Improved drilling and pinning machines and methods for processing elongate flexible e.g. rubber strips of seal material for forming seals about openings. The machines and methods form precisely positioned holes in the rubber strip, and insert pins in the holes. Opposing ends of the pins are ultimately received in cooperating holes in the opening, mounting the seal strip to the opening. Machines and methods of the invention temporarily fix a strip or portion of the seal material to a rigid component of the machine. While the seal material is fixedly held, first and second holes are formed in general alignment with the length of the strip, or a subsequent hole is formed wherein location of the subsequent hole is based on location of a previously-formed hole. The formed holes and/or inserted pins are automatically inspected. The inspection information is forwarded to, and used by, the machine controller.

Various types of motor vehicles such as cars, trucks, boats, aircraft, and the like, have doors for entrance into, and egress from, the vehicle. Certain such doors have flexible rubber seals which extend around e.g. the outer perimeter of the door to form a seal between the door and the vehicle body when the door is closed. Such seals can be used on doors whose main purpose is personnel entrance or egress; or can be used on other doors such as for sealing a vehicle compartment such as a trunk of a car, or service compartment of a boat or aircraft.
In the alternative, the seal can be mounted to the vehicle body about the door opening so as to interface with the door when the door is closed. The balance of the description herein assumes the seal strip is mounted on the door. However, the description applies equally to having the seal strip mounted about the door opening.
This invention relates to machines which form holes in the strip of rubber door seal material which goes around the doors or door openings of such motor vehicles, and which machines place attachment pins in the holes so formed. Such pins can be inserted into the rubber strip by inserting one leg of the pin into the hole, and forcing the pin sideways along the length of the rubber strip while tilting the pin relative to the rubber strip in a rocking motion so as to stretch the material adjacent the hole and thereby elongate the hole while simultaneously force the second opposing leg of the pin into the so-stretched hole. The pin can be removed from the rubber strip using a generally reverse sequence of steps. The insertion process can, of course, be different where the pin structure is different.
It is known to use automated machines to process extruded rubber strips which are to be used for door seals for the automotive industry. These machines automatically drill holes in the rubber strips at specified distances from each other and insert plastic pins into the holes. The plastic pins are used for mounting the door seal to the vehicle door, at holes disposed about the door. When the correct number of holes and pins are in the rubber strip to constitute the length of a finished seal product, the rubber strip is cut to length, as needed, and the process is repeated to produce another seal product. Conventional such machines produce parts, e.g. finished seal product, in the following manner.
A generally continuous strip of the extruded rubber strip is incrementally fed into the machine using various drive mechanisms until the position, on the rubber strip, for a hole and corresponding pin is located at the drill/pin insertion station. A hole is then drilled into the rubber strip and a pin is inserted.
The rubber strip is again incrementally fed until the position for the next hole and pin is located at the drill/pin insertion station whereupon the next hole is drilled and a pin is inserted into that next hole. The rubber is incrementally fed, and holes drilled and pins inserted, until the programmed number of pins are in the rubber extrusion, whereupon the rubber extrusion is incrementally fed, optionally forming more holes and inserting more pins, until the correct overall length of the part is achieved ata cutoff device. The cutoff device is then actuated to cut the rubber extrusion, separating the completed part from the generally continuous strip of rubber. Throughout the drilling and pinning process, the drilling head is in a fixed location. The pinning head can move relative to the direction of advance of the rubber strip, by any distance required to retrieve a pin from a pin track, and to place the pin in the hole just drilled.
Completed parts are inspected by the machine operator for pin-to-pin dimension and pin-to-end cut dimension. Typical tolerance which can be held for pin-to-pin distance is 1.5 to 3 millimeters, and which can be held for pin-to-end cut distance is 3 to 5 millimeters. Over a period of time, the dimensions measured in the finished parts commonly drift away from the target dimensions. Such drifting of dimensions is usually caused by minor changes in the durometer of the rubber extrusion from batch to batch in combination with the dimensional instability, deformability of typical rubber, elastomer-type materials. Also, rubber is sometimes extruded from a number of extruders, or can be extruded from a plurality of dies, which can also cause differences in durometer and/or extrusion profiles, both of which can affect the actual magnitudes of distances of interest in the finished parts. The changes in durometer, or physical profile of the extrusion can cause the rubber to exhibit, for example, more or less elasticity, accompanied by a greater or lesser stress/strain ratio in the rubber extrusions, which manifests itself by the dimensions drifting away from the target dimensions.
As the dimensions drift, and are detected by the operator as a result of inspecting the finished product parts, the operator calculates a compensation factor which he or she then enters into the machine control. The machine control adds or subtracts the compensation factor, as appropriate, to the incremental feed distance instructions sent to the feeding device at each increment of feeding the rubber strip to the work station, in an attempt to bring the length dimensions in subsequent work pieces back closer to the target dimensions.
The operator continuously performs finished parts inspections and regularly enters compensating adjustments corresponding to the results of such inspections.
End users of the rubber extrusions with pins continually seek better quality seals, parts. The end user has an urgent need for tighter pin-to-pin tolerances and tighter pin-to-end cut tolerances, as well as in-process inspection to ensure proper pin insertion. Current tolerance targets are 1 mm or better pin-to-pin tolerance and 2 mm or better pin-to-end cut tolerance. Achieving tight tolerances, using conventional technology, has been limited by the dimensional instability of the rubber. For example, the rubber is readily stretched, compressed, flexed transversely, and the like, all of which contribute to difficulty in forming a hole precisely at a predetermined location along the length of the rubber strip.
Additionally, the rubber seal fabricator wants to reduce scrap and does not want the operator to have the capability to manually influence the quality of the finished extrusion door seal product.
The basic problem addressed by the invention is that the holes in the pinned rubber must match up with corresponding receptor holes formed in the e.g. metal door of the vehicle. While the locations of the holes in the door can readily be held to close tolerance because the metal is rigid, it is more difficult to hold close tolerances on formation of holes in the rubber strip, hole-to-hole, or hole-to-end cut, because the rubber strip is more flexible, and is otherwise more deformable. For example, if the rubber strip gets stretched or compressed or flexed as the rubber strip is being fed into the hole forming position, the position of the hole so made, or a subsequent hole, when the rubber strip is relaxed, can be displaced from its desired location by an undesirable distance. If the hole is thus unacceptably displaced from the desired location, the door seal may not fit properly on the door, and may compromise at least part of the desired sealing affect between the door and the doorway opening in the vehicle body.
Conventionally available seal material processing machines, running at commercial speeds, with typical operators, can produce seal products wherein variance between target hole-to-hole distance and actual hole-to-hole distance, averages about 1.5 mm to about 3 mm of the target distances between holes. Average variance from target, of hole-to-cut off end of the part, is about 3 mm to about 5 mm. The objective of the invention is to reduce the average variances from target distances. Any reduction in variance below the conventionally available variances is an improvement, and thus can be within the scope of the invention. Variance of no more than 1 mm, hole-to-hole, is highly desired. Variance of no more than 2 mm, preferably no more than 1 mm, hole-to-cut off end, is highly desired.
In the conventional machines described hereinabove, the drilling head and the pinning head are mounted on separate supports. The drilling head is generally stationary. The pinning head has sufficient mobility to pick up a pin from a pin feed tray, to move under the drilling head when the drilling head is retracted from a drilled hole, and to install the pin into the hole. Both the drilling and the pinning steps are accomplished while the strip of flexible seal material is stationary.
Still referring to conventional machines, the feed drive which advances the rubber strip is set to intermittently feed increments of the raw material rubber strip in specified feed drive distance increments. Namely, a specified length of the rubber strip is fed into the machine, and stopped. The drilling and pinning devices drill a hole and insert a pin. The rubber strip is then fed the next incremental distance between holes to be formed, and stopped, whereupon a second hole is drilled and pinned. When the desired number of holes and pins have been applied to a desired length of the work piece, the rubber strip is cut for length, creating a finished part, and a new drilling and pinning sequence is started, to create a second seal product. In the alternative, additional holes can be drilled, and pins inserted, in a trailing length of the rubber strip while the first length concurrently advances, as part of the work piece still being drilled and pinned, to a downstream cut-off device.
Yet referring to conventional operations, selected ones of the finished parts are inspected by an operator for distances between respective holes in the work piece and for distances from the end pins to the ends of the work piece. The operator then adjusts the setting on the drive apparatus which drives feeding of the rubber strip through the machine, in accord with the findings of one or more such inspections. Meantime, while the operator is taking the measurements and determining desired adjustments, several more finished parts can have been produced at the existing drive distance setting. To the extent there was a drive distance error in the part which was inspected, the several more finished parts may have similar errors, and further, the magnitude of the error may have changed before the operator has made any adjustment.
So the operator's adjustment in conventional operations, while potentially precise with respect to the finished part measured, while potentially helpful in retaining the produced parts within the outer limits of a specified tolerance, lacks some desired element of precision as far as returning the hole-to-hole distance, or the hole-to-end distance, to the desired target magnitude. The operator thus continues to adjust the drive belt drive setting according to hindsight inspection of the finished parts coming off the machine. And only a small fraction of the finished parts can be inspected by hand. The end result is that a skilled worker can manage to hold tolerance of hole-to-hole distances to only about 1.5 mm to about 3 mm of the specified target distances.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a door seal processing machine for receiving a generally continuous, or defined length, strip of seal material and fabricating door seal products therefrom, the machine including a track which mounts hole forming and pinning apparatus to a machine frame, a sensor sensing holes in the seal material, and a controller receiving the sensor output and using such output to compute and issue drive commands to a driver driving the hole forming and pinning apparatus along the track to a desired hole forming location.
It is a further object to provide such machine wherein the controller is programmed with instructions instructing movement of the hole forming and pinning apparatus back and forth along the track to form holes, and insert pins in the holes, optionally between a hole forming section of a work station, and a pinning section of the work station.
It is yet another object to provide a such machine including a detector detecting the location of the forming and pinning apparatus along the track, and sending such detect information to the controller which uses such location information in determining subsequent movement instructions for movement of the hole forming and pinning apparatus along the track.
It is still another object to provide a such machine wherein the controller uses the hole position information, as sensed by the sensor for one hole, both to instruct positioning of the hole forming and pinning apparatus for forming and pinning a hole, and to instruct a work piece driver regarding the incremental feed drive movement required to feed the desired length of door seal material to the work station at a given incremental feed event.
It is a still further object to provide, as the sensor, a visual image camera.
Still another object is to provide, as the sensor, a visual image camera, and optionally to further provide, in the camera memory or the controller memory, reference images which are representative of the work piece image profile desired, and to compare a reference image to an image captured by the camera.
Yet another object is to provide a method of processing door seal material including, while maintaining the door seal material in a longitudinally fixed location, moving the hole forming apparatus along the length of the seal material to a location, displaced from a hole being sensed, and forming a subsequent hole.
It is a still further object to provide a method using the sensed position of a first hole as basis for longitudinally positioning the hole forming apparatus and forming the next hole.
A still further object is to provide a machine and method of forming holes at a first location along a path of travel of the seal material and inserting pins at a second location, displaced from the first location, along the path of travel of the seal material, and optionally moving the hole forming and pinning apparatus back and forth between the forming and pinning locations.
Yet another object is to provide a method of forming holes in a strip of flexible door seal material, including sensing a hole, determining a location for forming a subsequent hole based on the location of the sensed hole, and moving movable hole forming apparatus, as necessary, along the length of the flexible strip, all while maintaining the strip of flexible door seal material in longitudinally-fixed locations.
Still another object is to provide a such machine and method of forming holes wherein the rubber strip is temporarily fixedly mounted in a fixture which moves along a fixture track, relative to the hole forming and pinning apparatus, and wherein a movement detector detects distance of movement of the fixture along the fixture track, or a sensor senses position of a sensed element of the fixture or work piece, along the track, and communicates such distances and locations to the controller, whereby the strip does not move relative to the fixture after a pin has been inserted and before the next hole is drilled.
Yet another object is to provide such machine and method wherein a length of the continuous-length flexible work piece material, corresponding to the length of a finished unit of product, is fed onto the work station, and clamped in the fixture, and the drilling and pinning head, preferably with commonly-mounted camera, is moved along the work piece length and caused to form holes, and insert pins into the holes along the full length of the work piece without unclamping the work piece from the fixture.
It is an object to provide such machine and method wherein a first/leading hole in the work piece is located based on the sensed relative position of an already-formed hole in a previously formed work piece.


An operating lamp has operator controls that include several operating parameter display fields for displaying adjustable parameters of operating states of the operating lamp, and a control element, such as a manipulable knob, for setting those parameters. The same control element also emits control signals for changing the operating state.

The invention relates to an operating lamp with operator controls having several operating parameter display fields for displaying adjustable parameters of operating states of the operating lamp, and a control element for setting the parameters.
The use of operating lamps of this type in operating rooms is generally known.
Advantageously, the operating surgeon can easily access the operator controls to facilitate handling of the operating lamp.
It is desired to further facilitate handling of the operating lamp.


An isolating chamber (1) with an annular connector (5) defines an access opening with one dimension greater than that perpendicular thereto and with an internal wall (5A) of constant section to allow the hermetic sliding of successive closure pieces (7,7X) which have a closure membrane (14,14X), and an annular cutting device (9B) for the membrane and for another membrane joined thereto. Each transfer machine (3) has a passageways slot and a closure membrane (22). The two membranes are designed to adhere to each other during the joining up of the two confined volumes (1,3) and are cut by the annular cutting device (9B) to define a discoid (D) with two at least peripherally joined thicknesses. The discoid can be removed into one of the confined volumes to provide the passage between the two the confined volumes; a subsequent uncut closure piece (7X) can be installed in the connector (5) from the interior of the isolating chamber (1), in order to replace the previous closure piece (7) which thus can be removed.

The invention relates to improved equipment for forming repeated connections between discontinuous confined volumes, particularly between an isolating chamber and one or more transfer machines, with formation of slots and in conditions of sterility or isolation or conditioning, using pieces which may be single-use pieces. These and other objects and advantages will be clear from the following text.

Equipment for forming temporary connections for the transfer of objects between discontinuous confined volumes


A braid singeing clamp for singeing the end of a braid to prevent said braid from coming undone. The braid singeing clamp comprises a pair of pivotally connected clamping surfaces having grips on one end and heating elements on the opposite end. The heating surfaces are attached to each clamping element by a set of rings which are situated on the top portion of each surface. The rings slide over a tube portion of each clamping element, and secure the heating surfaces to the clamp. Alternatively, the heating surfaces may snap into sockets positioned on the tube portion of each clamping element. The heating elements are shaped to envelope the lower portion of the braid and provide heat only to the braid end.

The invention relates to a braid singeing clamp. More particularly, the invention relates to a scissor shaped apparatus with a heating clamp on one end which grabs a braid or ponytail, and singes its end.
Men and women spend a great deal of time and effort making their hair fashionable and presentable. Hair can be arranged in many different ways: it can be curled, straightened, braided, beaded, and put in a ponytail. Hair styling has emerged in the 1990's as a true art form. The traditional ponytail hairstyle has also made a major comeback.
The conventional method of using a rubber band to prevent a braid from coming undone, however, is no longer in mode. The use of a rubber band, to prevent a braid from coming undone, is frowned upon by many beauticians because it disrupts the aesthetic quality of the flowing hair lines. Therefore, many beauticians currently use a match flame or a traditional heating clamp to singe the ends of the braid. However, the use of an open flame in a room where aerosol hair spray cans are constantly being sprayed is extremely dangerous. Furthermore, using a match flame to singe the braid end makes it extremely difficult to control the amount of heat applied to the braid end. A traditional heating clamp is also inappropriate for the task of singeing the end of a braid because it does not have a heating surface to apply heat directly to the end of a braid.
While these units may be suitable for the particular purpose employed, or for general use, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present invention as disclosed hereafter.


In various aspects, the present invention relates to non-peptidic compounds, which modulate calcitonin and amylin receptor activity; to processes for the preparation of some such compounds; and to pharmaceutical compositions including such compounds. Compounds of the invention are useful as calcitonin and/or amylin agonists and in the treatment of bone diseases and metabolic diseases.

Bone is a dynamic tissue, and homeostasis in the adult skeleton requires a balance between bone resorption and bone formation. Osteoclasts and osteoblasts play a key role in this balance, with osteoclasts initiating bone resorption and osteoblasts synthesizing and depositing new bone matrix. Imbalances in bone homeostasis are associated with such disorders as osteoporosis, Paget's disease, and hyperparathyroidism.
The activities of osteoclasts and osteoblasts are regulated by complex interactions between systemic hormones such as calcitonin and the local production of growth factors and cytokines. Calcitonin, a peptide hormone secreted by the thyroid and thymus of mammals, plays an important role in maintaining bone homeostasis. Calcitonin inhibits bone resorption through binding and activation of a specific calcitonin receptor on osteoclasts [M. Pondel, Calcitonin and Calcitonin Receptors: Bone and Beyond, Int. J. Exp. Path. 81, 405-22 (2000)], with a resultant decrease in the amount of calcium released by bone into the serum. This inhibition of bone resorption has been exploited, for instance, by using calcitonin as a treatment for osteoporosis, a disease characterized by a decrease in the skeletal mass often resulting in debilitating and painful fractures. Calcitonin is also used in the treatment of Paget's disease where it provides rapid relief from bone pain, which is frequently the primary symptom associated with this disease. This analgesic effect has also been demonstrated in patients with osteoporosis or metastatic bone disease and has been reported to relieve pain associated with diabetic neuropathy, cancer, migraine and post-hysterectomy. Reduction in bone pain occurs before the reduction of bone resorption.
Despite the frequent use of animal-derived calcitonin in humans (such as salmon calcitonin), there are many disadvantages. For treatment of osteoporosis, for instance, daily prophylactic administration can be required for 5 or more years at a relatively high cost. In the United States, calcitonin is often administered by injection, and since the disease indications for this drug are not usually life threatening, patient compliance can be low. Resistance to calcitonin therapy may occur with long-term use. In addition, some patients develop antibodies to non-human calcitonin. Such disadvantages have spurred the search for small-molecule replacements for calcitonin.
Amylin and adrenomedullin are related peptides with some homology to both calcitonin and calcitonin gene-related peptide. [P M. Sexton et al., Curr. Med. Chemistry, 1999, 6:1067] Like the peptides themselves, the receptors for the calcitonin family are related to each other. Each peptide acts through its own distinct high affinity receptor, as well as through other receptors of the family, usually with lower affinity. Amylin and adrenomedullin have recently been found to stimulate the proliferation of osteoblasts in vitro, and to increase indices of bone formation when administered either locally or systemically in vivo. Furthermore, amylin inhibits bone resorption. [Cornish, J. et al., Curr. Pharm. Des., 2002, 8(23):2009]. In addition to its bone-effects, however, amylin also has an important role in postprandial glucose regulation. The neuroendocrine hormone is cosecreted with insulin at mealtimes and has been shown to suppress postprandial glucagon secretion [Gedulin, B. et al., Metabolism, 1997, 46:67], to regulate gastric emptying [Young, A. et al., Diabetologia, 1995, 38:642] and to reduce food intake [Rushing et al., Endocrinology, 2000, 141:850]. Because of these effects, the peptide and related analogues such as pramlintide are being investigated for the treatment of diabetes. Similar to calcitonin, the drawback to this peptidic approach is the need for administration by injection, resulting in potentially reduced patient compliance and high costs of production.

Modulators of calcitonin and amylin receptor activity


A base or a mounting frame for an electrical enclosure or a rack, includes mounting pieces which are arranged, as corner pieces, in the corner regions of a rectangle or square that extends in an x-y plane. The mounting pieces are produced in a respective shaping process and include first and second mounting faces which lie outside with respect to the rectangle or square, which extend in the x direction and in the y direction at a right angle thereto and which extend in a space direction z at a right angle to the x-y plane. Sections of a system of covers are brought into contact with the mounting faces, where the covers having lateral covers with cover walls that are flat on the exterior and that have reinforcing ribs extending longitudinally on the interior, and are fastened to receiving structures of the mounting pieces by connecting structure.

The invention relates to a socket or mounting frame for a switchgear cabinet or a rack, comprising mounting pieces which are arranged, as corner pieces, in the corner regions of a rectangle or square that extends in a x-y plane, said mounting pieces being produced in a respective shaping process and comprising first and second mounting faces which lie outside with respect to the rectangle or square, which extend in the x direction and in the y direction at a right angle thereto and which extend in a space direction z at a right angle to the x-y plane, wherein sections of a system of covers are brought into contact with the mounting faces, said covers having lateral covers with cover walls that are flat on the exterior and that have reinforcing ribs extending longitudinally on the interior, and being fastened to receiving structures of the mounting pieces by connecting means.
A socket or mounting frame for a switchgear cabinet of this type is disclosed in DE 194 34 551 C1. In the corner regions of the socket, which is rectangular in a top view, mounting pieces are arranged as corner pieces which are connected to another by means of lateral covers. The corner pieces are configured as upright profile sections made of extruded aluminum profile comprising several partly open and partly closed cavities running in longitudinal direction of the profile and being confined by wall sections. Mounting faces of the corner pieces which are outside with respect to the socket comprise slots running in longitudinal direction of the profile leading to rear side cavities which form T-shaped fastening grooves via which the covers are mounted by means of screws which engage nuts arranged within the grooves. Such configuration results in a considerable mounting effort, in particular if the covers must be removed and re-installed for installation purposes e.g. at locations which are difficult to access.
In another socket shown in EP 0 725 464 B1, the corner pieces comprise an upper and a lower connecting plate which are connected to another by means of rib-shaped vertical walls, wherein laterally protruding fastening plates having bores are provided which covers are mounted. Also this configuration can lead to unfavorable mounting effort.
Further sockets which can be equipped with covers, are shown in DE 10 2007 013 520 A1, WO 02/080322 A1, DE 37 10 567 C2, DE 84 10 203 U1, DE 43 10 079 C2, DE 93 08 162 U1, DE 103 28 407 A1 and EP 0 686 316 B1. Those known sockets comprise corner pieces formed as angled punched/bent parts to which the covers can be attached, while also a considerable mounting effort is generated.
It is the object of the invention to provide a socket or mounting frame of the type mentioned in the introductory, which improved mounting possibilities are achieved.

Base or mounting frame for an electrical enclosure or a rack


A calibration structure for probing devices.

The present invention relates to calibration structures for probing devices, and more particularly to improved calibration structures for suppressing undesirable electromagnetic modes resulting from the substrate of the calibration structure.
Coplanar transmission structures, such as coplanar waveguides, coplanar striplines, coplanar slotlines, and the like, are used in a wide variety of electronic applications. For example, coplanar waveguides are used in probes suitable to probe semiconductors at multi-gigahertz frequencies, such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,697,143. The probe described in the '143 patent has an approximately triangular shaped alumina substrate on which is formed a coplanar waveguide that tapers toward the point of the triangle. Bulk microwave absorbing material containing iron or ferrite and having a high magnetic loss coefficient is secured on both surfaces of the substrate to reduce the effect of unwanted propagation modes. One of these propagation modes includes energy that propagates up the probe substrate and reflects off of the probe mounting block and propagates back down the substrate producing undesired distortions of the measured signals.
Probes allow relatively accurate on-wafer measurements of very small devices, such as transistors, inductors, capacitors, resistors, and the like at frequencies from direct current to hundreds of giga-hertz. Relatively accurate measurements can be made using one or more such probes connected to a vector network analyzer and then calibrating the system using a calibration substrate. The calibration substrate has various types of planar calibration elements formed on it, such as Line-Reflect-Line (LRL) calibration elements, Line-Reflect-Match (LRM) calibration elements, Open-Short-Load-Thru (OSL-T) calibration elements, and the like. Deviations from the ideal response of the probe/calibration substrate combination are stored in the network analyzer and software algorithms are typically used to compensate for these detected deviations as well as the non-ideal response of the network analyzer and the interface to the probe.
The calibration substrate is positioned on a conductive chuck and is typically maintained in position by a vacuum. The conductive chuck acts as a ground plane for the undesired microstrip modes when a signal is applied through the probe. In addition to the undesired microstrip modes, undesirable surface wave modes propagate through the substrate. Quartz spacers have been placed under the calibration substrate to reduce the parasitic modes generated in the calibration substrate. However, even with quartz spacers the parasitic modes still produce resonances, such as in the incident to reflected signal ratio as measured by the network analyzer.
Unsuccessful attempts have been made to reduce the surface wave modes on the calibration substrate by locating a limited amount of lossy material, such as nichrome (nickel chromium alloy), along the opposing edges of the calibration elements. However, the dimension of the nichrome material is much shorter than the wavelength of the signal being coupled into the calibration element. Therefore, it has little effect on surface wave modes which propagate along the bottom surface of the substrate. Additionally, it has little effect on the microstrip modes generated by the conductive chuck acting as a ground plane for the calibration elements.
Referring to FIG. 1, a cross-sectional view of the coplanar transmission structure 10 described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,225,796 is shown. The coplanar transmission structure 10 includes a substrate 12 having a coplanar transmission line 14, shown as a coplanar transmission waveguide, formed on one surface thereof. The substrate 12 is formed from a dielectric material, such as alumina or sapphire. The coplanar transmission line 14 may also be a coplanar stripline, as in FIG. 2. The coplanar transmission waveguide 14 includes a center strip 16 with two ground planes 18 and 20 located parallel to and in the plane of the center strip 16. The coplanar transmission line 14 defines the electromagnetic mode of radiation propagating along the transmission line 14, such as a quasi-TEM mode of propagation. The opposite surface of the substrate 12 has a layer of lossy resistive material 22, such as nichrome, tantalum nitride, or the like formed thereon.
The use of a lossy resistive material tends to attenuate the parasitic evanescent or propagating electromagnetic modes of the coplanar transmission structure. FIG. 2A shows a plan view of a coplanar transmission structure having an asymmetrical coplanar stripline 24 formed on one surface of a sapphire substrate 26. A layer of nichrome 28 is deposited adjacent and connected to the ground of the stripline 27. The cross-sectional view of FIG. 2B shows another approach to adding lossy material, with the layer of nichrome 30 formed on the opposite surface of the substrate 26.
Unfortunately, the structures shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 tend to result in relatively distorted signals over a large range of frequencies. The distortion results from undesirable modes propagating within the substrate. The precise source of the undesirable modes is unknown which results in difficulty in reducing the undesirable modes. The distortion levels are sufficiently large that for very accurate measurements the calibration substrate is simply ineffective.
A calibration substrate available from Cascade Microtech of Beaverton, Oreg. includes a set of calibration structures. Referring to FIG. 3, the calibration structures include a set of conductive members 54 supported by the substrate and spatially arranged across the substrate. Similar conductive members are aligned in an array orientation. To effectively increase the frequency response and smooth out the frequency response of the microstrip mode of the conductive members to the base of the substrate, a small portion of resistive material 56 is located adjacent to the end of each of the conductive members. The wider conductive members are approximately 525 microns wide and the thinner conductive members are approximately 100 microns wide, with a spacing of approximately 750 microns between conductive material columns. The resistive material is approximately 150 microns in length and has a width equal to that of the conductive material. The conductive members are approximately 1400 microns in length. The column of conductive members 60 are for open calibration tests, the column of conductive member 62 are for load calibration tests, the column of conductive members 64 are for short calibration tests, the column of conductive members 66 are for through conductive tests, and the column of conductive members 68 are for loop back through conductive tests.
While providing an improved measurement accuracy, the resulting structure includes a resonance at approximately 33 giga-hertz having a magnitude of approximately 0.10-0.15 dB deviation from the ideal (0 dB) when measuring a short calibration structure (S11 measurement), as shown in FIG. 4. The S11 magnitude in dB is calculated as 20*log(x), where x is the magnitude of the return signal with the input normalized to 1. This resonance makes probing of semiconductors more difficult in the general range of 33 giga-hertz because it is difficult to calibrate the system. In the case of a resonant system, Q is a measure of the sharpness of the resonant peak in the frequency response of the system and is inversely proportional to the damping in the system, and may be also considered the reactive portion over the resistive portion of the impedance causing the resonance. For example, Q=(center frequency in hertz)/(bandwidth (0.707 times down (3 dB reduction in magnitude) from the maximum magnitude at the center frequency)). Referring to FIG. 4, the Q factor of the impedance causing the 33 GHz resonance is approximately 22.
What is desired is calibration structures that reduce unwanted spurious modes.
The foregoing and other objectives, features, and advantages of the invention will be more readily understood upon consideration of the following detailed description of the invention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A capo for Dobro® and slide guitars, and other raised-string instruments is lever-operated and compression adjustable, enabling one-handed placement and removal and precise, consistent chord formation.

A capo is a device used to shorten the string length on guitars and other musical instruments, thereby facilitating upward transposition without altered fingering. The term has European roots: "capotasto," from Italian, "capo" meaning "head" and "tasto" meaning "tie, fret, or key." In French the capo is called a barre, and in German, capodaster). Originally this term denoted the nut of a fretted instrument such as the lute or guitar. The term was first employed by G. B. Doni in his annotazioni of 1640. The term "capo" is now used to describe a device used to shorten string length, thereby facilitating upward transposition relative to the fret board without altered fingering.
According to the Sterner Capo Museum (http://web.telia.com/˜u86505074/capomuseum), the first capo was invented in the mid 1700's. Both the yoke capo with screw and the wooden Spanish capo cejilla were invented in the late 1700's. The yoke capo looks substantially the same today, and the Spanish capo is still in use by Flamenco guitarists. On English guitars at that time, the capo was attached through holes in the neck by a small carriage bolt tightened by a wing nut.
The first U.S. patent on the capo was U.S. Pat. No. 7,279, entitled "Guitar Head," which issued in 1850 to James Ashborn. As shown in FIG. 1, the Ashborn capo was tightened by an eccentric roll (k) on the back of the neck (j). Referring to FIG. 2, U.S. Pat. No. 390,612, entitled "Capodastro for Guitars," which issued to George D. Moffat on Oct. 2, 1888 describes a capo including a C-shaped mounting member (B), a pressure bar (D) which is hinged or pivoted to the C-shaped mounting member. The pressure bar is self-adjusting and is free to tilt about its point of pivotal suspension so that it can properly depress the strings regardless of the capo's position on the guitar-stem. The Moffat capo further includes a cam lever (C) which is eccentrically pivoted upon the C-shaped mounting member to urge the pressure bar against the back of the neck, thereby compressing the strings. The pressure bar may be provided with a pad (a) of cork or any other suitable material so that the pressure bar does not injure the strings. An alternative embodiment includes a bearing plate operated by an adjusting screw so that the capo may be clamped to the guitar neck.
Two capos still in use today include the Bill Russell capo and the Jim Dunlop capo. The Bill Russell capo is the subject of U.S. Pat. No. 1,788,636, entitled "Capo Tasto" (FIG. 3). The Russell capo includes a rubber pressure bar (2), which presses against the strings of a stringed instrument, a rigid reinforcing plate (1) which is positioned inside of or on top of the rubber pressure bar and to which the rubber pressure bar is secured, an elastic strip (5), a portion of which is secured to a first lug on the rubber pressure bar at one end extending over the top of the rubber pressure bar, and secured to a second lug on the rubber pressure bar. The Russell capo is secured to the stem of the stringed instrument by wrapping the remaining portion of the elastic strip about the bottom surface of the stem. The tension on the elastic strip is maintained by a plurality of eyelets (7) positioned on the elastic strip to which a set of pins are coupled.
The Jim Dunlop capo is the subject of U.S. Pat. No. 3,185,012, also entitled "Capo Tasto" (FIG. 4). The Dunlop capo includes a channel of a roughly U-shaped cross-sectional contour (16) molded from plastic, the side flanges which are arranged to diverge slightly and have beveled end edges. A non-elastic cord (26) is coupled to a cam lever (42), which is aligned perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the stem of a stringed instrument on which it is placed and which secures the capo in place on the stem of the stringed instrument. Depending upon the thickness of the neck of the instrument, disk-shaped beads (44) are placed in corresponding recesses 28, and the device is tightened around the strings when the lever 42 is flipped down into the U-shaped channel.
The first patented plastic capo is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,823,247 (FIG. 5). This capo includes a pressure bar (1), a bowed clamp member (2) hinged to one end of the pressure bar, and a coupling which interengages the other, unhinged end of the pressure bar in order to secure the capo to the guitar. The pressure bar has a comb-like part (8), the teeth of which are closely spaced and adapted to press on the strings of the instrument. The disadvantage in using this capo is that a musician must use both his hands to change from one fret position to another fret position. The advantage of this capo is its aesthetic qualities in that it is practically invisible when placed on a stringed instrument.
As might be expected, there are specialized capos for specialized guitars. One specialized guitar, the Dobro®, has been around since the mid 1920's. The Dobro trademark is now owned by the famous maker Gibson. Guitars of this type, built by independent guitar makers, are referred to as resonator, or, resophonic, guitars. FIG. 6 is a drawing of a classic Dobro guitar.
Resophonic guitars arose out of a need for a louder acoustic instrument, able to compete with the trumpets, saxophones and banjos that dominated popular music in the 1920s. As the story goes, George Beauchamp, a Los Angeles guitarist, took his vision of a mechanically amplified instrument to John Dopyera and his brother Rudy, Slovakian immigrants who had already patented several improvements for banjos. John Dopyera perfected a design utilizing three aluminum cones, Rudy suggested a metal body to enhance amplification, and the National tri-cone resonator guitar debuted in 1927. John Dopyera left National in 1928 and began developing a more affordable wood body guitar with a single cone and a spider-like bridge base. He introduced his new invention by the end of 1928 under the name DOBRO®—a combination of Dopyera and "brothers."
Dobro guitars, like some slide guitars, are typically played on the musician's lap. Since the strings are spaced a considerable distance from the finger board, traditional clamping-type capos either will not work, will damage the instrument, or both. Thus, specialized capos were invented. Although some of the capos do extend around the back of the neck, most models do not and instead 'float' on the strings.
One of the first commercially produced floating capos is the Huckabee capo, developed in the early 1980s. With this design, a thin, round bar with plastic tubing, pulls the strings up towards a heavy, square bar by means of a screw and a wing nut. Along the bottom side of the square bar there is a routed grove to give it two distinct edges against the strings and the strings are pulled into that grove. The round bar is the Beard capo, designed by Paul E. Beard in 1985. Referring to FIG. 7, the square brass bar 702 is wider and lower. Instead of a routed grove, this capo has a bone edge 704 and a leather pad 706 to mute the strings behind the capo. Tightening is nevertheless carried out with a nut 708 coupled to sleeved bar 710 biased away from bar 702 with spring 712. A further development, shown in FIG. 8, was to replace the wing nut with an eccentric lever 802 in a capo reportedly made by Liberty in the early 1980s.

Capo applicable to dobro and slide guitars, and other raised-string instruments


A telescoping arm with securable pole-tilt assembly for manipulating a utility pole and comprising a pair of opposed jaws and a saddle, the arm comprising a boom and an elongate pin for selectively securing the pole tilt assembly in an operating position to the end of a telescoping boom section or in an out of operation position to an intermediate boom section wherein in the out of operation position the telescoping boom section can extend through the pole-tilt assembly and the elongate pin engages the jaws of the pole-tilt assembly preventing them from being articulated downwards towards the saddle, thereby preventing damage to the telescoping boom.

The prior art reveals telescoping arms comprising pole handling grabbers or sheaves. In some cases these sheaves are convertible and can be secured to the end of one or other of the segments depending on whether the sheave is in use or not in use. One drawback of some of these prior art systems is that the pole handling sheaves are moveable even when not in use and can inadvertently come into contact with the other telescoping section when extended. On booms manufactured with heavy steel this is typically not a problem. However, on telescoping booms for use on utility poles and the like, the final telescoping sections are often manufactured from non-conducting composites which, although capable of supporting considerable weight, are easily damaged.

Telescoping arm with securable pole-tilt assembly


A method for estimating a plurality of camera, comprising using at least one processor executing a code for: extracting a plurality of image features of a plurality of landmarks from a plurality of images captured by at least one camera from at least one pose, the plurality of landmarks calibrated with respect to a certain coordinate system; identifying among the plurality of image features at least one image feature documented in at least some of the images; producing scale values of at least one common image feature by analyzing the at least some of the images; determining a plurality of estimated poses of the at least one camera with respect to the certain coordinate system by using the scale values in calculating a minimal re-projection error between the plurality of image features and a plurality of predicted image features; and outputting the plurality of estimated poses.

The present invention, in some embodiments thereof, relates to computer vision, and more specifically, but not exclusively, to estimating a pose of an image capturing device.
There exist image capturing systems comprising an image capture device, for example a camera, where there is a need to estimate a pose of the camera in a coordinate system. Examples of coordinate systems are a world coordinate system and a coordinate system calibrated with a camera pose of a camera when capturing a first image. A camera pose is a combination of position and orientation of a camera relative to a coordinate system. For example, a camera pose x may be expressed as a pair (R, t), where R is a rotation matrix representing an orientation with respect to the coordinate system, and t is a translation vector representing the camera's position with respect to the coordinate system. Other possible representations of orientation are double-angle representations and tensors. Examples of such image capturing systems are medical systems comprising a camera inserted into a patient's body, for example by swallowing the camera, systems comprising autonomously moving devices, for example vehicles and robots, navigation applications and augmented reality systems. When a camera operates in unknown environments, without further information or sensors, estimation of a camera pose may involve three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction of a scene. This problem is known as "structure from motion" (SfM) and "simultaneous localization and mapping" (SLAM) in computer vision and robotics communities, respectively.
A scene has image features, also known as landmarks. An image of the scene captured by a camera, sometimes referred to as a camera view, has observed image features representing the scene's landmarks. Typically, camera pose estimation is solved using bundle adjustment (BA) optimization. A bundle adjustment optimization calculation aims to minimize re-projection errors across all available images and for all image features identified in the available images. A re-projection error for a landmark in an image is the difference between the location in the image of the landmark's observed image feature and the predicted location in the image of the landmark's observed image feature for a certain camera pose estimate.

System and method for image capture device pose estimation

Tectmion Research & Development Foundation Limited


A process for identifying and treating cells in a living organism. The cells are labeled, circulated within the organism, detected with an implanted detector, and then either isolated or ablated.

Cancer is the leading cause of death in modern societies. Billions of dollars are spent upon clinical diagnosis and treatment of this disease. In addition to these expenditures, a substantial amount of money is spent on the quest for a cancer cure.
Treatment for a variety of cancers often is more debilitating than the disease itself.
One attempt to address this problem is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,251,384, which describes a method for following the progression of metastasis of a primary tumor in which organ tissues are removed from a vertebrate subject that has been modified to contain tumor cells that express GFP; the excised tissues are observed for the presence of fluorescence. The problem with the method of this patent is that, every time an analysis is desired of a living organism, surgery must be performed.
In published United States patent application 20010019715A1, a process is described in which a combination of a cytotoxic T-lymphocyte inducing composition and an agent which is capable of neutralizing or down regulating the activity of tumor secreted immunosuppressive factors is administered. The process of this application does not involve detection of malignant cells within a living organism and their subsequent treatment therein.
It is an object of this invention to provide a process for identifying, labeling, isolating, and treating diseased cells within an organism, such as cancer cells.

Process for identifying cancerous and/or metastatic cells of a living organism


A maintenance device for a fluid ejection head has a small, compact switching mechanism that can appropriately switch drive force from a drive source and drive a suction pump and a wiper.

A fluid ejection device ejects drops of fluid from the nozzles of a fluid ejection head to dispense, coat, or print with the fluid, for example. The fluid ejection device also has a fluid ejection head maintenance device to prevent the nozzles from clogging.
An inkjet printer is a known example of a fluid ejection device. An inkjet printer has a maintenance device for the inkjet head, which is a fluid ejection head. To keep the nozzle face of the inkjet head in a constantly good working condition, the maintenance device performs an inkjet head maintenance operation while in a standby mode and during printing. As known from the literature, the maintenance operations of the maintenance device include capping the nozzle face, suctioning ink from the cap or ink nozzles, and wiping the nozzle face.
Capping is an operation that covers the nozzle face of the inkjet head and seals the nozzle face while waiting to print. This prevents ink in the ink nozzles (fluid ejection nozzles) in the nozzle face from drying, and the nozzles from clogging. Ink suction is an operation that drives a suction pump while the nozzle face of the inkjet head is capped to suction and discharge ink in the nozzles or ink in the cap. Wiping is an operation that uses a wiper to wipe ink (fluid), paper chaff, dust, and other foreign matter from the nozzle face of the inkjet head.
Such maintenance devices are described in patent documents 1 to 5 below. The maintenance devices disclosed in patent documents 3 and 4 are capable of selectively wiping and selectively suctioning plural nozzle rows.

Maintenance device for a fluid ejection head, a fluid ejection device, and a printer

Abstract: A maintenance device 40 has caps 64 (1) to 65 (4) and wipers 75 (1) to 75 (4), a suction pump 94 that suctions waste ink from the caps 64 (1) to 65 (4), a cap drive transfer mechanism 80 that moves the caps 64 (1) to 65 (4) in a cap movement direction V, a wiper-pump drive transfer mechanism 90 that moves the wipers and drives the suction pump 94, and a drive switching mechanism 100 that switches driving by the wiper-pump drive transfer mechanism 90 to drive the suction pump 94 or move the wipers according to the position of cap movement.


A method of adjusting multiple tools on a common mount includes the interrogating first and second actual target positions on at least one workpiece. A variance is determined between the first and second actual target position and first and second theoretical target positions. At least one of the first and second tools is moved relative to the other of the first and second tools from the first and second theoretical target positions to a desired spacing respectively aligned with the first and second actual target positions.

This disclosure relates to an end of arm tool (EOAT) for a robot as well as the method and process used to program and control the same. The EOAT has multiple tools for use on multiple workpiece locations simultaneously.
One of the more challenging aspects in robot applications is the need for accurate and variable positioning of tooling on the robot EOAT in relation to the workpiece. The locations on the workpiece on which the tooling must be positioned during the automated operation can vary due to a number of factors, namely, that the actual positions these locations on the workpiece is not the same as the theoretical positions of these locations. In other words, the workpiece actual target positions are neither accurate nor precise nor consistent in its variability relative to each target within the same part (i.e. random inaccuracy in random directions).
There tends to be two kinds of variability: part-to-part production variability, and a more systemic or consistent variability with the mechanical factors that cause the workpiece and its target positions to be inconsistently off the theoretical positions. In addition to a user frame offset, a robot calibration process employs "teaching points" to correct for this variability.
This "teaching points" process positions the tool to the actual versus theoretical position of the workpiece target position. Typically the theoretical and the actual positions will vary, then a process to re-teach the robot to the actual position is performed. This process takes a long time, is very labor intensive, and often the technician doing the work does not have a favorable ergonomic access to visually see the target position.
Often in production some of the system variables change to make re-teaching necessary, requiring more labor and causing a long downtime. Some reasons that require re-teaching are, for example, a robot crash, a bent tool, a change in workpiece nesting, a permanent change in a workpiece, and a temperature of a workpiece.
During the production run, due to many possible variables the "actual" position of the point (target) will vary from the "taught" point. This variability could be caused by but not limited to; production changes, mold changes, upstream process changes, material changes, different materials in parts, heat, or cooling of the part, shrinkage, etc. These "actual points" (or targets) could move in any direction and may or may not be consistent in its moving (or floating) relative from target to target (e.g., one target could move 1 mm to the "north" and the target right next to it could move 2 mm to the "southeast").

Rotary tool adjuster for robot with end of arm tool having multiple tools


A printhead substrate comprising a plurality of printing portions and a plurality of ink supply ports, wherein the plurality of printing portions are divided into a plurality of groups, and the plurality of ink supply ports are arranged so as to correspond to the plurality of groups respectively, the printhead substrate also comprises a plurality of first voltage wiring portions provided in correspondence with the plurality of groups, and each first voltage wiring portion includes a first wiring pattern configured to connect the first terminals of the respective printing portions in the corresponding group with each other, and a second wiring pattern connected to the first wiring pattern and arranged between an ink supply port in the corresponding group and its neighboring ink supply port.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a printhead substrate, a printhead, and a printing apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
A printing apparatus typified by a printer or the like prints by conveying a printing medium in a direction intersecting a scanning direction while scanning a printhead. The printhead includes a substrate (printhead substrate) on which printing elements such as electrothermal transducers (heaters) are arrayed.
A power supply voltage for driving each printing element is supplied onto the printhead substrate. For example, a power supply wiring (VH) and a ground wiring (GND) can be arranged respectively along the array direction of the printing elements. When printing, the more the number of printing elements to be driven concurrently, the more significant a drop in the power supply voltage.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-326972 discloses a structure in which the power supply wiring arranged along the array direction of the printing elements is connected to an electrode pad arranged at one end of the printhead substrate, and the ground wiring arranged along the array direction is connected to an electrode pad arranged at the other end of the printhead substrate. The power supply wiring and the ground wiring are arranged along the array direction of the printing elements. According to the structure disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-326972, a difference in drop amounts in the power supply voltage between the respective printing elements is reduced.
As one method of increasing a printing speed, the number of printing elements to be driven at once is increased. As described above, however, the more the number of printing elements to be driven concurrently, the more significant the drop in the power supply voltage. Therefore, in order to increase the printing speed, it is necessary to increase the number of printing elements to be driven, and at the same time to prevent the drop in the power supply voltage resulting from this.
As one method of preventing the drop in the power supply voltage, the plurality of printing elements are divided into several groups, and the power supply voltages are supplied to the plurality of printing elements individually for each group. In the structure disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-326972, a voltage is supplied from the power supply wiring (or the ground wiring) arranged along the array direction of the printing elements to each printing element. This makes it difficult to provide a path for supplying the power supply voltage for each group.

Printhead substrate, printhead, and printing apparatus


Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a current amplification circuitry and a driving method thereof, and a fingerprint detection device. The current amplification circuitry includes a voltage control circuit, a plurality of first current amplification circuits, and a second current amplification circuit. The voltage control circuit provides a voltage control signal to the plurality of first current amplification circuits. The first current amplification circuit includes a current mirror, and the current mirror is coupled to a voltage input terminal, the voltage control circuit, and a first input terminal of the second current amplification circuit. The first current amplification circuit amplifies a current from the voltage input terminal according to the voltage control signal provided by the voltage control circuit, and provides the amplified current to the second current amplification circuit. The second current amplification circuit is coupled to the voltage input terminal via a second input terminal and amplifies the amplified current.

The present disclosure relates to the field of display technologies, and particularly, to a current amplification circuitry and a driving method thereof, and a fingerprint detection device.
With rapid development of science and technology, mobile products with biometric functions are wildly used in people's life and work. Because human fingerprint is unique, fingerprint recognition technology has received much attention and research. At present, sliding-type fingerprint recognition technology and pressing-type fingerprint recognition technology based on silicon-based processes have been implemented in mobile products. Corresponding terminal functions may be performed by performing fingerprint recognition in non-display areas of mobile terminals. For example, a screen unlocking function can be performed through fingerprint recognition. The core of people's attention in the future is to apply fingerprint recognition technology on display areas of mobile terminals.

Current amplification circuitry and driving method thereof, and fingerprint detection device


A calendar heap structure and method for sorting N timestamp (TS) values in an ATM fabric scheduler implemented in an access network element. The heap structure is implemented using a radix value (R) for grouping the N TS values into a number of groups. Validity bits associated with the TS values are hierarchically arranged in a tree having logR(N) levels, wherein the bottom layer's N bits correspond to pointers that point to linked lists of flows with respective TS values. Starting from the top level heap, each subsequent level's heaps are successively examined for determining which particular heap obtains a minimum value until a particular validity bit of the bottom level is reached, which validity bit points to the minimum TS.

1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to telecommunications. More particularly, and not by way of any limitation, the present invention is directed to a calendar heap system and method for efficiently sorting timestamps used in an Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) scheduling environment.
2. Description of Related Art
The remote access market is undergoing a major metamorphosis. Three factors serve as catalysts for change. The first is the growing number of users, for example, small office/home office (SOHO) users, demanding high performance Internet and remote access for multimedia. Liberalized governmental activity with respect to telecommunications is another factor, which is fostering broader competition through deregulation in local area markets everywhere. The third and final factor is congestion in the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), originally designed and developed for voice-only traffic.
There have been several important advances in telecommunications technology that enable high rates of throughput in carrier networks' backbone connections. For example, by implementing Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) networking technology over a Synchronous Optical Network (SONET)/Synchronous Digital Hierarchy (SDH) physical layer, carrier networks can achieve data rates of up to several hundred megabits per second (Mbps). However, efforts to meet the bandwidth demand for remote access have been beset by the limitations of the existing twisted-pair copper cable infrastructure (i.e., access network) provided between a carrier's central office (CO) and a subscriber's remote site, typically referred to as the local loop. In the telecommunications art, these limitations are sometimes collectively described as the "last-mile" problem.
Current access network solutions that attempt to avoid the bottleneck created by the last-mile problem involve the use of fiber optic technology in the local loop also. As with the high-speed carrier networks, the fiber-based local loop infrastructure is typically architected using SONET as the physical layer technology. With recent developments in optical components and related opto-electronics, in addition to improvements in network design, broadband access is now becoming commonplace.
Moreover, coupled with the phenomenal growth in popularity of the Internet, there has been a tremendous interest in using packet-switched network (PSN) infrastructures (e.g., those based on Internet Protocol (IP) addressing) as a replacement for the existing circuit-switched network (CSN) infrastructures used in today's telecommunications networks. From the network operators' perspective, the inherent traffic aggregation in packet-switched infrastructures allows for a reduction in the cost of transmission and the infrastructure cost per end-user. Ultimately, such cost reductions enable the network operators to pass on the concomitant cost savings to the end-users.
Accordingly, a new breed of service-centric networks (distinct from the existing voice-centric and data-centric networks) are being explored for implementation on what is known as the next-generation network (NGN) infrastructure, where integrated voice/data/video applications may be provisioned using a packet transport mechanism over a PSN in an end-to-end transmission path. As alluded to hereinabove, it is believed that using a packet network infrastructure in access networks provides higher transmission efficiency, lower operation and maintenance costs, and a unified access.
Traditional access systems allow accessing a digital local voice switch, such as a Class 5 switch, by extending a plurality of metallic loops and aggregating them in a bundle for efficiently transmitting the time-division multiplexed (TDM) voice traffic. Typically, such access networks are architected using one or more access nodes in a variety of configurations, e.g., point-to-point chains, rings, etc., wherein an access node may itself comprise several channel banks that provide line interfaces servicing a large number of subscribers.
In order to afford increased levels of functionality and service provisioning, however, access networks of today are being required to support advanced transport mechanisms such as SONET for the internal architecture of the nodes as well. In such nodes, ATM is used for carrying most of the subscriber traffic, except the traditional TDM services such as T1 and TDM-DS3 services. Accordingly, both TDM as well as ATM switching fabrics need to be supported in the access node design.
The ATM Forum provides a set of specifications governing the various aspects of an ATM switching fabric, including the fabric's scheduler whose function is to regulate the injection of incoming cells into the fabric. More particularly, the ATMF-TM-121 Standard provides the general description of scheduler requirements, including traffic policing/shaping functionality that is necessary to support different Classes of Service (CoS) such as Constant Bit Rate (CBR), Variable Bit Rate (VBR), Guaranteed Frame Rate (GFR), and the like. This Standard does not set forth, however, the implementational aspects in specific detail, especially in the context of an access node's internal architecture operable with SONET transport.
In general, ATM scheduler implementations involve the use of timestamp (TS) data in conjunction with traffic flows in an ATM switch where the incoming packets or cells are given TS tags in some predetermined manner. Often, it is necessary to perform various operations with respect to the TS data stored in a suitable data structure as part of the scheduler implementation. Such operations may comprise insertion, deletion, sorting, searching, sequencing, and the like. Where a large number of TS tags are required, it becomes imperative that the data structure methodology used for effectuating these operations be efficient as well as fast enough. This concern is particularly significant in applications having a sizeable bit field for TS values. For instance, if a 22-bit TS is used, approximately 222=4 million TS data values are possible. Additionally, in an architecture where traffic flows are scheduled based on a hierarchical scheduler arrangement, e.g., involving multiple data aggregation layers and several CoS levels, the total number of TS values becomes astronomical.
Heaps and calendar queues are some of the known data structures used for sorting large datasets. Although such data structures are generally adequate, they tend to be less efficient in terms of memory (e.g., queues) or slow due to algorithmic complexity (e.g., heaps). As a result, straight-forward implementation of the existing solutions in a high-speed ATM switch fabric design (>1 Gbps, for example) yields sub-optimal performance.

Calendar heap system and method for efficient sorting


Molten metal is deoxidized by continuous or semi-continuous treatment with liquid elemental phosphorous in a sufficient amount to produce a deoxidized metal with a final phosphorous content not greater than about 1% by weight.

Phosphor copper alloys are utilized in the metal and metal melting industry to remove oxygen trapped in the molten metal, to increase the fluidity of the molten metal, and remove unwanted impurities in the molten metal. Phosphorous is a good deoxidizer due to its strong affinity for oxygen. Phosphor copper has been used for deoxidizing metals in the past on the belief that the master alloy is easier and safer to handle than elemental phosphorous.
The most common type of phosphor copper alloy contains approximately 15% phosphorous and 85% copper.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,164,228 (Burns) discloses a batch-wise method of adding liquid phosphorous, which is immersed in a body of water, to a crucible or pot of molten metal to produce phosphorous alloys. There is no mention of adding the liquid phosphorous at any particular rate or treating the molten metal for excess oxygen.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,844,772 (Sherman) discloses injecting liquid methanol into molten copper. There is no mention of adding liquid phosphorous to the molten copper, nor is there any mention of the rate at which the liquid methanol is added to the molten copper.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,528,803 (Ichikawa et al.) discloses the addition of ingot, plate, rod, chip, grain, or powder forms of phosphorous or phosphorous alloys in molten copper to remove hydrogen. This is no mention of the addition of liquid elemental phosphorous to molten copper.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,098,063 (Perrin) discloses adding liquid metaphosphoric acid into a pouring jet of copper.
British Patent No. 1,552,153 (Elton) discloses removing copper from lead and lead alloys by adding phosphorous to the melt at intervals. The intervals between additions are such that the reaction caused by the previous addition has been completed prior to the next addition of phosphorous. However, the phosphorous is not in liquid form.


A curing accelerator can exhibit good curing acceleration performance and is excellent in storage stability, while maintaining sufficient pot life in a curing reaction of radical-polymerizable resins, and a radical-polymerizable resin composition uses the curing accelerator. The curing accelerator for radical-polymerizable resins includes a metal-containing compound (A), a thiol compound (B) and an aprotic solvent (C) having a dielectric constant of 10 or less, wherein the metal-containing compound (A) is one or more compounds selected from a metal soap (A1) and a β-diketone skeleton-having metal complex (A2), the thiol compound (B) is one or more compounds selected from a mono-functional primary thiol compound (B1), a secondary thiol compound (B2) and a tertiary thiol compound (B3), and the content of the aprotic solvent (C) is 10 to 1,000 parts by mass relative to 100 parts by mass of the total of the metal-containing compound (A) and the thiol compound (B).

A radical-polymerizable resin composition has many uses for mold fabrication, adhesives, primers, coating materials, as well as for inorganic structure repairing materials for section repairing, crack injection or water sealing, and further for fiber-reinforced composite materials.
For curing a radical-polymerizable resin, in general, a redox-type polymerization initiator such as an organic peroxide is used as the polymerization initiator, and in addition, from the viewpoint of shortening the time for curing the resin composition, a curing accelerator is added thereto.
As a curing accelerator, for example, PTL 1 describes a blend of a cobalt soap and an amine compound.
PTL 1 also describes a method for preparing an accelerator solution suitable for redox curing that uses a peroxide, which comprises adding a transition metal salt or complex to a liquid blend comprising a hydroxy-functional solvent and a nitrogen-containing base with an alkali or alkaline earth metal compound dissolving therein.
On the other hand, it is also known that, when an amine compound or a sulfur compound is used as a curing accelerator in a two-component curable resin composition using a (meth)acrylic group-having compound, the pot life of the composition is short and the composition is difficult to control and, in addition, the physical properties of the cured product thereof worsen (see PTL 2).
Against this, PTL 2 describes an attempt to add a copper compound and/or a vanadium compound, a thiol compound and saccharin for satisfying both prolongation of pot life and maintenance of physical properties of cured products.
In addition, PTL 3 proposes one that comprises a fatty acid iron salt, an iron complex and a salen compound as a curing accelerator for an oxidation polymerization-type unsaturated resin not using a cobalt metal soap that has a risk of a negative influence on human bodies.

Curing accelerator and radical polymerizable resin composition


A transition piece assembly for a gas turbine includes a transition duct having one end adapted for connection to a gas turbine combustor and an opposite end adapted for connection to a first turbine stage, and a pair of side panels. The assembly also includes an impingement sleeve surrounding the transition duct and establishing a cooling path therebetween. The impingement sleeve is formed with a plurality of rows of cooling holes therein; and a plurality of flow catcher devices on an external surface of the impingement sleeve, each flow catcher device at least partially surrounding one of the cooling holes.

This invention relates generally to turbomachinery and, more particularly, to the cooling of transition ducts that connect a plurality of combustors to the first stage of a gas turbine.
In a typical arrangement, combustors are arranged in an annular array within a compressor discharge opening, and are connected to the first stage of the turbine by transition ducts that are each shaped at one end to conform to a respective cylindrical combustor liner, and at an opposite end to conform to the turbine stage inlet. At the latter end, the transition duct has an external end frame by which the transition duct is secured to the turbine. In dry low NOx combustion systems in the assignee""s gas turbine product line, a perforated impingement cooling sleeve surrounds the transition duct, and is used to direct compressor discharge cooling air into contact with the transition duct. This cooling air eventually mixes with the fuel in the combustor.
Transition ducts and their associated impingement sleeves are packed together very tightly in the compressor discharge casing. As a result, there is little area through which the compressor discharge air can flow in order to cool the outboard part of the transition duct. Consequently, the air moves very rapidly through the narrow gaps between adjacent transition duct sidepanels, and the static pressure of the air is thus relatively low. Since impingement cooling relies on static pressure differential, the sidepanels of the transition ducts are therefore severely undercooled. As a result, the low cycle fatigue life of the ducts may be below that specified. An example of cooling transition ducts by impingement cooling may be found in commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 4,719,748.
In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of this invention, poor cooling on the sidepanels of the transition duct is improved through the attachment of scoops on the external surface of the impingement sleeve, preferably along the side panels thereof, and thus also adjacent the side panels of the transition duct. These scoops stagnate the flow as it passes at high speed and redirects the flow onto the sidepanels of the transition duct. This redirect flow supplies sufficient cooling to cool the metal into a temperature zone where the material properties are sufficiently good to make the required life expectancy. The scoops may have various shapes and may be fixed to the sleeve in number and location determined by the shape of the sleeve, flow within the compressor discharge casing, and thermal loading on the transition duct.
In addition, the relative effectiveness of impingement cooling on non-scooped impingement cooling holes can be effected by the exact point of flow separation on the outboard side of the impingement sleeve relative to these cooling holes. Thus, another feature of this invention is to add aerodynamic devices to the surface of the impingement sleeve to enforce consistent flow separation at defined locations. In this regard, it has been noted in testing that locations on the edge of a hot sidepanel zone on the outboard side of the transition duct can see rapid and repeated fluctuations in temperature under certain load/geometric conditions. This instability in the temperature field is attributed to the separation point on the upper part of the impingement sleeve moving around in response to changes in compressor discharge swirl and other factors. A solution to this problem is to place features on the surface of the impingement sleeve that insure the flow separates at a given location relative to a cooling hole and thus produces a stable cooling flow. In the illustrative example, one or more solid members, such as, for example, a wire(s), is (are) fixed to the external surface of the impingement sleeve, extending generally along the sleeve outboard of a line of minimum space between adjacent impingement sleeves, and also outboard of the array of scoops arranged along the side panels of the impingement sleeve.
Accordingly, in one aspect, the present invention relates to a transition piece assembly for a gas turbine comprising a transition duct having one end adapted for connection to a gas turbine combustor and an opposite end adapted for connection to a first turbine stage, and a pair of side panels; an impingement sleeve surrounding the transition duct and establishing a cooling path therebetween, the impingement sleeve formed with a plurality of rows of cooling holes therein; and a plurality of flow catcher devices on an external surface of the impingement sleeve, each flow catcher at least partially surrounding one of the cooling holes.
In another aspect, the invention relates to a method of impingement cooling a transition duct connected between a gas turbine combustor and a first turbine stage with air discharged from a compressor comprising a) surrounding the transition duct with an impingement sleeve provided with a plurality of cooling holes; b) establishing a flow path for compressor discharge air along the impingement sleeve; and c) providing flow catcher devices on the impingement sleeve to catch and redirect the compressor discharge air through the impingement holes and onto the transition duct.

Aerodynamic devices for enhancing sidepanel cooling on an impingement cooled transition duct and related method


To smooth silicon sliders that have been parted from each other on a wafer by DRIE, an isotropic etch using fluorine either in a gas or in an aqueous solution is performed prior to separating the individual sliders from the wafer.

Recently, silicon has become a primary candidate to replace the material used as the substrate for making magnetic recording head sliders. This has been facilitated by the use of a new parting process, a dry etch process known as Deep Reactive Ion Etching (DRIE), to form the slider bodies from the finished wafer. Essentially, using DRIE the sliders are parted from each other on the wafer prior to being detached therefrom.
DRIE uses a high density plasma to achieve a high aspect ratio etch, which exceeds the aspect ratio available using diamond saws. This high aspect ratio etch translates into a reduced "kerf", which in turn allows a higher packing density of sliders on the wafer and reduced manufacturing costs. Furthermore, because the etching process is entirely chemical in nature, there is no localized cracking or mechanical damage generated in the sliders. Diamond saws, on the other hand, generate cracks in the sliders or groups of sliders cut from the wafer. The cracks can then, over time, propagate and produce particles which can cause failure in a magnetic disk drive.
The shedding of particles from sliders, and the resultant head-disk interaction (HDI) which produces scratches in the magnetic disk and damage to the data therein, is an ongoing concern for the slider recording head and magnetic disks. It is reasonable to expect that HDI will also be of concern for the interaction of the silicon slider with magnetic disks.
As described above, the elimination of mechanical damage in the parting operation for silicon sliders has been well addressed by the DRIE process; however, the present invention understands that although the as-etched surfaces are quite smooth, some residual roughness of a short length scale may be generated on all four processed surfaces of the slider, namely, the "flex" surface, the air bearing surface (ABS), and the surfaces commonly referred to as SW1 and SW2. As further recognized herein, the roughness is largely the same in character on all four sides. The present invention critically understands that the residual peak-to-valley roughness, measured over the full slider face, may be on the order of two microns, and can result in protrusions that are one to four microns wide.
Currently, the shedding of particles in magnetic disk drive sliders for both AlTiC sliders and silicon sliders is undertaken by lapping the ABS surface, and then using numerous additional cleaning processes prior to installation in a drive. Nonetheless, the present invention critically recognizes that particle shedding remains a reliability concern, and that using numerous processes for the same task cascades costs. Having made this critical observation, the invention disclosed herein is provided.

Post-parting etch to smooth silicon sliders

Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands B.V.


Water sampling equipment and a method of using the same are provided wherein the water sampling equipment comprises a two component metal containment unit containing glass sample bottles, the two components of which are screwable detachable one from the other and which are designed to provide flow through of water from the water stream to be sampled allowing the glass sample bottles to readily be filled.

The needs for and the rules and regulations applicable to collecting samples of aqueous streams for analysis under various environmental and regulatory items of legislation have evolved over the years. A prominent feature of many of the applicable rules is the obtaining of a typical sample of the aqueous stream in a container which will not contribute to or remove any of the impurities present in the sample. Generally, it is preferred to obtain the sample in a prewashed glass container which creates the problem of how to get the glass container to the appropriate sampling point. The Applicant is not aware of prior art available to the public on this subject and material to the invention defined in this application.


Automated method and machinery for fabricating a wrought-iron fence panel. The machinery includes (a) automated programmable machinery for welding vertical pickets to horizontal runners to form a fence panel; (b) automated programmable machinery for straightening the fence panel; (c) automated programmable machinery for washing the fence panel; (d) automated programmable machinery for drying the fence panel; (e) automated programmable machinery for painting the fence panel; and (f) automated programmable conveyor machinery for conveying the vertical pickets, the horizontal runners, and the fence panel from station to station.

The present invention relates to fence construction. More particularly, the invention relates to an automated process for fabricating wrought-iron fences.
In general, the present invention in a first aspect provides an automated method for fabricating components of a wrought-iron fence. The method comprises the steps of (a) providing a plurality of horizontal runners and a plurality of vertical pickets; (b) automatedly welding the vertical pickets to the horizontal runners to form a fence panel; (c) automatedly transferring the fence panel to a table run-out conveyor which includes a set of chains with a pickup block on each chain; (d) utilizing the table run-out conveyor to automatedly transfer the fence panel to a conveyor loading station which includes a hydraulic-driven unit with pickup hooks capable of conveying the fence panel; (e) utilizing the hydraulic-driven unit to automatedly transfer the fence panel to an overhead conveyor line; (f) utilizing the overhead conveyor line to automatedly transfer the fence panel to a fence section straightener; (g) utilizing the fence section straightener to automatedly straighten the fence panel; (h) utilizing the overhead conveyor line to automatedly transfer the straightened fence panel to a wash tank; (i) utilizing the wash tank to automatedly wash the fence panel; (j) utilizing the overhead conveyor line to automatedly transfer the washed fence panel to a drying station; (k) utilizing the drying station to automatedly air-dry the washed fence panel; (l) utilizing the overhead conveyor line to automatedly transfer the dried fence panel to a paint tank; and (m) utilizing the paint tank to automatedly paint the fence panel.
In a second aspect the invention provides automated machinery for fabricating components of a wrought-iron fence from a plurality of horizontal runners and vertical pickets. The machinery comprises: (a) automated programmable means for welding the vertical pickets to the horizontal runners to form a fence panel; (b) automated programmable means for straightening the fence panel; (c) automated programmable means for washing the fence panel; (d) automated programmable means for drying the fence panel; (e) automated programmable means for painting the fence panel; (f) automated programmable conveyor means for conveying the fence panel from the welding means to the fence-straightening means; (g) automated programmable conveyor means for conveying the fence panel from the fence-straightening means to the washing means; (h) automated programmable conveyor means for conveying the fence panel from the washing means to the drying means; and (i) automated programmable conveyor means for conveying the fence panel from the drying means to the painting means.

Automated method for fabricating a wrought-iron fence


A method and an alignment system which auto-levels and/or auto-centers a loading platform to load and unload a wheeled stretcher to and from an emergency transport vehicle are disclosed. A controller of the alignment system receives a command to extend the loading platform from the emergency vehicle and extends the loading platform under power from the emergency transport vehicle. The controller recognizes an approaching wheeled stretcher, and aligns automatically the loading platform with a leading edge of the approaching wheeled stretcher to compensate automatically for any alignment issues between the loading platform and loading wheels of the wheeled stretcher.

Loading a wheeled stretcher that is carrying a patient into an emergency transport vehicle, such as an ambulance, helicopter, or sprinter van, can sometimes be difficult for the emergency responders and/or medical personnel on scene. During loading, the wheeled stretcher may be out of alignment with a transport surface of the transport vehicle upon which the wheeled stretcher will be placed. For example, the transport surface could be on a different incline and/or higher/lower than the stretcher. If the stretcher and the transport surface are not in alignment, loading of the stretcher can take additional effort and time to ensure that the stretcher is properly arranged and secured inside the transport vehicle. Operators may have to provide additional force or push the stretcher to center the stretcher within the transport vehicle. This pushing may force the operators into unsafe positions, where the operator may be subject to back pain and spine problems. Further, the operators may have to check that the stretcher is properly centered. The operators again may be at risk of back injury or spine problems. Additionally, if out of alignment during unloading, one or more legs of the wheeled stretcher may not unfold/open completely, thereby possibly causing the stretcher to collapse and/or have to be lifted by attending personnel to ensure that all the legs have fully unfolded/opened properly to support the stretcher in an upright position.

Loading platform alignment system and loading/unloading method thereof


Systems and methods for analyzing digital recordings of the human voice in order to find characteristics unique to an individual. A biometrics engine may use an analytics service in a contact center to supply audio streams based on configured rules and providers for biometric detection. The analytics service may provide call audio data and attributes to connected engines based on a provider-set of selection rules. The connected providers send call audio data and attributes through the analytics service. The engines are notified when a new call is available for processing and can then retrieve chunks of audio data and call attributes by polling an analytics service interface. A mathematical model of the human vocal tract in the call audio data is created and/or matched against existing models. The result is analogous to a fingerprint, i.e., a pattern unique to an individual to within some level of probability.

Security is has become increasingly important as it relates to authentication of customers who interact with contact centers. Almost every retailer and financial institution offers multiple mechanisms by which customers may contact them. These include email, on-line, telephone, chat, text, social media and other. The security community has long sought a viable, relatively easy to implement security factor to supplement and fortify passwords and other identification information (e.g., a person's address, last four of a person's social security number, birthdates, etc) as a means for user authentication. Previous attempts have been hamstrung by solutions that are too expensive and cumbersome to enjoy mainstream adoption.

Recording infrastructure having biometrics engine and analytics service


A central member of a sensor unit is inserted through a sensor unit mounting hole of a cylindrical body having a main passage and the sensor unit is assembled on the cylindrical body. The sensor unit comprises the central member which is provided at the center of the main passage and has internally a bypass passage, a flow sensor provided in the bypass passage, a rib which supports the central member, a mounting section which secures the rib to the cylindrical body, an electronic circuit assembled on the rib, and a connector section retaining terminals being connected electrically to the electronic circuit section. Positioning, mounting and securing of the flow sensor can be made simultaneously by a simple process to insert the sensor sensor unit through the hole. Turbulence, eccentricity and others in the upstream air are reduced so that the flow rate of a highly rectified fluid can be measured.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a thermal flow meter and more particularly is concerned with a flow meter which is less susceptible to a flow turbulence and has a sensor unit to facilitate the assembly in a compact size.
2. Description of the Related Art
As to flow meters used to measure the amount of air sucked into vehicle's engines, such air flow meters as a movable vane type, a Karman vortex type, thermal type and the like are known. Conventional thermal type air flow meters had a problem that the size becomes larger so much as it is inadequate to be mounted in an engine compartment because a sensor control electronic circuit is provided outside the body of the flow meter.
However, a thermal flow meter was recently proposed in which a functional section integrating an electronic circuit and a sensor section is disposed within a flow passage of the thermal flow meter in order to reduce the size. In such a conventional thermal flow meter, since it relies on a method that the flow rate or amount in a bypass passage is measured by a comparatively small sensor in order to monitor the overall flow rate through a main passage and the bypass passage, it is necessary to rectify eccentricity, turbulence and others in the air flow upstream of the sensor.
Where the sensor is provided in the main passage in the a conventional thermal flow meter, the pursuit to reduce size is hindered because it is necessary to provide a dedicated flow duct having a rectifying mechanism such as honeycomb or the like. Where the sensor is provided in the bypass passage, on the other hand, there also is a problem that the measurement is susceptible to the influence of eccentricity in the flow from upstream because the entrance of the bypass passage is eccentric or exit of the bypass passage is opened at a part at the vicinity of wall surface.

Thermal flow meter with less turbulence in fluid flow