A driven wheel suspension system for a vehicle (100) having a chassis (12) suspended from a driven wheel (10) is disclosed. The suspension system includes a suspension mechanism including a driven wheel carrier member (11) rotatably connected to the driven wheel (10). The suspension mechanism is configured to isolate the movement of the driven wheel 10 from the movement of the chassis (12). The driven wheel (10) is movable a distance relative to the chassis (12) which defines a suspension travel. The driven wheel suspension system further includes a drive train including a looped power transmission element configured to transmit power between the driven wheel (10) and a power source mounted on the chassis (12). An idler member (31) is rotatably mounted on an idler carrier member (20) that is movable relative to both the chassis (12) and driven wheel earner member (11). The idler member (31) is configured to engage with a power transmitting segment (33) of the looped power transmission element and move to follow a predetermined path as a function of suspension travel, to thereby alter a path of said power transmitting segment (33) of the looped power transmission element. Altering the path of the power transmitting segment (33) of the looped power transmission element results in a lengthening or shortening of the power transmitting segment (33) of the looped power transmission element. The driven wheel suspension system of the present invention has many applications, including but not limited to a rear wheel suspension system for a bicycle.

A wheeled vehicle such as a bicycle or motorcycle is used to traverse a variety of terrain. These vehicles are designed to use a power source to drive a wheel or wheels through a power transmission system known as a drivetrain. A chain or belt driven drivetrain transfers rotary motion from the power source to the ground via a tractive or driving force between the wheel or wheels and the ground. It is this driving force that is responsible for powered acceleration of the vehicle. In some vehicles, for example a motorcycle, braking forces may also be transferred through the drivetrain to decelerate the vehicle.
Some wheeled vehicles have a suspension system that uses a spring and damper to isolate and control the movement of the vehicle's wheel(s) from the movement of its suspended mass (the suspended mass comprises the total sprung mass including the vehicle chassis and operator). A suspension system allows the suspended wheel(s) to move a distance known as the suspension travel, as the suspension is moved from a fully extended state to a fully compressed state. A suspension system may be designed so that a vehicle reacts to terrain undulations in a predictable manner. Other design goals may also be optimised such as passenger comfort, energy efficiency and traction.
For nearly all wheeled vehicles, when the vehicle accelerates there is an increase in force between the rear wheel(s) and the terrain. This occurs in conjunction with a decrease in force between the front wheel(s) and the terrain. This phenomenon is known in the field of vehicle dynamics as 'weight transfer'. The opposite occurs when a vehicle decelerates.
For a vehicle having a suspension system, 'weight transfer' can have a significant effect on the dynamic behaviour of the vehicle. During weight transfer, a vehicle having a suspension system may exhibit some compression/extension of the suspension system due to the increased/decreased loading that occurs. Typically, as a suspended vehicle accelerates (for example from a stationary position to a moving state), weight transfer causes the rear of the suspended mass to move closer to the ground ('squat'), while causing the front of the suspended mass to move away from the ground ('rise'). The opposite occurs when a vehicle decelerates. Typically, during deceleration, weight transfer causes the rear of the suspended mass to 'rise', and the front of the suspended mass to 'dive'.
For a vehicle having a suspension system, it is known that when power is transmitted through the drivetrain, forces are applied to movable elements of the suspension system which can alter its behaviour. Under powered acceleration or braking, a suspension system therefore has forces acting on it due to weight transfer and also due to power transmission through the drivetrain. For a vehicle with a rear driven wheel suspension system, the squat that occurs due to weight transfer under powered acceleration may be counteracted by the forces which are imparted into the suspension system by the drivetrain. In this way, an extension force may be generated in the rear suspension system that can counteract the compression force that occurs due to weight transfer. A vehicle with this characteristic is said to exhibit 'anti-squat'. Similarly, the rise that occurs due to weight transfer under braking may also be counteracted by the forces which are imparted into the suspension system by the drivetrain. In this way, a compression force may be generated in the rear suspension system that can counteract the extension force that occurs due to weight transfer. A vehicle with this characteristic is said to exhibit 'anti-rise'.
The dynamic behaviour of the vehicle under powered acceleration and braking is therefore dependent on how much anti-squat and anti-rise the vehicle exhibits throughout its entire range of suspension travel (referred to herein as the acceleration response and braking response respectively). For a front driven wheel suspension, the acceleration response would refer to 'anti-rise' and the braking response would refer to 'anti-dive'.
Acceleration response and braking response are important design considerations for vehicle suspension designers as they directly influence the dynamic feel, handling and performance of the vehicle. There are currently many limitations which a suspension designer faces when trying to design a vehicle suspension system having a desired acceleration response. Often a particular acceleration response cannot be achieved without affecting other important design variables such as the driven wheel path, location of the power source or some other aspect of vehicle geometry that may have been optimised to meet other goals. It would be therefore be advantageous to have a suspension system that allowed the acceleration response to be tuned independently from the existing structural vehicle geometry so that other design variables are not compromised.
Further, the acceleration or braking response able to be achieved with most vehicles is limiting and it may not be possible at all to achieve a desired acceleration or braking response with some suspension systems. It would therefore be advantageous if there was a suspension system that allowed a vehicle to achieve any desired acceleration or braking response that would be practically useful.


A method and apparatus for filtering pressurized fluids, wherein a fluid level provides a visual indicator as to the general condition of the filter element. The present invention provides a vertical housing having a fluid inlet for communicating the fluid into said housing and a fluid outlet for communicating the fluid downstream of the housing. A filter element is disposed within the housing between the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet for filtering the fluid. The volume of air within the vertical housing is specifically determined in order to maintain a level of fluid which will indicate the general condition of the filter element.

Past fuel filter assembly designs have provided the user with a rough but usable estimate of the condition of the filter element as a function of the height of the fuel level in an upper filter chamber of the fuel filter assembly during operation of the engine. In these designs, fuel moves from a lower chamber of the fuel filter assembly, through a passage, to the upper chamber of the fuel filter assembly. The fuel passes through a cylindrical filter element and out to the engine through an opening at the lower center of the upper chamber. An opaque or transparent cover of the upper filter chamber allows the user to view the fuel level within the upper chamber of the fuel filter assembly so that the user may use the fluid level within the upper chamber as a rough estimate as to the condition of the filter element.
Generally speaking, the fuel level tends to rise in the upper chamber as the filter element becomes more and more clogged from the bottom of the filter element to the top of the filter element. When the fuel level reaches the top of the filter element in normal operation, this may be taken as the time to consider changing the filter element.
Such fuel filter systems generally run by vacuum, that is, a fuel pump is positioned downstream of the fuel filter assembly, such that the pump is pulling or drawing fuel through the fuel filter assembly. When the fuel pump is placed upstream from the fuel filter assembly, the system is pressurized, and the fuel level within the upper chamber of the fuel filter assembly does not respond in the same manner as the system under vacuum. During low pressure applications, the fuel level may respond in a manner whereby the fuel level can be used to estimate the condition of the filter element. However, under high pressure applications, the fuel level within the upper chamber of the fuel filter assembly rises to the top of the upper chamber immediately, and therefore, does not provide the benefit of having the fuel level provide an estimate as to the condition of the filter element. The inability to run such fuel filter assemblies under high pressure applications reduces the flexibility and applications by which such fuel filter assemblies may be utilized.
It would be desirable to provide a fuel filter assembly that could be used under high pressure applications while still providing the benefits of having the fuel level in the upper chamber of the fuel filter assembly provide an indicator as to the general condition of the filter element.

Method and apparatus for filtering pressurized fuel


A refrigerator utilizes a quick fill dispenser that incorporates a fluid storage receptacle that is easily removable for cleaning and/or dispensing independently of the refrigerator.

Residential refrigerators generally include both fresh food compartments and freezer compartments, with the former maintained at a temperature above freezing to store fresh foods and liquids, and the latter maintained at a temperature below freezing for longer-term storage of frozen foods. Many residential refrigerators also include as a convenience feature an integrated dispenser for dispensing a fluid (e.g., water) and/or ice. In addition, some refrigerators incorporate a water tank or other fluid storage receptacle that may be fixed or removable, and positioned within a cooled compartment of the refrigerator to cool the contained fluid prior to dispensing or otherwise serving (e.g., in the case where the receptacle is removable). However, in many cases such dispensers are only capable of dispensing fluids at lower flow rates, and as a result, filling larger containers from a dispenser can take an inordinate amount of time with many dispensers.

Refrigerator with quick fill dispenser incorporating removable fluid storage receptacle


Strained channel transistors including a PMOS and NMOS device pair to improve an NMOS device performance without substantially degrading PMOS device performance and method for forming the same, the method including providing a semiconductor substrate; forming strained shallow trench isolation regions in the semiconductor substrate; forming PMOS and NMOS devices on the semiconductor substrate including doped source and drain regions; forming a tensile strained contact etching stop layer (CESL) over the PMOS and NMOS devices; and, forming a tensile strained dielectric insulating layer over the CESL layer.

As is well known, increased device density, together with higher speed performance and lower power consumption are major driving forces in improving integrated circuit manufacturing devices and methods. For example, CMOS design considerations for high speed digital applications are usually determined by the pull up time and pull down time of each individual gate. Individual gates are associated with a delay time period for signal propagation in PMOS and NMOS gate electrodes. The delay time period, in turn, is inversely proportional to the drive current (Idrive). It is therefore clear that maximizing the drive current will increase the performance speed or Figure of Merit (FOM) of a CMOS device.
Mechanical stresses are known to play a role in charge carrier mobility which affect several critical parameters including Voltage threshold (VT) shift, drive current saturation (IDsat), and drive current (Idrive). Of particular importance as a measure of the speed of device performance is the value of Ion−Ioff, also referred to as the drive current (Idrive). The effect of locally induced mechanical stresses to strain a MOSFET device channel region and the consequential effect on charge carrier mobility is believed to be influenced by complex physical processes related to acoustic and optical phonon scattering. Ideally, an increase in charge carrier mobility in the channel region of the MOSFET will increase the drive current (Idrive)
Prior art processes have proposed several approaches to inducing strain in a MOSFET channel region. For example, biaxial in-plane tensile strain induced by Si/SiGe lattice mismatch has been successfully introduced for both bulk silicon and silicon on insulator (SOI) CMOS devices. However, several shortcomings are associated with this approach including issues such as cost and process integration issues related to scalability and acceptable manufacture and performance of conventional CMOS device structures such as shallow trench isolation (STI) structures.
Prior art processes have also attempted to introduce mechanical strain into the channel region by forming a stressed (strained) contact etching stop layer over the polysilicon gate structure. In this approach, the degree of strain induced in the channel region is limited by the size of the offset spacer which is dictated by design requirements of source/drain formation. For example the offset spacers act as a buffer between the stressed contact etching stop layer and the channel region, limiting the degree of strain which can be introduced into the channel region.
Another problem with prior art channel stressing techniques include the opposing effects on NMOS and PMOS device performance in introducing localized mechanical stresses to strain a channel region. For example, tensile strain (stress) introduction into the channel region improves NMOS performance while degrading PMOS performance, while compressive stress (strain) has the opposite effect. As a result, unacceptable trade-offs between NMOS and PMOS performance is necessary in prior art channel strain inducing techniques.
One effort in the prior art that has been proposed to overcome the problem of opposite polarity CMOS device degradation include ion implanting the contact etching stop layer overlying the opposite polarity device with Ge ions to relax the stress in the contact etch stop layer (CESL). For example, nitride contact etch stop layers of the prior art have been formed with a relatively high level of tensile stress requiring a high level of ion implantation to selectively relax the tensile stress in the CESL overlying e.g., a PMOS device. As a result, the nitride contact etch stop layer may be severely damaged, which can have the effect of undesirably changing etching rates and causing unintentional overetching in subsequent contact formation processes, for example causing damage to underlying silicon or polysilicon portions of a CMOS device, thereby degrading device performance and reliability.
Other approaches to overcoming the degrading effects of a selected type of mechanical stress on a device of opposite polarity have included selectively implanting the gate electrode with different dopant ions including an overlying high tensile stressed capping layer over the gate electrode to achieve, for example, a compressive stress on annealing the gate electrode of an NMOS or NFET device.
The prior art approaches in general, suffer from manufacturing cost, process integration issues and difficulty in producing acceptable device quality to achieve desired device performance and reliability.
These and other shortcomings demonstrate a continuing need in the MOSFET integrated circuit manufacturing art for improved strained channel MOSFETs and manufacturing methods to reliably and predictably achieve improved device performance while ensuring device reliability.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide improved strained channel MOSFETs and manufacturing methods to reliably and predictably achieve improved device performance while ensuring device reliability, in addition to overcoming other shortcomings of the prior art.

High performance strained channel MOSFETs by coupled stress effects

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd.


A propylene-based resin composition for a pipe member, and a pipe member and multi-layered pipe member formed using that the same, which is comprised of (a) 65 to 90 parts by mass of a propylene resin homopolymer, (b) 10 to 25 parts by mass of talc having an average particle size of 1 to 10 μm and (c) 1 to 10 parts by mass of at least one kind of a rubber component selected from an ethylene-propylene-based rubber, an ethylene-butene-based rubber, a styrene-butadiene-based rubber and a styrene-isoprene-based rubber as main components, wherein the MFR of a melt-kneaded mixture obtained by melt kneading these components (a) to (c) is from 0.01 to 2.00 g/10 minutes.

Conventional propylene-based resin compositions possess excellent characteristics such as rigidity, heat and chemical resistance, while propylene-based resin pipe members formed using the same are extensively employed in factories, medical field, and architecture field, etc. In particular, owing to acid-alkali resistance in a high-temperature region as well as low cost, a propylene-based resin pipe is suitable for high-temperature chemical and hot water supply pipe systems in the industrial field, and its widespread use in the future is anticipated.
However, in the case where a propylene-based resin pipe is employed in a pipe line that flows high-temperature fluid, as the typical linear expansion coefficient of the propylene-based resin falls within the range of 12×10−5 to 15×10−5/° C., the considerable longitudinal elongation of the pipe associated with thermal expansion poses a problem. Consequently, as a high-temperature fluid of 60° C. and above flows through a fixed pipe, a meandering phenomenon results from the longitudinal elongation of the pipe associated with thermal expansion thereby causing a major distortion stress to arise in the pipe which does not only impair the long-term lifespan of the pipe, fluid leakage caused by distortion that takes place at the connection part to the joint and valve may also occur. As a countermeasure to this problem, a U-shaped passageway (flexible bent pipe) can be set up at regular intervals of the pipe to serve as a buffer to the expansion of the pipe, or by employing a flexible pipe. However, these methods, both present a disadvantage in the cost spent on pipe where a vast amount of space is required for setting up. Thus, reduction of thermal expansion of a propylene-based resin pipe itself is desirable.
Regarding the method to inhibit thermal expansion of a propylene-based resin composition, a method in which a propylene-based resin is mixed with an inorganic filling material has been conventionally employed, wherein a rubber-modified polypropylene resin material is composed of an inorganic filling material comprised of 100 parts of polypropylene and 20 to 50 parts of ethylene-propylene rubber (Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application 63-57653). This resin material is used mainly for bumpers and other automobile parts by virtue of its excellent impact resistance and low linear expansion coefficient.
In order to improve rigidity and heat resistance of conventional propylene-based resin compositions, a polypropylene-based resin composition consisting of 100 parts by weight of polypropylene resin and 30 to 400 parts by weight of surface treated talc is employed as an inorganic filling material that contains the surface treated talc. This polypropylene-based resin composition is surface treated by 0.1 to 5 parts by weight of silicone oil and 0.1 to 5 parts by weight of a higher fatty acid metal salt based on 100 parts by weight of the surface treated talc (Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application 2000-256519). This resin composition is preferably used in various industrial products such as automotive parts by virtue of excellent dispersibility due to the minimal generation of gum.
It could be reasoned that it is possible to inhibit the thermal expansion if the conventional propylene-based resin composition were mixed with an inorganic filling material. However, for a propylene-based resin composition added with an inorganic filling material, technology that takes into consideration the essential characteristics to function as a pipe member has not yet been established. Even if conventional technology is employed in the pipe member by simply adding the inorganic filling material, it is not possible to fulfill the characteristics as a pipe member and hence, such technology, without modification, cannot be applied in the pipe member. Also, one of the crucial properties of the pipe member, creep characteristic, has also not been given adequate consideration. Furthermore, as it is not possible to observe creep characteristic via short-term tests such as tests for tensile strength and Izod impact strength, a propylene-based resin composition with poor long-term creep characteristic cannot be applied as a pipe member.
Conventional propylene-based resin pipe members contain a polypropylene pipe comprised of a polypropylene whose melt flow rate is in the range of 0.005 to 5 g/10 minutes measured at 230° C. under a load of 2.16 kg, the maximum peak region of the endothermic curve measured by a differential scanning calorimeter falls in the temperature range from 128 to 172° C., density is from 898 to 917 kg/m3, the content of units consisting of α-olefin having 4 to 20 carbon atoms is in the range from 0 to 6 mol %, the flexural modulus of a press sheet specimen formed at 200° C. is in the range of 800 to 2,600 MPa (Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application 10-195264). The pipe, free from inorganic filling material or any additive that inhibits the linear expansion coefficient, is formed from a specific polypropylene and hence possesses superior mechanical strength.

Propylene-based resin composition for pipe member and pipe member formed using the same

Asahi Organic Chemicals Industry Co., Ltd.


A touch-sense apparatus available for one-dimensional and two-dimensional modes comprises a sensor having a plurality of traces in two directions to sense the position touched by an object to produce a first signal, a two-dimensional coordinate processor to produce a two-dimensional coordinate based on the first signal in the two-dimensional mode, and a coordinate transformer to produce a second signal from the first signal or the two-dimensional coordinate in the one-dimensional mode for a one-dimensional coordinate processor to produce a one-dimensional coordinate in response to the second signal.

Recently, touchpads have been widely used in various electronic products due to their simple structure, light weight and low cost to replace conventional input apparatus. Generally, there are touchpads operated in two-dimensional mode and touchpads operated in one-dimensional mode. FIGS. 1A and 1B show two conventional sensors 100 and 101 with typical shapes for a touchpad of two-dimensional mode, each of which has a plurality of horizontal traces 102 and vertical traces 104. When a finger touches the two-dimensional touchpad, the traces 102 and 104 where is touched transfer a corresponding signal representative of the coordinate of the touched position to a host connected with the two-dimensional touchpad. The host may respond to the received signal based on the coordinate difference in the movement of the finger.
However, when a horizontal or vertical movement of the finger is desired, a two-dimensional touchpad cannot provide accurate control. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, when a horizontal scroll bar of a window is to be scrolled rightward, a finger 106 will move horizontally from left to right on a two-dimensional touchpad 105, while during the movement, the finger 106 might shift upward or downward slightly, causing the vertical scroll bar also to scroll upward or downward together with the scrolling of the horizontal scroll bar.
U.S. patent application publication No. 20040252109 provides a one-dimensional sensor for a touchpad, which senses the movement of a finger as counterclockwise or clockwise and generates a corresponding signal for the reaction in response thereto, such as upward or downward movement, left or right movement, and addition or subtraction operation. Thus, an uneven spinning degree does not affect the judgment of the instruction. Even such one-dimensional touchpad could accurately determine a positive or a negative direction, it cannot provide a multiple functions such as handwriting recognition, as a two-dimensional touchpad. If any extra function is required, an extra button or other input apparatus has to be added to the device and thus the cost is increased.
Therefore, it is desired a touch-sense apparatus available for one-dimensional and two-dimensional modes.

Touch-sense apparatus available for one-dimensional and two-dimensional modes and control method therefor


A notebook computer having a rotatable display module is provided. A first housing includes a sunken part having an inner front wall and an inner side wall. A second housing having a front panel and a protrusion is disposed at one side of the first housing and is able to rotate forward and backward between a first position and a second position. A guide track is formed on the inner side wall. When the second housing is rotated, the protrusion moves forward and backward between a first fixer and a second fixer along the guide track. When the protrusion is held by the first fixer or the second fixer, the second housing is located at the first position or the second position. The second housing is driven to rotate to the first position by an elastic device while the protrusion is departed from the second fixer.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates in general to a notebook, and more particularly to a notebook computer having a rotatable display module.
2. Description of the Related Art
Referring to FIG. 1, a perspective view of a first conventional notebook computer is shown. FIG. 1 shows a notebook computer 100 including a base housing 102, a cover 104, a liquid crystal display module (LCM) 106 and an optical drive 108. Since the cover 104 is rotatably coupled to the base housing 102, the cover 104 can be opened or closed relative to the base housing 102 along an arrow 105 as shown in FIG. 1. The optical drive 108, which is provided for a user to load and play a CD, is configured in the front of the base housing 102. The LCM 106 is disposed on the front surface of the cover 104 near the optical drive 108 in order to display information of the playing CD in the optical drive 108.
While the cover 104 is secured to the base housing 102, the optical drive 108 plays the CD and the LCM 106 can display information of the playing CD in the optical drive 108. However, due to a limitation of a visual field of the LCM 106, only the user within the visual field can see the frame of the LCM 106.
FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of a second conventional notebook computer. In FIG. 2, a notebook computer 200 includes at least a base housing 202, a cover 204, a liquid crystal display module (LCM) 206 and an optical drive 208. The cover 204 is rotatably coupled to the housing 202 and can be opened or closed relative to the base housing 202 along an arrow 205 as shown in FIG. 2. The optical drive 208 is configured in the front of the base housing 202, and the LCM 206 is disposed on top surface of the cover 204 near the optical drive 208.
When the cover 204 is secured to the base housing 202, the optical drive 208 plays the CD and the LCM 206 can display information of the playing CD in the optical drive 208. However, still due to a limitation of a visual field of the LCM 206, only the user within the visual field can see the frame of the LCM 206.
FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of a third conventional notebook computer. In FIG. 3, a notebook computer 300 includes at least a base housing 302, a cover 304, a liquid crystal display module (LCM) 306 and an optical drive 308. The cover 304 is rotatably coupled to the housing 302 and can be opened and closed relative to the base housing 302 along an arrow 305 as shown in FIG. 3. The optical drive 308 is configured in the front of the base housing 302, and the LCM 306 is disposed on an inclined surface of the cover 304 near the optical drive 308.
When the cover 304 is closed relative to the base housing 302, the optical drive 308 can be used to play a CD, and the LCM 306 can display information of the playing CD in the optical drive 308. However, still due to a limitation of a visual field of the LCM 306, only the user within the visual field can see the frame of the LCM 306.
Therefore, the user beyond the visual field of the LCM 106, 206, and 306 is unable to see the frame of the LCM 106, 206, and 306. For example, the user cannot see the frame of the LCM 106 in FIG. 1 from the top view of the notebook computer 100; and the user cannot see the frame of the LCM 206 in FIG. 2 from the side view of the notebook computer 200; and also the user cannot see the frame of the LCM 306 in FIG. 3 from the top view and the side view of the notebook computer 300. Accordingly, the liquid crystal display module (LCM) of the notebook computer facing toward a single direction is not flexible and convenient for use.

Notebook computer having a rotatable display module


When a running vehicle moves backward and a right back portion of the robot, which is one end of it touches a wall, the robot is rotated to the left until a left back portion of the robot touches the wall. The angle of rotation .beta. at this time is measured and the value .beta./2 is represented by .alpha.. The robot is rotated to the right by the angle .beta.-.alpha.. Therefore, the robot is positioned perpendicular to the wall. Thereafter, the robot is moved backward until the back portion of the robot touches the wall. As a result, an apparatus for positioning the running robot relative to the wall is provided.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for positioning a moving body. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for positioning a moving body capable of determining attitude of the moving body with respect to an object, which apparatus is attached on the moving body.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, an autonomous running robot (one type of moving bodies) having left and right wheels driven independently has been known. When there is an obstacle such as a wall in the direction of movement of the autonomous running robot, control for U-turn operation is performed.
In a U-turn, when an obstacle is detected in the direction of movement, the autonomous running robot is rotated by 90.degree. to the right (or to the left), the autonomous running robot is moved straight by a prescribed distance, thereafter, the autonomous running robot is again rotated by 90.degree. to the right (or left), and thereafter the autonomous running robot is moved straight.
However, sometimes the direction of movement of the autonomous running robot possibly deviates from the desired direction after the U-turn. Such deviation in angle results in deviation between the expected running path and the actual running path of the autonomous running robot, degrading quality of work performed by the autonomous running robot.

Apparatus for positioning moving body allowing precise positioning of moving body


A method and system for determining flight height of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) includes a determining device that includes a camera at bottom of the UAV carried on a three-axis self-stabilizing tripod head; and a carrier phase difference satellite positioning system (CPDSPS), a graphics processing computer (GPC) and a power supply system provided on top of the UAV The GPC is connected with the CPDSPS, the power supply system and the camera, respectively. An attitude and heading reference system (AHRS) is provided at the bottom of the three-axis self-stabilizing tripod head and connected with the GPC The GPC is configured to determine relative height of the UAV from a canopy of farmland surface crops according to position information acquired by the CPDSPS, attitude information acquired by the AHRS and ground orthographic image acquired by the camera, and determine flight height of the UAV according to the relative height.

When using an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to acquire information of agricultural and forestry crops, because the optical imaging task device has the requirements of focal length and focal points, the unmanned aerial vehicle needs to keep a relatively stable distance from the photographed crops as much as possible during flight. If the stability cannot be kept at a relative altitude, there will often be "out of focus", which will lead to blurred images and acquiring no information that has been learned. When operating in plain areas, especially in leveled standard farmland, the unmanned aerial vehicle can fly at a fixed altitude. However, in terraced fields or hilly areas, unmanned aerial vehicles need to fly like the ground according to terrain data or other airborne devices.
At present, the accuracy of commonly used geographic information data is about 1 meter, and the height of crop canopy is not expressed. Common airborne devices such as a laser rangefinder and an ultrasonic rangefinder use the method of measuring several points and averaging to calculate the relative height. There are many problems here. Because of the interference of canopy density, soil moisture, air humidity and solar radiation, the relative height between the unmanned aerial vehicle and the crop canopy cannot be monitored stably.

Device, method and system for determining flight height of unmanned aerial vehicle


A thermistor probe assembly with a thermistor element and a positioning device for positioning the thermistor element at a pre-determined location within the assembly. The positioning device includes a cavity extending through it, at least three self-centering lobes, and a relief groove for adjusting a dimension of the cavity. The thermistor probe assembly also includes a moisture proof molding material which encases the thermistor element and positioning device.

The present invention relates generally to thermistor probes, and more specifically to a thermistor probe assembly and method for positioning and moisture proofing a thermistor probe assembly.
A thermistor probe is generally used for sensing a temperature response in a variety of applications, such as, for example, refrigeration, air conditioning and other cooling applications. A typical thermistor probe includes a thermistor element embedded inside a packaging for ruggedness. It has been found that sensor response varies based upon the location of the thermistor probe within the packaging. Conventional processes for packaging thermistor probes are manual, and hence the location of the thermistor probes within the packaging is entirely dependent upon the skill of the operator.
For measurement accuracy, it is useful if the packaging of a thermistor probe is moisture proof. In particular, when thermistor probes are used in low temperature applications, the insulation charactertistics of the thermistor probe is essential. In such environments any moisture ingress affects the electrical behaviour of the probe and therefore, the accuracy and reliability of its performance. Typically, the thermistor probe is sealed against moisture by disposing a shield on the thermistor probe using a multi-stage injection molding process. This manufacturing process requires a high cycle time and does not ensure repeatability in the accurate positioning of the thermistor inside the packaging.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art of manufacturing thermistor probes for an improved packaging technique that gives consistency in the measurement response by more accurately positioning the thermistor element inside the thermistor packaging at a desired position, while concurrently achieving moisture proofing with a lower production time.

Thermistor probe assembly and method for positioning and moisture proofing thermistor probe assembly


An apparatus and method for controlling a linear compressor is provided. The linear compressor controlling apparatus includes a voltage detection unit, a current detection unit, a control unit and a compressor drive unit. The voltage detection unit detects a voltage supplied to the linear compressor, while the current detection unit detects a current supplied to the linear compressor. The control unit determines whether a collision of a piston of the compressor with a valve of the compressor occurs using output signals of the voltage and current detection units, and controls the amplitude of the piston if the collision of the piston with the valve occurs. The compressor drive unit controls the amplitude of the piston under the control of the control unit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for controlling a linear compressor, which can prevent a piston of the compressor from colliding with a valve of the compressor, thereby improving the efficiency of operation of the compressor.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a conventional apparatus for controlling a linear compressor.
Referring to FIG. 1, the conventional control apparatus comprises a core 10 made of magnetic material and operated in conjunction with an object of detection, first and second coils 12 and 13 symmetrically wound around the core 10, and a signal processing unit 20 for detecting a change in the position of the core 10 using voltages induced to the first and second coils 12 and 13 and outputting the detected change.
The signal processing unit 20 comprises a first full-wave rectification unit 21 for full-wave rectifying a voltage induced in the first coil 12, a second full-wave rectification unit 22 for full-wave rectifying a voltage induced in the second coil 13, a differential amplification unit 23 for performing differential amplification by a difference between the voltages full-wave rectified by the first and second full-wave rectification units 21 and 22, a filter unit 24 for removing high-frequency components from a signal outputted from the differential amplification unit 23, and a peak detection unit 25 for detecting the highest and lowest values of a signal outputted from the filter unit 24 and transmitting the highest and lowest values to a microcomputer 30.
The operation of the conventional control apparatus is described below.
If the position of the core 10 is changed by a change in the position of the object of detection while alternating current with a frequency of several KHz is applied to the first and second coils 12 and 13, voltage proportional to the change in the position of core 10 is induced in the first and second coils 12 and 13. The voltage induced in the first and second coils 12 and 13 is full-wave rectified in the first and second full-wave rectification units 21 and 22, respectively, and inputted to the respective input terminals of the differential amplification unit 23.
The differential amplification unit 23 performs differential amplification by a difference between the voltages full-wave rectified by the first and second full-wave rectification units 21 and 22, and outputs an amplified signal to the filter unit 24. The filter unit 24 removes high-frequency components from the signal outputted from the differential amplification unit 23, amplifies the signal with the high-frequency components removed and outputs the amplified signal with the high-frequency components removed to the peak detection unit 25. The peak detection unit 25 full-wave rectifies the signal outputted from the filter unit 24 and outputs the rectified signal to the microcomputer 30. The microcomputer 30 controls the stroke of the linear compressor according to the full-wave rectified signal outputted from the filter unit 24.
The conventional linear compressor controlling apparatus can keep its stroke constant by controlling only the stroke detected by a sensor or the like. However, the center position of a piston of the linear compressor is changed according to load, therefore a constant top clearance of the piston cannot be maintained with respect to the top dead center of the piston. As a result, a problem arises that the piston of the linear compressor collides with the valve of the linear compressor.

Apparatus and method for preventing a piston and valve collision in a linear compressor


The present invention relates to a multifunctional device, which is particularly applicable to a twin magnet loop (called TML) transducer with both vibrating and sound functions. The present invention integrates an inner and an outer magnet loop of TML into one device, which can be used as a vibrator and a speaker. A disc-shaped pole core, a flange bowl-shaped magnetic transfer, an annular pole piece, a cylindrical magnet and an annular magnet constitute the inner and outer magnetic loops; wherein the disc-shaped pole core is placed on the cylindrical magnet and centered with the flange bowl-shaped magnetic transfer; the annular magnet and the annular pole piece are overlaid together under the ring of the flange bowl-shaped magnetic transfer; the entire of the TML assembly is connected with a housing base via a resilient plate. Comparing with the existing technology, the present invention has the advantages of that it integrates the inner and the outer magnetic loop of TML into one multifunctional device and makes the device more compact and more efficiency.

The incoming call display of a mobile communication terminal, such as a cell phone, usually presents in two forms: sound and/or vibration. In current technology, these two functions are realized by a ringer and vibrating motor respectively. With the developments in communication technology and constant renewal in consumers' desires, cell phones have been gradually growing in functions and shrinking in size. That trend requires fewer components and parts to be compact in size. By using TML structure, a single device, which integrates the vibrating and sound function, can reduce the number of components and save valuable space in cell phones.

Twin magnetic loop multifunctional vibrator-speaker transducer


An automated technique implemented in a computer system for selecting one or more resources on which a principal is authorized to perform at least one action comprises the following steps/operations. First, one or more authorization policies that apply to a given principal are selected. Then, the one or more authorization policies are transformed based on meta-information associated with the one or more resources so as to form a query against a resource store that selects the one or more resources on which the one or more authorization policies allow the given principal to perform the at least one action. The query may then be executed to select the one or more resources from the resource store. In another automated technique, the query may be formed without use of the one or more authorization policies, but where the policies are used to remove unauthorized resources from the superset of resources returned as a result of query execution. The techniques may return no resources on which the user is allowed to perform an action, if, for example, no such resources are stored in the resource store. Also, it may also be that no authorization policy applies to the user.

In computing systems, instance level access control, also known as instance level authorization, resource level authorization and fine grained control, is used to determine if a given principal, e.g., a user or a computer program, has authorization to perform a given task on a given instance of a resource. For example, instance level access control can be used to determine if a given user has the authority to modify a given organization profile in a computer system.
Access is usually determined either by making a specific call to determine if authorization has been granted or by trying to perform the action and having the authorization system throw an exception if access is not allowed. Either of these approaches works well if considering only a single instance of a resource. The main problem is how to efficiently generate a list of resources to which a user can apply an action.
The obvious solution would be to fetch all such resources from persistent storage and then test each one individually, filtering out those that did not pass the test. However, this is far too inefficient for large sets of resources. Alternative solutions have been proposed and are addressed below.
The most common way to deal with the problem of efficiently listing a set of resources to which a person has access is to hard code the access control policy into the application code, in the form of a query, and have the application simply execute the query. A problem with this approach is that it does not allow for externalization of the authorization decision and requires recoding of the application each time the policy changes.
Instead of using policy-based authorization, a system may use explicit access control lists. An access control list is a list of users and actions attached to each resource. A user can perform an action on a resource only if a pairing including the user and the action appears on the list. To select the set of resources a user can access, the system simply selects all resources where the user and action appear on the list. Access control lists may also include pairings of user groups and actions. In which case, the selected set of resources includes those where the action and groups to which the user belonged appear in the access control list.
The disadvantage of access control lists is that they are hard to maintain, take a significant amount of space to store and do not reflect the policy that was used to assign users and actions to resources. This is particularly a problem in systems where new objects are being generated dynamically and frequently.
This disadvantage still holds for role-based systems that use access control lists. Although the problem is potentially reduced by using roles instead of users in an access control list, since roles are less dynamic, there is still the problem of maintaining the lists. Policy-based approaches alleviate the maintenance problem, but introduce the problem of how to quickly generate the list of resources a user can access.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,237,036 discloses a method for taking a set of policies, expressed as rules, and then applying the set of policies to a set of resources to generate a set of access control lists for a given set of users. Whenever any item of information such as a rule, a resource or a user changes, the set of access control lists needs to be regenerated or recompiled. This approach suffers from the problem that the access control lists can get out of sync with the policies and the current state of the system. Also, this approach does not address the problem of efficiently generating a list of resources on which a given user can perform a given action. While it may be possible to iterate through all resources and check the access control lists, this approach is inefficient.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,014,666 discloses a method which defines roles at development time. Authorization checks are performed in the code based on the roles. At deployment time, users and groups are mapped to roles. This is essentially the Enterprise JavaBeans (EJB) security model, with the disadvantage that there are no deployment descriptors.
This approach effectively hard codes the role-based authorization policies in the code and in that way is equivalent to the typical hard coding approach mentioned above. Also, this approach does not directly address the problem of generating lists of accessible resources for a given user, and is not for a policy-based authorization system.
Thus, there is a need for improved techniques for providing access control or authorization in computing systems.

Methods and apparatus for pre-filtered access control in computing systems

International Business Machines Corporation


A magnetic powder is obtained by removing a dispersion medium from a magnetic fluid that includes magnetic particles, a dispersant and the dispersion medium. A magnetic powder composition includes the magnetic powder and a resin material, and a magnetic powder composition molded body is obtained therefrom. A method of producing a magnetic powder includes removing a dispersion medium from a magnetic fluid containing magnetic particles, a dispersant and the dispersion medium, and powdering a solid component obtained by removing the dispersion medium. A method of producing a magnetic powder composition and a method of producing a magnetic powder composition molded product are also provided.

In magnetic cores, rectifiers, electric current sensors, and the like, ferrites are widely used as magnetic materials, and, particularly, soft ferrites are used. However, use of ferrites as magnetic materials have problems in, for example, impairment of responses of rectifiers or deterioration of measurement accuracy of electric current sensors, due to an influence from hysteresis resulting from the properties of ferrite materials. Therefore, improvement thereof has been desired.
In recent years, magnetic fluid has attracted attention as a magnetic material free of hysteresis. Magnetic fluid exhibits superparamagnetism imparted by dispersing magnetic powder, such as ferrite particles or magnetite particles, having a particle size in a range of from 3 to 50 nm in a base liquid such as isoparaffin or water. In order to exhibit superparamagnetism, the particle sizes of the magnetic particles need to be nano-order sizes, and, in order to uniformly disperse such magnetic particles in the base liquid, covering of the magnetic particle surface with a surfactant is generally performed.
Magnetic fluid is applied to, for example, electric current sensors. Magnetic fluid has a feature that it has low tendency to cause a problem of magnetic hysteresis, as compared to the case of using solid magnetic bodies. However, when magnetic fluid is applied to, for example, electric current sensors, it is necessary to use, for example, a liquid-impermeable case for confining the magnetic liquid. This necessity imposes a limitation to the range of applications.
In order to deal with this issue, an epoxy resin composition in which minute magnetic particles are contained at a content higher than 70% by mass has been proposed in order to obtain a cured product containing a magnetic material (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open (JP-A) No. 2003-105067).

Molded product of magnetic powder composition comprising magnetic powder of surface-treated magnetite particles, and methods of producing thereof


There is disclosed a method of testing oil extraction processes including the steps of: 1) placing a sample to be tested in a sample holder which has a configurable temperature profile; 2) placing the sample holder in a pressure vessel; 3) increasing the pressure in the pressure vessel to simulate an over burden pressure; 4) configuring the temperature profile of the sample holder to match a desired temperature profile; 5) applying an oil extraction process to the sample; 6) measuring one or more parameters of the oil extraction process; 7) measuring the temperature of the sample to which the process is being applied; 8) configuring the sample holder to match the measured temperature profile. A device to test oil extraction processes on samples is disclosed. The device has a temperature configurable sample holder having sufficient temperature control to provide a desired heat profile to the sample.

This invention relates generally to the extraction of heavy oil and bitumen. Heavy oils are crude oils, which have high specific gravity and viscosity and are therefore difficult to extract commercially because they do not readily flow. Tar sands are geological formations in which heavy oil is trapped within a sand formation. Achieving in situ separation of the heavy oil from the sand is a well-known and difficult challenge.
Currently steam is the dominant thermal fluid used for in situ recovery of bitumen and heavy oil. Injected steam raises the temperature of the bitumen thereby reducing its viscosity and allowing it to flow more easily. Steam extraction is subject to a number of problems including high heat losses, clay swelling problems, thief zones, water-oil emulsions, capillary surface tension effects, lack of confinement for shallower zones and disposal of large quantities of environmentally damaging salt and organic acids as a consequence of boiler feed water purity requirements. By some estimates, with the best currently available technologies, only 10% of the original bitumen resource in the Athabasca tar sands are economic to extract.
Thermal recovery processes, using steam, also require large amounts of fuel to be burned to produce the steam and can emit enormous amounts of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide. Estimates published by Natural Resources Canada1 show CO2 emissions of about 70 kg/bbl for bitumen production and a total of about 120 kg/bbl for synthetic crude (i.e. upgraded bitumen usually derived from surface mined bitumen). 1 Canada's Emissions Outlook: an Update, December 1999, Annex B, pg B-6, Available at www.nrcan.gc.ca/es/ceo/update.htm
Recent estimates released by the Alberta Energy Utilities Board2 and the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers3, predict that bitumen (and synthetic crude) production rates will be 2 to 2.6 million bbl/day of bitumen by 2010. This level of bitumen production will produce at least 140 million kilograms (=70×2 million) of CO2 emissions per day (i.e. 300,000,000 to 700,000,000 lbs CO2 per day depending on fuel source and the proportion of in situ vs synthetic crude production). 2 Alberta's Reserves 2000 and Supply/Demand outlook 2001-2010, Alberta Energy Utilities Board3 Canada's Oil Sands Development delivered by Eric Newell, Chairman & CEO, Syncrude Canada. Available at http://www.capp.ca/
Solvent extraction processes have been proposed as an alternative to steam extraction processes. One such process is the N-Solv process (Canadian Patent Applications, 2299790, 2351148, 2374115). However, the physical chemistry of the bitumen extraction in solvent gravity drainage processes is not very well understood or characterized. For example, Dunn4 et al first reported in 1989, that for a cold solvent extraction process the measured CO2 diffusion rates in the tar sands were a factor of 460 times higher than the theoretically predicted values. This unexpected result has been observed and reported by many subsequent researchers using a variety of different solvents and crude oil samples and yet the underlying physical mechanism is still not understood. 4 Dunn, Nenniger and Rajan, A Study of Bitumen Recovery by Gravity Drainage Using Low Temperature Soluble Gas Injection, Canadian Journal Of Chemical Engineering Vol 67, December 1989, pg 985
Several computer models have been developed to predict the extraction rates for gravity drainage bitumen extraction using solvent. However, these computer models do not appear to be capable of accurately describing the in situ processes. One potential problem of such models is a lack of spatial resolution because the models are typically far too coarse to accurately model the solvent concentration gradients. For example, lab studies by Fisher5 have revealed that the solvent-bitumen interface is only a couple of millimeters thick. An appropriate gridblock size to accurately model in situ concentration gradients should be perhaps 10 times smaller (i.e. 100-200 microns). With typical grid block sizes of ˜0.5 m used in computer modeled reservoir simulations (see Nghiem6), the calculated concentration gradients in the reservoir simulators are about 500 times smaller than values actually measured in the laboratory tests. For a 3D computer model with an appropriate spatial resolution the number of calculations increases by a factor of 50003 (=125,000,000,000), which increases the model run time for a given scenario to an unworkable duration. Since the solvent concentration gradient provides the primary driving force for solvent penetration and extraction, existing computer models have a significant problem in accurately representing the process. 5 Fisher et al, 'Use of Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Advanced Image Analysis as a Tool to Extract Information from a 2D Physical Model of the Vapex Process", Society of Petroleum Engineers Paper 59330, April, 20006 Nghiem et al "Modelling Asphaltene Precipitation and Dispersive Mixing in the Vapex Process, SPE paper 66361, FIG. 2
As noted earlier, researchers consistently measure bitumen extraction rates with solvents that are much higher than expected. Thus, we believe, it is necessary to use physical models (i.e. experiments) to obtain meaningful data on bitumen yield, extraction rate and bitumen quality. Furthermore, until the details of the solvent extraction mechanism are better understood, we believe that it is unrealistic to expect credible predictions from the existing computer models.
Due to the complexity of physical processes (combined heat, mass and momentum transfer with simultaneous asphaltene precipitation) it may not be possible to ever develop a fully rigorous theoretical computer model. However, empirical models can be developed that are both accurate and useful. Such empirical models typically require data from a large number of representative physical experiments to be able to develop parametric sensitivities to process variables. This type of experimentation is expensive and time consuming, but has provided the basis for many (if not most) useful chemical engineering processes. However, it is necessary to conduct physical experiments which accurately represent the specific physical processes of interest and it is necessary that the same be accurately measured before a meaningful empirical model can be developed.
The prior art experimental apparatuses and techniques in the tar sand extraction field are generally intended to simulate a small two dimensional slice of a reservoir. These experiments are typically conducted in a thin walled rectangular can that is packed with tar sand (see Dunn4 and Frauenfeld7) with physical properties relevant to the reservoir of interest. A simulated injector well is usually located above a simulated producer well at one end of the can. The can is placed within a pressure vessel and external pressure is applied to the can to mimic the overburden stresses appropriate to that reservoir. 7 Frauenfeld et al., Evaluation of Partly miscible Processes for Alberta Heavy Oil Reservoirs, Journal of Canadian Petroleum Technology Vol 37 no 4, 1998
Tar sand extraction processes are typically based on some type of thermal effect and therefore appropriate consideration of thermal effects in the experiments is important. Two aspects of thermal behavior have been identified that can greatly affect the experimental modeling. First, there is a need to mimic to temperature profiles and temperature gradients within the tar sand which arise due to the thermal characteristics of the reservoir extraction process. Second, heat may be lost through the conductive nature of the can or sample holder of a typical experimental apparatus with the consequent distortion of the temperature profiles within the sandpack. Such heat loss is referred to as parasitic heat losses,
Parasitic heat loss is an ongoing problem with all thermal gravity drainage experiments. Typically, SAGD researchers have used the dimensional scaling criteria of Butler, to work around this problem. Butler's scaling criteria predicts that by increasing the tar sand permeability, the time scale can be compressed (i.e. 1 hour of experimental time corresponds to 1 year of field time). Thus, scaled experiments minimize the impact of parasitic heat losses by greatly reducing the experimental time. Butler has used the analogy between heat transfer and mass transfer to develop similar scaling criteria for solvent processes8. However, as noted above, the solvent extraction mechanism is not well understood so the scaling assumptions of Butler's solvent model are in doubt. Thus a different approach from the prior art scaling assumptions of Butler is needed. 8 Butler et al, A New Process (Vapex) for Recovering Heavy Oils by Using Hot Water and Hydrocarbon Vapour, Journal of Canadian Petroleum Engineering January-February 1991, vol 30, No. 1
FIG. 1 is based on prior art and illustrates the problem that the present invention seeks to address. FIG. 1 shows transient (one dimensional) temperature profiles at different times for a section of tar sand initially at 8 C when one edge is suddenly heated to 50 C. In FIG. 1 zero on the x-axis represents a bitumen interface. FIG. 1 shows the temperature profiles along a 60 cm section of tar sand initially at 8 C after time intervals of 1 minute, 2 hours, one day, three days and seven days from when one edge is suddenly heated to 50 C. The physical properties of the tar sand and the temperature profiles were calculated using the data and formulas presented by Birrell9. FIG. 1 also shows a temperature profile expected for a continuous bitumen extraction process taking place in 8 C tar sand with the interface heated to 50 C and an assumed extraction rate of 5 cm/day again using the formulas presented by Birrell9. This latter temperature profile is referred to as a quasi-steady state profile, as it is not expected to change further over time (since the x-axis origin is the bitumen interface). FIG. 1 shows that it takes a period of seven days for a sample sandpack to acquire a smooth temperature profile (assuming no parasitic heat losses out the sides of the apparatus), but even then it does not have the same temperature profile predicted for "quasi-steady state" operation. This figure shows that accurate process measurements cannot be made until the temperature profile no longer is changing over time, which even in a small sample can take a very long time to be established. 9 Birrell, Heat Transfer Ahead of a SAGD Steam Chamber: A Study of Thermocouple Data From Phase B of the Underground Test Facility (Dover Project), Journal of Canadian Petroleum Technology, March 2003
At quasi-steady state conditions, the bitumen interface moves with a constant velocity and the solvent condenses at a constant rate determined by the temperature gradient (i.e. conduction heat loss) at the bitumen interface. If we consider the temperature gradient at the bitumen interface, (i.e. slope of the temperature profile at x=0), then FIG. 1 shows that temperature gradient is far too high, and consequently the solvent condensation rate will be substantially in error for the first seven days of an experiment.
In addition to the problem of achieving quasi-steady state temperature profiles, the parasitic heat losses can be 10-100 times larger than the expected heat delivery rate. If solvent condensation is the only source of heat in the experiment, then these parasitic heat losses result in solvent condensation rates 10-100 times too high. High solvent condensation rates are undesirable and can lead to a host of complications including flooding of the vapour chamber with liquid and destabilization of asphaltenes. Thus, it is important to minimize the parasitic heat losses and correctly approximate the quasi steady-state temperature profiles for an accurate simulation to occur.
Thus, in the absence of appropriate scaling assumptions, which shorten the time of the physical experiments, real time experiments are required. In real time experiments, temperature effects become of much greater concern and represent significant limitations on experimental accuracy. What is needed is an experimental technique and apparatus in which the parasitic heat losses and temperature profiles are controlled in a way that permits measurements to be made which accurately reflect in situ circumstances, without an undue amount of time being required. The data generated by such techniques can then be used to develop accurate empirical models.

Method and apparatus for testing heavy oil production processes


Disclosed herein are magnetic particles for a magnetic toner containing a low-molecular binder resin having a weight-average molecular weight of not more than 150,000, said magnetic particles comprising particulate magnetic particles containing iron as the main ingredient and having an oil absorption of not more than 24 ml/100 g and a degree of compaction of not less than 56, and a magnetic toner containing the said magnetic particles.

The present invention relates to magnetic particles for a magnetic toner, and a magnetic toner composed of such magnetic particles. More particularly, the present invention relates to particulate magnetic particles containing iron as the main ingredient, which display an excellent dispersibility when mixed with a low-molecular binder resin, especially, a low-molecular binder resin having a weight-average molecular weight of not more than 150,000, and a magnetic toner composed of such particles.
A development process using, as a developer, composite particles which are produced by mixing and dispersing magnetic particles such as magnetite particles with a resin without using a carrier, in other words, what is called a one component magnetic toner is well known and generally used in the electrostatic latent image development process.
With the recent improvement of the performances of copying machines such as the improvement in copying speed, picture quality, continuous operability and energy saving property, the improvement of the properties of a magnetic toner as a developer has been keenly demanded. For this purpose, magnetic particles which are well mixed with a binder resin are now in strong demand.
This fact is described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (KOKAI) No. 65406/1970 as "Such a one component magnetic powder for a magnetic toner is generally required to have the following properties: ... VII) To be well mixed with a resin. The particle diameter of a toner is ordinarily not more than several 10 .mu.m, and the microscopic mixing degree of a toner is important to the properties of the toner ..."
Various improvements of a binder resin have also been investigated in order to improve the properties a magnetic toner. Aromatic vinyl resins such as styrene resins and vinyl toluene resins, acrylic resins such as acrylic acid resins and methacrylic resins, and copolymer resins of the monomers thereof are conventionally used as a binder resin used for a magnetic toner. These resins are high-molecular binder resins having a weight-average molecular weight of about 300,000.
However, the particle size of a magnetic toner has recently been increasingly reduced in consideration of a high picture quality. In order to obtain a magnetic toner having a small particle size, low-molecular resins having a weight-average molecular weight of not more than 150,000, which are easy to pulverize, have been put to practical use as a binder resin.
From the point of view of the copying-speed accelerating and the improvement of the energy saving property of a copying machine, it is eagerly demanded to use a low-molecular resin which enables a magnetic toner to be heat-fixed to paper at a low temperature and at a high speed, in other words, a resin having a low softening point. This fact is described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (KOKAI) No. 130547/1970 as "Although it is desirable that a heat-fixing developer has a low fixing temperature and an excellent preserving stability, if a resin having a low softening point is used in order to lower the fixing temperature, ..."
Various properties of magnetic particles used for a magnetic toner have also been examined in order to improve the properties of a magnetic toner. For example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (KOKAI) No. 130547/1970, magnetic particles having an oil absorption of not more than 100 ml/100 g are proposed, and in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (KOKAI) No. 24950/1982, magnetic particles having a compressibility of 25 to 38% are proposed. In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (KOKAI) No. 182855/1989, magnetic particles having an apparent density of not less than 0.45 g/ml are proposed, and in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (KOKAI) No. 80/1990 (corresponds to U.S. Pat No. 5,066,558) , magnetic particles having a tap density of 1.2 to 2.5 g/cm.sup.3 and an oil absorption of 5 to 30 ml/100 g are proposed.
Although magnetic particles which display an excellent dispersibility when mixed with a low-molecular binder resin having a weight-average molecular weight of not more than 150,000 are now in the strongest demand, as described above, if known magnetic particles are mixed with a low-molecular binder resin having a weight-average molecular weight of not more than 150,000, it is impossible to obtain an adequate dispersibility. It is well known that when known magnetic particles are mixed with a high-molecular binder resin having a weight-average molecular weight of about 300,000, the smaller oil absorption the magnetic particles have, the higher the dispersibility thereof tends to be. On the other hand, when known magnetic particles are mixed with a low-molecular binder resin having a weight-average molecular weight of not more than 150,000, the smaller oil absorption the magnetic particles have, the lower the dispersibility thereof tends to be.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide magnetic particles which display an excellent dispersibility even when mixed with a low-molecular binder resin having a weight-average molecular weight of not more than 150,000.
As a result of studies undertaken by the present inventors so as to achieve such purpose, it has been found that particulate magnetic particles containing iron as the main ingredient and having an oil absorption of not more than 24 ml/100 g and a degree of compaction of not less than 56 display an excellent dispersibility even when mixed with a low-molecular binder resin having a weight-average molecular weight of not more than 150,000. On the basis of this finding, the present invention has been achieved.


A cigar vending machine provides for the automated vending of cigars which are stored in a humidor area within the machine until being dispensed. The humidor portion of the machine provides for the automatic control of the humidity and at least the minimum temperature therein, to maintain the freshness of the cigars stored therein until they are purchased. The machine may utilize conventional automated currency and credit card acceptance devices, and also utilizes a robotic arm dispensing device which withdraws a given cigar from an appropriate storage area within the humidor, depending upon the selection made by the purchaser. The separate storage areas may be adjusted in size to accommodate different sizes, types, and/or brands of cigars, as desired. The machine operates by accepting an appropriate currency or credit card input by a purchaser, who then makes a selection on a cigar selection panel on the front of the machine. When the selection has been made, the machine automatically opens the lid to the humidor, and the robotic arm travels to a position above the compartment in which cigars of the selected type are stored. The arm withdraws the uppermost one of the selected cigar type, and transfers the selected cigar to a dispensing tray in the front of the machine, which is accessible by the purchaser. The present machine enables cigar smokers to purchase a cigar as desired at any time, without need to visit a tobacco shop or the like during its hours of operation.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to automated, self service vending machines, and more specifically to a machine which provides an optimum temperature and humidity controlled environment for the storage of cigars. The machine dispenses cigars singly, but provides for the purchase of multiple cigars through an automated currency acceptor and/or bank card reader. Cigars are stored in vertically disposed stacks within the humidor portion of the machine, which provides for the separate storage of several different brands and/or types of cigars. The cigars are handled by an arm which picks up cigars singly from the desired stack, and conveys them to a dispenser. The present machine assures purchasers that the smoking materials purchased therefrom, are of the highest quality due to the controlled storage environment.
2. Description of the Related Art
Vending machines for various articles, including tobacco products such as cigarettes, have been known for quite some time. However, cigarettes have been determined to be hazardous to the health of the smoker, and accordingly restrictions on the sale and use of cigarettes have been enacted throughout the country. This includes the location and environment of cigarette vending machines.
Accordingly, many smokers have turned to other types of tobacco products, which are not so heavily restricted. In the past, cigar sales have been relatively low in comparison to cigarettes, but with the restrictions placed upon cigarette sales and usage, cigars are enjoying an increase in sales. While the smoking of cigars is still restricted in many areas, they are not subject to the sales restrictions imposed upon cigarettes by the Food and Drug Administration.
Thus, the machine vending of cigars is permissible in many areas, unlike the situation with cigarettes. Nevertheless, the machine vending of cigars has never been developed, as cigars are relatively fragile and must be maintained in a closely controlled environment insofar as their temperature and particularly their humidity is concerned. Heretofore, this has not been possible in a vending machine, and the quality of cigars stored within a vending machine would suffer accordingly. Cigar smokers have been forced to visit a tobacco shop or other store selling cigars, which stores are of course not open at all hours of every day. Indeed, stores selling cigars, particularly a specific type or brand of cigar, may be few and far between, forcing the smoker to spend a relatively large amount of time in seeking out his desired cigar.
Accordingly, a need will be seen for a cigar vending machine, which stores cigars therewithin in a closely controlled environment of temperature and humidity. A discussion of the prior art known to the inventors, and its distinctions from the present invention, is provided below.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,382,350 issued on Aug. 14, 1945 to Nicholas Testi describes a Cigarette Dispenser, comprising a cylindrical housing holding a plurality of cigarettes. Humidifying means is disclosed, but no mechanized control of the humidity is provided, and no temperature control is provided. The device is intended to be a household article, and as such, no provision is made for accepting currency in the Testi dispenser. Moreover, the cigarettes stored therein are stored in a single compartment, and thus cannot be separated by type and brand, as provided for cigars in the multiple compartments of the present vending machine.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,008,930 issued on Feb. 22, 1977 to Ralph V. Swainson describes a Humidor comprising a conventional bucket-shaped container with a lid which may be sealed to the upper edge of the container. The lid includes a water reservoir and spray nozzle, activated by depressing a flexible dome in the lid. The device is not so much a humidifier as a moisturizer, as the water spray is in liquid rather than vapor form. In any event, the device is not automatically operated and cannot control the humidity or temperature within a closely controlled range, as provided by the present machine. No automated dispensing is disclosed, nor is any means provided for the collection of money from a purchaser nor for the separation of different types or brands of articles within the container, all of which features are provided by the present cigar vending machine.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,478,353 issued on Oct. 23, 1984 to Joseph L. Levasseur describes a Vendor Control System, comprising an electromechanical circuit for accepting money from a purchaser and vending the selected product. Levasseur is silent regarding the incorporation of temperature and humidity controls with any machine with which his system is used, or the electromechanical conveyance system used with the present machine to convey the cigar(s) to a purchaser.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,598,378 issued on Jul. 1, 1986 to Harlan R. Giacomo describes a Management Information System And Associated Vending Control Device, comprising an electrical circuit providing much the same functions as the Levasseur circuit described immediately above. While Giacomo provides additional features and functions, the disclosure is silent regarding any provision for humidity and temperature control, mechanical vending means, or other operations provided by the present cigar vending machine.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,706,842 issued on Nov. 17, 1987 to Gus A. Guadagnino describes an Apparatus For Dispensing Elongated Cylindrical Objects Such As Pencils. The device includes a single moveable compartment therein, which is moved to a dispensing position to drop an article through a slot by actuating a coin acceptance slide. No multiple compartments for containing or dispensing different types or brands of articles is disclosed, nor is any means of controlling the temperature and humidity of the articles within the container, as provided by the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,860,876 issued on Aug. 29, 1989 to William A. Moore et al. describes an Article Vending Machine Employing Unique Robotic Arm And The Robotic Arms Employed Therein. The Moore et al. robotic system uses a circular drum containing the product to be vended (i. e., video cassettes), and is not operable in an orthogonal X-Y matrix of different products, as provided by the robotic dispensing system of the present machine. In any event, Moore et al. are silent regarding other details of the vending machine, particularly relating to temperature and humidity control, which are required in the present cigar vending machine.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,027,698 issued on Jul. 2, 1991 to Munroe Chirnomas describes an Ice Cream Vending Machine, including means for keeping frozen individual cups of ice cream therein, dispensing the cups individually, removing their lids, warming them, and placing selected toppings thereon. No humidity control of the contents of the machine is disclosed, and the dispensing system is not at all similar to that used in the present machine.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,207,784 issued on May 4, 1993 to Wilbur Schwartzendruber describes a Vending Machine With Monitoring System, wherein the system reports on the quantity of goods remaining in each of up to several machines. The machines also report at least one type of jam or blockage, with the system providing a signal to the machine(s) to unblock the blockage. No temperature or humidity control means is disclosed, and the disclosed dispensing system is not similar to that used with the present cigar vending machine.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,240,139 issued on Aug. 31, 1993 to Munroe Chirnomas describes a Package Vending Machine similar to the '698 patent to the same inventor discussed hereinabove. The '139 patent, however, discloses a thermally insulated freezer compartment with at least one lid or top embodiment similar to that used in the present invention, and a cable system for lifting the lid which is also similar to that used in the present invention. The Chirnomas '139 patent also describes the use of a vertical robotic arm operating on two orthogonal tracks, with the arm being positionable in an X-Y coordinate pattern over the freezer compartment to select a frozen article from any given area of the freezer. Although the cigar storage apparatus of the present invention employs a generally known X-Y coordinate positionable robotic arm, Chirnomas teaches away from the use of such device as a humidor to add moisture to the stored product. Such moisture addition is not desirable in an environment which is maintained below freezing, and would reduce the efficiency and operability of the device of the Chirnomas '139 patent. On the other hand, the addition of moisture to provide a predetermined level of humidity at a given temperature above freezing, is desirable in the storage of cigars to maintain their freshness, and is provided for in the present cigar dispensing machine.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,245,150 issued on Sep. 14, 1993 to Rene Grandi describes a Selective Reheating Device For Food Products, wherein one of a plurality of frozen food products may be remotely selected and manipulated into a movable heating area for cooking or heating. The product is dispensed when heating is completed. Grandi is silent regarding any currency acceptance means for automated purchase of the food products within the machine. No humidor means is disclosed by Grandi, as the Grandi device is not suited for use as a cigar storage and vending machine, as provided by the present machine.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,351,856 issued on Oct. 4, 1994 to Ronald W. Laidlaw describes a Vending Machine For Individual Cigarettes, containing a plurality of bins with loose cigarettes contained therein. A separate coin slot is provided for each bin, rather than a single currency acceptor and internal selection means for the different products contained within the machine. Laidlaw is silent regarding any means of keeping the cigarettes fresh, as provided by the humidifier means of the present cigar vending machine.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,450,980 issued on Sep. 19, 1995 to Ronald W. Laidlaw describes a Coin Operated Vending Machine For Vending Individual Cigarettes From A Cigarette Manufacturer's Container. The device of this patent is a variation upon the device of the '856 patent to the same inventor and, as discussed immediately above, has similar disadvantages.
U.S. Pat. No. D-110,497 issued on Jul. 12, 1938 to Philip Rich illustrates a design for a Vending Machine, comprising a tall rectilinear cabinet having selection controls in the front thereof, below a transparent front panel. No internal mechanism providing for temperature and humidity control, or the selective dispensing of products contained therein, is apparent in the Rich design.
U.S. Pat. No. D-116,820 issued on Sep. 26, 1939 to Lue O. Garner et al. illustrates a design for a Vending Machine, apparently including two separate coin boxes on one side thereof and a transparent panel in the front of the machine. A circular distribution device appears to be disposed within the cabinet. No internal mechanism providing for temperature and humidity control is apparent in the design, and the circular distribution device is unlike the mechanism used in the present machine.
U.S. Pat. No. D-256,376 issued on Aug. 12, 1980 to William B. MacKrell illustrates a design for a Beverage Dispensing Machine having an upper portion with an access and selection panel and a planar lower portion. No means for the maintenance of the internal temperature and humidity of the machine, or for the selective dispensing of cigars, is apparent.
U.S. Pat. No. D-293,608 issued on Jan. 5, 1988 to Walter G. Fitzgerald et al. illustrates a design for a Humidor comprising a generally cylindrical container. As in the other designs discussed above, no mechanism providing for the automated control of temperature and humidity, or for the selective dispensing of cigars, is apparent.
British Patent Publication No. 2,142,318 published on Jan. 16, 1985 to De La Rue Systems Ltd. describes Banknote Handling Machines, and more specifically a particular mechanism for manipulating currency within the machine or distributed from the machine. No relationship is seen to the present cigar vending machine, other than that the present machine may utilize certain automated components in its currency acceptance system.
British Patent Publication No. 2,192,180 published on Jan. 6, 1988 to the Coca-Cola Company describes a Beverage Can Vending Machine having a curved, translucent front panel which is intended to resemble a beverage can. No internal mechanism providing for control of temperature and humidity, or for the selective dispensing of articles therefrom, is disclosed.
In addition, a brochure from the Fastcorp company illustrates their F631 Frozen Merchandiser, a vending machine for ice cream products and the like. The machine utilizes a robotic pickup arm to lift the products from a freezer bin. While the robotic arm is generally similar in function to that used in the present invention, the machine disclosed does not provide any heating or humidifying means.
Finally, page eleven of the 1997 Vigilant Humidor Product Catalog, copyright 1996, discloses Guardian 20 and Guardian 70 humidifiers which may be suitable for use with the present cigar vending machine. No vending means, cigar storage means therewith, or auxiliary water supply or heating means is disclosed.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.


In a magnetic head device, I-shaped side and center cores are fitted to a slider, and magnetic gaps are formed by a part of the slider. Therefore, a magnetic path can be shortened, and the magnetic head device is constructed so as not to leave strains on the cores, so that the core loss is low. In addition, a back core (back plate) having a wide area is provided, so that heat-dissipating effect is enhanced. Therefore, magnetic field-generating efficiency can be improved in wide frequency bands. Further, by decreasing the number of turns of a coil, the inductance, the impedance, and the loss factor can be reduced.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a flying magnetic head device installed in magneto-optical disk apparatus, etc., and more particularly, to a magnetic head device which is capable of suppressing heat generation by reducing the core loss in a magnetic field generating section provided in the magnetic head device, and which can stably be used even in a high-frequency region by increasing heat-dissipating efficiency against the heat generation.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 7 is a partially exploded perspective view illustrating a conventional flying magnetic head device installed in a magneto-optical disk apparatus; and FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a core assembly held by a slider of the magnetic head device of FIG. 7.
The magnetic head device is composed of a head main body 1 and support members (not shown) for supporting the head main body 1.
The head main body 1 includes a slider 2 and a core assembly 5 (see FIG. 8) held in the slider 2. The slider is formed of a non-magnetic material, such as ceramic or the like, and the bottom side shown in FIG. 7 of the slider 2 constitutes the surface opposed to a recording medium. The top surface side of the slider 2 is supported by the support members, and protrusions 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d, 2e, and 2f are formed thereon. Grooves 3a, 3b, and 3c are formed in the protrusions 2a, 2b, and 2c, respectively. The core assembly is held in the grooves 3a and 3b, and the bottom surface of the core assembly 5 is flush with the surface of the slider 2 opposed to the recording medium.
As shown in FIG. 8, the core assembly 5 is composed of a center core 6, substantially L-shaped side cores 7 joined to both sides of the center core 6, and a back core 11 joined to end surfaces of the center core 6 and the side cores 7. A bobbin 10 around which a coil 9 is wound is fitted onto the center core 6. The center core 6 and the side cores 7 are joined by means of a non-magnetic material 8, such as glass. On the bottom side of the core assembly 5, a pair of magnetic gaps G are formed adjacent to each other on the surface to which the center core 6 and the side cores 7 are opposed. When the core assembly 5 is mounted to the slider 2, as shown in FIG. 7, the back core 11 is fitted into the grooves 3a and 3b.
Numeral 12 indicates a flexure formed of a thin plate spring or the like. A hatching region 12a of the flexure is glued and secured to the top surface 2g surrounded by the protrusions 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d, 2e, and 2f of the slider 2, and the other hatching region 12b of the flexure is glued and secured to the bottom surface of a load beam. The slider 2 is elastically supported by the tip of the load beam through the flexure 12.
The bottom side of the conventional magnetic head device is directed to the surface of a magnetic recording medium, and is pressed into contact with the recording medium by the load beam with a light elastic force. In a magneto-optical disk apparatus, a laser beam is illuminated on the surface of the recording medium from the opposite side of the magnetic head device, and in synchronism therewith, a vertical magnetic field is applied to the magnetic recording medium from the section between the center core and the side cores 7, so that a signal is recorded in the recording medium due to light modulation or magnetic modulation.
When high-density recording is to be performed on the recording medium using the magnetic head device of this type, it is generally required to apply an AC magnetic field of high frequency to the recording medium. Thus, it is necessary to increase the frequency of a current applied to the coil 9.
However, according to the conventional magnetic head device constructed as described above, when the magnetic field of high frequency is to be generated, the heat generated in the core assembly 5 is increased. The heat generation is attributed to core loss (iron loss) such as hysteresis loss and eddy current loss in a magnetic material forming a magnetic path in a magnetic field generating section, i.e., in the center, side and back cores 6, 7 and 11, and further to direct current resistance (copper loss) of the coil 9 provided in the magnetic field generating section. The loss becomes larger in higher frequency bands. In addition, in the magnetic head device shown in FIG. 7, dissipation of the heat generated in the core assembly 5 is poor, and it is difficult for the heat to escape to the outside. Therefore, the core loss due to the heat generation increases, whereby the magnetic field-generating efficiency is further deteriorated.
In addition, in the manufacturing process of the core assembly 5, a magnetic material block having an I-shaped cross-sectional configuration and two L-shaped magnetic material blocks are joined by means of a glass material to form a block having an E-shaped cross-sectional configuration, and the block is cut to have a predetermined thickness to form an E-shaped core 5a shown in FIG. 8 in which the center core 6 and the side cores 7 are joined by means of non-magnetic materials 8.
However, since the manufacturing work of the E-shaped core 5a is complicated, and a large number of steps are required for machining, machining strains are likely to remain on the center and side cores 6 and 7, and stress is likely to act on the glued interface with the non-magnetic materials 8 to impart strain thereon. The magnetic field-generating efficiency is also deteriorated by the machining strain and the gluing strain.