 3A to enable the resin cured in the runner to be removed from the runner. A reference 6 denotes a gate (pouring gate) formed in the mold. Resin 7 is filled into the cavity in the mold via the gate 6.
A reference 8 denotes a gas vent (breathing hole) which is provided in the mold to exhaust the air from the space in the mold to the exterior when the resin is poured into the space in the mold. A reference 9 denotes a cooling water path provided in the mold. Since the resin to be filled into the mold is heated at a temperature of a few hundreds .degree. C., a temperature of the mold is raised when the resin is filled into the mold. As a result, drawbacks such as not only reduction in molding efficiency but also warpage, twist, etc. of the product are caused. In order to prevent the drawbacks, the mold is cooled by flowing water through the cooling water path 9. Usually, the cooling water path 9 is provided on the core 4 side.
A reference 10 denotes an extruder portion for extruding the moldings 1 from the core 4. The extruder portion 10 has a rod-like member referred to as an ejector pin. The moldings 1 can be extruded from the core 4 by inserting the ejector pin into a through hole provided in the core 4.
In any event, since the injection mold is composed of the cavity 3 and the core 4, as mentioned above, the mold must be split into the cavity 3 side and the core 4 side when designing the mold. The split plane is called a parting plane. In case there is caused an undercut portion in the products to be fabricated, the moldings cannot be stripped off from the mold if the parting plane is set incorrectly. Here the undercut portion may be defined as a portion serving as an engagement formed in the mold opening direction when the product is taken out from the molds. If the undercut portion exists, consideration for providing a slide structure to the mold or the like should be taken inevitably.
In order to strip the product off from the mold readily, slight slopes (draft slopes) are provided on the surface of the mold so as to prevent inner surfaces of the mold from being formed perpendicularly to the parting plane. In the prior art, in the case of the mold having a relatively simple profile, mold designers be able to design the mold according to drawings prepared for the product while considering parting plane, draft slope, etc. Conversely, as for the product which must be designed by use of a plenty of free-form surfaces to achieve the high design property, it would become difficult to illustrate the profile of the product in the drawings. As a countermeasure to this drawback, first the product model (model) is formed, then profile lines of the product model are illustrated with many dots, and then the profile of the product is converted into numeric data by correlating these dots with each other in terms of digitizing process. Then NC (Numeric Control) data used for cutting process and electric discharge machining electrodes are then prepared for based on the numeric data. According to these data, the mold may be then fabricated by the electric discharge machining electrodes.
In the meanwhile, there are some cases where the mold may be designed by means of the three dimensional CAD (Computer-Aided Design) system. In such cases, data of the product shape are first input into the CAD system, then the product shape or the mold block (i.e., virtual block displayed on the screen for illustrating an outer shape of the mold) in which a cavity corresponding to the product shape is formed is depicted on the display. While monitoring the screen of the display, the designer may draw the parting line on the screen to form the parting plane or select the planes to which a draft slope is provided. The CAD system may thus output numeric data to form the mold in compliance with these setting conditions.
However, in the method where the designer has to design the mold on the basis of the design drawings, the designer must design the mold while considering undercut, draft slope, etc. as mentioned above. Therefore, it can be seen that, in the case of the product with complicate profile, it would become difficult for the designer to determine a solid product shape from the drawings. For this reason, according to this method, problems have been arisen that man-hour in design is increased and design error is prone to generate. Alternatively, in the method where data used for fabricating the mold are generated from the product model, there are some problems that, since the product model must be formed to have a precise profile, the designer must be well practiced in forming the product model and much time must also be consumed to form the product model.
Moreover, in the method where the three dimensional CAD system is used, the troublesome procedures would be required and further a great deal of skill would be required for the designer since the mold designer must design parting plane, draft slopes, etc. on the basis of image displayed on the screen of the display. Because of the causes such as missing of the undercut portion, the mold designer is apt to generate errors in design.

Injection mold design system and injection mold design method


A filter media is disclosed for removing particles from an air stream. The filter media, in an embodiment, includes a porous membrane layer and a pre-filter layer including a downstream surface and an upstream surface. The pre-filter layer is arranged with the downstream surface adjacent an upstream side of the porous membrane layer. The pre-filter layer includes a wet laid composite media having a mixture of glass fibers and synthetic fibers. A method for using the filter media in a gas turbine is also disclosed.

Gas turbines for e.g. power generation are normally protected by air filters provided in the air intake system. The purpose of these filters is to protect the engine from residue build-up, fouling, on the turbine blades in the compressor stage. This type of accumulation of unwanted material reduces efficiency and increases probability of failure of the gas turbine. Insufficient filter performance can also cause engine corrosion in the decompression stage (hot end corrosion). In the past, it was common to use filters in filter classes F7-F9 (EN779-2002) having a removal efficiency of almost 100% for particles above 3 μm but merely 50-75% for particles sized 0.4 μm and below. It has, however, been revealed that particles having a size below 0.4 μm have a significant impact on both fouling and hot end corrosion and this has lead to an increased demand for filters in higher filter classes. Today, the use of filters of filter class EPA11, removal efficiency of 95% on Most Penetrating Particle Size (MPPS) or even EPA12, removal efficiency of 99.5% on MPPS, is not unusual. A problem with these highly efficient filters is that they have a considerably higher pressure drop. In new installations, this could be compensated for by using a larger filter area to reduce the air flow per area unit. In existing gas turbines, this is not always possible, or at least not feasible for cost reasons and the use of more efficient filters is therefore prevented. New materials allow the combination of high filter efficiency and low pressure drop. Examples of materials are porous membranes of expanded polytetrafluoethylene (ePTFE), ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (UPE) or membranes of electro spun polymer fibers. These types of membranes have in common that they are very thin and have a low fiber density with fine fibers, thus generating large fiber surface area which is a key parameter in achieving high filtration efficiency while not restricting the air flow. These thin membranes are, however, sensitive to damage. Another problem is that the passage of air will be restricted due to agglomeration of particles on the upstream surface of the membrane. The membrane typically has an active filtration thickness between 0.01 mm and 0.1 mm while standard filters made of cellulose or synthetic fibers have a thickness of 0.3-1 mm. The greater depth of the standard filters leads to particle capture within a greater volume such that flow restriction due to particle agglomeration takes longer time to build up. This can be solved by laminating a pre-filter layer on an upstream surface of the membrane that captures a majority of the larger particles (>3 μm) thus reducing the particle agglomeration on the membrane. EP-1674144B1 discloses a system comprising a gas turbine and a filter having a filter media with a porous polymeric membrane and a depth filtration layer comprising electrostatically charged polymeric fibers. The electrostatic charging of the depth filtration layer is done to enhance filter performance. This solution has a number of disadvantages, the most noticeable being the fact that the electrostatic charge of the depth filtration layer is only temporary so that filter efficiency will diminish with over time.


A computer system includes an I/O switch connected to a computer and changing connections between the computer and I/O devices, and a management server for managing configuration of the I/O devices. The management server, with respect to existing I/O devices connected to the I/O switch, stores information representing logical configuration of the existing I/O devices recognized by an OS of the computer and information representing physical configuration of the existing I/O devices managed by the I/O switch in the memory, The management server, upon receipt of a notice indicating a change in the configuration of the existing I/O devices from the I/O switch, changes the physical configuration of the existing I/O devices after the change in the configuration to be matched with the logical configuration of the existing I/O devices and instructs the I/O switch to change the connections in accordance with the changed physical configuration.

This invention relates to a computer system and a management server.
In recent years, PCI Express Switches (hereinafter, referred to as PCIeSW) are becoming more common in practical use; the number of PCI devices that can be mounted on a single computer has increased ten times as many as before. Such PCI devices support various functions including hot plug; accordingly, it is easy to add or replace a PCI device for a computer.
Various techniques related to the PCI device are disclosed (for example, refer to Patent Literature 1, Patent Literature 2, and Patent Literature 3).    Patent Literature 1: JP 2006-195870 A    Patent Literature 2: JP 2009-294828 A    Patent Literature 3: JP 2008-152787A


A product may include a lens and a shade. A field of view may be defined through the lens. An actuator may selectively position the shade within the field of view.

Cameras may be used in a variety of applications to capture images. Digital cameras receive light through a lens and may convert the incoming light rays to an electronic signal for display, evaluation or storage of the images defined by the light rays. When used outdoors, the incoming light rays may be subject to intense lights sources such as the sun or another bright light source. When the light entering through the camera lens includes that from such a source, the ability to discern details of the surroundings may be degraded. Incumbent camera systems may auto adjust their aperture to control light reaching the image sensor, and therefore lower the impact of the intense light source. However, this would dim the image as a whole and may result in filtering out image details that are of importance.


An adjustable net includes sections which are adapted to overlap and fastening elements which hold such overlapping portions to shorten the length of the net. In another embodiment a detachable sleeve is movable along the length of the net to set the overall length of the net. Also, a plurality of sleeves may be selectively placed over net posts to determine the length of the net. In another embodiment, the net may be rolled on a rotatable net post.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an adjustable net usable in racket and/or ball games, such as volleyball, tennis, and badminton.
2. Description of Background and Relevant Information
Various nets having adjustable lengths have been proposed. Examples are described in German Patent No. 2,533,966 and European Patent Application No. 0 340 227.
German Patent No. 2,533,966 discloses a net having an adjustable frame, which is adjustable in length by turnbuckles, however, there is no provision for storing or keeping any excess net material out of the way when the net is shortened in length.
European Patent Application No. 0 340 027 discloses an adjustable net structure in which a frame is formed from a plurality of tubular members so that the dimensions of the support assembly can be varied. However, there is no provision for varying the length of the net so that excess net material is out of the way.
KARAS, U.S. Pat. No. 5,192,503, discloses a tennis serving cage, where the side walls are foldable against an end wall for storage and transport; however, there is no provision for adjusting the length of the net when in an operative mode.
HERNANDEZ, U.S. Pat. No. 4,993,719, discloses a portable self-contained volleyball net, wherein the net is stored on reels in two housings; however, there is no provision for adjusting the length of the net while being used.
STEWART, U.S. Pat. No. 4,973,059, discloses a sleeve for attaching a net to a net post.


The instant invention provides a polyethylene blend composition having reduced chill roll buildup during extrusion process, and films and coating layers made therefrom. The polyethylene blend composition according to the present invention provide reduced chill roll buildups during extrusion process, and comprises: (a) from 60 to 95 percent by weight of a linear polyethylene composition comprising less than or equal to 100 percent by weight of the units derived from ethylene, and less than 15 percent by weight of units derived from one or more α-olefin comonomers; wherein said linear polyethylene composition has a density in the range of from 0.917 to 0.975 g/cm3, a molecular weight distribution (Mw/Mn) in the range of from 1.70 to 3.62, a melt index (I2) in the range of from 2 to 50 g/10 minutes, and a vinyl unsaturation in the range of from less than 0.06 vinyls per one thousand carbon atoms present in the linear polyethylene composition; and (b) from 5 to 40 percent by weight of a low density polyethylene composition (LDPE) having a density in the range of from 0.915 to 0.930 g/cm3, and a melt index (I2) in the range of from 0.4 to 10; wherein the polyethylene blend composition has a density in the range of 0.917 to 0.960 g/cm3 and a melt index (I2) in the range of from 2 to 30 g/10 minutes.

The use of polyethylene compositions, such as linear low density polyethylenes and/or high density polyethylenes, in fabrication of films and/or coating layers is generally known. Any conventional method, such as gas phase process, slurry process, or solution process, may be employed to produce such polyethylene compositions. In addition, any conventional method, such as cast film extrusion process, extrusion coating process, and/or extrusion lamination process may be employed to produce such films and/or coating layers.
However, currently available polyethylene compositions generate certain levels of chill roll buildups during the extrusion process. Such chill roll buildups typically create various undesirable processability issues.
Therefore, there is a need for a polyethylene blend composition having reduced level of chill roll buildups during the extrusion process, for example extrusion coating process, extrusion lamination process, and/or cast film extrusion process.
Various polymerization techniques using different catalyst systems have been employed to produce such polyethylene compositions suitable for extrusion coating, extrusion lamination, and/or cast film production applications. However, the currently available polyethylene compositions hinder such processes, e.g. accumulation of contaminants on process equipments such as the chill roll; thus, requiring equipment clean up.
Despite the research efforts in developing polyethylene compositions suitable for extrusion coating, extrusion lamination, and/or cast film production applications, there is still a need for a polyethylene blend composition having improved processability, e.g. reduced accumulation of contaminants on equipment parts such as the chill roll.

Polyethylene blend composition having a reduced chill roll buildup during extrusion process


Image printing apparatus including an exposure head for making a line-by-line exposure of a light-sensitive material, a positioning member facing the exposure head and having a projecting part situated on an optical axis of the exposure head on a side facing the exposure head, a first transfer path on an upstream side of the positioning member to transfer the material toward the positioning member, and a second transfer path on a downstream side of the positioning member to transfer the material downstream. The projecting part is located on a side closer to the exposure head than the intersection between an extension of the first transfer path and the optical axis and the intersection of an extension of the second transfer path and the optical axis. The positioning member has on its upstream side an inclined portion for guiding a forward end of the material transferred from the first transfer path onto the projecting part.

This invention relates to an image exposure apparatus having an exposure unit for exposing a light-sensitive material, such as photographic printing paper, line by line as the material is transferred in a specified direction.
Conventionally, an image exposure apparatus of this kind comprises an exposure unit 101 including a lead lanthanum zirconate titanate (PLZT) device, for instance, a positioning member 102 disposed face to face with the exposure unit 101, a first pair of transfer rollers 103 located upstream of the exposure unit 101 and a second pair of transfer rollers 104 located downstream of the exposure unit 101 as shown in FIG. 11, for example, wherein image exposure operation is performed by exposing a light-sensitive material P like photographic printing paper which is gripped between the first transfer rollers 103 and between the second transfer rollers 104 and transferred over the top surface of the positioning member 102 with a digital image projected line by line by the exposure unit 101. The PLZT device is a shutter array formed of a transparent ferroelectric ceramic material, which is obtained by adding lanthanum to lead zirconate titanate, and utilizes an electro-optical effect of the material.
In the image exposure apparatus thus constructed, the light-sensitive material P would scarcely lift upward apart from the positioning member 102 by between the first transfer rollers 103 on the upstream side and the second transfer rollers 104 on the downstream side, where the light-sensitive material P is gripped, even when the light-sensitive material is somewhat curled, because it is pulled by the transfer roller pairs 103, 104 on both sides. It is therefore possible to properly expose the light-sensitive material P.
If, however, the light-sensitive material P is curled even slightly, its forward portion would lift apart from the positioning member 102, creating an out-of-focus condition and making it impossible to properly expose this portion, because the forward portion of the light-sensitive material P is not gripped by the second transfer roller pair 104 on the downstream side. Similarly, if the light-sensitive material P is curled even slightly, its rear portion would lift apart from the positioning member 102, creating an out-of-focus condition and making it impossible to properly expose this portion, because the rear portion of the light-sensitive material P is not gripped by the first transfer roller pair 103 on the upstream side. In particular, the exposure unit which exposes line by line generally has a large depth of focus and, in most cases, maximum permissible displacement of the light-sensitive material along the optical axis of the exposure unit is only about xc2x10.1 mm so that the exposure operation is likely to be affected by the curl.
Thus, it has often been necessary in the image exposure apparatus of the prior art to cut and discard the forward and rear portions of the light-sensitive material P, developing a problem that losses of the light-sensitive material are caused. A further problem has been that if the forward and rear portions were to be cut, processing capability would be decreased by as much as the time required for cutting operation.
This invention has been made in consideration of the aforementioned situations. It is therefore an object of the invention to provide image exposure apparatus which can properly expose forward and rear portions of a light-sensitive material even when it is curled.
To achieve the aforementioned object, an image exposure apparatus according to the invention comprises an exposure device for making line-by-line exposures of a light-sensitive material on an optical axis, a positioning member provided at a position facing said exposure device and having a projecting part situated on said optical axis on a side facing said exposure device, a first transfer path provided on an upstream side of said positioning member to transfer said light-sensitive material toward said positioning member, and a second transfer path provided on a downstream side of said positioning member to transfer said light-sensitive material which has been transferred passing over said positioning member further downstream, wherein the projecting part of said positioning member is located on a side closer to said exposure device than the point of intersection of an extension of said first transfer path and said optical axis and the point of intersection of an extension of said second transfer path and said optical axis, and said positioning member has on its upstream side an inclined portion for guiding a forward end of said light-sensitive material transferred from said first transfer path onto said projecting part.
According to this construction, the projecting part of the positioning member is located on the side closer to the exposure device than the point of intersection of the extension of the first transfer path and the optical axis and, therefore, a forward portion of the light-sensitive material having been transferred by the first transfer path is brought into contact with the inclined portion on the upstream side of the positioning member, guided onto the projecting part and exposed by the exposure device.
Further, a rear portion of the light-sensitive material is situated on the side closer to the exposure device than the point of intersection of the extension of the second transfer path and the optical axis when the light-sensitive material having been transferred by the first transfer path is passed to the second transfer path and transferred further downstream. Thus, the rear portion of the light-sensitive material is prevented from lifting toward the exposure device and held in contact with the projecting part so that the rear portion is exposed by the exposure device as it passes over the projecting part.
Consequently, proper exposures are made at both the forward and rear portions of the light-sensitive material even when it is curled.
Also, an image exposure apparatus according to the invention comprises an exposure device for making line-by-line exposures of a light-sensitive material on an optical axis, a positioning member provided at a position facing said exposure device, a first transfer path provided on an upstream side of said positioning member to transfer said light-sensitive material toward said positioning member, a second transfer path provided on a downstream side of said positioning member to transfer said light-sensitive material having passed over said positioning member further downstream, and uplift-restraining means for preventing said light-sensitive material from lifting from said positioning member toward said exposure device.
According to this construction, the light-sensitive material transferred by the first transfer path and the second transfer path is kept from lifting from the positioning member toward the exposure device by the uplift-restraining means. As a consequence, the whole of the light-sensitive material including its forward and rear portions is brought into contact with the positioning member, and proper exposures are made over the entire light-sensitive material.