A method of equalizing the shape and size of halftone dots in a supertile having digital cells, corresponding ideal cells and pixels to faithfully reproduce an image having predetermined gray levels. Various techniques include: (1) adding offset vectors to the coordinates of pixels in digital cells; (2) determining twice as many smaller digital cells as original digital cells; and (3) determining a model digital cell and ranking pixels in remaining digital cells to mimic the ranking of pixels in the model cell.

Continuous tone images do not print well on most printing devices, so the image is usually printed as pattern of dots based on a grid. The grid consists of an array of halftone cells, each of which represents one section of continuous tone in the original image. When reproducing a halftoned image in this way using a digital recording device, a halftone cell consists of a plurality of device pixels. A portion of display pixels of each halftone cell are turned black to form dots relatively larger or smaller to represent darker or lighter portions of the original continuous tone image. A dark halftone cell will have most of its pixels turned black while a light halftone cell will have most of its pixels turned white. A complete grid of the original image is composed of many such halftone cells, each of which has an independent density of displayed pixels and therefore a different apparent darkness when viewed from a distance.
A common prior art method of selecting which dots in each halftone cell to turn black works as follows: For a given half-tone cell, the original image is sampled at each display pixel location in said halftone cell to obtain a gray value. This gray value is represented digitally as a number in a fixed range, typically 0 to 255. The gray value is then compared to a threshold value in the same range and the display pixel is turned white if the image gray value is greater than the threshold value; otherwise it remains black. The threshold values, in turn, are supplied by means of a threshold array which contains a separate threshold value for each pixel in the halftone cell, and are computed prior to processing the image. This process is carried out for each halftone cell of the image.
This method works best when the same threshold array can be used for all halftone cells in the image. One advantage is that only one threshold array needs to be calculated and stored for the entire image. Another advantage is that a gray area of a given intensity will produce dots of the same size and shape no matter where it occurs in the image. However, in order for this to work, the set of display pixels corresponding to each halftone cell in the image must be exactly the same size and shape as the set of display pixels corresponding to any other halftone cell. This requirement is most often met by requiring the halftone cells to be parallelograms whose corners all fall exactly on integral coordinates in display pixel space. U.S. Pat. No. 4,185,304, incorporated herein by reference, shows one embodiment of this method.
One problem with the above method is that the number of different halftone screens that can be reproduced is limited by the requirement that the corners of the halftone cells must fall on integer coordinates in display pixel space. For example, the screens rotated through 15.degree. or 75.degree. commonly used in color printing cannot be accurately reproduced. This shortcoming is addressed in a first copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 434,924, incorporated herein by reference, filed Nov. 8, 1989 by the same inventor and assigned to the same assignee as this invention (hereafter called the first copending application). Where it is shown how a threshold array that consists of multiple halftone cells can be used to increase the number of available halftone screens to the point where any arbitrary screen can be approximated to within adequate tolerances.
When the threshold array contains more than one ideal cell, it is desirable that this fact be invisible to the user. This means that all the halftone dots produced by one copy of the threshold array, for a given gray level, must be of the same size and equally spaced.
Unfortunately the multiple halftone cells in such a threshold array generally have to be of differing shapes and sizes when those halftone cells are represented by display pixels. This means that the dots produced by the different halftone cells may also be of different shapes and sizes even when they represent the same gray value. Depending on the degree of the differences in the size and shape of halftone dots, these differences may or may not be visible to the human eye. When they are visible, one sees a mottled variation in gray intensity in the form of repeating spots o; bands where the original image contained only a constant gray. Such patterns do not faithfully reproduce the original image and are thus undesirable.
The following terms are defined for clarity. An ideal halftone cell, or ideal cell for short, will be a halftone cell such as the ones discussed above: an element of the halftone grid consisting of an area bounded by a rotated square or a parallelogram. In contrast, a digital halftone cell, or digital cell for short, will be a set of pixels used to approximate an ideal halftone cell. Thus each digital halftone cell is associated with a specific ideal halftone cell that it approximates. Also, in keeping with the above-mentioned copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 434,924, incorporated herein by reference, a threshold array that consists of multiple halftone cells will be referred to as a "supertile".
In the prior art method of generating a supertile as disclosed in the copending application a digital halftone cell consists of all the pixels in the supertile whose geometric centers fall within the associated ideal cell. This method creates digital halftone cells of satisfactory consistency for certain halftone screens, but for other screens, an unsatisfactory variation in digital cell size results. These variations occur because, although each ideal cell has the same shape, its placement with respect to the pixel grid varies by fractional amounts of pixels. Thereby, in some cases, more pixel centers fall inside an ideal cell and in other cases fewer pixels centers fall inside an ideal cell. The resulting variations in the size of the digital halftone cells causes corresponding variations in the size of halftone dots when certain values of gray are reproduced. This is called the unequal cell size problem, addressed in a second copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/652,927, filed Feb. 8, 1991, by the same inventor and assigned to the same assignee as this invention, incorporated herein by reference.
Another type of error is caused at certain gray levels where a given black or a white halftone dot crosses the boundaries of its digital halftone cell and overlaps pixels on neighboring digital cells. A single black or white halftone dot might be split into two or more pieces, each piece residing in a separate digital halftone cell, as shown in FIG. 1. Because a digital halftone cell 130A-F may be asymmetric relative to the corresponding ideal halftone cell 120A-F, the various pieces of a halftone dot 70A-F in an ideal cell 120A-F may also get pixels allocated asymmetrically. When the digital halftone cells 130A-F are put together and whole halftone dots 70A-F are formed, the pieces that are used to form a given halftone dot may be too small or too large relative to a predetermined expected size even though the correct total halftone dot pixels within each digital cell.
For example each of the digital cells 130A-F of FIG. 1 are assigned ten black pixels (shown cross hatched); the remaining pixels are white. The black pixels create dots 70A-F. Dot 70A is the correct predetermined size. It includes ten black pixels, nine pixels are primarily within digital cell 130A and one is primarily in digital cell 130B. However, dot 70B includes only eight black pixels, one of which is primarily in digital cell 130C. Dot 70E includes twelve black pixels of which nine are primarily in cell 130E, two are primarily in digital cell 130B and one is primarily in digital cell 130F. This problem is called the multi-cell dot (MCD) problem. It is a principal object of this invention to correct the above multi-cell dot problem.

Methods of controlling dot size in digital halftoning with multi-cell threshold arrays


An air bag mounting interior trim that efficiently pressurizes and welds ribs of a retainer and an instrument panel includes: a retainer having a first wall portion disposed at a deployment side of the air bag; and a panel having a second wall portion opposed to the first wall portion, at the deployment side of the first wall portion. The first and second wall portions each have an inclined face inclined in a pressurizing direction at assembly of the retainer and the panel. The retainer has a first rib protruding along the pressurizing direction from the inclined face of the first wall portion toward the panel side. The panel has a second rib protruding along the pressurizing direction from the inclined face of the second wall portion toward the retainer side. The first and second ribs have weld end faces that face each other in parallel, and that are aligned with the pressurizing direction.

Conventionally, an air bag mounting interior trim to be used for air bag devices for vehicles and the like is known (for example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2012-245859). This air bag mounting interior trim includes: a frame-shaped retainer configured to have a case mounted thereto, the case having formed therein a housing space for housing an air bag; and an instrument panel configured to have the retainer mounted thereto. The retainer is provided with a rib protruding to the instrument panel side. The panel body of the instrument panel is provided with a rib protruding to the retainer side. The retainer and the instrument panel are integrated to each other by the ribs being joined to each other through vibration welding.
In welding ribs on the retainer side and the instrument panel side, the end faces to be welded (hereinafter, weld end faces) of both ribs need to be pressurized by means of a jig. However, in a structure in which the wall portions, of the retainer and the instrument panel, respectively provided with the ribs are inclined with respect to the pressurizing direction, if the weld end face of each rib is formed so as to be parallel to the wall portion of the retainer or the instrument panel and is inclined with respect to the pressurizing direction, the weld end faces of the ribs are not pressurized in a direction perpendicular to the weld end faces. Thus, in such a structure, large welding pressure does not act on the weld end faces, and thus, appropriate welding is not realized, or force generated by a jig needs to be increased so as to cause large welding pressure to act on the weld end faces.
The present invention has been made in consideration of the situation described above. An object of the present invention is to provide an air bag mounting interior trim that allows efficient pressurization and welding of ribs of a retainer and an instrument panel, and a production method therefor.
The present invention is an air bag mounting interior trim including: a retainer having mounted thereto a case housing an air bag, the retainer having a first wall portion disposed at a deployment side with respect to the air bag; and a panel having a second wall portion disposed so as to be opposed to the first wall portion of the retainer, at the deployment side of the air bag with respect to the first wall portion, the panel configured to be welded to the retainer, wherein the first wall portion and the second wall portion each have an inclined face inclined with respect to a pressurizing direction in which the retainer and the panel are moved relative to each other at a time of assembly thereof for welding, the retainer has a first rib protruding along the pressurizing direction from the inclined face of the first wall portion toward the panel side, the panel has a second rib configured to be welded to the first rib, the second rib protruding along the pressurizing direction from the inclined face of the second wall portion toward the retainer side, and the first rib and the second rib respectively have weld end faces, a direction in which the weld end faces face each other in parallel to each other being aligned with the pressurizing direction.
According to this configuration, the retainer is provided with the first rib protruding along the pressurizing direction from the inclined face thereof toward the panel side, and the panel is provided with the second rib protruding along the pressurizing direction from the inclined face thereof toward the retainer side. The first rib and the second rib respectively have weld end faces, a direction in which the weld end faces face each other in parallel to each other being aligned with the pressurizing direction for assembly of the retainer and the panel. In such a structure, even in the case of the ribs formed at the inclined faces of the retainer and the panel, the ribs are pressurized in a state where the weld end faces thereof face each other in parallel to each other, and pressurized along the facing direction. Therefore, the ribs of the retainer and the panel are efficiently pressurized to be welded to each other.
The present invention is an air bag mounting interior trim including: a retainer having a lid composed of two flaps; a case configured to be mounted to the retainer; an air bag housed in a space defined by the retainer and the case; an inflator configured to supply inflation gas to the air bag; and a panel being located to a rear side of the flaps, the panel having an opening portion including two doors respectively being regions defined by tear lines provided at positions corresponding to borders of the flaps, the panel being welded to the flaps, the air bag mounting interior trim including: first weld ribs each protruding forward along a pressing direction at a time of assembly for welding from a face at a front side, with respect to the panel, of the opening portion defined by the tear lines, each first weld rib extending in a vehicle width direction, an end of each first weld rib being formed as a perpendicular plane extending in a direction orthogonal to the pressing direction; and second weld ribs each protruding rearward along the pressing direction from a face at a rear side of each flap, each second weld rib extending in the vehicle width direction, an end of each second weld rib being formed as the perpendicular plane and welded to the end of corresponding one of the first weld ribs.
According to this configuration, the first weld ribs and the second weld ribs each have a perpendicular plane at an end at a corresponding side in the front-rear direction, and thus, are reliably welded to each other by being pressurized in the front-rear direction.
The present invention is an air bag mounting interior trim production method in which the retainer and the panel of the air bag mounting interior trim described above are assembled to each other, the production method including: a first step of melting, by means of an infrared welding machine, a leading end of the first rib of the retainer and a leading end of the second rib of the panel; and a second step of, by use of a jig, moving the retainer and the panel relative to each other in the pressurizing direction in which the retainer and the panel come closer to each other, thereby to bring the first rib and the second rib into contact with each other in a direction perpendicular to the weld end faces and pressurize the first rib and the second rib.
According to this configuration, by use of a jig, the first rib of the retainer having a molten leading end and the second rib of the panel having a molten leading end are brought into contact with each other in a direction perpendicular to the weld end faces and pressurized in a state where the weld end faces face each other in parallel to each other. Therefore, the ribs of the retainer and the panel are efficiently pressurized to be welded to each other.

Air bag mounting interior trim and production method therefor


Provided is an image processing apparatus that includes a first color space converting unit configured to convert image data constituted by a color space for printing into image data constituted by a color space for display; and a second color space converting unit configured to convert image data constituted by the color space for display into image data constituted by the color space for printing.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing technique that modifies a difference in color between image data constituted by a color space for printing and a display image on a monitor in a simple fashion when printing the image data.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, image data constituted by an RGB color space or a CMYK color space has been typically handled by electrophotographic printers, inkjet printers, and the like. Image data constituted by an RGB color space (hereinafter referred to as "RGB data") is normally used as office document, photographic images, and the like in many applications. Thus, upon printing RGB data, it is often required that RGB data is produced with a color reproduction close to the color impression of a display image on a monitor. On the other hand, image data based on the assumption that the image data is output from a printer, such as image data for commercial purposes, is often image data constituted by a CMYK color space (hereinafter referred to as "CMYK data"). PDL data submitted in a page description language (PDL) represented by Adobe Systems' PostScript (registered trademark) or the like is often image data constituted by a standardized CMYK color space based on the assumption that the PDL data is output from a predetermined printer.
In recent years, there has been an increasing opportunity of handling CMYK data on an application due to the enhanced function of the application. However, upon printing image data, the user may be unaware of the fact that image data is CMYK data (e.g., when a person who created image data is different from a person who prints it). For example, assume the case where the user prints image data with the same color as that of a display image on a monitor. When CMYK data is printed by a printer compatible with PostScript (registered trademark), CMYK data may be printed in a different color from that of a display image on a monitor. This is because CMYK data described in PostScript (registered trademark) is transmitted to a printer as it is without performing color space conversion assumed to be displayed on a monitor. Thus, there is a technique for analyzing a color space relating to image data upon printing and informing the user of the result of analysis in advance (see Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-090423).
In the conventional technique, even when the user can recognize the possibility that the color of image data may be different from that of a display image on a monitor prior to printing, the user needs to modify image data using a specific application in order to modify the color thereof. Since such modification requires some knowledge or technique, a typical user cannot readily modify the color of image data when the user is aware of the fact that the color of image data is different from that of a display image on a monitor.

Image processing apparatus, method, and program product perfoming color convertion depending on input image data modification in accordance with display device


A self-contained air conditioner unit comprises an enclosure including a first intake aperture positioned to communicate with outside ambient air and a first outlet aperture positioned to communicate with a habitable space in which the air conditioner is placed, and a second intake aperture positioned to communicate with a habitable space in which the air conditioner is placed, and a second outlet aperture positioned to communicate with ambient air outside of the habitable space. A water reservoir is disposed at the bottom of the enclosure. A heat exchanger is disposed in the cabinet over the water reservoir, and comprises a plurality of vertically disposed, alternating wet air channels and dry air channels, the alternating wet air channels and dry air channels defined by substantially parallel opposing heat-transfer partitions. Each of the dry channels communicates with a pre-mixing chamber at intake ends thereof and a diverter at outlet ends thereof, and each of the wet channels communicates with the diverter at intake ends thereof and the second outlet aperture at outlet ends thereof. A wet partition comprising a capillary porous material is disposed in each of the wet channels, each wet partition oriented substantially parallel to the opposing heat transfer partitions and positioned so as to substantially bisect the volume of the wet channel in which it is disposed. Each of said wet partitions extends into the water reservoir and immersed in a volume of water contained therein. Air moving means, such as a blower, are provided for moving a volume of air from the first and second intake apertures through the dry channels and for moving air between the wet channels and the second outlet aperture.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to devices and systems for ventilation and cooling of air within a single confined habitable space. More particularly, the present invention relates to a self-contained air conditioner unit suitable for cooling a confined habitable space.
2. The Prior Art
Evaporative coolers are well known in the art. So-called "swamp coolers" utilize the thermodynamic principle of adiabatic saturation. The air to be cooled is saturated with a water mist, whose evaporation from the liquid state (mist) to vapor state takes up available heat energy from the air itself, thus lowering its temperature. In this method of direct evaporative cooling, the ambient air may be cooled in the limit to its wet bulb temperature, also known as the adiabatic saturation temperature. Except in very dry climates direct evaporative cooling is unsuitable for sustained cooling of a confined habitable space because continuous humidification of the air causes discomfort to occupants.
There also exist in the art various methods of indirect evaporative cooling, in which an airstream is first cooled by adiabatic saturation, and then used to cool a separate, non-mixing airstream across a heat-transfer partition. The latter airstream is said to be sensibly cooled; that is, cooled without altering its absolute moisture content. Such methods enable continuous cooling and recirculation of the air within a confined habitable space without the uncomfortable effects of increasing humidity.
Additionally, the prior art includes methods of pre-cooling an intake airstream before adiabatic saturation cooling, thereby enabling the airstream to be cooled below the wet bulb temperature corresponding to its initial intake conditions. In the limit, the intake airstream can be cooled to the dew point corresponding to its initial intake conditions. With relatively dry ambient conditions at intake, that is, when the ambient relative humidity is less than 40%, the dew point may be up to 10.degree. C. (degrees Celsius) below the corresponding wet bulb temperature. These methods increase the cooling capacity of the intake airstream, thus imparting a greater degree of sensible cooling to the aforementioned second airstream recirculated to and from the habitable space.
The prior art described above suffers various deficiencies in its application to air conditioning equipment for space cooling. Some of these deficiencies are described in the following paragraphs.
In some current systems, ambient air at intake is blown directly through wet channels, and thereby cooled by adiabatic saturation (either through application of a water mist, spray, or from wetted porous material within the channel). The wet channels are arranged in alternate sequence to an equal number of dry channels, through which a separate, non-mixing flow of room air is directed in a counter-flow or cross flow direction. This latter flow of recirculating room air is sensibly cooled by heat transfer across the partitions forming the alternative wet and dry channels.
The major deficiency of such systems is that since no pre-cooling is effected on the intake airstream prior to adiabatic saturation, the intake airstream can only be cooled, at the limit, to the wet bulb temperature corresponding to its condition at intake. This in turn limits its capacity to cool the secondary airstream flowing in the alternate dry channels. To overcome this deficiency, a majority of such systems require auxiliary methods of dehumidifying the intake ambient airstream prior to passage into the wet channels, thereby depressing its wet bulb temperature and increasing its usable cooling capacity. The most common methods of continuous-flow, regenerative-cycle air dehumidification utilize chemical agents such Lithium Bromide or Lithium Chloride, and are well known in the art. Invariably, such dehumidification plant is more bulky and costly than the cooling apparatus itself, and therefore imposes yet another shortcoming in the present state of the art.
Other systems in the prior art pre-cool the intake airstream by diverting a portion of the pre-cooled airstream into counter-flow wet channels arranged in alternate order with the intake channels. Such arrangements enable the first airstream to be cooled, in the limit, to the dew point corresponding its intake conditions, thereby increasing its usable cooling capacity. Since the portion diverted into the pre-cooling wet channels may be required to be as high as 50% of the original intake stream, adequate flow area must be provided in the wet channels for the moist airstream. Consequently, such systems suffer the design tradeoff between two detrimental factors; (i) wider channels impair heat transfer between the alternate airstreams and (ii) narrower channels cause significantly increased flow resistance in the wet stream, thereby increasing power demand in the fan blowers.
Most indirect evaporative cooling systems in the prior art draw intake air entirely from the outdoor ambient environment. When operating in extremely hot climatic conditions, for example, when the outside ambient dry bulb temperature exceeds 35.degree. C., such an arrangement imposes an extreme load in pre-cooling in intake airstream. To achieve the necessary degree of pre-cooling, the portion of the intake stream diverted into the wet channels in the counter-flow direction may exceed 50% of the original intake stream. This pre-cooling load accordingly reduces the available cooling capacity for the habitable space. Under extremely hot ambient outdoor conditions, many current systems suffer a serious decline in performance.
Yet another deficiency in current indirect evaporative cooling systems rests in the type and placement of lining material affixed to the partition walls of the wet channels. Optimal heat transfer across the partitions between the wet and dry channels would be achieved in the absence of any lining material. However it is necessary to maintain a supply of water uniformly distributed across the surfaces of the wet channel walls in order to facilitate adiabatic saturation. In the present state of the art, this is achieved through the use of absorbent capillary porous material affixed to the wet side of each partition. This material serves to distribute and retain the water introduced into the wet channels either by a mist, drip, or wicking arrangement. Consequently, the majority of current systems suffer a design tradeoff between two detrimental factors: (i) capillary porous material insulates the heat transfer surfaces, thereby impeding heat transfer, (ii) an absence of material results in inadequate water distribution across the surfaces, making evaporative saturation difficult to achieve. As a compromise between the aforementioned factors, some current designs utilize material arrayed in an alternating pattern on the wet side of each partition surface.


An exercise cycle is arranged for mounting to a vertical wall support, having spaced parallel braces rotatably mounting an exercise wheel therebetween, with the exercise wheel arranged for selective frictional engagement with a roller. A modification of the invention includes a support structure permitting selective mounting of the cycle to a floor support.

1. Field of the Invention
The field of invention relates to exercise apparatus, and more particularly pertains to a new and improved wall mounted exercise cycle apparatus wherein the same permits convenient and efficient mounting of an exercise cycle device to a vertical wall support.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Exercise apparatus of various types have been utilized throughout the prior art for permitting at home exercise for individuals and for therapeutic purposes such as indicated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,925,184 having a bed mounted leg exercise structure.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,934,695; 5,005,829; and 5,039,088 are further examples of cycle type exercise structure.
The instant invention attempts to overcome deficiencies of the prior art by providing for an exercise cycle structure providing ease of mounting and use relative to a vertical wall support and in this respect, the present invention substantially fulfills this need.


An absorbent of a disposable diaper is formed of a lower layer absorbent and an upper layer absorbent, wherein a pair of left and right slits is extended in a front-rear direction region including a crotch portion, wherein the left slit and the right slit are spaced apart in a width direction, wherein a top sheet includes a depressed portion that falls into the slits, and wherein, in at least a region located between the slits in the top sheet, a large number of convex portions is arranged in a zigzag manner while being spaced apart by an interval, and the interval between the adjacent convex portions in the width direction is shorter than each of sizes in the width direction of the convex portions located at the front side and at a rear side of a part of the interval.

One of typical absorption properties required for a disposable diaper is absorbable capacity. Usually, the absorbable capacity is determined depending on a use of a product. For example, a product assumed to be used at night, in particular a nighttime product for an adult, is a product with large absorption capacity, in general. In such a product, in order to reserve an absorbable amount, an absorbent often has a vertical two-layer structure.
As illustrated in FIG. 22, an absorbent of an absorbent product is, in general, formed by mixing and accumulating pulp fibers 23f and superabsorbent polymer particles 23p. Upon absorption by such absorbents 23A and 23B, as illustrated in the absorption state change in the figure, the superabsorbent polymer particles 23p located on the surface side tend to absorb and expand earlier, and gel blocking occurs in which liquid permeability toward the lower side is lowered. Accordingly, it becomes difficult for a liquid component, such as urine, to percolate below the absorbents 23A and 23B. When such gel blocking occurs, the state becomes the same as the state in which absorption by the absorbents 23A and 23B is saturated and the absorption capacity decreases. Even if there exists absorption capacity below the absorbents 23A and 23B, the state becomes such that reversion tends to occur. Reversion is a phenomenon in which the urine once absorbed in the absorbents 23A and 23B from the surface of the diaper returns to the surface of the diaper again. If reversion tends to occur, skin is unnecessarily soiled with excretions, and a problem can be caused such that skin problems tend to occur. Needless to say, but in FIG. 22, the sizes of the superabsorbent polymer particles 23p are exaggerated, so that a change in a content rate or absorption expansion of the superabsorbent polymer particles 23p can be easily seen.
One method of avoiding gel blocking in a product with the vertical two-layer structure of the absorbent is to extend, in the front and rear direction, a slit that passes through, at least, the upper layer absorbent of the absorbent in the thickness direction so as to include the crotch portion. In this case, the diffusibility of the urine in the front and rear direction is enhanced by the slit, and urine can be directly absorbed by the lower layer absorber through the slit. Accordingly, the urine quickly diffuses in the front and rear direction and in the thickness direction of the absorbent to be absorbed, and the revision caused by gel blocking tends not to occur.
Unlike a sanitary napkin or a urine absorbing pad, in a pad type disposable diaper with large absorption capacity, the width of the absorber is wider than the width of the crotch of a wearer, and the end portions in the width direction of the crotch portion face the respective inner thighs of the wearer. Accordingly, a configuration is common such that the middle portion in the width direction faces the crotch. In this case, if a slit is formed along a boundary between the portion facing the inner thigh and the portion facing the crotch, the absorbent can be easily bent at the slit as the boundary, so that the crotch fitting characteristics can be enhanced. Thus, the present inventors have attempted to adopt the arrangement of the pair of slits as the reversion preventing slits in the above-described absorbent with the two-layer structure.
In this case, however, a problem is that a urine discharge position is not above the slit. Accordingly, the amount of urine flowing into the slit decreases, and the reversion preventing effect is also reduced. Namely, in a product in which the absorbent has the vertical two-layer structure, it has been difficult to enhance both the reversion preventing property and the crotch fitting characteristics by providing a slit in the absorbent. Here, in addition to the slits at the sides in the width direction, it can be attempted to add a center slit at the middle portion in the width direction. However, it is not desirable because the absorbable capacity is reduced due to an increase in the area of the slit.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


An earbud headset, a handset including the same, and methods of operating the headset and handset are provided. In one embodiment, an earbud headset includes a speaker portion that is retractable into and extendable from a base portion, thereby allowing for a thin profile form factor. Advantageously, the earbud headset allows for more convenient storage and/or integration with a handset such that a user may carry the handset and headset much like a single item.

1. Field of Invention
This invention generally relates to headsets containing earphones and, more particularly, to an "in-the-ear" type headset apparatus with a retractable speaker capsule or port allowing for improved form factor.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Headsets are gaining in popularity in and out of the workplace as more and more users either have jobs requiring that they spend a substantial amount of time on the telephone or users simply desire to listen to audio or speak on the telephone with their hands free to perform other tasks.
One type of headset, which can incorporate one or two earphones for monaural or stereo listening, is known as an "in-the-ear" type headset or "earbud" headset, which employs earphones that can be disposed in the lower concha area of the ear. Such devices can be used for delivering radio, stereo, two-way, and/or telephonic-type communications to a user.
Currently, earbud headsets have a fixed speaker capsule or port that fits into the cavum of the ear. This capsule or port is rigidly fixed to the remainder of the headset, which remains substantially outside of the cavum. Traditionally, the profile of these types of headsets has a thickness of about 10 mm or more from the speaker face to the headset outer surface, which is seen when worn. As miniaturization increasingly allows for smaller headsets, it is advantageous to reduce the profile form factor of these headsets for integration into a cellular phone or simply slimmer more convenient storage.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for a headset apparatus with reduced profile form factor allowing for convenient storage and/or integration with a handset.

Headset with a retractable speaker portion


A first communication groove (38) extending from a start point of a discharge port (36) in a direction opposite to rotation direction of vanes (22) is formed. A first end portion (38E) of this groove is connected to the start point of the discharge port (36). When a front-side vane in a rotation direction of a driving shaft (11) is positioned at the start point of the discharge port (36), a second end portion (38S) of the groove is positioned at a rear side in the rotation direction with respect to a rear-side vane coming immediately after the front-side vane, and communicates with a suction port (35). A part of working fluid in a front-side pump chamber (27-1) can therefore be introduced into a rear-side pump chamber (27-2) that communicates with the suction port (35), thereby lessening excessive pressure increase of the front-side pump chamber (27-1) and suppressing pulsation phenomenon.

A vane-type pump device is used as a fluid pressure supply source that supplies working fluid to hydraulic equipment for a transmission, a power steering device etc. mounted in a vehicle. Such pump device is disclosed in, for instance, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. JP2000-136781 (Patent Document 1). The pump device disclosed in Patent Document 1 is configured such that a cam ring is movably set, a pair of fluid pressure chambers are provided in a gap portion formed between the cam ring and a pump housing, fluid pressures at upstream and downstream sides of a variable metering orifice provided in a discharge passage are introduced into the pair of fluid pressure chambers respectively, and by directly exerting a pressure difference between these fluid pressures on the cam ring, the cam ring appropriately moves against an urging force of a spring that forces the cam ring in one direction, then a proper discharge flow amount control can be performed.
Here, the object of application of the present invention is a pump device that pumps liquid (fluid) as hydraulic fluid. Since a large number of pump devices pumping working fluid are used, the pump device pumping the working fluid will be explained below. However, the hydraulic fluid is not limited to the working fluid.

Pulsation phenomenon suppression mechanism of pump device


A toner supplement control device incorporated in an image forming apparatus for executing the supplement of a fresh toner to a developing unit only when a particular document image process mode is under way. The particular process mode is any one of a document image receive mode, a document image record mode, a document image copy mode, a supervisory report record mode, etc. In the event of initialization of the apparatus, during ordinary recording operation, and when a cleaner and toner magazine (CTM) is to be replaced, whether or not a fresh toner is present in the CTM is determined on the basis of the condition of a fresh toner existing in a developing unit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device incorporated in an electrophotographic copier, facsimile transceiver, laser beam printer or similar image forming apparatus for controlling the supplement of a toner. More particularly, the present invention is concerned with a toner supplement control device for effecting the automatic supplement of a fresh toner from a toner case to a toner hopper only during a particular document image process mode operation in response to a toner near end signal from a toner near end sensor associated with the toner hopper.
2. Discussion of the Background
An image forming apparatus of the kind described is usually constructed such that when a toner stored in a toner hopper of a developing unit for developing a latent image electrostatically formed on a photoconductive element becomes short, a toner near end sensor detects the shortage. As the sensor generates a toner near end signal, a fresh toner is automatically supplemented from a toner casing storing it to the toner hopper. Stated another way, even when a copier has ended operating in a copy mode, a facsimile transceiver has ended operating in a receive mode and in a supervisory report output mode, or a laser beam printer has ended operating in a record mode, the fresh toner is immediately supplemented in response to the toner near end signal. This not only causes the operator of such an apparatus to feel uneasy but also generates unpleasant noise.
On the other hand, a toner magazine for feeding a fresh toner to the developing unit and a toner magazine for collecting a toner removed from a photoconductive element have customarily been mounted on the body of an image forming apparatus independently of each other. A disposable cleaner and toner magazine (CTM) is an implementation recently proposed to promote easy maintenance and reduce running cost. The CTM has the above-mentioned two toner magazines combined back-to-back in an integral construction. The prerequisite with the CTM is that whether or not a fresh toner is present in the CTM be determined at all times to see a time for replacement and to see if the magazine newly mounted is really new. However, since the CTM is a disposable unit, providing it with a toner sensor which is expensive for sensing a toner in the CTM is wasteful.

Toner supplement control device operative concurrent with image forming apparatus active status


Automatic processing of color signals to print an accurate reproduction of an original color image. The RGB scan signals are processed to use the full dynamic range of the system and to adjust the values such that the gray scale lines of the color components pass through the white points. The additive color signals are converted to subtractive color signals that are adjusted so that the gray scale lines pass through the black points to produce automatically an accurate reproduction with a proper neutral gray scale. The processing is arranged to make the adjustments and corrections as fast as possible.

This invention relates to corrections to color separations for color printing and particularly to modifying signals representative of various colors in a picture, specifically one in which the colors do not vary with time, to reproduce a color picture that is a true representation of the original picture.
Reproducing color images by printing with inks requires adjustments to the signals that control the inks. Most systems printing color images use a three color, or tristimulus, basis. The signals originate from scanning a color image to be reproduced and separating the tristimulus color components. In cases where the original image is a color photograph, it is desirable that the reproduction be an accurate reproduction of the original. The hue versus saturation plots of color inks and color photographs are not the same and both are different from the response of the human eye. In addition, nonlinear errors are introduced by the scanning system.
Further complications are introduced because the scanning system responds to additive color mixtures whereas the perception of color images printed on a medium responds to subtractive color mixtures. The relations among the signals can be represented by equations attributed Neugebauer, but reproducing color images accurately have required the intervention of an operator to make the final adjustments. This has been done by making printing plates and test impressions from which adjustments are made. Modern systems use color television monitors which makes the adjustments more convenient, faster, and cheaper. Still, the systems use operator intervention exercising subjective, albeit it experienced, judgements.
The prior art systems for color correction in color reproduction require the intervention of an operator to adjust the signals controlling the inks based on subjective judgments of the results. Usually test reproductions are required on which the operator bases the judgment of changes required.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,500,919 describes a system for reproducing a color original by extracting three color components which are corrected by an operator manipulating a television image to introduce aesthetic corrections. This requires no knowledge of the ink and media characteristics.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,590,515 reduces CMY inks and increases black to compensate for the reduction. This prevents color casts occurring in the reproduction of gray tones. The adjustments for color fidelity are not automatic.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,841,360 electronically enhances images and then adjusted to the characteristics of the copy material. The image is then modified proportional to the illumination intensity of the displaying CRT followed by correction to adjust gray balance (contrast). The image printed via the CRT with adjustments to the nonlinear characteristics function (line) of the CRT by a suitable amplifier so that the CRT does not distort the gray balance. There is no teaching of automatically correcting for nonlinearities in color printing.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,845,550 adjusts the coefficients of a polynomial representing color correction using six hue signals. The procedure equalizes the weights of the three color signals processed so that the six hue signals produced therefrom divide a color space. Nothing is shown for automatically correcting three color printing.
The invention is useful in color printing because it is automatic, therefore faster and less susceptible to subjective judgements. It also precludes the necessity of printing proof sheets. Furthermore, it corrects the input color separation space so that the input values from different scanning systems can be printed together. The corrections to the printing color space are straightforwardly computational which allows the conversions to be made efficiently on systems not readily adaptive to other methods of color conversion such as table lookups in interpretive systems.
In accordance with the invention, a method of processing color component signals for accurately reproducing color images includes scanning the color image to be reproduced to derive color components of the image. These components may be the tristimulus values of red, green, and blue, viz., the RGB components. Errors introduced by the scanning process are corrected, preferably using look up tables based on reference signals derived from the signals resulting from scanning test targets on the media upon which the reproduction is to be made.
Irregularities in the reproduced image introduced by the characteristics of the ink used for reproduction are corrected by deriving parameters of the individual inks used and applying nonlinear modifications to the signals without the need for operator intervention.

International Business Machines Corporation


There is provided an improvement on homogeneity of annealing performed utilizing radiation of a laser beam on a silicon film having a large area. In a configuration wherein a linear laser beam is applied to a surface to be irradiated, optimization is carried out on the width and number of cylindrical lenses forming homogenizers 103 and 104 for controlling the distribution of radiation energy density in the longitudinal direction of the linear beam. For example, the width of the cylindrical lenses forming the homogenizers 103 and 104 is set in the range from 0.1 mm to 5 mm, and the number of the lenses is chosen such that one lens is provided for every 5 mm-15 mm along the length of the linear laser beam in the longitudinal direction thereof. This makes it possible to improve homogeneity of the radiation energy density of the linear laser in the longitudinal direction thereof.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for annealing a semiconductor material by means of irradiation with a laser beam.
2. Description of Related Art
Techniques for crystallizing amorphous silicon films by irradiating them with a laser beam have been known. Other techniques have been known wherein irradiation with a laser beam is performed to recover crystallinity of a silicon film which has been damaged as a result of implantation of impurity ions and to activate implanted impurity ions.
As a typical example of the latter kind of techniques, a technique has been known wherein regions which are to become a source and a drain of a thin film transistor are annealed by irradiating them with a laser beam after implanting impurity ions which are typically phosphorus or boron.
Such a process utilizing irradiation with a laser beam (generally referred to as "laser process") is characterized in that it causes substantially no thermal damage to a substrate. This is because a method utilizing irradiation with a laser beam only instantaneously heat the irradiated surface and the effect of the heating is not extended to the substrate.
This feature of causing no thermal damage to a substrate is important in fabricating active matrix type liquid crystal displays which recently have an expanding range of application.
There are demands for use of glass substrates as substrates of active matrix type liquid crystal displays from the viewpoint of cost and needs for such displays with a larger surface area.
However, a glass substrate can not withstand a heating process at temperatures as high as 600° C. or more or 700° C. or more. One effective technique for avoiding this problem is to perform the crystallization of a silicon film and the annealing after implantation of impurity ions as described above utilizing irradiation with a laser beam.
According to a method utilizing irradiation with laser beams, even if a glass substrate is used, there is substantially no thermal damage to the glass substrate. It is therefore possible to fabricate a thin film transistor having a crystalline silicon film even with a glass substrate.
However, since the area of a laser beam is small, a laser process has problems including low efficiency in processing a large area and low homogeneity in processing a large area.

Apparatus and method for laser radiation

Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.


A utility cart includes a stored energy device that can be in the form of a Lithium Ion battery pack. The battery pack can include a main power output useful to drive high voltage components as well as the electric motor for motive power. The battery pack can also include one or more auxiliary outputs useful to provide auxiliary power to various other components. The auxiliary outputs can be either low and/or high voltage outputs. An auxiliary DC/DC output can be used to step down high voltage of the Lithium ion battery pack to lower voltages. A motor controller supply can also be provided as an auxiliary output to provide some power to a motor controller.

The ability to provide power from a rechargeable battery pack in an auxiliary power mode in addition to a mode capable of providing motor power remains an area of interest. Some existing systems have various shortcomings relative to certain applications. Accordingly, there remains a need for further contributions in this area of technology.

Auxiliary power output for battery management system


It is an object of the present invention to provide an anchor coating agent that can be used in one layer as an anchor coating for a base material and an inorganic material. An organic-inorganic hybrid coating composition that can be used as the anchor coating agent of the present invention contains the following components. a) an organic silicon compound which is at least one represented by formula (I) RnSiX4-n . . . (I) (wherein R represents an organic group having a carbon atom directly bonded to Si, and X represents a hydroxyl group or a hydrolyzable group; and n represents 1 or 2, wherein when n is 2, each R is the same or different, and when (4-n) is 2, each X is the same or different), wherein a solubility parameter of Rn (SP1) obtained by Fedors' estimation method is smaller than a solubility parameter of an olefin-based polymer (SP2) obtained by Fedors' estimation method and a difference between the SP1 and the SP2 is 1.6 or more (Si1), and/or a condensate thereof; b) a photopolymerization initiator or a thermal polymerization initiator; and c) the olefin-based polymer.

Currently, as a raw material of a commercial silane-based coating agent, a trifunctional silane is mainly used, and a polysiloxane having moderate hardness and flexibility is formed by such a trifunctional silane. However, the hard coating properties of a film of a trifunctional silane are not sufficient. Therefore, the trifunctional silane is mixed with a tetrafunctional silane and colloidal silica to compensate for the hard coating properties. But, a problem is that if the film is hardened, the film cracks easily, and the adhesiveness worsens.
Silane-based coating agents include antifouling layer coating materials containing a trifunctional alkoxysilane compound having an epoxy group (Patent Document 1). In addition, silane-based coating agents containing a photocatalyst are also proposed, and the layer is cured using a photo-acid-generating agent, a crosslinking agent, a curing catalyst, or the like (for example, Patent Documents 2 and 3). Further, silane-based organic-inorganic hybrid gradient materials having a component gradient structure in which the content of the metal-based compound in the material changes continuously in the depth direction from the surface of the material are also proposed (for example, Patent Document 4).
The present inventors have provided an organic-inorganic hybrid in which the surface has very high hardness and the inside and the back surface side have appropriate hardness and which has excellent adhesiveness to a substrate, by irradiating an organic silicon compound with ultraviolet rays in the presence of a photosensitive compound (Patent Document 5). The present inventors have further provided an organic-inorganic hybrid in which the surface has very high hardness and which has excellent adhesiveness to a substrate and excellent moisture resistance, by blending an acrylate-based resin that is an ultraviolet-curable resin into a polysiloxane-based organic-inorganic complex (Patent Document 6).
On the other hand, an olefin base material, such as a cycloolefin base material, a PP base material, or a PE base material, has poor adhesiveness to an inorganic material, and therefore, in order to achieve good adhesiveness, an anchor coating (base film) is required between the inorganic material and the olefin base material. Currently, the anchor coating is insufficient in one layer, and a three-layer structure of (A) a layer having good adhesiveness to an olefin base material/(B) a layer having good adhesiveness to both A and C/(C) a layer having good adhesiveness to an inorganic material is required. However, by increasing the number of layers, sophisticated lamination technique is required, and the production cost also increases. Particularly, there is a problem of decreasing good optical properties, an advantage of a cycloolefin base material. Therefore, an anchor coating agent that can be used in one layer as an anchor coating for an olefin base material and an inorganic material has been studied, but even the organic-inorganic hybrid layers described in the above Patent Literatures 5 and 6 have been insufficient.

Olefin based polymer-combined organic-inorganic composite and composition for forming same


An apparatus (20) controls a seat positioning motor (32) and a seat heater (44) of an occupant seat (22). The apparatus includes common switches (62, 70) electrically connected to both the motor (32) and the seat heater (44). The common switches permits connection of the motor and the seat heater to a source of electric energy (B+). A controller (38) is connected to the common switches for selectively controlling actuation of the motor and the seat heater through the common switches.

Vehicle occupant seat positioning systems that include motors to adjust the seat position are known in the art. Typically, each seat has associated electrical control switches, an electronic control module and an H-bridge motor relay driver to control the direction of movement of the associated seat positioning motor.
Occupant seat heating systems that include resistive heating elements mounted in the seat bottom cushion are known in the art. An electrical switch and associated relay are used to control actuation of the seat heater.
Known occupant seats that have position control motors and heating elements use separate control modules and control relays for each control feature. It is desirable to reduce the total number of electrical components associated with each vehicle occupant seat.

Method and apparatus for controlling a seat position motor and a seat heater


An inspecting apparatus (4) for inspecting light guide plates and/or backlight modules includes a working table (400), a cover device (480), a light-emitting diode unit (420), a movable electric clip (470), and a holding device (460). The cover device is adjustably set on the working table, and includes a cover (486) and a first light-emitting diode (482) fixed on the cover, the cover is pivotable relative to the working table. The light-emitting diode unit is movable, and includes a second light-emitting diode (422). The movable electric clip has a printed circuit board (471) fixed at one end thereof. The holding device is used for holding a light guide plate or a backlight module on the working table. The inspecting apparatus can be used to inspect light guide plates and/or backlight modules of various different sizes.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to inspecting apparatuses, and especially to an inspecting apparatus used to inspect a light guide plate (LGP) or a backlight module incorporating an LGP.
2. Description of Prior Art
A process of fabricating a liquid crystal display (LCD) generally comprises forming an LCD panel (known as a "cell process"), and assembling the LCD panel with other parts such as an LGP, optical films, a printed circuit board (PCB), a frame, etc. (known as a "modular process"). In the modular process, the LGP generally needs to be illuminated, so as to inspect the capability of the LGP. Similarly, a backlight module incorporating an LGP also needs to be inspected. In general, the LGP and the backlight module are inspected by using an inspecting apparatus.
Referring to FIG. 4, this shows a top elevation of a first conventional inspecting apparatus 1. The inspecting apparatus 1 is used to hold and inspect an LGP 10. The inspecting apparatus 1 comprises a working table 100, two clamp elements 150, two light-emitting diodes (LEDs) 120, and two switches 130. The two clamp elements 150 are fixed on the working table 100, and are diagonally opposite each other for holding two diagonally opposite corners of the LGP 10. The LEDs 120 are fixed on the working table 100, and are near an incident surface of the LGP 10. The LEDs 120 also connect with a PCB (not shown), so as to be easily fixed on the working table 100 and pass current. The LEDs 120 are controlled by the switches 130 respectively, for illuminating the LGP 10.
Because the LEDs 120 and the clamp elements 150 are fixed on the working table 100, the inspecting apparatus 1 can only hold and inspect one kind of LGP with a specific size. Each time a manufacturer needs to inspect a new LGP with a different size, a new inspecting apparatus 1 must be provided.
Referring to FIG. 5, this shows a top elevation of a second conventional inspecting apparatus 2. The inspecting apparatus 2 is used to hold and inspect a backlight module 20 comprising an LGP 21 and a frame 29. The inspecting apparatus 2 comprises a working table 200, two clamp elements 250, and a cover device 280. The two clamp elements 250 are fixed on the working table 200, and are diagonally opposite each other for holding two diagonally opposite corners of the backlight module 20. The cover device 280 comprises two LEDs 282, a rotatable cover 286, a handle 283, and two shaft bases 284. The LEDs 282 are fixed on the free end of the cover 286. The two shaft bases 284 are fixed on the working table 200. A shaft (not labeled) interconnects a bottom of the cover 286 with the shaft bases 284, so that the cover 286 can pivot about the shaft. The handle 283 is mounted on one side of the cover 286, so as to facilitate rotatation of the cover 286.
In operation, the backlight module 20 is held by the two clamp elements 250. The cover 286 is rotated to a position in which it overlaps an edge portion of the frame 29, with the LEDs 282 being near an incident surface of the LGP 21. The LEDs 120 are then turned on to inspect the backlight module 20.
Referring to FIG. 6, this shows a top elevation of a third conventional inspecting apparatus 3. The inspecting apparatus 3 is used to hold and inspect a backlight module 30. The backlight module 30 comprises an LGP 31, a frame 39, two LEDs 32, and a flexible printed circuit board (FPC) 38. The inspecting apparatus 3 comprises a working table 300, two clamp elements 350, and a cover device 380. The two clamp elements 350 are fixed on the working table 300, and are diagonally opposite each other for holding two diagonally opposite corners of the backlight module 30. The cover device 380 comprises a connector 382, a rotatable cover 386, a handle 383, and two shaft bases 384. The connector 382 is fixed on the free end of the cover 386. The shaft bases 384 are fixed on the working table 300. A shaft (not labeled) interconnects a bottom of the cover 386 with the shaft bases 384, so that the cover 386 can pivot about the shaft. The handle 383 is mounted on one side of the cover 386, to facilitate rotatation of the cover 386.
In operation, the backlight module 30 is held by the two clamp elements 350. The cover 386 is rotated to a position above the FPC 38, and the connector 382 is connected with circuits of the FPC 38. The LEDs 32 are turned on to inspect the backlight module 30.
Because the cover devices 280, 380 are not adjustable, each of the inspecting apparatuses 2, 3 can only hold and inspect one kind of backlight module with a specific size. Each time a manufacturer needs to inspect a new backlight module with a different size, a new inspecting apparatus 2 or 3 must be provided. Alternatively, an existing inspecting apparatus must be adapted so that it can be used for the new sized backlight module. Either way, it is inevitable that the costs of mass production are unduly inflated.
Thus, a new adaptable inspecting apparatus which overcomes the above-mentioned disadvantages is desired.

Inspecting apparatus for backlight modules


A generator and projector system for providing a test target for testing sensing apparatus includes an aperture stop located adjacent to the sensing apparatus. Also included are a spherical mirror having a concave side facing the aperture stop and an object disposed between the spherical mirror and the aperture stop. The object includes various test targets for testing the sensing apparatus. A longitudinal optical axis passes through the aperture stop, the spherical mirror and the object. Illumination of the object generates the test target, which is then reflected from the spherical mirror toward the aperture stop, for testing the sensing apparatus.

It is desirable to generate a synthetic scene for testing and calibrating various image sensors, such as visible, ultraviolet and infrared (IR) imaging devices. There has been progress in developing scene projectors for use in Hardware-in-the-Loop (HWIL) Simulations that are capable of end-to-end testing and calibration of imaging devices, or sensors.
For example, it is common to incorporate seekers into missiles, for guiding the missile onto a target. When a new missile is developed it must be tested to ensure that the design is robust and that it behaves the way it is expected to. Tests are carried out at all stages of development on the components and sub-systems, but a test is needed for the complete, assembled missile, in order to check that the sub-systems work together as intended, and that the missile is capable of doing the job it is required to do. The missile sub-systems can be tested simultaneously in a representative environment by firing the missile against a test target at a missile firing range. This is an essential part of any new missile development program, although it is very expensive and time consuming. A way of significantly reducing the number of missile firings required is to use validated representative performance models. The HWIL testing allows interaction and response of many of the missile sub-systems to be tested repeatedly in a controlled environment, at much lower cost and with much faster timescales than firing trials.
As another example, it is common to incorporate a camera into a turret disposed in the nose of a military aircraft. An end-to-end test of the camera may provide an image simulation system having a scene generator that creates a visible image and projects that image toward the camera. Typically, the scene generator may be a workstation or minicomputer having software necessary to generate the digital scene data, at a rate up to and including real-time rate. Depending on the requirements of the camera, the projected image may consist of a simple geometric pattern, or a rendered perspective of many objects. An environmental simulator may also be added to allow motion of the camera under test, by using predetermined motion of the turret. The motion may include roll and pitch that simulate the camera scanning a target of interest on a ground terrain.
Thus, image generators and projectors are known for end-to-end testing and calibration of image sensors. These generators and projectors, however, are limited for producing collimated, but narrow fields-of-view that provide only partial field coverage or are limited in resolution or available aperture, precluding the simultaneous testing of systems comprising a multiplicity of cameras. This effectively limits testing to a single sensor device, or camera at any one time.
Recently, aircraft payloads have included multiple visible cameras and IR cameras installed as an array in a single turret. These cameras operate simultaneously providing an ultra-wide field scene with many entrance pupils that are designed to view a substantially wide area of interest. For example, field coverage may be at least 50 degrees wide, with some coverage requiring up to 80 degrees of width.
Consequently a need has arisen for an ultra-wide field scene generator and projector for qualifying and calibrating multiple camera imagers having many entrance pupils covering, in cooperative combination, a substantially wide field-of-view. The present invention, as will be explained, addresses that need.


An aqueous acidic polymerization liquid comprising polymerizable monomers or oligomers with carboxylate and/or carboxylic acid moiety or moieties, and edge modified clay that is homogenously dispersable in said liquid is provided, and also methods for making such liquids, and also edge-modified-clay linked water-absorbing polymers made by with said liquids and methods, and disposable absorbent articles comprising such edge-modified-clay linked water-absorbing polycarboxylate/polycarboxylic acid polymers.

An important component of disposable absorbent articles such as diapers is an absorbent core structure comprising water-absorbing polymers, e.g. hydrogel-forming and/or water-swellable polymers, also referred to as absorbent gelling material, AGM, or super-absorbent polymers, or SAP's. This polymer material ensures that large amounts of bodily fluids, e.g. urine, can be absorbed by the article during its use and locked away, thus providing low rewet and good skin dryness.
Especially useful water-absorbing polymers or SAP's are often made by initially polymerizing unsaturated carboxylic acids or derivatives thereof, such as acrylic acid, alkali metal (e.g., sodium and/or potassium) or ammonium salts of acrylic acid, alkyl acrylates, and the like in the presence of cross-linking compounds, such as (relatively small amounts of) di- or poly-functional monomers such as N,N′-methylenebisacrylamide, trimethylolpropane triacrylate, ethylene glycol di(meth)acrylate, or triallylamine. The di- or poly-functional monomer materials serve to cross-link the polymer chains thereby rendering them water-insoluble, yet water-swellable. These cross-linked absorbent polymers contain a multiplicity of carboxylate groups attached to the polymer backbone. It is generally believed, that the neutralized carboxylate groups generate an osmotic driving force for the absorption of body fluids by the cross-linked polymer network.
Such reactions are typically done with aqueous solutions of the monomers and crosslinking agents, because a solution polymerization has been found to be most efficient and effective to provide (uniformity in) polymers, and water is typically the preferred reaction solvent (e.g. for safety and cost reasons). Thus, typically electrolyte monomers, such as (partially) neutralized unsaturated carboxylic acids (i.e. unsaturated carboxylate salts), and crosslinking agents are used in the form of an aqueous solution (the resulting water-absorbing polymers being cross-linked polyelectrolyte (e.g. polycarboxylate) polymers).
In recent years, some absorbent polymers that are linked by nano-sized clay particles have been proposed. Unlike some superabsorbent material whereby clay is added after polymerization, it has been found to be important that the clay is added in nano-size prior to polymerization, to ensure the clay form strong links between the polymers. This is for example described in "Nanocomposite Polymer Gels"; Schexnailder/Schmidt; Coloid Polym Sci (2009) 287: 1-11. Some of said clay linked polymers form elastic or stretchable hydrogels upon swelling. For example, water-containing hydrogel shaped or molded articles, comprising certain specific isopropyl polyamides linked by certain clay particles are described in Macromolecules 2002, 35, 10162-10171 (Kazutoshi Haraguchi et all); these elastic, shaped hydrogels are intended for medical purposes where they can be used in applications where they can de-water quickly, and thus shrink, upon demand, e.g. driven by temperature changes. WO 2009/041870 and WO 2009/041903 describe the desire to make clay linked polyacrylates, but that polyacrylates cannot be linked by nano-size clay particles successfully, because the clay aggregates in the presence of acrylate or acrylic acid. They teach thereto fibers, foams and films (that may be made in particles) of clay linked hydrogels, made by mixing nano-size clay particles and acrylic esters in a liquid to form clay linked polyacrylic esters shapes. These polyacrylic ester shapes are then hydrolyzed using conventional hydrolysis techniques in order to obtain polyacrylate shapes. However, the hydrolyses of complete foams, fibers or gels, or even batches of finished particles of polyacrylic esters is a very slow and energy-demanding process, because the penetration of the hydrolysis solution is driven by diffusion only which is a generally slow process. Furthermore, it is difficult to achieve a very homogeneous hydrolysis throughout the entire polymer shapes, even if such shapes are made into particles, i.e. some parts of the polymer may be hydrolyzed earlier and to a larger extent than others. Furthermore, by-products from the hydrolysis (such as methanol or ethanol) would need to be removed from the product, and the level of these by-products would need to be brought to very low levels (toxicity, odour).
Thus, the proposed clay linked polyester shapes, and the hydrolysis thereof are not suitable for commercial scale production of (e.g. particulate) clay linked polyacrylates (e.g. particles).
The present invention however provides polymerization reaction liquids that allow homogeneous clay platelet dispersion in the presence of the polymerizable carboxylate/carboxylic acid monomers or oligomers, i.e. in an acid liquid, without any significant aggregation of clay. The dispersed clay platelets can thus link the polymers during polymerization in a very uniform manner. Furthermore, the process is such that no subsequent ester-hydrolysis is required. Thus, suitable clay linked polycarboxyate and/or polycarboxylic acid polymers and particles thereof are obtained for use in absorbent articles.

Water-absorbent edge-modified-clay linked polymers


Gas contaminants generated from the grease of bearings operating in a magnetic disk device adhere to the magnetic head and causing stiction and magnetic head crash. Such bearings are typically spindle bearings and pivot bearings. In operation, heat is generated that causes the bearing grease to generate the gases. By heat treating the grease, slow evaporating substances of hydrocarbon compounds with carbons of C9 to C13 in the grease are reduced to not more than 0.001 wt. % of the grease. The grease can then be used to lubricate the bearings. The heat treatment is performed at a temperature of 60.degree. to 100.degree. C. at a pressure of 10.sup.-3 to 10.sup.-8 torr. The assembled, lubricated bearings can be heat treated separately from the magnetic disk device or the heat treatment can take place after the bearings have been assembled in the magnetic disk device.

Generally, in a magnetic disk device, the magnetic head floats above the surface of the magnetic disk when it is rotating at high speed. A very small space or floating height between the magnetic head and the disk is created by the viscous air flow. Recording and retrieving of data is accomplished when the head is floating over the surface of the magnetic disk.
The recording density of the magnetic disk device is inversely proportional to the floating height of the magnetic head above the surface of the magnetic disk. It has been the tendency to decrease the floating height, and recently the floating height has reached the level of 50 nm. To comply with the requirement for a lower floating height, a sputtering disk has been used as the magnetic disk in a magnetic disk device.
A sputtering disk is formed by sputtering a magnetic material layer in forming the magnetic disk. The flatness of a magnetic disk is defined, for example, by its average surface roughness Ra. For a sputtering disk, an average surface roughness Ra of 20 to 5 nm has been achieved, making the sputtering disk advantageous in the objective of decreasing the floating height of the magnetic head.
Also, to comply with the requirements for a low floating height magnetic head, a negative pressure type magnetic head slider has been used wherein negative air pressure is introduced. Incoming air flow at the leading edge of the magnetic head slider is compressed, then released at a groove part to thereby generate the negative pressure (below atmospheric pressure condition). This creates a negative air pressure force that keeps the floating height constant between the inner circumference and outer circumference of the magnetic disk, despite the differences in surface linear speed therebetween.
As a result of recent advances in magnetic disk devices that are directed toward lowering the floating height of the magnetic head with respect to the magnetic disk, the following problems have occurred.
In a magnetic disk device, dust, fine oil mist and/or organic gases generated from the bearings and other lubricated, moving parts mix with the air inside the device. These contaminants float in the air within the device and until now have not caused any problem because the floating height between the magnetic head and the disk has not been so narrow as it is with recently developed magnetic disk devices. Now, since the floating height is significantly decreased, the contaminants generated from the bearings, among others, have the possibility of being lodged in the narrow space between the magnetic head and the magnetic disk causing magnetic head crash and damage to the magnetic head and the magnetic disk.
During the operation of the device, the contaminants floating in the air, especially the oil mist and the organic gases, adhere to the magnetic head slider. As a result, stiction between the head slider and the magnetic disk results. This can prevent rotation of the magnetic disk, which leads to the possibility of starting failure of the magnetic disk device due to the available starting torque. Also, there is a possibility that the magnetic disk can be damaged due to stiction caused by flaking off on the surface of the magnetic disk where the head slider adheres to the disk. This can be caused when a force larger than the normal starting torque is used to start rotation of the magnetic disk.
In magnetic disk devices of the prior art, it has been proposed that an electrostatic filter be used to collect floating contaminants in the air of a magnetic disk device. This proposal has been made in Japanese Application No. 5-62450. In another proposal, disclosed by Japanese Patent Application No. 6-36546, a filter is used in an air flow path arranged between a part near the rotating shaft of the carriage that drives the magnetic head and a part near the magnetic disk. The filter in the air flow path is intended to collect oil mist to prevent the oil mist from contaminating the air space within the device.
It has also been proposed in the prior art to provide a magnetic disk device having an enclosed air space with an outer circulating path. The air that flows through an inner part of the air space is passed through a filter to the outer circulation path to trap organic gases. Thereafter, the air in the outer circulation path that has been filtered is returned to the inner air space, or the interior of the device where the magnetic disk is present.

Bearing and manufacturing method of bearing, and magnetic disk device with bearing containing a lubricating grease


An auxiliary lock includes a housing, a positioning seat securely mounted in the housing, a lock core housing securely mounted in the positioning seat and including a compartment, and a lock core removably mounted in the compartment of the lock core housing. The lock core includes two lateral sides each having a recessed section. A core lug is received in one of the recessed sections. The core lug is movable by rotation of a key for changing lock cores. The lock core housing further includes two cutout sections respectively defined in two lateral sides thereof. One of the cutout sections includes a slot communicated with the compartment of the lock core housing. A lateral inner wall that defines a portion of the compartment of the lock core housing includes a protruded edge. A lug retainer is mounted in the cutout section having the slot. The lug retainer includes a first end retained in the cutout section having the slot. The lug retainer further includes a second end extended into the compartment of the lock core housing for releasably engaging with a groove of the core lug. When the lock core is at a position for locking/unlocking operation, the core lug of the lock core bears against the protruded edge of the lock core housing, while the lug retainer is received in the groove of the core lug to prevent from forcible outward movement of the lock core by axial pull.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an auxiliary lock of the type having an interchangeable lock core with improved pull-resistant structure to prevent the lock core from being forcibly pulled outwards.
2. Description of the Related Art
Auxiliary locks provide additional protection to property and life. Auxiliary locks generally includes three types, i.e., "blank plate type" in which the auxiliary lock can be locked or unlocked by a key from outside only, "single cylinder type" in which the auxiliary lock can be locked or unlocked by a key from outside and by a thumbturn on the inside, and "double cylinder type" in which the auxiliary lock can be locked or unlocked by a key from either side.
FIG. 5 of the drawings illustrates a conventional auxiliary lock 60 of single cylinder type. A lock core housing 70 is mounted in a positioning seat 62, which, in turn, is mounted in a housing 61. Removably mounted in a figure "8" compartment 71 of the lock core housing 70 is a lock core 80 that is also substantially "8" shaped. As shown in FIG. 6, the lock core 80 includes a recessed section 81 in each of two lateral sides thereof, wherein one of the recessed sections 81 has a core lug 82 movably received therein. A lateral inner wall that defines a portion of the figure "8" compartment 71 of the lock core housing 70 includes a protruded edge 72. When the lock core 80 is inserted into the compartment 71 and the key for changing lock cores is rotated through a pre-determined angle to a position for locking/unlocking, the core lug 82 is extended outward into a space 73 behind the protruded edge 72. Thus, the lock core 80 is not removable after the key for changing lock cores is removed.
Still referring to FIG. 5, when mounted to a door 90, a tail piece 75 is connected to a thumbturn 77 located inside. In addition, the tail piece 75 is connected to an end of the lock core 80. Accordingly, the user may lock or unlock the auxiliary lock 60 by a key from outside or by the thumbturn 77 from inside.
Theoretically, when the core lug 82 of the lock core 80 is located in the space 73 behind the protruded edge 72, the lock core 80 cannot be removed unless the key for changing the lock core is inserted into a keyway 83 of the lock core 80 and rotated through a pre-determined angle, as the core lug 82 will be stopped by the protruded edge 72 if the lock core 80 is pulled longitudinally outwards. In practice, an unauthorized person still may forcibly remove the lock core 80, destroy the auxiliary lock 60, and thus open the door 90. It is found that the lock core 80 is merely retained in place by means of the core lug 82 stopped by the protruded edge 72 that has a relatively small area. An unauthorized person may drill a screw hole in the front face of the lock core 80 and then insert a T-bolt into the screw hole. Then, the unauthorized person may apply a relatively large force to pull the T-bolt outwards and thus destroy the protruded edge 72 by the core lug 82. As a result, the auxiliary lock 60 is damaged and the door 90 is no longer locked. In brief, the auxiliary locks of the type having an interchangeable lock core can be easily disabled, as the retaining effect of the core lug 82 is not enough. The present invention is intended to provide an auxiliary lock that mitigates and/or obviates this problem.

Lock core-changeable type auxiliary lock with improved pull-resistant structure