An object of the present invention is to provide a carbon fiber which exhibits excellent strength development rate when used in a composite material. The present invention that solves the problems is a carbon fiber which simultaneously satisfies the following formulae (1) and (2):Lc/d≤3  (1)TS×d×Lc>6.0×105  (2)                wherein:        Lc is an X-ray crystallite size (Å),        d is a filament diameter (μm), and        TS is a strand tensile strength (MPa).

Carbon fibers have excellent specific strength and specific modulus and are lightweight, and therefore are used as reinforcing fibers for thermosetting and thermoplastic resins not only in conventional sporting goods and general industrial applications but also in a wide variety of applications, such as an aircraft and aerospace application and an automobile application. In recent years, a carbon fiber-reinforced composite material obtained by unifying a carbon fiber as a reinforcing fiber with a matrix resin has a further advantage over other materials, and, particularly in the applications of automobiles and aircraft and aerospace, there are increasing demands for the fiber-reinforced composite material having improved performance.
The fiber-reinforced composite material is, for example, formed from a prepreg, which is an intermediate product having a reinforcing fiber impregnated with a matrix resin, through molding and processing steps including heating and pressing. In forming a composite of a carbon fiber and a matrix resin, for achieving excellent performance of the composite, it is essential to improve the carbon fiber per se in mechanical physical properties, such as a strength and a modulus, and studies have been made on the improvement of the mechanical physical properties of the carbon fiber.
However, even when the carbon fiber having improved mechanical physical properties is used in a fiber-reinforced composite material, a difference is caused between the actually measured physical properties of the resultant fiber-reinforced composite material and the physical properties expected from the design of the composite material, and there is a problem in that the carbon fiber cannot exhibit a satisfactory development rate of physical properties when used in the composite material.
For improving the physical properties development rate of a carbon fiber when used in a composite material, various studies have been made. For example, PTL 1 discloses a method in which a carbon fiber bundle in a flattened form is employed to improve the opening properties for fiber upon forming so as to obtain a homogeneous formed article, increasing the strength development rate of the carbon fiber. Further, PTL 2 proposes a method in which treatment unevenness of the surface treatment for improving the adhesion between a carbon fiber and a matrix resin is reduced to increase the strength development rate of the carbon fiber.
However, the strength development rate of the carbon fiber obtained using these methods was not satisfactory.

Carbon fiber bundle, prepreg, and fiber-reinforced composite material


A control unit for a machine tool at least one vibration detection device attached to a main shaft portion of a machine tool or a movable body; a storage device for storing a vibration signal detected by the vibration detection device being related to operation information of the machine tool; a collision judgment device for judging that a collision has occurred; and an output device for outputting the vibration signal at the time of judging the occurring of the collision. By the above constitution, the control unit is capable of grasping a specific circumstance of collision and quickly determining a cause of collision.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a control unit. More specifically, the present invention relates to a control unit having a collision judgment function for judging that a main shaft of a machine tool has collided with other objects.
2. Description of the Related Art
A main shaft of a machine tool or an arm of a robot may unexpectedly collide with other objects due to a program error or an error in operation made by an operator in some cases. In the case of a collision, the main shaft or the robot arm, and a motor for driving the main shaft or the robot arm may be damaged. In this case, machining and operation accuracy are affected. Therefore, when a collision occurs, it is desirable that the machine tool or the robot be stopped and checked.
According to Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2-179479, the following countermeasure is disclosed. Since the main shaft and the motor to drive the main shaft are abnormally vibrated when the main shaft of the machine tool etc., is damaged, an abnormal vibration is detected by a position detector provided on the main shaft. Further, according to Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2006-138756, the following countermeasure is disclosed. In the case where a maximum value of an output signal sent from a vibration sensor attached to a main shaft etc., of a machine tool exceeds a threshold value, it is judged that a collision of the main shaft with other objects has occurred.
In Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2-179479 and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2006-138756, it is possible to detect a collision without being linked with a control unit for a machine tool. In other words, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2-179479 and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2006-138756, an output signal of a vibration sensor at the time of the occurrence of a collision is not related to the operation information of the machine tool, for example, the operation program.
However, in the case where the machine tool is automatically operated, specific circumstances at the time of collision are unknown. Therefore, it is difficult to determine a cause of the collision. Even when the machine tool is manually operated by an operator, unless the operator reports that the collision has occurred, it is also difficult to determine the cause of the collision, since the specific circumstances at the time of collision are unknown.
The present invention has been accomplished in the light of the above circumstances. An object of the present invention is to provide a control unit capable of knowing a specific circumstance of collision occurred in a machine tool and quickly determining the cause of the collision.


In order to improve a windbreak device for motor vehicles, in particular for cabriolet vehicles, comprising a windbreak base which can be mounted such that it is fixed to the vehicle and on which a wind deflector which extends in a wind deflector surface can be mounted so as to move between an active position and an inactive position, and a drive device for moving the wind deflector between the inactive and the active position and vice versa, in such a way that the said windbreak device can be operated in as optimum a manner as possible, it is proposed that the drive device can be supplied with power from an on-board electrical system of the motor vehicle by means of a power transmission device, and that the power transmission device comprises a first element which is disposed on the windbreak base, and a second element which is disposed on a side wall of the body of the motor vehicle, the said elements transferring power from the on-board electrical system of the motor vehicle to the drive device which is disposed on the windbreak base when the windbreak device is mounted on the motor vehicle in a functional position.

The invention relates to a windbreak device for motor vehicles, in particular for cabriolet vehicles, comprising a windbreak base which can be mounted such that it is fixed to the vehicle and on which a wind deflector which extends in a wind deflector area can be mounted so as to move between an active position and an inactive position, and a drive device for moving the wind deflector between the inactive and the active position and vice versa.
Windbreak devices of this type are known, for example, from DE 296 15 342 U1, electrical power from the on-board electrical system of the motor vehicle being supplied via a cigarette lighter.
It is therefore an object of the invention to improve a windbreak device of this generic type in such a way that it is possible to operate the said windbreak device in as optimum a manner as possible.

Scambia Industrial Developments Aktiengesellschaft


A billing system that allows a consumer to order products from computers connected to the Internet, wherein the consumer is automatically billed for the ordered good or service by its telephone service provider. When a consumer orders a product over the Internet, a plug-in component of the consumer's computer establishes an Internet connection to a billing server. A billing server component transfers an encrypted version of the product to the plug-in component. The plug-in component then disconnects from the Internet and establishes a point-to-point (PPP) connection with the billing server. During the PPP connection, the billing server component transfers an access key assigned to the order to the plug-in component so that the plug-in component may decrypt the product. The consumer is charged a unit rate or “drop-charge” for the product by the telephone service provider when the PPP connection is established using a premium-rate telephone number assigned and administered by the telephone service provider.

Communication networks are well known in the computer communications field. By definition, a network is a group of computers and associated devices that are connected by communications facilities or links. Network communications can be of a permanent nature, such as via cables, or can be of a temporary nature, such as connections made through telephone or radio links. Networks may vary in size, from a local area network (LAN) consisting of a few computers or workstations and related devices; to a wide area network (WAN) which interconnects computers and LANs that are geographically dispersed; to a remote access service (RAS) which interconnects remote computers via temporary communication links. An internetwork, in turn, is the joining of multiple computer networks, both similar and dissimilar, by means of gateways or routers that facilitate data transfer and conversion from various networks. A well-known abbreviation for the term internetwork is "internet." As currently understood, the capitalized term "Internet" refers to the collection of networks and routers that use the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) to communicate with one another.
A representative section of the Internet 20 is shown in FIG. 1 (Prior Art) in which a plurality of local area networks (LANs) 24 and a wide area network (WAN) 26 are interconnected by routers 22. The routers 22 are generally special purpose computers used to interface one LAN or WAN to another. Communication links within the LANs may be twisted wire pair, or coaxial cable, while communication links between networks may utilize 56 Kbps analog telephone lines, or 1 Mbps digital T-1 lines and/or 45 Mbps T-3 lines. Further, computers and other related electronic devices can be remotely connected to either the LANs 24 or the WAN 26 via a modem and temporary telephone link. Such computers and electronic devices 28 are shown in FIG. 1 as connected to one of the LANs 24 via a dotted line. It will be appreciated that the Internet comprises a vast number of such interconnected networks, computers, and routers and that only a small, representative section of the Internet 20 is shown in FIG. 1.
The Internet has recently seen explosive growth by virtue of its ability to link computers located throughout the world. As the Internet has grown, so has the World Wide Web (WWW). The WWW is a vast collection of interconnected or "hypertext" documents written in HyperText Markup Language (HTML) that are electronically stored at "Web sites" throughout the Internet. A Web site is a server connected to the Internet that has mass storage facilities for storing hypertext documents and that runs administrative software for handling requests for those stored hypertext documents. A hypertext document normally includes a number of hyperlinks, i.e., highlighted portions of text which link the document to another hypertext document possibly stored at a Web site elsewhere on the Internet. Each hyperlink is associated with a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) that provides the exact location of the linked document on a server connected to the Internet and describes the document. Thus, whenever a hypertext document is retrieved from any Web server, the document is considered to be retrieved from the WWW.
A consumer is allowed to retrieve hypertext documents from the WWW, i.e., a consumer is allowed to "surf the Web," via a Web browser. A Web browser, such as Netscape's Navigator or Microsoft's Internet Explorer, is a software program implemented by a Web client, i.e., the consumer's computer, to provide a graphical user interface to the WWW. Upon request from the consumer via the Web browser, the Web client accesses and retrieves the desired hypertext document from the appropriate Web server using the URL for the document and a protocol known as HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP). HTTP is a higher-level protocol then TCP/IP and is designed specifically for the requirements of the WWW. It is used on top of TCP/IP to transfer hypertext documents between servers and clients.
At the advent of the WWW, the information stored on the Internet was freely transferred back and forth between those parties interested in the information. However, the WWW is quickly becoming a channel of commerce whereby a vast number and array of companies have developed their own Web sites for advertising and selling their goods and services. Consumers may "visit the Web site" of a company, i.e., retrieve the hypertext documents located on the Web server of a particular company, and order any good or service the company has to offer. If that good or service is in the form of electronically stored information, such as a book, a video, a music CD, a computer game, etc., the consumer may simply download the good or service from the company's Web site to his or her computer for immediate consumption and use. If the good or service is of a more tangible nature, such as an appliance or article of clothing ordered from an on-line catalog, a more conventional method of delivery, e.g., the postal service, is used. The traditional method of payment for such goods and services has been by major credit card, wherein the consumer is required to transmit his or her credit information over the Internet to the company's Web site. However, many question the security and confidentiality of such electronic transmissions. Furthermore, many consumers do not have a major credit card with which to make such purchases. Alternative billing systems, such as providing credit information by facsimile or postal service, are much less convenient and often prove enough of a barrier to prohibit the sale altogether. Finally, the traditional methods of billing and payment do not adequately protect the seller or consumer from fraudulent purchases.
In addition to goods and services, many companies also wish to provide consumers with "premium content," i.e., hypertext documents and other electronically stored and transferable information considered to have a monetary value to the company. Examples of such premium content may include magazine articles, proprietary databases, movies, stock information, radio broadcasts, etc. The traditional method of payment for accessing such content has also been by major credit card, wherein the consumer pays for a subscription to the content and is required to transmit his or her credit information over the Internet to the company's Web site. Again, this method billing and payment does not adequately protect the seller or consumer from fraudulent purchases and does not provide the consumer with adequate security.
Accordingly, a more effective method and apparatus for ordering and billing for goods, services and content over a network, and ultimately the Internet, is needed. The method and apparatus should provide for automatic billing to the consumer without the need of a credit card or transferring any sensitive credit information via the Internet. In addition, the consumer should be allowed to use the purchased good or service, if downloaded, only after billing is completed. Finally, the method and apparatus should prevent consumers with histories of nonpayment from purchasing additional goods, services and/or content.

Method and apparatus for ordering goods, services and content over an internetwork


A portable thermal imaging apparatus uses an ultrasonic acoustical source and an infrared camera to examine a flat or curved specimen such as the surface of the fuselage of an aircraft for defects such as subsurface disbonds, delaminations, cracks, corrosion, embedded contaminants, inclusions, and voids. The apparatus includes a base framework removably attachable to the specimen by a set of vacuum cups and a pair of guide rails along which the imaging apparatus can travel to allow multiple images to be captured without relocating the apparatus on the specimen. The acoustical signal from the ultrasonic source sweeps over a range of frequencies in order to excite defects of greatly differing size to exhibit local heating.

Establishing and verifying the structural integrity of components and structures is important in many industries, such as aviation, automobiles, petroleum, and construction. Loss of structural integrity can be caused by material defects, such as disbonds, delaminations, cracks, corrosion, embedded contaminants, inclusions, and voids that can exist in a composite or monolithic component or structure. For example, it is important in the aviation industry that reliable nondestructive inspection (NDI) techniques exist to examine the structural integrity of each aircraft's fuselage and other structural components to assure that the aircraft will not experience structural failure during operation. Point-by-point inspection of airplanes may thus be advisable, and may be required to be performed, at routine service intervals. Similarly, by way of example, non-invasive inspection and analysis of automotive components such as load-bearing panels, and of petroleum and other chemical transport pipelines, can be of value in the detection of minor flaws, allowing them to be repaired and preventing them from growing into potentially harmful ruptures.
One current method for non-invasive analysis of materials and/or components for defects includes treating the material or component with a dye penetrant such that the dye enters any crack or defect that may exist. The component is then cleaned and then treated with a powder that causes the dye remaining in the defects to wick into powder. Next, ultraviolet light is applied to the material or component causing the residual dye remaining in any cracks or defects to fluoresce. This technique has drawbacks however. The dye sometimes is not suitable to identify cracks that located in areas other than the surface of the component. In addition, this technique is can be operator dependent in that the person performing this technique should be adequately trained and skilled.
Other methods currently utilized for the non-invasive analysis and inspection of materials and components include use of an electromagnetic current and use of thermal imaging including ultrasonic excitation or ultrasonic thermography.
The non-invasive analysis method of using an electromagnetic current is carried out by employing an electromagnetic coil to induce eddy currents in the test material or component. The current pattern changes at the location of a defect or crack. This technique requires point by point inspection, which can be labor intensive and is to some extent limited to only specific types of defects. In addition, the evaluator must be properly trained and skilled.
Ultrasonic thermography is a non-invasive analysis method by which a component, material, or structure, or a portion thereof, is excited with an ultrasonic pulse using an ultrasonic transducer pressed against the surface of the test subject. The resulting mechanical vibration of the subject under test tends to feature differential motion across the face of any defects that may be present, producing friction and causing the defects to heat up sharply, while defect-free areas of the test subject tend to be only minimally and uniformly heated by the vibration. Heat diffusing to the surface from a defect within the volume of a test subject causes a transient local surface temperature increase that can be detected as a bright spot in an image captured shortly after the ultrasonic pulse using, for example, an infrared camera. This ultrasonic thermography technique can identify disbonds, delaminations, cracks, corrosion, embedded contaminants, inclusions, voids, and other types of defects within a broad range of metallic, fiber reinforced plastic, composite, and other structural materials used in the transportation, construction, and other manufacturing industries. It is to be understood that finding defects is not the same as correcting them; ultrasonic thermography as applied herein is primarily a tool for detection.
Ultrasonic thermography has proven successful for detecting defects in materials and components in research, production, and operational maintenance environments. Some presently available analysis systems employing ultrasonic thermography techniques have drawbacks and limitations, however. For example, some presently available ultrasonic thermography systems can analyze only small specimens, and are generally restricted to laboratory use. Some other such systems require manual placement, orientation, and application of force between the transducer and the test surface, which requirements can degrade the repeatability, accuracy, and noninvasive nature of the technique. That is, too much or too little pressure applied to the transducer during a pulse may degrade the repeatability of detection, while misalignment of the transducer can cause the part or surface being inspected to be cut or burned, or can cause damage to surface finishes. Such systems are thus not always well suited for field inspection of materials or components, or for inspection of large objects, such as fuselages and flight control structures of in-service airplanes.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide an apparatus and method for detecting defects of multiple types in both metal and composite structures. It is also desirable to provide an apparatus and method for effectuating the quick and efficient inspection and analysis of large components and/or large amounts of materials, such as entire airplane fuselages and structures, in real time. It is further desirable to provide a repeatable analysis apparatus and method using ultrasonic thermography to effectuate inspection of large components or areas to detect disbonds, delaminations, cracks, corrosion, embedded contaminants, inclusions, voids, and other defect types. It is desirable as well that an ultrasonic thermography apparatus should be readily transportable, usable under field as well as laboratory conditions, and usable by a small team of operators.

Translatable ultrasonic thermography inspection apparatus and method


An automotive air conditioning system has a continuously running compressor that is cycled between a high capacity mode and a low capacity mode, to achieve a desired cooling of the vehicle passenger compartment without undesired compressor stumble or compressor overheating.

This invention relates to an automotive air conditioning system that can run continuously, to avoid objectionable "stumble" and compressor overheating problems sometimes associated with conventional systems.
The continuously running system can include a variable capacity compressor that cycles between maximum and minimum capacities without producing excessively high discharge gas temperatures and/or insufficient compressor lubrication flow rates. The invention is particularly designed for situations in which the compressor is located in environments that contribute to high discharge gas temperatures and poor compressor lubrication performance.
In the present invention, the compressor operates at a relatively high capacity when the air conditioning system is in its cooling mode, and at a relatively low capacity when the system has achieved the required cooling. The invention can be applied to various types of compressors, e.g. vane compressors, scroll compressors, swash plate compressors, wobble plate compressors, or screw compressors.
Further features of the invention will become apparent from the attached drawings and description of various arrangements embodying the invention.


To provide a semiconductor device in which a large current can flow. To provide a semiconductor device which can be driven stably at a high driving voltage. The semiconductor device includes a semiconductor layer, a first electrode and a second electrode electrically connected to the semiconductor layer and apart from each other in a region overlapping with the semiconductor layer, a first gate electrode and a second gate electrode with the semiconductor layer therebetween, a first gate insulating layer between the semiconductor layer and the first gate electrode, and a second gate insulating layer between the semiconductor layer and the second gate electrode. The first gate electrode overlaps with part of the first electrode, the semiconductor layer, and part of the second electrode. The second gate electrode overlaps with the semiconductor layer and part of the first electrode, and does not overlap with the second electrode.

A technique by which transistors are formed using semiconductor thin films formed over a substrate having an insulating surface has attracted attention. The transistor is used in a wide range of electronic appliances such as an integrated circuit (IC) or an image display device (also simply referred to as a display device). As semiconductor thin films that can be used in the transistors, silicon-based semiconductor materials have been widely used, but oxide semiconductors have attracted attention as alternative materials.
As a semiconductor device used for a power device, a power device manufactured with the use of silicon is widely prevalent. However, the performance of a power device including silicon is reaching its limit, and it is becoming difficult to achieve higher performance.
Silicon has a narrow band gap; therefore, the operation range of the power device including silicon is limited at high temperature. Thus, in recent years, a power device including SiC or GaN, which has a wide band gap, has been developed.
The use of an oxide semiconductor in a semiconductor device which is used as a power device for high-power application is disclosed (see Patent Documents 1 and 2).

Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.


An elevation mechanism for a central input selector knob includes: a cylindrical cam having two cylindrical rails; a central input device mounted on a slider cylinder having two opposite ends of a pin that run in the two cylindrical rails to move the central input device between an operation position and a storage position; a cap that has two opposite guiding ribs configured to slide into rails of a main housing, the cap being attached to the main housing such that the slider cylinder is enclosed by the main housing and the cap; and a motor having an axis where a second gear is mounted, the second gear being configured and arranged to transmit movement to a first gear thereby causing the slider cylinder to move thereby moving the central input device between the operation position and the storage position.

Some automotive vehicles include a central selector knob with an elevation mechanism. The elevation mechanism raises the selector knob when the vehicle's engine is started (or when the vehicle is turned on) and returns the selector knob to a hidden, lowered, and retracted position when the vehicle is turned off.
FIG. 1 depicts a selector knob 100 in a central console of an automotive vehicle in a lowered retracted storage position.
FIG. 2 depicts the selector knob 100 in a raised or elevated position for use or operation.
A conventional elevation mechanism is depicted in FIG. 3 in which 336 is the motor, 356 is a rubber band used to move gears 352 and 353, then two worm shafts along with two guiding bars produce a linear rising (or elevation) movement.
The elevation mechanism depicted in FIG. 3 has some disadvantages associated with it, including: a relatively large volume is required to allocate its kinematic configurations; a relatively large number of components are required to raise and hide the selector knob; relatively low reliability caused by the amount of components required and caused also by the use of flexible components in the mechanism; and relatively poor performance with respect to bearing high axial forces without being damaged.
As such, an elevation mechanism for an automotive central input selector knob that reduces the volume of the elevation mechanism, reduces the amount of components and therefore the cost of the elevation mechanism, increases the reliability of the elevation mechanism by improving its robustness, and provides a solution to increase the capability of the elevation mechanism to bear axial forces would be an improvement relative to conventional elevation mechanisms for an automotive central input selector knob.

Elevation mechanism for a central input selector knob


An end effector for use with a moving device has a frame and a plurality of operational members mounted for movement on the frame. The effector also has an actuation mechanism directly connected to a first operational member and is operable to move the first operational member from a first position to a second position, and from the second position to the first position. A linking apparatus is provided for linking the first operational member to a second operational member. The actuation mechanism moves the first operational member from the first position to the second position, and results in the second operational member being moved by the linking apparatus from a third position to a fourth position. The operational members can be pick up members for picking up items at one pitch and releasing them at a second pitch.

End-effectors attached to devices such as robotic arms are well known. These end-effectors often have operational members that perform operations on items. One common type of operational members are pick-up members which can be used to pick up, move and release items.
The use of devices as such as robotic arms with end effectors, that can perform operations on items, is also well known in various industries, such as for example, in the packaging industry. Such robotic arms use a variety of end effectors, for example, to move items from an article feed conveyor into open receptacles such as for example, cardboard boxes. Advantageously, robotic arms and their end-effectors can be moved through a wide range of orientations and positions in a three-dimensional space. One example of the use of a robotic arm and end effector to package items is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,060,455 ("Robotic Case Packaging System and Method"), the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
Robotic arms are traditionally constructed as a cascade of several joined sections, each of which can be rotated and translated in a three-dimensional space so as to achieve a desired position of the end section of the robotic arm, and thus achieve a desired position and orientation in the three-dimensional space for the end effector attached to the end section of the robotic arm. Disadvantageously, because several different sections of traditional robotic arms have to be separately controlled, such robotic arms are very slow, and therefore not particularly well suited for use with high rate packaging systems. However, a more recent robotic arm that can move at very high speeds is the robotic arm disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,976,582 ("Device for the Movement and Positioning of an Element in Space"), the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference. This robotic arm, sometimes referred to as a "Delta" robot or a "Spider" robot uses three independent and non-joined control arms extending from a base element and attached to a movable element to position and orient the movable element in three-dimensional space. An end effector is attached to the movable element. Preferably, the end effector can be rotated about its center by connecting a rotatable shaft that is connected to a motor preferably positioned at the base element of the Delta robot. Advantageously, this design allows the movable element to be moved at accelerations ranging between 12G to 50G.
Because of the high speeds at which Delta robots can move, Delta robots have been used in industry to package items. For example, a packaging system manufactured by SIG Demaurex uses a Delta robot to package various food items. This packaging system uses an end effector comprising of six pick-up members to simultaneously pick-up six items. Gripping of the items in the packaging system is usually achieved by suction cups on the end effector which grip one or more items. The suction is applied to the cups through the use of a vacuum system. Once the end effector attached to the movable element in the Delta robot has picked up the items, the end effector is moved to a position proximate a receptacle at some desired position relative to the rest of the packaging system. At this release position the items can be deposited into the receptacle.
Advantageously, the positions of the pick-up members on the end effector can be adjusted so that the pick-up members can pick-up several items at the same time, that are far apart from each other. Subsequently the items held by the end-effector can be converged, by moving the pick-up members toward each other, thus bringing the items closer to each other. Having adjusted the spacing of the items, they can be deposited into a single receptacle in a more closely packed configuration.
Known designs of end effectors for simultaneous transport of a number of items use pneumatic rods, or equivalent actuation mechanism, that are attached to each one of the pick-up members on the end effector to control the positions of those pick-up members on the end effector. One of the main problems with such end effector designs is the high complexity involved in individually controlling the position of the pick-up members. Additionally, the physical size of each actuation device places constraints on the maximum number of actuation devices that can be combined to form the actuation mechanism of an end effector.
Another problem with the use of Delta robots to package items is the limitation of the load weight that can be carried by the end effector due to the high speeds at which the movable element, and the end effector attached to it, move. A heavy weight load would necessarily reduce the maximum acceleration that can be obtained for the movable element and the end effector. Thus, one of the important considerations in the design and use of an end effector is the weight of the end effector. The lower the weight of the end effector, the more weight that can then be picked-up by the end effector for transport to a receptacle. With current designs of end effectors for simultaneous transport of multiple items, the use of separate pneumatic rods to control individual pick-up member adds considerable weight to the overall weight of the end effector. This reduces the total weight that can be picked-up by the end effector for transporting an article to a receptacle.
It would therefore be desirable to have a lighter weight end effector, that uses a less complex and cumbersome actuation mechanism to control the positions of the pick-up members on the end effector.
It is also desirable to be able have an end effector which can perform a first operation on a group of several items spaced at a first pitch and then group those items into at least two groups, each item in the two groups being at a second pitch, and perform a second operation on the items in both groups at the same time.

End effector with multiple pick-up members


A device for cleaning a buffing pad comprising: a housing; a turbine wheel means, in the housing for supporting the pad and for rotating the pad in fluid to remove debris therefrom and in air to dry same.

The present invention generally relates to a cleaning device and, more specifically, to a device for cleaning buffing and polishing pads of different types including those made from wool and/or foam.
A buffing pad is used to provide a finish to the surface of a painted object such as a vehicle (car, boat, plane, etc.) or related part. In the past, such buffing pads have either been thrown away after use or cleaned in an inefficient and laborious manner. It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved apparatus for cleaning such pads. As an example in the prior art the pad(s) was cleaned by scraping off debris with a wire brush, washed by hand or in a standard or commercial household washing machine and dried in a standard household or commercial dryer. Some other prior units clean the pad while it is still attached to a hand held buffing tool such as a motor powered by compressed air or electricity. In this unit the operator inserts the pad into a bucket filled with cleaning solution and activates the tool. As can be appreciated it is dangerous to clean the pad while attached to an electrically powered tool. Further, any tool that must be hand held during cleaning of the pad(s) wastes time and is potentially harmful to the operator.
Accordingly, the invention comprises: a device and method for cleaning a pad comprising: a housing for holding a liquid; first means for supporting and for rotating the pad within the liquid to remove debris therefrom. More specifically, the pad is supported on a rotatable shaft and is cleaned as it rotates in cleaning solution. Positioned near the front face (and optionally the rear face) of the pad is an aerating tube, fed by compressed air, which agitates the cleaning solution to enhance the cleaning of the pad as it rotates. When the cleaning solution is removed from the housing the compressed air directly impinges on the pad reducing drying time. The pad can also be dried simply by rotating the pad in ambient air in the work chamber or in combination with the impinging compressed air.
Many other objects and purposes of the invention will be clear from the following detailed description of the drawings:

Cleaning device for buffing pads and the like


A liquid saving device having a container, a lid for attaching to the container, the lid having a top side and a bottom side, a finger element attached to the lid, and a closure for covering the top side of the lid. The liquid saving device also having an inner cover for covering the bottom side of the lid.

This disclosure relates generally to a device for extracting or removing any remaining contents of a first container to be stored in a second container or more particularly to a device that temporarily attaches to a top of a first container to transfer any remaining liquids in the first container into a second container.
Every household contains a variety of bottles and containers containing viscous liquids such as lotions, creams, gels, soaps, cosmetics, perfumes, condiments, and the like. During the initial use of these bottles, the liquids easily flow from the bottle and out either onto the user's hand, hair, body or other selected area. By the time the contents of the bottle are running low, it is more difficult to extract or remove the liquid or contents. Often the individual hits the bottle neck against their hand to remove the final contents. However, this method does not remove all of the contents of the bottle. Another method is to invert the bottle and let the liquid drain to the top, which is now the bottom of the bottle. This often leads to a mess when opening the bottle as the remaining liquid rushes from the opening and is difficult to contain. Another method employed is to cut open the top of the bottle and then scrape the insides with a small spatula or knife. This way the the furthest corners of the bottle may be reached in an effort to remove the remaining contents. Further, another method is to add water to the container to wash away the last pieces from the sides and edges. However, this may dilute the contents rendering the dilution ineffective for its intended use.
There are limited devices or products that attempt to offer a solution to this problem. For example, some condiment bottles are designed to be stored inverted with the opening at the bottom. This way gravity is continuously pulling the remaining liquids down to the opening for use. Additionally, some lotion bottles may include a straw that is long enough to reach into the corners of the bottle. The straw is then able to suck up creams and lotions stuck in the corner. A problem with this is that many times these straws do not easily move, so the bottle must be angled to maneuver the lotion to drain towards the end. This is often more precarious than simply inverting and hitting the bottle against the hand. Although these devices have been provided as a solution, it is evident that these devices have not solved the problem of retrieving or extracting the remaining contents of the bottle or container because this problem still exists.
As can be appreciated, some contents of a container are very expensive. To be able to retrieve and use all of the contents is desirable. If all of the contents of the container are not retrieved or used then not only is this wasteful, but the benefits of purchasing the product are diminished. It would be desirable to be able to remove the contents of the original container to retrieve all remaining contents of the original container to store the contents in a second container to be able to use all of the contents.
Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a device that assists in collecting the remaining contents of a container to be placed in another container so that the contents may be used. The present disclosure is designed to obviate and overcome many of the disadvantages and shortcomings experienced with attempting to remove all of the contents of a container. Moreover, the present disclosure is related to a liquid saving device that assists in easily removing all of the contents of an original container with the liquid saving device being simple and easy to operate and use.


An energy management system comprises at least one energy consuming device and an energy controller. The energy controller supplies energy to the energy consuming device and transmits an energy curtailment signal in response to an energy over-consumption condition. In one embodiment, the curtailment signal can be directed to a predetermined class of energy consuming device. In another embodiment, the energy consuming device can determine whether to curtail energy consumption in response to the curtailment signal. The energy controller can be in the form of a power strip.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an energy management system and method for managing the supply of energy to one or more energy consuming devices in response to an energy over-consumption condition.
2. Description of the Related Art
Due to increased usage of energy consuming devices in the home or office, there can be more energy consuming devices than available power outlets at a given location, such as in a room or other area of the home or office. Users often employ power strips or other energy management systems to accommodate the electrical plugs of all of the energy consuming devices. However, problems arise when the energy demand of the energy consuming devices exceeds the available power, such as when the energy consuming devices are concurrently operated.


A scalable, non-blocking fiber optic matrix switch has two arrays of light beam collimators arranged to face one another in free space, and a number of optical fibers coupled to each of the arrays. Each collimator has a tubular body with a fiber receiving part at one end, and a lens mounting part at an opposite end of the body. A lens fixed in the mounting part produces a collimated light beam from light emitted from an end of an optical fiber inserted in the fiber receiving part. First and second motor assemblies with corresponding positioning elements displace the collimator body so that its light beam is steered to a desired position along "X" and "Y" axes in response to operation of the motor assemblies. A signal carried on a fiber entering a first collimator in one array can be switched into a fiber of a second collimator in the opposite array, by displacing the collimators so as to direct the beam of the first collimator to align with a lens axis of the second. For an N.times.N matrix switch, N collimators are used at each array, and up to N optical signals can be cross-connected without blocking.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to optical switches, and particularly to a scalable matrix optical switch arrangement.
2. Discussion of the Known Art
U.S. Pat. No. 5,206,497 (Apr. 27, 1993) discloses free-space optical switching apparatus. A light beam-carrying optical fiber is coupled to a collimated beam launcher, and the trajectory of the beam in space is adjusted by a servo-controlled motor driven positioning mechanism. The beam is steered by the adjusting mechanism toward a selected one of a number of photo receptors each of which has a corresponding optical fiber leading from the receptor. A component of the free-space beam is split by a mirror and reflected toward an area sensor. An output of the sensor is applied to a processor/controller which, in turn, controls the trajectory adjusting mechanism to insure that the beam remains incident on a selected photoreceptor.
Applications exist wherein numerous light-modulated signals carried by respective optical fibers must be switched for routing among a corresponding number of output fibers, within relatively short switching times and without significant cross-talk among the fibers. Known guided wave matrix switch arrangements operate by directing light beams inside crystalline blocks. These arrangements are not entirely satisfactory in that they are sensitive to the state of polarization (SOP) of the light beams. Each element of the switch exhibits an insertion loss of around 11/2 dB, and they produce 20 dB cross-talk at best. Also, the number of optical elements needed to realize an N-input by N-output optical guided wave switch, is on the order of 2N*log.sub.2 N to N.sup.2 elements depending on the switch architecture. For a large scale, e.g., 4096.times.4096 matrix switch, a crystalline guided wave optical switch arrangement does not provide a practical solution.

Strictly non-blocking scalable matrix optical switch


An imaging apparatus comprises a focusing unit configured to focus an object to be shot by an imaging unit, a first shooting control unit configured to control the imaging unit in order to continuously shooting at first time intervals upon detecting a shooting instruction, a determining unit configured to determine whether the object moves in a distance direction during a control operation of the first shooting control unit, and a second shooting control unit configured to control the imaging unit in order to continuously shoot at second time intervals and to control the focusing unit in order to focus the object when the determining unit determines that the object moves in the distance direction.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an imaging apparatus having a continuous shooting function, an imaging method and a storage medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, as is known by referring to Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2002-148693, a camera that variably controls the continuous shooting speed according to an operation force or operation amount of a release operation member by the user is provided.
According to the above camera, the user can set a desired continuous shooting speed and continuous shots.
However, with the above technique, it is difficult for the user to grasp the continuous shooting speed (number of shooting operations per unit time) to be set in order to meet the movement of a subject.

Imaging apparatus, imaging method and storage medium


A circular-arc shaped movable conveyor is horizontally turned along a circular-arc orbital path of a stationary conveyor according to the difference between he feeding-in amount from feeding-in port to the movable conveyor and the feeding-out amount from the stationary conveyor to a feeding-out port. Thus, the capacities of an upper compartment on the movable conveyor and a lower compartment on the stationary conveyor are increased and decreased,so that the imbalance between the demand to a post-processing machine and the supply from a pre-processing machine can be adjusted. Furthermore, the rod-shaped articles are fed from he feeding-in port to the feeding-out port while sequentially passing through the upper compartment and the lower compartment.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is generally directed to a feeding/storing apparatus for rods or rod-shaped articles, such as filter-cigarettes, filterless cigarettes, or filter-plugs. The apparatus is provided in a process for feeding built-up rods in order by conveyors from a pre-processing machine, such as a cigarette fabricating machine, to a post-processing machine, such as a packaging machine. More specifically, the present invention is directed to a feeding/storing apparatus including a stationary conveyor communicating with a feeding-out port which is provided under a horizontally movable conveyor, which communicates with a feeding-in port in parallel relation thereto. A turning passage is movable with the movable conveyor, which is formed over the distance from the leading edge of an upper compartment, which is defined on the movable conveyor, to the end of a lower compartment, which is defined on the stationary conveyor. The capacities of the upper compartment and the lower compartment are increased and decreased by horizontal movement of the movable conveyor according to the difference between a feeding-in amount from the feeding-in port to the movable conveyor and feeding-out amount from the stationary conveyor to the feeding-out port.
2. Description of Background
A conventional feeding/storing apparatus for rods of this type is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. SHO 59-46558. In this apparatus, a movable conveyor and a stationary conveyor are linearly formed. Cigarettes which are built-up by the movable conveyor are horizontally press-fed from the leading edge of an upper compartment to a guide plate, while abutting each other in the feeding direction. The cigarettes are then turned downwardly along a turning passage and fed to the end of a lower compartment. With this construction, when the cigarette fabricating machine, as a pre-processing machine, is stopped because of a failure or the like, the movable conveyor is stopped. When the built-up amount of the cigarettes at the feeding-out port is more than a specified height, the stationary conveyor is stopped. Furthermore, when the stationary conveyor is stopped and only the movable conveyor is operated, the movable conveyor is linearly moved in the direction of increasing the capacities of the upper compartment defined on the movable conveyor and the lower compartment defined on the stationary conveyor, thereby increasing the stored amount. When the stored amount thus reaches the maximum, the cigarette fabricating machine is stopped. Also, when the movable conveyor is stopped and only the stationary conveyor is operated, the movable conveyor is linearly moved in the direction of reducing the capacities of the upper compartment and the lower compartment, thereby reducing the stored amount. When the stored amount thus reaches the minimum, a packaging machine, as a post-processing machine, is stopped.
Also, as disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent No. SHO 59-162867, a storage conveyor is branched from the midway of a feeding conveyor for directly supplying cigarettes from a cigarette fabricating machine, as a pre-processing machine, to a packaging machine, as a post-processing machine. With this construction, when the supplied amount from the cigarette fabricating machine to the packaging machine is excessive, the cigarettes are fed to the storage conveyor from the feeding conveyor and thus stored. In absence of cigarettes, those stored on the storage conveyor are supplied to the feeding conveyor.
However, the conventional feeding/storing apparatus for rods have the following disadvantages. In the first described apparatus, the stored amount is increased and decreased by linear movement of the movable conveyor over the stationary conveyor. Accordingly, to further increase the stored amount, the lengths of the movable and stationary conveyors must be further enlarged in the longitudinal direction. In particular, in the case when the feeding/storing apparatus are laterally aligned between the cigarette fabricating machine, as the pre-processing machine, and the packaging machine, as the post-processing machine, both machines must be separated from each other by the extent required for increasing the stored amount. This presents the problem of enlarging the size of the entire apparatus.
Furthermore, in the case when the rods are filter cigarettes, the first apparatus is inconvenient. The outside of the filter is slightly larger than that of the cigarette. Accordingly, when the cigarettes are stacked in multi-levels on the linear conveyor, the filter side portions thereof abut each other and are thus firmly built-up; however, the opposite leading edge side portions thereof are built-up so that horizontal gaps are formed between the cigarettes. Consequently, the leading edges of the cigarettes are liable to slip due to vibrations caused during the feeding operation, thereby degrading the quality of the cigarettes, such as by damage to the cigarettes or loss of tobacco.
Also, the second apparatus is disadvantageous, since the cigarettes which are first fed on the storage conveyor are fed out last therefrom. Accordingly, the first stored cigarettes are stored for a long time in the storage conveyor, thereby significantly degrading the quality of the cigarettes.
To solve the above problems, the following technique has been proposed. The movable conveyor and the stationary conveyor are respectively formed in circular-arc shapes. The circular-arc shaped movable conveyor is horizontally turned along the circular-arc orbital path of the stationary conveyor according to the difference between the feeding-in amount from the feeding-in port to the movable conveyor and the feeding-out amount from the stationary conveyor to the feeding-out port. This makes it possible to increase and decrease the capacities of the upper compartment defined on the movable conveyor and the lower compartment defined on the stationary conveyor. Thus, the imbalance between the demand to the post-processing machine and the supply from the pre-processing machine can be adjusted. Also, the rods carried from the feeding-in port can be fed to the feeding-out port while sequentially passing through the upper compartment and the lower compartment.
The above-described apparatus, however,has the following disadvantage. Since the rods which are built-up on the movable and stationary conveyors, respectively, are formed in circular-arc shapes, sector-shaped gaps are respectively formed in the feeding direction. Accordingly, for example, when the rods are linearly press-fed from the leading edge of the movable conveyor in the feeding direction to the guide plate while abutting each other, the sector-shaped gaps between the rods are compressed and the rods are crushed in the feeding direction, and simultaneously, are pushed while abutting each other over the whole axial length thereof. Thus, the rods are liable to axially slip toward the low pressure sides in which the sector-shaped gaps are larger. This brings about not only disorder of the rods, but also the obstruction of the group of rods from being linearly press-fed at high efficiency.
To solve the above problem, there has been proposed a technique of erecting a disorder preventing plate opposite to the axial end surfaces of the rods over the distance from the leading edge of the movable conveyor in the feeding direction to the guide plate. However, this technique is disadvantageous in that the end surfaces of the rods contact the disorder preventing plate, so that the rods are horizontally turned by friction, thereby causing irregularity in the attitudes of such rods.

Feeding/storing apparatus for rod-shaped articles


An improved portable warning marker of the type used to divert and/or guide motor vehicle traffic through or around roadway construction sites is disclosed. The warning marker may be of a foldable type including a plate member is pivotally attached to a flat base member, and a pair of wing members pivotally attached on opposite sides of the plate member so as to be independently tiltable from operative positions perpendicular to the plate and base members to a storage position against opposite broad surfaces of the plate member. Upon placing the wing members in their storage positions, the plate member is tiltable from an operative upright position to a downfolded storage position essentially parallel to the base member. A device for permitting a portable marker to be lifted through the use of a long handled tool having a hooked or forked end, which device is attached to an upper end of the marker is also disclosed. A transparent plastic cover for the viewable surface(s) of a portable warning marker for protecting the surface(s) from becoming dulled by oil, grease, tar and other impurities is also disclosed. A replaceable, non-transparent, brightly colored cover is disclosed for use on portable traffic markers which have already become dulled through prior use in order to permit their continued use is also disclosed.

This invention relates generally to improvements in portable warning markers of the type used to divert motor vehicle traffic through and/or around construction sites, areas where painting and/or clean up work is in progress and the like.
Portable warning markers, particularly those of the plastic cone shaped type, have long been known and used in the prior art. Because of their shape, such cone shaped markers, take up a great deal of space during transport and storage, even when stacked one upon the other in groups of six or eight markers per stack. For this reason, there have been a number of attempts made to render cone shaped markers collapsible and foldable as a space saving measure in the storage and transport thereof. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,466,376 issued to H. D. Wells on Aug. 21, 1984; U.S. Pat. No. 4,256,050 issued to B. G. Barnard on Mar. 17, 1981; U.S. Pat. No. 2,954,005 issued to L. A. Cioffi, et al. on Sep. 27, 1960; and U.S. No. 2,762,327 issued to M. O. Weig on Sep. 11, 1956.
The Wells patent discloses a fan shaped panel of cardboard stock having four triangular faces joined together along adjacent sides by fold lines. The fan shaped panel is formed into a four sided polygon or pyramid, the base of which is attached to a base panel which has portions foldable to form a rectangular wall around the base of the pyramid. While the reference structure is, indeed, foldable, it is foldable only to assemble the structure, not to disassemble it for transport and storage purposes. The cardboard stock from which the marker is made is not very resistant to wet weather, and the base and pyramid components must be disassembled in order to unfold the unit for storage, thus resulting in two distinct broad, flat panels.
The Baker patent discloses a collapsible cone formed from a continuously extended plastic strip wound in a roll upon a base plate. A central handle permits lifting of the inner most turn of the roll which, in turn, lifts successive turns until the strip forms a vertically extending cone shaped helix. Spaced apart projections along the strip prevent the innermost turn from being pulled up so far from the base that successive turns of the helix separate from one another.
An earlier version of a collapsible traffic cone is shown in the Cioffi et al. patent wherein separate cone shaped rings of varying diameter which fit within one another can be pulled up from a relatively flat package to form a cone shaped marker.
The patent to Weig discloses an inflatable cone shaped marker that can be deflated to form a flat package for storage and transport purposes. But this device is dependent upon the integrity of its air valve which is used to inflate and deflate the device, which could be susceptible to slow air leakage over the many months of time that such devices are often used on a highway construction job site. Also, puncture of the casing of this device, as by means of flying gravel, glass or other projectiles caused by passing traffic is a constant threat to its integrity.
Moreover, none of these collapsible, foldable or inflatable markers is adapted for pick-up from a job site for placement on a truck by means of a suitable long handled tool operated by a worker from the truck bed. These prior art devices require that a worker walk along beside a truck, pick up each marker by hand, and either place it onto the truck bed himself, or hand it to another worker stationed on the truck bed. It would be advantageous if such devices were adapted for pick up by a worker stationed on the truck bed using a suitable long handled tool having a single hooked or forked end.
Another difficulty encountered with prior art portable traffic markers is the fact that their bright colored reflective surfaces tend to become dulled by oil, grease, tar and other impurities which build up thereon over a period of time when exposed to motor vehicle traffic and construction around highway job sites where such markers are routinely employed. Many state highway departments, such as in my state of Kentucky, for example, require such dulled markers to be retired from service when their bright surfaces reach a certain level of dullness and/or lack of reflectivity. It has been my experience that the conventional plastic cone shaped markers used around highway construction projects often have a useful in-service life of no more than about six months, and sometimes even less. These markers are relatively expensive to replace so often, especially when used in great volumes over long stretches of interstate highway, often extending for many miles as, for example, between successive access ramps which are often spaced many miles apart in rural areas.
By means of my invention, these and other difficulties encountered when using portable warning markers of the prior art are substantially overcome.


A method of forming a semiconductor device. A first wiring level is formed on a top surface of a substrate. The first wiring level includes alternating layers of a first dielectric material and a second dielectric material. The layers of the first dielectric material includes at least two layers of the first dielectric material. The layers of the second dielectric material includes at least two layers of the second dielectric material. The first dielectric material includes an organic dielectric material. The second dielectric material includes an inorganic dielectric material. The substrate includes one or more dielectric materials. A first layer of the layers of the first dielectric material includes the organic dielectric material being in direct mechanical contact with the substrate. The layers of the first dielectric material and the layers of the second dielectric material are a same number of layers.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to semiconductor devices, and more particularly, to a method of forming a semiconductor device having air gaps within the wiring levels, and the structure so formed.
2. Related Art
As semiconductor devices continue to shrink, the distance between device features is reduced. Within metal wiring layers reducing the distance between features causes an increased capacitance. Therefore, there is a need in the industry for a method of forming a semiconductor device capable of maintaining a lower capacitance while reducing the distance between device features that overcomes the above and other problems.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method of forming a semiconductor device

International Business Machines Corporation


The present invention relates to a security locking system of the type comprising a cylinder (3) provided with a set of pistons (8) that are able to be positioned by elastic means on the impression formed in the edge (7b, 7c) of a control key (7) perpendicularly to the direction in which said key (7) is introduced into the cylinder (3), these pistons (8) being able to take up two positions, namely a position retracted into the cylinder (3) when the key (7) is introduced into the latter and an extended position when the key (7) is withdrawn there from. This system is characterized in that:—the cylinder is made up of a locking block (3) of parallelepipedal shape that is able to be received in a receiving block (5),—it comprises locking means which are activated when the locking block (3) is introduced into the receiving block (5).

Many cylinder lock designs are known which essentially comprise a removable barrel or rotor, which is rotatably mounted in a stator. A bit is secured to the rotor and its rotation controls the opening/closing mechanism of the lock. The rotor has a series of pistons, each of which is solicited by a spring that applies them, when a key is inserted into the lock, against the edge of the key, which, for this purpose, has a profile specific to each lock.


A retractable armrest is disclosed for a foldable chair. The chair has a seat and a backrest with the backrest being pivotably mounted to the seat by a chair pivot for movement between an operating position and a folded position. A link pivotably operates between armrest and the seat for enabling the armrest to be rotated into the retracted position when the backrest is in the operating position. The link rotates the armrest from the extended position to the retracted position upon the backrest being moved from the operating position to the folded position. The foldable chair is suitable for use on a personal mobility vehicle such as a scooter, a power wheel chair, a foldable personal mobility vehicle or any other suitable chair.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to seating and more particularly to a retractable armrest for a foldable chair such as a foldable chair of a personal mobility vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
The popularity of personal mobility vehicles has dramatically increased over the last several decades. This increase in the popularity of personal mobility vehicles is due to many factors including the advent of new structural techniques and materials.
Although personal mobility vehicles, have provide the desired mobility, the personal mobility vehicles of the prior art suffered from certain disadvantages. Firstly, the personal mobility vehicles of the prior art were difficult to store during nonuse of the personal mobility vehicles. In general, the size of the personal mobility vehicles of the prior art prohibited the storage of the personal mobility vehicles within a closet or a small room. Secondly, the personal mobility vehicles of the prior art were difficult to transport in a conventional automobile. In order to transport a personal mobility vehicle of the prior art in a conventional automobile, the personal mobility vehicle had to be dissembled prior to being placed into the luggage compartment of the conventional automobile.
Thirdly, the personal mobility vehicles of the prior art could be transported in a small truck, small van or a sports utility vehicle in an assembled form. Unfortunately, because of the overall size of the assembled personal mobility vehicles of the prior art, a lift, hoist or two individuals were required in order to transfer the personal mobility vehicle from the ground to the luggage compartment of the small truck, small van or the sports utility vehicle.
Some in the prior art have attempted to solve the problems of the transportation and storage of a personal mobility vehicle by collapsing or folding the personal mobility vehicle. The following U.S. patents are representative of collapsable or foldable personal mobility vehicles.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,004,619 to Straussler discloses a collapsible motor vehicle comprising a chassis having cross members and side members. One of the cross members carries drive wheels and the other cross member carries a steering wheel. A steering column couples a coupling connection from the steering column to the steering wheel. A seat is arranged on the side members. A motor in the chassis is connected to the drive wheels. Each of the side members has a movable section connecting the cross members. Guide means mounts on the side members to enable the movable sections to slide one with respect to the other. Coupling means is mounted on one of the movable sections to enable one of the cross members and one of the movable sections of each of the side members to slide one with respect to the other. Locking means rigidly fixes the movable sections of each side member in a running position of the vehicle, whereupon disengaging the locking means enables the vehicle to be arranged in a collapsed condition with the steering wheel touching the cross member of the drive wheels.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,213,957 to Wrigley discloses a self-propelled wheel chair comprising a seat supporting frame, a pair of rear wheels and a housing rigidly secured to the seat supporting frame. A front wheel in the housing is rotatably mounted to permit steering movement thereof. A drive motor is located in the housing for effecting rotation of the wheel on a horizontal axis to drive the wheel chair. Armrests are rigidly secured to the backrest supporting frame. A pivot connection is located between the back rest supporting frame and the seat supporting frame permitting hinging of the back rest supporting frame forwardly with respect to the seat rest supporting frame from a vertical position into a position in which the back rest supporting frame lies parallel with the seat supporting frame when not in use, a vertically positioned steering column extending into the housing and adapted to be releasably connected at its lower end to the front wheel and having a handle bar at its upper end. The steering column is positioned in front of the seat and centrally located with respect thereto and is removable for access to the chair. A battery supporting frame is positioned beneath the seat supporting frame with switch means controlling the electric motor. Means electrically connect the battery through the switch means to the electric motor. The steering column has a control rod extending centrally there through with the lower end of the control rod adapted releasably to engage the switch means to actuate the latter. A control lever is pivotally mounted to the column adjacent the handle bar and is operably connected to the control rod for actuation thereof. A latch mechanism is removably secured to the steering column in operable position.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,369,629 to Weiss discloses a self-propelled vehicle which has a seat and backrest independently foldable forwardly. A steering column is foldable rearwardly over the folded seat and backrest to achieve a small package for storage and transportation.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,580,348 to Di Blasi et al. discloses a collapsible frame for wheeled vehicles, comprising a main structure to which rear forks are pivoted and carry wheels, a front footboard carrying a steering wheel, and a seat. The forks, footboard and seat are clampable to an open position where the frame is at running conditions and are operable to assume a closed position where the forks and footboard enter the main structure on which the seat can be overturned, in this case the frame occupying a rather reduced volume or space.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,026,573 to Richardson discloses a portable foldable motor scooter with a substantially triangular chassis, each corner of which is pivotable and one leg of which is hinged to allow the chassis to be folded to a collapsed condition. A steering column is pivotally connected to the forward corner of the chassis and is detachable from the chassis. The driver's seat is supported on front and rear linkages, the front linkage including a triangular portion containing the leg hinge of the chassis. A single removable pin normally locks this hinge and maintains the front seat-supporting linkage rigid. Upon removal of the pin the chassis can be folded to its collapsed position and the seat can be swung downwardly toward the rear wheel and can be latched to the rear wheel fender, holding the chassis in its collapsed position. The steering column has handle bars which can be swung inwardly and fastened so as not to protrude from the folded vehicle.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,570,739 to Kramer discloses a personal mobility vehicle including a floor pan with a rear drive unit at one end and a steerable front wheel at the other end. The drive unit is separable from the floor pan and includes spaced apart, differentially connected rear wheels, an electric motor, and belts and pulleys drivingly connecting the motor to a differential unit. The front wheel is steered by a tiller. A seat with a folding back is removably connected to the floor pan toward the pan rear end to concentrate the weight of the driver over the rear wheels to aid in traction. A brake is provided on the front wheel and is lockable for parking purposes. Each of the drive unit, seat unit, a battery, and a floor pan unit weighs less than thirty pounds such that the separated components can be easily lifted and manipulated for transportation of the vehicle between sites of use.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,573,549 to Pankow discloses a golf car apparatus including a frame supported off the surface of the ground by at least three wheels, two of the wheels being positioned near the back end of the frame and being interconnected by an axle. DC batteries interconnected to an electrical motor are utilized to power golf car apparatus. A drive mechanism is interconnected to the electrical motor and a differential mechanism positioned near the center of the axle interconnecting the two rear wheels. Foot support means is defined by the frame on either side of the differential mechanism and extend under the axle for positioning of a user's feet such that when the user is standing on the golf car apparatus the user's feet extend at least partially under the axle so as to provide the golf car apparatus with a low center of gravity and a center of gravity distributed between the front and rear wheels.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,750,578 to Brandenfels discloses a chassis member with rear wheels and a battery compartment having a detachable connection with an upright front wheeled support. The front wheeled support has a steering handle assembly pivotally connected thereto which can be locked in upright position or swung rearwardly into a folded position parallel with the front wheeled support, or pivoted forwardly for use as a dolly-type handle. An electric motor is mounted on the front wheel support and has lead wires to the battery and to a switch operated by a belt tightener providing driving power when a hand lever is depressed but providing free wheeling when the lever is released. The lead wires for the battery are of a length and have disconnects which allow the battery to be carried on the person if desired. The cart is adapted to receive a removable seat and when knocked down consists of the chassis member, the front wheeled support, the battery, and the seat if the latter is used. The cart can be used to transport a person either in a sit down or stand up position, it has luggage carrying arms on the front wheeled support, it can be used as a dolly with or without power from the battery, and importantly, each of the dismantled parts are small and light enough for easy carrying but most persons and capable of being stored in overhead airplane or other vehicle storage areas.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,825,971 to Bernstein discloses a lightweight universal electric wheeled chair formed of hollow tubular frame members. The seat is preferably cantilevered from rear frame members. The frame includes two lower side frame members, each of which has relatively small wheels mounted at both ends. The frame also includes two rear frame members, pivotally connected together intermediate their ends to form an "X" configuration with the lower ends of each of the rear frame members being pivotally secured to the rear ends of the lower side frame members. The front of the two lower side members are coupled together using two frame members and linear bearings intercoupling the two frame members to permit adjustment and collapsing of the wheeled chair. Two upper side members extend forwardly from the rear of the wheeled chair, and are secured to the rear frame members. A seat may be supported directly on these two upper side frame members, or the two upper side frame members may serve as arms for the wheeled chair, with the seat being slung from these arms at a lower position. Motor and gearing arrangements are provided for varying the distance between the two side members to change the height of the seat. When the lower side members are at their maximum separation, the pivoted rear frame members are very nearly parallel and horizontal. Nickel-cadmium batteries may be mounted in the tubular frame of the wheeled chair, and each of the rear wheels is provided with a small electric motor, aligned with and coupled to each rear wheel through appropriate gear reduction assemblies.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,909,525 to Flowers discloses a personal mobility vehicle comprising front and rear frame sections which can be disassembled and assembled. The frame sections are secured together by a pivotable detachable connection such that the rear frame section is lockingly received in the rear portion of the front frame section and the length of the assembled frame is substantially the same as the length of the front frame section itself. An auxiliary frame section is also provided which can be readily attached to the powered rear frame section to provide improved mobility in those situations in which space for turning is limited.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,947,955 to Hopely discloses a personal mobility vehicle comprising front and rear frame sections which can be disassembled and assembled. The frame sections are secured together by a pivotable detachable connection such that the rear frame section is lockingly received in the rear portion of the front frame section and the length of the assembled frame is substantially the same as the length of the front frame section itself.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,020,624 to Nesterick et al. discloses a modular power drive scooter, including as modular components a seat, a seat post, a mainframe, a trailer and at least one battery and is built in a manner allowing quick and easy disassembly of the scooter for compact storage. In assembled form, the seat post supports the seat and also serves as a lock pin which prevents separation of the mainframe from the trailer. The mainframe includes a front wheel, a tiller assembly for steering the scooter, and recesses for accommodating one or more batteries. The trailer includes a pair of rear wheels coupled to a differential which is driven by an electric motor, and a removable storage tray that provides access to the motor. A stem member extending from the trailer engages the mainframe in an overlapping relation whereby apertures in the stem member align with ports in the mainframe. The seat post is inserted into a selected port to determine the spacing of the seat from the tiller assembly. Removal of the seat post from an aligned aperture and port enables the mainframe and the trailer to be separated by pulling a first handle located on the stem member to pivot the trailer relative to the mainframe, and then by lifting the mainframe by a second handle to disengage coupling hooks on the mainframe from a coupling rod of the trailer.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,036,938 to Blount et al. discloses a riding scooter that may be assembled and disassembled without the use of tools formed of components of a size and weight that may be handled by a person of modest physical strength. The scooter's front and rear sections have overlapping interengaging parts that are biased together in the operative position by the weight of the sections alone. Batteries for electrical power are contained within casings which are cooperatively retained within a battery housing and which also permit the batteries to be simultaneously electrically connected to the vehicle electrical system upon insertion of the battery casings within the battery housing. A steering tiller is detachably mounted to the front steering yoke being retained in an operative position by a quick release locking collar. Control for forward and reverse movement is accomplished through linkage which permits convenient manipulation of the control handle while providing maximum adjustment of an electric potentiometer which controls the electric motor; and, the seat assembly is designed to retain a selected adjustment from disassembly to assembly and further acts to reinforce the biased engagement of the front and rear sections of the scooter.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,150,762 to Stegeman et al. discloses a personal mobility vehicle including front and rear frames which are connected together in use. The rear frame supports the rear axle and drive wheels, as well as the electric motor/brake system. The front frame supports a front wheel spindle to which one or more front wheels are attached. A tiller is mounted to the front spindle, the tiller being collapsible for storage of the vehicle. A seat post is mounted to the front frame for supporting a removable seat, and a floor pan is mounted to the front frame to support the vehicular batteries, as well provide a foot rest for the rider. The front and rear frames are preferably connected together with a plate having a depending J-hook arranged to engage a plate having a depending lip. A latch and latch receiver serve to lock the connection together with the plates bearing against each other in compression to support the vehicle and rider. The tiller is preferably positionable in a plurality of lock positions, including one collapsed position for compact storage.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,238,082 to Stegeman et al. discloses a personal mobility vehicle including front and rear frames which are connected together in use. The rear frame supports the rear axle and drive wheels, as well as the electric motor/brake system. The front frame supports a front wheel spindle to which one or more front wheels are attached. A tiller is mounted to the front spindle, the tiller being collapsible for storage of the vehicle. A seat post is mounted to the front frame for supporting a removable seat, and a floor pan is mounted to the front frame to support the vehicular batteries, as well provide a foot rest for the rider. The front and rear frames are preferably connected together with a plate having a depending J-hook arranged to engage a plate having a depending lip. A latch and latch receiver serve to lock the connection together with the plates bearing against each other in compression to support the vehicle and rider. The tiller is preferably positionable in a plurality of lock positions, including one collapsed position for compact storage.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,265,695 to Piazzi discloses a portable collapsible golf cart vehicle adapted for use on a golf fairway and collapsible for storage and transport. A scooter-type vehicle having a steering mechanism and rear propelling mechanism in which the steering mechanism includes a steering column coupled with a steering handle for rotation of the steering column. A pivotal connection is provided for pivotally connecting and locking the steering mechanism in one position during propelling of the vehicle and in another position for storage of the vehicle. The mechanism includes a pivotal unit and a rear wheel with the pivotal unit being in a first position for use in a scooter vehicle and in a second position for storage in the compact condition.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,277,267 to Tiffany et al. discloses a collapsible, portable golf cart including a main frame assembly and a wheel assembly operatively connected to the main frame assembly for movement of the main frame assembly along a surface. The golf cart further includes a collapsible support assembly operatively connected to the main the frame assembly for selective movement between an erected position and a collapsed position relative to the main frame assembly. A seating member for a cart rider is operatively connected to the collapsible support means for movement with the collapsible support means between the above mentioned positions.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,312,126 to Shortt et al. discloses a light, portable golf riding apparatus that may be electric motor or pedal driven. The lightness of the apparatus is provided in part by using a tubular construction, with few, if any, panels, and portability is provided by having the apparatus formed from several sections or frameworks pivoting in relation to each other. In one embodiment, a first central section holds the power train and rear wheels, a front section holds the steering column, and a third a seat for the rider. The central and front sections pivot towards each other, the seat folds onto the central section and the steering collapses about the apparatus to form a compact body.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,695,021 to Schaffner et al. discloses an electrically-powered scooter vehicle for use by elderly, disabled and infirm people and including a self-locking connection means for connecting front and rear frame portions of the scooter. The scooter is convertible between three-wheel and four-wheel versions without use of tools. Automatic shut-off circuitry minimizes inadvertent loss of battery power due to failure to turn off the scooter. An adjustably lockable telescoping tiller facilitates use of the scooter by persons of all sizes.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,979,921 to Derven et al. discloses a folding bicycle trailer including a body portion having a passenger-receiving area, axle mounts, tongue mounts, and canopy mounts. The body portion is a unitary, one-piece monocoque structure, with the mounts being integrally formed therewith. An axle member is secured to the axle mount and carries wheel supports on each end thereof. The wheel supports are shiftable between an operable, extended position and a folded, storage position. A wheel is carried on each wheel support for free rotation relative thereto. An elongate tongue is carried on the tongue mount and extends forward from the body portion. A canopy frame, including fore and aft canopy members, is mounted on the body portion and is shiftable between a collapsible condition and a raised condition.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,176,337 B1 to McConnell et al. discloses a personal mobility vehicle having front and rear chassis members interconnected by a locking means. The rear chassis member includes alignment means for aligning the rear chassis with a suspension assembly of the front chassis. An adjustable seat assembly supports a user while preventing accidental disengagement of the locking means.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,183,002 B1 to Choi et al. discloses a wheelchair having a seat and a plurality of wheels for rolling the wheelchair along a ground surface. The seat includes a seat bottom and a seat back pivotally coupled to the seat bottom. The seat back is movable between a folded position and an unfolded position. The seat bottom has a back end formed from a first curved shape, and the seat back has a bottom end formed from a second curved shape. The first curved shape of the seat bottom is sized to mate with the second curved shape of the seat back when the seat back is in the unfolded position. A motor coupled to each rear wheel and a control stick is in communication with each motor for independently operating each of the motors to drive and steer the wheel chair.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,186,252 B1 to Schaffner et al. discloses a power chair comprising a frame transversely foldable between operating and transport positions. A seat is connected to the frame, with a pair of drive wheels also connected to the frame. The drive wheels are rotatable about a transverse axis below a portion of the seat supporting an occupant's thighs. The power chair further includes motors for driving respective drive wheels. Perspective motor/drive wheel combinations are pivotally connected to the frame. At least one ground-engaging idler wheel is connected to the frame, located rearward of the drive wheels. At least one anti-tip wheel is positioned above ground, forward of the drive wheels, and connected to the frame for movement relative to the frame upon encountering an obstacle.
In many personal mobility vehicles, it is desirable for a chair to be foldable for easy transportation and/or storage. Furthermore, it is very desirable for the chair to be folded rapidly for easy and efficient transportation in a conventional vehicle such as an automobile, minivan, boat or airplane.
Typically, the chair has a seat and a backrest with the backrest being pivotably mounted to the seat by a chair pivot. The backrest is movable on the chair pivot between an operating position whereat the backrest is in a position generally perpendicular to the seat and a folded position whereat the backrest is in a position generally parallel to the seat.
Some chairs of personal mobility vehicles are provided with armrests for the convenience and the comfort of the occupant of the chair. When the chair was provided with an armrest, the armrest had to be manually retracted or manually removed from the chair prior to the chair being moved into the folded position. The manual retraction or manual removal of the armrest from the chair prior to the chair being pivoted into the folded position added to the complexity of the disassembly and/or transportation of the personal mobility vehicle.
Therefore, it is an object of the invention to provide a retractable armrest for a foldable chair that overcomes the inadequacies of the prior art and provides a significant contribution to the art.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a retractable armrest for a foldable chair that enables the armrest to be rotated into the retracted position when the backrest is in the operating position.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a retractable armrest for a foldable chair that rotates the armrest from the extended position to the retracted position upon the backrest being moved from the operating position to the folded position.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a retractable armrest for a foldable chair that is suitable for use with a scooter, a power wheel chair, a foldable personal mobility vehicle or any other suitable chair.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a retractable armrest for a foldable chair that is suitable for use with a collapsing seat of a foldable personal mobility vehicle.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a retractable armrest for a foldable chair that may be removed easily from the personal mobility vehicle.
The foregoing has outlined some of the more pertinent objects of the present invention. These objects should be construed as being merely illustrative of some of the more prominent features and applications of the invention. Many other beneficial results can be obtained by modifying the invention within the scope of the invention. Accordingly other objects in a full understanding of the invention may be had by referring to the summary of the invention and the detailed description describing the preferred embodiment of the invention.


The invention relates to an improvement in a funfair ride and in particular one which comprises a rocking ship. The ride, of the type mounted on the plane (1a) of a transportable carriage (1) comprises a pair of telescopic uprights (2) to which a frame is connected, the frame comprising a shaft (3) and a pair of levers (4) having equal arms, which frame rotates about the axis of the shaft (3) and which bears a ship (5) connected to the levers and in its turn rotating about an axis parallel to the shaft (3); the height of the uprights (2), their extension, the length of the arms of the levers (4) and the maximum height of the ship (5) have a size conformation and relationship such as to permit of compacting the ride into transportable dimensions, without disconnecting among themselves the various pieces that compose the ride.

The invention relates to an improved funfair ride, consisting of a rocking ship.
The prior art embraces a special type of funfair ride, comprising a pair of uprights to which a frame is connected, the frame being constituted by a shaft and a pair of levers of the first kind, with equal arms, which levers are arranged parallel between themselves, perpendicularly to the shaft and solidly connected to the shaft at their fulcrum; substantially, the frame is "H"-shaped. This H-frame is set in rotation by means of motor means that can be of various types.
The ride further comprises a ship, developing longitudinally, equipped with seats, which is arranged parallel to the shaft and has its lateral ends hinged each to an end of one of the levers in such a way as to be arranged all in one same semispace with respect to its hinge axis and in such a way also as to rotate freely about the said axis. A brake is also envisaged which can prevent, on command, the free rotation of the ship about its axis.
During the rotation of the frame, the ship, which would tend, due to gravity, to remain downwards-turned with the seated passengers "heads-up", is successively blocked and released in such a way as to perform rotations about its hinge axis, which cause the passengers to assume different positions with respect to those which they would tend to assume through force of gravity, if the ship were not braked. The sensation which the ride gives to the passengers is that resulting from these sequences of movements and anomalous positions, with respect to those assumed due to gravity.
This type of ride, which like almost all rides is mounted on a carriage so that it can be transported, has an important drawback. In order to be transported the ride, owing to its considerable mass when in working configuration, must be dismounted so as to make its size compatible with the maximum dimensions permitted for travelling vehicles.
In particular, it is necessary to remove the frame shaft, detach the ship and fold the uprights, leaving the levers connected to them, so as the said levers can be laid on the carriage. It is also necessary to use a second carriage for the transport of the shaft and the ship.
Apart from the long dismounting operation, which must be performed with the help of a crane of considerable size, these rides also need, for their transport, a further carriage apart from the one used as a support structure during the operation of the ride itself.
An aim of the present invention is that of eliminating the above-mentioned drawbacks by providing a ride, of the type described, which can be put into transport position without the necessity of performing dismounting operations to its parts and which can be transported using only the carriage destined to function as a support structure during the functioning of the ride itself.
An advantage offered by the ride with respect to known rides is that of permitting the passengers a rapid and easy ascent and descent.
A further advantage of the ride in object is that of exhibiting very small flexional deformations of the ship, which leads to a drastic reduction in the forces on the arms of the levers.