A series regulator circuit that enables detection of a voltage drop and reduces consumed current in a static state. A constant current source, which is connected to a power supply voltage line, is connected to a bipolar transistor. The bipolar transistor includes an emitter terminal and base terminal connected to a ground line via first and second resistors, respectively. The constant current source is connected to the source terminal of a PMOS transistor and the gate terminal of an NMOS transistor. The source terminal of the NMOS transistor is connected via third and fourth resistors to the base terminal of the bipolar transistor.

The present invention relates to a series regulator circuit having a function for detecting voltage drops.
In the prior art, voltage instability that occurs when a circuit is activated may result in operational defects. To prevent such defects, a power-on reset circuit that outputs a reset signal for initializing the operation of each circuit when the voltage becomes stable has been proposed (for example, refer to Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2000-31807, FIG. 2). The power-on reset circuit described in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2000-31807 includes a reference voltage generator for generating a reference voltage, a power supply voltage detector for generating activation voltage proportional to the power supply voltage, and a reset signal generator for comparing the reference voltage and the activation voltage to generate a reset signal. The reset signal generator outputs a first logic state until the power supply voltage reaches a predetermined level and a second logic state when the power supply voltage reaches the predetermined level. When outputting the second logic state, after a delay caused by a delay circuit, the reset circuit is inactivated and the second logic state is maintained.
A voltage drop detection circuit has been proposed as a circuit that switches signals in accordance with the level of a power supply voltage (for example, refer to National Semiconductor "LMS33460 3V Under Voltage Detector", [online], searched on Jan. 26, 2006, Internet <URL: http://www.national.com/ds/LM/LMS33460.pdf>.) The voltage drop detection circuit detects voltage drops resulting from short-circuits or the like caused by one reason or another. This is effective for avoiding defects such as a voltage drop that may be caused by a sudden increase in load current. Referring to FIG. 3, a voltage drop detection circuit 100 includes a comparator 102 for comparing constant voltage Vref of a constant voltage source 101 with voltage decreased from input voltage VIN by an amount corresponding to the voltage drop caused by a resistor R. The comparator 102 has an output terminal connected to a gate terminal of an n-channel MOS transistor 103. Thus, the comparator 102 provides the MOS transistor 103 with a comparison result of the constant voltage Vref. As a result, the output voltage Vo changes in accordance with the voltage at the gate terminal of the MOS transistor 103. This enables the detection of a voltage drop.
In the prior art, a series regulator is used to ensure a constant output voltage even if the input voltage fluctuates (for example, refer to Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 9-265330, FIG. 1 and Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2002-343874, FIG. 1). Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 9-265330 describes a reference potential generation circuit that uses a series regulator as a constant current source. The structure of the series regulator will now be described with reference to FIG. 4. A series regulator circuit 110 includes a constant current source 111, which is connected to a power supply voltage line VDD, and the collector terminal of a bipolar transistor 112. The emitter terminal of the transistor 112 is connected to a ground line GND via a resistor 113.
The series regulator circuit 110 includes an n-channel MOS transistor 114, which has a drain terminal connected to a power supply voltage line VDD. The MOS transistor 114 has a source terminal connected to the ground line GND via resistors 115 and 116 and the voltage here serves as output voltage Vout. Furthermore, the gate terminal of the MOS transistor 114 is connected to a connection node between the constant current source 111 and the collector terminal of the transistor 112. A connection node of resistors 115 and 116 is connected to the base terminal of the transistor 112.
The output voltage Vout of the series regulator circuit 110 is in accordance with a load current. When an increase in the load current decreases the output voltage, the base voltage Vbg applied to the base terminal of the transistor 112 decreases and accordingly reduces the collector current. In this case, the voltage at the collector terminal, or the voltage at the gate terminal of the MOS transistor 114 increases. This lowers the resistance between the drain and source of the MOS transistor 114 and increases the output voltage Vout. That is, the resistance of the MOS transistor 114 connected in series to the resistors 115 and 116 decreases so as to keep the output voltage Vout substantially constant.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2002-343874 describes a series regulator circuit having another structure. FIG. 5 shows the structure of the series regulator circuit 120, which includes a constant voltage source 121, an operational amplifier 122, and an n-channel MOS transistor 123. The MOS transistor 123 has a drain terminal connected to power supply voltage line VDD, a source terminal connected to a ground line GND via resistors 124 and 125, and a gate terminal connected to an output terminal of the operational amplifier 122. When the voltage at the connection node of the resistors 124 and 125 decreases, a constant voltage Vref of the constant voltage source 121 changes the gate voltage of the MOS transistor 123 to increase the output voltage Vout. On the other hand, when the voltage at the connection node of the resistors 124 and 125 increases, the constant voltage Vref changes the gate voltage of the MOS transistor 123 to decrease the output voltage Vout. This keeps the output voltage Vout substantially constant.
The purpose of the above-described voltage drop detection circuit 100 and series regulator circuits 110 and 120 is to stabilize circuit operations when the output voltage Vout fluctuates. Accordingly, these circuits may be used in combination to form an integrated circuit.
As an example, FIG. 6 shows a series regulator circuit 150 that functions to detect voltage drops. The series regulator circuit 150 is formed by combining the voltage drop detection circuit 100 shown in FIG. 3 and the series regulator circuit 110 shown in FIG. 4. More specifically, the series regulator circuit 150 includes a constant voltage source 101 and a comparator 102, which compares the constant voltage Vref of the constant voltage source 101 with the output voltage Vout of the series regulator circuit 110. Accordingly, when the output voltage Vout becomes less than the constant voltage Vout, the series regulator circuit 150 outputs a step down voltage detection Vud from the comparator 102.
A series regulator circuit 160 shown in FIG. 7 may also be used to detect voltage drops. The series regulator circuit 160 is formed by combining the voltage drop detection circuit 100 shown in FIG. 3 and the series regulator circuit 120 shown in FIG. 5. More specifically, the series regulator circuit 160 supplies the constant voltage of a constant voltage source 121 to one of the input terminals of an operational amplifier 122 and one of the input terminals of a comparator 102. The other input terminal of the operational amplifier 122 is connected to a connection node between resistors 162 and 125, and the output terminal of the operational amplifier 122 is connected to the gate terminal of an n-MOS transistor 123. The source terminal of the MOS transistor 123 has the output voltage Vout and is connected to ground GND via resistors 161, 162, and 125. Further, the other input terminal of the comparator 102 is connected to a connection node of the resistors 161 and 162.
In the series regulator circuits 150 and 160, like or same reference numerals are given to those components that are the same as the corresponding components in the voltage drop detection circuit 100 and the series regulator circuits 110 and 120.
The consumed current of the series regulator circuit 150 shown in FIG. 6 in a static state is represented by IDDQ1. In this case, the consumed current IDDQ1 is the total value of the current Ip flowing through the constant current source 111 and transistor 112, the current IB flowing through the MOS transistor 114, the current IR consumed by the constant voltage source 101, and the current IC consumed by the comparator 102.
The consumed current of the series regulator circuit 160 shown in FIG. 7 in a static state is represented by IDDQ2. In this case, the consumed current IDDQ2 is the total value of the current IR consumed by the constant voltage source 121, the current IOP consumed by the operational amplifier 122, the current IB flowing through the MOS transistor 123, and the current IC consumed by the comparator 102.
Such series regulator circuits can be reduced in size by integrating circuits. However, the consumed current of these circuits must further be reduced.


A tail rotor assembly includes a slotted pitch horn which replaces a production non-replaceable pitch horn. A slot is cut along a leading edge of each pitch control horn and a chordwise cut is made through the upper and lower blade surface skins. The production pitch control horn is removed from the tail rotor assembly by passing the spar through the slot. The slotted pitch horn is assembled over the spar and a collar is located adjacent thereto. The collar is bonded to the slotted pitch horn and the upper and lower blade surface skins at predetermined bond areas. An inner horn plate and an outer horn plate are bonded over the horn slot and a trailing edge doubler is bonded to the blade trailing edge to finish the trailing edge horn area and close the upper and lower skin surfaces.

The present invention relates to a tail rotor system, and more particularly to the replacement of a tail rotor pitch horn which minimizes disturbance of the preexisting tail rotor blade structure.
Conventional tail rotor systems are provided in a variety of different specific constructions. A cross-beam tail rotor blade system accommodates blade flap and pitch change motion by deflection of a flexible graphite fiber spar. The spar is a continuous member running from a tip of one tail rotor blade to a tip of the opposite tail rotor blade. Pitch control horns mounted to the inboard section of each tail rotor blade are driven by actuators to deflect the tail rotor blades and flex the spar to provide a desired anti-torque action in response to pilot inputs. The pitch control horns are manufactured as one-piece cuffs which receive the spar therethrough and attach to the blade skins which are mounted thereafter.
During assembly of such tail rotor systems, the pitch control horns are slid longitudinally over the spar toward the center thereof prior to bonding of the core and blade skins to longitudinal outboard section of the spar. After mounting of the core and blade skins to the spar, the pitch control horns are bonded into the inboard section of the blade skins to communicate the pitch force from an actuator to the tail rotor blades and to seal the inboard open end of the blade skins. A strong, effective and lightweight tail rotor system is thereby provided which minimizes the necessity of lubrication and bearings.
Disadvantageously, due to the above described manufacturing method, when damage/corrosion beyond predetermined limits occurs to one pitch control horn, the entire tail rotor system must be replaced. Replacement of the entire tail rotor system is relatively expensive.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a repair method to replace the pitch control horns while minimizing disturbance of the preexisting tail rotor blade structure.

Methods for replacement of a slotted tail rotor blade pitch horn


This invention provides a stereo image displaying method and eyesight recovery apparatus which stimulates the eye muscles and is inexpensive and simple.

Due to the spread of personal computers, the popularization of TV games, the use of portable telephones as a necessity of life and the continuous appreciation of TV programs in recent years, people look at the screen of a VDT (Visual Display Terminal) from a distance of less than 1 m very frequently. Therefore, the population of personal computer type short-sighted people is sharply increasing. To cure this personal computer type short-sightedness, an MD-SS eyesight recovery and training apparatus which has been developed by an ophthalmologist is used
As shown in FIG. 6, in the eyesight recovery and training apparatus 30, a groove 33 is formed in a long table mounted on a base 31 horizontally and a target body 34 is set in such a manner that it can move along this groove 33. The target body 34 consists of a flat plate 35 and a strut 36, and a Randolt ring is drawn on the white flat plate 35. The Randolt ring is a mark used for a general eye test, and a upper, lower, left or right part of the ring is cut away. The strut 36 is moved along the groove 33 in a horizontal direction by a predetermined drive unit together with the flat plate 35, and a trainee sits opposite to the flat plate 35 with his/her chin applied to a square frame 39 before him/her.
The flat plate 35 can approach up to 10 cm before the eyes of the trainee within the square frame 39 and can recede up to 2 m from the eyes. In the training method, for a short-sighted trainee, the flat plate 35 is first moved from 10 cm before the eyes of the trainee within the square frame 39 and moved faster in the receding direction, for example, up to 2 m in 3 seconds.
When the flat plate 35 is to be returned from 2 m away from the trainee within the square frame 39, the moving speed of the flat plate 35 is slowed down in the approaching direction, for example, up to 10 cm before the eyes in 12 seconds. For a far-sighted trainee, the flat plate 35 is moved at reverse speeds. This training is carried out for three minutes each time. By chasing the flat plate 35 with the both eyes of the trainee, the ciliary bodies and eyeball moving muscles of the trainee are trained to form an image of the outside world on the retinae of the eyes.
For a direction and distance training method, a 15-point sheet 40 shown in FIG. 7 is used. On the 15-point sheet 40, there are shown numerals 1 to 5 at an upper position from left to right at equal intervals, numerals 6 to 10 at the middle from left to right at equal intervals and numerals 11 to 15 at a lower position from left to right at equal intervals. The trainee holds the 15-point sheet with his/her both hands and tries to see numerals 1 to 15 sequentially by moving his/her eyeballs while turning his/her face toward the numeral 8. Then, he/she tries to see numerals 1 and 2 at the same time and up to numerals 13 and 14 sequentially by moving his/her eyeballs.
Thereafter, he/she tries to see numerals 1, 2 and 3 at the same time and up to 13, 14 and 15 sequentially by moving his/her eyeballs. Further, he/she tries to see numerals 1, 2, 3 and 4 at the same time and up to numerals 13, 14 and 15 sequentially by moving his/her eyeballs. The number of numerals to be seen at the same time is increased, or the order of numerals to be seen is reversed. This test is repeated for 10 minutes or more each day. Thus, the ciliary bodies and eyeball moving muscles are trained.
Although the conventional MD-SS eyesight recovery and training apparatus is very effective in the recovery of eyesight, a trainee must go to a clinic. Therefore, a trainee who is busy cannot benefit from the apparatus. Although the apparatus can be purchased, it is expensive and 2 m or more long, a large space in a house is required to install it. Although an apparatus employing a direction and distance training method is simple, inexpensive, effective and handy, the number of trainees who continue training with the apparatus is decreasing due to laziness.
It is an object of the present invention to provide to a stereo image displaying method and eyesight recovery apparatus which stimulate the eye muscles and which enable a trainee who is busy and wishes to recover his/her eyesight and even a trainee who is lazy in eyesight recovery training to continue training without fail and which are simple in structure, inexpensive and effective.

Apparatus for recovering eyesight utilizing stereoscopic video and method for displaying stereoscopic video

Abstract: An image for the left and the right eye are displayed on the screen 50 of an electronic device 2 alternately, an observer wears spectacles 4 which open and close in synchronism with the display of these images to produce a convergence angle and parallax to obtain a 3-D image. A 3-D image display device is used to enable the observer to focus his/her right and left eyes on the images of a 3-D image. A 3-D image 10a is displayed at a position close to the spectacles 4 and then gradually moved away from it. The eyesight recovery apparatus comprises a movement control unit 10 for moving a 3-D image 10b at a distance close to the spectacles 4 and a repetition control unit 23 for repeating the receding and approach movements. When the observer wearing the spectacles 4 tries to always focus on the 3-D images 10a and 10b on the screen 50, his/her ciliary bodies and eyeball moving muscles around his/her eyes are stimulated, thereby recovering his/her eyesight.


An apparatus is provided to compensate for dispersion in a transmission medium. The apparatus includes an input port for receiving a WDM optical signal having a plurality of signal wavelengths and a first Bragg transmission grating receiving the WDM optical signal from the input port. The first Bragg transmission grating has non-zero dispersion at at least one of the signal wavelengths. The first Bragg transmission grating also has a Bragg wavelength that is chosen so that all of the plurality of signal wavelengths lie outside of a reflection band of the first Bragg transmission grating. A second Bragg transmission grating, which is optically coupled to the first Bragg transmission grating, has a non-zero dispersion at at least one of the signal wavelengths. The second Bragg transmission grating also has a Bragg wavelength that is selected so that all of the plurality of signal wavelengths lie outside of a reflection band of the second Bragg transmission grating. Finally, an output port is provided for receiving the optical signal from the second Bragg grating and communicating the optical signal to an external source.

The present invention relates generally to dispersion compensators that are employed in optical communication systems, and more particularly to a dispersion compensator that employs Bragg gratings operating in transmission.
Optical wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) has gradually become the standard backbone networks for fiber optic communication systems. WDM systems employ signals consisting of a number of different wavelength optical signals, known as carrier signals or channels, to transmit information on optical fibers. Each carrier signal is modulated by one or more information signals. As a result, a significant number of information signals may be transmitted over a single optical fiber using WDM technology.
One phenomenon that has an adverse effect on the quality of a WDM optical-signal is chromatic dispersion, in which the index of refraction of the transmission medium is dependent on wavelength. Chromatic dispersion causes the different wavelengths of a signal to undergo different phase shifts, resulting in spreading or broadening of the signal, which can give rise to transmission errors.
One dispersion compensation approach employs a Bragg fiber grating, which comprises a length of optical fiber having a series of perturbations in the refractive index that are spaced along the fiber length. The gratings are sometimes classified by the distribution of the index perturbations along the fiber axis. For example, certain fiber gratings may be classified as uniform, in which the perturbations are equally spaced from one another, chirped, in which the spacing between successive perturbations decreases, or apodized, in which the magnitude of the perturbations vary in accordance with some function of position along the fiber.
Conventional fiber Bragg gratings are typically fabricated by providing an optical fiber with one or more dopants sensitive to ultraviolet light, such as fibers having cores doped with germanium oxide, and exposing the fiber at periodic intervals to high intensity ultraviolet light from an excimer laser. The ultraviolet light interacts with the photosensitive dopant to produce long-term perturbations in the local index of refraction. The appropriate periodic spacing of perturbations to achieve a conventional grating can be obtained by use of a physical mask, a phase mask, or a pair of interfering beams.
Conventional dispersion compensators often employ chirped fiber grating operating in a reflection mode so that the different wavelengths in the signal are reflected at different positions along the grating, causing the different wavelengths to experience different path lengths. FIG. 1 schematically depicts such a dispersion compensator. In operation, an input signal 20 enters input port 23 of a circulator 22, exits circulator port 24, propagates towards chirped grating 11, from which it is reflected, enters circulator port 24, and exits the circulator at port 25. If the distances between the index perturbations in the grating are properly matched to the wavelengths of the optical signal, the resulting wavelength-dependent delays will negate the dispersion in output signal 21.
While the results from dispersion compensators employing reflection-based fiber gratings are typically satisfactory, they have a number of disadvantages. In particular, such dispersion compensators require components external to the fiber itself such as the aforementioned circulator. This gives rise to additional losses beyond those .inherent in the fiber and also prevents the device from being easily integrated on a planar waveguide.
Dispersion compensators using fiber gratings in transmission have been proposed to overcome some of the problems of fiber gratings used in reflection. For example, a transmission-based dispersion compensator using an apodized, unchirped fiber Bragg grating is discussed in N. M. Litchinitser, B. J. Eggleton, and D. B. Patterson, J. of Lightwave Technology 15, no.8, pp. 1303-1313 (1997), and K. Hinton, J. of Lightwave Technology 16, no.12, pp. 2336-2346 (1998). Such a dispersion compensator can overcome a number of the aforementioned limitations of dispersion compensators that employ gratings operating in reflection. For example, they are compatible with planar integrated optics technology, have relatively low insertion loss, and have no inherent group delay ripple. Nevertheless, there remains a need to develop an improved dispersion compensator that employs an apodized fiber grating operating in transmission that has performance characteristics which allow it to be used in practical optical communication systems.
In accordance with the present invention, an apparatus is provided to compensate for dispersion in a transmission medium. The apparatus includes an input port for receiving a WDM optical signal having a plurality of signal wavelengths and a first Bragg transmission grating receiving the WDM optical signal from the input port. The first Bragg transmission grating has non-zero dispersion at at least one of the signal wavelengths. The first Bragg transmission grating also has a Bragg wavelength that is chosen so that all of the plurality of signal wavelengths lie outside of a reflection band of the first Bragg transmission grating. A second Bragg transmission grating, which is optically coupled to the first Bragg transmission grating, has a non-zero dispersion at at least one of the signal wavelengths. The second Bragg transmission grating also has a Bragg wavelength that is selected so that all of the plurality of signal wavelengths lie outside of a reflection band of the second Bragg transmission grating. Finally, an output port is provided for receiving the optical signal from the second Bragg grating and communicating the optical signal to an external source.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, the first and second Bragg transmission gratings may be unchirped, apodized gratings.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a method is provided for compensating for dispersion that arises in an optical transmission path. The method begins by receiving an optical signal traveling along the transmission path. The optical signal is successively transmitted through a plurality of Bragg gratings that each have non-zero dispersion at at least one signal wavelength of the optical signal.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a tunable dispersion compensator is provided for compensating for dispersion in a transmission medium. The dispersion compensator includes an input port for receiving a WDM optical signal having a plurality of signal wavelengths and a tunable Bragg transmission grating having a selectively adjustable value of dispersion that receives the WDM optical signal from the input port. The tunable Bragg transmission grating also has a non-zero dispersion at at least one of the signal wavelengths and a Bragg wavelength that is selected so that all of the plurality of signal wavelengths lie outside of a reflection band of the Bragg transmission grating. An output port is provided for receiving the optical signal from the tunable Bragg grating and for communicating the optical signal to an external source.

Dispersion compensator using Bragg gratings in transmission


An interdental cleaner has a rod-shaped support, which is made of plastic and, in one end region thereof, is provided with a cleaning part made of a flexible plastic, and a handle part made of plastic. The support, at a support end facing the handle part, is integrally connected to the handle part in a connection region via a web. The connection region is configured as a joint, and the web is provided at least partially with a sheath made of a flexible plastic. Provision is made here that the web has at least one protruding web rib, and/or that at least one rib is formed on the outer face of the sheath.

An interdental cleaner of this kind, which is also referred to as a toothpick, is known from EP 0 932 371, for example. The interdental cleaner disclosed therein has a rod-shaped support which is made of a dimensionally stable plastic, and at the rear end of which a handle part is integrally formed via a connection region. In its front end region facing away from the handle part, the support is provided with a flexible elastic cover, which can be formed with radially protruding structure elements, for example in the form of integrally formed fingers, lamellas or ribs, and forms a cleaning part. To clean the spaces between the teeth, the user grips the interdental cleaner by the handle part and guides the front end of the support, and therefore the cleaning part, into the interdental space and moves the interdental cleaner to and fro.
It has been found that the cleaning action largely depends on the way in which the user guides the interdental cleaner within the interdental space. The orientation of the interdental cleaner is largely determined by how the user arranges the handle part relative to the interdental space that is to be cleaned. Although the support has a certain elasticity and can be deformed elastically when a particular oblique setting of the cleaning portion is needed within the interdental space, this can be achieved only if the user suitably orients the entire interdental cleaner obliquely, which in many cases is difficult to do.


Systems and methods are provided for a respiratory sensor for a medical monitoring system that does not require an internal power source. The systems and methods adjust an electrical characteristic of a respiratory sensor based on a property of interest of an airflow path, receiving an excitation signal, and generating a response based on the excitation signal and the electrical characteristic.

The subject matter herein relates generally to systems and methods for a respiratory sensor for a medical monitoring system that does not require an internal power source.
When a patient is admitted into a healthcare facility, the patient is often connected to a plurality of sensors in contact with the patient, such as wearable sensors, cardiac sensor, breathing or respiratory sensor, and/or the like. The respiratory sensor is configured to detect a respiratory rate (e.g., breathing rate) of the patient, which is monitored by a clinician. The conventional respiratory sensor may be bands positioned around a rib cage and abdomen of a patient having sinusoid coils. The respiratory rate is determined based on changes in impedance of the sinusoid coils based on movement by the patient while breathing. However, the conventional respiratory sensors are noisy and susceptible to motion artifacts based on movement not related to breathing of the patient.

Systems and methods for a respiratory sensor


An expandable cage for placement between adjacent vertebrae having two or more upper and lower end plates having compound-angled slots, ramps or rails, and a drive means having corresponding compound-angled slots, ramps or rails configured to slidingly engage the compound-angled slots, ramps or rails of the two or more upper and lower end plates, wherein movement of the drive means in a first direction moves the two or more upper and lower end plates away from each other both vertically and horizontally to expand both a height and a width of the expandable cage from a collapsed state to an expanded state.

A spinal disc can become damaged as a result of degeneration, dysfunction, disease and/or trauma. Conservative treatment can include non-operative treatment through exercise and/or pain relievers to deal with the pain. Operative treatment options include disc removal and replacement. In surgical treatments, interbody implants may be used between adjacent vertebra, resulting in spinal fusion of the adjacent vertebra.
A fusion is a surgical method wherein two or more vertebrae are joined together (fused) by way of interbody implants, sometimes with bone grafting, to form a single bone. The current standard of care for interbody fusion requires surgical removal of all or a portion of the intervertebral disc. After removal of the intervertebral disc, the interbody implant is implanted in the interspace.
Interbody implants must be inserted into the intervertebral space in the same dimensions as desired to occupy the intervertebral space after the disc is removed. This requires that an opening sufficient to allow the interbody implant must be created through surrounding tissue to permit the interbody implant to be inserted into the intervertebral space. In some cases, the intervertebral space may collapse prior to insertion of the interbody implant. In these cases, additional hardware may be required to increase the intervertebral space prior to insertion of the implant.
In addition, minimally invasive surgical techniques may have been used on the spine. Under minimally invasive techniques, small incisions are done to access the intervertebral space. Through these incisions, discs are removed and an interbody implant is placed in the intervertebral disc space to restore normal disc height. Minimally invasive spine surgery offers multiple advantages as compared to open surgery. Advantages include: minimal tissue damage, minimal blood loss, smaller incisions and scars, minimal post-operative discomfort, and relative quick recovery time and return to normal function.
It would be desirable to insert an interbody implant into the intervertebral space at a first smaller dimension and once in place, deploy to a second, larger dimension to occupy the collapsed or reduced intervertebral space.


Provided is a pharmaceutical composition comprising an antidiabetic agent and an antihypertensive agent as active ingredients.

Antihypertensive agents which are currently used include diuretics, sympatholytic drugs, calcium channel blockers (CCBs), angiotensin converting enzymes (ACEs) inhibitors, angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs), renin inhibitors, vasodilators, etc.
Among such antihypertensive agents, angiotensin receptor blockers (hereinafter referred to as "ARB") are being used increasingly as antihypertensive agents due to their blood pressure lowering effect, ventricular function preservation effect and fibrosis prevention effect. As ARB drugs, losartan was developed, and since then valsartan, candesartan, irbesartan, telmisartan, eprosartan, olmesartan and the like have been developed and used as blood pressure lowering agents.
Meanwhile, as agents for treating diabetes which is a metabolic disorder, oral blood glucose lowering agents are used as well as insulin injections. In addition, drugs, such as AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activators (e.g., metformin, etc.), dipeptidyl peptidase (DPP)-4 inhibitors (e.g., sitagliptin, linagliptin, saxagliptin, vildagliptin, etc.), SGLT (sodium-dependent glucose cotransporter)-2 inhibitors (e.g., dapagliflozin, empagliflozin, canagliflozin, etc.) are used as oral blood glucose lowering agents.
However, the blood pressure lowering effect of an SGLT-2 inhibitor or a combination of an SGLT-2 inhibitor and an ARB drug has not been reported.

Medicinal composition comprising SGLT-2 inhibitor and angiotensin receptor blocker


A method for fabricating the embedded thin film resistors of a printed circuit board is provided. The embedded thin film resistors are formed using a resistor layer built in the printed circuit board. In comparison with conventional discrete resistors, embedded thin film resistors contribute to a smaller printed circuit board as the space for installing conventional resistors is saved, and better signal transmission speed and quality as the parasitic capacitive reactance effect caused by two contact ends of the conventional resistors is also avoided. The method for fabricating the embedded thin film resistors provided by the invention can be conducted using the process and equipment for conventional printed circuit boards and thereby saving the investment on new types of equipment. The method can be applied in the mass production of printed circuit boards and thereby reduce the manufacturing cost significantly.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a method for fabricating embedded thin film resistors of a printed circuit board, and more specifically to a method of fabricating one or more embedded resistors in a printed circuit board.
2. The Prior Arts
In general, besides using conventional discrete passive elements, a printed circuit board can also use a thick film or a thin film process to develop the embedded resistors required. In the thick film process, the resistors of the printed circuit board are made of carbon paste printed on the printed circuit board. Then the resistances of the resistors are fine-tuned by the laser trimming after drying. In the thin film process, on the other hand, a nickel-silicide-plated copper foil is used to replace the pure copper foil. The nickel-silicide-plated copper foil and the epoxy resin of the printed circuit board are pressed together during the fabricating process of the printed circuit board. The nickel-silicide-plated side of the copper foil faces toward the laminate of the printed circuit board and the non-plated side of the copper foil faces outward. Then, in a subsequent photolithography process, an acid etching solution is first used to etch both the copper and nickel-silicide layers, and then an alkaline etching solution is used to etch away the copper layer above the embedded resistors. One or more nickel-silicide blocks with the required dimensions are thereby formed. Laser is then used to trim each of the nickel-silicide blocks to achieve the precise resistance required.
In addition, U.S. company, Macdermid, developed a process to fabricate embedded resistors by adopting the nickel-phosphorus or palladium-phosphorus deposition technology conventionally used in industry. The process includes circuitry fabrication, activation, forming photosensitive etching resist, lithographic etching to expose resistor locations, immersing in an electroless dip solution, removing photosensitive etching resist, and fine-tuning resistance with laser trimming to accomplish the fabrication of embedded thin film resistors.

Method for fabricating embedded thin film resistors of printed circuit board


The present invention provides a hollow oxide particle including a shell wall constituting a hollow room, and the shell wall has a thickness of 20 nm or less. The shell wall may be mainly composed from at least one selected from the group consisting of alumina, spinel, iron oxides, yttrium oxides, and titanium oxides. A process for producing the hollow oxide particle comprises the steps of: forming a Water in Oil (W/O) type emulsion including aqueous microspheres having a each diameter of 100 nm or more, by adding an organic solvent to an aqueous solution dissolving and/or suspending at least one of metal salts and metal compounds; and forming the hollow oxide particle by atomizing the Water in Oil (W/O) type emulsion to burn. When the hollow oxide particle is brought into contact with a water-containing solution, a surface of the shell wall may have a minutely irregular surface.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a hollow oxide particle and a process for producing the same. The hollow oxide particle is, for example, applicable to catalytic carriers.
2. Description of the Related Art
There has been provided a hollow oxide particle whose specific surface area is generally 5-10 times or more times larger than that of a solid powder particle, a non-hollow particle. The hollow oxide particle is larger in diameter than the non-hollow powder particle, when the specific surface areas of both particles are same. Such particle having larger diameter is treated easily. So, the hollow oxide particle is applicable to catalytic carriers because of their large specific surface area and large diameter. It is also expectable as concealing agents and micro-capsules.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (KOKAI) 6-7,670 discloses a process for producing a porous particle or a hollow particles formed. In this publication technique, firstly, spherical polymer particles for forming cores are uniformly dispersed in a solution including a metal salt having a hydrolysis property, so that polymer-metal compound particles are formed in which each spherical polymer core is covered with a metal compound layer. The polymer-metal compound particle is in the range of 0.07-30 .mu.m in diameter, and its ratio of inner-diameter to outer-diameter is in the range 0.40-0.95. In this publication technique, secondly, the polymer-metal compound particles are heated for decomposing the core-polymer into carbon or carbon dioxide, so that they are transformed into another spherical particles in which each spherical carbon is covered with a metal compound layer or a hollow particle. This publication technique exhibits complicated steps to increase costs. Also, this publication technique, using a precipitating method, can hardly produce a homogeneous complex oxide particle because the precipitation rates of the metal salts are usually different from each other.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (KOKAI) 63-258,642 discloses a process for producing a hollow particle. In this publication process, after an Oil in Water (O/W) type emulsion is composed by mixing an organic solvent with an aqueous solution including inorganic compounds, the Oil in Water (O/W) type emulsion is added into an organic solvent including a hydropholic surfactant to compose an Oil in Water in Oil (O/W/O) type emulsion. Next, the O/W/O type emulsion is mixed with a solution including compounds capable of precipitating a water-insoluble precursor in order to form a hollow particle. This publication process requires a calcination step of the precipitated precursor to cause complicated steps, the process exhibits a problem in homogeneity of the particle, and it can not produce a hollow particle having a shell wall thickness of 20 nm or less.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (KOKAI) 3-47,528 discloses a process for producing spherical a hollow particle of metal oxide. In this publication process, firstly, an emulsion is composed by a mix of a first oil and a second oil into a metal compound solution. Secondly, the spherical hollow particle is made by removing of the oils and water from the emulsion. This publication process causes complicated steps, it can hardly produce a homogeneous complex oxide particle because the solubilities of metal compounds are different from each other, and it can not produce the particle whose shell wall has a thickness of 20 nm or less.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (KOKAI) 60-122,779 discloses a technique for producing porous particles. This technique uses MgAl.sub.2 O.sub.4 obtained by a spray pyrolisis as a raw material. The raw material is formed and sintered to produce the porous body in which the pore size and distribution are easily controlled. In this technique, each of atomized droplets, the diameter of which is in the range of tens .mu.m in size under efficient conditions, constitutes a reaction site. Namely, size of the reaction site of this technique is ten times or much larger than that of an emulsion-combustion method. This technique, therefore, may cause heterogeneous particles, and it has difficulty in producing the hollow particle having a shell wall thickness of 20 nm or less, judging from the aforementioned presupposition that each of the atomized droplets constitutes each of porous particles.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (KOKAI) 8-91,821 discloses a technique for producing a hollow silica particle by use of a sol-gel method of alkoxide. This technique uses alkoxide raw material exhibiting expensive costs. With this publication disclosing nothing about a shell wall thickness, judging from the fact that the hollow silica particle is as large as 2-8 .mu.m in diameter, it is hardly thought that the hollow silica particles has a shell wall thickness of 20 nm or less.
Further, "Ceram. Inter." (vol.,14 (1988), 239-244) discloses a technique for producing a hollow alumina particle by use of an emulsion-evaporating technique. This reference technique requires a calcination step after producing a precursor. According to a Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) photograph in this reference, a shell wall of the particle is hundreds nm or more in thickness.

Hollow oxide particle and process for producing the same


A method for preparing a thermal barrier coating (TBC) material includes: spraying a metal mixture onto a surface of an alloy using supersonic flame spraying or explosive spraying to form a bottom layer; spraying an yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) precursor sol onto the bottom layer using liquid plasma spraying to form an intermediate layer; and spraying a ceramic composite including SiO2 and La—Ce—Zr—O using plasma spraying or explosive spraying to form a surface layer.

As a protective coating in gas turbine hot end components, thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) can greatly improve the service life and service temperature of gas turbines. However, in a constant high-temperature environment, the bonding strength between the ceramic layer and the substrate decreases, which leads to the gradual peeling of the ceramic layer. Therefore, we need a new adhesive layer that does not only slow down the development of thermal stress between the ceramic layer and the matrix at high temperatures but also has robust high-temperature stability and can increase the bonding strength between the matrix and the ceramic layer. As a new kind of high-performance alloy, high-entropy alloys have excellent microstructural stabilities at high temperatures. The high-temperature stabilities of high-entropy alloys and high-temperature-resistant oxides with bonding properties that form at high temperatures can be used to improve the high-temperature resistance of the bonding layer and the bonding strength between the ceramic layer and matrix.
In addition, the service life of TBCs depends largely on the temperature change, and the surface temperature (TS) is much higher than the substrate interface temperature (TB). The temperature difference along the coating thickness direction (TS TB) is an important factor leading to vertical cracks and interface peeling in TBCs. However, it is difficult to measure the internal temperature of the coating accurately. At present, the temperature measurement technologies used in high-temperature environments mainly include temperature-indicating paint, infrared temperature measurements and thermocouple temperature measurements. Temperature-indicating paint is a kind of temperature-sensitive coating that is applied on a given part surface. This paint shows a certain color within a specific temperature range to indicate the surface temperature and temperature distribution across the part. However, the accuracy of this paint-based method is not desirable, the error is more than ±50° C., and the temperature measurement limit is less than 800° C.; therefore, it is not suitable for the high-temperature environments in which thermal barrier coatings are used. Infrared temperature measurement technology is a type of noncontact temperature measurement that is suitable for a wide range of temperature measurements, does not interfere with the temperature field of the measured object, and has a fast reaction rate. However, infrared measurements are easily affected by external factors, such as the emissivity of the object, the measurement distance, smoke and dust, and the measurement error is large, especially in high-temperature environments. Thermocouple is a kind of contact temperature measurement method that utilizes the thermoelectric effect. Although this operation is simple and the corresponding measurement accuracy is high, the temperature measuring element must contact the measured medium to achieve thermal balance over a certain period of time to achieve a temperature measurement. Therefore, this method includes a delay phenomenon, and it cannot monitor the internal temperature of the coating. In summary, the current temperature measurement methods are not competent for this work. In recent years, fluorescence temperature measurement technology based on the temperature characteristics of optical material responses has developed rapidly. By doping rare earth fluorescent elements into a thermal barrier coating, the spectral width, fluorescence intensity and fluorescence lifetime of the fluorescent material change correspondingly when the thermal barrier coating is applied at different temperatures. Therefore, the correlation between the temperature and the spectrum width, fluorescence intensity and fluorescence lifetime can be studied, and the service temperature of the thermal barrier coating can be determined for the purpose of real-time monitoring. Accordingly, the present disclosure uses liquid plasma spraying technology to prepare a rare-earth-ion temperature-sensitive thermal barrier coating doped with Co, and the mapping relationship between the luminescent properties of the rare earth element and the temperature can be used to monitor the changing trends in the internal temperature of the coating in real time. Different contents of rare earth fluorescent tracer ions are doped into each TBC layer. Then, the coupling relationship between the TBC and the temperature is studied after application of the TBC in a high-temperature environment to realize real-time monitoring of the service temperature for the entire thickness of the TBC.
In recent years, research on self-repairing technologies with biological-like properties has gradually attracted attention, and the study of materials with bionic structures has become a new research direction within the field of self-healing materials. The development of high-temperature sweating semiactive heat-resistant materials and the preparation of polymer self-healing materials containing microcapsules or hollow fiber tubes and capillary-like structures are trending research directions. Therefore, using self-healing anti-thermal materials for aerospace vehicles is desired.
Therefore, since the cracks caused by thermal stress are difficult to accurately locate and repair in real time, the present disclosure refers to the concept of imitating the self-healing repair of human cells. Moreover, SiO2 repair agent microcapsules are compounded in a La—Ce—Zr—O coating. When the coating cracks, the microcapsules are broken due to the effect of stress, the repair agent is released, and the oxidation products are generated under high-temperature conditions. The self-repairing function can be realized by filling a certain amount of these coating cracks.

Method for fabricating thermal barrier coating having self-repair and temperature-sensitive functions

AECC BEIJING INSTITUTE OF AERONAUTICAL MATERIALS


A method for assessing path quality between a source node and a destination node, the method comprising, at a node: determining a first parameter and a first path classification of a first path having at least one link; determining a second parameter and a second path classification of a second path having at least one link; determining the quality of the first path based on the first parameter and the first path classification; determining the quality of the second path based on the second parameter and the second path classification; and comparing the quality of the first path and the quality of the second path thereby to determine the best quality path.

It is known in the art that communication networks are composed of nodes that are connected to each other via at least one interface. An interface is defined as the device, or a module in a device, that manages communications on one communication medium. Hence, 'wireless interface' denotes the module that manages communication at the wireless medium. Likewise, an 'Ethernet interface' manages communication that takes place on the Ethernet. An interface manages communication on one physical medium. An interface can be divided into multiple logical interfaces each of which governs an individual communication link. The logical interfaces, which are rooted from the same interface, share the same physical medium. To illustrate, consider a Wi-Fi device, which operates on both the 2.4 GHz band and the 5 GHz band. This device employs two separate interfaces, one managing communication on the 2.4 GHz band, and the other one managing communication on the 5 GHz band. Further, each interface may employ logical interfaces to manage multiple individual links on the interface.
Wireless networks are examples of networks in which nodes are connected via wireless interfaces. Similarly, power line communication (PLC) networks consist of nodes that communicate with each other through power line interfaces. Ethernet networks are formed by nodes that are connected to each other through Ethernet interfaces. These examples, on different networks, can be extended easily based on the communication technology being used between the nodes that make up the network. Furthermore, some networks may employ nodes which can communicate with one another through multiple interfaces simultaneously. Such networks are named as hybrid networks in the literature.
Mesh networks are the type of networks where each node can communicate with one another directly, or through other nodes in the network. Hybrid mesh networks are mesh networks in which all, or some part of the nodes, have more than one interface where each interface can utilize different communication media to communicate with one another.
In communication networks, the connection quality of a link is the main parameter that defines the achievable capacity on a link. The assessment of this quality is especially important because the nodes decide to utilize, or not to utilize, a given link based on its quality. Furthermore, nodes dynamically select the mode of operation and communication rate on a link based on the assessed quality of the link. To illustrate, consider a link between a wireless access point (AP) and a station (STA) connected to it. For example, when the observed signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) on the AP to the STA link is high, say 30 dB, an AP can transmit with dense modulation schemes and coding rates, resulting in high bit rates. In contrast, when the observed SINR is low, say 5 dB, then the AP should use robust, but less dense, modulation methods and coding rates that yield low bit rates. That is to say, quality of the link is the governing factor on the capacity of the link.
Nonetheless, it would be misleading to assess the quality of a link by only considering the SINR on the link, as the SINR is not the only factor that governs the quality of a link. For example, in carrier sense multiple access (CSMA) systems, nodes listen before they talk, and thus, as the number of nodes that contend for the medium increases, the share taken from the medium by each contender is reduced. Furthermore, contention of multiple nodes may result in packet collisions in the medium. Thus, although the SINR is high, it does not guarantee high bit rates on the link, due to the medium sharing, achievable capacity on a link may vary considerably.
One parameter that is commonly used in assessing the quality of a link is the last successful transmission rate observed on that link. That is to say, if the last successful frame was transmitted with a rate of R Mbps, then the link is said to have a capacity of R Mbps. This may provide a valid forecast for a single frame if the link quality changes rapidly, or for multiple frames if the link does not undergo abrupt changes. Nonetheless, although the last successful packet transmitted on a link is a means for measuring the achieved rate for the last frame, it is not the sole determining factor for the achievable rate. Moreover, one can clearly argue that the last successful packet may not be representative for the actual capacity of the link as the transmitter may choose to send the frame with any rate that suits its traffic generation rates. For example, a transmitter may choose to transmit some frames with low rates, whereas it opts for high rates for other frames. That is being said, however, the logical choice would be to transmit a frame with the highest rate possible.

Methods for link and path quality assessment

AIRTIES KABLOSUZ ILETISIM SANAYI VE DIS TICARET A.S.


The present invention is directed to a composite artificial log for use in gas-fired artificial log fireplace assemblies or stoves, and more particularly, to a composite artificial log which has a ceramic concrete section molded to resemble a real log and having a relatively high thermal conductivity, which radiates a substantial amount of heat to the surroundings when heated, and one or more ceramic fiber sections having a relatively low thermal conductivity, which glow visibly when heated above about 1470.degree. F.

Fireplaces are very popular and desirable in houses and apartments, both for heating as well as for aesthetics. It is becoming more and more common to install gas-burning fireplaces as an alternative to solid fuel burning fireplaces, however, since the latter require manual refueling and clearing of ashes. Oftentimes, artificial logs are used in gas fireplaces and stoves to add an element of realism to the gas fire.
Known artificial logs are typically made of a refractory material which is impervious to very hot gas flames. U.S. Pat. No. 3,362,395 discloses a variety of refractory materials commonly used for artificial logs. These materials can be molded or manually shaped and decorated to resemble a natural log. While logs of this type may provide a visual resemblance to natural logs, they do not provide the visual effect of a burning log when used in a gas fireplace or stove assembly. What is needed is an artificial log which provides the visual appearance of a natural log, which radiates substantial heat to the surroundings when heated and which glows to provide the appearance of the burning embers of a natural log when heated in a gas fireplace or stove assembly.


A distributed system is described that includes a notification module and multiple data-providing modules for delivering updated data to client devices. The notification module notifies the client devices of a version of the updated data. A client device then requests the identified version of the updated data. In response to the request, the distributed system selects one of the data-providing modules to provide the updated data. The selected data-providing module determines whether it has finished processing the requested version of the updated data. If so, the selected data-providing module provides the updated data; if not, the selected data-providing module rejects the request. If rejected, the client device generates another request, prompting the distributed system to select another data-providing module. The client device continues to generate requests in this manner until a request is accepted, which will eventually happen because all data-providing modules will eventually finish processing the updated data.

One known architecture for delivering data to client devices comprises a plurality of front-end delivery servers. In response to the receipt of a request for data from a client device, a load balancing module can select one of the delivery servers. The selected delivery server responds by forwarding the data to the client device. This architecture is advantageous because it expedites the processing of requests sent by the client devices. This is because the load created by client requests can be distributed over the plural delivery servers. To further expedite the handling of the requests, the delivery servers can store the data to be delivered in respective caches.
However, the above-described distributed architecture also may pose various technical challenges. For instance, a server system may occasionally update the data that is to be delivered by the plurality of delivery servers. In response to such an update, each of the delivery servers may perform an update operation so that it can send the updated data to the client devices upon request. Different delivery servers may potentially perform this update operation at different rates. As a result, different delivery servers may be ready to send updated data to the client devices at different respective times. This raises a potential problem because the load balancing module may direct a client device's request to a delivery server that has not yet finished performing the update operation. As a result, the client device may potentially fail to receive the most up-to-date data.
For at least the above-identified exemplary reasons, there is a need in the art for more effective distributed architectures and associated techniques for delivering data to client devices.


A reel griping device includes a clamp capable of being removably secured to an end of a spool of heavy gauge wire. At a first end of the clamp is an adjustable wire securing device which utilizes a pair of springs to bias a pair of respective jaws against the unit of wire being fed from the spool through the device. There exist different embodiments to provide an adjustment means to the clamping force.

There is a great deal of linear goods such as flexible pipe, flexible conduit, rope, cable, wire, and the like that are shipped on reels. These reels vary in size from a few inches up to ten (10) feet or more. When such goods are shipped from the factory, the loose end on the exterior of the reel is semi permanently fastened down such as by a strap, nail, fastener, exterior cladding on the reel or the like ensuring that the end remains in place and does not unravel. However, when a length of product is cut free, it is difficult to refasten this loose end. Thus, it hangs loose causing the balance of product on the reel to become loose and unravel as well. This not only leads to damaged product that may have to be discarded, but also represents a safety hazard as well as lost labor time trying the keep the loose end secured as well as lost time looking for it when needed. Accordingly, there exists a need for a means by which the loose end of a linear product stored on a reel can be secured once product is removed and cut from the reel in an effort to address the problems as described above. The development of the reel gripping device fulfills this need.


An apparatus comprises a structure, an array of oscillator units, a plurality of waveguides in the structure, and a synchronizing cavity located within the structure. The array of oscillator units has a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns associated with the structure. Oscillator units in a row within the array of oscillator units are directly coupled to each other. The plurality of waveguides is configured to couple the array of oscillator units to the synchronizing cavity. The synchronizing cavity is configured to cause the array of oscillator units to operate at substantially a common frequency.

1. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to power and, in particular, to a method and apparatus for generating electromagnetic waves. Still more particularly, the present disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for generating electromagnetic waves having millimeter wave frequencies using oscillators.
2. Background
Electromagnetic waves may have a number of different applications. For example, electromagnetic waves may be used in communications, remote sensing, navigation, spectroscopy, heat generation, weapons generation, and other suitable applications. One example of the use of electromagnetic waves in weapons generation is a directed energy weapon (DEW). A directed energy weapon is a weapon that emits energy in an aimed direction without the means of a projectile. The energy emitted by a directed energy weapon is transferred to a target for a desired effect.
For example, a directed energy weapon may emit electromagnetic waves in the form of microwaves having a frequency within a selected range. These microwaves may be millimeter waves. Millimeter waves have frequencies between about 30 gigahertz and about 300 gigahertz. Further, millimeter waves have wavelengths from about one millimeter to about 10 millimeters. The Active Denial System (ADS) is one example of a directed energy weapon that emits millimeter waves.
As another example, electromagnetic waves may be used to communicate between two locations. Electromagnetic waves in the form of a beam may be transmitted from a source to a target. The beam may be modulated to include information for communications. As a more specific example, a submarine on the surface of the water may transmit information to a ship using electromagnetic waves in the form of a beam.
Currently existing electromagnetic wave sources may require more resources for operation of these sources than desired. These resources include, for example, time, space, components, power supply, and/or other suitable resources. Further, currently existing electromagnetic wave sources may not have scalability. Scalability is the ability of a system to be physically expanded to handle growing workloads.
Therefore, it would be advantageous to have a method and apparatus that takes into account one or more of the issues discussed above, as well as possibly other issues.


An apparatus for printing an image on a generally non-absorbent surface of a food item selected from the group consisting of chocolate, cheese and the like or a combination thereof includes a computer allowing an operator to create a unique template for the food item. The apparatus further includes software adjusting a scanned image to the created template and a production line controllably operating a process of making the food product that corresponds to the template. Also, the apparatus has a mechanism for treating the surface of the food item so as to directly print the image on its non-absorbent surface.

The invention relates to an apparatus for reproducing an image onto foodstuffs, such as chocolates, cheese, or the like. Particularly, the invention relates to an apparatus, and the method of its usage, for printing any pictorial representation desired for reproduction upon the surface of any related type of aforementioned items with edible ink.
The application of decorative means to various foodstuffs, such as the surface of a cake, essentially derived over the years as an individual craft of the artisans skilled efforts in providing personalized decorations to such components. For example, early ornamentations provided to cakes, cookies and related types of foodstuffs, fairly well depend upon the skill, dexterity, and imagination of the baker, in order to get any facsimile of decoration upon the finished food product.
Various substitutes to skilled artisans have by necessity been devised for use for decorating food products, and, recently, automated systems for cake decoration have been appeared on the market which allow decorating on an automatic basis. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,834,047 to Ahn relates to a process of imprinting diverse shapes of multiple colors inside the confectionery products with edible ink. An edible mixture of confectionery material is filled and solidified in a mold which is presses upon by a plurality of etching plates of a predetermined shape and according to predetermined colors. The mold is rotated with a predetermined angle and number of times to disperse edible ink more than once with different colors on the surface of the solidified confectionery material. Since shapes and color combinations can be too complicated, this process may be time consuming and may be difficult to implement on the hard surface of opaque food items, such as chocolate.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,505,775 to Kitos discloses another cake decorating system, wherein a digitally stored image is transferred to the top of a cake using a print head that includes a drop-on-demand ink expulsion system which has a nozzle plate directing edible ink toward the cake""s surface. This system relies on the accurate alignment and rigidity of thee three-axis system to preserve image fidelity. Any departure from perpendicularity, particularly in the x and z-directions, and any play in the mutual alignment of the head supporting arm and the slide assembly supporting the cake, is reflected in a noticeable deterioration in the quality of the picture on the surface of the cake.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,795,395 to Ben-Matitayhu et al., discloses an apparatus for decorating a cake by providing a movable printing head that dispenses edible ink at positions corresponding to the pixels of a digital image. The head and the cake are displaceable relative to one another by means of a leveling mechanism, which includes adjustable legs supporting the cake supporting table. Since the head is displaceable only laterally, it is easier to keep an arm supporting the head than is the case with the above-discussed patent to Kitos. While both these methods achieve satisfactory results with products having porous surfaces, it may not be applicable to hard-surface items because the hard surface should be specifically treated so as to be able to contain edible ink.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,578,273 discloses a method of forming a food product by providing a hard, non-porous icing surface on a baked product upon which an image is imprinted. However, it may be difficult to use a jet printing method on the icing surface because edible ink may spread around this icing surface, if the latter is not properly thermally and mechanically treated.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,668,521 to Newsteder discloses a typical process of forming an image on chocolate. The method includes a step of forming a photoengraving metal plate coated with an insoluble photo-etch material. The transparency bearing a halftone image of the original is placed over the plate and is exposed to ultraviolet light so as to record the halftone image on the plate""s surface. After treating the plate with an acid and allowing it to dry, highlighted and shadow areas representing the halftone image is clearly discernable. The method further provides casting a screen against the plate so as to transfer the true image on a chocolate. This method requires manufacturing molds and screens and may not achieve satisfactory results of transferring the image on chocolate.
It is therefore desirable to provide an apparatus for jet printing an image directly onto a generally non-absorbent hard surface of chocolate without manufacturing additional molds and screens. Also, it is desirable to provide an apparatus of the type described above that is capable of providing high definition imaging transfer onto a non-absorbent surface of a food item. An apparatus that provides simple and reliable alignment between an item and a printing head is also desirable, as is a method for transferring an image on a hardened generally non-absorbent surface that can be automated. Also, an apparatus of the type described above that can function in a fully automated mode and a semi-automated mode is desirable, as is a control system for identifying authentic components of the apparatus.
This is achieved by an automated system enabling the transfer of any pictorial representation onto a generally non-absorbent surface of a food item, particularly a chocolate item, by scanning the representation and jet-printing edible ink directly onto this surface. The automated system may include software executing on a computer which is programmed to control a printer provided with edible ink.
The automated system has software executing on the computer for automatically selecting a size and shape of a prototype of chocolate items. It further has a means for scanning an image and adjusting the image on the prototype, according to which a mold is selected or made.
The automated system may further automatically control a temperature in a heater and displacement of the filled mold along a conveyor delivering the mold through a cooling station towards a preparation station. According to the invention, the preparation station may have an automatically controlled gripping mechanism adapted to separate the hardened food item from the mold. This gripping mechanism may controllably turn the food item at a 180xc2x0 angle so as to position the separated product on a movable product stabilizer.
Preferably, the product stabilizer is comprised of a movable surface formed with a plurality of formations, each corresponding to a particular shape and size of the preselected food item. The movable surface is controllably displaceable to place the top surface of food items in the same predetermined horizontal plane, although these items may have the different overall thickness. This aspect of the invention is significant because a very few adjustments have to be made between a printing head and the top surface of an item to be printed upon during image printing.
In another aspect of the invention, the automatic system further includes a surface preparation system that is controllably positioned to treat the hard surface of the food item so as to prepare it for subsequent image printing. The surface preparation system is controllably displaceable relative to the food item to mechanically treat this top surface during a predetermined time, which is a function of the preselected size and shape of the food item.
Preferably, the surface preparation system, in accordance with invention, is comprised of rotatable brushes arranged to have their orbits overlap one another so as to cover the entire surface of the food item. Yet a linearly displaceable roller formed with a textured surface that controllably treats the top layer of the food item is also contemplated by the invention.
According to a further aspect of the invention, the automatic system also has a jet printer having a protective member that prevents a printing head from contacting the top surface of the item. The protective member can be a mechanical screen juxtaposed with the printing head or it can be a system of sensors generating warning signals, in response to which a desirable distance between the head and the top surface is controllably maintained.
In accordance with still another aspect of the invention, the automatic system includes a CPU with software executing thereon for switching a printing preparation station, which includes the printer and a support table, between a fully automated mode and a semi-automated mode. The semi-automated mode allows an operator to control color quality of edible ink before an image is printed, whereas the fully automated mode is characterized by automatic color-management software.
Still a further aspect of the invention is primarily concerned with a safety of a product thus prepared and particularly includes a control system capable of identifying authenticity of several components of the printing preparation system. Particularly, the control system is capable of identifying an authentic cartridge carrying edible ink, as well as the ink itself.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide an automated production system capable of jet-printing a pictorial representation directly onto a generally non-absorbent surface of a food item.
Still another object of the invention is to provide an automated system for controllably treating a surface of a food item, upon which an image is to be printed in accordance with a shape and size of the preselected food item.
A further object of the invention is to provide an automated system for automatically placing a food item so as to have its top surface fixed in a predetermined position with respect to a printing head the jet printer.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide an automated system for automatically creating a variety of shapes and sizes of a food item.
Another object of the invention is to provide an automated system for controllably operating a jet printer, which is programmed to automatically transfer a preselected image on the top surface of a food item by means of edible ink.
Another object of the invention is to provide a method of automatically operating a production line for preparing a food item.
Still another object is to provide a method for designing a food item having specific shape and size and for adjusting an image on the designed food item so as to jet print the image on its hardened surface.
A further object of the invention is to provide a printing apparatus capable of operating in fully a automatic mode and a semi-automatic mode, wherein an operator is able to control and adjust colors of edible ink.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a control system capable of identifying authenticity of components of the printing apparatus in accordance with the invention.

Foodstuffs imaging process and apparatus


The present invention has a tray corresponding to a heat sink, a circuit part is accommodated in an accommodating part of the tray, and the circuit part is potting-sealed with a sealing resin such that external electrodes are exposed. The sealing resin covers and seals a top part of the tray.

Power modules (power semiconductor devices) have been widely used in various types of products, such as industrial equipment, household electrical appliances, and information terminals. Such power modules to be mounted in household electrical appliances have been particularly required to have reduced sizes and higher reliability. In such power modules, power semiconductor elements incorporated therein are adapted to treat higher voltages and larger electric currents, thereby generating heat, and, therefore, there are provided metal base plates for dissipating the heat. On the other hand, there is a need for securing an insulation distance between the base plate and the electrode terminals for passing higher voltages and larger electric currents therethrough.
Therefore, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 disclose power modules having electrodes placed in an upper surface of the module, a base plate placed in a lower surface opposed thereto, and a circuit part which is sealed by a resin through transfer molding method. By employing this structure, it is possible to reduce the size of the package, in comparison with cases where electrodes are placed in its side surfaces.
Further, at the same time, power modules have been required to have package forms adaptable to SiC semiconductors, which are likely to be a mainstream in the future, due to their higher operating temperatures and excellent operating efficiencies.

Semiconductor device and method for manufacturing the same


A centralized cooling system for data center comprises at least one cabinet, a spray hydraulic device and a hydraulic working substance cooling equipment integrated outside the cabinet, and an outer liquid working substance tank, which are connected by a pipe, wherein the cabinet comprises an auxiliary cabinet, a server cabinet, a liquid inlet pipe, and a return pipe; wherein an inner liquid working substance tank, a main pipe and a pipe distributor are arranged inside the auxiliary cabinet; a server and a plurality of spraying mechanisms are arranged inside the server cabinet; the liquid working substance sprayed from the spraying mechanisms is returned to the outer liquid working substance tank through the return pipe, cooled down by means of the spray hydraulic device and the hydraulic circulating cooling device, and enters the inner liquid working substance tank, and the liquid working substance has no phase transition during the spraying process.

In order to meet the user's requirements for data processing, the scales of hardware facilities in data centers unceasingly expand along with the incessant development of Internet, resulting in enormous energy consumption which becomes an unavoidable problem needs to be solved for the development of data centers. Meanwhile, data center cooling issues are becoming increasingly important. Since conventional natural cooling cannot meet cooling requirements of existing data centers, usually both the air conditioning units cooling and the water cooling are applied for the data center cooling. However, in such case, the energy consumption of cooling equipment that is used accounts for 30% of the total energy consumption of the data centers, which means too much energy is consumed.
According to Moore's law, as the density of associated computer chips increases, the density of cooling loads of data centers increases exponentially. In particular, the energy required for the cooling of data centers is at least 10 times greater than that of common offices under the condition of equal areas. Thus, the cooling performed by non-central air conditioning units which are usually simply used in existing technologies, not only cannot effectively distribute the cold air to various equipments evenly, but also increases energy consumption due to the lack of precise control for air conditioning. Besides, the integral central air conditioning significantly increases construction costs, which is not well adapted to practical usage either.
Furthermore, since water resource is in short supply all the time and saving water is necessary, the water cooling which will consume a certain amount of water cannot be widely used, especially in the regions short of water. Furthermore, the cooling tower, which has a risk of freezing at low temperatures, is not suitable for cold regions. Moreover, the water cooling is further limited due to high cost.
Hence, in order to meet the requirements of energy-saving and cost-reducing for data centers, it is necessary to provide an improved solution.

Centralized cooling system for data center

GUANGDONG HI-1 NEW MATERIALS TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH INSTITUTE CO., LTD.


A wind motor includes a post (1) tower or other supporting structure, a bottom base (2) that supports at least one pair of shafts (4, 5), at least one rotor (6) on each of the shafts (4, 5), a mechanism for synchronizing the rotation of the rotors (6), a front shield (7) secured to the bottom base (2), an arrangement for the free rotation of the bottom base (2) with respect to the post (1), tower or supporting structure, at least one electric generator or another device for converting mechanical energy, driven by one of the rotor shafts (4, 5) or by the synchronizing mechanism, and an inertial body driven by the energy provided by the rotors.

The present invention relates to an electrical or mechanical power generator, consisting of one or more assemblies of synchronized windmills driven by wind force.
Increasing energy needs require the research for new sources and to optimize the existing ones. Wind has a certain number of advantages, such as its huge power with no cost involved, given that it is provided by nature itself.


A method is provided for sealing locking components of a retractor, wherein the locking components cooperate with a spool shaft extending from, and rotatable with, a rotatable spool of the retractor to selectively lock rotation of the spool. The method includes mounting a base of an open-ended housing to the retractor with the spool shaft accessible via an opening in the base when so mounted, positioning a sealing member to extend about and engage a periphery of the opening and to also extend about and engage a periphery of the spool shaft, operatively arranging the locking components within the interior of the housing, and hermetically sealing a cover to the open end of the housing after the housing is mounted to the retractor. The sealing member engages the peripheries of the first opening and the spool shaft and blocks ingress of moisture and particles to the locking components.

Locking retractors are known, and operate to lock under various operating conditions to prevent movement of a web attached thereto. For example, an automatic locking retractor (ALR) may operate to automatically lock after slack in the web is taken up by the retractor following pay out of the web, e.g., after attachment of the web to another structure such as a tongue or buckle. An emergency locking retractor (ELR), on the other hand, may lock only under certain emergency conditions such as during rapid deceleration and/or vehicle impact. Conventional embodiments of such retractors are susceptible to the ingress of moisture and particulate matter into the locking components, which could compromise the locking operation of such locking components. It is therefore desirable to provide a retractor in which the locking components are sealed from moisture and particulate matter ingress.


A substantially circular electrode 3 is arranged on a surface 2A of a dielectric substrate 2 of a TM010-mode resonator 1. A coupling line 5, which extends along a diameter of the substantially circular electrode 3, is arranged on a back surface 2B of the dielectric substrate 2, and back-surface electrodes 7 are arranged with the coupling line 5 interposed therebetween in the width direction. Furthermore, signal lines 11 and ground electrodes 13 are arranged on a surface of an external substrate 10 in positions other than portions facing the coupling line 5 of the TM010-mode resonator 1. The signal lines 11 are connected to the coupling line 5 of the TM010-mode resonator 1 and the ground electrodes 13 is connected to the back-surface electrodes 7.

In general, a known dielectric resonance apparatus includes a resonator having a circular electrode on a surface of a dielectric substrate and power-supply lines which are arranged on the dielectric substrate and which are arranged in the vicinity of ends of the resonator (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
Furthermore, a known oscillation apparatus using a dielectric resonance apparatus includes an oscillator block which oscillates signals having predetermined oscillation frequencies and a dielectric resonator block constituted by a TM010-mode resonator used for setting the oscillation frequencies (see, for example, Patent Document 2). In such an oscillation apparatus, the oscillator block and the dielectric resonator block are separately configured using dielectric substrates. In addition, the dielectric constants and the thicknesses of the dielectric substrates are suitably set for the oscillator block and the dielectric resonator block. Accordingly, a substrate having a low dielectric constant is used for the oscillator block, for example, whereby the accuracy of dimension is relatively enhanced. On the other hand, a substrate having a high dielectric constant and a large thickness is used for the dielectric resonator block, whereby the Q factor is enhanced. Furthermore, mass production of the oscillator apparatus is facilitated by using of the oscillator block and the resonator block in combination.
A known waveguide dielectric resonator includes a substantially cuboid dielectric block (see, for example, Patent Document 3). Such a dielectric resonator includes an input/output electrode having a short-circuit point connected to a ground electrode so as to face a surface on which the dielectric block is implemented. Furthermore, the dielectric resonator is excited using the input/output electrode.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 7-336106
Patent Document 2: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 11-234009
Patent Document 3: International Publication No. WO 2002/078119 pamphlet
In Patent Document 1, the distance between each of the power-supply lines and the ground is set to be larger than the distance between the resonator and the ground so that the power-supply lines and the resonator are strongly coupled with each other. In this case, the thickness of the dielectric resonance apparatus tends to be large since a large space is necessary in the thickness direction of the dielectric substrate, for example, so that a large distance between each of the power-supply lines and the ground surrounding the power-supply lines is ensured. Furthermore, since the power-supply lines are arranged outside of the resonator, the area of the dielectric resonance apparatus also tends to be large. Accordingly, the size of the dielectric resonance apparatus is increased.
In Patent Document 2, a frequency control circuit for controlling the oscillation frequency and a terminating resistor are arranged on the dielectric substrate of the dielectric resonator block. Since the dielectric substrate used for the dielectric resonator block has a high dielectric constant, the cost tends to be increased, and furthermore, the area of the dielectric substrate tends to be increased. This leads to the problem that the production cost of the oscillation apparatus is increased.
Moreover, in Patent Document 3, since a waveguide dielectric resonator is used, the electric characteristics of the resonator is determined in accordance with the length and width of the dielectric block. As processing methods of the dielectric block, a method for processing the dielectric block by baking after injection molding and a method for processing the dielectric block by cutting (dicing) after baking of a dielectric body have been proposed. However, such processing methods lead to large manufacturing error, and therefore, the desired accuracy of dimension is not obtained. Accordingly, it is necessary to enhance accuracies of the length and the width of the dielectric block by performing polishing after formation of the dielectric block, resulting in increased production cost. Furthermore, since an input/output electrode is arranged on the dielectric block which should be subjected to high-accuracy outer-shape processing, the amount of coupling between the dielectric resonator and the input/output electrode is changed if the dielectric block and the input/output electrode are slightly displaced with respect to each other. Consequently, variation of amounts of coupling between individual dielectric resonators and corresponding input/output electrodes is likely to be generated, and variation of the electric characteristics of the resonators becomes large.

Dielectric resonance apparatus, oscillation apparatus, and transmission/reception apparatus


A digital multifunction device is provided with RAM having a virtual drive area. The digital multifunction device enables a personal computer connected to and capable of communicating with the digital multifunction device via a USB interface to recognize this virtual drive area as an external storage device. When the personal computer writes image data to the virtual drive area, the digital multifunction device selectively executes one of an image forming process, fax transmitting process, and mail transmitting process based on the type of folder in which the image data is written. Accordingly, image data in a first folder is printed on recording paper, or image data in a second folder is transmitted to an external facsimile machine.

The present invention relates to a data processing device for handling image data, a facsimile machine having data processing function, and a computer program employed by the data processing device and the facsimile machine.
Data processing devices well known in the art for performing prescribed processes on image data supplied from a terminal device include an image forming device such as a printer, and a facsimile machine for transmitting facsimile data to another facsimile machine specified by the terminal device.
For example, in the technology described in Japanese patent application publication No. 2001-282694, a personal computer is enabled to exchange various data with a facsimile machine by installing a driver program on the personal computer as a terminal device. The facsimile machine is enabled to accept image data from the personal computer by displaying a folder icon on the monitor of the personal computer.
This facsimile machine includes a facsimile transmission function and a printer function. When image data is moved to the folder displayed on the monitor by a drag-and-drop operation, a dialog box is displayed on the monitor of the personal computer asking the user whether to send the data as a facsimile transmission or to print out the data. When a function is selected through a user operation, a facsimile transmission operation or a printing operation is performed on the image data moved to the folder based on the selected function.
However, the technology described above requires preparation, such as installing a special driver program on the personal computer. These operations are troublesome and inconvenient for the user. Further, since the installation of driver programs and the like can be difficult operations for beginners not well-versed in computers, users have been waiting for an easier method to use the above functions.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Data processing device, facsimile machine having data processing function, and computer program


Disclosed are various embodiments for a network identification device and its integration with other applications. The network identification device can include a number of components, such as a first network interface, a second network interface, a processor, and a memory. A profile that represents a computing device communicatively coupled to the first network interface may be stored in the memory. Machine readable instructions may also be stored in the memory. When executed by the processor, the machine readable instructions may cause the network identification device to process a request for the profile received from a second computing device via the second network interface. The machine readable instructions may also cause the network identification device to send the profile to the second computing device via the second network interface.

Organizations often use a wide variety of devices in their data centers or otherwise connected to their network. Although the devices may be uniquely identifiable, obtaining uniquely identifying information about devices in an automated manner is often impractical. Although a network switch may be aware of the devices connected to it, or a device may be able to provide information about itself if a user authenticates with the device, this requires logging into each switch or device individually. As the number of devices installed in a data center or connected to a network increases, it becomes less feasible to login to or authenticate with each device individually.
Moreover, there is no standard mechanism for logging into or authenticating with network switches or devices. Some devices may require logging in via a secure shell (SSH) client. Other devices may only support logging in via a telnet client. Moreover, some devices may require logging in through a web-based interface. However, each web-based interface may have its own implementation. Moreover, these approaches to logging into or authenticating with a network switch or device may not be consistently implemented. For example, some devices may implement an SSH server or web server on a non-standard port. As a result, each device installed in a data center or attached to a network may require a different approach to logging into the device in order to obtain the desired information about the device.
As a result of the barriers to automating inventorying physical devices installed in a data center or connected to a network, inventory is often tracked manually. For example, when a new device is connected to a switch, a network administrator may update a spreadsheet, database, or similar record with information regarding the new device and where it was installed. However, these manual processes are often error prone. For example, network administrators may accidentally enter incorrect data or forget to update the spreadsheet or database to reflect a change in the network (e.g., when a new device is installed or an existing device is moved of decommissioned).


The invention relates to a module (6) for primary parts (12) of synchronous motors (7, 8, 13) which are excited by permanent magnets, which comprise at least one secondary part (9) which is at least sectionally devoid of permanent magnets. Said secondary part (9) is made of an iron structure comprising teeth (11) which leads to the primary part (12). Said module (6) comprises at least one permanent magnet (1, 14) and at least one iron rod (2) which is arranged on the opposite sides. Recesses (3) are arranged between the iron rod (2) on one side and at least one winding (5) is guided about the iron rod (2). An additional module (6) can be secured at least to one side of the module (6) such that the iron rod (2) engages in the recesses (3) of the adjacent module (6) and the modules (6) can be placed together in relation to various predetermined primary parts (12).

The invention relates to a toothed module for primary parts of permanent-magnet synchronous motors.
Electrical machines are used in a very large number of technical fields. In the case of electrical machines it is necessary to distinguish between DC machines, AC machines and three-phase machines. Three-phase machines can be split into three-phase synchronous machines and three-phase asynchronous machines.
A type of embodiment of electrical machines is permanent-magnet synchronous motors. These comprise a primary part and a secondary part. The primary part is active and the secondary part acts passively.
It is known what kind of construction is necessary for permanent-magnet synchronous motors in order to meet various use requirements. Different types of uses can in this case result from the physical space available, the permissible weight or the required power.
However, one disadvantage is the fact that the primary part and the secondary part need to be reconstructed in order to produce a new permanent-magnet synchronous motor which is matched to a new design. Possible designs are in this case, for example, linear motors or rotary motors.

Toothed module for primary parts of permanent-magnet synchronous motors