A medical treatment apparatus is provided with a programmable medical device disposed at a first room location and a remote monitor and/or controller disposed at a second room location. The programmable medical device is used to administer a medical treatment to a patient, and the remote monitor/controller may be used to monitor the operation of the medical device, control the operation of the medical device, and/or to transfer data from the medical device to the remote monitor/controller. The apparatus may allow voice communication between the remote monitor/controller and the patient who is receiving treatment via the medical device while the medical device is being monitored and/or controlled from the remote location. The remote monitor/controller may also include means for determining the type of medical device to which it is connected. The programmable medical device includes various types of sensors for generating patient medical condition data which is transmitted to the remote monitor/controller. The medical treatment provided to the patient can be changed in response to analysis of the patient medical data at the remote location.

The present invention is directed to a medical treatment apparatus and method for automatically administering a medical treatment to a patient via a medical treatment device, such as an infusion pump, disposed at a first location and a monitoring and/or controlling device disposed at a remote location.
An infusion pump is used to automatically administer liquid medicant to a patient. The liquid medicant is supplied from a source of medicant and pumped into the patient via a catheter or other injection device. The manner in which the liquid is infused is controlled by the infusion pump, which may have various modes of infusion, such as a continuous mode in which the liquid medicant is continuously infused at a constant rate, or a ramp mode in which the rate of infusion gradually increases, then remains constant, and then gradually decreases.
Prior art systems have been described which monitor the medical condition of a patient at a patient location using a sensing apparatus which has various types of sensors, such as a sensor for generating heart rate data and a temperature sensor for monitoring the temperature in the ear canal of the patient. Such a prior art system included a remote monitoring device provided at a location remote from the sensing apparatus to which sensing data was transmitted, and the remote monitoring device transmitted control signals to the sensing apparatus at the patient location to control the operation of the sensing apparatus, such as by controlling the sampling rate of the sensors. Such a prior art system also included display means at the remote location for generating visual displays relating to the sensed medical conditions.
One example of such a prior art system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,910,257 to Fletcher, et al. That patent discloses a sensing apparatus in the form of a bio-belt unit 11, 12 and a remote monitoring device in the form of a data acquisition unit 14. The bio-belt unit 11, 12 incorporates different types of sensors, including an ear canal sensor 21 and a plurality of ECG electrodes 22. The data acquisition unit 14 receives patient medical data from the bio-belt unit 11, 12 and also transmits control commands to control the operation of the bio-belt unit 11, 12. See e.g. FIG. 2; column 5, lines 1-7; column 6, lines 6-10; and column 6, lines 39-47 of the Fletcher, et al. patent.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,038,800 to Oba also discloses the concept of providing a patient monitoring apparatus at a patient location and a remote monitoring device having the capability of receiving patient medical data from the patient monitoring apparatus and controlling the operation of the patient monitoring apparatus from a remote location. The patient monitoring apparatus is provided as a number of bedside monitors 3A-3C, and the remote monitoring apparatus is provided in the form of a central monitor 2. The Oba patent discloses that the bedside monitors 3A-3C and the central monitor 2 are interconnected via a local area network (LAN). The operation of the bedside monitors 3A-3C can be controlled from the central monitor 2. See, for example, column 4, lines 4-11; column 4, lines 24-27; and column 4, lines 40-42 of the Oba patent.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,803,625 to Fu, et al. also discloses the concept of providing a patient monitoring apparatus at a patient location and a remote monitoring device having the capability of receiving patient medical data from the patient monitoring apparatus. As shown in FIG. 2 of the Fu, et al. patent, the patient monitoring apparatus is provided in the form of a number of home units 60, each of which includes a number of sensors, including a blood pressure module 92, a scale module 84, a temperature module 86, and an ECG electrode unit 90. Each of the home units 60 is connected to a central unit 20 via a modem 62 connected to each home unit 60 and a modem 22 connected to the central unit 20. The Fu, et al. patent also generates medication reminders to a patient. See, for example, FIG. 13.


An endoscopic cutting apparatus for use in endoscopic surgical procedures. The apparatus has a frame having a proximal end and a distal end. A handle is attached to the proximal end of the frame. Hook means are mounted to the distal end of the frame for engaging tissue or blood vessels. The hook means has a track means. Cutting blade means are mounted to said frame and are movable within said track means to cut tissue or blood vessels engaged within said hook means. Actuating means are mounted to the frame to actuate the cutting means in order to cut tissue or blood vessels engages within said hook means. Optional rotation means are mounted to the frame to allow the hook means and cutting means to rotate with respect to the frame. Optional extension means extend and retract the hook means into and out of the distal end of the frame.

Endoscopic surgical techniques and procedures have become widely accepted both among the medical surgical community and the patient population. There are numerous benefits associated with the use of endoscopic surgical techniques rather than conventional open surgical techniques. These benefits include reduced avenues for infection, shortened post-operative recuperation period, decreased hospital stay and decreased scarring. It is not unusual for the post operative period to be shortened from weeks with conventional open surgery to several days with endoscopic surgical procedures, and outpatient endoscopic surgery is becoming more and more typical. The term endoscopic as used herein is defined to include endoscopic, laparoscopic, arthroscopic, and thorascopic.
In a typical endoscopic surgical procedure, the abdominal cavity of a mammal is typically insufflated with a sterile gas, such as carbon dioxide, in order to provide increased maneuvering room within the body cavity for endoscopic instruments. This procedure is typically referred to as inducement of pneumoperitoneum. Then, conventional trocars are inserted into the patients body cavity through the surrounding skin, tissue and musculature of the body cavity wall. A conventional trocar typically consists of a trocar cannula which houses an elongated trocar obturator. Trocar obturators typically have a piercing point, although other types of obturators are also available having blunt tips. Once the trocar has been positioned within the body cavity, proximal to the target surgical site, the trocar obturator is typically removed leaving the trocar cannula in place as a pathway to and from the target surgical site. The surgeon will place various types of endoscopic surgical instruments thorough the trocar cannulas in order to access the target surgical site where the surgical procedure will be performed. Examples of endoscopic instruments which have been developed for use with endoscopic surgical techniques include ligating clip appliers, electrosurgical instruments, endoscopes, tissue graspers, needle graspers, cannulas, tissue manipulators, endosurgical scissors, and the like.
Although endosurgical procedures and techniques offer many advantages, there are some deficiencies associated with these procedures and techniques. In particular, when the surgeon is operating using endoscopic surgical procedures, he is typically using an endoscope which is positioned within the body cavity through a trocar. The endoscope is typically connected to a video camera and the output from the video camera is displayed on a video monitor. The surgeon typically views the display on the video monitor as he manipulates instruments within the body cavity to access the target surgical site and perform the actual surgical procedures. The video display provides the surgeon with only two- dimensional input and there is a consequent loss of depth perception. This lack of depth perception may result in the surgeon over-shooting or under-shooting the target surgical site as he attempts to position various endoscopic instruments within the body cavity.
As can be appreciated, the internal organs of a mammal are very tightly packed within the body cavities. Therefore, the surgeon must exercise extreme care when maneuvering instruments through a body cavity to a target surgical site. This can be particularly difficult since, as was mentioned previously, the surgeon is working in a three dimensional space while viewing a two dimensional output. The degree of care which must be exercised by the surgeon is increased further when the surgeon is attempting to maneuver cutting instruments to the target surgical site. The cutting instruments which have been developed for use in endosurgical procedures consist of conventional endosurgical scissors and the like. The surgeon must be careful when maneuvering endoscopic cutting instruments , for example, endosurgical scissors, through a body cavity so that no internal organs or blood vessels are accidentally nicked or cut. In addition, it has been observed that endoscopic surgical scissors do not cut with the same efficiency as a conventional scalpel.
What is needed in this art is an endoscopic surgical cutting apparatus which will not accidentally nick or cut internal organs or blood vessels but which has improved cutting properties.


An integrated circuit including a voltage setting circuit configured to set the voltage level at a signal input to a value corresponding to a first supply voltage of the integrated circuit.

Aspects of the present invention generally relate to sensing a current in an integrated circuit.
In some types of integrated circuits, it is necessary to sense a current signal, e.g. a sensor current. The sensor current may be generated in a sensor, e.g. a photo diode or the like, which is connected to a signal input of the integrated circuit or which is provided integrally within the integrated circuit. Typically the sensor current is received via a current input stage of the integrated circuit so as to be supplied to internal structures of the integrated circuit for further processing. For example, the sensor may be used as part of a data interface to receive data signals.
When sensing a current, in particular with very low sensor currents, leakage currents may exist which are the same order of magnitude as the sensor current.

Sensing a current signal in an integrated circuit


The present invention provides a controlled deceleration projectile, in particular, a projectile having a nose-mounted fuze thereon, which initiates an ignition/expulsion charge via an ignition shaft in the interior portion of the projectile body at a preset distance from target impact, resulting in inflation of the projectile body with propellant gases to a level sufficient to either expand same, rupturing of a rupture ring, or sliding of the hollow projectile body rearwards relative to the ignition shaft, so as to create an annular opening between the projectile body side wall and projectile body forward end. The payload, which is preferably non-lethal, is then ejected from this annular opening, the resulting forward velocity of the expelled payload and propellant gases producing a rearward thrust on the projectile, and a concomitant deceleration thereof. Additional mechanisms for creating reverse thrust are also provided, involving the expulsion of rear ballast or rocket thrust from rear chamber ports disposed within the projectile.

Conventional non-lethal ammunition is launched with a kinetic energy sufficiently low to effect a non-lethal result upon target impact. To enable launching of ammunition at such reduced velocities (and hence with reduced kinetic energies), it is necessary to reduce the muzzle velocity. However, when utilizing non-lethal munitions, such as grenades, there is a danger that, even with reduced muzzle velocities, the projectile body itself may have sufficient kinetic energy to severely wound or damage a human target upon impact.
Further, when utilizing non-lethal munitions, such as non-lethal grenades, against inanimate targets, such as automotive windshields, etc., there is a danger that the projectile body will have sufficient kinetic energy upon impact to penetrate the target and harm surrounding human assets. Further, by reducing muzzle velocity, recoil impulse is also reduced, which frequently causes malfunctioning of the weapon operating system and fire control when firing the non-lethal ammunition from standard weapons. In addition, conventional non-lethal munitions are not range specific, i.e., they are meant to be used for targets within a wide range from the shooter, and are not tailored to targets within specific ranges.
Frequently, such conventional non-lethal munitions fail to reach reduced velocities (and thus reduced kinetic energies) before impacting the target, when the target is at a close proximity from the shooter, or are incapable of reaching targets at longer ranges, due to reduced velocities/kinetic energies at such longer ranges. Thus, many conventional non-lethal munitions are provided with detailed guidelines concerning target ranges, to minimize the occurrence of lethal impact or ineffectiveness. However, in combat situations, adherence to such guidelines is difficult and often overlooked.
Thus, it is an object of the present invention to provide a munition capable of providing recoil impulse sufficient to cycle standard weapons, while also providing optimized non-lethal effects at all target ranges. In particular, it is an object of the present invention to provide a munition capable of achieving sufficient recoil impulse and kinetic energy to reach desired targets, while also being able to reduce the velocity of the projectile body to a non-lethal level before impact with the target, or be capable of decelerating the projectile body before impact with the target to avoid impact of the projectile body with the target altogether.


A surrounding member for a pipe, the surrounding member having a rigid ring section and a flexible flange section. The ring section and the flange section have a cut therethrough to permit the member to be located around a pipe in-situ.

In many buildings where a pipe extends into a wall, for example, a toilet waste pipe, a gap is often left between the outer surface of the pipe and the wall aperture. Sometimes, this is filled by pointing or applying mortar, but poor finishing by a tradesman can result in the gap being left open. As well as being unsightly, moisture and air is able to pass through the gap which contributes to an overall reduction in the energy efficiency of the building. Pointing or applying mortar also incurs cost and labour.


In the speed stage shifting carried out by a speed stage shift pattern in an engine driving mode or a speed stage shift pattern in an inertially running mode according as the vehicle is running in an engine driving condition or an inertially running condition, when the vehicle is running in an indefinite condition between the engine driving condition and the inertially running condition, the engine output is modified to be increased or decreased so that the running condition of the vehicle is shifted definitely into either the engine driving condition or the inertially running condition.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for speed stage shifting of an automatic transmission in a vehicle such as an automobile.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The automatic transmission in a vehicle such as an automobile is automatically shifted among several speed stages according to changes of running conditions of the vehicle so as to provide a most desirable gear ratio available by a reduction gear mechanism incorporated therein at each instant of operation of the vehicle. The running conditions used to determined the speed stage shifting are basically vehicle speed and engine power output conventionally expressed in terms of throttle opening. As well known in the art, the speed stage is shifted from the lowest speed stage such as the first speed stage to a next to the lowest speed stage such as the second speed stage and then further to a next higher speed stage such as the third speed stage and so on as the relative magnitude of vehicle speed to throttle opening increases. In the modern automatic transmission of automobiles incorporating electronic computer control systems, the control of the speed stage shifting is more sophisticated than merely to shift up or down the speed stages according to the relation in magnitude between the vehicle speed and the throttle opening.
In order to accomplish the speed stage shifting with a high quality of smoothness with no minute abrupt change of torque in the rotational power transmission system extending from an engine to driving vehicle wheels by engagement or disengagement of friction engaging means such as clutches and brakes for changing over the route of transmittance of torque in a composite gear mechanism of the transmission, the timing control for the engagement or disengagement of the friction engaging means is essential. Those patterns which provide a high quality speed stage shifting differ according to whether the vehicle is running in an engine driving condition or a inertially running condition when the speed stage of the transmission is shifted.
In FIG. 1, an example is shown with respect to how the rotation speed of the engine or the input rotational member of the transmission changes in the process of an upshifting of the transmission such as from the second speed stage to the third speed stage, according to the disengagement of a first friction engaging means which has been engaged for providing the second speed stage and the engagement of a second friction engaging means which is engaged for providing the third speed stage, thereby generating a change in the output torque of the transmission. When the computing section of the automatic transmission decides the upshifting from the second speed stage to the third speed stage at time point t1, the disengagement of the first friction engaging means is immediately started so that the hydraulic pressure supplied to the first friction engaging means is exhausted through a passage system including an accumulator to present a time-based pressure performance pattern as shown by A in FIG. 1. In certain conventional computer controlled automatic transmission, the computer section judges at the same time or around as it decides the upshifting if the vehicle is in an engine driving condition or an inertially running condition. If the vehicle is in the engine driving condition, the supply of the hydraulic pressure to the second friction engaging means is immediately started at time point t1. Therefore, the hydraulic pressure in the second friction engaging means increases through a passage system incorporating an accumulator to present a time-based pressure performance pattern as shown by B in FIG. 1. According to the gradual progress of the engagement of the second friction engaging means the rotation of the engine is gradually decelerated as shown by a solid line in FIG. 1 under the application of a braking action due a partial engagement of both the first and second friction engaging means, and at time point t3 the rotational speed Ne of the engine is reduced to a rotation speed Ns which provides the same vehicle speed in the third speed stage as it provided in the second speed stage. The supply of the hydraulic pressure to the second friction engaging means is scheduled to place the second friction engaging means into its full engagement at time point t4 behind the time point t3.
When the computing section of the automatic transmission judges that the vehicle is running in an inertially running condition at the same time or around as it decides the upshifting from the second speed stage to the third speed stage, the supply of the hydraulic pressure to the second friction engaging means is delayed as shown by a performance pattern C in FIG. 1. In the inertially running condition, when the first friction engaging means is disengaged, the rotational speed of the engine starts to decrease by itself as shown by a broken line in FIG. 1 even with no application of the braking action due to the engagement of the second friction engaging means. Therefore, in this case it is desirable that the engagement of the second friction engaging means is delayed to avoid too quick deceleration of the engine which would generate an engine braking.
However, in fact, as shown in FIG. 2, in the relation between the vehicle speed and the throttle opening, there is generally an indefinite zone between the engine driving region and the inertially running region which is difficult for the computing section of the automatic transmission to infallibly discriminate the vehicle running condition between the engine driving condition and the inertially running condition. Therefore, if the computing section judged the vehicle is running in the inertially running condition and delays the supply of the hydraulic pressure to the second friction engaging means as shown by the performance pattern C when the vehicle is, however, in a slightly engine driving condition, the rotational speed of the engine will not decrease as expected by the broken line in FIG. 1 but will, for example, remain as shown by a dot-dash line in FIG. 1. In this case, when the second friction engaging means comes into its full engagement at time point t5, the engine is abruptly decelerated and a high peaky rise of torque is generated in the output shaft. On the other hand, if the second friction engaging means is engaged according to the performance pattern B when the vehicle is in a virtually inertially running condition, the engine is decelerated too much as shown by a two dots-dash line in FIG. 1, thereby generating an engine braking and an abysmal fall of torque at the instant of substantial engagement of the second friction engaging means.

Method for speed stage shifting from indefinite driving condition


The present invention provides an image heating apparatus comprising a heating member having a first heating resistor and a second heating resistor, a temperature detecting element for detecting a temperature of the heating member, and a power supply control means for controlling power supply to the first and second heating resistors so that detected temperature of the temperature detecting element is maintained a set temperature. The power supply control means sends the power supply to the first heating resistor in a first power supply pattern, and sends the power supply to the second heating resistor in a second power supply pattern different from the first power supply pattern.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image heating apparatus such as a fixing device used in a copying machine, a printer and the like.
1. Related Background Art
In conventional electrophotographic image forming apparatuses, a toner image visualized on a recording sheet is generally fixed to the recording sheet by means of a heat roller a temperature of which is controlled and a pressure roller having an elastic layer therearound and urged against the heat roller in such a manner that the recording sheet is subjected to heat and pressure while being conveyed between the heat roller and the pressure roller.
However, recently, in order to save electric power and to decrease a time from the power ON to the image output, as disclosed in the Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Nos. 63-313182-and 2-157878, there has been proposed a fixing apparatus (of film-heating fixing type) comprising a heater unit including a fixedly supported heating body (heater) and a heat-resistive film (fixing film) conveyed while being urged against the heater, and a pressurizing member for closely contacting a recording sheet against the heater unit. Wherein a toner image formed on the recording sheet is fixed to the recording sheet by applying heat from the heater to the recording sheet through the film.
In FIG. 19 showing an example of such a film-heating fixing apparatus, the apparatus comprises a heater unit 60 including a cylindrical heat-resistive film 65 which is constituted by a base layer formed from a polyimide film having a thickness of 40 to 60 .mu.m and, a mold releasing layer made of PFA including PTFE dispersed therein and having a thickness of 5 to 10 .mu.m and providing an outer peripheral surface (contacting with a recording sheet and a toner image). A heater (heating body) 61 is constituted by an insulation ceramic base plate having low heat capacity and also having a longitudinal direction perpendicular to a conveying direction of the recording sheet 20, a heating resistor 62 printed on a surface of the base plate along the longitudinal direction thereof, and a temperature detecting elements (such as a thermistor) 63 contacted with a surface of the base plate opposite to the heating resistor. The heater 61 is heat-insulated and fixedly supported by a film guide (heater stay) 66 having a semi-circular U-shaped cross-section in such a manner that the heating resistor 62 is exposed outside. Further, temperature control of the heater 61 is effected by controlling electric power supplied from a power source 35 to the heating resistor 62 by driving a Triac 55 by means of a CPU 101 in response to output of the temperature detecting element 63.
An inverted U-shaped reinforcing plate member 67 serves to prevent deformation of the heater unit 60 (including the heater 61, thermistor 63, heater stay 66 and the like) when the heater unit is pressurized by a pressure roller 7. Incidentally, an inner diameter of the fixing film 65 is selected to become greater than an outer peripheral length of the heater unit including the reinforcing plate member 67. The pressure roller 7 is urged against the heater 61 by means of a pressurizing means (not shown) with total pressure of 9 to 11 Kgf. Further, the pressure roller 7 is rotated in the conveying direction (anti-clockwise direction) of the recording sheet 20 by means of a drive system (not shown). As a result, the cylindrical fixing film 65 is rotated around the film guide 66 while slidingly contacting with the heating resistor of the heater 61. In this case, in order to reduce sliding friction between the heater and an inner peripheral surface of the film, heat-resistive grease is disposed between the heater and the film.
With this arrangement, when the recording sheet 20 is guided between the film 65 and the pressure roller 7, since the recording sheet passes through a fixing nip, the toner image formed on the recording sheet is fixed to the recording sheet. In the film-heating fixing apparatus, since the heat capacity of the heater can be reduced to 1/10 of those of conventional fixing devices of heat roller type and any heating body having higher temperature increasing ability can be used, a time period for permitting the heater to fix the toner image to the recording sheet can be reduced to several seconds. Thus, unlike to the conventional fixing devices of heat roller type, so-called on demand fixing can be realized.
Since the film-heating fixing has low heat capacity, temperature ripple is increased in ON/OFF control which is commonly used in the roller type fixing devices. In consideration of this fact, accuracy of the temperature control is improved by changing electric power in accordance with a difference between a target temperature and an actual temperature by using a means for continuously or steppingly changing the electric power by phase control or wave number control. However, the following problems occur.
(Harmonic Wave Distortion)
When AC voltage is applied to a non-linear circuit having a switching element(s), harmonic wave current is generated. When commercial voltage of 50, 60 Hz is switched by the phase control, harmonic wave current is generated due to non-linearity of the circuit. In general, transformers of the commercial power source (normally arranged on electric poles) can transform frequency voltage of 50, 60 Hz efficiently (without heat loss); however, regarding the harmonic wave current, the transforming efficiency is worsened, thereby generating heat. In consideration of this fact, in power plants, since not only electric power required for the apparatus but also electric power corresponding to heat loss in the transformer must supply, energy efficient is worsened. The harmonic wave distortion in the wave number control is less than that in the phase control. The reason is that, in the wave number control, zero-cross control for effecting ON/OFF when the power source voltage reaches to zero or therearound is effected, whereas, in the phase control, ON/OFF is effected at considerably higher voltage.
(Flicker)
Since the heat capacity is small in the on demand fixing, the accuracy of the temperature control is improved by changing the electric power frequently. By doing so, the electric power is fluctuated frequently more than in the conventional roller type fixing devices (for example, in the roller type fixing devices, since the heat capacity is great, the temperature can be kept constant by merely changing the electric power every five seconds; however, in the on demand fixing, the temperature is not kept constant so long as the electric power is changed by several times within a second). The change in the consumption electric power (consumption current) causes the change in the power source voltage. In particular, when a power source having high line impedance is used (for example, when a power source is installed remote from a transformer disposed on an electric pole and resistance of a transmission line between the power source and the transformer is great), the power source voltage is changed frequently and greatly. As a result, illumination and/or TV screens sometimes flicker (such a phenomenon is referred to as "flicker" hereinafter). The flicker due to the wave number control is greater than the flicker due to the phase control. The reason is that, in the phase control, since the frequency of change in current is greater than 100 Hz, the flicker cannot be ascertained by human's eyes; whereas, in the wave number control, when the electric power is controlled by ten steps, for example, by dividing every ten half waves into a respective group and by turning ON several half waves in the former half and turning OFF several half waves in the latter half, since the frequency of change in current becomes about 10 Hz, the flicker can easily be ascertained by the human's eyes.
As the electric power of the heater is increased, the harmonic wave distortion and/or the flicker are worsened, because, upon power ON, the change in current is increased.


An array type light emitting element module having a plurality of light emitting elements, a plurality of optical fibers (2) being placed in a one-to-one correspondence with the light emitting elements (1) so as to receive light emitted therefrom on one end face, and diffraction gratings (2a) each having a specific diffraction wavelength which are formed in the optical fibers near the incident ends of the optical fibers (2).

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an array type light emitting element module, and particularly, to the configuration of a new light emitting element module capable of outputting laser beams of a plurality of desired types of oscillation wavelengths at the same time.
2. Description of the Related Art
There is a WDM (wavelength division multiplex) method for enabling higher-speed and higher-density data transmission using light signals. In this method, light signals which are different in wavelength are superposed on each other for transmission on one light transmission line, whereby the transmission density can be improved efficiently.
The WDM method requires for one to use a plurality of laser light sources which are different from each other in oscillation wavelength. Then, a plurality of light emitting element modules comprising DFB (distributed feedback) lasers, DBR (distributed bragg reflector) lasers, etc., which are different in oscillation wavelength are provided and the light waves of laser beams emitted from the semiconductor modules are combined by a light wave combiner for generating transmission light.
However, in order to form light sources for the WDM transmission system by the method as described above, it is difficult to complete light emitting element modules of predetermined oscillation wavelengths required for WDM transmission design. Since the light emitting element modules must be assembled separately and be furthermore combined, the number of manufacturing steps is increased resulting in an increase in cost.
Further, since the conventional WDM light source is provided by combining separately manufactured light emitting element modules, it is extremely difficult to miniaturize the WDM light source as a final product. In contrast, already known is a light emitting element module, as shown in FIG. 9, comprising a plurality of semiconductor lasers and a plurality of optical fibers integrally combined mainly for the purposes of high-density packaging and cost reduction. This light emitting element module consists of a light emitting element array 10 comprising a plurality of light emitting elements arranged on one row, an optical fiber array 20 comprising a plurality of optical fibers 2 placed on one array plane in parallel, and a common board 30 on which the light emitting element array 10 and the optical fiber array 20 are mounted. In fact, this type of light emitting element module further has an optical element 40 of lenses, etc., inserted between the light emitting face of the light emitting element array 10 and the incident end face of the optical fiber array 20 for enhancing the coupling efficiency of the light emitting elements 1 and the optical fibers 2.
However, in the conventional light emitting element module including a plurality of light emitting elements and optical fibers as described above, the light emitting elements 1 contained in the light emitting element array 10 have the same light emitting wavelength and cannot be used as a WDM light source requiring light signals which are different in wavelength. That is, the conventional light emitting element module can be only applied to simple parallel light transmission.

Array type light emitting element module and manufacturing method therefor


Dental composition having an improved light and thermal stability, including a mixture of at least a polymerizable resin, at least a polymerizable monomer, at least a polymerization initiator and/or a sensitizer and stabilizer, and at least an organic and/or inorganic filler and pigments in a content of 0 to 90 percent and at least one of the stable radicals.

Dental compositions comprise polymerizable acrylates and/or methacrylates that are stabilized against spontaneous polymerization by using of free-radical scavenger such as the well-known phenols 2,6-di-tert.-butyl-4-cresol (BHT), hydroquinone or hydroquinone monomethylether (HQME). On the other side they contains a photoinitiator that must be react sensible to visible or UV-light to photoinitiate the free-radical polymerization.
Light curing dental materials mostly are applied under the conditions of relatively strong operating lamps. Consequently, the international standards require that a dental composite remains stable under an illumination of 10,000 lux for 60 seconds (ISO 4049), that a dental pit and fissure sealant and a light activated water based cement remains stable under an illumination of 8,000 lux for 25 seconds (ISO 6874) and for 30 s (ISO 9917-2), respectively.
To improve light stability an optimization of the initiator/inhibitor system leads to lengthening the working times under the conditions of a dental practice. However, this optimization is limited and leads to minor reduction of light sensitivity only.
Recently, it was found, that stable organic radicals reduce the light sensitivity of a dental light-curing composite material (N. Moszner, V. Rheinberger, U.S. Pat. No. 5,847,025) when low molecular stable radicals such as 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radicals, galvinoxyl radicals and/or triphenylmethyl radicals or 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidin-1oxyl radicals are applied.
In the last decades dental composites becomes popularly as consequence of an improved dental supply. However, the application of this material class is combined with some new risks due to the release of parts of the composite, namely partly non-polymerized monomers (L. Shajii, J. P. Santerre, Biomaterials 20 (1999) 1897, W. R. Hume, T. M. Gerzia, Crit. Rev. Oral. Biol. Med. 7 (1996) 172) as well as portions of the inhibitors and/or initiator system (P. A. Liso et al., Biomaterials 18 (1997) 15). Furthermore, it is well known that free-radicals bearing some health risk (A. T. Diplock et al., Br. J. Nutr. 80 (1998), Suppl 1, 77; L. U. Thompson, Crit. Rev. Food Sci. Nutr. 34 (1994), 473).
Consequently, it seems desirable to use stable free-radicals for improved light sensitivity and to link them into the polymer system in order to avoid penetration and health risks.
The low molecular stable radicals that are suggested in U.S. Pat. No. 5,847,025 bases on piperidinium 1-oxyl radicals bearing phenol or thiophenol groups or derivatives of carboxylic or thiocarboxylic acids.

Dental composition with improved light stability


A hood for an off road work vehicle includes a thermoformed polymer outer top panel having a smooth outer surface, a thermoformed inner panel, the inner panel having laterally extending corrugations, and a pattern of adhesive arranged between the inner and outer top panels. The inner and outer top panels are secured together by the pattern of adhesive, the pattern of adhesive comprising non-linear longitudinally extending regions spaced apart and straddling a longitudinal centerline of the inner top panel. The non-linear regions can be undulating or zigzag regions.

Backhoe loaders are common off road work vehicles. These vehicles are provided with a front mounted loader and a rear mounted backhoe. The lift arms of the loader are pivotally mounted to a mast extending upwardly from the supporting structure of the vehicle. A hood covering an internal combustion engine is located in front of the mast. The hood typically comprises a structurally reinforced, sheet metal top panel. To service the engine, the hood is tilted to an open position.
The top wall of a hood for a backhoe loader must be impact and dent resistant. It is not uncommon for the top panel to be impacted by a rock or other debris. The present inventors have recognized that it would be desirable to provide a top wall for a hood that was impact and dent resistant while being cost effectively manufactured. The present inventors have recognized that it would be desirable to provide such a top wall for the hood that maintains a smooth aesthetically pleasing outer contour, even during extreme temperatures.


A safety belt webbing presenter including an active material actuator configured to selectively cause a webbing engaging mechanism to translate between deployed and stowed conditions, wherein the deployed condition, the mechanism engages a safety belt webbing causing it to translate to a more readily fastened position.

1. Field of the Invention
This disclosure generally relates to safety belts and more particularly, to active material based safety belt presenters.
2. Discussion of Prior Art
Safety belts have long been developed as part of safety systems used, for example, in automotive applications. These systems generally consist of a safety belt composing a webbing. The belt is presented at the side of the seat and extended over the lap or chest of an automotive seat and clasped by a belt buckle. This forms a continuous restraint that surrounds and protects a seated occupant, for example, during sudden stop automotive conditions. Concernedly, these systems have traditionally been fixedly configured, which presents a trade-off. That is to say, either the belt is readily accessible and always visible, or difficult to access and in a more discreet location.
More recently, mechanically or electromechanically driven presenters have been developed that selectively cause at least a portion of the webbing to translate from a discreet location and to a more readily accessible and visible location. These types of systems, however, also present concerns in the art, including for example the need for often bulky and noisy mechanical actuators such as motors, and solenoids that take up packaging space in the tight confines adjacent the seat. Moreover, conventional safety belt presenters often require separate locking means to retain the webbing in the deployed or stowed condition.

Active material based seatbelt webbing presenter


An inflatable rubber air chamber is bonded to a rubber blanket. The inflatable rubber air chamber is inflated through an inflation tube. When inflated, a six inch cushion of air is created inside the air chamber. A cotton liner is bonded to the underside of the rubber blanket. All components could be bonded and sealed by rubber cement. The device could be custom made to fit the particular year, make and model of the vehicle.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device for protecting automobiles, aircraft, boats and other vehicles from the catastrophic effects of a hail storm. More specifically, the present invention relates to an inflatable rubber air chamber bonded to a rubber blanket used to protect any metal, glass or plastic surface from falling pellets or balls of ice under one pound.
2. Prior Art
The effects of a hail storm can cause unrepairable damage to an automobile. Thus, a hail storm can cost car dealers and insurance companies millions of dollars. These effects are felt across the nation in higher insurance premiums and higher prices for automobiles. These effects are also felt by private citizens who do not have comprehensive insurance and must pay out of their own pockets to repair the thousands of dollars worth of damage a single hail storm can do to an automobile.
Ordinary tarpaulins and car covers used to protect automobiles from the effects of sun, rain and snow are currently utilized in many areas.
No device is known, however, for protecting an automobile from the catastrophic effects of a hail storm utilizing an inflatable rubber air chamber bonded to a rubber blanket.


A process for producing L-2-aminoadipic acid, which comprises converting an aminomethyl group of L-lysine into a carboxyl group by use of a culture of a microorganism of the genus Flavobacterium. By this process, L-2-aminoadipic acid can be obtained directly from L-lysine in a high yield. This process is a microbial method which is effective for the mass production.

L-2-Aminoadipic acid is found widely in the biological field including Cholera vibrio which is a bacterium, vegetables typified by corns and frog embryos. Further, L-2-aminoadipic acid also holds a position of an intermediate in the biosynthesis of lysine with eukaryotic microorganisms or of a precursor in the biosynthesis of .beta.-lactam antibiotics. The chemical synthesis of L-2-aminoadipic acid is not yet an effective means from the viewpoint of the cost, since an optical resolution and multi-stage reactions are necessitated. As for the production of L-2-aminoadipic acid with microorganisms, a process wherein this acid is produced from L-pipecolic acid with a microorganism of Alcaligenes, Pseudomonas or Kurthia Japanese Patent Unexamined Published Application (hereinafter referred to as "J. P. KOKAI") No. Hei 1-98495! and there is also known a process wherein it is produced from L-lysine with a microorganism of Agrobacterium, Klebsiella, Alcaligenes, Brevibacterium or Bacillus (J. P. KOKAI No. Hei 6-181787). However, these two processes have problems when they are to be employed for the mass production. Namely, starting L-pipecolic acid is expensive in the former process and the reaction efficiency is usually low in the latter process.

Process for producing L-2-aminoadipic acid


A method for performing global routing on an integrated circuit design is disclosed. The integrated circuit design is initially divided into multiple G-cells. The G-cells are interconnected by a set of nets. The set of nets is then decomposed into corresponding wires. The wires are prerouted to interconnect the G-cells. BoxRouting is performed on the wires until all the wires are routed. Finally, postrouting is performed on the wires.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to circuit routing in general, and, in particular, to a method and system for performing global routing on an integrated circuit design.
2. Description of Related Art
Routing is a key stage within a very-large scale integrated circuit (VLSI) design process. Since routing directly affects interconnect properties (such as wire length, routability, etc.), routing plays a critical role in the overall performance of a VLSI design. With nanometer interconnects, the manufacturability and variability issues, such as antenna effect, copper chemical-mechanical polishing (CMP), subwavelength printability, and yield loss due to random defects, are becoming a growing concern for VLSI designers. Hence, routing also plays a major role in terms of manufacturing closure.
Global routing, as its name implies, is the stage of routing that plans the approximate routing path of each net within a VLSI design in order to reduce the complexity of routing task that is eventually performed by a detailed router. Thus, global routing has significant impacts on wire length, routability and timing. Optimizing the wire density distribution during global routing can improve overall manufacturability such as less post-CMP topography variation, less copper erosion/dishing, and less optical interference for better printability. In addition, with faster global routing, more accurate interconnect information (such as wirelength and congestion) can be fed back to placement or other early physical synthesis engines for achieving better design convergence.
Consequently, it would be desirable to provide an improved method and system for performing global routing on a VLSI design.

Method and system for performing global routing on an integrated circuit design

Board of Regents, The University of Texas System


A high pressure hose recoil reduction device comprising a body having a first opening, a hollow chamber, and a second opening, the first opening and the second opening being axially offset from one another. The first opening having locatable thereon an attachment for connecting to a high pressure line, the second opening having attached thereto a flow restrictor and a nozzle attachment through which the high pressure material which has entered through the first opening, contacted an oppositely aligned inner surface of the chamber and passed through the chamber must flow, before exiting through a nozzle attached to the device.

1. Field of the Invention
The instant invention relates to that field of devices consisting of articles of manufacture known as high pressure hoses and nozzles. Specifically, the instant invention is a device for use with such high pressure hoses, the device being configured to reduce the recoil effect caused by materials exiting under pressure, from a nozzle at an end of those hoses.
2. Background Information
The prior art known to applicant discloses that high pressure lines are well known, and commonly used. These lines rely upon the pressure produced by a mechanical device to propel materials through them. Often, this is accomplished by connecting the high pressure line to a compressor or like device. Examples of materials delivered under high pressure include water, air, sand, and various other colloidal materials.
In the prior art, the output end of the high pressure hose is connected directly to a delivery means, such as a nozzle. The material which is under pressure is directed through the nozzle in a stream.
Unfortunately, the releasing of materials through the nozzle, under high pressure, produces significant reaction forces which must be offset by the individual using the high pressure line. These forces may be relatively simple to overcome (as is the case with a garden hose having only the pressure found in a home's water lines), more difficult to overcome (as is the case with a "sand blaster" having the pressure produced by a fairly sizable mechanical air compressor), or very difficult to overcome (as is the case with a fire hose having the pressure produced by a city water main and pumper fire truck, in conjunction). In each of these cases, the individual using the high pressure hose must invest physical effort in order to offset the reaction force produced at the nozzle.
The amount of effort required to offset the reaction force (or recoil) becomes a serious consideration when the ability to manipulate the nozzle is important. When one uses a garden hose, for example, the recoil is relatively easy to offset by holding onto the nozzle tightly, and directing the flow. However, as the pressures involved increase, so do the efforts required in order to overcome the recoil effect. In the case of the user of a sandblaster, for example, this additional force requirement on the part of the user may detract from the user's ability to dexterously direct the flow of materials exiting the nozzle under pressure. In the case of a fire hose high pressure line, the additional force requirement may be so significant as to require multiple individuals all holding onto the hose, and directing its output in unison. Where the users of the high pressure hose (firemen) are trying to not only direct the output efficiently and dexterously, but also need to move about, and avoid being hit by a burning building's structural elements, this additional manpower and effort to overcome the recoil effects can become not only difficult, but deadly as well.
Additionally, the requirement of more than one user on a particular hose in order to overcome the recoil effect caused by the high pressure water limits the personnel available for other tasks. Most "fire companies" have a limited number of fire fighters available at any point in time. If 3 out of 4 of those fire fighting personnel are busy holding onto one hose, they are not free to accomplish other important tasks such as search and rescue. Furthermore, by utilizing the instant invention and freeing up those persons who would normally be holding onto one hose, there will be more available personnel for additional hoses. This would lead to more rapid extinguishing of fires, and a reduction in property loss as a result.
There have been various devices which incorporated chambers, but which did not reduce the recoil produced by the high pressure material as it exited the nozzle. These have been utilized by fire fighters and are commonly known as "foggers". For example, the John C. Schellin patent, U.S. Pat. No. 1,996,884 (Fog-Producing Nozzle) sought to break the high pressure water into a particulate "fog" and thereby smother fires. To do this, the Schellin '884 device directed the high pressure water into an angled nozzle which directed the water against an impeller blade. The impeller blade set to spinning, and the water passing through it was broken into a particulate "fog-like" consistency. In addition, a certain amount of the high pressure water was directed randomly towards the inner walls of the chamber. Unfortunately, this device severely hampered the fire fighter's ability to direct the liquid any distance from the nozzle. The blade/chamber combination had the overall effect of reducing the output pressure significantly. Output pressure, in the field of fire fighting for example, is a serious concern, and devices which diminish that pressure in the fashion which the '884 patent did are not useful to fight fires at any distance from the nozzle.
Until the instant invention, no one had proposed a device which could reduce the recoil produced by materials passing through a nozzle, under high pressure while maintaining an output pressure similar to the input pressure.
One attempt had been made at stabilizing the gyroscopic precessional effects produced by a fluid passing through a high pressure line in Douglas F. Koeppe, U.S. Pat. No. 3,804,336 (Stabilized Fire Hose). However, this device required the user of the high-pressure line to move the nozzle in directions different from the intended direction of the spray flow. This steering of the nozzle in a different direction from that which the user actually wanted the water to flow is counter intuitive, and requires training. In a situation such as the one in which a fireman is already under significant environmental stress, this addition of another counter intuitive variable is undesirable.
Reduction of recoil has been accomplished in other arts (such as hand guns), however, these devices have relied upon the venting of gasses in order to offset the recoil. Venting the pressure of a high pressure line would be an unsatisfactory arrangement as it would require that the pressure propelling the material be increased in order to offset the loss, and still maintain nearly the same pressure at the nozzle as in the line. In activities such as fire fighting, this would be an unacceptable solution as it would require that city water lines and pumper trucks be redesigned in order to produce the additionally required pressure.

High pressure hose recoil reduction device


The inspection method comprises: preparing a storage fluorescent inspection sheet that has stored and recorded a radiation inspection image which has a density pattern in which one or more low-density and high-density regions having a contrast difference of at least 1:20 are arrayed in a horizontal scanning direction; obtaining an image inspection signal representing the radiation inspection image, by photoelectrically reading the radiation inspection image from the storable fluorescent inspection sheet; and inspecting the influence of stray light, based on an image reproduced from the image inspection signal. An inspection image plate has contrast differences of high-density and low-density regions of at least 1:20.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of inspecting stray light that occurs in a radiation image reader in which excitation light is illuminated to a storable fluorescent sheet having stored and recorded a radiation image, to obtain an image signal representing the radiation image, from the storable fluorescent sheet.
2. Description of the Related Art
Radiation recording-reproducing systems have been proposed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication Nos. 55(1980)-12429, 56(1981)-11395, 55(1980)-163472, 56(1981)-164645, 55(1980)-116340, etc. These systems utilize a storable phosphor (stimulatable phosphor), which stores part of radiation energy when illuminated with radiation (such as X-rays, α-rays, β-rays, γ-rays, electron rays, ultraviolet rays, etc.) and emits photostimulated luminescent light in accordance with the quantity of the stored radiation energy when illuminated with excitation light (such as visible light, etc.). The radiation image of a subject, such as a human body, etc., is temporarily photographed and recorded on a storable fluorescent sheet. The storable fluorescent sheet with the radiation image emits photostimulated luminescent light when scanned with excitation light such as a light beam, etc. The photostimulated luminescent light obtained is photoelectrically read and converted to an image signal by photoelectric reading means such as a photomultiplier, etc. Based on the image signal, the radiation image of the subject is output as a visible image to a recording material such as photosensitive material, etc., or to a cathode-ray tube (CRT) display unit, etc.
A radiation image reader used in the aforementioned radiation recording-reproducing system is equipped with a light source for emitting a light beam (excitation light), a rotating polygon mirror (deflection means) for reflecting and deflecting the light beam emitted from the light source, and a scanning optics system, which consists of an fθ lens, a cylindrical lens, and a cylindrical mirror. The light beam, reflected and deflected by the deflection means, is reflected by the cylindrical mirror to change the optical path and is scanned on the scan surface of the storable fluorescent sheet. Thus, the optical path of the light beam can be assured without increasing the size of the reader, by reflecting the light beam with the cylindrical mirror to change the optical path.
In the above-mentioned scanning optics system, however, the light beam is reflected at the scan surface of the storable fluorescent sheet, and the reflected light beam is further reflected by the cylindrical mirror and returns to the cylindrical lens. Because of this, there is a possibility that the return light will be reflected at the surface of the cylindrical lens and will be incident again upon the scan surface as stray light. In certain cases, the light beam, reflected and deflected by the deflection means, is reflected by the scanning optics means and returns to the deflection means, and this return light is incident again on the scan surface as stray light. The stray light always occurs at the same position on the horizontal scanning line. Therefore, if stray light occurs in the radiation image reader mentioned above, the storable fluorescent sheet will be excited by this stray light and emit photostimulated fluorescent light, and consequently, noise in the form of lines extending in the vertical scanning direction will develop in the obtained image signal. Therefore, it is necessary to inspect stray light when shipping radiation image readers and to ship only readers having passed the inspection.

Method of inspecting stray light that occurs in a radiation image reader


A mounting system for adjustably mounting a flat panel display to a support medium. The system consists of a frame assembly that can be attached to a support medium. One or more adjustable mounts are attached to the frame assembly, and a flat panel display is attached to the adjustable mounts. Each adjustable mount can extend from a retracted position to an extended position in order to tilt the flat panel display and provide an optimum viewing angle to a viewer. As the adjustable mount extends, the center of gravity of the attached flat panel display moves in approximately a horizontal plane, enabling the display to be tilted by a user with a minimum amount of applied force. In some embodiments, a friction assembly is provided to maintain the selected position of each adjustable mount.

Flat panel video displays, such as plasma displays, liquid crystal displays, digital light processing displays, e-ink displays, and other existing and developing display technologies, are becoming increasingly popular because of their smaller profile when compared to traditional video displays using cathode ray tubes. As a result, flat panel displays are being used more frequently in a number of applications, including in the home, in corporate meeting rooms, in manufacturing facilities, in museums, in public spaces, and in a variety other uses. Because of the large number of flat panel display manufacturers, the range of panel sizes, and the significantly different applications in which flat panels are being used, a number of different mounting systems and mounting techniques have been developed to secure flat panel displays to walls or other support mediums. Mounting systems run the gamut from simple fixed brackets to motorized systems for raising and lowering flat panel displays from decorative cabinets.
Most traditional mounting devices for flat panel displays allow a user to tilt or otherwise adjust the relative position of the display for optimum viewing performance. One of the disadvantages of many of the existing mounting devices, however, is the amount of force required to adjust the position of the flat panel display. Particularly as flat panel displays become larger and heavier, the amount of force necessary to orient displays has become increasingly an issue with some mounting devices. Since many uses of a flat panel display require frequent adjustments to the position of the display, it would be beneficial to develop a mounting system that would minimize the force necessary to position the flat panel display and reduce the force required to hold the flat panel display in the desired position after adjustment.


This invention relates to a silver halide photographic element comprising a silver halide emulsion precipitated and/or chemically sensitized in the presence of an sulfenimide compound represented by the formula: ##STR1## wherein M represents the atoms necessary to form, with R.sup.1 and R.sup.2, a five or six-membered ring or a multiple ring system; w is 1 or 0, wherein when w is 0, R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 are independently substituted or unsubstituted aliphatic, aromatic or heterocyclic groups, and when w is 1, R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 are independently carbonyl or sulfonyl groups; R.sup.3 is independently a substituted or unsubstituted aliphatic, aromatic or heterocyclic group and x is 0 or 1.

Problems with fogging have plagued the photographic industry from its inception. Fog is a deposit of silver or dye that is not directly related to the image-forming exposure, i.e., when a developer acts upon an emulsion layer, some reduced silver is formed in areas that have not been exposed to light. Fog is usually expressed as "D-min", the density obtained in the unexposed portions of the emulsion. Density, as normally measured, includes both that produced by fog and that produced as a function of exposure to light. It is known in the art that the appearance of photographic fog can occur during many stages of preparation of the photographic element including silver halide emulsion preparation (which includes nucleation, growth, washing, and concentrating the emulsion), spectral/chemical sensitization of the silver halide emulsion, melting and holding of the liquid silver halide emulsion melts, mixing of the emulsion with coating aids and dye-forming couplers, subsequent coating of silver halide emulsions, and prolonged natural and artificial aging and storage of coated silver halide emulsions.
One form of fog, "reduction fog", originates from the reduction of ionic silver to metallic silver. If this metallic silver forms large enough particles associated with the silver halide crystal the particles are spontaneously developable. Intentional reduction sensitization is also sometimes employed to increase the sensitivity of silver halide grains, but if the particle size of the reduced silver is large enough, there is a similar increase in fog. One means of controlling reduction fog is with materials or conditions that oxidize the large metallic silver centers back to silver ions or to a size too small to spontaneously develop.
Several options are available in the art to facilitate the prevention of reduction fog. Thiosulfonic acids and their salts, as discussed in E.Ger. Patent 7376 (1952); F. Mueller, "The Photographic Image, Formation and Structure"; S. Kikuchi, Ed., Focal, London (1970); and U.S. Pat. No. 5,244,781 have been used during emulsion precipitation and sensitization, and during film formation to oxidize reduction fog. Inorganic oxidants such as mercuric salts, peroxides, persulfates, halogens, sulfur, and permanganates have been described in, for example, EP 0 576 920 A2; and U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,681,838 and 2,728,663 as oxidizing reduction fog, as have organic oxidants such as disulfides, halosuccinimides, or quinones in, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,219,721 and 4,468,454. All of these examples, and others, have their own limitations. Often fog restrainers have a negative impact on sensitometry, particularly speed. Other may react with dye-forming couplers or may be difficult to use. The use of mercuric salts, which have been universally used as fog restrainers because of their effectiveness, versatility and lack of secondary effects, is no longer desirable due to environmental concerns.
Sulfenimide compounds containing an inhibitor fragment which is released during development have been described in JP 04-194922, JP 04-186346, JP 04-157457, JP 04-350845, JP 63-163337, and DD 251 411. The inhibitor fragment is a silver complexing agent and may inhibit fog formation. Development inhibitors, however, can also impact other film parameters such as interimage effects and contrast. Such effects may be unwanted in the photographic element Further, development inhibitors may have deleterious effects on photographic sensitivity if present before or during latent image formation by either disrupting the kinetics of chemical sensitization, by impeding the formation of latent image, or by poisoning the formed latent image.
Consequently, despite the vast amount of effort which has gone into methods to control fog in photographic elements, there is a continuing need in the industry for practical and environmentally benign stabilizers and fog preventers which do not otherwise adversely affect the performance of the photographic element

Silver halide photographic elements containing sulfenimide compounds


A system and method for forming a memory having at least 16 megabits (2.sup.24 bits) and only a single deposition layer of highly conductive interconnects. The resulting semiconductor die or chip fits within existing industry-standard packages with little or no speed loss over previous double metal deposition layered DRAM physical architectures. This is accomplished using a die orientation that allows for a fast single metal speed path. The architecture can be easily replicated to provide larger size memory devices. In addition, a method is described for reducing parasitic resistance in an n-sense amplifier.

Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM) devices are the most widely used type of memory device. The amount of single-bit addressable memory locations within each DRAM is increasing as the need for greater memory part densities increases. This demand for greater memory densities has created a global market and has resulted in memory part standards in which many memory parts are regarded as fungible items. Thus, many memory parts operate according to well known and universally adopted specifications such that one manufacturer's memory part is plug-compatible with another manufacturer's memory part.
There is a need in the art to produce memory parts which can fit within the packaging requirements of previous generations of memory parts. This need for "plug-compatible upgrades" requires that memory density upgrades are easy to effect in existing computer systems and other systems which use memory, such as video systems. This requires that greater density memory parts be placed within the same size packages as previous generations of memory parts with the same signal and power pinout assignments.
There is a further need in the art to more efficiently manufacture CMOS dynamic random access semiconductor memory parts which utilize space-saving techniques to fit the most memory cells within a fixed die size using a single deposition layer of highly conductive interconnect. There is a need in the art to manufacture such memory parts in a shorter production time using fewer process steps to produce more competitively priced memory pats.

Single deposition layer metal dynamic random access memory


A system for generating multimedia information including audio information, video information, or both is disclosed. The system includes an interface, a text converter, and a first multimedia dictionary. The interface is suitable for receiving a text-based message, such as an email message, from a transmission medium, such as the internet. The text converter is configured to receive the text-based message from the interface. The converter is adapted to decompose the words of the text-based message into their component diphthongs. The first multimedia dictionary receives a diphthong produced by the text converter and produces a set of digitized samples of multimedia information representative of the received diphthong. The system may include a second multimedia dictionary containing its own set of digitized samples. In this embodiment, the system is configured to determine the author of the text-based message and, in response, to select between the first and second multimedia dictionaries.

1. Field of the Present Invention
The present invention generally relates to the field of multimedia and more particularly to a system for transforming text-based information to audio or audio-video information.
2. History of Related Art
Multimedia presentations are prevalent in a variety of applications including, as just one example, internet applications. The success of many of these applications is largely-based on the realism achieved by the application. Many applications, including email applications, generate text-based information that users might prefer to receive as a multimedia message. (For purposes of this disclosure, a multimedia message refers to an audio message, a video message, or a message containing audio and video). One approach to achieving multimedia messages uses sampled human speech. Drawbacks of this approach include the requirement that the information must be read by a human. In addition, the size (in terms of bytes of information) of a sampled segment of speech, even with sophisticated pause detection and other tricks, is typically relatively large (especially if video information is incorporated into the transmitted information). These large multimedia bit streams frequently must be transmitted over bandwidth starved mediums such as the internet, often resulting in unacceptably low transmission rates that can lead to in poor quality at the receiving end and undesirable delay times. In addition, the capacity of the most commonly used transmission mediums is growing at a much lower rate than the demand. Consequently, there exists a tremendous need for low-bandwidth, low-storage systems capable of producing or emulating high-resolution audio-visual transmission at real-time speeds. The transmission of even compressed samples of multimedia information often consumes excessive bandwidth. Accordingly, it would be highly desirable to implement a solution that enabled a system capable of transmitting a limited amount of data representative of text-based information over a transmission bandwidth and processing the data locally to create a realistic and personalized audio or audio-video stream from the text-based information.

Generating multimedia information from text information using customized dictionaries

International Business Machines Corporation


A wire harness including a metal pipe into which an electrical wire is inserted, a metal braided section that covers the electrical wire drawn out from the metal pipe and is formed by braiding metal bare wires that are made of a different type of metal from that of the metal pipe, and a joint pipe to one end of which the metal pipe is connected and to the other end of which the metal braided section is connected. The joint pipe is made of the same type of metal as the metal braided section or of an insulating material.

Conventionally, in hybrid cars and electric cars, it is often the case that electrical wires of a wire harness routed, for example, between a battery and an inverter or between the inverter and a motor are inserted into a metal pipe and then laid out. For example, in JP 2006-311699A (Patent Document 1), as shown in FIG. 8, electrical wires 100 of a wire harness are inserted into a metal pipe (shield pipe) 101 in a wiring region under and along the floor of a vehicle body. The insertion of the electrical wires 100 into the metal pipe 101 can achieve shielding, and enables the electrical wires 100 to be protected against interfering objects such as stones flying from the road surface or the like. Furthermore, in a curved wiring region such as an engine room that has a cramped space, the electrical wires 100 drawn out from the metal pipe 101 are inserted into a metal braided section (flexible shield member) 102 and then laid out. The metal braided section 102 is obtained by braiding metal bare wires into a mesh, and the metal pipe 101 and the metal braided section 102 are conductively connected to each other by an end of the metal pipe 101 being covered with an end of the metal braided section 102, and the metal pipe 101 and the metal braided section 102 being crimped by a crimp ring 103 mounted on the outer circumference of the metal braided section 102. Furthermore, a rubber grommet 104 that is used for the purpose of, for example, waterproofing is externally fitted to the metal braided section 102 from a connection section at which the metal pipe 101 and the metal braided section 102 are connected to each other.


A drill bit, and a cutter for a drill bit, are provided, wherein the cutter will encounter the formation with cutting surfaces of differing rake angles to optimize cutting efficiency. In most circumstances, the cooperating cutters will have differing, positive, and negative or neutral rakes. Cutters of differing rakes may be cooperatively paired on a drill bit such that the portion of a formation which is affected by the action of one cutter may be similarly affected by the operation of the other cutter.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to drill bits and drill bit cutter arrangement primarily for use in plastic formations, and more particularly relates to a bit that includes cooperative combinations of positive and neutral or negative rake cutters.
2. State of the Art
Conventional rotary drill bits typically employ hardened cutters formed of materials such as polycrystalline diamond compacts (PDC's), boron nitride, or tungsten carbide and disposed on the bit face in order to produce shearing forces in the formation to be cut. Ordinarily, these cutters are angularly positioned on the face of the drill bit according to the formation material that they are designed to cut.
For example, positive rake or "front raked" cutters have an angle of inclination in the direction of bit rotation of greater than 90.degree.. In other words, positive rake cutters lean forward, or in the direction of bit rotation, and the included angle between the cutter face and the formation in front of it is greater than 90.degree.. These positive rake cutters tend to "dig in" to the formation material, as they do not put additional compressional stresses into the formation, which would give it a higher effective strength. The rotation and weight on the drill bit encourages these positive rake cutters to cut into the formation to their fully exposed depth, which could risk stalling of the bit. However, the hardness of the formation material may resist full depth penetration by the positive rake cutter. Thus, in relatively hard material the positive rake cutters will typically not invade the formation material to their full depth, although the possibility of stalling the drill bit may still be a consideration.
On the other hand, a drill bit having positive rake cutters that is used in a formation having a greater plasticity will likely result in full depth entry of the positive cutters and will correspondingly result in high torque which may stall the bit. Accordingly, drill bits designed primarily for use in formations of greater plasticity typically employ cutters having a negative rake.
The face of a negative rake or "back raked" cutter has an angle of inclination or included angle relative to the formation, that is less than 90.degree., or opposite to that of a positive rake cutter. In use, the negative rake cutter has a tendency to "ride" along the surface of the formation giving it a higher effective strength and more "plasticity," resisting entry into the formation and making only a shallow cut as a result of the weight on the bit. It can be seen that while negative rake cutters advantageously resist stalling of the bit in plastic formations because of lower aggressiveness, the linear rate of cut for a bit having negative rake cutters is typically substantially less than the linear rate of cut for a bit having positive rake cutters.
It is known in the art from U.S. Pat. No. 4,554,986 to utilize positive rake cutters disposed on a radially-oriented ridge on a bit face, trailing and separated from a leading radially-oriented ridge, the former being devoid of cutters but having wear elements embedded therein. The leading ridge limits the depth of penetration of the positive rake cutters on the trailing edge.
It is also known in the art from U.S. Pat. No. 4,981,184 to utilize ridge-mounted positive rake cutters disposed on a bit face in trailing relationship to ridge-mounted, dome-shaped "cutter inserts" which purportedly deform and stress the formation being drilled to its elastic limit, following which the positive rake cutters clip off the deformed formation. Each positive rake cutter is preceded by a dome-shaped cutter insert.
The cutter penetration limitation approach as described in the '986 patent does not take advantage of the cutting characteristics of positive rake cutters. The '184 patent, on the other hand, seeks to employ a "twin blade" approach similar to that utilized with facial razors, and is admirable in theory. However, variations in formation characteristics, pressures, drilling fluid weights and compositions during actual drilling all serve to preclude the realization of an actual drill bit performing in the manner described.

Drill bit having combined positive and negative or neutral rake cutters


A strap extending and tensioning system includes a strap winding mechanism to wind a predetermined length of strap on itself. A clevis slip hook is included for coupling to a rear end of a tow truck or the like. A strap tightener allowing the strap to be tightened passes through a through slot in the strap tightener. The strap tightener has a rotatable handle to rotate counter-clockwise a pair of ratchet wheels and a shaft to wind the strap on the shaft and thus place the strap in tension loading. Two pawls, as part of a pawl plate in the rotatable handle, may engage the ratchet wheels to rotate counter-clockwise through a biasing spring which pushes the pawl plate in a predetermined direction. The shaft can wind the strap to tighten it when the displaceable handle is rotated to provide a counter-clockwise rotation of the shaft.

This invention is directed to a strap extender and tensioning system adapted for coupling a pair of opposing objects in a tension loaded condition. In particular, the subject invention is directed to a strap extender and tensioning system where a strap may be extended to a predetermined length, secured to opposingly located objects and the strap tightened to provide a tensile loading therebetween.


Embodiments herein disclose e.g. a method performed by a network node (12,15) for managing positioning of a wireless device (10) in a wireless communications network. The network node, such as a location server determines whether to transmit positioning assistance data, to the wireless device (10) using unicast and/or using broadcast. The network node further triggers a transmission to the wireless device (10), of the positioning assistance data or an indication of the positioning assistance data for the wireless device (10) wherein the transmission is a unicast transmission and/or a broadcast transmission as determined.

In a typical wireless communications network, wireless devices, also known as wireless communication devices, mobile stations, stations (STA) and/or user equipments (UE), communicate via a Radio Access Network (RAN) to one or more core networks (CN). The RAN covers a geographical area and provides radio coverage over service areas or cell areas, which may also be referred to as a beam or a beam group, with each service area or beam being served or controlled by a radio network node such as a radio access node e.g., a Wi-Fi access point or a radio base station (RBS), which in some networks may also be denoted, for example, a NodeB, an eNodeB, or a gNodeB. The radio network node communicates over an air interface operating on radio frequencies with the wireless device within range of the radio network node.
A Universal Mobile Telecommunications network (UMTS) is a third generation (3G) telecommunications network, which evolved from the second generation (2G) Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM). The UMTS terrestrial radio access network (UTRAN) is essentially a RAN using wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) and/or High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) for user equipments. In a forum known as the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), telecommunications suppliers propose and agree upon standards for third generation networks, and investigate enhanced data rate and radio capacity. In some RANs, e.g. as in UMTS, several radio network nodes may be connected, e.g., by landlines or microwave, to a controller node, such as a radio network controller (RNC) or a base station controller (BSC), which supervises and coordinates various activities of the plural radio network nodes connected thereto. This type of connection is sometimes referred to as a backhaul connection. The RNCs and BSCs are typically connected to one or more core networks.
Specifications for the Evolved Packet System (EPS), also called a Fourth Generation (4G) network, have been completed within the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) and this work continues in the coming 3GPP releases, for example to specify a Fifth Generation (5G) network. The EPS comprises the Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN), also known as the Long Term Evolution (LTE) radio access network, and the Evolved Packet Core (EPC), also known as System Architecture Evolution (SAE) core network. E-UTRAN/LTE is a variant of a 3GPP radio access network wherein the radio network nodes are directly connected to the EPC core network rather than to RNCs. In general, in E-UTRAN/LTE the functions of an RNC are distributed between the radio network nodes, e.g. eNodeBs in LTE, and the core network. As such, the RAN of an EPS has an essentially "flat" architecture comprising radio network nodes connected directly to one or more core networks, i.e. they are not connected to RNCs. To compensate for that, the E-UTRAN specification defines a direct interface between the radio network nodes, this interface being denoted the X2 interface.
Wireless device positioning is recognized as an important feature for LTE networks due to its potential for massive commercial applications, for example intelligent transportation, entertainment, industry automation, robotics, remote operation, healthcare, smart parking and so on, as well as its relevance to United States Federal communications commission (US FCC) E911 requirements for emergency services.
Positioning in LTE is supported by the architecture in FIG. 1a, with direct interactions between a wireless device and a location server e.g. an Evolved Serving Mobile Location Center (E-SMLC) via the LTE Positioning Protocol (LPP). Moreover, there are also interactions between the location server and a radio network node such as an eNodeB (eNB) via the LTE Positioning Protocol annex (LPPa) protocol, to some extent supported by interactions between the eNodeB and the wireless device via the Radio Resource Control (RRC) protocol. Positioning request may e.g. come from the wireless device, a Mobility Management Entity (MME) or a Gateway Mobile Location Centre (GMLC).
The following positioning techniques are disclosed in LTE:                Enhanced Cell ID (E-CID). Essentially cell ID information to associate the wireless device to the serving area of a serving cell, and then additional information to determine a finer granularity position.        Assisted Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS). GNSS information retrieved by the wireless device, supported by assistance information provided to the wireless device from the E-SMLC.        Observed Time Difference of Arrival (OTDOA). The wireless device estimates the time difference of reference signals from different base stations and sends the estimated time differences to the E-SMLC for multilateration to determine the location of the wireless device.        Uplink Time Difference of Arrival (UTDOA). The wireless device is requested to transmit a specific waveform that is detected by multiple location measurement units, e.g. an eNB, at known positions. These measurements are forwarded to E-SMLC for multilateration to determine the location of the wireless device.
The positioning techniques can be supported by assistance data from the location server to the wireless device. Typically, the wireless device either requests and the location server provides assistance data, or the location server provides assistance data unsolicited i.e. unrequested, as illustrated by FIG. 1b.
Recent enhancements in GNSS technology include support for very precise positioning, where the wireless device may interact with a network node to obtain specific measurement correction information. Much of these are captured by the specification work of Radio Technical Commission for Maritime Services (RTCM). One example is Real Time Kinematic (RTK) GNSS, which is a differential GNSS positioning technology enabling positioning accuracy improvement from meter level to decimeter or even centimeter level in the right conditions in real-time by exploiting the carrier phase of the GNSS signal rather than only the code phase. Support for RTK GNSS in LTE networks should therefore be provided and are under standardization in the Release 15 work item. The support for RTK in LTE networks comprises reporting RTK correction data to the wireless device. Two versions of reporting RTK correction data, also referred to as RTK data, to the wireless device are currently under discussion, the first known method is to broadcast the information from base stations by extending the system information bits. The other method is to send the information to each wireless device individually, for example via LPP. In addition, the wireless device can also interact with an RTK server over the application layer directly.
The problem with broadcasted positioning assistance data such as RTK correction data is that it is always transmitted, even when no user requests the positioning assistance data. Providing positioning assistance data via dedicated signalling (e.g. via LPP) may result in multiple wireless devices receiving the same information which causes unnecessary resource overhead. For example, RTK correction data could be some kilobytes that needs to be updated often, which then scales badly if many wireless devices requests RTK correction data individually.

Network node, wireless device and methods performed therein


An injection system for injecting fuel has:                a housing for containing the fuel, with a first and second aperture,        a piezo actuator having a first and second face plate aperture, a controllable piezo stack arranged between the face and base plate, a sealed casing laterally surrounding at least the piezo stack and arranged between the face and base plate and a transmission means arranged in an actuator interior space having a fluid,        a first contact device guided through the first aperture and face plate aperture,        a second contact device guided through the second aperture and face plate aperture,        a first sealing device surrounding the contact device near the apertures and providing a seal between the housing interior and exterior space and        a second sealing device surrounding the contact devices near the face plate apertures and providing a seal between the housing interior space and the actuator interior space.

Injection systems and in particular leakage oil-less common rail injection systems require a control element, such as a piezo actuator in the high pressure space for instance. To ensure the working capacity of the piezo actuator also under high pressures of up to 2000 bar, the pressure must also be able to laterally act on the piezo stack or, as applicable, the piezo ceramic body, in order to assist with the expandability of the piezo stack of the piezo actuator.
Such a piezo actuator is described for instance in WO 02/061856 A1. In this context, the ceramic body of this piezo actuator is encased with a polymer or plastic collar. However, a hermetic seal of the ceramic body in respect of the highly pressurized fuel, such as for instance 2000 bar, is hardly or not feasible in the case of the plastics known on the date of filing of the present patent application. Due to an occasional unavoidable electrical conductibility of conventional fuels, as a result of a minimal acid content for instance, it is already possible for voltage sparkovers to occur between the internal electrodes of the piezo actuator even with minimal wetting of the piezo ceramic. In addition, high expansions of the plastic casing occur on the polarity flaws, which intensify this problem. Furthermore, WO 02/061856 describes the use of a filling material between the piezo stack and the polymer or plastic collar. With the described filling material, the problem nevertheless exists in that said filling material can flow into existing spaces or joints if the piezo stack expands and can be destroyed if the piezo stack moves in the opposite direction. The filling material is thus deposited or destroyed during the period of operation of the piezo actuator. The reduced filling material nevertheless specifies that the pressure present on the exterior of the piezo actuator can no longer be efficiently transmitted to the piezo stack.
Furthermore, a solution using a hermetically sealed, metallic sleeve to transmit the pressure to the piezo stack of the piezo actuator is known internally to the applicant, said solution providing an actuator interior space between the piezo stack and the sleeve. In the actuator interior space, a filler, e.g. a silicon oil, is provided to transmit the hydraulic forces onto the side surfaces of the piezo ceramic body. This solution known internally to the applicant is however disadvantageous in that the seal between the piezo stack and the sleeve, at the point at which an electrical pin passage or contact device for contacting and controlling the piezo stack is guided through the seal, does not remain hermetically sealed in the case of longer periods of operation and in particular with high pressures, such as 2000 bar. In the event of a leakage, the risk thus exists that the filler could escape from the actuator interior space. A filler leakage could render the piezo actuator and thus the injection system inoperable.

Injection system and a method for producing an injection system


A method of integrated circuit assembly before encapsulation including at least one step of soldering, under mechanical pressure, a first element on a second element, including temporarily maintaining a predetermined spacing, at least partially without solder paste, between the surfaces to be assembled of the first and second elements.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of integrated circuit assembly before encapsulation. More specifically, the present invention relates to soldering steps of such a method.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
In a conventional integrated circuit manufacturing method, each chip, resulting from the dicing of a semiconductive wafer on which are formed several chips, must be individually assembled on a heat sink. Each chip may be assembled on a connection grid, itself assembled on a heat sink, the sink and the connection grid being then separated by an isolator, for example, made of ceramic.
Each of the different elements (sink, ceramic, connection grid, chip) must be attached to at least another one of these elements. For this purpose, solderings have to be made between a first and a second element.
FIGS. 1A and 1B illustrate a conventional soldering method. An upper element 11 (for example, a chip) is desired to be attached to a second lower element 12 (for example, a grid) by means of a solder paste 13. Initially, as illustrated in FIG. 1A, first element 11 is laid on solder paste 13. The distance separating the first and second elements 11, 12 thus corresponds to thickness T1 of deposited paste 13, for example, about 40 μm. Such a paste is typically formed of balls 14 of fusible metals such as lead, tin, and silver in various combinations.
In the automatic deposition of the different assembly elements (chip, ceramic, grid), a mechanical pressure is exerted vertically from top to bottom, this pressure being generally high due to the absence of any clearance in the grasping system: the absence of any clearance is compulsory for a good positioning accuracy upon deposition.
This pressure "crushes" the joint before the fusion, the two elements to be soldered being then separated from each other by a minimum distance equal to the maximum diameter of the paste particles, that is, about 40 μm. Another disadvantage of this pressure upon deposition is to expel the paste towards the outside of the surface to be soldered.
Then, paste 13 is brought to the fusion point while exerting, on first element 11, a light mechanical pressure homogeneously distributed on its surface.
FIG. 1B illustrates the assembly obtained by such a method. Conventionally, first and second elements 11, 12 are now only separated by a soldering joint (hard soldering) 16 of a thickness T2, for example, on the order of 15 μm, substantially one third of initial thickness T1 of paste 13.
A disadvantage of this method is linked to the very small final thickness T2, especially as compared to the contact surfaces involved, which are relatively large. Indeed, in the operation at high temperatures and during temperature variations, the heat coefficient difference between the two elements of different nature attached by soldering, combined with the small thickness of the soldering, can cause disconnection of the two elements. Such disconnection results in malfunctions of the circuit in which it occurs.
Thickness T2 of the obtained soldering depends on the thickness T1 of initially deposited solder paste. It has already been provided to increase thickness T1, by increasing the amount of deposited solder paste. But the high pressure during the deposition of the elements expels the paste outside the surface to be soldered, which results in new disadvantages, especially a problem of alignment of the elements, which tend to float.
It should be noted that these problems also arise when a soldering joint is created between a ceramic pad and a connection grid and between this pad and a sink. Indeed, if elements like the connection grid and the sink appear, upon assembly, in the form of strips of linked elements, the chips and ceramic pads are however individualized before this assembly and are thus not held laterally.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.